Hello again :)

As promised, here is part 9 of my AU fic :) Hope the wait was worth it :)
You know the Emperor, so warning about him and his plans ;)

Previously: Luke, 18, has been called on Coruscant to take care of a
business with Xizor, unaware that the Emperor has decided to put an end to
their chase because he is a rebel sympatizer now. Will Mara or Vader save
him in time?

Characters: Luke, the Emperor, Vader, Mara, surprises begin to pop up ;)
Type: dark drama, family, action

Part 9: Traitor


__________________
Disclaimers: None of those characters belong to me. See my
front page for more details. (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Quasar/3702)

Note about the story's copyrights: All the rights related to the basic idea
of
Vader finding Luke as a child at his school, protecting him from any bad
things and the Emperor, as well as the Emperor's scheme concerning Luke
belong to
Jessica (MoonAr-@aol.com). Thanks for your suggestion, my friend ; this
story wouldn't have come to be without it.

Also, special thanks to my shy, secret beta-reader and best friend,
Adrianne,
for her help with the final editing of my new stories. (Eh, I have no choice
but to mention you, my friend ; your secret is still safe though ;) Thanks
for
giving us some of your precious time, my friend :)
____________________


Luke tossed around in his bed, feeling as if imminent danger was creeping
closer and closer to him.
For the love of Mara though, he couldn't awake at all.
Or, rather, not enough to take control of his actions.
Thus, he suddenly felt himself being tied up with cuffs around his wrists
and ankles, then he was gagged before being hauled up from his bed.
He tried to wake up, to fight, to scream, to contact his father.
Nothing worked.
It was, he reflected dimly, as if he had been cut off from his body---
Then his gag suddenly came off, a vicious slap in the face continued to wake
him up, and before he could understand what had happened, he found himself
being pulled forward and pressed against what felt like another man.
That woke him up a bit further thanks to his pumping adrenaline.
The two fists which were holding the front of his t-shirt tightened, then
pulled.
The fabric tore under the pressure, revealing his chest.
Luke tried to hit whoever was in front of him, but he quickly discovered
that he was unable to move, as if held by sturdy bonds all over his body.
It didn't take him long afterward to identify who was the man standing too
close to him for him to see his features.
The Emperor. He was in the Emperor's quarters, he realized---- and became
aware in stark horror that the fiend was kissing him on the lips.
He really tried to fight him off, to at least pull his head away from his,
but he couldn't move at all.
No, no, no, no, no, he thought desperately. 'Please!'
*So you would like to be a rebel, boy.* the young ruler sneered in his mind.
Uh-oh... Luke thought in sudden realization. His thoughts hadn't been as
secret as he had thought them to be.
*Do you have any idea of what I do to rebel Jedis?* his master inquired
darkly, pulling his head closer to his while he grounded his hips against
his still ones.
*Master, please, I have not betrayed you.* Luke begged through the Force,
trying hard to hide his rising terror.
"I break them." the Emperor finished, ignoring him and pulling away from his
lips before sending a jolt of agony into his body with the Force.
Luke tried to scream in pain, but the Emperor muffled his sound with his
renewed, unrelenting kisses. Once that punishment was over, he removed the
cuffs from Luke's wrists before taking hold of his wrists and twisting his
arms behind his back ; using that grip on him, he pulled him closer once
again.
Luke yelped in pain as the pressure on his shoulders increased slightly.
"In your case, young one," the Emperor continued once he pulled away from
his lips while pulling on his arms once again until he had made him groan,
"I am going to utterly enjoy it." he added as he let go of him
While he walked around his 'little wonder', Luke tried to beg for
forgiveness once again, but his gag was pushed back between his teeth while
another piece of fabric covered his mouth, thoroughly silencing him.
He groaned when the Emperor viciously tightened it in place, then he made
sounds of complaint when he felt his shirt being taken off of his body. He
also tried to contact his master through the Force, but he wasn't able to do
so anymore.
And the Emperor's plan was crystal clear now. He was going to 'have' him,
body and soul.
No, this couldn't be happening, he thought in panic. Not after what he had
done for the fiend... He didn't deserve this!, he wanted to beg.
He should have known that nothing in his life would be private---
"Whatever you are thinking, handsome," his master whispered in his ear while
he began to push down his pants. "you should have thought about it 'before'
choosing the rebel camp."
His pants and trousers pooled around his ankles, then the Emperor's robe
followed suite.
With the speed with which he pressed his naked body against his, Luke knew
that he had been naked under his clothes. He felt nauseous at the thought
of what was going to happen if he didn't do something.
His hard cock was already wedged against the cleft of his shivering ass ;
the despot quickly began to rub himself against him to complete his arousal
while Luke reeled under even stronger waves of uncontrollable fright and
disgust.
It was all he could do to keep himself from whimpering in fear.
He tried to push himself away from him with the Force, but that too was
impossible now.
'Please,' he begged anew to the silent Force. 'Please don't let this happen
; don't let this continue---"
The Emperor's hand enclosed his relaxed manhood and began to massage it
until he had managed to make him harden slightly.
Luke did everything he could to not let out a single sound of pleasure, nor
fright or pain. Ditto for his tears that were threatening to overflow from
his eyes.
He determined to not show any of those to the tyrant.
It would please him too much.
His shivers were already frustrating enough as they were.
"You know that I've been waiting for my victory over you for a long time,
gorgeous." the other began tauntingly, "but you---"
A sudden thrumming sound attracted their attention toward the double doors,
then a definitely slicing one.
The Emperor whirled around at that, taking his attention off of him for a
few, precious nano-seconds.
The moment that he felt the Emperor's focus release him, Luke threw himself
away from the despot.
He slammed hard against the carpeted floor, then found himself immobilized
again. His cuffs reattached themselves to his arms, locking them in his back
this time.
"I'll get to you in a minute." the Emperor warned him lustfully before
turning back toward the door.
He blasted it with his lightning powers.
They bounced off Vader's shield as he stepped in the room.

