Anakin glanced at Padme and she smiled back at him, nodding slightly. He laid his hands gently against her stomach, closing his eyes.
He felt the force flowing through him and focused on Padme, or more accurately, focused on the child inside of her. He wanted to see her. Definitely a her.
It was difficult to separate their daughter, from Padme herself. Just when he thought he'd gotten to her more threads and tangles appeared. It almost felt like there were three tangled presences rather than two.
Anakin snorted to himself at the thought, and then he caught it. It was their daughter- and she-
Everything shifted. Anakin had been sitting down. Now he was standing up. Everything was red. Why was everything red? And heavy. Armor? Why was he wearing armor? And what was that terrible noise? Breathing. His breathing. Why did he sound like that? And was he wearing a helmet? Why was he wearing a helmet? Where even was he?
Padme was gone but his daughter's force signature hadn't faded and Anakin felt himself start abruptly when he realized that the signature he'd felt a couple seconds ago was coming from someone who was definitely not a baby.
What was happening?
Anakin tried to convince himself to calm down. He'd just… find Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan would know what was going on. He reached out and… it was like hitting a brick wall.
Was Anakin undercover or something? Why would anyone put him undercover anywhere? He was a terrible liar.
Then the conversation actually managed to intrude on his thoughts.
Some old guy ordered the destruction of Alderaan. Which was a planet. Anakin wasn't quite sure how that was possible, but it definitely wasn't good.
"You can't blow up a planet!" Anakin said and was that his voice?
Everyone on the bridge was gaping at him. Including that girl who was definitely not his daughter because she was not a baby.
"Lord Vader," the old guy said, voice sharp. "The Emperor has put you in my command. You will follow instructions. What possible reason would you have for this rebellion?"
Anakin felt himself gape at the man, though since he was wearing a helmet the other man couldn't really see him.
There were a lot of things he could say. The billions of innocent lives for one. What came out of his mouth was. "My wife would kill me." If Obi-Wan didn't get there first.
And why had he said that? That was a secret! Except he was still wearing a helmet. And they were calling him Vader… so…
"You're married?" The old guy asked and his voice came out oddly strangled. Anakin choose to remain silent. Or as silent as he could with the crazy breathing.
"The emperor will hear of this!" The old man tried.
Anakin scoffed, or tried to. The helmet interpreted the sound oddly. Which… this was the second time and Emperor was mentioned. What Emperor? And why would he care? "Is the Emperor Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Anakin asked.
The old man was staring at him with growing confusion and desperation. "No!" he shouted. "The Emperor is not a Jedi traitor!"
"Then I don't care." Anakin said, almost glad that the helmet was covering his facial expressions.
Anakin felt something cold slip into his gut because… the old guy was Tarkin. Tarkin. And… his daughter. Both far older than they should be. What was going on?
"All of you," he said, "To the viewports. Don't touch anything on the way there."
They obeyed immediately, white faced and shaking. What kind of a person was he imitating anyways?
The girl wasn't moving, instead she was staring at him, slack jawed.
Which was okay, he hadn't really wanted her to leave anyways.
"The Emperor will hear of this!" Takin shouted.
That was the third time. Why would the argument work this time when it hadn't either of the others? Anakin sighed. That sound didn't come out right either. "And why should I care?"
"He is your master!" Tarkin said and Anakin felt himself stiffening.
Master. Why was he impersonating a slave? Who had decided that was a good idea?
He couldn't continue this discussion with Tarkin or he'd kill the man. That probably wasn't the worst thing he could do, considering the man had been about to blow up a planet… still.
Anakin breathed in, and out. Stupid helmet. Didn't even let him breathe like he wanted too.
He turned to the girl. "What's your name?" he asked.
She stared at him for a long, long moment. "Leia Organa." She finally said, and the chill slid further in.
Leia was a name he'd always favored… but Organa? Breha and Bail had no children… What?
Later. Later.
"Leia." He said, "Would you mind getting us enough binders for this lot?"
She stared at him for a long moment. "The stormtroopers wouldn't give me binders." She said softly, "I'm a prisoner."
Which… made some amount of sense.
"I'll get some," he said, "Call me if anyone moves."
She still looked rather dubious, but she nodded all the same.
…-…
Bail looked close to panic when Obi-Wan arrived, Luke, Han and Chewie in tow.
"Vader," he said, not letting Obi-Wan get a word in edgewise. "Vader caught her. I don't- I don't want to think about what he's doing to her."
Obi-Wan felt something inside of him clench. He knew what Vader was capable of-
"Incoming transmission," someone called.
Obi-Wan breathed. Bail and Breha took up positions, side by side, holding hands.
Vader. Of course it was Vader.
Obi-Wan felt his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands and loosened them forcefully. Now was not the time.
But it was Leia who showed up on the screen. She smiled at them, though the smile was strained. "I'm on the Death Star." She said, without preamble. "They were going to use it to blow up Alderaan- but Vader stopped them."
She seemed about to say more, then hesitated. "He says he'll let me go back home anytime. Get me a ship and everything."
Obi-Wan found himself hardly breathing.
