A/N: Hey there! I know it's been ages since I updated this, and thank you all so much for your continued support. I'm always overwhelmed by people's reactions to this story. Some of you have literally been around for years! So thanks.
This will probably be the last chapter I post to this website for a while, because this story is now being hosted on ao3 (you can find me there under the name volsung). I went back and did some editing (read: a LOT of editing), but nothing major story-wise. If it's been a while though, you might want to re-read it on archive of our own instead of here. This version is riddled with typos and such.
Also, I can't promise anything, but we're definitely nearing the end now, and I hope to get this story finished soon. Enjoy!
The Shadow
Chapter Sixteen: Reconnaissance
Part One
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The hangar at Darth Vader's castle was blissfully quiet as Luke took a seat next to one of the many priceless speeders. It was three days after Empire Day, after the worst birthday of his life by far, and the event was still fresh in his mind. The hangar door was open, letting through a warm breeze. Luke sighed.
His new arm felt less heavy today. He must be getting used to it at last, but it still hurt whenever he moved too quickly. The points of contact between it and his flesh had yet to heal completely. Perhaps it had been a bit soon for him to spar with Mara Jade.
He tightened his jaw. She too was still on his mind, particularly her knowing smirk at the end of their training session yesterday, when he had no longer been able to mask the pain caused by his new limb. She had been the one to suggest that he get some rest. She'd also informed him that the Emperor wished to see him the following evening. So, feeling more than a little dejected, Luke had returned to his father's residence, and tried to get some sleep. His sense of time was all screwed up and he slept most of the afternoon and night, only to wake up just before dawn feeling restless.
There was nothing to do in this castle but brood over his situation and walk around aimlessly under the watchful stares of stormtrooper guards. He didn't even come across Nat, and he supposed she was still visiting her mother. Or maybe she was gone too, with the fleet and Vader. That seemed more likely. Whenever his thoughts went down this path, his chest felt cold. Empty.
Luke examined the red speeder next to him. It was a stunning thing, and heavily modified. He couldn't really be sure of the model, but it was obviously sporty, built for high speeds and sharp manoeuvres. He felt the itch to take it out, even though his arm still needed to heal, and he was certain Vader wouldn't approve of him piloting one of his prized speeders after what had happened last time… Luke smirked at that; didn't Vader always say material possessions were worthless, and that he should endeavour to let go of them all? Owning dozens of luxury speeders and starships seemed a little contradictory to his philosophy.
Just as Luke was starting to seriously contemplate the pros and cons of taking one of the vehicles for a spin, he saw movement from outside. A sleek electric blue speeder had just landed in an empty space and Luke blinked, surprised.
The pilot jumped out and immediately made her way to him. "Good morning Luke," Nat said pleasantly enough. Luke found he could not return her greeting. Instead of the smile he knew he'd usually offer, he remained seated and calmly met her gaze.
"I just got back," she stated as though it weren't obvious. She sounded tired. "How was Empire Day?"
"You didn't celebrate it?"
"I… My mother isn't in any condition to be going to parades."
"Oh," was all Luke replied. He didn't know what to say. It felt like he should, but his throat was tight and his insides burned with the raging storm of the dark side. He could feel it constantly now, ever since the accident.
Speaking of which, Nat had just come to a halt in front of him and finally seemed to take in his appearance. Her lips parted in an obvious question.
"You must've heard about what happened to the Judicator, though?"
She nodded warily. "Saw it on the news, yeah. You…?"
"I was on board. I would have died, but the Admiral got me on an escape pod just in time."
Nat's expression turned to pity. "I'm so sorry! That must have been dreadful. Does it still hurt?"
"No," he lied. "And don't bother. I don't need anybody's pity." He spoke through his teeth, but it had a rather unexpected effect. Instead of backing away or even realizing he wasn't in the mood, Nat dragged a crate closer and sat down next to him.
"Looks like we both had a bad weekend then."
