The Skywalker Dynasty

Chapter 20

Luke's head was spinning, and aching. As he stirred himself awake, he didn't know where he was. He opened his eyes and strained to see his surroundings. Soon the blurry haze cleared and he slowly recognized the interior of the Milleninum Falcon. How did he get here? It took him awhile to remember. The last of the drug from the implant was weakening and draining from his body, and it gave him a sickly feeling of withdrawl. It had taken his dark side leanings and magnified them much stronger and led him to do things he never would have gone so far as to carry out, and made it impossible for him to resist on his own. He didn't even want to think of all the people and creatures he had killed or hurt on his rampage, or things he must have destroyed. Surely his name was even more well known now, but not for the righteous avenging hero he originally had been. While all feared him and none would challenge him, he felt so ashamed. He wished he could take it all back. He struggled for the strength and the breath to speak. "Father." His voice cracked, barely audible.

Leia came in to check on him, and saw he was awake. Quickly she rushed to his side, sat down and put her hand on his forehead. "You okay?" She asked, stroking his sweaty hair from his forehead.

"Oh Leia, I feel terrible."

"Terrible in pain, or for the things you did?"

He turned away. "Both." There was only one person who would understand how he felt now. "Leia," his big blue eyes begged as he spoke, "go get Father. I have to talk to him." She just nodded, and went to get him.

On the deck, Anakin was talking to Han about the ship. "You know, I always desired to fly this ship." He admitted. Han gloated with pride. "Really? People call her a bucket of bolts, but this is a very special ship."

Anakin laughed quietly. "You have a hard time imagining Darth Vader coveting your ship? Well, I did. I was always amazed at its escapes and abilities. Frustrated, but amazed just the same." Han snickered when he heard this. "No, it's true! I always did have a thing for a good fast ship. You know, I was a podracing champion as a youngling. In my youth I was quite good in a speeder, you should have seen me. When I was Vader, there were times when I would go off to my private chamber on the Executor, take off my suit and mask, lay back and try to find some races on my vidscreen." He and Han both got a laugh out of that. "It's funny, really, everyone on the star destroyer was terrified of me, that I'd choke them to death at any moment, and they thought I was in there spying on their every move and thinking evil thoughts. Sometimes I was, but sometimes I was just resting and enjoying a good podrace, if I could find a signal in the right part of the galaxy. I know a good ship when I see one, and this is a fine piece of machinery."

Han swelled with pride. That was quite a compliment coming from such an experienced pilot. Anakin was almost afraid to ask, but he did. "Do you think, maybe, you'd let me fly it sometime? Not now, I will leave the time travel to you, this is too important. But may I have a turn, another time?"

"You won't get a scratch on it, will you?"

Anakin just looked at him and smiled. "In case you haven't heard, I am the best star pilot in the galaxy."

"Well, we will have to put that to the test sometime, shall we?"

"You're on. " They both smiled and shook on it.

Anakin leaned back in the copilot's seat and sighed, staring out the window at the stars, and thinking about so much. "You know, Solo, you have no idea how devastated I was when I was blinded and thought I'd never see, never be able to fly again."

"Oh, I understand, I can relate to that." Han said, as they both conjured bad memories.

Anakin felt waves of remorse he had been partly responsible for Han's carbonite ordeal. "Oh yes, that's right, you do. We have a lot in common, Solo. I like you." Han loved hearing this, though he hadn't planned on asking him for Leia's hand, knowing they were getting along helped.

Anakin continued to brag about his flying prowess to one almost as bold. "You know, I did design the TIE fighter. I am quite good. I'd love to see what you have in your engine room here, another time."

"No problem, pal." Han realized he LIKED Anakin. That was good, since he was going to be his father in law soon! This was going to work out very nicely, if the main mission, the one too tense to speak of, would succeed first. The opportunity to reach the time travel portion of their trip was approaching, and everyone feared its failure so much they didn't even mention it. But they felt it. It just had to work!

From over their shoulder, Leia spoke. "Father?" Anakin turned around to face her. "Luke is awake. He wants to talk to you."

Anakin got up and rushed to him. Worried about Luke's state of mind, and reaction, he came through the doorway with hesitation and apprehension. Luke's head turned and he focused his bright blue eyes on his father. "Father." he groaned, weakly, almost pitifully.

