134AN: Once again, I am sorry for the long wait, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter. Many thanks to Azalea Scroggs, chatting with you brought me a lot of inspiration!
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The sun was shining brightly into Luke's face, its rays creeping under his eyelids and pulling him from his deep slumber. Luke turned around with a small groan, putting his arm across his eyes to block out the annoying light. It was surely way too early to get up and Luke tried to reach the peaceful folds of slumber again. Despite his wish to go back to sleep a low gurgle of water was penetrating his ears, waking him up fully now and his still slow-moving brain began connecting the dots and the events of the past days came back to him.
Luke blinked the sleep from his eyes and pushed himself to his elbows to take a look around. He was still on the edge of the shore where they had camped the night, next to the burned down remains of the fire. The heavy rain of the night had passed and the sun was again shining brightly from the blue sky above making him squint. A rustle of fabric over him made Luke look up, spotting the canopy of the black cloth of Vader's cape moving slightly in the fresh morning breeze that blew to him over the lake. The water of the lake was glistening in the early morning sun, blinding Luke.
Luke groaned and flopped back down, memories now fully returning to him of the dramatic events of the day before and the horrible truth he had been told. Vader was his father. He wished he could convince himself that this was all a lie, but the Force had rung undeniably true with Vader's words and he knew if he refused to accept it or not, it wouldn't change anything.
What should he do now? Half of him still wanted to get away, it was practically his duty to do so, yet he couldn't deny the muted wish to get to know his father. Didn't he owe that to him? He felt like he was betraying his own endless childhood dreams and hopes of his father one day finding him and closing him into his arms. Now that his dream had come true, only in this twisted way, he felt guilty for wishing it wasn't true. And really what did he know about Vader for sure? All Ben had told him had been a lie and while with the Alliance he had heard hushed stories, some surely blatantly exaggerated, by the pilot's who told them in the barracks to scare newbies.
Yet how could he be sure that Vader didn't mean him harm, especially when he'd refuse to join the Dark Side. He has done nothing but to save you, a small voice in his head said. It was you who nearly killed yourself twice. Luke sat up and shook his head to clear his mind off the memories of his near fatal accident, leaving a hollow feeling in his stomach. Besides, all his musings wouldn't lead him anywhere. He would have to wait and see what Vader would do.
Talking of Vader, where was he? The spot on the other side of the fireplace Vader had been sitting in the night was vacated, but it was hard to believe that Vader would have left him alone and unwatched, even after their nightly talk. Luke winced in embarrassment when he thought of how emotional he had gotten, he couldn't imagine Vader to be someone who would appreciate such a display of feelings. Luke let his gaze travel down the shore. He spotted the black form on a bench of washed up pebbles some distance away.
Luke watched him, the familiar form still managed to make Luke feel deeply uneasy despite their claimed family connection. Besides Luke wouldn't be the first rebel with family ties into the Empire and none of those fathers had seemed overly concerned about disowning their sons and daughters for picking up the mantle of the rebellion. Why should Vader of all people be any different?
Luke got to his feet, stretching his arms and legs. After sleeping outside for two nights straight on uneven ground and still sore from his crash landing, Luke found himself craving sleeping in his own comfortable bunk again. He threw another look over to where Vader stood, his hand was now extended toward the lake like he had done yesterday when he had been fishing. Luke took a deep breath, there was nothing for it, he would need to remain cautious, but he couldn't evade Vader either.
He set off down the narrow beach to where Vader was. He stopped right behind him, staying a cautious distance away. Luke was unsure how he should announce himself. Vader seemed too formal, yet father seemed not quite right either. He was still busy debating with himself what to say, when Vader beat him to it.
"I see you are awake," he remarked, his head only turning a little acknowledging Luke, before he returned again to the task at hand. He stretched out his arm toward the lake and a few moments later a twitching fish broke the calm surface of the water. Like yesterday it moved through air on a direct line to them where it dropped on the ground on top of where another fish was already lying, glistening in the sun.
Luke had watched the performance with the same fascination as he had yesterday and had to jump back a step to avoid the fish landing on his feet.
"How do you do that? You can't see them under the surface, so how do you get a hold on them?" he burst out, before he had really made up his mind if he wanted to ask Vader the question that was burning on his mind. Vader turned around to face him.
"You wish to learn, then?"
Luke cringed. He could still very well remember how he had shouted at Vader just yesterday that he would never let him train him. But Vader was his father and he was maybe the last living Force user left in the galaxy. Ever since Kenobi had died, Luke had tried in vain to find someone able to teach him about the Force. But other than some Alliance veterans telling him about how the galaxy was when there still had been droves of Jedi roaming around and fighting on the front lines of the Clone Wars, he had been unable to find anyone knowing something that could help Luke advance in his training.
