There's Too Many
Summary: Luke Skywalker was on the second Death Star being electrocuted by the Emperor begging his father to save him. He passed out, but when he awakes he finds himself in a strange featureless foggy place. He quickly discovered he is not alone. There he meets another Luke Skywalker.
Luke snapped awake. Was he dead? He had been on the floor writhing in pain while the Emperor shot him with Force lightning. He had begged his father to help him. Then he had blacked out. Now he was cold and a bit damp. He sat up, his body still ached and burned.
The place was featureless with a dull dark gray of mist and fog. The ground was smooth stone. Where was he? On the second Death Star? Back on Endor? Dead? He didn't feel dead. Slowly he stood up. He reached out with the Force, but there was nothingness all around him. Just silence and the swirling fog.
He ran his ungloved hand through his hair. What was he going to do? Out of the corner of his eye he saw something in the mist. At once he turned to face it. He stretched his senses. Was there something else out there? He thought he heard a faint voice saying the name Leia.
Leia? Was she here?
Luke moved in the direction of the sound. Again he saw something moving in the fog ahead. It was human shaped and gray. It was hunched over as if carrying something. Luke picked up his pace. He was almost running. Perhaps if there was someone else here he could get answers.
Something hard rammed right into him. His body, still not recovered from the lightning, flinched in pain. Luke bit back a curse.
"Sorry!" a voice next to him came out. "I didn't know there was anyone else here!"
"It's ok. I . . ."
Luke's words died on his lips as he saw the man standing next to him. It was . . . It was him. Another Luke. He was dressed in the orange flight suit of the Alliance. He didn't look completely like Luke. At least not how he looked now. This other Luke looked . . . younger. His hair was brighter. His face was more tanned.
The other Luke was also staring. His mouth hung open slightly. "Who . . . who are you?" he asked.
"I'm Luke," Luke said. "Luke Skywalker. Are you . . .?"
"Luke," said the other one. "Luke Skywalker."
The two said nothing. Neither one knew what to say. Both of their minds were reeling. How could there be two of them?
"Leia?" a voice called in the fog.
Both Lukes turned. A new figure stumbled out of the fog. He was hunched over, his right arm stuffed under his left armpit, his gray fatigues were torn and burned. But Luke instantly recognized him. It was himself. It was another Luke.
Luke glanced from the first Luke to the second. This second one looked like . . . looked like he had just finished that fateful duel with Darth Vader in Cloud City. He wore the dirty Alliance jumpsuit. His hair was plastered to his head wet with sweat. His eyes had a wild haunted look as he looked at the other two in front of him.
"Who . . . who are you? What is going on?" this new Luke croaked.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out!" the flight suit Luke exclaimed. "Who are you two? Why do you look like me?"
Luke's head spun. This was too much. He looked from one Luke to another. One Luke clearly from Bespin and the other . . . who looked younger.
"What was the last thing you remembered?" Luke asked. The other two looked at him. "You in the flight suit."
"Me?"
"Yes. What was the last thing you remembered before being here?"
"I was at the hangar on Yavin IV. I had wandered outside for a short break."
The Bespin Luke took in a sharp breath. He was coming to the same conclusion Endor Luke had come to.
"Yavin IV?" Bespin Luke asked. "As in . . . did you just come from the Death Star?"
"Yeah . . ."
"So you two are from the past," Endor Luke said. The other two Lukes looked at him. Endor Luke pointed at both of them. "You're the youngest from right after the first Death Star blew up."
"First Death Star?" both Lukes exclaimed. Endor Luke ignored them.
"And you are from Bespin. Right after the duel with Darth Vader," Endor Luke continued.
"And who are you?" Bespin Luke asked bitterly.
"I am you, but in the future. Only a few months though. I was on the second Death Star that was above Endor."
"So there is another one?" Yavin Luke asked. His eyes big and round. They were still filled with naive wonder. They were unjaded and not haunted by the horrors of the war yet. Endor Luke only sighed. He could feel a headache coming on.
Darth Vader walked through the foggy landscape. He had been on Cloud City returning to his shuttle. His attempts at securing his son and luring him to the Dark Side . . . had . . . not gone according to plan. The boy had . . . let go . . . Had decided it would be better to die than to face his destiny. To face him, his father.
The boy should have been angry! Angry that the truth had been kept from him! That he had been denied his rightful spot in the galaxy! Instead, Luke had reacted in shock and horror. And now . . . Vader had yet to feel Luke die. He didn't dwell on that thought. Instead he focused on this place. This odd place he found himself in.
It was quiet. He had reached into the Force, and found almost a void there. How was it possible that the Force was so quiet? Only in the depths of space when he was alone in his ship did he ever feel this emptiness. He had been in a whole city of bustling with life mere moments ago. How did he get here?
