Chapter 6: Darth Vader
The Sith Lord had been unusually quite that day as he contemplated the fact that he now had a son. Things were running smoothly on the Executor and Vader allowed the commanders and crew to do their jobs as he silently observed them, his mind far away. He couldn't help but wonder if his son would be clever enough to see the clues he had hidden in his letter. Would he realize that he was the infant Podracer had referred to or would it swoop right over his head?
And now that he was a father, what exactly did it mean? His son was a grown man and possibly didn't need a father anymore, although he seemed to crave one. What did fathers and sons do together? What sort of things could he and his boy do together, if they were to ever meet? Could they even have a relationship other than Imperial and Rebel, two sides always destined to destroy each other?
/I could just tell the boy I'm his father./
But there were problems with that route, too. For if he did and his son actually managed to believe it, then that meant revealing his real identity. And what would happen then was all too easy to guess. The boy would be horrified and any chance of getting to know him would be ruined.
But what if he revealed it slowly, bit by bit like he was doing? Yet he feared the moment he mentioned his current name of Darth Vader he would loose him. The boy would panic and feel betrayed. He may even do something incredibly stupid and rash that may injure himself.
/I must take this slowly to ensure his safety./
Vader stood on the bridge and stared out at the dazzling starscape. Farmboy was out there some where in the vast reaches of the galaxy and the Sith Lord wondered what he was doing this very moment. Was his son also gazing at the stars and thinking of his lost father, wishing he could have him back? He would make a fine apprentice if only he could gain his trust. But how could he do that while stuck in this black armor?
/Curse this mask!/
Although it kept him alive, it was the mask, armor and cape that screamed DARTH VADER. If he could remove it, he would be just another human man. But of course, he couldn't remove it unless he was in his special chambers hooked to a respirator. He could hardly go meet his son that way, dragging a respirator behind him. No, it would never work. Nor would it be fair to the boy. If he was going to be anything, he might as well be honest and that meant telling his son someday that his father was Darth Vader.
/I will need to be patient./
Unfortunately, that had never been one of his strong points. He wanted to run to his son and hold him, to tell him his father was alive and right here. How wonderful it would be! They would have the entire galaxy at their fingertips, the fleet at their disposal. They could even rule together, as father and son.
/Yes, we could rule together as father and son./
Although Vader had enjoyed serving Palpatine in a way, there comes a time in an apprentice's life when he must rise up and slay his Master. It has always been so ever since the rise of the Sith millennia ago. Nor was Vader satisfied with how the Emperor was handling things lately. The man was growing older and prone to rash things. The total destruction of a planet had been unnecessary and a wanton waste of life. Even as a Dark Lord he had felt the pain of all those lives being snuffed out. The purpose of the Empire was to restore order, not kill innocent civilians. It was the criminals that were supposed to be jailed and executed, the low-life scum that flourished off the weaker souls. Too often Palpatine didn't care who got caught in the crossfire, but he did. Alas, the scum was practically everywhere and that required stationing stormtroopers in every city on every planet just to keep order. Without them, there would be rioting in the streets. Citizens would be robbed and beaten, stores looted, people killed in uncountable ways, drugs sold on every street corner, children forced into slavery, women raped, fake goods sold and on and on. The list of criminal activity was endless!
One of the major faults of the Republic had been believing that people were basically good and honest. Since they believed this, they saw no use for a police force of any kind. Only the rich and well known, like senators, had private security forces and even those forces had been made up of volunteers. The common people were left to their own vices and if criminals killed a few, the rich didn't care. Nowhere was this more evident than on Coruscant. During his Padawan years, he had snuck out many times to visit the planet's seething underbelly. While the powerful lived above in their skyscrapers the poor would be murdered for a scrap of food or a busted tool. Kidnappers, assassins, drug dealers and other lowlives openly hung out in clubs and no one bothered to arrest them. Club owners even went as far as selling drinks spiked with motor coolant or drugs, hoping to create a new flavor and thus sell more drinks. If some customers died, well, there were always new ones.
/There is so much more I could do if Palpatine was out of the way./
But disposing of Palpatine wouldn't be easy. The man was incredibly crafty and powerful. But perhaps if he had his son with him it would be possible. Together, they would be more powerful than either of them and with a proper bond they could work as one. The old man would die and then he would become the new Emperor.
