Vader scowled when he lost his grip on the mind of the Jedi he'd seen in the hanger. He'd hoped to dig around a little longer and hopefully kill the man from a distance, but it seemed the Force was on this Jedi's side at the moment.

Still...the appearance of this strange Jedi and the boy from the hanger...this gave Vader something to think about.

"Father!"

The younger boy—a blinding spot in the Force—had called the Jedi father. If this was indeed the case, than the boy could be of use to Vader, allowing Vader to dispose of both father and son in one move if the boy could be used as a weakness against the father.

Or...

Vader allowed himself to entertain another, darker train of thought as he pondered the Jedi's presence. While the son was pure and untainted in the light side of the Force, youth was so easily corruptible. All it would take was a push in the right direction, and the boy would start to spiral towards darkness. The father on the other hand, hadn't been as pure as the boy. Vader had sensed darkness inside the father, showing that he had already been corrupted. He was a bright spot in the Force, but still susceptible to darker influences. Perhaps if Vader managed to possess the son, he could also sway the father...

Or he could just kill them both and be done with it.

Either way, he was intrigued, and as soon as the Rebels were dealt with he would turn his attention to Obi-Wan Kenobi's surprise companions—if they were not killed with the Rebels as well.

Vaguely, Vader wondered why they had been with Kenobi in the first place.

No matter, Vader thought to himself. They will either be dead or under my control soon enough. What their relation is to Kenobi is of no concern.

Whatever Kenobi had planned with or for them will soon be irrelevant, and he will have failed again.

*************************************************************************************

When Luke saw the stars of space become a blur, he ripped off the headset and let out a relieved cheer of victory, simultaneously making the mistake of trying to stand. A yelp made it past his lips and he managed to catch himself on the chair on his way down.

Han had obviously heard the yelp, because he was there in the next moment.

"You okay kid?" he asked.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine...ah...could I get a hand?"

Anakin had heard Luke as well and made his way out of the cockpit to where he found Han helping the young man up the ladder.

Anakin made a mental note to remember that Solo had a good heart beneath his callous outer shell.

Anakin waited patiently at the base of the ladder, at which point the duo touched the deck and turned. Han seemed a little surprised to see Anakin, but made way when the Jedi stepped forward to help Luke.

"Do you have any medical supplies on board?" Anakin asked the smuggler.

Han nodded. "Yeah, behind the lounge seats there's a small med station; it's even got oxygen masks. I'm sure you can find whatever you need there."

Luke sighed, already getting tired of being babied. "Great..."

Anakin chuckled at Luke's disposition, but led him away all the same. "You're a Skywalker, Son, our luck as far as avoiding med-centers goes isn't always the best."

Only after the words were out of his mouth did Anakin rethink them. He grimaced, hoping Luke wasn't stressed over this.

Luke sighed. "Doesn't mean I have to like it," he muttered as Anakin helped him to a sitting position on the small medical bed. Anakin started to poke around for whatever he needed, and Luke decided to risk looking at his leg.

It wasn't his best choice.

His white clothes from Tatooine were stained with blood and torn, and the dark, deep gash looked rather nasty, causing Luke's stomach to churn. However, the events on board the space station started to catch up to him as the adrenaline left his system, and he grew eerily silent.

His heart ached at the loss of Ben, and his mind seemed to struggle with registering that the wise man was really gone; he couldn't bring himself to believe it. Luke swallowed tears that threatened to come, refusing to let them fall as he slowly went numb.

"What now?" he found himself asking quietly.

Anakin paused in his preparations to clean, tend, and dress Luke's leg. He knew what Luke was asking. The trouble was, Anakin himself was struggling to accept Obi-Wan's fate.

Obi-Wan's words came back to him: He doesn't need a perfect father...just be there for him...

Anakin sighed, looking up into Luke's eyes, and recognizing the faded color as the boy slipped into denial and uncertainty. Anakin could hardly blame him; he'd just lost all his loved ones save his father—who wasn't even supposed to be here—in a very short period of time. Anakin knew what it was like to lose one you cared for, and he couldn't fathom losing them all at once like this.

"Luke..." Anakin started. "When I was nine, I lost someone too. I had just left Tatooine and my mother behind to become a Jedi. I had thus just lost my mother, and shortly after that, I lost the man I had come to love. Qui-Gon rescued me from slavery, and then he helped my dream of being a Jedi come to be." Anakin saw he had Luke's full attention, so he continued, though he began to work on Luke's leg to help keep his hands busy. "It took me a while to get over that, but it was Master Yoda who told me that when we lose someone, even though they're gone physically, they never truly leave us."

Anakin lifted a hand to touch Luke over the heart, though Anakin himself was choked up, and his next words were half-tears, half speech. "They live on...in here. And...if you really stop and listen...sometimes you can hear an echo of them." He dropped his hand after staring at it for a while, feeling tears slip down his cheeks. "Look at the bright side; at least you didn't spend the better part of your life with a man who loved you as a son and never told him how you loved him as a father until a day before his death."

Anakin shuddered as emotion continued to come to him, and his hands trembled slightly. "Obi-Wan was the father I literally never had. And then, just before I came here, we were so close...I saw him more as a brother, and I still do, now that I am older. We're brothers in arms, and sometimes that can be more powerful than blood."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's okay to mourn Obi-Wan... or Ben..." Anakin added the name Luke had known him by. "But he would not want you to wallow in sorrow for him. Trust me on that. If Obi Wan was anything, it was humble."

Luke nodded, feeling tears of his own burn his eyes at seeing his father so...exposed in front of him and reveal the relationship he'd had with Ben.

Though his words about hearing those lost if one stopped to listen...that stuck with Luke, and he just had to say what was on his mind.

"I heard him..." Luke said softly. "After you collapsed, I heard him like he was standing right next to me. He told me to run, to get you and me out of there," Luke said as quietly as he could so that Anakin could still hear. He waited in tense anticipation for Anakin's reply.

Anakin lifted his brow. "You did?"

At Luke's hesitant nod, Anakin smiled softly. "That's not unheard of, especially if you and the lost person were close. I heard Qui-Gon once...after I found my mother in the Tusken Camp." Anakin chose not to go into detail on that one. "Let's just say I heard him...but didn't listen."

