Luke Vader Part 19

Luke Vader
Part 19: Daughter
By SJ 21-11-00/12-12-00

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to George Lucas. I'm only writing stories for fun.
See my homepage for more details.
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Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for her
help with the final editing of my new stories. Thanks for giving me some of your
precious time, my friend :)
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After showing Leia her new room, Luke showed her the rest of the quarters, then
they spoke some more as they gazed at the stars that could be seen through the
bay window of the training room.

The more she talked with him, the more Leia realized that on the outside, her
brother was like a well-oiled, calibrated machine, but inside, he was alive and
he 'did' care a lot about several things.

In fact, she conceded, he sometimes reminded her of his Skywalker persona, if in
a more mature version... She had to admit that she didn't mind that aspect of
his personality. She also didn't really mind his Jedi identity, only his dark
side influence. It made him a little too cool about a number of subjects that
they diametrically disagreed on.

However, she thought seriously, he wasn't totally consumed by it; he had told
her that he could use the Force without focusing on his feelings, unlike their
father, but, she frowned less happily, he used the Force any way he saw fit,
good or bad. While her meager knowledge of Jedi Lore led her to believe that a
spark of Light had survived in her brother, even she could tell that it had been
smothered by his upbringing, under the Emperor's close scrutiny, she had
discovered.

He simply used and did everything in his life as long as it pleased his master,
she sighed in regret. She couldn't blame him for that though; he had been
cruelly forged and molded to be what he was today, just like she herself had
been overworked to become a dignified princess, although with less vicious
methods, she thought seriously.

Still, just like he himself hadn't lost his heart, thus being a perfect
molding, she herself hadn't been one either; they both hadn't completely fit in
the mold that had been chosen for them... and because of this, she had to admit
that they were more alike than she had previously thought...

In a way, she thought seriously, it was reassuring, and even heartening for if
she could rekindle her brother's light... She wondered if she could 'really'
free him from the cruel slavery that had been forced upon him.

As she gazed at him though, she conceded that 'if' it were possible, it would be
a very arduous work; her brother was content to be the Emperor's servant.

******

About two hours later, Luke excused himself and left her alone. At first, she
remained in the training room, pondering her thoughts, then she decided to take
a look around.

Somehow, she felt drawn toward the anteroom. She hesitantly stepped closer to
the door, unsure that she wouldn't trigger an alarm or something. Luke had told
her about the trap doors that were used to dissuade some people from going in
this part or that part of imperial installations, like for the door that gave
into the outer part of their father's quarters. She herself had no intention of
dealing with a high-voltaged shock---

"There's no such risk for the moment, Leia," Vader's deep voice rumbled in the
distance. "Come in."

She hesitatingly entered the dark anteroom where she had discovered the horrible
truth about her parentage... To the man who had just spoken, she remembered even
as she tried to quash her fear and worries.

She looked around the black room, this time aware of what had happened in it so
many years ago. In fact, the more her eyes traveled over the deck, the more she
could almost see her brother as he polished the decking until it shone like a
mirror, could almost see him as he silently served the dark lord... Yes, she
admitted to herself, it was no wonder that he had joined their father so
wholeheartedly.

He had never had anything in his whole life, either with his guardians or here,
until he had found their father... and even then, she paused on the extent of
her new thought, she knew that he had claimed his true identity only a day ago.

He had had several advantages at his disposal, but at the same time, he had kept
up the comedy of being Vader's slave for years--- until now. She slowly walked
around the bubble... and finally saw what the dark lord was doing; she gasped in
surprise.

He was standing in front of the same screen he had used to show her holos of the
past. The screen was displaying news vids of her mother.

"Today, Senator Amidala of the Naboo negotiated a new treaty with Oxion which
was threatening the economy and peace of her planet. The Governor of Oxion says
that without the senator's admirable understanding, they would be preparing a
war," the commentator was saying.

Images of the young, elaborately braided senator flashed on the screen; Leia
noticed the presence of her 'father' in the background, as if he were watching
over her, she reflected.

"That was the last time I saw her alive," Vader commented, keeping his back
turned to her.

As if, she reflected, he didn't want to face her; she conceded that this made
him much less threatening than usual.

