Chapter 6: Revelations

Author's Note: So I brought in Leia, Han and Chewy! Hopefully, you guys didn't think it was bad that I kinda changed her eye color. I thought brown was kinda ordinary for the Force wielding daughter of the Hero with No Fear, now known as the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and the former Queen of Naboo, so I made her a little more exotic. Hope you don't mind. Also, Ezra's true identity will be revealed to him in this chapter. If you have any suggestions, PM me or leave a review.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

^^OOo(With Ezra)oOO^^

Ezra's breath hitched in his throat as he saw the Dark Lord of the Sith walk in. He couldn't see his eyes, but Ezra could tell that he was looking at his injured arm. Vader's mechanical breathing filled the room, filling Ezra with dread. What was he planning to do? Was he trying to turn him to the Dark Side again? That wouldn't be surprising...

"What do you want, Vader?" Ezra asked, his voice filled with so much venom that he surprised himself. Vader was obviously taken aback. Ezra could sense his shock through the Force, or at least his apprehension. Vader seemed nervous for whatever reason. Why would he be nervous to face a captured Padawan of a Jedi who barely survived the Jedi Purges. Why?

"I have some information that might be of use to you." Vader said, catching Ezra's attention. Were the rest of his crew captured? No, hopefully they hadn't gone on some suicide mission to save him. They couldn't save him while he was in the presence of a Sith Lord. There was no hope.

"And would that be?" Ezra asked, sarcasm practically dripping from his voice. He couldn't remember ever feeling this helpless. The only other time being when his parents had died and he was forced to live on the streets on Lothal. That was not a pleasant memory.

"It concerns your parents." Vader said. He obviously couldn't figure out how to say whatever he was trying to say. And it was pissing Ezra off.

"There's nothing to say," he said resolutely. "They died 7 years ago." Though Vader didn't seem surprised at the news, he was surprised by the bitterness in the child's voice. Ezra glared at a spot on the ceiling, seemingly willing it to explode.

"You're parents aren't dead." Vader said, before he could lose his nerve. Ezra's head snapped towards him, eyes full of disbelief and anger. He then closed his eyes and shook his head, chuckling mirthlessly.

"You don't know anything about my parents. Or about me." Ezra said firmly. Vader shook his head ruefully.

"I know more than you can possibly imagine." he said mysteriously, his voice ringing with the truth. Sensing this, Ezra's eyes widened.

"How?" he asked forcefully, unbelieving that his parents could be alive. After living the way he had and fending for himself for all those years, there could be no way that his parents were alive and well, just chilling while their son was son the streets begging and stealing scraps.

"First of all, your parents aren't Mira and Ephraim Bridger." The shock that Vader had expected filtered into Ezra's shocking blue eyes, so much like his own before his Fall. As Ezra's eyes widened, he wondered why he trusted the man that was standing in front of him. The same man that had tried to turn him to the Dark Side. The same man that had agreed to his torture. No, the strange connection to the Dark Lord, as well as its origin, continued to ignore him. It made absolutely no sense.

"And how would you know?" Ezra asked, his voice a little more than a whisper, but defiant.

"Because I ran the paternity test myself." Vader said, hoping he didn't reveal too much information with this statement. Ezra's eyes narrowed when he said this. 'Don't you need a sample of DNA to conduct a paternity test?' he thought. His parents, unknown or not, were dead. Ezra didn't need to voice his thoughts. They rang through the Force, alerting Vader, who was grateful he didn't necessarily have to answer that question.

"So if I believe you, which is close to impossible, who really are my parents?" he asked, his curiosity piqued, despite the suspicion rippling through his veins.

"Former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padme Amidala, formerly known as the Queen of Naboo." Vader said hurriedly. Ezra recognised the names. Anakin Skywalker was the man he saw in his vision, the man who fought with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. Padme Amidala must be the voice he was talking to, his wife. But the reliability of Vader's statement could be dealt with later on. It's what was said in his statement that bothered young Ezra.

