The Darkside of the Moon

Part X

Chapter I

It was half a week before Luna finally managed to heal herself enough to move around without her nerves lighting on fire. Vader made it clear that she was not to be training, fighting, or anything else that would tire her out needlessly or possibly hurt her still weak body.

Which meant reading. Lots and lots of reading in the large library Vader had installed for Force only knows the reason.

Don't even ask her why it was there—Vader's Fortress had never had a library—but it was there, and it was where Luna spent most of her time while avoiding the time travelers and Rebels. She didn't want to talk to them. She didn't want them to look at her wondering if she was about to attack them. She didn't want to see either Skywalkers' pity. She didn't want them to ask how she was feeling. She didn't want them to try and use her to find out what Vader was planning.

She didn't want to watch her past self and the General play around as if they had all the time in the world. Because they didn't.

Luna sighed, closing the holo novel in her hand as she leaned against the array of pillows behind her, careful not to move too much. The General and her past self. The teen knew what was coming. The teen knew what he was fated to become.

And she had to know that she couldn't do it. Luna was living proof that she had failed.

And that was the worse part. The Sith apprentice's feelings and mind may have been at war on most matters regarding Anakin Skywalker, but they seemed to agree on the fact she ought to prevent—try to prevent—his fall. She was too stubborn to give it up. The past her had taken the jump, as had Vader's Shadow many years ago.

The hardest part was jumping—the falling happens by itself. The teen was in free fall now and whether or not she ended up on rocks or in water was up to the General.

Luna had very obviously ended up on the rocks. Yet, she still couldn't bring herself to stop caring enough to not try to find a way to help him even though most of her instincts screamed to stay away. Told her to stay by her Master's side where it was safe.

But she knew she couldn't do that. As soon as she was healed enough, Vader would want her to be the bridge between himself and the Rebels to try and get things done.

Luna shook her head, deciding to worry about it later as she opened up her holobook and went back to reading.

Chapter II

"I wonder what's behind this door," Luke muttered to himself, staring at the rather plain looking door that was wider than usual. They'd been exploring the base for the past few days, trying to figure out the layout and what not. It was far from the first time they'd come across an odd looking door and opened it to see what was on the other side. At first they always approached these unknowns cautiously, but after the first dozen had nothing really out of the ordinary—relatively normal like oversized kitchens or a landing pad fit for a star destroyer, definitely out of the ordinary at any other regular Imperial base—on the other side.

"Well, let's open it and find out," Obi-Wan suggested, already reaching for the control panel. Moments later, the door slid open revealing an enormous chamber holding aisles and aisles of holo books.

"Darth Vader has a library," Luna muttered in shock. "Did not see that one coming."

Han whistled, "Now that's a lot of books."

"Wonder what kind they are," Leia said, venturing forward, looking around.

"Do you think some of them could be from the Jedi Archives?" Luna asked, quickly following the Princess. "So much knowledge of the Force might be in here, salvaged from the Temple."