But there was something out there. A small flick of life ahead that Vader was moving toward. He strode purposefully forward. His gait unwavering. Hopefully this life form would be sentient and could provide Vader the answers he sought. He couldn't be wasting time here. As he approached, he saw the lifeform was small and mostly white.
Vader stepped through a cloud of fog and stopped dead. A child turned and looked up at him. For a moment, just a moment, Vader thought it was himself. It wasn't, though it looked eerily enough like him. Bright blond hair, sun tanned skin, bright blue eyes, and white tunics. No, it wasn't Vader, but he did recognize the the mark on the cheek.
"Luke?" he said. He hadn't meant to speak, but the words had come out anyways.
The child jumped and took a step back.
"Who- who are you?" he asked. "Have you seen my aunt or uncle? I was just playing in a cave . . ." The boy looked around as if he would spot his lost relatives.
The relatives that had stolen him! Kept him away from his father!
Was this the Force answering Vader's desires? That Vader wanted his son? Vader had failed with Luke . . . but now here was Luke. A different Luke. A young Luke. An ignorant Luke. One that had yet to have the poison of the Rebellion and Jedi infect his mind. A perfect Luke for Vader to mold into a perfect and loyal apprentice.
"Come here child," Vader said.
The boy jumped and again took a step away. Vader summoned the Force to wrap around the child. The boy let out a small gasp. The Dark Side hungrily ate the boy's fear. Vader approached. The boy squirmed in the Force hold. Vader grabbed him and picked him up. He looped his arm under the boy's knees and the other arm around his shoulders. The boy trembled in Vader's arms. He took a long look at the child. His child.
Then Darth Vader headed back into the fog ready to find a way out of this.
A headache had formed between Luke's eyes. The three Lukes had all accepted the weird situation they found themselves. They were all Luke, the same Luke, but from different points in time. Yavin Luke was bright-eyed and constantly asking questions. His first focus had been on Bespin Luke.
"What happened to you? Is your arm gone? How did that happen? Is that going to happen to me?" Yavin Luke had rambled on.
Endor Luke knew that Bespin Luke was in no mood to answer questions. Everything was still raw. He had just let go of the gantry over the reactor shaft. He had expected to die. He was supposed to find himself hanging on to an antenna, but instead had found himself here. So now Yavin Luke was questioning Endor Luke.
"So do you have a prosthetic hand? Is that why you have it in a glove? And what happened to your face? Did it happen then?" Yavin Luke nodded at Bespin Luke. Bespin Luke only glowered.
"Uh no," Endor Luke said. "That happened at Hoth."
"Hoth? What happened at Hoth?"
Before a Luke could respond, a cold chill swept through them. They all quieted. They all heard it. The steady noise of breathing through a respirator. Endor Luke was instantly on alert. Bespin Luke flinched and pulled his injured arm tighter to him. Yavin Luke only looked around confused.
A tall dark shadow moved towards them. It soon stepped up to the three Lukes. There was no denying the figure before them was Darth Vader. Endor Luke moved so he stood in front of the other two Lukes. As he reached for his belt he realized he didn't have his lightsaber. He had tossed it aside back on the Death Star when he refused to kill his father.
"Who's that?" Yavin Luke asked.
Endor Luke had been so focused on Vader, that he only just now noticed he was carrying someone. Not someone. A child. A . . . another Luke? A child Luke? How many Lukes were there?
Clearly Vader was thinking the same thing. His mask moved as he took in each Luke.
"What . . . What is going here?" he asked in his deep voice.
Endor Luke took a deep breath. "I suppose before I answer that question, I need to ask. Where were you right before you found yourself in this place?"
"I was playing in a cave!" young Luke shouted. "Have you seen my aunt and uncle?"
All three adult Lukes tensed. Yavin Luke visibly flinched.
"Don't worry," Endor Luke said. "We'll help you find them."
Vader's grip on young Luke tightened. His stance shifted to be more defensive. As if he wasn't going to let little Luke go.
"Well?" Endor Luke asked. "Where were you?" Vader's mask seemed to look at Bespin Luke. "Were you on Bespin? At Cloud City?"
One. Two. Three cycles through Vader's respirator passed. Finally he said, "Yes." His mask swung back to Endor Luke. "What is going on? Who are you?"
Luke sighed. "We're Luke. All of us are Luke. Just from different points of time. As you can see, that Luke," he waved at Bespin Luke, "is the one you just dueled. This Luke is fresh off the destruction of the first Death Star."
Vader's helmet snapped back to Endor Luke. "First Death Star?" he said.
"And I'm from the oldest Luke," Endor Luke said. "I was on the second Death Star, which you know good and well exists, over Endor."
