Left Guardian Welcome to Bast Castle
Right Guardian
 

Home Fiction Adult Fiction Art Mail List Staff Links

Forbidden - Part 7


CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: VISION OF A TREASURED PAST?

Vader's POV

Vader crouched down in front of the holonet. The face panel of the machine was off and he stared intently at the glassine wiring. He tapped a few lines of code into a handheld analyzer and gave a small sound of disgust at the readout. Vader rose up swiftly while he yanked the analyzer's connections free of the holonet's innards.

"Any clue as to how the Archive is allowing us to see this live image?" Qui-Gon asked.

The Jedi Master stood to one side, a few feet away from Vader, stroking his goatee. Luke was hanging slightly farther back his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

"No, nothing." Vader glared balefully at the machine. "There is no indication that the Archive has enslaved or is piggybacking on the Executor's systems in any way. Nor are there any subspace signals being sent or received by the holonet independently. However this is being accomplished it is so beyond our technology that we can't even detect it."

Vader swung towards Qui-Gon. The frustration was evident in the tight set of the Dark Lord's jaw. Yet his expression softened slightly upon looking at the older man. It was strange to see Qui-Gon now after he had come to those realizations about him. If Vader hadn't been angry, he would have almost felt shy around the Jedi Master. As it was, he knew that Qui-Gon sensed a difference in him, but was uncertain what it was. Vader kept his shields tight. He wasn't quite ready to talk to the Jedi Master about this difference and the old wariness was hard to shake off.

Vader's amber eyes skittered past Qui-Gon to his son. Luke was as tense as a bow and it was clear he was wondering exactly how angry Vader was about his having viewed the Archive alone and without informing the Dark Lord first. Artoo gave a mournful hoot in the corner as if the little droid could sense the emotions swirling in the room.

Upon Vader and Qui-Gon arriving in the quarters after being summoned by Luke on the comlink, the boy had haltingly explained what he had done and why, stammering out something about not being held captive by his fear. It was an explanation that Vader hardly heard and didn't need to understand the specifics of. The Dark Lord simply knew Luke's explanation involved something noble and foolish, which obviously meant something to be done without telling his father.

Vader had just stared at him silently during the explanation and Luke had lowered his head. The boy had then admitted softly that it was wrong not to tell Vader what he had decided to do before he actually did it. The child had wisely said nothing after that. But to add to Vader's anger, Qui-Gon had then acknowledged that he had known about the boy's decision to view the Archive alone before the child had gone and done it. Despite this fact, Qui-Gon had not stopped Luke.

The Dark Lord had not addressed either mans' actions … until now.

"You should have told me what he planned, Qui-Gon," Vader said suddenly, his anger flaring.

Luke stepped forward. "Father, I alone am responsible for my actions. Not Qui-Gon."

Vader merely gave his son a look that had the boy slamming his lips shut as if they had been caught in a vise.

"This is something I should address, Luke." Qui-Gon turned to meet Vader's burning gaze. "Perhaps, I should have told you, Anakin. But he is very much your son."

One of Vader's eyebrows rose expressively. "Oh? And what does that mean exactly?"

"Once determined on a course of action, he will see it through. I feared if I informed you of his plan, you would have forbidden him to do it—"

"Absolutely! It was foolish and reckless and—"

Qui-Gon raised his hands in a calming manner as he interrupted Vader's rant. "Yes, but I also feared that Luke would have gone forward anyway. And that would have led to … other unfortunate circumstances."

Vader snorted. "Other unfortunate circumstances? What a quaint way of saying I would have punished him dearly for such disobedience!"

"Yes, that was my fear," Qui-Gon answered mildly.

"And you think I will not punish him now?"

Luke gave out a gasp of dismay, but Vader hardened himself against that sweet sound of distress. He did not say he would punish Luke, he was only asking if Qui-Gon thought he would or not.

"I think your anger over his disobedience would have been greater than your anger at him now," Qui-Gon answered slowly.

"So your theory essentially was that it was better for Luke to ask forgiveness from me rather than permission, correct?"

Qui-Gon gave a small pragmatic shrug of his shoulders. "Something like that. Yes. Either way posed … difficulties. This way seemed better at the time."

"You did not see how affected he was by the Archive! It was more than merely emotional discomfort," Vader broke off and swallowed dryly. "It was like a physical illness. He could have been overcome … perhaps even injured by it!"

Qui-Gon's forehead furrowed and he frowned deeply. "I am sorry, Anakin. I did not realize the … seriousness of his reaction fully. You are right then … I should have informed you. Or at least accompanied the boy myself."

Both men looked at Luke who had been struggling not to speak out during the entire conversation. Vader could almost see the words his son thought to say then discarded as he and Qui-Gon had argued about the child as though he were not present.

Vader clenched his hands into fists, not in anger, but to steel himself as he said to Qui-Gon, "I have entrusted you with my son's well-being by allowing you to remain with us. Do not make me … regret … giving that trust."

Qui-Gon met Vader's gaze and nodded his understanding. "I will endeavor to live up to that great responsibility, Anakin. I will not fail in it again."

Vader's normal reaction would have been to throttle someone in Qui-Gon's position, but he was proud to note that he had not touched a hair upon the Jedi Master's head. He felt anger, but he stopped himself from acting out on it. Indeed, he felt no desire to hurt the other man. But his satisfaction was short-lived as his gaze landed on his sorrowful son.

"Qui-Gon, if you would wait outside for a moment."

The Jedi Master hesitated only a second, before he left. Vader sensed the man's desire that he be gentle with Luke. Though he bridled at first under the assumption that he would hurt his son … in the past it could have happened. The thought of harming Luke now made him feel sick.

Luke watched the Jedi Master leave with what could only be termed longing in his eyes. Clearly, he wished he could slip out with him or have the other man remain in the room as if that would save him from what was coming. Luke, realizing his father caught his yearning glance, straightened his shoulders and stood at attention. Worry and concern were radiating off the young taut body. Vader almost felt inclined to let him off the hook because of the pathetic picture he posed. Almost, but not quite.

Vader began to pace slowly, hands tightly held behind his back. "You know I am angry with you, but do you know why?"

Luke swallowed. "Because … because I accessed the Archive without telling you and … this happened." Luke gestured to the still gliding image of the ship hologram.

"No."

"No?"

Luke's voice sounded sweet and hesitant. The blue eyes were wide and filled with a mixture of concern and confusion. Vader resisted the urge to comfort him. He had a point to make and he would make it.

"No, that is not why I'm angry. There will be many times where each of us must make decisions and take action without telling the other due to circumstances beyond our control," Vader said.

He turned on his heel and began pacing back the other way. He strides were precise and clipped, his head lowered as he stared at the ground in front of him, catching brief glances of his son out of the corner of his eye. Luke shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

"And this …" Vader gestured towards the hologram of the ship, "could have occurred when Qui-Gon or I was viewing the Archive. We need to know what the Archive is capable of doing … even if we don't know how it is accomplishing it."

The boy's blonde head raised and a streak of hope went through him. "So it's a good thing then that I—"

"I wouldn't go that far, Luke," Vader cut him off, his glowing amber gaze raking over his son.

"Oh …"

Luke's head lowered again. Vader stopped his pacing and moved to stand directly in front of his son. He put two fingers under Luke's chin and tilted his son's head up so that they were eye to eye. Those blue eyes that seemed etched in Vader's soul looked into his own, waiting for judgment. Again, he felt a weakening of his resolve. He wanted to embrace the boy. Forget this ever happened. But it would serve neither of them well if he did that.

"What angers me is that you broke your word," Vader said softly.

Luke went pale and his eyes impossibly wider. Shock flickered over their bond. The boy had not realized this aspect of his actions obviously.

"You agreed to leave this matter alone. You promised me that. But all the while you intended to do something else. You lied to me, Luke," Vader said.

Luke wildly shook his head. "No! I mean … I didn't exactly, Father. I meant what I said when I promised you. I just … afterwards … changed my mind."

"Changed your mind? Before or after I left the room?" Vader asked.

"It was …" Luke's shoulders slumped. "It was … before."

"And you still chose not to say anything to me?" Vader's voice was low and there was a hint of pain in it.

"I … Force … I didn't think … I just wanted to help! And I knew you would say no to me looking at the Archive by myself, but I felt I had to and… and I … it was a mistake. A huge mistake. I'm sorry, Father. I didn't think of it like a broken promise to you … or a lie of omission. But I see now … that it was," Luke's voice had gone from frantic and rushed to soft and slow at the end.

Moments ticked by in silence. Luke's eyes were downcast and he was worrying his inner cheek with his teeth. His whole aspect reflected deep misery. The Dark Lord found his anger and hurt draining away. Luke was clearly sorry and it was also apparent he hadn't thought of it as breaking his word … exactly. But Vader had to impress on his son the need for them to be honest with one another. They had enough enemies plotting against them as it was without adding the need to guess what each other was going to do. The Dark Lord let out a harsh exhale of air and the boy peered up tentatively at him through his bangs.

"Next time when you … change your mind … you will tell me. And if you disagree with the course I recommend … you will tell me that. We will not lie to one another, Luke," Vader said. "Agreed?"

The boy's whole body perked up. Hope and relief were shining in his eyes. He said eagerly, "Yes, Father."

"Good. Now we can put this behind us."

Vader felt the tension in his own body ease. Finally, he could respond to his need to comfort the child. His arms slid around his son. Luke was pliant in his embrace. Happy small sounds emitted from the boy as Vader rubbed his back with tender strokes. The child's warm breath brushed against his neck. Vader kissed Luke gently on the forehead.

"Love you, Father," Luke said softly.

"As do I you, child of my heart. Though you are a trial to me at times," He added gruffly.

"I wouldn't want you to get bored, Father."

Vader laughed quietly as he drew back to look at his son's beloved face. His expression became serious as love and desire for the boy flowed over him. He cupped Luke's chin. The child's eyes slid half-closed and his breathing began to deepen as Vader covered his son's lips with his own. Luke moaned softly as Vader slipped his tongue inside his mouth, flicking it in and out. The boy's hands clutched at his waist, trying to draw them closer together.

Vader broke their kiss and husked out, "I will never get bored with you, Luke. It seems every moment I find myself loving you more."

Vader pressed another few kisses to Luke's forehead before reluctantly releasing the boy and tucking his desire away. He had not gotten done half of what he needed in terms of reaching his contacts on the ground on Coruscant and in the Fleet for the change of power and his other tasks that were necessary in order to fulfill Luke's fantasy.

While it was tempting to kidnap Luke now and imprison him, Vader did not want the shadow of his former anger to cloud their pleasure or cause Luke a moment's fear of him. Besides he had a better plan. Something more … authentic … to start their play.

"You need to leave again?" Luke's voice was tinged with yearning.

Vader stroked his cheek. "I'm afraid so. I promise we'll be alone together soon."

"I know. I just … miss you."

"And I you." Vader kissed the back of his son's hand.

As they broke apart, Luke's eyes then slid past him to the hologram of the ship. "Who do you suppose they are? Survivors of Black Heart?"

"Or their enemies," Vader said softly.

Vader watched the hologram of the huge, unknown cruiser continue to play on the holonet. Though the picture was choppy, Vader was sure he did not know the ship type and was certain that it was nothing flown by the peoples in the known universe. It was as large as three Star Destroyers. The angles were harsh, not a rounded corner to be seen. The ship had the look of glass shards cemented together it was so sharp and angular.

This ship was clearly created for battle as it bristled with weaponry, but it moved ponderously. That could mean, like his own Star Destroyers, that it was supplemented with smaller more maneuverable fighters or that it was a planet destroyer with such heavy shielding that it did not require the ability to move quickly. The rays of a nearby star struck its shiny skin, sending spirals of light out into the darkness of space. Vader clenched his hands into fists. The ship disturbed and angered him on some deep level though he couldn't say why. It felt like a vise was closing over his heart as he looked at it.

Vader shut off the holonet. But he could almost feel the Archive taunting him. For though the holonet was off, he doubted the Archive was sitting there idly. He reached to unplug the holonet from the Executor's power supply for good measure and received a shock for his reward. He jerked back, dropping the cord as he did, and flexed his hand to shake off the icy feeling the shock had given him. But the chill crawled up his arm and flooded his body. He exhaled sharply and almost expected to see his breath frost.

"Father, are you all right?" Luke was grabbing his arm and he felt the boy use his power to scan him.

"I'm fine. Just an electrical shock, I think. I'm just so … cold."

"You've been drained." Luke frowned.

Luke's warm hands on his arm though seemed to soothe the chill he felt in that limb at least. His son closed his eyes and Vader felt Luke sending power to him. At first, he wanted to tell Luke to stop and save his own strength, but as the warmth closed over him Vader relished it. It was like being wrapped in a sun-warmed blanket.

Luke smiled up at him. "Feeling better?"

"Yes, very much. Thank you, young one."

Vader's fond smile at Luke became a glare as his gaze turned from his beloved son to the holonet. It still remained plugged into the power supply. He used the Force to yank out the plug, not wanting to risk another shock. He tried to ignore the relief he felt at the fact nothing else untoward happened. He turned around to face Luke again.

"I don't think we should try and view the Archive again until we are at the Jedi Temple," Vader said.

"I think you're right. It's just full of … surprises, isn't it," Luke agreed softly.

"Yes. To master that technology though, Luke. Imagine the possibilities of it." Vader shook himself and forced his eyes to leave the holonet. "While I am occupied, will you join Qui-Gon in training Joran and Damon?"

"Yes, but I think I am more looking forward to learning from Qui-Gon myself."

Vader smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, pleased that Luke would occupy himself with something that was unlikely to get him into trouble. Although Trans would be there.

"Good."

Luke suddenly turned and grabbed him in a hard, desperate embrace. Vader leaned against the smaller body that was trembling slightly.

"Luke, what is it?"

"I am sorry, Father," Luke said, his voice muffled as his face was pressed into Vader's chest. "I never meant to hurt you by my actions. Never meant to … betray your trust."

"I know, young one. It's all right," Vader whispered softly as he took in deep draughts of his son's scent and felt the boy's heartbeat thumping against his chest. Gently teasing, Vader said, "With your penchant for attracting trouble, Luke, how can I not worry about you?"

Luke laughed and Vader felt something in his release. He had not lost his temper. He had not struck out at anyone. His son loved him. Things were fine again. The fact that he still felt a hint of cold inside him after Luke had withdrawn his Force presence was only slightly worrying, but he was sure it would go away.

"Well, shall we go then?"

