Penpals 30

"Leia? Wait, what do you mean she was captured by the Imperials?" Luke said frantically, his blue eyes widening in panic. "Why didn't you try to save her?"

"Calm down, Kid." Han's voice came over the comm. as the Falcon moved into sight. The big freighter hovered before the much smaller X-wing, beat and battered. "I did everything I could to reach her, all right? But the ceiling caved in and my blaster couldn't cut through the ice…"

Luke's voice butted in. "And you just left her there? We just rescued her not that long ago!"

"I know that!" Han's voice sounded irritated and gruff. "Look, Luke, I did everything that I could, OK? I would have stayed as well but Leia told me to get out, to find you. She said you could write Vader another letter…"

Luke groaned loudly and allowed his helmeted head to sink back against the padded seat of his fighter ship. Reaching up, he ran a tired hand across his face. This was great, just great! Just because he had blown up the Death Star and had accidentally starting writing letters so someone on Executor, they now expected him to do another miracle: to convince Darth Vader to release Leia! He felt the heavy weight of responsibility pile on his shoulders and he groaned louder, his fingers massaging his closed eyelids. It was impossible!

Static crackled over the open comm. and then Han's voice came again, his tone questioning and worried. "Luke, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here…" Luke half-heartedly replied. He knew what his friend wanted, but doubt of his own ability gnawed at his insides like gnawing rodents. "I … I don't think I can do what you want me to do…"

"Look, all you have to do is write him a letter! You've been doing that for a while now!"

"Yeah, I know I have. But this is different." Luke imagined sitting before the computer screen on the Falcon, the empty letterform before him. How could he possibly ask his Father to let Leia go? He would be asking the older man to break Imperial rules for him. What if he were to get in more trouble? Surely someone would report it?

/But I can't leave Leia there, either…/

No, he couldn't. It was his fault that she had been captured in the first place! He remembered finding her sitting inside the cell on the Death Star. The room had been empty and barren except for the cold, hard metal bunk. And she had said they had tortured her. What was happening to Leia now? Was she being tortured on Executor? Were they sticking more sharp needles into her tender skin or using electricity?

/No! Father wouldn't do that anymore!./

But how could he know for sure? If Vader really was his father, then his father was a Sith. Sith were supposed to be bad and evil. They were supposed to enjoy torturing people, weren't they? He could almost see Vader's dark shape closing in on the Princess, some unknown torture device in his hand…

No! Luke shook his head roughly to force the image away. His father wouldn't do such a thing!

/But Father said that the Rebels were petty criminals, terrorists…/

Did he really have enough control over the man to convince him to release Leia, even if he did ask? Such a request would mean that Anakin needed to trust him, didn't it? And everyone in the past had betrayed him. Why should Anakin listen to his plea to let Leia go? What would he get in return? What did he have to offer the Sith Lord?

/Only myself…/

But could he really do that? Could he just go up to Executor and hand himself over? The idea was frightening and Luke could feel his heart rate increase, as did his breathing. The last time he had seen that hulking dark figure was in the landing bay on the now destroyed Death Star. Ben had engaged Vader in a lightsaber duel, scarifying his own life so he and the others could escape. He remembered that terrible moment, the red blade slicing through Ben's body as if it weren't there and then it wasn't. The dark brown robe fell to the floor and the Sith Lord had stamped his boot on it, probably just as confused as he was. Luke remembered screaming in shock and horror, then someone had hauled him into the ship and they had blasted out of there.

/How can I do it? How can I face him again, even if he is my father?./

A shiver ran down Luke's spine and he finally admitted he was more than a little fearful of Vader. It was one thing to think his penpal may be the Sith Lord, but to actually go face him…

/I don't know if I can do that…./

An image of Leia flashed before his blue eyes and Luke hung his head. Scared or not, he would have to go face him. This was his entire fault and if anything ever happened to the Princess, well, he'd never forgive himself! The thought of her death hanging on his head, it was too much to bear. She was always so much in control, so brave and beautiful.

/She would be a far better Jedi than I could ever be…/

Leia always knew the right thing to do. She didn't waste her time moping about or worrying about dumb stuff. No, she just ran out and did whatever needed to be done. Why couldn't he be more like that? Why did he have to second and third guess everything? Where was his self-confidence? Everyone else thought he was some hero. Why couldn't he see the hero in himself? Sighing again, Luke noticed his comm. was squawking loudly, Han's voice in a panic.

