Chapter 11: Wiser Not to Get Attached


Luke was sitting on an upturned bucket in the cage room, staring blankly at the datapad on his lap. The 'pets' were munching on the leftovers from his dinner. He wasn't hungry. Things had become a lot worse since the incident at the palace. The senator was clearly beginning to regret his decision to bring him here, and he was showing it in subtle ways.

Luke had only been allowed out of the lower rooms for an hour yesterday afternoon when a technical crew had arrived to record something for the HoloNet news. Chilee had watched the entire thing, eyeing him with an unnerving jealous gaze. Afterwards, he was glad to withdraw to his room and have some peace.

Tonight he was trying to finish another letter to LJ, Crix, and Val, but it wasn't going well. It was hard to write truthfully about his experiences without sounding overly miserable. And he didn't want to upset them. He picked up his pen and began a new paragraph.

I met Lord Vader a few days ago. Although, I didn't really 'meet' him, I was standing in the wrong place and he nearly bumped into me. He's a lot taller in real life than he looks in the pictures. Luckily, he didn't say anything to me because I wouldn't have known what to say back.

Yesterday, we filmed something for the HoloNet news which I overheard was part of the

Luke stared at the ceiling, wondering how to spell political campaign. Eventually, he resumed, deciding to go with an easier option.

senator's plan to get more votes. I wish I could see it, but I don't think he'd let me. The senator seems annoyed at me, but I don't know why.

Luke heard a noise out in the corridor and quickly let the datapad fall to the floor. It wasn't time for a meal, so who could be visiting him?

He walked quietly across the room and crouched down with his ear to the door. Footsteps ... they sounded human! He was about to stand up when the door slid open with a whoosh. Luke tumbled forward onto the carpet.

When rough hands grabbed him and shoved him against the wall, Luke didn't even need to look up to know who his unwelcome visitor was. Chilee.

"I told you not to feed them!" he yelled. "They're my pets!"

Luke struggled against Chilee's hold, but it was useless. Chilee was older, stronger, and bigger.

"They're not pets!" Luke yelled back. "They're people!"

Chilee shifted his hand up to Luke's throat and pressed him harder against the wall. "Dad says you embarrassed him in front of Lord Vader at the palace."

"So?!" Luke spat, attempting to kick Chilee in the shins. It didn't hurt him, though, as he was wearing thick padded boots.

"So - you know what Vader does to people? He chokes them. Like this."

Chilee tightened his grip, and Luke struggled to breathe. He stared into Chilee's eyes, seeing only a sadistic type of pleasure. Luke felt fear rise up in his chest. There was no one around, no one to help him. Chilee was so angry, so crazy ...

Just when Luke thought he was really going to strangle him, Chilee suddenly let go. Luke fell to the floor in a daze. Chilee's laughter sounded muted as if he was hearing it through a comlink. The blurry image of six hands were reaching down to grab him.

Without thinking, Luke kicked out and sent Chilee staggering backwards. It gave him the much needed moment to recover from his lack of oxygen. Encouraged by his momentary success, Luke jumped to his feet and held his fists ready.

Far from ready to back down, an enraged Chilee charged back into the fight, smashing both of them into the wall. Luke had been in fights before, in the schoolyard on Tatooine, but never against an opponent so angry. Chilee swung his fists wildly at Luke, not caring if they hit their target or cracked into the wall. One finally slipped through Luke's defenses and hit him viciously in the face.

Luke felt his nose begin to bleed and something inside him snapped. He felt a surge of energy fill the air around him, and he hit back at Chilee, pushing all this new found energy into a weapon. When he finally managed to focus again, he was still standing, but his opponent had fallen against the wall at the other end of the corridor. He'd been thrown about ten meters.

Luke stared in surprise. Had he done that?

Chilee began to stir, and Luke didn't stick around to wonder about it. He took one last look at his fallen opponent and then ran for the elevator as fast as his battered body could carry him.


The disturbance was enough to shake Vader out of his meditative trance, in his private chamber in the depths of his Coruscant dwelling. The tremor was strong, yes, but also raw, unfocused ... it could possibly be a random fluctuation, rather than evidence of any real Jedi activity. It wasn't Obi-Wan; he could detect that much. Obi-Wan would never use the Force like that.

