All Star Wars characters are owned by George Lucas and his company. I don't own any of this.

My Father's Padawan

Part One

By Marie Nomad

Ever since he had decided to restore the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker had been dedicated towards gathering as much information as he could about past Jedi. That was hard since what information there was had been propaganda, by the Emperor. He did get the basics of studies, power uses, and philosophies but he hungered for more. What happened to the other Jedi who had survived Order 66? Did they have families? What was the average Jedi like before the Empire? So, he went to the Black Market and searched out the various rumors and junk for that pearl of truth.

"So, this is a real recording of a Jedi's past?" Luke asked an old man. He had dark brown skin and white hair. He looked like the typical human peddler with an akul necklace around his neck. The device looked old, from the Clone Wars era.

"Yeah, a youngling Padawan. Bought it along the trade routes."

Luke peered into the peddler's mind. The peddler believed that this recording was genuine but he could have been tricked by a con artist. Yet, this recording just sang with the force, like Ben's scarce belongings and the temple's ruins. "How much?"

"It's free if you can show me that you are a real Jedi. You are a Jedi aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." Luke telekinetically lifted the device and it landed in his hand. "May I have it?"

"Of course, Sir." The peddler said. "If you need anything else, let me know. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you." Luke bowed his head and walked away.

"Looks like his father, right down to the hand." The old man said when Luke was out of sight.

XXX

Luke took the time to examine the data box carefully. It didn't have any viruses and the data looked sound. "R2? Can you do a final check on the data on this box? Make sure it's real and not some holomovie?" Luke asked his astromech droid.

The droid toodled in agreement and took the box. It whirled and then started beeping in excitement.

"It's something good."

It beeped in confirmation and then showed the first few seconds of the holovid. Luke's eyes widened. He had to show this to Han and Leia.

XXX

"Are you sure it's real?" Leia asked skeptically. She was familiar with all the fake Jedi items that had floated around the galaxy since the Jedi Purge. She knew of several senators who were showing off the cracked lightsaber of Mace Windu in their offices.

"I'm sure. R2 has been going nuts with excitement ever since I showed him that vid." Luke pointed to R2-D2 who kept on beeping and rolling around.

"Yes, yes, we are here and you can show that holovid." C-P30 sighed as he shook his head. "I had never seen him so excited before."

"This better be good." Han said as he took his drink. Chewbaca howled in agreement.

"I think so." Luke nodded towards the astromech. "Start at the beginning."

R2-D2 beeped and started the footage.

A small Togrunta teenager appeared and she smiled. "Hi! My name is Ahsoka Tano, my Jedi rank is Padawan. I am here to talk to you about my master, Anakin Skywalker."

"You're kidding." Han said. "Darth Vader had an apprentice?"

"A Jedi apprentice." Luke shushed his friend.

"I thought that I would go ahead and do a holovid about Master Skywalker and our relationship. It's my way of recording a piece of history for the archives." Ahsoka explained as she sat down. "This is the year 3125, the Clone Wars have been going on for three years. I had been serving for two years. I am so honored to become Master Skywalker's Padawan. He's… he's amazing. He's the most powerful Jedi, a great pilot, an incredible fighter, and well… he's cute." She giggled a little bit like all girls who would talk about their crushes.

"You never said that, Snips." A young man appeared at that moment and put an arm around Ahsoka's shoulders. "But I agree with the incredible and amazing parts. Please, remember to always be mindful of your surroundings, even in the Temple."

"Yes, Master." Ahsoka bowed her head. "This is Anakin Skywalker or as I would like to call him, Skyguy." She said as she pulled Anakin closer to the camera.

Han's eyes widened. "That's Darth Vader?!"

"He… looks like Luke." Leia glanced at her brother. She was a little worried that the comparison might offend Luke but Luke loved his father.

"Yeah, that's him. Let's just watch this."

"What are you doing?"

"Just recording a little something for the archives. You know, what's being a Jedi like during war."

"And you chose me?" Anakin looked shocked and then honored. "Thank you."

