Chapter 3-Revelations
Luke awoke with a start in his new room on board the Executor, as he was still getting use to the idea of being the Son of Darth Vader, and even more so when interacting with the man. It was strange in a sense since not that long ago, the Dark Lord of the Sith had fought him on Bespin, and cut off his hand in a Lightsaber duel before revealing himself to be the boy's Father.
'This feels strange,' thought Luke, as he got out of his bed, showered in the refresher, got dressed in the clothes chosen for him to wear by his Father, and put them on finding that all black clothes fit him surprisingly well.
Maybe it was a family thing?
Luke right hand flexed after he covered it with a black glove to block out the feeling of it being fake despite the Imperial upgrade in prosthetics that sadly enough far outdid the one he got when he was brought on board the Alliance medical Frigate. Though that was not surprising since the Empire had the most advanced technology and could overpower the Alliance in a straight head on fight with it.
Deciding to put the Alliance out of his head for the moment, Luke exited his room to find the squad of Stormtroopers waiting his exit, and he wondered what their faces looked like when Vader had told them that he was not to be harmed. Granted, Luke could sense their surprise through the Force, but seeing their faces at the command was something that the former farm boy had secretly wanted to see, and in a way laugh at the expressions they would each show from it.
Again, putting such meaningless thoughts away in the back of his head, Luke walked towards the bridge to see the terrifying form that was Darth Vader looking into the stars deep in thought, and drinking in the darkness of space. Luke often wondered if his Father did this when he was still Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker? Or perhaps this was something he could only do as a Sith Lord?
"How is your new hand?" said Vader, as he turned to see Luke dressed in black, and felt a swell of pride in knowing his son was standing before him now.
"It's going to take some time getting use to it like I did the other one did, but then again, I was just getting use to the first one too," said Luke, as he saw his Father nod his head, and the young man felt that the Sith Lord had more in common with him in that regard.
"Understandable," said Vader, as his right hand twitched for a fraction of a second, and it was barely seen by Luke when it happened.
"Did you make contact with the Bounty Hunter that took my friend?" said Luke deciding that changing the subject was the best course here.
"Yes. Boba Fett was not pleased in the fact that I ordered him to relinquish his prize from being delivered to Jabba the Hutt. Nevertheless, he has complied with my demand, and is on his way here with Solo on his ship. Slave I will be here within 3 days time with Solo onboard frozen in frozen carbonite," said Vader, as he saw Luke look uneasy at that since the same thing nearly happened to him, and he had barely escaped that trap through some quick thinking.
"Thank you. I know I'm asking a lot of you in such a short time, but I owe Han so much for sticking around when he could have left after Yavin, and he nearly did before I flew against the Death Star. He's saved me on multiple occasions including on Hoth and had to endure this latest act because of me," said Luke, as he felt guilty about that, and hoped his Father understood what it meant to have close friends stick their necks out for you when it counted.
Apparently, Vader did from what Luke saw when his Father nodded his head, and sensed the smile that was behind the black mask of the Sith Lord.
"While the Emperor would disapprove of such things, I understand what it means to have those that are loyal to me, and can trust to help when I cannot help myself," said Vader and sensed the crew along with the Noghri that were still in the shadows feeling pleased in the fact that the Dark Lord respected them.
Even if he never showed it.
"I remember when I was younger, I wanted to join the Imperial Academy, and fly in a fighter in some great battle. Uncle Owen was so adamant that I not do anything like that, but rather stay focused on the tending to the moisture farm, and keeping me there for as long as he could. Aunt Beru thought I should follow my own destiny that I felt was right for me and embrace what I believed in. Then, shortly after the two droids came, and with my home being destroyed soon after that...," said Luke, as he felt sorrow come seeping into his chest, and he had to keep it from spreading deeper into his soul.
"The restrictions were gone, but at a price, and you couldn't get them back because they had been a part of you for so long" said Vader, as he knew what it meant to have the things that tied you down be removed from your presence, or be destroyed before his eyes.
For a moment, both thought they heard the battle cry of Tusken Raiders echoing within the room, but ignored it, and blocked it out as a past memory from their respected pasts.
"Yeah. Not long after that, Ben opened me up to the Force with some minor training on the Falcon, and for that brief moment I felt myself surge with unimaginable power," said Luke, as he recalled the first time he truly connected with the Force, and how it seemed to press him further into its warmth the longer he was using it.
"Speaking of your training. I think its time to begin learning more about the Force and building your own Lightsaber," said Vader, as he wanted his son to be ready for what it was that awaited him in the near future, and the eventual battle that was to come when facing the Emperor.
"I understand the Lightsaber part, but I don't think I'm ready to learn the ways of the Dark Side, and become a Sith," said Luke, as he still had some concerns on that, and that his Father could sense them too.
