Luke

Hal seemed to be minding Luke a bit more closely the next day, Luke noticed dryly. The pad Luke had been given had mysteriously disappeared, and now all that was left was the holovid. Well, the holovid and Hal.

"How much longer until we reach Coruscant?"

Hal had been teaching Luke a card game for the past few hours, and Luke was quickly growing bored.

"A few more days."

"Days?" Luke groaned, leaning back on the couch.

Grinning, Hal set his own cards down. "Would you like to go for a walk? If you stay with me, I can take you on a tour."

"Really? Can we take out a Tie fighter?"

Grinning, Hal shook his head. "I don't think your father would sign off on that one, kiddo. Come on, there's still plenty to see on a Star Destroyer."

Leading them out into the hall, Luke followed Hal through the corridors. "Didn't you just get assigned here? How do you know where we are going?"

"The Executor is much larger than most Star Destroyers, but all ships are built based off a similar design specifically so soldiers and officers could be easily transferred ship to ship. Though...I will admit I have still on occasion found myself to be lost. We might end up having to call for back up, but I figured you wouldn't mind."

Grinning, Luke shook his head. "No, I don't mind. So you must have been stationed on a Star Destroyer before?"

Hal jolted, clearly not expecting to have revealed anything but his comment. "Yes...a while ago, before Tatooine."

"So how did you end up on Tatooine?"

"Reassignment."

Luke was going to push, but he could feel in the Force that Hal wasn't going to budge easily on this. Genuinely curious, Luke had to shove aside his curiosity, not wanting to step on Hal's toes too harshly.

Not paying attention to the time wandering by, Hal showed Luke anything of interest – the officer's mess halls, the hangar bays (where Hal kept a hand firmly on Luke's shoulder to make he sure he didn't wander off), the various training halls and work stations. Though most kids would probably be bored out of their minds, Luke appreciated the strategic side of how the ship was set up. Comparing it to the rebel ships he'd be on, it was hard to refute how impressive the Imperial fleet truly was. Considering his father was the one who set most of it up as the Commander of the Navy, Luke had a better understanding of how impressive his father was. It was no wonder in the past that Vader had been such a formidable opponent.

"So this is where you've been hiding."

Hal and Luke turned to see a man approaching. There was a pleasant smile on his face, though a rather annoyed air hung about him.

"Admiral Ozzel," Hal saluted.

"Major, did you not inform anyone that you were taking the child around the ship?"

Paling slightly, Hal shook his head. "I was just told to keep an eye on him. Lord Vader requested that I keep him entertained; he didn't put any restrictions to those orders. I apologize if I misunderstood something, sir."

"Next time, be sure you have your comm on at least. Lord Vader has been looking for him."

Frowning, Hal pulled out his comm. "But sir, my comm is right here-"

Before it could be investigated, a commotion at the end of the hall caused everyone to turn and look. Six storm troopers were coming, a familiar figure between them.

"Ah, Major. I see the Admiral found you first, didn't you, sir?" Vice Admiral Piett had a forced smile on his face, Luke confused as to why he seemed so anxious.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize anyone was looking for us." Hal sounded genuinely confused, looking towards Piett rather than the Admiral for more guidance.

The Admiral, now obviously annoyed, crossed his arms. "What is all this fuss about?"

"Neither the Major nor you were answering your comm. Then your guards reported that they couldn't find you, sir, so I decided to investigate."

"I had an opening in my schedule, so I thought I might meet the boy. Then I realized the Major wasn't answering his comm, so I decided to go look for them."

"Why would you not report that directly to Lord Vader, Admiral?"

"I was about to." Ozzel and Piett were in a full on stare down. Ozzel finally looked away first, adjusting his uniform and clearing his throat. "Yes, I was about to report it myself when I ran into them first."

"What excellent timing, then."

Ozzel, unable to turn his ire on Piett, turned back towards Hal. "This still doesn't explain why you weren't answering your comm."

"Wait…" Piett grabbed the comm, grimacing as he checked it over. "It appears it's malfunctioned. You'll have to get it replaced at once."

"How could you be carrying faulty equipment while watching the boy? This is unacceptable!" Ozzel brandished himself in front of Hal, Luke feeling uncomfortable by the man's crowing. Luke had not known of Ozzel before, and his first impression of the man was not going well.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir."

