I'm so sorry for the delay; I've been super busy AND sick for the past fortnight, but I've managed to type this up before I can pass out for the next twelve hours. It's extra-long to make up for the long wait too. 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 SEVEN
A NEW MILESTONE
It was not often that Palpatine made contact with Vader when his apprentice was on a mission. The Emperor generally placed a great deal of faith in Vader's judgement and waited for his apprentice to make contact first, whether via hologram or in person once he returned. Therefore, Palpatine requesting to communicate with Vader would ordinarily be both surprising and worrying. But Vader knew why his Master had done so. All he had to do now was convince the Emperor that he wouldn't need to do so again.
"So, instead of preparing Nilna for our arrival and alerting their supposed allies, the senator decides to send out a distress call to no one in particular, even though we are monitoring all communication activities, then conceals himself in his home, using the majority of the city's army force to defend his house whilst leaving the rest of the capital unprotected and vulnerable?" Palpatine's voice was dripping with contemptuous amusement.
"The man is as incompetent as his father before him," said Vader coolly. "Stupidity must run within the Tulo gene pool. Fortunately, his blatant ineptitude will make our arrival on land much easier than anticipated."
"What of the city of Prasas?" queried Palpatine.
"I have sent troops to Prasas to contain its armed forces," answered Vader. "Without the help of their sister Capital, Nilna and Senator Tulo will be helpless."
The Emperor smiled darkly. "Good. Be sure to give him my regards before you destroy him. Remember; I want this planet to be made an example of."
"Yes, Master." Vader bowed his head.
"Oh, and Lord Vader?" The smile had disappeared from Palpatine's face. The man looked at his apprentice with narrowed eyes. "Do not fail me."
Vader didn't need the Emperor to elaborate on why he shouldn't fail him; he knew exactly what the repercussions of failure meant.
"I won't, Master." He bowed his head once more. Palpatine's hologram had winked out but Vader remained on his knee, deep in thought. Tensions had been high between him and his Master since Luke's existence had been made known. Palpatine had remained suspicious and doubtful over Vader's ability to balance his commitments to the Empire with being a parent, and Vader had been battling with the knowledge that the man he had placed his utmost trust in had clearly lied about Padmé's fate on Mustafar. Clearly, she had lived long enough to give birth to their son and that simple fact that he hadn't been aware of had been making Vader's blood boil for the past few weeks. It was extremely difficult trying to shield his rage from his Master but he knew he had to in order to keep Luke alive. It was for the greater good.
He finally got to his feet and left his meditation chamber, relishing in the frightened side steps and nervous expressions on the faces of the ship's aides and officers.
"Admiral Virer," he barked once he had entered the bridge. The Admiral hastily came to attention.
"Yes, sir!"
"Prepare for surface attack," ordered Vader. "It is time for Senator Tulo to meet his fate, whether he is ready to or not."
"Yes, sir!" Virer inclined his head and began to make preparations for their arrival. Vader strode over to the bridge window and observed the starry sky before him. Up ahead was Hron, coloured in swirls of deep green, blue and gold. Vader smiled coldly at the sight and imagined the look on Senator Tulo's arrogant, pudgy face before the Sith Lord would choke the life out of him.
I…I
Vader's apartment.
Meanwhile, in Coruscant, Nanna was bustling around the apartment completing chores, making sure to provide a distraction for her young charge so that she could get things done. Vader had, albeit begrudgingly, permitted the use of a holoscreen, but strictly stipulated that Luke was only to watch educational programs (and he had locked out several channels to ensure the infant's eyes wouldn't be soiled by more adult content). He needn't have worried though; Luke was far too obsessed with the kid's channel to care about anything else available on the HoloNet.
Luke sat there, almost going cross-eyed, absolutely mesmerised by what he was watching. It was one of those kid's shows that seemed to make zero sense whatsoever, but the bright colours and sounds held Luke's attention, the same way he was fixated on his beloved formula when it was within his sight. Vader only permitted the viewing of this insipid and idiotic show because it at least demonstrated basic manners. Plus, it was far better than that weird and downright creepy "Deep in the Oogy's Mind." If the psychotic and toothless "Oogy Woogy Doogy" didn't give Luke nightmares, it might one day disturb Vader's sleep. Even the most feared Sith Lord in the galaxy had shuddered when he had watched the first episode with his son.
