fic: Like stars burning holes through the dark (Star Wars; Luke, Leia, Darth Vader; gen)
Alternately known as "the Skywalker family melodrama."
Like stars burning holes through the dark
Star Wars; Luke, Leia, Ahsoka, Darth Vader; AU; g; 8,875 words
Luke considers this family reunion far more successful than the one in Cloud City. At least this time, no one loses a hand.
Title from "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit. A loose sequel to trade your heroes for ghosts. Thanks to
silveronthetree and to L. for looking it over!
Or read it on AO3.
~*~
Like stars burning holes through the dark
Luke is practicing with his new lightsaber (and his new hand) in an empty training room when he feels Leia approaching. He's still not as confident with the Force as he'd like to be (as he'll need to be), but finding Leia is never difficult. Since he reached out to her while hanging from that gantry beneath Cloud City, she's been a warm, comforting presence in the Force he can always find.
He turns the lightsaber off and wipes his forehead on his sleeve when she enters the room. "Have you heard from Lando?"
She shakes her head. "Not yet." She starts pacing, hands clasped behind her, each step and turn as precise as any soldier's.
Luke cocks his head and looks at her, letting patience win out for once over curiosity. Even without Han's absence hanging over everything, given how much goes wrong on any given day, it's not an unusual sight to see her like this. And this seems different somehow; the Force is warning him to pay attention.
"We just intercepted some intel. The Imperials are moving a high-security prisoner. Her code name was Fulcrum. They're taking her to Coruscant for execution." She stops, inhales slowly. "She was a close friend of my father's, and one of our first and best operatives. She taught me a lot. She was captured just before you and I met."
"I'm sorry." He steps closer and then stops. "I'm a little sweaty but if you want a hug..."
That wins him a small smile as she closes the small distance between them and draws his arm over her shoulder. He'll never get over how perfectly they fit together. He squeezes her gently and tries to think of something useful to say.
"Any chance we can rescue her?"
Leia's laugh has a bitter edge to it. "A miniscule chance. I didn't even think she was still alive until today."
"But if they're transporting her, we might be able to do it."
"She was taken almost four years ago, Luke. I can't imagine there's much left of her."
"There must be if they're treating her as high-security."
Leia swallows and looks up at him. "She's--she was--a Jedi."
"Oh." He can't tamp down a brief flare of hope at the idea of meeting another one, despite knowing how unlikely it is. "In that case, I'm surprised she's even alive at all."
"She was a friend of General Kenobi's." Leia gives him a sad smile. "She probably knew your father."
He stiffens. "That could explain it."
"What do you mean?"
"Vader wanted to kill Ben himself. If this Jedi was also close to him." It's Luke's turn to swallow hard. He shrugs a shoulder, feigning casualness. "It's probably personal."
"So rescuing her would be a poke in the eye for Darth Vader." Leia's expression turns grimly determined. "I'm liking this idea better already."
Luke winces; he knows that look and what it means for the people who get in Leia's way. "I almost feel sorry for him--them," he says.
"I don't," she replies, and that should probably worry him. It doesn't, though, because Leia's one of the best people he's ever met. "For once, let Vader suffer a crushing personal defeat."
Luke rubs at the juncture where his flesh arm meets his metal wrist, and says nothing.
*
There isn't much time to plan anything elaborate, and Leia makes the executive decision that no one else will be involved.
"This is personal for me now," she says. "We didn't try to rescue her four years ago, and maybe we should have." Luke makes commiserating noises but can't really offer much in the way of comfort; depending on what her mission was, it's possible this Fulcrum knew she'd be abandoned if caught. He doesn't much like the policy, but he understands why the Alliance has it. "I can't ask anyone else to take the risk, not when there's so much else going on."
Luke nods. It's not like he's going to disagree with her. He'd follow her anywhere she chose to lead him. Which at this moment, is into an old storage locker. Luke shivers at the chill, which is more than physical.
"Captain Syndulla of Phoenix Squadron reminded me of this," Leia says, unlocking a drawer and pulling out a black helmet and some armor. "Have you met her?"
"No," Luke says. "I've heard she's a great pilot."
Leia nods. "One of our best. She had a Jedi and his apprentice on her crew for a while." Luke opens his mouth to ask and then closes it again. If they were still alive, he'd have met them. Leia puts a hand on his arm briefly and then continues, "Fulcrum worked with them before she was captured." Leia shoves the helmet and armor at him. "They took those off an Inquisitor."
The title, or maybe it's the feel of the Inquisitor's uniform in his hands, sends another chill down Luke's spine, but Leia hasn't noticed. She's already moved on to a second drawer.
"And I'll be the ISB agent to your Inquisitor," she says, pulling out another helmet and uniform, which she holds up against herself. Luke gives her a skeptical look, and her mouth quirks wryly. "I'll find someone to hem the trousers."
"Because good tailoring is the key to success here," he says, and considers it a victory when she laughs.
*
The Alliance has several stolen Imperial ships in its possession, and Luke's familiar enough with most of them by this point that it doesn't take him much time to get used to the layout of the console, even though the former ISB ship Leia's chosen for the mission is an older, smaller, N-class freighter. Artoo is worth at least another crewmember, Luke thinks, as the droid plugs himself into the ship's systems.
Leia strides into the cockpit ignoring to the usual harangue about danger that she's getting from Threepio in favor of arguing with an old man in poorly fitting stormtrooper armor, his helmet tucked under his arm.
"It wouldn't be the first prison break I've helped execute," he's saying, "and Commander Tano is--" He catches sight of Luke and stops abruptly.
Leia's not one to let an opportunity like that go to waste. "Captain Rex, when I require your assistance, I'll ask for it. But as this mission is already an unofficial use of Alliance resources, I cannot ask you to--"
"And you haven't, Your Highness. I've made a choice to offer it." He looks at Luke again and salutes. "Commander Skywalker, it's an honor. I served with your father and Commander Tano in the war."
Luke feels self-conscious in the unrelenting black of the stolen Inquisitor's uniform and, as always since Bespin, uncomfortable with the mention of his father, but he returns the salute. "Captain Rex." The chill in the Force he's felt since he put the uniform on warms a little, nudges him into saying more. "Can you fly this ship?" he asks, ignoring Leia's frown. He knows he's going to pay for that later, but he also knows she'll let him get away with it right now. He gives her a tight smile. "Be good to have a getaway driver."
"Fine," she says, her answering grin is more a baring of teeth, sharp as a warning. One of the things he loves about her is her ability to make decisions and accept changes in plan on the fly. "You're to stay with the ship, Captain, and that is an order."
"Yes, sir." He snaps off a sharp salute and straps himself in behind Luke. Luke glances at Leia, who gives him a resigned shrug before she tugs her helmet on.
Artoo beeps a question and Luke looks over his shoulder at Threepio. "You can return to Central Command, Threepio. You're not needed for this mission."
"Oh, thank you, Master Luke. Artoo, do be careful. I'm sure whatever goes wrong will be your fault, but it's your job to protect Master Luke and the Princess."
When Threepio is off the ship, Luke commences the ignition sequence. He shoots another look over at Leia. Her jaw is set but the rest of her face is hidden by that stupid helmet. Normally, Han or Threepio would say what he's about to (and the thought of how annoyed they'd be to be grouped together like that gives him a brief moment of amusement), but it doesn't feel right to start the trip without it. He thinks of it as a reverse jinx. He's pretty sure that's not actually a real thing, but it makes him feel better.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"Shut up, Luke."
"I want it on record that I think this is a terrible plan."
"Well, you're the expert in that area."
Luke lets out a huff of laughter. "I'm just saying." He glances back at Captain Rex and raises his eyebrows. Rex grins back at him, unfazed by their nonsense.
Leia finally turns to face him, and now at least she's smiling. "Duly noted. When something goes wrong, you can say, 'I told you so' exactly once."
"It's cute that you think only one thing is going to go wrong."
Leia makes a gesture that Luke didn't think princesses were even supposed to know, and he laughs.
*
"The transfer is supposed to happen at oh eight hundred standard time," Leia tells Rex. She's taken the helmet off and Luke's glad of it. "One of our agents has disabled the ISB ship detailed to transport Commander Tano, so we'll be replacing it. Hopefully, having an Inquisitor along," she glances over at Luke, and he gives her a half-smile of encouragement, "will keep questions--"
"Like why we don't have a squad of stormtroopers with us," Luke interrupts.
"Yes," Leia says, rolling her eyes at him. "Questions like, why we don't have a squad of stormtroopers with us will be kept to a minimum, so we can get in and get out before they realize a switch was made."
Rex nods. "We'll keep the engines hot, right, Artoo?"
Artoo burbles an affirmative. Luke doesn't even need to read the translation to understand that.
It's actually not the worst plan they've ever come up with, and Luke has only a normal sense of nerves about it, not the overwhelming dread that feels like the Force warning him that something's going to go wrong. The Force is definitely trying to tell him something, but he doesn't know what it is, and he's not sure it has anything to do with this mission specifically. He wonders if the remnants of the dark side that cling to the uniform he's wearing are interfering somehow.
"You're going to have to put the helmet on when we go in," Leia says.
Luke grimaces. "I know."
"It's just for a few minutes."
"I know." He doesn't look over at her. "You probably think I'm being stupid."
She tilts her head back and forth, not quite a yes but not a no, either. "Maybe a little." When he doesn't answer she says, "You wear your flight gear without a problem, including the helmet, so I don't understand what the issue is."
"It makes me hyperventilate," he admits, glancing away in embarrassment. He really hopes that sounds less whiny to her than it does to him.
It probably doesn't, but she goes from teasing to serious in a heartbeat. "Luke." Leia leans over and puts a hand on his arm. "It's going to be okay."
He can't tell her it reminds him of his vision on Dagobah. He knows he'll eventually have to reveal what Vader told him, but he doesn't want to lose her friendship, not when it's one of the few things either of them has left. Instead he says, "You ever go somewhere, or do something, and even though you didn't get physically dirty, you felt the need for a shower afterwards?"
"In the Senate, every damn day," she replies with a grim twist to her mouth.
Rex lets out a brief bark of laughter but doesn't say anything.
Luke nods. "It's like that."
"Then don't put it on until the very last minute."
"Okay."
"Okay."
Luke sucks in a deep breath and tries to center himself. Flying is usually good for clearing his mind, but everything about this mission has him unsettled. The thought of meeting another Jedi, someone else who knew his father (someone else who's been hurt by his father), fills him with both excitement and dread. He's even afraid to say too much to Rex, because he wants to know everything, while at the same he wants to run away and hide. Ben hasn't shown up for a while, but Luke's pretty sure he wouldn't approve of any of this. Then again, Ben lied to him about some very important things, so maybe Ben's approval isn't as important as he's made it out to be.