He placed a free hand on Luke's knee and gave a gentle squeeze. "And that just proves two things to me: one, you're very strong and already intuitively in tune with it, you just need a little more guidance. Second, Obi-Wan loved you as a son, too, I'm certain of it. Otherwise he wouldn't have watched over you for so long in that hut he called home. He's still watching over you, and now you know it for fact."

Anakin returned to tending to Luke's leg, letting him ask whatever question he wanted next.

"I just...I don't understand why he just...why didn't he..."

Luke trailed off, unable to ask the question. He didn't understand why Obi-Wan had just stood there, why he didn't fight back. And Vader...Darth Vader...he'd looked like he was chomping at the bit to cut Ben down, and he'd done it eagerly before mercilessly attacking Anakin mentally.

Anakin stopped his task to give Luke his full attention. "Luke, Ben chose to sacrifice himself so we could escape. Vader is a Sith Lord, and trust me when I say that none of us would have made it off the station if Ben hadn't provided a distraction." Anakin thought back to Count Dooku. "Obi-Wan had had his run-in with two Sith Lords before Vader, and I assume to a degree this Sith Master who now rules the galaxy. When Qui-Gon died, it was by the hands of someone called Darth Maul, and then in the Clone Wars, it was Count Dooku, another Sith Lord who took Maul's place, who orchestrated the Separatist forces."

Anakin then realized Luke was probably searching for a different answer, and he looked down. "And...he did it to protect you and your future. He did it because he loved you."

Luke was silent for several long moments before he spoke up.

"He was protecting you too, you know..." Luke murmured.

Anakin's hand slipped while he was wrapping the limb, and he blinked rapidly against a harder flow of tears.

"I know..." he choked finally.

Luke waited until Anakin had finished wrapping Luke's leg to speak, though it was around tears. Luke pulled Anakin into a tight, bone-crushing hug, unable to stop the question from tumbling past his lips.

"I'm not going to lose you too, am I?"

Anakin's heart clenched, both at the question and the utter need and desperation with which Luke clung onto him.

Anakin drew Luke closer, offering and receiving what comfort he could, praying it was enough.

"Never, Son," Anakin promised in an equally rough voice. "And even when I return to my time, I'll never forget you."

Luke felt his throat clog with emotion at the statement and he buried his face into Anakin's shoulder, allowing his tears to disappear in Anakin's tunic away from any prying eyes. He knew Anakin was out of his time, and undoubtedly that meant that eventually he would have to leave and go back to that time.

But Luke didn't want him to.

Luke had already lost three people in such a short space of time, and he was terrified he'd lose someone else.

Anakin wept silently into Luke's hair as his son soaked his tunic.

"I'm not going anywhere, Luke," he said gently. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of this."

Luke nodded slowly into Anakin's shoulder. At least he still had his father; though how long would that last?

Luke decided not to dwell on the morbid thought, slowly allowing himself to find a calm place again. Once he was certain he was stable, he pulled back. "So...how long am I going to have to keep my leg wrapped up like this?" he asked, trying to bring the conversation back to a lighthearted tone.

Anakin saw what Luke was doing and stemmed his own tears, bringing himself back around.

"Long enough to make sure you don't get an infection at the very least." Anakin replied. "But I'd say you'll be wearing a bandage for at least a week, maybe two. But then again, I'm not a doctor, so that's just a guess."

Luke groaned softly. "Oh, I hope you're wrong...I hope it's not that long," Luke muttered, testing whether or not he could stand on the leg by himself yet. He tried to discreetly clear his throat and blink away any remaining tears before he remembered something else that was actually rather important.

"Leia recognized you. She recognized your name...and I kind of called you father in front of everyone," Luke stated, meeting Anakin's eyes.

Anakin shrugged. "I think it was bound to come up anyway. We'll just have to ask her and anyone else who might recognize me to keep my identify secret. We don't know what Vader or the other Sith would do with such information."

He pursed his lips as Luke tested his leg, standing and offering a helping hand just in case. "I did promise to answer her questions, though, so I might as well start now."

Luke didn't take the offered hand until he tried to walk on that leg, at which point he discovered he probably shouldn't have tried walking on his own quite yet.

"Well...Han heard too," Luke told him pointedly. "He's the one I'm mostly worried about."

No sooner did he say that did Han and Leia appear from around the corner, both looking annoyed.

"I'm telling you, your highness, if this ship was being tracked I'd know about it!"

"Speak of the devil," Luke muttered.

Anakin lifted a brow at the new arrivals. "You two make quite the pair, you know that?"

Leia blushed, glaring at him. "What do you mean?"

Anakin smirked. "Well, with the way you two carry on, it's like you're an old married couple."

Han scowled. "Me, with her? No way."

"Good," Luke muttered. The statement was only for him to hear, really.

"Anyways, her worship here says that were being tracked and won't listen when I tell her it's not possible," Han grumbled.

"I have a name, you know," Leia responded coolly before she defended her theory. "It's the only explanation for the ease of our escape—"

"Easy? You call that easy?" Han sputtered, but Leia continued.

"—as I'm sure they want the rebel base even more than they want us." She nodded to Luke's leg. "How's the leg?"

"Much better now, thank you," Luke said with a blush.

Anakin turned to Solo. "Despite your protests, the Imperials had plenty of time to plant a tracking device on this ship; so it's entirely possible. In fact, if I were the Empire, I would have tracked us, too. It makes too much sense."

Anakin looked to Leia. "They won't be far behind us, so we will need your base to be ready to fight when we arrive."

Leia nodded. "We will be ready." She then gave him a pointed look. "Now, I believe you promised me answers."

Anakin nodded. "I'll tell you what I can, but I don't know a whole lot."

Leia nodded, but Han gestured back toward the main lobby. "Why don't we all have a seat first?"

Anakin assisted Luke to his seat and took the one next to him, still feeling rather protective over the younger Skywalker.

"Well, we might as well confirm your name," Leia began.

Anakin nodded. "Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight."

Leia nodded but then looked troubled, as if she wasn't sure how to ask her next question. Solo, apparently, didn't have such qualms.

