Chapter Eight: Lightsabers Vs. Blasters

Pooja was the first one off the Millennium Falcon, and her eyes found Leia immediately. She rushed to greet her friend, only to stop in her tracks when she noticed on one of the men standing with her.

"Anakin?" she breathed. The familiarity in her voice caused Luke and Leia to give their father a confused look.

Anakin furrowed his brow as he tried to place her. After a moment, his eyes widened. "Pooja?" he replied in disbelief.

She shrieked and threw herself into his arms. "I can't believe you're alive! Where have you been? Aunt Padmé's gone, Anakin, she --"

"-- died twenty-three years ago, I know." He looked her up and down. "You've grown, Pooja. Last time I saw you, you were . . . what, four?"

She nodded. "You and Aunt Padmé came to visit."

He smiled. "We were married soon after that, you know."

"So you were the baby's father! We thought so."

"Am," Anakin corrected. "I am their father."

Pooja gave him a strange look. "Am? Them?"

His smile grew. "Twins who are alive and well."

"I have cousins?" Pooja demanded, shocked but delighted.

"Luke and Leia," Anakin confirmed.

"Luke . . ." She glanced at the young man beside them; he smiled shyly at her. "And Leia?" She turned to stare at her friend.

"I didn't know you knew him!" Leia cried defensively. "So . . . you're my cousin?"

"Apparently."

They laughed and embraced, delighted at this revelation.

Han walked up at that moment, and halted when he saw Anakin, much the way Pooja had. "Anakin Skywalker?"

Anakin gave him a wary look. "Solo."

Han looked confused. "How do you know my . . ." His eyes grew large. "Oh, Sith – I mean --"

Leia interrupted. "You really didn't know, Han? Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker . . . it's not that subtle."

Han glared. "I made that connection. I just figured . . . what are the chances? There's got to be millions of Skywalkers out there."

"There is not," Anakin replied. "There's me, and Luke, and that's it. It was a name bestowed on my mother – even if we have any distant relatives, they don't go by the name Skywalker."

"Anyway, how could you miss the resemblance?" Pooja chimed in. Anakin and Luke grinned at her.

Han decided to ignore further comments. He stared hard at Anakin, who stared right back, unfazed. "I just can't believe . . ." He trailed off. "I'm old enough to vaguely recall the Clone Wars. When I was a kid, and people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up – I'd say Anakin Skywalker."

Anakin relaxed slightly. "Really? Huh. I never thought I'd see the day."

"What, when you'd be somebody's dream profession?" Obi-Wan commented, materializing beside Anakin. "Neither did I."

Anakin smacked him on the back of the head. His hand passed through the Jedi Master, but Obi-Wan still winced in discomfort.

"Obi-Wan was being cheeky," Anakin said loftily, explaining his actions to Pooja and Han.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Han exclaimed.

"Okay, Han, you met him," Luke told his friend.

"I did not!"

"Old Ben? Remember him?"

"The old fossil with the lightsa- -- oh."

Anakin laughed. "Old fossil? I like that! So much more original that old man, don't you think, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan merely rolled his eyes and disappeared.

Han was still in shock. "That was really Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"Yes, Han," Leia said, exasperated.


"You built that annoying piece of scrap metal?" Han asked Anakin later that day. "Why?"

"I wanted him to help my mother," Anakin explained. "My mom ws the most amazing lady I have ever met – and I've met some pretty amazing ladies. She deserved any help she could get." He tilted his head, a glint in his eye. "You know, if you really want me to, I can change Threepio's personality and make him less fussy."

Han's eyes widened. "Oh, nah, that's fine," he said hastily. "Goldenrod – he grows on you. I'd hate having to get used to him again."

Anakin leaned back in his chair and smirked.

Jix, Luke, Leia and Pooja entered and came over to sit with Anakin and Han. "Let's play Say or Do," Jix announced.

"Alright," Anakin said. He smiled. "I can't remember the last time I played this."

"Father," Luke began. "Say or do?"

"Say."

"What was the one thing you did as a Jedi that you never expected to do?"

Anakin paused, thinking. "Just one? The time I performed a marriage ceremony."

Leia stared at him. "You performed a marriage?"

Anakin nodded. "A pilot and a recon agent. Jedi are technically justices of the peace; we do have the legal authority." He turned to Jix. "Say or do, Jixton?"

"Say."

"Why in the hells did you try to be a stormtrooper?"

Everyone stared at Jix, who shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. "It was a job. I thought I could live with it."

"You have far too many opinions to ever be a good soldier," Pooja said. She had only met Jix a couple hours before, but already she knew enough about him to know that much.

"Which is why I prefer to work for Uncle D here. He lets me express them. Leia – say or do?"

"Say."

"Are you sleeping with Solo here?"

Leia turned bright red; Han's jaw dropped. Pooja's eyes widened and Anakin and Luke yelped in unison, "I don't need to know that!"

