Mon Mothma was silent for several minutes. "Excuse me?" she said finally, her voice low and no-nonsense.

Luke and Leia exchanged glances. "Mon…" Leia began uneasily.

"You are telling me that you have brought the child of Darth Vader here to join the Rebel Alliance? Are you out of your mind, Princess Leia?" Mothma was clearly furious. She turned to Luke. "And you think that you will be welcomed, when your father is the number two enemy of the Alliance?"

"Please, just here me out"—Luke began, but she cut him off.

"No. Absolutely not. Vader is a murdering beast that deserves to die. I will not accept the supposed support of his child. It's likely you're a spy to begin with, so consider yourself lucky that I do not order you killed on the spot," Mothma said angrily. "Leia, I'm very disappointed in you."

Luke stood up sharply. "I am not my father, and I do not agree with his practices, but you will not insult him in front of me." Next to him, Han winced. "I am here for one purpose and one purpose only: to join the Alliance. If you think my father would be stupid enough to use his son as a spy, that makes you far more of an idiot than he. If you think that my father would be pleased to hear that his son is joining the opposite side, you are sorely mistaken."

Mothma stared at him for a moment. "Then prove your loyalty," she said grandly. "If you believe in the Alliance, submit to a hearing by the members of the High Command."

"Very well," said Luke, bowing slightly. "As you wish."

Mothma looked slightly surprised at his acquiescence but she nodded stiffly in return. "Princess Leia, see to it that he is under guard at all times. As for the Death Star plans… They will be addressed after this matter is solved."

"Of course," said Leia, standing. "Come on, Luke," she said softly.

Luke nodded sharply and turned, stalking out of the room. Han followed him quickly and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Kid, calm down," he said gently.

Luke stared at him, his eyes blazing. "What?"

"If you're gonna join this crackpot fest, kid, you've gotta get your temper under control," Han told him. "Like it or not, people hate your dad. I bet half of 'em joined because of him. They're gonna insult him. If you start attacking them, people will find out who you are and go after you back."

Luke let out a heavy breath and hung his head. "You're right," he mumbled.

"I know."

"But they don't understand," Luke said with a pained look. "They don't understand anything!"

"That doesn't change what they think, kid," said Han wisely. "I know for a fact you won't tell 'em what 'they don't understand,' 'cause you've never told me or Chewie. So you gotta be patient. If you're so sure your dad ain't as bad a guy as they think, let'em find out when he proves he isn't."

Luke sighed. "Okay."

"Luke?" He looked up to see Leia waiting for him down the hall.

"I'm coming," he said heavily. Han flung an arm around his shoulder and said, "I'll come with ya, kid. Into the hearing too, considerin' I gotta protect you," he said with a roguish grin.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Let's count the number of times that you did anything besides get us into trouble."

"No need," said Han airily. "Come on."

Luke was bombarded by the amount of emotions emitted from the various members of the High Command as he was marched inside. Fear, anger, curiosity…hate. He bit his lip. He walked to the center of the room to face Mon Mothma, whose visage was less than friendly.

"Luke Skywalker," she said harshly. "This is a trial to see the manner of your loyalties to the Alliance. Do you concur that your name is as such?"

"Yes," Luke said, clasping his hands behind his back and spreading his legs slightly. He had adopted that pose during his time with his father, and hoped they didn't notice.

"Very well," said Mothma. "And do you confirm that your father is Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith?"

"Yes," Luke repeated, ignoring the sudden intake of breath from the members of the High Command. He steeled himself and reached out for the calm that was the Force, beating back the anxiety and anger.

"And how do you expect the Alliance to believe that you are loyal?" Mothma questioned harshly.

"Why should I not be?" Luke countered. "My death warrant has been signed by the Emperor himself. That's a good enough reason to hate him, isn't it?"

"But is it enough to insure that your loyalty lies with the Alliance rather than the Empire? If I'm not mistaken, you are third in line for the Imperial Throne. One would think that you would prefer to keep the Empire alive until then," said Mothma coolly.

"I am a Jedi in training," said Luke brazenly. "I do not believe that there is any place for a Jedi or Sith in politics, and I intend to do my best to insure that involvement is stopped."

