Anakin watched Luke carefully as he slowly packed his things into the Y-Wing, a depressed aura radiating off of him. He really wanted to say something to the boy, but words seemed to be lost to him. Seeing Master Yoda die had come as a shock to Anakin as well, but it was obvious that Luke was the one who was taking it harder.
He wanted to say something to the boy, but the words wouldn't come. So, with a sigh, Anakin decided to focus once more on what Yoda had said, and Luke's nightmare that he had witnessed firsthand.
Another Skywalker? Had Master Yoda meant Anakin himself, hinting at Luke that his father had come from the future? Or was it something else entirely...something like...
A sibling?
Anakin blanched at the thought of having more than one child. But if he had gone to the dark side...and Luke had been raised by his aunt and uncle, then how had Padmé managed to have two children?
And was it with another man?
Anakin shook his head at the ridiculous thought. His wife would never do that to him, it wasn't in her gentle nature.
So if it was a sibling...maybe it was a twin of some kind. Luke obviously didn't know who it was, being just as surprised as Anakin had been at the words Yoda had uttered before death.
A forlorn beeping brought Anakin out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Artoo nudging Luke, getting no response as the boy continued to pack the ship, purposely ignoring the droid. Artoo pushed more forcefully and Luke stumbled with a start before he regained his balance and scowled at the droid. "Not right now Artoo."
Artoo whistled sadly and wheeled away, not wanting to anger his Master further. Anakin sighed at Luke's behavior. He had gotten like that himself sometimes, especially when he was feeling down. Anger sometimes seemed to be the only answer.
'And look where that got you.' A voice in his head said. He winced at the thought, knowing his conscience was right.
But the Dark Side? It just seemed so surreal that that was his actual future...unless he fixed it of course.
Suddenly, a strange feeling engulfed the time-traveling Jedi and he shot to his feet, scanning his surroundings cautiously. He noticed Luke had stiffened as well, his blue eyes searching around him.
A sudden urge of parental protectiveness came over Anakin and he moved closer to his son, swiftly igniting his saber...the same one Luke had been using to fight Vader. He knew that now...after seeing it in the nightmare, it was practically unmistakable to be anyone else's but his own.
"Anakin--"
"Shhh..." Anakin held up a hand, gesturing for Luke to get out his weapon as well. He held up the glowing blue sword and waved it around in defense, his senses on high alert.
Artoo warbled nervously, shifting back and forth and staying near the two Skywalkers.
Then, an eerie glow caught the edge of Anakin's vision and he sprung to the side, lashing out at...nothing.
"What the--"
"After all these years Anakin, the least you could do is start with a hello. Then again, you always were a 'fight first ask questions later' type of person weren't you?"
Anakin's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he took in a spectral figure slowly coming into view before him. It was an old man with wispy white hair and a beard, his smile crinkling at his eyes which were slightly tinged with sadness.
"Ben?" A silent whisper behind him. Anakin turned, uncomprehending that he was looking at an actual ghost, to see Luke staring at the spirit with what looked like an angry expression. "Why didn't you tell me!? You said Vader betrayed and murdered my father!"
The ghost sighed, avoiding eye contact with the furious boy. 'He has your temper, Anakin.' The old man's voice echoed in Anakin's head. He blanched, his grip on his saber wavering as he stared at the man Luke called 'Ben'.
"Obi-Wan?" He whispered, fighting tears. Obi-Wan was dead in the future and he wasn't even that old. Which meant he must've been killed...
"Luke..." Obi-Wan began, unsure what to say. He had hated lying to the boy, but the truth was not ready to be revealed to him at that point in time. But now that Anakin was here, the real Anakin he knew as a student, a brother, and a friend, he had a better sense of hope that the Force would set things right...it had to. "Your father was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I have told you was true...from a certain point of view."
Anakin took in the story in silence, still not able to take his eyes off his former teacher. Obi-Wan's eyes glided to him for a moment, giving him a sad smile. 'And now you know what really happened...my very young apprentice.'
'But I don't know everything! Master, what happened to me?' Anakin returned mentally, fighting frustrated tears.
