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______________________ Special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend, Adrianne, for
her _____________________ Even though Luke was on Coruscant, his routine didn't change much. He served Other than that, and the deep probing of each guest to inform his master of He had to do those two things every day, thus having no other choice but to After a few, difficult first days, he managed to focus on the Force to guide
his ****** Nearly a month and a half later, Luke rolled away from the droid's arm,
kicked Luke sat back and groaned in tiredness. It had been tougher today. It had
been There, done. He checked the chrono on the wall. He had just enough time to change back in After that, he would have to take care of the remotes that his master had
left It took Luke about ten minutes to make himself presentable, then he headed
for The couch arrived barely a minute later. A tall, green-skinned alien stepped out of it and waited patiently. Even The young boy walked forward and bowed in welcome. "Welcome, Prince Xizor," he bid the other. "My master, Lord
Vader, is awaiting He turned around and walked toward the inside of the building. 'A child!?' he heard him think while he probed him. 'What kind of game is
Vader Luke heard and felt it all, strove to remain impassive, in control, then Two minutes later, he keyed open the door of the room where his master was,
then Thus, he discovered that Prince Xizor was a master deceiver. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Lord Vader," the alien purred
suavely to his "We may dispense with pleasantries, Prince Xizor," Vader retorted
curtly, not Luke felt the Falleen's composure falter a bit yet no sign shown on his cool "But this is not why I requested your visit here," Vader continued
coldly. "I While Luke noticed his reflexive lack of proper thought toward the Falleen "Just as I thought," his master finally nodded, "Now that you
know, I suggest "I shall take a look at it immediately, my Lord," Xizor said
earnestly even as Vader barely acknowledged him, then dismissed him with a wave of his hand
before "By the way," his master commented, drawing once again the
attention of the As he saw the other turn back toward Vader as if he hadn't been thinking "I'm afraid I don't understand, my Lord," the Falleen commented,
pretending to "How else would you know about my slavery habits?" the dark lord
inquired "I---" the other stuttered, caught off-guard this time at having
his own Lord Vader stepped forward this time. "You should mind your own business and not start rumors on my account,
Prince Luke could feel the boiling anger in the dark prince, then even his murderous He himself was growing hateful toward the alien for entertaining such thought He was only his master's slave; it wasn't his place to think for him. "Accept my apologies if I have miffed you, Lord Vader," the alien
finally bowed "Apologies accepted," his master retorted as if it were
inconsequential. "You Luke respectfully bowed his head, then prepared to leave once again. Meanwhile, the alien bowed once again, offered another menial retort, then As the young boy watched the ship leave the area of the castle, he reflected He now knew how dangerous the dark prince was. He turned around---and started when he saw that his master was standing a few "It is not courage to face cowards like him," the dark lord told
him coolly. "He wants to kill you, Master," Luke informed him, keeping his head
bowed to "Yes," Vader agreed without any sign of anger. "but so do I...
However, the Aware that his master wasn't angry at him, Luke dared look back up at his He couldn't help but still completely in surprise. He still wasn't used to
his "You were perfect in his presence, boy," his master praised him.
"If he ever Luke, who had tensed when the dark lord had touched him, could now only gape "An assassin? Stop him?" he asked in disbelief. "I saw you train with the droid today," his master commented in the
strangely "Master?.." Luke gaped in bemusement. He couldn't believe the words he had just heard. Him? A bodyguard? But he "A servant merely takes people from one place to another, but a
bodyguard serves Luke avoided his eyes, ashamed for entertaining such thoughts of
disobedience. Vader brought his large hand to the boy's face, eliciting another flinch even
as "There is nothing to be sorry about, child," he reassured him.