He seriously doubted she'd had half as bad a time as him but Luke resisted the urge to snap, and turned to her calmly. "Mum's taken a turn for the worst…" She muttered. "She's been sick for over a year, but I'm not ready for her to die. My job in the Navy means I haven't spent nearly as much time with her as I'd like, and I'll probably be away from Coruscant when she passes." Her voice was smaller than Luke had ever heard it, and for a moment he felt like comforting her.
But he could not will his hand to move to her shoulder, nor his lips to form soothing words. A long minute of silence went by, and Nat turned to him again, this time with slightly tearful eyes. She was looking at him curiously, even cautiously. "What are you going to be doing now that Lord Vader is away?"
Luke closed his eyes and turned his head slightly so she wouldn't notice his expression. It was sure to be pained. Of course Nat had no idea how painful it was for him to be separated from Vader right now. He didn't answer her, and instead asked a question of his own.
"How come you didn't leave with the fleet?"
"The fleet isn't gone…" She said slowly. "Lord Vader took only a few squadrons of stormtroopers with him on the Executor. Nobody knows where they went. It's all a bit too hush, hush, frankly."
Luke gave a short nod. He wasn't even curious. What did it matter where his father had gone? The only fact that mattered to Luke was that he was not with him.
At last, Nat seemed to realise Luke wasn't going to be great company. She stood and shuffled away. "Sorry for bothering you with this," she said awkwardly. "I didn't mean to. You're just…" She hesitated, and Luke felt a vague feeling of concern from her. "You're usually so easy to talk to. But you've obviously got a lot on your mind already. I'll leave."
Luke grit his teeth. "It's not you, Nat." He assured her, standing up as well. "I'm… My accident made me see how weak I was. I won't make that mistake again. And Vader's gone off Force knows where, so I can only rely on myself now."
"You're not alone Luke."
"Stop," he growled. He was annoyed at himself more than anything else; why couldn't he seem to get his point across? "I can't be your friend. That time has passed. I don't know why you insist on acting like I'm just regular guy, but it needs to stop." To his dismay, Nat's eyes softened. "I have to go," he said quickly, making to push her out of his way.
"You're the one who desperately acts like you wanna be like the rest of us, Luke," she told him, standing her ground firmly. "I've known my share of bad people. And you are not one of them. Even if you've killed people, even if Lord Vader is training you to be a Sith. You –"
"Stop!" Luke yelled this time. "I've been putting on this act, like I can stay regular guy, but I can't and I was a fool for trying! Stay away from me, or I'll just end up hurting you as well!" That murderous feeling filled his heart then, and his face felt hot.
Nat bit her lip but did not move, and Luke suddenly had enough. His anger needed an outlet and, without knowing what might happen if he let it through, he shut his eyes and released the pent-up rage. Rumbling filled his ears and when he opened his eyes, Nat was on the floor a few metres away, her eyes wide. The Force had pushed her into a stack of crates, which were now in a pile, contents strewn everywhere.
"Just stay away," he warned one last time and rushed to the lift at the far corner of the hangar. He knew he shouldn't have done that. He wasn't Vader; he didn't have permission to attack anybody without orders. The more distance he put between himself and other people, the better.
"You remind me of my little brother."
Nat's cracked voice made him pause, but he kept his back to the hangar. He almost laughed, her words were so unexpected. But her voice was serious, and it sounded like she'd been bursting to say this for a long time.
"He died in an accident years ago," she went on. "I was really protective of him. Maybe I was trying to be like a sister to you because of that. I'm sorry."
Luke heard some rustling and tools clanging across the floor, and knew she was leaving the hangar too, in the opposite direction. Troubled and angry, he entered a lift and made his way up to his quarters.
There was a cold feeling in the back of his mind where the link with his father should be. It still existed, but as a painful reminder. He yearned to fill it with something, but his father was millions of lightyears away. The presence he'd come to associate with father had disappeared, almost like it had never existed, and he couldn't deny how much he already missed the feeling of a familial bond. Nat's words had hit too close for comfort.
