Chapter 2: Moving In
Vader had spent the entire night attempting to catch up on the work he'd missed while he'd been incapacitated. All that brooding seemed more than a little foolish, now. Luke had accepted their relationship with relative ease. He had even said they belonged together. Luke was surprisingly forgiving.
That, or he simply recognized that he was in desperate need of a place to stay, and his offer was the best he was ever likely to get. The latter option was preferable to Vader. Acknowledging the former meant considering that Luke may have some emotional attachments to the notion of a father. And expectations. He didn't want to think on that any further, lest he descend into brooding again.
The door-comm gave a low beep, heralding the arrival of a visitor. An assistant, making a morning report.
"Sir." He came to attention and presented a datapad. "This was received from the legal division. It requires your signature."
Vader read the title. Custody and Guardianship Application. It seemed the IFS bureaucracy could move surprisingly quickly once his lawyers were involved. As ridiculous as it was to have to sign a form to become the legal guardian of his own child, he was happy this would be dealt with quickly. If it had dragged on, his next pet project would have been a complete revamping of the IFS department. Perhaps it could have been turned into something of use, like a high-security detention facility.
"We also received a message from orbital defense platform 6-ZQ. An ISB agent believes they have uncovered a spy, and requests your presence if possible."
"Tell them I am on my way," Vader said, starting for the door. A morning flight around the celestial block was exactly what he felt like.
"One final message, sir," the lieutenant said, sounding slightly nervous at halting his abrupt departure.
Vader turned, hoping it would be something insignificant.
"A medic called to say a boy named Luke is now ready to leave the medcenter."
Vader let out a slow breath. It was his duty to retrieve his son. But it was also his duty to assist an ISB agent with interrogating a spy. The latter could take all day. Going to pick up Luke would take ten minutes, but he couldn't afford even the mere impression that his personal duties came before his commitment to the Empire. If the Emperor got whiff of any lapse in his performance, that would undoubtedly mean the end for Luke.
But what was the alternative? Leaving Luke to sit in the medcenter all day, awaiting his arrival? The doctor would wonder if he'd changed his mind and decided to abandon the boy after all.
His gaze fell on the assistant, who appeared as if he couldn't wait to be dismissed. These officers were assigned to him for military purposes while he was at the Imperial Palace, but he doubted they would complain if he asked for something a little outside their field of expertise. He didn't have much choice, in this case.
"What do you know about children?" he enquired.
"Well ... uh, only that I was once a child, sir."
"Good. I need you to take a speeder and go to the medcenter at the Senate. Ask to see Doctor Leeson—you will require his authorization to walk past the guards. Retrieve the boy and bring him here. Assign him a room near mine."
The lieutenant was obviously curious as to who this boy was, but he wisely avoided any questions. The last thing Vader wanted was every bureaucrat officer at the palace gossiping about the situation.
"I will depart immediately, sir."
Luke wasn't sorry to hear he was leaving the medcenter. There was nothing to do here but lie on his bed and think until his head hurt. He certainly had more than enough to think about.
After spending the morning collecting his belongings, he dressed in some of his old IFS clothes and waited for Vader to come and pick him up. He was too nervous to watch the HoloNet or read while he waited, so he simply sat on the bed and wondered what life at the Imperial Palace was going to be like.
It was all so surreal. What would Val, Crix and LJ think if they found out where he'd ended up? What would his aunt and uncle have thought? Would they be happy for him, or would they think he was better off on Tatooine?
Nearly an hour had gone by before the doors finally opened, and Luke sat up in anticipation.
He sighed when he saw it was only the doctor ... but someone was following him, dressed in the khaki green of an Imperial military uniform.
"Luke, are you ready to go?" the doctor asked. "Lieutenant Dorany here has come to pick you up."
Luke couldn't hide his disappointment. It seemed Vader was too busy, so he had sent someone else. He should have expected it ... someone like Vader was probably busy all the time.
"I thought he would be here," he mumbled.
"I'm sure he wanted to," the doctor said, picking up his sack of belongings and handing them to the lieutenant.
Luke wasn't so sure. Vader had seemed as uncomfortable around him as he was around Vader. But he simply nodded and climbed to his feet. "Thank you for everything," he said, looking up at the doctor.
