Chapter 1 – The Past
Plot: When Luke Skywalker is sent to the past, he ends up in the middle of the last skirmish before the Battle of Coruscant. He is fast running out of time to save his father from Falling to the Dark Side and becoming Darth Vader. But what if Anakin can't be saved? What if there is no way to avoid the downfall of the Republic and Jedi Order? What if Luke has to find another way?
Author's Note: I've seen many versions of Luke time-traveling to ROTS, but none of them have been very realistic. They're okay for fix-its, but not if you're trying to be real. So we decided to correct that. :)
~ Tirana Sorki
Also, we're making this canon-based, and as far as I know, none of the other Luke time travels out there are canon-based (at least with respect to character portrayals). They seem to be based either off legends or the CW, so this is something... new and interesting, I hope! :D
Another gift or IceyGemini on ao3, and updates will, as of now, be every other week on Sunday. :D
To IceyGemini: Have fun reading! :)
~ Amina Gila
Luke Skywalker's life has always been full of chaos. That was one of the few things that didn't change when he joined the Rebel Alliance. Chaotic all the way around, including being the only known Jedi alive and being the son of Anakin Skywalker, now better known as Darth Vader. Crazier now that his father found his way back to the Light – Force knows how – and killed the Emperor right before dying himself. (Not that Luke minds the chaos. It's just part of his life, even if it gets a little old.)
And somehow, nothing was as startling as when he felt a sudden shift in the Force and found himself somewhere... else, warning or no.
The air is thick with smoke, and blaster fire is ringing out all around. The Force is... different. Luke has never felt it so full of Light and life. It must've changed when the Jedi fell.
And...
"Well, I can see things are going splendidly on this front," grumbles a voice that seems... familiar, somehow. Luke raises his head from where he's lying. The man in question is... he looks different, younger, less burdened somehow, but Luke recognizes him instantly. Ben.
"It's no good. We can't locate the tactical droid," replies another voice, one that reminds him disturbingly of Captain Rex from the Rebellion. It's a clone, wearing white and orange armor. "He's staying out of sight."
Why of all places did Luke get dropped off here?
Another presence catches his attention suddenly standing out over the familiar light that is Obi-Wan Kenobi, though it's so much brighter than he remembers. (He's not really Ben, at least not the man Luke knew, but... did he really know Ben at the end of the day? He lied to Luke. Was trying to convince him to kill his own father, the father who died for him, who...)
The presence is vibrant, fiery, like a star. It's breathtakingly blinding, and yet for all of its brightness, it's gentle. Soothing. It feels like home. It feels like...
Luke glances the other way, stilling completely when he sees the figure approaching. He knows who it is, of course.
Anakin Skywalker. His father.
His presence is as brilliant as the twin suns of Tatooine at midday, too blinding to look at, and yet... it's soothing, calming, grounding, like Tatooine's moons.
Seeing him in person is so different than as a ghost, and Luke has literally no idea how the man in front of him could conceivably have become the monster known as Darth Vader. And once again, Luke is struck by the realization that he himself looks very much like his father.
"Anakin, where are you?" groans Ben.
"I'm right here," he replies lightly, moving to avoid a blaster bolt. "What are you doing down there? And where did you pull a perfect look-alike of me from?"
"We – What?" Obi-Wan exclaims, turning around and actually looking at Luke for the first time. "Where did you come from?"
Wait. Right. He hadn't actually thought about the initial greetings that would be needed, or he'd have thought from the start about how difficult and awkward it would be. "Long story," he answers.
"Right," Anakin – his father, and Luke still cannot believe he's looking at him; It feels so unreal, and his presence is so different from Vader's, even after he turned back – waves a hand. "We'll catch up when the battle is over. We already finished ours, so we came to help with yours." He steps between Obi-Wan and the clone, climbing onto the gunship they're taking shelter behind, now standing in plain sight of the droids shooting at them. Had it been anyone else, Luke would be questioning their sanity, but this is his father, and he knows a little of what he's capable of.
"You're overdoing it," Obi-Wan snaps, and Luke finds himself seriously wondering how this man could possibly be Ben. "Again!"
