Chapter 4: Reunion
All Anakin could do was stand and stare at young Luke. His son, looked almost identical to him at that age. He could not believe it, Luke had the same blue eyes sandy blonde hair covering his head. Luke stood their looking at his father. He was pale white, bald and very tall. Of the one picture, he had seen of his father the only part that he recognized was his face. The long sandy blonde hair was gone replaced with pale skin.
After several minutes, Anakin looked at Obi Wan who had a smile from ear to ear.
"She was right, there is still good in him." Obi Wan thought.
"Obi Wan why are you smiling like that?" Anakin said perplexed why hey was smiling.
"Anakin I was wrong, the council was wrong about you I see that now."
"How so Obi Wan?"
"Yoda was right we should have let you, um I mean told you it was ok for you to have a family."
"You knew, you knew all that time!"
Anakin forgot about his son with a new hatred forming consuming him. In an instant, his saber was back in his hand, and the all too familiar snap hiss filled the corridor. Obi Wan found he was feeling the heat from the saber on his throat, but made no move to stop Anakin. Then Luke started to walk to his father.
"You and the Jedi you were a second family to me all I ever wanted was to have my mother with me, to have Padme, and you denied me, let me fall into darkness. You abandoned me Obi Wan! Why for some code! Was that code more important to uphold than help a friend in need?" Anakin yelled fuming at his old master.
"Anakin I made a terrible mistake, we all made terrible mistakes. But now we can atone for those mistakes." Obi Wan pleaded to his old friend.
"I suppose you think I should just forget how you left me on that lava planet to die like some criminal, you were like the father I never had Obi Wan after everything we went through. That fateful day it was like we never meet." Anaikin said in a deep hateful tone.
"Anakin I am Sorry." Was all Obi Wan could say.
The Darkness was consuming Anakin again, the clouds surrounding the last candle in his heart, the gust was coming in one final blow that would extinguish it forever, then Anakin heard the words that had been denied him for twelve years.
"Dad don't do it, I love you."
Those words three little words for most are taken for granted but for Anakin those words ignited all those candles that had burnt out, had now been reunited. Anakin's once light side presence had returned in full force.
"Dad, he made a mistake, the same as you did. The way I see it you both did the wrong thing, but you both can forgive each other." Luke said Placing a hand on his father pushing his hand away slowly.
Anakin looked towards his son and began to smile but before he could speak, Luke spoke again.
"If what Ben said about you is true, then you will not kill him. He is your brother and my uncle." Luke said staring deep into his fathers deep blue eyes.
"Uncle?" Anakin said looking down at Obi Wan. "I thought you took him as your own son?" Anakin said shifting his gaze to Obi Wan.
"No Anakin that was not my place. Besides I would never want to think I could ever replace you as Luke's father." Obi Wan said his gaze meeting Anakins.
Anakin let out a sigh his shoulders slumping deactivating his saber. "You are right Obi Wan, as you always are." Anakin said surrendering.
"I am not so certain Anakin, only if I would have listened to Padme that fateful day, you and I would still be friends and the Jedi would not be in this situation." Obi Wan said.
After considering Obi Wan's words Anakin moved to the side and helped Obi Wan to his feet. Both Sith and Jedi looked at each other and smiled. Embracing for the first time in thirteen years.
"Obi Wan I… I am so sorry." Anakin said tears rolling off his face.
"Shhhh Anakin all is forgiven." Obi Wan said tears rolling of his face as well.
"Bantha Poodoo." Anakin cursed.
"What is it Anakin?" Obi Wan said backing out of the embrace.
"You two have to leave now, I'll explain on the way." Anakin said.
"lets go then." Obi Wan said retriving his saber along the way.
Anakin retrieved his helmet and escorted Obi Wan and Luke to their ship. Along the way Anakin told Obi Wan how he felt Admiral Piett on Kamino he arrived unexpected. Anakin had to make sure Admiral Piett did not see Luke if he did he might make a connection and even with the good Admiral on his side he wasn't about to take any chances not this time at least.
"Crap Luke get on the ship now! Obi Wan put up your hood Admiral Piett is almost here."
"But Dad I.." Luke said trying to protest but knew all to well that his father was right someone was approaching.
"Just do it Luke." Obi Wan said pulling his hood deep over his head.
"I will meet you on Onderon in the capitol city in five days." Anakin said taking two paces back from Obi Wan.
"May the force be with you brother."
"And with you brother, it's show time." Anakin said putting on his helmet and the infamous breathing noise returned.
