Padmé paced up and down the corridor, unable to sit still. Luke was passed out on Obi-Wan's lap on a nearby armchair. Her husband, who was also getting a few brief moments of rest, had his arm wound up in so many bandages and bacta packs that he could barely move it. He was covered in the grain, dried sweat and blood of battle, and he looked identical to the warrior she'd known during many missions throughout the Clone Wars.
Hera and Caleb were sitting beside them on a chaise lounge, lost in their thoughts, and further down the hallway she could see Mace Windu and Yoda discussing something that looked like Jedi business. There were imperial officers about, as well as members of the 501st and the rebel alliance, all waiting together and speaking in hushed tones.
It had been over an hour since he'd been rushed into the medbay, and still there was no word from any of the medical droids or his closest officers as to what was happening, except that he was undergoing surgery.
It felt like they were all waiting on the edge of a precipice. The fate of the galaxy was hanging by a threadbare connection to the life force of the man who had saved Luke's life. Running her hands over her face, she went to sit down next to Artoo who whistled a comforting beep.
Everything had happened so fast after the end of the battle. Padmé remembered the sounds of commlinks being calling for medical droids, as well as officers who had mutinied with Vader calling to report the death of the Emperor to the navy. She remembered that those who'd surrendered in the palace had been led away to the detention centre. Their victory was not yet complete however, and the whole experience felt utterly surreal.
As soon as communications had been opened up again from the palace, they'd been bombarded with messages from the highest-ranking members of the military, the Moffs, the Senate, news corporations, media outlets and more. Mothma and the other alliance leaders, as well as senior members of Vader's mutineers had been talking in one of the conference rooms nearby. She'd been present for most of the discussion, but ultimately, nothing could be decided upon until Vader's fate was known. At present, there was no one ruling the galaxy, but they didn't want the outside world to find that out.
Padmé knew that if she was a member of the general public right now, she would be deeply frightened at news of a coup. The temporary lax of control might lead to widespread panic, and so the Coruscant guard had been instructed to keep order on the streets until Vader's fate was known, then a press conference could be organised.
She breathed in deeply, patting Artoo's dome and taking comfort from his presence. She'd faced overwhelming situations before, but it never got any easier.
Looking to the side, she watched as Luke slept softly, his cheek pressed against Obi-Wan's thigh. He was dirty and looked worse for wear, and where he'd been crying earlier, the tear trails were still visible on his dusty cheeks.
Luke had been adamant the day before about coming with them, but she'd never dreamed he would be disobedient enough to follow them across the galaxy with only Artoo for company. Padmé couldn't find it in herself to be angry with her child; she was just utterly relieved that he was alive. But it was so out of character for her sensible son, and the fact that Leia had stayed behind was even more unusual.
Her comm device wouldn't reach Dantooine without a signal booster, but she suspected she had a hundred missed calls and messages from Sabé waiting to come through. How had he managed to escape from under her guard? Padmé suspected Force-related antics were involved.
Thinking about the Force, her gaze wandered to Obi-Wan's dozing face. She had questions to ask him later, when they finally had time to talk. Was it the will of the Force that had led Luke to Coruscant? Had it led him up those stairs exactly when he did, so that Anakin could appear at precisely the right time to sacrifice himself? Was it truly that influential, that it'd altered the outcome of the battle?
The Force was still a mystery to her, despite all she'd learned from Anakin, Obi-Wan, the other Jedi and her own children.
Lost in her thoughts, she was startled to hear some banging on the door from the far end of the dark grey corridor. Some troopers who had been stationed nearby rushed ahead to sort out the commotion.
The Grand Vizier was demanding to know what was happening, unwilling to believe the reports from within the palace and the navy. He was with several men who looked like they might be the Emperor's aides. The group of them were trying to break through the increasingly thick wall of stormtroopers with little luck.
Soon, they'd need a small army to stave off the holo reporters and news droids that would be trying to infiltrate the palace.
"Amidala," Piett greeted her, now aware of who she was. Looking up, Padmé noticed he was stiff and unsmiling.
