Honour Thy Father - Chapter 4 - Part 1
I'm really horrible at updating this regularly, sorry. TheForce.net mods are apparently getting together at Celebration to dicuss the move, or so I hear. If we don't get any good news after Celebration about TF.n, then I will try to update this more frequently here.
Anyways, on with the chapter!
Chapter Four
Han stood in shock and confusion. He was torn between running after Leia and asking Luke what the hell just happened.
“Han, Lando, Chewie. My father was Darth Vader, I told Leia this on Endor. I redeemed him and saved him from the darkness. He is the reason I am alive and I am the reason why he is alive. If you guys want nothing to do with me anymore, I’ll understand,” Luke said.
“Luke, shut up, you’re being ridiculous,” Lando said as he walked up to Anakin’s bedside. “So, you were Vader?” he addressed the ex-Sith. “You’re not what I expected you to be. You’re a lot shorter. What do I call you now?”
“I’d prefer Anakin,” he said, truthfully.
“Well, Anakin, I don’t care about what you did in the past. The man who killed that damn Emperor deserves to be forgiven,” Lando replied, putting his hand on his shoulder. “And my thanks.”
“See Dad? I’m not the only one who thinks you should be forgiven.” Luke then looked at the other two parties in the room. “Han? Chewbacca?” he said, looking for help.
Anakin perked up. “Chewbacca?” He searched through his memories that he had supressed as Darth Vader. “Do you remember a Jedi Padawan named Ahsoka Tano?”
Chewie barked a happy affirmative. Han and Luke simply stared, confused.
“She was my Padawan. She told me how you helped her survive when she was kidnapped and hunted for sport by bounty hunters.”
Chewie nodded, grarfled something else, and then a question.
“She helped you, too? That doesn’t surprise me. She was a feisty one, but always helped others.” Anakin then gulped. “She died in battle a few months before the end of the Clone Wars. Everyone said it wasn’t my fault, but I still blamed myself.”
Han grunted. “You sound like a Tatooine farm boy I know.”
Luke smiled sheepishly.
“I’m not sure of what to make of this,” Han said. He wanted to go after Leia, but he wanted to know where he stood with Anakin first.
“I think I should start off by apologizing for my actions against you personally. I am sorry for torturing you at Bespin and for putting you in carbonite. My actions have no excuses,” Anakin said truthfully.
Han let out a huff. “Why should I forgive you?”
“You blame your childhood for your illegal past, don’t you General Solo?” Anakin asked.
He nodded slowly, not sure where this was going. “Yes. I never knew my father or mother. I can only remember their faces. I was taken in and treated like a slave by a gang of vagabonds.”
Anakin nodded. “Our childhoods are not that dissimilar. I had no father. My mother and I were slaves. I was eventually freed with the help of Jedi.”
Luke was curious, but kept his questions for another time.
“If the mistakes you made can be forgiven, I should at least have a chance to plead my case and ask for forgiveness,” Anakin continued. “Go, comfort Leia,” he told Han. “Tell her she has every right to be angry, but I hope she can find it in her heart to forgive me. If she wants to come talk to Luke but wants nothing to do with me, tell her she can. I will meditate and have Lando and Chewbacca beside me so that she will feel safe.”
Han nodded and then left to find Leia. He searched the halls of the medical wing until going to her suite. He found her there, sitting at her table, sipping tea and going over something on a datapad.
“Sweetheart,” he said, sitting down across from her and taking her petite hand.
She looked up at him with stone cold eyes. “What?” she practically snapped.
“You have every right to be angry,” he said. “But think about your brother. You are hurting him more than you know. More than he’ll show. Come back and talk to him, your father-”
Her eyes flashed with hatred. “That monster is not[/i] my father,” she said, emotionlessly. “My father was Bail Organa. He died when that monster let Tarkin destroy Alderaan.”
Han nodded. “Okay. Just come back and talk to Luke; he’s probably beating himself up over this and his health can’t handle that. You won’t even have to look at the other party in the room. Chewie, Lando, and I will be in the room as well. We’ll protect ya,” he assured her.
Leia closed her eyes, fighting the battle within. Finally, the fear for Luke’s health won. “Fine.”
* * *
As Leia silently walked beside Han, she thought of a conversation she had with her father, Bail Organa, as a child. She, at eleven-years-old, had cursed Darth Vader for killing a senator for treason. The senator had been a friend of her father’s. She had called Vader the source of all evil in the galaxy.
