2This one-shot was done for my Star Wars Summer Fic Exchange I hosted. It was advertised on my Tumblr (SilveredDaye) and on my Star Wars Fic Writer's Discord. This was done for CMiller89, who has a love for Eldtricth Horror AUs.
I do rate this as upper teen. Warning for monsters (of the Eldritch Horror variety), horror, and slight gore.
The door to Luke's room slid shut; he kicked off his boots and let his utility belt fall to the floor then crawled on to his bed. The lights soon flickered off as Uncle Owen had turned off the generator, and Luke shoved his hand under his mattress and pulled out a small holodisc. He flicked it on to see a headshot of Darth Vader, Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, and the second most powerful person in the galaxy. Luke had first seen Vader as part of a news broadcast his teacher had played at school.
That had sparked it all.
That night he had dreamed of a tall dark man with heavy mechanical breathing lurking in the shadows. It was odd, as if he was nothing more than a mirage in the desert heat. There was something beyond that facade. Something . . . else. Something large and dark and hungry.
A monster.
A monster that was caged in by that suit- but in the dreams that suit didn't exist. In dreams, it was free to search about the foggy landscape with hundreds of yellow eyes ringed in red and to send out thousands of black oozing tentacles.
There had been some close calls when Luke had almost been spotted or touched by a tentacle, but luckily he always woke up right before he was discovered. His heart would be pounding in his chest and he would be soaked in a cold sweat.
Why did he have these dreams? He didn't have the answer. He tried to discover everything he could about Darth Vader. There wasn't much. Luke didn't know if it was because Tatooine's records were sparse when it came to the Empire or if there really wasn't that much known on the mysterious man.
Each night before bed, Luke would look at the hologram of Vader. He knew every angle and curve of that helmet and mask. He had found a few recordings of Vader making public speeches. He had listened to them dozens of times and each time it sent a chill running through him to hear that rumbling bass voice.
What would happen if Vader found him in the dream? It was, after all, only a dream. Right?
Luke turned the disc off and shoved it back under his mattress. Sleep never came to him easily. His anxiety always spiked when he laid his head down. Would he dream tonight? Would he see Vader?
The first time Luke had seen Vader was from across the hanger as Old Ben and Vader dueled in a hallway of the Death Star. Luke had stood there frozen and unable to move. His voice caught in his throat.
This was Darth Vader? The man he had been obsessing about for the past three years? He seemed so normal . . . as normal as a man could be, always wearing a suit and mask and wielding a red lightsaber. But he at least seemed like he fit within this reality, unlike the thing that lurked in Luke's dreams.
But then Vader's saber slashed through Ben, whose robes simply became empty and fell to the ground. Luke called out . . . Vader turned to face him . . . and a chill ran up Luke's back, goosebumps formed on his arms, and his heart dropped into his stomach. He held up his blaster and started firing, but the door panel was shot and the door closed separating the two. He was pulled back to the Millenium Falcon.
It was a month later when he finally came face to face with Vader on Cymoon-1. This time it was up close and personal. Vader was huge. He towered over Luke. His breathing grated on Luke's ears. His voice shook Luke to his very bones. Everything in him told him to run. To move. He even heard Ben's voice telling him to run, but he didn't. He couldn't. He had to stop this man, this monster. He had killed Luke's father and Ben! And he was still in the dreams . . . searching . . . This couldn't go on!
But Luke was no match for Vader. It had barely been a fight. Vader had tossed him aside, snatched up Luke's lightsaber, and stepped in for the killing blow. If Leia and Han hadn't shown up in a stolen AT-AT when they did, Luke would have been beheaded. He guessed that answered what would happen if Vader ever found him in the dreams.
The dreams continued on normally for another month or so, but then they suddenly changed. Vader had always been lazy in his searching. He sluggishly moved through the foggy landscape with his eyes sweeping slowly from side to side and the tentacles lazily slithered around. It was why Luke had always been able to avoid detection, but now, now, it was different. Vader was different.
He seemed to be attentive and actively searching; no, scouring the dreams. Even a small rustle or a breath that came out too loud would cause Vader to tense up. His hundreds of eyes narrowed into slits as they looked in Luke's direction. The tentacles would dash out in a frantic attempt to find him.
It was nerve wracking. He always woke up before he was found, but it was becoming more and more common to wake up with his heart pounding and in a cold sweat. He started sleeping less, but he couldn't avoid sleep forever. Luckily, Vader wasn't always there. Sometimes he did manage to get a decent rest, but he still had anxiety whenever he grew tired over the 'what if' Vader was there.
And Luke knew it was only a matter of time before Vader found him in the dreams- which he did. Luke had entered the dark foggy landscape. He couldn't see Vader, but he could hear him. He made a loud metallic breathing sound that was mixed with the occasional growl. Luke could hear the tentacles thrashing around as they broke branches from the bare small trees and the rolling of rocks as they pushed them aside.
Luke had started to back away to put some distance between him and Vader. Why was it whenever he appeared in the dream, he was always near him?
But his thoughts had betrayed him. He wasn't paying attention. His foot slipped and he tumbled into a tree. The branches snapped loudly. The sound seemed to echo. Luke scrambled; he pushed himself off the tree. The branches snagged on his clothes, his grey Alliance uniform he had been wearing before he went to bed. He looked in the direction towards Vader . . .
A mass of thousands of tentacles were approaching him. Fast. He had only managed to turn around before the first tentacle wrapped around his ankle; it jerked him backwards and soon dozens more tentacles wrapped around his body. He pulled and squirmed as he tried to free himself, but they only tightened his grip. Then came the eyes. First, it was just one glowing yellow eye. It's black slit fully focused on Luke. Then came another and another. It was like watching the stars appear in the sky after the suns set for soon all Luke could see were hundreds of glowing eyes.
"Ssssssssskywalker," a deep voice hissed. Luke flinched. It was painful to hear and hurt his ears. "Where are you, child?"
