Luke slowly woke up and lazily looked at the chrono. Over the past week he had fallen into the routine his father went by and now he knew that he had a little time before he had to get ready for breakfast. Sitting up, he pushed the sheets back and sighed. His father had started to train him in the ways of the Force and he liked to practice that which he had learned as often as possible.
The first thing he needed to master was how to use his anger and hate to touch and manipulate the Force. When he had asked why Obi-Wan had never mentioned this Vader had told him that that was one of the differences between the Jedi and the Sith. The Jedi denied their true emotions and were thus weaker. In a way it made sense, but it had been a little hard at first.
However, once Luke understood what his father meant, it had become a lot easier. He had, after all, plenty to be angry about. The way his uncle had treated him, growing up in poverty on Tatooine, being denied his father, Obi-Wan's lies... the list went on and on. Concentrating, Luke reached back into his memory and thought of all the times his uncle had beaten him for no reason.
Instantly his anger came to him and he reached out with it. His range wasn't very far, but he could feel his father's presence nearby. Knowing that Mark must be in the kitchen or thereabouts he decided to see if he could locate the Force-blind servant. Concentrating, he reached out when he suddenly felt another presence. Confused, he froze.
The new presence was definitely too strong to be Mark and it wasn't his father. He had memorized his father's presence from the first lesson, wanting to be able to recognize him at all times. This unknown presence was, however, familiar in a way he couldn't fathom. There was something there that he knew, that his mind screamed out for him to see. But he couldn't.
Suddenly a soft laughter echoed through his mind. Luke gasped as he remembered what his father had told him earlier. There was only one other person on this planet who was trained in the ways of the Dark Side... the Emperor.
'Good, good,' Palpatine's voice filled his mind.
"Majesty," Luke spoke aloud, not sure if simply thinking the thought was enough for the Emperor to hear.
'It is,' Palpatine stated.
'Okay,' Luke replied experimentally. 'Your highness,' he quickly added.
'Smart boy,' Palpatine commented before he paused. 'Perhaps it is time,' he finally continued.
'Time?' Luke asked politely, wondering what the Galactic Ruler meant.
'Yes,' Palpatine stated. 'Time for you to learn the last part of what was kept from you by Kenobi.'
'What? Your Majesty,' Luke asked as his mind raced. What else could there be that he didn't already know? And why hadn't his father told him about it yet? Hearing Palpatine laugh again he froze once more.
'You will learn, soon,' Palpatine stated before he reached out and broke the connection.
Luke sighed as he came out of the trance he was in. What had Palpatine been talking about? Shaking his head, he got up and walked towards the closet. Reaching in he pulled out one of the simpler outfits he had knowing that he had more protocol training with Mark this morning. Putting it on his bed, he couldn't help but reach back in and brush his fingers against the soft, deep emerald, velvet material of his outfit that was for dining with the Emperor. The outfit was covered with brilliant red fire-eyes and deep purple cogrs-gems along with gold and silver colored ribbon which had been worked into the material along the sleeves, collar, and cape.
As soon as each outfit arrived, his father insisted on his trying it to make sure that it fit and that the colors were good. Upon trying this outfit they had quickly seen that the color scheme worked perfectly with his features. Feeling the fabric again, Luke bit his lower lip nervously. Although he knew that it was an honor to eat with the Emperor, he knew that when the time came, as it surely would otherwise his father wouldn't have ordered this outfit made, he would be extremely nervous.
He pushed the thought aside and turned away from the closet to get dressed.
"Now this utensil," Mark said as he held up what looked like a knife, only it was much thinner. "Is for any kind of fish."
Luke nodded his head as he took the utensil from Mark and looked it over. Never had he imagined that there existed so many different instruments simply to eat with.
"And what's this?" Luke asked as he held up what looked to him like a pair of scissors with flat tips on the end.
"Klasd," Mark replied. "Its used to eat any kind of root or animal with a shell. Such as flugas, snail, wornger, or losp."
"Okay," Luke said as he placed the utensil back on the table, slightly disgusted that people would eat some of the things Mark had just mentioned. "Anything else?"
"No, there are no more utensils you need to know for now," Mark informed him. "Now, however, you need to know how to use them and all the other table wear."
"How to use them?" Luke questioned faintly. Wasn't there only one way? Or was the way he had eaten before wrong?
