Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Day 1

“…sweetest woman I’ve ever met. I’m tellin’ ya, I’m gunna marry her. I don’t care she’s a Rhodian. I mean, bein’ a Stormtrooper, I feel like… like sometimes I’m not a person. Like I’m just a cog in the machine, ya know? But she makes me feel real! ”

Garre, the fellow Stormtrooper patrolling deck C-14 , rolled his eyes as Phill waxed on about his sweet Lettie. “That’s the point. We ARE cogs. I don’t think you should see this girl anymore. She’s putting weird ideas in your head. ”

“She’s not puttin’ weird Ideas in my head! She’s puttin’ love-“

Garre groaned. “Force, I know what you’re going to say. Don’t say it.”

Phill leaned in close, placing a fist over Garre’s chest. “- In my heart.”

Garre shoved the other man away.“Nnuuuuhhg! You are such a karking sap!”

Phill bounced off the wall and laughed. But Garre didn’t laugh with him. Instead, he started clearing his throat and tugging at his collar. Phill’s eyes widened. Oh Kriff. The universal trooper sign for Vader. Straining his ears, he could just make out the sound of the respirator echoing through the intersection behind them.

Phill and Garre stepped to the side of the hallway and stood at attention. Seconds later, the dark hulking form of Darth Vader turned the corner. He didn’t even notice the pair as he thundered past, cape flaring and snapping from his quick pace.

Then he… stopped. The dark lord stood in the middle of the hallway, a black unmoving statue. The moment stretched on, turning into minutes. Phill began to sweat, both from being forced to stand at attention for so long and because… well, it was Darth Vader. And he was acting weirder than usual.

Abruptly Vader spun around and stalked past the troopers again, back the way he had come.

And then he halted again. Something that sounded like a growl (or a strangled Loth cat) spat out of the vocoder and he spun around again. This time he stopped in front of the troopers and tilted his helm in their direction.

Phill flinched as a hand reached out from the folds of Vader’s cloak. Oh hell. Oh karking hell. They were going to die.

But it didn’t become a strangling fist. It pointed to a grate a couple feet to their left. “You will set your blasters to stun and guard this vent.”

“H-how long?” Garre managed to ask. Good man, for speaking up. Phill was pretty sure he couldn’t manage more than a squeak right now.

The insect like mask tilted to consider the other trooper. “…indefinitely.” And just what the kriff did that mean?

Apparently that was all the… man? Machine? Had to say on the matter. He turned and stalked off without another word. Once the sound of the respirator faded away Phill and Garre slumped against the wall.

“What in the Corellian hell was that about?” Phill gasped. He hadn’t realized how much adrenalin had been racing through him until the danger had passed. Now his legs felt shaky and weak beneath him.

“What the kriff have you been doing that you didn’t hear?” Garre barked angrily, and Phill was glad to hear he wasn’t the only one out of breath from the encounter. “That rebel kid escaped.”

“What!?” he squawked, darting a look down the hallways as if the rebel might appear right that second. “Yer jokin! How did- I heard he’d been locked in Vader’s Private medbay! How? HOW!?”

Garre shrugged. “Don’t know. Heard he slipped into some maintenance shafts. been getting around through vents, spaces between the wall for wiring and such. Skinny guy, for sure. We’ve had to remove all hyperspace capable crafts from the hangars-“

“But I’m supposta see Lettie soon!” Phill wailed.

“Tough luck. No shore leave until the kid’s caught.”

Phill narrowed his eyes. “Yer smilin' under that helm. I can tell.”

“And You’re giving me the stink eye.”

The two friends nattered on, filling a boring shift with idly chatter. The only disruption was a brief nod to a passing TIE mechanic, who pulled his cap lower, tucking a blonde lock of hair back into place before returning a slight nod.

Day 4

Come on. Come on!

Luke shimmied and wiggled sliding through the narrow gap between the walls inch by inch. The durasteel pressed in tightly on both sides, forcing him to turn sideways and breathe shallowly just to make it through.  He wasn’t moving fast enough. He could feel shadowy tendrils closing in around him. He was close.

Luke

Luke twitched as phantom pain shot through his hand. Fa- NO. He cut that thought off.

Cease this futile endeavor.

He grit his teeth and resumed the slow shuffle through the narrow crevice. Just a few more feet and it would open into a maintenance tunnel that ran along a tram system.

There is no escape. It is your destiny.

Won’t turn. Won’t turn. He repeated it over and over in his head. A Mantra.

You must. It is the only way. Either we kill the emperor together, or he will take you as his new apprentice.

There was something wrong about that sentence, something that tugged at his heart, but he refused to think about it. He was being sentimental. It didn’t mean anything. He was reading too much into it. It wasn’t true… It couldn’t be true.

My son…

He squeezed out into the tunnel and ran. But as far and fast as he ran, he couldn’t escape those last words. My son. My son. They bounced around his head. The desperate pleading in those two simple words haunted him.

Day 11

“Read em and weep boys!” Mar’ray cackled as she slammed a sabacc card down. “ Idiot’s array!”

Garre and Phill groaned as Mar swept her earnings towards her end of the bunk. With the garrison near empty, they didn’t need to worry about finding a quiet supply closet to play a few rounds. They’d set the board up right next to their bunks, lounging around and enjoying the short break while they could. Everything was still pulling double shifts because of the escaped rebel, and they took comfort while they could.

“ Can’t believe he’s still loose.” Phill muttered while idly picking at his ear.

“Big ship” Garre grunted sourly.

“What’s got your underarmor in a twist?” Mar groused.

 “I’m just tired of talking about him! That’s all anyone ever does. “that rebel kid this, that rebel that. “ Bah!.”

Mar sat up with a delighted laugh. “I can’t believe he’s still going. Think we could adopt him as a mascot? He can be the Executor’s pet rebel. “

“I’d like ta see Lettie again ‘fore I die of old age, thanks.” Phill deadpanned. “Now deal.”

“It isn’t funny. He’s dangerous!” Garre growled.

“Oh yeah.” Mar remarked sarcastically as she shuffled the cards and began to deal. “He’s going to pop out of that vent over there and you’ll have to take him on. All ninty pounds of him. So scary.”

Garre slammed a fist on the bunk, causing the whole frame to rattle. “I’m serious! That’s the one that destroyed the Deathstar! He killed millions!” Mar snorted in disbelief, and even Phill scoffed a little bit. “Oh yeah? Then what happened to it?”

“It couldn’t be taken down with one shot. It had ta have been… I dunno, a weapon malfunction or somethin’…I dunno…” Phil trailed off, leaning away from the murderous glare Garre was shooting at him.

“ Don’t let him intimidate you Phill. You’re probably right. The rebels just wanted to claim responsibility for PR.”

Now Garre scoffed. “Like anyone would paint a target on their back for Vader like that.”

“Hey” Mar shrugged. “Rebels are all crazy. Who know why they do anything.”

A throat cleared from the doorway and all three troopers shot up and stood at attention. A TIE tech peeking through the doorway blinked. “Uhh...sorry, am I interrupting?”

The troopers all released breaths of relief and slumped back into their bunks. “Force kid.” Rumbled Garre. “Don’t scare us like that. Nah. Just a game of sabacc.”

“Damn near gave me a heart attack.” Breathed Mar.

Red bloomed across the young tech’s face as he muttered another apology. “You uh, wouldn’t happen to have any snacks here, would you?”

“Locked down the cafeterias again, have they?” Mused Phill. “Poor thing. C’mere. “ He motioned the boy closer as he rummaged under the mattress for his secret stash of ration bars.

Garre rolled his eyes “Karking hell, you’re not his father. Don’t baby him. He can go hungry for a little bit. “

The kid took a seat at the edge of the bed, as far from the others as he could get. Phill waved the ration bars around, enticing him closer. “C’mon. I know they’re ration bars, but they aint THAT bad.”

“Alright, now you’re treating him like a skittish animal.”

The kid smiled shyly and scooted closer, taking one of the bars. “sorry.” Boy did this kid apologize a lot. “Just…new here. “

“aww. “ Mar slung an arm around the kid’s shoulders and pinched his cheeks. Either she didn’t notice him leaning away from her, or did not care, because she tightened her grip and forced him into a half hug. “They’re so cute when they’re this young! All green and bright eyed and hopeful about the world!” She turned her gaze on the other two troopers and grinned wickedly. “It’s time to strip all that away. Let’s fleece him.”

