Title: Ghost of the Past
Author: Spirit White
Summary: Luke Skywalker died at thirteen years of age. Abruptly, the threads of the future were torn to pieces and remade, and Leia Organa and Lord Darth Vader must deal with the consequences.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by George Lucas, Lucasfilms Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Revised Friday, May 11th, 2007
Chapter Three: Vader
He's on the Devastator, Qui-Gon had said.
He calls himself Darth Vader.
Who woulda known, Luke thought incredulously to himself, that Darth Vader, second in command of the Empire itself, would be little Luke Skywalker's father? Luke Skywalker who was called 'wormie' by his closest friends?
Who woulda thought that little Luke Skywalker's idolized, worshipped father would scare the bantha spit out of him, just by seeing the man? Luke wasn't quite clear on this whole Destiny thing - not even rebellious Qui-Gon would tell him that - but seeing his father in his dark armor and cloak put a whole new layer of meaning to the word Destiny. He wished Qui-Gon had explained better. He frowned. Were all Jedi so...so...he couldn't think of an appropriate word, actually, but something annoying, for sure.
The Devastator was quite a nice ship, Luke allowed, peering cautiously around one sharp corner. The broad cloaked back was rapidly moving down the corridor, said cloak billowing out in the wake. Actually, Luke decided as he hurried after the retreating figure, the Devastator was more than a nice ship...it was too fantastic for words.
Having caught up with his rapidly striding father - his father, he still couldn't believe it - Luke was rather annoyed to see that he couldn't slow to a walk - his legs were far too short for that - but was forced into an awkward sort of hopping jog-walk sort of thing. He cursed quietly in Huttese, his second language, but then looked around rather guiltily. If Uncle Owen had ever heard that...he shuddered. It didn't bear thinking about.
While moving along beside him, Luke examined the blinking lights on Vader's chest as best he could with the man striding so fast, and wondered curiously where Vader was going.
That was answered when they emerged onto the bridge of the Devastator. His father moved right up to a man dressed in a pale uniform with a hat, who straightened up quickly and gave a curt nod.
"Lord Vader, we are approaching Imperial Center now. We will be coming out of hyperspace in approximately five standard minutes."
"Very well, Captain," Vader said, and Luke jumped at the deep, resonant bass that emerged from the sinister-looking mask. "Have my shuttle readied. Remain in orbit until I return."
"Yes, Lord Vader," the Captain said smartly. He turned and nodded sharply to an ensign, who hurried away. Vader turned and stared out the viewport, the deep blue of hyperspace lined with white the only thing to see. However, never before seeing such a sight, Luke was instantly intrigued. He stood right up close to the window in awe, staring out into the blue. He almost didn't see his father leaving the bridge, and had to run again to catch up. He only just managed to jump into the shuttle that Vader boarded before the hatch closed and Vader sat at the controls. A moment later, the Devastator shuddered as it left hyperspace. The shuttle's engine's whined as Vader lifted it up, and the hangar bay's hatch opened wide, yawning like a great mouth. Beyond it was the velvety black of open space, lit with a brilliant backdrop of stars.
Luke slumped in the co-pilot's chair as the shuttle cleared the hangar bay and looped around. A moment later, Luke gaped as they faced a huge planet that glittered and glowed with its own light. Luke had heard of this place.
This was Imperial Center.
Luke watched as Imperial City grew bigger and bigger, and the many lights that gave the entire planet its glow coalesced into discernable lights, lighting up enormous skyscrapers of the like Luke had never before seen.
He wasn't even jolted when his father sat the shuttle down, and he only realized they were on the ground when Vader started to unbuckle his seat restraints and stand up. Luke jumped up to follow.
"Welcome back, Lord Vader," an officer on the docking bay greeted his father as he strode down the ramp. "The Emperor wishes to see you at your earliest convenience."
"I am on my way," Vader rumbled in reply, not even pausing to glance at the officer. He strode briskly away, leaving Luke scrambling to keep up.
Luke wanted to call out to his father to wait for him, but common sense kicked in just before he shouted and he remembered that one, he wasn't visible to Vader right then, and two, he wasn't supposed to let Vader see him yet. So he simply continued to trot after the long-legged figure as they made their way into the Imperial Palace, and moments later, into Emperor Palpatine's own throne room.
Vader slowed as he entered the room, making his way towards the steps that led to a huge chair, currently turned away from them. Vader, to Luke's surprise, knelt at the bottom of the steps.
"Rise, Lord Vader," came a voice from the chair. Luke jumped. The voice was…strange. Slick…almost slimy sounding. The chair turned, and Luke reared back in surprise at the grotesque face. Flesh, pallid and flabby, seemingly rotting right off the skull. Sickly yellow eyes peering from the bulging folds, and rotting yellow teeth. Luke swallowed, his stomach rolling.