"Yes," Mark confirmed as he filled one of the crystal wine glasses with water. "Pick it up."
Acutely aware of how Mark was watching him, Luke reached forward and took hold of the glass. Looking up at Mark, he saw the man shake his head.
"No," Mark corrected. "You shouldn't grasp the stem of the glass. You use all your fingers but your pinkie and take hold of the bottom of the goblet. You also only use the tips of your fingers."
As he said this, Mark demonstrated what he meant. Nodding his head, Luke reached forward and took hold of the glass as Mark had done. Lifting it up, it slipped from his grasp and fell. Hitting the table the water spilt as part of the goblet shattered into a dozen pieces of brilliant color.
"That's okay," Mark said as he saw the dismayed look on Luke's face. Turning around Mark motioned for one of the other servants to come forward and clean up the mess before he turned back and filled one of the other glasses with water. "Try it again."
Luke nervously licked his lips, reaching forward and taking hold of the new glass. This time he made sure that he had a good grip on the goblet before he lifted it off the table and brought it to his mouth.
"Good," Mark said. "Now take small sips at a time."
Luke did as he was instructed, carefully drinking a bit before putting the glass back down. Looking at the broken pieces of the other glass as the second servant cleaned it up, Luke wondered whether his father would be mad. The last time he had broken a glass his uncle had yelled at him for being clumsy. But then he quickly shoved the thought aside. From Mark's reaction and from his father's behavior so far it probably wasn't a big deal. But still the glass had to be worth quite a bit.
"Now you need to know how to manipulate the different utensils," Mark said, pulling Luke out of his thoughts.
'The time has come for young Skywalker to know the full truth,' Palpatine stated as he spoke to Vader via their Force bond.
'As you wish,' Vader replied as he tried to image what Luke's reaction would be when he learned this next piece of information. 'How do you want to go about this?'
'I will tell him myself,' Palpatine declared. 'Today, at lunch.'
'Very well,' Vader replied. 'I will have him brought to the Palace in an hour.'
'Good,' Palpatine stated before he broke the connection.
Vader sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Luke was sure to be shocked when he heard the news, but he was sure the boy could handle it. He needed to be informed sooner or later, and the sooner the better. Both Vader and Palpatine had agreed that it was better not to let Luke know straight away as it would only have overwhelmed him when he had just learned so much. Now Luke had begun to adjust himself, but not so much so that this new news would totally upset the routine he had begun to fall into.
Vader pushed aside the datacard he had been reading and rose. That was one of the few downsides to staying on Coruscant to oversee Luke's training. He was handed even more reports and information to go through than usual and he had always hated those tasks. Soon, when Luke was learning more about the Empire, Vader would be able to let Luke look at some of them as there was no better way to see what exactly his position in the Empire would be than to see what he did.
The Dark Lord shook his head at the servant who looked at him, silently asking if anything was needed when he exited his office. Quickly he walked towards the dining room and halted outside the door, reaching out towards Luke with the Force. He had purposefully decided not to teach Luke how to shield his mind from the beginning as was normally done with Sith training as he wanted to know how Luke responded to things without difficulty. Once he knew the boy better he'd show him how to protect his thoughts.
After all, knowing Luke's past and knowing Luke were two different things, especially now. With all that was changing Luke could turn out to be someone completely different from the boy he had first seen in the Death Star docking bay and in his past.
Vader saw Luke sitting at the table, with Mark hovering over him as he entered the room.
"Father," Luke said as he looked up and caught sight of him.
"Luke," Vader replied before turning his attention to Mark. "That will be it for today."
Mark nodded his acknowledgment and one of the other servants started picking up the various utensils and other table wear.
"I will also be lunching alone," Vader informed his servant, not missing the puzzled look that crossed his son's face.
Mark simply bowed before leaving the room.
"What?" Luke inquired as Vader moved towards him.
"The Emperor wants you to have lunch with him," Vader replied and watched as Luke nervously bit his lower lip. Reaching forward, he placed a reassuring hand on his boy's shoulder. "Simply remember your manners and what Mark just taught you and you'll do fine."
"Very well," Luke said as he looked into his father's eyes. "Why does he want to see me?"
"He will explain that," Vader stated. "Now you had better go upstairs and change."
