Command Center
Death Star
"Lord Vader," Moff Jerjerrod stammered, falling back a yard and gazing wide eyed at the Sith. Wasn't Vader supposed to be safely tucked away in the Throne Room with the Emperor? Why was he here, looming menacingly in Jerjerrod's command center?
And who was the little blond twerp with the long hair? Just because Vader was above the law, so to speak, didn't mean that a random aide should be exempt from regulation haircuts.
"Jerjerrod," Vader replied coldly, appraising the room professionally. He had been in this room only twice before, since the superlaser of the Death Star was boring. The ability to destroy a planet was insignificant next to the power of the Force.
"Is this the primary ignition panel for the superlaser?" the blond twerp inquired.
Jerjerrod shot a puzzled glance at Vader, who merely stared at him ominously, and decided there was no harm in replying, "Yes."
The young man nodded, turned on a bright green laser sword, and proceeded to start destroying the panel in question.
The Moff squealed in horror and leaped forward towards his precious instruments, only to be stopped by invisible talons which wrapped themselves firmly around his neck.
The two officers and six troopers standing around had lurched toward the youth as well, but stopped at the sight of their asphyxiating commander.
"Father, please don't do that," Luke said calmly.
Vader sighed and released Jerjerrod, who collapsed with a mixture of relief and incredulity.
"I find Moff Jerjerrod annoying," he explained.
"You shouldn't just kill people because they are annoying," Luke scolded, proceeding to lovingly dismember a secondary panel which, he could tell, also helped control the superlaser. "It's rude. Ok, I think that's good for now."
"Father?" Jerjerrod repeated in a stupefied tone once he had recovered his breath.
"Yes, I am Lord Vader's son," Luke said simply, then turned to address his father, "Don't you think you should evacuate the Death Star? I think the shield will be down soon and you have so many people on board."
Jerjerrod was a relatively competent man, but he had a real weakness for faces. He stared at the young man, Darth Vader's son, without a glimmer of recognition. One of his lieutenants was better at facial identification and managed to croak out a stunned "Luke Skywalker!"
The Moff's eyes bugged out more and he looked from Luke, to Vader, then back to Luke, "Skywalker? You ... you're ... what …?
"He is indeed my son," Vader boomed. "He is also correct that we may lose the station to the Rebels within the hour. Begin the evacuation."
"The bunker on Endor is protected by an entire legion of the Emperor's best troops," Jerjerrod snarled, beginning to froth at the mouth in outrage at this ridiculous situation. "The Emperor will tell you himself that there is no chance that a ragtag group of Rebels will prevail."
"Well, the Emperor is dead," Luke Skywalker replied cheerfully, "and my twin sister is down there slicing your elite troops into pieces. So if I were you, I'd evacuate."
Moff Jerjerrod was not a warm hearted man, but if there was one thing that touched his soul, it was the Death Star. He loved it with a passion. It was big. It was beautiful. It was powerful. He would gladly sacrifice his nonexistent firstborn child to keep it safe. The horrifying news that a genuine Sithspawn was on the Endor moon menacing the shield generator crashed into Jerjerrod's horrified brain like a meteor. There was only one thing to do.
Tiaan Jerjerrod collapsed onto the floor and burst into noisy tears.
"Now may I kill him?" Vader inquired in a long suffering tone.
"No," Luke replied firmly. "Captain ..."
"Rion," the captain replied, looking terrified.
"Captain Rion, would you kindly begin the evacuation of the station?"
Rion glanced at Vader, who gave him a stern nod, and began the necessary orders.
Jerjerrod continued to blubber noisily on the floor.
/
Bunker on Endor
"What?" Solo snapped into his comlink. "Repeat yourself, Goldenrod! I can't hear you!"
"What's going on, Han?" Leia demanded, throwing a random stormtrooper into a wall even as Mara somersaulted from one alcove to another, slicing three hapless troopers in half as she did so.
"Threepio says the Ewoks are getting into the act," Solo yelled above the increasing din of lightsabers flashing and blasters going off. "He says they are doing pretty well with battling the Imps!"
