Summary: This is an AU of "A New Hope" and the Original Trilogy where Luke Skywalker is discovered at the beginning when he returns to the farm after discovering the stormtroopers killed the Jawas that sold him and his Uncle Owen the droids. He returns to the homestead only to find his aunt and uncle dead and that is when the stormtroopers find him. He is detained by the stormtroopers and brought in for questioning onboard the ISD Devastator when he is questioned and his identity is discovered. Lord Darth Vader claims his son as such bringing his son to live with him on Coruscant- the Imperial Center.

This AU will mostly follow the lives of Luke Skywalker- the Imperial Prince, Lord Darth Vader- the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Armed Forces and the Second-in-Command of the Galactic Empire as well as the life of the Emperor. There'll be many aspects of this story too from the Imperial Court, Imperial Military hierarchy and the challenges of living in the upper echelon of Imperial society like dealing with the galactic and palace politics of the Imperial Palace.

This is a Dark Luke story. Luke will be a Sith, like his father before him and the galaxy won't be ready for what hits them.

Disclaimer: I'm not George Lucas nor Disney, so I obviously don't own Star Wars (insert sad face here). The characters and everything else obviously belong to them. The only thing I claim are any original characters and my alternate universe, in a galaxy that is still far far away...

Children of the Empire: Chapter 1

Lars Moisture Farm
Great Chott Salt Flat Region, Tatooine

"Freeze!"

Luke spun around quickly at the modulated voice only to find himself surrounded by a squad of white armored stormtroopers with their E-11 blaster rifles aimed at him. He raised his hands, knowing he can't kill them all and not wanting to die just yet.

"Keep your hands up, reach for your blaster and we will shoot." Captain Mod Terrik of the Mos Eisley Garrison ordered, keeping his blaster rifle aimed at the possible Rebel. Motioning to a couple of his men, they lowered their weapons and walked up to the boy taking his blaster out of his holster and unclipping a cylindrical object from his duty belt then quickly patted him down for any more weapons.

"Captain," Trooper Davin Felth said handing the silver cylindrical object over to his commander. "It looks like a lightsaber."

Captain Terrik took it into his hand and gave it a once over. He never saw a lightsaber up close, he just remembers seeing them from when he was a kid during the clone wars and it definitely looked like one. "Where'd you get this?" He asked, his voice as harsh as it could sound as he peered down at Luke.

Luke kept his hands raised and looked around, thinking of an answer without telling them about the droids or Ben. "I... found it, I was drivin' my speeder when I found it in the sand." It wasn't a very good lie but he didn't have any time to think one up.

"Right," Captain Terrik replied, not believing a word. "Cuff him, I'll let Commander Praji know and he can take him from there." He watched as Davin, walked back up to the boy and removed a pair of wrist binders from his duty belt and binded the boy's wrists in front of him while he switched frequencies on his comlink to pass the information along to Commander Praji to see what he wants to do with the boy.

After a moment of waiting, he got through and passed the information along. Commander Praji was on his way to take custody of the boy and he was to continue his search for the droids afterwards. If the boy knows where they are, he'll tell them in interrogation, but it couldn't hurt to see if the boy wanted to cooperate now.

"A shuttle is on the way," the Captain said, notifying his squad. "The boy is to be transferred to the 501st and we're to continue our search for the droids," he turned his attention to Luke, "unless you have anything you wish to share with us?"

Luke shook his head, having absolutely nothing to say about the matter.

"Didn't think so," the Captain replied before smiling like a gundark under his mask. "Don't worry, we'll find them one way... or the other. If you don't tell us where they are, the interrogators will surely get the information out of you."

"Sounds pleasant," Luke replied, indifferently. "Better than staying around here, I guess."

Terrik shook his head, turning his attention away from the Rim farmer dressed in his sand-stained white farmer clothes that are common around this area of the planet. Wearing dark colors or more than one layer isn't a very smart thing to do on worlds like these and if it wasn't for the cooling recirculators built into his suit he'd be dead by now due to dehydration being encased in the white armor as he was.

"Sure better than this waste-bucket of a planet," Terrik quietly agreed. "What's your name?" He asked, turning back around to face the boy, or young man. It was hard to tell which due to his size.

"Luke," Luke said, figuring them knowing his name wouldn't hurt. "Luke Skywalker."