Luke set himself through the focusing exercises that his father had taught him as he walked with an escort of six Imperial Guards through the crowed corridors of the Imperial Palace. He wasn't to speak to anyone here, his father was very clear about that, but he wasn't worried about them. He would be dining with the Emperor himself for lunch. What was he supposed to talk about? It wasn't like he had anything in common to chit-chat about. Why did the Emperor want to see him? Probably to question him about his training, not that there was anything to talk about yet.
Luke Skywalker inwardly sighed, and schooled his face to be even more expressionless. They eventually came to a wide wooden door that was flanked by more guards. Luke saw four courtiers standing outside, their eyes boring into him, watching him like Tusken Raiders on a stone outcrop, waiting for him to show a weakness so they could attack.
The six guards of his escort stopped, and the guards at the door nodded, and silently opened the doors. Luke and his escort walked into the Emperor's inner sanctum, the massive doors closing behind them. Four of the guards stayed at the door, while Luke followed the remainder.
They walked through a barrage of opulent rooms, and finally came to a dining room. The table was marble, gray with green streaks and set for two. The crystal chandelier sparkled overhead while rich rugs of gray, green, and pale pinks cushioned the floor.
The Emperor walked in a side door, and Luke bowed as low as he could. He blanked his mind, throwing out any thoughts of how feeble the old man looked.
"Hee." The ancient Emperor wheezed. "Lord Vader is teaching you manners, young one." He shuffled over to the larger chair and glanced at one of the two guards. The crimson robbed man stepped forward and pulled out the chair and then pushed it back in once Palpatine had seated himself. "Come, sit."
Luke stepped forward, carefully taking his seat. He looked at his plate, remembering what Garret had said about looking at the Emperor.
"You're more careful about what you think around me, young Skywalker. It is good." The voice crackled. "How goes the training?"
"Fine, I guess. Lord Vader seems pleased, your Majesty."
The Emperor frowned. "I'm not going to spend the entire meal with you staring at your food. You can look at me."
"Thank you, your Majesty." Luke snuck a quick peak at the Emperor. His face was deeply lined, and his eyes seemed to glow with a yellow light. Luke looked away, afraid to be rude. He could sense the power radiating from the ancient man, and he silently vowed to do everything he could not to anger the Emperor.
"And," the aged voice rasped on, "You would know if Lord Vader was displeased with you." Luke flinched, thinking of his uncle- no, not his uncle, just the man who raised him.
"Hummm..." the old one slid into thought. Then he perked up, and motioned to one of the guards who nodded. "We will have to do something about that, we will." Luke shot a puzzled look at the Emperor, before glancing back at his plate. "The town where you grew up, child. We will have to do something about it."
Luke swallowed, thinking of what the man could possibly mean. He slammed down on thoughts of violence as a crimson clad servant came out with two dishes of salad. Luke didn't like the idea that occurred to him that the Emperor might wipe out an entire town to hide his past, but it wasn't his place to complain.
"No, it's not your place to complain." Luke glanced at the Emperor, trying to hide his dismay at being read so easily. The Emperor was smiling. It wasn't a pretty sight, the deep crags of his ancient face warped into an ironic smile, but at least he didn't seem angry. "And," the dry crackle of a voice went on, "if I did decide to have it destroyed, I would send you to do it. And you would, wouldn't you?"
Luke gulped, but replied as steadily as he could, "Anything you wish, your Majesty." At least, he sincerely hoped he could, the cold power was shedding off the Emperor in waves. He would do just about anything to keep the man from getting angry with him. Besides, he reasoned, it wasn't like there was anyone there that he liked, anyway. Some of them he had even hated and wished dead.
"Good boy." The Emperor turned to his food, and taking a fork, he began to eat. Luke carefully followed suit, trying to be as confident with the utensils as he could. He remembered to take small sips of his wine, and maneuver the many utensils properly as the meal wore on. He even managed to keep from dropping anything on his green outfit. The Emperor took time between courses to ask Luke about his new life. He offered no opinions to Luke about what he heard, until dessert.
"My Dark Lord does not have the time to see to every aspect of your training, young one." The Emperor waved a dismissive hand. "Not that he's doing a bad job, I just have more use for him elsewhere. It's hard to find competent officers for my Navy. Especially after that Death Star fiasco, I lost quite a few good men then."
"Yes, your Majesty."
