Being bedridden does have its advantages; one being that I have time to update this story! Plus, it's super rewarding to update when I have such amazing followers as you guys are.
I realised that I accidentally posted a tid-bit of this chapter in the last one (idiot = me). Here's the FULL chapter now.
I hope you all enjoy and please let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars universe in any shape or form. It all belongs to George Lucas and now Disney too. The only things I own are any OC's or anything else my mind concocts as the story goes on.
CHAPTER FOUR
A NEW PURPOSE IN LIFE
The two suns were beginning to set on the Lars farm, bathing the homestead in shades of deep gold and red. Husband and wife lay fast asleep on their bed while their young nephew dozed peacefully in the crib beside them. It had been three hours of uninterrupted bliss for Owen and Beru, and they had made the most of it.
So engrossed they were in the peace and tranquillity of the afternoon that they did not notice that their nephew had begun to wake and was once again reaching his hand out to grasp thin air.
I…I
As Vader exited the Imperial Shuttle, he felt a sudden pull towards the Lars homestead that had made him stop in his tracks. He couldn't quite figure out what had caused it. Perhaps it was the Force, the harshness of Tatooine's environment or simply just the stress of the day that had caused this strange feeling, but whatever it was it made Vader suddenly hold his arm out as though to grab something that didn't even exist.
"What are your orders, sir?" queried Leith, observing their surroundings. He had no idea what on earth the Sith Lord was doing at this dive of a farm, but he knew better than to question it. Commander Stark stood beside him, also looking perplexed.
Vader studied his outstretched arm in confusion for a moment before replying. "I want all troops to follow me. There are two persons of interest inside and I do NOT want them to be harmed until I say so. I…" He looked down at his arm again "They have some very important information that I need. Do NOT fire at them without my consent. Is that understood?"
"Yes, my Lord!" Leith bowed his head and began to bark orders to the Stormtroopers.
I…I
Beru was woken by her husband's hand shaking her shoulder wildly.
"Owen?" she asked in sleepy confusion.
"Someone's here!" he hissed.
"Then put some clothes on and welcome them," suggested Beru, snuggling back against the pillow.
"Beru!" Owen shook her harder. "They're already inside! I heard them kick the door down!"
THAT got Beru's attention and she immediately flew out of bed, donned her clothes and grabbed Luke, who immediately started screaming.
"What are we going to do?" she asked in terror, wrapping Luke up in blankets while trying to hush him at the same time.
"Wait here!" Owen had fully dressed and grabbed his rifle from underneath the bed. "Push the bed against the door so they can't get in." He exited the room. Beru stood as though paralysed but before she could put Luke down and think to move the bed, the door slammed open. A tall, heavily armoured figure stood in the doorway with his face masked by a black helmet. His breathing was loud and deep as he looked in her direction. Her eyes widened in realisation and her hand flung to the back of Luke's head.
"No," she whimpered. "Please no…"
"I believe you have some questions to answer," said Vader coldly. He observed the screaming bundle of blankets that Beru was clutching desperately. Not that the Sith Lord needed to hear or even see what was encased within the material, nor did he require the information he had received from Obi-Wan only seconds before his former Master's death. Within that small bundle lay a tiny human whom Vader had long since thought died in his wife's womb. He could sense it; it was an inexplicable feeling that he couldn't quite comprehend but it was there, and Vader couldn't deny it. Even though the knowledge wasn't welcome.
"You can't take him!" Beru screamed. She tucked the baby even tighter to her chest and looked at Vader through wild eyes. "He's not yours!"
"So I have been told," said Vader stonily, still gazing at the screaming bundle of blankets. "But I want answers, Beru Lars, and I want them now." He finally tore his gaze away from the baby and glowered at the woman holding the infant. "I'm sure that even a moisture farmer's wife can fathom how one would feel if they had to make a brief stopover on their home planet, only to find out that their former Master and the Jedi most wanted by the Empire hiding out in the desolate Junklands."