The Captain's eyes opened wide, everyone knows that name and they also know the man that was once associated with it. It was no secret that Lord Darth Vader was once the Jedi Knight known as Anakin Skywalker before he renounced his ties to the traitorous magicians who tried to assassinate the then Supreme Chancellor to take over the Republic for themselves. They could've succeeded too if it wasn't for Lord Vader who arrived just in time to slay the four Jedi Masters saving the then Chancellor's life. Another attempt was made on his life after that when Lord Vader was chasing down the Separatist Leadership, Grand Master Yoda of the now-extinct Jedi Order tried to assassinate him but failed being killed by the clones who fired on him causing him to fall several hundred feet to his death.

His body was never found but he is still believed to be dead.

"Skywalker, you say?" Terrik asked, unsure of what else to say. He was still shocked by that revelation, all the while wondering if it's possible that this... kid, was related to the Dark Lord? "Why were you living here?" He decided to ask.

Luke shrugged, wishing he knew the answer himself. Unfortunately all he knew was what Uncle Owen said and then what Ben said, but he couldn't tell them about Ben or what he told them about his father. If they knew his father was a Jedi, they'd kill him too. "Wish I knew, my mother and father are dead and I was sent to live with my aunt and uncle here," he gave the Captain a hard look, "of course now, I am homeless and probably going to join them in death. So, it doesn't really matter now. Does it?"

Terrik was inclined to agree, but if his gut was right then he wouldn't be killed. If he is somehow related to Lord Vader, he highly doubts anything like that would happen to him. If it is just a coincidence, then anything can happen. Still, he did have a lightsaber. And he's a Skywalker, that is too much to be a mere coincidence.

"Perhaps," the Captain said, thankful for the chin-mounted vocoder that disguises his voice or they boy may have heard the turmoil in his voice. "Perhaps not," he continued, "do you happen to know what your parents names were?" If he confirmed his suspicions, maybe he'd be able to get off this rock and maybe even get to join the 501st.

"I don't know my mother's name, I don't even think my Uncle Owen or Aunt Beru knew her," Luke answered with a shrug, it was something he always wondered but it was like everyone was in on a conspiracy to keep him from learning the truth about his parents. "My father's name was Anakin Skywalker he was a J-" he almost said Jedi, but caught himself adding in a cough to try and cover up his slip up, "-navigator on a spice freighter."

"Navigator on a spice freighter," my ass, the Captain mentally added. He didn't cover up his slip up fast enough, not to mention the fact that he has a lightsaber and the name is exactly what he thought it'd be. This is definitely no coincidence. "Right."

Luke shrugged, not confirming or denying anything. Though he knew he wasn't fast enough on covering up his mistake. Hearing the sound of engines approaching from overhead, Luke turned to see a shuttle approaching in the distance. It was a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle, it kind of looked like his T-16. The ship was tri-wing, the wings folded upwards as the shuttle landed, kicking up a large cloud of sand along with it.

"If I were you Luke," Terrik said, trying to give him some friendly advice. "Be honest with them, we're not the bad guys but those droids contain classified information that Lord Darth Vader himself is searching for. If you do know where they are, they will get it out of you. It would be in your best interest to cooperate."

The landing ramp hissed, then lowered to the sandy ground but Luke wasn't watching as he had his hands over his eyes to keep the sand out. He was stuck in sandstorms before and although there may not have been that much sand in this cloud compared to an actual sandstorm, there was still enough to get stuck in his eyes and he'd rather that not happen.

"Commander Praji," Captain Terrik said. "This is the prisoner, Luke Skywalker," he saw the expression on the Commander's face match his own when he discovered his identity. "He had a blaster on him, along with this." He finished, handing the black uniformed Stormtrooper Commander the silver cylindrical lightsaber.

"Skywalker?" Praji asked, knowing the name well considering he was just talking to one before coming down here. "Well, we have it from here Captain, continue with your search." Praji ordered, motioning to some of his own troopers to take Skywalker to the shuttle. When Skywalker was out of sight, he turned to the stormtrooper Captain and asked, "is he related to..."

The stormtrooper shrugged, "he said his father's name was Anakin Skywalker but that he was a navigator on a spice freighter. He also said that his parents were dead and he was living with his aunt and uncle, who are now also dead." He said, gesturing over to the charred skeletal remains next to the still smoking house, the light gray smoke billowing lightly in the air.