'Anakin, I know you're confused, but you must trust me. Luke's destiny will help shape yours...I am sure you know of his relation to you by this point?' Obi-Wan sent mentally, raising an eyebrow.
'Yes...my son. And I do trust you Master, it's just...how can this be the future?' Anakin asked desperately.
'I ask myself the same thing young one.' Obi-Wan said grimly. He turned back to Luke, who was eyeing Anakin and the ghost suspiciously.
"You two know each other, don't you?" Luke asked, his expression saying that he wouldn't tolerate anymore lying. "I've waited long enough, why can't you tell me who you are exactly?" Luke snapped at Anakin.
Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, who sighed. "It is up to Anakin whether or not he wants you to know."
Luke growled in frustration. "Know what!?"
Anakin bit his lip and then slowly shook his head. Luke wasn't ready...not yet. As long as he still despised Vader, he wouldn't be trustworthy of Anakin once he found out the truth. Just a little while longer, then he could know.
Luke saw Anakin shake his head and slumped in disappointment. He dropped onto a nearby log and threw his head in his hands. "I never asked for any of this." He mumbled, much to Anakin's concern.
He walked towards the boy and put an arm around him, trying his best to comfort him. He looked at Obi-Wan in desperation. The ghost sighed, moving towards father and son and kneeling down. "I don't blame you for being angry. If I was wrong in what I did, it certainly wouldn't have been for the first time. You see, what happened to your father was my fault."
Anakin paused at that, looking at Obi-Wan with wide eyes. How could him falling to the Dark Side possibly be Obi-Wan's fault?
"Anakin was a good friend." Obi-Wan started sadly, piquing Luke's interest instantly. He sat ramrod straight, desperate to hear something about his father. Artoo came over as well, trying to offer his comforting presence. Luke smiled at the astromech and Anakin felt himself listening to the story as well.
"When I first knew him, your father was already a great pilot." A faint smirk from Anakin. "But I was amazed how strongly the Force was with him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I thought that I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong. My pride has had terrible consequences for the galaxy."
Anakin stared in horror. Obi-Wan had been a great mentor...how could he think otherwise? Obi-Wan refused to meet Anakin's eyes and Luke didn't fail to notice it.
"There's still good in him." Luke said quickly, knowing it to be true in his heart.
Anakin didn't believe what he was hearing, but he knew that Luke was being genuinely honest. He truly believed Vader could be redeemed.
"I also thought he could be turned back to the good side. It couldn't be done. He is more machine now than man. Twisted and evil." Obi-Wan said, worrying deep down that even if Anakin was to return back to the past, it still wouldn't work. He loved his friend like a brother...but Vader had to be destroyed, time-travel or not.
"I can't do it Ben." Luke pleaded, looking scared.
"You cannot escape your destiny." Obi-Wan said.
"I tried to stop him once. I couldn't do it." Luke said, raising his right hand as evidence.
"Vader humbled you when you first met him Luke... but that experience was part of your training. It taught you, among other things, the value of patience. Had you not been so impatient to defeat Vader then, you could have finished your training here with Yoda. You would have been prepared." Obi-Wan said almost scoldingly.
"But I had to help my friends." Luke defended himself.
Obi-Wan sighed. "And did you help them? It was they who had to save you. You achieved little by rushing back prematurely, I fear."
There was a long silence before Luke spoke up once more. "I found out Darth Vader was my father."
Anakin winced, taking hold of Luke's hand and stroking it reassuringly.
"To be a Jedi Luke, you must confront and then go beyond the dark side - the side your father couldn't get past. Impatience is the easiest door - for you, like your father. Only, your father was seduced by what he found on the other side of the door, and you have held firm. You're no longer so reckless now, Luke. You are strong and patient. And now, you must face Darth Vader again!" Obi-Wan said.
"I can't kill my own father." Luke begged, looking nervous.
"Then the Emperor has already won. You were our only hope." Obi-Wan said, looking down on the ground with sadness. Anakin looked between the two, still unsure when to cut in. He was too entranced with the conversation. However...
"Yoda spoke of another." Anakin said abruptly.
