Hello :)

Okay, I"m late for Sunday, but you know how DRL is ;)  For those of you who
are reading this story too, here is more and more surprises :)  And, I
reassure you, serious abuse is coming, just maturing in one dark, evil mind
for the moment ;)

Category: family, drama
Characters: Luke, Anakin, the Emperor, Mara, Padme, Leia, surprises :)

Previously: Luke has trained with Yoda while his father healed himself, then
they Padme told them about the existence of their other family member.

Dear Son: part 4
By SJ 20-05-00/
Suggested by Jessica (MoonArtist7@aol.com)

__________________
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 (MoonArtist7@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 :)
____________________

While their shuttle began its approach to Alderaan, Padme thought again
about what they were going to do to make contact with Leia.
Luke and Anakin had told her everything that they knew about 'Princess' Leia
Organa, who was, in fact, Leia Skywalker, daughter of Anakin Skywalker and
Padme Naberrie, and sister of Luke Skywalker who was formerly known as Luke
Vader.
Given the fact that Luke was well-known, and undoubtedly on the highest
wanted lists, the three of them had decided that she and Anakin, who were
both unknown from everybody, would establish contact with Leia and slowly
prepare her for her introduction to her brother. But that was, she admitted
seriously, if they first managed to find her, and then, if she trusted them,
and especially her, her mother who was returned from the dead.
Their chances of success were slim, but they believed in them.
They would succeed, she told herself.
Their modified lambda-shuttle finally landed on a landing pad in the city of
Aldera. While Padme watched Luke finish the landing procedures, she admitted
that the men had done a great job with the shuttle. She had worried that
they would still read as an imperial design on the spaceport scanners, but
with the underside wings inverted and stuck to the sides, with the over head
wing left somewhere on Dagobah, with the normally smooth nose of the craft
being much rougher on the shape and the finish, as well as Anakin's retuning
of the engines' level of radiation so that it didn't read as a lambda class
shuttle anymore, they had fooled even the tight security of Aldera.
However, if they wanted to remain incognito, she first had to find new
clothes for her husband who was still wearing the basis of what he had worn
as Vader.
She checked once again how much money Luke had managed to pilfer during
their stop-over on Balmoar. It wasn't much, she reflected--- and she could
see yet again another proof that her son despised hurting anyone either
physically or in any other way. She smiled wistfully in motherly pride, then
refocused on her initial thought. She evaluated that she should be able to
find, in the second-hand shops, regular if cheap clothes for her husband.
The ship finally hissed slightly as it finished its power-down, pulling her
out of her thoughts.
"Well, we've made it this far." her son observed, scanning the perimeter to
check if they had drawn any unwanted attention.
"Yes, you two did a great job on this ship." she agreed, getting to her
feet. "I shouldn't be gone for long." she then reassured them.
"We'll try to find Leia using a link to the databanks." Ani informed her.
"I'm still not sure that she is here at all."
"If she truly is as involved with the Rebellion as she is said to be," Luke
commented seriously, "I doubt that she is out in the open."
"Well, it is still worth the try," Padme retorted lightly. "And we might get
a clue as to where she is hiding."
"Be careful." her husband warned, getting to his feet.
"I will." she promised, then stood on the tip of her toes and pecked his
lips. "Don't get into trouble either, Ani." she warned him in turn.
"Me?" he frowned playfully, "Never, why?"
"Call it an hunch, flyboy." she smiled at him, lightly touched his lips
again, then turned away and left the cockpit.

