For a moment, I was wondering about Piett being on the Executor already, but then it occurred to me that he couldn't have shown up in ANH because Vader wasn't actually on the Executor at the time. I rather had the feeling that he was hitching a ride with Tarkin while his Death Squadron was enforcing for him elsewhere, seeing as they weren't around for the Battle of Yavin, so even the Star Destroyer at the end of Rouge One and the beginning of A New Hope probably wasn't the Lady Ex.

Interesting take, I'm curious if this is in an AU timeline. Didn't Luke nearly get eaten by a Krayt at that age? If Obi-Wan failed to rescue him, he could very well have started haunting his father after he died.

this story is haunting.

I think my heart just broke.

All the feels.

This is equally heartbreaking and fascinating. I would love to get some deeper thoughts on your fic. Since we know Luke survived, who or what is this apparition? How is Piett able to see him?

Still one of the best Piett/Vader stories out there... and I'm a connoisseur.

Whoa. Firstly I thought the boy was a reflection of Anakin; an imagination from double personality made nearly tangible by the Force, as it were. But then... whoa. So it means that, in this story, Luke died with Padme and there was no Leia?
The story was so poignant, sad but so touchingly loving. I love the depiction. But if it's indeed Luke and there's no Leia, things would be FAR different in Star Wars, and my mind bungled trying to comprehend it. (Mainly because I'm new to the fandom myself, let alone its myriad fanfictions, haha.)
Great job!
Rey

...*wow.* This was amazing, touching, poignant, haunting, and beautiful. Wow.

So, I thought it was little innocent Anakin that was haunting Vader, but the fact that it was Luke almost makes it worse! Good job! Thanks for writing!

Cries. No words. Just have my river of tears.
I lied, there's words.
This was so poignant and brilliant. That perfect insight into Pietts character and his thoughts on the apparition...gosh, it just hit me straight in the feels. Empire fics are always depressing, but this one just struck me, especially with his views on religion and the emperorand when he realizes exactly what he's signed up for. And then the end, when he realizes that everyone suffered, even those who sem least likely to.

An enjoyable and well-written fic. Piett's reaction to the "ghost" seems realistic; after sufficient repetition, he knows something fishy is up, yet has the sense not to investigate even as he becomes intrigued. (Having a commanding officer who can read one's thoughts must be a terrible inconvenience.) One quibble: it seems unlikely that Piett would have been merrily imbibing Imperial propaganda "when he was young." The man looks to be at least in his mid-forties; the actor was 46 in RotJ. An officer of that age would not only have grown up under the Republic, but likely also received his first commission pre-putsch.

Both Piett's ability to see the titular apparition and the burst of empathy he feels along with Vader in the last few paragraphs suggest that he might be very slightly Force-sensitive. Perhaps there are scads of marginal Force-sensitives left in the Galaxy who are little enough of a threat that Sidious never bothers disposing of or exploiting them. It is an interesting thought.

That's kinda depressing. I like it.

I guess that's how Vader would think of his children all those years, after being told that he had killed both Padme and her unborn child. I'm actually feeling sorry for him. I don't often have empathy for villains. Good job.

Haunting, left me with an ache for Vader, wanting more.

So freaking sad that I almost cried.