Challenge Rules : Vader, MIA Vader is missing in action. It's up to Luke to find him. Your story can be set in any time period, and Luke's motives for going after Vader can be anything from revenge to concern. The goal with this challenge is to come up with a creative, yet believable, explanation for Vader's disappearance.
Many thanks also to the great folks on the Luke/Vader Yahoo group especially Carrie and Gwen who are so kind to proofread my story.
Author's Note : This is not exactly part of the challenge, it is more derived from the MIA Challenge.
Missing in Action or not?
by Iejasu
(iejasuarcor.de)
Star Wars etc. belongs to George Lucas. I don't earn anything by this and it's just for fun. I put everything back into the shelf like a good girl when I am ready :)
Chapter I – Just a scrap of paper
Dear Mr. Lars,
Reference is made to the previous communications from this office in which you were informed that your half brother, Commander Anakin Skywalker, JP 987909876 , became missing in action on GSD. 329,6. A corrected report has been received that he became missing in action on Mustafar. The report contained no other information.
May I again extend my sympathy during this period of uncertainty.
Sincerely yours,
Gareth Lionder
Adjutant General
Republican Forces
Luke stared on the scrap of paper that at one time had been roughly shoved into that panel, obviously as a cheap insulation. Now that the panel was removed in order to be repaired, it had fallen out.
It was standard paper, yellowish, crumpled and thorn at the edges. The little boy carefully flatted the letter on the calf of his leg, careful not to damage it any further.
That was a letter about his father! Why had Uncle Owen used it for insulation like any old garbage? Had his dad meant so little to him?
Luke tried to remember how the old Galactic Standard Dates were converted into their normal Dates. 329.9 meant...that letter was nine years old! Just as old as he was! He hid the letter in his shirt and ran to his room. His calculator was lying on the table and he quickly punched in the date and converted it ... it dated back just 3 days before Luke had been born!
Again he took out the letter, flattening it again on the top of his desk, taking in every single letter. Commander Anakin Skywalker? But Uncle Owen always said that his father had been a navigator on a spice freighter, not a Commander of the ... Republican Army. His head began to spin. Uncle Owen had lied to him; Aunt Beru had lied to him as well? Was his dad alive? Missing in Action? He had seen a movie on the holonet, missing in action meant that he could be alive, held somewhere as a prisoner, forgotten! His dad was forgotten?! Even his uncle wanted to forget about him? This was so mean! Luke stared at the letter and became angry. This was so mean! Uncle Owen was always so mean! He never wanted to talk about his dad. Only when Luke did something wrong, uncle Owen yelled at him "Just like your father!" Especially when weird things happened like the time Luke became angry and suddenly the table began to rattle. Uncle Owen had shaken him so badly his neck and head had been hurting for the whole day. Aunt Beru was not so bad, she had tried to calm Uncle Owen saying it was just a little earthquake.
Luke looked down at the letter. Mustafar. Maybe he could do some research on the computers in school tomorrow.
Uncle Owen glanced with a mix of skepticism and annoyance when Luke arrived unusual energetic and early next morning at the speeder to be driven to Anchorhead. He always suspected trouble when Luke was agitated but this time it was even more disquieting.
"Luke, you are not going to cause any trouble! Is that understood?"
The sound of his voice made Luke wince a little. He knew that Uncle Owen was strict and quick with the belt. "No, uncle. I won't do anything bad. I promise!"
Owen sighed. The boy was so difficult. Sometimes he wished that this creepy old wizard had never given him the boy. It was not as if they were real blood relatives. And the Empire was constantly searching for "strange occurrences". A neighbor on the other side of Dune Sea had been in prison for a lousy parlor trick he did on his kids party, with transparent strings and such. His children had told other kids in school that their dad could make things fly. That had been enough to bring a bunch of Stormtroopers to his farm. When Sheldon finally came back, he was changed. And the limp certainly did not help either. If someone found out his boy could actually do real tricks, their life was forfeit. He sighed again. Why was Beru unable to conceive children? Her longing for a child had led to this situation. One glance at the baby and her hormones were triggered. That damn wizard had counted on that. Maternal instincts. Even Owen did not dare to argue with those.
And now they had a "time bomb" under their roof. A strict hand and punishments would hopefully take care of that problem. He firmly wanted to believe that a good bit of beating would cure the boy eventually even if Beru disapproved. He was the protector of this family. It was his duty and it was her fault that they had to feed a "freak" that endangered them all.
The public school in Anchorhead was a small, neglected building on the outskirts. Most farmers within reasonable distance sent their children to this school. There were actually only two classrooms, and the equipment was old. Mostly gifts from small companies, discarded computers barely fit as text processors, old chairs and tables. Parents with more money would never consider this barrack a school and sent their children on private schools off world.
Well, Luke would become a farmer that was the safest path, and apart from basic reading, writing and mathematics there was nothing he would need when he grew up.
School was boring, as always. Luke looked out of the window into the endless sands. The few speeders that past their school building where dusty and worn. He had seen pictures of other worlds, green worlds with trees and lots of water. Water as much as one wanted, water even to take baths, not just these sonic showers everybody used on Tatooine.
During the break Luke tried to access the library though his desktop computer. It took quite a while because this crappy machine was incredibly slow and some keys were not working properly, you had to punch them several times until they accepted the input. Mustafar. Was there a world called Mustafar? And then it slowly appeared on his screen. He fidgeted anxiously. A picture of a red and black world came up, looking even more unpleasant than Tatooine.
Luke read the text below with a dry throat and a fast beating heart:
Mustafar is a volcanic planet in the Outer Rim. The planet is covered by hundreds of volcanic calderas, most of which are in a state of constant eruption. The volcanic activity is caused by gravitational stresses on the planet created by the two gas giants that affect its orbit. An automated energy and mineral collection facility on the planet is used by the Empire as mining colony and detention center for criminals.
A detention center for criminals? His dad had been a Commander of the Republican Army. The Empire had defeated the Republic; he had listened to the conversations of the adults. Especially when Uncle Owens friends came along each Natunda for a "friendly game of sabacc". Would a "Commander of the Republican Army" be a "criminal"? Yes! Luke was sure his dad was there! He was in prison and waited for him! He had to go to Mustafar. He had to save his dad!
