Title: Up From Slavery

Author: Liz Skywalker

E-Mail: lizskywalker@hotmail.com

Website: http://www.geocities.com/lizskywalker

Feedback: Yes. Constructive criticism only. Flames will be given in as homework 
assignments.

Category: AU

Spoilers: Original Trilogy, Thrawn Trilogy.

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Shame isn't it?

Posting: Ask and, behold!, it will be.

Summery: Luke's a slave on Tatooine.


	"HOO HOO HOO!" The laugh broke through the confusion that Owen was being 
dizzied with. What was Jabba doing here? And more importantly, Owen thought 
wildly, why was Luke outside near him??? Indeed, there was young Luke, jumping 
around Jabba's men like he had no care in the world. Luke should have something 
to worry about, Owen thought frustrated. He should have to worry about the crops 
coming in, about whether there will be enough moisture for them to drink, have 
to worry about VADER, for Sith's sake. But Owen quieted himself. Luke was just a 
boy, barely 5 Standard, he shouldn't have to have the weight of the galaxy on 
his shoulders. After all, that was what he was preventing by sending Obi-Wan 
away time after time.

	"Lars," Jabba's majordomo, Posey, began with disgust as he approached. 
"You are in major trouble. You owe Jabba money, big time."

	"Look, Posey, I can get you the money by next season. I just don't have 
the money now." Owen said nervously.

	"It's too late, Lars. Jabba will have to find another way to get his 
money." Posey looked around the farm disapprovingly, eyes finally settling on 
Luke. "Jabba will take him as a slave to pay off your debt." He said finally.


	Owen was desperate. "No, anything but him. I'll go, Posey, just don't take 
him! He's the world to me and to Beru! She can't live without him!"

	"Then you'll learn to pay on time." Posey turned and snapped his fingers 
at one of the beings hanging around. "Get the boy! We don't have all day!" They 
complied. Luke looked back as they picked him up and waved sadly. He understood 
what was going on. He also understood that no matter how hard he thought his 
last life to be, this was going to be much harder.

	Owen heard someone approaching from behind him. Beru. "He's gone, isn't 
he?" She asked, sadly.

	"Yes." Owen stated as unemotionally as possible.

	"Why do you have to be so proud, Owen? Why won't you go to Obi-Wan? Even 
now, I can tell you won't go. Why, Owen? For Luke's sake."

	"You know how much more trouble Luke'll be in if that old hermit gets his 
hands on him? No, Beru, I'll find a way to get Luke away from Jabba by myself. I 
don't need that mythical force to help me!" Owen spun on his heel and marched 
back into the homestead, Beru following silently behind him.


That night:

	A silent, dark figure slipped through the shadows around the giant 
fortress. The figure glided up to the back where all the garbage was thrown. 
'Well, that commando training finally came in handy,' the figure thought 
ironically. He crept along the perimeter, slowly coming in closer to the 
building. It took a standard hour for him to get to the back entrance of Jabba's 
Palace. 

	Owen took out a laser rifle and pushed a code. It hummed to life. Beru had 
always wondered why he had kept his commando uniform and weapons from the clone 
wars. He had always answered that it might come in handy some day. Well, this 
was that day. He hadn't seen much action during the wars, so everything was 
still in top condition, if a little old. There was only one tool missing. Owen 
couldn't even remember what it had been for. If he had, maybe he would've 
succeeded that night in recapturing Luke. As it was, he was lucky to get away 
with his life.

	As he crossed an unseen line, silent alarms went off all over the palace. 
Guards ran to their posts, grumbling that the best time for drills was NOT in 
the middle of the night. Jabba himself didn't deign to wake up, feeling safe in 
the knowledge that no one could get past his defenses. Boba Fett, at the palace 
to pick up a bounty, immediately came alert, his scanners penetrating the walls, 
searching for an adversary. But down in the slaves' quarters, little Luke 
Skywalker didn't stir, having been worn out from his first day as a slave.

	Owen was thirty paces in when he felt it, a tension in the air. Spinning 
around, he came face to face with a Gamorean. A sinking feeling came over him. 
When there's one, there's always more, a lot more. Owen took a step backwards. 
As more and more Gamoreans came out of the darkness, he turned and ran. 
Sprinting, he made the door before it was closed. 

	He leaned against the wall outside, panting. He wasn't in as much shape as 
he had thought he was, and it still was a bit to get to his speeder. He looked 
around. Speeders were coming. And so was dawn. Owen sighed. No matter what it 
took, he'd get Luke out of there. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure 
out how.


	Over the next few months, Jabba's fortress was nightly breeched until 
Jabba got fed up and installed a new security system. Owen was forced to stop 
his nightly rescue attempts, but was still too proud to tell Obi-Wan about Luke. 
As for Luke, he had settled in as a slave, and after a few weeks of labor, could 
hardly remember what his former life was like save that he had one.

	And on far off Coruscant, Vader found out he had a son. But all his 
meditations couldn't breach the deep shields Obi-Wan had placed around Luke as a 
newborn. But he kept trying. He knew that one day it would pay off, that he 
would be united with his son.


A Few Years Later:


	Luke looked up from the hyperdrive he was fixing. In one hour, he would 
have some free time. He couldn't wait to get started on his new pod. He had 
never tried to make one before and was excited to begin this challenge. He had 
build a speeder, a transfer, and blaster, and other things, but they had all 
been found and taken away. The supervisor had called him 'Little Skywalker' and 
tousled his hair before confiscating them. Slaves weren't allowed any hobbies.

	Luke sometimes wondered what they were supposed to do in their free hour 
if they weren't allowed to have hobbies. But like all his other questions, it 
was never asked. Questions were frowned upon, he learned that quickly.

	He had learned a lot as a slave. He had learned never to be seen by the 
Master, to never be seen by the Supervisor, to basically stay out of sight and 
to do his jobs. His jobs were always hard. No matter how tough the last one had 
been, the next one was always more difficult. It sometimes seemed that they 
wanted him to fail. And he did, frequently. But he never failed at a mechanics 
job. He had heard a Supervisor chuckle over his name. He said that mechanics 
were in Skywalkers' blood. Luke was too scared to ask what that meant.

