A/N: It never rains, it pours. Here I've managed to within twelve hours, and I'm working on chaptereight already.

Thanks for the concern about my grandmother. She's currently in the hospital, dying from cancer. Even in what may well be her last days, she remains an inspiration and a blessing to all, with her positive outlook and ready smile.

Be forwarned that this chapter contains scenes of violence that might be a bit disturbing for some.

Chapter 7 - Shadows of the Past

Luke tried to see the humour in the situation, but it was a rather difficult task. If he focused hard enough, the dark colours of the hallway seemed ridiculously over-serious, the bulkiness of the stormtroopers' armour impractical, and the measured gait of the Imperial officer ludicrous. Of course, then reality set in, and the weapons in the stormtroopers' hands, the hardness of the aide's face, and the uncertainty of his fate made him step forward a little less steadily. Luke gulped.

"Where's Vader?" he asked, breaking the monotonous sound of boots upon metal. He'd been tempted to call Vader father, but then perhaps the aide didn't know Vader was his father, and he realized how awkward that might be.

"None of your business, rebel." the aide said curtly, not bothering to look at him.

Fantastic. This would be a long trip, "Well I'm sorry, I just assumed you would know where he is." Luke answered, trying to observe the man while not outwardly appearing to look at him. Perhaps he could be tempted to reveal more.

"You won't bait me that way." the man answered, almost with a chuckle, "Here we are."

And indeed, they had arrived at the hangar, which was, Luke realized, a private hangar. There was an assortment of various ships lined about, some with parts strewn across the floor. Obviously someone enjoyed working on them on a regular basis – someone Luke suspected to be Vader. Perhaps blood was not all they shared. Tinkering on ships would be at least one common interest.

Before Luke could observe the entire hangar, he was hustled inside a ship. A stormtrooper quickly grabbed his hand and cuffed it around the side of the chair he pushed Luke into. With the flight strap placed around him, Luke was rather securely fastened. That was, if he didn't use the force. If it became a necessity, Luke would certainly avail himself of the ability - assuming Vader didn't notice.

Luke focused his attention back on the aide. "Do you have a name?"

"Yes." the man answered placidly, without continuing.

"Do you…want to tell me it?" Luke continued, nodding his head in an exasperated fashion.

"No."

"You're not much of a talker, are you?" Luke queried, annoyed. If Vader had not wanted to deal with him, he'd certainly chosen the right person to take his place – that was, from his perspective.

"I don't mind if you keep talking, if you don't mind that I keep ignoring you."

Luke sighed, rolled his eyes, and leaned back in his seat. He was quiet for a minute, until he felt the shuttle gear up for take-off. At that moment, he felt his father's presence enter the hangar and the shuttle, but he never materialized before Luke. Obviously, he wished to be alone for the trip. Curious, Luke reached out to skim the surface of Vader's consciousness, but was shoved back roughly.

'Father…' he sent silently, but received no response.

The chair vibrated slightly as the shuttle took off, and the vibrations turned into a mild shudder as the craft entered hyperspace. Luke tried reaching out to the mind of Vader's aide, but he was once again shoved back into his own mind. Luke decided to make the best of the situation, and turned his thoughts towards the recent events. He calculated where in the universe the Executor might have been and where he was going. He wondered whether his friends were still safe, and what they were doing in his absence. They were probably horribly worried about his safety. As he thought, his brow folded in concentration, which was only broken by the shuttle shaking as it left hyperspace.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, feeling the shuttle descend. "Lost in thought?" the aide asked, in a friendly enough voice.

"Yes," Luke answered with a yawn.

"Well I wouldn't make a habit of it. There's no reason to actually put those brains to use after years of atrophy." The man answered.

Luke glared, "I see they've been trying to give officers a sense of humour back at the assembly line. Looks like they've failed."

The stormtroopers took the binders off his wrists, and he was hustled out of the shuttle, and into bright light. At first it was so stunning that Luke could not see a thing, but his ears could hear a great roar, like nothing he had ever experienced. It was not the natural roar of water traveling at great speed, but the sounds of…machines…

Speeders, transports… a…speedway? He whirled around and caught sight of lines of ever moving traffic in all directions. Everywhere he looked, there were metal creations rushing past him. He himself was on some sort of huge platform structure, and before him stood an impressive towering building. It looked vaguely familiar, like something he had seen on the holonet.

Mechanical breathing joined the symphony of traffic, and Vader stepped towards Luke briskly, "You may have seen this place before," he declared, "It once was the Jedi Temple, until I brought an end to the hypocrisy of those who thought they were my masters."

"Why have you brought me here?" Luke asked, his voice quivering slightly as he asked the question he did not truly want answered.

"You will see the 'truth' you prize so greatly, young one." Vader answered, striding towards the building. Luke followed hesitantly, aided in his motion by a little prod in the back.

"The exterior of the temple is not as it once was, and the outer rooms have been modified, but the interior is very much preserved." Vader informed him, as if he were giving a tour.

Luke was brought out of his reserve as he walked through the temple, his imagination captured by the remaining signs of the previous inhabitants. Every now and then they came across a fountain or statue that had been defaced and otherwise destroyed, but there was still much to see. Yet as they drew further into the temple, Luke became disturbed. Something was not right.

"You can feel it…" Vader noticed.

"What is it?" Luke asked, breathlessly.

"Shadows of the past." Came the reply, sharp and terse.