Strangely, he had not felt anything of his former master for over a week now. He had gone to ground and disappeared as if he'd never been here in the first place. Perhaps he never had been here in the first place, and his former apprentice was finally beginning to lose his mind, after all these years trapped in a mask. His younger self always used to complain that Obi-Wan would drive him crazy one day. Perhaps it had finally happened ...

A noise disturbed Vader, and he noticed he had left one of his computer terminals resting on a HoloNet news channel. A close-up image of Senator Lerrod was covering the entire screen, causing Vader to clench a fist in annoyance. Even here, he couldn't get away from him.

He was about to switch it off, when the Force sensitive boy was shown in the frame. He turned up the volume, curious.

"...and in other news, Senator Lerrod officially started his campaign for election this morning with a passionate public speech on the topic of funding for our stretched Family Assistance programs. His predecessor, the late Senator Denna, had attracted criticism for slashing the funding to family related projects by seventy percent."

"And diverting those funds into his own personal bank accounts," Vader added. Another reason he didn't regret killing him, despite the Emperor's displeasure.

A clip from the speech in question began to play, and Lerrod filled the screen once more.

"My predecessor neglected the Family Services department to such a degree, its security was compromised and it suffered a violent attack from a deranged criminal. People of Coruscant, I have been serving as your senator for merely a month, and already I have forwarded a twenty thousand credit grant to Family Services for the purpose of upgrading their security. This money was sourced from my own pocket. Why? Because I believe in families ... I believe in supporting your family. Without the tireless work of this wonderful organization so many of our children would still be living on the streets."

The camera changed to a slightly wider angle, again showing the orphan boy standing beside the senator. He was staring at his feet and appeared to be half covering his face with one hand. Lerrod placed a hand on his shoulder.

"My family has opened our home and hearts to many of these unfortunate children. I urge all of you, citizens of Coruscant, to give under-privileged children like this one a second chance."

Vader switched it off in anger. He hadn't seen such hypocrisy since the waning days of the Republic. He knew it shouldn't annoy him as much as it did. It no doubt had the Emperor's full approval. His master enjoyed manipulating the public to make the human face of the Empire seem as saintly as possible. Lerrod certainly knew how to do that - few things would tug at the heartstrings of the populace like an orphaned child. And yet, it made him angry. It was lowly and dishonorable to exploit a child so young for political gain. He knew what it felt like to be exploited when one was only a child ...

Vader stood up, trying to brush the thoughts away. He shouldn't be thinking about this. He shouldn't even remember his childhood - that life was gone. He was a different person now. A person who shouldn't care if a child was being exploited, as long as it served his master's will. A person who was going to kill that same child as soon as Lerrod had finished with him. That was the man he was.

His holocom began to beep, alerting him to an incoming call. A timely and welcomed distraction. It lit up with a blue image of one of his field agents.

"Lord Vader, you asked us to inform you if there was any suspicious activity at Senator Lerrod's home."

"What happened?" Vader asked, picking up the comlink.

"The boy has left the building - he ran past the guards about ten minutes ago. One of them told me he appeared to be injured."

"Injured how?!" Vader demanded.

"He said there was blood on his face. Sir, I just received another report from our agent in charge of the external watch. He claims he saw someone in a black robe crawling up the side of the building."

"I am on my way," Vader said, cutting the call. It appeared the Jedi had decided to make their move.


Stormtroopers and security guards appeared at every turn, but Luke was fast enough and small enough to dodge them. He'd never been in the streets of this wealthy part of Imperial City before and despite his dire situation, he couldn't help but wonder at how clean it was, compared to the murky dark alleyways surrounding the block where IFS was located.

The abundance of light and lack of alleyways made it harder to find a hiding place, though. Soon, he was lost hopelessly in a network of corridors under the streets, which were teeming with security guards. If their armor wasn't preventing them from running as fast as he could, he would have been captured a long time ago. But his luck didn't hold out forever and after one wrong turn, he found himself being cornered by four stormtroopers.

