In this Chapter, Darth Vader finds himself transformed, once more, into Anakin Skywalker and meets a friend from long ago.
I
Darth Vader in the Afterlife
As the heavy black helmet was lifted away, the bright lights of the docking bay stung Lord Vader's damaged eyes. Already he could feel the dizzying effects of oxygen deprivation. The Emperor's blue Force lightening had melted key components of the life support system built into his body armor. Without it, his seared lungs could not deliver sufficient oxygen to his brain.
Looking up, Vader struggled to focus on the blurred image of his son's face, hovering just above him. Luke was smiling. As that smile merged in his mind with Padmé's, a subtle warmth enveloped him. Yet, even as his sense of connection to his former life strengthened, a new anxiety gripped him. The space station was now dangerously close to breaking up.
"Now go, my son. Leave me," Anakin Skywalker gasped, struggling for breath.
"No, I've got to save you …." Luke insisted.
"You already have," Anakin replied wonderingly. "You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister. You were right."
Although his sight had darkened, Anakin felt a profound sense of peace. The pain ebbed. Then, unexpectedly, his vision cleared. To his surprise, Anakin found himself watching from several yards away as Luke dragged his body into the space shuttle. Bewildered, he followed Luke up the ramp, watching as Luke shut the shuttle's doors and prepared for take off.
Sitting down in the co-pilot's seat, Anakin admired the way Luke steered the shuttle out of the collapsing docking bay. Once they were well away from the Death Star, Anakin asked his son about their destination. But Luke remained intent on piloting the ship and seemed not to hear.
"Leave him be, for now," said a quiet voice nearby. Turning, Anakin saw a light-filled figure that seemed to regard him with a mixture of affection and compassion. Startled, it took Anakin several moments to recognize the features and demeanor of Qui-Gon Jin, the Jedi master who had, long ago, rescued him from slavery on Tatooine.
"I thought you were dead…" Anakin murmured, wondering if he might be dreaming.
"I am," Qui-Gon replied with a conspiratorial smile, directing his attention to the body lying on the floor. "So are you."
With a sense of shock, Anakin stared at the body, recognizing the body armor, then looked back at Qui-Gon.
"The afterlife can be difficult to get used to, at first," Qui-Gon said conversationally.
Anakin's mind was spinning. All around them, the battle continued. Luke was expertly guiding the shuttle away from the disintegrating Death Star. Rebel fighters intermittently fired on them, mistaking the shuttle Luke had commandeered for an enemy ship. Instinctively, Anakin turned his attention to the co-pilot consol, trying to adjust the deflector shields for maximum effectiveness. His efforts had no effect.
"Come here," Qui-Gon said, beckoning.
Anakin reluctantly got up and followed him into the small lavatory at the back of the shuttle. "Take a look," Qui-Gon said, pointing at the mirror.
Anakin looked into the mirror. He could see no trace of himself reflected in the mirror's surface. Starting to feel impatient, Anakin turned away, his pilot's instincts pulling him back toward the cockpit.
"Luke can pilot the shuttle," Qui-Gon said, guessing his intent. "It would be best if you left him alone for now. Your presence might interfere with his ability to focus. Without a body, the mind is less shielded than when it is merged with a physical brain."
Able to make no sense of Qui-Gon's words, Anakin tried to push past him to get back to the cockpit. When Qui-Gon refused to budge from his position in the narrow hallway, Anakin tried to shove his way past. To his surprise, he found himself walking through the corridor wall. Startled and puzzled, he backed up and stared at Qui-Gon.
With a sad smile, Qui-Gon again pointed to the floor. This time, Anakin looked more carefully at the black-shrouded form near the door. From this angle, its wilted, disfigured face was hideously exposed. Anakin experienced wave of involuntary revulsion, along with a deep feeling of shame. Was that what had become of him? Helplessly he looked at Qui-Gon.
"All bodies eventually wear out," Qui-Gon observed with a shrug. "You just sped up the process by the way you chose to live your life."
There was no blame in Qui-Gon's voice, yet Anakin shivered inwardly. The image of Luke writhing under the Emperor's searing barrage of Force lightening filled his mind. He remembered how, standing just steps away, he had watched the emperor torture his son. For long moments, Anakin allowed that agony to continue, unable to master his own will and seize the opportunity to save Luke.
Taking his dominance over Vader for granted, the Emperor had left his back exposed. Desperately, Anakin struggled against the paralyzing despair that had sunk its talons deep into his spirit. At last, he tore himself free. Grabbing the Emperor, Anakin groaned as the blue Force lightening had incinerated the life support systems that had kept him alive. Franticly, the Emperor struggled to break loose from the grip of his long-time apprentice, depleting his last reserves of power.
Even as the acrid smell of melting metal and plastic made it clear that the vital life support systems built into Anakin's body armor were damaged beyond repair, Anakin experienced a fierce joy. The full power of the Force coursed through him once again. The inner dragon that had consumed his resolve retreated, held at bay by aspects of the Force that, as a Sith, Darth Vader had spurned.
As he threw Darth Sidius down the reactor shaft, Anakin experienced a moment of heightened awareness when he had almost expected to turn and see … what? Something he had sensed for a fleeting moment. Anakin gazed at the black-clothed body on the floor. As a Sith, he had fully expected his consciousness to flicker out, like a used up candle, when he breathed his last. Yet, he was standing here … and Qui-Gon was with him.
"You said that we were both dead…" Anakin said hesitantly, looking back at Qui-Gon and remembering his former mentor's earlier words.
"There was nothing in your Jedi training to warn you of this," Qui-Gon replied carefully. "At the time when you entered the Jedi Order, we assumed that the death of the body meant the loss of individual identity. We have learned a great deal about physical death since then."
Recalling his own role in the Great Jedi Purge, Anakin looked away. Till now, Qui-Gon had shown no awareness of the role his former protégé had played—or what he had become—in the years following Qui-Gon's fatal confrontation with Darth Maul on Naboo.
"We all make mistakes," Qui-Gon observed quietly, as if reading Anakin's thoughts. "But, as a result of your actions, the Sith have been defeated."
Staring at the black-robed body he had once inhabited, Anakin nodded. As Darth Vader, he had killed the Emperor. Then, as Darth Vader, he had died, ridding the galaxy of the Sith presence. Now, both Sith Lords were dead. That thought brought a measure of acceptance. But, if Anakin was no longer Darth Vader, what was he? How could what he was experiencing be explained?
Leaving Anakin to his musings, Qui-Gon moved toward the front of the shuttle. He paused behind Luke, who was now searching for a place to land the shuttle on the forest moon of Endor. Although Luke seemed not to see him, Qui-Gon's presence appeared to strengthen Luke's own connection to the Force. The uncertainty in Luke's face turned to confidence as he guided the shuttle into a small clearing in the trees.