"Wait...Anakin Skywalker? As in the Anakin Skywalker, Hero of the Republic? The Hero with no Fear? I heard about you all the time when I was a kid, but...you're supposed to be dead. You died, like, nineteen years ago..." Han stated, trailing off as his gaze landed on nineteen year old Luke. Realization slowly started to dawn on him.

Anakin frowned. Dead? Obi-Wan hadn't said anything about him dying. All he'd said was he'd gone. Which, Anakin supposed, left room for death.

"Well, I don't know what happened yet, because I haven't lived those events. And yes, I am the Hero With No Fear, though I hate that title. It was given to me by the politicians who wanted a fancy poster boy in the Clone Wars." Anakin sighed, rubbing his face with a hand. "Also, before you ask; yes, Luke is my son."

Leia frowned. "When you say you haven't lived the events leading up to your...death, what do you mean?"

"I mean, it hasn't happened yet for me, because I'm from the past." Anakin waited for their inevitable denials.

Han snorted, and was about to start laughing when he realized that Anakin was being serious. His eyebrows shot up, and he smiled, nervous laughter punctuating his words as he spoke. "Please...time travel? I'd sooner believe you were frozen in carbonite for...however long...than you traveled through time. I mean...it's much more likely, not to mention probably possible...if you lived that long in carbonite."

Anakin scowled at Solo. "Whether you believe it or not is your choice, although Artoo can confirm my story if you prefer. He and I fought together in the Clone Wars."

Han scowled in return. "Sorry, I just find that answer a little...impossible."

Luke rolled his eyes. "There's a lot about this entire trip that's impossible; your point?"

Anakin chuckled at Luke's comeback to Han and gestured at Artoo, who stood in a corner.

"Artoo was my droid during the Clone Wars," Anakin said. "Artoo, show them a little recording of us saving the Chancellor."

The droid tootled and obeyed, though it took him a moment. He then showed a holo of Anakin and Obi-Wan flying through a space battle above Coruscant, followed by them taking out some buzz droids and then their crazy landing.

Anakin held back any worry about what had happened to his two companions from the moment he left.

Artoo then began to warble and Threepio translated. "Artoo says that Master Anakin was his master before the Clone Wars and in our time he lost contact with him after the Empire was officially formed. According to Imperial news, Anakin Skywalker had been assumed killed in action. No one knew what had happened to him. Artoo hadn't seen him until a few days ago on Tatooine."

Artoo warbled some more.

"Artoo also says that if he wasn't from the past, he wouldn't still look and be twenty-three," Threepio said.

Luke snickered at Artoo's remark; even the droids were ridiculing Han, poor guy.

Han huffed. "All right, so you're from the past; why are you here now?"

Anakin shrugged. "Maybe to figure out what went so drastically wrong before? I'm hoping so anyway. I don't want to let Luke grow up without me a second time around." He lifted a finger. "However, I think my identity should be kept quiet, because I don't know what the Sith Lords would do with that information."

Han waved a hand dismissively. "You don't have to worry about me, I won't tell anyone. I'm not going to be hanging around much longer anyway, so you won't have to worry about me at all."

Luke frowned, straightening up. "What do you mean?" He'd taken a liking to the brash smuggler...

"It means, Kid, that as soon as I get paid I'm out of here. The only thing I signed up for here was getting you from Tatooine to Alderaan, none of this other stuff; not this time travel, not this rescue mission, and not this...rebellion! And I expect to be well compensated for all the extra trouble I've gone to," Han finished.

"If money's all you want, then money's all you'll get," Leia told him coldly.

Anakin frowned upon the smuggler, but otherwise didn't comment, knowing the smuggler had to choose his own direction. So instead of answering, Anakin turned away to head aft, something Luke didn't miss.

Deciding not to draw any attention to his father, Luke quietly followed him, using the wall as a support to help him along and leaving the bickering pair behind.

Anakin found a quiet place in the cargo hold and sat on a crate, lost in thought. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. Not that he'd known before, but at least Obi-Wan had been there.

Anakin felt his heavy heart weigh down a bit more at the reminder of the loss of his mentor, father, and—ultimately—brother.

Anakin tried to fathom what could have possibly happened in his time to make the galaxy so vastly different.

Anakin had said he might be here to learn what went wrong before...but now his one link to that answer was gone...

Anakin blew out a harsh breath. He had comforted Luke on Obi-Wan's passing, but Anakin still stung from it. Not that he wanted to be selfish, but his pain ran deeper than Luke's; at least Luke had grown up knowing he was loved.

True Anakin had Shmi, but the day he had left the dust ball of Tatooine behind he'd stopped feeling loved.

Until he and Obi-Wan had reconciled many years later.

Anakin swore to open up to Obi-Wan when he returned to his time. He'd never again take his best friend for granted.

The image of Obi-Wan's face and then him disappearing began to play on a loop for Anakin, and he felt the tears return. He couldn't even give the man a true Jedi's funeral, and that hurt more than Anakin had known it could.

When Luke found Anakin, it was to see his father in tears. Realizing Anakin needed a moment, Luke withdrew into the shadows, letting Anakin have the moment he obviously needed.

Anakin was so deep in thought that time meant nothing. He simply stared at the wall before him, his eyes blank as he relived some of his and Obi-Wan's best moments.

"That business on Cato Neomoida doesn't, doesn't count"

"No loose wire jokes!"

Lightsabers flashed as they fought back to back, clones picking off whatever droids they couldn't...

Obi-Wan's concern for Anakin after he participated in a podrace to help the band of brothers win their sibling's freedom...

Obi-Wan showing Anakin how to perform katas...

"This weapon is your life!"

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me..."

Anakin blinked abruptly, that last one jarring him from his state of mind and making him sigh. At least that one hadn't come true. It was small consolation though.

Anakin closed his eyes once more, remembering how he'd told Luke that Obi-Wan was still watching over him. Well, maybe he was still watching over Anakin too. The Jedi Knight grimaced.

Obi-Wan would tell him to stop pining away and get his rear back to work.

"Come to your senses! What do you think Padme would do were she in your position?"

"She would do her duty!"

Anakin's smile was genuine and grateful. Obi-Wan had always known how to knock Anakin back off his self-appointed pedestal. And now, it seemed, his memory would continue to do that. Anakin's heart lightened finally, and he allowed himself a smile.