Vader only nodded at his son's words, as they had much to do, and would get to the point of what side of the Force that Luke would use eventually so there was no need to rush it.
The Emperor didn't need to know about Luke being in his custody just yet and Vader had also assumed that the Alliance was going to keep this quiet about this for now in order to avoid any embarrassment this situation may have for them within their ranks.
(With the Rebel Fleet-A Few Days Later)
Leia walked along the prison cell area where the Noghri were all kept, as she had heard they had all gone under Madine's interrogation methods. She had told Alliance High Command that the Noghri were loyal to only one man in the Empire and they would sooner end their lives then tell Madine anything he wanted to know.
And still they ignored her.
Entering the last holding cell on the left, Leia came across the battered bloody form of the Noghri Leader, who she spoke to before the conversation was interrupted by Madine, and saw the warrior look up at her. His feline like eyes showed her that he had not bended to the interrogation skills of Crix Madine or his men in their attempts to extract information out of him.
"I wanted to talk to you again," said Leia, as she looked around the room for any holo-recording devices that may be in the room, but saw none from what she could see, and saw the Noghri looking at her with those defiant eyes.
"This room isn't secure to speak. Anything I tell you, the fool that has hurt me will use against Lord Vader, and I will not dishonor him," said Noghri Leader, as he saw Leia nod in understanding, and wondered if the room had been bugged with the Noghri being able to sense it.
"Can you sense the recording systems?" said Leia, as she saw the warrior shake his head no, and the Alderaan Princess felt her chance to have a conversation end.
"I know this man will try to keep a close eye on me and he knows you wish to ask me questions that I will only speak to you about," said the Noghri Leader, as he saw Leia frown at that, and he knew that she wished to know more about Luke's connection to Vader.
"What about Luke? Now that Vader has him, would it be all right if I asked questions about Luke, and his connection to the Dark Lord?" said Leia, as she felt that even if Madine learned some kind of shocking revelation about Luke's supposed connection to Vader it didn't mean anything.
The Noghri warrior said nothing for a moment in thought, as he wondered if it was all right to speak of it, and reveal it to his Lord's enemies. They could use it against the Dark Lord of the Sith down the road, which would be unacceptable, but then again the boy was with his Father, and the Rebel's could not hurt him if they tried.
"I will tell you, but you are about to hear is something that may be unfathomable for you to believe, and change your perceptions about the boy," said the Noghri Leader, as he saw Leia sit down in the chair in front of him, and began to tell her the connection that the Dark Lord had with his son.
(The Executor-At the Moment)
Boba Fett was irritated beyond belief, as he docked on the Super Star Destroyer, and was now unloading his prize to Jabba the Hutt in front of Darth Vader. Personally, the Bounty Hunter had no idea what the Dark Lord wanted with Solo a second time, or why the very person Vader wanted from the start was right behind the Sith instead of being held in a detention cell?
"I hope you understand that by doing this, you are upsetting a very powerful Hutt, and he won't let this slide away like this is nothing. Jabba will have my head for this," said Boba Fett, as he wanted Vader to understand the ramifications of taking away a Hutt's prized treasure, and the backlash from this was not going to be light.
"Jabba the Hutt is an insect to me Bounty Hunter and will be crushed beneath my feet if we are to reach a confrontation with each other. As for you, I would be more concerned in getting off my ship in one piece should you continue to test my patience, and decide to be reluctant in handing Solo back over to me," said Vader, as he read Fett's mind, and the memory of the man's Father being killed by Mace Windu appeared.
"Just give me my fee for this little change in the agreement. If I'm going to leave without Solo, I expect to be compensated for it, and give some of it to Jabba so I don't become his replacement trophy," said Boba Fett, as he saw Vader nod, and then motion for two of his Stormtroopers to deliver the credits onto the Bounty Hunter's ship while another two took Solo to be put "standing up" in front of Vader himself.
"Done! Now leave us Bounty Hunter," said Vader, as he saw Boba Fett look at his former prize one last time, and then left while thinking up several choice words he wanted to say right now.
"Thank you Father," said Luke, as he saw his friends tortured looking face, and wondered if his friend felt any pain while in stasis like that.
"Begin the thawing process," said Vader to one of his technicians, who now began to go to work on the control panel of the frozen smuggler, and began the process of freeing the man from his "prison".
Within minutes, Vader along with Luke witnessed the thawing process of the carbonite, and one Han Solo falling out of it onto the cold metal floor of the docking bay. It took a minute for the smuggler to move, as he found himself free from that dark hell, and was now temporarily blinded because of the process done to him.
"W-Where am I-I?" said Han, as he wondered what hell Jabba had put him in since being frozen, and stopped when his ears heard the all familiar sound of Darth Vader's respirator system.