Garre cracked a rare smile and dealt a hand for the kid.

“I- I- uh.. I don’t.. “ the kid stammered

“It’s the least you can do. For the ration bar- holy hell. Where did they go?” The deepening scarlet of the kid’s cheeks and the empty ration wrappers were the only answer Garre received.

“Kriff, I wish I could eat like that and stay that skinny.” Mar sighed wistfully.

“Don’t mind them.” Phill soothed “Yer a growin’ boy. What’s yer name, anyway?”

“H-han.” The boy, Han, stammered. His eyes flicked to the door and back. Phill elbowed Mar and gave her a look. She stared at him in confusion and shook her head slightly, shrugging. Phill jerked his head to the side, trying to motion for her to scoot over. She stared at him in blank confusion.

“For the love of- Mar, he wants you to move. You’re scaring the new guy.”

Han smiled weakly, but even with the extra space Mar gave him, he still looked on edge. Damn this kid was shy.

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at their cards. Garre was the first one to break it, darting a glance at the new kid as he laid a card on the board. “Seem kind of young to be stationed on the executor.”

“Oh..yeah… Just really good with machines I guess. Enough to make it here. “ The tension in his shoulders released a fraction.

“You ever thought about flying one of those coffins?” Mar asked as she leaned over to try and take a sly peek at Phill’s cards.

“No, but… I wouldn’t mind getting a look at that Tie advance.”

“Keep cheatin’ like that, Mar, and I’ll make it a house rule ta wear the helmet.” Phill warned. “And good luck with that. Vader doesn’t let anyone work on that TIE. Does all his maintenance and upgrades himself.”

Han’s head jerked up in surprise. “Really? I- I didn’t expect that.”

“Yeah. Vader, doing menial labor. Who would have thought?” Mar shook her head. “Can you even imagine what that looks like? Does he hang up his cape and climb under his TIE? Is he just covered in oil stains and no one can tell because all he wears is black? And Is this kid ever going to take his turn?”

Han blinked and snapped out of whatever daydream he’d been having. “I- what?” His eyes widened, and he looked around in alarm. The color drained from his face and he jumped to his feet. “I- I have to go. Right now.”

Phill caught Han’s arm and frowned. He could feel the kid trembling in his grip.

“Han?”

The kid shook Phill’s grip off and bolted for the door- only to skid to a halt and turn back around. He was just about to ask what the hell was going on when the vent in the ceiling flew off all by itself and crashed to the floor. Phill and Mar’ray watched in wide eyed, slack jawed astonishment, but Garre, ever the man of action, leapt at the kid. The kid jumped, using him as a karking springboard to launch himself up and catch the rim of the vent, where he pulled himself up and vanished into the network of air ducts.

He was so stunned by the whole event that he didn’t even notice the rhythmic inhale and exhale of a respirator.

What he did notice was the rattling of every bunk in the garrison, and the deep booming baritone speaking behind him. “ CC- 2654” Oh.. Oh no. Phill stiffened, and slowly turned around. Vader loomed before him, staring up at the vent the boy had vanished into. “You have aided an escaped rebel. Report to the brig to be scheduled for execution.”

Phill’s mind blanked out as the Sith lord strode away. He… he wasn’t going to die? Well, he was going to die- that was guaranteed the moment he gave that kid those ration bars- but he was honestly surprised he hadn’t been on the receiving end of an infamous force choke.  

He glanced back at his friends. Mar looked away, head down and intensely interested in the floor. Garre… Garre stared back, halfway through picking himself up off the floor. His face was red in fury, but his eyes. They were red rimmed and teary.

“I… I-“ Phill stopped and swallowed. He squared his shoulders and picked his helm up off the bed. He was a storm trooper, damnit. He could do this with some pride. Fixing him helmet on, he saluted the other two. “CC- 2654, relieved of duty. I won’t- “ he cleared his throat as his voice cracked. “-Won’t be needing an escort. “

Mar and Garre stood at attention, saluting in return. Phill turned away before he was tempted to stay.

He wasn’t sure who said it, but he swears he heard one of them whisper “may the force be with you.”

Day 11 (night cycle)

Darth Vader stood before a row of holo projectors in the detention block security center. The staff had been removed and placed strategically in the surrounding cells, disguised as prisoners. The holos covered the hallways surrounding one cell.

He wasn’t able to draw his son out by thirst or hunger. The boy was too resourceful for that. No, the boy’s soft heart was the key to his capture. Just as it had been on Bespin.

CC-2654’s traitorous actions had been broadcast throughout the executor, along with the announcement of his punishment: to be publicly executed in the main hangar tomorrow morning, with an entire legion of Stormtroopers to witness.

The short time frame ensured that his son would not have time to properly plan, only react.

Soon he would have his son again. While he wished Luke were not so… reluctant… to join him, it presented Vader with an opportunity to spirit the boy away where Sidious could not find him. It would be easy to claim the boy managed to slip away. The repercussions would be terrible, but a minor price to pay for gaining his son.

Movement on one of the holos caught his eye. A Stormtrooper, patrolling the corridor. A rather short one, that should not be there. He watched the trooper slip into the cell with a stolen code cylinder.

He smiled, the action tugging painfully at his scars. “Close in.” He ordered through a com.

Chapter Text

War raged across Zygerria. A Planet wide strike of this magnitude hadn’t been seen since the third battle for Geonosis during the Clone Wars, and with good reason. After all, the might of the empire was in its navy. The Moffs and admirals had argued vehemently against a costly and grueling ground assault. Better to glass the surface from orbit with Star Destroyers and perhaps, if it proved a valuable enough target, send a landing party to take the capitol city.

However, to the extreme frustration of his advisors, the new emperor refused. A priority was placed on the preservation of civilian and slave lives. The conquest and subjugation of the Zygerrian Empire was a secondary objective. The Star Destroyers were to abstain from battle, only moving into low orbit to ferry troops and supplies once zones were cleared.

Unfortunately, as the empire closed in, it became clear the Zygerrians did not hold the same priorities.

“COVER! COVER!” screamed a Stormtrooper as one of the heavy turrets dotting the royal palace swung around to fire on their position. The battalion scattered, taking cover behind their TX-225 Assault tanks and the nearby buildings. A barrage of red laser fire strafed the area, indiscriminately targeting the tanks and surrounding houses alike. When the canons finally stopped firing the street was obscured in a heavy cloud of dust. Shards of debris rained down, pinging off the armor of troopers. Cries filled the air, oddly muffled in the thick fog. Not all originated from soldiers. As the cloud thinned the scope of devastation became clear. All that remained of the block of houses were a few low walls. The TX-225s were completely buried in rubble: along with the rest of the street and alleyways. The troopers slowly trickled out of the cover.

A new arrival appeared as the dust settled. A soldier sporting a long green pauldron approached the hulking figure and saluted.

The small tears and smattering of debris on Vader’s suit did nothing to lessen his intimidating image. If anything, the bloody and battle worn appearance only served to make him more frightening “Report, Captain.”

“Heavy casualties, Sir. Tanks are working, but half buried under rubble. Our advance is stalled until we can get them, and our men, dug out. ”

“I have brought the 501^st  to reinforce our push.” True to his word, more Stormtroopers swarmed over the ruined street, assisting the battered squad in rescuing what troopers and civilians they could. “You have twenty minutes retrieve survivors. Leave the vehicles to me. Dismissed. “

“Sir Yes Sir!”  The captain saluted again before turning and shouting orders at his men.

Vader turned his attention from the battle. The force swirled, tugging his attention… there. A lone chunk of a wall with a doorway, perfectly intact, juxtaposed against the devastation around it. Not a single brick or rock shifted as he strode across the collapsed buildings. A small figure huddled on the other side, sheltered by another section of debris that had fallen to form a protective pocket.

Wide, watery eyes faintly reflected light in the gloomy hollow.

“Come out.” Boomed the dark figure. Whatever tone the dark lord had intended to use, the vocoder was only capable of spitting out an authoritative rumble. The survivor whimpered and shrank further into its hiding place. It seemed that Darth Vader was simply not made to appear safe and non- threatening.

