Chapter 45
It has to be done.
Darth Vader repeated the mantra over and over in his head. There was simply no other way to justify what he was doing, not when every attack - every violent slash, every brutal stab – was cutting so deeply and so painfully into his heart. Had he not been pushed to the absolute limits of the human mind to endure, he would have cast his lightsaber away, fallen to his knees, and begged Anakin to forgive him. He could not stand to see his brother look at him with such hatred, blaming him for everything that had happened to his wife. It tore Vader apart, especially since everything he had done since joining the Sith had been to save Anakin from experiencing the same feeling of betrayal that Vader had felt when the Jedi Council abandoned him. Looking into Anakin's face, his blue eyes now brimming with pain and anger, he knew that he had failed.
It has to be done.
Nevertheless, Vader could not help but feel anger, even rage, towards his former apprentice. How could he be so short-sighted? Could he not see that having gone through such an ordeal, he was infinitely stronger? What cursed hold had the Jedi placed on his mind that he could not understand the truth? Anakin had always been stubborn, but his current threshold for delusion and denial was staggering. He had always been able to reason before, even when he held a deep emotional stake in the matter at hand. Now, he was withdrawing further and further into a labyrinth of irrationality, and Vader's patience had finally snapped.
Anakin would see the truth. He would see it, and he would embrace it, even if Vader had to reach into his mind and tear out everything that contradicted his ability to reason. It would happen even if he had to leave him bloodied and broken on the ground, hurt as badly as Vader himself had been, for it was only through pain that true revelations could come.
It has to be done.
Vader's lungs burned, not only from exhaustion and the sulfurous atmosphere, but also from his old injury. The mechanical respirator supplementing his right lung had been damaged when Anakin had thrown him into the wall, and now his left lung was working overtime to compensate for it. By drawing on the power of the Dark Side, he was able to ensure that the loss of strength did not hinder his ability to fight, but if the duel were to drag on long enough, he would grow progressively weaker as the pain ate away at his defenses. Therefore, he had to finish off Anakin, and quickly.
Vader lashed out at Anakin's torso with blinding speed. The young Jedi countered, taking another step backwards along the extended balcony. They were a dozen meters away from the door to the control room now, drawing closer to the end of the walkway. Only a few narrow pipes branched off from there, leading into a smog so dense that Vader's eyes could barely penetrate it. If he had learned anything from this duel, it was that in close quarters Anakin would fight with an even greater intensity, but he would also be more prone to making a mistake. Vader was by no means certain that he would survive long enough to exploit that mistake, but he had to try.
He swept low with his weapon, forcing Anakin to jump to avoid his legs being severed. The Jedi did a back flip and landed a few paces closer to the end of the balcony. Vader closed the distance and engaging him once more, baring his teeth in concentrated fury as he matched Anakin's power. Anakin gave more ground.
They reached the end. The pipes shook from the stress of supporting their own weight and the tremors emanating from the mountain on which the facility was built.
Anakin's back touched the rail that bounded the balcony's edge. A mixture of surprise and anger flashed across his face as he realized that Vader had outflanked him. Smiling coldly, Vader raised his blade for the crippling strike.
Anakin flung himself out of the way, and Vader's lightsaber sheared through the protective railing. The Dark Lord of the Sith spun around, but Anakin rose up and slammed into him, knocking his former master back through the gap in the railing and onto the trembling pipeline. Vader landed hard, but managed to stay on his feet and quickly anchored himself to avoid falling into the molten abyss that yawned beneath him.
Anakin jumped down and landed like a cat, perfectly balanced. He advanced towards Vader, his face deadly. The Sith laughed, an action that he knew would provoke Anakin further. The time had come to raise the stakes.
