The bridge of the Executor was a place feared by many, and for good reason.

Because I have made it so.

Lord Vader tightly clenched his fist at his side with pleasure. Fear was like a drug to him. He fed off it, used it to strengthen his power, to dominate the weak. The Executor's crew made for ample sustenance. Here, he was master. Here, he had built his legacy.

But lately it did not seem to be enough.

Some might say it was unfortunate that Darth Vader was forced to wear a mask. But right now he was thankful for the anonymity it afforded him. He did not want anyone to even catch a glimpse of the thoughts running through his mind.

He had long lived under the shadow of his master. He had learned much about the Dark Side and the Sith. He had learned to trust his feelings, to feed off his emotions. For many years he had reveled in the glory and power it brought him, but now the elation had faded, leaving him hungry for more.

For over a thousand years the tradition of the Sith had been passed down. From master to apprentice. And it had always been to one apprentice, never more.

Now he understood why.

He had destroyed Tyranus to earn his place at his master's side, eager to learn how to harness new heights of power. He had learned what was necessary, and...

Now he wanted to be the master.

There. He had finally let himself acknowledge the thought. He drew his Force shields tightly around him, wanting to hide it. Though, truth be told, it probably didn't matter. Palpatine had not built an Empire by being a fool; doubtless, he expected such thoughts from Vader for years.

Tyranus had entertained such thoughts. Idly, Vader realized that it was probably for that reason that Palpatine had encouraged the Count's downfall. Tyranus had been brought up to command, to lead. He had tasted the potent wine of power long before encountering the Sith. Tyranus had been a noble, a politician, a warrior– Vader was only one of these things. It came as no surprise that his journey to this point had been so much longer.

But now he had reached it. So what would he do about it?

And if I was the master, who would be MY apprentice?...

"Lord Vader," said a curt voice at his elbow.

With slow deliberation, Vader turned to regard the young officer standing there. The man's face was a perfectly chiseled sculpture of military discipline&ndah; impassive, betraying nothing. But beneath his calm exterior Vader could sense apprehension.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Milord," the young man began, straightening himself and lifting his chin, "I have assembled the reports you requested. I am sorry for the delay."

"Then I trust you have not returned empty handed?"

"No, milord." The anxious Lieutenant extended his palm upward, displaying a small, discreet black datacard. "What details I was able to discover," he continued, "are all contained in those files. There is not much, but then...you did not request much. Although it was very difficult to accomplish."

"Yes, Lieutenant."

He had wanted to learn the identity of the pilot who'd destroyed the Death Star. The pilot was strong in the Force, and thus a dangerous enemy to the Empire. The pilot had been strong in the Force–enough so that he could present a danger to the Empire–so Vader was interested in finding him, and destroying him quickly.

"Did you discover his name?"

"Yes, milord. Skywalker. Luke Skywalker."

If Vader had been grateful that his face was hidden behind a mask before, it was nothing to how grateful he was now.

"Skywalker?" he repeated. He knew his vocal modulator would make the word sound as ominous as everything else he said, but the word came out of his true mouth like a curse from the past. It had been a long, long time since he had said that word. It felt strange to say it now.

"Yes, milord," the oblivious young Lieutenant said again.

"Good work, Lieutenant," said Vader. "You may go."

The military, with the exception of the very highest levels, did not know the whole truth about his past. They knew he had been a Jedi, but not his name nor the man he had been. He hoped that he had not betrayed anything. It had been a dangerous moment.

Skywalker...

Was it possible?

Of course it was. He knew it to be true.

If Palpatine had been looking for a day when Vader's thoughts would turn rebellious, then Vader had been looking for the day when his own past would catch up with him.

You knew. You always knew. She told you the day you left.

He always knew he had a child, somewhere. Or that he should have a child, anyway. He had searched in vain to find the child, but Kenobi had slipped like smoke from his fingers.

His mind filled with fury as he suddenly realized.... Kenobi!

That was why Kenobi had allowed himself to be destroyed!

His hand clenched again, this time around the datacard and the revealing information it contained. He opened up to the Force and reached back to that moment, almost a year ago. Kenobi had been distracting him... from what?

Drawing on enhanced Force memories, he brought to his mind an image: Kenobi, smiling, giving in. Vader, full of anger at rage at his former master, and consumed by nothing else.

Vader closed his eyes, forcing himself to remember more clearly. At that moment, there had been a shout... a young man's shout...Kenobi had waited until that moment for his distraction. He had been toying with Vader, carefully guarding his true intentions. Vader recalled the look of triumph in his eyes.

I've won, the eyes seemed to say. As we both knew I would.

That had made Vader even angrier than before, infuriating him to the point of striking his master down. Thus Kenobi's distraction had succeeded, and, caught in his own emotions, Vader had completely ignored the young man and his futile screams.

What a fool he had been! He had always known Kenobi was one of the few who might successfully keep his child hidden from him.

I should have searched harder.

But it had not been possible then. The Empire had been undergoing too many changes, too many small wars for him to have taken the time; there had been the Purges, among other things, all of which had taken his attention. Besides, Palpatine would never have let him out of sight without ample cause.

And yet the existence of his child would have been plenty enough cause for the Emperor. In fact, it would have been a priority. But Vader had never disclosed the information to Palpatine.

Why?

He shoved the thought aside. A small voice lingered in the back of his mind, that voice he had never quite been able to shake away, though it had been ignored for over nineteen years. Tonight it was more persistent than usual; stronger than it had been since...

His face darkened. He whirled around, the black cape whirling with him. He strode down the walkway of the Executor's bridge.

As he progressed, Vader pondered again the possibility of seeking out an apprentice of his own. The answer had literally come right into his grasp. The night's events seemed to be the will of the Force. He would have an apprentice, just as the Sith had originally decreed. There would be two of them–two to finally bring order to the galaxy.

He wanted Luke Skywalker, his son. With another of Skywalker blood at his side, he would become far more powerful than he had ever dreamed. Certainly powerful enough to defeat Palpatine.

With a final swirl of ebony black, he exited the bridge, purpose in his step. He had work to do.

Author's Note:

I've often wondered how it was that Darth Vader came to know Luke's name between ANH and ESB. So I wrote about it. ;)