"I-" Beru could only whimper in fear.
"Of course, it didn't take long to figure out that Kenobi was protecting you and your pathetic farm," continued Vader, ignoring her. He looked down at the blankets again. "Now I want to know why and how you believed you could keep this secret from myself AND the Empire?"
"It…Obi-Wan wanted to protect Luke," stammered Beru. "He wanted to protect him from YOU!"
"Oh?" Vader tilted his head to the side. "Well he has certainly done a fine job of that, hasn't he?"
"You…you'd better leave before he gets here," Beru threatened, even as her voice quivered with fear. "He…he will make you wish you had never been born!"
Vader laughed mockingly. "You are referring to the man whom I have just slaughtered only an hour and a half ago?" At Beru's horrified expression, he chuckled again. "Yes, the guardian you seek has met his end by my lightsaber. Your husband is currently being held by my troopers in the courtyard of this garbage dump that you call a farm."
In any other situation, Vader would have savoured the horror and fear in the woman's eyes as she realised the cold truth of her situation. However, he was becoming more and more entranced with the bundle of blankets in Beru's arms. It elicited a feeling that he had never experienced, or perhaps one that he hadn't felt since he had rid himself of his former identity. His need to uncover the person beneath the fabric was in conflict with his desire to simply leave and forget that this entire day had never occurred, so that he wouldn't have to deal with the uncomfortable human emotions that were beginning to brew inside of him. Brewing so quickly that, for the first time in six months, Vader was frightened.
The Sith Lord ignited his lightsaber and stalked towards Beru. The woman's eyes widened and she curled up into a ball, the blankets still grasped firmly in her arms.
"No. Please no!" she sobbed.
"Relinquish the child and I might consider sparing your life," Vader warned. He couldn't understand WHY he was offering such a compromise. After all, there wasn't the slightest doubt that he would have to kill the baby, regardless of the fact the child was…
"I can't!" Beru wept. She nuzzled her head against the blankets. "I love him. He is like my son!"
'But he isn't!' thought Vader, and he felt a strange sort of possessive anger. Possessive of someone he didn't even know. Suddenly a repressed memory stirred within the Sith Lord, of Anakin Skywalker was lying in bed with his pregnant wife.
The Jedi placed his hand on Padme's rounded belly before leaning down and kissing it gently.
"Can you tell if it's a girl or a boy?" queried Padme.
Anakin laughed. "I'm sorry, but even the 'Chosen One's' powers aren't that strong." He smiled at his wife. "But what I DO know is that I love our baby already. Boy or girl, it's gonna have me wrapped around its little finger!"
The memory only served to anger him more. Vader raised the lightsaber and pointed it at Beru's tear-stained face.
"Give me the child or you will die!" he snarled. There was a moment of silence, broken only by Vader's breathing and the baby's screaming before the sound of blaster guns echoed from outside. It was enough to break Vader's concentration and his anger was now directed at his troopers, who had been FIRMLY ordered not to open fire until he said to. Unfortunately, his momentary lapse in concentration allowed Beru a brief chance of escape and she raced outside.
"NO!" Vader yelled. He raced after her, Force-throwing items out of his way. But the moment she had stepped foot onto the courtyard and blaster shots hit her body and she fell to the ground.
The Sith Lord stared at her prone body then looked at the troopers and Captain Leith who was standing behind them. Vader clenched his fist and the man immediately started gasping for air.
"My Lord!" he squeaked, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head and his face bright red from lack of oxygen.
"I ordered you NOT TO OPEN FIRE UNTIL I COMMANDED YOU TO!" Vader roared, clenching his gloved fist even harder. Leith choked for air once more before collapsing into a heap on the ground beside the deceased Owen, who had obviously been the victim of the first wave of shots. Vader Force-threw two Stormtroopers across the yard as a means of relieving his anger but it did nothing to quench his rage.
He turned from his cowering troops and Commander Stark (who was eyeing Leith's dead body apprehensively) and looked down at the body before him. His concern was not for her; it was for what she had been protecting.
