Saving You, Part 3, Star Wars AU, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Rated PG-13
Title: Saving You, Part 3
Author: my_ani
Fandom: Star Wars AU
Characters: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Jamus, boy
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: A little bad language.
Word Count: 3160
Disclaimers: This is a work of fanfiction; Luke and Vader belong to Lucas.
Summary: Luke has been captured by Darth Vader and taken to his star destroyer.
Saving You, Part 3
Luke awoke to the low murmur of voices in the outer room. He lay quietly a moment, his body limp and relaxed, his head pillowed by the thick coverings on the bed, trying to remember where exactly he was and how he came to be there. He must have been asleep again, he thought ruefully. Turning his head slightly he looked through the doorway into the other room. Vader’s chambers. However, he didn’t hear his father’s rhythmic breathing and was surprised to find he was disappointed.
A figure walked across the outer room, easily identified as Jamus, his gray-white hair gleaming in the lights. Luke frowned. The old man probably wouldn’t be too thrilled to find Luke here and want some kind of explanation that he wouldn’t believe anyway. Maybe if Luke stayed still he wouldn’t be discovered, his dark clothing blended in nicely with the dark bed coverings. Then his thoughts were interrupted by another voice, a younger voice, instead of Jamus’ rough tones.
“But Jamus, there’s nothing to do here. There’s nobody to talk to except you and you’re always busy.”
“You have everything you could want, boy. Don’t upset the boat by whining about everything.”
“I’m not whining.”
Luke felt a grin cross his face. Oh yes, he was whining! It was the brat he’d encountered earlier who’d knocked him flat on his ass. He turned carefully and squirmed closer to the end of the bed until he could just see the boy’s figure standing slump-shouldered by the chair Luke had sat in earlier.
“Sounds a bit like whining to me. But then what do I know. I’m just a used up old man, eh?”
The boy hung his head. “I was mad when I said that earlier. You know I didn’t mean it.”
“Humph. I think you’ve gotten into the habit of saying a lot of things you shouldn’t. Why don’t you go on back to your quarters. You know Vader doesn’t want you rambling around too much, especially with that other one so close by.”
The boy suddenly kicked the chair furiously. “Why’s he here? What does Lord Vader want with him? I thought…I thought…maybe he’d start training me a little. But now he won’t if he’s got him.
Jamus walked into view and stopped in front of the boy, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Vader explained why he couldn’t train you, boy. It’s too dangerous for you where he goes. Better if he finds you another to teach you.”
“What about him, that Luke? Why does he get trained?”
Jamus hesitated, a strange expression on his face. “I…don’t think it’s like that. It’s a funny situation.”
“If he’s not going to train Luke then why’s he got him here?”
“Perhaps he’s protecting him. Like he’s protecting you.”
“Yeah, but he’s taking care of me ‘cause he has to. He promised. Luke’s grown up and can take care of himself.”
“Perhaps Vader doesn’t see it that way.” He stared at the boy a few moments and Luke was surprised to see a wide smile cross the old man’s face. “I think I want something good to eat. I heard there’s a new sweet shop that’s opened up on one of the upper levels. I thought I might check it out if I had some company.”
The boy grinned and nodded his head and they exited the room, lights dimming behind them. Luke stretched out again and folded his arms behind his head, running the odd conversation through his head again. Sooooo…the brat was under Vader’s protection because he promised. Somehow, he couldn’t quite picture his father promising to do anything, it just didn’t sound like something a Dark Lord would be doing.
And then there was Jamus’ comment about Vader protecting Luke. It should have been an infuriating idea but instead it gave him a funny feeling in his chest. But the brat was right; Luke could take care of himself. So why did he have to feel that little thrill of pleasure at the thought of the Dark Lord protecting him?
There was also the question of where exactly the annoying boy came from and where he would be going. Luke felt a certain reluctant sympathy for his situation, being forced to be somewhere he didn’t particularly want to be. And why hadn’t Vader jumped at the chance to train the boy, to convert him to his dark ways? Because of a promise apparently. A promise to protect. And that idea most certainly did not fit the description of Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, most evil man in the galaxy.
A sudden rattle startled Luke and he sat up quickly. Peering around the doorway, he saw one of the servant droids cleaning off the table that Luke had eaten his meal at earlier. A sudden thought occurred to him. “Hey…hey, wait! Is there any more of that green stuff left?”