"Oh, wait! Now that I have a chance I want to get changed. I'm tired of smelling like fried droid parts," Luke said with a grin as he stripped off his jacket revealing a scorched and ripped shirt underneath. "Can you stay for a minute?"

"Of course, I will stay with you."

Vader looked down at his own torn clothing. None of his officers, excluding the late unlamented Captain Terellian, had dared to make a comment about the fact that he looked slightly singed, not to mention that his clothing, cut open as it was in multiple places, looked more appropriate for a seraglio than the Bridge.

"And I think I will join you in changing."

Luke grinned wider in response.

Vader gestured for his son to precede him into their bedroom. It still gave him a wild thrill to call it their bedroom. It felt so natural to think of his son sexually and romantically available to him. Yet why was that so? Incest had not been commonplace or accepted on Tatooine and it was a crime under the rules of the Old Republic and the Empire. He knew there were planets where parents were the ones to introduce their children to sex, especially in the higher echelons where ruling families married often within their immediate bloodlines, but he had never had much contact with those cultures.

Was it just his mind justifying a forbidden desire he had to have Luke totally to himself that made him think this was normal? Or was it the Force itself trying to bind them together on multiple levels to ensure the Balance? Or what if his father was a Black Hearter, were they one of those cultures that encouraged incestuous relationships? Not that such a thing could be genetically imprinted on in him, of course. Or at least he didn't believe so. Whatever the cause, the fact that he loved and desired his son was unassailable. It felt right and good. The best thing he'd ever experienced.

His thoughts skidded to a halt as his eyes were drawn down to his son's hips as the boy moved into their bedroom a few feet ahead of Vader. Luke's walk was like the rest of him: unconsciously sensual. Vader felt a flash of desire run through him as he stared at the boy's firm, pert buttocks. He thought of the pink pucker that was between them. He yearned to sink inside that hot, tight flesh again. His cock throbbed.

Luke's back was still to him as the boy pulled off the ruined shirt. The muscles rippled under the golden skin as the boy stood up straight and shook back his hair. Vader's own hands hovered at the clasp to his pants, knowing he should strip himself, but he was transfixed by watching Luke undress. It was an everyday action for the boy, but it was sensually thrilling for Vader. He could watch. He was permitted to watch. And the body that was revealed beneath that clothing was his in all ways.

Luke froze when he finally felt Vader's eyes upon him and slowly turned around. Vader leaned against the doorway of the bedroom, his thumbs hooked into the waistband of his own pants, his eyes heavy-lidded and glittering. Luke flushed but his gaze didn't leave his father's. Vader's lips curled into a smile at the slight dare in his son's expression. `Dare you to look away from me, Father.' The look seemed to say. `Dare you to resist me right this moment.' It said, too. `Dare you to touch me.' That last was said the most of all. Vader had no inclination to resist whatsoever.

"Father, what is it?" Luke's voice was whispery soft and it skated over Vader's body like a caress.

"Son, you are so … lovely. I can't seem to turn away from watching you," Vader swallowed, his voice low and husky. "Undress for me."

Luke shivered once. "Whatever you want, Father."

Luke's hands shook slightly as they went to the clasp of his pants. He unbuttoned the black clingy material and unzipped them. A flash of more gold skin and darker gold curls was revealed.

"You aren't wearing any underwear, Luke," Vader chided softly.

The boy shook his head. "It … binds."

Vader laughed. "Yes, I can see how that would be true for you, my little wanton."

"I thought you had to go," Luke said, tilting his head down and to the side making himself look coy and sensual all at the same time. "To plan out your overthrow of Palpatine and organize the Fleet …"

"I have time. Always have time for you." Vader them darkened his voice as he said, "Now I believe I gave you an order, Luke. Undress for me."

Luke's flush heightened and he sat heavily down on the edge of the bed almost as if his legs couldn't hold him up any longer. The boy's arms were behind him, holding his upper body above the mattress. His eyes flickered up to Vader and then down as he blushed even deeper, but his voice was steady as he said, "I need help with my boots, Father."

He stuck one booted foot out. Vader moved from his spot by the door. Luke's breathing became ragged as Vader sank gracefully down on his knees between the boy's legs. Vader grasped one booted foot and smoothly slid the boot off and set it neatly to the side. He placed a soft kiss on the boy's knee. Luke whimpered. Vader lifted the unshod leg up and placed kisses all along the interior of the calf down to the boy's instep. He nuzzled the child's foot gently and Luke moaned. The scent of leather and his son's clean scent surrounded him.

Sprawled on the bed, legs spread, and with his flushed and leaking cock jutting up from his open pants, Luke looked like a vision of sex. Vader swiftly tugged the other boot off and massaged the foot gently. The boy was practically panting now.

"You're so beautiful, Luke."

"No, you are," Luke whispered. "Can't believe you're mine."

"Believe it," Vader said as he shucked the boy out of his pants and tossed them to the side.

Satiny golden skin was spread out before him and Vader's harsh exhale of breath hissed through his teeth. He crawled up the boy's naked body, pausing mid-way up when his mouth was level with Luke's cock. The boy whimpered when Vader blew gently on the head of the already dripping sex. Luke's hips jumped from the bed when Vader ran one finger over the wet slit. He sucked the finger clean of his son's precum.

"So sweet," Vader husked out.

Luke groaned and he suddenly moved forward, fisting his hands in Vader's hair and devouring his mouth. His son's tongue was frantically twinning with his own. Vader felt Luke's cock bump against his chest as Luke pressed them closer together. The Dark Lord growled when he couldn't feel the silky organ against his bare skin. He broke the kiss so he could get his own clothes off. Luke whined when he pulled away.

"Not leaving you, baby. Just want to be bare with you."

"Yes, Force, yes, Father, want to see you naked again."

Vader went to undo the buttons of the shirt, but his hands felt uncharacteristically clumsy so he merely shredded the garment, letting the torn material flutter to the floor. Luke's gaze latched onto the sight of his nipples and the boy licked his lips. Vader shivered at the thought of Luke sucking and biting on them again. They peaked just from the thought and he gasped as he grazed one with his right arm while reaching for the clasp of his pants. He toed off his boots while simultaneously sliding his pants down his hips.

"You aren't wearing any underwear either, Father," Luke said with a laugh from the bed where he had been avidly watching Vader strip. One hand was idly stroking his silken cock. He spread his legs wider when he realized Vader saw his self-pleasuring. "Will you punish me for touching what's yours again?"

Vader growled, "I think I will remind you how my hands feel far better on your sinful body than your own."

"I already know that. I just can't wait any longer for your touch. Want you so much, Daddy," Luke said the title slipping out of his sweet mouth.

Vader shivered at the title and the place inside of him that craved his own blood ignited with the word. The Dark Lord stalked over to the bed and pounced on his son. Luke was grinning and laughing. Then Vader pinned Luke's hands above his and the boy's mirth turned to pure desire again. His pupils were blown wide with it, his lips were parted and wet, a slight blush graced his cheeks and his breathing was sharp and quick.

"I can't wait to have you helpless in a cell, Luke. At my mercy. How long will you fight? What will you say?" Vader mused as he ground his pelvis down on his son's, loving the way Luke's eyes rolled back in his head with the pleasure and how the young hips pressed up against him immediately.

"I'll say whatever you want me to, Daddy. Just want to please you," Luke huffed out. "Just want you to love me."

"Oh, Luke, you own me body and soul. All my love is the least you have of me," Vader said and covered his son's mouth with his own, drowning in the taste and texture of his son.

The boy broke their kiss and trailed his mouth down Vader's chest. The Dark Lord drew in a harsh breath and bit his lower lip in anticipation of where he hoped the boy's mouth would fasten. He wasn't disappointed as Luke's tongue traced the soft areole of his right nipple. Vader hissed and bucked against the boy's body as Luke began to suckle his nipple. Luke broke off, his eyes hooded, his lips wet with saliva.

"They're so soft," Luke said as one of his fingers circled the peaked nub.

Vader jerked at the touch. "You are teasing me, young one. As you know that is a dangerous thing to do."

The boy gave him a sly grin. He leaned down and with a blush staining his cheeks he licked the other nipple. Vader gave out a strangled moan.

"You've got such sensitive nipples. I love to watch you come undone when I suckle them," Luke whispered and latched onto the left tasty bud.

Vader's body shook like a leaf in the wind as Luke sucked hard on his responsive flesh. He held the boy close to him. His balls felt heavy and full. His cock was brushing a white trail against his son's belly. Vader buried his head against Luke's shoulder and neck as the boy rasped the nipple with his teeth.

"Please, Luke, please baby, stop … stop … stop or I'll cum!"

Luke let the nipple leave his mouth with a pop. "And your cumming would be a bad thing?"

Vader laughed. "Yes! I want to cum inside of you, Luke. Don't you want that?"

The boy's eyes glowed softly with desire. "Yes … yes, I want that."

Vader slid Luke over onto his side and spooned their bodies together. He slipped one of his hands under the mound of pillows on the bed where he had stashed some lubricant.

"Father?" Luke asked, craning his head over his shoulder, clearly confused by how Vader had placed him.

"This is another position, Luke. It will let me get in deep and have more control of the angle. So I can hit your prostate with every stroke," Vader explained as he moved Luke's top leg up, revealing the sweet pucker.

Luke gasped as Vader slid two slick fingers in at once. The Dark Lord couldn't draw his eyes away from his digits moving in and out of Luke. He was inside his beautiful boy. The child made hungry little cries with each inward push. Luke clawed the sheets when Vader grazed his prostate.

"Please, Daddy, please … can't take any more! Need you inside me now!"

"Begging will get you everywhere, my little wanton," Vader husked.

The Dark Lord gave Luke a searing kiss. His slicked his cock with lubricant and lined it up with Luke's pucker. The boy had moaned in desperation when Vader had removed his fingers but the Dark Lord was going to fill Luke with something far more satisfying. He gripped Luke's hips as he thrust inside all the way to the root. The boy gasped, arched and bucked against him.

"So good," Luke cried. "So good to be filled with you. Connected."

Vader's eyes fluttered shut as the pleasure beat through his veins. His son's inner passage was hot and tight. It throbbed around his cock as if made purely to draw his seed out. He could feel Luke's life force surrounding his. Light that never burned or hurt pierced him. Never did he feel more alive or at one with the Force than when they were making love.

"Perfect," Vader whispered.

Vader began to rock in and out of Luke, pressing the boy's back to his chest. With each movement, Luke's prostate was hit. The boy was mewling with the pleasure and scrabbling at the bed covers. Vader realized that Luke had placed a Force tendril around his own sweet cock to stop from coming too soon. But he could feel his son's control slipping and took over for the boy just as Luke's tendril frayed to nothing. Luke reached back and grabbed one of Vader's hands, lacing their fingers together and drew it up over his heart.

"Love you so much," Luke rasped between his pleasured cries.

"You are everything to me," Vader murmured into Luke's ear and then released both their cocks from their Force tendril bonds.

He stroked his son's beautiful sex just once before Luke shuddered, gasping harshly as his body arched against Vader's like a bow. The boy's seed gushed from him, spraying the sheets and even hitting the floor beyond the bed. His inner passage spasmed around Vader's cock. The Dark Lord yelled as his seed shot into Luke's interior, bathing the boy's insides with his essence. He held Luke tight against him as they both panted and shook from the aftereffects of their orgasms.

"Gods, it keeps getting better," Luke said shakily.

Vader nodded, pressing a long kiss onto Luke's shoulder blade. "Amazing. Truly."

The boy twisted around in Vader's arms, causing Vader's softened cock to slip out of his son's passage. The boy moaned when it happened, but was more intent on kissing his father to mind. Vader smoothed Luke's sweaty locks from his brow. He kissed Luke's pink lips and licked a droplet of sweat from the boy's temple.

"We need a shower, I think."

"Will this shower be like the last one?" Luke asked boldly then buried his face against Vader's neck.

Vader laughed softly. He continued to pet and kiss Luke until the boy was panting softly against him again. He froze though as he realized something he had forgotten.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked as he drew back from Vader's chest.

"Qui-Gon has been outside this entire time. Probably thinking I'm punishing you."

"Or maybe he knows that we're all right." Luke's blush went radioactive. "He could have heard our lovemaking. Or felt something over your bond."

"I don't think so. The walls are too thick and … my shields have been tightly up. I'll let him know everything's fine."

Vader reached for the bond with the older man, but it was like moving through cold heavy fog. He wasn't able to touch Qui-Gon's consciousness. Vader frowned. He tried again, but once more the way felt blocked. Luke's eyebrows drew together worriedly as he sensed his father's inability to contact the Jedi Master. Both men rose from the bed as one. Vader grabbed a black silk robe that hung only to mid-thigh on him. He belted it securely but still felt naked under the thin, clingy material. Luke grabbed a robe as well.

"Luke, it may be nothing. I'd prefer if you remained here," Vader said, feeling a wave of protectiveness for the boy.

Luke looked so fragile naked. Besides if nothing was wrong he didn't want to embarrass the Jedi Master by having two of them tumbling out of their quarters half-dressed and smelling of sex. Although knowing Qui-Gon he'd probably just raise an eyebrow at them and get a good laugh out of it.

Luke was about to protest, but seeing Vader's concern, he nodded instead and said, "Call me if you need me."

Vader swiftly went to the doors to the hallway. What could have happened to cause their bond to go quiet like this? Was Qui-Gon injured or incapacitated? Had Palpatine somehow gotten to him with a rogue droid? Vader felt his heart clench at the thought that something might have happened to Qui-Gon while he and Luke made love. The man had already died once … and who knew if Luke could bring him back again if his body disappeared like most Jedi's did in death.

It had taken all the Krayt Dragon's life force, all the Force energy in the cave and some of Vader's and Luke's own energy to bring Qui-Gon back the first time. And Vader had a feeling that the Krayt Dragon had been more unique than its typical brethren, having lived in that cave with all the Force crystals above it for centuries. Vader's breathing hitched as he realized how painful it would be to lose the older man. The doors to their quarters whooshed open.

Qui-Gon was standing there, leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest. The Jedi Master's expression went from mild worry to relief upon seeing Vader, a small smile playing over his lips. The tension fled Vader's body when he saw that the older man was fine. There wasn't even a hint of trouble in the corridor. Qui-Gon, having noticed his earlier anxiety, frowned and pushed off the wall to come towards him.

"Anakin, what is it? What's wrong?" The man's hands rose from his sides and carefully touched Vader's shoulders turning him from side to side as if to look for some wound on him.

"I couldn't reach you over our bond. I thought …" Vader broke off, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

"You thought something might have happened to me." Qui-Gon finished softly. "I'm all right. Nothing more exciting happened than a phalanx of troopers walking by."

