Chapter 4: Misunderstanding

"Luke?!"

Luke stood up and looked down through the front cockpit window of the prototype TIE fighter where he'd taken refuge. Lev was standing on the hangar bay floor.

"What?" Luke called back.

"Can you come down?!"

"Why?"

"Come down, and I'll tell you!"

"Tell me, then I'll decide if I'm coming down," Luke called.

"It's a surprise!"

"Come on! I'm not falling for that!"

Lev only folded his arms in response.

Luke groaned. It had taken him long enough to figure out how to get up here, as the TIE Fighter was mounted off the floor on a mechanical arm. He climbed up the ladder and then shuffled inward and shimmied down the base of the arm, taking a fair amount of grease and engine oil with him.

"So," Luke said, ducking under the ship and coming to a halt in front of Lev. "What's the surprise?"

Lev was looking around like he'd just noticed something was missing.

"What happened to that droid your father assigned to watch you?"

Luke gestured to a nearby workroom. Lev leaned sideways to see through the open door and frowned when he saw the deactivated droid.

"Your father won't be happy about that."

"I don't care," Luke mumbled, looking down.

"Some administrative staff from your new school are coming here to meet you."

Luke hastily tried to go back under the ship, but Lev held him by the arm.

"It won't take long. You'll be back in the cockpit before you know it."

Luke didn't care if it took five seconds—he didn't want to talk to anyone from this stupid school. But if he flat out refused, Lev would probably tell his father.

"Where's my father?" Luke asked. "Is he going to be there?"

"No. He's interro ... he's over at IMH."

"Doing what?" Luke said, following Lev as he walked towards the elevators.

"Doing what he does."

"What's that?"

"I arranged for them to be escorted to that conference room," Lev said, pointing up to the high windows in the hangar. "You can go and wait there, or maybe you'd like to get changed first."

"I'm not dressing up, if that's what you're suggesting," Luke said, folding his arms.

"Okay," Lev said, motioning for Luke to enter the elevator first, "I suppose they'll find the pit droid look kinda cute."

Luke hastily started raking his fingers through his hair, hoping to hide the oil. "I am not cute!"

Lev was laughing now, and Luke's mood sunk lower. He remained in silence throughout the short elevator journey, and looked away whenever Lev glanced in his direction.

"So," Lev said, when the elevator doors opened. "You don't want to go to this school?"

Luke stared in surprise, forgetting his anger.

"How did you know?"

"I think every guard assigned to this hangar knows."

"My father doesn't," Luke grumbled, as he followed Lev into the conference room. "And he said he can read minds."

"Well, he's been busy."

"Is he ever not busy?" Luke asked, slumping into a seat.

"Use my comlink if you need me," Lev said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Luke panicked. "Don't leave me alone with these people! They'll probably be all superior and intimidating."

Lev appeared in doubt for a moment, and then his comlink began to beep. "Looks like they've arrived," he said, reading the text. "Very well, I'll stay. Are you ready?"

"No," Luke mumbled. He rested his head on his hand, and wondered why life had never been this complicated on Tatooine.

Vader was starting to feel bored. He'd been at this for an hour now, and all he'd received from the ex-spy this morning was unintelligible noises. Perhaps he'd overdosed him, or used the wrong combination of drugs. He'd done that once before and ended up interrogating a corpse. He really should be more careful.

"S-son."

Vader looked up. "What?"

"W-want ... to see ... Son."

"You have a son?"

"See him ... please."

This was new. Vader made a mental note of it. It seemed they had something in common.

"You can see your son ... after you tell me what you did with the information you stole."

There was only a groan in response.

"How old is your son?"

"Son ..."

"How old?"

He was going to answer. Vader could sense it. This talk of his child had sparked something within him. He never got a chance to find out what, however. The doors slid open, and an officer entered the room.

"Sir, we just received an urgent message from the Jadis Cluster fleet." He glanced at the spy, clearly wondering if he should elaborate further.

"I will be there in a moment," Vader said, dismissing the officer. He would have to continue this interrogation later, it seemed.

"You didn't have to apologize for me," Luke insisted.

"Yes, I did."

Lev didn't sound happy. Luke stood up and went to the viewing window. Down below, he could see the school administrators leaving with a droid. They weren't so bad ... a little serious maybe, and they had seemed like they were trying hard to be overly nice. He glanced back at Lev.

"They hadn't even finished asking me questions, and you made them leave."

"I had to, before you said anything worse!"

"I was just being honest!" Luke said. "They asked me what thoughts I had about my career so I shared them. What's wrong with that?"