"I'll miss you, Obi-Wan, but I won't forget you," he whispered. "And now I get to help Luke kick Imperial tails."

Reminding himself yet again that this wasn't actually his reality, and that he would return to an Obi-Wan he had left behind, Anakin banished his sorrows and focused on the one thing he still had in his current predicament.

His son.

Let's do this, Anakin thought, rising to leave the hold.

Luke heard his father stand and rose from his own spot, leaning against the wall as he waited for Anakin. His leg might have been damaged, but that didn't me he couldn't still learn. After seeing what happened to Ben, he wanted to learn. He felt like he needed to so he could protect himself against the forces he hadn't know existed in the galaxy.

Anakin stopped in surprise to find Luke so nearby, and then he frowned at the boy's body language.

"Are you alright?" he asked his son.

Luke looked up, offering Anakin a smile. "I'm just thinking, that's all," Luke soothed him, straightening up. "I was just wondering...while were waiting to arrive wherever we're going...if you could teach me a little more...about the Force," Luke asked in a soft, halting tone of voice.

Anakin placed a supportive hand on Luke's shoulder. "As long as you don't make fun of my teaching methods," he teased. "I had enough of that from Ashoka."

Luke's brow furrowed. "Ahsoka? Who's that?"

Anakin chuckled. "My one and only Padawan learner. She was given to me by the Jedi Council, and I fought being her master for a time, but eventually gave in to the idea, and we grew closer. She...left the Order after...certain events." Anakin's mirth died somewhat. "I haven't really seen her since. But it's okay."

Anakin pursed his lips. "How'd you like to do some levitation?"

Luke smiled at him, grateful that he was getting this distraction from everything going on around him. "I'd like that," he replied, following Anakin back into the cargo hold.

Anakin led Luke toward the crates before he rummaged through to find objects to use. Luke gave him a strange look.

"What?" Anakin asked.

Luke was eyeing some of the larger objects dubiously, but stuck with a simpler reply. "I'm just trying to figure out what you're doing."

Meanwhile, the thought crossed his mind that the larger objects were going to be so much harder to lift...if he managed to lift something in the first place. Then another thought popped into his mind. "You don't think Han's going to be mad about you going through his stuff?"

Anakin grinned unrepentantly. "What's he going to do, space us? If he did that he wouldn't get his money."

Luke snorted. "He's not getting the money from us anyway, but I guess Leia wouldn't pay him if he did that," he agreed, taking a seat on a crate Anakin hadn't gone through as Anakin lined up the objects in front of him.

"Okay," Anakin said once he had lined up his various objects. "Let's begin with the small blue fruit on the far left. Picture the object in your mind, and then picture it lifting off the table. Once you do that, bring it to your hand."

Luke frowned, studying the fruit for a moment before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on his breathing to receive that same state of calm he reached the few times he had touched the Force. Once the increasingly familiar energy started to course through Luke again and he had reached the state of calm he desired, he stretched out with his senses, searching for the fruit in front of him. Once he found the fruit as he'd found the remote when he was training with his lightsaber, Luke reconstructed the fruit in his mind before he tried to lift it. It weighed, what, two pounds? Not even? It shouldn't be that hard to lift...though he was just a beginner, so he had to make sure he wasn't going to be disappointed if he didn't get it on the first try...

Focus, Luke, he scolded himself, sweeping the stray thoughts away and focusing on the fruit once more. He imagined lifting it up in the air, his brow furrowing in concentration.

Back in the present, the fruit didn't so much as budge.

Luke's frown deepened as he sensed that the fruit hadn't moved yet, and he tried concentrating harder, hoping that the fruit would at least budge a centimeter.

It wobbled slightly, but Luke missed it because his eyes were still squeezed shut. His head was starting to hurt, but he kept his mouth shut, determined to accomplish the task he'd been given. Though he did have to admit he was starting to lose confidence that he was ready for telekinesis as time slipped by without the fruit lifting off of the table at all.

Maybe he should just try moving it? Maybe he should just try a nudge in the Force instead of trying to lift it, because apparently lifting wasn't working for him at the moment.

Anakin felt Luke's struggle and placed a gentle hand on his son's forearm. "Relax, Luke; you're trying far too hard."

Luke's concentration was broken for a second, but he managed to keep his connection to the Force. If it was possible, Luke's frown deepened, and he opened his eyes for a second to shoot an accusing glare at the fruit. "I didn't know you could try too hard..."

Anakin lifted a brow at his son. "A Jedi Master I know told me that you should not try. Just do...or don't." He gave his son a knowing look. "Let go of your fear of failure; do this, trust yourself as you did back in the station, and you will find your objective far more achievable."

Luke's frown faded slightly and he nodded, letting Anakin's hand on his shoulder calm him again as he took another stab at moving the fruit. He wasn't focusing on up and down, side to side, or front and back anymore so much as just moving it, feeling he'd be satisfied if he budged the fruit at all.

Relax, Luke...just relax, he told himself as he let out a slow breath. Again, he pictured the fruit, but this time imagined pulling it towards him just a little at a time with an invisible string, slowly dragging it to the edge of the crate. The Force hummed around and through him, though Luke's brow was still furrowed as he worked to keep his mind clear of all thoughts but his current task, eyes shut again where he couldn't see the effect he managed to have on the fruit the same time that he could in his mind's eye. In fact, he was certain he'd at least budged the fruit a little, moved it somewhere...

Anakin watched as Luke continued to attempt moving the object. The fruit wobbled some, and then held still. Anakin remained patient, knowing from experience that levitation wasn't the easiest skill to learn.

Luke was grateful for his father's patience; it took the stress off of Luke because he wasn't so worried about Anakin becoming impatient with Luke's lack of progress. However, he was starting to feel the beginnings of annoyance that he couldn't do anything other than make the fruit wobble.

What was he missing?

Ben's voice came back to him from earlier, and Luke stretched out with everything he had, knowing that he didn't have that strong of a connection to the Force right now and he was rather new to everything. Maybe it just had to do with how strong his connection was.

So, reaching out with everything he had—without trying too hard, as Anakin had suggested earlier—Luke wrapped invisible fingers around the little blue fruit that had been taunting him and tugged.

