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Chapter Text

Lieutenant Lev Dorany couldn't help but wonder how he had ended up here, in quite possibly the least sought-after job in the entire navy. It was something he wondered on most mornings, but today it seemed an especially relevant question.

When he'd first signed up for the Imperial Navy, as a bright-eyed young cadet seven years ago, he had dreamed of spending his days seeing all the wonders and experiencing all the opportunities the galaxy had to offer. Just like the recruitment posters had promised.

They didn't tell him there was a chance he might end up having to deliver reports to a temperamental Sith Lord. They also didn't mention that even occasional proximity to a Sith Lord rendered your life insurance policy null and void. A few months ago, he had discovered he no longer qualified for the navy retirement plan. Apparently, according to the polite letter he had received from the internal affairs department, it would be wasted on someone in his position.

Always good to know.

Still, he had to look on the bright side. After he'd become unpopular with certain superiors and reassigned to the Imperial Palace, they had taken delight in telling him that he wouldn't last two months. Now, here he was, a year later and still alive.

Only three other members of the palace administrative staff had actually mysteriously disappeared since he'd been here—not one per week, like the rumors suggested. And only one of those people could possibly have died at Lord Vader's hand. All they knew was he was last seen entering the Emperor's main office to deliver some bad news. He may have simply quit unexpectedly and chosen not to say goodbye.

It was also the case that Lord Vader had been spending increasing amounts of time on Mustafar during recent years, which meant he and the other assistants could do their job from a safe distance. They even had an unmarked screen on the wall of the office, showing the amount of successive days Lord Vader had been present at the Imperial Palace. Zero meant he wasn't here at all. A number over three meant he would likely be departing for Mustafar any moment now, and then it would reset to zero, much to everyone's relief.

If the number ever crept above four, the screen turned red in warning, as five days on Coruscant usually meant something was keeping him here against his will, and that meant full implementation of the temperamental Sith Lord protocol. Also known as the TSL protocol, which if anyone should ask a member of the team, definitely stood for time saving lunch.

As Lev glanced at the screen, he tried not to get too anxious about the large red six. It was the week of Empire Day, after all. And Lord Vader had been busy with a major ISB operation involving the acting Coruscant senator. It was true the last assistant to attempt to speak to the Sith Lord had been told in no uncertain terms that he was to be left alone, but perhaps his mood had improved since then. He could actually be quite civil occasionally. One of these days, he might even get around to learning his name.

"Sir, are you really sure you should go up there?"

Lev downed his last sip of caf, and pushed the mug aside.

"Yes, Ensign. If I don't return, you can have my lunch. Hicks made a nuna fish stirfry last night and it's fantastic."

The ensign didn't smile at his joke. "Maybe … maybe you should wait. He did say he didn't want to be disturbed."

"One thing I've learned in this job," Lev said, picking up the frayed sack stuffed with clothes. A model ship fell out the top, and he quickly pushed it back in. "You never know what will be considered an important message. Often it's not what you'd expect. And the consequences for not delivering an important message in a timely manner could well be worse than disturbing Lord Vader when he wants to be alone. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

He left the office without another word, heading for the stairs up to the main floor of the palace. That man who had disappeared in the Emperor's office had always ordered the ensigns to deliver messages to Lord Vader, and it still seemed to surprise the younger members of the team that he never did. He joked with them that it was because he was hoping for a field promotion, but the real truth was he knew he would never forgive himself if anything happened to any member of his team because he was too cowardly to do his duty.

He tried to remind himself of that as the elevator travelled up towards the private floor where Lord Vader was currently working, and not think about that screen with the big red six.

When he arrived outside the conference room, he took a moment to look at his reflection in the shiny black surface of the doors and straighten his already immaculate uniform. Then, just as he was about to reach up to press the door-comm, the doors slid open with a loud, sudden hiss, causing Lev to quickly step back.

"What is it?"

Finding himself so unexpectedly face-to-mask with Lord Vader made him momentarily forget what he was here for. After a few awkward seconds, Lev cleared his throat. "My lord, one of Senator Lerrod's aides stopped by this morning. He left these." Lev held up the frayed sack.

To Lev's surprise, Lord Vader immediately reached out to take the toy model ship from the top. He began to turn it over and over in his gloved hands, inspecting it.

"I don't know if this will mean anything to you, sir," Lev continued, "but he said they were the possessions of the Family Services boy. He also said he tried to take them to the medical centre, but the guards you had left there refused to allow him access."

Lord Vader continued to inspect the ship, not reacting. Lev remained at attention, careful not to stare at this strange behaviour. After a moment, the Sith Lord looked up, appearing to notice Lev was there, once again.

"There is a body in the palace morgue. It belongs to a man who was formerly in the employ of Senator Lerrod. Go and arrange for it to be delivered to the senator, and include this message." He paused before continuing. "Tell him that he should forget he ever saw that boy, or I will slice him into pieces and hang the remains from his campaign billboard."

Lev swallowed, doing his best to keep his expression neutral. "Yes, my lord." He turned to leave, and then realised he was still holding the sack. "Should I dispose of—?"

Vader simply held out a hand, and Lev gratefully relinquished them. Whoever this boy was, he really needed to do some laundry.

Vader tossed the boy's possessions into a corner as he entered his meditation chamber. It was useless to try and do anything while the words kept reverberating in his mind. He is your son ... he is your son ... he is—

So many questions. How was it possible? When had the birth taken place? Where had the boy been for the last twelve years, and where did Obi-Wan fit into this puzzle? He is your son ...

He had never felt as dense in his life as he did the moment Obi-Wan had said those words. The boy had been under his nose for days now, and he hadn't even bothered to ask his name. That's all it would have taken, one simple question, and he would have known. Even simpler—he could have taken the time to look at the boy properly. He did bear an uncanny resemblance to him. But he'd been too arrogant, too wrapped up in his own thoughts of revenge to bother.

Yet even if he had neglected those simple tasks, the boy's strong presence in the Force should have triggered some warning in his head. Or perhaps it had, but he had been unwilling to even entertain the idea. It was understandable. The last time the prospect of fatherhood had been raised, he had been an entirely different person. That person had been overwhelmed with joy at the idea of being a father.

Unwanted memories came flooding into his mind. Padmé's face, smiling as he felt the baby kick ...

Padmé's face, twisting in pain as she choked under the grip of his anger ...

It didn't matter now. None of it mattered. Whatever the reason, the boy had lived. He was here now.

And he had no idea what to do about it. After Obi-Wan's death, he had taken the boy to the senate medcenter and arranged for him to be guarded. The only person who even had some idea of what was going on was the medic, with whom he had arranged to have a DNA test performed. He hadn't even spoken to the Emperor yet.

The Force only knew what his master would have to say about this. It was entirely possible he had known of the boy's existence and had purposely kept this information from him. Perhaps he had been planning to secretly abduct the boy when he was older, and train him as a replacement. It was also possible this would all be as much of a surprise to him. Vader wasn't sure which scenario was worse.

His comlink began to beep, and Vader sighed in frustration. He was sure he had switched that off a moment ago. But closer inspection revealed it was his private frequency.

He flicked it on and recognized the image of Doctor Leeson.

"You have the results of the test?" Vader enquired.

"Yes, I do indeed, sir. Would you like to come down to my—"

"Tell me."

"Very well." The doctor pressed a switch, and a second image lit up with a graphical display of two revolving DNA strands. Vader noticed some text was highlighted under the diagram. Match positive.

"Congratulations," the doctor said. "It's a boy."

It wasn't a surprise. He had already known Obi-Wan had spoken the truth—the Force was more accurate than the advancements of science could ever be. But somehow, seeing the data in front of him made the reality of it more shocking than ever. He was a father.

"How old is he?" Vader asked, finally.

The doctor consulted the datapad in his hand. "Luke recently turned twelve."

That sounded right. In fact, it sounded exactly right.

"Sir, I realize you are very busy," the doctor continued. "I understand this must be a difficult time for you, and I have no intention to intrude on your privacy. But as your son's medic, I must ask you what you intend for his future. Right now he is distressed, confused ... he keeps asking me if he's going back to the IFS holding center. I want to reassure him, but I don't want to fill his head with false hope."

"Are you implying I would abandon my own offspring?" Vader asked, annoyed.

"My apologies, sir, but it wouldn't be the first time I've handled that situation."

Vader could well imagine many of the Empire's elite secretly hiding children away to avoid embarrassment. He was not one of those people.

"I will stop by and inspect him this afternoon," Vader said. "Is he ready to leave the medcenter?"

"I'd like to keep him under observation a bit longer, sir. He is making good progress, however."

"Good," Vader said. "Contact me if there is any trouble."

Vader cut the call and leaned back in his chair. He sensed he could trust the doctor, which was one good thing. A lesser man would have run to the media by now, and the medcentre would be besieged with tabloid reporter droids. The boy had to be shielded from that at all costs.

It was funny how he was already feeling protective. He barely knew the boy, after all. He had to go and talk to him this afternoon, and he had no idea what he was going to say. He didn't even know how he was supposed to address him. 'Luke' seemed far too familiar, yet 'Skywalker' was too formal.

A sudden beep from the computer indicated a new message had just arrived. Vader leaned over to open it, welcoming the distraction. Sitting here agonizing over this turn of events was pointless.

The message was in text form. It didn't take him long to infer it was a summons from the Emperor. After this meeting, talking with a twelve-year-old boy should be no trouble at all.

The universe had a grudge against him. Luke was sure of it. Whenever he complained about a place being boring, he ended up in a place which made his last locale look like an amusement park. He'd described Tatooine as the 'boringest planet in the galaxy' on more than one occasion, much to Uncle Owen's annoyance. Then he'd ended up at IFS. He'd called that place a prison, shortly before moving in with Senator Lerrod and his monster-turned-human son, Chilee. Since leaving there, he'd been stuck in a medcentre room which didn't even have a holovid.

To be fair, this was much better than the senator's home. But it was boring. He had no one to talk to, except the doctor who stopped by every hour. The droids were all dull, with little personality. They claimed to be able to get him anything he wanted, but the doctor had programmed them to only supply foods from a specially approved diet. In other words, boring healthy food.

But even eating cooked beans was more interesting than lying here staring at the ceiling. When he started doing that, he started thinking about his future. Worrying about his future was more like it. There was no way the senator would be buying him a ticket to Tatooine now that he'd let that Wookiee loose at his party. So what now?

Voices outside the ward caused him to sit up, listening carefully. He recognized his doctor's voice ... arguing with someone. It sounded pretty heated. Curiosity finally got the better of him, and he limped over to the door, ignoring the pain in his injured leg. Even if the guards made him go back straight away, at least he'd get a look at who was arguing with the medic.

When he poked his head around the door, he was rewarded with the sight of a welcome visitor.

"LJ!?" Luke yelled, his mouth falling open in surprise. He rushed across the corridor, dodging the guards as they dived to stop him. "LJ!" He barreled into the trooper and wrapped his arms around his armor, not caring what anyone else thought. "Do you remember me?"

LJ put his hands on Luke's shoulders, steadying him. "Hi, buddy. Of course I remember you."

Luke felt the guards try and pull him away, and he struggled against their grip. "No!"

"It's okay," the doctor said, motioning the guards to stand down. "No one is in any danger. You know this trooper, Luke?"

"He's my friend," Luke said. "From Family Services. LJ, are Crix and Val still there?"

"Yep. They said to tell you they missed you. Things have been boring without you."

"But that means more time to practice your stand up routine, right?" Luke suggested, "You'll never guess all the things that happened to me—I went to the Imperial Palace and I met Lord Vader and—"

Luke broke off, something suddenly occurring to him. LJ wouldn't have come here just to visit him. He couldn't do anything without an order. A sense of dread set in, and Luke frowned as he looked up.

"You haven't come to take me back, have you?" Luke asked.

"Those were my orders," LJ confirmed. "We saw the news about the disaster at the senator's party and the administrator said to find you immediately. She thought maybe you had something to do with it."

Luke looked at his doctor, worried. He'd asked the medic before if he was going back to IFS, and he had always refused to answer.

One of the guards spoke up. "We have our orders from Lord Vader, which state that boy is to remain here."

"That's correct," the doctor said. "And I think we'll all agree that his orders outweigh those of the IFS administrator."

"All right," LJ said, straightening up. "I will report back to my superior."

"Do you have to leave straight away?" Luke pleaded. "I've got no one to talk to here. Stars, I'll even listen to your jokes."

"He does seem to be having a positive effect on your health," the doctor said, hiding a smile.

LJ stared down at Luke, looking about as conflicted as a stormtrooper wearing a helmet could look.

"I'd love too, buddy," he said, finally. "But orders are orders."

Luke nodded, reluctantly. "Say hi to my friends for me."

"Will do."

He ruffled Luke's hair one last time, before walking off towards the exit. Luke stared after him, sadly.

"Come on, Luke," the doctor said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You're supposed to be in bed." He started to guide him back to the room, and Luke didn't resist. "Besides, Lord Vader is coming by to see you this afternoon. You wouldn't want him to catch you running around in the corridors."

Luke looked up in surprise. "Really? He's coming here?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand," Luke said, climbing back into the bed. "Why is he so interested that he'd bring me here and post guards outside? I'm ... I'm just Luke, and he's one of the most powerful people in the galaxy. Why does he even care?"

"Well," the doctor said, fluffing up his pillows, "perhaps you can ask him when he comes to see you."

"I can't," Luke said. "He doesn't like it when I talk to him."

"I think you may find that he's changed his mind."

"Besides, he's scary. That breathing noise he makes ... and I hurt my neck trying to look high enough to see him properly."

The doctor laughed.

"It's not funny," Luke said. "I'm serious! And he's always in a bad mood."

"You know, Luke," the doctor said, seriously. "I used to be frightened of my next door neighbor, when I was a boy. He had fangs like a Nexu, and glowing red eyes. If anyone even breathed on his side of the fence, you were lucky if he didn't call local security. Then one day, I heard him moaning in pain. I jumped over the fence, and found he'd fallen off a ladder and broken his leg. We lived on a remote island on Novisia, so it was quite a while before an ambulance ship could get to us. In the meantime, I talked to him to help keep his mind off the pain. I wasn't afraid of him after that, because I knew that, despite his frightening personality, on the inside he was a vulnerable, fragile lifeform, just like the rest of us."

Luke blinked at the doctor. "Have you seen Lord Vader?"

"Yes, funnily enough."

"I don't think it's possible to not be afraid of him."

"You should rest," the doctor said, standing up. There was a look in his face as if he knew something Luke didn't, but Luke didn't push it. Adults had a habit of becoming annoyed when he asked endless questions.

"It's an interesting piece, is it not?"

Vader turned away from studying the three-panelled work of art, mounted on the wall of the anteroom to the Emperor's private office. He bowed slightly in greeting.

"Master."

"The Vebsash viceroy had it delivered last week. A token of gratitude for all the Empire has done for their region. I was pleasantly surprised with the sophistication of it, although I'm not sure if the curator has got the lighting quite right. I must speak with her about it."

Vader glanced at the artwork, unable to say what it was even supposed to depict, despite the length of time he'd stood staring at it before the Emperor had arrived. The center panel looked like a nest of space slugs making a feast of a lost freighter, but it could just as easily be an abstract depiction of the water features Vebsash was famous for.

"But come, my friend," his master said, gesturing down the nearby hall of sculptures. "Walk with me. You are troubled. Unfocused. I would have thought the death of Kenobi would be a cause for celebration."

Vader looked down at his hand, and then offered the Emperor the object he'd been holding tightly for some time. "His lightsaber. For your collection, master."

The Emperor took the weapon and studied it briefly. Then, he passed it back.

"No, you should keep it, Lord Vader. A reminder. Of defeat and of victory. With Kenobi's death at your hands, perhaps the galaxy has finally seen the last of the Jedi."

Vader tightened his fingers around the hilt once again. There was no victory in this. Obi-Wan had not died at his hands, a fact his master was either unaware of or choosing to ignore.

They walked in silence for a moment, before the Emperor said, "So what is it that has you so melancholy? Why have you taken so long to come here and report?"

Vader turned the lightsaber hilt over in his hand, trying to keep his breathing even.

"I have been … reflecting on recent events."

The Emperor waited, showing more patience than Vader could ever hope to have. After they'd walked past another three sculptures, he continued.

"I discovered the Jedi were not working together. Obi-Wan was trying to protect the Force sensitive child from the other, who was seeking to kill the boy."

"Ah. Did he succeed?"

"No, Master. I have the boy under guard."

"Does he have the potential for great power with the Force?"

"Undoubtedly."

There was a heavy silence for a moment, and then his master nodded.

"I see why you are off-balance. You know what must be done but you already mourn the loss of such great potential. Pay such thoughts no mind, Lord Vader. There are always children with potential, if we should ever have a use for them. Now is not that time. When you leave here, be sure to go immediately and kill him. Do not hesitate."

Vader breathed in sharply, but the Emperor didn't appear to notice.

"Afterwards, you should see about dealing with that puny uprising in the Jadis Cluster. General Kanzati is already readying his army to pacify the population, but I feel it would send a stronger message if you went personally."

"Yes, master."

After another moment of silence, Vader stopped walking. The Emperor looked at him expectantly, but the words wouldn't come. There was something about saying them that drove home the reality of it even further. It took another three breathing cycles before he spoke.

"I am his father."

His master's surprise hit Vader's senses like a wave. So, this was news to him as well.

After a heavy moment, he said, "Padmé's child? Are you certain?"

"Yes. Obi-Wan said so just before he died. I believe he took the boy and has been raising him in secret."

"Training him?"

"He has shown no evidence of training."

The Emperor meshed his fingers together. "No, I see now. If Kenobi had trained him, I would have seen his presence in the Force. But he will have poisoned him with foolish Jedi ideals." He turned from Vader and kept walking, past the sculptures. "This means he is even more of a danger than I first thought. If he is trained, he could destroy us both and everything we have built."

"He is just a boy."

"Boys have a tendency to grow up. Rather quickly."

Vader was thinking. He had to present a solution, or Luke's fate would be sealed.

"I can ensure he is not trained, my master."

The Emperor glanced at him. "What, exactly, are you proposing?"

"That I be given the chance to raise him to be loyal to you."

"Lord Vader." His incredulous tone was similar to the one Obi-Wan would always use when he came up with some idea that his former master thought was outlandish and impractical. "Raise him? Be reasonable."

"He is my son—"

"Your son? He is Skywalker's son," the Emperor interrupted. "Skywalker is dead. You are Darth Vader."

Vader felt his spirit sink deeper into confusion. His master was right. By acknowledging the boy as his son, he was allowing his former life to make some claim on him. He hadn't considered this.

"Do you know what happened to the last Lord of the Sith who attempted to mix parenthood with the Dark Side of the Force?" his master continued.

Vader hadn't heard this particular story, but if it was like his master's other stories about Sith Lords of old, it would involve untimely death.

"He was murdered by his own children?" he suggested.

"No. She spent years of her life hunting down her rogue offspring as they left a trail of untold destruction across an entire region of space. A civilisation was destroyed when they raised an army against her. They say she was driven to madness in the end."

If his master had intended to unsettle him further, it was working.

"What possible benefit is there in allowing this boy to become a burden for you? What possible benefit is there for me?"

Vader was silent, unable to think of an immediate answer. He hadn't considered any of this.

The Emperor stopped again, and peered at him in a manner as if to see right through him. "If you haven't given any thought to the potential benefits, then what is your motivation?"

Vader knew he should have said something—anything, really, but he didn't.

His master spoke in a suspicious tone. "You still haven't fully let go, have you? You still dwell on her. Even after—"

"That life means nothing to me," Vader interrupted, hearing the anger in his tone and not caring. His master knew that was a taboo subject. "I am a Sith."

The Emperor began to chuckle.

"On that note, what makes you think this child would want to live with you in the first place? You really think a boy would want to live on Mustafar?"

Images of dark skies and lava flows entered Vader's mind, and more doubts began to stir.

"He will take one look at you, and agree that he's better off dead," his master continued. "If this is too difficult, then you should leave Coruscant. I will have a guard dispose of him. A clean blaster shot while he is sleeping, and he won't even be aware. You will forget in time. Lay the past to rest, my friend."

That did the trick. His confusion evaporated in a wave of feeling that was difficult to describe. Was it spite? Was it stubbornness? Obi-Wan might have called it arrogance. Whatever it was, he knew he would die before he'd leave without permission to raise his son.

"I promise you, I will see to it the boy does not develop his Force potential," Vader said. "Not until he is mature and you have had a chance to assess him. I will raise him to be a loyal subject of the Empire. If you allow me the chance to guide the boy until he has come of age, I will show you he can be of use to you."

The Emperor met his gaze, clearly sensing his resolve.

"You have already formed an attachment to him. Or to the idea of him, at least." It wasn't a question. "Still, after all these years, you show no caution. Have you considered how painful it will be if you invest yourself in this child and then he rejects you? If you are forced to kill him because he has become your enemy? If I am forced to kill him, because you can't bring yourself to do it? If he angers you, and you kill him unintentionally?"

"If that is his destiny, then it will be as the Force wills," Vader said. "I am used to pain. But I do not believe his fate will be so wasteful."

"I wish I could be so optimistic," his master said. "But I feel your determination. If you insist on doing this, then you have my blessing. For now."

Vader bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, master."

"I suggest you keep him here, Lord Vader, at least until you have had time to consider what arrangements you want to make for his education. There are members of the Joint Chiefs who will be able to advise you."

Another thing he hadn't considered. What would they all make of the boy and his relationship to him? There were many for whom the name 'Skywalker' would reveal far more than he wished to make known. He remembered the confusion, the questions, and the resentment when he was first introduced. And the assassination attempts. He felt another wave of protectiveness. Perhaps it would be best if he immediately moved the boy to Mustafar and ensured the silence of all those who had encountered the boy already. Unfortunately, that was a long list.

"I wish to keep his relationship to me private."

"You can certainly try, I suppose," the Emperor said, sounding disinterested. "I wouldn't be surprised if the senators are gossiping on the matter by the end of the week. So what did Kenobi name the boy, then?"

"Luke. His name is Luke Skywalker."

"Skywalker? They'll be gossiping by the end of today." He paused, and then said, "That isn't from Kenobi. He would have given him a Jedi name. Luke is common on Naboo. So, she must have lived longer than the Force led me to believe."

Vader stopped short, feeling a wave of emotion that left him reeling. If that was true ...

"But let us not speak of that," his master said, turning away. "I know her loss still pains you. Go and see to the boy then. And remember to see about the Jadis Cluster."

Behind him, Vader heard the guards move to follow after the Emperor, leaving him alone with the sculptures.

It was good he had to stop off at his quarters to collect Luke's belongings, before making his way to the medcenter. He needed the time to calm down. Even so, the conversation with his master was still replaying itself in his head by the time he walked into the medcenter reception.

He was only now beginning to appreciate how close he'd come to losing his son, barely a day after finding him. But now he was going to be a father. Not just a father, but a parent of such superior skill, the Emperor would be forced to admit that he had made the right decision to allow Luke to live. It wouldn't matter if he was away for weeks at a time—the boy would be independent and disciplined enough to look after himself.

As he had previously requested, the medcenter had been cleared of other patients and guards were posted both at the entrance and inside. The doctor came out immediately to meet with him.

"Doctor Leeson," Vader said, in greeting. "How is the boy?"

"Much better than I expected, in fact. His leg is healing well. He's very resilient."

Vader was pleased to hear it.

"Perhaps we should speak for a moment in my office," the doctor said, leading the way. Vader was impatient to get on with it—he didn't have all day after all, and the thought of having to speak with the boy was making him nervous. But the medic seemed to have something on his mind, so he chose to oblige.

The doctor gestured at the objects Vader was carrying as they walked through the doors.

"I see you've brought his belongings. That should cheer him up a bit, after the incident this morning. We had some drama."

"What happened?" Vader asked, turning in surprise. "An attack?"

"No, no," the doctor said, raising a hand in reassurance. "A stormtrooper came looking for Luke. The administrator of IFS sent him."

"What was his purpose?" Vader asked, not bothering to sit. The doors slid closed behind him, giving them some privacy.

"He'd been ordered to bring Luke back. He left quietly when I explained the situation, though."

"How fortunate," Vader said, "for his sake."

"I have managed to retrieve some past medical records for Luke," the doctor continued. "I will send you copies for your files. He has no ongoing medical conditions, and his eyesight and hearing are both in good condition. His inoculations were all up to date."

"He is in perfect health, then."

"He is in good overall physical health," the doctor said, carefully. "However, he is showing signs of psychological trauma. He's been uplifted from his home planet and dumped into a confusing situation he barely understands. What he needs right now is a stable environment where he can begin to come to terms with his changed circumstances. He needs encouragement and attention. I've got a book here I thought you might like to read—" the doctor picked up a datapad on his desk. "I've survived three of my children's teenage years thus far, and I've found the advice in this book practical and—"

Vader raised a hand, seeking to end this before it went any further. "I can assure you, Doctor, I have no need of any assistance as far as the boy is concerned. I have entire armies under my command. I think I can handle one child."

"I didn't mean any disrespect," the doctor said, placing the datapad back on his desk. "I'm not questioning your ability to care for your own son. But Luke is a special case. If this goes unchecked, he may develop serious behavioral problems—"

"Is there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?" Vader asked, with a dangerous edge. He wasn't interested in having his intelligence insulted with flaky academic theories about child psychology. Uplifted from his home planet? Dumped into a confusing situation? He had survived such things. His son would too. Discipline and strict routines were all the boy would need. That was how he was raised during his teenage years, and he had turned out just fine.

"One more thing," the doctor said, displaying more bravery than Vader had seen from some high-ranking officers.

"Make it quick," Vader said, reluctantly.

"Luke is doing well," the doctor explained, "but he is still recovering. When you break the news to him, you may want to do it slowly."

"What news?"

"That you're his father."

"He doesn't know?!" Vader almost dropped the model T-16 in surprise. He hadn't come prepared for this. "Why did you not tell him?"

"I thought you'd rather do that yourself," the doctor said, resting on the edge of his desk. "He'll have a lot of questions about why you haven't been in his life until now, which only you can answer."

Vader felt his breathing regulator skip up a step in response to his stress. Questions about his past ... as if the Emperor's mention of the boy's mother wasn't bad enough. This day was getting worse by the minute.

"Very well," Vader said, turning to leave. He couldn't let the doctor get any hint of his fears. He had a certain reputation to maintain.

"I'll be right here if there are any problems," the doctor called after him.

Vader didn't bother to reply. What kind of 'problems' the doctor anticipated he could only imagine. Perhaps he thought the boy might faint when he heard the truth. Vader wouldn't mind if he did—it would save him from having to answer questions.

The guards outside the door snapped to attention as he approached. He hesitated before entering, suddenly unsure. What if the Emperor was right? What if Luke rejected the whole idea entirely? He had given him no reason to trust him. If the boy refused to live with him, what would he do then?

The doors suddenly slid open, triggered by his delay. He couldn't run away now, at any rate. It was time to gather his courage and face this. He was a Dark Lord of the Sith. He'd battled deadly enemies and ravenous monsters. He'd seen the galaxy through a cataclysmic revolution. His own offspring was nothing.

He stepped through the doors and paused on the other side while they slid closed behind him. Luke was in the bed against the far wall. He turned his head and stared, eyes wide and unblinking.

He's afraid of me, Vader realized. Your own son is afraid of you.

It shouldn't be a surprise. He was a Sith Lord, as he had taken delight in reminding himself a moment ago. People were supposed to be afraid of him. And standing here staring at the boy from a distance wasn't doing anything to help the situation.

Vader approached the bed slowly, and came to rest at the foot. Now that he was closer, he could see the progress of Luke's recovery. The cuts and bruises were almost all gone, no doubt due to overnight bacta treatment. A faint scar still remained above his eye, but other than that, his appearance was a vast improvement from the night he'd brought him here. The droids had done an excellent job.

Luke didn't say anything, but he continued to stare in wide-eyed awe. Finally, he looked away, obviously a little uncomfortable. Vader knew how he felt.

"I believe this is yours," Vader said, tossing the T-16 model onto the bed cover. He left the bag of clothes to rest on the floor.

Luke's face lit up at the sight of his model, and he kicked until it jumped far enough up the bed so he could pick it up. He fingered it carefully.

Silence resumed. Vader was at the point of considering how to introduce the subject of biological relationships, when Luke suddenly spoke.

"I was saving for a real one. Me and my friend Biggs used to talk about flying them through the Stone Needle."

Vader was instantly curious. Flying? He hadn't considered that Luke might take after him in ways other than appearance.

"You are a pilot?" he asked.

"I can fly anything," Luke declared, sitting up slightly. He paused for a moment, then added, "At least, I would if my uncle had let me."

A very old memory was stirring in Vader's mind. The Stone Needle ...

"The Stone Needle," Vader said aloud. "In Beggar's Canyon?"

"Yes." Luke looked up, his mouth falling slightly open. "You have heard of Tatooine?! I've never met anyone here who's heard of Tatooine."

"I ... used to live there. A long time ago."

"I grew up there," Luke said, "with my Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen."

Vader inwardly winced at those names from his past. So, Obi-Wan hadn't raised the boy. It was all beginning to make sense. His former master had taken the boy to live with his family. Thinking back, he remembered seeing images of Owen and Beru in the other Jedi's mind. He had killed them, effectively orphaning Luke. That was how the boy had come to be a ward of the state. He must have been transferred to Coruscant, and now ... here he was. The Force was at work here; there was no other explanation for it.

"I see," he said, distantly.

"Am I talking too much?" Luke asked, sounding nervous, as if he'd just realized exactly who he was pouring out his past to. "I know you don't like it when I talk too much. Sorry."

Vader let out a slow breath, berating himself for being so harsh with the boy in the past. It would be a lot easier to break the news to him if this was the first time they had met. Now he had to deal with the first impressions his past conversations with the boy had put in his mind.

"You may talk as much as you wish," Vader said. "I am interested to hear everything about your past. You said you were raised by your aunt and uncle—what did they tell you about your parents?"

Luke spoke sadly. "They died. When I was just a baby."

"Did they tell you who your parents were? Their names, for example?"

"Oh sure," Luke said. "My mother's name was Padmé. Aunt Beru said she only knew her first name. She also said my mother was the one who gave me the name Luke."

Vader turned away at the words, and stared blankly at the wall. The Emperor had guessed correctly there. It wasn't much comfort. Obi-Wan must have rushed her to the nearest medical centre, likely some mining outpost that had limited facilities and no proper expertise to handle what must have been a complicated childbirth.

It was still all his fault.

He glanced back, realizing Luke was still speaking. "My father's name was Anakin Skywalker. Aunt Beru told me that one too—Uncle Owen never wanted to talk about my father. But I was always badgering him for information, so eventually he said he was a navigator on a spice freighter."

A navigator? Vader didn't know whether to be amused or angry about such a blatant lie. It seemed Owen didn't want his career choices having any influence on the boy.

Luke scratched his head, looking down at the bedspread. "Sir, I've been wondering about why there are guards outside. I don't understand what's happening. Am I still living with Senator Lerrod? He was supposed to buy me a flight back to Tatooine, but I don't think he will after I let that Wookiee loose at his party."

"No. You will never have to see him again."

"I'm going back to IFS then?"

"Of course not. There is something I need to explain to you," Vader said, deciding to get on to the point. "You and I have a connection—"

He broke off at the muffled sound of people arguing. Vader turned to the door in annoyance. Of all the times ...

"Stay in bed," he ordered, striding towards the doors. "I will return in a moment." Whoever was causing trouble out there was about to be silenced. Permanently.

As soon as Vader left the room, Luke pulled back the blankets and dropped quietly down to the floor. He was curious to find out who was out there. Perhaps the administrator had sent LJ back. She was pretty stubborn when it came to rules and regulations.

Luke crouched down and pressed his ear to the door. The first thing he heard caused him to flinch with recognition.

"I can't make exceptions, sir, even for you. That child is in the custody of my department, and under Imperial law, he must be kept at the holding center."

It was the administrator! She had come personally this time! That could only mean trouble. Luke looked over his shoulder, wondering if he could escape out a window. No such luck—there were no windows to be seen in this high security room.

He pressed his head closer, hearing Vader's low-pitched voice.

"I have neither the time nor the patience for your bureaucratic obsessions. This boy is now under my jurisdiction."

"Well, it's no surprise to me that he's a criminal," she said.

Luke flinched. Was that it? Was he a prisoner here? Was he going to jail for letting his Wookiee friend go free?

"He was always causing problems," she continued. "If you'll send over the arrest warrant I'll close his file."

"He is nothing of the kind."

Luke was relieved at the words, but Vader sounded angry. Well, angrier than usual, at least.

"From now on, he will be living under my protection, and is no longer—"

Luke gasped loudly and stumbled against the door. It immediately sprung open, sending him sprawling onto the floor of the corridor. He found himself staring up at the surprised gazes of the two guards.

He hastily scrambled to his feet and turned to face the administrator, who was talking about something to do with filling in forms.

"I'm not going with you!" Luke yelled, deciding now that he was here, he might as well throw in his two credits. He glanced at Vader, and found he was looking at him in obvious annoyance. Luke stepped back, subdued. Maybe he should just leave this to him. He certainly appeared to be more than a match for the administrator.

There was a moment of silence, and then Vader turned back to her. "You will direct any problems you have to my legal representatives," he said. "Leave now, or I will not be responsible for my actions."

The guards immediately stepped forward, clearly intending to enforce Vader's order. They didn't need to, though. The administrator took the hint and walked off in a huff.

"Wow," Luke mumbled, quietly. "I've never seen anyone win an argument with her before. At least without giving her thousands of credits." Vader turned and stared at him for a moment, and then raised one black-gloved hand and pointed back in the direction of the room. Luke hastily took the hint.

Vader followed behind. "I told you to stay here," he said, sounding frustrated as the doors slid closed behind him.

"Sorry." Luke stared at his bandaged leg as he sat back on the side of his bed. Now sounded like a good time to change the subject. He looked up, wishing his head would stop buzzing.

"Am I really going to stay with you?"

"Yes. As I was saying—"

"Really?"

Vader simply stared at him in silence, and Luke looked away, intimidated. Maybe he shouldn't have interrupted him like that. But he just had so many questions ... his imagination was stirring up all kinds of amazing places where someone like Vader might live. Maybe on a massive starship. Living in space would be awesome!

"Where do you live?" Luke asked, risking a glance back up.

"When I am not engaged in a mission for the Empire or attending to work on Coruscant, I live on Mustafar, an Outer Rim world. But I am not certain that would be an ideal place for you. For now, you can join me at the Imperial Palace."

"Oh." He would have preferred a starship, but at least it wasn't IFS. "What will I have to do?"

"Do?"

"In exchange. I had to help Senator Lerrod with his political something ... uh ... I was supposed to appear with him when he did a speech. What do you want me to do for you?"

Vader made a vague noise of frustration, which was strangely distorted through the mask. Luke wondered if he'd managed to annoy him again. He seemed to be very good at that. When Vader finally spoke again, he sounded like he was trying very hard to stay calm.

"You will be staying with me, not in servitude, but as my ward. Your uncle was mistaken about your father. He is not dead, and he was not a navigator."

Luke gasped in surprise. But that was nothing in comparison to the surprise he felt at Vader's next words, which he could never have anticipated in his wildest dreams.

"I am your father."

Luke stared, completely frozen. His what?

"Sorry," he said, finally, "did you just say ...?" He looked around, half expecting someone to jump out and reveal that this was all a practical joke.

His gaze settled back on Vader's mask, and he rubbed his head in disbelief. His father? His father ... as in, the man he had been dreaming his entire life of knowing?

"You are my father?" he repeated, finally.

"It came as a surprise to me, also."

Luke could feel his heart pounding. Was it true? Was his father alive and ... and one of the most powerful people in the entire galaxy? This was crazy!

"You can't be my father," Luke said, quickly.

"Why not?"

"My father is dead!"

"A lie, propagated by a personal enemy of mine, who I believe was the one to take you to Tatooine in the first place. It would be typical of him to convince your aunt and uncle that I was dead."

Vader paused, and his rhythmic breathing was the only sound for a brief moment.

"When you were born, I was recovering from the injuries that left me unable to breathe without a life support system," he explained. "Upon consciousness, I learned of the death of your mother. I had assumed you had died with her. Clearly, I was wrong."

Luke had been staring blankly at the floor during this explanation. Now he sneaked another glance at Vader, and for the first time, saw him not as a terrifying Imperial commander, but as a person. He found himself wondering what the man looked like behind that mask. If he was his father ... did that mean he looked like him? Like the fantasy father in his dreams? The thought was too much for Luke to handle, and he resumed staring at the floor.

"But ... but Aunt Beru said my father's name was—"

"I took on a new name and identity," Vader explained. "It is traditional for a Sith Lord to do so."

"So your name is really—"

"Do not mention it," Vader said, firmly. "I have no wish to be reminded. That name carries memories with it that I no longer have any desire to possess."

Luke shuffled back, making a mental note to never mention that name again. It would be a little difficult, considering he shared half of it, but he wasn't going to argue the point.

"The same goes for questions about the life I led while I still possessed that name," Vader continued. "You will not speak of it. Nothing about that life is relevant to you."

He was silent for a moment, and Luke burned with curiosity. What secrets did he not want him to know?

As if sensing his dissatisfaction, Vader continued, "I lived with my mother on Tatooine until I was ten years old, and then I was taken off world and became a member of the Jedi Order. That is all you need to know."

"You were a Jedi Knight?" Luke wondered if the surprises would ever stop coming.

"Yes, until the time you were born, when I became a Sith Lord. The Jedi Order had become hopelessly corrupt. The Emperor helped me to see it for what it was. Too late, it seems, because their one final act of corruption was to steal you away from me. The situation has now been rectified."

"So why didn't you ever come to Tatooine and visit?" Luke asked. "You'd have found me then."

"I have been busy with the Empire. And … Tatooine is not a place I would visit willingly. The person who hid you there knew how I felt about it."

Luke nodded. He couldn't understand why anyone ever wanted to visit Tatooine, so that made sense. "I really am your son then? You're sure?"

"Yes."

Luke looked aside, struggling with his conflicting emotions. There had been a father-shaped gap in his life ever since he could remember. Was Lord Vader really the one to fill it? He was just about the opposite of everything he'd imagined his father to be. All he knew of the man so far was his moody personality and intimidating appearance. But yet ... Luke couldn't deny there was a connection there. He'd felt it from the first instant they'd met. He wanted to know him better.

"You are permitted to ask questions, if you feel the need," Vader prompted.

Luke felt so confused about the whole situation, he didn't know where to start.

"Um ... who was my—?"

"Except about your mother," Vader interrupted. "She is dead. There is no point in dwelling on the past."

Luke considered pointing out that he'd also been told his father was dead, but he didn't want to annoy Vader, yet again.

"Can I ask you about the night of the senator's party, then?" Luke asked.

"You may."

"Well, I saw you fighting with that person in the black cloak. He was the one who murdered my aunt and uncle," Luke said, his eyes becoming misty at the memory. "I was wondering if you knew why. They never hurt anyone!"

Vader was silent for a few cycles of his mechanical breathing. "He was trying to kill you because he had discovered that you are my son. He told me as much, before his death."

Luke felt hollow at the words, feeling more tears forming in his eyes. He was the real target. His aunt and uncle should never have died! He should have led the killer away from them ...

Vader continued, seemingly unaware of his distress. "The Jedi have always been enemies of the Sith. You will not need to worry about this again—you will be safe under my protection."

It was little comfort. What use was being safe when his aunt and uncle were dead because of him? A tear rolled down his cheek, and he reached up to brush it away, embarrassed to be seen crying. It didn't go past Vader, though.

"I realize this situation is difficult for you," he said. "Perhaps it would be best if I left you alone to come to terms with what we have discussed."

"It's not that," Luke said, reaching over to get a tissue. "It's just—" He broke off, suddenly unsure. Vader would think he was a coward if he told him about the night the murder took place. How would he feel about having a coward for a son? He'd be ashamed. Luke couldn't imagine Vader being scared of anything, ever.

Luke covered his pause by blowing his nose, and then tried to change the subject.

"What are those powers you have? I saw you move things without touching them."

"You mean the Force."

"What's that?"

His question was met with an angry silence. Luke didn't know how he knew Vader was angry—considering he wore a mask, but he definitely knew. Uh oh, Luke thought, shuffling back on the bed, I've annoyed him ... again.

"No one has ever told you about the Force?!"

"Uh ..." Luke fidgeted. "I don't ... I don't think so. Maybe they mentioned it at school and I was daydreaming. I do that a lot."

Vader straightened up, tilting his head. "I will explain properly when I have the time to do the subject justice. That is ... if you accept the proposal I have presented. Are you satisfied with the idea of becoming my responsibility?"

Luke blinked in surprise. It had never occurred to him to say he didn't want to live with him ... if for no other reason, where else was he going to go?

"Yes ... I ... okay, I admit I'm ... I'm really confused right now. But if you're my father, then ... then that means we're family," Luke said, reaching a sudden understanding. "It means we belong together."

Vader was silent, but this time, he didn't seem annoyed.

"Doesn't it?" Luke prompted.

Vader came out of his trance, and looked aside. "I have many duties to attend—I must leave. You need to stay here and do exactly as the doctor says."

He then strode out the doors, cape flagging behind him.

Chapter Text

Vader had spent the entire night attempting to catch up on the work he'd missed while he'd been incapacitated. All that brooding seemed more than a little foolish, now. Luke had accepted their relationship with relative ease. He had even said they belonged together. Luke was surprisingly forgiving.

That, or he simply recognized that he was in desperate need of a place to stay, and his offer was the best he was ever likely to get. The latter option was preferable to Vader. Acknowledging the former meant considering that Luke may have some emotional attachments to the notion of a father. And expectations. He didn't want to think on that any further, lest he descend into brooding again.

The door-comm gave a low beep, heralding the arrival of a visitor. An assistant, making a morning report.

"Sir." He came to attention and presented a datapad. "This was received from the legal division. It requires your signature."

Vader read the title. Custody and Guardianship Application. It seemed the IFS bureaucracy could move surprisingly quickly once his lawyers were involved. As ridiculous as it was to have to sign a form to become the legal guardian of his own child, he was happy this would be dealt with quickly. If it had dragged on, his next pet project would have been a complete revamping of the IFS department. Perhaps it could have been turned into something of use, like a high-security detention facility.

"We also received a message from orbital defense platform 6-ZQ. An ISB agent believes they have uncovered a spy, and requests your presence if possible."

"Tell them I am on my way," Vader said, starting for the door. A morning flight around the celestial block was exactly what he felt like.

"One final message, sir," the lieutenant said, sounding slightly nervous at halting his abrupt departure.

Vader turned, hoping it would be something insignificant.

"A medic called to say a boy named Luke is now ready to leave the medcenter."

Vader let out a slow breath. It was his duty to retrieve his son. But it was also his duty to assist an ISB agent with interrogating a spy. The latter could take all day. Going to pick up Luke would take ten minutes, but he couldn't afford even the mere impression that his personal duties came before his commitment to the Empire. If the Emperor got whiff of any lapse in his performance, that would undoubtedly mean the end for Luke.

But what was the alternative? Leaving Luke to sit in the medcenter all day, awaiting his arrival? The doctor would wonder if he'd changed his mind and decided to abandon the boy after all.

His gaze fell on the assistant, who appeared as if he couldn't wait to be dismissed. These officers were assigned to him for military purposes while he was at the Imperial Palace, but he doubted they would complain if he asked for something a little outside their field of expertise. He didn't have much choice, in this case.

"What do you know about children?" he enquired.

"Well ... uh, only that I was once a child, sir."

"Good. I need you to take a speeder and go to the medcenter at the Senate. Ask to see Doctor Leeson—you will require his authorization to walk past the guards. Retrieve the boy and bring him here. Assign him a room near mine."

The lieutenant was obviously curious as to who this boy was, but he wisely avoided any questions. The last thing Vader wanted was every bureaucrat officer at the palace gossiping about the situation.

"I will depart immediately, sir."

Luke wasn't sorry to hear he was leaving the medcenter. There was nothing to do here but lie on his bed and think until his head hurt. He certainly had more than enough to think about.

After spending the morning collecting his belongings, he dressed in some of his old IFS clothes and waited for Vader to come and pick him up. He was too nervous to watch the HoloNet or read while he waited, so he simply sat on the bed and wondered what life at the Imperial Palace was going to be like.

It was all so surreal. What would Val, Crix and LJ think if they found out where he'd ended up? What would his aunt and uncle have thought? Would they be happy for him, or would they think he was better off on Tatooine?

Nearly an hour had gone by before the doors finally opened, and Luke sat up in anticipation.

He sighed when he saw it was only the doctor ... but someone was following him, dressed in the khaki green of an Imperial military uniform.

"Luke, are you ready to go?" the doctor asked. "Lieutenant Dorany here has come to pick you up."

Luke couldn't hide his disappointment. It seemed Vader was too busy, so he had sent someone else. He should have expected it ... someone like Vader was probably busy all the time.

"I thought he would be here," he mumbled.

"I'm sure he wanted to," the doctor said, picking up his sack of belongings and handing them to the lieutenant.

Luke wasn't so sure. Vader had seemed as uncomfortable around him as he was around Vader. But he simply nodded and climbed to his feet. "Thank you for everything," he said, looking up at the doctor.

He smiled back at him. "You're welcome. And stay healthy."

Luke walked on ahead of the lieutenant as they went down the corridor. When they were about to pass through the final doors leading out of the medcenter, Luke looked up at his companion for directions.

"Where did you park, sir?"

"This way," he said, gesturing to the right. "And you don't have to call me sir. Just call me Lev."

Luke knew instantly that he was going to like Lev. It was rare to find adults on Coruscant willing to let you call them by their first name.

"So, I bet you're happy to get out of that medcenter," Lev said, as they stepped out onto a landing pad. He opened the passenger door of the speeder. Luke was too busy inspecting it to get in, however. It was a shiny black model, with the Imperial logo stamped onto the sides.

"Yes," he said, quietly, "it was a little boring."

Luke ducked inside and threw his sack into the back seat. He was surprised at how cushy the seats were and began to jiggle up and down. Lev slid into the pilot's seat, and started the engine. As they rose up into the traffic lanes, Luke amused himself with staring out at the bottomless city. Soon, he glanced back at Lev, wondering how he would feel if he started asking questions. There was no harm in trying ...

"What's that?" Luke asked, pointing to a card attached to Lev's belt.

"That allows me to travel around in the secured Federal District areas which house the Imperial government," Lev explained. "Only authorized people are allowed to enter certain areas."

"Why?" Luke asked, staring out the window again.

"Because there are important people working there and they tend to attract a lot of enemies."

Luke turned back, suddenly interested. "What kind of enemies?"

Lev took his eyes off the traffic to glance at him momentarily. "You ask a lot of questions."

Luke looked down at his hands. "Sorry. People tell me that a lot."

"I don't mind. As long as you really want to know the answer."

Luke spotted an open-topped speeder traveling in the opposite direction, and pulled against his seat restraints to follow it as it flew off. Then he noticed the Imperial Palace up ahead and pulled harder.

"There's a lot to see, huh?" Lev asked.

Luke shuffled back into his seat, looking embarrassed. Lev probably thought he was some naive Outer Rim dweller, amazed at everything commonplace on Coruscant. "I've been here before," he said. "I've even been inside the palace." He turned to face Lev, deciding to ask some more questions.

"Are you in the army?"

"Navy."

"Have you been on a Star Destroyer?"

"I served on the Star Destroyer Nova when I was an ensign. Then I was reassigned to serve as an aide-de-camp in the military command office at the Imperial Palace."

"What's an aide-de-camp?"

"It's like an assistant to someone of high status or rank. I often assist Lord Vader when he's visiting the palace."

"So you have to take orders from him?" Luke asked. "Everyone seems to take orders from him." He didn't say it out loud, but secretly he was wondering whether he'd be expected to obey everything he said as well. It sounded like something he wouldn't be good at.

"I would hope so. He is the Emperor's second-in-command, after all."

"I know," Luke said. "He's so powerful and important. I still can't believe he's my father."

Lev slammed on the brakes and Luke was thrown hard against his seat restraints. The following speeder pilots began to sound their horns and yell insults, until they pulled out to fly around. Lev took a few slow breaths, before turning to face Luke.

"Did you just say ...?"

"Um ..." Luke said, confused. "Are you sure it's okay to stop here?" They were in the middle of a busy traffic flow.

Shaking his head, Lev released the brake and began to inch forward slowly. "Your father? Your father! Lord Vader is your father?"

Luke nodded. "He didn't tell you?"

"No. He must have forgotten to mention that little detail somewhere along the line."

"Maybe it's still a secret," Luke said. "See, we only found out a few days ago. He thought I was dead, and I thought he was dead. Strange, huh?"

Lev turned slowly and stared at Luke once again.

Luke felt self-conscious under the scrutiny. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," Lev said, turning to concentrate on the traffic. "Sorry for staring. I'm just surprised. I never imagined Lord Vader would have a son."

"You should have seen me when I found out," Luke said, imitating his open-mouthed expression at the time. "I grew up on a moisture farm in the Outer Rim. Now I'm going to live in the Imperial Palace! I wish some of the kids back home could see me now ... they wouldn't believe it. I still don't believe it!"

"Stranger things have happened," Lev said, grinning. He gestured out the window. "Take a look."

Luke pressed his face against the window and saw they had pulled out of the airway and were heading down to the five towers of the palace, with the centre one taller than anything else in the area. Red Imperial banners decorated the front, and far below, Luke could see the royal guard standing at the entrance and what appeared to be a guided group of tourists taking photos.

"Do you think I'll be allowed outside?" Luke asked, looking back at Lev.

"I don't see why not. We can always send you out with some guards."

That wasn't exactly what Luke had in mind, but it was something, at least. Lev turned the speeder around to approach one of the landing pads at the rear of the palace. Luke thought he was going to park on it, but instead he flew into the building through a large gap at the far end of the pad. They entered a massive ship hangar, and Luke blinked in amazement. "Look at all the ships!" he said, struggling to unbuckle his seat restraints. "I've never seen so many in one place!"

"Yes, he's got quite a collection here," Lev said, reversing into a parked row of identical speeders. "I've heard he has more on Mustafar."

Luke finally managed to open the door and jumped out just as Lev was turning off the speeder's engine. "Stars, there's a TIE fighter!" he said, rushing to get a closer look. On the way, he spied a droid-powered ship and changed direction.

Lev finally caught up with him when he stopped to admire a prototype snub fighter.

"Does he own all of these ships?" Luke asked, amazed that anyone could afford to buy all of these. He'd saved for years and still not gathered enough for just one T-16.

