CHAPTER 7
It began as a soft sound. It was just enough for consciousness to pull Luke from the dark void he'd been suspended in, to return him to a world of pain. The gruff voice speaking above him was at first distant and slightly warbled.
"—et up—oy!"
He cracked an eye open and released a pained moan when his head began to pound. The boy groaned as he felt life slowly returning to heavy limbs. His hearing was clearing up and soon he was able to make out what the voice was saying.
"Get up, boy!"
He struggled to obey as he shifted his weight. Apparently, he didn't move fast enough because he was rewarded with a swift kick to his abdomen. He curled up clutching his stomach and tried rolling onto his abused back only to hear a very distinct 'clinking' sound of chains. He felt a sharp tug pulling at his bruised arms, swiftly halting his motion. He glanced down to confirm his new predicament.
He was chained to the floor but rather than binding his two hands together, they'd only attached singular restraints, one on each wrist. His eyes raked down the chain length to where they were bolted to the floor. Why they hadn't bothered to chain his ankles was beyond him, until he heard the darkly amused chuckle of Master Ignum. His head snapped up, the action bringing with it a pounding ache in his skull.
"If I didn't know any better, I would believe you are a glutton for punishment," the man sneered as he steepled his slender hands together. Luke did not grace him with a response and kept silent, choosing to avert his eyes to look elsewhere. It was to his great surprise that he began to notice that their environment had completely changed. They were underground somewhere, of that he was certain. But the coloring of the stone was all wrong.
That's when Luke realized…
They were no longer in Master Ignum's fortress…
He felt a growing dread as all of his senses screamed that something was very wrong. Crates were stacked against the walls of the large caverns and he could make out through the gloom that there were multiple tunnels that branched off from where they were standing.
Master Ignum picked up on the child's confusion.
"Do you know where you are right now, Luke?"
"No." Luke responded softly. The 7-year-old growled when someone he could not see behind him, slapped his already abused head in warning.
"No, what?" Ignum sneered with narrowed eyes.
"No…master," Luke hissed reluctantly as he balled small hands into fists.
Seemingly satisfied, the man continued on in a pleased tone.
"You are standing within the bowels of my empire," the man proudly gestured at the crates around them, "I've come to realize that standard disciplinary actions have not improved your rebellious behavior, nor your foolish desire to escape. You have the potential for a good life with me, boy. See Rodney over there?" The man nodded his head in the direction of one of his guards. Luke followed his master's gaze until it landed on the guard that had pointed the blaster pistol in his face. Ignum continued, "Rodney used to be a slave just like you. Over time he proved his loyalty to me and I set him free…" he paused to gauge Luke's reaction.
The child's expression quickly transformed from confusion to one of disbelief.
"What?" Luke shrilly questioned with wide eyes.
"It's all very true, my boy. Rodney, show him…"
The burly young man turned around to face a wall and lifted his shirt up to reveal a brand, identical to Luke's, on his own back. The guard lowered his shirt and turned back around with an amused smirk.
The child could only stare as what Master Ignum said attempted to sink into his brain.
"You are a part of my family, boy…whether you like it or not," the man nearly purred with dark satisfaction as greedy eyes appraised him.
Luke knew he should be afraid… but for some reason he could not explain, he felt a defiance blazing within his heart. For the first time since becoming the man's slave, he lifted his eyes up to meet his master's gaze with a dark glare of his own.
"You're no family of mine. I HATE you…" Luke spat venomously.
Master Ignum turned an almost bored expression on the brazen boy as though he'd heard those words a thousand times before.
"Be that as it may, child…I OWN you. You are MINE—so says my mark. It took Rodney a while to finally accept it. I understand it is hard in the beginning… but in time, you'll come around," The man nearly gloated with a wicked grin.
"NEVER," Luke hissed as he lunged forward. The chains prevented him from closing the last eight inches between himself and the madman. He came up short but leaned forward, allowing the chains to pull at his arms. How he wished he was big and strong enough to put the man in his place…
The pompous man turned his back on the boy, not at all perturbed by his violent intent.
