All I ever seem to do is apologize for the long wait with 'Stars" but I really do feel bad that I left you alone with this story for so long. How did time pass so fast, but nine months… really, Slx? In my defense, I was thoroughly occupied with my main story 'Hostage' and quite frankly I struggled switching between the two 'Lukes' in both stories who feel so different from each other. Anyway, I finally took the time to finish the next chapter and I promise the next one won't be another nine months wait.

Chapter 6

ooo

Luke was poking with a small stick listlessly, drawing little X-Wings into the stretch of sandy ground in front of him. Vader was still busying himself with the comlink at the far side of the clearing, attempting to reach out to the Empire. Luke wondered what Vader would tell them. Would he say that he had captured the Death Star pilot? Or would he merely inform them of his own survival and demand a pick-up?

He looked up as a shadow fell over him and Vader's booted feet stepped right on top of his last masterpiece.

"Did you manage to make contact?" Luke asked, not bothering to look up to the looming form above him.

"Yes, the signal I have sent was received by the relay station. From there it should reach the search parties."

"How much longer do you think they will need to find us?"

"The signal contains our coordinates, it should not be much longer than a day… for their sake."

Luke nodded. He could easily imagine the scrambled rush of activity that would erupt once Vader's signal was received by the Imperials. They would sure throw in all the effort they could to retrieve their supreme commander as fast as possible and get them out of the wilderness of this planet.

He should be happy about getting rescued, too. Their rations wouldn't last them forever and survival would become a lot harder once they were up. But inside Luke felt disappointed and worried. He wouldn't mind it, if whoever would come to pick them up would take another few days or even better weeks. At least it would buy him time to sort out his conflicting feelings and the looming prospect of Vader's friendly act around him changing the moment they stepped aboard his ship.

"You seem unusually dispirited by the prospect of rescue, young one," Vader said.

"No, it's… nothing," Luke said.

"Very well. Then get up, there is still work to be done."

Luke frowned. "What work?" he asked suspiciously.

Vader threw the grey bag into the grass next to him.

Luke eyed the bundle with interest. „What is this?" he asked.

„An emergency shelter. You will sleep in it tonight."

"Oh." Comprehension dawned on Luke. "Hang on. Why didn't you get it out earlier?"

"Our trip to the lake took longer due to unexpected circumstances, so we could not return."

Luke winced at the choice of wording, quashing his feeling of unease that surfaced whenever he allowed his own thoughts to drift to his near drowning.

"And during the first night there were… other reasons that prevented the use of the shelter."

Luke gave a small lopsided smile, glad of the change of topic. "You mean you didn't want to take off the binders."

"How perceptive," Vader replied dryly.

Luke grinned a bit broader. At least he had another day to figure out how to deal with all this.

He pulled the package closer to him, loosening the straps bundling it up. Unfolded it fell into a tangled mess of poles and dura-weave. He had never built a tent before, but he figured it couldn't be that hard. Luke got to work with enthusiasm. But no matter how much effort and time he put into the task, the result did not look quite right to him. Luke stared skeptically at his handiwork, his arms crossed.

„This does not look remotely like it is supposed to," Vader remarked snidely when he returned, eying the tent.

„Maybe you could help me instead of making unhelpful comments," Luke mumbled.

„The shelter is designed to be easily erected by a single person even under adverse circumstances."

Luke shot Vader a filthy look. "So you don't know it yourself."

Vader ignored his comment. He circled the tent, inspecting it, his hands clasped behind his back. „Perhaps if you would not try to use the cover of the sleeping bag as the outer fly you would have met with more success." he pointed out.

"Maybe if youwould -" Luke fired back, but he stopped when he spotted movement in his peripheral vision behind Vader. He squinted to the edge of the clearing, seeing several of the four-legged creatures that had attacked them in their first night together.

Vader whipped around. "Stay behind me," Vader snapped, pushing him back with enough force to make Luke fall into the high grass. "Take cover."

Vader pulled out his lightsaber and started forward. He ignited the blade as he marched to meet the pack of creatures head on. They prowled slowly closer, black fur bristled.

From his spot in the high grass, Luke watched. The first creature attacked, lunging forward with impressive agility and power. It aimed to pounce on Vader and Luke held his breath. But his worry seemed to be unnecessary. Vader swung his lightsaber with astounding speed and plunged the blade into the creature midair. With a mewl it fell to the ground.

