TWENTY-THREE

Over the next three days, father and son recovered under very different conditions. While Luke was surrounded by love and care, Anakin was isolated from everyone, save Sal the medic who came in every morning to change his bandages, empty the waste receptacle built into his suit, and administer antibiotics. Painkillers weren't cleared until the second day, but they didn't seem to be helping much. According to his vitals, the imposing monolith of a man was still experiencing a fairly high level of pain. Sal put through a petition on increasing the dosage and had yet to hear back.

On the morning of the fourth day, Anakin woke to find his restraints gone and a small monitor left in his cell. At the moment it was dominated by a revolving Alliance symbol. What's this for? He wondered.

As if on cue the door slid open. Sal entered, his usual cautious self, with the same two guards.

"So are you still Anakin today, or Vader?" asked Sal as he set down a tray of bandages on the small table.

"Anakin," he replied quietly. "I've told you before, Darth Vader will no longer show himself. He's gone. Forever."

"You can't blame us for being skeptical," shrugged Sal. He nodded to Vader's left side. "Are you going to let me change your bandages?"

Wordlessly Anakin nodded and shifted around to sit on his cot. He was well used to the routine by now and didn't have anything negative to say about his medic. Sal was young and perpetually nervous, but he knew what he was doing and had far more bedside manner than one would expect. Anakin sensed that Sal's nerves were nearly as high as on the first day, but that wasn't a surprise. Patients were easier to manage when asleep or restrained.

Anakin bit down on his wince as the bandages and splint were carefully removed. His arm was still very sore. Any contact made it throb with every beat of his heart.

"Okay...looks pretty good," remarked Sal, carefully looking over the stump. "The infection's just about gone...bones are knitting nicely...how's your pain level today?"

"Tolerable," grunted Anakin. He turned to look at his arm and was startled to see how pale it was. New scars had practically disappeared into the mass of scar tissue that covered him from crown to knees. His skin had a grayish cast to it, with a ropy, uneven texture. He grimaced and turned away. On the off chance he could ever get out of his suit, no one would ever want to see him. I look like a monster.

"All right. Will you hold still for your meds?"

Anakin nodded, though he hated having injections. He bit down on a wince as first antibiotics, then pain medication was administered.

Sal shook his head as he put on fresh dressings and replaced the splint. "You should have had immersive bacta treatments. As that's in rather short supply, you're stuck with just bandages. It's going to be a couple of weeks before that arm is back to normal."

Anakin tilted his head to one side. "Assuming I'm not restrained again. Correct?"

Sal cringed. The tension could still be seen on his face. Any minute he half expected Vader's black glove to close about his throat, or some unseen Force toss him across the room. He swallowed. "Well...it's not good for anyone to be lying still all day. I've already asked the higher-ups to let you get some exercise...if you behave."

The masked man nodded again. "Understood. I need to prove myself trustworthy first."

"Um...right." Sal blew out a sharp breath as the bandaging was done. Peeling off the sterile second skin that he'd used in lieu of gloves, he sprayed a new layer on his hands and waited for them to dry. "All right. If you'll let me change out the waste pouch, we'll be all finished here."

"If it's all the same to you," said Anakin, blushing behind his mask, "I'd rather do it myself."

"Go ahead." Sal handed Anakin a fresh pouch and let him walk toward the refresher, shuddering a little. He couldn't blame the man for wanting privacy. Having someone else take care of your waste had to be incredibly embarrassing.

Anakin did the job quickly and sat back down on the cot. He was stiff after lying down for three days and hoped the restraints wouldn't be replaced. "What is the purpose of that monitor display?" he asked as Sal packed up the medical kit.

"The Alliance has decided to question you today," explained Sal.

"As expected," nodded Anakin. "I have much to tell them."

"I don't doubt it," said Sal with a frown. He rose and backed toward the door, keeping his eyes on his patient. "I'll be back later to check on your nutrient pouch." And he left the cell, letting out a sigh of relief as the Force field and then the door shut on Darth Vader.

General Madine was waiting outside, arms knotted. "Any problems leaving off his restraints?"

Sal shook his head, confused. "No...he's been surprisingly cooperative. Almost makes me feel bad for him….almost."

The General cringed. "I know what you mean, Lieutenant, but we can't let our guard down. Don't forget who this is."

The Lieutenant made a face. "How can I? That breathing in my ears every time I go in..." He shuddered and stepped aside. "If that's all, General, I still have my rounds to do."

"Go ahead." Madine saluted the young medic and watched him go before settling down in front of an identical camera and monitor setup. Well, here goes nothing...He switched the assembly on. Within the cell sat Darth Vader, who seemed to be working some kind of kink out of his spine. The masked man paused and slowly turned to regard the monitor. Madine shivered as he heard the mechanical breathing. "Darth Vader. My name is General Madine. I'm a member of the leading council of the Alliance to restore the Republic."

And so it begins, thought Anakin. He nodded. "Pardon me, but my name is Anakin. I'd say it was a pleasure to meet you, but under the circumstances..."

Madine frowned. "I don't want to beat around any bushes, here. You've been telling the medic, Lieutenant Sal, that you have a lot to say to us. True?"

