#silverday

***

Darth Vader’s approach to the planet was unimpeded by any foolish Rebel counter strikes and unhindered by any awareness of his arrival. Good. Based on what little information he had on his son, the boy would make things difficult, so having the element of surprise would certainly work to his advantage.

Dealing with petty criminals was not a task he enjoyed making a habit of, but if it led to him securing his son, he would forgive it this once.

Upon entering the complex, he could sense something was amiss. Chaos was raging within, and frantic desperation seemed to be gripping all sentients inside. Beneath his mask, Vader scowled, scarred skin stretching painfully across his features.

“Lord Vader!” The criminal who greeted him appeared nonchalant and under control, but he could sense the distress roiling within him. “We’ve, er, hit a bit of a snag containing the Rebels you’ve come for, but rest assured, they’re still inside. Now that you’re here, though, should be no problem rounding them up, eh?”

For several long seconds, Vader allowed himself to loom, standing tall and silent as the wretched being before him squirmed in discomfort. “For your sake,” he rumbled, “you had better hope so.” 

Without another word, Vader stalked off, ignoring the stuttered assurances of the criminal behind him as he followed the beacon his son radiated in the Force. The boy’s presence was intoxicating, tinged as it was with triumph and urgency. No one else mattered, not the pirates, not the Wookiee, not the smuggler -- only his son.

His son, who was frantically ushering a group of haggard looking beings towards a hangar bay.

The moment he sensed Vader’s arrival, Luke froze, panic taking the place of triumph in his signature, and he turned, slowly, to fix Vader with a wide-eyed gaze. He looked even younger in person, those pale eyes even larger, and for a moment, Vader nearly forgot himself as he drank in the appearance of this boy -- of his son.

That moment was quickly interrupted by a juvenile shout followed by blaster fire, quickly drawing Vader back into the present. The boy was shouting, firing, running towards the ship on the other side of the hangar, and Vader cursed himself for allowing his victory to be put at risk. There would be plenty of time to examine the child once he was securely in his grasp.

Another shout was torn from the boy as his blaster flew from his hand and into Vader’s, but Luke wasted no time in reaching for the lightsaber hanging from his hip. “Stop! Stay back, I haven’t freed them all yet, they’re still in danger!” Reckless naivete radiated from him now, something righteous and indignant that dredged up unwanted memories in Vader.

“Who is still in danger?” Vader did not truly care, his ultimate target within reach in front of him, but he chose to humour the boy if only to help ensure his capture. “If you were wise, you would show more concern for your own wellbeing, Skywalker.”

Luke flinched slightly at the address but held himself firm. “The slaves those pirates threatened to try and get us to cooperate.” The anger that flared within him burned hot and bright, and though it was not quite dark yet, it did mirror the rage that welled in Vader as well.

“Slaves?" he hissed, not missing the shudder that wracked Luke’s form at the swell of darkness around them

“Please,” Luke said, anger giving way to desperation. “Please, you can arrest me, I’ll come quietly, just please let me finish rounding them up and let my friends take them off-world.”

This boy believed he could reason with Vader. Or, perhaps he realized how absurd his request really was, but chose to make it regardless, possibly as a way to stall. Luke was, truly, his son, since no other being in the galaxy would even think to be so bold or reckless to attempt such a thing. Which, really, was fortunate, since no other being in the galaxy could even get Vader to consider such a request.

After a moment of contemplation, Vader finally inclined his helmet, slightly, and regarded the boy. “Very well.” Shock coloured Luke’s features. “I will give you my word that the smuggler and his... passengers will be granted leave from this planet if you give me your word that you will return willingly with me to my ship.”

“I -- ” Luke visibly swallowed as the implications of his reckless offer dawned on him, but after a brief pause, he nodded grimly and sighed. “Okay. Yeah, alright. Deal.”

The boy was foolish for being so self-sacrificing, a trait that would have to be eliminated in due course, but Vader was, for the moment, grateful for it. He would work to punish the pirates accordingly for their use of slavery while Luke rounded up the rest of the unwilling workers and then, at last, he would have his son at his side.

Solo dumped her in Mos Eisley. She almostsnapped at him to keep going; this wasn't her destination. The bright,brilliant presence of her brother was nowherenear here.

But Solo glared at her, kept making shooingmotions with his hands, and she absolutely despised his piece-of-junk ship.