Leia looked over her shoulder at someone, then shrugged, and she was gone.
"Bail." Vader said, "Breha." Which was all wrong- he wasn't using titles- that was not a good sign.
"I'm calling about my-your daughter." Both Breha and Bail stiffened. He knew. Somehow he knew.
"Thought you might want to know she's alright. Seemed the nice thing to do, let you know your daughter wasn't dead or anything."
Pale was an understatement when it came to their faces. "Thank you," Bail finally said. "When will she be able to come home?"
Vader shrugged, which seemed so wrong with the armor and everything. "Soon as I can get a ship. Which should be pretty fast. Which leads me to my first question- do you happen to know where Obi-Wan is?"
Obi-Wan breathed in sharply. Of course. Revenge.
He had a planet destroying weapon at his disposal. There was nothing they could do.
Obi-Wan stepped forward, pushing Bail and Breha out of the way gently.
"Darth," he began, and was cut off.
"Obi-Wan?" Vader said, "But you're so old."
Obi-Wan gaped at him. Of all the things to say- that? "People do age…" Obi-Wan said, slowly.
"Well yes," Vader said, "But you're not supposed to."
Which was so much like Anakin that it hurt, tearing at wounds that's never properly stitched themselves together.
"Anakin- " he said, then cursed himself, because Luke was in the room, and he wasn't supposed to know and- and- Vader was breathing out something that sounded very much like a sigh of relief and fiddling with the helmet.
He pulled the helmet off entirely and Vader shouldn't be able to breathe without it but he obviously was breathing without it and it was Anakin's face behind the mask.
How dare he- How dare he-
Vader was talking. "But the presences got all tangled up you know? So then I finally got her all separated out and then Bam! I'm standing up all the sudden and I have this super heavy armor stuff on and my breathing is funny and everything is red and a person who feels very much like my daughter except she isn't a baby is right there and this crazy old guy who's apparently Tarkin is trying to blow up a planet. Also he keeps talking at the Emperor but I don't know any Emperors. And I stopped him… cause… duh. But mostly I'm just really confused because I have no idea what's going on."
His look was so pleading, so earnest, so Anakin. Nothing like Mustafar.
"Obi-Wan?" he asked, "What's going on?"
"Anakin," Obi-Wan whispered again, and something flared inside him as he opened himself up, reaching out. Anakin reached back and it was him in the force, not Vader. There was darkness in him, yes, but there was so much more light.
"Show me your hands," Obi-Wan demanded.
Vader had two prosthetics. A clone would have two naturals. Anakin would have one metal, one flesh.
Anakin raised his hands, taking off the gloves. Obi-Wan drew in a sharp breath. "I'm coming." He said. "Can you get me a docking bay?"
Anakin smirked. "Please," he said, lifting the helmet. "With this thing? I'm pretty sure I could get these guys to jump out of an airlock."
Which was probably true. Obi-Wan was already moving. He didn't bother to end the transmission.
How hard would it be to convince Han and Chewie to take him up there?
"Obi-Wan," Bail said, warning. "How do you know- "
"That's not Vader." Obi-Wan snapped. Hope flared like gold fire inside and he would not be the one to put the blaze out.
"How do you-
"I cut off three of Vader's limbs and left him burning by a river of lava." Obi-Wan said, voice only slightly less biting. "That's not him."
Han whistled appreciatively while Luke looked sick. "What'd he do to you?" Han asked.
Chewie shoved him. Obi-Wan didn't answer for a long moment, frozen. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft. "He killed my best friend." And he swept out of the room.
Chapter Two
Padme blinked. She'd been sitting down and now she was laying down and it was… dark. Completely black. Her eyes strained against it and she closed them, breathing quick and shallow. Where was Anakin?
She reached out her hands, feeling around herself. Wherever she was it was small. And it couldn't have much air in it. And Padme couldn't find a way out.
Padme started pounding on whatever was in front of her. It was hard, bruising her hands, but she needed out.
…-…
Tolathe blinked at the little mouse droid that was bumping against his legs. It would bump into him, go a short distance away, then come back. Did it want him to follow it?
…-…
Something was pounding on the stone from the inside of Padme Amidala's crypt. Which was creepy on a great number of levels. But if there was something alive in there…
Tolathe was mildly impressed with himself when he managed to get the top stone off without crushing whatever strange occupant had found their way in.
He blinked, mouth gaping open as he saw a very pregnant, confused and alive Padme Amidala staring up at him.
Tolathe didn't faint. He tripped. And fell. And his head hit the ground- it was the ground that knocked him unconscious. Stupid ground.
…-…
"I'm coming," Luke said, arms folded across his chest, standing in front of Ben. Obi-Wan. Whatever. "That's my very young-looking father. I need to meet him."
Ben didn't argue much. He made sure Luke promised to wait for Obi-Wan to reveal their actual relationship though.
…-…
Anakin was aware that everyone in the room, including those who were in binders by the viewport, were staring at him. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a shaky breath. Obi-Wan was coming and everything would make sense when he got here.