	But he could fix anything, he found out quickly. But finishing something 
too quickly made the Supervisors notice him, so he went as slow as he could. He 
hoped that his hiding place for the pod was good. He didn't want it taken away 
like the other hobbies were. He was scared at what would happen if it was found 
out. He could still feel the punishment when the speeder he had been working on 
was found. It wasn't the only punishment that had left scars on his back, but it 
had left the most scars and it had kept him in bed for a month. He didn't want 
that to happen again.

	Luke's life was filled with fear. Fear of being whipped, fear of having 
his hobbies taken away, fear of the Lottery, fear in general. The Supervisors 
cultivated it. They said that scared slaves were good slaves. And the boys were 
especially scared of The Lottery. The Lottery was something all the slave boys 
feared, but no one knew exactly what it was for. All their names were in it. 
Every few months, a name would be picked and that boy would leave, never to 
return. No one knew where the boys went. Some said that they were sent to the 
god Sarlacc who lived in the desert. Others believed that the boys were sent to 
the Master's pleasure galleries. Still more said they were tortured for show. 
But the boys chosen tried to delude themselves that they went to freedom, but 
underneath their gallantry was pure terror. They all lived in fear of the 
Lottery.

	Luke looked around. Good, there was no one near him. His stuff was 
carefully marked 'Luke Skywalker'. It was the only thing he knew how to write, 
and he was proud of it. It doubly set him above his peers. The first that he 
could write, the second that he had a first name. True, everyone called him 
'Skywalker', but he knew he had a first name. It meant that he had had a life 
before slavery. Slaves born in the Hold were given only one name. It was a 
status symbol to have two names. He quickly shot a glance over at his stuff as 
the bell rang, signaling the end of shift.

	He returned to the slave quarters, being very careful to stay in the 
shadows. As he opened the door to the boys' room, the Supervisor was there 
waiting for him. He held up the curtain in front of Luke's pod. "What's this, 
Skywalker?" He asked in Huttese, teeth showing. Luke gulped.

	"A pod, sir."

	"And why were you building a pod, Skywalker?" His voice was low, 
dangerous. "I told you before, Skywalker. The next thing I find you building, 
I'll do what to you?"

	"Take me before the Master." Luke mumbled.

	"What?"

	"Take me before the Master." Luke said louder.

	"Yes." The Supervisor smiled. It wasn't a kind smile, Luke thought. "And 
that's what I'm going to do. Come with me."

	Luke followed him silently through the corridors to the Throne room. When 
they reached it, Luke looked around wildly, trying to absorb everything. If this 
was to be his last day alive, he wanted to take as much experience as he could 
with him. As they approached the dais, Luke's eyes were riveted on the form 
before him. The Master was huge, bigger than almost anything Luke had ever seen 
before. He was holding the chain to a slave girl, who was struggling to get away 
from him. Luke could've sworn that he recognized her; she looked like one of the 
older girl slaves that had been taken out of the girls' room a few seasons ago. 
But as his eyes met hers, Luke was taken aback. There was nothing in them but 
desperation. 'Get me out of here!' Her eyes screamed at him. 'I can't!' Luke 
willed his eyes to tell her, and to his surprise, she nodded, as if receiving 
his message. How did he do that, Luke wondered. But he didn't wonder long. The 
Master had started speaking.

	"What is it, Supervisor?"

	"Master," the supervisor bowed, "this is Skywalker. He has been building 
things in his spare time. I caught him today building a pod."

	"A pod? Ho Ho Ho!! And tell me, Skywalker, why were you building a pod?"

	"Master, I wanted to build it because I wanted to fly it, Master."

	"You think you can fly a pod? No mere human can. It is a sign of one of 
the many weaknesses of your species."

	"I know I can." Luke was adamant.

	"Supervisor, put him in a pod. If he can fly it, he lives. If he 
can't...well, he'll die in the attempt anyway."

	"Yes Master." The Supervisor bowed and left the room, Luke trailing after 
him.


A Few Months Later:


	Vader's consol blinked. He turned to it in surprise. He had set this 
consol to give him any galactic news from Tatooine. That old mothball was still 
home, no matter how much he hated it, and he couldn't resist knowing what was 
going on. He pulled it up and set the reader to 'loud'.

	"RECORD SET, SECOND HUMAN PODRACER EVER!" The reader said. Vader looked up 
sharply. "Luke Skywalker, age 8 in human years, became the second human podracer 
in the history of the galaxy. Skywalker, a slave of Jabba the Hutt, started 
training as a podracer in just the last few months. The first human podracer, as 
we all know, was Anakin Skywalker. According to the boy's closest relations, 
Owen and Beru Lars, there is no relation between Anakin and Luke Skywalker. 
After Anakin Skywalker won the Boonta Eve, many parents resolved to name their 
children after him, they explain. Skywalker will be competing in this year's 
Boonta Eve Race..." Vader smashed the consol angrily. HOW IN ALL THE JEDI HELLS 
COULD *HIS* SON BE A SLAVE? It was inconceivable! He didn't believe that Bantha-
dung for a second. Lars...he was Obi-Wan's brother! How could Lars dare sell 
Vader's son as a slave?! It didn't matter, Vader decided. He would go to 
Tatooine and buy Luke himself. And then they would be together, father and son. 
As it should have been from the beginning.


	Luke jumped out of the podracer and bowed to the Master, who had been 
watching.

	"Good, Skywalker. But if you do not win..." Jabba trailed off.

	Luke understood. "Yes, Master."

	"Then run along, Skywalker." 

	Luke bowed and left the ring. It had been six months since he had been 
tried out on the pod and only two days since the article had come out on him. He 
hadn't met Owen and Beru Lars, hadn't heard that they had commented on him, 
didn't even remember who they were, in fact. He was excited. The Boonta Eve was 
coming up and then he was going to show everyone that you didn't have to be a 
stinking alien to fly! He wasn't fazed by the fact that the last human flyer had 
stopped after winning only one race. Luke wasn't even scared. He knew he could 
win.