"Master, I mean no disrespect," he replies. "If you want, I can hide here with you, and we can let the people in the city suffer longer." The perfect calm and cheer in Anakin's voice as he turns around, dropping to one knee so they're more at eye level really throws him, because how in the name of the Force did this man become Vader? Luke wonders half-hysterically. He doesn't know what he was expecting, but it was something a little... darker.
Obi-Wan sighs. "Now, Anakin, you know I –"
"Or, we can do things my way and help them now."
"Alright. I know better than to try and stop you." He doesn't look any happier than earlier. "What's your plan this time?"
"Stay here," Anakin orders cheerfully, turning as he stands again. Luke watches with equal part incredulousness, wariness, and excitement. He knows his father was famous, something of a legend, and this is what he always dreamed of when he was young: knowing why, seeing it first-hand. It's the only thing he ever wanted, the one thing he'd finally been coming to accept he could never have, because his father was gone, but...
Luke has no idea what's about to happen. He... doesn't know anything about this time-period, actually, except that it's currently shortly before the formation of the Empire and when his father turned to the Dark Side. He doesn't know how any of these events are related to one another. He'll piece it together in time – his father had assured him he would.
"Hold your fire! Hold your fire," Anakin calls, whereupon all the droids freeze and lower their weapons. "I have come to surrender."
Obi-Wan shifts his position so he can see just over the edge of the gunship, still looking as grumpy as ever. Luke almost wants to laugh at him, but he has no idea what his father is planning, either.
The most outrageous part is that his word choices are every bit as formal as Vader's, and Luke has literally no idea how his father got from one point to another. He talks the same, but he's so light and cheerful. He wonders, again, why and how his father Fell. He never knew, but Ben spoke highly of him, as had everyone who used to know him. How could he have become Vader?
His attention is drawn away from his father when he sees a suspiciously familiar droid. Is that Artoo?
His father had Artoo before. Luke had no idea. He spent his entire life searching for more about his father, unknowing that the true answer had been right beside him. Did the droid remember Anakin? He doesn't know.
So many questions, many of which won't be answered now, if ever. This was everything he wanted though, a chance to meet his father face-to-face, to know him.
Anakin yanks the tactical droid towards him with the Force, lopping its head off and letting the pieces fly past him.
That's what he was doing? It's ingenious and somehow not what he was expecting. Luke doesn't know what he did expect. Something a little more violent, maybe. He feels guilty instantly, because this is before his father Fell. He doesn't know when or how that happened; for all he knows, his father could have been drastically different from Vader. He was. The hero Luke always worshiped was... Vader's opposite. They were nothing alike, or so he thought, until the very end. He's not sure what to think anymore. Maybe this will give him the answers which he so desperately craves.
Clones – ones in blue and white armor – are flying out from beneath the bridge now, throwing explosives onto the droid army. The other clones on the surface – those in white and orange – move forwards to finish the battle on the surface. Anakin turns off his lightsaber, a slightly playful smile on his face. Obi-Wan stands up, approaching him. "Bravo, Anakin. You've done it again."
"Oh, I can't take all the credit," he replies, lightly, "Your state of helplessness really sold them on my surrender talk."
"Always glad to help, my friend."
"Now," Anakin says, turning around. "I have... a few questions."
He's looking at Luke now. It makes his heartbeat pick up, knowing that this – this is the first time he's seen his father as himself, face to face, when he wasn't on the brink of death.
"Who are you?" Obi-Wan demands, first. He seems closed-off again. Wary. Suspicious. Luke is unsurprised; he knows personally that war can do that. "You literally appeared from nowhere."
He knew from the beginning this would be awkward, but he stands his ground. "I am Luke Skywalker," he says, bracing himself for their sure-to-come disbelief. "My father sent me to the past to prevent the disasters he lived through from occurring."
There's a heartbeat of silence, their shock and disbelief flaring into the Force. Obi-Wan's grows colder, while Anakin's whirlwind of a presence reaches for him. It's warm and soothing like a fire, but it doesn't burn.
"Time travel?" his father asks, pulling back. He seems genuinely curious, almost as if he already trusts Luke.
"There is much to the Force that has yet to be discovered. He told me the flow of time is relative by way of explanation."
"Right," Obi-Wan agrees, skeptically, crossing his arms. "And who is your father?"