He killed my best friend. No- Anakin was not going to think about that. Or any of the implications of that, including but not limited to the fact that he was wearing the armor of his murderer.
"Were you born in that suit?" Leia said, voice barely managing to avoid being a shout. "How old even are you?"
"I wasn't born in the suit!" Anakin said, volume comparable to Leia's. "Didn't you just hear that conversation? I've been here like an hour. And I'm twenty-three."
Leia's mouth was working but nothing was coming out. "You're saying you got here somehow right when Tarkin said he was going to blow up Alderaan?"
"More or less." Anakin said, waving a hand horizontally in front of him, "I was kind of distracted right at first by the fact that I was wearing armor and had a weird helmet that turned everything red on, and that Padme wasn't there anymore… It's rather odd."
Leia was still staring at him, looking almost like she didn't want to believe him but she did anyways.
"How'd you manage to just pop into the suit?" Leia asked, "And if you're here, where's Vader?"
Which was a rather good question all things considered. "Obi-Wan is coming." Anakin said. Which didn't really explain anything. Still.
…-…
Padme found her family first. They stared at her, looked rather surprised and more than a bit spooked to see her, but welcomed her all the same.
She got a quick rundown of current events. Palpatine was an Emperor. Her rebellion was up and running. Bail was one of the few people she'd known who were still alive.
She called him.
…-…
Anakin had the helmet on again. He needed to keep it on until the Stormtroopers- weird name- escorted Obi-Wan to the bridge. Then they could leave and Obi-Wan would be here and everything would make sense. It'd be great.
And then Obi-Wan was there and two guys and a Wookie and was that his lightsaber? The one good thing Anakin could say for Vader was that his lightsaber construction was solid… still. He couldn't really let someone go around using his lightsaber, even if Vader's red one was perfectly serviceable.
Anakin waited for the troopers to leave, then removed the helmet again with a distinct hissing noise.
Obi-Wan was staring at him, eyes haunted and hopeful and desperate.
"Hello there." Anakin said, which was totally inadequate but also sort of funny because that's what Obi-Wan said to people all the time-
Obi-Wan was studying Anakin's face, though Anakin wasn't quite sure what he was looking for. Making sure he wasn't actually dead or something? Don't think about it, Anakin advised himself.
Obi-Wan's hand came up slowly and he rested it against Anakin's cheek. Anakin felt the don't think about it walls falling down around him. His breath hitched.
"Anakin." Obi-Wan whispered, a sound somewhere between a prayer and a plea, and Anakin saw tears glistening in his eyes.
Then Obi-Wan's hand was falling and he was leaning forward, his head resting right above the control panel for Vader's life support.
Anakin blinked as Obi-wan started shaking. A single finger came up, though Obi-Wan's head didn't, and he jabbed it at Anakin. "Don't you do that." He said, voice shaking as much as the rest of him. "Don't you ever do that again."
Anakin wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan, his own panic momentarily forgotten. He didn't know what he'd done. But he'd do anything for Obi-Wan. "I won't." Anakin promised. "I won't."
…-…
Tarkin was still gaping at the scene an hour after it passed. This… this was worse than the shows his wife watched. Mostly because it was real and Tarkin was definitely going to die. Because he'd tried to blow up a planet and instead of Vader he'd had a Jedi with him.
A Jedi who had broken the code, got married, had two children, died, then showed up in Vader's armor 19 years after his death to prevent his daughter's adoptive planet from blowing up.
And it wasn't just any Jedi, no, Of course not. It was Skywalker. And Kenobi. Both of them were here and alive and in charge of the Death Star. If they didn't kill him, the Emperor would. Tarkin found himself hoping for a swift execution.
The Emperor was not known for his mercy. Not to traitors. And certainly not to incompetents.
He was still contemplating this when Padme Amidala, who apparently wasn't dead either, called.
Chapter Three
"So you just woke up in your grave?" Anakin said, looking at Padme. He seemed… disturbed.
Obi-Wan felt his breath hitch. Anakin couldn't find out- not that fast. Not like this. He wasn't- he couldn't-
"He ate me?!" Anakin shouted. "This creepy Sith guy ate me?"
"What?" Obi-Wan said, blinking. That… hadn't been the conclusion he'd expected Anakin to draw. "No. I mean, an argument could be made for the word consumed… but- no. Why do you think he ate you?"
"Padme woke up in her own crypt/ grave thing. Which is creepy. I woke up in this Sith Lord's life support suit/ armor stuff. So, if Padme woke up where her old self's dead body was, wouldn't that mean I'd do the same thing? So why would my dead body be inside of a Sith Lord's armor unless he ate me? Or stole my organs or something?"
That wasn't actually a bad explanation all things considered. Still- Obi-Wan was pretty sure Sith Lords didn't actually eat people. Probably?
Obi-Wan needed to get away from the subject before anyone thought to question it further, and he'd always been good with words. "I think it more likely you both woke up in the bodies of those who caused your deaths."
Anakin's eyebrows drew together as he worked through that one. His eyes widened a moment later, a startled sound escaping his lips. "No." he said, backing away a step. He glanced towards the mini, blue, pregnant Padme they'd been talking to, who looked similarly stricken.