Luke only grunted as he continued to twist and squirm. He stilled as he watched the tip of one of the tentacles slowly approach his head. Luke wiggled his head this way and that to avoid it, but he couldn't move out of the way. The cold inky tentacle pressed against his forehead.
"Where are you?" Vader asked again. This time the voice sent a wave of pain through Luke's head. "Where are you! Tell me!"
"No!" Luke shouted. "Leave me alone!"
Wake up, he told himself. Wake up! Wake up!
Vader kept repeating his question. "Where are you? Where are you, little one?"
It felt like the tentacle was in his mind, squirming around through his thoughts and memories. And it hurt. Luke's head was pounding. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to push it out, but he felt so sluggish. Then he felt it. His body was waking up. He could feel his true body lying in bed.
He reached.
Not with his hands, they were still confined, but with his mind. His soul. His very being. It hurt to push himself, but Vader was squeezing him tighter, repeating his question over and over and over. The pressure and pain in his head were growing.
He jerked straight up in his bed panting, covered in sweat with his heart pounding. He sat there stunned for a moment before he started to grab at himself, checking for tentacles. There were none though he swore he could still feel their cold, inky grip around him.
It was a dream. It was just a dream.
That's what he told himself as he got dressed and headed to the hangar.
"Luke, you don't look too good," Wedge commented. "Are you sure you want to work on flight and battle exercises today?"
"Yeah," Luke said.
Wedge raised an eyebrow. He knew his response was weak and he looked like shavit, but he'd rather be focused on flying his X-Wing then lost in his thoughts. That was how he found himself in space above the yellow planet Vrogas Vas practicing battle maneuvers with two other Alliance X-Wing squads. Things were going well. He started to relax . . . until a TIE Advanced jumped out of hyperspace.
Vader.
It had to be him. He was the only one known to fly that model, and he was here alone. It didn't take much for the squads to switch into actual combat and target the lone ship. Luke was trembling. Despite being awake, being in the real world, it felt like those hundreds of eyes and tentacles were growing out of that ship.
"Where are you?"
Vader's thick and deep dream voice echoed through Luke. It was just a dream, he told himself. That was just a dream. You're just remembering the dream-
"I know you are here, young one."
Luke's breath got caught in his throat. It was for the best as he probably would have screamed. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a dream! It was real. Somehow it was all real. That meant . . . had Vader found them because of Luke? Had he managed to dig out this location from Luke's mind?
Luke watched as several fighters were taken out by Vader in one easy sweep. The explosions, bright yellow and orange, reminded him of the eyes. The eyes that searched for him even now.
No.
This was his fault . . . he couldn't let any more die because of him. He gripped the steering yoke tighter and broke from formation he came directly at Vader, who easily gave chase. The two wove between the debris field of the fallen X-Wings until Luke could finally circle around and face the TIE head on. He was going to end this. End it all now.
So he aimed his fighter directly at Vader. He didn't swerve and nor did Vader, until the very last second. Luke had felt the spike of panic as Vader prevented the head on crash. Instead of the two ships exploding into flames, they screeched against each other and ripped apart. Both ships went spiraling down into the atmosphere and crashed.
Vader's one-man assault on Vrogas Vas had been deadly. The casualty list had been high, and it had proven how much of a monster the man really was. Despite crash landing on an Alliance controlled planet by himself, he still managed to kill so many.
Afterward, Luke avoided sleeping. He drank caf. He took cold showers. Consumed energy pills. Stole a few stim shots. He did anything he could to not sleep. What if Vader was there? What if he got a hold of him again? Discovered the location of the Alliance? There was too much at stake, too many lives, and Luke couldn't risk it. When he did sleep, he didn't always go to the foggy place. Sometimes he did have blissful dreamless nights, but he never got enough sleep. He would awaken a few hours later with his chest tight and his heart pounding.
People started to take notice and voice their concerns. Eventually, Leia pulled rank on him and the Council required him to go see a doctor. He was prescribed some sleeping and anti-anxiety medicine, and while he took the latter, he did not dare take the sleeping meds. What if he couldn't wake up? What would happen then? And Vader got him? What would happen?
He wasn't sure if the anti-anxiety meds helped him. He seemed a bit calmer, but they appeared to have a side effect. He was always hungry. No matter how much he ate, he still wanted more. He was constantly snacking and kept ration bars in his pockets at all times. Han joked that Luke should watch his figure. Luke only smiled and shrugged. He would rather gain weight and sleep, than be the jittery mess he was. However, he didn't seem to be gaining any weight. Weight was important for a fighter pilot. It affected fuel usage and calculations. If anything Luke felt skinnier, which seemed to contradict his insatiable appetite.
He returned to the doctor with his concerns. Maybe he had contracted some kind of disease like intestinal worms. Something that stole all of his food and left him hungry. Tests were performed and all results were negative. There was nothing wrong with him, physically at least. The doctor wondered out loud if perhaps Luke should be pulled off active duty. Let him rest and recover. Luke paled at the thought. No. He had to be here. He had to help. He decided he wouldn't be returning to the doctor.
But he couldn't stay away from doctors forever, especially on Hoth where he had been attacked by a wampa and knocked unconscious. They had submerged him into a bacta tank. After he was pulled out, the doctors expressed their concern with his physical health.
"You're a bit underweight, Commander Skywalker," a human doctor told him. "I see here in your file you've been struggling with sleep and anxiety. How have the meds been treating you?"
Luke pursed his lips. What could he say? He still feared going to sleep in case he dreamed of meeting a monstrous Vader that had hundreds of tentacles and eyes that constantly searched for him? In fact . . . while he had been unconscious in the bacta tank he had dreamed. He had run into Vader . . . and this time he couldn't wake up.
Luke had tried to avoid Vader as much as possible. Tried to run. To hide. But eventually, an oozing black tentacle wrapped around his ankle and jerked him into the sky. He hung there upside down as the large core mass of Vader slithered over. His eyes all black slits as they focused on him. Was there a mouth in that large dark form? A mouth with hundreds of teeth? A mouth that seemed to smile?
