Luke couldn't believe his luck. It had seemed impossible to avoid his father on the small ship, but they had only spoken five words between them. Luke had stepped on his father's cape and fallen flat while saying "Excuse me" and he had been studying late the first night when his father had said "Get some rest."
Now Luke sat in the copilot's chair next to Vader in the most awkward silence of his life. He could sense a few things through the force without even trying; so he knew that the feeling was pretty mutual. Here goes nothing…
"So what is Honoghr? A desert, a forest, an ice ball, or grab bag?" Luke had his fingers crossed behind his leg.
"Honoghr was temperate before the clone wars. A ship crashed into it and destroyed a lot of the ecology. The Noghri think of me as their leader because I was assigned to the negotiations for piece and was first to report the damage to their planet. They think I did more than I actually did, which suits our purposes because they won't ask questions. We shouldn't have too much trouble getting them to cooperate." To call the conversation 'stiff' was to redefine the word.
"What, exactly, are we going to do when we get there?" small talk didn't seem an option, and the less words the better.
"I'm going to train you." Vader wasn't enjoying this any more that Luke was, but it had to be done if they were to work together. They also would need trust, but Vader wasn't sure how to manage that.
"Why don't you want to turn me to the dark side?" Luke had been convinced that turning him was the reason Vader and the Emperor wanted him, and that turn of events had bugged him.
Does he not know how to ask easy questions!? After a few moments of thick silence, the counter reached zero and they pulled out of hyperspace. "Obi-wan didn't raise you to know when to keep quiet and count your blessings did he?"
"Obi-wan didn't raise me at all." Luke was glad to finally to stop asking all the questions; he was starting to feel stupid. At least he knew something about this topic.
"He didn't? I was under the impression that he raised and trained you on Tatooine until you were sent the two droids with the Death Star plans in them." Vader had a personal rule against small talk, but what was another broken rule when you've directly disobeyed and lied to the Emperor?
"I grew up on Tatooine, but I lived with my Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. I guess they aren't really my Aunt and Uncle though." As if there was any doubt.
"Owen is Obi-wan's brother." There was a pause, "How did you manage to get off-planet with him holding your leash? He would never have let Obi-wan near you. The way I remember him, he is about as thick-headed as a bantha." For a short moment the tension lifted as they laughed as the image of a bantha with Owen's head attached to it flashed through the force. Then Luke got serious.
"He was, that's true, but he's dead now..." Luke trailed off suddenly, then continued. "We bought those droids from the Jawas. The R2 unit was bent on finishing its mission for the Alliance and 3P0 was kind of, well, being 3P0. R2 went looking for Ben and I had to…" they had made it to planetary orbit and were hailed by someone. Luke thought he sounded a little strange, like he had a cold.
"Unidentified shuttle, identify yourself and your purposes." The mewing Noghri voice came over the com. Vader absently wished he had another five minutes, then got a hold of himself.
"This is Lord Darth Vader, clear a place for me to land." A bit much of his good mood got through his voice.
"Yes, right away my Lord!" The surprise of the sentry pleased Vader, but he still wanted Luke to continue. However he managed to get away from Owen, it would be quite a story. Besides, maybe things would be easier between them if they knew more than name, rank, and home planet. But he doesn't know your home planet does he? A small voice in the back of his head added, and was squashed quickly.
They landed, and Luke was escorted along a dirt road to a hut like structure. The Noghri turned out to be small and gray. They reminded Luke of felines, only without fur and standing upright, if you could call that upright. It was night on this planet, and so Luke decided to lay down on the small bed, too small actually. His feet stuck over the edge. It was comfortable though, and Luke was soon asleep.
Vader lie in his own bed, unable to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about their conversation on the shuttle. What had happened? For a few moments… something… had changed between them. One part of him felt guilty, another part wanted it to happen again, leaving him in the middle of a confusing mess. The facts were there. Luke laughed and the sound had done something to Vader and they laughed together. Had he rubbed the light side? Luke almost dripped force energy, and as far the light side of the force was all the boy knew. Could that be why he felt guilty, that he touched the light side? No, he hadn't done that. He felt guilty because… because… Damn! It isn't my fault I'm no good at this, if only Obi-wan hadn't kidnapped Luke. They he wouldn't be so jumpy around me.
