Skywalker's Empire: Chapter 3
Imperial Palace
Imperial City, Imperial Center
May 27th, 07 ISC
Luke's head was railing, he never expected that out of all people his father could've been, would he be the Emperor of the galaxy! That was just crazy and he had to wonder if everything that happened was just crazy, too... he shook his head and groaned.
This must be real... he decided as he never felt this kind of pain in any of his dreams before not even from his father when he felt his emotions from across the galaxy.
Even if this was real, though, he wasn't sure how he felt about it.
Why would people, whoever they were abduct him and send him away from his father? He sensed nothing but the truth from his father though he also sensed that he wasn't being told everything like why his father almost killed his mother and him in the process.
He also sensed the remorse and pain his father felt from remembering those events, surely his father wasn't an evil man, right? No, that is crazy, if he was then he wouldn't have cried and he wouldn't have saved his son who was being held and beaten by a slimy sleemo.
Yes, his father is the Emperor and obviously cares about his son but he does have a job to do and with anyone in power, you can't show any weakness to your enemies. Luke knew that firsthand, he had to learn to look stronger than he was or he would've been picked on and it did happen but he learned. He may been six years old, but he learned and grew up quick.
His Uncle Owen made sure of that, he didn't like Luke acting like a kid though he was and he put him to work and sure the work was relatively easy but the point was he wasn't allowed to act like a child. Tatooine eats you alive and either you get eaten or you survive, his Uncle would say though Luke didn't totally understand the metaphor, he pretended he did.
He also never spoke of his father, he knew they were related somehow but he never even revealed that connection, but if he was his uncle then his father and him must've been brothers? Right? Luke didn't see any resemblance between them though and they seemed like total opposites to him, his father is Emperor while his Uncle was just a moisture farmer barely surviving month to month, they must've had a real falling out, Luke decided.
If they were brothers why didn't they talk about each other or help each other out? Isn't that what siblings do? Help each other out?
Luke knew he would if he had a brother or sister but he also knew that adults were weird and he knew that they always let life complicate matters when their problems seemed so easy to fix, why not have some fun? Stop letting work and nonsense get in the way and go out and hang out with your friends or run or go for a nice ride on a swoop bike.
He really didn't get adults but he won't let them alter his outlook on life, though he knew that his outlook on life had just turned on its head as did a ton of durasteel and he wasn't sure what would happen next.
What would he discover he had a sister that was also abducted and hidden from him and his father?
Luke laughed out loud at that and stopped quickly when his body ached in protest and he sighed which caused more pain and he decided that he'd take his fathers advice and try to get some much needed rest.
Yes, rest seems nice about now.
And he was out like a light.
Anakin had to leave the room, he couldn't allow his son or anyone else see him the way he was. That was the first time that anyone ever saw tears come from his eyes and live to tell about it but he knew that was acceptable, he was his son and he wasn't going to kill him just to keep him quiet about seeing his father act human.
Many others haven't had that chance, or if they did, it was very short lived.
He may be Anakin Skywalker but that doesn't mean he is Anakin Skywalker.
He is Darth Vader, Lord Vader in heart and mind and although Sith don't love just like Jedi, no Sith ever had a son and the Jedi that did, they were too far gone into the dogmatic code that they abandoned their blood or lied about their attachment to their kin.
The Emperor, the Dark Lord of the Sith doesn't have to hide that but he won't allow the galaxy to see him as a loving father, they need to fear him and they will like they have been for the last seven years. They knew him shortly as Lord Vader but when he took his birth name back, that didn't mean anything more than spitting in the face of Palpatine or Sidious and honoring the man he was and his mother.
He'll never turn back to the Light and his son won't be smothered in it like he was before he embraced his destiny and his reality as a Dark Sider, a Sith.
It wasn't because he was cheating or wanted the easier, quicker and more seductive route that isn't true.
The Dark Side isn't an easy side to side with, sure it is powerful but if you don't learn to control it, it will control like you like it has many in the past, Sidious included.
You could tell just by looking at him, the lightning didn't do that to him, it was the corruption of the Dark Side and he wouldn't allow his face or skin to become as corrupted as that guys. No, he'll control it and only use the Dark Side when he needs it and when he does, he'll control it like he controls his lightsaber and like he controls his Empire, Apprentice and everyone else.
