Whumptober Prompt, Day 14: "Feed me poison, fill me 'till I drown." | Flare | Water Inhalation | "Just hold on."
I decided to participate in Whumptober on October 1st. I had planned for a 500 word little something... and then I got ambitious and wrote this monstrosity. It is NOT 500 words. But it is pretty damn good.
Please enjoy!
A Deep, Dark, Delirious Destiny
Luke's head was spinning and he didn't know which way was up or down.
Pictures, images, memories that were his were being ruthlessly pulled to the front of his mind and he couldn't stop it. He didn't know how but he tried. Force, how he tried. All of his attempts left him feeling like he was being flayed alive - every moment of his life, every childhood dream and fear, every tender and embarrassing moment… it was all raw and exposed. Flipped through, like his life were the pages of a book that someone was reading on a whim.
It was agony.
Luke, when he was little and carefree, blissfully ignorant of the life that awaited him.
I'm going to be a pilot one day!
Being ruthless teased in school, mocked for a background that wasn't his fault, for the absence of parents he hadn't known -
Then it was the familiar, brutal heat of the Twin Suns bearing down on his back. He and Owen were working together on the vaporators that were located on the furthest and hottest part of their farm. They worked in stoic silence, their differences feeling like a brick wall between them.
I want to transmit my application to the Academy this year.
Stay on for another season.
Owen and Beru were dead, their burnt corpses left to rot in the sand. The smell was awful and everything - everything was gone and he had nothing left. He buried them by himself and then sat in the sand outside the ruined remains of the only home he'd ever known and cried. Cried and cried, feeling empty and alone and lost -
I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.
A mental hum echoed oddly in his mind and Luke distantly felt his attackers interest growing, flipping through his memories far quicker now.
It made him feel dirty and used.
My name is Luke Skywalker and I'm here to rescue you!
Finding the Rebellion - finding Biggs - and then the devastating feeling of losing him just as quickly. Like his aunt and uncle, it was a hurt that still ached.
Cymoon 1.
Hoth.
Dagobah.
He is too old. Too old to begin the training.
Yoda had resisted the idea of training him, comparing him to his father. Why? Why why why was that a bad thing? Ben had said Anakin was a good man but Yoda had looked at Luke and saw someone to be afraid of. He didn't understand why but it had hurt.
…and then Bespin.
Where it had all come together.
The memory was pulled up, sharp and clear, as if it were happening again right now. The pain in his arm where his hand had been cut off - the blowing wind as he backed himself into a corner on the gantry, weaponless, with nowhere else to go.
Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.
He told me enough! He told me YOU killed him!
No. I am your father.
Horror.
Mind-numbing horror.
It was true - Luke had known that it was true the moment the words were said. The truth had rang in the Force and sunk deep into his bones and everything finally made sense and then it was join me join me join me...
The foreign presence in his mind paused for the first time, surprised and lingering on the memory. His surprise felt like flames of fire against his mind and Luke wanted to scream - he wanted him out, he didn't want to see or feel this again.
"Well well well," some distant voice murmured. It echoed slightly, coming as if from far away. "That is very interesting."
Then the memory began replaying itself again and again and again and the emotions felt as new and as painful as they had the day it all happened. It was like having an ice pick jammed into his brain and cruelly twisted around until Luke just wanted to scream from the pain. He didn't want to remember that. Not like this - it hurt too much and no one else was supposed to know about anything that had happened on that damn planet. It was a secret that he had intended to take to his grave.
I am your father.
"That is very interesting." The voice said again. Then the hands pressed against his temples retreated at last and there was a strange sensation, almost like a ripping sensation in his mind. It felt like what Luke imagined having a leech ripped from his skin would feel like, taking his secrets, his dignity, and any remaining strength Luke had had left in him. Reality came back to him in a fell swoop and Luke collapsed in a miserable heap on the ground, feeling like he couldn't breathe.
He could feel cold rocks and dirt underneath him and the sensations of them made his skin crawl. Everything felt too real. Too intense. It was too much, too much -
Luke leaned to the side, retching miserably.
"What did you do to him, you karking piece of - "
He knew that voice. He'd never known it to swear quite like that before but that was… that was…
"Leia," Luke gasped weakly. It felt like his heart was going to pound its way out of his chest but Leia had been with him when everything had happened. It was his job to protect her - to get her out of this safely. He tried to open his eyes, needing to see that she was still okay. But he couldn't… he couldn't see anything - there was nothing but sharp bursts of painful light whenever he dared to try and open his eyes. He could barely even bring himself to move.
"I'm here, Luke. I'm here, I'm still here - "
It felt like the very air was vibrating with every word that was spoken. They pounded against his skull as if beating him with a hammer. Luke groaned, retching again and shivering violently.
"Don't be pathetic, Skywalker." Someone - no, Hadeon - nudged him with the toe of his boot. "This is hardly becoming of a Jedi Knight, I would say." The sarcasm was sharp enough to draw blood and after all that the bastard had seen and knew about him, it made him feel small.
"W-what did you do to me?" Luke croaked out, ignoring the taunt. He finally managing to lift a shaking hand in order to wipe at his eyes and ease the pain.
His fingers came back wet with blood.
Luke coughed and tried to clear his sight again, using the back of his hand this time. It helped a little and when he blinked again, he could see the tall shadowy figure that was standing over him.
"I told you that I would get my answers," Hadeon said simply, dropping down into a squat beside him. The Iktotchi was the leader of the small group that had caught them, Luke remembered desperately. He reached out and pulled Luke's head up again by the roots of his hair, forcing Luke to look at him. "I always get what I want, after all. I believe I mentioned that."
He had, after Luke had spit in his face and refused to answer his questions.
Stupid. He hadn't been in a position to fight. The Iktotchi were a near-human species, with large cranial horns that protruded downwards from their head, stretching past the jaw and creating an intimidating and impressive figure. They were very strong, much, much stronger than they looked. Luke had already been beat.
It had surprised him to learn that Iktotch were, apparently, very powerful touch-telepaths.
