Leia sighed as she sat down in one of the empty chairs in the mess hall, her eyes surveying the blob of food in front of her. She was tired and in need of a shower but she wouldn't get the chance to relax until after the briefing with the Council, which would be taking place within the hour. They would have to recall what happened on Ben'we as well as introduce Anakin to them and explain his situation to them and hopefully find him a place here in the Rebellion.
She had briefly seen him looking over the X-Wings in the hangar and she thought that maybe the youth would be interested in becoming one of their pilots, and of course, there were also other things that he could do around here.
"Your Highness," said Lando as he took his seat next to her, his lips pulled back in his famous smile that made a few women around here swoon.
Leia nodded in greeting before returning to her food, but her lack of conversation did nothing to deter him.
"So where did you and Luke end up going?" he asked as he started to pick at his food as well.
"Ben'we," replied Leia tersely as she watched Luke and Anakin make their way into the mess-hall, the younger of the two following behind Skywalker as he looked around curiously at his surroundings. He looked out of place as he trailed behind Luke and it was obvious that everybody's attention was fixated on him, which was something she could tell made him even more uncomfortable than he was.
It reminded her of when Luke first arrived with the Alliance, but he had quickly adjusted to life as a Rebel and he had become quite popular after destroying the Death Star. But despite Luke's popularity, he had still struggled to adjust to life with the Alliance after having lived his entire life as a moisture farmer on Tatooine.
"And I assume that's where you picked up him?" asked Lando as he pointed over to the lanky teenager, who had begun to pile food onto his plate, obviously just as hungry as she was. Anakin noticed her attention on him and shot her a brilliant smile before returning to piling his plate up with some sort of meat that Leia had decidedly skipped over when she was in line.
Leia nodded as she wiped the edge of her mouth with a napkin before returning her gaze back over to the former smuggler, who kept looking back at Anakin with an unreadable expression that made her both uncomfortable and curious. She could tell that there was something about Anakin that seemed to make Lando interested, and she didn't know whether or not that was a good thing.
"What?" asked Leia after a few moments of silence, curious as to why Lando seemed too interested in the boy all of the sudden.
"It's just that-" began Lando before he shook his head, "he just looks familiar."
"How so?" asked Leia as she watched Anakin and Luke start to make their way over to their table.
Lando simply shrugged and leaned back in his chair as he smiled up at the two newcomers as they both took their seats across from each other, her question seemingly forgotten as Lando leaned forward in his chair to greet the youth.
"Hello," he said as he extended his hand for Anakin to shake, his smile brilliant and friendly. "I'm Lando Calrissian, but you can call me Lando."
Anakin bowed his head in greeting as he grasped the older man's hand, "I'm Anakin."
Lando tilted his head at the reply, "Anakin, huh? I think I've heard that name somewhere before."
"You might've," said Anakin with a friendly smile as he unfolded his napkin. "But it's not a common name."
"Probably not," remarked Lando as he leaned back in his chair once again, ignoring the curious looks of both Luke and Leia as he continued the conversation. "So where are you from?"
"I'm from Tatooine," replied Anakin.
Lando's eyes lit up, "no kidding! Luke, isn't that where you're from?" he asked as he focused his attention back to Luke, who had been sitting in his chair quietly as he listened to Lando and Anakin talk with great interest. He too had noticed the way that Lando had looked at Anakin and it had occurred to him that maybe Lando had heard of his father during the Clone Wars and that's why he seemed to recognize the youth, but of course, he was the only one who knew that.
"Yeah," said Luke quietly as he used his fork to push the food on his plate around before he finally took a bite.
Lando seemed to notice Luke's uneasiness but ignored him as he smiled back over to Anakin, who had been too busy shoveling food into his mouth to notice anything else.
"So how did you end up on Ben'we?" asked Lando as he further inquired into the youth's past.
Anakin finished swallowing his food before replying, "I was captured by the Empire and I managed to commandeer one of their ships, but I ended up crashing on the planet."
"You stole one their Tie Fighters?" asked Lando in utter and complete surprise. It wasn't every day that you head about people escaping the Empire much less a teenage boy.