He walked down the long tall and wide corridors of the Palace wearing the cowl over his head and keeping his low to ensure that no one saw his blue eyes with tears coming from them. He wiped them away but he wasn't allowing anyone to see him at his weakest, of course it was only the past that was catching up to him but he knew it wasn't going to go away and he couldn't keep drowning himself in work to eradicate it.
His son was here, Padmé's son was here, their son was here and alive and he was going to make sure that he lived like the Prince he is. Who better to raise the boy than his father? He may be the Emperor but he doesn't need to constantly reside in the Palace to control his Empire, he has people for that and he could control his Empire from anywhere in the galaxy even any of his Emperor's retreats on any of those planets.
He didn't know what to think anymore, what else was hidden from him? Was Padmé still alive? Did he have another kid out there that he didn't know about? Was his mother alive?
He shook his head and knew that he was being paranoid, he may have been lied too about many things and kept from knowing others but his mother was dead, she died in his arms. Padmé was dead except she gave birth to their child and made to appear as though she didn't give birth to keep the child away from him.
He didn't know who did that, was it Yoda? Was it another Jedi?
He wasn't sure but he knew for damn sure that it wasn't the traitorous Jedi Kenobi, he was dead and he watched him burn and disappear into the lava river into nothingness.
Then there was that Alderaanian Royal Guard who brought Luke to Tatooine, how did they know about Owen and Beru? Only a few people knew about them and that was Obi-Wan who was dead, Padmé who is dead but could've asked for them to be sent there and then there was Yoda who knew about Tatooine but didn't know about the Tusken massacre. He just knew about the pain that he was suffering and knew that Anakin found his mother dead in an abandoned Tusken camp, he didn't name specifics and Yoda didn't ask. He did know about Owen, Beru and the father, whatever his name was and then his mother but he knew nothing more, he was sure of it.
So, did Yoda send him there or did Padmé?
If it was Padmé then why would she send him there of all places? Why not with her family? Maybe because she knew that he would look there, yes but to Owen and Beru of all places? She had many friends in the Senate and Bail Organa should've been considered, he didn't have any kids at the time and Anakin was sure he'd be delighted to raise him with Padmé being dead and all.
The Alderaanian Royal Guard was definitely of interest and he knew that they only follow the orders of the Senator, Viceroy and the Queen. He didn't know the Queen and didn't even meet her before becoming Emperor but he did know the Viceroy and Senator, Bail Organa and he knew that he would do anything for Padmé including care for her son especially with her being dead.
He knew he'd have to have a nice talk with him and was looking forward to that when he dropped in unexpected to see if they were hiding something else. They are known Rebel sympathizers and known to be close allies to the Jedi, they're also one of the few people in the galaxy who'd be able to store people like them away without the Empire finding them without performing some aggressive negotiations.
He finally had something to use against them and he isn't above using the Queen against Organa and knew that he'd do anything to save her, he'll tell him everything about Padmé and their child and then he'll tell him about the Rebel's if he lies even once, then he'll forfeit one of his wife's limbs.
He'll only be able to lie four times before he forfeits her life, he doesn't think that he has it in him to lie twice, once maybe to find out how deadly serious he is but definitely not more than that if he likes having his wife, mostly in one piece.
He smiled at the thought of that.
He would enjoy that tremendously and was looking forward to it but now isn't the time for that and its imperative that they not discover his secret or they may be ready for him when he unexpectedly pays them a visit. Tatooine is far enough away to stay out of the limelight and Organa doesn't get his news from the Hutt's or criminals but if he is connected to the Rebels and the Rebels are terrorists and criminals no better than the Hutt's then he'll find out soon.
Really soon but he wasn't going anywhere until his son was fully healed and then he'd bring his son to the Aldera Royal Palace and watch his reaction as he discovers that his plot failed and so did he.
His son won't become a Jedi and he won't be used as a weapon against his father for the war that is between adults, not children that shouldn't have to worry about a war that was fought and won seven years ago by his side not the Jedi who are all but few.
He'll continue slaughtering them or allowing his Inquisitors to finish their mission while he trains the new members of a new Order and continues his reign as Emperor with a new up and coming Sith Lord who will be just as powerful as him and even moreso than Starkiller even though he is just as powerful and will continue to serve his Apprenticeship.
He is six years old and only a few months younger than Luke but he already showed great promise, cunning and skill and will be a very useful tool to his Empire.
Yes, he isn't going anywhere except in the history books with the Skywalker's and the galaxy will continue to serve them as the Skywalker's line will carry on the legacy that Shmi started by giving him birth and raising him the way she did.
