"You know I've seen a lot of crazy things in my life, but I think this takes the cake," came Rex's voice from behind Luke.
Luke winced at the tone of voice that the Clone Captain held as he turned around slowly to face the older man, who was staring at him expectantly with his hands on his hips and his eyebrow raised as he waited for the Commander to explain what the kriff was going on.
"You're telling me," sighed Luke, not even trying to deny anything. Captain Rex was not stupid and he knew that Luke definitely had an explanation as to why General Skywalker, a man who had died years ago was here, and younger than Rex had ever remembered him.
He was stuck between the realm of impossibility and the fact that it was Anakin Skywalker, which always seemed to disregard the former. Impossible and Skywalker did not even belong in the same sentence… Ever!
"I hope you have a good explanation as to why your father is here and why he looks like he should still be in school."
"You wouldn't believe it even if I told you," said Luke with a slight chuckle.
"Oh really? I highly doubt that seeing as Anakin Skywalker has magically come back to life."
"Touché," said Luke as he ran a hand through his blond hair. "Would you believe me if I said it was time travel?"
Rex paused, taking in the information with a calm and composed attitude that really didn't make sense to Luke.
"Normally I would say kriff no, but since we're talking about Anakin Skywalker, I can believe it."
"Only cause it's Anakin?" asked Luke pointedly.
Rex simply shrugged, "seems like something that he would do to get the job done."
"Did he usually have this kind of stuff happen to him?"
"I have to admit that he's really outdone himself this time, but yes. He was always getting himself into the most ridiculous situations."
Luke couldn't help but chuckle because he could already sense that it was true. He may not have known Anakin as long as Rex did, but in his short time here he had already gotten himself into plenty of sticky situations.
"You don't know how good it is seeing him, Commander. When I first saw him, I thought I was seeing a ghost, or maybe I was finally losing my sanity. But I know my General, Luke. I knew it was him and I know he isn't the same man that I knew, but I am kriffing happy to see him again."
"You never got to say goodbye, did you?" asked Luke softly.
"No. There are so many people I never got to say goodbye to and I regret that. I never knew exactly what happened to your father, Luke. All I know is that he's gone and the only thing left of him is you."
Luke nodded numbly at the prospect, but deep down he knew he wasn't the only thing left of Anakin Skywalker in the whole universe. His father was alive, just buried deep within the Sith Lord to the point where it seemed as though he was truly was gone.
"Things will be different, Captain. When he goes back, he'll change things."
"One would hope," said Rex. "Does he even know what happened to his future self yet? Does he know that you're his son?"
"No," mumbled Luke guiltily. "I wanted to give him time to adjust to this new future before I went sharing that with him. He's young and he doesn't have the best control over his emotions."
"You're afraid he won't handle it well?" asked Rex slowly. "Well too bad, Commander. He deserves to know and you keeping it from isn't helping anybody."
"I know, I know," breathed out Luke. "I just don't want him to have to live with that, you know? No one should have to carry that sort of burden."
"I can see where you're coming from, but why else did the Force bring him to you, Commander? I don't think the Force intended for him to carry this burden alone."
Luke didn't say anything as he averted his gaze down to his feet before looking back up at Rex.
"I have to go arrange a funeral for Lt. Barra as well as the other Soldiers in my Division who lost their lives yesterday, but I would seriously consider thinking it over and then talking to him. If I know him, and I do know him, then he's already starting to put the pieces together and I don't think he'll be too happy with you when that happens."
"I don't think he'll be too happy either way," muttered Luke as he watched the Clone Captain start to make his way out the door.
"No, but telling the truth will be a lot better than him finding out some other way. Just trust me, Commander, Anakin will appreciate you telling him. Maybe not now, but in the future, he will."
"I hope so," said Luke under his breath as Rex disappeared down the hall.
He had no idea how to go about this and he knew that Anakin would be angry with him, which was something that he certainly did not want.
Luke let out a long sigh, a heavy weight on his chest almost making it impossible for him to breathe. He knew Rex was right about telling Anakin. The truth would hurt, but Anakin would heal from it, eventually. He would need to be equipped with that knowledge so that he could prevent it all from happening.
Anakin needed to know whether Luke liked it or not, which meant he would have to take time aside to meditate on the best way to tell the youth.
He knew there was no avoiding it as he dragged himself out of the hangar and into his quarters, where he sat down on his mat and opened his conflicted mind up to the Force.
Only the Force knew what was best at that point.
Anakin stood on top of the cliff that overlooked the Jundland Waste, the only source of light coming from the millions of stars that shone through the darkness of the night. It was a breathtakingly beautiful sight, one of the few things that he had actually found beautiful about Tatooine.
The cold nipped at him, but he didn't shiver or try to cover himself from it as the night breeze blew against his dark Jedi robes. The sound of wind echoed through the valley, a familiar and yet foreign sound that sounded more like wailing than it did mere echoes.
Anakin stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he stared up at the night sky, his head craned up and his breathing shallow as his blue eyes reflected the image that he saw.
He knew he was dreaming, but it was so beautiful that he never wanted to look away from it.