It didn't seem to put off the rest of the pack. More of them charged. Luke watched in awe as Vader fought them off, using the Force to push them back and his lightsaber, a blinding whirl of red as he tore through the attacking creatures. But from the edge of the clearing Luke saw even more of them approaching, fanning out to surround Vader.

"There are more of them!" Luke warned urgently, but he was unsure if Vader could even hear him in the heat of the fight. Luke reached for the blaster still hooked to his belt. He didn't need to hide, he could help, too.

Luke started forward, but he quickly sank back into his hiding spot. A whisper went through the high grass, setting off Luke's danger sense. Luke looked for the cause of it, having come to associate this feeling with the gentle prod of the Force, warning him of impending threats.

Stalking over the clearing, its body and the large head low and every muscle of its body tensed, came the largest of the creatures Luke had ever seen. It was fixing Vader unwaveringly with its gleaming yellow eyes. It must be the pack leader. Vader didn't seem to notice the advancing danger at his back.

"Watch out," Luke called, but Vader was still too busy keeping the pack of smaller creatures at bay and from surrounding him.

Luke needed to do something or the creature wouldkill Vader. He couldn't let that happen. His heart pounded furiously in his chest. He raised his blaster, whishing he'd have his lightsaber instead which still dangled uselessly from Vader's belt. Luke fired. He caught the creature square in the neck. But his shot was absorbed by the thick fur that covered its body. It shook its large head and rounded on him with a furious roar, its fur on edge and maliciously flashing yellow eyes now unwaveringly fixed on his new prey.

Luke took a few steps back, pounding the beast with blaster fire. None of his shots seemed to have any effect on the creature, expect angering it further. The sharp fangs were bared in a snarl.

The creature leapt with a howl and Luke threw himself to the side, letting the Force guide him. He landed in the high grass and rolled to the side to avoid the sharp claws aimed for his chest. He could feel the earth under him vibrate as the pack leader landed on the ground next to him. Adrenaline was pumping in his veins.

"Luke!"

Luke heard Vader bellow his name, but he had no time to react. He scrambled to the side and raised the blaster again. He shot as the creature lunged, vibroblade-edged fangs bared and aimed for his neck. He hit it at point blank range in its throat. The creature toppled over, fatally hit at last. He rolled again, desperate to get out of the way. Luke narrowly managed to avoid being crushed under its falling body.

"Luke!"

Luke heard his name again and he looked up to see Vader approaching with huge steps. His single-minded fixation on reaching Luke however left him open for attack. One of the creatures sprang at him, burying its fangs into Vader's arm.

Luke raised the blaster to help, but it was impossible to get a clear shot without risking hitting Vader. Luke scrambled to get on his feet and dashed to Vader. But it didn't prove necessary. Vader managed to bring his lightsaber round, killing the creature. He shook it off.

Vader turned on the spot to meet the remainder of the creatures, his cape flapping around Luke. Another one turned up in Luke range and with two well aimed shots he managed to down it. Back to back he stood to his father, fighting off the predators together, until none were left.

Luke was still catching his breath when Vader rounded on him.

"That was reckless, young one."Vader stabbed a finger at him to punctuate his anger."Cease trying to get yourself killed at once."

"I wasn't," Luke protested in between shallow breaths. "And you needed help!"

"I told you to stay down," Vader said sharply. He straightened up. "But your aid was welcome," he finally conceded.

"You think there will be more of them?" Luke scanned the undergrowth around them.

Vader was silent for a moment, staring into the distance. "There are none in the vicinity, I doubt they will attack again."

Something clicked in Luke's mind. "It bit you! You were injured!"

He reached out to take Vader's right forearm, the leather glove covering it was visibly mangled. But Vader ripped his hand from Luke's grasp. He turned away from him, his injured arm out of reach for Luke.

"But you need help. I need to stop the bleeding and bandage-"

"There is no need for that," Vader snapped.

Luke recoiled at his harsh tones, hurt by Vader's rejection.

"I am not injured, son," Vader said, his voice softer again. "My hand and forearm are prosthetic."

"Oh," Luke finally caught on. He took a cautious step closer to Vader again. "But is the hand still working?"

Vader still had his back to Luke. "It is of no consequence. It will be dealt with when we are back with the fleet."

"Maybe I can help," Luke insisted.

"I do not need your assistance," Vader said, impatience tinting his voice again.

