Normal

Anakin looked around his quarters, which seemed to consist of a bed and a fresher. He turned to the closet and found Rebel clothes and flight gear, like he had ever needed flight gear. At least it would fit though, he thought. He took out the white shirt and blue pants with the Rebellion Embel on it and went toward the Fresher, even as he had noticed the camos and the white depending on what they would blend into. He took off the Jedi robes that were too short for him and placed them in the chute. He turned on the shower and placed his flesh and blood hand underneath it, marveling at the coolness to the touch before he applied heat. He used the Force to grab a towel from the bedroom and slipped into the shower. He closed his eyes and let out a moan. It had been too long since he had stepped in a shower. The way he had bathed as Vader had been unpleasant to say the least.

He stood there and he remembered showering in the 500 Republic. Showering with Padme. He wished he could see her, that he could hold her just once more. He wished that Padme would come into the shower like she used to but, he thought sullenly, he had ruined that forever. What had Obi-Wan meant when he had said to protect Padme? Could she be alive? Anakin didn't dare hope, too many times his hopes had been dashed, but now that the question had been unlocked, he couldn't help but imagine the possibilities.

He turned the water off, and slung his head, dropping the droplets of water on the floor that had clung to his hair, hair that now resembled how it had been just prior to his marriage. He used the Force to grab a towel and folded it around his waist. He looked into the mirror, his hair was giving off a blondish-brown sheen to it. It was growing back faster than he had expected. His arms and legs were aching from the workout he had put himself through. Although he had impressed the Rebellion, he realized his limitations and he would push his body until it reached peak performance. He remembered as a Padawan he had complained about the workouts. "Strong of body, strong of mind," he chanted to himself. It was something Obi-Wan had said to him, so long ago. His brief encounter with Jade bothered him, but he quickly pushed it from his mind, the meditation afterward had helped. He hoped she would leave his son alone and that he wouldn't have to awaken that part of himself again. He couldn't walk the line anymore, it was too dangerous. Soon he would confront that part of himself, but right now he had to set things to purpose. He had to protect what was left of his family. Again, he thought of Padme. Was she safe? Had the Emperor managed to capture her or had the Jedi hidden her? So many questions. He sensed a presence in his room, and quickly finished getting dressed.

Someone was hiding from him, he discovered frowning as he felt the presence around the room. But where? "Make your presence known," he ordered, trying to remember where he had put Obi-Wan's lightsaber. Had he left it in the training room? It was of no consequence. He hardly needed it to defend himself. He felt a flicker of fear..apprehension maybe from the closet and drew open the doors. As he turned around, he felt a blaster at his back. "It's against the rules of engagement to shoot a man in the back," he replied, turning to face his opponent. "Ah, Captain Solo, what can I do for you?"

"What are your intentions with Leia?"

"That should be my question to you, Captain Solo. I am Leia's father."

"She doesn't want you to be."

"So she sent you here to do what exactly?" Anakin asked brushing some lint from his clothes. "Kill me?" He looked up at Solo. "You should know by now that blaster bolts would hardly harm me." Anakin used the Force to take it from him and turned it off. "Have a seat, Captain. Let us discuss this like men." Han saw know other choice and sat down at the same table for two that was in his room. He looked at Anakin. "I am unarmed," Anakin assured him.

"Hardly seems fair," Captain Solo grumbled. "What happened to you? Last I heard you were hooked up to some oxygen and could barely move on your own. You are head of the Empire, why would you help the Rebellion?"

"I was repaired," Anakin replied. "Once," Anakin began moving to the small fridge and taking out a quart of booze and two glasses, he offered one to Captain Solo as his mouth watered, thinking of the first drink he would have in twenty years. He poured and handed one to Captain Solo as he hesitated savoring the thought of drinking. "Cordelia Ale?" he sipped, knowing that the drink would be too strong for his body that hadn't drunk in twenty years. "Once I made a mistake. I chose the wrong side. That decision has haunted me for a long time."

"You put me in carbonate."

"Yes, I did, Captain Solo. My sincerest apologies." Han Solo was stumped, this wasn't going as planned. He had been a fool to think that he could challenge Vader, that he could scare him. He looked down at his own drink, and finished it off in one gulp. "You are a space pirate, a deserter, a smuggler, a gambler."

"I am a Captain of the Rebel Alliance," Han replied.