"I know you desire to be free, Luke. Your two failed escape attempts proved as much. I reward loyalty with freedom. You've proven that you cannot be trusted, so I believe a new lesson is in order." Ignum gave someone a subtle, inviting gesture from one of the dark tunnel entrances.
Luke's eyes went wide when a battered Jordy was pushed into the room. The mute boy fell to his knees and gave Luke a silent, apologetic frown before averting his eyes to the ground in clear defeat.
Master Ignum turned back around with a sick grin as what had to be the worst idea in the galaxy activated some sort of light bulb in the sadist's mind.
"You take abuse well, child. You take physical punishment without complaint. However…" Ignum snapped his fingers and two guards shoved Jordy into the center of the room where chains awaited him. Once Jordy was secured, the child not allowed nearly as much freedom as Luke, Master Ignum went to stand on the sidelines and gave his guards a nod with a wicked leer.
"When someone you care about is hurt…you tend to be more obedient. I understand that young Jordy is a mute but he is expendable. He is not nearly as useful to me as you are, for you have the capability of actual speech. Jordy however can only be understood by you and clearly, he's been a distraction to you. So…we will permanently remove said distraction," Ignum signaled for a small group of newcomers to step forward.
Luke felt his heart sinking when the three bullies that Jordy easily defeated appeared.
"Lena, Gordon, Urik…the day for retribution has finally come." Master Ignum pointed at a helplessly bound Jordy. All three of them shared knowing grins. Gordon cracked his knuckles in anticipation. The little runt had embarrassed all three of them and now they were being given the chance for payback.
When Luke finally understood what Ignum meant he shook his head and strained against his chains again, not out of rage, but from heart-stopping fear. He cried out.
"NO! Please…punish me and not him! It was my idea, I made him go along with it!"
And just like always, his pleas fell on deaf ears as the three teens approached Jordy. Before Luke could beg for Ignum to reconsider, the elder slaves began to take turns throwing merciless punches at the boy's exposed midsection and face. The chains Jordy was bound in did not give him the chance to protect himself from the vicious blows raining down on him.
Luke could only watch on helplessly…wishing…praying…that a miracle would happen. Luke's breathing quickened when Jordy's face soon turned bloody and bruised. His nose was broken, his lip was split, and he could see both eyes beginning to swell shut. He didn't want to be weak or helpless…he wanted to save his only friend…his brother. How could he when he was chained?!
That righteous fury that he'd been feeling earlier began to blossom and spread like liquid fire through his veins. What was happening was wrong! Luke screamed as tears began to stream down his cheeks.
"NO! STOP! YOU'RE KILLING HIM!"
Master Ignum turned and raised a brow with a wicked leer and bent down to whisper in Luke's ear.
"That's the idea, dear child. He will die. And it will be all your fault," he hissed softly before backing away from the chained boy.
Jordy was already unconscious but that was not deterring the bullies from continuing their merciless assault. Luke shut his eyes as all the hatred and rage…and feelings of helplessness, inadequacy, and grief crashed over him like a tidal wave.
Luke did the only thing he could do. He snapped fiery eyes open and unleashed his fury.
"I SAID STOP!" The boy thundered. An invisible riptide knocked the three bullies away from Jordy. The sound of clinking pieces of metal striking stone filled the air as rusted chains snapped clean. Everyone stood still in the silent aftermath, his master and the guards alike turning dumbfounded, disbelieving eyes on him.
He now stood, panting with narrowed eyes on all of them, that feeling of power filling his entire being. He felt invigorated…and for the first time in his life, Luke felt invincible…
One of the guards lifted a finger to point fearfully at Luke, now free of his bonds, as he began to slowly back away with wide eyes.
"He's got Jedi powers…"
Master Ignum turned a dark expression on Luke.
"Been keeping secrets from me boy? No matter…that too can be corrected," his master responded as he turned towards his men who were shrinking back in fear.
"Kill him," Ignum ordered as he casually folded his hands behind his back.
The guards hesitated and shared nervous glances with each other.
"I SAID KILL HIM!"
The four guards took their blaster pistols out of their holsters and aimed them at the child.
Luke began to back away, as he felt that liquid fire within his veins begin to ebb away, quickly replaced by heart stopping, ice-cold fear.