Obi Wan had a gut feeling that he knew what Anakin had up his sleeve, Obi Wan just hoped that it would be Lord Vader starting this and not him. Obi Wan chuckled at the thought of a unknown robed man and Lord Vader Dark Lord of the Sith just standing and staring at each other, doing nothing. Anakin snapped around and glared at Obi Wan for chuckling, and Obi Wan for the first time knew why everyone feared Lord Vader. He was a very imposing man out of the suit, with it and that breathing sent chills down Obi Wans spine. Ten seconds later Admiral Piett rounded the corner with a squad of storm troopers.
"Now Jodo Aurra go and bring him to me, alive is that understood." Lord Vader said point the trademark finger.
"Yes Lord Vader." Obi Wan said bowing slightly.
Obi Wan turned on his heal and entered his ship not wasting anytime taking off and setting a course for Onderon. Within several seconds, Admiral Piett was at attention behind Lord Vader.
"Lord Vader, we must leave at once." Piett said.
"Careful Admiral, I am in no mood." Vader hissed.
"Forgive me milord." Admiral said stepping closure to Lord Vader. "We need to hurry Milord my contact in the 501st tells me Mara Jade is close on our trail we must leave at once."
"Very well led the way Admiral."
Admiral Piett knew lord Vader was not happy at all. One he was supposed to send an unmanned shuttle, not come himself and with storm troopers. Plus it seemed that the surgery was not possible after all he was still in the suit. All Admiral Piett could do now was follow his orders it will become clear on the shuttle if Lord Vader was displeased at him. He will be dead.
Lord Vader followed behind the Admiral Piett and the storm troopers, stopping before he reentered the building looking in the direction where Obi Wan and Luke were in the night's sky, a tear formed and fell inside his mask hidden only he knew he was crying. However, these were tears of joy. Not sadness his family was returning to him, or was he returning to them.
"You were right my angle, you were right." Anakin sent into the force with that he sent his love to Luke through the force.
Luke received the message and returned it. Anakin beamed with pride his son loved him the only regret he had was he was unable to embrace his son. Nevertheless, that would have to wait he had to move and fast if his plan was to succeed.
XxX
"Milady we are dropping out of hyperspace." Commander Cody spoke over the intercom.
"I will be there shortly." Mara said exiting her cabin.
"How long till we land commander?" Mara asked still annoyed she might miss Vader and his captors.
"six minutes." Commander Cody replied.
"Commander I am picking up a shuttle reading…" One of the clones said from a tracking terminal.
"Heading where?" Mara asked.
"I lost them milady." Clone responded.
"Did you get a fix on their jump?" Mara said approaching the clone.
"Well sort of milady." The Clone answered.
"And what is that supposed to mean." Mara snapped.
"I was only able to get a partial triangulation. I was able to determine they are headed for the Cadavine Sector."
"Set course for that sector now." Mara commanded.
"Milady don't you want to investigate Kamino?" Commander Cody asked.
"No now do as I say. If we go to Kamino now we will loose the ion trail that shuttle emits." Mara snapped again.
"Course set." Commander Cody informing Mara.
"Engage now." Mara almost yelled.
XxX
"Admiral Piett join me." Lord Vader ordered.
"Yes Milord." Piett replied "well here is the end of the line for me."
Lord Vader Closed the door to his small cabin in the back of the shuttle. He sat down and told Admiral Piett to do the same. Lord Vader slowly undid his mask. Admiral Piett was about to protest but the helmet was off before he could get the words out. Lord Vader just smiled at the Admiral.
"Admiral Piett relax you did well if you wouldn't have come to get me two very important people in my life would either be dead or at the hands of the emperor. And that is something I can not allow."
"So you are not mad that I defied your orders milord?" Piett said still shaking.
"Admiral let me make this clear, I do not want mindless drones. True you are the only one to disobey my orders and live but you know me Firmus, for the short time I have known you I could sense the intense loyalty you had for me and that is why you get away with it.
Now that Admiral Piett was up to speed with were he stood with Lord Vader. Lord Vader finished to undo his mask and take it off. For the first time Admiral Piett saw the man behind the mask. Before was only three in the entire galaxy who knew who Lord Vader really was.
"What do you think Firmus, I know I am a little pale and I have no hair at the moment."
"I…I never thought I would ever get to see the man behind the mask milord, I am honored you would show me. I just have one question, I thought you needed the suit to breath milord?"
"I did Firmus, until I came across a medical report on lung repair, I like my suit really I do, it has a lot of functions that make me able to do things others couldn't. But I didn't want to die if the suit failed, so without the emperor's knowledge four years ago I got the procedure done and have been getting touch ups as the technology gets better."