Tentacles grabbed at the rest of the limbs and he was turned rightside up as Vader's limbs wrapped themselves around him. Luke squirmed but knew it would be useless.
"Sssssskywalker," a deep voice hissed. It rumbled throughout the landscape like thunder. "Where are you? Where are you, young Ssssskywalker? Tell me."
Luke squeezed his eyes. He tried to reach for his body, for his real self, so he could wake up and escape. But he couldn't. He could feel his real body. It was there, but it was blocked off. He couldn't wake up. He couldn't wake up!
Vader's hold on him tightened and he couldn't help but scream out in pain, but then the tentacles loosened. They were still tight, just not squeezing him.
"You have yet to awaken," Vader said. His tone had changed. Shifted. It was softer. More human? Less of a monstrous hiss. "You need to wake."
"I don't need anything!" Luke barked.
"You are hungry."
It wasn't a question. It was a statement. A truth. Luke stilled. A lump formed in his throat. How did Vader know that? How did he know about Luke's bottomless hunger?
A tentacle came up and gently- gently?- brushed back his hair from his face.
"You may not have awakened your true self, but your hunger has. There is no escape from it, child."
Luke could only glare and grit his teeth. Vader was silent, well as silent as he could be. There was still his raspy breathing and the slithering of his scales. The hundred eyes were still all focused on Luke. They weren't slits anymore. In fact the blacks had gotten quite large.
"What are you looking at?" Luke asked. "Why don't you just eat me already?"
The black of the eyes turned back into slits, but then widened back out. There was a low rumbling sound and it took Luke a moment to realize it was laughter. Vader was laughing.
"I have no desire to eat you," he said.
"Yet," Luke mumbled.
"You do not know the truth. Not yet. But soon you will. When we are finally together in the physical realm, your true self shall awaken and you will be glorious. Finally, you will be free to feast. Yes, soon. You are on . . . Hoth."
A weight dropped into Luke's stomach and his throat squeezed. He hadn't told Vader! How had he known? Luke pushed and squirmed. At first the tentacles did loosen up, but soon they tightened around him and Luke could barely move.
"I'll never join you," Luke said.
"You will, young one. Once you know the truth."
"What truth?"
"The truth of what you are."
"I know what I am! I am Luke Skywalker! I am a Jedi like my father before me!"
"You are so much more. You feel it, don't you? You are unsatisfied. There is more out there. More you can do. More you can be. If only you could break free from your physical limitations. Luke-"
"Don't say my name!"
"Soon, Luke. Soon. I am coming and I will set you free."
Luke awoke with a start. He would have jumped out of bed, but realized he was connected to several machines and had an IV in him. He glanced wildly around to see he was in the medical bay of Echo Base. Hoth. He was still on Hoth.
And Vader knew that! He was coming!
Luke had to warn the Alliance! They had to evacuate!
"Hey!" Luke shouted as he started to rip off the wires and pads connected to him. "Hey! Anyone? I need to contact-"
Alarms started blaring. Luke stilled and grew cold, and it wasn't from the ice walls surrounding him. Soon, Vader had said. He had meant it. He was here.
He was here.
Tears formed in his eyes. They were hot and burned his cheeks as they silently fell. It was his fault again. Vader was here for him. He had caused this. Vader had learned the location of Echo Base from Luke's dreams and now . . . now . . .
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Vader was here. Luke couldn't change that, but that didn't mean he had to sit here in a medical bed. He could help. He could fight. He could stop Vader. Stop the Empire.
He could help people.
And he did, but he never came across Vader. Vader who was moving through the base much like he did as a monster in Luke's dream. He may be missing the eyes and the tentacles, but still he searched. Of course, Luke had spent most of the battle outside helping take down AT-ATs. By the time he made it back to the base, it was time to leave.
For a moment he debated on staying. He had gotten out of that med bed with the intention to stop Vader, and if he didn't do it here and now, Vader would continue to haunt him. But . . . the window for leaving was closing. He had already once tried a suicide attack on Vader and failed, so Luke climbed into his X-Wing and took off. As he did, though he was awake, he could hear the screeching of a monster in the foggy dreamland.
Luke had been excited to find a Jedi Master to teach him. He wanted to get stronger, but he also wanted answers. Answers about Vader. But Master Yoda could be an annoying little frog. His 'answers' were more riddles and vague than informational. This was especially so when Luke brought up Vader, brought up the dreams, the monster. Yoda would only go quiet and look away if Luke mentioned the last one.
The best thing about being on Dagobah was there were no dreams of Vader here. Luke was finally getting sleep. Yoda had mumbled something about the light chasing away the darkness. Was it Yoda's doing? Had he chased Vader away from Luke's dreams? And if so, how?
But as time went on, Luke couldn't help but think about Vader's words.
You may not have awakened your true self.
What did that mean? What true self? Awaken as a Jedi? But . . .
Your hunger has.
Yoda didn't talk of any hunger. In fact, he talked about how a Jedi didn't want for power or fortune or fame. Plus, that wasn't what Luke hungered for. His hunger was . . . hunger. A never ending, bottomless need to eat. Even on Dagobah, Luke was constantly hungry. He had taken up hunting in the swamp during down time between training just to keep himself somewhat satisfied.
"A Jedi's strength flows from the Force," Yoda said. They had been running through the swamp. Luke was sweating and panting. The Jedi Master sat on Luke's back. Yoda continued, "But beware of the Dark Side. Anger . . . fear . . . aggression. The Dark Side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."
Despite the heat and the humidity, a chill ran through Luke when the word consume was said. The Dark Side would consume you? Is that what Vader meant when he said Luke's hunger had awoken?
Luke asked, "Is the Dark Side stronger?"
"No . . . No. No. Quicker, easier, more seductive."
"But how am I to know the good side from the bad?"
"You will know. When you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge, defense, never for attack."
Never for hunger.
"But tell me why I can't-"
"No, no, there is no why," Yoda interrupted. "Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions."