"LUKE! Answer me!"

"Yeah, I'm here." The young Jedi answered. He felt guilty for not answering the smuggler right away, but it was just a small guilt; nothing compared to how he had betrayed the Alliance. "I was just thinking, is all…"

"You think too much, Kid. That's your problem." Han's voice replied. "Look, there's a nice quiet planet near here. Why don't we go there and you can come aboard, send your buddy Vader a letter…"

"All right." Luke agreed without a fuss, feeling as if he didn't have a choice. What else could he do? And the sooner he sent him a letter; the better off it would be for Leia. But what if it didn't work? What if his father no longer trusted him? Had his father ever trusted him in the first place? If so, why had he attacked the Hoth base? Didn't Anakin care about his safety? Had he been trying to kill him? Surely a rescue effort wouldn't involve ATATs and deadly laser barrage?

/Did he do all that just because I was sick after the ice creature attack? Is he that unstable?./

A new worry nipped at his mind as he expertly piloted his small craft towards the blue and green world Han had found. Within a short time he had landed in a green valley surrounded by towering cliffs on all sides. As far as he could tell, there were no other life forms around. But then, that's what he had thought out on the ice sheets of Hoth…

/If only I hadn't checked out that stupid meteorite!./

That had been when his real problems had started or so it seemed. He had gotten attacked, almost eaten, suffered hypothermia and almost froze to death and to top it all off the base had been attacked because he hadn't written his pal a letter! Shaking his head in utter misery, he popped open the canopy of his fighter and breathed in the delightedly fresh air. Although he hadn't noticed it, the air within his ship had started to grown stale and the brisk wind helped revive him. Removing his helmet, he enjoyed the sensation of wind whipping through his sandy locks of hair. It felt delicious and he considered just sitting here for some time to enjoy it. But then his blue eyes fell on the dark hull of the Falcon and he knew he had to get moving. The ramp was already lowing and Han's figure appeared. The smuggler moved down the ramp with his usual swagger, his weapons riding low on his hips. Sighing again, Luke tossed his helmet within his ship and heaved himself up out of the seat. Getting to his feet, he stepped out onto the wing and then leaped to the soft grass, his knees bending slightly to ease the impact.

"You look terrible, Kid." Han remarked as he placed a comforting hand on the Jedi's shoulder. "Your eyes are all red and puffy."

"It's … it's all my fault!" Luke admitted, his voice breaking. "I … I was crying earlier. I didn't mean for the Base to get attacked. You believe me, don't you, Han?"

"Luke, this isn't your fault!" Han gripped him by both shoulders tightly and attempted to look into his red-rimmed eyes. "Now you get that idea out of your head because it isn't true! The Empire's always searches for the Rebel Bases! You know that. It's all they ever do. Who knows how many probe droids they got scattered across the galaxy, how many ships?"

"But if I hadn't been writing to my father…" Luke glanced up hopefully at the older man. He really wanted to believe the other's comforting words but deep down in his heart he knew it wasn't true. Han had warned him not to say too much to the Imperial and he hadn't listened. He had been too naïve and stupid. He had presumed the galaxy too big for even a brief description of the current base to be helpful. How was he to know that was all they had needed?

"This would have happened anyway." Han told him. Pulling one hand away, he led the younger into the ship. "Look, I feel bad for leaving Leia like that, too! OK? I would have rather stayed and blasted those Imperials, even if it would have cost me my life. Better to go out in a blaze of glory, huh?"

Luke shrugged. He had enough death and didn't want to imagine Han dying in a shootout with stormtroopers. It was too painful to contemplate. He boots clomped loudly on the metal deck and Luke paused to run a hand through his shaggy hair. The gaming table with his computer was within sight and he dreaded going anywhere near it. It was almost as if he was running from his father now that he had found him. But that was just crazy.

"Han, I feel as if I don't know what I'm doing anymore…" Luke walked the few remaining steps to the game table and plopped down heavily into the seat, leaning back against the nearby wall. "I've wanted my father my whole life and now that I found him, I ran! The mere idea of going to meet him, it … it scares me."

The smuggler watched Luke with an uneasy expression on his face. Nervously he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, wanting to comfort him but unsure how. The Kid's father was Darth Vader, for crying out loud! It was a fate he wouldn't push on his worst enemy and yet the poor Kid got stuck with it. The fact was clearing tearing him up inside. "Look, Luke. You don't have to go meet him. You just have to write him a letter."

