Outbreak

Fandom – Star Wars

Characters- Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and some OC's

Ratings – PG13/R

Warnings – War and Prison aren't good.

Summary – Darth Vader looks into suspicious Rebel activity aboard a Prison convoy. There he runs into Luke Skywalker, his son. Vader now has a second chance to re-evaluate his priorities.

STORY NOTES – This story is completely AU after Bespin. Everything is canon until Jedi.

Chapter 1 –

Tonnil La of the prison hulk Flare; waited on the landing deck as the shuttle landed. Behind her were two lines of Storm Troopers at the ready. Her second in command was late; he was getting Lord Vader's quarter's set up, including something of a sphere like nature that no one knew how to work. Not that it mattered that they knew what it was for. If Lord Vader ordered it, than it had to be done.

Once the ship put down and the ramp was lowered. Lord Vader strode down. He stopped at the base for a second. He had his hands on his hips and looked around as if he needed to berate her about the meet and greet. She stood her ground and bowed as Lord Vader strode up to her.

"My Lord Vader, I hope your trip was uneventful," she said.

His automatic breathing filled the following silence. "This is not a pleasure visit Captain Ta," Lord Vader said.

"I understand," Tonnil nodded, "I would not have contacted you directly unless my orders went against it,"

"You do have Skywalker, correct?" Lord Vader asked.

"Yes my Lord," Tonnil nodded again, "He's been sequestered in Isolation Bay-C,"

"Good," Vader and Tonnil made their way outside the docking bay. The Storm Troopers gave salutes as their superiors passed them by.

"How has he behaved?" Lord Vader asked.

"I've gone over his files; he's co-operating better than can be expected. He does not make trouble amongst the other prisoners and he has not tried to escape. I'm suspicious," Tonnil explained.

"The child is here for something else," Lord Vader said.

"I agree, My Lord," Tonnil and Vader stepped into a turbo lift.

"Shall we go to the Bridge, My Lord?" Tonnil asked.

"Take me to Isolation Bay-C," Vader replied. Tonnil pressed the correct button and the turbo lift went downwards.

Luke knew what he was doing when he made it possible for the Empire to capture him. Of course, Leia and Mon Mothma had planned it so that his transfer to the Flare was seen as random. It wasn't. Luke, however, hadn't run into his contact and therefore did not have the Rebel correspondence that Mon Mothma needed three standard months ago.

This meant that he had to bide his time and wait it out. His contact could possibly be having his/her own troubles. If it wasn't for his name and the bounty Vader had put on him – to be turned over to the Sith Lord alive and in various degrees of health – Luke doubted that he'd be treated half as well as his jailors did now.

It helped that he didn't antagonize the Storm Troopers, did has he was told…within reason. Only once had he defended himself against an Imperial who had tried some rather looked-down upon torture. Which led to the man being transferred to another ship and no one had bothered Luke about it afterwards. Captain Tonnil La had even apologized to him. Luke took her at face value. The Force didn't indicate that she was lying.

Time flowed oddly in prison than it did on Degobah when Luke trained under Yoda. He wished he was back on that soggy planet learning more about the Force. His skill was lacking. There was no one to teach him; except for Vader who sought to yank the Galaxy from Palpatine. It may have been three months since their deadly duel at Bespin's Cloud City. However, Luke hadn't yet accepted the fact that Vader was his Father, even with Obi-Wan validating the idea.

It still hurt.

Luke felt like the seventeen year old kid he'd started out as, lost in the Galaxy with his ideal picture of a Father, a spice freight pilot and Jedi. Now, that picture was replaced with a tall man of the Sith; ensconced in black and unable to love.

Luke shook his head and his cell started to weigh in on him. It was small and gray with a shelf for a bed. He didn't have a blanket and the fresher was small with an open shower head and a drain to the compactor. His grey coverall helped him to blend into his surroundings.

He had so much time to think, and Vader took up most of his thoughts. Luke couldn't believe that he was related to the second most powerful man in the Universe. Yet, he was. He knew he had to accept it. He either had to accept that fact or live a lie that never existed.

Which led to thoughts of the Farm life on Tatooine; the sandy planet was hot all year long. Empire Day and Life Day passed without a thought. Luke got one single present on each holiday because his family hardly ever had enough money. Whatever they had went to the farm. Food was even scarce sometimes; which had him hunting in Beggars Canyon with his friends.

Uncle Owen lamented more over the failure the family farm had become. They could have sold it and gone to another planet where the farming was better. Yet, neither Aunt Beru nor Uncle Owen could leave the planet they'd grown up on. Luke remembered when he'd lay in bed at night, listening to the Bantha cries as the Sand People bedded down for the night that he wondered if Uncle Owen ever felt the same as a youth. Luke had soon come to figure that Uncle Owen was the type who would stick it out on Tatooine, come hell or sand storms.

Now, lying on the shelf in the prison star destroyer, Luke wondered if he could stick it out. He wasn't working a farm any longer. There was no such thing as dusting crops on Tatooine, seeing as how all you had was "dust". Their crops grew underground with softer lighting. Moister dripped through long, thin pipes running across the ceiling. The moister came from the machines up-top that gathered what they could through an air filtering system. Those machines had been the bane of Luke's life.

The sudden dark appearance made Luke jolt out of his day dream of his farm life. He sat up quickly and closed his eyes. He let the Force cover him in a wave, and he knew who was nearing him. Darth Vader had arrived.

Luke kept back a curse. He had hoped that Vader would be too busy to come and see him personally. He knew it was a possibility – now reality – he hoped that Mon Mothma had a plan for this. They had talked about it thoroughly before he left for this mission. He couldn't leave the prison barge without the information Mon Mothma needed.