	Luke heard someone coming and dodged into a corner. Two aliens passed by 
him, talking loudly and completely ignoring him. Stupid aliens, Luke thought 
angrily. They could at least pretend he was important! At least pretend he was 
alive! Humans didn't snub him like that! True, they did tend to beat him or hit 
him when they did see him, but at least it was acknowledgement!

	Suddenly Luke spun around. He could have sworn someone was calling his 
name. But there was no one there and there was no sound in the hall way. But 
there it was again! 'What's going on?' He asked himself. 

	'Luke.' There it was again! What was going on? Luke wondered. 'I'll be 
there soon. Stay safe.'

	"What in all the hells of Iego is going on?" Luke yelled. On, on, on 
echoed off the walls, but he received no answer. "Who are you?!" You, you, you, 
mixed with the on's echoing off the walls.

	'Wait for me.' The sound said again. Luke yelled silently in his brain at 
the fleeting voice. 'Huh? How did I know the voice was leaving?' Luke asked 
himself. But there was no answer.

	Luke shrugged uneasily and continued back to the boys quarters slowly, 
hoping that the voice would speak again. The voice had been full of an emotion 
Luke couldn't place, but it felt warm and nice, like something that would be out 
of place here. It felt like affection...like that thing that the new boys were 
always talking about. What was it called? It annoyed Luke that he couldn't 
remember. What was it called? What was this mysterious emotion that this 
mysterious voice held?


	Vader looked out the window out into the Tattoo System. He had to do this 
quietly. Palpatine didn't know about Luke, and if Vader had his way, he never 
would. He wouldn't know about Luke until it was too late. Vader knew he wasn't 
as strong in the Force as Palpatine, not in his present state anyway. Even Luke 
wasn't as powerful as Palpatine. But Luke could be. He was still at an age when 
his brain was still growing, still at an age when the Dark Side would work 
extremely well on him. So, in his need for secrecy, he had sent the fleet to a 
few systems over and trekked the way here himself. The head officers who knew of 
this would be dead in days anyway. That was the good thing about his reputation. 
It could cover so many little nuisances. Not that his son was nuisance.

	As he looked down on the planet speeding towards him, Vader's thoughts 
turned to the last time he was down here. He had been 17 and had learned that 
his mother had died. Even then he hadn't felt much emotion. He hadn't started 
his Dark Side training yet, but he never felt sad over her death. Obi-Wan was 
surprised and angry that he hadn't and Vader had hated himself for a while for 
not feeling anything. Then Palpatine came along and told him it was because he 
had been conceived by the Force that he hadn't felt anything. Actually, 
Palpatine had said he was conceived by the Dark Side, but Vader knew that that 
was impossible. He knew where he came from and knew that the Dark Side was his 
heritage, not his parent. He knew that things did not touch him as they did 
others and dismissed it as his birthright.

	The shuttle touched down on Tatooine with hardly a sound. The local Jawas 
came scurrying out to get a better look and were thrown away from the ship by 
the power of the Dark Side. Chattering to themselves, they went on into the 
desert.

	"Now, to find this Hutt." Vader spoke aloud to himself, taking out a 
speeder from his ship.


	The door to the Lars' moisture farm banged open and Obi-Wan Kenobi, former 
Jedi Knight, came running in.

	"Vader's here. On Tatooine. Where's Luke?" He panted.

	"Why? What do you want with him?" Owen stood up.

	"He isn't here, is he?" Obi-Wan's senses flared. "He isn't anywhere near 
here. Owen, what happened to him?"

	"It's none of your business, old man. Luke is mine, you said so yourself."

	"Don't play with me, Owen! Where's Luke?!" Obi-wan was growing desperate. 
"Don't you understand? Vader. Is. Here. For. His. Son. What is so hard to 
understand about this?"

	"Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe that's where Luke belongs? With 
his father?"

	"Owen, you don't mean that and you know it."

	"You still can't have him. And that's final."

	"Owen, all I want to know is where he is." Obi-Wan forced himself to be 
calm.

	"Owen! Tell him." Beru urged him from across the kitchen table.

	Owen looked from one of them to the other and said three words. "Jabba has 
Luke."

	"What?!" Obi-wan couldn't ever remember a time when he was closer to the 
Dark Side. "And you didn't think to tell me."

	Owen sighed and began to tell the whole story to his brother.


	"Lord Vader, a pleasure to meet you." Majordomo Posey met him at the door.

	"I doubt it very much, Majordomo." Vader walked right past him.

	"I'm afraid I must ask you what your business is, m'lord."

	Vader glared at him. "I'm here to buy myself a slave. I heard that Jabba 
has the best anywhere." Vader snarled under his hood. Imagine, a former slave 
wishing to buy a slave! How foolish could these fools be? Vader still couldn't 
stand the idea of slavery, but that was a battle that he had lost a while ago 
with the Emperor. It was best not to dwell on that thought.

	"Yes, m'lord. Jabba has the best slaves. What kind of slave does my lord 
want?"

	"A young human male." Indeed, that was all Vader knew for certain about 
his son. He guessed blonde hair and blue eyes, but the holo hadn't been very 
clear.

	"Yes, Jabba has many of those. I will show you a selection." The majordomo 
made a motion as if the convey Vader to a different room. The later chose to 
ignore the gesture.

	"I know which slave I want, majordomo. I did not come here to look at some 
half-starved boys."

	"Uh, yes sir." The majordomo sweated in fear. His throat was constricting 
in on itself. Abruptly, it was released from the grip. "Which slave?"

	"Skywalker."

	"He isn't for sale." The majordomo said evenly. The master wouldn't sell a 
slave that has personal value to him. It was a matter of policy.

	"He is now." Vader reached out and touched Posey's mind.

	"He is now." Posey repeated. "He is, though, worth a lot."

	"I will pay a thousand credits for him." Luke was worth much more than 
that, Vader knew. But Posey didn't need to know that.

	"A thousand, m'lord? If he wins the race, he is worth much more than 
that."

