He instantly shied from his own reaction, horrified. He should be proud that he could inspire such feelings in his son; such kinship. Realisation that he had almost lost his son had clarified for Vader just how much the boy had come to mean to him and yet now, when his son had finally admitted some connection, Vader saw only an opportunity for control; a way to use that bond to his own advantage.
It was hardly surprising that the boy was so reluctant to acknowledge it, even now. Luke was right; he did know Vader too well. His discomfort, both at his own reaction and his son's knowledge that it would be so, held Vader to an uneasy silence.
His son looked away, voice quiet, "So you see, the decision isn't mine at all..."
Vader looked up at that, "Apparently, I am not the only one capable of manipulations."
The barest hint of a smile lifted the corners of Luke's split lips, "Maybe you were right... I've learnt what I can from Palpatine- from any Master."
The words were carefully chosen, Vader knew; they were both acknowledgement of his persuasion and an offer of what would be made possible - if Vader relinquished any perceived right to authority. He narrowed his eyes, amused, though it didn't sound in his voice, "Then you will consider what I have said?" The words were neither agreement nor a refusal of the boy's terms.
"Will you do likewise?" his son pushed.
"There is nothing to consider." Vader said, still unwilling to renounce.
"Then I must say the same." Luke replied, unwilling as ever to back down.
Vader held silent for a long time, but Luke didn't break his gaze. He was so close - so close to pushing the boy forward. How could he back away now? "You are a stubborn man." he accused without malice.
"I can't imagine where it comes from." his son replied, head dropping back against the pillow, eyes closing momentarily.
The door slid open, Hallin looking up from an automemo, a medical scanner in his hand, "Oh. I can come back..."
"No, come in Nathan. We were done." In truth, Luke was pleased for the interruption. He'd already made two mistakes because he was tired, and his father knew it- he would push for a third, and Luke didn't wish to oblige.
"We will speak again." Vader said obliquely, wishing to clarify that this discussion remained open, before turning and leaving without pause.
Luke collapsed back as his father left the darkened room, leaving Hallin to stare after him, uncertain. "About what?"
Much as he trusted the medic, three years in the Palace meant that Luke wasn't in the habit of giving out unnecessary information, even to him. Exposed allies couldn't let slip under duress information that they didn't know - he'd learned that from his Master too. "Nothing new." Luke said simply, offering no more. Lies had to be remembered and often ended up being compounded and his memory was still poor. And anyway, he felt no need to explain himself, even to Hallin.
"He's been here a great deal, while you were still unconscious." Hallin said neutrally, holding the scanner to Luke's chest, the readings appearing on his automemo.
Luke sighed, exhaustion beginning to drag him down again now that the burst of adrenaline-laced concentration needed to deal with his father was spent. "He's just protecting his investment."
"You still don't trust him?"
"No." Luke rasped, tired to the bone now. "But that's always been factored in, so it changes nothing."
He considered again his father's words. Despite working to his own agenda, Vader was right about one thing; Luke had tip-toed around the corners of his life for too long, caught between past and present loyalties. He should probably thank the Alliance for spelling out to him that it was time to move forward. Thank the Emperor for...
It suddenly occurred to Luke to wonder whether this had all been another of his Master's manipulations, designed to finally clarify in the most explicit way possible where everyone's loyalties lay - and in doing so, to lock down Luke's own. If it was, then it had been a big gamble... but then, perhaps he had not expected so direct-a reaction.
"Thinking?" Hallin prompted into the silence,
"Wondering whether I see Palpatine's hand in this." Luke replied, still thoughtful.
"In what?" Hallin asked, eyes on his medical readouts.
"This." Luke lifted his shattered arm just slightly, to indicate his injuries.
Hallin frowned, using the stylus from his automemo to touch the back of Luke's left hand below the last tension bar, "Can you move your fingers yet?"
Luke drummed each of his fingers in quick succession on the bed, and Hallin didn't even bother to look up. "Without using the Force to augment." he added dryly, so completely familiar with the unscientific phenomena which he had once dismissed as completely impossible. Scientific proof and corroborative genetic verification was all very well, but one couldn't argue with what was in front of one's eyes.
Luke glanced down in silence at his hand for long seconds before his index finger twitched just slightly. Hallin stared, his face impassive.
"Should I be worried?" Luke prompted.
"I would imagine I'd be pretty worried if the Emperor was trying to assassinate me." Hallin replied vaguely, misunderstanding.
"I don't think it was that," Luke assured, allowing the misdirection to pass, whether it was accidental or not, "I think he just wanted to prompt a response - to shake things up, polarize the situation. What their reaction was, would be the single variable- the one thing over which he had no control."
Luke considered whether his Master actually knew about the carefully-selected information Luke had been passing to the Rebels for almost a year now under the guise of several different, unknown 'Rebel sympathisers'... then dismissed it as paranoia. As much as he loved his schemes, Palpatine would have dealt with such a massive breach of trust in far more direct terms. It would have provoked another of his 'lessons' taught in such a way that Luke would never forget. No- if he knew that, then Luke would have been in the cell below the Palace by now.
"That would seem to make it a rather large gamble." Hallin said, breaking Luke's train of thought.
"Depends what was in the pot." Luke replied, speaking in sabacc terms. "Sometimes a major gamble is worth it."
Hallin glanced up, doubtful. Luke almost shrugged then caught himself, still very much aware of the tension bars which stretched shattered collar bones straight. "There's a point in a sabacc hand where, if there's enough in the pot and you're already committed, based on the odds and the possible returns - and your knowledge of the players - it's statistically worth your while to take a gamble."
"We're not talking about sabacc." Hallin dismissed.
"Same theory." Luke said, "It wasn't even that much of a gamble; he knew the Rebellion would react if he forced their hand with a big enough gesture."
Luke could sense Hallin's doubt- but then, he didn't know Palpatine as Luke did.
Long hours trapped in that cell beneath the Palace with only his Master's goading manipulations had cost him dearly, but if there was one thing he could pull from those painful memories it was this- he knew Palpatine. Knew how that twisted, self-centred, self-serving mind worked. Yes, his Master knew him too, inside out, but as Palpatine was so fond of quoting, all knowledge came at a price, and Palpatine's knowledge of Luke - of how to manipulate and use him - had come at the cost of Luke's knowledge of Palpatine; of how he reacted, how he schemed. It wasn't at all beyond Palpatine to do this - to believe that he could control it, direct it to attain his desired result. "Aside from the minor complication of almost killing me, it worked perfectly- he achieved everything he wanted."