"A Jedi?" Mothma asked doubtfully.

"Then he admits that he has Vader's powers!" A Mon Calamari interrupted. "He's dangerous!"

"Do you?" Mothma inquired.

"Yes," said Luke, knowing that he couldn't begin this new life by lies. "I am capable of some of the things of which my father is also capable, but he is far more trained than I am."

"If you're really loyal to the Alliance," said a cunning Cerean, "then tell us. What are Darth Vader's weaknesses? How can we defeat him?"

Luke tensed and clenched his hands behind his back, trying desperately to release the anger into the Force like Obi-Wan had told him to do. "If I am not mistaken, the Empire is not made up of one man," he said stiffly.

"One man?" another scoffed. "Darth Vader is no man. He is a monster. He has murdered thousands."

"And how many men have you killed, General Rieekan?" Luke returned, using a subtle mind probe to discover the man's identity. "How many have you condemned, when you give your orders to attack?"

"I don't believe this!" said the man angrily. "He defends his father!"

"Darth Vader is the figurehead of the Empire, Skywalker," said Mothma. "He is our enemy. To join the Alliance, he must be yours as well."

"My enemy is his cause," said Luke tightly. "And I refuse to release private information to be used to destroy him," he added.

"Excuse me," said Leia, walking up to Luke's side. She gave him a reassuring glance. "Luke Skywalker rescued me from certain death as well as recovering the Death Star plans. I do not think those are actions are indicative of a traitor."

"We cannot be sure," said Mothma, folding her hands.

"Give him a chance," Leia implored. "Give him one chance to prove himself."

Mothma was silent for a moment. "Very well," she said at last. "Have you any skills, Skywalker?"

"I am a pilot," he told her. "Trained by the Imperial Navy and by my father."

There were whistles of surprise among the Command. "Then you shall become an X-Wing fighter pilot," Mothma said at last. "But at any time, we reserve the right to suspend you."

"Of course," said Luke coolly.

"Dismissed," Mothma said.

Once outside, Han laid a supportive hand on Luke's shoulders. The youth was far more affected by the rejection of the High Command than he had shown himself to be in the room. He looked up. "Maybe you were right," he said miserably.

"Probably," Han agreed. "But they accepted you, kid. That's good news, right?"

"They want to use me to kill my father, Han," Luke responded coldly. "I really am betraying him."

"Nah, I don't see it that way," said Han easily. "You're tryin' to save him, whatever that means. And when you do, neither of ya will see it as betrayal."

"When I do?" Luke asked hollowly. "How do I even know that I can?"

"Luke," said Leia gently. "Come on. I'll introduce you to your squadron."

"Skywalker? Luke Skywalker?"

Luke whipped around to see the face of someone he hadn't seen in years. His face drained of all color. "Biggs?"

The pilot beamed. "I can't believe it!" he said, running over and enveloping Luke in a hug. "I thought you were dead! We all did!"

"I ran away," Luke said, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"After Owen and Beru got killed?" Biggs asked sympathetically. "I understand. Where've you been, buddy?"

"I went to Imperial Flight School," Luke said, which was mostly the truth.

"Really? Me too! What ship were ya on, buddy?" Biggs questioned.

"The Executor," said Luke. "But I ran away and became a smuggler," he said with a forced grin. He nodded towards Han. "This is Han Solo."

Biggs shook Han's hand. "I'm Biggs Darklighter," he said. He turned to Luke. "Are you serious? You were on the Executor?"

Luke nodded.

"Wow. Only the best go there," he said with a grin. "Nice job. Actually, we've got another one who's from the Executor."

"Really?" Luke asked, interested. "Who?"

"Terzé Ba'kuun," said Biggs. He scratched his head. "Came here around three years ago. Him and Lady Amidala."

"Speaking of whom," said Leia with a bright smile. "I'm going to go and speak to her. Is she in her rooms, Biggs?"

Biggs nodded. "Who is she?" Luke asked, confused.

"My birth mother," Leia explained, her eyes lighting up. "We all thought she was dead for the longest time, but it turns out that she went into hiding without telling anyone."

