tampered | Log: Complete

Log: Complete

When; June 2nd 2008
Rating; Going with PG here.
Characters; Luke Skywalker [

knightbalanced] and Anakin Skywalker [

coercible]
Summary; It's time for the inevitable. There's only so long that family secrets can be kept from the family. Now it's time to clear up the loose ends, once and for all.
Log;

He wasn't sure why it'd taken so long for this situation to arise. Already, he'd been trapped in the City for a fortnight, and Luke had said little about their connection. Their more than obvious connection. Luke had been the very first person he'd met when he arrived, and Anakin knew that hadn't been just a mere coincidence. Luke had specifically come to find him, when Obi-Wan too would've been able to do the same.

They shared more than just the same name. Luke felt familiar, despite Anakin never having met the man before. The man that, by their time differences, was young enough to be his-

No. No jumping to conclusions. There would be an explanation for it all, and it'd be a good one. It would explain how both Luke and Leia could be related to a person with no family. It would explain why it'd felt comforting to be around the other Jedi, despite never having met before. And it would explain why, right then, he wasn't worried about knowing the truth.

Not completely.

And it was that alone that'd brought him back to the familiar ship once again. Luke was on it, and if his feelings were anything to go by, he too knew that time had finally ran out. Anakin needed to know what was going on, and he couldn't wait any longer.

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He felt Anakin, and so he said goodbye to his sister. She should be with Han, now, not worrying about this. Though she had lost everything thanks to the Empire, she wasn't quite like he was - like they were. She had Bail Organa, she had aunts and cousins and a pair of parental units she still called mother and father. Luke had his distant aunt and uncle - Beru was sweet, but always cautious, and Owen resented his existence. Even feared him. He remembered brightly in his mind when he'd first displayed the ability to "magically" find lost items in the household, and how enraged Owen became.

There was an empty space in his heart, wondering about his family. He loved Anakin fiercely - it was no wonder he'd caught on.

Luke had pulled up the hood on his cloak when he'd parted ways with Leia, but the gentle wind outside brushed it back as he headed down the ramp of the Falcon to meet his father.

"I'll need another few treatments and some meditation," he said, soft. "But I'll be all right."

Yes, he had gone to see a healer. And a doctor.

Anakin was nothing more than a figure in black, his robes pulled tightly around himself. He wasn't cold, he didn't even have a reason to need to keep himself covered. It was just simply...comforting, in some way. He'd lost one constant in discovering that Obi-Wan had been from a time before they'd even met. And he was about to loose the newest he'd made since his arrival.

A small nod was the only greeting he offered as Luke made his way outside. He tried to make himself seem relaxed, calm, but that wasn't as easy as he'd hoped. How do you make yourself seem calm when you felt nothing but the opposite?

"Good." And in truth, he honestly was relieved to hear that Luke had taken the advice given to him. To be attacked with force lightning for such an extended period of time, Anakin was still surprised to hear that Luke had come out of it at all. "Be sure to take the time you need." He was clipped, quiet, and it was obvious that other thoughts weighed more heavily on his mind just then.

As before, Luke was a center of light and peace. But it was different than their first meeting - there was a sort of closeness to it. He stepped forward, soft smile on his face, and reached out to give Anakin a barely-there hug - grasping his forearms in greeting. He could sense the churning emotions in him, and he lent his father his own peace.

"Will you walk with me along the shore?"

It was a quiet night, a little warm still. The waves were the only noise. It was comforting, to him. It was a steady rhythm, but every wave was different. Every hour of the day, it did something new. Something constant, yet ever-changing. Somehow it fit the moment.

Edited 2008-06-02 23:22 (UTC)

There was that familiarity again. The one that he was thankful for, and yet at the same time, confused him. It was another in the long line of reasons that he was there in the first place. For the time being, he focused on keeping it a welcome feeling. The offer of solace was one that he wasn't going to shun. Not now.