It had taken quite a bit of convincing to get Vader to let go of little Luke. At once the boy ran over to the other Lukes. He hugged Yavin Luke's leg and hid behind him. What would happen when Endor Luke went back? Would he recall this event happening from three different points in his life? Would he have memories of each of the other Luke's experiences here? Or would it be something else?
Endor Luke and Vader walked through the fog side by side. Vader was clearly slowing his pace to match that of Luke. His mask kept turning to look at Luke.
"So you have accepted the truth," Vader said slowly.
"Yes, father," Luke said, fighting back the deja vu. He had just had this conversation with Vader. With his Vader.
Which was why Endor Luke and Vader found themselves leaving the group. If Bespin Vader was here, was Yavin Vader and Endor Vader here as well? Was there a young Vader to match little Luke? Or was there only the one Vader?
"At what point did you know who I was?" Luke asked. "Did you know I was your son?"
"A bit after Cymoon 1. I wanted to know about the pilot who had shot down the Death Star."
"So if there is a Yavin Vader or younger, they won't know," Luke said thoughtfully.
"No."
They walked through the fog. Both lost in their own thoughts. But then a large gloved hand gripped Luke's shoulder. Luke snapped his head up towards the mask, ready to bark at Vader, but the helmet was focused away. Luke followed the gaze. He didn't see anything, but he heard it. The humming and hissing of lightsabers clashing.
Both Luke and Vader made there way towards it. They first saw the two glowing red blades clashing against each other. Then the two large shadowy forms emerged in the fog.
"Imposter," came baritone voice of one Vader.
"You are the imposter," came the second. "A trick."
"I am no trick!" replied the other.
Luke took a deep breath and rushed forward. "Stop!" he shouted. "Neither one of you is an imposter!'
Two identical Vaders stopped their duel and looked at Luke.
"Who are you?" one asked.
"I am-"
"A Jedi," hissed one of the Vaders. Luke couldn't tell which one was talking.
Both Vaders turned towards Luke. This wasn't good, Luke thought. They're going to kill him! A snap hiss was heard. A red beam of light slowly came in front of Luke. Bespin Vader held his own red lightsaber.
"You will not touch him," Bespin Vader growled.
The two other Vaders stopped. One Vader looked at Bespin Vader and then at the other. Luke understood that confusion all too well.
"If you are here to claim you are Darth Vader," said one of the other Vaders, "Then prove you are him. Strike that Jedi down!"
"Wait! Stop!" Luke shouted. "I can explain all of this!"
"Very well," said one of the other Vaders. "I shall let you live long enough to explain this Jedi trick. Your death shall be quick as my thanks."
"You will not touch him," Bespin Vader growled again. A tense stretch of silence fell between them.
"I am," Luke said. He paused. He took a deep breath and continued. "I am Luke Skywalker. I am your son."
One of the red lightsabers fell a bit in shock. The other one raised higher.
"Impossible!' he shouted.
"My father is Anakin Skywalker," Luke said standing up straight.
"Anakin Skywalker is dead," one Vader said.
"Yes, yes. I know. I've heard this before. You destroyed him," Luke said annoyed.
Bespin Vader spoke, "Listen to the Force. You know the boy speaks the truth."
An odd silence fell. It was filled with the sound of three respirators filling the quiet. Luke guessed that these other two Vaders were young Vader and Yavin Vader. Neither one recognized Luke or knew who he was. Plus they both still had their hands. Endor Vader had just lost his hand to Luke on the Death Star.
So that meant there was still one more Vader out there. Bespin Vader had started talking. He was explaining that Luke was their son. That they were all the same person just from different points in time. Luke wasn't paying attention. Something was bothering him. Something was pulling on his mind. He looked away from the Vaders into the fog.
There was something out there . . . Something . . .
"Father!" he shouted.
He ran into the swirling grey clouds. He heard a shout of his name, but he ignored it. He followed the pull of the Force. The moment he saw the dark shape on the floor, he knew who it was. He knew which Vader it was. It was his Vader. Endor Vader.
There was no right hand. Vader's breathing was uneven and pained. His body visibly rose and fell which each labored breath.
"Father!" Luke said as he knelt down next to Vader. "What happened?"
Last he had seen Vader was between the bright lights of the lightning.
"I . . . I stopped him," Vader said. "I could not . . . I could not let you die." He paused as he took a few more breaths. "I killed . . . killed him, but his lightning-ning struck me."
Luke grabbed Vader's remaining hand.
"Luke, help me take this mask off," Vader said.
"But you'll die," Luke said.
"Nothing can stop- stop that now. Just for once . . . let me look on you with my own eyes.
