PART 2: Brothers of the Force - Empire day
Empire Day – Luke
Malastare was a great planet. It had forests which in itself would've been enough to make it a paradise for Luke. When first set foot on the surface he noticed that the city too was different from those on Tatooine. It was more like on Woostri or M'haeli. The people looked happy and healthy and did not constantly look over their shoulder. Unlike the last time he had been around people though, there was one large difference. Everyone stared at him. Well, he supposed they were really staring at his father who was walking behind him in a casual pace while Luke ran ahead. They were only a small group. Captain Lokey and two Stormtroopers would stay at the Rogue Shadow while Vader, Praji, Starkiller and Luke visited the race.
Luke looked back to them as he'd distanced himself a bit from the group in order to admire the showcase of a random shop. He saw his father talking to Starkiller. His brother looked serious as always and not one bit excited. Vader seemed to give him something and Starkiller bowed and the next time there was a crossroad, he vanished into a side alley.
Luke smiled a bit, he was glad those two had a chance to speak to each other.
When the group had caught up with him he asked:
"Where did S.K. go?"
"He will make sure he gets a good place to watch the race from", his father answered. "We still have time before it starts, though. Praji will take you to the stadium, you can go and see the pods before the racers arrive if you want."
Luke's eyes widened in delight. "Yeah, that would be so cool! But... you're coming as well, aren't you?"
"Not yet. I will have to meet with the Chief Magistrate beforehand."
"But why?", Luke whined, he'd been looking forward to spending the day with his father.
"Courtesy demands it, this planet is under his rule. Don't forget that I am here in my official function. Or at least that's what people need to believe."
"Oh, right", Luke said and winked. He knew that his father would've never considered coming here today if it wasn't for his birthday. But he did have to keep up pretenses.
Praji and Luke continued on their way alone (drawing far less eyes this way) and eventually arrived at the hangar where the pods were kept. Luke spend a good half an hour fawning over them and admiring the vehicles.
"You there, get away from my pod!", he heard a voice then.
Luke looked up to see a very odd creature wobbling over to him on what appeared to be the thing's arms. Its legs where folded in front of its chest, one feet pointing at Luke angrily. The creature had gray skin and a long gray mustache. It wore a leather west and a pair of goggles that marked him as one of the racers.
"I'm sorry Sir, I was just looking. I've never seen a pod from up close", Luke apologized.
"You ain't gonna do any sabotaging on my pod!", the creature cursed and shook its feet.
"I wasn't going to!"
Praji went between the two. "Is there a problem?"
"No problem if you and your brat keep away", the racer answered.
"I assure you, we have no ill intent towards you", Praji said politely but Luke noticed the faint distaste he felt in the way how the corners of his mouth sunk.
"You better not! Over a dozen racers died in the last five years from sabotaging acts and everyone knows it's you Imps! As if it isn't dangerous enough, what with the tunnel and the Champion's Dive and don't forget that blasted Crow's Nest."
"If it's so dangerous, then why are you racing?", Luke wanted to know.
The creature looked him over carefully before replying: "Ain't gonna have a choice, do I? Price money would feed my family for three months. Nothing a rich little human boy like you would understand."
Luke almost felt like laughing, how did that thing arrive at the idea that he was rich? Then he looked down at himself. He was wearing his training leather gear which while not fancy was made out of good material. That and he traveled with Praji who always took care to look as clean and well-groomed as possible.
"I know what it is like to go to bed hungry", he still muttered. He felt really bad for the racer and wanted to help him. But how could he?
Luke looked around and his eyes fell back on the pod. From what he'd seen the interior didn't look too different from the flight simulator. He was pretty sure that he could fly it if he really wanted to.
In that moment Luke felt a prickle in the back of his neck that he had grown used to connect with his father's appearance. Sure enough when he turned around Darth Vader entered the hangar together with another man in Imperial uniform. He was around thirty years old with short dark hair and a sort of sly smile that Luke didn't like.
The creature behind them gasped and let out a silent curse before hurriedly fleeing form the scene.
Luke just watched him leave confused before shrugging and turning to greet his father. However as soon as he turned around he suddenly felt the Force – the dark side - curl around him. He gasped and it was as if his head had been stuck underwater. Very cold water.
"Pretend you don't know me", a voice whispered in his head.
Luke shook his head to clear it but looking back at his father he realized it was him who had spoken to him in his mind, the way he usually only did during meditation.
"Lord Vader", Praji greeted the Sith when Luke failed to follow protocol.
Vader ignored both him and Luke and turned to the foreign man. "I have taken the liberty of having my aide inspect the racers. I trust that won't be a problem?"
The man smiled thinly. "Of course not, Lord Vader." Then he scowled when his gaze fell on Luke. "What is a child doing here though?"
All eyes turned to him and Luke began to sweat.
"Uh, I..." His father's words still rang in his head. "I... I'm one of the racers! … Sir."
"You... a racer?", the Imperial sneered.
"Sure", Luke said, irritated that he was not being taken seriously. He patted the pod next to him, which just so happened to belong to the odd creature. "This is my pod. It's my first flight but you'll see, I'm gonna win!"
The Imperial just shook his head and turned back to Vader.
"Anyway, take all the time you want down here. You are of course invited to watch the race together with me from the top box. It is always quite a sight."
"I will be there."
The man left and Luke let out the breath he'd been holding. That was until he noticed his father staring at him.
"What?", he asked. "I had to come up with something."
