Honour Thy Father - Chapter 3
Honor Thy Father - Chapter 3
Enter our female lead.
I need some encouragement to be able to finish this fic, so if you could leave a review, I would love it.
5 points to the house who identifies the Pokémon reference (#childofthe90s).
Chapter Three
Mara Jade held her knees to her chest as she stared at out at the patterns of hyperspace, not sure what to do or what to think. Life felt so bleak now that her master was dead. She had been the Emperor’s Hand. Now, there was no Emperor and no place for her.
She had no home or any purpose. She could have stayed within the Empire and pledged her allegiance to Ysanne Isard, but the thought of having anything to do with that woman made Mara want to kill someone. The Empire was not an undefeatable force without the Emperor. In fact, she was finished with the Empire and its egotistical ways forever. Mara had made this point very clear to Isard, the Director of Imperial Intelligence who was now ruling the government, when she escaped the insane woman’s clutches just hours ago. Without the Emperor to reign, the defeat of the Empire by the Rebel Alliance was now inevitable.
Mara refused to cry. She was taught to be strong, she was taught to serve the man that she saw as a father without emotion. But could she be strong without him?
With his dying breath, Mara’s master had given her one final command and she would fulfill it, both for him and to rid herself of the constant reminder that he was no more. After that, she was finished with the Empire. Then…she didn’t entirely know what life had in store for her. For as long as she could remember, she had been the Emperor’s Hand. Now she had to figure out who Mara Jade was…and be her.
Emotions welled up in her. How could he die? How could he leave her like this, as a nobody? Why hadn’t he prepared her better? She could have taken his place for him. He had called her his child; why could she have been his heir?
Why didn’t he treat her as his child in death like he had in life?
Her master’s final command rang through her head. His voice both gave her comfort and made her want to vomit. It reminded her of what she had been and what she had lost.
YOU WILL KILL DARTH VADER!
* * *
Luke opened his eyes, waking up from his deep sleep, and smiled. His father was on the next bed, sleeping peacefully, no doubt, with the help of heavy drugs. He couldn’t believe that just last evening he had rescued his father from the second Death Star. Luke adjusted his bed so he could sit up. His stomach growled. He looked down and frowned. How long had it been since he’d eaten?
“Ah, the snorelax is finally awake.” Kyran entered, checked his vitals, and wrote on his data-chart. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, rested,” Luke answered, honestly. “Still a bit sore though. What time is it?”
“Mid-morning, Home One time. News around here is we are going to finish up above Endor in the next few hours and then head for Coruscant. Apparently, since both the Emperor and Darth Vader are dead, Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard is ruling the Empire now. But there is so much confusion and infighting, the government is in shambles. Admiral Ackbar is already gone to see if he can take advantage of the situation and Mon Mothma wants to get going as soon as possible. But as for you, you are to rest and regain your strength. So, how do hotcakes sound for breakfast sound for the hero?”
Luke blushed. “I’m, um, not a hero.”
“Nonsense, you did kill the Emperor, didn’t you?”
“No, that would have been my father,” he said, looking at the sleeping form in the next bed.
“Oh, wow,” she said. “Well, you’re still a hero to me and heroes get hotcakes.” Before Luke could object, she spun around and began to leave. A weak voice stopped her.
“Do I get hotcakes?”
Luke turned to see his father, awake. He smiled.
“I’ll go get Clearia, your nurse,” Kyran answered before she left.
“How are you feeling, Dad?” Luke asked, reaching to rub his father’s shoulder. Anakin’s eyes looked tired and he had a blue cap on his head to keep it warm.
“Good. Better than what I should be. Better than what I deserve.”
“No, Dad. You deserve the best. You saved me from the Emperor.”
“One deed should not redeem me.”
Luke nodded. “Okay. If you feel that way, fine. I am still going to fight for you. You are a good man.”
Anakin rolled his eyes. “You are so much like your mother.”
Luke perked. “Tell me about her, please. If you want justice for all the deeds you were seduced to do, this might be the only time we get to spend together.”