	"Well, we don't have to worry about him racing at all. I'm taking him now, 
majordomo, whether your master likes it or not. Am I clear?" Vader growled, 
accompanying this threat by applying more pressure on Posey's neck.

	"YES M'LORD!" Posey snapped. He rubbed his neck fearfully. The fact that 
Jabba would probably kill him for this hadn't hit him yet and Vader was counting 
on that fact that Vader's presence banished those thoughts. Once he left 
though...

	"What are you waiting for?" Vader asked. The majordomo nodded and ran off 
to the slaves' quarters, leaving Vader waiting by the door. It was a shame 
really, that he couldn't kill that slimy Hutt, but that would have gotten back 
to Palpatine, raising unwanted questions. But one day, Vader swore, he would 
come back and kill Jabba for daring to sell HIS son. Or better yet, he would 
send Luke. That would be delicious. It was also a shame he would have to erase 
Posey's memory of this meeting, making it seem like Posey had let Skywalker 
escape. He would have relished the thought of Posey being punished, yelling the 
name Vader all the way through and knowing that no one could help him. Vader 
sighed. The things he would give up to be able to rule.


	"SKYWALKER!" The shout came while Luke was tinkering with a hyperdrive, 
making him jump. 

	"Kretch!" Luke swore harshly. His jumping had made him drop a part into 
the wrong place. He wondered what the Supervisors wanted now. 

	"SKYWALKER!" The cry came again.

	Sighing, Luke got up. He pushed back the tattered curtain that separated 
the boys quarters from the girls. "What?!"

	"There you are. Get your stuff together. You've been sold."

	Luke was shocked. Sold? It happened a lot, but usually there was a viewing 
before the sale. Even then, the rumor was passed down who had been sold. He was 
small for his age and not very handsome. He had always thought he wouldn't be 
sold. No one would want him. Now, apparently, somebody did. Some one important 
also, to make the Master sell him right before the race and the Master had no 
other racers lined up.

	"Sold, sir?"

	"You heard me! Now get your stuff!"

	'What stuff?' Luke felt like asking. He looked around his bed. He didn't 
really own anything. His spare tunic and some boots. That was about it. He took 
a small bag from another boy's bed and stuffed his tunic and spare boots in. 
"Ready, sir."

	"Good. Follow me." The Supervisor walked off to the front door, Luke 
trailing after him. 

	The front door came quicker than Luke expected. He really hadn't known 
what to expect. He had never been allowed near the front door, but had heard 
stories of it. A meter thick durasteel with a seeing eye, one of the stories 
went. Every telling made the wall thicker and stronger. It was an icon, 
something they could never get past. And now here he was, going through it. His 
new master stood next to Master Posey by the front door. Luke quickly scanned 
the new master. His years of being a slave had given him an eye to read masters, 
if they abuse their slaves, if they're nice to them, things like that. But this 
new master he couldn't read at all. It scared him a little.

	The new master turned to him, staring at him from beneath the hood. "This 
is Skywalker?" He asked Master Posey.

	"Yes m'lord." Master Posey bowed.

	"Good. I'll take him now. Here's the money." The new master handed Master 
Posey are credit chit. Luke did his best not to stare and to look down. Masters 
liked it when you were invisible. "Come, boy." 

	Luke trotted dutifully after him, never looking back. After they were out 
of scope range of Jabba's fortress, the new master looked down at him.

	"What shall I call you?" The new master asked.

	"I am called Skywalker, Mas-" The end of Luke's sentence was lost as the 
roar of a speeder overtook them. The speeder halted and a figure jumped out. The 
figure started walking towards them.

	"Go hide, Luke." The new master ordered him quietly. "Stay safe." Luke 
obeyed.


	As Obi-wan walked towards Vader, he had an acute sense of déjà vu. Almost 
this same exact thing had happened almost 10 years ago, on the fire planet of 
Aish. Obi-Wan had lured the other man there with rumors of Jedi activity. Obi-
Wan had chosen to confront Vader by a fire pit, to show him the futility of 
anger, but instead, Vader had chosen to duel. It was a hard battle and, though 
Vader kept trying to cut of his former master's head, Obi-Wan could not bring 
himself to kill his former apprentice. It had almost been a fatal mistake. Vader 
had had no such qualms about killing Obi-Wan and, in a moment of strength, had 
pushed Obi-Wan's lightsaber away with the Force and had kicked his former master 
of the edge into the fire pit. Vader had then turned and left, leaving Obi-Wan 
for dead. But he hadn't died. A sympathetic onlooker had hefted him out and 
healed him. It had taken over a year, and by then, Amidala was in her 6th month, 
and Luke was in need to hiding. Tatooine had seemed like such a good idea. If 
only his brother, Owen, had had the sense to tell him about Luke in the first 
place! Then this whole situation could have been avoided.

	He walked up to Vader. "Been a long time, Anakin." He attempted to smile 
and failed miserably. 

	"Stop with the familiarities, Obi-Wan. You cannot have Luke."

	"Anakin. Don't you see what the dark side will do to him...?" Obi-Wan 
trailed off as Vader ignited his lightsaber.

	"Obi-Wan, you had him for years and then you had him sold as a slave! It 
was almost like you were baiting fate. Well, fate took the hook and now I know 
about Luke. You cannot have him."

	"You would fight me for him?" Obi-Wan asked sadly.

	"Yes." Vader answered, accompanying that monosyllable with a thrust to 
Obi-Wan's neck, which was parried as the later brought his saber out half-
heartedly.


	Luke watched fascinated as they spared. His master was clearly the better 
one, even to his inexperienced eyes. The other man kept pressing his master 
back, but the master kept pressing him back. They moved so quickly, Luke 
couldn't follow. After a bit, he lost interest and started thinking over what 
the master had told him to do. 'Stay safe.' It was almost an echo of that 
imagined voice, or was it really imagined? He had a feeling his new master could 
answer that.


	As Obi-Wan sparred, he reached out to touch the Force, which Vader had 
been blocking from him. It slammed into him forcibly and he stumbled away from 
Vader. In that second a vision came to him. 