Stepping in front of Hal, Luke crossed his arms. "Admiral, it's my fault that we went out. I didn't stop pestering the Major until he took me."

The Admiral leaned down, offering what Luke saw as a very fake smile. Though Ozzel did not seem to have any ill intentions, something about him still rubbed Luke the wrong way. "It's alright, boy. This is none of your concern. Let's just get you returned to your quarters."

"I want Hal to take me." Luke insisted stubbornly.

Though his lips were still smiling, Ozzel closed his eyes for a brief moment as if he were trying to regain control. "Very well. Piett, I want you to accompany them. I need to get back to work."

Turning, Ozzel left with two of the guards, the rest remaining behind.

"Major, may I speak with you privately for a moment?"

Nodding, Hal gave Luke one more quick glance before following after Piett.

Watching as Hal and Piett stepped ahead of the group, Luke felt one of the storm troopers step up beside him. "Sir."

"Is Tason not following me today?" Luke asked him. Normally, if Hal's comm wasn't working, Tason was usually right behind them.

"Tason, sir? I'm not sure I know them." The trooper offered.

"Never mind. I'll ask him later. You're Sargent Kreel, aren't you? We didn't really have an opportunity to be introduced the other day." Luke saw a stripe on the trooper's armor that differed from a typical guard for one, but even if Kreel hadn't been present to help collect Luke, he didn't think he'd ever forget meeting Kreel at Grakkus's arena. In the past, when he'd been trying to take some Jedi holocron's, he'd been captured and detained by a hutt that enjoyed hosting fights for people to bet on. Vader had sent Kreel to investigate Grakkus, and ended up almost catching Luke in the process.

Kreel had been a firm but excellent teacher. Perhaps this time, they would not have to be so wary of each other.

"I see you remember me from the planet – I wasn't sure you would." Kreel asked. "Then again, you also sent me a message. How did you know about me?"

Luke felt his tongue go dry. So far, everyone had been too wrapped up in Vader having a son to really ask any questions. "Um…"

Hal and Piett were still distracted in their conversation, Kreel completely focused on Luke's answer.

"Well, um...Obi-wan told me about you."

"Obi-wan? The Jedi?"

"Yeah...he remembered you from the past, and I figured if I sent a message into the Empire with my name on it, it'd be flagged. I had no idea you still worked with my father."

"But why would he tell you about me?"

"He told me some stories about my father."

Kreel did not seem convinced, so Luke decided to try another tactic: change the subject. Hal and Piett appeared to be finished with their conversation, the both of them heading back over.

"Hey, you know how to use a lightsaber, don't you?"

Now Kreel, Piett, and Hal were watching him warily, each of them confused.

"Yes." Kreel answered slowly, revealing the lightsaber he'd kept strapped at his hip.

"Cool! Can you teach me?"

"Only if you tell me how you know what a lightsaber is." Kreel offered, still not having dropped the subject.

Raising an eyebrow, Luke pretended to be considering his offer. Finally, he leaned a bit closer, as if it were some big, complicated secret. "Obi-wan had a lightsaber."

Thinking about it, Luke realized that his father's blade was probably still on Tatooine, unless Obi-wan had brought it with him to Alderaan. That lightsaber had been very sentimental to him, though the blade Luke eventually built on his own was far more comfortable to wield.

All three of the men exchanged knowing looks. Kreel, still not completely convinced that Luke knew everything from Obi-wan, finally relented.

"I see. Well, if your father allows it, I would be happy to show you what I know, though it hardly compares to your father's knowledge. I'm sure he'd teach you how to spar." Kreel subtly pushed, hinting that Luke should ask his father.

A feeling of dread came over Luke at the thought. "There is no escaping your destiny – join me, and together we will defeat the Emperor!"

"Maybe learning to fight is a bad idea, actually." Luke looked away towards the ground.

"It's not a bad idea, Luke, though you might still be a bit young. Just...your father will know when the time is right. Speaking of your father, we really should get moving. He's been waiting for you for almost an hour now." Piett checked his pad for the time, gesturing that they should get moving.

