Grand Admiral Thrawn's Flagship Chimaera
"I'm sorry," Luke said for the tenth time in the last five minutes. "In my defense you were not completely upfront as to your role in Palpatine's Empire."
Mara rolled her eyes as she gulped down a glass of extremely expensive wine that was generously stocked in the dignitary quarters. She was stretched out on a luxurious black leather sectional couch; her expression was one of aggravation and disbelief. "I told you I worked for the Emperor and was a Force adept. The title of my position is inconsequential. What did you think I was—the Emperor's Force-strong pastry chef? I was a loyalty officer and assassin. I also told you I would be hauled off to the brig and I was right."
Luke held out his arms and pointed to her surroundings. "This is hardly the brig."
"It doesn't matter. Emperor Vader won't tolerate my existence. I'm as good as dead."
Luke dropped down on the sectional. "Mara, the Emperor won't kill you. I won't let him."
That got a chuckle out of her. "Skywalker, you are delusional if you think you can take on Darth Vader." She poured herself another glass of wine emptying the bottle. "I don't even know how you've survived this long. I can understand why Vader didn't kill you in order to get the location of the rebel bases, but after that there was no reason to keep you alive." She went silent for a long pause before her gaze snapped up to him. "Do you have something on Lord Vader? Are you somehow blackmailing him?"
She didn't give him time to answer before throwing out another theory. "Or did you somehow manage to kill Darth Vader, and now you have some lackey walking around in a Darth Vader suit?" She stood and gazed at him angrily. "I'm right, aren't I? With Darth Vader's help you killed the Emperor and then you killed Vader with the intent of taking over the Empire...but you knew nobody would accept you as Emperor, so you have someone under your control pretending to be Darth Vader." She picked up the empty wine bottle. "And that means YOU are the person refusing to let me leave." She tossed the bottle at his head but the projectile halted midair before slowly moving to Luke's grip.
He smirked at the slightly inebriated women. "Mara, first you accuse me of being some rimworld yokel with a secondary school education that would be delusional to think I could kill a Sith Lord and now you are claiming that I'm a cunning and evil genius that could not only kill Darth Vader, but I'm shrewd enough to replace him with a body double completely under my control. Which is it? You can't have it both ways. Either I am a criminal mastermind or dumb as a box of Tatooine sand. Which is it?"
She gazed at him as she finished her drink. "I don't know. None of this makes any sense. I used to be able to pick up on a person's intentions and machinations. I was one of the best...but now...I guess I'm off my game." She dropped back down on the couch and sighed deeply.
He smiled wanly. "Don't be too hard on yourself...because you're not the first person to come up with that idea. A few people have tried to kill the emperor thinking he was an imposter...they didn't survive."
She turned her eyes toward him. "Why do you think I'll survive my encounter with Emperor Vader?"
"Because your first theory was correct. I do have something on Vader...or let's just say, I have something Vader wants."
"And what is that?"
He shrugged. "If I tell you, then you will be privy to information that currently only Lord Vader and I know. I'm not sure you want to take on that knowledge. Sometimes it is safer to be blissfully ignorant."
"I'll take your word for it," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Since blissfully ignorant seems to be your default."
"Ouch...you are a mean drunk."
She gave him an intoxicated grin. "I am drunk. That's why this conversation makes no sense."
"So, do you always drink this much?" Luke asked sounding concerned.
She shook her head. "Nope. Only when I think I only have a few days to live. From Myrkr to Coruscant it is a four-day hyperspace journey. I figure if I only have a few days to live I might as well party hard." She rose on shaky legs and made her way to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Rancor Red and two glasses. "Hey, I can only blame myself. It was my idea to capture you. Karrde said you would just bring us trouble, but I convinced him to do it. He was right. So, it is only fitting that I get my just reward...which I assume is getting Force strangled by Darth Vader." She returned to the couch and set the glasses down as she opened the bottle of whiskey. "You might as well join me," she said as she poured two glasses. "Hell, you're a good-looking guy. Maybe we could get some goodbye kriffs in." She gave him a look up and down and leered. "I could do a lot worse."
Luke buried his head in his hands and blew out a frustrated breath. "Mara, I appreciate you saying I'm attractive, and the idea of making love to such a beautiful woman is tempting, but if we do that you will hate me when you walk out of Emperor Vader's throne room alive and well."