There, looking up at those stars and the gassy mirage that was the galaxy, he found true peace and serenity. Not even meditating could make him this relaxed.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" came a familiar voice from behind him.
Anakin closed his eyes, recognition flooding through him at the sweet voice of his own mother. He hadn't heard her voice in years, but it was still as he remembered it, right down to the slight accent she always carried, a vestige of her true heritage.
He turned around slowly to see her standing there, her arms folded across her chest as she stared up at the sky, a small smile on her pale and chapped lips before she looked over at Anakin, her brown eyes softening at the sight of her son.
"Ani," she said simply as she tilted her head, observing the man her son had grown into. Her heart swelling with pride at the sight of him as she merely opened her arms, beckoning him forward.
Anakin fell into her arms, soaking in her warmth and love as she wrapped her arms around as she had when he was younger, one hand running through his hair while the other rubbed his back.
Even her hands were just as he remembered, small and delicate, but at the same time calloused and rough from a lifetime of hard work.
"Mom," he whispered, his voice threatening to crack as he said the simple word that meant the world to him.
"Shh, Ani. I'm here. I'm right here," she whispered into his ear.
After a few moments he finally pulled away from her, but still held her at arm's length as he stared down into her dark eyes, a few tears falling from his own lighter colored ones.
"Oh Ani, look at you," she said as she wiped his tears away. "You've grown so much!"
He let out a laugh, a small spreading across his face. "Yeah, yeah I have."
"You may have gotten older, but you'll always be my little Ani," she said, her eyes sparkling with pure happiness before she gently pulled herself from his strong arms, her gaze going back into the heavens that hung above them.
"Mom?" he asked cautiously after a few moments of silence, the sound of his breathing and the echoes the only thing that could be heard through the dry valley.
She was strangely silent as she wrapped her shawl around herself, her hands tightening over the turquoise fabric so as to protect herself from the chilly air that accompanied the nights on Tatooine.
"You've come a long way, Ani. What are you doing here?" she asked after a few moments, her inquisitive gaze coming to face him.
"What do you mean what am I doing here?" asked Anakin as he came to stand next to her. "I'm here with you, isn't that enough?"
"No, not here, Ani. What are you doing here?" she said as she reiterated her question, her brown eyes merely staring at him as if he already knew the answer to that.
Which he was still in the process of trying to figure out.
She didn't mean here as in Tatooine. She meant here, as in the future.
Here, in a time he did not belong.
"I don't know," he said as his shoulders sagged slightly.
"Yes, you do. Now, why are you here?" she asked, her eyes burning deeply into him, pressing him for an answer that he did want to give.
"To witness the future and make sure that it doesn't happen," said Anakin as his gaze fell to his feet, which was covered in sand that was blowing gently in the wind.
"And what have you witnessed?" she asked.
Anakin shook his head, "suffering and pain. This future should've never happened in the first place."
"And what future is that?" she asked, her voice lowering inquisitively as she inspected her son. "What do you know of your life that is yet to come?"
"I don't know," said Anakin shaking his head. "Why are you even asking me this?"
"I have to ask you, Ani. This is why I was sent here, to talk to you, to ask you what you will not ask yourself."
"I have asked myself, mom," said Anakin defensively. "Every day I ask myself."
"Then why do you not know the answer that you seek?" she asked as she took a step toward him, her face determined and inquisitive. "The answer to everything has been in plain sight, waiting for you to acknowledge it and yet you don't. Why not?"
"Because I don't want to know," said Anakin in an affirmative tone. "I've already surmised that whatever my future is, it's not a good one."
"So you would rather live in ignorance than confront it?"
"Yes!" said an exasperated Anakin as his jaw tightened.
His mother said nothing, only staring at him with those brown eyes that made him feel as though he had said or done something wrong, which he hadn't, at least in his opinion.
"The little boy I knew was brave," she began. "He wasn't afraid to face his fears, and yet now you run away from the knowledge that would save the galaxy. How are you supposed to change the future, if you do not know what led to that future?"
"I don't know, mom," he said as he plopped down on the sand and grabbed a handful of sand before he let it slide through his fingers. "I don't know."
Shmi said nothing as she lowered herself down next to him, her hand coming to rest on top of his shoulder, her eyes drooping ever so slightly.
"I know you're scared, Ani. What has happened, what will happen, - it's a lot to take in and you have every right to be afraid."
"I'm not afraid," mumbled Anakin, who was feeling a lot smaller than he was in that moment.
Shmi let out a small laugh, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling in the process, "I know you, Ani. And I know when you're scared. But trust me when I say there is nothing to fear. Everything will work out, eventually. You just have to have faith."
"I know," said Anakin as he buried his head in his knees. "It's just hard."
"I know, Ani, I know," she said as she rubbed circles on his back. "But you're not alone. You have Luke and Leia, two very special people who care about you."
Anakin let out a snort, "how do you know about them?"
Shmi only chuckled, as if she knew something that he didn't.
"I know a great deal about them, as do you."