So it was very fortunate when a blond haired young man appeared from behind the bulk of Vader’s cape and smiled softly. The dirt and grime of warfare marred his Jedi garb, but much like his father, the look did not diminish him at all. “Hello.” He greeted gently, slowly moving around his father and crouching near the hiding place. The creature gasped sharply and curled in on itself tighter. “It’s alright.” Luke continued in a calm and even voice. He held a hand out, enticing the frightened civilian to take it. “We’re here to help.”

Vader watched the exchange, silent but for his steady breathing. Slowly, the survivor shuffled out of hiding to take Luke’s hand. The Zygerrian was small, a boy of five, possibly six. Luke beamed, and a warm wave of CalmAffectionAssuranceSafety blasted through the force, washing over the young one. He hefted the child up on his hip and when the boy buried his face in Luke’s shoulder and began sniffling, his son wrapped his tattered brown cloak around the child to give him privacy.

It was always a wonder to see his son like this. Here he stood, in the middle of crushing loss and devastation, and he still shone with bright warmth and love in the force.

Vader was loath to interrupt the moment, but they had a mission to complete. “My Son. “ He broke in gently. “We must press forward.”

That front of warmth briefly cracked, a conflicted look of concern crossing Luke’s features as he gazed out over the rubble. He knew what was Luke was feeling: under the ruin dozens of little lights flickered fitfully, dimming and sputtering before going out, one by one. Some would go on for days, he knew, before thirst would cause them to gutter and extinguish.

Then Luke squared his shoulders and nodded. As compassionate as he was, he was no stranger to war. The sooner this campaign ended, the more lives would be saved. Panic and despair spiked from the child and he clung to Luke and cried all the harder. He mumbled a string of foreign words into Luke’s shoulder.

One did not need to know the language to understand what the child wanted, especially when Luke handed him off to a medic and the young Zygerrian began to scream in earnest and reach towards the shell of the home he’d been found in.

Luke pulled the hood of his cloak up to hide his face deep in the cowl, but he could not hide in the force. Ragged empathetic sorrow leaked through his cracked shields.

Vader placed a hand on Luke’s shoulder. The boy drew in a shuddering breath and slowly let it out. He tightened his shields, sealing the crack. “Thank you, father.” He breathed.

The skull like mask tilted forward a fraction in acknowledgment. “Come.” He intoned, gently steering his son away. “We will need these tanks if we are to make it to the palace.” He lifted his other hand, guiding the force to shift rocks and rubble from the trapped vehicles. His son mirrored his pose, but he still had a faraway look in his eyes. “This is your first ground assault.” It was more statement than question.

“Yes” Luke replied quietly. “… No. I’ve been on assault missions before, but they were always military targets.” The chunk of wall he was levitating wobbled as his attention split. Another light in the force had winked out. “I didn’t think it would be this different.”

Vader was silent for a long moment, carefully considering his words. “There was no other way.” He said slowly.

Luke could not help but smile, because that simple statement showed just how far back into the light his father had stepped. His advisors had proposed any number of alternative strategies: plans that would have preserved the lives of the empire’s troops, but at the price of an astronomically high casualty rate for the Zygerrians. However, to Vader, they weren’t options at all.

The tanks rolled forward, treads spinning before catching and trundling up the rubble. Vader finally let his hand fall from Luke shoulder and strode forward to join his men as they fell into line behind the machines. Luke jogged to keep pace. They had a date to keep with the King of Zygerria, and it wouldn’t do to be late.

The doors to the throne room blew open with a mighty push of the force. Darth Vader strode into the grand room as if he already owned it. White armored troopers fanned out to either side, blasters up and ready to fire. Luke kept at Vader’s side. His gait lacked the authoritative step of his Father, but held a deadly grace that kept him from being over shadowed by his father.

The Zygerrian king sat on a high throne. Below him his guards stood arrayed in a mirror of the troopers. Rather than blasters, they sported energy shields and strange hilts that resembled those of a light saber. Two such hilts hung from the king’s belt.

“Darth Vader.” Sneered the king, fangs flashing as his lip curled in disgust. “Or is it Anakin Skywalker again? Come to kill me like you did my predecessor?”

“Atai Molec.” Vader rumbled. He kept his hands carefully still at his sides. “There is no need for such farces. We both know what happened that day.”

The king leapt to his feet. He drew the hilts from his side and below him his guards did the same, activating their energy whips. The troopers shifted, fitting rifles to their shoulder and preparing to fire. Atai took the stairs down from his throne one deliberate step at a time

“Very well. Let’s do away with farces, as you say. I will not bend to your will. You are a disgrace to the empire Palpatine built.” Venom dripped from the king’s voice. When he reached the bottom of the steps and advanced on the former Sith lord, his guards kept step beside him. ”He knew the importance of hierarchy in the universe: Of order, and command. You. You only invite chaos.”

Together, father and son drew their sabers. With a snap-hiss both blue and green blades ignited. “You give my former master too much credit. There were only two positions in his hierarchy: himself, and his slaves.”

The throne room descended into chaos. Blaster bolts ricocheted off of energy shields, whips curled and cracked through the air. Vader charged towards the king in the brutal opening strikes of Form V. Atai snapped a whip, aiming to tangle up the former Sith lord’s hands, but Luke’s green saber flicked out , deflecting the blow. Luke stayed close to his father, weaving in and out and moving in tandem, the perfect defense to cover Vader’s all-out offense. Atai was forced to fall back, energy whips flicks in constant motion to keep the pair at bay. The force sang around father and son as they moved and danced in perfect harmony.

Until a sour chord struck. A blaster bolt passed by close enough for Luke to feel the scorching heat. In the moment of distraction, his guard slipped. His saber dipped too low and the whip wrapped around his neck. A hoarse cry escaped his throat as energy jolted through him.

Black roiling fury rolled through Vader. He called out to the force in anger, and the dark side answered. He lifted his hand and the Zygerrian king rose into the air. Slowly, the vengeful father closed his fist, and Atai choked and gasped. His feet kicked uselessly in the air, searching for purchase where none was to be found. The dark side hummed in satisfaction around him. This waste of sentient life deserved to suffer.

Luke stirred on the ground, coughing and rubbing his throat.

No. Not like this. Slowly, Vader let the dark side slip away. He lessened his grip of on the king’s throat. He didn’t deserve to suffer.

But he still deserved to die.

“King Atai of Zygerria. I have given you a overabundance of opportunities to avoid this bloodshed. Stubbornly, you have chosen to cling to the glory of your past empire and refused to abolish slavery. The blood of the soldiers of the empire, the blood of the slaves, and the blood of your own people who have died in this assault are on your hands. As is the death of the previous ruler, Queen Miraj Scintel” Vader paused to deflect an errant blaster bolt. “For these crimes, I sentence you to a summary execution.”

Luke flinched as the Zygerrian king’s neck snapped. Luke took the hand that Vader offered and was pulled up. Vader remained uncomfortably close, even after Luke got his feet back under him. Around the room the last vestiges resistance were being quelled.

“I think maybe we could have handled this with a little more diplomacy.” Luke said sheepishly. He winced, already thinking of the tongue lashing Leia would give them for this debacle. Or worse: she would sick that horrible aid she had hired on them.

“It was a sentence long overdue.”

“The Heir is absolutely right.” Spoke a high voice. Luke groaned quietly. The vocoder was not able to pick up the identical sound made by his father. Two members of the 501^st escorted a petite woman towards the pair. She wore an ill-fitting uniform, with a chest piece and helmet for protection. Despite the fact that she was so clearly unused to the military garb, she had no problems navigating the carnage left in the wake of the battle, pikcing around bodies and still struggling royal guards. “It’s a political nightmare! Atai, the king of Zygerria, killed in the same fashion as the previous queen, and by the same man! Of all the thoughtless actions you could have taken that was the worst- oh, wait, nevermind, I’ve thought of something even worse! “ She came to a halt in front of the towering form of Darth Vader and thrust a stylus at him like a sword. Vader took it in stride. Embarrassment and chastisement radiated from Luke in the force. “How about the Emperor and the Heir charging off into battle side by side? What if you had both died? What then?”