"I'm … I'm glad for that," Vader said and he grimaced by how grateful he did sound.

Vader stared at the floor, suddenly unable to look at Qui-Gon. He hadn't cared for anyone for twenty years and now in less than a week he found himself caring deeply about two men: his son and the Master he should have had. It made him feel strange, almost brittle and yet stronger than ever before. Like he could shatter into a million pieces and also carry the weight of the universe on his shoulders. Qui-Gon tipped his head up. The Jedi Master's eyes were filled with gentleness and warmth for him. Vader swallowed and wanted to look away. It took all his will power not to.

"I really am fine, Anakin. Thank you for worrying about me."

"I merely thought Palpatine may have … made another move. That's all. I wasn't … I wasn't really worrying." Vader knew from Qui-Gon's mild expression that his statement wasn't fooling anybody.

"Of course," Qui-Gon said. A slow, amused smile crossed the Jedi Master's handsome face as he took in Vader's attire at that moment. "Everything settled between you and Luke? Or do I even need to ask?"

Vader was surprised by the blush that colored his cheeks. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Everything is fine now. We became … involved … and I realized you were still out here probably fretting that I was punishing Luke."

Qui-Gon laughed slightly. "Yes, I admit I was. You say you tried our bond to tell me all was well, but …"

"I couldn't reach you over it," Vader explained, a frown pursing his full lips.

The Jedi Master nodded and gently patted Vader's shoulder. "Let's find out what's wrong."

Vader felt a sense of relief that Qui-Gon was being so logical about this. His own feelings about losing the connection between them were more strained. He wanted it fixed. Now. The fact that less than a week ago he was horrified at the idea of a bond with this man or any other seemed an alien concept to him.

The Dark Lord tried to steady his thoughts and open his mind to the Jedi Master. Qui-Gon reached for their bond. Vader reached back. The chill that had retreated during his and Luke's lovemaking suddenly expanded. It leapt across the bond into Qui-Gon's mind. Vader tried to control it, tried to slam the bond shut, but the chill slipped through his defenses like water through a sluice gate. He wasn't even able to warn the other man what was coming.

As he stared into Qui-Gon's wide, shocked eyes, Vader thought he saw them shift from grey to gold then the air shimmered and rippled. The hallway of the Executor was stripped away like paper curling in a flame and another location altogether replaced it.

Vader was standing on a landing pad elevated high in the air. A heavy mist obscured the details of his surroundings, but Vader could see a few tree limbs loaded with thick, golden foliage spearing through the white haze. The air smelled of rain and ozone. The thrum of spaceship engines vibrated the tarmac beneath his feet. He could feel hot exhaust fanning his face.

The heat of the exhaust was the only thing warming him. His clothes were hardly up to the task as he wore only a thin black silk shirt and supple leather pants and boots. There was sweat on the back of his neck and his breathing came in shorter gasps as if he had run full out. He shivered in the chilled air as the sweat dried.

That was when Vader realized he was not alone.

A man stood before him. His back was to Vader. He was tall, a few inches over the Dark Lord, and strongly built. He wore form-fitting black armor that covered him from head to foot. It had the appearance of scales the way each flexible plate lapped over the next and fit the sculpted body.

The serpentine impression of the armor continued in a golden snake or dragon-like creature that was incised into the armor. The design wrapped around the man's entire torso and glittered under the lights of the huge spaceships that hovered only a hundred feet above them. The ships' engines burned hot and emitted a virulent green glow. The shape of the ships was sinuous and snake-like, too.

Vader felt a rush of excitement as the black armor that covered the man's head retracted automatically into the body portion. Long dark hair, freed from the armor, cascaded down his back. Disturbed by the backwash of the growling ship engines, the air whipped the hair away from the man's face just as he turned around to look at Vader.

The man was Qui-Gon Jinn. Only he was … different.

Waves of power washed over Vader from the visionary Jedi Master, lapping at the Dark Lord's consciousness, making him feel languid and oddly, safe. Even though it was power laced with pure Darkness. He knew that this power would protect him, had protected him. There was nothing to fear. He breathed in deeply as if that power could have a taste or scent and he could make it a part of himself. But he could only smell rain-washed vegetation, the exhaust of the ships and very faintly the other man's spicy cologne.

The visionary Qui-Gon was smiling at Vader, his head cocked slightly to the side, his expression pleased and almost … indulgent. Vader moved towards him. One step then another until they were only half a foot apart. The other man's heavy-lidded golden eyes stared at him unblinking as he approached.

Then the visionary Qui-Gon extended one armored hand and cupped Vader's face. The armor was icy against his skin. Vader felt a frigid electric jolt sizzle underneath his flesh at the touch just like he had experienced when he unplugged the holonet. Vader reached up in the vision and covered Qui-Gon's hand with his own.

Then the Dark Lord heard that hauntingly familiar word again. But this time Vader knew he was the one saying it, "Aethro."

The vision broke apart like glass shattering and Vader staggered forward. Qui-Gon stopped him from tumbling to the floor by clutching at Vader's shoulders and bracing himself against the corridor's wall. The Dark Lord closed his eyes tight for a moment to stop the world from spinning and swaying. Vader felt the solid muscle of the older man's chest under his hands. Qui-Gon's skin was thankfully warm not icy. He looked up at Qui-Gon's eyes and let out a breath of relief when he saw the man had grey eyes rather than the burning gold.

"You saw it, didn't you?" Vader asked.

Qui-Gon nodded, slightly pale yet with high color on his cheeks. "You and I and …"

"The ships in the mist."

"You looked like you do now, but … with longer hair. Beautiful waves of it falling to the middle of your back," Qui-Gon said softly.

One of his hands moved from Vader's shoulders and extended towards the Dark Lord's shorter locks. He brushed the edge of one gently then jerked his hand back. The color on Qui-Gon's cheeks heightened further and he turned his gaze away from the Dark Lord. Vader frowned. The touching of his hair had been a tender gesture, like many Qui-Gon had made towards him, but it obviously had felt different to the Jedi Master who was staring resolutely at the ground now.

Vader struggled to stand on his own in order to give the other man the physical distance he seemed to need at that moment. The Dark Lord's legs felt weak underneath him like a new-born colt's, but he was finally able to stand on his own after a few tottering tries. Qui-Gon did not release him until he was steady and standing strong, but the older man still would not meet Vader's gaze.

"Qui-Gon, what's wrong? Why did you draw your hand away from me like that?"

The Jedi Master gave a shaky laugh. "I … I don't know. I didn't feel like myself for a moment and … I … I thought I should draw back before I … before I did anything else … out of character."

"Are you feeling like yourself now?" Vader asked, not liking one bit the sense of evasiveness that was streaming off the other man.

Qui-Gon's eyes were shadowed. "Yes. It was only a momentary thing. Are you all right?"

Vader waved away the question of his own health, more concerned with how the other man wouldn't meet his gaze. "Are you sure you're fine?"

The Jedi Master's lips curled into a smile and he looked more himself.

"Positive."

Vader stared at him long and hard, but Qui-Gon did not look away and regarded him just as steadily back as he ever did. Perhaps the older man was fine now. The one thing Vader was sure of was that the Jedi Master wouldn't admit to being anything else.

"What happened to us? Do you think … it was a vision of the future or …" Vader broke off as the thought didn't seem right to him.

Qui-Gon ran one hand over the top of his head. "It didn't feel like the future to me. It felt … familiar. Like a memory."

"But that's … impossible. You died when I was six and I was clearly … well, I was clearly an adult in the vision. And nothing like that has ever happened to us."

Even as he denied the possibility of the vision being one of the past, Vader felt like Qui-Gon did that the vision was more like a memory than a foretelling. That niggling sense he'd been having ever since he'd gone down to Black Heart of half-remembering things that hadn't happened to him, that couldn't have happened to him, was brought to full bore.

Qui-Gon's expression was thoughtful as he said, "You're right. It didn't happen … in this life. But perhaps in a prior one—"

Vader sputtered. "Reincarnation? I … I don't believe in such things."

The Jedi Master gave a small smile. "It doesn't really matter if you believe or not if it's real."

Vader's eyes narrowed. "Is this something you know to be true from your higher vantage point when you were a spirit?"

"No, not exactly. Although there were moments when I felt I had been on the other side before. But like I told you earlier, there was not the oneness with the Force that we were taught. There was no … great knowledge imparted when I crossed over. Not … truly."

"Then why do you believe in reincarnation?"

Qui-Gon's gaze skittered from his and he looked down at his robes. "Do you have a better explanation for what we just saw?"

Vader's expression went grim. "The Archive."

"What does the Archive have to do with this?"

Vader explained what happened with the shock he received from the Archive and the coldness within him, which was now gone. "The word I spoke in the vision was the same as that spoken by the warrior on the Archive. It's … affecting us. Showing us what it wants to show us. Perhaps to manipulate us in some way. Who knows if it showed us the truth?"

"Did what we saw feel like a lie to you?" Qui-Gon asked softly.

Vader's brow furrowed. "It felt as real as standing here and talking to you now does. But … Black Heart technology has already shown to be so far advanced from all that we know that I would put little beyond its capabilities. Perhaps it even uses the Force in some way …"

Vader glanced back at the doors to their quarters. He had determined after Luke's discovery of the live feed on the Archive that no one should access it again until they were safely at the Jedi Temple, but now he felt an overwhelming need to hear the voice of the warrior on the vid he and Qui-Gon had viewed. He wanted to know if it was his own voice that they'd heard. And speaking of familiar voices on it, hadn't he thought at one point that he'd heard Luke's voice on the Force-damned thing?

Yet if he was even considering the possibility that his voice and Luke's voice could be recorded on the ancient Archive then didn't that mean he was giving credence to Qui-Gon's theory of reincarnation? But how likely was it, even if reincarnation was true, that the person would come back looking exactly, or nearly exactly, as they physically had in their past life? Let alone sounding as they once had? The genetics nightmare that would entail made the likelihood of such a thing close to nil.

"Anakin, what is it? You look to be a million light years away," Qui-Gon asked.

"I was just thinking about reincarnation …"

"What about it?"

"Only that you said that you drew away from me earlier, because you felt like someone else … I assume it was the vision that made you feel that way, yes?" Vader asked as he swung around to face Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon nodded. "I felt like I was still in the vision or rather I still felt like the person in the vision when I …when I reached for you."

Vader nodded. "But if reincarnation is true then … how could you feel like someone else? Because, after all, the people we were in past lives are the same ones that we are now. Isn't that how it goes? We're reborn again and again, but we're till the same people inside."

Qui-Gon's lips pursed for a moment. "Something like that. But there is supposed to be growth and … change … in each new life. And, of course, the circumstances of our lives have much to do with the making our characters."

"So we could be totally different then in each life?" Vader smiled as he chose the most unlikely character for the Jedi Master. "You, for example, could have been … a vicious warlord bent on conquering the universe in a past life? More ruthless than Palpatine?"

Vader expected Qui-Gon to laugh or dismiss his suggestion out of hand, but the older man just looked more disturbed. The Dark Lord noted that tension lines framed the Jedi Master's expressive mouth.

"I could have been that … or worse," Qui-Gon answered softly.

"I don't believe you capable of—"

"But that's only because you know what my circumstances this life have made of me. Perhaps I do have a … core self … that could accommodate the personality you just hypothesized."

"Well, I don't believe either. Reincarnation or … that you could be like that," Vader said.

Qui-Gon moved closer. One of his hands patted Anakin's shoulder. "I'm flattered that you think so well of me, Anakin."

"You have proven yourself to be a good man, Qui-Gon. It is not a grand bit of logic I have just spoken. It is the simple truth."

But even though Vader believed what he told Qui-Gon, still his eyes darted to the doors of their quarters, feeling the Archive looming inside. Beckoning to him. Daring him to prove that it was not his and Luke's voices captured in its ancient data. Daring him to disprove the vivid vision that he and Qui-Gon had experienced.

"Do you wish to go lie down, Anakin? Or are you worried about Luke?" Qui-Gon asked gently as he noticed where Vader was looking.

Vader's gaze snapped away from the doors and back to the Jedi Master. The urge to see the Archive faded as quickly as it had come. In its place, Vader felt almost a crawling aversion to the thing and all it held. Vader realized that this was but a shade of the discomfort Luke must feel towards it and he was more than impressed at the boy's courage or foolhardiness in wishing to confront the Archive alone.

"No, no. Just lost in thought again." Vader tested their bond tentatively, ready to pull back at the merest sign of trouble, but no trouble came. "Our bond is open and … there does not seem to be any adverse effects from our experience. You don't feel cold, do you?"

The Jedi Master shook his head. "Cold? No."

The chill that had been with Vader since he was shocked by the Archive was gone. He hoped that granting them the vision was its only purpose and that it had dissipated altogether in both men without any lingering effects.

The doors to their quarters suddenly opened and a worried Luke was standing in the doorway in hastily put on clothes. He smiled hugely when he saw Vader and Qui-Gon seemingly well. Vader's heart lightened just looking at him.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait inside any longer not knowing if everything was all right. Is it … all right, I mean?" Luke asked as Vader gravitated to him, sliding his arms around Luke's waist and pressing a kiss to the boy's head.

Qui-Gon turned to Vader to see if he would bring up the vision.

"We had … a strange experience, but everything's fine now," Vader said, grimacing slightly as he heard himself minimize what had happened.

"I figured you would have signaled me if things were bad. But … what do you mean a strange experience and did you determine what was wrong with the bond?" Luke asked.

Vader shook his head. "I think the shock I experienced when I tried to unplug the holonet had something to do with our inability to communicate over the bond. As to the strange experience … it's not that important. I'll tell you about it later."

Qui-Gon's gaze met his, but the other man's expression didn't give Vader a clue if he was pleased or disappointed by Vader's failure to explain what had occurred or the true seriousness of it. Luke's brow was furrowed, but he nodded and allowed the matter to drop. Vader let out a small sigh of relief.

He knew he needed to tell Luke about the vision, but not now. He still needed time to figure out if Qui-Gon's suggestion of reincarnation was at all viable or whether the Archive had the ability to cause hallucinations of the highest order. Luke already had an aversion and fear of the Archive, Vader didn't want to increase that phobia to a full-blown paranoia. He was feeling enough paranoia about the Black Heart technology for the both of them.

He would wait to talk to Luke about it when his thoughts were clear and orderly. Not when he still felt the call to look at the Archive's images as strong as a spice addict in need of his next hit. No, he would wait until he was fully in control. Only then would he tell him son of the vision. That was the best course.

