Title: Rebel Scum

Summary: Wherein Luke Skywalker is captured in battle and finds himself in enemy hands.

Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing and profit from nothing- at least when it comes to Star Wars. I wish I did. But if wishes were horses then beggars would ride.

The battle raged around him but Luke Skywalker was only focused on keeping enemy fighters away from his squadron leader, at any cost. This mission was too important. Then again, every mission was important. What they were fighting for mattered, and if it meant sacrificing himself for the cause, then Luke felt it was worth it.

The other squadrons were covering for them, but enemy combatants had gotten through anyway, and his squadron had already lost three good pilots. He knew he wasn't alone in being out for blood.

Luke tightened his hands on the controls and took a deep breath. He felt the enemy before he saw him. He felt himself overcome with a sudden surge of determination. "This one's mine."

The response was immediate. "Copy that. Decimate him."

They weren't a squadron for unnecessary chatter, but what they didn't communicate in words they made up for in their actions. They worked together seamlessly, brought together by their determination, their skill set, and their absolute belief in their cause.

Luke couldn't help his response, but knew even their squadron leader wouldn't fault him for the sentiment. "I intend to."

The enemy ship was coming in fast, weaving in and out as any experienced pilot would do to make himself a harder target. However, he had never engaged Luke. The other man was good, he would give him that, but Luke Skywalker was better.

The enemy ship was coming in from an angle, firing its proton torpedoes indiscriminately. Vaguely, he was aware that another of his comrades had fallen under the heavy fire as he readied his own weapons array.

«Luke, use the Force.»

Closing his eyes, Luke did just that, opening his senses and giving himself over to what little he'd been taught thus far. His fingers hovered over the controls as he waited for just the right moment before deploying the one shot that would stop the enemy. With the Force he could sense his enemy coming ever closer, but Luke held off. At the last minute he fired and saw and felt the other pilot's death more clearly than if his eyes had been opened. The loss of more life assailed his senses, their pain becoming his own.

In the span of a moment, between the time it took for Luke to open his eyes and refocus on the battle, his ship was thrown violently with a hit, spinning him out of control. Feeling his heart rate and breathing increase while his hands started shaking, Luke briefly wondered if this would be the end. He grasped desperately to regain control and began to panic, fearing for his very life. "I've been hit!"

Again, the response was immediate. "Copy that."

There was nothing else for them to say to him, not in these circumstances, and he didn't expect anything else to be said, but Luke was no longer paying attention. If he couldn't regain control of his still spinning ship, then he'd try to at least take another enemy ship out with him on his way.

«Use the Force, Luke!»

Luke clenched his teeth in frustration. "I'm trying to!"

He was completely disoriented and likely going into shock, but Luke composed himself enough to close his eyes again and breathe deeply. Reaching outside of himself he sensed the Force around him once again and suddenly knew with clarity what he was supposed to do. It went against his instincts, but he knew more than anything that the Force was compelling him to this very end. He felt unconsciousness already pulling at his senses and he had nothing to lose anyway, but with his last thought Luke's hand only hesitated slightly before hitting the eject button.

With a whoosh, Luke's body was forcefully thrown into the vacuum of space, whilst his fighter collided against a nearby enemy in an impressive ball of fire. However, Luke didn't even notice as everything had already faded to black.

"…your name?"

Consciousness returned gradually, his thoughts like dreams slipping through a sieve. Luke's overwhelming awareness was of too bright lights assaulting his eyes and a pounding headache. He groaned.

A man spoke in the precise clipped tone of a Coruscanti accent. "Are you awake now?"

Luke focused on moving his head to the side, out of the light. He mumbled groggily. "Where'm I?"

There was a short silence. "At your interrogation."

Luke's body froze and he spoke without thinking. "How?"

He tried opening his eyes and had to blink rapidly a few times, but it wasn't getting any easier. He was strapped to a table of some sort and the man was a dark blurry figure. He couldn't move and Luke could admit to himself he felt the slightest bit of fear at being so constrained. It was only normal.

Suddenly, Luke remembered the battle and his last action before waking up. Frankly, even with the assurance of the Force, he was rather surprised at still being alive. The chances of surviving were very slim. Survivors were unheard of in these types of circumstances, yet somehow he had managed the feat. Luke knew that those on both sides of this conflict wouldn't have wasted the opportunity to take such a unique prisoner to interrogate.

Luke went stiff in his awareness. He concentrated and opened his eyes fully to glare at the other man in the room, but the blurriness wouldn't recede. "Fierfek. Drugged me."

The clipped voice sounded vaguely amused. "Very astute. Perhaps now you'll tell me your name."

Interrogation techniques had been covered in his training, but it wasn't assumed that any of the pilots would live long enough to endure them. All Luke could recall was that he shouldn't say anything if he could help it. His mouth felt dry and his headache was only increasing. "I'm no stoopa. Not-telling you—any-thing."

The clipped voice was now smug. "But you just did tell me something. You've already used two Huttese words. That, along with your particular dialect of Basic, tells me you're likely from the Outer Rim near Hutt Space. So, let's try again. What is your name?"