"Not of the Dark Side," Luke said, crossing his arms defiantly.
"I told you there is no such distinction between a Light and a Dark Side. There is only one Force."
Luke looked doubtfully up at the impassive mask. But before he could open his mouth again to voice his qualms, Vader interrupted him.
"Do not be ridiculous, son. Any half-trained Jedi learner could perform such a feat," Vader said with a hint of impatience in his voice. He stretched out his hand towards him beckoning Luke to step closer.
Luke blinked him in surprise at how casual Vader called him son. It would surely take him a long while to get truly used to this. He took a step closer to Vader, who didn't waste time to briskly pulled him closer as soon as Luke was within reach.
Luke's nerves fluttered at being in such proximity. Despite Vader's assurances that he wouldn't hurt him and with last night's events still fresh on his mind, Luke couldn't help but still feel nervous so close around Vader. Nor could he shake the memories of their first terrifying encounter when he had come round after the crash. Vader let go of his arm quickly as if he had sensed Luke's discomfort. Luke didn't retreat, determined not to be a coward, despite his discomfort at having the Dark Lord at his back
"Very well, close your eyes and concentrate on the Force. Let it fill you and guide you."
Luke squared his shoulders. He closed his eyes reaching for the Force, its beckoning folds as usual lingering just at the edge of his mind. He focused on them. They eagerly responded to his call, coming closer and filling his presence with their calming light. Ever since he had first felt the Force flow, guided by Ben, Luke had come to greatly enjoy the soothing universal energy.
"Good," Vader said behind him, his dark voice seemed to reverberate through Luke. "Now reach out with your feelings, become aware of your surroundings. Find the signatures of the beings around you and concentrate on them."
Luke frowned but he tried to follow the instructions, even though they were very vague. Well, so had Ben's been, maybe every Force user adopted convoluted and cryptic teachings. First all he could feel was Vader, his presence overwhelmingly strong and so close it seemed to extinguish anything else. Luke squeezed his eyes shut in concentration, trying to focus on the lake in front of him instead on Vader. It took him a while to find any other signs of life through the Force, but the more he focused on the water in front of him the more he became aware of a multitude of them.
They felt less vibrant and complex than the Force signatures of other people, but the more Luke focused on them, the stronger he became aware of them. Now he knew what to look for he could feel many living beings beneath the surface of the water, some of them lazing in the upper warm layers of the lake, some hunting and moving rapidly through its depth. It was like staring into a lively fish tank.
"Very good, Luke," Vader's voice sounded, pulling Luke from his intrigue. The cool leather glove of Vader's hand closed around Luke's right wrist, making Luke stiffen again, but he let Vader guide him. He brought Luke's arm up until it was stretched out to the lake. "Feel the beings around you, reach out further."
Luke did and was was thrilled at the teeming life he was now keenly aware of. He had never been able to feel it all so clearly as he did now.
"Concentrate," Vader said, interrupting Luke's musings. "Now chose one of them. Reach out, gather the Force and take a hold on it."
Luke pressed his eyes shut in concentration, his forehead furrowed. But every time he had selected a fish it slipped from his grasp. He broke off with a frustrated sigh and Vader let go of his hand. "I can do it with small stuff, but not with something that moves around. It's much more difficult like this."
"No, it is not," Vader denied. "You have convinced yourself that it is more difficult. That is why you are failing."
Luke grimaced. He turned back his focus on the Force, determined not to be a seen as a failure by Vader. He tried it again, with a calming breath he reached out with his hand and the Force, all focus set on this task. This time he succeeded. The fat slippery fish that he could see before his mind's eye struggled against his grip, but he still managed to lift it from the water.
Luke opened his eyes in triumphant delight, but in that moment his carefully honed concentration slipped. He lost his hold on the fish and with a splash it fell back into the water. Luke's smile vanished as he stared in dismay at the circles on the surface of the lake where the fish had fallen back into its blue depth. "Oh no…" he groaned in disappointment, picking absently at his dirty and torn flight suit.
"It is of no consequence, young one. You did well for a first attempt and we already have enough to nourish you for another day," Vader said, surprising Luke who had expected a rebuke or at least some scathing remark. "Work on your focus and in time you will learn to master the skill."
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Vader eyed Luke from a distance while the boy was finishing the small breakfast he had given him. Luke was staring out on the lake like he was hypnotized, giving Vader plenty of time to watch him without Luke noticing. Vader could easily understand the boy's fascination with water. He had been very much the same when he had been finally freed from that cursed planet and Luke had been forced to spend a considerably longer time there than himself, thanks to Kenobi's doing.
