'Once a Hero' (Chapter Three)
By Ennon
Disclaimers: George Lucas still owns 'SW' and its characters and I'm making nothing from this but am trying to fill the characters' potential anyway.
A/N- I'm going to respond to the critiques here to save those who may dislike how I've done things from reading further (or encourage them TO) after reading my explanations.
Miss Naye- Glad you think it was awesome and quite funny! I kind of wanted Han to paint himself in the corner after being so cruel about Anakin's earlier physical appearance (NOT that I don't think Anakin didn't deserve to be called on his actions).
YodasPatawan- Could you use the Force to speed up time and teleport me away from my life's obligations?LOL. Glad you consider this one of the best you've read and I hope this update's soon enough for you!
Jackskellington666- Yep, Padmé's alive and Anakin's physically that young! Glad you consider the fanfic really cool and hope you continue to do so.
And, in since one can't have good lemonade without lemons: I'm ready to address the not-as-eager reviews (and, with that in mind, if positive reviewers want to expound on WHY they like it more, I'll raise no objections and I thank you for your support)!
Katie H. – 'The lamest thing' you've ever read? I somehow doubt that. I mean, I'm sure a fanfic having Jar-Jar,Artoo and the Ewoks holding a hip-hop contest would likely be lamer. Seriously though, since you DID say you liked my explanation as to why Palpatine didn't take Vader to Kamino instead of condemning him to the Hell via The Suit, I take that to mean that you see some redeeming stuff here (and surely you've read something lamer with NO redeeming stuff). As to Padmé NOT dying being far-fetched? In a galaxy where a brown haired/eyed girl can be the TWIN of a blond haired/ blue eyed boy AND they can find each other out of trillions of folks,blasts can be heard in the vacuum of space, I think there's very little that CAN be 'far fetched'. And I argue that it's the belief that Padmé had died at his hand that was a strong motivating factor re Vader- so finding out she hadn't would NOT throw the whole thing off for a restored Anakin! As to Anakin's enthusiasm? Not only WAS Anakin an enthusiastic character in the first three movies(with a few flashes of enthusiasm via Vader in the last three) , but there are countless accounts of folks who had been seriously depressed then had senses/mobility restored, freed from prison, reunited with family, etc. who became VERY enthusiastic- and if you haven't met any of them, I'm sorry for you! We EACH can decide for ourselves how the characters should act and I respect that you have a different set of ideas than I do in that capacity but this is how I think they would! IMO, two months from near-death to enthusiastic health isn't too fast paced- but two days WOULD be. As you so thoughtfully pointed out, this IS my story and I hope you decide to give it a chance besides to just laugh at it but if not, then I wish you well- and I DO accept constructive criticisms. However, I won't accept an outright flame (and your opening sentence came close to getting your review deleted from this site) so consider this your only warning should you cross the line to become outright hostile.
Silverash- You're absolutely right about Anakin having been a mass murderer but Luke's the only one who's so far wanting totally let him off the hook(and I DON'T recommend that for anyone in THIS galaxy). Anakin himself acknowledges his atrocities and Leia's trying to relate to him for Luke's sake by giving him a guarded chance but DOES like his sense of humor. As for Padmé? Okay, I rushed the initial reunion scene because I thought a longer one would drag the chapter down and I wanted to end it on a positive note but, I hope you're willing to see how Padmé (and the other characters) deal with Anakin's past in THIS chapter and I hope you like this!
OKAY responses are over! LET THE CHAPTER BEGIN:
Padmé had run from the outer door of the cavernous gymnasium and couldn't wait to embrace her restored husband and she was grateful that he still felt attracted to her but as they, their twins and Han were walking away to join Chewbacca, Artoo and Threepio (with Han carrying his clothes and boots), Han cleared his throat.
"Yo, I'm not dissing your family reunion but, how can you go back to him after all he did, just like that, Amber Lady?" Han asked Padmé.
"Amber Lady?" Luke and Anakin asked turning around.
