Hi everyone!
So Mara is basically marmite. Right? Either you love her or you hate her. But I don't get why. Can anyone tell me? I'm hoping it isn't just because of how I write, and I don't think it is with the no-likey camp also telling me how much they're enjoying everything else... Anyway, she's woven into the fabric of this story so I'm afraid she's not going anywhere. But so long as half of you are fine with her and the other half like everything else, then I'm happy! :D
Okay, get comfortable folks and prepare for a long chapter! :)
Peace, Nanuk888
Disclaimer: We all know who SW belongs to!
For Family
Chapter 11. Truth will out
The supreme ruler of the galaxy rarely received supplicants anymore. Generous moods, even feigned, were few and far between, and this director of a money-strapped network of orphanages was not wasting the rare opportunity for which he had spent countless hours lingering in the halls of the Imperial Palace.
"Each day the children pledge allegiance to your esteemed Majesty and each day they salute to the Imperial anthem. They are desperate to grow up into useful, skilled citizens who can dedicate their lives in service to the glorious Empire. Increased funds would allow us to provide the necessary schooling and enable these fervently loyal children to realise these dreams. We implore your Majesty, in your great generosity and infinite wisdom, to bestow upon us merely a small token, so that we can raise these orphans as devoted servants of the Empire –"
Whatever remained of the man's obsequious spiel was never heard. The Emperor abruptly tensed, his pale, gnarled hands clutching the armrests of his throne in a death grip as he inhaled sharply through pursed lips. The Light Side of the Force stormed through Imperial Center, the brightness penetrating the mantle of darkness shrouding the Palace and piercing the black hole that was Darth Sidious.
The Sith Master couldn't recall ever having been held captive by fear as he was then. The Force proclaimed a rival to his own immeasurable power, a bastion of the Light Side who was slowly drawing the balance away from his control. He desperately sought the identity of such a formidable challenger. The young Skywalker would eventually wield considerable power when fully trained, certainly more so than the half-human Vader, but he was as yet a long way off from being able to effect the cosmic shockwave that had just ripped through the galaxy. Or was it possible for the young man to have suddenly become so inordinately strong?
Another prospect occurred to him, one far more disconcerting. Back in the waning days of the Old Republic there had been another Skywalker who had, at pressured moments, reached soaring heights of power as was rarely seen amongst the Jedi. Had Anakin Skywalker returned? But if he had, why had Palpatine not sensed the death of Darth Vader? He mentally plucked the bond with his apprentice to confirm it was indeed still there. Or perhaps it was Vader assisting young Skywalker, or even a group of Jedi whom his apprentice had failed to eradicate and were now banding together.
Palpatine impatiently dismissed the supplicant before him, agreeing to his pleas just to be rid of him. He barely registered the man blathering something about eternal gratitude before the Red Guards responded to his signal and rapidly emptied the Throne Room.
"Summon my Chief Engineer," he snapped at an aide hovering nervously in the wings.
Whatever was happening out there, it was time to step up his plans and replace his aging apprentice with younger blood. A measure of anticipation tingled through him, gradually supplanting the fear that had no place in his psyche. The young Skywalker would end the rebellion once and for all, he would succeed where his father had failed. Together they would bring order to his Empire and put the Force to rights.
Glowing embers sparked from the logs. They floated up with the column of smoke and rolled across the slanted roof of the small mud hut. Wizened eyes followed their fluttering path until the embers escaped through the crude hole at the top.
Yoda grasped his gimer stick, feeling every one of his nine hundred years as he leaned forward to prod the logs.
He froze as a tidal wave of the Force flooded through him. The Light Side, ablaze with life and purpose, sang with resonant power as it cascaded through the galaxy. With his every fibre in tune with the Force, Yoda was able to recognise the herald of its champions – the father and son, who together had raised it from darkness and given life to the Light. His gimer stick fell quietly from loose fingers to the earthen floor.
He saw what was and what could be. He saw plots in motion and many possible futures. The fate of the galaxy, the fate of the Force itself, was poised on this pivotal moment in time, resting on Anakin and Luke Skywalker.
Yoda sat there for a long moment, his pointy ears quivering and his eyes becoming huge with the enormity of this shift in the Force. Eventually he relaxed back on the faded brown bed, closed his eyes and did what he did best. The old Grand Master of the Jedi Order immersed himself in the Force to meditate on the return of Anakin Skywalker.
Leia swayed, then crumpled to the ground.
There was one moment of staring in mute incomprehension, where no coherent thought could take root through the stupefied shock – then all at once Luke was hurtling to her side, Han was dragging himself by his arms towards her and repeatedly calling her name, Chewbacca was bellowing and decimating the battle droids in a tempestuous rage. Anakin planted himself over Luke like a Gundark in his prime and Lando focused on covering everyone while keeping clear of the deadly lightsaber.
"Leia! Stay with me Leia!" Luke folded back the front flap of her jacket, applying pressure to the warm, sticky, deep red stain. He delved frantically into the Force, shaking with need. But inexplicably it shirked away just out of reach. He tried harder, attempted to impose his will, but the Force only became more elusive, its customary light fading to grey. No! He needed the Force. Without it, Leia might...