"You controlled Luke, who had kept his eyes down despite his master's encouragement to look
at "Yes, Master. I will do it," he assured the adult. "Good. You can forget about the remotes for today," his master said
gently. "I Luke's face lit in a smile. "Thank you, Master." The dark lord straightened back up and gently nudged him toward the door. "Go now, don't waste your free time," he encouraged him. "I won't, Master," Luke told him earnestly before eagerly running
toward the As the child ran inside, Vader felt his delight at having the rest of his day. 'Now he could play', he heard him think; it made him smile behind his mask. Even when they were on the right path to become powerful dark Jedis. ****** The same evening, just before retiring for the night, Lord Vader went into
his Even though his son wasn't aware of them, he liked those moments of quiet When he was awake, Luke never did any of this, but the more he spent silent
time He had chased the remotes after all. He had first deactivated the firing of bolts, but then, the child had really The boy was beginning to see past his actual service, he smiled to himself;
he He then admitted to himself that he relished every smile he could draw from
his Even though the boy was beginning to 'like' his new life, he was also still A short while later, he delicately set the child in his bed, then pulled the He brushed his blond hair one last time with the tip of his fingers, sending ****** Months passed, during which Luke went back aboard the Executor with his
master, Every time that they came back, his master reported to the Emperor, leaving
him The more Luke waited there, and the more he began to distinguish the kind of There were rich citizens of every places, military officers, courtesans, and Most of those beings were humans and adults, but... amongst them, there also
was However, she wasn't a slave. From the first time he had seen her, he had
known While he noticed all that, he never even entertained the thought of asking
her That day, Luke noticed that the red-gold haired girl was also waiting in the It wasn't easy though; her nearby presence was acting like a magn----- "What's your name?" a voice suddenly asked him, drawing him out of
his internal Luke looked up in surprise and worry---- and gaped when he identified the
source For a moment, both children gazed at each other, silent as if in surprise,
then "I'm sorry, my Lady, but I don't have a name anymore," he
half-whispered "You may tell me," she insisted, taking a step closer to him to see
his eyes "... Luke." he finally answered even as he dared look up again at her. "I'm Mara," she told him warmly. "I noticed that you are often
seen here. "Lord Vader, my Lady," he answered with all the respect and decorum
that he "I'm not a Lady, Luke," she commented, then surprised him when she
sat beside "Your guardian?" he asked, careful to keep his voice down even as
he forced It wasn't proper, he reminded himself; his master wouldn't like this. "The Emperor," she answered him proudly. "He teaches me so
that in time I may Luke nodded in understanding, then reflexively answered: "My master also
teaches "How long have you been with him?" Mara asked, tilting her head in
curiosity "Almost a year and a half now." he answered simply. Luke noticed the surprised face she made. "What?" he queried with uncertainty. He hoped that he hadn't upset her; he certainly didn't want to anger the
Emperor "I've been with the Emperor for the same time," she commented
wistfully, her "I used to," he nodded, "but I learnt to accept my life with
my master," he "Well, I don't miss them," she told him in a strangely cooler
voice. "They "You're lucky that he came by then," Luke commented instantly.
"If I could, I Mara might have answered something to this, but the door of the throne room Luke equally looked up just in time to see his master step through the
opening. However, she didn't do so, not right away anyway. "It was fun talking with you, Luke," she said as she walked toward
the door. Inside the throne room, Vader was reporting his son's progresses to the
Emperor The Emperor instantly activated the screen on the wall behind him, then
selected And Mara Jade. Uh-oh, Vader winced even as he took a step closer to the screen to study the "Do you truly want this boy to become a full-fledged Dark Jedi, Lord
Vader?" the To his relief, they heard his son behave properly with the girl. Luke knew
that Good boy, he sighed---- then winced again when the girl insisted, drawing a "Yes, Master," he finally answered, then turned toward the Emperor.
"The child "Perhaps," the ruler conceded, then focused his attention on the
girl. "This Despite the fact that he himself was resenting the girl for ruining his
attempt A silence followed, punctuated only by his mechanical breathing, until it "Well, this certainly is most unexpected," he commented under his
breath even as "What is, Master?" he asked diligently. The Emperor remained silent for a little while longer, then finally turned
back "It seems that we managed to find two Force-mates, my friend," he
commented even "Force-mates??" Vader gaped despite himself. "As in soul mates
ordained by the "Just so," the older man smiled in that strange smile of his once
again. "Young "What do you wish us to do about this, Master?" he asked
respectfully, aware "We will not intervene yet, my friend," the other answered him, his