Luckily, they arrive at the prisoner transfer point before he can tie himself up in any more knots.
"Ready?" Leia asks, resettling her helmet on her head and checking the blaster at her hip.
"As I'll ever be," Luke replies, but he waits until the last possible moment to pull on the Inquisitor's helmet and lower the faceplate. It makes everything appear filtered in red and gray, with a sensor readout scrolling down the left-hand side of the HUD. His breathing sounds really loud to his own ears and he tries to ignore the noise while he concentrates on keeping it steady.
He follows Leia down the gangway and rests his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber, trying to look threatening. It must work--none of the stormtroopers spare him more than a glance when Leia starts barking orders, and a tall Togruta woman in a metal collar and shock cuffs is brought out to them.
Leia types in an acknowledgement code on the warden's datapad and Luke moves forward to take custody of the prisoner. He puts a hand on her elbow and she jerks away, her eyes narrowing as she glares down at him. For all that she looks like a stiff breeze will knock her over--clearly the Empire doesn't feed its prisoners very well--she stands tall and moves purposefully. She's somehow a blind spot in the Force, which causes Luke's stomach to twist queasily. The helmet hides his startled glance, so he supposes it's good for something, but he'll be glad to get it off as soon as they're back on board the ship.
Leia follows them and once the hatch is closed, Luke yanks the helmet off and tosses it somewhere out of his sight. He'd expected to feel better without it on, but the Force is still thrumming with cold danger, except for the blankness surrounding Fulcrum.
She stares at him like he's something that came in on the bottom of her boot, and he tries not to take it personally.
Rex slips out of the pilot's seat so Luke can take over, though they never even powered down the engines. There's a weird moment where it feels like the ship isn't going to move even though he's pushed the throttle forward. Then it leaps off the platform like it's been shoved.
"Buckle up," he says. "Let's make the jump before they figure out what's happened." Artoo's already entered the jump coordinates, so they just need to break atmo and they should be clear. Should being the operative word there. Luke's not as confident as he'd like to be on that point.
Rex doesn't strap in; he's staring at their passenger in something like awe. Luke can feel his regret and relief strongly through the Force.
"Commander Tano--Ahsoka, you're a sight for sore eyes."
She stares back at him in wonder. "Rex?"
"Let's get these cuffs off," he says gruffly.
Luke keeps his gaze forward and he can see Leia out of the corner of his eye, doing the same thing. He might not be able to feel Commander Tano in the Force, but he can feel Rex and Leia's relief that she's here, and that's enough to make the tension in his shoulders ease just a bit.
Leia removes her own helmet and straps in next to Luke. "That was--"
"Don't say it." Luke's only half-joking.
"But--"
"We're not out of the dunes yet."
Commander Tano puts a hand on the back of Leia's seat. "Princess Leia?" She sounds like she doesn't quite believe what she's seeing.
Leia turns and smiles up at her. "Fulcrum--Ahsoka, I'm so sorry we didn't rescue you sooner." She reaches up and curls her fingers around Commander Tano's.
"You shouldn't have taken the chance to rescue me at all. But I'm glad you did."
Luke glances over and gives them a small smile. "You should strap in. We're going to be making the jump to lightspeed in a minute."
There's still the matter of whatever trackers have been implanted in Commander Tano, but they're rendezvousing with a courier ship in two jumps, and that pilot will be taking the collar and cuffs on to Coruscant. Leia says it's just in case they're being tracked, but Luke thinks she's also sending a message to Vader and the Emperor.
*
They make the jump to hyperspace and Luke allows himself one small sigh of relief. He reaches over and takes Leia's hand, wishing he could feel more than the slight pressure of her fingers against his metal ones when she gives it a squeeze. Leia seems pleased, but the exhilaration he'd expected to feel at a clean getaway is missing. Instead, he feels an insistent thrum in the Force, warning him to stay alert.
Leia glances at him, a frown creasing her forehead, and she opens her mouth to speak. Then she closes it and shakes her head.
He looks back at Rex and Commander Tano, who have their heads bent together but don't seem to be doing much talking. He's not sure he should interrupt their reunion but that thing around her neck is making him itchy, which means it must be worse for her.
"You need help getting out of that collar?"
She gives him a once-over with sharp blue eyes that remind him of Ben. "You're Luke Skywalker?"
"Yes, sir."
"Huh." Her mouth quirks wryly. "I thought you'd be taller."
Leia laughs but Luke can't help wrinkling his nose. "I get that a lot." He reaches out a hand and then pulls back when she frowns at it. The black glove is kind of off-putting, but since it's part of the Inquisitor's uniform, he supposes that's the point.
"You'll have to use your lightsaber to get it off," she says.
He unhooks it from his belt and holds it out to her. "Maybe you should do it. I'm not--I don't want to hurt you."
She holds his gaze for a long moment, then lifts her chin to give him better access to the collar. "I trust you."
Luke swallows hard and lights the blade. He hears a whispered, Use the Force, Luke that might be Ben, so he reaches out for it, lets it guide his hands. He touches the lightsaber to the collar's lock, and cuts through it slowly, stopping mere millimeters from Commander Tano's skin. The collar splits in half and falls to her shoulders, and she slumps back in the seat with a gasp, her eyes fluttering closed.
Her presence in the Force flickers, like a luma that hasn't been lit for a long time, and then flares brightly. Luke can only imagine what it must be like to be cut off from the Force like that, especially for someone much more used to it than he is.
"Thank you," she says, pulling the collar off and dropping it to the floor next to the cuffs. She opens her mouth to say something else but then closes it and leaps to her feet.
Luke feels it too, then, a flood of coldness that makes him jump and reignite the lightsaber in his hand.
The door to the cockpit whooshes opens, and Darth Vader fills it, lightsaber lit and ready. His respirator sounds loud in the sudden, shocked silence, and Luke's no expert, but he's getting a sensation of anticipation from Vader that borders on pleased. That scares Luke even more than Vader's unexpected presence.
"Your treachery ends here, rebels. Your destruction will be the beginning of the end for your wretched Alliance."
Leia surges up out of the co-pilot's seat, blaster raised to fire but Luke puts out a hand and pushes the muzzle down. "If you shoot in here, he's just going to deflect it into something important and kill us all."
"What makes you think he's not going to kill us all anyway?" she snaps back, but she doesn't shoot. "Why didn't you have a bad feeling about this?"
Luke knows that Vader's respirator regulates his breathing, but he swears Vader huffs scornfully at that. It doesn't make him any less threatening, but it does make him seem less in control of everything, which would be good if Luke thought they were going to survive this situation.
Vader turns toward Commander Tano. "You've proven surprisingly useful even in your attempt to escape, Ahsoka. Not only have you brought my son right to me--"
Luke can't help flinching at the way Leia exclaims, "Son?"
Vader ignores them. "But you've brought me the terrorist princess, as well."
Luke shoves Leia behind him. "You'll have to go through me to get her," he says. "If you try to hurt her, I'll put you out the airlock myself." He feels a pang of something--regret, maybe, at a lost chance to reason with his father--but he'll do it to protect Leia. "That suit will allow you to survive."
"I don't need your protection from this monster," Leia says, trying to push past him. He's seen her finish many a fight, but he knows she can't win this one. She and Vader burn in the Force like twin suns of anger, shockingly similar. Shockingly familiar.
Luke turns to stare at her. "Leia?"
At the same time, Vader thunders, "Twins?"
Artoo makes a disdainful sound that Luke can't translate, but Rex says, "Congratulations? General?" He doesn't sound certain, though, and Luke can't blame him for that.
"Rex?" The vocoder doesn't allow for much nuance in Vader's voice, but Luke can feel how nonplussed he is by the revelation of Leia's parentage, and the presence of the clone trooper on top of it. He disengages his lightsaber, which Luke chooses to take as an encouraging sign.
Ahsoka's shaky laughter makes the situation even more surreal. "Looks like the whole family's here," she says, dropping into a seat and covering her face with her hands. Artoo beeps again and she nods. "You're right, Threepio's not here. That's probably for the best, though."
Leia looks bewildered. Which, as usual, she expresses as belligerence. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Ahsoka gestures with studied nonchalance at Vader. "Darth Vader, formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, is your biological father." She tips her head to catch Luke's gaze. "Yours, too, apparently. I didn't know about that until Vader told me. I guess it was all compartmentalized so only Obi-Wan knew all the secrets." Artoo squawks indignantly and she says, "And Artoo, it seems." She turns back to Leia. "Obi-Wan gave you to Bail and Breha to keep you safe, Leia. They loved you very much."
"Luke?" Leia half-turns towards Luke, like she doesn't want to take her eyes off Vader's still form. Luke can't blame her for that.
"It's true," he says helplessly. "You can feel it in the Force."
"I don't--" She shakes her head. "I'm not Force-sensitive."
"Nonsense," Vader booms before Luke can respond. "You are my daughter. You are as strong in the Force as Luke is, if even more ignorant about it than he." He turns toward Ahsoka, pointing the hilt of his lightsaber at her in accusation. "You knew and you didn't train her?" He sounds incredulous, more human than Luke's ever heard Darth Vader sound, than Luke thought he ever could sound.
"Her parents didn't think it was safe," Ahsoka replies matter-of-factly, or maybe it's just exhaustion. "I taught her to shield herself as a child, and she does it so well neither you nor that monster you call master now detected her, despite her presence on Coruscant."
"Until now," Luke says slowly, though he's been able to sense her since Cloud City. "Why now?"
Ahsoka waves a hand. "Strong emotions--anger, hatred, fear--they can be hard to control." She looks at Leia seriously. "You have a lot of that in you, Leia, and you need to learn to let go of your negative emotions and release them to the Force or you could end up like him." She tips her montrals in Vader's direction.
"Never," Leia says, her voice ringing with certainty, but Luke can feel her rising panic underneath.
Artoo starts beeping and the ship's alarms go off before any of them can respond to that.
"There's a problem with the hyperdrive," Luke says, rushing to the control console. He shoots a dirty look at Vader "What did you do?"
"Nothing that should have damaged the hyperdrive," Vader replies. "This ship is an older model and obviously not kept in good repair."
"The ship was fine when we left," Luke shoots back. "Artoo and I did the preflight diagnostics ourselves." Artoo blats loudly in support.
"So you say." Vader sounds skeptical.
"What's wrong?" Leia asks, cutting short the argument.
Luke scowls down at the computer. "According to Artoo, either we're going to drop out of hyperspace early and hit something, or never come out of it at all."
"Great," Leia says, "so it's either a quick fiery death or a slow death by starvation." She glares at Vader. "I don't know how, but I'm sure this is all your fault."
"Daughter or not," he says, "you should learn to mind your tongue, Princess."