Slowly, hesitantly, Luke reached for the helmet. He lifted the helmet off and lowered it to the ground. Then his fingers gripped the side of the mask. He pulled it off. For the first time, he saw his father's face. It was a man with pale white skin completely covered with scars. His face is etched in pain, but despite that he smiled.
At once a lump formed in Luke's throat and his eyes started to burn and water.
"My . . . son," Vader said softly. But that didn't seem right. He was no longer Vader. No longer any of the Vaders Luke had left behind. This Vader was different. This man was Anakin, Luke's father.
"I'm going to save you," Luke said. He squeezed Anakin's hand tighter.
"You already have," Anakin said. "You were right . . . about me. Tell your sister . . . you were right."
"Father," Luke pleaded. He opened his mouth to say more, but nothing came out. Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father, was dead. Tears ran down Luke's face. He lowered his head and placed it against Anakin's gloved hand.
He wasn't sure how long he had stayed like that, but he heard the familiar hiss of a respirator. He wiped his tears on his sleeve and turned around. Three Vaders stood only a short distance away. All three identical. All three unmoving.
In another time and place, it might look comical or perhaps nightmarish to see the three of them. But it only made Luke's heart ache.
Endor Luke walked back to the group of other Lukes. The two older Lukes had been sitting, but upon seeing Endor Luke, they jumped up.
"What happened?" Bespin Luke asked.
"Did you find any other Vaders?" Yavin Luke asked.
"What happened to the other Vader?" Bespin Luke asked.
Endor Luke half-heartedly waved behind him. Both other Lukes gasped. Endor Luke didn't turn around, but he knew what the others were seeing. Four Vaders. Three of which were all carrying the fourth one. The dead one. Endor Luke had refused to simply leave his dead father in this cloudy nightmarish place. Whenever he finds a way out, he will bring his father with him. The other three Vaders, prompted by Bespin Vader, had agreed to carry the body.
Slowly, the three Vaders lowered the body to the ground. The helmet and mask were back on the dead Endor Vader. Endor Luke didn't need to see the lifeless face. The two new Vaders looked at the Lukes. The other Lukes did the same. Endor Luke glanced around.
"Where is . . . Where is little Luke?" he asked. The other two Lukes looked around. "I told you two to watch him!"
"We were!" Yavin Luke snapped.
"You know how he is!" Endor Luke snapped back. "He's us!"
At once Endor Luke was back in the fog. Part of him was glad to get away from the body. "Luke!" he shouted. "Little Luke!"
"Here! I'm over here!" came a child's voice.
"Oh thank the Force," Endor Luke mumbled to himself as he jogged over to where he heard the voice. As soon as he saw little Luke he stopped. "What is that?" Endor Luke asked.
"I found him," little Luke said. "He's really cold. I think he's hurt."
Little Luke was holding the snow crusted boots of yet another Luke. A Luke from Hoth from the looks of it. The wounds on his face were still fresh. Endor Luke sighed and then let out a small groan.
"Let's get him back," Endor Luke said.
Of course seeing yet another Luke caused a small uproar amongst the group.
"Give me your cloak," Endor Luke snapped at one of the Vaders. One of them unhooked their cloak and handed it over. Luke was sure it was Bespin Vader. It was Bespin Luke that came over and helped wrapped the thick cloak around Hoth Luke. Hoth would still be quite fresh in Bespin Luke's mind.
"So now what?" Yavin Luke asked. "We find another Vader?"
Endor Luke's headache was getting worse. Yavin Luke was right. If there was a Hoth Luke, that meant there should be a Hoth Vader. When would this madness stop?
"Yes, we find another Vader," Endor Luke said as he stood up and looked into the fog.
"Are you going out again?" Bespin Luke asked.
Endor Luke looked at the corpse laying over a few yards away. "Yeah," he said slowly. "I'm the best choice."
"I will accompany you," Bespin Vader said.
"No. You need to stay here."
"I-"
Endor Luke cut him off. "I don't trust those two to stay here with them."
Bespin Vader looked over at Yavin and young Vader. Both of whom were still standing next to Endor Vader's body. They were both quiet. Bespin Vader looked back over and nodded.
"Then I will go," said one of the other two Vaders.
"Fine, whatever," Luke said no longer in a mood to argue. "Let's go."
Endor Luke headed off into the fog. One of the younger Vaders followed him. Neither one said anything for which Luke was glad. They walked through the dark gray land that was filled with thick fog. Luke looked up to the sky, but it was just a darker gray. Was there a sun? A moon? Stars? Were they even on a planet? He got the idea that they were somewhere else. A place within the Force.
Vader grabbed Luke's shoulder stopping him. Vader pointed and Luke looked. In the fog there was a glow of light. It was a distinctive beam of light. Not just a beam, but beams. Luke didn't stop his very loud exasperated sigh. They were only looking for one Vader. It was clear there were more visitors in this strange place. And what was annoying, was only one of the lightsabers was red. Hopefully that was the missing Hoth Vader, but who were the others?