"Except now you are expected to take part in this dangerous race", Vader scolded him. "If you have to take up a role to disguise yourself, don't choose one that can fall apart so lightly."
"I didn't have much warning!"
"You may have no warning at all during a mission. In fact, I believe it is urgent you understand this lesson. What better way to do that then to go through with it?"
Luke's eyes widened. "You mean... I should really race in the pod?"
"You failed, you have to make up for it. I have heard from Captain Lokey that you have made good progress. I wish to see what you have learned for myself."
Luke's face split in a large grin. To not only see the race but take part in it! That would be so much fun. And also...
"I told the guy I would use this pod... But there's already someone else racing it. I think I could get him to leave his spot to me though using, uh... a bribe, maybe?" Before his father could answer, he hurriedly added: "After all it's a lesson about disguise and staying in the shadows so if I hurt or intimidated him he might tell someone about it and I need him to do it willingly so he'll make the changes with the application service and this way I can assure his silence."
For a moment his father was silent and Luke wondered if he'd been too eager.
"Very well", he said at last. "I do however expect you to win, son."
Luke grinned a little wider. "Of course I will! You'll be proud of me, you'll see."
His father left and Luke began his search for the creature (Praji told him it was called a dug). The poor thing almost had a heart attack when Luke offered to rent his pod for the race and offered him a sum equal to the price money for it. With the promise of doubling the amount if he won. The dug actually cried at that.
Luke spent the next hour familiarizing himself with his new pod and then it was already time to get out. He drew to the line with fourteen other racers. The stadium was so big he couldn't get enough of the sights. There were so many people, humans and other races, all cheering and clapping and talking. With wide eyes Luke looked around and spotted the dark figure of his father as a small black dot at the top of the stadium in a richly decorated box. He was standing there, Starkiller surely at his side by now, watching Luke!
His grin became a bit wider. It was like a dream come true! He was going to fly, to race, which he loved and his father was watching him and wishing him luck. This was a great birthday! Now he only had to win and it would be perfect.
A distorted voice sounded from the loudspeaker that Luke didn't bother to listen to. Then there was the gong and Luke let his pod jump forward. Immediately the wind began to tug at his hair and Luke was just glad the dug had given him his goggles as sand and insects began to rush at him. The boy shook his head to clear it and narrowly avoided crashing into a stand as he took a curve. He'd gotten away well and was in the middle of the bulk right now. A moment later the stadium was behind him and the real race began.
Luke flew like he'd never done before. He could feel the Force rushing through him more clearly then ever before. It was as if he could feel every piece of the machinery under him and control it at will.
Suddenly there was a bright flash. Luke looked behind him and spotted a giant fireball where one of the racers crashed into another. He shuddered and decided to concentrate on the route a bit more.
The racers were aiming straight for a mountain. Luke had only vague knowledge of the route, he let himself be guided by the Force. Still he was a bit afraid they'd all just crash against the rock when he saw the tiny opening of a cave. No way, they were really supposed to go in there?
Apparently so. The cave swallowed the first three racers and Luke sped up again to catch up to them. A moment later he passed their misty lights as he continued to speed through the tunnel. The other racers had slowed down in order to maneuver through the tunnel but Luke found it easy to orientate in the darkness. He even went so far as to close his eyes, only concentrating on the flow of the Force and the warnings it gave him.
There was a mighty rumble behind him, probably one of the racers crashing. Luke tried not to think about it and continued on.
Soon he was out in the open again. The tunnel led him straight into a forest, the trees bigger then he'd ever thought possible. He had to sway this way and that like a madman just to keep his pod under control. He went slower after that but he felt a prickle in his neck of other racers catching up to him. Soon they were drawing ahead of him.
The forest led them to a river and for a few moments the racers flew over the water. Trees turned into rock as they entered a canyon with high walls spanning on both sides. One of the racers behind him drew next to Luke. He had just a moment to gaze into an ugly scarred face with lots of tentacles sticking out of the head before the foreign pod crashed into his. Luke was thrown off-course and almost collided with the wall. He cursed and sped ahead. His pod made a jump as he flew over the next in line. There was another bang behind him as two pods crashed and Luke was drenched by water from behind. He didn't look through, he only had two other pods in front of him and they were on their way back to the stadium. If he could just get his pod to fly a little faster...!
The river had a bend ahead of it. Luke knew the racers had to slow down for it, it was the sensible thing to do but he had to find a way to draw ahead of them. The boy eyed the canyon wall and made a decision. In a breakneck maneuver he pulled the steering stick to the side. His pod creaked in protest as it was violently thrown to the side. Luke sped up some more and the velocity enabled him to race parallel to the river at the wall, faster and faster, along the bend and ahead of the two other racers. Luke drew back into the normal position, adrenaline rushing through his veins.
The Force screamed a warning at him and Luke veered to the left slightly. There was a hiss and a blackened spot appeared on the mantle of his pod. He looked up to see some figures at the edge of the canyon. They were shooting at the racers!
Luke grit his teeth, he could try flying in zigzag to avoid them but that would cost him his advantage. He had to win, he just had to. He had to show his father that there was something he was really good at.
More shots were fired but only one came close to him and he had to duck under it but didn't slow down. Then he heard a scream and a dull thump from behind, followed by another two explosions. It seemed not all of his rivals had been as lucky.