"I don't know anything about them," said Anakin shaking his head. "I only met them a couple of weeks ago, and now Luke thinks he's my Master and Leia, well she-''
"-Is a very strong woman who has seen many hardships in her life," finished Shmi for him. "And Luke is a very caring man who is only looking out for your best interest, but you haven't exactly made that easy, now have you?"
"No," mumbled Anakin under his breath.
"Maybe you should try getting to know them better. I think you would be surprised to find out that their story is your story as well."
"I already know their stories," said a confused Anakin. "Leia's a Princess who lost her home planet and Luke's a moisture farmer from Tatooine."
"Well yes, that is true, Ani. But that's not all of it. Their stories go a lot deeper than that, much deeper than even they know," she said softly, a hint of sadness laced in her voice.
"I don't understand," said Anakin shaking his head. "What does any of this have to do with them and their story?"
Shmi pursed her lips together into a thin line, "something tells me that you'll be finding out the answer to that here very soon."
Anakin said nothing as he stared at his mother, his brows scrunching up in confusion as he looked back out at the dry valley beneath him.
He had nothing to say to that, and he knew he wouldn't get a straight answer out of her anyway. Cryptic dreams and what not could sometimes be a real pain.
"Now," began Shmi as she grabbed his hand, "I'm afraid our time is up."
"What do you mean?" asked Anakin, growing fearful at the prospect of her leaving him. "You can't leave me, not now."
His face scrunched up tightly as he did his best to hide the pain that was etched on his face but failed to do so.
"I'm not the one leaving," she said simply as she wrapped her arms around him once more, a few tears running down her face. "It's time for you to go, Ani."
"No, please don't make me go," he choked out, his voice soft and earnest as he felt her pull away from him, her hand coming to rest gently on his cheek.
"Oh Ani, I'm so proud of you," she said as she stroked her son's cheek. "No matter what you do, I'll always be proud of you."
"Mom," he breathed out as he watched his mother's face start to slowly fade in front of his very eyes.
"I love you," came her faint voice as she finally faded away from him, his hands reaching only to grasp the empty air in front of him.
"I love you too," he whispered as the dream around him too began to fade until he found himself staring up at the ceiling of his quarters, his breath coming out slowly as he grabbed the sheets beside him and closed it his eyes.
/Anakin?/ came the familiar beep of Artoo from his bedside. /Are you awake?/
Anakin cracked open an eye to see his domed friend staring at him from his place on the floor, waiting patiently for the human to get his lazy bones out of bed.
"Yeah," he said softly as he hoisted himself up and threw the covers off of himself, his feet coming to rest on the hard cold floor in front of the Droid.
/Are you alright?/ beeped Artoo.
"I uh, I'm fine," said Anakin as he wiggled his toes, not quite wanting to leave the warmth of his bed. "Why do you ask?"
/Well, you seem upset. Did you have a nightmare?/
"No," said Anakin shaking his head. "Wasn't a nightmare."
It hadn't been a nightmare or a dream. It had- been something else entirely.
It had been nice seeing his mother again, despite the cryptic message that she had left him. Of course, he knew it wasn't actually his mother that he talked too, but some aspect of the Force that had used his subconscious desire to connect with him, to leave him that message.
His mother was dead, her soul had become one with the Force, her conscience forever blended in with the beating life force of the universe.
/Well, okay./
"Artoo, what are you doing here? How did you even get in here?" asked Anakin as he stood up to his full height and let out a yawn.
/I was coming to check on you when I heard you crying out your mother's name from outside the door. I thought I would make sure you were alright./
"So you broke into my quarters to check on me," grinned Anakin as he patted the dome of his friend. "What did I ever do to deserve a Droid like you, Artoo?"
/Well lots of things, really./ beeped Artoo as Anakin made his way over to the sink and began washing his face. /But saving Milady's planet from the Trade Federation was probably the biggest one/
Anakin froze momentarily as he watched the water run out the faucet, an image of the Trade Federation ship blowing up only to be replaced with that of the Ordun Station. It had only happened yesterday, and the events were still fresh in his mind.
/Anakin?/ beeped Artoo as he begun to roll over to where Anakin was.
"What?" asked Anakin, finally coming out of his reverie to stare down at the Droid.
/You froze. I've called your name twice now. Are you sure you're all right?/
"I'm fine, Artoo. Stop worrying about me," he said as he shut the water off and dried off his face with a towel before running a comb hastily though his hair. He quickly redid the braid while Artoo beeped about something that had occurred between him and another Droid as well what the roster was for that day for the repair work. They would have a lot on their hands when it came to the repair work, seeing the damage that had been done yesterday and Anakin expected nothing less than a long day ahead of him.
/Leia will be filing casualty reports for the day and Luke will be overseeing the ceremonies for all the pilots that were lost yesterday as well as making sure that repair work goes ahead as planned./
"Great, seems like today will be busy enough," mumbled Anakin under his breath as he placed his red and blue beads back in place. "Will he be arranging the funeral for Lt. Barra as well?"
/No, seeing as she was a part of Captain Rex's division, he will be arranging her ceremony./
"Captain Rex was that guy at the pilot briefing yesterday," mumbled Anakin.