Luke's eyes immediately brightened as his favourite character appeared. Poko - an adorable, purple ash-rabbit who wore a white ribbon around his neck - bounced across the screen, his arms positioned in a typical bunny pose. Luke imitated him and bounced up and down on his bottom. Poko was immediately joined by Bubba; a creature whom a disgusted Vader had once remarked looked like a stuffed bear mixed with sick bantha and coloured with a blinding array of sickly colours. Bubba sat beside Poko and burped loudly. Luke imitated him too. Thankfully Vader had never witnessed Bubba performing such crude behaviour or Luke's favourite show would be off limits forever.
"Clap hands for food!" Bubba ordered.
Giggling, Luke wriggled forward and clapped his tiny hands together in time with the music. Perhaps this show had further deepened his love of food. But, while Bubba's clapping had been rewarded with his trademarked "Bubba Snack Pack", Luke's efforts weren't rewarded at all. He was about to cry his disapproval but was distracted by Poko, who held a tiny arm out in greeting.
"Hi!" the bunny waved cheerfully.
Luke waved his hand at the screen in return.
"High five!"
Luke raised his hand in the air. Poko and Bubba then proceeded to frolic through a sunny field of flowers that made Vader roll his eyes every time he watched it. Luke's smile widened as he took in the bright and colourful landscape, so different from his own. It was that same happy expression that convinced Vader to keep the stupid show on every time, even if the sickly sweetness of it would one day kill him.
The baby frowned as the show switched over to the commercials, and he crossed his arms and pouted as though his tantrum would make the ads end quicker. Of course, it never worked (no matter how many times he had tried it) so he resigned himself to the next two minutes of boredom until he could watch Poko and Bubba's antics again.
The ads passed by, none of them making any sense to Luke until the final one before the commercial break ended. A toddler was running up to a man, who picked him up and cuddled him close. The ad was for a new high-tech brand of diapers, but Luke obviously had no idea what it was.
"I wuv my daddy!" the toddler in the commercial lisped.
Luke frowned. He crawled closer to the holoscreen, but the ad had already finished, designating the start of his favourite show again. But this time the baby wasn't interested in Poko and Bubba. Luke's mouth opened and closed multiple times as he tried to roll the word around his tongue.
"D..." he mumbled. "Da..."
There was a beeping noise behind him. He heard Nanna speaking to someone, although he couldn't make out the words.
"All is well, sir. Luke's been sleeping and eating as normal…he's currently watching the Grand Adventures of Poko and Bubba again…no he hasn't spoken…I'll get him for you, sir." There was a slight pause and Luke found himself being lifted into Nanna's arms and carried across the room. His blue eyes widened in disbelief as he found himself looking into what appeared to be an incredibly tiny version of his immensely tall father.
"Hello, Luke," Vader greeted rather crisply. His deep, rasping voice sounded exactly the same. Luke squealed with excitement and frantically pointed at his father.
"Yes, Luke, it's me," Vader chuckled. Instead of waving, Luke made a "high five!" gesture. Vader pulled himself together and raised his head in a dignified manner.
"I trust that you are behaving yourself, my son?" he queried. Again, Luke had no idea what the man was saying but he was just happy to hear his father's voice. He beamed at Vader and clapped his small hands together, overwhelmed with excitement.
Neither Luke or Nanna could see beneath Vader's mask, otherwise they would have seen the affectionate smile that was spreading on the Sith Lord's scarred face. Vader was thankful that his helmet completely covered his head. However, the emotions his son's reaction to his presence were making him feel uncomfortable and he decided the best course of action was to cease transmission as quickly as possible.
"If everything is well and you are truly behaving yourself, then I must return to my duties," he said stiffly. "Be a good boy, and I will speak with you again tomorrow."
"Say goodbye to daddy, Luke," ordered Nanna.
Time seemed to freeze. Vader's gaze lifted from Luke to the nanny droid. Even though he was not physically present, his anger could still be felt as though he was right in front of them.
"Never utilise such pathetic, childish terminology ever again," he warned coldly. "I will not have my son subjected to such nonsensical rubbish, is that understood?"
