Chapter 5: Imagine the Panic
"You must be joking." Leia stepped forward and stood toe to toe with her brother, her head tilted up to look him in the eye, incredulous. "Even if you're right about him, imagine the panic he would cause."
Many had quailed before her glare, but Luke stood his ground. "He can't hide forever, Leia. If we don't tell everyone he's here, they'll still find out eventually. Imagine the panic that would cause."
"Well, yes," she reluctantly admitted. "That would be worse, of course." Panic? More like utter chaos. She shivered at the thought.
Luke gently took hold of her upper arms. "Trust me, Leia. I'm sure I can do this without causing undue alarm."
"How?" Leia's stare hardened again. "Will you use the Force?" She had seen him do it once or twice: he told someone what to do or think, and they obeyed. She shivered at the thought of losing control of her will like that.
He dropped his hands and looked down at the soft grass beneath their feet. "Only if I must." He met her eyes again. "I would never try to take control of your mind, Leia."
"Blast it, Luke! Stop reading my thoughts!" She turned her back on him and strode away, needing some distance. As if distance would stop him from reading her.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I can't help it. I always hear you."
She sighed in defeat. How could she demand such a thing? It was like asking him not to breathe. She knew what it was like, after all. "I hear you, too," she said under her breath, knowing he would hear it, and also hear the apology that she couldn't put into words.
Endor's sun was rising over the trees as Luke stood before the assembled rebels in the meadow where, only a short time before, they had celebrated the end of the Empire. He could feel their curiosity and, in some cases, annoyance. They had been called here from important tasks without any explanation. He stepped up onto a makeshift dais and raised his hands; instantly, those nearest him quieted, and nudged their neighbours, sparking a wave of respectful silence that washed over all those gathered.
Letting his eyes wander over the faces turned towards him, Luke began. He had no plan of what to say; he spoke from the heart and let the Force guide him.
"My name is Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker." A few heads nodded, and he could sense their confusion: why was he telling them this? "My father was a Jedi Knight in the Old Republic, at the time when the Emperor first took power." Some of his listeners leaned forward, interested; some sat back and folded their arms, bored.
"Some of you are Force sensitive, yet untrained. With training, you could learn to touch the Force, maybe become Jedi."
There was more interest now, as everyone in the room considered the possibility that he or she might have that elusive quality that allowed one to touch the Force. He gave them a moment, then continued, "However, there are two sides to the Force, and the dark side can be very seductive, even to one who has trained for his whole life. The Force whispers to you constantly, connecting you with everything around you, but the dark side promises unlimited power and pretends to be an answer to all of your problems."
He paused again. They were hanging on every word now, transfixed by the tale he spun. "My father is very strong in the Force. But he was not immune to the allure of the dark side." He closed his eyes and bowed his head, feeling the ghostly pain of Anakin's memories rush through him once again. For the span of several heartbeats, silence reigned; some of the rebels even held their breath.
When he continued, Luke's voice was little more than a whisper, for he was almost reluctant to speak at all. "Anakin Skywalker fell. The darkness consumed him. His masters thought him lost forever." Raising his head, Luke smiled, allowing his joy to shine forth so that even those with no sensitivity to the Force could see it. "The Jedi of the Old Republic believed there was no hope for him, but just as someone can turn from the light to the dark, so too can someone turn from the dark to the light."
Murmurings and mutterings sprang up all over the crowd. Luke raised his voice: "I believed my father dead, for I was told that Darth Vader murdered him. That was a perversion of the truth however, for Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader."
The rebels erupted; many of them leapt to their feet shouting questions and concerns, while some sat in stunned silence. While he couldn't make out the words through the din, Luke could easily pick up the fear behind them. He raised his hands, and slowly quiet fell once again.
As he lowered his hands and opened his mouth to speak, a voice called out, "If Darth Vader is your father, what's to keep you from falling to the dark side as well?"
Luke sighed softly, unsure how to answer. He had once declared, "I'll never turn to the dark side," but that would sound arrogant to these ears. He knew that he would never go down that path, but how could he prove that to them?
Another voice spoke up: "Is that why you gathered us here? To warn us you might become the next Darth Vader?"
"No." Luke glanced to his right where Leia and Han stood as if guarding the door of the barracks. "I called you here to tell you that Anakin Skywalker turned back to the light and I brought him here."
"Here?!" The one word exploded from several throats at once, followed by a confusion of protest. This time, they were all on their feet, and some reached for blasters, looking around as if Vader might pop up anywhere and attack them. Luke and Han exchanged a wry look, remembering Han's similar reaction.
Turning back to the assembly, Luke raised his hands again. This time, silence did not come so easily. It seemed they weren't ready to trust his word that Anakin was no longer Vader. He caught scraps of questions asking if he had already turned to the dark side, and if he had brought the Emperor here as well.
Then, one of the nearer men stepped toward Luke, his blaster half out of his holster. Luke felt the threat through the Force, and put his hand on his lightsaber, ready to defend himself. He didn't get the chance. The doors behind Leia and Han flew open, forcing them to leap aside, and Anakin strode through, his black cape swirling around him. His gauntleted hand was raised as he bore down on the hapless rebel who threatened his son.
For an instant time seemed to stretch and slow while everyone helplessly watched. Anakin's target froze, an expression of terror on his face. Han and Leia scrambled to their feet in a panic, but were too far away to do anything. Only Luke remained serene, for he could read his father's intentions; while everyone else assumed he was about to attack, and probably kill, Luke knew better.
A shimmering, translucent barrier came into being just in front of Luke, and Anakin stopped beside him. He placed his free hand on Luke's shoulder, his other hand still held before him, maintaining the Force barrier.
Leia strode past them, and stood toe to toe with the man who had threatened her brother. "Just what do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "We have enough enemies without fighting amongst ourselves. The Emperor may be dead, but the Empire is far from defeated." She gestured toward Luke and Anakin. "Do you see that? He defends, rather than attacking you—which he would have been justified in doing. That is the reaction of a Jedi, not a Sith."
She wasn't as sure of Anakin as she sounded, but she was making it very clear to all that she trusted Luke and he sent a wave of gratitude toward her. She was right. They had enough enemies without turning on each other.