"I should never have left her afterward," he breathed regretfully.

"Why?" Leia asked despite herself while she slowly stepped closer to the still
giant.

Vader seemed to hunch his shoulders at his question.

"Because I would never have fallen in a lava pit..." he finally sighed heavily,
"and she would never have hidden herself from me," he finished in a lower voice
than usual.

"A lava pit??..." Leia asked, horrified.

"Yes..." Vader nodded, then continued to watch images of his lost wife while he
spoke. "The Jedi Knights tried to assassinate me because of my powers while
scaring your mother away from me. I went in search of her. Obi-Wan Kenobi, my
teacher, nearly succeeded to kill me... By the time I had recovered from the
accident and was mobile again, thanks to this armor," he continued after a short
silence, "he had truly taken her away from me."

A silence stretched between them; images of the young, peace-loving senator
continued to fill the screen in front of them.

"Later on," her father finally continued, "I found out that he had told her that
I wouldn't hesitate to kill her if I had to... that I would destroy everybody
she loved..."

"Weren't he right?" she asked him diplomatically.

"No," he stated with some animosity in his voice, turning toward her to probably
glare at her.

Leia slightly flinched at his sudden move, but she held her stance and raised
her chin in quiet challenge.

Her father took a few breaths before turning back toward the vid screen; he
continued his tale. "I would never have hurt her..." he told her wistfully.
"Her disappearance drove me into a frenzy; nothing could stop me from finding
her..." he continued slowly, as if remembering each event of the past. "That's
how the Jedi purges came to be..." he admitted sadly.

"What??" Leia whispered in horror.

Vader had loved her mother so much that it had drove him mad???

"What happened next?" she found herself asking.

"I never found her... until too late," he said glumly. "She had apparently
understood that I wouldn't hurt her and was trying to return to me, but her Jedi
guardians wouldn't allow it. They killed her instead of risking their future
plan."

"What future plan?" Leia queried curiously.

"Your brother and yourself," Vader stated, turning once again toward her, this
time almost solemnly. "They were too weak and coward to destroy me by
themselves; instead, they hid the two of you where you'd learn to hate me until
you were ready to take on me..." he explained as he shook his head, as if in
disgust.

Vader, Leia thought, not the Empire, not the Emperor, but him... alone...
It had been about a vendetta, she realized. The Rebellion had been trying to
save the galaxy from the Empire, but the Jedi Order... had only wanted to
destroy her father.

"Why?" she finally asked him.

"Because they've never wanted me in their ranks," he informed her, no longer sad
but cool. "They didn't want to train me, then I was trained the wrong way and I
decided to do it by myself. Palpatine, my new teacher, simply guided me toward
the sources of knowledge and I took what I wanted, leaving the rest behind."

"You mean you didn't learn everything about the Dark Side?" she asked him with a
snicker.

"No, I didn't," he retorted seriously. "I have embraced the power and
knowledge of the Sith, but not of the Dark Side... I cannot shoot lighting bolts
with my fingers like the Emperor does," he told her seriously.

"Lighting bolts?" she frowned.

"An ability that any darksider can have if they want," he explained in a serious
yet somewhat kind voice.Your brother and I have not embraced the dark side
tightly enough to have this ability, nor do we want it either."

Leia was tempted to accept it as being good, then she remembered what her
brother had told her about his past and her walls rose up once again.

"What about the Sith? Or your dark side?" she inquired almost angrily. "You
were dark enough to treat your son like a slave for two years," she pointed out.

"To save him." he answered as if in explanation. "Given your brother's powers,
I knew that I had to do what I did to keep the Emperor from seeing him as a Jedi
threat. It worked."

"The Emperor truly sounds like a nice fellow," she spat with as much disgust as
she could pack in her mellifluous voice.

"When we do not upset him, it is a privilege to use our abilities to serve him,"
he explained with undeniable pride in his voice. "He brings order in the
normally chaos-filled galaxy."

"By snuffing out the problematic elements," Leia countered vehemently, the sight
of Alderaan coming back to her mind. "He's a tyrant and an evil dictator."

"But your brother and I are not," Vader answered, as if understanding what had
been implicit in her retort.