The room seemed…wrong. A cloying feeling permeated the air, sickly sweet. Luke was afraid to open his mouth; afraid the feeling would settle on his tongue like thick, poisoned syrup…impossible to remove all the way. He shivered and shifted closer to his father, wanting comfort even though it was practically impossible for him to be harmed. At least his father didn't feel like this; he didn't think he'd be able to stand it for very long.
"What is thy news, my master?" Vader asked, and the previously commanding voice was suddenly soft and subservient. Luke stared in surprise.
"Mon Mothma, Lord Vader," the Emperor said quietly. Luke would have thought him simply mentioning the name in passing if the Force hadn't bucked as he said it. It gave the feeling that he was spitting the words even though he said them in a perfectly even tone.
"She has been extremely careful, my master," Vader said. "I have not been able to accumulate irrefutable evidence against her yet. However, I feel I am getting closer to her, and I feel that she will soon make a mistake. I will be there when she does, and will strike then."
"Very well, Lord Vader," the Emperor said. He leaned back in his wide, swivelling chair, his face cracking to a wide, disgusting smile. When he spoke again, his voice was low and crackling, infused with smug delight.
"Did you feel the pulse in the Force not long ago, Lord Vader?" The Emperor asked. Vader's helmet tilted in a way that suggested he was looking at the man above him.
"I did, my master," he said calmly, and Luke flinched as Palpatine laughed, a harsh, rasping sound.
"A brilliant light extinguished," the Emperor said with relish. "Another Jedi, gone."
"The Force is tilted, my master," Vader said, but Luke couldn't distinguish anything from the tone of the vocoder. Palpatine, however, snapped his yellow gaze to Vader.
"The Force is in balance," the old man hissed. Then, as abruptly as the horrific expression appeared, it vanished, leaving a serene visage in its place. "You insured that," the Emperor continued, all of a sudden gracious and kindly. "Very well, I might add."
"Thank you, my master," Vader replied distantly. Palpatine nodded, and settled further in his chair, looking relaxed. He gazed around the room for a moment, smiling idly.
"I wonder who it was," he said, finally. "I am afraid I did not recognize the light...perhaps you, Lord Vader?"
There was a long, very long, pause, before Vader replied. "I am afraid not, my Master," he said finally. "I did not recognize it.
Luke wondered if Palpatine could sense the lie in his father's voice, and the possibility spooked him so much that he left his father's side, reaching out for that sparkling presence that was his sister.
She was twirling in front of a mirror, dressed in a graceful white dress with a scooped neck and wide, pointed cuffs. She wore silver –colored shoes on her feet and a large silver pendant around her neck with the Alderaan Senate logo etched into it. Her hair was drawn up into a tight coil on the back of her head, with several long silver cords streaming down her back, ending in soft tassels.
"Going somewhere?" He asked casually as he slumped in his seat. Used to his abrupt appearances and departures, Leia merely glanced at him and continued examining herself in the mirror.
"Yes," she replied absently. "My mother's sister's son, Julian, is having his coming of age party and I must attend."
"Oh?" Luke grinned, watching his sister, the Princess of Alderaan, twirl around the mirror in her expensive gown while he lounged in her chair in his Tatooine whites. "Can I come?" Leia blinked and looked at him.
"Well, I don't see why not," she smiled. "Might liven it up…Julian is so dull!"
"I'm sure," Luke rolled his eyes. "You never do anything fun! Don't you ever want to do something just because it's fun? Like borrow one of the guards' swoop bikes and go for a joyride?"
"No!" Leia said sounding scandalized. "Besides, Alderaan guards don't have swoops. They have airspeeders."
"Well excu-use me," Luke said, rolling his eyes.
"Also, I have no desire to commandeer an airspeeder, as I have no need for reckless thrills." She said haughtily. Luke rolled his head back against the seat in exasperation.
"You see?" He asked. "You're no fun!"
"Oh, leave it be, my exasperating brother. Did you have an interesting time following Lord Vader around?" Luke shrugged, noncommital, avoiding his sister's gaze. When he'd told her of his intention to go to Vader, his sister had told him in no uncertain terms exactly what she thought of the Emperor's apprentice. He thought he might have scorch marks, really.
"He's not a great role model to have, you know,"Leia said, adjusting a pin in her hair.
"I know, I know," Luke said in exasperation. "Just leave it, will you? By the way, Ben should be here, or almost, shouldn't he? You said it's three days from Tatooine to Alderaan, and its been three days."
"For the last time, Luke, it's Obi-Wan!"
"Well, I was raised with him as Old Ben, so there!" Luke retorted. Leia just gave him a look. Luke smiled charmingly.
"Oh, all right, call him Ben if you like. I have an evening engagement. Are you coming along or not?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," he said, pushing himself off the chair. He looked longingly at it. It looked so wonderfully comfortable. Unfortunately, being dead meant that it didn't give under his weight, and so was hard as a rock. With a sigh, Luke followed his sister as she made her stately way down the hall, her hair shining in the light and the silver tassels shimmering. Luke snickered quietly as he followed her.