Luke was out of the canyon and the stadium lay before him. He fought to get the last bit of speed out of his pod and finally raced over the finish line under loud cheering and applause from the crowd.
"The winner is Luke Skywalker!", the voice announced through the loudspeaker and Luke grinned from ear to ear.
Ten minutes and many congratulations later Luke met up with his crew again. His father was striding towards him with Starkiller trailing behind.
"I did it, father!", Luke announced happily. "I won!"
"Yes you did", Vader answered calmly. "Well done, my son."
Luke laughed and barely held himself back from hugging his father. No public signs of affection, right. But it was so hard when he was so happy!
He turned to Starkiller instead. "Did you see that? Did you see me? That was awesome, wasn't it?"
"It wasn't too bad", Starkiller admitted. Something sinister gleamed in his eyes as he added:
"You should consider a carrier as a pilot."
"Let's head back to the ship", Vader said.
"Yes, oh wait, just a moment!" Luke took the big sack of credits a manager had dumped on him and ran over to where he spotted the old dug in the crowd.
"That's for you Mister, just as promised", he said, still with a stupid grin plastered all over his face.
"No, no, I ain't taking any more money, t'is well", the creature said, shaking his legs. "You already gave me so much. Can keep the pod too, you can!"
"But I don't need the pod. It's yours and I promised you this. You can feed your family with it. Good luck to you!" Luke just pushed the money into the dug's feet. He wanted to get back to his family as fast as possible. When he reached Darth Vader he looked up to him, trying to let his hesitation and gratefulness bleed into their growing bond before carefully taking one of the heavily armored gauntlets into his hands. Darth Vader looked down at him but Luke didn't meet his eyes. He just stared ahead, his lips pressed shut tightly. He expected to be pushed back or reprimanded but instead Vader just began to walk, slower then he used to and Luke's hand stayed in his. Luke grinned up at him happily, then at Starkiller who shook his head slightly with a thin smile. The moment was absolutely perfect. Yes, perfect – except maybe for the bloody footprints his father was leaving in the sand.
The dug racer stayed behind. Another dug, this one female, came up behind him, staring after the boy with eyes as equally wide as her husband's.
"Did you hear what I heard?", she whispered, shaking in fear and awe.
"Yeah", the dug answered. "The lad called him father."
XxX
Empire Day – Starkiller
Starkiller watched as Luke ran into the city as if he'd never seen civilization before and shook his head. Oh, why had he agreed to this? He really had absolutely no desire to celebrate Luke's birthday. But he had to start somewhere. He would not be able to kill Luke as long as his Master did not command him to as the boy's death would immediately fall back on him. The young Sith had played with the idea of capturing the next assassin that tried to kill him and apply a mixture of torture and mind control to get the agent to kill Luke for him instead. But he was not skilled enough to do that yet. He still had a chance to kill Luke in that duel his Master wanted them to have but by that time Luke's training would be complete. There was a chance Starkiller would loose and if that happened...
If he befriended Luke through, the boy could make enough of a distraction for him to get away. Then he could come back later, kill Lord Vader, make it look as if the Emperor had him assassinated and then get Luke's help in killing the Emperor in revenge as well. The boy would be indebted to him, he would succumb to his authority and then Starkiller would be the Master and Luke his apprentice.
Now he just had to pretend he liked being around that painfully bright presence, had to fake interest in his stupid stories and... just generally not be himself. And all that right under the watchful eye of his Master.
"Starkiller."
Starkiller flinched as his Master addressed him. He'd been ignored for the last couple of months and was only here because Luke had demanded it but was fully prepared to just hang back in the shadows. Let those two have their stupid family bond. He didn't need it. He only needed Luke to be properly enraged when he found out his father was dead.
"Yes, my Master?", he replied calmly, double checking his mental protection.
"You will have several targets today. I expect you to kill them quietly and swiftly. No traces left. Do you understand?"
Starkiller looked up at him, momentarily breathless. It had been... ages since he'd last gotten a mission! And now he was to kill not one but several targets!
"Yes, Master."
Vader handed him a datastick. Starkiller's hands shook a bit as he took it.
"I expect you to be finished at the end of the race", Vader said. "Now go."
Starkiller gulped, that was less than three hours. He quickly took his leave and went to analyze the data given to him.
There were eight targets in total. Sarun Torrik, bodyguard of Chief Magistrate Ozzik Sturn. Michael Vaneim, mechanic. Tilma Na'goz, bounty hunter. Then five others listed as belonging to a group of nasty criminals.
The Force shouted a warning and Starkiller threw himself to the side in order to narrowly avoid a vibroblade rushing down at him.
"Dammit, PROXY!", he cursed as he saw who had attacked him. "What are you doing here?"
"I almost had you, Master", the holodroid mourned. "I came here with the intelligence squad half an hour ago." Then he noticed the datapad Starkiller was holding. "Oh I see, you already received the information?"
"Yes I did. Are you here to help me with the mission?"
"Not at all, Master. I am just going to stay with you until you have completed the first."
"Well then, let's hurry."
The data noted a time and place for every name when and where to strike. For the first he just had to stick close to his Master.
Coming out of the alley Starkiller was just in time to see his Master talking to Praji and Luke before sending them away, continuing on his way alone. Silent like a cat Starkiller followed him, taking to the roofs with PROXY, disguised as a civilian behind him. They came to a great manor in the middle of the city. In front of it stood a man in clean Imperial uniform and a group of servants behind him – as well as Starkiller's first target. The obviously high ranking official began to talk to Lord Vader and eventually they both left, leaving the servants behind.
