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Chapter six: The Casino

Summary: A Sith Lord discovers something interesting in a casino.

Darth Vader scanned the establishment with distaste. It was a scum hole disguised as an exclusive place where elite, rich individuals, most of whom had gained their wealth from gambling and black market goods, spent their time.

But it was not gamblers or pirates that brought the Sith Lord here tonight. No, he was here because there was a report near his location on a possible Force-sensitive that required further investigation.

Darth Vader did not typically attend to such matters himself. Generally this was a menial task that could be seen to by his inquisitors or similar agents trained in the Force. However, he had of late displeased the Emperor, and his master had carelessly assigned him this mission, such as it was, as a way of demeaning him. The old man was deliberately provoking him, Vader knew.

Irritated, but unable to refuse, he had begrudgingly set out in person for the appropriate sector and found the casino where the individual in question was documented to work. The agent that made the report was not Force-sensitive himself, and was unable to confirm. There was only an incident they had witnessed, involving a few tokens and other small objects that had mysteriously moved as though of their own will.

He could only hope it was true. If it was a Force-sensitive, he could vent his anger a little by disposing of them, or if they were strong enough, dragging them off to the inquisitors.

As he entered, many patrons stared, though not all noticed him at first. Several of those who did simply up and left hurriedly when they caught sight of him.

Vader paid them little mind and instead surveyed the inside, his senses aroused by something.

A well-dressed man came up to him rubbing his hands apprehensively. "Lord Vader! I… Welcome! I am the owner of this fine establishment. Is there something I can do for you?"

"You can remain unobtrusive to my purpose." Vader replied curtly.

The man's voice became more strained, but still spoke pleasantly enough. "Of course, of course. Do make yourself comfortable. Don't hesitate to inform me of anything you require."

Vader would have snapped at him, but as it was he was distracted and barely listening. He was stretching out his senses to lock into that shimmering Force presence.

There.

A human male, sitting on a sabacc table, one leg, knee bent was propped up on it completely, the other hanging down but not quite reaching the floor. He leaned back on his hands in casual, almost child-like manner.

A patron, a suave human man, seated at another table, occupied by three other people in the midst of a sabbac game, called to the younger man in an unfamiliar tongue, and he went. The patron handed the man a credit chip and the man crouched beside the patron's chair, gazing up at him.

He was a rather small man, made more apparent by his crouching.

Vader probed further and was startled by the intensity of the man's strength in the Force.

He felt around, probing and reveling in it. He not felt such power since…

Vader had to consider his options carefully. There were three of them.

First, he simply kill this man to ensure he never became a threat to the Empire… or his own position in it.

Second, he capture him and present him to the Emperor, and let him decide whether he was to become an Inquisitor, or if he was to be terminated.

And third… here was the most enticing option, Vader take him as his own apprentice.

It would be dangerous. He remembered well the failure that was Galen Marek. That left killing him or making him an Inquisitor, though both seemed like a waste of his potential, and there was the danger that his master would feel the same… It would not be unlike him to simply replace his apprentice with a younger, whole model. He'd done it twice before after all.

Perhaps the man sensed Vader gaze on him, for he glanced curiously at him. As he faced the Sith Lord, Vader could see that the man was actually a boy. Not even in his twenties if he were to guess. The boy then turned his attention back to the patron he was currently attending.

The patron reached out almost absent-mindedly and stroked the boy's hair. At one point he broke his concentration on the game and conversation to lean down and whisper something to the boy. The boy appeared to listen, then threw back his head and laughed. The light reflected off his pearly white teeth.

It was a sweet, ringing laugh, not that loud, but just the same, it made many patrons look up and eyed the young man greedily.

And he was a sight. He was a pretty boy he supposed. Vader could see how he would be appealing. He possessed delicately crafted, aristocratic features, light colored hair, blond?, that fell in gentle waves around his temples and neck.

He was dressed in an outfit that consisted of black pants that hugged his slim legs, tucked into tall black dress boots that made his legs seem longer, a white dress shirt that was part-way unbuttoned to expose his collar bone and part of his torso, with the sleeves rolled up above his elbows. The final touches were a small black vest, a royal blue tie that hung undone around his shoulders, and studded earrings that were just visible where his ears peeked out from his lengths of soft hair.

The boy made his way around the casino, seeming to glide rather than walk. Dropping winning smiles and winks and playing coy with all the patrons that looked his way. Which was quite a lot. He occasionally fetched drinks or spice for some, but mostly he acted as a companion to those who paid for it.

Coming to a decision, he approached the boy, intercepting his rounds.

He looked up, pale-colored eyes wide, startled by the Dark Lord's attention. Vader was as equally startled as the boy when those eyes met his behind the mask.

Now that he was actually this close to him, he could see he was even younger and smaller than he had first assessed him to be. Perhaps seventeen standard years at most, barely coming up to Vader's chest. No matter. The younger he was, the easier he would be to mold.