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They came out of hyperspace a good distance away from the Death Star, as Vader had instructed, but it was still close enough that it filled up most of the viewport. Or perhaps it was simply the fact that it was so much bigger than its predecessor. Stars, it was massive. Leia felt a bit sick just looking at it, so she turned towards her companions instead. Han was busying himself with the Nav computer, probably so he didn't have to look at the station they were about to board, whereas Chewie and Wedge were quietly sitting in the corner.
Just then, Vader came in behind them, and Leia stood to greet him. "What's the plan?"
"You will all have to remain hidden on board this ship until I can find you some uniforms. Your faces are too well-known, so you shall have to be troopers. As for Chewbacca, I could have him put in a quiet cell, or with some of the other non-human workers–"
"You mean slaves?" Han cut in, crossing his arms. Chewbacca grumbled something in the background.
Vader turned slightly to look down upon them. "There is no way around it if we are to avoid any suspicion. Even I cannot order a wookiee to be allowed to walk freely in a base under Empire control!" As he spoke, Han stood up as well, his eyes narrowing.
To everyone's surprise, Chewie was the one who stood between Han and Vader. He roared something at Han, who frowned in return. "Well, if you're sure…"
Vader simply nodded. "Very well, once you three are in uniform, you may safely escort Chewbacca to a workstation."
"He says he'd rather keep an eye out than sit in a cell…" Han said, for everyone else's sake.
Leia was about to ask how they were going to board, when the sound of static came from the old comm unit. "Unidentified Chandrilian shuttle, this is a highly restricted area. What is your heading?" Vader quickly strode over and pressed the transmitter. "Authorisation code: 8051-8833-2416. I wish to land in Hangar 272. Make the necessary arrangements at once."
There was quite a long silence on the other end, and then the officer spoke again, stumbling over his own words. "L-Lord Vader! My apologies, we didn't realise! This is not the ship you left with…"
"I am well aware," Vader snapped. "And it is none of your concern. I trust there will be no further delay." There was an underlying threat to each of his words and the officer hastily assured him that he could prepare to land at once. Leia sighed and stared out the viewport as the looming shadow of the Death Star II drew closer.
"Once we land, find a suitable place to wait on this ship. And keep quiet. No one should come aboard without good reason, but if they do, call for me through the Force. If all goes well I will return to retrieve you as soon as possible." Vader continued talking rather calmly.
"Fine," Han said, as Leia nodded; "Understood."
The next few minutes trickles by in silence, and once they were in range of the watchtowers, they all relocated to a small bunk near the entrance of the ship. There were only two bunks on board, and they weren't cosy by any standard. The ship was built for functionality more than anything else; it definitely wasn't the sort of vessel you wanted to take with you for a week-long journey.
Once they felt the thud that meant they had landed, Leia shut the door and leaned back against Han. It was rather dark, and cramped and smelly in here. They could also hear the muffled sounds of Vader snarling orders at people as he disembarked.
"Well," Han snorted. "This is going to be a memorable trip."
Chewie woofed softly in response and then they all fell silent. Leia hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin upon them, in deep thought. Even if they didn't get anywhere near Luke, or even if Vader betrayed them in the end, the Sith still trusted them enough to bring them here. It didn't appear to be a trap as of yet, seeing as how he could very easily have subdued them by now. That had to mean something didn't it? Leia knew she could never completely trust him, but for now she could only hope their alliance would be effective.
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It was some time before Vader returned, about two hours, but no more than that. He had obtained three sets of stormtrooper armour roughly in their size, along with some blasters to complete the disguises.
"Trust me with a blaster, huh?" Han commented as he fastened his chest piece on.
"You are no more a threat to me with a blaster in your hand than without," Vader said coolly. "Remember what happened last time you shot at me." At that Han shut his mouth with a click of his teeth. If Vader was referencing their time on Bespin, well… that could only bring back unpleasant memories for Han, Leia thought.
Indeed, Han was silent for a while but then he popped his helmet on and huffed. "Don't think I've forgotten how you tortured me for no good reason –"
"If you're waiting on an apology, don't waste your breath," Vader interrupted. Leia rolled her eyes and gently pulled on Han's arm to get him moving. "I agree with you," she mumbled at him, "but please, please try not to piss him off."