He wished that she could be here to meet her grandson but she isn't, it's only him and he'll have to learn how to be a father and he was looking forward to that. He just has to try and remember what life was like when he was seven, except he can't because he was a slave and he doesn't wish to think about that. He nor his son are slaves, they are the rulers of the galaxy and that is what they'll continue to be for their entire lives.
So, he'll have to learn how to raise the future Emperor and teach him to use the Force. It'd be like Ahsoka all over again, except she abandoned him too and used the Jedi Council as an excuse to leave. Ahsoka may have been older but he did teach her a lot about the Force and lightsaber dueling, he'll teach Luke the same but he wasn't exposed to the Force before and he'll be teaching him some of the Light Side and a lot of the Dark Side, when he is old enough to control his emotions.
He was twenty two when he became a Sith and his emotions were uncontrolled, but he just lost his wife and his child. Of course, his emotions would be uncontrolled but he did learn to control them and he mastered them but his emotions lost him today when he spoke to his son and was reminded of the past.
What is it with me and the past? It was so long ago yet I can't get past it? She BETRAYED me! Why do I care about her still? He couldn't answer his questions, but he knew that he could never love another woman like he loved his Angel, nor would he allow his heart to control him again.
Okay, maybe he will for his son, but no one else!
He vowed that to himself as he entered his residence and the Royal Guards remained outside guarding the main turbolift doors that lead to it. There was no other way in except to kill the Guards and ride the turbolift up, no one has the courage to do that though, he knew.
Not even Yoda.
He didn't even seek out Starkiller, he didn't want to talk to the kid who could read him just as easily as he could read others, there was no lying to the kid or hiding things from him though he did respect the lines drawn between Master and Apprentice and he didn't cross it.
Anakin was thankful for that.
He removed his robe and threw it on the leather chair in the corner of his bedroom, untied his boots and threw them in the corner as well as his socks, shirt and pants. He took his sleep pants from his closet just off the bedroom and put them on and laid down in bed.
He had a million and ten things running through his mind but he silenced them as he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.
Imperial Palace
Imperial City, Imperial Center
May 28th, 07 ISC
It was dark and his hand were tied together as were his feet and he couldn't move. He didn't know how long he was here but he knew he was missing his birthday, his throat hurt from him crying and trying to scream but it sounded like nobody cared about him or even acknowledged his existence.
He didn't know where he was either but assumed he was in Jabba's Palace, the last place he remembered being and his awareness of the situation skyrocketed. No one knew where he was, his Uncle Owen didn't know he was here and neither did Aunt Beru, they wouldn't know where to look and the last place they would look would be here.
If he were to survive this, he'd have to do it himself but that was the very thing that got him into this situation in the first place! Ah! He wanted to scream and knew he was but he couldn't even hear himself!
He didn't know what would happen to him now but he knew it wouldn't be good.
Time has passed and he didn't know how long it was when someone opened the door and walked in. It was an alien, he knew that but it was too dark to really make out what he or she looked like, it spoke a language too that he recognized as Huttese but he didn't speak it and he couldn't tell him or her that because he couldn't speak or even open his mouth! They must've taped it or something, he was helpless and at their mercy!
Someone help me! He begged but knew that no one could hear him and nobody would be able to get to him anyway, if they tried, they'd end up like him or end up dead.
He didn't want either of those, he just hoped that if his Uncle and Aunt discovered his whereabouts, that they wouldn't be brash enough to try and get him by themselves, he knew they wouldn't survive.
He didn't want to be an orphan like he was when his mother died and before he was given to his Aunt and Uncle, he couldn't remember that of course but he didn't want to feel as though, he had no one except himself. He was just a kid and wanted to live like one and this was not living like a kid.
The alien came and ripped the tape off of his mouth and it hurt and his hands went to his lips and cheeks and he rubbed them to ease the pain knowing it wouldn't do anything but it was better than doing nothing.
Anakin's eyes shot open as he felt the panic and reached out into the Force and felt his son. His son was panicking and still sleeping, was he having a nightmare?
He didn't care as he jumped up and reached for his robe as he donned it and ran out of his room, down the stairs and to the turbolift impatiently pressing the button repeatedly when it opened to reveal two Emperor's Royal Guards who were surprised to see him in the state he was in.
His hair was a mess, like usual. His robe was just covering his arms, back and side with his chest and abdomen revealed and he was wearing his sleep pants but he wasn't wearing any boots or socks.