He smiled sadly. “Her name was Padmé. The first time I saw her, I thought she was an angel. She looked and was a lot like your sister. I’m surprised I didn’t make the connection earlier. She was the Queen of Naboo for quite some time, before becoming a senator. She was the tiniest thing with brown hair and brown eyes and more attitude in her pinky than most men have in their entire body. She saw the good in everyone, even me. I loved her so much. She was the reason I fell to the dark side. I thought she was going to die. I thought I could save her. In the end, I killed her.” His breath hitched and tears ran down his face.
Luke was stunned at his father’s revelation. He didn’t know what to say or do as his father openly wept. Finally, Luke blurted, “I forgive you.”
Anakin looked at his son, stunned.
“I forgive you,” Luke repeated. “You might not forgive yourself, but I forgive you.”
Anakin turned his head and nodded. “Thank you, Luke.”
The two sat in silence until a young, very pretty, blue Twi’lek entered with a tray and a smile. “Hi Anakin. You can hear me through the Force, right?”
“I can sense the vibrations from your voice.”
“My name is Clearia, your nurse. How are you feeling this morning?” she asked, placing the tray on one of his bedside tables.
“I feel like I should have died on the Death Star,” Anakin said, truthfully.
“That bad, huh?” the nurse, said, putting her small hand on the blankets covering his shoulder. “I’ll see if I can up your dosage of painkillers.”
“I want off the drugs.”
“What?” both Luke and Clearia sputtered.
“I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve to be alive. I certainly don’t deserve to be pain-free,” tears started to fill his eyes once again. “You deserve the truth, Clearia.”
“Dad. No,” Luke protested.
“I was Darth Vader,” Anakin said, tears streaming down his face. Waves of regret flooded the Force.
Clearia looked from Anakin to Luke, who nodded.
“Darth Vader was a monster,” she said simply. “You don’t look or act like a monster. Monsters don’t cry.”
“And monsters don’t kill other monsters to save their sons,” Luke added. “I promise you, if you want justice, you will get it. From Mon Mothma herself if you wish. But you promised me you would get better first.”
Clearia let out a deep breath. “If you want off the meds, I will need Doctor Sophka’s permission. Are you sure about this?”
“Dad, no, please. You don’t need to do this to yourself,” Luke begged. He turned to the nurse. “If he goes off the pain meds, then so do I.”
“Fine. Getting blackmailed by my own son isn’t something I expected from him,” Anakin mumbled. “But as soon as Mon Mothma has a free hour, I want to see her.”
Luke nodded, “If that is what you want, as soon as I get a comlink, I will get her.”
Kyran entered with a tray and set it on Luke’s lap. It contained a plate of hotcakes and a large glass of blue milk. “Enjoy, young man.” She then left.
Luke dug into his meal, starving.
“Do you want your breakfast, Anakin?” Clearia asked, taking a seat on a stool beside his bed.
“I haven’t had any solid food in a decade and even before then, most of my nutrients were delivered to me my liquid or drip.”
The nurse nodded. “That is what the doctors figured. That is why we are starting you on a semi-solid diet. For this morning we have plain pablum.”
“I guess the punishment for my crimes has begun,” he muttered as Clearia pressed the button that rose the head of the bed. She placed a cloth over his chest to act as a bib. Humiliation rolled off him as he realized he was going to be fed like a baby.
“Yeah, that’s right Dad. We don’t physically torture former Sith Lords here in the Alliance. We humiliate them,” Luke said with a small satisfied smile before he took a swig of blue milk.
“We also force-feed them gross food,” Clearia added, scooping some the pablum out of the small bowl in her hand and holding the spoon in front of his face. “Open.”
He did as he was told, making a face has he realized the soupy cereal had very little taste. He swallowed. A few moments later, he moaned in pain as his stomach started after being more or less dormant for two decades.
Anakin moved his stumps for arms like he wanted to clutch his stomach. The organ cramped as it slowly began its function.
“Do you still want off the pain meds?” Clearia asked sarcastically.
“No, please, no,” the former Sith Lord continued to writhe in pain. He hadn’t experienced this type of pain in years. He reached out to the Force to dull the pain and he was surprised when the Force actually let him.