So he had been right, Vader thought as he quickly surveyed the situation.
The Emperor had pulled a move on his son while trying to keep 'him' away
from him.
He shifted his blade again, deflecting the lightning bolts into the wall
while keeping the remaining ones at bay with his Force-shield.
"Don't be foolish Vader." the Emperor warned him. "Stay out of this and I
will be lenient with both of you."
The thought that the fiend might hurt his son drove Vader into an even more
frenzied state.
He lunged at the despot, attacking him with his lightsaber this time.
The Emperor first blocked his blade with his Force-shielded arm, then called
his own weapon to his hand.
Vader hurried to step away as the double-bladed lightsaber sprang to life.
"So you want it rough?" the young Emperor snarled at him. "Then rough it
shall be, traitor."
The younger man attacked right, left, right, and left in a quick succession
of thrusts, then whirled the weapon around his palm to bring it crashing
upon Vader's single blade with more strength.
"You shouldn't have attacked my son, Palpatine. This will be your last
mistake." he retorted darkly.
"If you had given him to me like I demanded, none of this would have
happened." the despot snarled.
The Emperor pulled his blade away, only to swing it back at him. Vader
brought his blade up just in time to stop the blade.
Then the other one came at him. It nicked his knee before he could
completely stop it from making more damage.
Then again.

Luke watched the duel of masters, aware that this was a final showdown.
If his father failed, he was lost. He wasn't strong enough to defeat the
Emperor.
He fought again against his bonds.
Useless. He couldn't even locate the source of his Force bonds.
Then he yelled in pain as the Emperor's blade cut his left shin, then his
arm.
"Ooops," the despot mocked. "careful Vader, you don't want to push me closer
to the boy, do you?"
An idea suddenly occurred to Luke.
Yes, that was exactly what he had to do, he realized.
"You'll pay for this." his father was growling angrily.
Luke tried to make eye contact with his father, then to convey his message.
Vader resumed backing the ruler toward him.
Meanwhile, Luke worked on a single action: to disappear in the Force.