Luke was seized by such a despair as he had never felt in his life. Not when his aunt and uncle had been killed, not when Vader had revealed himself to be his father, not when he had doubted his own strength to resist the Dark Side. It clenched his heart and lungs in its iron grip until he couldn't draw breath.
Darkness encroached –
'Feel her presence, Luke.'
It was a perfectly tranquil voice, in complete contrast to the mayhem unfurling within. Infused with the Light Side of the Force, Anakin's telepathic words lit through the fog of fear that had momentarily eclipsed him. It was a warning, an injection of rationality and encouragement all combined. Luke blinked. He could still feel Leia's presence, weakened and muffled as it was, but she was still alive. Reason, logical thought, awareness all flooded back.
And with it, a terrible realisation. That darkness – had he almost...?
'Use the Force, Luke. Help her. Keep her unconscious so her heart rate remains steady, seal the wound to stop the bleeding.'
Luke looked up at his father. The black mask momentarily turned his way, nodded fractionally. Luke could find no words to describe just how much he appreciated his father's guidance and silent reassurance in that moment.
Closing his eyes, he took a moment to channel his mind into calm and return to a semblance of his usual self before sinking into the Force again. This time it gravitated eagerly towards him, flowing effortlessly as he directed it towards Leia. He cast a soothing cloak of sleep over her mind before turning his attention to the blaster hole. He had only a very basic understanding of healing but the Force intensified around the wound and seemed to work its own magic.
"Leia!" Han dragged himself up beside them, hands anxiously reaching out towards her but hesitating to touch her in case he disrupted whatever Luke was doing with his eyes closed. "Come on, sweetheart," he pleaded, his voice bereft of his usual bravado.
Two figures rounded the gunship at a full sprint and drew to a skidding halt. Lando instinctively aimed at them, just as he had been doing at any droids that came into range, and only just pulled his blaster up in time when he recognised them. But whatever he might have said in rebuke died on his lips as he saw Trann's expression.
"Is she –?" Trann couldn't seem to finish his question. His face was so white he looked almost green.
"She lives, for now," Vader's deep rumble enlightened them over the buzzing of his lightsaber as he protected Luke and, by extension, the whole group as they crowded around Leia. "Why did you shoot her?"
Shocked faces looked from one to the other.
"I was aiming at you!" Trann insisted as if that explained everything. But then he realised just what he had admitted, and to whom, and he started babbling fearfully. "But only because you chucked your lightsaber at her! I just assumed, you know? I mean, why would I have thought...? I couldn't see the droid behind her – or at least, I didn't, at first..."
"You shot her?" Han's face turned red. Chewie roared, teeth bared.
"It was nobody's fault," came a quiet voice. Luke had opened his eyes. He tucked his glistening, red-stained hands under Leia's back and knees, lifting her in his arms as he rose to his feet.
"Wait!" Han cautioned. "You shouldn't move her."
"We're leaving," Luke replied, his voice unnaturally calm.
Only then did they hear the increasing whine of the Falcon's engines as it swooped straight down the gaping hole above them until it was hovering right over their heads. The blaster cannon attached beneath the ship was already targeting the B1 battle droids around them as the ramp lowered.
"Master Luke!" came a voice that Han had never thought he'd be happy to hear. "Artoo traced your comlink signal and we came as quickly as we could. Oh no! Princess Leia!" Threepio tottered just inside, his distress evident as he saw Leia's unconscious form in Luke's arms.
Aided by the Force, Luke leaped up easily onto the lowered ramp. Chewie, even with Han under one arm, fared little worse as he hoisted himself up.
"Where's Kara?" Lando asked as he, Trann and Mezei scrambled up ungracefully after them.
"She had to leave," was all Luke said in response. He felt the focus of his father's attention on him but Anakin held his tongue.
To the complete astonishment of his friends, Luke turned to Vader down on the warehouse floor. "Are you coming?"
"What?" Han exclaimed. "O-oh no, hell no! Vader is not coming on my ship! I'd rather carbon freeze myself all over again and become Jabba's new interior design feature than –"
Luke barely heard him ranting. 'Please, father. I need you.'
It was a no brainer. Anakin leaped lightly up after his son and closed the ramp with a touch of the Force.
"Oh, my!" Threepio cried, his eternally stunned expression somehow managing to convey even more astonishment than usual.
"Artoo," Luke called over the intercom, "get us out of here."
Mara ducked down behind a cluster of rocks as the Falcon roared past and disappeared into the darkening sky. She remained huddled there long after it was safely out of sight, her uninjured left hand trembling as she clutched the binoculars to her chest.
Vader is my father.
She knew there could be a perfectly innocent, different explanation for why Vader had fought alongside Skywalker against the battle droids, why Vader had stood over Skywalker and guarded him as the Jedi had tended to the wounded Princess, and even why Vader had, astonishingly, departed with the rebels. She also knew that she had been watching through macrobinoculars lacking in image-enhancement and in the diminishing light of dusk. Both increased the likelihood of her having misinterpreted the protectiveness she had attributed to the Dark Lord's behaviour down on the warehouse floor. But none of that changed the fact that Skywalker's simple statement made perfect sense.
