Truth 54 - The Bait
Two updates in one week! Quarantined (but not sick) (but almost out of chocolate) so I have lots of spare time. Next chapter might take me longer. This chapter has some silly father-son banter, a bit of ick, then serious wooing as Vader dangles the bait and Luke… well, you know how he is. Thanks again to Fialleril for her Amatakka language. And thanks in advance to anyone who would like to comment or has suggestions... or if you catch any continuity errors. :)
OooOoo
"Remember what I said— no spice ever again."
"Fine."
"Not only will I be aware of your usage, but your consumption of drugs may affect me due to your enhanced skills."
"Oh. Well…but you might enjoy it. Loosen you up a little."
"I do not require loosening up."
"I guess not. Okay, I promise no spice."
"Promise accepted. Also, you are not going back to the Alliance in your current state of dishevelment."
"It's my Jedi-sorta outfit! What's wrong with it?"
"It is a formal uniform and while I appreciate that you showed me the respect of wearing it, your overall appearance is bedraggled and slovenly. Your skin, your hair— You looked better on Tatooine wearing those ridiculous clothes."
"You hated those clothes! I gave them away. To someone who appreciated them."
"Indeed. However, while your carriage has improved, your general presentation is lacking. People have expectations of Force users and hold us to higher standards."
"I don't care about anyone's expectations!"
"As my son, you are representing me. Have you ever seen me looking less than meticulously turned out?"
"Yeah… when I blew my nose on your cloak."
"Other than that. Before you return to the enemy, I expect you to go to Coronet City for a…. an overhaul."
"No one will believe that Darth Vader is giving me fashion advice."
"You will have no occasion to tell anyone."
"Anyway, I don't have enough credits for anything fancy—"
"I transferred a substantial amount of credits to your account. You will need to purchase clothes, long coats that you must wear to disguise your lightsaber when you choose to wear it, and Jedi-style casual wear."
"I'm not a Jedi!"
"Nevertheless, I would prefer you are clothed appropriately while with the Alliance. And please, attend a… health facility for… rejuvenation."
"A spa? Are you kidd— wait! What account? I have an account? Where is it?"
"At the IBC. Here is an access datachip. Your identity there is Vekka501dsobednt_atRA."
"I'm sure I'll remember that."
"Create your own password."
"Done. MeanDadDV."
"I will be monitoring your visit to Coronet City— no diverting elsewhere or lingering. No socializing of any kind. You will be allowed one full day. I will also, of course, be monitoring your expenditures."
"Of course. Which reminds me… why are you paying the Alliance to babysit me?"
"They would not keep the son of Darth Vader otherwise. If you had been more circumspect, it would not have been necessary."
"They guessed!"
"And you confirmed it. Stop talking and focus on centering the crystal properly."
"Fine."
"If it is not aligned, it will shatter."
"Did you bring another one, just in case?"
"Focus!"
"Fine! I just need to attach—"
"Good. Now be careful."
"I am! Oh... there! Now—"
"What?"
"Oh... it's… pretty, I guess. But why is it purple? It looks like a giant root vegetable."
"The spice is still in your system."
"Oh, please… it's been ages. And that wouldn't make my lightsaber… would it? Well. Maybe I can take it apart later and remake it and it will turn out a different color."
"We will discuss this absurdity at another time. For now— outside. We will spar."
"We? Hold on. Uh… things didn't go so well for me the last time we dueled. I don't want that to happen again. I only have three other real limbs."
"That's three more than I have. If you expect a safer outcome, don't whine and make me angry."
"I'm not whining and I didn't make you angry the last time— you just were!"
"Stop baiting me, young one. I must evaluate your abilities or lack thereof."
OooOoo
Vader disengaged his red blade. "Your skills are severely lacking. I am most disappointed that Yoda did not at least instruct you in the basic katas."
"That's a troll for you," Luke quipped, trying to avert further criticisms with humor, while refusing to admit that he had no idea what katas were. He clipped his perfect new lightsaber to his belt and his father followed suit.
"When you return to the Alliance, you will begin intensive training in swordsmanship and—"
"I don't think they have instruc—"
"—hand-to-hand-combat."
"I don't think they have instructors—"
"They will. You must have the most superior agility, skills and education you can acquire in every area before we confront Palpatine. You must devote all your time to those goals."
"Oh. Sounds like fun." Subdued, he walked up the ramp and heard Vader following him. In the galley he prepared instant caf, wishing there was the need to make two cups.