Praji paled, aunt and uncle? Dead? Surely Vader wouldn't care for them, he did mention their names in his report and all that Lord Vader said in response was that he didn't care about anything other than getting those droids and the plans. There was no mention of them or the boy, does he even know about him? Shaking his head in confusion, he dismissed the Captain and returned to the shuttle. Retaking his seat, he secured himself in the crash webbing and signaled to the pilots that he was ready for take-off. Feeling the hum of the engines underneath him, he just sat in silence until he reached the Devastator.

Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Devastator, Flagship of Lord Darth Vader
In Orbit over Tatooine

The Lambda-class shuttle touched down in the hangar bay of the Imperial Star Destroyer and the landing ramp lowered with a hiss releasing the pressurized oxygen and gases. Commander Praji stood, his stormtrooper squad doing the same as they took hold of the prisoner.

"Escort him to interrogation," he ordered. "I will interrogate him myself, or Lord Vader will."

The stormtroopers acknowledged their orders and escorted their prisoner to one of the interrogation rooms as Commander Praji left the hangar bay to seek out his commanding officer to see if this prisoner is in any way related to the Dark Lord.

He found him on the bridge, where he usually always was looking out the wide transparisteel observation windows on the observation deck. "My Lord," the Commander said, standing at parade rest. The Dark Lord turned to look at him. "We returned with a prisoner, a young man. He lived on the farm the Jawas said they sold the droids too, however, he didn't have them with him."

"And why should I care about a young man?" Lord Vader asked, his mechanical baritone voice sounding completely uninterested, like usual.

Commander Praji unhooked the lightsaber from the back of his belt and handed it to him. "He was found with this, along with a blaster." He knew his Lord was interested now, Darth Vader was holding the lightsaber up close, inspecting it as if he knew who it once belonged too.

"He's a Jedi?" He asked.

Praji shook his head, "I don't believe so. He surrendered to the stormtroopers, if he was a Jedi wouldn't he have just killed them?"

Lord Vader looked at him closely, then back at the lightsaber that once belonged to him. "Where is this 'young man' now?"

"Interrogation, I ordered the stormtroopers to ensure that no one interrogates him besides myself or you, my Lord." Commander Praji replied, then began to follow the Dark Lord as he quickly walked off the deck and exited the bridge heading to the turbolift.

Lord Vader wasted no time in finding the correct interrogation room and stepped into the observation room outside of the interrogation room. "What's his name?" He asked, looking at a young man who looked a lot like he did when he was about that age, except shorter. Same hair color he had in his youth under the twin suns, same eye color, same cleft on his chin, same jaw, same nose, but there were also differences and it was then that he felt his Force aura. It felt like he should know him, like he does know him.

"Luke," Commander Praji said. "Luke Skywalker."

Lord Vader turned his head so fast his neck could've snapped, he glared down at the Commander like he slapped him. That is how it felt, what are the chances of this boy having the same last name, growing up on the same planet and having his lightsaber? The lightsaber that only one man could've given him, the same man that kidnapped his wife after leaving him to die on Mustafar? If it wasn't for his Master and the Force, he would've been stuck in that indomitable suit and mask forever. Of course he still is, but that's more for show and intimidation than it was a necessity like before.

"Say that again."

"Luke Skywalker, my Lord." Commander Praji repeated. "That is why I brought him here, even though I knew you would want to interrogate him yourself because of the lightsaber."

"And you would be correct," Lord Vader confirmed. "What do you know about him?"

Commander Praji didn't know much, but told him what he knew. "We just know that he lived on a moisture farm with his aunt and uncle, a Beru and Owen Lars. They were killed earlier today by the same stormtroopers that captured him. It was him and his uncle who purchased the droids yesterday, the stormtroopers captured him after he returned to the farm to find his aunt and uncle dead. The droids weren't with him."

Lord Vader nodded, unsure of what to really do. The Force aura screamed Skywalker to him, it was almost as strong as his own, not quite but close. It was at least stronger than the Emperor's, and every other Jedi he ever knew. However, he wanted more proof, he wanted a DNA test to make sure and he ordered Praji to get a medic to do just that.