"Mind my--mind my tongue," Leia sputters. "Why you scum-sucking, sentient-murdering sleemo."
Luke could have warned him not to push her, not when she's so close to completely losing her temper.
"Definitely your daughter," Rex murmurs, but Luke thinks he's the only one who hears it. Luckily.
"It'll be okay," Luke says, pushing the barrel of her blaster down. "We can fix the hyperdrive." He hopes he sounds more confident than he feels.
"You know I've got nothing good to say about Vader," Ahsoka says before Leia can reply, "but if anyone can repair an engine under these circumstances, it's him."
"Indeed," Vader says. "Luke, come with me. Let us see what we can do." He turns and his cape flares so dramatically that Luke has to bite back a giggle. He doesn't think it's appropriate, and he knows it wouldn't be appreciated.
"Rex, Artoo, keep an eye on things and let me know if anything else looks like it's going wrong."
"Yes, sir."
"Ahsoka, Leia--"
"You're crazy if you think I'm letting you go off alone with him," Leia says.
"That's fine," Ahsoka says. "We'll look after things up here."
Luke gives her a small smile. "Thanks."
*
The engine room is larger than the cockpit, but only slightly. Vader overwhelms the space, and it was never meant for three people to begin with. Leia leans in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest.
"You will have to do the actual work yourself, Luke," Vader says, his voice even deeper than the rumble of the engine, "since there is not enough room for me to get in there."
Luke nods. He wrestles the toolkit out from its usual nook and begins the slow process of running checks on each engine component. "These Corellian Engineering Corps engines are usually pretty solid," he says.
"They were adequate for their time," Vader allows, "but this one is long past its prime." He glances around the room. "There's a reason the ISB no longer uses them."
"Is that what gave us away?" Luke asks. "We had the correct transponder codes."
"That will not happen again." He rummages through the toolkit and hands Luke the screwdriver he's just realized he's going to need to open up the motivator.
If Luke had thought things were surreal before, now they just feel completely unreal. He used to have daydreams like this as a kid back on Tatooine, dreams of repairing an engine with his father while they talked of inconsequential things. He shakes his head to clear it. Maybe Leia's not the only one close to losing it.
Vader continues to speak as if he hasn't noticed Luke's bemusement. "How did they come into your possession?"
"We're not telling you anything," Leia says. "Just know that every day, more and more beings--even those you believe thoroughly cowed by your reign of tyranny--are joining the Alliance in the fight against you."
"Save your speeches for those foolish enough to believe them, Princess."
"You're the fool, Vader, for believing that people will continue to accept being treated like criminals for simply trying to live their lives."
"I think I found the problem," Luke says loudly. "I'll need to solder some wiring."
Vader hands him the tools and then the welding goggles that hang on a hook by the door. Leia draws away from him, and Luke can feel the very real fear beneath her veneer of defiance.
Unfortunately, Vader can feel it too. "Channel your fear," he says to her, and Luke would laugh at how much he sounds like Yoda except he can feel how scared she really is. "Your hate and anger make you powerful, Princess." Vader steps closer and Leia goes tense but doesn't take another step back. She looks tiny with Vader looming over her. "I can teach you, help you overthrow the Emperor, and in time, you and your brother could strike me down in vengeance and remold the galaxy in your image. It is the way of the Sith."
"Shut up," Luke snaps, surprising all three of them, and possibly himself most of all. "We need the truth, not," he gestures dismissively with the goggles in his hand, "the lies and empty promises of the dark side."
Vader whirls to face him. "You would pit your will against mine, Luke?"
"Not everything is about you, Father. Let us have some time to adjust to the circumstances." Normally, Luke would let Leia handle negotiations or whatever it is they're really doing here, but she's too volatile right now, especially where Vader is concerned, and he knows Vader is...amenable to being called father. Luke's not above using that--and his own secret sick wish for a real relationship with his father, even now--to get them all out of this alive.
He pushes past Vader and takes Leia's hands in his; she's trembling, and questions loom in her eyes. "Leia. Listen to me. You're stronger than your fear, stronger than your anger. Breathe with me." He holds her gaze and reaches out with the Force, trying to show her how to let her emotions flow into it rather than clenching them close and letting them fester. She lets him in, past the swirling storm of rage towards Vader and into the calmer place where she holds him and Han and everyone she's loved and lost. She glows with the warmth of a Tatooine sunrise, and he shows her to how to hold onto that, how to use it to push past the hate and fear, how to acknowledge negative feelings without letting them control her. He can feel Ahsoka tentatively reaching out to them, and he draws her in, lets her more knowledgeable presence soothe Leia's anguish. He can still feel Vader hovering, though, like a dust cloud on the horizon, warning of death to come.
"You are growing wise, my son," Vader says.
"I'm only learning how much I don't know," he replies truthfully.
"The first step towards wisdom," Ahsoka intones solemnly from where she's standing behind Leia, but Luke catches a glint of humor beneath it.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
She shrugs a shoulder. "I wanted to make sure you weren't trying to kill each other. At least not before you repaired the hyperdrive."
Luke snorts appreciatively. He doesn't know much about her but he already likes her. "We're getting there, I think."
"Come on, Leia." Ahsoka puts her arm around Leia's shoulders. "I can show you some meditation techniques that will help."
"Do you really think this is a good time to meditate?" Leia says incredulously.
"Should you become a Sith, no one will expect you to meditate your anger away," Vader says. They all look at him in surprise. "It is one of many advantages the Sith have over the Jedi."
"Just because you were bad at traditional meditation doesn't mean it's useless," Ahsoka says. She gives Leia a squeeze. "There are many ways to meditate, Princess. If one doesn't work for you, we'll try another, and another, till we find one that does."
Vader hums skeptically, then turns to Luke. "If you're not careful, you will do more harm than good."
"You'd know all about that," Ahsoka mutters.
"Wow, okay, neutral corners," Luke says, pushing the goggles up onto his forehead. "Everyone, unless you have something to contribute to fixing the engine, be quiet."
The Force still hums with a jumble of emotions that's giving him a headache, but Leia and Ahsoka stay still while he finishes soldering, and Vader only speaks to point out that they're also leaking coolant, and then that the compression coils need realigning.
Luke handles each problem and then moves on to tightening the bolts holding the hyperdrive casing in place. He doesn't think that's part of the problem, but it'll do no one any good if the casing comes apart before they drop back into real space.
*
Once they're back up in the cockpit, Artoo says they're not going to spend the rest of their lives in hyperspace, at least. Though after everything, that sounds kind of peaceful to Luke.
"And he thinks we'll be fine when we exit into real space," Luke continues, "though we're probably going to be short of the original jump coordinates."
"That's fine," Vader says. "Once we are able to make the connection, I will call my ship and we will go to Coruscant."
"You're not taking us to Coruscant," Luke says.
"Do not think you can use mind tricks on me, Luke."
"I don't. I'm not. I wouldn't. But you're going to let us go."
"Am I?"
"I can feel the conflict within you, Father."
"You feel nothing," Vader snaps. "You are a foolish boy who believes he knows more than he does."
"Am I?" Luke repeats back to him, and he holds onto whatever calm he can because he can feel Leia getting agitated again. And also because he can feel how much it irritates Vader. "Either I'm growing in wisdom and power, or I'm a foolish boy who knows nothing. Which is it?"
Vader glares at him and then at Ahsoka, who shakes her head. "Don't look at me. I just met him today. That's got to be Obi-Wan's influence."
Luke smiles at that, but it just makes Vader angrier.
"You and your sister will come with me to Corsucant to be trained in the ways of the Sith," he snarls. "It is the only way you will survive."
"Bantha shit." Leia's radiating anger and fear again, but they're tightly leashed now, bleeding off slowly into the Force rather than threatening to overwhelm her. She gestures at Vader with her blaster. "What's to stop us from killing you and dumping your body into hyperspace?"
"You may certainly try," Vader says, and there's a tinge of what might be amusement in his voice now. "Though I think even you might flinch from patricide, Your Highness."
"You killed my parents," she cries. "I don't acknowledge any other relationship between us."
Vader nods, as if conceding the point, though Luke is sure he's doing no such thing. "Though I was not the one who gave the order, your vengeance would be righteous. I agree.
"I slaughtered the village of Tuskens who killed my mother, down to the women and children." He looks at Luke. "Surely Owen Lars told you that."
"He said that Grandmother was avenged," Luke answers, "but nothing more." He huffs in exasperation, struck once again by how ridiculous the whole situation is. "He also told me you were a navigator on a spice freighter, though, so I guess he had kind of a casual relationship with the truth."
"No doubt that was Obi-Wan's doing." If Luke didn't know better, he'd say there was some bitterly amused commiseration in Vader's tone. There's a brief pause, then, reluctantly, "Did they still observe mourning rituals for her?"
"I tended her grave on holidays even before I was old enough to understand," Luke answers. Even the fact that she'd had a grave and a family around to tend it had been important, had been yet another proof that she'd lived the last few years of her life free, though he hadn't understood that as a child.
His eyes sting at the memory and he wishes he still had the welding goggles on. Leia presses herself to his side and he takes her hand.
"She was a strong woman," Vader says. "Foolish for believing the Jedi could ever save or protect us, but strong." He hooks his gloved fingers in his belt. "There is much of her strength in you and your sister." The mask tips down. "There is much of your mother, as well." His voice is low, almost reverential.
Luke's heart leaps and he can hear Leia's breath catch, her fingers gripping his tightly. "Who?" he asks, keeping his voice low as well, but urgent. "Who was she?"
"Did they not speak of her to you?"
Luke shakes his head. He feels stupid, because after Aunt Beru told him she'd died right after he was born, he'd stopped asking, sure it was somehow his fault.
Vader hums angrily though for once it doesn't seem directed at them. He turns to Leia. "And you? Surely Bail Organa spoke of her, even if he never mentioned your relationship. He claimed to be her good friend."
"He was," Ahsoka says with a sad smile. "And he did." She touches Leia's elbow gently.
"Padmé," Vader says, again in that low, reverent voice, and a sense of old, helpless pain permeates the Force. "Her name was Padmé Amidala. She was the best, most beautiful woman in the universe."
"The senator?" Leia asks, surprised. "She was a founding member of the Alliance, along with my father and Mon Mothma."
"Yes," Ahsoka says.
"How--" Leia starts and then stops. Luke can feel her yearning curiosity warring with her desire to ask nothing of Vader.
Vader answers anyway. "She never understood the true nature of power. I did it all for her. The war was killing us, and I thought this was the way to bring peace. I was going to lay the galaxy at her feet." His tone darkens even more. "And then she betrayed me. Or so I thought."
"You believed the lies Sidious fed you," Ahsoka says with disgust. "Do you still?"
"It is not your place to question me, Ahsoka."