"And I am Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, the last member of the Jedi High Council." Han understood, even though he had never committed the acts that Vader had, they all had things in their past they were not proud of, but a person was not the sum of their actions. "You are a great pilot, Captain Solo. I would never had imagined you could make that hunk of bolts escape my fleet and the bounty hunters I hired. The Force must have been with you."

"No offense, Skywalker, but I don't believe in hokey religions."

"After all you've been through, you can still say that? Well, I will have to do all that I can to change your mind. This conversation is over, Captain Solo." Anakin twirled the blaster around. "This blaster has been modified...definitely better than the average stormtroopers. I looked up your record, Captain. It's a crude weapon to be sure, but effective. I once owned one," he said as he handed the blaster back to its owner.

"You weren't born with a lightsaber between your teeth," Han drawled sarcastically.

"No, the origins surrounding my birth..were uncommon to say the least," Anakin said. "I hold no hard feelings, in fact I am in your debt. You saved my son when I was unable to do so."

"You are his father."

"It takes more than what I have done to become a parent. Any man can father a child," he stated slowly.

"Your identity is safe with me. For Luke," Solo said as he left. Anakin looked after him, Captain Solo was a lot of things that if circumstances had been different perhaps Anakin would have been too. How would his life had been different if the Jedi had refused his training...he wouldn't have had to hide his relationship from the Council, yet he had always taken such pride in being a Jedi. Padme. He had done so much wrong to her. He didn't deserve the second chance of life that he had been given. He ran a hand through his hair which seemed to be growing by the minute. It now reminded him of his hair as a padawan without the braid. He pulled on a pair of boots and his Jedi robes and strode down to the mess hall. He searched the faces there recognizing some as enemies of the Empire, and there were those he recognized as soldiers of the Empire. Spies, he thought. Not that it mattered now. He was not Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, but instead Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker. Something was convincing him that Padme wasn't dead. If she wasn't dead how could he face her after all that he had done? He lowered his robe exposing his face as he went through the mess line. Luke waved him over and he found himself sitting in front of Luke and beside Lando and Han. He wondered if Lando knew of his idenity.

"So you were a prisoner of Darth Vader?" Lando asked. Anakin stared at him, wondering what to say. "That's a tough break. He arrived on Cloud City, promising that the Imperials would leave us alone if I just coorperated, you know." Anakin took a bite of his bantha steak and sipped on jawa juice, savoring the flavor of both. "I'm guessing the Empire didn't feed you like this..." Lando continued. "Anyway, the deal was that I would allow Darth Vader to question Han, he was after your son, you know."

"Yes, I know. Somehow, though, I can't imagine you 'allowing' Darth Vader to do anything."

"Yeah, well, he 'altered the arrangement.' I had thought I could keep Leia and Han safe, but he froze Han in carbonite. Did you not tell General Skywalker about it?"

"No," Han answered sullenly, his head reaching for his blaster on his hip even as he kept it holstered.

"I once froze myself in carbonite," Anakin recalled, "It was during the Clone Wars. It was my plan, I had gone over every detail of the plan, however my padawan wasn't supposed to tag along," he said as Rex, Ahsoka and their daughter sat down making the boys scoot over.

"Well, technically I didn't disobey your orders. Besides, I had permission from Master Plo Kloon."

"I sincerely doubt that Master Plo would override my orders to my padawan," Anakin continued and Ahsoka blushed. "However having my padawan along ended up being a good thing. There weren't many girls on our missions and her small size and stature made it possible to complete our mission. My droid, Artoo and one of the reprogrammed Sepertists droids made it possible for us to infilitrate Grevious's flagship. However, they monitored life forms, so the mission was tricky. If we had been monitored we would have been discovered which was why my team was frozen in carbonite."

"Was the mission a success?" Lando asked.

"General Skywalker's missions were always a success," Rex added. "Maybe things didn't go according to plan, but they were a success."

"Looks like Vader knew the effects of carbonite," Lando commented.

"It was a widely discussed during the Clone Wars," Rex added. "Any Clone under General Skywalker would have talked about it after the fact."

"You trusted a droid."

"I have always trusted Artoo," Anakin replied. Anakin found himself done, and decided it was time for more training, He exited the mess how as quietly as he had come, strode taking long steps as his black cape flew menacing behind him.

"Remind you of anyone?" Han asked.

"Han..." Luke stated in warning.

"What I mean is being a prisoner of Vader won't disappear overnight. He seems to have picked up some of his habits," Han corrected himself.

"I can't imagine what it must have been like for your father, Luke, being a prisoner of Vader. I'm glad you rescued him, Luke," Lando said taking the words at face value.