"Is that what they're called?" asked Anakin as he wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin, his interest obviously peaked at that point. "They're kind of funny looking, aren't they? I didn't even know if they were even flyable when I first saw them."
"I've never had the opportunity to fly one myself but I hear those little suckers can sure move," said Luke as he picked at his food, his blue eyes looking over at Anakin before his face broke out into a grin.
"They sure can," said Anakin as he returned the grin, "but of course I only got to fly it for a few seconds before the Empire shot me down."
"I can't imagine a crash landing in one of those would be fun," said Lando as he joined the flow of the conversation, his dark gaze never once leaving Anakin's as he leaned forward in his seat, eager to hear more about the peculiar youth's story.
The kid had no apparent injuries and drawing from past experience, Lando knew that it was impossible to escape from a crash like that unscathed.
Anakin shook his head, "It wasn't."
"So, you crash-landed on Ben'we and then what? Surely the Empire would have sent down search parties to find you?"
"They did," said Leia, "but we managed to find him in the nick of time, didn't we Luke?"
Luke grinned, "Yeah, all we had to do was follow the sounds of blaster shots."
Anakin shook his head as he smirked over at the older boy, "I was just warming up for when you two showed up."
"Right," laughed Luke before he went back to eating his food, the grin on his face disappearing as soon as he saw the perplexed look on both Lando's and Leia's face, who had been staring at the two blond boys talk as though they were the best of friends.
Leia remained completely silent as Lando broke out in a smile, "quite the story you have there, Anakin. You'll have to tell me more about how you came to be captured by the Empire, but I'm afraid I have other arrangements that require my attention at the moment."
"You're leaving?" asked Luke.
"Now that you're back with the Falcon, Chewie and I might as well finish the repairs we were making to it."
"Repairs?" asked Anakin as his head shot up in interest. "What sort of repairs?"
"Just some minor modifications to the hull plating," said Lando as he stood up, "you interested, kid?"
"I'd be willing to lend a hand if you needed," offered Anakin.
"You any good at mechanics?" asked Lando.
Anakin smirked, "I'm decent enough."
"Well if that's the case, maybe you could come down and take a look at it?" challenged Lando with a smirk as he waited for Anakin's response.
It was obvious that the boy wanted to do it, but unfortunately, they had a debriefing to attend so the repairs would have to wait.
"Unfortunately," said Luke with a pointed look, "we have a debriefing to attend in a few minutes."
Anakin's face immediately fell and a small but discernible groan escaped from his lips as he shook his head and sent Lando an apologetic smile that spoke of disappointment.
"Raincheck?" asked Anakin.
"Sure kid," said Lando as he patted the youth's shoulder before departing from the group to join the Wookie.
"Sorry to disappoint," said Luke as he stood up from his chair and gathered up his waste before dumping it in the trash, Leia, and Anakin doing the same before they started to make their way out of the mess hall.
Ben Kenobi had once mentioned to Luke that his father had been an excellent mechanic, always getting his hands dirty in some droid or repairing ships and Luke would be lying if he said he wasn't curious as to how good Anakin really was.
"It's fine," said Anakin, that same bright grin appearing back on his face as he followed behind his newfound friends, his wondering eyes taking in all the sights.
They made their way into the briefing room where a group of people stood around a table, obviously awaiting their arrival. The first thing that struck Anakin was how regal and solemn everybody looked, so unlike the rest of the personnel he had seen around the base, their faces ceremonious and dour as their sharp gazes were directed to the three people who had just entered, most specifically on Anakin.
It was in that moment that the Force flared up in agitation and warning, as though Anakin had just walked into a potentially dangerous situation. But Anakin saw no danger here, at least not in the physical form as he slowly walked up behind the two older Rebels.
It was obvious that the people in the room knew who Luke and Leia were, and there was no doubt that there was a level of respect and familiarity between everybody, but Anakin was not so lucky. They did not know this strange boy and he did not know them, and it unnerved him.
Luke sent a reassuring smile at the boy but Anakin ignored the older man, his eyes choosing instead to inspect all of the people who were staring at him as well. He recognized none of them, but still, the Force whispered to him, warning him of something that could be potentially disastrous.
