Chapter Ten

Cloud City

Obi-Wan shook his head. "He should have stayed. That boy is our last hope."

"No, another there is. Skywalker, like his father he is. Count can you, Obi-Wan how many times Anakin put in danger a mission to recuse you?"

"No, I can't. That's what worries me."

"Great feeling the boy has. His greatest strength it is and greatest weakness."

"I know."

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"Remember Luke, don't lower your defenses. How are your mental sheilds?" Anakin asked his son.

"Mental Sheilds?"

"What has Obi-Wan been teaching you since..." Anakin didn't finish his sentence, he wouldn't lie to his boy but he didn't want him to know that Vader was once the Jedi Knight named Anakin Skywalker.

Anakin sighed and spoke through the Force, their Force-bond. 'See how easy this is,' he said lowering some of his sheilds. 'Now,' Anakin said raising them.

"Father?" Luke asked.

"You have to construct your sheilds around your thoughts, around your feelings. I'm not a teacher, son. I've only recently been knighted. One of the youngest in the Jedi Order, too, " he said proudly. "I thought I was going to be a padawan forever, though. It seemed to take so long, even though I joined the Order later than most, I was so far ahead of everyone else."

"Padawan?"

"A learner," Anakin explained stiffly. "Son, I'm going to put in the coordinates for Cloud City," Anakin said, heading for the cockpit. Luke followed behind him.

"Dad, I'm glad you are here."

"I wish I could say the same. I'm glad to be here with you, but everything is so different. All I want is to get back to Padme. To Obi-Wan."

"But Obi-Wan's here."

"He's not the same. He's old, and very burdened. I have to save him from that. I have to save Padme too. And I'm going to save you from having to grow up on that rock they call a planet. I feel like I should have been the one cloned, not Jango Fett, there are so many things I need to do."

"Dad, you can't save everyone."

"I know. That's what Master Obi-Wan keeps telling me," Anakin said falling in the pilot's chair and running a hand through his hair before pressing his eyes together and pressing his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. "I can't fail again. It's not an option, my son. The fate of the galaxy rests on my success or failure."

"Dad, tell me about the time you came from."

"It's in the days of the Republic, I don't know much about politics that's your mother's forte, and the Chancellor, not mine. It's been five months since I've seen your mother. We were married at the beginning of the Clone Wars, right after the Battle of Genosis. The War seemed to be tearing apart the very principles of the Republic and it keeps us away from Coruscant for long spans of time, my son. Obi-Wan and I have just returned from the Outer Rim sieges. We found a chair that was made for the Dark Lord of the Sith. The Sith Lord has been traced to the 500 Republica, where the Senators live," Anakin explained. "Recently we have been given the mission to rescue the Chancellor. He was captured by General Grevious, he is the leader of the droid army. I'm not sure what species he is, but he's more droid than anything else."

"Like Darth Vader?" Luke asked.

"Yes, except he can't use the Force. The Separatist are led by General Grevious, Count Dooku, and Dooku's master, the mysterious Lord of the Sith. Count Dooku is the leader of the Trade Federation of Independent Star Systems. He's trying to destroy the Republic. He ordered our deaths, he was behind the many assassinations on your mother, Padme. He also has a mock trial on Genosis where they found on guilty of espionage." Anakin took the glove off his mechanical hand. "He did this to me. Don't look like that, Luke. I wear my battle injuries with pride."

"Why, Dad, why did they try to assassinate my mother?"

"Because of her political views, Luke, and don't ask me about it. All I know is that she's against the war. As Jedi we are keepers of the peace, but have become soldiers. We are the commanders of the Clone Army of the Republic. An army of one man."

Luke could almost see the world Anakin spoke of. He was proud to call the man before him Dad. The Force had granted him a rare gift, the gift of knowing what a great man his father really was. He was the best Luke could ever ask for and he had been taken from him too soon. Luke was getting the chance to know about his mother too. Anakin held up a holo of his mother and Luke stared. She was so beautiful. She was smiling and it seemed to Luke that she was smiling at him. But to Luke she reminded him of someone else, of Leia, maybe all royalty bore a resemblance to one another. "I've never had a history lesson quite like this," Luke said in awe.

