Darth Vader
The Admiral was far too pale as Vader approached. It had been a long twenty-four hours for Vader, hopping shuttle to shuttle to reach the Executor. It was difficult to communicate when he was shifting so many times.
"Admiral, report."
"My Lord, may we speak in private?"
"Very well."
Leading the way to his office, Piett checked outside the door to make sure they weren't followed before locking it behind them.
"What is it, Admiral?"
"The plans haven't been found, my Lord. But I've received another report from Coruscant shortly before you arrived."
"What could it possibly be about?"
"Your son, my Lord. He's missing."
"What?!"
"Apparently as soon as you left, the Emperor requested having dinner with him. Luke bolted after, and no one can find him. The Emperor ordered that all ships be searched, but there hasn't been a trace of him."
Vader growled. Of course the Emperor would cause trouble as soon as he left.
"The Emperor also sent orders – you aren't to return until you find the plans."
"Of course." Vader groaned, wishing he could rub his eyes through his mask.
"They are doing everything they can to find him, but they aren't sure what happened to make him so upset, my Lord. Communication has also been difficult – something seems to be intercepting our messages. I cannot get either the Major or your shadow over the comm. The Major managed to send me one short message relaying the Prince was missing before all communication was cut off."
Cursing to himself, Vader knew instinctively that the Emperor had to be messing with their communication. "If he's already left the planet, that puts us in a better position to find him. We will use the search for the plans to cover up our search for him, though I suddenly have a feeling that those might be one and the same."
"What? As in, his Highness has the plans? Do you really think a twelve year old boy would have the resources to get off planet so quickly?"
"Quite possibly. He only has two contacts on Coruscant – Bail and Breha Organa. Figure out where they are, and you will likely find my son."
"I will look into figuring out a way to get into contact with them. Oh!" Piett paused as they were headed towards the door. "There was one other report – they took stock of the survivors on Tatooine. They weren't sure exactly who you were looking for, but the list of names was forwarded to you, my Lord."
"Good." Vader could well imagine what the Emperor could or would say to his child – it was the exact issue he was worried about as he left Coruscant earlier.
"I'm sure he'll turn up, my Lord. It hasn't been long since he went missing – children often run away from their problems at that age."
"I must speak to the Emperor – send a request for a call."
"Yes, my Lord."
Leaving Piett's office, Vader headed to his own.
It took almost three hours for the Emperor to answer, Vader uselessly trying to find traces of his son through the Force as he waited.
The child was smart – too smart. Something had scared him – no, terrified him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have run.
"Darth Vader, have you found my plans?" The Emperor was straight to business.
"We are tracking a lead, Master. I hope to have good news for you by tonight."
The Emperor relaxed marginally. "Good, good."
"Master, I heard that my son is missing-"
"Is that all you care about?! If the child is truly worthy of being your son, he will turn up."
"It's just I worry that as the Prince he has a huge target painted on him. It would look poorly if the Prince were to be lost in the eyes of the Empire."
The Emperor snorted. "I see. How...diplomatic of you, Lord Vader. Very well, you may raise the priority of finding the Prince. But you have little to worry about – I haven't made any orders against him this time."
"This...time, Master?"
"The incident from before...really, Lord Vader, you don't believe the rebels could so easily infiltrate your ship to go after a child who'd been found mere days before, did you?"
"You ordered the hit on my son?" Vader was floored. He had always just assumed it was the rebels and had taken extra precautions against them. Not once had it crossed his mind that the Emperor would have made orders against his son.
The Emperor laughed. "Of course. You needed more motivation to destroy the rebels – and I was pleasantly surprised by how strong the boy was."
"He could have been killed!"
"Are you daring to raise your voice against me, Lord Vader? If he died, he wouldn't be worthy of holding the title of Imperial Prince, then, would he?"
Vader fell silent, unable to believe how openly the Emperor was admitting to trying to kill his son.
"Besides, it did you a favor, didn't it? I got rid of that annoying Admiral you were always whining about – Ozzel, was it?"
"...Thank you, Master."