Luke doesn't have a chance to answer, because the sudden beeping of a comm splits up the conversation.
"Skywalker here. What is it, Admiral?" Anakin says into his comm, and the sudden shift in his attitude is not lost on Luke. He's instantly flipped into something more... professional. Closed-off.
"Sir, we've received a transmission from someone using your subspace frequency 'Fulcrum'," the voice on the other side says.
Luke's eyes widen, though he's not surprised for the same reason the others are. Fulcrum was a well-known name in the Rebellion. Everyone knew it. Fulcrum – one of them – had been the one to create the Rebellion.
"Saw Gerrera?" Obi-Wan guesses, and Luke is momentarily mind-blown. He knows that name, too. A rogue rebel who was apart from the main part of the Rebellion.
"Perhaps the siege at Onderon has taken a turn for the worse."
"No, sir, it's not Gerrera," the other man replies, "You had best take this transmission here on the ship. Both of you."
The connection cuts, leaving them looking at each other in silence. "Come with us," Anakin says to Luke, "This must be important."
"Who is your father?" Obi-Wan inquires again once they're on a gunship, heading back to the Star Destroyer.
Luke hesitates for a moment. He knows the Jedi rules about attachment, and he doesn't know how he could have been born. Something must have changed, but he doesn't know what. "His name was Anakin Skywalker."
**w**
The temperature around them could almost have plummeted from how much it stills, and the explosions in the background seem much farther away. "What?" Anakin hisses, eyes widening. This is – it's not possible. It can't be. He...
"I don't know how it happened," Luke admits almost bashfully. "Master Yoda explained to me the rules about attachments."
"Do you have something you want to confess?" Obi-Wan asks, looking pointedly at Anakin, who intentionally ignores him. He wants to tell him the truth. He does, very badly. Quite honestly, Anakin doesn't care what happens, even if he knows his master's rejection will hurt him irreparably. He's too tired of living a lie, of denying the only thing in his life he truly cares for.
Instead, Anakin only glares at him. Sometimes, it feels like Obi-Wan knows, but he must not, or he'd have already told the Council.
"I don't understand this," Obi-Wan frowns, shaking his head and looking at Anakin again. "Why would Anakin do something so reckless and dangerous that could break the fabric of reality itself?"
He couldn't have worded that better, apparently. Anakin is careful not to react, but it still stings to hear his master speaking of him in that way, even if it's what he thinks himself.
He senses the same uncomfortable annoyance from Luke. "I don't know everything," he admits, "But the Sith were the only ones who won the Clone Wars in the end. I don't know how it happened, but in my time, the Jedi were completely destroyed, and an Empire had risen in the Republic's place."
"The Jedi were destroyed?!" Anakin and Obi-Wan chorus, horrified. How is that possible? His entire life, Anakin has wanted nothing more – okay, almost nothing more – than being a Jedi, because they were good and strong and able to help people (though he seriously questions each of those now). How could they possibly be destroyed?!
Luke nods, almost sheepishly. "I don't know how," he repeats, "But from the time I'm from, I am the only Jedi left. B-Obi-Wan and Master Yoda were still alive, but they... died before I came back."
Anakin stills. They died?! Master Yoda is old, but he's already lived so long the thought of him dying is... disturbing. And Obi-Wan... The very thought chills him entirely. Obi-Wan is... not that old. He would – should never have died naturally at that age; or at least Anakin doesn't think Luke is that old. Unless he was quite old when his son was born... and he's still mind-blown by the fact that he has a son.
"They were the only two I knew," he continues, "The survivors went into hiding. Those who weren't killed during the formation of the Empire were afterwards. I was nineteen when I joined the Rebellion, and one of its founders – she was a former Jedi – had disappeared two years prior. We haven't heard from her since, and it's been a few years. She's no doubt gone, though I don't know who she was. And there was another padawan... but he disappeared into the Unknown Regions and hasn't been heard from for a few years either. I imagine he is lost as well."
Anakin feels completely numb. He doesn't know how this – any of it – could have happened.
"What about Anakin?" Obi-Wan asks, and Anakin can feel his horror as clearly as his own.