So she paid him, inwardly smirking at whather father would think when he saw the credits disappearing from her account.She should be back on Coruscant by now, several days after Yoda's death hadrocked the Force; while he'd know she wasn't dead or injured, he'd either beout of his mind with worry or out of his mind with anger.

He'd get over it the moment she returned.

This boyshe was collecting... this Luke Skywalker,her brother...

Oh, yes. Her father would be furious when shereturned, but not at her.

She'd considered contacting him en route toexplain, but... it might be nothing. That had been her fear. She wanted to besure before springing that on him.

She had a brother.

She had a brother.

She wanted the credit for this.

Leia didn't bother watching Solo's junk heaplift off behind her. She was standing stock still outside the spaceport,breathing in, breathing out.

A haze cloaked Tatooine in the Force—amirage. It wasn't dark or light, it just... was.

But the presence she felt—had felt since shearrived? That was light. It dustedthe dunes like a second coating of sand; when she hired a speeder and headedout for its nexus, it only intensified.

She revelled in it.

It felt like her father's presence on thatfateful day he'd shown up to liberate her from the Organas. Light where his hadbeen dark, true—they'd have to fix that—but it embraced her in the same way,like a part of her that had been missing for years.

Twins. It had to be. They were twins, and the Organas and Yoda had ripped them apart. Doomed themto grow up far from their father and true power. So effectively that even whenhe'd found and returned her to thelight—metaphorically speaking—her brother, Luke,had been left to languish in obscurity, poverty, ignorance, when he should have been the Prince of the Empire...

Well. Her mother had been a queen, herkidnapper had been a queen, her father was an emperor. She was a princess; her brother was a prince. Regardless ofchildhood.

She gritted her teeth, bared them in a grin,and shot towards the nearest town she could see.

The map called it ANCHORHEAD.

.

His horrible, horrible feeling had onlyincreased the closer he got to the homestead.

Something cold tracked him all the way. Itreached out to latch onto his mind, like a limpet or leech that... didn'tdrain. It felt like it should be there, actually.

Like half the reason he wanted to get offTatooine so badly was because he wanted to find it again...

But that feeling only enhanced the crystalline sensation he experienced every time heflew, that clarity. And it meant it enhanced that intense dread even more.

Finally, the homestead loomed.

Something was wrong.

He knew it was; he near-crashed his Skyhopperin his attempt to stop it. He staggered out and jogged for the entrance, AuntBeru's name touching down on his lips—

And then he froze.

There was someone in the doorway. Someone whowas certainly not his aunt oruncle—an offworlder judging by their appalling idea to wear all-black under themidday suns. Reasonably young, about his age; female human; rigid posture.

Maybe she was a lost offworlder his aunt washosting—it wouldn't be the first time—but if so, why this terribly, cloyingfeeling...?

As he got closer, he saw the girl in moredetail. The burst of familiarity he felt at seeing her face confused him evenmore.

As did her grin. Her gaze, almost unnervinglyintense as she stared him from top to toe. There was joy, exhilaration and...disapproval there?

"Who are you?" he asked. Notunkindly—just warily.

She smiled wider at that, fingering a strangehilt at her waist.

"I'm Princess Leia Vader," she saidsmoothly. Her grin was sharp.

He made to take a step back—from shock, fromsudden fear, he didn't know—but found himself frozen in place, the muscles inhis legs locked up.

"Of the Empire!?" Even he, trapped all the way out her, had heardabout the death of Palpatine and ascension of Vader—and his daughter.

She snorted. "What else matters?"

Well. Thatmade things so much clearer.

What in the blazes was Leia Vader doing all the way out here?

Once again, he tried to step back. Onceagain, he couldn't.

She narrowed her eyes at the attempt."But yes. I am the Imperial Princess. And you," her lips tugged into a much more genuine smile,"are Luke Skywalker."

"Yes...?"

She blinked, apparently irritated he wouldn'tread her mind—as if he could—andshook her head.

"You can," she said coolly,"and I will teach you how."

Wait. "What—"

"It might interest you to know that myfather, Darth Vader, was born with the name Anakin Skywalker to a slave womannamed Shmi Skywalker, whose grave I believe lies at the back of thishomestead."

Luke stared.

What.

What.

"WHAT?"

"And also," she continued,"that I was born to him and his wife nineteen years ago, on EmpireDay."

