Darth Vader Goes to School

Vader vs. The Truth

He'd made it. Barely, but he'd made it.

He worked to calm his racing heart as his son turned an unconscious Piett over, calling his name. Vader coils sense his terror--terror of him and the Emperor dead at his feet--and concern for his fallen friend. His hands were cuffed and attached to a chain on the wall, and Vader's fists clenched at the sight.

If his son wasn't already obviously terrified out of his mind, he'd turn around and proceed to slaughter the entire precinct for the injustice they'd done to his son.

But he doubted that would win him any points with his kind-to-a-fault son.

"Luke." He stepped forward, over the cooling body of the Emperor, and Luke's gaze jerked upwards even as he fell backwards into the wall, staring at him as though he were a rancor ready to tear into him.

Damn his vocorecorder and its inability to sound gentle.

Still, he tried anyway. "Luke. I am going to release you, and you are going to come with me. You will not speak to anyone if you value your life."

His words had the exact opposite effect on his son. He looked like he was going to either start screaming or start throwing up.

"I promise all will be explained when we get to the Devastator--"

That got a different reaction.

"Devastator?" Luke interrupted, frowning in confusion. He looked down at Piett. "You're...? Does Firmus report to you?"

Vader wasn't sure what the captain had told Luke already, but he nodded. "Yes."

Luke's brows furrowed as he again looked at the captain, and for the first time confusion outweighed his fear. "You're-- you're dating Firmus?"

Out of all the things he'd expected Luke to say to him when they first met, that was not it.

Luke flushed red, and he seemed to realize what he'd just asked Darth Vader, because the fear replaced the confusion. "I...he and I just...had a conversation...I think I probably misinterpreted--just... nevermind."

Vader couldn't think of any conversation that he'd had with Luke that would have led to that...but he didn't have time to get to the bottom of that misconception. Not now.

But he would definitely be addressing that issue.

He pointed at the shackles on Luke's wrists and unlocked them with the Force. When they clattered to the ground, Luke yelped, again jumping back as though he'd burned him. "You are fine. I just used the Force to release you."

Luke's brows furrowed. "Force...?"

He was genuine. If...or he supposed, when Kenobi's ghost showed up again, he'd have words about how the Jedi had failed his son by allowing him to remain ignorant of the Force. Then again, he supposed he'd have an enemy in a son if Kenobi had talked to him...so maybe he'd thank Kenobi instead.

As if.

"We must go, Luke."

Luke stared at him, then back at Piett, a determined expression settling over his face before he shook his head resolutely. "No. Not until Firmus gets medical attention."

Vader glanced at his captain, hesitating. Piett had proven to be more than capable and competent. Perhaps more so than the entirety of his crew. And it would seem he'd done exactly as ordered and protected Luke despite being vastly outmatched by the Emperor...