Luke's POV

Qui-Gon stood in front of the viewport on the Observation Deck. His hands slightly spread at his sides, his grey eyes glittering in the blurred starlight, as his voice rolled over the four other people and one droid in the room.

"There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force. This is the Jedi Code."

Luke mouthed the words as Qui-Gon spoke them. They were a mantra he had said to himself many times. The last stanza was especially close to his heart. Or at least it had been when he thought his father dead. For the Jedi Code seemed to offer hope that death was not the end. That his father could be watching over him as he battled the evil Empire. Little had he known the irony of these thoughts at the time.

Qui-Gon's voice went lower, almost richer in tone, as he spoke again, "Peace is a lie; there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. This is the Sith Code."

Luke stirred, his body almost itching to move with the feelings that flowed over him as he heard the Sith Code for the first time. The Sith Code evoked images of wild battles, the fervor one felt at the height of the most powerful emotions, and the rush of adrenaline that hit when death or victory waited around every corner.

Luke realized now why the Sith way had spoken so strongly to Vader. He could imagine that for a former slave especially, the idea of being freed from chains, even those of the supposedly benevolent Jedi, would have been incredibly appealing. And how many times had Luke himself felt the clarity of his purpose through his strongest emotions? That he had then also been blinded by them at the same time didn't altogether diminish the charge of power he had felt when he accessed the Force that way. Luke looked to the other people on the Deck to see their reactions to the two Codes.

Joran's eyes were wide and he was still on Salara's lap while Damon was standing a bit away from the two of them, looking strangely naked without his armor on. He wore a gray tunic and black pants tucked into knee-high boots. His brow was furrowed. Artoo was wheeled in the corner, away from the hookup, humming softly.

"Which way is better? To be a Sith or a Jedi?" Damon suddenly asked.

"Neither," Qui-Gon answered evenly.

"Well, how will we know whether we're a Sith or a Jedi? I mean … their Codes contradict each other, don't they?" Damon's brow furrowed.

"We are still working on determining that. But I believe a closer look at the structure of your midichlorians will allow us to ascertain which side you are most aligned with in the Force."

"Luke, you're a Jedi, right?" Damon asked. "So you follow the Jedi Code?"

"I am a Jedi, but … I do not completely follow the Code. I believe there is value to both passion and peace. And that they can coexist in someone," Luke explained.

"What are you, Master Jinn-Jinn?" Joran piped in suddenly, his little head cocked to the side as he struggled down from his mother's lap. "Jedi or .. Si-sith?"

Luke had the urge to laugh. Not because Joran's question was funny, but because it was exactly what Luke had wanted to ask himself.

Qui-Gon gave a warm smile and his eyes met Luke's as he said, "I followed the Jedi Code when I lived before and … still do now to a certain extent. What moves me most is the Living Force, but that is a very long conversation and to get to that conversation we must begin more simply."

Luke frowned. The Jedi Master had not answered Joran's question exactly. He was going to press the issue when Damon spoke.

"Lord Vader is a Sith though, right?" Damon asked.

"Yes, but do not believe that whom you admire or … disdain … means you should try to be whatever they are or are not."

The Jedi Master's piercing eyes flickered at Damon and the younger man hung his head as Qui-Gon obviously intuited his feelings towards Vader.

"It does not matter what I am, or Luke is, or Anakin is. All that matters is that you listen to the voice inside of you. And follow your own path," Qui-Gon explained as he knelt gracefully on the floor. "Regardless of what side you are most aligned with, for both Sith and Jedi … control is key. And that is what we going to start with today. Now each of you sit around me. We are going to begin with meditation."

Damon and the boy sank down to the ground in a small circle. Luke sat between them. Salara remained on the couch, watching, but keeping herself quiet so as to not interfere.

Luke closed his eyes and tried to find his peaceful center, but it was eluding him. His thoughts were still jumbled by the belief that something major had happened between Qui-Gon and his father in the hallway. And the more disturbing aspect of it was that his father was keeping whatever had happened a secret from him.

The Dark Lord had been strangely quiet as they had gotten cleaned up and dressed after the conversation with Qui-Gon in the hallway. And though Vader had kissed Luke hard and long, happiness did not appear in his eyes. Their depths were shadowed with worry, but still he would say nothing of what had occurred even when Luke pressed him.

Luke was most distressed when he saw his father eyeing the holonet where the Archive was housed as if he fully expected it to attack them somehow. Luke had felt even less inclined to leave his father and go with Qui-Gon to train the others after that. But Vader had insisted, saying he had much to do, and promising that they would be together again soon.

As Qui-Gon and Luke had walked to the Observation Deck after taking their leave of Vader, Luke had asked the older man about what had happened. But the Jedi Master was just as tight-lipped as his father had been. Luke sensed his reticence had more to do with not interfering with Vader's decision to keep silent on the issue rather than a desire to keep secret whatever had occurred.

Luke loved that Vader was protective of him, but his father needed to follow his own advice about them sharing things completely with one another. Luke didn't know if he could help his father with whatever it was that was troubling him, but he certainly couldn't if he was kept in the dark. He would get Vader to confide in him if it was the last thing he did.

Luke realized he was far from the meditative state and would stay there if he continued to think about this. He shook himself and tried to stay in the here and now. As he began to control his breathing, he heard Qui-Gon faintly instructing Joran and Damon on the basics of meditation then the whoosh of the doors to the Observation Deck distracted everyone.

Luke opened his eyes and turned to face the doors. Davel and Simok were standing there with their blaster rifles held in their hands. Their white armor gleamed against the black interior of the observation deck.

Davel's clear voice was clear and cold as he said to Luke, "Luke Skywalker, we are under orders to take you to the Detention Block. You are now a prisoner of the Empire."


CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Part I: REBEL PRISONER LUKE

Luke's POV

"Luke Skywalker, we have orders to take you to the Detention Block. You are now a prisoner of the Empire."

Over the bond with his father, Vader sent, `It begins, my son.'

Luke's mouth fell open in shock. The others in the room froze. Unsurprisingly, it was Qui-Gon who recovered from the surprise first.

"Under whose authority do you seek to take him?" The Jedi Master asked as he jumped to his feet.

"Lord Vader's," Davel answered.

Qui-Gon gave a bark of disbelieving laughter as he said, "Luke is Lord Vader's son! He would never put his own child under arrest. Until I hear this order from Lord Vader myself I will not allow you to lay a finger on him."

The palm of Qui-Gon's right hand rested menacingly on the hilt of his lightsaber. Simok and Davel shifted uneasily as they faced the protective older man. For a moment, Luke saw Qui-Gon as someone else. Not the kind and thoughtful scholar, but a fierce warrior who Luke would be afraid to face on the battlefield.

Simok began, "We were told--"

Damon interrupted him as he, too, stood up and moved to a position between Luke and the troopers. "This has got to be a mistake! Davel, Simok! You can't be serious."

Joran squirmed over to Luke, clutching him around the middle. "Don't take Luke away!" the little boy cried.

"We won't let them, honey," Salara said as she rose and placed her hands on her hips, her expression tight as she surveyed the troopers.

Luke finally snapped out of his dazed state. He knew he had to control the situation before it truly deteriorated.

"Wait! Everyone! Please, this is a game!" Luke said and cringed as he realized he had just said `game.'

"What?!"

"Game?!"

Damon and Qui-Gon spoke almost simultaneously as they turned to look at him, their disbelief etched on their handsome faces. Luke's mouth opened and shut several times. What explanation could he possible give? He felt the urge to laugh hysterically as Damon and Qui-Gon's expressions became more and more concerned by his silence. His thoughts flickered frantically for something to say. Then it hit him. His father wouldn't leave him in the lurch. He reached for Vader over the bond, but instead of words, his father drew Luke's attention to Davel and Simok, as if the troopers themselves held a way out.

"What exactly were your orders?" Luke asked the troopers.

"We were to escort you to the Detention Block as if you were a prisoner. Lord Vader wishes to test the Detention Block's defenses," Davel answered.

"Why didn't you just say that?" Damon asked.

"We were instructed to say nothing more unless necessary," Simok said. "To make it as authentic as possible."

"Authentic?" Qui-Gon asked.

"As if Luke were truly under arrest," Davel answered.

"But why would Lord Vader want Luke to test the Detention Block's defenses?" Damon asked.

"Because … because I helped someone escape from the same type of system on the Death Star. He wants to see … see how I did it and … if the Executor's system suffers from the identical flaws," Luke rushed out. In a way what he had said was true. It was Leia's rescue from the Detention Block on the Deathstar that formed the basis of Luke's prisoner fantasy.

Qui-Gon's eyebrows rose exponentially with each statement out of Luke's mouth. The young man knew this explanation wasn't fooling the Jedi Master. With all that was going on with the Emperor, Black Heart and the Rebels, Vader would hardly care about testing the Detention Block's defenses, but it was all Luke could come up with. He willed Qui-Gon not to question him on it. The Jedi Master's eyes suddenly went unfocused. Luke could tell that he was speaking with Vader over their bond. A slight smile curled Qui-Gon's lips and he shook his head with a laugh.

"Well, Luke is correct. There is no need for concern. We best allow him to be taken … prisoner."

Luke blushed furiously at the gentle, knowing look Qui-Gon shot him. He doubted his father had told Qui-Gon what they were truly going to do in the Detention Block, but Qui-Gon seemed to have a far more earthy imagination than Luke thought a Jedi Master would have. Somehow Luke couldn't see Master Jinn as a virgin so perhaps Qui-Gon had more than just his imagination to go on. Luke felt his blush hit radioactive heights at that.

As Luke rose to his feet, his thoughts spun away from Qui-Gon's potential sex life to why his father let him be ambushed like this. But then again wasn't that part of the fun? He would feel more like a real prisoner if he were "captured." He gave an appreciative shudder. Luke gently disengaged Joran's hands from his middle, petting the child's head.

The little boy looked up at him earnestly and asked, "Sure its okay, Luke?"

"It's fine. I'm going to be with my father."

Joran nodded his head sagely. "Your daddy loves you."

Luke felt a bright smile cross his own lips. "Yes, yes, he does."

"Well, thank goodness this is just a test." Salara gave him a quick smile and sat back down.

"Thank you all for the protection … even if unnecessary this time," Luke said.

Damon, however, was still frowning and looked ready to stop the troopers from taking Luke anyway even if it was just a test. Luke worried the other man might be sensing the reality of the situation.

"It's all right, Damon. Really, I'm in no danger."

"Are you sure you want to go, Luke?" His grey eyes searched Luke's blue ones for too long.

"I assure you that this is what I want to do," Luke answered without hesitation.

Damon's gaze reluctantly released him and the trooper's eyes were shadowed. Luke repressed a sigh. He knew that Damon was only the first person to sense something was … different … about his and Vader's relationship. Others would eventually figure out that they were more than father and son. And then what? Maybe Vader subconsciously was trying to "out" them by having the fantasy start in such a public manner.

Luke wondered if he really want to hide. Truthfully, he just wanted to be allowed to live his life with Vader as he chose, to be left alone, but that wasn't going to be possible. His father would be Emperor. He would be one of the founders of the new Jedi/Sith Order. They were the Balance. Every action they took would be subject to scrutiny. But he wouldn't give his father up. No matter what the cost.

"Come now, Damon, Joran, back to meditation," Qui-Gon said and gave Luke an encouraging smile.

Luke felt Damon's eyes on his back as he joined Simok and Davel by the door, but he shook off the sensation. Damon's feelings were not important on this matter. Simok extended a pair of binders while Davel requested his lightsaber. Luke hesitated in giving it over.

Davel reading his hesitation for what it was, said, "Lord Vader has instructed that your lightsaber be placed in your quarters during the duration of the test. It will be safe and secure. Besides if we didn't confiscate it, it would hardly be …"

"Authentic?" Luke asked with a soft laugh as he repeated the Simok's earlier words.

Davel nodded and Luke reluctantly handed the saber over. It felt like letting go of a part of himself. Even though his new powers clearly exceeded anything he could do with the blade, he felt naked without it. He'd begun to think of the saber like a talisman, especially this particular one as Vader had made it for him.

Luke extended his hands so Simok could fasten the binders on his wrists. They felt heavy and cool against his skin. Luke remembered vividly placing a similar pair on Chewie when he and Han had gone to rescue Leia. He smiled at the thought of her feisty reaction to their rescue. But that only made him think of the last time he saw her, cold and distant, and his happiness faded. Did she survive the fire on Black Heart? He hadn't been able to sense her since he left the Rebellion. He prayed that she, Han, Chewie, Lando and Threepio were all right.

He hadn't seen Lando on Black Heart at all, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. Perhaps the scoundrel turned politician hadn't joined in on Obi-Wan's plan to destroy Luke and Vader. Lando had always seemed more practical than zealous in his service to the Rebellion even though Vader had given the man little cause to love him. But then again Han hadn't been a true believer in the Rebellion either. However, wherever Leia went, whatever Leia did, Han was sure to follow. Perhaps Lando would have gone along as well due to loyalty to Han.

Loyalty.

Luke's loyalty lay with his father. Those he left behind were all still Luke's friends in his heart, even if they no longer considered him one. But in the end his loyalty would keep him by Vader's side and probably in his friends' gun-sights. Luke shied away from these distressing thoughts and tried to concentrate on the moment.

With the two troopers flanking him, they began walking down the hallway towards the Detention Block. Luke didn't make conversation with them and they did not try to make any with him. Perhaps his father had told them not to, but for Luke's part, he didn't wish to break the mood. Since he already felt slightly off-kilter from the surprise beginning of the fantasy, it wasn't hard for him to remember the sense of displacement, anticipation and fear he felt that first time he was captured by the Empire.

And his first sight of Vader.

Luke shivered slightly as he walked between the two silent men and remembered that first glimpse of the Dark Lord. Vader had turned from the pile of robes that had marked the place where Obi-Wan had fallen. The Dark Lord's black cloak had billowed out behind him like a pair of massive wings. The black mask had reflected the light of the laser bolts that Luke had sent his way in a haze of pain and rage and … something else.

Vader's strength and the almost dark sensuality he radiated had spoken to Luke in ways he had not cared to examine or understand at the time. For even as Luke had hated the Dark Lord for allegedly killing his father and striking down Obi-Wan, part of him had yearned to put his blaster down and … submit. Let himself be claimed by that magnificent darkness. Now he would get his chance.

Luke came back to himself when he saw the doors to the Detention Block. The doors whooshed open as they approached. Before them was a long hallway lined with cells. The lighting was dim and had a reddish tint. Luke peered forward, but saw no one inside.

