DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS

This is officially the longest chapter I've ever written for any story. It was a chore to write but hey, what can you do? Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 18

Anakin glanced around the room of clone officers. In the last year and a half, they'd taken to weekly gatherings to blow off steam. Just simple times that they could relax, tell stories, and laugh. Each time, Anakin was reminded of the absence of his son, who he'd not seen or heard from since his departure for Dagobah. He yearned for the day he would see his son again. In the six months they'd been together, Anakin had felt a bond growing that one day would have rivaled that of his with Obi-Wan, who was still unreachable.

The Pride had become their home. During the Clone Wars, they never stayed in one place for more than a couple of weeks, and after the rise of the Empire, most of them lived in fear that the Empire would discover them. So living in the same place for as long as they have was something the clones were not accustomed to. This only meant they would fight even harder to protect their ship, as well as their fleet, for their numbers had swelled in the last few months. Nearly every single clone defector was now aboard the Pride or one of the Venators. Though it was still a minuscule number compared to the vastness of the Empire, it helped nonetheless. Some of them were even old and gray, having not received the aging treatment like the Kaminoan Uprising survivors.

At the present moment, the group were taking turns sharing war stories. There were many present, enough to fill out every chair in the conference table. The order went clockwise as follows: Anakin, Alpha, Rex, Wolffe, Odd Ball, Boil, and Doom. The rest, Anakin had never met until he was brought to the future.

Commander Stone, formerly of the Coruscant Guard. As Anakin recalled, he'd been on a rescue mission with Jar-Jar when he and Obi-Wan were held for ransom by Hondo Ohnaka. Blitz, the only surviving ARC trooper of Rancor Battalion. Rancor battalion was sadly decimated during the Siege of Kamino, and Blitz's ARC trooper brethren, Commander Colt and another trooper whose name escaped him, were killed. Lieutenant Galle of the 327th. He was Commander Bly's second in command under General Aayla Secura. And finally, Commander Jet, the leader of the 21st Nova Corps' special operations unit.

Rex had just finished describing the Battle of Umbara, and the deadly wildlife, as well as the ruthless insurgents. He also told of Pong Krell and his betrayal of the Republic, as well as Rex's successful capture of the fallen Jedi. The others all nodded solemnly. Today was shaping out as a dreary one, for many of these stories would not be pleasant. Galle volunteered to go next, and the others all leaned forward, eager to hear the exploits of the legendary 327th, one of the most famous clone fighting forces, behind the 501st and 212th.

"In the final months of the war, we were stationed on Felucia. I'd experienced some rough environments in my time under Commander Bly and General Secura, but nothing compared to that hellhole. Flesh-eating diseases plagued us. If that wasn't enough, the acklays, legs like spears, preyed on us in the night. I can still hear their screams if I close my eyes for too long. The humidity made our armor stick to us like glue, rubbing our skin raw, but we couldn't remove it. On top of these miserable conditions, the Order came in. Any thought we might have had of disobeying it was completely overridden by the damned chips in our brains. I . . ."

Galle trailed off, a single tear running down his face. He composed himself briefly before continuing. "We gunned her down. No remorse, just shot her in the back. None of us could believe it afterwards, staring at the smoking heap that used to be our beautiful General."

The tears were now streaming freely down the man's face, and hands were placed on his shoulders and back by his brothers in an attempt to comfort him. Some of them even shed tears as well, for they were not innocent. Anakin recalled something Rex had said many months ago:

'Some of them carried out Order 66, having no choice. But we have no judgement.'

Anakin smiled sadly at his men. They were all traumatized. Whether it being from the war, Order 66, or the Kaminoan Uprising, these men were scarred. But the past was now behind them, their only reminders of it being wounds that even time could not heal. Yet they were still here, still alive, still fighting. After all, the clones were bred for war, they had no other purpose for living. Sure, some of them had scrounged out a living after the Fall of the Republic, but they never felt the same, never fulfilled.

"The same thing happened to General Mundi," Jet stated. "We were on Mygeeto, defending a bridge that led towards a major city. We got the Order just as General Mundi charged ahead with his lightsaber held high. He looked back, confused as to why none of us followed. He never stood a chance . . . ."

