Lost Family

III - Some Real Training

"And this is also a meditation area," Obi-Wan explained to Luke as they stepped outside into a sort of garden with benches and trees. Then Obi-Wan noticed a man, he stood facing away from them towards a tree. "Anakin, what are you doing here?"

"I'm meditating Master," came the reply. Luke simply stared at the man, he was really seeing his father! After all this time.

"You never meditate Anakin, what's going on?"

"Just a bad dream," Luke's father said, still not turning around to face them. "Who have you brought with you?"

"This is Luke, the one Master Yoda told us about," answered Obi-Wan, "Luke, this is Anakin."

"It's nice to meet you," Luke said as his father finally turned around. Now that he could see his face he studied it intently, so he would never forget it. Anakin simply nodded a hello.

"I trained with Luke yesterday, but I could barely keep up with him," Obi-Wan said, "so I thought maybe you would want to spar with him for a bit. It would help you keep your mind of those dreams as well."

Anakin studied Luke for a moment then he agreed: "Fine, you're probably right. Come on then Luke."

With that he turned to leave the meditation garden and Luke followed excitedly.

"Have fun!" Obi-Wan called after them and smiled.

~•~

"So if you're not from the temple," Anakin began as they took their fighting positions, "how did you become a Jedi?"

"Um," Luke pretended to check his lightsaber while searching for an answer. "My father was a Jedi," he finally said, "and he left me his lightsaber after he died. So I sort of just trained myself. Only my uncle knew a few things about Jedi."

"So you lived with you uncle?" Anakin asked. "Didn't you have a mother?"

"She also died when I was very little. And yes, with my uncle and his wife."

Then they started the combat. Anakin opened with the first blow, which Luke was easily able to block. So he followed with an offensive move, but Anakin blocked it with a strength Luke had never thought possible, almost like... No! Luke told himself fiercely as he blocked another one of Anakin's blows. Vader is NOT my father! From then on, Anakin's blows got quicker and harder to block, until Luke could barely manage to keep up and Anakin finally disarmed him.

"You're alright," Anakin said, turning off his lightsaber, while Luke called his back into his hand. "Since when did you train?"

"Since I was 19," Luke said quietly.

"What!?" Anakin exclaimed. "Most of the younglings are two or three years old!"

"I know," Luke said even more quietly.

"Why did you never come to the temple anyway?"

"My uncle wanted me to stay at home and help out with the farm. He always said the Jedi business got my father killed and he didn't want me getting into any of it," Luke chuckled, "It took quite a while to get even the slightest bit of information about Jedi out of him."

"I see," Anakin said. "So why are you here now?"

Luke hesitated for a moment, then he said: "My aunt and uncle were killed by–" he was going to say the empire but remembered that things were different where he was now, "by them." he said instead.

"I'm sorry, Luke. Why did the separatists go after your family?"

"I don't know, I believe they were looking for some droids who–" Luke broke off, because at that moment, a blue and white astromech rolled into the room, beeping wildly at Anakin. Luke had almost called out to the droid, but Anakin was faster than him, which was probably a good thing.

"Artoo, slow down, what's going on?" Anakin asked and Artoo beeped that the chancellor had requested an urgent meeting with Anakin. Anakin smiled apologetically at Luke and quickly ran off to the chancellor.

"What are you looking at?" Luke asked Artoo. The droid was staring at him while he stared after Anakin. The person he had come to know today couldn't be Darth Vader, it was just not possible.

Artoo whistled, asking Luke who he was.

"Luke Skywalker," Luke answered absentmindedly and realised too late what he had said. "Wait, Artoo!" he yelled as the droid rolled around frantically. "Forget what I just said, it never happened!"

Artoo beeped in objection and demanded an explanation.

"Ugh, fine, you always were a stubborn droid," Luke said and Artoo beeped in confusion. "Never mind... alright, alright I'll explain! But not here. Let's go to my quarters."

So Artoo followed him and when they were in his quarters, Luke explained everything he knew, with occasional questions from Artoo.

"But don't tell anyone!" Luke said when he was done and Artoo whistled in agreement. "So you know Anakin well, don't you?"

Artoo agreed again.

"Do you have any idea who could be my mother? I never even knew her name."

Artoo whistled something in excitement.

"Who?" Luke asked confused and Artoo repeated himself a bit slower, until Luke could make out a name: Padmé Amidala. Then Artoo continued his beeping and Luke found out that Anakin and this Padmé had secretly married a few years ago. No one knew about it, because attachments were forbidden for Jedi. "Anakin couldn't be Vader, Artoo, could he?"

Artoo thought for a moment, then he told Luke that Anakin would never do things like what Vader did, but strange things could happen if one was under the right circumstances.

"Well, thanks Artoo," Luke said and bid the droid goodbye. Then he decided to talk to Master Yoda and maybe get his advice on the matter.

~•~

Half an hour later, Luke was sitting opposite the Grand Jedi Master in the meditation chambers.

"Master Yoda," Luke started, "you know that Anakin is my father, right?"

"Yes," Yoda answered slowly, "think so I did."

"You probably also know that I'm from the future." Yoda didn't respond, so Luke continued: "Well in my time there's a Sith called Darth Vader, and, well... when I last faced him he told me that he was my father..."

"Troubling you, this is, hmm?" Yoda said.

"Of course, Master," Luke exclaimed. "But today he seemed so... so caring and good! I was just – could he really become a Sith!?"

"To that question, know the answer only you do," Yoda told him.

"But how can I know?"

"Find the answer within yourself, you must."

"Yes, Master Yoda," Luke said a little bewildered.

Then he excused himself and went back to his quarters. When he neared the hall, he heard voices talking loudly.

"How can they– never has there been–" someone said furiously.

"Anakin calm down. You are very young to be excepted in the Jedi council at all." Luke slowed his pace and looked carefully around the corner. There he saw his father and Obi-Wan talking.

"But they didn't trust me with the rank of Master," Anakin shot back at Obi-Wan.

"They do trust you Anakin, they just want to be sure you deserve the rank of Master and your behaviour right now is showing that you don't," Obi-Wan explained calmly.

"Excuse me, Master. I'm going to go to bed," Anakin said and started walking.

"Good night, Anakin," Obi-Wan called after him.

Luke acted as though he had just been walking by, when Anakin rounded the corner.

"Anakin," he said, acting surprised, "what's going on?"

"That's none of your business," Anakin snapped and left Luke staring after him.

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