anger and Vader instantly understood that his master had seen a vision of the two
children "You may further the boy's training, but also initiate him more
obviously to his Like himself lived, Vader understood. "As you wish, Master," he bowed respectfully, then turned on his
heel and When he crossed the double doors, his eyes immediately sought the two
children; He himself walked past the waiting boy; Luke silently fell in step behind
him. Luke didn't know what to expect from his master; he knew that he couldn't
hide *You spoke with someone,* his master stated. *Yes, Master,* he instantly admitted, repentant. *She told me to speak with His master seemed to consider his excuse; he hastened his pace. *Since she is special to the Emperor, you may speak with her if she speaks to *I understand, Master,* he sent in obedience, then took a breath in relief. He had to admit that he had really liked to talk with her. ****** The following days, his master reported several other times to the Emperor;
Mara During their second meeting, they compared what they were learning from their On their third meeting, they began to talk mentally to keep their dialogue
and The more they talked, and the more they discovered that their lives were
quite However, they both knew better than to push the limits on that habit; neither
of Hence, Luke became eager to accompany his master in the Imperial Palace in
hopes Unbeknown to both children, their behavior with one another was monitored
very Thus, while he chose to tolerate the necessary care to strengthen the natural He especially ordered the boy's father to make him use his aggressive
feelings Meanwhile, Luke didn't feel anything but fear for his master's master: the ****** Ever since Luke had arrived on Coruscant, he had hoped that his master would The dark lord brought him in the throne room with himself. Two weeks and half later, Luke reluctantly followed his master in the throne His master needed him to carry a gift for the Emperor; a lightsaber from one
of Holding the weapon's new, richly decorated case in front of himself, he kept
his Like every other time that he had been in the ruler's presence, either via He now knew that the Emperor was even more cruel than his master was; he
hurried He didn't want to give him a reason to punish him, and unlike for his master,
he Hence, he conceded, he always feared that the Emperor would find a reason to He thus knelt respectfully, then he remained still on his knee and kept his
mind And so it went every time that he followed his master inside the throne room. ****** When on Coruscant, Luke's routine of chores continued. That morning, where he was almost aged of nine years old, he brought the
black He instructed him to bring him his lightsaber. Normally, his master always picked it up himself; he didn't allow him to
touch However, he didn't question his order; he walked over to the shelf and picked
up It really was an elegant weapon, he thought seriously even as he gave it to
his The dark lord left him alone to make his room. Luke went about his morning The next morning, and the following ones, his master repeated his new
order... Vader was very well aware of his son's interest for his weapon; he also knew However, he had to wait for the boy to give him an occasion to intervene... A few days later, while tidying up the lower storage area, Luke finally Instantly noticing the presence of the slim bar, the boy stepped closer, then He was alone. Gingerly, he half-crouched in a ready position, then began to shift the bar
from He now had an idea about how he could try his hand at lightsaber techniques. Since he didn't have much free time for the rest of the day, he practiced his He fetched his bar and headed for the remote-training room. Normally, he had to dodge the bolts while catching the remotes, but tonight,
he He picked two remotes, set them on sting, then took a deep breath and focused
on A loud zinging sound informed him that he had succeeded---- then an other The more he blocked the bolts, the more confident he became, satisfied of He never missed. When the bar became too hot to hold though, he reluctantly put an end to the ****** A few days later, he was once again practicing lightsaber moves; he hadn't He didn't know if he would approve or not... but he himself didn't want to
put He continued to focus his frustration on the robots and was blocking a bolt
from Luke immediately knew who was there as well as why he was there; he should
have He bowed his head in repentance. "I'm sorry, Master," he apologized with all his heart. "I just
wanted to try Vader silently stepped closer; Luke cringed, having a bad feeling about this. Finally, his master spoke. "If you want to learn lightsaber skills, child, you have to use a real Luke looked up at that, confused and doubtful. Vader brought his free hand to He offered it to the bewildered boy; Luke could only gape at the offered weapon. "Take it, and try it for real this time," the older man encouraged him. Luke hesitantly reached forward and took the handle from his master's large "You were very good against three remotes set on slow," his master
told him Two remotes retreated toward the wall. "Let's see how good you are against one on a fast setting." Luke nodded even as he swallowed hard, then he turned on the lightsaber. It's "Don't look at your blade, boy," his master instructed him.
