Chapter 13: Another Skywalker

The transport the trio had been loaned by the Alliance entered the foggy atmosphere of Dagobah. As the ship descended, Leia watched Luke and Mara in the pilot and co-pilot's seats, respectively and couldn't help but laugh.

Luke lightly slapped Mara's hand away from the ship's control stick. "I can handle it. Yoda's not going to use the same test twice."

Mara returned her attention to the display in front of her, but kept an eye on Luke out of the corner of her eye. "You still won't admit that you crashed on your own. Now you're blaming the old troll."

Luke turned his head and gave Mara a mock glare. "The only reason he didn't wipe out your scopes too was because you had Ben on board and you know it."

Mara rolled her eyes at his excuse. "I should have known better than to let you meet the Rogues before you left. Your ego has doubled and you've reverted back to adolescence." Luke chose to ignore her, starting the ship's landing cycle. Mara pointed out the viewport and into the swamp. "Isn't that the pond where you crashed last time?" She made a show of craning her neck to get a better view. "It is. Better be careful, the scopes could die any time now." Luke turned to Mara and stuck his tongue out to let her know what he thought of her sarcasm. "Real mature. You'll be a full-fledged Jedi Knight in no time."

Luke set down the transport in the clearing where his X-Wing was still sitting. After the ship cycled down, the young trio made there way down the ramp. Leia looked out at the swampy planet and could help but get a strange feeling. "There's something familiar about this place."

Mara looked at Leia dumbfounded before shaking her head. "Not you too. Farmboy said the same thing when we first got here." She turned to Luke and he raised an eyebrow at the coincidence. Before they could consider why the two would react so similarly, the sound of a young boy caught their attention.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Luke and Mara both smiled brightly when they saw their son running toward them as fast as his little legs could carry him. Luke scooped up Ben as soon as he reached him, earning a giggle from the child as he spun him over his head.

Finally, Luke put Ben down and kneeled down to be eye level with his son as Mara reached down to take her son in her arms. Luke smiled at the two as he looked Ben in the eyes. "Were you good for Master Yoda?"

Ben nodded emphatically. "Good I was." Luke burst out laughing at his son's comment as Mara's eyes grew wide. Leia gave the couple a curious look from the side, but didn't say anything. It must be some sort of inside joke.

Luke looked Ben in the eyes again and his mouth curled up into a small smirk. He sensed mischief from his son. "Did Master Yoda tell you to do that?"

Ben looked down at the ground but couldn't stop a smile as he softly responded. "Yes, he did." Mara breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she wouldn't have to spend months reteaching her son to speak properly.

Luke picked Ben up from the ground and looked around the swamp before him. "Speaking of Yoda, where is he?"

"Right here I am." Luke turned himself around to see Yoda standing at the edge of the clearing, leaning on his gimer stick. The old Jedi let out a small chuckle. "Old legs cannot keep up with such youthful energy." Yoda turned his attention away from Luke. His gaze stopped when he noticed Leia standing at the bottom of the transport's ramp. "Brought more of the family you have. Hmmm?" The Jedi Master laughed as three sets of eyes looked at him questioningly. Either Yoda was keeping even more secrets or the old troll had finally lost it. Yoda ignored their wondering looks and turned away. He motioned for them to follow him so they could take care of more important matters. He was hungry. "Come. Prepared dinner is. Tell you that which you need to know after you eat." Luke looked at his companions and just shrugged, knowing that Yoda wouldn't tell them a thing until he was ready.

After dinner, Yoda finished fulfilling the curiosity of his students. For what seemed to be an eternity, the only sounds that could be heard were the buzzing of insects and the crackling of the campfire they sat around. Mara blinked her eyes and then finally broke the silence.

"So let me get this straight. Luke and Leia are twins. They were separated at birth, on this planet no less, to hide them from the Emperor. Luke was taken by Obi-Wan Kenobi to live in the desert on Tatooine with his aunt and uncle while Leia was adopted into the royal family of Alderaan." Yoda nodded, agreeing with Mara's summary of his story. Mara turned to look at Luke with a small chuckle. "You just can't catch a break can you? You had to work your butt off on that dustbowl while your sister got to be royalty."

Luke just shrugged off Mara's comment. "That's all in the past now." Luke looked over to Leia who had remained silent throughout Yoda's story. This explained why he had felt a bond with her when he had realized her Force sensitivity. And why they both had the same reaction to landing on Dagobah.

Leia looked at Luke with soft eyes. She had a brother. A twin brother. "I knew. Somehow…I always knew." Luke got up from his seat beside Mara and moved across the camp to where Leia was sitting and embraced her. The twins reveled in their newfound closeness. They didn't need to say a word to know that they were both had the same swirling emotions. Relief, wonder, amusement, longing, love, astonishment, and closeness. They had already been close. Brother and sister in spirit before finding out it was also a biological fact.