The nurse put down the bowl and massaged his stomach over the blankets. “Does that feel a bit better?”
He nodded.
“I have to feed you the entire bowl. It’s not that big, but it will be painful. However, the more pain you go through at this meal, the less you will feel at dinner - we won’t torture you with a solid based lunch.”
Anakin gulped as he looked from Clearia to the small bowl of pablum. How could something so simple cause him so much pain? How could it defeat him like this?
Luke, now finished his breakfast, leaned over and put his hand under the blankets. He gripped the end of his father’s arm. “I’m here. You can do this.”
Anakin nodded and opened his mouth.
It was a slow and painful process, but Anakin finished the bowl of pablum. Clearia gave him a final sip of water before she wiped his face clean and took the bib off him.
She set his bed back to its original position. “Now, you two boys get some rest. The remaining personnel on Endor will probably be coming on board Home One in the next few minutes and we will be heading off.”
Luke nodded. “Can I get a comlink? My friends are probably worried about me.”
“Maybe, if you are good and follow your father’s lead and get some rest.”
Luke looked over to see his father sound asleep. A smile crossed his features as he settled back into his pillows and fell asleep as well.
* * *
A few hours later, Luke woke to four familiar presences approaching. The rest of the strike team had apparently been evacuated from the forest moon of Endor. He pressed a button on his bed’s rails to adjust the bed to a sitting position as Leia, Han, Chewbacca and Lando entered. Leia was instantly at his side, holding his hand, saying a million things at once.
“Luke, are you okay? The nurses said we could find you in here but they wouldn’t tell us why. What did the Emperor do to you? Will you be okay?”
“Leia,” Luke said, trying to get her to stop. He set his hand on the green sleeve of her dress that she wore. He squeezed her arm reassuringly. “I’m fine.”
“What are all these machines for?” She began to shake. “Oh gods Luke, please, don’t try to be brave. It’s permanent or chronic and debilitating, isn’t it? It’ll be okay.” She brushed her hand down his arm.
“No, Leia,” Luke groaned. “I am alright.” He tried to explain, but she wouldn’t let him.
“That’s right, Luke,” she said, hugging him and rubbing his arm. “I’m here now, and you’re going to be alright. I’m going to take care of you. I’ll do everything you need.”
Han had gotten annoyed, so he snatched Luke’s chart from the end of his bed. He read it, caught Luke’s ‘help me’ look, and began to chuckle.
“Han!” Leia glared vibroblades at him. “Don’t laugh at Luke’s condition. If he needs me to blend his meals, spoon-feed him and change his diapers, I WILL.”
Han had passed the chart to Chewie and Lando, and they too were laughing. Luke even heard his father, now obviously awake, trying to supress wolfs of laughter.
“Kid, don’t resist her, she’s been worried sick about you since that Death Star blew,” Han informed Luke.
“This is not funny, you guys,” he whined. “Leia, read my chart. The Emperor attacked me with Force lightning. All I need is rest and a non-stressful environment,” he glared at Han, “And I’ll be perfectly fine.”
“Oh,” Leia, said, blushing as she read his chart. “Well then, I am going to take care of you until you are better.”
“Okay,” Luke said with a smile, knowing there was no fighting Leia.
“Uh,” Han raised his hand slightly. “I have a question.”
“What?” Leia asked.
“Who’s that?” Han said, pointing to the form on the other bed. Anakin had his eyes open, taking in the scene. Luke felt his father mentally cringed at what was coming next. All eyes were on him, including Leia’s.
Luke cleared his throat, built up the courage, and then avoided the question. “Leia, have you told them about us?”
She smiled as she turned back to Luke. “Of course, little brother.” She then glanced at the sad excuse of a man in the other bed. “Who is this?”
“Everyone, I would like you to meet the man whom I owe my life. He killed the Emperor. Leia, he’s our father.”
Leia turned as white as Anakin. “No,” she muttered at first, staring at Luke in shocked horror. She then glared at Anakin with pure distain and hatred. “No!” she yelled as she fled the room.