They sat at the table. "What troubles you, em vikka?"
The words were gentle and affectionate. "I have friends in the Alliance, and I like that. I haven't had a friend since Fixer. But Command… they don't trust me. And not just because I'm your son."
"Have you given them reason to trust you?"
"I guess not. I want to, but I don't know how." He considered. "I try, but I don't get it right. What's most important to me is getting my way. When I'm talking to them, that's all I think about— winning, no matter what it takes. You know what I mean?"
"Indeed I do." Vader sounded amused and possibly… proud?
Encouraged, Luke continued: "And it's always personal with us, do you realize that? We do what we want whether it's good for anyone else."
There came a pause that filled him with trepidation. "So… Captain Jovay spoke to you."
Oh, no! "You— He— I—" He snapped his mouth closed.
"Are you attempting to ask if I knew his personal feelings? Of course, I sensed them years ago. I did not believe, however, that he would be so indiscreet as to speak to you of his beliefs. I had thought him a better officer than to behave in such a way."
It was Luke's turn to hesitate, turning words over in his mind, trying to get them right. "He didn't think before he spoke... sound familiar? He was angry about the Death Star. You told him your plans, right? So he was angry on your behalf— angry that I had failed you and that he had failed to stop me. But he couldn't have without hurting me." Krit, did that make sense and was it enough to get Jovay off the hook? "Don't punish him. Don't… waste an asset."
"Ah." The helmet tilted to the side. "You have learned something from me after all."
"Despite what you think!" He smiled briefly becoming serious again and twisting the subject in a safer direction. "The Alliance wants to use me to manipulate you, Yoda wanted to use me to… maybe manipulate you too, and Palpatine will want to, of course, for some reason that has to do with you. And you want to manipulate the Alliance and Palpatine. I feel like you're the only one in my life who doesn't use me for your own purposes."
"What an extraordinarily ridiculous statement. Just when I think you are becoming more insightful, you speak thusly." Vader shook his head. "You believe that I haven't and won't continue to use you? You know I have and of course I will in the future. It is unavoidable. Just as you use me, my son, for your own ends, to extend your influence." Then he added dryly: "Never waste an asset."
Luke clasped his hands around the caf mug expecting warmth, but it was already cooling. Wisely for a change, he remained silent. There was too much to contemplate in his father's words to speak rashly now. He nodded, acknowledging that he had much to consider and that he should keep his damn mouth shut.
He just had to remember to set aside time to think and not be distracted by his actual life.
"There's another thing," he said after a few minutes. "Something happened in the cave. I don't know if it was real or symbolic."
"And that was?"
"I crushed a rock."
"Why would that seem unreal to you? The Force is used for strength and destruction."
"No, I mean…." Luke clenched his fist. "The rock didn't break, it disintegrated. Disappeared. There was nothing left of it."
"Show me."
They headed outside again. At the edge of the clearing, Vader levitated a large stone and crushed it in his fist. "Like so?"
"No." Luke took another rock. He held it in his open palm, then closed his fingers gently around it. Eyes shut, he focused on it, traveling along the chains that linked the particles together. Then he simply… eradicated their existence.
Turning his hand over, he let his father see… nothing trickled from his palm, not even dust.
Vader was quiet for several heartbeats. "Interesting," he said finally. "Can you do that with a living creature?"
"I wanted to try with a snake, but Yoda was appalled." He looked around. "Maybe with a dead snake?"
His father gestured toward the jungle. "If you wish to search for a dead snake, go ahead. However," he pointed to a nearby tree and a large snake uncoiled, dropping to the ground, "I suggest using this one."
Well, okay, it was just a snake. "I don't think I have to touch it," he observed. "After the rock, I blew up Yoda by holding out my hand."
His father made an odd noise but said, "Continue."
Luke closed his eyes, focusing on the snake's mind. It held only one objective: food. No fear, no worries, no premonition of death. An innocent, vacant mind. The path through its structure was relatively simple, yet more complex than the rock since it was living and its interior kept changing minutely. But it was easy enough to experiment, altering the particles to slow them, then make them race faster and faster, overlapping themselves, splitting them apart until—
"Eww!" That explosion was messier than the rock. There were tiny pieces of skin and barely visible specks of yellow venom and blood in the mud. "That happened sooner than I wanted. I guess… maybe I need to practice more?"
"Yes. Interesting," his father repeated. "Practice with small animals before you try it with humans and larger creatures."
