Rebel Pilot: A Star Wars Story

Chapter 4

"That's the emperor's name," Luke explained. "The... Sith." It was clear Luke was unfamiliar with the term, and was repeating Obi-Wan.

Anakin turned on Obi-Wan. "Please tell me it's not who I think it is," he practically begged. Not Palpatine like Chancellor Palpatine. Not his friend.

Obi-Wan gave Anakin a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, my friend. It's true."

"Anyone else feel like they're missing something?" Leia checked.

"Nope, I'm a bit confused too, but I've been pretty much in a constant state of confusion since Ben first told me I had powers, so I'm trying to focus more on the fact that this Force decided to let me meet my dad." Luke looked at Anakin, tilting his head. "Though I'm getting the sense Dad knew the emperor before he was emperor. Can't tell if that's my skills of deduction working or the Force."

"Probably some of both," Anakin said noncommittally to Luke, still looking at Obi-Wan. "But... the Chancellor? No, it can't be him. He can't be a Sith. He was always so nice to me. If he was accumulating all this power and influence..." which Anakin realized, looking back on the Clone Wars, that yes , he was, but... "Why pretend to be my friend? Pretend to be civil to the Jedi and the senate, yes, but what could he possibly have to gain by being so close to me?"

Obi-Wan hesitated, and Anakin cut him off before he could start. "No. No more little half-truths. Whatever the full truth is, I can handle it."

Leia's eyes widened. "Hold on. I think I figured it out." Leia looked over at Obi-Wan, put her hand up to the side of her face so Anakin couldn't see, and mouthed something to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan nodded.

"What am I missing ?" Anakin practically shouted, almost unable to take any more of this.

"You want me to tell him?" Leia offered, raising an eyebrow at Obi-Wan's obvious discomfort. Obi-Wan nodded mutely. "You're a Sith, Anakin."

Anakin blinked.

"I think I heard you wrong."

Leia shook her head. "Think about it. When we were trying to sneak onto the Falcon while Obi-Wan was dueling Vader, Obi-Wan recognized you and shouted your name in disbelief. Vader thought Obi-Wan was talking to him. I think he said 'don't call me that' or something, remember?"

...Anakin did remember. But...

"And," Leia continued, "Vader clearly knew you, even though you had never seen him before. He was a Jedi that fell to the dark side, but Obi-Wan didn't say who. That would explain why Palpatine would have befriended you."

"And it would also explain why every time you say I'm dead in this future, it feels like you're hiding something," Anakin muttered, looking over at Obi-Wan to confirm Leia's hypothesis.

Obi-Wan looked down guiltily. "I've long blamed myself for allowing you to get so close to Palpatine without ever sensing that something was off. And yes, Anakin, I suppose I was speaking in half-truths,  but from a certain point of view -"

"A certain point of view ?" Luke interrupted, betrayal in his eyes as he looked at Obi-Wan. "When you told me about my father, you said Darth Vader betrayed and murdered him. I don't care what 'point of view' you were looking at it from, that was a lie."

"The metaphor came from Anakin himself!" Obi-Wan said defensively. "Prior to today, my last duel with Vader had been about nine years ago. He told me that he 'wasn't my failure' and that 'I didn't kill Anakin Skywalker, he did.' So it's not just any point of view. It's his. Also, it makes it easier," Obi-Wan admitted. "To think of Anakin as dead and Vader as the villain who killed him."

Hearing about things he'd said or done as this... Darth Vader was almost breaking his brain.

"You wanna give the co-pilot seat back to Chewie?" Han checked, noting Anakin's dizziness.

Anakin nodded mutely as he stood up. Chewie happily reclaimed his spot in the cockpit.

Anakin sat down on the ground and put his head on his knees. The revelations swam around in his head, and finally the reality of the rest of the galaxy in this timeline finally caught up to him. Palpatine was - is - a Sith Lord. He was manipulating Anakin to become his apprentice. He was leading both sides of the Clone Wars. The Empire rose and the Jedi were killed... by Anakin. Padmé was dead. His son was raised on Tatooine without ever knowing Anakin was even a Jedi. He barely even registered that he'd begun to cry.

Luke glared over at Obi-Wan. "Is there anything else you've been keeping from us that you'd like to share?"

Obi-Wan hesitated before shaking his head, but Leia caught it. "Nope. No more lies - or, I'm sorry, 'certain point of views.' No more withholding information either. I don't care if every last person on this ship has a mental breakdown like Anakin is currently having."

"I'm not having a mental breakdown!" Anakin shouted as he sobbed into his knees.

"...Right. I saw that hesitation and I want to hear exactly what it is you have to say." Anakin looked up, wanting to hear the latest revelation, and saw Leia crossing her arms defiantly, the perfect blend of Anakin and Padmé.

Oh.

Watching Obi-Wan deliberate while looking back and forth between Luke and Leia confirmed his conclusion. "I think he's saying you two are siblings," Anakin said, before retreating back into his mental breakdown.

" What ?" Luke and Leia chorused.

"I look nothing like her!" Luke protested. "I resemble Dad, sure, but she doesn't..."

"She looks like Padmé," Obi-Wan said. "Her mother."

Leia gasped. "That's right - if I'm Luke's sister, I'm Padmé Amidala's daughter!" Leia wore the same look on her face that Luke had worn when he'd found out that Anakin was his father back in time. Then she seemed to remember everything else. "And I'm Darth Vader's daughter. Oh no."

"If someone had told me a week ago that within a few days I'd be caught in the middle of Darth Vader's family drama, I would have scoffed," Han muttered to Chewie. "Now look at me. Flying my ship towards the rebel base , with a bunch of Skywalkers on board. Force help me."