Luke lowered Yoda off his back and to the ground. He was frustrated and hungry. Perhaps once Yoda hobbled back to his hut Luke would go hunting. He turned and noticed a huge dead tree. Toppled over trees were nothing odd in this place, but this tree was black. Its giant twisted roots curled around an opening. The chill returned and Luke trembled.
"There's something not right here," he said. "I feel cold, death."
"That place is strong with the Dark Side of the Force," Yoda said. "A domain of evil it is. In you must go."
"What's in there?"
"Only what you take with you."
Luke picked up his weapon belt from the ground. As he strapped it on, Yoda spoke up.
"Your weapons . . . you will not need them."
Luke looks back at the opening amongst the roots. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he saw the mist roll out. It wasn't like the rest of the fog here on Dagobah. It moved and swirled unnaturally and it reminded Luke . . . of the dream landscape and the fog that lingered there. He would not be leaving his weapons behind, but he did need to go in there.
He needed . . . He needed answers, and Yoda wasn't provided them.
He cautiously walked towards the cave. His eyes never left the dark opening. He brushed aside vines as he walked in and mist curled at his feet. The air was cool in stark contrast to the wet heat outside. It would have felt good if Luke's heart wasn't beating hard in his chest and cold sweat forming on his skin.
It was too similar. It was just like the dream landscape, but this time it was real. He glanced around looking for the monster. Looking for the eyes. The tentacles. He listened for the familiar shuffles and slithers. Silence except his own far-too-loud breathing.
He went in deeper. There was something here. There had to be something here. He knew it. He sensed it.
He turned sharply, and his lightsaber ignited with a snap-hiss. Standing mere paces away was Vader. Not the monster Vader, the normal Vader in his black suit and mask. His red lightsaber was already ignited. As he moved forward, it was only then Luke heard the sharp breathing coming from the other man. He barely got his lightsaber up in time as the red beam swung down. The two sabers met, hissed, and Luke pushed Vader off. He backstepped to get better footing before he swung at Vader.
They traded blows, and Luke would end this here. He had regretted not going after Vader on Hoth, but now he had his chance. Now he could finally rid himself- no, the galaxy of this foul creature!
Luke's blue beam cut through Vader's neck. Sparks flew as the head flew off the shoulders and the body went slack. The helmet rolled to a stop and Luke approached it. Suddenly, the mask sparked and cracked open revealing not a monster or even a stranger's face . . . it was his face, Luke's face. The eyes were wide in shock and fear but also lifeless.
Luke took a step back and watched in horror as a yellow eye opened on the cheek. Then another and another. Small black tentacles slithered out of the head, and Luke turned and ran.
Luke was curled up in the medical bay on Home One clutching his arm that was missing a hand to his chest. Fresh warm tears ran down his face. It had all gone so wrong . . . so horribly wrong. He meant to kill Vader, to end all of this, and to save Leia, Han, and Chewie. Instead . . . Instead . . .
It had started back on Dagobah. Luke had dreamed of the darky misty place with the monster. It was the first time he had had such a dream since being on the planet. The first thing he noticed was despite sensing Vader, the monster didn't come after him. Luke hid, but still the eyes and the tentacles didn't come. Why didn't they come?
Then came the screams. Normal screams. Screams of a person. Screams Luke was sure he recognized.
His curiosity was too great and left his hiding spot to follow the screams. He should have stayed hidden. It didn't take much to find the hulking large mass of Vader. Luke gasped as he recognized three figures being held tightly. Leia, Chewie, and Han. Han who tentacles wrapped around each of his limbs as they pulled him apart and he screamed in pain.
A heavy cold rock fell in Luke's stomach and ice soon flowed through his veins. This wasn't just a dream. This was a reflection of real life, because there was no way Han and Leia would be here. This was his dream. His and Vader's. And if Luke hadn't brought them here . . . then Vader had.
Several golden-red eyes popped open on Vader's back. They seemed to know exactly where Luke was, though he wasn't out in the open. He was hidden in the branches of a huge fallen black tree.
"Come to me," Vader hissed. He pulled on Han again, who let out fresh screams. "If you do not, I will eat them."
A line spread across the middle of Vader's form and slowly opened to show rows of sharp teeth. The mouth opened wider and wider and the tentacles pulled Han so he was right above the mouth.
"Come to me, young Skywalker."
Luke awoke with a start; he was drenched in a cold sweat. There was no hesitation as he knew what he had to do. Yoda was not pleased, but Luke had to go. He would return to Dagobah to finish his training, he promised, but he couldn't leave Han, Leia, and Chewie in Vader's hands. Vader would eat them. Luke knew it to be true.
That was why he went to Bespin and Cloud City. Why he followed the pull of Vader's cold, massive, and inky presence. When he finally found the monster, Vader was alone. Good. No distractions. Luke ignited his lightsaber with every intention of finally ending Vader. The start of the duel went well, but now in retrospect he realized Vader had only been toying with him. Once Vader grew serious, the duel had shifted. Luke had been battered, bruised, and thrown out a window until he found himself cornered on that gantry over the reactor shaft.
Then he lost his hand and learned the truth.
"I am your father."
No. It couldn't be true! That was impossible!
"See for yourself."
Luke looked down at the still hurting stump of his right arm. He watched in horror as black worms wiggled their way out of his flesh. No. Not worms. Tentacles. Black tentacles.
He was back in the cave looking at his head as tentacles slithered out. Slithered out like the ones coming out of his hand right now.
Once you know the truth.
I am your father.
The truth of what you are. You are so much more.
I am coming and will set you free.
Set you free.
A sob bubbled out of Luke as he trembled on the medical bed. He was a monster. That was what the vision in Dagobah cave had been trying to show him. He was a monster, like Vader, like his father.
Luke felt at peace as the cool air brushed across his skin. He couldn't remember the last time he felt like this. Ever since Bespin, ever since finding out the truth, he had been constantly at his wit's end. Every time he slept Vader was there. Even if Luke was taking a quick power nap, Vader was there right in front of him. There was no chance to run and hide before Vader grabbed him and called him child or even worse my son.