"He collects antique ships," Lev explained. "And prototypes. He spends a great deal of time modifying them himself. I suppose you could say he's got quite a passion for machines which fly. As do you, clearly."

"I love ships," Luke said, walking with Lev towards the elevators. "I was saving for a T-16 back on Tatooine. Say, if he likes ships ... is he ... is he a pilot? A star pilot?"

"Yes, and a very accomplished one, at that. His skill is legendary among the ranks."

Luke felt a funny twinge inside at Lev's words. He'd always dreamed his father was a pilot. He knew he was no mere navigator, despite his uncle's insistence.

"I'm supposed to set you up in a room," Lev said, entering the elevator.

"I want to sleep down here," Luke said, immediately. He already knew where he'd be spending most of his time.

"Sorry," Lev replied, "there are no guest rooms adjacent to the ship hangar."

"What about those rooms," Luke said, pointing across just as the doors slid closed, blocking his view.

"They are workshops and tech rooms."

"I could set up a folding bed in one of those," Luke said. "Honestly, I don't need anything fancy."

Lev was grinning about something.

"I'm serious! Please, can I stay down there?! Pleeeease?"

"I'm just imagining what Lord Vader would say if I informed him that I'd set you up to sleep in one of the utility rooms in the ship hangar. You can take it up with him, if you like, but he left orders to put you in a room near his personal chambers, so that's where we're going."

"Sounds boring," Luke mumbled. The elevator doors slid open, and Luke was a little taken aback at the décor. The color scheme was in black and dark gray, offset only by lighting built into the walls and ceiling. There was no artwork on the walls, and the doors were all placed at even intervals along both sides of the corridor.

"Well, which one?" Lev said, gesturing at the doors. "Most of these are guest rooms. You pick. This side is on the outside wall and has windows."

"So do people normally stay here? Apart from my father."

"No. I believe you are unique in that regard."

Luke opened the first one and immediately reversed out. "Too big," he said. "I'd get lost in there."

"I think they're all the same size," Lev said.

Luke tried a few others, and found Lev was right. They were all dull, decorated in a black and grey colour scheme, and the bed covered in a red Imperial flag bedspread. Then Luke found one different from the others, with several workbenches and stacked crates. There were signs someone had lived here a long time ago, but it didn't appear to have been touched recently.

"Which one is his?" Luke asked, curious. Surely not this one.

Lev pointed to a door further up, on the other side of the corridor. It was the last door on that side.. Luke followed Lev as he walked forward, somewhat hesitantly. It felt dark here. The lights were on but it still felt dark."How about this one," Lev said, opening the door opposite. Luke poked his head around.

"A holovid!"

Lev smiled. "I guess it's settled then."

Luke entered the room and dropped his backpack on the floor. He could have fit three of his bedrooms back at the farm here. He sat down on the Imperial flag bedspread and bounced up and down to test it out.

Lev picked up the sack and began to sort through the items. "One model speeder," he said, taking it out and setting it on the bedside table.

"My T-16!" Luke said, standing up to rearrange it.

"One medcenter issued toothbrush, thrown in loose with everything else," Lev said, handing it to Luke with a disgusted expression.

"Where's the refresher?" Luke asked.

Lev pointed to a door next to the closet, and Luke went to investigate. He'd never had his own private refresher before. He turned on the shower, and jumped back with a yell when he got drenched.

"I guess the shower has real water," he said, grinning as Lev appeared in the doorway. He reached for a towel, and found they too were red with the Imperial flag lining the trim. They felt soft and slightly warm.

Lev shook his head in bemusement and gestured for Luke to join him back out in the main room. "If you need any laundry done, just throw the clothes into this wall compartment. The laundry droids will have it back to you within a few hours."

He crouched down beside a smaller screen next to the holovid.

"See this," he said, pointing. "whenever you want food, press the green button. That connects you straight to the kitchen. Tell the droid what you want, and they will bring it up to you. The red button calls security—press it, and a security squad will be here in minutes. Use the blue button for internal communications—I'll leave you with my comlink frequency in case you have any problems."

Luke hadn't heard anything beyond the function of the green button. "You mean I can order any food I want and they'll bring it straight away?! You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Within reason," Lev said, standing up and straightening his tunic. "But if you're thinking about eating candy until you burst, forget it. I don't think your father would be impressed."

"He wouldn't have to know," Luke said, grinning. He glanced out the window at the busy Coruscant sky. "Where is he, anyway?"

"He has gone to visit an orbital defense platform. I'm not sure when he's expected back. Probably later this evening."

"Oh," Luke said, disappointed. He wanted to tell him how awesome he thought his collection of ships was.

Lev seemed to pick up on his sadness. "Perhaps you'd like a tour of the rest of the palace?"

Luke felt nervous. "What if we bump into the Emperor?"

Lev laughed. "The royal guard wouldn't let me or you within fifty meters of any place the Emperor is likely to be."

Luke nodded, but they never made it out the door. Lev's comlink began to beep, and he frowned as he read the message.

"Looks like I'm needed at IMH. We'll have to put that tour on hold. Perhaps your father would like to take you when he gets back."

"It's all right," Luke said, sitting back on the bed. "I'll just stay in here, order some food and watch something on the HoloNet."

Lev nodded. "Call me if you need anything. I'll let security know you'll need to be added to the internal list so you can operate the elevator."

After he left, Luke played with the remote, flicking through the endless channels in curiosity. They'd only received one HoloNet channel on Tatooine, and most of the content was about Hutts. Even when there had been something good on, like Galactic Bandits, you could almost count on the reception cutting out halfway through, due to a sandstorm. It would take him a while to get used to all this.

Vader caught himself wondering about Luke as he brought the shuttle in to land. It wasn't a surprise—he'd been distracted at regular intervals today with thoughts of his newly found son, but that made it no less of an annoyance. The sooner he could get used to this whole idea and fall back into his regular, orderly routine, the better.

As he walked down the line of ships, towards the elevator bay, he paused to admire a heavily modified TIE fighter, a prototype recently delivered by Sienar. He planned to test out its hyperdrive capabilities when he returned to Mustafar. He was about to walk on, when he noticed a mark on the front of the cockpit glass. Closer inspection revealed it to be a Luke-sized handprint.

His first reaction was annoyance at the thought of the boy poking around his ships. But that soon gave way to an unexpected pleasure at the idea of his son sharing his passion for flying machines. There was no reason to marvel at the fact that Luke shared something of his own personality—it was natural for a child to be like their parents, after all. But regardless, it felt good.

Eventually, he walked on, and gave the handprint no more thought. It had been a long day ... he was looking forward to shutting himself in his meditation chamber and clearing his thoughts.

When he arrived on his personal floor, Vader sensed Luke's presence inside one of the rooms. He paused outside, considering going in to say hello. He hadn't spoken to the boy since their conversation in the hospital.

But the thought of doing so made him feel uneasy. He had to teach the boy to be independent. They should start the way he intended to continue, and under no circumstances must Luke expect unnecessary attention from him. Such things would distract him from his duties and obligations to his master and the Empire. If that happened, the Emperor would regret his decision to allow the boy to live.

In the long run, this was best for Luke.

He entered his own room and closed himself in his meditation chamber. After using the Force to turn off the lights, he relaxed and began to concentrate. He aligned himself to the Dark Side, and felt his sense of the surrounding Force become heightened.

Suddenly, something bright caused him to mentally recoil. He opened his eyes, slipping out of the meditation that had barely begun. Curious, he re-entered the heightened state slowly. There was something new there, something he hadn't truly noticed until now. It was Luke ... his proximity caused a bright ripple, searing the perfection of the Dark Side.

Vader waved a hand, turning the lights back on. So much for his meditation. He let out a slow, weary breath and stood up. It was if the Force was reminding him that his life had been changed forever by Luke's arrival. He'd been deluding himself to the contrary all day.

He needed to take a walk, get his mind off the fact that there was a glowing locus for the weak side of the Force in a nearby room. He left the meditation room and walked down the corridor until he emerged out onto the balcony. The sparkling night-time view of Imperial City filled his artificial vision. He leaned against the railing, drinking in the ripples of fear throughout the city. Fear ... and order. If only all the galaxy could be like Imperial City.

The gentle thud of footsteps behind him caused him to turn in surprise. A bare-foot, pajama-clad Luke stood in the door frame. He met his gaze momentarily, and then slouched as he stared at the ground.

"Um ... sorry. I just heard you arrive, and I thought I'd say hello. I'll leave now."

The boy still appeared to be frightened of him.

"You may stay if you wish to," Vader said, neutrally. He turned back to his contemplation of the city.

Luke nervously came and stood beside him, although a good few spans away.

It was a still night, and there was no wind. The only sound came from the low buzz of traffic, and the ever-present respirator.

"Uh ... nice view," Luke said.

Vader didn't reply. He was concentrating on an attempt to realign himself with the Dark Side, but his efforts were unsuccessful. Luke burned too brightly. He could feel all of Luke's emotions: nervousness, fear, self-consciousness ... and curiosity. He had a question, that much was clear. But he didn't feel comfortable enough to ask.

Good, Vader thought. That was how it should be. The last thing he wanted was to encourage the boy to ask questions.

An annoying voice in his head argued with him, though. Is that how you want your son to feel? Too frightened of you to even speak?

"You have a question," Vader stated, trying to suppress a sigh.

Luke glanced at him quickly. "No, I was ... how did you know? It's not important."

"If you wish to ask, then ask," Vader said, becoming impatient. What did the boy imagine he was going to do? Choke him?

"Well ... you said you'd tell me about your powers. And the Force. What is that?"

"The Force is all around you."

"Like the air?"

"No, not like the air. The air is physical. It is made of tiny particles. The Force is an intangible energy field."

Vader glanced at Luke, and could tell he didn't understand. Perhaps he should try a different approach.

"It's not something which can be seen, only felt," Vader continued, "And it can only be felt by certain individuals."

"Like you?" Luke asked.

"Yes."

"What does it feel like?"

Vader was silent, thinking. "Have you ever felt the presence of someone, even though you could not see or hear them?"

"Yes, all the time."

"It is somewhat like that. Except, the Force is not a single person. It is everywhere. You feel it deep inside you. You feel it in all living things. When mastered, it endows one with unthinkable power."

It wasn't as thorough an explanation as he would have liked, but it would have to do for now. Luke appeared satisfied. He was quiet, clearly taking it all in. Then he asked, "And you can use it to move things without touching them?"

"Yes. That is called telekinesis. The Force grants its master power over all laws of nature. Reflexes are heightened to the point where one can see things before they happen. Superior strength, speed and agility become normal, and the ability to read and manipulate other's thoughts is commonplace."

Luke stared at him with a mixture of awe and horror. "You can read my thoughts?"

"Only if I wished," Vader explained. He glanced at his son. "I will respect your right to personal privacy. But your feelings are naturally present to me. It requires no conscious effort on my part to read them—especially when they are strong."

"What am I feeling now?" Luke asked, curiously.

Vader analyzed the glowing presence.

"You are tired," he concluded. "You should be asleep."

"I'm not tired," Luke said, stifling a yawn.

Vader wondered as to the motivation for this obvious lie. "Is your room adequate? Is there anything you require?"

"My room is perfect," Luke said, "I can't believe I have my own refresher. Back on Tatooine, we were always arguing over it. I'd be in the shower for just two minutes, and then Uncle Owen would start banging on the door saying I'd been in there for an hour and ... and ..." Luke broke off, suddenly looking sad.

Vader decided an immediate subject change was in order.

"There are a few rules you should observe, for your own safety."

Luke glanced up. "Am I allowed in your ship hangar?"

"You are free to roam as you wish. While you are here, this is your home. However, if a door is locked or guarded, do not attempt to enter. Such rooms contain dangerous equipment. My private room is also off limits. I do not wish to be disturbed while I am meditating."

"Okay," Luke said.

Vader was silent. It had been a long time since he'd issued an instruction and received 'okay' as a response. Still, it was the boy's first night here. Such minor problems could be corrected later.

"If you should go outside, be sure to stay within close proximity of the palace," Vader said. "You have enough experience of Coruscant already to know there are dangerous places outside of Imperial City. The lower levels are no place for a boy."

"So I can go outside?!" Luke said, excited.

Vader glanced at him. "Where did you want to go?"

"Just a park I saw on the flight over."

Vader was unsettled to realize he knew the exact park Luke would be referring too. It was a regular haunt of a young Anakin when he needed some time outside of the temple.

"Um ... I like all your ships," Luke said.

"I noticed."

"Would it be okay if I took one for a flight?" Luke asked.

Vader turned and stared at Luke, wondering if he'd heard him correctly. The boy stared right back, with a wide-eyed hopeful expression.

"You are only twelve years old."

"But I've studied the controls of hundreds of ships," Luke said. "I could pilot a landspeeder on Tatooine."

"Perhaps child pilots is the norm on a backward world like Tatooine, but not so here. You will wait until you are legally allowed."

"How old is that?"

"Fifteen."

"But that's so far away!"

Vader glanced at Luke, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing. Was his son whining? Whining at him? A moment ago he'd been nervous about merely asking a question.

"Then you will be patient," Vader said, in a tone which left no room for arguments.

"I'm not good at that," Luke mumbled, a little subdued.

Vader could well sympathize. He felt a little hypocritical, being so inflexible. Anakin had flouted the Jedi rules and let his twelve year old self loose on the Coruscant skies on more than one occasion. But Luke was different ... the boy seemed so young. He was staring up at the stars with wide-eyed fascination.

"Which one is Tatooine?"

Vader looked up.

"You cannot see Tatooine's suns from here."

"Hey, look at that bright one!" Luke said, pointing. "That one right above those towers. It's twinkling. Why do stars twinkle like that?"

Vader tensed. Funny, out of the thousands of stars, Luke had asked about that one. The sun around which Naboo orbited. The number of times he had stared at that star during his youth ...

... wasting his time. Those memories were a waste of time. Luke was oblivious to his darkening mood, however.

"Have you been to all these stars?"

"I do not bother to keep track."

"I would, if I had a hangar full of ships and could fly anytime I wanted," Luke said. He was quiet for a moment, staring down at his feet. "You know," he mumbled, quietly, "I always dreamed my father was a pilot. We'd fly around the galaxy together ... visiting every single planet. Even the uninhabitable ones ... just to say we'd been everywhere."

Vader became angrier at the words. His worst fears about Luke's attitude towards him were confirmed. The boy had impossible expectations ... his idle dream seemed like a perfect metaphor for the unachievable.

"If this living arrangement is to succeed, I suggest you dispense with all your sentimental dreams immediately. I do not want you forming any emotional attachments to me. They are unhealthy, and will only cause resentment when you find I cannot fulfill them. I will be away for long periods of time, and so you must learn to be independent."

Luke appeared completely taken aback at his words.

"I ... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ..."

He looked away for a moment, and then slipped back inside, leaving Vader staring at a blank wall. The boy could certainly move fast when he wanted to.

Vader turned back and glanced up at the stars one more time.

"There's so many! Do they all have a system of planets?"

"Most of them."

"Has anyone been to them all?"

"Not likely."

"I wanna be the first one to see 'im all!"

Vader quickly suppressed the dangerous memory and went back inside.

Chapter Text

Luke was surprised to find it was well into mid-morning by the time he woke. This bed was just so comfortable. It felt like every last spring had been tailor made just for his comfort. He rolled back and forth, enjoying the excess of room. He could get lost in here.

It was a while before the novelty of the bed wore off and Luke forced himself to get up. It took even longer for the novelty of the shower to wear off. He felt cleaner than he ever had in his life by the time he returned to the bedroom.

His clothes were lying over a chair, and he eyed them critically. He didn't want to put on any of his grey Family Services uniforms. They were nothing but bad memories. Besides, they needed washing. Unfortunately, his only other option were the pajamas he'd arrived from Tatooine in. He really needed some new clothes.

Eventually, he struggled into the only shirt and pants that passed the sniff test, and decided he should go and tell Vader about his problem. Hopefully his newly found father would be in a better mood than last night.

Once he was standing outside the door to Vader's private room, Luke wondered what to do. He'd been told last night he wasn't allowed in here, but was he allowed to knock on the door? The only other option was to sit out here until Vader came out, and that didn't appeal to Luke at all. He raised his hand, and tapped once on the metal surface.

There was no response. Luke then noticed an electronic door com, and he pushed the button marked with a chime symbol. After ten minutes of playing with it, Luke concluded that Vader wasn't inside. He'd have come out and yelled at him by now if he was.

Luke stared at the ceiling, wondering what to do next. Lev had told him he could contact him if he needed anything, but Luke wasn't sure if he could help over this. Besides, he might be busy with important Empire stuff.

Maybe he could go and find the laundry room. At least then he'd have something clean to wear tomorrow. Lev had mentioned something about putting laundry in a wall compartment, but he'd prefer to do it himself. He'd always helped Aunt Beru with the laundry on Tatooine, and the thought of doing something homelike in this otherwise impersonal place appealed to him. On the way, he could explore a little, and look around for Vader.

After stopping back at his room to pick up his other clothes, Luke set about checking each room he could find. It turned out most of them were either locked or empty guest quarters, much like the one he was now occupying. It began to get a little creepy, going from room to room, from corridor to corridor, and seeing no sight or sound of life. Not even a single guard. Perhaps Vader liked his privacy.

Eventually, he turned a corner and found he'd reached a transparisteel wall. There was a central, open court that stretched several floors above this one, and right down to the ground area. There were plenty of guards down there, and someone would know where to go. There was also an elevator bay nearby.

When he stepped out at the ground floor, the guards on either side of the elevator immediately turned to look at him. Luke felt more than a little self-conscious, but after a moment's hesitation, he turned to the one on the left and looked up at the red mask.

"Um ... do you know where Lord Vader is?"

"Identify yourself," was the sharp response.

Luke sighed. Vader obviously hadn't told anyone about the whole long lost son thing. That, or being his son still didn't qualify him for information on his top secret laundry location.

"My name is Luke. I … um … I was looking for the laundry room actually but—"

He broke off as he realized the guard on the right was talking to someone through his helmet comlink. He clearly heard the words 'child' and 'security'.

"I am actually supposed to be here!" Luke protested. "Ah, forget it. I'll just go back up—"

He made to go back into the elevator, but the guard on the left reached out to hold him back.

"Where is your security pass?" he demanded.

A droid had dropped in a temporary security pass yesterday afternoon, but he hadn't paid much attention to it. Lev had mentioned something about needing it for the elevators, but he'd got down here okay without it.

"It's in my room," Luke said, attempting to shrug off the man's hand.

"Stand still," the other guard said, pointing at him with his pike. "A security team is on their way."

"I don't need a security team, I just need—"

Before he could even finish his sentence, four stormtroopers arrived, led by a serious-looking officer in a green tunic. Luke slumped. This had never happened on Tatooine.

After several hours spent conversing with the newly uncovered spy, Vader concluded it would take several more sessions before he could extract any useful information from him. That meant delaying his trip to the Jadis Cluster, something he was now on his way to discuss with the Emperor. There were many sound reasons why he should stay and pursue this, but he was conscious of the fact that it would also be useful to have a few more days to make arrangements for Luke. He'd requested an assistant look into options for the boy's education, as a starting point.

The Emperor was in his main office this morning, a more ornate replica of the one at the senate. On the way towards the elevator, Vader passed two senators who were waiting for a promised audience that would never be granted. They didn't look pleased to witness the guards immediately stand aside for him. His master was in the opposite mood.

"Lord Vader," he said, smiling as Vader straightened after bowing in greeting. "How is the boy? You've brought him here?"

"Yes, master. He is well. I have learned more about his history."

"Oh? Please, enlighten me."

"He was raised by Skywalker's relatives on Tatooine. He had never been taught about the Force. It seems they did not allow Obi-Wan to have contact with him."

The Emperor leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "They were wise people."

"Yes. He had also been given a false account of my career."

"To think, he may have lived out his entire life in that Outer Rim desert, with no knowledge of his true heritage."

His master seemed to find that idea amusing. It unsettled Vader, for reasons he couldn't entirely explain.

"So is he like you, then?" his master asked. "Or like her?"

The question stirred up more discomfort. He didn't want to think about how Luke might be like her. Or like him, for that matter. He also didn't appreciate his master showing such interest in the child. But one subject seemed safe enough.

"He has a keen interest in flying."

"Ah. So like you, then."

Vader was silent, thinking on how little he really knew about this miniature human who now spent so much time in his thoughts. It was still difficult to believe he really was his son, despite what the Force confirmed every moment they were together. Finally, he replied with, "Time will tell." He rallied himself then. There were other, important things to discuss.

"An ISB investigation uncovered a spy on an orbital defense platform. I have been interrogating him. This has delayed my departure to join General Kanzati at the Jadis Cluster."

"Anything useful?

"Not yet. But I sense it is worth pursuing. The man is a repulsor lift service technician by trade and regularly travels to Alderaan. I am hoping he can provide evidence for the link you suspect exists between the Alderaanian government and the insurgents on Raltir."

"Anything that may bring Alderaan to heel is worth pursuing, my friend. The Jadis Cluster can wait. But keep an eye on the situation. If it deteriorates, be prepared to leave immediately."

Vader was careful to hide his relief. "Yes, master."

The palace security office was located down in the lower levels, which were even more dark and grim than the floor where Vader had his room. Luke looked around with a mix of fear and fascination as the troopers led him around corners and down long corridors. He wouldn't have a hope of finding his way back if they actually let him go.

The office itself was nice enough, filled with work stations and a wall of screens showing inside and outside views of the palace. The officer, who had orange hair, pale skin, and freckles like a human, but green eyes that were more like something from an amphibious species, gestured for him to sit down on a chair in front of his desk. Only two of the stormtroopers had entered the office and they remained by the door. Luke found himself looking at the man's collection of model TIE Fighters that lined the space behind the computer screen, but he didn't feel quite brave enough to touch them.

"So, young man," he said, studying him with his solid green eyes. Luke noticed he also had gills on his neck. "Where are your parents? How did you come to be wandering in a restricted area?"

"I don't have parents," Luke said, automatically. A moment later, he realized that wasn't true anymore. At least, technically it wasn't true. It was difficult to use the word 'parent' to describe Lord Vader. Somehow, the word didn't suit him.

"Um, I mean … I'm ... I'm here with Lord Vader."

The officer blinked a few times, which looked strange to Luke, as his eyelids moved from side to side instead of up and down. "What?!"

Why did people always react like that when he mentioned that name?

"Look, I was just looking for the laundry room," Luke said. "I didn't know I was in a restricted area. If you just show me where to go I'll be out of your way."

"The laundry room?!" the man repeated, leaning forward. "Do you have any idea where you are right now?"

"Sure," Luke said, frowning in confusion. "The Imperial Palace. Coruscant."

"And you are Lord Vader's guest?"

"Something like that," Luke said, looking down.

"Wait here," the man said, standing up. "I need to consult with the commander."

This sounded like a good idea to Luke. His boss might decide the best thing to do was call Vader, who would then hopefully come down here and get him released. But instead he returned with another officer, a woman this time. She was fully human, with deep brown skin and black hair in braids under her hat.

She looked down at him with a stern expression, and Luke shrank into the chair a little, clutching his bundle of clothes. But her tone was gentle when she spoke.

"What's your name, honey?"

"It's Luke." He looked down, fidgeting with the clothes.

"Do you have a second name?"

"Skywalker."

They both leaned over the computer and the male officer began typing.

"There," the woman said, pointing over the man's shoulder.

Then Luke heard footsteps behind him, and he spun the chair around to find another officer was approaching. This one had a dark grey moustache, light grey skin, thick eyebrows and an expression that looked vaguely superior.

"What's going on?" he asked, staring at Luke in a way that made him feel even smaller and more out of place that he already did. "Who is this child?"

"Sir, he was found by the guards in a restricted area," the male officer said. "We're trying to locate who gave authorization for his temporary security pass."

"I already told you," Luke said, standing up. "Lord Vader. I don't know why the guards were upset … I didn't break into a locked room! Look, can't you just tell me where the laundry room is?"

The latest officer to arrive actually smirked in response to this, and Luke sighed in frustration.

"Maybe he wandered away from some tour group," he suggested. "Have you checked the tour schedule?"

"No one has reported any missing children," the female officer said.

"Call Lord Vader if you don't believe me," Luke said.

"Unlike you, we don't have a death-wish, young man," the mustached officer said, causing Luke to raise an eyebrow. Death wish? Lord Vader was scary, but these were grown adults. Surely they weren't suggesting he'd actually kill someone just for using his comlink?

Luke suddenly had another idea. "Or you could call an officer I was with yesterday. Lev someone."

"Lieutenant Lev Dorany?" the female officer said.

Luke shrugged. He didn't remember Lev's surname, but a lieutenant sounded right.

She looked down at the younger male officer. "Did he mention anything about Lord Vader having a guest?"

"A guest would have been cleared with this office before they arrived," the older officer said. "Lieutenant Dorany knows that."

"I'll give Lev a call," the younger man said. "They're on full TSL protocol over there. If there's anything going on upstairs, he'll know about it."

Luke looked down, feeling like he'd done something wrong, but he wasn't sure exactly what. Maybe he should have known not to go wandering in areas where there were guards.

A blue image lit up on the officer's comlink, and Luke looked up in curiosity. He felt a rush of relief when he recognized Lev.

"Hey, you don't know anything about a boy named Luke, do you?" the officer asked.

"Oh, thank the Force," Lev said. He sounded on the verge of panic for some reason. "Is he with you?"

"Yes, he's right here," the officer said, glancing up at Luke.

"Just keep him safe. I'll be right there!"

Lev disconnected the call, and Luke sighed with relief. "See, told you!" he said.

"So you are really Lord Vader's guest?" the older officer asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

Luke nodded.

"It's just he normally keeps his guests at the detention centre," he added, stroking his chin. "They're usually also a lot older."

"Maybe he's his nephew or something," the younger officer said, smiling.

"It's more like son," Luke said, deciding he might as well come clean. Lev would tell them anyway.

There was a heavy silence for a moment, while they all just stared. Then, the female officer said, "Lord Vader is your father?"

Luke nodded.

"Are we talking about the same person here?"

"Really tall, dresses in black, wears a mask?" Luke suggested.

"So you're telling us that Lord Vader has a sweet little cupcake of a boy like you?"

Luke frowned, folding his arms. "I'm twelve years old!"

Lev came skidding into the room then, breathing heavily like he'd sprinted all the way. Luke grinned when he saw him.

"Boy, am I glad to see you! Remember me? Can you please tell these people I'm supposed to be here?" he gestured at the officers. "I was just trying to find the laundry room and now it's like I've been arrested. They think I'm lying about Lord Vader being my father."

"Luke," Lev said, looking like he was trying to force himself to calm down. "I'm sorry this happened. If you could just step out into the corridor for a moment, I'll be right with you."

"Sure," Luke said. On the way out, he noticed Lev mentioned something quietly to one of the stormtroopers, and the soldier moved to follow him.

Once in the corridor, Luke eyed the stormtrooper for a moment, and then decided he was safe to attempt to listen at the door. He quickly moved back when he heard shouting. Stars, this place was strange.

After a couple of minutes, the door opened again, and Lev gestured for Luke to come back in. Luke was reluctant, but Lev gave him an encouraging smile.

The three security officers were now standing in a row in front of the workstation. The senior one gestured to the other two, and said, "Luke, this is Lieutenant Hicks and Lieutenant Commander Julius. I am Commander Hogan. We're sorry for the misunderstanding regarding your security clearance. If you should ever need our assistance while you are staying here, please call me direct, anytime. Lieutenant Dorany can show you how to find my name in the internal directory."

Luke stared in confusion at the sudden change in tone, and then gave a small nod. "So … I'm free to go now?"

All three of them immediately started insisting he'd always been free to go and this was merely a routine security pass check, which momentarily baffled Luke. Then he looked down in embarrassment. A week ago, the idea of being treated with respect by adults would have been amusing, but now it made Luke feel uneasy. This didn't seem like respect. It felt like fear. It was a relief when Lev put a hand on his shoulder and guided him out.

Once they were back in the main corridor and walking back towards the elevators, Luke looked up at Lev.

"Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry. This place is so large and … I got lost."

Lev was busy rubbing his forehead, causing his hat to move slightly askew. Once he removed his hand, he looked down at Luke with a concerned expression.

"No, Luke. I got lost many times when I started working here. It's my fault … I should have made sure you received a proper tour yesterday and told you about carrying your temporary security pass."

"The droid who gave it to me did tell me about that, but by the time I remembered I was supposed to be carrying it, I didn't know if I could find my room again," Luke said. "So what were those officers shouting about?"

"That was actually me doing the shouting," Lev said, causing Luke to smirk.

"You don't seem like the kind of grown-up who yells."

"I'm not normally. But … I was worried when I found you weren't in your room or the hangar bay. I came to find you this morning to give you that tour."

"Maybe I should have told them I was Lord Vader's son straight away. But after the way you reacted, I didn't want to shock them."

Lev smiled. "Maybe it's best if you do hold off on telling everyone for the moment. I'm not sure if your father is ready to share information about your identity with all the palace staff."

Luke's eyes widened. "You think he's ashamed of me?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Lev said quickly. "I'm sure it's just been a big change, for you as well, and these things take time to settle in."

"You can say that again," Luke said, looking up as a roving security droid flew past. "I feel so out of place. I think I just need to go back to my room and stay there."

"Perhaps that's for the best, for now. I did want to take you for a tour, but … your father may not want that. Especially after this."

Your father. That still sounded so strange. More so, as Luke could hear a note of fear in Lev's tone as he said it.

"You think he'll be mad?" Luke said, worried.

Lev hesitated, and then said, in a careful way, "I'm concerned that Lord Vader will be upset if he finds out you were in the security office."

"Are you kidding?" Luke said. "I barely know him, but I know enough not to tell him about that. Are you going to tell him?"

Luke didn't get to find out. They turned a corner, into a wide corridor with red Imperial banners flowing down the walls. Lev's destination was clearly meant to be the elevator bay in the middle, but the subject of their conversation was between them and it. Lev immediately came to attention as the black form approached, while Luke hugged his bundle of clothes to his chest.

He came to a halt in front of them, and looked from Luke to Lev.

"What happened?!"

Lev started to reply, but Luke hastily interrupted, not sure he could trust Lev to spin the story properly.

"Nothing! I just got slightly lost looking for the laundry. This place is massive! But … I'm going back to my room now, so everything is fine. We're both fine!" While he was speaking, the pants he was holding nearly fell on the ornate, polished marble floor, and he hastily moved to secure his grip. "How was your morning?"

Vader didn't speak, merely stared at him until Luke looked away, feeling intimidated. Then Lev came to his rescue.

"I blame myself, sir. I didn't explain the laundry procedure thoroughly enough."

"It wasn't that," Luke said. "I know I could have put them in the wall thing, but I wanted to do it myself. I always helped with the laundry on the farm."

"I can see I need to assign a droid to mind you," Vader said, pointing at Luke.

A droid?! Luke had seen toddlers around Anchorhead minded by droids while their parents haggled over prices with the merchants. "I'm okay, I swear! I'll be independent ... just like you said, and—"

"Calm down," Vader said, sounding weary.

"In the meantime, sir, I can take Luke over to the mall to find what clothing and other essentials he needs," Lev said.

"Good," Vader said. "Did you find the information I requested?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Take him, and return before 18-hundred. I am returning to the detention centre, but I will return then to discuss it with him."

He returned to the elevator, leaving Luke feeling confused.

"What does he want to discuss with me?" Luke asked, glancing up at Lev as they walked across to a different set of elevators.

Lev looked away. "He'll fill you in, I'm sure."

They soon arrived at the ship hangar, which boosted Luke's mood. He should have just forgotten about the laundry and come straight here this morning.

"Can we take that one?" Luke pointed as they walked past a bright yellow convertible speeder.

"I think your father would kill me if I so much as breathed around that," Lev said, walking on towards the standard issue Imperial speeders.

He was quiet for a moment, and then glanced at Luke quickly. "I didn't mean that literally."

"Of course," Luke said, wondering why Lev would think he'd taken him seriously. "Can I at least have a turn at piloting?"

Lev grinned. "Nice try." He opened the passenger door, pointedly.

Luke sighed, wondering if all adults were in some kind of giant conspiracy to keep him from flying.

There was no more conversation until they were in the air and flying towards the gigantic Imperial City mall. The silence reminded Luke of a very pressing need.

"Can we grab something to eat?" Luke said. "I haven't eaten all day."

Lev looked at him with surprise and concern on his face. "Why not? Did you forget how to use the terminal?"

"I wasn't hungry this morning and then the whole thing with those security officers happened."

"It sounds like you've had quite the day. How about we take a restaurant detour, then? There's a nice place at a nearby hotel."

"I was thinking more like a burger and ice-cream from a food cart," Luke said, looking out the window. There were thousands of speeders in the sky.

"Let's not overspend," Lev said, with a grin.

"I wouldn't want to waste his credits," Luke explained.

"Waste his credits? Luke ... I can assure you, credits are not a problem. Money is something that regular people like me have to think about. See here—" Lev opened the speeder's glove compartment. Inside, there was another security pass. "That allows us to shop in a private floor at the mall. Only a select amount of people are even allowed to breathe the air outside that floor."

"He doesn't act like he's rich," Luke said. "The only things he owns are ships. Senator Lerrod's home had a swimming pool and lots of expensive looking statues." Down below, Luke could see a huge glowing sign that indicated they were at the mall. The surface was lined with holographic billboards, advertising every product under the sun.

Lev brought the speeder down onto a busy landing pad.

"Bring those VIP security cards," Lev said, gesturing. "Maybe we can find a good restaurant on the exclusive floor."

"No restaurant," Luke insisted. "Burger and ice cream. Come on ... please?"

"Perhaps they could make you a burger at a restaurant."

Luke sighed, wondering how he was going to make Lev understand.

"Listen ... this is all a little too much, too fast. I'm still trying to get used to the idea that I have a father. I've never even been to a restaurant before."

"I understand," Lev said. He reversed into a parking space, and switched off the engine. "So," he said, turning to Luke. "There's a burger chain called Galactic Guzzlebusters. They'll have an outlet somewhere in this mall."

Luke grinned. "I bet I can find it first."

"You're on."

Despite himself, Vader could see the humor in Luke's decision to go wandering about on the lower floors in the palace. Attempting to do laundry manually was painfully typical of someone from a primitive world like Tatooine. Luke had a lot to learn.

Another lifetime ago, he had arrived in this same place with no knowledge of how people lived on a world such as this, much to the amusement of the other young Jedi. There were still aspects of the local lifestyle that would never seem normal. A reason why he preferred to be on Mustafar.

If it wasn't for the boy, he would have taken the spy there and continued the interrogation at his leisure, but there were decisions to be made and he couldn't keep procrastinating. His master would not be changing his mind about training Luke to use his potential, and in any case, there was no longer a specialist school for training those strong in the Force.

The assistant had provided multiple options, based on research into the habits of other members of the Imperial hierarchy with children, and Vader found some time to read through them while waiting for the spy to be prepared for another round of interrogation.

He immediately dismissed the private Coruscant academies. There were many alumni from such schools in the elite officer corps of the Imperial navy, and they knew nothing of fundamental values such as loyalty or duty, or even basic common sense. They did appear to be masters of entitlement and sycophantic ambition.

An offworld boarding school would be a better option. That would give him time to see about making some modifications to his residence on Mustafar to make it a more appropriate place for a boy of Luke's age. He could then join him there in the semester breaks.

A brochure for a junior naval academy caught his attention, and he scanned the images of young girls and boys playing sports in a park-like setting and studying in specialised classrooms. Luke seemed to have energy to burn and a friendly, open nature. He would benefit from a place with extensive grounds and other young people who came from all worlds of the galaxy.

It was also located in the Kada system, which housed a large army base and was well-protected. It was even on the hyperspace route between Mustafar and Coruscant, meaning it would be convenient to visit Luke to ensure the boy was making progress. It seemed ideal.

A stormtrooper entered the room, coming to attention beside the door.

"Sir, the prisoner is ready."

Vader closed down the datapad, relieved that decision had been so straightforward. If only all his work could be so effortless.

Luke hadn't realized how hungry he truly was until he started eating. His ice cream was so big, that Lev had long finished his before he was even halfway through.

"Maybe you should order another one," Luke suggested, licking the chocolate sauce off his spoon.

"I'm more than full," Lev said, holding up a hand in protest. "I haven't eaten this kind of food in years. Not since I came to Coruscant. You don't come to the capital of the galaxy only to eat fast food."

Luke smiled. Most of the occupants of other tables were families, of many species and sizes. There were stormtroopers here and there, but Lev was the only officer seen so far.

"So when did you first come here?" Luke asked.

"I trained at the officer academy here. I spent some years as part of a bridge crew on a Star Destroyer, but that didn't quite work out, and Hicks, the security officer you met earlier, helped me join my current team at the palace. We were at the academy together, and we're roommates now. We share an apartment not too far from here."

"Does it have a pool?" Luke asked. "He looked like he'd be a good swimmer."

Lev smiled. "He hates swimming, actually, despite his mixed heritage. He wanted to be a pilot, but that didn't quite work out."

"I want to be a pilot too," Luke said, smiling.

"I could have guessed that one."

"So do you usually work with my father?" It still felt so weird to say that—'my father', but Lev would think it odd if he referred to him as Lord Vader.

"Mostly," Lev said. "When he's not on Coruscant, I'm assigned to assist senior officers at IMH or the Moffs who visit the palace."

"So I guess you know him pretty well," Luke said, digging deep into the ice cream to get at the jelly center.

Lev was silent for a moment. "Not really," he said, finally. "I don't know if anyone really knows your father. Well, perhaps the Emperor does."

"I've wanted to know him my whole life," Luke mumbled, staring blankly into the distance.

"Well," Lev said, leaning back in his seat, "I suppose I do know a few things."

Luke looked up, burning with curiosity. "Like what?"

"I've already told you he likes to modify ships. He also likes to fence."

"Yeah, I've seen him in action. Those laser swords are amazing!" He began to wave his spoon around, improvising sound effects.

"He practices with droids," Lev said, smiling.

"Do you know anything about his past?" Luke asked, putting down the spoon.

"Hmmm. He's been the Emperor's enforcer for as long as there's been an Empire."

"Before that?" Luke prompted. "I know he was a Jedi Knight. What do you know about Jedi?"

"That talking about them can get you arrested," Lev said, quickly. "I don't think your father would want me discussing that subject with you."

Luke sighed. It seemed there was a conspiracy to keep his father's past a secret.

"I've heard rumours he fought in the Clone Wars," Lev said, obviously deciding to change the subject. "He's still a frontline commander. He's always beside the troops, whether on the ground or in the air. I don't think he has a single failed mission in his command history. He prefers to be out there making practical contributions, actually, as the Imperial bureaucracy on Coruscant tends to put him in a bad mood. The Senate keeps a close watch on what he's doing. A lot of my work involves liaising with the government lawyers and the senator's assistants."

Luke was hanging on every word, but Lev pushed back his chair and stood up.

"If you've finished eating, we better start shopping. You're supposed to be back by eighteen hundred. One other thing about your father—he doesn't tolerate failure."

"You mean failure to get back on time," Luke said, with a grin.

"Exactly."

When they'd bought enough clothes to fill the speeder, Lev finally let Luke visit a store of his choosing. He headed straight for a place they'd noticed while looking for a food outlet, which claimed to sell the galaxy's most unusual pets.

After Lev had been licked by something under a sign which read 'invisible claw-monkeys' and Luke had scratched himself on a bird which resembled a cactus, they both decided it was time to head home. Their mission was accomplished with fifteen minutes to spare.

He said goodbye to Lev, who had found a droid to help him carry the shopping back to his bedroom. By the time the elevator doors slid open on his destination, Luke was feeling more than a little tired.

Just as he reached his door, Vader came out of his own private room.

"Did you find everything you require?" he asked.

Luke nodded. "I can't believe how big the mall is."

"When you are ready, join me in the conference room."

"Okay, I'll just ... put these clothes away."

Luke wasn't entirely sure which one was the conference room, but after he returned from his bedroom, he was right on the first guess. It contained a circular black table, surrounded by high-backed, armless chairs. Vader gestured for him to sit, even though he was still standing.

Luke chose a seat, feeling vaguely like he was attending a military briefing. The atmosphere of the room was so formal.

Vader sat down a quarter-way around the table from Luke, and placed a datapad on the table between them.

"We need to discuss arrangements for your education."

Luke looked up quickly. Education? Did he mean school? He hadn't been there since Tatooine ...

"I have investigated the possible options and narrowed down one which I believe would be best for you."

"Is it on that world where you said you live?" Luke asked. "Musta?"

"Mustafar?"

"Yes. Are we going there now?"

"There are no schools on Mustafar." He slid the datapad across the table, and Luke picked it up, curiously. It was a brochure for a school whose title was so long, it spread across two lines. The Junior Imperial Naval Corps Military Academy—Kada System.

"It is located on Kada IV, a moon of a nearby core world."

"That's a long way to travel every day," Luke said, confused.

"You will stay there during the term."

"Oh," Luke said, neutrally. Inside, he was churning with emotions. Was he so much of a pain that Vader wanted to send him away? Stars, they had just found each other, after twelve years apart, and now he wanted to separate them again?

"I will need to make some alterations to my residence at Mustafar before it is suitable for you to live there," Vader continued. "It is not a place that would appeal at present. When it is ready, you may stay there with me outside of the school semesters."

"When ... when will I leave?" Luke mumbled.

"Perhaps in a week's time. I will ask an assistant to contact the school and make arrangements."

A week?! They only had a week left together?

"In the meantime, I have arranged for this droid to mind you," Vader said, gesturing at the wall behind Luke's chair. Luke turned around in surprise. It was an RA-7 protocol droid, gun-metal grey with a white Imperial logo on the front. It looked like it had been pulled from some boring duty at the military center where Vader seemed to spend so much time.

"I don't need—" Luke started to say. He trailed off though. He knew Vader wouldn't appreciate arguing. He looked down for a moment, and then mumbled, "I … I better go finish putting things away."

"Then you are satisfied with this proposal?" Vader asked.

Luke, still facing away from Vader, stared at his feet, wondering what to say. If he said yes, he'd be telling a lie. If he said no, Vader would ask why, and he'd have to tell him that he didn't want to leave so soon after discovering his father was alive. Vader might call that an emotional attachment, though. He didn't want to make him angry again. And he didn't want to be a burden.

"Sure," Luke mumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets and crossing his fingers.

Chapter Text

"Luke?!"

Luke stood up and looked down through the front cockpit window of the prototype TIE fighter where he'd taken refuge. Lev was standing on the hangar bay floor.

"What?" Luke called back.

"Can you come down?!"

"Why?"

"Come down, and I'll tell you!"

"Tell me, then I'll decide if I'm coming down," Luke called.

"It's a surprise!"

"Come on! I'm not falling for that!"

Lev only folded his arms in response.

Luke groaned. It had taken him long enough to figure out how to get up here, as the TIE Fighter was mounted off the floor on a mechanical arm. He climbed up the ladder and then shuffled inward and shimmied down the base of the arm, taking a fair amount of grease and engine oil with him.

"So," Luke said, ducking under the ship and coming to a halt in front of Lev. "What's the surprise?"

Lev was looking around like he'd just noticed something was missing.

"What happened to that droid your father assigned to watch you?"

Luke gestured to a nearby workroom. Lev leaned sideways to see through the open door and frowned when he saw the deactivated droid.

"Your father won't be happy about that."

"I don't care," Luke mumbled, looking down.

"Some administrative staff from your new school are coming here to meet you."

Luke hastily tried to go back under the ship, but Lev held him by the arm.

"It won't take long. You'll be back in the cockpit before you know it."

Luke didn't care if it took five seconds—he didn't want to talk to anyone from this stupid school. But if he flat out refused, Lev would probably tell his father.

"Where's my father?" Luke asked. "Is he going to be there?"

"No. He's interro ... he's over at IMH."

"Doing what?" Luke said, following Lev as he walked towards the elevators.

"Doing what he does."

"What's that?"

"I arranged for them to be escorted to that conference room," Lev said, pointing up to the high windows in the hangar. "You can go and wait there, or maybe you'd like to get changed first."

"I'm not dressing up, if that's what you're suggesting," Luke said, folding his arms.

"Okay," Lev said, motioning for Luke to enter the elevator first, "I suppose they'll find the pit droid look kinda cute."

Luke hastily started raking his fingers through his hair, hoping to hide the oil. "I am not cute!"

Lev was laughing now, and Luke's mood sunk lower. He remained in silence throughout the short elevator journey, and looked away whenever Lev glanced in his direction.

"So," Lev said, when the elevator doors opened. "You don't want to go to this school?"

Luke stared in surprise, forgetting his anger.

"How did you know?"

"I think every guard assigned to this hangar knows."

"My father doesn't," Luke grumbled, as he followed Lev into the conference room. "And he said he can read minds."

"Well, he's been busy."

"Is he ever not busy?" Luke asked, slumping into a seat.

"Use my comlink if you need me," Lev said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Luke panicked. "Don't leave me alone with these people! They'll probably be all superior and intimidating."

Lev appeared in doubt for a moment, and then his comlink began to beep. "Looks like they've arrived," he said, reading the text. "Very well, I'll stay. Are you ready?"

"No," Luke mumbled. He rested his head on his hand, and wondered why life had never been this complicated on Tatooine.

Vader was starting to feel bored. He'd been at this for an hour now, and all he'd received from the ex-spy this morning was unintelligible noises. Perhaps he'd overdosed him, or used the wrong combination of drugs. He'd done that once before and ended up interrogating a corpse. He really should be more careful.

"S-son."

Vader looked up. "What?"

"W-want ... to see ... Son."

"You have a son?"

"See him ... please."

This was new. Vader made a mental note of it. It seemed they had something in common.

"You can see your son ... after you tell me what you did with the information you stole."

There was only a groan in response.

"How old is your son?"

"Son ..."

"How old?"

He was going to answer. Vader could sense it. This talk of his child had sparked something within him. He never got a chance to find out what, however. The doors slid open, and an officer entered the room.

"Sir, we just received an urgent message from the Jadis Cluster fleet." He glanced at the spy, clearly wondering if he should elaborate further.

"I will be there in a moment," Vader said, dismissing the officer. He would have to continue this interrogation later, it seemed.

"You didn't have to apologize for me," Luke insisted.

"Yes, I did."

Lev didn't sound happy. Luke stood up and went to the viewing window. Down below, he could see the school administrators leaving with a droid. They weren't so bad ... a little serious maybe, and they had seemed like they were trying hard to be overly nice. He glanced back at Lev.

"They hadn't even finished asking me questions, and you made them leave."

"I had to, before you said anything worse!"

"I was just being honest!" Luke said. "They asked me what thoughts I had about my career so I shared them. What's wrong with that?"

"You really want to join a gang of insurgent criminals?"

"I never said that!" Luke protested. "They started talking about their navy pilot prep courses, and I pointed out that I hadn't decided whether I wanted to fly for the Empire. I just said rebels and pirates had better snub fighters ... I didn't mean I was going to join them!"

"What were they supposed to think?"

"I don't care what they think!"

"Listen, you can't go around saying things like that. I know I'm not your father, but—"

"Then quit trying to act like it," Luke said, turning away.

There was a moment of silence, and then Luke heard Lev turn and leave. He'd been hurt by his remark, he could sense it. For a moment, he struggled with his feelings, slipping back and forth from anger to guilt. Finally, he felt a tear slide down his cheek, and he sank into a chair and buried his face in his arms.

After a moment had passed, the doors slid open again. Lev had returned.

"I forgot to give you this," he said, sounding oddly detached. "You need to fill in these enrolment forms with ..." he broke off, suddenly noticing Luke's misery. "Luke ... what's wrong?"

"He hates me," Luke sniffed.

"Who?" Lev pulled out a chair and sat down beside him. "You mean your father?"

Luke nodded, wiping his eyes. "We just found each other, after all these years apart, and now he doesn't even want to know me." Luke heard his voice begin to shake. "He thinks I'm a pain, so he's sending me away."

"I'm sure that's not it at all. I went to a boarding school when I was your age ... we lived in a remote area, and the best school was a fair distance away, so it made sense to board. It doesn't mean he doesn't care about you—it just means he wants the best for your education."

"I bet there's lots of good schools around here," Luke insisted.

"Yes, but …" Lev gestured at the walls. "This isn't exactly a home. I can understand why your father doesn't want you living here. And Mustafar … just the stories I've heard about that place are terrifying. I think you'd be much happier living at a school, especially after you make some friends."

"This place is great!" Luke said. "There's lots of ships, and droids bring me any food I want, and I have my own HoloNet terminal. And … at least he'll be here sometimes. Home is where your family is."

"Oh, Luke," Lev said, briefly putting a hand on his shoulder in a comforting way. "Have you told him that you'd rather stay here?"

Luke shook his head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just ... can't. He'd get angry. He told me he doesn't want me to have any emotional attachment to him."

"Ah," Lev said, "well ... just between you and me, I think finding you has been a very big shock for him. Finding a son would be a shock for anyone, but it seems to be especially so for him. Maybe it's taking him a while to get used to the idea. I don't think he's had a familiar relationship with anyone in a long time."

"You mean he's always like this?" Luke said. "All serious and unemotional? It's not just me?"

Lev nodded.

"But why? How can anyone be like that all the time?"

"I don't know," Lev said, "but don't give up. I think you might have a good effect on him."

"You're right," Luke said, standing up. "I've got to try. When is he coming back? Never mind ... I'll go down and wait for him."

"You know the way?" Lev asked, concerned.

"Sure. I've been studying the map on the terminal in my room."

Luke got halfway to the door, before he stopped, and turned back.

"I'm sorry for acting like a sleemo. I can tell you're the nicest person who works here, and I've only known you for a few days. I don't know what I'd have done without you."

"A sleemo?" Lev said, grinning. "Don't worry about it. It's already forgotten."

"You've forgotten what I said about the Rebel snub fighters too, right?" Luke said.

"You said something about Rebels?"

Luke grinned, and ran for the door.

Vader experienced a sense of déjà vu when he returned from the detention centre, only to find Luke was again wandering in the palace corridor between the security checkpoint and an elevator hub. The boy came rushing up and jogged along beside him, looking nervous.

"Are you lost, once again?" Vader asked, wearily. "Where is that droid?"

"I'm not lost! I ... um ... are you busy?"

Vader entered one of the elevators, and selected the floor for his personal ship hangar. Luke slipped in beside him and looked up in anticipation.

"I am leaving for the Jadis Cluster," he explained, as the doors slid closed. "An urgent situation has arisen. I should be back in five days."

"The Jadis Cluster? Where's that? Why are you going there?"

"Do you need to know that information?" Vader enquired, glancing down at Luke.