He bounded off the bed and into the other room and confronted a silvery droid in the process of loading the dishes and food remains onto a small cart. The droid froze in its actions. “Sir?”
Luke pointed at the tall decanter of green wine that sat innocently sparkling on the table. “I’ll keep that for a while. And the glass.” He snatched the glass out of the droid’s hand and moved the wine to a safer location.
“As you wish, sir.”
Luke retreated back to the bed chamber and set his prize on the narrow table nearest the bed after pouring his glass half full. He reclined against the high pillows, sighing as they seemed to mold themselves to his back. Did Vader really sleep here? Minus armored suit and helmet? Studying the mesmerizing idea, he finished his glass of wine plus half of another before he felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingle. His father was nearby. As a matter of fact…
He looked up to see a silent black figure standing just outside the chamber’s opening. How long he’d been there, Luke wasn’t quite sure, but his heart was racing suddenly at an extraordinary speed under the riveting gaze of the ebony mask.
“How…how do you do that? Make yourself so silent that I can’t even hear the breathing? You did that on Bespin…” Luke’s voice came out in a near whisper, a little hoarse, with more than a touch of trepidation in it. At first he thought Vader wouldn’t answer but then he moved abruptly and there came the sound of the respirator, cycling rhythmically in the quiet of the room, as if it had never been absent.
“Did you want something, Luke?” His voice rumbled deeply but was without inflection and Luke could sense nothing about his mood though it did not seem to be dark.
“Want something?” Luke stared at him, bemused, and suddenly wondered when the armored man had become a comfortable familiarity to him instead of a figure to fear and run from.
Vader stepped closer to the side of the bed, staring down at his son, or at least that’s what he appeared to be doing since the gleaming mask was as impenetrable as always. “Yes, Luke. You’re still here and appear to be waiting.”
Luke grinned and laid his head back and said the one thing that floated to the top of his tangled thoughts. “It’s…relaxing…here.”
The Dark Lord seemed to ponder on that for a moment. “And it is not relaxing in your own cabin?”
Luke’s grin faded as quickly as it had appeared. He was forgetting himself. Forgetting where he was and who he was supposed to be. “You want me to leave.” He sat up abruptly, swinging his legs off the bed, but froze when his father laid a light hand on his shoulder. “Force…” The touch sent Luke’s heart into a frenetic beat and he felt the Force flare brilliantly, as if his veins were on fire and the very foundation of his being seemed to shift.
Vader removed his hand quickly and took a step backward as though touching Luke had burned him somehow. “I did not ask you to leave, Luke.” His voice sounded strange, a little slurred even with the vocoder and Luke wondered suddenly what his real voice sounded like, wondered if he would ever be permitted to hear it.
Luke’s hands clenched tightly on the edge of the bed. “I…didn’t mean to trespass. I just…I just…” He stopped, unable to express what he wanted to, unsure of even what it was that he wanted to say. Needed to say to this man who had sired him, fought him, and now protected him. His brain didn’t seem able to compute a reasonable reaction to the peculiar situation he found himself in.
Vader’s hands had clenched into fists though he did not seem angry. He never seemed angry anymore and that was another anomaly Luke hadn’t expected to encounter while under his father’s care and he wondered if he could be brave enough to discover the reason why.
“You are not…trespassing." Vader paused as if seeking the right words. “I merely inquired if you were comfortable in your cabin and had not meant to imply you were not welcome in this one.”
“Oh.” Luke felt his face burn. Still the dumb farmboy sometimes. Han would laugh if he could see him and tell him he was insane to be sitting on the edge of the bed and having such a strange conversation with the most villainous being in the known galaxy.
Vader turned away abruptly. “I have some research to do, Luke. Would you like to sit with me?” He paused to look back. “You can bring the rest of the wine.”
Luke lifted his chin. Was that amusement he heard lacing his father’s voice? “Sure.” He trailed after the older man, the almost empty bottle held in one hand. Vader undid his heavy cape, let it drop negligently on the floor, and seated himself at one of the monitors. Luke eyed the abandoned black heap of expensive cloth warily. Somehow it didn’t seem appropriate for it to be on the floor like that. He curled up in the chair nearest his father and took a quick swig of the green liquid. He didn’t think he was drunk, it wasn’t quite strong enough, but he thought maybe his natural cautiousness had been loosened a bit.
“What are you looking for?” Luke hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud until the black gloved hands paused. The dim lights threw shadows around the room and Luke could see his distorted reflection in the shiny ebony eyes as Vader turned his head momentarily.