Anakin felt his son strain, but he was proud to see Luke did work on deepening his sense in the Force. However, Luke finally gave a huge tug...and the fruit twitched mightily, but remained in place. Luke sighed and dropped his hand.

Before Luke could degrade himself, Anakin stepped forward and placed his other hand on Luke's left shoulder.

"Luke, let me show you what the Force is, let me help you feel it," he offered. "I know when I was younger and learning, I would have given up my meals for such a treat." He gave Luke a meaningful look. "But I won't force you into it."

Luke frowned, not quite sure what his father was talking about. "How are you going to help me feel the Force?"

Anakin allowed a small smile. "Just relax, open your mind, and trust me."

Luke felt a trill of premonition go through him at Anakin's words, but he nodded, relaxing on the crate the best that he could. Hesitantly, Luke opened himself up to the Force, trying to remain relaxed as he waited for...whatever Anakin was going to do.

Anakin closed his eyes and opened himself fully to the Force, letting it fill his whole being. Only when he was completely immersed did he stretch his mind out to Luke's.

He was gentle and patient, taking hold of Luke's mind, and directing tendrils of his awareness. He then guided Luke to his own mind and let Luke feel the utter peace and warmth the Force brought.

Anakin let Luke see the Force how Anakin saw it, which was many things. It was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stifling world and it was a burst of warm sunshine on a cold day, caressing his soul with a mother's loving touch. It was his strength, his sixth sense in the heat of battle, moving him in ways that defied all science.

The Force, to Anakin, was a constant friend; it was there for him at all times. It was a compass, morally, physically, and otherwise.

Then, still grasping Luke like a father would grasp a child's hand, Anakin imagined himself leaping with Luke into a deep pool. They plunged beneath the surface, and Anakin let Luke realize how much sharper his senses were.

They could hear the remarks of Threepio to Artoo in the main seating area as though they were only a few feet away and whispering. They saw the way the very ship beneath their feet worked, felt the surge and hum of all her components.

They felt clearly the ire of Princess Leia as she fumed over something Solo had said.

Anakin then took Luke to a place he had never shown anyone. He took Luke to the hidden place in his heart where he kept his mother alive, and now Obi-Wan as well.

He showed Luke the remembered caresses of Shmi's hand to his cheek when she comforted him, the way his heart had burst with pride whenever she was proud of him.

He showed Luke the brotherhood Anakin and Obi-Wan had shared, and then he let everything go silent.

He had learned during one of the many long hauls through hyperspace that in this silence could be heard the whispers of the Force itself, and of those within it and those who'd become one with it again.

Then, gently, carefully, Anakin returned Luke to the lesson without breaking contact, and showed him how manipulation of the Force was as much an act of will as it was one of trust.

He moved the fruit and let it hover between the pair before he carefully withdrew and opened his eyes, the fruit still floating between them.

Luke slowly opened his eyes, feeling as if he'd been living in a dull world all of his life. Only now did he truly feel and see. Everything was so much more vibrant, and Luke felt as if cotton had been unplugged from all of his senses to allow him to experience things the way they were meant to be. Luke also felt that now he truly knew his father after seeing him so bare in the Force. He had seen a few tendrils of what Luke could only explain as darkness, but those tendrils were overwhelmed by the warmth of light and love and bravery Luke felt in his father as well.

And when his father had allowed that moment of peace with just the Force, Luke had felt and then known that he was starting on a path that would bring the adventure Luke had always wanted...though he'd also felt that it would be littered with tragedy among the happiest of moments he could ask for should he chose to follow it.

All of this flowed through his mind as the Force ran through his very veins and soul, neither interrupting the other. Luke let the Force have its way with him, trusting it as he'd done on the death star to work as he focused on the task at hand.

Only after Luke managed to register everything that had happened did he notice the sudden emptiness that had come from his father's withdraw. He saw the fruit floating between them as well, and his eyes widened in surprise when he realized that was him. The fruit dropped once Luke was distracted by the feelings of success, and he caught the fruit effortlessly before it hit the ground, not even caring it had dropped. That didn't matter, because he'd still lifted it. It might have been with help, but he'd still done it, if only briefly.

Anakin smiled openly at Luke.

"That, my son," he said quietly, "is the Force. And to access it, all you need is belief and trust...in you."

Luke was still staring at the fruit in wonder as if it was still floating in front of him, turning it over in his hand almost absentmindedly. He looked up at his father, a thousand indiscernible emotions flooding through him.

"Thank you...for showing me that," Luke said in a near reverent tone of voice

Anakin merely nodded, squeezing his son's shoulders affectionately.

**************************************************************************************

By the time they arrived at the rebel base Leia had directed them too—a moon for a planet by the name of Yavin—Luke was able to walk around on his leg. Of course it was with a limp and not without pain, but he could walk on his own. Luke was currently sitting in the lounge, however, mulling over something Leia had said earlier as he waited for the Falcon to land.

She'd said the Empire would come after them, most likely with the Death Star—as that was apparently the name of the giant battle station—but Artoo apparently had information on a weak point that would allow the Rebellion a chance to destroy the superweapon and win the fight, though she hadn't said what the weak point was.

And Luke had decided that he wanted to help however he could.

Anakin paused on his way out of the ship, catching sight of Luke sitting alone in the lounge.

"Luke? You alright?" he asked curiously.

Luke rapped his fingers against the table, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "I'm just thinking...about how they're going to need help fighting that battle station, and...I want to help. Whatever they're going to do, I want in."

Anakin nodded, grinning knowingly. "You're a Skywalker alright; I plan to help as well."

Luke let out a slow, relieved sigh; for a second Luke had worried his father would want him to sit it out due to his injury, so hearing that Anakin approved was a relief. Luke stood up and shrugged his poncho back on as theFalcon started to shut down, remaining steady on his feet before he offered Anakin a faint smile. "Good, because I have the feeling they're going to need all the help they can get."

Anakin snorted. "These kinds of groups usually do."

Han appeared in the doorway, Chewbacca right behind him as he took a moment to stretch. "Her worshipfulness said that we would have enough time to clean up and that a briefing would be around dusk. I figured you two would want to know about that. She only told me because she's not paying me until after the briefing."