Anakin lunged at Vader with blade extended, then reversed his grip and struck hard at his chest. Vader parried, then countered. Anakin blocked the high strike, and their weapons locked again. Vader seized Anakin's arm with his free hand, and the two warriors wrestled with each other, the tops of their heads touching and their faces centimeters apart. Their expressions were mirror images of each other, both betraying the inner pain and conflict that was ravaging their souls, but both displaying the unquenchable resolve that let the other know he would do whatever was necessary to emerge from the battle victorious.
As the two titans struggled, the mountain released its largest tremor yet. The entire facility shook, and a column of molten lava a hundred meters high shot up from the geyser, crashing down right where Anakin and Vader were fighting.
The two combatants leapt to safety, reaching the other side of the pipe to find themselves on one of the branching arms of the Main Collection Plant. The wave of lava crashed down on the pipe, tearing it away immediately. That was not the most pressing concern, however, because as the lava descended back into the abyss, it also landed on the immense support column that held the entire structure above the fiery river. With an ominous hissing sound, the boiling magma began to eat away at the metal at a terrifying rate.
Anakin and Vader were forced to run for cover as shockball-sized chunks of burning metal and rock fell down from the sky. The smoke and ash floating in the air rose to a suffocating level, and Vader shielded his nose and mouth to avoid inhaling such poison. He could not see Anakin, but he knew that he was there, his back pinned against the other side of the column, just as powerless as Vader against nature's fury.
The second the rumbling had stilled, Vader vaulted out of his hiding place and looked around for Anakin. The young Jedi was ready, weapon extended and eyes filled with fire.
Vader let the Dark Side flow through him, becoming a conduit for its power. Anakin, despite being the Chosen One, was pushed to his limit. The ominous dark shadows that Vader had cloaked himself in so long ago began to gather about him unconsciously as he drew upon Sith techniques that he had never even believed he had known. He saw Anakin's eyes widen in surprise, and possibly something else: recognition? Fear?
The Sith Lord had no time to ponder the matter, however, because at that precise moment the structure shook again. A quick glance over the edge of the platform revealed that the support beam holding the Collection Center was bending ominously and glowing a dangerous red. It couldn't last for much longer. Already the titanic structure was swaying in the howling wind like the last leaf on a tree. They had to get off this doomed facility, or they were both going to die.
Vader pushed Anakin's lightsaber out of his way, then leapt into the air and dealt the Chosen One a punishing kick to the face. Anakin crashed to the ground, hard. Instead of striking at him again, Vader vaulted over the furious Jedi and began to make his way back towards the support column. Anakin spit out a mouthful of blood and followed him, murder in his eyes.
Vader reached the bridge and assessed the situation. A ten meter stretch of metal was covered by lava, and from the agonizing sound it was making, it was very unstable. Jumping ten meters from unstable footing was no easy feat, even for a Sith. However, there didn't appear to be a better option. He tensed his legs, preparing to spring.
An angry roar echoed behind him, breaking his concentration. Vader looked over his shoulder to see Anakin rushing him, clearly intending to prevent the Sith from escaping. A snarl of fury crossed Vader's face as he turned back to face the Jedi, lightsaber extended for battle …
And then the entire world gave way.
The engineers who had designed the Main Collection Plant were some of the brightest in the galaxy. It was testament to their determination and the power of the latest technology that they had devised a way to suspend several thousand tons of equipment a hundred meters above a fast-flowing river of magma. But the engineers could not have planned that the main supporting beam would ever have to bear its load while immersed in a lava flow with a temperature of several thousand standard degrees. The natural forces of the hellish planet proved to be too much, and the entire plant bent to their will, breaking free of the main facility and plunging into the fire.
Anakin Skywalker's superior reaction time saved him. Had he not managed to grab onto the rough ridges of what had once been the main support beam, the force of impact would have thrown him from the structure to his death in the boiling lava. Instead, he found himself clinging perilously to the ledge as the entire complex was swept down the river by the current.
Several meters above him, Anakin could see Vader maintaining a similar hold. Forgetting momentarily how dangerous their situation was, he began to climb up towards his former master, pulling out his lightsaber as he did.