Even as Leia herself became aware that indeed, she had meant to add that her
family was evil to serve such a man, Vader continued his explanation.

"The Sith gives us a philosophy to use our powers as we see fit, but we do not
perceive the rest of the galaxy as mere tools; what we do is for 'their' well
being, not only ours," he explained seriously. "It completes the Emperor's
vision, and protects us from the destructive side-effects of pure usage of the
Dark Side."

"Glad to hear that," she muttered unhappily. "So you're the good dark Jedis in
the Emperor's evil court?" she sneered in disbelief.

Vader slightly tilted his huge head. "You could say that," he finally agreed.

Leia's temper snapped. "Do I look stupid to you, Vader? Do you really think
that I'll swallow that pill without spitting it out?" she raged. "'You' are
exactly like the Emperor," she spat, then turned on her heels to return to her
room.

"You are free to think what you want, Daughter," the dark lord commented from
his position near the computer bank, "but sooner or later, you will see it for
yourself," he informed her gently.

Leia slapped her hands over her ears, tried to shut her inner voice that was
telling her that Vader wasn't lying, then ran as fast as she could toward the
sole refuge she had aboard that ship: her assigned room.

No, she moaned in despair, she would never give in.

******

Luke and Mara stepped inside the anteroom just in time to see the princess run
away as if scared by something. They both turned toward his father.

"I haven't done anything," he explained to them. "She's still fighting against
the truth."

"She will probably do so for weeks, if not months," Luke pointed out as he
walked closer to his father. "After all, she's very feisty and dedicated to
what she believes is right."

"Like the Rebellion for example," Mara commented.

"That, and everything non-imperial," Luke nodded.

"Of course," his lover gazed seriously at him, "you do realize that the master
won't like her mental disposition at all, don't you?"

"Yes, we do," Vader answered her, crossing his arms thoughtfully, "but
considering the fact that she is of no danger to him, we both estimate that he
should at least give us a month or two to help her adapt to her new life."

"I'll take care of this detail," Luke commented instantly. "Since I'm freshly
back from a mission, I can ask for a short permission whereas you two probably
won't get much respite now that the galaxy is reeling from the loss of their
'heroes'," he finished thoughtfully.

"You're right, Son, but will you be able to tame her?" his father queried
reasonably.

"Father," the young Jedi smirked slightly, "I've been living with her for almost
six months already; I know her more than she thinks," he stated confidently.
"Even though 'our' true goal is to make her being accepted by the Emperor," he
added seriously, "hence turning her into a dark Jedi and an imperial servant,
she shouldn't detect any deceit if we tell her that it is for her protection,"
he finished seriously.

"You care about her," Mara pointed out flatly, reminding him that he too was
faced with a weakness... his ultimate one. *This isn't a normal mission, Luke,*
she warned him through their bond. *It could very well present very serious
dangers for you if 'you' give into your heart.*

"I know," he nodded more humbly than a few seconds before, "but I don't care for
her anymore than I do for you, or Father," he finished, turning toward his
father, who nodded in agreement.

They both estimated that if he remained within the already established
boundaries of how much he could care about selected people, he 'should' be safe
from the Emperor's wrath.

"Make sure you have the Emperor's permission before you do this again," his
girlfriend still advised him sternly.

"I will," he reassured her, "but basically, I won't care 'too' much about her.
I simply won't let any unnecessary harm befall her, and I will seduce her as
painlessly as possible," he explained seriously, earnestly.

"Which means the only remaining detail is to return to Coruscant and present her
to the master," his father commented seriously, taking a step closer to them.
"I strongly suspect that the Emperor will grant you your wish, Son," he
supported his claim, "but... should he not allow it," he finished, his voice and
senses turning grimmer, "promise me that you won't push his limits and accept
Leia's fate as he wishes it."

"I...," Luke suddenly blanched at the thought of not being able to save his
sister.

No, he shook his head to himself. The Emperor would agree; he had seen it in
his meditation. But... if he didn't, his more vulnerable self reminded him
glumly, it would be pointless to argue only to get disciplined again... Whether
he argued or not, his sister would be forfeited. But he would agree, he
strengthened his resolve to 'make' it happen; the Emperor would allow him to
save his sister and give him a new, very talented Jedi servant.