"You really want to join a gang of insurgent criminals?"

"I never said that!" Luke protested. "They started talking about their navy pilot prep courses, and I pointed out that I hadn't decided whether I wanted to fly for the Empire. I just said rebels and pirates had better snub fighters ... I didn't mean I was going to join them!"

"What were they supposed to think?"

"I don't care what they think!"

"Listen, you can't go around saying things like that. I know I'm not your father, but—"

"Then quit trying to act like it," Luke said, turning away.

There was a moment of silence, and then Luke heard Lev turn and leave. He'd been hurt by his remark, he could sense it. For a moment, he struggled with his feelings, slipping back and forth from anger to guilt. Finally, he felt a tear slide down his cheek, and he sank into a chair and buried his face in his arms.

After a moment had passed, the doors slid open again. Lev had returned.

"I forgot to give you this," he said, sounding oddly detached. "You need to fill in these enrolment forms with ..." he broke off, suddenly noticing Luke's misery. "Luke ... what's wrong?"

"He hates me," Luke sniffed.

"Who?" Lev pulled out a chair and sat down beside him. "You mean your father?"

Luke nodded, wiping his eyes. "We just found each other, after all these years apart, and now he doesn't even want to know me." Luke heard his voice begin to shake. "He thinks I'm a pain, so he's sending me away."

"I'm sure that's not it at all. I went to a boarding school when I was your age ... we lived in a remote area, and the best school was a fair distance away, so it made sense to board. It doesn't mean he doesn't care about you—it just means he wants the best for your education."

"I bet there's lots of good schools around here," Luke insisted.

"Yes, but …" Lev gestured at the walls. "This isn't exactly a home. I can understand why your father doesn't want you living here. And Mustafar … just the stories I've heard about that place are terrifying. I think you'd be much happier living at a school, especially after you make some friends."

"This place is great!" Luke said. "There's lots of ships, and droids bring me any food I want, and I have my own HoloNet terminal. And … at least he'll be here sometimes. Home is where your family is."

"Oh, Luke," Lev said, briefly putting a hand on his shoulder in a comforting way. "Have you told him that you'd rather stay here?"

Luke shook his head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just ... can't. He'd get angry. He told me he doesn't want me to have any emotional attachment to him."

"Ah," Lev said, "well ... just between you and me, I think finding you has been a very big shock for him. Finding a son would be a shock for anyone, but it seems to be especially so for him. Maybe it's taking him a while to get used to the idea. I don't think he's had a familiar relationship with anyone in a long time."

"You mean he's always like this?" Luke said. "All serious and unemotional? It's not just me?"

Lev nodded.

"But why? How can anyone be like that all the time?"

"I don't know," Lev said, "but don't give up. I think you might have a good effect on him."

"You're right," Luke said, standing up. "I've got to try. When is he coming back? Never mind ... I'll go down and wait for him."

"You know the way?" Lev asked, concerned.

"Sure. I've been studying the map on the terminal in my room."

Luke got halfway to the door, before he stopped, and turned back.

"I'm sorry for acting like a sleemo. I can tell you're the nicest person who works here, and I've only known you for a few days. I don't know what I'd have done without you."

"A sleemo?" Lev said, grinning. "Don't worry about it. It's already forgotten."

"You've forgotten what I said about the Rebel snub fighters too, right?" Luke said.

"You said something about Rebels?"

Luke grinned, and ran for the door.

Vader experienced a sense of déjà vu when he returned from the detention centre, only to find Luke was again wandering in the palace corridor between the security checkpoint and an elevator hub. The boy came rushing up and jogged along beside him, looking nervous.

"Are you lost, once again?" Vader asked, wearily. "Where is that droid?"

"I'm not lost! I ... um ... are you busy?"

Vader entered one of the elevators, and selected the floor for his personal ship hangar. Luke slipped in beside him and looked up in anticipation.

"I am leaving for the Jadis Cluster," he explained, as the doors slid closed. "An urgent situation has arisen. I should be back in five days."

"The Jadis Cluster? Where's that? Why are you going there?"

"Do you need to know that information?" Vader enquired, glancing down at Luke.

"I ... I guess not," Luke mumbled, staring at his feet.

Vader sighed, wondering why he allowed the boy to affect a conscience he shouldn't even have.

"I am going to assist a fleet with a rebel uprising. A group of anarchists is opposed to the Emperor's legal and just rule. They are spreading disorder and chaos. The Empire is engaged in an ongoing war to destroy the Jadis Cluster rebels and bring this conflict to an end."