"I'm not a teacher, "Anakin reminded him, another reminded of where he should be, but wasn't. "It's not history, it's my present. I'm still living it. Or I will be when I return. Grevious captured Palpatine, I can't believe he made such an underhanded move."

"Father, I find that hard to believe. Palpatine is my mentor, he befriended me ever since I was a small boy. He watched over me."

"He destroyed the Republic with his lapdog, certainly you see that."

"Don't ask that of me, Luke. Ask anything else, but don't ask me to kill the man who has been nothing but kind to me. Has offered me nothing but guidance."

"At what cost, Father?

Anakin didn't answer instead he spoke abut the world he had come from. "There were Jedi also captured, friends of ours. Great Jedi Masters. They were murdered right in front of our eyes, Luke. You never lose sight of the horror of the senseless killings. Count Dooku was on the Invisible Hand, Grevious's own ship, Palpatine was shaken. I've never seen him so frightened."

Luke gave a snort, he doubted the man had a heart. You had to have a heart to be afraid of anyone or anything.

"Obi-Wan and i went into aggressive negotiations with Count Dooku."

"Aggrss-" Luke started but Anakin anticipated the question.

"Negotiations with a lightsaber. Your mother once asked the same question. Count Dooku used the Force to throw Master Obi-Wan against the wall on the Hand and then he took some things from the wall to tumble ontop of him. I was winning, I could feel it. I amputated his hands and I had him at my mercy. Palpatine ordered me to kill him."

"Did you?" Luke asked and Anakin shook his head.

"No. But I wanted too, for everything he's done. It's against the Jedi Code. We don't execute that's the Senate's job, deciding the fate of the guilty."

"You didn't do it."

"No, before I could make up my mind. I ended up back on Tattooine." Anakin looked him over, sizing him up. "You are not a fully trained Jedi Knight, yet. It took me ages to get there, but I think, without the Order you will be given the title much sooner. You are my son. I am a fully trained Jedi Knight though. Yet, your fight is with Vader not mine. I am along just to protect you. They fight dirty," Anakin said clenching and unclenching his mechanical arm as he put his glove back on and flashed him a smile. "We are coming out of hyperspace. Get ready. This will not be easy, there is alot he will suspect, son. He was once a Jedi, remember that. Calm yourself and allow the Force to flow through you," Anakin said, using the force to disguise both his and Luke's force presence.

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Anakin and Luke hid in the shadows as Vader ordered for Han Solo to be carbonated. Leia was crying as she looked into his eyes. "I love you," she whispered.

"I know," Han replied. Anakin laid a hand on Luke's shoulder to keep him from racing forward. It would be difficult enough to fight the Sith Lord much less to have to do it with all the stormtroopers and bounty hunters around. Han Solo was given to the bounty hunter and Three-pio, Chewbacca, and Leia were led away with a man who Anakin assumed would take care of them. The Imperials were ordered to leave the Sith alone, and Anakin watched him as he walked around and gazed out at the galaxy. 'Remember Genoisis. Remember Padme,' Anakin spoke inside his head, moving around the room, cloaking himself in shadows.

'Stay out of my head, Jedi. My fight is not with you, it's with the boy. With my son.'

'My son,' Anakin replied. 'The son of Skywalker. The son of a Jedi.'

Darth Vader ignited his Sith blade and Anakin and Luke force-jumped brandishing their blades. Both men had their identical Jedi cloaks on and one brandished a emerald blade the other one of a stunning blue color he immediately recognized. There were also several inches difference in their heights. But Darth Vader couldn't see into their faces. But they couldn't see his either. It had been a long time since Darth Vader had seen anything other than a black mast staring back at him. "So, you've come without the old man."

"Obi-Wan is a great man," Anakin replied.

"Maybe once, but now he's a traitor to the Empire."

"You are the traitor, Vader."