He reached out with his left hand to seize the child by his left upper arm and effortlessly tugged him forward so his back was to Vader. He wrapped his free hand around the boy's other bicep and with that he strode towards the exit, the boy stumbling over his own feet and struggling fruitlessly against his hold.

An individual he soon recognised as the owner of the casino hurried towards them, protesting loudly. He'd seemed intimidated before, but seemingly, potentially losing the young man that no doubt brought him a great deal of business bolstered his courage.

"Lord Vader! What may I ask what you are you doing?"

"It is none of your concern." he rumbled.

The man's face reddened with anger. "It most certainly is! I own that boy!"

Vader stilled.

Oblivious, the owner pointed at the boy. "He's worth a fortune to me. If you're going to steal him, I demand some form of compensation."

The temperature plunged, and the boy shivered against him.

So. Not a job then. But forced servitude.

He wasn't certain why he was as angered as he was, slavery did not enrage as it had. But he supposed that, this being a rare opportunity to take old hurts out on an insignificant slave owner, he might as well outlet his anger.

"Oh? You demand, do you?"

He wrapped the Force around the man's neck and squeezed. The man's eyes bugged out and he made choking, gurgling sounds.

"And just what right do you believe you have to demand anything of me?"

He expected to hear choked begging come from the man as it inevitably did from all his soon to be victims.

Instead he was surprised to hear the boy's voice cry out with pleading.

"Please! Please let him go! I'll go quietly, just don't kill him."

Vader glanced at him, his surprise making him loosen his hold on the man, who gasped and coughed immediately, slumping forward.

Vader addressed him.

"Consider your compensation that I allow you to keep your pathetic life. If you value it, you will speak of this to no one."

With that, he made for the exit, the boy in tow.

He shoved the child into the corner of the ship. "Sit there and do not cause trouble, or I will bind you."

The boy sullenly slumped against the wall, looking very small and pathetic. He drew his knees up to his chest and gazed blankly at the opposite wall.

"What do you want with me?"

Vader normally paid no mind to a prisoner's questions, but something in the boy's small voice made him considered answering. But now was not the time to explain.

"You will know soon enough." He said instead, and left it at that.

But soon questions of his own were stirring in his mind. He asked them before he could stop himself.

"Why would you care to save your master's life?"

He wasn't certain why he had heeded the boy's pleading on behalf of the man who owned him. Perhaps it had been his surprise made him do so.

The boy glanced up, seemingly surprised at being addressed by the Sith Lord.

"Jacco was my owner, but… I don't want him dead. Not that I liked him, but I don't think he deserves to die."

He looked away and added quietly, "I've never thought anyone deserved to die."

That was interesting. Not that Vader believed it. In slavery you met the worst kinds of people. You wished death on them and more.

"He didn't mistreat me. ...most of the time. Not if I behaved."

Vader snorted, though his vocalodor translated it as mostly static. "That was because he would lose money if he damaged you, I have no doubt."

The boy shrugged, conceding the point.

"Fair enough. Still… It… it wasn't a bad life. At least I plenty of had food, shelter and relative safety. That's more than a lot of people can say."

Was he trying to be grateful? When he was a slave? He pointed a finger at the boy's face.

"Do you truly have no greater ambitions than being kept as a trophy or decoration in a casino? To bring pleasure to corrupt aristocrates until your youth has passed and your beauty leaves you, and you are cast aside to die or live out your days in the streets or doing hard labor?"

If so, Vader could not say if this would make things easier or harder.

The boy looked up at him, and Vader was again disconcerted by how he could meet his eyes as though the mask were not there.

"Of course I have greater ambitions." he replied, indignance clear in his demeanor and tone. The boy had some pride it seemed.

"I've always had dreams, and I've tried making a break for it before, but nothing works. Every time I try, they lock me up for days at a time. I don't like the work I do, but anything is better than losing my mind in a tiny cell." His head drooped and he shook it from side to side, his fluffy hair swaying. "Any freedom is better than none at all."

"...Fair enough."

Silence ensued

"Have you a transmitter?" He asked after a time. He could easily disable it using the Force if necessary. He ought to have thought to do that before.

"I don't have a detonator. They didn't want to risk damaging me, but I have a tracker in me somewhere. That's how they always found me when I ran away."

That would be seen to.

They docked with Vader's flagship and Vader rose from his seat.

He strode over to the boy, who looked up apprehensively.

He unclipped the binders from his belt, seized the boy's arm roughly and clipped the binders on his wrist. He pulled his arm over his head and slipped the binders through the opening of one of the safety handholds on the wall. He secured the boy's other wrist and stepped back and examined the unhappy-looking child.

"I will return for you shortly. You will remain, and keep quiet or you will be severely punished."

He supposed he should ask his name. It would be changed soon, but just for the sake of being informed. He may be the child of a Jedi like his last apprentice.

For now, he needed a way to smuggle him off the shuttle to somewhere private so no one would know of his presence. He would report the sighting to have been false, or the source disposed of. From there... well, they would see.