Saga - OT Inner struggle DDC 2016 Luke/Vader Updated 01/16/2016

Title: Inner struggle
Author: Falcon
Character: Luke Skywalker
Vader, others

The Falcon doesn't make it's escape past Vader's flagship as the Falcon is caught in a tractor beam. In exchange for his friend's freedom, Luke willingly hands himself over to Vader.

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I lay on the bunk as Leia attached an oxygen mask to my face. How can Vader be my father? If it was true, then why did Ben lie to me about it? Why Ben why?

“I’ll be back,” Leia spoke gently as she kissed me on the lips before walking towards the cockpit.

I stood up and took the mask off my face as I walked to the cockpit as I felt Vader make contact with me.

//Luke, join me. It is the only way, my son.//

No, Luke thought to himself as the Falcon rocked side to side from the blasts hitting the ship. Where was Han? There was time to find out about that later and who was the man flying the Falcon now? “Ben, why did you lie?” I whispered under my breath as I sensed the truth behind Vader’s words but I wasn’t ready to accept the truth yet. I needed to talk with Obi-Wan or Yoda to find out if the dark lord had spoken the truth about being Anakin Skywalker.

Leia looked at me questioning as I shook my head. I wasn’t ready to say anything about what I was told. Would I be kicked out of the Alliance if they found out? I didn’t know until now, how can they hold something like that against me?

“Luke, what’s wrong?” Leia questioned gently as I looked at her with a terrified expression.

“I can’t tell you,” I answered as I felt the Falcon jolt to a halt.

“We’re caught in the tractor beam,” the man sitting in the pilot’s seat spoke.

“No,” I said feeling terrified at the thought. Everyone here would suffer because of my connection to Vader and I was not about to allow that to happen.

“Lando, what happened to the hyperdrive?” Leia questioned as she placed a hand on my arm.

”I don’t know, maybe it was disabled,” Lando answered as he unhooked a blaster from his belt.

“Let me handle this,” I said as I stood up and walked to the back as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“What aren’t you telling me, Luke?” Leia questioned as she watched me with concern as I shook my head.

“I can’t tell you, you’ll look at me differently,” I answered in a saddened tone. “I’ll hand myself over in exchange for your freedom. It’s me that Vader wants. What happened to Han?”

“Vader froze him into carbonite and Fett took him to Jabba,” Lando explained with a frown as I took a deep breath and straightened my back. I knew what I had to do.

“You need to get Han back,” I explained with a frown. “Vader won’t hurt me.”

“You don’t believe that for one second, do you?” Leia argued with tears in her eyes. “Luke, your hurt and not making any sense. Don’t give yourself up. What has gotten into you?”

Before another word could be spoken as the Falcon’s ramp lowered. I walked to the back as I heard the heavy footsteps of Vader walking up the ramp. I turned towards Leia as I saw hurt and confusion in her features. “I’m sorry.”

“Luke, this is insane,” Leia pleaded one last time as I turned towards where Vader stood. The sound of his breathing filled the ship. “Don’t do this.”

“I’ll give myself up on two conditions,” I spoke up with a frown.

“The first condition?” Vader questioned as the troopers behind him waited with blasters pointed at us.

“That you let my friends go free,” I answered with a frown. “And I’ll hand myself over.”

“Done,” Vader agreed readily as he turned his attention to the troopers. “Release the Falcon from the tractor beam, immediately.”

“Yes Mi Lord,” the trooper answered as he walked away.

Vader turned his attention back to me but I couldn’t tell what his facial expressions were due to the mask in place. “And your second condition?”

“I only train with you and Palpatine is kept in the dark,” I requested as my heart raced in my chest wondering if Vader would agree to it or not.

“Very well,” Vader agreed as I let a sigh of relief out. “Let’s get you down to the med ward to have that hand looked after.”

I nodded in agreement as I looked back at Leia who was now crying as I felt my heart wrench at the thought. She not only lost one man she loved, but two. I had a feeling they would get Han back even if that meant I left Vader’s side to do so. I didn’t say another word as I followed Vader off the Falcon as the troopers behind him followed us out.

