Hello again! I bring you Chapter Eleven! Lots of things begin to happen!
Originally, I planned to make this longer, but in the end I decided to cut it in half... Obi Wan's final line was just too good to pass up!
Anyway! Hope you like it, and PLEASE review! Hearing your thoughts/opinions really helps me/encourages me to continue! (In fact, until some really recent feedback, I was having a hard time continuing this amazing tale due to the fact that I had no idea if I was going a good direction or not!)
Enjoy!
Chapter 11
"Skywalker! What are you doing?!"
I can't help but grin at the Chandrilian senator, her auburn hair blowing around in the icy winds of Echo Base, as I storm ahead to one of the many waiting snow speeders.
"Where do you think Mon?" I reply over the thrum of engines, "You think I'd be patient enough to wait, when my son is out there?" Without leaving her a moment to reply, I sealed the cockpit. A rush of power, and I am out of the hangar and into the frozen waste beyond.
"So boring…" A certain young pilot grated, his eyes aching slightly from gazing at either the numerous electrical systems, or the same blindingly white and icy blue landscape. "Why did I agree to taking a second cycle of patrol on my Life Day, and of all the cycles, it just had to be the loneliest one…"
Slightly depressed, Luke recalled the sparse lifestyle he'd lead with his aunt and uncle.
Man I miss you two…
Suddenly, an orange blip flickered onto the edge of the main scanners.
"What the…" Tapping the small instrument, he watched in confusion as the small dot roared across the screen.
There shouldn't be anyone, or anything, else out here…
"Ah!" With his piloting reflexes, Luke barely managed to avoid being coated in a spray of ice as a nearly identical speeder flew past.
Scrabbling to regain control, he snatched his com link:
"Red Seven! This is Red Five!" Receiving no reply from the other end, Luke accelerated after the rogue speeder, "What are you doing out here Dack?"
Seemingly in reply to his inquisition, the mysterious speeder looped around him, circling the young pilot in challenge.
Race you back to base.
The sudden blip of text across the screen was expected. It was common knowledge among the Rebellion that he was always up for a race.
"You bet! Bring it on Dack!" Luke barked back in reply. Tossing it aside, he swung alongside his friend's speeder.
Looking through his cockpit, Luke caught a glimpse of the pilot. A strong chin, tanned skin, and large goggles made up his face as they made eye contact. Whoever it was, it wasn't Dack.
Flashing a brilliant white grin, the challenger held up three fingers, counting down with every rev of his engine.
At the closing of his fist, they set off into the icy plain.
Restless after the strange and frightening events from this morning, Anakin soon found himself wandering into the small hangar of Varykino.
Hopefully, he could find something to take his mind off on.
Life always seems easier when I'm fixing things.
"Honestly Artoo! I do not understand why you saw it necessary to drag me down to the hangar! I am not an astro droid, and I do not care about matters such as starships!"
At this familiar voice, he couldn't help but dive behind the nearest scrap pile. His breathing regulated by the machinery that was so thoroughly interwoven into his body, Anakin could only wish he could sigh at his own cowardice as the golden droid tottered into the room, hustling to keep up with his smoothly rolling counterpart.
Why the kriff am I hiding from Threepio?
"Beep beep boop blat!"
"What? You said Mistress Padme sent you down here to find Master Ani?" Threepio dipped his head in disbelief, "Now don't be silly Artoo, no one came here with her besides Master Obi-Wan and that new security droid… Nasty looking fellow, but I suppose an intimidating exterior is necessary for his line of programming…" Threepio paused slightly, turning towards the scrap pile, "I just hope we don't bump into him. Security droids can be rather… Aggressive, shall we say. And that horrid breathing sound it emits! So uncivilized."
Security droid? Anakin shook his head slightly in confusion. I think I need to do some work on Threepio's logic processor… His doesn't seem to be functioning properly.
Rising from the shadows, a patch of sunlight caught the austere lines of his 'face,' and in turn, revealed himself to a startled protocol droid.
"It's him Artoo! Run for your life!" Squawking in his typical prissy manner, C-3PO wasted no time in making a scene. "We're going to be hacked to pieces!"
"Threepio," Anakin spoke in a mechanical baritone, completely unlike his true voice, to the upset droid, "Do not panic." Holding his hands up and away from any weapon, he cautiously stepped from behind the scrap pile. "I'm not going to hurt you-"
Without warning, Artoo wheeled over, nudging my leg playfully.
Threepio, seeing this take place, saw it as an act of treason:
"Artoo!" He fervently waved his arms in anger, "You knew he was down here didn't you! You wanted him to dismantle me!"
Artoo simply squawked back in Binary:
Please, if I wanted you dismantled, I'd have done it myself by now.
"Threepio," The Jedi snatched the golden droid by the shoulders, "It's me! It's Anakin!"
