Epilogue

A flurry of voices accompanied Anakin as he began what he knew would be his journey into the Force. But it wasn't what he expected-the sounds were harsh and garbled, hard to discern one from another but growing more distinct every moment. The light changed from luminescent to glaring, and he found himself holding back. Then came the pain...Force, was it strong. He had difficulty breathing-perhaps something was invasively breathing for him-and he felt the effects of warmth slip away, replaced by cold, uneven reality.

Why did he hurt so much?

Voices. Coming in focus. "He's waking up...get a healer...now..."

Machines were beeping, monitors sounding, and Anakin felt the peace and certainty remove from him; he instinctively wanted to reach back to where he came, to feel Qui-Gon again.

Then he heard Padme's voice, mingled with her tears, becoming more coherent. Her hand was on his forehead.

"Open your eyes," she whispered softly, a prayer.

Reaching in her direction, he willed his eyelids to comply.

Leia stood near the corner of the room, unable to help the healers as they rushed in and out but unwilling to leave, and watched her father. As his eyes opened and slowly came into focus, she smiled, without hesitation or uncertainty.

They were blue.

Like the Alliance to Restore the New Republic, recovery time for Anakin was slow, fragmented, and not without setbacks. Healers realized the extent of his dependency on machines, and worked in his convalescence to repair them, a little at a time. The fall of the Empire, while challenging, freed up resources previously unavailable to the Alliance, and Anakin was among those who benefited from them. Unlike the Empire, they were not miserly in their issuance of medical care, working diligently to help all of their patients. Anakin knew only the Republic would show such mercy. Deep down, he'd always known.

One day during his physical therapy, Mon came to visit him.

"How is your recovery coming along?" Her concern seemed genuine.

"Fine," he admitted, a little shyly.

"I've been considering your situation...we can't pressurize and oxygenate every place you go. It's just not possible." she said softly.

He nodded and felt sadness settle. Of course she was right; he would have to be quarantined, and pay the consequences for his crimes. His fate was in their hands now.

"Therefore," she continued. "A healer specialist has been located. Quite innovative and renowned in his field, from what I understand. He has the capabilities to give you the stem cell lung transplant you need to function normally."

Anakin looked up, unable to speak. His wish to return to normal, while serving the Empire, had always postponed until it seemed an impossible goal, forever out of reach. Faced with the prospect of gaining freedom from the suit...able to feel immersion in water...to breathe real air again. No more meditation chambers. He could go anywhere. He found it hard to believe.

He looked up at Mon and nodded; words couldn't adequately express his gratitude. "Thank you." he said simply.

A small smile crossed her lips. "Well...I have to attend to business now. I wish you a speedy recovery." She turned to look at him once more before she left. "Anakin."

He felt an understanding, unspoken, pass between them. After the moment passed he grinned to himself, thinking of Padme, Leia, and Mon.

Perhaps politicians weren't so bad.

Many changes took place with the rise of the New Republic, and would continue to form and reform for years to come.

Luke, now a Jedi Master and leader of the New Jedi Order, was starting a training Academy on Yavin IV, the planet nearly destroyed by the first Death Star. Bast Castle, former home to Vader and Amidala, was a Force Sensitive region and with Anakin's support, Luke had it rebuilt into a secondary Jedi training facility. Luke's policies were reminiscent of the Old Jedi Order, but reflective of a new age. No longer would Jedi be trained strictly from birth without familial contact, and no longer would personal attachments be forbidden. Luke believed, like his father, that to deny love, to deny the need for companionship, was to deny one's own humanity.

He'd achieved what the Jedi or Sith never could-a balance between passion and peace.

Luke asked his father to serve alongside him, to be a Jedi Master on the new council, but Anakin gently declined. Luke may have been right in his belief that he'd mastered both darkness and light, but Anakin no longer felt the desire for power, or the need to fight. He would help, and mentor, his son in any way he could, but in the end just wished to quietly retire.

Padme felt the same. With the rise of the New Republic, Leia had taken on more Senatorial duties before she was appointed to the position of Minister of State by new Head of State Mothma. Leia could see her mother's political leanings, her potential, and asked her to join the high committee for the New Republic. Padme felt a stirring at the thought of the political arena she'd always loved but realized that being a leader to millions, while rewarding, was no more important in the end than being a role model to one family. She and Anakin were soon to build a quiet life together on Naboo, and enjoy the solitude they had fought lifetimes to have but never found.