"No need to thank me, Lord Vader. I'm just glad I could be of use. Now, go find my plans – and the Prince, if he turns up. He truly is the most sensitive child – even more so than you."
"Yes...Master."
As soon as the call ended, Vader's anger rippled through the Force. Rather than simply ending the call, he destroyed the hologram machine, tearing it to pieces.
Leaving the room, Vader nearly trampled over the Admiral as he left the room.
"Admiral?"
"My Lord, the Organa's are apparently back on Alderaan. The Queen and Princess left several days ago, and the King has not made any official requests to return to Coruscant. It seems unlikely that the Prince has been able to leave Coruscant with no other contacts."
"It is possible that Luke is still on planet, though considering how resourceful he is I would not put it past him to have figured a way off."
"That's impossible – every ship that has left has been checked!"
"My son is extremely adept at playing hide and seek, Admiral. He's escaped the palace several times with no one noticing despite my attempts to circumvent such occurrences. It's quite possible that he managed to slip aboard a ship and remain unnoticed."
"We will go over everything again-"
"No, that's a waste of time – there are too many ships in and out of Corsucant to track them all down again." Vader paused, considering the matter. There wasn't enough time to consult the Force on the matter considering every second they wasted was another second for his son to get further away. "My son is highly empathetic. Announce that the King of Alderaan is suspected in having kidnapped the Imperial Prince. When Luke hears of this, he will turn themselves in to protect them."
"Yes, my Lord."
Watching the Admiral briskly leave, Vader returned to his own office, leaving behind the mess he made for his subordinates to clean up.
Drumming his fingers along his desk, Vader was not surprised that the Emperor was making it difficult for the Major or his shadow to contact him. The Emperor was obviously trying to bait him into a rage by openly admitting he had tried to have Luke killed – he wanted Vader to know that to a true Sith, only the strong mattered. Though the Emperor wanted his son to replace him, he only wanted him if he was strong enough to fend for himself...and perhaps easy to manipulate.
There was no doubt in his mind that Luke was strong – the child had a Force presence like a beacon. But he was still only twelve, and Vader did not want the last innocent piece of his past to wither away into the same darkness that his wife had fallen to. Pushed too hard, Vader was certain Luke would crumble under the pressures of the dark side; he was not ready to embrace the true power held by the Sith.
Not yet.
A part of Vader hoped not ever – as long as Luke never trained, he would never have to face up against Vader as an apprentice against the master, as Vader was preparing now against Sheev Palpatine. A knock came at the door.
"What is it?"
Admiral Piett stepped through. "My Lord, we are retrieving a request for communication on your private line."
"It must be the Major – he must have figured a way through."
"That's just it, my Lord. They claim the Major gave them the number, but it's not him."
Curious, Vader nodded. "Very well, put them through."
Bowing, Piett sent the call through and left.
"Who is this?"
"Hello, my Lord. We haven't met personally, but the Major wanted me to relay a message."
"I see. Go ahead."
The Major appeared to be most resourceful – Vader was impressed, something that did not happen often.
Luke
"They what?!" Bail was flabbergasted.
They had just docked on Manaan and received the recent reports flying around the galaxy.
Luke, wearing a brown cape with a hood, stood on tiptoes to read over Bail's shoulder. "They announced you kidnapped me?"
That was an interesting conclusion they had drawn, though not entirely out of the question. Why they thought Bail was involved when Bail wasn't even supposed to be on Coruscant was an interesting conclusion.
"This will make it difficult for all of us – now there will be public sentiment against Alderaan for kidnapping a young boy, and it will be hard for us to move about unnoticed."
Luke snorted. "So killing a young boy is fine, but kidnapping him is 'against public sentiment'?"
"Killing? What are you talking about?"
"How do you think I broke my arm?"
"Breha said you fell – what actually happened?"
"Admiral Ozzel tried to collect a bounty on me that someone put on my head – rebels came to kill me aboard the Executor. But I could never figure out who put the bounty on my head so quickly." Luke couldn't bring himself to tell Bail the entire story. Though he hadn't actually seen the rebel after he'd died, sometimes when he closed his eyes he would still see the man's face, leering down at him.
"And you suspected me? Then why would you come with me?"