"I know, Han." Luke raised his head off the wall and stared the smuggler in the face. "And I also know no matter what I write, he's not just going to hand her over. Even I'm not that foolish. He's going to want something in return and that something is going to be me."

"Hey! Wait a minute here!" Han exclaimed, his voice loud in the empty room. "You're not going to hand yourself over to Vader! That's too risky and I can't allow it! Do you know how much your worth to the Alliance? You're their hero! You got those magic powers!"

Luke gazed calmly at his older friend. "I thought you didn't believe in the Force?"

"I don't, but the Alliance does. Do you realize what they'd do to me if I allow you to do some risky stunk like that? They'd put a price on my head, that's what! Like it isn't bad enough with Jabba after me…" Han grimaced at the thought and then rushed up to the gaming table. Gripping Luke's hand, he held it in both of his hands. "You're the hero, Luke. The whole Alliance looks up to you. I know you said you don't feel like a hero, but it's true. And that plan, it's too risky…"

"But so was the one where we rescued Leia…"

"That was sheer idiocy!" Han agreed as he remembered racing down long glistening hallways with packs of stormtroopers after him. "We're lucky we didn't get ourselves killed. I still can't believe I even did that. But that was different, Kid. We were already inside the Death Star and didn't have much to loose."

"But I just can't leave Leia!" Luke exclaimed as he yanked his hand away from the smuggler. Sliding out of the seat and pushing his way past Han, he stood in the middle of the floor. Turning, he stared the other defiantly in the eyes. "You keep calling me a hero. Well, isn't that what hero's do? They risk their life to save someone else's! I can't hide out here like a coward when I caused this mess! And whether you like it or not, I think my plan is our only option. Believe me, I don't like it any more than you do. I'm not even sure I can trust Anakin after what happened on Hoth. You keep claiming he's Vader, but I'm not sure he is."

Luke hung his head for a moment, going silent. "I … I feel it in my gut though, that he's Vader, I mean. I keep hoping that maybe he isn't but I've pretty much accepted that he is. Well, mentally that is. It's the part of facing him I'm worried about…"

"No one would ask you to do that, not even the Alliance!"

"But it is my job, Han." Luke raised his head again and removed his lightsaber from his belt. He turned the silver handled weapon over in his hands, examining it. "This is proof that it's my job to face him. He's a Sith and it was the duty of a Jedi to kill Sith. Yet I don't want to kill him. I want to save him. My father made this lightsaber, you know. It's the only thing I have from him…"

Han sighed and spun around in a circle, aspirated. He felt like throwing his arms up in the air and giving up, walking away. Yet he couldn't do that, either. "Luke, you can't hand yourself over to Vader! He'll kill you! You barely know how to use that thing! That old man tried to fight Vader and you saw what happened to him! And he was trained in the Jedi nonsense! What do you think you could possibly do that he couldn't?"

"I can reach his heart." Luke simply stated. "I'm sure he loves me. I just wish I knew why he had attacked Hoth…"

"Well, why don't you ask him?" Han grinned and pointed at the computer. The cocky grin was back on the smuggler's face. "And why you're at it, you can ask him about Leia, too!"

"I guess you're right." Luke hooked his lightsaber on his belt and headed back towards the waiting computer. He still was unsure of what he would write to his father or how he could possibly ask him to let Leia go. Heck, he still didn't even know how to bring up the topic that Anakin may be Darth Vader! Surely he couldn't just ask him, could he? Why did everything have to be so complicated?

/It's this dumb war!./

Back when he had lived on Tatooine with his Uncle, the Rebellion had sounded exciting but now he knew it wasn't. It just caused lots of problems for everyone involved.

/If I hadn't got mixed up in the Rebellion, I probably could have just gone and met my Father!./

Yes, he could have. The thought was staggering and Luke was thankful that he was already seated. Feeling ashamed of his thoughts, he lowered his eyes towards the keyboard so Han couldn't see what was running through his mind. He didn't want his friend to know of the scandalous ideas he was having, to know he was second thinking his choices. Not that he could really do anything about it, now. No, it was too late. He was involved in the Rebellion up to his eyebrows and was known as a central figure in the recent victory against the Empire. And his friend was probably right; the Empire no doubt had his name by now. They could have easily backtracked the path of the Falcon to his desert homeworld and then to the burned farm. Suddenly those worried exchanges between his Aunt and Uncle made sense. Had they known his father was Vader? Is that why Owen had been so persistent in keeping him on the farm for season after season?

