"Is it just me, or is there really a layer of dust embedded in my skin?"

Luke laughed. "You get used to it. But I have to admit, I've been gone so long that-"

Lyra gasped. Seeing the flash of a lightsaber, Luke hit the speeder's accelerator, and they raced towards Kenobi's house. They arrived to find two alien bodies in pieces, a confused looking Han Solo standing with his mouth open, and Leia kneeling beside an unconscious Anakin.

Lyra ran past Solo and knelt by Anakin. Good, still breathing.

"Ishi Tibs," Luke indicated, gesturing towards the bodies. "What happened?"

Han shook his head incredulously, "I was going to kill him. I had my blaster out and was just about to fire when he lunged past me and cut these two down. I didn't even hear them behind me."

"Help me to get him inside," Lyra ordered.

"I can do it." Using the Force, Luke levitated Anakin's body back to the makeshift hyperbaric chamber in the bedroom.

"Well that's strange, and convenient," Lyra commented. "Thanks." She activated the medical droids, and they moved to monitor Anakin.

After a moment, one droid turned to Lyra. "Our master is very weak. He has re-injured his lungs and will need rest and care if he is to recover." The droid turned away and administered a drug.

If. Luke and Lyra glanced at each other then watched the droids work for several moments.

"Why were the Ishi Tibs following you?" Luke asked, turning towards Leia and Han.

Han sighed and shook his head. "Probably worked for Jabba. A lot did. Revenge for putting them out of work maybe? They must have been alerted when we stopped in Mos Eisley to buy some loax cables. A lot of people lost a lot of money when we killed Jabba."

"Luke, maybe you could do the introductions," Lya noted.

"Oh, sorry!"

Lyra smiled and shook Leia's hand. Yep, definitely some Anakin in the confident way she carried herself. Han, for his part, openly stared at Lyra. The "This is Vader's wife, is she a type of bug, does she bite?" look.

After introductions had been made, Lyra gestured for everyone to sit. "So Anakin saw the Ishi Tibs come up after you, and he fought them off with his lightsaber?"

"Yeah, he lunged right past me. I mean, I thought he was coming for me, but he went right past, and then, those two were in pieces. They were each holding tehk'la blades, nasty things those are. Those two were clearly not here to make friends."

Luke leaned forward. "Why did you try to fire on Anakin when Vader deflected your blaster bolts on Cloud City?"

Lyra looked from one to the other. "What?"

"Long story," Luke noted.

"Well, Leia had said that Vader was in a weakened state, and she had asked me to stay in the ship while she talked to him-'

"You're so good at following directions," Leia observed.

"-but," Han slowly shook his head, "I couldn't help it. I was going to kill him. You know and I know he deserved it."

"And instead, he saved your life."

"Yeah...well, there's that."

The conversation was interrupted by a strange howl. "Chewie! He's going to be mad that he missed the excitement."

Moving to the door to greet the new guest, Lyra saw a very large Wookie followed by two droids arriving at the top of the drive. This place was getting really crowded really fast.

"My goodness," exclaimed the protocol droid, stepping around the Wookie. "It is an honor to meet the illustrious Lady Vader. Your reputation stands in sharp contrast to Lord Vader's. I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. I speak-"

Luke smiled. "Thank you, 3PO."

Anakin found himself standing alone in the desert. "Why has the Force brought me here?" he thought. Anakin paused as thoughts and feelings assailed him.

Palpatine smiling, manipulating

Padme

Scenes of battles

Fire

Rage

Jedi he hunted

Shame.

Relief that Palpatine was gone

Anger

I killed him

Shame

I did it to protect my son

Lyra has not abandoned me

Gratitude

My children. I don't deserve to be proud of them. They're the fine people they are because I was not in their lives.

Shame

Leia. What I did to her, and to Solo.

Shame

Regret

Shame

I was such an idiot to let Palpatine take advantage of my pride and manipulate me.

The Jedi Council saw this. They were right to deny me a place as a Master.

What would the universe have become if I had not been so stupid?

"Risen, the Empire would have. Believe do you that society revolves solely around you and your actions?"

"Master! How is this possible?"

Yoda chuckled. "Learned your first master did how to join the consciousness to the Force. Taught Obi Wan and myself this and how to appear corporally."

"Obi Wan," Anakin sighed.

"Yes, my friend." Obi Wan Kenobi appeared at Yoda's side. "Now is not the time to marinate in the stew of your anger and regret." Anakin was too stunned to comment on Obi Wan's cheesiness.

"Guilt you have, regret you have. Good these are in that acknowledge your wrong-doing you do. These can also be a path back to the dark, if not handled correctly they are."

"Anakin, you've confronted your wrong-doing and have acknowledged it. That proves that you have returned to the light, but guilt will lead to anger, which can pull you back down into the dark."

"Anakin," a third, familiar voice from long ago sounded. "The flip side of great pride is self-loathing.

"Master Qui Gon!" Anakin said, startled.

While Anakin lay unconscious, a thoroughly confused Lyra contacted law enforcement, which came and went, taking the bodies of Jabba's henchmen with them. In their hastily arranged story, Luke took Anakin's place in defending Han. Afterwards, Luke turned to Han. "So, Anakin knew you and knew what you were about to do. He could have killed you along with the Ishi Tibs, but he didn't."

"Humph," Han slumped forward and looked down at the ground, pondering.

At this point, Lyra entered the sitting area carrying a tray of drinks and snacks. Setting it on the table, she directed them all to sit.

"I have heard bits and pieces of this story. Now, I want to hear it all."

"Anakin, Your pride led to your downfall years ago," Qui Gon's voice continued, "don't succumb to self-loathing because through it, you will lash out towards others and continue the hurt. After all, isn't that what you did for years? Let your hatred for yourself fuel your connection to the dark? Sever that connection by learning to forgive."