She took a shot of the high-end whiskey and shuddered as the liquid burned its way down her throat. "I am willing to take that chance."
Luke picked up the shot of whiskey she poured him, sniffed it, before setting it down untouched. "Well, I'm not. I would really like you to return to Imperial service."
"As what?"
"My bodyguard. There has been a number of attempts on my life. As you can imagine, I am not universally loved throughout the Empire."
She gave an unladylike snort of amusement. "That's not surprising. I'll tell you what. If I survive my meeting with Vader I'll consider it."
"Great!" He scooted a little closer to her on the couch. "But to make this work we have to stick with the original plan. We have to convince the Emperor that we're friends and I would be upset if something happened to you?"
She frowned. "Why? I thought you had something on Vader. What does it matter what our relationship is?"
Luke stopped in thought. "Ummm...well, Darth Vader won't want to upset me, so he won't hurt you ...because...because he wants to keep me happy."
Her eyes narrowed. "Once again you are not making sense. You say you have something that Vader wants just tell him if he hurts me you won't give him what he wants." She shook her head. "What the hell could Vader want from you? This is going to drive me crazy. Just tell me your secret. I really can't make an informed decision on whether to work for you if I don't know the truth."
Luke blew out a frustrated breath. "Let's just say Vader wants to keep a good relationship with me."
"A good relationship?" A look of horror crossed Mara's face. "What the...? Are you and Darth Vader...lovers?"
"No!" Luke was horrified by the implication. "Why would you think that?"
"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "He's got this all black leather domination thing going on and you...well you are the opposite of that. How am I supposed to interpret your comment that he wants a relationship with you?"
"He's my father!" he screamed in frustration.
"Your father?" Mara's voice was one of astonishment. She leaned forward and grabbed the bottle of Rancor Red and poured herself another drink. After she slammed down the shot, she rubbed a hand over her face. "That's even worse?"
"How is that worse?" Luke said exacerbated. "Having Darth Vader as my father is worse than me and him having..." He couldn't even say the words. "How is it worse?"
She glowered at him. "You have been trying to convince the Grand Admiral that you are attracted to me and that is why you delayed contacting the Empire. What if Emperor Vader believes your story? Have you considered Darth Daddy might proclaim me 'good breeding material' and gift me to his son?"
"That's not going to happen and even if it did, it would be better than getting Force choked."
"Forced to be your concubine is better than being Force choked! Is that your answer?" Mara reached back to the decorative pillow behind her head and threw it at the man. Luke ducked avoiding the foam filled missile. "Kriff you, Skywalker!" Mara protested adamantly. "I'm not going to be forced into a life of servitude."
Luke threw his hands up. "You're not! I won't let that happen. And I promise, my father won't hurt you."
She sat up and gazed at him defiantly. "The Sith I once knew didn't put a high value on life."
"He values me...and if he thinks I value you...he will leave you alone."
Her eyes narrowed. "Does that mean if I leave you...it will indicate I no longer have value to you, and he is free to Force choke the life out of me?"
Luke shook his head. "No. We just have to convince him we are friends...and I would be upset if something happened to my friend. You can go back to your job. If you worry about my father, you can send me occasional video messages to convince him we are still on good terms."
She poured herself another drink. "You do know he has the Force. He can sense that we are not friends."
"Well, then, I guess we need to become friends so we can persuade him." Luke stood and retrieved a long stem glass from the liquor cabinet and opened a second bottle of wine. He swirled the contents around the glass before holding it up as in a toast. "To our friendship."
"Kriff! This is so messed up." She narrowed a cold look at him. "Just friends, right."
"Just friends." A teasing smile crossed his face. "I know you probably want more...but I think it best that we keep this relationship platonic."
He expected her to toss another pillow, but she simply laughed...albeit a scathing laugh. "Tell me, how did Vader convince you to join him? You fought against him for years. He must have given you some compelling reason...other than 'I'm your father'."
Luke downed his wine before he refilled his glass and returned to the sectional, this time sitting a little closer to the woman. "You obviously heard the story that I confronted Darth Vader on Bespin, but what you don't know is I didn't agree to join him and the Empire until months after that meeting."
Her brow went up in surprise. "What's the real story then?"
