"Luke…c'mon…have a few more of these delicious stuff!" A drunk Han Solo slurred.
"Han I really don't feel like…" Luke Skywalker said, not showing any emotion, but on the inside he was screaming! How dare such an irresponsible fool act like that!
"Nonsense, have a few…" Han fainted.
"Thank the masters," Luke whispered and stepped out of the large hut they were in. When he stepped out side Leia Organa Skywalker walked over to his side.
"I sense something is wrong brother," she said staring deep into Luke's eyes.
"It is nothing," Luke replied looking away. "I think I am going to go on a walk." Luke walked off, leaving a disturbed Leia in his wake. Once he was sure he was far away from the Ewok camp, Luke collapsed to his knees and cried.
"Father I have failed you," he mumbled over and over. "I could have saved you, why did I have to be so weak? I knew you'd come to the light side but I'd just wish it could have been sooner." Luke felt like he had the weight of two solar systems on his shoulders. Luke crawled over to a tree and rested his back up against the rough bark. Luke closed his eyes and pictured the scene that occurred only less then an hour ago. He saw a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi and to his left the old and wise Master Yoda. Then, a younger version of his father appeared, smiling. He knew his father was proud of him. With that Luke fell into an uneasy slumber.
"Luke," a faint voice called. "Luke, wake up." Luke opened his eyes. It was pitch black except for a ghostly image of his father. Luke rubbed his eyes and thought he was hallucinating!
"Don't worry you're not," Anakin Skywalker said, reading his son's thoughts.
"Father!" Luke cried out! He felt a wave of happiness rush onto him.
"Luke, you have done well and you did not fail me! You proved everyone including your sister wrong and brought me back. Unfortunetly it took me so damn long," Anakin said. "You also earned Obi-Wan twenty credits." Luke gave his father a puzzled look. "The Jedi were betting on you and me of course." Luke slammed his head softly into the tree behind him.
"The Jedi were betting on me?" Luke asked.
"Yes. Master Yoda betted that you'd defeat me and the Emperor, Obi-Wan betted you'd bring me back. Then Master Windu, you don't know him, betted that you'd get your butt kicked." Anakin said grinning.
"Wait," Luke said, "a guy I don't even know betted that I'd get killed!"
"Yep, Windu never really liked us Skywalkers," Anakin said. Luked loved the way his father referred to them as Skywalkers. "Anyway, you proved most of the Jedi wrong." Anakin sat down on a nearby tree that had fallen.
"How is that?" Luke asked getting up sitting next to his father.
"You brought me back," Anakin said and he put his hand on his shoulder. Luke did not physically feel his father's hand but he felt it through the Force. "Your mother would be extremely proud of you."
"What was she like?" Luke asked feeling tears coming on thinking about the mother he never knew.
"She was perfect and much like your sister. She had the nicest voice and I once compared her to an angel. She was perfect in every way, she had beautiful hair, face, and she wasn't afraid of anything." Anakin said looking into the stars. Luke cleared his throat and Anakin came back to earth. "She was also a elected Queen of Naboo at the age of fourteen and Senator after that."
"My mom was a queen?" Luke asked feeling like a little kid who was just told a bedtime story.
"Yep and she was a damn good queen at that! She saved her people from an attack by the Trade Federation, sheled a whole army practically by herself," Anakin was once again lost in thought and tears started forming in his eyes.
"Dad, I don't know if I can do it," Luke said sighing.
"Do what son?" Anakin asked brining his eyes down to Luke's.
"I don't know if I can rebuild the whole Jedi order by myself," Luke said looking down to the ground.
"Well first of your a Skywalker and Skywalkers can do practically anything, except grow a good beard. Trust me I tried that once...not good!" Anakin laughed when he remembered Obi-Wan's expression when he saw the 'beard'. "Secondly you will never be alone. We will always be with you son," Anakin said lifting Luke's chin up. "Obi-Wan, Yoda, me, and even good old Windu we will always be with you."
"But we could have done it together, if I was a little bit stronger…" Luke said getting up, turning away. He did not want his dad to see the tears in his eyes.
"Luke, if you were a little bit stronger you might not have resisted the Emperor and you could have turned to the dark side or even have been dead!" Anakin said getting up also. "I am extremely proud of you. Everyone is…you are really the Jedi Master." He put his hand on Luke's shoulder.
"Dad, thanks," Luke said turning around. He looked into his father's eyes with his teary ones and his father hugged him.
"Come walk with me," Anakin said and the duo walked through the forest. "I have a little more time so I can share a few stories with you"
"Really?" Luke said, bubbling with enthusiasm.
"Yea, what do you wanna hear about? There is me and your mother, me pissing off Obi-Wan, me saving Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan saving me, take your pick."
"Hm...how 'bout one with all of them!" Luke said and Anakin laughed.