Nanna bowed her head. "I am sorry, sir." Vader gave her one last scrutinising look before his image winked out, unaware of the fact that Luke was still waving after his father disappeared, his lips moving soundlessly as he continued to roll that same word around his tongue.
I…I
Hron
Vader could never sit idly by and allow others to fight his battles for him whilst waiting in comfort and observing from a safe distance. If there was one trait that had survived Anakin Skywalker's fiery downfall, it was the determination to be out there on the frontlines, fighting for justice. Granted his views regarding what constituted justice had drastically changed since then, but he still loathed the idea of hiding from a fight.
He gathered the Force within him, allowing it to froth in his veins and swell in his mind. The Sith Lord felt the Dark Side consume him, giving him the focus and strength that Anakin had never possessed. Vader fed on that anger as greedily as Luke gorged on formula. He closed his eyes, relishing in the power that surged through his body.
It was good to be out on the battlefield again.
Hron had never cared about inter-planetary relations before and they had never been steadfast advocates for the Republic or even the Empire. In fact, their presence in the Senate had largely gone unnoticed for the past few centuries, as they tended to keep to themselves. However, the entire planet was on the verge of bankruptcy and Senator Tulo's frosty relationship with Palpatine pre-Empire had caused him to seek help from neighbouring planets, that were suspected of anti-Imperial beliefs but were also far more financially stable than Hron. Unfortunately for Tulo, the Empire had spies hidden all over the galaxy and the man had been too stupid to solicit help privately. Vader would have laughed about it, had he not been so angry about yet another planet attempting to destroy the newfound peace throughout the galaxy.
Gaining control of Nilna had been criminally easy, even with the might of the Imperial army. It had been made clear the moment they had landed that Tulo had indeed ordered the city's armed forces to protect himself and his home, leaving the district completely vulnerable to an attack. Vader and his troops had then marched onwards to Tulo's mansion, which was situated to the north of Nilna. As the Imperial Ground Forces battled against Hron's soldiers outside the mansion, Vader had forced his way inside and was now storming his way through the immense building with a group of troopers behind him.
Soldiers leapt out from the shadows with blasters in their hands but were quickly cut down by Vader's lightsaber or from the Imperial Army's retaliatory fire. Whoever had been in command of protecting this marble building had evidently been as stupid as the senator. On and on they marched, smiting anyone who stood in their path until they stood before a heavy set of locked doors. It only took a few blaster shots for the doors to give way so that Vader could enter the room.
It didn't take long to find him; even if the rotund man had covered himself more thoroughly with the curtain he was hiding under, Vader still would have heard his frightened squeaking. With a wave of his hand, the curtain was lifted away from the large lump, revealing a terrified Senator Tulo huddled in a ball.
"Well, well, well," said Vader icily. He stalked towards the man, his lightsaber still ignited. "What a lovely image this is. One befitting of your pathetic attempt at a rebel alliance."
"My Lord!" Tulo squawked pitifully. His moustache was quivering. "Hron's loyalty has always remained steadfast to the Empire."
"Spare me your faux platitudes of loyalty, Senator," said Vader, his voice still icy. He moved closer. "The Emperor knows of your betrayal. He doesn't forgive or forget, and neither do I."
"What of those who support Hron?" demanded Tulo, clutching desperately at the wall as he watched the lightsaber draw closer.
"If you are referring to Gwayher and Kulmnard, I think that you should have contacted them directly for aid, instead of sending out distress signals to everyone in the mid rim, including the Empire." At Tulo's pitiful whimper, Vader snorted. "A friendly tip, Senator Tulo; exercise caution when broadcasting your problems across the galaxy. I suppose it no longer matters since I will be striking you down with my lightsaber within the next twenty seconds."
The senator's face was covered with a sheen of sweat. Evidently, the imbecile had hoped that his haphazard attempt at garnering assistance would come to fruition. Instead, he would meet his end alone. The continued existence of Gwayher and Kulmnard were due purely to their strategic and financial value to the Empire; Hron possessed nothing that was worth salvaging. The only claim to fame that the planet now had was being a warning to Gwayher, Kulmnard and any planet who dared to oppose the Empire. Vader was sorely tempted to hang Tulo's sweaty head off the Executor…that or mount it on a wall in the Senate building.