Then that little voice started again, and Vader had to agree with it. Luke dropped his guard, as did I. We relaxed and enjoyed ourselves for a moment. It had felt good not to worry about anything for a few seconds, and I want it to happen again. I feel guilty because if I had fought better and defeated Obi-wan I could have bypassed all this tension. If I had fought better it could have been that way for the past two decades.
For the first time since the Emperor had convinced him otherwise, Vader saw that the hate he had directed to the universe for putting him in pain and taking away what he wanted most, was his own fault. When he did eventually sleep, he had a dream. In it everyone he ever he cared about in the past was pointing out every mistake he made. Criticizing every move he made that had lost him something. That including a tiny bundle with bright blue eyes, screaming and crying, that he couldn't get to no matter how fast he ran. He awoke with a tear-stained pillow, although Darth Vader would never cry, nor would he admit how much the dream bothered him, even to himself.
That night the force was flowing strong, and Luke too had a dream. At first he thought he was himself, but he soon realized that he was taller, and his hair cut differently – a long braid hanging down one side of his face. He had his lightsaber ready in his right hand as he walked through the hot caves. Urgency filled him, he had to succeed, and he had to be fast. There was no other choice. He came out into a large cavern, a crack in the floor of the cave belched superheated gasses, another sign of the activity in the volcano. To his right was a ship rested, ready to fly out the top of the collapsed cave.
He could feel the touch on his mind, he wanted to run blindly into the ship, to reach his goal and find his son. He started toward the ship, a flat run. If his master were here he would run him over. It didn't matter; the force told him he would see his son again. He was almost to the door when Obi-wan appeared. The master looked much younger to Luke, but the man he was now just wanted to keep running, strait into the ship to get his son at top speed.
"Stop, Anakin! I can not allow you in there!" the order was firm, but meant nothing to this man. The door to the ship slammed shut in Anakin's face, he turned to Obi-wan. How dare he stop me! How dare he get in my way! Anakin slashed at Obi-wan with his lightsaber, but was blocked. He swung around, cutting at the older man again. Lightsabers crashed between them as they danced across the cave. They came nearer to the crack in the floor, which was neither as small or shallow as Anakin first thought. That didn't matter though, all that mattered was Luke right now.
I'm coming little one; Daddy will be there soon. Don't cry; I'll be all right. I'll come and pick you up and we can play with your little toys soon, your not alone, don't cry. Anakin pushed as much reassurance though the force as he could. Luke, sensing the fight outside, had started to cry and Anakin couldn't just let that happen. He hated Obi-wan for this. What was his problem anyway? Anakin had to get to his son. The dark side roiled inside him, but was hampered by the love he had for his son. Don't cry; I'll be there and I'll pick you up and hold you over my head so you can fly. I'll make sure you're never ever without me again. Don't worry about me; I'm fine. But he wasn't fine. Obi-wan was slashing at Anakin now, and all he could do was block. Obi-wan cut high, then twisted around for a slash at Anakin's legs, then twirled to deliver another blow from the left. He tried to cut Anakin in half from the right, and the block was almost too late. This is getting ridiculous; there was no way I can win like this.
Anakin jumped high out of reach, onto a ledge over the crack; his only available refuge. "Obi-wan, please. He is my son, why would I hurt him? What reason do you have for keeping me away from him?" Kenobi was shocked at the sudden surrender. "And even if I did, I would have done it already and not run around the galaxy trying to keep him safe."
"It's not you Anakin, it's Vader and Palpatine. They would kill him."
"I'm Vader. It's a code name Palpatine uses for me." He must not be well informed, spends too much time tracking me and not enough time doing his homework.
"He is another person almost. He is a side to you that Amindala and I both fear. The dark side…"
"Your not making sense. I use the dark side when I need to. I mostly use light. It's just another tool, and like every tool I can chose when I want to use it and when another tool will do the job better. Right now I hate you for what your doing, but I love him, so I can't use either with any kind of accuracy."
"We used to be friends…"
"Until you kidnapped my son!"
"How long until the power of the dark side becomes more important than him? You can't speak for Palpatine."
"I want my son." Nothing is more important than my son you blithering idiot! Now let me through!
"Amindala misses him."
"Then I'm going with you. Then you'll see how much I care for him, you can even watch me when I'm with him to make sure I don't do anything."
"She is afraid of you."
"She shouldn't be, I still love her despite what you may have told her." And you wonder why we are no longer friends.
