Where Am I Going To?
Part Three
Chapter Two
Anakin Skywalker had never been a patient person. As young Skywalker died and Darth Vader was born, there grew a sense of patience, a rising ease, sprouting endurance.
And it seemed utterly unfair that one person could shatter twenty two years of a patient life.
Vader was anxious. He'd been sent to dog the footsteps of Jerjerrod on board the second Death Star – which, by the by, the building of which Vader had strictly opposed. But there was no arguing with the emperor when he got an idea in his head, and the only thing to do was obey. Jerjerrod was stuffy, not unintelligent, but ambitious, and that was both sin, crime, and quality all at once. He was not nearly so cautious as he ought to be, his ambition stood in the way. Jerjerrod now more nervously maintained the Death Star would be completed on time, nervous only because the emperor was coming.
Was landing, in fact, right now, with hundreds of thousands of Storm Troopers, officers, and the like ready.
And Vader was anxious. Not for the emperor. There was only one thing that called at his numb soul, one thing that enticed and galled him….
Luke.
And when he ought to be tracking down his son after his disappearance from Coruscant a few months back, he was babysitting Commander Jerjerrod, the stuffy, malignant bastard.
The shuttle had landed, and with a click and the hiss of slowly releasing pressure, the ramp began to lower, and Vader took a few steps closer, waiting. Nothing but Palpatine's terrible, yellow eyes were visible from the hood of his cassock, and a wrinkled, gnarled hand emerged from the shadows, beckoning the dark lord's dark servant closer. Vader walked to the end of the gangplank, waiting for Palpatine to finish his slow decent, a weakening shell of a still very powerful man. But Vader pushed thoughts of deceit from his mind, they held no place here. They were dangerous….
Vader bent the knee once Palpatine reached the bottom, and in his husky, dry voice, the emperor said, "Rise, my friend." Vader did so, passing by Jerjerrod and the other commanders, still kneeling, suppliant.
After a careful, casual moment of silence, Vader said, "The Death Star will be completed on time."
"You have done well, Lord Vader." Of course he had. "…And now I sense you wish to continue your search for your son."
It was amazing that Vader's feet kept going as his heart had entirely stopped. No, he wasn't entirely surprised the emperor knew that Vader was hungry to continue the hunt. It didn't take a great deal of brains to know that that was what Vader desired more than anything. Xizor had seen it, when he'd still been alive, and Jade could hardly fail to note it, probably with her infernal sense of self righteousness.
Now where was that girl, anyway? Not seeing her for months wasn't exactly unheard of, but it seemed unusual. When he'd asked the emperor before, he dismissed she was on some planet, training or some such thing. Vader didn't like it, not at all…
But he had better things to worry about. The emperor was expecting a reply, and the only thought that really dominated was how badly he wanted his son back.
"Yes, my master," he admitted rather softly, glancing down at the man much shorter than he was.
"Patience, my friend." Everyone always said that! Yoda and Obi-Wan and Padmè and Palpatine. There was no escaping it, and with the last name he generally accomplished it. But, no, not now, not after four years, not after destroying Xizor above Coruscant and fighting his son on Bespin, and…. "In time, he will seek you out." Now Vader did stop walking, his breathing refraining from becoming erratic only because it was regulated by the blasted respirator he was forced to wear.
Palpatine paused, looking back at him with shrewd, slightly irritated expectancy. "And when he does, you must bring him before me."
That made Vader cower. Luke was a Rebel traitor, and he was not sure that his position as heir to throne could save him from a terrible revenge the emperor might have in store for him. Unless…
"He has grown strong." Oh yes, he had. "Only together can we turn him back to the Dark Side of the Force."
Vader nodded, gulped, and kept walking at his emperor's side.
You cannot escape your fate, Luke. No matter what it might be….
…
"That face you make. Look I so old to young eyes?"
He did look old, that was true enough.
Luke had arrived on Dagobah, very much a Jedi, but making it quite clear he would take whatever Yoda dished at him, but only so far. There was a vague sense of who he was, and he would fight to the death to maintain it. But if Luke had expected a reprimand, he'd been let off surprisingly easy.
"Fight your father, did you?" he'd asked.
Flushing, stuttering for only a moment, Luke replied with a hot, "Yes."
"Win you did not."
"No, Master Yoda."
There had been a slight pause, Luke still showing no real remorse before Yoda pointed to the hut with his Gimmer stick. "Inside, go you. Dinner we will have." Luke had smiled softly, and followed the old Jedi in. And there they sat now, calm and cool and quiet while Luke absorbed the sight with his big, sad blue eyes.
"No," he whispered in response to the Jedi's question. "No, of course not."
Yoda smiled, weakly leaning on his stick for support. "I do, yes, I do. Sick, I have been. Old and weak…"
"Never, Master Yoda."
Yoda looked up at him again, chuckling. "When nine hundred years old you reach, look this good you will not." But the laugh became a cough, and Luke worriedly helped the Jedi into his chair, tucking the blanket around him, eyes sad pools.
"Soon I will rest. Forever sleep, yes. Earned it, I have."
"Not yet, Master, please don't go yet." Yoda twitched a pointy ear, looking up, expecting. "I…I need you. I kept my promise, see?"