"Stand still, kid," the nearest one said, brandishing his blaster.

Luke looked left and right, seeing more troopers on each side. There was one behind him too, blocking the way into another corridor with restricted warnings posted on the halls. There was nothing for it, but to let them take him.

"He's hurt," one of them said.

"I can see that."

"Maybe he was attacked."

"Who attacked you, kid?"

Luke didn't answer. He could see someone else, approaching the group. His view was blocked by the stormtroopers, but there was no mistaking that overly thin body, the creeping gait, and the deep crimson laser sword. Was he hallucinating?

"Look out!" the trooper at the rear shouted.

They all turned, raising their rifles towards the black-clad figure. He was real! The murderer of his aunt and uncle, standing less than a speeder's length away from him!

The stormtroopers shot randomly at the figure, pumping hundreds of laser bolts in his direction as if their blasters had unlimited power. The shadowy figure deflected them all into the walls, and some came flying back towards them. Luke remained frozen until a searing pain burned in his leg. He was hit!

Too scared to look and see how bad his wound was, Luke limped towards the now unguarded entrance to the restricted corridor. A blaster bolt hit the wall beside him, flaring up in a shower of sparks, and Luke began to run as fast as his burning leg could carry him.

He kept looking over his shoulder as he ran, half-expecting to see his hunter following him. It was just like his nightmare. No matter how fast he ran, he could feel him getting closer. As the last of his adrenaline began to run out, Luke stumbled with exhaustion.

He grabbed the wall for support and ended up triggering a touch-sensitive button. A small compartment slid open next to him, and he flung himself inside. When the door slid closed again, he was shrouded in pitch darkness, but he didn't care. All he could do now was wait. He couldn't run anymore and he was too injured to fight.

Maybe this was it.


Vader had scarcely left his quarters when he felt the presence of the Force user arrive in the proximity. Within a minute, his comlink was beeping, and he feared he was already too late.

"Lord Vader!" It was the captain of the corridor guards. The 3D image was small, but Vader could still see he was nervous. "There is an enemy in the protected corridors, sir! He fought his way into the south-west exit and is heading in the northerly direction!"

"I am aware," Vader said. "I am between the south-west exit and the entrance to the palace. He will encounter me before he gets here."

"I have backup emergency teams on their way to all junctions."

"Inform me if you sight him," Vader said. He cut the call, wanting to focus his attention on seeking the intruder's presence in the Force. If this enemy truly was a Jedi, he would easily find a way past the guards.

Vader flattened himself against the wall and edged along, lightsaber held vertical in front of his eyes. He cleared his mind, dismissing all feelings of thrill or anticipation. There was only himself, the Force, and ... the Jedi!

He turned, moving quickly towards the shifting presence. As he passed a junction in the corridor, he caught a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision. The Force guided his reflexes, and he changed direction. But even as he closed on the place where he had seen the image, he knew he was too late. Whoever the Jedi was, he had run for his life.

Vader was fully intending to pursue and chase him to the ends of the galaxy if need be, but a noise made him halt. It came from beside him this time. A shuffling noise. It was coming from inside the wall ...

He ran his black-gloved hand along the surface, searching for a compartment. He must have triggered a switch somewhere because the door to a cupboard shot open with a whoosh, causing him to step back and tilt his lightsaber into the darkness.

The red glow instantly lit up the figure of a child, cringing against the back wall and shielding his face with both arms. It took Vader a moment to recognize him. It was the Force sensitive orphan boy.

Vader glanced up the corridor, everything suddenly falling into place. The Jedi had been chasing after the boy. Now it was a question of whether he should go after the Jedi or stay here. It was possible the Jedi had run in an attempt to lead him away from the boy.

He turned back to the child and found the boy was staring at him in surprise, mixed with a healthy dose of fear. Vader felt equally surprised by his appearance. The boy's face was swollen and bruised. Blood ran from his nose and trailed down his gray shirt, which looked identical to the one Vader had seen him in a week ago. It looked like he'd been wearing it non-stop for the entire week as well.

The child had suffered a beating from someone. But who? If the Jedi were intending to rescue him, they would hardly inflict this damage. Perhaps the boy had resisted his capture.