"DADDY!"
Vader whipped his head around and could barely register a tiny, blurred figure zooming past him. A small girl, around the age of four, jumped into her cowering father's arms. She looked up at Vader through tear-filled brown eyes.
The Sith Lord waited for the typical "Spare my child!" plea but that was not what Tulo had in mind. Instead, the panicked man quickly shoved his daughter in front of Vader, keeping a firm grasp on her shoulders in order to keep her from moving.
Vader stared at Senator Tulo in utter disbelief. This man - this arrogant, weak-minded traitor - was using his own daughter as a shield to save himself from suffering Vader's well-deserved retribution?
"Don't hide behind your offspring, Senator," he said coldly. "Act like the brave, rebel leader that you are and fight me yourself!"
Tulo merely shook his head wildly and pushed his daughter forwards. "You wouldn't kill an innocent child, would you Lord Vader?"
But Vader had. He had slaughtered hundreds of younglings on the first eve of the 'Great Jedi Purge', some of whom had barely begun to live. In the back of his mind, Vader remembered his pre-suited self in Mustafar, standing on that balcony in the Separatist installation and glaring across the blistering, lava-painted landscape. It had been the first moment he'd had to take in the events of the preceding twenty-four hours and the reality had swiftly crashed down on him with a frightening intensity. His emotionally ravaged mind at the time had been close to driving him to insanity, but as the images of the deceased children lying before him in the Jedi Temple replayed on a continuous loop in his brain, he had repeated the same words to himself over and over again
"It was for the greater good."
So why should this circumstance be any different? It would take only one strike of his blade and the Senator would be without protection. Only a month ago, Vader would have done so, even if he detested it, but as he looked into those watery brown eyes, he was reminded of Beru Lars, who had given her life to protect her nephew. Only this time it was a child who was being sacrificed to save a man who clearly had no qualms about losing his daughter to save his own neck.
"I thought that you loved me, daddy!" the little girl sobbed.
Her words angered Vader beyond anything he had felt since embarking on this mission and he raised his lightsaber. He could tell by the terrified look in the girl's eyes that she thought she was about to be killed but that wasn't what Vader was planning. He watched as Tulo's fingers slowly receded from his daughter's shoulders, believing that she was about to be killed and that he could attempt some kind of foolish escape. The exact moment he pushed her forward, Vader roughly shoved her aside and plunged his lightsaber into the man's chest.
Tulo's eyes barely had time to widen in shock before he collapsed onto his back, his mouth agape. Vader's fingers tingled with pleasure as he pulled his saber from Tulo's chest.
"DADDY!" The little girl screamed and ran to her father's prone body. She buried her face in his neck and hugged him close, sobbing into his shoulder. Vader couldn't move, couldn't speak. He merely stared at the young child hugging the man who had so readily used her as a human shield only seconds prior.
Vader heard heavy footsteps and knew that some of his troopers had entered the room.
"Sir?" the commander looked from Vader to the body on the floor and to the crying girl, then back to the Sith Lord again. Vader, still unable to tear his gaze from the child, merely pointed at her.
"Take this child to the detention centre."
"Aye, sir!" The commander saluted him and picked the child up.
"NO!" the little girl screamed. She pummelled the trooper's back with tiny fists. "DADDY!" But the commander continued to carry her away from her father, leaving a suddenly very weary Sith Lord standing in the room, empty except for himself and Senator Tulo's corpse.
I…I
It was well after midnight by the time Vader finally reached home a couple of days later. He had arrived on Coruscant three hours prior but he had been forced to make contact with the Emperor, who had naturally been very pleased by the course of events that had taken place. Vader had a feeling that he was back in his Master's good books again and was incredibly grateful for it. Had things failed, he would have been forced to send his son packing...or worse.
Vader shook his head and determinedly pushed those thoughts aside. He passed through the entrance to his home, ignoring the guards whom he could sense were cowering in his wake, and he was thankful that it was far too late for him to be bothered by an endless array of Imperial representatives. Had he arrived home three hours earlier, he would have been swamped by them and would have then been forced to fling them out of the way with a mere flick of his wrist.