Her father had gently rebuked her, telling her that no one was pure evil, or pure good for that matter, and that everyone had a seed of darkness in their hearts. He had warned her of anger, fear, and jealousy, because those were the feelings that caused the seed to grow and take over one’s heart. He told her a very simplified version of Vader’s story - he had once been a great man, a friend in fact, but anger slowly took over his mind and the seed eventually grew. It hadn’t been an overnight process, and that was the true danger. Anger could take over one’s heart without that person knowing it.
Her father had often told her to keep her emotions in check. Looking back at it, her father probably told her that out of fear that she could become the next Vader.
Then it hit her: she could become the next Vader. Her heart trembled in fear.
* * *
Luke, Chewie and Lando were talking when Han and Leia approached the room.
By the time Leia entered the room, the man formerly known as Vader was deep in meditation and Chewie and Lando were flanking him.
“Leia,” Luke said as soon as his sister entered. His face looked earnest, wanting to put her at ease.
She cast a quick glance at the former Sith, emotions rolling off of her, before turning back to Luke. She sat down and took his hand. “I never asked, how are you feeling?” she asked to distract herself.
Luke gave her a smile. “Tired, a little achy, but generally fine. How are you holding up?”
She quickly turned her head to look at the monster in the other bed. She turned back to Luke and cleared her throat. “Fine.”
Luke took his twin’s hand. “Please don’t lie to me.” He then searched for the right words to say. “I’m sorry for surprising you like this, but Leia, you must accept the truth. You must forgive.”
Han then spoke up. “No, she doesn’t, Luke. Bail Organa was her father. He was the man that raised her-”
She interrupted him by holding up her hand. “No, Han, Luke is right. Anger and fear were tools of Vader, of the Emperor. If I give into my fear and hate, I will be no better than them.” She remembered her father’s lesson on seeds of darkness and something her brother had said after he had returned from training with the late Jedi Master Yoda.
Luke gave her a smile. “Thank you. I’m right here for you.”
Keeping a tight hold on her brother’s hand, she turned her body around. She truly looked at her father for the first time. She couldn’t believe this man had been Vader - he was so weak and feeble.
“He’s blind, deaf and has a host of other health problems,” Luke told her, reading her mind. “He’s going to need a lot of help, and I am going to give it to him.” He then heaved a sigh. “He will only come out meditation if I call for him. Just tell me when you are ready.”
Leia took a moment, then nodded. Her stomach started to rebel against her, but she fought the urge to vomit and run.
“Dad,” Luke called softly. “Someone would like to speak to you.”
* * *
Anakin slowly opened his eyes. When he saw his daughter, his heart clenched. He could tell that she was scared. All he wanted to do was comfort her. She looked so much like Padmé. After a tense moment, he made the first move. “Hello.”
Leia looked like she wanted to run, but she stood firm. “What happened to your body?” She gasped as the words came out of her mouth.
Anakin shifted slightly, realizing he was just as scary outside the suit as he had been inside of it. “What happened was I got what I deserved. I was seduced by the Emperor, I did his bidding, I turned to the dark side and my master - Obi-Wan - tried took stop me. I tried to stop him and by my own stupidity, I ended up getting my arms and legs hacked off and I was burned in lava.” He told the short version of his story frankly.
“Why?” Leia then clarified herself. “Why did you do it? How did he seduce you?”
He gulped. “May I start from the beginning? It’ll help you all understand better.”
“Please do, Dad,” Luke asked, eagerly.
Leia simply nodded.
“My mother was a slave,” he began. “She didn’t talk much of her past. I came as a surprise to her. I came as a big surprise to her. There was no father.”
There was the collective “Huh?” in the room.
“Some Jedi believed I was created from the will of the Force. They believed I was the Chosen One; that I was going to bring balance to the Force.” He shook his head. “I guess I did, but not in any way any one expected. Anyways, the first nine years of my life I was a slave. I could only remember being on Tatooine during those years, but I was not born there. Then, my angel came. Her name was Padmé and she eventually became your mother. She was a queen from Naboo. The Trade Federation had a dispute with Naboo- it was complicated and all was orchestrated by the Emperor. She escaped the planet with the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master. Their ship was damaged in the escape but they made it to Tatooine. There, they discovered me. They helped me win my freedom from my slaver and I became a Jedi. I didn’t see your mother again after those events for many years, but I never stopped thinking about her. She became a senator after her years as queen and an assassination attempt brought her back to me. I was assigned to be her protector and I fell in love with her. At this time I was having dreams of my mother dying.” At this point in the story, Anakin started to break down. “Although it was forbidden, I went back to Tatooine. My mother had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. I went to save her from their but I was too late. She died in my arms.” He was now crying.