"Yeah…" Han grumbled back. "I guess we don't need him angry at us on top of everythin' else…"
They came to a halt, and Vader waited for Wedge to put his helmet on too. "Be silent now," he said. "Simply follow me. And look alive, Solo." He then whirled around and stalked across the hangar, leaving them to hurry in his wake. They tried to look as alert as possible, which wasn't too hard for Leia – she already felt so on edge. Chewie trudged behind them, his arms in binders.
It took ages of walking though cold, empty corridors, journeys down countless lifts, until they finally reached a mostly unfinished part of the station. It was a gigantic hangar, still being built apparently, and full of workers. They didn't get more than a quick view as Vader led them into an adjacent room, this one full of imperials. Some of them remembered to stand to attention when their Sith Lord entered, but most simply sat frozen at their desks. The man in charge quickly recovered from his gaping and came to greet them.
Vader pushed Chewie forward, though he did so gently. "Put this wookiee to work."
An awkward silence followed. "At once, my Lord…" The officer said slowly. "Er… Can we be of assistance in any other way?"
"No, that will be all." Vader snapped, obviously annoyed, and turned on his heel again to leave. Leia watched the imperials in the room blink at each other for a moment before following. As soon as she did she heard one of them; "Was that really Lord Vader…?"
Nobody said a word as they followed Vader through the Death Star again, and people jumped out of their way as soon as they spotted him. It might have been funny to watch if he'd been anybody else.
They soon reached their destination however, a deserted corridor, and Vader hurried them in before shutting the door behind them. He gestured for them to remove their helmets.
"I have been given these quarters for my personal use. Nobody is allowed in here so you shall be well hidden for now." He walked over to the back of the room. There was no viewport in here, and only a small sitting area with a pair of sofas to the side. "I cannot freely return to Coruscant, or at the very least I cannot announce that I am returning. And security is sure to be tight around the planet. I see no way for me to go there without the Emperor hearing about it."
"Alright," Leia said. "But there must be a way for us to make it?"
"That was the point of us coming here after all." Vader nodded. "I can have you relocated to Coruscant on the next transport. But after that you shall be on your own."
"What do you mean?" Han frowned. "You won't be able to help us get in anywhere?"
"I cannot do too much without arousing suspicion. I can make sure you get to Imperial City, perhaps even have you stationed around my residence. But we will have time to think these details through carefully."
Leia moved to sit on a sofa and the others followed, while Vader stood in front of them. "And when will the next transport to Coruscant be?"
"They are careful not to risk too many movements between here and Coruscant," Vader sighed. "Only if they need important supplies or for a change of personnel. It's usually every few months, but I'll press as much as I can."
"Months?" Leia repeated. If they took months to get to Coruscant, who knows how far gone Luke would be?
Han was smirking though. "I can't imagine they'll refuse an order to move troops to Coruscant sooner if it comes from you."
At this, Vader began to pace. "Our main worry is the Emperor. If he suspects I'm acting oddly, we will certainly be discovered. The officers on this station may obey me without question, but do not forget that they answer to the Emperor first and foremost. Palpatine is still very much on his guard because of the Empire Day fiasco, and we must assume that he is watching me as closely as possible, despite the distance between us."
Leia shared a look with Han and Wedge then, certain they felt as helpless as she did. "Do you think he could already know you're planning something?" She asked Vader.
The Sith sighed deeply. "No… But we do have an advantage; he doesn't know that I have children."
Han made a face like he didn't understand what Vader was getting at, but Leia met the Sith's gaze head-on. The Emperor had no idea, or at least he wasn't worried that Vader might betray him for anybody else because he didn't know that his children still lived. She could feel Han and Wedge staring between her and her father, and after letting the silence stretch out for a bit, Vader finally looked away.
"That's enough for now. Rest, and let us discuss this later." He moved further away to give them space, strangely enough. Or perhaps he needed space for himself.