"You are once more in my custody Captain Solo," said Vader, who saw the man shiver heavily from the sound of his voice instead of the carbonite freezing process, and Han now wished he was at Jabba's Palace on Tantooine.
"W-Why? I assume Luke escaped f-from your so c-called trap and n-now you h-have to take i-it out on m-me?" said Han, as he didn't expect to be around Vader anytime soon, and was only thankful that he didn't have to see the Sith Lord right now.
"No. I saved you from your fate of being imprisoned in frozen carbonite forever because my son wished you to be freed along with an unmarked ship to get you to a neutral planet of your choice preprogrammed into the navigation system. By that time, your blindness should leave you, and you will have recovered your eyesight completely," said Vader, as he saw Solo try stand up, but was having difficulty so two Stormtroopers did it for him though the man struggled a bit when they did.
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Your son wanted me free? Why? Who is your son? I didn't even know you had a kid Vader, but whatever game he's playing, I'm not going to, and you can't make me," said Solo, as he wondered what Vader's kid looked like, and if he shared any of his Father's looks.
"Father means me Han," said Luke, as he took one step forward past Vader, and saw the man's blind eyes widen at hearing an old friends voice.
"Luke? Is that you? What are you doing with Vader? How long was I out?" said Han, as he wasn't sure if this was a trick, or this was the real deal with Luke now with Vader being his friend's old man.
"Long enough I'm afraid. Han, after my failed attempt to rescue you from your prison, I fought my Father, and lost with Leia having to come rescue me from where I had fallen after my Lightsaber duel, and after that Madine...well...let's just say that going back the Alliance isn't something that is in the best interest of my health," said Luke, as he saw Han making a face at him like he still didn't understand, and was replaying what was said over in his head to make sure.
"What did Madine do? Is Leia all right? And how in the Sith Hell did Darth Vader of all people suddenly become your Father. I thought that crazy old man named Kenobi told you that Vader betrayed and murdered your Father?" said Han, as he now wished to see Luke's face when they spoke to gauge the man's reaction, and wondered if the kid was shrugging right now.
"Ben lied to me Han. He did it so I wouldn't try to find my Father," said Luke, as he hated how Ben kept the secret from him, and made him hate his Father after being told that lie.
"I wonder why?" said Han sarcastically and was instantly finding himself chocking at the hands of Vader summoning the Force to use his signature execution move.
"Be careful what you say to my son Captain Solo. My mercy has limits as you already know," said Vader before he freed the man from his grip while Luke pleaded with his Father through the Force to let his friend go.
'I've noticed,' thought Han, as he felt a friendly hand on his shoulder, and knew it was Luke's.
"Listen Han, I'm asking you to trust me here, and just keep yourself from getting in trouble with my Father. I can't keep him from wanting to kill you forever so please think before you speak," said Luke, as he saw his friend reluctantly nod his head, and turned back to his Father seeing him nod as well.
"Prepare a ship for Captain Solo that will take him to a neutral planet of his choice," said Vader to one of his officers and the said officer saluted before carrying out the command.
"Luke, the Alliance won't take this lying down, and you can bet that blonde hair of yours that they are going to do whatever it they can to take you out if not capture you to get at your...Father," said Han, as he couldn't believe he just said that, and wondered if he was losing his own mind.
"I know. That's why you have to tell Leia I'm sorry things turned out the way they did and I am still her friend despite who my Father is," said Luke before he took a few steps back and let the Stormtroopers take Han away to get him properly dressed in proper flight clothes.
His friend was safe and would soon return to the people that cared about him.
It was for the best.
(Home One-Leia's private quarters-1 Week Later)
Leia sat on her bed, as she began working what was told to her through her head, and was trying hard to will her mind into believing that it wasn't true. She had been told by the Noghri Squad Leader that Luke Skywalker was really the son of Darth Vader and that he was now safe with the Sith Lord.
'Safe? The man cut off Luke's hand with his Lightsaber. I doubt Luke is safer with Vader anymore then he is with Madine,' thought Leia, as she didn't know who was worse for Luke to be with right now, and would have said Vader if it not for how she was told that Luke's...Father had taken him to ensure his safety from Madine.
Rescued from one enemy, but only to be placed in the hands of another.
Then there was the lingering feeling that she was still connected to Luke in some way, as she recalled hearing him calling out to her through the Force back on Bespin, and how she turned the Falcon around immediately to save him. Leia remembered how the Noghri told her that Bail Organa was not her real Father, but a false one that placed her on a road of half-truths, and false lies that if made public would shatter all she knows.
"Princess Organa?" said a Rebel Soldier knocking on the door outside of her room.
"Yes," said Leia, as she decided to let this matter with Luke being Vader's son be put aside for now, and wondered how Alliance High Command would feel when they heard the news from Madine's recording devices planted in the Noghri's cell.