He's holding you back... Everyone is a tool to him... There are many others...
Bone-numbing cold seeped through her. Was it possible? Her entire life's purpose, all the years that she had suffered, endured, served – could it all be nothing but a lie? Was she only just one of many agents that the Emperor exploited as he saw fit? Did her master care for her at all? An avalanche of doubt threatened to bury her alive –
"No!"
Skywalker was just playing Jedi mind tricks on her, that's all it was! It had to be! Desperately, fiercely clinging to denial, she forced herself to her feet and limped back to the Corellian freighter docked in the shadow of the rocky incline.
She was Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand, loyal to the end. And she knew just what she needed to do to prove her worth. Her master would show that he cared!
"Admiral."
"Yes, Lord Vader."
"I will be unreachable for several hours. Continue orbiting Geonosis and await my orders."
"As you wish, my lord."
A nightmare come to life, that's what it was. Only worse. It was all Nine Hells rolled into one – specifically, into one Sithspawn-shaped packaged, travel-sized for Han's convenience. Or inconvenience, as was decidedly the case here. It didn't even matter how Artoo had modified the Falcon to be able to fly it solo. Vader absolutely, categorically, could not be on his ship.
Han snapped from behind them as the Dark Lord switched off his comlink and followed Luke around the main corridor. "You're getting off, Vader. Right here, right now."
"Make me."
Han only became more livid, not put off by the fact that he couldn't possibly intimidate the Dark Lord, especially with Chewie carrying him. "Oh yeah? Well you just watch, I'll expel you from the Falcon right into space and you'll explode into a million, tiny little pieces perfect for mashing into Bantha fodder –"
"Both of you, please!" Luke interjected wearily. He slowed briefly by the hologram board in the rec area. "Can you wait here?" he asked Vader, and Han's brows rose in shock as the Dark Lord lowered himself obediently onto the curved seat without fuss.
Luke hurried on to the crew quarters with Leia cocooned protectively in his arms and Chewie immediately made to follow.
"Wait!" Han protested, his gaze drawn to Vader sitting there unsupervised, his large frame making the lounge seat look as if it had been designed for children.
Chewie merely howled – he's fine there.
Han gaped. When was Vader ever fine sitting on his ship? And what could possibly have possessed the kid to invite him on board in the first place anyway?
"I am not here to cause you harm," Vader reassured, although it was hardly reassuring coming from the Dark Lord. "If I wished you dead, I would not have prevented Boba Fett from using the thermal detonator."
"Yeah, of course you did," Han said, not bothering to hide his cynicism. "Why are you here?"
"Luke asked me to come."
Things were going from bad to downright bizarre. Since when was Luke just 'Luke' to Darth Vader? But before he could dig any further Chewie was impatiently heading for the crew quarters, leaving him no choice but to suspend his questions for later. Blast his legs!
The door slid open with a quiet release of air. Luke was sitting on a bunk with Leia propped up awkwardly between his knees, her shoulder exposed where he had cut away her jumpsuit. The contents of an emergency medical kit were scattered around him, evidently discarded in his hasty search for the dressings he was now sealing around both the front and back of her shoulder with infinite tenderness. Leia's head was resting back on Luke's shoulder, her beautiful, ashen face closed off to the world and her mind far beyond their reach.
Han's gut clenched. He still didn't know for how long he had been frozen in carbonite and effectively out of the picture, but it was obvious that these two had grown very close. He'd seen how she had instinctively reached out to Luke when she had been shot, how Luke had practically flown to her side. The intimacy between them was as plain as day, and any special moments that Han had shared with her in the past was purely that – in the past. Even as Han felt a painful sense of loss that he had never experienced before at the thought of letting Leia go, he knew he wouldn't get in their way. It wasn't like him to put somebody else before his own personal feelings and he couldn't explain it, other than that it was Leia, and it was Luke. They were his friends and for him that was reason enough.
"How is she?" Han asked softly as Chewie carried him in.
Luke extracted himself from his awkward position around her and gently lay her down on the bunk. His reply was equally quiet. "I managed to stem the bleeding and she's stable for now, but we need to get her to the medical frigate. Can you watch her for a while?"
"Sure. Or if you wanted to stay with her, I can get us where we need to go," Han offered, thinking that the kid would probably prefer to stay with Leia.
Luke gave him an odd look. "No, I'd better go, I have the Fleet coordinates." He paused as Chewie set Han down close by Leia's head on a second bunk. "How are you holding up?"
Han shrugged, glancing at their unconcious friend. "A lot better than Leia, that's for sure."
"We'll get you checked out too," Luke promised as he headed for the door, though Han couldn't help wondering whether they'd really get there with Vader in their midst.
"You alright, Chewie?" Luke asked. Chewie howled, nodding.
"Hey, kid," Han called.
