As the Death Star detonates, Vex watches, and waits as the remaining ships return to base, with Luke Skywalker being crowded for his victory, before the rushed celebration, and hasty evacuation.
As Luke prepares to leave, Vex manages to get a hold of him, stopping him in his tracks. As Vex eyes him, fond memories arising, Luke clears his throat, returning Vex to the present.
"Sorry." Vex apologizes. "You just look so much like your father."
"Okay, seriously, how many people knew my father?!" Luke exclaims in frustration, earning a chuckle from Vex.
"Quite a few." He notes. "I worked alongside him during the war, among other things. I figured I would see you for myself before you are kept busy by high command."
"Wait." Luke calls, as Vex begins to walk away. "Can you… Can you tell me what he was like?" Luke asks softly, almost begging with his words. With a sigh, Vex tosses him an encrypted communicator.
"Tell no one, other than maybe Solo, that you have this. High Command would try to kill me if they knew I was speaking to you." Vex warns.
"Why?" Luke questions.
"I may have the Force, Luke, but I am far from a Jedi, or Sith. They won't want me corrupting their perfect little Jedi." Vex explains, before walking away, leaving Luke to continue with the evacuation.
"What was he like?" Luke questions through the hologram, the excitement and curiosity bleeding through.
"He was the best person to have by your side." Vex begins. "He cared for everyone he could, a heart that could encompass the Galaxy, but at the same time, he was lonely. If he had any say, he would have kept you far away from Tatooine, his own bad history fueling such actions."
"What happened to him on Tatooine?" Luke asks.
"That's for a later time." Vex admits. "For now, I'll explain further what he was like. For a Jedi, he let his emotions control some of his actions, often putting him at odds with the other Jedi, who made it seem that he wasn't allowed to feel any emotion."
"But that makes no sense! How can one not feel emotion?!" Luke exclaims.
"You can't. But, it wasn't what they Jedi meant, it's just that they explained it poorly. You are allowed to be attached, to feel, to love, but you must learn to let go. To accept that death is inevitable, that there is nothing you can do to stop it. Let those you care for live their lives, be happy for them, and if they pass, while you should mourn them, always rejoice for their life and what they achieved. Anakin had difficulties with this." Vex elaborates. "So, no matter what you learn, always love and care for others. Just ensure that it does not control how you act or react."
"I can try." Luke admits shyly.
"Do or do not. There is no try." Vex chuckles.
"What does that mean?" Luke asks.
"That, you will one day learn yourself. For the lesson to be taught, you must discover the meaning yourself." Vex sighs. "It is a hard lesson, so have some patience with it."
"I think I have a lead." Ahsoka calls from the other room, gaining Vex's attention.
"Who was that?" Luke questions.
"I'll introduce you one day, but it isn't the right time." Vex sighs. "I'll talk later."
Luke and Vex walk along an old station, long abandoned since the Clone Wars, as they search for supplies for the Rebellion, and for a lengthy trip in Vex's case.
"I got something for you." Vex states, tossing a Holocron to Luke.
"What is this?" He asks.
"A Jedi Holocron. One I had spare. It has lessons from you father, for the young who would train. It should help you with enhancing your abilities." Vex answers, before gesturing for Luke to stop. "Sit with me." As Luke sits, Vex takes out a second Holocron, this one a different shape, and black, with silver highlights and accents. "To open a Holocron, you must open yourself to the Force. Focus on the Holocron in your mind, picture it opening." Vex instructs, Luke following along, but failing to keep his concentration, his excitement too much.
"I can't. I can't concentrate." Luke admits in slight frustration.
"Keep trying. We have the time." Vex assures, gently nudging him on.
It takes several tries, before Luke opens the Holocron, the blue hologram of Anakin appearing, his voice guiding as his saber is lit, going through motions. With surprising skill, Luke opens his eyes, and watches the hologram, awe written on his features. As the lesson ends, the Holocron stays open.
"I'm impressed." Vex admits. "You managed to keep your concentration on the Holocron, enough that you could watch the entire lesson without it ending prematurely and closing." His voice manages to do exactly that, as Luke loses his concentration, the Holocron closing.
"He was… amazing." Luke sighs sadly. Vex places his prosthetic on Luke's shoulder.
"He is." He agrees. "You know, during the war, the Jedi gave him a Padawan."
"A what?" Luke stammers in confusion, garnering a chuckle from Vex.
"A Padawan. A student." He elaborates. "The same mission he was given a Padawan, I met him. I found myself on the planet Christophsis, my last memory being a massive explosion that took my life."
"But, you're alive?" Luke wonders.
"Yeah. Sort of." Vex answers. "That's another topic that I'll explain in a few years. But back to his Padawan, I actually formed a romantic relationship with her."
"Uh…" Luke blushes, looking away, as Vex laughs.
"Lighten up. We didn't get intimate until the end of the war. But, she knows a bit more about your father, parts that you aren't ready to hear just yet."
"When?" Luke wonders with a sigh.
"Sooner than what you may think." Vex admits.
As the months passed, Vex continued to tell stories of Anakin to Luke, before the Alliance began to keep him too busy. For the last month, Vex has left messages, urging Luke to call, so that he can explain more about Anakin, but with no response. When Vex hears that Luke fought Vader, he immediately rushes to the medical frigate, entering the room where Luke lay, a look of pain across his face.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asks, his voice cracking slightly. Vex sighs knowingly, taking a seat.