"I promise," he reluctantly nodded to his father and girlfriend. "However," he
then added quickly, "I have a very strong feeling that he will allow us to save
her."

"I do hope so," his father nodded, resting his hand on his shoulder in
agreement.

Beside Luke, Mara remained silent but she sent a last warning to her boyfriend
through the Force.

*I hope you know what you're doing, Luke.*

Her lover answered with a slightly shaky agreement; Luke knew how unpredictable
and stubborn his sister was. He 'knew' that it would be tricky to seduce her to
the Dark Side while not raising her hackles, but he would do it, he promised
himself. He would obtain permission from his master and would kill the rebel in
his sister while keeping 'her' alive.

He would please the Master once again, and without any fiasco that could
compare, from close or afar, to the Death Star's.

However, despite his strong resolve to not fail again, or worse, be naive as he
had been as a 'rebel', doubt remained. The hours passed by; he and Mara caught
up some more on their long months of separation while Leia isolated herself in
her own room.

Hours later, Luke rose from his and Mara's bed, dressed back in his trousers,
threw a heavy, black bathrobe over his bare torso, retrieved a weapon from the
nearby desk, then silently padded out of the silent room. He couldn't
sleep and didn't want to awake his girlfriend with his shifting in bed.

He thus made his way to the living room where he and his sister had had a long
conversation that afternoon; it was now deserted, lit solely by the motley blue
of hyperspace that was coming through the huge bay window.

Sighing heavily, he sat down in the couch and stared at the shifting pattern.

His master hadn't prohibited them from bringing Leia back with them, he
reflected once again to reassure himself. He hadn't given them orders to treat
her like a regular prisoner either, and, he added seriously---

"No, he didn't mention anything about your care for her," his father supplied
softly from the door that gave into the library.

While a very, very small part of Luke reflexively cringed at the startling
presence of the dark lord, a more recovered part of him reminded him that he had
felt him but hadn't paid attention to his feelings; he had only minded his
thoughts.

He gazed up at the older man as he walked in the room.

Lord Vader couldn't help but wince as he felt the mental cringe of his son, but
a warm feeling of reassurance instantly followed that involuntary sending.

"I'm sorry," the older man apologized, stepping closer to the youth until he
could sit beside him. "I thought you knew I was there."

"I did," Luke nodded, a slight smile grazing his lips. "I just didn't 'know' I
did," he then smirked like he used to when teasing him although he himself could
see that it was only an act this time; his son was very worried.

"Luke," Vader sighed, resting his hand on his son's nearby thigh. "If the
Emperor had any objection to what you have already begun with Leia, he would
have told us," he reassured him.

He noticed the slight tension that left the boy upon hearing his words. Of
course, he conceded, he too could relate to his son's worry; this was why he too
was still awake when everyone was asleep, but, he amended, he himself wasn't
worried 'only' about the Emperor.

Instead, he was wondering about how far his son would go with his sister... and
if he would know when to stop. Luke, as he had always known, was a caring
being; having someone to 'love' was as important to him as breathing was.

Fortunately for him, and them, the Emperor had tolerated that normally forbidden
feeling, and had even allowed his boy to share his love with his chosen lover,
but his sister, he thought in returning worry, was another matter. Leia was
Luke's twin sister; he himself now knew that they shared a unique bond, one that
allowed them to 'feel' what the other felt.

How deep did their bond go?, he wondered uneasily. How much effect could it
have on his already Force-trained son versus his untrained daughter??

"That's what I thought too," his son commented in the silence, answering his
previous comment about the Emperor.

"It might be a test though," he himself added seriously. "Even though Leia is
family, Luke," he began meaningfully, "you must not let your guard down. Don't
let your feelings rule you," he warned him most gravelly.

For a second, his son's features paled slightly, then they took on a redder
color as his annoyance rose in him. "I 'know' that, Father," he retorted,
upset. "I learnt my lessons, don't worry," he added, gritting his teeth.

Yes, he agreed sadly, the boy had been taught rather insistently to not feel
too much; it would be doubtful that he would do so willingly, yet...