And that had fallen strangely quiet now.
Vader felt as though the world was spinning around him and he crouched beside the woman, whose lifeless eyes were gazing in his direction. Beru couldn't have survived the barrage that had torn through her so there was no possible way that…
With hands that were shaking against his will, Vader gently rolled the lifeless Beru onto her back, unravelled the blanket she had been clutching onto and looked into his son's eyes for the very first time.
Vader suddenly found it impossible to stand again, so entranced he was by the baby beneath him. He simply stayed on his knees by Beru's side, gazing at his son in complete shock.
"Lord Vader?"
Commander Stark sounded incredibly nervous. No doubt he was fearing that he would meet the same fate as his fallen colleague. At that moment, Vader couldn't have cared less about those around him; alive or dead. All that mattered was the baby who was staring back at him.
Vader shook himself out of his stupor and looked up at Stark.
"Take this child," he ordered. Vader couldn't bring himself to carry a baby, out of both shock, internal conflict regarding his emotions and the concern of accidentally crushing his son's skull in his powerful hands. "Keep him safe for the rest of our mission then bring him to the Executor's medical bay."
When Commander Stark gawked at him in confusion, Vader growled, "Do you have a problem with my orders, Commander?"
Stark blinked owlishly and quickly shook his head. "Not at all, sir!" He knelt down beside Vader and gingerly picked up the baby, who immediately started screaming at the stranger's touch.
"Careful, you fool!" snapped Vader, terrified that the man had hurt his son. Stark inclined his head, gestured at his troops to return to the shuttle and walked away (carrying the baby with the awkwardness of a person who has never held one in his life), leaving the still stunned Sith Lord to gather his composure and to let the reality of the situation settle in.
He couldn't see how he would ever get used to the fact that he was now a father.
I…I
"I just don't understand, Lord Vader."
Emperor Palpatine's hologram shook his head as he spoke to his loyal servant from his throne at the Imperial Palace. Although the Executor was only two days away from arriving on Coruscant, Vader had deemed it wise to inform his Master of Luke's existence before they saw each other in the flesh. He didn't want Palpatine to believe that his Apprentice was hiding things from him; it would make the argument to keep his son even more difficult than it already was.
"I simply believe that it is a waste potential opportunity," said Vader. He was attempting to appear as nonchalant as possible. It would not do for his Master to believe that his motivation for taking the boy was laced with a strange and unwelcome emotion not acceptable in the Dark Side of the Force. "He is a blank canvas to work with. One that I can mould into a powerful Sith apprentice."
"And what possible value could he be if he is not Force-sensitive?" queried Palpatine impatiently.
"There are many alternative paths for him to follow that will contribute to the ever-growing power of the Empire," said Vader quickly, who had known that his Master's main concern would be whether Luke's existence could be beneficial in the slightest. "If he is nurtured and raised within the Imperial Palace, he could become an influential poster-child for the Empire."
"A poster child for the Empire?" asked Palpatine curiously. Vader knew that the Emperor was now interested.
"A means of enticing young men to join the army," Vader continued. "A young and charismatic celebrity of sorts. Even if he isn't Force-sensitive, he could become an Admiral in the Imperial Forces and an advertisement for recruitment. He could even become a politician, whose reputation is backed by the support of the love and admiration of the public. The possibilities are endless."
The Emperor pondered this for a moment. "An astute observation." He tented his fingers and studied his apprentice. "Do you really believe that you can achieve this?"
Vader bowed his head. "I promise you, Master, that in eighteen years time, either a loyal and powerful Sith Apprentice, future politician or Grand Admiral will kneel before you and pledge his lifelong allegiance to the Empire."
"And if he doesn't?" asked Palpatine coolly.
"I will kill him myself," answered Vader bluntly.
"Hmm..." The Emperor observed him for a moment before sighing, "I am afraid that your son will stand in the way of your duties, or even sway the beliefs that keep the galaxy in order."