"You haven't been my master in years," she replies tartly. "You claim there is nothing of him left in you, and yet your children are here. Your former padawan and clone commander are here. Even your droid is here. You long for them all even as you try to push them away." She rises slowly, and even thin and worn in her prison jumpsuit, she looks majestic, the way Luke always imagined a Jedi should. "Is Anakin Skywalker truly gone?"
Luke can feel Vader's surprise and uncertainty in the Force. "I do not know anymore. I think it is too late for me."
"No one plans to nominate you for Father of the Year," Leia says, taking a deep breath, her hand still clutching Luke's like a mynock wrapped around a power cable, "but if you're truly willing to help get rid of the Emperor, we might have some room for negotiation."
"And you would rule in his place?" Vader asks.
Leia makes a tsking sound. "Of course not. We would reinstate a democratically elected Senate, as in the Old Republic."
"Ah, I see. And who would convince the grand admirals and moffs and sector governors to go along with this plan? Your fleet of traitors and spies?"
"They were good enough to destroy the Death Star."
"Luke destroyed the Death Star, because the Force was with him. Do not become overconfident, Princess."
"We would work something out. Something that isn't a galaxy enslaved by one man's sick and twisted whims."
"And what do you know of slavery, Your Highness?" It suddenly gets very cold in the cockpit.
Luke squeezes Leia's fingers, trying to warn her to tread lightly. It works about as well as he expects.
Leia shakes off his hand and moves forward, stepping into Vader's space and tilting her chin up in defiantly. "I know that unlike some people, I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees."
"You go too far, Princess. If it's death you crave, I--" Vader raises his hand, the dark side swelling malignantly around him, and then lets it drop. The Force slinks away and then returns, softer and more tentative. He turns his back to them and Luke can feel his shame in the Force as his rage drains away.
Leia gives him a wide-eyed glance, one hand coming up to rest at the base of her throat, as if she knows how close she just came to being strangled.
Luke tugs her close. "Are you all right?"
Leia nods. Ahsoka moves to her other side and guides her to the co-pilot's chair to sit down, leaving Luke to face their father.
Angry words well up, but he discards them. "Is that how our mother died?" he asks softly instead.
"I--That is what the Emperor told me," Vader says dully, sounding chastened. "I had no reason to disbelieve him at the time, as I could no longer feel her in the Force."
Artoo lets out a long series of beeps and boops, and this time Luke leans over the console to read his explanation. Both Vader and Ahsoka seem to understand binary, but Luke's only picked up bits and pieces here and there and Leia doesn't know it at all.
"Obi-Wan took her to Polis Massa," he tells her, taking both her hands in his and holding her gaze. "That's where we were born. They don't know why she died." He looks up at Vader. "Her last words were of you. She believed there was good still in you." He can't help the wonder in his voice at that. He believes it, because he can feel the pain, the conflict that's tearing Vader up inside, but their mother didn't have that reassurance, and she'd still had faith.
Vader still has his back to them, but his shoulders slump. For the first time, he looks like a man, rather than a machine or a monster. He doesn't do anything else to acknowledge Luke's words or Artoo's story. Still, Luke can feel how much it's hurt him, and for once, his pain isn't accompanied by towering rage.
For a long moment, the only sound in the cockpit is the whoosh and hiss of his breathing. Then, he turns back to them and says, "Tell me more of this plan to reinstate democracy, Princess."
"Are you humoring me?" she asks.
"Perhaps." He tilts his head. "But if you think the Republic was a shining beacon of freedom and democracy, you have a mistakenly positive view of it. It was corrupt and so bogged down in bureaucracy and petty infighting that it was incapable of governing." He makes a sweeping gesture towards the front viewport. "Sentients are too fractious and foolish to rule themselves. We were going to bring order and peace to the galaxy, and eliminate suffering."
"Well, you've done a bang up job," Ahsoka says. "Color me impressed."
Luke expects Vader to lash out again but instead he makes a humming noise. "You are as impertinent as always, Ahsoka."
"Blame it on my master," she replies. "He never was much of a stickler for rules." She moves towards him. "I'd like my lightsabers back now."
Vader reaches beneath his cape and produces a pair of lightsabers, which he hands over to Ahsoka.
"Why'd you bring them with you?" she asks, clutching them to her chest.
Vader glances away. "I had thought to give you a chance to die fighting against me, rather than being executed in some crude spectacle on the HoloNet. You deserve that much."
Ahsoka's mouth quirks in a half-smile. "I appreciate that."
"Is that why you're here?" Leia asks.
"Yes, though as I said, I knew as soon as your ship arrived at the prison that it was not the one that had been sent from Coruscant. I sensed Luke immediately."
"I thought I was shielding pretty well," Luke says, slightly offended.
"I am your father. You would have to work much harder to hide yourself from me." He looks from Luke to Leia and then back again. "Perhaps your sister will teach you."
Luke holds his breath, recognizing it as the peace offering it is, even more than his willingness to discuss politics, and Leia must recognize it, too. She still feels angry and bewildered, but there's also a spark of hopeful determination growing within her.
She gives Luke a small smile. "There's a lot you could learn from me, kiddo."
"Kiddo? We're the same age. I might even be older. Artoo?"
Ahsoka translates Artoo's answer before Luke can read it. "He says you might have been born first, but she's a princess."
"I thought I was your favorite." Artoo snickers. "Oh, I see how it is."
"I don't know why you expected anything different," Leia says. "After all, he knew the whole story and he never told us."
Artoo beeps again.
"That's because you didn't ask," Ahsoka translates.
Luke sighs. "Fair enough."
Vader looks--well, Luke can't really tell because of the mask, but he feels dumbstruck, as if this type of conversation is new, or, given how Ahsoka has been speaking to him, long-forgotten. Luke imagines there aren't many people willing to engage in banter with a dark lord of the Sith, even if he were to allow that type of familiarity.
"You still have not explained what you would replace the Empire with," Vader finally says.
"A new Republic. The galaxy is too large for one-being, one-vote style direct democracy, even with the technology we have available. We would certainly institute reforms," Leia says. "Perhaps bar corporations and groups such as the Trade Federation or the Banking Clan from participating as full members, and demand transparency about the amount of participating they actually do. Allow more systems to represent themselves." She holds her hands out and then clasps them together. "I'm sure Mon has a more detailed plan."
"And slavery?" Luke asks.
"We would do our best to root it out, both in the Core and on the Outer Rim." She sighs. "I believe that with enough determination, we can defeat not just the Empire, but the Hutts and the Zygerrians."
"Well, you are certainly strong-willed enough to make a start," Vader rumbles. "In that endeavor, I would support you fully."
"But you're still not sure about the rest." Leia's voice is flat, making it a statement rather than a question.
"I believe that it is your destiny--both of you--to join me in overthrowing the Emperor. But I have found that destiny is a funny thing, and it's best to trust to the will of the Force." He waves a hand dismissively. "And I have never been interested in the day-to-day minutiae of government."
Luke bites back a laugh, trying to imagine Darth Vader discussing taxation policies or glad-handing voters on the campaign trail. It sounds absolutely terrible to him, too. Vader looks over at him and nods as if he knows what Luke's thinking. "Just so."
"In fact," Luke says, "we're going to be taking on Jabba soon enough, to get Han back." He doesn't expect an apology for what Vader did to Han, and he doesn't get one.
Leia shoots him an annoyed look, but he can't imagine Vader wouldn't guess they were going to do that sometime, and Vader confirms it when he says, "Yes, I have already placed an agent in his palace to keep an eye out for your rescue attempt. Your attachment to that smuggler puts you all in danger." He turns to Leia. "He is beneath you, Princess. I am sure you could do better."
For one of the few times since Luke's known her, Leia is speechless. Just for a moment, but just long enough for him to realize that she's actually stunned by this pronouncement.
"Oh, no," she says, recovering quickly. "You do not get a say about my personal life. You were the one using that attachment to put us in danger in the first place!"
Luke's pretty sure the sound of Vader's breathing doesn't actually change, but the feeling accompanying it is definitely disgruntled. It's possible he realizes that he's not going to get anywhere on that front with Leia, though, because he doesn't say anything else about it. He probably doesn't miss the amused look Ahsoka and Rex exchange, either, though.
"Three Skywalkers," Ahsoka murmurs, shaking her head. "The mind boggles."
"The Emperor won't know what's hit him," Rex replies.
Vader glares at him. "Captain, I expect you, as the only sensible member of this party, to look out for them."
"Of course." Rex nods. "Good to have you back, sir."
Leia doesn't look pleased at this, but she also doesn't argue, so Luke's not going to fuss. There's still so much they don't know about their own past, let alone about how the galaxy came to be the way it is now, but they've got access to information they haven't had before, and he's going to take advantage of that.
"You have questions, my son?"
"Many, Father, but we'll be coming out of hyperspace soon and we'll need to call for help, since I don't trust the hyperdrive to make another jump. Do you have a ship meeting you?"
"I will find one as needed," he replies. "I will take one of the escape pods when we've emerged into real space, since I'm sure you don't want me to be here when your fellow rebels arrive."
Leia mutters something that sounds like, "You got that right," but they all pretend not to hear it. If anything about this weird arrangement is going to work, Leia and Vader will have to keep their feelings about each other in check. Luke would like to think that after everything else that's happened here, that will be possible. He's always been an optimist.
Before the silence becomes even more awkward, Leia says, "And when we're done, you'll hand yourself over for trial?"
And maybe the silence wasn't so awkward after all, Luke thinks. He pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the giant headache that's been building all day.
"I do not expect to survive long enough to see your new Republic, let alone stand trial for my actions." Vader shifts his weight from foot to foot, the kind of movement that Luke might call fidgeting in a less terrifying figure. "However, should I do so, I might still be of use to you in removing any Imperial diehards from your path."
Leia waits, arms folded across her chest now, mirroring Vader, though probably not consciously.
"The connection between us may be revealed in such a trial, Your Highness. Are you prepared for the fallout?"
Leia's lips twist like she's just gotten a mouthful of something sour, but she says, "I'll deal with that if it happens."
"Fine," he finally says. "In the unlikely event that you succeed and I survive, if that is what you wish, I will--Yes."
Leia nods. "I still don't like you or trust you, but if this will help us defeat the Emperor, then I'll accept your assistance, Lord Vader."
Vader nods once. "Agreed, Princess. Luke? Ahsoka?"
"Agreed," they both answer, and though it's not a formal pledge, to Luke, it feels like a vow.
*
It's easier to breathe once Vader has left, and Luke's sure he's not the only one who feels as wrung out as if they'd actually had to fight their way free of his presence, but that new spark of hope he'd sensed in Leia is growing in all of them now.