Anakin watched her leave the cockpit, reflecting that she hadn't changed at
all since they had last parted company... when he had begun to fall for
Palpatine's lies... not long after their wedding, he remembered with regret.
He couldn't believe that he had wasted so many years for something as
trivial as power.
But thanks the Force, he reminded himself, they seemed to be on their way to
make up for all the time that had been lost because of his mistakes.
Oh yes, they were catching up on the past, he thought with a slight blush as
he remembered the previous night when Ami had asked him to share her bed for
the night. Nothing had happened, but the mere feeling of holding her barely
clothed body against his bare chest had been enough to content him for a
life time, and more. If he could---
His son discreetly cleared his throat, interrupting his reverie.
"She is going to come back, you know?" he ribbed him lightly.
Anakin barely nodded in reaction, still gazing at the hatch from which his
angel had exited.
Even if it were for only one hour, he missed her.
"She's not going to leave you with good memories without making others."
Luke commented wisely.
That did get his attention ; he turned toward his daring son and gave him a
serious glance.
"Nothing has happened last night." he defended as he walked forward to sit
in the co-pilot seat.
Luke chuckled at his reaction, then shook his head as if he were
reprimanding a child. "Even if it had, Father, you don't have to tell me.
It's none of my business really."
"Even so," Anakin commented seriously. "Nothing happened. We have begun to
grow as close as we used to be, but we're not completely there yet."
"Well," Luke shrugged as he turned back toward the on-board computer, "if
you ask me, I'd say that you're almost there again." he smiled.
"Oh you think," Anakin teased him with a light jab on the biceps, "and what
makes you an expert in the matters of the heart, Son?" he ribbed him.
He had expected him to banter back, but instead, his features seemed to
cloud over in answer.
Even before their bond told him what it was about, he knew.
Mara Jade.
His son was in love with the Emperor's top assassin.
"She isn't dangerous for me." the youth answered, turning back toward him to
pin him with his blue gaze that was so much like his own.
"She is the Emperor's Hand and will, Son." he reminded him. "She doesn't---"
"She has cut our bond instead of turning me over to him." Luke interrupted
with a touch of animosity in his voice.
"Cut??" Anakin frowned.
Luke sighed as he leaned back in his seat. "She had tracked us to Dagobah,
Father. She could have sneaked up on us and capture me without any of us
being aware of her presence, but instead... she broke our link and never
came close to us."
Anakin was stricken by his son's revelation.
Jade had been this close to them yet hadn't obeyed the Emperor?? The
will-less, dangerous slave had defied her master to protect his son?! Why
had she done that??
Then, the image of her kissing his son aboard the Executor came unbidden in
his mind.
She loved Luke... and his son loved her, he realized.
"I miss her, Father." Luke said softly in the silence. "I wish that we had
freed her with us."
At a loss for words as he felt his son's deep love for the fiery red-head,
Anakin rested his hand on his shoulder and gently squeezed it in compassion
and worry.
If his son loved her this much, then...
"Promise me that you won't go back for her, Luke." he asked seriously.
His son answered by closing his eyes as if torn apart.
"You know that the Emperor will be right there," he reminded him darkly.
"waiting and ready for you, and this time, he won't let you go even after
he'll be done with you."
That shook his son to his core, sending a cold jolt of fear running through
him.
Anakin didn't want to be harsh with his stubborn youth, but he had no choice
but to remind him of the consequences that were awaiting him on Coruscant.
He felt shameful though to awake his fear of the Emperor.
Finally, unable to speak thanks to his dread, Luke nodded in agreement.
*I give you my word not to try anything foolish, Father.* he sent him
earnestly.
"I do hope so, Son," he answered seriously, "or else I won't even be able to
scold you for venturing into dangerous territory." he finished
half-teasingly.
Luke snorted slightly at that. "I'm not a child anymore, Father."
"And that's what worries me, Son." he smiled at him.
He knew all too well that an adult Skywalker boy was even worse than a
Skywalker child.
He wondered if that 'law' was also true about the girls... and thinking of
which, they had yet to find the whereabouts of his daughter.
He refocused on his son who had just muttered something unintelligible about
patronizing fathers before turning back to the computer console.
"So, where's Leia?" Ani inquired.
"Let's try the palace's databanks first." Luke suggested, typing in
commands.
Between Luke's hacking skills and his own knowledge of Bail Organa's thought
pattern, they managed to find the right files that pinpointed Leia's
possible locations.
There were many possibilities though.
While they waited for his wife to return, they meditated to try and find
which one was Leia's actual hide-out. After all, they couldn't really fly
from one base to another and risk their safety.
The Empire was still out there and hunting for both the Skywalkers and the
Rebels.