They knew something wasn't right but didn't dare ask as they rode down to the main floor of the residence, they watched him run off, looked at each other and continued their guard duty with no words said between them.
He ran across the main level of his residence as he ran to the other turbolift that leaves the residence and brought him down another level to the official floor below the residence, where he conducts his official business before running off again with his personal Royal Guard detail chasing after him. His Guards were barely able to keep up as they slipped and almost fell many times but the Emperor wasn't paying any attention to them or their disgraceful running techniques on the slippery marble floor, they should know better!
He reached another turbolift and boarded it alone with his Royal Guard detail trying to catch up but he didn't care and didn't have the patience to wait for them, his son needed him! And he wasn't going to let his son go through his nightmare alone, he knew it was about the past few days and anything like that would surely traumatize any child, hell it would probably traumatize most adults.
There were other people in the turbolift who knew exactly who he was, but they said nothing and knew better than to mention his state of dishevel. It would be a fruitless cause and one that could either cost them their lives or a very sore throat, at the very least.
The ride was short and once the doors opened he took off running again without breaking a sweat and he ran and ran until he reached his son, he ran past the reception desk, past the emergency triage room and past the other rooms until he reached the VIP room. He was used to being the patient in that room and has been on a number of occasions where he nearly worked himself to death or sent Starkiller there with some minor injuries and some serious ones that he asked for by speaking out of turn or disobeying the orders of his Master.
Would that make him a bad father? Afterall, the kid was younger than his own son and he hasn't been a very good role model or father to that kid, he also wasn't his father. But he wasn't a kid, he was a Sith Apprentice, very young yes but an Apprentice nonetheless and being trained since being little would be better than him at his age with his loads and loads of problems... who was he kidding? Rationalizing his brutal acts as Master wasn't very good fatherhood material, maybe his son could teach him and maybe he could try and be better to Starkiller by maybe calling him Galen instead of a code name to dehumanize him. He was a human afterall and not a slave or a weapon like he was his whole life... was he that screwed up mentally?
So screwed up that he didn't even realize what he did was wrong? He didn't know but how could you not be screwed up after living like that for twenty two years? His mother cared for him but that was her job and they were all they had, it was her job to protect him just like it is his job to protect his son and he did kill Galen's father and took custody of his son, so that would make him his son too, wouldn't it? Adopted, yes but still his son, nonetheless.
He sighed as he dismissed that for later as he passed the Royal Guards assigned to his son and barged through the doors to see his son squirming and tears coming down his face as he yelled out incoherent words.
"Luke!" Anakin said trying to wake his son up, to no avail. "Luke!" He said again placing his hands on Luke and shaking him awake as his eyes shot open and his breathing deep and rapid.
He controlled his breathing after waking up and realizing that everything was just a dream, "Father." He said turning his attention to him and smiling weakly, his body was still sore and aching. He wanted the bruises and pain to disappear already and they sort of have, he had his father now! He didn't have to work at the farm and he didn't have to drench in sweat and wish that he was off that barren wasteland.
He was off of that barren wasteland and didn't want to ever go back and wouldn't as long as he could help it.
"Bad dream?" Anakin asked with a slight smile, he knew all about that more than anyone would ever wish to know or experience. Having to see your mother call for help and then die repeatedly for a month and then same with your wife for a few months, that is enough to drive anyone crazy and well... it did drive him crazy and forced him to become a monster. But he was happy with who he became and wouldn't want to be anyone else and couldn't imagine his life as a Jedi anymore, how blind was he that he didn't see this before? He shook his head at that with an amused smile, just as blind as the Jedi were, apparently.
Luke nodded slightly, even his neck hurt. "What's so funny?" He asked noticing his father's smile and knowing it wasn't directed at him.
"Nothing," he said waving it off, he knew his son probably wouldn't find it as amusing as he did. "You alright? You hungry or do you just want to go back to sleep?"
Luke thought about it for a moment and came to a quick conclusion, "Yeah, imma bit hungry." He lied, he was starving but when wasn't he? "You have cooks at this hour?" He asked noting the time on the wall chrono was only three hundred standard hours.
Anakin nodded with a smile as he looked for his comlink in his pants pocket just to realize he was wearing his sleep pants and he sighed standing up and walking to the door. The Royal Guards standing guard looked at him, "let me borrow one of your comlinks?" He asked as the closest one reached into his pocket and handed him his comlink, Anakin nodded his thanks and typed in the frequency to his cooking staff in the Palace and ordered a bunch of food for him and his son. He would have to learn to eat new food, Tatooine's food isn't very good. "It'll be here soon," he told his son.