When his guards made no further move, Ignum lost his composure and screamed.
"Unless you want to join him, open fire!" Ignum snarled.
Luke glanced back at Jordy's unmoving body, unsure if he was even still alive. With tears welling in his eyes he turned and did the only thing he could do.
He ran.
He ducked down the nearest tunnel right as the guards regained their composure and opened fire. He heard the angry shouts from Master Ignum and the loud pounding of boot-steps behind him. Luke was unfamiliar with the layout of the underground network. If he ran into a dead-end, he was a goner for sure. Young Skywalker wasn't sure what he had done back there or how it happened but now they wanted to kill him for it…
Luke didn't have a clue what a Jedi was but for some reason they feared him for it. He heard the angry shouts and the sounds of blaster fire somewhere behind him but did not stop running. Luke was a bit confused when angry shouts turned into frightened shouts, followed seconds later by even more blaster fire. There were only four guards to begin with but now it sounded like a warzone as the guards began exchanging gunfire with an unknown party.
Luke's blue eyes widened when he heard the unmistakable, static-filled voices of storm-troopers. The child knew that Imperials were feared by everyone, especially those involved in illegal activities. His Aunt and Uncle had hidden him when he was younger when storm-troopers came to their homestead. Luke was too young to know the reason for their visit, but his Aunt and Uncle told him that if he ever encountered an Imperial as seen on the holo-vid, he was to run and hide. The only reason Luke had gone looking for one the previous evening was out of sheer desperation for a slim bid for freedom.
Luke slid to a stop, panting and out of breath. His lungs burned from all the running he'd done. Sweat saturated his golden locks and slicked his brow. He wiped the perspiration that ran down the back of his neck with a clammy hand. The boy had to stop and take a short rest. His chest was on fire and it hurt to even breathe.
Soon the deafening sounds of battle began to lessen. He jerked his head up and prepared to run when synchronized marching reached his ears. The filtered voices of stormtroopers echoed down the tunnel. Luke began to panic and choked on his fear when he heard the shouted order of 'fan out!'.
Great. They were searching the tunnels.
Luke breathed a sigh of relief when the next corridor opened up into another room. He hid himself in the next cavern. Similar, to the previous one he'd been held in, but smaller in size. He crouched down behind a stack of crates and held his breath. He peered through a crack between the wooden boxes and stiffened when a small contingent of storm-troopers entered through the open arch-way.
"Lord Vader, we have captured two members of the Red Sun Syndicate and have seized a large supply of illegal spice. One child has been found. Gravely injured but alive…"
Luke's eyes widened. Jordy was alive! He felt guilty for running and leaving the other boy behind…but the seven-year-old knew that if he hadn't, he would have been killed. Luke hardly dared to breathe when one of the troopers turned his head in his direction.
His heart began to pound erratically in his chest and Luke ducked further out of sight. There was no possible way that trooper had seen him! Luke clamped his hands over his nose and mouth when nearby dust triggered a sneeze. He fought to hold it in but in the end, the poor boy couldn't help it. Uncovering his mouth, he let loose a loud 'Ah-choo!'.
Immediately, all troopers jerked in his direction with their guns pointed at his hiding place. Luke's fear practically polluted the air as they slowly approached. One of them shouted out an order.
"Come out! With your hands up!"
Luke didn't know what to do. The storm-troopers were all blocking the entrance, making escape all but impossible.
"Come out or we will open fire!"
The choice was made for him with those words. Slowly, the child stood up and walked out into the open with shaking hands in the air. His eyes were wide as feelings of insecurity and fear began to take hold.
A light was flashed in his eyes briefly, making Luke squint with a hiss. Luke saw one of the storm-troopers pull out an actual com-link. He activated it and waited until the holographic figure of Darth Vader appeared.
"My Lord Vader. We have found a second boy."
"Good work, Captain. I will be there shortly. Ensure that the boy does not escape."
Luke felt his blood chill in his veins when he saw that holographic, helmeted head turn to stare in his direction. It sent chills down his spine as he sensed unseen eyes boring into his own, peering right into his soul. For some reason, he panicked and let loose a shrill, girlish sounding scream at the sight of him. Legs began moving without his permission, the young lad ran, sliding between the legs of one of the storm-troopers. He took about three more steps before he was grabbed from behind.