Anakin felt for these men. He sent out waves of reassuring energy through the Force, hoping to ease their emotional pain, but his action was halted when his wrist-mounted comlink went off. "Yeah?"

"General Skywalker, this is Lando. We've found him."

Luke sat, eyes closed, in the center of Master Yoda's small hut built into the roots of a massive tree. Floating in front of him were the pieces of his lightsaber, completely disassembled. Yoda looked on with a watchful eye, leaning on his gimer stick even more than usual. As the pieces seamlessly floated together for the young, black-clad Jedi Knight, Yoda allowed himself a small nod of accomplishment.

"Far, you have come, since beginning your training."

Luke's eyes opened as the lightsaber was lowered into his hand. He clipped it to his belt and smiled at the old Master. "I can feel it. The Force is with me, and I am one with the Force."

"A proverb, that is, from the Temple guardians," Yoda said.

Luke nodded. "They were featured heavily in your texts due to their ideologies and devotion to the Force."

Yoda chuckled to himself. "Mature, you have become. Ready, to fight alongside your father, you are."

"Truly?" Luke asked in wonder. Had he really come that far? There was no way to tell out here by himself. Only Yoda's experienced eyes could discern the truth.

The old Master nodded. "Ready, you are. Believe me, you do not?"

"No, no, it's not that," Luke said, shaking his head. "It just feels like it went so fast."

"Hmm. Fast, yes. A normal Jedi, decades would it take to complete his training. Normal Jedi, you are not."

The old Master was interrupted by the beeping of Luke's communicator. When he answered, a six inch figure of Anakin appeared over the small disc. "Luke! You're looking well. Listen, I have good news, Lando and Chewie found Han. If you want to be in on the raid, you need to get back to the fleet as fast as possible."

Luke nodded. "I'll be there."

He placed the disc down, ending the transmission, and looked up at Yoda. The green alien had a twinkle that you did not often see in the eyes of a person his age. "Go, you will. Your friend, save him, you will."

Luke knelt in front of the former Grand Master, placing a soft hand on his bony form. "Thank you, Master. For everything."

Anakin enveloped the short X-Wing pilot in a bone-crushing hug as soon as his feet hit the deck of the Pride. Luke wheezed as his ribcage was pushed against his lungs. "Father, let . . . go."

Anakin released Luke, who entered a fit of coughing. "Look at you. All black, huh? Well, I guess you are my son after all."

Luke laughed slightly at that, falling into step with his father as R2 dutifully rolled on behind. "O what's the situation?" Luke asked.

"Well, looks like your buddy Han was taken to Jabba's palace. Besides the fact that it's a fortress, they'd probably kill him before we even reached the throne room, so an all out assault is out of the question. We'll need stealth."

"Which is where I come in," said a confident, outspoken voice. Leia appeared out of an adjacent hallway and fell into stride next to Luke, wrapping her arm around his shoulders in greeting.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "What? You're not coming."

"Like hell I'm not. I love Han, and I'm not going to sit around here and wait for you buffoons to rescue him."

Luke smirked up at Anakin, who ran his hands through his mane of hair. "Fine," he grumbled. "But I'm making the plan, got it?"

Leia snorted. "Right, because you Skywalker plans are so perfect."

"I resent that," Anakin protested. "Do I or do I not get results?"

Leia only responded with an eye roll as they neared their destination. The Pride's conference room was humming with activity. Several clone commanders were present, as well as many of the Alliance higher ups. Admiral Ackbar was even in attendance.

Anakin raised both of his hands to calm the room, waiting for the noise to die down. "Alright, we all know why we're here. Rescue mission. Highest sensitivity. Jabba's Palace is a fortress, and it's up to us to rescue General Solo without him being executed, understood?"

Anakin leaned forward, placing both hands on the table. His eyes were studying the projection in front of them: a schematic of Jabba's Palace. "Alright, here's what we're gonna do."