"Are you laughing at me?" She hissed from in front of him. "Shut up, you nerf-herder!" Luke couldn't help it. He burst out into delighted peals of laughter. In a huff, his sister stalked away. He sniggered as he jogged to catch up.
She stopped stalking as they got to the Palace grand staircase, and slowed her pace back to its stately appearance, chin held high and back straight. Luke mocked her by mimicking her posture exactly, a fake-solemn expression on his face. She shot him a dirty look.
"Ah, Leia, you look stunning," Leia's adoptive father, Bail Organa, said from a few feet away.
"Thank you," Leia replied coolly. "Shall we go?"
"We shall," Bail Organa replied with a laughing smile. Luke snickered behind Leia. She made a rude gesture with her hand behind her back as she took her father's arm.
The party room was almost full when they arrived, guests milling around with drinks in their hands, making small talk. When Leia and Bail entered there was a murmur of greeting from the assembled people, and Leia curtsied.
"Good evening, all," Bail said, his voice carrying. "I'd like to welcome you all to Alderaan Palace and wish the guest of honor, Mr. Julian Norindo, a happy lifeday! Now, if we could have some music, if you please, something soft, yes, thank you." The band started something soft and lilting, easy to talk over. Leia made her way over to a group of young women and girls. Luke followed.
"Adelaide, hello," Leia said as she arrived at the group. A girl, about Leia's age with long, straight honey blond hair and clear blue eyes returned the greeting and gave Leia a slight hug. She had a dusting of freckled across her nose and cheeks and was slightly taller than Leia. The two girls began to talk quietly, and made their way towards the refreshment table to get drinks. Sighing, Luke followed.
A tall, dark-haired young man greeted Leia at the table. When he spoke it was with the absent quality of the slow minded. Leia returned the greeting with a pleasant smile.
"This is boring, Leia," Luke said as they moved away from the table. Leia glanced at him, her smile rather fixed. Her eyes told him to shut up. He ignored her. "I mean, I thought there would be fun music and stuff." His eyes wandered the party. "But all I see is little elite groups of nobodies."
"Excuse me, Adelaide, but I must use the refresher," Leia said pleasantly. "I'll meet you back here in a few moments, all right?"
"Of course, Leia," Adelaide replied, and Leia, with a jerk of the head at Luke, moved away. Sighing, Luke fell into step beside her.
"Here, Luke, parties are calm, pleasant, light-hearted affairs! Not wild, rowdy brawls!" Luke rolled his eyes at his sister.
"How boring!" He complained. Shaking his head, he wandered away from his sister, ignoring her hisses to come back. He moved back to the refreshment table, watching as many guests came and went. Adelaide still waited there, nursing her drink. Leia returned a few moments later, just as another young man, about eighteen, came over. Dark-haired like most of the people there, he had a face that seemed to settle into a natural sneer.
"Leia, Adelaide, how nice to see you," he said quietly. The girls who'd been giggling about something a moment before, stopped and turned to look at the young man.
"Lorrk," Leia said slowly, her face frozen in a tense smile. "Pleasure, as always." She seemed to get tenser as the young man leaned nonchalantly against the table, crossing his arms. Luke straightened up and frowned.
"A friend of yours, Leia?" He questioned doubtfully. Leia glanced his way and gave one minuscule shake of the head. Luke's eyes lit up. A plan instantly developing in his mind, Luke watched and waited until the young man, now chatting to Leia like they were old friends, finally served himself a drink. Luke darted around the table, examining trays. Smiling, he spotted what he wanted. Large, deep green olives, the kind with the strong flavor, were on one tray. Concentrating like Qui-Gon had taught him, Luke managed to reach through the Force-walls separating his reality from Leia's and lift one of the olives with the Force. When Lorrk wasn't looking, the olive slid soundlessly into his drink. With a wicked grin at a wide-eyed Leia, he crushed it.
Leia looked stunned.
The next casually elegant sip Lorrk took of his drink stalled in his mouth as a confused expression came over his face. He swallowed painfully and looked into his drink in consternation. Luke couldn't help it - he laughed.
"That was unbelievable!" Leia hissed later that night as they made their way up the stairs. She held her dress up to avoid stepping on it, looking tired. "I couldn't believe it when you crushed that olive…poor Lorrk! He had no idea how it happened!"
"I know," Luke laughed. "Come on, Leia, it was funny!" Leia didn't answer, and Luke looked over at her. Her face was averted. "Leia?" He asked nervously. "All right, I'm sorry, I won't to it again…" he trailed off. His sister's shoulders were shaking.
She was laughing.
"Hey!" Luke said, eyes widening. Her laugh pealed out, echoing slightly.
"All right, all right," she hiccupped. "Yes, it was funny. The expression on his face…it was all I could do not to laugh right there in front of him."
"There," Luke said, smug. "I knew you had a sense of humor." Leia batted at him, giggling.
"Go on, you!" She ordered. "It's late…don't dead people sleep?" Grinning, Luke waved goodbye to her and let his surroundings fade.