"My hatred for the Republic and those who rebel against us remains as strong as ever, Master, and always shall," said Vader at once. "No child shall ever change my beliefs or tear me away from my commitments. The Empire shall always come first."
"There is something suspicious in all of this," said Palpatine sceptically. He continued to scrutinise his apprentice. Vader knew that the Emperor was searching for any kind of hidden motivation behind his argument. "Why do you really want to raise the boy? I am afraid that you are not the best candidate for parenthood, my friend. After all, your anger has already been the cause of his mother's death. How can you be so sure that you won't do the same to him?"
Vader flinched and he looked down at his right arm, remembering how he had used it to choke Padmé on Mustafar. But he knew that Palpatine was trying to find a weakness in his argument so he pushed aside his guilt and said resolutely. "It is not my plan to parent through emotion, Master. My goal is to foster and nurture the child's inherent skills and abilities so that he will be a valuable asset to both you and the Empire. I sense something in him and I believe he is destined for great things."
'Like assisting me in destroying you and usurping your position,' Vader secretly thought to himself. The idea made his fingers tingle with relish. But he couldn't allow the Emperor to guess one of the reasons why he was intent on raising his son. He stood before his Master and waited anxiously for his answer.
"Very well," Palpatine finally conceded. "If you really believe that you can create a powerful asset through this, you may raise the boy." He looked at his apprentice through narrowed eyes. "However, I wish to remain informed of his progress throughout the years and to meet with him from time to time. If I sense a clear lack potential or any dangerous traits, he shall be destroyed at once."
"And I will do the deed myself, Master," promised Vader, even as he tightly shielded his relief at his Master's acceptance of the situation.
Palpatine waved him away. "You are excused, my friend." Vader bowed once more and ended the transmission, thankful that his armour hid the relieved expression on his face.
I…I
When Vader entered the Executor's medical bay an hour later, he was greeted by the undeniable sound of infantile screeching that set his teeth on edge. A medic was walking back and forth, bouncing Luke on her hips and dangling some kind of toy in the baby's face in an attempt to calm him down. Evidently, her efforts were in vain.
"Why is he screaming so loudly?" Vader demanded. The staff nearly jumped out of their skins at the sound of the Sith Lord's voice. "Is he sick?"
"N-no, my Lord," the medic stammered. She felt like crawling into a hole as Vader stared at her as though she would be choked to death if she failed to pacify his son. "He has been fed, changed and we have performed a routine examination and have found nothing."
"Then why is he crying as though he has been subjected to an interrogation droid?" said the Sith Lord impatiently. Luke's scream seemed to be increasing in volume with each passing second, and no doubt it would spread throughout the entire ship at this rate.
"It isn't anything serious, my Lord," the medic hastily assured him. She clutched the baby to her chest and rubbed his back in a soothing manner. "I'm afraid that he is just at a difficult stage."
"What is that supposed to mean?" queried Vader. "Is anyone here going to give me an actual answer?"
This time it was a medical droid who piped up, "Sometimes there appears to be no simple cause for a baby's crying and, at his age and without information regarding how he was comforted from birth, it can be hard to understand his discomfort. Of course, sometimes…" he trailed off.
"Sometimes what?" snapped Vader, now extremely frustrated.
"Perhaps he needs the comfort of his parent?" the medic holding Luke suggested in a small voice.
Vader gaped at her, although the medical staff could not see this beneath his mask. "Do you really think that's wise?" The Sith Lord could imagine the baby being squished to death from his heavy armour.
"It - it's just that a mother or father provide the safety and reassurance that a stranger can't," explained the medic, raising her voice to contend with Luke's screaming.
"But…" Vader gave the baby a blank look "…he doesn't even know me."
"Maybe not, but sometimes they can just sense it." The medic smiled at him. "At this rate, I believe it may be the only option - my Lord," she quickly added.