"I'm going to send one of my Imperial Guard instructors over to Vader's Castle to teach you hand-to-hand and other arts. It will save time." Luke sat there, trying to figure out what it meant as he absently felt the guards' surprise.
"And-" the Emperor hissed, "I have one more thing to discuss with you." The Emperor's voice rose a little, "guards, I wish to be alone." The two remaining guards swept out, closing the dining room doors behind them.
They were alone, and Luke could feel the Emperor check, with the Force, that no one was listening. Luke tried to watch how the Emperor used the Force like that, but it was too quick to follow. "Don't worry about it child, you will learn." The Emperor's eyes bored into Luke's, weighing something within him.
"So, young Skywalker. Do you have any idea how much of a surprise your appearance was?"
"No, your Majesty."
"It's good you were found when you were; otherwise, I would have had to order Lord Vader to breed a heir in a few years." The Emperor looked at Luke, measuring his startled look. He let forth a dry chuckle. "It would have been a real mess if you would have been found after that."
"I guess so, your Majesty."
"I know so. Lord Vader shall have only one heir, or it will lead to trouble later. He understands this." The Emperor looked at Luke. "Do you know why he can have only one eligible to be his heir?"
"Not really, your Majesty."
"You need to learn to think about these things. I will ask you one question. Who takes my place when I am gone?"
Luke thought about his reply. "I've heard it said that Lord Vader will." Luke then hurriedly added, "your Majesty."
"Others would argue against that, but they are fools. Of course, I haven't told anyone that Lord Vader is my heir. It keeps them busy, fighting each other. Also, it proves that Lord Vader is worthy. I would not leave the throne to anyone else. Anyone can grab the throne, but only one with the Force could keep it. And I won't see my Empire destroyed after I am gone." The Emperor looked at Luke, yellow orbs boring into the young man. "So, what does this mean for you?"
He paused, and wet his throat with a sip from his goblet. He eyed Luke, waiting for the realization to sink in. It took longer than he had hoped, but the young man was new to thinking about these things. Luke's eyes got very big, and his breath got shallow. The Emperor could plainly hear the thoughts in the young man's mind. 'If my father will be Emperor, and I'm his heir, then I'll be Emperor someday.'
"Yes," the Emperor's voice hissed like a serpent, "You will sit on my throne one day, after your father. But," the voice goaded Luke, "do you know why I permit it?"
Luke thought hard. He had to work to pull his mind away from the distracting thoughts of him as Emperor. He didn't really know why he liked the idea of being Emperor, it just seemed to beckon to him. "Uh, no your Majesty. Because you have to have a heir, and Lord Vader was trained by you?"
"He was, but that isn't good enough. Sith do not share power, even in death. No one is to be trusted that much. But we have an exception." The Emperor paused, letting Luke soak up what he had just heard. "You can trust your children."
Luke froze. He couldn't mean. The Emperor was his grandfather?!?
"Yes, child, I am. Lord Vader is my son. Surprise you?"
"Yes, your Majesty." Luke felt breathless.
"It wouldn't surprise some people. The rumors in this place cover every possibility. I hid him for his own safety, I didn't want the Jedi stealing him from me and training him to be a Jedi. They did anyway, and it took quite a lot to get him back. They nearly did the same to you, even if only a few of them are left unaccounted for." The Emperor spat venom, frustration on his face.
Luke remained quiet, wondering if he was supposed to say anything more. He didn't think so, and he really only had one question, but he better ask his father-
The Emperor looked at him, and then laughed. The crackling voice wheezed, and then quieted. "I hope you don't have any more family hanging about, young Skywalker. I certainly hope not." The old man chuckled again. His eyes bored into Luke, measuring him again. "Well, I have work to do, and you have your lessons." With that, the Emperor rose and left.
Luke watched him go, waiting until the two guards returned, to escort him out. He followed them back to the speeder that would take him back to Vader's Castle deep in thought. He hoped that next time he came here, he could take the back passageways, he didn't like the way everyone was staring at him.
It was ironic- when he had learned about his father, he had been almost horrified. Today, he learned that he had more family, and he felt good about it. Even if the Emperor was more terrifying in his own way than his father. Luke was glad that his father had not told him right away about the Emperor, he doubted he could have dealt with it.