“I expect the Princess would have one fewer obstacle in her pursuit to reinstate the senate.” Vader answered dryly.

“That’s not funny.” The woman replied lowly. “The plan was to capture Atai for trial. The people already resent you for the accusations of the Queen’s murder more than twenty years ago. Not only can we no longer clear your name, but you’ve just executed the king the exact same way. You’ve convinced them of your guilt.” The women closed her eyes and drew in a long breath. “The turrets are down. I’ve called in a shuttle. You are both going to return to the Executor where you will refuse any interview and refrain from doing any more damage. Am I clear?”

“Yes Ma’am.” Murmured Luke with a polite bow of his head.

“Perfectly.” Growled Vader.

Father and son sat side by side as the transport carried them away from the palace. Elsewhere on the planet battles still raged. Even when the resistance was quelled, the battle would still go on. Imperial resentment would be high because of their actions in the throne room. Leia would be dealing with the fallout for years, decades even.

But their part in this war was done. The days of grueling physical activity, battle, and emotional stress finally caught up with the pair. Not ten minutes into their flight found both Luke and Anakin leaning against each other, fast asleep.

Chapter Text

Luke slid into a seat in the small briefing room across from two of the Alliances most important people. Mothma looked serene as always, her hands flat against the table, a subtle signal that she would hide nothing. Draven scowled grimly, hunched forward in his seat to lean heavily on the table with clenched fists. All in all it was a fairly bland and mundane room for Luke to learn his fate. He’d been in it a dozen times for Leia to pitch one of her daring schemes. Somehow, the room seemed smaller today. The walls felt like they were closing in.

“Jedi Skywalker.” Mothma began graciously.

 “I’m no Jedi.” Luke cut in a little more harshly than intended. “Atleast, not yet.”

Mothma’s only reaction was to blink. “Lieutenant Skywalker, then. Do you know why we’ve called you here?”

Luke leaned his elbows on the table, lacing his hands together and clenching them tightly. There was only one reason they would have called him here for this meeting. He turned his face away, unable to look at Mothma or Devon. He knew this was the best option for the rebellion, but it still stung being thrown to the wolves like this. “The negotiations with the Empire. They’ve demanded I be handed over for execution.”

The lack of response caught Luke’s attention. He glanced back in time to see Mothma nod to Drevon, who took over. “Not to the Empire, and not to be executed. Vader made it clear that you were to handed over into his custody, where the “alive and unharmed” stipulated on your bounty will remain intact.”

“You know he won’t hold that promise!” Luke cried incredulously. “The minute you hand me over he’ll renegade on the treaty and kill me!”

Mothma held up a placating hand “We will not hand you over, Luke. This is your choice. If you refuse, we’ll withdraw from the negotiations. We won’t coerce you into accepting this.”

“Like hell we won’t.” Draven broke in, rising from his seat and slamming his hands down on the table.

Mothma’s scerene mask finally broke, her mouth turning down and her brows knitting. “General Draven-“

“No.” Draven ground out “he needs to know.” He turned his focus back to Luke, who watched with sharp attention. “The excuse Vader gave is that you’re collateral: if the alliance breaks the treaty your life is forfeit. There’s something else going on here though. Truth is, the Empire doesn’t need this armistice. The empire won’t go to war with whatever is out there in the unknown region with an enemy at their backs, and the Chiss Ascendancy made it clear they’ll back the empire in wiping us out in order to get that support. It’s only because of Thrawn that they’re even willing to approach us. He doesn’t just want victory; he wants the best possible outcome.”

 “They had us over a barrel but when your name came up Vader started making concessions just so he could get his hands on you. Whatever his interest in you, it goes far beyond any personal or professional duty. The man’s obsessed with you.” Draven leaned in closer, eyes drilling into Luke. “I want to use that.”

A riot of emotions churned through Luke at this news; Anger, confusion, disgust. If Vader wasn’t hunting him because of the Deathstar, then what did he want? What could the Empire’s second in command want with a Tatooine farmboy? “It doesn’t make any sense.” He murmured more to himself.

“General Draven is right.” Mothma reluctantly conceded. “We need this ceasefire more than the Empire does.”

Luke struggled to suppress his chaotic mix of emotions and leveled a determined gaze at Draven. “You think you can use me against Vader? Fine. I’ll do it.”

A small smile graced Mothma’s features, more than a little sad. Draven straitened his rumpled jacket and sat down. “Good. Now that you’ve accepted I can reveal some classified information. You’re not going in alone. Vader agreed to allow a team of alliance personnel to accompany you. A pair of Jedi will be backing you up.”

“Jedi!?” Luke cried in shock. Anger and betrayal boiled in his chest. “There were other Jedi in the alliance this whole time and you never told me? You know I’ve been looking for a teacher!”

“You must understand, Luke.” Mothma cut in soothingly. “Many of the Jedi who survived the purge attempted to regroup. Vader found them. Always. The only way to ensure their safety is if they remained unknown, even to each other.”

Luke leaned back, accepting the logic behind Mothma’s statement but not yet pacified. “Are there more than these two?”

Draven and Mothma stared at him, twin stone walls of silence.

Luke sighed. Right.  “Why them?”

“They’ve already been compromised.” Draven jumped in to fill the silence. “Both have run into Vader and survived.”

 ‘Survived Vader’. Luke supposed that was the highest achievement one could judge the skill of a Jedi by. Still, that was two more Jedi than he thought he would ever see. His odds were going up. Maybe he’d make it through this thing alive. Maybe he’d even get the chance to avenge his father and Ben.  “What else can you tell me?” He asked and settled in for a long briefing.

Luke let out a slow breath. It took a measure of willpower to pry his hands off the X-wing flight stick. For the millionth time Luke reminded himself, yes, he was here on an imperial star destroyer of his own free will. Make that Super star destroyer. It had been so easy to say yes when Draven had approached him, but sitting here looking down at row upon row of white armored Stormtroopers it suddenly hit him that this was real.

And Vader was somewhere on this ship.

Luke grit his teeth and punched the canopy release with more force than necessary. A sour looking junior officer had wheeled a ladder over. He waited until Luke descended before bowing and gesturing towards the far side of the hangar. “If you’ll come with me I-“

“Luke! Hey- Hey Luke!”

The junior office went from looking like he’d swallowed a lemon to looking like he’s swallowed a wild Lothcat. A young dark haired man in an orange shirt was enthusiastically waving an arm as he jogged over. He placed a hand on the officer’s chest and lightly shoved him. “Don’t worry Banthafleece, I got it.”

“Bant’hafee.” Hissed the Officer.

“Yeah whatever.” The young man waved dismissively and slung an arm around Luke’s shoulders. It was a little friendlier than Luke was used to but, well…the guy kind of reminded him of Han. “I got this.  You can go now.”

“I have orders-“

The trooper’s uniform ranks were beginning to falter as they turned heads and leaned to get a look at what was going on. Several shifted grips on their weapons. “It’s ok!” Luke cut in, trying to diffuse the situation. While it was fun to tweak the officer’s nose it wasn’t worth starting a fight over. “It’s not far. We won’t get lost.”

“Right!” the boy piped up cheerfully “Jedi never get lost! Let’s go.” He let his arm slide off Luke’s shoulders and they walked past the immaculate row of Stormtroopers.

“Is that really something Jedi do?” Luke asked eagerly. His apprehension about being on an imperial vessel was rapidly being replaced by excitement. Jedi, actual Jedi, were on this ship and he was going to train with them!

“No. Yes. Maybe?” the boy shrugged apologetically. “Sometimes it guides you. I’m still only a Padawan. Kanan can explain it better.”

“What’s your name? What’s a padawan? Who’s Kanan?” Questions were popping out of Luke’s mouth before he could even fully think them.

“Uhhh.” The rebel scrunched up his face in thought and counted off his fingers as he answered. “I’m Ezra Bridger, a padawan is like a Jedi apprentice, and Kanan is my master. My turn! Are you related to someone named Anakin Skywalker?”

“He was my father. Why?”

Ezra stopped in his tracks. “Your dad? No way! Oh- Oh man.” A huge grin split his face. He grabbed Luke’s arm, urging him faster down the hall. “If he’s your old man then I’ve got something you’ll want to see. Actually, there’re two things, but only one of them is on the ship right now. “ Luke could only smile bemusedly as the kid continued talking a mile a minute. “Kanan’s got a Holocron that was made by your dad!”