Wedge stretched and stood up. "I definitely need to sleep… Not sure how good a sleep it's going to be on this station, but." Han made an agreeable sound and got up as well. As he turned to her, Leia shook her head.
"Go on, I'll… be right with you in a minute." She bit her lip though, and Han gave her a look that plainly said Are you okay?
She nodded hastily and he reluctantly followed Wedge into the next room. Leia remained seated, gathering her thoughts, but Vader decided to speed things along.
"Well?" His voice lacked its usual edge. Perhaps he would be less prone to anger for once. She set her helmet to the side and began unfastening various parts of her armour.
"You won't be coming with us to Coruscant." It wasn't really a question, but it invited an answer.
"I cannot…"
"On Trindello you were talking like you were ready to lead an attack on Imperial City!"
"That is not a feasible plan!" He retorted. "We do not have the numbers – even if every single person on this space station joined us it still would not be enough. I have rethought my initial strategy and I now think it is in our best interest to approach this discreetly."
"I'm frankly surprised you think so," Leia admitted, standing up herself now and discarding her pauldrons. "I may hate the Empire, but I can still respect the way you lead your troops. You're always confident, you keep a cool head in hard situations! I bet it's one of the things you do have in common with Anakin –" She stopped herself, but the damage had already been done. Vader's temper flared at the mention of his old name.
This time it only spurred Leia on. "You want to know what I think?"
"Do tell." Vader growled.
"It feels to me like you want to avoid facing the Emperor yourself because you're scared of what will happen if he orders you to turn against Luke." She undid the ties in her hair and flung it all over one shoulder. "And against me, too. You still feel like you have to obey anything he tells you to do! Not only that, but you've gotten used to things going your way. The Empire has grown so powerful that you haven't faced an actual threat in so long and now you're scared of losing."
"You know nothing –" Vader snarled.
"Of course, you haven't had anything to lose in so long either," Leia went on, "that it must hurt so much, to think you might lose us. How painful it must have been when you thought Luke had died – not once, but twice now – and I think… I think you've forgotten how to deal with loss. I love Luke so much, but I know we may not be able to save him. I'm scared of failing. And I can admit that."
Actually she wanted to believe they could save him, but that's not what Vader needed to hear right now. A reality check was in order.
They stared at each other for several long moments, and Vader began to speak, more calmly this time.
"I am well aware we might fail. No mission is ever guaranteed – I learned that the hard way. In my youth I was foolhardy, I thought I was indestructible, and that I could protect everyone. But war made me grow up." Vader wasn't looking at Leia but rather talking into thin air, like it was easier that way. "People die. You can do everything in your power to stop it but they still die. Never presume that I believe myself above these things. I have seen more loss and destruction than you can imagine."
He stood still for a moment, before sense seemed to return to him and he walked over towards the exit. "My attention is needed elsewhere. Call for me if there is anything wrong."
Then he was gone.
Leia sighed deeply and gathered up the stray parts of her stormtrooper armour to follow after Han and Wedge into the next room.
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In reality, Vader was not needed anywhere on the Death Star at present. He was only really here to supervise. Admittedly they weren't quite on schedule, and his presence on board could only help motivate the workers, but his workload was negligible. The station had been functioning adequately well before his arrival and would continue to do so without him.
Luke however…
Vader felt empty whenever his son crossed his mind, as though a giant gaping hole had appeared in his chest, plain for all to see. The unfamiliar feeling of weakness. The dark side seemed to hiss at him for it. How could he ever expect to grow more powerful when half his attention was focused on another being?
But Vader could no longer become more powerful. He shook his head once, grunting. His condition would not allow him to. He was tired, and he realised this more than ever now that he was alone – now that the corner of his mind usually occupied by Luke's presence was vacant. If he cared to meditate on this he could surely analyse just how much of an effect Luke had had on him, but for now he wouldn't. He was in enough of a strange mood already.