Luke bit back his comment, deciding to leave it for later. Maybe after the briefing Han would see how much the Rebels needed someone like him to help and he'd decide to stay. "Where is Leia?" he decided to ask instead.

"Waiting for us by the ramp," Han said, nodding back towards the hall he came down.

"Well we shouldn't keep her waiting long," Luke said firmly. "Who knows how much time we have before the Imperials catch up?"

Anakin followed Luke and Solo, doubting the smuggler would stay and fight. Smugglers were a breed all of their own. Their rules were simple; take care of yourself first, friends second. All else was unimportant.

So they met Leia by the ramp, and she threw Han a glower, but softened when she spied the two Skywalkers.

"How are you both doing?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to stoke any old regrets from them.

Anakin waved a quiet hand. "We're fine, thank you. I would like to help in the coming fight, if you've got an extra ship."

"Me too," Luke pitched in, making it a point to appear as if his leg wasn't bothering him at all. Leia smiled at him as they descended the ramp, causing his heart to flutter a little. Leia led them to a small transport, seeming perfectly at ease in the busy surroundings of the Rebellion base. Luke, on the other hand, was momentarily distracted while he took his seat on a transport between his father and Han as he looked around the planet they had landed on, amazed by the first sight of a forest he'd ever experienced in his life and then by the astounding size of the hangar and the seemingly endless line of X-Wing fighters inside of the base.

Anakin, seeing Luke's attention fixated in their surroundings—mainly the trees and ships—smiled as he recalled his first time on another planet.

He remembered being astounded when they'd arrived on Naboo. How could so much water have existed in one place? Such a source of water on his home planet of Tatooine would have been fiercely guarded and fought over until it became a bloody war-zone.

As for the ships, Anakin found he rather liked the design, and noted how similar they were to the starfighters the clones used in his time.

Anakin though of telling Luke about his first time in a starfighter, but decided to allow Luke to experience this first time for himself.

They traveled deeper into the hangar where Leia spotted someone and leapt off the tram they rode. Anakin noted a white-haired gentleman in a khaki uniform.

"Princess Leia, thank goodness you're alright." The man drew Leia into a brief embrace. "When we heard about Alderaan, we feared the worst."

Leia gave him a short smile of gratitude before she got down to business.

"I'm afraid there isn't much time, Commander." Leia motioned for Artoo to accompany them, and the astromech followed obediently.

Luke, fully aware that they weren't allowed in this meeting between Leia and any other high ranking Rebellion officer in the base, made a beeline for the nearest X-Wing as soon as the transport stopped, running a hand over the nose of the ship and admiring the design. If the Rebellion leaders did decide to let the two Skywalkers in on the upcoming battle, would he be able to fly one of these? He surely hoped he would. Luke cast a glance towards the cockpit, making sure the pilot wasn't around to scold him for touching the ship—he'd already had enough experience with Han to know that was something he shouldn't do...at least when the pilot was around.

Anakin kept Luke in his peripherals as he too moved to inspect a nearby ship. This particular model, while similar to the ARC-170's that the clones used, was slimmer and sat only one person. It also looked to use four laser turrets on its s-foils. Anakin also spotted a place behind the tiny cockpit for an astromech droid.

Not sharing Luke's qualms about touching the fighter, Anakin ran a reverent hand over the hull and then climbed the ladder to see the interior of the cockpit.

Luke saw his father up and inspecting the cockpit, and was about to do the same when Han called to him from across the hanger.

"Hey, Kid! Anakin! Come on, they're going to show us where we can get cleaned up!" he called, standing beside a lanky rebel and waving the two Skywalkers over. Luke allowed himself a small smile; he could sure use a good wash. Luke gave the X-Wing one last wistful look before making his way over to Han; he could always come back afterwards.

Anakin gave the controls one more quick look before he followed Luke to where the smuggler and pilot waited.

The pilot gave Anakin a pointed look. "Did you like my X-Wing?"

Anakin was undeterred. "I did. They're actually descendants of the ARC-170's from the Clone Wars, am I right?"

The pilot lifted an impressed brow, obviously not expected that. "Yeah, that's right, but these are Incom T-65 models. They hold one man and one droid, and while they don't have rear guns, I believe them too be more maneuverable."

"They are more streamlined," Anakin agreed. "They're beautiful things."

The other smiled. "That they are." He held out a hand to Anakin. "Wedge Antilles."

Anakin took the proffered hand. "Anakin."

Wedge frowned. "No last name?"

"It's complicated," Anakin said. "But we are in your side."

Eager as always and not about to be left out, Luke extended a hand as well. "Well, I can give you mine—Luke Skywalker," Luke said, shaking Wedges hand. Han didn't bother with a handshake. He just nodded to the pilot.

"Han Solo," he said evenly. Apparently he wanted to hurry up and clean up.

The Skywalkers and Wedge continued to talk flying and ships until Wedge showed them all to temporary quarters where they could clean up.

"Thank you," Anakin told their guide. "Who do we see about flying with you guys?"

"I'll ask my commander," Wedge promised.

"Fair enough." Anakin couldn't wait to try out the simulators for the X-Wing. "See you shortly."

With that Anakin took his leave, grateful for a chance to shower and get some fresh clothes on.

**************************************************************************************

Luke was giddy when it was his turn for a shower, excited to be able to take a real, long shower after everything that had happened. He was initially alarmed when the water turned red before he remembered his injury and forced himself to not think about it, spending quite a bit of time under the steaming hot jets of water before he finally got out. He was eager to head towards the simulator, hair still dripping with water when he finally emerged.

Anakin, meanwhile, was already sims, eagerly awaiting his turn. He couldn't believe he was going to be able to fly a future fighter. This would be fun!

"All right, Anakin," the man in charge said as he approached. "It's all set, so hop in and signal when you are ready."

"Will do," Anakin promised, already ascending the ladder and seating himself.

He took his time acquainting himself with the controls as a pilot versus an onlooker. He then placed the helmet on his head and signaled readiness.

"Alright, here we go," the man replied.