Obi Wan took a step towards Anakin. "Master Qui Gon's right. The only way forward, Anakin, is forgiveness and love, not living in the past. You've acknowledged the wrong, now begin the process to forgive yourself and in time, Palpatine. The Force still has much for you to do."

Anakin shook his head in disbelief. "Forgive? After all that has happened? How is that possible, or advisable?"

"Anakin," Qui Gon continued, "let go of the narrative in your head, the story you play over and over about what Palpatine did through the years, all the things you did. You acknowledge the wrong. Now, put all that in a box in your mind and close the box. Instead, look to the now. You are not back there; you are here in the present. You've started another chapter in your life. You've lived out when happens when you follow the dark. Now, turn your thoughts to the light. Concentrate on the light and approach the world through love. If you do this, then you can accomplish what the Force has for you to do."

Anakin looked down and signed. "Yes master, and at some point, I must turn myself in."

"Normally that would be the way to go," Qui Gon noted, "but here, that would keep you from doing what you need to do."

"Which is?"

"Discover you will, when right the time is. Tell you now, we could, but accept it you would not."

"That means," Obi Wan said as Yoda's translator, "you will discover your path when you've progressed in the light and can believe in yourself again. You know this is what Padme would want."

"Balance, Anakin." Qui Gon again. "We all have to walk the path between pride and self-condemnation. Keep the balance between the two, and you will have a realistic and healthy view of your abilities and can do what you need to do. Remember, forgiveness is something that has to be practiced continually. Keep your thoughts in the present and focused on love."

"How can I forgive myself when I've done such horrible things? I must atone for them."

"Penance you will do when do what you must."

With that, Yoda and Obi Wan started to fade. "Wait! What if I need you again?

Qui Gon answered, 'We'll talk again, Anakin. Remember what we've said, and do it."

"We'll always be nearby," Obi Wan's voice noted. 'Now, it's time for your body to awaken."

Anakin woke with a start. As he considered the Force vision, his lungs grew a tiny bit stronger.

"So, Leia ran interference for me with the Alliance, and I brought him here and contacted you. The rest you know." With this, Luke paused to finish his iced muja fruit tea. Han and Leia were silent, thinking back on all they had been through. Lyra sat slumped in her seat, her arms folded and a frown on her face. The first Death Star, Alderaan, Bespin, Jabba, and on and on. After a moment, she stood. "Thank you," she directed to the group and walked outside.

Knowing in general is one thing, but knowing is another.

And now she knew.

The next morning after an anxiety-filled night, Lyra grabbed a cup of caf and some yogurt and walked back to her chosen spot overlooking the valley. She didn't even bother checking on the now awake Anakin. As Lyra ate, the tension in her grew. "To hell with this," she said out loud. "I'm out of here, and I'm keeping the money."

Lyra stood up, full of wrath and purpose. Right then, a soft voice carried on the wind.

"Anakin needs you now more than ever."

Lyra froze, stunned. She knew that voice, the voice from the holovid of her as a small child laughing with the tall man who took her out of the shimmer willow in her mother's garden and carried her on his shoulders.

"He saved you. Forgive. He needs you; he needs your wisdom and guidance. Forgive. I started this; you need to finish it."

Later that morning…

Lyra approached Anakin as he sat in his usual spot on the makeshift patio. "Good morning," he said, squinting up at Lyra as she stood in the sun. Lyra stared at him for a moment, started to speak, hesitated, put her hands on her hips and turned away for a moment. Turning back to Anakin, she said, "I've heard everything, and I have to forgive you, but first...

WHAT THE BLOODY FUCKING HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?"

And so with an impressive string of profanity in seven languages, Lyra Sekai, the former Lady Vader loudly expressed her opinion and critiqued the moral failings of the former Lord Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith. A herd of banthas, spooked by the noise, stampeeded. Two Sand People in the valley below looked at each other and nervously moved away. Leia and Han, who had just walked up from the Falcon, sat with Luke sat in stunned silence. A ways away on a dune overlooking the hut...

Yoda sadly shook his head. "Anger leads to the dark side."

"You might need to re-think that, Master," Obi-Wan replied.

"Lyra…"

"No! I don't want to hear your voice right now. I don't even want to see you." With that, Lyra stalked off. Inside the hut, the three looked at each other: Luke, his eyes wide and Leia with a satisfied smile of triumph. Han nodded and said, "I like her."

Meanwhile, out on the edge of the security zone where no one could hear her, Lyra did what she always did when frustrated or after a bout of anger: she burst into tears.

One hour later…

Lyra walked up to Anakin, still on the patio. He looked up at her with slight trepidation in his eyes.

Lyra moved a chair over and sat directly across from him. "Speak," she commanded.

"What do you…"

"You have just one shot at this; make it good. This is just between you and me right now. Speak."

Anakin sighed and thought. "It all started with my pride. Even as a child here on Tatooine…"

The heat of the day had reached its height. Sounds below of maintenance performed on the Falcon drifted to the top of the cliff. Lyra signed and sat back in her chair and thought. "I can see how a slave would be attracted to power, and then wanting to save Padme after losing your mother."

"It's not an excuse, just an explanation. I thought I knew everything, and I ended up causing exactly what I feared. I allowed my grief, pride, and anger to drag me further into the Dark." Anakin shook his head, "The promises of the dark and the power of the dark side are just illusions for fools to chase after."

Lyra slowly nodded. "So, where do we go from here?"

"I'm concentrating on the will of the Force, on the light. I must focus on the light to help me heal, but I also need your help to do something, if you're willing."