"Humans?" Luke asked, horrified, before realizing, of course humans. What good was a weapon if it wasn't used?
"We can overwhelm Sidious with this." It sounded like glee in Vader's voice. Was that possible? "You would have to be close to him, of course. However, after you succeed with humans, begin practicing from varying distances to evaluate the results and adjust your skills accordingly."
What alarmed him more— his father's words or his own lack of dismay at them? "I can't practice on people!" Can I?
"Corpses first," Vader said shortly. "Or body parts. I'm certain the Alliance has some available. If not…."
"Don't threaten," Luke interrupted uneasily. "And what am I supposed to do, ask Command nicely, please may I have a few bodies?"
"Yes. In war, there are always bodies to be disposed of, one way or another."
Oh, this was so much more than he'd ever considered. But it was fascinating in a sick way. "What do you do with them aboard ship?" Since I know you strangle crew members for the slightest infractions. "Do you space them?"
Vader silently acknowledged his thought, then: "No, certainly not. They would float forever unless struck by an asteroid, weapons-fire or other event. We incinerate them."
"Oh, gods!" Luke laid his forehead on the table. "Why are we talking about this? What's wrong with us?"
"Melodrama," his father reminded. "It is not wrong, it is practicality. Many things you feel are unpleasant must be faced. Such as… the consequences of your actions."
Ouch. Right, no more spice. And at least with the Death Star, the crew had been blown to bits in the explosion before they had time to think… hadn't they? And Force knew, that's what happened to pilots when their ships exploded in space. But what about on the ground? Did anyone go back after the bodies left behind? For that matter, what about the wounded, what happened to them?
"Can I keep my friends from dying? They're pilots."
Vader made a slight gesture with one hand. "You can extend an area of protection around them if they are close. I suggest you practice that before you need to use it."
"No kidding." If he flew with them, could he do it? He really wanted Red Squad to be safe.
"You worry too much about what you cannot control," the Dark Lord interrupted his musings with a stifled sigh. "I must return to the Devastator tomorrow. I do not wish to give the Emperor too much time to wonder about my absence."
"So soon?" His head was full of thoughts, things his father had said, things he had said. He'd need time to consider everything, but he didn't want to waste time with thinking now. Because thinking led to doubts. And doubts led to things like… willing are you to risk your soul for your father.
Why was that a bad thing? He should have controlled his anger and disappointment and asked Yoda more of the really important questions like… does the moment ever come when you give up on someone you love?
But Yoda knew nothing of love, Jedi spurned it, so Yoda couldn't have answered him. His father could… maybe. But what would he say? When she betrayed me….
No. No more thinking. Keep it light, keep it happy, because it will end too soon.
"Yes. Also, there are preparations underway for Empire Day that I wish to supervise. There will be an impressive show of military force broadcast on the holo."
"I'll be sure to watch." Empire Day is my birthday, but he hid the thought because his dad needed no extra reminders about the worst day of his life. "So… lots of military in the sky above the palace? Did you consider…?"
"Too many civilian casualties."
It disturbed him that he doubted his father was concerned about casualties if it meant taking down Palpatine. He should have more faith in, according to Yoda, his irredeemable father. "Since we don't have much more time together, would you tell me more about your life?"
"Luke." The voice was heavy and weary. "I told you everything."
"No. You only told me the terrible things." He said his hand atop his father's glove. "Tell me the good parts. Tell me about when you were happy. I want to know those stories, too."
"No," Vader said flatly.
That was a definite don't-ask-again 'no'. Luke sighed. "There's something wrong with us."
"An opinion shared by many."
"No, I mean, there's something not right." He wasn't sure how to express his misgivings, especially because his father was so touchy. "I feel like… we're missing something. Do you know what I mean? Can you feel it too?"
"No, Luke, my decades of experience using the Force have not enabled me to sense at the superior level you have accomplished with your few weeks of training."
"You know," he retorted, "you can be really annoying sometimes! There's no need for sarcasm, I'm being serious."
"I know." Vader leaned his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers together. "Your heightened awareness has enabled you to feel the lack of a deep bond between us."
"What do you mean? We're… what? How can that be?"
"There is a familial bond we can establish. However," Vader said slowly, "it is a Sith practice, the Jedi disapprove of such attachment."
Unconsciously Luke imitated his father's position for a few seconds, then rested his chin on his hands. "So the Sith have families? Children?"