"I tried. Over the last month, I've been trying to get in contact with you to reveal what happened. Why he became the man he is now." Vex answers. Luke perks up slightly, as though reassured that there was a reason. "When the war started, he married Senator Padme Amidala, formerly the Queen of Naboo."
"Wait, Queen of Naboo? Does that mean I'm royalty?" Luke wonders aloud, somewhat frightened by the prospect.
"No. The monarchy system is different on Naboo. Don't worry." Vex assures, idly clenching and unclenching his prosthetic, as he gazes at Luke's new hand. "But, remember how I said Anakin had a big heart, yet was lonely?"
"Yeah?" Luke answers.
"It was what drove him to darkness. Before the War, he had visions of his mother, in pain, as Tusken Raiders tortured her. Obi-Wan, not knowing any better, told him that they were just nightmares, and that they would pass." Vex explains. "But, when Anakin reached Tatooine, with Padme at his side, he found his mother, who had been tortured and beaten. She died in his arms."
"Oh." Luke sighs. "I heard stories about her. My Grandmother, Shmi."
"Yes." Vex nods. "But this haunted Anakin, as in response, he killed the entire tribe of Tuskens. No survivors, as he let his rage and pain control him. Years later, at the end of the war, he began to have nightmares of Padme dying in childbirth."
"And they came true." Luke assumes.
"Not, exactly." Vex notes. "Anakin, afraid of losing the only other person who he feels like he can be open to, and feels happy with, he was lured by Palpatine, the Chancellor tat the time, into the Dark Side. All the deeds he did, all the murder he committed, was because he was coerced into believing it would help him save his loved one.
"When Padme went to confront him, Obi-Wan snuck on board her ship, and when he revealed himself to Anakin, he lashed out, attacking Padme and knocking her unconscious. The resulting fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin left him with his prosthetic limb, an nothing else, on the beach of a lava river, which burned him, the gases burning his lungs, as the fire burned his body."
"So that suit is what keeps him alive." Luke notes.
"Yes, and no." Vex admits. "Palpatine has him kept in that outdated suit, leaving his body as it is, rather than letting it heal properly. Your father is a slave to Palpatine, with the belief he had nothing else to live for, but to serve Palpatine."
"But how did Palpatine even manipulate him to that point? Wouldn't my father have known that he couldn't be trusted?" Luke asks.
"That, I only know from others. Palpatine took an interest in Anakin when he was first inducted into the Temple, slowly manipulating him with his kind, grandfatherly act." Vex answers. "He thought he could trust Palpatine. But continuing on, the only reason Padme died, is because Palpatine drained her life to keep Anakin alive through the surgery that put him in that suit. But now, with your appearance, he might finally be able to break free." Vex admits hopefully.
"I… think I know what you are talking about." Luke admits. "When he revealed the truth, among his dark thoughts, his grief, his pain, his self loathing, I felt a single spark, directed to me. I think, that deep down, he would do anything for me."
"He would." Vex assures. "It may take time, but he would do anything, if it meant saving his family. His Padawan might not have truly been able to free him, but you can."
"While I believe I could, I think I could use a little help getting there." Luke notes solemnly.
"Hey." Vex chuckles. "I know what it's like to lose an arm, I think I can help you get used to a new hand." He holds up his prosthetic, waggling the mechanical fingers.
As the Alliance celebrated, Vex and Ahsoka made a beeline to Luke, who stood at a tree base, watching something with a smile. A closer glance allowed Vex to see faint silhouettes, but, from the look of Ahsoka, she didn't see them.
"You look so much like him." Ahsoka's voice has Luke turn to face them, a smile on his face.
"Ahsoka Tano, I presume. I've heard a lot about you." Luke bows.
"How much is a lot?" She asks, her head tilted with curiosity, her smile mischievous.
"Just the basics, for now." Vex answers, his arm around her waist, as she leans her head on his shoulder, while he looks to Luke knowingly. "He's free."
"At last." Luke adds. "It'll take a while for him to truly be at peace, but it's a start." Ahsoka tears up, both happy and sad.
"Thank you. You achieved what we once tried, but could not." Vex and Ahsoka bow. "We have someone to go and find, but if you ever need to talk with us, or want to know more, you know how to contact us."
"Thank you. As much as I would have probably still done this, your input really helped me understand more." Luke bows again. "I'll do my best to ensure the same mistake is not made in the new order."
"Just do your best. And never lose hope." Both Vex and Ahsoka state in unison, before a gateway opens up, earning a surprised look from Luke. "No, you still haven't learned enough for me to explain this yet. But one day, you will." They disappear into the gateway, as it disperses, leaving Luke alone, before his sister drags him back to the celebration, as the spirits watch with joy, as the night carries on.
A/N - Unrefined, but something that I did want to be a part of the story. Each of these will be more of a Vex training Luke situation, while giving snippets about his father. I like the idea of Vex only being able to tell Luke the truth after he has already found out, as it just fits. I'm having trouble finding the right way to bring this out, though, and the scenes feel rushed, and not as wholesome as I feel they can be. If anyone has any possibilities or scenes that would fit here, I would love to read them. Take care and stay safe.