	A big room, royally decorated, with a throne in the back. A multitude of 
people, standing around, as if waiting for something. Coruscant's skyline, Star 
Destroyers in orbit. A figure surrounded by an entourage enters, the throng of 
people standing around kneel. The entourage keeps following the figure, who Obi-
Wan was starting to see quite clearly. He had short, close cut blonde hair with 
a golden wreath around his head. He wore a regal outfit, for there were no other 
words to describe it. A cape of black set off the purple clothing. With a start, 
Obi-Wan realized it was Anakin. Anakin reached the stairs going up to the throne 
and mounted them, leaving his entourage behind. All stay put at the foot of the 
stairs, kneeling, except for one youth who follows Anakin up the stairs. As 
Anakin sits down in the throne, the figure kneels quickly and puts his head down 
in a sharp motion, like this is only courtesy, but with much respect and thanks. 
Puzzled, Obi-Wan studied the youth intensely. 

	'Rise,' Anakin says quietly and the youth glides up, as if the word was 
meant for him alone. Walking purposefully, the youth walks to Anakin's right and 
turns around, staring out over the gathering. Obi-Wan took in the youth's blond 
hair and blue eyes, along with the gold circlet parting the golden hair, before 
he realized with a shock who the youth was. It was Luke.

	Thrown out the vision by shock, Obi-Wan had just enough time to block 
Vader's would-be killing blow. Angered by what he had seen, Obi-Wan attacked his 
former apprentice with a vengeance. But the vision wasn't as over as he thought 
it was. The Jedi Master was thrown into the vision world again. This time all he 
could see was a dark room, but he could hear a lot more. Sounds made way to 
words, which made way to sentences. One of the voices was Anakin's, he was sure 
of that. The other, he could only guess was Luke's.

	'Kneel before your lord and master.'

	'Do you want something, Master?'

	'Huh?'

	'Tell me a story.'

	The voice changed and Obi-Wan realized with a lurch that the all that he 
had really heard had been Luke's voice. Luke said that? But Anakin was talking 
now.

	'Come, my son.'

	'Foolish child.'

	The words were, in themselves, harsh, but the tone was full of something 
else. Affection, love even. And in that moment, Obi-Wan doubted the rightness of 
what he was doing. Would he be able to give Luke all that? He didn't think so. 
He kept going back to what Owen had said. Was it really so bad if Vader got 
Luke? Obi-Wan wasn't so sure anymore.

	That moment of hesitation proved fatal as Vader's blade struck through 
Obi-Wan's middle, killing him. As his essence fled into the Force, he was still 
wondering if Vader having Luke was really a bad idea after all.


	Vader straightened. It was a pity, really, that Obi-Wan hadn't been 
susceptible to the Dark Side. He would have made a good Sith. But, alas, his 
precious Light had clung to him and now it was too late. Oh well, no use crying 
over spilt blood. He had caught a glimpse of the end Obi-Wan's vision and had 
been very pleased with it. It had given him an idea.

	Hearing movement, Vader spun. Owen Lars stood there with his brother's 
lightsaber activated in his hands, a murderous expression on his face.

	"Owen Lars. Been a long time."

	"Anakin Vader. Not long enough." Owen smiled warmly, but then checked 
himself. "Why Anakin?"

	"Why did I kill your brother? Because he was going to kill me. He just 
didn't know it yet."

	"You could always read him better than I could, Ani." Owen shook his head 
sadly. "I wanted Luke back, and I still do."

	"What makes you think he still remembers you?"

	"Yeah," Owen sighed. "He probably doesn't. But I could give him happiness 
and a family."

	"And I couldn't?!" Vader asked, starting to get angry.

	"Calm down, friend. I never said you couldn't. Just that with the Emperor 
around...you know what I'm talking about."

	"You talk of treason, Owen. I'm not sure I like it. But what I do here is 
also treason. But you and your brother's presence here have given me a reason 
for being here."

	"You mean the Emperor doesn't know about Luke?" Owen asked hopefully.

	"He neither does nor shall, if I have anything to say about it. But," 
Vader added quickly, "that doesn't mean I won't train him."

	"I didn't let Obi-wan train him. What makes you think I'll let you?"

	"You don't have much of a choice, old friend. We once were close, I'd hate 
to have to kill you know, especially in front of my son."

	"Anakin, the love I once felt for you can't be put into words. We were 
more than friends; we were brothers. Then the Jedi came."

	"One of the Jedi was your own brother."

	Owen was already shaking his head. "I disowned him even then for leaving 
my family to poverty while going off to be a rich Jedi."

	"And did you disown me for leaving to become a rich Jedi?" Vader asked 
softly.

	"For a bit, yeah. Then I talked to your mom. She told me that you didn't 
really have a choice. It was either go or go. Your mom was nice, giving me the 
news you sent back to her. I got the impression like it was another slavery that 
you'd been sold into."

	"It was." Vader said hoarsely, remembering his time at the Temple. "It was 
like being sold into a zoo."

	"Yeah." Owen shifted awkwardly, not used to having a lightsaber in his 
hands.

	"Are you really going to attack me with that, or is it just for show?" 
Vader asked dryly.

	"This?" Owen hefted the saber. "Ani, you know I don't know anything about 
these things."

	"So why are you holding it?"

	Owen shrugged. "Why not?"

	"Owen, it's been real nice talking with you, but is there a reason you are 
keeping me here?"

	"Very blunt Vader. I told you, I want Luke."

	Vader let emotion set into his face. "Owen, you're married. Beru can have 
more children. Luke is all I have."

	"I understand." Owen looked like he was blinking back tears. "Take him." 
Owen shut down the saber. "What are you going to do to me?"

	"Do to you?" Vader seemed taken aback by that question. "Why, I wasn't 
planning on anything. Just leaving you here, I guess."

	"Now that's the Anakin I know!" Owen smiled dryly. "Well, my lord, I'll 
just stay here and mind my own business until I have the grace to die. If 
there's nothing else...?" Owen started back to his speeder and got into it.

	"Owen. Wait." The words were torn from Vader. "If and when...it...happens, 
I'll contact you. See if there's anything I can do."