/Emperor Vader, hmmm, it had a nice ring to it./
If only his son would cooperate with him though!
/I must try to keep the boy a secret from my Master./
Plans forming in his head, Vader left the bridge and headed to his personal quarters. It was time to go check if his naïve son had sent him another message. It would be far easier to formulate plans if he had more information about the boy. Entering his room, he settled down in front of the computer and turned it on. Within moments he had connected with the galaticweb and was going through his packed mailbox.
/Darn spam! How do they keep getting my address?!/
After deleting all the junk mail, Vader found the latest message from Farmboy and began reading. He read the entire letter through, then sat back to digest what he had learned.
/So, my Son, you are curious about the Empire. That is fortunate for me./
And not only was he curious about the Empire, but practically everything. His innocent Farmboy was like a sponge soaking up water and wanting every drop. Nor had he been too shocked about him being an Imperial. Vader felt a rush of fatherly pride surge through his body at his son's accomplishment. Perhaps he was still inexperienced in many ways, but he was learning and was showing some intellect. With time and practice, he would grow wiser and more sophisticated. He would be a formidable opponent for the Emperor.
But what had kept him up all night? Vader contemplated the possibilities. Either he was having some trouble with his companions or it was the letters themselves that was affecting his sleep habits. Yes, it was his correspondence with an Imperial that was preying on his son's mind.
/Little do you realize how easily I could track you down, my Son./
But it wasn't time for that yet and his son needed to grow as a Jedi, to gain experience in combat. He was still green, a jewel in the rough that needed to be polished and shaped. Then and only then could they take on his Master together.
/We shall be glorious together, my Son./
Vader shook his head sadly as he reread what Farmboy had written about friendship in the fifth paragraph. His poor son had a lot of hard lessons to learn about people and how they behaved. People, he had discovered, only cared about themselves. They were as fickle as the breeze, being your friend one day and trying to murder you the next. He had learned that the hard way and it had almost cost him his life. Being stuck within this metal can was the result of those lessons.
/If only you could be spared those cruel lessons, but I fear it will not be so./
And immature and innocent as he was, Farmboy would be a perfect target.
/You are too trusting, my Son. Someone would sell you a fake deed to the Imperial Palace if they thought you had any money./
Vader thought back, wondering if he had ever been that innocent and quickly decided not. Working in Watto's junk shop had thought him about life and people. But his stepbrother had not done Farmboy any favors by sheltering him like that, for when the fall would come it would be so much harder. For betrayal by a trusted friend always hurts the most and his son may never recover from it. The pain in his heart would linger on and he would waste days away wondering why. He might even dumbly think that it had been his fault, which he had unknowingly done some minor thing to his friend that had caused this tragedy, all the time unaware that it was just how people behaved.
His son's compassion and empathy was amazing, especially considering the fact that he didn't even know who he was writing to. If he could channel that, he could use it to his purpose and bring Farmboy closer to him. It was touching to know his son cared for him that much and Vader felt his throat tighten.
/If only his son could actually love him!/
The tightness in his throat increased and he blinked his eyes rapidly behind the black breath mask. It had been a long time since he had felt an emotion this strongly besides anger. He forced himself to swallow and closed his eyes tightly.
/He won't love me when he discovers who I really am. He'll be just like all the others./
A tear ran down his pasty cheek.
Hadn't he thought they had cared about him, too? They were preaching one thing and practiced another! Double-crossers! Kidnappers! Family breakers!
Anger surged through his body as he remembered all the things his so-called friends had done to him in the past. He would do the right thing and tell his son how the world really was. Then, when it happened, his son would be a bit better prepared. Pulling his chair closer to the computer, Vader began to type a reply.
Dear Farmboy,
I'm glad to hear that you found my letter fascinating and that you're interested in the Empire. I serve aboard the Star Destroyer Executor and am in a Command position. I hope that doesn't frighten you away, as you said you heard many bad things about the Empire. I assure you I mean you no harm and only wish to be your penpal. As I stated in my earlier letter, I'm lonely. When you're a commander you can't associate with anyone on the ship. If you do, then the crew will think you're soft and they'll try to get away with things. So everything must stay strictly professional. If you have had any experience with the military, even if just by watching holodramas, I'm sure you'll understand this.