"What happened to you?" Vader demanded. "Do you know who it was you were hiding from?"

The boy's only response was to try and squash himself behind a cleaning droid. He was staring at the tip of the lightsaber and shaking with terror. Vader looked from the blade to the boy and decided he might make better progress if he switched it off.

"You have nothing to fear," Vader said, holstering his lightsaber. "Come out into the corridor."

He stepped back from the entrance to give the boy room to climb out. After a few seconds, in which no sounds of movement were forthcoming, Vader glanced back in annoyance. Had he just been disobeyed? By a child?!

"Hurry up!" Vader ordered.

The boy only cringed at his words, looking not unlike a frightened bantha cub.

Vader looked around, hoping for someone else, anyone else, who would know how to handle this situation. Sith Lords and children did not mix.

The corridors remained deserted and quiet.

Vader looked back at the boy, in two minds about what to do. The Jedi would not return tonight now that he knew the Sith would be waiting for him. A stormtrooper would escort the boy back to the senator's home. He should just walk away.

So why didn't he? Vader continued to stare at the boy, wondering why the child's gaze seemed familiar. Perhaps he had killed the boy's parents at some stage. Or perhaps they had been acquaintances of Anakin Skywalker.

Whatever the reason, it was silly to stand here and dwell on this. His master would order him to walk away. In fact, his master would order him to put the boy permanently out of his misery and walk away.

But the Emperor wasn't here. It was entirely up to him what he chose to do in this situation. Perhaps he should take heed of the old axiom and trust his feelings.

"I am not going to hurt you," Vader tried, attempting to sound less threatening. "Now, come out of there immediately." He embedded a healthy dose of Force suggestion into his last command, hoping it would do the trick.

To his surprise, the child simply brushed it off. "You'll t-take me back to the s-senator's home," he sniffed.

Vader sensed genuine fear behind the words. Curious. It suddenly occurred to Vader that the boy may have obtained his injuries from the senator himself. It was difficult to imagine Lerrod being capable of such brutal violence, but appearances could be deceiving. The thought made him feel increasingly angry.

What to do about it was another question entirely.

While he considered the idea, the boy suddenly launched himself out of the cupboard and tried to bolt. Vader reached out to block his path, but it turned out to be unnecessary. As soon as the boy tried to put his weight on his legs, he sunk to his knees and would have collapsed if Vader hadn't caught him.

Now that he could see the boy in the light, his injuries appeared far worse.

"You need medical attention," he said, feeling a wave of concern he couldn't explain. There wasn't time to wonder about his feelings, though - he had to take the child to a medcenter. There would be a private medcenter in the building adjacent to the senate, but that was a long walk, and the child appeared barely able to stand as it was. The last thing he wanted was to be seen carrying a child around.

"Do you think you can walk to the nearest landing pad?" Vader asked. "There, we can take a speeder to the nearest medcenter."

The boy rubbed his head for a moment and then nodded.

"Good." Vader let him go, and the boy began to limp forward, heavily favoring his right leg.


Obi-Wan was deep in meditation when he felt Tis return. He mentally searched for any sign of Luke, but there was none. Obi-Wan didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"What happened, Tis?" Isel asked, as the triangular head burst through the surface of the water. He shook himself off and walked forward, casting an angry glance at Obi-Wan.

"I nearly had him. Then Vader showed. How do you like that, Kenobi? Luke has now been captured by Vader, thanks to your efforts to hinder me."

"What did he do with him?" Obi-Wan asked, fearing the worst.

"I don't know. He sensed my presence, and I had to run. The boy is probably dead now, thanks to you."

Obi-Wan stretched out with the Force, seeking confirmation. It was difficult, though. The Force was a swirling mass of many different threads, all of them intertwined. One of them belonged to Luke, but which?

"I don't feel his death," Obi-Wan said, finally.

Isel smiled. "Then we will have another chance!"

"Not if Vader continues to take an interest in the boy," Tis said. "I cannot fight Vader alone."

"What if Obi-Wan were to assist you?" Isel suggested. "One of you could distract Vader while the other one found Luke."