All thoughts of training and the mission flew out his head, scattered by the information that something more of his father than a lightsaber remained. “A holocron by my father?! Where is it? What’s on it?”

“It’s on the ghost, and he’s teaching Saber forms. I’ll get it for you later. But get this: There’s something even better on board. “

It already sounded more promising than the holocrons Grakkus had. The only thing Luke could think of that would be better was if his father were here on the ship. He supposed he would find out in just a few moments. Ezra had finally stopped pulling on Luke’s arm and come to stop in front of a door. Whirling around to face Luke, he made a mocking bow and with an overly elaborate gesture hit the door release and announced “Luke Skywalker, may I introduce Ahsoka Tano, former padawan to Anakin Skywalker. “

The room was large and open, with a long window looking out into space and mats covering the floor. Saber scores marred every surface, even the ceiling in some spots. All irrelevant details. Luke only had eyes for the tall Togruta woman kneeling in the center. Everything from the armor, to the two lightsaber hilts, to the intimidating pointed montrals marked her as a warrior, but there was a softness to her. Not in her body, which was all hard muscle, but in her demeanor. It was a kindness and caring that shone through her eyes, and the small affectionate smile she flashed Luke as he stepped in. She rose to her feet and met Luke half way.

Luke remained silent, feeling as if he were in a trance as she placed a hand on his arm. The other rose to his face, tracing under his blue eye. “It’s true.” the words whooshed out of her in a disbelieving breath.  “You are his son.”

The moment was shattered as Ezra popped up on Luke’s left and held out a demanding hand. “Told ya! You owe me ahundred credits.” His fingers curled in a “gime” gesture.

Ahsoka stepped back and let her hands fall to her side. “There is much we need to talk about, Luke, but it will have to wait.  And you.” She pinned Ezra with a scowl “I never agreed to that bet.”

Both boys stood facing Ahsoka with twin expressions of poorly hidden disappointment. Ahsoka, unfazed, hardened her gaze. “Don’t forget, we’re on a mission. Ezra, how close is Kanan?”

“Almost here.” The boy winced, sucking in a breath. “and he’s in a preeety bad mood.”

“Wait a minute!” Luke started. “I thought there were only supposed to be two Jedi helping me.”

“I wasn’t asked to come by the Alliance. I came on my own. When I heard what was going on, the negotiations, the threat in the unknown regions…. it wasn’t something I could walk away from. That and other things.”

“Like round two with Vader.” Ezra joked.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to reply, but surprisingly Luke got there first. “That’s not what we’re here for.” He said firmly. The barest hint of bitter anger tinged his voice.

“Yes.” She said instead. “We need this truce to hold. So for now, we play nice.”

“Yeah, playing nice with a Sith.” Ezra rolled his eyes. “That’s going to end well.”

The door slid open and all three turned. Kanan walked stiffly over to the group, teeth clenched and muscles tense. Luke was a little baffled by the mask covering the top half of Kanan's face. How did he see with that thing on?“Wonderful! The gang’s all here!” he said with false cheer before lowering his voice and hissing “Please tell me this is secretly an assassination attempt or-or something! Tell me we’re not just gunna stand by and let a Sith lord run loose across the galaxy. “

The reason for his behavior and whispering quickly became obvious as the tall dark form of Darth Vader followed soon after. Both Ezra and Luke shivered as a chill passed over them. He came to a halt so abruptly that the door nearly snapped shut on his heels. “… Ahsoka Tano. This was unexpected.“

The force swirled darkly in the room, and not all of it from the Sith Lord. Both Kanan and Ezra stood tense and ready, hands near their sabers. Kanan wore a deep scowl; Ezra put on a brave face, but he couldn’t suppress the trill of fear that shot down his spine. Luke openly gripped his saber, a black glare of hatred fixed on the Sith.

Ashoka stepped forward, cool and calm in the turbulent storm of anger in the force. She met Vader’s gaze through the mask unwaveringly. “I have a promise to keep.”

The shining black helm tilted a fraction in a nod. Then it turned, fixing on Skywalker: specifically how he gripped the saber hilt. He walked towards the boy, passing by Ahsoka without a glance, until he was mere inches away. He made no move to reach for his own saber. It was an invitation, an open taunt. “Are you breaking the terms of the truce so soon, young one?”

Luke continued to glare at Vader, tense with rage, but slowly, ever so slowly, he let go of the weapon. “No.” He answered shortly.

“Good. Hold on to your anger, your rage. Save it for the day you can strike me down.”

The statement put Luke off, both the words themselves and the odd note of pride in the modulated voice. His anger waned as confusion crept in.

“Don’t listen to him.” Kanan told him firmly. “That’s Sith dogma. Anger isn’t the Jedi way.”

“You are only a half trained child. You are not qualified to teach him, Jedi ways or otherwise.” Vader growled, shifting slightly to cut Luke off from the other two.

Luke slipped around him, resolutely placing himself on Kanan and Ezra’s side. “I’m not learning anything from you.”

“Yeah.” Ezra added, keeping up a façade of false bravado. “What makes you’re any more ‘qualified’ anyhow?”

Ahsoka, who watched the whole exchange from a distance, finally spoke up. “Because he’s the only one here who ever made it to the rank of Knight.”

For a brief moment, all was still as a stunned silence filled the room. Then everything exploded in bedlam of yelling. Everyone spoke on top of each other at once.

Ezra just looked confused and lost. Looking to Ahsoka for answers as he asked “Ahsoka? What do you mean?“

“Great!” Kanan bellowed, throwing his arms up. “Not only a Sith but a traitor too! I don’t know why I thought this couldn’t get any worse!”

A fresh wave of anger rolled through Luke as he glared up at Vader accusingly. It seemed like years ago that he had sat with Ben and heard the story of how his father died. He was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader. “You betrayed them.”

The sharp crack of the two foot thick transparisteel window fracturing cut everyone off. A fine web of splintered glass spread across the length. “The Jedi betrayed me!” Vader boomed. His body remained as still and stiff as always, but his hands clenched into fight fists. As if to offset the unnatural stillness of his body, the force seethed and heaved around the Sith, dark tendrils of the force just barely kept from closing around Kanan and Ezra’s throats and throttling them.

Ashoka watched thoughtfully, taking notice how Vader kept the turbulent dark side far from Luke.

The three men remained silent: Luke cowed by the sudden violent burst of rage, and Kanan and Ezra both fighting not to rub their necks at the subtle pressure applied there.

Vader let his breathing cycle several times, fighting to control his rage. “Skywalker. An aid and a contingent of Stormtroopers have been assigned to escort you. If you attempt to leave your quarters without them, it will be considered a violation of the treaty and the Alliance will no longer be protected. “

Vader continued to stare at Luke until the boy spit out a reluctant “Understood. “

“What about us?” Kanan asked, crossing his arms defensively.

The skull like mask tilted to consider him. “You are free to leave at any time.”

Vader’s fists were still tightly clenched as he strode from the room. Ahsoka hadn’t taken her eyes off him since he entered, but if he was bothered by it, he made no mention of it. In fact, he didn’t acknowledge her at all as he swept past.

His son was finally alone.

Vader impatiently waited for his meditation pod to open. In his previous life he might have paced or tapped his foot. Now with the painful modification to his body, such actions had long since been stamped out.

When the pod finally split open Vader strode to a seemingly empty wall, but with a simple push of the force revealed a hidden passage. He strode forward- and stopped so abruptly his cape swirled around him. Ahsoka leaned against the wall of the hidden passage. “You never were very subtle. “

“A skill you seem to have learned well.” He hadn’t sensed her at all, not here and not back in the training room.

“It became a necessity after the purges.” She pushed herself off the wall, planting herself in Vader’s way.

“Step aside.” He ordered.

“Does he know?” She asked instead.

“That is not your concern.”

“He’s the son of my Master, he’s very much my concern.”

“You have no Master. You left him behind.” Anger and impatience bled through the vocoder. He had already waited a day to tell his son the truth. He would not be delayed any longer!

Little determined Ahsoka. She’d grown up so much, and that resolve had grown with her. She stood unwavering in the face of his anger. “He’ll always be my Master and I’m here for him now.”

