Memory
Full Summary: Suffering from temporary and partial amnesia after crash-landing on a desolate and barren world, Luke Skywalker finds himself struggling to regain his lost memories and survive. All the while, Darth Vader is more than determined to find his son. With betrayal and deception lying in the shadows, an old ally comes into play in the war against the darkness...
Author's Note: I decided to start a brand-new Luke/Vader story. This idea came to me while I was watching TV and I decided to type it up. I am planning on making it into a trilogy or maybe a duology but it might stay a stand-alone fic, I'm not sure yet. As always with all of my Luke/Vader stories, Vader was never burned and Han was never incased in carbonite. Another thing is the amnesia in this story is partial because of the fact that Luke does remember some stuff from his past. Also, 'one quotation and italics' means Artoo speaking. So I hope that you like it and reviews are much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, I never have, I never will and I will only say this once so don't bother on bugging me about it in later chapters.
One
He remembered darkness; a vast expanse of black nothingness that extended as far as the eye could see. A peaceful silence like the star filled space that occupied most of the galaxy above the skies of the planet. A soft breeze broke through the night and shattered the silence, surging gently through Luke Skywalker's hair, awakening the young Jedi in training.
Confused, Luke blinked his eyes before gazing around at the rolling hills that surrounded him on all sides. Sand stretched as far as Luke could see and a breeze caused the sand to swirl around him. Luke pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing as he put pressure on his leg and he found he didn't remember how he hurt it.
A series of beeps and whistles sounded, a concern tone behind the noises and Luke turned to find a little blue astromech droid at his side. The droid beeped and Luke rubbed his head before narrowing his eyes, unable to recognize the droid in front of him. The droid beeped again before its' retractable claw stretched out and handed Luke a datapad.
Luke took the pad before glancing at it, immediately seeing words scrawl across it as the droid beeped and whistled again. 'Are you all right, Luke?' the droid asked curiously.
Luke blinked. "I…I think so, my head hurts though," he murmured feeling his head began to throb as he rested his back and head on the hill he was lying beside. "W…Where are we?" he asked.
The droid beeped in surprise and Luke glanced at the datapad. 'You don't remember?' The beeps translated to on the datapad.
"Remember what?"
The droid beeped and whistled. 'We were sent on a mission for the rebellion but we got attacked by pirates and lost control before crash landing on this planet. You must have lost some of your memory,' the translation said.
Luke shook his head slowly, which proved to be a mistake and he groaned before resting his head on his hands. "That would certainly explain why I hardly remember what happened," he murmured. He glanced at the droid before narrowing his eyes. "Who are you?"
The droid twittered in shock. 'I am Artoo Deetoo, don't you remember me?' the droid's translation asked.
"No," Luke replied racking his brain but he couldn't seem to recall the astromech droid. "I feel as though I should but I don't. I'm sorry."
Artoo beeped. 'It's okay, Luke,' the droid's translation on the datapad said. The droid rolled forward before beeping. 'Luke, I'm going to try to contact the Falcon and ask for Lando to come get us.'
"Who?"
'Lando, Han's friend. He's most likely working on the Falcon since Han is still on another mission,' Artoo's beeps and whistles translated to.
Luke frowned. "I remember Han," he said finally. "I remember that he saved me many times but that's all."
'Do you remember Leia?' The droid asked.
Luke narrowed his eyes in thought but the name didn't sound familiar. The vague image of a young woman with chocolate brown eyes and dark brown hair in buns came to him. "I…I think I do," Luke said after a moment's thought.
'What about Wedge Antilles?'
"The name certainly doesn't sound familiar," said Luke.
'You don't remember much, do you?'
Luke resisted the urge to shake his head and instead glanced at Artoo. "Yes, I really don't remember much," he admitted. "I might have hit my head when something…when something happened. The only thing that I that I remember is a bright flash of light and then nothing."
Artoo beeped. 'I'm sorry, Luke,' his translation said.
"What planet are we on?"
'Tynna,' Artoo replied. 'It's a barren planet that lies near the Outer Rim. We are way off course of where we were supposed to go, however, but your X wing was destroyed beyond repair.'
In spite of the fact that he didn't remember having an X wing, Luke felt a pang of sadness at that. Artoo beeped at him and Luke glanced at the datapad that read, 'I also found the lightsaber you finished while on Tatooine. Do you remember Tatooine?'
Luke frowned, the name Tatooine sounded familiar but he couldn't place where he has heard that name before. "No, I don't," he admitted.
Artoo whistled sadly. 'You lost more memory than I thought. It seems part of your memory was erased when we crash landed,' his words scrawled across Luke's datapad.
Luke sighed before rubbing his head. "My head hurts," he murmured. "Do you think you can contact this Lando person?"
'I'll try,' Artoo beeped in reply. 'There are some settlements nearby that we can try and reach. There's bound to be someplace I can use to contact Lando.'
"I don't think I can walk, Artoo," Luke said softly. "I think I broke my ankle when, I guess, we crash landed."
'All right. Why don't you stay here and I'll try to contact Lando? Will you be all right by yourself?' Artoo beeped softly.