Anakin looked on, hurt and angry with himself.
Enter our female lead.
I need some encouragement to be able to finish this fic, so if you could leave a review, I would love it.
5 points to the house who identifies the Pokémon reference (#childofthe90s).
Chapter Three
Mara Jade held her knees to her chest as she stared at out at the patterns of hyperspace, not sure what to do or what to think. Life felt so bleak now that her master was dead. She had been the Emperor’s Hand. Now, there was no Emperor and no place for her.
She had no home or any purpose. She could have stayed within the Empire and pledged her allegiance to Ysanne Isard, but the thought of having anything to do with that woman made Mara want to kill someone. The Empire was not an undefeatable force without the Emperor. In fact, she was finished with the Empire and its egotistical ways forever. Mara had made this point very clear to Isard, the Director of Imperial Intelligence who was now ruling the government, when she escaped the insane woman’s clutches just hours ago. Without the Emperor to reign, the defeat of the Empire by the Rebel Alliance was now inevitable.
Mara refused to cry. She was taught to be strong, she was taught to serve the man that she saw as a father without emotion. But could she be strong without him?
With his dying breath, Mara’s master had given her one final command and she would fulfill it, both for him and to rid herself of the constant reminder that he was no more. After that, she was finished with the Empire. Then…she didn’t entirely know what life had in store for her. For as long as she could remember, she had been the Emperor’s Hand. Now she had to figure out who Mara Jade was…and be her.
Emotions welled up in her. How could he die? How could he leave her like this, as a nobody? Why hadn’t he prepared her better? She could have taken his place for him. He had called her his child; why could she have been his heir?
Why didn’t he treat her as his child in death like he had in life?
Her master’s final command rang through her head. His voice both gave her comfort and made her want to vomit. It reminded her of what she had been and what she had lost.
YOU WILL KILL DARTH VADER!
* * *
Luke opened his eyes, waking up from his deep sleep, and smiled. His father was on the next bed, sleeping peacefully, no doubt, with the help of heavy drugs. He couldn’t believe that just last evening he had rescued his father from the second Death Star. Luke adjusted his bed so he could sit up. His stomach growled. He looked down and frowned. How long had it been since he’d eaten?
“Ah, the snorelax is finally awake.” Kyran entered, checked his vitals, and wrote on his data-chart. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, rested,” Luke answered, honestly. “Still a bit sore though. What time is it?”
“Mid-morning, Home One time. News around here is we are going to finish up above Endor in the next few hours and then head for Coruscant. Apparently, since both the Emperor and Darth Vader are dead, Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard is ruling the Empire now. But there is so much confusion and infighting, the government is in shambles. Admiral Ackbar is already gone to see if he can take advantage of the situation and Mon Mothma wants to get going as soon as possible. But as for you, you are to rest and regain your strength. So, how do hotcakes sound for breakfast sound for the hero?”
Luke blushed. “I’m, um, not a hero.”
“Nonsense, you did kill the Emperor, didn’t you?”
“No, that would have been my father,” he said, looking at the sleeping form in the next bed.
“Oh, wow,” she said. “Well, you’re still a hero to me and heroes get hotcakes.” Before Luke could object, she spun around and began to leave. A weak voice stopped her.
“Do I get hotcakes?”
Luke turned to see his father, awake. He smiled.
“I’ll go get Clearia, your nurse,” Kyran answered before she left.
“How are you feeling, Dad?” Luke asked, reaching to rub his father’s shoulder. Anakin’s eyes looked tired and he had a blue cap on his head to keep it warm.
“Good. Better than what I should be. Better than what I deserve.”
“No, Dad. You deserve the best. You saved me from the Emperor.”
“One deed should not redeem me.”
Luke nodded. “Okay. If you feel that way, fine. I am still going to fight for you. You are a good man.”
Anakin rolled his eyes. “You are so much like your mother.”
Luke perked. “Tell me about her, please. If you want justice for all the deeds you were seduced to do, this might be the only time we get to spend together.”