Vader, seeing that Anakin was climbing after him, ignited his lightsaber and slashed down at him. Anakin ducked and took one hand off the beam to avoid losing his fingers, but he did not let go. Seeking to reach a more defensible position, Vader began to rise towards the top of the beam, with Anakin in his wake.
The column began to dip ominously down towards the lava as the combatants neared the end. Ignoring the warning signs, Anakin and Vader continued to trade blows, their fighting every bit as intense as it had been on stable ground.
Vader stopped when he realized that he could go no further without reaching the part of the column that was still covered by lava. A savage eagerness rose unbidden to Anakin's heart as he saw that his foe was cornered. Ignoring the cries from his protesting muscles, he climbed still higher …only to have Vader elude him again.
The Sith Lord seized one of the cables that had connected the main beam to those adjacent to it and pushed off from the structure. Anakin hissed in frustration. He was tired of this game. Grabbing another cable, he leapt from the column on a path that would take him on a collision course with Vader.
Vader saw him coming and raised his lightsaber to strike. Anakin did the same. The two managed to trade one blow before their momentum carried them past one another. Vader was brought back to the column, where he leapt off the cable, leaving Anakin to swing alone.
A dull roar drew Anakin's attention. He turned to look, and what he saw made his blood run cold. The river on which they were floating simply ended less than a hundred meters away, disappearing over a towering precipice. Huge amounts of the molten rock cascaded over the lava falls into an abyss, and the relentless current was sweeping them straight towards it.
Vader noticed it as well. The Sith Lord turned to look at Anakin, his distant expression carrying something Anakin thought might be fear. He hesitated for a moment, just looking at Anakin, then he turned and launched himself from the doomed structure, the Force carrying him almost forty meters until he managed to land on a small service platform floating in the middle of the lava river. As soon as he was safe, he turned back to see the fate of his opponent.
Using the Force and his own desperation, Anakin guided himself back to the column. The lava fall was very close now, and what was left of the collection plant was tilting inevitably towards it. Anakin took a fraction of a second to gather his breath, and then he began to run.
The enormous metal complex reached the falls and began to descend. Anakin ran faster than he had ever ran in his life, using the Force to aid him. For a moment he thought he would not make it, but then he reached the end. Summoning all his energy, Anakin jumped.
The Chosen One somersaulted through the air, dimly aware of the structure he had stood on seconds before disappearing over the lava fall. He also noticed that while Vader's platform was too far away, there were several worker droids hovering around harvesting the lava. He directed himself towards the nearest of these, and managed to land upright with both feet on its smooth, flat head.
The droid dropped its load and whistled in protest, but Anakin ignored it and used the Force to direct his mount towards the service platform where Vader stood waiting.
They raced back the way they had come, several meters apart. Anakin was close enough to see Vader's familiar, scarred face, but he could not read the Dark Lord's expression. Vader seemed to be conflicted, torn between anger, sadness, and regret.
The Chosen One locked eyes with his former master. "It'll take more than that to kill me, Vader."
A bitter smile rose to Vader's lips. "It's over, Anakin. Give yourself up. You're strong, but you cannot stand against the power of the Sith."
"I've heard that before, Vader," Anakin said, his voice suddenly constricted by an upwelling of inner pain. "But I never thought that I'd hear it from you."
"Times change, Anakin," Vader called. "People change. Their circumstances change. The only thing that never changes is the need for a true servant of peace and justice to do what is necessary. I never taught you that lesson. In that, I have failed you."
"You never failed me," Anakin snarled. "I don't know who you are. The man who trained me would never have tried to kill Padmé."
Vader shook his head. "Anakin, you came closer to killing your wife than I ever did."
"THAT'S A LIE!" Anakin screamed, his heart bursting. "I WOULD NEVER HURT HER!"
"Will you never learn?" Vader roared at him. "True lessons can only be learned through pain! Stop running from it!"