“Information concerning the governing body of a nearby moon. I am to meet with them shortly.”
Luke grunted in reply. It seemed such a mundane activity for such a warrior as Darth Vader.
“Do you know how to shield, Luke?”
Luke’s head snapped up at the unexpected question. “What…yes, of course. Ben taught me and…and…another.” Luke cursed himself for mentioning Ben Kenobi. He had a feeling it was a name that wouldn’t be conducive to good relations with his father. Besides, he’d been saving it for a more opportune moment, if needed. “Why do you ask? Can you…tell…what I’m thinking?”
“I have not tried, Luke. But your shielding is…leaking. Perhaps you might want to work at strengthening it. I do not want your presence detected.”
Luke frowned. Well, that didn’t sound good. As a matter of fact, it kind of had the sound of a reprimand. He was “leaking.” He looked at the bottle he still held and then set it firmly on the floor. “I’ll see what I can do.” His father didn’t reply, concentrating on the spill of information across the screen.
He thought about asking Vader about the boy. Thought about asking why didn’t Vader train him since he was obviously Force gifted. But no, he’d keep his knowledge of the boy secret for a while. But what else had Jamus said? He’d implied that Vader wouldn’t be training Luke either and that was unexpected. Luke felt he should be relieved. Should be glad there would be no dark and secretive Sith training. But he couldn’t figure out why. Perhaps his father didn’t consider him worth training.
His stomach churned suddenly and he stood and then paced around the spacious room, touching here and there and trying to get a sense of who his father was behind the image he so skillfully projected. He stared out the large window for a while, working to calm himself, to get better control of himself.
After a while he tired of the tedious work and slowly walked back over to his father to stand behind him. He knew Vader could sense him there and wondered how the man would react if he lay his hand on his shoulder, as Vader had done to his earlier. Would there still be that connection? That thrilling and terrifying recognition and sense of belonging? He had almost made up his mind to try it when the doors to the chamber slid open with a whisper of a sound.
Luke stepped back immediately as Jamus stalked into the room. “There you are. I thought you’d had your meal and left. How did you end up back in here again?” He glowered at Luke, stepping close to Vader’s side as if to deflect Luke’s presence.
Luke felt a surge of anger at how the old man was trying to keep track of his movements. And he was always interrupting. “Same way you got in here. Through the doors.” Luke gave Jamus a benign smile.
“Is something wrong, Jamus?” They both turned to look at Vader who had turned in his seat to watch them both, the irritation evident even in the synthesized voice.
“Oh, no. I thought maybe young Luke here had misplaced himself again. I didn’t know he’d returned here.”
Luke waited to see if Vader would reveal that Luke had never left the rooms after his dinner but his father silently turned back to his screen.
“I’ll be returning to my cabin for a while, father. If it’s alright with Jamus, of course.” Luke had the satisfaction of seeing the old man stiffen, his dark eyes glaring. When Vader didn’t reply, Luke walked casually out the door, having paused to snatch up the bottle of green liquid that didn’t look nearly as sparkly as it had earlier.
When the doors had closed behind him, he quickly gulped down the remaining liquid. He simmered as he thought of Jamus. Hateful old bastard. He’d been kind to the boy. Why did he dislike Luke so much?
*****
More days floated past, a never-ending cycle of greyness. Luke ate and slept and exercised. He meditated, or tried to, in the way that Ben Kenobi had tried to show him so many eons ago aboard the Falcon. Yoda’s instructions were clearer in his memory, but he still felt his ineptness. Vader’s casual comment about his shields still rankled him and he worked carefully to shore up any weaknesses he perceived. But he still felt as though he were fumbling his way along in the dark.
He had finally reconciled himself to the fact that he would likely be separated from his Rebel friends indefinitely. He tried to picture their faces in his mind. Wedge’s cheerful, good-natured face with the mop of unruly dark hair. Chewbacca’s long-haired Wookiee face that Luke knew he’d be able to recognize even in a sea of Wookiees. Han’s lop-sized grin and that shifty look he sometimes got in his eyes that made him look like he was lying even when he wasn’t. And Leia. He could remember every detail of her beautiful face. Leia was what made him hurt deep in his heart. He felt that he had failed her by being foolish enough to get himself captured. It was because of him that Han had been taken by the bounty hunter and Luke felt it was his place to set things right again.