He sent his Force senses out, but immediately reared back as he felt a solid Force wall blocking him. Vader wasn't going to allow him a sneak peek of what was within. The troopers gently prodded him in the back, indicating he was to move forward. Luke stepped inside. The troopers remained behind. The doors closed and locked, leaving Luke seemingly alone.

Until he heard the breathing.

The whoosh and thrum of Vader's old respirator seemed to vibrate within his own chest. Luke swallowed hard and slowly walked forward, following the echoing sound until he reached the last cell. A black-cloaked figure stood in the center of the cell with his back to Luke. The figure seemed impossibly huge. Towering. Majestic. Then it turned and the hood of the cloak slipped to the side and Luke saw the mask. Vader's mask. The figure stepped forward.

Like a dream and nightmare combined, Luke forgot for a moment that this was his father, forgot all they had gone through, and blindly panicked. His back was against the far wall of the hallway, his mouth open in a gasping `o.' He didn't know how he got there, but he was pressing himself against the wall as if he wished he could meld into it.

His mind murmured the mantra: the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord. The Dark Lord of the Sith!

But then the figure extended one black gloved hand towards him and Luke flashed back to that moment on Bespin when Vader had said in his darkest, richest voice, `No, Luke, I am your father.' Instead of the horror that statement had caused him the first time, the memory made Luke realize where he was and who the figure was. This was his father. His father who loved him. This was a game that could end at any time. All he had to say was `wookie.' It would cease and all would be well. But Luke didn't want it to end. This was his chance to relive that pivotal moment on the Death Star but this time instead of running to the Millennium Falcon he would run towards Vader.

With all that in mind, Luke realized that the sound of the respirator was only in his head, that Vader was not wearing it. Nor was Vader as tall as he had at first seemed when Luke entered the cell. It was all Force illusions. Beautifully done Force illusions. The mask, too, was merely lying over Vader's now handsome features, easily removable.

Tension drained out of Luke and he stopped hugging the wall. He stretched out his Force senses and felt warmth and love from the figure. He sent the same back over the bond. But he did not try to physically speak to Vader as his father or acknowledge that this was all a game and spoil the moment. He had to hold up his part of the bargain as his father was doing so magnificently. He would play the role of captured Jedi to the hilt. He would make his father earn his submission. Even though he saw through some of the illusions it still surprised Luke when his father spoke and there was the resonance of the vocoder.

"So you are finally in my clutches, Skywalker." The extended hand clenched into a fist as if Luke were physically within the Dark Lord's grasp. "And you will never leave me again. You are mine."

Vader's POV

His son's slim form was trembling against the wall. Those luminous blue eyes were huge and Vader saw fear and confusion race through them. He wavered for one moment in continuing the game. Luke was clearly more affected than he thought the boy would be and not in the way Vader had planned. But then the tension suddenly drained from Luke and Vader felt a pulse of pleasure and love over their bond.

Luke stood up straight and took a step away from the wall. His expression was serene, with a hint of arrogance in his voice, as he said, "Lord Vader, you may have captured me, but that does not make me yours."

`Such the Jedi,' Vader thought and laughed darkly. "I see that you need to be convinced, Skywalker. A challenge. I shall enjoy this."

Vader used the Force to pull Luke across the short space that separated them. Luke's body was so close to his that the boy had to lean back to see the Dark Lord's face. He reached down and ran one gloved hand down Luke's cheek. The boy's breathing sped up slightly and Vader grinned underneath the mask.

"I think you will find you are very much mine," Vader said.

He levitated Luke upwards so that the chain on the binders was attached to a hook that hung down from the ceiling. He made sure that Luke wasn't experiencing pain or discomfort from the position by using a touch of the Force to keep the binders from digging into the boy's slender wrists and to ease any tension in Luke's shoulders and arms. The boy was suspended a few inches above the ground so that they were almost eye-to-eye. Luke jerked at his bonds, but as Vader knew, they were secure, leaving Luke quite helpless.

"What do you intend to do to me, Lord Vader?" Luke asked.

Vader didn't answer his son, letting the silence and Luke's imagination chew on the many possibilities of what the Dark Lord could do. He removed the mask, placing it on a bench in the corner of the room, positioning it so that it was still facing Luke. He then allowed the cloak that covered him to slide off and pool at his feet.

He was wearing a black, skintight Caravian leather outfit with knee-high leather boots that Luke had not seen. Vader had designed the outfit for battle so that he had ease of movement, but little material to bog him down. It was supple and smooth and showed every muscled inch of his remade body. As soon as he had tried it on, he realized that it had a highly erotic quality he had not counted on, which made it perfect for Luke's fantasy. He heard a soft gasp from his son as the boy took in Vader's outfit and the considerable bulge where his erection strained against the material. The Dark Lord's amber eyes rose to meet Luke's.

The boy's cheeks were flushed, his mouth was slightly parted showing a hint of pink tongue and white teeth, and his pupils were dilated. When Luke realized Vader saw his reaction, his mouth clicked shut and he threw his head back slightly.

"Do you like what you see?" Vader asked.

"Is that an official uniform? It looks more appropriate for a … a nightclub of … of questionable repute … than for Empire business," Luke said crisply.

Vader laughed. He heard a touch of jealousy in his son's words. The bond showed him that Luke was imagining others viewing Vader in this outfit. And the boy was not pleased by the thought.

"This is something I'm wearing just for you, Skywalker. Surely you know that everything here is designed to … influence … you to my way of thinking."

"You won't succeed with such … such carnal exhibitions."

"Oh, is that so?"

Luke tossed his head back haughtily again. "I will resist you."

"I think not. But enough idle chatter. Time will prove which of us is correct, won't it?"

Vader pivoted on his heel and walked over to the opposite side of the room where a table was. On top of the table were the instruments he would use to influence his son to submit: a slender silver blade to remove and destroy yet another set of Luke's clothing and a soft paddle to take to his creamy buttocks.

Vader felt Luke's eyes following after him. The Dark Lord knew when Luke saw the table's contents because there was the slightest trembling to the boy's words.

"What are … are you going to do … do with those things?"

Vader smiled slowly. "Let me show you."

He picked up the blade.

The Dark Lord stalked over to the boy. The outfit moved so effortlessly with him, it felt like a soft second skin. It made his erection ache though as there was some friction between his cock and the material with each step. He stopped in front of Luke and played with the blade. It flashed and gleamed in the low light as he lightly tossed it from one hand to the other. Luke restlessly moved his body, but his eyes remained riveted on the silver knife.

Vader reached and tugged off one of his son's boots and then the other. They clattered to the floor. With a sweep of one leg he sent the boots skidding away to a corner of the room. He placed a possessive hand on Luke's right hip. A shiver coursed through Luke's body and the boy's arousal pressed tight against the front of his trousers.

"Is this for me?" Vader asked as he cupped his son's erection, hefting it, and felt his own shaft twitch.

Luke gave a muffled moan and struggled to speak. "No …"

Vader gripped his son's cock harder and the boy's whole body jerked and a pleasured groan burst forth from the boy's mouth.

"A Jedi shouldn't lie. At least not so badly," he chastised.

"This is just my body's reaction to stimuli. It is nothing … nothing important. Nothing to do specifically with you."

"I see. So it would not matter if someone else were doing this? You would still be hard in your pants, your cock would still be twitching and leaking if it was another's hands on you or another's voice was whispering in your ears? Perhaps we should test this theory of yours and I should have the troopers come back and--"

"No!"

Vader's smile grew wider. There was no way he would let anyone else see Luke like this let alone touch his golden child. "So you prefer me, do you, Skywalker? You only want me to touch you like this? To speak to you of forbidden things?"

Luke swallowed, his pupils were already blown wide with desire, even as he forced steel into his spine and tried to collect himself. "Are you giving up so quickly, Lord Vader? You believe already that you need the help of others to make me submit?"

Vader's nostrils flared and his eyes flashed. "I need no one else to help me! You will be on your knees willingly, begging for me to do whatever I desire, by the end of this session!"

"Bold words, but they are only words, Dark Lord."

His son's gauntlet had been thrown down and Vader felt the thrill of the chase quicken his blood. "You want action? I shall give it to you."

Vader placed the tip of the blade against Luke's right inner thigh, high up by his crotch, and, with one swift movement, slit the pants open from groin to ankle. He had not cut Luke, just let the blade glide over the child's tender flesh. The boy froze as Vader reached up with the blade again to do the other leg. The knife skimming through the material sounded like the rush of water over a creek bed. With a final vicious cut, he sliced through the crotch of the pants too. He wrenched off one glove, shocked slightly that his hand was trembling, and palmed the boy's now exposed cock and balls. Luke hadn't worn underwear again.

"My my, is it the official Rebellion policy to wear no undergarments? Or are you perhaps more a sensualist than you let on?"

Vader pushed up just behind Luke's balls and the boy give a startled gasp as the Dark Lord massaged his prostate from the outside. Luke's skin was so soft, it was addictive to manipulate.

"Do you enjoy the sensation of slick leather rubbing against your cock, Skywalker?"

Luke's hips jerked forward showing his appreciation of the touches, but his mouth was pressed into a tight white line, holding back by sheer force of will cries of pleasure.

"Have you imagined how easy it would be for someone to divest you of one thin pair of pants and you would be bare for them, open and aching?" Vader felt a stab of jealousy, his voice became harsher as he asked, "Did you fantasize about the other young men in the Rebellion or perhaps even the older more mature ones finding out how wanton you truly are?"

Vader swallowed, his throat too clogged with emotion to continue.

"No," Luke said softly, his voice so gentle. "I never thought of any Rebels in that way. Never thought of anyone else …"

Vader's head jerked up to meet his son's gaze. Luke's blue eyes were clear and the bond completely open for Vader to check if Luke spoke the truth. The Dark Lord stood there trembling. It was the ultimate hypocrisy for him to require Luke to have been chaste before they were even together, to not even have fantasized about another, considering that Vader had had many bed partners.

"I sense that you tell the truth, Jedi." Vader kissed his son's bare thigh. "It will make taking you all the sweeter."

There is a challenge in Luke's eyes as the boy asked, "Have you ever wanted anyone as much as you do me? For you do want me, Dark Lord, you have given yourself away in that."

Vader's amber eyes glowed softly. It would be a weakness to admit such a thing to a true prisoner, but he didn't want Luke to think for one moment that he didn't desire and love the boy above all others.

"I never have wanted anyone more than you."

There was a ghost of a triumphant smile on Luke's lips.

Then Vader added, "But do not think that this will save you in any way during our session, Skywalker."

Luke's luminous eyes widened at that comment.

The blade flashed again and Vader cut off Luke's pants altogether. Luke's jacket and shirt still remained, but he was bare from the waist down. No one would see his son like this ever but him.

The boy's cock was a deep pink and was curling up wantonly towards his belly. Clear fluid pooled at the slit. Vader slid the blade into the waistband of his pants as he leaned down and captured the head of the boy's cock in his mouth, sucking out the fluid as it formed. Luke whined and arched his body. The Dark Lord let the organ pop from his mouth.

"I think I could become quite addicted to your taste," Vader husked.

Luke flushed and dropped his head, though he could not altogether hide his pleased expression.

Vader grasped two slender chains that were attached to brackets on the floor. Luke's eyes tracked him as he attached one around the boy's right ankle then did the same to the left with the other chain. It stretched the boy's legs wide. Luke was now spread eagle in the air.

Luke's POV

Goosebumps rose on Luke's legs as a draft of cool air circulated against his bare flesh. He tried to control the shiver that went through him, though he wasn't sure if it was the cold air or his father's presence that caused it.

Vader stalked around the room in an "outfit" that gave him the appearance of being dipped in black oil it was so thin and sheer. Luke never wanted anyone else to see his father in it. Somehow he doubted that Vader had intended to make himself look so sensual and desirable. Luke guessed that Vader probably thought of the outfit in more functional terms. His father had lived so long feeling he was a horror to look at that Luke feared he had little sense about his actual physical appeal now.

Even though the Dark Lord had undoubtedly had his share of people aspiring to become his lover before, his father's choices in partners would be greatly increased now without the mask and respirator in the way. Vader's intelligence, his powerful charisma along with his renewed looks would make anyone want him. How could Luke hope to keep Vader to himself when the Dark Lord was sure to garner attention from all quarters?

Vader grasped Luke's chin and force him to meet his eyes. "I do not appreciate losing your attention, little Jedi. Am I boring you?"

Luke realized his mind had wandered for a moment with despair at the thought of losing his father. Vader's expression was stern, still the part to play, but Luke saw beyond that and knew that Vader understood the direction his thoughts had taken.

Over their bond, his father whispered, 'I'm yours, Luke. No one else can compare to you. I will make you believe this.'

'I'm ... afraid, Father. You are everything to me,' Luke sent back, his mind-voice small.

'As you are to me. You never need be afraid of losing me. You are the light around which I orbit. If you wish we can end our play and I can love you as myself: your father.'

'No!' Luke send vigorously then grinned momentarily. 'This is so good, Father, I want to continue. It was just a momentary distraction. Please don't stop. I can't wait to see what you're going to do.'

Vader teased, 'Good, but no more grim thoughts, young one,' then he added with a wicked grin, `for the Dark Lord does not take well to having his subjects ignoring him.'

Speaking out loud now and back in character, Vader said, "You need to be properly chastened for that lack of attention, Skywalker."

"Perhaps it is your crude techniques that have caused me to lose interest," Luke said primly and stifled a laugh as Vader's eyes glowed a sulfurous yellow at that comment.

"Crude? Well, I shall have to refine them for you, won't I?"

The flash of the silver blade in Vader's hands was all Luke saw before the sharp edge glided along his cheek but drew no blood. Soon that blade would slice through his jacket and undershirt and he would be divested of even of that minor covering. Being naked, even half-naked, while Vader was fully dressed was erotic. Luke was more aware of his skin than ever: the brush of his cock against his stomach, the press of the chains around his feet and ankles, the way the hairs on his arms caught against the fabric of his shirt.

Vader placed the blade's point at the base of Luke's throat. Luke swallowed as the cool metal pressed against him. In one sweep of Vader's arm, the Dark Lord cut the jacket and shirt from his neck to his waist. Then Vader was grasping Luke's right wrist, his thumb rubbing over the pulse point there.

"I've always felt that the blades I wielded were as alive as I am," Vader said softly.