Luke bobbed his head up and down a few times thinking of something to say, something conversational. "How'd you know about my dream?" He figured that was just a good question as any.
Good question, he thought as he delved into the world of the Force and Force connections explaining it to his son in layman terms, terms that a seven year old would understand without speaking about the more advanced stuff that he wouldn't understand.
"So, we're connected and you felt my panic." Luke said coming to the conclusion, "did you see what I was dreaming?"
Anakin shook his head, "no, I can't see it unless you let me in or I enter your mind to see for myself." He explained. "I just felt your panic and detected the nightmare and came to check on you. I have more experience than anyone in this area and its haunted me to this day, the last time I had one though was seven years ago, those were prophetic. I have nightmares practically every night though, its why I rarely sleep. I always see my mother dying in my arms, or your mother as she was in my prophetic nightmare, or my past experiences that I regret, not all of them but some of them." He sighed and shook those visions and memories away, he didn't care for them and would live happily without him plaguing him constantly.
Was that so much to ask for?
"I always felt your emotions." Luke admitted causing Anakin to look at him in surprise.
He didn't know what to say, that connection must've been more powerful than he thought, though he never detected his son or at least never acknowledged those feelings as being his sons instead of his own.
"I'm sorry," he said, what else was there to say? "They must've been intense for a child of your age to deal with especially without understanding what was happening."
Luke cocked his head and shrugged immediately groaning, "it's okay." He said sheepishly. "That is how I knew that you were always out there and alive though I didn't know it was you."
"Your life is going to change drastically now, Luke." Anakin said changing the topic and trying to build some foundation with his mini near carbon-copy. He was more like him than he was Padmé, from what he saw so far. "You're going to remain here for another day or two and then you're going to reside with me upstairs in the Royal Residence. I'll have your room made up, you can decorate it as you wish and we'll get you set up there as you finish recuperating from your traumatic ordeal."
Luke nodded absently, going from Moisture Farm to living in the Imperial Palace in the Royal Residence, wherever that was were completely different worlds, galaxies even.
"We'll get you a new wardrobe, you can't dress like you were when I found you, your not a farmboy anymore and then we'll go from there." Anakin finished, he would just have to remember to make the calls to make sure everything was ready for him when he was discharged. In order to do that, he'd have to go upstairs to retrieve his clothes or send the Royal Guards to go get them, give em something to do, right? His comlink was in his pants, they'd just have to remember that.
"What will my life be like as your son?" Luke asked curiously, he knew it would be drastically different and he didn't know if he could do it.
Another good question, "I guess we'll figure that out. I'm not a very good father, we'll have to teach each other and learn as we go." It was as good as an answer he could come up with without telling him about Galen and the way he treats him, he does live in a life of luxury though and is free to do as he pleases except when it comes time to his training schedule, maybe he's just a tad bit harsh on himself. He didn't really know anymore but he had to start somewhere with his son and his new found role of being a father, a real father, biologically and not. "Tell me, what do you like?"
Luke smiled, he would be happy to teach his father how be a father, his father as he would like to learn how to be his father's son. It should be a challenge, a fun challenge, but a challenge nonetheless.
"What do I like?" Luke said asking the question out loud as he thought of what he liked to do... "I always wanted to be a pilot, I always wanted to fly and explore the stars and visit as many as I could!" Luke declared with a smile, Anakin didn't like that answer as he knew he said almost the same thing except he wanted to visit them all and be the first one to do it! He explored a lot but being a kid and saying visit them all, you really have no idea how many there actually are, when you do then you realize that you can't visit them all. Not even if you visit a new one every day and that would be crazy and very unrealistic but at least they shared flying as a hobby.
"Really? I like to fly as well, I am actually the best star pilot in the galaxy." He replied happily, it was quite an accomplishment and one that the Force granted him. Without it, he may be good but not the best. "You wouldn't remember but you flew here on one of the largest ships in the galaxy but I am making a new class of starships called the Super Star Destroyers and the very first one will be my flagship called the SSD Executor and it'll be just over nineteen thousand meters which is almost twelve times larger than the Star Destroyer class."