She knew that he didn't want the empire to be restored into a Republic should his commander die. Siding with Vader against the Emperor was one thing, but now it looked like all those who had chosen that route were now looking into a future without an empire at all. That posed a whole other set of challenges for her and the alliance leaders to think about.
"I've just received a message intended for the Emperor, which got rerouted to Lord Vader's personal communications channel by default. Seeing as he cannot answer at present, I took the liberty of doing so. The Grand Inquisitor tells me he is on his way from Dantooine, and that he has taken all the rebels he found there as prisoners."
Cold blood rushed down to her feet. "Did he…did he mention-"
"Your daughters are safe. He is bringing them here personally on the Emperor's orders. I conveniently left out the part about his death in my report to him, lest they be harmed."
Padmé blinked, feeling numb after all that had happened. Why hadn't Luke said anything? Had he escaped right before the Inquisitor arrived?
"When will they arrive?"
Turning her head, she saw that Obi-Wan had woken from his doze and was listening intently, his brow creased with concern.
"Very soon I believe. He had been trying to get through before, but communications to the palace were jammed. We've given him clearance to land on platform B-2. It's the closest one. I will inform you once they've arrived."
Padmé nodded dumbly and thanked him, wondering what else could possibly happen now. She didn't blame Sabé for a moment. Her best friend was the most capable woman she knew…so how had this all happened? Luke had some explaining to do once this crisis was over.
A short while later, she was greeted by a familiar medical droid, TC-909.
"I am pleased to see you in good health mistress Padmé," he said, hovering before her. "Lord Vader has woken from his surgery. He is stable for now, but his health is in critical condition. He requests to see his family before politics can interfere."
Piett, who was standing nearby gave her a subtle nod.
Waking up Luke, the three of them went to the door of the medbay with TC-909 as quickly as they could, but before they could enter, Piett caught up with them.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Grand Inquisitor has just landed."
Padmé exchanged a glance with Obi-Wan. He searched her face for a moment before turning back to the admiral.
"I will go with you to retrieve them with the other Jedi for backup. Besides, he did say family."
"You're his family too," she reminded him softly.
Obi-Wan gave her a sad smile and took her hand in his for the briefest of moments, and then the two men were gone, walking quickly back the way they had come to retrieve the others.
"I warn you; his condition is not a pleasant sight for a child," TC-909 stated as he opened the door for them.
"Luke deserves to see him."
Slowly, they walked in, her eyes taking in the scene as her legs carried her forward. Luke was holding her hand warily and hesitated for a moment at the sight of the man on the bed.
What took her breath away was his mask. It was gone. She thought she was numb before, but now that fog cleared away and everything felt so vividly real. He was bald and scarred, his skin white and sallow in the bright light. There was a transparent breathing apparatus attached to his mouth and nose, and all sorts of medical equipment and emergency respirators by the bedside. His torso was riddled with tubes and wires, and his arms and legs were prone, heavy looking bits of machine that appeared broken. She'd never seen him look so…weak.
The mighty Vader, reduced to this…she willed the stinging in her eyes to go away when Luke ran to his bedside, his small hand grabbing a larger, mechanical one. If he was disturbed by his appearance, as any child would be, he didn't show it. Immediately, the boy started apologising and lay his face against the mechanical palm.
As she moved closer, the man met her gaze and all thought fled from her.
Those eyes…they were the same. The ones she'd always known. Blue as the sky. Sparkling in the light. So human and so full of emotion. A thousand memories flooded her senses as their gaze locked.
Anakin.
She became aware Luke was speaking to him dolefully, becoming tearful. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to get hurt because of me."
"It's alright…there is nothing…to forgive…" the man said with difficulty, struggling between shallow breaths.
Padmé reeled at hearing his true voice again without any modulation. Though his voice was rough from the damage to his throat on Mustafar, it was so undeniably him. She felt so overwhelmed she could do nothing except watch.
There may or may not be some silent Force communication going on in the room, because she could see Luke perk up before settling back down, his head on Vader's hand. Their eyes were locked together, conveying something she couldn't hear. She'd experienced these silent conversations plenty of times back home when Obi-Wan would speak to the children in this way, but only now was she so glad of it. It looked like talking out loud was a great strain on him.