/Indeed/ beeped Artoo, a hint of familiarity in the Droids binary tone as well as anticipation.
"He seems familiar. Have I met him before?" asked Anakin, his curiosity getting the better of him.
/Yes, in fact, future you knew him quite well. He was one of the Clones under your command during the Clone War/
"Is that why he seemed to know who I was?" asked Anakin as he turned around to face the Droid, surprise emanating from him at that piece of knowledge.
/I doubt he could ever forget you/ beeped Artoo softly, a hint of artificial sadness manifesting itself in his binary language.
"Oh," said Anakin plainly, not sure what else he should say about that.
He felt awkward as he turned away from the Droid as he pulled on his leather vest over his dark robes, his eyes zeroing in on the person who stared back at him from the mirror. Somehow, he felt as though he had aged in these past few weeks, his face seeming a little bit older than he had last remembered, more angular and sharper looking but still young. He noted that he would soon be in need of a haircut, the shorter portion of his hair was starting to get to the point where it was starting to slightly curl around his ears.
"Artoo, is there anything else on the schedule for today?" asked Anakin as he tore his eyes away from the mirror to look at the Droid behind him.
/There will be a mission debriefing at 1100 hours in which you will be required to recount everything that occurred while onboard the station. You have also been summoned to the Control Center to speak with Captain Rex/
"When is that?"
/At 1400 hours/
"And what time is it right now?" asked Anakin.
/It is currently 0800 hours. May I recommend you grab breakfast before the mess hall closes in fifteen minutes? You will need sustenance for the day/
"Kriff, is it really that late?" asked Anakin as he clipped his lightsaber to his belt.
/You overslept. Another thing I must remind you of-/ beeped Artoo as he followed Anakin out of his quarters. /Princess Leia wanted me to ask you if you would be free later tonight. I believe she has a few questions to ask you about the repairs you did on her father's Droid/
"I'll get back to her on that," said Anakin abstractedly as he made his way into the mess hall, the little Droid following close behind him.
Anakin wasted no time in grabbing a plate and filling it up with food, which was starting to grow cold seeing as it had been sitting out for a while at that point.
"Hey Anakin!" yelled Lando from across the room as he motioned for the youth to join his table, which was chalk full of various Rebels and Pilots who were all conversing amongst themselves. "Over here!"
Anakin made his way over and plopped his plate down before he begun eating, but not in peace seeing as everybody around the table recognized him as Rogue Six, the lone pilot who had single-handedly saved the hostages and blew up the station.
It seemed as though all of them had something to say or some kind of comment about the events that had transpired yesterday.
However, all Anakin wanted to do was eat his kriffing breakfast.
"Hey, kid. What you did out there was amazing," said one of the pilots from the Blue Squadron as he patted Anakin on the back. "Captain Kaipov is a close friend of mine and I'm happy that he's alive."
Anakin nodded softly, "I'm glad he's alive too."
"Captain Kaipov will be fine," said one of the Rebels. "What I want to know is how the hell you managed to do what you did? Did you plant detonators or something?"
"Yeah, something like that," said Anakin blandly as he started to pick at his food.
"You know what? That really reminded me of when the Death Star blew," said another pilot from the Red Squadron.
"Yeah, looks like Commander Skywalker may have a contender," said Lando jokingly as he poked at his food, oblivious of the perplexed look that was spreading across Anakin's face.
Anakin froze, not quite sure if he had heard that right. Did that pilot just say Commander Skywalker? As in Luke Skywalker?
"Wait, what did you just say?" asked Anakin as he stared over at Lando, his blue eyes boring into the man as he waited for him to reply.
"Yeah, Commander Luke Skywalker. Why?"
Anakin felt as though a weight had just placed on his chest as he quickly stood up, his food long forgotten as he looked over at Artoo, who only beeped and backed away from him. The Force was screaming at him by that point, a sense of truth and anticipation permeating the air around him as he stormed off, determined to find Luke and demand answers.
His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed as he reached out to find Luke's bright presence in the Force before following it, his boots clanking against the floor loudly. He was fuming at that point and everybody who was unfortunate enough to cross paths with him in that moment could tell as they hastily stepped aside for the young man.
Artoo beeped as he rolled after Anakin, struggling to keep pace with the furious teenager.
How dare Luke keep that bit of information from him? How could he not tell him that his last name was also Skywalker? Not to mention the fact that they were from the same kriffing planet!
He had no idea what this meant. Was Luke somehow related to him? Did his mother have another child after he left? Is that why Luke seemed so kriffing familiar to him?
Anakin's nostrils flared as he used the Force to push Luke's door open, much to the surprise of the older Jedi who had been in the process of meditating before being rudely interrupted by the youth, but Anakin didn't care in the least bit as he rounded on Luke, his face already turning red.
"How could you not tell me your last name was Skywalker?" he said as he pointed an accusing finger at Luke, who sat on the floor staring up at Anakin in shock and dismay.