Starkiller scowled a bit. He wasn't able to hear what they talked about but he could've sworn Vader had deliberately talked the officer into leaving his bodyguard behind so Starkiller could strike at him. That didn't sit well with Starkiller, he was perfectly capable of killing his target when it was in the middle of a group. The boy had to remind himself that his Master wanted to avoid attention being drawn to the kill and if the man died in his presence it probably wasn't so good for him either.
Thus Starkiller waited until his Master was out of sight and the group had dispersed. He followed the bodyguard around the manor on what seemed to be his patrol. Then he dropped down from a low balcony and stabbed his vibroblade through his throat.
"As easy as stealing candy from a baby", Starkiller sneered and wiped his blade at the clothes of the man.
"Well done, Master", PROXY praised him. "I will take care of the body. I believe you have other places to be."
Starkiller merely nodded retreated into some nearby shrubbery that would take him past the guards undetected. When he looked back he saw PROXY dumping the body into a dumpster.
Starkiller shook his head. He admitted to being curious what was going on here but it was not the time to question his orders.
His next target was Michal Vaneim, listed to be found in the hall under the stadium where the pods for the race waited for their entrance. Starkiller hurried to the place and once in the hall kept to the shadows. It wasn't long before he spotted his target, a human male. Apparently he was busy doing some last minute repairs on one of the pods. Starkiller was lucky as the hall was empty save for a few unintelligent droids.
Unfortunately there was no cover from which to strike. But with no witnesses around, that shouldn't be a problem.
Starkiller simply walked up to his target leisurely, wondering how far he would get before he was spotted.
"Hey, you there! Here's employees only!", the mechanic complained when Starkiller was already in blaster range. He waved some kind of tool at him threateningly but it was clearly not a long range weapon. Starkiller considered getting into a fight, showing his target what he could do close-range. But he still had the element of surprise and time was running out.
"Hey! Didn't you hear me? Piss off!"
Starkiller didn't bother to answer. He simply drew his blaster and shot the man in the face. Then he jogged over to him and took the dead man's legs, pulling him to the side and stashing him in a closet. Thank the Force that blaster wounds didn't bleed.
Suddenly the door to the hall opened and Starkiller quickly ducked into a corridor. It seemed the racers had arrived to prepare for the upcoming event. Starkiller waited until they had all dispersed a bit more, then he left his hiding place and simply walked out. Nobody paid him any mind. Starkiller felt Luke's bright presence nearby, seemingly on his way into the hall as well but he didn't stop. He still had a few other kills today.
Tilma Na'goz, bounty hunter. This one was a bit harder as the data only said she could be found along the racetrack. Starkiller wasted precious time searching for a speeder that could take him into the outskirts. The racetrack was long and he had no idea where or when she would show up. Then again... What reason would a bounty hunter have to travel the racetrack anyway? Starkiller could only think of one reason and that was to kill one of the racers. That narrowed down the possible locations. There was the tunnel that could easily be brought down with a well placed bomb. Then the forest, one tripwire in the right location could cause a devastating crash but wasn't very specific. Finally the canyon, ideal for snipers. But that was where he was to find his last five targets – so to the tunnel it was.
Starkiller sped up the mountain and searched for a good spot to hide. Then he waited. He waited for an awful long time but at last – he saw her. The bounty hunter wore a jet pack on her back that enabled her to fly. She seemed to search for a good landing spot but before she could find one, Starkiller had already drawn his blaster and started shooting.
The first one was a hit but swallowed by her armor. The second missed as she swerved to the side, almost crashing into the mountain. She disappeared behind a big rock and Starkiller cursed. He began climbing to spot her again but had to let himself drop down when the bounty hunter shot at him in turn.
Roaring noise closed in on them and Starkiller saw the racers approach. So did the hunter. She stopped firing and instead began to fly with purpose down the mountain. It was in that moment that Starkiller felt the familiar bright presence of his self-appointed brother. What was he doing amongst the racers?
Well, it didn't matter because the hunter was clearly about to blow up the mountain. Starkiller hurried after her and reached out with the Force. The woman was caught in his grip and Starkiller smiled grimly and he threw her against the mountain, then again and again. Her armor protected her a bit still but she was unable to fly. The first racers were in the tunnel now. Starkiller smashed her against the wall one more time for good measure and then – then she dropped the grenade she'd been holding. It exploded on the ground under her, ripping apart her body and a good portion of the mountain as well. There was a small avalanche, dust and loud rumbling everywhere and when Starkiller could see again around half a dozen racers stopped before the blockaded entrance to the tunnel.
"Well, shit", Starkiller muttered. At least the Force didn't cry out and he could still feel Luke in the distance so he got away unharmed. But that wouldn't stay that way if Starkiller didn't hurry. He knew what was going on now. His Master must have planned to have Luke compete in the race, maybe as a birthday present and now he was sending Starkiller to kill everyone who might want to prevent that. The mechanic sabotaging the pods, the bounty hunter blasting the tunnel and the snipers in the canyon. He was using Starkiller to make sure Luke won the race.
Starkiller grit his teeth. He refused to me moved by that in any way. He had a mission to complete and could not allow himself to get distracted.