He brought the knife up and positioned it just below the rubbing thumb on Luke's wrist. The contrast of the silky feel of his father's skin and the sharp point of the blade made Luke's blood race. He struggled to remain perfectly still. His eyes couldn't leave his father's. He was mesmerized by the look of utter calm and concentration in them.

Vader explained, "In a way I have always believed that the blade was the perfect symbol for the Force. When wielded with precision, with pure focus, with maximum intent … nothing can withstand either."

Vader then slowly slid the blade along the top of the sleeve, cleaving the material in two, stopping only when there was nothing more to cut but skin as it reached Luke's neck. He let the blade linger there as the jacket slid off to the side. Luke's remaining clothing was held on only by one arm. But that last connection was soon severed as well.

Vader allowed the naked blade to trace around Luke's throat, dipping down into the hollow at the base, and then gliding back up to the other side. Luke only heard the ripping sound as the blade parted his jacket's last remaining sleeve. His clothing fluttered off of him and lay scattered like fall leaves on the floor. He was bare and spread wide open for his father's inspection. His cock ached just at the realization of how wanton he must appear. How helpless. At the Dark Lord's mercy.

"Hmmm, at least the Jedi arts are good for some things," Vader said as his eyes slowly followed Luke's form from toes to the top of his head.

Luke felt that gaze like fire running over him. There was a glow inside him at the thought that his body pleased his father. But he had his role to play and said, "My body is not for your viewing enjoyment, Lord Vader."

"Oh, but little Jedi, I am enjoying viewing it so thoroughly. And I think I shall do more than just look."

Vader sheathed the knife again and tugged off his one remaining glove with his teeth, dropping the leather down to the floor. He then let that bare hand follow the same path as the blade did down Luke's arms until he closed his hands lightly around Luke's throat. Luke stopped breathing at the gentle yet possessive touch.

"I can feel your heart racing," he said and Luke's heartbeat increased further. Vader grinned wolfishly.

"So would yours be if you were in my place," Luke answered serenely in contrast to his galloping heart rate. "After all, you have me chained and your hand around my throat. Perhaps if you let me down and made this more of a fair fight--"

The Dark Lord let out a bark of laughter. "Fair? Nothing in life is fair. Surely even you in your young years and drenched in Jedi optimism understand that."

"Or perhaps you are afraid that you could not have your way with me unless the odds are fully in your favor."

Vader frowned at that comment and pinched one of Luke's nipples. The boy gasped in combined pain and pleasure. The Dark Lord leaned down and soothed the stinging pink nub with his tongue. Luke rocked back and forth from his chained hands as the warm tongue rasped against his sensitive skin.

"Don't worry, Skywalker. I promise that you'll be released from your bonds during our session … at some point. But you'll find that I will still very much have my way with you even so," Vader said.

The Force tendril he'd put on his own cock was fraying and since it was his father's determination to make him "submit" and come, he doubted Vader would help him keep his control. Luke could see his father's own rampant erection through the sheer outfit he wore; that beautiful huge cock was hardly contained by the straining leather. Yet even though it was clear that Vader was deeply aroused, he seemed completely in control of himself. Luke thought this deeply unfair, too, but refrained from saying so out loud this time.

"I believe you still require punishment from before for being distracted. But first, I think I will have a taste of your lips," Vader said.

The Dark Lord leaned in and tried to force a kiss, but Luke turned his head to the side. He would see how Vader would like to feel a little "unfairness." Vader hissed in annoyance.

Luke smiled in triumph.

"Give me that mouth of yours, boy."

Vader gripped his chin harder and made Luke face him. Luke kept his lips firmly closed as Vader covered his mouth with his own. Vader tried to turn the kiss from closed to open-mouthed. Luke allowed him to think he had succeeded then nipped his father's lower lip for his trouble. Vader's head jerked back. A bead of blood welled up on his father's lip. The Dark Lord's pink tongue mesmerized Luke as it snaked out and licked off the blood.

"You will grant me a kiss, little Jedi."

"I see no reason why I would do so," Luke taunted, knowing that it would only make his father up the ante, but he was so desperate to cum, he at least wanted to seem like he had held out until he was really "forced" into it.

Vader laughed. "Then let me show you a reason."

Vader extended his right hand to the side and drew over the paddle to it with the Force. Luke trembled. Gods, he knew what was coming. He remembered what it felt like when his father spanked him in the bath. He could never forget that. The burn and then the pleasure.

"Are you going to … paddle me?" Luke asked softly, his voice sounding breathless, and he tried to firm it up, but he wanted Vader to do spank him so badly even though it probably meant he would cum without his cock hardly being touched.

Something about what Luke had said or maybe how he had said it, had an arousing effect on the Dark Lord, too. Luke watched as Vader adjusted his twitching cock, his golden eyes shutting for a moment as if the sight of Luke inflamed him too much. When he did speak, his voice was a dangerous low purr, as he said, "You have no one to blame for this punishment but yourself, Skywalker. You have proven intractable to oral persuasion. Perhaps the strength of my arm can do the trick."

As Vader began to slink around him, out of Luke's vision, the boy's senses prickled, he felt the hair on his body rising, goosebumps forming, as he anticipated the first blow. He wondered almost hysterically if his father had actually ever paddled a prisoner into submission before. Jealousy ran through him at the thought and he wanted to laugh and shout at the same time.

When the first blow did come, all thought stopped. Luke heard the paddle whistling through the air then the solid smack of it hitting his buttocks followed by the warm rush of pleasured pain. His body arched like a bow. The second and third were close in succession and he was biting his lip so hard it bled. The fourth blow made him cry out. His ass was on fire, the flesh tender and hot. His cock was bobbing up and down with each blow, raining precum on the floor. The fifth blow took his breath away and he opened his mouth wide in a cry of pleasure and need for air. That was when Vader swooped in for the kiss he sought. Luke found himself helplessly responding. His father's tongue was stroking the roof of his mouth, claiming him, as his ass throbbed and stung.

His cock was so hard. He wanted to come, to spurt his seed all over his father's outfit, mark it with his scent and something of his DNA, as if that would ward off all others who would try to get close. Luke forgot he was supposed to be resisting and sucked on his father's tongue as if he needed it to live. He thrust his cock against Vader's hip. The friction was so good. Just as he felt his balls tighten up against his body ready to release his seed, his father set a Force tendril around the base of his cock replacing his own frayed one. Luke cried out his frustration into his father's mouth.

"It seems I got my kiss after all," Vader said as he drew back for a breath. "More than one in fact."

"You cheated. It was not a true victory," Luke said, hearing the petulance in his own voice as he was still aching to have release.

"Any victory in the end is a true one. But this was merely a battle, not the war, so do not be too upset with yourself. You lose so beautifully." Vader then almost crooned, "Do you want to cum, little Jedi? Hmmm?"

Luke wanted to scream, YES, but he knew he couldn't surrender yet, but gods, he wanted to. He shook his head, unable to form the words.

Vader snorted. "Such a little liar, but your body is not so good at deceiving me, is it?"

The Dark Lord reached down and tugged at Luke's turgid cock. Luke whimpered.

"Are you certain you don't want your release, Skywalker? One word … one little word and I'll …" Vader leaned in, his breath hot and like a caress against Luke's cheek, "I'll use my hands and mouth to make you cum."

Luke jerked in his chains. His father's lips brushed feathery light touches against the hypersensitive skin of his neck as the Dark Lord continued to describe what Luke could have if he just gave in.

"If you just say the word, I'll stroke you hard from root to tip. I'll caress your sweet balls. And then suck on the head of your cock, my tongue dragging across the slit, probing at it to make you give me more of your essence while I push up with my fingers at that sensitive spot just behind your balls. Then I'd begin to take you into my mouth, follow that swollen vein on the underside with my tongue, and just … swallow you whole."

Luke gave another inarticulate cry. His father's words and voice and his lips that just caressed Luke's skin as he drew them ever so lightly over Luke's body were like desire given physical form. He couldn't take much more.

Vader reached around and began massaging his still tender buttocks. Luke gave a muffled moan. The flesh was still so sensitive from the paddling, but his father's touch felt so good. He hoped and dreaded that Vader would touch the entrance to his body. Luke shook as his father's fingers did just that and traced the pucker's outer edges lightly.

"I can't wait to fuck you, Skywalker," Vader said. He drew his hands away from Luke's bottom but only to suck on his own fingers, wetting them until they were shiny with spit. "Can you imagine how it'll feel with my cock thrusting into you?"

As if to punctuate his point, he pushed one slick finger inside Luke's passage.

"Please!" Luke cried out.

"Please what?"

Luke pictured Jabba the Hutt, the Emperor, those slimy Mynock things Leia had told him about. Any non-sexy thoughts that would drive out the need for his father to fill him and for his own seed to spray in endless gushes out of him. But nothing was working. His cock hurt he was so hard.

"Please what? Are you telling me you want to come?"

Luke nodded his head.

"You must say it aloud. Tell me what you want," Vader instructed, his lips so close to Luke's that he drew in his father's air with every breath.

"I want …"

"Yes?"

"I want to cum," Luke said softly, his head hanging. "Please."

Vader gave a wicked smile as he said, "Then you shall."


CHAPTER NINETEEN: Part II: REBEL PRISONER LUKE

Vader's POV

"I want to cum," Luke said softly, his head hanging. "Please."

Vader gave a wicked smile as he said, "Then you shall."

Luke's admission was like an aphrodisiac to Vader. A pulse of desire ran through him and heat seemed to gild his skin. The boy had certainly earned his reward. The Dark Lord gracefully slipped down Luke's body, his hands skimming the boy's sides finally resting on the child's slender hips. Vader's eyes flickered up to Luke's face at that moment as he breathed lightly over the head of Luke's cock. The boy gasped and tried to thrust forward into that inviting mouth but the chains and Vader's grip on him kept him in place.

Vader could feel through the Force how hard Luke was, how in need. It doubled his pleasure. His cock was like an iron bar in his pants and all he wanted to do was thrust it into Luke's body, lose himself in that primal rhythm against the bound form, but he'd promised Luke his mouth if the boy admitted his need for release. He would deliver on that promise.

Vader leaned in and sucked the tip of Luke's cock into his mouth, tonguing the slit. The boy shook in his chains and let out long moan. He eagerly drank down the salty fluid of his son's pre-release. His mouth watered for more. So he relaxed and opened his throat and just took Luke into him. His nose was pressed into the soft curls at the base of his son's cock as the rest of the organ was deep in his throat. He had not gone down on many people in his life that he could recall, but it felt so right and effortless. Another sense of having done this a million times before came over him, but Vader was not in the mood to trace that illusive sense of deja vu right now. Luke gave a strangled cry as Vader then swallowed around the boy's cock.

"Oh, Force! Yes!" Luke screamed.

Vader backed off the boy's cock until only the head was still inside of him. The rest of the glistening length was laid out before him like a feast. He plunged down on the shaft again. Their twin pleasures thrummed through him and his balls tightened against his body with his impending orgasm. He did not want to waste his seed in his pants. He'd rather spill it into the boy's body somehow. But he wasn't going to be able to hold off his release if he brought Luke to completion in this way. He drew off Luke's cock and viciously squeezed the base of his own with a Force tendril.

"Please!" Luke wept. "Please, don't stop!"

"I'm not stopping, little Jedi. I promised you release and I intend to deliver."

The Dark Lord rose to his feet and used the Force to levitate Luke so that the binders on his wrists were unhooked from the ceiling and gently brought him to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked.

He sounded like a lost child rather than the haughty Jedi he was playing. The childlike impression was emphasized by Luke's slight wobbling on his feet. The thin chains on the boy's ankles made tinkling sounds when he moved.

"Lay down on your back."

"What? Why?"

"Will you spend your time questioning me or do you wish your release?"

As the boy sank down onto the floor, his head swayed towards Vader's groin. The Dark Lord made a strangled sound as the boy's hot breath heated the thin leather that covered his cock. Luke didn't hide his smile, believing he had won a victory. Vader caught Luke's chin in one hand, intending to re-establish who was the master here.

"Do not be so pleased with yourself, Skywalker, or I might just decide to leave you hard and dripping and aching."

Luke's blue eyes went wide and there was a hint of panic in his voice as he said, "But we had a deal!"

"Foolish Jedi, I am your captor. You are my prisoner. You can only pray that I honor any deal you think we have."

Luke's expressive mouth opened and shut and without another sound the boy sank to the floor. The durasteel floor of the cell was cool so Vader wasn't surprised when Luke shivered slightly. Vader opened his pants and his huge cock, flushed red and dripping jutted out from the opening. Luke's eyes were immediately drawn to it and he licked his lips and spread his legs wider. Vader's gaze slid over the boy's naked body and heat built up in him.

`Mine,' he thought with great satisfaction.

"Such a wanton child. You will pleasure me while I pleasure you," Vader explained then moved to straddle Luke's body, his head facing towards Luke's feet while his cock hovered over Luke's mouth. "Oh, and little Jedi, if you come before I do, I shall be very displeased with you. And there will be consequences for my displeasure."

Luke swallowed audibly and said, "I understand."

Vader began massaging Luke's thighs, but he didn't move to take Luke's cock into his mouth just yet. He knew that Luke was beyond the point of no return and once Vader touched his cock again the boy would probably orgasm. And Vader wanted this to last awhile at least.

He heard the almost musical tinkling of the binders as Luke reached up, gripped Vader's hips and drew the Dark Lord's swollen cock down to his mouth. Vader hissed as the child's clever tongue swirled around the broad head of his cock. He tightened his hold on the boy's thighs as Luke's pink lips formed a tight seal around his cock head. Luke sucked hard, drawing out all the precum like Vader's cock was a straw for his seed. He gasped and shut his eyes tight. The pleasure was causing stars to appear before his vision. Luke kept improving his technique every time they did this. He had to rethink his forbearance in touching Luke or the boy was going to win their little contest.

He wet several fingers on his right hand then slid both hands under Luke's buttocks. He lifted the boy's pelvis up towards his mouth as he inserted his dripping fingers into Luke's opening. The child whimpered around his cock and the vibrations made Vader shake. But he would not come yet.

He slowly began pushing his fingers inside Luke while his head dipped down and he just barely grazed the boy's cock with his lips. Tremors went through Luke at the too light touch. He felt the boy resisting the urge to plunge his backside downward onto the questing fingers. Vader nuzzled the crease between Luke's hip and groin then sucked on the tender skin leaving a red-purple passion mark. He licked the wounded skin.

"I think I would like to mark you permanently as mine, little Jedi," Vader said as he trailed his fingers over the bruised wet mark. "Perhaps a tattoo in Indarian ink of a Force chain around your thigh."