"Good! We're just about done wiping out the troops here and then we'll set the charges!"
/
In space outside Endor
10 minutes later
"They are evacuating the station!" Wedge Antilles cried out in surprise.
"But the shield is still up," Lando Calrissian yelped in frustration. This whole situation totally stunk! After Darth Vader had taken over the Cloud City of Bespin while waiting for Lando's old buddy Han to show up, Lando had sensibly snuck off and joined the Rebellion. It was nice being a General, but not when he had an impenetrable shield in front of him and a phalanx of ominous Star Destroyers blocking his exit.
A moment later, an energy signature flashed on the Falcon's tertiary command board (Or was it the quaternary? Han had done crazy things to the Falcon control systems since stealing the ship from Lando.)
"The shield is down," Lando yelled into the com, his eyes wide with delight, "they did it!"
/
The Bridge
Executor
5 minutes later
"Lord Vader on coms, Admiral."
Piett pulled himself together with difficulty as his mind reeled in shock. Incredibly enough, the Rebels had succeeded in taking down the Death Star shield. Their army of misfits was either incredibly talented, incredibly lucky, or some unnatural combination thereof.
He turned to the holoscreen, automatically straightening his hat and adjusting his jacket.
"My lord."
"Admiral," Vader replied coldly.
"Sir, do you require assistance?" Piett asked feebly.
"No, Admiral. The Emperor is dead and the Death Star will fall to the Rebels within the hour. Order all Black Squadron ships to retreat from the Rebel Fleet and prepare to accept Death Star evacuees."
Piett suppressed a gasp and straightened further, "Yes, my Lord."
/
The Bridge
Rebel Cruiser Liberty
"Admiral Akbar!"
"Commander Skywalker!?"
"Yes. The Death Star is being evacuated and Imperial forces are prepared to withdraw from combat and receive the evacuees. The Emperor is dead and Lord Vader is offering a cease fire. Are you willing to settle for the destruction of the Death Star, Admiral?"
/
Endor
10 minutes later
"Don't let the Ewoks eat any of the prisoners," Leia ordered, striding into a clearing where a bevy of hapless Imps were seated on the ground with their hands on their heads.
"Oh, you're no fun," Mara quipped. "Look at this one — he looks like he has a nice haunch and he'd make good eating."
The Imperial officer in question paled noticeably and wobbled, causing Leia to elbow her hypothetical future sister-in-law in the side, "Be nice, Mara. We won't really let them eat you, Captain."
"Thank you, your Highness."
"Probably won't let them eat you," Mara added with a wink.
/
Darth Vader's shuttle
En Route to Executor
"So who is she, Luke?"
"My sister?"
"Yes. Whoever she is, I do not approve of your decision to recruit her to the Rebel cause. You should have kept her out of it, safe from the Emperor and, I suppose, me."
"She effectively recruited me, Father."
There was a horrified pause as Darth Vader rolled this statement around in his head.
"You don't mean that the princess ..."
"Yes, Leia Organa is your female progeny. She doesn't like 'daughter'".
Darth Vader mulled this over for three long minutes.
"This is absolutely catastrophic," he announced. "In the entire galaxy, there is no one whom I have harmed more than your sister. The Force is obviously punishing me for my multitude of crimes."
"Father, you are a very dramatic person, aren't you?"
/
Endor
15 minutes later
"They did it!" C-3PO cried out in delight, pointing at the spreading debris in the sky from the destruction of the Death Star.
R2D2 beeped at some length, causing the gold plated droid to pat him gently on the head, "I agree, R2. They are, for all their lack of protocol, quite a competent group of sentients."
/
The Bridge
Executor
"Lord Vader!" Admiral Piett said nervously.
"Admiral, this is my son, Luke Skywalker. He is currently negotiating a peace treaty with the Rebellion. You will assist him in any way necessary."
Piett cast a long suffering look at the young Rebel, who was looking around the bridge with entirely too much enthusiasm, "Yes, my Lord."
"I think Leia should come up here as soon as possible," Skywalker announced. "She's the negotiator in the family."
Piett felt light headed.
"Family?" he quavered.