"You mean with big Star Destroyer space battles!?"

"Yes, there is a fleet of Star Destroyers."

"And snub-fighters?"

"Yes."

"And all-terrain armored transports?"

"When required," Vader said, becoming irritated.

"Wow! Can I come with you?"

"Of course not. A battle field is no place for a child."

The elevator doors slid open on the ship hangar, and Vader strode towards a waiting shuttle. He had arranged to have one prepped earlier.

"But I want to come with you," Luke protested, following behind. "I won't be any trouble."

Vader turned when he reached the foot of the boarding ramp and found Luke was staring up at him with pleading blue eyes.

"I have already said no. You will stay here and keep out of trouble."

Luke dropped his gaze, and his expression was inconsolable. It was the most pathetic display Vader had witnessed since the last time an incompetent officer had begged for his life. He should leave before he started contemplating giving in.

"When I come back, you will be leaving for your school," Vader said, quickly. "Make sure you have all the supplies you will need and arrange to return the enrolment forms with an assistant."

"Oh," Luke said, his sad expression quickly dissolving, "I need to talk to you about that. See—"

Vader held up a hand. "Direct any problems to one of the officers. I am already late."

He turned and walked up the ramp, making sure to close it once he reached the top.

"No luck?" Lev enquired.

Luke only spun around a few times on the revolving chair in response. It was the morning after Vader had left, and now he had the rest of the week to dwell on just how horrible this military boarding school might be. Those images in the brochure didn't fool him for one second.

He had gone to find Lev, hoping for some sympathy, and a guard had shown him the way to the military command office in the lower floors of the palace. The guards were all being a lot nicer to him since the day he'd met the security officers.

"He didn't even give me a chance," Luke said, finally. "He just said he had to leave."

"Perhaps when he comes back."

"It will be too late by then!" Luke spun around again in frustration. The stormtroopers stationed by the door looked over in obvious bewilderment. "He said I'll be leaving as soon as he comes back!"

"Maybe I can help you look into the local schools. If we found one you thought might be suitable, and then do what we can to make the enrolment easier, you might have a better chance of convincing him to change his mind."

Luke brightened. "Let's start right now!" He rolled the chair up and swept aside some of the datapads on Lev's desk. They all looked boring, anyhow.

Lev smiled, putting down his cup of caf. "Patience is a foreign concept to you, isn't it, Luke?"

"We've only got five days!" Luke insisted. "Maybe four days now, depending on when he was counting from."

Lev tapped his fingers on the desk, looking thoughtful. "You know … Hicks mentioned something the other day. Hang on." He activated his comlink, and a moment later, a blue image of Lieutenant Hicks appeared.

"Hey. Didn't you say something about the mother of the guy you're seeing being the principal of a local private academy?"

"Yes, some fancy place for the scions of the ruling class," Hicks said. "Why?"

Lev adjusted the holo field to include Luke.

"Luke is looking for a school."

"A private academy?" Luke said, feeling nervous. "Sounds like it would be hard to get accepted. I'm not one of those super-smart genius kids."

Both Lev and Lieutenant Hicks laughed for some reason.

"I'll get you her number," Lieutenant Hicks said, still sounding amused. "She's ex-navy herself. According to Travis, she's very particular. He has yet to introduce me."

"Maybe we can solve that problem at the same time," Lev said.

After Lieutenant Hicks had gone away to find out the comlink frequency, Luke looked up at Lev with trepidation.

"I don't want to go to some fancy-shmancy school with a particular principal," Luke said. "The local public school will be fine."

"The nearest public school will be a long speeder ride into the lower levels," Lev said. "Don't worry. Just think about it this way … it will be better than going away to the boarding school, right?"

Luke nodded, reluctantly.

When the comlink frequency appeared on Lev's screen, he smiled down at Luke. "Okay. Let's give her a call. It's a weekday so she should be in her office."

There was a rush of noise in the room as three other officers stood up from the desks and wandered over, and even one of the stormtroopers left their station, causing Lev to lean back in his chair, folding his arms. "Sit down! I'm not going to use the projector."

The nearest ensign just smiled, and one grumbled in a good-natured way, but they all returned to their stations.

Luke didn't understand this at all. He returned to spinning on his chair while Lev called the number and attached a headset, so Luke could only hear his side of the conversation.

"Good morning. This is Lieutenant Lev Dorany … I would like to enquire about the possibility of enrolling the son of a person of some importance in the government." There was a long pause, and Lev began nodding. "Yes, yes, I understand ... you are halfway through the academic year already."