Two other beams shone in the fog. The one clashing against the red was a blue lightsaber. Another Luke? Standing a bit away from the fight was a green lightsaber. Luke's current lightsaber was green. Perhaps it was an older Luke?
Vader and Luke approached the group. No one noticed the two new arrivals as everyone was watching the fight. The one wielding the red lightsaber was Vader. The one holding the green lightsaber was an old man. He was dressed in a Jedi tunic and robe. He had long gray hair and a short beard. He reminded Luke of a bit of Ben, but this man was not Ben. Luke already knew it was him. An older him. The lightsaber hilt was the same as his and the hand that held it was a metal prosthetic.
Was this really what Luke looked like when he got older? A shaggy Jedi?
However, this old Luke wasn't alone. Standing behind was a child. For a brief moment Luke thought it was another young Luke. They looked the same. Blond hair, blue eyes, tan skin, and clothes like those worn on Tatooine. But as Endor Luke looked closer, he noticed this was not him. The hair wasn't as bright as his had been. The style was off too. And if the child wasn't Luke . . . was he a young Anakin Skywalker?
Finally Endor Luke looked at the man dueling the Vader. He was not a Luke. He wasn't a Vader. So if wasn't a Luke nor a Vader, was he an Anakin? The man was tall, though not as tall as Vader. He wore black and dark leather tunics like that of a Jedi. He had long curling dark blond hair. But Luke couldn't make out much beyond that.
"Is that you?" Luke asked with a wave at the man fighting Vader.
"Yes," the young Vader standing next to him answered.
"Is that you as well?" Luke said as he pointed to the kid.
"Yes. Is that you?" Vader asked of the old man.
"I think so. Looks a bit like me. Plus . . . it can't be you . . ." Luke thought of the body back with the rest of the group. He sighed. "Shall we stop this?"
Hoth Luke was still unconscious by the time Endor Luke returned with the four newcomers. The two (living) Vaders both stiffened at the sight of the two young Anakin Skywalkers. Little Luke was perhaps the only one excited as he ran up to the little Anakin.
"Hi," little Luke said. "Are you a Luke too?"
"No," said little Anakin, "I'm Anakin."
"Oh," little Luke said clearly confused. "Well I'm Luke. And that's Luke too! He's me when I'm older! And that's an older me too!" Little Luke pointed at the different Lukes.
"And who are they?" Bespin Luke asked nodding at old Luke and old Anakin. Bespin Luke and Yavin Luke were seated on the ground next to Hoth Luke. The two Vaders were standing by themselves.
"This is little Anakin as you know," Endor Luke explained. "This is an older Anakin, who isn't quite yet Darth Vader. That is Hoth Vader, and lastly this is Luke. Old Luke. Who has yet to say much about how far into the future he is from."
Old Luke frowned as he took in the sight before him. He then marched pass the whole group and stood over the corpse of Endor Vader. He knelt on the ground and placed his flesh hand against the helmet.
"This is kriffin' impossible," the older Anakin blurted out. "How can these all be me? The kid I understand, but these guys?" He waved at the herd of Vaders. "You expect me to believe this is what I turn into when I'm older? A karkin' Sith?"
"It is your destiny," said one of the Vaders.
"My destiny is to become half droid? And what even happened to that one?" Anakin asked as he pointed to Endor Vader. "That one is dead!"
Bored with the grown-up talk, little Luke and little Anakin had taken up a game of tag. At first they just zigzagged amongst the group, but now they had ventured out into the fog. Two of the Vaders, Endor Luke was sure it was Bespin and Hoth Vader, were watching them. It looked like one of them was about to go get them, but it was old Luke who jumped up.
"I'll go get them," he grumbled as he walked off into the fog.
"And what happened to them?" Anakin continued as he looked at three Lukes on the ground.
"Perhaps instead of focusing on that," Endor Luke said. "We should focus on leaving. I know I for one would like to get back to my own time and place." He eyed the corpse of his father.
"Agreed," Anakin said as he crossed his arms. "That way I can go back and make sure this," He looked directly at the Vaders, "never happens."
One of the Vaders made an odd sound through their vocoder. A laugh?
"Shall we focus on how we each got here?" Endor Luke said. "I was . . . being electrocuted by the Emperor and passed out. I woke up here."
"I fell down a reactor shaft and woke up here," Bespin Luke said. He shot a nasty look at the Vaders. He was clearly not over the duel, losing his hand, and finding out the truth about his father.
"I walked outside to get some fresh air. It turned all foggy, then I was here," Yavin Luke said with a shrug.