"I've only told her the truth"
"Another reason for me to come, to let her judge for herself."
"Palpatine would kill him, you know that."
"That's why I ran. Trust me once more and let me come with you. I've seen with the force that he will be returned, one way or another, to me." He was pleading now. Luke was screaming for him, he could feel the vibrations in the force. He had to comfort the child. Couldn't Obi-wan sense their connection? Didn't the council realize that he could never full turn to the dark side because of Luke? Isn't that why they were hiding him from Palpatine? Isn't that why Palpatine would kill him? He was not being selfish with the boy; he needed Luke as a link to his sanity. "Can't you understand me Obi-wan? Can't you see what is going on here, what I am trying to do?"
"You're trying to become a Dark Lord of the Sith! I understand perfectly." With that Obi-wan threw up his lightsaber, cutting the rock ledge off the wall.
Anakin had no time to react. The ledge fell down into the crevice below. The burning hot air and sulfur enveloped and choked him. He gasped at the burns on his skin, succeeding only in searing his throat and down into his lungs. The ledge caught as the crack narrowed, and Anakin took his chance to leap up out of the boiling air, only barely making it over the edge. He instantly met with a slashing blade across his chest, curving to cut through right wrist. He tried to run for it, but Obi-wan was too quick and strong. Obi-Wan collided with him fell, Anakin split his scull on a sharp rock, then everything went black.
Luke woke up. He was sweating and crying and still felt the pain were his father had been cut. Instinct took over, and Luke ran out of his house/room as fast as he could. Luke ran up to the door, knowing on instinct that it was the right one, knocked the guard flat, passed through the airlock, and came inside his father's home. He saw his father sitting on the edge of his bed; apparently he had just woken up and had been crying. Luke registered this, but his own hurt mad it impossible for him to contemplate the fact that Darth Vader didn't cry often, or for nothing. He wasn't crying now but Luke was, and he threw himself into his father's arms, hugging him and weeping heavily. The dark Lord was stunned, but didn't push him away or say anything. Instead he simply returned Luke's embrace, letting his own nightmare fade into the past, even shedding a few fresh tears to mingle with his son's.
*He ran past like an animal! Knocked me into the next building and was inside with a flash.* The guard explained to the reinforcements in his native language that had come to his alarm. Normally they never intruded on their Lord, but they were honor bound to see if the attacker had been dealt with and to apologize for allowing him through. The door opened and the scene inside made them all stop short. The 'attacker' was sobbing openly on their Lord's shoulder and mumbling about someone named Ben. Their Lord was not only tolerating this, but quietly shedding tears as he hugged the younger man, and both looked quite shaken by human standards. Their Lord raised his hand and waved them away, this was not for them to see.
Vader listened as Luke described his dream in horrific detail. It must have been very vivid, as he spoke as if he had gone through it himself. The scar across the Dark Lord's chest burned with memory as his son explained how it came into existence, Luke knew the pain, and he had the knowledge of his kidnapping. He knew what Vader went through to get him back; knew that Vader had failed to do it. Worst of all, he knew why.
Vader had made a resolution wile he was healing, a person has a lot of time to think in a bacta tank. He said that he would never be so weak to let himself be taken advantage of again. He would love no one. He would shut out his feelings. He would be what the emperor wanted him to be, strong.
Now Luke knew that he could be loved by his father. That he had been loved, and missed, and fought for. Luke wanted that again. He had lived his life wondering about his parents. He had listened to people say that he, as an orphan, was not wanted or needed or that he was abandoned and that made him worth less.
Now Luke knew. Not just was told, not just wanted to believe, but knew that he was wanted and loved and just as good as anyone else. And he wanted Vader to show it. The problem was that Vader wasn't sure if he could. He wanted to, it didn't sit well with him to push the boy away, but to let himself go soft? If he did give in, he couldn't take it back. It was a decision he had to make now that would change things irreversibly for them. If he didn't give in, he could later, but would there be a better chance… The voices in his dream came back at him, accusing him of abandoning his son, and a thousand other charges, each too true for him to bare.
Without a word Vader brushed the tears off Luke's face, brought him close in a tight hug, and let him fall asleep in his father's arms. When Vader was sure he was asleep, Vader kissed the top of Luke's head, much as he had so many years before, and lay him down in the bed. Once again the gift of comfort was given from father to son. Sofia Dragon: Thank you all for reading! Please review and come back for more!