"No problem. So, tell our friends about how you joined the Jedi." Ahsoka gestured towards the camera.

Anakin looked down and sighed. "Well, it all began when I was nine years old. I was… a slave on Tatooine. I was a kid who loves to Pod Race. I was the only human who could pod race because of my power. I had built my very own pod racer from the junk yards from a few spare parts that I borrowed but I never won a race. One day, I met Qui-Gon Jinn and he had bet everything on me." Anakin smiled. "He was the first person besides Mother who really believed in me." Anakin got out his lightsaber and then lifted Ahsoka's weapon off of her belt.

"HEY!" Ahsoka exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I'm only borrowing it." Anakin said as he put the lightsabers next to each other. "Let me show you." He focused and droid parts flew in from the other room.

The lightsabers started to fly and then stopped. "Anyway, at the very start of the race, my pod racer stalled." The lightsabers shivered in mid air. "I had to work really hard to get it started." The lightsabers flew again and then other droid parts start to fly up and bump into each other. "Pod racers all around me were crashing." Ahsoka watched, fascinated as some of the droid parts smashed into the table with a loud, clanking noise.

Anakin pointed at the lightsabers and it flew around in a circle while little bolts flew pass them. "The Tusken Raiders were using us for target practice. It was exciting." Anakin grinned even more as he got into the story.

"The other pod racers kept on cheating to make me lose. My engines nearly flew apart." The lightsabers started to fly apart but flew back together. "More pod racers crashed and even died." Anakin showed the droid parts fell down. " There were two of us left." Anakin flew the lightsaber pair and one last droid next to each other.

"The other pod racer kept on bumping me so what I flew way over him." Anakin guided the lightsabers high over the droid part. "Just when I thought I had the upper hand, one of my engines broke." One of the lightsaber pair faltered and fell. "I did not panic. Using my superior fixing skills, I fixed the engine just in time." The falling lightsaber flew back up along with the steady one. "I got up to the other pilot and we butted out pod racers together." The lightsabers and the droid part kept on bumping together.

"Finally, I crashed him into the rock!" Anakin finished as the last droid part fall down onto the table. "Don't worry, he survived. And I won the Mos Espa." He finished.

Ahsoka grabbed her lightsaber and looked at the camera. "And that is why Anakin has to replace his lightsabers all the time." She said as she waved Anakin's lightsaber at the camera.

"I don't lose my lightsabers all the time."

"Oh really." Ahsoka tilted her head and put her hands on her hips.

"Yes. Now, about my grand beginning… it wasn't easy after my win. The Council doubted I could be trained because I was at the ripe old age of nine. Most Jedi like you were trained at a very young age, even babies. I had to catch up. I had to prove myself time and time again that I can be a great Jedi."

"But you are great Jedi. You are a Jedi Knight. Master Plo respects you and all those reports on the holonet called you the Hero without Fear."

"I do have fear, I just don't show it." Anakin gazed at her sadly. "My dream is to be part of the Jedi Council."

"I'm sure you will be. You just have to be patient."

"They are jealous of my power. I know that I can be better, if they let me." Anakin said as he clenched his hand.

"Hey, Skyguy, no one is jealous of your power. But there's more to being a Jedi than power." Ahsoka looked at him worried.

"I know." He said without really meaning it.

"I'm serious. Anyway, what's your greatest fear?" Ahsoka said as she tried to steer the conversation into something lighter.

"Losing the ones I care about."

"I see." Ahsoka smiled at him. "Well, I'm going to go and do some recording and find some humiliating stories about you. Bye."

"Okay, bye, Sni- HEY!" Anakin ran after her and Ahsoka spoke up.

"Forgot something, Master?"

Anakin's eyes widened. "My lightsaber!"

Luke paused the holovid and took a deep breath. "Wow. I heard rumors about a human pod racer but I had no idea it was my father."

"He… he wasn't what I expected." Leia confessed. "He looked so normal."

