A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 78

Anakin had watched the argument between Luna and Leia, fully on Leia's side until Luna brought her father into it. He had known Luna's father was bad, but Anakin hadn't thought he was that bad.

Leia was still staring at where Luna had gone, speechless. Padmé had called after the younger girl, but if anything, Luna's pace had increased. Everyone else had been too shocked at what she had said to do anything else. What do you say to something like that?

"What happened to not doing what the Empire would?" Luke asked, breaking the silence and drawing Leia's eyes to him. "Using someone's son as leverage is their type of dirty trick."

"Luke—"

"Forget it," he replied, cutting her off before briskly leaving, heading towards the cockpit. Anakin shook himself out of his thoughts and followed, sensing Luke was far more troubled then he let on.

He found Luke sitting in the pilot seat staring out into hyperspace. Anakin wordlessly sat in the copilot seat. It was quiet for a few moments until Anakin broke the silence.

"You know who it is."

"What?" Luke asked, being jerked out of his brooding by his father's voice.

"Vader's son." Luke just nodded, his expresion troubled.

"I'm not going to—"

"I wasn't going to ask you to," Anakin said, cutting Luke off. Luke looked at him surprised. "Nor was I going to ask you if you already knew him. I was going to ask you not to judge him just based off his father." Luke laughed dryly.

"You were?"

"Yes, I've learned many things over the years, one of which is that you shouldn't judge someone based off of their family; however, I would encourage your being careful if or when you run into him."

"You don't think he's with the Empire?" Luke asked, amused.

"Would he be if Vader was looking for him?" Anakin replied, smirking.

"Good point," Luke replied, smiling. The cockpit lapsed into silence for a few moments before Luke broke it. "Was what she said true?"

"Who and about what?" Anakin asked.

"Both of them, about Vader," Luke replied, gaining a thoughtful expression once again. Anakin sighed, thinking back to the yelling match, the mentions of murders being the more predominant thought.

"It wouldn't be too hard for me to believe it," he finally said. "Vader's a Sith."

"How about him trying to protect his son?"

Anakin looked at Luke curious as he thought about that one part Luna had said.

"Luna thinks it's true, and I trust her word," Anakin finally said, looking back out into hyperspace.

"What do you think?"

"I personally don't think a Sith would be capable of wanting to protect anyone do to love," Anakin said, his words causing Luke to look at him worriedly, which Anakin did not notice, "but if Vader went down the path he did to protect his family, blamed himself for their death and then found out his son had survived? I guess I could see it. Sith believe love is a weak emotion. No matter how much anyone could care for another, once in the ensnare of the darkside, that is corrupted.... Even if Vader did, it would only be a matter of time until Vader killed his son, or if Vader trained his son...."

"Him kill Vader," Luke finished the thought, gaining a dark expresion.

"Only thing about that though is the fact that it would be impossible for Vader to even care if he was in the darkside fully," Anakin mused. "It isn't like the Sith to want to protect someone, blood relation or no...."

"There still good in him," Luke said, the conviction in his voice clear.

"Now don't go getting any ideas," Anakin immediately said, looking at Luke worriedly. "One of the first thing any Jedi is taught is that once someone choses that path, they aren't ever coming back."

"Don't worry," he replied. Anakin studied him, trying to make sure Luke was serious. "I'm not going to go marching into a star destroyer and try to turn him back to the light."

"Good," Anakin said as they lapsed into silence again.

"Do you think his son could do it?"

"What?"

"Turn him back, do you think his son could do it?"