Naboo:
Luke had just finished dressing, when he sensed his Grandfather entering the room. It was in that moment that He realized that his Lightsaber was missing.
He instantly noticed a frown on his Grandfather's face as he spoke, "Is there something wrong Granddad?" Luke asked.
Ruwee nodded as he held up his missing Lightsaber, "How the hell did you end up with a Sith Lightsaber?"
Luke gasped in shock, "How did you know?"
"I am a professor Luke, I have studied ancient history for over fifty years since well before Palpatine came to power and started screening everything. I know all about the Sith."
Luke frowned as he spoke, "What do you know about Darth Vader?"
"Only what I hear. I don't know the man personally although, I have heard rumors that he is the Man that killed your Mother. I do know that he is evil. All of the Sith are evil," Ruwee replied.
Luke nodded as another question came to mind, "What do you know about my Father's disappearance?"
At that moment, Jobal entered the room as Ruwee spoke, "I would just assume that he survived the purges or fought his way off of Coruscant when the Clones attacked the Temple. I really don't know how he ended up with you, but I would like for you to explain it to me. What do these questions have to do with your Red lightsaber?" Ruwee asked.
Luke frowned, "Have you ever gotten a glimpse of what Vader looks like under his hood?"
"No, and I don't know anyone that has," Ruwee replied in frustration.
"I know who is under that hood, I have seen that face for as long as I can remember."
Ruwee looked Luke in the eye as something dawned upon him, "Y-You mean that your Father is Darth Vader?"
Luke grimly nodded as Jobal spoke, "That is impossible. There is no way that that lovely man that I met twenty years ago could be that Monster."
"He is. Why would I have left him if he was that same lovely man from twenty years ago?" Luke asked.
Ruwee looked at his Grandson in shock, "He trained you?"
Luke nodded as he spoke, "Do you want to know the exact truth?"
"My daughter, What happened to her? I have been wondering for fifteen years what exactly happened to my little girl. My soul prayer has been that I would know before the day of my death. Please tell me what happened to her," Ruwee pleaded.
Luke grimly stared at his Grandfather as he spoke, "This is what I know, and I could be wrong but this is what I think happened. Do you want to hear it?"
Ruwee was silent in response, Luke breathed in deeply as he prepared to tell his Father the darkest story that he had ever heard, the story of his Father's fall and his Mother's death.
"From what I know, My Mom gave birth to me and she died shortly after. Most likely, she died immediately after my birth. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi then took me to Tattooine."
"Tattooine?" Jobal asked in shock.
Luke nodded, "My Father's family still lived there at the time and, he knew that he would never go back to that planet if he could help it."
"You say at the time?" Ruwee asked.
"Yes, A few months after my arrival, my Aunt and Uncle were killed by Sandpeople. I don't know how or why, but I do know that I somehow survived the attack. After that, I was sent to an orphanage in Mos Eisely."
"An Orphanage?" Ruwee and Jobal asked in shock.
"And at that point I was probably only a few months old. Shortly after that, My Father crash landed on Tattooine in his starfighter after a dogfight with a group of Jedi survivors. He sensed my presence on the planet, so he decided to search for me. The moment that he heard my name, he knew who I was. He paid off the orphanage and he took me with him back to his ship, and I was there until two days ago."
Ruwee looked at his grandson in shock, "And you know this how?"
"My Dad told me. He always taught me that the Jedi stole me because of how evil they are. He said that Kenobi did it for revenge, but now I am wondering if that is true or not."
"Based on who Vader is, I would say that should be an indicator of what the truth is."
"I agree," Luke replied.
"Why did you leave him if you have been trained to be evil all of this time?" Jobal asked.
"I always thought that I was on the right side. That is until two days ago when word reached us of a Jedi presence on Kashyyyk. I have been trained in multiple combat techniques since the day that I was old enough to walk, so when he heard about the Jedi Presence he asked me to go down to the planet with him."
Luke paused as he spoke, "I've always have enjoyed a good battle, so I was excited. I was also taught to hate Jedi all of my life, and I have wanted Jedi blood all of my life. I was bloodthirsty and I was anxious to make my first Jedi kill," Luke replied.
"Did you kill the Jedi?" Ruwee asked uneasily.
Luke grimly nodded as he spoke, "His last words will stay with me for life. No one that I have killed has ever left an impact on me like the impact that he left on me."
"What were they?" Jobal asked uneasily.
"Just as I stabbed him, he looked at me and it wasn't in fear. The look was a look of pity. He then said this to me, Your Father raised you in the Darkness Boy, but you have a choice. You can choose to live in the light if you become your own person."
Luke had a tear in his eye as he continued the tale, "My Dad was always loving to me. He always cared. We always had a good relationship until that day. You see, That Jedi had a wife and three kids. He told me to kill them, but I couldn't do it. I have killed many times. I have fought against Rebel Alliance troops and I have assassinated some very influential people, but I couldn't kill a widow and three children."