"All I'm saying, Luke, is be careful about your bond with Leia," he told him
explicitly. "It's been drawing you to her for years; we don't know how it will
affect you."

Luke meant to argue with him; Vader raised his hand, warning him that he wasn't
done yet.

"Unlike Mara, your sister is steeped in the Light Side of the Force," he
reminded him seriously. "Remember that love is the main gateway through which
this Light pestilence can change a dark Jedi into a cursed Jedi Knight. Just be
very careful," he finished seriously.

Luke was stricken now, having obviously not thought about this possible danger.
While the boy pondered his words, Vader took the opportunity to study him yet
again. Despite what he had just told him about love, he admitted that he
himself loved his son. Considering how he had last seen him, he had been truly
doubtful that Luke would ever recover completely from what had happened, but
here he was, he thought in fatherly pride, sitting at his side, as strong as
ever, and, he reflected more seriously, his mind seemed to be sharper than
before, as if their latest challenge had fortified him... as their master had
predicted.

The black clad, partly dressed youth finally locked his gaze with his, then
nodded firmly.

"I will be careful," he reassured him. "I will not focus on her, only on my
goal," he then explained for him to approve of his strategy.

"If you don't," Vader commented seriously, "I'll make sure you don't stray too
much before we can undo whatever happened to fool you."

And save him from their master's wrath, Luke understood in relief; he smiled
gratefully at his father.

"Hopefully, it won't be necessary," he told him earnestly.

"I certainly hope not, Son," his father answered in kind, then lapsed into
silence.

Having a rebel sister, he thought seriously, was indeed portent of several
problems, but, he reflected, if he 'could' save her, then Kenobi's failure would
be complete and 'he' himself would finally have his revenge against the wizard--
- and thinking of which, he remembered suddenly, he wanted to show something to
his father.

Reaching into his left pocket, he pulled out his 'rebel' lightsaber, which he
had retrieved from the awed troops that had been making an inventory of their
captured weapons.

"What is it?" his father inquired, his eyes seeking the metallic handle he was
now holding in his hand.

"Do you recognize this?" he asked his father as he handed him the weapon.

The moment that his father took hold of the weapon, Luke felt a flash of
recognition coming from him.

"Where did you find that?" he queried, locking his gaze on his.

"Kenobi had it in a trunk on Tatooine," he explained seriously, his eyes going
back to the handle of the well-crafted lightsaber. "He said that it was yours,"
he explained seriously.

His father gazed back at the weapon, then swiftly stood up and turned it on
before engaging in a series of swift, sharp cuts. As he witnessed the perfect
synergy between his father and the weapon, Luke understood that the lightsaber
had indeed belonged to his father... in the past.

As Vader manipulated his very first lightsaber, his mind took him back in the
long-dismissed past and all the memories of what he had lived while he had been
using 'that' weapon: his frustrating training with Kenobi, their endless
missions all around the galaxy for naught... then his reunion with Padme, who
had been his Light in these days before the then Senator Palpatine had showed
him his true path, the path of power and justice. Those had been difficult, yet
wonderful years, he finished wistfully as a last memory of his angel came to
him.

He closed down the weapon; the torturing images faded away once again.

"I take it that it was yours," his son commented knowingly from his position in
the couch.

"Yes, it was, before I became Darth Vader...," he answered, his eyes still
riveted on the weapon. He had never thought that he would someday see it again,
he conceded while fighting against his pangs of regrets toward the true love of
his life... No, he steeled himself; he wouldn't venture in these murky
territories of painful memories once again. Padme was dead, and everything she
had always been was now safe from any harm... Unlike him who had died yet still
lived. "That fiend probably retrieved it while he was leaving me to burn to
death!" he spat in sudden vehemence.

"Then it's a good thing that I retrieved it," his son commented, rising up from
his seat to stand beside him, it's back in its rightful owner's hand now," he
smiled darkly.

"Yes, it is," Vader nodded in agreement. "However, I want you to keep it," his
father told him, handing him back the now deactivated lightsaber.

"Me?" Luke gaped in surprise. "But it's yours, Father," he began to argue
earnestly. "It belongs in your hand, not mine."

"My hand,... or my child's," Vader corrected seriously, his hand unwavering as
it held the weapon aloft for him to pick it up.

