PSL: Naboo

[hisfathersimage]

Luke ignored Vader for the rest of the trip.

For a moment, he had almost forgotten who and what he was dealing with. A totally self centred, self absorbed creature of darkness, boiled in rage and suffering who wanted him to convert to his way of thinking and start up a second reign of terror and horror after killing Palpatine.

And in aid of doing that, they were going... to Naboo?

He wasn't really sure why they were on their way there. It was his mother's home world. It was Palpatine's home world. It was a paradise of water and greenery that had produced something so rotten and evil that the galaxy heaved to try and dislodge it from itself.

He stands in the cockpit's doorway, nursing his stump in his left hand and watching hyperspace, preparing for the shock of dropping back out again.

Comments

[hisfathersimage]

Luke doesn't respond to that. Slugthrowers were monstrous, and yes, he was a good blaster shot, but blasters were nothing against a lightsaber.

And... he had held his own. For a while. Vader was talking to him like he was as good as-

Well. Maybe he was as good as untrained. Master Yoda had tried to tell him.

No time for that now. He had his allocated breakdown for the day.

"What now?"

[nouskaiananki]

More monsterious than allowing Palpatine to exist?

Still-

-Vader can't quite cast away the unbidden memory of Ahsoka, more than a decade younger that Luke glaring, blue eyes angry and hurt.

"I wanted you to surrender. For what you have, it was admirable. You could be so much more in just a few years. But you share Anakin's weakness, you wouldn't abandon your friends. I knew that. I took advantage of that."

That didn't banish her face. But it faded it.

"Food. Or rations, whichever you prefer. I want to see her before we leave this planet."

[hisfathersimage]

"They're not my friends. They're my family."

Han, Leia, Chewie, they were his family when his was dead. Kept him alive when he should died.

"I'm going to go catch some food in that case. You can go and... do whatever you want to."

[nouskaiananki]

"Is there a difference?"

Padmé had thought so. Had family, beloved friends, handmaidens, close friends, far friends, co-workers, staff, constitutes, advisors, strangers - so many groups to sort people into.

For Vader it had been much more simple. Those who were his, those he much endure, those who were enemies, those he may ignore.

Friends didn't factor. Allies, but other than Piett, Vaneé, who was left?

"Go."

He didn't plan to leave Luke alone on the island, but he didn't need to tie him underfoot either.

[hisfathersimage]

"Maybe not. But loving them isn't a weakness."

What he did was entirely on him, not on his love for them. He'd been reckless and he was paying for it.

He left without saying anything more. He didn't have any weapons, but he could probably find some crabs or the like and hit them with a rock. Or just go and pick some fruit from the trees.