“He is dead. You acknowledged this on Malachor. “

“I was wrong. He’s still there, somewhere.” She finally stepped aside, melting back into the shadows of the passage and allowing Vader to pass.

“Then you are a fool.” Sentimental. Weak. Attached. Just like her master. He swept past, shoving Ahsoka from his thoughts and focusing on his son. It was time.

Ahsoka waited until Vader was gone from sight before leaving for the training room. She had failed her master twice, first on Coruscant and again on Malachor. She would not fail him again.

Kneeling in the center of the mats, she waited for Luke.

Chapter Text

14:06 Coruscant standard: Encrypted call from Imperial Palace to Sestra Towers. 

“You’re aware of who you’ll be working with and the danger it entails?”

“I am. I’ve already set aside a month for field training and triage courses.“

“You don’t need worry about being harmed by him-“

“Oh heavens no. It’s for them. I understand they can get a bit…rambunctious.”

“That’s one way of putting it. It says here that until now you’ve worked in child care. Why make the leap into politics?”

“Most of my clients were in the imperial senate. I wouldn’t really call it a leap. More of a lateral career move. I thought it was time to advance from babysitting spoiled children to babysitting spoiled adults.”

“Mrs. Avana, you’ll be perfect.”

“Unidentified Vessels, this is Imperial Palace Security. You are flying in a restricted zone. If you continue, you will be fired upon.”

Lieutenant Tory folded her arms behind her back as she watched the twin blips on the holo projector continue forward unflinchingly. Normally the projector would display the model of ship detected, but the scanner came up blank. The ships were of an unknown make and their clear intent to invade Palace space did not bode well. She glanced to the coms officer who shook his head, already knowing what she would ask. “They’re receiving. No reply.”

Tory hailed again. “Unidentified vessels, this is your last warning. Turn back now.”

The control room held its breath, watching as the crafts continued to close in. The blips remained on a steady course. Tory nodded to the coms officer. “Initiate a palace wide alert, charge the anti-aircraft guns, and get our fighters in the air. See if we can’t force them down before we fire on them. I’d like to do this without bloodshed if possible. “

“Belay that order.” A particularly harried looking Leia Organa barked as she stalked into the room, hastily pulling her long brown hair into a braid. Tory blinked, trying to suppress her surprise at seeing former princess in such a state of disarray. In her year of service she hadn’t once seen Leia with her hair down. Nor had she ever seen Leia in anything other than a finely made and pristine outfit. Right now it looked as if she had thrown on a pair of pants and whatever shirt had been lying on the ground, and unless the former princess had suddenly taken up ship maintenance Tory was fairly sure that was the corellian smuggler’s shirt, too. “It’s Head Idiot and Son.”

“Yes ma’am.” The coms officer was already calling for a stand down. ‘Ma’am’ had become the default form of address for the former princess since she was still part of the alliance and held no official office.

Leia scowled up the pair of dots descending into the court yard- the court yard! They had six hangars and they put down in the kriffing court yard like they owned the place. It was entirely beside the point that they did! They weren’t the ones who worked hard every day maintaining and running the palace and they weren’t the ones who had to clean up this mess. Leia was. And the Landscapers. Enough was enough.

“Lieutenant Tory.” Leia began sweetly. The predatory grin she flashed made the hairs on the back of Tory’s neck stand on end. “Please meet them in the main hall and direct the Emperor to his office. Make sure they know it’s urgent business of state.”

Stars above. Not another row between those two. Tory wasn’t sure the palace could survive many more. She made a mental note to warn the masons and Major-domo. “Yes Ma’am, right away Ma’am. “

Leia left for the office, taking the less used side halls to reach her destination before the emperor. Honestly. Those two. She might not like Vader but she could respect his strong sense of duty. And Luke, her darling brother, had always been so responsible, even more so after his training on Dagobah. Leia could not for the life her understand how putting them together caused the pair to turn into rowdy boys without an ounce of decorum.

She understood that they were both still exploring their new roles as father and son, but the unfortunate fact was that they were also emperor and heir. They needed to start separating their personal and professional lives before they caused an incident she couldn’t fix.

It was time to introduce Avana.

Leia folded her hands on top of the heavy wood office desk. The massive Vader sized desk and chairs dwarfed her and should have made her look a child, but with her regal commanding presence she owned the space. Her hastily braided hair and rumpled clothes did nothing to diminish her bearing. Her father and brother stood on the other side. Luke at least had sense to look apologetic. Vader stood imperiously, hands gripping his belt. The man had been none too pleased to walk in and find his daughter sitting in his place so things were already off to a bad start. “It was my understanding that you are capable of handling the running of an empire for one day, Leia. Do not make a liar of your brother.”

 Leia narrowed her eyes, riled by Vader’s tactic of using Luke against her. “and it’s my understanding that you’re supposed to be at Sienar headquarters in the south east quadrant of Coruscant. Would you like to explain to me why there are two prototype TIE fighters parked in the court yard?”

 “Manufactures are prone to lies and exaggerations in order to gain funding.” Vader supplied. “ A practical demonstration was required.”

“By you.” Leia responded in a dead pan. Vader inclined in his head in affirmative. “And this decision had nothing to do with Sienar’s new faster engines?”

“And the shields!” Luke interjected enthusiastically and with no sense of self preservation. “If they can get a Hyperdrive in there I might actually trade in my X-wing.”

Satisfaction oozed off Vader at this declaration.

“And the reason you didn’t see fit to inform the palace you were landing is because…?”

Apparently the force was no help in warning against verbal traps, because Luke walked right into this one. “Well, it was a prototype, so the coms system wasn’t fully integrated yet. Actually that’s why we had to land. We blew the coolant system while racing-.”Luke abruptly stopped at the incessant mental urging of his father. His eyes widened as his mind caught up with his mouth, finally realizing the hole he’s been digging himself.

Leia rubbed her temples. “Stars. Taking off in Prototype TIEs, racing through Coruscant, parking them wherever you damned please. Children! You’re both over grown children!” She fixed Vader with a steely glare. “Give me control of the state. You can keep the empire and the military, but let me have legislative powers.”

“I will accept your terms under the condition that you publicly acknowledge me as your father. “ It was an old argument between them. Leia would ask for something outrageous like the dismantlement of the empire, and Vader would ask to be acknowledged in exchange. It was a small price but Leia’s pride and absolute disdain for the man wouldn’t allow the concession.

“Deal.” Leia jumped to agree.

Luke grinned from ear to ear, pleased that Leia was finally accepting Vader as their father. He didn’t seem overly concerned that it happened through bargains and coercion. Not even Leia was immune to her brother’s genuine and eager emotions, her serious expression softening as she returned a warm smile.

Vader could feel the cold steel teeth of a trap closing in around him. Apparently he was no better at spotting verbal traps than Luke. When Leia flicked her gaze from her brother to her father Vader felt as he if he were staring down a grinning krayt dragon. Still, he tucked the memory of that smile shared between his children away like the shining treasure it was.

“Father.” The word was the sweetest kind of poison. It was venomous and hateful, but it was also something he’d wanted to hear from her for so long. “What is the best way to fight a war?”

During his service to Palpatine he might have responded that excessive force was the best policy, but no longer. Instead he found the words of his late wife coming to his tongue. “To prevent it before it ever begins.” He reluctantly responded. The conversation was spiraling further out of his control and he did not like where it was heading.

 “Then you’ll agree the best course of action is a diplomatic tour to strengthen relationships in the empire. Many of your actions as Palpatine’s enforcer have not endeared you to the galaxy at large. It’s time to heal those old wounds before they fester.”

Vader stared at her for a long time, inscrutable beneath his mask. “This is a punishment.”

Leia didn’t respond to that, but she didn’t need to. He could feel the smug satisfaction rolling off her. He also knew she had excellent shielding and was perfectly capable of hiding that emotion if she so chose.

Luke, who was currently in the clear lead as Vader’s favorite child right now by a parsec, placed a consoling hand on his arm. “Come on Father. Wandering across the galaxy, righting wrongs and helping the helpless. It’s like the Jedi stories I used to hear.”