But this time round Luke refused to let himself be cowed by Vader's temper. "Maybe you don't, but it's not like we have much else to do."

Vader stared him down and Luke held his gaze.

"Very well," he finally said. "You may try to fix it."

ooo

Vader sat crossed legged in the grass, his arm obligingly held out to Luke who knelt next to him. Every tool and spare wiring his son had managed to commandeer was spread out around them. Luke's tongue was between his lips as he concentrated on the exposed, frayed wiring of Vader's forearm.

"I think I'm done," Luke finally announced shyly by the time the sun reached the treetops of the surrounding forest.

Vader straightened up and stretched out his hand, moving each finger individually to test the response of the prosthetic.

You are indeed a gifted mechanic, young one."

Luke looked away, looking embarrassed at his praise. He helped Vader replace the glove. Luke gave him a surreptitious glance. While Luke had been working, Vader had sunk himself into the calming folds of the Force, as he so often did whenever maintenance to his suit or limbs was required. Through the Force he had sensed Luke's apprehension and fear, that had been muted as long as Luke had been preoccupied with his task. But now that he was finished, it returned in full. Uncertainty was heavily weighing on his son's mind. It affected the Force itself around them even though Luke seemed to be unaware of the subtle changes in it as it responded to his mood.

"What is bothering you?" Vader asked. Maybe he could address some of his son's fears and alleviate them.

The boy looked up in surprise, unaware of Vader probing and watching him. "It's nothing, really."

"It clearly is notnothing," Vader said. "I can feel your bad mood in the Force."

Luke bestowed an irritated look on him and he refused to answer. But he needn't to. Vader could very well imagine what was on the boy's mind.

"Do you think I would let them destroy you?"

"I… I don't know," Luke was taken aback by his directness. "Would you?"

"If that was my intention I would not have bothered saving your life repeatedly."

His son seemed to miss the heavy sarcasm in his voice, or he simply chose to ignore it.

"But I thought…" he said hesitantly. "All that effort hunting for me, the bounty you set out…"

"I did not know of your identity, son, nor that it was you who destroyed the Death Star. But rest assured that had I known, I would have redoubled the efforts to bring you in."

This time his son scowled at the humor in his voice. "That's not funny," he mumbled.

Vader sighed inside his mask, confident that his vocoder wouldn't pick up the noise. He hadn't had yet any opportunity to seek guidance from the Force himself, still unsure on which path to take from here. But he knew he would not let his Master or anyone else take his son from him. Vader placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. "You are my son, Luke. I told you that I will protect you, no matter who seeks to harm you."

"So… what are you going to do with me then?" Luke asked, his voice sounding nonchalantly, but Vader wasn't fooled. He could clearly hear the boy's worries and fears in it.

"Your situation remains difficult," he said. "You are strong with the Force and there are many who would wish to destroy you for it or use you to their own ends. Once the Emperor learns of your existence he will seek to have you for himself."

Luke shuddered, which had nothing to do with the chill of the setting night. Vader reached out with his hand and tussled his hair.

"Do not worry. I will teach you everything you need to know to protect yourself one day. Once you are strong enough we will strike against the Emperor. Only when he is gone you can life in peace."

Luke's eyes widened in surprise. But a frown of doubt clouded his son's face before long.

"I will not turn to the Dark Side," he said firmly.

Vader had hoped that with time Luke would come to reject the narrow-minded Jedi teachings that insisted to divide the Force in light and darkness. But it seemed this would be a repeating argument between them. "Using your emotions, fear, anger, joy or love will help you connect to the Force," Vader argued. "It will make you stronger and help you to stand against the emperor."

Luke eyed him sternly in response, his arms firmly crossed in front of his chest.

"Very well, if you insist, you need not employ the Force in any way you don't feel comfortable with," Vader said.

"You mean it?" Luke's face brightened up in an instant and he could feel his joy rippling through the Force. Vader found his promise was worth it for just this.

"I do, my son."

ooo

Night fell. Luke had tracked down wood for another bonfire, insisting that Vader needed to rest, unperturbed by Vader pointing out that malfunctions of prosthetic limbs weren't the same as injuries. The fire was crackling merrily in front of them and Luke basked in its warmth. It chased away the chill of the night. Luke picked up a stick and speared the last of the ration bars on it. He held it close to the fire. Vader eyed him, shaking his head in disapproval.

"What? They are better this way," Luke said.

"You mean burnt?"