Vader didn't see how the tiny baby could possibly find comfort in the arms of a terrifying Sith Lord, who donned a scary black helmet and breathed as though his lungs were close to imploding (which wasn't far from the truth), but he couldn't come up with a better solution to the conundrum.
He sighed, nodded stiffly and held out his hands slightly. "How do I hold-"
"Like this, sir." The medic carefully placed the crying baby in Vader's arms and rearranged them so that the Sith Lord was carrying him on his hip. She quickly let go once she was sure Luke was safe and retreated back into the shadows. Being so close to the Sith Lord was enough to make her nearly pass out.
To Vader's utter disbelief, the baby immediately stopped screaming. Luke looked up at him with curious blue eyes.
Anakin's eyes.
"Hello there," Vader greeted awkwardly. Luke continued to study him with interest, clearly not perturbed by his father's somewhat frightening appearance. He was possibly the only being in this galaxy who didn't cower in his presence.
The Sith Lord tore his gaze away from his son to see that the two medics were staring at him.
"What?" he snapped.
"Nothing!" They scurried away, no doubt fleeing for their lives. Vader snorted and returned his attention to his son. Son... Vader still couldn't get his head around it.
He studied the baby he was holding in his arms. Luke was only six months old and already Vader could see the resemblances between him and his son. Aside from their blue eyes, there was a tiny film of blonde hair on his Luke's head and even their chins looked similar. There were also traces of Padme too, although barely noticeable. Vader knew that the boy would grow up to be Anakin's double.
He frowned at the thought and pushed it aside. He had spent six months working to push aside his past and move forward into his new life but now all that hard work was crumbling around him because of the diminutive being nestled in his arms. How could one insignificant creature create so much stress and drama?
'Because said creature isn't insignificant', his mind answered. "He's your son."
He remembered the words the Emperor had spoken to him only an hour ago. How on earth could he raise a baby? Palpatine was right; he wasn't cut out to be a parent. Not even Anakin could have handled this on his own. Padmé would have been the perfect mother and would have made up for what was lacking in their child's father. But now, thanks to Vader, she was no longer there and he was forced to embrace parenthood by himself. He began to feel angry; at Padmé, at Obi-Wan, the Force, Palpatine but mostly at himself. For the first time since he had embraced the Dark Side, Vader felt remorseful for his actions.
But that feeling of repentance quickly subsided as he pondered his new duty in his already extremely stressful life. He made a vow to raise his son and protect him to the best of his ability, and he was never going to back out of that promise. He had helped to conceive the child and had brought him to the galaxy's attention, and if he failed in his role as Luke's protector, the boy would have to die and he would be the one to kill him. There was no way he would hurt someone close to him ever again.
Possessed by a sudden impulse, Vader raised a gloved finger and booped the baby's nose. Luke's mouth curved upwards and he burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. It was so infectious that Vader couldn't help but laugh too. He was thankful that there were no witnesses to this private moment, as he would have had to Force-choke them to keep them quiet.
"So, here we are then?" he said wearily. Vader shook his head again. "A cold-hearted, murdering, terrifying Sith Lord; now a parent to a fragile, giggling and innocent baby. Who in this galaxy could have ever predicted this?"
As they looked into each other's eyes, Vader suddenly felt as though he was seeing into his son's soul. He could sense Luke's exhaustion from being suddenly taken away from the security of home and finding himself in a new environment surrounded by strangers. But he could also detect feelings of amusement from his father's playful antics and how safe Luke was in his father's arms. In return, Luke's intense eyes seemed to pierce through Vader's own soul, and the Sith Lord suddenly felt uncomfortable and unprotected. It was as though all his heavy armour and cold, angry demeanour had been stripped away and that the baby could somehow see him as someone Vader never wanted to be again.
But when Luke's eyes closed and he fell asleep in his father's suited arms, Vader suddenly felt completely at peace for the first time since he had pledged allegiance to Palpatine and taken on his new persona as a Sith Lord. He smiled at his slumbering son and held him tighter to his chest.
