Bloodmarrow 5

"My … daughter?" Vader asked, stunned. He was receiving too many shocks within the same day and now his mind went blank. Behind the mask his mouth gaped open and he just stared at the Jedi.

"Yes, your daughter!" Obi-Wan repeated. "It's what happens when you have physical relationships with a woman, as you very well know!"

/Princess Leia is my daughter…./

He tried to wrap his mind around the new idea, that the trouble-making Rebel that he'd been chasing after for years was his own offspring and found it shocking. True, she possessed his stubbornness and Padme's love for politics but he had never even imagined she was his daughter!

/How could this be? I've been searching for my child and she was there before my eyes…./

Yes, he had her locked down in the Detention Deck and would have tortured her for the secrets locked within her mind. If he wouldn't have been so busy with Luke and this pathogen…

/I would have interrogated her already…./

And that would have been unforgivable. If he had harmed even a single hair on her head, he'd never be able to forgive himself. And more importantly, she'd never forgive him, either. She'd hate his guts the rest of her life and would never want any sort of relationship that didn't involve a blaster and him dying in agony of a fatal belly wound. Yes, Leia was that kind of person; of that he had no doubt. She may have gotten her looks from his dear wife, but her personality was closer to his own. He had seen the anger burning in her deep brown eyes when he had first caught her on the ship, the defiance. She obviously had no more idea of their parentage than he did. To her, he was a vile monster that served a crazed despot, one who would stop at nothing to gain power. Lifting his downcast eyes back to Obi-Wan, he simply stated the truth. "She hates me…."

"That's what you get for going to the Dark Side, Anakin." Obi-Wan replied as he headed towards the door. "Shall we go see Luke?"

Vader nodded his helmeted head. With the disease progressing and the horror of Obi-Wan lying in a pool of blood fresh in his mind, he knew he had to put Leia off for now. Although uncomfortable, the cell was safe enough. Without his prior permission, no one would dare touch her, as she truly was his prisoner. Luke had to come first. Besides, the confrontation with her would be uncomfortable to say the least. She'd deny it with as much vigor as she could and may result to her usual insults, hoping to hurt his feelings. With Luke, though, he had a chance of a true father-son relationship. The boy was pure and uncontaminated by the strong hatred that his sister possessed, her prejudice. He would be more easily swayed to his side much easier once Obi-Wan confirmed that he truly was his father. And whether he wanted to admit or not, he couldn't trust Leia any more than she trusted him. Her alliance was to the Rebellion. He would try to start a real relationship with her; she'd try to take advantage of it somehow. No, he couldn't risk that, couldn't risk letting her out of the cell just because she was his daughter. He would tell her at some time in the future, but not now. "Yes, let's go see my son. I told him that I'm his father, but I think he'd like to hear it from you as well…"

Darth Vader opened the door and led the other into Luke's room. The sandy-haired boy was sleeping, his hair mussed and messy from rolling about. One arm was stretched across the bed, the hand dangling off the edge with the fingers partly curled. Moving closer to the bed, Vader peered down at him with concern. His breathing eased slightly when he saw not a drop of sweat marred Luke's forehead, the fever apparently over. But was that good or bad?

/Perhaps I should be more worried, as the foreign organism now has a stronger hold on him…./

Yes, that made sense. The fever could have been a symptom of the war waging in his body, of his immune system trying to kick out the invader.

"Look at him, Anakin! The boy is a picture of health!" Obi-Wan remarked from where he stood on the other side of Luke's bed. "Are you sure you're not jumping at shadows again? Because I tell you I feel fine…"

Reaching out, Vader gripped the thin blanket that covered the sleeping boy and pulled it back from his upper body. Once Obi-Wan saw the completely healed bites he'd understand and would support him then. Soon Luke's bare shoulders and chest was revealed, the fine white scars visible against his slightly darker skin. But it wasn't just the scars by themselves anymore and a loud gasp escaped from the Sith Lord's mouth as he tried to take in what he was seeing.

"What in the Force is that?" Obi-Wan asked as he too leaned over the bed for a closer look.

Stiff white hairs grew out of the long, jagged scars, each hair about an inch long. They were sparse and not all that noticeable, still, they were there just the same.

/No! This can't be happening!./

Vader's eyes flew down to the scars that ran across Luke's upper arms and saw the white hairs there as well. A pit of fear formed in his stomach at the unnatural sight before him. This was too much!