I’m sorry, Leia. Please forgive me.
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Nyota's Heart, DaenaBenjen42,

 

Nice start to the DCC! I like that second condition. That puts Vader on the bad side of Palpatine and gives Luke a little leverage to talk his father into possible redemption. Nice twist.

 

Interesting... Keeping Palpy in the dark shouldn't be THAT hard. He basically didn't know Luke was even at Endor until Vader told him he was, and then tried to handwave not knowing as "I have forseen it." (And I should totally stop watching the Everything Wrong With videos...)

 

Awesome start and love the title. Yup, that second condition clinches it.

 

I sat down on the bed as the medic prepared to put me under to give me a hand replacement. Vader had disappeared somewhere but I had no clue as to where he went. He just said he planned to check on me later. I began to wonder if I did make a mistake by agreeing to stand by his side. I knew one thing, I broke Leia’s heart. She has been fighting hard to put a stop to the Empire. I suspect to really put a stop to it was to join the Empire and work from the inside.

“Count backwards from ten,” the medic spoke as he put something into the IV. “This will put you to sleep and you won’t feel a thing when we work on replacing your hand.”

I knew one thing for sure. Vader had left specific instructions to make sure I was comfortable the entire time. I could see questions in the medic’s eyes as I closed mine as the atheistic kicked in.

--------------------

I opened my eyes as I heard heavy breathing from my bedside. I turned my head to the side noticing Vader watching me. Wake me up, I feel like I’m in a nightmare. The medic walked to my bedside and gently pushed me up into a sitting position as he worked on fine-tuning my hand as I watched Vader with an emotionless mask. How did I get myself into this mess? By not listening to Obi-Wan and Yoda, I reflected with regret.

“You will remain by my side unless I am communicating with Palpatine,” Vader spoke causing me to frown. “He does not sense your presence on board and I suspect he won’t sense it while on Coruscant.”

I stared at Vader wondering what his game plan was in the long run. He mentioned wanting to over throw Palpatine taking over the Empire. If I was able to help him, we could end this war and restore Democracy. Trying to convince Vader to return to the light was not going to be easy. “What is the plan?”

“Not here,” Vader answered in a warning tone as he handed over a holo cube. I took it from his gloved hand curious about what he wanted to show me. “Your mother.”

I gripped the holo cube in my hand as I heard the medic gasp in shock as if making the connection between us and Vader’s sudden interest in my well-being. “Who was she?”

“Padme Amidala,” Vader answered causing me to frown as I flicked on the holo. A beautiful woman standing beside a man caused me to look up at Vader. “She was from Naboo and strong in politics.”

“Is that you beside her?” I questioned as I studied the holo. I had Anakin’s eyes I noted and Leia looked like…. That caused me to pause, why does Leia look like Padme? I gripped the holo hard in my hand as it dawned on me. Vader was telling me the truth. He was Anakin Skywalker, my father. “Before your accident?”

“Yes,” Vader answered as I looked at him with a frown. “You have my eyes.”

“I know,” I closed my eyes as I felt the medic instruct me to move my fingers. I did as I looked down at my hand, focusing on anything but him. I moved my fingers as the medic closed the panel on my hand. I needed time to absorb everything in. I looked at Vader as I swallowed hard. “I need time to absorb this in,” I whispered as I fought back tears. This was not what I was expecting at all. “Can I keep this or get a copy?”

“That is your copy,” Vader answered as I gave an appreciative nod. “I have made arrangements for you stay near my quarters.”

Of course he didn’t trust me enough to allow me to wonder around on my own, he wanted to keep a close eye on me. I was almost positive of that. “You’re the reason Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru didn’t tell me the truth about you. They never told me much about you. Just a freighter pilot and that was it. I need time to think things over.”

“Not what you were expecting was it?” Vader questioned as the medic left the bed probably realizing we needed space to talk. I didn’t blame him, the last talk we had ended up in a lightsaber battle.

“No it’s not,” I answered honestly as Vader stood up to his full height.

“I’ll be on the bridge, I will send someone shortly to show you to your room, you need rest,” Vader spoke as I held onto the cube with my good hand. “I’m sure you have questions and I will answer any you have.”