Obi-Wan and Luke looked at him with surprise as if forgetting he had been there.
"The other he spoke of is Luke's twin sister." Obi-Wan said simply, knowing Master Yoda had been meaning to tell Luke that valuable piece of information.
Anakin blinked. 'So he does have a sibling...'
"But I have no sister." Luke said, his brow drawn in confusion. He looked at Anakin's shocked face and Ben's calm one.
"Hmm. To protect you both from the Emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born. The Emperor knew, as I did, if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your sister remains safely anonymous." Obi-Wan said, raising an eyebrow.
Luke couldn't help wincing every time Ben said the name 'Anakin', trying his best not to look at his companion beside him. But a sister...who could be...
Leia.
"Leia! Leia's my sister." Luke exclaimed, his eyes wide in shock.
Anakin stared at Luke, unsure he had heard correctly. "The princess!?"
Images of how the woman had been treated back at Jabba's palace sent a curtain of red across Anakin's vision and he snarled in sudden anger. That creature had done that to his daughter.
He suddenly got to his feet, trying to calm down. And wasn't she dating that Corellian? Oh, he would have to have a chat with him.
Obi-Wan ignored Anakin for the time being, continuing with speaking to Luke. "Your insight serves you well. Bury your feelings deep down, Luke. They do you credit. But they could be made to serve the Emperor."
Luke looked into the distance, trying to comprehend all the new information. He snuck a look at Anakin and hoped he was alright since he had reacted so violently to finding out that Leia was Luke's sister.
His sister. He breathed out a breath of astonishment, suddenly paling as he remembered a certain moment in the Hoth base medcenter.
'Kriff, and I was being so smug about it. Leia's gonna flip.'
"When your father left, he didn't know your mother was pregnant with twins. Your mother and I knew he would find out eventually, but we wanted to keep you both as safe as possible, for as long as possible. So I took you to live with your father's step brother Owen on Tatooine... and Leia to live as the daughter of Senator Organa, on Alderaan."
"The Organa household was high-born and politically quite powerful in that system. Leia became a princess by virtue of lineage... no one knew she'd been adopted, of course. But it was a title without real power, since Alderaan had long been a democracy. Even so, the family continued to be politically powerful, and Leia, following in her foster father's path, became a senator as well. That's not all she became, of course... she became the leader of her cell in the Alliance against the corrupt Empire. And because she had diplomatic immunity, she was a vital link for getting information to the Rebel cause. That's what she was doing when her path crossed yours... for her foster parents had always told her to contact me on Tatooine, if her troubles became desperate."
Luke and Anakin both took in the information with pride. Anakin smiled at how similar his daughter was to his wife. Then a pang of sadness hit him again.
Padmé...
"But you can't let her get involved now, Obi-Wan. Vader will destroy her." Anakin said suddenly, worried now about not just his son, but his daughter as well.
And she was out there without him...
"She hasn't been trained in the ways of the Jedi the way Luke has, but the Force is strong with her, as it is with all of your family. There is no avoiding the battle. You must face and destroy Vader. Anakin here will help you...you're not the only one with a destiny Luke."
Luke looked up at the ghost, his face morphed into a silent question. He looked at Anakin who looked like he was in a rush to leave.
Obi-Wan sighed, knowing he couldn't stay corporeal for too much longer. "Just stay safe Luke. The Force will guide you..."
Luke wanted to say something more, but his throat was lost for words as Ben's ghost faded into the air. Anakin noticed as well, a silent tear sneaking out of his eye. "Come on Luke, we have to get to this Rebel base of yours."
Luke sighed, looking at Anakin with worried blue eyes. "When will the secrets end?"
Anakin put an arm around the boy. "I don't know Luke...I don't know."
•••
A/N
I'm so sorry this is shorter than normal but this chapter gave me a lot of problems involving idea flow and what not...
So thank you so much for sticking with it! I promise I'm working and I hope the next chapter won't give me as much trouble.
:)
PS - THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 11K ON REDEMPTION AND 2K ON SACRIFICE!!!
May the Force be with You,
- lucky_ducky_123