Luke doesn't react visibly, but Anakin can feel the way his emotions flux uncomfortably in the Force. "I... knew him for a few minutes before he died."
Wait.
What?
"How did I send you back here then?" Anakin asks, confused. He'll deal with the strangeness of hearing someone tell him he died after the fact.
"Your Force-ghost did," Luke replies, as if that's the most obvious thing in the universe.
This... is the least strange thing Anakin has heard so far, but somehow, it's the one that confuses him the most. Maybe it's because it defies everything he has ever learned as a Jedi. "Ghosts are not real," he replies, throwing a half-helpless, confused glance towards his former master, who has a very skeptical, disbelieving look fixed on Luke.
"What do you mean?" Luke asks, equally confused. "I thought it was something all Jedi could do!"
"It's not, I assure you," Obi-Wan says quite flatly. "The energy of the living dissipates into the Force to renew it when lost. All identity is lost upon death. That is why we must let go."
Luke shakes his head. "I saw your ghost. Your body disappeared when you died. There was nothing but your robes left. So did Master Yoda. You were watching me – all of you. You helped me sometimes if I needed it."
Quite honestly, Anakin has absolutely no idea how to react to this. He's always feared death of others, of his family because it meant they would just... no longer exist. He didn't fear it for himself – never has – but he does fear being completely forgotten by those he loves. (He fears what Ahsoka did to him, walking away without looking back). "Did I disappear?" he asks instead of the millions of questions whirling through his mind. (Does everyone do this or is it only some people? Did his mother stay? Oh, Force. Did she see what he did?)
"No," his son – it's so jarring to call someone that – replies.
"I thought you said anyone could do it." Obi-Wan crosses his arms almost disbelievingly. Anakin is fairly certain he's questioning Luke's truthfulness, and that frustrates him. He knows everything the boy is saying is true, or at least he believes it is. "Why couldn't Anakin?"
"I don't know. I assumed it was because he... there was too much metal in his body." Luke looks most uncomfortable as he says that.
Something uneasy tightens his chest. Anakin has had many people mention his arm over the years since it happened, and he hates that. They act as if it makes him lesser. He doesn't think that's what Luke is talking about, but... he doesn't know. "What do you mean?" Anakin asks, warily.
"I don't know that either. I never asked," he confesses, clearly discomfited, "But I assumed it was a ship crash or something of that nature. You were on life support."
Anakin abruptly decides he doesn't want to know any details, but he does know one thing with certainty. "It couldn't have been a ship crash," he replies firmly.
"I know you're an amazing pilot. Ben – I mean Obi-Wan told me. I am too, but even I've been shot down before."
Anakin shakes his head. "I've been racing pods since I was very little. I might have been injured, but it was never serious, and I didn't know how to protect myself with the Force back then. It must've been something else."
Obi-Wan is frowning at him now, and Anakin nearly groans aloud. "Anakin," he starts.
"No," he not-quite-snaps, "Are we really going to do this right now? In front of... my son?"
"I've told you no short of a hundred times to be careful."
"I am. I always am. I know what I'm doing!" Honestly. How can his master still doubt him in this manner when it's one of the only things he's good at?
"Really?" Obi-Wan replies, skeptically, with a very pointed look at Anakin's arm. "You're always careful?" The 'then how did you end up with that' is unspoken but clear.
Anakin inhales sharply. He's very tempted to yell at him but Luke is here, and he doesn't want to do that in front of his son. Anakin crosses his arms, glaring at Obi-Wan, who seems to count that as a win and turns back to Luke.
Luke is frowning now, and Anakin wonders if he missed the half of the conversation everyone else always seems to, because he thinks, maybe, for the first time, he didn't miss it. "What happened?" he asks, finally.
"Nothing," Anakin replies before Obi-Wan can answer. He doesn't want his son to know about it.
The conversation ends when they reach the cruiser. If Luke wants details... he can ask later. Personally, Anakin hopes he doesn't ask. The trip to the bridge is quiet and rapid, though Anakin senses Luke's discomfort at the journey. He won't ask, even if he is curious.
Anakin forces those thoughts away, opting instead to focus on the situation at hand – namely the fact that they're entering the bridge now. "All right, Admiral," he calls. "What's so important that you brought us all the way back here?"