"He first told me he was my father...and then he stated the only way I would survive my encounter with him was to join him so we could rule the galaxy as father and son." Luke took another sip of his wine before continuing. "I opted for death. I jumped into a kilometer-long chasm in Cloud City fully intending to die."
When he paused Mara urged him on. "So, how did you survive?"
"My father reached out with the Force and I found myself floating up in the air." Luke chuckled. "I guess I forgot he has the Force and the ability to lift things...including his self-sacrificing son."
Mara had to laugh at the thought of the hero of the Rebellion thinking he was going to make the ultimate sacrifice only to find himself hovering helpless and in the clutches of a Sith Lord. "Then what happened?"
"He must have done something with the Force to knock me out. I woke up in a prison cell in my father's private castle on Mustafar. I was kept in isolation with only droids as my company...with the exception of my father. He visited me often and kept my existence secret from the Emperor. With each visit he told me a bit of his story. He told me how he met my mother, Padme ́Amidala, the Former Queen of Naboo, how they secretly married, how he feared for the life of his unborn child and how Palpatine used that fear to manipulate him into doing his bidding. Eventually he did so many horrible things that he knew he had no place to go but to stay with the Emperor." Luke stopped talking when his voice became too thick with emotion.
She grabbed the new bottle of wine Luke opened and poured herself a drink. "He gives you a sob story and you believe it," she said in disbelief.
"I also have the Force and I can tell he is not lying." He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Eventually he convinced me to help him take on Palpatine, but my father underestimated the Emperor's powers. We confronted Palpatine onboard his Flagship Eclipse. I was taken out by a blast of Force lightning almost immediately. My father got between me and Palpatine and used his lightsaber to deflect the lightning back to the Emperor and I was able to crawl out of the Emperor's throne room. A few minutes later Palpatine was dead and my father was severely injured."
"Wait," Mara grew incredulous of the story. "If Palpatine was getting injured by his own Force lightning reflecting back at himself...why didn't he stop?"
"He did...he's not stupid. And the second he stopped my father threw his lightsaber at the window behind the Emperor's throne opening the room up to vacuum. The Emperor was sucked out of the ship. My father held on using his cybernetic limbs and was kept alive by his suit. He eventually made it to the airlock between the throne room and the outside corridor where I was located."
"So...you don't know if the Emperor is dead or not?"
Luke made a face. "He couldn't live in a vacuum."
"He was the strongest Force-user I have ever met. His death just seems a bit too easy."
Luke rolled his eyes. "You're not one of those Palpatine conspiracy theorists, are you? You know the ones that think Palpatine is alive and well and preparing for his big come back?"
"No...but I always thought I would be able to sense my Master's death...and I didn't."
"Believe me, he is dead, and his desiccated corpse is floating out in the vastness of space."
"Fine, he's dead." Mara said impatiently. "I still don't trust that Darth Vader is now a benevolent Sith."
He sighed deeply, knowing Mara's suspicions were completely understandable. "I am not trying to convince you that he is a changed man. He is still a darkside Sith...but his motives have changed. Before his actions revolved around serving the Emperor and helping him rule the galaxy. Now that he is nearing the end of his lifespan, he sees me as his legacy. He could have tried to convince me to go dark and rule with an iron fist, but he didn't. He is preparing me to rule the way I want, and I want to be a benevolent ruler."
"But you definitely want to rule?"
Luke grimaced. "Well, not really. When my father dies, I would like to restore the senate. Ruling the galaxy seems...exhausting."
Mara nodded in understanding. "It's not a job I would want."
They sat together for a long silent moment before Luke spoke again. "I think if we are going to fool my father, we need to work on becoming friends...talk to each other...get to know one another...in a purely platonic way," Luke added quickly before she could protest.
She took another shot of her whiskey before nodding her head. "Okay. You want to play twenty questions?"
Luke laughed softly. "Yeah, I would."
.
.
Day 2 Aboard Grand Admiral Thrawn's Flagship Chimaera
Mara woke up the next morning lying on the couch and with a migraine so fierce that felt like a family of Orbalisk parasites had taken up residency in her skull. She lifted her head, shifted her body weight and promptly rolled off the couch, landing on four empty wine bottles.
"Kriff!" She turned over to her knees and slowly stood, her balance wobbly, her vision blurred. She looked down and was relieved none of the bottles broke...and that she was fully clothed. She wasn't positive, but she faintly remembered propositioning Skywalker the night before.