All in all, he considers this family reunion far more successful than the one in Cloud City. At least this time, no one lost a hand.
end
~*~
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~*~
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Like stars burning holes through the dark
Star Wars; Luke, Leia, Ahsoka, Darth Vader; AU; g; 8,875 words
Luke considers this family reunion far more successful than the one in Cloud City. At least this time, no one loses a hand.
Title from "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit. A loose sequel to trade your heroes for ghosts. Thanks to
silveronthetree and to L. for looking it over!
Or read it on AO3.
~*~
Like stars burning holes through the dark
Luke is practicing with his new lightsaber (and his new hand) in an empty training room when he feels Leia approaching. He's still not as confident with the Force as he'd like to be (as he'll need to be), but finding Leia is never difficult. Since he reached out to her while hanging from that gantry beneath Cloud City, she's been a warm, comforting presence in the Force he can always find.
He turns the lightsaber off and wipes his forehead on his sleeve when she enters the room. "Have you heard from Lando?"
She shakes her head. "Not yet." She starts pacing, hands clasped behind her, each step and turn as precise as any soldier's.
Luke cocks his head and looks at her, letting patience win out for once over curiosity. Even without Han's absence hanging over everything, given how much goes wrong on any given day, it's not an unusual sight to see her like this. And this seems different somehow; the Force is warning him to pay attention.
"We just intercepted some intel. The Imperials are moving a high-security prisoner. Her code name was Fulcrum. They're taking her to Coruscant for execution." She stops, inhales slowly. "She was a close friend of my father's, and one of our first and best operatives. She taught me a lot. She was captured just before you and I met."
"I'm sorry." He steps closer and then stops. "I'm a little sweaty but if you want a hug..."
That wins him a small smile as she closes the small distance between them and draws his arm over her shoulder. He'll never get over how perfectly they fit together. He squeezes her gently and tries to think of something useful to say.
"Any chance we can rescue her?"
Leia's laugh has a bitter edge to it. "A miniscule chance. I didn't even think she was still alive until today."
"But if they're transporting her, we might be able to do it."
"She was taken almost four years ago, Luke. I can't imagine there's much left of her."
"There must be if they're treating her as high-security."
Leia swallows and looks up at him. "She's--she was--a Jedi."
"Oh." He can't tamp down a brief flare of hope at the idea of meeting another one, despite knowing how unlikely it is. "In that case, I'm surprised she's even alive at all."
"She was a friend of General Kenobi's." Leia gives him a sad smile. "She probably knew your father."
He stiffens. "That could explain it."
"What do you mean?"
"Vader wanted to kill Ben himself. If this Jedi was also close to him." It's Luke's turn to swallow hard. He shrugs a shoulder, feigning casualness. "It's probably personal."
"So rescuing her would be a poke in the eye for Darth Vader." Leia's expression turns grimly determined. "I'm liking this idea better already."
Luke winces; he knows that look and what it means for the people who get in Leia's way. "I almost feel sorry for him--them," he says.
"I don't," she replies, and that should probably worry him. It doesn't, though, because Leia's one of the best people he's ever met. "For once, let Vader suffer a crushing personal defeat."
Luke rubs at the juncture where his flesh arm meets his metal wrist, and says nothing.
*
There isn't much time to plan anything elaborate, and Leia makes the executive decision that no one else will be involved.
"This is personal for me now," she says. "We didn't try to rescue her four years ago, and maybe we should have." Luke makes commiserating noises but can't really offer much in the way of comfort; depending on what her mission was, it's possible this Fulcrum knew she'd be abandoned if caught. He doesn't much like the policy, but he understands why the Alliance has it. "I can't ask anyone else to take the risk, not when there's so much else going on."
Luke nods. It's not like he's going to disagree with her. He'd follow her anywhere she chose to lead him. Which at this moment, is into an old storage locker. Luke shivers at the chill, which is more than physical.
"Captain Syndulla of Phoenix Squadron reminded me of this," Leia says, unlocking a drawer and pulling out a black helmet and some armor. "Have you met her?"
"No," Luke says. "I've heard she's a great pilot."
Leia nods. "One of our best. She had a Jedi and his apprentice on her crew for a while." Luke opens his mouth to ask and then closes it again. If they were still alive, he'd have met them. Leia puts a hand on his arm briefly and then continues, "Fulcrum worked with them before she was captured." Leia shoves the helmet and armor at him. "They took those off an Inquisitor."
The title, or maybe it's the feel of the Inquisitor's uniform in his hands, sends another chill down Luke's spine, but Leia hasn't noticed. She's already moved on to a second drawer.
"And I'll be the ISB agent to your Inquisitor," she says, pulling out another helmet and uniform, which she holds up against herself. Luke gives her a skeptical look, and her mouth quirks wryly. "I'll find someone to hem the trousers."
"Because good tailoring is the key to success here," he says, and considers it a victory when she laughs.
*
The Alliance has several stolen Imperial ships in its possession, and Luke's familiar enough with most of them by this point that it doesn't take him much time to get used to the layout of the console, even though the former ISB ship Leia's chosen for the mission is an older, smaller, N-class freighter. Artoo is worth at least another crewmember, Luke thinks, as the droid plugs himself into the ship's systems.
Leia strides into the cockpit ignoring to the usual harangue about danger that she's getting from Threepio in favor of arguing with an old man in poorly fitting stormtrooper armor, his helmet tucked under his arm.
"It wouldn't be the first prison break I've helped execute," he's saying, "and Commander Tano is--" He catches sight of Luke and stops abruptly.
Leia's not one to let an opportunity like that go to waste. "Captain Rex, when I require your assistance, I'll ask for it. But as this mission is already an unofficial use of Alliance resources, I cannot ask you to--"
"And you haven't, Your Highness. I've made a choice to offer it." He looks at Luke again and salutes. "Commander Skywalker, it's an honor. I served with your father and Commander Tano in the war."
Luke feels self-conscious in the unrelenting black of the stolen Inquisitor's uniform and, as always since Bespin, uncomfortable with the mention of his father, but he returns the salute. "Captain Rex." The chill in the Force he's felt since he put the uniform on warms a little, nudges him into saying more. "Can you fly this ship?" he asks, ignoring Leia's frown. He knows he's going to pay for that later, but he also knows she'll let him get away with it right now. He gives her a tight smile. "Be good to have a getaway driver."
"Fine," she says, her answering grin is more a baring of teeth, sharp as a warning. One of the things he loves about her is her ability to make decisions and accept changes in plan on the fly. "You're to stay with the ship, Captain, and that is an order."
"Yes, sir." He snaps off a sharp salute and straps himself in behind Luke. Luke glances at Leia, who gives him a resigned shrug before she tugs her helmet on.
Artoo beeps a question and Luke looks over his shoulder at Threepio. "You can return to Central Command, Threepio. You're not needed for this mission."
"Oh, thank you, Master Luke. Artoo, do be careful. I'm sure whatever goes wrong will be your fault, but it's your job to protect Master Luke and the Princess."
When Threepio is off the ship, Luke commences the ignition sequence. He shoots another look over at Leia. Her jaw is set but the rest of her face is hidden by that stupid helmet. Normally, Han or Threepio would say what he's about to (and the thought of how annoyed they'd be to be grouped together like that gives him a brief moment of amusement), but it doesn't feel right to start the trip without it. He thinks of it as a reverse jinx. He's pretty sure that's not actually a real thing, but it makes him feel better.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
"Shut up, Luke."
"I want it on record that I think this is a terrible plan."
"Well, you're the expert in that area."
Luke lets out a huff of laughter. "I'm just saying." He glances back at Captain Rex and raises his eyebrows. Rex grins back at him, unfazed by their nonsense.
Leia finally turns to face him, and now at least she's smiling. "Duly noted. When something goes wrong, you can say, 'I told you so' exactly once."
"It's cute that you think only one thing is going to go wrong."
Leia makes a gesture that Luke didn't think princesses were even supposed to know, and he laughs.
*
"The transfer is supposed to happen at oh eight hundred standard time," Leia tells Rex. She's taken the helmet off and Luke's glad of it. "One of our agents has disabled the ISB ship detailed to transport Commander Tano, so we'll be replacing it. Hopefully, having an Inquisitor along," she glances over at Luke, and he gives her a half-smile of encouragement, "will keep questions--"
"Like why we don't have a squad of stormtroopers with us," Luke interrupts.
"Yes," Leia says, rolling her eyes at him. "Questions like, why we don't have a squad of stormtroopers with us will be kept to a minimum, so we can get in and get out before they realize a switch was made."
Rex nods. "We'll keep the engines hot, right, Artoo?"
Artoo burbles an affirmative. Luke doesn't even need to read the translation to understand that.
It's actually not the worst plan they've ever come up with, and Luke has only a normal sense of nerves about it, not the overwhelming dread that feels like the Force warning him that something's going to go wrong. The Force is definitely trying to tell him something, but he doesn't know what it is, and he's not sure it has anything to do with this mission specifically. He wonders if the remnants of the dark side that cling to the uniform he's wearing are interfering somehow.
"You're going to have to put the helmet on when we go in," Leia says.
Luke grimaces. "I know."
"It's just for a few minutes."
"I know." He doesn't look over at her. "You probably think I'm being stupid."
She tilts her head back and forth, not quite a yes but not a no, either. "Maybe a little." When he doesn't answer she says, "You wear your flight gear without a problem, including the helmet, so I don't understand what the issue is."
"It makes me hyperventilate," he admits, glancing away in embarrassment. He really hopes that sounds less whiny to her than it does to him.
It probably doesn't, but she goes from teasing to serious in a heartbeat. "Luke." Leia leans over and puts a hand on his arm. "It's going to be okay."
He can't tell her it reminds him of his vision on Dagobah. He knows he'll eventually have to reveal what Vader told him, but he doesn't want to lose her friendship, not when it's one of the few things either of them has left. Instead he says, "You ever go somewhere, or do something, and even though you didn't get physically dirty, you felt the need for a shower afterwards?"
"In the Senate, every damn day," she replies with a grim twist to her mouth.
Rex lets out a brief bark of laughter but doesn't say anything.
Luke nods. "It's like that."
"Then don't put it on until the very last minute."
"Okay."
"Okay."
Luke sucks in a deep breath and tries to center himself. Flying is usually good for clearing his mind, but everything about this mission has him unsettled. The thought of meeting another Jedi, someone else who knew his father (someone else who's been hurt by his father), fills him with both excitement and dread. He's even afraid to say too much to Rex, because he wants to know everything, while at the same he wants to run away and hide. Ben hasn't shown up for a while, but Luke's pretty sure he wouldn't approve of any of this. Then again, Ben lied to him about some very important things, so maybe Ben's approval isn't as important as he's made it out to be.