Following the group, Luke realized they had wandered much farther than he realized, taking almost thirty minutes to get to back to Vader. Taken back to the conference room, dinner was sitting on the table for him.

"Be sure in the future that your equipment is working properly." That was all Vader said on the matter before dismissing the men that had been with Luke, leaving the two of them alone.

"Hello." Luke greeted, sitting down before his dinner.

"How was your day, young one?"

"It was good! Hal – I mean, the Major – showed me the ship today."

"I noticed." There did not seem to be any ulterior meaning to Vader's statement.

"Can I go with you tomorrow?"

The helmet tilted slightly. "I'm not sure that would be wise. I am very busy and would not be able to spare you much attention."

"Oh. Okay. Oh! I met Sargent Kreel today. Can he teach me to spar?"

"Kreel...teach you to spar?"

"I saw he had a lightsaber. I thought he could teach me."

Luke felt the air grow cold for a moment, Vader freezing as if having an internal debate. "No. You are too young."

"But-"

"No! This is not a debate. You are too young to wield a blade, or to understand what the Force is. We will address the issue again when you are older."

Startled, Luke nodded slowly, turning his attention back to his dinner. This didn't make any sense – in the past, Vader had been itching to turn Luke into his apprentice. Luke had been hoping that through training, he could try and guide his father back to the light side of the Force.

Obi-wan's warning came to mind again – "Things aren't going to play out the way you expect". If what Obi-wan said was true, then perhaps Luke had altered the timeline enough that everything in his vision was now meaningless.

What was he supposed to do then?

Luke finished his meal slowly, picking at it more so than consuming it. "Um...if you aren't going to train me, then what am I supposed to do?"

"We will get you signed up for school. You will grow up like any other child."

Not commenting on the "any other child" part, Luke nodded again. "Okay."

Grow up? The world was too dark a place for Luke to simply laze around "growing up". If Vader wasn't going to let him train, he would simply have to figure out some way to train himself.

"Hey Hal, where is the training room again?"

"Training room?" Hal was shuffling a deck of cards, having brought new games to teach Luke. Having arrived for breakfast that morning, Luke had a feeling he was in for another day of constant "entertainment" – or, really, supervision.

"Yeah! I want to go see Sargent Kreel again!" Luke offered his most innocent grin. How did one grin like a twelve year old? How would he have smiled if he was back on Tatooine with his Aunt and Uncle, listening to his Uncle moan about a broken droid or listening to Aunt talk about the different myths of Tatooine?

Glancing towards his toy speeder, he wondered how is Aunt and Uncle were doing. Were they still worried about him? Had Bail gotten word to them – did Bail even know they existed?

Obviously Vader had men speak to them, but had he informed them that Luke was now with him?

The smile must have faded enough for Hal to notice, the Major turning back in concern. "Is everything alright, Luke?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Can we go see Sargent Kreel? Please?"

"I'll see what he's doing...give me a second." Hal ruffled Luke's hair, pulling out his comm. Walking to the other side of the room, Hal chatted quickly with Kreel before turning back. "He says he's going to train after lunch; we can go meet him then."

"Great!" Thinking back to the day before, Luke pulled his knees up to his chin. "Hey, Hal, what happened yesterday with the Admiral? If my father wanted to find me, he should have been able to with the Force."

Hal gave him a very professional grin. "Nothing. It was just an oversight on my part-"

Crossing his arms, Luke glared.

Sighing, Hal sat back down. "Somehow, I ended up with a broken comm – probably simply by mistake – and the Admiral was just worried that he couldn't reach us."

Lie.

Luke sat up straighter, confused as to which part Hal was lying about. Why would Hal feel the need to lie about having a broken comm at all?

"The Admiral was, or my father?"

"Both. Even though your Father could use the Force to find you, and can probably tell that you are alright through it, doesn't mean it's as efficient as a comm. If something were to happen – which, we are on board an active duty Star Destroyer currently – he needs to be able to relay orders to me so that I can keep you safe."

Sighing, Luke nodded. "I don't need anyone to keep me safe."

Snorting, Hal shook his head. "Luke, you are the son of Darth Vader. I don't want to scare you, but don't underestimate your father's enemies."

Curiosity piqued, Luke prompted Hal to continue. "Enemies? Like who?"