Luke put his hand up defensively as he surveyed Anakin, who's eyes were ablaze with pure, red-hot anger was being directed his way.
Luke would need to diffuse the situation and fast.
"Anakin, calm down. Let me expla-''
"No!" said Anakin. "I don't have to calm down, not when you've been keeping something like this from me."
It was then that Artoo finally rolled in to see the two Skywalker's, or rather one Skywalker in a heated conversation while the other merely said nothing as he peered up at the other one, fear starting to grow inside of him.
He knew what his father's volatile temper was like, and for the first time since Bespin, he was seeing something in Anakin that reminded him all too much of Vader. A chilling reminder that they were the same person, just marked differently by time.
/Anakin, please don't be mad at Luke/ beeped Artoo as he carefully and slowly rolled over to Anakin, who lips were turned into a snarl and his blue eyes dangerously pointed at Luke.
"Did you know about this too?" said Anakin as he looked down at the Droid, betrayal tugging at his heart.
/I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen to me so now you need to sit down, shut up, and listen to what I have to say before you do something you regret/ said Artoo as he whipped out his little electrical prod, the sparks flaring dangerously as he pointed it at Anakin, who immediately decided he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that.
He slowly took his seat, but his anger still remained as he refused to look at Luke, who was staring at Anakin blankly, trying to formulate the best way to tell the younger man the truth.
"I'm sorry, Anakin," began Luke calmly. "I didn't tell you that my last name is Skywalker for several reasons, but I never intended to deliberately hurt you by doing this."
"Well you did," muttered Anakin with hostility. "So you better start explaining yourself. And don't even try telling me only half-truths. I can sense when you're lying to me."
His tone was threatening as he looked over at Luke, his jaw tight and his eyes wide as he clenched his hands to his side, trying his best not to send some random object flying through the room.
"That's the thing," said Luke shaking his head, "I don't know the full story."
/I do/ beeped Artoo simply as they both looked over at him.
"You do?" asked Luke, incredulously.
/Of course. I have known Anakin since he was nine and I have witnessed everything that is vital to the formation of the Empire/
"Well then why don't you explain the situation to Anakin?" asked Luke, semi-relieved that he would not have too.
/The answer is simply this, Anakin. Luke is your son/
Artoo certainly didn't beat around the bush on that one.
Anakin froze for a few moments, the Force suddenly growing eerily quiet around them as the boy tried, and failed to take in the information at hand.
Luke internally cringed at the Droid's bluntness, his gaze traveling over to the younger man who sat in complete silence for a few moments before he finally came out of his trance-like state, his demeanor suddenly growing more and more guarded. The Force around him started to churn dangerously as the truth began to reveal itself to Anakin, who had withdrawn into himself in such a way as to defend himself from the impossible.
"No," he said in a tone that was far too calm for Luke's liking. "That's not possible."
Luke said nothing as he looked over to Artoo, waiting for the Droid to elaborate on what he had just said to Anakin. He was still shocked that Artoo had just so blatantly said it before he even explained anything else to Anakin!
/No, Anakin. I'm afraid it's the truth, isn't it, Luke?/
Anakin's somewhat calm yet demanding gaze shot over to Luke, anxiously awaiting for the older Jedi to give his answer,
Luke was silent for a few seconds before he finally cleared his throat, "yes, it's true. I'm your son."
"B-but you can't be!" said Anakin, his tone rising steadily as the protective barrier he had erected around himself started to crumble away, the truth making itself completely known.
His mouth fell open in shock and confusion as his eyebrows knitted so tightly together that it looked as though he had a huge unibrow.
But it just wasn't possible!
A son? A kriffing son?
The Force started to churn violently around Anakin as he stared at Luke, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as he observed his son, who was kriffing older than him!
He shuddered at the thought, the severity of the situation seeming ludicrous and strange all at once as Anakin looked into Luke's blue eyes, so much like his own. Anakin tore his eyes away from Luke when he realized that he was subconsciously making comparisons between the two of them.
This was why he and Luke seemed to have a natural connection through the Force, it was the sort of connection a father had to his son. It was no wonder why Anakin had felt a strange sort of- bond with Luke! A feeling of familiarity the first time they had met as if Luke was just-
-Meant to be.
"H-how?" croaked Anakin softly.
/I guess I should start at the beginning with this one/ beeped Artoo as he rolled closer to Anakin. /About two years from your time, you and Obi-Wan will be sent to protect Senator Amidala after an assassination attempt on her life./
"Assassination attempt?" asked Anakin, his mind deciding to focus on the former Queen rather than his son, which was too much to completely process at that moment. "Who tried to assassinate Padme?"
/The Separatists. You see, Senator Amidala was on her way to Coruscant to sign an opposition to the Military Creation Act, which would've created an army for the Republic due to the seceding systems that had formed the Confederacy of Independent Systems. But as I'm sure you already know, Palpatine was the one who was leading the Separatist movement as well as the Republic, his motives were to start a war./
Anakin shook his head, "how does Padme tie into- Oh."
He stopped and looked over at Luke, who was had been silent the entire time, his blue eyes looking between Anakin and Artoo as he listened to the story of the woman he could only presume was his mother.