The boy had just showed him a truly promising talent and focus. With time and proper guidance he could become a great asset in his inevitable fight with the Emperor. But he would first need to win his son's trust. For now Luke remained wary and reluctant to accept Vader's tutelage, but this was not the time to press him on it.
They needed to move. While the lake was ideal to provide fresh water and food for Luke, they had to head back to his TIE fighter to retrieve the comlink. They couldn't stay on this planet indefinitely and despite his assurances to Luke that no one but the Empire would find them, Vader would not be surprised when the rebels would put a considerable effort in their search for the boy.
Without establishing contact with the Navy, there was a good chance that they had to stay on this planet much longer, even if his subordinates weren't happy to be rid of him and had long since abandoned their own search for him.
"We need to move," he announced briskly the moment Luke had finished his breakfast.
The boy peeked up to him, squinting in the bright sunlight. He looked wary. "Where?" he asked.
"We will return to where my TIE fighter is located. I will finish repairing the comlink to direct the search crews to our location."
Luke nodded and clambered to his feet.
On their hike back, Vader was careful to choose a slower pace, mindful about Luke's condition, but the boy seemed already much fitter and more agile than he had the days before. Luke stayed by his side and was much more comfortable around him, confirming his decision that it had been right to tell the boy the truth. He had proven to be quite resilient despite the events of the past days that had shaken him visibly.
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Luke had just been about to ask Vader for another short break, when he spotted a metal gleam between the trees in the distance. A few steps further he was sure that it was indeed Vader's snub that was glistening in the sun of the clearing where they had spent the first night.
With great relief Luke let himself drop into the grass, glad that they had arrived and he could finally rest again. Vader seemed as energized as ever and marched off to do whatever he wanted to. Luke didn't bother finding out what it was, too content for the moment with catching his breath after the slog. Instead he just stared up at the scattered clouds above, floating leisurely across the deep blue sky and the occasional large insect soaring past him.
The hike back had been much nicer than the day before, the planet seeming much more hospitable on a second glance, though Luke suspected that was more because Vader had refrained from pulling him bound through the undergrowth this time.
Every now and then he could hear Vader rummage behind him. Curiosity finally got the better of Luke and he got up, approaching Vader where he sat in the grass. In front of him the comlink lay on the ground, some small tools and wires spread around it.
"Did you manage to fix it?" Luke asked.
Vader looked up from his work to regard him instead. "The wiring is in functioning condition, but the range is not sufficient to overcome the disturbance in the system."
Luke frowned, fixing mechanical problems was something he had always enjoyed and which had helped him a lot both on the farm and later with the rebellion where there was always a piece of dated equipment to be fixed. "Maybe if we can hook it up to a larger power source…" Luke mused. "We could try the power cells from your TIE if they still are charged."
"It would increase the range, but the wiring would not be able to process it without shortening out."
Luke thought. There had to be a solution to this. "Well, my X-Wing has a build in power converter, perhaps we could use it between the comlink and the power cell to get a signal at least to the relay station, then it won't fry the wiring. We can't be that far from it, can we?
Vader regarded Luke pensively for a moment. "Indeed, that may work."
"That is, if the converter isn't too damaged," Luke added. The way his X-Wing had been battered he wasn't sure anything was still working in it.
"There is only one way to be sure," Vader rose surprisingly quick for his huge bulk. "You will stay here, while I go and see if the parts from your ship are still usable."
Luke stared in surprise, wondering if he had heard right. "What about me?" He asked warily.
"You need to rest, young one, and you would only slow me down."
Luke's eyes fell on Vader's hands brushing dangerously over the cuffs still attached to his belt as he seemed to scan the area for a suitable way to fix him.
"I won't leave, I promise," Luke said hastily.
Vader eyed him for a moment suspiciously.
"I believe it goes without saying that I will find you should you decide to betray my trust and use this opportunity to leave the vicinity," Vader said eventually, his infamous finger pointing back into Luke's face.
Luke nodded hurriedly his acceptance.
Vader marched off to the wreckage of the TIE fighter, climbing nimbly into the cockpit and rummaging for a while in it. Luke eyed him with confusion. When Vader reemerged he went straight up to Luke, holding a blaster in his hand.
"I trust you know how to handle this?" Vader asked, dropping the blaster into Luke's hands. Luke turned it over in his hands, merely nodding again.
"Good, the local predators do not seem active during the day, but use it in case any hostile creature should attack you."
