It's What Goes On In Here That's Hard (Star Wars AU Fanfiction)

Chapter 4. The Program

The next two weeks could only be described in three words, fear, darkness and pain for Luke Skywalker as he denied Sidious and the Dark Side of the Force, even as he was tortured relentlessly and shown no mercy by the furious Sith Lord.

Many would have broken under Sidious' wrath, but Luke remained strong. He had too many people counting on him, he couldn't let them down. He'd rather die.

***

Darth Sidious growled, angered by young Skywalker's continued resistance, the boy's hope was strong willed and reinforced greatly. It was time to turn to something else to help move Skywalker's turn along.

Revealing the truth of Vader being Luke's twisted father seemed far too extreme, the boy wasn't ready for such a reveal. But Sidious had found something that could work.

A brain washing program, an old one at that, the program had been canceled after a participant went rogue and almost killed the commander in charge. But Sidious was even more clever than that commander, he could make it work, Skywalker would become a pawn and an asset to him and his Empire.

Sidious couldn't help but revel in his sick and twisted thoughts.

***

Luke lay on his right side, his knees folded up to his chest, his right arm pressed between his chest and legs while his left arm wrapped around his knees.

The cell temperature had dropped so low Luke could have sworn it was below freezing, for hours the boy had tried to stay warm by walking around the cell, jumping, even running abit before the cold became too much, he had collapsed into his prone position, waiting to freeze to death much like he had waited for either death or rescue on Hoth.

Luke shivered, coughing as his chest shook, breathing was becoming a huge problem as hours past by slowly.

Luke didn't know how long he had laid there, shaking and coughing before the door to the cell opened, two black silhouettes in the door way, their shadows falling on the prone, shaking boy as a new cold filled his body and chilled him to the bones deeply.

Luke suppressed a whimper as Sidious slowly came forward, Vader behind him as they stood over the boy.

Sidious spoke, his vile voice almost sounding kind. "Well done, you've survived." He gestured to Vader who's breathing had slowed considerably upon seeing the sight of the half frozen boy.

Vader came closer to Luke, something in his hand.

Luke let out a small cry, trying to get away from the Sith Lord but to no avail, his body too cold and frozen to move.

Vader reached out with his free hand, it came to Luke's face as the boy squeezed his eyes shut, expecting a new form of pain. But instead Vader's mechanical hand found its way under Luke's neck, bringing his head up as Vader brought the object to Luke's mouth.

A hot liquid touched Luke's frozen lips and the smell of broth wafted in his nose as Luke froze, before hesitantly begining to drink whatever it was that Vader was giving him.

Warmth began to come back to Luke's chest, his limbs became loose again and he slowly stopped shivering as he drank the broth greedily, forgetting for a moment that the men allowing him this reprieve from the cold were Sith Lords, his enemies.

Luke probably would have refused any luxury the Sith Lords gave him, but it was so so cold, and despite everything, all the pain, Luke wanted to live, he wanted to make it out alive and see his friends again. Accepting anything that could keep him from dying couldn't hurt.

Luke finally finished the broth, Vader slowly, gently lowered the boy's head back to the ground before standing and rejoining his master's side.

Luke was still too weak to move much, all he could do was watch the Sith Lords warily.