His mind wandered up to the ship for a few moments. There were others still aboard; one he felt he had to speak with in particular. But for now, perhaps Luke's suggestion was the better choice. Space would be more beneficial just then. To remain outside, with fresh air and an ocean that would once have been nothing more than a story to him.

"Of course."

Yes, Han and Leia were there. Obi-Wan had seemed bored, so Luke sent him off, saying his sister and her boyfriend warranted some time alone, and that he'd be off soon enough. It was true, anyway. Not fifteen minutes later, Anakin had arrived.

Luke gave him a smile, and nodded, turning to walk down to the water's edge, giving his upper arm a comforting squeeze before falling into step beside him.

Just before the sand became damp, he bent down and picked up a handful of it in his left hand, the grains cool and smooth in his bare palm.

"Do you think it's strange?" He looked at Anakin, that barely-there smile on his face. He looked back down, letting the sand fall through his fingers and drift to meet the water.

"It's so different than the sand on Tatooine."

It was idle chatter that wasn't idle chatter. He was finding peace, hoping to draw Anakin into it. There was no inkling in him that this was a distraction. It was an offer of support, of calmness. Something simple and quiet and peaceful. Something needed.

It was helping, slowly. The pressure was fading to blurt out his questions. Afterall, Luke had already made it clear that the decisions he'd been making had been for the better. A little while longer couldn't hurt. It also gave him the opportunity to try and work out how to approach the subject in the first place.

"Strange?" He was watching Luke's actions in order to keep him from having to make eye contact. Things were different there, certainly. But with the sheer number of different planets he'd visited during his life as a Jedi, he'd learnt to just accept most differences, now. There was the smallest of shrugs, and he was watching the sea. The only times he'd ever been allowed to enjoy a sight such as that had been during his stays on Naboo. Though he was sure that'd been down to the company he'd had at the time.

"...Do you miss it?" Tatooine. Their galaxy. Home.

Luke had been on Tatooine for so long that he was always very curious about and humbled by nature. The gardens in Xanadu were by far his favorite part of the City, though he didn't make a point in saying so. It was a little soft sounding, he felt. Master Yoda would probably not approve - then again, it was debatable whether or not Master Yoda would approve of Luke having a favorite anything.

"I do," he said. "I miss flying. I miss the fleet, I miss our bases. Sometimes on other planets I look up a sunset, expecting it to be like the ones off Beggar's Canyon without realizing it. I miss my friends, and my squadron. I miss Wedge taking the piss out of everybody after a mission and I miss Lando pretending not to care, but still being the most valiant General. I miss Chewbacca. But here... here's not so bad."

"You will find a way to return." It was his turn to offer some form of comfort. His hand moved to Luke's shoulder, resting there for a few moments. He knew, without question, that Luke and his friends would find a way back to their homes eventually. Just as he knew that he, Padmé, and Obi-Wan would do the same. They had lives of their own to live, and this city wasn't part of it.

"In time, we all shall. Until then..." He trailed off, taking his hand back to tuck his arms in to his sleeves; a position he'd picked up from his years under Obi-Wan's training. He took the time to finally look at Luke. Properly look at him. This man had fought the Sith and come out of it alive. How many other things had he accomplished during his life?

"There are other things that we are needed here for. Though some can wait for a time whilst certain people ensure that they fully recover first." There was the faintest hint of a smile to accompany his words. It was a topic he would be unlikely to drop, even after Luke had fully healed. He pushed himself, further than most he knew. So if Luke wasn't going to look out for himself, the rest of them would have to do it for him.

The companionable gesture made Luke feel better. Not that he was particularly sad, but it helped all the same to see Anakin reacting like this. He wanted so much for things to be all right between them. Even after what was about to transpire.

"We can save everyone and take over as soon as I sleep for ten hours straight, huh?" he smiled up at Anakin, amused. Maybe a little touched.

He started walking again after picking up a smooth rock, and skipping it out over the water. It hopped for a bit before being swallowed by a wave.

