Star Wars_ Rebel Force 06_ Uprising - Alex Wheeler [34]
And his instincts were telling him that Luke and Leia would be stronger together. That the Force lived within her, and she deserved the chance to know it, to know herself—and to know her brother.
"There's something I haven't told you," he said, aware that after this moment, nothing would be the same. "Something you need to know."
"What is it?" she asked impatiently. "We have to leave."
"Leia, I—" Suddenly, he couldn't catch his breath. His lungs squeezed together as if trapped in a vise. A curtain of darkness descended across his vision. It was as if the air had turned to poison, killing him with every breath.
And, as he reached out with the Force, he heard it, the breathing, heavy and even, wheezing death with every exhalation.
Vader was here.
And he was close.
"I heard something," he said quickly. "Back in the base. Belowground." They were at the mouth of the hangar. "It sounded like a cry for help. I think there might be more prisoners."
"I don't hear anything," Leia said. "And time's running out. Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Ferus said urgently. He had to get her out of here before Vader got close enough to sense her presence, They'd met face-to-face before, and Ferus couldn't believe that Vader hadn't figured out the truth. There was no way he was going to risk giving Vader another chance again. Because even if he didn't realize who Leia was, he would surely take her prisoner—or kill her.
"Then we have to go back and help them," Leia said.
"I'll go," Ferus said. He would do whatever it took to stall Vader and give Leia time to escape. It was the only way to make sure she survived.
"I'm not letting you go on your own!" Leia said, indignant.
There was little time to argue. "Leia, please," Ferus said. "I promised your father I would protect you. Don't make me break that promise. If there's anyone back there, I'll help them. I'll be fine. Please—just go."
He could tell it was the last thing she wanted to do. But maybe she saw his desperation.
"All right," she finally said. "But if your ship doesn't take off in ten minutes, I'm coming back for you."
Ferus grasped her hands and gave them a tight squeeze—it was as much of a good-bye as he could allow himself. If she knew what he was about to do—and how it would most likely end—she would never let him go.
Leia boarded the freighter and Ferus ran into the base, back the way they'd come.
Back toward Vader. He didn't have far to run. As he rounded one corner, and then another, the stench of evil grew overwhelming, the air thick with darkness. And then, just beyond the second corner, there he was. Darth Vader, standing still in the middle of the hall, as if he were waiting. As if he knew exactly what was coming, and who.
Ferus froze at the opposite end of the corridor. He couldn't force his legs to carry him any closer.
"I had hoped you were dead," Darth Vader said in a low rumble.
"Sorry to disappoint you." Rage swelled within Ferus. He hadn't come face-to-face with Vader since that day, so many years ago, when the Sith had left him for dead. When Ferus had failed to avenge Roan's death, and left Vader alive, to kill so many more.
Because Ferus failed, Vader lived to strike down Obi-Wan. To destroy nearly everything and everyone he touched. Standing before him, Ferus understood the true nature of hate.
He had told himself that he only wanted to stall Vader, to protect Leia. But that wasn't the whole truth.
He wanted another chance at killing the Dark Lord. He wanted to stand over Vader's body and watch him die.
"I could kill you where you stand," Vader said. "I could kill you with a thought."
"It would probably be easier," Ferus replied lightly. He knew he had to leave behind his hatred if he was going to survive this encounter. He couldn't beat Vader by matching him darkness for darkness. His rage would only cloud his connection to the Force; he needed to stay clear.