I nodded in agreement as Vader walked away. I do have one, why did he do it? What did Palpatine say to Anakin to have him fall to the darkside? The medic walked back to my bedside as I looked up with a tight smile.

He shook his head as I sat up. “Save it,” the medic spoke causing to frown. “I didn’t understand why he had a soft spot for you but now I do. Did you know before now?”

“No, I didn’t. Obi-Wan and my Uncle skirted the questions with half-truths,” I answered with a frown. “I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing anymore. I only turned myself in so he would let my friends go. My father is the second most hated man in the galaxy. No wonder they lied to me about it. “

“If you need to talk to about it, let me know,” the medic offered his hand. “I’m Brent, just ask for me. Your father doesn’t need to know…”

”Thanks,” I stood up as a pair of troopers walked up to me.

“Commander Skywalker, we’ve been instructed to show you to your room,” the trooper on the left said as I nodded in agreement. I followed the troopers to my room, which not too surprising was two doors down from Vaders. Why am I not surprised? I walked to the bed and lay down. I needed sleep and time to absorb this all in. I gripped the pillow as I closed my eyes allowing sleep to take me away from this nightmare.
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Nyota's Heart, DaenaBenjen42, Carlos Danger

 

It's interesting to see Vader almost tender, it'll be interesting to see how his and Luke's relationship progresses. Loved the wee flash of thought Luke had about Padme looking like Leia.

 

The only thing creepier than waking up and finding somebody watching you, is waking up to find Darth Vader watching you. Nice update! Vader seems almost fatherly.

 

Oooh, I like this post. The information Luke receives is definitely something to take in slowly. Much to ponder, indeed. Plans etc.

 

Wowsers! Brilliant! Please let me know when you update this

Also hopeful that the Medic is a good guy and not a stooge for the emperor...

EG

 

Whew, EGKenobi and Falcon !!!!!! I never thought of that possibility about the medic! One would hope not!

 

I'm going to keep you all in the dark about which side the medic really is on

 

I walked to the door as it opened upon my approach. At this point I was expecting it to be locked. I didn’t sense Vader outside my room or nearby. Maybe he wanted to trust me? I wasn’t a hundred percent sure about it. I relaxed my mind and stretched out searching for his presence as I felt him make contact back with me. His touch was cold and had a mechanical tang sense to it causing me to shudder. I wondered what made him so angry? If I could figure that out maybe I could convince him to turn back.

I stepped out of the room as a trooper walked by. “Do you know where Lord Vader is or how to contact him?”

“Why would you want to do that?” The trooper questioned with a raised brow. “Not unless you have a death wish.”

I gave a heavy sigh of frustration as I sensed fear through out the Executor. I shook my head knowing Vader left specific instructions for me and I had a feeling there might be spies on board reporting to Palpatine. Knowing Vader, he would probably go and kill anyone who was not loyal to him. “What’s going on?”

“He went and killed five members of the Executor this morning for no reason,” the officer explained with a frown. “He must be in one of his moods,” he paused for a second as he eyed me up and down. “You’re a commander in the alliance and free to roam? That doesn’t add up.”

I felt horrified on the inside. Vader killed the staff because of me. I didn’t like this idea at all as I heard heavy breathing from further down the hall. “You better go.” The officer nodded as he walked away at a clipped pace. Most likely trying to give Vader space. Not that I blamed him. I turned towards Vader as he held out a familiar looking lightsaber handle.

“I had my men retrieve the lightsaber this morning,” Vader explained as I held out my hand to accept the weapon. “This belonged to me a long time ago and Obi-Wan gave it to you, I suspect. It served me well during the Clone Wars.”

I accepted the weapon from his hand as the scene changed to a chamber full of children. Was this a vision from the past? I questioned to myself as a boy stepped forward.

“Master Skywalker, there’s too many of them, what are we going to do?” The boy questioned as I heard a door close behind me and I heard the familiar snap hiss of a lightsaber being ignited.

I closed my eyes as I looked at Vader again as I glanced at the weapon now lying on the floor. I must have dropped it during the vision. “They were children, you killed innocent children?”

“Children of the Jedi and I did what Palpatine commanded me to do,” Vader explained causing my jaw to drop open.