Luke stared in surprise. He had actually managed to convince Vader to leave him just like that. He fought to keep his face straight despite his elation as not to give Vader a reason to doubt his sincerity.
"Very well. You will stay here. I will return as soon as I can."
Vader turned briskly and left without another word. Luke stared after him until he could no longer make out the black form between the trees.
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Luke sat in the shadow of the TIE, his back leaned comfortably against the solar arrays of one of its slant wings, fidgeting with the heavy blaster resting in his lap. He suppressed a yawn.
Vader had left what were surely hours ago and the shadows of the trees had already gotten longer. Over time Luke had become quite tired. Croaking bird noises sounded through the clearing and the occasional breeze was rustling through the canopy of the trees around.
Luke had debated with himself for a while if he should stick to his word and stay where he was or if he should make at least one last attempt to run. He had decided against trying to escape. Without the comlink fixed no one would find them here and his chances of survival without Vader were considerably smaller. What was more, Luke was sure Vader would rather tear through the whole planet than let him escape and Luke he didn't want to destroy the surprising trust Vader seemed to be having in him.
The moment he was sure that Vader was far enough away Luke had turned his attention to the Imperial snub perched like a giant bird of prey at the edge to the forest. He was unable to resist the siren's call having the chance to inspect the enemy technology undisturbed. Lots of Alliance pilots would love to be able to study the controls of a regular TIE that so often swarmed them in combat, never mind having the opportunity to have a closer look at Vader's specially designed and improved version of it.
The outer hull of the TIE was marred by scorch marks, quite a few which must have been from Luke's own laser cannons. It left an oddly cold feeling in his stomach to think how close they had come to fatally shoot each other down and not for the first time either. Still, Vader had been clearly able to land his snub with much more control than Luke had. Compared to his X-Wing's crumbled remains, the damage to the TIE, apart from the port side wing half buried into the ground and the smashed viewport, didn't look too severe.
Luke had climbed into the cockpit, finding most of the consoles still intact. It was an odd feeling sitting in it after flying for the Alliance and everything it stood for for months. A reminder of where he might have ended up had his uncle allowed him to submit his application for the academy just one season earlier.
For a while Luke had entertained himself with daydreams of flying one of these maneuverable and fast ships, bristling with fire power. But even that had gotten boring over time and Luke had instead made himself comfortable under the snubs wings, keeping watch.
Luke yawned, the heat and the steady chirrup of crickets was lulling him to sleep. He got to his feet, deciding that he needed to move if he wanted to avoid dozing off. Vader surely wouldn't be impressed if Luke would drop off in a potentially hostile environment.
He eyed up one of the long slim twigs from the pile of fire wood Vader must have collected while Luke had still been busy catching his breath. It was approximately the length and thickness of a lightsaber and it brought Luke to an idea. If he needed to keep awake, then why not use the opportunity to practice the moves Ben had shown him on their way to Alderaan.
He picked up one of the sticks and got into the ready stance, swinging it in a wide arch like he would his lightsaber. He could only hope that he'd eventually have an opportunity to get his lightsaber back. It felt unfamiliar not to be wearing it on his belt. But why would Vader do that? He had even said that the saber Luke had been given by Ben had belonged to him, so maybe Vader would just keep it.
Luke spun around, raising the stick to block an imaginary attack.
"I hope you do not plan on making a habit of your unorthodox techniques," Vader's deep voice sounded from behind him.
Luke whirled around in shock, pointing the stick in defense. Vader stood just a few steps away from him. How long had he been there and watching him? Luke lowered the stick, feeling embarrassed how he had let Vader stalk up on him without noticing, catching him play sword.
"How long have you been watching me?" he asked chagrined, staring at the ground.
"Long enough to tell you that your footwork is abysmal and that you do not follow any recognizable form."
"Well, I didn't get much training, did I?" Luke said sullenly in defense. Vader's lightsaber skills were legendary and the thought that he would think that Luke was a disappointment in combat hurt his pride more than he would admit to himself.
"Indeed, you lack proper instructions and training. But that is easily rectified," Vader replied unperturbed. "Get into a ready stance."
Luke looked skeptical. "Now?"
"Yes, unless you prefer - "
"No, no, now is good!" Luke interrupted him quickly. He quickly fell into the stance he had learned from Ben when he had trained with the little remote aboard the Falcon.
"Take your left foot a half step back," Vader said. "And blade up,"
Luke turned embarrassedly the stick in his hand. Playing fighting using sticks was something kids would do. But Vader seemed unperturbed by his chagrin. Using the Force he summoned another stick from the small stack, roughly the same length as Luke's was and he moved into a ready stance.
