SEVENTEEN

What is going on? Wondered Luke as he stumbled back to his quarters and sat down hard on his bed. It had been another long day, and he was left more confused than ever.

The problem with the hyperdrive turned out to be some sort of freak occurrence. Somehow the entire drive had become crippled. Every wire was disconnected, every fuse blown. Repairs required a fully-equipped port and days to complete. The higher-ups suspected sabotage, but they could find nothing in the security recordings to point out a culprit.

Vader was suitably furious...at least in the presence of his officers. He raged, snarled, and threatened until the entire repair crew was buzzing around like stinger-flies. But there was no help for it. Even with sublights at full power, it would take three days to reach the nearest Imperial world; a volatile, relatively young planet called Sheol. Time for repairs could not yet be estimated.

When Emperor Palpatine was contacted about the delay, he seethed. Vader promised to make his way to Coruscant as soon as possible. Luke heard the Emperor's voice through his door and it made him shudder. His need to avoid the evil man was magnified...as was the confusion directed at his father.

Despite his promise to his master, Vader's routine with Luke changed little. Every morning and evening, he came in to ask questions and see that Luke ate. After making a tour to be sure his underlings were tripping over each other in their haste to obey, he took Luke to the training room and continued with various tests. By the second day Luke had graduated from training remotes to a series of blaster cannons firing at random. Somehow he avoided serious injury and Vader was favorably impressed. He informed his son they would train together the next day.

That training session had been the most intense, both physically and mentally, but by then Luke had learned to switch off his ears when Vader spoke of the Dark Side. He resisted every attempt at invoking fear, anger, or aggression. His faith in his friends kept him from lashing out when Vader threatened them, and his trust in the Force kept him from losing any more limbs.

When Luke finally spoke of the conflict within Vader, of knowing that Anakin was still around, the Dark Lord responded with rage. He pushed Luke back into a corner, knocked away his lightsaber, and prepared to strike. At the last minute he let the saber fall, roaring in frustration. A long silence passed before he spoke again. He told Luke to get cleaned up before they headed back to his quarters.

Luke's thoughts whirled about as he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He had been on the Executor for a full ten days now. Since his capture Vader had refused to directly hurt him. Every time he shuffled away from the training sessions with fresh bruises and burns, his father insisted on treating the injuries himself...and then felt aggravated for doing so. Every day the conflict within grew. Now Luke could identify a clear presence set apart from Vader.

This presence was quiet, concerned, and filled with remorse. It was he who treated Luke's injuries, he who had spoken of Luke's mother, and he who kept Vader from so much as giving a hard shove to his son. It was he that could drive back the darkness and bring just a touch of the Light. Luke knew it was Anakin. In the last day his fear had been driven away by hope and determination. As long as Anakin was still there, perhaps there was a chance at saving him.

Luke had tried that very afternoon. Every taunt by Vader was countered by an attempt at finding Anakin, calling him back, asking why else there would be such concern for his well-being. Failure was frustrating.

The young Jedi fought discouragement as he reached out in the Force. He could almost imagine that there was a reason for all this. Rather than choose to fall into the Dark Side as his father had, maybe he was there to help his father turn back. Maybe Anakin could help Luke escape...or come with his son. Maybe this was Luke's chance to finally know his father.

It'll never work, his common sense told him. You'd never be able to convince anyone that he was safe. The Alliance would rather kill Vader than welcome him as a long-lost prodigal son.He wouldn't have to come with me, Luke thought. He could just leave, and...and then what?

Luke tapped his foot in frustration. All this was nothing more than a pipe dream if he couldn't get through to Anakin in time. Who knew how much longer the Emperor was willing to wait before he just came to them? Would Anakin vanish when confronted by the shriveled Sith?

Dinner that evening was spent alone. Luke had grown used to his father's presence in the last several days and found himself peering out the door before it closed in his face. Mentally reaching for Vader revealed an even more furious conflict. It was almost as if there was a loud argument going on in his father's mind, each side trying to shout the other down.

It would have been tempting for Luke to turn the tables and try and plant suggestions in his father's mind. But he didn't want to stoop that low. Better to just wait, and then speak to him later.

Luke's dinner was cold by the time he got to it.

The next morning Vader seemed to be dragging himself around. They had arrived at Sheol, he said, and repairs could finally begin.

Sheol seemed a fitting analogy to the conflict between Anakin and Darth Vader. It had few indigenous life forms other than some large invertebrates and bacteria. Volcanic activity had more or less ceased in places, allowing the larger life forms to thrive. However there were still plenty of plate tectonics at work. Groundquakes were an almost daily occurrence. It seemed unlikely anyone would want to have a base built there. But for some reason, Palpatine had insisted.