Luke movements on his cock stuttered and his hands gripped Vader's hips tighter. The boy appeared to like the idea of being marked. Luke sucked hard as he pulled off Vader's cock and the Dark Lord growled.

"Why are you stopping? I did not say you could stop."

"Would you do it, too? Get marked … as mine, Father?" Luke asked, his voice hitching slightly, as he broke the fantasy for a moment.

Vader turned his head so he could look at his son. Anxious blue eyes gazed back at him.

"Yes, my son. Of course I would. I will."

A wide smile spread across Luke's face. "Thank you."

How could Luke not know the power he had over him? He would do almost anything the boy asked. And because this marking was to show their devotion to one another, he would do it in a heartbeat.

"There is no need for thanks. I want it as much as you do." Then Vader firmed his tone and commanded, "Now … continue my pleasure, little Jedi."

Vader hissed as, instead of responding verbally, his son deep-throated him. He couldn't stop himself from thrusting into Luke's mouth, needing to fuck that hot, wet opening. He was going to lose their game if he did not do something critical now. He crooked his fingers and mercilessly rubbed Luke's prostate as he took the boy's cock in his mouth down to the root and removed the Force tendril.

Luke's body stiffened beneath his and then the boy was coming down his throat in thick creamy spurts. Luke shook uncontrollably as his orgasm overwhelmed him. The Dark Lord found himself thrusting deep into the boy's throat one last time as his own release crashed over him. Through their bond he could feel Luke's pleasure as well as his own. Vader slid off of Luke just in time as he grayed out as the double orgasm devastated him.

He did not know how long he remained in that twilight state for it was only when he felt a lithe form straddle his waist and body-warmed binders snap over his wrists and ankles that the Dark Lord swam back into full consciousness.

Luke's POV

Luke felt a triumphant smile stretch across his face. He knew he had "failed" by coming first, but he had also recovered from it first and taken advantage of that fact. Vader tried to move his arms to grasp Luke but Luke used the Force pin his father to the ground with his powerful arms above his head and his legs slightly spread. The amber eyes narrowed dangerously. Vader strained against the Force restraints and physical ones, but Luke was pleased to note that he wasn't able to free himself.

"What is the meaning of this, little Jedi?"

"I think the meaning is quite clear. The captor has become the captive."

Vader glanced at the binders on his wrists and back up at the boy.

"How did you get out of them? I did not feel you use the Force."

"I didn't. Han taught me how to free myself from Imperial binders the old-fashioned way."

Luke banished the flicker of pain he felt saying his friend's name and the reason for the training.

"And what are your intentions now that our positions are reversed … for the time being?"

Luke looked at his father through his lashes and saw how desire had made Vader's eyes more black than amber. He was learning a little how to seduce his father.

"What should one's intentions be when one has the Dark Lord flat on his back, half-naked and completely at his mercy?"

"I thought you wanted to be the prisoner here," Vader said softly, his expression tinged with amusement.

"I did. I do. Only … part of my fantasy has always been that I get to know you … get to touch and taste and experience you like no one else ever has. And I need you still and … cooperative … for me to do that."

Vader's breathing quickened as Luke leant down and brushed his lips over each delicate eye orbit. The boy felt emboldened and not shy at all. He normally let his father take the lead each time they made love, but he wanted to experience this, too. What this was … control or seduction or a different form of submission … was unclear to him, but he was going to go with it.

"For example," Luke said as he slid further down his father's body so that his bare buttocks rested on his father's leather-clad thighs and the older man's cock was within hand-reach. "I expect that no one else knows that the Dark Lord is so … soft … underneath all his armor."

He placed one hand flat on Vader's stomach and then slowly slipped it down into the open pants. He massaged the skin just above his father's sex. The muscles underneath his hand jumped at his touch.

"You are a bold one," Vader said, his breath rushing over his teeth in an almost hiss as Luke gave the Dark Lord's still sensitive organ a few hard strokes.

"I think that is a family trait you see in me." Luke grinned.

He grasped the waistband of his father's pants and slipped them down until they were around his mid-thighs. Luke then took in the sight of Vader, just looked at him. He drank in his father's strong muscular arms stretched above his head. His gaze raked over the durasteel binders fastened tightly over delicate wrists and long golden locks spread out like a halo around his head. Vader's amber eyes were at half-mast, his plush lips were wet and swollen and slightly parted, and his muscled chest glistened with sweat.

"You're so beautiful. And no one gets to just look at you or touch you because you're the great Dark Lord of the Sith. You are Darth Vader. And yet, right now … at this moment … I have you completely," Luke said almost to himself.

"And you think you can keep me like this? At your mercy?"

Luke didn't answer instead he allowed his hands to roam over his father's body. Vader was incredibly responsive even as he tried to fight it. When Luke's fingers brushed over ribs or along his hip bones Vader would tense and bite his lower lip as if to reject the touch while the rest of his body arched up into it, trying to follow Luke's hands. Luke was fascinated as always by his father's nipples and he wasn't disappointed with Vader's reactions when he ran his tongue around the areolas. Vader growled then shook as Luke sucked on the nubs, oddly wishing he could nurse from his father, draw part of his father into himself this way.

"Force, tease me no more!" Vader cried out.

Luke drew off his father's sensitive nipples. Vader's cock was fully engorged and leaking even though it had hardly been touched. Drips of precum dotted his stomach, which Luke swooped down to lick up.

"What would you give me for release, Lord Vader?"

Vader gave out a bark of laughter. "The tables truly have turned."

"Yes, they have." Luke wrapped one hand around his father's cock and stroked it, loving the feel of steel covered by velvet.

The Dark Lord groaned and asked, "What do you want?"

Luke looked down at him and considered the question. He wanted so many things. And he could ask for anything right now. But there really was only one thing he truly wanted.

"Tell me you love me."

Vader's expression softened and Luke could hear the truth and passion in his father's voice as he said, "I love you."

A trembly smile crossed Luke's face. "Tell me you'll be with me forever."

Amber eyes blazed up at him. "Forever. I promise. Believe me, Luke. It's true."

"For all you have just given me and will in the future … I'll give you your release gladly and most anything else you want," Luke said softly.

He saw that there was a tube of lubricant on the table by the door. He used the Force to draw it to his hand. He slicked his own fingers and rose up onto his knees as he continued to straddle Vader's body.

"What are you doing, young one?"

Luke grinned. "You'll see."

Luke reached between his thighs, his fingers slick with gel, trailing over his own softly, furred balls, and behind to the perineum until he reached his opening. Vader's eyes were riveted on his hand as he slipped the first finger within himself. He already was slightly stretched and slippery, but he needed to be much more so in order to take his father's huge cock inside of him. He gave out a soft sigh as he put in another finger and began to scissor his opening. Vader's hips shifted restlessly. Luke then positioned himself over his father's leaking cock.

"You're going to take your pleasure from me, aren't you?" Vader asked. "Whether I would have you or no."

"Does that thought truly displease you?" Luke remarked as he lined the hard cock with his opening.

"You're going to ride me. Make me cum inside you,"

Luke's breathing hitched and he said, "Most definitely. I'm going to make you scream for me, Dark Lord."

Luke lowered himself onto his father's cock. He bit his lip as the head popped through the outer ring of muscle. Luke resisted the urge to close his eyes as he sank down. He wanted to see his father's expression as he took all of Vader's massive organ inside. Vader's eyes had fluttered half-shut and his mouth parted. A pink, agile tongue slipped out and wetted those lush lips. Luke couldn't help but lean down and kiss them. So sweet and good. Luke moaned. He was addicted to every single part of his father. As Luke sucked on Vader's swollen lower lip, the Dark Lord's hips suddenly rose up slipping another two inches of hot, thick cock inside Luke before the boy could use the Force to hold Vader utterly still again.

"You thought you distracted me," Luke gasped.

Vader grinned even as his breathing sped up and his cock throbbed in Luke's passage. "I will find a way to escape your bonds, little Jedi, and you shall pay for this … liberty … you take with my body."

A sly smile graced Luke's lips as he abruptly thrust himself down the rest of the way, taking his father's cock inside of him to the root.

"You're all the way in. I feel so full," Luke rasped out. "I can feel your heart beat."

"So hot. So tight," Vader husked, his eyes glowing slightly underneath the fan of dark, sable lashes.

Vader's head thrashed from side to side as Luke bore down with his inner passage's muscles all along the Dark Lord's cock. Slowly Luke drew up then settled himself back down again. He angled himself so that his prostate was rubbed with each downward thrust. Pleasured cries burst from his lips with each touch. He rose up higher each time until the last time, he accidentally dislodged his father's cock from inside him.

"Luke! Please, please! Back inside you!" Vader cried out and he had never sounded so desperate or needy before.

He was writhing underneath Luke, straining against the Force bonds, trying to get his leaking, flushed member back inside Luke's passage. His body glistened with sweat under the low lights of the prison cell. Luke swiftly reseated himself on his father's organ. Both of them cried out in unison as they rejoined. Luke's control was gone as pleasure ripped through his body.

And that, of course, was when the Dark Lord made his move.

Luke found himself suddenly pinned underneath his father's body. The older man's cock thrust to the hilt inside of him. He felt split open, but the pain was nothing compared to the pleasure. Vader gripped Luke's hips, the binders on his wrists were now torn apart. Luke hadn't time to marvel at that show of strength as Vader drew Luke's legs over Vader's shoulders, which made his own shoulders press tight to the floor. He whined low in his throat as the Dark Lord rocked forward, bearing down on him with his greater weight. He didn't think Vader could get any deeper inside of him, but obviously he had been wrong. A triumphant smile now graced the Dark Lord's lips. He twisted his hips, which made his cock rub against Luke's prostate. Pleasure raced through Luke's body.

"You thought you could take what you wanted of me, didn't you? Thought you could have your way with me?"

"I did have my way with you!"

Vader's grin grew. "For a short, short while. I need to make you pay for that, don't I?"

"I don't think that will be necessary."

"But I think it is necessary. Most necessary. I'm going to fuck you through the floor, little Jedi."

Luke's breathing hitched.

"Make you feel me for weeks."

With that Vader drew back and then drove inside, using his formidable muscles to spear Luke deep and true with each whip-like movement of his hips. Luke's body jolted with each thrust. He could feel and hear the slap of his father's skin against his own and he cried out with it, thrashing his head from side to side as the pleasure/pain built up inside of him. Vader pressed down on top of him, bending him almost in two. His father nipped his jaw line then dropped down to where his neck and shoulder met and bit hard, marking him. Luke shouted and surged up against his father's mouth.

Luke's passage felt hot with the friction of their lovemaking, the lube seeming to have melted away, but Luke did not care. He didn't want anything between his father's flesh and his own anyways not even the cooling glide of gel. Their combined sweat and his father's precum would be enough to slick the way. There was a steady wail coming out of his mouth as Vader pounded into his ass so powerfully that his shoulders slid against the floor with each stroke.

"Tell me who owns you," Vader ordered. "Tell me, little Jedi! Tell me now!"

"You do!"

Vader's head fell forward, a glazed expression of love and lust and conquest on his face at Luke's answer. His gaze held Luke's as he reached for the boy's straining cock. With one hard stroke from his father's hand, Luke's body arched up and streams of creamy cum jutted from his cock over both their bellies. His internal muscles clamped down on Vader's cock and he felt his father's thrusting stutter for a moment as he rode out Luke's orgasm. Then Vader was all the way in and he was coming. Luke could feel his father's seed filling him: hot and thick and rich and right. He could never get enough of this. Never.

Vader's POV

They lay on the cell's floor together with Luke cuddled against Vader's chest. Vader's shirt was pillowed under his head. Even with the discomfort of the cool floor against his naked back, he didn't want to move. Their lovemaking had burnt up considerable energy.

"Thank you for the fantasy and …" Luke said, his voice muffled against Vader's chest.

"And?"

"And for making it so thrilling and not … not … too realistic, I guess. I mean it was realistic but …," Luke gave a sigh of frustration. "It was wonderful, Father, perfect. I just can't find the words."

Vader kissed Luke's temple. He knew what Luke meant. He hadn't treated the child like a real prisoner. He gave his son only pleasurable pain. Thankfully, the Dark Side had not reared its head in these familiar surroundings where he had tortured many to death. It had not even whispered any cruelties in his ears and he had kept control.

"Do you have any fantasies, Father? About us, I mean," Luke asked.

A lazy, sensual smile curled Vader's lips. "Hmmm, too many to count."

"Please tell me one."

Vader ran his fingers idly through the hair at the base of his son's neck, watching as the damp locks curled around his fingers. Luke made a contented sound and snuffled closer to him.

"One of them already has come true. I fantasized you bare against black silk sheets, spread out like a feast before me, giving me your virginity."

Luke laughed. "I think that was a joint fantasy, Father. What of others?"

Vader knew his son was asking about sexual fantasies and he had plenty of those to tell. And he knew he would inform his son of each and every one of them, and make them a reality as well, but there were other things he wanted, too, from Luke of a less carnal nature and it was these wants that surfaced most strongly.

"I want … I want to spend the day with you doing normal things."

Luke lifted his head up to look at the Dark Lord. Vader met Luke's curious gaze.

"I want to walk down a crowded market street holding your hand. Feed you spicy kaffir noodles from a street vendor. Race against you on speeders. Hold you in my arms while the sun sets."

Luke's eyes went soft and gentle. He brushed Vader's cheek with his fingertips.

"Father."

"I want to experience everything with you," Vader's voice was soft but not uncertain. "I love you so much."

"I want that, too." Luke leant down and kissed him sweetly. Luke's stomach suddenly gurgled and Vader laughed. His son blushed as he pulled back to look at Vader's face. "You don't happen to have any food in here, do you?"

"Nothing edible," Vader said, his lips twisting with a moue of disgust when he thought of the nutrient paste that was kept for the prisoners and stored on the cellblock. "Perhaps we should continue this encounter back in our quarters?"

Luke nodded. Cool air brushed Vader's skin and gooseflesh broke out across his stomach and bare thighs as Luke stood up. The boy moved unsteadily as blood rushed back into his limbs, almost like a young colt taking his first tentative steps.

"How old were you when you took you started walking?" Vader asked suddenly.

"Around age two, I think. Aunt Beru said I was the oldest child crawling that she had ever seen. The doctors guessed that I must have started walking earlier but fallen and hurt myself and decided crawling was safer."

Vader chuckled. Luke grinned back. He waggled his eyebrows at his father as he picked up a fluttering piece of his destroyed clothing.

"I think I'm going to have a complex now about getting dressed considering how many sets of clothing have been destroyed this week. I might just have to remain unclothed."