His daughter's words had been difficult to hear, but needed. He could at least acknowledge that. He was afraid, and so beyond belief. And for the first time in a long time he did not even want to release that feeling into the Force. He needed to let himself feel all of it.
Thankfully there was nobody around now. He'd made his way to the Emperor's quarters, which were currently half-completed, dark, cold and deserted, and was looking out the viewport at the vastness outside.
At that moment he felt a certain kinship with the dark empty universe. Most of it was void, and the only pinpricks of light were impressions of long-dead stars hanging in a black tapestry. It was comforting to know that space did not forget either, that the brightest stars still remained in memory millions of light-years away.
Maybe Luke was also looking out at the stars tonight, somewhere across that long stretch of nothing.
Vader turned away, his bad mood softened. It was cool in the Emperor's as yet unoccupied quarters as no one was bothering to keep it heated, and so reminiscent of his hyperbaric chamber. He forced himself to concentrate, putting thoughts of his son, and his issues with Leia, aside for a moment.
There must be a way to get Leia close to Luke without attracting attention. Even Palpatine was not all seeing, and his attention would be divided in the coming weeks, focused on Luke and his training. Apprentices had a way of taking up more of your time than anticipated, and Palpatine had not had another true apprentice since before Darth Vader came into existence. There had been other dark side fledglings – certainly the Jade girl had had more than a few lessons with their mutual master – but none had been bestowed with the title of Darth before Luke.
This was equal parts reassuring and unsettling. On one hand Vader knew his master would not have given the title if he wasn't absolutely sure of Luke's potential, but he also felt that it was premature. Luke had only tentatively embraced the dark side before, and now he was being asked to take it all in at once. Vader, too, had been turned quickly but it took years for him to really understand the dark side. That was not what he had wanted for Luke. Palpatine was an unforgiving master, and so Vader felt an urgency to act.
At last he turned away from the viewport and started his journey down to the hangars where he knew he'd find a certain admiral he knew was trustworthy. Anybody on this station would obey him of course, but not many were truly loyal to him. They would need outside help for this plan to be feasible and if they were betrayed, they would not get a second chance at it.
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Vader had never been more relieved to see one of his officers than when he finally located Admiral Piett. The man was busy watching over some technicians running a test of some kind, all of the hunched over a terminal and arguing among themselves, but he stood to attention once he noticed Vader approaching.
"My Lord," he said in acknowledgement, and the workers around him all scrambled to stand straight.
"Resume your work," Vader said to the others before glancing at Piett. "Admiral, with me."
He continued on his way to another exit, confident that Piett was following behind him, and did not stop until he reached a more desolate part of the station where he knew no ears were like to overhear them. His own chambers, where Leia, Solo and Antilles were resting, were not far, but they entered an out of use office with a single desk and a few chairs scattered about.
Piett closed the door behind him and stood smartly, awaiting orders as always, and Vader took a moment to observe the man. The time back on Coruscant had been kind to Piett, that much was apparent. He looked less exhausted than he had been back in deep space and, though he had been in command of the Executor on the way here, he seemed more relaxed than he'd ever seen him. However, Vader had never once uttered the phrase 'at ease', and he wasn't about to break his streak.
"Have a seat if you wish," he said stiffly instead. The admiral's stance loosened, but he did not sit.
"Before I get to the point of this meeting, I must be absolutely certain of your loyalty." Vader held up a hand to stop Piett, who was obviously about to spew some memorised paragraph about his undying loyalty to the Empire. "If you are even a fraction unsure about your loyalty to me, your willingness to serve me, I shall ask you to leave this room now. You may continue to do your job as before and we shall never speak of this again."
There was a long silence as Piett considered this. Vader waited calmly. That he was taking time to think was a good sign. Vader knew that if he had threatened the man in any way he would never have gotten the truth. This way, the admiral truly had a choice.
He knew his choice of words had not gone unnoticed, and that Piett was deliberating whether or not he would put his loyalty to Vader before anything else.
After a moment, Piett cleared his throat smartly. "Of course, Lord Vader. I am utterly loyal to you. Whatever this is about, I am sure you can trust me with it."
