Alliance High Command had summoned them to one of the smaller conference rooms in the Mon Calamari ship. Leia walked into the room, head held high, followed by Han, Luke, and Chewbacca.
Luke noted the relief in the Force sense of High Command as he stepped into the room. Leia was right, they really wanted to know what was going on.
He did too.
Leia stepped forward to greet Mon Mothma, the acknowledged head of the Rebel Alliance. Next to her stood Carlist Rieekan, an Alderaanian general who had been a long time friend of Leia's father, Bail Organa. Rieekan had adopted a paternal attitude toward Leia after the destruction of Alderaan, and Luke knew that Leia trusted him implicitly.
Admiral Ackbar, the Mon Calamari leader of the Alliance capital ships, stood slightly behind Mothma. While Luke was not adept at touching Mon Calamari minds, he could sense grave interest and concern from the Admiral.
Crix Madine was seated in one of the conference room chairs, reading a datapad. Luke was momentarily surprised, as Madine was in charge of covert actions, not gigantic Star Destroyers that had dropped into the Alliance's collective lap. But like everyone else, he probably felt he needed to know what was going on.
Seated farthest from the door…
Luke walked over quickly and clapped Wedge Antilles thankfully on the shoulder.
"Wedge, I'm so glad you are all right," Luke said gravely.
Wedge stood up and they shook hands. Luke noted the shadows under his friend's eyes and some bruises on his face that had mostly faded. He felt a spike of anger, which he quickly brought under control. Even without a formal interrogation, Antilles had obviously suffered some abuse at Imperial hands.
"Commander Skywalker," Mon Mothma now said formally, "If you will please take a seat, we will bring this meeting to order."
Luke sat down next to Leia, who was next to Han. Chewbacca stayed standing behind them instead of attempting to insert himself into the conference room chairs, which were too small for him.
Rieekan rose to his feet, and quickly summarized the situation regarding the Executor, the released prisoners, and the message for Skywalker from Vader. Nothing the general said was new information to Luke. Leia was known for her efficient and thorough briefings, and Luke knew she had made a priority of giving all pertinent information to him.
Rieekan finished, then gestured to a droid that was sitting quietly to one side. It was similar in shape and style to the Alliance's R2 droids, though it had Imperial markings.
The droid was activated, and rolled forward when commanded to do so.
It beeped, and a voice spoke.
"Will Commander Luke Skywalker step forward for retinal scan."
Luke stood up and moved over to the droid. It scanned him from head to toe, then focused on his right eye. There was a pause, then a port lit up, which projected a 2 meter hologram of Darth Vader. The Dark Lord's image stood straight, with arms clasped behind him in a parade rest position.
Luke stepped back but remained standing. He peripherally noted that everyone else stood as well, if only to avoid the stiff neck that would result from craning at the Dark Lord's ephemeral helmet.
"Commander Skywalker," the deep booming voice began, "I assume that other members of Alliance leadership are watching, but as I do not know their specific names, I will address this recording to you.
"Over the past two standard months, I have come to the conclusion that Emperor Palpatine's leadership has caused an unacceptable level of chaos and hardship for the citizens of the galaxy. I, as his servant, have regrettably been a substantial contributor to the suffering that so many have endured. I realize that you, and your colleagues Leia Organa, Han Solo, and the Wookie Chewbacca, have personally experienced pain at my hands.
"I have therefore decided to leave my position as Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy, and second in command to Emperor Palpatine."
There was a gasp of shock from all those in the room, including Luke. Leia quickly shushed everyone, so they could hear Vader's continued dialogue.
"I intend to provide assistance to the Rebel Alliance in the hopes that the Alliance will succeed in driving back the Imperial fleet and free those worlds currently subjugated by Imperial tyranny.
"I considered attempting to work with your Alliance leadership in person, but realized that the long history of conflict between us would make trust impossible. I have therefore chosen to disappear from the galactic scene, during which season I will contemplate my future role in the galaxy.
"To assist the Alliance, I am providing my flagship, the Executor. The technicians on board were chosen as they were on the Imperial watch list for their Alliance leanings. Admiral Piett, who insisted on staying aboard during the transition to Alliance hands, has tremendous loyalty to his men, now stranded on a previously secret prison planet located near Ziost. Piett's second loyalty is to the ship itself, and his third allegiance is to me. He has long harbored doubts about Palpatine's rule, and if you are able to work with him, you will find him a loyal and gifted leader.
"In addition to my ship, I will be funneling substantial amounts of funding to the Rebel Alliance through surreptitious means. In order to avoid the notice of Palpatine's agents, such funding will of necessity come in limited quantities at a time. Some financial support will require a retinal scan to access, and I will be using yours, obtained at Champala during your recent mission there to rescue Prince Listoff."
There was a murmur from the members of High Command, and Luke's mouth dropped open slightly. Everyone knew Vader was incredibly wealthy. How much money was he talking about? And by using Luke's retinal scan for access, Vader was obviously giving Skywalker a vital role in obtaining this funding for the Alliance.
Vader's image shifted slightly as his arms moved next to his sides.
"The rest of this message is of a more exclusive nature and directed specifically to you, young Skywalker. If you wish to view it in private, you may instruct the droid to freeze the recording for observation later."
Leia shifted at his side but Luke spoke out loud, "No, let it continue."