"Excellent idea," Tis said. "But there is one problem." He pointed a clawed appendage in Obi-Wan's direction. "He is too holier-than-thou to assist us."

"Obi-Wan," Isel said, coming and kneeling down next to him. "Surely you can't believe Luke is better off where he is. If the two of you work together, we can get Luke back."

Obi-Wan looked aside, considering it. Working with the Lars' murderer went against every instinct he possessed. But Isel was right - Luke was in grave danger. Getting him away from the Sith was the first priority. After that, he could see about getting him away from Tis.

"Very well," he said. "I will cooperate with your plan."

"I don't trust him," Tis said, turning away. "He'll double-cross me at the first opportunity."

"Then you be the one to retrieve Luke," Isel said, "while Obi-Wan distracts Vader. Fair enough?"

Tis nodded.

"When will we move?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Leave it to me," Tis said. "Reconnaissance is my specialty. Tomorrow, I will return to Coruscant and determine what Vader has done with the boy. You better hope your former apprentice has enough scruples to spare his own flesh and blood, Obi-Wan."


"Is it true that you command the entire Imperial starfleet?"

Vader looked over at his passenger, wondering what had brought this on. After they'd entered the Imperial-issue speeder, Vader had located an icepack in the medical kit and given it to the boy to hold against his head. It seemed to have made him more impudent, rather than provided any useful medical benefit.

"I have no interest in answering idle questions," Vader said, taking his hand off the steering controls to point at the boy. He didn't notice, though, as he was too busy watching wide-eyed as Vader dodged an oncoming speeder one-handed while not even looking at the traffic.

"Sorry, sir," he mumbled, in an annoyingly endearing way.

Vader spotted the building below, and breathed out with relief. The speeder plunged downwards, accelerating rapidly, until he pulled out at the last minute and brought it down in a gentle landing.

"People tell me I'm too curious," the boy mumbled, rubbing his head. "I can't help it."

"Do they also say that you talk too much?" Vader enquired.

The boy shook his head, but Vader suspected he wasn't being entirely truthful. Unless it was the effect of his presence that caused the boy to babble like this. A situation he very much doubted. The boy took his point, however, and withdrew into a silent state as he climbed out onto the landing pad. He remained that way as they entered the building, a situation for which Vader was grateful.

He studied the building directory on the wall opposite the entrance and ran his finger down the list until he located a medical center.

"Keep moving," Vader said, eyeing the boy's limping gait. "It is only a short distance to the elevator bay."

He nodded but was clearly reaching the end of his endurance. He was a fighter, though, that much was clear to Vader. The boy had refused to rest during the journey to the speeder and struggled on towards the elevator bay without complaint. He had a strong spirit to match his strong presence in the Force.

It was almost a shame he would have to be killed, eventually. He would make a good apprentice. Perhaps the Emperor could be convinced to make other arrangements for the boy. They could detain him until he was an adult and then train him as a field agent.

The boy glanced at him, becoming aware he was being analyzed. Vader quickly focused on the elevator buttons. Floor eighty-one was their destination. He hoped the senator would be already waiting for him. He had ordered a guard to contact Lerrod while the boy had been distracted with the speeder.

Given the boy's condition, he'd also been sorely tempted to contact the media. The public should see the other side to the senator's 'caring for orphans' façade. Using the boy as a tool to satisfy his dislike of Lerrod went against his principles, however. The last thing the boy needed in his condition was to be subjected to journalists.

The medical facility turned out to be unbelievably crowded for this time of night. Someone must have poisoned the food at a senator's planning meeting. He and the boy received plenty of stares from the seated patrons in the waiting area as they walked up to the main reception desk.

"This boy needs medical attention now," Vader said to the silver protocol droid behind the desk.

"Yes, sir," the droid said. It turned its photoreceptors on Luke and tilted its head for a moment.

"I'm sorry, sir," it said, finally. "That boy does not appear in our patient database." The droid produced a form faster than a speeding podracer. "Please fill in these details."

Vader eyed the form, warily. Name, date of birth, place of birth, name of first parent, name of second parent ... as if he would have any idea about any of this!

