Chapter Four

Vader

I went through the forest swiftly, managing to keep my presence hidden. I got to Luke Skywalker and him as they were making their first interactions. Luckily, I remembered to block their sense experiences of my breathing apparatus. It was not too difficult; neither was well-trained enough to resist or even sense me.

I watched them, almost numb, thinking to myself. He thinks that man is me...No, he thinks that man is Anakin Skywalker...Somehow, he knew him at a glance...But he doesn’t even suspect that his true father is a monster.

I shook my head. I was not a monster. Monsters were beasts in foolish fairy tales. I was a Dark Lord of the Sith.

I reached out, trying to stealthily break through the man’s barriers, and I suddenly realized that he had been trained by a skilled Dark Sider.

But I had been through many years of training in the Force, and I was more skilled and powerful. I snuck past his barriers, and I came across the man’s intentions. He wants to kill Luke.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of excitement pass over me, a sensation I had not experienced in a long time. I looked at Luke and then at the mystery man. That stranger he has found...This man could be my chance!

I pondered the situation quickly, knowing that time was in short supply. If I can catch this imposter trying to murder my son, then Luke will be more willing to listen to what I have to say...I could tell him the truth, that he’s my son. I could save him...

But the darker part of me spoke up. Why should I save his hide? Why should I right this wrong when I have come so far and struggled for so long? For years, I struggled against my past. I have managed to put it behind me—why should I try to be his father now

And then I realized I was fooling myself into thinking he would even listen to me. If I speak, I am condemned as a pretender—he will never believe me...And if I stay silent, I am damned to an heirless life...A childless life...A life without my son...Son...Father...

A father. Am I really a father? Could I really be a father?

Who am I? Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader? Does this man here have as much right to the name of Anakin Skywalker as I do? I forsook that name long ago, is it still mine?

I swallowed, deep in thought. Who am I? Can I conceal myself for evermore? Is that what I should do? Continue and pretend I’m not the man I was before?...And must my name until I die be buried away?

As they moved to hug each other, I realized that this was it. This was the moment I had to make my decision. I could see the poison needle the man tried to hide in his hand. The naive Luke didn’t even suspect treachery...

I moved forward, revealing myself through the Force and tossing the needle aside with a Dark Side grip.

“Skywalker,” I boomed, addressing Luke and wincing at my own voice. “This man is not Anakin Skywalker. He is an assassin.”

Luke

Vader’s appearance startled me, and I glanced at the needle on the ground and then at the expression of rage on the face of the man I had thought to be my father. I began to back away, not sure who I believed.

Vader moved threateningly towards the strange man, who also backed away. When he stood against the backdrop of the Massassi temple, I felt my heart skip a beat.

Though Vader made no gesture towards me, it felt like I was being drawn towards him, almost like I had been in my vision.

Is h—...was all I thought to myself before thoughts began to flood my mind.

Vader

“I was warned of your coming,” the man who bore my former face spat. “I didn’t think you’d come so soon though...But I was told that if you did, I was to give you this warning. Leave Skywalker alone. It will just bring the both of you trouble.”

I felt rage coming over me. This man thought he could walk into our lives and turn them upside down. Even though I had abandoned the name Anakin Skywalker, he had no right to take it falsely and convince my son that he was his father.

I stepped towards him, my hand outstretched, but it was too late. He had burst the suicide tablet in his mouth, and he slumped to the ground.

Luke looked at me, a myriad of emotions crossing his face. He seemed scared, amazed, confused...And disappointed.

He’d thought that he had found his father. But it was a lie...

I looked at him. I had planned to tell him of our relationship whenever I saw him...But somehow I didn’t have the heart. Heart. I felt like snorting at the thought.

How could I claim right then that I was Luke’s father? I had no more been a part of his life than this man lying on the ground before us. The only claim I had that he didn’t was blood.

I stared at him, and he stared back at me. All of the emotions on his face faded away, just leaving one: pain.

He wanted to find his father. Wanted it more than anything.

I remembered being like him once, when I had held the name Anakin Skywalker. I kept wishing for a father to talk to. My mother had been wonderful, but she just couldn’t fill that small hole that existed in my heart...

If I gave him that father now, would I be helping him, or simply hurting him more?

Who am I? I thought. Is Anakin Skywalker gone, and only Darth Vader left? Or am I a mixture of the two, even though I do not want to be?

I looked at Luke, at the hurt in his eyes, in his soul. And I made a decision.

I knew I would regret it later, but I could not stop Anakin Skywalker from coming out for this last act.

The boy, barely trained as he was, didn’t even know what was coming.

I forced him into unconsciousness, and then I entered his mind.

It wasn’t hard to find my destination, for that part of his mind seem to be almost throbbing with pain. I took a deep breath, and then I wiped his memories of that encounter, adding a few in their place that would sort of explain his venture.

I took Luke in a Force grip and walked to his X-wing, where his Artoo unit beeped frantically at me.

I studied the droid closely and froze as I realized that it looked like the Artoo unit I had once known.

“I have not harmed him, Artoo,” I said softly. The droid quieted, as if wondering at my familiarity with him. “Take your master back to where you were before, and beware, for if we meet again, matters might not turn out so fortunate.”

The droid whistled in understanding, raising the top of the cockpit to allow me to put Luke inside.

“It would be best if you warned the others not to ask him questions about this incident, and best if you did not answer any,” I told him, and then I left.

The droid could get him back, I knew, and I needed to return to the Executor.

Palpatine

I sneered angrily down at the report in front of me. The con artist/assassin Gerwaivo had killed himself, likely because Vader had arrived sooner than he should have. It was a pity. I’d spent quite a bit of time training that rat, and his cosmetic surgery wasn’t cheap either...But it wasn’t as if I didn’t have money to spare.

I chuckled at the thought. Money was not a matter I was too concerned with...And though Skywalker was still alive, this endeavor had not turned out too badly. Vader had been suitably warned.

There would be no overthrowing of my Empire.

Vader

As I guided my shuttle up towards the Executor, a question kept resounding through my head...

Who am I?

Part I | Part II | Part III