Better this than the whole truth though. And, well, it was true. From a certain point of view.
"She wouldn't-" he glanced towards Padme again. His voice took on a pleading quality. "You wouldn't-"
"Of course not." Padme said, voice soothing. That voice was replaced with one filled with steel as she turned towards Obi-Wan.
"Explain." She spit out the word and Obi-Wan nodded to her. She deserved to know. Some of it anyways.
"Anakin was gone." Obi-Wan said, and he couldn't help the way his voice choked on the last word. It shouldn't have been the end of the world, but it'd hurt so much. More than the end of the Republic. More than the clones turning on him. And then- Obi-Wan shook himself out of the memory. It would not help him here.
"The Empire had risen, the Republic was gone. The Jedi were dead. You ended up confronting Vader almost directly after he'd killed Anakin. He hurt you, but not mortally. Medically, the droids could find nothing wrong with you. But you went into labor- and then you- faded. No one could figure out what was wrong with you. And you died.
"The droids said you'd stopped fighting. Let death take you. It didn't sound like you, but the prospect sounded tempting enough. There was nothing to disprove the theory that you'd given up, and if you had, and were then at least partially responsibly for your own death… it'd fit."
Obi-Wan took another breath. "Alternatively, the locations the two of you showed up in mean nothing. Random chance. Your showing up is certainly odd enough, seeing as the two of you, well, two of the four of you," he said, nodding towards Padme's stomach, "Have been dead for nineteen years."
He was weaving a web of lies. But the thing was, he could almost believe them. Almost believe that Anakin and Vader were two completely different people. One- his brother. The boy he'd raised, the boy he'd loved. The other- a murderer. A thing full of darkness. The thing he'd been sent to put down.
He couldn't reconcile the two images. Couldn't see how this Anakin before him was anywhere near the snarling thing he'd seen on Mustafar- the one who'd used it's last breath to scream "I hate you!" as Obi-Wan's heart was torn away.
That wouldn't happen again. Obi-Wan'd make sure of it. He'd save Anakin this time. Vader would not have him. Ever again.
…-…
"So," Leia said, after the moment drew out a bit longer than was comfortable. "What should we do about this planet-killing monstrosity we've highjacked?"
General Kenobi blinked, looking around as though seeing where he was for the first time.
Leia glanced at the Imperials. More than a few of them were staring with unabashed awe at Skywalker and Kenobi. Which was kind of odd, considering how Anti-Jed the empire was. Still, Skywalker had never had his name smeared as much as the other Jedi- he'd been too popular. And Kenobi- was Kenobi.
Skywalker. And Kenobi.
Skywalker. Who was her father. Apparently. Biologically.
Leia glanced down at the tiny blue version of her mother. Padme Amidala was her mother. Something inside of her swelled at the knowledge.
Her parents were heroes. Of course, Bail and Breha were her parents in every way that mattered, but she'd always wondered about her birth parents. Breha had always been quick to assure Leia that she hadn't been abandoned- but this confirmation of that was wonderful.
It was unreal. The way Skywalker looked at her and Luke- like they'd managed to hang the stars, was incredibly flattering and also so… she didn't know what it was.
Still- they did need to figure out what to do with the Death Star.
Skywalker's gaze focused and he nodded sharply. "We need to destroy this thing." He said.
He seemed so different than he'd been even a few seconds ago- from uncertain and pleading to uncompromising and determined.
He walked up to one of the consoles and seemed to be fiddling with something.
"Anakin?" Kenobi asked.
"Pulling up the schematics for this thing." Skywalker said, looking distracted.
Padme put a hand to her stomach, smiling fondly. Leia couldn't get over the fact that Padme was apparently pregnant right now. And that another mini Leia would be running around in a couple of weeks or something.
And another mini Luke.
Leia glanced over at Luke, Luke, who was her twin brother.
She felt anger flare again. They'd never told her she had a brother? How dare they keep that from her? She'd deserved to know.
She was distracted from her angry thoughts as Skywalker pulled up the schematic.
Luke wandered over, and after a moment's hesitation so did Leia.
She wasn't very good with schematics, but it wasn't like she had anything better to do.
Leia figured a good ten minutes had passed before Skywalker sat back, whistling softly. "Whoever designed this thing really wanted it to blow up." He said, grinning.
"What?" Kenobi asked.
Anakin pointed to something on the outside of the Death Star. "Fire a torpedo through that- " he said, "The whole thing blows up."
He pointed to several other places within the interior of the Death Star. "Place a bomb on any of those supports and it will probably blow up. Either that or it will be very crippled."
He ran a hand through his hair, looking contemplative, then shook his head. "The best thing is the whole machine is made so that it'll progressively weaken the more shots it makes. Should blow up quite suddenly somewhere between the fifth and tenth time its fired."
Kenobi was staring at Skywalker. "Do you think anyone with your level of mechanical expertise would be able to see that?"
Skywalker grinned. "Not many people are as good as me- but yah. Builder hid the flaws pretty good- but they really, really wanted to blow this thing up."