Hadeon was far older than Luke was and it didn't seem to matter how powerful of a Force sensitive Luke was supposed to be - the Iktochi was far more experienced in the realm of the mind then he was. He had ripped Luke's mental shields to shreds and forced his way inside to learn everything and anything that he had wanted to know.
It was the worst pain Luke had ever known - different, by far, from any other form of mental communication he'd done before. It was not the quiet, peaceful way of the Force. Not even the strange but now familiar whispers that he heard from Vader from time to time. This had been something different. It had been brutal - foreign and unwanted - and Luke hadn't known how to stop it from happening. No one had taught him anything about this.
Hadeon stared at him now and there was something in his eyes - something dark and cruel. It seemed to tune out almost everything else - everything except the Force that was whispering as though from very far away to be careful. The bastard reached out with his opposite hand, stroking the line of Luke's jaw with one fat finger. Just that small form of contact increased the pain in his head tenfold. He tried to jerk away from it but couldn't, chest heaving.
"Son of Lord Vader, huh? No wonder you're worth so much."
No.
No no no no.
"You are going to make me rich, boy." Hadeon sounded beyond smug. "Do you have any idea how many people in the galaxy would pay to get their hands on you? Especially once I tell them who you really are?"
"Fuck you," Luke spat on instinct, feeling his terror skyrocket. He could feel the Iktotchi's amusement flickering in the Force and then it felt like there were mental fingers invading his mind once again, plucking at the strings of his memory as if reminding him of how much pain he could be in.
There was something else too - stunned surprise and anger and it hung in the air, too loud for Luke to ignore. It wasn't his or Hadeon's. His head was splitting now but it was... it was...
"What the hell are you talking about - ?" Leia demanded furiously.
Hadeon laughed over Leia's demands, ignoring her, and Luke thought for sure he was going to die, the pain reaching an all time high. "Fuck you too, Skywalker. But this... this is… this is fantastic. The bounty set by your daddy is a joke compared to what people will offer me once they hear that you're Vader's blood. It's going to triple - hell, maybe even quadruple in price."
"Luke isn't -"
"But he is!" Hadeon laughed again, waving a hand as if Leia was nothing. "I saw it myself. It's all right there in his memory. He can't even deny it."
Hadeon let go of his face, pushing him back down as he stood up, addressing his men for the first time. Leia moved quickly to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder in support. Her face seemed to come in and out of focus as his head continued to ring with pain. It was less now that he wasn't being touched. "Contact any potential buyers we have. The big hitters, everyone and anyone. Tell them that we got the Son of Lord Vader on our hands and that he's going up for sale right now. I want their best offers only."
They were all laughing, excited and thrilled by their opportunity. And they were going to tell everyone. It made Luke sick to his stomach.
"Luke," Leia whispered, glancing over her shoulder to glare hatefully at the others before turning back to him. "Is.. is it true? Are you... is he...?"
Luke felt his chin quiver and a tear slipped down his cheek without permission. This wasn't the way that it was supposed to be.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, and Leia's hand on his shoulder disappeared quickly. He squeeze his eyes shut that he wouldn't see the anger or betrayal on her face. "I'm sorry, Leia. I... I didn't know." He wouldn't have blamed her for a second if she chose to hate him on the spot, right then and there. It terrified him and his fear made his stomach twist and turn. He leaned to the side and retched again, spitting up bile, whispering how sorry he was.
Seconds ticked by and then a minute and then two.
It was the worst silence that Luke had ever known and he could do nothing but tremble.
Finally, he felt Leia reach out towards him again. Her hand was cool on his forehead and she swept some of his hair out of his eyes before taking his hand in hers.
"It's alright, Luke." she said quietly. There was a fierce determination in her voice now and Luke dared to blink his eyes open again and look at her. She gave him a tight smile - but not an angry one. It was... it was just worry - worry for him. "It's okay. It's not your fault."
Luke felt his eyes blur again, feeling like he'd heard wrong. "It was Bespin," he whispered. "He told me on Bespin."
Leia nodded, swallowing thickly. "It's okay, Luke. You don't need to explain. You don't need to explain anything. Not to me."
He felt stunned. Stunned and grateful. It would have made him weak at the knees if he hadn't already been on the ground. He didn't have the chance to respond before Hadeon was sauntering back to them. His boots sounded loud on the rock and he came to stand over them once again. Leia didn't move an inch, staying in front of Luke as if she could protect him through sheer force of will alone and Luke didn't think he had ever loved her more than he did right then.
"We're going to stay here a few hours." he said. Their ship was damaged, Luke remembered. It needed repairs. "And I just so happen to know that your daddy is in the system right now. I think I'll give him some notice about your capture in a few days, once he's gone. Let the offers come in first and see what he'll be willing to match. "And you," Hadeon said, turning his eyes on Leia for the first time. "The lovely and, eh hem, former Princess of Alderaan. I don't think my men have ever gotten to enjoy the spoils of royalty before. But I think we deserve to celebrate."
Luke shifted, forcing himself to move for the first time. He pressed Leia behind him, shielding her as best as he could, his arm stretched out protectively in front of her. "You stay the fuck away from her!" he snapped.
Hadeon raised an eyebrow, offering him a cruel smile. "And what are you going to do about it, little Jedi? I got you on the ground and your mental shields are shit. It's rather disappointing, honestly. I don't think you get to call the shots."
Then, as if to make a point, he nudged Luke with the toe of his boot and instantly, his head exploded in pain. It was a miserable build-up of pressure, steadily increasing past the point of logical thought. It felt like there was something grinding against his skull, scraping along the sides - it was agony . His vision whited out and he couldn't be certain that he wasn't screaming in pain.
Lukee scrambled for the Force, searching for it blindly. He needed his shields - he had to try and put them back into place before this torture fucking killed him but he couldn't think clearly enough to string more than two thoughts together. It was just pain - pain pain pain
Luke thought he could distantly hear Leia calling his name while cussing out everyone that was present. There was movement as someone stepped around him and Luke lifted his head, watching through blurry eyes as Hadeon grabbed Leia by the arm, jerking her up to her feet and slapping her across the face.