"So what happened?" Ruwee asked.
"My Father and I fought. I had to retreat, there is no such thing as standing up to him. I escaped with the family and parted ways with them. I landed on Nar Shaddaa, and I made my way off by seeking transport from six slavers whom I ended up slaughtering."
Luke at the same time noticed the look of horror on his Grandfather's face as he looked over at his Grandmother who was in tears as she spoke, "What did Padme see in him?"
"I-I think it was the love that he had. In his best moments, he is the most loving Father that you could ever imagine. I still love him, I just want him to change."
Ruwee nodded not wishing to tell his Grandson that it was rare that a Sith Lord changed. He handed Luke his lightsaber as he spoke, "You just stay here for as long as you want."
Luke smiled, "Thank you."
Ruwee smiled at his Grandson in response as Jobal spoke, "Come on Ruwee, let's give this boy some time to sleep, he looks exhausted."
Luke nodded, "I haven't slept in over twenty hours."
"Then get some sleep, we will be here when you wake up," Ruwee replied.
Ruwee then followed his wife out of the room in silence.
The next morning, Luke awoke and slowly climbed out of his bed.
He slipped on a simple sleeveless shirt and one of his many pairs of black pants before walking into the hallway.
As he walked down the stairs, he noticed Ruwee entering the living room, "Feel like some fresh morning air?"
"Certainly, I am just glad that I was able to sleep."
Ruwee nodded as he motioned for Luke to follow him into the kitchen.
As they entered the kitchen, Ruwee spoke, "Go ahead and take a plate. We can eat breakfast on the Patio."
Luke immediately picked up a plate of eggs as he followed his Grandfather onto the patio that overlooked a large lawn along with a large beautiful garden.
"That Garden is beautiful."
Ruwee smiled, "At my age there is not much else to do besides take care of plants."
Luke nodded as his Grandmother stepped onto the patio.
"So are you going to stay with us?" Jobal asked.
Luke nodded, "For now this place is as safe as any and I doubt that my Father would come here. I will stay here for at least a year but I can't say that I can stay much longer after that."
"Do you think that he can actually find you?" Ruwee asked.
"Oh, he is already looking. It will be a matter of time. I just will have to keep training and preparing so that I am ready to fight him if necessary."
"You don't plan on killing him do you?" Jobal asked.
Luke shook his head, "I can't kill my own Father. I mean he does want me to."
"He wants you to kill him?" Jobal asked in horror.
"It is Sith Tradition for the Apprentice to murder their Master and it has been since the Battle of Ruusan."
"Do you know anything about how the Sith survived that battle anyway? I mean I am a professor so I am merely curious since I have studied most Historical accounts of the Sith Wars that are available."
Luke frowned, he knew the Sith History all to well. He looked at his Grandfather and spoke, "Do you know anything about a Sith Lord being killed after the Battle of Ruusan?"
"Why yes, I remember hearing about Lord Farfalla being slain by a Sith, but they killed that one On Ambria. I even saw the place where his corpse was found."
Luke shook his head, "That is what the Jedi believed to have happened. The truth is that that corpse was a total nobody. Darth Bane and his Apprentice, Darth Zannah had in truth survived that attack and they escaped easily."
"Darth Bane you say? I have never heard of him," Ruwee replied.
"Not surprising, he stood apart from the Brotherhood of Darkness. He believed that there should only be two Sith at a time, No more no less, a Master and an Apprentice."
"That is what your Palpatine and your Father are though," stated Jobal.
"Yes, but my Father plans to kill Palpatine and have me be his Apprentice which I have been for fifteen years. His plan is for me to then kill him and become Emperor. I mean, I am a Sith Apprentice or was a Sith Apprentice. I want nothing to do with them now."
"So all of this time there were two at a time?" Ruwee asked.
Luke nodded, "Starting with Bane and Zannah. She killed him and then continued the tradition down to Hego Damask and Emperor Palpatine."
"Damask was a Sith?" Ruwee and Jobal both asked in shock and disbelief.
"He was Darth Plagueis, yes he was Palpatine's Master."
"My understanding was that his breath mask failed, you are saying that he was killed by Palpatine?" Ruwee asked.
"If Sith are involved, there are no accidents," Luke replied.
"I guess not," Ruwee replied.
Ruwee then spoke, "If you don't mind, I want you to step into my office so that I can document all of this for the day that Palpatine is dead, that is if you don't mind. I mean all of what you are saying is history."
"Let's get it over with after breakfast," Luke replied.
Jobal smiled, "That is a good idea, if you don't mind, your Aunt Sola will be coming over tomorrow. We will tell her about everything when she arrives."
Luke nodded in response.
Star Destroyer Exactor:
Mara Jade had just finished showering and dressing when she saw her Master standing right before her.
Vader calmly spoke, "Breakfast is waiting for both of us."