Anakin raised a gloved hand to shield his eyes from the battering wind, carrying granules of sand along with it. It seemed that every time he swore to never return to this planet, he wound up trekking through the sand again and again. To his left, Rex and Doom dug in, using the strength of their legs to keep them upright and moving forward. To his right, Alpha and Luke were doing the same. Leia followed behind them, using Anakin's broad form as a buffer from the wind and sand.

The sandstorms of Tatooine were very dangerous, and they were just catching the tail end of the most recent one. The winds were strong enough to shake your balance, but not strong enough for the sand to be dangerous.

Jabba's Palace was just becoming visible over the rocky terrain when a low, guttural growl sounded off in the canyon to their left. The five pairs of eyes swiveled towards the sound, spying Chewie's head peeking over a rock. They jogged over, cresting the hill and discovering the Falcon. Lando was seated on a crate next to the boarding ramp, but he rose when Anakin's group approached.

"Ah, Skywalker. Ol' Chewbacca and I have done some light reconnaissance. The Palace is fortified, the only entrance being the large, durasteel door at the front."

Anakin nodded. "I've got a plan for that. What about the occupants? Jabba still uses Gammorreans, right?"

"He does, indeed. But they're not the problem. It's the small army of bounty hunters inside."

Anakin scoffed. "Bounty hunters are no match for us."

Lando held up a finger. "Now hold on. These are the Hutt elite. They're a class above your normal bounty hunter. Not to mention they're led by Boba Fett."

"Boba Fett? Where do I know that name from?" Anakin asked, holding his fingers to his chin.

"Jango Fett's son, sir," Rex offered. "Didn't know he took up bounty hunting, though."

"Is he good?" Luke asked.

Lando nodded. "Almost too good. He's got all the Mandalorian gadgets, claims he is a Mandalorian, in fact."

"He's just another clone, like us," Doom said, waving a hand. "Mandalorian armor or not, Rex and I can take him."

Lando appeared unconvinced, but shut his mouth nevertheless, electing to allow the Jedi and their clone commanders to work out a solution. "Anyways, I've already infiltrated their defenses by posing as a bounty hunter. I was hoping to bring Chewbacca here in as a prisoner, but that doesn't look like it's part of your plan."

Anakin shook his head. "No, but you being on the inside makes it easier."

"What do you mean?" Lando asked, his brow furrowing.

Vader glanced up from his kneeling position in front of the massive hologram of his Master. He was growing to hate the lazy old man more and more every day, but he could do nothing about it so long as he was in this confounded suit. It's electrical interface was a constant handicap. Not to mention the pain that he endured daily from his charred flesh underneath the skintight rubber.

"Progress report, Lord Vader," Palpatine's gravelly voice echoed.

"The Death Star is on schedule, my Master. The weapons systems will be operational within the hour."

"Good, very good. The rebels will fall blindly into my trap, just as I have predicted. Prepare for my arrival," the hooded blue figure ordered, flickering out afterwards.

Vader sighed, a whistling sound coming out of his respirator from the air being forced out. He rose to his full, towering height, and proceeded out of his private quarters. The Death Star was uncomfortable. For such a large station, the quarters were oddly cramped. Not to mention the fact that Vader didn't see the need for a Death Star in the first place. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.

The men overseeing the construction of the station were imbeciles, that much was clear. It was a wonder the Emperor hadn't ordered the destruction of the superstructure with all of the incompetent workers on board. Such was the fate of those who displeased him, as well as Vader. And Vader regarded himself as forgiving.

His comlink beeped, prompting him to open the channel. "Lord Vader, Piett here. The fleet has just arrived, and they are holding position around the Executor. Shall I redeploy them?"

"No, Admiral. The Emperor will see to that. Maintain their positions until that time."

"Yes, my lord."

Vader lowered his arm. He had a feeling that the rebellion would be put to death in the next few days, and the Skywalkers would be under his Master's control. Yet still, he felt the light on the borders of his mind. It was as if it was hiding, waiting for its opportunity to strike. Yet within Vader, the darkness was like a void, ready to combat the forces of good. The lines had been drawn, and one side was awaiting the other. This would be a battle for the galaxy's future.