He smiled sadly. “Her name was Padmé. The first time I saw her, I thought she was an angel. She looked and was a lot like your sister. I’m surprised I didn’t make the connection earlier. She was the Queen of Naboo for quite some time, before becoming a senator. She was the tiniest thing with brown hair and brown eyes and more attitude in her pinky than most men have in their entire body. She saw the good in everyone, even me. I loved her so much. She was the reason I fell to the dark side. I thought she was going to die. I thought I could save her. In the end, I killed her.” His breath hitched and tears ran down his face.
Luke was stunned at his father’s revelation. He didn’t know what to say or do as his father openly wept. Finally, Luke blurted, “I forgive you.”
Anakin looked at his son, stunned.
“I forgive you,” Luke repeated. “You might not forgive yourself, but I forgive you.”
Anakin turned his head and nodded. “Thank you, Luke.”
The two sat in silence until a young, very pretty, blue Twi’lek entered with a tray and a smile. “Hi Anakin. You can hear me through the Force, right?”
“I can sense the vibrations from your voice.”
“My name is Clearia, your nurse. How are you feeling this morning?” she asked, placing the tray on one of his bedside tables.
“I feel like I should have died on the Death Star,” Anakin said, truthfully.
“That bad, huh?” the nurse, said, putting her small hand on the blankets covering his shoulder. “I’ll see if I can up your dosage of painkillers.”
“I want off the drugs.”
“What?” both Luke and Clearia sputtered.
“I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve to be alive. I certainly don’t deserve to be pain-free,” tears started to fill his eyes once again. “You deserve the truth, Clearia.”
“Dad. No,” Luke protested.
“I was Darth Vader,” Anakin said, tears streaming down his face. Waves of regret flooded the Force.
Clearia looked from Anakin to Luke, who nodded.
“Darth Vader was a monster,” she said simply. “You don’t look or act like a monster. Monsters don’t cry.”
“And monsters don’t kill other monsters to save their sons,” Luke added. “I promise you, if you want justice, you will get it. From Mon Mothma herself if you wish. But you promised me you would get better first.”
Clearia let out a deep breath. “If you want off the meds, I will need Doctor Sophka’s permission. Are you sure about this?”
“Dad, no, please. You don’t need to do this to yourself,” Luke begged. He turned to the nurse. “If he goes off the pain meds, then so do I.”
“Fine. Getting blackmailed by my own son isn’t something I expected from him,” Anakin mumbled. “But as soon as Mon Mothma has a free hour, I want to see her.”
Luke nodded, “If that is what you want, as soon as I get a comlink, I will get her.”
Kyran entered with a tray and set it on Luke’s lap. It contained a plate of hotcakes and a large glass of blue milk. “Enjoy, young man.” She then left.
Luke dug into his meal, starving.
“Do you want your breakfast, Anakin?” Clearia asked, taking a seat on a stool beside his bed.
“I haven’t had any solid food in a decade and even before then, most of my nutrients were delivered to me my liquid or drip.”
The nurse nodded. “That is what the doctors figured. That is why we are starting you on a semi-solid diet. For this morning we have plain pablum.”
“I guess the punishment for my crimes has begun,” he muttered as Clearia pressed the button that rose the head of the bed. She placed a cloth over his chest to act as a bib. Humiliation rolled off him as he realized he was going to be fed like a baby.
“Yeah, that’s right Dad. We don’t physically torture former Sith Lords here in the Alliance. We humiliate them,” Luke said with a small satisfied smile before he took a swig of blue milk.
“We also force-feed them gross food,” Clearia added, scooping some the pablum out of the small bowl in her hand and holding the spoon in front of his face. “Open.”
He did as he was told, making a face has he realized the soupy cereal had very little taste. He swallowed. A few moments later, he moaned in pain as his stomach started after being more or less dormant for two decades.
Anakin moved his stumps for arms like he wanted to clutch his stomach. The organ cramped as it slowly began its function.
“Do you still want off the pain meds?” Clearia asked sarcastically.
“No, please, no,” the former Sith Lord continued to writhe in pain. He hadn’t experienced this type of pain in years. He reached out to the Force to dull the pain and he was surprised when the Force actually let him.