"I can't believe that he was a slave." Han said as he started to feel pity for the man who was going to be Vader. He remembered the time when he was forced to work as a young boy and he hated it. He wondered, how much he had in common with this Dark Lord.

"Want to keep on watching?" Luke asked the others.

"Let's. Maybe, we can find out more about this Ahsoka." Leia said.

"And here we are to the man who is responsible for making Master Skywalker the Jedi he is today, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi." Ashoka said as she gestured to a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi. Unlike the sagely old man the three had met so long ago, this one was younger, more like a soldier, and yet has mere traces of wear in his eyes.

"Hello, Ahsoka. I must admit, I had merely written a report not a holovid."

"Yeah, well, I thought this would make things more interesting." Ahsoka said as she grinned at him. "So, tell me about what you think of Master Skywalker."

"He is a very powerful man. Every day, he is growing stronger every day. I saw him grew up under extreme circumstances and he had matured very well, especially during the war. Everyone is changing from the war." He sighed as he closed his eyes.

"Yeah. What was he like when he was a kid?"

"He is a very stubborn boy. He loved to take risks and enjoy racing."

"Is that different?" Ashoka raised an eyebrow.

Obi-Wan Kenobi pondered. "Well… he had grown taller." He said with a laugh.

"I am more careful." Anakin said as he walked in. "I heard everything."

"I know. Don't be so sensitive. You had matured over the years. Hopefully, your Padawan taught you about patience."

"I am patient."

"You mean like that time we fought with Dooku and you just charged in there?" Obi-Wan retorted.

"I didn't know he was going to be that strong."

"And that time when you tampered with the coordinates just so you could reach Coruscant a few hours earlier and nearly crashed into the planet?"

"I was careful!"

"And what about that attempt to capture Dooku at Floorum?"

Anakin glared at his master. Ahsoka joined in. "Yeah, if it weren't for me, you two would have been dead."

"We had everything under control." Anakin argued.

"Sure, sure, the poison gas, the cave in, that huge Gundark, all under control." Ahsoka nodded with her arms crossed in mock seriousness.

The Jedi Knight sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "Fine, fine, you saved us then. But I had complete control after that."

"We were tricked by pirates!" Obi Wan exclaimed. "And we had to be saved by Jar Jar Binks!"

"Jar Jar Binks?" Ahsoka repeated. "You mean that klutzy representative from Naboo? The one who causes ships to crash wherever he goes?"

"The same." Obi Wan sighed. "I swear, if I didn't know any better, I could have sworn he had an alliance with some God to remain alive as he was. He really should be careful."

"Yes, Master." Anakin rolled his eyes.

"And that is how they really talk with each other." Ahsoka said to the camera.

"Snips, please, this is ridiculous. Why are you making fun of me on the holovid?" Anakin chided his apprentice.

"It makes you human. I mean, I know there are records of you being the 'Hero With No Fear but… I want future Jedi to see you as a man. I thought it might be appropriate."

"You will show me in a good light right?"

"Of course, Master."

"Good."

"Now, before I was interrupted. I see that Anakin has potential to get an extraordinary Jedi."

"I am already extraordinary. I know all I need to know." Anakin argued.

"Everyone learns something new. Even Master Yoda does not know everything there is to know about the Force."

"I know. There are all sorts of things I want to know about my power. Like the Dark Side. There is great power in the Dark Side. Is it wrong to want to test the Dark Side?"

Ahsoka and Obi-wan's jaws dropped as they looked at him. "M-Master?!" Ahsoka exclaimed.

"Kidding! Don't worry about me." Anakin grinned at them. There was something about that smile that looked tense. The others just stared at him.

"Please don't joke about that, Anakin. I swear, you will be the death of me." Obi-Wan Kenobi sighed.

"Don't worry, I will never hurt you." Anakin said as he gave another one of his smiles.

Luke sighed as he paused the holovid recording. "They were so… close."

"I'm sorry." Leia whispered.

"That's all right." Luke could not believe what he was seeing. It felt so surreal to see his own father being normal, like he was before he had fallen to the dark side. "Let's see what happens next."

To Be Continued…