	Owen nodded. "Then I suggest you hurry. And, don't worry Anakin, I 
understand your problem. I was in the clone wars, fighting against the Emperor's 
side. You know my number." And with that, Owen vanished from Vader's view. The 
later took one last look to where his old friend had gone to and turned back to 
his son, who, now that Vader thought about it, had heard and seen way too much 
than what was good.


	Luke just stared. He knew it was impolite, but he couldn't absorb 
everything quickly enough. The new master looked down on him kindly.

	"You have questions?" The new master asked softly.

	"Yes Master." Luke was startled. Slaves were never allowed to ask 
questions, were always supposed to just take it in and never voice anything, and 
here the new master was, telling him to ask! Luke tried to talk, but he was too 
frightened and surprised. Nothing came out.

	"You want me to explain everything?" Luke nodded. "Okay, I'll give you a 
short version and tell you everything later. That's alright with you?"

	"Yes...yes master!"

	"Alright, you know about the Jedi?" Luke shook his head. "There isn't time 
to explain them now, but I'll just say that they were very bad. I was once one 
of them, but I changed. The first man, the one I killed, had trained me to be a 
Jedi. The second man had been a good friend of mine when I was growing up and he 
is the brother of the man I killed. That good enough?"

	"Yes Master." Would this strangeness ever end? Luke asked himself 
silently.

	To his surprise, the new master answered him. "It will end when you get 
used to it, Luke."

	"What?! How did you know...?" Luke realized what he was doing and stopped 
talking abruptly.


	Vader's heart ached for his son. To know such a life...a life where 
questions were forbidden and the punishment...No, he wouldn't think about it. It 
was over. He had Luke and would never lose him again.

	"Luke."

	"Yes Master?" Luke gulped visibly.

	"Call me Father. Not the new master. Just call me Father." Vader hoped 
that Luke wouldn't know exactly what that word meant. If he was anything like 
his father, he wouldn't want to call anyone that but his real father, and now 
was not a good time to tell Luke about his parentage. Not at good time at all. 
He had to be back on his flagship soon and he needed Luke with him. And, unlike 
the last with Owen, he was loath to use a Force-suggestion on his son.

	"Yes...Father."

	Vader smiled under his hood. "Then, follow me, Luke and we'll get out of 
here." Thus spoken, Vader started walking, making sure Luke was keeping up. His 
hopes soared. He had his son back!


	Across the galaxy, Emperor Palpatine looked up sharply. There was a grave 
disturbance, almost as if a Jedi had died. But his apprentice had killed all of 
them already...or had that been a lie to save his few Jedi friends? It had only 
been 10 years since the purge, the galaxy was still recovering. But he would not 
give them more time to recuperate. It is the nature of Empires to expand and, by 
the Force; Palpatine was going to do just that. Expanding meant conquering meant 
warships and personnel, which meant a draft. It is impossible to draft an 
undisciplined galaxy, this Palpatine knew from his time in the senate. It is 
also impossible to restrain a rogue Sith without killing him, and Vader was a 
good enough Sith. He was also quite powerful. Palpatine knew that if Vader ever 
took an apprentice, they would be a threat to him. Which brought his mental 
musings to Mara Jade. She was a girl, true, but that would ensure that no one 
would suspect her. She would be his hand, his second. But she would not be 
trained as a Sith. Of this Palpatine was adamant. They should die with the last 
of their line, with their dark prince, Vader. So he had to make sure Vader never 
took an apprentice. But he was unaware of Vader's son, unaware of the danger 
surrounding his life. But even if he had known, it wouldn't have helped.


	As the shuttle neared the huge Star Destroyer, Luke's eyes widened even 
more. Everything was just happening too fast. He could hardly believe that just 
5 hours ago he was a slave with no thought of ever getting out of Jabba's, that 
was what Father insisted he called the old Master, clutches. Now he was with his 
new master who insisted on being called Father. Luke wasn't as stupid not to 
know what a Father was. It meant someone with a biological relationship to 
another person. But Luke in his short life had met many creatures, some of which 
didn't know the Basic translations of certain terms and Luke had no way of 
knowing if Father really was human. He had seen him, but Luke had learned 
quickly that you couldn't let your eyes be the judges of things like that. It 
wasn't healthful.

	Luke looked up at Father and opened his mouth to ask a question. Before he 
could get the words out, a voice said in his head *Yes, I am human*. Luke's eyes 
were like saucers and his mouth gaped open. "What?" He blurted out.

	*Communicate this way*

	"How? And what are you doing???????"

	*I am talking with you through a mind-link. All you have to do is think in 
a certain way like this*

	"Like *this*?"

	*Smart boy. Exactly. I am going to have to hide your presence on the ship 
and to do that; you need to always be silent. I know how hard it is for young 
boys to be quiet, so if you have any questions, ask them this way*

	*I know how to be silent*

	The voice was silent for a little while. *I know you do and I am sorry you 
had to learn so early.*

	Luke didn't know what to say to that. It was so open, so honest. It didn't 
fit in with his mental picture of a Master.

	*I am not your Master in that sense, young one, but am in another way. And 
I told you not to call me Master*

	*Yes Father. Can I ask you something?*

	*Go ahead*

	*Why do you want me to call you Father*?

	*Do you know what a Father is?*

	*Of course. It is someone who gave 23 chromosomes to a child*

	*That's a quite literal definition, Luke. Where did you learn that?*

	*New boys were always talking about them and another thing, I can't 
remember the name of it. It's like affection and I sense it in you somehow. I 
don't know how*

	*You sense it through a thing called the Force. I will teach you how to 
use it* Vader let his parental love flow through their bond.

	*That's it!! How'd you do that sir?*

	*I let Love flow over the mind-link*

	Luke was silent, deep in thought, for the rest of the flight to the 
Executor.