Luke turned in the doorway.
"Thanks. Thanks for coming after me. I owe you one."
Luke gave him a faint smile. "We wouldn't have left you, Han. But you know something? Without Vader it sure would have taken a lot longer."
Vader again! Han started spluttering his protest but the door had already slid shut. His eyebrows drew together in a frustrated scowl. "Alright, Chewie. Just what in the blazes has been going on around here?"
As Luke returned to the rec area he was met by the rest of the gang entering from the main corridor. Although they had seen Vader board with them in the warehouse, the sight of the armoured giant sitting at the table where they had spent many hours playing Dejarik still drew them up short.
"Artoo, how long to the Fleet?" Luke asked.
"Well, Master Luke," Threepio began, "that's what we came to tell you. Artoo is struggling to obtain a signal from Home One. He says –"
Artoo's affronted beeping interrupted him.
"It's a figure of speech, you stupid lug. There's no difference between saying that you are struggling to obtain a signal and there simply being no returning signal –"
"What's the problem exactly?" Luke interrupted, knowing how the two could carry on.
Threepio translated the answering whistles. "He says that there is no responding signal from Home One, it appears the ship is not at the prearranged coordinates."
"It's not there? Lando, did you give Artoo the correct –"
"They relocated." The quiet interruption swung everyone's attention to Trann who hovered behind them, shifting from foot to foot.
"What do you mean?" Luke prompted. Trann's shifty eyes refused to look at anyone.
Lando grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him forward. "Start talking," he snapped.
"The Fleet has moved. Home One will com the Falcon with the new coordinates in –" Trann glanced at his chronowatch, "– three hours. The new rendez-vous point will be another hour or two away."
"Oh dear!" Threepio exclaimed unhelpfully.
Lando tightened his grip and leaned into Trann's face. "So it wasn't enough just to shoot Leia? The Fleet was supposed to be on standby so we could bring Han out of carbonite!" He was stopped by a firm hand on the shoulder and he reluctantly let go as Luke stepped in between them.
Unlike Lando, Luke's demeanour was calm and unfazed, and it encouraged Trann to be honest. Luke quietly studied the Corellian's face a moment before voicing his suspicions. "Was it General Madine?"
Trann gulped. How had the Commander guessed? It must have been another of those Jedi abilities. Lando looked rather startled at this allegation.
"Did the General have the Fleet relocated in case Vader forced us to reveal its location?" Luke continued.
Despite Madine's warning not to reveal his orders, Trann only hesitated a moment. Fat lot of good the General's advice had done them so far – Trann had ended up shooting the Princess when he had mistaken Vader saving her life as something sinister and now they were stranded without medics. Commander Skywalker had been right about Vader all along – even if the prospect of being allied with the Sith Lord still gave him the creeps – and he decided to come clean.
"Yes, sir," he confirmed.
"And the General also ordered you to keep an eye on Vader, in case he turned on us?"
Trann threw a nervous look at the Dark Lord who still cut a frightening figure even when seated. "Yes, sir."
"And you have no idea where the Fleet currently is?"
"No, sir."
Luke nodded and addressed the group as a whole. "We need to find a medical facility."
The others were instantly arguing over where might be the nearest and safest, and whether to risk going to a rebel facility with Vader in tow or to attempt sneaking into an Imperial clinic in disguise. Four earnest opinions made for a rowdy debate – Trann was anxious to make up for his role in the predicament they found themselves in, Meizei had also known of the General's orders and felt partially responsible, Lando just wanted to save Leia, and Threepio believed he knew best. Artoo's splat indicated he was not impressed.
'The great decision-making process of the Rebel Alliance,' Anakin observed, amused in spite of himself.
'Leia would've quickly had them in hand,' Luke replied quietly.
Anakin took one look at his son's grim face and slipped out into the corridor. Senses clouded by the Force, nobody but Luke noticed his departure. Everyone did notice, however, when they were almost thrown off their feet as the ship launched into lightspeed. Lando rushed out towards the cockpit, only to hastily reverse back in a moment later as Vader returned.
"Where are we going?" Luke asked mildly. He seemed to be alone in his lack of concern that Vader had just plotted them on an unknown course.
"A private facility with excellent medical care, not known to either the Alliance or the Empire. With the Falcon's hyperdrive it will take less than two hours."
Luke nodded, sending his father a silent message of thanks, but not everyone was appeased. It was Lando who plucked up the courage to voice his doubts within Vader's hearing. "Is this wise, Luke?"
Luke's reply was simple. "We rescued Han, didn't we?" And that seemed to settle it.
'I'm sorry, father. I shouldn't have asked you to come.'
They were alone in the rec room, the others having gone to visit Leia, or 'rest' – just another way of saying they wanted to avoid Vader – but Luke still communicated telepathically so they couldn't be overheard. Sitting shoulder to shoulder on the lounge seat, their proximity and ever strengthening bond made it the easiest thing in the world to link their thoughts.
Anakin seemed to ponder his comment. 'Do you regret my being here?' he asked eventually, masking his hurt.