"I ... I guess not," Luke mumbled, staring at his feet.

Vader sighed, wondering why he allowed the boy to affect a conscience he shouldn't even have.

"I am going to assist a fleet with a rebel uprising. A group of anarchists is opposed to the Emperor's legal and just rule. They are spreading disorder and chaos. The Empire is engaged in an ongoing war to destroy the Jadis Cluster rebels and bring this conflict to an end."

"You mean with big Star Destroyer space battles!?"

"Yes, there is a fleet of Star Destroyers."

"And snub-fighters?"

"Yes."

"And all-terrain armored transports?"

"When required," Vader said, becoming irritated.

"Wow! Can I come with you?"

"Of course not. A battle field is no place for a child."

The elevator doors slid open on the ship hangar, and Vader strode towards a waiting shuttle. He had arranged to have one prepped earlier.

"But I want to come with you," Luke protested, following behind. "I won't be any trouble."

Vader turned when he reached the foot of the boarding ramp and found Luke was staring up at him with pleading blue eyes.

"I have already said no. You will stay here and keep out of trouble."

Luke dropped his gaze, and his expression was inconsolable. It was the most pathetic display Vader had witnessed since the last time an incompetent officer had begged for his life. He should leave before he started contemplating giving in.

"When I come back, you will be leaving for your school," Vader said, quickly. "Make sure you have all the supplies you will need and arrange to return the enrolment forms with an assistant."

"Oh," Luke said, his sad expression quickly dissolving, "I need to talk to you about that. See—"

Vader held up a hand. "Direct any problems to one of the officers. I am already late."

He turned and walked up the ramp, making sure to close it once he reached the top.

"No luck?" Lev enquired.

Luke only spun around a few times on the revolving chair in response. It was the morning after Vader had left, and now he had the rest of the week to dwell on just how horrible this military boarding school might be. Those images in the brochure didn't fool him for one second.

He had gone to find Lev, hoping for some sympathy, and a guard had shown him the way to the military command office in the lower floors of the palace. The guards were all being a lot nicer to him since the day he'd met the security officers.

"He didn't even give me a chance," Luke said, finally. "He just said he had to leave."

"Perhaps when he comes back."

"It will be too late by then!" Luke spun around again in frustration. The stormtroopers stationed by the door looked over in obvious bewilderment. "He said I'll be leaving as soon as he comes back!"

"Maybe I can help you look into the local schools. If we found one you thought might be suitable, and then do what we can to make the enrolment easier, you might have a better chance of convincing him to change his mind."

Luke brightened. "Let's start right now!" He rolled the chair up and swept aside some of the datapads on Lev's desk. They all looked boring, anyhow.

Lev smiled, putting down his cup of caf. "Patience is a foreign concept to you, isn't it, Luke?"

"We've only got five days!" Luke insisted. "Maybe four days now, depending on when he was counting from."

Lev tapped his fingers on the desk, looking thoughtful. "You know … Hicks mentioned something the other day. Hang on." He activated his comlink, and a moment later, a blue image of Lieutenant Hicks appeared.

"Hey. Didn't you say something about the mother of the guy you're seeing being the principal of a local private academy?"

"Yes, some fancy place for the scions of the ruling class," Hicks said. "Why?"

Lev adjusted the holo field to include Luke.

"Luke is looking for a school."

"A private academy?" Luke said, feeling nervous. "Sounds like it would be hard to get accepted. I'm not one of those super-smart genius kids."

Both Lev and Lieutenant Hicks laughed for some reason.

"I'll get you her number," Lieutenant Hicks said, still sounding amused. "She's ex-navy herself. According to Travis, she's very particular. He has yet to introduce me."

"Maybe we can solve that problem at the same time," Lev said.

After Lieutenant Hicks had gone away to find out the comlink frequency, Luke looked up at Lev with trepidation.

"I don't want to go to some fancy-shmancy school with a particular principal," Luke said. "The local public school will be fine."

"The nearest public school will be a long speeder ride into the lower levels," Lev said. "Don't worry. Just think about it this way … it will be better than going away to the boarding school, right?"

Luke nodded, reluctantly.

When the comlink frequency appeared on Lev's screen, he smiled down at Luke. "Okay. Let's give her a call. It's a weekday so she should be in her office."

There was a rush of noise in the room as three other officers stood up from the desks and wandered over, and even one of the stormtroopers left their station, causing Lev to lean back in his chair, folding his arms. "Sit down! I'm not going to use the projector."

The nearest ensign just smiled, and one grumbled in a good-natured way, but they all returned to their stations.

Luke didn't understand this at all. He returned to spinning on his chair while Lev called the number and attached a headset, so Luke could only hear his side of the conversation.

"Good morning. This is Lieutenant Lev Dorany … I would like to enquire about the possibility of enrolling the son of a person of some importance in the government." There was a long pause, and Lev began nodding. "Yes, yes, I understand ... you are halfway through the academic year already."

Luke sighed, hearing his chances evaporate at Lev's next words.

"Possibility of next semester? Yes. An interview process. Full academic transcript and list of extracurricular achievements. I'm sure that won't be an issue."

Luke was tempted to reach over to Lev's computer and disconnect the call, but then Lev paused for a moment, and said, "I'll be sure to let Lord Vader know."

After ten seconds of silence, in which Lev's eyes slowly grew wider, he finally reached over and muted the call.

"I think she's choking on her caf," Lev said, which caused a lot of laughter from the other officers. They were clearly still listening.

Lev then unmuted the call and said, "Yes, I assure you, I am serious. I am an assistant at the Imperial Palace. Yes, that's right … Luke. He's twelve years old … oh, he'll be able to start straight away? That's great news. Yes, I'll send you my contact details." He smiled then. "No, he's really the most unassuming boy you could ever meet on Coruscant. All he'll require is to be treated exactly like every other student."

Luke smiled, glad that Lev understood this.

After another long pause, Lev said, "It was actually my roommate who gave us the recommendation. He's a good friend of your son Travis. Yes, that's right." Lev smiled. "He's been wanting to meet you too, but apparently Travis didn't feel the time was right." The conversation had become far less formal. "Yes. Yes, Hicks has been known to talk like that too. I'll check our schedules over the next week, and I'm sure we can find a night when we're both free."

Luke tuned out, returning to the task of spinning around on the chair until the conversation returned to the subject of him.

"Luke is keen to remain on Coruscant, but his father was also looking at a military academy. Yes. Yes, that's right, the one on Kada IV." Lev frowned. "Really? That's not good. No, I hadn't heard that. I'm sure Luke will pass it on. All right. I better get back to my duties. Yes. Pleasure to speak with you, too."

After he'd disconnected the call, Lev glanced up at a big screen with the number zero on it, and then said, "Huh."

"Huh, what?" Luke said. "So I can go there?"

"Yes. And she said last year's senior valedictorian at the military academy wrote an anti-Imperial editorial for her university magazine, resulting in three separate ISB investigations into the culture at the school. She said there are rumors of other students running away and joining Rebel cells."

One of the ensigns whistled. "If you tell your father that, Luke, he'll let you attend the local school."

"Wait, can you repeat that," Luke said, digging around Lev's desk for a light pen. "I need to write this down."

Things were looking up.

After Lev and Lieutenant Hicks went over to the principal's place for a fancy dinner one night, they both returned more convinced than ever that Luke should attend the local private academy. He and the other assistants in the military command office helped him gather all the information and documents he needed to complete the enrolment forms. All they required now was Vader's signature. And his permission, of course, but Luke was thinking positive.

He was concerned they hadn't managed to find any way of contacting his old school in Anchorhead for an academic transcript, but Lev said it didn't matter. Luke doubted he would ever get used to this 'son of Lord Vader' thing. At heart, he was still Luke Skywalker, farmboy from Tatooine.

And that's exactly who he felt like, when the day his father was due to return rolled around. Lev's encouragement and support could only go so far ... in the end, this was something he would have to talk Vader into all by himself.

He kept reminding himself of the facts, as he paced up and down in the corridor, waiting for him to arrive. He'd seen his shuttle come in a short time ago, so it was only a matter of minutes before he came up here. He did have a right to talk to him—he was his son, after all, as hard as it was to believe. And he did have a right to some say in his future. He hadn't asked to be born, so it wasn't his fault that his father had to look after him. He shouldn't feel guilty about wanting to stay here. And he shouldn't—

Luke turned at the top end of his pacing to find himself staring at the life support controls on Vader's chest. Funny, despite the mechanical breathing, he had been too preoccupied to hear him approach. He looked up, meeting the masked gaze. A vague noise came out of his mouth, which was supposed to be a 'hello'.

"You have managed to keep yourself alive I see," Vader said, side-stepping to walk past him. "Good."

Before Luke could think of a response, Vader had entered his quarters and the doors had sealed with a loud hiss.

Good? That's all he had to say?! Luke stared at the closed doors in horror. He wouldn't come out of there for hours! There was nothing for it ... he had to risk his annoyance and disturb him in the mysterious room of meditation.

He approached the door slowly. A good five minutes passed before his hand stopped shaking enough to press the door-comm. What if he said no? What if he was angry he had even suggested a local school?

The doors suddenly slid open, and Luke jumped back. The interior was pitch black. He shuffled forward and stuck his head around the frame. There was a strange circular pod off to one side. Luke walked forward, and found Vader was sitting in the center, visible through the gap between the two open jaws.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I-need-to-talk-to-you!" Luke declared, stumbling over the words in his haste to get them out.

"Then talk."

"I ... uh ... um ... see it's about ... you know how I'm supposed to ..." Luke stared at the floor and saw a reflection of himself looking back up. The floor sure was clean and shiny.

"That is not talking," Vader pointed out. "That is a random string of words. Think about what you are going to say and then say it. I do not have all day."

"Give me a chance!" Luke said, annoyed. A second later, he realized just who it was he had snapped at, and he stepped back in fear. Vader didn't yell at him, though. He seemed surprised into momentary silence. Luke quickly gathered his courage to take advantage of it.

"I don't want to go to a military boarding school," he said, as clearly as his trembling voice would let him. "If I can't live with you on Mustafar, then here is the next best thing." There's a private school really close by ... I already have the enrollment forms, and I've filled them in, so you don't need to go to any trouble. I know you're busy."

Luke breathed in, trying to relax. He studied Vader, looking for any hint of acceptance. His father was silent though, staring at him.

"You won't even notice I'm here," Luke said, trying to help his cause. "I can look after myself!"

"You think that is why I wanted you to go to boarding school?" Vader asked. "Because I regard your presence as a problem?"

Luke shrugged, once again looking at the floor. He looked up when he heard footsteps, and found Vader was coming down to stand next to him.

"I thought you would dislike living here on your own. I will not be here for long stretches of time, and I imagined you would prefer to be in an environment with people your own age."

"I know you won't always be here, but you will sometimes. That's enough."

"This Coruscant school will be filled with the children of the wealthy and powerful core world families. You will find it difficult to mix with them, and they may be a bad influence. You will find the students at the military school more diverse. There will be some from farming families and desert worlds like Tatooine."

"Did you know the military academy has been investigated three times due to …" Luke trailed off, trying to remember the word. "Due to students writing anti-Empire things," he finished. "If I go there, who knows where I'll end up!"

"Where did you hear this?"

"The officers downstairs found out," Luke said. "It's true, I swear."

Vader only continued to stare at him.

"I want to stay here," Luke repeated, quietly. "I won't ask for anything again. Let me try it, at least. Please."

Vader was quiet for a few breathing cycles, and then said, "If you feel so strongly about it, you may attend this local school. "

Luke grinned. "You just need to sign the form, and then I'll send it back, and—"

"But I want to know why you didn't tell me you had a problem with the boarding school when I asked you earlier."

Uh oh.

"I ... um ..." Luke quickly backed away, raising his hands. "There's a good show on the holovid soon and I know you are busy. I'll get back to you."

Lucky his bedroom was within escaping distance.

Vader was left staring at a blank space, wondering vaguely if all children were this confusing, or whether this was the unusual behavior the medic had warned him about. He had gone out of his way to consult Luke over his educational options ... he had even asked his opinion. And Luke had assured him the boarding school was fine. Now, completely out of the blue, he suddenly acted as if he was being forced to go by a cruel, uncaring parent who was desperate to get him out of his sight.

As if that wasn't incomprehensible enough, the boy had offered no explanation as to why he would prefer to stay here. Luke had appeared lost and confused last week, leading him to believe he was unhappy, and would prefer to be at boarding school. Was there some vital clue he was missing? At any rate, he didn't have the time or patience to find out what it was. If Luke had a problem, he could always come and speak to him.

As he made his way back to the hyperbaric chamber, the implication of what he'd just agreed to began to settle in. If Luke was determined to stay on Coruscant, then he would need to make an effort to be here too. He couldn't just leave Luke alone at the Imperial Palace indefinitely. But the thought of more time spent dealing with infernal politicians and ambitious military bureaucrats, and less time spent gaining deeper knowledge of the Force on Mustafar, was deeply depressing.

For a moment, he found himself wishing Luke had remained hidden longer. This wouldn't be an issue if Luke was an adult. None of this would be an issue. But indulging in such thoughts, even for a moment, felt ungrateful. As the Emperor had said, the boy might have lived his entire life in obscurity on Tatooine.

Parenthood was always going to involve sacrifices. His former self had known this. He would have given up the Jedi order and serving the Republic to raise their child. Walking away from the Empire was not a choice he would survive, but he could stand to spend less time on Mustafar, at least until Luke was a little older. Perhaps the boy would realize he would be better off at the military school, and his life could return to normal.

Meanwhile, he had an interrogation to resume tomorrow. That should keep him occupied on Coruscant for the moment.

Chapter Text

The Emperor was pleased to hear of their victory over the Jadis Cluster insurgency. It was doubly fortunate, because Vader felt the need to prove nothing had changed after the disagreement over Luke. During his reports, the subject of his son wasn't raised, and Vader was careful to avoid thinking of it entirely. It was in the boy's best interests to remain beneath the Emperor's notice.

If there was one thing Luke was showing an aptitude for, it was remaining invisible. He had made himself scarce for the last few days, after their conversation over his schooling, and so Vader was surprised to find him working at a terminal when he entered the conference room near his quarters.

He considered asking him what he was doing, but soon decided to leave him be. He was due at the detention center himself, and didn't have time for idle conversation. He needed to review the information he had obtained from the spy earlier. Sometimes a prisoner would say one seemingly insignificant thing during one session, which would later prove vitally important.

He connected a datapad to the main terminal and began to download the relevant files. He glanced over momentarily, to find Luke was staring at him. Their eyes met briefly, and then the boy looked away, returning to his work.

"What are you doing?" Vader asked, deciding a few minutes delay couldn't hurt.

"Just working on something for school," Luke mumbled.

"I thought you were not starting school for another two days."

Luke looked back, clearly surprised. "How did you know?"

"The principal contacted an assistant this morning."

"What did she say?"

"First she wanted to inform me of a special assembly, attended by all students and interested parents, in order to welcome you to the school. Then she asked if you would require any special security arrangements."

"Oh, stars!" Luke let his head fall onto the table.

"I have informed the school you will not require any security arrangements ... except one."

Luke popped back up, curious. "What?"

"Under no circumstances is any attention to be drawn to your arrival. Only staff directly involved with teaching you are to be informed of our relationship."

"Thank you!" Luke said, jumping to his feet. "That's perfect!"

As if becoming aware he was overreacting, Luke hastily sat down again. "They asked me for information about what I learned at the Anchorhead school," Luke said, resuming his work. "So I'm just typing up a description of the classes we had on Tatooine. They're probably going to laugh at our desert survival classes, but I learned more there than in Hutt history, that's for sure."

Vader stepped closer to read over Luke's shoulder, somewhat curious. There were so many things he didn't know about his son. In all truth, he probably knew more about the life of this spy he was interrogating. It was a sobering thought.

"I am going to the detention centre," Vader said, picking up the datapad. "I should be back in a few hours. When I return, we should have a conversation. I would like to know more about your life on Tatooine."

"Really?" Luke said, looking up in surprise. "I mean ... sure!"

Vader considered telling the boy that 'yes, sir' would have been a more appropriate response, but he doubted Luke would take it to heart. The boy must have been living on Coruscant for weeks now, yet still acted like he'd just come in from dusting the crops. Hopefully he'd learn some more appropriate patterns of speech at this school, if nothing else.

"So," Vader said, once his prisoner was under the effects of the drugs. He had made sure to give a milder dose, this time. "We were discussing your son."

"Son ..."

"Yes," Vader said, "Tell me about him."

The spy was agitated now. "Where is ... he? What ... son!"

"He will be safe if you tell me what you did with the information," Vader said.

There was no response, so Vader entered the man's mind, seeking a way around his mental conditioning. The Rebels were getting better at training their agents to resist mind probes, but he was getting better at doing them.

"No!"

Vader could see an image of the boy now ... he was young, younger than Luke. He had his arms outstretched, and was laughing over something.

"I can have your son in custody within a few hours," Vader suggested. "Perhaps he might know what you did with the information."

The man cried out, and launched himself towards him in anger. Vader didn't bother to move out of the way—the binders that held the prisoner's wrists were designed to prevent such an action. They sparked and gave the man a shock, which caused him to slump back against the wall.

"Monster!" he moaned.

"As will you be, if you allow yourself to be responsible for your son's suffering. He will suffer as you have suffered, if you don't tell me what I wish to know. Perhaps he might even die."

"The Spectrum!"

Finally, they were getting somewhere.

"What is the spectrum?"

"No!"

Vader prepared to use the Force to reenter the man's mind, but he began to talk once again.

"Transmitted ... to the Spectrum! Agents on board."

"The Spectrum is a ship?" Vader said.

"Yes!"

Vader glanced at the chrono in surprise. He'd broken the spy in ten minutes. Either this wasn't the best Alderaan had to offer, or the man really loved his son. Parenthood appeared to be a weakness that could readily be exploited. He would have to ensure he would never become so weak in regards to Luke.

Meanwhile, he had a ship to find.

Luke had initially waited for Vader's return, excited at the thought of getting some attention out of him. That emotion had soon faded, when darkness had fallen and there was still no sign of his father. It was becoming clear to him that his father never stopped working. Maybe it was the result of his artificial body replacements, but to Luke it seemed his father acted more like a machine than a person. Yet even droids powered down sometimes.

Just as he was deciding it was about time to turn in for the night, he sensed a familiar presence outside in the corridor. Eagerly, he jumped up and went to investigate. As he had suspected, his father had finally come home. He was walking quickly towards his meditation room though.

Luke mumbled a greeting, but Vader appeared not to notice him. A short while later, he returned from his room, now carrying a datapad, and started to walk back towards the elevator. On the way, he paused, and turned to face Luke.

"I should return in one to three weeks. I will be available by comlink if you have any serious problems at school. If there is a minor problem, direct it towards the droid or an assistant."

"You're leaving again?" Luke said, surprised. "You just got back!"

"I obtained valuable information, which I need to act on immediately. I also need to return to Mustafar."

He walked on, and Luke rubbed his head, feeling strangely abandoned. He had hoped he would be here when he started school. It made little sense, really, because it wasn't as if Vader was going to hold his hand and drop him off at the classroom door. Not that he'd even want him too. But just the thought of him being here had been a little comforting.

"Goodbye," he called, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice. He didn't think Vader would appreciate it.

On the morning of his first day at school, Luke woke early, unable to sleep any longer due to the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. There were so many questions buzzing around his head. Would the students be friendly? Would he be able to understand the work? Would they treat him differently because of his father?

Luke had wanted to walk to school, now that he had a newly upgraded permanent security pass, but Lev had insisted on taking him in a speeder. As he sat in the passenger seat, he found himself fidgeting nervously with his clothing.

"This uniform is so ... formal," Luke said. "I feel stupid. On Tatooine we never had to wear uniforms. Some kids didn't even bother with shoes."

"You look good," Lev said.

Luke suspected his opinion was somewhat biased. He'd never seen Lev out of his uniform. He probably even slept in it. "Can you let me off down there?" Luke asked, pointing out the window.

"I'm letting you off at the school, Luke, not a block away from it."

"But people will see this speeder and know I'm related to someone who works for the Empire." Luke had come to notice that the black speeders with white Imperial logos were only used by government officials.

"Luke, I doubt there's a student at this school who isn't related to someone powerful. You'll fit right in."

Luke wasn't so sure. But he kept quiet—if he acted too worried, Lev would insist on coming in with him. That had to be avoided at all costs.

As they flew over the school, Luke saw it was built on a platform over the top of another high-rise, in a style typical of Coruscant's crammed architecture. It was surrounded by artificial lawns and gardens, shielded from the outside world in huge transparent domes. Lev set down on a spacious landing pad on the west side of the building.

"Now, you know where to go, don't you?" he asked.

"To the reception desk," Luke repeated. He had already heard this many times this morning.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?"

Luke simply stared at Lev, until he raised his hands in defeat.

"Yes, I know, you're twelve years old and can already pilot a speeder. Starting a new school is nothing. You're not even nervous. In fact, I'm more nervous than you."

"Thank you," Luke said, unbuckling his seat restraints. "I'll see you later."

"Have fun," Lev called, as he stepped out onto the landing pad. "Don't hesitate to contact me if anything goes wrong."

Luke folded his arms and waited pointedly for Lev to take off. He didn't trust him not to wait around spying on him. Seeing his intentions, he waved goodbye, and Luke watched until the speeder had disappeared completely into Coruscant's busy skies.

He turned and walked towards the doors, which were decorated with the crest also present on the shoulders of his uniform. It was the Imperial logo, framed by the open pages of an old-fashioned book. The images of two royal guards stood facing each other, crossing their pikes above the words, 'Dedication. Loyalty. Service. All Glory to the Emperor!'.

He guessed that was the school motto. His father would probably approve, but it made him hope he was going to learn something else besides dedication and loyalty to the Emperor.

The corridors were much the same, lined with conspicuous signs of the Empire's presence. There were statues of the Emperor, plaques bearing the words of the Emperor, framed copies of the Imperial constitution ... even the drinking fountain was emblazoned with the Imperial logo. When he came to a halt at the reception desk, he was gazing around feeling somewhat overwhelmed.

He looked forward at the sound of voices and saw a student was already conversing with the receptionist droid. Or perhaps arguing was a better word.

"I'm telling you, it's real!"

"This signature is only a seventy percent match with the one we have on file."

"His hand probably slipped while he was doing it!"

"Why doesn't your father, who according to your record is a bank governor, know how to spell the word 'express'?"

"Call him up and ask him! Stars, can you please stop acting like the droid from hell and just accept it?!"

"Come back when you have a real permission slip," the droid said, handing the student's datapad back.

The student stormed off in a huff, and Luke stepped back to prevent being pushed aside. Luke's eyes wandered back to the droid, who was a shiny red modified protocol model.

"Who are you?" he said, with a slightly bored edge to his electronic voice. "I have never seen you before."

"Um ... I'm new," Luke said, stepping forward.

"Shouldn't you have been in class five minutes ago, New? You are late. Please do not give me a note you wrote yourself on the way here. And do not offer an excuse before consulting the list." The droid pointed to a poster taped on the front of the desk, which was headed, 'Excuses B-60 is tired of hearing'. The first two were 'I slept in' and 'the air traffic was bad'. Luke didn't bother to read any further.

He cleared his throat. "No, I mean I'm new."

"We have already established your name."

"New!" Luke insisted. "As in ... I've never been here before. This is my first day. I don't know where I'm supposed to go."

"I could tell you if you would tell me your real name, instead of this 'new' business."

Luke frowned, feeling his temper begin to wear thin. "Luke Skywalker," he said, through a slightly clenched jaw.

"Ah, now we are getting somewhere. The principal wanted to meet you. She had to leave for a meeting a moment ago, though, so I'll take you to your class instead."

"Thank you," Luke sighed.

The droid printed out a hardcopy of what appeared to be a timetable. When he turned around to lead him out of the reception area, Luke noticed there was a 'kick me' sign taped to his back. He stifled a laugh, glad that there was something familiar about this school. Some jokes never got old.

As they walked down the corridors, Luke quickly tried to keep track of where they were going. It would be embarrassing to get lost on his first day. Every so often, they would pass a classroom door, and Luke stared inside, curious. They all contained rows and rows of terminals. On Tatooine, their school could barely afford to maintain their three and a half outdated computers.

"This is so advanced," Luke mumbled, half talking to himself.

"So why haven't they replaced me, you wonder?" B-60 said, leading him down a flight of stairs. "I wonder myself."

"I didn't mean it like that," Luke said, wondering if this droid was made like that, or if some of the students had tinkered with his personality circuits.

The droid came to a halt beside a set of double doors, and pressed the release to open them. Inside was a small foyer, past which Luke could see an expansive gymnasium. The students were spread around doing various activities, and no one noticed as Luke and the droid approached the teacher.

"This is Luke Skywalker," B-60 said, in a tone that hinted he was inflicting something unpleasant on the teacher. "He is joining your class this morning."

"How nice of you to show him here, B-60," the teacher said, with a smile and a slightly raised eyebrow. She was young, and had friendly brown eyes.

"My programming forced me to do it," B-60 insisted. "Here is his timetable for the rest of the day. You might want to explain it to him."

"I'll do that," she said, accepting the hardcopy.

Without another word, to Luke's relief, the droid turned and left. Luke looked up at the teacher, noticing she was wearing a tunic covered with the logo of some Coruscant sports team.

"So," she said, passing the timetable to him, "I hear your father is the man in black himself."

It was still strange, to hear people say it out loud like that. He'd become so used to thinking of himself as an orphan.

"Yes," he mumbled.

She studied Luke for a moment, while wrapping a finger around the end of her ponytail.

"Do you have any kind of title I should know about? A form of address you prefer?"

Luke felt his face turning slightly red. "I'm just Luke," he said, quickly.

"And you can call me Miss Lee. It's a pleasure to have you in my class Luke. I'm sure you'll settle down fine and make some friends before you know it."

Luke stared at the students, some of whom had begun to notice his arrival. There were both boys and girls, and they were all around his age. On Tatooine, there were so few students, you didn't have much of a choice about who you made friends with. That wasn't the case here, as was clear from the small groups the students had gathered themselves into.

"It's only fifteen minutes before the end of class," Lee continued, "So there's not much point joining in. Maybe you'd just like to watch for a while."

Luke was relieved. He stood by the wall, observing everyone quietly. Eventually Miss Lee blew a whistle, and everyone gathered in a rough semi-circle around her. By this time, he was getting many curious stares. He folded his arms, trying to look as normal as possible.

"Class, I'd like everyone to welcome Luke Skywalker," Miss Lee said, waving a hand in Luke's direction. "He's new today, so please make a special effort to welcome him."

Some students began to whisper, and Luke felt suddenly shy. They had all probably lived on Coruscant their entire lives.

A tone sounded over the comm system, causing all the students to start filing out the door. Luke nervously joined the end of the group, trying to ignore the odd person who would turn back and stare at him. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

Vader found his thoughts wandering to the subject of his son, as he stared out the shuttle viewing port. They were about to dock with the Star Destroyer Arena, which, if the captain had performed his mission competently, there should be a detention center of Rebel prisoners awaiting his collection.

The Spectrum had turned out to be an Alderaanian pleasure cruiser, and as it so happened, its flight path had been due to coincide with that of the Star Destroyer Arena about two hours ago. He had intended to be here for the boarding, but delays in hyperspace meant he was only now arriving. He could only hope the captain had done his job properly. For as much his sake, as the sake of the Empire.

But his thoughts kept returning to his son, far away on Coruscant. The boy would be starting school today, if his adjustments for the time differences were accurate. It would be difficult for him to enter a new social environment. He was no doubt feeling much as he had felt all those years ago, when he began to attend classes at the Jedi temple.

The boarding ramp began to descend, and Vader shifted away from the viewing window. He was thinking about his past life again, which could only lead to weakness. Now was the time to concentrate on the mission.

As he stepped onto the deck of the Arena's docking bay, the captain and his first officer saluted him.

"It is a profound honor to welcome you on board the Arena, Lord Vader. I am Captain Koonter. This is my first officer, Commander Dul."

Vader studied the men. The captain appeared slightly nervous, but the first officer was relaxed. It was a fair guess the mission hadn't been a dismal failure, or they would likely be begging his forgiveness by now.

"How did your boarding operation proceed, Captain Koonter?"

"Excellent, my lord. We found six possible Rebel traitors hiding among the Spectrum's civilian passengers, and we have recovered all the stolen information."

He had expected more, but six was better than nothing. The captain was waiting for adulation, but Vader did not oblige. "And where is the cruiser now?"

"The crew co-operated with us completely, my lord. We didn't see any reason to hold them any longer. The Spectrum jumped into hyperspace ten minutes ago."

"You should have held them until I arrived," Vader said, annoyed. "What made you think you had located all the Rebels on the ship?"

The captain turned nervously to the first officer, who immediately obliged.

"Sir, we took the cruiser completely by surprise. Our troops thoroughly searched every person and every room on the ship. If we held the ship any longer, we could have faced legal action from the Alderaan government."

The officer had a point. In all fairness, by letting the ship go, they had probably saved the legal division from a very large headache.

"Very well," Vader said, "I will inspect the prisoners, and then have them transferred to my ship."

"Yes, my lord."

Vader paused for a moment, studying the captain. He was no more nervous than any other captain he usually spoke to, but he had an odd feeling, as if something was amiss. Perhaps there was more to this situation than he realized.

Or perhaps the constant thinking about Luke was skewing his Force sense.

No one had said anything to Luke all morning, and he was starting to wonder if he was going to be friendless for the rest of the year. He had just sat through a mathematics class, of which he'd understood very little. It would probably have helped if he'd actually paid attention, instead of staring out the window, but old habits were hard to break.

When the signal sounded for lunchtime, Luke breathed out a sigh of relief. He was more than hungry, and he didn't want to have to stare at another equation ever again. Beside him, a black-haired boy began to close down his computer, and Luke watched what he did in order to copy. His name was Ben Jarnet, according to his logout screen. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Luke couldn't quite place it. Perhaps he should take a risk and talk to him.

"Um, can I eat lunch with you? Is that all right?" Luke said, in a rush.

The boy looked up, surprised. "With me? Um ... that might not be a good idea."

Luke was embarrassed. "Okay ... if you've got your own friends, I understand," he said.

"No, it's not that—"

They were interrupted by a prissy looking blonde girl.

"Skywalker?" she said, in the clearest upper-class Coruscant accent Luke had yet heard, "Interesting surname there. I'm Ophelia Halifax. Daughter of Grand Moff Halifax. How about you?"

"Uh ... " Luke said. "I'm Luke Skywalker."

"I know," she said, rolling her eyes. "I mean, who are your parents?"

A small crowd had gathered, waiting for his answer. Luke realized none of them knew who his father was. He looked around the expectant faces, wondering what to say.

"I reckon he's a charity case," a boy said, also with a strong Coruscant accent. "He talks like a charity case."

"Is that true?" Ophelia asked.

Luke nodded quickly, which seemed to satisfy the crowd. Some of them laughed as they walked away.

"Looks like you found a friend," Ophelia said, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder as she left.

It took Luke a moment to realize she'd directed the comment to the boy beside him. Ben quickly gathered up his things, and motioned for Luke to follow.

"What was that about?" Luke asked, pushing back his chair.

They walked out into the corridor, and Ben began to explain. "At this school, the only thing that matters is your parent's occupation."

"Oh," Luke said, not entirely understanding.

"They call our kind 'charity cases'. People who got in on a scholarship or high grades, instead of connections."

Luke was starting to regret agreeing to the term so readily back there. If people expected him to be some kind of genius, they'd be in for a disappointment. It was a little too late to go back on it, though.

"You only associate with people of your own station around here," Ben continued, gesturing at various groups as they approached the cafeteria, "All the senator's sons and daughters hang out together, and all the business leader's children form their own clique. The hierarchy is ruthlessly enforced."

"What's the highest level?" Luke asked, becoming worried.

"Them," Ben indicated a small group of people sitting at a lunch table. Luke recognized Ophelia among them.

"They are the children of the Imperial regional governors. The Moffs and Grand Moffs. Don't cross them, for any reason," Ben warned. "Their parents can make your entire family disappear from the universe, with just a flick of their finger."

Ben picked up a tray, and handed it to Luke. After collecting food, Luke followed him to a secluded corner of the lunchroom.

"Thanks for explaining," Luke said, between hungry bites. "My old school, back on Tatooine, was nothing like this."

"It's okay," Ben said. "I was in your position a year ago. I had to figure it all out myself. Just lay low. You don't want to offend anyone around here."

Luke nodded. He took another bite, and gazed around at all the students. The group Ben had described as the senator's sons and daughters were laughing loudly over a picture in a newsfax. Just as he was about to turn his attention back to his lunch, his eye fell on a boy sitting in the middle of that particular table. Luke froze.

"Chilee Lerrod?" he mumbled.

"Especially him," Ben agreed. "He's deranged. I swear he's going to be signed up as a stormtrooper when he leaves school. Have you met him already?"

"I ... unfortunately," Luke said, deciding not to elaborate. Inside, he felt sick. He thought he'd never have to see him again, and now here he was, attending the same school as him. It was only a matter of time before Chilee caught sight of him. Perhaps that military boarding school hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

"So how long have you lived on Coruscant?" Ben asked, "I was born here."

"Just a few weeks," Luke said, glad of a subject change, "I used to live in the Outer Rim. My aunt and uncle owned a moisture farm on a desert world."

"Then they decided to move here?"

"No," Luke said, feeling sad. He didn't want to embarrass Ben, though, so he didn't spell out the specifics. "I moved here to ... to live with my father."

"Just your father?" Ben asked, sounding interested. "No mother?"

"She died," Luke said, quietly.

"I'm sorry. I only asked, because, well ... my mother isn't around either. I don't remember her, though I wish I did."

"I never knew my mother either," Luke said. "I want to ask my father about her, but ... we haven't known each other very long, and it's hard to talk to him."

"Sometimes you just have to know the right time," Ben said. "Or you have to find the right opening."

Luke nodded. Although he doubted Ben would have any advice that would work with Vader. Explaining this was absolutely out of the question, though. If Ben even suspected his father was important, he'd likely be too scared to talk to him again. Considering his other options for friends, Luke knew he was going to keep his parentage a secret for as long as humanly possible.

"What does your father do?" he asked, deciding to change the subject.

"He's a guard for the Emperor." Ben gestured at the images of the red-robed royal guards on the school crest printed under the glass surface of the lunch table. "One of them."

Luke was just about to say that he had met a royal guard once, and now saw them regularly at the palace, but common sense kicked in just in time. Normal people didn't just go around meeting the Emperor's guards.

"I can't believe people won't talk to you because your father is a royal guard," Luke said. "I think that's an amazing job. He probably sees a lot more of the Emperor than their parents ever do."

"Oh yeah," Ben said, taking a bite from a piece of fruit. "He's one of the senior guards, too—captain of his squad. But they—" he gestured to the rest of the lunchroom, "—only care about power. Unless your parents regularly make the news, they don't even want to know you."

A connection was starting to form in Luke's mind. His guard friend had been a captain ... Captain Jarnet. He had a funny feeling that was Ben's surname, too, although he'd only had a brief look at his monitor. Ben had the same brown skin tone and black hair that Captain Jarnet did too. He wished he could ask him if he was his son, but there was little point—he couldn't tell him he knew his father.

Luke rested his head on his hand, feeling his life quickly becoming even more complicated than usual.

Droids. The captain had told him they had taken six Rebels prisoners on the Spectrum. Yet he had neglected to mention that two of them were droids. He was lucky he had withdrawn to his bridge.

"Unfortunately they were damaged in a fight," Commander Dul explained, "But we've downloaded their memories and our techs are sifting through the data right now. We should have complete reports within a few hours."

Vader turned to him, wondering if he realized just how underwhelming this information was. The man was very self-assured, and he spoke in a vaguely self-congratulatory tone.

"What led you to believe these droids were in use by the Rebellion?" he enquired.

"They were found in a known Rebels' quarters. An initial interrogation revealed these two droids were on brief loan from the Tantive IV, a ship registered to the royal family of Alderaan. Even if they do not have information on the Rebellion, they could be stripped for intelligence data."

"Very well," Vader said. "Have them transferred to my ship."

He doubted the droids contained anything more than instructions on serving drinks, but it could never hurt to try. He was about to walk on, when he took one last look at the droids. Little more than blackened shells remained ... the protocol droid had taken a shot to the chest.

The shorter astromech looked in better shape, but it was fitted with a restraining bolt and currently powered down. Both droids looked vaguely familiar, somehow. They almost reminded him of a certain pair of droids that—

Quickly, he stepped forward, and pulled off the protocol droid's head. Spinning it around, he lifted the access panel to read the serial number. As he suspected—C-3PO.

He shouldn't be surprised. What, with Obi-Wan turning up one minute, and his long lost son the next, this was obviously his month for having his past dredged up and tossed in his face.

"Is everything satisfactory, sir?" Commander Dul asked.

"Have the prisoners transferred to my ship immediately," he said, walking away. "I will be leaving as soon as possible."

Chapter Text

Luke soon settled down at school. It was very different from what he was used to, but he was adaptable. However, every so often something new would suddenly come up, and throw him off balance. One such thing was the oath they had to recite each morning, pledging their loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire. The first time, Luke was embarrassed that he didn't know it. He mouthed the words, not wanting to appear ignorant.

He had solved that problem by getting Ben to write it down so he could memorize it. Ben had become a good friend—his only friend, really. They had much in common and Ben was a great help with the school work. That too, had taken some getting used to. They hadn't expected such a high standard back on Tatooine and he hadn't been to school in ages.

Lev would drop him off at school if he wasn't busy, but Luke was happy to walk. It did get lonely, though. Leaving the palace involved passing through three security checkpoints, and the guards were friendly enough, especially after they began to recognise him. But he knew they were just being polite when they asked how his day had gone, and he couldn't give them a real answer. Deep down, he knew he was missing his father. He didn't know why—it wasn't like he ever saw him when he was home. It just made him feel more secure, somehow, to know his father was nearby.

One lunchtime, two weeks after Luke had started school, he and Ben were sitting in the cafeteria, working on some math homework. Luke tossed the datapad down in frustration.

"I don't understand this," Luke said, tapping his lightpen against the table.

"What don't you understand?" Ben asked.

"Everything. It keeps telling me I have the wrong answer, and I can't even see where I'm going wrong."

"Give me a look," Ben said, picking up Luke's datapad.

Luke gazed around the cafeteria while he waited, making sure Chilee wasn't around. He had successfully managed to avoid his notice so far, and he planned to keep it that way. The cafeteria was mostly deserted, though, as most of the students were outside in the bubble-domed grounds. Luke wished he was too, but Ben had wanted to finish the homework. Besides, it was in his own best interests to complete it while his friend could check over it.

"Do you have any food with you?" Luke asked, rubbing his stomach. Why was it that homework made a person feel so hungry?

"No." Ben dug in his pocket and slid some credits across the table. "Go and get some from the snack machine in the hall."

Luke eyed the credits. "Are you sure? I'm not that hungry ... "

"Yes, get some for both of us," Ben said distantly, absorbed in the mathematics.

Luke picked up the credits and went out to the hall, considering the situation. He felt a little uncomfortable using his friend's credits, as he currently had no means of returning the favor. The last time he'd received an allowance was while living with his aunt and uncle. Maybe he could try asking Lev to bring it up with his father for him. Although Lev and the other officers seemed even more nervous around his father than he was.

He put the coins into the machine and selected a bag of Cosmo Crunchies. There were a few clicks, and he waited impatiently. Pretty soon, it was clear the machine wasn't doing anything. He gave it a kick, and the screen blacked out for a moment, before returning to 'insert credits!'. There was no sign of any snack—or refund, for that matter. He tried another kick, deciding it couldn't hurt. Typical.

"Too bad. I suppose those credits were your life savings."

Luke turned around to see Ophelia, standing nearby.

"What?"

"Here, let me help," Ophelia said, pulling a card out of her pocket. She came over to the machine and held it up to the sensor..

"What's that?" Luke asked, curious.

"My credit card. I suppose you've never seen one of these," Ophelia held out the shiny gold card for Luke to inspect. "How sad."

"How ... how did you get one of those?" Luke asked.

"I've got several. They are linked to my father's bank account. He's a—"

"Grand Moff, yes, you have mentioned that," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

"I was going to say he's a billionaire." Ophelia pushed buttons on the snack machine, and waited for it to produce the food. Luke was half hoping it would malfunction again, but no such luck.

"Here you go," she said, tossing the Cosmo Crunchies in his direction.

Luke caught the bag and wondered whether to accept them or not. But Ophelia was already walking away.

"Thanks," he called after her.

She didn't reply.

Luke returned to the cafeteria, not knowing what to think. She'd only done that to show off her credit card and to make him feel inferior, yet he did get food out of it, so maybe it was worth it. Food for insults ... sounded like a fair trade. He sat down opposite Ben and opened the bag of snacks, placing it between them.

"Ben," he said. "Do you have a credit card?"

Ben looked up, laughter in his eyes. "A credit card?! Are you kidding?"

"Ophelia was just showing me hers."

"Typical of her. She probably gets a thousand credits a week allowance," Ben said, going back to his analysis of Luke's homework.

Luke decided to change the subject. "What's after lunch?"

"Physical ed," Ben moaned.

"Oh yeah," Luke said, brightening, "Miss Lee said we start gymnastics today, didn't she?"

"Don't remind me," Ben said. "I'm useless at that. How about you?"

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "We never had that at my old school. We didn't even have a physical education class. You didn't make yourself hot on Tatooine unless it was absolutely necessary."

"The more you tell me about your planet, the less I want to visit it," Ben said, finally tossing the datapad back. "I've made corrections."

"I don't know," Luke said, staring out a window. "I hated it while I lived there, but sometimes, I kinda miss it. Being rich there meant you were planning to move off planet. Or you were a Hutt."

After the rendezvous with the Arena, they chased after another lead Vader had obtained from one of the captured Rebels. It had yielded moderately successful results, with another Rebel cell being uncovered on Benventi. It was a slow process, crushing these insignificant, unorganized uprisings, but the Emperor was determined to maintain order right down to the smallest Outer Rim settlement.

He could have stayed out here for months in the Outer Rim, chasing these loose threads with the fleet while returning to Mustafar every few days to recuperate. An impossibly short time ago, he would have done so. But his life had changed abruptly since then, a fact that continually gnawed at him every time he attempted to realign himself to the Force in deep meditation.

Vaneé, the attendant and steward of the Mustafar fortress, approached him while he stood in the main entrance hall, looking out at the unforgiving landscape.

"My Lord, an ISB agent has just sent through a media story they have removed from an underground HoloNet channel."

Vader turned, and Vaneé held up the holoprojector.

The title segment flashed with the words: 'Cruiser Vanishes Without A Trace!'.

A Sullustian anchor appeared. 'The Alderaan government is calling for any information on the whereabouts of pleasure cruiser Spectrum, which, as of this morning, was a week overdue in Alderaan space. The vessel has not been seen or heard from since a so-called routine check carried out by the Imperial Navy.'

Vader was surprised. The Arena's captain had assured him the Spectrum had entered hyperspace unharmed. The holo display changed to an image of a young Alderaanian reporter, with a picture of the Alderaan capital city as a backdrop.

'Worried relatives have been demanding to know the current whereabouts of family members. The Imperial navy has remained silent on the issue, refusing to say what has happened to the ship or its civilian crew.'

The image changed back to the Sullustian anchor.

'Lord Vader was in command of the operation but has yet to make an official statement on the situation or whereabouts of the missing passengers.'

The holo faded, and Vader remained silent, trying to understand what he had just heard.

"Contact the Arena," he said to Vaneé, finally. "Tell them to transfer their sensor logs immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

"I must return to Coruscant. It may be … some weeks before I will return."

There was a clear question in Vaneé's expression. He had already been away for longer than usual.

Vader turned away to the view of the lava flows, wondering why this was difficult. The only person he had directly told of his relationship to Luke was the Emperor, but there were many on Coruscant who knew of it now.

"I have recently been reunited with a son I long thought dead," Vader said. He felt Vaneé's surprise in the silence that followed, but the man didn't say anything. Vader breathed for a few cycles, and then said, "The Jedi stole the child when he was born and have been hiding him in the Outer Rim."

Vaneé was silent for a moment longer, and then asked, "How old is the boy, my lord?"

"Twelve standard years."

"Will you bring him here? Should I arrange for a room to be prepared?"

Vader turned and looked around at the entrance hall. Lighted walkways led to the visitor's landing pad in one direction, and to the elevators in the other. Below them was a very long fall down to the lava. It was not difficult to imagine the overly-energetic child skidding right over the edge.

Vaneé followed his gaze, and seemed to catch on to his thoughts.

"And perhaps … some railings?"

Changes would be necessary. But just the thought of it was as depressing as the thought of having to spend more time on Coruscant. The proximity of the plummeting depths was a useful tool when a quick execution of a visitor was required. And for those not destined for such a grim fate, the fear of the possibility was ever-present. It was difficult to see how safety railings could be compatible with this purpose.

"Or a force field, perhaps? One that could be turned off and on as needed?"

"That would be … preferable," Vader said. He considered it for another moment, and then said, "There will be many things to consider. For now, he is attending school on Coruscant, so he will remain there for the time being." He paused, and then added, "And so I must return."

Luke was in the middle of a daydream as he wandered home from school. He felt happier than he had in weeks, no, months! He had finally found something which just seemed to come so naturally. Balancing, jumping, flipping ... it was all so incredibly easy. Like he'd been doing it all his life. And when he closed his eyes ... everything else seemed to disappear, and his mind and body were perfectly in union.

He was so wrapped in his thoughts, he bumped head first into a soft, yet solid, pillar. It turned out to be a person.

"Oh! Sorry!" he said, looking up in surprise.

A greenish skinned man peered down at him, before turning away, uninterested. He was holding a placard, filled with a photo of an old man. Underneath the picture was a slogan in red, reading 'His innocent son is a prisoner of the Empire!'. About thirty others were spread along the walkway, chanting and waving banners and signs.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked, curious. He'd never seen anyone like this on Coruscant before. Or ever in his life, for that matter.

"Move along, kid," one of them said. "You'll get hurt if you stick around."

Luke gave up and continued around the corner, where the walkway led into a large park. It was a longer route to go this way, but he did enjoy the sight of trees and grass, things he'd never known on Tatooine. As he ran across the picnic area, he tossed his bag aside and paused to do a few cartwheels. On the third one, he ended up tumbling, and he rolled into a pile of freshly cut weeds. A nearby gardening droid swiveled its domed head to face him and beeped angrily.

Maybe it would be a better idea to go on home and practice somewhere inside. There had to be a gym somewhere in the palace, and Lev would probably know where. He ran on towards the other end of the park, before remembering his school bag and running back for it. By the time he actually made it to the third security checkpoint for the Imperial Palace, he was breathing quickly and not paying much attention to where he was going.

As a result, he bumped into Lev at the elevator hub.

"Lev!" he said, rubbing his head. "Sorry! You're the second person I've bumped into in the last ten minutes."

"How was school?" Lev asked, picking a blade of grass out of Luke's hair. "Looks like you had fun."

"Great! We started gymnastics today. The teacher said I was a natural."

"I bet," Lev said, walking on. "Come down and tell me about it later, okay? There's a situation outside and I need to check in with the security office."

Luke was about to press the up button for the elevators, when he remembered the problem with the snack machine.

"Uh, Lev?!" Luke called.

Lev turned around.

"I was wondering something," Luke said, walking closer so he didn't have to yell. "My father ... you said credits weren't a problem, right?"

Lev laughed. "You have a gift for the understatement, Luke. Why, do you need something?"

"I was wondering about getting an allowance."

"Maybe you should ask your father—I'm sure he'd be happy to discuss it with you."

"He's not here," Luke said, sighing. He hadn't seen his father in weeks.

"Don't be so sure," Lev said. "Rumor has it he arrived back this afternoon."

Luke brightened. "Where is he?"

"Try the conservatory on the north-facing wall, level twenty-six."

Luke immediately sprinted back towards the elevators. This day was getting better by the moment!

The initial media report about the Spectrum had been available on the HoloNet for less than an hour. But an hour was all it had taken. News of the ship's disappearance had spread like a sandstorm on Tatooine, with speculation about its fate getting more and more outlandish at every turn.

By the time Vader had arrived on Coruscant, at least one major news agency was reporting the ship had been impounded by the Imperial Navy as a security threat, and all crew and passengers were currently being held at detention centres. IMH had logged over 200 communications from various senators demanding to know when their various citizens would be released.

He had withdrawn to the conservatory to take a break from it all, and found himself with a good view of illegal seditionists, staging a protest gathering outside the Imperial Palace. It was something of a cruel irony. The incident they had chosen to risk their lives protesting over, was one of the few in which the Empire was entirely removed from any involvement. Proving that to the satisfaction of the whining populace would be another matter.

The doors slid open with a loud hiss, and Vader felt his mood slip another notch. He had made it clear he was not to be disturbed. This had better be an emergency, or his visitor might find themselves being tossed through the giant windows.

He stretched out with the Force and was immediately smothered with the glowing presence of Luke. The boy crept up beside him, acting as if he was trying to be here without looking like he was.

"Uh ... hi!" he said, looking up for a response. "You're back!"

Vader briefly wondered if Luke was purposely goading him, or if he was genuinely so oblivious. Either way, this had to stop. He turned to face his son, raising a finger to point at him.

"We may be related," he said, "but that does not give you the right to address me in such a—"

He paused, studying Luke's appearance. Loose grass coated his school uniform from tunic to knee, and his boots were splattered with dirt. He followed Vader's gaze, and quickly tried to brush some of it off.

Vader was just about to order the boy out of his sight, when he noticed a troop transport pulling up down below. He turned to watch, hoping they would do their job quickly and efficiently.

"What are those people doing?" Luke asked, stepping closer to see out the windows. "I bumped into one of them on the way home."

"Is there a reason why you are here?" Vader asked, bluntly.

Luke, seeming to finally become aware of his poor mood, began to stumble over his words. "Haven't seen you ...long time ... uh, I was at school today and ... and I was thinking ..."

"It is good to hear you do that occasionally," Vader said, dryly.

Luke continued, "Anyway. I was wondering. The other people at school ... they have credit cards, and ... "

Vader turned to face him, and Luke trailed off.

"Children at your school possess their own credit cards?" He shouldn't have been surprised. Judging by the level of intelligence he had encountered among their parents, the children of the Imperial aristocracy probably possessed their own communication satellites. Luke must have spent a bit too long under those boiling Tatooine suns to think, even for a moment, he was going to spoil him in that manner.

Vader turned back to the scene unfolding outside the palace.