Luke and Leia would visit their parents and extended family, sometimes just enjoying their simple activities in companionable silence, trying to learn each other slowly and recapture a lost childhood and years. The Bespin residence Anakin had created for his wife had been damaged, but was soon rebuilt to completion. It was often here Anakin and Padme went if they wanted to recapture the aerial planet of their union, or see Luke and Leia during a rest stop on one of their travels.

The official story released by the New Republic was that Anakin Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear, had been captured and imprisoned by the Empire after the end of the Jedi Purge and was recently freed. In a way, it was true.

Mon issued a general pardon to those working for the Empire who wished to come forward and support democracy. There were still factions, Imperial loyalists, who would challenge their cause. Perhaps there always would be. Predominantly, the New Republic was met with relief and overwhelming support, culminating in Galactic celebrations expressed through the traditions of each planet.

The cloning facilities on Kamino were shut down shortly after the rise of the New Republic. It was with acceptance, and some sadness, that Amidala marked this event, for it had been the place of her origin. But she knew life was too unique, and too fragile, to be manipulated anymore. In the end, while it brought her life and Anakin's redemption, it also yielded needless war and death for so many others. Anakin understood, as much as he loved her, that the unnatural continuity of life promised by the Sith was not as it should be.

A phrase of Luke's Jedi Code echoed in his mind. There is death, but there is always the Force...

He knew this was true, both by experience and in his heart. Vader-the anger and fear unleashed-would always be a part of him, but like anyone it was imperative he acknowledge and control his feelings. He could not allow even the loss of a loved one to consume him.

In the end, there is always the Force. The waiting, while painful, was only temporary.

The clone troopers that had served from the Clone Wars through the end of the Galactic Empire were decommissioned and placed in a transitional program to help them lead a normal life. Like children, they lacked the life skills to work and take care of themselves outside of a battlefield, trained only to follow orders. Some, recently born, would have an easier time learning how to have an opinion, how to think, and how to feel. Some would never fully regain their humanity.

Commander Hur was taken, much like R2D2 and C3PO had once been, into the custody of Anakin and Padme. Once his original programming was stripped and security orders removed, he was free to be a normal person.

Freedom was a relative thing.

It was sad and endearing to Padme, watching how lost he was sometimes, and how other times just needed to be told what to do. The most meaningful gift she ever gave him was a first name-Byyorn. It was Nubian for new life.

Then came the day, when the celebrations on Endor had long since passed and life resumed its normal flow, that Anakin stood before a funeral pyre with Padme. The Force felt different now; the spirit of hope and festivity still permeated the air around them. They stood in the forest where it began and ended, and slowly he brought the torch forward to ignite the pyre, watching the flames consume the dark suit as he symbolically laid his former self to rest.

Anakin would never have thought that, a year ago, he was Darth Vader and had every intention of ruling the galaxy as Sith. Years before, he was thoroughly immersed in darkness without hope of ever returning, light and love all but forgotten. Sometimes, the changes in one's self are so slow, so gradual that he didn't realize how far he'd come until he looked back. When he looked to his side and saw Padme, it made sense again. It was her strength that had made him unafraid to be Anakin.

The flames were dying, lessening, and Anakin felt a presence; he raised his head and saw the blue apparitions standing in the distance. Two. The first, small but wise, radiated peace and contentment even more so than in life. The second, ever the same as when Vader had taken his life on the Death Star, smiled proudly at Anakin, and he couldn't help but smile back. A third form phased to life beside the others, stepping forward to join them, and Anakin held his breath. He never thought he'd see the man he'd considered a hero and father figure again.

Without words, he understood he'd found Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon's forgiveness.

Then, as suddenly as they'd appeared, the apparitions flickered and were gone, dispersing into the Force and leaving Anakin alone. For a moment he felt sad. Padme slipped her hand into his, and when they were ready, they turned and departed into the twilight forest.

He would see them again. It wasn't final, there was only the Force. Forever. Here and now, he had a future to look toward.

The Empire had fallen, and in its wake, his children's legacy was rising.

Long live the Republic.