There was a collection of large rocks up ahead - Luke had often come there to meditate. It was far enough away from the Falcon to offer privacy but close enough to see the ship. The view of the moon over the water, the glow of the freighter in the distance, the outline of the pirate ships even farther down - it was beautiful.

Luke sat down, and looked up at Anakin.

"The Republic wins the Clone Wars."

Edited 2008-06-03 05:54 (UTC)

"As long as food and your medication are included soon after, perhaps. Though you have made good on your side of the deal, so at least your sedation can be postponed." It felt strange to be the one who was watching out for other Jedi. Usually, he simply got on with whatever he was meant to be doing, only paying attention to the others if they got involved. Of course, Obi-Wan was the exception to that. But here, he felt almost compelled to do the same, and he didn't seem to ever make an effort to stop it.

Continuing on alongside, Anakin remained silent once more, even as he began to open himself up to Luke. Slowly. Carefully. The confusion was making its way out again, but this time, it was lined with patience, and hopefulness. Even as they stopped, he did his best not to cut himself off. He wanted to prove to Luke that he was...ready? He didn't have anything to hide any more.

"It was nearing its end when I was sent here." With only one person left to defeat, it seemed as though the war was almost over. So Luke's works shouldn't have come as a surprise. But they had. "Then the Chancellor can reorder everything. We can stop this from happening again." He slowly took a seat of his own, keeping a short distance from the other Jedi. "It needs to end."

Luke took a calming breath. Chancellor Palpatine. Everyone knew about his rise to power - something lauded as a saving grace by pro-Imperial politicians. Anakin could probably tell he readying himself for something, and Luke tugged absently at the black glove on his white hand before stilling. It was a nervous habit. He lets silence hang between them for a moment.

"Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith you are searching for."

It's all he needs to say. The Republic won. The leader of the Republic was a Dark Lord of the Sith in disguise. It made sense: the Jedi put so much emphasis on looking to the future but none on the present. Sith were notorious for being able to conceal themselves. And where better for an ambitious dark force user excel... than in politics?

Luke spoke the truth. That much was obvious. His hushed voice implied he knew Anakin was close to him... And that this was only the beginning of this story.

It was that pause that drew his attention the most. Whatever Luke had to say, it wasn't something he seemed to want to. And at the same time, he was going to. Anakin did his best to steel himself for whatever it was that Luke would say next. But some times, it was impossible to fully prepare yourself. Not for something like that.

"You're wrong." His voice was low, bordering on the dangerous. One deep breath. Two. Three... He slowly looked over to Luke, expecting to find some sign that this was some kind of...joke. Albeit, one that made no sense in telling him. When there was no sign to be found, however, Anakin continued. Trying his best to rationalise it all.

"The Chancellor has done everything he can to help. Why would a Sith aid us when he could simply cause chaos and destruction? Why would he have been kidnappened if he'd been on their side? Why would he ever try to help me?" He was grasping at straws, and he knew it. But there had to be a better explanation for it all.

"He is the only one who listens to me and tries to help. He's done more for me than even my Master has. And now you're trying to tell me that this is all a lie?"

It hurt to hear that. To put the Emperor above Obi-Wan... but Anakin had no idea. He was lost and conflicted and the one person who offered him help was seductive and deeply skilled in manipulation - offering Anakin all he could ever want.

"He doesn't need to be on anyone's side but his own," he said, his voice hushed but with an underlying pulse of intensity. "At the end, the Jedi discover him, and go to arrest him, though their numbers on Coruscant are so few due to the war. He kills them. He defeats Master Yoda and forces him into exile. He uses the attack to convince the senate to give him ultimate power and frame the Jedi as evil. He becomes Emperor Palpatine and he dismantles the Republic and creates the first Galactic Empire."

He draws in a breath. The pain is obvious in him, at having to say this.

"The Jedi are wiped out."

"It's not true. You've got no reason to say any of that." Though deep down, despite wanting more than anything to be told that Luke was mistaken, he knew not to keep his hopes up. It had nothing to do with the anything the Chancellor had ever done. All Palpatine had ever done was to help him. So Anakin had no reason to believe otherwise, yet. But Luke was another that he trusted, even if they had only known each other for a matter of weeks. He had no reason to lie either.