Luke let the Force trickle away. He wasn't prepared, but it was beyond his control. He'd have to face Vader far earlier than he wanted. He waited, nearly scrunched into the far corner of the shelf. He tried to quench the fear that suddenly reared its ugly head. His right hand wiggled almost of its own volition. He glared at it as if it had personally brought the Dark Lord to him.

The sealed doorway to his cell opened. Vader obviously didn't feel threatened by Luke and entered first. Behind him Tonnil La. Luke tried to get a read of their feelings through the Force. Vader was guarded and Tonnil was hiding her growing worries; worries that she didn't betray in her facial features. She was as stony as the next Imperial Officer.

Luke finally stood.

Vader's systematic breathing filled the silence. Luke contained his urges to fidget. Uncle Owen had used this technique on him a few times. He was trying to make Luke feel guilty where there was absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. Sure, he killed several thousands of people when he blew up the Death Star. It was that or let it blow the Rebellion to pieces. Luke didn't look away from either Imperial. He had to stick it out bravely.

"Leave us, Captain, I will join you on the bridge in time," Vader ordered.

Tonnil La saluted, "Yes My Lord," and then she left.

The door swished shut behind her. Now Luke was left alone with his captor and father. He felt panic well up inside. It was too soon.

Vader pushed the advantage. He strode towards Luke. His son went to step away, but a strong Force Grip kept the child in place. Vader had Luke up against the wall. Luke gasped when Vader gripped his chin tightly. He moved Luke's face to the right so that he could gain a proper look at a bruise Luke had gained a few days before. It was large and just beginning to blacken about the edges.

Luke sucked air through clenched teeth. He'd forgotten all about the bruise. He'd had a fist fight with another inmate looking to make a name for himself. Only that fact that his Jedi training had been so rough and tough had kept Luke from looking like a total weakling. Now, Vader's gloved hand was slightly pushing against the outer rim of the injury. Luke cringed when the pain flared across that side of his face.

"How did you gain this?" Vader asked.

Luke kept himself from denying an answer; "It was nothing out of the ordinary, just a fist fight,"

"What other damage did you take?" Vader asked.

"Not much, maybe a blow or two to the ribs," Luke would have shrugged if the Force grip had allowed it.

Vader's hand dropped and Luke turned his face back in order to look at Vader; "Why do you care?" Luke asked. Maybe it was a stupid question. Yet it'd been one he'd been ruminating on.

"You are my son," Vader replied.

"As if it's that simple," Luke muttered through a sigh.

"It is all I have for now," Vader said.

Luke nodded skeptically.

"I will have you go to med bay, then you'll be transferred to a secure location elsewhere on this ship," Vader explained, it was a sudden change of subject.

Worry flared up suddenly in Luke's chest; "What? Why?"

"Because, it is not safe for you to be with the other prisoners," Vader replied. He crossed his arms.

"Won't that be suspicious?" Luke asked, trying for anything but suspicious since he didn't want Vader to know why he didn't want to be moved. He'd have to go along with it.

If Vader started asking questions…

"Everyone knows of the bounty on your head and that you are to be delivered to me alive and in semi-good health. If the prisoners revolted and took you hostage, I may be forced to kill you along with them," Vader replied patiently.

"Why don't you just kill me? Palpatine won't be happy if he ever finds out what you plan to do," Luke pointed out. It was weird to even be having a relatively normal conversation with this man.

"Palpatine thinks he sees a single future," Vader started pacing, "he does not see how powerful you can become with a bit more training, you should have stayed with Yoda and gained more knowledge before coming to me at Bespin,"

"I had visions of my friends being tortured, by you," Luke replied, "maybe I should have stayed with Master Yoda," he had to concede that Vader had a point.

Then he stopped and glared, "and stay out of my head!"

"Don't you want the Empire to fall?" Vader asked. He completely ignored Luke's grumbled object to the mind reading.

Luke gave him a look as if to say that was a really dumb question for a Sith Lord to ask. "What do you think?" Luke asked.

"Toppling the Empire is the best course of action, but is your Rebellion able to take on the tasks setting up a new government would take?"

"Mon Mothma is able to do it and the other Generals as well," Luke replied.

"What are you here for?" Vader stopped in front of Luke once more and gripped his son's chin, a bit gentler this time. Luke licked his lips.

"I was captured, how else would I be here?" Luke lied.

Vader knew it too; "Little Jedi, lying does not become you,"

Luke refused to feel any guilt from it. What gave this man the right to admonish him, anyway? And did he have to be condescending at the same time? Little Jedi…is that supposed to be affection?

"I am your Father, that is all the right I have," Vader said.

Luke gave Vader a cocked eyebrow; "Don't read my thoughts,"

"You project them as strongly as the twin suns of Tatooine heat the desert," Vader replied.

That's right, he had lived on Tatooine. That much truth was consistent at least.

"I won't tell you the Rebellion's business," Luke pulled away from the gloved hand.

"It is my business," Vader said. His Force Grip disappeared and Luke almost collapsed to the floor from the loss of support. Vader strode towards the doorway which opened with a wave of his hand.

"Sergeant," Vader called.

A man stepped up and saluted. Luke watched aptly.

"Take Skywalker to med bay and then transport him to the secure location," Vader snapped. The Sergeant barely had time for a quick, polite reply before Vader stalked away.

Luke was placed into shock cuffs before a team of Storm Troopers and the Sergeant marched him out of his former cell.

TO BE CONTINUED