"Wow," said Luke, surprised.

"She's amazing," said Leia fondly. "Anyway, Luke… You'll be fine here?"

He nodded and she went off, leaving the three pilots. "I can't believe you're here, Skywalker," said Biggs again. "Come on, you'll have to meet the guys."

"This is our only chance," said Mothma seriously to the assembled pilots. Her gaze rested on Luke Skywalker, who seemed troubled. Could she trust him? And why did the name "Skywalker" seem so familiar to her?

"Good luck," said Mothma. "You're dismissed."

Luke stood with Biggs at his side and furrowed his brow. His father was on the Death Star, and their mission was to destroy it. How could he even think of such a thing?

He walked into the hangar to see Artoo doing something to his X-Wing. "What are you doing, Artoo?" he asked quietly, sitting on a small toolbox by the astromech, which responded in a flurry of beeps. He reached for a hydrospanner and helped the droid get the part into place. With a sigh, he set it down again. Normally, working with his hands calmed him down, but this time the storm within him refused to abate.

After the Death Star moved into orbit of Yavin IV, they would attack.

His father might die.

Luke gritted his teeth. He wouldn't allow it to happen, he swore silently.

"Kid?"

Luke looked up to see Han standing awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. "What's going on?"

"Well… Chewie and I…" Han began uneasily. "We've still got that load to deliver," he said in a rush.

Luke stood slowly, his heart heavy. "You're leaving?"

"Look, kid, I know that I promised to take care of you, and everything, but…" Han lifted his hands into the air. "I'm no Rebel. I can't get involved."

"Han… You could give up smuggling," Luke offered. "You could stay here."

"Me?" he snorted. "No way, kid."

"Han…" Luke began. "Why not?"

The smuggler scratched his head. "Just, don't get killed, okay? Your dad'll hunt me down personally," he said with a wry grin. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

Sighing, Luke stood and embraced the Corellian. "You too."

With a grin, Han went off and shouted to Chewie, "Come on, furball. We've gotta get this show on the road." Chewie roared something and looked towards Luke. "No, the kid's staying here," said Han irritably. "Let's go."

After the Millenium Falcon took off, Luke stared at the place it had been for several minutes until he felt the presence of Leia nearby. He turned to see her leading a veiled woman towards him. Luke felt a strange familiarity for the woman but shook it off, wiping his greasy hands with a rag and climbing up onto the platform.

"Han left?" Leia asked, perturbed.

Luke nodded. "I can't blame him. He… This isn't really this thing."

Leia frowned sadly before breaking into a smile. "Luke, this is my mother, Lady Amidala. Mother, this is Luke Skywalker."

The woman held out a hand that Luke kissed gently. "It's an honor, ma'am."

"The honor is mine," she responded, and Luke caught a wave of sadness and excitement from her before she carefully repressed it. "I asked Leia to meet you. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Luke.

"I would like to thank you—very much—for what you did on the Death Star," said Amidala humbly. "I'm very grateful."

Luke shrugged uncomfortably. "Don't worry about it."

"If I may ask, Mr. Skywalker," said Amidala hesitantly. "Was your father Anakin Skywalker?"

Luke stared at the woman's veiled face in surprise. How did she know his father's name? At least, what his name used to be? "Yes," he said slowly. "I'm surprised that you know that," he continued frankly.

The woman held her hands together tightly. "I… knew him at one time," she said faintly. "It's an honor, again," she said, before turning back to Leia. "I'm feeling a bit chilled, darling," she said. "I'm going to return to my rooms."

"Of course," said Leia concernedly. "Mother, do you need anything?"

"No, no, I'm fine," she said.

Leia glanced over Luke's shoulder. "Threepio!" she called, and the golden droid hobbled into view. "Yes, Mistress Leia?"

"Threepio, will you escort my mother back to her rooms?" she asked.

"Now, sweetheart, I'm quite able," said Amidala with a laugh.

"I know," said Leia with a smile. "I'm sending him to make sure you don't jump into a ship and join the boys."

