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Leia’s blue lightsaber clashed against Vader’s red, sparks flying. Luke stood at her side, blocking and slashing as furiously as ever even with his dominant hand gone, and they pushed him back together.
“You are both powerful,” Vader said. “It almost seems a waste to cut down such potential. You could join me.”
“Never,” Leia spat. Luke blocked Vader’s sword with his saber as he swung at Leia again.
“You are on the losing side,” Vader said. “You bear a slave name, Leia Skywalker, the Jedi will not grant you freedom. They will bind you to their rules, keep you under their power, under their control, they will keep you from each other. Join me and I will grant you power beyond your wildest dreams.”
“We don’t want power,” Luke said. “And the only ones keeping slaves are the ones your Empire gives power and wealth. You have no idea what our name means.”
“There are hundreds of Skywalkers across the galaxy. It is a name that belongs to slaves.”
“It is a name that belongs to free people,” Leia said. “Freed in the name of our grandmother. Our father was no slave, he was a great Jedi and a general of the Republic, a leader second only to our mother.”
“Your grandmother?” Vader asked.
“Leia, Luke, get away from him!”
“Padmé,” Darth Vader said. He turned and Luke and Leia tried to push past him to get to her.
“Hello, Anakin. It’s been a very long time.”
“Mother?” Leia asked.
“Mother,” Vader said. “They are our-”
“They are not yours,” their mother said. “They are my children; you lost your right to them when you became this.”
“Mother, what are you talking about?” Luke asked.
“I had no choice,” Vader said. “Obi Wan left me for dead-”
“You became Vader before you left for Mustafar, Anakin. You destroyed the Order; you overthrew the Republic. Those younglings...”
“I was trying to save you!”
“You destroyed democracy! You knew I would never want the Galaxy to become this!”
“Your democracy allowed my mother to live in slavery.”
“And what have you changed? What is better now? Name one thing, Anakin.”
“Padmé-”
“No. No, you did this. You aren’t surprised to see me. You knew I was alive. I’m surprised Palpatine didn’t send word across the galaxy.”
“It would only encourage the Rebellion,” Vader- their father- said.
“I lead the Rebellion. Let my children leave and I will surrender to you.”
“No, Mother,” Luke said. “Mother, don’t, Mother-”
Two Stormtroopers grabbed hold of her and she didn’t fight.
Leia did.
She swung her lightsaber with fury at the man she’d once begged to know. Vader raised his hand and Luke, her idiot brother, jumped between them, taking the blast of the Force meant for her. He flew back towards the exhaust, caught off balance by his sudden movement, and tumbled out of sight.
She had a split second to make a decision.
“Luke!” Leia threw herself across the room to try and reach where he was barely hanging on by the tips of his fingers. She grabbed his arm and pulled. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
“Leia.”
Leia sat next to Luke. He was flexing his new fingers with a blank look on his face.
“Does it still hurt?” she asked.
“Just feels strange,” he said. “Who upset you?”
“Who says I’m upset?” Leia asked. Luke just blinked at her. “People are leaving. They say the Empire won.”
“They haven’t.”
“They took Mother. Our father took Mother.”
“Ah,” Luke said.
“Why wouldn’t they tell us? Why let us believe he was dead?”
“They probably wished it was true. She wanted to spare us the hurt she felt.”
“Ben told us stories. We idolised him. And it’s Vader. They gave us his name.”
“No. Maybe it came to us through Anakin Skywalker but it was Grandmother’s first. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru gave us a home because they loved her and they loved us. They helped those people in Grandmother’s name. You don’t have to keep it. Whatever you choose, you are my sister and I love you, but you aren’t the legacy of Anakin Skywalker.”
“But I am his daughter.”
“You’re Mother’s daughter too. I see Uncle Bail in you, the two of you have always been so close, and above all you are Leia.”
“They all told me I was like him, Luke.”
“Then there must be good in him because I see nothing but good in you.”
“He’s Darth Vader. This is what Yoda meant about anger leading to the Dark Side. Why Jedi weren’t allowed attachments. Why I can’t go back to Dagobah with you.”
“Anger isn’t a bad thing. Your anger at injustice drives your desire to fix it. Maybe the Jedi were wrong about some things.”
“Luke...”
“Do you think I’m going to turn to the Dark Side?”
“Of course not, you’re Luke.”
“And you’re Leia. He’s my father too. And neither of us are our parents. Knowing who he is doesn’t have to change who we are.”
“He took Mother. Han’s gone. The Rebellion is giving up.”
“Not everyone. We can save them. It isn’t over yet.”
“How can you still be so optimistic?”
“Because they can take everything from us but hope. I won’t let them have my hope. And because my father might be Darth Vader but I had another father first. And because I still have you, and I believe in you.”
“They took Mother. They killed Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, and Ben. They destroyed Alderaan with Aunt Breha on it.”
“Then let’s stop them doing the same to anyone else.”