/Not my son! Anything but that!./

He would rather face the danger himself. He was a warrior at heart, trained in combat with both lightsaber and his powers. He could take on an entire army without batting an eye and had done just that in the past. But Luke, Luke was innocent! He deserved none of this and wouldn't understand it. And how was he expected to fight a disease? It wasn't something he could slice or dice or even Force-choke…

Lifting his helmeted head from the awful sight, he stared at Obi-Wan. "Now do you see what I mean?"

"Well," Obi-Wan began, his voice unsure. "It's just a few hairs…."

"But they're white hairs!" Vader insisted, his voice booming in the quite of the room.

"So?" Obi-Wan sighed and eyed his former apprentice with narrowed eyes. "Must I remind you it's perfectly normal to grow hair on one's body? Have you been without real limbs for so long that you've forgotten how much hair grows there? I know I have quite a lot on my legs…"

Vader knew if he didn't act quickly, he'd be subjected to looking at the older man's hairy legs, something he wished to avoid at all costs. So he did what he was best at: thinking quickly. "Let's see your palms."

"My palms?" Puzzled, Obi-Wan lifted his hands up and turned them over. A loud gasp escaped his mouth and his blue eyes widened in surprise. The same white hairs were growing out of his palms where he had scraped himself.

"You cannot tell me that that's normal." Vader stated. "Hair does not grow on the palms."

"I … I just don't understand this…" Obi-Wan cautiously picked at one of the hairs, grabbing it with the fingers of his other hand. Pulling on it, he winched in pain. It was lodged in firmly beneath the skin and wouldn't come out unless he pulled much harder. "I feel fine…"

"Perhaps this disease wants you to be at your best when it starts transforming you." Vader guessed. "It has been working inside you and the physical changes are only now starting to appear. I didn't want to upset you earlier, but I found you lying in a pool of blood down in the cell. That's why you were moved up here. The Detention Deck officers had thought you had tried to kill yourself."

Stumbling backward, Obi-Wan's knees gave out and he sunk down to the floor with his knees pressed to his chest. A few days ago sitting like this would have been impossible. Although he had tried to keep himself in shape during his exile, he had done a lot of sitting and thinking; his mind trapped in the past. His bones and body had grown old and things he had done without thought in his youth had grown much harder if not impossible. His days of leaping out windows and hanging onto flying droids were long gone, obviously, but so were much simpler things like sitting with his knees tucked to his chest. Yet he were doing that right now…

Holding one of his palms out, Obi-Wan stared at it, feeling as if it weren't his hand but some foreign thing attached to his wrist. It was without doubt one of the most horrible experiences in his life and certainly the scariest. Anakin had tried to tell him earlier, but he hadn't wanted to listen. He felt good again and he liked feeling good. It wasn't pleasant to be old with the aches and pains, the difficulties. Although the Jedi wasn't vain, one couldn't really blame him for being pleased with his newfound youth free of the arthritis that had been plaguing him recently. It was odd, really, how an innocent little thing like a few hairs could be so dreadful. They looked so harmless growing there on his palm, but he knew they were just the tip of the iceberg.

Vader gazed at him in concern, feeling his own shock and dread being mirrored by Obi-Wan's feelings through the bond. He wished he had words of comfort to offer, but he didn't, not really. He would be lucky if he could save Luke. The transfusion may not even work. And if it didn't…

/I don't want to think about that…/

No, he didn't. The thought was too horrible to contemplate. His son would either die from the medical procedure or change into something unknown. And by the looks of those hairs it might not even be human…

/I can't allow that to happen!./

No, he couldn't. He'd fight this thing all the way no matter what. Too much time was passing and the disease was progressing rapidly. He needed to stop it now, before it grew too late and Luke was lost to him forever. Deciding it was best to go see the doctor now, he turned to head for the door but a sound stopped him.

"Father?" Luke asked sleepily as he opened his blue eyes, rubbing at them with his hands. "Is that you? I thought I heard something…"

"Yes, Luke. I am here." Vader quickly turned to face the boy again, his heart aching at the sight of him, knowing what he was about to undergo.

/What if he hates me for putting him through such torture?./

"As am I." Obi-Wan added as he picked himself off the floor and stood by Luke's bedside. Even as scared as he was about the pathogen spreading through his body, he shoved it to the back of his mind and smiled at Luke.