An hour later, Luke peeped his eyes open as he felt his mother return
aboard. She stepped inside the cockpit an instant later, carrying a large
bag.
"Have you found her?" she inquired as she stepped closer to him.
"She seems to be on Yavin," he began, rubbing his eyes to clear them from
the strange fog that was veiling them, "but the last I've read about that
base, it had been deserted."
His father also reintegrated his own senses. "That might have been a rebel
decoy, but the Force is true." he reminded him seriously before focusing on
his wife.
"True." she agreed. "Have you had any other clues that she could be
somewhere else?" she queried, helping them to narrow down their search.
Luke had to shake his head that no, they hadn't had any other guidance but
Yavin.
"Take us there then." his father instructed him while he stood up from his
seat. "We're finished here."
Luke checked with his mother, who nodded in agreement, then keyed the ramp
closed and asked for clearance to leave.
While his father disappeared inside the private room with his mother, most
probably to change clothes but also perhaps for another reason, Luke focused
on the challenge that were awaiting them all on Yavin.
How to establish contact with his sister, rebel leader.

******

Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Mara Jade let out a last gasp of pain as she curled
up over herself when the Emperor's attacks came to an end.
She had known that protecting Luke would earn her a discipline ; she had
been ready for it... but she had never expected to be punished via her
master's Force bolts.
"You disappoint me, Mara Jade." the young Emperor sneered as he loomed over
her crumpled form. "I thought that you knew better than to defy me for
something as trivial as love." he spat, his anger rising again in him.
Mara cringed, then whispered: "I'm sorry... forgive me, Master."
"Forgive?" he inquired ominously. "Forget your disobedience, your failure,
your betrayal?"
The young woman winced again as she heard the dark undertone that laced her
master's words. He was standing very close to her now.
"No. You don't deserve my pardon." he stated, turning away from her. "You
will have to earn it. Now get to your feet."
Struggling against her injured muscles, she slowly, painfully pushed herself
up until she was more or less back on her feet, then forced herself to stand
tall in front of her now-sitting master.
"What is thy bidding, Master?" she inquired as respectfully as she could
manage.
"You will re-establish contact with Skywalker, and lure him to Tatooine."
The Emperor stated. "Once he will be on his way there, inform me at once."
Mara forced herself to not show how her orders were disgusting her. She was
going to be a bait instead of captor, but she would still help 'him'
recapture her farmboy.
"Do not fail me nor defy me again, Jade, or death will be a release that you
will yearn for for a very, very long time." he warned her ominously. "Bring
Skywalker to me." he reminded her.
She reluctantly bowed her head, then acknowledged his order as her duty.
"Yes, Master. It shall be as you wish."
"Good. Dismissed." he ordered, turning his throne away from her. "See to
yourself." he added as if in afterthought.

While the young woman left his throne room, doing her best to not stumble in
the long stairs, Palpatine seethed once again.
Not only had that boy corrupted his father from the moment that he had
encountered him, but he had also corrupted his Hand. It was time to put this
Light-bringer where he wouldn't cause anymore trouble, he determined, then
thought lustfully that he would also keep him where he would cause him
plenty of pleasure.
What he had felt during his deep probe before the boy had cut off their bond
had been so wonderful that he couldn't forget the intense satisfaction that
had coursed through him at that time.
In fact, he thought while he closed his eyes and remembered his previous
night, he always remembered it in vivid details whenever he wished.
Yes, he sighed in contentment as he envisioned the future with the Skywalker
boy in his grasp, he would first corrupt his Light, and having much pleasure
doing it, then he would always keep him close at hand while 'Vader' would
take care of the fleet when his 'little wonder' wouldn't be needed.
And speaking of which, he thought, it was time to set up his trap.
He activated his transmitter and contacted his right arm, Lord Vader.

