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tatooineknights · 1 year

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#Luke Skywalker #rotj #esb #swedit #star wars edit #starwarsedit #swsource #starwarsblr #return of the jedi #star wars #empire strikes back #bespin fatigues wonder boy #throne room shenanigans

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the-fanciful-fangirl · 4 years

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No One

So I started a new series on AO3 called Different Paths, a place to house the (mostly Luke and Vader) Star Wars AU’s that are always spinning around in my head.

Below is the first one-shot titled, No One, an AU of Bespin because why not?

“The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet.”

Luke couldn’t decide if Darth Vader is trying to taunt or scare him, perhaps both.

He supposed that he should expect nothing less from the man who had murdered his father and tortured his friends. Regardless, Luke decided that either way, he and Vader would cross blades that day, whether he was ready or not. He pushed thoughts of Yoda and Ben’s warnings from his mind and ascended the stairs, coming to stand right before Vader. But the Dark Lord made no move to light his saber, so Luke lit his, brandishing it as carefully as he could. His muscle memory moved him into a familiar training stance and for a second he hoped that his work on Dagobah would be enough.

Vader lit his own blade and slowly lowered it to cross Luke’s.

It was Luke who struck first, arching the saber up and down towards Vader’s immovable death mask. Unsurprisingly, Vader countered, brushing off Luke’s attack with ease. Unwilling to give up, Luke went at Vader again, with the same overhead strike, but this time the Dark Lord pressed back, sending Luke down to the floor. The young Jedi trainee rose immediately, falling back into his stance.

Luke was already feeling fatigued. Sweat started to form on his face and while he certainly hadn’t extended much energy yet, neither, did it seem, had Vader. Still, Luke told himself that he wasn’t fighting this battle for himself and he pressed forward. Vader actually shrunk back from the advance and allowed Luke to make the first move yet again. They clashed sabers, over and over again. Luke tried several angles of attack but nothing he did even came close to touching Vader.

In fact, Luke soon found himself pushed back to the top of the stairs, tired but still full of fire. His mind drifted briefly to thoughts of his father, and not for the first time, Luke wondered if his father would have been proud of him.

“You have learned much, young one.” Vader's voice almost sounded… complementary but Luke knew he was only imagining that.

“You’ll find I’m full of surprises.” Luke quipped back, determined not to let his father’s murderer get the upper hand. He thrust his lightsaber forward, aiming for the blinking control panel on Vader’s chest. The Dark Lord was quicker however. With a quick flick of his wrist, Luke’s lightsaber was sent out of his hand. Luke found himself practically kneeling at Vader’s feet, staring up at the crimson blade hovering in the air between them.

But Vader made no move to strike. Instead, he deactivated his lightsaber altogether. Luke quickly looked around for his saber but before he could even find it in the red-tinted darkness, it came shooting up and into Vader’s hand. He turned it over in his hands, like he was examining it. Luke felt a hot fire rise up within him but before he could yell at Vader for daring to touch his father’s lightsaber, the Dark Lord spoke.

“On Cymoon, you said that I killed your father.” Vader said plainly. Luke blinked up at the Dark Lord, unsure of this sudden turn of events. Vader spoke again.

“I suppose, Obi-Wan told you that.” Vader said, almost… sadly. Luke wondered briefly if he had taken one to many hits to the head in recent years.

“He did.” Luke said finally. “He said you betrayed him and murdered him.” The ire in Luke’s voice was sharp but Vader didn’t seem fazed. What was the anger of one pseudo-Jedi youngling against a Sith Lord’s?

“Obi-Wan did always have a complicated relationship with the truth, especially when it suited his needs.” Vader commented, continuing to turn the saber over in his hands.

Despite the sudden lack of hostility, Luke felt like he couldn’t move, couldn’t get away, no matter how much he may have wanted to run. His heart started beating hard in his chest but he remained crouched right before Vader.

“Complicated how?” Luke asked after a long silence. He didn’t really want to have a conversation with Vader about his slain mentor but the silence was starting to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

“How did Obi-Wan get your father’s lightsaber?” Vader asked at last. Luke blinked in confusion for a moment.

“What?”

“If I supposedly killed your father, how did Obi-Wan get his lightsaber?” Vader said. The tension in Luke continued to rise.

“I don’t know.” Luke said plainly. He felt like the galaxy was spinning off its axis. This was not how he’d anticipated this duel going.

“Presumably, if I had killed your father, he would have had his lightsaber with him at the time. Perhaps we would have dueled to the death. If that was the case, how then did Kenobi acquire this lightsaber in order to give it to you?” Vader gestured with the unlit blade as he spoke. Luke remained in his place on the floor, unable to move.

“Or did Kenobi leave out those details as well? He seems to have given you very little details on how your father died. Curious, since he intended to use you as a weapon to take out your father’s supposed murderer.”

Luke’s eyes were wide and his mind spun. Ben had… The young rebel tried desperately to remember all that his mentor had told him about his father but the details were scant and Luke suddenly felt like Ben Kenobi had been a stranger to him.

“So you didn’t kill my father?” Luke said after several silent minutes.

“No, young one, I did not.” Vader said in his deep baritone.

“Who did?” Luke asked. He felt the Force shift sharply.

“No one killed your father, Luke.” The Force swelled up now and Luke felt faint as Vader took a step forward.

“I am your father.”

Luke fell back, just barely catching himself from falling down the stairs. Vader came no further as he felt his son’s mind spin.

“That’s impossible.” Luke said at last, his breathing shaky. He turned his head to look his F- Vader in the eyes. From his place on the floor, Luke suddenly felt very small.

“It would not have suited Kenobi’s ends to tell you the truth.” Another moment of silence.

“But Anakin Skywalker was my father.” The boy whimpered, he was getting emotional now. Vader knelt down slowly so that he was no longer towering over Luke like a living gargoyle and placed his old lightsaber on the floor between them.

“That name no longer has any meaning for me. But when I made this lightsaber, it was what I was called.”

Luke seemed to think that over for a moment before looking up again.

“That’s why you’ve been chasing me… the bounty said alive only…” His words drifted off. “But on Cymoon, you almost killed me.” The statement might not have been a question but Vader answered it anyway.

“I did not know then. I believed you dead before you were even born.” Vader said with something close to reverence. Luke’s eyes scanned back and forth like his mind was puzzling pieces together but too many were missing. His shoulders sagged after a long moment and he pulled his knees up to his chest. The only person with all the pieces, was the same man who had been hunting him for three years… and also the man who he’d once dreamed would come back to take him to see the stars. Luke was suddenly very aware of how tired he was.

“I don’t know what to do.” Luke admitted shakily.

Vader stood smoothly and extended a gloved hand out to Luke.

“Come with me.”

Luke looked at the hand and thought about all that those three words really meant. He reached up in spite of himself and took his father’s hand.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to know what you think.

Link to it on AO3 here.

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #fanfiction #man it's been a long time since I posted #Luke Skywalker #Darth Vader #Anakin Skywalker #Obi-Wan Kenobi #bespin #The Empire Strikes Back #my fanfiction

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tatooineknights · 1 year

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