On the other hand, if Nanna's schedule was working as well as it had been before he had left, Luke would have fallen asleep hours ago and now Vader could not greet his son until morning (unless Luke decided to enjoy a random bout of crying, which was highly likely). Although he tried to deny it, the Sith Lord was slightly grieved by this knowledge; after all, he hadn't seen his son in a week, save for brief hologram conversations.
He shook his head again and straightened his back. What Vader really needed was rest and meditation; he had just returned from a week-long mission and had spent one hundred and thirty hours of that time on the battlefield after all. He couldn't keep putting his own wellbeing on hold, purely for the sake of a child whose entire life focused on food, sleep, screaming and nose booping. No, Vader would speak to Luke in the morning.
Still...he paused for a moment. It wouldn't hurt to check on Luke before he turned in, just to be sure that he was safe. Vader could just pop his head in and check that his son was sleeping peacefully and wasn't at death's door. That way he could rest easy without any distractions, which Luke seemed to provide several of on a daily basis. Yes, he would quickly check on his sleeping son then retire to his chamber to meditate.
Mind made up, Vader entered the apartment and made his way to his son's room, his pace quickening as Luke's presence indicated that sleep was currently NOT on his agenda. Nanna, who was tidying the living room, looked up.
"Welcome back, sir," she said calmly. "Luke is asleep. Permission to power down, sir?"
Vader nodded quickly and continued his journey down the hallway, vaguely registering the sound of the nanny droid powering down a short time to recharge. Nanna might not have been able to sense it, but he knew that his son was NOT asleep and was up to something. And when Luke was up to something, it was never good.
Vader opened the nursery door. As he expected, Luke was not in his crib but was on the floor and very much awake instead. The baby was crawling with apparent haste across the room and he came to an immediate halt at the sight of his father. After the way his son had enthusiastically greeted him through the holocam during his mission, Vader was slightly surprised (and a tad disappointed if he admitted it to himself) about Luke's unenthusiastic reaction to his return. The baby merely sat there dejectedly, looking as though he hated his life and everyone in it.
"What on earth are you doing on the floor?" Vader demanded. He picked the infant up and observed him for any injuries. The last time Luke had climbed out of his old crib, he had gotten his foot caught on the rail, and Vader had found him dangling upside down, screaming to be released. When he was satisfied that Luke was not hurt, he lifted him up so that his son was staring directly into Vader's dark eye sockets. "I am almost certain that you are possessed!"
Luke hiccupped. His face was splotched with some kind of powder and his bottom lip was quivering. His gaze roamed from his father to across the room. Vader looked behind his shoulder to find that the nursery cabinet that contained Luke's beloved formula had been breached, in spite of the fact that Nanna had installed an electronic lock. Vader stared at the half-empty tin of formula that had been tipped on the floor then at his son. The baby's hands were also covered in powder, and there was an ominous expression in Luke's eyes that Vader knew all too well.
Oh no...
"Wait!" But it was too late. Vader groaned as a cascade of spew washed over his shoulder. He grimaced at his son, who was obviously feeling a lot better now and was smiling at his father in return.
"Well this is a lovely welcome home gift, Luke," he said sarcastically. The baby merely grinned at him. Shaking his head, Vader set about cleaning Luke up first before himself.
"One certainly cannot say that you do things half-heartedly, can they?" The Sith Lord shook his head at his now spotless son and finished redressing him in new pyjamas. It had taken a while to learn how to change Luke's clothes without the baby scurrying away or rolling off the surface he was lying on, but he was getting better every time. Luke was perfectly happy now and in the mood to shower his father with welcoming affection. The moment Vader had finished buttoning his onesie, he held his chubby arms out for cuddles.
"Well, I hope you have learned a valuable lesson now, young one." Vader waggled a leather-clad finger at Luke's face. "Don't be greedy. No one likes a gluttonous sarlacc." The Sith Lord was beginning to think that his son might be the human equivalent of the carnivorous creature. In a few more months he might find himself locked in his son's mighty jaws, to be injected with agonising toxins and then be slowly digested for millennia. At the rate Luke's baby teeth were growing, it could very well be the next time he stepped foot in this room.