There was a pause, and then the deep voice continued, "Based on your interview with the late Dr. Kast on Champala, it is obvious that you are lamentably ignorant of the circumstances of your parents' relationship and your birth. Obi-wan Kenobi is much to blame for this, though his silence on these matters is not surprising, given that the truth does not fit in well with Kenobi's goal for your ultimate destiny.
"I will confess that much of your conversation with Kast surprised me, but given that you were on truth monitors and given truth drugs, I presume that you were indeed expressing your genuine beliefs about your parents. It is therefore my obligation, and my privilege, to give you more accurate information.
"Your parents were secretly, but legally, wed, in the early days of the Clone Wars. Your father was, of course, the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Your mother was a noted Senator from Naboo, Padme Amidala. They were…"
Here there were such cries of shock that Luke called out, "Freeze recording" as no one was able to hear the next words.
Leia grabbed his arm, her eyes wide in amazement, "Luke, ou…your mother was Padme Amidala! "
Luke winced inwardly. Had anyone noticed her slip?
Apparently not, as Mon Mothma spoke up immediately, "Padme Amidala! She and Jedi Skywalker were indeed close, but we never suspected…"
She turned and faced Luke directly, "Commander, assuming Vader speaks the truth, it is truly a delight for me to learn that you are the son of my old friend. I must confess to being absolutely amazed…"
Rieekan interrupted her, unusual for the correct general, "But surely this cannot be! When she died, Amidala was still preg.…"
He stopped, and looked uncomfortable.
There was a long pause, then Luke said carefully, "I've never heard of her."
Mothma looked around at the assembled group, then back at Skywalker.
"Then we have much to tell you. But I think it wise to continue and complete Vader's recording. If he indeed is speaking the truth – well, your mother was one of the most remarkable people the galaxy has ever known."
Leia clutched his hand hard, and Luke felt her Force sense flaring with awe. Who was this woman that was his, their, mother?
The group turned back to the droid, still projecting Vader's now frozen image.
"Continue recording," Luke said.
Vader's image flickered and spoke again, "…essed with a close and loyal relationship, though the secrecy of their marriage combined with the exigencies of the Clone Wars regrettably resulted in long separations. It was at the dawning of Palpatine's rise to power as Emperor of the galaxy that your mother told your father that she was many months pregnant with their first child. Tragically, she died shortly after your birth, under unknown circumstances.
The baritone voice seemed to falter slightly with these words, then continued more slowly, "It is a tragedy of your life that you never knew your mother, nor she you. I assure you that you are a son that both your parents would be proud of. Indeed, you have shown a courage and resilience in your role with the Alliance that is extremely reminiscent of your mother's bravery and championship of the oppressed. "
Luke was aware of tears gathering his eyes, which he quickly blinked back.
The deep voice became more business like, "Given your predilection for diving into danger head first, I suspect you will attempt to find me and confront me in the near future. Do not do so. You will not be able to discover my whereabouts, as I intend to hide myself most thoroughly, from you, from the Rebel Alliance, and from Palpatine's agents. Use your considerable talents to further the cause of the Rebel Alliance and its fight against the Empire. I think it unlikely we will meet in person again, so let me take this opportunity to express my deep respect and admiration for the man you have become."
The image bowed slightly in Luke's direction, then faded completely.
Luke found his throat was choked up now, to the point that he couldn't have spoken if he wanted to. Fortunately, others were so eager to speak that he had some time to compose himself.
"Padme Amidala!"
"How much money do you think we're talking about?"
"Really, can we trust any of this? This is Vader we're talking about!"
"But he gave us the Executor! At the very least, we have the capability of destroying a ship that cost trillions of credits and is the pride of the Imperial fleet."
"It might still be a trap of some kind."
Mon Mothma raised her voice slightly, causing everyone else to subside, "If everyone would calm down for a moment."
She turned to Luke, "That was, Commander, quite an extraordinary personal message to you from Vader. I have not read your report of the mission to Champala. Kindly explain what this interview with the unknown doctor pertained to?"
Luke took a deep breath and moved slightly away from Leia and Han, so that through his body language he could take sole responsibility for what he was about to say.
"Mon Mothma, Generals, in order to rescue Prince Listoff, I feigned a psychiatric disorder known as Malintis Syndrome in order to gain access to the high security section of the psychiatric facility where Listoff was being held. Obviously, Vader observed the recording of Doctor Kast's 'examination' of me."
Mothma's brow furrowed, "What is Malintis Syndrome, Commander?"
"It's a very rare disorder in which an individual has a …break with reality…you could say, and decides that he is actually the son of a powerful and important individual. This Doctor Kast was well known as an expert on peculiar psychiatric disorders, and was writing a holobook on such topics. With that information, I chose to fake the syndrome so I could get close to Listoff without fighting my way through security."
Mothma nodded slightly, "Well, you obviously didn't know about your mother, but your father was Anakin Skywalker. So you named him? That was rather risky, given the reputation of the Jedi as traitors to the Empire."
Luke took a deep, cleansing breath, "No, I told Kast that Darth Vader was my father."
A wave of disbelief swept through the group, followed by exclamations of surprise.
"You told him Vader was your father?" Madine exclaimed in astonishment, "And he believed you really thought that? How did you fake your responses to the truth monitors, and overcome the truth drug?"
"Yes," Luke said with chin up, "He believed me. And I didn't need to fake anything. Darth Vader used to be Anakin Skywalker, and he is my father."
Author Note: Vader – sorry, but your son doesn't obey your orders and he will come after you!