"I suppose it is pretty stupid," Luke said, sounding like he wished he hadn't brought it up.

Vader thought he was done, but he began to speak again.

"But they're quite useful," Luke insisted. "You can use them on the snack machines. They seem to malfunction less when you use a card, instead of loose credits."

Vader didn't reply—the stormtroopers were starting to encircle the protestors. One of them shoved a man to the ground, just as Luke happened to glance over.

"Hey! What's going on down there!? Those troopers are hurting people!"

"They are correcting a grievous error in judgment," Vader explained.

"What was that?" Luke asked.

"Imagining the Empire would tolerate attempts to spread poisonous lies."

The stormtroopers began firing blaster shots, causing the protestors to scatter. Vader watched until satisfied, and then turned to leave. The technicians at IMH should have finished with their analysis of the Arena's sensor logs by now. Hopefully they might shed some light on the fate of the missing Spectrum.

As he turned away, he felt Luke entering a mood which could almost rival his own. It was an odd sensation—the boy was normally so good-natured, he'd never considered he might have a temper. Interesting. It would serve him well if the Emperor ever changed his mind on the issue of training.

He briefly considered enquiring as to what was angering the boy, but the more pressing issue of the missing ship won out.

Luke spent the rest of his afternoon shut in his room and occasionally punching the pillow. It didn't help, though.

Two weeks. His father hadn't seen him in two weeks, and he couldn't even be bothered to ask him how he was finding his new school. He had made him feel out of place for even daring to speak to him. All he cared about was the stupid Empire.

Not even his favorite HoloNet show and a triple helping of dessert could ease him out of this mood. Eventually, he switched off everything, tossed his dinner in the trash, and settled down on his bed to brood. Brooding didn't pass the time quickly enough, though. Luke soon picked up a datapad, and amused himself by drawing sketches of Vader being eaten by some of the giant carnivorous plants in the conservatory. Before long, he was so involved in his work of art, he jumped in fright when he heard the door-comm beep.

He looked towards it in surprise. He hadn't ordered any more food, and the laundry droids always left his clothes outside the door. Luke quickly stuffed the datapad under his pillow and walked across to open the door. His suspicions were confirmed when the looming black figure of his father was waiting on the other side.

Oh stars, Luke thought, he knows what I was doing!

A second later, he realized that was ridiculous, but he wasn't taking any chances. He stepped out to join his father in the corridor, letting the doors close on his somewhat messy room.

"Um, is something wrong?" Luke asked, nervously. There had to be for his father to visit him in his room. He'd never done that before.

"Yes," Vader said. "Your negative emotions are disturbing my meditation."

Luke was confused.

"You are upset about something, and it is causing ripples in the Force," Vader explained. "You appear to have a problem."

Luke became tense. "It's nothing." He really didn't like these psychic abilities his father had. Luckily, he only read emotions, not thoughts. But he wouldn't put it past him to try the latter.

Vader was silent, expectant. Luke eyed him cautiously. His father appeared to be in a better mood. He might as well try, at least.

"I was trying to ask you something earlier, in the conservatory," Luke explained. "About the other students having credit cards."

Vader stared back at him. "You wish to have your own credit card?" he asked, in a disbelieving tone.

"No! I mean, not really. I was just ..."

"Materialism is a shallow and fruitless pursuit, " Vader said, pointing at him. "And it ultimately leads nowhere. You are mistaken if you think I will encourage you to follow that path. You will seek a more worthy destiny."

Luke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. All he wanted was an allowance, and his father was talking about 'following a path' and his 'destiny'. Had he ever lived in the real world?

"I wasn't wanting a credit card," Luke explained. "I just ... sometimes I'm hungry and want food from the snack machine, and I don't want my friend Ben to have to pay all the time ..." Luke trailed off, realizing his father was unlikely to understand. He probably didn't even know what a snack machine was.

"Your friend?" Vader said, sounding suspicious.

Luke wondered how anyone could miss the point by such a wide margin. "At school. He's in all my classes."

"I see. You are happy at school, then?"

"I guess so," Luke said, surprised he'd asked.

"I would hope so, if your most pressing problem is finding spare change for the snack machines," Vader said, causing Luke to smile. He did know what they were.

"I suppose your request is not unreasonable," he continued, causing Luke to look up quickly. "I am willing to allow you a limited weekly amount to spend as you wish. However, you should train yourself not to desire worthless material possessions."

Luke nodded, not having heard much beyond the initial agreement. He'd done it! He'd persisted, and it had worked!

"And you will be expected to earn it."

Now Luke paid attention. "Doing what?"

"There is plenty to do around here. You may assist with maintaining the spacecraft and droids."

Luke grinned. That wasn't work! He'd been playing with the droids in the hangar anyway. This deal was looking better and better.

"Do you have any mechanical skills?" Vader asked, sounding genuinely curious.

Luke became nervous, as his father seemed to be waiting eagerly for his answer. "Well, I could repair moisture vaporators back on the farm. And I could fix some of the droids. They were always breaking down."

Vader didn't seem impressed. Luke thought harder.

"I did once repair Aunt Beru's chronometer. It hadn't gone in years, but I managed to fix it. I was only about six or seven. Uncle Owen asked me how I did it, and when I couldn't explain he got really angry. He always got angry when I did anything I couldn't explain."

"Perhaps you simply need training," Vader suggested.

"Could you teach me?" Luke asked, quietly. He anticipated Vader's answer long before it came, however.

"I am busy."

Luke nodded, trying not to look disappointed. "I guess I better stop taking up your time, then," he said, glancing back at the door to his room

"But perhaps I can find a spare moment now and then."

Luke stared in amazement. Spare moments? He didn't know Vader even had those.

Vader appeared to be thinking. Then he added, "I recently obtained two wrecked droids from an Alderaanian cruiser. We were unable to recover any useful information from their memory banks. You can use them to practice your droid maintenance skills."

"Where are they?" Luke asked, eagerly.

His father turned, and Luke followed quickly. He hadn't received this much attention out of his father in ... well ever since he'd met him. It was a silent journey down to the hangar, but as soon as they stepped out, Luke was suddenly bursting with questions. He wanted to know the name of every ship and how his father had obtained it.

His father walked quickly to one of the workrooms, though, and Luke put his questions aside, for the time being. Inside, two wrecked droid shells sat miserably on the bench.

"Wow!" Luke said, unable to keep quiet any longer. "That's a real astromech droid, and a Cybot Galactica protocol droid! Have they been in a space battle?"

His father didn't reply, and Luke glanced up to find him looking at another droid, powered down in the corner.

"Isn't that the droid I assigned to mind you?" Vader asked, gesturing at it. There were cobwebs growing on it now.

"It was faulty," Luke said, shifting into his line of sight. "It … uh … kept shutting itself down. So if I manage to get these new ones working, can I keep them?" He gestured back to the two on the bench.

"If you wish." Vader dragged the shell of the protocol droid forward, and opened up the service panel. "As you can see, the main circuits and CPU are largely untouched. Your work will mainly involve re-soldering the limb connections and repairing the damage to the outer coverings."

"These wires are fraying, look!" Luke reached for a cluster of wires coming out of one of the storage circuits, but Vader grabbed his wrist.

"I would recommend wearing insulated gloves before you touch live wires."

"It's powered down!"

"There may still be residual charge."

Luke compromised by picking up an insulated hydrospanner. He used it to push the fraying wires aside and revealed a blackened circuit.

"What problem do you see there?" Vader asked, in a tone which indicated he already knew the answer.

"Oh," Luke said, leaning closer to get a better look. "Short circuit."

"You will need to—"

"—re route it," Luke said. "I'm on it."

Vader pulled a nearby tray of tools closer, and the next thing Luke knew, they were working side by side. It took a moment for Luke to appreciate what this actually meant. No sarcasm, no bad temper. Just the two of them, working in harmony. For a brief moment, it felt like they really were related.

A smile spread on Luke's face, and he felt a happiness arise within him. Maybe, just maybe, things were going to be okay between him and his father. He just had to be patient. Let things happen at their own time.

"Pass me that capacitor," Vader said, seemingly unaware of Luke's joy.

Luke dropped it into Vader's waiting hand and watched as he replaced one which had been damaged.

"Now you can solder that in."

Luke picked up the soldering tool, and Vader held the circuit steady. It was tricky work, but Luke was careful to make a perfect job. Fortunately, he'd had a lot of practice with this kind of thing back on the farm. When he finally did make a small slip, Vader did not complain. Instead he unclipped the circuit, and placed it on Luke's side of the bench.

"You will find it easier to work in that fashion."

Luke nodded and set about re-soldering some loose wires. Vader occupied himself with another task, and Luke felt increasingly comfortable. Almost comfortable enough to try asking a question. Luke mulled over the idea for a few minutes, before finally voicing his thoughts.

"Um, can I ask you something?"

"I believe you just did."

"I mean something else. It's ... well, it's a little personal."

Vader glanced at him, and Luke pretended to be focused intently on his soldering job. After a moment of silence, Vader turned back to his own work.

"Keeping in mind that questions about my past are forbidden," he said, "you may proceed."

Luke released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"I was just wondering ... what do those controls on your chest do?"

When Vader didn't answer immediately, Luke instantly tried to back track. "Sorry if that's too personal. Forget it."

"They control the respirator," Vader said, sounding more weary than annoyed.

"Oh."

"Well? Is that it?"

"Huh?"

Vader turned, abruptly. "I am used to people staring at me and wondering how I eat and sleep and every other normally commonplace activity. I may be a morbid curiosity to the rest of the galaxy, but if at all possible, I could do without it from you. So I would be grateful if you would get these questions out of the way immediately."

"I ... um ..." Luke fidgeted with a stray wire. "How did it happen?"

Vader didn't reply. He made an odd noise of frustration, and then dropped his tools and left the room. Luke stared after him, wondering if he'd said the wrong thing. Then he recalled the ban on questions about the past, and slapped his forehead.

"You're stupid, Skywalker. Stupid."

A loud whistle and beep answered him, and he jumped in fright. Then he looked over at the astromech, and saw it had powered up.

"You're not so damaged after all, are you?"

The droid made a few more noises, but Luke couldn't decide whether they were positive or negative.

"Well, if you're able to, you can help me get your friend here in working order. I need an extra hand now that my father stormed off. Yes, that was my father. Can you believe it?"

The astromech whistled and made a noise which sounded like a chuckle. Luke knew instantly he was going to get on well with this little droid.

It took Luke a few days to get the droids in working order. It might have taken longer, but he'd done everything but sleep in the workroom since his father had shown him the droids. It wasn't by choice, although he did enjoy the work. He just felt it was better in the long run if he didn't bump into his father. Vader hadn't spoken to him since the night he'd messed up and asked him the question, and seemed to be actively avoiding him. Or perhaps it was just his imagination.

When every last wire was in the right place, Luke reached up and flicked the power switch at the back of the protocol droid's neck. He stood back, waiting expectantly. The droid had been factory reset, so all going well, it should immediately imprint on him.

"Greetings. I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations. My facilities are at your disposal."

"It works!" Luke yelled out to the air.

Threepio seemed to focus on Luke.

"Hello, young master," Threepio said. "How may I serve you?"

"My name is Luke, for a start," Luke said.

"Hello, Master Luke."

The astromech droid rolled forward, beeping quickly.

"What do you mean, memory loss?" Threepio said. "And who are you?"

"I think your memories were wiped because of some investigation," Luke said. "Sorry."

The astromech droid whistled and beeped negatively.

"This astromech droid claims that his memory is still intact due to an inbuilt protection against such an event. But I really wouldn't believe him, if I were you, sir."

The shorter droid bumped against the table Threepio was resting on, causing the protocol droid to slip forward onto the floor.

"How rude!"

"Artoo-Detoo," Luke said, chuckling as he read the number plate on the side of the droid's dome. "So what can you remember? Have you been in any space battles?"

Artoo launched into a long sequence of beeps and whistles.

"Oh my!" Threepio said, standing shakily on his feet as he stared down. "I don't believe it. We've been through all that?!"

"What!?" Luke said, excitedly. "What have you been through?"

Threepio listened for a while, and then said, "I'm sorry, Master Luke, but Artoo says he's not programmed to release Alderaan's royal secrets."

Luke frowned, disappointed. Then he saw the good side.

"It's probably better that way. If anyone found out you still had information, they might try and find a way around the memory block. Anyway, you're mine now," Luke said, turning to both droids. "You'll make great pals."

Artoo beeped an affirmative.

Chapter Text

"Could my life get any worse?" Luke mumbled, as he peered around the corner of an emperor statue.

Chilee was still loitering around the exit to the landing pad. There were other exits to the school, of course, but he was still holding onto the hope that Chilee and his friends would move. Leaving through another exit would mean a long walk around to get him back on a path towards the Imperial Palace.

It was hard to say what they were doing ... Chilee kept looking back as if he was waiting for someone. If Chilee was anything like the schoolyard bullies he remembered from Tatooine, he was probably waiting for an innocent young student to beat up.

Luke decided not to risk being the victim today. Besides, taking the longer route meant he could stop by the snack machine and buy himself some junk to eat on the way home. Despite his moody silence, Vader had come through on his promise to pay him an allowance, and he now had his own Coruscant bank account. Credit cards linked to his father's account may be out of the question, but he had all he needed.

The wide range of enticing snacks left him dawdling in front of the machine for a good five minutes. It would have been longer, if he hadn't been interrupted by a vaguely familiar voice behind him.

"Luke?"

Luke started as he turned around, fearing it was Chilee. But no—this person was definitely a friend.

"Captain Jarnet!" Luke said, surprised. He'd never seen the man out of his red uniform before.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Luke. I was hoping Ben was going to invite you over one of these days."

"He's told you about me?" Luke said, surprised.

"Yes—although it took me a moment to realize his new 'charity case' classmate, was in fact the same Luke I had met in the halls of the Imperial Palace."

There was laughter in his voice, but Luke was fearful of anyone over hearing. Luckily, the corridors were long deserted—classes had ended a good fifteen minutes ago.

"You didn't ... say anything to Ben, did you?" Luke asked.

"No—it was clear you were keeping certain details about your parentage under wraps. I understand completely."

"You know about my father?" Luke said, rubbing his head. "Of course you do. You must have seen me at the palace."

He nodded. "There's a saying at the palace. You may have heard it. 'The guards know everything'."

"Please don't tell anyone," Luke said. "It's hard enough trying to fit in around here without ..."

"I know," he said, nodding in understanding. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you," Luke said, sighing in relief. It was good to know he no longer had to make excuses whenever Ben invited him over to play hologames. The only problem now was the issue of returning the favor.

"Speaking of my son," Ben's father continued. "You haven't seen him, perchance? I promised him I'd pick him up from school and we'd go and see a holomovie."

"Oh," Luke said, slapping his head at his oversight. He'd been so mixed up in his own dramas, he hadn't thought to say anything. "He was kept in after our last class. I'll show you to the classroom, if you'd like."

"That would be perfect, thank you," he said, following as Luke beckoned. "I'll just wait outside until he is released."

"You should go in and argue with the teacher about it," Luke suggested. "He was blamed for something the student behind him did. I tried to argue, but he wouldn't let me."

Captain Jarnet glanced down at him. "Was the student behind him the son or daughter of someone with power and influence?"

"Something like that," Luke said. "But that shouldn't make a difference!"

"Unfortunately, it does, my young friend." They had reached the classroom, and he rested on a row of chairs outside. "Ben is a scholarship student—one of the few at this school. Part of that is accepting these little injustices."

It didn't sound right to Luke, but he couldn't find the words to argue. The hierarchy of power around here was so oppressive, even words were crushed under it. He settled for sighing and flopping down on the chairs. He might as well keep his friend's father company while he waited—it wasn't as if he had anything to go home for. Just a father who wasn't speaking to him.

"So are you settling in okay? How are you getting on with your father, if I may ask?"

Luke glanced at him in surprise, wondering if they trained royal guards to read minds.

"We're nothing alike," he said, finally. He couldn't think of anything else he'd feel comfortable sharing. The thought of admitting to another person that his own father couldn't bring himself to speak to him was just too embarrassing.

"Funny, Ben says the same thing about me."

The classroom doors opened at that point, and Ben was clearly surprised to see Luke with his father.

"Dad! What are you doing here?"

Luke watched curiously as his friend's father stood up and grabbed his son in a headlock.

"Oh, just hanging out and talking to your friend about how you still like to sleep with that plush Wookiee toy."

"I told you to wait on the landing pad!"

He began to knuckle Ben's head, and Ben pushed him away, grinning, yet turning slightly red with embarrassment.

"Dad!"

"Lucky I happened to run into Luke, here," he continued. "Or I might have worried myself sick, wondering if you'd been kidnapped by some pirates."

"I guess I forgot about the movie," Ben admitted. "Besides, Dad, have you ever seen any pirates around here? Imperial City is the last place you'd find any pirates. Hey, Luke, do you want to come? We're going to see Black Hole World."

Both of them turned, expectantly.

Luke looked away. "I better get home," he said, shortly. "My father will be wondering where I am."

It was a lie, of course—more likely his father was busy at the military headquarters and couldn't care less where he was. But he wanted to say something—anything—to provide a defense in his own mind against the love and warmth between Ben and his father. More than anything, it served to show Luke just what his own relationship with his father was lacking.

Ben's father looked like he was about to apologize for keeping him, but Luke simply waved, and ran off quickly in the other direction. Chilee or no Chilee, he was taking the other exit.

Vader cut his speeder's engine as he flew into the ship hangar, attempting to see if he could coast into a parking space using nothing but the brake and a touch of the Force. He had just arrived back from a meeting with a senior engineer at Sienar's Coruscant offices, which had put him in the mood for working on his own modification projects. But there was a pile of reports waiting for him to read, and his dueling practice had fallen by the wayside, as of late. He had to get his priorities in order.

As he climbed out of the speeder and walked towards the elevator bay, he became aware of a repetitive clanging sound coming from one of the tech rooms. It didn't sound constructive, whatever it was. Curiosity got the better of him, and he moved over to investigate.

Inside, Luke was sitting at a workbench, banging a sheet of metal with a hydrospanner. It was clasped at one end, but Luke's repeated pounding was causing it to bend into an odd shape. His son was resting with his chin on his hand, and a glazed expression on his face. Overall, it gave the impression of some eccentric artist, obsessing over his latest abstraction.

Vader wondered if this was what the doctor had referred to when he mentioned Luke was showing signs of psychological stress. Perhaps he should make the effort to give the boy more attention—he was becoming withdrawn, and, to be blunt—weird.

"That is not regulation use of a hydrospanner," Vader said.

Luke jumped at the sound, indicating he was unaware of his presence. Strange. Even if he hadn't sensed his arrival, he should have heard the breathing. He immediately stopped the banging and dropped the hydrospanner on the table.

"Sorry," Luke mumbled.

Vader stepped further into the room, and noticed Threepio and Artoo resting in a powered-down state in the corner. A funny feeling welled up inside him as he observed the extra care Luke had taken over polishing up their outer shells. Artoo Detoo looked fresh from the assembly line, and Threepio would have fit in easily among the pool of protocol droids showing guests around the palace. A far cry from the burned out, mangled droids the stormtroopers had dragged off the Spectrum.

It was hard to place exactly what he was feeling. A sense of nostalgia at having the droids back in his possession, after all these years? Hardly—many of the memories he associated with these droids were visions of a past life he would rather forget. It was more related to the exceptional job his son had performed on the maintenance and repair. An entire team of professionals could hardly have done better.

He glanced back at Luke, about to compliment him on the job, but the sight of him stopped him short. The boy was resting with his head on the bench, looking not unlike a deflated balloon.

"Is something wrong?" he enquired.

Luke shook his head, quickly. Vader was about to leave, when the boy suddenly spoke up.

"I thought you weren't speaking to me."

"Why would I not be speaking to you?"

Luke shrugged. "I just thought ... after last time. Oh, don't worry."

Vader stared at Luke, wondering if he should have the boy analyzed by a psychiatrist. Did he honestly imagine he had nothing better to do than hold petty grudges against him? It was true they had not parted on the best of terms, but he had not given it any more thought after the initial anger had worn off. Luke was too insecure. It was time he did something about it.

"I am about to go for a lightsaber practice session," Vader said. "I fight against droid opponents. Perhaps you would like to watch."

Luke looked up, a spark back in his eyes. "You mean it?!"

"I would not have suggested it unless I had meant it."

"Meet you there!" Luke yelled, already half out the door. He returned a moment later, and said, "Which floor? I'm still finding my way around."

Vader gestured for him to follow, idly thinking that Luke could go from zero to "over-charged mouse droid" in three seconds.

The dueling droid stepped up to face him, and Vader circled, never letting his gaze leave the deadly machine. It wielded not one, but two lightsabers. Without warning, the droid lunged. Vader met the attack easily, and flicked his lightsaber upwards to deflect the other blade.

The Force was surging through him, heightening his senses, and giving him the power to easily defeat any mechanical opponent that should attack him. This assurance caused him to regret the fact that he no longer had any real opponents to duel with. He doubted the Emperor would allow him to go to the trouble of training new Force users, purely for the purpose of his dueling practice.

This sparring session had been going on for a while, and Vader wished to bring it to an end quickly. He fooled the droid with a couple of feints, and casually sliced off its head. The body stumbled around for a while, and then fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

Luke was still watching from the observation balcony, which ran around the top half of the room. The boy's eyes were as round as Tatooine's suns. He was clearly itching to get closer, but Vader was conscious of the lateness of the hour. He still had those Arena ship logs to review.

Still, perhaps they could wait. If his son was to be a Sith one day, he may as well get used to the weapon, even if he could not be properly trained in its use.

"Perhaps you would like to join me," Vader suggested, returning his gaze to his son.

Vader didn't think it was possible for a twelve year old to move so fast. Luke sprinted around the edge and slid down the banister of the circular stairwell, before skidding up in front of him.

"Can I choose one?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Vader walked over to the lightsaber cabinet at the side of the room, with Luke hot on his trail.

"That one looks pretty good," Luke said, pointing through the glass. "No wait, I want this one!"

Vader lifted the lid and picked out a training saber.

"You may try this," he said, handing it to Luke. "It is designed for those new to the discipline of the lightsaber. The blade will only sting, not cut."

Luke appeared disappointed. He held it up and peered into the blade end, almost causing Vader to flinch.

"Never hold a lightsaber like that," he said, quickly adjusting Luke's hands. "The blade end must always be pointed outwards and away from you."

Luke turned it back the right way and began looking for the on switch.

"Now what? How do you turn it on?"

"Press the button. Carefully."

Luke broke into a wide grin as the glowing blade of light sprang to life in front of him. He waved it back and forth and around in circles.

"This is awesome!"

"The lightsaber is a weapon of honor," Vader stated. "It is not a toy."

Luke was busy assuming warrior-like poses and appeared not to be listening.

"So can a lightsaber cut through anything?"

"Yes. Apart from another blade."

"Can you teach me how to fight with it?"

Vader resisted the urge to sigh. He would like nothing more than to teach Luke how to duel, and a whole lot more. However, he also wished to preserve his son's life. Explaining that would be another matter.

"I have work to do," Vader tried.

"Awww, come on!" Luke whined. He playfully brought his blade around, pointing it at Vader.

"Two hands, Luke."

Despite himself, Vader moved around beside Luke and demonstrated the correct grip.

"And keep your wrists firm. Do not let the blade slip or you could injure yourself."

Vader ignited his own saber, and held it beside Luke's blade.

Luke swung the sword gently towards him, and Vader met the attack easily. A satisfying clash, coupled with a shower of sparks, filled the air. Luke quickly took another swing. Vader took a step backwards to avoid the blade, and brought his saber around underneath. It felt more than a little silly, play fighting like this, but Vader could feel Luke's uninhibited pleasure than he was allowing him to do so. The boy seemed to enjoy his company, although he had no idea why.

Despite Luke's complete lack of training, he was holding himself with surprising grace. It was clear he was a natural. The mere experience was causing him to send ripples into the Force, generated purely by his strong emotion.

Ripples he hoped were not reaching the Emperor. Becoming worried, Vader brought his blade around and flicked the saber out of Luke's grip. It spun into the air, and he then used the Force to bring it to his waiting hand.

"Hey, no fair!" Luke complained.

"I have somewhere else to be," Vader said, firmly. He turned towards the exit, leaving the training saber on a nearby ledge. At the exit, he waited pointedly for Luke to leave first, aware of the longing way in which his son was staring at the dueling droids. "Hurry up."

Luke shuffled forward. When he was finally in the corridor, Vader made sure to seal and lock the doors.

"Can you teach me some more later?" Luke asked, ever hopeful.

"As I said, I have work to do," Vader said. He walked slowly, however, in order to allow Luke to keep up with him. He was pleased the boy was interested, but he couldn't allow him to expect to be trained.

"You're always working," Luke mumbled, as they entered an elevator.

"Running an Empire does tend to take a fair amount of time."

"Don't you ever get days off?" Luke asked, curiously.

"The Rebellion does not rest, so neither do I."

"Well, if you ever do get a day off ... can you teach me some more fencing then?"

Vader glanced at Luke, wondering if it had been a mistake to let him handle a lightsaber at all.

"You are too young."

It wasn't entirely true, but the real truth was nothing he wished to burden Luke with.

"I'll be a teenager soon!" Luke protested. "Please?!"

The elevator doors had opened at this point, but his son waited for an answer. Vader didn't know why he was bothering to give him one.

"When you are older, we will visit this issue again. Right now, you are a child whose sole purpose is to learn and mature until you are an adult. Understood?"

Luke nodded, looking down.

"You should go to bed," Vader said, gesturing down the hallway. Luke took the hint and trotted off in the direction of his bedroom. At least he was occasionally obedient. Vader watched until he reached the door at the other end, which took longer than necessary, as the boy paused now and then to wave an imaginary lightsaber around.

It was difficult to believe he could ever have been that young or that innocent.

Vader stared after him for a moment longer, and then pressed the elevator button for the hangar bay floor. There was another task he needed to complete before seeing to the needs of the Empire.

The droids were still resting in the recharging bays when he returned to the tech room. It only took a slight nudge with the Force to wake Artoo, and his startled beeping caused Threepio to wake as well.

"Oh, my!" Threepio said, raising his hands and attempting to reverse back against the wall. "You must be Master Luke's father."

Artoo rolled forward before he could reply, beeping rapidly. Vader understood none of it, until he saw the droid had his bio-scanner extended. Then immediate recognition, followed by both curious and happy chirps. This one's memory was still intact, it seemed.

"No. That is no longer my name," Vader said, pointing at the droid. "Your former master is dead."

Artoo whistled in confusion, until Threepio interrupted.

"No, you broken circuit! Master Luke told us his name. Lord Vader."

"Yes," Vader confirmed. "You will address me as such. Now, you will both listen. I have an important task for you." He gestured to the RA-7 protocol droid in the corner. "That droid was assigned to look after Luke. It failed. Now I will have it scrapped for spare parts."

Threepio started in shock, while Artoo made a rude noise.

"I know you are both capable droids and will not be so easily defeated by a twelve year old child. Do not fail me. I suggest you start by not making it obvious what I have asked you to do, as Luke doesn't believe he needs a minder. He is deluded. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Threepio said. "But I must inform you, Master Luke has programmed me only to respond to his commands. I cannot take orders from you."

Artoo made a chuckling noise, but he quickly fell silent when Vader pointed at him. "Quiet!"

He turned back to Threepio and gestured for the droid to come forward. He was still backed up against the charging station.

"Come here, Threepio."

"I believe I would rather stay where I am, sir, as my charging cycle wasn't fully completed and—" The droid cried out in terror as Vader dragged him forward with the Force, while Artoo screeched in protest. Threepio's voice was abruptly cut off as Vader flicked the power switch.

"I will not harm him," Vader said, opening Threepio's back panel and picking up a screwdriver. "I am merely resetting his command override. Do I need to do the same with you?"

Artoo was quiet, and then made a whirring noise. Then he made a series of simple beeps. I will look after Luke.

"Good," Vader said.

But shouldn't you be doing that? the droid whistled. You're his father. I would rather be his friend.

Vader paused in his work on Threepio's circuitry and glanced down at the droid that had once been a very close friend of his former self. The question didn't sound like an accusation, mere curiosity, but Vader still felt a need to defend himself.

"I have work to do. Much has changed since you knew my former self. The Old Republic had many Jedi Knights to maintain peace and order. The Empire only has me."

Artoo made a low beep in response.

Vader looked back at his work and then added, "You and Threepio are better suited to the task. "

It was the weekend the next day, which meant no school, but Luke didn't know whether to be pleased or disappointed when he woke. School meant relief from these problems he was facing with his father, but it also brought with it a whole new set of problems. Besides, he wasn't in the mood for talking with Ben, as he still felt a faint tinge of jealousy at the memory of Ben's relaxed relationship with his father. It disturbed him, because he'd never thought of himself as prone to jealousy before.

At least he'd made a little progress with his own father, though. Now that he knew why his father didn't want to spend time with him, he could see about fixing it. If his father thought he was too young and immature to be of any interest, he could work hard at something until he proved that he wasn't a mere child.

Flying would have been his first choice, but Vader had already made his feelings clear about that. His second choice was maybe a little more dangerous, but would be far more impressive if he succeeded. Luke's thoughts drifted back to the previous night, when his father had let him play-fight with him.

If he secretly practiced by himself, he could learn to duel properly ... maybe he could even learn to defeat one of those dueling droids. If he could do that, Vader would no longer see him as nothing but a child. Perhaps he'd even want to take him with him when he left.

His room door-comm chimed when he was in the middle of pulling a long-sleeved shirt over his head. It was a surprise to find Threepio and Artoo waiting on the other side.

"Good morning, Master Luke!" Threepio said.

"How did you two get up here?" Luke said, smiling at Artoo as he rolled into the room.

"Your father arranged for our transponder codes to be given security clearance," Threepio said. "Artoo now has a map of the entire Imperial Palace in his memory banks."

"Really? That's good because I barely know my way around," Luke said, looking back at his reflection in the holovid screen. He ran both hands through his hair as a quick way of combing it. "So you two met my father, huh? Was he nice to you?"

Artoo made a noise that sounded vaguely sarcastic, and Threepio didn't answer at all. He was busy pulling up the blind on the nearest window.

"Oh, my, look at that beautiful day! Could we perhaps accompany you to a nearby park, Master Luke?"

"No, thanks, Threepio," Luke said. "There is something I need your help with, though."

Artoo whistled happily, and Threepio said, "We are both at your service, Master Luke."

Luke sighed. He'd told Threepio ten times already not to call him that.

"Follow me," he said, gesturing out the door.

Luke knew the dueling room was three floors down, but it took more than a few guesses to find the exact door. Threepio spent the whole time getting into debates with Artoo about something Artoo claimed had happened three months ago, but Threepio didn't believe it. The astromech droid had been working on filling in the gaps in Threepio's memory.

"All right, knock it off, guys," Luke said, as he ran his hand down the locked door. "We need to get this door open. Any ideas?"

Artoo whistled out a question.

"What does it matter, Artoo? Just open the door. There's a computer terminal right over there."

Artoo beeped and whistled more insistently, until Threepio said, "I'm sorry, Master Luke. He's being difficult. He wants to know why you need to access this room. The description on his map is vague."

"It's one of my father's rooms," Luke explained. "I need to find a way to get on better with him, and there are things in this room that will help. Come on, this is important!"

"See, now, Artoo," Threepio said. "We want Master Luke to bond with his father, don't we?"

Artoo made a vague series of beeps, and then rolled over to the computer terminal. He had the door opened within a few seconds, causing Luke to stumble into the room in surprise. He straightened up, looking around in pleasure.

"Thanks Artoo! You're the smartest droid in the galaxy!"

Threepio had wandered in behind him, followed closely by Artoo.

"Oh, my! Those look like battle droids!" Threepio said, seeing the dueling droids lined up along the far wall. "Are you quite certain this is safe?"

Artoo made a series of panicking whistles and rolled quickly in front of Luke, trying to herd him back out the door.

"Will you two relax?" Luke said, easily stepping around Artoo. "They're not even switched on. This is what I want."

He made his way quickly towards the lightsaber display case, deciding he was going to try with a real one this time, instead of a wussy training one. He picked out one of the shiny handles he'd been admiring yesterday.

Luke held his breath, and then pressed his thumb against the on switch. A rush of pleasure rose up in his chest when he saw that this one was a red lightsaber. Just like his father's.

Artoo screeched louder when he saw what Luke now had in his possession, but Luke just smiled.

"Calm down, Artoo. This isn't my first time using one of these!"

He swung it through the air, imagining for a moment that he was a sword master. It was a shame he couldn't invite Ben over, as he wasn't going to learn much by swinging it around by himself.

Luke glanced at Threepio, wondering if he might be able to serve as a dueling partner, at least until he was good enough to take on one of the proper fighting droids. But the protocol droid was hastily backing away with his arms in the air.

"Oh, no!"

Luke turned around, following his gaze to the dueling droids. One of them had powered up.

Vader waited in the shadows of the Emperor's largest throne room, trying not to appear impatient. The room was expansive enough that Vader's breathing could not be heard from where the Emperor sat. But the Emperor knew he was here, of course. This was all part of his little plan.

Abruptly, the main doors slid open. Two royal guards entered, escorting a visibly shaking navy captain.

"As you requested, Captain Koonter, your highness," one of the guards stated.

"Leave us," the Emperor ordered.

They complied, leaving the captain to imagine he was alone with the Emperor.

"Your highness," the captain said, bowing low.

"Captain," the Emperor replied, smiling so he showed all his teeth. "What a pleasure to see you."

"Likewise, your highness," the captain said. He sounded far less nervous, foolishly imagining he wasn't in any danger.

"I received an interesting report from Lord Vader today," the Emperor continued.

The captain's smile began to falter.

"He just finished going over the logs of your ship, the Arena. It appears you have somehow, shall we say, 'misplaced' five hundred imperial citizens during your last operation."

Now the captain was certainly not smiling.

The Emperor continued, "This little mishap has caused much unrest among the populace. In fact, I would go as far to say their protests in the Senate have been an inconvenience."

"This was a m-misunderstanding, your h-highness," the captain stuttered.

Vader listened as the hapless captain launched into a long and detailed tale of computer mistakes, stormtrooper inefficiency, and rebel brutality. It was very tedious, and Vader found his mind drifting on to other matters. His son always seemed at the edge of his thoughts lately.

Without being fully aware of what he was doing, he stretched out with the Force, checking on the boy's presence.

The response was immediate. Danger.

Artoo streaked past at full speed, barrelling towards the dueling droid.

"No!" Luke said, reaching out a hand in shock. "No, it's too big!"

"Artoo!" Threepio shouted. "You'll be sliced in two!"

But before he reached the droid, Artoo stopped and released an oil slick onto the shiny floor. The dueling droid, approaching at a frightening speed, didn't react to Artoo at all, and seemed completely focused on Luke. It skidded on the oil slick, sliding into the wall.

"Come, Master Luke, we must leave this dreadful room!" Threepio said, tugging at his arm. "I don't know why Artoo let you in here!"

"But, Artoo!" Luke said, pulling away from Threepio. The astromech was again rolling towards the dueling droid, with his charging fork extended. But as soon as he made contact with the droid, it swung one of its arms around, sending Artoo flying off in the opposite direction. He slammed into the wall and then fell forward, dome clanging on the ground.

"Artoo!" Luke cried, rushing towards him. But the dueling droid moved into his path, a blue residual charge crackling on its surface. Then it came straight for him, moving impossibly fast.

"Aaaah!" Luke jumped out of the way as the droid ignited its own saber and took a swing at him.

"Go away! Go away, you dreadful droid!" Threepio said, trying to get between them. But with one swing of it's free arm, the protocol droid was sent flying towards the door.

Luke hastily brought his own blade up in defense and once again had to jump backwards to avoid the droid's attack. Unfortunately, his foot twisted sideways and he crashed to the floor. Luke watched in horror as his lightsaber skidded out of his hand, sliding far across the floor.

"Please, we need help!" Threepio shouted out the door. "Won't somebody help?!"

A sudden burst of fear echoed in Vader's mind. It tugged at every last remaining cell in his body, urging him to leave the Emperor, leave the doomed captain, and go to the source of this anxiety immediately. He visibly tensed as understanding dawned.

Luke!

The Emperor looked past the captain and fixed Vader with a warning glare. His master had been planning this little execution in every sadistic detail for days.

"So this whole incident wasn't your fault, is that what you are trying to tell me, captain?" the Emperor enquired.

"Yes, your highness."

"It is clear to me that Lord Vader must have been gravely mistaken in his report. Would you agree, Captain?"

"Yes, your highness," the captain said, falling easily into the trap.

Luke extended his hand towards the distant lightsaber and closed his eyes.

Maybe if he focused really hard, he could attract the saber to him, like his father did.

Nothing. Not even a twitch.

He opened his eyes to see the droid raising its own lightsaber to deliver a fatal slice. Luke rolled out of the way and leaped to his feet, glancing around desperately for something, anything to use against the droid. Then he saw it. A severed droid arm, left over from a previous bout. He picked it up and brandished it at the droid, feeling his heart pounding rapidly in the depths of his chest.

The droid stopped, lightsaber poised.

For a few seconds, Luke dared think it had shut down, but then it resumed its advance. Luke hurled the arm as hard as he could. The droid raised his saber and sliced the metal into two parts. The first piece spun away harmlessly. The second went firing off into the row of inactive dueling droids. Luke watched in pure disbelief, as they all began to spring to life.

"NO!"

Vader clenched his fingers around his lightsaber hilt as he felt Luke's panic. The boy must be in serious danger, there was no other explanation for this ongoing disturbance in the Force. He had to get away from here as soon as possible.

"Lord Vader, do you think you were mistaken in your report?" the Emperor asked, suddenly.

That was his cue. He stepped out of the shadows and tried desperately to keep his voice calm.

"No, I do not, my master."

The captain whirled around, realization filling his face. He looked at Vader much like a small rodent would look at a giant predator.

The Emperor cackled, enjoying himself immensely. "Why don't you show the good captain the penalty for failing me, Lord Vader?" he suggested.

Luke sat hunched beside the fallen Artoo, watching the chaos around him. The droids were clearly programmed to attack the nearest object with a lightsaber, because they were all dueling with each other. They appeared to be evenly matched. Every now and then, one would make a mistake and be destroyed. Luke's original tormentor was still going strong, however. It kept turning its hollow metal eyes on Luke, making him shudder.

"I'm sorry, Artoo," Luke said miserably. He knelt beside the droid, using all his strength to push him back upright.

In the middle of this chaos, Threepio returned, leading four royal guards and Lieutenant Hicks. The security officer swore loudly at the sight.

"Master Luke!" Threepio called. "Artoo!" He took a step towards them, and then hastily stepped back as a severed droid arm came spinning in his direction.

One of the guards raised his blaster and took a shot at the nearest droid. The bolt hit the droid's torso, but it didn't slow it down for a moment. The others immediately took aim too, but one of their shots bounced off a droid's lightsaber and hit the wall beside Luke.

"No, cease fire!" Lieutenant Hicks said, raising a hand towards them. "Luke! Come towards us … follow the wall! Quick, now, while they're distracted!"

"I can't leave Artoo!" Luke shouted. "He's hurt! They'll destroy him!"

"Forget the droid, kid!" a guard shouted, attempting to get closer. "Come on! Hurry!"

"Can't you turn these things off?!" Luke said, flattening himself against the wall as another shard of metal came flying. "There must be a way!"

"Lord Vader uses the Force to turn them off!" a guard said. "The switch is on their neck."

"Then find him!" Luke said, sweating at the idea of trying to get close enough to hit a button on their necks. They were too tall! When his father saw this mess, he was going to be in big trouble, but right now he didn't care. There were worse things than being in trouble.

"There's no time!" Lieutenant Hicks said, as another droid fell to the ground. "Run! Now!"

"Are you crazy!?" Luke yelled.

Now there were an uneven number of remaining droids, and the fighting became even more intense.

"They're distracted!" a guard said. "If you move quickly, you'll make it."

Luke eyed the droids in fear, and climbed shakily to his feet.

"Oh, I can't watch," Threepio said.

Luke shut his eyes, trying to gather some courage. He knew he had it, somewhere in there. There was that time he had faced up to Fixer in the school playground. And that time he had told Uncle Owen the truth about how he had found his multi-function power tool, even though he knew he'd be in for it.

"Quickly, now!" A guard had managed to get closer, and had his hand extended towards him.

Luke was about to run, when another droid fell down. Only two now.

"Hurry! before there's only one left!"

Luke ran. It all happened in a blur of motion. He was closer ... he had nearly reached the guards … he was going to make it!

Then something came spinning in front of him, smashing into his head. It was the body of the second-to-last droid.

Yelling and blaster fire echoed in his ears, and Luke looked around in terror. Everything seemed to be moving slower than normal. The killer droid swung its lightsaber around in a wide circle, knocking Luke to the floor. Luke looked left and right in confusion, then looked down. He stared at the stump where his right hand should have been in horror. Then his vision turned black, and he sank down into a sudden darkness.

Vader stumbled backwards slightly, seeing his vision blur as the result of another surge of terror from Luke. He focused on the petrified man in front of him, briefly wondering if he had a son. Vader couldn't muster enough of the Dark Side to choke the captain, in his current distracted state, so he ignited his lightsaber and allowed the man a quick death.

The Emperor watched, clearly unimpressed. "Disappointing, Lord Vader. He didn't even suffer."

"My master," Vader said, trying to keep his voice calm. "I must excuse myself from your presence. Luke is in danger."

"Ah, of course, your dear son," the Emperor said. "How could I be so foolish as to think making an example of this deluded excuse for a servant was more important to you than your offspring."

Vader was itching to leave.

"Very well then," the Emperor said, dismissing Vader with a wave of his hand. "Go to the boy. Next time, I'll have a guard dispose of my enemies."

It was meant as a rebuke, but Vader was too worried to care. He was already stepping into the elevator.

He reached the bottom of the tower just as two guards rushed up, emanating fear.

"Sir!" the closest one said. "Your son has been injured! Lieutenant Hicks and Captain Salva have taken him to the medical centre."

"Injured how?!"

The second guard's helmet tilted in the direction of his lightsaber.

An hour later, Vader paced up and down in the medcenter waiting room, feeling like the galaxy had stopped turning. The security officer and the guard captain stood nearby, probably wondering when he was going to snap and choke them. Normally, that would have granted him some relief, but this was beyond anything he'd ever experienced before. The Force itself was trembling with his anger.

After pacing through several more cycles, Vader finally turned to face them.

"How did he get inside the dueling room?"

The officer swallowed nervously. "I don't know, sir."

"Then why are you standing here?" Vader asked, wondering whether people were born dense or whether being in his presence made them that way. "Go and find out!"

"Yes, my lord."

He and the guard disappeared out the door, leaving Vader alone with his anger and grief. He stared around in frustration, looking for something to destroy. A sturdy metal chair was a good candidate, but as he approached it, his gaze fell on a magazine, lying at the top of a stack on the side table.

The title read: 'Navigating the Asteroid Field—a Coruscant families' guide to parenting'. The cover was filled with a sickening image of a smiling father hugging his son. They were strangely familiar ... it was Senator Lerrod and his brat. Large letters underlined the picture. 'Inside—our celebrity father and son exclusive!'

Vader pulled it into his hands with the Force and flicked through the pages, more out of desperation for a distraction than anything else. He paused at the question and answer page, wondering if they had any tips for keeping your son away from your dueling droids. No such luck. They only featured normal, functional families here. Vader tossed it against the wall and resumed his pacing.

Perhaps I could start my own magazine, Vader thought. Sith parenting—a guide. What to do when your master wishes your son dead. How to fit in fatherhood with your Sith lifestyle. If only he knew the answers. The thought caused him to remember the book the doctor had offered him on the first day he'd come to visit Luke. He was almost ready to admit he was regretting his hasty refusal.

The boy had been taken into surgery immediately, so Vader hadn't had a chance to learn how seriously he was hurt. He could only imagine what the doctor was thinking of his parenting abilities right now. And much of it was probably right. He was responsible for this. He foolishly allowed Luke to play with a lightsaber without emphasizing the dangers to a necessary degree. The dueling room should have been permanently guarded!

"Lord Vader."

Vader looked up to see the doctor, coming towards him down the corridor. Finally.

"Is he all right?!" Vader demanded.

"He's fine," the doctor said, in an annoyingly soothing voice. "He woke up a short time ago. We've completed the final testing on his new artificial hand and everything checks out."

Vader was both relieved and saddened at the news. "You couldn't reattach his hand?"

The doctor shook his head. "Those lightsaber wounds are nasty like that, as I'm sure you know. Please, come into my office, and I'll show you the scans."

Vader clenched his own right hand as he followed the doctor, stray memories surfacing. Luke was too young to have to cope with this ... he was too young to be permanently scarred. He had failed to protect him ... failed in his duty as his father. It was only by some miracle of the Force the boy was alive at all.

When they entered the office, the doctor brought up a picture of Luke's injury on the monitor. Vader was slightly relieved to see it was only the hand itself that was now prosthetic—the forearm and wrist had not been damaged.

The doctor was talking about the technical nature of the injury and prosthetic, and Vader forced himself to focus.

"... indistinguishable from a normal hand. Luke will not take long to adjust physically, but emotionally will be a different story. He may experience sleep disturbances and anxiety. If needed, I can refer him to a confidential counselling service. My advice would be to gently encourage Luke to return to normal activities as soon as possible. He might want to take it easy for a few days, first."

"I will see to it," Vader said, distantly.

"There is something else I want to discuss with you," the doctor continued, glancing at the notes on his datapad. "I took the time to do some blood tests, and Luke is very low in a few essential vitamins. I'm prescribing some tablets to help boost his immune system while his body is recovering. You may need to look at some long term changes to his diet. Does he eat plenty of fruit and vegetables?"

Vader stopped short of admitting he didn't have the slightest idea. "Luke chooses his meals for himself," he explained. "You will have to ask him."

"Ah. There's your problem."

"What problem?"

"You need to personally monitor his food intake—if not you, then a droid, at least. Boys of Luke's age prefer to eat what tastes good, rather than what's good for them, if you take my meaning."

Vader stared at the doctor, wondering what other apparently commonplace knowledge about raising children he was ignorant of. He was failing at this entire parenthood venture. Failing miserably.

"Do they also have a tendency to endanger their lives on a regular basis, or is this incident another result of my neglect?!" Vader demanded.

"Children have accidents," the doctor said, simply. He put his datapad on his desk. "I know you're angry that you didn't prevent this ... every parent feels like this when things go wrong, I promise you."

His gaze had fallen on a holo-projection sitting alongside the computer monitor. Vader realized it was a family image.

"Your children?" Vader enquired, gesturing.

"Yes."

"There are seven of them," he said, surprised.

"There's a pair of twins in there," he explained.

Twins. Vader considered it for a moment, and then decided it was better not to. He was struggling to cope with one. "Do any of them have artificial limbs?"

"Well, my wife is Tihydran," the doctor explained. "They possess the ability to regrow damaged limbs. Quite remarkable ..." he trailed off. "But we can't protect them from everything," he added, after a moment's silence. "Only do our best."

"I do not require your sympathy or your absolution," Vader said, annoyed. "I failed. Failure is unacceptable. May I see the boy?" It was more of a demand than a question.

"Follow me," the doctor said, sounding relieved that this conversation was coming to an end.

He led Vader into the surgery, where Luke was sitting on the bed, flexing his new prosthetic hand. He looked up as Vader entered, appearing pale and tired.

"How is it?" the doctor asked.

"It feels strange," Luke said. "A bit numb."

"That's normal at first," the doctor explained. "Your brain needs to get used to interpreting the new sensations."

Luke glanced at Vader, looking nervous. "Does this mean I can go home?" Luke asked.

"You may," the doctor said. "There's little point in you sitting around here. But come back straight away if you experience any pain. In the meantime, stay away from lightsabers. Or you'll end up looking like your father."

Luke looked horrified at the thought. Vader turned and glared at the man, not appreciating the humor at his expense. He was fortunate he was useful. The doctor quickly cleared his throat.

"I'll leave you two alone."

The door closed behind him as he made his exit, and Vader turned back to Luke.

"What, in the name of the Force, possessed you to go and start a fight with my dueling droids!? Are you insane?"

Luke cringed. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"I have no interest in apologies," Vader said. "I want an explanation."

Luke shrugged, staring at the floor.

"You could have been killed," Vader started, waving a finger in Luke's direction. "It is a miracle of the Force that you only lost a hand. How could you be so stupid and reckless?!"

A tear slid down Luke's cheek, and Vader paused in his rant. Somewhere, deep down, he knew he was only yelling at his son because he'd been so angry at the thought of losing him. This may allow him to feel better, but it was clearly having the opposite effect on the boy.

"You will never touch a lightsaber again," Vader said, quietly. "Is that clear?"

Luke nodded, reaching up to wipe the teardrop away.

"Come," Vader said, turning to leave.

Chapter Text

The security officer wasn't brave enough to actually give him the results of his investigation in person. Instead, much later that day, Vader received a detailed written report, with attached security recordings of the whole sorry incident. Even with the sound off and playing at double speed, it was easy to see what had happened. Luke had convinced Artoo to slice in and open the door. The droids, upon realizing the danger, had done their best but they were no match for the deadly dueling droids. Or a twelve year old Skywalker, for that matter.

The officer had listed some recommendations at the end. A guard assigned to the dueling room door at all times. A bio-signature lock on the lightsaber cabinet. Safety upgrades on the dueling droid design. And the final point—destruction of the "compromised" astromech droid.

Vader looked away from the report, feeling the misery still emanating from across the hall. Luke had not spoken a single word since leaving the medical centre, and had voluntarily confined himself to his room. Having his droid destroyed by palace security wouldn't help the situation. Both Artoo and Threepio had been returned to the hangar by the technicians tasked with cleaning up the hellish mess in the dueling room. Perhaps it was time he went and spoke to the droids, now that he was feeling somewhat calmer.

In all his brooding over his failure, he had realised one important thing. It could have been far worse. If he had taken Luke to Mustafar, it would have been far worse. The dueling droids here were earlier models and not as fast or aggressive as the variety there. This was a much needed wake-up call. Keeping his son alive was clearly going to involve far more effort and vigilance than he had originally imagined.

When he entered the hangar bay tech room, he was met with a sight of misery that rivaled Luke's in the medical centre. Both droids were dented and scuffed, and had been newly fitted with restraining bolts. Threepio had his hand resting on Artoo's powered-down dome. His eyes lit up as his sensors became aware of Vader's presence.

"Lord Vader!" he said, sounding more fearful than usual. "Is Master Luke safe?"