"Yes, Leia Organa of Alderaan is my twin sister and Lord Vader's daughter," the youth explained entirely too cheerfully.
Rancor droppings.
/
Landing Bay #26
Executor
4 hours later
"He's a little upset," Luke explained softly to Leia, Han, and Mara as they convened at the base of the Falcon's ramp.
"About?"
"About you, Leia. He had convinced himself that Mara was his daughter and he's more than a little freaked out about your mutual past."
"Me?!" Mara demanded incredulously. "Why would he think I was his daughter?"
"Um, my future self visited him at the same time as your future self visited Leia. Future Luke said that his sister came back in time with him sometimes so when he figured out that Future 'you' had fixed the Falcon on the Excelsior, he leaped to the conclusion that you were his daughter, Mara."
"Erghh," Mara muttered, then glanced at Leia apologetically, "Sorry, Leia, but that's an intense thought."
"You're going to marry my brother, Mara," Leia said flatly, "so it's just as well that he is clear on who exactly are his offspring."
"So how did the old lothbat die, Kid?" Han asked curiously as they turned and walked briskly towards Darth Vader, who was standing near the exit to the landing bay.
"Palpatine? Father neutralized him with some knockout gas and then sliced him into a million pieces with his lightsaber."
"Well, that's cool anyway."
"Lord Vader," Leia said, striding boldly up to her cyborg progenitor and lifting her chin.
"Princess Leia," the cyborg replied, his great shoulders slumped in dejection, "Welcome to the Executor. I wish to take this opportunity to state that I deeply regret my actions against you and yours, my daughter."
Leia's eyes flashed, "Look, I don't like you. I hate you, indeed. But I'm willing to work with you on fixing the galaxy so let's just focus on that, shall we?"
"As you wish."
/
Rebel Ship Liberty
1 day later
"Are you willing to reconvene the Senate, Lord Vader?" Mon Mothma demanded suspiciously.
Vader waved a weary hand, "Certainly. I am willing to do anything my children want me to do."
"Anything?"
"Yes," Vader stated baldly.
Rebel High Command exchanged uneasy glances even as the high ranking Imperials in attendance shivered subtly in their boots.
Leia looked in exasperation at her brother.
"What is this? He's so ... passive!" she complained telepathically.
"I think he is depressed," Luke replied doubtfully.
"A depressed Darth Vader is a bad thing," Mara chimed in.
"I can hear you, you know," Vader interpolated truculently.
Leia sighed and looked around at the assembled Rebels and Imperials, all of whom wore expressions of concern.
"Very well, Lord Vader" Leia said patiently. "If you insist on supporting Luke and me in everything, we will need more oversight to make sure we don't run amok like you have for the last 24 years. Admiral Piett, you seem like a sensible man. Perhaps you could assist our leadership in convening a group of negotiators from both the Empire and the Alliance? My brother and I place ourselves under the authority of Alliance High Command and welcome input from Imperial negotiators. Luke!"
"Yes, ma'am," Luke replied smartly.
"Your job is to keep our father from going crazy."
"Job accepted."
"Mara!"
"Yes, Leia," Mara said with a smile.
"Your job is to support my brother in keeping him sane while he keeps our father from going insane."
"I accept the challenge," Mara replied with an affectionate smile at Skywalker.
Leia stood up now and raked the assembled sentients with her steely gaze, "We have an opportunity here for lasting peace in the galaxy. We will make mistakes, no doubt, but let us do our very best to make them small mistakes. May the Force be with us all."
/
Dagobah
5 years later
Anakin floated between wakefulness and slumber. His hearing (much improved after medical intervention and Force assisted healing) absently noted the sounds of frogs burping and Dagoban crickets chirping. His mind wandered the ancient halls of the destroyed Jedi Temple on Coruscant until it found the small room where the young Anakin Skywalker had slept in safety.
"Day of first school, it is," a voice croaked. "Day of school first!"
"I don't want to go to school! Five more minutes," Anakin grumbled.
"Not school for you, Anakin Skywalker! For padawans!"