"It was the same for me," Bespin Vader said. "I was walking through the service levels of Cloud City when it became dark and foggy."
"Young Luke was in a cave hiding from a sandstorm," Yavin Luke added in.
One by one they shared how they got here. It seemed they were each going about their lives, when suddenly they all found themselves here. Some of them just walked here, some of them awoke here, or in the case of Bespin Luke, landed here. Now the real question was how to get back? Should they try to repeat what had gotten them there in the first place? A Vader suggested meditating. Anakin grumbled at that. Yavin Luke just looked at everyone with large round eyes. Bespin Luke kept casting a concerned look at Hoth Luke and then dirty looks at the Vaders. Who knew what any of the Vaders were feeling.
Old Luke Skywalker saw the two kids dashing through the fog. "Hey, get back here!" he shouted at them. The two boys giggled as they ran up to him. Luke Skywalker had seen some weird things in his life. Though this, this was the strangest. It was odd, no beyond odd, to see his younger self playing with a young version of his father.
"I won!" little Luke said happily.
"No you didn't!" little Anakin said.
"You both lost," old Luke snapped.
Two little heads looked up at him with large round blue eyes. Eyes that were eerily the same. Seeing them side by side, old Luke easily saw the resemblance.
"Let's go back," old Luke grumbled.
The boys pouted and frowned, but followed along. Until little Anakin stopped.
"There is someone out there," he said as he looked into the fog.
"Oh great," old Luke said under his breath. Who else could it be? His brows furrowed as a shape started to form in the fog. Humanoid. Small. Another Luke? The figure became clearer. The two boys gasped, and so did old Luke. At once old Luke was running through the fog, pulling off his brown cloak, so he could wrap it around the shivering figure.
The discussion about how to return had gotten nowhere. In fact it had gotten off track. They were currently pairing up each Luke with a Vader. There were obvious connections. Yavin Luke and Yavin Vader. Hoth Luke and Hoth Vader. Bespin and Endor. Then there was little Luke tied to young Vader. But what of the rest?
There was little Anakin, the older Anakin, and the older Luke. None of them had a pair. It looked like if the son or the father wasn't even alive at the time, they didn't have a match. But that begged the question, were there going to any more time travelers? Where would it stop? When would they go back? Was there a reason to all of this?
Endor Luke didn't have the answers. None of the Lukes did. Neither did any of the Vaders nor Anakin.
Little Luke and little Anakin ran out of the fog.
"We're back!" little Luke said. "We found someone new!"
Of course they did, Endor Luke thought. The endless parades of Lukes, Vaders and Anakins had yet to end.
"Well at least we know it won't be a Luke to match me," the older Anakin said.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," came the voice of old Luke.
The crowd turned to see him walking out of the fog. His arm was wrapped around . . . around a woman? She was small. Her hair hung in brown curls. She was dressed in a thin satin dress with white beaded straps. Her feet were bare. Old Luke's Jedi cloak was wrapped around her.
"Anakin?" she asked as she saw the group.
"Padme!" the older Anakin shouted as he ran over to her.
Endor Luke noticed all of the Vaders stiffened. Padme? Endor Luke looked closer. Anakin had reached her and pulled her into a hug.
"What's going on?" Padme asked.
"Why are you here?" Anakin whispered. "Wait . . . it can't be."
Anakin looked down. His hand came to rest on her stomach, Padme's round extended stomach. She was pregnant. Little Luke and little Anakin started to run around again. Old Luke's hand snatched out, grabbed Anakin, and pulled him close.
"Stay still," old Luke hissed at him.
"Anakin?" Padme asked again. She placed a hand on his face.
"I uh . . ." Anakin said fumbling to find words.
Endor Luke sighed. He might as well explain. He had gotten quite used to it having to explain to everyone else. He walked over to the couple.
"Uh hi," Luke said. He couldn't help but stare at Padme. He had never known his mother. Never knew what she looked like. Didn't even know her name. "I'm Luke, and this is going to sound a bit crazy."
Padme gave Anakin a look, but he nodded and smiled. She turned her attention back to Endor Luke. Luke gave a weak smile, but he never got a chance to continue his speech. Instead a wave of dizziness and nausea hit him.
"Ugh," he said as he wavered on his feet. He stumbled forward, and ended up grabbing onto Padme's arm for support. Anakin grabbed Luke's other arm.
"Are you ok?" Anakin asked.
"I . . .uh . . ." he said. His tongue felt heavy. His eyelids were dropping. "I . . . can't . . ." And then he fell. Blackness met him before his body hit the ground.
Luke woke to a white room. It took a few moments to comprehend why this was odd to him. Then he realized. He wasn't in the foggy place anymore. He glanced around. It appeared he was in a medbay. A normal looking medbay. One with Alliance medics and officers. Was he back? The doctors and nurses saw to him. They said he was fine, and went about their other duties. Luke had yet to say a word. His mind still reeling from everything.
