Chapter 203

On Endor

Laetitia made her way back to her friends only barely. While she managed to save her father and 'destroy the Sith', she didn't feel like she had actually gained something.

She didn't know what she expected to happen when she went to confront Darth Vader and kill Darth Sidious, but she assumed that her father would at least be alive. But what warmed her heart was the fact that her father died as Anakin Skywalker, and not Darth Vader. But at the same time, she felt like she couldn't breathe from sadness because she would never see her father again.

He wasn't trained to become a Force ghost. He never had the time or anyone to teach him that. That meant he was gone forever, and his children and friends would never get to see him again ever. He was gone with no traces left of him except Luke and Laetitia Skywalker.

But she was also unsure about something ... What if Anakin never actually turned back to the light sight? What if he remained Vader even until his last breath. Just because he saved her didn't mean that he actually rejected the dark side. She hated herself for doubting her father, who basically killed himself for her, but she couldn't help it. It was still a possibility.

Leah stood by silently and watched as her father's body, or to be more specific, Darth Vader's suit was burning. She placed the suit on firewoods and cremated him. That was the least she could do for him. Yes, she hated the fact that all that was left of Anakin's actual body was Vader's suit, but ... she also wanted to respect him.

Darth Vader was only born so Darth Xela wouldn't be.

She exhaled deeply as tears fell from her eyes. She didn't even realize she started crying. But she didn't know how to stop. She had never felt so alone and disappointed before. No, not 'disappointed' ... dejected. Desperate ... She only wanted her dad back.

I didn't even tell him I loved him. What if he didn't realize ...?

"So I was right." A voice said hidden between the trees.

Leah turned back and wiped the tears to see Ahsoka, Rex, Kix and Echo appearing. She only looked down as the walked closer and watched the body of their former friend and General burn off.

"I'm sorry." Leah almost chocked out.

"Hmm? For what, kid?"

"I'm sorry I ... couldn't save him. I went in there to save him, but instead, he saved me and I basically killed him."

"Leah ..."

"Kid, you have nothing to apologize for. We all knew it was inevitable. But at least, you helped him become the man that he used to be." Rex comforted her.

"The man we respect as a General and love as a friend." Kix added, smiling.

"If anything, you saved him. Believe me, he was so damn happy to have done something for his daughter after decades. You made him happy." Echo stated strongly, believing every word he said.

Leah smiled weakly as she looked down, trying to hide the tears. While that was all true, it didn't make her feel any better. She frankly didn't care about making him happy. She just wanted him alive, so she and Luke would have their father back. So Iliana would get to meet her grandfather, who Leah was sure he loved so much.

"Leah, I know it doesn't make any difference to you, but you saved him because you freed him. You gave him a choice, and finally freed him from being enslaved to something, whether it was the dark side or himself. If anything, that was the one thing you actually achieved." Ahsoka softly said as she smiled in sadness and happiness combined.

Leah blinked as she actually thought about what Ahsoka just told her. That was true. She never thought of it.

She had a feeling that there was something akin to what Anakin saw last as Leah cradled him and the former Jedi told her that she was right. From birth on Tatooine until his demise on the second Death Star above Endor, Anakin Skywalker had the most fascinating and saddest life of any person or creature ever.

As a Jedi he continually struggled with his emotions. Leaving his mother at 10 years old and being spirited away to become a Jedi, he could never leave his past behind him. He witnessed his mother die in his arms, which was where the dark spiral escalated.

A love that could never be revealed and a Council of Jedi stopping him from achieving his full potential, fueled a never-ending descent toward the dark. Hollow promises of hope only assured an already tortured heart and mind.

The death of the man who rescued him from a life of servitude and slavery, His faithful and trusting Padawan leaves the Jedi Order because she became disillusioned with what the Jedi represent. That added to feelings of failure and rejection.

Dreams that foretell the death of the one woman that he truly loved, stopping his daughter, the best parts of himself, from turning into a cold and dark person, and the words of a mad man that haunted his destiny, led to a tipping point. Pledging himself to the one thing he swore to vanquish, led to the final stroke.

He murdered people he loved and trusted. Committed unspeakable acts and was under the thumb of Galactic Dictator. With the only people he truly loved dead, his body more machine than man and nothing to live for, he fully embraced his dark side. And reaped pure hell upon the galaxy.

For years he stood as a symbol of fear and death. Upon his Master's orders, he delivered chaos and nightmares to all corners of the Galaxy. His descent was complete. When Anakin, then Darth Vader, learned of his daughter, the first person he lost and wanted to save, to be alive. That was when the shades of redemption shone through in the end.

After a life full of turmoil and tragedy he finally felt peace in the arms of his daughter. Hopefully in his last breaths, he remembered all the good left that his daughter spoke of, and went to be with his beloved Padme forever.

Leah could accept that. She smiled and nodded in agreement. Finally breaking down, she fell into the arms of her friends, crying at the loss of her father.