The Emperor continued to fight against his former right-hand, careful to not
hurt his prize too much in the process.
Vader was good, but he himself was better, and if he could just find an
opening in the old man's weakening defense, he would finish him once and for
all.
Then, he would thoroughly enjoy his victory.
He tried to torment the boy with a Force-kiss, but suddenly realized that he
wasn't there anymore.
The moment that he whirled around to see where he had disappeared, Vader
pushed him backward, making him trip over his son's fallen body.
His shock was such that he completely lost his grip on the youth ; the young
Jedi didn't waste time and retaliated by forcing his blades out of his hand
even as his father brought his own blade down upon his dark, royal self.
The last thing he remembered was the fire of Vader's blade in his heart.

The moment that his father's blade touched the Emperor's heart, Luke
completely recovered his abilities and freedom.
He thus got the warning that something very dangerous was about to
happen --- then the Emperor burst up in a blaze of glory.
His father pulled him away from the exploding despot even as he shielded the
both of them with the Force.
The localized conflagration lasted for a few seconds during which Luke felt
the dark side energy lick at his naked flesh with its fire, then, it was
finally over.
He let go of the breath that he had been holding and collapsed in his
father's arms.
*Father!* he sobbed, relieved that the older man had come for him.
"Sssh, it's over now, Luke." he soothed while he undid his gag. "He'll never
hurt you again."
Luke didn't answer, only sobbed while his locks opened, then his father
freed his ankles.
"Are you okay?" he asked him worriedly.
"Yes...," the young Jedi whispered, "he hasn't had time to do anything...
thanks to you."
"And to you, Son. We have to get out of here now." he gently told him.
"I know..." Luke nodded, forcing himself to recover his composure, but it
wasn't easy to accomplish.
He felt as if he were on the brink of tears once again, as if all his past
traumas were all coming back to beg for release now that the monster who was
responsible for them had been dealt with.

Vader held his son close while he removed his cloak from his neck and gently
wrapped it around his shivering body.
His boy had been strong during the face-off, but he knew that he wasn't over
his trauma yet.
Moreover, he suspected that he would soon have to react for all the things
that he had had to do and bear 'because' of the Emperor.
He wouldn't force him to recover quickly, he resolved, but they did needed
to get away from the planet.
He checked on the Force to make sure that nobody else knew about what had
just happened in the secret wing of the palace---when he suddenly felt an
urge to force open one of the untouched walls.
"Stay here." he instructed his son as he got up to his feet.
He felt his son's eyes bore into his back as he quickly reached the far
wall, but he didn't offer him any explanation ; he didn't have any to offer
for the moment.
He searched with the Force, found a locking mechanism and triggered it.
A hidden panel opened up, giving access to a vault of data discs--- now he
knew what the Force had been leading him toward.
His wife.
He barely heard the youth gasp in surprise behind him, but felt him as he
stumbled to his feet.
He himself was already inside the vault, searching for a particular disc
that would hold the secret of the past.
Mildly angry, and definitely hopeful, he reflected that he had always known
that he would eventually find a place like this.

Luke quickly limped toward the secret room, then peeked inside.
"What is this?" he asked in bemusement.
"The Emperor's secret records." his father answered matter-of-factly while
he continued to search them.
"What are you looking for?" he frowned.
His father hesitated, then answered him. "Your mother." he said simply.
Luke froze and locked his gaze on his father.
"M-mm-mmmm... Mother??" he stuttered in disbelief.
"I've always had doubts about a certain even of her life, but up to now,
I've never had a chance to check the truth of it." his father explained as
he continued to check the data discs.
"You mean--- the Emperor has done something to her?!" Luke inquired
seriously.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." his father answered while loading a
disc. "I've always thought that she'd been assassinated... I've held her
dying body in my arms, I saw the reports of the medics who have declared her
death, and I've seen her funeral, but deep down," he admitted, turning
toward his half-naked son. "I've never believed that she was dead and I've
been searching for her ever since... always suspecting that the Emperor has
been behind her untimely demise, and if he was..."
Luke was flabbergasted.
His mother might still be alive?? His father had been searching for her for