He didn't even think - he just reacted, stretching a hand out and reaching for the Force. It responded immediately and he grabbed Hadeon by the throat and squeezed.
How dare he? How dare he?
There were startled shouts of surprise as Hadeon began to choke and the pain and pressure in Luke's head increased, ripping and clawing at his mind as if to try and stop him. Luke stubbornly held on, his grip on the Force like steel for the first time since they'd been caught -
And then, just as fast, something struck him in the head and the Force slipped from his grasp like water in his hands. Pain blinded him and darkness played at the edges of his mind, nearly taking him under. Distantly, he felt more than saw Hadeon stumbled, coughing hoarsely.
He reached for his power again, pulling it close to him and Leia, clumsily trying to project it like a shield.
"I'll kill you," Luke swore desperately. He could feel Leia's hands on his shoulders and the warmth of her body behind him. She was clutching at him and he didn't know if it was more for her comfort or for his. It didn't matter either way. He looked up, feeling blood trickling down the side of his face and found Hadeon again, leveling him with the darkest look he could muster. "I will. If you touch her - if you even look in her direction, I will break you in half."
Silence followed.
Anger coursed through him like a dark storm and Luke distantly wondered if this was what the Dark Side of the Force felt like.
It must be.
Quicker. Easier.
There was fear in the air - of him, for the first time. Luke could feel it - it swirled around him like currents of untapped power just waiting to be used. It was almost intoxicating. Like the first high of a drug and all he had to do was reach out and touch it...
Hadeon's eyes flashed but... he paused, staring at Luke's face for a long, long moment. It felt almost as if... as if he was seeing a threat for the very first time. He was uneasy and Luke thought that maybe the bastard understood for the first time why Yoda hadn't wanted to train him.
Like his father.
"Keep your princess for now." he finally spat. Luke's head was pounding but he grit his teeth and refused to let a sound pass his lips. "It won't matter in the end though. Neither of you have anywhere to go."
Then he stormed away and one by one, his lackeys followed after him. A Twi'lek hesitated, his eyes lingering briefly on Leia before turning and following after the others. They were quick to take cover under a shelter they had set up, only a few yards away. They all cast nervous glances over their shoulders, as if half expecting Luke to attack them the second their backs were turned. He wanted to - he would, if they pushed him to do it. It would be so easy.
Luke glared at all of them, watching as they began trying to contact others, to pass the word along that Darth Vader's son was for sale.
Sleemos.
"Luke," Leia whispered for the first time, once a few minutes had passed. "Luke... please don't do that again, okay? Please. You... you shouldn't do that again."
She sounded scared and the fear in her voice - not of him but for him... deflated something hot and angry still boiling inside of him. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. He didn't want anyone to be afraid of him, actually. Luke let out a slow breath, trying to ease the tension in his body and a minute ticked by and then another and another, the currents of untapped power slowly dissipating until all he felt was cold and exhausted.
Don't do it again.
He didn't know if he could keep a promise like that. He wouldn't let anyone touch Leia and he didn't think he'd survive that bastard forcing his way into his mind again, either.
"I'm sorry," Luke whispered.
"Don't be sorry, you moron. Just... just rest, okay? It'll help."
Help? As if she knew what would help him? Luke felt anger stir inside him again, frustrated and angry. She had no idea - none at all what he had just gone through and she thought he should rest?
"Luke, Luke stop." Leia begged and it was only then that he realized he was saying all of it out loud. "Please, it's okay. I understand, I do." There were tears in her eyes and Luke belatedly remembered that she had also undergone something similar once too. Her torture, on the Death Star.
Vader had done that to her.
Luke closed his eyes, feeling ashamed and miserable. His anger slipped away, fading into nothing. His head was killing him and despite everything, he slowly laid back down, hoping the cold ground would ease some of the pain in his head.
Your destiny lies with me. That was what his father had said on Bespin. Destiny.
Maybe this was proof. Maybe it was his destiny to be like his father. Luke didn't want to be... but he'd rather see his father again then let any of the things Hadeon and his men had planned happen to Leia either.
Luke shivered, feeling miserable and tired. He had no idea if his father could hear him from here or not. His connection to the Force felt off - distant and painful and he'd never tried to reach to him before. The first and only time had been on the Millenium Falcon and they had been very close to each other then. Somewhere in the system was pretty vague.
Vader reached out to him all the time though.
It shouldn't be that hard.
Father, Luke whispered fiercely, bringing the name of the planet he was on to the forefront of his mind. If you want me… come and get me.
An hour or two passed and there was nothing. Nothing at all to suggest that his plea had been heard by anyone.
Luke didn't know if he should feel relieved or upset that "help" probably wasn't on his way. As it was, he thought that he was in too much pain to really feel either. The pain in his head was getting worse - like the worst migraine he'd ever experienced times five. The Force felt far away and too close at the same time, crowding in on his and sending him useless information about anything and everything except what felt important.
It had turned him into a shaking, miserable mess.
Luke could feel Leia petting his hair, offering what little comfort she could. She didn't say anything though and Luke was quietly grateful. He didn't even know what he would say to her at this point.
It was getting colder too. Thunder boomed overhead and lightning split the sky. He and Leia had been left out in the open - and Hadeon was right. There was no place for them to go. Only a cliff behind them and a raging river below. The fall alone could kill someone. If they were going to get out here, they would have to get past Hadeon and his men. It made Luke shiver to think about it. There were only two of them and Hadeon's mental games and the pain he could inflict were powerful deterrents. But if no help was coming, then Luke needed to figure something out. He needed his shields back in place - but it hurt to even try and reach for them and they felt like broken shards in his hands when he did.
He had no idea how to put them back.