******

The small imperial shuttle exited hyperspace within range of the fourth moon
of Yavin while remaining out of rebels' warning sensors' range.
"Are you sure about this?" Luke asked his mother as he began to select the
rebel frequency to hail them.
"Yes," she nodded, "If we want to be allowed to land, we have to give them a
reason to welcome us."
"I could easily take us down without their knowing about it." he reminded
her.
"But looking like enemies isn't the plan right now, Son." his father
reminded him. "If we want to help them while establishing contact with Leia,
we have to look trustworthy. Being forward with them will be the best way to
pull this off."
"Okay." Luke sighed, then handed his headset to his mother.
She took it from his hand, then gave him the signal to activate their
communicator.
"Alliance, this is Padme Skywalker aboard the shuttle Amidala. We are here
on friendly terms. Please answer to this."
Silence.
She repeated her call that was filled with secret names that his sister
should recognize.
Still nothing.
His mother was beginning his third call when Luke felt a tingly warning at
the nape of his neck, then spotted the swarm of x-wings that came up from
the jungle moon.
Next thing he knew, he was standing up and stepping out of sight of the
incoming x-wings.
"What are you doing?" his father inquired while he changed seats and sat in
the now vacated pilot's seat.
"They're going to fly close-by ; if they see me, they'll shoot us." Luke
explained while he sat in the far seat of the cockpit.
"How do you know that?" his mother asked him with a scowl.
The youth shrugged in answer. "I don't know, I just 'do' know." he finished,
pointing toward the approaching fighters... and as he had predicted, one of
the ships flew close enough to them to check the inside of their shuttle...
at least as far as the rebel pilot could see.
"Shuttle Amidala." a young man's voice suddenly called. "We are going to
escort you to the surface. Any attempt to evade us will be treated as enemy
intentions."
"Understood, Sir." his mother indicated as she took her position in the
co-pilot seat of the shuttle.
May the Force be with us, Luke thought as his father followed the two
x-wings who had now taken position in front of them while four others were
behind them, ready to shoot them if they strayed even one millimeter away
from their escort.

Minutes later, they were ordered to land near a deserted temple, then told
to wait for contact from the Alliance.
Luke and Anakin exchanged a slightly amused glance at that.
"What?" Padme asked them, getting to her feet.
"They're already here." Ani informed her, also getting to his feet while
finishing the shutting down procedures.
"And scanning the shuttle for its number of occupants." Luke added, his
voice ethereal, indicating that he was taking care to fool their reading as
far as he was concerned.
Padme waited in silence, not interested to disturb him ; he finally reopened
his eyes and nodded that it was safe for them to go out now.
"I'll wait here." he told his parents. "Good luck!"
"We'll come back as soon as possible." his father promised him, patting him
on the shoulder, then he followed his wife out of the shuttle.
Luke turned around and watched them leave, envying them for being able to go
around without being afraid to be recognized and captured by anyone.
He knew now that the Emperor had made sure that 'he' wouldn't have that
ability if he escaped.

Padme took a deep breath before she took her first step on the landing ramp
of their shuttle.
Her daughter, she smiled despite herself. She was going to see her daughter
again.
She could still remember the little infant that she had held in her arms,
the little girl who had taken her first steps in the lush gardens of
Alderaan because she had been chasing butterflies, the beautiful child with
rich, brown hair and brown eyes who looked like a miniature version of
herself when she had begun to tie up her hair to keep them from being
dirtied during her daily games.
During the three years that she had known her, her daughter had been a
lively, intelligent child... she couldn't wait to see the adult that she had
become, she admitted.
She only hoped that Leia would remember her since her last year as a 'free'
woman had been punctuated by fewer and fewer visits to avoid any unwelcome
discoveries by her husband who had truly kept a close eye on her after her
resurfacing and their separation.
She had had to see him again, then, had had to speak with him and judge for
herself the extent of the damage that had been done by Palpatine.
It had unfortunately convinced her to keep her children away and unknown
from him... but not anymore, she thought, seeking his hand and finding it
right next to hers. Anakin enclosed her smaller one in his strong yet gentle
hold.
Together, they finished to walk down the plank, then waited for the rebel
soldiers to reveal themselves.
Much to her surprise, they weren't greeted by regular soldiers, but by Leia
herself, a tall man, probably Corellian she evaluated, and a Wookiee alien.
Her daughter, who was dressed in battle fatigues, gasped in disbelief when
she was close enough to recognize her, a feeling that Padme shared
wholeheartedly with her.
For a long moment, both women gazed at one another, then Leia bridged the
distance and hugged her in a warm welcome embrace.
"Mother!" she whispered in relief, tightening her hold on her.
"Leia, my little princess... I've missed you so much." she said softly,
fighting her tears of relief.
"I always knew that you weren't dead, Mother. I always knew it." she
admitted, sounding like the little girl that she had once been.
"And you were right." Padme agreed, tightening her hold on her daughter. "It
broke my heart to think that you'd become an orphan because of the Empire."
Leia leaned away from her and turned serious. "That's why I've joined the
Rebellion as soon as I could ; I wanted to avenge your death, or your
kidnapping."
"Well," Padme smiled gently, "that part isn't necessary anymore. I'm well,
alive, and free."
Her daughter hugged her once again, then her companion cleared his throat as
if to remind Leia that they weren't alone.