"What do you mean former Jedi Knight? Was he killed in the Purges like a lot of the Jedi?" he asked. From offhand comments made by Ahsoka, Ezra knew that he was the most powerful Force sensitive Jedi during the time of the Republic. To be his son would be amazing, albeit surprising. 'And damn near impossible.' Ezra added in his mind. He shook himself out of his little stupor of hope. No. No way.

"Yes. And no." Vader said thoughtfully. Ezra huffed, needing a straight answer for once.

"What happened to my supposed mother, then?" Ezra sensed a change in Vader's behavior as he mentioned the former Queen or Naboo.

"Your mother's full name was Padme Naberrie Amidala-Skywalker. And she was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Ezra's eyes widened as he heard this information. This was getting too complicated. There was good chance that Anakin Skywalker was killed during the Jedi Purges but it seemed like Vader was in love with Skywalker's wife. That just put too many pieces in play. It was rumored that Vader has been the one to kill Anakin Skywalker in a duel on Mustafar. Was their conflicting love for the Senator the reason for Skywalker's death?

"I want another paternity test." he said, determination flashing through his eyes. He felt that Vader was telling the truth. He sensed it. The Force doesn't lie. But Sith Lords that were really powerful do. He didn't think that paternity test could be fabricated. Hopefully not, otherwise he was walking into the biggest trap of his life.

Vader simply nodded curtly and pulled a holodisk from his black belt. He clicked a button from the side of it, starting up the hologram. Before long, a picture of DNA strands were visible. One of them said

SKYWALKER, ANAKIN

The other said

BRIDGER, EZRA

Ezra didn't know what the numbers at the bottom meant but he knew enough to know that the test was conclusive. Anakin Skywalker was his real father. Ezra felt numb as he stared at the test blankly. He could tell Vader was gauging his reaction but he didn't care. His entire life was a lie! Wait, does that mean that his mother, Mira, could be another fraud?

Vader could practically see the gears turning in his son's head. He was so much like his mother, Padme Amidala, in that sense. Always trying to find a loophole in whatever deal was made, though he supposed Ezra had to inherited a little from him. The youngster already had his extreme Force sensitivity and his eyes. What else was there?

"Now," Vader started, bringing Ezra out of his stupor. "I need to show you something else." Confusion replaced the shock in Ezra's eyes as Vader fiddled with the holodisk. Suddenly, Ezra's name disappeared. Confused, he looked to Vader for an explanation but Vader ignored him. When the Sith Lord was done messing around with the disk, two names were visible.

SKYWALKER, ANAKIN

The other said

DARTH VADER

Ezra watched as Vader's DNA strand overlapped Anakin Skywalker's perfectly as the screen flashed green. He knew what this meant. He just didn't want to believe it. Anakin Skywalker wasn't killed in the Jedi Purges. He participated in them. He helped murder the Jedi and aided in the fall of the Republic. Anakin Skywalker was his biological father. His father fell to the Dark Side, creating the Galactic Empire, becoming Darth Vader.

Ezra looked at his newly-found father. His father looked at him. Electric eyes met burning gold, which now had the barest hint of blue. There were so many questions that were swirling around in Ezra's mind that it was giving him a slight headache. But only one made it to his mouth.

"How?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper, looking at Vader with electric eyes that betrayed his emotions. Betrayal, uneasiness, and maybe, just maybe, the slightest bit of hope. Ezra had always wanted a family. Ever since his "parents" were taken away. In Ezra's eyes, this was a second chance. A second chance to have a family, to be loved. Sure, the crew of the Ghost were great but Kanan had never really tried to fill that fatherly-like void. He was more of a kind, but strict, mentor that cared deeply for his student. Ezra did care for Kanan but he'd always held a little hope that his own father would come back and claim him. Guess this was a demented version of that fantasy.

"Back when I was a Jedi, my master and I were assigned to protect the former Queen of Naboo, your mother, Senator Padme Amidala. She was in danger of being assassinated by one one of Naboo's enemies, the Trade Federation. She had angered one of the Federation's leaders, Viceroy Gunray, and he had ordered for her to be assassinated. While my former master left to try to uncover who was actually trying to kill her, I was assigned by the Jedi Council to protect the Senator from any further harm." Ezra's eyes snapped up, alarmed.