It was funny to Piett it was as if he was talking to an old friend he knew for years Lord Vader was not this scary man that killed at a thought he was much more than that. Soon the conversation had ended and Lord Vader went into the plan of upcoming events.
Lord Vader started to lay out the plan for two crewmembers to be dressed as bounty hunters and take Lord Vader to Nym's stronghold where Admiral Piett and some storm troopers will 'rescue' him. Lord Vader went into detail and briefed the two-crew members himself.
"Crewman do you understand why we undertaking this mission?" Lord Vader said his voice a little deeper than usual.
"Yes milord, the rebel scum will be brought out into the open, we will not fail you." The crew members replied at once.
"See that you don't." Leave me." Lord Vader said waving them off.
"Yes milord." The two crewmembers said leaving the back of the shuttle.
"Admiral Piett how long till we arrive on Lok?" Anakin asked.
"Two hours milord." Admiral Piett responded.
"Go over the plan again with the two crew members I want this to be as believable as possible, and Captain make sure you plant that Captain's uniform on one of them." Anakin said about to leave.
"I will milord, but one question milord." Piett asked.
"What is it." Anakin said turning back to Piett.
"Why the uniform?"
"It is a contingency plan Admiral; I fear Mara will arrive before you do and if so we have to make her believe that they did in fact capture me now go brief them."
"As you wish milord." Piett said turning to finish with the crew.
"Oh and Firmus only call me that around the men, when we are in private call me Anakin." Anakin said.
"I will do that Anakin." Piett said turning once more.
XxX
Nym's strong hold was an impressive sight to see. He was more organized than the hutts was more ruthless than the black sun, but lacked the resources to expand his crime net work mostly because of the Zann Consortium. Tyber Zann had been able to out gun or out buy him at every corner. While Nym's was deep in his thoughts an aid came running in and whispered that two bounty hunters had captured a very interesting prize. One that Nym had to see him self. A little annoyed that he was called for what he thought was going to be trivial bounty. That was until he saw whom the bounty hunters had at their feet. One long look was all it took for Nym to almost crap his pants he could not believe two bounty hunters would be bold enough to, no stupid enough to think he would pay them for this bounty.
"Guards secure these scum." Nym said with his deep booming voice.
"What do you think you are doing? We have brought you Lord Vader we expect to get paid." One of the bounty hunters yelled.
"Fools are you that foolish to think someone would actually put up a bounty on a man who has the power to wipe an entire galaxy out of existence? On the other hand, are you that stupid to actually capture this man? They do not call him a Dark Lord of the Sith for nothing. You may have been able to catch him unexpectedly. However, I will not sacrifice all that I have rebuild to have it taken away again. Guards take these scum into custody."
"You cant, you will pay for this." The other bounty hunter yelled at Nym.
"No it is you who will pay for this. Guard take Lord Vader to the medical wing and treat him as if it was me on the table, alert me when he awakes." Nym said moving out of the guards way.
"As you wish Nym." One of the guards said picking up Lord Vader.
Nym thought long and hard what he was going to do but that was something he was good at getting out of sticky situations he was a master tactician, a trade he was glad to have he would need it in order to get out of this.
XxX
A medium imperial cruiser entered the Lok system gracefully making its way to the only installation on Lok, Nym's stronghold.
"Commander when we land I want you and a squad of the best men aboard with me."
"As you command milady."
Within minutes, the small craft had landed. Nym himself greeted Mara and Commander Cody. He brought them to the medical wing explaining the situation along the way that two bounty hunters had brought Lord Vader to him as a bounty and that he had them in custody and he was treating Lord Vader to the best of his abilities.
"Nym you have done well and will be rewarded well from the empire." Mara stated matter of fact.
"Thank you I am sorry I don't know your name." Nym said extending his hand to hers.
"It would be best that you don't, I will tell you that if Lord Vader is the right hand man of the Emperor then I would be the Emperors left."
"I see milady forgive me, this way." Nym said gesturing Mara down the hall.
When Nym and Mara entered the medical wing, they found that Lord Vader was not anywhere to be found.
"Where is Lord Vader?" Nym asked the medical droid.
"Lord Vader left to your audience chamber." The droid replied.
When Nym and Mara entered the audience chamber, he found several of his body guards laying on the floor and one suspended in the air.
"You will release the bounty hunters to me at once." Lord Vader said as bones could be heard breaking.
The guard unable to reply due to his throat crushing by Vader's unseen hand.