"You're need in the docking bay #54. There's someone that just arrived that you're not going to believe is here," said the Rebel Soldier, who sounded to Leia like he was in pretty good spirits about it, and wondered just who this person was that could peak her interest.
Leaving her quarters, Leia headed down to the docking bay #54, and what she saw made her speechless in every sense of the word. Standing there in a simple standard flight suit, was one Han Solo, who was looking rather healthy for someone not that long ago having been put into a carbonite freezing process before being sent off to Jabba the Hutt, and gave her a cocky smile.
"Hey your worshipfulness, did you miss me?" said Han, as he walked over to Leia, and saw how her face looked like she had seen a ghost.
He could only imagine how Chewie would look when the Wookiee saw him.
"Han is that really you?" said Leia, as she couldn't think of anything else to say, and saw his smile becoming even cockier.
"Well I could pinch you, but if I did you'd probably slap, and yell at me for it," said Han, as he saw Leia's eyes widen, and she instantly wrapped her hand around him in a hug that could give Chewie a run for his money.
"Thank the Force you're here. How did you escape from Boba Fett? What about Jabba?" said Leia, as she saw him frown a little now, and she knew what he had to say to her was not something she wanted to hear.
"I need to talk to you in private. There is something I need to tell you about Luke and you need to tell me what the hell happened to cause him to...leave," said Han, as he saw her nod in understanding, and now had an idea of how Han got free from his prison.
"I know. I'll get someone in communications to reach the Falcon and have Chewie come back with Lando," said Leia, as she saw Han look at her with surprise, and gave him a look telling the smuggler that she would explain later.
(Leia's Quarters-Sometime Later)
"So let me get this straight. While I was frozen in carbonite, Madine believed that Luke was a spy under Vader, and had him interrogated under Imperial standards in secret with the brief exception of Alliance High Command to a certain degree giving approval. Not only that, but at the same time Vader sent Noghri warriors to save Luke from Madine, and bring him over to the Empire where he'll be safe?" said Han, as he had a hard time believing that such actions would happen with Luke if what Leia told him of the account with Vader dueling the kid on Bespin was true.
Though considering Vader's past actions, Han wasn't going to rule out the possibilities, and take Leia's word for it.
"Pretty much Han. I spoke with the Noghri Squad Leader since he seemed interested in talking only to me for whatever his reasons. Apparently, Luke is Vader's son, and Vader felt Luke's pain through the Force after their duel on Bespin gave them some kind of link with each other," said Leia, as she didn't really understand the Force very much, and had a feeling Luke knew only a tiny bit more then she did in regards to that.
"I think it's more then just apparent Leia. I spoke to Luke when I got out of my little prison Vader put me in and the kid willingly admitted to me that his Father was the Sith Lord. He told me that old guy Kenobi back on the first Death Star lied to him about his Father being killed so Luke wouldn't go running after Vader to confront him," said Han, as he ran a hand through his hair, and looked at Leia seeing her look saddened by this too.
"When the rest of the Alliance gets word of this, it will shake it down to its very core, and Alliance High Command will try to capture if not kill Luke for being Vader's son," said Leia, as she didn't want to see her friend hurt, and even more so because of his parentage.
"Yeah well, I'm not going to be a part of it, and I say to hell with anyone that tries. Luke freed me from my prison when he could have left me to be transported and a trophy on Jabba's wall," said Han, as he wasn't about to join Madine's Special Ops Team that was going to be put together to take down Luke, and score another blow against the Empire.
The General was probably getting every Alliance member he could get his hands on to run a psychological profile on Luke right now.
"I feel the same way and I'm sure Chewie will too," said Leia, as the Wookiee was quite fond of Luke like he was Han, and wouldn't care if Luke was the son of the Sith Lord.
"When do we break the news to Alliance High Command? Before or after I make an appearance at the next meeting?" said Han, as he saw her smile, and hug him again to show how much she missed his witty humor.
"Soon. By now, word of your return has reached them, and they will want to hear your story," said Leia, as she could see it now upon telling them how Han got free from Boba Fett, with Madine not believing a single word of what the man said, and would no doubt he would go on a rant about Skywalker needing to be killed.
Why Mon Mothma let Madine into the Alliance, Leia really didn't know, and almost didn't want to know for that matter.
Almost.
(The Executor-1 Week Later)
Luke was working tirelessly on his Lightsaber at the private workstation his Father gave him with all the means to build his weapon from scratch. It was difficult to build, as Luke had discovered from the very beginning, and his Father had told him that the Lightsaber was an extension of his very being. To craft a Lightsaber took a great deal of patience, skill, and an inner understanding of one's self upon completion of the weapon.
Luke could only pray that when it was complete, he didn't miss anything, and accidently blow himself up.