"Luke is in his bedroom," Vader said calmly. "His injury was serious but treatable. Are you and Artoo all right?"

"I am in one piece, sir, but Artoo was damaged by those dreadful droids! The security officer told me he would be melted down! Please don't! If any droid should be melted down, it should be me! Not poor, brave Artoo. We didn't know that room contained those awful machines, and we'd never have allowed Master Luke to enter if we'd known!"

"Quiet, Threepio," Vader said, picking up a multitool. He used the Force to shift Artoo to the workbench and then prised off the restraining bolt. "I have no plans to have either of you melted down. I know what happened."

He opened Artoo's main access hatch and found his circuit breaker had been shorted out. When he'd last been responsible for maintaining this droid, he'd installed several backups, but they had long since been removed. It was a simple matter to replace it, and within a minute, Artoo was once again powered up and chirping out a string of questions.

"Oh, Artoo!" Threepio said, watching anxiously from the other side of the workbench. "Yes, Master Luke is safe!"

Vader walked around the bench and took advantage of Threepio's distraction to remove his own restraining bolt.

"Luke is in his room. You can go to him and see for yourselves," Vader said. Hopefully they could improve the boy's mood.

Artoo made a long series of sad beeps and whistles, and Vader hastily raised a hand to silence them.

"There is no need for apologies. This failure was mine. I will not let it happen again. In the meantime, I have a new task for both of you."

The droids turned to look at him, Artoo's lights blinking in anticipation.

"It involves Luke's diet."

As soon as Artoo and Threepio entered his room, Luke came out from under his pillow and crouched down to wrap his arms around the astromech droid. He couldn't apologise enough for what they had gone through, and a lot of tears were shed before he could begin to accept their reassurance that everything would turn out all right.

He was still too miserable to go to school for the first few days of the following week, but Artoo and Threepio buzzed around, seeing to his every need and playing games in order to keep his mind from dwelling on the accident. The dexterity and coordination required to play a HoloNet starfighter sim game gave his new hand a full workout, and soon he could almost forget it was prosthetic.

Lev had arrived in his room one afternoon with a candy gift basket, and a get well card signed by many of the palace staff, including Lieutenant Hicks and the guards who had tried to rescue him from the droids. It meant a lot. But strangely, half the candy and chocolate seemed to disappear overnight, and be replaced with dried fruit. At the same time, his droids seemed to have developed a new obsession with making sure he ate a lot of vegetables, claiming it was needed for his recovery. He didn't mind so much. It was good to feel like someone cared about such things.

But the person from whom he'd have really appreciated some caring gestures hadn't said anything more about the accident since his words in the medcentre. Luke had been expecting more lecturing and maybe even a punishment, but he seemed more distant than usual. Luke wondered whether the ranting or the silence was the preferable option. He'd completely ruined any chance of his father seeing him as anything but useless now, so he might as well get used to this.

On the morning he made the decision to return to school, he realized he was actually looking forward to going back. It was boring just sitting around his room, and the spare time made him dwell on the accident. He also had a feeling Ben wanted him to hurry back, judging by all the homework updates he'd been regularly sending him. Explaining the reason for his absence had been difficult. Mentioning lightsabers and dueling droids to his friend had been completely out of the question, so instead he'd invented a story about an accident with a laser cutter.

Luke was on his way towards the first security checkpoint out of the palace, when Lev appeared.

"Luke! Hang on a moment, I'll give you a ride."

"I can walk," Luke insisted.

"No, there's trouble in the area. There was another protest rally last night and the troops are out in force. It will be safer if I give you a ride."

Luke reluctantly agreed. He'd experienced bullying city guards in the past, and he knew it was better to avoid them. For some reason, they always seemed to pick on him. Apparently he didn't look like he belonged here.

On the ride to school, Luke pressed his face against the speeder window, staring at the public walkways below. As Lev had said, there were squads of stormtroopers marching in formation, only stopping to question people and tear down posters. People were pushing past each other to avoid them.

"So that ship is still missing?" Luke asked. "What do you think happened to it?"

"I don't know," Lev said. "It's an odd situation. It seems like the entire thing was an orchestrated setup to me. I think someone arranged for the ship to go missing soon after it was boarded and intended to use it to stir up rebellion."

"Oh." Luke turned away from the sight, not really interested in all the political talk. He held up his two hands, placing them side by side.

"Lev, do you think it's noticeable?" he asked. The last thing he needed was some nickname like 'bionic boy'.

"Of course not," Lev said, not even looking to see what he was referring to.

"I feel like a freak."

"We all feel like that occasionally."

"Do you think my father does?" Luke asked, curiously. "Maybe that's why he's so moody."

"I'm not going to touch that one with a long pole," Lev said, joining a new stream of traffic.

The first class of the day was physical ed, and Luke met up with Ben in the changing rooms. No one else appeared to have noticed he was missing all week, but Luke didn't mind. He enjoyed keeping a low profile.

"Which one is it?" Ben asked, staring intently at Luke's hands.

"You can't tell?" Luke asked. It was blindingly obvious to him, but perhaps he'd been staring at them too long.

"No. I wouldn't even know unless you told me."

Luke held out the artificial hand for Ben to inspect. He poked it a few times, curiously.

"So what's it like?"

"Strange. It's a little heavier than a normal hand."

"It must have hurt so much," Ben said, half sympathetic, half impressed.

"I suppose. But I don't remember the actual moment when it happened. My doctor said it's common to block out something like that."

Ben nodded, understanding. "It's great to be living now," he said, as they walked into the gym. "In the past, they never had realistic looking artificial limbs. I've seen pictures of people with mechanical arms made up of bare wires and hydraulics."

"Sounds creepy," Luke said, feeling a little disturbed.

"And way back, they didn't even have those. Some people just had hooks instead of hands. Like that space pirate ..."

"Hi, Miss Lee," Luke said, smiling as their teacher approached.

"Luke! I was wondering when you were coming back. You missed out on the end of the gymnastics classes."

"Can I catch up?" Luke asked. "Pleeease?"

"The rest of the class is starting holoball today, but if you want to work by yourself, then that's fine with me."

"Thank you!" Luke called, as she went off to round up the rest of the class.

"Teacher's pet," Ben said, between coughs.

"Look who's talking," Luke countered. "The guy who has the math teacher's comlink frequency."

Ben tried to push him in response, but Luke ran off towards the gym equipment, ready to start practicing his backward flip. After a thorough and exhausting workout, he returned to the locker rooms flexing his new hand. He had been plagued by fears that the thing would fall off, but everything seemed to be working just fine.

After he finished changing, Miss Lee called him over.

"I'll catch up with you in math," Luke said to Ben, curious as to what she wanted to talk about. He followed her into the office, which was coated with holoposters of various famous sports teams.

"Seeing as you like gymnastics so much," Miss Lee explained. "I have a proposal for you."

"What?" Luke asked, curious.

"The gymnastics team. I'd like you to join."

Luke was stunned. "The school team? Me? I've only been here—"

"You're well up to their standard," Miss Lee said. "And with a few months training, you'll be beating everyone hands down."

"I'm not that good, am I?"

Miss Lee laughed. "Stop being modest. You're a natural."

"What do I have to do? Are there practices?"

"For an hour after school, three times a week. Next session is tomorrow, so think about it, and if you turn up, you're on the team."

Luke spent the rest of the day with his head in the stars. He'd never been good at something before. Except fixing moisture vaporators, but that wasn't going to impress anyone on Coruscant. On their way to the cafeteria, Ben tried desperately to change the subject.

"So did you see all the troops this morning?" Ben asked. "I saw on the news that some of the protestors blockaded one of the main shipping routes. Took the navy a while to remove them."

"Do you think I'm going to be the only one in our year on the team?" Luke asked. "I hope not. I'd hate it if everyone was older."

"Luke, are you even listening to me?"

"Sure, Ben. I just can't believe I'm on the team."

Ben sighed, nodding. "You know, I'm on the dejarik team. We're really disorganized, though ... the last time we had a meeting was about a month ago. We're trying to get the faculty to recognize it as a legitimate sport."

"My astromech droid can play dejarik," Luke said.

"I'm sure there are droids that can do gymnastics, too."

"There are not!"

"Is that a bet?"

Luke was about to reply, when a loud cry of anguish caused both of them to come to a halt. Ben pointed around a corner, and Luke ran forward. He quickly drew back when he recognized Chilee Lerrod, plus one of his fellow hitmen, terrorizing a young student.

"Awwww, you gonna cry now, spit-head?" Chilee whined at the kid, who had been pushed to the ground.

"Let's go find a teacher," Ben said, his eyes wide with fear.

Luke followed his friend for a few paces down the corridor, but he paused when the victim cried out again. Something inside him snapped, and he made an abrupt about-turn. Ben yelled something after him, but Luke was too angry to hear it.

He burst around the corner and threw himself at Chilee, forcing him away from the kid. They smashed into the wall, and Luke quickly jumped back to his feet. The other bully stood by, staring at Luke with a blank look on his face. Luke was glad—taking on Chilee was hard enough, he didn't have a chance against two.

It took Chilee a moment to get back to his own feet, and his eyes went large with surprise when he saw who his assailant was.

"You!"

Beside him, Luke saw Chilee's original victim make a quick escape. Now that the kid was safe, he should do the same himself, but something kept him rooted to the spot.

"Yeah, me," Luke said, trying to be taller. "Surprised?"

"Surprised you aren't dead yet, orphan-boy," Chilee said, stepping forward. "Because you must have killed someone important to get into this school." He pushed Luke roughly in the chest, but Luke didn't back down. There was no way was he going to let Chilee push him around now. He took a step forward, trying not to let their differences in height intimidate him.

Chilee took a swing at Luke, but Luke ducked. Behind him, a hand scraped up a handful of his tunic, but let go before Luke could struggle away. A flash of red metal appeared in the corner of his eye, and he looked up to find B-60 was standing about a foot away.

"Are you engaging in some kind of bonding ritual?" he asked, in a bored tone. "Or is this a creative dance? Whatever it is, school policy states that loitering in the corridors is forbidden."

"Shut your trap, you stupid droid," Chilee said, turning angrily to face the droid.

"If you will not comply with school policy, my programming will force me to inform a teacher," B-60 replied, indifferent to Chilee's threatening advance.

Chilee's fellow hitman ran to join his leader. Luke felt someone grab him by the shoulder. He turned and found Ben was dragging him away with surprising strength for someone who couldn't do a pushup to save himself.

"Are you crazy?" Ben said, angrily. "Taking them on single-handed! You were lucky to get away from them in one piece!"

They were now safe in the cafeteria, back in their usual out-of-the-way corner. Luke ate his lunch quietly, listening to Ben's tirade.

"I'm sick of him pushing people around, that's all," Luke said. "That kid could have been seriously injured by the time we found someone else."

"So where do you and Lerrod know each other from, anyway?" Ben asked, picking up his own food. "He was acting like you were his arch-nemesis. And why was he calling you orphan-boy?"

"It's a long story," Luke said. He stared blankly into the distance for a while, remembering how it felt to be living at the senator's home. "What is wrong with him, anyway?" Luke asked, finally.

"Who?"

"Chilee."

"You don't know his story?" Ben leaned forward on the bench, "I can tell you what I know, but it's only second hand."

"What happened?" Luke asked, curious.

"Back when he first came here, his dad wasn't the senator. He was just the senator's assistant, or something like that."

Luke nodded, understanding.

"So he used to get ignored quite a bit," Ben continued. "The same as with you and me. Understand?"

"Ignored? Chilee?" Luke said, disbelieving.

"Yeah. He was always getting mocked about his name. Apparently it means 'mucus' in Bocce."

Luke couldn't help but laugh.

"Anyway, then the current senator was killed by Lord Vader, and Chilee's father was promoted overnight, to fill the gap. So suddenly Chilee is allowed into the social circles, and—"

"Hold on," Luke said, slapping the table to get Ben's attention. "The current senator was killed by who?"

"Lord Vader. Yeah, if you look up the official news story, it says it was natural causes, but no one who knows anything about how things really work in the government believes that."

Luke felt sick. That couldn't be true. Although, perhaps his father had a really good reason. Maybe he was trying to protect someone else. "Why would he kill him?"

Ben shrugged. "I don't know. He probably lost his temper. You know the stories about Lord Vader."

"No, I don't. What stories?"

"I'll tell you after I finish the story about Chilee," Ben said, sounding frustrated. "Anyway, so now Chilee's father was senator, and he realized he could get away with anything. One day a student knocks his tray at lunch, and he just went nuts. It took three security droids to get him away from the guy. Beat him up really bad. He had to go to the medcentre."

"Why wasn't he expelled?" Luke asked.

"No one ever gets expelled here," Ben explained. "Their parents would have the school closed. Would you expel the son of Coruscant's senator?"

Luke saw Ben's point.

"Ever since then, everyone's been scared of him, and that just makes him worse. Nobody knows when he's going to fly off the rails." Ben was quiet, pushing his food around his plate. Then he suddenly blurted out, "Luke, are you an orphan?"

Luke sighed. Ben's questions had started coming up more regularly, lately, and it was getting harder and harder to keep the whole thing quiet.

"You were going to tell me what you'd heard about Lord Vader," Luke prompted.

Ben leaned back, grinning. "Oh, yeah. I've got some great stories about him. Really juicy, bone-chilling stories I've heard from my father. Wanna hear?"

Luke was almost on the edge of his seat. "Tell me!"

"After you tell me how you know Lerrod."

"Ben!"

Ben shrugged. "Now you know how I feel when you redirect my questions. I wish you'd just lie to me. At least then I wouldn't be always wondering what deep dark secrets you're hiding."

"There's no secrets," Luke said. He thought about it for a moment. "Okay, there's one big secret, but ... but you wouldn't want to know it. If I tell you, you'll say 'you shouldn't have told me.' Can you please just tell me what you've heard about Vader?"

"Since when did you care about politics?" Ben asked. "I was talking about the military spending hike during history, and you fell asleep on me."

"I know, but this is different ... this is important to me. Tell me and ... and ..."

"You'll tell me your big secret?" Ben prompted.

Luke struggled with his options for a few seconds, before finally giving in.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you!"

Ben nodded and then shifted closer. He spoke quietly. "Lord Vader ... they say he can choke people ... without even touching them. They say he kills navy officers if they do the slightest thing wrong."

Luke frowned. This was all lies. His father hadn't choked anyone, and he'd been living with him for a while now.

"My father told me he has strange powers," Ben continued. "Like the Jedi used to have. They say he can see through walls and—"

"I already know about the powers," Luke said. "Anything else?"

"Not that I can remember off hand. He scares me, anyhow. I had a nightmare about him once when I was a kid. Why are you so interested?"

Luke sighed, wondering if he was going to regret what he was about to say. "If I tell you, it means you can't tell anyone. For any reason. Not even if your life depends on it. Understand?"

"Sure," Ben said, surprised at Luke's seriousness.

Luke looked around to make sure no one was nearby.

"We're sort of related," he mumbled.

"Who? You and Lerrod?"

"No!" Luke almost shuddered at the thought. "Me and ... you know ... him."

"You don't mean ... Lord Vader?"

"Yes."

"You are related to Lord Vader?!"

"Shhh, not so loud!"

"You've got to be—"

"I'm not. What I told you about living on Tatooine was true, but my aunt and uncle ... well, they were murdered and I came here as an orphan. Then I was staying with Chilee's father—that's how I know him. Then Lord Vader found me and now I'm staying with him at the Imperial Palace."

"Good one. Now tell me the real story—"

"Come on," Luke said. "Why would I lie to you?"

"Because I told you to."

"I'm not lying. I swear. I swear on ... on everything. Ask your father if you don't believe me. He knows."

Ben was quiet, staring wide-eyed at Luke. "When you say you and Lord Vader are related ... do you mean you're his second cousin by marriage or something?"

Luke stared at the table. This was the hard part. "Closer."

"Nephew?"

"Closer."

"Brother?"

"Oh stars," Luke said, losing his patience. "I'm his son! Yeah, that's right, his son. I already told you I stayed with my father! Now you know the truth, and you're probably wishing you didn't ... why did I tell you? Listen, just because he's my father, doesn't mean I'm a different person—"

"You mean he's your biological father?"

Luke had to fight to refrain from rolling his eyes. "Yes."

Ben looked a little scared for a moment or two, and then he frowned in confusion. "Listen. I already told you it didn't matter to me who your father was."

"Even if it's—"

"It doesn't matter to me," Ben repeated. "But I don't understand. Why did you tell people you were a charity case? Why are you are hiding this?"

Luke was silent.

"I mean, Lord Vader's son?! Everyone would want to be your friend ... why are you hanging around with me? You could go and sit over there." Ben pointed towards the most exclusive lunch table.

"You can't tell anyone," Luke interrupted. "I don't want anyone to know. I'd never fit in with them."

Ben nodded, but it was clear he still didn't understand. "Does your father want it to be a secret?"

"I don't think he cares either way," Luke said, staring at the table surface.

"Do the teachers know?"

Luke nodded.

"This is so ..."

"What?" Luke asked, fearful of what Ben would say. Weird? Horrible? Scary?

"Awesome," Ben finished, suddenly grinning. "If Ophelia only knew."

"You can't tell anyone!" Luke repeated.

"I know. I won't, I promise. Hey, wanna go study in the library?"

Luke blinked in disbelief. "What? Is that it? Don't you want to know what he does in his spare time and all those other—"

"Does he have any spare time?" Ben asked.

"Come to think of it ... no."

Ben was silent for a moment. "I guess I'm still in disbelief," he said, finally. "Out of all the famous people ... he's the last one I'd have picked as being your father. You don't remind me of him, at all."

"You don't know half of it," Luke sighed.

Vader flicked through a pile of reports, looking for one that didn't relate to the Spectrum issue in some way. He was getting truly tired of hearing about it. But no, it was all authorization requests for more troops to be assigned to the search effort and underground news holos from around the galaxy relating to 'Spectrum sightings!'. Finally, he pushed the datapads aside and turned to the computer.

He pressed a button to display his mail inbox and was immediately met by at least ten new messages. All with 'Spectrum' in the subject line. Perhaps he should go and catch up with his dueling practice, now that the droids had been replaced.

Then he noticed the word 'Luke' and opened the message out of curiosity. It was a message from Luke's medic, enquiring as to how his son was getting on with his new hand. It seemed innocent enough, but Vader wouldn't put it past him to ask such a thing only in the hope that he would in turn have to ask Luke how he was coping. The last thing he wanted was to have a conversation with Luke about bionic limbs.

He pressed 'delete' and the next message opened automatically. It was a request for contact from an ISB agent assigned to the Spectrum investigation. Underneath was a number code. The second and third to last digits corresponded to the priority of the report. This was a 2.

Vader stood up quickly and walked over to the holocom. After he'd entered his security codes, one of the senior operatives answered almost immediately.

"Lord Vader."

"What is it?"

The monitor connected to the terminal lit up with a navy personnel file. Commander Dul, the self-assured first officer of the Arena.

"We've been keeping a close watch on Commander Dul ever since news of Captain Koonter's execution hit the fleet."

"What has he done?"

"Two days ago, he was on shore leave on the third Corellian moon. He withdrew sixty thousand Imperial credits from a bank account in the name of a character from an old holovid cartoon. After he left the bank, he must have spotted one of our agents and managed to lose them. He never returned to the ship and has not been seen since."

Vader felt a wave of anger, both at the incompetence of the agent and the vile, traitorous officer. He would put some bounty hunters on his trail as soon as possible.

"Do you have any other good news?" he enquired.

"We did manage to break into the bank account."

"And?"

"The credits were initially deposited exactly one hour after the Spectrum was given clearance to enter hyperspace ... exactly the time we believe the Spectrum disappeared."

"He was bribed!?" Vader felt his mood sink even lower. No wonder he had sensed something amiss on the Arena. He'd been too busy concentrating on the nervous, stupid captain.

"Yes, sir. This is only speculation but perhaps he was paid to sabotage the Spectrum so it would fall out of hyperspace at a particular place. There, pirates could have been waiting for it. The ship itself has likely been vaporized, and the crew sold into slavery."

"Find this Commander Dul," Vader said, waving a finger at the image. "I don't care what it takes—bring him to me, and I will interrogate him myself."

Ben had taken the news of his lineage much better than Luke could ever have hoped. Within a few days, everything was back to normal between them, and the rest of the school's student body still remained in ignorance.

One afternoon, they had gone to the public library to study, and Luke took the time to explain the real circumstances under which he'd lost his hand. This time, he could also describe how angry his father had been afterwards. It felt good to have someone else to confide in. Lev was always willing to listen, but he was limited in how much sympathy he could express. Ben had no such restraints.

"He shouldn't have done that," Ben said, flatly.

"But I destroyed five of his dueling droids."

"It was an accident. And you lost your hand! How could he yell at you after you'd been injured so badly? That's just cruel."

"Maybe he's lost so many limbs himself, he's used to it, and doesn't realize how bad it is," Luke said, twirling his lightpen in his fingers.

"Even so."

"I need to find some way to get back on his good side," Luke said, resting his head on his arms.

"Does he have a good side?"

"Of course. Everyone has a good side."

Ben appeared skeptical. "Maybe you could do something to impress him," he suggested.

"Tried that. That's how I lost my hand."

Ben was silent for a while, but he clearly wasn't having any more ideas. "Sorry, Luke. With my father, he always gets over any disagreement we have within an hour or so."

"An hour? Oh boy. You're so lucky."

"I take about a day," Ben admitted.

A librarian droid looked in their direction, and they quickly put their heads down, resuming their work. There was a large sign above the study tables which had the word 'quiet area' underlined several times. Luke couldn't concentrate, though. Ben was writing like his life depended on it, but Luke couldn't even think of the first sentence to start this political studies essay.

"I'm going for a walk," he said finally, and pushed his chair away from the table.

"Uh huh," Ben mumbled, not pausing.

The library was huge, encompassing about twenty floors. They were currently on the sub-adults floor, and the wall he happened to pass was covered with flashing holoposters of various celebrities, urging them all to read. He only recognized a couple of the faces—on Tatooine, they had been about a century behind the rest of the galaxy.

Suddenly, all the posters changed to the Imperial logo, and words flashed to inform him that this message was brought to him by the Imperial Board of Public Education."

"Bored of education is right," Luke mumbled, turning away. He found himself facing another glowing sign, but this one let him know he was in the 'family self-help' section. A strange coincidence—that was exactly what he needed help for. Although he doubted they would have anything about living with a bad-tempered Sith Lord.

Twenty minutes of browsing later, he experienced an odd premonition that he'd found something that might just be of use. The cover was silly, blaring that it was written by some guy at the first University of Coruscant. But the title sounded like it was written just for him—Understanding Your Parents.

"We better get going."

Luke turned to find Ben walking up beside him.

"What have you got there?"

"Oh, just a databook," he said, pocketing it. He'd have to get it out on loan.

"Ha," Ben mumbled, noticing the flashing 'read' posters. "More like 'Read — what we tell you!"

"Why so bitter?" Luke asked, following his friend back to their study table. "Did a teacher confiscate one of your books again?"

"No. I wanted to read the book on which Black Hole World was based, but a library droid told me it was on the banned list because of 'subversive themes'. I hate the Imperial Censorship Board."

Ben hastily looked around after his words. "Don't tell my father I said that," he said, quickly. "He'd kill me."

Luke fell asleep with the databook resting on his bedside table. It hadn't turned out to be very useful—most of it presupposed the reader was dealing with a father who actually stopped working at some point during their day. Some chapters had discussed ways to deal with physically abusive or alcoholic parents, which left him feeling like he was complaining over nothing. There were many people who had it far worse than him.

That was the last thing he remembered thinking about before drifting off. It made little sense, then, that five hours later, he woke in the midst of a frightened sweat.

The nightmares had returned.

The darkness of his bedroom felt like it was closing in around him, like the shadow of his aunt and uncle's murderer. He jumped out of bed and ran for the door, desperate to get out. The ship hangar would still be lit at full brightness, and he could work on one of his repair projects.

Anything to avoid going back to sleep.

Vader looked up in surprise when he sensed a familiar presence. Through the windshield of the ship he was modifying, he watched as a pajama-clad Luke exited one of the hangar bay elevators. It was just after two in the morning according to the ship's chronometer, far too early for the boy to be out of bed. Was he sick? Was his new hand causing him pain? Vader discarded his tools and moved to the ship's exit ramp. He reached the ground just as Luke was walking past, causing his son to jump in surprise.

"I ... I didn't know you were down here," he mumbled.

"Why are you awake?" Vader asked.

"I couldn't sleep."

"And you expect to sleep while roaming the building?" Vader enquired.

"I had a nightmare," Luke explained, staring at the floor.

Vader stared blankly, knowing there was some action he was supposed to take in response to this situation, but he really had no idea exactly what. Was he supposed to invite Luke to discuss it? But reminding him of it might make it worse. Perhaps he was supposed to take the boy back to his bed and make him go to sleep. If Luke's doctor were here, he would be shaking his head in disappointment and offering him another book.

"I am modifying this ship's sublight controls," he said, finally. "You may sit in the cockpit and watch, if you wish."

Luke followed him up the ramp but didn't spare a glance at the circuits and tools. He curled up in the co-pilot's seat and hugged his knees, shaking slightly. Whether it was from cold, or the residual stress of his nightmare, Vader didn't know. He resumed his work, easily picking up where he'd left off.

Ten minutes later, Luke mumbled something Vader didn't catch.

"If you wish to communicate with me, you will need to remove your hands from your mouth," he suggested.

Luke did so. "I said, I'm sorry."

"What have you done now?" Vader asked, glancing over. He was almost dreading the answer.

"For destroying your dueling droids."

"They have already been replaced," Vader explained. "The new ones have been upgraded with safety features."

Silence resumed. Vader was just beginning to reach the stage where he could start locking all the circuits back in position, when Luke spoke up again.

"Are you still angry with me?"

"I have nothing to say to you about that incident, which I have not already said."

Luke was quiet in response, and Vader hoped the conversation was over. He didn't know if he could trust himself to restrain his temper if Luke insisted on discussing it again. A different subject was his next target, though.

"Yesterday, it was two months since I moved in," Luke said.

"It feels longer," Vader said, splaying a wire.

"I was just thinking that I can't believe it's been that long. I still feel like I hardly know you."

"You are better off not knowing anything you do not know about me."

It did raise an interesting question, though. How much knowledge had he gained about his son during the last two months? To be fair, he had probably only been here for half that time. And he had made some progress—he was no longer as uncomfortable around the boy as he had been. And he had learned to block out much of the boy's glowing presence which intruded on his meditation ability. Apart from the occasional snag, they were co-existing in harmony.

"I was wondering if you regretted letting me stay with you," Luke said, fidgeting with one of his pajama shirt buttons.

"What?" Vader rotated his chair so he was facing Luke. "Why would you think that?"

"I don't know," Luke said, still staring intently at the button. "Sometimes it feels like you're not happy with me."

Vader turned back to his circuit. "As long as you do not interfere with my work and stay out of trouble, you meet with my approval."

"Am I interfering with your work now?" Luke asked, sounding sincerely worried.

Vader had to fight to restrain from sighing. "I was speaking of my duties to the Empire. You must not interfere with those, at all costs. The incident with the dueling droids came very close to doing so."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know. But you must try hard to ensure that it does not happen again. You are here because the Emperor, by his grace, is allowing you to be here. If the Emperor should think that you are a distraction to me, he may change his mind about allowing you to remain here. That must be avoided. Do you understand?"

"I ... I think so."

Luke sounded frightened. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to be discussing this, after the boy was already upset over his nightmare, but it couldn't be helped. Besides, his fear might help drive the message home.

"I won't cause you any more trouble," he added. "I'll try my best."

"There is trying ... and then there is doing," Vader said.

"I'll do my best, then," Luke said, resolutely.

Chapter Text

The nightmares reoccurred at random intervals over the next week. They all started in the same way. He would be back on the farm in his pajamas, hiding behind a landspeeder. Then the screaming would start, and he would hear footsteps behind him ... and he would run. Soon after, he'd wake up and stay that way until an hour or two before he had to get up and get ready for school.

On one night, the dream changed slightly. He ran as usual, but this time, instead of running away from the farm, he ran towards his aunt and uncle's bedroom. The windows and doorway were in darkness. He didn't want to move closer, but curiosity was forcing him. A few more steps and he'd be inside and—

A loud beeping rang in his ears, and he fell out of his dream and partly out of his bed. He fumbled around on the floor for his discarded pants from yesterday and then picked up his comlink from underneath.

When he thumbed the connect switch, an image of Ben materialized.

"Hiya-guess-what?!"

Luke rubbed his eyes and dragged the blankets up, stopping just short of covering his head.

"It's too early," he mumbled. "Can you call back in an hour?"

"It's past ten am!"

"It's also the weekend."

Ben held something up and waved it back and forth.

Luke looked at it, confused. Gradually, his vision began to come into focus and understanding dawned. "Gundark Slayer 2!"

"Right! My uncle gave it to me yesterday. He works for the company and got it early! Hurry up and get over here so we can play it."

Luke was torn. On one hand, he really wanted to play that game. On the other, that would mean getting out of bed, getting dressed and walking over to Ben's apartment building. He didn't feel like lifting a finger right now.

"Why don't you come over here?" Luke suggested. "We can play it on my big screen holovid."

Ben looked frightened, as he always did when Luke tried to get him to come over. Luke hadn't yet succeeded.

"Look, it's okay. My father isn't even here."

"How do you know if you're still in bed?"

"He's never here during the day," Luke said. "Besides, this place is huge. Even if he was here, you wouldn't have to see him."

"Well ..."

Luke grinned, knowing his friend was going to give in.

"Are you sure he's not there?" Ben asked.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Doubly sure?"

"Doubly sure!"

Vader had arrived late to a meeting that morning, but his entrance had caused no stir. The occupants were too busy arguing with each other to notice his arrival. He remained standing by the door, making no move to sit. He didn't wish to appear part of the uncivilized bickering going on before him.

"I still have not heard or seen any evidence that these supposed missing people even exist," Grand Moff Halifax was saying, in a tone which indicated being made to attend this meeting was an insult to his status and personal dignity. He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Come back when you have some real evidence."

"Exactly," an admiral said, nodding in agreement. "This is merely an elaborate hoax fabricated by the Rebels. Let me send in troops. Give me the order, and I will stop these disruptive protests and make prisoners of anyone who defies us!"

"Gentlemen, please," a quiet voice spoke.

Vader shifted slightly to eye the speaker. He recognized her as the head of the Alderaanian enquiry into this matter, who had been appointed by the planet's senator. Vader had been surprised that Bail Organa had not insisted on heading the enquiry himself, given his usual tendency towards rocking the boat. But this woman seemed to be doing a fair job—she was still alive, which was a good sign.

"Gentlemen, these are my people who are missing. My people. And I can assure you, they are real. Surely the best way to end these protests is to organize a visible search effort and—"

"Give into their pitiful demands, you mean." the admiral started.

"If these are anyone's pitiful demands, they are mine, not the protesters, Admiral," the woman said. "I do not blame the Imperial navy for this. For all I know, the ship could have flown into a black hole hours after the ship was boarded. But surely the navy could spare a few ships to help us in our efforts to locate them. Or at the very least, grant us access to the official reports of the incident."

"The Empire owes you nothing, Diplomat," Grand Moff Halifax replied, standing up. "Your planet has been breeding spies and traitors long enough. A few less of them is a blessing for the galaxy. We will pronounce these people dead, and Admiral Ruck will remove the protesters blocking the shipping routes with force."

"An excellent decision," the admiral said, also standing up.

"And a decision that is not yours to make," Vader said, deciding he'd remained silent long enough.

The occupants turned to stare at him, finally aware of his presence, and the admiral hastily returned to his seat.

"Such a foolish course of action would likely create more protest than suppress it, Governor Halifax," Vader said, walking around the table. He paused next to the diplomat's chair. "You shall have your official reports—although they will tell you nothing more than you already know."

"Thank you, Lord Vader," the woman said, clearly surprised.

"This is merely delaying the inevitable," Grand Moff Halifax said, annoyed. "The Emperor—"

"—is in the throne room, if you would like to go and discuss it with him," Vader said, pointedly.

Having made the effort to get out of bed and get ready, Luke was becoming impatient for his friend to hurry up and arrive. When his comlink began to beep, from under a pile of his clothes, he pessimistically thought he must be calling to cancel. But as he picked up the device, he saw the call was coming in on a short-range frequency.

He flicked the answer switch, and a small hologram of Lieutenant Hicks' head and shoulders popped up.

"Good morning, young Mr Skywalker," he said, in a mock official tone. "Did you by any chance forget to mention you were expecting a visitor today?"

"Oh, stars, what have you done to him?!" Luke said. "Hang on, I'll be right down."

He sprinted all the way from his room to the security office, and as a result, he was out of breath when he skidded into the room. But his friend was only sitting on a chair in front of Lieutenant Hicks' desk, munching on a piece of his candy and looking entirely relaxed.

"Did you think I was interrogating him?" Lieutenant Hicks asked, smirking at him.

"Hi, Luke," Ben said, grinning. He glanced back at the lieutenant. "See, I told you we were friends."

"Oh, I believed you," Lieutenant Hicks said.

"Ben already had a security pass, so I figured it would be fine," Luke said, walking up to the desk. "What's the problem?"

When Ben was younger, he'd used to have to come to the palace after school, and wait in his father's office until he'd finished his shift, so he knew something about the security procedures.

"Unfortunately his security pass doesn't cover the floor where your room is located, which is presumably where you were planning to play this hologame," Lieutenant Hicks said, gesturing at the cartridge on his desk.

"But my father would be okay with it," Luke insisted. It was pretty much true ... his father had never told him he couldn't have friends over. It was doubtful that he could care less.

Lieutenant Hicks smiled and started tapping away on his computer interface. "I suppose I can give Ben a temporary extension, but your father will need to approve a permanent one."

"Can you ask him for that on my behalf?"

"I love that you think I'm important enough to ask your father to approve things," Lieutenant Hicks said, raising an eyebrow. "You'll have to try our good friend Lieutenant Dorany. He's working the weekend shift."

"Sure," Luke said, picking up one of the lieutenant's model TIE fighters. Lev would probably suggest Luke should try asking himself, but he might be lucky.

"How's your hand, by the way?" Lieutenant Hicks said, running Ben's security pass over the reader.

"It's fine," Luke said, rubbing it. "Thanks for the card. I think my droids took some of the chocolate from the gift, but what I actually got to eat was good."

"There's something wrong with those droids, I swear," Lieutenant Hicks said, offering Luke something from the security office candy bowl. "Here, take a handful. I need to stop stress eating."

The computer made a chiming sound to indicate the updated pass was ready, but Lieutenant Hicks paused before handing it over.

"So just hologames, right? No mischief?"

"I'm twelve years old," Luke said, frowning. "I'm not a little kid."

"Luke, I was still getting into mischief at twenty-five."

"No mischief," Ben insisted, taking the pass and the game cartridge. "I'm the sensible one."

Lieutenant Hicks smiled. "Glad to hear it. We could use more sense around here."

"Thanks," Luke said, giving him a mock salute in response.

Ben was soon following him back out to the elevator bays, looping the newly upgraded pass around his neck.

"He was nice," Ben said.

"Yeah, everyone is nice to me here," Luke said. "Especially after they found out about my father. But Lev was nice to me even before he knew about that. Hopefully you'll get to meet him."

When they arrived on the floor where Luke's room was, Ben looked around in curiosity. "This isn't like the rest of the palace," he noted. "There's no art and flags."

"Yeah, I thought it was dark and creepy at first, but I'm used to it now," Luke said, leading Ben down the corridor.

"What's behind all these doors?"

"Nothing interesting."

Ben opened one, seeing the largely empty room.

"Is this where the Jedi used to live?"

Luke turned around, looking back at Ben in surprise. "Jedi? Used to live here?"

"You didn't know? It used to be the Jedi temple, back before the Empire. There's rumours there are still dead Jedi in rooms that no one has discovered."

Luke shuddered, idly thinking he'd been right about it being creepy.

"My father used to be a Jedi," Luke mumbled.

"Really? The Jedi were traitors and tried to take over the government."

This didn't quite fit with how the Jedi were talked about on Tatooine, but he knew better than to argue about history with Ben.

Ben opened another door and looked around inside. "What's with all these crates?"

"I don't know," Luke said. "I think it's some kind of storage room."

Ben walked in further and then said, "This room looks like it hasn't been touched since before the Empire. If there's a dead Jedi anywhere, it would be in here."

Luke smirked and said, "Wait … what's that in the corner?"

"Where?" Ben said, fascinated.

As soon as his friend turned his back to him, he crept up behind him and grabbed him by both shoulders. "He's right behind you!"

Ben yelled in fright, and then turned around to shove Luke off, laughing all the while. They wrestled briefly, and then Luke fell back against a crate, knocking the lid slightly ajar. Ben's eyes widened.

"Do you think there might be a lightsaber in there?"

Luke turned and looked at the uncovered crate, feeling nervous at the idea. After rummaging through it, he said, "It looks like it's all just spare parts. Lots of wires and capacitors. Old droid circuit boards."

Ben prised the lid off another one and found the same thing.

"Who would keep all this useless junk?" he said, pulling out something that looked a bit like an old-fashioned door hinge. "Oh, wait. What's this?"

Luke came closer. Ben was holding up an old holoprojector, the kind people had on their desks that showed a single, rotating image. When his friend touched the on button, it lit up with an image of an old podracer. Then it quickly faded, clearly low on power.

"Where did you find it?"

"In this crate," Ben said. "There's others in there too."

Luke crouched on the floor and stretched his arm into the bottom. His fingers closed around something that caused all his senses to suddenly tingle.

"Whoever owned all this stuff was definitely a Jedi," Ben said. He'd climbed on top of the crates, and had discovered a shelf. "Look at this! It says on the bottom it's a Jedi starfighter."

It was a model ship, of a type Luke had never seen before. He looked from the ship back to the object he'd found, which was a small holoprojector, similar to the type Ben had found earlier.

He didn't expect it to still work, but it lit up immediately when he pressed the on button. Luke quickly cycled through the holograms, his heart beginning to beat rapidly. There were images of lots of people Luke did not recognize. A beautiful woman, with brown hair and brown eyes. Several of the holos showed her with a young, blonde man. They were clearly in love, because they were kissing or hugging in every second image. The pair became younger as he progressed through the holos, and the final few appeared to be of the two getting married.

The last image revealed something that caused a funny feeling to rise up in Luke's chest. It was a large holo and both figures were facing the lens and pictured from the waist up. The blonde man had an artificial hand. Luke brought the image closer to his face, staring at it in surprise. Then something else caught his attention. A lightsaber. There was no mistaking it. There was a lightsaber hanging from his belt.

Luke suddenly looked around the room again and then back at the image in his hand. Did this mean what he thought it meant? No, it couldn't be! There was no way his father could ever have been someone who looked like that. So normal and so ... human? But if it was him, did that mean the woman was his mother?! The thought made him feel both excited and a little scared. Was he allowed to be seeing this?

"Luke? Are you okay?"

Ben climbed back down, still holding onto the model starfighter.

"I'm fine," Luke said quietly, switching off the projector and stuffing it deep into his pocket. He could study it later when he had privacy. "Maybe we should go and play that game now," he said, louder.

"Sure," Ben said. He held up the model. "You want this?"

"No, leave it here." If this really had been his father's room once, he doubted he'd have wanted him rummaging through it. "Come on, let's go."

As soon as they were back in the corridor, Ben looked towards the rooms on the other side of the corridor.

"Which one is his room?"

"It's over there, but it's off limits. Come on—I want to see that game."

Ben followed him into his bedroom, and Luke gestured to Artoo and Threepio.

"Artoo, Threepio, meet my friend Ben. Ben, these are my droids."

Artoo whistled and beeped, while Threepio said, "Hello, young sir."

Ben nodded hello, and then turned around to see Luke's big-screen holovid.

"Wow, look at this!"

They sat down on the floor to play and before long, they were so absorbed, two hours had passed before Luke finally hit pause.

"I'm so hungry," he said. "How about you? I'll tell the kitchen droids to bring up some snacks."

"Sounds good," Ben said, still focused on the 3D display.

Luke didn't bother to waste any time asking Ben exactly what he felt like eating— it was clear that food came second place to the game right now.

"It should be about five minutes," Luke said, crossing the room to lie on his bed. While Ben was distracted, he removed the holoprojector from his pocket and switched it on again. Maybe his imagination was running wild, but the more he looked at the image of the woman, the more convinced he was that this was his mother. There was something about her eyes … so completely unlike his own, yet they seemed so familiar.

A burst of sad music filled the air as Ben failed miserably in destroying a gundark with thermal detonators. He paused the game in frustration and glanced over at Luke.

"What's that?"

"Nothing," Luke said, hastily switching it off. As he leaned over to put it in his bedside cabinet, he accidentally knocked his T-16 to the floor. Ben smiled.

"Hey, that's cool. What ship is this?" He picked it up and began flying it back and forth.

"A T-16," Luke said, quickly jumping up and retrieving the display stand. "Can I have it back, please?" The sight of his friend holding something so important to him made him anxious.

Ben moved it past him as if to give it back, but then turned and 'flew' it over to the other corner of the room, all the while making annoying sound effects.

"Ben!" Luke said, diving to tackle him. Artoo screeched in protest, while Threepio said something about not being entirely sure if this was a good idea.

Ben tripped as Luke grabbed his legs and tumbled to the floor. The model went flying out of his hands and hit the wall ... then bounced neatly into the open disposal unit.

"No!" Luke yelled, jumping to his feet in shock.

"Oh ... sorry Luke!" Ben said, shuffling into a sitting position.

"I've got to get it back," Luke said, distressed. He stumbled over and stuck his head into the unit, trying to see into the blackness. Threepio hastily tried to pull him back, while Artoo whistled in a high-pitched tone.

"I think it's gone," Ben said. "Don't worry, I'll buy you another one, I promise. Where did you get it?"

"No, you don't understand!" Luke said, leaning further into the darkness, much to Threepio's distress. "That model is the only thing I've got from Tatooine! I've had it since I was a kid! Where does this lead?! Artoo? Can you see on the map?"

"It all eventually ends up in a trash compactor," Ben said, assisting Threepio with pulling Luke back out of the hole. "There's usually one for every block, but I suppose the Imperial Palace might have its own. Or even several."

Artoo beeped and rocked back and forth a couple of times. Threepio listened, and then said, "Artoo suggests we use a homing device to determine which trash compactor is connected to this chute."

"Good thinking!" Luke said. "Where can we get one of those?"

"There are some in the hangar bay," Threepio said. "Perhaps Artoo could go down and retrieve one, and then—"

Luke was already half out the door.

After the meeting was finally over, the Alderaanian enquiry head approached Vader cautiously.

"Lord Vader, I am Diplomat Poiloss Shar." She bowed slightly. "I owe you the utmost thanks for allowing—"

"Save your gratitude," Vader replied, pointing at the diplomat. "It is foolish to imagine you have any hope of finding these people. Millions of beings disappear in this galaxy every day and are never seen or heard from again. There is no difference between those cases and this one."

"Except that this one is becoming a gravy train for Imperial traitors and their propaganda machine," Grand Moff Halifax said, giving the diplomat a dirty look as he approached the pair of them. "Excuse me, Lord Vader, but I should like to accompany you and Diplomat Shar, here. I haven't seen the files concerned myself."

"Is that necessary?" Vader asked, not bothering to keep his annoyance out of his tone.

"I consider it my duty to be informed," the Grand Moff said, in a tone of wounded pride.

Vader considered pointing out that it was also his duty to keep his sector in good order, instead of appearing to be on a permanent Coruscant vacation. But such comments rarely had any effect on politicians. In Vader's experience, they had quite different definitions of work and vacation than the rest of the galaxy.

Besides, it was probably in his best interests to allow the Grand Moff to come. Doubtless he wanted to make sure he knew what the diplomat saw, so he could report back to the Emperor afterwards. It would look even more suspicious if he didn't allow him to do so.

"Very well," Vader replied, not without reluctance.

The homing beacon idea had worked perfectly. They'd now traced the disposal chute all the way to the basement levels of the palace, not far from the area where Luke knew the IMH palace liaison staff had their offices. At the east end, there was a security checkpoint and an underpass that led to the IMH buildings.

"So what now?" Ben asked quietly. Being the weekend, they'd encountered few people down here, but they were still being cautious. Artoo had located a floor hatch, but the edges were bolted and magnetically sealed. It would require specialist equipment to get this thing open. Equipment which they didn't have.

"Perhaps there is a maintenance droid who could enter the hatch and retrieve the model ship," Threepio suggested.

Artoo whistled out a question and then beeped a few times.

"What do you mean, 'I'm a maintenance droid'?" Threepio said, annoyed. "You know perfectly well I'm a protocol droid!"

Artoo beeped and whistled again and then suddenly rolled towards Luke, forcing him to back off from his attempt to pry open the hatch using a multi-tool he'd brought down from the hangar.

"I think we should abandon this whole ridiculous idea and simply arrange for the proper authorities to—"

"No, Threepio, you have to understand," Luke said. "That ship is all I have left of my life on Tatooine! No one will be able to help us until next week, and by that time, it could have been crushed and disintegrated! What is Artoo's plan?"

Artoo whistled again, and Threepio relented. "He thinks he can open the hatch but he's insistent that you must not go down there if he does, Master Luke. He thinks he can lower me down to retrieve it using his tow cable."

"Fine, then let's do it!" Luke said. "What's the hold up?"

Artoo whistled loudly, and Luke didn't need Threepio to translate that one.

"I promise I won't, Artoo. Please, I just want my ship back."

Artoo beeped a few times and then turned and rolled over to the nearest wall socket. After a few seconds, the magnetic seal was released, and the bolts unsealed, causing the hatch to rise. Ben helped Luke drag it to one side, and Artoo rolled back to the edge.

"No, you can't possibly expect me to go down there! Threepio said, waving his arms. "Artoo! It's dark and there are strange noises!"

Artoo merely shot his tow cable towards Threepio's back, and then, once it was sealed, he bumped into his legs until he fell into the hole. Luke used the light on the multi-tool and quickly tried to see how far down it was. Threepio's echoing cries of protest made it sound like a large space.

"Threepio?!" he called. "You okay?"

This was followed by the noise of water splashing, and then Threepio said, in a pleading tone, "I was never designed to be immersed in water!"

"How deep is it?" Luke called.

Threepio didn't reply, but Luke soon found him with the light. It was only up to his knees.

"Can you see the ship? It should be on the top. I'm sorry, Threepio. I know you weren't designed for this. But we'll pull you out as soon as you find it."

Artoo made a series of whistles, and Threepio said, "I am looking, you junkyard reject! All right. I can see it."

"Yes!" Luke grinned in pleasure. "Can you reach it?"

"Yes, I think I can if I just—"

It all happened so fast, Luke barely had time to react. First, there was a sharp tug on the tow cable, causing Artoo to be pulled into the hole with a loud screech. Then Ben, who was closest to the smaller droid, dived to try and save him, but as soon as his hand closed around the droid's left foot, he tripped over the multitool and plunged in as well. Then, in his shock, Luke dropped the multi-tool light.

The noise of Ben's shouts, Artoo's screeches, and Threepio's dire predictions of doom echoed out of the hole, and Luke knew if there was anyone within hearing distance, they'd have come running by now.

He sighed. "The things I have to do."

Luke sat on the edge and dropped feet first down into the murky water below. He landed with an enormous splash, but managed to keep his balance. Piles of old droid parts and ship debris floated in the liquid around him like islands in some polluted sea.

Artoo, who was on his side and floating on top of a large sheet of metal, whistled angrily at the sight of him.

"I know, I promised," Luke said, raising his hands. "But that was before the rest of you decided to fall down here! Let's just get the ship and get out and I promise I'll give you both a good oil bath."

"The smell is terrible," Ben said, gazing around. He was completely drenched, apparently having fallen face first. "You know that methane gas is flammable? I wonder what would happen if we lit a match down here?"

"Don't even think about conducting one of your science experiments," Luke said, an image forming in his mind of the entire Imperial Palace being reduced to a massive crater.

"Master Luke, I believe I have found your ship," Threepio said, holding up his T-16.

"Threepio!" Luke said, his face lighting up. "You are the greatest droid ever."

Artoo whistled in protest.

"Tied with Artoo," Luke said, wading over to the astromech, and pulling him back upright.

Vader rested his hands against the base of the holoprojector in the secure data vault, located deep within the palace basement. The Alderaanian diplomat paced back and forth while she watched the highly classified recordings. Grand Moff Halifax stood nearby, clearly unhappy with the proceedings.

He didn't voice his displeasure, however, and so they watched the tapes in silence. The first half were the security tapes gleaned from the Spectrum and showed nothing out of the ordinary. The second half was a recording of the late Captain Koonter making his official statement about the incident.

"Our troops conducted an inspection of the passengers of the cruiser Spectrum and located six rebel traitors. The troops then left the Spectrum and escorted the prisoners to my ship, the Arena. The Spectrum then detached from the Arena and entered hyperspace at eleven hundred hours, Imperial naval time. That was the last time we saw the ship and her passengers."

The diplomat pointed towards the image. "Where is this captain now?"

"He was executed," Vader said.

"A shame," the diplomat replied.

"Do you dare to question our Emperor's commands?" Grand Moff Halifax said, with utmost disgust.

"I am sure he must have known something," the diplomat said, clearly unimpressed with the Grand Moff's anger.

"No," Vader replied, straightening up. "He knew nothing. I interrogated him myself. He was so dense, he would not have noticed if five thousand people disappeared from his own ship."

"It is my view that this 'missing' ship is merely a show put on by the royal house of Alderaan to discredit the Imperial navy in the public gaze," Grand Moff Halifax said. "I would not be surprised if they were keeping these passengers prisoner themselves. Is that not so, Diplomat Shar?"

"That is an utterly ridiculous suggestion."

"Instead of investing so much time and effort into this search, perhaps your government should see about removing those protestors from the shipping routes," the Grand Moff added.

Vader removed the tape from the projector, mentally calculating how long it would take to walk to his ship hanger, select a ship and then depart for Mustafar. There was only so much pointless arguing he could be expected to tolerate.

"Uh, Luke?" Ben said, staring at the ceiling.

"What?"

"How are we going to get back up there?"

Luke followed his friend's gaze. "Um … no problem! Artoo can just use his jets and then fire his tow cable back down."

Artoo screeched and whistled, causing Threepio to say, "Oh, no!"

"That doesn't sound good," Ben said, trying to wade closer to Artoo. "What's wrong?"

A sudden rumble caused Ben to slip backwards. He emerged from under the water, gagging and spluttering.

Luke started to laugh. "Yuk! I hope you didn't swallow any."