“But I can’t do that on this floating iceberg!” He punched the wall that he leaned against and was rewarded by numbing and tingling fingers on his left hand. He sighed and wondered why he hadn’t the sense to at least use his new and improved one.
Another thing that weighed on his mind was the growing attraction he’d noticed between Leia and Han. Who among the rebellion hadn’t noticed except perhaps the couple themselves. At first Luke had been wracked with jealousy. Hadn’t he been the one to rescue her? Han would have left her in the detention center with never a guilty thought about it. It was Luke that had tried to comfort her when he learned her father had died when Alderaan was destroyed. But some things were inevitable and he had that feeling about Leia and the scruffy pilot and ex-smuggler.
Luke had thought that perhaps he was meant to follow in the old Jedi way and not form any attachments. Ben had touched on the subject but had not explained things very thoroughly. It really didn’t make much sense anyway. Ben had called Luke’s father a friend and that was certainly an attachment. Then there was the fact that Luke had been born which meant his Jedi father had certainly been attached to somebody. Which meant that Vader had been attached enough to somebody to create a child. He examined the strange idea and discovered it wasn’t as fantastical as it once would have been.
He gave a long drawn out sigh as, once again, his thoughts turned to the complex man who now held the label of “father.” He was puzzled by the fact that his feelings about the man had changed somewhere along the line. They’d taken a detour from hatred and terror to the land of curiosity and fascination. And he had to admit that the childhood fantasies of his father paled in comparison with the real thing.
Luke’s thoughts were interrupted by a soft booted footfall in the corridor. He peeked out of the alcove he had been leaning in and a slow smile crept across his face. At last. The boy had been following him for days, quiet as a shadow, and almost invisible if not for Luke’s heightened perception through the Force. Luke was quite impressed with the boy’s skills though he hadn’t quite decided to forgive his actions when they’d first met. Luke had very carefully slipped away after awakening that morning, knowing the boy would search until he found him.
The boy slowly eased down the corridor. So fluid were his movements that Luke thought he may not have seen him if he hadn’t known through the Force that he was indeed there. But Luke was growing tired of games. He wanted answers. Reaching out he grabbed the boy, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “Gotcha!” That was his first mistake of the day.
Saving You, Part 1
Saving You, Part 2
Author: my_ani
Fandom: Star Wars AU
Characters: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Jamus, boy
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: A little bad language.
Word Count: 3160
Disclaimers: This is a work of fanfiction; Luke and Vader belong to Lucas.
Summary: Luke has been captured by Darth Vader and taken to his star destroyer.
Saving You, Part 3
Luke awoke to the low murmur of voices in the outer room. He lay quietly a moment, his body limp and relaxed, his head pillowed by the thick coverings on the bed, trying to remember where exactly he was and how he came to be there. He must have been asleep again, he thought ruefully. Turning his head slightly he looked through the doorway into the other room. Vader’s chambers. However, he didn’t hear his father’s rhythmic breathing and was surprised to find he was disappointed.
A figure walked across the outer room, easily identified as Jamus, his gray-white hair gleaming in the lights. Luke frowned. The old man probably wouldn’t be too thrilled to find Luke here and want some kind of explanation that he wouldn’t believe anyway. Maybe if Luke stayed still he wouldn’t be discovered, his dark clothing blended in nicely with the dark bed coverings. Then his thoughts were interrupted by another voice, a younger voice, instead of Jamus’ rough tones.
“But Jamus, there’s nothing to do here. There’s nobody to talk to except you and you’re always busy.”
“You have everything you could want, boy. Don’t upset the boat by whining about everything.”
“I’m not whining.”
Luke felt a grin cross his face. Oh yes, he was whining! It was the brat he’d encountered earlier who’d knocked him flat on his ass. He turned carefully and squirmed closer to the end of the bed until he could just see the boy’s figure standing slump-shouldered by the chair Luke had sat in earlier.
“Sounds a bit like whining to me. But then what do I know. I’m just a used up old man, eh?”
The boy hung his head. “I was mad when I said that earlier. You know I didn’t mean it.”
“Humph. I think you’ve gotten into the habit of saying a lot of things you shouldn’t. Why don’t you go on back to your quarters. You know Vader doesn’t want you rambling around too much, especially with that other one so close by.”
The boy suddenly kicked the chair furiously. “Why’s he here? What does Lord Vader want with him? I thought…I thought…maybe he’d start training me a little. But now he won’t if he’s got him.