"The Force told me it wasn't you, or at least that you aren't a danger to me. But besides you and Obi-wan, I don't know who else knew about me."
"The rebellion didn't know who were before you reached Coruscant. I was being watched too closely to send them the news before then."
Luke blinked. "So...it wasn't rebels putting a bounty on me?"
"No."
"Then who…?" Luke nibbled on his lip, pressing his arm in a cast against his rib cage as if to ground himself.
"I'm not sure. There would be very few people that knew you were aboard the Executor, Luke."
"Well, you, the queen, and Obi-wan knew, and Hal and Tason. I know Admiral Ozzel acted on the bounty put on me, but he wouldn't have had a reason to place it."
Bail frowned. "You're forgetting the most important of all, Luke."
"Who?"
"The Emperor knew."
Luke paled. "The Emperor?"
"This is great and all, guys, but are you getting off or not?" Han interrupted.
Chewbacca roared at him disapprovingly, as if reminding him to have manners.
"Yes, this is neither the time nor place for this discussion. We must get the plans to the rebels. Thank you, gentlemen, for bringing us this far."
"Wait, you guys are leaving us here?" Luke didn't know why that hadn't occurred to him earlier. Even before, it had taken a lot of convincing for Han to stay with the rebellion – though Luke had always thought Leia in particular had played a heavy part of his decision. But Leia wasn't here now, and Leia was currently twelve as well, not eighteen like before.
"We've got deliveries to run, kid. It's been great and all, but I don't want to be involved with any prince's, emperor's, or Darth Vader's."
Luke couldn't blame him there – if Vader caught wind of Han's involvement, he'd probably kill him.
"Thanks for helping us, Han. Bye, Chewie." Going over, Luke gave Chewbacca a bear hug, Chewie picking him up and giving him a gentle squeeze before placing him back on the ground.
Coming over, Han ruffled his hair. "You'll be alright, kid. You've got the big man with you, right?"
"Yeah. Be safe out there, Han."
Getting off the ship, Bail pulled Luke's hood up before his own. "Come on, the people of Manaan are extremely neutral. They won't help us, but they won't hinder us either. As long as we don't break any of their laws, they will leave us alone."
"Even if they discover who we are?"
Bail shook his head. "Keep your hood up, and tell no one your name."
Nodding, Luke followed after Bail, Artoo trailing after Luke, as they began to weave their way through the city. It was a beautiful place – everything was pristine and well cared for by droids that were meandering quietly around the city.
No one looked there way even with the hoods, Luke glad his hood was up as he marveled at the Selkath. He had never had the opportunity to come to Manaan before, and therefore had never met one in person. They were elegantly dressed, holding themselves regally as they made their way through the city. Though well groomed perhaps did not fit well considering they had no hair, they all seemed to keep their appearances very well.
Bail glanced back at him, offering a smile. "The galaxy is an interesting place, isn't it?"
"Yes, Tatooine always felt so big before, but now I think it would just feel suffocating if I went back." Luke offered.
Continuing on, Bail seemed to know where they were heading, finally the two of them ending up in an out of the way tavern of sorts.
"Bail! Long time no see." The bartender garbled at him, immediately offering a glass of beer.
"Not this time, I'm afraid. Have you seen either of our...mutual friends?"
The bartender quirked an eyebrow, looking over Luke once more before replying. "Hmm, not today, I'm afraid."
"Thank you. If you see either of them, tell them I'm looking for them both, would you?"
"Of course."
"Come." Bail headed back out, Luke trailing after him.
As soon as they stepped out, Luke yelped, about plowed over by a man in black. Bail grabbed Luke, pushing Luke behind him as the man before them regained their footing. Artoo let out a shriek, drawing the attention of several by passers.
"Apologies, I wasn't expecting you to step out."
Luke's jaw dropped. "T-Tason?! What are….how?"
"Your highness." Tason bowed.
"Stop, stop! No one else knows who I am!" Luke whispered.
Tason stood up, eyeing Bail carefully. "Your highness, we must return now."
"Tason, how did you find me? You said you weren't powerful enough to find me in the Force!" Only the Emperor or Vader should have been.