Anakin pursed his lips as his gaze fell on an older woman with red hair, her eyes growing wide and a small gasp escaping from her lips that was just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
Anakin did not recognize her, but she seemed to recognize him as she slapped her hand over her mouth as soon as the gasp had escaped her, those piercing blue eyes never once leaving him.
Of course, Anakin was not the only one to notice her strange reaction as Luke and Leia both looked at each other before looking back at Anakin, both looking extremely confused and curious at the same time.
"Are you okay, Mon?" asked an older man with greying hair in concern as he put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine," she said in a clear, cool accent as she smiled reassuringly at him, "I'm perfectly fine thank you. Now where were we?" she asked as she focused her attention back to Luke and Leia, who had been standing silently and patiently the entire time.
"About to give a briefing about what happened on Ben'we," said Leia.
"Yes, of course. Do tell us what you found there," she said as she motioned for them to continue.
"We arrived in the system to find a small Imperial fleet in the process of a planetary manhunt for an escaped prisoner," said Leia as she nodded in Anakin's direction. "We landed on the surface and managed to find the prisoner, who just so happens to be a Jedi," she said as she motioned for Anakin to step up, everybody's eyes zeroing in on him once again.
A few whispers broke out at the mention of him being a Jedi and it was obvious that this bit of news seemed to surprise a few people as they looked him over with newfound curiosity, as if they were trying to decide if this young man could be of use to them.
"And this is the Jedi?" asked Mon, her voice drowning out the whispers that were being spoken of him.
"Yes," said Anakin softly, the weight of his lightsaber feeling suddenly heavy against his thigh.
"What's your name, son?" asked another older man, his arms crossed sternly across his chest as he gave Anakin an austere look that reminded him all too much of Master Windu.
"Anakin."
Anakin did not fail to see the look that came across the red-headed woman's face as soon as he said his name and there was no doubt that this woman had known him in this future, and for once Anakin thought of the possibility that she might know what became of him in this strange and perilous time, but something told him not to go down that road, at least not yet.
"And would you mind telling us, Anakin, how exactly you managed to get captured by the Empire?" asked another older man.
Leia had told him that his name was General Madonna? No, Dodonna. Yeah… Dodonna. Not Madonna.
"Anakin?" asked Leia, her voice concerned as she brought the youth out of his train of thought.
"Oh sorry, what was the question?" he asked, slightly embarrassed that he had allowed himself to get sidetracked.
"We would like to know how you managed to get captured by the Empire," supplied Mon as she reiterated Dodonna's earlier question that had gone unanswered.
"That's the thing," said Anakin, "I don't remember being captured."
Both Dodonna and Mon looked at each other with raised eyebrows before looking back at Anakin, who stood silently as he waited for their response. He had done this many times before, having appeared before the Jedi Council but none of those meetings had made him this nervous. It was only a small consolation that none of them were Force Sensitives and were unable to feel his agitation through the Force.
"What exactly do you remember?" asked Mon, her eyes boring into Anakin.
"The last thing I remember was being on Setauri V with a companion and the next thing I know I'm waking in some brig with some lunatic in a uniform going on about Vader," he spoke truthfully, having decided against lying and exaggerating the truth. Small lies always tended to explode into bigger lies and it was always better to stick to the truth, even if you had to twist that truth just a little for convenience's sake.
"Setauri V is on the other side of the galaxy and you're telling us you have no memory of how you managed to travel this far?" asked Dodonna.
Anakin shrugged, "I must have amnesia because I don't remember anything at all."
The comment was slightly sarcastic but true at the same time, he had no kriffing clue how he ended up on board the Vigilant twenty-eight years in the future and the Force was absolutely no help.
"He is speaking the truth, Mon," said Luke as he stepped forward in Anakin's defense. "He doesn't remember anything about being captured."
"Interesting," said Mon. "Please, tell us how you managed to escape."
"They didn't use a force inhibitor on me so I escaped," began Anakin. "I managed to make my way into the hangar where I commandeered one of their-?"
"Tie Fighters," said Luke.