"Damn you," Anakin hissed. Every single word Vader spoke was tearing into his soul like a burning blade. "Damn you, damn the Jedi, damn the Sith! None of you can understand!"
Vader's eyes flashed with a strange light. "Curse me as much as you like, Anakin. You know the truth, and you will embrace it sooner or later. It is the will of the Force."
"NO!"
Anakin's soul could take no more. He sprang from his droid, landing hard on Vader's platform. It did not matter if Vader was not the real enemy, it did not matter if everything he said was true. He needed to strike at the darkness that had consumed him, and that darkness had manifested itself in the form of his former master.
There was the briefest flash of sadness in Vader's eyes before it was consumed by the flames of battle. He moved forward to meet Anakin, his blue blade moving at a speed few Jedi or Sith had ever attained. Anakin matched his fury, and the power that flashed between them outstripped that of the turbulent volcano which was spewing sulfur and flame into the black sky.
Anakin struck, and though Vader dodged, the lightsaber burned through his cortosis weave armor and left a long scar on his arm. In retaliation, Vader shoved Anakin with the Force, sending the Chosen One flying off the platform and onto a steep, ash covered bank on the slopes of the volcano. Anakin sprang to his feet and looked down at the Sith Lord, who was still standing on the platform hovering on the lava river.
"Come on," Anakin growled, his lungs burning from the fiery ash. "Come on and finish it."
Vader made no move to ascend the slope. Instead, he laughed.
"Anakin, have the Jedi corrupted your common sense that much? Do you really believe that I would be foolish enough to attack you while you have the advantage of the high ground?"
Anakin paused. How could he have forgotten? That was one of Obi-Wan's oldest lessons. Vader may have turned his back on the man he had once been, but he clearly had retained the knowledge he found useful.
Vader laughed again, then guided his platform around a bend in the lava river and out of sight.
Anakin stood still for a moment, the slightly mocking ring of Vader's laughter echoing in his ears. Then his anger flooded him once more. Turning, he sprinted up the bank and made for the slopes of the volcano. As he reached the top of the ridge, he could see Vader disembarking from the platform on a flat stretch of ground with a steep, roughly-hewn path leading up through a jagged outcropping of rocks.
Vader looked over and saw Anakin charging towards him like a krayt dragon. Recognizing the futility of making a stand when Anakin had built up such momentum, he turned and moved swiftly up the path. Anakin followed him.
The path led to a high circular plateau bounded on three sides by sharp, inwardly pointing rocks – obviously assembled by the planet's native species as some kind of gladiatorial arena. The fourth side had a sharp drop-off, which led down to sinister-looking lake. The lake itself barely visible because the air was thick with poisonous gases spewed forth by a vast geyser, which erupted periodically, shaking the ground and unleashing a fresh wave of searing fumes and magma. Another path, even more narrow and treacherous, led up to the mouth of the volcano itself, which was shaking so violently it was certain to blow very soon.
Anakin reached the top of the path and spotted Vader. The Sith Lord had hesitated in the center of the arena, debating for a fraction of a second whether to make his stand or continue up the path. Anakin chose for him.
The Jedi vaulted into the arena and slammed into Vader, sending the Darksider sprawling. Vader recovered quickly, clambering to his feet and slashing at Anakin. The Jedi grimaced in pain as he received a deep burn on the side of his torso. His world turned red.
Vader moved in to end the fight before Anakin could recover, but he was too late. The Jedi forced away the strike aimed at his neck, then charged forward, unleashing a chain of attacks that Vader could not answer, culminated with a malicious slash that should have sent the Sith's lightsaber flying. It didn't. Instead Anakin's blade broke through Vader's guard and ripped across his chest.
Had it not been for his cortosis weave armor, Vader would have been killed instantly. As it was the diffracting material turned aside the worse of Anakin's attack, but the strike had been so forceful that the blade got through and opened a long wound across Vader's body, from oblique to shoulder. The Sith Lord stumbled, falling to one knee at Anakin's feet.
