Chapter IV: Revelations
Luke groaned as someone slapped him across the face, sending his head swinging sharply to the right. He blinked up at a dark figure who was shouting at him, but he couldn't understand any words and he didn't know who that man was, or for that matter where he was. Where was Ben? Where were Han and Chewbacca and his droids? Where was Princess Leia? Who was this man?
"Get him awake! Do it now! I don't care how much of that stuff you have to pump into him – I need him to speak!" the Imperial shouted at the torture droid. The little hovering robot produced a large needle filled with adrenaline and pricked Luke's neck with it. For a moment, Luke was horribly lucid and all the pain he was feeling came roaring to the surface. He gasped like a fish out of water and doubled over, panting. "Tell me what you know about the Jedi, scum." the Imperial grabbed Luke's chin and roughly tilted his head back so they could stare each other in the eye.
"I told you...I don't know anything about them." Luke let his head bounce down to his chest as he licked his cracked lips. The only thing that was bringing him a modicum of comfort was the knowledge that the rest of his group had escaped. At least his torture wasn't for nothing. The Imperial pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation; he could feel a headache coming on, and he needed to produce results from this boy. Lord Vader would be checking in on his progress tomorrow morning, and three days without learning anything substantial did not bode well for him.
"Use the Bavo Six on him again." the man ordered quietly. His voice was barely louder than a whisper, but Luke heard him clearly.
"Please don't," Luke begged, breaking out into a sweat. He had become well acquainted with the drug Bavo Six over the last two days, the pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced before in his entire life. "I'm telling you the truth, please – she was pretty -" Luke's pleas were cut off as the droid injected him with the drug.
Luke doubled over in agonizing pain, unable to even scream for the pain was so great. He could feel it travelling through his veins, it felt as if liquid death was travelling through his body. His every nerve was on fire and his vision started to blur as the pain increased. Luke could feel that he was about to pass out, and thanked the universe for small mercies before slumping over, limp.
The Imperial slammed a fist into the cell wall and clicked his neck angrily. "I can do this all day." he nodded at the droid, and Luke was once again brought back to lucidity.
Darth Vader stared down in disgust at the Imperial before him. The man was sweating so much that his uniform was becoming stained, and the subtle shaking of his hands did nothing to ease Vader's temper. In fact, it was making it worse because clearly the man had failed at his task.
"I do not care for his name or where lives." Vader boomed, cutting over the man's pathetic babbling. "What did you discover about the boys connection to the Jedi?"
"Lord Vader...I – all methods for truth extraction were employed I assure you...I believe that the boy knows nothing sir." Vader could tell that the Imperial was telling the truth and nodded, watching as the tension left the officer's body.
Look at him Anakin... Vader stilled at the voice of his former friend and mentor. Was he imagining it? He glanced over at the boy, unimpressed at what he saw. He was a scrawny thing, short and uninspiring. Dismissing the voice in head, he opened his mouth to issue the order to have him killed.
Anakin...look at him! Vader stilled once again, tuning into the force. Although unconscious, the boy emanated power. What wasted potential. Obi-Wan was a fool not to train him sooner. Vader thought dismissively, but there was more to this situation than met the eye. Vader prided himself on listening to his instincts, and right they were screaming out to him that having this boy killed would be a dire mistake.
"What other information did you discover?"
"Nothing of much importance, Milord. His name is Luke Skywalker and he is nineteen years old. He lived on Tatooine with his aunt and uncle, Beru and Owen Lars, but they are currently deceased..." the officer trailed off, noticing the shift in tone in the atmosphere. Vader's mechanical breathing did not betray the fact that the feared Sith Lord was in shock. For over two minutes, the Sith Lord and the Imperial officer stood facing each other, the latter not daring to move an inch. He barely blinked for fear that would bring Vader's wrath upon him.
If it's a boy, I want to name him Luke... Padmé's sweet face floated into view in his memories, her voice soft as she spoke those words to him...her face as he choked the life from her...
It seems in your anger, you killed her. Sidious had lied to him about killing Padmé and their unborn child. He should not have been surprised; the Emperor had proven himself more than willing and capable of lying to and manipulating his second in command. But still, there was a feeling of something settling in the pit of his stomach. Even though he despised his Master and plotted to kill him every other week, this was a betrayal of the worst kind. He would pay for his deception.
"Remove his restraints." Vader ordered, his voice did not wobble or betray the maelstrom of emotions that he was experiencing. The officer fumbled with shaking hands until the binders were off of Luke. Vader found himself unable to look at the boy for longer than a a few seconds, guilt – an emotion so foreign to him – was starting to bloom in his chest at an alarming rate. He crushed the Imperials windpipe without a second thought and stepped over his crumpled body until he stood before his son.