Luke maintained his silence this time. He clenched his fists in frustration as his head was still fuzzy and he could barely maintain focus on anything. They would get nothing from him.

His interrogator's voice took on a pensive tone. "So, they've had to resort to recruiting from the Outer Rim now. I'm not surprised. The Outer Rim is inhabited by a lot of scum willing to do anything for a credit. Did they promise you a lot of credits?"

Luke sneered. "You dunno any-thing!"

The cool Coruscanti voice continued on conversationally. "I've seen the footage from the battle. I know you're a killer. I bet you enjoy killing. You seem like the type."

Luke growled. "Shut up!"

The man acted as if Luke hadn't spoken. "I've seen your type before. Hotshot ace pilot. You're no better than a lawless mercenary, or one of those bounty hunters killing for a credit, but you think you're better than the rest of the galaxy—"

Luke felt a surge of righteous anger. "I said, shut up! Dunno me. Not fer credits—for peace—better future. Wanna help- the galaxy."

The man's voice was now one of disbelief. "You're an idealist? A true believer? I'm sorry, but I have difficulty believing that. But, perhaps I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now." The voice paused. "You've been here for around twenty-four hours. Are you thirsty?"

Luke tried to nod his head, but it still hurt. "Y-yes."

Luke heard water being poured. Suddenly, nothing sounded better than drinking water to slake his overwhelming thirst. His throat was so dry and parched. It was like the worst day on Tatooine.

The water was set down right in his line of sight, blurry though it was.

The man spoke softly. "You can have this if you tell me your name."

What? Luke should have expected this, but he just couldn't think clearly. Of course, they would withhold things like water for information! He had been warned. This is what they did. This is why he was fighting, to rid the galaxy of people like this. "S'pose I'll go thir-sty then. From tha desert any-way—used to it."

The smug tone was back in the Coruscant man's voice. "The desert? Are you from Tatooine? It would fit."

Luke couldn't help the slight flinch. Stang!

The man actually laughed. "Tatooine it is. Even someone from Tatooine can't go too long without water. Just tell me your name."

Luke turned his head and looked the other way. He had made enough mistakes today.

The man sighed. "Maybe you'll be willing to tell me in an hour or so. I'll be back later."

Luke heard the man leave and the door slide shut. When he was certain he was alone, he tried to sit up, but the restraints had him well and truly bound to the table, and by now he was extremely uncomfortable. He was beyond frustrated. How was this any better than dying? As far as Luke could tell it was just dragging the process out. Everyone knew prisoners of war were eventually executed. «Get me out of here!»

He could feel that whatever drugs they gave him were still in his system. He suspected that they made him susceptible to suggestion and would keep him awake. He had been told this was common, but experiencing it was something entirely different. His body felt warm and sweaty but the room was gradually getting colder too. He began shivering and could taste the salt from his own sweat. He couldn't afford to lose too much water.

The door slid back open, and by the time it did, Luke couldn't tell how much time had passed. It was too long and not long enough.

The same man had returned and walked closer to him than he had before. "Are you ready to tell me your name?"

Luke was silent, but attempted to focus in on him. He noticed that the other man was thin and middle-aged with neatly trimmed brown hair and piercing hazel eyes, wearing a nondescript gray uniform. He could have been anybody. That was likely the idea. These military intelligence types could always blend in anywhere.

The man bent even closer over him. "I turned the temperature down before I left. I know you're cold. I know you're thirsty. I know you'd like to move. I know you'd even like to be able to sleep again. I can alleviate these problems for you if you only cooperate."

Trying to move his head did no good, as he could still feel the other man's breath on his face and smell his nauseating cologne. Luke collected the last bit of moisture left in his mouth and spit in his interrogator's face.

The man's pleasant demeanor immediately disappeared and he backed away. He then proceeded to wipe the spit from his face calmly. His voice sounded strained. "I was hoping that we could avoid any unpleasantness, but if you want to do things the hard way, then I can certainly accommodate you."

Pain then exploded across Luke's jaw, his head snapping with the force of a blow, as the man backhanded him. This only made his headache and disorientation even worse. That would leave a bruise. His anger at the man in front of him was growing by the second.

A droid came out of the wall. It was spherical and floated over Luke, taunting him.

The clipped and clinical voice was back as the man stared at Luke with intense dislike. "What is your name?"

Luke glanced at the droid and couldn't help but feel agitated and on edge. However, he glanced back at the man defiantly, refusing to say anything.

The droid struck quickly.

All of Luke's nerve endings felt as if they were on fire. He heard himself screaming hoarsely.

The man was in his face again, looking at him with hard eyes. "What is your name? You may as well tell me- you won't be able to withstand this for long."

Luke felt his jaw being grasped tightly and he was forced to look directly into the man's eyes. He took a ragged breath. "E chu ta!"

The other man's eyes flashed dangerously and he didn't let go of Luke's face. He squeezed harder. "Your. Name."

The droid emitted yet another shock.