He smiled back at him. "You're welcome. And stay healthy."
Luke walked on ahead of the lieutenant as they went down the corridor. When they were about to pass through the final doors leading out of the medcenter, Luke looked up at his companion for directions.
"Where did you park, sir?"
"This way," he said, gesturing to the right. "And you don't have to call me sir. Just call me Lev."
Luke knew instantly that he was going to like Lev. It was rare to find adults on Coruscant willing to let you call them by their first name.
"So, I bet you're happy to get out of that medcenter," Lev said, as they stepped out onto a landing pad. He opened the passenger door of the speeder. Luke was too busy inspecting it to get in, however. It was a shiny black model, with the Imperial logo stamped onto the sides.
"Yes," he said, quietly, "it was a little boring."
Luke ducked inside and threw his sack into the back seat. He was surprised at how cushy the seats were and began to jiggle up and down. Lev slid into the pilot's seat, and started the engine. As they rose up into the traffic lanes, Luke amused himself with staring out at the bottomless city. Soon, he glanced back at Lev, wondering how he would feel if he started asking questions. There was no harm in trying ...
"What's that?" Luke asked, pointing to a card attached to Lev's belt.
"That allows me to travel around in the secured Federal District areas which house the Imperial government," Lev explained. "Only authorized people are allowed to enter certain areas."
"Why?" Luke asked, staring out the window again.
"Because there are important people working there and they tend to attract a lot of enemies."
Luke turned back, suddenly interested. "What kind of enemies?"
Lev took his eyes off the traffic to glance at him momentarily. "You ask a lot of questions."
Luke looked down at his hands. "Sorry. People tell me that a lot."
"I don't mind. As long as you really want to know the answer."
Luke spotted an open-topped speeder traveling in the opposite direction, and pulled against his seat restraints to follow it as it flew off. Then he noticed the Imperial Palace up ahead and pulled harder.
"There's a lot to see, huh?" Lev asked.
Luke shuffled back into his seat, looking embarrassed. Lev probably thought he was some naive Outer Rim dweller, amazed at everything commonplace on Coruscant. "I've been here before," he said. "I've even been inside the palace." He turned to face Lev, deciding to ask some more questions.
"Are you in the army?"
"Navy."
"Have you been on a Star Destroyer?"
"I served on the Star Destroyer Nova when I was an ensign. Then I was reassigned to serve as an aide-de-camp in the military command office at the Imperial Palace."
"What's an aide-de-camp?"
"It's like an assistant to someone of high status or rank. I often assist Lord Vader when he's visiting the palace."
"So you have to take orders from him?" Luke asked. "Everyone seems to take orders from him." He didn't say it out loud, but secretly he was wondering whether he'd be expected to obey everything he said as well. It sounded like something he wouldn't be good at.
"I would hope so. He is the Emperor's second-in-command, after all."
"I know," Luke said. "He's so powerful and important. I still can't believe he's my father."
Lev slammed on the brakes and Luke was thrown hard against his seat restraints. The following speeder pilots began to sound their horns and yell insults, until they pulled out to fly around. Lev took a few slow breaths, before turning to face Luke.
"Did you just say ...?"
"Um ..." Luke said, confused. "Are you sure it's okay to stop here?" They were in the middle of a busy traffic flow.
Shaking his head, Lev released the brake and began to inch forward slowly. "Your father? Your father! Lord Vader is your father?"
Luke nodded. "He didn't tell you?"
"No. He must have forgotten to mention that little detail somewhere along the line."
"Maybe it's still a secret," Luke said. "See, we only found out a few days ago. He thought I was dead, and I thought he was dead. Strange, huh?"
Lev turned slowly and stared at Luke once again.
Luke felt self-conscious under the scrutiny. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes," Lev said, turning to concentrate on the traffic. "Sorry for staring. I'm just surprised. I never imagined Lord Vader would have a son."
"You should have seen me when I found out," Luke said, imitating his open-mouthed expression at the time. "I grew up on a moisture farm in the Outer Rim. Now I'm going to live in the Imperial Palace! I wish some of the kids back home could see me now ... they wouldn't believe it. I still don't believe it!"
"Stranger things have happened," Lev said, grinning. He gestured out the window. "Take a look."