"Always focus on Luke took his eyes off the beautiful blade. It seemed to disappear from his He instantly discovered that it was much more difficult than he had thought. The darn little blasts wouldn't touch him again, he resolved defiantly. Darth Vader watched his son work and smiled in fatherly pride. He truly was
his He had gotten one step closer to reveal the truth to him, he thought
seriously. Luke's anger increased when the two remotes managed to hit him. Darn, he just couldn't move fast enough to step out of the way of both
attack... "It'll be enough for a first time, boy," his master told him coolly. Luke turned off the blade and gave the weapon back to his master. "I didn't know that it was this difficult, Master," he commented, disappointed. Vader took his weapon for his son's small hand, then crouched in front of the Luke didn't flinch in the least, now used to his master's strange behavior. "It is not a question of being difficult, boy," he comforted him in
his Luke's eyes shone with expectation. Advanced techniques? His master was going "Yes, Master!" he smiled in eagerness. "Good, we begin tomorrow evening," he informed him. The two of them gazed at each other for a short while, then Luke initiated a Instead, he bowed his head in respect. "Thank you, Master," he told him gratefully. "You're welcome," Vader said, standing up. "Go get a shower now." "Yes, Master." As Luke walked out of the room and headed for his room, Vader watched him go. His conscious self had stopped him. He decided to pay attention to other similar signs before telling him the
truth, He couldn't wait to give him back his name. ****** Throughout the following days, Luke trained with his master. Unlike the other During the first days, his master taught him how to use his focus to flip The more Luke learnt to use all his knowledge and skills together, the more
he He knew that the dark lord had bought him for the sole reason that he had
been Instead, it grew in strength... especially when his regular service began to The more he served the galactic ruler, and the more he felt in his heart that Later that night, after another training session with Lord Vader, Luke laid Today had been a very tiring day, he reflected; he was even more exhausted
than Serving the Emperor was very demanding since he requested perfection,
something After a party in the Court and serving the Emperor and Prince Xizor, he had
been Between finding a copy of a very precise newsreport for the Emperor, to
filing He had been very, very happy when his master had finally returned with a
report However, he reluctantly conceded, serving the Emperor had served him right Up to now, he had always thought that the man was pure evil, but thanks to
the The Emperor was trying to unify the galaxy and bring it peace and justice.
His If they didn't rebel, he then thought seriously, they wouldn't be hurt, just Suddenly feeling the need to share his thoughts with someone, he reached out
and The moment he contacted her, he felt that she was studying something; her *Luke!* she mentally smiled at him. *How are you? I haven't seen you lately.* *I know, I'm sorry,* he apologized. *I don't want to disturb you, but I have
a He felt her abandon her datapad to focus on him. *Okay, what is it?* *Do you... think that what he does is good?* he asked with slight hesitation. His friend remained silent at his question, obviously shocked that he asked
it *Of course, why do you ask?* she finally asked him with the barest hint of *I, huh,* he tried to justify himself, *I am beginning to think so too,* he *Then you're improving,* she commented warmly--- then shortly left his senses *You too, and good night,* he sent, then reintegrated his own senses. That's when he became aware of the approaching presence of his own master. He hurried to get rid of his shirt even as he pulled his bed open with the However, he wasn't fast enough to turn off his light before his master opened "I felt that you were still awake," the dark lord commented as he
stepped in the At first, Luke meant to hide the truth from him; it was his mind, his
worries, "It's about the Emperor, Master," he admitted even as he sat up in
bed to gaze The tall man sat on the foot of his bunk. "The Emperor?" he asked
in what felt "I... I don't mean to insult him, Master," he explained right away,
then lowered He had done just that with the mere mention of this word. To his surprise "Very well," he nodded agreeably, "I will understand. What
question do you Unsure if he should proceed or not, Luke slowly raised his head until he
could The ensuing silence didn't reassure him. For a moment, Vader couldn't believe his ears. While he had been aware of the He had always assumed that the intelligent boy was able to see the facts for He couldn't make the difference between evil and necessary strength. "No," he reassured his son, "he is not evil. He is hard,"
he conceded, "I... I saw it today," the worried child admitted from the other
end of the Vader, who was more than aware that he hadn't told the whole truth to the
boy, However, he reminded himself, he couldn't tell him the truth; he needed to
gain "It was probably due to your witnessing only the military side of the
Empire," "So... I was wrong, but not completely?" the child inquired hesitantly. "In a way," Vader nodded, "but you must understand one thing
about the military The child's brilliant blue eyes locked on his hidden ones at that, then, as
if "I understand, Master. Thank you," he told him gratefully. "Do you have any other question?" he asked him. "No," the child shook his head, then slipped back under his
blanket. "I'll be "Good; we have a busy day tomorrow to catch up on today's lack of
practice," he On his way to his own room, Vader reflected that the Emperor couldn't have
asked ****** The next day, young Luke spent a lot of time considering what his master had True, he conceded, his master was more than he seemed and he himself gave him In short, he tried to summarize his thought, lord Vader was a good man, a Kind of like the Emperor, he shyly admitted, except that the ruler was above
his He now knew now for sure that if nobody would rebel against the Empire,
nobody Now what was he thinking about, he asked himself. Despite what his master was Ever since he had begun his more intense training, he had grown aware that
like That way, he would be able to save the lives of children... and of their
parents Perhaps, he thought hopefully, his dream wasn't completely impossible this
time. And, Luke conceded seriously, he would indeed be glad to recover his freedom Instead, he would stay with his new guardian and serve him, this time freely. It was almost even better than at his uncle's the farm. Almost... ****** Two weeks later, after their going back to the Executor for a quick mission, Again. Once they reached the top of the stairs, he remained a few steps behind him,
as "Welcome, my friend," the Emperor said, turning his throne around.