"Hey, Luke, how do you feel?"

He shook his head. "Not very good. It's not just the drug implant. I know I was heading to the dark side and that's why it was able to use me. I feel so ashamed. I did horrible things, I remember them all. First, Father, I would like to ask for your forgiveness for the way I treated you. You were doing what was best for me, and I refused to listen. I was very cruel and hurtful. I can't believe I actually put out your eyes."

Anakin stared at him with those eyes, and put his hand on Luke's good shoulder, and mustered a crooked half smile. "I admit it would be a lot harder to forgive you for that had Obi Wan not healed them for me." Luke looked down, in deep remorse. His father sensed and understood his feelings. "Luke, if anyone knows how you feel, it's me. I was Darth Vader! You know all the atrocities I committed."

"Yes, Father, that's why I had to talk to you, to someone who would understand, and not judge me."

"You got me there. As much as I disapprove of your recent actions, I am not one to talk. Because I had changed so much, I was able to know what you were doing was wrong, and want to stop you. You hated me for that, but you know I was right. And I know I have done wrong. I suffer a lot with the guilt, and I always will. You are not going to escape that, son. But what you can do is what I've done, start now, anew, and try to be the best man you possibly can, and perhaps in some way we can atone for the evil that we wrought. We can know we will never commit such actions again, stop others from doing them, and try to make things right." There were tears in Luke's eyes as he nodded his head 'yes' at his father, who gave a bittersweet smile back. Obi Wan's spirit had been watching and listening, and he was pleased. He was overcome with gladness and satisfaction that his two favorite Jedi were once again on the right side, and on it together.

Anakin could not stop thinking of Padme. If they could save her, if she could know him, and Luke, now, he hoped she would approve. Or, because of the trip, could all the bad things he had Luke were feeling be erased? Time would literally tell. The momentary silence was broken by Han's screams as the ship started to shake and make strange sounds. "Anakin! Get up here, help me!" Hearing this, he turned his head to that direction, then got up, leaving Luke with a sad wink and a tender squeeze on the arm. He ran to the deck.

"Good, you're here." Han said breathlessly. "I just tried to reestablish the coordintates of the time and place we'd been, and the ship's going haywire."

A look of panic crossed Anakin's features. "Oh, no, does that mean we won't be able to get back?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to do everything I can. There seems to be something loose, I need to get below. Will you take the controls?"

"My pleasure, I will do what I can." Anakin said as he sat down in Han's pilot seat. He had flown a lot of ships in his time, but never a Corellian freighter. In his haste, he tried his best to figure out what to do. His hands and eyes raced all over the controls and instruments at once, not touching anything yet. "Han! What do I do!" He screamed. Han was already under the floor working on the engine parts.

"Oh, I'm sure you can do it." Then in sarcastic, though actually serious tone, he added, "Use the force!"

Anakin gave a nervous smile, and very much like Han, muttered, "oh, great!"

Obi Wan's spirit came up behind him. "Seems to me I believe I remember someone telling me 'the ability to pilot this ship is irrelevant' at this point, or something like that."

Anakin remembered, and gave Obi Wan a look of recognition before he turned back to the controls. "Right." He answered. "Hold on, kids!" He screamed out to Luke and Leia in the other room as Leia filled Luke in on the time travel. "This is going to be rough!" He got a look of determination on his face as his mind and body did everything it could to fly the ship. It was in good hands.

While the turbulence was great, and strange things were happening, Anakin, and Obi Wan, were able to bring the Falcon through as Han toyed with the inner workings. Soon, to everyone's relief, it was running normally again. Anakin leaned back and breathed a heavy sigh. Han, crawling out of the engine pit, did the same. "You did great, I knew you would."

"Same to you. Can we make it?" "Move over to the copilot seat, I know what to do now. Let's try."

Leia was so proud of both of them. She stood behind them, and asked cautiously, "are we still going to make it?"

"I'm gonna give it my best shot." Han said as he punched it. On cue, the stars froze, flashed and began to disappear- backwards. "Here we go!" He hollered. Among the passengers, the tension and anticipation, and unspoken fears, were too strong. This was it, make it or not, they were headed back in time.