The Loyalty of the Dark

Chapter 35

"Eclipse?!?!" Luke yelled from the side as he literally dropped out of his fighting stance. Anakin glanced at his son even as he too relaxed—the surprising fact the boy recognized her only being dulled due to the shock of seeing Zilla alive.

"Commander Skywalker," the Shadow responded though she didn't so much as look at the boy as the wired stars on her cheeks glinted in the moving light of their sabers, "it's been awhile."

"What in the name of the Force are you doing here?!?!" Leia shouted angrily.

"Taking care of a problem, Princess," came the response as she finally dropped her arms and moved back out of the ring the Skywalkers had created around her. Anakin inwardly frowned at the movement, though most of his mind was still attempting to process the new discovery. "Sorry to disturb your beauty rest."

"Forget what—how are you here?" Luke asked. "You died. We all saw you die."

"Death did not agree with me."

"You know, I really don't care," Leia stated. "Get the hell away from here and my family."

"Gladly," the Shadow responded, her weapons returning to her hands courtesy of the Force before she sheathed them even as she headed towards the broken window.

"No. No, no, no, you're not leaving until someone explains to me what the hell is going on!" Anakin stated. Zilla paused next to Leia, glancing back at him.

"Surely you've realized we were from the future by now. If you want a history of the other timeline, I'm sure they can give one to you. I know when I am not welcome," Zilla stated, her voice emotionless as she turned away.

"Well sorry if I've been worried about what the hell had happened! I take it Vader still found you despite the changes you made?"

"Does it look like he left me frozen in a block of carbonite for the next millennia?" she snapped back.

"Carbonite?!" the twins repeated, sounding shocked.

"Would it kill you to answer with a simple yes or no for once?" Anakin responded.

"Yes, actually, it would," Zilla stated, glancing back at him for half a second. "I suggest you come up with a story for Padmé about the body on the carpet."

In another moment she was gone, already at one with the darkness.

Not a second later, Padmé was in the room asking for an explanation and the identity behind the unknown guy on the floor along with whether or not everyone was alright.

Anakin said he was fine.

But when he glanced out of the shattered window, he knew he was lying.