/I'm sorry, Uncle. I had no idea you were protecting me from a horrible truth…./

If he had known his father had been Vader, would he have run off to join the Empire? He didn't know. The thoughts in his head were too far mixed up. Both sides seem to have valid points…

Reaching out, Luke turned the computer on and patiently waited for it to run through its cycle. When it was ready, he signed onto the galaticweb and looked at his email. Had Anakin sent him another letter? Yes, there was a letter waiting that he hadn't read yet! And better yet, there was the icon that said a photo was attached!

/I'll finally get to see my Father!./

Excitement raced through his body at the thought followed just as quickly by dread. He couldn't help remembering what Anakin had told him of his injuries and he felt ashamed that he was frightened to look at the photo. What if it was really bad? Most of his life had been spent on the moisture farm and he had never really seen anyone seriously injured. He knew deep inside that looks weren't as important as what was inside a person, but the thought of seeing something like that still made him slightly nervous. But surely it couldn't be too bad, could it?

/It's why Vader wears that mask…/

Yes. That made sense. Then a new, even more startling idea sunk into his brain.

/I'm going to be the first person to see Vader without the mask…/

Luke's mind went blank at the thought and his hand froze on the computer's controls.

/He must really trust me…/

Then his heart sunk.

/He trusts me and I failed him! I ran away!./

Why did he have to be such a coward? Why couldn't he have stayed and faced his father like a man?

/I could have cut Leia free with my lightsaber!./

Yes, his lightsaber could have cut effortlessly through that wall of ice, no matter how thick it was! Then she could have climbed through the opening and escaped on the Falcon with Han! Why hadn't he thought of that before? Instead he had raced through the almost deserted base like a baby unable to tie his own shoes and jumping at his own shadow. But he wouldn't be a coward now. No, he'd be brave and look at the photo his father had sent him. His hand moving the controls, he clicked on the letter to open it. Without reading the text, he moved to the bottom of the email form and downloaded the attached image. His stomach bubbling nervously as if a dogfight of snub-nosed fighters were going on with it, he waited for the image to form. The process seemed to take forever and his palms grew sweaty. Restlessly he wiped them on his pant legs, his blue eyes never leaving the screen.

/I'm going to see my father…./

The thought repeated itself over and over in his head until it became one long garbled sentence. Finally the picture formed and Luke stared at it wide-eyed. A slight puff of air escaped his partly open mouth as he stared at the man who had fathered him. It wasn't as bad as he had feared and that was a relief. No hideous burns were visible, well, not that he could see anyway. Mainly Anakin's skin was just incredibly white and pale, like a sheet of old hardcopy. What had they called the stuff, paper?

/White as fog or the ice on Hoth…/

Dark circles marred the skin under Anakin's immensely blue eyes, proving how little sleep he had gotten recently.

/He has my eyes!./

But those dark circles were troubling. Had he done that to his father? Had Anakin been so worried that he had rushed the entire Imperial fleet to Hoth to go searching for his missing son? He knew Leia had mentioned the possibility, but he had scoffed at the idea, as it had seemed ridiculous at the time.

/Am I really that important to him?./

Luke shook his head, sure it couldn't be.

/I'm a nobody!./

No, he had been nobody but no longer. He was a hero now or so everyone kept telling him. Even Vader seemed to think him important, it seemed.

/Vader. Anakin has to be Vader!./

The pasty skin proved that. No one had skin that pale. It was skin that was never touched by the sun in recent years, skin that had been hidden under a black breath mask. This was no bridge officer he was seeing, no Imperial Commander from the bridge. The idea settled into his mind as he continued to stare at the photo with unblinking eyes.

/My father really is Darth Vader!./

There could be no other explanation, not after seeing the photo.

"He really is Darth Vader…" Luke whispered to the room, his voice surprisingly steady. "My father really is Darth Vader…"

Han stood nervously nearby. "I'm sorry, Luke…"

"No, it's all right." Luke admitted as he finally tore his gaze from the photo to look at Han. Gratitude filled his eyes and he reached out to take the smuggler's hand. "You helped prepare me for this and I'm grateful. I know I didn't want to believe it at first but I've accepted it now. If you hadn't figured it out before, I'd probably be in a state of shock now."