"What news "The mines and shipyards are already secured, Master, and it shouldn't
be long "Yes... It was very clever of you to act during the night, Lord Vader.
The "The cost of lives as well, my Master," Vader added wisely. Luke couldn't help but feel pride for his master's tactical genius. "As long as I don't hear about those rebels again," the ruler told
him in "You won't, Master," Vader assured him. "Good," the Emperor commented as he stood up and walked closer to
them. "On Even as Luke suddenly became aware that he was at the origin of the current,
he He didn't want to attract his--- "Is it the boy?" the ruler asked in his grating voice. Luke winced when he realized that he already had the Emperor's attention. "Yes, Master. He has begun to learn the advanced techniques," his
master The Emperor's feet came closer; Luke felt his heartbeat quicken in fear. Mara trusted him, he reminded himself. His master had told him that he wasn't "Stand up, boy," the ruler ordered him, cutting in his thoughts. Luke hurried to obey and answered the Emperor's beckoning finger; he climbed
the Even though it wasn't the first time that he was this close to the ruler, it
was The Emperor brought his spindly fingers under his chin and slightly pushed
his "Hmm, he is fairly young," he commented as if displeased. "How
old are "Almost nine years old, Sire," Luke told him as respectfully as he could. The Emperor turned sharply toward the dark lord. "Advanced techniques at nine years old?" he asked for confirmation. Luke already knew that he was young to learn those things, that he was
powerful Uh-oh... "Yes, Master, and he's growing fast," his master nodded in answer
to the Luke noticed the subtle movement and the mind did the rest; could his master
be The Emperor gazed back at Luke, locking his yellow eyes his terrified blue
ones; "Do you do it to please Lord Vader?" the ruler asked him seriously,
almost "No, Sire, I love to learn those things," he answered earnestly. Vader gazed down at him at this, but Luke knew that his answer hadn't shocked "Interesting," the ruler commented as he let go of his chin. He
turned back "It shall be my pleasure to train him here, Master," Vader bowed
respectfully. Luke bowed his head, working on automatism; for some reason, he was truly
afraid "I shall try not to disappoint you, Sire." he managed to answer respectfully. However, he somehow knew that his powers would stupefy the ruler... He feared "Just so," the Emperor smiled thinly, then walked back to his
throne. "I will The two of them bowed respectfully, then Luke fell in step behind his master. While he followed him in the corridor, he wondered why the Emperor was
suddenly The moment that they were out of the room, he felt better. He sighed in
relief Luke, who was already trying to process both the Emperor's and his master's "Uh, yes, Master. Now I am," he blurted out. "I didn't think the Emperor would address you today, boy. Otherwise I
would've At first, Luke nodded as if in understanding, then, when he felt that the
other "Master? Why did he do it?" he asked, his voice breaking up.
"I am just your "Yes, but you are a Force-strong individual as well, and your potential
has just "Dangerous?.." he asked, furrowing his small brows. Oh no, he whined silently in growing worry, it was just like he had thought.