Tason gently turned Luke around, plucking something out from under the collar of Luke's uniform and holding it out on his palm for Luke to see.
"A tracker?! I thought Hal was joking!"
Tason shook his head. "The Major never jokes."
"What, did he put one in me as well?" Luke snapped.
Tason shook his head. "There was not enough time."
"Remind me never to let Hal near me again!" Luke spat, feeling sick to his stomach.
Bail scratched his chin. "Gentlemen, we should move somewhere more conspicuous. This way, I think I know where to go."
Leading them to a building on Manaan, Bail entered a code, the door creakily opening.
"What is this?" Luke looked around in confusion.
Artoo rolled around, checking this out inquisitively, occasionally making a beep but not sending any messages to Bail's temporary comm.
"This is an old Republic base. It was inherited by the rebels, who still keep it to make sure the secrets stay locked up inside. When the kolto lost value after the discovery of bacta, this place was abandoned. There is really nothing left now; the computers are so ancient I'm not sure one could get them started let alone steal information off them."
"Wow." Luke wandered around in amazement. It was obviously cleaned out, nothing of the old republic left inside, but Luke could feel the sentiment in the Force.
"Now, was it Tason? If you've known where Luke was this entire time, then why did you announce his kidnapping?"
Tason tilted his head. "We've been unable to reach my Master. Major Hal has been attempting communication since his highness went missing, but it's being blocked by the Emperor. We only managed to get a message through that his Highness was missing to my lord, but received no orders. It's also how his highness managed to leave the planet before we could catch up – the Emperor prevented us from leaving the palace until Luke was off planet."
Bail groaned. "The Emperor must be testing Vader – his loyalty to him versus his loyalty to his son. How else would Luke have escaped the palace so easily?"
"You're saying...the Emperor did all that on purpose?" Suddenly, the theory earlier that the Emperor sent out the bounty on him was making more and more sense. Clearly, the Emperor cared little about whether or not Luke made it – as a follower of the way of the Sith, the Emperor would believe in the strong. If Luke survived, he could take his father's place, and if he didn't...he never belonged there in the first place. In the meantime, the Emperor could use Luke to torture his father into behaving and test his loyalty.
Tason nodded. "There is no way you could have left otherwise, your highness. Master made sure that all entrances you went in or out of would log your use, but the Emperor turned off the security during your dinner."
"He wants to drive Father into a corner." Luke groaned. "So you and Hal have known the entire time where I am?"
Nodding, Tason gestured towards the door. "Hal didn't announce the tracker because he didn't want the Emperor to know. I just managed to use my abilities to slip out and find you, but the Major was making back up plans. We should return so Master doesn't need to worry."
"He can't go back to Coruscant." Bail stepped forward. "The Emperor won't announce that the Prince has returned – if I know him, he's going to follow through on the story that the King of Alderaan kidnapped the Prince in order to destroy us. He'll set Vader on my trail, and hide Luke away."
Tason slumped, nodding in agreement.
"So what do we do?" Luke asked.
"There has to be a way to get in contact with Vader directly – can't you?"
Tason shook his head. "Not at this distance."
"Artoo, can you get in contact with my father?" Luke turned towards the droid hopefully, but Artoo beeped negatively.
If I connect through the Manaan system, they will discover where we are and get here before Vader has time to help us.
"Maybe I can help."
All three jumped as the door opened, a woman with red hair standing in the doorway.
"Rable! Good to see you again. Where's Greico?" Bail grinned.
"You grin at me while you bring the Imperials knocking on my door? What trouble have you found now, Bail Organa?" Rable entered into the room, crossing her arms over her chest. "And Greico is keeping an eye on our ship."
"Wait – you guys know each other?"
Bail glanced towards Luke. "Ah, yes, I was quite surprised when Obi-wan managed to secure Rable and Greico as his ride. As he would have said, it was the fate of the Force."
"What?" Luke blinked.
Rable grinned. "I'm an undercover agent, Luke. The King here was acting like he didn't know me before because too many unknown parties were involved at the time."
"Are you sure you should be telling me this? I might go tell my father." Luke pointed out.