Yoda smiled weakly. "Yes…." He whispered. "Young Skywalker, as good as his word."
"I tried. I tried very hard."
"Mhm. Grown much, you have. Proud, Obi-Wan is of you."
Luke froze, eyes sharp, breathing short. "Master Yoda….My father-"
"Face your father you must, if a Jedi you will become."
"But I…Master, he said something to me, about….about Master Obi-Wan. Force," he ran a hand through his hair, deciding honesty was the best policy. "Vader said that Obi-Wan kidnapped me from my mother. Master Yoda, I must know. Is it true? This is something you've got to tell me."
Yoda was slightly shocked, trying to garner up his last strength, failing slightly as he sank back into the bed. "Ask Obi-Wan, you must."
"Master, I-"
"But all of this depends, as Obi-Wan has told you before," he paused for a cough and Luke leaned in, desperate, "on how view you the world. Yes, Luke, from your mother you were taken, and by Obi-Wan. And reluctant she was. But think you, think! Know you, in your heart, whether your father speaks the truth or not. And Obi-Wan….shall you ask…." Luke carefully pillowed the Jedi's head in his hands, gulping as he watched the soul begin to fade from the body, offered up the interconnectedness of the everlasting Force. "Luke…Luke…."
"I'm here, Master Yoda, I'm here…."
"You are not the only….Sky…walker…."
Luke blinked, his jaw dropped, and he burned with another question. But Yoda was gone, he could see that, and in the dark silence of the lonely hut he whispered, "Master?" And there was no reply. Horrified, he slowly set the frail old body of a great and wonderful Jedi down, backing away in abject terror.
I am here alone….
He doused the lights in the house, turned back to the body of Yoda to find it gone, just as gone as Obi-Wan's had been when his father had struck him down. Luke crawled from the house, shivering in fear.
"I can't do it… I can't go on alone."
"But, Luke, you are never alone, remember? I made you a promise."
Luke looked up, gulped again and drew back. The shimmering blue ghost of Obi-Wan stood, patient and tall.
"Master Obi-Wan…."
"You look surprised to see me. And none too happy."
"I…" Luke faltered, taking a few steps closer. "I…" He rushed up, stopping just short of rushing into his arms as he had the last time. "Why weren't you there for me on Bespin?" he demanded now. "Why, Obi-Wan, why do you leave me alone when I need you the most?"
"I've already told you, Luke," he replied softly, opening one arm to him. "You are never alone." And then Luke could not resist but to rush into the Jedi's arms, allowing silvery tears to slide down his cheeks in mourning for everything that had been sacrificed over the last four years.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he coughed, choking on his own emotion. "You promised you wouldn't lie to me."
"I didn't lie to you, not this time."
"Then who do I believe?" he insisted, pulling away slightly. "I don't know who to believe anymore!"
"Luke," Obi-Wan said with a great sigh, motioning his former padawan over to a log to sit on while the ghost momentarily paced. "Your mother, Padmè Amidala Skywalker, was a strong and good person, and she did not break where your father had. But no one could really protect her or you from your father or the Emperor were he to ever find out. And in Anakin's mind, yes, I did kidnap you, you were destined to be a Sith. But Anakin never quite learned that he was not always so right as he thought. If you stayed with your mother, you were doomed to become exactly like your father. And so I volunteered to take you to Tatooine, to live with your step uncle and aunt."
Obi-Wan sat down now, rubbing his hands together briefly. "Here," he said softly. "Let me finally tell you the whole truth."
To Be Continued…
You guys are going to LOVE the next chapter. In other news, well, wow….ROTJ, already. And I'm so full of zeal that the chances of another update or two within the next ten hours is somewhat likely (I've already gotten the next chapter written.) In a way, it's kind of sad. I was hoping maybe I wouldn't finish until late February, a sort of one year anniversary thing. But I am on a role, and I am really looking foreword the rest of this. Also of my sad note is that I don't think Part Three will be 20 chapters, which is really too bad. It was totally unplanned that both the first parts would be twenty chapters, it just worked out that way. But ROTJ is shorter than the other two, so, well, not much to do. But enough of that! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews for the last chapter, and hello to new fans! Much love and kisses.
Ledagirl321: Oh, are you? Then what you've got to read is "The Shadows Suit Me," by Luke1. One of the first SW fics I read and a classic! And Luke1 is a really nice person. So, um, yes, you'd love it.
Angel Sanada: And there's more after this.
Madame Naberrie: I'm actually not a big EU person. My personal fav is the Original Trilogy. So, the fic's going to end the day after the Battle of Endor, but there will be sidelines after that, those won't probably ever really stop. Oh, don't worry about high school. It's really not all that scary. You'll do fine.
Spirit White: Oh, thanks! I liked that bit
Tap Dancing Widow: Really? ESB's my favorite, closely followed by ROTJ.
HermioneSkywalker: Ishn't he sho coot?
Stephanie C: Yes, sorry, Yoda snuff's it.
denique: Oh, no problem Thanks much, happy new year!
Schnickledooger: Oh, sorry on the dentist. Don't worry, at the rate I'm going, you'll see her far sooner than you or I want to.