Thunder boomed once again and Luke lifted his head off the ground and looked around, unable to help but wonder when it would finally start to rain. Hadeon had stepped away - disappeared down the hill where their ship was supposed to be. There was murmuring from the small shelter that their captors had for themselves though. Their fear had faded the longer Luke had gone without moving and they had been stealing glances at him and Leia for a few minutes now. The Twi'lek especially. Luke could feel it - hear it in their thoughts and it was awful, all the things they wanted to do to her.
Hot anger seeped into through his veins like adrenaline and Luke imagined he could see those same dark currents of power beginning to flicker in the air around him again. He refused to look at them but couldn't make them go away either.
If he needed to, he would use it.
"Leia," he murmured, reaching blindly for her hand. He found it and squeezed it tightly before opening his eyes and slowing pushing himself into a sitting position again just as two of the bastards finally stepped out of their shelter and came towards them. "Stay next to me, whatever happens."
Her heart was pounding a beat in her chest - he could hear it in the Force and felt all of her anger and fear.
"Lay down, Skywalker." It was a Twi'lek - dark green in color, with a mean look in his eyes.
"Yeah, down boy. We only want the girl."
Jeering laughs followed from those watching from the tent.
"Stay the fuck away from her," Luke warned, pulling threads of the Force his way. It still felt weak and flimsy and the Dark was lingering nearby, just waiting for him to use it.
There were other things he could do, he reminded himself fiercely - things not of the Dark Side.
Someone whistled and derogatory, demeaning language was sent Leia's way, filling him with more anger. They were too close now and their thoughts - Force, they deserved to die.
"I said, back off!" Luke snapped furiously, using a burst of real adrenaline and pushing himself to his feet for the first time. He wasn't going to be on the ground for this.
The Twi'lek and his friend didn't hesitate, both of them rising to his challenge. Luke pulled on the Force, waving a hand to sweep the feet out from one of them, knocking him to the ground. He didn't have time to do it twice and then he and the Twi'lek were fighting and trading blows in a mad fit of rage. Luke took a punch to the face and side and he twisted, furious and managed to duck, plowing the full weight of his body into the Twi'lek's side, sending them both crashing to the ground. They rolled, over and over until Luke ended up on top and threw a fist, trying to break the bastards face with his fake hand. The Twi'lek howled, blood spurting from his nose but he recovered, striking Luke in the kidney and it knocked the air from his lungs. Then they were rolling again spitting and cursing and pounding on each other -
And then there was another set of hands on Luke, pulling him off the Twi'lek and throwing him to the ground once again, trying to pin him in place -
"GET OFF ME!" Luke snapped, forcing all the power he could muster into his words and - and it felt like there was pulse in the air. They would listen - they had to because he was stronger than they were.
One of the sets of hands holding him let go immediately, stumbling backwards as if he'd been burned and another one only slackened their hold.
Luke didn't hesitated, throwing his arm back and elbowing whoever was left in the face. The second set of hands left him as someone cussed and stumbled back in pain. Luke scrambled for his feet, chest heaving and he had lifted a hand before he could remember to stop himself, the inky currents of power pulsing all around him.
The Twi'lek choked, the green color of his face slowly turning white as Luke held him in place, angrier then he'd ever been in his life, trying to squeeze the life out of him.
He thought he could hear someone calling out his name and thought it was probably Leia but he couldn't hear her over the humming static in his head. The Force was whispering things, louder and louder, all of it incomprehensible as the darkness seemed to flicker around him.
"You stupid bastards, I told you -"
The Force whispered a warning and Luke remembered a few seconds too later that there were others present too, who had probably been happy to watch them roll around and fight but weren't so eager to see one of their own get killed. He turned just in time to see Hadeon level a blaster and fire off a quick shot.
Pain erupted in his thigh and Luke howled as hot fire tore through his flesh and he collapsed back to the ground, just as another awful spike of pain erupted in his head once more. He barely felt the warm rush of blood spilling out of the wound, bleeding into his pant leg and soaking it.
"Get him up! Put those on him."
Then there were hands grabbing him once again and pushing him into a kneeling position. His arms were twisted behind his back and he felt the snap of binders being placed on his wrists, locking them in place. His thigh burned and it felt like the muscles were tearing. Luke began to try and struggle again, purely on instinct.
"Let me go -" he tried to force the words out of his mouth but he couldn't tell if they were even understandable.
"Leave the little bitch alone and help me deal with this," Hadeon was snapping furiously. There was a fist in his hair again, jerking his head back painfully. Someone else - Luke couldn't see who it was - approached and Luke felt his vision blur as a foot connected with his thigh in a painful quick. He choked, struggling weakly.
Someone slapped him hard and left his head ringing.
It was nothing except static and pain - everything was blurry and sound came in sickening waves.
"Listen to me," Hadeon snapped at him, jerking on Luke's hair and waiting until he had his full attention. "That shot was just a warning. Now you're going to be a good boy and let me put this on you, so that we don't have anymore trouble."
He let go of him then and stepped in front of Luke, letting someone else take over restraining him. It took Luke a second to realize that he was holding something in his hand. It was a muzzle. The buckles jingled slightly as Hadeon shook it in front of his face and Luke felt a sick sort of feeling mix with his anger and sink into his stomach.
"Fuck you," he spat, eyes flashing.
There was a clicking sound and he heard Leia grunt in pain. He found her quickly, off to the side where she would have been out of the way of the fight. There was a blaster being held to her temple now by the Twi'lek Luke had tried to kill. There was blood all over the bastards face.
"No more trouble." Hadeon repeated. "Or we kill your friend. A cold body is as good as a warm one."
Luke felt his chest heaving, hot with rage and unable to stand the sight.
She was already hurt. The bruise on her face from where Hadeon had slapped her was already black and purple. She was pissed off - fiery with the same rage she always seemed to have inside of her. But she was afraid too. There was nothing stopping them from hurting her now except maybe his own compliance. They didn't have enough to keep him down completely - they only had her.
It was more than enough.
The skrags.
It didn't matter how far out of reach the Force was for him; Luke could still feel their thoughts. Their intentions. Their fucking lust for her.