Kenobi paled at that for some reason, but before Leia could ask him if everything was alright someone ran onto the bridge.
"Transmission from the Emperor." He said, huffing.
Well… that wasn't good.
Chapter Four
Obi-Wan felt as though something inside of him was freezing and burning all at once. No, he thought, you will not have him. Not this time.
"We are not answering that call," Obi-Wan snarled. Rage and fear and pain twisted in his gut. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to run. He wanted to ram his lightsaber through Sidious' lying face.
Anakin looked at him for a long moment. "If you think that's best." He said, voice soft, careful, and that wasn't how Anakin usually sounded- was it?
No- Anakin didn't care what Obi-Wan thought. He didn't listen. He went his own way- did what he thought was best no matter the consequences. No matter who got hurt.
But Obi-Wan couldn't find any words.
"That's a good idea." Padme said, and Obi-Wan felt himself breathing easier. Anakin listened to Padme- except for when he didn't- except for when she was pregnant and begging and he didn't listen- didn't hold her- held out a hand- and Padme wasn't breathing anymore-
No. No. That wasn't Anakin. That had been Vader.
Obi-Wan was sitting on the floor. Why was he on the floor?
He'd been standing up just a moment ago. But now he wasn't standing up- he was on the floor- and Anakin was sitting beside him, telling him to breathe.
"It's alright," Anakin said, voice barely a whisper, "We won't talk to him. Won't let him know his slave is gone and I'm back. We'll figure this out. We can kill him together. I just need you to breathe right now. Just keep breathing. We'll kill him. It'll be alright."
And Obi-Wan was almost ridiculously comforted by his best friend's assurance of future murder.
…-…
Renon had been distracted when he ran to grab Vader for the Emperor's call. He hadn't noticed for a moment- a long moment- that Vader wasn't exactly Vader.
He didn't have the mask for one- for another- he was hugging a Jedi.
Vader didn't hug Jedi.
Vader killed Jedi.
And this- whoever this was- was promising the Jedi that they'd kill the Emperor together.
Renon backed up a step.
The bridge had been overtaken. All the Imperials were bound- excepting whoever was in Vader's armor…
He backed up another step. He needed- he needed to tell someone what was going on!
He needed to find someone- someone to tell him what he was supposed to do. This was not covered in any of the handbooks.
Renon wasn't supposed to worry about what to do if Vader hugged a Jedi. He was supposed to be the perfect messenger so that Vader never felt the need to choke him to death.
Renon felt like turning and running- but he knew not to do that. He was supposed to look like he knew what he was doing. He was supposed to be confident- to move slowly- and then-
There was a blaster pressed against his side and Renon froze. "I think you'd better sit down," the man said, the cocky grin on his face making the blaster all the more terrifying.
Renon sat.
He wondered if he should start crying. He'd read about hostage situations before… you were supposed to show vulnerability- make a connection to those holding you hostage.
And sometimes silence was the best option- the thing most likely to get you out alive.
Renon glanced between not-Vader, the hyperventilating Jedi, the princess, the farm-boy, the smuggler, and finally the Wookie.
He decided that silence was the best option.
…-…
Vader wasn't answering. Vader wasn't answering and something was very, very wrong.
Vader had been put on the Death Star as a punishment- put under the direct control of Tarkin as a punishment- but Vader had never rebelled before- not like this.
Vader was just- gone. Sidious couldn't feel him any longer- couldn't feel the darkness or strength that had stood beside him these last nineteen years.
All Sidious could sense was an echo.
Vader didn't answer. The messenger never came back. No one came at all.
Somehow- Vader was gone.
The Death Star- Sidious felt it safe to assume that the Death Star was no longer in Imperial control. And while the rebels would likely not try to kill an entire planet to destroy him- how was he to know what they would actually do?
They were supposed to have some strange sense of honor- but he had never returned it. So what happened if they used his own tactics- his own weapon- against him?
Even he couldn't withstand to full power of the Death Star- if he was on the planet when he hit.
He could go into hiding- he could leave- but where would he go?
His power was here.
Everything he had worked for- everything he had sacrificed- it all came back to here.
Sidious growled, making a Red Guard jump.
He flicked a hand and a droid was beside him in an instant. "Contact the fleet," Sidious said, "The Death Star has been overtaken. It must be destroyed."
It hurt, ordering the destruction of his creation- a masterpiece or machinery powerful enough to destroy worlds-
But it had to be done.
Sidious always came first. His creations could not.
Chapter Five
"So," Anakin said, "Making sure I got this all right. On their birthday," he pointed to Luke and Leia, "Nineteen years ago, Sidious turned out to actually be Palpatine. He got the clones to kill the Jedi and took control of the government by saying that the Jedi had tried to kill him. He then sent his new apprentice, Vader, to kill the Jedi at the temple, and he did, and after that he killed the Separatist leaders who Palpatine had control of the entire time."
Obi-Wan nodded. "I died," Anakin said, "Padme died. You sent Luke to the sandy planet of death and Leia to be a princess."
