CHAPTER TEN

Anakin Skywalker sat down.

The boy in front of him was indeed very peculiar. Anyone that knew Anakin and Padmé, and then looked at this boy, could tell that he was their son.

Luke arguably looked a lot more like his mother. Although Luke inherited Anakin's blonde hair and blue eyes, his face was shaped more round like Padmé's.

Luke just stared back at the Jedi Master, unaware that Anakin was studying Luke like a nexu.

Anakin had hundreds, no, thousands of questions for the boy. He couldn't believe that after all these years Luke was finally so close…sitting right in front of him.

"So… That was pretty impressive." Anakin commented, breaking the silence.

Luke just stared at the Jedi, expressionless.

"I don't think I've seen such an impressive escape." Anakin continued, "Actually, I don't think I've ever seen anyone escape the Coruscant Prison at all."

Luke didn't say anything.

"How did you do it?" Anakin asked, even though he already knew. "How did you learn to use the Force so well?"

Luke pressed his lips together. There was a Jedi sitting inches away from him, and Luke had his hands tied—literally. He had no weapon. He couldn't fulfill his duty and kill the stinking Jedi.

Anakin propped his arm on the table and rested his chin on his prosthetic fist, studying Luke curiously. Luke only glared back, trying to intimidate the Jedi Master but sorely failing.

"Tsk, tsk," Anakin said with a smile on his face, too euphoric to hide his amusement in his words, "A Sith apprentice with no Sith master?"

Perhaps if Skywalker was not a Jedi, Luke would have chuckled. But Skywalker was a Jedi, and Luke was sworn to hate him.

"I think it's in both of our best interest if you just let me go now."

Anakin laughed, shocking Luke.

"There is no way in seven hells that I'm ever going to let you go off again."

Luke rolled his eyes, not understanding the double meaning behind Anakin's words. We'll see, Luke thought to himself.

"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself." Anakin commented, referring to the interrogation that Luke was going through.

Luke rolled his eyes, "No, I'm having the time of my life."

Anakin chuckled, too rejoiced that he was actually speaking to his son. He was too distracted to actually presume the role of a serious Jedi who had to be questioning a juvenile delinquent.

"So is this how you Jedi get all of your work done? By laughing at your rule-breakers?" Luke asked, exasperated.

"You Jedi?" Anakin repeated, his laughter dying out.

"What makes you think that being a Sith is any better than being a Jedi?"

Luke shook his head, "Hold on, I never said I was a Sith. You just assumed that."

Anakin nodded, "You're right, I did. But was I wrong?"

He unclipped a lightsaber from his belt and held it in his hand in front of Luke, "Is this not yours?"

Luke sat up and widened his eyes.

Anakin smiled, "Thought so." He stood up and ignited the lightsaber, producing that familiar hum of the plasmic blade. Anakin swished it around a little, studying the weapon.

"Pretty decent for someone your age. Did you make it by yourself?"

Luke didn't say anything.

"Do you want this back?" Anakin asked Luke, almost in a taunting manner.

Luke just looked away from the Jedi, his anger boiling up.

Anakin sighed impatiently as he deactivated the weapon and sat back down, "This isn't a game where you can pick and choose what you reply to. You have to answer everything I ask you."

"Or what?" Luke pressed, "Are you going to take me to some torture chamber?"

Anakin smiled, "We don't use those on younglings."

Luke shrugged, "Well…maybe I want to be tried as an adult… Oh wait, hold on… I'm not getting a trail at all, now, am I?"

Anakin smiled, "You're quite right."

Luke scoffed, "Of course, I forgot, the constitution does not apply to the Jedi."

Anakin narrowed his eyes at Luke, studying him a little more critically. It was clear that his son harbored some serious ill-will towards the Jedi. "Your trial will be in front of the Jedi Council."

Luke wrinkled his nose in disgust, "You're going to make me meet even more Jedi?"

Anakin nodded his head slowly, "You're a thirteen year-old who can use the Force and escape a high-security prison. Of course the Jedi will want to meet you."

Luke just rolled his eyes.

"And then after that," Anakin mused, thinking about the near future, "We'll have to enroll you in a school here on Coruscant."

Luke's eyebrows rose, "What? Who said I was going to stick around and go to school?"

Anakin shrugged, "You're an underage minor, you have to get an education."

Luke stared at him, open-mouthed.

"Unless you would prefer to go back home," Anakin mused, "Back to…Corellia?"

Luke nodded, falling into Anakin's trap, "Oh yes I would."

Anakin smiled triumphantly, "How long have you lived on Corellia? Who do you live with? Where?"

Luke frowned, realizing that he had actually given this Jedi a piece of valuable information. "I…don't."

Anakin folded his arms on the table across from his son, "Look, we're going to learn everything about you. There's no getting out of this. You either pick the hard way or the easy way."

Luke thought for a moment, "I pick the hard way."

Anakin tilted his head and then leaned back into his chair.

"Alright, you asked for it."

He got up from his chair and motioned for the clones posted at the door to come over and remove the binders from Luke's wrists.

Luke was surprised, no doubt, but as he rubbed his free wrists he was suddenly happy that he had chosen the hard way.

"Let's go."

"I get to go back to my cell now?" Luke said, relieved.

Anakin frowned and shook his head, "Of course not. We're going to the Jedi Temple."