A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 134

Well, at least Luna had given them a decent time to start worrying, and the guarantee that the plan the Council had been trying to implement for the past few months would work.

The problem was that Anakin knew he was the main key in said plan; that he would probably the the first to come into contact with Sidious, someone the Force still wouldn't let Luna reveal, she had attempted to several time that morning; and that Sidious had his sights set on Anakin for an apprentice.

At least that meant Sidious wouldn't try to kill him immediately. That worked in his favor, he supposed.

But there was also that terrifying possible path. Anakin didn't want to turn, his thoughts rebelled at the slightest implication that he would ever even consider doing so.

But he had and he did. Anakin had seen Vader himself.

He wouldn't take that path, not when he knew what it meant for the galaxy and his family. Anakin would die before he let Luke and Leia go through what they had the other timeline and let Sidious hurt Padmé. He would kill himself before he killed Obi-Wan.

And yet, there was still that lone fact that it had happened once and it could happen again.

"DARTH VADER IS A HEARTLESS MURDERER!!!" Leia's voice yelled, ringing through Anakin's mind. He winced, remembering the argument, now fully aware that the hate filled words said by his own daughter were directed, admittedly rather justly, at him.

But then Luna's voice accompanied it, on the opposite side.

"WELL AT LEAST HE CARES ABOUT HIS SON!!!! I NEVER GOT THAT FROM MY FATHER!!!! AND VADER IS NOT HEARTLESS!!!!!"

"THAT MONSTER HAS KILLED INNOCENTS AND YET YOU DEFEND HIM?!?!"

"AT LEAST I KNOW HIS FULL STORY!!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA—"

"WHAT HE'S DONE?!?! I KNOW ENOUGH!!!! HE'S KILLED—"

"Anakin, are you alright?" Anakin blinked, coming back to reality, glancing into the midnight blue eyes of the voice's owner.

"Fine," he replied.

Anakin was far from. He couldn't help but remember all the things Leia had accused Vader of. Alderaan.... Innocents.... Children....

Anakin couldn't help but think back to his slaughter of the Tusken camp, or how he had killed Dooku without a second thought.

How many times he had let his temper get the best of him, control him.

"Stop thinking about Vader, or I will have a very long, and possibly loud, argument about him with you until I win," Luna told him.

"And what would you be winning?" Anakin asked, quickly grabbing onto the distraction of the conversation.

"You're surrender about me being right, and you being wrong about Vader, just like I did with Leia. I would really like to not draw my father into any conversations anytime soon, so please take Option A."

"I think you less won that argument then made you father sound worse than Vader."

"Anakin, two things that most people learn about me immediately but you haven't: No one ever touches my books and you never ever get into an argument with me with Vader as the topic, because I will win and I will beat your argument into a pulp," Luna said, looking him into the eyes, dead serious. Anakin almost wanted to laugh.

"Okay, no argument necessary. The one you had with Leia was quiet enough anyways," he told her. Luna looked away blushing slightly.

"Yeah, a smarter person would have probably walked away from that one," she muttered.