It wasn't long before he had his first visitor. Han Solo marched over to Luke's bed with a huge goofy smile.
"There you are!" he said. "How are you feelin'?"
"Confused," Luke answered honestly.
"Well you missed the big celebration," Han said. "It was one big party with those Ewoks."
So the Alliance had won? How? How had they broken the Emperor's trap? Had Han and Leia managed to get the shield down?
"Though I am curious," Han said as he sat down on the edge of Luke's bed. "How did you get off the Death Star in time? What even happened up there?"
"I don't . . . I don't know. I don't remember."
Han's face had fallen into a serious expression. "You really have no idea?"
"The last thing I remember was the Emperor . . . and then . . . fog. Then I woke up here."
That was close enough to the truth for now.
"Well some ground troops doing a routine sweep for any Imperials found you," Han explained. "Found you in a crashed Imperial shuttle."
Luke nodded though he had no memory of ever being on a shuttle.
"You weren't alone, Luke," Han said.
There was tightness in Luke's throat and cold shiver that ran down his spine. "I wasn't?" he squeezed out.
"There was also . . . Also the dead body of Darth Vader," Han said.
Luke looked down at his lap. "What . . . what happened to the body?" he asked in a whisper.
"It's currently in the morgue," Han said. "They aren't completely sure what to do with it. Only High Command knows about it. Leia reported that a few want to flaunt it all over the holonet to showcase the Alliance victory."
"No!" Luke said.
Han leaned over and placed a hand on Luke's shoulder and squeezed.
"Don't worry, kid," he said. "Leia would never let that happen."
Luke nodded.
"Though who were the other two?" Han asked.
"Other two . . . other two what?"
"The other two people on the shuttle with you. Some guy and some lady. He had your old lightsaber on him."
Luke's mouth fell open. "What?" he asked. "Where . . . where are they?"
"Actually I think they're in the next room," Han said. "What! Hold on!"
Luke ignored him as he threw aside his covers and ripped off the tubes and senors. Barefooted and wearing his white medical tunic, he ran from his room and into the next. Laying in the bed on the left was Padme. She was still asleep, but Luke could see her round stomach. In the bed next to her, sitting up with his arms crossed, was a very angry looking older Anakin Skywalker.
"Hey there you are!" Anakin said as he saw Luke. "What is going on? Where are we?"
That was a very good question, and Luke didn't quite have the answer to it.
Luke Skywalker had seen some interesting things already in his life. One instance included meeting several different versions of himself and his father. Though this seemed to be even odder than that. He was watching his mother give birth to him and his twin sister.
Luke and Anakin had eventually settled on one conclusion. Since Luke was touching Padme and Anakin when he came back to his time, he had taken them with him. Endor Vader had returned to his proper time of his own accord.
Luke couldn't help but wonder if Anakin, Padme, and now the newborn Luke and Leia were stuck in this time. What happened to their original time? Had Anakin and Padme simply disappeared? Had time continued on without them there? What would that timeline be like now?
And what of the other Lukes and Vaders? Luke had no new memories. He didn't recall meeting himself from three different perspectives. Had they returned back to their own times? Were they now new and different timelines? Alternate ones? How would their lives continue?
After recovering from Bespin, Luke returned to Tatooine to find Ben's journals. He built his new lightsaber. Then he set out to confront his father, Vader. It wasn't hard to find him. Vader was waiting for him. He seemed calmer and also more in the light than he had been at Cloud City.
Together they created a plan. A plan to save Han Solo from Jabba. A plan to kill the Emperor. A plan to end the Empire. A plan they would do together.
Luke woke up in the Hoth medbay right on time. The Imperials were starting their attack. It was hard to get his mind into the battle. He had the weirdest dream. After the battle, he went in search of Master Yoda on Dagobah. He didn't listen to Yoda or Ben's warnings when he left to go to Bespin to save his friends.
When he saw Darth Vader standing on the steps, Luke ignited his blue lightsaber. He would defeat Darth Vader! He would kill his father's murderer! He would save his friends! But Vader didn't ignite his own lightsaber. Instead he waved his hand slightly. Green stun bolts came from all directions. Luke was unconscious before he reached the ground. His lightsaber clattered and rolled away.
The stormtroopers came out of hiding. Their blasters still aimed at the prone Rebel, but Vader ordered them out of the room. Once alone, Vader slowly knelt in front of Luke. He wasn't sure what had happened at Bespin before, but he recalled that Luke. The one bruised and battered who hugged his arm to his body. The arm that was missing a hand.
He also recalled the other Vader. The one that had died. The one that Luke had saved. This time it would be different. Vader would see to it.