"Lord Vader they will be released to you at once, my apologies for my men they are extremely loyal to me as I am to the empire." Nym said giving a slight bow.
"If you are so loyal to the empire than so would be your men Nym, do not try to fool me Nym, you may have taken the right path this time and I will over look your little operation for a time. Now release the bounty hunters into my custody." Vader demanded crossing his arms.
"As you command milord." With that Nym left the audience chamber to retrieve the bounty hunter's he had a very close call if he would have tried to keep Lord Vader he would have been the one hanging in the air.
"Mara you may return to the emperor your services are no longer needed." Vader ordered.
"Lord Vader you may be second in command but you know as well as I do If I do not interrogate and execute those bounty hunters it will be my head on the emperor's wall." Mara snapped at Vader.
"And I will remind you are no Sith and you are in no position to order me around. Commander Cody take Mara back to Coruscant."
"As you command milord." Commander Cody snapped to attention and gestured for Mara to follow.
"What I am in Command here." Mara hissed.
"Mara you fail to see that the 501st is mine not the emperors I command them only I or a direct order from him will they obey, you have no power Mara you are merely a tool for the emperor to use as he wishes." Vader hissed in pure joy to Mara.
Mara stormed out of the stronghold furious with Vader and his control over everything. It was not the first time Vader had over ruled her and with each time the hatred for him grew.
"Soon I will be the right hand of the emperor, and you Lord Vader will lay at my feet dead."
XxX
"Ben I was wondering you said no one can return from the dark side, but I feel a change in my dad." Luke asked looking up from a Jedi holocron.
"Luke I was wrong about your father, it was his attachments that keep him attached to the light with out them he had no anchors to the light." Obi Wan said turning to young Luke.
"Do you think he will join us again. I mean leave the emperor." Luke asked placing the holocron back in its case.
"That I do not know Luke, only time will tell, but if I know your father he is not out of the woods yet. He will have to act like Vader to complete his plans. And that means he has to use the darside to convince the emperor he has not changed."
"I think I understand, how much longer to Onderon?" Luke asked trying to change the subject.
"About a day or so Luke. Try to get some rest." Obi Wan said making his seat more comfortable.
It was easy for Luke to get conferrable in the small craft, he was small enough he could stretch out. For Obi Wan that was a different case it had been sometime since he had to sleep in a small craft. All at once, Obi Wan remembered all the times he and Anakin on old missions had to sleep in their fighters waiting for their target or mission. Of course, Obi Wan had to smile Anakin hated waiting for anything he would be restless till the end. Then the memory of leaving in a small craft leaving his brother for what he thought was certain death, pushed its way back into his mind the thought of leaving had hurt so bad but not as much when he discovered that Vader was Anakin. After that, Obi Wan had started to becoming obsessed with finding a way to bring Anakin back even if it meant him dying by his hand. But now that wouldn't be necessary with Anakin discovering his children and with him seeing one of them his force signature for the first time in twelve years was more bright than before when he was in the light.
"Welcome back Anakin, it's a good day today, the first steps toward redemption." Obi Wan said to himself before nodding off.
XxX
"Commander Cody patch me a secure line to the emperor and send it to my room." Mara ordered even though she knew she had no real power anymore.
"As you wish milady" Commander Cody said trying to hold back his smirk.
As soon as Mara was out of ear shoot he sent a priority message to Lord Vader all that he said was "be prepared milord"
"Rise my hand, what have you discovered?" The Emperors blue figure spoke.
"I tracked the bounty hunters to Nym's stronghold on Lok master. They had taken Lord Vader there to collect the bounty on his head."
"I never approved a bounty on Lord Vader Mara who placed the bounty?" He asked coldly.
"I was unable to investigate any further Lord Vader took over and ordered Commander Cody to escort me back to Coruscant." Mara said her blood boiling.
"That is expected Mara Lord Vader will be able to get the information much faster than you I am afraid, you lack the skill he possess. Return to Imperial center you have done well my hand. After you have cleaned up come see me I have a new mission for you. One Lord Vader will know nothing about and you will have all the tools necessary to complete without interference from Lord Vader."
"As you Command milord" Mara said turning off the transmission.
"Ah Lord Vader what are you up to I feel your shift in the force, someone has brought you an anchor back, your time is at a close my old friend what a shame."
The emperor stood and moved to his window and dwelled on his actions thus far. He knew that Anakin would be easy to convert but keeping him was entirely different with his wife dead and the Jedi as the enemy he was his but if his unborn child did survive than he would loose his hold on Vader.