Luke leaned back into the seat cushions of the speeder. He smiled to himself. His father. The man had turned out to be almost nothing like he would have expected. He could feel himself trusting Lord Vader with everything, the man was a rock upon which to stand. He wasn't a thing like Owen Lars. Luke frowned at the memories that brought forth, and began focusing his rage like he had been taught. He sent his senses out, watching the speeder pilot fly through the busy airways of Coruscant. Maybe, Luke thought, he should ask his father for piloting lessons. Of course, Luke amended, he better also start learning about the government too.
Up in his throne room, the Emperor smiled as he watched the young Skywalker travel back to Vader's Castle. It had gone well. The boy had not gotten hysterical when he had learned, and he was starting to think about what his position meant in the Empire. Everything was going well, the Emperor had only to wait and two fully trained and loyal Sith would hunt down the Rebels for him. Palpatine turned his attention back to the courtier before him, who was begging naval assistance to recover from a Rebel raid.
Luke got up as the speeder door was opened for him and rushed inside.
"Where's my father?" he asked as he saw Mark.
"In his study, Master," Mark replied, at which Luke walked out of the room.
Luke entered the room without knocking, knowing that his father had sensed his approach. Looking up from the datacard he had been reading, Vader studied his son. He was pleased when he didn't see any signs of hysteria or disbelief.
"How did it go?" Vader inquired.
"Fine," Luke replied as he sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs on the opposite side of Vader's desk. "I was wondering though. You know everything that has happened to me in my life, but I know hardly anything about yours. And now I learn that Palpatine is your father."
"I expected you'd ask about that sooner or later," Vader said as put away the datacard, knowing that this was going to take a while. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything," Luke stated. "You mentioned living on Tatooine, why?"
"Well, as you now know, Palpatine is my father," Vader began. "At the time of my conception he was still a Senator in the Republic Senate and, at the time, any child born with Force potential in the Republic was taken away from their parents when they were six months old and brought to the Jedi Temple."
"Why?" Luke asked, stunned.
"They didn't want the children to know any hate or anger," Vader explained. "In the temple they could see to that. They isolated the children and began their training as early as possible. This not only eliminated the risk of any of them turning into Sith, but it also ensured that they always had a lot of Jedi, even in times of peace."
"That's like slavery," Luke commented. "They had no choice in the matter."
"Exactly," Vader agreed. "Anyway, to prevent the Jedi from getting me, Palpatine had made sure that my mother was from a planet outside of the Republic. Her name was Shmi Skywalker and she was a slave on Mantooine."
"You were a slave?" Luke asked cautiously, knowing very well that his father might not want to talk about it.
"I was," Vader stated. "I spent the first three years of my life on Mantooine, until Shmi and I were sold to Gardola the Hutt. She eventually lost us in a gamble and we ended up with a Toydarian named Watto. He treated us better than some slave owners but he was still pretty mean. The only good thing of ending up with him and not another slave owner was the fact that he was extremely interested in gambling and loved placing high bets on the podraces."
"Podraces?" Luke asked as he remembered seeing one when he was really young. However it had been one of the last times it had taken place on Tatooine and his uncle had forbidden him from ever going to see another one. "Why was that good?"
"Even though I wasn't trained in the ways of the Force, I was subconsciously using it. This caused my reflexes to be faster than those of the average human," Vader explained. "Watto noticed this and forced me to enter a podrace when I was six. My mother was terrified, but there was nothing she could do. I did extremely well even though I didn't finish the race, from then on Watto entered me in various races."
"What was it like?" Luke asked as he remembered the speeds those races were done at. "But... I once heard that humans couldn't do podracing."
"That's true, as far as I know, I was the only human who could," Vader replied. "As to what it was like..." briefly Vader debated whether it was a good idea to show Luke, but then pushed his doubts aside. It could only strengthen their bond. "Relax, and open your mind, I'll show you."
Luke looked at his father, nodded his head and leaned back in the chair. He slowly became aware of Vader's presence as his father's mind entered his and suddenly he found himself looking at stadium which was full of people from all different planets. He vision turned towards an arch at which there were a few lights. With a sudden, loud, bang the race was started and the pod he was in as well as the pods next to him shot forward and Luke could feel the wind against his face as the speed increased.