Obi-Wan nodded again. Though, when he put it like that the accommodations didn't seem exactly… fair.
Luke's face fell then. "They're dead." He said, hollowly, "Owen and Beru. They're dead."
As far as Obi-Wan knew, Anakin had only met his brother in law once, when his mother had died, and the meeting hadn't exactly been amicable.
Still, when Anakin looked at Luke his face softened, sorrow burrowing into harsher lines. "I'm sorry," he said, laying a hand on Luke's shoulder. "It's hard to lose someone you love."
And Obi-Wan remembered hearing Anakin weeping for his mother through the door that separated their quarters and wishing he knew what to say to comfort his friend. Obi-Wan had never known a mother- had never remembered losing one- and he had been so powerless in the face of his friend's grief.
They had never really talked about it. Obi-Wan had never told Anakin that he was sorry- sorry that he hadn't listened- that they hadn't gone to save Shmi in time.
Obi-Wan watched as something in Luke broke and the tears began to fall, and Anakin simply stepped forward and pulled Luke into his arms. Luke went willingly, crying into the taller man's chest- and Obi-Wan wondered.
If he'd opened that door, if he'd tried harder…
He shook his head. It didn't matter now- he had a second chance. And he wasn't going to waste it.
…-…
They had a basic plan hammered out. Padme would come to Alderaan. They would meet with the rebellion heads and figure out whether they were going to just outright destroy the Death Star, or if they would try out some intimidation tactics with the thing first.
Everyone was exhausted, so they were going to take sleep schedule shifts.
Anakin had come from the past when it was nearly nighttime, come to a future morning, and then proceeded to stay awake for far longer than was probably healthy. Not that his sleeping habits were usually healthy…
Anakin, Luke and Leia were going to sleep first, while Obi-Wan, Chewbacca, Han and Artoo guarded the prisoners. Then they'd trade. Except Artoo. Who didn't need sleep.
Anakin managed to catch Luke alone right before the boy- who was his son and was also only four years younger than him- went to bed.
"Luke," he said, "I was going to ask Obi-Wan," Anakin hesitated there, rubbing a metal hand absently against his neck, "But after… after. It didn't seem such a good idea…" he trailed off. Why was talking so awkward sometimes?
"What do you want to know?" Luke asked.
"Do you know who Vader is?" Anakin asked, stepping forward, hands moving along with his words, "Because- seriously. The guy killed me. And, also, what kind of a Sith name is Vader? It's like Sidious makes sense, like insidious or possibly hideous based on the new pictures-" Luke snorted, "And Maul like- well, mauling someone and Tyranus like tyrant- those all make sense. But Vader? Like Father? What kind of a name even is that? And- where did he even come from? I came from a week before the war ended but- do you know who he was?"
Anakin made sure to keep his face as open as possible. Luke was family. And Padme had always liked it when he tried. It'd been odd, at first, being with Padme who'd wanted him to work on being more open when everyone else had always wanted him to be so stoic-
Luke shrugged, apologetic. "I don't know much," he said, "Only what Obi-Wan told me when he gave me your lightsaber. He said you were a Jedi and a hero and he said that he trained you and Vader and Vader killed you, but that's all."
Anakin felt his forehead crinkle together, his face scrunching in thought. "Obi-Wan trained Vader?" he checked.
Luke nodded. Anakin forced a smile. "Thanks Luke," he said, "I appreciate it."
Luke smiled back, then waved, going back to his new Death Star quarters.
Anakin made his way to Vader's quarters with his mask still on.
Pieces of a puzzle were clicking into place, and Anakin didn't like what he was seeing.
I cut off three of Vader's limbs and left him burning by a river of lava.
He killed my best friend.
An argument could be made for the word consumed…
Don't you ever do that again.
We are not answering that call.
Padme woke up in a crypt. Anakin woke up in a Sith Lord's suit.
As soon as he was in his own quarters, he jerked the helmet off. He fumbled with Vader's lightsaber for a bit.
Solid lightsaber construction. Very, very much like his own, if slightly longer. To compensate for the added weight of more metal limbs.
He took it apart, quickly, with trembling fingers.
This was how he made lightsabers. This was so much like him.
How- how had he- He'd killed the Tusken Raiders. After they'd murdered his mother he'd killed them all. Had he even hesitated? Had he hesitated with the Jedi children? Obi-Wan… he'd said that Vader killed the children in the temple. Killed everyone. Had he hesitated? He knew some of them- not well, but he'd talked to them. So many of them wanted to train with him- wanted to be like him… he'd been their hero.
He didn't make it far before everything he'd eaten- some nineteen years ago- came up. He hated vomit. The sight of it made him feel like he needed to throw up more but he really didn't want to- he turned away.
If these were his rooms though…
He found a room full of half demolished or possibly half rebuilt droids easily enough.
Then he was fumbling with his- Vader's- his- comm. They'd just hung up with Padme and she was planning on getting a little sleep before bringing her pregnant self out to meet them in space but he needed to talk to her now.
"Padme?" he asked when she finally picked up, "Are you alone?"