"It's what friends do." Han replied, his dark eyes flickering towards the computer screen. He wasn't one for reading other people's mail but he was curious if Vader had admitted he was Vader. Pulling his hand free of Luke's grasp, he moved back slightly. "Did he tell you?"

"No, he sent a photo and it's very obvious." Luke returned his eyes to the photo before him, to the man that was his father. "He's suffering, Han. It's clear he was worried to death about me. Look at those dark circles under his eyes! And his skin is so white, like he hasn't had that awful mask off for years! I have to help him, Han, I just have to!"

Through Luke's letters, Han was beginning to get a new perspective of Darth Vader. A year ago he would have laughed at anyone that suggested the Sith Lord was suffering, as he had always been a firm believer that the people under Vader suffered. The man ruled the Empire with an iron fist or so it had seemed. But it appeared now that the man did possess a heart somewhere within his badly injured body. And he apparently worried about his offspring like most other fathers across the galaxy.

"He looks sad…" Luke commented as he continued to study the photograph. But perhaps he was reading too much into the photo. Maybe it was the knowledge he had from the letters that made him think Anakin appeared sad. Yes, that could very well be. "I wish I knew what I could do to straighten out this mess!"

Han watched Luke stare at the photograph, slightly nervous and worried. "You're still not thinking of meeting him, are you? Don't let that photo fool you, Kid. No matter how sad he looks or how badly injured, he's still the same man that sliced Ben in half without hesitation. You best remember that."

"I know." Luke closed his eyes for a moment, resting them. "I just don't see any alternative, do you?"

"We could ask him to meet us somewhere neutral." Han suggested. "Ask him to bring Leia with him. It's far better than you going out to that monster ship of his."

"That is one possibility. But he's likely to bring Executor with him, you know." Luke pointed out as he opened his blue eyes again and saved the photo on his computer. Now only the letter remained on his screen and he had to read it. He started to read it and surprise flowed through his body.

/He knew I was in danger? He sensed it? How could he when we never met/

Eager to know more, Luke read on. Once again guilt for being so careless while out on the tauntaun returned, doubled by the fact it had caused his poor father more pain. Anakin had it bad enough the way it was and he didn't want to add to the misery; yet he had. So far, he was becoming a sorry excuse for a son. And could Anakin be right about the Alliance? They never really did bother to give him any artic training. Had it been a slip on their part or was his father right that they didn't care? He would like to think they did care. They had supplied him with cold weather gear, but that had been necessary. Their armed forces would be useless if they were all frozen corpses! Could it really have hurt to hold some classes on artic survival techniques and so forth? Surely it couldn't take too much time, could it? Whether he liked it or not, but Vader had made a very valid point. And he had almost frozen to death out there. If it wouldn't have been for Han…

/I would have died…./

Yes, he would have died long before any of the Rebels had shown up in their flying vehicles.

/If I'm really so important as they claim, why didn't more of them come looking?./

It was a point he had never thought of before and it left him slightly troubled. There were hundreds of Rebels. Surely out of all their numbers a few more would have come looking? And why didn't they think up the possibility that something like that might happen in advance? Shouldn't they have a rescue plan ready, just in case? Why didn't the tauntaun riders have tracking devices on themselves? Why did the pilots have to rely on life form readings to find lost team members? The more he thought about it, the more spur of the moment the entire operation seemed and he frowned. There were so many possibilities; so many things could go wrong for the tauntaun patrols that he had never considered before until now: a sick animal, falling into a deep snow crevice, a meteorite striking too close…

/Maybe the Alliance only wants me to think I'm important to them…./

Luke turned his thoughts to the shiny medallion they had presented him as an award in a special ceremony. They had proclaimed him a hero and thanked the Fates they had a Jedi among them once again. But when it came down to it, was the medal really worth anything? Surely a search party on Hoth would have far more meaning than a worthless medal?

/Maybe Father is right about a few things…/

Maybe the Alliance wasn't all it pretended to be and Luke pondered that for a moment, and then shrugged. He wouldn't make any decisions now. Leia had to come first and he still needed to rescue her somehow. He read through the part where Anakin told him the Emperor was a Sith Master and he was unsure what to think of that. He really didn't know anything about the man. Coruscant and the center of the Empire was just too remote for a boy growing up on a moisture farm, especially one who was far more interested in speeding through a canyon than reading about boring politics.