"You know me too well," said Amidala. "I'm afraid I'm too old for that, dear," she said. "Come, Threepio. You can tell me a story while we walk."

After a few moments, Leia and Luke were left behind. "She doesn't know who your father is," said Leia after a minute. "I've told no one."

"Thanks," Luke said, staring at Artoo as the droid worked.

"I'm sorry Han left," said Leia. "He was important to you."

"Yeah," said Luke with a sigh. "I'm going to go to my room. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Lady Amidala?"

Amidala turned to see Terzé Ba'kuun emerge from a hallway as she walked quickly to her rooms. She sighed. "Hello, my friend."

"Are you all right?" The helmeted man asked. "You had nearly left C-3PO behind."

"I'm fine," she said with a sigh. "It's just… I saw him," she said uneasily. "Come, let's talk in my room."

Terzé followed her down the hall. "What's this about?" he asked finally once they were inside her room.

"I… asked Leia to meet him," she said quietly. "He's so handsome… Terzé, it was as if I was staring at his father, albeit younger and shorter," she said fondly, before her tone turned to pain. "I can't bear it."

"You can't tell him," said Terzé firmly. "You know that you cannot."

"What am I supposed to do? Just let my child go off to risk his life?" Amidala cried. She lifted her veil and rubbed her eyes. "I asked him about Anakin," she said dully. "He said that he knew that he was his father."

Terzé bit back the guilt that threatened at the corners of his mind. "He has smuggled with Han Solo since Vader let him go."

"I still don't understand that," Amidala admitted. "Why would Vader let him go, after training him? It doesn't make sense. Surely he would have killed him instead, because he's a danger if he continues to learn."

"I don't know," Terzé said uncomfortably. "But you can't have too much contact, Lady Amidala. Things will grow suspicious."

"I know," she said unhappily. "It's just… I want so badly to have my entire family at my side," she said. "Leia is… Leia is wonderful, but Luke… He's in pain. He's confused."

"How do you know?"

"I'm his mother," said Amidala forcefully. "I know."

"I'm flying with him tomorrow," said Terzé at last. "I'll do my best to make sure he's all right."

"I can't ask that of you, Terzé," said Amidala, aghast. "You've done so much already!"

He touched her hand slightly. "I want him to live as much as you do, Lady Amidala," he said gently. He stood. "I'm going to go get ready," he said at last.

"Be careful, Terzé," said Amidala. "Your mother would be proud."

Terzé's tensed. "Thank you," he said, his voice choked. He turned and strode swiftly out of the room, leaving Amidala alone.

"Take care of yourself," Leia said softly as Luke readied himself to climb into the cockpit. He leaned against the hull.

"Thanks," he told her, and turned to give her a hug. His eyes were haunted. "Leia, if I…"

"Whatever happens is the will of the Force," Leia said calmly. "Don't worry."

He stared at her for a moment before biting his lip and nodding. "I'll come back," he promised her.

"I know," said Leia. "My mother wishes you good luck."

Luke frowned. "Tell her thank you," he said at last. "Did she tell you how she knew Anakin Skywalker?"

"No," said Leia slowly. "Luke, is that really who Vader is?"

Luke hesitated before answering. "Yes, but… Not really," he said, trying to explain the situation to the girl. "He used to be, at any rate. Now… it's like Anakin is buried, or something."

"He must be buried pretty far," said Leia. "I did some research on him. There are very few files, and all it says is that he was a skilled Jedi Knight and widely regarded as the best pilot in the Galaxy. It also says that Vader killed him."

"Probably an Imperial cover-up," Luke said, snorting.

"But… what if it's not? What if Vader did kill him, and assumed his identity just to lure you in?"

Luke stared at her for a moment. "Leia…" he began. "That's not possible."

"How can you know?"

"Trust me," he said after a moment. "I know."

"But how?"

"If he didn't care about me," Luke started. "He wouldn't have saved me in the first place. And plus, my aunt and uncle knew who he was. They're the ones who told him that I was his son," he explained. "And then… if I wasn't his son, why would he have saved me from the Emperor?"

Leia bit her lip. "I guess you're right," she said finally. She kissed his forehead chastely. "Be careful."