He believed those stories once too; had lived one, even. What a disappointment it had been to find out Qui’gon had been the exception to the Jedi, not the rule. Jedi may have been like that once upon a time, but not during the republic. However, as Luke looked up at him with that carefree grin and hopeful eyes, it occurred to Vader that it could be that way again. Starting with Luke and him.

“Your proposal has merit, my daughter.” The former Sith lord took no satisfaction in the way Leia nearly flinched at being addressed as such. “You will be granted temporary powers while I am on Tour. I will be kept apprised of your decisions and if I am satisfied with your work, you may retain these powers indefinitely.”

Again Vader was caught off guard by Leia’s ready agreement. “I find those conditions acceptable. Now-”The former princess stood, lifting a duffle bag from under the table and bringing it over to Luke. “The Executor is already stocked, staffed, and ready to leave. Your personal belongings have been packed and moved on board. There’s Lamba waiting in the East wing hangar. An aid will meet you when you dock and outline the agenda for you.”

Vader stood there like a poleaxed Gundark while Leia gave her brother a hug and handed the duffle bag over to him. “I’ll see you two again on Shu’Torun. Try to avoid causing any incidents.”

Luke took it all in stride, the very vision of Jedi calm in the face of this complete upheaval and loss of control over his life. He hugged his sister back and slung the bag over his shoulder. “Have a good time on your vacation from us. Say goodbye to Han for me. “

The twins watched him; Leia impatiently, and Luke eagerly. Vader could feel his son’s growing excitement at the prospect of adventure before them. “Are you coming, father?”

Vader approached his daughter and cupped her chin. After a year of working together closely she no longer flinched at his touch. She still tensed, glaring up at him with determination and irritation. “I can think of no better hands to leave my empire in. Your mother would be proud.” His daughter’s heated glare softened. She had been a great admirer of senator Amidala long before she’d discovered her true parentage.

The glare returned with a vengeance when Vader dropped her chin to point a finger in her face. “There will be no reinstatement of the senate. Do not even try. “

“There is no try.” Luke interjected with a far too innocent smile.

Vader whipped around to point the threatening finger at his son instead. “Do NOT quote that Troll to me. I endured enough of his nonsense at the temple.” He made a mental adjustment on his ‘favorite child’ chart. The gap between them was much shorter now. Without another word he turned and strode out the door. For a spiteful moment Vader was tempted to keep up his grounding eating pace and force Luke to jog beside him. The moment passed, and he stopped to allow his son time to make a final farewell to his sister and catch up. They walked side by side in silence until Vader said slyly. “The TIE prototype could easily be modified to fit a hyperdrive.”

The rest of the journey to the Executor was filled with plans for Luke’s hypothetical TIE.

A Lone woman waited at the ending of the shuttle ramp. She had foregone a military uniform, but her blouse and long skirt were in the drab grey imperial colors. Her salted brown hair was pulled up into a regulation bun. There weren’t any obvious weapons or holsters. To all intent and purpose she was a normal old woman with no tricks up her sleeves.

So why was the force screaming at Luke? It wasn’t danger, exactly. It felt more like something awful yet to happen. “I have a bad feeling about this.” He muttered.

She met the pair half way up the ramp, offering data pads to each of them. “Emperor. Heir. I am Laras Avana. It’s a pleasure to work for you.” Vader took his and began scrolling through it while he walked, not even acknowledging the woman’s existence. Luke murmured thanks and tried to move around her, but she firmly side stepped to remain in the way. Then, to Luke’s utter mortification, she licked her thumb and flattened an unruly lock of his hair. She then proceeded to straighten a couple wrinkles out of his jacket before finally allowing him to pass. Cheeks burning, Luke bolted to catch up to his father and get away from the mothering aid. The encounter reminded him far too much of Aunt Beru. Trips into town had been rare, so she had always been particularly fussy about his appearance before departure. It made him feel seven years old again.

And the amusement flooding the bond with his father made it clear Vader had not missed the exchange, no matter how absorbed he appeared in his data pad.

Escape proved impossible. The aid followed a step behind them, heels clicking sharply on the durasteel floor. “I’ve planned a six month tour of the core and mid-rim systems. The first three months will focus on strengthening bonds on planets that we rely on for raw materials and production, ending on Shu-Torun, where General Organa will meet us at a ball hosted by Queen Trios. If you’ll look at the schedule on your data pads, I’ve set aside one hour three days a week to teach each of you to dance. “

“I do not require lessons. The only woman worth dancing with passed long ago.” Vader informed her coldly.

“Please don’t tell that to anyone who asks for a dance. No one enjoys being told their partner would rather waltz with a corpse.” The aid crossed out Vader’s lessons on her pad, completely oblivious to the spike of fury in the force.

Be calm, father. She does have a point.

“However, I will be present to observe my son’s lessons. “His father’s anger was channeled into vindictive satisfaction as Luke’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment for the second time. Force, no! The only dance he’d ever learned was the Tatooine two-step, and it was so simple even a Hutt could pull it off.

“Excellent! The second three months will move on to the Mid-rim, where we’ll focus on repairing damage done by the previous emperor. Visits will mostly consist of relief missions and reconstruction projects. “

Luke checked the schedule Laras had outlined on the datapad. To his horror the schedule included not only their visits to planets and dignitaries, but micromanaged every day on board the Executor for the entire six month trip. A three day cram session on the cultural significance of Wookie fur braiding? A week devoted to Dug table etiquette?

Laras continued to outline every detail of the plan, but all Luke heard was that familiar premonition screaming in the force.

Chapter Text

The first thing Luke became aware of was the pain. Throbbing aching pain permeated his entire body. Every beat of his heart brought new agony to his limbs. Every breath felt like a knife stabbing into his chest. Every twitch of his muscles pulled tender burned skin. The world came rushing back, brought into sharp focus by the pain; the soft and steady rhythm of the vitals monitor, the cold draft of air carrying the stench of garbage through an open window, and the rapid tapping of a pen. Luke managed to open his swollen eyes into narrow slits. His vision was fuzzy, objects in the room becoming nothing more than colored blobs overlapping one another. He lay in a hospital bed, cream colored sheets pulled up to his chest. White bacta patches covered his arms and the small areas of visable skin were an ugly discolored purple and yellow.

“Ah.” A prim female voice spoke from his left. “You’re awake. Good. Do you know why you’re here?”

A hand clamped down on his arm. Luke fought to control his swoop as the twi’lek woman he’d been neck and neck with yanked savagely on his arm. “Are you crazy?” He yelled over the whipping winds. “You’ll kill us both!”

“I’m sorry!” She screamed. “I can’t! I can’t go back!” Tears streaked down her face as she babbled apologies and desperately tried to wrestle him off the swoop.

A scream stuck in his throat as her swoop crashed into his, pinning his leg between his bike and hers. And the world turned on its side.

“Spder crsh.” His tongue felt thick and swollen, his mouth dry like it hadn’t been since he’d lived on Tatooine. The cold rim of a glass touched his lips and he drank the offered water greedily. He tried to follow the glass as it was taken away far too soon, desperately chasing those last drops of moisture that fell on his tongue.

The woman tutted. “Ah-ah. Take it slow.”

Luke blinked and turned his head to the side to get a better look at the woman. Things were still a bit blurry, but he could make out long brown hair pinned up in a bun and a grey uniform with red and white blotches that might be symbols or letters. He squinted, trying to force them into focus, but it all remained a muddied mess.

 She sat in a chair next to his bed, pen tapping against a Datapad. “Are your eyes bothering you?” Luke nodded and very nearly vomited when the motion caused the whole room to spin. “Try to keep still.” She resumed. “You suffered a severe concussion, among other injuries. I need you to answer a few questions. Do you feel up to that?”

The aching throb throughout his body was growing more intense. More and more injuries came to his attention as the residual anesthetic began to wear off. His eyes wandered to the IV bag hanging near his bed, following down the path of the tube until it stopped in the woman’s hands. He blinked in confusion, not comprehending what he was seeing. Why had she taken it out?

“Hurts.” Luke managed to mumble.

“I know, and I’m sorry, but it’s important you’re awake and aware to answer my questions. I need you to bear with it for a little while.” She laid a feather light touch on his arm. For some reason, the comforting gesture caused a shadow of unease in Luke. “What’s your name?”