"Stop laughing," Ben said, angry.

"I can't help it. You should see yourself!"

Ben waded over to Luke and pushed him backwards. Luke struggled to maintain his balance, before giving up and sitting down in the water. The splash he made caused Ben to lose his balance again, and his splash hit Luke right in the face.

"Lucky tomorrow isn't a school day," Luke mumbled, wiping muck away from his eyes.

Artoo beeped in an annoyed way, and Threepio said, "Yes, I heartily agree with you. We must leave this awful place as soon as possible."

This was underscored by another rumble.

"I hope this thing doesn't enter into a crush cycle anytime soon," Ben said.

"You worry too much," Luke said. "So you're going to fly back up, Artoo?"

"Artoo said earlier his jets are waterlogged and inoperable!" Threepio said. "However, he believes there might be another hatch behind that pile of garbage over there."

Another rumble was all the motivation Luke needed to move over to look. Ben was close behind him. After a few minutes spent scrambling on top of some metal shards, Luke removed a sheet of metal, to reveal another hatch. Unfortunately, it was also magnetically sealed, and the bolts were likely on the other side.

Luke was just contemplating how to break this news to Ben and Threepio, who were currently making each other more anxious, when his comlink started to beep. He looked down at his pocket in surprise, and then picked it up, trying not to get it too dirty in his muddy hand.

It lit up with an image of Lieutenant Hicks again. But this time, he had his face in his hands.

"Luke," he said, his voice sounding strained. "Please, by all that is good in this galaxy, tell me you are not inside a trash compactor right now."

"Uh … " Luke looked around. "Why?"

The holo field was rotated slightly, and Lev came into view. He also sounded more than a little on edge. "Luke, you need to get out of there right now!"

"Oh, hi, Lev. Yeah, I'm trying. Things went a little outside the plan. Listen, could you open the hatch for us?" He looked up at the wall. "The serial number is 8573-LB"

Lieutenant Hicks leaned back into the field then. "You said you were playing hologames!" he shouted. "You said no mischief!"

"This isn't mischief," Luke said, frowning in annoyance. "I had to get my model T-16 back." He held it to show him. "You like models, so you should understand."

There was another rumble, causing Threepio to insist they were doomed.

"Do you have any idea how many alarms you set off?" Lieutenant Hicks said. "There's a guard squad on their way right now."

"Sure, tell them to make sure they don't fall down the ceiling hatch. The cover is off. And can you please let us out, because I think this thing is going to enter a crush cycle."

Lev must have actually been doing something in the background, because Luke heard the bolts release on the hatch. A moment later, a bright light lit up the dank place, and Ben covered his eyes against the glare.

"Thank the maker, we're saved!" Threepio said, waving his arms towards the upper hatch. "Hello up there!"

"Come on," Luke said, pushing at the wall hatch. "We can get out this way."

When the nervous junior security officer entered the room, Vader assumed she was there to return the tape to secure storage. The governor and the diplomat were still arguing and didn't notice her arrival. She glanced from them to Vader, and then said quietly, "My lord, we have been asked to secure this floor due to a security incident. Some guards will arrive shortly to escort the governor and the diplomat to the landing pads."

"What security incident?" Vader asked, immediately stretching out with the Force. He could sense no danger, but an unusual level of panic.

"Intruders were detected in a trash compactor."

"Intruders?" Governor Halifax said, finally looking over. "What's going on?"

"The incident has been downgraded so I assume they are contained, but protocols require that—"

Vader immediately left the room, experiencing a sudden bad feeling.

The hatch had jammed, but the guard on the other side assured Luke they'd have it pried open in a moment. Luke had waded back into the dirty water to form a path for Artoo to roll over without having to go for a swim. The droid was beeping and whistling the whole time, and Luke thought it was probably for the best he didn't know what he was saying.

"I know, I know," he said, as Artoo whistled again. "I promise, I'll clean you up."

The hatch had at last been removed, and Luke could see Ben was helping Threepio go through first. After he stepped through himself, he reached back to help hold the makeshift metal ramp steady so Artoo could roll through.

The metal was slippery, and Luke skidded forward as he emerged into the corridor, and then found himself steadied by two royal guards and one familiar officer.

"Oh, hi, Lev!" Luke said, grinning.

Lev clearly wasn't amused. Horrified was a better word to describe the expression on his face.

"Luke! What were you thinking?"

"I needed to get my model back," Luke said, trying to sound casual, as if people fell out of trash compactors every day. "We're fine. No harm done. Hey, this is my friend Ben. Ben, meet Lev."

Ben, who was busy wiping off his face with a towel the guards had kindly offered him, only looked terrified in response.

"Uh ... L-luke ..." Ben stuttered.

Luke glanced at him in surprise. He'd never heard Ben sound so scared before. His friend pointed up the corridor, and Luke turned to find his father walking towards them, along with some snooty looking man and a security officer. A thousand excuses started to run through his mind, but his throat felt too tight to articulate any of them.

Fortunately, it was the stranger who spoke first. Lev still appeared to be in shock.

"Children! Do you guards know these boys?"

The security officer interrupted. "Governor Halifax, I must ask that you go with the guards. This area is still under restriction."

Luke recognized that name. This must be Ophelia's father. Come to think of it, that disgusted expression on his face did look a little familiar. He didn't respond to the security officer's requests.

"Are these boys the offspring of some lowly servant?" he said. "Or did they just crawl in through the sewer?"

"Maybe you just crawled in through the sewer," Luke suggested, annoyed at the slight.

"I beg your pardon, boy!?"

"Governor," his father said, in a chilling tone. "I suggest you leave immediately."

He seemed to get the hint then, and the security officer practically herded him away. Then his father turned back to stare at him and Luke felt a dark chill radiating between them. Getting back in the trash compactor almost seemed like a good option right now. Ben was clearly feeling the same way, as he was physically shaking. Luke doubted he could help it, but it was causing goo to fly in all directions. This probably wasn't the best moment for formal introductions.

Finally, his father turned to Lev.

"Take him away," he said, gesturing at Ben. "All of you—leave." He then pointed at Luke. "Apart from you."

"At once, my lord," Lev said, motioning for Ben to follow. Ben gave Vader one last terrified stare, and then scurried after Lev, leaving a trail of trash water behind him. The guards followed close behind. Artoo was the only one who remained, and he beeped out something that Luke hoped was a really good excuse.

"Go!" Vader said, in a tone that caused Threepio to hastily return and push the smaller droid on. "Come along, Artoo."

Vader watched them leave, and then turned back to Luke.

Luke stared back, seeing his small, dirty form reflected in the eye shields of the mask.

"I can explain," Luke tried.

That night, Luke lay awake for hours, thinking over the day's events. He could still faintly smell the trash compactor, even after an hour of bathing. He doubted he would ever be completely rid of it. His father had been angry, to say the least. His words were still going round and round Luke's head ...

"Is this what you consider trying not to cause trouble?"

"I had to get my model back!"

"How is it you have managed to survive for so long, when your behavior is consistently so reckless and foolish?"

"I'm sorry—"

"And when did I give you permission to bring your equally stupid acquaintances here? One of you is bad enough, without a clone army!"

That had hurt the most. He was confirming what Luke had long suspected—that his father saw his existence as an ongoing burden. He hadn't heard much else after that, until he was ordered to go and hose down before he contracted a bacterial infection.

He'd made good on his promise and seen to the droids first, though. It had taken the better part of three hours, but they were now as clean and shiny as any other droid in the palace. He'd also fixed Artoo's booster jets, which had resulted in him being well and truly forgiven by the astromech droid. Both droids were now powered down and resting in the corner of his room. Sleep came much easier to them.

Luke stretched his hand over to his bedside cabinet, and took out the holo that contained the images he'd found in the storage room. He flicked through the holos until he reached the one of the dark-haired woman. She had beautiful eyes ... warm and caring. He clutched it tightly, suddenly fearful of having it taken away. He needed a copy, at least. Tomorrow he would wake up early and go into the school library before the start of classes.

Given his father's current mood, he hadn't dared ask him about this. It could have been the final straw that saw him on the street looking for a new home. If he could lie low for a few weeks, perhaps they'd be a good opportunity to ask Vader if what he suspected was the truth.

Chapter Text

Vader tapped his fingers against the table, trying to concentrate on reading an intelligence report, but failing miserably. The trash compactor incident, as it was now known among the palace staff, was still weighing on his mind. Perhaps he should have threatened the Grand Moff to be sure of his silence. It was highly unlikely that he would dare to tell anyone, even if he discovered Luke was his son. But there was a slight nagging in the back of his mind, that maybe he should have done just a bit more ...

The doors slid open and an assistant entered the room, looking nervous. More nervous than usual, even. He was holding a hardcopy printout of a HoloNet newsfeed.

"What is it?" Vader asked.

The lieutenant wordlessly held up the paper so he could see the half-page headlines.

Exclusive: Lord Vader's Secret Son!

Vader rose to his feet quickly. "Wake Luke and tell him he is not to leave the premises."

"I went to his bedroom first, sir, but he was not there and his school bag has been taken. He must have left early."

"Then take a speeder and retrieve him. And have this story removed from the network immediately."

"We've already started making arrangements, but the story has been picked up by several other underground sources, and is—"

Vader waved a hand to cut him off. "Go and find Luke."

"At once, sir."

The library was mostly deserted before class, so it was a good time to make copies of the holos without being disturbed by nosy students. The only other occupants were a couple of seniors bent over their homework, and a few librarian droids.

After he'd made his fifth copy, a droid rolled into the copy room, and Luke quickly tried to gather everything up.

"I hope this is for a school project," she said. "Use of the copy machine for personal reasons is not allowed."

"Of course!" Luke said. Unfortunately, one of the copies slipped out of his grasp and activated as it hit the ground.

"Ah, Senator Amidala," the droid observed, retrieving the holo in one of her many appendages. "You must be studying the Old Republic."

"You ... you know her?" Luke said, trying not to sound as surprised as he felt.

"There is a record concerning her in my databanks. She is a person of historical note."

"Sorry, who did you say she was? A senator?"

"She represented the Chommell sector in the Galactic senate during the last five years of the Old Republic. This hologram you have here is one I've never seen in any of the standard texts. Where did you find it?"

"Listen, do you know if she was ever married?" Luke asked, urgently.

"There is no record of any marriage in my databanks. She died young."

"How did she die?"

"She was killed by the Jedi during their attempt to overthrow the government."

Luke stared blankly, trying to digest this news. His mother had been murdered. No wonder his father could not even bring himself to mention her name. He must have taken it hard. Perhaps the Jedi who murdered her was the same one who told his aunt and uncle that his father was dead.

The signal for the start of classes sounded in the distance, and the droid passed the holo back.

"You must go to class. I can help you with more research if you come back in the break."

"Thank you," Luke said. "You've been a lot of help already."

He walked towards the exit, struggling to get his copies into his bag. In his distraction, he bumped into someone coming in.

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking up to see Sethi, a student in his geography class.

"Luke! Shouldn't you be with the principal?"

"Why would I?" Luke asked, confused.

Her eyes were wide. "Is it true ... what they're all saying?"

"Probably. Listen, I'm late for roll call."

He ran on, shaking his head. High school was a crazy place. Halfway to his home room, he remembered he needed to get his mathematics homework out of his locker. It was his first class after roll call, and there was nothing the teacher hated more than students who ran out to visit their lockers.

There were a few students still in the locker hall, and they pointed and started whispering when Luke entered the room. One girl actually shifted away as he walked past her. It was very confusing, but Luke didn't have time to try and figure out what was wrong with him this morning. Maybe he'd forgotten to comb his hair, or there was a sign stuck to his back. Maybe he'd usurped Ben as the person to pick on of the moment. Anything was possible.

He kept his head down and ignored all the whispering. Once he found his homework, he left the hall quickly, conscious of the elapsing time since he'd first heard the signal. Luckily, he didn't encounter any more gossiping groups of students until he entered the classroom. It appeared the teacher hadn't arrived yet because everyone was still out of their seats and talking.

"Hi, Ben," he said, walking up beside his friend. "I'm so sorry about yesterday. I hope you didn't get in too much trouble."

Ben whirled around, looking like he'd just seen a krayt dragon.

"Luke!"

His shout attracted other students and some of them began pointing. "Hey, Luke's here! Luke, is it true?!"

"Uh ..." Luke stared around, wondering what in space was going on. Ophelia suddenly appeared next to him.

"Luke," she said. "It's great to see you."

Luke knew something was seriously wrong now. Ophelia never even looked at him, much less spoke to him.

"Uh ... thanks," he said.

"I'd like to apologize for anything ignorant I might have said in the past. I didn't know."

Luke felt his skin prickle. It was like something out of that holovid show he watched, The Galaxy's Scariest True Stories.

"Is this some kind of joke?" he asked. "Because it's not funny."

"Listen," Ben said. "They know. Everyone knows."

"Knows what?"

"About ... your father."

Everything suddenly made horrible sense.

"No!"

"Personally, I can't understand why you didn't tell us earlier," Ophelia said. "And why you've been hanging around with Charity Case there either."

Luke felt his temper rise. "How did you find out?" he asked, angrily. He turned to Ben. "Did you tell them?"

"Don't look at me," Ben said, hurt.

He turned back to Ophelia, who simply shrugged. "I heard it from my father. I don't know where he heard it from."

"I heard it from Jonas," another student added.

"I read it on the wall in the girl's refresher," came another voice.

"So is it true?"

"What's he like?"

"Is he as scary as he looks?"

"Can you choke people like he can?"

The noise cut off, and Luke saw the teacher walking through the crowd and telling everyone to sit down. He stopped in front of Luke.

"Luke, you need to go and see the principal. Take your things."

Luke nodded and didn't spare anyone a glance as he left. He could feel every eye following him.

At the principal's office, Luke was surprised to find Lev waiting for him.

"Lev!" he said, stopping just inside the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Thank the stars you're safe ... I was beginning to get quite worried."

"What's going on?" Luke asked, folding his arms.

Miss Silva, the principal, stood up from behind her desk and came around to speak to him.

"Luke, for your own safety, you will have to stay home from school until this incident blows over."

"Stay home? You mean I can't attend school because of who my father is?" Luke said, annoyed. "I can't help that! Unfair!"

Lev and the principal shared one of those annoying adults-know-best glances.

"Besides, I have gymnastics training tomorrow afternoon, and I'm on the team! We have a competition coming up!" Luke added.

Eventually, Miss Silva replied, "I know, Luke, but the students are going to take a day or so to accept this news. We don't want you being hassled with endless questions and curious glances while you're trying to attend classes. I want a chance to speak to your class before you come back."

"Can't you talk to them tomorrow morning, and then I can come back in the afternoon?"

"Well, I suppose you could come in to attend your training session. That shouldn't cause any problem. If your father entrusts us with your safety."

"Safety? From who?"

"The media," Lev explained. "You are in danger of being stalked until the word gets out that you are off limits."

"The media? You mean ... they know about this?"

Lev shared another glance with the principal. "Maybe I better explain in the speeder," he said.

Lev had tried to stop him, but Luke had finally managed to wrestle the printout of the Coruscant Enquirer away from him. It was made a lot easier by the fact that Lev was trying to pilot the speeder. Once it was in his hands, he skipped past the screaming headline and began to read.

'The blond blue-eyed boy, pictured here in our artist's interpretation, looks like he just came in from dusting the crops on some Outer Rim farm. But our investigative journalists have uncovered a shocking tale of secrecy and surprise that will amaze you unlike any story we've covered this year. The boy's name? Darth Vader junior.'

"Darth Vader junior?" Luke said, in disbelief.

"I told you not to read it!"

Luke skipped down to a later paragraph which started with:

'His mother's identity is still a mystery. A former courtesan, whose clients included many of the men who later formed the upper echelons of the Imperial hierarchy, gave us the names of several likely candidates, including one who is now rumored to be working as a palace concubine.'

"What's a concubine?" Luke asked.

"Look, a twin-engine open cockpit speeder!" Lev said, pointing out the window. Luke turned, and Lev snatched the flimsi away. Luke held tight, though, and managed to tear off a triangle which contained the final paragraph.

'A source close to Lord Vader informed us the boy is given anything he wants, and describes him as ill-mannered, rude and of little intelligence. Could this boy really be expected to become a future leader of the Empire? This reporter certainly hopes not.'

"Who is this person who thinks I've got bad manners?!" Luke asked.

"There is no such person, Luke. None of the people quoted are real. There are no palace concubines. Tabloid journalists make these things up to sell subscriptions." He sighed. "There were once hundreds of these tabloid publications on Coruscant. The Empire has tried to crack down on them but some still survive. I'm hoping this stunt will mean the end of the Enquirer."

"How would they like it if someone published a load of banthaspit about them!?"

"Luke, I know you're angry, and you have a right to be ... but try and look on the bright side."

"What bright side?"

"We knew this was going to happen, sooner or later. Now that it has, you can move on and leave it behind you."

Luke sighed, nodding. Lev did have a point. He'd been getting by on borrowed time at school. It had been only a matter of weeks before it was leaked. Maybe it was better this way.

"So how did my father take this?" Luke asked.

"That is better left unsaid."

"Ack ... L-lord ... V-vader, please!"

The stormtroopers began to shift away, as if fearful that whatever invisible power was choking the man could catch them too.

"P-please! I ... b-beg ack! B-beg y-our ... forgive … n-ness! Aggh!"

Vader lifted his hand and squeezed his fingers tight. The body fell to the ground and lay in an unmoving heap.

"Take the body back to the esteemed offices of the Coruscant Enquirer," Vader said, letting his hand fall back by his side. "And give them my regards. You can tell them that I have a suggestion for their next headline, when they find a replacement editor. 'Lord Vader rids the galaxy of a public menace'."

"Yes, sir!"

The stormtroopers hurried to comply, and Vader turned to find an assistant waiting to speak to him. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off the body, however.

"What is it?!" Vader demanded, impatiently.

"Sir, uh ... my lord, his highness wishes to speak with you."

It was a shame he had already disposed of the editor, because those words made him feel like choking someone. This day was getting worse by the minute.

As if sensing his darkening mood, the assistant bowed and hurried away.

A short time later, Vader found himself pacing in the Emperor's main office, up in the spires. His master was reading the offending article, chuckling to himself at the odd interval. Finally, he tossed it aside.

"It could have been a lot worse, my friend."

Vader stopped his pacing, but didn't reply.

"No pictures of him. No mention of the name Skywalker. There has already been far too much discussion about his origins among the hierarchy. Outright fabrications can only serve in your best interests. And all this will assist in the new Senate bill to further tighten regulations on the press."

"Yes, Master," Vader said, knowing it was true. It still didn't calm his anger. "But I need to make examples to ensure Luke's safety. Governor Halifax—"

"Is useful to me. Leave him. Besides, if he had been the leak, the details would have been far more accurate."

He had a point. He didn't have to like it, but there was no mention of Luke's adventure in the trash compactor. But still, the timing was too coincidental.

The Emperor leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. "I think it is time I met this boy of yours, Lord Vader."

Vader had been dreading this. If Luke should displease the Emperor, their first meeting could be their last. The boy often spoke too freely. Unfortunately, refusal wasn't a possibility.

"What time would suit your convenience, Master?"

"Bring him tomorrow afternoon. And make sure he hasn't been swimming in the trash compactor beforehand, if you don't mind."

Luke was already feeling bored, and Lev had only just landed and parked the speeder in the ship hangar near his office.

"Stupid tabloids," Luke mumbled, darkly. "Stupid media. Stupid planet."

"You know, when I was a lad, we used to hate school," Lev said. "I'd have been happy to get a few days off."

"You don't understand," Luke said, slamming the speeder door. "It's not the classes or the homework I care about. I need to do some research on something really, really important. And I need to go to gymnastics training, and I need to talk to people besides officers, royal guards, and the Dark Lord of Permanent Bad Temper."

"Surely we're not that bad," Lev said, grinning.

"I didn't mean—"

"I know. You're saying that you need to be with people your own age. I agree. And don't worry, you'll be back at school before you know it."

Another assistant approached them then and exchanged salutes with Lev.

"Where is Lord Vader?" Lev enquired.

"He was summoned to an audience with the Emperor about half an hour ago. You were fortunate not to be here earlier." The woman made a gesture like she was reaching for her throat with a hand. "The editor of the Enquirer was dragged in by a couple of stormtroopers, and he—"

Lev hastily cut her off. "I understand. I must go and see young Luke to his quarters."

"I can find my own way," Luke protested, as he was guided onwards with a hand on his back. "I've been here a while now."

"I know."

"What happened to the editor? You interrupted her before she told—"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Lev said, tightly.

Luke didn't agree, but there was little point arguing. They took the stairs up to the ground floor, and then walked along the corridors towards the elevator bay in silence, as Luke had reverted to brooding over the situation. Who knows what he might have found out from the librarian if only he was at school right now. Perhaps he could try doing some research on the HoloNet, now that he had a name. Senator Amidala. There was also the possibility of asking his father.

As the pair of them approached the elevator bays, Lev suddenly came to attention, and Luke looked up to find the man himself was exiting one newly arrived on the floor.

"Lord Vader, I retrieved Luke from school, as per your orders."

Vader stared at Luke for a moment and then turned back to the elevators.

"Come with me, Luke. We have something to discuss."

Luke tried to say goodbye to Lev but felt himself being pulled into the elevator by an invisible force. Once the doors were closed, his father turned to him.

"I hope you have learned a lesson from all this."

"It wasn't my fault!" Luke protested, wondering how in the galaxy Vader could blame him.

"You think not? Let me make this easier for you. Yesterday, you chose to stumble out of a trash compactor in front of one Grand Moff Halifax—a man enjoying favor with the Emperor. Curious as to your identity, he made some enquiries with the right people, and learned that you were my son. He spread this information to all who would listen, and they in turn spread it further. One person in the chain passed the information on to the media, and this morning we see the results."

"But I didn't know any of that would happen!"

"Luke, they may have found your naivety endearing on Tatooine, but I am in no mood for it this morning."

Luke fell silent and stared at the floor.

"Now the Emperor wishes to meet you."

Luke raised his head in surprise. "The Emperor? Why?"

"The Emperor is not to be questioned, but obeyed," Vader said, pointing at him.

The elevator doors slid open, and Luke wandered out feeling like he was in a dream. The Emperor? He was actually going to meet him?

"When?" Luke asked. "Now?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"I can't," Luke said, quickly. "I have a gymnastics training session."

Vader stopped walking, and Luke looked up, curious.

"Do you honestly expect the Emperor of the galaxy to reschedule a meeting because you want to amuse yourself doing cartwheels?"

"I ... I guess not," Luke said, quietly.

"This is not a matter to be taken lightly. You must prove to the Emperor that he made the right decision to allow you to live under my guardianship."

"How do I do that?"

"By acting respectfully in his presence. You must not speak to him unless he asks you a direct question, and when he does, you must answer him articulately and with intelligence. I don't want to hear any of this stuttering and mumbling I often hear from you."

Luke was starting to feel more than a little nervous. "O-okay."

"And you must address him as 'your highness'. Always keep your tone reverent."

Luke nodded, trying to take it all in. "What's he like? Is he nice?"

Vader sounded slightly amused when he replied. "Only when it suits his purposes. You do not need to be afraid—I will be with you."

"I'm not afraid," Luke said, folding his arms.

"Good. Make sure you are ready to depart at thirteen-hundred tomorrow afternoon."

Despite his brave words, Luke was anything but happy at the idea of the meeting to come. He tried to keep his mind off it by scouring the HoloNet for information about Senator Amidala. All he could find was footnotes and appendices in history texts, but it was better than nothing. Here and there were little snippets of information that he could piece together. She had been a vocal senator and strongly supported using diplomacy over war and violence. There was nothing about her ever having children, though.

He fell asleep with a copy he'd made of the holo glowing on the pillow beside him. In a superstitious way, he'd half hoped the holo of her might keep some of the nightmares away. Instead, they returned in yet another form.

Luke looked around, knowing he was in the courtyard, back on the farm. There was screaming in the distance, and he tried to move towards it, but his path was blocked by thousands of falling hardcopy news flimsiplasts. The headlines took up half the page and read 'Lord Vader's Cowardly Son!'. He picked one up off the ground and saw a picture of a dead body. The caption read 'dead—because Luke Skywalker was hiding.'

Everyone in the galaxy would know about this now. They would know on Coruscant, and they would know at school. Even his father would find out. Tears were running down his cheeks, but he had nothing to wipe them away. The flimsis were stuck to his hands. Someone called his name beside him, and he looked up to see a glowing figure moving towards him.

"You should have killed me!" Luke yelled, angrily. "I was the one you wanted! He said so!"

"Luke, I wasn't the one who murdered your aunt and uncle. You remember me. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Go away!" Luke said, not caring who this man was. He didn't want anyone to see that he was crying.

"I can help you, Luke."

The screaming in the distance had stopped now, and the newspapers were fading away. Now there was only the desert, and the older man. He was wearing a brown robe, and the hood was drawn up around his face. There was something familiar about him.

"You should tell your father about these nightmares."

"Ha!" Luke said. "You've gotta be kidding. He doesn't want to know."

"He just doesn't remember how to respond to another person's needs. But your father knows a thing or two about nightmares."

"He has nightmares? What about?"

The desert was fading away, though, and the man with it. Luke opened his eyes, and found himself staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. He fumbled for the light controls and threw off the bedclothes. He could never get back to sleep after a nightmare, so there was little point even trying.

As he stood up, a flat object fell to the floor beside him, and he looked down to see the holo of Senator Amidala. Maybe he should trust the man in his dream, and go and seek some real answers.

Vader was in the conference room overlooking the ship hangar, browsing a fleet activities report. The computer beside him was switched to the HoloNet news channel, but he'd turned the volume down slightly after they'd started talking about happenings in the Senate.

When the doors slid open, he didn't bother to glance up. The Force always announced Luke's glowing presence.

"You are still having nightmares?" Vader enquired. He sensed the mental disturbances from Luke on most nights, but there was nothing he could do to help the boy. He was probably the cause of some of these nightmares himself.

Luke took a seat at the table. "Yes."

"I told you that you do not need to be afraid of meeting the Emperor."

"It wasn't about that. They are always about my aunt and uncle."

Vader glanced at Luke. "Perhaps you should see your doctor. He could prescribe some sleep medication that might cure your problem."

Luke's eyes suddenly grew wide, and Vader followed his gaze to the computer monitor. The news had changed to some item about the sudden fatal heart attack experienced by the former editor of the Coruscant Enquirer. He quickly switched it off.

"Did you kill him?" Luke asked, suddenly.

"Who I kill or don't kill is of no relevance to you," Vader said, wondering how in the galaxy Luke had managed to reach that conclusion so quickly. He wasn't as innocent as he thought. This could be a problem.

"Killing people is wrong," Luke said, sounding shocked.

"You have led a very sheltered existence. One day, when you are older, you will understand how the galaxy works. Until then, I suggest you work on a need to know basis when it comes to how I operate."

Luke stared at the floor, looking dejected. When he looked up again, there was a determined stubbornness in his eyes.

"Well I need to know more."

Something snapped in Vader, and he pointed from Luke to the door. "If you are going to be insolent, then I suggest you leave before I lose my patience."

Luke stood up, but he didn't back down. "You can't hide everything from me!"

Vader stared at the boy in surprise. A few months ago, he'd been scared to speak to him ... nervously stuttering his way through the most simple conversations. Now he was talking back to him?

"Go back to bed!"

"This is important!" Luke said, stepping closer. "Please! I just want to know if she's my mother!"

He suddenly produced a hologram, and placed it on the table between them. Vader flinched at the sight of it. In a second, he'd snatched the projector and crushed it between his hands. The metal and circuits rained down noisily on the floor. He stood up and turned away, feeling the air begin to shake. This was getting dangerous.

"I gave you an order."

"But—"

"Leave!"

He pushed Luke away with the Force, harder than he'd meant to. The boy stumbled slightly, tripping against a chair, and then ran.

Vader stared after him and then glanced down at the remains of the projector. Why did the boy push him like that? Didn't he understand? He had spent a decade trying to erase every last memory of his former life! He dreamed of a day when he would hear the name Anakin and not be aware that it had any particular significance. It was possible, with time and meditation. His master had promised him it was possible.

He released a weary breath, knowing he desperately needed to return to Mustafar. He could leave tonight if it wasn't for this meeting between Luke and the Emperor. In moments like this, he couldn't help but wish the boy had never come into his life at all.

Chapter Text

Luke left the palace early the next morning, not wanting to encounter Vader again too soon after the incident last night. Upon waking, his first thought had been to go into school and do more research in the library but reality had soon checked in. School wasn't an option, at least for a few days. His second idea was to go and visit his friends at Family Services. He'd been meaning to do so for a while now, but the opportunity never came up.

After making his way to a public transport hub, he jumped onto the back of a hoverbus. He had enough credits to pay for a ride, but he couldn't resist the opportunity. It all seemed a lifetime ago now, living on the streets with his friends from Family Services. As the wind streamed through his hair, he found himself wondering if LJ had heard that Vader was his father. Would he still be willing to speak with him if he had? Doubtful. Hopefully he didn't read the Coruscant Enquirer.

The hoverbus pulled out of the traffic lane, and Luke held on tight as it dodged a few stray speeders. When it landed on the pad, the waiting patrons started pointing at him. Luke only grinned in response, but he stopped grinning when he noticed a couple of stormtroopers were among the waiting passengers. One of them began walking towards him, and Luke quickly jumped off and ran for it. His Imperial City ID was good for a lot of things, but he doubted it would get him out of that one.

Once Luke was in the building, he glanced around, trying to regain his sense of direction. It had been a while since he was last here.

He turned a corner and found himself in the plaza that housed IFS. The guards said nothing as Luke entered, and once inside, Luke blended easily into the crowd. He was pleased to see that BB-675 was still servicing the reception. The queue wasn't too long, and after a five minute wait, Luke stepped up to the desk.

"Welcome to Imperial Family Services. How may I—?" the droid broke off, which was something Luke had never heard BB do before. "Oh. It's you. I thought you were gone for good."

"I just need to talk to LJ-151," Luke said. "Can you go and find him for me?"

"I'm not a messenger droid."

"It's really important!"

"He's probably on duty. Stormtroopers are not allowed personal visits while on duty."

"Says who?" Luke said. "You just made that up. Besides, if he finds out I was here and you didn't go and tell him, he might blast you into pieces."

The droid reluctantly began to move.

"Wait over there."

Luke did as the droid requested and hoped fervently that BB would hurry up. If the administrator should walk by and see him, he could find himself on a way one trip back to Imperial City.

BB soon returned, followed by the unmistakable white armor. Luke grinned in recognition as LJ came to a halt in front of him. "LJ!"

"Yeah? Who are you?"

Luke frowned in confusion. "I'm Luke ... your friend ... ?"

"Stormtroopers don't have friends."

"You don't remember me?" Luke said, disbelieving. As if things weren't bad enough right now ... the thought that LJ could have forgotten him was horrible. Was this some kind of cruel joke the universe was playing on him?

Luke thought for a moment, and then something occurred. He looked up at LJ in sudden annoyance.

"I really had you going," LJ said, rubbing his gloved hands together. "That was great!"

"It wasn't 'great'," Luke said. "Not even close to being funny!"

"You say that about all my jokes," LJ said, ruffling Luke's hair. "Seriously, it's great to see you, buddy. Just don't tell me you've come back to stay. I'd heard you were adopted."

"Something like that," Luke said. "I was feeling ... a little lonely. I wanted to visit some friends. Are Crix and Val still here?"

"Those two low-lifes? Gone a month ago, thank the stars."

"Gone where?"

"Val was shifted to a school facility, and soon after she left, Crix disappeared, and hasn't been seen since."

"Can you give me the address?" Luke asked. "Of the school?"

"I can't. The droid can, but good luck getting that out of him without a blaster."

Luke sighed. It sounded like he was never going to see them again.

"I did hear something, though," LJ said. "A street patrol caught a young Twi'lek and a Zabrak that sounded like them, but they escaped from their custody. That was near that smuggler's spaceport."

"Address?"

"I don't know ... just south of the Gyon-Price Financial district. But that's just where they were last seen. I doubt they'd still be there."

Luke shrugged. "I'm willing to try."

"Good luck, buddy. Hey— guess what? I got a transfer."

"A transfer?" Luke said. "You mean you're leaving IFS?"

"In three days. I'm joining an entertainment district security squad. I'm going to try and get assigned to a comedy club."

Luke grinned. "If anyone misbehaves, you could threaten to do your stand-up routine."

"Thanks, buddy. I'll send you some tickets when I've got my own show."

Luke shook his head in disbelief. "I better go. I hope I see you again some day."

"I won't forget you, buddy."

"No, you'll just pretend, right?" Luke called, waving as he headed for the exit.

Vader had retreated to the ship hangar for the morning, working on a damaged Corellian snubfighter. This was his outlet for all the stresses and frustrations he experienced during the course of his work and also a form of moving meditation. It was easier for him to think while doing something with his hands.

He'd spotted this particular ship in the hangar of an orbital docking station. It was pre-Clone Wars and with a bit of work, could make a nice addition to his collection. It had been recovered from a recent pirate attack, if an assault with such an ancient ship could even be called that. They had been so thoroughly eliminated, it was a wonder this ship had made it through in as good a condition as it was. Perhaps this was meant to be.

Some might say this ship was a lost cause and he was wasting his time. Perhaps it was, but he needed something to keep his mind off the latest incident with Luke.

Maybe he'd treated the boy unfairly. It was only natural he wanted to know about his mother. Those memories may be painful, but withholding them from Luke was obviously causing him much distress and did no justice to her memory. With everything else the boy had learned about him, perhaps he was beginning to wonder if he was the result of a loveless union, as the tabloid had implied. If he was in Luke's position, he would find it hard to believe otherwise himself.

It was true that his last moments with Padmé had been ... difficult. He would live with that guilt and regret forever. But he loved her. Luke needed to know that.

He wouldn't have to go into all the details. Maybe some basic information about who she was and how they had met. Any further details about the less than ideal aspects of their relationship, like the secrecy of their marriage, could wait until Luke was older.

But this conversation would have to wait until after they had met with the Emperor. Doubtless the boy was sulking over the incident last night ... perhaps thinking that he wasn't wanted, or some other insecurity. Given the behavior he'd observed in the past, Luke was sensitive about these things. He should be more careful.

There were many things he should do, of course. Fatherhood was many times more complicated than he'd initially imagined. Maybe he should attempt to apologize. They were perhaps overdue for a talk about how Luke needed to be careful around his temper, and if he asked him to leave the room, it was for his own safety. He had a few hours to consider it, at least.

A hover-taxi took Luke to the area LJ had described, and Luke caught an elevator down to a lower street level. There were fewer stormtroopers down here, and a lot more people. It wasn't as seedy as some of the places he'd seen, but it was a far cry from affluent Imperial City.

"Buy a necklace! Buy a necklace! Buy two, get one free! Buy two, get one free!"

"No thanks," Luke said, hastily shifting away from the pushy droid. It followed him for a while, before latching to another passer-by. He'd scarcely moved on from that, when another person tapped him.

"Will you please sign my petition?" he asked, thrusting a lightpen into his face. "They are going to demolish a three hundred year old historical building to build a new apartment block! We must put a stop to it!"

Luke shook his head and ran for a bright looking place on the other side of a courtyard. He was never going to find Crix and Val in this crowd of nutters ... maybe he should give up and go back home. He wandered into the building and was met with a rush of lights and sounds. A hologame parlor! Now this was more like it! He and Crix used to dream about these places, but they'd never had any credits to make it worth their while. Now he had a whole pocket full and time to spare.

Lunchtime had rolled around before Luke had begun to weary of Gundark Slayer: The Ultimate Revenge. He'd managed to get himself third on the high score list, and Val had always said the top two were machine set and impossible to beat. Besides, his credit stash was running low, and he might need some money to get back home.

As he turned to leave, he found a Zabrak was waiting to use the game machine.

"It's all yours," Luke said.

"Luke?! Luke!"

Luke blinked in surprise. "Crix?"

"I thought it was you! But you humans ... you all look so alike."

"I came down here to look for you!"

"It's great to see you!" Crix said, grabbing him by the shoulders. "LJ told us some crazy story about you. He said you'd been adopted by someone in Imperial City. Not the senator—someone else."

"Probably just one of his jokes," Luke said, looking at the floor. "Where are you staying?"

"In a junkyard. It's not far. Listen, wait right here—I just have to go and see a guy about some things. I'll be right back and then I'll take you to go and see Val."

Luke nodded and watched as Crix made his way to a holochess table in a dark corner. He appeared to be playing a game with the figure who sat on the other side, but Luke noticed they were exchanging something. Crix handed the man a brown cloth bag, and he received an envelope in return. Then he stood up and returned to Luke.

"Come on."

"What was that about?" Luke asked, following.

"Never mind. So, where are you staying? Those are nice clothes you've found yourself."

"Um ..." Luke thought quickly. "I was adopted by a royal guard. He has a son the same age as me—we go to the same school."

"A royal guard?! So have you been inside the palace?"

Luke nodded. "A few times."

"That's awesome! Wait 'til Val hears about it."

They had gone down a narrow, dark alleyway at this point, and Luke followed close behind. When they came out the other side, there was a thick duracrete wall with barbed wire lining the top.

"Looks insurmountable, right?" Crix said. "Wrong! Follow me."

Luke did so. Crix pushed aside a thick tarp and revealed a tunnel entrance.

"It's a little slimy down here," he admitted. "But it's short. Pull the tarp back over the hole once you're in."

Luke had to resist the urge to hold his nose as he bent down to climb into the hole. He could see vermin tunneling into the sides. He didn't want Crix to think he was a wimp, though, so he dropped down and squeezed out as fast as he could.

On the other side, broken machines and wrecked speeders were stacked high in every corner. He could have occupied himself for hours looking through all this for spare parts, but Crix didn't pause. He led Luke through a narrow gap between a torn engine casing and a drainage pipe, and then climbed up a stack of crates. At the top, the final crate had been turned on its side and emptied of whatever trash it had formerly contained. A pile of old news flimsis covered one edge.

"Val?" Crix called. "Guess who's here?"

From underneath the news flimsis, a head poked up, and Luke grinned in recognition.

"Val!"

"Luke!?"

Luke climbed up into the crate and found himself being pulled into a hug.

"Where did you come from?"

"Bumped into him at the hologame place," Crix said.

"Did you get the money?" Val asked.

Crix held up the envelope. Val took it and began to count the credit chips inside.

"There's only fifty credits here," she said. "Didn't he say he'd give you a hundred?"

Crix snatched the envelope from Val and counted it again. "I don't believe it! That lying cheater!"

"What was he paying you for?" Luke asked.

"Running packages for him."

Val began to explain further, but she paused to cough. It was a nasty, chesty cough, and it didn't sound good to Luke.

"She's saying that we need two thousand credits to get off this hellhole planet," Crix explained. "I found a smuggler who is willing to let us join his crew, but he said he has to pay off his debts before he can take on new crew members. He wants a thousand credit investment from both of us."

"Most of what we earn goes towards food," Val explained.

"Speaking of food, I'm starving," Crix said. "Let's go and get lunch."

The words caused Luke to pause for a moment. Lunch ... he'd been planning to be back home by lunch. Why? What was it that was nagging in the back of his mind?

"Oh stars!" Luke said, suddenly. "The Emperor!"

"What about him?" Val asked, confused.

"Listen, I've got to run," Luke said. "I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise! Will you be here?"

They both nodded, still looking confused. Luke didn't blame them, but he didn't have time to explain.

"See you later!"

At five minutes after thirteen-hundred, Luke stepped out of his bedroom. He'd combed his hair and changed his clothes, hoping to avoid any suspicious questions. His old ones had stunk like the junkyard and were covered with oil from the crate.

Vader was waiting outside in the corridor and appeared unaware that he'd even been out of his room this morning, never mind in a junkyard in the lower levels of Coruscant. That was exactly the way Luke wanted it.

"Are you ready?" he enquired.

"Yes."

"Come on."

Vader said nothing else to him on the journey through the palace, and Luke trailed behind, wary of his bad temper. The memory of last night was still fresh in his mind, and he doubted his father had forgotten.

The silence continued as they walked through the massive and luxurious corridors that led to the palace spires. Luke couldn't help but wonder at the vast gap between this place, and the crate where Crix and Val were living. He paused beside a glass sculpture, which glittered as if it were made of solid diamond. The price of this could get his friends the two thousand credits they needed and more besides.

He heard breathing beside him and looked up to find Vader was towering over him.

"This is no time to be admiring the artwork."

"I'm not admiring it," Luke said, walking on. "I'm just thinking that the price of that statue could probably feed a Tatooine family for a month. There was a kid in my class who used to come to school without lunch. We would take turns at sharing with him. Aunt Beru told me about this other family where they were all sleeping in one room—"

"I am aware of the poverty on Tatooine."

"If I ruled the galaxy, they'd be no poor people anywhere," Luke mumbled.

"Really. And how would you achieve that?" Vader enquired.

Luke had a feeling he was being humored, but he answered anyway. "They'd be no money. Everything would be free."

"And you think people would work for free?"

"Yes. They'd work for something to do."

"You have overlooked two things. People are greedy and people are lazy."

Luke personally thought Vader was just overly cynical, but he didn't argue. They had arrived at a large elevator in the centre of the palace, and the presence of the royal guards on either side gave a big clue as to who awaited at the top. Luke swallowed nervously, and Vader turned to face him.

"Remember, Luke, be polite. Address him appropriately."

Luke tried to answer him, but his throat was too dry. Eventually, he settled for nodding. He looked up, meeting Vader's gaze. Despite the mask, there was a sense of protectiveness about his father. He hadn't felt anything like this from him before and it was oddly comforting.

"I'm sorry about last night," Luke said, suddenly. "I didn't mean to annoy you."

"Never mind that now. We will talk about it afterwards. There is much I need to discuss with you, but we must not keep the Emperor waiting."

He turned and entered the elevator. Luke followed slowly.

"Welcome, young Skywalker."

Luke merely stared, wide eyed, at the cloaked figure seated behind the large desk. This man couldn't be human, could he? His flesh appeared to be rotting right off his face. It was disgusting!

His father glanced at him, and Luke realized he was expected to reply.

"Uh, thank you ... your highness."

There was an awkward silence, save for Vader's steady breathing. Luke remembered his father's instructions, though, and didn't speak. The Emperor was staring at him like he was a museum piece on display, and it was making him feel self-conscious.

"He is afraid," the Emperor said, finally.

It took Luke a moment to realize the Emperor's statement was directed at his father.

"He is just a child, Master. He has much to learn."

Luke stared up at Vader, struggling not to frown in annoyance. He wasn't just a child!

"Yeeees," the Emperor said, thoughtfully, continuing to study Luke.

There was a vast window covering the back wall, and Luke tried to focus on the distant buildings. His father had never said how long this would take, and he was hoping the nightmare would be over soon. But when the Emperor spoke again, Luke realized it was only just beginning.

"Why don't you leave us, Lord Vader? Let me and the boy have a nice little chat."

It was obvious to Luke that Vader was against that suggestion. He glanced quickly at Luke, and then turned back to the Emperor.

"My master, I—"

"Don't worry yourself, Lord Vader—he is quite safe with me. The boy doesn't need you to hold his hand."

Luke considered arguing with that statement, if only to avoid being abandoned with this living corpse. But Vader was already walking back towards the exit. Luke stared after him, wondering if this was the last time he was going to see him. He suddenly wished he'd tried a little harder to get to know him.

When the doors slid shut, Luke turned back to the Emperor, trying to look brave.

"So, young Skywalker," the Emperor said, beckoning him to come closer. "Please, sit down." He sounded almost gentle, but somehow it made Luke even more afraid. He did as asked though and perched on the edge of a comfortable red armchair, directly in front of the desk.

The Emperor smiled at him, and Luke gripped the edges of the seat, wishing his palms weren't so sweaty.

"You look a lot like your father when he was your age."

Luke raised a disbelieving eyebrow. It was impossible to imagine Vader not being impossibly tall, dressed in black and hidden behind a mask. Also, how ancient was this man, if he knew his father at his age?

"We used to have some nice talks, he and I. How are you enjoying your new life with him?"

Luke considered how to answer. "It's okay," he said, finally.

The Emperor was silent.

"Your highness," Luke quickly added.

"You don't need to worry about formalities—it's just the two of us, after all." He smiled again, in a way that made Luke's skin crawl. "I have worried about how you were getting on. It must have been quite a change."

Luke nodded, looking down.

"I must admit, I was surprised when your father told me he was going to become your guardian," the Emperor continued. "I had concerns. He has quite the temper, after all." Despite his words, he actually sounded proud about that for some reason. "It's only natural you would raise his ire from time to time. It would be a tragedy if you were hurt."

"He's never hurt me," Luke mumbled quickly.

"Not yet," the Emperor said. "But I can see that's not quite true, though, is it? He's hurt your feelings many times."

Luke closed his eyes for a moment. It felt disloyal to speak ill of his own father to a complete stranger. But he couldn't outright deny it, either. Eventually he settled for nodding his head once.

"You must not take it to heart. All will become clear in time. The pain you endure today will become a great source of power when the time comes for your potential with the Force to be properly cultivated."

Luke could only stare at the Emperor, his eyes wide. "My potential … with … what do you mean? I don't have any Force powers."

"He has never discussed this with you?" The Emperor sounded equally surprised. "Dear boy, of course you have inherited all his power. That is why he has brought you here. He believes you will be a great asset to the Empire one day. I just hope he can be patient with you until then."

Luke stared at his hands, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing. Was this all he was to his father? Some future tool to carry out the things that really mattered to him? The all-important missions for the Empire? No wonder he seemed so distant and uncaring.

"Don't judge him too harshly," the Emperor said, as if he somehow knew what Luke was thinking. "He's had a difficult life, filled with tragedy. The Jedi took him away from his mother and brought him here as a child. They exploited his vast power and trained him as a weapon to further their own selfish ends. He was only a young man when the Jedi led the galaxy into the Clone Wars. Fighting in constant battles for three years would leave anyone in a fragile psychological state."

"How … was he injured during the Clone Wars?" Luke asked, feeling bad for his father. He'd never thought about the reasons why he might be like he was.

"That came at the end of the war, when the Jedi tried to take over the galaxy entirely. Your father was loyal to me and the Senate, and out of revenge, his Jedi master tried to kill him. He very nearly succeeded."

Luke's eyes widened. "Is that the same Jedi who took me away?"

The Emperor nodded.

"What was his name?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

The man in his dream! He was about to mention this, but the Emperor was already changing the subject.

"But let us speak of happier things," the Emperor said. "Tell me ... has your father ever spoken to you about your mother?"

Luke shook his head. "No, he ..." Something suddenly occurred to Luke, and he looked up with renewed interest. "You knew my mother?"

"Oh, yes. We were great colleagues and friends. We were both from Naboo, you see. I knew her from when she was only a little older than you, until her tragic death."

Luke instantly saw an opportunity and rose slightly from the chair. "Was she a senator? Senator Padmé Amidala?"

"Your father has told you a little, then?"

"No, nothing—only that she died. He doesn't want to talk about her. I did some research ... but ... what was she like?"

The Emperor leaned back in his chair. He didn't seem so frightening anymore. If his mother was his friend, then maybe he wasn't so bad. At least he was telling him the truth.

"She was absolutely committed to improving the galaxy for everyone, from the lowliest street dweller to the wealthiest member of the nobility. She could sway the entire Senate to her way of thinking with a single speech. I only wish she were still alive today—she would cry tears of joy at the good we have managed to achieve."

He smiled at Luke and it didn't seem so creepy now.

"And she would love to see how well you've turned out."

"I never knew her," Luke said, distantly. His heart ached as he considered just how much he'd lost. It all seemed so unfair. "So how did she die? Did the Jedi really murder her?"

The Emperor looked aside. "I'm not sure you're old enough to hear that story."

"I am," Luke insisted. "My own aunt and uncle were murdered by a Jedi. I deserve to know the truth about what happened to my own mother."

The Emperor was silent for a long moment, and then he said, "You must not blame your father. As I said, the war had left him damaged. Nightmares, depression, violence. He had to do awful things during the war. It was his duty to kill men, women … even children."

"Children?" Luke said, his mouth falling open. "He killed children?"

The Emperor nodded. "The Jedi trained them as soldiers, you see. There was no choice. War can demand a heavy price. My hope is your generation will never see such terrible days."

Luke looked at the carpet, feeling stunned.

"This Jedi, Kenobi, used these facts to manipulate your mother into leading him to your father. He lost his temper with her. I know he regrets this, but it happened, and you do have a right to know. He attacked her with the Force and …" The Emperor bowed his head in sadness. "She only survived long enough to give birth to you, it seems."

"What are you saying?" Luke said, horrified. "My father murdered her? No, that's impossible!"

"I know he didn't mean to," the Emperor said, gently. "You must understand what the Jedi had done to him."

Luke glanced back towards the door, wondering how far the refresher was. He felt like he was going to vomit. He wasn't hearing this ... it couldn't be true!

"I … I must go," Luke said, standing up shakily.

"I've upset you, haven't I? Perhaps it was wrong of me to share so much with you. Never mind. We can talk again another time."

Luke didn't wait. He had already heard enough.

Vader had spent the last few minutes pacing up and down at the bottom of the elevator shaft, worrying about his son. His master had promised that he wouldn't harm Luke, but how far could he really trust him? If Luke said something out of place, he might lose his temper and—

The doors slid open, and Vader turned in anticipation. The only satisfaction he received was seeing a blur streak past his vision and disappear down the corridor.

"Luke!" He started after him and then paused, glancing back at the elevator doors. Perhaps he should talk to his master first—Luke's version of events could be highly distorted. On the other hand, if he disturbed his master while he was angry, he might order him to kill the boy and be done with it. He could not disobey a direct order from his master, so it was not wise to make an issue of this.

He turned and walked down the corridor where Luke had fled, stretching out with the Force to try and get a lock on the boy. For one so small, he could certainly move quickly. His sense of him faded as if he was already a fair distance away.

At the entrance to the main hall, he stopped to talk to the guards.

"Did you see my son come this way?"

"Yes, sir. Luke went into the elevators."

"Did he appear injured in any way?"

"He was moving too fast for me to notice, sir. If you wish, we could review the security recording."

"Never mind."

Vader walked past them, deep in thought. Luke was likely up his bedroom. Perhaps he should give him some time to calm himself before attempting to talk. It was difficult enough to have conversations with the boy when he wasn't causing the Force to swirl with his untamed emotions.

Uncle Owen had once told him that big boys didn't cry. He'd been six years old at the time, so Luke couldn't help but wonder what his uncle would think of him now, at twice that age. He'd cried so much he'd soaked his sleeves, but still the tears wouldn't stop.