It was disgusting.
He hated them. All of them. Hated them more than he'd ever hated anyone or anything in his life and if there was ever anything that could push him into the Dark Side, then it would be this. He would Fall if it meant Leia's safety and he wouldn't ever look back.
Luke looked away, back up at Hadeon. He couldn't bring himself to answer the question… but he held still, chest heaving, as Hadeon and another one of the crew came forward. Luke forced himself to suffer the indignity of being manhandled and having his head pulled back by his hair. They forced his jaw open; there was a part of the muzzle that was shoved inside his mouth, pushing his tongue down so that he couldn't speak. The outer part had some small holes for breathing but covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his nose poking out. Finally, the straps were buckled tightly at the back of his head, tight enough to dig into his skull.
It was humiliating.
"There," Hadeon said, sneering and ruffling his hair like he was a dog. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Fuck you, Luke thought at him fiercely.
The Iktotchi quirked a small, mean smile at him, almost as if he could hear him. He could, Luke remembered. Touch-telepath. "You might want to learn how to temper your thoughts, boy." he said simply, before twisting the mental knife in his brain again. "Now sit tight. If you move too much, you'll bleed out faster. I was in the middle of negotiating with some people who are very interested in buying you."
He might have said more, except just then, the sound of an engine suddenly cut through the air over the sound of the wind and the roar of the river that was below them. A beam of lights broke through the dark storm clouds seconds before the ship itself appeared.
It was an SD-321.
"Who the fuck is that?" Someone shouted.
It was Vader.
Luke knew it was. He could feel him and sense him in the Force now that he was looking for him.
His father had heard him after all.
Luke would have smiled had he been able to, at the look of pure shock that appeared on Hadeon's face. It quickly morphed into anger and he turned and backhanded him harshly across the face.
"What the fuck did you do?" he shouted. "How did - how did you -?" A strange look of realization crossed Hadeon's face.
That's right, Luke thought viciously. You saw it in my thoughts earlier, you bastard. I don't need to touch someone to talk to them through the Force.
"Boss?"
Hadeon looked back at his men and then cursed. "It's Vader! He's here for Skywalker."
Fear and unease flickered in the Force as they all turned their eyes to the sky, watching as the shuttle quickly approached. A gust of warm air rushed over all of them as it finally landed. Pain drove itself through his skull once again, sharp and miserable, as if Hadeon wanted to rip him to shreds. It didn't last very long, though the ache lingered like a painful echo. The ramp of the shuttle hissed and lowered and then... then his father was stepping out into the rain, flanked by a small squadron of stormtroopers, all of them armed and ready.
It was a humiliation in itself to be stared at so openly by the man that was his father when he had been shot, forced to his knees, muzzled, and put in such a vulnerable position where he couldn't fight back. When he had to call his father to come and get him out of the mess that he'd landed himself in.
Luke was better than this.
He knew that he was better than this.
He could feel his father taking stock of his condition, taking note of their surroundings and all the people that were present and… waiting. Reading the situation with the eye of a very angry, very experienced general.
Luke felt his father's Force presence reach out towards him - very slowly, almost cautiously - and then withdraw just as quickly the second contact was made. There was a brief feeling of rage and then nothing at all. Luke couldn't bring himself to meet Vader's eyes. He wasn't certain if he could handle feeling his father's disappointment alongside everything else that had happened to him. At least it was fairly obvious that he hadn't gone down without a fight.
"Lord Vader," Hadeon greeted stiffly. "I didn't - didn't realize that word would reach you so quickly."
Vader only stared at him, letting the silence stretch a moment longer than was comfortable.
"Word?" he finally said quietly.
The Iktotchi swallowed. "About the capture of Skywalker. Our capture of Skywalker. We were - attempting to make contact with you. The storm was making it rather difficult..."Hadeon trailed off, intimidated.
Vader stepped forward and darkness seemed to hang in the air around them. "I did not receive word. Not from your people, at least." Vader added coldly. Luke felt his father's eyes on him again and tried to imagine what he was thinking. He didn't dare brush along their bond to try and find out.
Another silence hung heavy in the air and Luke tried not to wince as the fingers in his hair tightened, until he thought it would be torn out by the roots.
"You can have him. Of course you can. There - there is just the issue of the bounty." Hadeon forced out, trying to play for calm. He was angry - angry about the potential loss of credits... but scared, for all the bravado that he was trying to exert.
"Bounty?"
"The reward for the capture of Luke Skywalker."
"There will be no payment," Vader said without any pause, taking another step forward. Everything about him seemed tense and lethal. The stormtroopers at his side moved with him, no less competent. Their thoughts were all calm and focused. "No transaction. No negotiations. Nothing."
"I don't understand."
His father offered Hadeon a very cold, very unamused smile. Luke didn't know how he knew that… but he did. The impression was clear in his mind.
"The stipulation was alive and unharmed."
"One blaster shot to the leg is nothing that can't be fixed," Hadeon insisted. "One would think that you would appreciate that someone actually caught the bastard."
The darkness in the air stirred once more, irritated this time.
"What I appreciate is when my directives are followed. Do it the way that I want it done or not at all."
Anger and disbelief and absolute frustration flooded the Force and more than half of it was being directed at Luke. The barrel of the blaster was pressed painfully against into his temple, stopping Vader in his tracks. Luke closed his eyes for a few seconds, swallowing thickly. He couldn't help but be painfully aware of every twitch and miniscule movement of Hadeon's hand.
The Force was whispering persistent warnings of danger danger danger and flickering images of different scenarios that might happen kept flashing in front of his eyes in a confusing sort of way. Trying to keep up with them all was exacerbating his migraine.
"So, what you're saying is that you won't pay?"
"No."
His father was a shit negotiator, Luke decided promptly. And something of a hypocrite - unless that "unharmed" stipulation was to be enforced for everyone except Vader himself. Only the person with the rank of Dad could cause harm without any consequences, apparently. Luke clenched his fake fist for a moment, not certain how he was supposed to feel.