Jamus walked into view and stopped in front of the boy, placing his hands on his shoulders. “Vader explained why he couldn’t train you, boy. It’s too dangerous for you where he goes. Better if he finds you another to teach you.”
“What about him, that Luke? Why does he get trained?”
Jamus hesitated, a strange expression on his face. “I…don’t think it’s like that. It’s a funny situation.”
“If he’s not going to train Luke then why’s he got him here?”
“Perhaps he’s protecting him. Like he’s protecting you.”
“Yeah, but he’s taking care of me ‘cause he has to. He promised. Luke’s grown up and can take care of himself.”
“Perhaps Vader doesn’t see it that way.” He stared at the boy a few moments and Luke was surprised to see a wide smile cross the old man’s face. “I think I want something good to eat. I heard there’s a new sweet shop that’s opened up on one of the upper levels. I thought I might check it out if I had some company.”
The boy grinned and nodded his head and they exited the room, lights dimming behind them. Luke stretched out again and folded his arms behind his head, running the odd conversation through his head again. Sooooo…the brat was under Vader’s protection because he promised. Somehow, he couldn’t quite picture his father promising to do anything, it just didn’t sound like something a Dark Lord would be doing.
And then there was Jamus’ comment about Vader protecting Luke. It should have been an infuriating idea but instead it gave him a funny feeling in his chest. But the brat was right; Luke could take care of himself. So why did he have to feel that little thrill of pleasure at the thought of the Dark Lord protecting him?
There was also the question of where exactly the annoying boy came from and where he would be going. Luke felt a certain reluctant sympathy for his situation, being forced to be somewhere he didn’t particularly want to be. And why hadn’t Vader jumped at the chance to train the boy, to convert him to his dark ways? Because of a promise apparently. A promise to protect. And that idea most certainly did not fit the description of Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, most evil man in the galaxy.
A sudden rattle startled Luke and he sat up quickly. Peering around the doorway, he saw one of the servant droids cleaning off the table that Luke had eaten his meal at earlier. A sudden thought occurred to him. “Hey…hey, wait! Is there any more of that green stuff left?”
He bounded off the bed and into the other room and confronted a silvery droid in the process of loading the dishes and food remains onto a small cart. The droid froze in its actions. “Sir?”
Luke pointed at the tall decanter of green wine that sat innocently sparkling on the table. “I’ll keep that for a while. And the glass.” He snatched the glass out of the droid’s hand and moved the wine to a safer location.
“As you wish, sir.”
Luke retreated back to the bed chamber and set his prize on the narrow table nearest the bed after pouring his glass half full. He reclined against the high pillows, sighing as they seemed to mold themselves to his back. Did Vader really sleep here? Minus armored suit and helmet? Studying the mesmerizing idea, he finished his glass of wine plus half of another before he felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingle. His father was nearby. As a matter of fact…
He looked up to see a silent black figure standing just outside the chamber’s opening. How long he’d been there, Luke wasn’t quite sure, but his heart was racing suddenly at an extraordinary speed under the riveting gaze of the ebony mask.
“How…how do you do that? Make yourself so silent that I can’t even hear the breathing? You did that on Bespin…” Luke’s voice came out in a near whisper, a little hoarse, with more than a touch of trepidation in it. At first he thought Vader wouldn’t answer but then he moved abruptly and there came the sound of the respirator, cycling rhythmically in the quiet of the room, as if it had never been absent.
“Did you want something, Luke?” His voice rumbled deeply but was without inflection and Luke could sense nothing about his mood though it did not seem to be dark.
“Want something?” Luke stared at him, bemused, and suddenly wondered when the armored man had become a comfortable familiarity to him instead of a figure to fear and run from.
Vader stepped closer to the side of the bed, staring down at his son, or at least that’s what he appeared to be doing since the gleaming mask was as impenetrable as always. “Yes, Luke. You’re still here and appear to be waiting.”
Luke grinned and laid his head back and said the one thing that floated to the top of his tangled thoughts. “It’s…relaxing…here.”
The Dark Lord seemed to ponder on that for a moment. “And it is not relaxing in your own cabin?”
Luke’s grin faded as quickly as it had appeared. He was forgetting himself. Forgetting where he was and who he was supposed to be. “You want me to leave.” He sat up abruptly, swinging his legs off the bed, but froze when his father laid a light hand on his shoulder. “Force…” The touch sent Luke’s heart into a frenetic beat and he felt the Force flare brilliantly, as if his veins were on fire and the very foundation of his being seemed to shift.