"He has a few hours left at most," TC floated over to her, observing the scene of father and son. "We do not have time to repair his life support suit within the timeframe. I am sorry."
ooooo
Yoda, Mace, Caleb and Obi-Wan accompanied Piett towards the landing platform before deciding to split up. The Inquisitor was no match for all of them, even in their exhausted state, but he had Leia and Junie, and it could easily escalate into a hostage situation. It was best to avoid a confrontation altogether. Piett informed them the Inquisitors were under Vader's control primarily, so he would bring them to the medbay. Once there, he said Vader might be able to explain the situation and avoid any unnecessary violence for both parties.
It was a precarious situation, and it unnerved Obi-Wan deeply to watch his daughters emerge from a shuttle with a ruthless killer two floors down whilst he hid on a balcony above. He stretched out his senses with the Force and observed.
It was a gusty day, and Leia was holding Junie close to her to keep her warm, her dark hair whipping around her face where it had escaped from her plaits. Threepio was standing protectively beside them, watching as the men spoke.
"How can it be that the Emperor is no more?" the Inquisitor was saying, staring down in shock at Piett.
"Lord Vader has usurped him, hence the destruction in the front wing of the palace. We are in the midst of a crisis at present, but please, come," he motioned politely for him to follow. "Bring the children to Lord Vader and I'm sure he can explain. Then you are dismissed."
"Why do I sense Jedi here?" he asked icily, not moving.
"It is probably best if Lord Vader explains that as well."
Glaring at him, he began to follow after him warily, keeping Leia close to him in case she should run. Obi-Wan lost sight of them as they entered the building, and he quickly moved back inside to follow them discreetly.
When he reached the entrance to the medbay, he caught sight of the rest of the Jedi, Piett, Artoo, Threepio, and plenty of nervous looking members of the alliance. There was silence to regular ears, but those who were Force sensitive could detect a heated discussion going on inside the surgical room. To his surprise, Vader opened up the link between him and Inquisitor, allowing all the Force-sensitives present to hear exactly what was happening.
"Obi-Wan, you may enter. I was just discussing the new role of the Inquisitorius with my old friend here."
Obi-Wan swallowed and glanced at Master Yoda. He nodded at him, letting him walk into the room alone, though the other Jed would still hear what was going on.
When he entered, he took in the sight of a tense looking Padmé holding Junie on the left-hand side of the medical room, and a furious looking Inquisitor on the right. In the middle was a pale and sickly-looking half man, half machine. Luke and Leia were at his side, holding his robotic hand and half sitting on the bed in their eagerness to be close to him. When Obi-Wan met his eyes, his mind went blank.
Though his face and body were virtually unrecognisable, those eyes, they were just the same as he remembered. Shining and bright, true Skywalker blue.
It was him; it really was him. His boy, his Anakin.
The yellow eyes that had haunted him for so many years, they were gone.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi…" the voice of the Inquisitor sneered in his mind through the Force, interrupting the sudden rush of affection and hope Obi-Wan felt at seeing the brother he'd raised. He turned and looked at the Pau'an man. "I should kill you right now."
"You take your orders from me," Anakin shut him down and Obi-Wan stiffened at hearing the voice of his Padawan again in his mind. "And you will listen to my new instructions."
"Yeah!" Leia added and everyone turned to her, forgetting the children were also privy to their discussion.
"Leia, shush!" Luke's voice floated through the Force.
Underneath the transparent breathing mask that covered Anakin's nose and mouth, Obi-Wan detected the glimmer of a smile.
"How can you side with these rebel traitors my Lord?!" the Inquisitor asked, ignoring the twins.
"They are traitors no longer. The Emperor is dead."
"They are traitors to the empire!"
"Which no longer exists."
Obi-Wan looked between the two. Anakin appeared so calm and steady, whilst the Inquisitor was ready to blow a fuse. It was a stark change from what his apprentice used to be like. Padmé was watching all of them curiously, and he wished she could hear what was going on.