“To kill innocent people? You may have been my father at one point, but you’re not that man now,” I snipped almost regretting my words. I could sense anger with a tinge of regret come from Vader. “I was under the impression my father was a hero of the republic and protector of the innocent. He didn’t kill for any reason.”

I called the lightsaber to my hand and hooked it back to my belt. If I had my own lightsaber I wouldn’t carry this one anymore. It was the only thing I had to arm myself with against Vader if need be. “I’ll be on the bridge,” I said in a challenging tone.

“Fine, I’m headed there now,” Vader spoke as some troopers quickened their pace past us. I could tell they were attempting to avoid Vader’s attention, which I didn’t blame them one bit. Vader headed towards the bridge as I followed closely behind him. To be honest I’m surprised he didn’t say anything. I felt regret simmering off him, maybe he agreed with me to an extent? Or maybe there was something else causing him to remain silent. Maybe there was still good in him? He could’ve killed me at Cloud City but didn’t. He could’ve turned me over to Palpatine but didn’t. I began to wonder if there was a way to reach the good inside him to bring that part of Anakin Skywalker back to the light side. Only time would tell.
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Nyota's Heart, gaarastar58, EGKenobi, DaenaBenjen42, Carlos Danger, earlybird-obi-wan, Jedi_Lover

 

Lots to continue to ponder etc. in the light of Vader's actions past and present, but I can tell Luke will not lose his resolve.

 

Nice diary. I hope Luke will find the good in Anakin

 

I stood on the bridge beside Vader as we waited to hear on word where the Falcon had gone. I had a feeling they were on Tatooine but I preferred to keep that to myself. I glanced at Vader as he talked with a near by communications officer. I held my breath hoping he would not kill anyone in front of me. I would have to stop him if he did.

I stepped away from Vader and headed to the big window that showed nothing but space and stars. I wish I were out there helping Leia get Han back. I heard Vader walk up behind me but I didn’t bother to acknowledge him. “Why did you do it?” I questioned with a frown.

“I did what I had to do,” Vader answered as I glanced at him with a raised brow. “It was to secure Palpatine’s power.”

“He’s manipulating you and thousands others,” I pointed out with a frustrated sigh. “What happened to mom?”

“She passed away during child birth,” Vader answered as I sensed something else come from him but I didn’t press for the information.

I placed my hand on his arm as I looked up at his mask hoping I was making eye contact with him. “Walk away from it all. Come with me to Tatooine.”

“Your mother said the same thing,” Vader explained. “I will never step foot on Tatooine again.”

“I know the feeling,” I agreed with a frown. “Nothing more then a rock with sand. I like the rain.”

“Me too,” Vader agreed causing me to glance at him in shock. Did we just bond a little? “Don’t have to rely on a moisture farmer on most planets. What happened to Owen and Beru?”

I paused for a second and closed my eyes as I felt the pain of their loss. “They were killed by Storm Troopers when you were looking for the droids.”

“They were good people,” Vader whispered as I looked at him. “Clieg bought and freed my mother then married her.”

“Father,” I paused for a second at a loss for what to say. He was a slave? How did he get his freedom? There were so many questions I wanted to ask him. Vader turned his attention to me. The Empire dealt with slaves but I heard that Vader refused to deal with them, it suddenly made sense as to why. “How did you get free?”

“A Jedi master by the name of Qui-Gon Jinn made a bet with my master. If I won the Boota Eve Pod race, then I was free. He took me to the Jedi Temple,” Vader paused causing me to realize he was caught up in his memories he may not have thought about for years. Maybe just maybe there was a way to reach him. To remind him of the man he used to be. “Obi-Wan raised and trained me.”

I stared at him with a raised brow. Ben failed to mention that part. How old was Anakin when he started his training? Why was Vader so angry with Ben? Was Ben the reason for Anakin’s current condition now? “Why were you so angry with him?”

Vader didn’t answer as he fell and hit the deck hard. I leaned down beside him as I turned my attention to the bridge crew. “Someone call a medic,” I saw someone use a comlink as I turned my attention back to him.

