Luke Vader Part 2

Luke Vader: From Slave to Dark Lord of the Sith
Part 2: Slave or Son?
SJ 26-04-00/10-00 (skyjade@globetrotter.net)

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Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for her
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me some of your precious time, my friend :)

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For both Luke and Vader, the following days seemed to be a repeat of his first
one, with some variants here and there when Luke's obedience varied.

As it was with every child, Vader quickly understood that his son was testing
the limits of what he could and couldn't do; he himself tried to make him understand that testing those wasn't a good idea with him.

The intelligent child seemed to catch on pretty quick... with some relapses here
and there.

When he served him right though, the dark lord began to reward him as he had promised him.

The days merged in weeks, which in turned became months... and the boy turned
out to truly be his mother's son.

******

Luke had been with Vader for almost four months now.

As his master told him his chores for the day, 'those darn remotes', he reminded himself to not show or even think about that.

He had learnt his lesson regarding the expression of his feelings of resent or displeasure.

He was finally left alone to clean up after the dark lord. Like every morning since he had begun his service under the man's yoke, there were fresh, untouched fruits left in a bowl.

Luke picked up the other plates and noisily shoved them into the cleaner. Then, he studied the remaining bowl.

To him, it seemed like a waste of good food to throw them away without eating them. He knew that he would never waste them if he could.

Hey, what was there to stop him?, he wondered suddenly. He was alone, even that
useless droid was gone now, and Vader would never know about it since he would throw the rest away.

Looking around himself, just in case he had missed the presence of some kind of surveillance device, he picked the biggest fruit, hurried to eat it, then threw the remains and the rest of the bowl in the recycler.

He then kind of felt bad about what he had just done, but he surmised that it was only because he had never dared do it before.

No, he defied himself, he felt 'good' about doing it. It was his seventh birthday today, so this had been his gift to himself, one he had deserved, he decided in satisfaction.

He resolved not to do it too often though; he somehow had a very bad feeling about this.

Just to make sure that no traces were left of his... disobedience, he washed his mouth and made sure that nothing would betray his action, then he began his day of servitude.

On the bridge, Vader listened attentively to his master's orders.

He wanted him to spare the rich and powerful during his next attack, but the others were expandable, as he told him.

"As you wish, Master," he bowed in obedience.

"Oh, talking about wishes," the Emperor commented with sudden, very light amusement. "How is your slave progressing, my friend? He certainly grows in the Force," he added more seriously.

Vader noted the undertone of unease in the ruler's voice; he was beginning to worry about the child's powers. "He is progressing well, Master. I estimate that he will break in a few weeks at most."

"He still isn't broken?" the ruler grunted in displeasure. "This is quite... unusual for you, Lord Vader."

"The child is young, Master," he tried to defend his rebellious son. "He doesn't seem to understand just yet what he is allowed to do and what is isn't," he lied even as he reached out to check on his son's activity.

What he felt made him see red in an instant; it was the boy's birthday and---

That little conniving---

Remembering that he was talking with the Emperor, and that his son's safety depended on his behavior in regards to the said boy, he forced himself to recover a cool composure before it was too late.

However, the boy would not get away that easily, he promised himself. That did it this time.

In the reception field, the Emperor continued their conversation as if nothing had happened.

"I must admit that I do have a similar situation with a young experiment, my friend. However," he smiled meanly at him, "I do not spare her when I teach her to behave."

"Neither do I, Master," he answered smoothly even as he felt his dangerous anger grow once again at the admission of what he was doing to his son. "I keep him on a tight leash," he added, then reluctantly conceded that he would also shorten even more his son's territory just as soon as he was done with the Emperor.

And this time, he thought in dangerous frustration, it would not be as a supposed slaver, but as himself, servant of the Emperor who could only take so much defiance from even his son.

He barely heard the rest of the conversation, then the Emperor dismissed him and cut off the transmission.

Even as the other disappeared in a flash of static, he himself whirled angrily away from the receiving station and stalked toward the closest turbolift.

He had a son to discipline, once and for all.

******

When Vader came back in the quarters, Luke was quietly polishing the dark lord's boots as he had been ordered to do.

"Did you think that I wouldn't know about your little defiance?" his master rumbled darkly even as he forcefully pulled him very close to himself.

Luke's eyes grew wide in an instant as he felt the anger, even fury that was suddenly coming off from the dark lord. He had never come off that way in his senses before.

He shook his head in denial, then focused his thoughts. *I haven't done anything---*

"Really? And what about that fruit that you ate moments ago? Or have you forgotten about it already?" the dark lord demanded darkly.

Luke was stricken. He knew...

And he himself now knew what his bad feeling had been about: a warning.

******

The same evening, Vader still couldn't focus on his planning.

He finally accepted defeat and headed for his training room where he vented his impotent rage on the remotes.

Kreth! This time 'he' had really done it!, he berated himself for the hundredth time since the accident of the morning. He had been so angry at his son that he had hurt him like the Emperor would have, he fumed.

Even his own master Watto hadn't been this mean with him when he had misbehaved.

And to think that it was his birthday... He had given him a real slave mark as a gift.

Terrific, he snarled to himself.

Of course, for the sake of their 'masquerade', he couldn't heal him now and that left him in an even more seething mood. Nothing new for this most cursed day of his life.

If only his brat would stop rebelling!.., he raged in dark frustration, he at least wouldn't trigger his dangerous anger--- and he himself didn't want to hurt him anymore! Couldn't the child understand this and behave?! he asked no one. He had really tried to find other ways than physical pain to bend him, but it hadn't produced any results.

Instead, the child had sometimes chosen resistance over a lack of punishment for his obedience... as he had today.

And he himself had reached the end of his patience; his resulting anger had then once again been proven more than dangerous for whoever reached such limits with him...

Not even his love for his son had tampered him... until too late.

Freshly angered at himself, the dark lord spun on his heel and sliced up the four remotes against which he had been fighting, then closed down his blade and hooked it back to his belt.

All right, he thought, being in a somewhat cooler mood now, the child had earned a punishment, definitely much less terrible than what he had inflicted upon him, but he had still earned one. As to why he had done what he had done, he tried to justify himself, he had wanted the boy to learn his lesson once and for all, to put an end to those frequent disciplines.

However, he made a note to himself to never act on his anger ever again with his boy.

Now, he sighed wearily, it remained to be seen if he had succeeded to reach his goal, although the end 'didn't' justify the means in this case.

Somehow, he promised himself while he walked out of the training room, he would find a way to correct the awful mistake of today.

As he stepped out of the training room, he felt sudden feeling of fear coming from his son's cell.

He instantly rushed to his side even as he scanned him--- and realized that the boy was beginning a nightmare.

After making sure that he wouldn't wake up while he would be with him, he stepped inside the cell and knelt by his side.