Starkiller hurried back to his speeder. The racers would have to go through the forest first but he could take the direct way to the canyon. That was exactly what he did too and he already spotted his last targets from the distance. They were a mix of human and other races, lightly armored but heavily armed. Two of them were lying on the ground with high grade blaster cannons in front of them, looking out for the coming racers. Two other were armed with blaster rifles and several grenades hanging from their belts. Only one was holding watch and it was this one who spotted Starkiller first and shouted a warning. The young Sith was speeding at them fast and just as the three who were standing turned to fire at him, Starkiller rebalanced his weight and violently pulled up his speeder bike. The machine gave a protesting creak but was momentarily lifted vertically and several blaster shots were absorbed by its underside. Starkiller let go of the steering unit and threw himself to the side. He rolled off on his shoulder while the bike continued to slide forward. It crashed against one of the riflemen and the sniper behind him and pushed both over the edge of the canyon just as the first racers sped by. There was a loud crash, the rest of the team began to scream and fire wildly but Starkiller was obscured from their view through the dust that the sliding bike had raised on the dry ground. With the help of the Force it was easy to avoid the bolts and before the men knew what hit them, Starkiller had tackled another one of the riflemen. He stabbed at him with his vibroblade, shoulder – shit, again! - throat just so he would stop screaming and then he violently grabbed his hair and pulled up the body, using it as a shield as the last rifleman began to fire at him idly, screaming obscenities. Meanwhile the remaining sniper was still shooting at the racers, either not caring about his team being massacred or too greedy for the money that was undoubtedly offered to him.
Starkiller threw the body away when the other guy stopped firing for a moment and followed up the movement with a kick that broke the man's kneecaps. He howled in pain and did not defend himself when Starkiller knocked his blaster rifle out of his hand.
"No, please, please don't kill me!", he begged when he was lying on the ground. Starkiller almost rolled his eyes and merely stabbed down with his vibroblade. Then his gaze turned to the last sniper who was still happily picking off the racers. Starkiller went over to him and stood at his side for a couple of seconds. The guy was now targeting what Starkiller believed to be Luke's pod. For a few moments the young Sith simply watched, wondering if a few seconds of hesitation would be enough to rid him of all his problems. But Luke evaded the blaster bolts without even loosing any speed. He did fly rather well, you had to give it to him.
Starkiller sighed and pulled the sniper up at his collar. The man looked at him confused and only now did Starkiller recognize the design of his helmet. It covered the ears completely, letting no noise through and was designed to allow snipers to concentrate on their target without distractions. When the man looked around and saw the mutilated remains of his team he blanched.
Starkiller actually dropped him and the man opened his mouth...
"No, I don't wanna hear it", the young Sith decided. Then he reached out and gave the man a slight push. Only that push had been Force-strengthened and the sniper was practically catapulted over the canyon and met the wall on the other side with a sickening splat, leaving a red stain behind before slowly sliding down.
Starkiller rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath. Another successful job – and he barely felt winded. He wondered if Luke knew how many people had to die so he could have his stupid birthday race.
XxX
Empire Day – Darth Vader
Darth Vader listened with only half an ear as the Chief Magistrate boasted over his accomplishments on Malastare, how he'd shown the native dug population their place and established a firm Imperial hold on the planet. He'd heard it all before. Those petty men who thought they were better just because they ruled some second-class unimportant planet. It was nothing against the power Vader commanded.
Even so, Vader was... pleasantly surprised about Luke's choice of destination. There were certainly other planets around, richer or more diverse that a child like him would have found enjoyment in visiting. Malastare certainly wasn't ugly but Luke didn't show much interest for it's many sights or nature, instead setting his mind on the pod race. Vader would have to lie if he said it didn't bring back memories.
The Sith Lord had prepared himself to take out a rebel cell or two or just send his men to terrorize some people at a protest march as they often took place on planets a little more well-off. People on poorer planets rarely had means or even desire to make a fuss as they often benefited from the changes the Empire brought upon them. Vader knew he had to do something, kill someone in order to explain to the Emperor why he was here. It was such a hassle but at the same time, Vader gladly went through the trouble if it meant staying away from Coruscant and more importantly, keeping Luke away from the Emperor for just a bit longer.
As soon as Luke had declared Malastare to be his destination, Vader had sent out his intelligence squad to get him relevant information about that planet. There was one major issue in that the dugs were anything but happy with the Imperial rule. There was a rebellion brewing, he could taste it in the air. The dugs felt treated unfairly compared to the human minority and if Vader was being honest, they were probably right. The Empire wasn't too nice to non-humanoids in general. Galactic law left a lot of leeway for planet rulers how to interpret it for them and Chief Magistrate Ozzik Sturn seemed to be one of those that liked to exploit the sentients under his protection.
There was a time when such behavior would've disgusted Vader. But he was a grown-up, he had seen so much war and all he could do now was sneer at those stupid dugs that complained about only getting one meal a day, not being allowed to buy real estate or being given no vacation. Try starving on a junk planet for three weeks. Try sleeping in a bunker with twelve sweating, snoring clone troopers, fighting for the lives of a Twi'lek enclave that was so poor they ripped your clothes off your body in return. Try living under the thumb of a Master, being gambled away and betrayed and lied to your whole life...!
No, Vader had no sympathy for these people but his position demanded he take care of such matters anyway if they threatened the Empire at large. Now the situation on Malastare was nowhere as serious as on, say, Alderaan but from the intelligence his men had brought him Vader saw that it could be resolved rather easily. All he had to do was kick Sturn out of office and make a recommendation for his successor. He could promote one of his own Lieutenants, maybe one with a family who wanted to settle down.
