Leia was… concerned. 50% human, 50% unknown.
She knew that both she and Luke were 75% human, 25% unknown. How common were these… Force babies anyways? Were all Jedi Force Babies?
That wouldn't make sense actually- if it was a common thing it wouldn't be unknown.
"How common are the Force's children?" Leia asked.
All of them were still tied up. Say what you would about the Itari- they made very, very good knots.
Vader's helmet turned towards her and Leia repressed a shiver. She hated him and she feared him. That fear only made her hate him more.
There was a moment of silence. "Not common." Vader finally said. "I've only ever known one."
Luke's father then. Anakin Skywalker. It made her wonder, not for the first time, who her father had been. She was fairly certain her mother had been human.
…-…
"Did you know him really well?" Luke asked.
Vader kept himself from sighing. "Yes. But I don't see why you insist one asking me about him."
"You're the only person who's met him that I've been able to talk to."
"That's because he killed Obi-Wan." Leia said, which was actually a very good point.
"Obi-Wan would have lied." Vader said. "He obviously already has." Which was also a good point.
"What'd he do?" Luke asked, looking genuinely curious. "To make you hate him so much?"
He was weak. So he lost everything he'd ever loved. Everything I ever loved. It wasn't odd, talking about himself in the third person. He did it with Sidious frequently enough.
It was mildly amusing that both of his masters, Obi-Wan and Sidious, seemed content to ignore a good half of his life.
Vader couldn't really say any of that though, not with all these people around. Still. "When he was nineteen, he was sent on a mission to protect Senator Padme Amidala." Naberrie. Not that he could say that name. Not that he deserved to. "He had reason to believe his mother was in danger. So they left Naboo and went to Tattoine to check. Anakin found that his mother had been captured by Tusken Raiders a month prior to his arrival. He found her easily enough, but she'd been tortured extensively during her captivity. He couldn't save her. She died. So he killed them all. The men, the women, the children. He didn't stop until they were all dead. Then he picked up his mother and carried her corpse home. Not really the actions of a hero."
More than one person on both sides looked disturbed. "What'd Obi-Wan do?" Luke asked. "When he found out."
Ah. "I don't believe Anakin ever told Obi-Wan. He told Padme, and he told Palpatine." Palpatine, who'd never really been Palpatine. Always Sidious. Always watching, manipulating. Planning.
"That's how you know." Leia said, her tone accusatory. "Palpatine told you."
"How'd you even know if he was telling the truth or not?" Luke asked. "He's the Emperor. He lies."
Vader sighed. It made a very strange noise, as it always did. "Anakin was not assigned to that mission alone. I saw the bodies myself."
All true statements, all pointing in a way crosswise to the truth. It always amused him how much people could really do with truth.
Luke looked sickened. "How do I know you're not lying?"
"Search your feelings Luke. You know it to be true."
And Vader could tell that Luke did. "That doesn't mean he wasn't a hero." Luke said. "It just means he made a mistake. A big one."
If genocide didn't make someone any less of a hero than Vader really did have a chance here. That made him feel a bit better. Even if he was still tied up and didn't feel much closer to grasping the force than he had been an hour ago.
"Why would he tell Palpatine?" Leia asked, eyes narrowed.
"Don't you know?" Vader asked. "Anakin and Palpatine were great friends. Palpatine was always there to lend a listening ear. It didn't matter what he was in the middle of, he would always have time for his favorite Jedi. After all, wouldn't it be nice to have the most powerful Jedi in existence as his apprentice? A person such as that would truly be worthy of his legacy. His teachings. The Jedi didn't really help matters; they gave Sidious unrestricted access to the boy almost as soon as they gained possession of him."
There was a long moment of silence. "Who's Sidious?" Luke asked, and he looked genuinely baffled.
Everyone else did too. "Come on." Vader said. No one seemed to let up. "You can't be serious."
They seemed rather serious. Vader sighed again. "None of you realized that the Emperor is a Sith Lord?"
It seemed a rather important detail to miss, both for those serving him and those fighting against him. They seemed even more confused now. "The Sith Lord who organized the whole war between the Republic and the Seperatists to consolidate power and become Emperor?"
That did seem to clear things up, based on the horrified looks people on both sides were giving him. It seemed strange now that there were people who didn't know. How could they not? And if they didn't know, why were they fighting so hard against him?
Vader sighed again. At least Luke was still alive. That was good.