Leia pulled her brother closer as Luke stared into the swamp. Someday he would have to tell her about their father. And he had no idea how she would react to that, but it wasn't likely to be pleasant. Leia wouldn't be able to look at him the same way Luke did. She had been through too much at Vader's hand. Luke was broke from his thoughts when Leia murmured "I wonder which of us is older?" The bad news could wait until another day, when she was ready.

Luke brought his head back and made a show of looking curiously at the sky, drawing a laugh from Leia. "Me. Of course."

"And just what makes you think that?"

Luke just shrugged in response. "Because I said so…little sister."

Leia gave her brother a mock glare. "That line of reasoning may work on Ben, but I'm not going for it. And you know I'm the older one. Little brother."

The twins started laughing as they continued their playful argument. Not wanting to pry on their private moment, Mara smiled and looked away to where Ben sat beside her. He had been surprisingly still and quiet during Yoda's tale. Now she knew why. The boy was starting to nod off in his seat. Mara was about to get up and take her son to bed the laughter died down. She turned to look back at the newfound siblings and got a small smile from Luke. She returned the smile before Luke's face turned serious. He subtly gestured toward Leia and then toward Yoda. Mara nodded her understanding to his silent communication. She knew that Luke needed time alone with Yoda. There were things that needed to be discussed that Leia was not ready to hear.

Sensing that there was something passing between the two, Leia looked at Luke and then Mara curiously. Mara just met her look with a small smile as she got up from her seat and picked up a drowsy Ben. "Leia, do you think you could put Ben to bed for me? Luke and I have some things that we need to discuss with Master Yoda still."

Leia smiled at her request, happy to spend some time with her nephew, even if he was about to fall asleep where he sat. "Of course." She went over to her Mara and took Ben from her arms and walked toward the nearby tents. Luke and Mara watched out of the corner of their eye as the two entered one of the tents. Knowing Leia was out of earshot, Luke opened his mouth to speak only to be cut off by Yoda.

The old Jedi shook his gimer stick at his students. "Reckless you two were in leaving. In tune with you your son is. The boy can feel your emotions. Sensed your pain he did. As did I. Scared for you he was. Close to the dark side you both were." Mara opened her mouth to defend their actions but was silenced as Yoda raised his cane, signaling that he had more to say. "Felt your love for each other I did as well. Saved each other from despair you did. Strengthen each other you do." Yoda's voice was just above a whisper as he added "Perhaps, wrong we were."

Luke's face shone with curiosity as to what the old master was referring to. Who was the 'we' he was referring to? And what were they wrong about? Luke glanced over to Mara and saw that she seemed as curious as he did. She decided to give voice to their up to now unspoken questions. "Master Yoda, what are you talking about?"

Yoda tilted his head downward regretfully. "Forbade attachment the Jedi did. A union like yours, allowed it we would have not. Seeing you, perhaps we were wrong. Wonder I do. What other mistakes did we make?" Yoda brought his head back up turning to look Luke and then Mara in the eyes before continuing. "When gone I am, your job it will be to fix the mistakes of the past. The Jedi must be rebuilt and the reign of the dark side ended. But you must decide how to do this on your own. A new path for the Jedi you will create."

Luke looked upon his teacher, truly noticing the old Jedi's advanced age. His voice was almost pleading as he spoke. "Master Yoda, you can't die."

Yoda's voice was sad when he spoke once more. "Long have I lived. Old I must look to young eyes" Yoda pointed his gimer stick at the students before him and his voice lightened. "But when nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not. Hmm?" Luke and Mara couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the old master's crack. "Worry about this now, we should not. My time grows short. Your training we must continue."

Luke sat silently for a moment and looked toward Mara. They both knew the answer to the question he was about to ask, but they needed to hear it from Yoda. They couldn't continue their training hearing half truths and evasive teachings. The old Jedi's ears perked up, sensing the distress in his students. Luke took a deep breath and turned away from Mara to look his teacher in the eyes. "Master Yoda…is Darth Vader my father?"

Yoda's ears drooped at the question and he turned to leave the camp. The old Jedi looked over his shoulder at Luke as he started to hobble back toward his hut. "Mmm…rest I need. Yes…rest."

Luke was tired of his teachers hiding from him. He stood up and quickly moved to block Yoda's path. The old master sighed at the obstruction and leaned on his gimer stick, but remained silent. Luke crouched down to bring himself eye to eye with his diminutive teacher. He took a deep breath to release his frustration before calmly, but firmly addressing his teacher. "Yoda, I must know."

Yoda looked down and poked at the dirt with his stick for a moment before locking eyes with Luke once more. "Told you did he?" Luke just nodded in response, and expectant look on his face. Yoda's voice was low and grim when he finally told Luke what he already knew. "Your father Vader is."

Luke snapped his head around and Mara jumped from her seat as they heard a cry from the path leading to the camp. "No!"