Description: When a mission goes wrong, Luke Skywalker crashes on an uninhabited planet. While waiting for rescue, he makes an unexpected discovery.

A/N #1: I do not own Star Wars, but I do so enjoy playing in the Galaxy.

A/N #2: Thank you so much to my beta reader. Her help is immeasurable.

A/N #3: Thanks to everyone for all the many reviews and encouragement. I truly hope you will continue to enjoy this story.

Chapter 3

Despite being stranded on an isolated planet, pinned down by a raging tempest, and enduring the forced company of the most feared man in the Galaxy, Luke Skywalker was feeling pretty optimistic at the moment. Maybe he really was lucky.

The cave that they occupied was more than adequate to suit their needs. It was deep enough to offer them protection from the elements. The stone ceiling was sufficiently high with a large entrance that allowed adequate ventilation to safely build a small campfire. Best of all, it didn't appear to be currently inhabited by any native creatures.

Upon arrival, Luke had begun setting up their temporary camp. He first unpacked the survival equipment that he had brought with him. Medical supplies, field rations, glow-sticks, small tool kit, thermal bedroll; just about everything they would need in the short term laid on the packed dirt in an orderly fashion. In deference to his little friend, one of his first tasks had been to hook Artoo into the portable emergency generator. The little droid sat quietly against the wall recharging his internal systems.

His next chore was to make a fire. Luke had used some of the dead leaves and branches that had settled against the stone walls for kindling. The debris was dry enough to serve as tinder and ignited instantly. The healthy blaze he had built was providing enough heat to chase the dank chill from the air as well as dry his sweat and rain soaked flight suite.

Luke estimated it to be early evening by now. The forest outside was cloaked in darkness. The storm still raged. Splits of bright spindled lightning shooting across the sky followed by angry rumbles of thunder accentuated nature's fury. The campfire provided the majority of their light source. Robust flames cast flickering shapes against the cavern walls. Even with the deployment of additional glow-sticks, shadows had seemed to stubbornly cling to the corners. The darkest gloom gathered like a mantle around the figure of Darth Vader who remained motionless against the back wall.

Once the fire was started, Luke's thoughts turned on how to sustain it. At first, he had contemplated braving the storm to gather firewood. It hadn't taken long for him to forego that idea. He was still too much of a desert rat to willingly wade through the tempest that raged outside. Instead of braving the elements, he had decided to dismantle the make-shift stretcher he had built. He figured he wouldn't need it again anyway. The Falcon was equipped with a repulsor stretcher; they would use that to get his prisoner back to the ship.

Luke idly smiled to himself as he thought about his friend's anticipated arrival. He couldn't wait to see their faces when they discovered he had single-handedly apprehended Darth Vader. He still wasn't quite sure how he had managed it. Luke was no fool. He knew that Vader's capture should not have been this easy. Not that he was complaining. Even now, Vader sat unmoving against the back of the cave, his helmet cradled against the crook of the stone corner behind his head. He had been this way since he levitated Artoo into the cave. Luke silently wondered if the effort had caused the ebony armored man to pass out again. With his mask, there was no way to know for certain.

Luke had been on uneasy guard ever since the Dark Lord had first regained consciousness. He waited apprehensively for any sign of the Sith living up to his fearsome reputation. But so far, Vader had kept to his word and made no attempt to escape. It might have been just due to the extent of his injuries, but Luke sensed that there was another reason afoot. Vader's unknown motives were something that Luke was trying very hard not to think about.

The rebel gave Vader another wary glance as he continued cutting the long tree limbs that had made the stretcher down to more manageable sizes. He had forgotten to bring the small axe from the cockpit of his fighter, so he was forced to use his lightsaber for the menial task. He had to admit, it worked pretty well. He was just about done with the last long pole.

"You should not use your weapon in such a manner."

Luke jumped when he heard Vader's deep baritone voice reverberate off the cavern walls. The youth turned to regard the Dark Lord. He had not moved, not even his head. Luke silently wondered if he had actually heard him at all. The resonance of the pouring rain that filled the cave practically drowned out the rasp of the Dark Lord's respirator. Maybe Luke's imagination had just gotten the better of him. He tossed that promising notion away immediately.

"I don't have any other way to cut the firewood." Luke proffered a weak excuse. "I forgot the axe."

Vader still did not move. Luke could feel the air thicken around him. He stilled his nerves and tightened his grip on his lightsaber as he continued to warily observe his bound prisoner. Three quick snaps next to him broke the tension in the air. He involuntarily startled at the sound. When Luke glanced down he saw that the last log he had been working on had mysteriously broken into several pieces. Luke looked back uneasily at Vader and grimaced. The idea that the unfortunate log could have been his own neck popped into his mind. He pushed that queasy thought aside quickly. He sure hoped Han would get here soon.