"Roasted," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

"I will take your word for it," Vader replied, giving him a small affectionate pat on the back.

Luke picked up the bottle with water and took a large swig. He held it out to Vader, who merely shook his head. "Do you really never eat or drink?" he asked with a frown.

"The suit provides me with everything I need," Vader replied shortly, his impatient tones made it clear that he didn't want to discuss this topic any further.

Luke pressed his lips together to stop more questions from tumbling out of his mouth. How had his father even ended up in this suit? Luke had never really given it much thought before. He had believed what most of the rebels thought anyway, that the suit was merely a useful tool to scare the nine Corellian hells into whoever had the misfortune to run into Vader on a battle field.

"Can't you ever take it off?"

Vader was silent for a long while and only his breathing and the cracking of the fireplace were disturbing the quite of the night. "It is possible under suitable circumstances," he said eventually.

"It was Obi-Wan's fault," Vader spat after another long silence between them. Luke stared up at Vader in surprise. "He convinced your mother to betray me and he was the one who took care that I am confined to this suit. While I recovered from the injuries he inflicted he stole you away to hide you from me," Vader declared bitterly.

Luke stared into the flames for a while, trying unsuccessfully to chase away thoughts on what horrible injuries his father must have sustained to require such life-support even decades later.

"You should not have grown up on Tatooine."

"I… I don't regret it," Luke said. "We didn't have much, but Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru always made a great effort for me. When I got sixteen they even bought me a used T-16, I know how long they had to saved for it, and Uncle Owen helped me fix it."

Luke tried a small smile.

"You know, I always hoped you were still alive and that you would come one day for me,"

"It was the will of the Force that brought us here," Vader said.

Luke fell silent again and stared up into the sky. No oud was covering the myriad of stars that blinked back at him radiantly. It reminded him of those nights he stood outside the moisture farm staring at the night sky, dreaming of becoming a pilot to explore the wonders of the galaxy or thinking about his father. Well, as it had turned out his father hadbeen out there all the time. The number of times he had gotten into fights in school back in Anchorhead when some older students had teased him over his endless daydreaming of becoming a pilot and finding his father.

Maybe it had been the Force even back then when he had still been oblivious of it that had prodded him not to give up on the hope that his father was not dead. Luke eyed was still hard to imagine that he should fill the father-shaped hole that had gaped in Luke's heart throughout his childhood.

"There are so many stars," Luke said, still lost in thoughts. "To think that most of them have a system of planets around them." He gazed over to Vader. "Have you been to all of them?"

"That is impossible, young one."

"Still, you must have been to a lot of them. Don't you keep a list or something like that?"

"I do not bother myself with keeping track of such inconsequential things," Vader said.

"Oh, come on. Not even when you were younger?" Luke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No."

"Well, then I can still be the first one to see them all," Luke grinned. But his smile slipped. Despite Vader's reassurances he still was very much his prisoner and he doubted Vader would let him go. "That is if I ever get to it." he said, hanging his head.

"You still have many years ahead of you in which you can discover the galaxy," Vader said firmly.

ooo

"It's time for you to sleep, young on," Vader announced unexpectedly.

"…'m not tired, Luke mumbled, blinking a few times to chase away the tiredness that weighed down his eyelids. Luke stared at the bonfire, now burnt down to smoldering ashes. Somehow the picture in front of him was tilted in an unnatural way. Luke frowned.

"I beg to differ," Vader said with amusement in his voice. He shifted and Luke's head lolled as it slipped of Vader's shoulder against which he had leaned his forehead.

Luke sat bolt upright, chagrinned at falling asleep, resting his head on Vader.

"I-," he started.

"It is alright, Luke. Sleep."

Luke blinked rapidly again as another wave of tiredness overcame him. He frowned, this time half sure Vader could manipulate the Force to make him doze off. But he was right, with or without a Force enhanced suggestion. Luke slipped into the small tent. It was small, designed to only fit one, but Vader insisted that he did not need one anyway. Luke curled up in the sleeping bag inside, enjoying its comfort and warmth. Through the open front of the tent Luke could see Vader still sitting unmoving at the fireplace staring into the embers, the orange shine reflecting from the facets of the helmet.

"Good night, father," Luke said.

Vader's mask turned to regard him.

"Good night, son."

Luke smiled to himself at the soft tone in the usually so cold mechanical voice. Maybe getting used to saying it would be easier than he had thought.

ooo