At this confession, the quirky protocol droid froze. Turning his optical sensors to his Maker's obsidian lenses, he was seemingly struck speechless.
"…Impossible…"
"Afraid not my friend," Anakin relented, releasing his death grip on the shorter droid, " But somehow, I've been turned into… This." Motioning vaguely to his leather sheathed form, Anakin turned his back to them, brooding.
"Well then," C-3PO waddled over, placing a metallic hand on R2-D2's dome, "I suppose you were right Artoo… We did find Master Ani."
Or what's left of me anyway…
Anakin gazed at the droids at his side. Now it seemed, he was closer to them than to Padme. To being human.
"You mentioned that Padme sent you… What did she need me for? Why does she seek me out?"
"Beep boop blat beep beep!"
"Ah yes," C-3PO turned to meet Anakin's equally artificial gaze, "Artoo says that Padme and Obi-Wan wanted to speak with you about seeking Yoda's council."
"They're bringing Yoda into this?!" Throwing his large hands into the air in frustration, Anakin simply turned and marched back the way he had come. "Can't believe that they're dragging him here, just for another scolding…."
Man this guy is good! Luke contemplated, his hands flying over the controls, the mysterious challenger's exhaust ports showering him in a frosty powder as he attempted to gain the upper hand in the race. It seemed that no matter what trick maneuver he tried to pull, his opponent not only counteracted, but surpassed with an unseen trick of his own.
Time no longer mattered in this isolated world of speed and adrenaline, inevitably though, things came to an end as the closing hangar doors came into sight ahead. With a final burst of speed, the competing speeders flew through the ever decreasing opening. Skidding to a stop, Luke pried his cockpit open, the ice crackling harshly with the breaking of the seal. Clambering stiffly out of his ship, the young pilot gazed in curiosity at his opponent's unmoving cockpit.
Silently, I take in a deep breath. The rush from being able to race once again filling my veins, I struggle to contain my thoughts.
This is it.
Adjusting my goggles, I deliver a swift push to the windshield with the Force before leaping out, flipping several times before landing in front of a blond Rebel pilot.
My son.
Gaining my bearings, I notice that the young man is awestruck at the rather simple way I exited the ship.
"That. Was. Awesome!" He shouted in an innocent glee, "Can you teach me to do that? I've never seen you around here before, are you a Jedi? You're an amazing pilot! Who are you? Did you-"
"Calm down young one," I try, in an attempt to stem the incessant flow of questions. He obviously did not know of our relation yet. "All will be explained~"
"Skywalker! There you are!" Mon Mothma's voice shrilly rang across the icy hangar, her slender form quickly joining us.
"Sorry Mon," Luke shamefully glanced away from her gaze, "I was covering for Dack… He's sick you see-"
"That's not it Luke," the high commander dismissed with a wave of her hand, "It's the fact that you missed the meeting this morning involving your father! That's one of the reasons I asked for you to be there specifically."
"Lay off the boy Mothma," I can't help but rise to the defense of his timid figure as he tried to melt away from before her, "How was he to know that I was coming? Far as I know, it was a surprise to even you that I was alive."
Realizing I was right, the High Commander backed off, "I still don't approve of his unauthorized absence," She sniffed, trying still to get the last word.
"And you are not his Mother," I retort defensively, stepping closer to the son I had thought had been lost so long ago. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to my son, whom I have not had the chance to meet properly since I've learned of his survival." Glancing over, I smile on the inside at the expression donning his features.
Apparently, my presence had struck him speechless, for now, after realizing who I was, he stood silent, gaping repeatedly as if he were a fish out of water.
Gazing at him through shaded vision, I realized that I had neglected to remove the thick goggles I had donned earlier.
I guess looking through artificial lenses for nigh on twenty years will do that to you.
Suddenly disgusted by the obscuring article, I cast the bulky eyepiece aside, revealing my full face to the boyish one before me, so similar to my own, yet full of innocence. Not a tinge of darkness in his sand scoured features.
This can't be real… I'm dreaming right now, I just know it. Like I would ever meet my dead father in a drag race, and that he would be a Rebel too!
Shakily, Luke lifted his gaze to meet his father's now uncovered one.
Looking back at him was the most intense pair of blue eyes he had ever seen. Even his own matching pair, while considered eery by some, paled in comparison to his father's all knowing gaze. It was one that seemed to see him down to the very essence of the Force that held him together.
"F-Father?" He managed to squeak timidly, he could feel the raw power that radiated off his parental figure, it was a feeling had only ever felt once or twice before. He couldn't exactly place where he'd felt it though…
"Yes?" Anakin answered a bit softer, his gaze lessening in its fear inspiring intensity.
"Is it really you?"
"I am who I am, and as far as I'm concerned, I am really here." The elder Skywalker replied, dipping slightly, his arms spread, and yet another roguish smile teasing his lips.
Without another word, Luke flung himself into the open arms of the father he had always dreamed of coming to the farm and taking him away from Tatooine. To the stars, where he had always felt he truly belonged.