Vader removed his hand quickly and took a step backward as though touching Luke had burned him somehow. “I did not ask you to leave, Luke.” His voice sounded strange, a little slurred even with the vocoder and Luke wondered suddenly what his real voice sounded like, wondered if he would ever be permitted to hear it.
Luke’s hands clenched tightly on the edge of the bed. “I…didn’t mean to trespass. I just…I just…” He stopped, unable to express what he wanted to, unsure of even what it was that he wanted to say. Needed to say to this man who had sired him, fought him, and now protected him. His brain didn’t seem able to compute a reasonable reaction to the peculiar situation he found himself in.
Vader’s hands had clenched into fists though he did not seem angry. He never seemed angry anymore and that was another anomaly Luke hadn’t expected to encounter while under his father’s care and he wondered if he could be brave enough to discover the reason why.
“You are not…trespassing." Vader paused as if seeking the right words. “I merely inquired if you were comfortable in your cabin and had not meant to imply you were not welcome in this one.”
“Oh.” Luke felt his face burn. Still the dumb farmboy sometimes. Han would laugh if he could see him and tell him he was insane to be sitting on the edge of the bed and having such a strange conversation with the most villainous being in the known galaxy.
Vader turned away abruptly. “I have some research to do, Luke. Would you like to sit with me?” He paused to look back. “You can bring the rest of the wine.”
Luke lifted his chin. Was that amusement he heard lacing his father’s voice? “Sure.” He trailed after the older man, the almost empty bottle held in one hand. Vader undid his heavy cape, let it drop negligently on the floor, and seated himself at one of the monitors. Luke eyed the abandoned black heap of expensive cloth warily. Somehow it didn’t seem appropriate for it to be on the floor like that. He curled up in the chair nearest his father and took a quick swig of the green liquid. He didn’t think he was drunk, it wasn’t quite strong enough, but he thought maybe his natural cautiousness had been loosened a bit.
“What are you looking for?” Luke hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud until the black gloved hands paused. The dim lights threw shadows around the room and Luke could see his distorted reflection in the shiny ebony eyes as Vader turned his head momentarily.
“Information concerning the governing body of a nearby moon. I am to meet with them shortly.”
Luke grunted in reply. It seemed such a mundane activity for such a warrior as Darth Vader.
“Do you know how to shield, Luke?”
Luke’s head snapped up at the unexpected question. “What…yes, of course. Ben taught me and…and…another.” Luke cursed himself for mentioning Ben Kenobi. He had a feeling it was a name that wouldn’t be conducive to good relations with his father. Besides, he’d been saving it for a more opportune moment, if needed. “Why do you ask? Can you…tell…what I’m thinking?”
“I have not tried, Luke. But your shielding is…leaking. Perhaps you might want to work at strengthening it. I do not want your presence detected.”
Luke frowned. Well, that didn’t sound good. As a matter of fact, it kind of had the sound of a reprimand. He was “leaking.” He looked at the bottle he still held and then set it firmly on the floor. “I’ll see what I can do.” His father didn’t reply, concentrating on the spill of information across the screen.
He thought about asking Vader about the boy. Thought about asking why didn’t Vader train him since he was obviously Force gifted. But no, he’d keep his knowledge of the boy secret for a while. But what else had Jamus said? He’d implied that Vader wouldn’t be training Luke either and that was unexpected. Luke felt he should be relieved. Should be glad there would be no dark and secretive Sith training. But he couldn’t figure out why. Perhaps his father didn’t consider him worth training.
His stomach churned suddenly and he stood and then paced around the spacious room, touching here and there and trying to get a sense of who his father was behind the image he so skillfully projected. He stared out the large window for a while, working to calm himself, to get better control of himself.
After a while he tired of the tedious work and slowly walked back over to his father to stand behind him. He knew Vader could sense him there and wondered how the man would react if he lay his hand on his shoulder, as Vader had done to his earlier. Would there still be that connection? That thrilling and terrifying recognition and sense of belonging? He had almost made up his mind to try it when the doors to the chamber slid open with a whisper of a sound.
Luke stepped back immediately as Jamus stalked into the room. “There you are. I thought you’d had your meal and left. How did you end up back in here again?” He glowered at Luke, stepping close to Vader’s side as if to deflect Luke’s presence.