"Oh," said Anakin as he realized just what sort of role she played in all of this, his eyes quickly averting from Luke as he looked back over at the Droid. He couldn't even look at the man anymore, not now that he knew the truth.
Force he hadn't even thought of that! He had been too focused on the Son part to even comprehend the other details that came with that. The more intimate details, which caused his cheeks to turn slightly pink at the thought.
He vaguely wondered how he hadn't realized it until now seeing as his visions had given him quite the indication. He should've realized it the moment he knew the truth about Luke.
/Yes, Anakin. I'm sure you know exactly how she fits into all of this. As I was saying, Palpatine's motives were to start a war as a means to divide and conquer. But that wasn't the only reason that they wanted Padme dead. It was because of Nute Gunray's grudge against her for his failed Blockade on Naboo, and he demanded her death as a condition for the secession of the Trade Federation from the Republic."
"Of course he would, that stinking-" began Anakin before he was interrupted by Artoo.
/And as the story goes, you and your Master were sent to protect her/
"And I'm assuming we did?" asked Anakin, his eyes refusing to meet those of Luke's.
/You did. However, there was no preventing the start of the Clone War, which occurred on Geonosis when you and Senator Amidala went to rescue Kenobi/
Okay, Anakin vaguely remembered something like that happening in one of his dreams, but the vision had only lasted a few seconds at most. Not enough time to get a true sense of what was happening.
"Okay, so what next?" asked Anakin.
/During this time, you and Padme had fallen in love and after the Battle of Geonosis, the two of you were wed on Naboo/
"We were married?" asked Anakin as he tilted his head. He had really disregarded the code, hadn't he?
/Indeed/ beeped Artoo as he displayed a blue holo-vid that showed a slightly older Anakin and Padme standing on a balcony, the both of them leaning in to kiss. Padme was wearing a white lace dress while Anakin was wearing his Jedi robes, probably the same ones he had on now.
But Anakin wasn't the only one staring at the recording. Luke was leaning in as well as he observed his parents wedding, his eyes falling on that of his mother, who was breathtakingly beautiful.
This was the first time he had ever seen her, or rather an image of her seeing as she was dead. But it meant the world to Luke to finally be able to put a face with a name.
Anakin said nothing as he watched them finally pull away from each other, the both of them turning to look out at the lake behind them before the video finally shut off.
/You two kept it a secret, even when you were off fighting the war/
Anakin nodded numbly, "the war, it lasted only three years, right?"
/Yes, and you two were apart for much of it. Nearing the end of the war, you and your Master had been recalled to Coruscant to rescue the Chancellor, who had faked his own kidnapping by the Separatists/
"Weasel," muttered an annoyed Anakin under his breath.
/You two managed to rescue him and you were able to return to Coruscant, where Padme was waiting for you. It was then that you discovered she was pregnant, already in her third trimester at that point/
Anakin closed his eyes as he gave Artoo a little nod, encouraging him to continue
/It was then that you started to have Force dreams of Padme dying in childbirth, just like you had dreamed of your mother's death
"I dreamed of her death before it happened?" asked Anakin referring to his mother, a sense of foreboding overtaking him at the thought. If he had dreamed of his mother's death, and it had occurred, did that mean-?
/It pained you a great deal that you were never able to save her/ beeped Artoo solemnly /you confided in Kenobi about your dreams, but he didn't understand. He felt guilty about not listening to you, even more so now/
Anakin inhaled deeply, "but that obviously didn't happen to Padme. I mean-'' he trailed off as he motioned to Luke, still refusing to say it out loud. "She couldn't have."
Artoo beeped sadly, an action so tiny but one that seemed to weigh heavily on Anakin.
It couldn't be-
No, it didn't happen, it couldn't have happened-
/You wanted to find a way to prevent her death before it even happened, so you went to Yoda for advice, but he didn't understand the situation so he didn't give you the help you needed. That, and being asked to spy on the Chancellor, who you considered a good friend at the time as well as being allowed to sit in on the Jedi Council but not being given the rank of Master became all too much for you/
From the way Artoo was telling the story, it sounded as though Anakin had done something, something really really bad.
"What did I do?" asked Anakin quietly.
/Palpatine took advantage of your dilemma and offered you a way you could save Padme, but the knowledge that he offered only came from the Dark Side/
Anakin shook his head vehemently at the vulgar though, "I would never willingly use the Dark Side, Artoo. That sort of practice always comes at a price, you know that."
"Are you sure about that? Asked Luke quietly from where he sat, finally deciding to speak up for the first time in minutes. "Even if you thought it would save her?"
"You don't know me, Luke," said Anakin as he glared at the older/younger man. "I would never turn to the Dark Side! I would never-"
He trailed off, his face paling considerably as his lower jaw went slack. He looked so confused and lost at that moment as he squeezed his eyes shut, as if he was willing himself to wake up from a terrible nightmare.
"I couldn't have," he said quietly as he finally looked back over at Luke, guilt, and hurt spreading over his face as he took in the sight of his son.