Luke sighed, hearing his chances evaporate at Lev's next words.

"Possibility of next semester? Yes. An interview process. Full academic transcript and list of extracurricular achievements. I'm sure that won't be an issue."

Luke was tempted to reach over to Lev's computer and disconnect the call, but then Lev paused for a moment, and said, "I'll be sure to let Lord Vader know."

After ten seconds of silence, in which Lev's eyes slowly grew wider, he finally reached over and muted the call.

"I think she's choking on her caf," Lev said, which caused a lot of laughter from the other officers. They were clearly still listening.

Lev then unmuted the call and said, "Yes, I assure you, I am serious. I am an assistant at the Imperial Palace. Yes, that's right … Luke. He's twelve years old … oh, he'll be able to start straight away? That's great news. Yes, I'll send you my contact details." He smiled then. "No, he's really the most unassuming boy you could ever meet on Coruscant. All he'll require is to be treated exactly like every other student."

Luke smiled, glad that Lev understood this.

After another long pause, Lev said, "It was actually my roommate who gave us the recommendation. He's a good friend of your son Travis. Yes, that's right." Lev smiled. "He's been wanting to meet you too, but apparently Travis didn't feel the time was right." The conversation had become far less formal. "Yes. Yes, Hicks has been known to talk like that too. I'll check our schedules over the next week, and I'm sure we can find a night when we're both free."

Luke tuned out, returning to the task of spinning around on the chair until the conversation returned to the subject of him.

"Luke is keen to remain on Coruscant, but his father was also looking at a military academy. Yes. Yes, that's right, the one on Kada IV." Lev frowned. "Really? That's not good. No, I hadn't heard that. I'm sure Luke will pass it on. All right. I better get back to my duties. Yes. Pleasure to speak with you, too."

After he'd disconnected the call, Lev glanced up at a big screen with the number zero on it, and then said, "Huh."

"Huh, what?" Luke said. "So I can go there?"

"Yes. And she said last year's senior valedictorian at the military academy wrote an anti-Imperial editorial for her university magazine, resulting in three separate ISB investigations into the culture at the school. She said there are rumors of other students running away and joining Rebel cells."

One of the ensigns whistled. "If you tell your father that, Luke, he'll let you attend the local school."

"Wait, can you repeat that," Luke said, digging around Lev's desk for a light pen. "I need to write this down."

Things were looking up.

After Lev and Lieutenant Hicks went over to the principal's place for a fancy dinner one night, they both returned more convinced than ever that Luke should attend the local private academy. He and the other assistants in the military command office helped him gather all the information and documents he needed to complete the enrolment forms. All they required now was Vader's signature. And his permission, of course, but Luke was thinking positive.

He was concerned they hadn't managed to find any way of contacting his old school in Anchorhead for an academic transcript, but Lev said it didn't matter. Luke doubted he would ever get used to this 'son of Lord Vader' thing. At heart, he was still Luke Skywalker, farmboy from Tatooine.

And that's exactly who he felt like, when the day his father was due to return rolled around. Lev's encouragement and support could only go so far ... in the end, this was something he would have to talk Vader into all by himself.

He kept reminding himself of the facts, as he paced up and down in the corridor, waiting for him to arrive. He'd seen his shuttle come in a short time ago, so it was only a matter of minutes before he came up here. He did have a right to talk to him—he was his son, after all, as hard as it was to believe. And he did have a right to some say in his future. He hadn't asked to be born, so it wasn't his fault that his father had to look after him. He shouldn't feel guilty about wanting to stay here. And he shouldn't—

Luke turned at the top end of his pacing to find himself staring at the life support controls on Vader's chest. Funny, despite the mechanical breathing, he had been too preoccupied to hear him approach. He looked up, meeting the masked gaze. A vague noise came out of his mouth, which was supposed to be a 'hello'.

"You have managed to keep yourself alive I see," Vader said, side-stepping to walk past him. "Good."

Before Luke could think of a response, Vader had entered his quarters and the doors had sealed with a loud hiss.

Good? That's all he had to say?! Luke stared at the closed doors in horror. He wouldn't come out of there for hours! There was nothing for it ... he had to risk his annoyance and disturb him in the mysterious room of meditation.

He approached the door slowly. A good five minutes passed before his hand stopped shaking enough to press the door-comm. What if he said no? What if he was angry he had even suggested a local school?

The doors suddenly slid open, and Luke jumped back. The interior was pitch black. He shuffled forward and stuck his head around the frame. There was a strange circular pod off to one side. Luke walked forward, and found Vader was sitting in the center, visible through the gap between the two open jaws.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I-need-to-talk-to-you!" Luke declared, stumbling over the words in his haste to get them out.