The first thing that he noticed was the puffy face of his child; he had been crying a lot since he had sent him to his 'room'. Gently, he probed his mind... and understood that ever since he'd had fallen asleep, Luke had constantly been reviving his latest bad moment with him.

His cruel, fearful master.

Not wanting him to suffer anymore than he already had at his hands, or not, Vader reached out and delicately plucked those subconscious thoughts from his boy's mind.

The agitated child instantly quieted down and fell back in more normal sleep.
Vader then rested the back of his gloved hand against his cheek, as he had done every single time that he had taken a look on his sleeping son.

"I'm so sorry, Son," he told him in a tone of voice that he rarely used, if ever, he dimly conceded. "Please be good now," he begged him earnestly. "I do not wish you any harm."

As if hearing him, the child sleepily snuggled closer, then brought his right... injured hand and wrist into his. Vader watched, bemused and more than a little stricken as his son's small hand sleepily grasped his big hand... in care, he realized. Despite what had happened between them, his son's subconscious could still recognize goodness in him and welcomed it with his own gentleness.

Never in his life had he ever imagined that he would someday hold his son's hand in his own. It made it even more impossible for him to deny the feelings that he had for the boy.

They had been growing throughout the past months, despite his trying to control them. Now, they were definitely inhabiting his heart, especially at this very moment when nothing seemed to stand between them.

He loved him, he admitted openly. He loved his son, and Luke wasn't the only one in need of taming. He himself needed to tame that destructive temper of his, he resolved seriously even as he tightened his grip on his son's hand, then glumly hoped against hope that he hadn't just ruined his chance with his son. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he had.

He refocused on his son's sleeping features and saw him lip a word... a single, most wonderful word.

Father.

Vader once again tightened his hand around his son's, at a loss for word or thought... His feelings took over.

Yes, Father, that was who he was, he nodded in answer to the boy's dream. From now on, that was how he would act with his son, he then resolved.

He knew that his boy had always hoped for someone to protect him, to love him. He had always wanted to know his father. Well, that would be him now. He still couldn't reveal the truth to his son, but he would at least have the satisfaction to not 'touch' him anymore.

He slowly set his son's hand on the rough mat, then stood up and left him to his
recovery, but not before wishing him a good, healing sleep.

Just before going to bed himself, he reached out and reinforced his son's healing.

Then he was able to go to bed, knowing that the fire of the boy's last injuries would dissipate while he would be asleep and unaware of it.

******

The next morning came too fast for the small boy. He scrunched his face in disappointment as the events of the previous day came back to him.

Yesterday... had been a bad day.

Fighting his tears of remembered pain and absolute fear, he slowly sat up, dimly aware that he didn't ache that much anymore. Just a little stiff where he had been injured.

While he mechanically ate his tasteless breakfast, he considered the said events.

Okay, he finally sighed glumly, he had deserved a punishment. The scary, mean dark lord had made his rules clear the first day that he had been with him, and he himself had also known that he would face the consequences of any defiance.

He also knew that he was totally under Vader's control. Even when he tried to resist him, the bad man was always able to make him do what he wanted him to do. He admitted that while he had always scared him, he was now frightened by the idea of seeing him again... of angering him again.

He really was a bad man, he thought with a shiver.

So, he pouted sadly, it was time to face and accept the fact that Vader truly was his master and that he himself... was a slave.

He might still be a human being, with a name and everything, but here, with his master, he didn't have any rights, any freedom of actions or thoughts; he could only obey Vader.

He didn't even have a voice of his own anymore, he thought glumly as he touched his throat, suddenly fighting fresh tears of despair and fear.

He forced them down.

His door opened a few minutes, like every morning, and like every morning, he forced his fear down, although it was more difficult today, then he headed toward his master's room.

Unlike the other mornings however, he didn't think while he did his chores, didn't show any sign of disgust or anything.

He just obeyed his orders... and did everything he had to do to not anger Vader.

Vader noticed the change of attitude in the child.

While he silently watched him as he served him his breakfast, he admitted that despite the circumstances, it was a welcome surprise.

He hadn't known what to expect from the boy after the events of the previous day. Fear? Anger? Hatred? Or even his turning into a normal child and not even leave his cell?

The latest reaction wouldn't have surprised him at all, he conceded, but once again, his son was proving to be much more than a mere child.

He was a courageous boy... who was now fighting his unconditional fear of his master to not anger him again...

However, that would be a huge gap to bridge with him before he could be told the truth about their relationship, he thought glumly. He could only hope that he would, in fact, be able to bridge it and that his actions hadn't ruined his future with his boy.

When he threw a silent gaze in the boy's direction, the child instantly avoided his gaze, lowering his head as if in obedience.

Vader couldn't help but wince at that; making it up to him would be another long process. However, he tried to comfort himself, the end would be worth every day this time, and Luke would not 'pay' for his new tactics.

Instead, he should like them, well, most of them, he conceded while he thought about the 'homely' chores that he could give him to train him further in the Force. No one really liked chores, or so he had been told, but until he could tell the truth to his son, he would have no choice but to keep up the masquerade, and what better way to cover up than to make him clean up his quarters?

He spent the rest of his meal in silence, then left without a word.

The child already knew what he had to do for the day: complete the chores of the previous day.

As he left his quarters, he prayed the Force that his son would truly behave from now on.

******

To his relief, his son's good behavior lasted.

About a week later, Vader checked on his sleeping son, like he was doing every few nights now.

The child looked angelic when asleep. He crouched at his side and gently stroked his sweaty hair out of his eyes while he brushed his mind with his, careful to not awake him.

While he mentally caressed his mind, he once again felt as well as saw the decisive turn of mind that his young son had taken.

He had finally accepted his situation. Phase one was truly over, he sighed in relief. If he considered his son's thoughts, he shouldn't rebel against him ever again.

He then admitted that he hoped so because he himself had tried yet again to come up with ways to keep him in line, if ever needed again, without hurting him, and he had had much trouble coming up with ideas. He had thanked the Force every night of the past week for not having to discipline his child during the day.

He once again stroked his son's sleeping mind, then slowly withdrew from the contact. Now, if only his son could learn to see himself as part of his life and not just as forced into it, he would be able to reveal the truth to him. Of course, he then conceded reasonably, phase two would be time consuming, especially since he had managed to scare the child to death.

He couldn't approach him anymore without making him stifle in reaction, but he would be patient, he thought warmly; he would bring up his son in the ways of the Force and other imperial ways until he felt the connection between them. He would also show him care, shyly at first, then more obviously.

In time, they would truly be together, he resolved.

Luke agitatedly stirred in his sleep, as if caught in a nightmare. Vader knew that the child had had many of those lately. He gently stroked his cheek. "Don't fear, little Jedi. Father's here now... nobody will ever kidnap you nor hurt you again. I give you my word," he told him soothingly.

And he meant it.

The young Jedi quieted down under his gentle touch.

Once he was sure that no more bad dreams would invade his son's mind, he stood up and left him to his rest. He had another busy day for him tomorrow.

Besides, his young Jedi needed his rest. Levitation skills had a knack to drain a beginner from all its energies.

******

Two new months passed by without any events, either positive or negative. Luke
did his job, even if it was difficult sometimes, but he did it without
complaining, not even in the privacy of his thoughts.

One of his chores today was to dust the living quarters without using his hands.
Weeks ago, the instructions had looked strange and undoable to the young, now
obedient child, but once his master had taught him how to use his new sense to
lift the wet rag, his opinion had changed, once he had gotten over his awe of
course.

As he used the Force yet again to dust an upper shelf with his damp rag, he
Considered the past month.

The first time that he had had to dust those shelves, he remembered that he had
barely managed to finish the first two shelves that were out of his reach before
his master had returned. However, now that he knew how to use his feelings to
focus his abilities, he could easily finish the three huge book cases in a
little over half a day and could use the rest of it to read the book of his
choice.

The first time that his master had given him this privilege, after he had served
him well, he had barely been able to believe his ears, but it had come back
every week, motivating him to improve his performance until he had more
than ten minutes free to actually practice his reading skills. It had been a
long while since he had been able to practice the skills that he had begun to
learn at school back home.

The book he was reading right now was dealing with the Sith skills that he had
begun to learn. He now knew that his master had purchased him because he was a
Jedi-child, however impossible that seemed... He, little Luke Skywalker, was a being who could tap into the incredible source of power that was the Force, especially now that he was learning how to do it.

He gaped as he read the description of what he might someday be able to do.

Lift a ship? It would require much harder practice and more seriousness from
his part to be able to achieve 'that', he reflected doubtfully. As he read on, he also surmised that he would need to become strong physically to be able to do some of the physical feats that were described in the book.

Perhaps if he were free, he began glumly, then he could hope to someday become like that, but--- he stopped in mid-thought.

He didn't have to be free to accomplish those, he rebuked himself even as he considered the chores that he had to accomplish on a regular basis; his master
was already giving him all the exercises and instructions that he needed to work
on those abilities and become like the dark Jedis who were described in the
books.

Then he could make 'this' dream come true, he smiled, then turned somber once again.

And then perhaps, Vader would keep his promise and set him free. It was a wild wish, but he really believed in the dark lord's word about his promise to reward him if he served him well.

And the way he had said it, it could only mean that he would free him, Luke thought dreamily.

However, he admitted shyly that if he didn't, he would still love to learn those
skills. He really liked it when he could complete his physical chores, proving
that he was strong, and it was even truer when they involved Force exercises.

Yes, he decided, he 'could' become a Sith too; from now on, he'd serve Vader
better than before, but for himself this time.

Thus, Luke tried to improve his time whenever he had to put away the remotes,
strained harder against the deck when he had to make it shine, then did the same
with his mind when he cleaned the walls and ceiling.

He also used the Force as often as he could to accomplish his tasks. Whether it
was to make the bed or reach anything that was too big or out of his reach, he
exercised his control over his mental 'hands'. He also worked on the control of
his mind in his master's presence and finally figured out how to not fidget.

******

At first, his master didn't seem to notice anything, merely giving him his
chores and barely keeping an eye on him, but Luke wasn't duped anymore by his
pretense of not paying attention.

Hence, one day, he wasn't very surprised to discover that his master was,
indeed, aware of his progress.

His breakfast was changed to a ration bar and a fresh fruits, then, days later,
to fruits and real bread. It never changed after that.

Then, later on, another change occurred: he was allowed free time when he had
finished his chores. While he still wasn't allowed outside of the quarters,
Vader gave him free access to his library, the training room, and even a
computer station which was equipped with simulator programs. Luke particularly
loved that one and worked hard on learning how to fly his ship without crashing
in the landing bay.

Then, when the chores became more difficult for him and that he failed them
despite his best efforts, Vader didn't punish him. Instead, his master, who was
aware of his efforts, took the time to teach him more specifically about how to use his new skills while maintaining realistic expectancies in regards to his development.

And so it went for months until Luke decided that even without the threats of discipline, he wouldn't turn down Vader's training anymore.

For one thing, the chores were more interesting than working on the farm.

And they helped him to grow in the Force.

******

That evening, Luke stood in the corner of his master's office, quietly waiting for his orders while not disturbing him; except for his slight breathing, he was as still as a status. It was quite the opposite of how he was during his daily chores, he reflected dimly, then shrugged as he reminded himself that this was how his master wanted him to be right now.

Vader wanted him to express his feelings through his uses of the Force during the day, and to be quiet when the evening came and that he returned from his own work for the galactic Emperor.

One other thing that Luke did, although that was his own decision for this one, was to keep his eyes away from his master's computer activities so as to not be reprimanded for 'spying' on him. His master had never punished him about that, he thought dimly, but he didn't want to risk it.

He had learnt his lesson.

His master suddenly beckoned him closer, pulling him out of his thoughts. Even though Luke was practically unable to believe what had just happened, he hurried to obey his master's surprising request. While he silently stepped closer, his master slightly pulled away from his desk to allow him to see the screen of his computer.

"Watch attentively, boy," he instructed him. "From now on, you'll clean up the
memory of my computer."

Luke was instantly elated by this new privilege. He had always wanted to work on the computers in the quarters, especially since he had gained access to the flight simulator programs.

"Whenever I work in the framework, temporary files are created and remain there
until I clear them away," Vader explained coolly. "It is a tedious, time consuming work to do so myself. Every day, once you'll be done with my room, you'll clear them out," he instructed seriously.

*Yes, Master.* Luke sent, looking at his master with barely concealed eagerness.

"Now look."

The boy refocused on the screen and began to study what he had always seen from the corner of his eye yet had never allowed himself to memorize. The dark lord showed him how to clean up the myriad of files that were hidden in the framework.

Once he had shown it to him, he told him to give it a try.

Luke took hold of the seeker with his right hand, searched... and found a file on his first try.

"Good," his master praised. "You're a quick-learner, child."

*Thank you, Master,* he answered, bowing his head to hide his blush of pride.

It was one of the first time that the dark lord had openly congratulated him for his success--- From his lowered point of view, he saw the other's hand make a gesture in his direction. He reflexively stifled in sudden uneasiness, then, when no punishment followed, became aware that the gesture was familiar somehow...

"From now on, boy," Vader told him less coolly than usually, "you may talk out loud when we're together," he informed him.

"Aloud?" Luke whispered, almost disbelieving the order. He gasped as he heard his voice once again. He stopped mute again, this time in shock. "I... can really speak?" he asked, keeping his voice down to not anger his master if he had misunderstood him.

He dimly noticed that he didn't seem to retain any side-effects from his almost year-long silence.

"I told you that once you had learnt to control your tongue I would give your voice back to you. I always keep my word, young one," Vader told him with a very slight touch of gentleness in his voice...

Or perhaps it was just his imagination, Luke thought carefully as he brought his hand to his throat, still shocked by the suddenness of his return to normal.

He could talk again..., he had managed to earn back his voice, and Vader had just told him that he kept his word.

If he served him right, he thought hopefully, he would also keep his word about his freedom. He could feel it.

Aware that the other was watching him, probably waiting for him to pay attention once again, Luke dropped his hand back to his side, then bowed his head in respect and said: "Thank you, Master. Thank you very much."

"I trust that I will not have to do it again," Vader warned as he initiated the
locking down procedures of the computer.

"No, Master," he answered earnestly even as he stepped away from the desk to give more room to his master.

That night, the boy hummed his aunt's lullaby to go to sleep; he could do it for real this time! He could really speak!.. He wasn't mute anymore!

Tears of joys streamed down his cheeks as he hummed the sweet song.

Just outside of the child's cell, Vader eavesdropped on his son's moment of relief. At last, he had begun to bridge the gap that was standing between them now, he thought in relief.

He could have given him his voice earlier, he berated himself slightly when he left his son's mind to its well-earned sleep. The child hadn't been defiant for months now, but, he conceded, he had grown so used to talking with him through the Force, feeling his presence instead of just being aware of it... that he had completely forgotten about his being mute because of him.

However, his son had unknowingly reminded him of that tonight; when he had seen his eyes shine in eagerness at his new duty, he had seen him mouth a 'wow!'.

That first accident had opened his eyes, but when he had praised the child and had seen him silently bow in humility, he had made up his mind.

Somehow, he now felt better with himself for giving him back his voice. Even though the child wouldn't talk to him unless talked to, it felt to him as if it were a major improvement in their current situation.

He would have to think of another way to give something back to the child, he promised himself as he disappeared in his rooms for the night.

The next morning, Vader made a point to 'eavesdrop' again on his son, this time to witness his first access to his computer.

The child stood alone in his office, not using his chair for fear of being disciplined if he touched it, then he began his cleaning procedures.

Vader smiled as he felt the remnants of his eagerness; the child had actually looked forward to begin the day today just to get to this part of his assignments.

At first, finding the files proved to be hard for the boy, but as the dark lord had surmised, his clever son discovered by himself that the Force could be useful in this case too. Luke used his frustration at his poor speed to boost his senses...

And every day that followed, he tried to improve his speed.

******

Lord Vader was pleased with his son's progress. Not only was the child training
Diligently now, but he was also clever enough to learn quickly what he could earn for himself if he behaved.

He himself had made it a point to give him a privilege or two every two or three
days while trying to dose the amount of work that he gave to the boy so
as to not overwork him, just push him against his limits.

However, he never revealed any of those details to his master.

"...and that was the last survivor of this group of Jedi, Master," the dark lord finished his report about his now completed mission regarding a group of renegade Jedi Knights on the run.

Those three cursed Jedis wouldn't run anywhere anymore.

"Most excellent, Lord Vader," the Emperor snickered in glee. "They seem to be
running out of strategies to elude you, my friend."

"They are," he nodded coolly. "They know that it is useless to resist the
destruction of the Jedi Order; it is already doomed."

"Yes," the ruler agreed, then seemed to grow more serious once again. "Speaking
of Jedis, how is your young slave doing with his training?" the other inquired surly.

Vader felt his blood cool considerably at such mention of his son; his warning
senses instantly went off, informing him that this report on his son wouldn't be trivial like the other ones had been in the past.

"He is still behaving and has even convinced himself to serve me as best as he
can, with and without the Force," he answered truthfully, as coolly as he could
manage despite his growing care for his son.

He 'knew' that he couldn't betray that feeling to the Emperor without losing
Luke. The child wasn't supposed to influence him in any way... although the boy did influence him whether he was aware of it or not.

"I have been feeling spikes of Light in the Force for weeks now," the Emperor
commented, his voice dripping with disgust, "and they weren't there before your slave improved his control over his abilities."

"The child is innocent, Master," Vader tried to soothe him

"And as thus, easy to bend," the other retorted coldly. "Young Jade is already
steeped in the Dark Side, no matter how little she can touch it," he finished
with a light sneer of frustration.

Vader equally sighed inwardly in annoyance. Ever since he had reported the
capture of Luke, the Emperor had been comparing his results to those of the Jade
girl whom the other had found thanks to his meditations. Whether by coincidence or not, he and the Emperor had found 'their' children barely a month after the
other.

Unbeknown to Vader, his master had meant to train the child as a dark Jedi... but, months later, the girl hadn't proven to be strong enough for his
project and had instead been kept alive for an assassin project. By then
however, Luke had finally learnt to behave and had begun to develop his full
potential... which now warranted him the Emperor's most wary attention since he
constantly felt the child's Light nature.

"My son cannot be compared to Mara Jade, Master," he finally felt calm enough to
answer. "Whereas her training is about using her feelings to enhance her
powers, I had to crush the boy's feelings in order to teach him proper behavior.
As thus, he might come off as 'light', but his fear keeps him in check. He is a
future Sith apprentice."

"Only if 'I' say so, Lord Vader, always remember that," the Emperor reminded him
sternly. "However, a little more fear may help him to learn properly," the
ruler commented thoughtfully, obviously reluctant to dismiss Luke's power this
fast.

Vader felt himself wince at that. He 'couldn't' frighten the child anymore than
he already was. It would doom their relationship forever.

"I will make sure that he doesn't become corrupted by the Light, Master," he
reassured him although he didn't mention how he would achieve it.

The only thing he knew for sure was that he would not hurt nor frighten the boy to do so.

"Make sure you do, Lord Vader. If the spikes keep growing in strength, I will
be most displeased," he finished warningly--- then was gone without any more
ceremonies.

Vader bowed nonetheless, then slowly straightened and shivered slightly at his
master's words.

If he didn't begin to make Luke use the Dark Side, the Emperor would kill him;
he himself knew what kind of potential his son had, what it would mean if he
were to grow as a Jedi--- But it would never happen, he promised himself. His
son would survive the Emperor's suspicions and grow in age and power until he
would be worthy to serve him and claim what was rightfully his.

To rule the galaxy with them.

However, he conceded as he climbed in his meditation room, he couldn't tell the
boy to either be angry at him, hate him, nor resent his situation. He sat down
in his chair, then let out a weary sigh. As for fear, if he were to 'assail' his son in any way, it would undo everything he had managed to accomplish so far.

No, he reflected, slowly turning his chair forward, then he activated a surveillance record of the day, he wouldn't risk the actual status of his son's behavior, even for something as important as his use of the Force or his survival.

On a side screen, an image appeared; he saw his silent boy, hard at work on the deck, polishing it until it shone under the light.

As he had been ordered to do.

Vader carefully studied him, noting how he was focused on his task, not allowing
himself to react to what he was obviously thinking. He was in perfect
control,... perhaps a little too much, he admitted reluctantly.

So if he couldn't tell him to be frustrated, he reflected seriously while he
continued to watch other footages of the day, how could he incite him to
use his aggressive feelings to fuel his powers?.. He couldn't hurt him nor
frighten him anymore than he already was, although he was very slowly gaining on that aspect of their relationship. He couldn't tell him about that either; the child was still too scared of him. He hadn't begun to see past his mask to recognize him for the father he was slowly trying to be. Telling him about the Jedi and what they had done to him was also out of question since it would only enhance 'his' image of monster. The child didn't need that.

So what could he do?.. he wondered even as he brought back to mind the words of his master to force himself to come up with a good plan. How could he influence the boy without his being awa--- then it came to him.

He could plant a compulsion, if a subtle one, to make the boy tap in his
feelings when he wanted to use the Force. That way, the child wouldn't be aware
of his part in the decision, and since he himself wouldn't intervene, the boy
wouldn't try to stop himself. And most important, he thought even as he stood
to his feet, the Emperor wouldn't feel threatened by his son anymore.

Having made up his mind, he headed for the boy's cell.

He had almost reached his destination when a mental scream of anguish suddenly
invaded his senses; the child had instinctively reached out for help... and had
contacted him since he was the only other mind that he had learnt to locate.

The dark lord instantly understood that the child was having a very bad nightmare from which he couldn't wake up... reliving the past yet again; he hurried his pace, then entered the cell.

At his feet, the boy was writhing around on his cot, as if trying to escape
something; his single blanket was tangled around his legs. The sight of his son
in subconscious torment cut straight to his heart, gripping it hard with sorrow
and guilt.

Like every other night that it had happened.

Having enough to see his son caught in traumatic dreams, Vader forgot about his
original purpose for checking on his son, even forgot about his actual status of
dark lord of the Sith, and knelt by him before gently taking him in his arms to
cradle him on his lap. Luke continued to fight sleepily against something or
someone.

"Sshh, little one, you're safe now," Vader cooed as gently as he could, then
reached out and mentally stroked his son's mind with all the reassurance and
warmth that he could conjure up.

The fight of the still-asleep boy gradually lessened until he cuddled closer to
the dark lord's chest. Vader continued to reassure him even though the boy
couldn't really hear him since he was kept asleep.

"No one will take you away again, Luke," he gently promised him. "I will not
let anyone hurt you again, not even me," he added as a self-reminder of his
important, unfortunate part in his son's subconscious torment.

He continued to delicately stroke his mind even as he stroked his blond hair.
It was the first time that he dared hold his son in his arms, as if he had
feared some kind of negative effect from such an action; he could now understand
how foolish a thought it had been and was even glad to have done so tonight.

He felt content with his son in his embrace. Now, more than ever, he was aware
that the child meant even more to him than the power that he held in the
galaxy.

He was his son, his unique, irreplaceable child and tonight, the strong,
courageous boy had needed a father, and that was who he was, for real this
time.

While he continued to rock him, helping him fall into a good, dreamless sleep,
he shyly tried to imagine what his life would've been like if he had had his son
with him from the beginning. The child was still small enough to be held like
a baby, but he was also much older than a baby. Yet, he was dwarfed by his own
large hands and strong bulk. Strangely, that made him even more protective
toward his son.

How he wanted to tell him the truth, he thought warmly, especially now that Luke
had learnt his place, but if he wanted to protect him from harm, he had to wait
for a while longer. Luke didn't see him as a human being yet; to him he was still his cruel master, even if he had mellowed a bit lately, the young, confused mind silently thought at him.

And he himself had to intervene to reassure the Emperor, his cooler self
reminded him.

Oh, yes, he thought more glumly, he had forgotten.

Almost reluctantly, he caressed his son's mind one more time, then gently,
almost hesitantly, probed him until he found the center of his motivations.
There, he planted a light yet unavoidable compulsion to use his feelings as a
focus for the Force, then he withdrew from the child's mind, but not before
taking advantage of his being there to catch sight of a few of his memories.

Even though he didn't care about the boy's guardians or the Jedi lies, he was
growing more and more interested in the boy's past life.

All too soon, he was back in his own senses.

Sighing, he caressed Luke's hair one last time, then set him back on the cot and
wrapped his new, warm blanket snuggly around him.

*Sweet dreams now, my son,* he sent into his subconscious.

*Sweet dreams, Father,* his subconscious answered sleepily.

Vader knew that the boy would wake up the next morning, thinking that he had
again dreamed about his father.

It had happened quite frequently lately, he barely smirked to himself.

And for one of the rare time in a long while, his smirk wasn't cold nor mean; it
was in pride of his care for his son.

******

Five other months passed by during which Luke grew both physically and
spiritually... and also begun to grow out of his clothes, allowing his father to
find out another way to restore part of his son's dignity.

Since it coincided with a request from the Emperor to return to Coruscant within
the next month, he decided that from now on, he would take Luke with himself
wherever he went. That way, he reflected seriously, he would prepare him even
better for his first visit home... and his presentation to the Emperor who had
stopped being wary about the child yet still kept a very close eye on his
different uses of the Force.

Up to now, Luke had been 'his' servant, having to deal with him only, but it
was now time to introduce him to what would someday be his world as well as show
him how to remain a good servant... but to the Emperor this time. The trick, he
conceded, would be to do so without breaking the truth too early to his still
uncomfortable son.

Perhaps life on Coruscant would help them, but, he reflected with a sneer, he greatly doubted it. Coruscant's lifestyle of courting and gossiping wouldn't bring much except problems into their already complicated lives, but, he shrugged, no one knew what the Force had in store for them.

And, he conceded to himself, he was growing tired of the Executor's confinement
due to the touchy training of his son. Not that he resented his time spent aboard the Executor, he then amended, and especially his time with his son, but he was not sorry to look forward to a change of routine. However, had it happened any earlier, his feelings might be different. Up to not so long ago, Luke wouldn't have been ready to meet his future.

Besides, he shrugged, his time spent aboard the ship had allowed him to know his son better--- and to consider how he himself would proceed to save the boy's life once and for all despite his enduring goodness of heart.

He knew all too well what the Emperor would say about it.

Well, he decided as he sent a request to a sewer droid, he would convince him
that the child's goodness was not dangerous at all. Besides, the boy already kept it in very good check under his growing powers, which were groomed by the Dark Side of the Force.

******

In the shower, Luke stood under the warm curtain of water and stretched his sore muscles, duplicating the techniques that he had read about as to how to alleviate his cramps after his most physically oriented day of the week.