Snorting, Rable reached over and ruffled his hair. "I hate to break it to you, kid, but me just showing up here proves I'm helping the rebellion. Now, you have something important for me to move? I'm assuming it's not about the kid this time."
"Ahem, yes, well, originally it wasn't – I must speak with you privately about our mutual friends."
"There is no time – people overheard your friend at the tavern earlier, and the imps are closing in. We need to get moving."
"No, I have-" Bail was cut off by the sound of marching steps.
Cursing, Rable grabbed her blaster, gesturing that everyone should press up against the wall out of sight. The door had closed again behind her, Luke flinching when a loud bang sounded. No one made a sound, a low voice murmuring on the outside before moving on.
"They are searching for him – the Selkath gave permission for the Empire to search the entire city. We need to get moving and regroup before the Emperor finds him."
Going forward first, Rable glanced through the window before waving towards them. "My ship is in docking space A-J-1. We need to be swift and quiet – keep up; there won't be time for stragglers."
Getting ready to leave, Luke pulled his hood up, jumping slightly when he suddenly found Rable at his shoulder. "Don't let go of my hand, Luke. He will be furious if I lose you."
Before Luke could question her, Rable was dragging him forward, Luke forced to keep up.
The city was surprisingly quiet for a search going on. Occasionally, their group would have to route around a group of soldiers, but within an hour they found themselves at Rable's ship.
"Greico, get the ship warming up!" Rable ordered, Greico nodding and heading off without question. Artoo followed after him, plugging into the ship to help get things rolling.
"Where are we going now?" Luke asked. "Are we heading to the rebel base?"
Glancing back from entering coordinates, Rable offered him a sly grin. "Not exactly. It wouldn't be safe to take one of Vader's shadows there. But I have somewhere safe we can regroup."
A shiver in the Force tapped against Luke, Luke frowning. "Who were you talking about earlier?"
"What do you mean, Luke?" Bail asked.
But Rable took it in stride. "Who else? here, of course."
"Oh."
Finding a chair, Luke still felt like he didn't have the full story, but he didn't question it further. Bail and Tason came and sat beside him. Rable went to finish making sure the ship was going to head in the right direction, Greico finishing with his ship check along with Artoo.
The ship shuddered as it took off, Rable coming back over after the coordinates were locked in.
"Where are we headed, Rable?" Bail asked.
Luke realized Bail must truly trust Rable if he was willing to get onto a ship without knowing where they were headed. Luke was easy to blow off as a kid, but a King was harder to ignore.
Rable pulled up a map, tapping on a star. "There is a neutral territory here. We can stop and regroup."
"Stop and regroup – why do we need to stop? We can regroup here, can't we?" Bail pushed.
Luke suddenly felt uncomfortable, a tingle through the Force tugging at him again.
"I need to meet with a contact first -"
Bail leapt to his feet. "Meet with someone first? We need to get these plans straight to the rebellion!"
"And we will! Relax – they aren't going to interfere with anything. I need some more information from them, that's all. But what are we going to do with his highness and his shadow? We'd have to kill the shadow if he found out where the base is." A dark look passed over Rable's face, Luke getting up and stepping in front of Tason.
"Nobody needs to die! You can leave us wherever – we'll be fine."
Luke understood he was a liability to the rebellion. Vader would stop at nothing to hunt him down; probably the only safe place he could hide in the entire galaxy would be Dagobah.
"Luke and Tason can stay on the ship while you get the coordinates, then we can drop them somewhere safe before taking the plans. I need to get back to Alderaan soon."
"Fine. Works for me."
It took almost an hour to arrive at the desolate meeting spot, Luke watching out the view port with interest. They didn't tell him what planet they were on, and there wasn't much to see out the window to gather context clues.
"Remember, Luke, stay here." Bail warned, getting off the ship with Rable.
Tason seemed on edge, his hand resting on the hilt of his light saber. But Luke couldn't sense anything amiss in the Force; rather, he was just extremely curious as to who this contact was. But the window facing the meeting wasn't large enough, Luke unable to make anyone out.