His son merely giggled in response. Vader had a grim feeling that this was a lesson his son was never going to learn, and he decided that it was time for Luke's formula to be relocated somewhere beyond a seven-month-old's reach. How the infant had managed to force his way into the secure cabinet was baffling, and Vader wasn't going to risk it again. He should have known that, with Luke's insatiable appetite, anything was possible.
Luke was still holding his arms in the air to be picked up. Vader sighed, lifted the baby off the table and held him so that they were looking into each other's eyes again. As he gazed into his son's bright blue orbs, the Sith Lord could sense the same peace and contentment that Luke felt every time he was in his father's arms. The seven-month-old smiled softly at him, and Vader could feel the waves of love and affection that were emanating from Luke's heart. But the knowledge that should have warmed the Sith Lord's heart in turn chilled him to the core instead. Only two days prior he had sensed those same feelings of pure love and trust when Senator Tulo's daughter had been held in front of the politician's body as a shield. Even though her father was using her to protect himself, the little girl still loved her father. Of course, she did; she was only an innocent child, completely naïve and unaware of the harshness and cruelties of the real world. She would have never imagined that the one man she should have had no doubt would protect her would happily exchange her life for his. The supposed love for his family Senator Tulo had boasted of had been nothing but a political stunt. It had all been a lie.
Yet that girl would continue to adore her father and for what? So she could live in a world filled with sunshine, rainbows and animals like that insipid Poko and Bubba gallivanting through never-ending flowery fields? She would keep on lying to herself until she would end destroying her life. Because love in itself was a lie. Love destroyed everything. It had destroyed Vader's life.
His mother. Padmé. Obi-Wan. Betrayal. Abandoned. Left to die.
Next, it would be Luke.
That was it; Vader had to leave the room immediately.
He quickly placed his son in his crib and let go of him as though his fingers had been burned. He then turned the holoprojector on, hoping that Luke would stop looking at him through those love filled eyes. The ceiling was suddenly alight with a dazzling array of stars, but for the first time, Luke wasn't interested in them. He continued to gaze at his father with unnerving emotion given his young age.
"Good night, young one," said Vader coldly. He swiftly turned away before his son ensnared him with those eyes again, and he was just about to walk through the door when Luke's voice spoke behind him.
"Daddy."
Vader stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around slowly to find his son sitting up in the crib, looking at him through those bright blue eyes.
"What did you just say?" Vader asked, not daring to believe it.
"Daddy," Luke gurgled again, proving Vader correct. The baby pointed at him. "Daddy!"
It felt as though time had stopped. Vader stood as though rooted to the floor as he realised what this meant. He was his son's first word! The Sith Lord felt an unbidden burst of pride at the knowledge before shaking himself back to reality. He couldn't allow himself to be so pathetically affected by such trivial things. Vader marched over to his son's crib and looked down at the smiling creature.
"As flattered as I am that I am the chosen subject for your first word, I insist that you do not call me by such a name," he said sternly. "Call me 'father'."
Luke stared at him blankly for a moment before smiling again. "Daddy."
Vader groaned. "No, Luke; I am your father."
"Daddy."
"Father."
"Daddy!"
"Father!"
"DADDY!"
"FATHER!"
Vader sighed as Luke burst into tears.
"Don't cry," he grumbled wearily. Luke's lower lip continued to tremble. Vader relented. "If you insist on calling me such a silly name, I implore you to do so only in private."
Once again, his pleas were in vain; Luke hadn't the slightest idea what he was saying. Vader yearned for the day that his son would be able to comprehend his words; then he could be sure that Luke wouldn't embarrass him to death by calling him "daddy" in front of the entire Empire (particularly the Emperor).
Luke held his arms out to be picked up again. "Daddy?"
Vader had a feeling that Luke had sensed that his new milestone had slightly melted his father's attitude and he wondered how one small organism could be so manipulative. Resigned, he pulled his son out of the crib and held him on his hip. Luke held his hand up to give him a high five.
"Daddy!"
Vader hesitated. After checking his surroundings to make sure that Nanna wasn't in the room and that there were no secret cameras recording this moment, Vader stiffly returned it.
"Never expect me to do that again," he told his son sternly. "You seem to have a gift of forcing me to behave in a most uncivilised manner."