	Admiral Kittaning was the first to greet Dark Lord Vader on his return 
from the desert planet. The Admiral had no idea what Vader's agenda had been and 
he had the sickening feeling that he wouldn't live long enough to see his family 
again. Whenever the Dark Lord did something that was meant to be secret, heads 
rolled. It was how he had made it to the position of Admiral. Admirals didn't 
have very long life expectancies, he had found out quickly, on Vader's flagship. 
Kittaning was a good Imperial, possessed of a strong mind and quick reflexes. He 
had gone through the Imperial Academy on a scholarship and, at 25, was the 
youngest Admiral ever, even counting the damned Old Republic of Stars. He was 
the only imperial on the Executor that didn't fight on the Emperor's side during 
the Clone Wars. He was only 10 at the time. He had grown up while Palpatine was 
consolidating his power, raised on the ideals of the Empire.

	The shuttle landed and the Dark Lord stepped out. Kittaning could have 
sworn that there was someone following the Dark Lord off the shuttle, but for 
the life of him, he couldn't see anyone. It scared him out of his wits.

	Vader walked by him. "Admiral."

	"Yes, milord?" Kittaning gulped.

	"Set course for Imperial Center."

	"Yes, milord." Being dismissed, Kittaning performed a perfect about face 
and marched away, glad to be rid of the pressure gripping his neck.

	*That's why I wanted you to be silent. I do not want anyone knowing you 
are here, Luke. Now, just be quiet until we reach my quarters, and then I will 
explain everything* With that, Vader strode from the shuttle bay, his cloaked 
son scrambling to keep up with the Dark Lord's pace.


	Finally, the pair reached the Dark Lord's chambers. Vader walked through 
the first room, keying a pad to open a hidden door.

	"Welcome to your temporary home," Vader said. Luke looked up. "Go on, 
explore. We can talk later."

	Luke needed no more encouragement and started into the room beyond. He 
walked slowly, trying to absorb everything as he went along. The white wall, the 
black carpet with red highlights mixed in with dashes of yellow and purple. The 
plush nerf-hide couch with a data table before it, a few chairs that looked very 
inviting. Looking back to Father and receiving a nod, he went over to the chairs 
and sat down in one. Luke gave a yelp as it changed shape to accommodate his 
small body. "Hey!"

	"They are called Forming Chairs and are pretty new." Vader didn't even try 
to hide his amusement. 

	"Oh." Luke looked down. "Hey, there's feet! Cool!"

	Vader just smiled. "I think you're going to like it here."

	"I KNOW I'm going to like it here!"


	Vader stood back and watched his secret son climb over the furniture. He 
had missed something in his life, he had felt a hole for a while, but he had 
never dreamed it would be filled by this little bundle of energy. It made him 
appreciate the irony of the situation. 

	There was a crash. Luke stood over a broken data pad. His face was deathly 
white and his hands shook uncontrollably. 

	"I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry, F-f-father! I d-d-didn't mean to!" Luke lowered his 
head and dropped to his knees.

	Vader stepped back out of instinct. He was horrified. "What happened?"

	"I-I-I was looking at it when it f-f-fell out of my h-h-hands and broke, 
F-f-father!" Luke didn't lift his head.

	Vader closed his eyes and considered his next words carefully. Torturing 
Jabba until the end of time would not atone for this crime. Softly, Vader walked 
over to the kneeling form of his son and knelt down in front of him. "Get up 
Luke. Come on," he started quietly. "Let's sit here and we can talk. Okay?"

	Luke lifted his head and Vader could see the fear in his eyes. Jedi! Vader 
swore in his head. He was so close to breaking through Luke's slave mentality 
and now this had to happen! "You aren't going to punish me?"

	"Luke, these things happen. Data pads can be replaced. I'm not going to 
punish you. Understand?"

	"Really?" Luke's eyes brightened.

	"Really." Vader confirmed. "Now, let's get up and we can talk."

	"Okay." Luke smiled.


	"I'm sure you have lots of questions," Vader began. "So let me start from 
the beginning. I was born on the planet Ossus, a legendary place. Most people 
don't even know it exists. My mother was a granddaughter of a Sith, my father 
was the ruler of Ossus. When I was three, bounty hunters came and stole my 
mother and myself away and sold us to Gardulla the Hutt. She lost us to a 
junkyard chief named Watto. I worked for him for a few years.

	"My name is Anakin Vader, but my mother worried that the Jedi would 
recognize the name and kill me, so she changed it to Skywalker." Luke started 
visibly. "Yes, Skywalker."

	"My name is Skywalker."

	"I know. Luke, I don't know how to say this. I am your father."

	"My father." Luke was silent. "You saved me. You got me away from Master 
Jabba. I believe you."

	"Then believe me when I tell you that I am sorry for what you had to go 
through. I did not know where you were until a short time ago. I tried to find 
you for years, but I couldn't find you. Luke, I want to be your father."

	"You are." Luke snuggled up to his newfound father. "Father, will you 
teach me things?"

	"Of course Luke. Anything you want me to."

	"That's good." Luke relaxed on the couch and within seconds, was asleep. 
Vader couldn't stop his smile from growing. Who said love wasn't of the dark 
side?


	Luke woke up panicked. Where was he? What was going on? He tried to stand 
up but found that there was something on top of him. Opening his eyes, Luke saw 
that it was a blanket of some kind. But it was heavy! Struggling, he managed to 
get the blanket off of him and stood. He could barely see, the lights were very 
dim. But the lights were always on bright in the boys' quarters...what was going 
on?

	He spun around quickly. There was someone standing in the doorway. 

	"It's alright, Luke. It's okay." The words came to him. Luke's breathing 
quickened.

	"Who are you? What's going on?"

	"I'm your father, Luke. You had a bad dream and woke up quickly. Do you 
remember what happened yesterday?"

	His father's words brought Luke back to the present. "I was sold. You 
killed someone and then talked to someone else for a bit about...something that 
was real confusing...yeah. Who did you kill?"

	"A Jedi named Obi-Wan Kenobi."

	"What's a Jedi?"

	"Someone who uses just the light side of the Force and doesn't like anyone 
who uses anything else."

	"The Force?" Luke asked sleepily.

	"An energy field that binds the universe together. Some people, like you 
and me, can use the Force. Now, I think you should go back to sleep."