"Yes, I will be fine," Luke said softly and he gestured toward the lightsaber that lay beside his hand. He didn't remember when he had constructed but he did remember how to use it and he felt better with the knowledge secured in his mind.
Artoo beeped in reply before he rolled away and Luke sighed before resting his head against the hill as he gazed after Artoo as the droid rolled away.
Darth Vader's cool blue eyes scanned the expanse of stars in front of him silently. His hands were clasped behind his back and the bridge of the Executor was full of quiet commotion as it traveled steadily through the silence of space. Techs and sergeants moved back and forth across the bridge, murmuring orders that Vader paid no attention to. Admiral Piett was standing off to the side and watching Vader apprehensively while speaking quietly with a tech.
Everyone onboard the Executor knew better than to try and speak to Vader when he was deep in thought. Most of the time, whenever he was interrupted, he lashed out in anger and that usually resulted in the death of a tech or sergeant. Vader did his best to keep his killings to a minimal merely based on the fact that if he killed too many people then it would take forever for replacements to be trained.
Vader, however, was deep in thought not about the future of the galaxy, as many of the techs assumed, he was thinking about his son. The young boy that had defied him and faced death on Bespin and then managed to escape with Han Solo and Princess Leia onboard the Millennium Falcon. Vader found himself wondering as to why he didn't act out on his anger after the Falcon had escaped, he was sure Admiral Piett was just as shocked to survive when he was expecting death.
Vader didn't pay attention to the conversations going on around him and he closed his eyes before stretching out with the Force. As always, he didn't sense his son's Force presence and he figured it was only because his son was much too far away from him for him to be able to sense it. In spite of his powerful Force sensitivity, Vader still found it extremely difficult to locate his son amidst the light-years that usually separated them.
Where are you, my son? Vader wondered silently fixing his blue gaze on a single star that glittered brighter than the others in the black surface that surrounded the Super Star Destroyer.
Shaking his head to clear it and hoping beyond a doubt that his son was all right, that part Vader was sure was the thought of the small part of him that was still Anakin Skywalker, Vader continued to watch the stars as they moved slowly past.
"My Lord?" Admiral Piett's quiet voice broke through Vader's private musings and he had to bite his lip to keep from scowling in anger. Piett had proved to be very useful and very dependable, unlike his predecessor Admiral Ozzel and Vader knew it wouldn't be a good idea to kill off one of the few Imperials that he actually trusted.
"Yes Admiral?" Vader asked turning his cool gaze to the Admiral that was standing behind him and a little way a ways from where he stood.
"The Emperor commands you to contact him," Piett replied saluting.
Vader nodded curtly, grimacing inwardly with anger at the thought of speaking to the master that lied to him about the death of his wife and child. He didn't say that thought out loud but instead turned around and moved off of the bridge with the barked order of, "retransmit it to my communication chambers" trailing after him.
Entering the communication chambers, Vader walked over to the console before kneeling down as the holographic image of Emperor Palpatine appeared before him. The hologram flickered but Vader could clearly make out the pasty white skin and evil yellow eyes of his lying master.
"What is thy bidding, my master?" asked Vader lowering his head and not lifting his cool gaze to avoid meeting the evil eyes.
"Have you discovered the location of the boy Skywalker?" Palpatine asked in a slow, dry and cold voice.
"Not yet, Master. He evaded me after Bespin and we have been unable to find him yet. I am still looking however," Vader replied.
Palpatine narrowed his eyes slightly. "Can you sense him in the Force? His Force sensitivity must be powerful enough for you to sense it, he is the son of Skywalker after all."
"Yes, I know, Master, but he may be too far away for me to sense his Force signature," said Vader. "I will find him, Master. I know that I will."
"Of course," Palpatine said smoothly. "A son desperate for answers to his questions will naturally seek out his father so do not be surprised if he comes to you."
Odd, that is the first time in the last twenty-one years that Palpatine has referred to my past life as Anakin, Vader mused silently. "Very well, Master," he said. "But I will still find him, Master."
"I know you will and he may very well find you first," Palpatine said. "When you find him or when he finds you, bring him to me. Do you understand, Lord Vader?"
"Yes, my Master."
"Then do so." With that, Emperor Palpatine's holographic image disappeared leaving Vader alone with his thoughts. As he got to his feet and made his way out of the communication chambers, he found himself wondering if Palpatine was correct. Would Luke be so desperate for answers that he'll seek me out? Vader wondered silently as he made his way back toward the bridge of his Super Star Destroyer.
Han Solo guided the starship to a landing in the Mon Calamari ship, Home One, before sighing. He felt better that he was back among people he knew after spending so much time trying to talk some sense into Bothans. He never understood as to why Leia had insisted that he be the one to go speak with the Bothans who wished to join the Rebel Alliance.
Leia would have been much better at this sort of thing, she was a Senator after all, Han mused silently as he shut the main engine of the starship off and walked out of the ship. As he walked toward the corridor that would lead to the conference room, he noticed something was odd. The hangar bay was unusually silent while techs prowled the edges of the bay, organizing equipment that Admiral Ackbar couldn't find room for in order places onboard the Mon Calamari ship.