'Oh no, I didn't mean it like that,' Luke reassured as he realised how it must have sounded. 'I'm selfishly very glad you're here. But I've put you in a difficult position. My friends still don't trust you and your men on Geonosis must be wondering what's happened to you.'
'Don't worry about that,' Anakin dismissed in relief. 'Piett can handle it. And I don't blame your friends for not wanting me here.'
'Still...' Luke trailed off and Anakin didn't push the issue. Neither of them had dared to entertain much hope of being together again so soon after Naboo, and they weren't keen to spend the time dredging up the ugly history of Darth Vader.
'Can I ask what happened on Geonosis with my mother?' Luke asked tentatively.
There had been so much to explain in Theed that Anakin had barely even had time to give the short version. Although it was one of the tenderest memories, he was glad that he could give Luke another glimpse of the incredible woman who had been his mother. He threw his son a smile to reassure that it was OK, and Luke sensed the emotion behind the gesture even if he couldn't see it.
Anakin cast his mind back. 'There was no 'us' before Geonosis; it was the place where everything changed.
'Until then, your mother had insisted that there could be no future between us. It was a time when the Separatists were gaining strength, with the fighting escalating and spreading, and her role as an influential Senator was crucial in campaigning for diplomacy. As for me, the Jedi were forbidden to form attachments and I would have been expelled from the Order. There was no place for love in our lives.
'Just after my mother died,' Anakin continued, setting the context with the barest of words having already explained that dark event during their conversations on Naboo, 'when we were still on Tatooine, we received a report from Obi-Wan that the Separatists were allying themselves with powerful banks and trade corporations. It was in the foundries of Geonosis where Count Dooku was amassing a droid army great enough to challenge the Republic and the Jedi.
'Obi-Wan was captured, but if it wasn't for your mother we might not have been able to go and rescue him. His message had also revealed that it was the Trade Federation who was behind the assassination attempts on Padmé, and Master Windu had ordered me to protect her at all costs while the Jedi went to deal with Dooku. Even though I wanted to go after Obi-Wan and Geonosis was less than a parsec from Tatooine, with what had just happened with the Sand People, I couldn't disobey. But your mother simply claimed that she was going to rescue Obi-Wan and if I wanted to protect her I'd just have to go along.'
Luke couldn't help smiling at the image of the head-strong, clever woman his father depicted.
'When we arrived on Geonosis we were caught up in the foundries' production lines, as you were, and we were eventually captured. We were sent to the execution arena to be put to death with Obi-Wan.'
His tone softened. 'As we were being led into the arena, as our lives were about to be destroyed, she suddenly told me that she loved me, that she couldn't control it anymore. She wanted me to know before we died. She truly, deeply loved me...'
He swallowed past a large lump in his throat. 'I had loved her since I was a slave boy on Tatooine, when I thought she was an angel from the Moons of Iego, and my feelings had only grown with time. I pledged to spend the rest of my life with her, then and there.
'We managed to defeat the beasts in the arena, and escaped the Separatist forces with the aid of over two hundred Jedi' – Luke's eyes widened at the thought of so many – 'and Master Yoda turning up with the first clone troopers the galaxy had seen. The Battle of Geonosis, it came to be called, and it was the start of the Clone Wars. It also involved my first encounter with Dooku and my first prosthetic.' He found himself flexing his right hand, and he consciously relaxed it as he turned his mind to what had followed on Naboo.
'After we left Geonosis, I escorted your mother home to Naboo. We were married in a secret ceremony at Varykino.' Even now he could see it in his mind's eye, the beautiful arbor overlooking the sparkling lake where he and Padmé had stood before the Pontifix of the Brotherhood of Cognizance. The memory was saturated with warmth and tranquility, much as they had been on that day when they were bathed in the glow of the setting sun, and he opened himself to the mental link to share the treasured feeling with their son.
Luke only now understood just what his father had done for him in helping to rescue Han, the depth of emotion he had been forced to deal with in returning to the place that held so much meaning. Luke was deeply touched and humbled.
And, unexpectedly, it hurt. To think that nobody else could know this Anakin Skywalker, the man he now was as Luke knew him. Instead all they would see was a Sith Lord with a past too terrible to allow for any reconciliation.
'It must have been difficult going back there,' Luke said with feeling.
'Actually, once I was in the foundry it wasn't too bad. In fact, it was... kind of nice, being there with you, in the place that held so much meaning.'
Luke took a moment to appreciate this sentiment. A smile tugged on his lips. 'I'd never pegged you as the kind of man who says 'kind of nice'.'
Anakin shared his mirth, but it soon faded away on a bittersweet note. There were a lot of things he should have been and a whole lot that he shouldn't. He didn't dampen the moment by mentioning it but Luke still picked up on the thought and he, in turn, became troubled.
It had been gnawing at him, scratching for attention on the edges of his mind ever since they had left Geonosis. He closed his eyes but the resulting blackness behind his lids only served to intensify the memory – his desperate attempts to reach the life-giving Force, the swirling dark that had answered in its place. There was an extraordinary potency even in the merest glimpse, only awaiting his acceptance, beckoning him, seductive and tempting... He snapped open his eyes, flooding his vision with light.