The nurse put down the bowl and massaged his stomach over the blankets. “Does that feel a bit better?”
He nodded.
“I have to feed you the entire bowl. It’s not that big, but it will be painful. However, the more pain you go through at this meal, the less you will feel at dinner - we won’t torture you with a solid based lunch.”
Anakin gulped as he looked from Clearia to the small bowl of pablum. How could something so simple cause him so much pain? How could it defeat him like this?
Luke, now finished his breakfast, leaned over and put his hand under the blankets. He gripped the end of his father’s arm. “I’m here. You can do this.”
Anakin nodded and opened his mouth.
It was a slow and painful process, but Anakin finished the bowl of pablum. Clearia gave him a final sip of water before she wiped his face clean and took the bib off him.
She set his bed back to its original position. “Now, you two boys get some rest. The remaining personnel on Endor will probably be coming on board Home One in the next few minutes and we will be heading off.”
Luke nodded. “Can I get a comlink? My friends are probably worried about me.”
“Maybe, if you are good and follow your father’s lead and get some rest.”
Luke looked over to see his father sound asleep. A smile crossed his features as he settled back into his pillows and fell asleep as well.
* * *
A few hours later, Luke woke to four familiar presences approaching. The rest of the strike team had apparently been evacuated from the forest moon of Endor. He pressed a button on his bed’s rails to adjust the bed to a sitting position as Leia, Han, Chewbacca and Lando entered. Leia was instantly at his side, holding his hand, saying a million things at once.
“Luke, are you okay? The nurses said we could find you in here but they wouldn’t tell us why. What did the Emperor do to you? Will you be okay?”
“Leia,” Luke said, trying to get her to stop. He set his hand on the green sleeve of her dress that she wore. He squeezed her arm reassuringly. “I’m fine.”
“What are all these machines for?” She began to shake. “Oh gods Luke, please, don’t try to be brave. It’s permanent or chronic and debilitating, isn’t it? It’ll be okay.” She brushed her hand down his arm.
“No, Leia,” Luke groaned. “I am alright.” He tried to explain, but she wouldn’t let him.
“That’s right, Luke,” she said, hugging him and rubbing his arm. “I’m here now, and you’re going to be alright. I’m going to take care of you. I’ll do everything you need.”
Han had gotten annoyed, so he snatched Luke’s chart from the end of his bed. He read it, caught Luke’s ‘help me’ look, and began to chuckle.
“Han!” Leia glared vibroblades at him. “Don’t laugh at Luke’s condition. If he needs me to blend his meals, spoon-feed him and change his diapers, I WILL.”
Han had passed the chart to Chewie and Lando, and they too were laughing. Luke even heard his father, now obviously awake, trying to supress wolfs of laughter.
“Kid, don’t resist her, she’s been worried sick about you since that Death Star blew,” Han informed Luke.
“This is not funny, you guys,” he whined. “Leia, read my chart. The Emperor attacked me with Force lightning. All I need is rest and a non-stressful environment,” he glared at Han, “And I’ll be perfectly fine.”
“Oh,” Leia, said, blushing as she read his chart. “Well then, I am going to take care of you until you are better.”
“Okay,” Luke said with a smile, knowing there was no fighting Leia.
“Uh,” Han raised his hand slightly. “I have a question.”
“What?” Leia asked.
“Who’s that?” Han said, pointing to the form on the other bed. Anakin had his eyes open, taking in the scene. Luke felt his father mentally cringed at what was coming next. All eyes were on him, including Leia’s.
Luke cleared his throat, built up the courage, and then avoided the question. “Leia, have you told them about us?”
She smiled as she turned back to Luke. “Of course, little brother.” She then glanced at the sad excuse of a man in the other bed. “Who is this?”
“Everyone, I would like you to meet the man whom I owe my life. He killed the Emperor. Leia, he’s our father.”
Leia turned as white as Anakin. “No,” she muttered at first, staring at Luke in shocked horror. She then glared at Anakin with pure distain and hatred. “No!” she yelled as she fled the room.
Anakin looked on, hurt and angry with himself.