You were right, Uncle Owen, Luke thought, you were right about my father. No wonder you didn't tell me about my parents!

His father was no better than the monster who'd murdered his aunt and uncle. The thought of actually sharing blood with someone so evil left Luke shaking with the sheer horror of it. He owed his existence to a person who had murdered his own mother.

The sound of a door opening caused him to look up from the stairwell he'd hidden himself under. He was down in the lower levels, near the storage lockers where the guards kept their supplies. His heart began to beat rapidly at the thought that his father might have found him down here, but the sight of white armor made him sigh in relief. It was only a stormtrooper, collecting some supplies from a small room off to the side.

He didn't notice him, but Luke noticed the supplies he was carrying. Field blankets, food rations ... a portable heating unit. The stormtrooper must be going on a camping trip, or he was restocking a shuttle. Either way, Luke could think of some other people who were in need of supplies like those.

The stormtrooper left, and Luke moved out of the corner. Sitting here crying about things wasn't helping anything, and he'd promised Val and Crix he would return today. Perhaps he could return with a surprise for them.

After attending a Joint Chiefs meeting at IMH and receiving an update on the Spectrum investigation, Vader had returned to the Imperial Palace only to find Artoo in a state of distress and Threepio attempting to calm him. The astromech droid was spinning around outside Luke's bedroom.

"There, you see, Artoo," Threepio said, when he'd seen Vader approaching. "Lord Vader will know where Master Luke is."

"What's wrong?" Vader asked, while reaching out with the Force. Luke was not in the immediate vicinity.

"Artoo says you took Master Luke to see the Emperor this afternoon and he hasn't returned. He's been speaking in riddles, sir. I can't understand. Something about the Emperor reprogramming Master Luke and turning him into a Sith Lord, whatever that is. My memory banks are incomplete on the subject."

Artoo rolled towards him, in a way that was almost threatening.

Where is he? he beeped out, his tone demanding.

"Calm yourself," Vader said, pointing at the droid. "That was not the purpose of Luke meeting the Emperor. Do not speculate about things you can't understand. Are you telling me he never returned to his bedroom?"

"We have not seen him since this morning, sir," Threepio said.

Vader looked towards the glass doors that led out to the balcony. It was dark outside. Far too late for a boy of Luke's age to be out on his own.

Any further discussion on the subject was ended at the sound of the elevator doors opening, at the far end of the corridor. Artoo whistled happily as his sensors picked up who the new arrival was. Vader's relief was tempered by concern at the sight of his son's appearance, however. He appeared dirty and tired and his face was devoid of any emotion.

He made as if he was going to walk past all of them without so much as a greeting, but Vader reached out to stop him, causing Luke to flinch away.

"What did he say to you?" The matter of his long disappearance could be left until tomorrow. He could only deal with one thing at a time where Luke was concerned.

"Nothing," Luke said, quietly.

He didn't meet his gaze and was instead staring at the carpet.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No."

"Then why did you leave so quickly?"

Luke didn't bother to reply this time.

"If you will not tell me, I can easily find out from the Emperor," Vader said, hoping that would provide some motivation to prompt Luke out of his sulk. It didn't work, though.

"I'm going to bed."

He started to leave, but Vader again reached out a hand to stop him. As his hand made contact with Luke's arm, Luke suddenly reared back and assumed a defensive posture. His expression was fearful. Artoo whistled in concern, and Vader, almost instinctively, took a step back.

"I received a message from your school," he said, trying to sound as calm as possible. "The principal said you are welcome to return to classes."

Luke relaxed slightly and nodded once.

"I am leaving for Mustafar tomorrow. If you should encounter any problems with the other students, make sure you inform someone in authority."

Luke nodded again, not unlike a droid sticking to rigid programming. He made to walk on again, and this time, Vader didn't stop him. He quickly disappeared into his room.

"Oh dear," Threepio said. "I fear he is not his usual self."

"Stay with him," Vader said, turning away. His patience was short at the best of times, and he didn't know how much more of this he could take. The boy was impossible to understand.

Tomorrow, he would get some answers from a higher source.

Chapter Text

Artoo and Threepio had prepared his school bag with datapads and snacks, and even laid out his uniform, but Luke was in two minds about whether to go into school or not. At any rate, he wasn't staying. He had too much to do today without bothering with school. Still, he would like to see Ben, if only to say goodbye. And he had a few useful possessions in his locker that needed collecting.

The students gave him a wide margin as he entered the school, but he no longer cared about their curious glances and hushed whispers. He would never see any of them again anyway. When he entered the locker hall, it was mostly deserted, as classes were almost due to start. Fortunately, Ben was still unloading datapads from his bag. Luke approached quietly, but Ben looked up before he reached him.

"Luke! You're back?"

Luke nodded and quickly opened his locker. He didn't have much time to do this.

Ben came closer and then did a double take.

"What happened to you? You look like you sold your soul."

"I'm fine," Luke mumbled, into his locker. He took out a datapad and a multi-purpose tool and then slammed it shut.

"Why aren't you wearing your uniform?"

"I just came to get my stuff," Luke explained.

"You mean you're not going to school here anymore?"

Luke shook his head.

"What happened? It isn't about everyone knowing about your father, is it? Because no one cares about that anymore. They're all talking about Chilee Lerrod ... did you hear his father lost the election?"

"No," Luke said. He might have been interested in that yesterday morning, but now he was only thinking about one thing.

"He's moving away," Ben continued, not reacting to Luke's distant tone. "I'm not sad to see him go, for one. So will you stay now?"

Luke shook his head. "I can't. It's a long story." He was wary of explaining in too much detail. Ben wouldn't understand. No one could understand ... he doubted there was anyone in the school who had a personal history as morbid as his.

"Are you going to another school?"

Luke shook his head. "I ... I won't be on Coruscant anymore."

"You mean you're going away to boarding school?" Ben asked.

"No ... I ... listen, it's complicated."

"You're not running away, are you?"

Luke turned to his friend in anger, but his concerned expression forced him to calm down.

"You have to promise me you won't tell anyone," he said, quietly. "This is important."

Ben looked away. "I suppose I can't blame you. Your father is the scariest person I've ever seen in my life. But isn't this a little drastic?"

"I didn't ask for your opinion. I just came to say goodbye. I'm leaving tonight or maybe early tomorrow. If I ever come back here, I'll look you up."

Luke turned away, feeling a lump form in his throat. He'd done enough crying yesterday—he didn't want to start now. It was better that he left quickly.

"Wait," Ben said, following him. "Where are you planning to go? Do you even have a plan?"

Luke didn't reply. He didn't stop walking until he emerged onto a landing pad. The only way to go from here was down one of the public elevators. In the distance, the signal for the start of classes sounded, and Luke turned around to face Ben.

"You're going to be late," Luke said. He knew Ben hated being late for class. He'd run to avoid it.

"I'm coming with you."

"Why would you want to leave? You've got everything ... you've got a father who loves you."

"I'll just see you to the spaceport or wherever you're planning to go. You're acting crazy—I can't let you go wandering around Imperial City alone. If your father found out, he'd hunt me down and kill me."

"He couldn't care less what happens to me. He regrets finding me in the first place."

"I'm not risking it."

"Fine," Luke said, turning away. "But I'm going to a junkyard. I hope you don't mind rats."

"Lead on."

Vader had concocted some excuse to speak to the Emperor, involving an update on the search for the Spectrum and security along the shipping routes. It wasn't necessary, of course, but he preferred to make enquiries about his son of secondary nature to the business of the Empire.

When he did bring up the subject, his master seemed only too happy to oblige.

"Luke has appeared disturbed, Master. I hope he did not displease you."

"Not at all. He was a model of good behavior. It is fortunate he did not remain on Tatooine. Such a bright, curious and sensitive child would not have been served well in such a remote place."

Vader breathed for a few cycles of the respirator, looking for the hidden meaning in this flattery.

"What was he curious about, Master?" he asked, finally.

"You, of course. And his mother. It is understandable you would find discussing that subject difficult. Do not trouble yourself. I shared all my fond memories."

If it were possible, Vader knew he'd have his face in both hands right now.

"I am afraid he may have reacted badly to one of them in particular. Never mind. He'll get over it, I'm sure. He does seem to have inherited a tendency towards, shall we say, strong emotions."

It was his own fault, of course. If he'd taken the time to talk with Luke himself, he wouldn't have left him open to be manipulated like this. He should have been more vigilant.

"And if he doesn't," his master continued, waving a hand in dismissal. "No matter. You appear to be having a detrimental effect on the child's psychological state in any case. As I suspected. Dedication to the ways of the Force does not lend itself to parenthood."

Vader felt heavy at the words. The memory of Luke's expression as he'd turned away from him last night was still fresh in his mind.

"He wouldn't go away to school," Vader said. "He insisted on staying here. Perhaps I could suggest it again."

"Yes, you may find him more receptive. Or perhaps you could find some other guardians for the boy, at least until he has come of age."

Vader found himself wondering where the Naberrie family were now. Padmé's sister and her husband might be potential candidates. Being raised by an aunt and uncle was already a familiar situation to Luke and this time he would have the added benefit of cousins. Naboo was a safe world under full Imperial control.

The Emperor looked thoughtful. "Amedda mentioned Senator Organa had been asking after the boy. He and his wife were good friends of his mother, weren't they?"

"Yes, Master."

"Putting him on Alderaan would give you a good reason to visit regularly and keep an eye on their activities. Perhaps we could even have the boy himself act as a spy."

"I believe it more likely Bail Organa would corrupt him with his extreme political views," Vader said, bristling at the thought of naive Luke being used as a spy.

"Perhaps. But still …" His master chuckled to himself. "I would enjoy seeing the royal house of Alderaan ruled by a Sith Lord."

It took Vader a moment to understand what his master meant. If he was already imagining Luke as a future Sith Lord, it seemed Luke's Force potential had impressed him, if nothing else. Knowing at least some good had come of their meeting gave him renewed hope.

"I will discuss the matter with my son when I return from Mustafar," Vader said. "This may be premature. I still believe the safest place for him is under my watch."

"The decision is in your hands, Lord Vader. But I hope you will make the right decision for all concerned. I would hate to see either of you suffer any further over this."

Luke watched the buildings stream past outside the window of the airbus, half wishing he was riding on the back. He glanced over at Ben, wondering if his friend was regretting his decision to come with him.

"I'm sorry for acting like a sleemo back there," Luke said. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am crazy. But I don't see any other choice."

"What happened? Did he hurt you?"

Luke shook his head. "He ... I just can't live with him anymore. He only has two modes—completely indifferent, or angry. He looks at me like I'm a mail order droid that he never wanted and he can't send back. I don't want to be his son."

Ben nodded, slowly. Luke didn't know if he completely understood, but he didn't want to tell Ben about his mother. It was too shameful to share with anyone.

The airbus came to a halt, and Luke stood up.

"We're here," Luke said. "Come on."

"You still didn't tell me exactly where 'here' is," Ben said, following Luke onto the landing pad. Luke looked around, trying to remember how he'd found his way to the lower levels last time.

"This way."

They joined a trail of people who led them to the public elevators. By the time the level Luke wanted was reached, he and Ben were the only people left. It seemed everyone else was smart enough not to come down here.

Ben stayed close behind him as they walked down the dark and dirty street.

"It smells like deathsticks," Ben complained, as Luke led him into the alley beside the hologame parlor.

"Deathsticks?" Luke enquired.

"That is why it's a bad idea for you to come down here alone," Ben said, stepping over a broken water pipe. "If someone offered you a ride, you'd probably take it."

"Just because I was raised on a farm, doesn't mean I'm that naive. By the way, I told Crix and Val I'd been adopted by your father, so don't mention Vader, whatever you do."

Luke couldn't see Ben's face, but he could sense his friend was rolling his eyes.

"Do they know my father is a royal guard?"

"Yes."

"I guess that will cover why I'm dressed in the uniform of an exclusive private school."

"You really should've changed," Luke said, dragging the tarp away from the tunnel to the junkyard. "It's dirty down here."

Vader had made a detour to the library on his way to his ship hangar. Something his master had said, about parenthood being incompatible with dedication to the ways of the Force, was still gnawing at him. After the Jedi were no more, they had made an effort to salvage the contents of their vast databank of knowledge. At times like this, it was proving useful.

Anakin Skywalker was certainly not the first Jedi to have had children. Curiously, he discovered in the depths of the archives that it was not a given a Jedi's children would inherit his or her Force sensitivity. Some were born completely Force-blind. There were also cautionary tales of Jedi expelled from the order after flouting the code and not taking steps to be responsible with their procreation.

But nothing about what happened to those deluded former-Jedi after that. No records of whether they succeeded as parents after spending their own formative years so far removed from your typical family unit. No mention of any unusual effects of closely related Jedi living in proximity.

Perhaps his master was right, and this was a result of the powerful nature of the Sith. Perhaps he should travel back to Lygun and see if he could learn more about the Sith parent who had once lived there. Although, given how her life had ended, perhaps it was better he didn't know.

Footsteps interrupted his musings, and he looked up to see an assistant had entered the library. The man came to attention before him.

"Sir, we just received a message from Luke's school. He did not show up for classes today, and his friend is missing as well. I was of the belief that Luke had left for school this morning."

"He did," Vader said, feeling a sudden concern.

"I took the liberty of speaking with Ben's father, sir. He says the same thing of Ben."

"Who is Ben?"

"Luke's friend, sir."

"The one I had the displeasure of meeting?"

"The trash compactor, yes, sir. Ben's father said he has a tracer on Ben's comlink, and he was leaving immediately to go and track the boys down. I have already tried Luke's comlink, but he left it in his bedroom. If you would like me to arrange another search effort—"

Vader clenched his fingers together, thinking. "Is this man trustworthy?" he enquired.

"Yes, sir. He is a captain of the royal guard."

"I would expect someone who takes responsibility for the Emperor's security to also have enough responsibility to keep his son under control." As soon as he said the words, Vader became uncomfortably aware the words would equally apply to him. He released a weary breath. "Go and get me an update on his progress. If he hasn't located them in ten minutes, I will go and find Luke personally."

"Yes, sir. You should also know that there's been a new development in the Spectrum case. The ex-Commander Dul has been found. He has been taken into custody and is being held on the Obliterator. The ship is due in system shortly and he will be transferred to the ISB detention centre."

Vader had to wonder if the lieutenant had purposely chosen to give him the good news second. Whatever the reason, it did improve his mood.

"Tell them I will meet them there." The chance to interrogate that traitor was worth delaying his departure by a few hours.

When he and Ben had first arrived in the junkyard, Luke found Val and Crix were gone. Their meager belongings still occupied the crate, however, so he assumed they were somewhere nearby. The first and most obvious place to look had been the hologame parlor, but soon he and Ben were distracted by the glowing images and flashing high score lists.

In the end, it was Crix and Val who found them.

"Luke!"

Luke turned around, already smiling in recognition. "Hi! Val, Crix—this is my friend, Ben."

Val smiled politely, but Crix seemed distracted.

"Did you bring any more ... things?"

"What? Oh ... no, I didn't. Why?"

"We got some good money for the heating units," Crix said. "The blankets weren't bad either."

"You sold them?" Luke said, surprised. "I thought you'd use them yourselves."

"We did, last night," Val said. "I would have kept at least one blanket, but Crix went and sold them without telling me."

"We've been over this, Val," Crix said, with a hint of annoyance."We need the credits!" He looked around, and then gestured for them to move. "Let's get out of here ... we can't talk here."

Personally, Luke thought the hologame parlor was a far better place to talk than the cold, dirty junkyard, but Crix seemed to have a lot on his mind. His friend had changed a lot since he'd first met him. Although, at fourteen, Crix was only a couple of years older than he was, he talked and acted a lot older. His voice had taken on a hard edge, and there was no longer any joking around or spontaneous laughter.

On the way back to the junkyard, Crix walked beside him, talking in a quiet voice about the deals he'd made recently. Val hung back with Ben. Luke had no idea what they were talking about, but they didn't seem to be having any trouble finding something to say.

"Did you hear me?" Crix prompted.

Luke glanced back. "Sorry ... what were you saying?"

"One of my employers asked me where I got the heating unit— he recognized it as military issue, see. I told him about you."

"You did?" Luke said, wondering if that was a good idea. From what he'd heard so far, Crix's employers didn't sound like the kind of people anyone would want to meet.

"Yes—he said he'd pay money—big money—for anything you could get from the Imperial Palace. He said he'd pay five thousand for a complete set of stormtrooper armor. And that's just what he said. I bet if I played a few of them off each other I could get a lot more. How about it? We could have enough to get off this planet and more."

"I ..." Luke looked around, trying to think straight. "I don't know if I could do that. I don't know where they keep their spare armor ... even if I did, I don't know if I could carry something like that without it looking suspicious."

"Do you want to get out of here, or not?" Crix asked, looking dejected at Luke's reluctant tone.

"I do!" Luke insisted. "Listen, I'll think of something."

"Maybe your friend can help," Crix said, pointing back at Ben.

"Leave him out of it," Luke said, hastily pulling Crix's arm back before Ben noticed.

Luckily, Crix took the hint and didn't mention his plans any further. Things were silent between them until they reached the crate, at which point Crix grew tired of listening to Ben and Val talk excitedly.

"What is so interesting?" he asked, looking down from the top as the rest of them scaled the stack of crates.

"We're just talking about the mystery of the missing Alderaan cruiser," Ben said.

"The what?"

Crix glanced at Luke, but Luke could only shrug. "Politics," he explained. "I've found it's better not to ask."

"Val knows all about it," Ben said, smirking at Luke. "I'm surprised you haven't heard about it through your father."

Luke's eyes went wide at Ben's slip, and he glared at him in annoyance. His friend immediately looked apologetic, but it was too late to take it back. The word went over Crix's head, but nothing could get past Val.

"Val knows everything," Crix said. "She's always reading the news flimsis. Hey, has anyone got any food?"

"Forget about food," Val said, quickly. "What's this about your father, Luke? I thought you said—"

"It's nothing," Luke said, quickly.

"Nothing?! Did you find your father? Your real father?"

Luke sighed. "Sort of. But I don't want to talk about it. I wish I hadn't."

"He's not what you expected," Val said, nodding. "It's just like I'm always telling Crix— the fantasy family doesn't exist. People only stay with parents because their biological conditioning forces them to. We have to fight it."

"I don't need to fight it," Luke said. "Nothing could make me stay with him. I'm completely over my whole father thing."

Ben had been digging in his pack, and he pulled out several pieces of fruit. "Here." He threw one at Crix, who caught it gratefully. He gave another one to Val, and he and Luke halved the third.

Val continued to philosophize while they ate, and Luke found himself agreeing with her more and more.

"Family is just an old-fashioned institution," Val said. "They try and sell you this image of a perfect, happy family, but it's all a smokescreen for hiding the ugly reality."

"So true," Luke mumbled. "Friends are the only people you can truly rely on. And you can choose your friends ... you're stuck with family."

"I wish I was stuck with my family," Crix said. "As soon as we get out of here, I'm looking up my father. I don't care if it takes me years ... I'm going to track him down."

"After we earn enough to buy our own ship, you mean," Val said.

"Yeah," Crix agreed. "But that shouldn't take long." He glanced at Luke. "Maybe less time than we think."

"Are you sure you want to track down your father?" Luke said, uncomfortably. "What if he's changed? What if he doesn't want to know you?"

"He isn't like that," Crix mumbled. There was something unsure in his voice, though.

"He is like that," Val insisted. "That's why they took you away from him, remember? You should listen to Luke."

"Good parents are just a fantasy," Luke said, bitterly. "Real parents make your life a nightmare. They try and control you, they lie to you, they ignore you. They try and make you feel guilty for the fact that they have to look after you. They complain that you take up too much of their time. They scar you for life with their neglect!" Luke was silent for a moment, thinking.

"Maybe we should talk about something else," Val said, carefully.

Ben sounded relieved. "Actually, I think it's time I went back."

Luke looked up. "School has finished? I didn't realize it was so late."

"About an hour to go," Ben said. "Luke, are you staying here?"

"He's going back," Crix said, staring intently at Luke.

"But—" Luke met Crix's gaze, and then stood up, somewhat reluctantly. "All right. But I'll be back ... as soon as I get what you need. Then we're leaving for good. Right?"

"We'll be waiting for you," Val said.

Crix nodded in agreement. Satisfied, Luke walked over to the edge and lowered himself down backwards. It was a lot trickier getting down than up, and Ben ended up slipping beside him and falling in the dirt down below.

"I hope you have a spare uniform," Luke said, dropping down beside him.

"I'll just throw it in our auto-washer," Ben said. "That's what I did with the clothes I was wearing when we went in the trash compactor. They came out fine."

Luke grinned at the memory. "Thanks for coming with me."

"No problem."

Luke had to admire his friend's spirit. He hadn't complained about anything so far, not even the vermin in the tunnel. The best way to deal with it was to get it over and done with as soon as possible, and they didn't talk until they were safely on the other side.

Luke started down the alley, digging in his pocket to find some credits for the airbus.

"So you're really going with them?" Ben asked.

"Of course," Luke said. "We'll be leaving tomorrow."

"I was talking with Val. She said that they had an arrangement to join a shipping crew."

Luke nodded. "The captain can't leave Coruscant until he's paid off his debt to a local crime lord. He said that if we could provide the money, we could join his crew."

"Val's pretty smart. I think she wants to go to school. She can't do that on a ship."

"Who needs school?" Luke said. "They just teach lots of boring things which aren't relevant to real life."

Ben looked like he'd just punched him in the stomach. "There are so many things wrong with that, it's just not funny. Anyway, what is to stop this captain kicking you off the ship at the first spaceport?"

"At least we'll be away from here," Luke said. "This is the worst planet in the galaxy."

"That is a complete exaggeration. Besides, that's what you said about Tatooine."

"Before I came here. But this place is worse. At least he isn't on Tatooine."

Ben glanced at him. "He really hurt you, didn't he?"

Luke looked away, not wanting to remember the Emperor's words.

"You don't have to tell me, but it sounds like something really bad."

"It's bad," Luke agreed. He sat down on a nearby water pipe. "Are you sure you want to hear it? You already have nightmares about him."

"Only when I was a kid!" Ben protested.

Luke was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He needed to tell someone about this, but it wasn't easy. It was hard to get the words out without breaking down.

"The Emperor told me I've inherited my father's Force powers," Luke said. "And he only took me in because he thinks I can be useful to the Empire when I'm older." Luke paused, shuddering at the memory.

Ben didn't say anything, and Luke clenched his hands together, trying to control his anger.

"He refused to tell me anything about my mother. Now I know why. He killed her." Luke's voice broke on the words. It sounded worse to hear his own voice say it, than it did to hear it from the Emperor.

Ben was still quiet, so Luke continued.

"He's murdered lots of people ... even children. The Emperor said he was surprised he hadn't lost his temper and hurt me yet. "

"It seems a little strange that the Emperor would tell you all this," Ben said, suddenly. "It sounds like he was purposely trying to hurt your relationship with—"

"Did you hear what I said? He killed my mother!"

"I heard it," Ben said, kicking a stone against the wall. "That's awful if it's true. I don't understand why adults can be in love one day and then hurting each other the next. My mother walked out on my father when I was a few weeks old. She's never so much as sent us a message in twelve years."

"Oh," Luke said, taken aback. "I ... I didn't realize. I thought she was dead."

"She could be, for all I know. When I think about it, it makes me angry. I wonder why she cares about me so little that she can't even take one minute to send a message. But I'm not going to let it rule my life. I have my father ... people like Val and Crix don't even have that!" He paused for a moment. "My father says that adult relationships can be very complicated ... there's no easy answers as to why things don't work out."

"And why they kill each other?" Luke asked.

"I didn't mean that," Ben said, frowning. "Look, how do you know he really did? Did he say he did?"

"Of course he wouldn't tell me."

"It doesn't make a lot of sense to me," Ben said. "You told me your father didn't know you existed. How is that possible if he killed your mother? Either you had already been born, or ... you'd have died too."

"I don't want to think about it," Luke mumbled. "Val made a good point. Family is just a fantasy."

"You didn't believe all that, did you? Wake up, Luke! She only thinks that way because she wants a family of her own so badly. Perfect families don't exist, but loving families do … I have one myself. There may be only two of us and maybe we argue sometimes, but he's my father. No friend can replace that."

"Then you're lucky," Luke said, sighing. "But Val and Crix care about me more than he ever has."

"He's going to kill me," Ben said, suddenly.

Luke looked up. "Who?" He followed Ben's gaze and found himself looking at a figure standing at the other end of the alleyway. A second later, he recognized him as Ben's father.

"I think we're busted," Ben said. He waved feebly at his father, who was walking quickly towards them.

"Ben! Luke!" He reached Ben and grabbed him in an embrace. "Thank the Force you're all right!" After a brief moment of silence, he pushed Ben back and held him by the shoulders. "What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea how worried I've been? You could have been killed down here!"

"Uh ... I ..." Ben mumbled.

"Get your butts out of here, right now!" He gave Ben a push towards the street-end of the alley. Luke was in two minds about following or running but one look from Ben's father and he stood and ran to catch up with Ben.

An Imperial-marked speeder was parked a few meters away, and he and Ben were herded into it. Ben tried to get in the back with Luke, but his father pulled him into the passenger seat.

"I couldn't believe it when the school had to call me at work," he said, starting the speeder's engine and lifting off. "I said—'no, you must have the wrong Ben! My son would never do a thing like that!"

"Dad ..." Ben started.

"You'll be lucky if they don't use this as an excuse to cancel your scholarship," he said, managing to fly and point at Ben at the same time.

It reminded Luke of some of the lectures he'd received from Uncle Owen over the years. But at least his uncle had always waited until they got home. Ben's father didn't even pause for breath until they entered the heart of Imperial City. Luke could sense his friend was feeling increasingly upset at this onslaught, and his conscience couldn't let this continue. When the pause came, Luke quickly took advantage of it.

"Sir, it wasn't Ben's fault," Luke said, leaning over the seats. "It was my idea. I wanted to play hologames, and I made him come with me."

"He should have said no," he glanced over at Ben. "You should have known better. Stars, do you know how many kids your age disappear in those lower-level neighborhoods on any given day? Do you?"

Ben pointed out the window in response. "You missed the turnoff ... where are we going?"

"The palace." Ben's father turned the speeder out of the traffic lane, and they dived towards one of the underground landing pads. "I have a job to do, in case you've forgotten. You can sit in my office and watch holovid until I'm off duty."

"Holovid? But I have to work on my math assignment ... it's on my computer at home."

"Oh, so now you're interested in school! You can forget about doing homework."

"I'm banned from doing homework?" Ben said, incredulous.

"You can forget about visiting the library, also. Nothing but holovid for you."

They had landed at this point, and Ben's father switched off the engine.

"That is so unfair!" Ben protested.

"Do you hear that sound in the distance?" Ben's father asked. "That is the sound of the galaxy's smallest violin, playing a sad, solo tune, just for you."

"You can't stop me from doing homework!"

Luke couldn't help but think it sounded like a very good deal to him, but he decided it was probably better that he kept out of it. If he timed it right, he could sneak away unnoticed.

He trailed behind as they left the speeder and walked down the corridors. When they reached a part of the palace Luke thought he recognized, he tried to shift away. He was halted by a hand on his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh," Luke looked up at Ben's father. "To my room."

"Not so fast. You can stay with Ben until someone comes to escort you."

"But it's only—" Luke pointed towards the elevators.

"I wasn't born yesterday, Luke."

Luke didn't argue further.

As they walked through the halls of the office levels, Luke found himself analyzing every object for its street value. There were certainly plenty of possibilities, with statues, vases and elaborate wall hangings. There were also guards, droids, and security officers around every corner. Not to mention Ben's father breathing down his neck. He would have trouble taking any of these things unnoticed.

When they reached the guard headquarters, they passed through two sets of security doors, the latter of which was flanked by a single guard. He turned his head as Ben's father approached.

"Hello, Captain Jarnet. Glad to see you found your son, safe and sound."

"So am I. Is Quintan still substituting for me at the conservatory?"

"I haven't seen him here, so I'd presume so."

"Good, I'll go and relieve him. Make sure these boys don't leave."

"Both of them?"

Luke could feel the second guard was staring at him, perhaps in recognition. "Lieutenant Dorany asked me to keep him secure until someone could come and escort him back to his quarters. Lord Vader may come personally. Use your discretion."

Luke had to refrain from shuddering at the words. The last person he wanted to see right now was his father. He'd been hoping he'd have left by now.

The second guard nodded, and they walked on. Once inside, Ben's father pointed them in the direction of his office.

"I'm going to get dressed. Make yourselves comfortable."

He disappeared down the dark, black corridors, and Ben led Luke down a side passage. Every two meters, they would pass crystal statues of the Emperor set in hollows in the wall. Luke stared at them, wondering if anyone would even notice if one was gone.

"Here," Ben said, pushing open a door.

The office was surprisingly normal, given the mysterious nature that hung in the air outside. There was a desk with a computer terminal and en-suite kitchen and refresher facilities. The wall beside the desk was covered with holo-images. Ben flopped down on the couch with a loud sigh and switched on the holovid.

Luke had moved over to look at the holos, but he glanced back at the sound of Ben sighing.

"Thanks for not telling him why we were down there."

"I might have, if he'd asked," Ben said. "Did you notice how he didn't even bother to ask? He always thinks he knows everything."

"You can't tell him," Luke said, nervously. "At least until I've gone. He would tell my father."

Ben nodded, and Luke turned back to the holos. He spotted one of a very young Ben, dressed in a homemade royal guard outfit.

"Look at that," he said, pointing and grinning. "How cuuute!"

"Don't look at those," Ben said, embarrassed.

The picture above it showed both father and son on top of a snowy mountain. They were holding their pick-axes in the air and smiling like they'd just won a million credits.

"You went mountain climbing?" he enquired.

"Oh yeah, that was a year ago. On one of the moons of Cludavin. Once you reach the top, you can go on this ride which takes you down to the bottom in ten seconds. Listen ... when are you planning to leave?"

Luke shrugged and sat down in one of the chairs.

"As soon as I can. Maybe tonight."

"What do you think your father will do when he finds you've gone?"

"Throw a party? He won't care. He's going away anyway. He probably won't even notice I'm not there until he comes back."

"Are you sure? Because if not, I'm going to be the first one they ask."

"Just say you don't know," Luke said.

Ben was about to reply, but he was cut off by the office door sliding open. Ben's father was on the other side, decked out in his red robes and carrying his helmet under his arm.

"Luke, someone should be along to escort you upstairs in a few minutes. There's food and drink in the kitchen if you're hungry." He turned and prodded Ben with his pike. "You stay put."

"Thank you," Luke mumbled. Ben's father was being surprisingly nice to him, seeing as he was entirely responsible for what had happened today. "Sorry about causing you all this trouble."

"I'll survive. I suppose I need a little disruption every now and then. Keeps the old reflexes on edge."

He waved at Luke and made an exit. After the doors slid closed, Ben frowned in annoyance. "Oh, sure, he forgives you," he said. "I'm going to have to grovel just to be allowed to go to the library again."

"I'm sorry," Luke said, feeling terrible. "I didn't want to drag you into this."

"Yeah, I know. It was my decision to go with you. Moaning about it just seems to help. Hey, Droid Battles is on!" He turned up the volume, and sat closer. "I love this show."

Luke didn't say anything further. He rested his head on the desk and listened while Ben laughed and cheered his way through the show. Eventually, there was a tap on the door, and Ben stood up to open it. Another guard was on the other side, and he gestured at Luke.

"Come on. Lieutenant Dorany is here for you."

"Lev!" Luke said, jumping up. He silently thanked the Force that it wasn't his father. "Ben ... um, if I don't see you ... I'll send you a message."

"Be careful," Ben said, looking concerned.

He always did worry too much, in Luke's opinion. "Goodbye."

Chapter Text

When Luke stepped out of the guard headquarters, Lev looked as pleased to see him as Luke did to see Lev.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Sure," Luke said, walking on ahead.

Lev followed. "What happened? Did some of the other students harass you?"

"Nothing like that." Luke knew the questions were expected, but he couldn't help but wish Lev would just leave it alone.

"Two days ago you were all upset at having to stay home. Now you're deliberately missing school ... I know I'm not your father, but if something is troubling you, then maybe I can help."

"Speaking of him ... where is he?" Luke asked. "Please say he's left for Mustafar."

"He's over at ISB."

"He doesn't know about this, does he?"

"Of course he knows. I told him myself. Having his son lost on Coruscant is fairly high-priority news."

"I wasn't lost," Luke said. They walked past a refresher, and it alerted Luke to a sudden need. "Wait a moment, I need to go."

As Luke passed through the doors, he wasn't surprised to see the refresher was decorated just as lavishly as every other millimeter of the palace. He didn't think anything of it, until he approached the central fountain to wash his hands.

Down below, the base of the fountain was covered in sparkling jewels. Quickly, he reached into the water and scooped up a handful of them. They felt slightly heavy, and the surface was hard. They were probably expensive.

His backpack was the only thing he had to carry them in, so he set it down and began filling it to capacity. The jewels were slightly wet, but the bag was waterproof. When it was full, he bent down to slide his arms through the straps. It certainly weighed enough. He started for the door and found himself looking at two further sources of potential credits. Glittering brightly on either side of the door were two crystal statues, identical to those he'd seen in the corridors of the guard headquarters.

They looked heavy. This was confirmed when he picked up the one on the right. He'd only be able to take one but hopefully it would be worth enough. Getting it out of here was another problem. In the end, he pulled off his outer tunic and wrapped it up in that. If he carried it in the right way, no one would be able to see that there was something inside it.

Lev seemed impatient by the time he returned to the corridor and didn't waste any time staring at him.

"Come on, let's get moving."

They took the stairs up to the ground level, and there was an anxious moment when they walked past the royal guards at the top, but they didn't react. Luke still had a funny feeling they were watching him. Maybe wondering why he appeared so nervous ... he was trying not to be nervous, but it wasn't working. But no one said anything as he passed by, and he sighed in relief.

"So," Luke said, feeling a little more convinced he might actually pull this thing off. "When is my father coming back from ISB? Later on tonight?"

"I'm not sure," Lev said, tapping away on his wrist comlink. "There's been a new development with the Spectrum case, so it could be a while."

Please let it be later, Luke thought. If his plan worked out, he could be gone within ten minutes, without having to see his father ever again. All he needed to do was pick up a few belongings from his bedroom. Taking a few extra blankets couldn't hurt, either. If he had time, he'd like to say goodbye to Artoo and Threepio as well. He glanced up at Lev, hoping he wasn't planning to stay with him. "I know my way up to my room," Luke tried. "You're busy with more important things. You don't need to come with me."

"Luke, right now, you're the most important thing I'm busy with," Lev said. "A couple of stormtroopers have been assigned to guard you. They're waiting outside your room and I need to hand you off to them."

"What?!" Luke stopped, turning to Lev in anger. "Why?"

"I don't question orders."

They were nearly at the elevator hub, and Luke quickly turned around, intending to run in the direction of the nearest exit. But it was hard to move quickly with the heavy bag and statue, and Lev easily held him back with one hand on his upper arm.

"Luke, please! Don't make this difficult."

Luke frowned, wrenching his arm away.

"What's wrong?" Lev asked, his voice full of concern.

Luke didn't reply. Lev wouldn't understand. Even worse, he'd probably tell Vader. But he couldn't just leave without saying anything ... he owed Lev more than that. He turned back, meeting his gaze.

"I don't want to talk to my father. He'll be angry. He was probably angry when he found out I wasn't at school, right?"

"Is that a trick question?" Lev asked.

"You know what I mean," Luke said. "Angri-er."

"Um ..." Lev suddenly looked nervous. "Maybe you'll have to ask him yourself."

"Why?"

Lev gestured ahead. Luke turned around, only to find the resident Dark Lord of the Sith had returned from ISB and was walking towards them.

Luke tried to turn around again, deciding that leaving now had become urgent. Lev hastily grabbed him by his backpack, though.

"Luke ... what have you got in this thing? It weighs a ton!"

Luke shifted away and rearranged his grip on the tunic-covered statue. This thing was starting to hurt his arms. He certainly wouldn't be running anywhere fast with the statue weighing him down, so maybe it was better just to ride this one out. He doubted his father would be as unobservant as Lev and the guards, though. This would take some careful words.

Lev straightened to attention as Vader approached. "Sir, I have just retrieved Luke from the guard—"

"Leave us," he said.

Lev disappeared before Luke could open his mouth to protest. He could have done with the moral support, but Vader obviously didn't agree. He stared at him silently for a moment, and Luke struggled not to flinch under his gaze.

"Come with me," he said, finally.

"I was just on my way to drop my things in my room. I'll come and talk to you afterwards," Luke mumbled, trying to sound braver than he felt. Attempted bravery had little effect on his father, though.

"You can go to your room when I say so."

He gestured for Luke to enter a newly arrived elevator. Luke hesitated, and was then given a push with an invisible force for his trouble.

"Where are we going?" Luke asked, hoping he'd say the ship hangar. There were a lot of escape routes there.

"Somewhere private. The guards do not need to hear of our personal differences."

"I'm not going if you're going to yell at me!" Luke said, reaching out to run his hand up all the floor buttons, causing them all to light up at once. The elevator came to a sudden halt and he turned sideways to slip out the gap in the door, clutching the statue tight to his chest. Unfortunately his escape lasted all of three steps before an invisible lasso had ensnared him, pulling him back. With both his hands occupied with holding the heavy statue, and his backpack weighing him down, Luke had no traction to resist. The only thing he could do was simmer with anger. He had no right to use his powers to drag him around!

"You will be fortunate if that is all I do."

The voice behind him caused a sudden chill in Luke's heart. He turned around, planning to try bolting for the stairwell, but his father stood between him and the doors, and he wasn't the kind of person you could easily edge around.

"Walk," he said, gesturing down the corridor.

Luke's anger only increased when he recognized the nearby room where his father was pointing. The dueling room.

"I'm not going in there," Luke said, desperately.

"It is only a room," Vader said, pushing him through the doors. "I am not wasting time finding another room where we will not be disturbed."

He closed the door and released Luke from the remote grip. Luke looked around desperately, feeling his heart pounding. He hated this room. None of the terrifying droids were in sight at the moment, but it didn't help his emotions, which were teetering on the verge of panic.

"What are you carrying?" Vader asked, moving towards him.

Luke was surprised. "Uh ..." he glanced down at the bundle in his arms. "Just my tunic! It was hot, so I took it off." He needed a distraction and fast. "Don't you want to know where I was today?"

"I know where you were. Roaming in the lower levels where I specifically ordered you not to go. What else are you carrying, besides your tunic?"

"Nothing!"

Luke stepped backwards, but the statue was dragged out of his arms by the same invisible powers that had taken hold of him earlier. The tunic fell to the floor, and Vader caught the statue. He held it up to inspect it, managing to support it with only one hand.

"Where did you get this?"

"Why do you care?" Luke said, angry. He needed that statue. "Give it back to me!"

"Are you trying to steal it?!"

Luke didn't reply. That appeared to be the final straw for his father, because he tossed the statue aside. It shattered on the floor with a splintering sound that hurt Luke's ears. Frightened, he tried to run for the door, but all his limbs were frozen. His father extended a hand, and he was lifted up and pinned against the wall, so they were on eye level.

For a horrible moment, Luke thought he was actually going to hit him. Instead, he felt a crushing presence in his mind. It forced him to think back ... back to the guard office. He was walking with Lev, carrying the statue ... he was walking past the guards ... he was leaving the refresher ... he was wrapping the statue in his tunic ... he was seeing it for the first time ...

"Stop it!" Luke struggled with every last piece of his mind to think of something else ... anything else. An image entered his mind, of the old man in his dreams, standing in front of a double-sunset on Tatooine. He mentally jumped on it and focused on those suns obsessively.

There was a brief struggle, and then his father released him, causing Luke to tumble back to the ground

"The senator told me you were prone to delinquency," he said, as Luke struggled back to his feet. "Is this why you went to the lower levels? To find a buyer?"

"It's not fair!" Luke heard his voice break on the words. "It's not right that there are crystal statues decorating refreshers when people down there struggle to find food and shelter!"

"I suppose you picked up these corrupt morals on Tatooine," Vader continued. "Did your aunt and uncle teach you to steal like this?"

Luke was so angry, any hope of a coherent reply died in his mouth. He ran through all the horrible words he knew that he could call Vader but none of them came close to doing him justice.

"You shut up about them!" Luke yelled, pointing at his father. "They were better people than you! You're a killer and I don't want to be your son! I hate you! When I'm near you, I feel like I'm going to die from the hate!"

"You are an ungrateful, insolent child!" Vader said, finally sounding rattled. "Do you have any concept of what I have sacrificed for you? You have all but destroyed my life from the moment I learned of your existence."

"Then why didn't you leave me alone?" Luke said, feeling hot, angry tears welling up in his eyes. "All you care about is your stupid Empire and your stupid Sith religion! You only wanted me because of my Force powers ... yeah, I know about them! I could drop dead and you wouldn't even notice! You wouldn't even tell me one single thing about my own mother! I know why. You didn't care about her, either!"

"If you say one more word about her, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life!" Vader said, looming over him.

"Leave me alone!" Luke raised his hands in fear, anticipating their fight was about to turn physical. But then they were both distracted by the sound of the doors sliding open. Artoo zoomed in, beeping and screeching in terror. When his dome spun around in their direction, he immediately fell silent, and then made a single questioning whistle.

Luke immediately rushed for the door, never feeling so grateful for a droid in his life.

It was a long time before Vader could bring himself to move. He stood silently while Artoo babbled on about detecting Luke's presence in the dueling room via the palace security system and didn't reply to his questions about what they'd been arguing about. Threepio soon appeared and insisted Artoo come with him, something Vader might have felt grateful for if he'd been capable of such an emotion at this moment.

Finally, he turned around in a single, fluid movement and walked in a straight line towards the newly secured compartment where he kept the dueling droids. The remains of the statue crunched under his boots, but he didn't bother to step around it.

He went through one, two ... five dueling droids in as many minutes. Before an hour had passed, every last droid in the room had been reduced to shrapnel, even the half-completed prototypes he'd been working on upgrading. He then occupied himself with slicing the shrapnel into smaller pieces.

Nothing helped, though. He'd received yet another deep and permanent wound. But this wasn't an injury that could be patched up with some prosthetics and a life-support suit.

His own son hated him. He said it himself, that being around him was killing him. His master had been right. He was always so maddeningly right.

It was time to admit he had failed. This whole idea of being a father had been one huge mistake, right from the start. His master had tried to warn him ... but his pride and ego had deafened him to his sound advice. It was time he tossed in the towel and made other arrangements for Luke. An assistant could locate Padmé's family on Naboo in the morning. The boy could be packed and on his way there by evening tomorrow, hopefully before his master had any other ideas about where he should live.

Luke hadn't stopped running since he'd left the dueling room, and, as a result, he arrived at the airbus terminal only to find he had no credits. There was a strong wind blowing and he was only wearing a thin shirt ... his outer tunic was still lying where it had fallen in the dueling room. He was just starting to think he was going to have to take one more ride on the back, when an elderly Nikto noticed him digging frantically in his pockets.

"Have you lost your bus fare?" she asked, smiling warmly. "I've got some spare change."

She passed him a credit note, and Luke accepted it, gratefully.

"Thank you," he said, reaching up to wipe his nose.

"Is everything okay, deary? You look upset."

"I'll be all right," Luke mumbled.

At least, he would if these jewels in his backpack turned out to be worth anything on the street. If not ... he didn't want to think about it. He had to get away from here as soon as possible. He had no doubt that Vader had many ways of finding him out here.

It was rush hour, and so there was standing room only on the airbus. Luke crushed himself into a corner and buried his head in his arms. As much as he tried not to, he couldn't help but think back on the argument.

You have all but destroyed my life from the moment I learned of your existence.

Luke shook his head, trying to shake away the memory. It still hurt, though. More than anything, that had hurt.

He looked up, seeing they were coming up to his stop. Disembarking turned into a real mission, as he had to squeeze his way past people standing in the aisles. Once he stepped out onto the landing pad, he shivered with the sudden blast of cold air. The sun was a few minutes away from disappearing over the horizon, and the twilight temperature was becoming steadily cooler.

The lower levels appeared even creepier in the semi-darkness. The crowds had thinned out, leaving discarded bottles and bags littering every corner. There was only a single lamp lighting the entire street. The only other light source came from the glowing hologame parlor sign. Several of the letters had burned out, though, turning it into an 'oogame arlor'.

As soon as he stepped through the doors, he heard excited shouts.

"Luke! Luke—over here!"

He turned and saw his friends sitting at a table with an older, tentacled man.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Luke said, grinning as he walked forward. "I thought ... I don't know what I thought, but I was worried ... and ... "

"Luke, you're babbling," Val said, pulling him down beside them.

"I brought things for you, Crix," Luke said, shifting his backpack in front of him.

"Don't worry about that now," Crix said. "Luke, this is Harl. He's agreed to take us off Coruscant."

"What happened to—?"

"Harl said he'll take us for free. Their crew is short, and they need the help."

"When do we leave?" Luke said, excited.

"Right now, if you're ready," Harl said, smiling at Luke. "Sun-Shipping docking bay 151."

Luke stood up immediately. Val smiled at him in amusement.

"Come on, what are we waiting for?" Luke said, thinking this was better than he'd ever hoped. Not only were they leaving straight away, but they'd have lots of spare credits. Maybe they could sell all these jewels at a spaceport and get enough for their own ship. He knew so much about ships, he was sure he could learn to fly one. They could fly all over the galaxy and—

"Give us half an hour," Crix said. "We need to get packed up, and then we'll meet you there."

"I have my own speeder. I can wait for you."

"It's all right," Crix said, firmly. "We can find our own way."

He stood up and pulled Luke away. Val followed behind.

"I want to leave as soon as possible," Luke said, as they emerged outside. "Why can't we go in his speeder?"

"Because I want to talk about it first," Crix said, quietly. "Did you say you had some things for me?"

Luke opened his backpack, and Crix and Val leaned forward.

"Wow! Are these from the Imperial Palace?"

Luke nodded. "Every one."

"If we could sell these, we could get enough to go with the other guy," Crix said. "The one who needs us to pay off his debt."

"Why would we do that, when we can leave with Harl right now?" Luke sighed. "Listen, I need to get away as soon as possible!"

Right on cue, a screeching noise filled the air, and an astromech droid rolled out of the crowd, skidding to a halt by Luke's feet.

"Artoo!" Luke said, baffled by the droid's presence. "How did you get down here? How did you find me?"

He beeped out a long babble of whistles and chirps and then nudged at Luke.

"I'm not going back!" Luke said. "I can't." He looked up at his friends. "If you won't come, then I'll have to go with Harl by myself."

Val was staring at Artoo in surprise. Crix just looked resigned.

"All right, Luke. But keep your eyes open. I trust the other guy ... I checked around with a few of my business acquaintances, and they all said he is honest. The fact that he's staying here and working off his debt, instead of running, says a lot. I don't know anything about Harl, or the captain of his ship. He says they're in the starship repair business, but who knows?"

"I know a lot about starship repair," Luke said. "Sounds good. And if we go with Harl, we can sell these jewels at a spaceport. Maybe we can get together enough to buy our own ship. We could be our own crew! Isn't that what you always wanted? Freedom?"

"He has a point," Val agreed.

Crix nodded. "Okay. Let's do it. And bring that droid, Luke. It looks a bit beat up but it will be worth something too."

Artoo made a rude noise in response, but he remained at Luke's side. Luke reached out to put a hand on his dome.

"It will work out," he said. "I promise."

Vader had tried withdrawing to his meditation chamber, hoping to get some much needed rest. Unfortunately, all he could do was stew over his failure with Luke, replaying their argument endlessly in his mind. Eventually, he resorted to pacing.

His anger was subsiding now, replaced with the familiar self-recrimination. Luke had stolen something, yes, but it was unfair to condemn the boy without knowing the full story. His confused talk about wealth and poverty indicated there was more to this than he knew. If they'd discussed it calmly, perhaps he could have provided some guidance. Instead, he'd lost his temper and unfairly insulted the boy's aunt and uncle.

Even worse, claiming that the boy had destroyed his life was a touch too melodramatic, even for him. Luke may be reckless and exerted a gravitational pull on trouble ... but hadn't Anakin been just the same at Luke's age?

Still, none of this changed the fact that he was incapable of being a father to Luke. The boy hated him. A fact he could well understand. Anyone would be a better parent than him.

Perhaps it was time he went and discussed the situation with Luke. Doubtless the boy would be relieved at the suggestion of him moving out. If Padmé's family weren't able to care for him, perhaps Luke would know of any relatives of Owen and Beru who might be willing to take him in. He would be better off away from Coruscant.

As soon as he left his room, he nearly bumped into a frantic Threepio, who had been about to press the door-comm.

"Oh! Lord Vader!"

"What is it, Threepio?"

"It wasn't my fault, sir! I told him not to go! But he said it was his mission. He said to tell you if he wasn't back in an hour."

"Who has gone where?" Vader said, having a horrible feeling.

"Artoo, sir. He went after Master Luke. But they haven't come back and I'm afraid they are both in danger."

Vader stretched out with the Force, seeking to locate Luke's glowing presence. It usually took a few seconds. This time, there was nothing. A vast, barren nothingness that chilled him right to the core.

Vader swiftly turned, getting a horrible premonition. He took out his comlink, and keyed in the frequency for an assistant.

"Contact security," he said, as soon as they answered. "I need to know what time Luke left the palace and by what exit."

"Yes, sir."

Vader paced up and down in front of Threepio, trying to formulate the best plan of action. If Luke had run, he could be anywhere by now. But where would he likely have gone? His friends were the obvious answer. Perhaps he had gone to the home of this 'Ben' person he'd been hearing so much about.

"Sir, is there anything I might do to help?"

Vader studied the droid, but was interrupted by his comlink before he could reply. The assistant re-appeared.

"Sir, he left via the south-west corridor exit into Fountain Square. The guards say he was heading south."

"Have two squads of stormtroopers meet me at the south exit," Vader said. "And send a message to the street patrol headquarters. Tell them my son is missing somewhere in the vicinity. He must be found."

"I will do so immediately, sir."

Hopefully immediately wasn't too late for Luke.

"Wait here, Threepio," Vader said, as he walked past the droid. "Contact me immediately if Luke or Artoo should return."

"Yes, sir."

Artoo had protested the entire journey to the docking bay. Luke had little idea what the droid was actually saying, but he could understand the general meaning.

"Relax, will you?" he said quietly. "It'll be all right."