"I will," said Luke, climbing up into his X-Wing. "You too."

She was sliding down.

She lay on a blistering slope, her arms and legs screaming in pain. Padmé cried out in agony as her legs—what was left of her legs?—caught fire. She saw a hazy figure above her and couldn't tell who it was because of the smoke.

The flames spread up her body, searing her skin and crawling over her face, turning her hair to ash. She screamed again. "I HATE YOU!" she cried out in desperation, the fumes entering her lungs and burning the alveoli, destroying the cells. She tried desperately to inhale air as she tried to claw up the side of the slope…

Amidala woke up with a start, shivering. Despite the heat of the dream, she was freezing. She reached over for a rough blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

The same dream.

She had dreamt the same dream over and over since the Rebels had made Yavin IV their base. What did it mean? Was it a sign of the future? Who did she hate that she would fight him on the banks of fire? Who hated her so much that he would leave her to burn?

Vader.

The answer came instantly. Of course it was him—he had killed Anakin and he had tortured Leia and he had tried to steal Anakin's son and turn him to the Dark Side. It only made sense that he would want to kill Anakin's wife as well. Amidala sighed. How she missed him… The events of the night the twins were born were hazy, but she had forgiven Anakin for what he had done. She was sure that he had realized his actions and had tried to fight off Vader and Palpatine. He had died a hero. She knew it.

Luke tried desperately to reach out to the Force, but the calm eluded him. For all he knew, it would be his torpedoes that would spell the death of all the people aboard the Death Star.

His father was one of them.

His mind argued that the Death Star had to be destroyed, both so it would never commit such an atrocity like Alderaan and so the Rebellion would survive another day. His heart argued that he might be his father's murderer.

The X-Wings swooped around and over the comms, Luke heard several swears of exclamation as the sight of the massive superstructure came into view. "Keep calm, boys," said one of the others. "We can do this."

"All right, everyone," came Biggs' voice over the commlink, "Let's get into formation."

"Open S-Foils," said another.

Luke followed the orders as if on autopilot himself. With every fuel cell burned, he was drawing nearer to his father's potential death. How could he do this? How could he enter into battle against his own father?

A knot of TIEs emerging from the giant station served to jerk him back into the present and to instill another guilt in him—what if one of those pilots was Darmic? Jisk? Vaskall? Lang?

Focus on the present, Luke. Do your duty.

Luke would have jumped out of skin had he not been in the cockpit. That certainly hadn't been his father! Who was it?

Have you forgotten Obi-Wan Kenobi so easily, young one?

Luke let out a sigh. Obi-Wan. I didn't know that you could talk like this also.

Be calm, young one. Your fear and guilt lead you to the Dark Side.

I understand, Luke returned, readjusting his grip on the controls and reaching out for the Force to keep him centered. He bit his lip. He would do his duty.

"Lord Vader! There are X-Wings approaching!"

Vader whipped around and cast a tendril over the Force over the approaching ships and recoiled in surprise when he found his son one of the pilots. His son had joined Rebels? That shocked him more than he cared to admit. "Ready my ship, captain," he said to the man who had given him the message. "Immediately."

"Yes, Lord Vader," said the man quickly, turning and returning quickly to a supervision post. Vader strode down the corridor. He didn't know what Luke was doing, but he would insure that his flew away from this conflict alive. Walking down to his private hangar, he jerked up his hand to indicate to his two wingmen to follow him. They did so without a word.

"TIE fighters approaching! Squadron 1, engage and draw away from the rest of us!" The commander instructed. Luke broke left with the others, letting Biggs' squadron fly out to meet the oncoming TIEs.

"Don't engage, Squadrons 2 and 3! Acknowledge!"

"Yes, Commander," Luke replied instinctively. He swerved left to avoid a TIE that had broken away from the main cluster and gone towards himself and another X-Wing.

The X-Wing beside him let out a short barrage of fire, catching the TIE fighter on a wings. The ship exploded and Luke winced. Had that been Darmic?

"Nice shot, Red 3," said the Commander approvingly. "Let's go!"

