Inescapable
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: AU, post RotJ. There is no death; there is the Force. Anakin never really understood what Yoda had meant by that…not until he died. Not until he died, only to be given another chance at life. And this time, maybe he's changed enough to avoid his descent to darkness completely…but then again, maybe not.
A/N: This is my first Star Wars fanfiction, so let's see how this goes, shall we? You'll have to forgive me if I get any Star Wars terminology and the like wrong; like I said I'm new to this. If I do get something wrong, and it's bugging you, then please drop me a line and let me know. The continuation of this story rests solely on reader interest; if you guys keep interested, then I'll keep writing it. Savvy? The chapters will normally be much longer then this, but as it is a prologue…
Chapter one: Prologue; Escaping the Inescapable
Luke dragged him up, grasping the black cloak and dragging him up to face level. He stared at his son through the dark eye holes of his helmet, taking a deep rattling breath before speaking his last words to his only son.
"Luke…" He rasped, panting heavily with effort. "Help me take…this mask off…" Luke's worried face stared anxiously back at him, his blue eyes shining with compassion, even for a man that had nearly destroyed everything.
"But you'll die!" Luke gasped, staring anxiously at his father.
He shook his head slightly, cringing inwardly at the pain that the simple movement caused him. "Nothing…can stop that…now…" He paused for a breath, tilting his head up slightly to get a better view of his son. "Just…for once, let me…look on you, with my own eyes…" His voice strengthened with his resolve as his son nodded slightly. Luke then reached forward, hesitating for a moment, before tenderly grasping the sides of the helmet and gently sliding it off with a low hiss. He placed the helmet beside him, before turning back to his father. Luke then placed his hands on either side of the metallic mask, slowly pulling it off his bruised and broken face, placing it beside the helmet. Luke smiled at him, and after a short moment, he smiled back.
Luke placed a hand on his shoulder, his force energy swirling around him. He could feel nothing but compassion and empathy in his son's hold on the force…so very unlike his own. No, his grasp on the living force was tainted by darkness, a darkness that he would never truly be able to vanquish, so polluted was the tiny amount of good left in him.
"Now…Go, my son…" He rasped, his blue eyes meeting the identical ones of his son's. "Leave me…" He gasped, his voice cracking as the words got caught in his throat. Luke shook his head, refusing to believe the plain truth of the matter; Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker, Luke's very own father, was dying.
"No!" Luke cried, "You're coming with me! I'll not leave you here; I've got to save you!"
He shook his head, determination in his eyes. "You…already have, Luke. You were right…You were right about me! Tell your sister…you were right." He smiled at his son, ignoring the pain of his aching muscles. He sighed slightly, almost…contentedly. His eyes drifted shut, blinking once, before closing again. The last thing he ever saw was the image of his son, having forgiven him. He had been forgiven.
…
I always wondered what it would be like to die…I guess now I'll find out.
Master Yoda always used to say,
There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no chaos; there is harmony.
There is no death; there is the Force.
There is no death; there is the Force.
There is no death…there is the Force…
I wonder if that's true?
Death is something you spend your entire life preparing for. Life itself, is really just a prelude for death. Death is inevitable. Inescapable. Is it then cruel to give us life, only to ruthlessly snatch it away in the form of death? Would it be better never to know life, if only so that once you die you don't miss it? Afterall, you can't miss what you never had. No, perhaps I am not as prepared for my own death as I think I am.
Alas, I do accept it. Want it? No. Ready for it? No. But death will come, whether or not I want it. Whether or not I feel ready for it. For death is the one fate that every living organism shares. We are all born, we all live, and then we all die. There are no exceptions. Ever.
Say Master Yoda was right. That there is no death, there is the Force. I know the Force exists; my very life is proof of that. What I am unsure of, is whether the Force replaces death. I wish I could believe that when we die, we return to the Force.
Who knows, maybe there is death…maybe there isn't. Either way, I am about to find out.
…
Anakin Skywalker opened his eyes, surprised and unsettled to find himself alive, and least of all, standing up. His eyes darted around the tiny space he was standing in, before flicking to the tall figure in a brown cloak who stood beside him. His arms were crossed in front of him, he wore an almost solemn expression. His hair was a browny-red colour, he sported a short beard that made him look older then he possibly was. It took a total of three seconds as Anakin stared at the man blankly, before recognition clicked. Then, he screamed.