Anakin smiled warmly as he watched his daughter/wife reunion, then scowled
unhappily when the rebel soldier dared interrupt their renewed embrace.
Didn't he realize that they hadn't seen each other in over fifteen years?
Was he purposefully inconsiderate?, he wondered, or simply overly cautious.
Leia pulled away from Padme, took a moment to compose herself, then
indicated her companion with her hand.
"This is Captain Han Solo and his co-pilot, Chewbacca. Han, this is my
mother, Padme, also known as Amidala of the Naboo."
The Corellian nodded guardedly : "I thought that she was dead."
Anakin meant to come down on the tall man's face, but his wife intervened.
"The Emperor went to great length to make my whole family disappear, Captain
Solo. My death was but a tool to make my husband break to his will." she
answered diplomatically.
"And your husband is?"
She turned toward Ani and invited him forward.
Leia gaped as she realized that she was meeting her father for the first
time ; she had truly thought that he was dead.
"This is Anakin Skywalker, one of the sole Jedis who has survived the
Emperor and escaped him."
"Jedi?" his daughter asked, incredulous. "I thought they were all dead."
"Almost all of them are," Anakin nodded, "my son and I have been his
prisoners for years... but we've managed to escape with the secrets that I
am now offering to give to the Alliance. I know how you can defeat the
Emperor once and for all."
"Father?.. b-b-b-brother??" Leia gaped again, as if unable to believe the
truth of the moment.
Unsure as to how to behave with her, Anakin merely nodded and waited.
Solo once again interrupted the moment.
"And where is your son? Has he also been with you for 18 years?"
Anakin felt his mood darken, but forced down his rising anger and instead
focused on placating Solo's incertitude.
"He is hiding for the moment, recovering from the past 6 years. He too was
hidden when I got captured, but the Emperor eventually found him. Learning
that the boy who is being tortured in front of you is your unbeknown son is
far from being a pleasant experience..." he added grimly for good measure.
While it shut Solo up, it also horrified his daughter.
Padme spoke up, trying to dissipate her intense emotions.
"He's fine now, Leia, we're all fine, and as your father has said, he has
secrets to communicate to the Alliance. Will you trust us?"
His daughter refocused on her, then back on her father before she turned
toward her companions.
Anakin noticed that Solo shook his head, no, and that his daughter frowned
at him.
Leia turned back toward them.
"I have to clear it with the others first, wait here."
Anakin nodded amiably, while Padme smiled reassuringly and sidled closer to
him.
"Do you think that she has recognized us for who we are?" she whispered once
their welcome committee was out of earshot.
"I think that the question is if the Corellian will manage to convince her
of the opposite." he observed wisely.
*She can feel the Force's pulls.* his son sent to him via their bond, having
followed the whole meeting that way. *I think that she has recognized your
true identities.*
*Let's just hope that you're right, Luke.* he answered him while his eyes
never left the discussing trio.