"Well, yeah, she's got hair and eyes the color of deep amber, what else could I call her?" Han shrugged.
"That's the first time I've ever heard you NOT concoct some sarcastic semi-endearment tag for one of us," Luke sighed while Anakin and Leia nodded.
"Now, why would anyone want to get sarcastic or mean with someone like your ma?" Han asked.
"For once, I totally agree with you. Why indeed?" Anakin sighed as he kissed Padmé on the lips.
"So why WERE ya mean to her?" Han sneered while wagging his finger.
" He knows?" Anakin groaned.
" He overheard me telling Leia why I had to separate myself and our children from you after Mustafar," Padmé sighed.
"That's close to the worst sin of a lifetime of sins I did to everyone including the children," Anakin groaned.
"So why are ya giving him a 2nd chance?" Han asked again.
"Han!" Luke snapped.
"You're not helping!" Leia added.
"Leia, what was the first thing I asked when you told me you'd seen him in the cloning chamber floating in the solution?" Padmé asked as she clutched her daughter's hand.
"You asked what color his eyes were," Leia recalled.
"And she said they were blue," Padmé beamed.
"But what does that havta. .?" Han sputtered.
" Because, every other Sith who ever came about had those scary, unnatural yellow eyes- as did he in Mustafar. They could only temporarily mask those, like Count Dooku and Palpatine could, but they couldn't hide them in times of great stress," Padmé explained.
"And Father definitely was stressed in that tank between almost dying and Han's dissing him," Leia sighed while Han rolled his eyes.
"So, I knew that he HAD returned from the Dark Side! He's the first Sith EVER to do that!" Padmé beamed while kissing Anakin.
"I couldn't have done it without Luke's belief in me, " Anakin exclaimed as he clutched Luke's shoulder.
"But it was your own great strength that our son untapped and.. ." Padmé started to say when.
"Mama, it's okay," Luke groaned as she touched his metallic right hand.
"I'll ask this one time, and you must swear by the Light Side in your answers. Did you know Leia was our daughter when you had her mind probed in the First Death Star," Padmé asked in a voice of stone.
"It doesn't make what I did right, but I swear by the Light Side, I didn't know her relationship to me- nor did I know it in Bespin when I had her tortured to lure Luke,I swear by the Light Side," Anakin deeply groaned.
"And, what about when you mutilated our son's hand? " Padmé asked with great venom in her voice as she looked directly into Anakin's tearing eyes.
"Mama, it doesn't. .." Luke pleaded.
"Yes, Son. It does matter! As much as I wish I could say otherwise, by the Light Side, I swear I DID know Luke was our son when I did that to try to bring him to the Dark Side," Anakin sobbed.
"Ani, since I know you're sincerely sorry, I forgive you. I love you and want us to have a 2nd chance but I swear by the Light Side, if you ever, EVER physically hurt or use the Force against our progeny or any innocents again, not only won't I give you a 3rd chance, I will do all I can to DESTROY you even if it means destroying myself!" Padmé said in a voice of steel.
"Knowing what existence has been without you, I'd be destroyed if I lost you again so I promise to do all I can to resist the Dark Side's pull for all eternity," Anakin solemnly intoned.
"Very well- and don't think your Angel is incapable of being avenging to you," Padmé said with a half-laugh as she not-so-playfully banged his back.
Suddenly, the party heard a hostile growl as Chewbacca opened the gymnasium door then charged towards the group and made a beeline towards Anakin.
"Chewbacca! How could he know . .?" Luke gulped.
"Sense of smell,"Han smirked.
"RUN!" Leia begged.
"I'm through running from anything," Anakin insisted as he stood still while Chewbacca put his hands around Anakin's throat.
"NO! STOP! DON'T! He's changed!" Luke begged.
"Yeah, stop," Han whispered in an almost inaudible voice.
"I'm CHOKE sorry for I did to CHOKE allCHOKE of you!" Anakin gasped while Luke and Leia vainly tried to pull Chewbacca's hands off Anakin's throat.