Luke sprung up in bed at the sound of the Jedi's voice and threw his arms around Obi-Wan's neck, almost knocking the older man over with his enthusiasm. "Ben! Am I glad to see you! I thought he had you locked up in some awful dungeon!"

"Of course not." The Jedi responded as he gently pulled Luke off himself, feeling embarrassed and slightly flustered. He was used to being by himself, that and the Jedi Code didn't exactly encourage physical affection. Warriors didn't go around hugging people. Well, not normal ones and his eyes flew to the dark hulking figure of the Sith Lord. His cheeks were flushed and he was almost positive that Anakin was snickering at his discomfort under that mask! Keeping his eyes glued to Vader, he patted Luke on his uninjured shoulder. "Anakin and I are old friends…"

"So he really is my father?" Luke asked, his eyes flickering from one to the other.

"Yes, he is." Obi-Wan confirmed, his voice serious. "Now I know I told you he was dead, but I was just referring to the fact he had turned to the Dark Side. Yet when that creature had attacked you, the Empire was your best chance for survival. I couldn't let you die just because I disagree with Empire policy. That just wouldn't be right. So here we are."

Luke gazed up at Darth Vader, uncertain what he should say. What did you say to a stranger that was your father, especially when that stranger was so famous, rich and powerful? He had no idea and he desperately tried to think of something to break the ice. He had wanted his father his whole life and now that he knew that Vader really was his father, he wanted to get to know him. If only he wasn't so bad at these sorts of things. Not that he normally had trouble talking to people. He talked to them just fine. It's just that it was Darth Vader! And if he said the wrong thing… what if he offended him?

"How are you feeling, Luke?" Vader asked, sensing through the Force that the boy didn't know how to start a conversation. Luke's mind was more or less an open book to him. The boy had no mental shields at all and all his thoughts floated up at the top, there to read if he desired. It was apparent he had no knowledge of the Force, no training.

"Oh, I feel just fine!" Luke replied happily as he sat on the bed crossed-legged. He moved his injured arm around, twisting it high overhead as he stretched his shoulder muscle. "Even my injured arm is back to normal! Isn't that great? So, can I be released from here soon? I want to go see the ship! This is a Star Destroyer, right? Boy, I can't believe I'm really on one! If I ever see Biggs and tell him, he won't believe me!"

Vader sighed. His son was bursting with energy, happy and excited and he felt like a heel to ruin his happiness. Luke was never up in space before and who was he to forbid him the opportunity to gaze out at the stars? The knowledge that he may die on the operating table weighed heavy on his heart and he very much wanted to spend a few last hours with him, just in case. It would give them the chance to get to know each other in case the worst did happen. Then he could always think back on those moments and know that Luke died happy. It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be close. The disease couldn't spread unless one exchanged blood or bodily fluids, so there was no risk of anyone else getting infected. It would be safe to take Luke around the ship and see some of the sights since it meant so much to him. "I could take you on a brief tour if you'd like, Luke, but then you must come back here."

Luke's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Really? You'd do that just for me?"

"You are my son." Vader replied, as if that explained everything. "I'd do anything for you."

Pure excitement bubbled through Luke's veins and he leaped out of bed. "Boy, am I ever lucky! Can we go see the fighter ships, too?"

"Of course." Darth Vader nodded his masked face, his heart skipping a beat when Luke had said he were lucky.

/He is so happy. How can I possibly ruin his happiness by telling him the truth? It would crush him…/

Yes, it would. He could imagine Luke's face falling with the awful news, fear growing in his eyes. He watched silently as the young man scrambled around the tiny room, finding his boots and a new shirt from the closet. Quickly he pulled them on and then ran his hand through his hair in a lame effort to comb his thick sandy locks. Apparently Luke decided he was ready as he eagerly hurried to the door and opened it, a look of exhilaration on his face. He bounced there on his toes, his eagerness barely bound by restraint. His son was so young and full of life.

/I can't tell him…./

"Come on! Let's go!" Luke called eagerly, not understanding why the other two were just standing around. Time was slipping through and he wanted to be out there, seeing stuff! Gee, he had never thought that Vader of all people was an old fogy who stood around procrastinating! Man, would Owen ever yell at him! Turning in the doorway, Luke waved his arms about. "What are you waiting for? A Dewback is faster than you are!"

"Welcome to fatherhood." Obi-Wan remarked dryly.