Realizing he might have opened a can of worms, Hal hesitated to respond. "Maybe we should talk about something else."

"But how am I supposed to avoid them if I don't know them?" Luke suggested.

"Well, for one, the rebels. Those insurgents would do anything to disrupt the Empire – including hurting a young boy. Whatever you do, you need to stay away from them, alright?"

Nodding slowly, Luke didn't feel like that information was entirely accurate. Though he had no doubts that there were some that considered themselves "rebels" that would hurt anyone and anything – often in the past, he'd had to lead by example and put a stop to the darkness leaking through the galaxy. But the Alliance held their members to a strict moral and ethical code, and hurting young children deliberately would never be accepted.

"But enough of this – why don't we go get lunch in the mess hall? I bet the other officers would like to talk with you." Hal suggested.

Letting Hal win, Luke nodded. "Alright, sounds like fun!"

Taking Luke out into the hall, Luke noticed that Tason was there this time. "Tason! Where have you been?"

"Around."

Hal glanced over as well. "I thought you were off duty until later?"

"I am, I was passing by."

Hal leaned in and whispered a few words before Tason nodded and headed off again, giving Luke a small wave.

Grinning, Luke allowed the simple answer and followed after Hal, Hal taking them to one of the higher ranking mess halls. Grabbing their meals, Hal lead him over to a table of men.

"Luke, these are some of my men-" As Hal was speaking, the hall fell eerily silent. Turning to look, Luke saw Admiral Ozzel enter the hall, zoning in on them immediately. Piett was not with them this time.

"Ah, there you are. I thought I would invite you to dine with me today." Ozzel came over. Clearly, the Admiral must have put in a bit of effort to find Luke. "May I steal him away for a bit?"

Ozzel was asking Hal, but considering his rank, it did not matter whether or not Hal gave his permission.

"Do I have to?" Luke didn't mean for his question to be said loud enough that everyone could hear, but Ozzel looked like he'd been struck.

Teeth clenching, Ozzel nodded. "Come now, child. Is one meal with me so troubling?"

"Do you even know my name?" Luke shot back.

The room was silent. Obviously, no one else had the power to stand up to the Admiral, but Luke hoped that his father's name was enough to make the Admiral back down.

Now one of his eyes was twitching slightly, Luke hesitantly taking a step back. Maybe it had been a bad idea to sass an Admiral, no matter who his father was.

"I'm sorry, Admiral, but Luke actually has an appointment that he can't miss here shortly. Can lunch wait until another day? I'm sure Luke's father wouldn't want him to miss getting his security guards assigned." Hal stepped forward, standing right behind Luke.

Straightening his uniform, Ozzel huffed. "Very well. I'll have to make sure I get fit onto your schedule next time, Luke."

A shiver ran through him as he watched the Admiral back down, Piett stepping through the doors hurriedly as Ozzel was leaving. Glancing back, Piett seemed to be checking that Luke was alright before heading back off after the Admiral.

"Hal, do I really have to have lunch with the Admiral?" Luke asked. There was something about that man he did not like – not one bit.

Clearing his throat, Hal shook his head, not knowing the answer. "I don't know, Luke. I'll have to check with Lord Vader and see what his orders are."

Right. If Luke told his father he didn't like the Admiral...Vader would either have the Admiral killed, or laugh at Luke for being a child.

Grimacing distastefully, Luke realized the time. "Oh. It is actually time to meet Kreel, isn't it? I thought you were just covering for me."

"You need to eat first, Luke."

"But-"

"No buts! If your father found it you were skipping meals, he'd be worried."

The other men had already had to leave to return to duty, Luke hurriedly sitting down and trying to cram the food down his throat.

Snorting at him, Hal ate at a much slower pace. "Relax, Luke. Kreel isn't going to be worried about you being a few minutes late."

Slowing slightly, Luke and Hal finished their meals before heading to the training hall, Luke eager to start.

Kreel was waiting for them in the middle of the hall, polishing his lightsaber hilt. Turning as they came in, Kreel tilted his helmet in acknowledgment. "Hello, Major, Luke."

"Kreel! Will you teach me to spar today?" Luke bounded up to him like a puppy with too much energy.

Laughing, Kreel patted his head. "Did you father say it was alright?"