"Further harm? She was hurt?" he asked.

"She had some minor scrapes from the bombing." he said. Ezra's eyebrows raised.

"They tried to blow up her ship. She only survived because she used a security decoy, one of her bodyguards, in her place." Ezra nodded, a silent beckoning to continue.

"We traveled to her homeworld of Naboo and stayed there in the lake country in a deserted island that had a mansion. We stayed there for a few days, but then I had started having these nightmares about my mother dying, in pain." It was obviously paining Vader to talk about his mother so Ezra stayed silent, even though the questions swirling around in his head were threatening to overwhelm him. "Even though it posed a threat to your mother, she agreed to come with me to search for my mother on our home planet, a desert planet called Tatooine. When we got there, I left your mother under the protection of my step-brother Owen and his then-girlfriend Beru so I could search for my mother. I was able to find her, with the aid of the Force." Vader paused, not wanting to continue. He didn't like talking about his turn to the Dark Side, however brief it was. He'd avenged his mother, rightfully so. He was just too slow. He wasn't able to save her from the monsters that'd hurt her. He'd felt a sense of completion after slaughtering the Sand-people, immediately diminished by the hole in his heart, made by his mother's death. Apparently, he'd been swallowed up by his thoughts because his son reached out to him.

"Umm, hello?" Ezra asked, unintentionally probing Vader's mind through the Force. Both Force users recoiled, however, when a strange energy passed between them. Both Force-users shut their eyes tight when their Force signatures were bound tightly with something unbreakable. The tendril Ezra had used to probe Vader was suddenly frozen in place as a tendril of Vader's was brought out as well. The two were bound tightly with sonthing slightly resembling Chinese handcuffs. The 'rope' binding the two together snapped into place and both were sent reeling. Ezra spoke first, eyes alight with confusion.

"What was that?" he asked, panting slightly, not familiar with the concept of Force-bonds. Vader stayed silent for a moment as he contemplated what had happened. He probed the bond gently, getting a hum in return. It felt... open. He could feel the boy's confusion and astonishment, with the slightest bit of fear and anger hidden beneath the surface. He could sense the million questions swirling around in the youngling's head, the gears turning. He had only felt that sensation three times before, but never so suddenly.

With Qui-Gon, the bond had formed over time, with the encounters the two had had in their short time together. That particular bond now lay dormant.

With Obi-Wan, the bond had formed over time, as with Qui-Gon, but it was much stronger than its successor due to the much larger amount of time spent together, exactly the opposite of his relationship with Qui-Gon. They fought together, saved each other's lives more times than either could count. That bond laid broken and tattered, feeling as though it was a rope burned through with acid.

With Ahsoka, the bond had formed the first day they had met, when he had accepted her as his Jedi Padawan. Their bond had grown stronger every day, perhaps even stronger than the one he used to have with Obi-Wan. They thought the same way, fought the same way, and even acted the same way. She was his little sister, who he had lost. The bond lay dormant and unused.

The bond with Sidious was more like a leash. A collar, if you will, that tightens around him when he slips up. Like one of the whips that he was lashed with as a child slave, it was forced on him.

"It seems like you have created a Force Bond between us." Ezra's eyes widened, confusion apparent.

"What? How? I didn't even-"

"It appears that even though you weren't attempting to create a Bond, one was automatically created because of our," Vader paused and made a sound, one that could pass as someone clearing their throat if you paid attention. "...paternal connection." Ezra didn't know what to think of this so he simply nodded, looking thoughtful. He shifted in his position, hitting his right arm wrong. He was able to stifle the yell of pain that threatened to leave him, but he couldn't mask the pain that flickered across his face, and through the Force.

Vader's head snapped down to Ezra's arm, sensing the great pain he was feeling through their new bond.