He reached out and as gently as his mechanical hand would allow, tilted the boys head back by his chin. Luke opened his eyes and with the last of his strength glared at Vader fiercely, hoping to convey just how much he hated him in that one look. The man who murdered his father would know that he was not afraid of him either, and he would die proud of himself just as Ben had. The pain became too much for him though, and he allowed himself to drift off to unconsciousness again.
"Have Doctor Jakar sent for immediately." Vader ordered the small torture bot. Within minutes, Vader's personal medic had arrived and swiftly knelt down by the Imperial. "Not him." Vader snarled. Jakar hesitated only a second before hurrying over to the prisoner instead.
"Milord -"
"Have him taken to my personal medical chamber. I want him stabilised. I will be there shortly." Jakar nodded, his curiosity piqued, "And remember Tylo, I chose you personally for your...discretion. Do not make me regret that decision." satisfied that the unspoken threat had been made clear, Vader swept from the room and made his way to his personal quarters. He had much to consider due to this recent development; his main concern was Sidious. If he were to reveal his newly discovered son, it was certain that Sidious would order him to be killed. For some reason, the thought of that did not sit well with Vader, so he considered his other options.
Climbing into his hyperbaric chamber, he sighed as his mask was lifted by a mechanical arm, allowing his face to feel free. Breathing in pure oxygen, he slipped into a half meditative state and reached out to the force, asking for guidance in his next steps. After half an hour the idea came to him; he would present Luke as a fresh challenge for his Master. He would dangle the opportunity of a younger, more powerful and untrained force user in front of the Emperor. It was well known to Vader that if the opportunity presented itself, Sidious was replace him in a heartbeat.
The fires of Mustafar has severely damaged his body, and by extension his connection to the Force had weakened. He was by no means a force cripple - he still maintained his excellent fighting abilities and attunement to the force, however it was not how it was before that fateful night. Sidious knew that Vader wished to overthrow him, as was customary of the rule of two. He would be insulted if his student didn't want to usurp him, but Sidious was crafty and desired someone young and malleable, who could entrenched in the dark side and completely loyal to him – more so than Vader ever was. He would never give up his position of power.
Yes, Vader thought darkly, Sidious would jump at the chance to train Luke if presented to him correctly. Little would his Master know that in reality father and son would plot to overthrow him together, and then they could rule the galaxy how they saw fit. Vader was not powerful enough to kill Emperor Palpatine alone, but combined with his sons raw strength...it would be no trouble at all.
With his mask securely back in place, Vader travelled the short distance to his private medical chamber. He watched as Doctor Tylo Jakar attended to his son. The man was loyal to him, and Vader had hand picked him himself over fifteen years ago. He was discreet when needed and didn't ask any questions, he was a dependable man with greying hair and thin wire glasses. Jakar was easily one of the very few Imperials that Vader could tolerate.
"What is his condition?" he asked, eyes flitting to and from his sons sleeping form.
"Well Milord, he's taken quite a beating, but I should be able to have him lucid enough to endure longer interrogation within two hours."
"He is not to be interrogated again. I want him back to full health as soon as possible." Vader breathed for a few cycles, sensing that Jakar was bursting with questions, yet he did not ask any.
Smart man. Vader thought, pleased.
"I trust you will not speak about him with anyone else unnecessarily." the doctor shook his head.
"As you wish Milord. I will alert you when he wakes up." Vader nodded in thanks and and moved to stand next to the bed. That look the boy had given him earlier, that was Padmé's fierce determination through and through. His height as well he'd inherited from her. Luke's colouring though was all his...bleach blond hair from years of working in the sun in Tatooine, tanned and with the same electric blue eyes that he had once had. It was as if he were staring at himself when he was younger. Although his son was indeed quite scrawny from afar, up close he could see toned muscle from where he did manual labour. His hands had callouses and were rough from years of using tools. He wondered what his son did before he left Tatooine.
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith and only second to Emperor Palpatine was feeling concerned for his sons welfare. He was so unused to caring, to providing kindness that he feared he had forgotten how. But it came almost easily to him as he reached out with the force and eased his sons pain better than any medication would. The lines of discomfort that were still etched into the youths face smoothed out until he was truly sleeping in peace.
