Fic: Veil of Shadows, 4/13, PG-13
Title: Veil of Shadows
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Category: AU, angst, romance
Timeframe: OT; around time of ANH
Summary: A strange tale where the good guys are bad, the Empire has won, and a Sith adept pursues the girl of his nightmares.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
~~
4. Almost Normal
"How we doing, Artoo?”
The droid whistled unhappily that they would be doing better if Luke would leave the flying to him. Luke grinned at this and twisted his head to look out at the disgruntled robot.
“If you were flying, we’d be dropping out of hyperspace and heading back to Imperial Center. I think I’ll keep in on manual for a while.”
The droid chirped something quite rude and fell silent. Luke laughed and checked the nav console. Six hours until they reached Korriban. He could manage that long. If he could survive almost two decades of training under the Sith Lords, he could certainly stay awake long enough to reach the woman he loved.
You don’t even know what love is, said a mocking voice in his head. As much as he wanted to imagine that it was Leia’s voice, he knew it was a distorted version of his own.
Shut up, he scolded himself. He tried to fix his eyes on the starlines around the cockpit, but that only made him dizzy. He closed his eyes.
I am worthy. He repeated the mantra over and over in his mind, as if doing so would make it true.
I am worthy of being a Sith. I am worthy of love.
I am worthy of the Emperor’s Hand.
But the mocking voice returned. You will never be good enough.
~~
Eleven Years Ago
“Get up, stupid child.”
Luke whimpered and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. It was so hard not to cry, but he knew if he did he would be punished even more. He quickly rubbed his eyes against the sleeve of his tunic and stood up.
“You are a weak little brat. Get out of my sight.”
“I’m sorry, Mast-”
“I said, get out. I have wasted enough time on you.”
Luke turned and stumbled toward the door, tears blurring his vision. He ran to the equipment room, not for any special reason, but mostly because right now he couldn’t remember how to get back to his room. His master was right - he really was stupid.
Inside the equipment room, Luke collapsed on the floor and tucked his knees under his chin. He hated it here. His master was mean, and his other master… well he was just scary, and Luke didn’t like him at all. The other kids were always picking on him, and they all liked perfect Leia better than they liked him. Luke took the edge of his sleeve in his mouth and began to suck on it.
He didn’t understand why he could feel some things before they happened, but he still knew that someone was about to come through the door of the equipment room. Luke looked about frantically for some way to escape. He spotted the closet and crawled over to it, leaving the door open just enough so that he could see what happened outside.
Darth Vader, his other master, entered the room. Luke heard someone crying, and for a second he thought it might be him. Luke clamped a hand over his mouth, but he could still hear the whimpering.
The giant Sith Lord turned toward the source of the whimpers, but Luke could not see who it was. He couldn’t hear very well either because they were too far away. The other person was muttering something. Darth Vader walked out of Luke’s view, but he heard him say something in a deep voice that rumbled in Luke’s ears.
“Take control of your demons or they will take control of you.”
The crying stopped, and Luke listened for a response. There was none.
How weird. He had always thought Darth Vader must be some kind of demon, like the ones Luke sometimes dreamed about. He wondered who he was talking to out there.
Luke stayed in the closet until long after the Sith left. He fell asleep in there and was punished the next morning.
~~
Now
The planet Korriban filled the canopy, and Luke felt his abdomen grow hot in anticipation. “All right, Artoo, let’s see what you can do.”
Artoo whistled indignantly.
“To redeem yourself for Commenor. Come on, are you telling me you can’t land the ship?”
Luke read the response over the monitor and smiled. “My, aren’t we grumpy today. I thought you wanted to do some flying?”
The droid screamed a response. Luke winced and shut off the cabin comm unit.
“All right, all right. Lazy droid.”
He angled the ship toward Korriban’s atmosphere, and as he drew closer he saw a world dominated by mountainous terrain. Interesting place to send an Emperor’s Hand.
He located the capital city, Dreshdae, which he knew had been vacated sometime after the Clone Wars. His scanners weren’t picking up much active technology. There were a couple of ships down there. One of them was certainly the Hand’s. The rest might well be antiques, for all he knew.
“Artoo, let’s set her down in that canyon, away from the city.”
Thankfully, the droid complied, helping to steer his ship toward the correct spot. The vessel settled down on the rocky ground without any trouble, and Luke let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
This is it.
He opened the canopy and vaulted over the edge, landing softly on the ground. He looked up at Artoo as he shouldered the little bag of supplies he’d brought. “You stay with the ship.”
For once, the droid seemed happy to comply.
Luke looked off in the direction of the sun and realized it was already beginning its descent toward the horizon. He had to get moving if he wanted to find her before dark.
The planet felt dead for the most part. As he stretched out with his feelings, he sensed something apart from that deadness. It was a spark of life, somewhere in the direction of the vast canyon before him. He stared out at the valley in awe as he realized what it was he was looking at.
Enormous statues and elaborate structures lined the canyon walls. Rows of tombs stretched to the horizon. He had learned about this place in his studies, but the only way he had ever hoped to see it was to become the Sith apprentice. Somehow, in his haste to follow the Emperor’s Hand, the true importance of Korriban had slipped his mind altogether. And yet, the spark of life he had felt was calling to him too loudly to be ignored. Luke adjusted the bag on his shoulder and began to climb down the canyon walls.
He would find her. Nothing could stop him now. He was in the land of his forebears.