Luke watched as Squadron 1 decimated the first swarm of TIEs and rejoined the main group. "Stay out of range of the guns, pilots," said the Commander. "We don't need to worry about them until we're in the trench. Red 4, 5, and 6, V-Formation above us."

Suddenly Luke's stomach clenched as he saw the leader of the next swarm of TIEs to be released from the Death Star. He reached out on impulse towards his father's crooked-winged TIE and felt his father's presence, a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. Father?

Luke, what are you doing here?

I… Luke didn't have an answer other than the one he knew his father wouldn't approve of. Don't go back to the Death Star, Father.

There was no response from Vader as he had to carefully executor a barrel roll to avoid a barrage of fire from one of the X-Wings. Luke fought off the instinct to go and help out and instead maintained his concentration on the task.

"Sith, I didn't know Darth Vader was on the Death Star!" One of the others exclaimed. "Commander, what do we do?"

"Try and shoot him down," said the man, "And try to stay out of his way. I've flown against Vader before."

"Affirm"—the man's transmission was cut off just as Vader destroyed his shield-generator and, with a few well-placed shots, blew up the ship.

"Quick, regroup!" the Commander said nervously. "We've got to get through! Engage the TIEs if you need to! Don't engage the Advanced TIE fighter under any circumstances!"

Luke banked hard right and whipped around, marveling and the maneuverability of the X-Wing. He pressed the trigger and blew up one of the TIEs trailing Biggs' ship, fighting off his conscience for the moment.

Vader destroyed two more X-Wings before rushing down to follow Biggs as he entered the trench that was the first leg of the mission. "Get him! Concentrate your firepower on the Advanced TIE!" The Commander instructed. "We've got to give Darklighter a chance!"

The X-Wings flew in and tried to hit Vader's ship, but he avoided the bolts with a precognitive-like ease. His two wingmen—Luke remembered with a jolt their skill above Kessel—whipped around and organized cover fire for him as he pursued Biggs' X-Wing into the trench.

Luke attempted to shoot one of them down, but it danced to the left and shot straight towards him. Luke swerved to the side and rose up to gain an advantage over his opponent.

"I need cover!" Biggs yelled. "I can't get away from this bastard!"

Luke ignored the stab of anger and moved up with two other X-Wings. "Hold on, Biggs," he told him, praying that his father wouldn't manage to shoot his friend down.

"Come on, Luke, help me!" Biggs cried out. Luke flew over the trench and saw his childhood friend narrowly miss a deadly bolt from his father's TIE.

Please don't shoot him! He cried out silently, hoping that he would somehow be able to stop his father.

We are on opposite sides of this war, apparently, Vader returned. I have a duty to do.

Luke gritted his teeth and began, "Biggs, get out of there! You can't make it!"

"He's got to try!" The Commander intervened. "What are you doing, Skywalker? Try and shoot the Advanced TIE!"

Luke pulled up sharply to avoid fire from one of his father's wingmen. "I'm engaged!" He shouted over the comm, pulling around to try and hit the TIE, which banked right to fly around him. Luke pulled right, whipped around, and managed to hit the TIE fighter, which exploded into flames.

"Nice hit!" The Commander told him.

"I'm almost there!" Biggs told them over the comm. "I've got my targeting computer up!"

"Hurry!"

"I've almost got it—Yes!" Biggs cried out. "I just fired!"

They all waited with abated breath. "It didn't"—

Luke watched in horror as Biggs' ship exploded in flames. "No!"

I am sorry, my son.

Without even bothering to consider his actions, Luke pulled up and dove into the trench, heading towards the target. He saw, in his mind's eye, his father's ship fall in behind him. Don't stop me!

I will not shoot you, Luke! Get out of there! His father's mind-voice sounded urgent.

I'm not going to let this thing destroy another planet! Luke shouted back. He cut the link with his father harshly and concentrated, knowing that he would need to use the Force to hit the target.

He reached out with an arm of the Force, feeling out the nearness of the target. He steeled himself, not even noticing that the Millennium Falcon had just appeared out of hyperspace and had sent his father's ship flying into space with a few shots.

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1…

He fired.