"We need to get that checked out." Vader mumbled, pressing a button on the table Ezra was attached to. The handcuffs retracted into the table, freeing Ezra's hands. Not that it did him much good. He didn't have any chance of escaping, even if he wanted to. He was weak from blood loss, shocked, and his right arm gave him a sharp jolt of pain from the slightest movement. Sensing his son's predicament, Vader gently helped Ezra sit up from the harsh metal table, holding onto his good arm. Ezra was surprised at the gentleness Vader was exhibiting. Normally, Sith Lords don't show this gentle attitude towards enemies. Well, Ezra wasn't really sure if they were enemies any longer but he wasn't about to ask.

Vader helped Ezra sit up from the hard metal table. The blood rushed from Ezra's head, making him look deathly pale, his eyes glassy and filled with pain. Seeing the pain his son was in, Vader waved his hand in front of his face, sending a Force suggestion to his son's mind through their bond. Ezra's eyes rolled up in his head, slumping forward into his father's arm, now in a deep sleep. Without his son's objections, Vader was now able to examine this son's condition.

His arm looked badly infected, red and swollen with yellow pus slowly oozing from the now-open wound. Blue and red veins of infection traveled up his arm, almost reaching his shoulder. Ezra was pale, weak from blood loss and subconsciously in pain from the jolting of his wounded arm. Deciding to let the medical droids examine his son, Vader decided to just carry him to the med bay. Picking up Ezra, who was surprisingly light for a teenager his age, Vader carried him to the med bay, ignoring the odd stares he got from other Imperial officers. An Imperial helping a Rebel? Many Imperials would have liked to ask Vader what he was doing, but they valued their life too much to put said life in risk so valiantly. Vader and his son finally made it to the med bay, where a medical droid immediately rushed over, helping Vader place the boy on the soft medical table reserved for Imperials.

"How can I be of service?" the droid asked.

"His arm is badly infected." Vader said simply, not knowing what else to say. He stepped back as the medical droid examined Ezra. Worry filled him at the thought of his only son dying on his watch. It was his fault that Ezra's arm was injured in the first place, after all. If he caused his son's death... In a spurt of emotion, he gently grasped his son's uninjured hand.

'Please be okay.' Vader sent his message through their Force Bond, unaware that Ezra subconsciously heard him. So when Ezra responded, Vader was surprised. He didn't respond with words, however. The assurance that was sent through their bond was enough to alleviate Vader's growing worry. Something filtered through Ezra's side of the Bond, something Vader hadn't suspected. Acceptance. Vader wouldn't have thought that his son would accept him so easily, especially since they were on the opposite side of the battlefield a few days previous. But it seems that Vader's insecurities were ill-thought. His son accepted him. His son.

Vader realized that both of them wanted acceptance. His son wanted the second chance to have a father, the father he'd never had. Vader, on the other hand, wanted to right his wrongs. He knew it was his fault that he hadn't gotten the chance to connect with his son earlier, his fault that Padme was in hiding. Hiding from him. Vader wanted to reconnect with his family, the opinions of his master be damned. His son, his daughter, and his wife shall soon be by his side if it was the last thing he'd do. And he let his son know, through the bond.

Vader felt relief and pride, although tentative, flush through his son's system before silence fell over the bond like a heavy blanket. Vader was brought from his thoughts by the medical droid.

"The infection has reached the bone. The arm needs to be amputated if the patient is to survive." Those words brought pain to Vader's heart like no other. He hadn't wanted this. He hadn't wanted this at all.

"It can be replaced, right?" Vader asked.

"Of course. A mechanical replacement arm can be attached."

"How soon?"

"The arm has to be cut off immediately to prevent further spread of infection, though we must make sure that the patient doesn't lose too much blood." Vader immediately thought of a solution. He hated it. He hated it more than the thought of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"I may have a solution for that," he said. The droid turned to him. "A lightsaber wound automatically cauterizes. What if... what if I were to cut off his hand using my lightsaber?" Vader hated thinking about it, but it was the only way to safely save his son. There was always the chance, the very big chance, that he would bleed out if they cut his hand by conventional ways. By a lightsaber, the wound would be much cleaner and he wouldn't lose any blood.