Luke pressed his face against the window and saw they had pulled out of the airway and were heading down to the five towers of the palace, with the centre one taller than anything else in the area. Red Imperial banners decorated the front, and far below, Luke could see the royal guard standing at the entrance and what appeared to be a guided group of tourists taking photos.
"Do you think I'll be allowed outside?" Luke asked, looking back at Lev.
"I don't see why not. We can always send you out with some guards."
That wasn't exactly what Luke had in mind, but it was something, at least. Lev turned the speeder around to approach one of the landing pads at the rear of the palace. Luke thought he was going to park on it, but instead he flew into the building through a large gap at the far end of the pad. They entered a massive ship hangar, and Luke blinked in amazement. "Look at all the ships!" he said, struggling to unbuckle his seat restraints. "I've never seen so many in one place!"
"Yes, he's got quite a collection here," Lev said, reversing into a parked row of identical speeders. "I've heard he has more on Mustafar."
Luke finally managed to open the door and jumped out just as Lev was turning off the speeder's engine. "Stars, there's a TIE fighter!" he said, rushing to get a closer look. On the way, he spied a droid-powered ship and changed direction.
Lev finally caught up with him when he stopped to admire a prototype snub fighter.
"Does he own all of these ships?" Luke asked, amazed that anyone could afford to buy all of these. He'd saved for years and still not gathered enough for just one T-16.
"He collects antique ships," Lev explained. "And prototypes. He spends a great deal of time modifying them himself. I suppose you could say he's got quite a passion for machines which fly. As do you, clearly."
"I love ships," Luke said, walking with Lev towards the elevators. "I was saving for a T-16 back on Tatooine. Say, if he likes ships ... is he ... is he a pilot? A star pilot?"
"Yes, and a very accomplished one, at that. His skill is legendary among the ranks."
Luke felt a funny twinge inside at Lev's words. He'd always dreamed his father was a pilot. He knew he was no mere navigator, despite his uncle's insistence.
"I'm supposed to set you up in a room," Lev said, entering the elevator.
"I want to sleep down here," Luke said, immediately. He already knew where he'd be spending most of his time.
"Sorry," Lev replied, "there are no guest rooms adjacent to the ship hangar."
"What about those rooms," Luke said, pointing across just as the doors slid closed, blocking his view.
"They are workshops and tech rooms."
"I could set up a folding bed in one of those," Luke said. "Honestly, I don't need anything fancy."
Lev was grinning about something.
"I'm serious! Please, can I stay down there?! Pleeeease?"
"I'm just imagining what Lord Vader would say if I informed him that I'd set you up to sleep in one of the utility rooms in the ship hangar. You can take it up with him, if you like, but he left orders to put you in a room near his personal chambers, so that's where we're going."
"Sounds boring," Luke mumbled. The elevator doors slid open, and Luke was a little taken aback at the décor. The color scheme was in black and dark gray, offset only by lighting built into the walls and ceiling. There was no artwork on the walls, and the doors were all placed at even intervals along both sides of the corridor.
"Well, which one?" Lev said, gesturing at the doors. "Most of these are guest rooms. You pick. This side is on the outside wall and has windows."
"So do people normally stay here? Apart from my father."
"No. I believe you are unique in that regard."
Luke opened the first one and immediately reversed out. "Too big," he said. "I'd get lost in there."
"I think they're all the same size," Lev said.
Luke tried a few others, and found Lev was right. They were all dull, decorated in a black and grey colour scheme, and the bed covered in a red Imperial flag bedspread. Then Luke found one different from the others, with several workbenches and stacked crates. There were signs someone had lived here a long time ago, but it didn't appear to have been touched recently.
"Which one is his?" Luke asked, curious. Surely not this one.
Lev pointed to a door further up, on the other side of the corridor. It was the last door on that side.. Luke followed Lev as he walked forward, somewhat hesitantly. It felt dark here. The lights were on but it still felt dark."How about this one," Lev said, opening the door opposite. Luke poked his head around.
"A holovid!"
Lev smiled. "I guess it's settled then."
Luke entered the room and dropped his backpack on the floor. He could have fit three of his bedrooms back at the farm here. He sat down on the Imperial flag bedspread and bounced up and down to test it out.
