Penpals 23: Luke Skywalker

"There! I sent him a letter! Are you happy now?" Luke asked as he turned slightly in his seat to glance at Leia. "I still think it's a silly idea! Even if he IS Darth Vader, he's not going to move the whole fleet over here just because of ME! I mean, do you know how dumb that sounds?"

Leia gripped Luke's hand and held it. "Luke, you're not a moisture farmer any more. You're used to being unimportant and ignored, but you've changed. You're a hero of the Alliance now. I know you may not feel like one but you are. You're special. That's why you're reaching your penpal, whoever he really is. And he may really move the entire fleet if he thinks you're in danger! Han risked his life to save you. I would, too. A lot of people here would. I have to presume that your pal feels the same way."

Luke stared at her. "So you're saying that Anakin may come out here to save me."

"Yes." Leia stated.

"So he's not evil then?" Luke asked, wanting Leia to answer his original question. "I mean, him coming here to rescue me … that would be a good thing, right?"

"It's complicated!" Leia sighed.

"Luke, no matter how you cut it Anakin is still an Imperial." Han rested his hands on the game table's top and leaned forward closer to Luke, a half-grin on his face. But the smile didn't touch his dark eyes those were completely serious. "If he rescues you, you just might end up in the detention block. Don't forget how we met Leia."

"But I still want to help him!" Luke cried. "And I'm sure he wouldn't lock me in a cell! He cares about me. You said so yourself!"

"Yes, I did." Leia agreed. "But what about me? Your penpal doesn't care about me and I'm a known Rebel. They had me on the execution list before. What do you think your penpal were to do if he caught me? Do you really think he'd let me go just because you asked him to?"

Luke grew silent, the full weight of the problem settling on his shoulders. The little he knew about the Empire suggested they were very rule-oriented. He would like to imagine that Anakin would let his friends go, but he knew that was highly unlikely. "No, I guess not."

"Yeah, and if he did he'd a heck of a time explaining it to his superiors." Han commented. "Kid, you just got yourself stuck smack dab in the middle of a mess."

'I know…" Luke hung his head and twisted his hands together nervously. He could imagine Anakin all by himself and so lonely, stuck on that monster of a ship. Strange how a person could be surrounded by people and yet be apart. He had lost his faith in others and it was up to him to restore that faith. Lifting his head, he stared Princess Leia in the eye. "I want to help him, whether he's an Imperial or not. He has the full Jedi training and that's of great value to me. I need someone to teach me so I can become a Jedi and he's the only one available! And if I have to leave Hoth, well, then I will!"

"Luke, we're not asking you to leave!" Leia quickly said, surprise on her face. "But I am worried about you. How do I know leaving is your idea and not Vader's?"

Luke smiled. "He's not inside my head, Leia!"

"But how are we to know he's not?" she asked, concerned. "Do you even know what a Sith can do?"

"No, not really." Luke admitted.

"Look, Kid, I'm sorry about what I said earlier." Han said as he straightened up and put his hands on his belt. "I know that pal means a lot to you and well, that was just a dumb idea. OK? I was scared Leia wouldn't want you writing to him and well, that seemed like a good reason to me for you to continue your correspondence. But are you really serious about helping him? I mean, would you want to help him even if he IS Darth Vader?"

Luke paused before he answered. "If he's the one writing me the letters, yes."

Leia's mouth dropped open. "You'd really want to help that … monster?!"

"Everyone should have an opportunity to be redeemed, Leia." Luke replied calmly. The dark image of Vader with that scary mask and those breathing sounds still gave him the willies, but he was willing to overlook it for now. The Jedi of the Old Republic used to live and study in a temple and Luke supposed that made them priests of a sort. And wasn't it the job of a priest to help redeem people, to help them start a new life? "I'm sure you've done things in your life that you regret as well. Don't hold a grudge against him. If we can help him, we should. I can't become a Jedi by myself. Besides, he's my father. I can't stand the thought of him being alone. Besides, we shouldn't judge a person by how they look. It's his costume that really inspires fear in people. It's what's deep inside that really counts and I think he's proved somewhat that he's changing!"

Luke clicked on the new letter that was waiting in his mailbox and began to read. He had promised Anakin that he'd read it and he would. Besides, he really wanted to see what his father looked like these days.

Leia watched him and shook her head. "I don't believe this! He's really going to help Vader!"

"Yeah, I guess so…" Han stated as he stood there uncertainly.

Luke's eyes locked on one particular line of the letter and he read it out loud so his friends could hear. "You're the only bright spot in it and I'm scared I'll loose you once you learn the horrible truth about me. There are so many things I haven't told you yet. I'm sure you'll hate me then."

The three companions were quiet for a long time as the ominous words sunk into their heads. They glanced at each other nervously, neither of the three wanting to be the one to break the silence and saying what they were all thinking in their heads. They had been guessing that Anakin was Darth Vader, but that sentence almost proved that he was.

Finally Luke broke the silence himself. "See? That's why I can't give up on him! He's relying on me, practically asking for help the only way he knows how! We just can't abandon him to the wolves! And listen to this: You can't change the past. Not even a Jedi can do that. I wish I could…"

"Now if that's not a cry for help, then what is it?" Luke glanced from Han to Leia, determination in his pale blue eyes. "Are you just going to sit around and let the Emperor continue messing with his mind or are we going to do something to help?"