He was sure that Luke actually smirked at his words. What on earth was his son going to put him through when he became a teenager? But that unbelievably smug grin on Luke's face disappeared so quickly that Vader wondered whether he had imagined it, and was replaced with a tired expression instead.
"Daddy," Luke whispered sleepily. He nestled into his father's chest and was asleep within seconds. Vader couldn't understand how his son found the feeling of cold leather and durasteel comforting. Then again, as the medics had told him on the Executor, sometimes it was simply the reassurance and protection that only a parent could provide.
But, as he had plainly seen this week, sometimes that unwavering confidence in one's parent lead only to heartbreak. Placing faith in your father, only to be dealt a near fatal blow, was something Vader knew all too well. Obi-Wan had been the closest thing to a father that he had ever known, and the how had the Jedi had rewarded his loyalty and devotion? Through utter betrayal and by turning his back on him, leaving Vader to burn on that molten lava bank. The Sith Lord may have slain his former Master only a month prior but it had brought him no closure. The anger he felt every time he remembered Obi-Wan's face before he left Vader to die remained, made worse by the fact that it still hurt. Not just the flesh wounds; he now harnessed the anger from his physical pain and used it as a means of strengthening the darkness within him. No, it was the gaping wound that still bled within whatever remained of Anakin Skywalker's heart, and it served as a constant reminder that he still had not let go of his former self.
Every time he looked into his son's eyes, he could feel Anakin's hands clutching at Vader's soul, as though the Jedi was trying to pull him back from the person he had become. The far stronger, powerful man that should be completely unaffected by his child and the prospect that, one day, Vader might one day be forced to sacrifice his son for the greater good…
In that split second, Vader felt a burst of resentment towards Luke. If it hadn't been for his son's existence, Vader could have truly begun to move on from the past. It had only been seven months since Padmé had died and the wound was still too raw to touch. Before he had met his son, he had found a way to shove any thoughts about his deceased wife aside at least ninety-nine percent of the time. That small victory had been swiftly taken away the moment he had held Luke for the first time and now there was a constant reminder of how he had choked his wife on the Mustafar landing pad, and that reminder was only a stone's throw away from his meditation pod. Every time he looked at Luke he was reminded of the fact that not only had the man he had once considered to be his only father figure had not only betrayed him and left him to die but had also stolen Vader's only child and hidden him away. Now, whenever he was faced with the duty to do things for the greater good, he would think of his son and of all the terrible things he had been forced to do for that same purpose. Luke was a symbol of everything he had lost and would continue to suffer through for the rest of his life.
He was distracted from his angry thoughts by a slight whimper. Luke was looking at him with almost worried eyes. Clearly, Vader's anger was emanating throughout the Force so that even a baby could sense it. The Sith Lord suddenly felt another useless and uncomfortable emotion; guilt.
"It's alright, son," he assured Luke, wondering whether it sounded as forced as it felt. After all, he was angry, and a good deal of it was currently directed at his son. But Luke seemed satisfied by his assurances and nestled into Vader's chest again. The Sith Lord felt another stab of guilt at Luke's unshakeable trust in his father, but he tentatively placed a comforting gloved hand on the back of his son's head. Seven-months-old and the boy already possessed a bountiful mop of golden-blonde hair.
As he listened to the sound of his son's soft breathing on his shoulder, Vader could feel his prior anger towards Luke melt away. How could he say that Luke was a symbol of everything he had lost and would continue to suffer for? Luke was a symbol of everything he had gained. By some sheer twist of fate, this boy had entered Vader's cold, empty existence and had lit it up like one giant supernova.
It was true that the pure love in Luke's eyes was terrifying, but how does one explain to a baby that their father is incapable of love? No, Luke would understand one day when he was old enough to comprehend the harsh truths of the real world, but now was not the time. Until then, Vader just had to make sure that their relationship would be strong enough to lead the way into a new future for the galaxy. Because he already knew that his son possessed a sensitivity to the Force and that there was something powerful lurking in those innocent blue eyes. It was Vader's duty to bring that power out and to nurture it.
He had made a promise to himself the first time he had held Luke to protect him at all costs, even from himself.
I…I