But as Vader did not, technically, hold any official position, he didn't have the right to just remove Sturn. His prejudice was not enough of a reason to sack him and the argument: 'He's a nasty man' didn't really count. There was one thing Vader might be able to use. Malastare held one of the biggest prisons of the Empire and according to his spies, Sturn frequently let one or two of his political prisoners escape only to hunt them down and kill them – for sport. Vader could try to bring this up with the Moff of the sector but if he didn't care about the unfair treatment of the dugs, he probably didn't care about improper execution techniques either. Not that Vader did, for that matter but if this got public it could very well be the spark that set off the dissatisfied dugs and then they'd have a problem.
Fortunately there was another method that Vader could use to get rid of the little stink. If he managed to provoke him enough so that he'd attack Vader, he would be completely justified to kill him. No Moff, not even the Emperor could berate him for that (the latter would probably even praise him). The problem with that plan was that even as Vader walked through the town with the Magistrate he could feel the fear that cloaked him. He set up a brave front, his greed and desire to please making for a good mask but Vader did have a certain reputation and a surprise visit from him usually meant something bad coming your way. He would not dare attack him head on.
So Vader had made a plan. He was eerily reminded of the race that set him free on Tatooine, it really was rather similar. Knowing the Magistrate's weakness for cruel games, Vader planned on making a little bet himself. Of course this required him knowing who would win and of course Sturn would do everything to sabotage the race in favor of his champion. That's why Vader had given a list of his henchman to Starkiller. Without any outside interference Vader would be able to use his superior knowledge of pods, racing statistics and the racer's skills to determine who had the most chances of winning the race. He had spent the last week reading up on racing statistics on Malastare for this purpose. Coupled with a bit of meditation and some good instincts and he was rather confident in his ability to predict the outcome.
That was until he entered the hall under the stadium and Luke declared he would race himself.
"You... a racer?", Magistrate Sturn sneered incredulously.
"Sure", Luke said with a grin and patted a nearby pod. "This is my pod. It's my first flight but you'll see, I'm gonna win!"
The Imperial just shook his head and turned back to Vader.
"Anyway, take all the time you want down here. You are of course invited to watch the race together with me from the top box. It is always quite a sight."
"I will be there", Vader replied tonelessly. Well, so much for his plans. He could of course forbid Luke from racing... In fact, he didn't think it was his intention to go through with it anyway... but wouldn't it be incredibly ironic if Luke flew the race... and won?
Vader knew that in that fated race, he'd won his freedom not because he was skilled or determined or his freedom depended on it. Those were all important points too but really, what he had over the other racers was the Force. Luke had that too and Captain Lokey had said he was rather good at flying.
Oh yes, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. It would be dangerous... But damn, Luke had proved to be a pretty pathetic Sith student. He needed to know if the boy had any talent at all, if he had inherited even a shred of his genius. If he failed or died, well...
Vader's heart gave a pang at that thought and it was a lot harder to crush it then it should've been. If his son couldn't even survive a stupid race – one were all the major threats would be removed by that – he really wasn't worth the trouble. That's what he should think but...
Apparently he'd been silent for a long time because Luke fidgeted a bit.
"What?", he asked. "I had to come up with something."
Screw it. This was his son. He would not only survive the damn race, he would win it!
"Except now you are expected to take part in this dangerous race", Vader scolded. "If you have to take up a role to disguise yourself, don't choose one that can fall apart so lightly."
"I didn't have much warning!"
"You may have no warning at all during a mission. In fact, I believe it is urgent you understand this lesson. What better way to do that then to go through with it?"
Luke's eyes widened. "You mean... I should really race in the pod?"
"You failed, you have to make up for it. I have heard from Captain Lokey that you have made good progress. I wish to see what you have learned for myself."
Luke's face split in a large grin.
"I told the guy I would use this pod... But there's already someone else racing it. I think I could get him to leave his spot to me though using, uh... a bribe, maybe?"
There was a mischievous glint in his son's eyes that did not fit the underhanded tactic he was suggesting at all.
"After all it's a lesson about disguise and staying in the shadows so if I hurt or intimidated him he might tell someone about it and I need him to do it willingly so he'll make the changes with the application service and this way I can assure his silence."
Was his son just... really using Imperial funds for charity?
Vader inwardly groaned. It seemed he had a long path ahead of him. At least he was asking for permission. But Vader couldn't risk revealing his plan by allowing Luke to mess up, a dead pod racer was a bit harder to hide then some random mechanic.
"Very well", he said at last. "I do however expect you to win, son."
Luke grinned a little wider. "Of course I will! You'll be proud of me, you'll see."
Vader suppressed a sigh and left the hall. He was abandoning his duties to the Empire, spending Imperial credits for personal entertainment and schemed to take down and potentially murder his allies... all for that untalented, infuriatingly happy little boy. There had to be something wrong with him.
His business concluded, Vader made his way into the stadium and Chief Magistrate Sturn. Time for phase two of his plan...
"Ah, Lord Vader, I am glad our local sport finds so much interest with you", Sturn drawled with an arrogant smile. A tall, muscled man, his bodyguard, was standing at his side. "You should come by again in a few years. We're building a new racetrack, it's going to be the longest in the entire galaxy!"
"Where would you get the funds for that?", Vader sneered. "Your export rates have fallen greatly during the last few years."