Some suspected the base was a form of punishment. Officers and troopers there saw others perhaps once every six months, when the supply shuttles arrived. Assignment to Sheol was tantamount to an exile even worse than Tatooine. Problem officers were often sent there in lieu of prison to shape up. Imperial geologists were Sheol's only fans.

Building anything on such a volatile world was next to impossible. But thanks to a flexible, shock-absorbing foundation, all but the most severe quakes were hardly given a second thought. A number of technical officers were sent up via shuttle to aid with work on the Executor.

Shore leave for a number of officers was customary during stoppages, but no one took it this time...no one except Vader and Luke.

Vader was tired and frustrated. His trick of sabotaging the hyperdrive to give them a few extra days hadn't worked; if anything, Luke's resolve not to join the Dark Side was stronger. Even worse, Luke's very presence had strengthened Anakin until the voice of his former self was a constant, nagging drone. Vader worried about his ability to continue fighting the Jedi off. If Luke will not join me now, I will have to kill him, thought Vader. Else he will destroy me. And you will notinterfere, he added to a loudly-protesting Anakin.

Luke didn't suspect much when his father took him down to the planet's surface after breakfast. He was all too eager to get off the ship and have a moment away from prying eyes. Perhaps now would be his chance to escape...but what about my father? Is this my last chance to bring him back?

Upon landing Vader directed his son to a steep rock face with the pretense of talking Luke into a prosthetic hand...which he had still steadfastly refused. Surgery to attach the newly manufactured limb had already been delayed a full two days. "Surely you cannot climb such a thing with only one," Vader had challenged. Perhaps tapping into the boy's pride would give him a window to the Dark.

Luke responded as expected and gamely tackled the hill. Climbing with one hand was difficult. He made it about halfway up the twenty-foot slope before losing his grip and skidding backwards. He was surprised when Vader slowed his descent with the Force.

"You see? So injured you cannot even perform a simple task," taunted Vader, thumbs in his belts.

"Let me try again," frowned Luke. "I can make it."

"Were you to use the power at your disposal...to tap into the vastness of the Dark Side...you could, even with one hand. But you cannot. You are weak." He waved the notion away and strode away along the metal catwalk. It led into a kilometer-deep canyon. Struts, guy wires, and shock absorbers had thus far kept it standing despite the unstable ground.

Luke scowled, but took in a deep, calming breath. Easy...he wants you to get angry. He wants you to turn. Fight it! When his emotions had settled, he broke into a jog to catch up with Vader. "If I'm so weak, then why do you keep me around? You know I'm never going to join you. I'm not useful anymore. Why don't you just kill me?"

Vader stopped midstride and made an attempt to fight back Anakin's voice in his head. "Do not tempt me," he rumbled. "You have been uncooperative and disrespectful. I cannot tolerate weakness."

Luke skipped ahead and stopped in front of his father. "But you won't. You can't bring yourself to kill me. And I know why."

Vader clenched his hands into fists. "You know nothing," he snarled, as much at Anakin as at Luke.

They had stopped along a bridge, supported above by a network of long metal struts in triangles like an old-fashioned arch. Unconsciously Luke edged toward the wall. It would not do to take a fall here.

"Your compassion makes you weak...weak, as all Jedi were." Vader stared at Luke, letting his anger mount. "You wish to know how and why I became confined to this suit? It was your precious master, that old fool Obi-Wan!"

Luke winced. He'd suspected there had been some sort of confrontation between them years ago, but..."What...what happened?" he faltered, unsure of whether he wanted to know.

"When I realized the power that the Dark Side offered- power I needed to save your mother -Obi-Wan attacked me. We fought on a volcanic planet much like this, only younger and far more dangerous. As I leapt over his head to avoid the lava, Obi-Wan removed all but one of my limbs. He took my lightsaber and left me on the rim of the volcano. Rather than give me a short and merciful death, he left me to burn alive!"

Luke felt the blood drain from his face. Ben? He couldn't...he wouldn't...His head whirled about, making him dizzy and sick to his stomach. No. Ben only fought in self-defense. Luke took a deep breath to steady himself, staring at Vader's armor.

"The burns and volcanic gases would have killed a normal man. But I used the Dark Side...called upon it to sustain my life. My hatred kept me alive." Vader shook his head, hands balling into fists. "I would have given up if I'd known then your mother was already dead. And Palpatine...it was he who encased me in this shell...kept me alive to do his bidding."

