Objects in Motion
by Cyranothe2nd
Rating: PG
Timeline: This fic occurs between ESB and RotJ.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.
Chapter One-Revolution
The room was dark, ascetic and nearly empty - like its owner. In the windows, the planet Shiori hung like a jewel against the black backdrop of space. And on a table in the center of the room, a glow emanated from a small device in a black-gloved hand. A holo-vid sprang into life and Darth Vader watched his son.
It was taken some time after Bespin, of that the Dark Lord was certain. The boy wore a black glove over his mechanical hand, and his face looked older than it had in the other holo-vids he had, the ones taken from the Death Star archives and later, on Hoth.
Luke had received training with a Jedi, Vader was certain of that too. Only a Jedi Master - or possibly a Sith Lord - could convey that sense of self-possession, the cultivated stillness. He watched his son cross the hanger bay, hands tucked into the sleeves of his brown robe walking at a steady pace. And then he saw a ship land, and Luke face broke into a wide grin. He rushed towards the lowering off-ramp, hugging the Corellian pirate, Solo, as he emerged.
Vader watched them greet each other, and was reminded just how young his son really was. It was easy to forget that until he smiled, Vader thought. And that smile was a potent weapon; it had the power to discomfort him, make him think of things he'd rather forget.
But then - he doubted the boy would ever smile at him like that. Vader pushed down a stab of sadness at that thought.
Your duty is to win his loyalty, not his love, Vader told himself sternly. Had it not been love that had gotten Vader into trouble all those years ago?
Love of the Jedi Order; who lied and used him.
Love of Obi-Wan; who had betrayed him.
Love of Padme; who had…
He could not complete that thought, and so he did not.
He watched the holo-Luke draw the Princess forward, greeting her warmly. The Princess smiled back, hugging him fiercely. The girl was lovely, and so strong, so much like…
Vader switched the holo-vid off, disturbed. To think of her twice in one day was untenable.
He punched a button on the console in front of him.
"My Lord?" a tinny voice queried from the bridge.
"Is my landing team assembled?" Vader snarled back. He could almost see the officer on the other end quail.
"Y-yes, my Lord. The team awaits you in the Alpha bay."
Vader didn't bother signing off. He simply disconnected and strode out the door. It was only when he'd reached the doors to the bay that he realized that he still had the holo-projector in his hand. He stared at it, feeling his brow furrow beneath the mask. It was not like him to be so distracted.
It must be the emanations coming from the planet, Vader thought. Yes, that must be it. He put the projector into the pocket of his inner robe and refused to consider any other possibilities.
"My Lord, your shuttle awaits."
"Very well, Captain."
Vader walked ahead of the contingent of Stormtroopers into the shuttle, settling into the pilot seat. A few seconds later, the bay had depressurized and the dock doors slid open to reveal the planet beyond.
Shiori was a glittering blue world, rich in flora and fauna but containing no sentient life. It had no resources to speak of, and was in a relatively unimportant quadrant of space. And yet the Emperor had ordered him here. And, as soon as the Executor had achieved orbit, Vader knew why.
The Force was incredibly strong on this planet.
Vader had found strongholds of power before, places where the Forced eddied and whirled, but nothing like this. The concentration of it was powerful and hypnotic.
Palpatine's orders had been simple; find out the source of the Force presence and see whether it can be used to our advantage.
The former seemed simple enough. There was one place where the midichlorians seemed to be concentrated, a bright beacon of power. And yet all of Vader's attempts at contact or connection had failed. Vader reached out again, but, as before, his mind was-not blocked - but pushed aside. He realized, growling in frustration.
The shuttle had just reached atmosphere, when suddenly the Force flared to life. The thick clouds seemed to pulse, reaching forward, swirling around the shuttle in a miasma of reds and purples. The nose of the shuttle plunged and Vader pulled at the controls, trying to bring it back up. The shuttle bucked, pitching Vader towards the control panel. He heard the Stormtroopers in the hold cry out as the shuttle began to arch towards the planet, gaining speed as it went.
"Lord Vader, sensors read that your shuttle is in distress. Lord Vader, please respond."
"Lord Vader?" Peitt's voice cut across the bridge crew's chatter. "Executor is on its way."
They had broken cloud cover, spiraling out of control towards the sea below. "No, Piett. There's an energy field that seems to capture any craft that breaches the atmosphere. Pull back, that is an order!" Vader growled.
He barely heard the affirmative answer. Vader was reaching out towards the Force, attempting to wrap the energy around the shuttle. But, as before, the Force seemed to turn him aside. Pinpoints of bright light burst across Vader's vision.
Not like this, he thought. It can't end like this.
Vader's vision blurred. He reached out one final time. He thought he heard a scream -FATHER!
And then, the universe went black.
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Author's Note: This fic is a response to the Inversion Challenge posted on the L/V board.
Inversion Challenge
Luke and Vader trade bodies. This can be at any time in the trilogy or before and can be because of an alien artifact/weird occurrence/the Force, whatever. The two characters have to learn to live each others lives plausibly until they can switch back.
Requirements
1. Must be L/V (of course)
2. Must contain the line, "Just remember, I can do just as much damage here as you can do there."
3. Must contain the line, "Give me one good reason not to kill you where you stand".
4. Must have at least one scene where Luke has to get used to walking with a cape.