When the quiet night had set in, Anakin and Luke began to approach the door. The twin suns had long since disappeared below the horizon, and the nighttime chill was beginning to set in. The winds were now just a whisper compared to the roaring they once were. It was a new moon, so Jabba's Palace was but a dark splotch in the distance, slowly emerging from the murk.

"Rex, you all set?" Anakin spoke into his comlink as he stopped in front of the door.

"Ready, General."

Anakin nodded to Luke, and the pair knocked on the massive, rusty durasteel door in front of them. After several seconds, one of the surveillance droids popped out from its hatch, blinking at the two Jedi. Wordlessly, and as quick as a dart, Anakin ripped the head off of the droid. He nodded to Luke, and the two took shelter on either side of the door.

After half a minute, the massive door began to slowly creak open. When it was high enough, several dozen Gammorreans, as well as Twi'lek mercenaries and several bounty hunters stepped out, weapons at the ready. Anakin peeked his head around the corner, spying Lando on his disguise. He nodded to him, and Lando saluted back.

The former smuggler turned and sprinted for the control panel, releasing the manual override and bringing the door down in seconds. The Hutt militia turned in surprise, suddenly finding their backs to the massive door, with no way back inside. Anakin ignited his lightsaber and charged into the fray, taking the mercenaries by surprise. Chewie, Leia, and the clones appeared from behind a rock formation and opened fire on the unsuspecting Hutts.

The azure bolts of energy cut through the night like a knife through butter. The green and blue lightsabers twirled, their wielders illuminated by the eerie light of the blades. Within seconds, the company of nearly fifty was laying on the sandy ground, carbon scoring and blaster marks covering the ground and the door. Anakin deactivated his saber and clipped it back to his belt, signaling to the Leia, the clones, and Chewie to join them. Threepio and R2 appeared from around the rocks as well.

He knocked on the door again, and it began to rise instantly. Anakin ducked under, and was immediately met with the most pungent smell he'd ever experienced. It smelled like ten dead banthas left to die in a gas field. Covering his nose, he slowly advanced down the massive tunnel leading into the depths of the palace.

"You know this place, right?" Luke asked in a whisper.

Anakin shook his head. "No. My mother and I were Gardulla the Hutt's slaves. I've never been here before."

The three clones switched on their helmet lights, the beams illuminating the dark abyss. At the end of the hallway, Anakin waved at them with his flesh hand, and they switched off their lights as the nine of them descended a short staircase. They came out in what appeared to be Jabba's throne room. The portly Hutt was slumped over on his dais, clearly sleeping. Several dozen others were scattered around the walls, sleeping in eachother's arms, or simply apart. Many of hem wore blasters, and in the corner, Anakin caught a glimpse of a mandalorian helmet, though it was green instead of the silver and blue he was expecting.

Two guards, one on either side of Jabba's dais, stepped forward, blasters at the ready. One reached over and shook awake a pale Twi'lek, all the while never taking his eyes off of the intruders. The Twi'lek looked angry at first, but his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the seven armed individuals.

He clambered to his feet and woke his master. Jabba's eyes snapped open, and he sat up with a loud groan. Anakin unclipped his lightsaber, holding it at the ready, but keeping the blade hidden. He stuck is hand behind him, signaling for his group to halt. As he approached the dais alone, the room gradually woke up.

Everyone shifted upright, attention focused on the situation in the center of the room. Boba Fett simply crossed his arms and propped his feet up, helmeted head never moving. Anakin's arms stayed by his side, flesh hand gripping the hilt of his saber tightly.

Jabba spoke in huttese at Anakin, his loud voice reverberating throughout the throne room. When Threepio began to translate, Anakin waved a hand to shush him. "Yeah, I know what he said."

He proceeded to have a full conversation back and forth with the massive Hutt in its own tongue. It became apparent that it was turning into an argument as their voices gradually increased in volume. Jabba pointed at Anakin with a stubby arm, and Anakin scoffed.

"Uba nat slug, give jeenrah Solo bata an we'dd leave peace. Oom-fuse, an most of uba widd nee choo. Bal not buu-derestimate bu peeshu of bu Jedi," Anakin said, his voice unwaveringly calm.