"EW AGRH CHOW NOAC" Padmé pleaded.
At once Chewbacca lessened his death grip of Anakin's throat. He pleaded a growl.
"NOH BRAWR NOAC!" Padmé added- after which Chewbacca nodded and let go Anakin then looked towards Padmé for forgiveness.
"It's okay,Friend! You were trying to protect me and everyone else from him and it was a noble gesture. I wouldn't have come here or re-exposed you to him if I wasn't sure he had changed," Padmé sighed while tenderly patting Chewie's ribs.
"You know Wookiee?" Luke gulped.
"Your mother was a diplomat and she learned many languages. She always could make all but the heartless love her," Anakin sighed.
Chewbacca growled a reluctant growl.
"No, it's okay. I don't hold it against you," Anakin sighed as he patted Chewbacca.
"Et tu, Chewie," Han sneered.
"I didn't know you knew Wookiee, Father," Leia gulped.
"With the Force, I've learned to translate virtually every language but don't tell. ." Anakin started to say as Threepio and Artoo started to walk in.
"Hello, sir. I see you've joined Master Luke, Captain Solo, Chewbacca and Mistresses Padmé and Leia. Permit me to introduce myself, I'm. ." Threepio started.
"C-3PO, Human-cyborg relationships capable of communicating in six million forms," Anakin talked over Threepio with a wry laugh.
"But, sir, how could you . ..?" Threepio sputtered.
"He had a memory wipe shortly after Mustafar," Padmé quickly explained.
"How useful that would be," Anakin sighed.
"Yeah, for everyone else in the Galaxy to forget what you've done," Han sneered.
"Han!" Leia and Luke shouted while Han shrugged his shoulders.
"Excuse me, young sir but what are they talking about?" Threepio asked.
At that Artoo let out a series of excited beeps.
"Yes, Artoo, it's me! It's REALLY me, Anakin Skywalker," Anakin beamed as he patted Artoo's hood.
"You understand . ..?" Luke gulped.
"We both could- as could Obi-Wan," Padmé recalled.
"I've done some horrible things for many years. You may not believe it but I'm. .." Anakin started to say.
At that, Artoo charged at Anakin and zapped him in the backside with several electrical charges.
"OW! OW! OW!" Anakin yelped.
"Darth Vader! Impossible! What kind of short circuit could cause that mistake," Threepio sniffed.
"You're right, Artoo. I DID deserve that for all that I did against Padmé, my children, the Galaxy AND for sending a blast shot straight at you when I was chasing Luke over the First Death Star. I'm sincerely sorry about all that and I want all of us to be friends again. Never could pull any tricks on you, Old Friend," Anakin wryly laughed.
"I think dinner's getting cold," Leia cautioned.
"And I need to get dressed so I'll be back in no time," Anakin insisted as he ran off.
Less than a minute later, he reappeared in a sleeveless tan tunic and darker tan slacks with a utility belt- and open-toed leather calf-boots.
"Where did ya get that get-up?" Han asked .
"The Kaminoans have many changes of clothes at the ready for their patients- and 500 years past, some planet wanted to clone an acting troupe to play the parts of Jedi," Anakin explained.
"That's a Jedi uniform?" Luke gulped.
"From 500 years ago when the Order was more Spartan and less complacent than in . ..more recent times. I've had enough of hoods and capes for some time," Anakin explained.
"But. ." Luke started to say.
"I like this better. My new arms get to spar and hug unencumbered by sleeves- and I get to enjoy the novelty of feeling air through my toes again after over two decades of having no feet or legs," Anakin explained with a laugh as he hugged Padmé then flexed his toes while rejoining the others.
"Are we ever gonna eat? I'm starving!" Han whined.
They all sat down to the large banquet table with a large variety of meats, vegetables and drinks from all over the Galaxy.
"Mama, where have you been my whole life?" Luke asked.