Lev picked up the sack and began to sort through the items. "One model speeder," he said, taking it out and setting it on the bedside table.
"My T-16!" Luke said, standing up to rearrange it.
"One medcenter issued toothbrush, thrown in loose with everything else," Lev said, handing it to Luke with a disgusted expression.
"Where's the refresher?" Luke asked.
Lev pointed to a door next to the closet, and Luke went to investigate. He'd never had his own private refresher before. He turned on the shower, and jumped back with a yell when he got drenched.
"I guess the shower has real water," he said, grinning as Lev appeared in the doorway. He reached for a towel, and found they too were red with the Imperial flag lining the trim. They felt soft and slightly warm.
Lev shook his head in bemusement and gestured for Luke to join him back out in the main room. "If you need any laundry done, just throw the clothes into this wall compartment. The laundry droids will have it back to you within a few hours."
He crouched down beside a smaller screen next to the holovid.
"See this," he said, pointing. "whenever you want food, press the green button. That connects you straight to the kitchen. Tell the droid what you want, and they will bring it up to you. The red button calls security—press it, and a security squad will be here in minutes. Use the blue button for internal communications—I'll leave you with my comlink frequency in case you have any problems."
Luke hadn't heard anything beyond the function of the green button. "You mean I can order any food I want and they'll bring it straight away?! You've gotta be kidding me!"
"Within reason," Lev said, standing up and straightening his tunic. "But if you're thinking about eating candy until you burst, forget it. I don't think your father would be impressed."
"He wouldn't have to know," Luke said, grinning. He glanced out the window at the busy Coruscant sky. "Where is he, anyway?"
"He has gone to visit an orbital defense platform. I'm not sure when he's expected back. Probably later this evening."
"Oh," Luke said, disappointed. He wanted to tell him how awesome he thought his collection of ships was.
Lev seemed to pick up on his sadness. "Perhaps you'd like a tour of the rest of the palace?"
Luke felt nervous. "What if we bump into the Emperor?"
Lev laughed. "The royal guard wouldn't let me or you within fifty meters of any place the Emperor is likely to be."
Luke nodded, but they never made it out the door. Lev's comlink began to beep, and he frowned as he read the message.
"Looks like I'm needed at IMH. We'll have to put that tour on hold. Perhaps your father would like to take you when he gets back."
"It's all right," Luke said, sitting back on the bed. "I'll just stay in here, order some food and watch something on the HoloNet."
Lev nodded. "Call me if you need anything. I'll let security know you'll need to be added to the internal list so you can operate the elevator."
After he left, Luke played with the remote, flicking through the endless channels in curiosity. They'd only received one HoloNet channel on Tatooine, and most of the content was about Hutts. Even when there had been something good on, like Galactic Bandits, you could almost count on the reception cutting out halfway through, due to a sandstorm. It would take him a while to get used to all this.
Vader caught himself wondering about Luke as he brought the shuttle in to land. It wasn't a surprise—he'd been distracted at regular intervals today with thoughts of his newly found son, but that made it no less of an annoyance. The sooner he could get used to this whole idea and fall back into his regular, orderly routine, the better.
As he walked down the line of ships, towards the elevator bay, he paused to admire a heavily modified TIE fighter, a prototype recently delivered by Sienar. He planned to test out its hyperdrive capabilities when he returned to Mustafar. He was about to walk on, when he noticed a mark on the front of the cockpit glass. Closer inspection revealed it to be a Luke-sized handprint.
His first reaction was annoyance at the thought of the boy poking around his ships. But that soon gave way to an unexpected pleasure at the idea of his son sharing his passion for flying machines. There was no reason to marvel at the fact that Luke shared something of his own personality—it was natural for a child to be like their parents, after all. But regardless, it felt good.
Eventually, he walked on, and gave the handprint no more thought. It had been a long day ... he was looking forward to shutting himself in his meditation chamber and clearing his thoughts.
When he arrived on his personal floor, Vader sensed Luke's presence inside one of the rooms. He paused outside, considering going in to say hello. He hadn't spoken to the boy since their conversation in the hospital.
But the thought of doing so made him feel uneasy. He had to teach the boy to be independent. They should start the way he intended to continue, and under no circumstances must Luke expect unnecessary attention from him. Such things would distract him from his duties and obligations to his master and the Empire. If that happened, the Emperor would regret his decision to allow the boy to live.