Luke was impressed as his mouth was agape forming an O, a capital O. His eyes were open wide too and Anakin couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face. "What do you need a ship that large for?" He just had to ask, a ship that big must be able to hold a lot of people and by a lot, he means a lot, a lot.
Anakin shrugged, "no reason in particular but I am the Emperor and this is my Empire, I need to show those who would threaten the galaxy or my Empire that they don't stand a chance." It wasn't the real reason but a real one, the real reason was because he can and because he wants too. Isn't that reason enough? "I don't fly that though, I fly starfighters and shuttles. The Star Destroyers need a full crew complement to operate them and I'm not a full crew, much to my disappointment."
"I had a model TIE-fighter at home... ah-my last home." Luke diverted his eyes away from his father, he knew how he felt about them, without him having to say it.
Anakin nodded, he knows that this will be a tough adjustment going from a nobody to a somebody, but he always was a somebody. He always was the Imperial Prince, you get that by blood... or adoption not by anything else. "Well, you can fly in a real one here, with me. I have a whole Fleet of them but the one I fly is the TIE Advanced x1." Only the best for him, though he modified it beyond recognition, under the hood, so to speak.
"Wow!" Luke's opinion of the man, that he came to known as his father had improved greatly with that. He could share his love of flying, though he never actually flew, with his father! He always wanted his father to come and pick up and fly him away from Tatooine and he did just that, he wished he remembered but he has plenty of time to fly with his father and make the memories everlasting. "I can't wait to get outta here, could we go flying then? Just me and you?"
Anakin looked at his son with the puppy-eyed look and smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way. TIE's only have enough room for two people anyway but we can't fly in my personal starfighter since the Advance x1's only have enough room for one. We'll take out a regular TIE starfighter, its better that way anyway. I personally modify my own and if you flew another one after only flying in mine, it'd be like driving a podracer to a swoop bike, very different." Maybe it wasn't the best comparison, but they are closely related yet far apart.
The doors slid open as four human servants came in and delivered the food to the Emperor and Imperial Prince, Luke's eyes were wide, he never saw so much food and he didn't know what any of it was. He never ate like this on Tatooine, its something he could look forward too. They left after leaving the trays of food on the table, bowing and making their way away from the Emperor and the kid he was with, they hadn't a clue who he was and they honestly didn't want to know... well, maybe they did but they wouldn't ask.
"You customize your own ships?" Luke asked impressed after the people serving the food left, he was more impressed with his father by the second. He was glad that he was nothing like his Uncle Owen, he wanted to know what happened to him and his Aunt Beru, but he felt like something happened and didn't want to deal with anymore trauma on top of what he was dealing with already. "I am a good mechanic and engineer, myself." Luke modestly admitted.
Anakin nodded with a smile, "I do customize my own ships along with other stuff and I don't doubt you're good mechanic or engineer, I was myself when I was your age and I built my own droid when I was seven. It wasn't done until I was nine... mostly but it was quite an accomplishment of mine, then." He always wondered what happened to Threepio, he never found him or Artoo Detoo, he figured they were scrap metal for knowing too much but he didn't know that for sure. He was happy that Threepio was gone, he was annoying with his annoying voice and bad timing but what could he say? He was just a kid when he built him and kids make mistakes, just like he did with his programming though he did do quite well with it.
His father was incredible, he admitted it. He already loved his father, he may not know him that well yet but his father was clearly young and with the way everyone looked at him, he was a powerful man and very respected, feared or both. He didn't know why they feared him but he didn't. He felt the way his father felt for him, he may not have said he loved him or anything like that but he didn't have to say it. He already called him son, in a possessive and protective manner, his Uncle never said anything like that other than to berate him or complain about something he did or didn't do.
"You still thinking about him?" Anakin asked realizing his son keeps thinking about his former Guardians, former dead guardians, killed by Tuskens. "I paid them a visit after I got you from Jabba's Palace," he wasn't sure if he should tell him or not but his son will keep wondering and wanting to ask and will eventually have to deal with reality. "I'm sorry, they were killed by either Jabba's people or by Tusken Raiders, the Sand People."
He watched his son's reaction and it wasn't what he expected, he seemed withdrawn and indifferent, maybe it'll just take time for him to react to it? He remembered the way he felt about his mother, but that was his mother, the only woman that he ever loved before Padmé and the woman that raised him from birth until he left with the Jedi. They were all each other had and the connection was strong, very strong considering he felt her calling for him in his visions all the way from Tatooine when he was on Coruscant, when it was Coruscant.