For a moment, Luke slightly hesitated, somehow feeling as if he weren't worthy
of his father's first weapon, then an idea occurred to him and he accepted his
father's offer.

"I will keep it for Leia," he informed his father.

To his pleasure, his father nodded in agreement.

*A most fitting decision,* he sent him warmly.

Once this detail was settled, both Vaders discussed a little further how they
would save their sole relative alive, then retired to their rooms for the rest
of the night.

******

Throughout the rest of her trip to Coruscant, Leia continued to observe her
'family' and took note of things that she had never, ever suspected as possible
in the heart of either Vaders, but she never showed any real closeness to them.

She still wasn't convinced that they weren't fomenting a darker plan concerning
her, nor had she forgiven them at all for what they had done to her, but, she
came to accept that she was slowly softening toward some aspects of their
personalities.

However, she was careful to not show it nor soften too much. One way she chose
to show her distrust was to not wear the fresh clothes her father gave her.
Instead, she washed and continued to wear her rebel fatigues.

She also spoke with her brother and his quiet girlfriend, but she let him do the
conversation. She was extra careful with her brother though; she knew that he
could play her for a fool without her being aware of it... but no, she
constantly tried to reassure herself, now that she knew about that, she could
detect his game.

Couldn't she?..

******

They arrived on Coruscant a week after the Empire's final victory over the
rebels.

Since Leia had proven that she was slightly trustworthy, her family didn't lock
her in binders for her presentation to the Emperor, but they didn't leave her
alone either. Instead, she was 'offered' to walk beside her brother, in front
of their father. In what she remembered as the Grand Corridor, she caught
amused glares as they made their way toward the throne room. She haughtily
ignored their owners, pretending to be unaffected by what was going on around
her.

However, when the double doors in front of them opened, she flinched and slowed
down, but her brother took hold of her hand and kept her walking. As always,
his touch reassured her and kept her going.

"Aaah..." a satisfied if grating voice came from above them. "Young Vader, Lord
Vader," the Emperor greeted from his throne.

Once at the top of the stairs, Luke and Vader respectfully knelt in front of the
Emperor; Leia remained behind them and simply bowed her head in formal greeting.
Her eyes met the Emperor's; he didn't comment. Instead, he refocused on the two
men and told them to rise.

"Young Vader," he cackled joyfully. "it is time to celebrate our victory.
Tonight, you will be introduced in front of my court and of the galaxy, as my
new dark Lord," he commented in what seemed as faked cheerfulness to her.

"Thank you, Master," Luke smiled proudly.

She herself had expected him to react this way; she knew that today, he was
making his childhood dream come true.

"Have you thought about how I can properly reward you, besides the usual of
course," the Emperor queried lightly.

The usual being a fortune, Leia thought in disgust, a castle, a personal ship,
and few other tidbits such as privileges, special permissions and any other
thing that might cross her brother's mind, no matter how much it cost to the
citizens of the galaxy.

"Yes, Master," her brother bowed his head in servitude. "Instead of having my
own castle, I would prefer to stay with Father... and live with Mara Jade."

"In your Father's castle?" the despot queried.

Leia reluctantly admitted that she shared the despot's feelings; she hadn't
expect this from her brother. After having been deprived of almost everything,
she had thought that he would leap at the occasion of having his own castle to
crow about.

"Yes, Master," Luke answered honestly. "It is big enough to allow us plenty of
privacy without any need to build another one."

The Emperor shortly mused about that. "Granted," he finally nodded. "Mara Jade
may live with you, wherever you wish, but solely when she is off duty," the
older man warned in what felt as a very dangerous threat to Leia.

This meeting was a show, she thought in disgust, and unlike her brother, the
Emperor was an awful actor.

"Anything else?" the tyrant inquired, recovering his false cheerfulness and
benevolence.

"Yes, Master, I'd like to have a special permission," Luke nodded.

"Which is?"

"I would like to be granted some time off, on planet, to spend it with my
sister," he stated, much to her surprise. "I would also request for her to be
allowed to stay with us, in Father's castle."