After several long minutes waiting in silence, a commotion at the entrance to the ship made Luke and Tason jolt.
"Luke!" Major Hal stepped on board, looking extremely relieved. "Do you know how worried I've been? How could you run away like that?"
"What are you doing here? How did you get here?" Luke was astonished, though Tason didn't seem nearly as surprised.
"I'm sure Tason already told you about the tracker – I finally managed to get away from the palace. You aren't supposed to just run off like that!"
"Well, it's not like you didn't know where I was." Luke offered childishly, crossing his arms and pretending to pout.
Hal snorted. "I warned you I was going to put a tracker on you."
"You said in me!"
Raising his hands in surrender, Hal gestured outside. "This isn't the time for this – we can debate the tracker later. Come, someone is even more anxious to see you."
Luke froze. "Is it my father?"
Hal nodded. "Yes, he was very worried when you heard you had disappeared."
"How were you able to contact him? Tason told me you were being blocked by the Emperor!"
Frowning, Hal ran a hand through his hair. "I was able to contact an acquaintance of mine that was able to communicate with him. That's how he met us here."
"I...I don't want to see him." Luke tried to step back, but ran into Tason instead, who had come up behind him.
Pointing, Tason nudged him gently, not giving him a choice.
"It will be alright, Luke. Give your father a chance to speak, alright?" Hal coaxed, the two of them slowly persuading Luke off the ship.
Outside, Luke saw a furious Bail glaring accusingly at Rable. Behind them, Darth Vader stood alongside Admiral Piett, both watching the argument with interest.
"What's going on?" Luke asked, trying to head over to Bail only for Tason to block him. Both his father and the Admiral perked up at the sight of Luke, but neither tried to move towards him.
Bail glanced towards Luke. "Apparently Rable's contact was Lord Vader. He was the one she insisted we come meet."
Luke felt his heart drop into his stomach – something had felt off about her, but he never imagined her betraying the rebellion. Then again, smugglers usually went with the highest bidder, and Darth Vader easily would have been.
"It's not what you think...I hope anyway. He made an interesting offer." Rable shrugged. Luke could sense in the Force a hint of guilt, but the determination of doing the right thing overrode her other emotions.
"You turned us in!" Bail and Rable's argument continued.
"I did not!"
"Then what do you call this? I suppose Vader does know where the rebel base is now – because you told him!"
"That wasn't our agreement!"
"Our agreement was for you to-" Bail cut himself off, huffing. "Regardless, our agreement did involve knowing where the rebel base is, which if you are working for him means he probably demanded you tell him."
"Not our agreement," Rable gestured between her and Bail, then pointed towards Vader. "Our agreement."
"King Organa, she did not bring you here to turn you in." Vader's low voice froze them all.
"I've brought you the boy and the plans. Now where are the coordinates?"
"Coordinates? For what?" Bail demanded.
"Though I think your little insurgence is a nuisance, the Emperor is a fool if he believes this plan to work. The countless destruction of millions if not billions of lives would leave the Sith nothing to conquer. I must return the plans to the Emperor to prove my loyalty, but if you send scouts to look around Geonosis, you might find something interesting. I would prefer it was destroyed before it was fully manned. Make sure to look at the disc on a secure sever – it should be of some use to you."
Luke's eyes lit up. Vader had in some ways a small and in others a large way offered a truce with Bail.
"How do I know any of that is accurate?"
"If I wanted the plans to the Death Star to remain secret, none of you would be leaving here alive."
"And how do I know you won't just kill us when I hand over the plans? It's the only leverage I have."
"King Organa, stop being foolish – one of you here carries the plans I need. Should it be necessary, I could simply kill you all and search for the plans. You will not leave until those plans are in my possession."
"Very well. Artoo." Bail gestured towards the droid, who rolled forward and offered a disc to Vader.
"Hello, troublemaker." Vader spoke to Artoo as if he were intimately familiar with the droid.
Artoo squealed back before rolling over and hiding behind Luke.
Admiral Piett came forward and offered a different disc to Rable, who took it carefully.
"I will make sure things get carried out." Rable bowed to Bail.
