Son?
Nobody wanted to contact the sith apprentice. Everybody feared him, no matter how high their rank amongst the Imperial caste system.
The woman who took Luke's blood ended up being the one to call him by comlink. She was very hesitant to call in fear of being choked by an invisible force once he arrived.
Luke laughed at the sight of the poor woman and her cowardice. Surely the man wasn't that frightening, right?
It seemed as if the woman interrupted something important. Lord Vader wasn't the one to answer the call, but an Admiral of the Empire.
Luke faintly heard them speaking. The woman's fear seemed to disappear as she was talking to someone other than Vader.
Luke felt the fright return when the Admiral stopped speaking and the comlink was handed over to someone else.
He heard the faint sound of a respirator over the com.
The woman's skin gathered goosebumps and her arm hair began to stick up. Her posture immediately straightened at the terror the Emperor's apprentice made her feel.
"L-Lord Vader, I have found something during the census recording you might want to see." The woman spoke. Luke could tell she was scared for her life.
"Lieutenant, I am sure there is an adequate explanation for you interrupting my meditation?" A booming voice said over the comlink.
Young Luke was still completely in the dark about why this was all happening. He hadn't known why he was taken from his family. 'Could it have been because of the prank I pulled that killed soldiers?'
The Lieutenant moved farther from Luke so he couldn't overhear the conversation. The guards still had grips on his upper arms and intended to keep them for all intents and purposes.
"Lord Vader, there is a boy we've found on the planet of Tatooine. His blood test showed something very interesting." Lieutenant White stated over the comlink. The woman was testing the patience of Vader.
"What would that be, Lieutenant? I have already told you to execute force-sensitive beings."
"Well, it seems that this boy is the son of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Naberrie Amidala. His midichlorian count is well over fifteen thousand. He resides on a moisture farm here on Tatooine with his aunt Beru Lars and uncle Owen Lars. Should we proceed to the execution?" Lieutenant White revealed while carefully choosing her words.
There was a moment of silence over the comlink. The only sound was the white noise of Darth Vader's respirator.
"Do not execute the boy. I will arrive there shortly to bring him to Imperial City on Coruscant. Keep an eye out for my TIE." Vader quietly said, closing the comlink. He was in complete and utter shock at the revelation of him having a son. He'd always believed his child died with Padmé, but he was mistaken.
He left his quarters on Mustafar and immediately went to his TIE. He pondered over what the Emperor would think about Anakin's child surviving. Would he be angry? Would he want to train the boy? Would Vader be ordered to kill his son?
Every single possible scenario went through his mind. Usually piloting would help him clear his mind, but this time it did the exact opposite.
He'd never stopped thinking of Padmé but could never bring himself to talk about her. If anyone tried to bring her up, he would either choke them or put a lightsaber through their chest.
Once the Sith Lord neared Tatooine, Anakin's memories flooded back into his head. From his extensive hatred of sand to his life of a slave on the dreadful planet, he never wanted to step foot on the surface again.
Vader pushed all of the memories to the back of his mind. He was only there to retrieve his son. As he entered the atmosphere of Tatooine, he felt a strong force presence along with a force presence he hadn't felt in ten years.
Obi-Wan Kenobi.
How was the old man still alive? Surely he would've dropped dead by now.
He quickly landed his TIE and exited. He wasn't there for his old master. He was there for his son.
Going to find and kill his old master would take much longer than just getting his son, which meant more time on the planet he absolutely loathed.
His heavy boots dragged with every step in the sand with his black cape dragging behind him. He wasn't far from the registering station.
Luke for the first time in his life felt cold. Tatooine was a desert planet with two suns. He shouldn't be feeling cold.
Almost as if on cue, he heard the same respirator from earlier. Only now did he see why people feared the man in black.
He was a tall man, dressed in full black, with buttons on his chest and a mask that nobody could forget.
Luke enjoyed the cold feeling he felt. Not just because he lived on an extremely hot planet, but because it made him feel normal.