You asked about the Empire. There are many people out there who are against the Empire. Why? Because they are law-breakers and they wish to continue doing so. The Empire's purpose is to catch criminal scum and put them in jail where they can't harm innocent civilians. I refer to drug dealers, kidnappers, thieves, smugglers, murderers and so forth. There is also a group of rebels who think its fun to fight the lawful government. They delight in blowing up various installations, running guns and doing all sorts of crimes. The Empire has also opened free schools where children and youths can get an education. Before this, no such schools existed in the Republic and only the wealthy received an education. This kept the rich in power and the poor scrambling for scraps. I suspect the leaders of the Rebellion is upset over this change in status and resent it. Before the Empire, there was no police force and criminals were allowed to flourish freely and prey on whatever unfortunate soul they encountered.
Does this surprise you?
As for why the Empire helped me, why shouldn't they? I am not a criminal so I have nothing to fear from them.
Yes, I know how to meditate and I can teach you how. Would you like to learn? It was one of the things I learned at the school I attended. It was a school for people with special abilities. Before in the Republic, they used to test infants to see if they had a certain thing in their blood. Actually, everyone has it but most people only have a very small amount. This element is what is responsible for the 'sixth sense'. Perhaps you have had an experience with it? Your com beeps and you guess who it is before you answer it or you sense when danger is near? That is the medi-clorians. Infants who had a high concentration of them were taken from their families and raised by the school never to know their birth families. With training, they learned to do incredible things that seemed like magic to others. For example, they could lift objects without touching them.
Like I told you, they were very strict. When I married I was forced to keep it a secret but they found out. They were always preaching peace yet they tried to murder me just because I broke their rule and married. My very own teacher, a man I had viewed to be a father figure to me, attacked me. When he couldn't kill me with his weapon, he knocked me into a pit of magma. Remember, this is a man I had known and trusted for twelve years. A few years earlier I had even sacrificed my arm in a battle to save his life, yet apparently that meant nothing to him. All he saw was that I had broken their sacred rule. To make matters worse, they had also kidnapped my son and spirited him away. They never understood family or what it meant to me. I doubt if I will ever find him as so much time has passed.
That is how friends are. They're only your friends when they need you or want something from you. Once they get it, they don't need you anymore. I don't want to see you get hurt the way I did. I trusted him and he betrayed me. Please, make sure your friends don't do the same to you. And just because you knew them a long time doesn't mean anything. Remember, I knew him for twelve long years. He raised me since I was ten-years-old and then tossed me into lava. People are two-faced.
The only one who ever really cared for me was my mother.
This is what you do to meditate. Go sit in a quite room by yourself. At school we used to sit on a mat on the floor, our legs folded. Rest your arms on your legs. Close your eyes. Empty your mind of everything. Do not allow any stray thoughts through. When you first start this will be very difficult but with practice it will become easier. After awhile, you will feel like your floating and you may see images. I never cared for meditating too much as I found it rather boring, but it can be useful.
They also thought us self-defense and how to fight. A big portion of the school was very physical as we were training to be warriors.
Warriors to keep the peace; it even sounds ironic.
What has been keeping you up at night? Please, tell me. That near collision with the other fighter sounds very dangerous. You shouldn't fly when you're in such a state. I want our letters to continue so please be more careful.
Yes, your letters do make me feel better and I look forward to receiving more of them. They are the only bright spot in my solitary life here.
Perhaps I did know your father. What was his name if I may ask? I will show that I trust you by telling you my name first. You must understand that it's extremely difficult for me to do that since I've been deeply hurt so many times by people close to me. I hope you can understand that. You seem an open and trustworthy person but I have been fooled before. Can I trust you?
My name is Anakin.
I will try to tell you about your father if I knew him
I sense you have a good heart, a rare thing in this galaxy. Please fly more carefully and get a good night's sleep.
Will I ever hear from you again?
Hopefully your friend,
Anakin
Vader reread his letter and grinned under his breath mask. If anything would lure his son in, surely this would! Reaching out, he clicked the send button and the letter was on its way to his son's mailbox.
To be continued…
Opal: I guessed it was your browser acting up or you needed to clear your cache. It happens to us all. There is nothing to forgive.