Luke was fairly sure he'd stopped breathing.

"I believe that may be your birthday aswell?"

Luke shook his head. Not in denial—and heknew she knew that, somehow—but... confusion.

"So— so—"

My father is your father," she informedhim. "I am your sister...  and you are a prince."

He recoiled.

She frowned—why would he recoil at that? he could almost hear herwondering—but she continued, "I am your sister."

"I got that!" he snapped, then fearflooded him when he realised who he'djust snapped at.

"I am not going to hurt you," shesaid, taking a step forward. That force holding him in place vanished, but hedidn't try to run. An equally powerful desire—the orphan's longing for afamily, perhaps—kept him rooted in place. Drew him a few steps closer, in fact.

The princess—Leia—his sister—held out her hand.

"Come with me, Luke," she intoned."Come meet our father. We never knew you existed—he'll be beyond delightedto meet you."

Luke just stared. Something wonderful,something terrible, bloomed in his chest.

"Leave this pathetic life and these patheticpeople behind. You are a prince. Comewith me to take your rightful place in the galaxy. You can have all you've everwanted."

And it was true. He could hear it in hervoice. It was intoxicating, alluring... but mainly because all he'd ever wanted was a family.

And now, according to her, he had one.

But...

Thesepathetic people.

He had a funny feeling he knew exactly who they were.

"Where are my aunt and uncle?"

She stopped in the middle of her tirade."What?"

"My aunt and uncle. My family. Where arethey?"

"They are not your aunt and uncle, much less family—"

He asked, voice quiet in his certainty,"Did you kill them?"

She ground her teeth. "The Jedi sealedtheir fates the moment they stole you from our mother's arms and dumped you onthem."

"That's a yes, then." Tears stunghis eyes.

"Oh, don't waste water overkidnappers," she barked.

"They were my family!"

Rage boiled in her: he could see it in herface, feel it. But she kept herself calm.

"I thought like that about my kidnappersonce," she murmured. "Don't worry, brother. The pain vanishes onceyou accept the truth." Her hand was still out; she made an impatientgesture with it. "Now come on."

He backed off. "No. I'm not going withyou."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you surethat's the decision you want to make?"

"Yes." He lifted his chin andlooked her in the eye.

She growled, "It's the wrong one."

She strode forward. Luke's eyes blew wide andhe backed away further—quickly.

"So if you won't come willingly—"

She broke into a run. Luke ran in response,but it was like running through oil. He couldn't breathe—

"—then you'll come by force."

That same force that slowed his steps threwhim to the ground. He hit it hard; spluttered fiercely as sand flooded hismouth.

He watched black boots enter his line ofvision, stark against the dust horizon, and a soft hand pressed his forehead.

"Sleep,"his sister said, voice reverberating in a way that was just as familiar as itwas alien, layered and layered with unspoken command, and Luke Skywalker slept.

.

Ten minutes later, Ben Kenobi finally cameupon the homestead and two corpses far, far too late to do anything.

One hour later, the Imperial Princesscommandeered a shuttle from the measly little outpost the Empire had on theplanet and jumped to hyperspace.

Three days later, Luke Skywalker, farm boy,was facing down Emperor Darth Vader himself.

And one year later, the galaxy was introducedto Prince Luke Vader, whose resemblance to his sister and father was...uncanny.

Especially when his eyes flashed gold.

It was a pretty straightforward mission, or at least it started that way. Bistaad was a medium-sized and fairly remote planet in the Chomell sector, with most of the surface and economy tied up in mining and refinery efforts. The planet’s crust had, according to the Luke’s notes, abnormally high levels of iron and nickel. Despite producing nearly two percent of the dursateel used in construction all over the Empire, the planet’s economy was in shambles, after two heavily contested and maybe-fraudulent local elections, plus a massive fire in the biggest refinery on the larger of the planet’s two landmasses. Between the various investigations, lawsuits, and lost production time, basic necessities were punishingly expensive and what little functional government the planet had was crippled by massive debts.

Mom, as the sector’s Senator, was working on a long-range solution to Bistaad’s crisis (that didn’t involve the Emperor taking direct control of the planet’s industry and appointing a government to supervise). In the short term, though, she had sent Luke--with Aunt Motee and Aunt Elle for protection--to provide food and medical supplies and hopefully take some of the pressure of the planet’s citizens.