'Was that the Dark Side?'
Anakin didn't soften the blow, his son needed the truth. 'Yes.'
Luke winced.
Fortunately Anakin could also reassure. 'But you didn't use it. It merely called, as it calls on all Jedi at one point or another. And if you are ever tempted again, you know exactly how it feels. You will be prepared and turn away.'
'What if I'm not strong enough?' The question was out before Luke could curb it and he was glad. A secret fear that was his constant companion, he knew it would only serve him ill.
'You resisted on Bespin, Luke. And you resisted on Geonosis. You are strong enough.'
His father's confidence was touching but he didn't share it. Rejecting the Dark Side when he was still balking at being the offspring of Darth Vader was easy. On Geonosis Anakin had brought awareness back to him with just a few words and a touch of the Force. Luke looked up with stricken eyes. 'If you hadn't been there –'
'But I was,' Anakin interrupted before Luke could take that thought any further. 'Your first encounter with the Dark Side and it was the will of the Force that you didn't experience it alone. You are not destined for darkness, my son. Believe in yourself as your friends believe in you, as you believe in them. You fight for what is good and right, that is your calling and your strength.'
What a far cry from his rhetoric on Bespin! Anakin's inspiring words brought to mind similar advice from Yoda. Self-sacrifice came much more naturally to Luke and he could easily be strong for the sake of others. Being strong for himself was an area he clearly needed to work on.
'You should have gone into politics,' Luke replied eventually, making Anakin grimace.
'That was always your mother's forte. I only ever knew of one type of politics – aggressive negotiations.'
Luke laughed. 'I can imagine you were quite adept.'
'Obi-Wan and I both,' Anakin replied with good humour.
Their thoughts took them each in their own directions. Politics for Luke meant Leia and he stretched his senses towards the crew quarters where she rested. He could tell from the aggravated emotions emanating from Han that Chewie was filling him in on the last few months, but Luke considered it only long enough to make a mental note to smooth Han's ruffled feathers later before turning his focus on Leia.
Her presence was muted by unconsciousness but she was still stable. He immediately noticed the sparkling shimmer that had not been present before those shocking few seconds when she had looked at him as he had never expected to see her. Although it was nothing close to her blinding aura during the full-blown, Force-enhanced moment, her presence still retained the after-effects. She was clearly Force sensitive, and of some considerable measure judging by what he had seen. There had been moments in the past when he had speculated it in jest but it had never been a serious consideration. He wondered how he had not sensed it before.
'Is it possible to mask one's Force sensitivity?'
Anakin stirred, having been lost in memories. He knew without prompting who his son referred to and he turned his attention towards the princess. There was something about her presence, as if it should have been familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
'One's connection to the Force can be blocked, although it takes a master of considerable power and skill. How long the effect lasts depends on any number of things. Whether the procedure is repeated over time, how sensitive the individual is, any traumas or extreme emotions, the presence of other Force sensitives nearby – they all play a part. And yes,' Anakin added, anticipating Luke's next question, 'it looks as if somebody has blocked her at some point, quite possibly when she was very young. She may have experienced moments when the Force aided her but it would not have been substantial, until now. The surge in the Force seems likely to have been the main trigger for her now breaking free.'
'Would Palpatine sense her?'
'At her current intensity, not from this distance. But as a precaution it would pay for her to learn to shield herself as soon as she is able.'
Luke nodded.
There was also another matter that was concerning Anakin. He didn't want to alarm his son but he was all too aware of its import. 'This changes things,' he began.
Luke looked at him in question.
'She knows much anger and fear. Mostly towards me, and with good reason, but in view of her Force sensitivity...'
There was no need to say any more. Luke knew Leia well. She had an admirable sense of honour and justice, but she was also quick to anger and she did not look kindly upon those who did wrong. With Vader she harboured great personal animosity which she had temporarily set aside in order to save Han and for the good of the galaxy, but Luke knew that the ill feelings still simmered deep inside. Now... the consequences did not bear thinking about.
'I'll speak to her as soon as... well, as soon as possible.'
Anakin felt for him. On one count, at least, he could reassure him. 'We're almost there, Luke. It's an excellent medical facility, she will recover.'
Luke managed only a tight smile.
A small movement caught their eye and they both turned their heads toward the main corridor. It was the usually fearless droid, who was half hiding behind the wall in an uncharacteristic display of timidity.
"Artoo," Luke called. "Come on in, he won't bite."
Artoo contemplated this for what was a considerable hesitation for a droid, before eventually deciding to extend his third leg and roll across the floor. He came to a rest beside Luke on the other side from Anakin and silently regarded the armoured figure through his visual receptor.
"It's good to see you again, Artoo," Anakin said, wishing he could do away with the deep rumble of the vocaliser.
"You know each other?" Luke asked in surprise.
The large helmet nodded. "He was a gift to me from your mother, when I became a Jedi Knight. We had many adventures together, didn't we, Artoo?"