"That's a very good question," Padmé sighed.
" It's quite something to hear," Leia proclaimed.
"Thank you. Well, after Mustafar, I knew that since the Jedi were hunted and our children had Jedi blood, I had to protect them even if it meant you had to be separated and I was no longer with you- AND I wanted to do all I could to see to it that Palpatine's smug 10 thousand year era prediction would not come true,"Padmé started.
"But, all of Naboo mourned you," Anakin said sadly.
"I know. After I bore the twins, I took a drug that induced the most shallow of breaths and made it appear I was dead and my own heart was broken again seeing everyone including my closest family mourn me," Padmé groaned.
"You put your own family through that? Why?" Luke asked.
"Because if they had no knowledge otherwise, no Sith could interrogate them to find where I or my babies were. I was perfectly still for five days until after the internment when I got safely pulled of my own sarcophagus," Padmé sighed.
"Who pulled you out? Ben Kenobi?" Han asked.
"No, he was busy finding a hiding place for Luke and Yoda was finding one for Leia at that time. It was someone named Jar-Jar. .." Padmé wryly laughed.
"Jar-Jar BINKS! " Anakin burst out laughing as he nearly choked on his blue bantha milk drink.
"You seem surprised!" Luke laughed.
"If you'd ever met Jar-Jar, you'd understand your father's reaction. He was clumsiest oaf imaginable who unintentionally messed up everything he touched- with one exception," Padmé laughed- as she pointed to herself.
"Not to mention that his sputtering jibberish was both annoying and not a little offensive. He could try an Angel's patience," Anakin recalled while looking at Padmé.
" And it was he who called on Palpatine to be granted 'special powers' in the Senate Hive," Padmé groaned.
"So why would Yoda, Obi-Wan. .?" Anakin asked.
"Because they knew he was literally the last individual ANYone would suspect of carrying out a plan successfully. I was surprised when he succeeded in getting me away from Naboo unharmed with no one else seeing me," Padmé recalled.
"Wow! I'd like to meet him," Luke beamed.
"Son, the novelty of wanting to know him would wear out after five minutes. Trust me," Anakin laughed.
"So, he actually pulled it off and didn't say anything?" Leia said in astonishment.
"Yes- and to make sure he didn't give anything away, by all accounts I've read from Naboo, he never uttered another sound the rest of his life. Everyone else thought it was due to extreme mourning for me, though, " Padmé sighed.
"So where did you go, My Angel?" Anakin asked.
"Many different places under many different names, I worked many jobs and lived hand to mouth but all along I worked in the rank and file of the Resistance,"Padmé explained.
"Oh, you had to know poverty? I'm so sorry, My Angel," Anakin groaned.
"Poverty's no hardship for me- as long as I know I'm helping," Padmé consoled.
"And I know you never ever were untrue to me- nor have I been to you," Anakin beamed while kissing her.
" I know you couldn't have been for so long due to. . . Mustafar," Padmé sighed.
"Even had I been able, that's the one thing I could have never done to your memory. And to think I accused you of horrible things, called you a liar and screamed at you in a tone of voice that would have spurred me to knock anyone else using it to you to the ground," Anakin groaned.
"It would have been easier to hate you if it had been another lover who turned your heart but competing against the Emperor, the Dark Side and the Empire? That was tough," Padmé groaned.
"And yet you didn't hide or give up and took all those risks with the Alliance. I'm quite amazed," Anakin gulped.
"I had to see to it our children and every other child in the Galaxy would be free," Padmé beamed.
"I wish I'd known you growing up," Luke started to cry.
"Me,too, my son! But I couldn't take the chance of Palpatine- and then Darth Vader finding you or Leia," Padmé cried while she, Luke and Leia all hugged.
"When did you know I was Darth Vader? Palpatine tried to make it seem as though he himself had concocted me from Mustafar onward-like he wanted everyone to think he'd done with Darth Maul," Anakin groaned.