Luke Force-jumped over the dark lord's head landing on the other side of him. "Indeed you are powerful as the Emperor has foreseen."

"Leave my son, alone. You won't to fight a Jedi, let's go. You know as well as I do that he's not fully trained."

"Your son? You are mistaken, Skywalker, about a great many things."

"I don't think so,"

"Luke, Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father, did he?"

Oh, Sith, Anakin swore.

"He told me enough, he told me you killed him, "Luke replied swinging wildly in anger.

"Leave him alone," Anakin said coldly, entering the fray and drawing Vader back.

"Stay out of this. The boy can make up his own mind."

"So after winning your freedom. You chose slavery. What interesting irony," Anakin replied trying to distract Vader.

"I must obey my master."

"Who is?"

"The Emperor Palpatine, or Darth Sidious," Vader said and Anakin could swear that the mechanical voice smiled as Anakin felt his anger grow. Could it really be? Could what everyone was saying be true? Could Palpatine really had orchestrated the entire war, the death of his friends, the near assassinations of his beloved wife? "I am your father, boy," Vader said speaking to Luke.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Luke screamed and Vader made a flick of his wrist coming toward Luke's wrist and Anakin swung into action protecting Luke.

"What do you live for Vader?" Anakin asked Vader.

"Power, one day I will be master and Emperor. Luke, search your feelings. We can rule the galaxy as Father and son. Search your feelings, Luke you know it to be true."

Luke closed his eyes, and he knew it was true. Vader's force signature mirrored Anakin's. It was darker somehow but the power behind it, the special light that identified his father flowed through Vader

"Is that all the dark side has to offer?" Anakin asked. "I'm not impressed. You are NOT my fate," Anakin replied, his eyes shooting blue sparks at Vader. "You are barely half a man. I am the Jedi Chosen One, chosen to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force. I am not a slave or a pawn." Anakin force-jumped as he struck again. Then he felt himself being raised and felt the force constrict around his throat.

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"Join me, son."

Anakin was vaguely aware of the face that Luke had jumped before he was thrown down after him. Anakin raised an arm to his sore neck. Oh Sith, he thought as he begun to slide. He used the Force to slow down the process and knew that in moments he would knock Luke down off of his hold. At least Luke still had his hand, didn't he? What Anakin didn't know was that while Anakin had been fighting for breathe Luke had lost his hand at the wrists to the dark lord. Luckily, just before Anakin hit Luke Leia arrived ushering Luke and Anakin inside.

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"He did it, he sold Han to the bounty hunter."

"I know," Anakin replied, with a smile as Leia blushed thinking of Han's answer to her proclamation of love.

"We will rescue him, Leia," Luke said as he put an arm around her and she leaned her head against him staring out to space. Anakin went to fix Three-pio.

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"Lando Calarission," the man introduced himself.

"Anakin Skywalker," Anakin replied not looking up as he accessed Three-pio's memory and restored it.

"Master, Ani, do be careful," the droid said remembering his master.

"It's good to see you know who I am Three-pio, since I built you."

"Of course, Master Ani. You do know what happened to Mistress Padme. I was saddened by the events of Mustafar."

"As was I," Anakin replied. He sat down and began to put Three-pio together again.

"I'll say. And the birth of the twins."

"Did you say twins. Three-pio?"

"Absolutely, Master Anakin. I wasn't supposed to be listening in, but I couldn't help it. I was worried about you and Mistress Padme, she was dead. I couldn't imagine what would happen to them. Everyone assumed you had died on Mustafar, Master Ani. Master Obi-Wan even said as much."

"Did he?"

"Absolutely, Master. Captain Antilles was to be our new master. I thought it was so wonderful that we would be with your daughter."

"What was she like, Three-pio?"

"Princes Leia?"

"Yes."

"Well, she may have caused a mere disturbance," Three-pio commented, "But I'm not good at telling stories."

"Nonsense Three-pio." Anakin tweaked him restoring the last circuits. "There, good as new," he said and began polishing the droids gold plated armor.