"Stop calling me that!" Luke had shouted as he squirmed in Vader's grasp. In the dream his prosthetic right hand was gone and instead thin black tentacles slithered out. They would wrap around Vader's much thicker tentacles in an attempt to pull them off. "I am not your son!"
"You are my son," Vader roared. "You know it to be true. Stop this useless denial."
"I don't want to be!" Luke shouted back.
Vader flinched. Luke could feel it in the tentacles holding him. Silence stretched between them before the hold on Luke tightened.
"This is who you are, what you are . . . my son. I am a child of the Force and you are my child. You are made of primordial power. Now claim it! Join me, Luke. I will teach you how to master this."
"I don't want to! I want nothing to do with this power or you!"
Vader growled as the grip tightened, and Luke woke up shivering and gasping for air.
His insomnia had worsened. He would stay awake for days until his body finally crashed on him. He would fall over asleep standing up. His body was littered with bruises from his falls. The Alliance doctors, Leia, the Rogues, and even High Command grew more and more concerned. They tried to give him sleeping medicine, but he refused. They didn't understand. He didn't want to sleep. He was diagnosed with PTSD and given medical leave. Perhaps some time away from the war would be best.
However, he was still Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi, the Pilot Who Shot Down the Death Star, Hero of the Rebellion. He couldn't simply just go on vacation, so they stationed him on a remote and quiet base. Though base may not even be the right word for it.
It was a series of buildings on the side of a lake on a nice peaceful, out of the way and Alliance friendly planet. Most of the Rebels here had never seen a battle or even fired against a stormtrooper. It was the perfect quiet hiding spot for the most wanted man in the galaxy. For a spawn of a monster.
But still the dreams followed him. He couldn't escape the monster, whether it be the one in his dreams or the one within him.
"You are hungry," Vader said.
Luke ignored him as he sat curled up against a fallen log.
"You cannot keep ignoring it," Vader continued. "You must eat."
"I do eat," Luke snapped, but didn't look up.
"You know I am not talking about mortal food. It does not sate your hunger, the one that lurks deep inside of you that gnaws you apart and begs to be fed."
"Then what kind of food are you talking about?" Luke shouted. He lifted his head but refused to look over his shoulder.
Vader was . . . right. Luke was hungry. Constantly hungry. He had taken up hunting again. Luckily there was a forest on the other side of the lake with plenty of game. He had started to eat the animals raw and could consume an entire animal. But even then he was still hungry.
"Join me," Vader hissed. Luke rolled his eyes. "You shall feast. You shall never go hungry, my son."
Luke lowered his head on to his knees and hugged himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, but as soon as he awoke the hunger was there. He didn't feel like he was getting better. He felt like he was getting worse. The lack of sleep and the ever present hunger was driving him insane. Was there no cure except for Vader? Should he go back to Dagobah and talk to Yoda? Talk to Ben's ghost? They hadn't told Luke the truth that Vader was his father . . . that he was a monster just like him.
There was no way he would be able to return to the Alliance. No way he could be a Jedi now. The only place that seemed to welcome him was the Empire, and Luke would rather die than turn to Vader. But what else could he do? Hide away forever? Eating animals raw? Constantly fighting back hunger and sleep?
It sounded like a miserable option.
His thoughts turned and spun around and around. He was dizzy and lightheaded. His stomach growled and he flung himself on to his bed and slept. There was no dream. There was no nightmare monster father waiting for him, so he slept. It was the first real sleep he had in weeks, no months- perhaps in the last two years. When he awoke he actually felt rested and at peace.
He left the small house he stayed in and walked to the lake's edge. The cool air brushed across his skin, and he couldn't remember the last time he felt like this. He felt . . . alright. Whole. Rested. He felt like himself. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He took another few moments before he turned around and went back to his house intending to make breakfast, a normal breakfast with hot chocolate. But he stopped dead the moment he entered the kitchen.
Blood was everywhere. It was splashed against the walls and ceiling. There were drag marks on the floor. Luke ran outside and placed his hand against the side of the house. What had happened? He had never seen anything like that before, and he had seen some dark twisted things the Empire could do. But this . . . this was nothing like anything he had ever seen.
He straightened up. He had to inform the rest of the members of the base. They had to investigate what had happened. Who was gone and were they dead? Had the Empire found them?
The main hub of the base looked like a barn from the outside, and while a small portion of it did house animals to keep up appearances, it was mostly filled with computers and holo tables. They were cracked or tipped over and caked in blood just as Luke's kitchen had been. He noticed scorching on the floor and walls from bolts and a discarded blaster. Luke looked around frantically. He ran through the barn and then to the next building and the next. Each one was like his kitchen and barn. It had been torn apart and blood was everywhere but there were no bodies.
What had happened? What had happened!
He was back at the lake curled up with his hands over his ears as he squeezed his head. Had he slept so deeply he had missed an attack? And if that was the case, why was he spared? Had it been some wild animal? But . . . there was nothing outside except some drops of blood.
"Luke."
He slowly stood up and turned around to face Darth Vader in his human looking appearance. Luke glanced around almost expecting to see a tentacle or two, but it was just Vader.
"You did this," Luke said.
"No, my son. You did."
"I did no such thing!" he shouted.
"I told you," Vader said slowly. "You cannot escape what you are, or the hunger."
"What?"
There was a slight tilt to Vader's helmet. "How do you feel? Are you hungry?"
The color drained from Luke's face. He could feel it wash down into a bottomless pit in his stomach. "What?" he gasped.
"Are you hungry?" Vader repeated.
"No . . . I . . . Didn't . . . Couldn't . . ."
He hadn't- There was no way he had . . .
He fell to his knees screaming. He had. He had killed them and eaten them all like he had the local animals. He was a monster.
He sat there screaming for hours with Vader standing over him unmoving. He only moved after Luke's voice and body finally gave out and he collapsed into the cold dirt. Vader collected him into his human arms and carried him away.