He was in the Valley of the Dark Lords.
~~
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Category: AU, angst, romance
Timeframe: OT; around time of ANH
Summary: A strange tale where the good guys are bad, the Empire has won, and a Sith adept pursues the girl of his nightmares.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
~~
4. Almost Normal
"How we doing, Artoo?”
The droid whistled unhappily that they would be doing better if Luke would leave the flying to him. Luke grinned at this and twisted his head to look out at the disgruntled robot.
“If you were flying, we’d be dropping out of hyperspace and heading back to Imperial Center. I think I’ll keep in on manual for a while.”
The droid chirped something quite rude and fell silent. Luke laughed and checked the nav console. Six hours until they reached Korriban. He could manage that long. If he could survive almost two decades of training under the Sith Lords, he could certainly stay awake long enough to reach the woman he loved.
You don’t even know what love is, said a mocking voice in his head. As much as he wanted to imagine that it was Leia’s voice, he knew it was a distorted version of his own.
Shut up, he scolded himself. He tried to fix his eyes on the starlines around the cockpit, but that only made him dizzy. He closed his eyes.
I am worthy. He repeated the mantra over and over in his mind, as if doing so would make it true.
I am worthy of being a Sith. I am worthy of love.
I am worthy of the Emperor’s Hand.
But the mocking voice returned. You will never be good enough.
~~
Eleven Years Ago
“Get up, stupid child.”
Luke whimpered and pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. It was so hard not to cry, but he knew if he did he would be punished even more. He quickly rubbed his eyes against the sleeve of his tunic and stood up.
“You are a weak little brat. Get out of my sight.”
“I’m sorry, Mast-”
“I said, get out. I have wasted enough time on you.”
Luke turned and stumbled toward the door, tears blurring his vision. He ran to the equipment room, not for any special reason, but mostly because right now he couldn’t remember how to get back to his room. His master was right - he really was stupid.
Inside the equipment room, Luke collapsed on the floor and tucked his knees under his chin. He hated it here. His master was mean, and his other master… well he was just scary, and Luke didn’t like him at all. The other kids were always picking on him, and they all liked perfect Leia better than they liked him. Luke took the edge of his sleeve in his mouth and began to suck on it.
He didn’t understand why he could feel some things before they happened, but he still knew that someone was about to come through the door of the equipment room. Luke looked about frantically for some way to escape. He spotted the closet and crawled over to it, leaving the door open just enough so that he could see what happened outside.
Darth Vader, his other master, entered the room. Luke heard someone crying, and for a second he thought it might be him. Luke clamped a hand over his mouth, but he could still hear the whimpering.
The giant Sith Lord turned toward the source of the whimpers, but Luke could not see who it was. He couldn’t hear very well either because they were too far away. The other person was muttering something. Darth Vader walked out of Luke’s view, but he heard him say something in a deep voice that rumbled in Luke’s ears.
“Take control of your demons or they will take control of you.”
The crying stopped, and Luke listened for a response. There was none.
How weird. He had always thought Darth Vader must be some kind of demon, like the ones Luke sometimes dreamed about. He wondered who he was talking to out there.
Luke stayed in the closet until long after the Sith left. He fell asleep in there and was punished the next morning.
~~
Now
The planet Korriban filled the canopy, and Luke felt his abdomen grow hot in anticipation. “All right, Artoo, let’s see what you can do.”
Artoo whistled indignantly.
“To redeem yourself for Commenor. Come on, are you telling me you can’t land the ship?”
Luke read the response over the monitor and smiled. “My, aren’t we grumpy today. I thought you wanted to do some flying?”
The droid screamed a response. Luke winced and shut off the cabin comm unit.
“All right, all right. Lazy droid.”
He angled the ship toward Korriban’s atmosphere, and as he drew closer he saw a world dominated by mountainous terrain. Interesting place to send an Emperor’s Hand.
He located the capital city, Dreshdae, which he knew had been vacated sometime after the Clone Wars. His scanners weren’t picking up much active technology. There were a couple of ships down there. One of them was certainly the Hand’s. The rest might well be antiques, for all he knew.
“Artoo, let’s set her down in that canyon, away from the city.”
Thankfully, the droid complied, helping to steer his ship toward the correct spot. The vessel settled down on the rocky ground without any trouble, and Luke let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
This is it.
He opened the canopy and vaulted over the edge, landing softly on the ground. He looked up at Artoo as he shouldered the little bag of supplies he’d brought. “You stay with the ship.”
For once, the droid seemed happy to comply.
Luke looked off in the direction of the sun and realized it was already beginning its descent toward the horizon. He had to get moving if he wanted to find her before dark.
The planet felt dead for the most part. As he stretched out with his feelings, he sensed something apart from that deadness. It was a spark of life, somewhere in the direction of the vast canyon before him. He stared out at the valley in awe as he realized what it was he was looking at.
Enormous statues and elaborate structures lined the canyon walls. Rows of tombs stretched to the horizon. He had learned about this place in his studies, but the only way he had ever hoped to see it was to become the Sith apprentice. Somehow, in his haste to follow the Emperor’s Hand, the true importance of Korriban had slipped his mind altogether. And yet, the spark of life he had felt was calling to him too loudly to be ignored. Luke adjusted the bag on his shoulder and began to climb down the canyon walls.
He would find her. Nothing could stop him now. He was in the land of his forebears.
He was in the Valley of the Dark Lords.
~~