"Oh, comparing your last atrocities with Vader's wasn't that hard, Ani. Did you ever find out that Palpatine was behind Qui-Gonn's. ..?" Padmé sniffed.
Anakin broke into a racking sob at that.
" A few years after Mustafar but by then I'd chosen to believe that ALL Jedi save myself were evil as per Palpatine's propaganda. Until Luke saved me, I refused to believe anything else," Anakin sobbed.
" I imagine the Sith had a great deal of propaganda," Leia deeply groaned.
"You wouldn't believe the extent of it! To console myself over wrenching myself from all those I loved, I made finding out the REAL story of the Sith my hobby. Did you know that it was Master Yoda himself who defeated Darth Plageus in combat over 800 years ago?" Padmé asked.
"Someone could live 800 years?" Han gulped.
"Master Yoda lived to be 900 years old-until two months ago!" Luke beamed.
" But the Sith never would want to accept their defeat at Jedi hands, so they pretended that Darth Plageous had learned to halt death and create life. .." Padmé started to say.
"As if the Sith could create ANYthing," Luke sneered.
"Whoever believed that had to be unbelievably STUPID!" Han sputtered.
"Tell me about it," Anakin groaned while shaking his head.
"Anyway, from that point on, the successive Sith Masters all pretended to have BEEN Plageous's own Apprentice who'd backstabbed him in his sleep but not a single Sith ever lived past 100!" Padmé exclaimed triumphantly.
"In spite of them draining so much from so many," Leia groaned.
"Maybe because of that!" Luke beamed with a snap of his fingers.
"But, of course, it wouldn't have done for them to admit that it was a Jedi who'd not only lived for centuries but had ALSO defeated their most powerful Master in times past- so, par for the course, they twisted the truth to an enticing self-serving lie," Padmé laughed.
"Who've thought we'd be eating dinner with the biggest Sith expert in the Galaxy- our mother?" Luke laughed.
"Ahem," Anakin pointed to himself.
"That's right," Leia gulped.
"But now that we have you, you can do MUCH to help me restart the Jedi Order including with your help in outflanking the Sith," Luke exclaimed.
"This family reunion stuff's nice an' mushy but don't ya have something to tell 'em, Your Highnessess," Han asked.
"Not now, Han," Leia groaned.
"No, I think now's as good a time as any, " Han insisted.
"OK, it's not that I don't love you, Mama or Luke and I'll tell everyone how we're related but . . ." Leia groaned.
"You're not going to be a Skywalker?" Luke sighed.
"It's your birthright and your safe now," Padmé pleaded.
" I know Mama- and the month we've been reunited I feel as though we've known each other my whole life. I hope we can ALL feel that way before too long," Leia sighed.
" I could feel Mama's love before I saw her- even without the Force!" Luke proclaimed.
"But, I'm an Alderaanean and will be my whole life- and I feel I owe it to my adoptive family who never made me feel anything but their beloved daughter to keep the Organa name alive," Leia explained.
"And being the only Organa to survive, you've been the inspiration the Alderaaneans have looked to these past four years," Luke conceded.
" I understand," Anakin said quietly.
"And I understand you DO wish you could take back what you allowed to happen to Alderaan," Leia quietly groaned.
After a few more hours of catching up (and finding out that the New Republic had yet to recapture Coruscant but was still headquartered in Endor), Anakin grew quiet.
"What's wrong, Ani," Padmé asked.
" I'm trying to drink this time in as best I can before I do what I must," Anakin groaned.
"Father, NO!" Luke begged.
"What's going on?" Han asked.
"Father wants to turn himself into the New Republic and throw himself on the mercy of their courts," Luke deeply groaned.
"About time!" Han beamed.
"Anakin, you don't have to prove your remorse to me, I can FEEL it!" Padmé pleaded as she clutched his right hand.
"Luke, I appreciate all you- and everyone have done for me but that doesn't change all the terrible things I did in the past or make them right," Anakin insisted.
"But they could execute you!" Luke gulped.