Vader sighed but started to follow his impatient son. After telling the doctor they were stepping out for a brief moment, he started to show Luke the ship. Obi-Wan begged off the tour and returned to his room to brood about the white hairs growing from his palms. The first place they visited was one of the launch bays where the Tie-fighters were kept.

"Boy, are these ever cool!" Luke exclaimed as he circled one of the small fighter craft, his eyes glistening with uncontrolled mirth. "I used to zoom through Beggar's Canyon back home in my T-16, taking the turns as fast as I could. I could outrace anyone! Boy, what I would give if I could fly one of these babies…"

"Believe it or not, Luke, but I used to race trough there as well when I was much younger…" Vader admitted, shocked that his son would fly through the old podracing course in a skyhopper. What were the odds of that?

"You did?" Luke peeled his eyes off the fighter ship to gaze up at his father's black mask. "Really?"

"Yes. It used to be part of the old podracing course. I was a podracer…" Vader explained as he laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I was the only human who could podrace."

"Yeah, I know its part of the old coarse." Luke admitted, placing his own hand on top of Vader's. "I love flying through there, pretending I was in a fighter ship like these here. It sounds like we have a lot in common…"

"We do. And you have the Force as well. Someday either I or Obi-Wan will train you…." A lump formed in Vader's throat at those words and he grew silent. What if that never came to pass? What if Luke died? The boy deserved to be trained, to pass on the knowledge of the Force, to receive his birthright. The idea that this was his last hour with him was heart wrenching and he struggled to swallow the lump, to get his emotions under control. He hadn't felt this bad since back when Padme was still alive and everyone was pulling him in different directions.

Growing more serious and a bit braver, Luke peered up at the black breath mask and stepped closer to his new father. Curiosity sparkled in his blue eyes and he wondered about the man that he really couldn't see. "May I ask why you wear that mask? Do you do it to frighten the crew, so they don't know who you are?"

"Many years ago I was injured. I traveled to a planet called Mustafar. It's a turbulent world of lava and volcanoes. The lava burned me badly and now I must wear this suit and mask so I can live. Without it, I would die." Darth Vader explained, telling Luke the facts but not the entire story. The boy didn't need to know everything. The knowledge that he and Obi-Wan had fought so furiously would just upset him, possibly alienate him.

Luke's face fell. "I'm sorry, Father. I had no idea you were so sick. Can't your doctors do anything for you? They sure patched me up. My shoulder doesn't even twinge or anything."

"No, Luke. There is nothing anyone can do for me. I've visited all the surgeons in the galaxy and it's hopeless." Vader admitted. Even if he had stayed a Jedi, he doubted if even the Jedi Healers could have patched him up. His injuries were just too severe. Even the limited Force had limits when it came to the body.

/Unless…/

No! Vader shoved the idea out of his mind. It was unthinkable! He was trying to cure Luke and Obi-Wan, not infect himself. Even if it had healed all of the boy's injuries…

"Luke, come with me." Vader strolled through the hangar and headed for one of the huge windows that looked out at the steady glowing stars. He loved gazing out at them and never grew tired of it. Staring at them was like looking at eternity. He felt weightless; insignificant and his problems seemed to recede. At other times they helped clear his mind so he could think better. That and they were simply beautiful. "There is something I must tell you."

"What?" Luke moved up to the window and gasped in awe. The sensation that he would just float up and out the huge window into space was intense. The glass that separated him from the vacuum of space was so clear that he swore it wasn't there and he cautiously, fearfully, reached towards it with a shaking hand, sure he wouldn't meet any resistance at all. But before he could reach it, the steel-like grip of his father's hand stopped him.

"It is a force-field, Luke." Vader explained.

"I feel so funny, like I'm going to just float out there…" Luke whispered in awe. This was the closest he ever had to a religious experience and he was enjoying it. "It's like looking into forever…"

"I spend hours staring out at the stars up on the bridge." Vader admitted, pleased that Luke felt the same way about them that he did. To too many people, stars were just stars. They grew tired of the sight and sought out more entertaining pastimes. But Vader knew he'd never grow bored of them.

/He truly is my son!./

Pleasant warmth grew through him as he felt a fledgling Force link form between the two as they stood side by side looking out at the stars. They had so much in common: the love of speed, looking at the stars, mechanical things like skyhoppers and fighter craft, the desire to be Jedi, a hatred of Tatooine, a desire to be with one's family… And who knew what other similarities they'd discover if they'd have more time together?

