Star Wars

"The Path to Redemption"

Summary: The path to redemption is paved with forgiveness, hope, and love…something Anakin Skywalker, with the help from his children, is about to find out.

Author's Note: This takes place at the end of ROTJ.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to the George Lucas.

… Star Wars…

Chapter 4: Healing Old Wounds

It took them about an hour and a half to reach Base One, the ship that acted as both headquarters and hospital for the Rebel Alliance.

"You'd better hail them before they decide to fire on us," Luke told Leia, coming and sitting in the co-pilot's seat.

Leia scowled at him. "You're supposed to be resting," she reminded him, sternly.

Luke grinned boyishly.

"I went into a healing trance, Leia," he told her. "The aching I felt has been relieved and all I need to ward off the weariness is a good night's sleep. I'll have the medical droid take a look at my scrapes and bruises…"

"Good," Leia told him, relieved.

"After we make certain Father is going to be all right," he finished, stubbornly.

Leia sighed. "You're too stubborn for your own good," she commented.

Luke smiled.

"Father told me I get it from our mother," he said, proudly. "That means you must have his temper."

"Well, isn't that just terrific," Leia said, snorting. She opened a comm. channel to hail the ship.

"Leia Organa to Base One," she spoke to the command ship. "Commander Skywalker and I have a critically injured man aboard this vessel and are requesting medics meet us in the docking bay immediately. Commander Skywalker is also in need of their services."

: Leia! : Luke hissed at his sister mentally.

: Someone has to look after you while you're busy looking after him: she scolded him, nonplussed. : That's my job :

Luke scowled at her. : You know, I'm beginning to see why people say you're a royal pain in the—:

Luckily for him, the comm. beeped at just that moment.

"Base One to shuttlecraft," a voice came over the comm. link, interrupting him. "You have permission to dock. Medics are standing by."

Leia reached over and clicked off the comm. link. She glanced at her brother.

"Well," she said, taking a deep breath. "Here we go."

"I'll go get Father ready," he said, getting up.

"What are you going to do?" Leia asked, curious. "Try to hide the suit?"

"No," Luke told her. "I want to make certain that the respirator is functioning properly in case the medics don't have one on hand right away."

"Right," Leia said, steering toward the docking bay.

They landed and she released the ramp to allow the medics on board. She met them at the door.

"Your Highness," the chief medic, a woman by the name of Tara Danes, greeted her. "Where's the patient?"

"Right this way," she said, and led them into the back.

A loud gasp sounded when they got a good look at the black clad figure lying on the bunk.

"You're Highness," Danes exclaimed, wide eyed. "That's—!"

"Your patient, Corporal," Luke told the woman, his voice unusually stern. "See to him immediately."

Luke rarely used his position as a commander, except during battle, but this was one time he was more than willing to pull rank.

"But, Commander," the woman exclaimed, still shocked. "That's Darth—"

"We know who he is, Corporal," Leia said, firmly. "We are also aware that he saved Commander Skywalker's life."

"He's also responsible for killing the emperor," Luke told them, seriously. "That is how he received his wounds."

"As far as you are concerned, however," Leia told her, sternly. "He is a defecting officer and shall be treated as such. Is that understood?"

All five of the medics came to attention, saluting both of them as the commanding officers they were.

"Of course," Danes said, swallowing hard. "We'll get him to sick bay right away."

Luke and Leia moved out of their way and watched as they made their cursory diagnosis of their patient.

"Lungs badly damaged," one medic reported after running a scan. "They're barely functioning at the moment…"

"Artificial limbs," another reported. "Below both elbows and both knees…"

"He's definitely going to need a lot of work," Danes said, sighing. "Let's get him to sick bay stat! Bring in the gurney!"

A sixth medic wheeled in a gurney and it took all six of them to boost the large armor clad man onto it.

As they wheeled him down, Danes looked at the twins.

"We'll do everything we can, Sir, Ma'am," she told them, and then headed after her patient.

"I'm going with them," Luke told his sister. "I want him to be able to sense my presence so he will stay calm."

Leia nodded, understanding.

"I'll join you once I've finished reporting to Mon Mothma," she told him.

"What are you going to tell her?" Luke asked, curiously.

"The truth," she told him, shrugging. "He's our father, Luke. There's no changing it."

"No," he agreed, "and I wouldn't want to change it."

With that, he headed after the medics and their father.

I would, Leia couldn't help but think.

Shaking her head, remembering what Obi-Wan had told her about learning to forgive, she knew she would have to give Anakin a chance to prove himself before making such assumptions.

Steeling herself, she headed out of the ship towards Mon Mothma's office.

This, she had a feeling, was going to take a while…

Meanwhile, Luke found his father had been wheeled immediately into surgery.

He reached out with the Force, hoping to get a read on how his father was faring.

Unfortunately, the only thing he received back was a warm fuzzy feeling that was altogether familiar.

He's gone into a healing trance, he realized suddenly. That's why his mind seemed so alert and yet his body didn't.

: Good job, son : his father's mental voice spoke to him and then the connection dissolved once more.

Luke sighed, knowing it was going to be a long night.

He sat down and waited for the medic to come talk to him…or for his sister to join him.

As it turned out, the former happened first.

"Commander," Danes came out dressed in scrubs some several hours later.

"How is he, Corporal?" he asked, concerned.

"We're repairing the damage done to his lungs right now, sir," she told him. "When we're done he won't need a respirator any more. We're also using a new type of advanced cloning to regenerate his missing limbs. His skin and hair, however, is going to be tricky. We don't know what he looked like before and without any healthy skin tissue we can't regenerate it."

"Is there another way to replace his skin and hair?" Luke asked, curious.

"Yes, sir, but we would need a relative of his," she told him. "Ideally, we'd need an offspring."

Luke nodded. "Take samples of my skin and hair," he told her. "Use those."

Danes looked puzzled. "I don't understand, sir," she said, confused.

"He's my father, Corporal," he told her, shocking her yet again. "There isn't time to explain how that's possible, all that matters is that I can donate what you need."

Danes' eyes were still wide, but she nodded.

"I'll take those samples right away," she said, and went to retrieve the necessary equipment.

She quickly took the samples and then returned to her patient.

It was then that Leia joined him. "How is he?" she asked, curious.

"Still in surgery," he told her, sighing. "I think it's going to be a while."

She nodded, but then glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

He might be good at hiding it from others, but she could tell he was exhausted.

"You need to rest, Luke," she told him, reaching out to move a stray lock of blonde hair out of his eyes.

He sighed. "I told you I would once he's all right," he replied, stubbornly.

Leia glared at him.

"You're impossible, you know that," she told him, running her fingers through his messy hair.

He smirked. "I love you, too," he said, sarcastically.

She snorted, and then sighed.

"Mon Mothma wants to know immediately when he's out of surgery and what his condition is," she told him. "She's meeting with General Madine and Admiral Ackbar now to let them know he's here."

"I take it we're not required to be there?" he asked, hopefully.

"No," she told him. "She wants us to remain right here. Since you're being stubborn, I think I'm going to go let Han know what's going on. You really do need to rest, Luke…"

Luke grinned, shaking his head as he watched her exit the hospital wing.

Sisters!

~TBC~