The Absolution- Chapter 1

-Chapter One-

The air was still, cold, dead. His footfalls were hollow as they echoed down the corridor; and he was alone. He had been alone for the past twenty years, but never before had he felt it.

Before Bespin.

Since Calrissian's sudden bout of courage resulting in the escape of the Princess, Solo, and the Wookiee… He closed his eyes briefly, the image of the Millennium Falcon and an Incom T-65 fighter vanishing into hyperspace was still burned into his retina.

He never even laid eyes on his son.

He felt utterly alone.

And Palpatine knew it.

His Master had given him a 'vacation', as he so called it; Vader knew it as it really was: A loss of resources. Now he had nothing with which to hunt his son, and he knew that Palpatine had begun a pursuit of his own.

The hiss of his respirator filled the space around him, he had long since ceased hearing it; he had long since stopped craving the cool kiss of wind on his cheek, the scent of approaching daybreak… He shook his head, physically pulling himself out of his reverie.

He had been treading a fine line for months, and now it seemed that he had crossed it; he gave a passing glance to one of the numerous research laboratories along the corridor in which he walked. It was certainly an interesting place, he had decided; interesting indeed.

Byss; the planet that Palpatine thought he knew not of, and here he strode through the very corridors of the Emperor's cloning facility.

He had seen countless replicas of the man who proclaimed himself Emperor, and many research facilities to go with them; but now he had passed into a new section of the compound, and it seemed as though he were walking through the beginning of the maze again… or, Palpatine wasn't only cloning himself.

Vader sneered at the thought of his Master taking the liberty of replicating any man he so chose. Where was the Empire going?

Into chaos.

He stared at his gleaming black boots as he stepped, one foot after the other, a rhythmic movement, so simple yet such a miracle for him. He sighed and looked up…

And stopped in his tracks.

Luke sighed as he stepped out of the command center and into the corridor. Months, they were going to be stuck here for months. Something was going on in the hierarchy of the Empire, and contrary to what he would have thought two days ago, it was not good for the Rebellion.

Somehow, Darth Vader had vanished and the Emperor himself had taken up the job of searching out the Rebels; which was strange enough in itself. To make matters further complicated and confusing, Palpatine's hunt was worse than Vader's by tenfold; it almost seemed that, compared to Palpatine, Vader had not wanted to find them.

Luke dragged his fingers through his hair, contemplating the last few days. Ever since Bespin, Han, Leia, Chewie, and even Lando had been very guarded around him; as if there was something they weren't telling him... and he suspected it had something to do with their time on Cloud City with Vader. He also suspected that whatever it was that they were hiding, they had told High Command; since he'd been grounded and forbidden to fly. He felt like Commander "hide him under a rock" Skywalker, and he didn't even know why they were hiding him, or what from.

He buried his face in his hands for an instant before bringing his eyes back to bear on the hazy corridor… Hazy?

He needed to get some sleep.

Vader tilted his head slightly, drinking in the sight before him. He stepped forward; placing one gloved palm against the glass that separated him from the room… he stared like a gaping child.

He quickly stepped up to the keypad and hacked his way through security, sighing slightly at the ease in which he passed. Palpatine was much too arrogant; he was reckless.

He crossed the room in a few long strides and came to a wavering stop before a cloning cylinder, and he stared up at the man within. He appeared to be in his early forties, his frame was tall, strong. Blonde tresses swayed in the liquid he was entombed in, his face was peaceful, as if he slept.

Vader looked down at himself, at his ruined, mechanical body; then he looked up at the clone… his clone.

A smile parted his lips, and he set to work.

How much time passed while he prepared the clone to live outside his tank and he prepared himself for the perilous task before him, he did not know; but at last he had two operating tables side-by-side: one held the slumbering clone, the other was for him.

He cast one last hopeful gaze at the perfect mirror of himself, an undamaged body! He dared not even contemplate the possibilities, yet. He slowly lowered himself onto the other table; he lay across it and relaxed. He listened to the rhythm of his breathing for several moments before reaching out and shutting down his life-support systems, one-by one…

Luke sat straight up in bed as his dream broke into reality, he cried out sharply, bringing his hands to his sweat-drenched face.

He looked frantically around the room for the dark being that had been looming over him, about to tell him something… something important.

He inhaled deeply as he realized his was in his bed, not hanging off a gantry…

Only a dream.

He pressed his lips together into a frown as he realized that Han and Leia were still up, and had heard him. He pulled himself up and leaned against the headboard of his bed as they entered his small room.

He felt like a child. He knew there was something between Han and Leia, but they still insisted that he share quarters with them; once again, he was feeling watched.

He smiled sheepishly as Leia perched herself on the side of his bed, Han stood close behind her.

"Are you all right, Luke?"

He rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust them to the light that leaked in from the hallway, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I just had a bad dream, I guess."

The look that Han and Leia shared did not escape his notice.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Leia asked softly, placing her hand over his.

He pulled away and sat up, scowling, "Why are you doing this? I'm not a kid. Why are you hiding things from me?"

Leia sat up straight, slightly taken aback by Luke's outburst, "Luke, we…"

"Kid, we're just being cautious, is all," Han said, moving to sit in the chair next to Leia.

Luke crossed his arms, a stubborn look settled over his face. Han sighed, he knew that look, it crossed Leia's face all of the time.

"What happened on Bespin?"

Leia pressed her lips together in a tight frown as she glanced at Han; to her relief he stepped forward and placed a hand on Luke's shoulder, "Get some sleep, Kid, we'll talk about it in the morning."

Luke opened his mouth to protest, but they already made their hasty retreat; and he was left feeling, once again, like a sheltered child.

Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI