Luke Vader Part 20

Luke Vader
Part 20: young Lord Vader
By SJ 21-11-00/12-12-00

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Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for her
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The evening came. Even though Luke was happy, he was aware that something was
bothering him, but he didn't know what it was; it couldn't be his marking of the
afternoon, he reasoned seriously, he had rested from it with a healing trance.
He was perfectly fit once again. However, a slight tickle remained in his
chest, barely beneath his notice yet disturbing him all the same. His friend
and lover seemed to notice it.

"Is there something wrong, my Lord?" she asked him in her guise of his newly-
chosen consort.

"No," he shook his head, careful to retain his serious, satisfied expression.
"I think I'm just tired."

"Who wouldn't after bearing up with Rebel insanity for months?" she asked
him.

"I guess so," he smiled slightly although the unease remained.

She turned his head toward her and leaned closer. "Let's see if I can give you
back some of your energies then," she whispered, then pressed her lips to his.

It had an almost magical effect on him, he reflected. If they had been alone,
he would've pulled her closer, but since they were in their master's court, he
restrained himself. He was already lucky to be allowed this much. The
dignitaries around them politely turned away from their private moment, then
they returned to congratulate him for his success, nomination, in short to
welcome him to the court.

Most of them knew him already, at least by face, but they had never spoken to
him. Mara for her part was still playing the role of a courtesan; she had been
the lucky courtesan who had been chosen by the new dark lord to be his consort.

A few meters away from them, he knew that their master was watching them from
the corner of his eye, satisfied that his long years of patience and training
with them had gotten him where he wanted to be.

At the top of undisputed power.

Luke nodded to him in respect; the Emperor imperceptibly approved, then
returned his attention to the three or four beautiful women who had been allowed
near his throne. Luke dimly wondered which one his master would choose to
celebrate his absolute victory.

He himself had already chosen, he reflected with a smile as he turned back
toward his gorgeous, wonderful companion. If only Leia had accepted her
destiny, he then thought with a note of sadness, she'd be here too tonight---

"Congratulations on your nomination, Lord Vader," a familiar, hated voice pulled
him out of his thoughts.

Luke turned around to face his father's arch-nemesis: Prince Xizor.

"Thank you, your highness," Luke barely bowed in welcome.

"I must say that your secret truly surprised me, my Lord," the reptile continued
even as he seemed to glare at him from his taller point of view. "You and Lord
Vader, your father, certainly tricked us all with your masquerade as his slave."

"As we were meant to do, prince Xizor," he answered, meeting the alien's green
gaze with his defiant blue one. "However," he added almost meanly, "it was
agreed that I would one day emerge from the shadows. It was only a matter of
proving my worthiness to serve the Emperor like my father do."

"Yes, I can understand this now," the alien commented, his voice slightly lower
in range than before.

*He's not happy, Luke,* his girlfriend silently warned him from his side.
*Don't prick him too much or you might make your first enemy tonight.*

*We are already enemies,* Luke answered her, then showed her what he himself
could see in the Falleen's mind.

A lust for revenge, plans to take him out of the way once and for all.

"You certainly proved how dangerous a man you are, my Lord," Jade purred as if
in awe.

The Falleen threw her a menacing glare at this, then beat a hasty yet no less
graceful retreat from the 'new' couple.

*Well that was interesting,* she said in the ensuing silence.

*It certainly was,* Luke answered grimly, his eyes never leaving the retreating
figure of the tall alien.

He had always known that the Dark Prince had sent a few assassins after his
father, men and aliens who had always been of no danger to his powerful father;
now, he could feel that 'he' would be the other's target.

Well, let them come, he thought darkly in silent challenge; in time, the Falleen
would learn his place once and for all.

When the Emperor had introduced Vader's slave boy as his new dark lord, Xizor
had felt his anger and hatred rise from deep within himself, then had sought the
one man responsible for this outrage with his murderous glare.

Vader. Not only had the man destroyed his family, but he had now taken away his
one chance to claim the galactic throne as his own by introducing his son...
Vader had a son... how unbelievable was that?, he raged inwardly on his way to
his private shuttle. What woman would ever want to bed the mechanical
monstrosity, unless, he thought ungracefully, the hateful man had done what
needed to be done to have a son, no matter the objections or obstacles.

A son... an arrogant brat who dared stare his down from his diminutive height.
Considering how the boy had turned from self-erased slave to powerful young dark
Jedi, he reflected that he hated him even more than he hated the father. That
boy, he seethed, had just stolen what he had slowly nurtured for himself: his
place as the Emperor's second in command, once Vader would be out of the way.

'Take advantage of your new status while you can, child,' he thought hatefully
at the newly appointed dark lord. 'Soon, you won't be alive anymore to enjoy
it.'

With his mind set on a new plan, he ordered his pilot droid to take him back to
his castle.

******

Hours later, back in 'the' Vader's castle, Luke and Mara retreated to their new,
common bed room. While Luke had been in the medcenter, Mara hadn't wasted time
to set up their new room; she had first selected a room for them, one that would
be worthy of her lover's new status, then had furbished it the way he had told
her he envisioned his personal bedroom.

She was now guiding him toward it.

"Close your eyes," she whispered to him.

"Aren't we too old for games like this, Jade?" he asked her even though he
obeyed her wish.

"Not for the kind of games I have in mind, flyboy," she smiled, or so he felt
through their bonds.

As they stepped through what felt like a doorway, he felt his heavy cloak drop
from his shoulders, then his belt followed suit. Two could play that game, he
reflected ; he reached out and undid her dress' closure.

"Well, can I open them now?" he asked her as she stepped closer to him once
again.

He felt her warm body press up against his back even as her chin rested
on his shoulder.

"Okay now," she told him lustfully.

Luke opened his eyes--- and saw what his lover had managed to do during the
afternoon.

"Wow!" he breathed despite himself.

The room was like he had thought he would manage to find: a black-sheeted,
comfortable looking bed, a lightly-colored, deep carpet, a real-wood desk, a
large bay window that was giving onto an even larger balcony, and the room
naturally came with its own 'fresher. However, what was fascinating him the
most was how she had managed to decorate it exactly the way he liked it: light
yet elegant.

"So what's your verdict?" she asked him as she began to undo his shirt.

"I think..." he began, gently taking hold of her hands while he pulled her back
in front of him, "that I want to sleep here tonight, with the woman I love," he
smiled gently, then pecked her lips.

"Sleep? Really?" she ribbed him while she resumed taking off his clothes.

"Well, let's try that bed first," he answered in kind, pulling her back against
himself to kiss her with all his passion and love.

*Come here, Lord Vader.* she sent him lustfully while she lowered herself on the
bed, her gown still hanging partly from her shoulders.

*Don't worry, Lady Vader, you're not going too far either tonight,* he reassured
her before settling himself above her; he glued his mouth to hers in a
delightful kiss.

******

After that night, Luke began his 'permission'. He alternated his first days
between his sister's room and his selected part of the castle, slowly furbishing
it the way he wanted it with comfortable, rich furniture, different shades of
colors and hand-crafted crystal trinkets. He had also created his own reading
corner, which of course couldn't compete with his father's library, but it was
filled with his favorite books, whether they were informative or entertaining.

He hadn't bothered about adding more technical rooms to his quarters though
since his father's were already more than well furnished and accessible to him.
The only room he had mimicked for himself was his own office. He had moved
Mara's gift from their bedroom to that room, where he still had a stunning
view of Coruscant's landscape.

The more he worked in his office, and the more he realized that the sight truly
was wonderfully insightful during his meditation.

All in all, it took him a good five days to feel at home on the floor he and
Mara had selected as their own. His girlfriend helped him as much as she could,
but as he had foreseen, the Emperor had new missions for her. Hence, they spent
every minute they had together in the most intimate way, not caring too much
about their surrounding.

His father was equally kept away by new pacifying missions, but he kept in touch
with him, regularly checking on Leia's progress. They weren't very encouraging;
as he had surmised, his sister was stubborn to the end, wary for a trap, and, as
if it weren't enough, opposed to anything that had to do with the Jedi heritage.

She didn't give him the slightest opening through which he could hope to seduce
her to their side; it slowly annoyed him to the utmost.

******

More than a month had gone by now. Luke was still trying to convince his sister
to cooperate, but to no avail. At first, he had tried the constant tactic,
then, after she had tried to attack him, had changed it to a 'give her space'
approach and visited only once every few days. Now that the second month was
beginning, bringing them closer to their master's final 'decision', he decided
to try and truly reason with her.

It didn't matter how many arguments or how many days it would take him, he
'would' convince her to stop rebelling.

That morning, he awoke before his girlfriend; he took a moment to drink in the
sight of her sleeping beauty, the black, silken sheets and pillows under her
bringing out the fire of her hair, then, after kissing her bare, slim shoulder,
slipped out of his bed and put on sleeping pants and a thick, black bathrobe.
He exited his room, then knocked on the door next to his. He knew that his
sister was already awake.

He entered despite her lack of answer.

She was sitting by the window, gazing out at the beautiful sight that was
Coruscant in the morning.

"How are you today?" he asked her as he found a seat on her bed.

"As fine as someone who is a prisoner in a golden cage," she retorted coldly.

He stood up again, quickly making up his mind.

"Well then, let's take a look outside of it," he commented seriously.

She gaped at him, obviously unable to understand what he meant. Luke walked
closer to the transparisteel door, unlocked it and slid it aside. He then
turned toward his bemused sister and offered her his hand.

"Come on," he smiled at her, "nothing like some fresh air to start your day."

Leia didn't accept his hand but she preceded him outside on her large balcony.
Luke silently watched her as she walked toward the high wall that was
surrounding the platform.

He wondered if this simple action would help her soften toward him. Only one
way to find out, he reflected.

Leia slowly rested her hand on the railing, taken by the fresh, stimulating air
that was suddenly surrounding her, the sound of the bustling city... the feeling
of freedom.

"I wished you had been allowed to the palace yesterday afternoon," her brother
told her as he walked closer.

"I didn't," she answered coldly, not turning around.

"Leia," he sighed, "why do you keep fighting like this?" he asked her.

"Why??" she whirled toward him, her vehemence pouring forth to attack her
brother. "Why??? Because 'he' destroyed my planet, my family, my cause, my
life. I'm not---"

"He's offering you a new life in return," Luke objected. "Don't you see? If
you would simply pledge obedience to him, you would recover your freedom, you'd
have a family again, you'd get everything you deserve," he told her earnestly.

"I 'had' everything I wanted, 'brother', and no thanks to you, Vader, and your
master, I lost everything," she reminded him bitterly.

She expected him to give her another pointless argument, but instead, he
softened.

"I know the feeling," he commented as he sat down on a padded chair that was
behind him.

That wasn't what she was expecting him to answer. She frowned at him.

"What do you mean?"

Luke sighed. "I mean that a slave doesn't have anything in his life, except
himself, and even then, it doesn't belong to him anymore... If I had refused
what my master was giving to me then, I would have hurt myself in the process...
just like you are."

"No," she countered defiantly, mildly angered at his lame attempt to make her
see it his way yet again. "'He' is hurting me. Don't you get it, Luke? I
do not owe him anything, and I will not take anything he wants me to take; I
will not belong to him."

"Then what? You'll just let him kill you?" he challenged her, recovering his
harder edge.

"I've gotten a delay, but in the end, nothing else but that is going to happen
to me," she stated adamantly. "Not that anybody will miss me now that you
killed all my friends," she finished with a glare.

"I will miss you... and so will Father," he answered in a small voice, accepting
defeat yet again in his daily goal to make her change her mind.

"Ah!" she snickered. "Don't make me cry, brother. Vader might have cared for
you once he broke you, but he certainly doesn't care about what happens to his
daughter. After all, he's got his son," she pointed out sarcastically

"No, that's not true. You don't know him," Luke defended.

For a long moment, their eyes met, silently trying to make the other step down.
She noticed, not for the first time, that when he wasn't dressed as a dark lord,
her brother 'did' look like an okay guy. Perhaps that was what his girlfriend
had seen in him, she reflected distantly.

Even though he didn't look dangerous though, she wouldn't try to fight her way
past him; she had tried that only once, and she had understood why he was the
Emperor's best, even when he was unarmed.

He suddenly grabbed hold of her hand, drawing her out of her reflection.

"I will show you what I've been trying to tell you for the past month, okay?" he
suggested.

She noted that he at least offered her before doing anything.

"How would you do that?" she frowned.

"With the Force. I can show you my memories, my feelings, everything you want
to know, everything you should know... if not for that cursed Kenobi..." he
finished with an angry mutter.

"You mean you're going to play in my mind?" she asked indignantly, drawing her
hand out of his.

"No, 'you' will play in mine," he corrected.

"But I'm not---" she began.

"Once I establish the contact, you won't have to know any techniques to look in
my mind if I open it to you," he reassured her.

"And you will?" she queried uncertainly.

"Yes," he answered matter-of-factly.

Feeling uneasy with this new offer, Leia took a moment to ponder it. If she did
let him in her mind, without her barriers, she knew that she would make a first
step toward trusting him... On the other hand, she reminded herself, she had
been trusting him for almost two months now... in non-imperial matters at least.

However, she knew that he was trying to save her life; he wanted to help
her... much like he had seemed eager to help her when they had been 'rebels'...,
she thought in slight resent, yet also understood that her brother 'did' care
about her. He wouldn't trick her this time.

"Okay," she accepted.

He smiled at her, a smile that couldn't possibly belong to a dark lord-assassin-
dark Jedi-- it belonged to a farmboy. He offered her his hands, palms up. She
gingerly rested her smaller hands in his deadly ones.

Deadly, yet able of tenderness too if she remembered some of the things she had
seen him do while in his lover's presence.

*When you're ready,* he sent her through the Force.

It startled her, but not too much. She just wasn't used to this kind of
communication. She closed her eyes.

At first, she didn't feel anything, then she felt a presence draw closer to her
own until it seemed attached to her somehow. She slightly panicked, meant to
pronounce her brother's name, but instead, she found herself entering his mind.

Once there, as he had said, she didn't need any knowledge to sift through his
memories. She thus watched his whole life unfold before her eyes, saw his poor
existence on harsh Tatooine, his experience of slavery, then the unusual care
his 'master' had showed him once he had begun to behave, his lonely life until
he was reunited with his father, all the moments of kinship he had shared with
him, filled with love and care, his demanding training that no child had any
right to succeed, yet he had... his numerous missions, his strange attraction to
a certain princess, his growing attraction to his best friend, his own care that
made him help some citizens while during missions even if it greatly angered his
new master, the Emperor's omnipresent oppression and control... yet her brother
was free, and he had everything he wanted in life.

Finally, she saw how both her brother and father had planned to keep her alive
to free her from her former life and let her claim what was rightfully hers.
She belonged with them, she realized as she pulled away from her brother's mind.

Just like her brother had never been in his place with his guardians, she
herself hadn't been in her place on Alderaan. They hadn't understood her
devotion, her passion,... her uncanny feelings... but her true family could and
would understand her, she knew.

Especially her brother. If only there wasn't the Emperor...

"Haven't you ever thought about fleeing away from all this?" she asked him as
she recovered her full senses.

"You mean--- desert?" he gaped at her, recovering his full awareness in shock.

"Yes. No more assassination, no more darkness, just to be with your family,"
she explained.

"No." he said seriously. "It would be pointless anyway. Where would I go?
What would I do? Here, I have a purpose since someone needs my abilities." He
suddenly stood up from his chair. "I don't even want to think about what would
happen if the master ever kicked me out," he admitted, burying his hands deep in
his pockets, obviously distraught by her suggestion.

Leia's eyes were so wide in disbelief that they would probably have fallen from
her orbits had her brother not turned back toward her.

"You have seen what I was talking about, right?" he asked her, skillfully
eluding her new topic.

"Yes," she nodded. 'That and more,' she thought to herself. "I... I need time
to consider, Luke. I've never been dominated before," she told him, wondering
how he would react to her choice of words.

"Think of it as service to someone who provides for you," he answered wistfully.