Luke shuddered even as understanding began to dawn on him. Vader had thought the quick flow of power would be enough to keep his loved ones safe. That's why he can't bring himself to hurt me anymore. He's afraid of losing me, too. "If turning to the Dark Side brought only suffering, then why do you want me to do it? I feel your conflict...I feel that Anakin is still there. Why do think you've destroyed him?"

Vader trembled with barely contained rage even as he felt Anakin gain strength. "Do not… mention...that name!"

Luke sensed the struggle and felt hope rise. He offered his hand, trying to keep it from shaking. "Anakin? That's who you really are. You've only forgotten. Come back with me."

"ENOUGH!" roared Vader. He shoved Luke backward and ignited his saber. "This ends now. Either you join me, or die."

Luke stumbled but managed to absorb the blow with a roll. He rose cautiously, half wishing he had a way to defend himself. "I don't want to fight you, Father," he said quietly, edging away. His wrist throbbed and his survival instinct was begging him to run. No. I will not run. "And you're not going to kill me." He hoped his voice projected more confidence than he felt.

"Indeed not?" Vader advanced on Luke. The catwalk began to shake and rattle. With a single leap, he raised his lightsaber over his head and prepared to strike Luke down.

Something strong and unseen seized Vader's arms. A half-heard shout from the past echoed in his mind. A thousand memories from his past flew by at an unending pace, each one full of hope, joy, and pain. At last the image of Padme came and lingered. She was smiling at him as they held hands over her swollen belly, speaking eagerly of the life within. It was a child whose death he had mourned with Padme's...the same child that now stood before him as a man, fearless and resolute.

No...NO, YOU WILL NOT KILL MY SON! Anakin made Darth Vader step back. He made the Dark Lord lower his trembling arms, and with it, the lightsaber. He made a shaking hand deactivate the lightsaber and let it slide from his fingers. The hilt fell to the catwalk with a noisy clank.

Vader found himself paralyzed. Though he raged, he couldn't move. His knees buckled, sending him to the catwalk, which continued to rattle. All he could manage was a loud slam on the grate with his gloved fist.

Luke's mouth fell open in astonishment. For one terrible second, he thought he was going to die. But he had been right. Vader- no, Anakin -couldn't kill his son. Faint hope began to rise, though the catwalk was still shaking. Was that some sort of storm of the Force as the battle of Vader's mind raged on?

A faint alarm rang in the background as the rumbling continued. The volume increased, and a voice of warning echoed across the canyon.

This wasn't the Force, then. It was a groundquake.

Luke dropped into a crouch and gripped the railing, eyes still on the broken man in front of him. "Father…?"

The helmeted head snapped up. "Run."

Luke shook his head. "No." The sense of danger rose with every second, but he refused to flee.

"Luke! RUN!"

The quake grew incredibly strong and violent. Stones and pebbles rolled off the side of the canyon. The catwalk began to creak and groan as it swung back and forth. Both Luke and Vader were thrown off their feet on opposite sides of the bridge.

The sickening shriek of twisting, wrenching metal filled the air. Several rivets popped. Welds failed. All at once a two-meter section of bridge completely gave way in front of Vader.

Luke hardly had time to grip the edge before he and the bridge were falling into the canyon. A pair of cables arrested the fall, but only just. Man and bridge swung free nearly two meters below.

"NO!" Vader had already risen and began a stumbling walk over to the edge. He reached for Luke, then froze when a large boulder came down on him from above. He was too slow to avoid it. It rolled across his outstretched arm, crushing it at the union between flesh and machine. He yelled in agony as he felt his left humerus snap. The prosthetic arm, meanwhile, was rendered useless.

"Father!" cried Luke even as the shaking began to subside. His heart sank as Vader rolled over to his back, chest heaving. He can't save me now. I have to save myself. Luke swung a leg to try and get some sort of footing on the grate. A small stone struck him at the temple and made stars dance before his eyes. Luke's head ached and spun and a black haze passed before his eyes. His fingers went slack, and he could feel himself falling. Now he knew he was going to die.Leia...I'm sorry. I love you-

A sudden, unseen hold suddenly gripped Luke's arms and lifted him up. The boy, startled out of near unconsciousness, opened his eyes to see Vader leaning over the edge, useless left arm hooked painfully around the railing at the elbow, right arm reaching for him.

"Son...come." The voice belonged to Darth Vader but held none of its chill. "Take my hand."

Luke didn't argue and gripped the gloved wrist. His feet did what they could as his father pulled him up to safety with a loud grunt. He was left breathless and trembling once on firm footing. Wide blue eyes turned to his father.