He was closing himself off again, glaring at the sea ahead of him. The lapping of the water against the shore. The sound of fresh air blowing across the area. The rustle of trees behind them. Each of these things should've been helping him to calm back down again. But it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference when Luke continues talking.

The Chancellor, one of his closest friends, had risen to power in order to wipe out him and everyone like him. The entire Jedi Order.

"I don't-" A sigh, and his shoulders were sagging in a defeated gesture. Emperor Palpatine was Darth Sidious. His best friend was his worst enemy. "...there has to be some other explanation. He wouldn't do that. I know it."

Luke stood and moved to come next to him, reaching out through the Force with more intensity - but it's not a shove or a pull, just an invitation. You're safe with me here. Please don't shut yourself away.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you. I..."

He swallowed, words failing him. He was sad, but not overly so. He was sad because Anakin was hurting. That much was evident.

He didn't look up as Luke came over. He didn't need to. Luke had already made it clear that he was trying to help, even though he was being pushed in to answering questions that may've been better off unanswered. But Anakin wanted to know. Needed to. It was the only way that he'd ever be able to make sense of it all.

"He is the one you fought." It's a statement, not a question. If there were Sith actively trying to kill Jedi, then he was sure that Luke would've tried to stop it. "Without the Order to stop them, they could..." Another trailed off sentence. The outcome was already obvious enough without forcing the conversation to dwell on it.

"Master Kenobi and Master Yoda survive it." And Luke, of course. "Are there others? ... There have to be more."

"Jedi... no. If Jedi survived, I have not met them."

It put much into perspective: why he was disturbed at the thought of going back to the Temple, abandoned and empty, the cloud of death lingering over it still. Why he seemed so carefree with his emotions without being raised by the Jedi. Why his skills were honed to the point that they were and why he was so conditioned to never letting anyone look out for him - little practice, no camaraderie, just a constant trial by fire against the Sith.

"After Geonosis... the Jedi were too spread out in the galaxy. They were easily turned on by the clones, who had no premeditation. Just following orders."

He didn't want to tell him about Darth Vader. Force, he didn't. It was a burning thing inside him, because he knew he couldn't omit it. It was going to have to come out, but the thought of it tore at him.

Edited 2008-06-03 08:18 (UTC)

Either they had taken to hiding, or there really were only the three of them left. He wasn't sure which path was worse. The Jedi he knew, the Order he was a part of, were all willing to lay their lives on the line in order to protect the peace. For them all to disappear so suddenly, they had either truly been killed, or they had given up.

And with thousands upon thousands of clones already at his disposal, and even more free to be made by request, Palpatine- No, Sidious -would have an easy task in starting his campaign.

Anger was a dangerous tool to all. But especially so for a Jedi. He knew this. He'd had it ingrained in to him from the very first moment he'd met Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan back on Tatooine. Despite that, it was an emotion he'd visited countless times already during his life, and this time was no different. Rising up from his seat, Anakin began pacing; it was something to do while he tried to process everything.

"And of the Galaxy now; You fought him. What happened?" He paused in his steps, turning to face Luke. "Does the fight continue?"

"The galaxy..."

He was quiet for a while, looking down at his hands for a moment, thinking. It would be so easy to just say, 'it's over'. But that wasn't the true scope of it. Even with Vader redeemed and Palpatine defeated, the face of the galaxy had been reshaped.

"The Empire waged war on many non-human species in the Core. It was a holocaust, on Coruscant. They wished an Empire of humans. They destroyed Kashyyyk first, and enslaved the Wookies, for they had been loyal to the Jedi until the end. There was darkness over all life, under Imperial rule."

There had been rumors that, if any surviving Jedi were to be found, they might be on Kashyyyk. It wasn't true, but the rumors had begun for a reason. Chewbacca told him stories about it, when Han has been gone. For a moment he misses his old friend and his endless serenity.