"I am not filling in any form," Vader said, angrily. "I said the boy needs medical attention now."

Said boy was gazing at him with a fearful expression, but Vader didn't care. He wasn't leaving here until the boy was in the hands of a qualified medical practitioner. If he left the boy with this secretary droid, he would likely be dead before the gears of bureaucracy finished grinding.

"We cannot treat a patient without details," the droid said, oblivious to his anger. "May I suggest you try the public hospital five blocks to the north-east?"

Vader was infuriated. For the second time that month, he was tempted to dissect a droid with his lightsaber.

Suddenly, a human doctor came hurrying up, saving the droid from an early death.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "You'll have to excuse L-160 here. He is overworked."

"This boy needs medical attention," Vader said, gesturing at the boy, who was looking more pale by the minute.

"Yes, sir. If you'll please come with me ..."

The doctor led the two of them away from the waiting area and into a private surgery. Vader noted the name on the door as they entered - Doctor Leeson. Human doctors on the payroll was a sure sign of a medical facility that catered to the wealthy on Coruscant. The medical droids inside the room were polished up with a gold finish and were undoubtedly the very latest models.

One of them self-started and rolled over to assist the doctor as he helped the boy up to sit on the bed.

"So young man," the doctor said. "Where does it hurt?"

The boy failed to smile at the doctor's poor attempt at humor, and Vader couldn't blame him. The doctor was trying to help him relax, but it seemed to be having the opposite effect. The boy was staring at the medical droid, looking frightened.

"This is my assistant," the doctor explained, patting the droid. "He's going to help me assess your injuries. If you tell him your name, he'll tell you his."

Vader listened curiously, but the boy didn't reply. He was staring at the floor, looking miserable.

"The shy type, huh? Never mind. Perhaps your friend will be able to fill me in."

Vader bristled at being referred to in such a fashion, but he supposed that was what you had to expect when you were in the company of children. Especially difficult children such as this one, who babbled away one minute, then played shy the next.

"This boy is in the care of Senator Lerrod," Vader explained. "He is supposed to be meeting me here to discuss the situation. If you require any information, I suggest you ask him."

"His son?" the doctor enquired.

"No. He is an orphan whom the senator procured to assist with his political campaign. I found him in a restricted corridor in this condition."

The doctor glanced over at the boy, looking concerned. Vader followed his gaze and saw the droid had rolled up the boy's clothing, to reveal a nasty looking blaster graze across his leg.

The boy had been shot?

Vader's wondering ceased when he heard voices outside, and his Force sense recognized the senator. So, he'd finally decided to show his face. This was one conversation he'd been looking forward to. Abruptly, he turned, leaving the doctor alone to work.

Lerrod had come with two aides and a security guard. They hastily backed away when Vader appeared.

"Ah, Lord Vader," Lerrod said, bowing. "I received a message that -"

Vader squeezed his throat slightly, cutting him off. It was so very tempting to squeeze harder, but he knew he had to refrain.

"Your predecessor was the lowliest excuse for a politician I have ever met," he started, remotely pulling Lerrod closer. "But even he was not a child-abusing sadist!"

"Sir, I swear to you - I never touched the boy!"

He was telling the truth. Reluctantly, Vader released his Force grip.

"Then who did?"

"He ran off! Got into a street fight, I suppose. It won't happen again ... I'll keep a better watch on him."

"See that you do," Vader said, ominously.

The senator swallowed. "I'll go in and see how the boy is, if you don't mind, sir."

Vader stepped aside and stared after the senator as he entered the surgery. His work was done here. It was unlikely Lerrod would allow anything to happen to the boy again. He may be a scheming politician, but he had learnt from his predecessor's mistake.

But it still didn't feel right to simply leave the boy in Lerrod's care. Yet it was the logical thing to do. The senator was his guardian, after all, despite the somewhat shady circumstances under which he obtained that right. If the boy was to be used as Jedi bait, the senator's home would be the best place for him. It was far enough away from the palace to let the Jedi think they had a chance.

Besides, what else could he do? Take the boy back to his own dwelling? The thought of having a child in his home was unthinkable.

Finally, Vader turned for the exit.