(You fat slug, give General Solo back and we'll leave in peace. Refuse, and most of you will die.)

Jabba's eyes flared in anger at that. He glanced down towards Anakin's feet, and one corner of his mouth twitched upwards in a smile. "Nee choo ateema, Jedi. Keekah soh uba doo led uta-sha kikyuna-yuna their badot-bad."

(Die now, Jedi. Know that you have led their friends to their deaths.)

Anakin's eyes widened, but before he could move, the stubby arm of the Hutt hit a button on a control pad next to him. The floor opened up under Anakin's feet, and he plummeted into a cavern below. Landing lightly on his feet, he looked up as the dais slid forward to cover the hole. The sounds of blaster fire could be heard as well, albeit muffled.

Glancing around, Anakin saw a large door on the other end begin to open. Massive, trunk-like legs were the first things he saw, but the rest of the monstrosity was slowly revealed. Anakin realized that it was a Rancor as the beast roared at him. Its unnaturally long arms with claws as big as a man came up in an attack stance.

Anakin pulled the other lightsaber hilt off of his belt, igniting both blades simultaneously. As the rancor advanced, Anakin dashed forward, aiming for the space between the monster's legs. The massive right arm came down in a swipe at Anakin, so he leapt onto it. Sprinting up the creature's arm, he reached the shoulder. The rancor roared, trying to reach back with its arms to grasp Anakin, but he avoided them. Leaping onto the rancor's head, he twirled both sabers into reverse grips and plunged them down, penetrating its brain. The rancor went limp, its arms falling at its sides. As it fell forward, Anakin turned and walked down its back, reaching the ground just as it faceplanted into the sand.

The small door on the other end of the rancor's pen opened, and five men with blasters opened fire on him. Sheathing one blade, Anakin deflected with the other, dropping three of them with their own bolts. A sixth man entered just as Anakin dispatched the other two. He had a potbelly that stuck out in front of him, and he was wearing a leather beast tamer's hat. He took one look at the dead rancor and drew his knife. He charged Anakin, rage in his eyes. Almost feeling sorry for the man, Anakin ducked the blade, turning and throwing the man to the other end of the cavern with a Force-propelled push. The man collapsed unconscious on the body of the rancor as Anakin left through the door.

He fought his way back up towards the throne room via a winding staircase made of sandstone. He met little resistance, but what he did meet, he simply disarmed and knocked unconscious with Force pushes. When Anakin appeared back in the throne room, he was met with utter chaos.

The metal tables had been turned over for use as makeshift cover, two opposing sides having formed. On one, the clones, Lando, Chewie, and Leia were firing across the room as Luke deflected blaster bolts with his bright green blade. On the other, the mercenaries unleashed hails of bolts upon the rebels. The bounty hunter Boba Fett seemed to be leading them, his green armor acting as a rallying point.

Jabba had long since retreated from the room, as well as his escort, leaving the men he paid to dispatch the rebels. None of the rebels seemed to be injured, and several of the mercenaries lay dead on the floor. Anakin rolled to stand next to Luke, deflecting bolts back towards their senders.

"Where's Han?" Luke called.

Leia pointed to the wall on their left. "He's there!"

Anakin stole a glance to his left, spying a man encased in carbonite hanging on the wall. Despite the situation, he allowed himself a small smile at the memory of himself being encased in carbonite just before the Citadel assault. Returning to the fight, Anakin's brow furrowed as he began to think of a solution, all the while deflecting the bolts fired at him.

"Rex! When I say, roll your table to my side!" he called.

Rex, who was on the other end of the line of tables, nodded affirmation. "Now!" Anakin yelled.

Rex grabbed the center pole of his table and began to roll it to the left, keeping his head down and body covered by the metal. When he reached Anakin, he stopped to return fire.

"Keep going! Cover General Solo so we can get him out of here!"

Rex continued, rolling his table at a forty-five degree angle to the mercenaries, obscuring Han from their view. Anakin slowly sidestepped towards Rex, still protecting himself. When he stood alongside the table, he called to Leia.