Spotting Lando walking down from the boarding ramp of the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca behind him, Han immediately veered off course before jogging over to join his old friend. "Hey Lando," he greeted him. "How's the Falcon?"
"As good as ever, Han ol' buddy," Lando replied. "Some of the power couplings powers are depleted but that is to be expected. Chewbacca and I are working on that now. How did the mission to speak with the Bothans go?"
Han grimaced. "Terrible. Those Bothans are really stubborn, especially the Representative that I spoke to, Borsk Fey'lya. He seemed intent on helping the Alliance and yet he wouldn't acknowledge any suggestion that Leia told me to tell him."
"That's Bothans for you." Lando shrugged. "They are as stubborn as they are furry."
Han chuckled at that before he narrowed his eyes and examined the area. He noticed that a certain starfighter was still missing and he found himself thinking about Luke. The boy had barely survived an encounter with Vader less than half a year ago and the Rebel Alliance was already sending him on missions. Han had been sent on his mission after Luke, which was why it surprised him that he managed to return before the young man.
"Has Luke returned yet?" Han asked thinking maybe Luke had landed on another one of the Rebel Alliance's ships.
Lando shook his head. "I wasn't notified if he did or not," he admitted. The former Administrator of Cloud City above Bespin narrowed his dark eyes and looked confused. "He should have returned before you did."
Han nodded. "That is what has me confused," he admitted. "The kid should be back by now. I suppose I'll ask Leia about him when I go report to the rest of the Rebel leaders."
"You'd better do that before you forget as I know you will." Lando's eyes glittered with amusement and Han scowled at him.
"Oh shut up," he muttered in reply though he knew Lando was right. He sighed before walking away from the dark skinned man and made his way toward the conference room where he was sure the rebel leaders were located.
When he reached the conference room, he entered it quietly and walked over to his seat. Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar glanced up at him before nodding in greeting to the former smuggler. "Welcome back, Captain Solo," Ackbar greeted him, his bulbous eyes examining him curiously. "How did the negotiations with the Bothans go?"
Han grimaced. "Terrible. Fey'lya is stubborn, much too stubborn to accept the proposals the Princess sent me with right away," he said.
Leia narrowed her chocolate brown eyes. She was sitting beside Mon Mothma with her hair in braids at her side and dressed in a flowing white gown similar to the one that the Supreme Commander of the Rebel Alliance was wearing. "He didn't accept them?" she asked.
"Eventually but I had to talk really fast to get him to agree," Han admitted. He turned his light brown gaze to Leia. "By the way, Leia, have you seen Luke at all?"
Leia frowned. "No, why?" she asked.
"Well, I left after him and I returned before he did and I thought he'd return before I would."
"His mission was further away than yours, Captain Solo," Mon Mothma reminded him. "It will take him time to return so it makes sense that you returned before he did."
Han nodded slowly in reply before he looked at Ackbar. "What now?" he asked.
"I suppose we will have to wait for the Bothans to join us and see what we can do to attempt to turn this war in our favor," Ackbar admitted. "For now, the only thing that we can do is find a good planet to set our base of operations on for now."
Han narrowed his eyes. "Where are we?" he asked.
"The Terr'skiar Sector," Mon Mothma replied. She narrowed her eyes. "New Apsolon seems like the perfect place but I don't know for sure if it would be a good idea. It is filled with forests that would hide us but it also has many animals that we don't know much about. We need someplace that will have better cover and we will need more information on such a place."
"What about Adari? The Adarians have been hinting at wanting to join the Rebel Alliance and this could be a good time to open negotiations with them," said Leia.
"That is true," said Ackbar. "Princess Leia, why don't you see if you can contact Lial, the Adarian who first approached you with the proposal?"
Leia nodded. "I will speak to him right away," she replied before she got to her feet and slowly made her way out of the room, brushing past Han as she went. Han snorted but didn't say anything to him as she left.
"I think I'll head back to the Millennium Falcon now before Lando messes it up more than it already is," Han mused. He glanced at Mon Mothma and Acbar who nodded in agreement and he turned around before walking out of the conference room. As he walked, he found himself hoping that Luke was all right even though he was sure that the young Jedi could take are of himself.
Perhaps he hasn't completed his mission yet, Han thought as he entered the hangar bay. He really liked the kid and thought of him as a little brother and that was why Han seemed to be very protective of Luke.
Trying to push aside the bad feeling that was starting to rise inside of him, Han walked over to join Lando and Chewbacca as they worked on the Millennium Falcon.
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: that was chapter 1
Darth: that's cool and it was six pages long, nice
Blaze: yup it is. The next chapter is likely to be more than six pages long
Darth: really?
Blaze: I suppose it depends
Darth: ah okay
Blaze: The next chapter is going to be from Leia's, Lando's and Admiral Piett's point of view
Darth: Admiral Piett? Really?
Blaze: yup, I like him
Darth: cool
Blaze: besides, I wanted next chapter to have 3 different POVs like this chapter did
Darth: ah okay
Blaze: so please review, I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my brand new Luke/Vader story and I will update as soon as I possibly can though I doubt it will be anytime soon, maybe Friday if enough people like the start.