The droid responded with a melancholy bleep.
Even in his surprise Luke had the presence of mind to sweep the area with the Force to make sure they weren't being overheard. "I had no idea! And to think that I came across him and Threepio on Tatooine, out of all the countless droids and all the possible places in the galaxy. It must have been the work of the Force."
"Threepio would be delighted to give you the odds, I'm sure," Anakin mused.
Luke laughed. "Don't tell me, you know him too?"
"I built him."
Luke's jaw dropped in astonishment.
"He's had a makeover since and clearly a memory wipe, but it's certainly the same droid. I thought he might be of some help to my mother."
"But you were only nine when you left Tatooine."
Anakin grinned behind his mask. "What can I say? I'm a genius."
Luke was on the verge of asking who had cleared Threepio's memory banks and why Artoo's memory appeared untouched, but a light started blinking on a control panel of the technical station on the other side of the room. He pulled himself to his feet. "It looks like we're coming up on wherever we're going."
"We'll need to fly through an asteroid field, I can pilot if Solo would allow me?"
Luke grimaced. "I very much doubt it but I'll ask." He disappeared in the direction of the crew quarters.
Left alone, Anakin and Artoo stared at each other. It was Anakin who eventually broke the silence. "I know, I messed up."
Artoo splat a series of low, sharp beeps.
"Yes. Badly," Anakin agreed wholeheartedly. He sighed. "I missed you, old friend."
Artoo studied him for a moment before giving an inquisitive bleep.
Anakin wasn't surprised at the question, the droid had always been perceptive. He nodded. "Yes, I'm me again."
It computed with all that had been occurring in the last few months – this was Anakin Skywalker. With a whistle that somehow managed to express joy, reproach and sentimentality all at once, Artoo closed the distance between them and bumped gently into Anakin's leg.
Whoever said droids didn't have feelings? Anakin wondered as he placed a hand gently on his domed head.
Han was glaring with poorly concealed aversion at Vader seated beside him as Luke and Chewie flew the Falcon through the dense asteroid field. Although he was starting to regain movement in one leg, terrible pins and needles intermittently wracked his left arm making it unsafe to fly his ship. He had been obstinately adamant that Vader would never, ever fly the Falcon. Regardless of what Chewie had told him, with surprising enthusiasm, about all Vader had supposedly done for the rebellion since Bespin including enabling his own rescue, he wasn't ever going to forget who had put him in carbonite in the first place. Han only tolerated Vader's presence in the cockpit out of the pressing need to get Leia medical help and the fact that Luke seemed so sure that that was really where Vader was taking them.
They followed Vader's directions and flew deeper into the asteroid field.
"Is that it? Polis Massa?" Luke asked, reading the scopes. The misshapen rock grew in the viewport as they approached.
"What a piece of junk!" Han complained.
Chewie growled something, making Han frown. "Yeah, well, she does have it where it counts," he mumbled, and Luke was reminded of his identical reaction when he'd seen the Millennium Falcon for the first time in Mos Eisley. A simple farm boy he had been then, with the death of his aunt and uncle still a fresh wound, off to rescue a beautiful princess with an old, mysterious hermit on some harebrained adventure – what a lifetime ago that was!
They closed in on the surface. As they flew over an extensive archaeological site, landing beacons started blinking in front of them.
"Follow the lights in," Vader instructed. Luke guided the Falcon into the small hangar and docked it a safe distance away from two Kallidahins who had appeared to greet them.
"Ready the Princess but wait onboard until I call," his father said before hurrying out of the cockpit.
Anakin was just finishing speaking to the two natives in low tones when he gave a mental signal and Luke led his friends from the Falcon. Chewie carried Leia and Han hobbled along with the use of makeshift crutches that Chewie had assembled out of some old poles he'd found in the cargo hold. Artoo brought up the rear, while Lando, Trann, Mezei and Threepio remained on board.
The taller Kallidahin disappeared off somewhere as the shorter one waited to greet them. Luke could discern no features on his face other than his red eyes but there was a pervading sense of serenity about him.
"Welcome Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Artoo-Detoo. And this must be Princess Leia Organa," he said, indicating her unconscious form with his long, four fingers. His soothing voice washed over them, even managing to assuage some of Han's misgivings about coming here.
"I am Maneeli Tuun. Lord Vader informs us that the Princess requires urgent medical care. My colleague, Osh Scal, has gone ahead to prepare. This way please."
Tuun led them to the same hidden facility where Anakin had been treated. He glanced at his son, his decision not to reveal his transformation weighing heavily on his mind. Although the concealment was motivated by his desire to protect the boy, the thought of keeping secrets from Luke still made him uncomfortable.
There was an appreciative whistle. Han was staring wide-eyed through the translucent walls at the well-equipped medical facility, cheered for the first time since Leia had been shot. Luke had told him of Vader's assurances when he had taken the ship into lightspeed, and true to his word, there was nothing about the place, within or without, that suggested any ties with the Empire.