He also knew that the pain truly meant that he was building muscle mass.
He conceded that it made the ache more bearable. However, he was glad that his
master had given him his evening.

He was tired... and he wanted to read more of the book about physical exercises
that he had stumbled on this week.

He stopped the shower, pulled his towel inside the cubicle and dried himself,
then he wrapped it around his small waist and carefully stepped out of the
slippery stall----

He started when he saw unknown clothes where he had left his clothes, barely catching his balance before he had fallen on his backside as in a repeat of his first shower aboard the ship.

Once he was stable again, he set foot out of the cubicle and studied the new clothes. Uncertain, he stepped closer, picked an article up and checked it up, then the next piece of clothing. They were all black as night, but less rough than his other clothes had been, and they came with a set of underwear--- and even amenities likes socks and shoes, he gaped is shock.

He hadn't wore anything similar in more than a year, he reflected even as he wiggled his bare toes as if in nervousness. Gingerly, he put on the new clothes, left the shoes alone for the moment, then looked at himself in the full-length mirror.

He instantly noticed that he looked older than he actually was, and that his muscled arms and strong shoulders were now obvious thanks to his short sleeves and body-tight shirt and pants. He also noticed that unlike his previous clothes, these new ones seemed to be tailored to his size. Finally, their color reminded him of his master...

Identifying him as his servant, he realized.

He now knew that not many people wore completely black clothes, except his master and a few, very rare individuals. And as his master's personal slave, it was normal to wear black clothes like him, he understood, feeling a mix of pride and worry at the implication of the color.

Still, it made much sense. And now, the shoes, he thought once he turned away from his new, rather good-looking reflection. Could he still wear those?, he wondered worriedly. They were there, so he knew that he had no choice but to wear them with the rest of his clothes, but... He had been barefoot for quite a while now, he reflected; in fact, he had grown so used to being barefoot that he barely flinched anymore at the sensation of the cold deck under him.

However, he thought in resignation, he would do what his master implicitly ordered him to do. He gingerly put the shoes on.

While he wasn't extremely comfortable, he conceded that he had forgotten what it
felt like not to have his feet rest on a cold floor; it was a very welcome feeling of warmth.

He checked around himself to see if he had overseen something about his new
clothes, then cleaned up after himself and went where he knew that his master was working.

******

As he felt the presence of his son come nearer, Vader looked up from his planning. He smiled under his helmet when he saw him step through the door.
In time, his son would make a very handsome young man and a powerful Jedi, he
reflected proudly. His black clothes seemed to already belong on him.

"Do they fit you?" he asked him once the child was standing at attention.

"Yes, Master. Thank you," he bowed in respect.

Vader turned back to his plan, as if it was of no consequence, but it wasn't.
Unbeknown to Luke, he had begun to draw him toward his future, to make him proud
of who he was, even though he didn't know that yet. However, he had given him
another clue that he was related to him now, that his future was linked to his.

Now, he thought seriously, he would gradually show him what his 'master's' life
really was about, and who he himself truly was. That way, he calculated that
the child would slowly begin to know him better, which would, eventually, enable 'him' to demonstrate his care for the boy when the child would be ready.

"You needed new clothes and I wanted you to be presentable when I will take you
with me," he told him seriously although less coldly than usually.

"With you, Master?" the boy gaped, but recovered fast and fell silent.

"I'm going back to Coruscant for a while; I will need you to serve me during
conferences and meetings," he informed him.

"As you wish, Master," Luke answered instantly, bowing his small head once
again.

Even though his son had picked up the perfect pattern of speech of adult
imperial servants, Vader had to remind himself that his son wasn't even eight
years old yet. In a few months, the boy would hit the age of eight, but he would still be little more than a child, if a powerful one; he was already more than any other child in this galaxy.

But of course, Luke didn't know about that. He had allowed his son to discover the truth about his being a Jedi, about his powers so that he knew what his future would be like with the Dark Side as its servant. In the meantime his Sith training had taken care to make his mind mature so that he was now thinking as a young teenager instead of a child.

That, he admitted, was a good thing since Luke couldn't afford to think about
playing or having fun all the time... although he sometimes did: he was 'still'
a child after all. Still, his future was already waiting for him and Luke was
now on the right path to fulfill it; all they needed was a permission from the
Emperor to further the boy's training.

As he refocused on the 'sight' of his son, Vader noticed that the boy was
studying with great interest the holo display of the upcoming space battle.
When the time would come, the boy would learn about those, he thought seriously.

"That will be all for now, boy. I think you wanted to study something tonight,"
he reminded him coolly.

Luke snapped to attention. "Yes, Master. Thank you."

He bowed again, then left with as little noise as he could.

Vader shook his head in amazement. Even though he had never forced this on his
son, the boy had even learnt to make himself scarce and invisible in his
environment, proving yet again how clever he was.

In time, he reflected wistfully, even those skills would be most
useful to him. He could feel it.

******

Throughout their month of slow transit toward Coruscant, Vader almost always
took the boy with him wherever he was aboard the ship. At first, the troops and
officers were surprised by the presence of a young child aboard the ship, but
the moment that they studied him, they discovered that he wasn't a danger nor
that they should pay him any attention.

Luke's identity as a slave was more than obvious to them since he was always
remaining out of the way, bore a very visible slave mark and number on his arm,
and that he was serving the dark lord even when the other didn't speak to him.

In short, the child was silent most of the time, then practically acting like a
ghost when he had to do something... like a very-well tamed slave.

Throughout his first two weeks as his master's personal servant, Luke became aware that he liked this new aspect of his slavery.

He was allowed on the bridge of the biggest ship of all time, which in itself
was extremely exciting, but he now also got to watch the dark lord work as he
planned attacks, received reports of spies and even oversaw space battles! Even
though he was aware that the Empire wasn't exactly fair, he couldn't help but be
thrilled whenever he witnessed ongoing operations.

However, his perception of fairness began to be swayed when his master allowed him to stay inside the communication rooms whenever a spy reported to him; he thus discovered that the Empire wasn't always fighting against regular citizens. They also took care of outlaw elements.

Hence, he began to develop a new, although still wary, respect for his master
who was devoting his life to the well-being of several populations. He knew him
well enough to be aware that he was still a bad man, but... he was not 'only'
that.

More time passed and Luke grew very interested in his master's work; he even
considered it a privilege to be present to his meetings, no matter that his job
was to serve drinks to the officers present or pass out datacards or any menial
thing that his lord needed him to do. He trusted him with his secrets, both good and bad... and it was sometimes very bad. And yet he trusted him, a mere boy, all the same.

All in all, he preferred to find something positive in his situation than
to be punished because he was displeased, thus displeasing his master in the
process.