"How did you find us so quickly? Tason said he couldn't find you or contact you – how could you possibly know we'd contact Rable?"
"That was actually my doing." Hal stepped up, raising his hand.
"What?"
"The Major, unable to reach me, reached out to Rable and exposed his tracker idea. Rable acted as a go between, and agreed to retrieve my son and the plans in exchange for the location of the Death Star."
"So you knew the entire time that we had the plans?" Bail was aghast.
"When I discovered that Luke helped Artoo Detoo steal the plans, I figured with the blood of a Skywalker running through his veins he'd be attracted to trouble."
It took Luke a minute to realize Vader was attempting a joke.
"But why help the rebellion destroy the Death Star?"
"As I've said, I disagree with the Emperor. I wasn't planning to reveal the plans this early, but someone forced my hand." Vader turned towards Luke pointedly.
Blushing, Luke scratched the back of his neck. So in his previous life, Vader was the one who helped leak the plans to Rogue One. Of course, he would not have revealed them with any sacrifice to himself – he made sure that nothing tracked back to him. This time, however, it would seem far fewer would die attempting to get them.
"He speaks the truth, King Bail."
"But how did you know we'd be here, seeking Rable out?"
Vader's helmet tilted, Luke almost laughing. "There are some things that only the Force can explain."
"Yes, I was unaware that she was also your contact. That was truly a coincidence – I just figured when I reached out that she would have the ability to gain Luke's trust and your own since you both knew her."
Bail flushed, nodding slowly. "I see."
"He promised no one would be harmed...I believed him. I apologize for the trickery." Rable offered, not seeming terribly apologetic.
"And now I can "return" the plans to the Emperor, and the rebellion can figure out a reason other than the Death Star that they are poking around Geonosis."
"And Alderaan?"
"I will ensure your planet is protected...as long as I never hear of rebellion connection again. I still believe the rebels are a hindrance to the peace of the galaxy."
Nodding, Bail bowed, Luke shocked. "I see. I will ensure it is so, Lord Vader."
Vader, despite still threatening Bail, had somehow won the man's loyalty.
"Now that this has all been cleared up, we must not tally any longer. Come, Luke."
But Luke took a step back, trembling. "I don't want to go back."
"Luke." Vader seemed extremely unsure, like he was standing in quick sand and didn't know which way to step to save himself.
"No! The Emperor told me about Order 66 – he told me all those rumors were true!"
"And you believe him?"
Vader knelt down so he was eye level with Luke, or at least mask level.
"I...I don't know. I don't want to know. I already got my Aunt and Uncle killed, I don't want anyone else to die. Plus, here you are, talking about murdering everyone!"
Vader froze, obviously stricken. "That was merely an example-"
"How could I know that?"
"So where will you go, young one?"
Luke couldn't tell Vader about Yoda, so he simply shook his head. "I don't know."
"Luke, those rumors are wrong."
"But you killed all those children! The reports said you did!" Luke had tears streaming from his eyes, trembling as he backed further away from his father.
"I didn't kill them."
Luke froze, along with everyone else.
"I wasn't the one to raise my blade against them. I...I simply was not strong enough to save them."
Luke remained silent, Bail finally stepping forward to ask. "If you didn't kill them, what happened to them?"
"The Emperor lured me back to the temple and tasked me with destroying the remaining Jedi. But I could not raise my blade against the young ones after feeling the life of my child blossoming...the Emperor followed me and killed them, then put in all the reports that it was I."
Luke tilted his head, his trembling stopping. "So you watched the Emperor kill them?"
"I was not strong enough to stop him. I should have, but I cannot change what has already been done. Their faces still haunt me to this day."
The Force rang true, Luke relaxing slightly. "But what about all the young men everyone keeps talking about?"
Vader snorted. "My inquisitors and shadows? Most of them are young men I recruit from throughout the galaxy with slight Force potential, such as your Shadow, and once they are tasked with a mission they often aren't seen at the palace again. It does not surprise me that rumors about that have spread, though it makes me feel my men must have too much time on their hands if they have the energy to let their imaginations run wild."
"He said you killed my Aunt and Uncle."