"Hello Father," said Luke, as he sensed, and heard his Father's approaching form behind him before turning to face the tall dark figure of Darth Vader looking back at him.
"Hello son. How far is your progress in building your Lightsaber?" said Vader, as he saw some of his son's work from the angle of where he was standing, and saw that it was halfway done.
"It's going pretty well, though I'm a bit nervous in making my own Lightsaber, and a bit worried it won't exactly work when it's time to activate it. Did you feel the same way when you made yours?" said Luke, as he got up from his chair, and walked towards his Father.
"At first I was, but it gets easier each time you make one, and trust me when I say you will need to make spares should the one you're making now is destroyed beyond repair," said Vader, as images of his first Lightsaber breaking, and how he thought Obi-wan was going to kill him for it.
"There has been something I've wanted to ask you since I got here, but I have a feeling that it's a very touchy subject, and you may not want to answer me right away," said Luke, as he felt that spending time with his Father so far had allowed them to bond on such a powerful level, and wondered if this was simply a bond shared between a Master and apprentice?
"You want to ask me about your Mother," said Vader, as he easily read his son's mind, and the surprise that he asked the question for him.
"I never knew anything about my Mother growing up. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru never told me anything about her when I asked them. Uncle Owen would make me do chores and Aunt Beru would just tell me that my Mother loved me very much. I can sense she is...dead, but I don't know how, and I was hoping you could tell me everything about her up until...," said Luke, as he didn't like saying that word when put in the same sentence with his Mother.
Vader felt the same way.
"Before I tell you everything Luke, I want to say right now that I loved your Mother since the moment I met her when I was little boy, and thought about her every day during my Jedi training. So matter what, when you hear how your Mother might have died, know that I have regretted losing her ever since," said Vader, as he began his tale of how he met Padme to the end when Obi-wan Kenobi appeared on the Nubian ship's ramp making the newly made Sith apprentice believe she had betrayed him.
And how he had used the Force Choke on her for a few seconds before releasing it.
"So that's how it happened. I remember when I was younger I had nightmares similar to the description of your battle with Obi-wan. I think I somehow used the Force to see into your past," said Luke, as he sensed his Father's surprise by this, and wondered if his son had seen anymore.
"I never intended to hurt her Luke. I was so filled with rage when Obi-wan appeared on the ramp, I thought your Mother had betrayed me, and all I had for her in order to prevent her death," said Vader, as the memory still surfaced every so often, and continued to hurt upon remembering it.
"There is still something I don't understand. If Mother died shortly after your duel with Obi-wan, then how did I get my name since she was the only one outside of you who knew what to name me?" said Luke, as he sensed his Father was curious about that too, and wondered if perhaps Padme had lived long enough to name Luke.
If that were the case, then Vader didn't kill Padme after all, and that the Emperor had lied to him deliberately to ensure his loyalty.
"What you say is indeed interesting my son. Obi-wan was clearly there at the time of your birth, but with him dead, there is no other we know of that could know how your Mother died, and where she delivered you," said Vader, as he cursed Obi-wan for doing this to him, and his son in denying him the truth.
"Maybe not. Have you ever heard of a Jedi Master named Yoda?" said Luke, as he felt that if his Father knew such a Jedi, then perhaps he could shed some light into the green dwarfs ways of things, and what he was like.
"Yoda? That green dwarf of a Jedi still lives? He was the only Jedi the Emperor feared due to his knowledge of the Force. From what I understand the two dueled during my own battle with Obi-wan and that Yoda's body was never recovered," said Vader, as he hated Master Yoda for telling him to let go of his attachment to Padme, and rejoice at her becoming one with the Force.
Rejoice? Rejoice! As if Vader would dare do such a thing.
"I trained with him after the Alliance lost at Hoth before I came to Cloud City. He was very reluctant to train me, saying I was too old, and that I was too much like you," said Luke, as he felt his Father's anger rise at those words, and had a feeling those words had been said at another point in time regarding his Father.
"As if that old fool could understand anyone outside of an infant child. Still, it leave me to question how exactly did you find Yoda, and on what planet?" said Vader, as he had been hunting for the Jedi for years, and this particular Jedi was the only one that got away from him.
"He's on a planet called Dagobah. It's a swamp planet with thousands of life forms on it, but not technological means whatsoever, and the truth is Ben kind of mentioned him to me on Hoth," said Luke, as he sensed his Father's puzzlement, and wanted to know more about that last part.
"On Hoth? How? Kenobi was dead on the Death Star," said Vader, as he saw his son think back to that moment, and the image of his son nearly freezing to death appeared in his mind.
"He somehow came to me in a bluish spirit like form telling me to go to Dagobah to find Yoda and then spoke to Yoda again to train me without his spirit like form," said Luke, as he saw his Father look away in thought, and wondered what was going on inside his head.