******

That day, Luke was scrubbing the shiny black metal ball of the anteroom when his
master came back in his quarters.

"Welcome, Master," he said, bowing his head.

"Drop your rag and stand tall," his master clipped.

Through his now acutely developed sensitivity, Luke felt that something was
bothering his master. He hastened to obey him.

Vader threw a look at his boy. The child was presentable--- even if he was
barefoot again. Upon seeing this again, he wondered why his son never wore his
shoes whenever he was back in their quarters. Not exactly worrying, he
conceded, but still a little strange. He couldn't possibly like the feeling of
cold metallic tiles under his bare feet, he thought in puzzlement.

However, he reflected that the Emperor shouldn't bother about this kind of
detail.

He refocused on the empty area behind his throne, then knelt on the receiving,
newly polished pod, thus activating his receiver.

Luke didn't know what to expect; he had never witnessed such an action from his
master. In fact, he admitted, he had no idea of what was the use of the round structure on which his master was now kneeling.

While he remained still and attentive, he spared a gaze at his master's whole
demeanor; it reminded him of something, he thought dimly. He couldn't place the
memory, but such a position wasn't unknown to him.

Then, suddenly, a huge hologram of the Emperor appeared in front of them.

Luke couldn't help but flinch and take a step backward in startled fright.

The Emperor?!

He hurried to lower his gaze until his head was completely bowed in obedience
and deference. In the past, he had witnessed a few communications between the
ruler and his master, but never this big, and never from this close a point of
view. In fact, up to now, he had never even heard a conversation, only seen it.

Right now though, he 'knew' that the galactic ruler could see him behind his master.

Thus, even more than ever, he himself was downright shaking in his pants.

"What is thy bidding, Master?" Vader asked the other.

Luke's head perked up at that.

Master? Vader was calling the Emperor like he himself addressed his master?

"You will have to make a slight detour by Alderaan before you come back home,
Lord Vader," he informed him in a grating voice. "It seems that some pamphlets
are circulating planet-wide. Find the source and bring it and the offending
papers to me."

"As you wish, Master," his master answered, bowing his head in the exact gesture
that he had taught him.

The holo disappeared. His master straightened and stood up. Luke was too
shocked and confused by what he had just witnessed to react; he didn't dare move just yet.

"Get on with your chores," his master told him.

Luke quickly bowed his head without thinking, then picked up his rag with the Force. However, he couldn't focus on his chore. Turning away from the nearby meditation room, he threw a look over his shoulder at his master. The dark lord was already working on a wall computer, calling up files. Luke knew better than to ask him a question of course, but one such question was burning his lips.

Why had his master made him witness this larger-than-life encounter with the
Emperor? He had seen how his master had bowed to the Emperor before, but to
actually hear his words as well as feel his deference... It was something else
altogether. He had always assumed that his master was a powerful commander in
the Emperor's army, but now...

Nah, he rebuked himself, he had to be wrong.

Just because his master spoke similar words to his owns to the Emperor didn't
mean that Lord Vader was a slave himself---

"I told you that I once was a slave, not still am," his master's deep voice suddenly cut acidly, definitely aggressively in his thoughts.

Luke jumped out of his skin at this, immediately turning around to face his upset master; he backed himself against the meditation pod, then hurried to bow his head in regret and apology. "I'm sorry, Master. I didn't mean any disrespect," he told him earnestly, not hiding his fear of having upset him a little too much.

For a moment, the dark lord loomed over him, his anger clearly coming through to the young boy who knew what it might be portent of--- then he suddenly stepped
away from him, shrinking back to his normal, if still imposing, size.

"Don't think this much, boy. Just do what I told you to do," he commented, his
voice back to a cooler range.

"Yes, Master," Luke answered in deference, then resumed his scrubbing.

His master watched him for a while longer, then left him alone, entering his inner quarters.

Luke forced himself to not think anymore, then attacked the upper part of the
ball, thus having no more time for stray thoughts. Using the Force required all
his focus.

In his quarters, Vader paced like a caged animal.

It had been close, it had been waaayyyyy too close once again. The child had
not meant to insult him with his thought, and he himself had made him witness
his discussion with the Emperor to allow him to make another parallel between
the two of them... But he hadn't expected him to understand it backward.
Instead of beginning to understand where his actual servitude would lead him,
the boy had seen him as a slave like himself.

How dare he?, he glared at the door that was separating him from the hard-
working child. How dare he see him as a nobody when he was practically ruling
the whole galaxy thanks to his work for the Emperor? He was Darth Vader, Dark
Lord of the Sith, a former slave, yes, but he had won his freedom, and it had
been 'his' choice to bring peace and justice back in the galaxy... To master the
unfathomable powers of the Dark Side.

Unlike his son's actual life, he himself 'had' chosen his actual life, and he
was content by it.

Still fuming slightly at the outrageous thought of his son, he forced himself to
cool down. The child hadn't mean any harm with this, he reminded himself as he
re-ran his probe in his mind.

Luke had truly been wondering about him, trying to understand the situation with
what he knew about it... and had begun to recognize him as a pair, he realized
as he focused on his son's feelings during the probe.

He had begun to feel something beside fear for him--- but he himself had slapped
those feelings away from him once again, he understood as the stark white
features of his horrified son came back to him.

He himself had meant to bridge the gap between them by showing more of the truth
to his son, but the boy had mistaken it with the lie that was standing between
them... and they were still as separated as before the communication had taken
place.

Because of him once again.

Sighing in frustration, he promised himself to really learn to temper that bad
temper of his... Now he was the one in need of serious taming.

For his son's sake.

******

When the ship reached Alderaan, Luke was on the bridge.

His master immediately contacted the surface; a very handsome man, accompanied
by a little girl sitting on his lap, answered him.

"Lord Vader, it is a pleasure to have you in our system. Won't you come down
for a visit?" the man purred.

"That won't be necessary, Viceroy Organa, I'm only here to collect the writer of
the criminal pamphlets, as well as all the told pamphlets," he informed the
other man.

Luke watched the man as he faked ignorance of the matter. Then, the boy's gaze
fastened itself on the young girl on his lap. She was dressed in a beautiful
dress that seemed to be made of shining material, her hair was neatly pinned up
on her head and she was following the debate with as much interest as he was.

He wondered who she was.

He noticed that she didn't seem afraid of the dark lord.

His master spoke again. "I will come downside in two days, Viceroy. By then,
I want to be handed all the pieces of poetry, as you call them, as well as the
writer of this propaganda. If not, I will collect them my way," he warned
the viceroy.

"I will do my best to save you that effort, my Lord," the other man answered
with a bow of his head.

"I hope so, for your sake," Vader reminded him coldly before cutting off the
transmission.

He turned toward his commanders, gave orders--- then surprised Luke by
contacting him.

*You have a question,* he stated.