Briefly, he had a view of the controls before seeing the wastelands of Tatooine flash by once more. Other pods were near and in front of him. The pod he was in started to go even faster and some of the other pods were left behind as his pod entered a canyon. There were people standing on balconies, cheering the racers on. After a bend they were once more in the open desert before entering a cave of sorts. Luke felt his heart leap to his throat as fear and joy flooded through him as the pod twisted and turned around the outcrops of rocks jutting from the ceiling and floor. Coming out of the cave the vision started to fade and Luke found himself in his father's study once more.
"Awesome," Luke stated as he looked to his father, catching a twinkle in the older man's eyes.
Vader smiled to himself at Luke's reaction. He had known the boy would like it and had purposefully chosen to show him one of the more dangerous and exciting courses he had raced.
"So, how did you get off of Tatooine?" Luke inquired.
"Well, Palpatine had planned to come get me once I was old enough and he had the time to train me," Vader said. "However, when I was nine, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan, were stranded on Tatooine while on a mission. What happened exactly is a long story, but I ended up helping them and Jinn got me free and took me to Coruscant with him as he wanted me to become a Jedi."
"Why did you go with them?" Luke asked. "I mean if Palpatine had purposefully hidden you."
"I didn't know that," Vader explained. "Palpatine had erased every memory Shmi had of him from her mind so that I could be safe. This meant that she had no idea who my father was. When we arrived on Coruscant, I was introduced to Palpatine as the queen Jinn and Kenobi were helping was the ruler of the planet Palpatine was the senator of. He recognized me by my Force aura, but there was nothing he could do. I was taken before the Jedi Council to be judged to see if I could be trained as a Jedi. The Council was unsure as I was too old in their opinion. Things got a little hectic after that, but basically Palpatine was elected Chancellor of the Republic and his apprentice, Maul, was killed by Kenobi. The Council also came to the decision that I was to be trained."
Luke nodded his head as he heard all this. Looking at Luke, Vader paused briefly. He had to be careful with the next part as Luke was sure to ask questions about his mother.
"Knowing that he couldn't do anything right away, Palpatine decided to keep an eye on me and wait until the time was right to tell me the truth about my heritage," Vader continued. "During that time I started my training under Obi-Wan, and fell in love with and eventually married Queen Amidala of Naboo."
"Queen?" Luke exclaimed in wonder, briefly wondering what other surprises were waiting for him. "Was she my mother?"
"Yes," Vader confirmed. "She was a few years older than myself, but we got along very well. We had been married for a few years when I started having fights with Obi-Wan about my training. We held different views on how things should be done and he thought that just because he was my mentor he could tell me how to act and think. Seeing his opportunity, Palpatine approached me and revealed his true identity to me. I was blown away. At first I was extremely angry with him for not coming to free me and Shmi, but eventually I came to see the necessity of his actions."
"What did mother say when she heard this?" Luke asked.
"I didn't tell her," Vader replied. "Obi-Wan had managed to drive a wedge between us and we had started to argue. She was against Palpatine's policies and ideas so I thought it better not to tell her. When Obi-Wan learned that I was learning about the Dark Side from Palpatine, he got so mad that he totally turned your mother against me. I came home one day to find that she had packed and left without saying a word."
"Did she leave a message?" Luke inquired sadly, sorry to hear that his parents had separated.
"Only that she wasn't coming back and that it was fruitless to try to find her," Vader replied. "I naturally went straight to Obi-Wan and demanded to know where she was as I knew that he must have helped her go. He refused to tell me anything saying that I didn't deserve her. We ended up dueling and you know the result of that."
Luke nodded his head as he remembered what his father had told him earlier. "Did you ever see her again?"
"No," Vader replied. "She never even inquired how I was after Palpatine got me out of the lava and to a hospital. Palpatine had tried to track her down for me while I unconscious, but all he could find was the knowledge that she had started up a resistance cell as Palpatine had declared his New Order shortly before my duel with Kenobi."
"She was pregnant when she left?" Luke asked.
"She must have been," Vader said. "But I didn't know of it. She must also have agreed to having you hidden from me. Tatooine was the logical place to have you raised as I had sworn never to return there."
Luke felt his anger rise within him at this. His own mother had abandoned him and had never even informed his father of his existence! Not only that but she had left him to Obi-Wan to be raised on Tatooine. Hadn't she cared about him at all? Probably not as she hadn't bothered to be there with him. Pain and anger tore at him as he closed his eyes, trying to gain some control over his emotions. Feeling a hand on his shoulder he looked up to see that his father had moved over to him.