The trip to Bistaad was probably the sixth relief mission Luke had gone on in the last three years, and he had a routine down for it. And, up until his second-to-last night on the planet, Luke managed to stick to it pretty well. Even the hard part--meeting with planetary officials, walking that fine line between being supportive and helpful and not promising things he and Mom couldn’t provide--wasn’t as intimidating as it used to be.

But, of course, sometimes, the galaxy was full of surprises.

So, here he was, in one of the rougher districts of Sa’ad City, after finishing up an outreach session, when he felt--something.

It wasn’t an Inquisitor, let alone a Sith Lord--he knew what those felt like--but it didn’t feel exactly like Dad or Leia or Uncle Obi-Wan, either. Closer to them than the alternative, thank the Force, but not the same.

Not something he’d ever felt before.

He reached out and brushed Aunt Motee’s wrist lightly to get her attention.

“Problem?” she asked, in an undertone, while Aunt Elle shifted position slightly on his other side, to better screen him from danger.

He shook his head. “Just…weird.”

“We should get back, then,” she said, firmly.

But he hesitated. “I’m not sure that--”

And then he spotted a tall Togruta woman in a close-fitting black dress heading towards one of the bars.

Her, he knew, right away, and he thought--maybe--

“Heading into the Grey Alaktri,” Luke said, restraining himself from looking directly and giving them away. “You see her?”

“Yes, I do,” Aunt Motee said, after half a second. “That’s…hm.” She exchanged a few quick hand signals with Aunt Elle; he couldn’t quite see them, but he could guess what they were saying.

“Is there any way I can go up and say hello?” he asked. “Without causing problems?” Because if his aunts recognized her, there was no way she wasn’t who he thought she was.

And the last thing he wanted to do was pass up what might very well be his only chance to actually meet his Aunt Ahsoka for years.

Another quick flurry of hand signals, then Aunt Elle said, “Leave it to me,” before slipping off into the crowd.

“Come, young lord,” Aunt Motee said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You remember that little restaurant we spotted on our way down here?”

“Yeah,” Luke said.

“I think, since we have a moment, that we should sample the real local cuisine, rather than what they feed us up the hill, yes?”

Luke nodded, catching on. “I think that’s a great idea.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The real local cuisine, as Aunt Motee put it, turned out to be some sort of dense red meat coated in a thick greyish sauce that surprisingly spicy, which came with thin-sliced fried tubers that had no right to be as delicious as they were.

Aunt Motee just got a mug of the local variety of caf, which was way too bitter for Luke’s taste, and then guided him to a small table in the corner, half-screened by a fake potted plant.

“Eat,” she urged, taking a sip of her caf and hitting a few hidden buttons on the underside of her bracelet. “Elle might be a while.”

“Right,” he said. He took a few more bites of the unidentifiable meat, then asked, carefully, “d’you think she’ll come?”

“Hard to say,” Aunt Motee answered right away. Quietly, but right away, which meant that she’d already done something to any surveillance devices this place might have. “Depends on why she’s here in the first place.”

Luke nodded, a little disappointed. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of that, exactly--for Aunt Ahsoka to come this far into the Mid Rim, it had to be Important.

On the other hand, Mom and his aunts generally tried not to send him into any situation that might lead to him crashing into an active operation. He didn’t ever have enough information, and there was always the chance that he’d be identified as his very recognizable mother’s only son, so he’d just be in the way.

“Just be patient, young lord,” Aunt Motee said, taking another sip of her caf. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

She’d barely managed to say that when one of the stones on her bracelet lit up; a few seconds later, the fake plant shifted aside and Aunt Elle joined them, followed by the Togruta in the black dress.

It was all Luke could do to keep from bounding up in excitement, but all that Polish and Manners Mom and his aunts had drilled into him took over, and he shifted it into standing politely. “Hi,” he said, and grinned.

Aunt Ahsoka grinned back, and slid into the booth next to Aunt Motee, while Aunt Elle joined Luke on his side, nudging him to take his seat again.

“Hey there, kid,” she said. “I probably shouldn’t stay long, but there was no way I could pass this chance up.”

Luke nodded. “That’s…kind of what I thought, too,” he said. “When I saw you. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything?”

She shook her head. “No. Nothing official. Rex is here on some personal business, and I came along to watch his back.”