/-But you did/ beeped Artoo sadly. /You allowed yourself to be consumed with darkness and from that moment on you ceased to be Anakin Skywalker, instead taking on the mantle of Darth Vader/
Anakin had been in denial before, but now his anger started to build inside of him like a raging fire as he tried his best to control his labored breathing.
"No," said Anakin slowly, his face twisting and contorting until his anger was completely unleashed and displayed for all to see. "NO! I would never, I mean I couldn't have- it-it's not possible!"
At this point in time, the Force started to swirl violently and dangerously around at Anakin as things started flying around the room at such a velocity that Luke was genuinely worried that a flying object would hit him in the head and kill him.
And in the middle of all the chaos sat Anakin, who had pulled his knees to his chest as he sobbed into them, a mixture of devastation and anger combined all in one. It was obvious that Anakin had zero control over anything at that point, and rightly so. He probably didn't even know what sort of damage his Force powers were doing at the moment, too caught up in his own grief and self-loathing to notice anything else.
Artoo beeped frantically as Luke dodged his wrench, which had been on a projected course for his head before he jumped up to his feet and tried desperately to reach out to Anakin with the Force, but found that there was nothing even he could do to reach him.
Anakin had completely isolated himself.
"Anakin!" yelled Luke as he tried his hardest to get through the younger man, who was now rocking back and forth and muttering incoherent things under his breath.
"Oh Force," came Ben's troubled voice from behind Luke as he observed the mayhem before him.
"Ben!" cried Luke frantically, his eyes wide as he looked over to the blue apparition in earnest fear. "You have to do something!"
"Anakin!" yelled Ben over the destruction, his firm and authoritarian tone directed to the distressed young man.
The voice of Master Kenobi seemed to finally wake Anakin up, who opened his eyes to stare at his Master with blood-shot eyes that looked as though they could turn yellow at any point.
"M-Master, is-is it true?" he asked weakly as things started to finally settle down around him, his anger finally giving way to guilt and sadness.
"I'm afraid so, my very young Padawan," said Kenobi grimly.
Anakin closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, his demeanor finally becoming calm enough to the point where he could reign in his wild emotions.
"I killed you," he said weakly. "I killed you, I killed the Jedi, I've probably killed countless others."
"Darth Vader is responsible for the deaths of many, but that's not something you need dwell on," said Kenobi pointedly.
"How can I not? Their blood is on my hands," he said looking down at his hands, disgusted with the acts they would one day commit. "The Entire Jedi Order, gone because of me. How am I supposed to live with that?"
"I don't know," said Obi-Wan honestly.
Anakin remained silent for a few moments before he finally pulled his knees away from him, and looked his former Master straight in the eye, a brave task to accomplish at that moment in time.
"Did she live? Did the Dark Side save her?" asked Anakin, a part of him already knowing the answer, but he needed confirmation.
Obi-Wan shook his head solemnly, "no, it didn't. When she learned of your fall, she tried to confront you, but you were so consumed at that point that there was no way you could've even listened to her. And I made the mistake of following her, which gave Vader the wrong impression."
"Wrong impression?" asked Anakin meekly.
Kenobi nodded, "you thought that she had brought me to kill you, but that was not the case. She didn't even know that I had followed her in the first place, but you were unable to see reason. You raised your hand against her and started choking her, but I intervened and we fought."
"I killed her?" asked Anakin, eyes wide and another sob starting to form in his mouth before Obi-Wan stopped him.
"No, you didn't kill her, Anakin. She was still alive at that point in time."
"But I hurt her," he said as the guilt started to rack him. "She was pregnant and I hurt her."
"Vader's actions were not excused, but you have to remember that that wasn't you, Anakin. That was Vader."
"But I am Vader!" cried out Anakin. "I chose to become him when I could've said no! If I had just refused Palpatine at the time-"
"Anakin, I don't know what was going through your mind at the time, but you need to let me finish the story," said Obi-Wan calmly.
"I already know what happens!"
"No, you don't," said Obi-Wan pointedly. "We fought and I won, but I couldn't bring myself to kill you. I begged you not too, but you were beyond reason and I did what I had to do. You tried to attack me while I had the high ground, and I incapacitated you. I couldn't kill you, Anakin. No matter how hard I tried to bring myself to end your misery, I just couldn't. So I walked away."
"You should've finished it," mumbled Anakin under his breath. "The galaxy would've been better off."
"Maybe," said Obi-Wan sadly, "but either way, I couldn't. I left with Padme, who had gone into labor at that point. I took her to Polis Massa medical center, where we learned some, startling news."
"Startling news?" huffed Anakin. "I doubt there isn't much else you could say that would startle me, Master."
"Oh I don't know about that," said Obi-Wan, a soft twinkle in his eye as he looked over at Luke, who had been completely silent to the point where it was easy to forget that he was even there. "Padme lived long enough to give birth, to her children."
Anakin's head shot up at that, his eyes going wide like saucers as he looked over at Obi-Wan Kenobi for an explanation as to what he had just heard.