The darkness was gone. Vader was no more.

Gratitude spread across Luke's face. Again he took his father's hand. "Father...you did it."

Anakin's chest was heaving from pain and exhaustion. "I could not…let my son fall." He gave Luke's hand a brief squeeze before releasing it and focusing on catching his breath. "Now….go...leave me."

Luke, still fighting off dizziness from his knock on the head and the intensity of the experience, crawled closer. "What? No. You're injured. I'm not leaving you here." He winced upon finding blood flowing his father's arm. It was crushed. Bone had punctured both skin and the thick sleeve.

Anakin lifted his head to meet his son's eyes. The relief at finally being free from his dark shackles was tempered with concern and urgency. "You must go, Luke. The Emperor is coming for you. I will not let him have my son."

Luke paled. Time's up, then. Still, he looked about for something to stop the bleeding. Finding nothing else, he used the cape, ripping off a wide strip and wrapping it around the top of his father's arm. "Then you're coming with me."

Bless him for his hope. Anakin winced and shook his head. "I'll only slow you down. Go! Now!"

Again Luke shook his head. "I'm not leaving without you, Father." He tore off another wide strip to use as a sling, tying knots with his teeth. Then he tugged at Anakin's good arm. "Can you walk?"

I'm not going to change his mind now…and I shouldn't let him go alone. His head may be worse that it appears. Anakin nodded, sighed at his son's persistence, and made himself get up. Painfully he hurried along as quickly as he could. "Take the shuttle. It's fully-equipped and we should be able to fly it between the two of us."

"I want you to see a medic first."

"As should you, but there's no time. The Emperor will be here within the hour."

"You're bleeding..."

"There's a med-kit aboard ship. Full repairs would take too long." Anakin turned to face his son, wishing the boy could see his desperation. "Luke, I'll not risk you falling into the Emperor's hands, especially injured as you are. Don't worry yourself for me," he added. "I've had worse."

Luke glanced at the makeshift bandage. It was already bleeding through. "Let's just get back first."

The image of 'Darth Vader' badly injured and being helped along by the newcomer Skywalker was enough to send Sheol Base into a flurry. The base medic was sent for despite Anakin's protests and performed very rudimentary first aid, warning that he needed more thorough medical care. Luke was all but ignored and had only a bacta patch slapped on the cut on his head.

"We shall return to the Executor," said Anakin with Darth Vader's voice. He waved away the medic's request to come along and monitor his condition and brought Luke with him. Luke, recently issued a blaster, stunned the crew of two before hopping into the pilot's seat and powering up the shuttle.

"Looks easy enough," he said half under his breath as Anakin came up from behind. The shuttle whirred to life at his touch, and without much trouble he was able to begin the liftoff sequence. Once they were out of the atmosphere, a light began blinking. Luke grimaced. "Uh-oh. I think we're being hailed."

"Disable the long-range transmitter," cringed Anakin. "We don't want Palpatine tracking us."

Luke nodded and flipped a switch. "Done."

Anakin looked over the panel. "Now, let me take over. You should not fly with a head injury."

Luke, though his head was throbbing, shook it. "No. I'm...fine. You're worse than I am, so you should be the one resting. Now where are we going?"

"The Alliance. I want to see if I can defect. They may not believe me, but...I'll not spend another minute with the Empire," said Anakin firmly. He settled into the copilot's seat.

Luke frowned. "They might not give you a chance. If they know you're aboard, they may just fire first and ask questions later. And even if they don't just shoot us outright, they'll never let you roam around on one of their ships. You'll be sent straight to the brig."

"Whatever they do to me does not matter. You must return to them. They need you."

Luke chewed his lip. I may be taking him to his death. The idea of losing his father so soon after finding him was difficult to think about. Finally he nodded with stinging eyes. "All right. With our long range transmitter gone, they won't have much warning. We might be in for a bumpy ride."

Anakin nodded once, squeezed Luke's shoulder in encouragement, and looked over the panel. "Can you program the jump?"

Luke nodded, still fighting dizziness as he tapped the coordinates into the navicomputer. When they beeped in acknowledgment, his hand went to the hyperdrive levers. For a moment his eyes crossed, then went hazy. Luke blinked hard and shook his head. He was startled when a gloved hand settled on his, and turned to see Vader- no, Anakin -helping him with the throttle. He tried smiling, failed, and pulled the levers back.

Stars stretched into starlines, and the shuttle leapt to hyperspace. Anakin Skywalker and his son Luke were on their way to the Alliance.

Half a minute later, darkness once more passed before Luke's eyes, and he slumped forward as sleep took him.