"I have been told I only have a few hours left. Once I pass, there will be a power vacuum. I want people…with the right heart to take the galaxy in the direction it should have gone in all along," Anakin's eyes wandered to Padmé. "I want no repeats of the atrocities I've seen. What I've had to do. I want an end to all this war, to the constant fighting. I want Luke and Leia to be free of everything that has burdened me."
The twins instinctively clutched at the robotic hand a little harder and Luke even laid his head on Anakin's shoulder, looking up at his father with round blue eyes that mirrored his.
Anakin locked eyes with Luke and managed another small smile before looking back up at the two men. "I cannot promise you that peace. But I will reinstate all power to the Senate. Then the people can decide what they truly want."
Obi-Wan nodded. "That seems fair for both sides. Padmé will be pleased."
"The Inquisitorius will be reorganised to serve the new government in whatever way they see fit. Those are my final orders for you."
The Inquisitor's rage had subsided, and now through the Force Obi-Wan could sense he felt hollow and strange. "Yes, my Lord."
"You are dismissed."
The grey-skinned man looked unsure for a moment, but then he bowed deeply and left. Obi-Wan wondered what would become of all those dark side users when Anakin did pass on. It was unlikely they would obey Vader when he was no more. That was a discussion he needed to have with Yoda and Mace, and hopefully Qui-Gon's spirit as well.
Obi-Wan realised his focus had strayed when he became aware Anakin was nudging him through the Force. It took him a moment to realise the twins were giggling at him.
"Pay attention Master," Anakin said out loud with a touch of the cheekiness he remembered, though his voice was weak.
"Did I miss something?" he asked. Padmé got up and approached them then, seeing that the Inquisitor was gone.
"I was asking…" he breathed shallowly, talking slowly. "Where your beard went."
"You are not the first to ask me that," he smiled at how the mood had lifted.
"I haven't got long left…I can feel it," he smiled weakly and it broke Obi-Wan's heart. "I must speak to my men and the leaders…of the alliance."
Padmé was alert instantly and rushed out the door to gather as many witnesses as she could.
With the HoloProjector recording, Anakin spent the last hours of his life and all his remaining energy sorting out the legal transition of power back into the Senate.
In the room there were members of the alliance, including Bail who'd arrived from Alderaan, Anakin's officers, the Jedi, the Grand Vizier, Lekauf, and several Moffs who had been present in the lower parts of the palace during the battle. With difficulty in his speech, he divulged all the key information he knew about the death star in construction, and the other shocking atrocities the Empire had committed that had been kept in the dark. He also revealed it was Palpatine who had started the conflict between the Separatists and the Galactic Republic, masterminding it all for his own gain.
Obi-Wan knew he was sharing this so that when the rest of the galaxy found out, they would be more likely to support the building of a new Republic, which is what Padmé wanted. When he was finally spent and ended the session, Obi-Wan, Padmé and the children stayed by his side in the quiet medical room whist everyone else rushed into action outside.
The machinery was beeping softly and with the gentle rise and fall of the tubes that lay embedded his chest, it felt peaceful. Anakin was now too weak to talk, but his mental link was open to him and the twins.
"Master…I have so much to tell you, but I feel exhausted now," he sent through the Force, his eyes drifting shut.
"It's alright," he reassured him, touching his bare shoulder and feeling the scarred flesh.
"You need to destroy the cloning facilities under the palace, I didn't want to say it in front of the Moffs, but you have to be sure Sidious is gone forever."
"I will my Padawan."
"And when you restore the Jedi Order, which I know you will, please…you and the other Masters must see that its dogma is reformed…I don't want Luke and Leia, or any other youngling to grow up unable to form attachments…I don't want them to repeat my mistakes. I am counting on you to make the changes necessary…to bring balance."
Obi-Wan wondered when his headstrong boy had become so wise. He still felt deeply ashamed of all the errors he'd made when Anakin had been his to look after, and the weight of that guilt had never truly left him. Obi-Wan brushed away the beginnings of tears from his eyes.
"Anakin…I am so sorry for all the pain I've caused you. I hope you can forgive me for failing to see clearly for so many years."
"We've both caused each other pain Master, but we know my sins far outweigh any wrongdoing of yours," Anakin gathered his strength to continue. "I…I am so sorry Master…there is nothing I can say or do that will atone for what I have done."