"If I asked you to do something for the good of the galaxy, but that could get you executed for treason if you were found out, would you do it?"
Piett blinked. His eyebrows rose almost imperceptibly. "My Lord, I am sworn to obey your every order, no questions asked. It wouldn't be the first time you ask me to do something… erm, shall we say, not quite legal."
Vader almost could have shared in the humour of that statement if this situation weren't so serious. "If I told you what this is about, nothing could stop you from repeating it, if you so wished. You would not live long afterwards of course, but you could ruin me."
Slowly, Piett spoke again. "I would not. Whatever it is you wish to tell me, I will not tell another soul." Vader could see he was curious now. It was understandable. Nobody knew anything about Vader's personal life, or indeed if he even had one. Nobody knew if Darth Vader was his real name, or where he had come from. Some people doubted he was human.
Piett's apparent willingness to serve him was reassuring, but still he hesitated. He could simply kill Piett of course if his reaction was not satisfactory, but to be perfectly honest he would rather not. Vader rarely kept anyone around – in what could perhaps be called his inner circle – for this long. Piett had become a constant, hard working and reliable. He would not hesitate to kill him if necessary but it would be a loss.
In the end though, he really had no other choice. He had brought only Piett and a squadron of his 501st with him to this station, and he would sooner trust Piett than a stormtrooper.
"It is about Luke," Vader finally decided on saying. Piett kept his expression composed, but Vader knew he wasn't surprised. Piett and Luke had met on several occasions and certainly there was some curiosity there. "Luke is my son."
This time Piett's cool facade slipped. He did not speak but his eyes said it all.
"All you need to know is that I was unaware of his existence until we met at Yavin. He was with the rebels then but became loyal to me after learning that I am his father." That was mostly the truth anyway. Piett's expression was fascinated now. "The Force is difficult to tame however and without me to teach him, he is a danger to others and himself. The Emperor would keep me from him, and so I cannot return to Coruscant without good reason. I need you to escort someone to Imperial Center on my behalf so that they may help Luke."
"Who?" Piett asked.
"All in good time, Admiral. The Force is… complicated. The dark side prevents me from claiming Luke. He belongs to the man I once was, not the Sith. Therefore, I… have not told the Emperor who he truly is. You are now one of a handful of beings in the galaxy who know that he is my son. If the Emperor were to find out he would kill us both, perhaps he would do it himself, or perhaps he would have me kill the boy. And he would certainly kill anyone who knew but kept it from him."
Piett nodded and said faintly, "I see."
Seconds trickled by and Piett did not say anything further. Impatient, Vader hooked his thumbs about his belt and stood straighter. "Time is of the essence, Admiral."
Piett stared for half a beat, then shook himself. "I understand completely, please forgive me, I'm still taking this in…" He cleared his throat. "I understand. It should be no trouble for me to arrange transport to Coruscant, and I doubt my departure would be a problem."
"I am counting on it. Still, it would be best if as little people as possible know you are leaving."
"Alright," Piett shuffled tautly. "Should I take any troopers with me just in case?"
"No. I think you'll find your company more than capable. One of them will pilot the ship. And they will no doubt make for interesting conversation." To say the least… Vader's lip twitched as he spoke.
"Very well. When do I depart?"
"We shall wait until the next rotation, when there are less people about the station. Use one of the smaller hangars." Vader moved one step towards the door. "Before I take you to meet the others, know this. If you betray me, I hope for your sake you die before we ever cross paths again. Do not make me regret keeping you around all these years."
"I would never dream of it, my Lord!" He looked legitimately offended. "My loyalty to you is true. It is you I have served under all these years, not His Majesty…" Before he could go on, Vader opened the door and gestured for him to follow. Piett seemed to have more to say, but this was not a subject Vader wanted to discuss at length.
The walk back to his assigned chambers was short, and Vader decided to warn Leia of their arrival beforehand. He reached out for her presence and found her drifting near sleep.
Wake your companions and join me in the main room. We have much to discuss.
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