Tylo Jakar watched his employer out of the corner of his eye as he busied himself with paperwork in his office. The boy must be someone special to have captured Vader's attention so thoroughly. He knew better than to ask though, he valued his life far too much. Vader turned suddenly from the room and left without so much as a glance at the doctor. He was angry at Obi-Wan, so angry in fact that he could feel the room starting to shake. Unwilling to disturb his son, he left. He would never have any child of his live on that force forsaken planet. He swore that he would never step foot there again after his mother died.
Obi-Wan was smart, he knew I would never go near Tatooine again. The best place to hide my son. His leather gloves screamed in protest as he clenched his fists again, angry at the lack of justice of it all. His son should have been at his side from birth, taught the ways of the Sith and to tap into his potential as a force user. From what he had seen, the boy didn't even know how to hold a Lightsaber correctly.
He paused outside of the communications room, gathering his thoughts and getting his emotions under control. It was better to face Sidious with a clear head, he could not afford to mess this up. Vader knew it was the best course of action to tell him straight away, meaning that he would have the advantage of surprise on his side. If Sidious found out about Luke before Vader had told him, who knows what information he would have gathered, ready to use against him?
Kneeling down on the floor, Vader waited for the image of Palpatine to appear before him.
"Rise, my friend. Tarkin has informed me of your failure to kill the rebel Princess." Palpatine paused, savouring Vader's anger at the Grand Moff. "He also mentioned that you have a new prisoner." Vader felt ice cold inside, did Palpatine already know? How could he know that he was his son?
"Did he reveal much about the Jedi?" Vader let out an inaudible sigh of relief. Palpatine only knew that the boy had travelled with Kenobi.
"My Master, I have discovered that the boy is Luke Skywalker. He is my son." Palpatine regarded Vader with an unreadable look on his face, assessing his second in command.
"Anakin Skywalker died a long time ago, did he not?"
"Yes, My Master-"
"Then dispose of the boy. We have no use of him."
"He is untrained. Kenobi failed to achieve that before I ended him. We can train him in the ways of the dark side of the force, mould him into a dangerous weapon for the Empire." Vader squeezed his clasped hands behind his back, begging the force to grant him the life of his son.
"You would take him on as an apprentice?" Palpatine asked icily, eyes flashing. He leaned imperceptibly forwards, an ugly look on his face.
"Not as an apprentice, My Master. I would only train him so that he may become a tool of the Empire. The boy in incredibly strong in the force – the strongest I have felt in over a decade. To kill him would be a waste." Vader watched as Palpatine mulled the idea over in his head for a few minutes.
"He would have to be loyal to me. At the slightest hint of any Jedi teachings coming out of his mouth, any disobedience, he will be dealt with by you. Do you understand?"
"Yes My Master. Thank you." Vader knelt down and bowed his head deeply. He could not believe his luck.
Palpatine sneered at him, "Return to Coruscant at once. I wish to meet the boy...it seems that Anakin Skywalker is not as dead as I thought." Vader looked up at the dig, understanding the implied threat behind the Emperors words. If Palpatine thought that Vader was turning back to the light he would be killed, or worse, if he suspected that Vader harboured feelings for the boy, Luke would be used to punish Vader in ways he didn't want to imagine.
As Vader stood, he reviewed the previous conversation in his mind. He was highly suspicious of Palpatine, that had been far too easy. Usually, Palpatine would drag out the process of denying Vader something that he really wanted, and yet here he was, telling him he could train his son.
The Sith Lord could not shake his growing feeling of unease, but he had more pressing matters to attend to. He could sense that the boy was awake, long before Doctor Jakar buzzed his comlink to let him know. Luke's force signature was like a beacon in the darkness, or like a lighthouse during a stormy night. He was pure, unadulterated innocence, untainted by the dark side. Vader allowed himself a moment of selfishness and bathed himself in Luke's presence, and for a moment his scars and the pain from the burns were completely melted away, and he felt like he could breath again. But just like always, the darkness found him again and he was alone in the cold.
Vader could have laughed at himself, was he actually feeling nervous to speak to the boy? Darth Vader, undone by a mere child. Who knew what lies Kenobi had filled his head up with? The very thought of the Jedi influencing his son made him feel sick. It was of little consequence however, the boy was still young and easily manipulated, and he would soon join his fathers way of thinking. He was after all, a Skywalker.
This was the best that Luke had felt in a long time. He could feel no pain in his limbs, and the constant headache he had been suffering from since the hangar bay was finally gone. Staring at the bacta patches that covered his body, he wondered what fresh hell he was in for. A man appeared from behind a closed door; he was a doctor, evident by his pristine uniform and short, military-esque hair cut. He blinked in surprise at Luke being awake, since he wasn't supposed to wake up for at least another two hours. Pushing his glasses up on his face, he sent Luke a strained smile and approached him.