"When I had succeeded in slaying Obi-wan, there was no body, no blood, and nothing to prove he had died with the exception of his outer robes along with his Lightsaber. There is only one Jedi, who could have possessed such knowledge to pass it down to Obi-wan, and that could only be Yoda," said Vader, as his hands became fists, and felt the call of the Force within his body to find the old Jedi Master before killing him.
"It would make sense. Yoda must have been there when Mother gave birth," said Luke, as he now understood why Yoda was so concerned about him becoming like his Father, and wanting him to stay on the planet to learn the ways of the Jedi.
"If that is the case, then he will know the answers we seek to the questions that we have in our minds, and I will not wait a second longer in not knowing what happened," said Vader, as he turned around, and left to head to the bridge to tell its crew to chart a course to the Dagobah system.
One way or another Yoda would tell them everything.
(Home One-Alliance High Command Council Room)
"This is most disturbing news. Commander Skywalker is actually Darth Vader's own son," said Mon Mothma, as she felt things had turned for the worst, and saw the blow from this news hitting everyone hard.
"Damn it! We had a chance to force Vader into submission with his own son and now the opportunity has passed us by," said Madine, as he had longed to bring down Vader, and Luke was the best chance they could ever have had in making it possible.
"Some of the members of Rogue Squadron are asking about Luke right now and we can't keep dodging their questions forever," said Admiral Ackbar, as he felt this could have some serious consequences in the battles ahead with the Empire, and they could bring about the Alliance's undoing.
"We tell them the truth. We denounce Skywalker as the full blown traitor that he is with his parentage being more then enough proof to backup the claim," said Madine, as he saw some of the Alliance High Command members nod their heads in agreement since it was the only way to control the damage done by this news, and lessen the damage to moral.
"Now hold on. Luke maybe Darth Vader's son, but he's definitely not evil, and I should know since I was there when the Sith Lord tortured me on Cloud City before putting me in frozen carbonite. Luke was able to convince his Father to get me out of that hell and let me leave without any kind of tracking device placed in me when he had plenty of time to do it," said Han, as he was not about to have his friend get his good name get thrown into the dirt like this without a chance to fully explain himself, and was going to do whatever it took to defend Luke's honor.
"What Skywalker did is irrelevant despite how noble a deed it was. At Madine's request, I am allowing him to form a Special Ops Team that will be able to handle Skywalker, and Vader in order to ensure that the Father cannot fully teach the son," said Mon Mothma, as she saw Leia protesting this silently, and it pained the Leader of the Alliance to see the woman this way.
"So you're just going to put a team together to assassinate Luke? Is that what I'm hearing because please tell me if I misheard you," said Han, as he saw Madine smile at him, and the former smuggler felt the need to sock the General right in the face.
"You heard what Mon Mothma said Solo. Skywalker is now with his Father and no doubt receiving training in that dark sorcery of theirs. It is only a matter of time before we have to face both of them instead of just one and by that point it will be too late to fight back," said Madine, as he had already gotten Skywalker's battle history, a psychological profile, and various other forms of data on the young man.
"Not everyone in the Alliance is going to be happy with this when they find out," said Han, as he knew that Rogue Squadron was loyal to Luke, and so were several other key groups within the Alliance.
"That's why very few people are going to be told about this outside of this room and if anyone in this room decides to tell anyone not authorized to know this information you will be charged with treason," said Madine, as he saw Han mutter a curse, and balled his fists tightly.
'Madine may not be an Imperial in name, but he certainly acts like one, and it's pissing me off,' thought Han, as he looked briefly at Leia, and wondered what their next course of action was going to be.
Whatever it was, the others in this room couldn't know about it, and would just have to be kept in the dark.
(Dagobah System-2 Days Later)
"So this is where Yoda has hidden himself from the Emperor. The Force run strong here and clearly masks his energy signature with that of others," said Vader, as he felt the life of the planet flowing all around him, and nearly overwhelmed him at first upon landing the shuttle.
"It's more then that Father. There is a cave not far from where Yoda settled down that is filled with Dark Side energy. He had me walk in there once where I fought you or at least at the time what I thought was you in a Lightsaber duel. Only when I won, your mask had exploded, and revealed my face beyond it," said Luke, as the memory of that moment was flashing within his mind once more, and wondered what else that cave was hiding with such dark energy.
"Really? So the old dwarf has been training himself to endure the harsh ways of the Dark Side in order understand it better. Interesting that he would do that," said Vader, as he once more reached out to the Force, and found Yoda's own Force energy signature not far from them.
The old Jedi Master wasn't even trying to hide his signature anymore.
The two walked through the swamp, as they both sensed Master Yoda waiting for them at his hut like structure, and he had what could only look like disappointment on his old face.