"You are not the only one who can read thoughts, Iktotchi," His father continued darkly. The Force was shifting around him, almost black with his growing rage. "You shot my son and I know that you had no intention of bringing him to me."
Danger, the Force whispered again. Thunder boomed overhead and the first patters of rain finally sounded as drops hit the ground, coming down quickly and drenching them all in seconds.
"No, no -" Hadeon argued as the tension in the air got worse. "There is a supposed to be a reward -"
The Twi'lek restraining Leia suddenly choked and there was a series of sickening snapping sounds as his throat was crushed into splinters. Leia stumbled away from his body, eyes wide and stunned. Wet strands of her hair had fallen in front of her face.
Vader kept his eyes on the bounty hunter darkly. The Force shifted around him, almost black with his rage. "You will surrender my son to me," he said murderously, igniting his lightsaber. "And perhaps your reward will be that I allow you to live."
His father wasn't going to let any of them live.
Luke knew it and so did Hadeon.
"No," Hadeon said quietly. "No, I didn't go through all this trouble for nothing!"
A painful spike of pain shot through his head, blinding him at the same time that blaster fire erupted around them - Luke didn't know who it was that shot first but he got a brief glimpse of Hadeon's men beginning to fall, of his father blocking the bolts with his lightsaber, and a stormtrooper lunging forward and knocked Leia to the ground just as Hadeon turned and in an incredible show of strength, threw Luke backwards over the edge of the cliff.
He felt a spike of shock and anger that wasn't his flood through his mind, of someone reaching out for him, and then there was only the awful, weightless feeling of falling backwards into nothing before he hit the icy cold water below with a painful crash.
The water was freezing and the shock of hitting it had knocked the air out of his lungs. Luke couldn't think, couldn't see, couldn't breathe -
The river was violent and powerful, far different from any body of water he had ever tried to swim in. He couldn't swim now though - not with his hands bound behind his back the way that they were. He was at the mercy of the river, thrown around as wave after wave of water crashed over his head, forcing him down the river. Water forced its way into his mouth, his nose - even his clothes were betraying him now, the weight of them dragging him under over and over again. Luke didn't know which way was up or down and his vision turned black and sparks of light appeared in front of his eyes as his chest burned.
He desperately needed to breathe.
Another wave crashed over him and this time, Luke hit the bottom of the river for a brief second and immediately pushed with his feet, trying to drive his way back up to the surface. Luke opened his mouth, desperate to breathe air as his head came above the water for the first time in far too long but it wasn't air that filled his lungs - just more water.
He panicked, terrified and frightened and certain he was going to die and he barely had time to recognize the form of an upcoming boulder. Too fast, too fast he was going to slam right into it. Luke tried to turn, tried to moved out of the way but it was useless and couldn't breathe -
Luke felt his body slam into the rock and heard more than felt the painful crack in his arm before everything finally went dark.
I'm dead.
The thought fluttered its way through mind. There was nothing but darkness and a strange sort of stillness around him. He could feel and hear nothing. It felt like the quiet of space, perfectly and utterly silent and still.
Except... he was cold. The second Luke realized he felt cold, he could suddenly feel the freezing wind sinking through the layers of his wet clothes, chilling him to the bone. He was cold and wet... but not in the river anymore. That was a good thing. But there was someone touching him… no... carrying him.
He could feel the arms holding him tightly - cradling Luke against them and felt the movement of the other persons body as they moved. It didn't last very long and then he felt as he was lowered to the ground. There was cold, wet rock and mud underneath him. Luke barely had time to realize that he couldn't move before the binders on his wrists came away, his left arm throbbing and then there was the feeling of hands touching his face.
The muzzle that had been strapped to him was undone next and pulled away.
"Luke," someone said above him. The voice was loud and it seemed to echo into his mind along a faint thread of light. The contact stung fiercely, scraping along the tattered, bleeding remains of his mental shields. He didn't want anyone in his head - not now or ever again. "Come on, Luke - breathe!"
Breathing.
He wasn't... breathing.
Luke wanted to breathe but he didn't know how. Nothing worked. He couldn't move, couldn't blink, couldn't spare the energy to remember how to talk. It was just cold and dark and everything hurt.
Pain on his chest and ribs as someone pressed down on his chest in rapid, methodical succession. Over and over and over again.
"Come back to me," T he owner of the voice commanded. Or... perhaps he was begging. Everything getting dim and it was too much effort to figure it out. Darker and darker. It felt like someone was reaching for him but Luke was sinking… sinking… sinking… and even his pain was fading now. "Breathe, Luke!"
He didn't know how but he tried to reach back.
"Luke, come on." There was a crack in his chest and he distantly felt one of his ribs break under the pressure. It hurt - a lot... but the pressing didn't stop, not even for a second. "Breathe... breathe!"
It surprised him when his lungs finally expanded.
It felt like hours but was, in reality, probably a minute or two at most before Luke finally coughed, spitting up a lungful of water. Vader quickly turned him on his side so that he wouldn't choke and a cold, miserable feeling slowly seeped along their Force bond as Luke did his best to expel the entire contents of his stomach. Pain and a bewildering sense of panic flickered freely between them as he struggled to breathe properly, retching miserably.
Relief.
Powerful, mind-numbing relief.
Vader would have sat back and buried his face in his hands from how weak with relief he suddenly felt if he could have. Luke gagged - and he didn't think he'd ever heard a more wonderful sound in his entire life - before spitting up more water once again and Vader shifted closer to his son and pounded him firmly on the back a few times in some effort to try and help.
That had been far, far too close. He hadn't been certain if... it had been so worse than watching Luke fall at Bespin. So much worse.
But... he was breathing, Vader reminded himself fiercely. Not uninjured - but Luke was alive and it was enough.
"Steady, Luke." Vader rumbled, as Luke clutched weakly at the ground with his fingers as if to try and hold himself steady while he dry-heaved. His thoughts were scattered and confused and frightened. "You will be alright. Just relax."