Luckily, they arrive at the prisoner transfer point before he can tie himself up in any more knots.
"Ready?" Leia asks, resettling her helmet on her head and checking the blaster at her hip.
"As I'll ever be," Luke replies, but he waits until the last possible moment to pull on the Inquisitor's helmet and lower the faceplate. It makes everything appear filtered in red and gray, with a sensor readout scrolling down the left-hand side of the HUD. His breathing sounds really loud to his own ears and he tries to ignore the noise while he concentrates on keeping it steady.
He follows Leia down the gangway and rests his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber, trying to look threatening. It must work--none of the stormtroopers spare him more than a glance when Leia starts barking orders, and a tall Togruta woman in a metal collar and shock cuffs is brought out to them.
Leia types in an acknowledgement code on the warden's datapad and Luke moves forward to take custody of the prisoner. He puts a hand on her elbow and she jerks away, her eyes narrowing as she glares down at him. For all that she looks like a stiff breeze will knock her over--clearly the Empire doesn't feed its prisoners very well--she stands tall and moves purposefully. She's somehow a blind spot in the Force, which causes Luke's stomach to twist queasily. The helmet hides his startled glance, so he supposes it's good for something, but he'll be glad to get it off as soon as they're back on board the ship.
Leia follows them and once the hatch is closed, Luke yanks the helmet off and tosses it somewhere out of his sight. He'd expected to feel better without it on, but the Force is still thrumming with cold danger, except for the blankness surrounding Fulcrum.
She stares at him like he's something that came in on the bottom of her boot, and he tries not to take it personally.
Rex slips out of the pilot's seat so Luke can take over, though they never even powered down the engines. There's a weird moment where it feels like the ship isn't going to move even though he's pushed the throttle forward. Then it leaps off the platform like it's been shoved.
"Buckle up," he says. "Let's make the jump before they figure out what's happened." Artoo's already entered the jump coordinates, so they just need to break atmo and they should be clear. Should being the operative word there. Luke's not as confident as he'd like to be on that point.
Rex doesn't strap in; he's staring at their passenger in something like awe. Luke can feel his regret and relief strongly through the Force.
"Commander Tano--Ahsoka, you're a sight for sore eyes."
She stares back at him in wonder. "Rex?"
"Let's get these cuffs off," he says gruffly.
Luke keeps his gaze forward and he can see Leia out of the corner of his eye, doing the same thing. He might not be able to feel Commander Tano in the Force, but he can feel Rex and Leia's relief that she's here, and that's enough to make the tension in his shoulders ease just a bit.
Leia removes her own helmet and straps in next to Luke. "That was--"
"Don't say it." Luke's only half-joking.
"But--"
"We're not out of the dunes yet."
Commander Tano puts a hand on the back of Leia's seat. "Princess Leia?" She sounds like she doesn't quite believe what she's seeing.
Leia turns and smiles up at her. "Fulcrum--Ahsoka, I'm so sorry we didn't rescue you sooner." She reaches up and curls her fingers around Commander Tano's.
"You shouldn't have taken the chance to rescue me at all. But I'm glad you did."
Luke glances over and gives them a small smile. "You should strap in. We're going to be making the jump to lightspeed in a minute."
There's still the matter of whatever trackers have been implanted in Commander Tano, but they're rendezvousing with a courier ship in two jumps, and that pilot will be taking the collar and cuffs on to Coruscant. Leia says it's just in case they're being tracked, but Luke thinks she's also sending a message to Vader and the Emperor.
*
They make the jump to hyperspace and Luke allows himself one small sigh of relief. He reaches over and takes Leia's hand, wishing he could feel more than the slight pressure of her fingers against his metal ones when she gives it a squeeze. Leia seems pleased, but the exhilaration he'd expected to feel at a clean getaway is missing. Instead, he feels an insistent thrum in the Force, warning him to stay alert.
Leia glances at him, a frown creasing her forehead, and she opens her mouth to speak. Then she closes it and shakes her head.
He looks back at Rex and Commander Tano, who have their heads bent together but don't seem to be doing much talking. He's not sure he should interrupt their reunion but that thing around her neck is making him itchy, which means it must be worse for her.
"You need help getting out of that collar?"
She gives him a once-over with sharp blue eyes that remind him of Ben. "You're Luke Skywalker?"
"Yes, sir."
"Huh." Her mouth quirks wryly. "I thought you'd be taller."
Leia laughs but Luke can't help wrinkling his nose. "I get that a lot." He reaches out a hand and then pulls back when she frowns at it. The black glove is kind of off-putting, but since it's part of the Inquisitor's uniform, he supposes that's the point.
"You'll have to use your lightsaber to get it off," she says.
He unhooks it from his belt and holds it out to her. "Maybe you should do it. I'm not--I don't want to hurt you."
She holds his gaze for a long moment, then lifts her chin to give him better access to the collar. "I trust you."
Luke swallows hard and lights the blade. He hears a whispered, Use the Force, Luke that might be Ben, so he reaches out for it, lets it guide his hands. He touches the lightsaber to the collar's lock, and cuts through it slowly, stopping mere millimeters from Commander Tano's skin. The collar splits in half and falls to her shoulders, and she slumps back in the seat with a gasp, her eyes fluttering closed.
Her presence in the Force flickers, like a luma that hasn't been lit for a long time, and then flares brightly. Luke can only imagine what it must be like to be cut off from the Force like that, especially for someone much more used to it than he is.
"Thank you," she says, pulling the collar off and dropping it to the floor next to the cuffs. She opens her mouth to say something else but then closes it and leaps to her feet.
Luke feels it too, then, a flood of coldness that makes him jump and reignite the lightsaber in his hand.
The door to the cockpit whooshes opens, and Darth Vader fills it, lightsaber lit and ready. His respirator sounds loud in the sudden, shocked silence, and Luke's no expert, but he's getting a sensation of anticipation from Vader that borders on pleased. That scares Luke even more than Vader's unexpected presence.
"Your treachery ends here, rebels. Your destruction will be the beginning of the end for your wretched Alliance."
Leia surges up out of the co-pilot's seat, blaster raised to fire but Luke puts out a hand and pushes the muzzle down. "If you shoot in here, he's just going to deflect it into something important and kill us all."
"What makes you think he's not going to kill us all anyway?" she snaps back, but she doesn't shoot. "Why didn't you have a bad feeling about this?"
Luke knows that Vader's respirator regulates his breathing, but he swears Vader huffs scornfully at that. It doesn't make him any less threatening, but it does make him seem less in control of everything, which would be good if Luke thought they were going to survive this situation.
Vader turns toward Commander Tano. "You've proven surprisingly useful even in your attempt to escape, Ahsoka. Not only have you brought my son right to me--"
Luke can't help flinching at the way Leia exclaims, "Son?"
Vader ignores them. "But you've brought me the terrorist princess, as well."
Luke shoves Leia behind him. "You'll have to go through me to get her," he says. "If you try to hurt her, I'll put you out the airlock myself." He feels a pang of something--regret, maybe, at a lost chance to reason with his father--but he'll do it to protect Leia. "That suit will allow you to survive."
"I don't need your protection from this monster," Leia says, trying to push past him. He's seen her finish many a fight, but he knows she can't win this one. She and Vader burn in the Force like twin suns of anger, shockingly similar. Shockingly familiar.
Luke turns to stare at her. "Leia?"
At the same time, Vader thunders, "Twins?"
Artoo makes a disdainful sound that Luke can't translate, but Rex says, "Congratulations? General?" He doesn't sound certain, though, and Luke can't blame him for that.
"Rex?" The vocoder doesn't allow for much nuance in Vader's voice, but Luke can feel how nonplussed he is by the revelation of Leia's parentage, and the presence of the clone trooper on top of it. He disengages his lightsaber, which Luke chooses to take as an encouraging sign.
Ahsoka's shaky laughter makes the situation even more surreal. "Looks like the whole family's here," she says, dropping into a seat and covering her face with her hands. Artoo beeps again and she nods. "You're right, Threepio's not here. That's probably for the best, though."
Leia looks bewildered. Which, as usual, she expresses as belligerence. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Ahsoka gestures with studied nonchalance at Vader. "Darth Vader, formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, is your biological father." She tips her head to catch Luke's gaze. "Yours, too, apparently. I didn't know about that until Vader told me. I guess it was all compartmentalized so only Obi-Wan knew all the secrets." Artoo squawks indignantly and she says, "And Artoo, it seems." She turns back to Leia. "Obi-Wan gave you to Bail and Breha to keep you safe, Leia. They loved you very much."
"Luke?" Leia half-turns towards Luke, like she doesn't want to take her eyes off Vader's still form. Luke can't blame her for that.
"It's true," he says helplessly. "You can feel it in the Force."
"I don't--" She shakes her head. "I'm not Force-sensitive."
"Nonsense," Vader booms before Luke can respond. "You are my daughter. You are as strong in the Force as Luke is, if even more ignorant about it than he." He turns toward Ahsoka, pointing the hilt of his lightsaber at her in accusation. "You knew and you didn't train her?" He sounds incredulous, more human than Luke's ever heard Darth Vader sound, than Luke thought he ever could sound.
"Her parents didn't think it was safe," Ahsoka replies matter-of-factly, or maybe it's just exhaustion. "I taught her to shield herself as a child, and she does it so well neither you nor that monster you call master now detected her, despite her presence on Coruscant."
"Until now," Luke says slowly, though he's been able to sense her since Cloud City. "Why now?"
Ahsoka waves a hand. "Strong emotions--anger, hatred, fear--they can be hard to control." She looks at Leia seriously. "You have a lot of that in you, Leia, and you need to learn to let go of your negative emotions and release them to the Force or you could end up like him." She tips her montrals in Vader's direction.
"Never," Leia says, her voice ringing with certainty, but Luke can feel her rising panic underneath.
Artoo starts beeping and the ship's alarms go off before any of them can respond to that.
"There's a problem with the hyperdrive," Luke says, rushing to the control console. He shoots a dirty look at Vader "What did you do?"
"Nothing that should have damaged the hyperdrive," Vader replies. "This ship is an older model and obviously not kept in good repair."
"The ship was fine when we left," Luke shoots back. "Artoo and I did the preflight diagnostics ourselves." Artoo blats loudly in support.
"So you say." Vader sounds skeptical.
"What's wrong?" Leia asks, cutting short the argument.
Luke scowls down at the computer. "According to Artoo, either we're going to drop out of hyperspace early and hit something, or never come out of it at all."
"Great," Leia says, "so it's either a quick fiery death or a slow death by starvation." She glares at Vader. "I don't know how, but I'm sure this is all your fault."
"Daughter or not," he says, "you should learn to mind your tongue, Princess."
"Mind my--mind my tongue," Leia sputters. "Why you scum-sucking, sentient-murdering sleemo."