Anakin's shields slipped for a moment in his weakening state, and Obi-Wan caught a sense of the utter shame and misery that Anakin carried within him. Immediately, they both shielded the children from feeling any of the dark emotions that were pouring forth.
"I'm so sorry…" Anakin whispered again like a frightened child, trying to get his emotions under control. "I was deceived. But I should have seen through it. I was arrogant and led by my fears. I should've listened to your teachings. I can never atone for all the blood on my hands…I will never be free from all I have done. But I am sorry."
"You will be free soon," Obi-Wan reassured him, reaching out and comforting him mentally like he would do with the twins.
Perhaps it was his weakening state, or it was his need for that connection, but the younger man leaned into his reassurance, unashamed of showing his need for it. Obi-Wan hoped he could sense just how much everyone in the room loved him. Luke and Leia were certainly not holding back with showing their affection for him, and it shone through the open Force link between them all.
"You have fulfilled the prophecy that Qui-Gon believed in young one. You defeated the Sith, Anakin. Both of them. You were the only person strong enough to defeat Darth Vader. I could not be prouder of you and your decision to save Luke at the expense of your own life. Now, you can rest in the Force, knowing your children and wife are safe. I will protect them with my life."
This seemed to lend him some strength because he began speaking out loud.
"The Emperor … cannot harm them now…and I know… that you will keep them safe," his eyes travelled to Padmé, who was on the other side of the bed holding Junie. She wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded at him. "I just want my family safe…"
"And we are safe, thanks to you. You chose to save Luke's life," Padmé said, her voice thick with tears. "You chose to set me free Ani. Shmi would be so proud of you."
"I don't want you to go!" Luke sat up from where he had been lying with his head on Anakin's shoulder. The boy looked down into his father's eyes as desperate tears began to form. "Don't go, please. Can't you try to stay awake?"
"Be good…for your mother."
"And what about for me?" Obi-Wan asked, hoping to hear just an essence of the banter he and his friend used to share.
Anakin laughed weakly, the first laugh he'd probably had in almost a decade. "Be as reckless…and as…disobedient as you can…he loves that."
"So, the Skywalker treatment it is then?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin's Force presence glowed at that, but then it slipped downward drastically, almost disappearing, and his eyes began fluttering as he tried to stay awake.
Leia, who had been sitting on the other side of him, reached up to touch his cheek as she began to cry freely, sensing through the Force that he was getting weaker by the second. Hiccuping, she drew in shaky breaths. "But I need to show you our house on Bakura, I never got to show it to you. And you said you would take us out to pilot again as well!"
Anakin smiled sadly, and Obi-Wan could sense his immense sorrow at the future he would never have with Padmé and his children. Sidious had cost him everything.
The tragedy of his Padawan's life was so achingly unfair that it made him bring his hand to his mouth as he stifled his own tears. He couldn't believe that this was the fate of his friend, the brother he had raised.
"May the Force be with you Anakin," he whispered as he took hold of his robotic hand.
Surrounded by people who truly loved him, Anakin's eyes closed permanently, and his body became still before the monitors flatlined. Obi-Wan felt his Force presence slip from his body and join the energy of the cosmos.
Luke and Leia were crying loudly now, setting off Junie who started to howl as well. He met his wife's red-rimmed eyes, and he saw in them the depth of her grief at losing him a second time, a grief that matched his own. Luke and Leia rushed over to him, avoiding his injured arm, began to cry into his shoulder.
But then, he picked up on something in the Force and the twins noticed it too, because their tears stopped momentarily. In unison, the three of them looked towards the doorway, getting a sense of a presence leaving. Confused, Padmé turned to look too, but she couldn't see what they were seeing.
Standing by the door, the Force ghost of Qui-Gon wrapped his arm around the shoulders of a slumping, exhausted pre-Mustafar Anakin. The two ghosts were talking as they left the room, but their words didn't reach them. Both of them shimmered for a moment, and then they were gone.
To his surprise and the rest of his family's alarm, the body on the bed faded into thin air, leaving nothing but scraps of black cloth and tangles of empty medical tubes.