A terrible fog seemed to lift from Anakin, allowing him to see clearly for the first time since the duel had begun. He was suddenly aware of how much pain he was in, how close he had come to death. But more than anything, he was aware of his former master, the friend he would have given his life for, kneeling and bloodied at his feet.
"Obi-Wan …" he whispered.
The Dark Lord turned his head up to look at Anakin, and reality suddenly returned. Through the intense pain that was showing on his face, Vader's eyes burned … yellow.
"Obi-Wan," Anakin gasped, struggling to pull air into his lungs. "It's over. Surrender … before I have to hurt you further."
Vader did not answer. A crazed, almost fanatical smile appeared on his face. He seemed to be possessed. He began to raise his lightsaber.
Anakin took a small step back. "Don't try it, Obi-Wan," he warned. "Don't even think …"
Vader pushed himself to his feet with astounding speed for one so injured. His yellow eyes seared with rage as they locked onto his former padawan. With a roar, he rushed Anakin.
The assault was unbelievably intense, and would have instantly slain a lesser Jedi. Anakin bore the seething waves of the Dark Lord's hatred, his own dark side unconsciously supplying the strength he needed. Despite sustaining yet another wound, he began to force Vader back.
Anakin could sense Vader weakening and unleashed a downward slash to knock his opponent's weapon away. Vader wasn't quick enough to block it. The attack severed his right arm.
Anakin retreated again, watching in shock as Vader collapsed near the edge of the precipice, clutching at the smoking stump where his arm had been. His lightsaber lay at his knees, forgotten. A painful knife twisted in Anakin's heart – he couldn't believe this was happening.
"Obi-Wan!" he called. "Enough! This has to stop!"
Vader picked up his lightsaber with his left hand – his only hand now. He looked up at Anakin again. The fanatical look had not faded; if, anything, it had been even more intense. Though he was shaking badly and clearly in terrible pain, he began to rise.
"Please, Obi-Wan," Anakin heard himself gasp, tears gathering in his eyes. "Stop."
Vader did not even seem to hear him. As the mountain unleashed its worse tremor yet and spouted fire into the sky, he charged at Anakin, bringing his blade down for a crushing strike.
Anakin caught the attack on his own blade, stopping it centimeters from his heart. He struggled to maintain the hold against Vader's power. The Sith Lord's eyes rolled backwards as the Dark Side rolled through him, directing his anger.
Once more, the dark power rose unbidden to Anakin, filling his limbs with tremendous strength. It would suffer to be contained no longer. Anakin shoved with everything he had, pushing Vader's blade away from him and knocking him backward. The Dark Lord of the Sith fell backwards and rolled over the edge of the fiery pit, out of sight.
"Obi-Wan!"
Anakin rushed to the precipice, his heart pounding in terror. It couldn't be. It hadn't happened. Obi-Wan couldn't be …
He looked over the edge into the abyss, and his heart jolted. Vader was there, clinging desperately with one hand to the nearly vertical slope. Several meters below him, Anakin could see the churning lava lake and the geyser, which seemed to be on the verge of erupting.
Anakin fell flat on his stomach and reached as far over the side as he could. "Obi-Wan, grab my hand!"
The Sith Lord looked up at him, his face a mask of pain. The yellow was fading from his eyes, returning them to their natural blue shade. He, like Anakin, seemed to have emerged from a fog, one that had separated his mind from reason.
"Anakin …" he gasped.
Anakin strained even further, threatening to pull his arm out of its socket. "Grab it, before you fall!"
Vader gritted his teeth and tried to pull himself up the slope. With only one hand, it was nearly impossible. Nevertheless, he somehow managed to rise, centimeter by agonizing centimeter, until he could grab Anakin's outstretched hand.
"Stay still! I'll pull you up!"
Vader coughed, blood mixing with ash. "Anakin, the mountain …"
Anakin ignored him trying to get a better grip on Vader's hand. They were both wearing gloves, and when covered in ash they had very little gripping power. "I've got you!"
