Darth Vader and Son

Summary: One-shots based on the brilliant drawings in Jeffrey Brown's book "Darth Vader and Son." Darth Vader raising a 4-year-old Luke, and dealing with all the perils that come with fatherhood in true Sith fashion.

Disclaimer: Star Wars, not mine is. Artistic talent of Jeffrey Brown, I also lack. Therefore, I make no money from this and no copyright infringement is intended. I'm just really glad someone made that delightful book.

Edit 16th December: Bumped up the rating to T for themes in later chapters, changed "ficlets" to "one-shots" due to greater length of chapters that I had not planned.

Chapter 1: Hide

"Eight…"

Rasp-hiss.

"Nine…"

Rasp-hiss.

"Ten!" Darth Vader declared with ominous finality.

His breath hissed though his triangular mouth grille, echoing into the shadows of the barely lit room. The Dark Lord of the Sith's durasteel prostheses descended the metal stairs, every stride deliberate and purposeful, cape furling behind him like a tangible shadow. The very presence of the Sith seemed to cast the room into further darkness, looming and chilling. The area was rarely accessed unless for maintenance, the recycled air pumped in through vents seemingly staler, and the surrounding rooms similarly empty of personnel. It was just him, and his target.

His heavy boots thudded with each step, adding to the soft whirr of machinery that was the Exactor's inner workings.

"You cannot hide forever, Luke," he continued, the implanted sensors that replaced his ears picking up movement towards his right.

A bell-like structure obstructed his view, held off the ground by a single dark pole at the top. It flared out at the middle, access panels with blinking lights so like the ones on the monitoring panel on his chest. Darth Vader circled around it, intent on his quarry.

The angular head turned sharply at a brief flicker of the Force, shining in his mind with supernova brightness before it was hastily suppressed. There was no ignoring the remaining glow, however, and the accompanying sense of mental panic afterwards.

The corner of Vader's scarred lip raised in satisfaction as he, leisurely, gravitated towards the source.

"Your thoughts betray you," he admonished, synthesized bass voice rumbling like thunder.

There was a horrified gasp.

Then, an indignant, young voice cried out, "Cheater! You said you wouldn't use the Force!"

"It is not cheating if you are the one actively broadcasting your feelings," was the rejoinder.

"Aw! No fair!"

A giggle, then the shuffling of leather-shod feet. From his left eye's peripheral, Vader caught the white of his son's tunic as the boy risked a glance around his hiding place, stark against the darkness. A shock of blonde hair, still retaining its bleached look from the Tatooine suns, framed a small, excited face and pair of eyes once also belonging to Anakin Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker's blue eyes widened when they met Vader's (secretly) amused gaze. So quickly that Darth Vader briefly worried about whiplash, his son withdrew back to the cover of the pillar he hid behind.

Vader stalked forwards, able to see his son's shoulders trembling from barely held-in snickers, and promptly attacked him through the Force with the viciousness worthy of the Sith.

"I have you now!"

With a delighted scream, Luke fell to the ground, the impact completely softened by quick use of the Force by his father. He squirmed, laughing gleefully as invisible hands tickled his ribs and caused his eyes to scrunch and body to roll from side to side.

Vader showed mercy, ceasing his strike before Luke's stomach could begin to hurt, and picked up his son when he showed no signs of rising from his still-giggling stupor on the cold floor. It never ceased to amaze and, admittedly, unnerve him when feeling the much frailer body, fingers easily dwarfed in size and strength by his mechanical hands. An innocent, guileless face beamed back up at him, grin wide and toothy, when he reflexively straightened out some disarrayed locks of hair. Vader could sense the next request for another turn forming in his son's mind and had to interrupt the thought.

"Come, Luke, we must begin our tour of the Exactor," Darth Vader insisted, ignoring the boy's huff.

"But it's boring!" Luke was almost whining, but obediently tightened his grasp on his father's hand and walked by his side without further protest. "Can't we just go an' look at the hanger bay – I wanna see the starfighters and explore!"

"You need to locate my quarters from anywhere on this ship before you are allowed to explore," the Sith Lord didn't even hesitate to reply. Of course his son would prefer starfighters over the Imperator-class star destroyer; he knew what he would've picked at that age. When the child retained his mutinous face, he added, "Do you not want to accompany me to the command tower and watch me scare the officers?"

That ended the matter; Luke practically skipped after him.

AN: Chapter is based off 2 pages in the book. I recommend you read it at all costs, even if you have to pretend to be getting it for your kid brother in order to have it!

I am not a hard-core Star Wars fan, so please forgive and correct any mistakes you may see through the course of this fic. I am using "Darth Vader and Son" as my primary reference, as well as "Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader" by James Luceno…And Wookieepedia…

Exactor shall be used as Vader's flagship, unless someone knows when the Executor was completed? It shall also still be called Imperator-class rather than Imperial I-class.

Next Time: A visit to Dagobah.

Some Time: Vader and Luke meet officers on that tour they were supposed to go on.