"Then talk."

"I ... uh ... um ... see it's about ... you know how I'm supposed to ..." Luke stared at the floor and saw a reflection of himself looking back up. The floor sure was clean and shiny.

"That is not talking," Vader pointed out. "That is a random string of words. Think about what you are going to say and then say it. I do not have all day."

"Give me a chance!" Luke said, annoyed. A second later, he realized just who it was he had snapped at, and he stepped back in fear. Vader didn't yell at him, though. He seemed surprised into momentary silence. Luke quickly gathered his courage to take advantage of it.

"I don't want to go to a military boarding school," he said, as clearly as his trembling voice would let him. "If I can't live with you on Mustafar, then here is the next best thing." There's a private school really close by ... I already have the enrollment forms, and I've filled them in, so you don't need to go to any trouble. I know you're busy."

Luke breathed in, trying to relax. He studied Vader, looking for any hint of acceptance. His father was silent though, staring at him.

"You won't even notice I'm here," Luke said, trying to help his cause. "I can look after myself!"

"You think that is why I wanted you to go to boarding school?" Vader asked. "Because I regard your presence as a problem?"

Luke shrugged, once again looking at the floor. He looked up when he heard footsteps, and found Vader was coming down to stand next to him.

"I thought you would dislike living here on your own. I will not be here for long stretches of time, and I imagined you would prefer to be in an environment with people your own age."

"I know you won't always be here, but you will sometimes. That's enough."

"This Coruscant school will be filled with the children of the wealthy and powerful core world families. You will find it difficult to mix with them, and they may be a bad influence. You will find the students at the military school more diverse. There will be some from farming families and desert worlds like Tatooine."

"Did you know the military academy has been investigated three times due to …" Luke trailed off, trying to remember the word. "Due to students writing anti-Empire things," he finished. "If I go there, who knows where I'll end up!"

"Where did you hear this?"

"The officers downstairs found out," Luke said. "It's true, I swear."

Vader only continued to stare at him.

"I want to stay here," Luke repeated, quietly. "I won't ask for anything again. Let me try it, at least. Please."

Vader was quiet for a few breathing cycles, and then said, "If you feel so strongly about it, you may attend this local school. "

Luke grinned. "You just need to sign the form, and then I'll send it back, and—"

"But I want to know why you didn't tell me you had a problem with the boarding school when I asked you earlier."

Uh oh.

"I ... um ..." Luke quickly backed away, raising his hands. "There's a good show on the holovid soon and I know you are busy. I'll get back to you."

Lucky his bedroom was within escaping distance.

Vader was left staring at a blank space, wondering vaguely if all children were this confusing, or whether this was the unusual behavior the medic had warned him about. He had gone out of his way to consult Luke over his educational options ... he had even asked his opinion. And Luke had assured him the boarding school was fine. Now, completely out of the blue, he suddenly acted as if he was being forced to go by a cruel, uncaring parent who was desperate to get him out of his sight.

As if that wasn't incomprehensible enough, the boy had offered no explanation as to why he would prefer to stay here. Luke had appeared lost and confused last week, leading him to believe he was unhappy, and would prefer to be at boarding school. Was there some vital clue he was missing? At any rate, he didn't have the time or patience to find out what it was. If Luke had a problem, he could always come and speak to him.

As he made his way back to the hyperbaric chamber, the implication of what he'd just agreed to began to settle in. If Luke was determined to stay on Coruscant, then he would need to make an effort to be here too. He couldn't just leave Luke alone at the Imperial Palace indefinitely. But the thought of more time spent dealing with infernal politicians and ambitious military bureaucrats, and less time spent gaining deeper knowledge of the Force on Mustafar, was deeply depressing.

For a moment, he found himself wishing Luke had remained hidden longer. This wouldn't be an issue if Luke was an adult. None of this would be an issue. But indulging in such thoughts, even for a moment, felt ungrateful. As the Emperor had said, the boy might have lived his entire life in obscurity on Tatooine.

Parenthood was always going to involve sacrifices. His former self had known this. He would have given up the Jedi order and serving the Republic to raise their child. Walking away from the Empire was not a choice he would survive, but he could stand to spend less time on Mustafar, at least until Luke was a little older. Perhaps the boy would realize he would be better off at the military school, and his life could return to normal.

Meanwhile, he had an interrogation to resume tomorrow. That should keep him occupied on Coruscant for the moment.