His son though knew that his guardians were just that, captives really but they weren't the ones to kidnap him, they just kept him after not knowing he was kidnapped but when they discovered it, they kept him and still knew and that was a death sentence. You betray the Commander-in-Chief like that and you die at his hand, he didn't have it in him to kill him and then look his son in the eye, so he left it to his Guards, they wouldn't mind doing it just to leave that Force forsaken planet and neither would he.
"They kept you from me, Luke and put you in danger." He didn't want to tell his son this but he had too to get him to understand, "my mother lived there, ten years ago and she was kidnapped, tortured and killed by Tusken Raiders. She was one of those buried just outside the homestead, it was a dangerous place to live as is all of Tatooine." So maybe he didn't tell his son everything, but he didn't need to know all of it. He wanted to make good impressions, not ones that contained him killing people, his son may not understand that even though he didn't need a reason to kill. There were many reasons he had for killing, but he never killed any innocent civilians, if it didn't serve a purpose in the end.
"I knew that, they told me but they never said anything about you or my mother," Luke said quietly as he dug into the food eating something he never saw before but tasted great, better than anything he ever ate before. "I know I should be sad or angry but... I'm not." Luke sighed and shook his head, "does that make me a bad person?"
Anakin was taken back by that, "no, Luke." He quickly said stopping what he was doing as he directed his full attention to him. "Luke, death is a normal part of life but never easy to deal with. Sometimes it hits you hard and fast and other times, you don't feel it until much later as its triggered by memories or just a delayed reaction. I lost many people over the years, many friends and... family. They all changed me and hurt me and made me start to keep relationships that I have with people detached, I don't like losing people and it hurts me deeply. I always cared too much about others and not much about myself, when I lost my mother and my wife, I..." What? He didn't know what else to say after that. "When I lost them both, I lost myself and I changed drastically, I turned into a monster. When my mother died it felt like someone stabbed me with a dull blade and twisted it into my heart. I killed all of those responsible for taking my mother from me, I wiped out the whole village with my lightsaber and left no survivors, when my wife died, I killed more people. Most were guilty of something and others just got in the way."
He watched his son's reaction and it was still indifferent, so he continued. "We all deal with grief differently but I was trained to defend myself and others, I was a peacekeeper and then I was the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Military and then I was the Emperor, myself. I make decisions everyday that affect the life of millions and sometimes billions and even trillions. I give the order to invade worlds and orders to assassinate certain people that try to cause my Empire or me personally, harm. You will have to come to terms with that, I am not your Uncle Owen. I kill for a living and I don't feel remorse for those I cut down, they aren't innocent people." It was the best lecture that he would get, he can't say that he wasn't warned if he sees his father kill anyone. "Do you understand?" He asked as he went back to eating food.
Luke nodded slowly, this wasn't anything that he didn't already know. He knew the Empire killed people and of course the people of Tatooine always talked about it like they actually cared, but they didn't since most of these people were killers themselves. "I understand." He said.
Anakin nodded accepting the answer, what else could the boy say though? "Good, it is important for us leaders of the galaxy to accept that not everyone will like us and some will wish to cause us harm. We need to be ready for that and be ready to defend ourselves and those we care about. That is what I do, I care about all that I worked so hard for and won't allow anyone to destroy what I built and neither will you. When you're better, we'll start learning to use the Force and then you'll understand better what it means to be a Sith Lord."
The father and son sat in silence after that both contemplating various things, Luke learned a lot about his father and Anakin learned a lot about his son.
It'll take some time for them to truly bond and to really get to know one another but for day number two, or the start of day number two, it wasn't so bad. Anakin hopes he didn't horrify his son with the truth but he doesn't lie and his son will need to know about him, he isn't ashamed of who he is and he doesn't regret the decisions that he made. He made the choices he thought was right and they were whether anyone agrees or disagrees, is their problem his conscience his clear.
He just hopes that his son will understand and agree or at least side with him and want to really know him, he doesn't want his son to despise him or what he did. That would hurt him a lot worse than another lightsaber to his arm, maybe even worse than a fatal blow.
Only time will tell but so far, they're off to a good start and Anakin only hopes it improves from here on out.
Its what any father would wish for in his son that he didn't know he had...
And that's a wrap for Chapter 3!
The next chapter will skip ahead a day or two and Luke will be released from the hospital, it'll be more father and son bonding as well as meeting Starkiller.
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