years????
He looked around the storage room, wondering which disk might hold the truth
about his mother... when his eyes rested on a black, non-descript one. He
called it to his hand---and was overwhelmed by a feeling of utter peace as
he touched it.
His father whirled toward him.
"What is it?" he asked worriedly.
"I... think I've got it, Father." he smiled shyly.
His father stepped closer, took hold of the disk, then stuffed it in his
armor before he called a lightsaber from a display casing and hooked it
beside his own.
"Let's go, better not overstay our welcome." he commented, offering him his
arm to support himself and avoid putting pressure on his injured shin. "Can
you walk?"
Luke, who had born much worse pains than the ones that his cuts were causing
him, nodded.
He accepted his offered arm though.
As he passed his discarded clothes, he called his pants to his hand, then
half-hobbling, half-favoring his left leg, the two of them made their way
out of the Emperor's quarters.
They had walked perhaps ten meters away from the destroyed room when a voice
called to them.
"Vader! Stop!" Mara's voice yelled angrily.
Both he and his father whirled around, but before he could react, his father
shoved the charging young woman against the nearby wall against which she
collapsed, knocked out cold.
"Mara!" Luke exclaimed, starting toward her.
His father's hand on his arm kept him from taking a second step toward her.
"Don't, Luke, she's not your friend anymore." his father warned him even as
he steered him toward the other end of the corridor.
"No, Father, please. We can't leave her here." he begged even as he followed
him backward.
"We don't have any other choice, Luke. If she's found us here, then
reinforcement won't be long to come." he explained even as he keyed another
secret panel open. "We have to leave now and alone."
Luke's eyes never left his friend's unconscious form for as long as the
closing panel didn't cut her view from him.

******

The panel had been hiding a turbolift which took them to a hangar bay where
the Emperor's private shuttle had been docked.
Five minutes later, his father had taken them through the planet's wary
surveillance network without an hitch, then had hurtled them into
hyperspace.

While his father took care to deactivate the shuttle's transponder, Luke
tiredly put his remaining clothes back on, then wrapped himself in his
father's rich cloak before slumping in his seat and considering the events
of the past hour.
His first thoughts went to his friend whom he had left behind, probably
forever.
He would miss her, he admitted. Even though he had resented her presence
with him for a long while, he had come to appreciate it no matter how many
arguments he had struck up with the fiery red-head. She had spunk, knew what
she liked and what she disliked, and she had had a rough childhood like him.
She was also intelligent, brave, and kind.
But... he conceded reluctantly, she was also a skilled assassin who could
take him and his father out of the way if he trusted her at the wrong time.
It would be just his luck to fall in love with a woman who was going to kill
him, he sneered in disgust.
But that was, he reminded himself, if he would ever fall in love with her.
The Emperor's near rape had thrown him into a very intense, emotional loop.
He could still remember how terrified he had felt when the other had removed
his clothes, when he had pressed his naked body against his...
He never, ever wanted to feel that again, he decided.
He wrapped his father's cloak closer to himself.
"Are you okay?" his father inquired in the silence.
He slightly nodded, then closed his eyes as he let fresh tears out of his
eyes.
To think that he would have been raped if his father hadn't appeared out of
nowhere...
"How did you find me?" he asked him, forcing his voice to be steady.
Vader sighed before answering him.
"Approximately ten hours after you left, I've had a vision of you, afraid
beyond belief... and I knew that you weren't safe on Coruscant. I've made my
way there as fast as I could, then used our bond to find you."
Luke frowned. A bond?
"What bond?"

Vader sighed again, this time in resignation.
Sooner or later, he would have had to tell his son about their close link...
thanks to his early manipulations.
"Back when we first met," he began, then hesitated, "I..."
Luke arched an eyebrow at him, wondering why he was so nervous all of a
sudden.
"I have forged a bond between us." he finished bravely, then waited for his
son's reaction.
The youth gaped at him, speechless.
"At that time, I meant to use it as a tool to convince you to stay with me,"
he explained earnestly, "but as time passed, I have never strengthened it
again into a final bond. Instead, I have focused on our family bond..."
He slowly brought his hand to rest on his silent son's shoulder.
"The bond from the heart." he finished, hoping against hope that he hadn't
just ruined it between himself and his son.
"Forgive me, please." he asked warmly.