The Emperor took less than five seconds to make up his mind; it was an
unpleasant surprise for the young woman. If he had decided this fast, she
thought warily, then there definitely was more to her being with the Vaders than
what they were telling her. The Emperor also had some designs on her.

"You will have three months off," the Emperor stated, then stood up from his
throne.

"Thank you, Master," Luke bowed once again.

"Meanwhile, the fleet shipyards will complete the construction of your flagship.
As of today, young Vader, you are your father's son," he declared solemnly as he
walked closer. "not his servant anymore," he finished, his voice slightly less
warm than a second before.

"Thank you, Master," Luke bowed yet again, in deep deference this time.

As if, she noted, he didn't realize that he should've been granted that
permission years ago. She then refocused on the actual situation when the
Emperor turned toward her.

"And you, girl? Do you claim this identity as well?" he offered her.

"No," she stated defiantly.

"You are, of course, aware that it is your right to have everything your brother
has," he said suavely, obviously trying to seduce her.

"I understand that I am part of a powerful family," she retorted haughtily,
lifting her chin in pride, "but I don't accept the links to it."

The Emperor barely nodded his head, then turned his amused glance at the two
men.

"You have three months to make her change her mind," he warned them. "After
that, I will not let you waste anymore of your time on a lost cause."

Leia felt that Luke reluctantly accepted his master's decision, then that he
vowed that he would save his sister's life. She herself vowed to never let him
sway her to their evil ways.

"Yes, Master," he nodded.

"Good. I will speak with young Vader," the Emperor stated, turning for the
first time toward her father. "Dismissed."

Leia didn't need any more incentive; she followed her father down the long
stairs, dimly wondering what the tyrant would say or do to her brother this
time.

Luke remained with his master while his father and sister and father exited the
throne room, trying hard to not shift from one foot to another in growing
uneasiness.

The Emperor finally beckoned him closer; Luke stood less than twenty centimeters
from his master.

"Your reward is settled now, young man," he told him seriously, foregoing any of
the 'civility' he had affected while his sister had been present. He was once
again his cold, demanding master. "But we still need to settle a few things
between ourselves," he reminded him.

Luke cringed despite himself as he remembered what his master's last punishment
had been.

"Victorious or not, there are limits to what I can tolerate as the price of
success," the ruler stated dangerously.

"I understand, Master," Luke barely whispered humbly, swallowing hard in fear.
"What do you want me to do, master?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"You will be mine," he told him simply.

Luke's eyebrows shot up in confusion at that.

"Aren't I already, master?" he inquired, puzzled.

"In part only, boy," the other answered him before a tightening appeared around
his left arm, just where his tattoo was located. "From now on, you will bear my
mark, not the Sith identity," he explained even as Luke restrained a yelp of
unpleasant surprise. "Report to the med center," he ordered him. "They will
remove your tattoo and slave mark, then wait for me in your assigned room."

"As you wish, Master." he bowed, then turned on his heel.

On his way out of the palace, he warned his father that he wasn't finished in
the palace, then reported to the med center.

Later, much later, his master entered his room. Luke noticed that he had
transferred himself in a younger body, probably to have more pleasure during the
upcoming celebrations, he reflected tiredly, still recovering from the surgical
interventions. He slowly sat up on the bunk and bowed his head in greetings.

"Will you be proud to bear my emblem, young Vader?" the young Emperor inquired
maliciously.

"Yes, Master," Luke nodded humbly.

"Good," he smiled thinly, then instantly took hold of his still painful biceps
and began to mark him with the Force.

Later, although Luke didn't know how much later, the Emperor finally released
him. Where his master's hand had been, he saw the dark blue, personal crest
of his master personal ranks; it was made out of the Imperial ring of power and
three lightning bolts.

As he dazedly gazed at it, Luke noticed that it looked as if it had always been
part of his skin, but he couldn't wonder much more than that; his mind was
standing at the edge of unconsciousness.

"I will see you tonight, 'Lord' Vader," his master said, drawing him back to a
more aware status. "Be in a celebrating mood," he ordered him sharply.

"Yes, Master," Luke bowed tiredly.

Once he was alone, he collapsed on his bunk and rested until he felt sturdy
enough to walk again.

******

To be continued in part 20: young Lord Vader