"What happened to her?" Luke asked softly.
Vader looked into his son's eyes briefly before turning away. This was the delicate part. Luke would either understand or he wouldn't. But either way, he couldn't avoid answering the question.
"A group of rebels came to Coruscant one night, hoping to kill Palpatine and his advisors," Vader began. "Things went wrong and the bomb they intended for the Palace went off in the city, killing hundreds of innocents. When I arrived in orbit in a battle cruiser the rebels were trying to escape in a ship. Upon approaching the ship I ordered them to surrender or die. The reply shocked me. It seemed that your mother was on board and that the rebels didn't believe I would fire on the ship as long as she was there."
Luke inhaled sharply as he heard this. His mother had tried to help those people escape? After what they had done?
"What happened?" Luke asked, feeling a strange coldness inside of himself.
"I fired."
Luke sat back and simply started at the ground as the words sunk in. His father had ordered the attack in which his mother had died. And yet he couldn't feel any strong anger or hate for him. His mother had, after all, been helping people who had murdered innocents, besides she was the one who had left him. And if he was angry at his father, what then? He had nowhere else to go and his only family was here. But he needed time to think. Getting to his feet, he looked in his father's direction to see that Vader was watching him intently before he left the room and headed for his bedroom.
Vader sighed as he watched Luke go. He knew it would be difficult, but he had to be told. At least he hadn't seen any hate when Luke had looked up before leaving.
The room was large, darkened, and mostly empty except for three figures in black bodygloves. One was an older man, still showing an abundance of muscle on his huge frame, despite his gray hair and wrinkled face. He stood to the side of the other two, his eyes watching them like a hawk. The two other men warily circled each other on the hard floor. One was big and well muscled like the older man, his light brown hair over unreadable eyes. The other was shorter, wire-thin with blond hair and blue eyes. Muscles rippled over his thin frame, but he didn't have the bulk of the other man.
He made up for it in swiftness. He feinted left, darted right, and spun a solid kick on the other man's thigh. He jumped back, dodging the retaliating blow. Too professional for a sign of frustration, the bigger man just began circling again. The bigger man suddenly lunged forward. It looked as if he would land a solid punch on the smaller man, but the blond one twisted, and the huge form was thrown over his shoulder, landing on the hard floor with a thud.
"He led you into that, Trevor." The gray haired man's tone was grim.
"Yes, Sir."
"Again."
The gray haired man watched the two face off again, wondering at the change in the blond man over the last five weeks. When he had first been assigned to teach this Luke Skywalker unarmed combat for three hours every morning, he had been curious. When he had met the man and seen what he knew, he had been insulted. The then scrawny man hadn't known a thing about proper technique, and Guliver Blackstar had come very close to asking the Emperor to assign someone else to the job. But the young man had learned quick, almost impossibly so. Within three weeks, Guliver had to ask to be allowed to bring an active guardsman with him for the man's sparing partner. He needed to be pitted against someone younger, and Guliver needed to watch him.
"Left side is open, Skywalker."
"I know. But he won't fall for it." Skywalker's voice was soft, and very sure.
That was the other thing. Skywalker's attitude had changed as well. He had become as cold as ice in a fight. He still seemed open enough to the servants, and between bouts he would even laugh at jokes (Blackstar wasn't stupid enough to keep every minute to training, it didn't help concentration) but get Skywalker in a bout, and he went cold.
Last week, Guliver had realized how cold. Trevor and Skywalker had been locked in a struggling embrace, and Skywalker's arm had snapped. The man had only grunted, even with his arm dangling, had tried to keep fighting. Guliver let it go on, curious, till it was apparent that Skywalker wasn't going to win. Then he sent him to medical.
One of the servants opened the door and came in. Blackstar noticed that they were wearing black and green livery today. The servant nodded in his direction.
"Halt." Guliver said. The two stopped circling.
"Master Luke. Lord Vader wishes you to come to his study as soon as possible."
Skywalker looked at Blackstar, who nodded. He then walked out of the room without a word. Blackstar sighed, wondering if they should just go back to the Palace or not- no one would tell them what was going on, and he knew better than to ask.