Luke felt a surge of anger at how the old man was trying to keep track of his movements. And he was always interrupting. “Same way you got in here. Through the doors.” Luke gave Jamus a benign smile.
“Is something wrong, Jamus?” They both turned to look at Vader who had turned in his seat to watch them both, the irritation evident even in the synthesized voice.
“Oh, no. I thought maybe young Luke here had misplaced himself again. I didn’t know he’d returned here.”
Luke waited to see if Vader would reveal that Luke had never left the rooms after his dinner but his father silently turned back to his screen.
“I’ll be returning to my cabin for a while, father. If it’s alright with Jamus, of course.” Luke had the satisfaction of seeing the old man stiffen, his dark eyes glaring. When Vader didn’t reply, Luke walked casually out the door, having paused to snatch up the bottle of green liquid that didn’t look nearly as sparkly as it had earlier.
When the doors had closed behind him, he quickly gulped down the remaining liquid. He simmered as he thought of Jamus. Hateful old bastard. He’d been kind to the boy. Why did he dislike Luke so much?
*****
More days floated past, a never-ending cycle of greyness. Luke ate and slept and exercised. He meditated, or tried to, in the way that Ben Kenobi had tried to show him so many eons ago aboard the Falcon. Yoda’s instructions were clearer in his memory, but he still felt his ineptness. Vader’s casual comment about his shields still rankled him and he worked carefully to shore up any weaknesses he perceived. But he still felt as though he were fumbling his way along in the dark.
He had finally reconciled himself to the fact that he would likely be separated from his Rebel friends indefinitely. He tried to picture their faces in his mind. Wedge’s cheerful, good-natured face with the mop of unruly dark hair. Chewbacca’s long-haired Wookiee face that Luke knew he’d be able to recognize even in a sea of Wookiees. Han’s lop-sized grin and that shifty look he sometimes got in his eyes that made him look like he was lying even when he wasn’t. And Leia. He could remember every detail of her beautiful face. Leia was what made him hurt deep in his heart. He felt that he had failed her by being foolish enough to get himself captured. It was because of him that Han had been taken by the bounty hunter and Luke felt it was his place to set things right again.
“But I can’t do that on this floating iceberg!” He punched the wall that he leaned against and was rewarded by numbing and tingling fingers on his left hand. He sighed and wondered why he hadn’t the sense to at least use his new and improved one.
Another thing that weighed on his mind was the growing attraction he’d noticed between Leia and Han. Who among the rebellion hadn’t noticed except perhaps the couple themselves. At first Luke had been wracked with jealousy. Hadn’t he been the one to rescue her? Han would have left her in the detention center with never a guilty thought about it. It was Luke that had tried to comfort her when he learned her father had died when Alderaan was destroyed. But some things were inevitable and he had that feeling about Leia and the scruffy pilot and ex-smuggler.
Luke had thought that perhaps he was meant to follow in the old Jedi way and not form any attachments. Ben had touched on the subject but had not explained things very thoroughly. It really didn’t make much sense anyway. Ben had called Luke’s father a friend and that was certainly an attachment. Then there was the fact that Luke had been born which meant his Jedi father had certainly been attached to somebody. Which meant that Vader had been attached enough to somebody to create a child. He examined the strange idea and discovered it wasn’t as fantastical as it once would have been.
He gave a long drawn out sigh as, once again, his thoughts turned to the complex man who now held the label of “father.” He was puzzled by the fact that his feelings about the man had changed somewhere along the line. They’d taken a detour from hatred and terror to the land of curiosity and fascination. And he had to admit that the childhood fantasies of his father paled in comparison with the real thing.
Luke’s thoughts were interrupted by a soft booted footfall in the corridor. He peeked out of the alcove he had been leaning in and a slow smile crept across his face. At last. The boy had been following him for days, quiet as a shadow, and almost invisible if not for Luke’s heightened perception through the Force. Luke was quite impressed with the boy’s skills though he hadn’t quite decided to forgive his actions when they’d first met. Luke had very carefully slipped away after awakening that morning, knowing the boy would search until he found him.
The boy slowly eased down the corridor. So fluid were his movements that Luke thought he may not have seen him if he hadn’t known through the Force that he was indeed there. But Luke was growing tired of games. He wanted answers. Reaching out he grabbed the boy, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “Gotcha!” That was his first mistake of the day.
Saving You, Part 1
Saving You, Part 2