"Han," Luke said hurriedly, before Jix could get his mouth open again. "Say or do?"

"Do," Han said, trying to move away from awkward questions. However, he wasn't entirely sure he like that sparkle in the kid's eye.

"Let Father fly the Falcon."


Anyone who thought Han was a crazy, daring pilot had obviously never flown with Anakin Skywalker. Five minutes into the flight, Han was firmly convinced that even if they made it out of this alive, his ship would not. With Anakin piloting and Luke in the copilot's chair, Han had nothing to do but try to convince Anakin not to kill them all.

"Don't go through there! We won't fit!"

"I'll get through. Force, Solo, you sound like Obi-Wan."

Han was silent for all of five seconds. "You're going to kill us!"

"No, I'm not."

"You're going to crash my ship!"

"Your ship will be fine."

"Stop lying to me!"

Anakin sighed. "Solo, I started Podracing when I was six – no human, of any age, is supposed to be able to Podrace. I won the Boonta Eve Classic when I was nine; that's one of the most vicious Podraces ever. You say you remember the Clone Wars – do you recall when I landed half a ship that wasn't built to land at all in the first place, while keeping everyone on board alive?"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!"

"You landed half a ship?" Luke asked interestedly as the Falcon passed between two trees with centimeters to spare.

R2-D2 rolledforward, whistling.

"Artoo says he recorded it," Anakin translated. "Play it, Artoo."

The droid's holoprojector switched on.

"Can you fly a cruiser like this?" Obi-Wan asked.

"You mean, do I know how to land what's left of this thing?" Anakin replied, sitting in the pilot's chair as the ship rocked.

"Well?" Obi-Wan demanded.

Anakin gave him a look. "Under the circumstances, I'd say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant. Strap yourselves in." His fingers danced over the controls.

Obi-Wan and Palpatine followed his instructions.

Anakin and Obi-Wan had a short, technical exchange, and then there was a loud, grating sound as metal pulled and broke.

"We lost something," Anakin said.

"Not to worry," Obi-Wan said as if commenting on the weather. "We're still flying half a ship."

Anakin and Obi-Wan attempted to deal with various problems, mostly heat and speed. Finally, they crashed.

Picking himself up, Obi-Wan declared, "Another happy landing."

Han groaned as if in pain. "That is not reassuring!"


When Anakin, grinning foolishly with delight, finally exhausted his repertoire of exceedingly dangerous twists and turns, Han went weak with relief. For the first time ever, Han was the first person off the Falcon.

"Never again," he informed the Skywalkers.

Anakin gave him a look of disappointment. "But it was so much fun!" he protested.

Han gave him a dirty look. "Then get your own ship! You're not going anywhere near mine again. Are you trying to get back at me for all the grief I gave you when you were Vader, or something?"

The mirth in Anakin's eyes disappeared; he set his jaw and strode away without a word or a backwards glance.

Han stared after him. "What'd I say?" he asked Luke.

The young Jedi's face was carefully expressionless. "You called him Vader."

"I wasn't serious," Han protested. "Can't he take a joke?"

"His sense of humour is better than yours, but Vader is not a joke, Han. He's a demon that still haunts Father, and always will."

"I thought he was over the whole Vader thing," Han objected, surprised. "He acts like like he is, all cheerful and hyper and Jedi-ish. And the higher-ups have all killed and buried it."

"He has been pardoned and forgiven by the Alliance, yes, but he still feels terrible about Vader. He hides it well, but I've woken up in the middle of the night because his nightmares are so strong they get through his shields. They're about the things he did as Vader – like try to kill my mother." Han's eyes widened, but Luke continued ruthlessly. "Have you noticed the way he looks at you sometimes? He's waiting for you to bring up the whole carbon freezing thing. He's been walking on eggshells around Leia ever since he woke from his restorative coma. The only person he feels truly comfortable around, I think, is Jix, because Jix is the only person he feels accepts him as himself – not wholly good, not wholly evil, but filled with shades of both. Jix isn't a Rebel or an Imperial; he doesn't pressure Father to be one or the other. I've tried to do the same, but I'm a Jedi and I'm his son, so he feels the need to live up to what he thinks my ideals are."

Luke paused in his impassioned speech to breathe. "So to answer your question, Han, no, he is not over it. We have forgiven him, but he has yet to forgive himself."


Anakin walked into Mon Mothma's office. "You wanted to see me?"

Mon Mothma smiled at him. "Master Jedi. I trust you had a relaxing couple weeks?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Intelligence has just come our way that requires immediate action. Given the experience you gained during the Clone Wars, it seems to be right up your alley; therefore, we want you to lead it."

She paused. "You'll be given a team of five plus yourself, to deploy as you see fit. The Alliance has only one stipulation."

Anakin's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Continue."

"We would like your team to include Han Solo, Leia Organa, and your son, Luke Skywalker."