Han raised his arms out to the sides, a blank expression on his face. "What do you expect us to do? I mean, it's Darth Vader! I just can't fly over to Executor and offer to take him on the Falcon!"

"Oooo, I don't know!" Luke cried, frustration eating at his insides. He was beginning to get nervous and jumpy now. He didn't want to be sitting here but out rescuing Anakin from the evil Empire.

/I have to do something!/

He turned to Leia and stared at her.

"Why are you looking at me for? I don't even like him! Besides, he's your friend!" Leia protested as she slid out of the seat and backed away from Luke. She stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes and then sighed loudly, her hands slapping against her thighs. "All right! I'll try to think of something, but I'm not making any promises! And I think you need to be supervised in these communications with Vader. I admit he may be changing and feeling regret, but it all still could be a hoax. And even if he's being honest, well, he's apparently unpredictable. What if you say something that angers him? Will he turn on you like he turned on Ben? I think you should consider that, too, Luke. Don't go rushing into this."

"Yeah," Han agreed as he placed a warm hand on Luke's shoulder. "It reminds me of the advice they give to people that want to get a nexu. You may feel sorry for the poor nexu that was abused by his previous owner and want to adopt him out of pity, but it's a bad idea. That nexu makes a very bad pet and most likely will be violent. It could turn on you without warning."

"Han, we're talking about a person here, not a pet!" Luke protested loudly, outraged.

"Yeah, but Vader may be like that abused nexu and very dangerous. I just want you to know what you're taking on, Kid. It's not going to be a picnic." Han explained to the younger man. "You just can't take him under your wing and all his problems will disappear. It doesn't work that way."

"I know…" Luke stated.

"Do you? I don't think you do." Han said as he turned around and headed for the cockpit, the empty caf cup in his hand. He returned a moment later with the cup steaming. "I think you're just trying to avoid an argument. Your Uncle pushed you around a lot and you learned to agree with the other person to avoid a fight. Well, I'm not sure that'll work very well on Vader. You get him here and you better learn to hold your own or he'll be turning you into a Sith. You have to learn to stand up for yourself and not be such an easy pushover."

"I'm not a pushover!" Luke protested wildly. "A Jedi is supposed to be a peace-maker, anyway!"

"Call it what you want, Kid, but if you want to deal with Vader you better get a solid titanium backbone." The smuggler leaned against the wall and sipped his caf.

Luke sighed and slunk down in his chair, his legs stretched out before him. Sooner or later he knew he'd have to face his penpal in person and if it WAS Vader, well, then Han might be right again. He'd have to rely on Vader to train him as a Jedi and that would include an awful lot of trust.

/Can I really trust a Sith to train me, even an ex-Sith?/

Was it even possible to cure a person of being a Sith? He knew so little and was just going by instinct. What if what he wanted was impossible? He could still be chasing after an imaginary dream and just be too stupid to realize it.

/I could end up a Sith myself…/

Yes, that certainly was possible.

/But I have to try!/

Clicking the button, Luke prepared to send Anakin another letter.

Dear Father,

I am replying to the letter you sent. You should have received my previous letter and know that I am OK. Like I said, I had gotten attacked by some snow beast and almost froze to death. I should have been more careful, but I wasn't. The wind was blowing the snow around and it was so hard to see. Plus I had been watching a meteor that had fallen to the snow nearby. I had never seen one before. I know you must have seen tons but it was my first one. I guess I allowed it to distract me. And it was just so cold I really didn't see how anything could live out there. But you were right and I was wrong.

Are you saying the Emperor is a Sith, too? I thought he was just, well, the Emperor! You know, a politician. Do you really know him? He looks like he's really old. I saw him a few times on the holonews…

That sounds like the Ben I knew. I wouldn't want to think that he'd be capable of pushing you like that. And that must be a horrible feeling to think your whole life may be based on a lie. But it's never too late to start over. I'm here and I'll help you any way I can. I would still like to train as a Jedi and you can be my teacher. Why don't we meet somewhere? Do you think that could be possible? Of course, you can send me the photo first so I'll know you when we meet. There are a lot of worlds out there and I'm sure the Emperor doesn't control all of them.

I would have liked to see Naboo. But perhaps we could do that someday. We could go there together and you could point out the sights and tell me more about Mother. Or would that be too painful for you?

I once was certain my whole life would be spent as a moisture farmer. I felt trapped, as my Uncle needed my help and I didn't want to hurt his feelings. He kept promising me that I could leave next year, but next year never came. He always wanted one more year. I was stuck in a rut and I wasn't really happy. But then they were both killed and suddenly I was free. What I'm trying to say is that I don't think I would have had the guts to leave on my own, the way my friends did. It takes a lot of guts to step out of the familiar life you're in for the unknown. And if you're unhappy where you are, well, you have to be brave and just change your life. You can have a new life with me as your student, but you have to leave your old life behind. I think we both know you can't train me on Executor. There would be just no way to explain my presence. And I'm sure Vader would notice. Like you say, he's a Sith.

I could never hate you. Please don't think that way. I'm so happy that I found you.

I don't blame you for getting married. I don't see how the Council could expect people to live like that. People are not droids! Why, this one droid I have is very emotional! He's scared of so many things and has a big motor mouth that's always running! You should see him! I swear, they act just like humans do!

No truth could be so horrible that you'll loose me. You're my Father and I care about you!

Please write soon!!

Your loving son,

Luke

Luke clicked the button and sent the letter on its way.