Luke's head rested against the cold viewport as he looked out at space. Some of the view was blocked by the massive length of the Executor, which was terrifying and impressive up close. A few other ships of Vader's fleet were also in view. He should have been analyzing them, watching their movements, counting their fighter squads, trying to hack into the Executor's systems, or anything that he could use to help the Alliance. Even figuring out the location of this fleet and transmitting would be beneficial.
But he didn't.
It didn't matter. Not any more. He was a monster. He couldn't return to the Alliance, not after what he had done . . . and what he continued to do.
The door behind him slid open with a quiet swoosh. Vader's breathing was heard at once along with his heavy footsteps as he entered the room. He wasn't alone. The sharp click of a stormtrooper's boots followed Vader.
"Luke," Vader's voice boomed in the small room. It caused Luke to wince. "It is time to eat."
He didn't move, not even his eyes to glance at the reflection in the viewport. But Vader wasn't waiting for Luke's acknowledgement. There was a short scuffle of boots quickly followed by a choking sound then cracking of bones and the tangy smell of blood. Luke's stomach grumbled. He clenched his jaw. He wouldn't give into the hunger. He wouldn't. He wouldn't.
He did.
He always did. No matter how much he tried to fight back or to control it, he couldn't fight it off. It was like his body moved on its own. Black tentacles would grow out of his back or arms or neck and grab the meal his father had brought him. There would be nothing left when he was done. Not even the armor if it was a trooper or any blood that was spilled on the ground.
Vader was smug and satisfied as he hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. Luke was mortified and curled up against the viewport again fighting back the hot swell of tears. He was sure Vader sighed, if he could sigh that was. It wasn't so much of a sound, but something Luke felt. A heavy gloved hand came to rest on his shoulders.
"Luke," Vader said. His voice seemed softer as if he had turned down the volume. He squeezed Luke's shoulder. "Embrace who you are. What you are."
"I have," Luke responded. There was no snark or fight in his voice, just a defeated acceptance. "I'm a monster. What else is there?"
Another squeeze of the shoulder.
"You are more than that, my son. So much more. You are a child of the Force. You have the power to do so much more."
Luke finally turned around and glared up at the black mask. "And what have you done with all that power?" he snapped. The heat rising to his cheeks. "Fought for the Empire?"
There was a moment of hesitation. Vader's hand was still outstretched, but had fallen off Luke's shoulder when he turned around.
"My power is limited," Vader said slowly. His cadences a bit uneven.
Luke snorted. "Limited? Aren't you more Force than me? How can you be limited?"
Vader held up his arms and looked down at them. "This suit . . . binds me to my mortal flesh form. Only in dreams am I fully free."
"Then take it off?"
"If only it were that simple, my son. My mortal body is damaged beyond repair. Without it I would die."
"Even if you turned yourself into a monster?"
"I would not live long enough to complete the transformation."
"Why do I even look like this?" Luke asked as he looked down at his own hands, one flesh, one prosthetic.
"It is the form of our mothers."
Luke's head snapped up. His mouth slightly opened. "Mother?"
"My mother was human. Your . . . mother . . . was human."
"Who was she?"
Vader turned sharply around. His cloak swirled and brushed against Luke.
"The Emperor has summoned you," Vader said. "You would be wise to accept any offers he gives you." Then he marched out of the room.
Luke still dreamt of the miserable dream place, but Vader was never there. Why would he when he haunted Luke's waking moments? But he wasn't alone either. Leia was there. He at first saw her from a distance slipping through the fog and between trees. He thought it was just his imagination, just his dream, but it wasn't. This place was tied to the real world, and Leia was here.
"Leia, you can't be here," Luke had said when they finally met up. He kept looking over his shoulder expecting Vader's monstrous form to materialize out of the mist.
"Luke!" she cried as she ran up to him. "Are you ok? How are you-"
"Leia, please. If he sees you . . if he finds you . . . go. Please, go. Never try to linger here. You have to promise."
"Luke . . . I . . ."
"Leia. Please."
She opened her mouth to say more but then she simply disappeared. She had probably woken up in the real world.
Why was Leia here? Was this Vader's doing? Another victim to lure in? Luke wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't allow Leia to get hurt or worse due to Vader's hand. He would protect her. It was the one thing he could still do.
Luke wasn't surprised to learn there was a second Death Star or that this was where the Emperor wished to meet him. It was a personal stab at the Hero Who Shot Down the First Death Star. He wouldn't be shooting down this one. He was now in Imperial hands.
He wore an all black fitting outfit with a black glove over his fake hand. He felt small next to Vader as he followed his father through the corridors and lifts until they finally arrived in the throne room.
The room was dark and the Emperor sat upon a raised platform in front of a massive window. His throne was turned towards it with its back towards the lift. Father and son climbed the steps and as they reached the top, the throne turned around. The Emperor wore a black robe with its hood pulled up. His face was deformed with deep wrinkles and sunken sickly yellow eyes.
"Welcome, young Skywalker," the Emperor said. "I have been expecting you." He titled his head a bit to look beyond Luke. "Guards. Leave us."
Luke didn't turn around, but he knew the two guards that had been standing by the lift had followed their Emperor's order. Luke stared at the Emperor.
"I am looking forward to completing your training," the Emperor said. "In time you will call me master."
Old emotions flared inside of Luke and he swallowed hard to keep his face even and neutral. He thought back to Cymoon-1, Vrogas Vas, and Bespin. Of his determination and courage. At the time he had been focused on Vader, but now that had shifted to the Emperor.
"You are gravely mistaken," he said as a wave of calm and confidence settled over him. Vader turned to look at him. "You won't convert me as you did my father."
"Oh no," the Emperor said as he stood up and slowly approached. "My young monster. It is you who will find you are mistaken about a great many things."
Luke couldn't stop himself. His gaze flickered to his father, and the Emperor smiled catching it.
"By now you must know your father can never be turned from the Dark Side. He is of the Dark Side. As are you."