For a long moment, Luke couldn't talk, couldn't move.
His father, whom he had blindly trusted from the beginning, had manipulated
him like the Emperor had wanted to.
He, whom he had never, ever suspected of any bad action... had at first
wanted to overcome him... to force him to his side...
And just how could he know that his choice had been his own, he wondered,
suddenly feeling angry.
How could he be sure that he wasn't playing tricks on him right now when he
was feeling so vulnerable, so... unbalanced.
He startled as he felt his father's mind reach out to him.
*Search your feelings, Son.* he counseled warmly. *You will know the truth.*
At first, Luke had the fierce desire to snap at him, then he cooled down. It
was pointless to be angry at his father if he wasn't giving him a chance.
After all, he reminded himself, his father had truly protected him from the
Emperor for as long as he had been able to, had also protected him from the
dark side... and he had showed him love on more than one occasion...
He slowly focused his senses on his mind, searching for the bond...
He found it, inconspicuous, gentle yet strong, and not tainted at all by the
Dark side.
He turned his head to gape at his father, speechless once again, but at his
own stupidity this time.
Gods he was foolish to take it out on his father, he berated himself. He
should have known that the fact that he was hesitating meant that he was
saying the truth. His father didn't want to hurt him in anyway, yet he had
spoken about his past mistake because he had felt that he had had a right to
know about it.
He had wanted him to know that his father wasn't perfect, never had been,
but had never meant to cause him any pain.
Moreover, he reminded himself, if he hadn't committed that mistake, he
wouldn't have found him this fast... and gods knew what would have happened
to him afterward.
He shuddered again as too vivid images and feelings of a naked body against
his own came back to his mind.
He finally closed his eyes and turned his head away in shame.

"I'm sorry, Father." he muttered glumly.
"No," Vader corrected. "'I' am sorry, Son. While I don't regret having done
it, I do regret not asking for your permission before doing it." he
explained seriously.
"Well," his son commented coolly, "I guess what has happened today makes up
for the unilateral decision, Father."
Relieved yet saddened by his son's words, Vader rested his hand on Luke's
left hand, then warmly squeezed it.
"I give you my word that neither of those things will ever happen again." he
promised him.
Luke only nodded slightly in answer.
"You're tired, aren't you?" he inquired diligently.
"Hmm, I'm not sure." Luke answered, still facing away from him.
"Why don't you rest? I'll take care of things here while I check out the
datadisc that you've recovered."
Luke warily turned around and eyed the door that gave into the sole private
room of the shuttle.
"I... I'd rather not go in there." he managed to say.
Vader turned to gaze at the Emperor's private quarters, then at the small
bunk which was folded into the wall at the moment.
"I understand." he reassured him. "I guess you can use the pilots' platform
then." he suggested, indicating the side wall. "It'll be rough, but better
than a chair."
Luke gazed at it some more, then slowly pushed himself to his feet, nodded
slightly once again, then silently headed toward the steel bunk.
Vader watched him settle himself with his back to him, thought that he heard
him cry, but respected his privacy.
If his son had wanted to share his sadness with him, he knew that he would
have done so.
Still, he kept an eye on him until he was asleep.

While his father perused the data that he they had recovered, Luke sank
deeper into uneasy sleep, then nightmare.
'He was back in the Emperor's clutches, back against him with the despot's
manhood pressing harder and harder against his own naked buttock while his
spindly hand was possessively squeezing him.
Luke tried to beg for mercy, but his mouth was incapacitated once again.
Then, his eyes gazed toward the floor.
His father was laying still, looking as if he were barely alive but still
conscious enough to witness his torment.
No!!, he tried to scream, No! His father couldn't be tormented with that...
that...
*That overcoming bonding, young one.* the Emperor meanly supplied through
the Force. *Like yourself, he shouldn't have fomented rebellion.* he
commented, then slightly pulled his ass off of his hips, only to return,
harder than ever and searching for his entrance.
Defiant or not, Luke wailed in agony as the Emperor's large manhood
penetrated him up to his hilt, not giving him any time to adapt to his
presence.
Luke wanted to arch up, to claw his way out of the abyss that he had just
been thrust into, to just be left alone for dead, but instead, his torment
went on under his dying, horrified father's eyes.
"Oooh, I knew that I should have used the bond to experience that before...
but you will be mine, soon enough, so I shall enjoy it for real." he snarled
as he dug his claws in his soft flesh---'
Luke awoke with a gasp ; his father was right beside him.
"Luke, what is it?" he asked worriedly.
At first, the young Jedi reflexively sat up, not completely aware that he
had only been dreaming, then he realized that it hadn't been a dream.
It had been a sending because of a---
"Luke, what's wrong?" his father demanded, truly worried now.
Luke didn't answer him ; he collapsed in his arms and sobbed in horror. The
Emperor was still after him.