Suddenly he wheezed and moaned in pain. He tried to grasp at his chest, but without lower arms, he ended up just flailing what remained of his upper arms. Alarms started going off.
“Dad?” Luke gasped in horror.
Anyways, on with the chapter!
Chapter Four
Han stood in shock and confusion. He was torn between running after Leia and asking Luke what the hell just happened.
“Han, Lando, Chewie. My father was Darth Vader, I told Leia this on Endor. I redeemed him and saved him from the darkness. He is the reason I am alive and I am the reason why he is alive. If you guys want nothing to do with me anymore, I’ll understand,” Luke said.
“Luke, shut up, you’re being ridiculous,” Lando said as he walked up to Anakin’s bedside. “So, you were Vader?” he addressed the ex-Sith. “You’re not what I expected you to be. You’re a lot shorter. What do I call you now?”
“I’d prefer Anakin,” he said, truthfully.
“Well, Anakin, I don’t care about what you did in the past. The man who killed that damn Emperor deserves to be forgiven,” Lando replied, putting his hand on his shoulder. “And my thanks.”
“See Dad? I’m not the only one who thinks you should be forgiven.” Luke then looked at the other two parties in the room. “Han? Chewbacca?” he said, looking for help.
Anakin perked up. “Chewbacca?” He searched through his memories that he had supressed as Darth Vader. “Do you remember a Jedi Padawan named Ahsoka Tano?”
Chewie barked a happy affirmative. Han and Luke simply stared, confused.
“She was my Padawan. She told me how you helped her survive when she was kidnapped and hunted for sport by bounty hunters.”
Chewie nodded, grarfled something else, and then a question.
“She helped you, too? That doesn’t surprise me. She was a feisty one, but always helped others.” Anakin then gulped. “She died in battle a few months before the end of the Clone Wars. Everyone said it wasn’t my fault, but I still blamed myself.”
Han grunted. “You sound like a Tatooine farm boy I know.”
Luke smiled sheepishly.
“I’m not sure of what to make of this,” Han said. He wanted to go after Leia, but he wanted to know where he stood with Anakin first.
“I think I should start off by apologizing for my actions against you personally. I am sorry for torturing you at Bespin and for putting you in carbonite. My actions have no excuses,” Anakin said truthfully.
Han let out a huff. “Why should I forgive you?”
“You blame your childhood for your illegal past, don’t you General Solo?” Anakin asked.
He nodded slowly, not sure where this was going. “Yes. I never knew my father or mother. I can only remember their faces. I was taken in and treated like a slave by a gang of vagabonds.”
Anakin nodded. “Our childhoods are not that dissimilar. I had no father. My mother and I were slaves. I was eventually freed with the help of Jedi.”
Luke was curious, but kept his questions for another time.
“If the mistakes you made can be forgiven, I should at least have a chance to plead my case and ask for forgiveness,” Anakin continued. “Go, comfort Leia,” he told Han. “Tell her she has every right to be angry, but I hope she can find it in her heart to forgive me. If she wants to come talk to Luke but wants nothing to do with me, tell her she can. I will meditate and have Lando and Chewbacca beside me so that she will feel safe.”
Han nodded and then left to find Leia. He searched the halls of the medical wing until going to her suite. He found her there, sitting at her table, sipping tea and going over something on a datapad.
“Sweetheart,” he said, sitting down across from her and taking her petite hand.
She looked up at him with stone cold eyes. “What?” she practically snapped.
“You have every right to be angry,” he said. “But think about your brother. You are hurting him more than you know. More than he’ll show. Come back and talk to him, your father-”
Her eyes flashed with hatred. “That monster is not[/i] my father,” she said, emotionlessly. “My father was Bail Organa. He died when that monster let Tarkin destroy Alderaan.”
Han nodded. “Okay. Just come back and talk to Luke; he’s probably beating himself up over this and his health can’t handle that. You won’t even have to look at the other party in the room. Chewie, Lando, and I will be in the room as well. We’ll protect ya,” he assured her.
Leia closed her eyes, fighting the battle within. Finally, the fear for Luke’s health won. “Fine.”
* * *
As Leia silently walked beside Han, she thought of a conversation she had with her father, Bail Organa, as a child. She, at eleven-years-old, had cursed Darth Vader for killing a senator for treason. The senator had been a friend of her father’s. She had called Vader the source of all evil in the galaxy.
Her father had gently rebuked her, telling her that no one was pure evil, or pure good for that matter, and that everyone had a seed of darkness in their hearts. He had warned her of anger, fear, and jealousy, because those were the feelings that caused the seed to grow and take over one’s heart. He told her a very simplified version of Vader’s story - he had once been a great man, a friend in fact, but anger slowly took over his mind and the seed eventually grew. It hadn’t been an overnight process, and that was the true danger. Anger could take over one’s heart without that person knowing it.