"Your overconfidence is your weakness," Luke said.
"It is pointless to resist, my son," Vader said. Was there a solemn note there?
The Emperor walked back to his throne and sat down on it. "It is unavoidable. It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine." The Emperor's words seem to swirl in the air and circle possessively around Luke.
Luke closed his eyes. Hot tears were forming and threatened to fall if he wasn't careful. There might not be any going back, but he had decided. He would end this.
"Good, good," the Emperor purred. "You have accepted your place at my side."
Slowly Luke's eyes opened. He walked forward and bent down to my one knee. The Emperor laughed with triumphal glee and greed.
"Now swear yourself to my teachings, Skywalker, and your journey to the Dark Side will begin." The Emperor was leaning forward on this throne eager to hear the words. Eager to claim Luke as he had Anakin.
Luke took a deep breath and opened his mouth and kept opening it. He let go and felt his mortal body come undone as finally the other side of him came free. Tentacles snapped out of his gaping mouth and circled around the Emperor, who gasped and wiggled in an attempt to free himself. Luke knew the feeling all too well from the many times Vader had captured him in his dreams.
Lightning danced between the Emperor's fingers, and Vader tensed up. As more and more of his humanity slipped away and hundreds of yellow eyes opened, Luke saw it. Not just this time and place, but beyond that. He saw his father bent down on one knee as Force lightning tore through him. The monster inside screamed in pain as Vader's mortal body faltered as his suit faltered.
It was a cage. The suit was a cage. And the Emperor had placed Vader in it on purpose. Had bound Vader in there by making his mortal body weak. Vader would never be free. Would never be able to turn against his master as Luke was doing now.
The tentacles around the Emperor tightened and he started to pull the old man towards his ever growing mouth. The Emperor thrashed as lightning streaked from his fingers into the tentacles and Luke's growing massive black form. It did nothing to slow or halt Luke, and soon the man, the weak and pathetic human, was inside his mouth. Dozens of teeth sank into the Emperor's scrawny flesh and meat and he was soon silenced and consumed.
Luke was hungry. Hungrier than he had ever felt before. All he wanted to do was eat.
His eyes looked around for his next meal and settled on the small man in the suit next to him. Tentacles lashed out and grabbed Vader, who grunted, but otherwise didn't resist even as he was pulled towards Luke's mouth. Vader was resigned and accepted his fate with a small downward tilt of his helmet.
But Luke didn't pull Vader into his mouth as he had the Emperor. Instead he started to strip Vader of his suit. First the gloves and boots then the cape and belt. Vader's panic started to rise, especially as the helmet and mask were taken off. For the first time, Luke looked upon his Father's human shell for the first time.
It was in a horrible state. Scarred pale skin stretched across a bald head and sad gold eyes looked up at him that slowly closed.
I guess it would be too much of a mercy to ask for a quick death, Vader said into the Force.
I am not giving you death, Father, Luke replied. I am giving you life.
It was not an easy task to rip apart all the machines and wires inside of Vader. It was gruesome and bloody and eventually Vader screamed as the pain became too much. He should have died if Luke had allowed it, but he didn't. He was no longer a human; he was, as his father had once said to him, so much more. A son of the Force. A son who would save his father.
It was slow and hard to coax the other side of Vader out. Too long had it be confined to the suit and the mortal flesh. But eventually the monster started to awaken and unfurl. The broken body of the human Vader disappeared as his other form grew and grew. It was even larger than Luke and it was dazzling. Luke's hundreds of eyes watered looking at his father in all his glory.
Something gentle brushed against Luke. He wasn't sure if it was something in the physical world like a tentacle or if it was solely in the Force, or both.
Thank you, my son, Vader said softly.
Silence stretched between them. Around them small balls of light formed. Tiny stars flickered into existence and danced around them. Some collided with a quick flash.
Vader had been right. His father had been right. It was glorious.
I do not think I will be able to go back, Vader said.
I had to destroy your mortal body to release this one, Luke admitted.
Vader's eyes were watching the stars, were watching microscopic planets form and galaxies emerge.
It will not be missed, Vader said. But Luke could feel that wasn't the whole truth. Vader would miss his human life. At least part of it.
You are not alone, Luke said. I do not know if I can go back.
Vader laughed. You can. Your human body is still there. It is not easy or comfortable, but it is possible. If you wish.
A small spiral galaxy spun in front of Luke.
What if I don't want to? he asked.
You don't have to, but you may change your mind.
There was another stretch of silence as the small universe continued to grow.
What now? Luke finally asked.
Such a simple phrase for heavy doubts. What would they do? Where would they go?
First, we eat, Vader said.
Luke was hungry. Very hungry.
Eat what? he asked.
Suddenly, a galaxy blinked out. Then another. Vader was eating them. Luke cautiously flicked one into his mouth. Tiny little explosions snapped and crackled inside of him and slight buzz surged through his veins. Soon the throne room was black and empty again, but Luke was still hungry.
Will it always be like this? he asked. Always hungry?
No, Vader said. Like any hunger, you just have to eat enough.
Luke was about to question what else could they eat, but then the idea hit him. Apparently, his father got the same idea at the same time.
Leia didn't believe Luke was dead, though almost everyone else thought that after the Alliance had discovered the base Luke was stationed at was deserted and stained in blood. There were also sightings of an Imperial shuttle in the area as well as a Star Destroyer in the system. Everyone thought the Empire had finally gotten their hands on Luke Skywalker.
Except it was so very unlike the Empire. They could be cruel and gruesome, but she had never seen blood just aimlessly splattered about. There wasn't anything missing from the base. The files were still secure. And most telling of all, there weren't any bodies. Usually the Empire would display them or just leave them as a warning to all who would align themselves with the Rebellion.
Plus if the Empire really had Luke, why hadn't they done or said anything about it?
But she knew he was alive. When people asked why she knew that, all she could say was it was a feeling. But she also dreamed of him in a dark, dreary place. He felt so real, as if he was really there pleading with her to leave this place and not to linger there. Were her dreams trying to tell her something? Was Luke a prisoner of the Empire and he was telling her not to come after him?