"Where I managed to commandeer one of their Tie Fighters. However, I did not make it far before I was shot by one of their torpedoes. I crash-landed on the planet and then they found me, and the rest is history."
The room grew silent as they all looked over at each other, their faces strangely blank as they processed everything that Anakin had just told him. Anakin knew that the story was slightly preposterous, but it was the truth nonetheless and there was nothing else that he could do.
Mon shook her head, but not in disbelief. Anakin could sense that she believed him wholly and completely, but there was something else in her eyes that spoke of familiarity.
She was not surprised by his strange tale.
"Of course," she mumbled under her breath before she pulled Dodonna aside to whisper something in his ear before she returned her focus to Anakin.
"Luke, may I speak with you for a moment?" she asked as she finally tore her eyes away from Anakin's.
"Of course," said Luke as he started to follow Mon out of the room, his eyes going back to Anakin, who stood silently as he watched them disappear out of the room.
Mon led Luke into the hallway and checked to make sure that they were completely alone before she rounded on Luke, her eyes wide and determined as she stared him down.
"Would you care to explain who that boy is?" she asked in a raised and almost fearful tone as she motioned to the room where the rest of them were.
"His name is Ana-"
"-Anakin Skywalker yes I know," she said as she shook her head, "but there's no way that that can be him. I knew Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars and he was older then, not-"
"Young?" said Luke calmly, although he was surprised to know that Mon had once known his father.
Mon said nothing as she stared up at Luke silently for a few moments before she stepped away and placed her hands on her hips.
"I always suspected that he was your father, but I never knew for sure until now."
Luke nodded his head solemnly, "I was raised by my Aunt and Uncle on Tatooine, but I've always known who my father was. It was only recently, however, that I discovered the truth about who he was. Owen and Beru had always told me that my father had been the captain of a spice freighter, but Kenobi told me the truth."
"Did he also tell you what truly became of your father then?" asked Mon Mothma slowly, obviously hinting about his turn into Vader without directly saying it in case Luke did not know.
She and Bail had been close friends and partners for years, and what he had told her about the true fall of the Republic had been sparse, always sticking to the main points and never delving deeper than that.
It was only a few long years after the rise of the Empire that Bail divulged that information to her over a glass or Correllian ale as they sat in his office, the holo-news displaying the Imperial parade to commemorate the sixth anniversary of Empire Day. He had been a little bit more than tipsy when he had spilled the beans, his regal mask having finally come off while in the privacy of his dear friend and colleague. They had been forced to display a mask of celebration for the Galactic Holiday as well as for little Leia's birthday, which just so happened to fall on the infamous day.
It was, perhaps, the first time that Mon Mothma had ever seen the Senator cry so freely as they both relived that day. He had told her of Anakin's fall to the dark side as well as the surprising information that Senator Amidala and Knight Skywalker had been in a secret relationship, but the topic of their unborn child was something Mon never chose to think about often. Senator Amidala's baby had died with her and it was a great tragedy, but Mothma never questioned the validity of the story nor did Bail ever make any indication otherwise.
It wasn't until she met Luke, a farm boy from the very same planet that Anakin had hailed from, who had the Force, the Skywalker surname, and those piercing blue eyes that Mon realized that Padme's baby may or may not have survived.
She was never one hundred percent sure and that's why she had never said anything, but as of right now, in this very moment that she knew the truth behind Luke's parentage.
"You mean his fall to the Dark Side," stated Luke pointedly.
Mothma shook her head in shame, "when?"
"Bespin. We dueled and then he told me the truth," said Luke distantly.
"I'm so sorry, Luke. I can't imagine what it must be like for you- to have him as a father-"
She trailed off, unsure as to whether or not she should continue with her tirade against the Sith Lord or whether or not Luke would appreciate her talking about his father in such a manner. But Mothma just couldn't believe how someone as evil as Vader could've ever produced someone like Luke. It just didn't make sense to her and she couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that they were even related.
But then again even Anakin had been a good person, one that Mothma would've trusted with her life.
"I'm managing," said Luke curtly, not sure what else could be said about the shocking revelation that had occurred.
"I'm sure you are," said Mothma, "but that doesn't explain who he is," she said as she nodded towards the door, where the subject of their conversation was waiting for them to return.
