.o.o.o.o.o.
Chapter 14
It was fortunate that the standard Lambda shuttle was equipped with a medical capsule capable of full life support for a limited duration. Now, brought inside the Hutt palace, Vader watched as the pitiful form of Beru Lars was gently laid inside it, and the glass cover slid across her before sealing tight. Vader then spoke to CT-6116, whose medical training was now entirely useful, and who had retrieved the capsule from the shuttle at his lord's summons.
"We shall be acquiring three new passengers for our voyage back to the Vindicator. Be certain this capsule finds it way to the medical bay once we have docked. This woman is to be given priority treatment. The identities of these three passengers are to be handled with the utmost discretion and any concerns may be directed to me, personally."
"Of course, sir."
"You may take charge of your patient now."
"Right away, sir."
Once the medic and the injured woman were gone from the apartment, Vader turned his attention back to Lars. The farmer's eyes had not left his wife during the transfer, and now they stared forlornly at the door the capsule had disappeared out of. What was he thinking? Was he wondering if his wife would survive the journey? For a small moment, Vader remembered what it was like to have a wife. He shut away the feelings immediately, for the ache they caused threatened to become an unbearable pain if given enough fuel.
The hour was late, with none of the suns' light remaining, and only darkness beyond the small, rectangular windows cut into the stone walls. The boy, whom Vader had last seen perched upon the room's Hutt-sized divan, was now slumped against that same piece of furniture, eyes closed, breathing softly, and still clutching his toy airspeeder.
Lars looked embarrassed as he discovered his nephew's state, and indeed, Vader could not recall the last time someone had had the audacity to fall asleep in his presence. That the Sith lord would allow it, even find it endearing on some, deep forgotten level of himself, was another matter entirely.
"S'probably had a long day, kidnapped and imprisoned all afternoon in this...place, and whatnot," the farmer said somewhat awkwardly. He took a step toward the child, but Vader stopped him by holding up a hand.
He wanted to enjoy the innocent moment for a small while longer.
Linking his mind with that of his son's, Vader caught a glimpse of the child's dream: swirling hyperspace lights tinged with far too much blue, as surely the boy had only ever seen them before via holovid. The boy dreamt of the stars, of leaving behind this planet to seek adventure and excitement, just as he, himself once had. Those naive hopes of his child-self had been anything but realistic, and yet, a part of him would have given anything to return to those innocent times.
"The Force has brought us together, young one. You are destined for so much more than anything here on Tatooine. Accompany me, and I will show you the galaxy, and your place as its future ruler."
The boy frowned in his slumber, perhaps unsure of the source of the voice speaking in his head, yet it did not disturb him enough to wake him. Vader was aware of the time passing. His shuttle was waiting and there was no further need to remain within the palace of Jabba the Hutt. It was time to go.
Because there was no one aside from Lars in the room, and because Vader could not sense anything or anyone within the immediate vicinity, he strode over to the sleeping child and maneuvered him so that his blonde head rested against Vader's left shoulder and his lower body was supported by the cradle of his left arm.
If Lars had a comment to make, he wisely kept his mouth shut and fell into step behind Vader as they finally left behind the Hutt apartments. The corridor was dark and lonely. It seemed not a soul was awake or alive within this vast fortress, and Vader stalked through its bleak halls feeling as though he'd conquered the place.
For carried within his arms was a prize above all prizes.
His contentment was easily disrupted when they reached the foot of the darkened staircase, and Vader realized that, in his euphoria, he had allowed himself to become distracted. A large form slithered out from one of the smaller passageways branching to the side. Vader became aware of where his lightsaber hung upon his belt, and he tested the air with the Force, yet no threat was indicated to him.
Fett stood in Jabba the Hutt's shadow, ever the dutiful slave, it seemed. Vader paused before them, but chose not to acknowledge them entirely by turning to them. How unfortunate that they had witnessed the glaring vulnerability currently tucked against his shoulder. Unfortunate for them.
"Leaving so soon, honored guest?" Jabba opened his wide mouth to wonder aloud. He spoke in Huttese to Vader. No translation was forthcoming, unless Lars or Fett was meant to perform it. It was a dangerous assumption to make... that the Lord Darth Vader spoke or understood a language as foul as Huttese.
