CHAPTER 3—THAT'S MY SON
The sergeant looked up from his duty post outside the temporary holding cell. The electric corral herded the gauze-wrapped nomads to the center of the enclosure. Still twitching, one Tusken lay dead by the fence where he had strayed too close.
Pulling himself to attention, the sergeant drew his rifle from across his chest to the left shoulder position. He watched with curiosity as his superior approached.
His grim visage obscured by his helmet, the stormtrooper captain marched over to the Sand People detention area. His armored limbs swooshed through the deep sand.
The sergeant supervising the captives asked, "Yes, Captain?"
"Termination orders." The captain handed a code cylinder to the sergeant.
The sergeant rolled the cylinder in his glove. "All of them?"
"You heard me, Sergeant. And make it quick. Lord Vader's shuttle has arrived."
The sergeant glanced at the spaceport, noticing the tips of the Lambda-class shuttle protruding above the rest of the craft. He transmitted the order to his squad. "Terminate."
The sergeant turned back to the fifty Tusken Raiders that now cowered against the back wall as his troopers swarmed the enclosure. He was grateful that their native dress obscured which were women and which were men. However, he hated killing the children.
There was no firing squad this time. The troopers simply fired at point-blank range to each head, killing each Tusken Raider in the compound. Their gargled death screams would haunt the sergeant for the rest of his life.
As the last raider fell, a large figure armored in a black life-support suit marched into the compound. His black cape trailed, stirring up the sand as he moved.
The sergeant said, "Attention. Squad, fall in."
The troops abandoned their task, leaving the corpses of the Sand People strewed in a line with a few piled on top of each other. They came to attention in a straight line while the captain stepped to the Sith Lord.
"My lord, welcome to Tatooine."
"You may dispense with the pleasantries, Captain. Report."
"As you can see, they are all terminated, Lord Vader." The captain pointed to the pile behind the row of stormtroopers. "Even the children. Just as you ordered."
Vader moved his mask in the direction of the jumbled bodies. His visual scanner analyzed the creatures, counting them. "Fifty? You think there are only fifty Sand People on this Force-forsaken planet? There are children, yes. But the rest of these are the aged and infirm."
The Sith Lord pivoted and pointed at the captain's face, causing the man to shrink back in fear. "Captain, send your men into the area and take care of this infestation once and for all. If I have to deal with this myself, you will join their fate. Am I making myself clear, Captain?"
"Yes, my lord. Vesk Squadron, head out toward the Dune Sea. The rest of you, range out between Anchorhead—"
A large crash cut her off, followed by screams outside the precinct. Chaos broke out as citizens swarmed the area.
Lord Vader turned his head to the source of commotion.
The captain said, "Sergeant, check out the disturbance. Regain control immediately."
The sergeant hefted his rifle blaster in front of his chest and led his squad in double-time to the courtyard. "Secure the courtyard."
The troops spread out across the area, pushing the civilians back with the barrel of their still-hot blasters.
"Nooo!"
The sergeant jerked his head around when a figure pushed him out of the way. "You'll be sorry—"
Lord Vader cut his words off as the hulking figure pushed past him, heading toward the accident site.
Beru raced into the street, pushing past all in her way. When she reached the site, stormtroopers had already taken the driver into custody.
The man mumbled as the stormtroopers yanked him from his speeder. "He just ran into the street. There was no time to stop. Please, it was an accident."
With her chestnut hair escaping her bun, the woman knelt down before Luke. She gasped when she saw the blood streaming from his head. She checked for breathing and pulse.
His respirations were rapid and shallow. His pulse weak and faint. His arm stuck out a weird angle, and his chest was compressed.
"Owen! Owen! It's Luke!"
A shadow occluded the sun as Beru pressed her bare hand to the head wound, trying to stem the bleeding.
"Owen, get a healer. Quick! He's not going to make it. Luke. Oh, Luke!"
She held the boy tight to her chest. She jumped at the sound of mechanical breathing behind her.
A deep voice uttered, "Captain, get me a medical crew here, right away."
Beru rotated her head with hesitation. She crouched back in fear. "Don't touch him. Do whatever you want to me, but you can't have him." Beru turned back to the boy, placing her body between Luke and the Sith Lord.
Vader stiffened. Beru. But who is this boy? Why do I feel a . . . connec—no, more than that.
The dark lord knelt down next to her, using his cape to quell the bleeding from the boy's arm. Vader looked at the boy through his red lenses. The eyes. Those eyes are mine.
Owen broke past the stormtroopers who were now guarding the door to the headquarters, but they detained him before he reached Vader. "Let go of me. That's my son. Let go of me." With a final shrug, Owen broke free and ran toward Vader.
Vader turned just as Owen reached him. The Sith Lord grabbed him by his neck with the Force and lifted Owen above him. "You." Something within Vader caused him to look back at the boy, and then to both Owen and Beru. "You lie. He is not your son."
Owen grunted as Vader's grip tightened on his throat. "We adopted him, my lord—war orphan."
The medical team arrived, pushing Beru out of the way. They waited for permission to approach while Lord Vader dealt with his newest victim.
Beru grabbed Vader's arm. "My lord, please, we meant no harm. Please, we're just simple farmers, loyal subjects of the Emperor."
Vader shrugged off the arm and slackened his grip on Owen as he lowered him to the ground. He focused his red lenses on the small woman. "Beru."
She pulled back in fear. "I'm sorry, my lord, but have we met before?"
"In another lifetime."
Owen tried to speak, but Vader pressed his throat again. "Silence. You may speak when bidden and not before."
Vader gazed at the medical team as they loaded the boy onto a stretcher.
The lead medic asked, "What is your bidding, Lord Vader?"
"See that the boy gets the best medical care." Vader squeezed his right hand. "He must not die."
The medic gulped. "I don't have adequate facilities on this planet, my lord."
"Take him to my ship. I will join you soon." Vader released Owen from his death grip.
Owen struggled for air, rubbing his neck.
Beru gasped, trying to move toward Luke.
"Stay here, Beru. Let them work." Vader's voice softened, cutting through her fear. "Tell me about your son."
Beru looked at the dark mask, as Vader read her soul. Under that intense scrutiny she said, "He's not really my son. He's the son of my husband's brother."
Vader's mechanical breathing grew heavier, and the lights on his chest flashed. "What is the boy's name?"
"Luke . .á."
Vader looked at her, tilting his helmet down, leaning toward her.
Beru edged back in fear. "Luke Skywalker, my lord." Tears streamed down her cheeks as soon as she had uttered his last name.
"Skywalker?" Vader tilted his head, his posture relaxing. "The son of Anakin Skywalker?"
"Yes, my lord."
Vader marched past her, heading toward the shuttle that carried the boy.
Beru raced to her husband, falling into his arms. "I'm sorry, Owen. I'm sorry. We've failed him. Our son is dead."