"The ship looks pretty rundown," Crix mumbled, as they crossed the platform. "If they're really in the ship repair business, they should maintain their own better."

"Sometimes looks can be deceiving," Luke mumbled. He had to admit that it appeared to have gained its spaceworthy certificate through bribery.

As they came closer, Harl emerged at the top of the boarding ramp, and waved at them.

"Come on up. We're just going through pre-flight warm-up."

Luke took the lead, feeling excited at the thought of a trip into space. The novelty of that would never wear off. Inside, the ship didn't look much better. There were loose and frayed wires trapped between pieces of mechanical tape, bleeding out of the walls like the ship was on its deathbed. Artoo made a disgusted noise.

"Well, maybe you can do repairs while we're here," Luke said.

"Come and meet the captain," Harl said, beckoning them into a side room. Luke poked his head around the corner, and saw a human woman playing sabacc with a Toydarian, on a couple of upturned packing crates.

"These are the kids I told you about," Harl said, loudly.

The woman looked up.

"Hi," Luke mumbled. Crix and Val didn't say anything.

"Welcome aboard," she said, standing up. "Let's get underway. Yerta—you get our customs clearance ready. Harl, why don't you show our new crew members to the passenger lounge."

"Right away," he said.

Luke was curious to see the cockpit, but he didn't feel comfortable asking questions just yet. Maybe he could see it after they were in hyperspace.

"Settle down and strap yourselves in," Harl said, leading them to a room on the other side of the ship.

"Where is our first stop?" Crix asked, dumping his pack on the floor.

"I'll ask the captain for you," Harl said, smiling at them. He then reversed out and shut the door. Artoo whistled in concern.

"Come here, Artoo. There's a recharging station," Luke said, gesturing. He sat down on the seat beside it and gratefully took off his heavy backpack. "Has anyone got any food?" he asked. "I'm starving."

"Ask Harl when he comes back," Val said, already strapped into her own seat beside Crix.

Within a minute, Luke heard the rumble of the engines starting up. He leaned close to the viewport and watched as they lifted into the air. Soon, the buildings below had faded into a vast carpet of towers and crevices.

"You guys have to see this," Luke said. "We're leaving Coruscant!"

"Just tell me when we're in space," Val said, sleepily.

"Yeah," Crix said, yawning. "Tell me ... hyperspace."

"How can you guys be tired?" Luke said, pressing his face against the viewport. "Hey, there's a luxury yacht! I can almost see the passengers." Luke noticed the atmosphere was quickly thinning out. "I think we're in the exosphere now!"

"The what?" Val mumbled. "Can you be quiet for a while? I'm trying to sleep here."

"Okay," Luke mumbled. Come to think of it, he was feeling pretty tired himself. But he really wanted to see the jump into hyperspace. It couldn't be more than a few minutes away.

Artoo appeared in front of him then, beeping and whistling and rocking back and forth.

"What's wrong?" Luke said, stifling a yawn. "You should be happy for me."

He closed his eyes, resting his head against the window. Maybe a short nap wouldn't hurt. There was a funny sound in the ceiling, like an air-conditioning vent had been opened. Maybe ... maybe it was part of the flight ... operations ...

The last thing he thought about before drifting off was how strange it felt to finally be free.

Chapter Text

Vader stared at the chronometer in the ship hangar, almost unable to believe it was only midnight.

There were very few nights in his life that had seemed as long as this one. He had flown all over the entire region for six hours straight and sensed nothing. The street patrols had found nothing. It didn't help that he had no recent picture of Luke to give them as a reference. The best he could do was a low-resolution headshot from his IFS file.

There were millions of beings in Imperial City alone. Millions more in the surrounding areas. Only the Force could provide any hope of distinguishing his son from that seething mass of lifeforms. But it had failed him.

Or perhaps Luke wasn't on Coruscant at all ...

The thought was too horrifying to face. How could his young son hope to survive out there? He wasn't mature enough to eat his vegetables without being told! He hadn't even taken a comlink with him, or extra clothing. Who was going to protect him?

With sudden realization, it occurred to Vader that a short while ago, he'd been considering shipping Luke off somewhere himself. Was this a cruel irony exacted by the Force in revenge? He'd treated Luke badly right from the very start. He'd ignored him, lectured him, yelled at him ... argued with him ... he didn't deserve to be the boy's father. No wonder he had left.

An assistant approached from behind and came to attention, putting an end to Vader's moment of despair.

"Sir, I just got back from visiting Ben and his father."

"And?" Vader said, impatiently. Couldn't people get to the point faster?

"Luke isn't there. They haven't seen him since I picked him up from the guard office. Ben could not think of anywhere else Luke would likely have gone."

Vader turned around. "What about this place in the lower levels? Have you heard back from the search team?"

"They have sent in several reports of witnesses who may or may not have seen him, but nothing concrete. They will contact us as soon as they have something they can go with."

"Luke could be in trouble by then," Vader said, pacing. "He could be in danger right now!"

"Sir, the head of the local security force told me that most runaways come back within a day or so."

"Most? And what of the ones who don't?"

The man didn't reply. He didn't need to. Vader knew what happened to children who never came home. In desperation, he stretched out with the Force one more time, hoping for any sign, any clue, that Luke was out there, somewhere.

But there was nothing.

"Hello, Luke."

Luke focused on the fuzzy shape, feeling like he was trying to see through a dust-storm.

"Oh," he said, as the image came into focus. "It's you."

"Listen to me, Luke—there isn't much time."

Luke glanced around. "Where am I?"

"You are only dreaming," Obi-Wan explained. "But in reality, you are in danger. You have been abducted by people who have no regard for your safety."

"Abducted? I was with Crix and Val and ..."

"Your friends are in a similar position, I'm afraid."

"What can I do?" Luke said, nervously. "Can you help me?"

"I can only give you knowledge that will allow you to help yourself. You should know that the Emperor did not tell you the entire truth about your father."

"He didn't?"

"It is a long and complicated tale, Luke, and one I cannot share with you now. But you should know that your father was once a good person and very capable of feeling love. I, too, believed he could feel it no longer. But seeing you together has changed my mind."

"He doesn't love me," Luke said, sadly. "He said I destroyed his life."

"Don't believe everything he says in the heat of anger."

Luke looked aside for a moment.

"But ... but he's a killer!" He looked back at Obi-Wan. "He killed my mother!"

"Not in the way you think, Luke. Your mother lost the will to live. The Emperor destroyed the democracy she had spent her life fighting to preserve ... and then he twisted her husband into a shadow of his former self. She loved your father to the point where losing him was a wound too deep to survive."

"Wait ... but ... I thought she supported the Emperor? And what do you mean by twisted? Are you saying the Emperor changed my father?"

"Yes, Luke. He lured your father down a path your mother could not follow."

"I don't understand."

"One day, you will. Until then, try and accept that nothing is as simple as it appears. It is your decision whether to return, Luke, and yours alone. But make your decision based on truth, not lies."

"I've already decided," Luke said. "That's why I ran away. I don't want to see him again!"

He found himself yelling the last part at thin air. Obi-Wan had gone.

But his voice echoed in Luke's ears. "Remember this, Luke. It will help you understand. Hatred can turn someone into the object of their hate."

The last of his dream then faded away, and he was now staring at the mass of cracked plating and loose wiring that made up the interior of the ship. Artoo was resting in front of him, chirping softly.

He sat up quickly, and looked over to see if Val and Crix were still asleep. His back immediately stiffened at his swift movement, and he found his limbs felt numb and heavy. Whatever they had used to knock them out, it appeared it still hadn't worn off.

Artoo whistled a question, and Luke reached out to put his hand on his dome. "Did you plug into the ship's computer?"

The droid made a positive noise, and then whistled the question again.

"I'm all right." He unbuckled himself from the seat and slumped forward onto the deck. He could hear arguing beyond the door, and he wanted to get close enough to hear it. It could shed some light on what was going on.

After sliding himself across to the door, he pressed his ear against the gap and listened. The ship must have had very little sound-proofing, because he could make out every word.

"Our priority is to get that child off the ship as soon as possible. If Darth Vader gets one whiff of the fact that we have his son, he'll have us fed to a rancor."

It was a female voice, so Luke assumed it was the captain. The next person to speak had a voice Luke recognized as Harl's.

"This mining colony is only offering a quarter of what we could get from the Lan Sector armed resistance. And look at all these other interested parties! If we could play them off against each other, we could double, even quadruple our profits! We haven't even asked the Rebel cells what they would offer."

"What good's money if we're dead?"

"You always were a coward, Toydarian."

"Quiet, you two! I've made my decision. We give him to the miner, unless you can have another interested party intercept us before we reach Felcius."

"And what if they come with armed ships?" the Toydarian said. "They could steal the boy and we could be left with nothing!"

The captain groaned. "Harl, why don't you go check on them. They are probably due for another dose of the gas."

Luke heard footsteps, and he hastily shuffled backwards. The doors slid open, and Harl entered, still frowning at the thought of lost profits. His expression turned to surprise when he saw Luke, however.

Before Luke could attempt to move, a stun blaster was pointed at his chest.

Dawn had come and gone, and after another thorough search of the area, there was still no sign of Luke. Vader had never felt so powerless. All he could do was wait. It wasn't in his nature to wait for anything, but he didn't have a choice. There was a whole stack of reports waiting for him to read, and a list of uncompleted tasks a meter long. But he could not focus on anything to do with the Empire right now. For the first time in well over a decade, the Empire seemed insignificant.

Why was the universe so unfair? If anyone should be in danger, it should be him, not Luke. He was a lost cause, and a long, long way past the point of no return. Luke was so very innocent. He was the best thing he had ever had a hand in creating. Yet, like everything good that came his way, he had lost him through his own weakness.

"Sir?"

Vader turned around, surprised. He hadn't heard anyone enter the conference room.

"You have news?"

The assistant glanced behind him. Standing half in and half out of the doorway was Ben. At least, Vader was fairly certain that was Ben. It was a little hard to recognize him, seeing as he wasn't covered in trash water this time.

"It's all right, Ben. You can come in." The lieutenant beckoned to him in a friendly manner, but Ben shook his head and shuffled slightly further away.

"You'll have to excuse him, sir. He's a little ... shy. But I think he might have some information that could provide some clues as to Luke's location."

"Where is he?!" Vader demanded.

"I-I ... don't k-know, I s-swear," the boy said, shrinking back even further. He had now disappeared out the door, and it sounded as if he'd hit the opposite wall of the corridor.

He was shaking so much, Vader suspected he might faint if he spoke to him again. Perfect. Of all the people his son had to befriend, it had to be the most pathetic example in the 'galaxy's most cowardly' hall of fame.

"I can see you will make more progress with him alone," Vader said. He was tempted to add that the lieutenant was welcome to borrow some of his interrogation droids if needed.

"I've tried, sir, but—" The lieutenant paused, and then spoke quietly. "I don't think he's entirely convinced, in his own mind, that he's doing the right thing by telling us anything. He told me that Luke did mention he was planning to leave, but he denies knowing anything else ... but I have a strong suspicion he might know more. The two have been inseparable since they met. It seems unlikely Luke wouldn't have told him at least something. Perhaps if you could reassure him that Luke is wanted and missed."

The meaning was all too clear to Vader. Luke must have told his friend that he was unhappy here. The reason why would have been more than obvious to the boy.

"Very well," Vader said, resigning himself to the inevitable. "Bring him back in. And wait outside."

"Yes, sir."

It took a good minute for Ben to be gently coaxed back into the room. Vader would have dragged him in by his collar, had it been up to him, but the lieutenant clearly thought that would be self-defeating. He was probably right.

Once the boy was over the threshold, the doors slid closed and the two of them were alone. Vader sat down at the table, deciding that might help reduce his intimidation factor a little. Judging by the boy's wide-eyed expression, it didn't help at all.

"So," Vader said, doing his best to sound neutral. "You are Luke's friend."

The boy nodded once. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added a mumbled, "Yes, sir."

Vader had to resist the urge to sigh. Sith Lords and children simply did not mix. But he had to get through this, for Luke's sake.

"I suppose he has told you that I am the worst father in the galaxy."

Ben shrugged, looking at the carpet. "N-not exactly, s-sir."

"I will not lie to you. Everything he has said is probably right. I am a bad father—if I wasn't, Luke would be here right now."

Vader paused for a moment, wondering whether the honest approach was really the best idea. Pity it was too late to go back now.

"I can sense that he is in danger," Vader said, distantly. "But I cannot sense where. I must go to him. If you help me, I will do everything in my power to find him and bring him back safely."

"He thought that you didn't care about him," Ben said, finally sounding a little less petrified. "He told me you wouldn't even notice if he left."

"Then it is time I showed him how wrong he is," Vader said. "Agreed?"

Ben nodded, even managing a small smile. "I ... I don't know if this will help, sir. But yesterday ...I met some of his friends. Friends he met when he was at Family Services. Crix ... he's a Zabrak. Val, she's a Twi'lek. They're older than Luke ... anyhow, the three of them were planning to join the crew of a freighter."

"A freighter?" Vader said. "What kind of freighter?"

"I don't know, sir, I'm sorry," Ben said. "But the captain couldn't leave Coruscant until he'd paid off a debt to a local crime lord. That's what Val told me, anyway. I don't know if they went through with this, or ... but Crix and Val seemed like they knew a lot of people in the local community. Someone might know where they've gone."

Vader was already walking towards the door.

Luke woke up to find himself still lying in the position where he must have been hit with the stun beam. But now he'd been dragged into a much smaller storage room. Artoo was beside him, with his data interface plugged into a hidden computer port.

"Artoo?" Luke rubbed his eyes and struggled to sit up. "What's going on?"

The droid chirped and beeped, and to Luke's surprise, he saw the translation appearing on a small monitor beside the port.

I've sabotaged the ship's fuel lines. They'll be dropping out of hyperspace soon and will travel to the nearest refueling station. I have sliced in and programmed the computer to send a message to Threepio as soon as possible. He'll tell your father where we are.

"My father," Luke said, leaning back against the wall and rubbing his face. "As if he will care."

Artoo began whistling again and Luke opened his eyes to see what he was saying now.

You don't know him.

"I do know him," Luke said, frowning in confusion. "Who do you think I was arguing with when you interrupted?"

Artoo's reply made him raise his eyebrows.

Lord Vader. But you don't know Anakin Skywalker. He'll come after us.

"You knew Anakin Skywalker?" Luke said.

Yes. I was his droid. Before that, your mother's. Threepio as well, but he doesn't remember.

"Lord Vader and Anakin Skywalker are the same person," Luke said. "He just changed his name."

Chancellor Palpatine reprogrammed him and gave him a new name. But he didn't fully delete Anakin. He'll come and rescue us.

"You're not making a lot of sense, Artoo," Luke said.

Before Artoo could reply, the walls began to shake, and the droid disconnected from the computer socket.

"We're coming out of hyperspace," Luke said. "What now?"

A few moments later, the door slid open and Harl came in, followed closely by the Toydarian. He was carrying binders. Artoo rushed at them, charging fork extended, and Luke bolted for the door, shoving blindly at his captors. He made it all the way to the corridor, before finding himself facing down the captain and the barrel end of a blaster.

Artoo rushed to defend him, and the captain fired blindly, hitting the droid with a stun blast that caused blue electricity to crackle all over his dome. His screeches abruptly fell silent.

"No!" Luke said, putting up his hands. "Leave him alone!"

Harl came out of the cell and kicked the droid aside, causing Luke to cry out in protest again. But he could do nothing to resist as they pushed him face-up against a window and started tying his hands. Now he could see another ship had pulled up alongside them and was extending a docking bridge. This new ship wasn't a freighter, but a sleek fighting craft built for speed.

When the docking was complete, Harl pushed him down the hall where he was reunited with his groggy friends, who didn't seem aware of the danger they were in.

But when the docking bay doors opened, Luke forgot all about his friends and his droid. The sight of the person who had come to collect him made him wonder if he was still dreaming.

After narrowing down the search to a Zabrak and a Twi'lek, things proceeded rapidly. Before an hour had passed, ISB had made some enquiries, and he was provided with a security tape from a low-budget spaceport in the lower levels. The footage was low-resolution and without color, but there was no mistaking his son. He had boarded a ship of the name Reckless Wanderer in a tragic twist of irony.

While his assistants got to work alerting all naval commands to watch for the ship, Vader sent messages to the bounty hunter's guild and his other underworld contacts. A very large reward would be offered to anyone who could provide information leading to the capture of the Reckless Wanderer. But in the end, the location of the ship came from an unexpected source.

"Lord Vader!" Threepio said, bursting into the conference room where Vader stood studying a map of the potential destinations for the ship. He had been hoping the Force would provide some insight, but he was struggling to concentrate. "Artoo has sent a message!"

Threepio placed the comlink on the table, and it lit up with a series of characters. Vader recognized an old code he used during the Clone Wars.

"Coordinates," he said, as soon as the message finished. "Good work, Threepio. Go and update Lieutenant Dorany. I will contact the closest ship so they can move to intercept."

Threepio turned around, and then had to stand aside as the lieutenant entered the conference room.

"Sir, the Star Destroyer Nexu is waiting in orbit, as per your orders," the lieutenant said, coming to attention.

"Good. We now have the last known coordinates of the freighter. We need to locate the closest ship so they can move to intercept."

"There's one other thing, sir," the man said, becoming slightly nervous. "The Emperor wants to see you."

"So," the Emperor said, leaning back in his chair. "The boy has run off and managed to get himself abducted by a pack of criminals, and now you want to waste Imperial resources tracking him down?"

"My master, I already know of the boy's whereabouts. I can retrieve him quickly."

"Why bother?" the Emperor said, waving a hand in dismissal. "He has made his decision. I'm sure he'll make a very nice slave."

Vader refused to let the Emperor's goading affect him—this was too important, and time was of the essence.

"There are still remnants of Jedi out there. If one should find him, they could train him. He has the potential to be a very powerful Jedi. It is dangerous to leave him where our enemies could get their hands on him."

The Emperor's expression shifted slightly.

"It will not take long," Vader said, knowing he had to push further. "And I will punish the boy severely for the inconvenience he has caused."

He had no intention of doing anything of the kind, of course, but the Emperor didn't sense his deception. He was too busy feeling amused at the idea. Vader knew it was wrong to manipulate his master like that, considering all he had done for him, but what could he say? He learned by example.

"Very well, my friend. Go and hunt down your offspring."

"Thank you, Master," Vader said, bowing in gratitude.

Val and Crix had been dragged away immediately and locked in the brig on the new ship. Luke didn't have time to protest—he couldn't take his eyes off the figure in front of him, even as credits were exchanged with the captain

"You ... you should be dead!" he said, after the docking link had been released. "He said you were dead!"

The spindly figure stepped forward to grasp his arm and his robes fell open slightly as he did so. There were flashing lights on his chest, filling what looked like a lightsaber wound—prosthetics, Luke realized.

"He lied. He's a Sith Lord—that's what they do."

When the grasping claw clamped around his arm, Luke reared back in disgust.

"Don't touch me!"

His protest was ignored. Instead, he was half-dragged to the front of the ship, and his arms were pulled behind him and then bound to the co-pilot's seat. Luke kicked at the controls in frustration, but he was too short to reach.

"There's no reason to be frightened," the Jedi said, walking around to the pilot's seat. "Cooperate and you and your friends won't be harmed."

Luke felt tears well in his eyes, realizing Artoo had been left on the freighter. That droid had risked his life and been put in one dangerous situation after another, all because of him. Now he might never see him again.

"Where are we going? What will happen to my friends?"

The Jedi didn't reply immediately, as he was busy entering hyperspace coordinates. Then, he said, "Felcius. There's a mining operation there and the owner is always looking for new workers. Your friends will fit the bill nicely."

"What are you talking about?!" Luke said. "Slavery? Please, let them go! If you want to kill me, then here I am. You don't need them."

"I'm only using you as bait for your father. Once he is dead, you can decide if you'd rather be a slave or perhaps something else entirely."

"Why does everyone think my father would come and rescue me?!" Luke said. "He thinks I ruined his life."

"I can already sense he is on his way."

Luke was stunned into momentary silence at the words. His father was coming for him? Did that mean he really did care? Even just a little?

Of course he cares, Luke thought, coming to a sudden realization. He cared enough to take me to the medcentre before he even knew I was his son. He cared enough to let me go to the school I wanted ... and to give me an allowance. And to give me the best droids in the galaxy ...

Luke glanced up at the Jedi, seeing nothing but hate in his eyes. Stars, he thought, what have I done? This man had already killed his aunt and uncle. Now he wanted to add his father.

"Why are you doing this?" Luke said. "What did I ever do to you? You've murdered my aunt and uncle and now you want to kill the only family I have left."

The Jedi turned to him, and he sounded a little rattled. "Your aunt and uncle were tainted by their association with your father. And they would have died sooner or later anyway. If not by my hand, then by the Empire's. Besides, it got you off Tatooine, didn't it? Did you really want to waste your youth on that dustball planet?"

"You're a monster," Luke spat.

"Just like your father? You'll feel right at home with me, then. You poor deluded child. If you knew only a fraction of the crimes your father has committed, you would help me kill him yourself."

"I know he's killed people," Luke mumbled.

"Killed people? He's killed helpless children."

Luke was silent.

"He killed all the friends I'd ever had. He killed my master, who was like a father to me. Tell me ... if someone killed everyone who was dear to you, wouldn't you seek revenge? You may be only a boy, but even you should see the logic in that."

"You did kill my family, remember," Luke said.

This time, there was no reply.

"You killed people I loved," Luke repeated. "You hate him so much ... yet you do exactly the things you hate him for! Obi-Wan was right ... hatred has turned you into what you hate! There's no point in it ... can't you see that?"

"So you feel no disgust at what he's done?"

"Of course," Luke said, staring back at the unblinking, compound eyes. "I hate ... killing. I don't hate him—I hate the evil. There's more to him than evil ... I know. I didn't believe it before, but now I do! There's good in him!"

"Where was that good while the Jedi children were murdered?"

"I don't know," Luke said, burying his face in his hands. "There's a lot I don't understand. But I know it's there. Maybe I'm evil for saying it, but ..."

"There's no maybe about it. Like father, like son."

Vader was pacing impatiently on the deck of the Star Destroyer Nexu as it dragged the Reckless Wanderer into its docking bay. They had proceeded immediately to the coordinates sent by Artoo Detoo, and found the rundown freighter had been disabled by another Imperial ship, while it limped to the nearest refueling station on its sublight engines. Scans showed lifeforms aboard, but the Force revealed no sign of the one lifeform Vader was desperate to find. It made him want to rip the ship apart and immediately reduce its occupants to gasping, writhing insects.

It took an inhuman level of self-control to stand back and allow the stormtroopers to enter first with their weapons set to stun. These vermin were his only hope of finding his son now.

The first one dragged down the ramp was a Toydarian, followed by a Nautolan and a human woman. The stormtrooper captain came forward to report.

"Sir, scans show there were other recent occupants of this vessel. I found this." He produced a child's backpack. A faint trace of Luke's Force signature hung about it, driving Vader's anger to near breaking point. He pushed the stormtrooper aside and grabbed the Toydarian by the throat.

"Where is my son?!"

He squeezed too hard when an immediate answer wasn't forthcoming, and felt bones break under his fingers. He tossed the body aside, anger further stoked by his own frustration with his lack of control. He turned on the other two, who were both shaking and sweating.

"Which one of you is the captain?!"

They both pointed at each other, and it was all Vader could do not to ignite his lightsaber and reduce them to a kebab. He was a second away from attempting to choke the Nautolan, when a flurry of beeps and whistles sounded from the ship, followed by the sight of a droid so welcome, Vader didn't even care that he was calling out the name Anakin.

"Where is he?" Vader asked, not caring how desperate he sounded.

Felcius, Artoo beeped. Hurry, he's in danger!

Vader turned on the stormtrooper captain. "Contact the bridge and tell them to set course for Felcius immediately!"

The trooper hurried to comply. Vader was about to walk on, when he noticed the two kidnappers were attempting to edge their way behind the stormtroopers.

"And throw our guests out the airlock," Vader said, gesturing to the nearest hatch.

Chapter Text

Initial scans of Felcius indicated the planet was in a phase of turbulent seismic activity. There were no lifeforms on the surface, and only one landing pad, embedded deep into the ground. Artificial gas vents dotted the surface, suggesting a large scale industrial operation. If there was a mining colony down there, it was unregistered with the mining guild or the Empire, and therefore illegal. It could be a front for some other criminal activity. Part of him hoped it was nothing so sinister. If it was a narcotics factory, or worse, a Rebel base, his son would be in very grave danger. Especially if they knew of his importance.

He took a squadron of troopers with him, in anticipation of resistance. There was no one to greet them when they stepped out of the shuttle, and the atmosphere and ground were thick with volcanic ash. Artoo made a low whistle, extending his sensor array in search of any sign of Luke.

"The scanner detects lifeforms in this direction!" The lead stormtrooper gestured down one of the tunnels.

Vader moved forward and two stormtroopers ran ahead, brandishing their blasters. Vader also kept his own weapon handy. He didn't sense any immediate danger, but it was unlikely the residents of this place would welcome the Empire's presence.

The tunnel, which was hollowed out of a red igneous rock, was lit at periodic intervals by cheap bulbs set in natural alcoves. There was no sign of any advanced technology. A real mining operation would require some sort of stability gauge in a tunnel such as this.

A thick iron gate appeared around the next corner, blocking the tunnel completely. It was held shut only with a padlock. Vader stepped around the stormtroopers and used his lightsaber to remove it. A stormtrooper gave it a push, and it swung open with a rusty squeak.

They moved onwards, silently. The lifeforms the trooper had spoken of were causing strong ripples in Vader's sense of the Force, but he couldn't pick out Luke among them. Perhaps this was the wrong way.

"Light ahead!" The stormtroopers approached the tunnel exit slowly, but Vader was impatient. He strode past the troopers and stepped out onto a narrow balcony, overlooking a cavernous room. The stormtroopers rushed out to join him.

"By the Emperor ..." one mumbled.

Vader shared the sentiment. Down below, there must have been a hundred ... no, a thousand people, chained to the walls and chained to each other. Guard droids rolled up and down, brandishing electro-shock poles. In the far left corner, raw materials were rolling out on a conveyor belt and traveling around the production line. At the other end, the goods were packed into shipping crates and carried off by lifter droids.

"A weapons factory," the other trooper said.

"An illegal weapons factory," Vader corrected. "Operating on slave labor. Commander, call the ship—we will need reinforcements. Meanwhile, organize your men and free these slaves."

"Yes, sir."

There were no stairs or elevators, so the stormtroopers quickly began to abseil down to the factory floor using grappling hooks and cables. Vader surveyed the crowd, searching for any sign of Luke. The thought of his freeborn son being sold to work as a slave in this hellish place made him wish he'd arranged for a more painful death for the kidnapping scum.

He was about to scale the balcony and join the stormtroopers on the factory floor, when Artoo whistled to get his attention. The droid had plugged into a nearby computer terminal.

"What is it?"

I've found Luke, the droid beeped, detaching from the computer. But I can't open the door.

He led Vader back up the tunnel, until he stopped beside a security door. This one wasn't locked with a mere iron padlock, but with a computer controlled security barrier. But a lightsaber made as short work of it as it had the padlock earlier.

He found himself in another of the rocky tunnels. This one was all but totally dark, and an odd smell hung in the air. Artoo trundled along behind, making small, scared noises as the path descended steeply into the gloom. As he came around a bend, Vader suddenly felt a very familiar presence.

Luke!

Now that he had the scent, tracking down the source became second nature. The tunnel branched in several places, but the Force provided a guide to keep him on the most direct route to his son.

Finally, the tunnel began to grow lighter, and a faded orange glow highlighted the tips of the jagged rocks. Luke was very close now. He could sense it. His fingers tightened around his lightsaber hilt, and he moved cautiously. It was doubtful that Luke would be unguarded. He must be prepared to fight.

Artoo suddenly screeched in terror, and Vader whirled around. Winged, snake-like creatures dropped from the roof, coiling around the droid. As Vader moved to attack, a burst of electricity crackled over their scaled black skin, and Artoo rose up on his jets to free himself from the now limp bodies.

"Hold position here and alert me if there are any more of them," Vader said, realizing Artoo was more than a match for the creatures. "I sense Luke is close."

The tunnel exit appeared around the next bend, and Vader could see the room beyond was bathed entirely in orange light. He stepped out onto a narrow, rocky ledge, and his gaze immediately fell on a platform, hanging on chains below a hole in the ceiling. Luke was curled up in a fetal position, seemingly asleep.

For all his worry, Vader hadn't been prepared for the sheer sense of relief he felt at finally seeing his son again. The boy was alive and unharmed! But he was far from out of danger. Vader looked down and saw what was causing the room to take on an orange glow. Hundreds of meters down, glowing hot magma was bubbling in a molten sea.

A ledge extended in front of him, hovering out over the pit like an old-fashioned pirate's plank. It didn't come close to reaching the platform, though. Luke must have been lowered down through the hole in the ceiling.

Vader edged forward, getting as close to Luke as he could. The distance seemed even further from out here ... a good ten meters, at least. Luke wouldn't have a hope of jumping it, and nor would he let him risk it. He stretched out a hand, giving the boy a nudge with the Force. Luke stirred and then quickly sat up. His eyes grew wide at the sight of him and he began to shout something about a trap.

"I can see you are trapped," Vader said. "Do not worry ... I will find a way to get you to safety."

"Behind you!" Luke yelled, pointing wildly.

This time, Vader took his meaning. He whirled around, and his lightsaber clashed against a glowing green blade. He stared at his assailant, barely able to believe.

"I killed you," Vader said, pushing the sectoid back.

"So you thought. Arrogance always was the downfall of the Sith."

The Jedi attacked again, and Vader hurried to parry. He was painfully aware there was less than a meter of ground behind him, and after that, a molten pit. He had no room to maneuver, and the Jedi was closing in fast.

There was a brutal rage behind every attack, and Vader couldn't muster the energy to counter it. He hadn't so much as sat down since yesterday, and the heat in this cavern was taxing his life support. He teetered on the edge as the Jedi swung harder, and he barely managed to block. Maybe this was finally it.

"No!" Luke yelled.

His shout echoed in Vader's ears and to back it up, a rock came flying through the air from Luke's direction. It missed the Jedi by a long shot, and the Sectoid began to laugh.

"Watch me kill him, Luke! Watch me rid the galaxy of the worst traitor who ever lived!"

But Luke's shout had stirred something in Vader. If he should die, who would save Luke? He had a reason to fight ... not anger, or hatred, but ... an emotion he didn't dare name. His son needed him. He was Darth Vader—he had won a thousand duels, and he could win this.

The Jedi raised his blade, swinging it back to deliver the final blow. Vader gathered the Force, and by the time the Jedi's blade sliced through the air, Vader was already gone. He landed on the ledge which ran around the wall. The Jedi made a noise of pure anger and ran to continue the fight. Luke's attempt to assist had given Vader a new idea, however. He raised his hand and gathered every loose rock he could sense into a swarming cloud. It raced towards the Jedi like a hundred missiles.

He was too distracted with rage to see them coming. The first few smashed into the Sectoid, sending him flying into the wall. He managed to deflect the rest partially, but Vader was already on top of him, resuming the duel.

This time, it was he who had the upper hand. He forced the Jedi back, meeting and responding to every attack in kind. The Jedi began to lose ground. Vader was only just hitting his stride. Predictably, the Jedi soon made a critical mistake and left his left flank wide open. He twisted out of the way, avoiding death but losing the appendage holding his blade.

Extending his hand, Vader gathered the Force and pushed the Jedi over the edge. This time, he made sure to watch his descent. He only fell a few meters, before he managed to cling to the side. Losing one appendage wasn't much of a disadvantage, when you had six to start with.

A sudden shout from Luke attracted Vader's attention. More of the flying creatures were streaming out of the hole in the roof. One rushed towards Vader, and he raised his blade in defense. It hastily halted its lunge, and hovered for a few seconds, hissing at Vader, before turning back to attack the platform

Vader raised a hand to push them away from his son and then retrieved the Jedi's lightsaber from his severed arm.

"Luke! They are frightened of the blades ... use it to defend yourself!"

He tossed the hilt and it clattered onto the platform. Luke crawled towards it, causing the platform to creak and swing. Above him, the creatures circled, momentarily discouraged by his display with the Force. It wouldn't last.

"I thought you said ... no more lightsabers." Luke grinned, weakly.

"Consider this your one exception," Vader said, amazed his son could still find something to joke about.

A wave of pride filled Vader as the boy picked up the blade with both hands, just as he had shown him. The green blade burned brightly across his face, and he jumped into the air, swinging wildly at the circling creatures. The blade managed to nick one in the tail, and it hissed in anger, and then disappeared back into the hole above.

Vader was just gathering the Force to assist, when the Jedi landed back on the ledge beside him, throwing himself back into the duel with a second lightsaber. His attacks were wild and irrational now. The only thing saving him was Vader's distraction with the vile creatures swarming around Luke.

Despite his youth, Luke appeared to be holding his own for the moment. Vader returned his focus to the duel. The Jedi was tiring now, having drained his energy on his wild attacks. He lunged at Vader, and then fell to his knees as Vader stepped back to avoid his blade.

Vader quickly brought his lightsaber around, but its deadly path was halted by the sound of an agonized cry from Luke. His son fell back, blood seeping from his torn sleeve.

"Their fangs are poisonous, Vader," the Jedi said, leaping back to his feet. "Your son is dead now!"

"No!"

"Kill him!" the Jedi shouted to the creatures. "And feast!"

Vader channeled his anger and used the Force to send three of the monsters plunging into the magma below. Then he swiped at the Sectoid, and this time, his blade found its mark. The Jedi fell back, and his lightsaber clattered at Vader's feet.

"Make sure you stay dead, this time," Vader said, raising his blade to finish the job.

An ominous rumble sounded above, and the Force alerted Vader to sudden danger.

"I'm taking you with me, Vader."

The rocks missed Vader and they missed the Jedi. Instead, they tumbled on the far end of the ledge, shattering on impact. There was another loud rumble, and Vader looked down to see the rock under him was disintegrating before his eyes.

He jumped back, just as a whole segment of it fell away. It was too late for the Jedi, however, and Vader leaned forward to watch as it tumbled down, crumbling into smaller pieces as it fell. The Jedi scrambled to try and get a hold on the wall, but to no success. He and the rocks hit the magma and dissolved in a cloud of steam.

Vader didn't have time to celebrate. Two of the creatures were still circling around the wildly swinging platform. Luke was on his knees, holding the blade loosely in one hand while cradling his wound. Vader moved as close to the edge of the rock as he could manage and threw his blade in a circular arc. Pieces of tails and wings tumbled into the pit below, and Vader caught his lightsaber and deactivated the blade.

"That's all of them," Vader said, looking back at his son. "Come on, I must get you to a medic immediately."

"Maybe you haven't noticed," Luke said, deactivating the lightsaber and letting it drop. "But I'm not going anywhere." He hunched forward, cradling his wounded arm. "That murderer lowered me down here, and I don't see those flying monsters offering to help."

His words were followed by a deep rumble from above, and the room began to shake. The platform swung in a wide circle, and Luke held on for his life. Rocks tumbled from the ceiling until the shaking subsided. Vader realized the Jedi's foolish attempt to kill them both had disrupted the structural integrity of the cave.

"I will drag you over using the Force," Vader said, extending a hand. "Hurry, we have little time!"

Luke instantly wrapped his good arm around one of the chains holding his prison aloft.

"No way! Not a chance! What if you drop me halfway over?"

"I won't. Now let go and come closer to me. We have no time for arguments!"

Luke didn't budge.

"I do not believe this," Vader said, angry. "This entire cavern is about to collapse, your arm has been bitten by poisonous fangs, and you are being rebellious and stubborn!"

"I wasn't bitten," Luke said. "I was only cut by the tail spines."

"The tail spines could still be poisonous."

"I don't care!"

Vader made a noise of frustration, wondering how in the galaxy he had managed to breed such a stubborn young man. Yelling at him wasn't going to get them anywhere, that was clear. He had to try another approach.

"Luke," he said, trying to sound calm. "I know you are frightened. But you have to trust me. I cannot do this if you are fighting me."

"Fighting you?" Luke said, incredulous. "You are the one who starts all the arguments!"

"What? I have never started a—"

"I don't even know why you're here," Luke said. "I destroyed your life, remember?"

Vader sighed at the words. Why did his past always come back to haunt him?

"Perhaps I need some destruction in my life," Vader suggested. "Luke, I realize I have treated you badly. I promise you, I will do better. But we don't have time to discuss the specifics!"

"You mean you'll tell me about my mother?" Luke said.

"Anything, now let go and come here!"

"Then how did you meet?" Luke said. "What was she like?"

"This can wait until we are back on the ship."

"No, it can't," Luke said. "You'll change your mind!"

"This is blackmail!"

"No! This is your desperate son who wants to understand you!" Luke yelled. "And I can't unless you tell me why you hate her!"

"Hate?!" Vader said, angry. "I loved ... no, I worshipped her."

"Then why won't you talk about her?" Luke said. "I so much as mention her and you act like I've insulted you! Why did the Emperor tell me you killed her?"

"You do not understand ... you are too young to understand. The mere memory of her is a wound like no other."

"I understand if you miss her," Luke said. "I miss my aunt and uncle. But I cherish my memories of them! They're all I have! But I have no memories of my mother ... please, you'll only have to tell me once."

Vader met his son's pleading gaze, knowing it was the right thing to do. He was as much her son as he was his, and he was to blame for this gap in Luke's life. If they should die here, at least he would die with this off his chest.

"Very well."

Luke grinned. "I'm listening."

Vader turned away, bracing himself for the pain that would soon follow.

"We first met on Tatooine. I was a child ... younger than you."

Vader paused. He had tried so hard to bury these memories. It wasn't easy to find them again. But he persisted, sharing every special moment, every time he had been speechless in awe of her self-assurance and determination. Every time he had been overwhelmed with her kindness and bravery. Being reunited with her after ten years apart, and falling so desperately, so completely in love, their marriage on Naboo was the inevitable result. Three years of stolen moments together as the Clone Wars raged around them. Then the moment she had revealed there was going to be an additional member of their family.

Vader trailed off, unsure how to proceed. He had already done so much damage with thoughtless remarks. He didn't want to suggest Luke's existence had in any way led to Padmé's tragic fate.

Luke was silent for a moment, taking it in.

"So … you were upset because you didn't want children?" he prompted, causing Vader to release a weary breath.

"No, Luke. I was overwhelmed with joy at the thought of being a father. But your existence meant I now had two of you to protect. And the galaxy was in chaos … everything around us was changing and no one could be trusted. I feared for your mother's safety. I needed more power. A new knowledge of the Force, which the Emperor offered to teach me." He breathed for a few cycles, and then said, "It required sacrifices."

"Like what?" Luke said, sounding confused.

"The Jedi were powerful. They had turned against the Republic and attempted to take over. My former friend and mentor, Obi-Wan, sided with the traitors and made himself my enemy. He sought to turn your mother against me."

After he was silent again, Luke prompted, "Did she?"

"I … I believed that to be so. I was mistaken."

"So … you argued with her?"

"Luke, I ... I do not wish to burden you with my failures."

"You mean you really did kill her?" Luke said, gaping. "How could you hurt someone you say you loved?"

"I don't know! These powers were new to me and difficult to control. We … disagreed about their necessity. When Obi-Wan showed himself, I thought your mother had betrayed me and led him there to kill me. I lost my temper! I was so angry, I could not control myself. I ... I reached out with the Force and squeezed her throat."

His son merely stared at him.

"Luke, I am sorry," Vader said, desperately. "Not a day hasn't gone by that I have not felt regret ... it haunts me. I would give anything to undo it ... I would give my life if only it were possible."

"You choked her to death?"

"No, I … my intention was only to hurt. She fainted. I could still sense she was alive. Obi-Wan also made sure she was all right. Then I fought with Obi-Wan and he wounded me. While I lay dying, he stole her away. When the surgery was finished—" Vader gestured towards his life support systems, "—the Emperor told me I had killed her. I believed it was true. I thought I had killed the person I loved enough to sacrifice everything I knew for ... and you along with her! I cannot describe the pain I have lived with. Yet I deserve more." He hesitated, seeing an unwelcome softening in Luke's expression. "And I do not deserve your understanding."

"But you didn't kill us," Luke said. "I'm here. So she must have lived for hours after that! And she lived long enough to give me my name … can't you see? The Emperor told you lies! Just like he lied to me."

"She would be alive now had I been with her ... I was supposed to save her. But because of my weakness, your mother is only a memory."

"Am I like her at all?" Luke asked, eventually.

"She was stubborn like you," Vader said. "I gave up even trying to argue once she'd made up her mind."

"Thanks," Luke said, frowning. He paused, looking wistful. "I wish I'd known her."

"So do I. She would have been a far better parent to you than I could ever be."

"You're not so bad," Luke said. "You cared enough to come here and get me back. Even after I said I hated you."

"Of course I came to get you back." The shaking had stopped, leaving a convenient silence.

"Luke ... I understand that the things I have done are unforgivable. I am not asking you to give me a second chance—it is too late for me. But I am asking you to trust me—one last time. Once we are safe, we will work together to find you a home where you will be happy."

"I want to stay with you. I can forgive you. I don't understand everything you've said about the Force stuff, but I understand the rest. You loved my mother and wanted to protect her, but instead you made bad mistakes, lashed out in anger, and ruined everything without meaning to. And it sounds like the people who should have been helping you didn't do you any favours either."

Vader was reduced to silence.

"It wouldn't be right to reject you for that because I've made bad mistakes too," Luke said, and Vader saw tears were beginning to run down his cheeks. "I caused the deaths of people I loved."

"What do you mean?"

"Seeing as we're confessing ... you might as well know what happened. The night ... the night he came to the farm—" Luke gestured down towards the bubbling magma. "—I was hiding. I could have stopped him from killing Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, but instead I ran away, saving myself and leaving them to ..."

"What?! Luke—"

"Oh, just go away!" Luke said, turning his face away. "I'm useless! Speaking of bad mistakes, I wouldn't even be here if I wasn't so stupid as to get on a ship with total strangers. You've told me what I wanted to know, so go on and leave."

"No! I am not leaving you here. Now, listen to me, young one. If you could have done anything to save your guardians, you would have. The only useless thing in this cavern is the idea of holding yourself responsible for their deaths."

"You weren't even there," Luke mumbled, sounding subdued.

"That is irrelevant. We may have only known each other for a short while, but I do know you. Owen and Beru would not want you to blame yourself for their deaths."

"I ... I guess not," Luke admitted. He paused for a moment, and then said. "Would my mother want you to blame yourself for hers? You just told me you'd have done anything to save her."

"Your mother was too forgiving. Like someone else I know."

Luke smiled and wiped away the tears in his eyes.

"Do you remember when I first told you about our relationship?" Vader asked.

Luke nodded. "At the medcenter."

"You were willing to give me a chance, despite what you knew of me. Yet I squandered that chance. I took your acceptance for granted, for that I am sorry."

"It wasn't all your fault," Luke said, his grip on the chain loosening. "I didn't make things easy for you. Playing with a lightsaber and getting into the trash compactor just seemed like good ideas at the time. I know that stealing things is wrong, but my friends needed the money to get off the planet. I won't even try and explain how I ended up in this mess."

Vader waved a hand in dismissal. "You do not have to. You are my son—that explains everything."

"You mean—" Luke released the chain, and waved his hands around. "This is the result of some Skywalker gene?"

"Why else would I be here too? Any normal family would have sorted this out before it came down to life and death."

"I guess we do things the hard way," Luke agreed.

As if supporting his words, a stream of lava exploded below, and there was another mild earthquake. Luke met Vader's gaze and became serious.

"You really think you can do this?"

Vader nodded. "I have no doubt. The only question is whether or not you are ready to come with me."

Luke appeared to think for a moment, and then finally crawled over to the edge. He hugged his knees and closed his eyes tight.

"Just make it quick," he said, nervously.

"Very well," Vader said, gathering the Force. "Relax. And don't look down."

Luke complied, and Vader stretched out to join himself to Luke's mind. He felt his fear and also felt his joy about finally knowing about his mother. The bond between them began to strengthen and grow of its own accord. Through it, Vader helped Luke focus on his joy, while he channeled Luke's fear into the Force. It generated more than enough energy to help him levitate across.

In a few seconds, it was all over.

Epilogue

After a happy reunion between Luke and Artoo, it was a quiet journey back to the Star Destroyer in orbit. A medical droid had patched Luke up in the shuttle, but his father had insisted on taking him to the medical center as soon as they'd docked in the Nexu. Luke had wanted to see the bridge, but his father had said the medical center had many more attractions. That was far from the truth, but Luke had dozed off despite himself, while a protective astromech stood guard.

He woke up an hour later, and found Artoo was powered down and plugged into the charging station. Seeing as there were no other guards, medics or overly worried fathers in sight, Luke jumped out of bed and headed for the exit. He had something more important to do than sit around and rest. Besides, he was on a Star Destroyer! No one in their right mind could lie around and sleep while on board the greatest ship in the galaxy.

After following directions from several friendly officers, Luke found his way to the hangar bay, where hundreds of civilian people were camped out on the deck or gathered in corners. Through the giant docking port, he could see a blue and white planet far below. Shuttles were landing and filling quickly.

Luke began to wander among the crowds, hoping the two people he'd come to say goodbye to hadn't left already. There were still plenty of passengers waiting, with stormtroopers wandering among them keeping things under control. Luke happened to glance at the right spot, and he smiled in recognition. Crix was stretched out asleep on a mattress, and Val sat beside him, reading an Imperial news flimsi.

He hung back for a moment, a little unsure. Maybe they wouldn't want to talk to him, after what happened.

But Val soon looked up, and she immediately broke into a grin.

"Luke!"

He came forward, and bent down to hug her.

"Crix, wake up!" she said, hitting his leg.

"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes, and sat up. "What's happening? Is it time to leave yet?"

"No, Luke's here!"

"Luke?!"

"Hi," Luke said. "Are you guys okay?" He looked around. "Who are all these people?"

"They're the passengers from that missing Alderaan ship, the Spectrum," Val said. "The ship was hijacked and they were all taken to that factory as slaves."

"Yeah, and we met this couple when we were there," Crix said, standing up. He gestured to an older man and woman who were helping a young man with his baby.

"They volunteer at a home for teenagers on Alderaan," Val said. "And they said we could stay there, at least until we figured out what we want to do next."

"They said it wasn't like IFS at all," Crix said. "There's no stormtroopers for one thing. And you can go to school, and go to the park, and whatever you want. You should come with us."

Luke looked down for a moment, and then said, "I'm going back to Coruscant with my father. He's here."

"Really?" Val said, looking concerned. "Did you manage to work things out with him?"

Luke nodded. "We have a lot of things we still need to talk about ... but I have a feeling we're going to make it work. Listen, I'm sorry about what happened. I should have listened to what you said about Harl."

"Maybe it was meant to happen this way," Val said. "The Empire would never have found the Spectrum passengers if you hadn't been kidnapped. They say the Force works in mysterious ways."

"Maybe," Luke said, grinning. He'd have to ask his father about that one. He glanced up, and saw the man in question had just stepped onto the upper viewing area, and he was scanning the crowds below like he was looking for someone. The smile quickly faded from his face.

"And I think I better go," he said. "I'm supposed to be in the medical center."

"Goodbye, Luke," Crix said. "Maybe we'll meet again sometime."

"You can count on it," Luke said. He smiled at them one more time, and then ran off towards the elevators.

It was after midnight, Coruscant time, when the Nexu finally arrived in system. Vader had taken Artoo and Luke back to the palace immediately, knowing the boy was more than ready to sleep. Getting him to rest on the Star Destroyer had bordered on impossible.

Predictably, the Emperor wanted to see him as soon as he arrived, so he left Luke in his bedroom and saw to Imperial business. When he handed his master the lightsaber of the fallen Jedi, all questions about Luke were thankfully avoided.

When he returned, he couldn't resist checking on his son. He really should withdraw to his meditation chamber and recuperate, but seeing the boy was finally safe would give him peace of mind.

The doors slid open quietly. Inside, Luke was stretched out flat on his back, with one arm sticking out over the side. All his blankets were lying on the floor in a heap. The bedside light was still glowing brightly.

Vader let out a weary breath and came forward to remedy the situation. As he gently pulled a blanket over his sleeping son, he noticed there was a hologram glowing beside the pillow. The same image of Padmé he'd tried to show him before.

For a moment, he found himself wondering what it might have been like, had Padmé lived and his duel with Obi-Wan had never occurred. They could have raised their son together on Naboo. Padmé would have adored Luke.

Luke stirred slightly, and Vader backed away, thinking his breathing might be disturbing the boy. He was too late, though, as Luke opened his eyes and sat up slightly.

"Obi-Wan?"

"What?" Vader said, surprised.

"Oh ... sorry. Thought I was dreaming."

"You dream about Obi-Wan?"

"Uh ..." Luke rubbed his eyes. "Is something wrong? You've never been in my room before."

"No," Vader said, adjusting Luke's blanket. "I apologize for waking you. Go on back to sleep."

Luke watched as he straightened the blankets, staring up at him with a slightly disbelieving expression.

"Are you tucking me in?" he asked, eventually.

"Your bedding was among the mess on the floor," Vader explained. "I had to rescue it before it was lost forever."

Luke grinned and rolled his eyes.

"When I was your age, our rooms had to be neat and tidy," Vader added.

Now Luke brought his hand up to stifle a laugh.

"Is something amusing?" Vader asked.

"It's you. You're acting like ... like ..." Luke shook his head. "A parent. Is this something I should get used to?"

Vader sat down on the side of the bed. "If you are willing to."

"Of course," Luke said. "As long as you are. I don't think I'm going to stop getting into sticky situations anytime soon."

"I will still have to see to the needs of the Empire," Vader agreed. "That means I cannot be here for you as much as you need. But we will find a way to make this work. After all, as someone once told me ... we belong together."

Luke grinned. "Who was that?"

"Someone who should go to sleep." Vader raised a hand towards the light and used the Force to switch it off.

"I wish I could do that," Luke mumbled, snuggling down. "I didn't turn it off because I was too tired to reach for it."

"Perhaps I will teach you one day."

"And you'll teach me to fly, right?"

"I will be across the hall if you need anything," Vader said, deciding to make an exit before he made a promise he'd later regret.

"Goodnight, Father."

Vader was surprised into momentary silence. He'd never heard Luke address him like that before. It felt ... right, somehow.

He hesitated for a moment, and then resumed his departure. As he passed through the doors, he looked back one last time.

"Goodnight, Son."

Continued in Force Bond 3: Son