"Sensed your arrival I have. Disappointed I am in you young Skywalker. Fallen like your Father has I see," said Yoda, as he looked at Luke with sad eyes, and then turned to Vader knowing his soon to be executioner wanted to say something.
"Despite what you may think old Jedi, I am not here to end your life...not yet. What I want, is information regarding the death of my wife, and what it was that took her from the Galaxy," said Vader, as he saw just how cruel the 20 years had been on Yoda, and the Sith Lord took great pleasure in seeing it.
"Died your wife did because of you Vader. Used the Dark Side of the Force on Padme you did," said Yoda, as he had heard what the Sith Lord did shortly before his duel with Obi-wan, and what the old Jedi Master believed caused the woman to die.
"That is a lie! She named my son before her death meaning she was born somewhere else and I want to know what happened. Tell us!" said Vader, as he drew his Lightsaber, and readied it to slay the dwarf if he didn't tell them.
"Very well. From what I saw, Padme's will to live left her it did, and had to have an operation to save the babies from joining her in becoming one with the Force was done," said Yoda, as he saw Luke look at him in surprise when he said babies rather then baby, and he sensed Vader felt the same way.
"Babies? Are you saying that I have a twin?" said Luke, as he wondered who the twin was, and if that person was strong in the Force like he was.
"A twin you have young Skywalker. Born within seconds of you she was. Supported you in secret she has since you met her several years ago, even if she doesn't know that you are her brother I sense right now," said Yoda, as he saw Luke looking back on his life, and the only person he could think of was...Leia.
"It's Leia. She's my sister," said Luke, as he saw his Father stiffen at that declaration, and knew that the man had tortured her back on the first Death Star.
"Yes. Given to Bail Organa we did to ensure she would be raised in a loving home away from the eyes of the Empire. Just as we had Obi-wan give you to the Lars to protect you from your Father we planned," said Yoda, as he sensed Vader's emotions raging like a storm through his very being, and Luke too from this sudden news.
"Did Padme say anything before she died? Anything at all?" said Vader, as he wanted to believe that his wife said something in her last moments of living, and wanted to know what they were.
"Said there was still good in you there still is. Question her belief in that I do," said Yoda, as he had never believed that one could simply leave the Dark Side, and would sooner perish under its wickedness before such an attempt could be even made.
"Of course you would! You never cared about what happened to me during all the time I spent training with Obi-wan, the battles I faced during the Clone Wars, or what I felt in my heart for others so long as I was your so called 'Chosen One'! You treated me like I was a Lightsaber then a Jedi to use however you saw fit," said Vader, as he remembered the battles he went through, the way he questioned the Jedi for constantly sending him into battles when the Emperor didn't, and how they kept him from remotely even having a life outside of the Order.
A life with Padme.
"A Jedi's life must be with the Order and sacrifice is a necessity it is. Knew this you did and so did your wife. Defied the Jedi Order you both did. Wrong you both were," said Yoda, as he had hoped that Vader would see he was at fault, and Luke would understand what it means to commit oneself to the Jedi Order.
The reaction Yoda got from Vader however, was the now angered Sith Lord igniting his Lightsaber, and calling on all the fury of the Dark Side to his body that was still flesh.
"You dare! You dare insult Padme! She was Goddess among the women of the Galaxy and she shined with a light that you could never understand. You, who has never known what it means to love another, and do everything in your power to save them from certain doom!" said Vader, as he felt the Force empowering him more then he had ever felt since being in this suit right now, and wondered briefly if the planet itself was doing it.
"Attachments are forbidden in the Jedi Order. Know this you did and defied it you have," said Yoda, as he frowned at Vader, and the power the man was generating right now.
"Then answer this Master Yoda, if attachments are so wrong, then why is it that Masters bond so deeply with their apprentices, and attachments with them seems to be right? You have trained hundreds if not thousands of apprentices during your years in the service of the Jedi Order and yet you did not shed a tear for any of them," said Vader, as he saw Yoda's eyes widen at those words, and felt offended by the accusation.
"Out lived many Jedi I have in my 900 years. Saddened by the loss of them all I was. But did not let their pain scar me like it would others it has. Waiting for me they are on the other side I sense. No need to fear death like the Sith do I will not," said Yoda, as he stared at Vader, and sensed the man's rage lighten slightly at his words.
"There is only one Sith in the Galaxy that is afraid of his own mortality and I am not him old Jedi," said Vader, as he pointed his blade at Yoda, and the old Jedi Master looked at it before looking back up at the Sith Lord holding the energy weapon.
"Kill me you still wish Lord Vader? After all you have learned, you still wish to destroy me, and remove the last of your past as a Jedi from the Galaxy?" said Yoda, as he saw the conflict within Vader, and saw Luke looking at his Father to see what he would do.