A ripple came through the Force, Luke jolting. Vader shook his head. "Luke, I did not order your Aunt and Uncle's deaths. My men confirmed that their farm was destroyed, but Luke, they did not die."
"What?"
"I was going to surprise you when I returned, but they were among the survivors that made it to town. I have sent a ship for them, and purchased a villa for them on Naboo. They agreed to retire there, on the agreement that you get to come visit."
"They're...alive?" Luke felt his heart thumping against his rib cage. If they survived, perhaps it was not the will of the Force to follow Luke's intended fate. "So...nothing the Emperor said was true?"
"No, none of it was true."
Tears welled up in Luke's eyes. "Did he send those men to try and kill me before? The ones that killed Ozzel?"
Vader stared at him for several long breaths. "You are very astute, my child. Yes, the Emperor set the bounty on your head simply to see if you would survive it."
"So he will keep trying to kill me?"
"I believe rather than destroy you, he will instead use everything within his means to destroy our relationship to try and create loyalty to him. I must admit...the thought of sending you away from his influence has repeatedly entered my thoughts."
"Really?"
"But I cannot bear the thought of being apart from you. If you can promise to no longer believe what the Emperor feeds you, then I would like you to return to the palace with me."
Glancing towards Bail, Bail nodded at him in encouragement.
Slowly walking up to Vader, Luke reached out and took his Father's hand. "Alright. I promise not to believe him."
"Good. Then let us all depart, and never speak of this again."
Leading them away to the ship, Vader sent his men on ahead. As soon as they were alone, Vader turned back to Luke. "You are never to collude with the rebels again, young one. I will overlook this incident today, but do not think they will not wish you dead still in the future."
"But won't destroying the Death Star be a good thing?"
Patting his head gently, Vader nodded. "I believe so. But if the Emperor were to discover what truly transpired here, he would destroy both you and I with zero hesitation. It would be best if you returned to your studies for now and let me handle situations like today."
"Can't I just stay with you and go on missions? School is so boring." Luke sighed.
Laughing, Vader shook his head. "Good – let it stay that way for a little longer."
"Can we go see my Aunt and Uncle?"
"Of course."
Darth Vader
"Do you think...he loves them more than me?"
Vader and Piett were watching the joyful reunion between Luke and his family, tears spilling down all their cheeks. It hadn't taken long to get to Naboo, Vader sending the plans for the Death Star ahead with the Major and the shadow. The Emperor would be displeased when he returned, but seeing his son so at peace would be worth the punishment.
Vader had found a quiet, peaceful town on Naboo for his Aunt and Uncle to settle that reminded him of his days spent here, Vader desperately pushing the memories away as quickly as they came. He had thought to find them a place on Coruscant, but the thought of Luke spending so much time with them made him wary. At least with them here, he would have control over how often Luke could see them.
"I think, my Lord, he simply loves them differently than you."
Luke glanced behind him at that moment, giving Vader a smile and a wave before turning his attention back to his Aunt and Uncle.
"I see. Admiral, you know my loyalty has changed, do you not?"
Piett was getting better at hiding his emotions, though Vader could feel a jolt in the Force. "Yes, my lord."
"And you have no qualms?"
"My Lord, I did not swear loyalty to anyone but you."
"Good. We have much to overcome then."
Stepping forward, Vader decided to join his son's reunion, leaving Piett with the shuttle.
"My lord." Both Owen and Beru bowed as he approached, Luke stepping out from behind them.
"Father! This place is so wonderful!"
"Do you find the accommodations pleasing as well?" Vader asked Owen and Beru.
"Yes, my Lord. It is far more than we deserve." Beru answered. Owen was more wary, but also nodded his agreement.
"You have protected my son in my stead; there is no cost I could pay worthy of that deed."
"Can we stay for dinner, Father? Aunt Beru said she'd make my favorites!"
"As you wish. We will need to depart for Coruscant after."
Though his Aunt and Uncle seemed nervous, they invited them inside, Vader following after his son as it should have always been and now would always be.
Author's note:
I have received many wonderful and kind reviews for this story. I want to thank everyone, they were often the high lights of my day.