****************************************************************************************

It took Luke a little while, but he eventually was able to find the sims, freshly washed, still a little wet, and in a fresh bandage and set of clothes. When he arrived, he was surprised to sense his father already inside of the sim. Feeling excitement creep in, Luke moved to where he could see how and what Anakin was doing.

Anakin took the yolk as his screens came to life with a view of space, breathing deeply and centering himself.

He executed a few test maneuvers while he waited for the enemy to show up, getting a feel for the way the X-Wing moved and fired.

Then his scopes lit up with several red blips, indicating enemy ships approaching. Anakin headed straight for them, letting loose with a deadly salvo of laser fire as he dove down their middle.

The TIEs—as he had learned they were called—scattered away from his attack, and Anakin barrel-rolled to follow the pair to port. He gunned one down long before it had a chance to see him coming. The second dove, but Anakin kept on his tail. The ship ahead of him abruptly cut power, forcing Anakin to either do the same or overshoot his target. But if he overshot, then he would be vulnerable for an attack.

Anakin thus slowed, but then he realized that it had been a ploy when the remaining two TIEs from the original quartet came at him from starboard and port respectively.

Anakin dove as their green lasers lanced out. The starboard TIE exploded from crossfire, but the port-side ship managed to evade, following Anakin. Anakin's cockpit sang out with a lock-on alarm, and he grimaced, beginning to spiral his ship steeply, and praying the X-Wing could hold out.

Next his ship was bathed in green laser fire, but then Anakin took a risk and abruptly stopped his dive, feathered the repulsors, and then looped up and around to come up behind the enemy ship, taking him out quickly.

That left one TIE fighter.

**************************************************************************************

Luke watched Anakin's maneuvers with rapt interest, entranced as he watched his father dip and weave as he took out ship after ship. Luke wasn't the only one that was awed by Anakin's performance; every eye that was close enough to see was riveted onto Anakin's simulation, and suddenly Luke felt as if he had quite the reputation to live up to as a Skywalker.

He sincerely hoped his own simulation would go as well as Anakin's was going.

Anakin should have figured the best enemy pilot of the group would be saved for last. He had been chasing the guy's tail for three minutes straight, pulling maneuvers he had only ever attempted when Obi-Wan wasn't watching.

But then the pilot made his mistake.

Or so he wanted Anakin to believe. But he recognized the front this time, and was ready for it. When the pilot banked hard right and made as if to loop about, Anakin flew straight and true. Then, when the TIE made to come after him to port, Anakin slammed on the breaks, stood the ship on end and flipped it over so he was upside down...but facing the other ship head-on.

He let fly his salvo and was rewarded with a dead-on hit.

Anakin grinned widely and righted his ship, waiting to see if there would be any more enemies, but his screens went blank.

Removing the helmet, Anakin opened his door and descended the ladder, feeling lighter than he had since he had arrived in the future.

He had always loved flying; it was his one true passion outside of his wife and the Force. Well, and now his son as well.

Speaking of, Anakin thought. Where is Luke?

Luke rushed up to Anakin, grinning broadly from ear to ear. "That was amazing!" he told his father passionately, standing right beside the ladder of the sim. "I've never seen anyone fly like that!"

Anakin blushed uncharacteristically. He had received praise before, but to hear it from his son...that was a new and humbling experience.

"Thank you," Anakin replied, clapping his son on the shoulder. "Are you next?"

Luke mussed his still-wet hair, glancing around at the randomly assembled bystanders. "I don't know, I mean I just got here and just rushed up here, but if nobody else is getting in I could go next.

Anakin lifted his lips in a teasing smirk. "Yes, because there are so many lined up." He chuckled, then stepped aside. "Go on; show them what you can do. I know you'll do great."

Luke blushed at his father's sarcastic remark and praise before he too climbed into the simulator, getting situated and running his hands eagerly over the controls. He'd missed being in the cockpit, the pilot of a ship, even if it had only been messing around back home on Tatooine. He situated the helmet over his head, eagerly awaiting the simulation to start. He'd heard that the sims constantly changed, and he wondered if he'd get a simulation different from the four ships his father had.

The blank simulation in front of him suddenly powered to life, and Luke felt anticipation and adrenaline rush through his system, eyes focused on the artificial stars in front of him.

Anakin, meanwhile, found a good spot where he could observe Luke's flight and watched calmly.

For a moment, all was perfectly serene as Luke banked starboard, did a simple loop, just little things to get a good feel for the ship. He had only just righted the X-Wing when the blips appeared on his monitor, and the real challenge began.

He hadn't been expecting just how much of a challenge it was going to be.

Instead of the four ships Anakin had taken on, Luke found himself face to face with an actual Star Destroyer, which had its own hangar of TIE's inside, as was common knowledge. Luke swallowed the panic that wanted to rear its head and instead forced himself to focus, studying the ship in front of him as he dodged the initial fire from the Destroyer. He immediately began to seek a weakness, his mind flashing back to what his father had said in the cockpit when they had raced past the blockade in the Falcon.

Use their size against them.

In a daring move others would consider suicide, Luke angled the fighter down at the Destroyer, plunging into a steep dive before he leveled out to skim along the surface of the Destroyer, weaving between the laser fire of the turrets positioned on the ship. He only had so long before the TIEs started coming out and his task would become that much harder. It was best to get as many hits in as he could.

One of the laser blasts came uncomfortably close, though Luke still managed to dodge the blast, arching up and setting off one of the proton torpedoes at the Destroyer's bridge. It only weakened the bridge shields, but he'd expected that much. He would have called a glitch in the system if that one shot had destroyed the bridge.

The scream of TIE fighters reached Luke's ears as he came around for another pass, and he took in the sight of three TIEs on his starboard side and two coming in from behind; and that was just at the moment.

Luke took a deep breath, truly in the zone as he took another shot at the bridge in passing, weakening the shields further before he broke off to take care of the trio of TIEs before they could cause him some real damage, knowing if he didn't take care of them now they'd hurt his progress. Besides, he only had two proton torpedoes left.