The next time Luke saw Vader was on Cymoon 1. Luke had just freed the slaves when he felt a familiar presence. So he left the group and soon ran into his father.
"Put that weapon down," Vader said in his deep voice. "You hold that weapon like an untrained child. Did Kenobi really teach you so little?"
Luke huffed. "I'll show you," he mumbled as he ran forward. He could take Vader on! He could do this! He now knew who Vader was. He wasn't going to be caught off guard. However, Vader quickly knocked his blow to the side.
"Give up, Luke," Vader said. "You cannot defeat me."
Luke only snarled and brought his lightsaber up again.
It wasn't long before Vader was on a shuttle leaving the moon. The factory had been destroyed. The Rebels had escaped along with a few slaves. But Vader had his prize. Luke glared at him. His arms were bound in binders. His lightsaber now hung on Vader's belt.
Luke was finishing up his chores in the kitchen. The sand had been swept out and the counters cleaned. He stretched as he walked into the courtyard. Aunt Beru had gone into town to buy supplies while Uncle Owen was out tending to the farm.
Luke was still grounded after his cave adventure. When he awoke in the cave, he found his way back to the homestead. He told his aunt and uncle all about the strange foggy place. How he had met different versions of himself. How he had met his father including one that was his age!
Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru had Luke brought to the doctor in Anchorhead, thinking he had lasting effects from heat stroke. But he was fine. Just a crazy dream. But Luke knew the truth! It wasn't a dream!
A shadow crossed over the courtyard. Luke glanced up to see a large triangular ship hanging low in the sky. How cool! He had never seen a ship that big! At once he was running up the steps and out into the sands of Tatooine. Small TIE fighters zoomed around the desert. A few seemed to be escorting a shuttle. Luke watched as it came closer and closer and eventually landed nearby.
The loading ramp lowered and down walked a tall man dressed in black. Luke instantly recognized him. He was Vader. One of them at least. Luke wondered which one he was. He didn't think it was the one he first met. The one that had picked him up. He felt like a different one.
Vader came to a stop right in front of boy.
"It's you!" Luke said as he pointed up at Vader. "I knew it wasn't just a dream!"
"Luke," Vader said slowly.
The two just looked at each other. Then Vader brought his hand out.
"Come," Vader said.
Luke looked at the hand. He turned and looked back at the homestead. He couldn't leave! Even if this man was his father. He needed to at least say goodbye to his aunt and uncle.
"Luke," came Vader's voice again. This time harsher. "Come now . . . my son."
"Uh . . . but . . . Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen . . ."
Vader growled. He stepped forward and grabbed Luke's arm.
"Those two are kidnappers," Vader said.
What was with adults and saying such odd things? Luke missed the older Lukes. They were the first adults that seemed to make sense. Vader pulled on Luke's arm. He stumbled forward and tripped. But Vader caught him. Then Luke was picked up. He found himself being carried by Vader back to the shuttle. Little Luke knew that this time no older Luke would save him. He was going to have to save himself.
Luke Skywalker sat in his hut trying to meditate. However the sound of feet slapping against the rocks disrupted him. The door to his hut slammed open.
"Luke!"
Luke moaned as he looked at the doorway. The young Anakin Skywalker stood with a huge grin on his face. When Luke had found himself back on Ahch-To, he wasn't alone. The little Anakin was with him. Why had Anakin come back with him? He wasn't sure, but Anakin was here now. Little Anakin was unphased.
"Are you going to train me to be a Jedi?" little Anakin had asked.
"No."
"You can call me father."
"No."
"Can I call you son?"
"No."
"We can switch it! I can be the son and you can be the father!"
"No!"
Luke honestly had no clue what to do with a nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, who now stood in Luke's doorway.
"Luke!" Anakin said again. "I saw a ship fly by!"
"There are no ships," Luke mumbled.
"Yes there was! I saw it! A freighter of some sort."
Luke's first thought was of the Falcon.
"Come see! I can prove it to you." When Luke didn't budge, Anakin continued to pester him. "Please! Please Luke!"
"Fine," he said as he stood up and followed Luke along the steep narrow stone paths.
Luke stopped in his tracks when he saw a young woman approaching.
"Who's that?" Anakin whispered.
"I don't know," Luke said.
She walked up to them, stopped, and dug into her bag. She pulled out a lightsaber. Not just any lightsaber, but Luke's lightsaber. Anakin's lightsaber. She held it out to him. Anakin looked from Luke to the girl. How had this girl gotten this lightsaber? He had lost it at Bespin . . . Bespin . . . Luke recalled seeing all of his younger selves . . .
"Just tell me one thing," Luke said as he eyed the lightsaber. "You didn't get this from some blonde kid did you?"