Revealed Identities
Chapter 8: Anakin Skywalker
Darth Vader looked at the medical pod in front of him. He frowned in anger and frustration. For the past two days he had taken the time to strengthen his healing skills, and they had gotten steadily worse instead of better. He had never had any problem with learning new things when he had been younger.
When he had used the light side of the Force.
Vader felt so frustrated that if he was not wearing a helmet then he would have banged his head against the wall. Seeing as how that was not an option, Vader decided to think over all the possible and plausible paths he could choose.
He could concentrate his Force use so that the light side healed him, but there were definite risks and complications. If he let go of his hate and anger, he could go into a healing trance much quicker. At one time he knew he could have cured himself of his injuries in a matter of days, but that was before the duel with Kenobi. He was not a fool. Vader knew that though the dark side was stronger, but his level in it, he could not heal himself. Healing was more to the light side, and would be easier.
However, if he strengthened himself in the dark side enough, he could heal himself, and initially come that much closer to mastering it.
On the other hand, if he healed quickly, it would be easier to control the Force. Vader sighed. For once in his life, Vader was at a loss as to what to do.
Luke gazed over the capital of Rempinto from the hotel room that he had rented out. It didn't look like a hovel for smugglers, but Luke supposed that was why people left the system alone. Coming in, no one had stopped him or asked him for an ID. As long as he had enough money to pay, they were happy. Luckily for him he had some credits in an IBA - Imperial Bank Account - left over from Tatooine's past three harvests. He had been surprised to find out how much money his uncle had really had. He wondered now why he had really not wanted Luke to go to the Imperial Academy. Had they known all along that Vader was his father?
Luke shook his head. He just couldn't stop thinking about Vader. He was starting to call him father in his mind now. Perhaps he really was.
"No use to dwell on that." Luke mumbled to himself. He lied down on his bed, hoping the Force would guide him to his next move.
Captain Muev waited patiently but nervously in front of the dark lord's chambers. He had no idea how he was going to get Vader's attention seeing as how no one had told him the proper code to
access Vader's room. Muev had heard stories that his commanding officer could sense when someone was nearby, but that was completely ridiculous.
"What do you need Captain Muev?" Vader's voice boomed over the intercom channel built into the key-pad. Muev straightened to attention, startled.
"The Emperor wishes that you make contact with him." Muev relayed the message.
"I will take this from my private link. Dismissed." Vader's deep voice commanded.
"Yes sir." Muev left in a rush.
Vader waited for the Emperor to appear in his line of vision. He knew that his master waited in the shadows, annoyed at his servant.
"Where is Skywalker?" The Emperor demanded.
"He escaped my master." Vader explained.
"Because you let him." The Emperor growled. Darth Vader did not flinch. His master continued. "I have sent someone after him. Do not attempt to rescue him Vader. He had his chance, and he will be killed because of your carelessness." The Emperor ended their transmission.
Vader felt even more lost now. He didn't want Luke to be killed. He wanted his son at his side, to rule. They would be the best thing that ever happened to the galaxy.
"Only when you let go of your anger can you save him." Vader whirled around to come face to face with the blue-glow image of his old master.
"Kenobi." Vader growled. "It figures that you would haunt me even after your death."
"I have never haunted you, and you know it. You're angry at yourself. All this time you have only thought that you were angry at me because you could never bring yourself to admit that you hate yourself for becoming a monster." Vader had felt his anger and hatred boil up when Kenobi had appeared, but as soon as Kenobi had called him a monster, it had vanished. His son hated him. His own son. Kenobi was wrong though. He hated Kenobi; he hated Kenobi because he was right. It hurt even worse than the pain when Kenobi had pushed him into the lava pit. Vader finally admitted to himself that he was a monster. It hurt like hell.
"Luke can help you." Kenobi offered. Vader laughed, a short, harsh sounding laugh.
"He hates me." Vader spat bitterly.
"Give him a reason to believe that you can be saved, and he will help you. I don't think that he even knows it, but he loves you despite who you are because he knows who you were. If you can't believe that he would accept you right now, then earn it. You say that you want him by your side to rule the galaxy. Do you think that he really wants that? Do you think he has dreamed like you to be the terror that everyone fears? No. If you want him to like you for who you are, become what he really needs, what he really wants, and always has: a father." Kenobi's spirit vanished back into the depths of the Force.
"You were always a good friend, weren't you...master." A bitter smile twisted Vader's lips for the last time as he let go of his hate and anger.
Anakin Skywalker sighed. He had a lot of work to do if he was going to get his son to ever accept him.
Luke sat up, his mind in a haze because of the dream he'd just had. Vader had turned to the light side of the Force just because he wanted to get closer to him. Luke shook his head. That was utterly absurd. And yet...
Luke thought back to when Vader had proclaimed to him that he was in fact his not-so-dead father. Vader had actually hugged him when he had said that. He reflected that something had definitely not been right with the picture at the time. Vader did not go around hugging pilots who destroyed Imperial property, not to mention very expensive and deadly Imperial property to boot.
Perhaps this was guidance from the Force. *It is! It is!*
Luke heard the voices scream at him again.
"Is he really on the light side?" Luke asked in disbelief.
*Yes! He wants to be the father you've always wanted.*
"What can I do to help him?" Luke asked eagerly. *You must stay alive.* Luke felt more than he heard the voices disappear. What had they meant by stay alive? Feeling a sudden pressure from the Force, he ducked. A knife whizzed above him right where his head had been. He spun around to see a strange looking alien staring at him, another knife clutched in its hand, ready to throw it at Luke.
Staying alive would be a really good thing right about now.
Next part...Friends and Allies