Anakin sat up abruptly and fell out of his hammock. He reached out through the Force and landed on the plastic floor gently, then rolled with a groan to a seated position, glaring out the mesh side of the tent towards the small elf who had woken him up.
"I wish you wouldn't sneak up on me like that, Master Yoda."
"Sneak?" the very aged gnome demanded, his ears unfurling indignantly. "Like rampaging rancor I was. Sleeping you were most soundly. Good it is that no predators willing to attack you there are."
Anakin yawned and rose to his feet. He used the Force to open the tent door and stepped out into the open air of Dagobah.
"Another lovely morning," he pronounced cheerfully even as he reached out through the Force towards the glittering ship that was descending through the cloud cover of Dagobah. Not that he could see said ship, but he sensed the presence of his son, and daughter, their respective spouses, plus their miscellany of small children, along with a host of other individuals both Force Sensitive and not.
"Old I am, and weak," Yoda said in a rather self-pitying way. "A rest I need, a rest. Not a horde of padawans."
Anakin sighed and held out a hand, using the Force to lift the old Jedi Master onto his shoulder.
"You just have to make a few opening remark at the final dinner, Yoda," he said in a soothing tone as he strode toward the landing area. "Luke and Leia and I will handle most of the work."
"Ahsoka coming tomorrow she is," Yoda croaked happily. "Helpful she will be."
"Yes, she will," Anakin agreed, stopping at the edge of the landing area. The boggy ground had been filled with countless metric tons of solid dirt and then covered with concrete, allowing the large ship to land without any fear that it would sink firmly into the swamp. Twenty meters to the north, a three story prefabricated building reared out of the jungle, lights twinkling invitingly.
/
Luke and Mara's living quarters
Training facility
Dagobah
4 hours later
"You look good, Father," Luke said gravely, staring up into the exposed face of Anakin Skywalker.
"Well, good is probably pushing it," Anakin said rather self consciously, his cyborg hand touching his still heavily scarred face.
"Good," Luke repeated. "Dagobah clearly agrees with you which truly amazes me."
"Dagobah is fantastic," Anakin replied indignantly. "It rains all the time and there is water everywhere! In fact, I've taken to sleeping in a tent outside most nights because the moisture is so good for my remaining organic body parts."
Luke grimaced, "It's certainly very wet, which is awesome, but don't you think rain every day is a little much?"
"I cannot believe," Anakin stated dramatically, "that my own son would say such an outlandish, ridiculous thing. There can never be too much rain!"
Luke laughed and stepped forward to embrace his father. Anakin had endured many surgeries and alterations and while still taller than his son, he was not as ridiculously tall as he had been as Darth Vader.
"I'm glad you are doing well," the younger Skywalker murmured as he stepped back. "I was afraid that you'd go crazy when you were banished to Dagobah, not to mention I thought Master Yoda might send you to an early grave. Or vice versa."
Anakin chuckled and wandered over to sit down on a nearby couch, relishing the easy movements of his lighter cyborg limbs, "We're doing surprisingly well. You will observe that Yoda is still in one piece and I'm healthier than I've been in 30 years. Yoda and I argue a lot, but I think we've figured out a great deal about where I went wrong and ..."
"How the Order went wrong," Luke finished firmly. "Yes, we are grateful for your insight as we work to establish a new, healthier generation of Jedi. For one thing, we absolutely are not permitting children to be taken from their parents for training. In fact, giving how both you and I learned well later in life, we're thinking we won't start anything formal until at least the early teens."
"You and I are exceptional," Anakin pointed out. "It will delay the age at which a Force Sensitive achieves the status of Jedi Knight."
"Children need their parents," Luke said flatly, "and I'm all for teens no longer being sent into a war zone like you and Ahsoka were."
The door slid open and the two Skywalker men turned with broad smiles as three year old identical boy twins, freshly awake from their naps, stormed into the room with Mara chasing them.
"Grandpa!" they shrieked.
/
Author Note: Thanks so much for your continued reading and reviewing. Re Yoda still being alive, I figured that he forced himself to stay alive so he could train Leia and Luke and Mara and then Palpatine died and Vader turned back to the Light, which gave him a burst of energy. Stay safe, everyone!