"The Alliance - the Empire called us rebels and they wore it proudly - never stopped the fight. Obi-Wan took me to them."

He took a deep breath.

"The Emperor is dead. As is his apprentice. The dark control of the galaxy is cracked. It will take time to heal and reform... but no longer with a Sith hold power. Not while I live."

To wipe out the threat the Jedi held toward them, the Sith had targeted even those who were simply allied with them. They had become pawns, an entire race, just because they'd held firm to their beliefs. Anakin didn't have to ask about those others who were befriended by the Jedi. The answer would be the same.

"The Imperial and the Alliance. What of Obi-Wan?" He wanted to ask about the others too. Of Padmé. Of the other members of the Council. Even of himself. "He fought alongside you?"

The fight had extended beyond that of the Jedi and the Sith. Regular people were getting involved, through either allegiance to one half, or by simply being 'in the way'. But it seemed as though they hadn't given up, and it had paid off. With the control the Emperor had, destroyed, peace could be reclaimed once again.

"Then dark times remain ahead for you." He felt sorry for Luke. After all he had been through, the harder parts were still to come. His battles had been set out before him with an obvious goal. But now, everything was left without guidance. They would have to make their own choices from thereon in.

"Obi-Wan fell," he said, quiet. "Cut down by Palpatine's Sith Lord apprentice. He remained with me, in the Force, guiding me to Yoda in exile. Yoda..."

Luke's feelings on Yoda were odd, perhaps. He cared deeply for the small Jedi, and respected him beyond words. But he was very aware of how Yoda had resented him, and he had never agreed with the Code.

"Yoda held on as long as he could, to see my training through. But his age took him."

He listened to Anakin, keeping himself a calm center. "Perhaps. There will always be dark, with the light. I will keep the balance."

His shock was clear. Obi-Wan was one of the strongest Jedi he'd ever met; in both mind and skill. The idea that he could be defeated, to be cut down, wasn't something that he wanted to accept was possible. He was better than the Sith, in every conceivable way. A death by anyone's hands, yet alone a Sith, was one he didn't deserve.

"No. I wont allow it to happen again. Master Kenobi is too important to be lost in such a way." Anakin had already risked his life, on countless occasions, to ensure the Obi-Wan was kept safe in battle. And in return, he had received the same, though often in a more subtle but even more powerful way.

"Things will be different this time. No matter the cost. Palpatine shall be stopped before he can harm another person." Even if he had to take the man in himself.

Luke took a deep breath, and exhaled. A meditative tempo. He closed his eyes. He wanted to take Anakin's shoulders and make him listen, be calm. Accept grief and comfort. None could go from here and change the future. Surely he knew that. But this information was painful and confusing, and no matter how much Luke wanted to protect him, he had to allow him to work it out.

He looked up at Anakin and started to speak, but the words died before they left his lips. He looked back down.

"When does this happen?" He doesn't let up in the slightest. If anything, he seems more urgent about it all. If he can find answers, he could then find a way to take the information back with him, somehow. If it was a single man behind everything, they could stop the massacres before they started. They could save an entire galaxy.

But there were two of them to take in to account. Count Dooku had once been Darth Sidious' apprentice. But Anakin had killed him, on Palpatine's encouragement. He knew the man was dead now. So that meant he must've taken another.

"Who was his apprentice?"

That question. Why like that? Why couldn't he just ask after his own fate? But he knows this is for the best, even if it pains him. He didn't want to have to use Obi-Wan's lies. It would just make Anakin mistrust him. Yet like this... like this...

He looked up, meeting Anakin's eyes. The pain was evident on his face. The death of his father was playing in his memory. In that moment he felt he might die with him, from sorrow of having been so late, of him having given up his life so that his son could live. It flashes in his mind - FATHER, PLEASE! - the Emperor's laugh, the conflict visible even through that cold mask. Does it echo in his eyes?

Luke doesn't speak. He can't. But he looks into Anakin's eyes, nearly heartbroken, and words aren't needed.

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