Then one day the dream changed suddenly. Luke sat calmly on a log no longer dressed in black, but in white with small green shoots growing at the base of the log. It was the first spot of color she had seen in this monotone place. His expression had changed as well, from one full of anxiety and despair to a calm one.
"Luke?" she said softly as she approached afraid her own voice might shatter this peaceful state.
She paused only a step away from him close enough she could reach him if she wanted to. He kept looking off in the distance a moment longer before his blue eyes finally focused on her. A shy smile grew on his face, and she couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"Luke," she said again. "You look . . . good."
"Thanks," he said.
Somewhere off in the distance was a sound, a shuffling of leaves and the breaking of branches. Something was out there moving. Something big. The hair on the back of Leia's neck stood on end as she pushed herself up on her tiptoes to see if she could spot the cause. Luke looked over his shoulder, but only for a moment before he looked back with a slight shake of his head.
"Don't mind him," he said. "He's just anxious."
"Him? Him who?" Leia asked.
The only answer she got was a blue eyed stare and more shuffling that was getting closer.
"Leia, have you ever . . . ever felt hungry? Not a regular hunger. A hunger that you can't seem to sate?"
"What? What are you talking about, Luke?"
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Good," he whispered to himself.
"What is going on? What is this place? Luke . . . This is real isn't it? You're real? You're . . . alive?"
For a quick second he seemed surprised but that quickly faded away as he smiled. This time in earnest. "Yes, he said. "I'm alive."
This time it was Leia who smiled.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"Endor," he said.
She couldn't ask another word before she woke up and found herself staring at the ceiling of her bunk. She didn't even bother to get approval from High Command before she was sitting in the co-pilot's chair on the Millenium Falcon with Chewie, R2, and C-3PO. There wasn't much information about Endor. It was a rather simplistic and out-of-the-way system. It offered up a few resources, but otherwise was insignificant.
The moment they reverted back to real space she realized she was wrong. Very wrong.
She would recognize the Death Star anywhere. It had haunted her dreams for three years now.
"They're building another one," she said in a soft voice.
Chewie let out a mournful growl that quickly changed into an angry one. One hand went to the steering yoke and the other to the hyperdrive handle. He was going to turn them around and get them out of there before the Imperials noticed them.
"Wait," she said.
She stared at the distant battle station. There were at least three star destroyers floating nearby, and yet . . .
"Bring us in," she said. Chewie questioned that command. "I can't explain it Chewie. It'll be alright."
She looked at him and nodded. He titled his head and slowly pulled his hand away from the hyperspace handle. Despite this feeling, she felt more and more anxious the closer they got, especially since nothing happened with the Imperials. No hailing calls, no TIEs deployed, no tractor beams, no questions, no activity at all.
They had to know who they were; they were in the Falcon. Even as they landed in a hangar on the Death Star, there was no movement. No squads of stormtroopers to meet them, no pilots or deck officers milling about. There was no one. No one in the hallways, in the bunks, in the control rooms, even on the bridge.
No one. It was empty.
She had even checked the detention level for Luke. It was void as the rest of the place. She was alone when she made her way to the throne room, a place they had discovered when R2 sliced into the station's mainframe. As the lift slid open and she looked up at the throne, she saw- It couldn't be!
She ran out of the lift and up the steps and-
The chair was empty. She had seen him! She had seen Luke sitting in the chair like she had seen him in the dream! She looked around wondering if he was standing nearby, but he wasn't. Tears stung her eyes as she walked over and placed a hand on the chair.
Leia.
"Luke!"
She quickly turned around expecting him to be right there as his voice sounded so close. It was only more emptiness and yet . . . It didn't feel the same. It felt like Luke was there.
"Luke?" she called out.
Leia.
"Where are you?"
I am here.
"Where is here?"
It's a bit hard to explain.
"Try me," she said as she planted her hands on her hips.
He laughed. I will. In time, I will. But . . . first . . . Leia . . . I . . . I'm doing whatever I can to help.
"Help?"
The Alliance.
"Of course you are, Luke! No one has ever doubted that. I've never doubted that."
You might think differently once you know the truth. That I . . . well they're gone.
She said nothing. A lump was forming in her throat.
Everyone on this station and the fleet that surrounds it. They're gone. I . . .
"Did what you had to," she said. She didn't understand how such a thing was possible, but she believed him. She knew he was telling the truth.
Some of the people here . . . they were good people. Innocent people just wrapped up in the Empire. They didn't deserve it . . .
"Luke . . . There are always innocents lost in war." She thought of Alderaan.
We were both just so hungry and before we knew it . . . everyone was gone.
We? she thought.
As if on cue, she felt it. Felt him. A cold inky feeling that caused her skin to crawl. She had felt that sensation once before as Vader held as Tarkin ordered the destruction of her home world. She hissed as she looked around for Darth Vader.
Don't worry Leia! Luke called out. He won't hurt you anymore.
"Is he gone too?" she snapped.
No. But . . . There was a sigh. I'll tell you later. I'll tell you it all later. But first there is so much more to do. Vader isn't gone, but he isn't a threat. Not to you or the Alliance.
"What does that mean? He's defected?"
I have, came a deep dark voice.
"You expect me to believe that Darth Vader has defected?" she shouted. "Show yourself! If you've really left the Empire then stand trial for your crimes!"
He can't . . . He can't go into the physical realm any more . . .
"What are you talking about?" she demanded.
It might be better to think of him as dead, Luke said.
He wasn't dead just like Luke wasn't dead. She could feel him lurking about.
The Emperor is dead, Vader quickly added. Truly dead.
"Wh- what?"
Like I said, there is still so much to be done Leia. Vader and I will do what we can, but the Alliance needs to move. The Empire doesn't know the Emperor is dead, but they're already starting to freak out. Leia, you need to get the Alliance going.
"Luke . . ."
The Force will be with you. I will be with you. Always. Now go.