He "More powerful than him," the dark lord answered his question. "Nobody can be stronger than him," he tried to reassure himself. "You are not completely wrong, nor right. There is still a chance..." Luke paled and his heartbeat picked up to its previous speed as he remembered Lord Vader gently rested his large hand on Luke's strong yet small shoulder. "Don't worry, I am still your master. I will protect you," he reassured him. Protect?, Luke stopped on the word. So he was right to be afraid--- His tears began to work their way down his cheeks. "Would... would he hurt me? Or kill me?" he asked in a small, terrified voice. Vader's hand moved from his shoulder to his cheek, gently brushing the tear
that "No such thing will happen as long as I am your guardian, boy," he
explained Luke dimly noticed the choice of word to describe their relationship. Had it Vader continued to reassure him. "Only I can allow those things to happen to you, and if you show what
you can Luke looked into the dark lord's dark eye screens, feeling the care and love
the It was emotional overload for the young boy who had been isolated from such "Thank you, Master," he whispered. The dark lord brought his hand to the boy's hair while his arms offered him
the A moment later, Luke finally realized what he had done, but when he felt his Vader was very tempted to tell everything to his son right there and then,
but Once the emotional moment was over, Luke drew away from him. "I'm sorry, master. I... I didn't mean to---" his son tried to apologize. "It's all right, boy. I understand," he reassured him, careful not
to scare Luke took a deep breath and recovered his control. "Yes." "Good." Another leathery caress, then he stood up from his seat. "Let's go back home; we have some work to do," he told him seriously. Luke followed him out of the room... unaware that they would prepare to push ****** Luke trained harder during the following days, focusing all his energies and Then... the faithful day arrived. The day of his birthday. Again... As he followed his guardian down the Grand Corridor, Luke reflected glumly
that As usual, they entered the dark throne room, then climbed up the stairs. Once "Ah, Lord Vader, I have been expecting this meeting," the Emperor
commented "We are ready to begin, Master," his master answered equally coolly. "You will not have to intervene this time, my friend," the ruler
commented even Even though Luke knew that he would be addressed at one point during the "Take this and go in the room which will be opened for you," he
ordered him even Luke hurried to stand back to his feet, humbly took the weapon from the Vader and the Emperor watched the young Jedi's actions via a holocam. The moment that the child entered the room, remotes fired at him with the And so the exercise proceeded, with his son facing down every challenge that
was Beside the boy's father, the Emperor nodded in approval at what he saw. Ever He had also been reluctant to allow the child to learn about the Force, but
he He had carefully monitored the said privilege of course, but now, he The child, although still able to care for others, was only using the dark
side, In time, he smiled to himself, the boy would be able to replace his father
while However, he reminded himself grimly, he would make sure that the child's Still, he reflected with greed, the danger was well under control at the
moment, "He is extremely skilled, my friend," he finally commented to the
nearby dark "Yes, he is, Master," Vader agreed. "I think that he might be
'the' most On the screen, Luke jumped away from a stun trap before could activate
itself, "Hmm, the most powerful Jedi, and in my ranks," the Emperor stated,
then turned "I haven't told him yet about us, Master," he informed him
seriously. "He is "Most interesting," the Emperor nodded in satisfaction. The child was indeed aware of his link with his father, he reflected. If he "I will not wait for him to be sixteen to use him, Lord Vader," he
informed the Vader turned sideways at that, as if in confusion. The Emperor noted the protective reaction, briefly pondered whether he should "It will make him even more deadly and versatile when he will be old
enough to For the moment, he had no intention to allow the boy to become a Sith while
his "As you wish of course, Master," the dark lord bowed in obedience.
"Will you On the screen, a third remote came out of nowhere and tried to surprise the
boy. "When you are on planet, yes," the despot nodded magnanimously,
" but I will A fair enough deal, he thought in slight disgust; given the boy's caring As long as it didn't worsen, the Emperor thought with a sneer, he would "Yes, Master," his servant bowed his head in acceptance of his deal. On the screen, the boy stood alone amidst a room full of wrecks and
deactivated His son truly was powerful, he beamed with pride. He had gained the Emperor's *Come back, boy,* Vader sent him. *Yes, Master.* Even though the contact lasted less than two seconds, Vader felt his son's For a moment, he considered the option of comforting him, then decided that
the Besides, he tried to convince himself, he himself already knew the Emperor's Luke climbed the stairs and knelt at the Emperor's feet. "Impressive, boy, most impressive in fact," the ruler told him with
barely "Thank you, Sire," Luke said as humbly as he could, keeping his head down. "Lord Vader will complete your training," he informed him coolly,
but also with Luke filed it away for later analysis, but didn't dwell on it at the moment.
He "When you will finish it," the ruler continued in that same strange
voice, "we "Yes, Sire," Luke answered, feeling as if he had just committed
himself to a new ****** The very same night, just before going to sleep, Luke sat on his bed, brought He hadn't felt fear in the Emperor this time, he reflected as he called back
to The door of his room opened, surprising him out of his thoughts; his master "Master," Luke instantly snapped to attention, hurrying to get to his feet. Had he missed one of his req---- "Don't," the adult reassured him. "I am not here to scold
you," he said as he Luke noticed the casual way in which his master spoke. Something seemed
wrong, "Is something bothering you, Master?" he queried diligently. "No, I just wanted to tell you how proud you made me today," his
master told "I make you proud of me?" he asked in confusion, unsure to
understand what was He knew that he impressed the dark lord, but pride... he had never thought
about "Yes," Vader nodded, patting his closest hand with his large one.