Thinking back on the conversation he'd had with his father last night, Luke felt bad for lying, but there was no other way. If Vader wasn't going to teach him how to fight, then how would he ever learn to be more powerful than the Emperor? Even if he could turn Vader back to the light side of the Force, they would still have to defeat the Emperor together.

"Yep! He said it was fine, as long as it was you." Luke didn't skip a beat.

Hal hesitated. "Luke, you said you just wanted to watch training, not be trained. I don't have orders regarding this from your father."

"But he told me last night it was fine. Even Vice Admiral Piett said it would be a good idea for me to learn." Luke begged.

"Let me just double check, alright?" Hal started to pull out his comm, Luke panicking.

"Wait!"

Kreel and Hal both froze, startled by his sudden outburst.

"Uh...my father said he would be really busy this afternoon. Like, super busy, so I shouldn't bother him. Come on, Hal, he told me it was fine!"

Replacing the comm, Hal still looked undecided. "Alright...why don't you get started with Kreel. I could use a quick bathroom break anyway."

Grinning, Luke nodded.

"Alright, Luke, if you are going to learn how to use a lightsaber, we need to start with the basics." Kreel went over, unlocking a cabinet and pulling out a wooden training sword.

"We can't just start with lightsabers?" Luke asked, frowning at his sword. Though Kreel didn't know that Luke already had training with a real blade – or at least, before Luke did.

"Nope. Not safe, kid. Alright, let's start with position one…" Kreel started having Luke move through various training positions, eventually standing to the side and watching him go through the motions. Luke, remembering many of these, got the gist of it quickly, Kreel obviously impressed.

"Not bad-"

Kreel was cut off when the doors to the training hall burst open, darkness flooding into the room. Vader stood silhouetted in the doorway, the only sound that of his respirator for several, agonizingly long moments. Finally, he stepped into the room, walking up to Luke with measured steps. The sword flew out of Luke's hand and into Vader's grip, shattering as soon as it touched Vader's palm.

"What did I tell you last night?" Vader growled.

Trembling, Luke shrank back. "Th-that I could train when I was older…"

Luke felt Kreel's shock in the Force, Luke wincing as Kreel turned to stare at him.

"No. I told you we would address this issue again when you were older. So why is it that the Major is calling to double check that I allowed you to train with the Sargent."

"I just asked Sargent Kreel to show me a few moves!"

"You disobeyed me and lied to both the Major and the Sargent. You will be confined to your quarters for the rest of the trip back to Coruscant."

"Wait, but-"

"No! No buts. Major, return him to his quarters at once."

Hal, Luke realized, had been lurking against the wall behind Vader, witnessing this whole scene. Coming over, Hal placed gentle hands on Luke's shoulders, guiding him towards the doors.

"Wait...Sargent Kreel...I'm sorry." Hal continued to push Luke on through the apology, Luke unable to hear Kreel's reply.

As soon as they were out in the hallway, Luke noticed the Admiral waiting nearby, looking frustrated.

"Major, what is happening? Why did Lord Vader suddenly come storming down to the training hall in the middle of our meeting?" Ozzel demanded.

Faking patience, Hal paused only briefly. "I'm sorry, Admiral. I was just ordered to return Luke to his quarters. You would have to ask Lord Vader for his reasoning."

Glancing towards Luke, Ozzel snorted. "I should have known it would have something to do with you. What did you do now, child?"

"Admiral, I need to return Luke to his quarters." Hal tried, but the Admiral's patience was already worn thin.

"I wasn't speaking to you, Major, I was asking the child. Now answer me!" Ozzel came closer, standing in their way.

Staring at the floor, Luke found his tongue. "I was training. My father told me not to."

Glaring, Ozzel tsked at him. "Don't you know better than to go against the orders of our Lord? You may not pay the consequences, but someone always pays the price."

Paling, Luke wondered if Kreel was still alright. "I'm sorry…"

"Luke, enough. Admiral, I cannot go against my Lord's orders. Please let me return Luke to his quarters."

Sneering, Ozzel stepped out of the way. "Fine, but this won't be the last you hear of this!"

Steering him quickly away, Hal rushed them all the way back to Luke's quarters, trying to avoid running into anyone else. As if Luke's luck wasn't already running thin, Vice Admiral Piett was waiting at the end of the hall containing Luke's quarters.