Luke let out a long sigh, "now that is an interesting story."
Mothma said nothing but urged him to tell the story nonetheless as she waited patiently for him to begin his story, ready to hear how someone- especially Anakin Skywalker could be here now, and somehow magically younger than he should be.
"The Force brought him here-" began Luke, "here from the past."
"You mean like time travel?" asked Mon, her eyebrows raised and her face stoic.
"I know it's a bit- out there, but it's the truth. He's here to witness the future and hopefully prevent it if he can."
Mothma considered his words for a few short moments before she returned her gaze to him before drifting back to the door, her emotions ranging from scared to nervousness.
What was she supposed to do with the knowledge that the very enemy that they sought to destroy was here, right now, parading around as a teenager? Part of her wanted to kill him and be done with that monster, but logic dictated that she could not. He didn't know and he hadn't yet done all those awful things, and maybe this way he never would.
He was innocent, just a young boy who was untouched by the harsh reality of war. She knew from that braid he wore that he was just a Padawan and she could tell that the Clone Wars hadn't yet happened for him. He looked so innocent and young and it made her heart ache to finally realize how much the war had really changed Knight Skywalker.
The war had been brutal for those who had to fight in it and she knew that it had changed people.
It had changed Anakin Skywalker into the very monster he had sworn to destroy.
"Does he know?" she whispered softly, "does he know what he'll do? Who he'll become?"
"Not yet," said Luke as he shook his head, "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to tell him for some time yet. He's just gotten here and he should have time to adapt before he learns of that."
"But he will have too," she said hastily, "if he is to ever prevent this from happening he must know, Luke. Now is not the time to be protecting him or coddling him like a child."
"I'm not," said Luke defensively, "I just don't think that now is a good time to spring that on him."
"Will it ever be?" she asked pointedly.
Her point was valid, but Luke was stubborn. He would let the boy hold onto his innocence, even if it was only for a short amount of time, it was the least that he could for the youth.
But there was also a part of him that didn't want to tell him despite the circumstances because that would mean telling Anakin that he was his son and Luke was hardly prepared to do that. He just wanted to get to know Anakin Skywalker for who his father really was and not have their relationship complicate things.
It was selfish, but Luke couldn't help it.
"No," admitted Luke in defeat. "I will tell him, in time that is. I just don't want to have to burden him any more than he already is."
"I understand that," she said as she crossed her arms across her chest, "but don't let your feelings cloud your judgment. He may be young, but don't let that fool you into thinking he's weak."
"I know that now," said Luke in dismay.
It was easy to look at the kid and not think much of him, but Luke knew better. He knew the power his father possessed and he knew that Anakin had already been exposed to the harsh reality of life, his formative years being shaped by slavery and then being sent the Temple on Coruscant to become a Jedi.
"I know you do, Luke. Just promise me that you'll be careful. I know why he's here but that doesn't make the fact that he still is- or will become Vader any different."
"I will be, but trust me I don't think he'll be personifying his older self anytime soon," pointed out Luke.
"One can only hope," she said coyly before moving past him towards the door, where everybody else was waiting for them.
Luke was about to follow behind her when he stopped, his mind finally registering something important.
An important detail that had momentarily escaped his chaotic mind was that Mon Mothma had known his father during the Clone Wars, and he had to wonder what else the former Senator knew about his family.
Luke was almost too hesitant to ask even himself if it was possible that she had known her, the mother that he had never known.
"So you knew my father?" he asked, extremely curious as to how they had met and how long they had known each other. The older woman had never before indicated that she had once known Anakin Skywalker, or that she even knew who Vader really was and that he knew, he was curious.
"When I was serving as the Senator for Chandrala during the Clone Wars. Our paths crossed more than once but it was only a few years ago that I learned of his fate," she said from the doorway.
"Huh," said Luke as he tilted his head to the side, "what a coincidence. I don't suppose you would happen to also know who my mother was, by any chance?"
"I did know her, but I'm afraid that story will have to wait, Commander," she said before walking into the conference room, leaving a stunned Luke behind.
AN: Comment and tell me what you thought!