"Or send me to Kessel rest of my life or put me in another prison. I know and I'm willing to accept whatever punishment they mete," Anakin said with a gulp.
"You don't have to do this," Luke pleaded.
" Yes, I DO! It won't be too long before everyone figures out that I was Vader and I don't want that soiling your, your sister's or mother's chances for new lives," Anakin pleaded.
"You won't! I'll tell everyone what you did for me- and the Galaxy with the Emperor!" Luke insisted.
"They'd think you were just making it up to protect me- as would you if you hadn't witnessed," Anakin sighed.
"But it's been so brief a time you've been free," Luke sniffed.
"Nothing and no one can take this time away from me!" Anakin implored.
"So it's straight to Endor then the hoosegow fer ya,right?" Han asked as they were fueling up while they were ready to leave Kamino's sheltered space port.
"No, on the way there, we need to stop in Tatooine. I need to give Mama a proper goodbye and introduce my family to her before my fate's decided," Anakin sighed.
"Fair enough, Pops, but no tricks!" Han warned.
"We'll tow bind Vader's craft to the Falcon, drop it off behind the Tatooine moon then go straight to Mos Eisley. Are you sure about this, Father?" Luke asked.
"Never been sure of anything else!" Anakin proclaimed as they boarded the Falcon.
"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Han asked as Anakin parked the large rented hovercraft outside the scorched remains of the Lars Homestead.
"Because, you and Chewie are almost as curious as I to see where Luke grew up and where my grandmother rests," Leia explained.
"Ani, oh, those Stormtroopers truly obliterated things here," Padmé sighed as he clutched her hand.
" I didn't mean for them,too. I just told them to seek out the blue hydromech droid that had Leia's plans. Never knew it was Artoo much less that he'd have headed here," Anakin gulped.
"And how many OTHER homes did you have them burn out the inhabitants of?" Han asked accusingly.
"I know it doesn't make it any more right my not knowing it was my family's but after awhile I convinced myself that everyone else was an insect to stomp on," Anakin groaned.
"I had to bury Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru with my bare hands AND your lightsabre digging into the ground!" Luke said- still bitter.
"I know," Anakin said sorrowfully.
"Did you ever find out it was. ..them and what did you do, Father?" Leia asked.
" A few days after the 1st Death Star's Explosion, I looked over the Stormtrooper reports over what they'd found in Tatooine and came upon this. When I discovered they'd desecrated my mother's resting place, I summoned those responsible into my Quarters and using my own physical strength, lifted them up one by one with my left GOOD hand and choked them. They never knew WHY," Anakin shuddered while looking at his left hand in horror.
"If it's any consolation, of all your atrocities I'm sorry you did, that's likely the least one I'm sorry about," Luke said quietly as they walked towards the scorched but still intact grave marker of Shmi Skywalker until Anakin came to its base and kneeled down on both knees..
" I can't. .can't believe we're ALL here after all these years. Hello, Nana Shmi, Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru," Luke gulped.
"Captain Solo, you must have thought I HAD no mother or came from an especially heinously brutal one but nothing could be further from the truth,"Anakin started to say.
"You mean, you went Sith IN SPITE of having a good mother?" Han gulped.
"Not good. An EXCELLENT one- as anyone who ever met her would attest to," Anakin gulped.
"It's true," Padmé quietly replied while hugging Anakin and their children on both sides of him who joined him in kneeling.
"Mama, it's your Ani. You sent me away because you believed I could bring hope to the hopeless. Instead I just spread more hopelessness than you can imagine. I went against everything you ever taught me and ignored the love you sent to follow me to follow the path of someone not worth an atom of your being,"Anakin sobbed.
Everyone (including Han) started to puddle up at that.
"You were taken from me by those Sand People in that wretch's employ and instead of following the path you and the good Jedi had shown me, I used my powers to become the most hideous of creatures hurting all who loved me! Even though death spared you seeing me doing that, I know you had to know and I'm sorry you've had to suffer," Anakin bawled.