"Twins?" he asked on the verge of hysteria as he ran an agitated hand through his hair. "I have- I mean, she had twins?"
"A boy and girl," said Kenobi as he looked over at Luke, who looked just as shocked as Anakin.
"A girl too?" breathed out Anakin as he finally looked over at Luke, who looked just as stumped at the prospect of a twin sister.
"You didn't know, did you?" asked Anakin softly to Luke, already surmising that either they had been separated at birth or this girl- his daughter, was dead at that point.
It was strange and foreign to even think about it. His son, his daughter, his children.
Luke shook his head truthfully, his gaze finally zeroing in on Obi-Wan, who had been staring down at Anakin with sadness glistening in his eyes.
"W-where is she?" asked Anakin after a few moments of silence.
"I think Luke may already know the answer to that," said Kenobi as he started to stroke his blue beard thoughtfully.
"Leia," breathed out Luke softly, surprised but at the same time, shocked at how much sense it made.
It couldn't be anybody else, it had to be her.
"The Princess?" asked Anakin, his forehead scrunching up as he drew his brows together. "Does she even know that Luke is her-?"
"No," said Obi-Wan shaking his head, "we had them separated for their own good, Anakin. They were too powerful together and we feared the Emperor or Vader would find them, so we sent one to Tatooine to live with your step-brother and his wife while the other was adopted by the Organa's."
"What about Padme?" asked Anakin after a few moments of pained silence. "I know she-she died, but she was returned to Naboo, I presume?"
Kenobi nodded solemnly, "we had her body sent back to her family on Naboo for burial. We made sure that the autopsy report said she was still pregnant when she died so that neither Vader nor the Emperor would try to find Luke or Leia. Myself, Organa, and Yoda were the only ones who knew the truth."
"So Vader," began Anakin slowly, disturbed by the fact that he was talking about himself, "didn't know that she had twins, or that they were even born."
"For nineteen years, he believed his child to have died with her," stated Kenobi as he stroked his beard, "until a few months ago when he discovered that the Rebel Pilot who blew up the Death Star hailed from Tatooine and bore the name Skywalker. He, however, has no idea about Leia, and we intend to keep it that way."
"At least he doesn't know that Luke has a sister," said Anakin softly, a pained expression gracing his features.
The room fell silent for a few moments as Anakin stared down at the floor, not really having anything else to say about the whole situation. However, Luke had some stuff he had to get off his chest to Kenobi, who had lied and kept information from him for quite some time.
"So when did you plan on telling me that Leia is my sister?" asked Luke as he gave Kenobi a pointed stare. "
"At the appropriate time, but seeing as things have changed, I figured it would be pointless to hide it anymore."
"So I get sent to a barren rock to live as a farmer and she gets adopted into royalty on a wealthy Inner Core world?" asked Luke crossing his arms.
Anakin let out a sardonic snort from his spot on the floor but otherwise remained silent in his brooding demeanor.
Ben sighed, "Bail Organa, who was a very close friend of your mothers, offered to adopt Leia because he and his wife needed an heir to the throne, more specifically a female heir. I'm sure you know by now that the throne of Alderaan is passed down from mother to daughter, and very rarely from mother to son."
Luke shook his head, "so not fair if you ask me."
Kenobi shook his head, "nothing about the situation was fair, Luke."
"But Tatooine?" asked Anakin, finally speaking up on Luke's behalf. "Couldn't you have taken him anywhere else?"
"There were really no other options. Tatooine was the one place in the entire galaxy that Vader would never set foot on. That's why I took Luke and myself there."
"I guess that makes sense," mumbled Anakin under his breath. "I just- I don't know Master. This is all just-"
"Too much right now," said Kenobi in understanding. "You need time to process it, don't you?"
Anakin refused to meet either of their eyes as he looked over at Artoo, who just beeped at him sadly before he rolled over to where Luke was standing.
"Yeah, if you don't mind," he said softly as he once again drew his knees up to his chest, his features void of any emotions. But deep down, Anakin was full of all sorts of emotions.
He just needed time to process it all. He needed time to sort through everything and accept that it had happened, which would be hard. He knew that he could change everything when he went back, but it still didn't take away the shame and the guilt.
Vader was him, but not him at the same time.
It was just so confusing.
"It's fine," said Luke, not bothered by the fact that he was being kicked out of his own quarters. "I'm really really sorry, Anakin, I never wanted you to get hurt."
Anakin said nothing from his spot on the floor as both Luke and Artoo started to make their way to the door while Kenobi disappeared back into the Force.
"I know," he whispered to Luke, who stopped temporarily at the door to stare down at the pitiful sight that his father, a flash of pain and guilt spreading across his face before he finally stepped out of the room, leaving Anakin completely alone with only his guilt as a companion.
"I'm sorry, too."
AN: I hope you guys enjoyed! I had a blast writing this chapter and I hope it breaks your heart reading as much as it did when I wrote it. Anakin could really use some lovin right now cause he's not doing the best after learning about all of that, but at least he has two very special people to help him through it.
Thanks again for reading and have a blessed Thanksgiving :)