Osh Scal appeared with a repulsor stretcher. Chewie laid her down gently and gave a sad moan as she was born away.
Tuun turned to Han. "You also appear to be in need of medical treatment. May we be of assistance?"
"You... well... I..." Han started, clearly torn.
Luke understood. "Go on, Han. I'll wait for Leia." Han still seemed uncertain but Luke gave an encouraging smile and nudged him towards the Kallidahin.
Han hesitated another moment before allowing himself to be persuaded. "Well, OK, if you insist. But you'll come and get me if anything changes, won't you?"
Luke nodded before turning to Chewie, "You should probably go with him in case he insults our kind hosts."
Chewbacca wailed his agreement over Han's protests of perfect manners and loped off, herding Han ahead of him.
"The initial plan had been to go through with the Treaty and implement the terms. I gave the pretext of needing time to gather comprehensive intelligence on all elements of the Alliance so that we could be more thorough in its destruction. But I doubt he was ever intending to wait too long – knowing Palpatine, he would prefer to deal the original blow earlier and then just send me to root out the stragglers. Now, with the Force as it is, he'll be in even more hurry. He may even bring his schemes forward to the signing of the Treaty."
Luke stilled as it dawned on him just how imminent their confrontation with Palpatine could be. "That's only in four days. Do you know what he's plotting?"
Anakin had sliced into the Imperial Security and Imperial Intelligence networks prior to arriving at Geonosis but he had very little to go on other than what Luke already knew. And with his son being so tight-lipped about a certain individual's abrupt departure, he decided to drop some hints. "Unfortunately not. To me, Palpatine only ever pretended to be in full agreement. All I know is that it may possibly involve Mara Jade."
"Then we need to act first," Luke said simply, not rising to the bait. Four days gave very little time to prepare, but he knew the Alliance would be ready. They were seasoned veterans in the art of spontaneous ingenuity when it came to dealing with the Empire.
Anakin nodded gravely. "We should go to Coruscant as soon as we're assured of the Princess's recovery. Will you need clearance from the Alliance leaders?"
Luke's expression clouded. "With General Madine behaving as he is, they might not give it. I'll speak to Leia, that might have to do."
They turned towards the door as it hissed open and Maneeli Tuun entered. The Kallidahin stopped two steps into the room as the door closed, and he regarded Luke and Anakin before his eyes came to rest on the astromech droid.
"May I speak?" he inquired, his voice portraying the uncertainty that his impassive eyes did not reveal. Luke was confused as to who was being addressed until his father took up the conversation.
"Yes, Artoo is fine," Anakin replied. "I am grateful for your discretion."
"You are welcome, Anakin Skywalker."
Luke started in alarm.
"It's alright, son," Anakin reassured. "Maneeli Tuun and Osh Scal know who I am, who you are. I asked them not to tell the others."
The hushed conversation earlier made sense now. Relieved on that front, Luke asked, "How is Leia?"
"The operation is progressing well. We are reconstructing her shoulder joint and she will soon be healed. However, she is in need of a blood transfusion."
Luke paled. "None of us are compatible." With injuries being so commonplace in their line of work, all rebel fighters knew not only their own blood types but also that of many of their friends and colleagues.
Tuun cocked his head in a surprisingly human indication of puzzlement. "I know that you are not. However, your father is."
In Luke's concern to help Leia, it didn't even register that this Kallidahin already knew his blood type. His surprise at the good news quickly turned into a pleading expression as he turned to Anakin, but his father was already holding his hands up in a placating gesture.
"Of course, there's no need to ask."
Minutes later Anakin was reclining in a chair, a large needle inserted in the vein on the inside of his elbow through a small slit cut into his multi-ply sleeve and taped to his arm. Despite Tuun monitoring closely, Luke watched the red liquid feeding through the tube into a large flexible bag with growing concern.
"Are you sure you can give so much?" he pressed.
"I'm sure. I'm healthier than I look, this will barely affect me. I'd be more worried about her reaction when she hears that she received my blood."
This seemed to trouble Luke for a moment before he shook his head. "There's no alternative. Besides, it's very fortunate that you happen to be compatible. What are the chances?" he mused.
"Actually," Tuun supplied calmly from beside them, "it is not so incredible. Humans inherit the antigens in their blood genetically so the possibility for compatibility is fairly high."
Silence answered him. Luke's bewildered eyes darted to his father. Was Tuun was saying what he thought he was? Anakin was too stunned to do anything except stare blankly at Tuun.
"Excuse me?" Luke croaked at length.
Tuun eventually seemed to notice their dumbfounded reaction and turned from one to the other. "Ah, I must apologise," he said in his ever-soothing tones. "As you arrived together and were aware of your relationship to each other, I believed you knew."
They stared at him on tenterhooks, the tension mounting with each passing second, but the Kallidahin gave no further clarification. Luke shook his head in pure bafflement. "Knew what?" he urged.
Tuun considered them for another long moment before he finally yielded. His serene reply shook them to their very core. "Princess Leia Organa is your twin sister. Anakin Skywalker is the biological father of you both."