Luke uttered a miserable sounding sob and there was pain pain pain flickering along their bond, harsher than before. There was nothing - absolutely nothing in place to hide his emotions. They were shattered - torn down and broken and Vader knew what that meant. Had felt it in the Force as soon as he'd entered the planet's atmosphere and he was furious.
But he couldn't let his thoughts dwell on it. Not yet. He would - but later.
It was another few tense minutes before all the water seemed to finally be expelled from his stomach and his breathing evened out. The same cold, miserable feeling was still fluttering freely between them, seeming to come from everywhere. Then Luke shifted at last, weakly lifting his head to look around for the first time.
He stared up at Vader dumbly for a long moment, wet strands of hair dangling in his eyes before recognition finally dawned.
"Oh," Luke croaked hoarsely, his shoulders slumping. There was a strange sort of relief mingled with a much stronger sense of resignation fluttering unknowingly between them. "It's you."
"Me," Vader agreed.
Luke only nodded before dropping his head into the crook of his arm in exhaustion, tremors wracking his whole body - from cold and pain alike. He looked like a drowned loth cat.
Not used to seeing his son in such a sorry state, Vader reached out before he could stop himself, resting his hand on the back of Luke's head, relishing in the fact that his son was alive. Neither of them moved and for a moment, it was just the two of them.
"You came," Luke murmured, almost too softly to be heard.
The words of course I came got stuck in Vader's throat.
True though it was, it would have been an empty platitude considering their history with each other and it probably wouldn't be the source of comfort that he would intend it as. So he said nothing, letting his presence speak for itself.
Only for a few seconds though. There was blood already puddling underneath Luke's leg. Vader had no idea how long Luke had been shot before he had arrived on the planet but Luke's pallor suggested that he had already lost too much blood. He did a quick physical scan, feeling carefully along all of Luke's sides and lower limbs, avoiding the arm that was clearly broken and searching for anything else that felt broken or out of place.
Luke held still while he did, head still pressed miserably into his good arm. He hissed, twitching once or twice when Vader pressed on something tender. The river had not been kind and Vader came to the quick conclusion that his son was going to be a mess of bruises in a few hours.
Nothing that some time in bacta wouldn't be able to fix. His leg was the worse of it though and it needed to be dealt with.
Luke lifted his head for the first time in several minutes when Vader shifted his leg for a better look, turning halfway onto his side so that he could see what was happening better.
"D-don't," Luke warned, teeth chattering.
"Would you prefer to bleed out?"
"Don't… d-don't cut it off." Luke finished quickly.
Vader paused, looking up. He was... afraid, Vader realized for the first time. His blue eyes were sharp and desperate. The water had frightened him and Luke was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had almost drowned and in a different sort of agony after having his mind so cruelly violated.
Mostly though, Luke was afraid of him.
Scared of his father and rightfully so.
Vader had brutalized him on Bespin and Luke had barely escaped with wounded pride and one less limb. They knew nothing about each other and while Luke had called out to him for assistance, it had not been a son calling for the safety of a father… but rather trading one perceived evil for another.
It had been desperation after being backed into a corner with no other way out.
The dark part of him almost wanted to sneer at the open weakness… but the other part of him, the quieter part, whispered that his son was still a child in many ways and to have some sympathy. It hadn't been his nature to do that in a long time. But… he understood. Vader had also been afraid, in those minutes before Luke had finally begun breathing again.
He had almost lost his son.
He wasn't eager to experience it again, in any form.
"I am not going to cut it off," Vader assured quietly, feeling oddly patient. He waited, allowing the Force time enough to speak truth to Luke's mind and whisper that he only wanted to help him. He was pleased when he felt Luke's paranoia slowly began to dissipate after only a few seconds.
"I… I w-wouldn't put it… put it p-past you." Luke shivered petulantly, dropping his head back.
Vader allowed a small smirk to cross his lips. There he was.
"I am going to borrow your belt," Vader warned, leaning over Luke and making quick work of loosening said belt and pulling it from the loops. It would work as a decent tourniquet.
"J-just don't… d-don't get any ideas."
"You are not my type." Vader replied automatically. Luke huffed a weak laugh in response and Vader paused, surprised at himself. Then felt his amusement grow, feeling oddly pleased with himself.
He'd never heard Luke laugh before.
Vader wasn't exactly built to be gentle but he gave it his best effort as he quickly ripped the torn fabric of Luke's pants, exposing more of his leg. The shot hadn't gone all the way through but the wound was deep. The edges of the skin where he'd been shot were burnt and torn. Blood was spurting consistently, making it difficult to see but… there was a hint of bone showing through the deepest part of the wound. He hissed, feeling his displeasure and temper rise and made quick work of getting the belt in the right spot.
He was quietly impressed when Luke's only response to the tightening of the belt was to draw in a quick breath. His face paled and pain flared to life in the Force around them both, pulsing sickeningly... but Luke didn't complain.
He had nothing with him to bind Luke's broken arm with, however. And... and the water in the river was rising due to the rain.
"We need to move," Vader said, helping Luke into a sitting position. Waves of dizziness and pain passed between them and Luke whimpered, shaking terribly when Vader maneuvered his broken arm, pressing it gently against his chest. "Hold that still." he instructed.
Then he wrapped one hand under Luke's good arm and grabbed a fistful of the back of his collar with the other and got to his feet, dragging Luke backwards with him until they were a fair distance away from the river.
There were some large boulders nearby on higher ground and he sat down, pressing his back against one of them and then pulled Luke in close between his legs, ignoring his grunts and whimpers of pain. Luke struggled for only a moment but Vader could sense that he lacked any real fight, hurt and half-drowned as he was. He was easy enough to manipulate and Vader got him situated as comfortably as he could.
"T-too late to r-run, right?" Luke shivered, slumping against his weakly. His face was pale and his lips were turning blue from the cold. There were tears of pain pricking at the corner of his eyes but he stubbornly refused to let them fall. Vader quickly pulled his armourweave cape off and wrapped it around Luke as best as he could. It was also wet, but he supposed that it was better than nothing at all. Once he had bundled Luke up as best as he could, he wrapped his arms around him in an attempt to share what little heat he had to offer.