Luke's back involuntarily lifted from the table. If anything the pain was worse than before. That was all he felt was pain. "N-n-no! Stop—"

The hand let go of his face. "Then tell me your name."

Luke was crying. «Help me!» "I c-can't. N-not a trai-tor."

«Use the Force, Luke!»

The Force! He was in too much pain to use the Force. Luke couldn't even think straight.

The man's voice was disdainful. "Yes. You're quite loyal to your cause aren't you? You've said before. You're the worst sort of scum in this galaxy and you work for those who promote lawless ideals."

Luke tensed his jaw and bit out his words. «Help me!» "Not law-less. The leg-it-imate gov-ernment. St-op your kind—whatever it takes."

«Let go, Luke!»

Not yet. No, he couldn't let go yet. He just had to hold on a little longer.

The man shook his head at him. "My kind? And who are you to stop us?"

Even though the droid struck him again, Luke bit his tongue until he tasted blood. Had he been able to, Luke would have passed out from the pain.

The man gave him a look of false pity. "Give me something and I'll leave you alone."

Luke's entire body was shuddering and not just from pain. "Luke!"

The droid immediately gave Luke another shock.

Luke screamed in agony, his body shaking from convulsions. «Oh, Force! It hurts so much!» He looked at the other man with narrowed eyes. "Sa-id you'd st-op."

The man looked at Luke and made a guttural sound of disgust. "I lied. We're just getting started. That wasn't even your full name. You said you'd stop my kind- so who are you?"

«Luke, trust me!»

Luke closed his eyes in defeat, turned his head away from the other man in avoidance, and spoke in an apathetic tone. "Lieutenant Commander Luke Skywalker."

The restraints flew off of Luke's wrists and he sat up even as the interrogation droid flew into the wall and smashed into bits and pieces. He purged the last of the drugs from his system. Luke then opened his eyes and turned them disdainfully toward the pathetic man in front of him, who was backing away from him in disbelief.

The other man's body was angled away from him, towards the door, and he was looking at Luke with eyes just a bit too wide to convey anything other than abject fear. He fumbled towards what was obviously a blaster that was holstered at his right hip. He was making vague sounds of disbelief. "What?"

The blaster flew out of the man's grip and landed against the wall, falling into as many pieces as the droid had.

Luke threw his hand out in front of him and the other man slammed against the wall. He then stood from his seat on the table and slowly stalked toward the other man.

The man was pinned in place and grasped at his throat desperately. His pupils were dilated and he was obviously panicked, while making croaking noises.

Luke stalked closer and curled his lip up in disgust. The man smelled as if he had soiled himself. His voice was nothing more than a whisper. "What was that?"

Now the other man was trembling, shaking, and crying in front of Luke, at his whim. He was even whimpering. "Please."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "But you asked me who I was, and it would be rude to not finish answering your question. They also call me 'Dark Rogue'. Designation DS-61-2. I fly for Black Squadron. I'm Black 2—Lord Vader's left wing-man. All of us are collectively part of Death Squadron." Luke leaned in and lowered his voice in confidence with a dangerous smirk. "I'm loyal to the Empire and I'm also Darth Vader's apprentice. The man is like a father to me." He slapped one of his hands against the wall next to the other man's head. "You had to make me hate you, didn't you? I'll never forgive you for that. You have no idea what you've done."

Still grasping for purchase, the other man croaked out again. "Please!"

Staring at the other man through narrowed eyes, Luke sneered. "You were right, you know- that I'm from Tatooine. And here's another bit of trivia for you- since you're a man interested in information. There is no Huttese word for please." Luke leaned in closer. "Also- there is nothing I hate more in the galaxy than rebel scum."

The man's eyes widened almost comically before he finally fell to the ground lifelessly, even as alarms started blaring throughout the rebel base.

«Remember, the Force will be with you, always.»

Luke slammed his fist into the wall hard, before slumping forward and resting his head against it with his eyes closed and his blond hair tousled in disarray. Tears were now running down his face and he clenched his teeth in despair. "Don't you think I know that? That's what I'm afraid of!"

«It's time for you to go! I'll not leave you here. I'll save you, Son.»

Luke then straightened his posture, smoothed the non-existent wrinkles out of his black uniform, placed his helmet under his arm, walked to the door, and paused with his hand hesitating over the latch. "Even from myself, Father?"

He didn't receive an answer but, then, he wasn't expecting one anyway. Without further hesitation, Luke Skywalker opened the door and walked out to meet his destiny.

Note: There are all kinds of Luke gets captured and tortured by the Empire stories out there, but I wanted to take the idea and twist it. File this one under a definite AU. I felt that getting too descriptive in the summary would have given too much away, so I simply went with being mysteriously vague about the whole thing, starting with the title. I hope the twist wasn't too obvious until near the end. There's a special spot in my heart for stories where Luke is being all angst-ridden about falling to the dark side, so I guess I had to try my hand at one. I also liberally took Star Wars quotes and used them toward my own nefarious purposes here. Mea culpa. Anyway, please review. I hope you enjoyed it.