Darth Vader walked to Lieutenant White whom saluted to him. They talked very briefly, then she pointed to Luke.
His eyes widened. 'What could Darth Vader want with me?' 'Darn, I really must've messed up by killing those troopers.'
Vader walked up to the boy who looked a lot like young Anakin Skywalker. He had Anakin's blonde hair and blue eyes. He also felt a darkness in him. One that could continue to grow with time.
His son had obviously also inherited his anger and frustration. Maybe his son could amount to something. Maybe he could be trained to use the force.
The sith Lord motioned for the stormtroopers to follow him, which they complied.
Luke looked at his surroundings. Sure, he was excited to leave Tatooine, but he would miss playing pranks on his aunt and uncle back at the moisture farm.
'Aunt Beru! Uncle Owen!' Luke thought. He twisted his body to a point where he could see his aunt and uncle. Beru was crying into Owen's shirt.
Luke broke one of his arms free from the stormtrooper and waved at his aunt and uncle. He would miss them as well. They did everything they could to make him happy.
The Lars' always thought Luke disliked them, but the wave he sent them showed that he never did hate them. They both sent small waves to him.
The stormtrooper regained a hold on his arm and turned him around to face Lord Vader.
Luke felt as if he was being ridiculed by the masked soldiers and Vader. Darth Vader turned back around and signaled the stormtroopers to continue walking.
One of them scoffed at Luke, which made him immediately use the force to shoot the trooper's guns at one another.
Vader felt Luke's anger towards the troopers through the ripples in the force. He knew his son had made them shoot each other, which made Vader immediately smile under his mask, but his face soon returned to an emotionless slate.
Vader turned to Luke and put a hand behind his back, guiding the younger to his TIE.
Luke looked at it in awe.
"Do I get to ride in that?!" Luke said, amazed at the ship he was looking at.
'What a stupid question.' Vader thought to himself, but nonetheless responded.
"Yes, Luke."
Vader lifted up Luke to climb in before climbing in himself. Once he dropped in, he found Luke in the piloting chair messing with the controls.
"I suggest you don't touch those." Vader sternly spoke to the boy, who immediately left the chair.
Vader sat in the chair and started the TIE. Luke sat on the ground next to him.
Luke decided now was a good time to ask the questions he wanted to ask before.
"Why am I leaving with you?" Was the first question, followed by asking "where are we going?"
The young boy didn't leave Darth Vader any time to respond to his first question, which frustrated him.
Vader didn't have to look at the boy to know he was staring at the blinking controls on his chest, but that was for another time.
"Luke, when you were young, what did they say happened to your father?" Vader asked. He hadn't known what he was told about his father.
"Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen always told me he was a navigator on a spice freighter." this statement caused Vader to stifle a laugh. How could his son be fed this lie by his aunt and uncle?
"No, I am your father." Darth Vader responded, causing the young boy to freeze.
'This can't be true. He can't be my father!' Luke thought while his eyes were wide.
"Search your feelings, son. You know it to be true."
"If I am your son, why didn't you find me sooner? Why did you leave me on that awful planet?"
"I was not made aware of your existence." Vader simply said. "We are going to Imperial City on Coruscant before the Emperor. He will decide your fate."
This statement kept Luke quiet for the rest of the journey there. He needed silence so he could think, and surprisingly the white noise of his father's breathing helped him focus on his thoughts.
Before he knew it, the TIE came out of hyperspace and entered the atmosphere of an Ecumenopolis. Luke had never seen so many buildings in his life. He stood up to take in his surroundings.
So many different species and different ships.
It was like a whole new world to Luke Skywalker.
His father landed the TIE smoothly. Luke had always wanted to be a pilot.
Luke exited the TIE and stood on the solid ground. It felt weird. He'd been so used to the uneven sand on Tatooine.
Darth Vader exited the craft and led Luke into the Imperial Palace.