Luke could have warned him not to push her, not when she's so close to completely losing her temper.
"Definitely your daughter," Rex murmurs, but Luke thinks he's the only one who hears it. Luckily.
"It'll be okay," Luke says, pushing the barrel of her blaster down. "We can fix the hyperdrive." He hopes he sounds more confident than he feels.
"You know I've got nothing good to say about Vader," Ahsoka says before Leia can reply, "but if anyone can repair an engine under these circumstances, it's him."
"Indeed," Vader says. "Luke, come with me. Let us see what we can do." He turns and his cape flares so dramatically that Luke has to bite back a giggle. He doesn't think it's appropriate, and he knows it wouldn't be appreciated.
"Rex, Artoo, keep an eye on things and let me know if anything else looks like it's going wrong."
"Yes, sir."
"Ahsoka, Leia--"
"You're crazy if you think I'm letting you go off alone with him," Leia says.
"That's fine," Ahsoka says. "We'll look after things up here."
Luke gives her a small smile. "Thanks."
*
The engine room is larger than the cockpit, but only slightly. Vader overwhelms the space, and it was never meant for three people to begin with. Leia leans in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest.
"You will have to do the actual work yourself, Luke," Vader says, his voice even deeper than the rumble of the engine, "since there is not enough room for me to get in there."
Luke nods. He wrestles the toolkit out from its usual nook and begins the slow process of running checks on each engine component. "These Corellian Engineering Corps engines are usually pretty solid," he says.
"They were adequate for their time," Vader allows, "but this one is long past its prime." He glances around the room. "There's a reason the ISB no longer uses them."
"Is that what gave us away?" Luke asks. "We had the correct transponder codes."
"That will not happen again." He rummages through the toolkit and hands Luke the screwdriver he's just realized he's going to need to open up the motivator.
If Luke had thought things were surreal before, now they just feel completely unreal. He used to have daydreams like this as a kid back on Tatooine, dreams of repairing an engine with his father while they talked of inconsequential things. He shakes his head to clear it. Maybe Leia's not the only one close to losing it.
Vader continues to speak as if he hasn't noticed Luke's bemusement. "How did they come into your possession?"
"We're not telling you anything," Leia says. "Just know that every day, more and more beings--even those you believe thoroughly cowed by your reign of tyranny--are joining the Alliance in the fight against you."
"Save your speeches for those foolish enough to believe them, Princess."
"You're the fool, Vader, for believing that people will continue to accept being treated like criminals for simply trying to live their lives."
"I think I found the problem," Luke says loudly. "I'll need to solder some wiring."
Vader hands him the tools and then the welding goggles that hang on a hook by the door. Leia draws away from him, and Luke can feel the very real fear beneath her veneer of defiance.
Unfortunately, Vader can feel it too. "Channel your fear," he says to her, and Luke would laugh at how much he sounds like Yoda except he can feel how scared she really is. "Your hate and anger make you powerful, Princess." Vader steps closer and Leia goes tense but doesn't take another step back. She looks tiny with Vader looming over her. "I can teach you, help you overthrow the Emperor, and in time, you and your brother could strike me down in vengeance and remold the galaxy in your image. It is the way of the Sith."
"Shut up," Luke snaps, surprising all three of them, and possibly himself most of all. "We need the truth, not," he gestures dismissively with the goggles in his hand, "the lies and empty promises of the dark side."
Vader whirls to face him. "You would pit your will against mine, Luke?"
"Not everything is about you, Father. Let us have some time to adjust to the circumstances." Normally, Luke would let Leia handle negotiations or whatever it is they're really doing here, but she's too volatile right now, especially where Vader is concerned, and he knows Vader is...amenable to being called father. Luke's not above using that--and his own secret sick wish for a real relationship with his father, even now--to get them all out of this alive.
He pushes past Vader and takes Leia's hands in his; she's trembling, and questions loom in her eyes. "Leia. Listen to me. You're stronger than your fear, stronger than your anger. Breathe with me." He holds her gaze and reaches out with the Force, trying to show her how to let her emotions flow into it rather than clenching them close and letting them fester. She lets him in, past the swirling storm of rage towards Vader and into the calmer place where she holds him and Han and everyone she's loved and lost. She glows with the warmth of a Tatooine sunrise, and he shows her to how to hold onto that, how to use it to push past the hate and fear, how to acknowledge negative feelings without letting them control her. He can feel Ahsoka tentatively reaching out to them, and he draws her in, lets her more knowledgeable presence soothe Leia's anguish. He can still feel Vader hovering, though, like a dust cloud on the horizon, warning of death to come.
"You are growing wise, my son," Vader says.
"I'm only learning how much I don't know," he replies truthfully.
"The first step towards wisdom," Ahsoka intones solemnly from where she's standing behind Leia, but Luke catches a glint of humor beneath it.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
She shrugs a shoulder. "I wanted to make sure you weren't trying to kill each other. At least not before you repaired the hyperdrive."
Luke snorts appreciatively. He doesn't know much about her but he already likes her. "We're getting there, I think."
"Come on, Leia." Ahsoka puts her arm around Leia's shoulders. "I can show you some meditation techniques that will help."
"Do you really think this is a good time to meditate?" Leia says incredulously.
"Should you become a Sith, no one will expect you to meditate your anger away," Vader says. They all look at him in surprise. "It is one of many advantages the Sith have over the Jedi."
"Just because you were bad at traditional meditation doesn't mean it's useless," Ahsoka says. She gives Leia a squeeze. "There are many ways to meditate, Princess. If one doesn't work for you, we'll try another, and another, till we find one that does."
Vader hums skeptically, then turns to Luke. "If you're not careful, you will do more harm than good."
"You'd know all about that," Ahsoka mutters.
"Wow, okay, neutral corners," Luke says, pushing the goggles up onto his forehead. "Everyone, unless you have something to contribute to fixing the engine, be quiet."
The Force still hums with a jumble of emotions that's giving him a headache, but Leia and Ahsoka stay still while he finishes soldering, and Vader only speaks to point out that they're also leaking coolant, and then that the compression coils need realigning.
Luke handles each problem and then moves on to tightening the bolts holding the hyperdrive casing in place. He doesn't think that's part of the problem, but it'll do no one any good if the casing comes apart before they drop back into real space.
*
Once they're back up in the cockpit, Artoo says they're not going to spend the rest of their lives in hyperspace, at least. Though after everything, that sounds kind of peaceful to Luke.
"And he thinks we'll be fine when we exit into real space," Luke continues, "though we're probably going to be short of the original jump coordinates."
"That's fine," Vader says. "Once we are able to make the connection, I will call my ship and we will go to Coruscant."
"You're not taking us to Coruscant," Luke says.
"Do not think you can use mind tricks on me, Luke."
"I don't. I'm not. I wouldn't. But you're going to let us go."
"Am I?"
"I can feel the conflict within you, Father."
"You feel nothing," Vader snaps. "You are a foolish boy who believes he knows more than he does."
"Am I?" Luke repeats back to him, and he holds onto whatever calm he can because he can feel Leia getting agitated again. And also because he can feel how much it irritates Vader. "Either I'm growing in wisdom and power, or I'm a foolish boy who knows nothing. Which is it?"
Vader glares at him and then at Ahsoka, who shakes her head. "Don't look at me. I just met him today. That's got to be Obi-Wan's influence."
Luke smiles at that, but it just makes Vader angrier.
"You and your sister will come with me to Corsucant to be trained in the ways of the Sith," he snarls. "It is the only way you will survive."
"Bantha shit." Leia's radiating anger and fear again, but they're tightly leashed now, bleeding off slowly into the Force rather than threatening to overwhelm her. She gestures at Vader with her blaster. "What's to stop us from killing you and dumping your body into hyperspace?"
"You may certainly try," Vader says, and there's a tinge of what might be amusement in his voice now. "Though I think even you might flinch from patricide, Your Highness."
"You killed my parents," she cries. "I don't acknowledge any other relationship between us."
Vader nods, as if conceding the point, though Luke is sure he's doing no such thing. "Though I was not the one who gave the order, your vengeance would be righteous. I agree.
"I slaughtered the village of Tuskens who killed my mother, down to the women and children." He looks at Luke. "Surely Owen Lars told you that."
"He said that Grandmother was avenged," Luke answers, "but nothing more." He huffs in exasperation, struck once again by how ridiculous the whole situation is. "He also told me you were a navigator on a spice freighter, though, so I guess he had kind of a casual relationship with the truth."
"No doubt that was Obi-Wan's doing." If Luke didn't know better, he'd say there was some bitterly amused commiseration in Vader's tone. There's a brief pause, then, reluctantly, "Did they still observe mourning rituals for her?"
"I tended her grave on holidays even before I was old enough to understand," Luke answers. Even the fact that she'd had a grave and a family around to tend it had been important, had been yet another proof that she'd lived the last few years of her life free, though he hadn't understood that as a child.
His eyes sting at the memory and he wishes he still had the welding goggles on. Leia presses herself to his side and he takes her hand.
"She was a strong woman," Vader says. "Foolish for believing the Jedi could ever save or protect us, but strong." He hooks his gloved fingers in his belt. "There is much of her strength in you and your sister." The mask tips down. "There is much of your mother, as well." His voice is low, almost reverential.
Luke's heart leaps and he can hear Leia's breath catch, her fingers gripping his tightly. "Who?" he asks, keeping his voice low as well, but urgent. "Who was she?"
"Did they not speak of her to you?"
Luke shakes his head. He feels stupid, because after Aunt Beru told him she'd died right after he was born, he'd stopped asking, sure it was somehow his fault.
Vader hums angrily though for once it doesn't seem directed at them. He turns to Leia. "And you? Surely Bail Organa spoke of her, even if he never mentioned your relationship. He claimed to be her good friend."
"He was," Ahsoka says with a sad smile. "And he did." She touches Leia's elbow gently.
"Padmé," Vader says, again in that low, reverent voice, and a sense of old, helpless pain permeates the Force. "Her name was Padmé Amidala. She was the best, most beautiful woman in the universe."
"The senator?" Leia asks, surprised. "She was a founding member of the Alliance, along with my father and Mon Mothma."
"Yes," Ahsoka says.
"How--" Leia starts and then stops. Luke can feel her yearning curiosity warring with her desire to ask nothing of Vader.
Vader answers anyway. "She never understood the true nature of power. I did it all for her. The war was killing us, and I thought this was the way to bring peace. I was going to lay the galaxy at her feet." His tone darkens even more. "And then she betrayed me. Or so I thought."
"You believed the lies Sidious fed you," Ahsoka says with disgust. "Do you still?"
"It is not your place to question me, Ahsoka."
