Children of the Force

Chapter 6 - Your Spirit Is With Me

Author's Note: And the tension rises. :D

~ Amina Gil

Vader can't shake the fear nagging at him as he returns to his office, kneeling on the floor as he answers the incoming transmission from Sidious. Not that there's times he talks to Sidious that he ever isn't afraid, but it's worse right now, after... how angry he was last time. "Lord Vader," Sidious voice hisses.

"Yes, my master?" he asks, past the icy chill snaking through every inch of his body.

He can feel Luke next to him, trying to silently offer him comfort, but he – he can't focus on him right now. It would probably be better if he wasn't here at all because then he – Stop thinking about him.

Which is hard when he's right here. He should've warned him about that before.

"There has been a disturbance in the Force," Sidious says, after an agonizing pause of quiet, as if his eyes are boring through Vader's mind, reading his... everything.

What is he referring to? "I have not sensed it, Master," he replies, carefully.

"Another Force user is rising, growing in strength," Sidious replies, "I suspect it is a new apprentice of Kenobi."

Oh.

Oh.

Vader's blood runs cold. He means Leia, doesn't he? And when she's here, right with him, it probably only magnifies her strength in the Force. This is very bad. "I will search for it, my master."

Sidious is staring at him again, his oily presence slipping around against Vader's shields. He feels distinctly unhappy – does he know something is going on? Is there ever a time he doesn't? "Find it, Lord Vader, and destroy it. And destroy Kenobi. If you fail again, I will be forced to teach you strength again myself."

He does not want to know what his master means by that. "It will be done, Master," he forces himself to say, evenly, past the panic clawing at him.

"Your feelings on this matter have been unclear for long enough," Sidious hisses.

"I will destroy him, Master," Vader promises, uselessly. It's only an attempt to placate Sidious because he has no idea what he's going to do now. If he and Obi-Wan fought again... he was going to finish it on the Death Sar, no matter how numb he felt about it, and he – he still would now, but that's not the biggest problem.

Fear is still clawing at him, even when the transmission ends there.

"Father," Luke breathes, crouching next to him though Vader can't see it.

Vader drags himself to his feet after a moment, even if he still feels unstable from the sheer fear clawing at him. He – After just getting his children back, he could easily be about to lose them again. Leia, at least. He knows his son will always be here. There's nothing Sidious could do to separate them, right?

Right?

"We must be ready to destroy him," Vader replies, solemnly, tightening his shields in the hopes his master can't sense it. Probably futilely.

"Do you think he senses something's up?"

"Likely," Vader replies, grimly. But what Sidious senses, he has no idea.

"We must speak with Leia," Vader decides, moving for the door. She's hovering outside, face tensed with worry when they step out.

"What's wrong?"

"Sidious suspects something, we think," Luke replies.

"He senses you, and he wants me to find you." And if the Daughter hadn't told Leia who she was, would Vader have ever found out? Or would he have hunted her down, never knowing?