She looked exhausted and he felt guilt overwhelm his panic for a moment. "Ani?" she asked, "What's wrong?"
And the panic was back. "Vader," Anakin said, "It's Vader. I think he's me. Or I'm him. I'm Vader. I'm a Sith Lord."
Chapter Six
"Okay." Padme said, "What makes you think that?"
"My lightsaber and his- we made them exactly the same. And he has a room of droids half torn apart or half remade and Luke said Obi-Wan said that he had trained Vader and Obi-Wan only ever had me as a Padawan.
"Some of the things Obi-Wan said make more sense now- like how I was supposed to never do that again and he didn't say what that was but I figure it's becoming a Sith and he said consumed was a good word like the Dark Side consumed me- and he knew who I was in the suit before any of the time travel stuff, because it was me in the suit before the time travel stuff and I ended up in the suit and you were in the crypt and- and Vader didn't eat me." Anakin paused for a moment, trying to gather scattered and panicked thoughts.
"Also, Bail and Breha's reaction to me when I was talking about telling people their children were alive? It was like oh-no-someone-has-found-out-my-worst-secret-and-I'm-really-trying-not-to-panic, it was written all over their faces. And I didn't think about it then but it happened and then they totally thought it was a hostage situation or something 'cause I asked where Obi-Wan was and then they gave him over and he seemed so resigned and… it's me. It's gotta be."
Padme watched him for a long moment. "Are you a Sith Lord now?" she finally asked.
"No! And I won't be! I won't!"
Padme smiled at him. "Then what do you have to worry about?"
Anakin opened his mouth but no sound came out because her point seemed to make sense but there really was something wrong with it…
Padme yawned then. "I need to get to bed," she said, "And so do you. Try to get some rest."
It was good advice, even if Anakin knew he couldn't take it. Even if he wanted her to stay, wanted her to keep talking to him, to help him feel better. But she was pregnant, and she needed rest, so he smiled. "Goodnight Angel," he said.
He ended up fixing a cleaning droid to take care of the mess he'd made. It was relaxing. And if he ended up falling asleep while trying to reassemble an R2 unit- who would know?
…-…
Darth Vader came on the intercom and said that the ship was leaking a highly toxic gas on certain floors. All personnel was moved far, far away from the bridge.
…-…
When Padme arrived Anakin wanted to lift her up and swing her around, to hold her tight and never let go.
There were two reasons he couldn't do that.
One- she was pregnant.
Two- this suit made hugging people extremely difficult.
Still, he was incredibly happy to see her.
…-…
They were having a rebel meeting on the Death Star.
It sounded like the start of a bad joke.
"We need to destroy it," Obi-Wan said. "We can't let a weapon with this potential for destruction exist."
"Don't we want to kill the Emperor?" Anakin asked.
Obi-Wan looked at him, feeling something like dread rising in his chest.
"We could just threaten him with it- like- hand yourself over or we'll destroy your planet." Anakin suggested.
"We can't destroy a planet!" Several voices shouted that at once.
"I'm not saying we should destroy the planet!" Anakin said, voice rising, "I'm saying we should pretend to be willing to destroy a planet! There's a difference!"
"And what happens if Palpatine calls our bluff? It's too much of a risk! The Death Star needs to be destroyed!" Obi-Wan shouted back.
Anakin opened his mouth to reply, face reddening, and then he stopped, paling. One hand went over his mouth as he stumbled to his feet, knocking over his chair. "I- I gotta go," he said, and he ran out of the room.
After a moment, and some frantic shooing from Padme, Obi-Wan followed.
…-…
He'd started arguing with Obi-Wan- and his first thought had been that he needed to talk to Palpatine.
How long had he been doing that? Telling a Sith Lord all of his problems- seeking advice, listening to the man's comforting lies? Because he was a Sith. And so he had been lying- lying for years.
Since Anakin was nine and the man had complimented him on saving Naboo.
And ever since then- every meeting- every kind word- Palpatine had been leading him along, guiding him gently over to the dark side. Don't you see? The Jedi don't appreciate you. The Jedi don't understand you. I do. Don't tell Obi-Wan. If you tell him you won't be able to meet with me anymore. Don't tell anyone. Keep this to yourself. Your friends don't understand you, how would they be able to understand this?
And it all made so much sense when he said it. How hard had it been, in the end? To turn Anakin to the Darkside? Had he even tried to fight it?
He'd thought that there was nothing that could make him turn. But apparently Palpatine could.
And the worst part was- even knowing all of that- Anakin still wanted to talk to him.
…-…
Obi-Wan found Anakin sitting against a wall with his knees pulled up to his chest. He slowly sat down beside Anakin, not saying anything for a long moment. Finally he said, "Are you alright?"
Anakin shook his head. "We were arguing," he said, "And I thought- I thought- I want to talk to Palpatine. And its so stupid because I thought we were friends but we never were. He was only nice to me because he wanted to use me. He wanted me to be his apprentice."
Obi-Wan felt something inside of him freeze.
So… Anakin had figured it out then.
He sighed. "How long have you known?"