"I would hardly complain, young one, so long as you are content to never see another but me. But before you make such a life choice, you should know that I brought a change of clothes for you over there."

Vader gestured towards the table. The bantering words could not overcome the regret that flooded him at the thought of missing his son's first step and his chance to sooth the youngster's fears back then. He would have coaxed the boy onto his feet sooner than Beru had. Vader tried to distract himself from those thoughts by watching the boy walk across the room now, muscles moving like liquid under that silky skin.

Luke tugged on a pair of pants and met Vader's gaze.

"Father, what are you thinking?"

"About you."

Luke cocked his head to the side, the puzzled expression growing.

"Care to share?"

"I was merely wondering about … your firsts. First word. First step. First time you looked up at the night sky and wanted to fly," Vader's voice faded off. He gave a sad grin and shook himself as he stood up. "Forgive me, Luke. I don't mean to be maudlin. Especially after such a wonderful experience with you."

Luke was suddenly in front of him, fingers under Vader's chin.

"Father, don't apologize. I … I think of these things, too. What we could have had. So many years … I'm just grateful for what we have now. What we're going to have."

Vader slipped his arms around Luke's slender waist. The boy melted against him. Something in his chest tightened. He didn't know where this feeling of sadness came from. He had Luke here with him. The boy was warm and willing in his arms. They had just made love and were planning a wonderful life together. So why this sense of loss? He pressed his lips against Luke's forehead, relishing the taste of his son's still sex-sweetened skin.

"I fear my life has led me to believe that whenever I am happy that things are bound to go wrong. And I have never been happier than I am now."

"I obviously can't promise that things won't go wrong considering we face the Emperor and Obi-Wan and whomever else will oppose us that hasn't made their presence known yet. But I can say one thing. Know one thing. And that is that we won't be parted again. No matter what we face in the future, we do it together," Luke said softly.

Vader said nothing, just kissed his son again. After long moments, he released the boy so both of them could finish dressing. After they were fully clothed, Luke began cleaning up the broken chains from the binders, the gel and other of the toys. Vader wrenched off the remainder of the binders from his wrists. Luke shook his head at that. Vader smiled at his own showing off and slipped the binders in his pocket.

"Go on to our quarters, Luke. I'll follow after you. I have to reset the security sensors and the surveillance system."

"Surveillance system? Oh!" Luke colored sweetly and Vader chuckled as the boy realized that, of course, the cells were remotely viewed and recorded.

He caressed his son's cheek. "Do not worry, young one. There is no record of our lovemaking. Though perhaps next time we should consider making one. I think it would be … inspiring … to us."

Luke blushed harder but a challenging grin lit his lips. "I agree, Father."

Luke kissed Vader and went to leave the cells.

Vader called after him, "Oh, Luke, one of my fantasies is to take you on the throne. After we defeat the Emperor … well, we shall see."

Luke smiled although Vader could see the concern in his eyes that was there whenever the Emperor was mentioned, but he said with conviction, "I have no doubt we will fulfill that fantasy."

As the doors to the cellblock whooshed shut behind his son, Vader walked over to the security terminal at the end of the cellblock hallway. He tapped in the override code on the computer and began to reset the security measures when he heard a soft whirring noise. His head jerked up and his eyes narrowed. But the sound was not repeated. He went back to turning on the cameras when he felt a burst of air coming from the cellblock. His Force senses suddenly shook. He extended them into the cellblock, but what he got back was a confused jumble. Something was there, but he couldn't see what. Along with unease, annoyance flared within him. Despite the fact that his powers were now so much more than they had ever been he had had more problems using the Force than ever before. Things could never be easy.

"Well, at least they will never be boring either," he said under his breath.

Vader grasped his lightsaber, which he had left on the security counter before Luke's fantasy began and was moving around the desk. He froze in the threshold of the cellblock. The lights at the end of the block were off, leaving a yawning blackness. He had not turned them off. Vader ignited the blade of his lightsaber.

"Come out whoever you are!" Vader called. There was no response. "You will regret your mistake in challenging me."

He advanced into the hallway. Another set of lights flickered off causing the entire back half of the hallway to be in complete darkness. He ground his teeth. Was this Palpatine? Was it another spy? Who was there? And why were his Force senses failing this time? He thought to contact Luke, but decided against it. He could take care of this himself. He took a few more light steps forward and a strange stuttering feeling came over him, his senses flickering wildly and his limbs going numb. It was similar to how he felt when he had faced the large droid in the sparring chamber only more so.

"Sidious?" He called out, but though he intended his voice to be strong and powerful it came out weak and breathy.

He swallowed hard. What was wrong with him? Why did he feel so strange? So … paralyzed?

Suddenly in the gloom ahead of him there was a gleam. The whirring sound was repeated. That was when Vader recognized the noise. He knew what was coming.

The torture droid's polished durasteel shell levitated into sight. It was kept in a closet at the end of the cellblock. It must have been overlooked when the other droids had been shut down being so tucked away. Palpatine had clearly taken advantage of this oversight.

The torture droid's main body was ovoid. Multiple claws tipped with various implements from syringes to scalpels to drills hung off its body like obscene fruit. With growing horror, Vader felt his arm that held the light saber relax instead of tense for a blow despite the fact that he willed it otherwise. He reached for his Force powers to crush the droid, but his abilities slipped through his mental grasp like water. His bond with his son was suddenly blocked from him as if by a wall of glass. He could see the bond but not touch it, not alert his son to his predicament. Panic and fear for his own well-being flooded him for the first time in decades. He was helpless.

"What have you done to me?"

Vader was unable to speak louder than a bare whisper. His lips felt like they were weighted with lead.

His eyes widened as the droid stopped half a foot from him and it extended one cold claw. The claw touched his face, almost tenderly, while its eyes blazed red.

"Ah, my disobedient apprentice," the droid hissed in Sidious' cadence though in a droid's gravelly voice. "You see that you are not so fancy free as you thought."

Vader's eyes widened and his mouth went dry as the droid's claw slipped down his cheek then moved along his neck to the opening of his shirt. It suddenly ripped the material down the front like it was made of paper. Its metallic head tilted to the side, gazing at his bare chest, with what looked awfully like desire.

"So beautiful, Vader. You always were. I would have … taken advantage … of that fact long ago if I hadn't know all too well that you would have rabbited away from me. That was before you understood your taste for men after all," the droid said with a shrill cackle.

Palpatine's emotions, an almost incandescent rage and putrescent desire, gushed over their bond for a moment. It was so unlike his former Master's usual icy demeanor that Vader didn't know if it was the words themselves or those feelings that made his skin crawl. Vader fought to pull away, to raise his saber and strike the thing down, even as bile rose in his throat. He had noticed the veiled glances and too long touches from Palpatine when he was a teen, but had been so eager to please the man he hadn't allowed himself to understand them. Now these unwelcome truths were being shoved at him from the man himself. And even though it was the cold claws of the droid that touched him rather than Palpatine's withered limbs, it felt no less like a violation.

"You wanted more than my power then. More than my loyalty," he forced out through numb lips.

The droid's eyes flared brighter as it cruelly squeezed his right nipple in its pincers. "Oh, yes, I wanted your body. I wanted you on your knees, ass in the air for me, taking it like the sweet, wanton slave you are!"

Vader gasped in agony, his anger flaring white-hot in his chest beating back the pain.

"You bastard!"

"What offends you more, my luscious apprentice? That I called you a slave or … wanton? You've always wanted to be someone's … boy."

The Dark Lord's nostrils flared and he was gratified that he could still shake even if the rest of his body wouldn't work.

"Only in your mind is that so! You only wish it to be true!"

"Oh, Vader, your denial is so pathetic! I would have thought you had some better understanding of yourself than that after twenty years under my tutelage. I sensed perhaps you did come to some … revelations … earlier."

Vader's eyes widened. If Palpatine's inexplicable ability to control him like this weren't bad enough, it seemed he could read his thoughts. He knew or at least sensed Vader's earlier revelations about Qui-Gon Jinn and the father-figure he had sought all his life. He scrapped around the inside of his mind, looking for how Palpatine was doing this. And he found it. There was a Force web in his mind. It had strands so fine that unless it was activated he would never have noticed them, in fact he hadn't noticed them.

"Ah, yes, you see my work of art. I began building this when you were a bright-haired lad. All big blue eyes and knobby knees. I made the net over thirty years. It is a masterpiece. A web stronger than durasteel. Stronger certainly than that pathetic link you have with that … Jedi Master Jinn," the droid said Master Jinn's name like it was poison in its metal maw.

"Yet you fear it will not be in the end," Vader said, his mouth able to twist into a smile as he sensed some of Palpatine's feelings towards the Jedi Master for a moment like a flutter of insect wings in his mind.

The droid levitated close to him, pressing tight against Vader's front. Its cold frame cut into his chest. Its eyes sparked with fury. Vader felt a calmness come over him and the smile came easier. He had hit a nerve.

"Do you not know what I could do to you? You are helpless! Your powers are useless to you! Your body is mine to control! I could crush you," Palpatine seethed.

"But you won't. Killing me is not what you want."

Just as suddenly as the droid had surged against him, the droid drew back and a high, dry electronic whine came out of it. Palpatine was laughing.

"Clever, clever, Vader. You are right. I will not kill … you. But your precious Master Jinn … he would be easy to destroy."

Something in Vader quivered at that. He blinked too quickly even as he fought against showing how that thought distressed him. But Sidious caught his emotions and pressed his advantage.

"Yes … definitely, I think that Master Jinn will … have to go."

"No!"

Vader cursed himself as the word burst from his mouth. He wished the paralyzation he was experiencing had worked better. It might have snuffed out that last traitorous word. The only saving grace to this conversation so far was the fact that Palpatine hadn't threatened Luke, but Vader guessed the Emperor's experience with Luke's powers in the sparring chamber made his son a far less vulnerable target. And clearly the Jedi Master was arousing far more ire than his son, but why? It wasn't merely because Palpatine fearing loss of control of Vader to the other man although that was clearly a big part of it.

"You should not have played Master and Padawan with him if you cared so deeply for his safety," the droid mocked. "You always did idolize him as if he would have done any better by you than any of the Jedi. As if he would have saved you. Protected you from the Council. He would have betrayed you just like all the others!"

Vader felt the familiar insecurities Palpatine's insinuations caused rise up in him. The doubts that Palpatine had fed in the past. But then he felt a bit of warmth in his mind. He recognized it as the bond he had with Qui-Gon. It shined at him, drew him near. He could barely touch it, but just that one brush gave him strength. It also cleared the fog from Vader's mind as to the truth of Palpatine's acidic rage against the Jedi Master.

"You're … jealous," Vader said with almost wonder in his voice that turned to bitter amusement. "All these years that you've trained others to take my place! All the time you've plotted to have my own son slay me and stand by your side! Yet here you are raging at me with jealousy at the thought of Qui-Gon becoming my Master instead of you."

The droid was silent. Its red eyes a sulfurous smolder in its deep-set sockets. Its body was still. Was Palpatine gone? Vader strained at the web that blocked his abilities and movement. There was a slight quivering, but he was still helpless. The glow of his bond with Qui-Gon drew his attention again and he grasped a hold of it as if his life depended upon it.

`Qui-Gon, hear me!'

`Anakin?' The Jedi Master's mind voice was soft, but there. It sounded like it was coming through thick cotton.

`Palpatine! Cellblock ten!'

That was all he could get out before the droid suddenly surged forward, shoving him back on the ground. His body bounced painfully against the durasteel grating. The back of his head connected hard. He saw stars and his connection with the Jedi Master was gone.

The droid was crouched over him. Its syringes filled with acids and poisons poised over the bare flesh of his abdomen. The whine of its multiple drills filled his ears. The droid ran one claw through Vader's long hair, pulling it hard until tears formed in his eyes.

"You were always so beautiful in your pain. I missed seeing it when the mask fell over your lovely features so long ago. To think I will have you back with me. Whole again, beautiful again and with such wonderful new powers to play with. Powers that will be mine to control," the droid mused.

"What's to stop me from taking the ship off course? From not returning to Coruscant?" Vader asked, his body aching from the fall and his scalp stinging from the pulling of his hair.

"Oh, my foolish apprentice." The droid scrapped its maw along Vader's jaw in a parody of a kiss. "Don't you understand? You can never get away from me no matter where you go."

Vader shivered with revulsion. "I will be free of you! I will!"

"Never. Never. Never, mine own."

"No!"

Suddenly, the droid was wrenched off of him. Its metal body flew through the air and impacted the far wall with a crunch and shattering of durasteel. The Force web that held Vader immobile was suddenly loosened and he shakily sat up. His Force senses flooded back in. He grasped onto Qui-Gon's presence behind him at the mouth of the hallway. It surrounded him with warmth and comforting strength. Too much strength. Qui-Gon had never seemed so powerful before, but now … Vader lost the thought as the Jedi Master strode by him. Qui-Gon stepped in between Vader and the shattered body of the droid that housed Palpatine's presence. He stood there, strong and tall and imposing like a monolith, a titan. His presence shielded Vader further from the debilitating effects of the Force web.

"Palpatine, leave here! Leave Anakin's mind! He is not yours! He will never be yours!"

The droid's head was held on only be a thin durasteel wire as it rose up slightly and rasped out, "I will destroy him first before I let him go with you!"

"It is you who will be destroyed, Sidious. That I promise you."

A burst of Force energy surged from the Jedi Master towards the droid. The droid was crushed into an unrecognizable mass with a rending sound of durasteel and the pinging of wires. The silence that fell in the aftermath seemed almost solid like a physical thing that thickened the air around them. The older man's Force presence flowed over Vader like honey, almost caressing him. Vader thought for a moment he smelt rain and ozone. So familiar. The walls shimmered and Vader glimpsed trees.

"Qui-Gon … it's happening … happening again …"

Slowly, Qui-Gon turned around. Vader's head lifted to meet Qui-Gon's gaze. The Jedi Master's Force presence made his movements slow and almost ponderous. It wasn't the sickly stuttering of movement that he'd experienced with Palpatine, but more a languid feeling one experienced after a day sleeping in the sun. Then Vader saw Qui-Gon's face and he froze.

"Anakin …" the Jedi Master's voice was rich and full but uncertain because of Vader's reaction. His hand extended tentatively towards him as if to comfort.

"Your eyes …"

"My eyes?"

"They're gold," Vader whispered. "Like mine. Like in the vision."


Part 8


Home Fiction Adult Fiction Art Mail List Staff Links


Graphics by Alicorna