…
Obi-wan Kenobi forwned slightly as he felt the Force shift subtlely around him. The sensation soon faded, and he turned to look at his young padawan. His blue eyes met the shocked lighter blue ones of Anakin, his frown deepening as a look of utter horror spread across the young man's face. Suddenly, Obi-wan jumped visibly as Anakin let out a shrill scream, backing away from his master.
"Anakin!" Obi-wan exclaimed, taking a quick step closer to his padawan. "Anakin, what's the matter?" Anakin backed away further, finally hitting the glass wall of the elevator. His eyes were widened in a look of utmost terror, and they were trained directly on his master. Obi-wan heard the faint ding as the elevator reached their floor, but he ignored it as he placed a hand on his padawan's trembling shoulder. There was a soft hiss as the doors opened, but that too went unnoticed.
"G-get away from me!" Anakin whispered, a tear falling from his eye. Obi-wan was utterly torn by his padawan's frightening behaviour; he had no idea what he had done to make Anakin fear him so greatly.
"Anakin look at me!" He pleaded. Obi-wan knew he sounded desperate, but the young man was like his brother. What could have shaken him so badly that he had reacted this way to his master? "Anakin, it's me! Obi-wan! Please tell me what's wrong!" He pleaded, grasping Anakin's shoulder tightly.
Anakin's eyes widened even more, as if he had just had his suspicions horribly confirmed. He trembled for a few more moments, before he fell limp against Obi-wan in a dead faint. Obi-wan caught his body easily, lifting him up effortlessly and striding out of the elevator, a grim expression on his face. He hurried down the corridor, calling out to the first thing he saw. He vaguely recognised it as the Gungan Jar Jar Binks whom Qui-gon had rescued before they had ended up stranded on Tatooine.
"Help me!" He shouted, gaining the Gungan's attention.
"Obi?" The Gungan paused, before rushing forward. "Obi!"
"Not now!" Obi-wan snapped, thrusting his padawan forewards. "My padawan needs immidiate medical attention!"
"Ofcourse! Mesa get you Captain Typhoo! Yesa mesa get you him rights awaysa!" With that, the Gungan hurried back down the corrider, reappearing only moments later with Senator Padme and a dark skinned man with a black eye patch in tow.
"I am Captain Typhoo. Jar Jar tells me you need urgent medical assistance?" The dark skinned man stated, striding foreward quickly.
"Yes, it is my padawan. He was perfectly fine one moment, we were having a normal conversation and he was acting as he normally does. Then, the next moment, I felt a very slight disturbance in the Force. I turned to look at Anakin to gather if he had felt it too, as he is more Force sensitive then I am. He looked abosloutly terrified of me! He backed away from me looking like I was the most horrifying thing he had ever laid eyes on. I stepped closer to him, and he stepped away. I cornered him against the wall of the elevator and grasped his shoulder, and he fainted." Obi-wan explained, forcing himself to reamin calm and practical.
Padme's eyes widened from behind Typhoo as she heard Anakin's name. "Anakin? As in Ani Skywalker from Tatooine?" Obi-wan merely nodded shortly as Typhoon examined his padawan.
Finally, Typhoo stepped back, shaking his head. "I'm afriad I know nothing of the ways of the Force, I am merely of her majesty's secruity service. Let us take him to the medical bay at the jedi temple. Perhaps they can help your padawan there."
…
"Odd, unexpected, and unexplainable young Skywalker's condition is. Carefully, you must watch him." Jedi master Yoda stated sagely, hovering cross legged beside the bed where Anakin lay.
"Of course Master Yoda." Obi-wan replied with a tense nod, before his attnetion returned to his padawan. "I do not understand it…what could possibly have caused this reaction in Anakin?"
"Know what has caused this I do not. Anything, it could be. Felt a strange sensation through the force, you said you did? Explain it, you shall."
Obi-wan nodded deeply to the small green jedi master. "It was an odd feeling…like the Force around us was being replaced or changed. It felt the same afterwards, but I definitely felt the transition of…whatever it was. Anakin started this at the same moment I felt the disturbance, maybe they are somehow linked."
"Doubt this, I do not. Likely it is that this disturbance you felt caused young Anakin's state. Nothing but wait and watch, we can do."
"What will happen to him Master Yoda? Will he recover?" Obi-wan's voice wavered slightly as he spoke, but if Yoda had heard it, he showed no signs of it.
"Always in motion the future is. No way to determine the out come there is. Call me you will, if changes your Padawan does." Yoda left with that, giving Obi-wan a curt nod in farewell.
Obi-wan turned back to his padawan, worry shining in his eyes. "Please recover Anakin…I need you."