She stumbled over to the 'fresher. As she passed the bedroom, she saw Skywalker sprawled out on top of the bedsheets, in full military uniform, sans his knee-high leather boots.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. When he didn't move, she repeated the question, but much louder. Luke stirred, his eyes blinking a few times before his hands went to his temples. "Oh, my head."
Mara chuckled at the man's discomfort. "lightweight." She leaned against the doorjamb. "Why didn't you go to your quarters?"
He groaned as he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "I rarely drink. I didn't want my men seeing me staggering down the corridor."
She crossed her arms across her chest. "Instead you let the guards believe you stayed the night with me."
Luke propped his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands. "I did spend the night with you."
"You know what I mean."
He turned his head enough to look at her. "Mara, we're trying to convince people I intentionally didn't contact the Empire after my rescue because I wanted to spend time alone with you. That narrative will be completely unconvincing if I ignore you while on this ship. I am sure by now the guards have notified the Grand Admiral that I never left your quarters and Thrawn has probably passed on that information to my father."
"Oh great, now your father thinks I am a wanton woman."
"I really doubt that. He knows me too well."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
He chuckled softly. "It means he knows I managed to remain a farmboy at heart and one not prone to entering relationships lightly." He gazed at her warmly. "You should know that after hours of quizzing me last night."
She wanted to argue that fact, but she couldn't. Last night they talked for hours and she got to know Skywalker...the real Skywalker. He is a good man...something rarely seen in people with absolute power.
"You may be wholesome man of honor, but that doesn't help me." She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "You, unfortunately, are not the person who will decide my fate. It's your father." She pushed away from the doorjamb and moved down the hall to the 'fresher.
When Luke heard the door close, he slipped on his boots, and rose to his feet. He walked over to the room's tri-fold dresser mirror and gazed at himself. His eyes were bloodshot from too much wine, his uniform looked like it was slept in—which it was—and his short blond hair stuck up in odd directions. He opened the dresser looking for a comb or brush, but the drawers were empty. He instead used his fingers to smooth out any wayward hairs.
He walked out of the room when he heard Mara exit the 'fresher. He halted mid-step when he realized she was wearing one of the complimentary white bathrobes provided...and obviously little else. Apparently, there were combs or bushes within the 'fresher because her red-gold shoulder length hair was no longer disheveled, but cleared of all tangles, every strand in place. She had toned arms, curvy hips and a narrow waist. Luke couldn't understand how she could be in the 'fresher less than five minutes and come out looking like a...a sexy bathrobe model.
Mara smirked, obviously noticing the blush heating his face. "When I was arrested, I didn't have my daytrip bag with me. Maybe you can get one of your men to fetch it from the Skipray." She walked over to the couch and sat, crossing her legs in a way that she nearly exposed herself. Or perhaps she did; Luke had averted his eyes out of modesty.
He cleared his throat. "I'll have one of my men bring your luggage." He looked at the empty wine bottles littering the floor. "And restock the wine cooler." He walked over and picked up the bottles. "You know for somebody who claims they rarely drink...you really put away a lot."
She laughed. "I rarely touch the stuff and you did a fairly good job keeping up with me."
"And I am regretting it." He gestured over to the liquor cabinet. "I'll have some harder stuff brought to the room if you want to kill yourself by alcohol poisoning instead of facing my father. I can see you are scared."
"I'm not scared of your father," she insisted.
Luke shook his head in disbelief. "Everybody is scared of my father. With the exception of maybe Grand Admiral Thrawn, but he is smart enough to give Vader a wide berth." He offered her a hard look. "And you are scared of him. I can feel it."
She averted her eyes, no longer denying it. "Do you fear him?" she asked.
Luke tossed the discarded wine bottles in the trash before returning his attention to her. "I would be stupid not to. My father wants a relationship with me, but, what if I disappoint him? I've seen what happens to people who don't rise to his expectations."
An unpleasant smile painted her lips. "As have I."
Luke sighed deeply as he sat down next to her. "I understand your concern, but he has been very... agreeable when it comes to my suggestions. I think he really wants to change. He talks about my mother often. He loved her. Emperor Palpatine told him he killed her and his unborn child in a fit of rage. He believed him for almost two decades. It wasn't until he saw me with Ben Kenobi that he became suspicious of the story. Later the Emperor told him he felt a disturbance in the Force and 'the son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.' My father told me he concealed his emotions well, but from that moment he started plotting against the Emperor. He wasn't even sure my mother was actually dead. He had to have her remains exhumed and genetic tests done to prove her identity. He kept that secret from Palpatine."