Han momentarily thought of quipping about her not being the only one to suffer but, for once, kept it to himself.
"I leave here forever to let the New Republic inflict what they feel necessary to me- and I want you to know that your spirit lived on in your grandson Luke who saved me from an eternal prison worse than anything that can be done to me. HE is the Head of the Skywalker Family now for he,your granddaughter Leia and daughter-in-law Padmé embody what the Skywalkers were always meant to be. I pray can forgive me and we can meet again, Mama. Goodbye and thank Owen and Beru for raising Luke so well and for being willing to sacrifice themselves for his sake," Anakin sobbed.
Nothing else was said as they quietly planted desert flowers on the spot and Anakin carved a small marker for Owen and Beru using his lightsabre.
"You okay, Kid? Your pops made right by Grandma and we're almost at our docking bay," Han asked- as the eight of them were walking from the hovercraft rental store in Mos Eisley back to the Falcon's docking bay.
"I can't help but feel that there's more that needs to be done here," Luke insisted.
"I still don't LIKE your old man," Han started with an eye roll- not a little discomfited that Anakin appeared the same age as his children, Han's friends.
"Han," Leia started.
"But, I gotta admit it was good to find you've got some good genes his side that skipped a generation and I liked what he said about Grandma," Han added.
"But I agree with Luke, there was more that could be done here," Leia sighed.
"Well, it's over with now. It's in the Force's hands' now- courtesy of the New. .." Anakin groaned as they entered docking bay and saw a bent, deeply tanned, grey-haired man sweeping the docking bay floor.
"Ani! Ani Skywalker! You've come back to FREE US! I always KNEW you would, " the man exclaimed gave Anakin a bearhug right then and there.
"Kitster Banai? Is that you!"Padmé asked in astonishment.
"Lady Padmé, you live, too- and I see that this is your son, Luke!" Kitster beamed as he hugged Padmé as well.
"You've heard of me?" Luke gulped.
"Who hasn't! The way you defeated that awful Jabba's been the talk of the Outer Rim- and I knew you HAD to be Ani's son and could the princess who choked Jabba be Ani's daughter?"! Kitster exclaimed.
"Yes, it is," Leia said with a touch of pride- including some she wouldn't have expected in others identifying her as Anakin's daughter.
"Kitster, I. .don't . .. know what to say," Anakin gulped to his one-time friend his exact age.
"Why should you be surprised by these two? The way you won your own freedom in that Pod Race and became a JEDI! Come with me! I want all of you to meet my family!" Kitster exclaimed with pride.
"Family?" Anakin asked.
"You remember Amee. Well, we've been mates almost thirty standard years and we got to keep one son Bruard whose mate Chiara is going to make us grandparents in a few months! " Kitster beamed.
" I. ..wish I could but I must be going very soon, "Anakin gulped.
"It will only take a few minutes ! The Slave Quarters aren't too far. They haven't been moved. Wait'll they see the proof that you SURVIVED the Jedi Slaughter intact and the Force itself has preserved you at your physical peak so you can FREE us! Ani's not just the Chosen One but he's my best friend,too!" Kitster exclaimed while banging Anakin's back to the stunned group.
"We can stay long enough to meet your family. We'd be honored," Padmé enthused.
"Yeah, we sure WOULD!",Luke beamed.
"Luke, don't you, Leia and Padmé let Kitster drag us away from this ship," Anakin begged via the Force.
"Father, you yourself said don't underestimate the Power of the Force- and you're not keeping any of us away from hearing about your heroic childhood!" Luke replied via the Force.
"Chewie, get back here! What do you mean you want to find out about his slave experiences?" Han snarled as Chewbacca followed the others.
" Don't think that this is changing my. .." Anakin pleaded to Luke via the Force as he reluctantly followed the rest of them trailing Kitster.
"Father, what's a brief delay anyway?" Luke beamed to Anakin via the Force.