To tell the truth, I am taken aback at this sudden display of affection. It has been so long since I have had physical contact with someone, never mind any positive contact. After my initial stiffness in the embrace, I begin to remember my beautiful moments with Padme, and the tender affection we shared.
"Oh Luke," I mutter, finally holding him close. Simply being there, holding the evidence of the person I once was. The living proof that Darth Vader once had a soul. "I am so sorry. For everything…"
"Ben said you had died," Luke replied, his voice shaky and muffled from pressing into my shoulder, "That you had been murdered by Darth Vader."
"I'm here Luke… Everyone thought me dead, even myself at one point, but I'm back now…" I pull back, tousling his messy blond hair in good humor. "If you'll take me, that is…"
Pulling back Luke grinned widely, his tear streaked cheeks glistening in the artificial light of the sealed hangar, "Of course I'd take you Dad!" Returning to his previous grasp, he continued, "This is the best Life Day I could've ever asked for."
Strangely, I can feel a genuine tender smile place itself on my face, not the sarcastic sneer I had used thus far in my masquerade. A long forgotten warmth also spreads through my lean form as well, my head swimming with fond memories. Once they would've brought only pain and regret, now though, in the presence of my son, I feel only… Happiness.
"There you are Anakin, did the droids find you?" Obi-Wan stood, welcoming his 'brother' into the small chamber. Padme stood as well, her voluminous gown a velvety black against the soft greens and browns of the assorted decor.
"Yes. They did." Anakin replied shortly, his previous temper quickly flickering away in the presence of his wife as he strode over. Taking her hand in his, he noticed an all too familiar green alien sitting on one of the couches.
"Hm, secrets you have kept from the Order have you young Skywalker," Yoda peered sagely at the crystalline rings twinkling in unison on the young couple's hands. "What say you about this?"
"I say that getting married has been the best decision of my life," The young Knight replied pointedly, "Even if it is against the Jedi Code. I love her, and she loves me. Even if I had to live my life all over again, I would still choose her every time."
"Love," The Grand Master scoffed, "An attachment it is, Jedi have no passion young Skywalker. Dangerous this is. To dark paths lead you this will…"
"What do you mean?" Both Anakin and Padme inquire in unison. What the Grand Master said was never to be taken lightly.
"Mean that the cause of Skywalker's condition we may have found," Yoda tipped his walking stick at the cyborg, "The armor of a Sith Lord that is, and only one reason for that there can be."
"Are you saying that love is going to turn me into a Sith?!" Anakin retorted, "I don't believe it for a second!"
"Well I do." A strong voice enters the conversation as an equally powerful presence makes itself known within the room.
"Ah, welcome sight you are Master Windu," Yoda nodded as the other Master revealed himself, "Agree you do that this attachment of Anakin's dangerous is?"
"Yes, in matter of fact," the Korun Master replied, shooting a stern glance at the strange conglomeration of man and machine that had replaced the Chosen One. "There is a reason for the Code Skywalker."
"Who the kriff invited him?" Anakin bristled, his hands tightening protectively around Padme's.
"Anakin, language!" She scolded quietly, leaning back against her husband. Watching cautiously as the Master of the Order took his position in the middle of the room.
"When Qui Gon had first brought you before the Council," Windu began, staring dominantly into the young Knight's glossy lenses, "I said you would be unpredictable, and dangerous to the Order. Now it seems I was right. Yoda told me all about your 'experience' at the caves on Ilum, and with this revelation of your forbidden marriage…" He shook his head with an air of condemnation. "Then it is apparent that only the worst will come of this union."
"What are you suggesting we do then Master WIndu?" Obi-Wan approached, unsurprisingly stroking his beard. "Are you saying what I think you are?"
"If you believe in separating Anakin from his attachments, then yes, I am," Windu finished, his gaze resting on Padme.
Registering his chilling stare upon her, the Nubian Senator retreated to the safety of her husband's sable wings, his heavy cloak surprisingly warm as it encompassed her.
"Master Jedi," she gasped in denial, "You can't be serious about this! Anakin needs me. I need him. How can you possibly know that he becomes like this due to our marriage?! I think an opinion outside the Order is necessary here."
"Like who, the Chancellor?" Windu accused, stepping forward as he spoke, further pushing the Chosen One's short temper.
"Why not?" Anakin gritted, his scarlet vision seeming to descend a few more shades with his frustration, "He is a trusted friend, someone I know can keep this secret."
"I don't like this Skywalker," Mace warned, in an attempt to push them from this decision, "The Dark Side surrounds him."
"Well, right now it's surrounding me as well isn't it?" Anakin shot back. "Yet I have done nothing to bring this upon me."
"Not yet anyway," Obi-Wan supplied leaning against the wall, "I say let them talk to the Chancellor… What's the worst that could happen?"