I placed my hand on his shoulder as I waited for the medics to arrive. He wasn’t moving but I sensed his presence was still strong in the Force.
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I sat down in the chair as I waited for the medic to come out to talk with me. I had to come clean about my relations with Vader just to find out what was going on with him. I leaned my head against the palm of my hands. I was not sure what exactly happened and him being in this state would definitely get back to Palpatine. No matter the kind of history, it felt too soon to loose him now that I just found him.

“Commander,” I heard a voice causing me to look up with a frown. “Why don’t we step inside my office so we can talk a little more in private?”

I stood up and followed the medic into an office as he closed the door behind me. I sat down in the chair as he walked around his desk. “I don’t suppose you know your father’s medical history?”

“No,” I answered honestly wondering where he was going with this. “I don’t. I didn’t know he was still alive until now.”

“All right,” the medic said as he looked at his notes. “His condition is complicated, something about a run in with a volcano and someone maimed his legs and arms which is why he wears the armor,” I paused for a second as the medic looked at me. Did Obi-Wan maim Anakin when he fell to the dark side? It would explain the hate he had for the man now. “He’s going to be fine, just a matter of fighting off the infection but his immune system is compromised, which is why it hit him so hard earlier today. He has a high fever and that should hopefully break later tonight to early tomorrow morning. We’re going to keep him in the intensive care unit for observations. He’s awake and is asking for you. He asked me to prepare you a head of time.”

“What else do you need to prepare me on?” I questioned as I studied the medic. What kind of condition was he really in?

”He really shouldn’t be alive and it’s a miracle he is at this point,” the medic answered. “You need to brace yourself before I take you in. He’s out of what armor we can remove.”

I felt my stomach twist at his answer. Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this? “I’m guessing you have him in a private room?”

“Yes, in Vader’s case it’s best considering his position in the military. We have storm troopers outside his door. We’ll let them know we’re allowing only you to enter at this point in time,” the medic explained. “If you’re ready, I’ll take you in.”

“I’m curious, if his condition is complicated as you say, how did he get this infection in the first place?” I questioned with a frown. “Wouldn’t he be protected from sterilized oxygen tanks?”

“It’s happened from time to time,” the medic answered. “When they’re being filled sometimes it doesn’t take much to make a mistake.”

I stood up as the medic stood up and walked out of the room. I followed him to where they were keeping Vader. Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see and something told me that I was better off bracing myself like the medic suggested.
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earlybird-obi-wan, Nyota's Heart, EGKenobi, Jedi_Lover, DaenaBenjen42, gaarastar58, Carlos Danger

 

I was loving the open and frank talk - really felt Luke was making some small progress when What was that?

 

Interesting dynamic developing between Luke and Vader. I feel like Vader is maybe a little too open and frank with Luke, I always pictured him wanting to bury his past as far down as possible, but I suppose having Luke around must have brought a lot of this emotional stuff up and it must feel liberating for him to talk about it after such a long time.

 

Plus he wants Luke to be on his side and so figures what would be the point of hiding anything? Plus he's over the Emperor's manipulative deceit.

 

I love Vader and Luke in this being quite open to each other

 

Very good of Vader to realize that maybe, possibly, it would be good to prepare him for seeing someone with that much scarring. (And I'm of the opinion that he did not get proper medical treatment due to what we saw of the suiting up during ROTS. No one can tell me that it was impossible to heal his lungs with their medical technological know-how.)

 

I'm almost positive Palpatine did it on purpose to keep Anakin angry all the time.

 

There's a lot of things involved with keeping Anakin dependent and angry... but chief among those reasons is that if Anakin is upset and angry, then he can't be clear-headed enough to think it all through, nor can he heal himself using anger. (In one of the books, I think it was Shadows of the Empire, he works out a way to try to use the Force and his anger to feel better, and it works, but the affect is temporary because he needed to STAY in that state for it work. That's not healing.)

And then there's this...

“Fine, I’m headed there now,” Vader spoke as some troopers quickened their pace past us. I could tell they were attempting to avoid Vader’s attention, which I didn’t blame them one bit. Vader headed towards the bridge as I followed closely behind him. To be honest I’m surprised he didn’t say anything. I felt regret simmering off him, maybe he agreed with me to an extent? Or maybe there was something else causing him to remain silent. Maybe there was still good in him? He could’ve killed me at Cloud City but didn’t. He could’ve turned me over to Palpatine but didn’t. I began to wonder if there was a way to reach the good inside him to bring that part of Anakin Skywalker back to the light side. Only time would tell.

