The Loyalty of the Dark

Chapter 43

"I really don't like this."

"Luke, trust me. We're fine," Anakin responded from where he was messing with a control consul and downloading anything that required little to no access. "Just keep an eye on the corridor."

"I still don't like this. Feels like we're inside of the Empire's bases or something," Luke stated as he peered out into the hallway. Anakin had given him the rundown of what Zilla had explained to him earlier and the war they had apparently just volunteered themselves into. Luke took it rather well, though the fact that they were in a ship that worked for an empire and looked like something that belonged to The Empire didn't seem to sit well with him. Not that Anakin blamed him, the once Jedi would probably feel the same if it were a Namodian cruiser.

"To be fair, the ship's larger than most enemy bases I've been in."

"I'd feel better if we brought Artoo."

"Can't argue with that," Anakin agreed, pausing as his eyes ran over an entry in the ship's log. "What the.... Luke, get over here."

"What is it?" the boy asked, hurrying over to look at the data screen which held a year that Anakin didn't recognize.

"Look at this."

"....That's the day we landed on Endor if you're using the Imperial Callander.... 4 A.B.Y. for the Rebel Callander, a few years from now," Luke muttered in shock before reading aloud: "Known captured shuttle Tydirium has been permitted passage through the energy shield to the moon of Endor. Rebels are believed to be aboard—I knew they knew it was us!"

"The Executor as well as the rest of the fleet has been repositioned to orbit from the opposing side of the moon," Anakin continued on from where his son had left off. "We lie in wait for the Rebel Alliance's last stand.... You guys did win, right?" the war veteran asked, looking to his younger companion.

"Yeah. This ship was actually destroyed during the battle.... Does it say anything about Vader leaving the ship?" Luke asked, reaching over his father to page through some of the documents, only to find that the ones afterward were classified.

"Try going backwards," Anakin suggested. The boy did as told, and about a week before the last entry, there was mention of the Sith.

"Lord Vader has returned and ordered the fleet to be repositioned. Our Lady has remained aboard the second Death Star with His Imperial Majesty," Anakin read aloud, frowning at the words because of what he knew Palpatine was planning to do to the girl at that point in time.

"I hope for the crew's sake she doesn't stay long," Luke added. "....Huh, so the rumors it's better to be around Vader when Eclipse's around are true. Who'd have thunk?"

Anakin gave him a look. Luke shrunk back.

"It's an Imperial rumor I heard from some people who'd gone to the Academy. I'm a Rebel. I don't know these things."

"Well, regardless, I think Zilla will want to see this."

"I can't believe she's right though. This has to be the same ship, not just a replica, they couldn't have these logs if it weren't."

"Then how did it get here? The other timeline's been gone for years, hasn't it?"

"I don't know. I mean we technically were in timeline transit and Eclipse was dead. Maybe that affected something?"

"Don't look at me. I still don't understand how anyone could be capable of it in the first place."

"Maybe Eclipse would know. She managed to bring us back in time."