"That would be acceptable." the droid finally said. Vader stood up, letting go of his son's hand and walking over to the other side of the medical table. He slowly took his lightsaber from his belt, looking at his son with sorrow and regret. His first act as a father was cutting off his son's hand. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Vader ignited the blood red blade, bathing everything in it's light with a red glow. Vader sent one last thought towards his son, his voice filled regret, sorrow, and sadness.

'I am sorry, my son. Truly sorry.' Faint and sleepy confusion filled his son's side of the bond before Vader swung his lightsaber downwards in a deadly arc at his son's shoulder. A pain filled yell was heard out loud, but it was a different through the Force. Pain that Vader had felt only twice before filled his son's subconscious. The burning pain of a lost limb wasn't very pleasant. He should know. He'd lost four of them. Vader watched as the medical droid wrapped his son's shoulder in white gauze, the sickening thump of his son's severed arm hitting the floor echoing through his mind. Again, he stared in horror at the red blade that had felled so many other Jedi. There was only one cut that the blade had made that Vader deeply regretted and that cut was the reason his son now required a mechanical arm.

Now, Vader watched as the medical droid fitted his son for a new mechanical arm. They finally found a fit, one with silver, black, and gold components, much like his was after his bout with his predecessor, Count Dooku. For once, Vader was glad that his son was unconscious. The pain would still be there, but it wouldn't be as potent. He knew how it felt to have mechanical arm attached to your body where there should be an organic limb. He didn't envy the position his son was in, but if he could take away the pain his son was going though, he would do it without a second's hesitation.

In the meantime, Vader sent calming and healing waves through their bond, helping to sooth his son's pain and suffering. The boy, recognizing his father's presence, settled a little bit, trying to center himself to ease his pain. Sensing his son's discomfort, Vader put his son into a deeper sleep, wanting him to forget about the pain he was feeling. Seeing that his son was truly asleep, Vader relaxed as the droid fused the mechanical arm to his shoulder. There would need to be upgrades made, of course, but his son was strong. He would definitely survive.

Once the fusion was completed, Vader carried his son to a secluded bedroom in the West part of the complex. The complex was underground, the name known to few. The Imperium. The purpose of the complex was to hold prisoners, specifically prisoners who defied the Empire. The rebel scum of the galaxy that were strong enough to resist the mind probes and hadn't died to protect the Rebel Alliance upon capture. That being said, there were very few prisoners in the Imperium. Now that Vader thought about it, it was likely that the boy's adoptive parents were being kept here, the Bridgers. Hate bubbled in Vader's very soul when he thought of his son's kidnappers. They had agreed to take an innocent child from his rightful parents. Whether it had been him or Padme that raised him, one of his biological parents should have done the job. But Kenobi, Kenobi had broken apart his family. He had single-handedly turned his wife against him and separated his twin children from each other and from their parents. His intentions were anything but good. Kenobi was a hypocrite, preaching to him about becoming the very thing he had sworn to destroy. Vader didn't know where the old man ate his delusions.

Finally, Vader and his son reached the last corridor in the complex, holding only bedrooms and other living spaces. Vader's own temporary living space was across the hall from where he was about to put his son. Opening the door using the Force, Vader saw that the room looked like any other Imperial bedroom. Decked out in the oh so exciting colors of white, grey, and black, the Imperial bedroom was made for luxury. There was a king sized bed with a luxurious black throw carpet covering part of the stark white floor. There was a desk and a refresher and a table made for two. A holotable was next to the desk for transmissions.

Carefully setting his son on the bed's grey comforter, Vader assessed his condition. Luke's face was pale, making him look sickly in the bright lights of the room. He would need to eat as soon as he woke up. Luke groaned a bit from his position on the bed, his face contorting into a pain filled expression. Vader gently sent calming waves towards his son's mind, helping him struggle through the pain. When he was sure that his son's pain was alleviated, Vader rested a mechanical hand on his son's hair, still an uncommon blue. Resolving to change it back as soon as his son deemed it necessary, Vader walked out of the room, deciding to do a little more research on his son's life.

Aaaaannnnndddd scene. I was so excited to write this chapter that I put so much detail into it. That's why it took me so long to post it. I know, a feeble excuse. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. If you have any questions or suggestions, please review or PM me.

-Nightingale0708