"Hello. How are you feeling? I'm Doctor Tylo Jakar, and I'm currently responsible for you."
"Where am I? Where's Vader?" Luke asked, wincing as he pushed himself up against the cushions. Jakar stared at him for a moment before smiling apologetically. He whipped out his comlink and alerted Vader that he was awake.
"Please, how are you feeling? Any pain?" Luke scowled but wriggled around in the bed.
"I ache all over, but I feel much better than I have done these past few days. Thanks." he added hastily on the end.
"I bet you are feeling much better." letting out a dry chuckle, Jakar consulted his chart just as the doors slid open. They both turned to look as Darth Vader stalked inside. Luke stared as the giant man loomed over his bed, breathing loudly into the silence.
"Leave us." Jakar didn't need to be told twice. He bowed lightly before escaping out of the medical chambers entirely, leaving the two men alone. Luke wished that the doctor hadn't left.
"You are awake." Vader stated. Luke shifted uncomfortably, his eyes dropping to study the control unit on his chest. This wasn't how the conversation was supposed to go. Why wasn't he threatening him? Or better yet, why wasn't he dead?
"I am. And you killed Ben!" Luke accused hotly, throwing caution to the wind. He wasn't going to go down without a fight, and this monster was going to know that he isn't afraid of him.
"That old man was a fool and a liar. You will do well to cast him out of your mind."
"Ben was a great Jedi just like my father – who you killed!" Luke shouted. Vader did not reply as he tried to understand what Luke was talking about. "That shut you up, didn't it? Do you even remember him, or have you killed too many people? Anakin Skywalker was his name, and he was the greatest Jedi in the galaxy!" Luke went to stand up, but a firm nudge from the force kept him glued to the bed.
"Hey!" ignoring his struggling, Vader regained control over his emotions.
"Who told you that I killed your father?" he asked, although he was pretty certain that he knew who it was.
"Ben told me." Luke quit fighting the invisible force holding him to the bed and glared at the doors, furiously fiddling with the blanket that was placed over him.
"This is more evidence of the lies and manipulation that the Jedi employ. I did not kill your father Luke. I am your father." Luke froze and stared, wide-eyed at the Sith Lord's admission, he would have laughed if the situation weren't so serious.
"That's impossible. What sort of sick game do you think you're playing here?"
"I once went by the name Anakin Skywalker, in a separate life to the one I lead now. I was a Jedi, young and foolish as I was, but then I became wise the hypocrisies of the Order. Their weakness lead to their downfall, and in their place only the strong remained. I then became Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith."
"You're Anakin Skywalker? I don't believe you..." but Luke's head was spinning. Could he possibly be telling the truth? Had Ben lied to him?
"Trust your feelings, my son. You know it to be true. Use the force." Vader urged in a low rumble.
"I don't know how." Luke replied in a small voice, but somehow he knew it was true. As soon as the words had left Vader's lips he knew it to be true. "Why...I don't understand." he turned to Vader feeling sick. "I don't understand." he repeated dumbly.
"Your mother died in childbirth, and I believed that you had too. Obi-Wan and the Jedi saw fit to steal you from me, and sequester you away on Tatooine, knowing that I would never find you there." Vader's anger increased tenfold, making the windowpanes shake violently. Luke shrunk away, overwhelmed and fearful. But the longer he stared at the Sith Lord – his father – the more he started to feel something resembling joy. Muted joy, but joy nonetheless. His father was alive! And sure, it wasn't who he expected but he was alive.
"You had me tortured." Luke accused, eyes narrowed. He had not forgotten his treatment at the hands of the Sith.
"I...apologise. If I had known who you were, I would never have allowed that to happen." an uneasy silence fell over them as Luke digested what he said. "You must rest, my son. We will continue this conversation later." and with that, as suddenly as he appeared he was gone again. Luke stared after him, his stomach in knots.
He snatched up a sick bag from the side table and threw up in it, overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions. The main two that Luke seemed to be struggling with is the fact that Ben had lied to him, and the fact that his father was alive. Why did Ben hide him away? From their brief conversation, Vader hadn't even known he'd existed until yesterday. And furthermore, was he even happy that he'd found his father? Anakin Skywalker had been a young, passionate Jedi Knight who stood for everything that was right in the universe. Instead all he got was a perpetually angry Sith Lord who Luke was sure wasn't capable of showing love, let alone feel it. The tears rolled down his face unhidden, in mourning not only for his aunt, uncle and his mentor, but also the man that he thought his father was.
Why did you have to lie to me, Ben? What do I do now?