Mara shook her head, "Forgive me Master, I could have cooked it for you."
Vader shook his head, "You are no longer a slave Mara, stop acting like one."
Mara frowned, "I'm sorry, it's just that I don't know how to behave after being freed. I mean, I owe you my life. I probably would ended up becoming a pleasure slave or a prostitute if it wasn't for you freeing me. I owe you a life debt of loyalty and servitude since you have freed me."
"If you plan to serve me, you better not overwork yourself and you better eat the food that I provide you with because you will be exhausted and overworked by the end of the day after our training sessions."
Mara nodded as she followed her Master into the nearby kitchen. She noticed two plates of food, more food than anyone had offered her in her life. Vader motioned for her to sit as he spoke, "Go ahead and eat."
Mara obediently sat down as Vader sat down, "Thank you Master."
Vader said nothing in response as he ate.
A few minutes later, Mara had finished her breakfast as she looked at the fruit bowl in the center of the table. She noticed several large Corellian apples. She had rarely been allowed apples back on Nar Shaddaa and the times that she had stolen apples from Marac had resulted in severe beatings and often no food for a day or two. But her mouth was starting to water at the sight of the fresh apples.
Vader glanced at Mara and read her thoughts as he spoke, "Go ahead and have an apple, no one is going to beat you for wanting a piece of fruit here."
Mara looked at her Master, feeling grateful to him for his generosity as she spoke, "Thank you Master."
"I remember how it was as a slave. You could never take anything unless you wanted to anger your owner. At least my last one did allow us to have whatever we wanted in terms of food as long as it wasn't expensive."
"Did he allow apples?" Mara asked.
Vader smiled, "He did, whenever they were available in the Market we were allowed to have them."
"So he wasn't as bad of a Master then?"
"No, but the Owner that we had before him was worse, she was a Hutt."
Mara shivered, "That was my biggest nightmare, becoming a Hutt's slave."
"It is horrifying, they toss you to their pit beasts if you do something the wrong way. I saw to many go down into her pit while I was a slave. I may have been a tiny child but I still can see that Palace vividly, I watched my Mother get raped to many times and I still have flashbacks from it. It was a hell hold for me."
"That sounds horrible, is your Mother free now?"
"She was freed, but she is dead now."
"Oh, I-I'm sorry." Mara replied.
Vader said nothing in response as he spoke, "Are you ready to start?"
"Yes, I mean my stomach is settled enough."
"Good, Today we will start with a run and I will teach you how to use the Force. Tomorrow, you will start some schooling."
"I know how to read," Mara replied.
"Barely, you still could stand to learn. Now come, we will run in the training room."
Mara silently followed the Sith Lord to the large training room and started to jog with him through the large Gym.
After around fifteen minutes, Mara was struggling to breathe as Vader motioned for her to stop, "That is enough for now."
Mara nodded as Vader pulled out his lightsaber, "This is a Lightsaber, the Ancient weapon of the Sith and Jedi. We will begin today by teaching you how to deflect blasterfire and some basic dueling techniques. Eventually, I will have you building your own," Vader added.
Vader then activated the blade as a small remote started to hover above him. Instantly, the droid started to fire several shots, which Vader easily deflected.
"You can see them, but I want you to focus on using your feelings. Let the energy flow through you and feel the Force around you. Soon, it will be something that you will do without thinking," Vader stated as he handed his lightsaber to his Apprentice.
Mara immediately activated the lightsaber as a shot was fired. She moved her lightsaber into the path of the shot and it was instantly deflected. Another shot was fired and the thirteen year old easily deflected it.
At the same time, Mara was taken off guard as a shot was fired which hit her thigh sending a sting of pain into her body.
"Concentrate and anticipate my Young Apprentice."
"Yes Master," Mara replied.
Vader smiled, he would build Mara up and she would be of great use to him. In the end however, he hoped that he would be able to find a safe avenue in terms of disposing of her. He didn't want to kill the young girl. Perhaps, he could give her a simple life and Credits to keep her quiet once he had Luke back at his side. If not, he would simply have to eliminate her. However, he hoped that she would willingly take his first offer.
Perhaps she would find love and be drawn into a normal life. Or maybe she would settle for a lesser position in the Empire. At the same time, Vader had a thought come into his mind, Palpatine had specially trained Assassins called Hands. Perhaps Mara could be Vader's Hand, Vader however wouldn't exploit Mara like Palpatine had his own agents.
Mara would know how far was to far or how much was to much. Above all, Vader would never have the girl do something that he wouldn't do himself. If Vader did keep Mara in such a position, The two of them could have a true relationship. Mara would look to him as a Father and he would treat her like his Daughter. Once he was gone, She would hopefully remain loyal to Luke. Vader smiled, that was his solution, he would raise Mara as though she was his own flesh and blood.
Alright, that is it for now, thank you for reading and reviewing.
-Fallen Jedi 79