"You could Pride and... something else, Luke realized. He slowly inched closer to his "I don't know what happened while I was fighting, Master," he began As if understanding his silent message, his master invited him in his
embrace; "Thank you, Master," he whispered in gratitude, tears threatening
to invade his The dark lord silently answered him by tightening his hold around him. They He wanted him to know that he didn't see him as a monster anymore. He braced himself then spoke up again. "I must tell you something, Master." he began. "Yes?" Vader asked, his strong arms tightening slightly around him. "Before I met you, one of my slavers wished for me to be bought by the When his son's words registered in his brain, Vader understood that the
moment However, given his son's silent beg to be held by him, then his revelation of He slightly pulled away from his son and gently raised his head with the help
of The child's young features looked up at him, his eyes brimming with unshed
tears His strong, courageous little Jedi who had already begun to conquer the
galaxy "You don't have to thank me, Luke," he finally told him gently,
feeling his It had taken a long while, but at last, he thought in relief, the masquerade
was Luke's brain took a moment to register the last word; when it finally
computed, "I love you, my son, Luke Skywalker," Vader said in the silence,
caressing his The child tried to speak but couldn't articulate a single word. He finally "F---F---Father?" He didn't pull away from the dark lord. "Yes, I am he," the other nodded as if in sadness. "I'm sorry
that I haven't Luke remained silent, thinking back to all the things that he had been
through His father?.. "I'm sorry about the past, Son... I also didn't have any other
choice," the dark Luke was too shocked to resist the gentle pull. His father?, he was still wondering. His father was alive?? He was with his Even as he understood all the implications of his father being alive, he "Father," he whispered, practically unable to speak. "If I could have, Luke," his father told him warmly. "I would
have found you "I remember..." Luke nodded against his chest. "I love you,
Father. Now, I "And now I love you too, Son," the dark lord answered in kind,
slightly Luke thought back to the past year, to all the flashes of fear that he'd felt "You were right to wait, Father," he conceded sadly. Of course, he also wished that he had known his father earlier, but he had no "I know," his father agreed with his thoughts. "I didn't want
to scare you Yes, Luke admitted, his father was right. Waiting had been the only option,
but "So what happens now?" he asked as he slightly pulled away until he
could look "We will have to see this with the Emperor," he answered him
briefly, "but we "That'd be great, Father!" he smiled through his tears of
happiness, having "There are so many things I want to share with you, Son," his
father commented "So do I, Father," Luke smiled. He felt a change of mood in his father. "What is it?" he inquired worriedly. "Two years ago, I gave you an horrible birthday gift," he commented
glumly, "I Luke remained silent, not knowing what to expect. "Today, Luke Skywalker, I give you back your freedom," he stated
solemnly. "You Luke felt his eyes dance with happiness upon hearing the words he had never "I am your son, Father. I'm Luke Vader, and I want to become like
you," he Vader was surprised to see the depth of his son's love for him, but he didn't Father and son silently hugged each other, satisfied to be reunited at
last--- Such a beautiful, intelligent, strong, wonderful child, and now he didn't
have Luke Vader. His destiny would be as powerful as his name suggested, he promised himself. He finally set his son in his bed and left him for the night. Not for the
first ****** The next day, they continued his training between meetings and duties, then The Emperor was pleased that the masquerade was already over, as least in He himself agreed to play the game of white lies with them: he promised the
boy However, he reassured the naive child and his father, he would give him all
the Both Vaders bit on his hook, assuring him that the boy would be his best
element While the two of them exited the room, protecting the boy's image of a slave
by Events were now proceeding as he had foreseen; it was time to set them in On his way out of the throne room, Vader noticed that young Mara Jade was in
the As if aware that they needed a reason to speak with one another, the child "It looks like you could use some help, child," he told her coolly. "Please? I can't see the Emperor like this," she answered regally. Vader nodded to his son. "Go in the side room with her and help her, boy." "Yes, Master," the child nodded obediently, then followed the
nervous girl Once alone, the children dropped their pretense and smiled at each other. "It's great to see you again," she smiled at him. "I was
beginning to worry "No, I truly was ready for that. I wish you could try it too. It's very
cool, Mara pouted slightly at that. "I guess I'll never know. The Emperor told
me "Oh," Luke winced gently, "I'm sorry... Hey, you'll never
guess what happened "You pleased the Emperor?" she asked her with a shrug of her shoulders. "No, it's even better! Vader gave me back my freedom, Mara. He's my
father!" "Your--- He adopted you?" she inquired in bemusement. "No, he's my real father!" he tried to explain. "Remember, I
told you he was It took his friend a second or two to process everything that he had said,
and "It's great!" she briefly hugged him, then asked him: "So do
you have a name "Luke Vader," he smiled proudly. "In time, I'll become like
him, but until "An agent?," the girl gaped in surprise. "Hey, it's like me!" she exclaimed. "You too?" the boy gaped in turn. "I thought---" Mara shook her head, interrupting him. "He finally made his decision and
told "Wow!, we'll be working together then." Luke smiled happily "That would be fun," she smiled back. "But not just that," Luke reminded her more seriously. "Of course, but when we won't be training, we'll probably have some time
to be "I hope we will," Luke's commented, then his eyes glazed shortly as
his father "You can trust me, Luke. My lips are sealed," she reassured him. "I know." he smiled, then he left the room, lowering his head to
assume once Behind him, Mara tried to recover her cooler composure to be proper to meet
with She had to admit that it would be great. ****** That evening, Luke prepared for the night, then went into his father's
private He sat in one of the chairs there, leaned back and gazed at the stars which
were Soon, he would begin his training as an agent, and he would someday help to
keep All of a sudden, he wasn't a puny boy lost in the galaxy ; he was one if its His father entered the room. "I thought I'd find you here," he commented gently. "I love stars too much to not watch them, Father," he smiled back. "I know," he offered him his hand once he was close to him.