Luke finding out part of the back-story (but not all of it) for what happened that night at the temple, and this realization... interesting to see him realizing that the situation is incredibly complicated. Also funny for the Stormtroopers to voice "hey, none of this makes sense, why are you allowed to roam!"

 

As we approached the room, the storm trooper on the right raised his blaster and pointed it at me. I glanced at the medic as I waited for him to tell him I’m allowed to enter. I didn’t have to wait long.

“This is Commander Skywalker, at this time we’re allowing only him to enter the room besides myself and a few nurses,” the medic introduced.

“Palpatine’s order are not to allow anyone to enter but the medic and nurses,” the trooper on the left stated as I felt Vader stretched out with the Force as the trooper started struggling for air. The trooper dropped his weapon grasping at his neck and collapsed.

I turned my attention to the medic and shook my head. “This is going to be a touchy truce if it holds.”

“I’ll send someone for the body,” the medic sighed with frustration as he looked at the other trooper. “Do you have any objections?”

The trooper looked at his fallen comrade and shook his head. “No objections go right in.”

“I’ll wait here, Commander. And remember try not to stress him out and brace yourself,” the medic said as I nodded in agreement.

“Thank you,” I walked into the room and headed towards the bed. I felt my heart pound in my chest, the medic gave me the short version of Anakin’s true condition and to be honest I was feeling a little nervous. The medic closed the door behind me giving us privacy.

“Luke? This is a bad idea,” Vader spoke and I noticed his voice sounded rich and deep without his mask on. “I changed my mind, I don’t want you to see me like this.”

“The medic has already told me the short version,” I answered in a gentle tone as I walked to the bed and braced myself as I prepared to look down. I saw a pair of blue eyes look back up at me as I smoothed back part of the sheet and took his hand into mine. I could see the spaces between his ribs through the sheets and his face was pasty white and bald. There was a mighty scar running from the top of his forehead all the way to the back of his skull. I noticed fear in Anakin’s eyes, fear of what he looked like, fear for what I saw. Truth be told, he was a human wreck. “It’s okay,” I reassured in a gentle tone. “Did you and Obi-Wan actually have a fight by a volcano?”

“It was a volcanic planet,” Vader answered honestly. “Mustafar and I made the mistake of leaving myself wide open to Obi-Wan. He took my arms and legs and left me to die.”

“Which explains your hatred towards him,” I knew why Obi-Wan did it. Anakin was too dangerous to be left alive and treading in the dark side. I suspected there was more to how mom died and I had a feeling it was due to what Anakin had done and become. Did he try to kill her? Which would explain why she wasn’t here now.

//Forgive him Luke, as I have forgiven him,// A female voice whispered in my ear. Padme? //He needs you now. No matter what happens, stay true to the light, I love you and I am proud of you, son.//

Vader nodded as I took a seat in the chair beside his bed refusing to let go of his hand. I gave him a reassuring smile as Vader closed his eyes falling into an uneasy sleep. I stayed by his bed most of the night knowing that he was fighting off the infection, which left little room to talk. He wanted to sleep more. A nurse walked in as I started nodding off to sleep. She gently nudged my shoulder.

“You should go and get some rest, Commander,” the nurse spoke in a gentle tone as she took a wet cloth and placed it on Vader’s forehead. “We’ll keep an eye on him for you.”

“Thanks,” I looked at Vader’s condition again. Padme was right, he needed me in order to take out Palpatine. He was barely in any condition to do it him-self. “I’ll be back later to check on you. I’m going to get some sleep,” Vader’s eyes opened as I looked at him.

“All right, get some sleep,” Vader agreed as I left the room. I heard the nurse talk to him a bit as I heard the word fever was on the verge of breaking. I felt some relief wash through me as I headed back to my room.
---------------
I walked out of my room and headed down to the mess hall. I couldn’t help but notice the officers on board watching me. I entered the mess hall and got in line. I picked up a tray. I glanced around me as I noticed I was the center of attention until Brent walked up beside me and nodded to the kitchen staff. They placed food on my tray. I grabbed a bulb of water and sat down at a free table. “How is he?’