"Ok...hm...Ok! I got a really good one. Ok I'm about nineteen I think, your mom is twenty-four, yes she is older then me and Obi-Wan is...I have no clue. The beard always made him look older, but anyway this was when your mom was a Senator. She was coming back to Coruscant to vote on a bill that she worked really hard to create when there were a couple of assassination attempts on her life. The Jedi Council put her under me and Obi-Wan's protection. While we were watching over your mom a bounty hunter attacked her, we caught the bounty hunter and as we were interrogating her, she was killed by a poisonous dart. I escorted your mom back to Naboo and Obi-Wan went off to discover where the dart came from. While we were on Naboo we fell in love, but we did not want to act on it because it would indanger both our positions. While we were on Naboo I started getting visions about your grandmother dying. So we went off to Tatooine to find your grandmother..."
"Wait my grandmother used to live on Tatooine?" Luke asked wondering how come Uncle Owen never told him about her.
"Yea, she was your uncle's step-mom," Anakin replied.
"What happened to her?" Luke asked fearing the worst.
"She was captured by a group of Tusken Raiders and was killed, that kind of sparked my dark side. After she died in my arms...I...I killed all the Tuskens in the area," Anakin choked out the final part, felling so guilty. Luke put his hand on his father's shoulder. "Anyway during that mission I got the easy part and poor old Obi-Wan was going around the galaxy like crazy, trying to find who put the bounty on your mom. He found this bounty hunter called Jango Fett they fought and Fett got away but Obi-Wan tracked him." Anakin kicked a stone and it hit a tree and bounced back, hitting him in the shin even though the rock went through him he could still feel the minor pain. Luke burst out laghing. Anakin used the Force to pick up a rock and hurled it at Luke who ducked.
"Missed me!" Luke teased sticking his toungue out. Anakin laughed and picked up a rock behind Luke and hit him in the back of the head with it. Luke stumbled a bit and rubbed the back of his head.
"Gotcha!" Anakin laughed and stuck his toungue out as well.
"Now I know where I get my immaturity from," Luke said.
"Anyway back to my story, Obi-Wan followed Fett to the planet of Geonosis. There he found out the Trade Federation viceroy put the bounty on your mom. He tried sending a report to the Council but was to far away so he sent it to your mom and I to foward to Coruscant. While he was reporting he was captured. So we went on a rescue mission...and failed, badly." Anakin laughed again. "We ended up being captured and set for execution along with Obi-Wan. Right before our execution we confessed our love to each other."
"Aw! How sweet!" Luke said in a high pitched voice and Anakin picked up another rock with the Force. "Even though your twenty-five doesn't mean I still can't punish you! ANYWAY! back to my story. During our execution hundreds of Jedi showed up along with thousands of clones, or as you now call them Stormtroopers. In the end many Jedi died and that is how the Clone Wars began. After that me and your mother got married secretly and lived happily ever after, up till I went all Sith."
"Wow that sounds like a little child's story," Luke said hardly believing it.
"Yep, but its the truth. But if your looking for a funny story there was that time with me and Obi-Wan on Cato Nemoida..." Anakin said but then Obi-Wan appeared in front of them and Luke jumped.
"Don't you dare bring that up Anakin!" Obi-Wan said, still embarrased about what happened. "Hello Luke. Thanks for the the twenty credits!"
"Your welcome, but if you're dead, what's the use of credits?" Luke asked, puzzled as can be.
Obi-Wan sighed "I have no clue, oh well! Luke you did well and we are all very, very proud of you."
"Thank you, Ben," Luke replied.
"Wait hold it!" Anakin said. "Ben? Since when are you Ben?"
"Well when I was watching over Luke on Tatooine I needed a different name. If I went by Obi-Wan Kenobi it would have been so easy for the Empire to find me. So I went by Ben Kenobi."
"Oh yea Ben Kenobi, so different. And of all names Ben! Why didn't you pick a cool name like Anakin?" Anakin asked and Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.
"You will never grow up. I must leave, Luke you did well and remember the Force will be with you always." With that Obi-Wan disappeared.
"Stupid stick in the mud," Anakin muttered and Luke laughed. " I must leave as well, remember son, I love you and I will always be with you. Even through your troubles and your happiness. I will be right here." Anakin poked Luke in his chest where Luke's heart was.
"I love you too Dad," Luke said.
"Aw man…I told myself I wouldn't cry," Anakin said wiping away a stray tear. Luke laughed. "Alright, go head back to your friends. Your sister is extremely worried about you. The Force will be with you always…great now I sound like Obi-Wan." Anakin disappeared and Luke smiled.
"Thanks Dad," Luke walked off through the darkness.
"How did it go?" Mace Windu asked as Anakin appeared.
"Fine," Anakin said shortly. He and Mace still had the little grudge about what happened in Palpatine's office all those years ago. Obi-Wan put his arm around Anakin.
"You did well my young Padawan," Obi-Wan said smiling.
"Master! C'mon! I am forty-five years old and I am still a Padawan?" Anakin said and Obi-Wan laughed and the two walked off.
As I walk through the darkness
I feel a little light inside of me.
I know your presence
And I know you're watching over me.