	"Okay, Father." 

	His father walked over and pulled the blanket over him. "Sweet dreams, 
Luke."


	Several days passed. Luke slowly came out of his slave mentality and 
developed a hero worship toward his Father. Vader was amused at this and the 
next few days were spent trying to get rid of the hero worship. Vader finally 
explained to Luke everything he wanted to know. Palpatine sensed a small flare 
in the Force, but put it off to some Force-sensitive being born. His days were 
numbered. Vader had finally come up with a plan to dispose with the tyrant 
Palpatine.


	"Luke, can you come in here for a minute?"

	"Sure thing, Father!" Luke came jumping in.

	"We're getting close to Imperial Center now. As you know, I'm going to 
kill the Emperor. But I need your help. I need you to open your mind to me. Can 
you do that?"

	The question caught Luke off guard. "I...I think."

	"Try. Think of your mind as an open data pad." Luke closed his eyes and 
opened his mind. "Good, Luke. I just need you to do that when I send you a 
signal."

	"Okay. I can do that."

	"That's good." Vader smiled, but inside he was worried. If Luke didn't 
open his mind, then Vader would be up the creek without a paddle, so to speak. 
He didn't like having to rely on a 9 year old to save his life. Didn't like it 
at all.


	Palpatine leaned back in his Throne. Vader was due back today. He better 
have a good excuse, Palpatine decided. Jade was growing stronger, in a few years 
Vader would not be needed anymore. It brought a smile to his wrinkled face. 
Anakin Skywalker, now Anakin Vader, had been very easy to turn. Palpatine had 
always wondered at Anakin's choice of name. Vader. It meant 'Prince' in the old 
language of the Sith. But two years ago, Palpatine had received a short message 
from Ossus. It told him that if he ever harmed Anakin, he would be dead shortly 
after. It had clicked things in Palpatine's mind. Anakin was the lost prince of 
the Sith. The irony of it was not lost on the Emperor. He had tried to turn the 
Dark Side's prince to the Dark Side! He was sure Anakin had been very amused at 
the time. Palpatine had sent a short message back to Ossus. Of course he 
wouldn't think of harming the Vader, why would the Master even think he would?

	He had never showed Vader that message, perhaps out of cruelty. As the 
Vader, Anakin could remember his entire life from the second he was born and 
Palpatine knew he wondered about his Father. And Palpatine knew that the news 
that his Father was alive and well might make Vader decide to betray his 
'master' and return to Ossus. The Emperor didn't care for the threat of an old 
Master. He was more powerful than any Sith, even the Master of Ossus. He was 
powerful enough to have taken the galaxy away from the Jedi, powerful enough to 
have the Vader of Ossus under his thumb, powerful enough for anything.

	But little did Palpatine know that there was a force more powerful than 
anything he could even dream of. 


	It was with much anxiety did Lord Anakin Vader approach his 'master' in 
the Throne room of the Imperial Palace. He knew how much was riding on this 
meeting. He had to be quick. Palpatine's guards were quite good, though none of 
them were as good as he. But if he was weakened by the Sith's lightening...or if 
Luke didn't open his mind to him...No, he wouldn't think of that. He couldn't 
think of that. With a whirl, Palpatine's throne turned and Anakin faced his 
nemesis.

	"Lord Vader. There has been a disturbance in the Force."

	"I know. I killed Kenobi."

	"Really?"

	"Yes, Master."

	Palpatine turned his throne. "Come here, my old friend."

	Vader walked over the Palpatine's side. *Luke, open your mind*. Vader took 
a breath and dulled Palpatine's senses while igniting his saber. Too late, he 
realized that Luke's mind wasn't open.


	*Luke, open your mind* When Luke heard that, he reached for the same place 
where he had gone the last time his father had told him to do it. But it 
wouldn't open! He tried again, concentrating hard. What had his father said to 
do? He felt a wash of pain from his father. His father was hurting and it was 
all his fault! Through angry tears, he tried again. And his mind flew open.


	The Master of Ossus was pleased. He had been worried for almost 20 years 
over his heir, his first-born. Then during the clone wars, Hero Anakin Skywalker 
was all over the news vids. It had been a breath of fresh air for the old man. 
But then it had come out that Hero Anakin Skywalker was a Jedi. Enraged, the 
Master of Ossus had created a force storm and had caused a sun to burst in a 
nearby system. His son, the Vader, a Jedi! It was inconceivable and could not be 
allowed. So he had sent out contacts, trying to find his mate, Shmi. And he had 
found her, a slave, dying, on the planet Tatooine. She had told him how she had 
changed their names for safety and hadn't dared to stop the Jedi from taking 
Anakin. It would have thrown a lot of suspicion on she and Anakin, Shmi told 
him. So she had let Anakin go. But Shmi had given the Master hope, too. She had 
promised her love before she died that no son of hers would ever think of being 
a lightsider, she was sure that Anakin was putting an elaborate charade.

	So he had bided his time, sending a small force suggestion to the Sith 
Master in exile, Sidious. Sidious had bent to his will and tried to turn Anakin 
to the dark side. The Master of Ossus was pleased when he found that it was very 
simple for Sidious to do. Privately, The Master of Ossus didn't hold Sidious in 
high esteem. He had always been meaning to replace him, but no Sith wished to 
leave Ossus. The Master didn't blame them. The galaxy outside Ossus was crude 
and backward. Only on Ossus were the customs observed. Sons followed Fathers, 
and all served the Master. Maybe, The Master thought, maybe Anakin would wish to 
be the Sith Master in Exile. After all, he seemed fond of that life. Of course, 
that would only be until the Master died. Then the Vader would come home once 
again and rule as he was meant to from the beginning.


	Luke shyly entered the small playroom. His father, the new Emperor, had 
told him that he could play in here if he wanted. Luke had never had a room to 
play in before and was very intimidated by the thought.

	There was a girl sitting facing a computer screen.

	"Hi." Luke said. "I'm Luke Skywalker."

	"Hello, Skywalker." She turned to him, revealing her green eyes. "I'm Mara 
Jade."


Finis