Mission to Monastery

"No more, Luke Skywalker! I've throughly tested you...Made you perform in a hostile environment...Probed your emotions by placing your friends in jeopardy. I now know your limits...And your limitations."

- Vader to Luke

The Mission to Monastery was a mission carried out by Luke Skywalker in an effort to convince the Order of the Sacred Circle to join the Rebel Alliance. However, It was soon discovered that the mission was a trap set up by Darth Vader to test Luke's skills.

Background
"A Galactic war, such as you have begun, could well sunder the circle of life...with our many followers in many systems, our influence might tip the balance to end such a war swiftly. The order wished to hear from both sides before making a decision."

- Domina Tagge

After learning the true identity of the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, Darth Vader planned to set a trap for him. Vader forced Domina Tagge into cooperating with him, promising power and prestige, as well as revenge on Luke Skywalker, for Domina believed her brother was killed by him, but he was in fact saved by Vader and been kept in hibernation. Not long after, Luke Skywalker saved a civilian vessel from an Imperial attack and escorted it to the Alliance base on Yavin IV. There he discovered that aboard that ship was priestess Domina, a member of the Order of the Sacred Circle. She informed the Rebels that her homeworld of Monastery, that stayed neutral throughout the course of the war, was willing to join someone. To decide between the Alliance and the Empire, she requested that both sides should change an envoy to Monastery and asked Luke to go there. The Alliance agreed, but to make sure that everything would proceed fine, Jan Dodonna also sent princess Leia and Han Solo on the Millenium Falcon.

Mission
"What was this thing, sister Domina...? A Nightshrike[...]I can't imagine why it was out during the day...The sunlight must have driven it mad, made it attack. Perhaps it is an omen...A hint of how disruptive to the natural order even one Rebel can be"

- Luke,Domina and Vader

As soon as Luke landed, he was attacked by a Nightshrike. After defeating it, Luke met Darth Vader, who was a representatve of the Empire. He wanted to attack him, but remembering his promise to keep the mission peaceful, promised Vader to meet another time after the mission. Meanwhile Leia and Han on the Falcon orbiting Monastery, established a laserwave link with R2-D2 to monitor Luke's activities. However, they were soon captured by captain Wermis, who was informed by Vader that the Alliance would also send Leia. He ordered to search the Falcon but found nothing. Nonetheless, he imprisoned Han and Chewbacca, but Leia, who was hiding in the ship’s smuggling compartments decided to rescue them. Meanwhile, Luke saved Domina from another beast, who was in fact a pet, as Domina implied. Then, in monastery Luke was contacted by Leia via Artoo, who informed him that the mission was a trap. But the transmission was interrupted when Domina informed Luke that the Order is ready to make a decision. She said that their decision is the eliminating of the Alliance and when Luke tried to attack Vader, whom he suspected of using the Force to cloud Domina's mind, she said that this was not a time to fight and proposed a place to settle their dispute. Meanwhile aboard Wermis's ship, princess Leia, using the proton grenades to set a distraction and, managed to free Han and Chewbacca. However, after they escaped the ship, they discovered that Baron Tagge had sneaked aboard the Falcon and was wishing to rescue Domina, for he believed she was in danger. By threatening Han and Leia with a blaster he ordered them to pilot the ship to the surface of Monastery.

Skirmish in the Crystal Valley
As Vader was approaching the Crystal Valley to fight Luke, he noticed the Falcon, aboard which Leia and Han were at last free, but distracted by the pursuing TIE fighters to notice that Orman escaped. Vader confronted Tagge and revealed that Domina was in an alliance with him. Soon enough Luke fought Vader in the valley, but when he delievered a final blow, he realised that it was in fact an illusion and he killed Tagge. When the real Vader appeared and revealed that the whole mission was meant to test Luke's abilities, Luke decided to run. While above the valley, Han and Leia informed Domina that Orman survived. When Luke appeared without Tagge and tried to explain what happened, Domina didn't listen and said that her wrath would always be against Skywalker. Luke and Vader departed Monastery, each in their own direction and they wouldn't see each other for almost two years until their meeting on Mimban.

Appearances

 * Star Wars 35: Dark Lord's Gambit
 * Star Wars 36: Red Queen Rising
 * Star Wars 37: In Mortal Combat