Rebel Pilot: A Star Wars Story

Chapter 16

"Now you know how I felt when I met Father," Luke muttered to Leia.

"Padmé didn't become a Sith Lord," Leia muttered back.

"Of course you can!" Padmé looked positively delighted to have such wonderful children. Anakin definitely agreed with her. Then her face fell. "Wait... you didn't know I was your mother?"

And so they explained everything. How Anakin had fallen to the dark side and become the Sith Lord that was usually very intimidating but was currently making himself as small as possible in a corner of the ship trying to not look at Padmé, how Padmé had died giving birth because of her broken heart after confronting Anakin as a Sith, how Luke had been raised on Tatooine by Owen and Beru Lars and Leia had grown up as a princess on Alderaan, which led to the explanation of how Alderaan had been destroyed by the Death Star, which Luke had blown up while flying with the Rebellion, which Anakin had also done.

It broke Anakin's heart to see Padmé cry, and when she sat down, overwhelmed by the information, Anakin sat down beside her, allowing her to lean on him. "I know. It's okay," he soothed.

"I can't believe..." she trailed off, and it was likely true for most of the things that happened.

"The emotions in this room are making me highly uncomfortable." And Han's voice did, in fact, sound very uncomfortable. "Like I understand that it's sad and all, and appreciate Anakin comforting his pretty crying lady –"

Padmé abruptly stood up, dragging Anakin with her, yanked Han out of the pilot seat, shoved Anakin into it, and punched Han in the face. "Call me that again, and you'll be the pretty crying lady."

Ahsoka, the Obi-Wans, and the Skywalkers snickered. Han crumpled under the pressure of Padmé's gaze. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Shouldn't have said that. You have all good reasons to be sad right now."

Padmé sighed and released him. "I'm sorry, guys, it's all just... so much." She smiled a little at her children. "You two are wonderful, though. I'm sure you were quite the members of this Rebellion."

"Leia has always reminded me very much of you," older Obi-Wan said wistfully. "And Luke... is Anakin."

"Uh, that's not true. He's too optimistic to be me," Anakin piped up.

"And I'm not a Jedi," Luke added. Then he brightened. "Wait, Obi-Wan said I had Force powers, right? So, I could be a Jedi, right? Especially since there's no Emperor or Darth Vader to hunt me down if I do anymore!"

"I'm right here," Vader reminded everyone.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, and you're totally going to kill me."

"I... could," Vader said weakly.

Padmé crossed her arms, unimpressed with this future Sith version of her husband. "Oh, get up Sith Anakin and stop being so pathetically dramatic. Look me in the eye and actually talk to me."

And, since Vader really was Anakin at heart, he obeyed his scary wife's commands, standing up. "Padmé..."

"Uh-uh. Don't you 'Padmé' me. I want to hear right now what possessed you to become a Sith Lord, for heaven's sake!"

Anakin gave Han back the pilots seat so he could go over to them and listen to the conversation attentively, because, well, he'd been wondering this as well.

"It was... for you."

" FOR ME?! Oh, you're going to have to do better than that Anakin Skywalker! Have I ever asked you to become a Sith Lord? Have I ever even implied that it would be a good idea to become a Sith Lord? NO! Don't you start with this 'for me' nonsense." Padmé crossed her arms. "Better explanation, now."