"Get over here and get him down!"

Leia stayed low, crouching behind the tables as she made her way over. Anakin backpedaled to stand directly in front of Han as Leia joined him. She began pressing the buttons on the control panels as Anakin shielded her. The block of carbonite was lowered to the floor with a loud thud. Han's form began to glow bright red beneath, and he began to slowly appear as the carbonite was dissolved. Han fell into Leia's embrace, trembling violently. His eyes were glossy as he felt around with his hands.

"Chewie! Get over here and help me!" Leia yelled over the sounds of blaster fire. The wookiee roared a response, appearing next to her. He slung his bowcaster onto his back and bent down to scoop the feeble Han into his arms.

"Luke, cover Chewie!" Anakin called.

Luke nodded, moving with Chewie as the wookiee retreated up the staircase with their objective. Leia dove back behind the table with Rex as the clone began to move it back to the other two, where Alpha and Doom were still firing at the enemy with Lando.

"Where are the droids?" Anakin asked.

"I sent them back to the ship, sir," Rex answered.

"Good. Leia, you and Lando are next, we'll cover your retreat. Tell them to get the Falcon and meet us at the front door."

Leia sprinted from the room, Lando hot on her tail. The clones kept firing, but Alpha took a shot to the shoulder from Boba Fett. Growling, the grizzled clone activated a thermal detonator and tossed it.

"That's our cover, let's go!"

Anakin took one last look at the bounty hunter, then pumped his legs with Force energy as he followed the clones. The loud bang of the detonator going off behind them gave a certain satisfaction that they rarely had these days. As strange as it sounds, as Anakin retreated with his men, he was happy. It had been over a year since he'd seen any combat, and he was actually relieved to fight someone again. All of that sitting around had bored him half to death.

A dull roar in front of them announced the arrival of the Falcon, its loading ramp already lowered. Anakin turned and took one last look at the chaos below him as the Falcon rose off the ground. Boba Fett appeared below him, staring up at the receding freighter. Anakin smirked and saluted to the bounty hunter as the ramp rose.

"Ow! Damn it, woman!" Han yelled as Leia plunged a needle into his neck.

She rolled her eyes. "Relax, laser brain. This will help with the hibernation sickness. Or do you want to remain blind?"

As Anakin watched the bickering unfold in front of him, he felt a Force signature brush against his mental defenses. Assuming it was Luke, he opened, allowing the presence to enter his mind. He was surprised to find that it was Master Yoda.

Master, what is it?

Return, you must. Speak with you, I would. Luke, you must bring.

Yes, Master.

Anakin opened his eyes, glancing at Luke, who made eye contact, It appeared he'd gotten the same message. After telling Lando to take them back to their shuttle, Anakin returned to the cabin.

"Well, all I can see are blurs at the moment, but I guess it's better than nothing," Han said. "So who do I have to thank for that chaotic rescue?"

"That'd be Anakin," Luke informed.

Han's face flashed with confusion. "Who's Anakin?"

"Oh, right, I forgot you've been gone for a while," Luke said. "Anakin is . . . well, he's my father."

"Your father?" Han asked. "I thought he was dead."

Anakin shook his head. "A long story for another time, I'm afraid. Anakin Skywalker, pleased to meet you General Solo."

Han faced the blur that was speaking to him, holding out his hand for Anakin to shake. "Just Han."

Anakin took it in a tight grip, surprised at the strength of the smuggler. "Han."

"Well, we would ride back to the fleet with you, but we have something to attend to," Luke said apologetically as they felt the Falcon slowly drop to the ground.

Anakin turned to head down the ramp. "Rex, you guys stay here. Get back to the Pride. Chancellor Mothma is going to want a report on this."

Rex saluted. "Aye, General."

Luke followed his father out of the Falcon, waving to Leia and Chewie. He watched the Falcon take off, disappearing into the sky before he turned and boarded the Eta-class shuttle they had arrived in. Anakin had already started the engines, and he lifted off of the sandy ground.

"This is the last time I'm saying this. I'm never coming back here again," Anakin said.

Luke chuckled as the stars turned to bright streaks.