Luke was suddenly reminded of his traumatic abduction at Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's homestead.
-Flashback-
Luke made it half-way down the stairs before large hands snagged him from behind. The four-year old boy released another shrill scream as he was hefted over the man's burly shoulder. His shrieks and cries picked up in intensity as he was carried further away from his home.
"NO! NO! LET ME GO! AUNT BERU! HELP ME!"
-End flashback-
No longer able to tell the difference between past and present, Luke finally lost it. He fought the one holding him and began to scream and cry in despair as he was held captive by the storm-trooper. His fear driven frenzy and mounting rage at being caught began to stoke that burning fire within him. In desperation, he cried out, his plea unknowingly to him, ringing through the force.
"NO! NO! LET ME GO! SOMEONE, HELP ME!"
Luke curled in on himself, his body violently trembling as all hope for rescue diminished. Unable to stop the building energy within him, fueled by the raw ferocity of his unstable emotions, Luke hardly recognized his own voice as a hoarse scream ripped its way out of his throat. An invisible shockwave rippled out from around his body, sending all of the storm-troopers, including his captor, down to the ground around him.
He scrambled to his feet after breaking out of the arms of his dazed captor and stood up, only to experience a serious sense of deja-vu as one of the troopers pointed at him and cried out in shocked disgust.
"The boy is a Jedi! TAKE HIM DOWN!"
Luke make it to the arch-way leading out into the corridor and sensed that something bad was about to happen. Before he could twist around to face the danger, a red blaster bolt ripped through one of his small legs from behind, earning a pained scream.
Already weakened from food deprivation, his previous wounds, and from releasing that strange energy…Luke collapsed out in the hallway and groaned in pain. He tried crawling, lifting his head, anything…but his body felt like lead. His vision was already swimming as he saw darkness encroaching within his sight.
Luke was surprised when that darkness turned out to be a black cape. It swept across his face and over his small body. He heard the strange rhythmic breathing cycle of Darth Vader himself. The black clad stranger stood between Luke and the storm-troopers who were hell bent on killing him. Luke flinched when he heard a foreign sound, yet slightly familiar, ignite with a snap-hiss. The child rolled onto his back, still sun-burned and beaten. He vaguely saw through blurred vision, the Dark Lord coming to his defense with an angry, inhuman sounding roar. He heard the death screams of the storm-troopers as blaster bolts clashed against a red glow sword, like the blue ones in his nightmares…
One came close to hitting Luke but at the last second, the blaster bolt was expertly deflected and sent back into the chest of its owner. In seconds, the squadron of storm-troopers were dead.
Luke whimpered as Vader turned his masked face to look at him. Tears leaked from his eyes as he weakly struggled to crawl away. The man extinguished his glow sword and clipped it to his belt.
Luke was more than startled when the towering being, easily reached down and scooped him up without warning. Strong arms wrapped beneath Luke's legs and around his shoulders, easily hefting him into the air.
"N-no…please," the little boy's shrill voice squeaked as fear of the unknown flooded his senses.
The mysterious man holding him rumbled in that deep, mechanical baritone.
"You are safe now, Luke. No one will ever hurt you again. I promise…"
"H-how do you know my name?" the boy's voice reached a new octave in his distress as he struggled against heavy eye-lids, unable to fight against the exhaustion and weakness that swept over him. He was a little disappointed when the man did not answer his question.
"Rest now, little one."
Luke struggled to fight a strange sensation that swept over his mind, nudging him further into the realm of dreams. Too weak to resist any longer, the child quickly succumbed to Vader's subtle force-suggestion. His last conscious thought was one of curious confusion as he vaguely realized that the presence of the powerful man holding him, felt comfortingly familiar…
TO BE CONTINUED!
Author's Note: I wasn't happy with what I posted earlier and needed to revise as I realized I was writing Darth Vader as OOC. Think of this chapter as a late Christmas present! I hope you all liked it as much as I did! :D Thanks for reading and adding to alerts and favorites! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