"Your lightsaber is your life, boy," Vader admonished. "You should respect it as such." He still had not moved.

"I didn't think it would do any harm," Luke shot back. He was getting more than a little annoyed with being reprimanded by his own prisoner. Still, he extinguished his lightsaber and clipped it back on his belt.

"Your Master should have taught you…" Vader started.

"I don't have a Master!" Luke snapped, his irritation rising. "I'm not a slave."

Luke's sharp rebuke finally caused a physical reaction from the Dark Lord. He slowly pulled his head away from the wall and turned to regard the defiant blond-haired rebel fully.

"Were you not Kenobi's Padawan?" Vader's words came slow and dangerous.

Luke heard profound animosity in the mechanical voice with the mention of Old Ben's surname. Vader's question, however, had managed to knock the mounting ire out of the young man. In fact, it made him curious. He had never heard that term before.

"What's a Padawan?" Luke questioned.

There was a long uncomfortable pause. Luke sensed he had become the center of the Dark Lord's attention. He was not happy about it. The young man felt like he was standing naked in the middle of the cave; as if the menacing man that sat before him in shadow had somehow striped him down and was peering straight into his soul.

"A Jedi apprentice," Vader finally answered slowly.

"Oh," Luke responded. He was a bit ashamed at his apparent lack of knowledge regarding the proper name for a student. Not quite sure why, he felt compelled to answer Vader's original question.

"I suppose so." Luke admitted tentatively. "He taught me a little. We didn't have a lot of time together. You saw to that." He gave the Dark Lord an accusatory glare as he picked up the scattered pieces of firewood at his feet.

Luke moved to add the logs to the small pile he had amassed just inside the cave opening. The last piece he took and placed on the campfire. He then plopped down next to it. Vader continued to watch him intently.

"It seems that you know who I am," Luke ventured. He grew even more uncomfortable with the Sith's concentrated scrutiny.

"Indeed," Vader responded.

Luke scrubbed his grime covered face with his hands trying to dispel his growing tension. He wasn't sure what was more disconcerting; an unconscious Darth Vader, or one who spoke little and said even less. Raking his fingers through his blond hair, he offered a silent prayer for a functioning Millennium Falcon hyperdrive to hasten his rescue.

Trying to come up with some type of distraction, he pulled over the plastic case that contained a generous supply of emergency field rations. He opened the lid and began rummaged through the stash.

"Are you hungry?" Luke asked as he examined the packet labels for anything that sounded even slightly appealing.

"That question is irrelevant," Vader answered noncommittally.

Finding a protein bar, Luke ripped open the covering and took a bite. He almost gagged. Tatooine sand tasted better then this.

"You have to eat sometime." Luke attempted to continue the conversation.

Vader attempted to end it. "My suit sustains me."

However, the Dark Lord's short response had intrigued his captor.

"Completely?"

"Yes," he hissed.

Luke's brow wrinkled as he frowned at the mental picture that intruded his thoughts.

"Can't you even take off your mask?" he inquired.

"Not here." Again, Vader's reply was annoyingly vague. The Dark Lord shifted slightly and appeared to be overwhelmed by the movement. Luke felt waves of pain radiating from the Sith like physical blows.

"You're badly injured." Luke's compassion had overridden his anxiety. "We have medical supplies. I could…"

"You have nothing here that I require," Vader cut him off.

"Sorry."

"I need none of your pity, boy," Vader snapped. Luke had obviously stuck a disconcerting cord within the Dark Lord.

"Listen," Luke retorted hotly. He had lost his patience. Walking around on eggshells for the next however many days was not going to be practical. He glared at Vader as he continued. "If we're going to be stuck here, we can at least be civil to each other."

"I am a Sith Lord," Vader snarled. "I do not need to be civil."

"Well, it would sure help." Luke turned his eyes back to the fire. He took another bite of the tasteless protein bar.

Vader fell silent. Luke relaxed a little as he noted the unreadable black mask turn away from him. Vader again leaned his head back against the stone wall.

"At least we won't be here long," Luke offered. "My friends will be looking for me. When they get here, we can get off of this rock and back to the Alliance."

"You broadcast your feelings, boy," Vader's rumbled. "Be mindful of the trust you place in your friends."

"What do you mean?" Luke questioned.