"I would certainly like to Yoda. However, seeing you right here looking now so...weak, and fragile takes all pleasure out of killing you. You will live out the remainder of your days here on this planet old Jedi where you will slowly waste away what it left of you and then...die!" said Vader, as he deactivated his Lightsaber, and turned around leaving for the shuttle with Luke staring back at the old Jedi Master.
"I'm sorry Master Yoda, but I can't be the Jedi you want me to be, and I won't kill my Father if I did," said Luke, as he turned around, and followed his Father back to the shuttle while Yoda himself let out a sigh of defeat that he didn't know was there until it was too late to realize it was for defeat.
Skywalker was now with his Father, together the two would rise against the Emperor when the opportunity presented itself, and Leia Organ would soon realize her parentage like her brother before siding with her biological family. In Yoda's mind, the Jedi had truly lost, and it in part had been through their hands because of the belief in having attachments was wrong.
"Having attachments isn't wrong Master Yoda. Qui-Gon said so himself when you spoke with him in private. I think that was why he tried to free Anakin's Mother all those years ago so she could go with us and be close to him," said Obi-wan, as his spirit appeared before Yoda, and the aged Jedi Master looked back at the bluish form that was once Anakin's old teacher.
"Change is not something the Jedi Order did lightly in the past it has not. On more then on occasion, it has nearly destroyed us, and the Galaxy through various wars it has. The future is no longer with the Jedi Order I sense, but rather a light that even now is mixing with the Dark Side into something more, and dangerous all the same it is," said Yoda, as he ran his hand through his head, and sighed again once more.
"The Prophesy seems to be broader then we first anticipated in bringing balance to the Force," said Obi-wan, as he saw the shuttle leave with the two Force strong individuals that were once his students if the youngest of them being a student for only a short time.
"Troubling I find this to be. The Prophecy destroys as well as creates life all around it I sense it does. Nevertheless, wait I will, and watch I must to see how this goes if only as an observer I can be," said Yoda, as he closed his eyes while wincing in spiritual pain knowing that he was now the last true Jedi of the Order, and walked back to his hut to dwell on it with Obi-wan right behind him.
(Home One-Prison Cells-2 Days Later)
With the Falcon back now docked with the fleet, Leia informed them of all the events that had happened over the past couple of days, and the events that followed with the members of Alliance High Command. Chewie didn't care that Luke was Vader's son, as the young Jedi had helped them out on more then one occasion, and even Vader himself in preventing Boba Fett from shooting them on Bespin before Han was frozen.
Lando however, had gone a good shade of white for a good few minutes, and then asked her if this was really true. She then told them about the Noghri and how they served the Sith Lord in retrieving his son from Madine's continuous torture techniques.
They had to restrain Chewie from going berserk on Madine telling the Wookiee he would get his chance in the future if time allowed before Leia told them her plan.
The said plan now had Leia here in the prison cell area corridors, with Lando, and Han while Chewie taking care of the security systems in place around each of the Noghri. When they walked out, each of them kneeled before Leia to show how grateful they were for her help, and followed their liberators to the Falcon in secret.
"I got the all clear to take off, though I don't think they'll let me once they learn we took a group of Imperial prisoners off their hands without authorization, and the one's that are Madine's favorite," said Han, as he had fired up the engines, and Chewie now beside him in the copilot seat helping him in the process.
"If you do this, then they will know your group helped us, and brand you as traitors," said the Noghri Leader, who looked at Leia with concern, and the woman looked back at him with a reassuring smile.
"You are not the cruel Imperials we have fought in the past, but honorable warriors, and deserved to be treated with respect," said Leia, as she saw them again bow to her yet again, and she felt a little uneasy at this sign of...submission she guessed would be the best way to word it.
"We thank you once more...Lady Vader," said the Noghri Leader, as he saw her eyes widen at that, and could tell she had not expected him calling her that.
"Lady Vader? Why are you calling her that?" said Lando, as he saw the Noghri rise, and look the two dead in the eyes.
"When we first came to save the Son of Vader, we only assumed that Lord Vader had only one child, but upon seeing you, we smelled the scent of our Master on you, and upon your talks with me I knew it was similar to that of the Son of Vader. As I said in our last meeting, you are not daughter of Bail Organa, but rather the daughter of Lord Vader, and as we served him...we serve his children with the same loyalty" said the Noghri Leader, as he saw Leia look at him in shock, and fell back in a nearby chair before fainting from this knowledge overloading her mind.
'I'm...the daughter of Darth Vader?!' thought Leia, as her world went black, and the cries of Lando calling out to her.
(YAY! I updated. This was a little bit difficult to write so I'm sorry if this isn't up to par like I hoped it would be. Until next time...PEACE!!!)