"When we went to sleep, I asked Luke if he knew who Vader was. He said you trained Vader, but I was your only Padawan. Everything fell into place from there."
Obi-Wan hesitated for a long moment, then wrapped an arm around Anakin's shoulders, pulling the younger man to his side. Anakin didn't resist, leaning against Obi-Wan.
"I'm sorry," Anakin said, "I don't know- I don't know why I did it. But I'm sorry."
Obi-Wan couldn't really respond to that- not even to this boy who hadn't done anything yet. So he just said, "Don't do it again and we'll call it even."
Anakin made a sound, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "It's a deal."
Chapter Seven
"So," Leia said, "Our plan is to go to Imperial Center with a fleet of ships. And the Death Star. Then we're supposed to bluff our way into killing Sidious."
Skywalker grinned, a cocky thing that didn't reach his eyes. "I hear I pull off the suit very well."
More than one person in the room winced. Which was something she would get to the bottom of- just not now.
"Great." She said, "But if we know the plans- and the Death Star is almost remarkably easy to blow up- then wouldn't it be in our best interest to find a way to make it harder?"
Which… was a fair point.
…-…
Anakin loved mechanics and ships and working on things.
The Death Star was a monstrosity. First off- it was a circle. Who made a circular ship? Anakin knew that there wasn't any air resistance in space so, technically, shape didn't matter… but still. A circle?
After that was the whole capable-of-destroying-a-planet-in-one-shot thing. That was… messed up.
And last was just… how was he supposed to work on something this big? Fixing it so it wouldn't explode was an impossibility. He could probably delay an explosion- they had enough carbonite that they could freeze a torpedo for about an hour before it exploded… but the positioning would have to be so precise…
Well. It was a good thing he worked with the force.
Even if, technically, since they were in space, none of this stuff had any weight.
…-…
"Wait," Han said, "We're going to kill the Emperor?"
Everyone looked at him for a long moment. "Yes."
"I'm not getting involved in this!" Han said, "I have debts to pay off! I don't have time to go galivanting around the galaxy!"
"You're already here," Anakin pointed out. "Besides, if we do manage to kill of the Emperor- the guy is filthy rich. Anyone who helps out with the whole heroic-getting-rid-of-the-evil-Emperor thing would probably be able to find friends in high places who are willing to help pay of their debts."
And… that did sound nice.
The debts paying off part. And the friends in high places part.
Not the being a hero part.
Or the princess part.
Or the Luke part.
Or the Chewie part.
This had nothing to do with any of those things at all.
…-…
Leia had always wanted to meet Padme Amidala, even before she knew the woman was her mother. The fact that she was made everything so much better.
The part where Padme was pregnant with another Luke and another Leia was certainly…odd.
Leia had loved her childhood. She loved her parents.
And yet… there was something about meeting her biological parents that thrilled her. They were both heroes- both larger than life- and now they were here. And they had created her.
They were human. And she couldn't help but wonder how much different her life would have been had they raised her.
She wouldn't be a princess, Naboo elected queens, but a former queen's daughter does not equal princess. Would she still be interested in politics? Probably.
Padme was.
And she would have grown up with Luke… how different would that have been? She didn't know him very well yet- but she did like him.
He was sweet.
She was still angry at the fact that she had a brother and no one had ever told her. That hurt more than never knowing who her parents were. Her parents had been dead until very recently. Her brother had not been.
He'd been alive. And he'd been out there. Growing up on Tattoine- and she'd never known. Never got the chance to visit or get to know him or… anything.
Leia stood. She needed answers.
…-…
"Mom," Leia said, "Dad, I need to speak with you."
Neither of them looked excited for the upcoming conversation, but they came anyways.
Leia took a deep breath. Hiding her father's identity made sense- he was a Jedi. And the children of Jedi were often killed for having the Force.
The rest of it… did not make sense to her. "You kept my brother from me." She said, "And you never told me who my biological mother was. I can understand why you kept Skywalker a secret- but why my mother? And why was I never given a chance to meet Luke? To talk to him? We are siblings! Why weren't we raised together?"
Bail sighed, a long, drawn out sound as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. He sat back up a moment later, running a hand through his hair. "The last days of the war," he finally said, "Were… difficult. There were so many people dead, so many friends dead. And the death count just kept growing.
"I was at the temple when it burnt- or- well. I went to the temple. And the Clone Troopers were there- and they shot down a child. Without blinking or- or hesitating and- and Anakin was gone- he was dead- and then Padme was dead too and I couldn't- I couldn't give both of you up. But Obi-Wan couldn't safely come to Alderaan with us. And I knew- we both knew- that he couldn't give both of you up either.
"We said it was to protect you. We said separating you would be more likely to keep you from the Emperor- but… the reality is that I couldn't stand to let you go. And I didn't know what would happen if you found out about your brother. It could have put you both in danger- and I still wasn't willing to let you go. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
And there was something wrong- so wrong with that- with separating her and Luke because… because they couldn't let go- but she could also understand.
She hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back, tightly. Her mother was there a moment later.
And Leia was still angry. And everything didn't suddenly make sense.
But it was… better. Probably.