Luke noticed that it wasn't a question; his curiosity must be more obvious than
he had thought. He hoped that he wasn't upsetting his master.

*Yes, Master. Who was the little girl?*

*She is Princess Leia Organa, the viceroy's daughter,* he answered him shortly.

*Thank you, Master,* Luke sent in gratitude even as he let out a mental breath
of relief. His master wasn't angry.

He then called back to memory an image of the girl.

No wonder that she had looked like a princess, she was one, he thought ruefully.
No doubt that she didn't have to fear much in her life, his master included. He
dimly wondered what her life was like compared to his. Was she surrounded by
servants like himself? Probably, he thought seriously. Perhaps not children,
but servants all the same.

He remained in his corner until his master asked for the pad that he was holding in his right hand.

******

The incident on Alderaan was quickly dealt with. The viceroy had been quite
cooperative in fact.

Afterward, they resumed their way toward Coruscant.

They arrived a few days later.

Luke sat at his master's feet in the shuttle that brought them straight to the
Imperial Palace, or so Luke found out when they exited the shuttle. He
couldn't help but gape as he saw the vista that surrounded the landing pad on
which they were.

Huge buildings glittering under the daylight as if they were made of jewelry,
lines of traffic everywhere, constantly departing spaceships----

When he dawdled slightly too long to his master's taste, he felt the invisible
leash appear around his throat, then it pulled him into motion. Luke didn't
resist and fell in step with his imposing master. The leash disappeared once
again.

The beauty of the place was overwhelming his farm boy's mind. It was hard
not to stop every five steps to gape in awe, but he was aware that his master
hadn't taken him here for sightseeing; he forced himself to follow his striding
master.

Finally, his master told him to wait for him in the corridor while he himself
continued on toward the heavily guarded throne room. No less than four guards
were standing in front of its doors.

Luke, who was relieved to not meet the Emperor today, stood near a wall in the
grand corridor, looking around himself. Never had he dreamed of such a place.
Unlike his master's ship, it was full of vibrant colors and beings of all races
and species. Luke noticed something peculiar about them however: they were all
rich, and most of the 'free' beings were human. The aliens, he slowly noticed,
were mostly slaves like himself.

He was the only human slave, he also noted.

He continued his discreet observations as he waited for his master.

******

In the throne room, the Emperor studied the image of the young boy who was
waiting in the corridor.

"I see that you tamed his rebellious side, my friend," he observed seriously.

"Yes, Master," Vader nodded while he tried to not betray his worry about this
report with the Emperor.

He was all too aware that Luke's life was once again at stake; more than ever,
he didn't want to lose the child.

His child.

"However," the other began warily, "I still sense Light in him. He is more a
'Jedi'-child than a Sith apprentice," he commented with undisguised disgust.

Vader pressed his lips together in worry; he couldn't hide the truth from the
Emperor, yet he 'knew' how damageable it could be for his son. "Yes, I know, Master," he admitted even as he tried to think of a way to save his son. "He is good-hearted, but he uses only the Dark Side of the Force," he finally explained seriously. "He doesn't use the Lightside anymore."

"So I felt," the other grated out even as he continued to study the young boy
who was studying his new surroundings while not attracting unwanted reactions
from his superiors. "How strong is he?"

Vader was surprised by this question since the Emperor could undoubtedly feel
Luke's potential by simply probing the child; he answered him nonetheless. "He is very strong, Master," he commented truthfully. "He will be a most powerful ally if we continue his training."

"But he will also represent a constant potential for danger if he were to turn
against us," the Emperor commented coldly.

"This will not happen, Master," Vader hurried to reassure the old ruler. "He
has learnt his place; whether he serves me or you, he will be faithful to your
wishes. He has evolved from slave to servant throughout the past months," he
finished seriously.

"Yet he still relishes freedom instead of his service to you," the ruler
remarked shrewdly.

Vader could only nod at that. "He is not ready for more," he admitted
reluctantly. "That is why I haven't told him the truth about us yet."

"And when are you planning to tell him?"

"I do not want to rush things and alienate him to your service, Master," the
dark lord explained truthfully. "In time, I know that he will forget about his
former life and focus on the present and the future. When that day will happen,
I will tell him."

"And in the meantime you wish to continue his training," Palpatine commented
coldly.

"Yes, Master," he bowed his head in agreement.

The Emperor fell silent at that, undoubtedly pondering his decision. Vader hoped that he had managed to convince him that Luke was worth keeping alive for further training.

Yes, he was aware that boy's nature wasn't affected in the least by his use of
the Dark Side, but given Luke's blind obedience to everything he was told to do,
he surmised that it made him less of a Jedi danger.

As he gazed at the scowling Emperor though, he feared that the other wasn't seeing it this way.

He made a note to himself to try and teach his son to not care and like as much
as he did, but, he conceded, his training wasn't a willing one as far as the
Dark Side went. He used it, but his heart wasn't affected by it in any way.
In a way though, he admitted to himself that he preferred it that way since it
allowed him to see him smile then and again; he wasn't the unhappy child that he
had been when they had first met. He himself was very content by this turn of
events...

Now it remained to be seen if the Emperor would allow him to continue to bridge
the gap between himself and his son, future servant of the Empire.

Palpatine threw a wary glare at his best servant, then refocused on the
incredibly tempting offer who was standing on the screen in front of him.

The child was indeed more powerful than any Jedi he had ever dealt with, even
more powerful than his father. He could also feel that despite his resistant
good nature, his soul was indeed beginning to be enshrouded by the darkness of
true power.

However, the boy also represented a much unexpected problem: Vader 'cared' about
the boy. It had taken him very intense measures to make this despising feeling
disappear from the ex-Jedi's heart, yet that child of his had brought it back
with his mere presence in the man's life.

Was Vader dangerous for him now? Should he kill him and keep the child for
himself? Or could he trust Vader to remain faithful to him?

He openly probed his servant; Vader allowed him free access anywhere he wished,
thus proving his unwavering devotion to him.

Vader was still his, he smiled thinly, and he was now more than willing to bring
his son into his service. He himself would be foolish to turn down such a gift.

Especially since the appearance of the very powerful child in his ranks allowed
him to envision plans which had been impossible to realize up to now, but they
would have to wait, he reflected seriously.

The child wasn't ready to spy for him yet, but as Vader had said, in time, and
he would give him that time.

As for the child's Light nature, he resolved to make sure that it never affected
his use of the Force by completely prohibiting him from using the Lightside of
the Force. He surmised that it would suffice for the moment.

"Very well, Lord Vader," he finally answered his silent servant. "You may
continue to train him toward completion of the basic skills," he specified
coldly, implicitly warning his servant to not push the child further than that
level.

For the moment.

"Thank you, Master," Vader answered gratefully, then bowed deep in respect and
left him to return to his slave.

******

To be continued in part 3: Vader's Servant