In the long run, this was best for Luke.
He entered his own room and closed himself in his meditation chamber. After using the Force to turn off the lights, he relaxed and began to concentrate. He aligned himself to the Dark Side, and felt his sense of the surrounding Force become heightened.
Suddenly, something bright caused him to mentally recoil. He opened his eyes, slipping out of the meditation that had barely begun. Curious, he re-entered the heightened state slowly. There was something new there, something he hadn't truly noticed until now. It was Luke ... his proximity caused a bright ripple, searing the perfection of the Dark Side.
Vader waved a hand, turning the lights back on. So much for his meditation. He let out a slow, weary breath and stood up. It was if the Force was reminding him that his life had been changed forever by Luke's arrival. He'd been deluding himself to the contrary all day.
He needed to take a walk, get his mind off the fact that there was a glowing locus for the weak side of the Force in a nearby room. He left the meditation room and walked down the corridor until he emerged out onto the balcony. The sparkling night-time view of Imperial City filled his artificial vision. He leaned against the railing, drinking in the ripples of fear throughout the city. Fear ... and order. If only all the galaxy could be like Imperial City.
The gentle thud of footsteps behind him caused him to turn in surprise. A bare-foot, pajama-clad Luke stood in the door frame. He met his gaze momentarily, and then slouched as he stared at the ground.
"Um ... sorry. I just heard you arrive, and I thought I'd say hello. I'll leave now."
The boy still appeared to be frightened of him.
"You may stay if you wish to," Vader said, neutrally. He turned back to his contemplation of the city.
Luke nervously came and stood beside him, although a good few spans away.
It was a still night, and there was no wind. The only sound came from the low buzz of traffic, and the ever-present respirator.
"Uh ... nice view," Luke said.
Vader didn't reply. He was concentrating on an attempt to realign himself with the Dark Side, but his efforts were unsuccessful. Luke burned too brightly. He could feel all of Luke's emotions: nervousness, fear, self-consciousness ... and curiosity. He had a question, that much was clear. But he didn't feel comfortable enough to ask.
Good, Vader thought. That was how it should be. The last thing he wanted was to encourage the boy to ask questions.
An annoying voice in his head argued with him, though. Is that how you want your son to feel? Too frightened of you to even speak?
"You have a question," Vader stated, trying to suppress a sigh.
Luke glanced at him quickly. "No, I was ... how did you know? It's not important."
"If you wish to ask, then ask," Vader said, becoming impatient. What did the boy imagine he was going to do? Choke him?
"Well ... you said you'd tell me about your powers. And the Force. What is that?"
"The Force is all around you."
"Like the air?"
"No, not like the air. The air is physical. It is made of tiny particles. The Force is an intangible energy field."
Vader glanced at Luke, and could tell he didn't understand. Perhaps he should try a different approach.
"It's not something which can be seen, only felt," Vader continued, "And it can only be felt by certain individuals."
"Like you?" Luke asked.
"Yes."
"What does it feel like?"
Vader was silent, thinking. "Have you ever felt the presence of someone, even though you could not see or hear them?"
"Yes, all the time."
"It is somewhat like that. Except, the Force is not a single person. It is everywhere. You feel it deep inside you. You feel it in all living things. When mastered, it endows one with unthinkable power."
It wasn't as thorough an explanation as he would have liked, but it would have to do for now. Luke appeared satisfied. He was quiet, clearly taking it all in. Then he asked, "And you can use it to move things without touching them?"
"Yes. That is called telekinesis. The Force grants its master power over all laws of nature. Reflexes are heightened to the point where one can see things before they happen. Superior strength, speed and agility become normal, and the ability to read and manipulate other's thoughts is commonplace."
Luke stared at him with a mixture of awe and horror. "You can read my thoughts?"
"Only if I wished," Vader explained. He glanced at his son. "I will respect your right to personal privacy. But your feelings are naturally present to me. It requires no conscious effort on my part to read them—especially when they are strong."
"What am I feeling now?" Luke asked, curiously.
Vader analyzed the glowing presence.
"You are tired," he concluded. "You should be asleep."
"I'm not tired," Luke said, stifling a yawn.