However impatient he was to make it to the shuttle with the boy, Vader was even more eager to make clear exactly what Jabba the Hutt thought he might gain from all of this.
"It would be in your best interest for you to forget I was ever here,"the Sith lord responded ominously in Basic. As tempting as it was to slip into his native tongue, he could not, in good conscience, drag his new identity through such filth.
"This, I will not do," the creature replied, after a moment of consideration.
"Then you may expect the Empire to bring swift justice upon you, Hutt. It has been a long time coming, after all," Vader snarled. The Hutt's massive, misshapen nostrils flared at the threat, and his reptilian eyes wandered for a moment to the child in the Dark Lord's arms.
"A debt has been repaid, Skywalker, for what you did for my Rota. A son for a son," The Hutt said in his booming voice. "I hope your Empire will remember that," Jabba finished with a deep chuckle.
Rooted in place by the utterance of his old name, Vader watched the Hutt slither back into the shadowy depths of his palace. Boba Fett offered a final incline of his head before he, too, disappeared behind the veil of darkness in the wake of his vile liege.
Slowly, Vader grasped his lightsaber with his free hand, wondering if he should pursue them. They knew such dangerous secrets. He had killed others for knowing less.
The sleeping boy shifted slightly in his grasp and Vader re-examined his priorities, all thoughts of a murderous cleanse abruptly dispersing. A child so pure ought to be shielded from the messy deaths of insignificant filth. Countless others could be sent to finish the job at a later time.
It seemed even Lars had picked up upon the tension. He expelled the breath he'd been holding.
"Stars," the farmer began, "I hate Hutts."
Through the Force, Vader echoed the sentiment.
.o.o.o.o.o.
From the rear viewport of the Imperial shuttle, Owen Lars watched his home planet become smaller and smaller in the vast distance of space. Everything he'd ever known, he was leaving behind, abandoning to the unknown of the stars. He had this feeling, this terribly sad feeling, that he might never return. Even if he did, would he be the same man?The future suddenly held so many uncertainties and the same thought that had been niggling at the back of his mind assaulted him again.
What have I done?
Luke was well and truly asleep now, lying blissfully upon the cot provided in these rear quarters, thermal blanket pulled up to his ears. The boy had vowed to stay awake and watch the transition into hyperspace, but alas, he had been too tired to even keep such an important promise to himself.
Owen got the feeling the boy would have many other opportunities to do so from this day forth.
The doors snicked open, and the massive bulk of Darth Vader ducked into the small quarters. Even locked in a room with the man, Owen no longer felt any fear in the presence of what was the cause of nightmares for so many others. Even if Vader were to suddenly lash out and kill him now, with no warning or explanation, Owen felt he could die mostly at peace.
Because he was finally validated. Obi-wan Kenobi had been wrong. Darth Vader would, to the best of his abilities, love the child he had sired. Now, what that meant for the galaxy or the future of the Jedi, Owen did not know or care. A promise had been fulfilled, a duty seen-too, a burden lifted.
"What now?" Owen asked, still gazing out the viewport. Vader considered.
"Your wife's treatment and healing will span the course of several weeks. You shall be a guest aboard my star destroyer for the duration. In approximately two standard months, the Vindicator will complete its tour and return to the Kuat dry dock for repairs. No decisions need be made until that time."
Owen exhaled slowly.
"Guest? I can't be your guest," the farmer scoffed, "Not if my life is to return to any semblance of what it once was when this is all over and done with. Put me to work in the hanger bay, at least. Let me earn my keep."
"I agree that having you as a guest could prove to be... problematic," Vader responded, and if Owen was not mistaken, he detected a note of amusement in the vocoder. "Too many questions will be asked. Better to place you somewhere you will go unnoticed. Therefore, your enlistment paperwork is being drawn up at this very moment."
"Good," Owen said gruffly, folding his arms stubbornly. Then he processed all of what Vader had said and he felt the blood drain from his face.
"Wait... enlistment?"
"Welcome to the Imperial Navy, Ensign Lars."
"Ah..." Owen placed his forehead in his palm and carded his fingers through his sandy hair frustratedly. Then, resigned to his fate: "Goddamn it."
What have I done?
.o.o.o.o.o.