"You are in no condition to do that now," Vader finally said in agreement. "You have have to suffer my company in the meantime."
Luke huffed another laugh, shaking his head. "Suffer," he repeated hoarsely. "Sounds about right."
Vader sensed an undercurrent of humor and so he only rolled his eyes and tried to think.
The wind was still blowing fiercely and while the rain had let up some, it was still falling steadily. The water in the river itself had been close to freezing. His suit regulated temperature for him and it was convenient enough for this particular situation in that his limbs were all prosthetics. It meant that his body wasn't wasting as much energy keeping all of him warm.
Luke did not have the same luxury; his wet Jedi robes would not help him here. He had been shot and lost a lot of blood, and had very nearly drowned. He needed to get out of this weather or he wouldn't last very long. Carrying him back the way they had came was not going to be an option.
"Hold on," Vader said, untangling one arm and reaching for the commlink that should be somewhere on his belt. It took a few long seconds of fumbling before he was able to find and unclip it. "Just hold on."
"...y-you say th-that like I'm going s-somewhere."
"Hush." Vader chided, pressing the side button on the commlink. "321, Supreme Commander Darth Vader."
Silence.
He looked up, watching the dark storm clouds with a feeling of unease. The brewing storm could be interfering with the connection to his shuttle. This planet was known for its powerful storms and fluctuating weather patterns.
It was no excuse, Vader decided promptly as another shiver wracked Luke's body. None.
Someone had better answer quickly - Luke had been washed a few miles down the river before he'd managed to grab him but Vader had had a fair number of competent men with him when he had gone after him. If they valued their lives, they would have gotten the situation under control quickly and begun a search party by now. There would be hell to pay if they hadn't.
"321, Supreme Commander Darth Vader." He said again, louder this time.
Silence.
It stretched for almost a minute and he was about to try again when a crackling sound came over the receiver. It was jumbled, broken and then,
"We are receiving you, Lord Vader."
"Do you have a reading on my location?" he demanded quickly.
"...we have a rough estimate, Sir. We are in the air, searching now."
"Have a Medic Kix waiting on standby. I am a few miles down the river." Vader ordered.
"Yes, Sir."
He flipped the commlink closed and set it down beside him before wrapping his arm around Luke once again. Minutes passed by between them in complete silence, with only the sound of the roaring river and the wind in the trees. He could feel Luke growing weaker by the second. His stubbornness could only take him so far, after all. He just needed to hold on until they were found and his injuries could be treated.
At least some of them.
Luke physical injuries having taken priority over everything else but the mental harm that had been inflicted upon him by the Iktotchi was very real - the kind of harm that only another Force sensitive, or particularly powerful telepath could do to another. If it were physical, it would have needed surgery to repair and the mental violation itself was grounds, in most telepathic cultures, for the death penalty.
Luke's mind was in absolute shreds, victim to someone with far more experience then he currently was. He would need help healing from the trauma and Vader would need a calm mind if he was going to help.
That fact did nothing to lessen his rage. It hurt him to know that this had been done to his son and he felt frustrated and useless and angry.
"W-where is Leia?" Luke forced out, interrupting Vader's thoughts. "Is… is s-she safe? Is she… she a-alright?"
There were flickering images, of thoughts and ideas of the things the Iktotchi and his men had had planned for the Princess of Alderaan passing between them. Though Vader had no particular fondness for the little Rebel… it still angered him. He would ensure that the pirates all died painfully, if they were not dead already, and rid the galaxy of them forever.
"My men have her," Vader said simply, and then added. "She will not be harmed."
A small flicker of relief. He almost couldn't separate it from the sudden sense that Luke was slipping.
"…thank you."
"Luke," Vader prompted quickly, jostling him slightly to try and rouse him. "Do not fall asleep. Talk to me." There was another flickering sense of pain and… and a little irritation at the rough treatment. That was a good thing though. Let him be irritated, anything would be better than that slow, sinking, slipping away feeling. Anger would fuel Luke - it would give him power. Something to hang onto.
"...about… w-what?"
"Whatever you want to talk about. Tell me how much you hate me. Be angry. Anything."
It was a few very… very long seconds before Luke managed to speak again. His thoughts and emotions felt tired and weary.
"...I… I d-don't h-hate you."
Vader blinked, surprised.
"No?"
Luke shook his head. "...I d-don't know… how. Don't k-know what… what t-that s-says about me t-though."
There was a jumble of complicated emotions flickering between them once again. Anger. Hurt. Pain. Confusion. Love. Sadness. But no hatred.
Vader shouldn't have felt the relief that he did. It would be better for Luke to hate him, after all. Better, maybe for both of them. But... he was also glad that his son... didn't.
The sound of his shuttle caught his attention and Vader looked up, finding it in the sky. He stretched out into the Force and could tell from the feelings and emotions that he felt that they had been spotted.
"I… I do h-hate w-water th-though." Luke shivered, not noticing the shuttle and trembling fiercely in his arms.
Glancing at the river which had almost killed his son, Vader couldn't bring himself to disagree with him. Still, he would reserve his anger for the ones that deserved it and after Luke had been taken care of.
"I should think that you would hate the ones who pushed you into the water, my son." he supplied, just to keep him talking for as long as possible. Vader shifted, preparing to stand as the shuttle grew closer so that he could get Luke onboard as fast as he could.
"T-threw me." Luke corrected with a faint whisper. His eyes were fluttering closed again. "But y-yeah... them t-too."
Vader let an amused smile touch his lips for the briefest moment before easing Luke forward and quickly standing up as the shuttle touched ground. Vader bent down, getting an arm under Luke's knees and one behind his back and lifted him up, cradling him carefully against his chest. Pain erupted in the Force and he felt their bond grow dim almost immediately as Luke slipped unconscious at last.