Sturn's smile faltered a bit. The Sith Lord was pretty sure that he earned far more money than he reported in order to pay less taxes.
"There may have been some... minor problems in production. The local dug population is nothing if not lazy. I will make sure to... urge them on some more."
Vader almost rolled his eyes. In order to avoid being charged with tax evasion he was honestly defending himself with the argument of not having his planet under control.
"Maybe..." Vader said slowly as if only just getting an idea, "I could get you the financial help needed to complete this project."
"Oh?", Sturn made, now clearly interested.
"Of course. After all only the best pilots could win such a dangerous race and the Empire needs good pilots. It could be good advertising for the academy if they occasionally send someone to compete."
"That's a fabulous idea, my Lord", the Imperial said with a greedy glint in his eyes.
"Of course", Vader added immediately, "with your inability to control the local population, I am not sure you would be the best to lead this project... or the planet, for that matter."
Sturn scowled a bit and his posture expressed wounded pride.
"I assure you that when it comes to sport, I have a unique ability for organization."
"Is that so? I heard your organization talent is limited to illegal betting."
"M-My Lord, I would never...! Betting is beneath me..."
"Such a shame. I was just about to suggest we made one."
"Huh?"
"We will bet on which racer wins the upcoming race. If you win, I will make sure you get the funding for your stadium and the Empire will ignore both you stuffing your pockets with its taxes and your less then moral activities on this planet. If I win... you will make sure to better the relationship between the dug population and the Empire by both investing the money you kept for yourself from the taxes into improving their situation and releasing your little pet prisoners back into their responsibility. Then, you will resign your post as Chief Magistrate and let me appoint your successor."
"B-But my Lord!", Sturn sputtered. "That is... hardly a fair deal and... it would not be in the best interest of the Empire either!"
"It would if it prevents a local rebellion and makes sure the dugs remain a productive part of the Empire. I am being generous with you, Magistrate. For the amount of money you have cost the Empire, there could be ten to twenty years of imprisonment awaiting you."
"You would never get through with it, you have no proof!"
"Are you sure about that? Don't you think there might be at least some risk here for you? Because that's what betting is all about, risking something."
Vader could see how the gears moved in his head until he finally scowled fiercely and spat: "Fine! I'll agree to the bet. Who do you think will win the race?"
Vader was silent for a moment as if in thought. "How about the boy we saw in the hall earlier?"
Sturn's eyes widened incredulously. "That kid?"
"He's a new recruit, started learning how to fly barely six months ago. I bet those six months in my squadron are enough to beat every racer Malastare has to offer."
Sturn laughed at him. "Your overconfidence is startling. There is no way a child could win the Vinta Harvest Classic. I bet that Satena will win, he did so the last three years."
"Very well. I will hold you to your word."
The two men had climbed up to their seats in the stadium. Seats had been left for both of them, Sturn's bodyguard took position behind his employer. The racers pulled to the start – and then the race began.
Great screens littered across the stadium showed key points of the racing track and Vader found that he had a surprising amount of fun watching the event. Of course his eyes followed Luke's red pod the entire time and damn, his son was good. Not quite as good as he had been at that age but still remarkable.
Vader also noticed the shadow of a great cloud at the edge of one camera. Something just outside of its view must have exploded. Sure enough, a good half of the racers were shown taking an alternative, longer path around the mountain. Vader growled for a moment, he knew what had to be the reason. Did Starkiller fail to kill the saboteur? But Luke came out on the other side of the tunnel undamaged as far as he could see and Vader relaxed again. He passed the forest without problems, then the canyon – next to Vader Sturn started fidgeting when the expected blaster fire failed to appear. Before long Luke raced over the finish line and the stadium exploded in applause. Vader was actually smiling under his helmet, feeling a ridiculous spike of pride in his chest. He tried to remind himself that it was just a race and not even with an Imperial fighter so his skills said little about his performance in actual combat situations but still – his boy had won the damn race, take that you stupid sabotaging small-time ruler!
Vader turned his head when he felt Sturn staring at him and it was only then that he realized he was actually applauding with the rest of the stadium.
"Quite the impressive piece of flying, wasn't it?", he noted casually. "As to be expected of my son."
Sturn's mouth fell open. "Your... Your son!?"
"That's right. He's got natural talent. The Force is strong in him."
"This... This race is not valid! If the boy has those strange power's it's no wonder that he made it, that's cheating!"
Vader's mood darkened immediately. "You are accusing my son of cheating?"
"I..."
"You will resign your post, Sturn, and you will do so immediately or I will get very angry with you."
"Damn you!", Sturn shouted and drew his blaster. "You're not getting away with this!" He threw a glance back at his bodyguard. "Back me up!"
But Vader had already lifted his hand and a moment later Sturn dropped his weapon and clawed at his throat instead, his eyes wide with fear.
"Tax evasion of several million credits, illegal gambling... and now you're threatening me? That was your last mistake, scum." With that Vader closed his fist and the pressure around the man's windpipe rose greatly until the bones broke, piercing the skin and letting a rush of blood pour down to the ground. Vader could've just snapped his neck but to actually see him bleed was so much more satisfying and it had been an awful long time since he'd last killed someone.
Once the man's eyes were empty, Vader dropped him to the ground.
"Clean that up", he told the bodyguard coldly.
"Yes, Master", he said and began dragging Sturn by his feet as Vader made his way through the back door. As soon as they were out of the line of the security cameras, the figure of the bodyguard flickered as PROXY reverted back to his usual self.