"Major, Lord Vader would like to speak to you. I'll escort Luke back to his room."

Freezing, Luke felt the hand gripping his shoulder squeeze for just a moment before it let go, Hal patting it gently.

"Very well. Thank you, Vice Admiral." Hal said it like he was saying farewell, and not just for a short while.

"Wait, Hal…"

Shaking his head, Hal stepped away. Going to follow him, Luke felt Piett grab his arm, holding him back. "Let him go, Luke. You'll just make things worse."

A tear slid down Luke's cheek. "It wasn't his fault, Piett! It was my fault! I should be punished, not him! Hal and Kreel...it's my fault, not theirs!" By the end, Luke was full on wailing, remembering not only the two men suffering because of his choices, but the pain he carried from before of losing his Aunt and Uncle and all his friends in the rebellion.

"Luke, we need to go back to your quarters." Piett gave him a gentle tug, but Luke refused to be swayed. Attempting to struggle out of the grip, Piett was forced to duck underneath him and pick him up, carrying him away.

"NO! Let me go!" Luke begged, but Piett was not swayed, only putting him down in the middle of Luke's quarters.

"Luke, let me offer you a piece of advice now that you find yourself in the middle of this: whatever you do, you never go against the orders of your Father." It was as if Ozzel had simply followed him back to the room, though Piett had no idea what the man had said earlier.

"Stay here. I'll have a droid bring your dinner. Just behave yourself and wait for your father, alright?"

Leaving Luke in the middle of his room still quietly shaking, Luke watched as the door slid shut and left him alone in his dimly lit room.

Darth Vader

The training hall had been vacated quickly when Vader ordered it. The only people left in the room were now the Major and the Vice Admiral, who had returned after escorting Luke to his room, and Sargent Kreel. The Admiral had requested to leave in order to get ready for a meeting.

Clenching his right hand into a fist, Vader paced the front of the room for a moment, irritated. How had the child misconstrued his words from the night before?

He didn't.

Of course the child would be rebellious – he was a Skywalker. Why hadn't Vader foreseen this happening?

Something in his child was driving him to want to train, but what? Had Vader said something, or was Luke simply too enamored with his father's status as a war hero?

"My lord-" When the silence became too much to bear, the Major attempted to speak, but stopped when Vader raised a hand. Turning back towards the men in the room, he found the three of them fighting off terror.

"Oddly enough, I am not angry at any of you at what transpired today. Obviously, the child is more...rebellious than I anticipated. This meeting is not about punishments for you, but a meeting about the expectations going forward. Wait...where is the shadow?"

The Major stepped forward, swallowing. "He is off duty currently, my Lord. I must have forgotten to message him."

"No matter…I will speak to him myself, then."

The cold air in the room relaxed a degree, both the Major and the Vice Admiral relieved. Sargent Kreel hadn't appeared to be too worried, but he had worked with Vader for a long, long time. That didn't mean much, though.

When the Major had called to inform Vader that Luke had asked Kreel to spar, at first Vader thought it had to be some kind of joke. There is no way someone would disobey him for fear of their very lives, so why would one of his orders be gone against? Then he remembered he had only informed Luke that he wasn't allowed to train and none of his guards.

Obviously, he had already heavily underestimated the child. Were all children this way?

"The boy is not be trained. He is much too young, nor will he ever need training. When we arrive at Coruscant, I will ensure that the boy gets settled and enrolled in school. Major, I want to reassign you to Coruscant as my aide."

"I would be honored, sir." The man's head must have been reeling – to go from basically an outpost on Tatooine to the capital of the galaxy would be quite the overwhelming experience. Vader would know from experience.

"I wish for you to start looking into schools for the boy – you can check on Luke at dinner time."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Excellent. Sargent, your next task will be to find guards you trust to guard my son. I think six for now will be sufficient, but he will need more later on when he becomes a public figure."

"My lord, I will have men picked before we reach Coruscant." Kreel bowed.

"Good. I must go speak to my offspring about his behavior."

"My Lord-" Kreel started, than hesitated.

"Yes?"

"It's just...I don't know if you've noticed, but Luke...knows things."