Vader wondered as to the motivation for this obvious lie. "Is your room adequate? Is there anything you require?"
"My room is perfect," Luke said, "I can't believe I have my own refresher. Back on Tatooine, we were always arguing over it. I'd be in the shower for just two minutes, and then Uncle Owen would start banging on the door saying I'd been in there for an hour and ... and ..." Luke broke off, suddenly looking sad.
Vader decided an immediate subject change was in order.
"There are a few rules you should observe, for your own safety."
Luke glanced up. "Am I allowed in your ship hangar?"
"You are free to roam as you wish. While you are here, this is your home. However, if a door is locked or guarded, do not attempt to enter. Such rooms contain dangerous equipment. My private room is also off limits. I do not wish to be disturbed while I am meditating."
"Okay," Luke said.
Vader was silent. It had been a long time since he'd issued an instruction and received 'okay' as a response. Still, it was the boy's first night here. Such minor problems could be corrected later.
"If you should go outside, be sure to stay within close proximity of the palace," Vader said. "You have enough experience of Coruscant already to know there are dangerous places outside of Imperial City. The lower levels are no place for a boy."
"So I can go outside?!" Luke said, excited.
Vader glanced at him. "Where did you want to go?"
"Just a park I saw on the flight over."
Vader was unsettled to realize he knew the exact park Luke would be referring too. It was a regular haunt of a young Anakin when he needed some time outside of the temple.
"Um ... I like all your ships," Luke said.
"I noticed."
"Would it be okay if I took one for a flight?" Luke asked.
Vader turned and stared at Luke, wondering if he'd heard him correctly. The boy stared right back, with a wide-eyed hopeful expression.
"You are only twelve years old."
"But I've studied the controls of hundreds of ships," Luke said. "I could pilot a landspeeder on Tatooine."
"Perhaps child pilots is the norm on a backward world like Tatooine, but not so here. You will wait until you are legally allowed."
"How old is that?"
"Fifteen."
"But that's so far away!"
Vader glanced at Luke, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing. Was his son whining? Whining at him? A moment ago he'd been nervous about merely asking a question.
"Then you will be patient," Vader said, in a tone which left no room for arguments.
"I'm not good at that," Luke mumbled, a little subdued.
Vader could well sympathize. He felt a little hypocritical, being so inflexible. Anakin had flouted the Jedi rules and let his twelve year old self loose on the Coruscant skies on more than one occasion. But Luke was different ... the boy seemed so young. He was staring up at the stars with wide-eyed fascination.
"Which one is Tatooine?"
Vader looked up.
"You cannot see Tatooine's suns from here."
"Hey, look at that bright one!" Luke said, pointing. "That one right above those towers. It's twinkling. Why do stars twinkle like that?"
Vader tensed. Funny, out of the thousands of stars, Luke had asked about that one. The sun around which Naboo orbited. The number of times he had stared at that star during his youth ...
... wasting his time. Those memories were a waste of time. Luke was oblivious to his darkening mood, however.
"Have you been to all these stars?"
"I do not bother to keep track."
"I would, if I had a hangar full of ships and could fly anytime I wanted," Luke said. He was quiet for a moment, staring down at his feet. "You know," he mumbled, quietly, "I always dreamed my father was a pilot. We'd fly around the galaxy together ... visiting every single planet. Even the uninhabitable ones ... just to say we'd been everywhere."
Vader became angrier at the words. His worst fears about Luke's attitude towards him were confirmed. The boy had impossible expectations ... his idle dream seemed like a perfect metaphor for the unachievable.
"If this living arrangement is to succeed, I suggest you dispense with all your sentimental dreams immediately. I do not want you forming any emotional attachments to me. They are unhealthy, and will only cause resentment when you find I cannot fulfill them. I will be away for long periods of time, and so you must learn to be independent."
Luke appeared completely taken aback at his words.
"I ... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ..."
He looked away for a moment, and then slipped back inside, leaving Vader staring at a blank wall. The boy could certainly move fast when he wanted to.
Vader turned back and glanced up at the stars one more time.
"There's so many! Do they all have a system of planets?"
"Most of them."
"Has anyone been to them all?"
"Not likely."
"I wanna be the first one to see 'im all!"
Vader quickly suppressed the dangerous memory and went back inside.