He stood, waiting for his son to enter, aware that the boys' senses were ablaze with confusion and anger.
The heavy, reinforced door ground open forcefully against its own inset bolts, not even slowing Luke as he stormed in.
"You once told me that I was beyond Light and Darkness. Why!?"
Vader kept his voice calm in the face of the boy's obvious vehemence, "Because you are everything that I once was - but you are not only my son. You are your mother's child as much as you are mine and no evil could ever come from her. If you had known her, you would know that absolutely."
Luke stared wild-eyed and disbelieving, and Vader knew it was not enough. "Because if Darkness could claim you it would have done so long ago."
"How do you know that it hasn't?" It was almost a plea, part desperation and part fear.
"You are not evil." Vader stated simply.
To hear, simply to hear those words, was a release in itself and Luke's sense and voice calmed as he took a trembling breath.
"How do you know?" he repeated.
"Darkness would not ask," Vader assured. "Darkness would not care."
Luke considered for a long time, eyes skipping the room, mind racing. "Palpatine told me I was lost- he was right."
Vader shook his head, "You are not lost. You are finding your way- finding yourself."
Luke let out a broken sigh, shaking his head, "I've surrendered everything I believed in."
"For what?"
"For..." Luke faltered, frowning.
"For everything that you now believe - everything you know." Vader finished, bass voice sure and confident. "The world is never as simple as our childhood wishes- at some point, we must all accept that truth... we must grow up and put impossible ideals behind us."
Luke glanced up, "What if I'm wrong?
"As long as you consider that possibility, then..."
Luke shook his head, unwilling to be mollified so easily, "No- that's just words. This is lives- people I..."
"Respect?" Vader said into Luke's guilt-ridden hesitance. "It is no weakness to respect your enemies."
"She isn't my enemy."
"She tried to kill you."
"Maybe she was right."
"Then why did you stop her?" Vader asked of his son; not a challenge, but a genuine request for an explanation.
Luke considered for a long time, shaking his head slowly. "Because I had to- she and others like her will just maintain the status-quo. The war will never end- old prejudices and deep wounds will always hold them apart. They've fought too long; become too entrenched, and Palpatine will always use that against them. They're lost in their ideals." He considered his words for a long time, looking for answers to the questions they posed- though all he found was further questions; "But that doesn't necessarily make them wrong."
"Nor you, for stopping them."
Luke sighed, silent again, considering. Vader too held his peace; he knew better now than to push too hard- the boy would come to his own conclusions; he always did. This was merely a sounding, a testing of his viewpoint. He glanced up at his father now, looking for confirmation as he spoke. "Palpatine's no better, his actions only fuel the extremism and he knows it- wants it. He would never negotiate but he'll never wipe them out because he doesn't want peace, only an opportunity to exercise his supremacy. We can never move forward whilst people like that hold power."
"Then change it."
Luke turned away, knowing where his father was leading him. But hadn't he considered this himself- it was after all, why he'd gone after Mothma in the first place. Was this the time to finally acknowledge it out loud? Because he couldn't do this without his father's help - or at the very least his willing disregard of Luke's actions.
He shook his head, unable to say it out loud yet, "If I removed him then whoever took power would have their own agenda."
"There is an easy way to guarantee that the Emperor's agenda is your own."
Again Luke shook his head, "No. I have no right to take power."
"If you believe the Emperor's actions unbefitting, then you should stop him. Isn't that what you had always intended to do?"
The boy remained hesitant, so Vader tried again, "You believe his actions destructive - that he should be removed from power." they were long past prevarication now; it was in neither of their characters to do so and the boy had danced on the edge of treason long enough.
Luke lifted his chin, decisive. "I believe there's no place for people like that in a new order."
"Your New Order."
"Everyones." Luke avoided.
"But you will lead it. Because no-one else can."
Luke considered, eyes down, lost in thought.
"You will do what has to be done." Vader continued, voice very sure, pushing his son on, only now able to nudge Luke into the path Vader had chosen for him four years ago- and so of course for himself. "You will always do that- it is in your nature; you will look for a path, you will find a way and you will make it happen. You will make it happen- that is when stubbornness is a strength. You will never shy away from what needs to be done."
His son remained silent for long seconds, eyes to the floor as his mind raced; were he able, Vader would have held his breath in rapt anticipation. Luke frowned, mismatched eyes hidden beneath a thoughtful scowl... then he nodded; just once, but firmly, the decision finally made, the path committed to... for both of them - together. And just like that, in the single nod of a head, four years of anticipation came to fruition for Vader.
"I'll broker peace." Luke said at last, a challenge in his voice for his father to disagree with his ultimate intent.
"Your peace." Vader underlined. "Your way."
"My way." Luke confirmed, and Vader smiled beneath is mask, aware of the significance of the moment - that this was the first time that they had come to any accord in this. That he could finally move forward with his son at his side.
If the boy wanted some invented belief to ease his conscience, then let him have it. When he held power, when he realised what he could do - that all previous barriers were eradicated - he would reconsider. But those barriers must first be removed. "And the Emperor?"
Luke remained silent for a long time, his face and sense slowly hardening to Vader's searching perceptions as he finally acknowledged the necessary truth.
"He doesn't feature." Luke stated calmly, "At all."
Chapter 17
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
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Mara paused in the Peerless' corridor, leaning back against the wall. Do it or not, Jade. Make your mind up.
Still she hesitated, mind a flurry of exhilaration, guilt, uncertainty, nerves... She glanced up at the surveillance lens on the ceiling, knowing its cycle of movement exactly - when it showed her end of the corridor; the crossover between lenses; Force knew, she'd sat and stared at the monitors enough nights. She glanced again down the empty corridor- he allowed no guards either; onboard his flagship, things worked to his own rules, and rule number one was No Guards. There were plain-clothes guards watching of course, at the Emperor's command, but Mara knew their routines and had picked this moment in the early hours of the morning very specifically.
What she hadn't intended was to hesitate, and if she didn't take this chance right now, then she wouldn't get another for hours. Taking a deep breath, she walked quickly and casually down the corridor and keyed the override code to open the door to Skywalker's apartments. She catstepped quickly into still darkness, momentarily blinded as she went from the light of the corridor to the pitch black of his quarters. Still holding her breath, she started forward-