"Hey, guys! Get your asses here for a minute. It's time." Han yelled, closing his eyes to not see the looks they were giving him.

After she calmed down, Laetitia and the others joined the others. Luke happily hugged his sister in relief. He had forgiven her when he understood her pure intentions to only want to protect her brother from hurting the same way she did. He could accept that.

But he also could accept his father. Not Darth Vader, but Anakin Skywalker. He sensed his death in the Force when the Death Star blew up a minute later. He didn't know how to feel about that. Sad that the father he didn't know was alive, had actually died? Happy that the man that haunted his dreams finally kicked the bucket?

He truly didn't know. But he could be sad for his sister. He could be sad that his sister was sad ... Yeah, he could do that.

"Real nice, Han." Leah stiffened as she wiped the tears off her face.

"What?! I can't hear you!" He shouted deliberately as he pointed at the cute-yet-loud Ewoks that were surrounding them. They had to admit, the way they were celebrating was cute.

The both waited as the others joined them. Luke stood beside his sister, while Ahsoka, Rex, Kix, Echo, Chewie and Lando formed a circle around them. They all waited for someone, preferably Leah, to start.

"Well ... this is it." Leah exhaled deeply as she broke the silence.

"This is it." Luke repeated coldly with full of emotions.

"It's been a hard 20 years." Ahsoka quietly said, her eyes full of tears.

"Harder than they should have been." Leah added sadly.

"So may ups, so many downs. But this is it ... The war is finally over." Rex stated in amazement and tiredness.

Suddenly, the circle formation was shattered as Leah, Ashoka, Kix, Rex and Echo broke down. They all turned their backs on each other, trying to hide their tears. Luke patted Leah on the back to comfort her, as Han and Lando were confused to their sudden breakdown.

"Wait, what happened?" Lando asked.

"Shh! Shut your mouth, you heroic pirate. You've only been here for 5 minutes. Why don't you sit down and experience the pains of being a newbie?" Han snapped sarcastically.

"Han ..."

"Like I said, you've only been here 5 minutes, Luke and I 5 years. These fossils have been in this damned war since it started. They were born for it and it was their whole life." He, then, explained why they suddenly started crying.

Lando nodded in understanding as he watched the others. Ashoka was actually crying in Rex's arms, who was crying with her. Luke was with Leah, and Kix and Echo were trying to hide their tears.

Leah took a deep breath to calm down. She put on a big smile in sadness as she turned back to the others.

"Sorry. It's just ... Post-Clone-Wars-Stress. Like Han beautifully put it, it's been longer for us." She said to Lando's confusion.

"Come on, guys. It's not like the war is now completely over. We still have to get rid of all the Sidious' minions. But ... the actual battle has been fought and won. We did it. We ... won."

"We'll deal with them together. We have to. We owe it to the people who died for us to ... do our best, to make sure that they didn't die for nothing, that ... there is actually peace after the war." Ahsoka almost cried out.

They had lost a lot of people, all of them. Fives, Raven, Kitster, Padme, Obi-wan, Satine, Owen, Beru, Yoda, Qui-gon, Thexan, and thousand other nameless people who willingly and unwillingly were part of the war.

"Yeah, we need to get back out there ... But for now, let's just actually enjoy tonight. Tonight will be the first sleep we'll have that there is no Emperor or Vader. There is no actual enemy we have to fight. So let's ... be happy about that." Luke encouraged them, to which they nodded. That, at least, was true.

"I don't know who I would have been without you guys, or how I would have survived. I really don't know." Ahsoka suddenly cried out.

"Same." Leah smiled in agreement.

"Yeah." Rex and the others nodded.

"I would have been okay." Han suddenly said.

Everyone, who was smiling or crying, laughed at his blunt response. They all turned to him, demanding an explanation for ruining the moment they were having to appreciate each other.

"What? oh, come on! You know me. I'm a survivor. Granted, I would have been a sore loser ..."

"Who's to say you're not now?" Lando interrupted, which Han responded with a slap on the back of his head.

"... without my sister here. She's the first person who believed in me. That's what really counts." Han smiled warmly to Leah, who was shedding tears while smiling.

She went to him and embraced him tightly. He knew she needed because she had gone through a lot today, so he didn't say anything and just hugged her back, secretly crying into her arms.

"You're all my family ... I love you guys." Luke stated happily.

"Same ... even him, somehow." Ashoka snipped as he pointed at Han.

He actually laughed as he broke the hug. He wiped the tears as he leaned against Leah, who was nodding in agreement with what Ahsoka and Luke said.

"Yeah, yeah ... I love you all, too." He quietly said shyly.

Leah smiled as she rose her cup. But she didn't know how to conclude everything that had happened with only one word. One word could never be enough to describe what happened in the last ...

"To family." Luke said.

Leah blinked as she thought about it. Apparently, it could all be summarized in one word. The perfect word.

Family.

Done :(