'Even when it comes to discipline,' she wanted to ask, but didn't mention
it. She hadn't been supposed to see this; she didn't want to call the Emperor's
wrath down on her brother.

Instead, she slightly tilted her head in answer.

"If you want to talk to me, just call me, okay?"

"Okay," she whispered, turning away from him.

Her brother left her alone to her thoughts.

How could her brother worry about the Emperor not keeping him?, she wondered in
growing worry. The other had hurt him when he had displeased him, but he had
obviously never meant to 'fire' him since he had always kept him under his
'payroll'.

Why would---

Then, it slowly dawned on her that since her brother had almost never known what
freedom was, he couldn't imagine not having a master. For him, she understood,
serving someone was probably the most natural thing in the galaxy. It was
probably the same situation with her father, she then reflected seriously, which
left her only one option if she wanted to be with her true family: she had
to pledge obedience to the Emperor because her father and brother weren't
leaving his yoke anytime soon.

Frustrated, she picked a small pebble and flicked it over the railing. Less
than a second later, she heard a zinging sound.

Worried, she stood up and leaned over the railing. Less than a meter under her
balcony, there was a protection shield to keep a bystander from falling down to
the ground, which was kilometers away.

Leia couldn't help but smile thinly as she saw the security installation. Her
father certainly didn't want anything unfortunate to happen to the guests who
occupied her room. She wondered if there were some rooms without that
installation.

Probably, she shuddered despite herself. It would be quite convenient for an
assassination...

******

Three more weeks passed during which Leia preferred to spend her time alone than
with her brother.

Mara didn't complain about this arrangement. Since she was also off-duty, that
meant more time for her with her boyfriend. He had been summoned to their
master's throne room and was now returning. She waited for him near the door,
intent on surprising him.

She just loved to startle him, she admitted to herself while keeping her
presence hidden from him.

The moment he took his first step through the door, she pushed herself off the
wall, grabbed hold of his cloak and refined clothes, then pulled him around and
against herself. She noticed that he wasn't surprised to find her there; drat,
she had missed her shot.

He did answer her kisses though.

*When did you get back?* he asked her as he pressed even closer to her.

*Less than twenty minutes ago. It was a short errand,* she sent him.

*So I see.*

Minutes later, she showed her what her errand had been... for him. She set her
hands on his shoulders... and began to massage him.

"Hmm," he moaned in delight from the vicinity of their plush pillows. "If
sending you on errands always give you ideas like this, Jade, I'm going to find
errands for you," he teased her.

"'That' was my errand, flyboy," she told him lustfully. "I don't need excuses
to imagine how to surprise you."

"Sorry," he told her, afraid to have vexed her.

"I forgive you," she ribbed him.

Her hands slowly began their way down his muscular, tensed back.

"What did the master want?" she asked him.

"An update on my sister. He can feel her still strong opposition and mentioned
the possibility of brainwashing her. I don't like it."

"Neither does he like your growing care, I suppose," she commented coolly.

"No, you're right. I simply don't want her to be hurt," he answered seriously.
"It isn't her fault if she's been raised to believe in anything but what her
life should be. If only we could return in time and undo what Kenobi has done
to her..." he reflected out loud.

"But you can't," Mara answered. "What does your father say about all this?" she
asked him, her hands now rubbing his broad shoulders.

"He says that I will figure out something to make her change her mind," he
sighed. "If he were here, he would help me, but I'm not sure if he would be
more successful than I am." He closed his eyes in slight defeat. "She's been
too brainswashed already to see the truth..."

Mara slowly brought her hands to his biceps. She leaned closer to his ear, an
idea having just occurred to her.

"Why don't you go back in time with her then?" she suggested him.

Luke opened his eyes to look at her. "How?" he asked her.

"Remember our first mission with your father? On Alderaan? She was there too."

And she had been drawn to him, drawn to the dark lord... If not for her foster
parents---

"You're right!" Luke exclaimed, feeling a load of concern lift off his
shoulders. "Thanks, Mara," he whispered, twisting his head around to kiss her.

******

To be continued in part 21: Leia Skywalker or Vader?