Luke perked up at that. “Is he…?”

“Sorry,” she said, making a face. “He’s back with our ship. I came ahead to scout out the club we’re heading to. It’ll take him almost an hour to get here without making a lot of noise.”

And Luke knew they probably shouldn’t wait that long. “Oh,” he said. “I’m still glad I got to meet you. Like, actually meet you, finally. Maia’s told me so much about you.”

Aunt Ahsoka grinned. “Good things, I hope.”

“Well, obviously,” Luke said, grinning back.

“I hear good things about you, too,” she said. “When you got your license, your dad would not shut up about it for, like, a month. It was hilarious.”

Luke felt himself flushing, but he couldn’t help but keep smiling. “Really?”

“Really, really,” she said. “He’s super proud of you, kid. We all are.”

“Well,” he said, straightening his shoulders in his best imitation of Mom’s Accepting a Challenge posture, “I’ll just have to live up to that, won’t I.”

Aunt Ahsoka laughed at that--not like she was making fun of him, like she was pleased, and it warmed something deep inside him. “I have no doubt you will,” she said.

Luke nodded, and relaxed again. “I hope everything’s going well? I mean…I know you can’t tell me a whole lot, not here and now, but…”

And that was the problem with meeting like this, he realized. There were so many things he wanted to ask Aunt Ahsoka, about some of the things Dad and Leia and Uncle Obi-Wan had shown him on Alderaan that he wasn’t sure he remembered exactly right, plus things about her life, and the adventures he knew she’d had, during the Clone War and more recently, and…

And he couldn’t say any of it. There wasn’t time, and Aunt Motee’s bracelet could only do so much.

“Things are…going,” Aunt Ahsoka said, carefully. “More things are going right than wrong, at least lately. I’m not sure this trip will pan out the way Rex wants it to, but I don’t think we’ll run into any trouble. Just disappointment.”

“Right,” he said. “Well, I hope it doesn’t. I mean. That it ends better than you expect.”

“Me, too,” she said, then, before he realized what she was doing, reached across the table and snagged one of his fried tubers.

“…aren’t you an obligate carnivore?”

“Well, yeah,” she said. “But these are really good. And if I only have a couple, it’s okay.”

“All right,” he said, but he pulled the plate a little closer to himself just the same.

She laughed again. “Anyway. All that aside…you’re gonna be able to come see us soon, right?”

Luke blinked, and looked up at Aunt Motee--this was news to him. For all he’d asked Aunt Sabe about going to a base way back when…

“If things go smoothly,” Aunt Motee said. “We’re in the process of putting together a cover. Assuming you’re still in the same place in a few months.”

“Really?” Luke said.

“You’ve talked about this with us before,” Aunt Elle pointed out.

“Well, yeah, but…”

“It’s a little different when it’s not just a hypothetical?” Aunt Ahsoka guessed.

Luke nodded. “Yes, exactly.”

“Well, either way,” she said. “With a little bit of luck, we’ll see each other again in a few months. And we’ll have a little more time and space to talk.” She winked at him. “Maia was telling me how sloppy your footwork is, which I need to see for myself so I can fix it. And, more importantly, properly tease your dad about it.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Luke protested. “Plus, she’s been doing this for ages, and I was new.”

“I know, I know,” Aunt Ahsoka said, holding up a hand. “Just teasing.” She considered for a minute, tilting her head, then stole another. “I should probably get going, but…it was good seeing you, kid. Give your mom and everyone my love, okay?”

Luke nodded. “Yeah, the same. I mean. Mine.”

“I know what you meant,” she said. She stood and bowed, carefully, small, but Jedi-style; he copied the motion and she smiled one last time, softly. “Until the next time, kid. May the Force be with you.”

And, just like that, she was gone.

Luke watched the plant for a minute, until it fell still again after she’d passed, then leaned into Aunt Elle just a little. “Thank you,” he said, softly.

She wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Of course, young lord,” she said, and let that rest for a moment before saying, “although, if you really want to thank me…”

He looked up at her, and she had her best innocent, wheedling expression on.

“She wasn’t wrong about those tubers.”

He giggled, and pushed the plate into the middle of the table.

This trip to Bistaad had started out mostly ordinary, and it looked like it would end that way, too.

But in the middle…for a moment, in the middle, it had been something special. Something he hadn’t even really thought to hope for.