The mountain was shaking constantly. Bits of rock were being thrown into the air, and the ashy slope was starting to slide. Anakin ignored all of this, desperation fueling him as he slowly pulled Vader up.
Vader forced a pair of agonizing words beyond his lips. "Anakin …go …"
"Just a little bit further …"
The mountain exploded.
Several thousand tons of rock, magma, ash and dust were thrown into the air as the dying volcano let loose its last breath. The ground shook as though a million-ton star cruiser had just crashed a short distance away. Geysers all around the mountain began to erupt as they released pressure in the form of heat and steam.
Anakin scrambled desperately to maintain his hold as Vader began to slip from his grasp. Vader's eyes flashed with a dangerous power. "Go, Anakin! Save your …"
Before he could finish, their hold broke. Obi-Wan Kenobi, the man who had become Darth Vader, fell down the slope and disappeared into the sulfurous mist.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Anakin scrambled to his knees, looking desperately for a way down, but before he could find one, the geyser beneath him erupted, shooting a torrent of fire and poisonous gas fifty meters into the sky.
Anakin's yell was cut off by the suffocating fumes that seized his lungs, forcing him into a fit of coughing. The fumes were so thick that he could not see, and he was so disoriented that the Force failed to warn him about the rock that was descending through the air towards him.
The rock struck his left side, and Anakin felt his arm break. The force of the collision knocked him backwards, down an adjacent slope towards the lava river. Slamming his mechanical fist down, he was able to stop himself on the banks. The heat from the river caused his clothes to ignite, but Anakin was able to slap the flames out before they could consume him completely.
As soon as he could stand, Anakin pulled himself to his feet and began to run. Back up the slope he went, retracing his fall from the high arena. The trip was hard; every bone, especially the shattered one in his left arm, was crying out in protest. But Anakin bore the pain. What happened to his body was nothing now.
He reached the arena and hurried back to the precipice over which Vader had disappeared. The fumes still had not cleared, and Anakin was forced to cover his nose and mouth in order to breathe. Looking down towards the fire below he could see nothing – nothing that would give him even the slightest clue as to whether or not Obi-Wan could have survived. His master was gone.
Anakin fell back, his legs unwilling to support his weight. His mind had frozen. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe. One singular notion had lodged itself in his consciousness, burning out everything else.
Obi-Wan's gone. He's dead …and I killed him.
Anakin forced himself to his knees and peered into the fog again. He should go down there and try to find Obi-Wan. He had to. He would never forgive himself if his master had survived and he left him here to die alone. But there was no way down that Anakin could see – at least no way that he could manage with his broken arm. If he tried to descend, he would fall into the lava and be burned alive. If he somehow survived, he would never make it back up. Padmé was waiting back at the landing pad, in critical condition. If he did not get her off this planet soon, she would die, and their unborn twins with her.
Maybe he should go down. He did not deserve his angel. He did not deserve his children. And they deserved more than what he had become, which was a murderer.
Anakin buried his face in his hands. Obi-Wan had been right. He had been the one who had nearly killed his angel, his beloved wife. The dark figure of his visions, the one who had menaced Padmé, the one who had borne the blue lightsaber, the one who had undermined everything he had done to save her … was no one other than Anakin himself.
Obi-Wan had known. Obi-Wan had tried to warn him. And now Obi-Wan was gone.
Anakin forced himself to his feet, accepting the pain that flooded his system. He might as well accept it, for he would never be rid of it now.
As he turned to go, something clinked against his boot. Anakin bent down and picked it up. Obi-Wan's lightsaber. It was the weapon that had used during his ascent to one of the greatest heroes the galaxy had ever known, and it was the weapon that he had used to carry out the brutal murders of the Jedi purge. This weapon was Obi-Wan's life, and his legacy … the only part which would live on now.