"Yes."

"Good, but we'll get to that later. First we have a few questions for you..."

"Leia. Come in," invited Luke, stepping aside with a smile. "It's good to see you."

Leia's return smile was guarded. "Same here. How are you feeling today?"

Luke seemed relieved. "Much better. Thank you. It's kind of unnerving being confined to quarters," he admitted, "but I can understand why."

Leia nodded. "I'm hoping that ends today."

Luke lifted his brows with interest. He sensed hesitation in her manner, as if she was heading into difficult territory. He could guess why. "Sit down," He invited, pulling out a chair for her. "This isn't a social call, is it?"

Sadly Leia shook her head. "No. Luke, I need to ask you some questions. Some of them might be difficult, but I want you to be completely honest with me."

Luke sighed. "I thought as much. Don't worry; I'll always be honest with you." He sat across from her.

Leia couldn't smile as she stared at her hands and nodded. "All right. I'll try and keep this short. You've already told me what happened on Bespin after your duel with Vader and how he captured you. I need you to tell me everything you can about what happened while you were his prisoner, starting when you were brought aboard his flagship and ending when you returned to the rendezvous point. Can you do that?"

Luke took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This wasn't going to be easy. It's only Leia...you can trust her. "I'll do my best. Well...once I realized who had me, I tried everything I could to get away. So the crew stunned me. When I woke up hours later, I was in a kind of medical prison cell aboard the Executor. At first I thought it was some kind of bad dream..." He shook his head at the memory.

Leia winced for him. "So they gave you medical treatment for your hand?"

The young man made a face. "In the loosest sense of the word. The medic assigned to prisoners, Lt. Hallen...well, let's just say he didn't like me. I tried to escape. Hallen caught me..." The fight with the blaster...the abuse...Luke closed his eyes. "He wasn't very happy about that..."

Anger rose in Leia's heart on Luke's behalf. He didn't need to be specific. She could read his face. "He hurt you."

Slowly Luke nodded. "His bedside manner was pretty much non-existent. I think he held a grudge about the Death Star. Even when Vader gave him orders to the contrary, he was as rough as possible with my treatment and didn't allow any painkillers...until Vader killed him." He shuddered.

Leia hadn't been expecting that. Then again, Vader seemed apt to kill anyone if he was in a bad enough mood. "Hmm. Were you interrogated at all?"

"No. Vader wasn't interested in what I knew, and even said questioning me would be pointless."

"Why?"

"Because of the Force."

Madine's brows knit in confusion at Vader's words and tone. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was sorry… "So, you capture Skywalker, but don't even question him...because of the Force? You must not be as powerful as people say you are, then. I thought you had this Force, too."

Anakin cringed. "Yes. But I knew that Luke was too strong to hold up against any questioning. The reason for his capture was never knowledge about the Rebellion, but to convince him to join the Empire...or more specifically, the Dark Side."

Madine nodded in response. "Aha. So you saw Skwalker's power, and wanted him on your side. What happened to him after you took him out of the Infirmary?"

Shame made Anakin hunch his shoulders. "I thought that, perhaps if he was well-treated, he would come to see the Empire as something other than evil. I gave him his own quarters, near my own, and provided food, clothing, and improved medical care."

Madine lifted a brow. It's a different tactic for the Empire...but you usually catch more flies with honey instead of vinegar. "Really. No torture? No interrogation at all?"

"None," confirmed Luke, shaking his head. "Even when I kept refusing to join him. I could tell it made him angry, but...after Bespin, he never hurt me."

"Too-One-be said otherwise," frowned Leia. She reached for him with knit brows. "He found several small wounds in random places...your condition suggested torture. Are you telling me that Vader didn't do that?"

"No...but part of his pitch to join the Dark Side was a kind of harsh training. He set training remotes against me in complete darkness...he was trying to make me angry, but...I knew I couldn't let him win." Luke shook his head.

"Luke, whether they were from training remotes or his lightsaber, that was still Vader that hurt you." She took in another deep breath and asked the question she was dreading. "Luke, is it true? Did you join the Empire?"

Hurt filled Luke's eyes. "Leia...you know I couldn't."

Leia groaned. "Of course I do, but you're not doing yourself any favors. First you take Vader back with you, begging that no one hurts him, and then you start defending him?" She took a deep breath. "There has to be a reason for all this. The last I saw you, you hated Vader. Now...Luke, what are you not telling me?"

I have to tell her the truth. She'll never trust me if I don't. Luke stared as the table for a moment, gathering his courage before sadly meeting Leia's eyes. "He's my father."

"So...you keep up a ruse to convince your officers...keep Skywalker away from anyone so they won't suspect...treat wounds that were caused by machines that you programmed...and then save his life, even after he refused you join you?" Madine listed each item on his fingers, confusion written across his face. "Why would Darth Vader do this for a man as infamous as Skywalker?"

Painfully Anakin closed his eyes. He didn't want to do this to Luke, but he was backed into a corner. No more lies...no more deception. Just the truth. "Because...I am not Darth Vader anymore. My name is Anakin Skywalker. Luke Skywalker is my son."