The Skywalker Destiny Originally titled The Skywalker Dynasty
Chapter 2
Luke and Darth Vader stood hand in hand. This father-son alliance was now confirmed and accepted by both. The galaxy was theirs, just as Vader had hoped.
Just then, Luke's face became ghostly pale and the fear showed all over it. Vader noticed the sudden change. "What is it, my son? Do you feel a great disturbance in the force? I am weakened, but I feel a tremor as well. Something is about to happen. We should flee immediately."
"Yes, father. I sense great danger to our lives. Do you have a ship in which we can flee this Death Star?"
"Only my shuttle. Let's just get over to my Star Destroyer, the Executor, and we will go from there."
Luke smiled. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. "Can you walk, father?" He asked. Vader shook his head in the affirmative, and slowly followed Luke to the shuttle. They spoke to no one on the way. Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the Death Star! They couldn't see it out the window, but the mighty Executor had just plummeted into the Death Star, a victim of the rebel alliance fleet. Vader and Luke rushed to the docking bay and got inside Vader's shuttle. Luke sat down at the controls. "I know you're supposed to be the best star pilot in the galaxy, father, but considering your hand is gone, I will do the flying for now." Vader did not disagree. "Im sorry about your hand" Luke said quietly. Vader stared at Luke's mechanical hand. "Not as sorry as I am about yours. I regret that very much, Luke, I'm sorry." Luke just touched his arm and nodded.
As the shuttle flew out of the Death Star, they saw the remains of the Executor flaming away in its side. Vader was very upset. He had lost much on that ship. "Ooooh" they both gasped almost in unison. They stared at it and realized what it meant. No place to go. They had to leave this system, now.
Luke spoke through a lump in his throat. "This is only a short range vehicle. We'll never make it out of this star system on it." Luke gazed out the window and shook his head. He thought of his sister, and Han, and the others. What was going to happen to them? What would they think of what he had done? He could feel Leia's life force, he sensed she would survive. He would have to speak to her later. Along with their father.
"Don't worry, Luke. Like my TIE fighter, I had this shuttle specially equipped with hyperdrive in case of emergency."
"Hyperdrive, on this thing?"
"Search your feelings, Luke, you will know it to be true. Oh, and you might also try searching the control panel for this" He used his remaining hand to point out to Luke the buttons that activated the hyperdrive. Vader guided Luke through the steps of taking the shuttle into hyperspace. Within moments, they were gone in a blast of light. Another second later, the Death Star exploded.
Far below, on Endor, the celebration was on as everyone from human, ewok to wookie saw its demise. Leia sat in the bushes with Han. Both of them were staring at the burst in the sky. "I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew" Han said.
"He wasn't, I can feel it." Leia answered. "I don't know where he is, but he wasn't on it. He is alive, I can feel his life force." Then Han assumed she was in love with Luke, and she had to explain he was her brother. Han was glad to hear this as his assumed love triangle would not hinder his romantic advances. But when Leia also informed him that Darth Vader was Luke's father, and therefore hers, he took the news a little hard. The daughter of Darth Vader? Our kids will be the grandchildren of Darth Vader? Oh, what the heck. He kissed her anyway.
Luke and Darth Vader arrived on Coruscant amid celebrations at the fall of the empire. Watching this, they knew that the people were aware that Palpatine was dead and that the government had fallen. But in all revolutions, the new government would still be a question mark. One that would be filled to their plans. They flew over all the revelry, and saw the toppling of Palpatine's statue. They laughed. As if Luke hadn't done better himself on the real Emperor! They flew uneventfully past it all and docked in the bowels of Vader's castle. It sat next to Palpatine's larger one next door. They stared at it, knowing it was now at their disposal as well. But for now, they entered Vader's home, from the bottom up after parking the shuttle. Luke had no idea where he was going, since he had never been here before. He followed Vader up to his special chamber room where he could remove his mask and suit and relax. No one had ever seen him unmasked, and his chamber was private. But he invited Luke inside.The chamber opened in the middle, the top raising up.
Vader entered and sat down. He motioned for Luke to join him, and he did. Once the chamber was enclosed, Luke was shocked to see his father trying to take off his mask!
He had a hard time managing with only one hand. "Luke, help me take this mask off."
"But you'll die!"
"Not in here. This is a specially pressurized medical chamber. I can breathe in here. I can take off the mask and the whole suit, and what a relief that is!" Luke smiled, and helped his father remove his helmet and mask.When it was off, Luke stared for the first time into his father's face. It was scarred from the lava and fire, worn, and ragged from all those years in the mask. But his lips managed a smile. He gazed at Luke with eyes even bluer than his own. Luke stared into his father's eyes and for the first time, saw a real person. This was Anakin Skywalker, the man inside, the man he was trying to get out. Now that he had freed him of the Emperor, what was to come?
"I hope you're not disappointed, Luke." he chucked, now that the mask was off, he was speaking in his own actual voice. Luke was glad to hear it, free of the voice modulator. His father seemed even more real to him. "Luminous beings we are, Luke, not this crude matter." He winked. Luke shook his head in agreement. His father smiled. "But you should have seen me before what Obi Wan did to me in that lava pit. I was a handsome young fellow, same as you. I'll have to find you a hologram or picture." He turned to use his only functional hand to search through his few special personal belongings he kept stashed in his chamber. While his back was turned, Luke spoke to him: "Father, who was my mother? Can you tell me about her? Do you have an image of her?" He stopped his searching and literally froze, but did not turn around. If he did, Luke would have seen the tears in his eyes. This was going to be hard one. But if they were to be truly together as father and son, he would have to know the truth.