Summery : Five years after Mustafar, Darth Vader is but a shadow of the powerful Sith Lord he should be. To the point where the emperor must use the apprentice bond to force Vader to act. But why?

Chalk it up to two undaunted women who will not let even death stop them from saving the soul of the man they both loved.

Based on StarWarrior72's "The strength to do for his child"

Force-Speech

*Thoughts*

Disclaimer - I neither own copyright or receive money for anything. I write to improve my ability and for enjoyment.

We all need something to fight for:

Chapter 6: Fanning the Flames of Rage

Palpatine watched with narrow eyes from beneath his hood as the holo of Darth Vader sprang to life. As was custom, Vader had his head bowed and was down on one knee, which was quite uncomfortable, the emperor knew. Yet his apprentice seemed to be utterly unmoved by it. Instead he intoned the ritual words of homage between a Sith apprentice and his master. "What is thy bidding, my master." His deep voice was void of emotion, a fact which disgusted Palpatine anew. A droid had more nuances.

The vocoder that gave Vader his deep 'echoing' voice was designed to convey any negative emotion that the Dark Lord felt. Anger, hate, any emotion would be better then this 'dead' sound. Well, this would soon change. "There has been trouble with the Hutts, my apprentice. You will go to Tatooine and deal with this problem. Then you will find a way to stop the Tuskens from attacking our loyal citizens. Without brute force." Vader looked up in the holo without permission. "There should be others that can handle such an assignment," he said. The fury in his vocoder would have been obvious to anyone.

Palpatine snarled. "Do as I BID! Or I might decide that you should stay on your 'home-world' for meditation on the Dark Side!" With that he cut the transmission and sat back, quite pleased with himself. Yes, his idea to send his apprentice back to the world he came from was inspired to say the least. He could still feel his apprentice's frustration and anger building until it reached a crescendo of Dark energy and exploded. Yet he frowned as he felt it dissipate, leaving Vader even more apathetic then before. It was a good start however.

Vader surveyed the wreck of his quarters numbly. He had ordered the captain to set maximum speed for Tatooine before finally giving into his rage and letting the Dark Side loose. The destruction around him was testament to how effectively roused he had been. But that blasted presence had caught him at the height of his rage and it had deflated, leaving him empty and cold. He didn't doubt that he might have actually gone on a 'killing rampage' among the crew if it hadn't.

Yet what did he care? Why did that presence continue to torment him? Was not the Dark Side a solace as well? He growled in his throat, like an wounded animal. Here was the opportunity to finally pay both the Hutts and the Tuskens back for the abuse his mother had received at their filthy paws. Yet he wasn't really roused by the idea. It held no real appeal, for it would not bring the dead back, nor would it sate his pain. And the presence was the only real solace he had.

Luke had been daydreaming again even as he worked on the vaporizer. He'd felt his father's intense rage and almost shrank away from it. But he realized that his father was close to falling into the trap that the 'bad man' had set. So he gathered his courage and reached out to his father. And came back to himself with a jolt as the machine started to belch smoke. Had he done that? No he realized, one of the parts was shot. Which meant that he was going to Anchorhead tomorrow. That meant playing with his friends!

Luke grinned as he turned and trotted towards home. Yet even as he did so he suddenly stopped. Something about the contact with his father was nagging him. As he realized what it was, he gave a joyful shout and started running, though it was getting quite hot. Reaching a important marker, he sat down in front of it and started talking. "Nana, are you there? I got news about Daddy! A glowing form appeared in front of Luke, one only Kenobi would recognize as a Force 'spirit' What is it my dear grandson? Luke looked ready to burst with the smile on his face. "Daddy's coming! He's coming here to Tatooine!"

Luke, that's wonderful! You must be in Anchorhead tomorrow. Do not tell anyone else about this, not even Aunt Beru. They wouldn't understand. Shmi told her grandson calmly. Luke nodded, then asked the first thing on his mind. "If I bring him home Nana, will he see you?" Shmi sighed and reached out to tousle his blonde hair. To anyone else it would look like a light breeze had brushed it as it was the wind called up by the Force Shade that was it's substitute for touching the living. He may not be able to, Luke. But you can show him how.

Obi-wan stopped in the middle of his saber practice as the Force rippled in waves to his sense. A major disturbance had occurred, one that was setting things in motion. Yet he could not tell if it was of the Light or the Dark. All he could sense was that it focused around a certain small boy living with his aunt and uncle. The last and best hope for the Galaxy. Grimly he turned back to his practice, determination set on his features.

*I have a bad feeling about this* he thought in agitation. One thing was for sure, he need to be ready. For anything.