"I used to watch them come out every night on the farm…" Luke said, his mood growing sad as he suddenly remembered that the farm wasn't there anymore. Still, he couldn't really blame his father for what others did. Rationally, he knew he couldn't watch every stormtrooper every minute of every day. They no doubt did lots of things on their own. Turning slightly so he could see his father, he spoke. "I … I never thanked you for saving my life. You didn't have to, but you did. So thanks."

"There is no need to thank me, Son." Vader reached out and pulled Luke close, hugging the boy. Unlike Obi-Wan, he wasn't ashamed to be seen holding someone. Let the crew think what they wanted. He didn't care. He had his son and that's what was important. "I'm just glad I found you. It's made my most wildish wish come true."

"It's my biggest wish as well." Luke mumbled from against Vader's chest, his voice muffled.

"Someday, Luke, I will take you flying out there among the endless stars." The Sith Lord promised, hoping it will be true and not another pipe dream. The way things were going, it very well might be a dream.

Luke turned his head upward slightly so he could see his father's black mask. "Really? You'd trust me to fly one of those?"

"Yes, but not now." Vader cautioned as his hand rested on Luke's back. "You are still recovering from that animal bite and I don't want to wear you out."

"Ah! I feel like I could take on the whole Empire by myself!" Luke exclaimed loudly, excitement in his voice as he eyed one of the sleek fighter crafts. He longed to crawl into the cockpit and to take it out, run it trough its paces. It would be so much better than his old T-16! It would be totally wizard!

Vader's thoughts drifted to Leia sitting in her cell and he thought the two of them combined together, they just might be enough to actually beat the Empire. "I have no doubt of that."

For some time they stood side by side, looking out at the stars and enjoying each other's company.

"Luke," Vader's mechanical voice said within the huge room, his eyes still locked on the stars. "There is something I must tell you and I worry it'll upset you…"

"What?" Luke asked, keeping his face towards the force field. He knew that he would have to go back to Sick Bay soon and he wanted to memorize this unique floating feeling that was nestled in the pit of his stomach. It was so incredible to just stand here and gaze out at the endless night. He hoped that if his memory was good enough, he could close his eyes in bed and bring the stars up in his mind, feel this freedom again. Otherwise he feared he'd grow restless and out of his mind just lying there.

"That animal that bit you. It wasn't healthy." Vader stated and then held his breath.

"But I feel OK…" Luke replied, his brow wrinkling up in confusion. "Is that why you're keeping me in Sick Bay? You're worried I'm going to catch something? Well, my bite doesn't seem swollen or anything."

"There are other things to worry about besides infection with bites, Luke." Vader explained uneasily. His nervousness was growing and he was worried that perhaps this was the wrong location to tell Luke. What if he went nuts? What if he jumped into a Tie-fighter and escaped the ship? Without knowing how to fly it properly, he could crash! "I'm afraid that thing was carrying a rare disease. And well, you have it now."

/Please, please, please don't freak out!./

"I do?" Luke asked, his voice sounding surprised. "Am I going to die, because I don't feel sick."

"No, Luke. It's not fatal, not in the way you mean." Vader paused and took a big breath. This was harder than he had even imagined and he was thankful that so far the boy was taking it rather calmly.

/Perhaps he does not believe me, like Obi-Wan had not believed at first…/

Yes, that made sense. Because Luke felt fine it was hard for him to believe that he really was sick. People often thought that if they were sick, they should feel bad. That's just how it worked.

"Then what do you mean?" Luke asked sounding even more confused. He continued to stare out at the stars through the invisible force field. He was glad that his father had showed him this place. Somehow he just couldn't find the energy to get worked up over this disease thing, as he really didn't think he was sick. It was like Aunt Beru, fussing over the slightest little boo-boo he got, like a scraped knee or a cut finger. She had blown it all out of proportion; acting like he was dying and Owen had been forced to yell at her to stop. Luke figured, now that Vader was a first-time parent, he was over-reacting to the bites.

"This disease, it changes your DNA…" Vader finally admitted, almost shaking in his boots.

"My what?" Luke asked, turning to face Vader. "Look, can't you use normal words? I grew up on a farm remember? I didn't go to one of your fancy academies."

Vader gasped, one hand clutching at his chest.

There was very thin, white streak going through Luke's sandy hair.

To be continued…