"He might be agreeable to your suggestions, but I have to warn you, your father never liked me," she admitted apprehensively. "I am sure he saw me as competition for Palpatine's attention. He wanted to be the only Force user within Palpatine's inner circle."
"Did he ever threaten you or try to kill you?"
She scoffed. "If he tried to kill me...I would be dead. He is much stronger in the Force than I will ever be. He was almost as strong as Palpatine."
Luke went to put a comforting arm around her shoulder but then thought better of it and placed his hands on his knees. "If he didn't kill you before, I doubt he'll kill you now."
She turned and glared at him. "He didn't kill me because he didn't want to displease the Emperor...who is now dead."
He reached out and patted her knee as a comforting gesture. "He won't kill you ...I am sure of it." He stood and straightened his uniform tunic. "I'm going to my quarters to get cleaned up. I'll have your bag brought to you from the Skipray. I'll be back in a few hours." He walked over to the exit but turned before leaving. "And stop worrying." The door slid open and he left, the door shutting shut behind him.
"Stop worrying," Mara mimicked sarcastically. "That's easy for him to say. It's not his life on the line."
.
.
About an hour later her bag arrived, carried by a low-level Petty Officer, along with a case of wine to replace what she drank the night before. She showered and changed before plopping down on the couch to watch a holodrama. She decided to abstain from drinking, she was still nursing a hangover and didn't want to prolong the agony.
Halfway through the show Skywalker arrived unannounced, but at least he brought her food. He smiled as he pushed a small room service cart into the luxurious cabin. "I thought you might be hungry." He lifted a metal, bell-shaped, plate cover keeping the food warm, revealing flatcakes, omelets, fruit and biscuits. "I wasn't sure what you would like, so I got a little of everything offered in the officer dining facility."
She was going to make a sarcastic comment, but her growling stomach vetoed that idea. She decided to be polite, especially since Skywalker might be the only person who could assure her safety and release once they get to Coruscant.
"Thank you." She watched as he pushed the cart over to the quarter's small dining area and began placing the serving dishes and plates onto the table. Mara noticed he put out two plates across from each other. "Are you joining me?"
The smile dipped slightly from his face. "Unless you want to eat alone. I can leave if you want."
She shook her head. "No, stay. Although I hate to admit it...you're not bad company."
Luke's smile broadened. "Thank you."
She sat at the table and motioned for Luke to join her. Despite her headache she maintained her appetite. She used her fork to move a couple flatcakes over to her plate. Luke passed her a small jug filled with syrup which she poured over her breakfast. She took a bite and nodded in appreciation. "The food is good. It is nice to see that Imperial food remains tasty. Nobody on the Karrde crew knows how to cook. We bought a discount food synthesizer, but it's malfunctioning lately. Everything has a slight metallic taste."
Luke poured two glasses of fruit juice from a carafe and passed one glass to Mara. "It's much better than the food we were given in the rebellion. A lot of the meat was killed locally. I don't think our cooks knew how to clean and butcher animals because once I was served a steak that still had some fur on it."
Mara made a face. "You ever figure out what type of animal it was?"
Luke expression was queasy. "I am fairly sure it was a Yavin 4 Stintaril...which is a tree rodent."
"Sorry I asked," Mara muttered as she ate her meal. She looked up at the man. "You should probably stay here again. Let the rumor mill run amok. It will only reinforce your story that you wanted some private time with me on Myrkr without Imperial interference."
Luke's brow rose in surprise. "What exactly are you suggesting?"
She pointed to the couch. "I'm suggesting that you take the couch tonight and I'll sleep in the bed."
He smiled warmly, liking the idea of spending as much time as possible with Mara. "That sounds good to me."
.
.
Day 3 Aboard Grand Admiral Thrawn's Flagship Chimaera
"I have been told you are spending your free time with Miss Jade."
Luke looked over to the Chiss admiral, wondering why he had brought this up. They were currently sitting in Thrawn's ready room going over reports of pirating on the fringe of Imperial space. "Yes," he admitted. "I enjoy her company greatly."