“Better, but it will be a couple of days for him to regain his strength back. His fever broke two hours ago,” Brent explained as I ate the food on my plate. “How are you dealing with all of this?”

“I always wanted to know who my father was, but this was not what I was expecting at all,” I paused for a few seconds and swallowed some water. I put the bulb back down. “To find out he’s the second most hated man in the galaxy and I bet the crew is wondering about the Alliance Commander wandering around loose on the Executor.”

“Come on, let’s go down to the med ward,” Brent encouraged. “Maybe there’s a chance you can change his mind?”

“We’ll see,” I answered as I stood up and picked up my tray and followed Brent to drop my tray off as an officer approached me. The same one I saw on the bridge the other day.

“Commander Skywalker,” the admiral spoke with a frown. “I’ve been given orders to make sure you have a chance to contact your friends.”

“So he can find them?” I questioned with a raised brow as suspicion creeps into my voice as I watched the admiral with a frown. “No thanks. What did you say your name was?”

”It’s Admiral Piett,” Piett answered with a frown. “And you have Lord Vader’s word this is not to track them down. He suspects you would like to talk to them since you left abruptly,” he paused for a second as he looked at the medic with a questioning brow as the medic shrugged. “It’s not every day we have an alliance officer walking around loose on the Executor unescorted. It appears Vader has a soft spot for you, which is unusual for him. Take the offer, Commander. It’s not a good idea to get on his bad side.”

“Do I have to do this now or can it wait?” I questioned with a frown. “I want to check on Vader first,” I knew how that sounded. Strange to most of the crew, no one got to check on him while he was in the med ward. Maybe he should make the call first if Vader already asked an Admiral to track me down. “On second thought, let me make the call first.”

“Follow me please,” Piett said as he tuned in the direction of the bridge. I could see questions in the Admiral’s eyes. “I know this isn’t my business but is Lord Vader your father? It would explain why they’re admitting you into his private recovery room. Not even I am allowed in there. Just the medic and nurses.”

I gave a heavy sigh as I glanced at the Admiral and shook my head. “I never knew my father growing up. I was told he was dead. Now I know why I was lied too.”

“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean too…” Piett looked panicked as I looked at him.

“Don’t worry about it. Just don’t let Vader know you know. I suspect he’s attempting to prevent knowledge of me being on the Executor coming to the attention of Palpatine,” I explained with a warning tone. “I suspect that’s why he killed anyone he knows is a spy for Palpatine.”

“Knowing you is dangerous,” I heard a bit of a teasing tone in Piett’s voice causing me to smile. That part was true and anyone who attempted to kill me had Vader to deal with. He was willing to kill for me. “Here we are, Vader’s personal transmission field. This is not traceable by anyone.”

“Thank you,” I stepped inside and closed the door behind me as I walked to the holo field and stepped into it. I punched in the Falcon’s codes as Threepio answered.

“Master Luke, it is so good to hear from you,” I heard a twitter from behind Threepio causing me to smile. Artoo was with them. At least it was one less thing I had to worry about. “And Artoo expresses his relief as well.”

“Is Leia around? I need to talk to her,” I said as Threepio nodded and left the holo field. A minute later Leia appeared as I gave her a weary smile. “Leia, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Luke everyone is fine,” Leia answered with a frown. “I just don’t understand it. He listened to you into allowing us to get away.”

“There is a reason for it, and I really have no clue what will happen to me once word gets around. I fear the Alliance won’t take me back,” I said with a frown as Leia raised an eyebrow.

“You look terrified, Luke,” Leia spoke in a gentle. “What is it?”

“I just discovered at Cloud City that Vader is my father,” I explained with a frown.

“Your father?” Leia questioned with a confused expression. “You told me your father was dead.”

“They lied to protect me from Vader,” I explained with a serious expression. “To be honest I have no clue what to do. He’s been pretty generous about allowing me to roam free on the Executor, and I know the officers have really taken notice.”