Politics.

/Will father expect me to get involved in politics?./

If Vader was his father, then it may be a safe bet and Luke was sure he didn't like it. All politicians seem to do was making long dull speeches while wearing expensive clothes. They made promises they never intended to keep and that went against his morale grain. He wanted to help people. But then, maybe he was getting way ahead of himself. He couldn't allow himself to get sidetracked now when people's safety depended on him. He'd worry about that if it ever came to pass.

/I'd never make a good politician anyway; I'm just a Farmboy at heart./

Luke reached the end of Anakin's letter and prepared to reply.

/If only I can figure out what to say!./

Yes, this very well may be the toughest letter he had ever written and his stomached bubbled uneasily. Swallowing the uncomfortable lump that had somehow gotten into his throat, he started to type.

Dear Father,

Thank you so much for the photograph you were kind enough to send. I'm truly sorry my urge to see you has caused so much pain and suffering. That never was my intent. If I could erase all the pain from your life, I would. I know you may think you look horrible, but you don't. I could never think your pale skin horrible. It's a testimony to all you have suffered through in your life; things no one should suffer through. But we do have the same blue eyes. I can't describe the emotion I felt when I realized our eyes are the same. I'm not that gifted with words, I'm afraid. I'm just a simple country boy, you know.

I'm beginning to think maybe you are right about the Rebels. They do seem to be unprepared for things. I never really thought I could die out there in the frozen wilderness. Maybe they don't care about their members. I really don't know. I'm afraid I really don't know the leaders of the group. I'm just a lowly fighter pilot…

Umm… I'm unsure how to say this, but did you come looking for me or something? Because the Base I was at got attacked by the Empire. I was still recovering in the hospital area and the medical droid woke me up. Everything was shaking and hunks of ice were falling down. I sort of panicked and ran to my ship. I'm a coward….

I do want to meet you, really I do. But everything was falling apart and well, like I said, I'm a coward. I guess I wouldn't make a very good Jedi, would I? I was thinking that earlier, to be truthful. I don't even know what's required to be a real Jedi or if I have what it takes. What if I'm no good at it? I don't even know how to use this lightsaber really…

So, was that you? Or was it just a coincidence?

Oh, by the way. What did you mean that you could 'sense' I was in danger? I'm afraid I don't understand. We never even met really. I know you mentioned dreams about your mother, but surely that's different? I mean, you knew her so that's understandable that you had a connection there.

There are a few more unpleasant things I feel I must say. Please don't take them the wrong way. I don't mean to offend you. I'm just not sure how to say them. I guess I should just say them…

Are you Darth Vader? My friend, the one I told you about, thinks you are. Your pale skin seems to support that theory. Whether you are or not, your still my father and I want to be with you. I just wish I knew how to help you more. You look very sad in the photo and I wish I could make you happy somehow…

The second thing: the Empire took one of my friends captive. Her name is Princess Leia. If at all possible, I'd like her back. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but she's really important to me. Please don't hurt her? She helped me a while ago when I was all mixed up and confused about writing to an Imperial. She stayed up all night with worry when I was stuck outside with that ice monster, so she's not really as bad as she seems. At times she can be very bossy though. Actually, I wish I could be more like her. She's always calm (except when she argues with my other friend) and knows what to do. Yet her hair seems to stay in place, even during the middle of a firefight. I always feel so clumsy and awkward compared to her sophistication.

She actually held my hand the other day (blushes). Don't tell anyone that, OK?

I suppose you can't just release her. I don't know, maybe you can. I mean, what do I know? But I'd be willing to do an exchange for her. Me for her, I mean.

I was also thinking she'd make a much better Jedi than I would. She's so confident and I'm always second-guessing myself. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. Too bad she doesn't have the Force. Or does she? I mean I never knew I had it until Ben told me. Even then it was hard for me to believe. So how do you know if someone has it?

I'm sorry I ran away on Hoth. It just seemed the best thing to do at the time.

So, are you really Darth Vader?

No matter who you are, you're my FATHER and I LOVE you!

Still hoping we can meet soon,

Your Son,

Luke

After rereading his letter, Luke sent it on its way. If all went well, maybe he could save the Princess a second time.

To be continued…