"You haven't been my master in years," she replies tartly. "You claim there is nothing of him left in you, and yet your children are here. Your former padawan and clone commander are here. Even your droid is here. You long for them all even as you try to push them away." She rises slowly, and even thin and worn in her prison jumpsuit, she looks majestic, the way Luke always imagined a Jedi should. "Is Anakin Skywalker truly gone?"
Luke can feel Vader's surprise and uncertainty in the Force. "I do not know anymore. I think it is too late for me."
"No one plans to nominate you for Father of the Year," Leia says, taking a deep breath, her hand still clutching Luke's like a mynock wrapped around a power cable, "but if you're truly willing to help get rid of the Emperor, we might have some room for negotiation."
"And you would rule in his place?" Vader asks.
Leia makes a tsking sound. "Of course not. We would reinstate a democratically elected Senate, as in the Old Republic."
"Ah, I see. And who would convince the grand admirals and moffs and sector governors to go along with this plan? Your fleet of traitors and spies?"
"They were good enough to destroy the Death Star."
"Luke destroyed the Death Star, because the Force was with him. Do not become overconfident, Princess."
"We would work something out. Something that isn't a galaxy enslaved by one man's sick and twisted whims."
"And what do you know of slavery, Your Highness?" It suddenly gets very cold in the cockpit.
Luke squeezes Leia's fingers, trying to warn her to tread lightly. It works about as well as he expects.
Leia shakes off his hand and moves forward, stepping into Vader's space and tilting her chin up in defiantly. "I know that unlike some people, I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees."
"You go too far, Princess. If it's death you crave, I--" Vader raises his hand, the dark side swelling malignantly around him, and then lets it drop. The Force slinks away and then returns, softer and more tentative. He turns his back to them and Luke can feel his shame in the Force as his rage drains away.
Leia gives him a wide-eyed glance, one hand coming up to rest at the base of her throat, as if she knows how close she just came to being strangled.
Luke tugs her close. "Are you all right?"
Leia nods. Ahsoka moves to her other side and guides her to the co-pilot's chair to sit down, leaving Luke to face their father.
Angry words well up, but he discards them. "Is that how our mother died?" he asks softly instead.
"I--That is what the Emperor told me," Vader says dully, sounding chastened. "I had no reason to disbelieve him at the time, as I could no longer feel her in the Force."
Artoo lets out a long series of beeps and boops, and this time Luke leans over the console to read his explanation. Both Vader and Ahsoka seem to understand binary, but Luke's only picked up bits and pieces here and there and Leia doesn't know it at all.
"Obi-Wan took her to Polis Massa," he tells her, taking both her hands in his and holding her gaze. "That's where we were born. They don't know why she died." He looks up at Vader. "Her last words were of you. She believed there was good still in you." He can't help the wonder in his voice at that. He believes it, because he can feel the pain, the conflict that's tearing Vader up inside, but their mother didn't have that reassurance, and she'd still had faith.
Vader still has his back to them, but his shoulders slump. For the first time, he looks like a man, rather than a machine or a monster. He doesn't do anything else to acknowledge Luke's words or Artoo's story. Still, Luke can feel how much it's hurt him, and for once, his pain isn't accompanied by towering rage.
For a long moment, the only sound in the cockpit is the whoosh and hiss of his breathing. Then, he turns back to them and says, "Tell me more of this plan to reinstate democracy, Princess."
"Are you humoring me?" she asks.
"Perhaps." He tilts his head. "But if you think the Republic was a shining beacon of freedom and democracy, you have a mistakenly positive view of it. It was corrupt and so bogged down in bureaucracy and petty infighting that it was incapable of governing." He makes a sweeping gesture towards the front viewport. "Sentients are too fractious and foolish to rule themselves. We were going to bring order and peace to the galaxy, and eliminate suffering."
"Well, you've done a bang up job," Ahsoka says. "Color me impressed."
Luke expects Vader to lash out again but instead he makes a humming noise. "You are as impertinent as always, Ahsoka."
"Blame it on my master," she replies. "He never was much of a stickler for rules." She moves towards him. "I'd like my lightsabers back now."
Vader reaches beneath his cape and produces a pair of lightsabers, which he hands over to Ahsoka.
"Why'd you bring them with you?" she asks, clutching them to her chest.
Vader glances away. "I had thought to give you a chance to die fighting against me, rather than being executed in some crude spectacle on the HoloNet. You deserve that much."
Ahsoka's mouth quirks in a half-smile. "I appreciate that."
"Is that why you're here?" Leia asks.
"Yes, though as I said, I knew as soon as your ship arrived at the prison that it was not the one that had been sent from Coruscant. I sensed Luke immediately."
"I thought I was shielding pretty well," Luke says, slightly offended.
"I am your father. You would have to work much harder to hide yourself from me." He looks from Luke to Leia and then back again. "Perhaps your sister will teach you."
Luke holds his breath, recognizing it as the peace offering it is, even more than his willingness to discuss politics, and Leia must recognize it, too. She still feels angry and bewildered, but there's also a spark of hopeful determination growing within her.
She gives Luke a small smile. "There's a lot you could learn from me, kiddo."
"Kiddo? We're the same age. I might even be older. Artoo?"
Ahsoka translates Artoo's answer before Luke can read it. "He says you might have been born first, but she's a princess."
"I thought I was your favorite." Artoo snickers. "Oh, I see how it is."
"I don't know why you expected anything different," Leia says. "After all, he knew the whole story and he never told us."
Artoo beeps again.
"That's because you didn't ask," Ahsoka translates.
Luke sighs. "Fair enough."
Vader looks--well, Luke can't really tell because of the mask, but he feels dumbstruck, as if this type of conversation is new, or, given how Ahsoka has been speaking to him, long-forgotten. Luke imagines there aren't many people willing to engage in banter with a dark lord of the Sith, even if he were to allow that type of familiarity.
"You still have not explained what you would replace the Empire with," Vader finally says.
"A new Republic. The galaxy is too large for one-being, one-vote style direct democracy, even with the technology we have available. We would certainly institute reforms," Leia says. "Perhaps bar corporations and groups such as the Trade Federation or the Banking Clan from participating as full members, and demand transparency about the amount of participating they actually do. Allow more systems to represent themselves." She holds her hands out and then clasps them together. "I'm sure Mon has a more detailed plan."
"And slavery?" Luke asks.
"We would do our best to root it out, both in the Core and on the Outer Rim." She sighs. "I believe that with enough determination, we can defeat not just the Empire, but the Hutts and the Zygerrians."
"Well, you are certainly strong-willed enough to make a start," Vader rumbles. "In that endeavor, I would support you fully."
"But you're still not sure about the rest." Leia's voice is flat, making it a statement rather than a question.
"I believe that it is your destiny--both of you--to join me in overthrowing the Emperor. But I have found that destiny is a funny thing, and it's best to trust to the will of the Force." He waves a hand dismissively. "And I have never been interested in the day-to-day minutiae of government."
Luke bites back a laugh, trying to imagine Darth Vader discussing taxation policies or glad-handing voters on the campaign trail. It sounds absolutely terrible to him, too. Vader looks over at him and nods as if he knows what Luke's thinking. "Just so."
"In fact," Luke says, "we're going to be taking on Jabba soon enough, to get Han back." He doesn't expect an apology for what Vader did to Han, and he doesn't get one.
Leia shoots him an annoyed look, but he can't imagine Vader wouldn't guess they were going to do that sometime, and Vader confirms it when he says, "Yes, I have already placed an agent in his palace to keep an eye out for your rescue attempt. Your attachment to that smuggler puts you all in danger." He turns to Leia. "He is beneath you, Princess. I am sure you could do better."
For one of the few times since Luke's known her, Leia is speechless. Just for a moment, but just long enough for him to realize that she's actually stunned by this pronouncement.
"Oh, no," she says, recovering quickly. "You do not get a say about my personal life. You were the one using that attachment to put us in danger in the first place!"
Luke's pretty sure the sound of Vader's breathing doesn't actually change, but the feeling accompanying it is definitely disgruntled. It's possible he realizes that he's not going to get anywhere on that front with Leia, though, because he doesn't say anything else about it. He probably doesn't miss the amused look Ahsoka and Rex exchange, either, though.
"Three Skywalkers," Ahsoka murmurs, shaking her head. "The mind boggles."
"The Emperor won't know what's hit him," Rex replies.
Vader glares at him. "Captain, I expect you, as the only sensible member of this party, to look out for them."
"Of course." Rex nods. "Good to have you back, sir."
Leia doesn't look pleased at this, but she also doesn't argue, so Luke's not going to fuss. There's still so much they don't know about their own past, let alone about how the galaxy came to be the way it is now, but they've got access to information they haven't had before, and he's going to take advantage of that.
"You have questions, my son?"
"Many, Father, but we'll be coming out of hyperspace soon and we'll need to call for help, since I don't trust the hyperdrive to make another jump. Do you have a ship meeting you?"
"I will find one as needed," he replies. "I will take one of the escape pods when we've emerged into real space, since I'm sure you don't want me to be here when your fellow rebels arrive."
Leia mutters something that sounds like, "You got that right," but they all pretend not to hear it. If anything about this weird arrangement is going to work, Leia and Vader will have to keep their feelings about each other in check. Luke would like to think that after everything else that's happened here, that will be possible. He's always been an optimist.
Before the silence becomes even more awkward, Leia says, "And when we're done, you'll hand yourself over for trial?"
And maybe the silence wasn't so awkward after all, Luke thinks. He pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the giant headache that's been building all day.
"I do not expect to survive long enough to see your new Republic, let alone stand trial for my actions." Vader shifts his weight from foot to foot, the kind of movement that Luke might call fidgeting in a less terrifying figure. "However, should I do so, I might still be of use to you in removing any Imperial diehards from your path."
Leia waits, arms folded across her chest now, mirroring Vader, though probably not consciously.
"The connection between us may be revealed in such a trial, Your Highness. Are you prepared for the fallout?"
Leia's lips twist like she's just gotten a mouthful of something sour, but she says, "I'll deal with that if it happens."
"Fine," he finally says. "In the unlikely event that you succeed and I survive, if that is what you wish, I will--Yes."
Leia nods. "I still don't like you or trust you, but if this will help us defeat the Emperor, then I'll accept your assistance, Lord Vader."
Vader nods once. "Agreed, Princess. Luke? Ahsoka?"
"Agreed," they both answer, and though it's not a formal pledge, to Luke, it feels like a vow.
*
It's easier to breathe once Vader has left, and Luke's sure he's not the only one who feels as wrung out as if they'd actually had to fight their way free of his presence, but that new spark of hope he'd sensed in Leia is growing in all of them now.
All in all, he considers this family reunion far more successful than the one in Cloud City. At least this time, no one lost a hand.
end
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