Vader paused, confused. Had Luke been talking about Vader's past again, trying to weasle information out of the Sargent? "Like what?"

"Well, have you ever asked him how he knew to send me a message? He told me that Jedi told him stories, but it just doesn't add up to me."

Nodding slowly, Vader hadn't taken much time to consider this. That was a very good point, however – from what Luke's Aunt and Uncle had expressed, they hadn't seemed to know Obi-wan as a Jedi at all. So either Luke was spending time with Obi-wan without their knowledge, or he was using a dead man as an excellent scape goat. Were all twelve year olds this complicated, or just ones with Skywalker blood running through their veins? "Yes...I will look into it. Thank you, Sargent."

"Of course, my Lord."

"My lord, I hate to interrupt, but you are supposed to be at the meeting taking place shortly. The Emperor personally requested you attend." Piett reminded him, Vader pausing in the doorway.

"What meeting? There wasn't a meeting today."

"It was just added to the schedule about an hour ago."

"I suppose the child will have to wait. Major, he is not to leave his room until I speak with him."

"Yes, my lord." Hal bowed alongside Kreel, thankful that his life had not been forfeit.

Heading out the doors, Vader headed towards his meeting, wondering if he'd be able to stay the entire time or what nonsense would catch his attention next.

As he was walking, he realized Piett was with him.

"My Lord, I have something to report about the Admiral before we go in."

"Yes?"

"Yesterday, when the Major's comm broke...I sent a code to cause it to malfunction."

"What? Why?" Vader was genuinely confused.

"The Admiral made an odd comment about wanting to meet with the boy, then disappeared without his guards. Something about it seemed odd, so I used the comm to track their location, than caused it to malfunction before he could order the Major to bring Luke to him."

The Vice Admiral was far craftier than Vader initially realized. "Why didn't you report this yesterday?"

"We didn't have a chance to meet privately, and I was worried about reporting it through formal channels, my lord. I did inform the Major to report to you first should the Admiral give him any conflicting orders."

"Yes...I see. Very good – continue to intercede as you see fit for now."

"Yes, my Lord."

Piett stepped forward to enter the conference room first. Entering the conference room after, Vader found several of his generals and higher officers waiting inside. All but one prominent figure was present.

Turning to Piett, Vader's helmet tilted. "Where is the Admiral?"

Piett frowned, glancing at his pad, also confused. "I'm not sure...Ah, it says he wasn't requested for this meeting, my Lord."

The Vice Admiral was obviously concerned, Vader catching glimpses of his thoughts of concern for Luke. The Admiral did have an odd obsession with his son, though Vader had written it off as trying to appease him. Plus, Luke's guards should have been with him – even the Admiral would have a hard time getting through them to try anything.

"A meeting that requires me, but not him? Didn't he specially request leaving earlier to prepare for this exact meeting?"

"I'm afraid I'm not sure, my Lord."

Vader felt his patience started to waver. "What exactly is this meeting about?"

"Apparently, an incident came up, but the details are a bit vague."

"Vague? They vaguely reported the details of a meeting that requires my attention? Who put in the request for this meeting?"

Scrolling on his pad, Piett found the answer. "It appears it was requested by...the Admiral, my Lord."

Confusion bled through the Force, all of the men in the room falling silent.

"If the Admiral requested this meeting, and the Admiral is the only one who knows what it is about, then perhaps the Admiral should come at once." Vader growled out, the room growing icy.

"I will find him at once, my Lord."

Vader jolted, everyone in the room flinching.

"Vice Admiral, with me. Everyone else, return to your duties."

Leaving the room in large steps, Piett scrambled after him, Vader not pausing outside the door to explain.

"My lord, what is it?" Piett asked, rushing to keep up.

"Something is wrong. Luke is afraid and in pain, and not in his quarters anymore. I can no longer feel the Admiral's presence, either."

"I will call the Major at once-"

"Do not bother. The Admiral had us played from the beginning – the shadow is unconscious, and the Major is oblivious in his office." Why had he ordered the Major to look into schools at a time like this?

"What?!" Piett checked the time again. How had all that happened in less than an hour?

"There is no time to waste." Without explaining any further, Vader rushed towards the screaming in the Force.

Meetings were going to become a thing of the past if this became the norm.