Vader was stumped by his son's reaction.
He had been reading the datas about Padme when his son's whimpers had turned
into groans then screams of pain before he had begun to thrash as if in
agony.
He had hurried to his side to try and see what was going on, but before he
had been able to find any answer, Luke had woken up, only to collapse in his
arms.
"Luke," he tried again as he tried to comfort him as much as he could. "what
is it? What happened?"
Only more sobs and whimpers answered him.
Sighing in acceptance, he let him cry for as long as he needed to.
At long last, he stopped sobbing and just huddled like the boy that he used
to be when they had first met.
"Do you feel ready to speak?" his father asked him softly.
He felt him brace himself before he sadly answered: "It's not over."
Vader tilted his head downward to see his son's face.
"What isn't over?" he queried seriously.
"The... The Emperor." Luke finally blurted out. "He has a bond with me."
Vader was truly shocked now. He forced the youth away from him to see his
face.
"What?! What do you mean, a bond?" he demanded seriously.
Luke couldn't meet his father's gaze, couldn't dare show him that he had
already given up.
Even now, he knew that the Emperor knew where he was, was sending troops
after them...
"I think he's done it during my presentation." he reflected out loud.
He could remember how he had been able to hear the Emperor afterward without
his father noticing it.
Yes, it had been done then, he realized.
Right under his father's nose.
"He's alive, Father," he said in dejection, "and I'm endangering you if I
stay with you."
His father was quick to react.
"You are not leaving me because of him, Luke."
"But," he weakly argued in a voice that was breaking up once again. "We
can't beat him..."

For a long moment, Vader didn't know what to answer to his broken, terrified
son, then he remembered the past, his own past as a Jedi, how he used to
stand fast no matter what the odds were.
He decided that it would be no different now.
He too had a bond with his son, he reflected, one of the heart instead of
the---
An idea suddenly occurred to him.
The bond.
Surely a family bond would be stronger than one forged with the Dark Side.
He brought his hand under his son's chin and gently tilted his head until he
could see his eyes.
"He isn't unbeatable, Son," he reassured him. "and I know exactly how to win
against him.
Luke's eyes lit up in hope.
"How?" he asked earnestly.
"If..." he began slightly hesitantly, "we strengthened our bond, it would
smother his link with you."

Luke eyes widened as he realized what his father was offering as a solution
to his problem.
Yet another bond?? One that would forever link him to his father?.. No, he
wanted to say, no. He had enough of being manipulated right and left, of
being 'attached' to others.
But then, he admitted, if he didn't do it, he would never escape the
Emperor.
Of that he was sure... and he never wanted to feel what he had felt during
his sending.
"Are you sure that it'll work." he inquired seriously.
"99% sure." His father answered him earnestly. "I will not do it by myself
this time, Luke. I will do it with you to make it stronger than anything
that he has pushed on you."
Which meant that he was going to willingly tie himself to his father, he
realized.
"Wh--- What will the consequences be?" he queried, worried that he was going
to loose his own identity.
His father rested his hand on his shoulder, comforting him with his warmth.
"Other than being able to find each other at a moment's notice, and feeling
our strong emotions, nothing bad." he reassured him. "We will still be two
individuals, and you will still be able to keep your privacy of mind."
Slightly reassured, and feeling the Emperor's constant scrutiny in his mind,
he made his decision.
"Okay, let's do it now before I change my mind." he agreed.
His father nodded as he took his hand off of his shoulders ; he held his two
large hands out to him, which Luke took after sitting on the floor in front
of his father.
"We'll have to make a swift change of direction soon, Father." he warned him
as the pressure in his mind increased slightly. "He's coming." he shuddered.
"All the more reasons to hurry with this. Ready?" his father inquired.
Luke nodded as he closed his eyes and focused his thoughts.
Unlike the last time that he had worked on his son to create a bond, Vader
wasn't coldly efficient this time.
Instead, he was warm, caring, and so was his son.
Luke had already joined his mind to his and begun to strengthen their bond
with more 'weavings', which surprised him.
Then, he felt the Emperor's growing presence in him and understood that they
were in an emergency.
*Don't worry, Luke,* he reassured him, *he's still too far.*
*Hurry, Father.* he answered, reaching for him with one of his 'strands' for
him to link it.
Working in tandem with his son, they exchanged the 'strands' of their bond
back and forth, linking their centers of awareness so tightly that the
Emperor's bond snapped under the pressure.