Her father had often told her to keep her emotions in check. Looking back at it, her father probably told her that out of fear that she could become the next Vader.
Then it hit her: she could become the next Vader. Her heart trembled in fear.
* * *
Luke, Chewie and Lando were talking when Han and Leia approached the room.
By the time Leia entered the room, the man formerly known as Vader was deep in meditation and Chewie and Lando were flanking him.
“Leia,” Luke said as soon as his sister entered. His face looked earnest, wanting to put her at ease.
She cast a quick glance at the former Sith, emotions rolling off of her, before turning back to Luke. She sat down and took his hand. “I never asked, how are you feeling?” she asked to distract herself.
Luke gave her a smile. “Tired, a little achy, but generally fine. How are you holding up?”
She quickly turned her head to look at the monster in the other bed. She turned back to Luke and cleared her throat. “Fine.”
Luke took his twin’s hand. “Please don’t lie to me.” He then searched for the right words to say. “I’m sorry for surprising you like this, but Leia, you must accept the truth. You must forgive.”
Han then spoke up. “No, she doesn’t, Luke. Bail Organa was her father. He was the man that raised her-”
She interrupted him by holding up her hand. “No, Han, Luke is right. Anger and fear were tools of Vader, of the Emperor. If I give into my fear and hate, I will be no better than them.” She remembered her father’s lesson on seeds of darkness and something her brother had said after he had returned from training with the late Jedi Master Yoda.
Luke gave her a smile. “Thank you. I’m right here for you.”
Keeping a tight hold on her brother’s hand, she turned her body around. She truly looked at her father for the first time. She couldn’t believe this man had been Vader - he was so weak and feeble.
“He’s blind, deaf and has a host of other health problems,” Luke told her, reading her mind. “He’s going to need a lot of help, and I am going to give it to him.” He then heaved a sigh. “He will only come out meditation if I call for him. Just tell me when you are ready.”
Leia took a moment, then nodded. Her stomach started to rebel against her, but she fought the urge to vomit and run.
“Dad,” Luke called softly. “Someone would like to speak to you.”
* * *
Anakin slowly opened his eyes. When he saw his daughter, his heart clenched. He could tell that she was scared. All he wanted to do was comfort her. She looked so much like Padmé. After a tense moment, he made the first move. “Hello.”
Leia looked like she wanted to run, but she stood firm. “What happened to your body?” She gasped as the words came out of her mouth.
Anakin shifted slightly, realizing he was just as scary outside the suit as he had been inside of it. “What happened was I got what I deserved. I was seduced by the Emperor, I did his bidding, I turned to the dark side and my master - Obi-Wan - tried took stop me. I tried to stop him and by my own stupidity, I ended up getting my arms and legs hacked off and I was burned in lava.” He told the short version of his story frankly.
“Why?” Leia then clarified herself. “Why did you do it? How did he seduce you?”
He gulped. “May I start from the beginning? It’ll help you all understand better.”
“Please do, Dad,” Luke asked, eagerly.
Leia simply nodded.
“My mother was a slave,” he began. “She didn’t talk much of her past. I came as a surprise to her. I came as a big surprise to her. There was no father.”
There was the collective “Huh?” in the room.
“Some Jedi believed I was created from the will of the Force. They believed I was the Chosen One; that I was going to bring balance to the Force.” He shook his head. “I guess I did, but not in any way any one expected. Anyways, the first nine years of my life I was a slave. I could only remember being on Tatooine during those years, but I was not born there. Then, my angel came. Her name was Padmé and she eventually became your mother. She was a queen from Naboo. The Trade Federation had a dispute with Naboo- it was complicated and all was orchestrated by the Emperor. She escaped the planet with the help of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master. Their ship was damaged in the escape but they made it to Tatooine. There, they discovered me. They helped me win my freedom from my slaver and I became a Jedi. I didn’t see your mother again after those events for many years, but I never stopped thinking about her. She became a senator after her years as queen and an assassination attempt brought her back to me. I was assigned to be her protector and I fell in love with her. At this time I was having dreams of my mother dying.” At this point in the story, Anakin started to break down. “Although it was forbidden, I went back to Tatooine. My mother had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. I went to save her from their but I was too late. She died in my arms.” He was now crying.
Suddenly he wheezed and moaned in pain. He tried to grasp at his chest, but without lower arms, he ended up just flailing what remained of his upper arms. Alarms started going off.
“Dad?” Luke gasped in horror.