"Come, I want to Luke sat up and took his father's hand. They went over a wall, which opened
to "Wow!!" he gaped in awe. "Yes. Do you think that you can name a few of them now?" his father
inquired "There's Alderaan," he said, immediately indicating the blue star
that was "Good." "And there's Ryalteer, and the Hapes cluster," he added quickly. "Excellent. Those will always be your reference points when you'll fly a
ship," "Fly? For real?" Luke asked his father. Vader sat on a chair. "Of course. Don't you want to fly?" he queried gently. "Yes, I do, but aren't I too young?" he asked, bemused. "If you aren't too young to become a Jedi, then you aren't too young for
any "Great!" he instantly smiled, content with his father's
explanation. "I've Vader reached over and proudly ruffled his hair. "You're so much like
me," he Luke smiled at that, then climbed onto his father's lap and leaned against
him "Tell me about you, Father," he demanded in interest. "How did
you earn your Vader wrapped his arms around his son, making sure to cover him with his cape
to Slowly, he told him about his first adventures. Luke was very interested by He also told him about the Jedi's betrayal, and the name of their arch-enemy:
Vader stopped cold. "What did you say?" he asked him, sitting straighter in his chair.
"From "Tatooine," the child answered him truthfully. "When I was
there, there as a Suddenly feeling that he had just found the hiding place of his one and true "What did he look like? Have you ever seen him?" Luke frowned slightly at his inquiry, but he didn't question it. "He was always dressed in a brown cloak----" That simple detail was enough for him to know that he had indeed found his "What is it, Father?" the boy inquired, cutting in his thoughts.
"Do you think For a moment, Vader gazed at his son, saw his anger reflected in the young
eyes. "I want to be there when you find him," the child instantly commented. "It will depend if the Emperor allows it or not, Luke," he informed
him even as While he was proud of who he had become with him, he conceded that the child
was "But---" the object of his thoughts pouted unhappily. "But I promise to bring him here if you can't come with me," he
told him The child remained silent at that, then nodded in acceptance. A silence stretched between them, then Luke spoke up again. He was just a child once again, no longer a would-be avenger of his family. "Father?," he asked gently, "Could we go back to Tatooine, but
to see my foster The dark lord arched an unseen eyebrow at that. "Why?" he inquired seriously. He knew all to well how intelligent his son was; if he had something in mind "I want to reassure Aunt Beru that I'm okay," Luke told him warmly.
"I know Vader couldn't help but sigh in strange relief at seeing that his son's good It would make him a good servant since he would spare the innocents. "You know that if they find out about you and me..." he warned him seriously. "I won't tell them," Luke reassured him. "You can drop me for
a quick visit, "And you give me your word to not attempt anything about Kenobi while
there?" he "I promise," the boy answered truthfully. The dark lord pondered this request for a while. Finally, he asked him: "Is it important for you?" "Yes, very." Luke nodded. He sighed. "Then we'll go. But just for an hour or two at most, and I
have to "I understand," Luke smiled, then once again buried himself in his
father's "What's that one?" he asked, pointing to a star. With the dark wave of revenge washed away, Father and son spent the rest of
the To be continued in part 4: Servant of the Emperor Copyright 2000, SJ (skyjade@globetrotter.net) Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV Home | Fan Fiction | Links | Site Info | Fan Art | Challenges |