At Any Cost

Chapter 4 - Starting Anew

The red and blue lightsabers clash, neither combatant willing to back down. Vader finds himself impressed with Luke's strength. In a few short weeks, the boy has become a master duelist, though not strong enough to defeat Vader – or his former master. It will take far more time to train him adequate so they can face the Emperor. Time. He has plenty of time.

Whether or not most of the rebels want him here doesn't matter, because their leaders do. He formulated two major plans of attack, each of which went better than anyone had anticipated. They have gained a wary, tentative trust in him, trust which he has little desire to break. He doesn't consider them equals or comrades, but they are allies. They can work together. And he can enjoy his time with Luke.

Overall, he's doing much better after his prosthetics were upgraded. Many of his burns were healed also, and while he'll need more invasive treatment to live without a respirator, it can be done. He's furious at how he was used so badly by Sidious. He didn't need to live in this torture device for so long. It wasn't necessary. It was never necessary. His anger is dampened by Luke's presence. Though Leia rarely talks to him – continually giving him the cold shoulder if they cross paths – Luke is completely opposite. Not only has the boy gone out of his way to spend as much time with Vader as possible, but also, their bond is extremely strong.

"You are doing much better," Vader praises proudly, stepping back from Luke and deactivating his lightsaber. "The Force is very strong with you, just as it is with me."

His son grins, even though he's breathing heavily from their extended duel. "Yeah, well, I am your son after all," he teases.

Vader laughs quietly. "That you are."

"So, how long will it be before we can confront the Emperor?" Luke wonders, chipper as always.

"It will be a while," Vader answers, raising an eyebrow. "You have only begun your training, and it will take time for you to achieve enough mastery of the Force and lightsaber combat to stand a chance against the Emperor. Impatient, are we?" he adds as an afterthought.

"Well, yeah, kind of," Luke admits, dropping to the ground. He sits there, head tilted back to look up at Vader. After a moment, Vader lowers himself to sit next to his son. A few weeks ago, he would never have done something like this, not only because he didn't want to show weakness, but also, because it was too painful. "It's also that everyone just wants us to hurry and end the Emperor. I know it's not going to be that easy, but I don't think anyone else understands that." He sighs, a hint of annoyance flaring into the Force.

Vader regards him silently, letting his respirator fill the quiet between them, not that he has a choice. If Luke is being distracted by his friends – probably Leia, in particular – then he won't be able to learn properly. That would severely impede his progress and make it take longer for them to be ready. Additionally, he knows that Sidious will keep looking for him, and while he's been limiting how much he uses the Force and hiding the extent to which his Force signature can be sensed, it won't be too hard for his former master to find him.

"My son, have you considered leaving the planet?" he asks finally. It would be easy; both of them could take a small shuttle and go to another system. If it's small, they could hide there for a time, allowing Luke to fully devote himself to strengthening his power. Vader doesn't want to take him away from his sister and friends, but he will if it proves to be the best way to teach his son. He wants a relationship with his daughter – he longs for one – but at the present moment, it's not very realistic. It will take time for her to recover from what he did to her on the Death Star. Maybe someday she can forgive him.

"Leave?" Luke echoes, giving him a wide-eyed look. "Why would I leave?"

"I have noticed your concentration is not at its best," Vader admits. "You are being distracted by your other obligations here, though they are reduced now, and by your friends." Besides, he would like to spend some quality time with just his son. He's hesitant now to be with Luke when there are others around; it's not that he dislikes being with people, but he has a reputation, and his armor makes it impossible to actually develop anything more than a wary alliance.