"Ah," Thrawn commented. "And does the former Emperor's Hand share that feeling of enjoyment?"
Luke turned to the Admiral. "Are you suggesting that I am forcing my company upon a detainee?"
The Admiral did not backpedal his statement but stared at Luke dispassionately. "When Miss Jade came aboard her body language suggested she would rather be anywhere else but here."
Luke chuckled. "That's because she was nervous. I spent three days with her in which I didn't contact the Emperor alerting him of my whereabouts. She was certain she would be blamed for the delay in contact."
"Sir, I suspect her nervousness stemmed from concealing her real position within the old Empire."
Luke didn't argue the point. "You are usually...always...accurate when it comes to these things. She was right to be nervous. We did arrest her, and she's now being dragged across the galaxy to face the most feared man in the galaxy." Luke paused in thought. "Despite her fear of retribution... she has enjoyed my company during this flight." Luke was hopeful that his words would convince the Admiral...mostly because he honestly believed the lovely Mara Jade was warming up to him.
One of the Admiral's dark eyebrows rose. "I am pleased you and Miss Jade are getting along well. If she is still a loyal Imperial...loyal to the throne and not the former Emperor...she might be very valuable to Emperor Vader's reign. She is, reportedly, a highly trained Force-user."
Luke eyes narrowed, wondering if there was another meaning to the Admiral's words. Was he talking about involuntary conscription? "That's up to her," he said cautiously. "I offered her employment, but she has not made a decision yet."
"You never told me what position you offered Miss Jade."
Luke grinned slightly. "I said she could be the Supreme Commander's Hand."
The Chiss gave a slight nod of the head. "And what if the Emperor wishes for her to return to her former position of the Emperor's Hand?"
The grin slipped from Luke's face having never considered the option. "I suppose if he wants to make that offer, she will still have to make a decision as to accept or not."
"I have never known anybody say 'No' to Emperor Vader and survive," the Chiss said evenly.
Luke glanced away feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. "Yeah, it won't come to that."
"You are the only man I know who appears comfortable talking on behalf of the Emperor without first consulting with his Eminence."
Luke said nothing. In the last couple years, he has realized that if a question was not asked there is no need to reply. Prior to learning that valuable lesson he had volunteered information that often came back to bite him on the ass. He already suspected that Grand Admiral Thrawn's analytical brain deduced the relationship between Luke and Vader. It was a fact hidden from everybody. Surprisingly, it wasn't Luke who demanded his paternity be kept secret, but Darth Vader himself. He never really discussed the subject at length. Whenever Luke brought up the name Anakin Skywalker, his father would become prickly before announcing, 'that name has no meaning to me.'
"Did I ever tell you that I once worked with your father," Admiral Thrawn said nonchalantly.
Luke's eyes went wide with shock. It was like the Chiss knew exactly what he was thinking. "What?" was all he could think of saying.
"I worked with General Anakin Skywalker...that was your father, was he not?" "Yes," Luke muttered, now becoming very uncomfortable with the conversation.
The Chiss sat back in his chair and gazed at the ceiling in thought. "It was over twenty years before the battle of Yavin. I first encountered General Skywalker in orbit above Batuu. He came to the planet to search for a missing senator. I was on an intelligence mission to discover the origins of the Clone Wars that was ravaging the galaxy on the fringes of Chiss space. Your father and I brokered a temporary accord. I would help him find his missing senator and he would educate me on the politics of the galactic conflict threatening to spill over into Chiss territory."
"Oh," Skywalker said cautiously. "That's interesting." He looked up to discover red Chiss eyes boring into his.
"Indeed." The admiral shifted in his seat slightly to face Luke fully. "I'm surprised that you are not full of questions. I was told General Skywalker died shortly after Order 66 was issued. Did your caretakers give you a full account of his exploits?"
"My uncle and aunt...yes, they told me about my father."
"Excellent." He pointed to the holomap of the galaxy before continuing his briefing about the pirate attacks.
Luke then realized his mistake. A boy that grew up without his father would jump on the chance to talk to somebody who knew and worked with his dad...unless his father was still alive and well and able to recount all of his adventures to his son personally. Luke wasn't positive, but he suspected that Admiral Thrawn had just confirmed that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were one and the same.
'Kriff,' he thought silently.