Vague images flashed before Luke's eyes, but they were random and quick, with wild colours that produced racing emotions within his heart. Finally realizing they had stopped, Luke looked up, and noticed that they were in a large auditorium room, with chairs lining the walls in a circle. It was fairly dark in the room, and it appeared that all the colour had been sucked out of it, and replaced by unrest and…waves of anger.

Emotions began hitting Luke like great walls, though he knew they were not his own.

Anxiety... relief… horror… fear… pain… anger...

More images rose to his mind, and they screamed in their sharpness, though they were like twisted images which hurt his eyes. Shapes and colours took on new dimensions, as they fought against each other for dominance. What noises he could hear were as greatly distorted as his vision. Though his eyes were wide open, the room began to morph and stretch, as time seeming to rip apart and occurrences of the past gushed through the breach to assault his mind. There were children in the room, hiding behind the chairs… They were so real, Luke felt he could have reached out and touched them, and how he would have liked to, for they cowered in fear. Sounds of shouting and gunfire drifting through Luke's ears, but they were so distorted they went from background noise to piercing screams in seconds. The door whizzed open, and Luke turned to see who had come. He sense the fear leave the children partially, and one stepped forward.

"Master Skywalker! There are too many troops! What should we do?" The boy's form refused to remain a steady shape, but he was young, Luke knew. A mere child.

And…there was his father, in the room with him! "Father!" Luke called, as he waited for the tall figure of his father, draped in a cloak from head to toe, to notice him and smile, or at least comfort the child.

Instead, he was hit by fierce emotions like he had never known. Intense fear, with a million jagged edges that bit into his skin and stung his eyes, and anger not yet old and solid, but amorphous as water, and as bitter as acid. Anakin's lightsaber suddenly appeared in his hand….

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Luke screamed from his depths, the sound nearly wrenching his lungs from his body. He leaped forward to place himself between the coming blow, or to hold the arm that bore the sword from crashing down on the blonde head before it. Yet as hard as he tried to race forward, he was no closer to his father. The blade came down and….

Luke screamed again in horror, as the young child was felled by the blade. The others turned their eyes in fear. Some were paralyzed by their emotions, and remained in place, while others tried to charge towards the door, only to be cut down mercilessly by that horrid blade. Tears rolled down Luke's cheeks, as he shouted again and again, "No, no!" Yet his incessant litany did not stop the carnage. He tried to close his eyes, but he found that if he possessed any eyelids, they were as transparent as air. Before him the massacre unfolded in what seemed like ages. The sounds of screams were all around him, buffeting him so that he could barely stand. Each death resounded through the force and cried out to him in agony. Before him, the figure of his father changed to resemble Darth Vader more and more, until every child had been slain, and a dark silhouette walked towards him.

"This is who I am, boy." Vader said, nearly shouting, with anger and agony mingled together. "I am Darth Vader."

The bodies still lay on the floor, their faces twisted upwards in looks of pure dread. The tears continued to pour down Luke's face, as he made no answer.

There was nothing to say.

Vader walked away from him quickly, and Luke stumbled, nearly collapsing onto the floor. Steady hands reached out and grabbed him before he fell, but they were not gloved with leather. He could not care to look around and see the face of whoever held him, for all that his tear filled eyes could see where the horrors of the room.

The strong grip led him out of the room, and Luke followed numbly, dead to all his senses. The corridors they past through made no impression upon him, nor the transport that took him from the temple. Only when after many steps he was eased back onto something soft did Luke's consciousness register a sensation. Exhausted and worn beyond his limits, he instantly passed from the world of awareness into sleep.

"Sleep without dreams, young one. Sleep without cares." His guide told the exhausted figure, before silently withdrawing.

When Luke awoke the next day, he had no memory of where he was. Then it slowly came back to him, and he started sobbing again, shaking in the depths of his anguish. So buried in grief was he, that it took awhile before Luke realized that the sound of harsh breathing permeated the room. He looked up through those tear soaked eyes, with his unruly blonde hair strewn across them. He looked up and saw the man he called father, and he could not endure the site.

"Leave me!" he screeched, but he knew he could nothing to enforce the command. And Vader knew so as well. He remained perfectly stationary, breathing regularly and rhythmically. Though not a loud noise, it was utterly painful for Luke's ears. "What do you want?" he begged.

"Do you understand now, child, that I am not Anakin Skywalker? Have you abandoned your foolish dreams to bring me back to the light?" Vader asked him forcefully. Luke hugged his pillow and said nothing. "Do you!" Vader thundered.

In response, Luke whipped the pillow at him, and for good measure, used the force to throw every other object that was small enough to make a good projectile in the room. They all fell to the ground before hitting Vader, as if some invisible shield protected him. Luke's breathing was ragged, and he took deep breaths to control it.

He took one last deep breath, and let it out slowly, and turned to look at his father earnestly, "I vow that with every breath and every beat of my heat, I shall live to destroy Darth Vader." Vader hissed, and Luke was unsure if it was in pleasure or anger, "But it was not Anakin Skywalker who killed those children."

"Anakin Skywalker is dead." Vader answered crisply.

Lukelooked at him, forcing himself to meet his stare without cringing, "If I took off that mask and and gazed into your eyes, would they be the eyes of a monster, or my own staring back at me?"

"You are incorrigible." Vader accused.

"I might say the same of you." Luke answered bitterly.

"I would advise you to change your attitude, before you force me to take steps that I do not wish." Vader warned.

Did you wish this on your son?

"I shall be mediating." Vader finished with a huff, storming out of the room.

"Try some soul-searching while you're at it," Luke shouting at his retreating form, "You might just find one!"

"You were warned, child!" Vader's voice echoed through the hallways, "You were warned."