“Luke Skywalker.” He swallowed thickly, trying to work moisture back into his parched throat.

“And where are you from, Luke?”

“Ta-tatooine.” Mercifully, the woman gave him another drink. As he gulped down the precious water it occurred to Luke that she had never introduced herself. “Who are you?”

“Katren.” She replied shortly. His eyes were now focused enough to catch her smile slipping. “Please stay on task Luke. The sooner you answer these questions the sooner you can be put back under. When were you born?”

“Empire day.” That startled an amused huff from the woman- Katren. He glanced back at the icon on her uniform but it was still too blurry to make out. Some kind of circle?

“What brought you to Nar’shaddaa?”

That was… an unusual question. It was also one a little more complex than his pain addled brain could handle at the moment. His arm twitched as he resisted the urge to rub his neck. What could he say? Money? Desperation? Family? Racing? Sithspit! The race! He shut his eyes tight. Muscles jumped and spasmed in his arm as he tried to clench a fist. Tears sprung in his eyes and he shut them tight to stop the flow. The agony and pain from his injuries meant nothing next to the knowledge that he’d lost. Lost everything. The swoop, the money, and Owen… Uncle Owen’s…

“Freedom.” He choked out. “My Aunt. Where’s my Aunt? Please, I just want to see her, to… to…” He didn’t know what he wanted to do. Apologize? It wasn’t enough. It was his fault, all his fault. He’d never be able to make things right again, but this at least had been another step towards making things better. But he failed.

“We have your Aunt. She’s fine, and I’d like to keep it that way. Tell me about your bartender friend at the Drowning Mon’cal” Cold shot through Luke. Katren was kind and patient, her voice warm and demeanor calm. However, when Luke opened his eyes, she sat on the edge of her seat with a predatory gleam in her eyes. Luke flicked his gaze down to the Icon on her chest and froze. A white imperial cog on red and the letters ISB. Imperial Security Bureau. The vitals monitor beeped alarms as his heart rate skyrocketed and his breath became short rapid gasps. What interest did the empire have in him? Unless....unless she was on Grakkus’ payroll.

“Luke, listen to me. I meant what I said about your Aunt. We both want what’s best for her, right?” She waited for Luke’s slow nod before continuing. “But she’s not in my custody, I can’t protect her. Only you can. All you have to do is answer my questions truthfully and she gets to go home.”

She didn’t insult his intelligence by making any promises that he could walk away from this too. He was already doomed and they both knew it. There was no winning. If he sold out Taven at the bar innocent people would be hurt. If he didn’t Beru would suffer. No matter what he did people would end up hurt.

Luke grit his teeth and spoke between his gasping breaths. “My name. Is Luke. Skywalker. And I am a person!”

A look of pity and disappointment passed over Katren’s face. “Luke, please. It doesn’t have to be this way. I don’t want to hurt your aunt. I don’t want to hurt you.” Luke hissed as the hand on his arm that had once been meant as comfort tightened, putting pressure on a stretch of tender raw skin that had been almost completely scraped off in the crash.

“Liar.” He spit out.

“No. It’s the truth.” Her voice was pleading, compassionate. However, her eyes told a different story. They were hard and steely, locking with his blue and never wavering. “I prefer for my interrogations to go as smoothly as possible and that means earning cooperation instead of coercion. But I will harm you if I must. So please, I’m asking you, save everyone a lot of trouble. Do the right thing and tell me what I need to know.”

The worst part, the absolute worst thing, was that he knew she was telling the truth. Katen didn’t want to cause him harm and honestly believed that this was the right thing to do. It only added to Luke’s turmoil and confusion. What was the right answer here?

“Give me anything, Luke. “ She pleaded “Start with something simple. What’s his name? Just a few words and the pain can stop. This drip can go back in, and you can get some sleep. Maybe I can even arrange a visit with your aunt. That’d be nice, right?”

The offer tempted him more than he would like to admit to himself. The pain was becoming unbearable. Thinking became more and more difficult.  Luke licked his lips and drew in a shuddering breath. “My name is Luke Skywalker. And I am a person.”

The pressure on his arm vanished as her hand returned to her lap. Katen watched him in silent scrutiny, her piercing gazing drinking in every detail of his face. “You think you’re protecting someone. You think you’re doing the right thing. I can tell you, whatever your reason for helping the rebels, whatever grievances you have with the empire, it’s people like your friend who are causing it. If it weren’t for rebels we wouldn’t need things like the Tarkin Doctrine. “

 “Rebels?” Tension eased out of Luke and he melted into the mattress. This was just a misunderstanding. All he had to do was explain what was really going on. “You’ve got it all wrong. Taven and I aren’t rebels, we’re-“ a quick scan around the room revealed no cameras or listening devices, but Luke lowered his voice anyway. “We’re part of Freedom Flight.”

The rap-tap of the pen on datapad beat out a steady rhythm as the ISB agent silently digested the information. Luke waited with baited breath, hoping against hope that she would apologize for the inconvenience and leave him to think this whole ordeal had been a drug induced nightmare.

Instead, the questions continued. “What’s the significance of the name Skywalker?”

 “He… He was a slave on Tatooine. A Podracer. He was the only human to ever win the Boonta Eve Classic and gained his freedom as the prize. I took the name because-” Luke drew in a breath and wheezed from a sharp stab of pain from his ribs. He'd almost told her about his Father. Beru had always warned him to keep quiet about his connection to his father, but if she was in imperial custody, they’d probably already questioned her. How much had she told them? Better play it safe.”…because I also won my freedom in a race.”

Words alone would not be enough to convince the agent. Luke turned his head to the side, revealing thin white scar that ran down his neck next to his spine. It forced him to look out the window where he could see Grakkus’ arena looming in the distance, colorfully lit up to celebrate the race. He wondered what happened to the Twi’lek woman who’d caused him to crash. Did she win the race? Did she win her freedom?

“I don’t know anything about rebels. Or the empire.” He whispered tiredly. “I’m just trying to get my family back.”

The rapid tapping ceased. He heard the rustle of fabric, and then felt a slight pinch on the back of his hand. Relief from the pain instantly washed over him, dulling his senses and making his head feel as if it were stuffed full of wool. An odd weightlessness settled over Luke. “That will be all for now.” Katren’s voice sounded far away. “I’ll have more questions for you when you wake..”

Katen’s departure was lost in the haze of drugs that washed through Luke’s system. It wasn’t clear how much time had passed when Luke heard a voice. The arena was still lit up, though. Had it only been minutes? An hour?

Luke. You need to get up.

“Ben?” Luke rasped. It had been thirteen long years since he’d heard that courascanti accent. Old Ben Kenobi, the crazy wizard hermit that always seemed to show up when there was trouble.

You have to leave Luke

“ ‘M sorry Ben. ‘S my fault. M-my fault you died. My fault Beru and Own and me got… got taken. “

…it is in the past. Don’t dwell on it young one. Focus on here and now. Listen to me now. You must move. Run, Luke!

It was a monumental effort to sit up in bed. His ribs no longer hurt, but his body felt heavy and uncooperative. His left arm refused to do anything but hang uselessly at his side and twitch sporadically. Using the wall to prop himself up, he slipped from the bed. The IV tugged on his hand before ripping out. It was a small room, about ten by ten, only large enough for the bed, the medical equipment, and a chair, but to Luke the stumbling trip to the door felt like a thousand yards.

The door slid aside to reveal the back of a Stormtrooper. An odd detached feeling settled over Luke. His body moved without his command. It almost felt like he was watching from a distance, his body a puppet on someone else’s strings. The good arm snatched the blaster from the holder on the soldier’s thigh and fired into his back. The trooper never even had time to turn his head. It merely grunted and crumpled to the ground.

Doctors, patients, and patrons screamed and fled from the area. The body that was his-yet-not continued down the corridor, leaning heavily against the wall and ignoring the pandemonium his actions had caused. Pain began to creep again, slowly causing the detached feeling to melt away. He staggered into a lev-chair. After that it was easy to slip away in the chaos of fleeing patients.

By the time morning light hit the Hutta town area of Nar'shaddaa Sixty thousand credit alive-only bounty was posted by the empire's second in command, Darth Vader, for the capture of a young blonde haired swoop racer.