Leia's eyes strayed once again toward her 'parents' before refocusing on her
lover.
"And I tell you that they are who they say they are, Han."
"How can you be sure?" Solo asked her in mild annoyance. "For all we know,
they are spies who have been sent by the Empire and have studied your
mother's history for two years before getting this mission."
"Don't be ridiculous." she snorted at him.
"And what's with your 'father's' story? What kind of father would talk about
his son's torture like this guy has?"
"You did push him to quickly establish his credibility, Han, and this has
probably been an horrible experience that has marked him for the rest of his
life." she commented seriously.
"Or else it's a carefully crafted story to make you take them in because of
their 'horrible' experiences." he observed with a hint of sarcasm.
"Han." Leia warned dangerously.
The pilot raised his arms in annoyance.
"How can you trust them so easily, Leia? Just because she bears a
resemblance with what you remember of your mother doesn't mean that she is
her."
"I know..." she admitted, turning back toward the older couple. "I can't
explain it to you, but... it's like a gut-feeling... a very strong hunch
that is telling me that I can trust them... that they are my true parents."
she tried to explain while she analyzed her feelings yet again.
Yes, she could feel that she could trust them ; that they were not impostors
like the ones that she had once dealt with when she had been a younger
teenager. Back then, she had instantly known that it had been a shame to
earn money from her foster father, but not this time.
This time, she only wanted to bury herself in her mother's arms and feel
like a little girl for a few hours.
"I still say that there is something creepy about that Skywalker guy." Han
muttered under his breath.
"What is?" she inquired with a frown.
Her lover shrugged. "I don't know, the way he talks perhaps, or how he holds
himself... it looks familiar somehow..."
She glanced at the tall, blond-brown haired man again, then shrugged.
"I don't see anything incriminating." she told him.
Beside Han, Chewie groaned something about the Jedi.
"Right, I'll take care of his weapon, and we're not taking them in unless
they agree to pass blood tests."
Leia sighed in acceptance of his wariness. It 'had' served them well in the
past, she reminded herself.

Anakin straightened slightly when the trio of armed rebels returned ; he
instantly noticed that the Corellian had unlocked his blaster's strap.
Uh-oh.
"I'm sorry," Leia began sadly, which earned her an askance glance from the
rebel soldier before he locked his gaze on him, "but before we can trust
you, we have to ascertain your identities. Will you submit yourself to blood
tests?"
Anakin was perfectly aware that there was no refusing this, even if he knew
that he wouldn't be listed anywhere. The Emperor had erased him from the
databanks.
"If it reassures you," he answered softly, "then we will abide by your
demand, Princess."
Anakin noticed the hardening around the Corellian's eyes that denoted his
rising wariness.
What had he done now?, he wanted to snap at him.
"I think that I am still listed in the banks," Padme agreed, "but I'm not
sure that any data will be found concerning your father."
"Why?" Solo inquired seriously.
"Ever heard of the Jedi purges, Captain?" Anakin asked in kind. "He purged
us from everything: the galaxy, the records, the memories."
"How convenient." the other man muttered, probably thinking that he hadn't
heard him.
Anakin threw him a warning glare that told him to not push it.
Instead of getting the Corellian off his back though, it only arose his
suspicion.
*Watch out, Father.* Luke sent him. *That one will probably try to discover
your secret before it is time to reveal it.*
*Tell me something that I don't already know.* he answered his son. *What do
you get on him?*
*He's an ex-smuggler who's joined the Rebellion, an outlaw who has survived
on his own ever since he was a child. He's a tough cookiee.* he finished
reading the file that he had called up from a secret connection with
Obroa-skai.
*Let's just hope that he won't figure 'it' out too fast.* the older Jedi
sighed in unhappiness, then refocused on the on-going conversation.
Leia had invited them to follow her, but only after they surrendered their
weapons.
Since Padme had no weapons of any kind, that only left him with his
lightsaber.
"I'll take care of that." Solo warned him, motioning for him to keep his
hands where he could see them.
Anakin didn't move until the pilot had stepped away from him.
He noticed how he studied his weapon, then stashed it away in his belt.
"This way." Leia invited them, silently warning her companion to not be too
rough with her father.

TBC

Well, liked it?  I hope so :)

SJ