"Such strong attachment to them will only lead you down a path toward betrayal, or worse," the Dark Lord ominously warned.

"That's not possible," Luke defended. "I would give my life for Han or Leia." Vader's cryptic warning had not only annoyed him, it began to stir his anger. "They would do the same for me."

"You are naïve, boy" Vader continued his dark musings "Your rebel friends favor you now because of your talents. But they do not understand them. As you become stronger, they will begin to fear you. It is inevitable."

"That's a pretty cynical point of view," Luke snapped.

"It is the truth," Vader's bitter words were even, though the tone was dark.

"Look," The young man had reached his limit. He could no longer hold back his growing frustration. "I know you're hurting. I imagine that a lot of this doom and gloom is just coming from your own pain. I would expect it is at least." Luke wasn't sure why his emotions were stirred to such a level. It was not like him to be this way. He closed his eyes and willed himself to calm. "I already know who you are," he continued. "So you don't have to keep up with this intimidation act. It's not working anyway."

Luke quickly realized that his outburst had regained him Vader's intense scrutiny. The uncomfortable feeling of his mind being sifted through began to grow. He consciously decided to resist. He narrowed his eyes and starred back at the masked figure. He felt the invasion into his thoughts end sharply. It was as if protective walls had been thrown up around his mind in defense. He figured he had done something, but was at a loss as to know how he had accomplished it.

"You are very perceptive, young one," Vader finally responded. His mechanical tone had calmed markedly. "I will curb my negative views and attempt to be…civil."

"Good." Luke quipped. "I would hate to think anyone could live with such a pessimistic view on life." Luke took a deep settling breath. "There's always hope," he mumbled softly, more for his own assurance than anything else.

Both men fell silent. Luke couldn't say that he was terribly disappointed about that. A small part of him wanted to know what Darth Vader was thinking. The larger part of him was worried that he would soon find out.

After Luke had finally managed to choke down the protein bar, there was nothing left to do but to tend the fire. He watched mesmerized as the ravenous flames devoured their fuel. He had considered the idea of meditation. It was one of the first Jedi skills that Old Ben had taught him; and he had grown pretty adept at it. But the thought of opening his mind defenselessly in such close proximity to Darth Vader was not at all appealing. With no other options, he unfastened his thermal bedroll and prepared for sleep.

The day's events soon caught up with him. Exhaustion overtook Luke's body as well as his mind. The mixed sounds of the falling rain and the Vader's respirator quickly lulled him into a deeply troubled sleep.

Vader keenly watched the young rebel as he slept. With his injuries, he could do little else. Although he had actively pursued their first meeting for months, this encounter was not going at all as planned. But thus far, it had proven to be very enlightening.

Although the thunder and lightening had abated, rain could still be heard falling intensely. The campfire had died down to embers, and the cave was consumed in shadow. Vader was used to such darkness. It was comforting to him. It also did little to hinder the enhanced visual sensors employed by his mask. The Sith pulled his eyes away from Luke's slumbering form and scanned the darkened cavern.

"Artoo," Vader's voice was as quiet as his enunciator would allow. At his name, the little astromech droid finally came back to life. He twittered softly as his photo receptor began to glow.

"Bring me that toolkit," Vader ordered. "I will fix your booster rockets."

The little droid shuddered. He whistled and tooted nervously.

"If I wanted to harm either you or the boy, I would have already done so," Vader replied.

Again, the droid issued his protest with a series of wary beeps.

"Fine, I will withdraw my offer," Vader snarled. "You obviously have learned to enjoy being moved about with the Force."

Artoo whistled sharply in response. He swiveled the photo sensor on his domed head purposefully away from the Sith.

"Just remember," Vader threatened softly. "You will need to get down from this cave eventually."

Artoo spewed another series of hushed beeps and whistles. A pincer appendage extended from a compartment on his cylindrical body. The little droid used the mechanical arm to detach his power cable and tossed it down with effort as he moved away from the cave wall. He grabbed the small tool kit with the same extended appendage as he crossed the cave floor, dragging it over to the Dark Lord.

"I thought you would see things my way," Vader chided softly.

The little droid moved up snuggly next to the armored man. He opened several of his panels to allow access to his internal components. Vader looked over the meager inventory of the kit and floated a small hydrospanner up to one of his bound hands. He mentally braced himself for the pain that he know his impending movements would cause and then turned toward the little droid.

"This will be a bit awkward, Artoo." He regarded the droid. "But it should not take long."

As Vader began his work, Artoo twittered another series of soft tones.

"Yes, Artoo," Vader answered quietly. "It is good to see you as well."