The medic took a vial of the prisoner's blood and ran a paternity test, it matched his. Luke Skywalker is his son. After living nineteen years with just his Master and himself, he discovers that his son didn't die as he was led to believe. That he wasn't responsible for his death or for Padmé's. It was like a weight was lifted from his chest, he always believed he killed Padmé on Mustafar but if that was the case, she wouldn't have been able to give birth. The child would've no doubt been dead along with her, but he isn't and she didn't die until at least after she gave birth, just like he foresaw. He may not have seen her give birth in his visions, but he saw Obi-Wan and Padmé in some sort of medical facility, that he later discovered to be Polis Massa and she was giving birth. He just never saw the outcome, she was just screaming and calling his name and he couldn't be there because Obi-Wan abducted her and left him to burn to death.

Obi-Wan better hope he never encounters him again, if he does then he will make him endure the pain that he endured. He will discover what true pain is, he will endure the same treatment that he endured at his hands and he will enjoy every second of it. Revenge is the way of the Sith, and he definitely deserves it.

After who knows how long he was standing there, he finally moved to go and speak to the boy himself. Or man, he is nineteen and Vader himself remembers all too well what it was like being treated like a child when he was a grown ass man. He hated it, Luke is probably the same way.

He opened the door to the interrogation room, the stormtroopers stood at attention and saluted him as he passed, he dismissed the troopers from the room and took a seat opposite his son. HIS SON! It was hard to believe, especially after nearly two decades. His son should've been at his side that whole time, not on some wasteland pretending to be a farmer when he is an Imperial Prince!

He placed the lightsaber on the table in front of him and with a wave of his hand, the binders binding his son's hands to the table were removed. Luke had his eyes, that was for sure and he looked furious. Why? Does he know who he really is? "Your name is Luke Skywalker?" Lord Vader decided to ask, since Luke didn't care to say anything first.

Luke didn't answer, he just looked at the Dark Lord with an unrestrained fury. This was the man that killed his father! What does he want to do, kill him next?

Lord Vader sighed, "I assume you know who I am then?"

"Who doesn't?" Luke spat vehemently. "The slayer of Jedi, the most feared man in the galaxy and the man who killed my father!" Luke was standing now, his hands flat on the table staring down at the Dark Lord.

Lord Vader was amused, he didn't bother hiding that fact. "Killed your father? And why I would do that?" He asked, curiously.

"Why?" Luke repeated. "You don't remember killing the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker?"

Lord Vader stood and took the lightsaber from the table, he walked around it and glared down at his son. "I killed a lot of people, and yes, a lot of Jedi. I don't make a habit of remembering their names, but I didn't kill your father. If I killed him then I wouldn't be here talking with you now."

Luke faltered, what did that mean? Of course he killed his father. Who else would've? He couldn't be alive, he knew that much. Right?

"Who told you I killed your father?" Lord Vader asked, then peered down at the lightsaber. "And who gave you this?"

Luke knew he probably shouldn't tell him, but he felt compelled too. He had to know what he knew of his father. "Ben did, Ben Kenobi. He told me my father was a Jedi Knight with him and he said that my father wanted me to have his lightsaber, but my uncle wouldn't allow it."

Lord Vader nodded, "Ben Kenobi." He said, not disguising the anger or hatred in his voice. "Continuing to destroy my life even after all this time."

"What?" Luke asked, confused by what he meant by that.

"I didn't kill your father, Luke." Lord Vader said, looking back into eyes matching his own. "Your father did die, in a manner of speaking but not in a physical sense."

He sensed confusion from his son still, like he didn't know what to make of what he just said. Why would he? Of all the people in the galaxy, why would he expect him to be his father?

While wearing his black armored suit and mask, people don't even think he's truly human underneath. People wouldn't expect him to have children, for what woman would want to be with someone who appears to be more machine than man? At one time, that thinking would be correct in their assumptions, but that only shows how well he covered up the truth of who he is.

"I don't get it..." Luke said.

"I didn't kill your father, Luke." Vader said again. "I am your Father."

I got my inspiration for this story from the fanfics 'Dynasty', 'Empire's Son' and 'One Missed Strike'. It has elements from all three but is its own original story in another Alternate Universe, in a galaxy far far away...

This is also just the beginning, there will be many twists and turns and yes, here it is known that Lord Darth Vader was the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. It isn't widely known but it is to the Imperials, especially the stormtroopers and to the 501st. I also want to add that the stormtroopers here will have personality (after all, even the clones did) and will be better trained and have better shots than we saw during the OT. There is no "plot armor" protecting the Rebels in this story.

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