"If they wish." His father shrugged. "It is not common practice, but it occurs. Sith embrace their passions while Jedi recoil from them."
He stared at the table's surface, his mind racing in multiple directions. "What sort of passions?"
"Every sort, especially passion for living one's fullest potential." Black gloved fingers folded. "Luke… whatever life you choose to lead will be your decision."
"But not until we kill Sidious."
The helmet inclined in an affirmative.
The steel of the table was smooth and unmarred. He pressed his fingers on it, seeing his prints vanish immediately like they had never been there. So impermanent. Did anything last? "So what is a 'familial bond'? What would it mean?"
"It is a deeper connection than we have now, with the ability to share thoughts and memories as we wish. Communication would be easier, but more importantly it is a permanent connection, an awareness that the other is always present, severed only at death. And even then..." Vader paused. "...it is unclear that the attachment ends or if one death encompasses the other partner."
"Oh," he said in a small voice. "Have you ever… did you ever know anyone who…?"
"No. There are stories, legends. But I do not know what is true and what is not. There is an old tale told about two siblings who formed such a bond. They perished together, but it was in battle so…."
"If they both die, why would anyone want to make a bond?" His pulse was beating too fast; he could feel it thudding against the base of his throat.
"Apparently it is emotionally rewarding and… stabilizing for those who have… difficulties coping with their relationship to the Force." Vader leaned back in the chair. "I have never done such a thing or personally known anyone who has. I do not have answers to these questions."
"So… are you… I mean, do you think… should we try it?" He felt unsure and apprehensive and could barely take a breath, but for sure he could use some stabilizing. "I mean… what we do, talking in our heads, is okay, but that only works when I meditate and you're not busy."
His father folded his arms. "I believe such a bond would allow a permanent connection, and our contacts could also be initiated by you, which you currently cannot achieve."
"So you want to try it," Luke said flatly.
The older man was silent for a full minute and when he spoke there was tiredness in his voice and even a hint of disappointment. "I would not be...averse… if you wish to, but it must be your decision, not mine. I have been aware of this possibility and have had time to contemplate it, but this is new for you. It is a Dark power. You must not make an impulsive decision."
"Why?" He grinned. "Impulsive decisions have worked out pretty well for me so far." More or less. But he sobered. "What would happen if we… have other people in our lives. Like family… a wife or kids or whatever?"
"Our bond would not interfere insofar as I understand from the legends. It is a separate thing, in our case a father-son connection that cannot not be shared or replicated with anyone else."
That pushed a fierce sense of possessiveness to the front of his mind. His father, just his, no one else could lay claim on him, even if his father had other children. Which he didn't and wouldn't. Vader belonged to Luke as much as Luke belonged to Vader. If they bonded this way, it would be the two of them together always. No one else would ever be needed or wanted or welcomed.
"Additionally, if the stories are true, such a bond would greatly increase, and possibly double, our Force abilities."
"Which would be useful when we confront Sidious." Luke cast a shrewd look at his father, feeling a little queasy. "Is that why you suggested this? Never waste an asset?"
The helmet tilted toward him. "I told you I would use you. Now I am offering you the same chance to use me and my powers."
Luke sighed, chagrined. "That argument won't seduce me to the Dark Side."
"No, it will not. I know exactly what will seduce you, em vikka." One finger pointed to his chest. "The possibility of forever filling that hollow place in your heart. The place where I should have always been. Now, today, here, we finally have the chance to complete ourselves."
He blinked a few times, nearly blinded by exploding emotions. "You know me so well." A small laugh was ripped from his throat. "For all the warnings that you would kill me or Turn me, the one thing they didn't warn me about was the thing that happened."
Vader's voice was hushed. "They did not anticipate that you might love me."
He'd never thought he'd hear his father say that word. "Yes. And trust you." Gathering his inner strength, he added, "Let's do it then."
Vader studied him a few more moments and Luke held the gaze, staring directly into the black lenses. "I am proud of you, Son. You are courageous." The Dark Lord turned and took both his hands, the black gauntlets swallowing them. "Very well. If it would make you more comfortable, I suggest that you go first. I will lower my shields."
"I wouldn't know what to do." Luke shook his head. "You… do me. What do I have to do?"
"Close your eyes, child. Look into your center and relax your shielding. I will not harm you, but you may be startled at first. Do not fight me at any point or it may be painful."
"After weeks of Yoda hitting me with his stick, this should be easy." But he trembled a little as he shut his eyes and bared himself to his father's mind.
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