On his way back down the stairs a figure emerged from the shadows, smoothly bowing on one knee to him.
"Master, I have completed the mission", Starkiller reported emotionless.
"Yes you did and everything went as planned."
Vader noted the disappointment that still lingered in his former apprentice's aura. It was in such a contrast with his own good mood that he couldn't help to dig deeper. Starkiller didn't even attempt to shut him out. Apparently he thought his mission had only served the purpose of making Luke's birthday more pleasant but he wasn't really angry about it. It was as if he'd already expected it and was just annoyed with himself for believing if even for a moment that he'd been given a mission that mattered.
Vader was not stupid, he knew there was no gain in having Starkiller distance himself from him. The boy had long since outlived his expectations and despite himself, Vader couldn't help but notice that while Luke had won a difficult race and unknowingly helped him to put down a corrupt politician, Starkiller had just killed eight people in less then three hours without drawing attention to himself. Both boys had been equally useful to him today but only Starkiller had completed his mission following the ways of the Sith. Even when pressed hard by his competition not once had Luke tried to get back at another racer. It would've been so easy to push them against the canyon wall or swerve to the side unexpectedly and let the pod after him crash into a tree. Evidently he hadn't needed to do so in order to win but even so...
Vader looked down at Starkiller thoughtfully. Maybe it would be wise to keep him a bit closer after all.
"Your actions today helped me to take down a corrupt politician, a traitor of the Empire", he revealed to the boy.
Starkiller looked up in surprise. "None of the people I killed where of political importance... How could their death be of such value?"
"They were tasked with sabotaging the race. You prevented that and ensured that Luke won the race… This caused the Chief Magistrate to loose his temper at me as he had bet quite a lot against this outcome, which in turn enabled me to execute him without having to bother with Imperial bureaucracy."
"That means... Luke taking part in and winning the race... It was just a means to an end?"
"People do not simply hand out gifts or favors without expecting something in return", Vader answered. "Especially not if they're Sith."
"O-Of course not", Starkiller said and lowered his head. "Thank you for explaining it to me."
Vader noted the contentment the boy felt through their bond. A bond that had frayed with time and negligence until, as he now had to realize, was almost as thin as the faint one he'd managed to build with Luke. By the Force... he really wasn't good with children, was he?
"You have proven that your connection to the dark side is as strong as ever. From now on you will join Luke and me for the morning hours and continue your training in the Sith arts with me."
Starkiller's head snapped up, his mouth open.
"You... You will take me back, Master?"
"I will give you a chance to prove you are deserving of my attention", he corrected him not too gently. "I suggest you value it."
"I will, Master! I... Thank you."
Vader nodded. "Come with me then. It is time for us to return... to the ship."
Vader scowled, for a moment he'd been about to say 'return home'. He'd never considered the cold space of the Star Destroyer his 'home'. And yet... that's where he worked and spent the most time at. It was where Luke was, where he taught him and tried his best to raise him – even if he was unsure if he wasn't doing a pretty bad job at it. And now he'd have to invest even more time in a second child.
But after six months of failed attempts at getting Luke in touch with the dark side, he was growing somewhat desperate. Maybe Starkiller, being closer to his age and accepting the dark side so naturally, would have more luck teaching him that particular lesson. At least he could motivate the boy to try harder when he mastered all of Vader's challenges in record time and got to move on with his studies while Luke was stuck with the basics. If that didn't make an impact on Luke, Vader wasn't sure what else would. Short of loss and pain and torture of course. But he would save that for when Luke asked for a pet gizka.
XxX
AN: I so rarely get to update (or to write for that matter) it's sad but I'm just so busy right now. In less then one week I'll start my journey to Australia, which is pretty much on the other side of the globe for poor little European me and I'm gonna stay there for a whole six months for my studies! Can you believe that? I'm so excited for it but geez where did my free time go?
Anyway, I always wanted to write a sub-plot from multiple perspectives, revealing more and more about what was going on with each one and I finally did it with this chap. I think it illuminates the characters pretty well. Luke, despite everything still knowing nothing about the world, Starkiller killing people and thinking he's just being used and fretting over Luke being the favorite and Vader, well... also killing people and being all dark and evil and stuff but still somehow saving a planet, celebrating his son's birthday and raising new darkness and loyalty in his underlings... I'm not even sure if this is in-character or not (seeing as he did change since he learned about Luke) but he's certainly efficient.
Now to other matters...Jileine mentioned Vader could just look at security footage from Luke in his med bay to see what he looked like. Point taken though I don't think those tapes would have a quality high enough to get as much details as he'd like to and if he really set his mind on it and went through all of them or installed better ones, we're back to admitting weakness and attachment. He might not care too much about the latter but he has to suspect his ship is crawling with spies from Palpatine who would pick up on something like that.
Caripr brought up an interesting point in that Vader does love Padme deep within but hides it to avoid dealing with his own softer side and that he'd revert back to Anakin if confronted with enough Padme. As I'm not about to bring Padme back, that question won't be posed but it stands to reason whether or not Luke (and Leia) can put enough Padme together to make a difference. Maybe they could, if they fought tooth and nail but they won't because Leia hates Vader's guts and wouldn't even try and Luke is content with his father the way he is now so... No need to change anything, from Vader's point of view at least. No need to confront that idealistic compassionate part of himself, and isn't that convenient for him.