Anakin clipped the lightsaber to his belt, feeling a great weight descend upon him. He turned back one more time to stare at the fiery abyss which had claimed his brother. Then he shuddered and headed back towards the landing platform, every step, every breath, every heartbeat more painful than the last.
R2-D2 and C-3PO were waiting for him when he finally arrived back at Sabe's ship. Artoo whistled in happiness to see his friend alive, and Threepio sounded about as relieved as his tinny voice would allow.
"Master Ani! We have Miss Padmé on board. Please, please hurry. We should leave this dreadful place."
Anakin patted Threepio's shoulder and managed to nod reassuringly at Artoo. He made his way up the boarding ramp, the droids in his wake.
Padmé lay on a bed in the main compartment, much as she had on his own vessel when they had landed on Mustafar. She was alive, that much he could tell, but unconscious. Sabé stood over her, gently tending to her few visible injuries. When she heard Anakin approaching, she looked up.
"Anakin!" she exclaimed. "Thank the Force! We were so worried about you! Are you all right?"
Anakin shifted slightly, trying to conceal his broken arm. "I'll live. How's Padmé?"
"She's stable, but I'm scared. I think we might be …" Sabé stopped, her eyes scanning the doorway behind Anakin. "Anakin, where's Obi-Wan?"
A lump formed in Anakin's throat, preventing him from answering. He turned away and swallowed as he fought back tears, but stayed silent.
Sabé took a step towards him, her brown eyes welling with apprehension. "Anakin, where's Obi-Wan?" she repeated urgently.
Anakin closed his eyes, willing them to stay dry. He allowed himself to speak.
"I … I had to leave him behind."
"What do you mean?" Sabé asked, sounding more nervous by the second. "Why …"
He heard her gasp and take a step backward. "Oh no, Anakin," she whispered. "You didn't. Please tell me you didn't."
Anakin forced himself to turn and look at her. "I'm sorry, Sabé. I couldn't save him."
Sabé's hands rose to her mouth and her eyes widened in horror. "I don't believe it," she forced out. "You would never … Anakin, how could you!?"
Anakin took a step forward, extending his right hand. "Sabé …"
Sabé backed away, shaking her head. "I hate you, Anakin," she whispered. "I hate you. Get away from me. I don't want to see you again."
She turned and fled through the opposite door. As it closed behind her, he heard her sob.
Anakin let his arm fall. Slowly, he turned back to his wife, lying peacefully on the cot. His metal hand reached out to caress her face. Padmé stirred slightly at her husband's touch, but she did not wake.
After checking once more to make sure that she was comfortable, Anakin left Padmé and made his way to the cockpit. When he got there, he sealed the door behind him, shutting out the rest of the galaxy. Numbly, half-unconsciously, he began to prep the ship for takeoff. He would leave the ship he had arrived in on Mustafar, and when the coast was clear he would ask someone to come back for it. He was never returning to this planet again.
The ship began to rise through the dense atmosphere under Anakin's skillful guidance. He didn't need two arms to fly, but he took no joy out of soaring through the air. No joy at all.
The ship cleared the outer reaches of the atmosphere. Anakin could see the Star Destroyer drawing closer to the planet, launching shuttles and fighters. They could probably see him, but Anakin didn't care. By the time they reached pursuit speed he would be long gone, and they appeared to be more concerned with something on the surface. Anakin didn't have to guess to know what that was.
The pain welled up inside of him again, this time reaching a level that he would not be able to contain. Blindly, Anakin guided the ship through the last few kilometers until he could clear the gravity well, and then entered a set of coordinates that would carry him anywhere – anywhere but here.
And then, as the hyperdrive kicked in and the star stretched into lines, Anakin screamed.
The sound rent the air of the pilot's compartment and reverberated in his ears. It pierced his ribcage to echo in his heart. The cry carried his rage at the galaxy for tearing away those that he loved, his anguish for failing to see the true identity of the dark demon that had threatened his wife, and above all, his agonizing despair at what he had done, what he had become.
His scream vanished with him into nothingness.