Once the bond was in place, they tested it, then released their hold on it.
Their senses of awareness returned to normal, and with the slightest focus,
they could feel what the other was experiencing. They knew that it would be
so forever.
Of course, Vader admitted to himself, the bond 'could' allow him to read his
son's mind like an open book, but he didn't want to do that. He had promised
him to respect his privacy, so he would.
Besides, the opposite was true about his son and he too preferred to retain
his privacy of mind.
By the time that he had exited his trance, Luke was already at the piloting
station, changing their course.
"I can't feel him anymore," he explained to him, "but I prefer to play it
safe."
"So do I." Vader nodded as he stood back to his feet. "We'll make a few
changes, then I'll tell you about what I've found about your mother."
He felt his son's sudden eagerness, then his swift return to seriousness as
he refocused on his chosen task.
Yes, he reflected in relief, their bond was strong, and had cut off the
Emperor's.
Now, they had to hide from him in the Force, and find him other clothes to
replace his pajama pants.

******

Days later, Luke was still getting used to the surges of emotions that were
sometimes appearing in his mind, whenever his father was feeling them in
fact.
He didn't regret their bond, he reminded himself, but he had to get used to
it, and vice-versa he knew.
His father had also thrown him curious looks now and then whenever he had
felt a surge of fear, or happiness at the thought of finally meeting his
mother.
His mother.
All his life, she had been a ghost, someone who had never existed except
when she had given birth to him.
Even though his father had described her to him, he couldn't really imagine
what she looked like. He had imagined too many things when he had been
younger.
Most of the time, he admitted, he had thought of Beru as his mother ; her
face had been on almost all the portraits that he could come with.
Even now, he could only see his aunt's gentle face, but framed by long
chocolate-brown hair and deep brown eyes.
His aunt...
He had never seen her again ever since he had left the planet. He wondered
if she were all right now, if she had learnt what had happened to him and if
she had seen the news afterward.
Did she know that he was all right?
What was she thinking of him today?
And what would his mother think of him, he suddenly wondered.
He was going to rescue his mother, a perfect stranger. Considering that she
had been kept locked up for years, he didn't know what to expect from her.
But he knew something for sure: he wanted to make a good first impression.
He now knew that she hadn't abandoned him because she didn't love him but
because she had wanted to protect him, but still, after all those long
years, he wasn't sure if she would acknowledge him as her son... Or as an
ex-imperial.
A heavy hand gently rested its weight on his shoulder, then squeezed warmly.
"Don't worry, Luke," his father reassured him, having noticed his chewed
lower lip. "Your mother will not turn her back to you again." he said,
voicing his deepest fear.
"How do you know?" he queried softly.
"I couldn't leave you once I found you, and Padme has even more heart than I
do... I am convinced that she will be overjoyed to be reunited with her son
at last." he answered seriously.
Luke nodded in understanding, then tilted his head as he realized that
something was missing in his father's explanation.
"What about her husband?" he asked.
"That..." Vader sighed heavily, "I cannot foresee..."
Even if he weren't bonded to his father, Luke would have felt his great
sadness.
He knew that he still loved his mother, but his father was preparing himself
to be rejected after what he had done...
"If Mother is as good as you say she is, Father," he tried to soothe him,
"she will forgive you."
His father remained silent for a long, long while.
Their shuttle continued its race through hyperspace

TBC soon :)

Well, liked it? Let me know please :)

SJ