Luke took out the first TIE without any difficulty in his first pass, coming back around in a sharp turn to shoot down the second before he had to dodge the fire of the third, veering sharply to the left and angling himself back towards the Destroyer, the TIE right on his tail. Luke did his best to keep from worrying about how close the TIE was, focusing on how close he was getting to the Destroyer and how close the other two TIEs—which he had not forgotten about—were to his ship as well. When the Destroyer filled his viewport Luke pulled sharply up to level out and swung the ship to the port side in a tight turn, coming right around one of the turrets for good measure. Sure enough, he was rewarded with a fiery explosion right behind him, though the two screaming TIEs that had joined the dogfight had not been the source, just the one on his tail. Luke pulled up and came back around, peppering the TIEs and the surface of the Destroyer with laser fire as he came back around, turning his attention to the turrets on the Destroyer and taking out a few of those on the way. More TIEs were screaming towards him from the hanger, and Luke decided he seriously needed to do something about the constant flow of TIEs that would eventually become a problem.

But first...

"Come on, come get me," Luke murmured, tucking into a dizzying spin to avoid the laser fire of his current two TIE pursuers, leading them right towards the bridge. It looked like he was playing chicken with the bridge, coming alarmingly close in another maneuver that seemed to be suicide. At the last possible moment, Luke pulled up hard, nicking the top of the bridge as he barely managed to clear the top of the structure. The two TIEs, however, crashed right into the bridge, and Luke grinned as he was rewarded with the explosion not only from the TIEs, but also from the bridge.

He was glad he'd weakened the shields first earlier.

Grinning, Luke turned around to deal with the rest of the TIEs, frowning as he took in the six screaming towards him together. Luke ducked low below the ships, angling towards one of the Destroyer's main hangers and pushing forward on the throttle. Once he passed the hanger the first time and confirmed that there were shields, he came back around to face the TIEs, opening fire on them simply to irk them into following him again. Three broke off immediately, though the other three were right on Luke's tail, which was what he wanted. He led them away from the Destroyer first, keeping an eye out for the other three as he weaved around the laser fire they sent towards him flipping the X-Wing in short spins to avoid the blasts before he finally saw the other three coming around to box him in, and Luke angled back towards the hanger. He came close enough to see more TIEs prepping to fly out of the hanger, and he opened fire past the three TIEs coming around in front of him on the first TIE that started to exit the hanger. A huge fireball followed as Luke fired on the other three as well, causing them to scatter as he took down another one and pulled up to skim the top of the Destroyer. There was a huge explosion that rocked the ship as two of the TIEs crashed into the hanger and into the other TIEs inside of the hanger, effectively putting it out of commission. Now for the other one...

A small curse slipped past his lips when one of the remaining TIEs scored a hit on his left wing, but Luke managed to keep the X-Wing steady, brain searching for one more way to creatively take out the hanger so the TIEs wouldn't suspect it.

Luke kept an eye on the remaining three TIEs, pulling up and coming back around to face the three TIEs and open fire again, managing to catch one of the three in the cross-hairs to cut the enemy craft down to two. Surprisingly, Luke found that he was sweating.

His hands working tirelessly, Luke maneuvered his ship to head towards the remaining hanger. He put enough distance between himself and the Destroyer that a TIE would feel comfortable coming up beside him. Luke allowed the two TIEs to flank him, picking up speed until he didn't dare push the fighter any faster. Just as they started coming up on the hanger, Luke suddenly veered to the starboard side and slammed into the TIE on the respective side, sending the ship careening into the other hanger. He swiftly barrel rolled so he'd be on the port side of the remaining TIE, swinging to starboard again to crash into the TIE and send it careening into the hanger as well. Luke pulled the ship to port far away from the Destroyer, watching the fire on the ship spread in silent satisfaction before the sim went blank. He pulled off the helmet with a grin and ran a hand through his still wet hair, noticing that he had sweat on his brow as well.

Anakin whooped loudly when Luke finished, having remained silently focused on his son's every move. Now he bounded for the ladder just as Luke had done and gave him an almost slap-happy grin when the young man at last emerged.

"And you were worried!" Anakin teased, grabbing Luke into jovial one-armed hug. "You did amazing! Look at those scores!"

Luke was grinning and laughing, his father's praise causing his heart to soar as a blush colored his cheeks. They made their way down the ladder, Luke a little shakily as the adrenaline was still wearing off. "I wasn't expecting that. Maybe a few TIEs, but not an entire Destroyer! At least it wasn't an entire fleet."

Anakin gave him a conspiratorial look. "Just be glad you weren't dueling droid fighters; those things literally never stop coming at you."

Luke grimaced. "That would have been a nightmare. I'll pass, thank you. One step at a time," Luke told him, smiling. His eyes danced mischievously. "Are you sure you don't want to get back in and see if you can match it?"

Anakin grinned widely, enjoying this banter with his son immensely. "Nah, I'll let you have your moment while it lasts..." he remarked with a playful wink.

At that moment the pair were approached by Wedge Antilles and the man who'd run their simulations.

"Well, gentlemen, your scores are impressive," the other man commented. "But can you make consistent runs?"

Anakin, still holding Luke in a fatherly embrace, shook the young man's shoulders. "You've got a future squad leader standing right in front of you, Sir."

Luke's blush deepened—if that was possible—at his father's statement. "I wouldn't say that," Luke said in embarrassment, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't used to this kind of praise, and for his father to suggest Luke could lead his own squad...

At the moment, it made Luke's insides squirm with nerves; he hadn't even been in his first firefight yet.

Anakin sensed Luke's embarrassment and deftly deflected the attention away from him. "I'll go again if you want, Sir."

"All right."

Anakin and Luke thus spent the next two hours at the simulators, being run through varying tests of difficulty. Luke had been shot down twice in his sims, Anakin had sustained heavy damage on one, but had managed to pull through...but barely.

It wasn't until the same man approached them again that they got a reprieve.

"Well, I'd like to offer you both a positon in Red Squadron for the upcoming battle. Usually we only run twelve to a squad, but I think we all agree these aren't normal circumstances."

"Well I'm in," Anakin replied, looking to his son. "Luke?"

"Well of course!" Luke said, eyes wide in surprise and excitement. "Count me in!"

Anakin smiled at Luke's enthusiasm, but it was suddenly tempered by the realization that his son was about to get a bit of a slap in the face. This would be Luke's first actual, real life dogfight. Anakin managed to hide his unease though, and he walked with Luke to get prepared for the briefing that was about to start.