Luke couldn't help but grin. Seeing Vader fight with a stick seemed even more ridiculous. "I can't learn like this. It's not the same, it's just stupid pretend."
"If you do not honor the blade that you wield, you will not succeed, young one," Vader said, taking two rapid steps forward. Luke raised the stick halfheartedly, but before he could even bring it up all the way into the ready position Vader had already landed a well placed blow with his own impromptu weapon and Luke's stick was sent flying. In a heartbeat Vader's stick was at Luke's neck.
Luke's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat.
"You need to learn the basics first, before you can swing anything else than practice weapon," Vader said, sounding amused. "Try again."
Luke gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes in annoyance, throwing Vader a dirty look. He was determined to do better this time to proof to Vader that he could do it. He raised his weapon and this time he was better prepared for Vader's attack that followed promptly. He managed to counter a few hits before their weapons locked. Luke pushed with all he had to avoid getting pressed back by Vader's strength.
With a simple twist of Vader's stick, Luke lost hold on his own and it fell to the ground yet again. Luke straightened up a little disappointed, but Vader still advanced on him. Luke jumped back with a yelp and ducked, managing to narrowly avoid the stick aimed at his head in full swing. "Hey, wha –"
But Vader was not listening. Luke stumbled back another half step when Vader's hand flew out, palm stretched out towards him. Luke's indignant exclamation stuck in his throat as a split second later the Force blow hit him in his chest and propelled him backward. He landed in the grass.
"That's not… fair," Luke heaved out, winded by the unexpected blow. "We were fighting… and not... using the Force." Luke tried to catch his breath and get to back his feet, but just when he had managed to get himself to his elbows, Vader extended his hand still holding the makeshift weapon, pushing him back down with a firm prod of the stick to Luke's chest and holding him pinned. Luke stared up at Vader frozen, unable to deny the slight fear creeping into his stomach at seeing Vader towering above him even if all he held in his hand was a stick and not a real lightsaber.
"You are the first to try to invoke fairness in a duel with me," Vader said eventually with dry humor in his voice, breaking the silence. He pulled back the tip of the stick from Luke's neck and began circling Luke like a predator. "You should not expect fairness in any duel that you engage in or you will lose."
Luke finally got himself up to a sitting position, rubbing his chest where the blow had landed and scowling up at Vader. Still he took the hand Vader extended to him and let his father pull him up to his feet. He raised his stick again, determined not to give up. He didn't want Vader to think that he was a pushover, but Vader waved him down.
"You still need to learn a lot," Vader said, handing Luke the stick he had been using himself. "But apart from the points I mentioned you show promising talent and determination. With time and training you will become an exceptional fighter."
Luke blinked in surprise at the unexpected praise.
"I will continue to train you, if you wish," Vader continued. "Once you are ready for it, you may also have the lightsaber back." Vader's hand brushed over the lightsaber he had taken from Luke which was hooked at his belt together with his own.
"You mean it?" Luke asked, but then he bit his tongue. Vader would probably not appreciate his farm boy enthusiasm that Han was always teasing him with. "I mean, I would like that."
Vader did not comment on it, but merely nodded and turned. He walked over to the downed TIE fighter. Luke followed him a few steps behind, chucking both their training sabers back onto their stack of fire wood.
"Did you get the converter?" he asked when Vader resumed his work on the comlink.
"Indeed, it seems to be in workable condition."
Luke sat down beside Vader looking at the small converter that Vader held out to him. Luke took it and turned it over in his hands. It looked a little charred on the side, but otherwise it seemed to have survived his crash fairly well.
Vader handed him a multitool, and Luke went to work, attaching the small cable clamp to the frayed wiring where Vader had ripped it from its position in his X-Wing. Before he knew it, they were sitting peacefully side by side, tinkering on the comlink.
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"It works," Luke said excitedly when he switched it on and the small read out of the comlink flashed a short message, indicating that it had picked up another frequency nearby. "That must be the feedback from the relay station."
"It is," Vader confirmed. "With that I will be able to direct the search crews to our position."
Luke's face fell. Of course that had always been the goal of their work, but he couldn't help the twinge of uncertainty and disappointment. Tinkering and training with Vader had been actually enjoyable, but their time alone together seemed to come to a rapid close. Luke feared that Vader's behavior to him would change once he had him safely locked up aboard his ship.
"Right," he replied, getting to his feet.
Vader seemed too busy with entering a complicated code into the comlink to notice Luke's mood swing. He turned away and walked a few steps, not interested in listening in the conversation. The dread he had felt since he had woken after his crash and that only today's events had managed to chase away, was back.
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