"Yes, Father?" Luke had walked into the study, his father sitting at his desk. He was wearing his black armored suit, his breathing mask and helmet placed on his desk. He looked up at Luke, a small frown on his face. Luke could not read anything in his mind, it was closed tight. As Luke's Force sense had begun being trained, he had learned to sense the emotions of any Force-blind individual. He had also gradually learned to sense his father's emotions when his father wasn't shielding.
"I want you to listen to this, and tell me what you think." Lord Vader's voice was emotionless. Luke sat in his customary seat.
A twitch in the Force, and the holo-projector clicked on, showing a small projection of Lieutenant Ravenell. He was standing at attention, face carefully blank.
"Lieutenant," The recorded voice of his father was heard. Luke could also hear the hiss of the respirator in the background. Luke leaned forward, watching.
"Lord Vader," Garret nodded, and Luke suddenly realized that Garret had been nervous. "We have captured some Rebels here in the Corellian system, and have found some information that I thought you might wish to know. I have a complete copy of the interrogation to be sent to you, but we have discovered the names of the pilot responsible for the destruction of the Death Star."
"Go on." The mechanical voice rasped. Luke remembered the report his father had made him read on the Imperial findings on how the Death Star had been destroyed. The target had been very small, but Luke knew that the thermal exhaust port was not impossibly tiny.
"A Corellian by the name of Wedge Antilles was the culprit, Sir. We are investigating his background now." Garret's recording swallowed. Luke could almost feel the sudden nervousness pouring off the man, and wondered at it.
"Yes?" Lord Vader prodded his officer on.
"It was discovered that his wingman during the battle was a man by the name of Biggs Darklighter." Garret stopped, then continued. "We are of course trying to determine his background as well."
There was a long pause. Skywalker suddenly felt very cold.
"Yes, that would be prudent." The recording of Lord Vader continued. "Contact me if you find anything else of interest."
"Yes, my Lord." The recording went dead.
Luke looked at the blank space on his father's desk, frozen in place. His father shifted. "My reply to my lieutenant was a code to try and prevent looking into Darklighter's past too deeply, I trust you understand why."
Luke just looked at the desk, his mind still a whirlwind of conflict. Something kept screaming 'Biggs helped kill all those people!' He saw a flash of a crying face of a widow he had seen on the holo-news, a women who had lost both husband and only son. The image kept alternating with the vision of the last time he saw Biggs, all dressed up in his sharp clothes, on leave before he returned to the Imperial Navy. He had just told Luke that he was going to defect.
Luke could feel his father's eyes on him. He suddenly stood. "If you'll excuse me." He turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Lord Vader asked, his voice cold.
"To pack." Skywalker said, his mind slowly realizing his decision. "The Emperor once told me that if he wanted Anchorhead dealt with, he'd send me to do it. And something will have to be done. We have to find out if they know where he is located." His father nodded, and Luke left.
Luke Skywalker stood looking out the viewport at the sun baked world below him. He could feel the eyes of the officers on him here in the officer's lounge. They had been watching him since he had come on board with his father. Their curiosity burned about him, a civilian who was traveling with Lord Vader on this secret mission. He fingered his black cape, hiding his amusement at the officer's feelings about the expensive clothes he wore. Garret walked up behind him, stopping and waiting till Luke turned.
"The transport is ready, Sir."
"Thank you, Lieutenant." He began to walk towards the doors, Garret following.
Once they reached a turbolift and the doors swished shut, Luke grinned. "Ready Garret? It's stupid- but I'm glad to get out of the castle."
Garret shook his head. "You surprise me."
"I hated them Garret, I always did. I thought he was the only good one in the bunch, but even that turned out to be a lie. I get to get even, today. You excited?" Luke flashed him a smile.
Garret sighed. "I became Lord Vader's adjunct because it kept me out of the line of fire. My parents were upset that I wanted to go military, so they swung what they thought was a nice, safe job for me."
"Sounds like they have a pretty high rank." Luke cocked his head, "besides, it is a safe job for someone as loyal as you."
"Thanks."
"Just monitor my com for me, okay?" Luke was going in with a hidden com, which would be open the whole time. Because Skywalker could guarantee that someone was bound to say something about him that neither he, his father, nor the Emperor wanted known, Garret would be monitoring the transmission. He would act as a filter between what was happening and what the troops would know.