“Then just leave,” Leia said with a frown. “If you didn’t know until now, the Alliance can’t say anything about you being with us, they can’t hold anything against you. You’ve never betrayed anyone. You did what had to be done and did so without thought to your own life. No one in the Alliance has to know.”

“He needs me, Leia,” I bit on my lower lip not quite sure how to explain his medical condition without using the words human wreck. “There is a reason why he wears the armor.”

“It’s not by choice is it?” Leia questioned as understanding came into her eyes. “What about helping me get Han back?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll work out a way to help you deal with Jabba,” I shook my head and closed my eyes. “Since Vader has sworn to never return to Tatooine, it would make a good base to operate from. Obi-Wan’s place still should be intact. He made it look like it was haunted by moving rocks around with the Force.”

“Luke, how bad is your father’s condition?” Leia questioned with a frown.

“I’m trying to find a nicer word to use then human wreck,” I answered honestly. “I can’t get past what I saw. He must be powerful in the Force if he’s still alive now. The medic said he shouldn’t be a live and it’s a miracle he is. You wouldn’t know it though. I might have a chance to persuade him back to the light side.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, the Alliance can’t afford to lose its only Jedi to the dark side,” Leia explained with a frown. “I wish I was there with you. I have a feeling you could use a friend right now.”

“It’s safer for you that you’re not. The Alliance needs you to lead,” I pointed out with a frown. “A medic onboard has offered for me to talk to him about all this. I really should go and check on my father. He managed to get an infection and he’s down for the count.”

“I’m sorry and I understand,” Leia spoke with a frown. “Take care, Luke. I’m just glad to know you’re okay.”

“You too, Leia, May the Force be with you,” I closed the connection and walked back out of the room. I nodded to the medic noting Piett had left already. “It went better then I expected it to go.”

“Let’s head back to the med ward,” Brent said in a gentle tone as I nodded in agreement.

As I entered the room the troopers posted outside my door didn’t say a word as I entered and turned around to close the door behind me. I didn’t lock it incase a nurse or medic wanted to come in. I approached his bedside as Anakin smiled slightly. “Thank you for allowing me to talk to Leia. It went better then I expected.”

“Good,” Anakin leaned his head back as I placed the back of my hand on his forehead causing Anakin to look up with a frown. “My fever broke a while ago.”

“How are you feeling?” I questioned as I pulled my hand back. Anakin felt cooler to the touch then he did earlier.

“Better,” Anakin answered as I sat down in the chair beside his bed. “I’m guessing the crew is a bit confused?”

“They are,” I answered with a frown. “I’ve been the center of attention everywhere I walk. What now?”

“I’ve been called back to Coruscant,” Anakin answered honestly as I raised an eyebrow. “Since I’m bed ridden, Palpatine has commanded for me to return until I’m back on my feet.”

“He won’t check on you while like this, will he?” I questioned wondering if Palpatine would make a surprise visit in Vader’s castle.

“He might,” Anakin answered honestly as I sighed heavily. “Just don’t let him catch you in my castle. We’ll have guards warn us ahead of time.”

“Maybe use a code name?” I questioned with a frown as Anakin raised an eyebrow.

”And pray tell, what word would you use to describe him?” Anakin questioned with a frown causing me to realize I may have stepped into dangerous territory.

“I can think of a couple of words,” I answered honestly as Anakin raised an eyebrow. “Oily snake has entered in,” I said with a frown. “Manipulator is in the building.”

I heard a light chuckle from Anakin as I relaxed. I thought for sure he would get angry. “Your mother would agree with you. Fine, manipulator in the castle it is.”

I knew we were bonding, but I knew given any chance, Palpatine would wreck what we had built up so far. I stayed and chatted with him for half an hour before he fell asleep again. This infection had taken its toll on him. I stayed by his bed until night. Knowing he was on the mend, I found it a little easier to leave his side to get some rest myself.
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DaenaBenjen42, gaarastar58, Nyota's Heart, earlybird-obi-wan, EGKenobi, Carlos Danger, Jedi_Lover

 

Nice talks with Leia and Piett.

 

Love to see a nice Piett in this. And great beginnings between father and son