He almost trails off at the end as the hologram catches his eye, his heart skipping a beat as it dawns on him who the Togruta is. He'd lost hope of her returning, but here she is. She is here, alive, safe. Unharmed. Sometimes, in his darkest moments, he had feared the worst for her, but he knows better – there's nothing she can't face. She's here though. She came back to him, after all this time, and she's grown up now.
She turns to face him, most emotion on her face well-controlled. "Hello, Master. It's been a while." Her arms are crossed, and the way she holds herself is so familiar. It's everything that he remembers from his padawan.
"Ah-Ahsoka," he stammers, mind scrambling to find words. He truthfully doesn't know what to say – he's dreamed of this for so long, but now that it's happening, he doesn't know how to handle it. But why, after all this time, would she contact him – especially with a Mandalorian beside her, unless something's wrong? "Wha... I don't believe it! How are you? Where are you? Are – are you okay?"
"I'm all right. Thank you," she replies, nodding slightly. It's too short, too curt, and he doesn't like it. He doesn't blame her though – she must be in a hurry and this entire situation is as awkward for her as it is him, if not more so. "I wish we had more time to talk, but I have urgent information for both of you."
"What is it, Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan inquires, stepping forwards. He's as surprised as Anakin is, though he hides it better – or maybe it's only that he's not the one meeting his padawan again after so long. Anakin senses Luke's strange turmoil of emotions as well, and it makes him wonder for a moment if Luke knew Ahsoka, at least.
"Lady Bo-Katan and I have located the renegade Sith Lord, Maul," Ahsoka explains, "And if we move swiftly, we believe we can capture him."
"I presume you're coming here, then," Obi-Wan deduces, and she nods.
"We'll be on our way. Just tell us where to go."
It feels much too soon that the hologram disappears, but it means that she's on her way now, which is what matters. Anakin steps back from the holotable, mind whirling. Ahsoka is coming back. She's coming back home, finally, and this must be hard for her. He's not sure what to do, but that only lasts a moment, because really, it's obvious. "I'm going to tell Rex," he declares. "The boys have to get ready to see her again."
"Who is she?" Luke asks, slightly awkwardly.
How could he not know who Ahsoka is?! Anakin truthfully has no desire to know the details about what happened in his timeline. "She was my padawan," he answers.
"'Was'?"
"Why don't we speak of this elsewhere?" Obi-Wan proposes, seeming to catch onto Anakin's discomfort at the topic. It's not something he ever wants to talk about. Sometimes, he still struggles with the fact that the Council was willing to expel her, though time and again he's reminded himself that it's somehow the will of the Force, for something greater which he can never understand, and that is what's kept him going all these months.
"I agree," Anakin concurs quietly. "You can tell Luke. I must speak with Rex."
"Go ahead," his son agrees, turning to Obi-Wan with something guarded in his eyes. He doesn't trust him, and Anakin doesn't understand that, either, though now that he thinks about it, he doesn't think Luke trusts anyone.
He wants to talk to Luke, but that will have to wait for later. For now, he needs to tell Rex that Ahsoka is coming back.
**w**
Luke put the pieces together the moment he saw her. The markings on the Togruta's face are far too similar to Fulcrum's symbol for it to be anything else. Was she Fulcrum, in Luke's time? It fits with everything else he knew, since she was a Jedi.
But what do they mean she 'was' Anakin's padawan? His father is young, close to his age, and she can't be older than her late teens. How could her training already be complete? It doesn't make sense.
"Anakin was... young to take a padawan," Obi-Wan relates as they walk through the halls. "He took her shortly after his Knighting. She left the Order almost three years later. That was almost half a year ago now."
"Left the Order?" Luke echoes, confused. He didn't realize that was possible. "Why?"
"It's... complicated." Obi-Wan crosses his arms, stopping in the hall and turning to face him. "Ahsoka's situation was... extreme. It was only days before she left. There was a bombing at the Temple, and throughout the course of events, she was framed as the traitor."
Suddenly, Luke has a very, very bad feeling about this. He's not sure what it is that Obi-Wan is saying, but he already knows it ended badly.
"We didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was overwhelming. When the Senate demanded that she be handed over for trial, we couldn't refuse."
"Couldn't or wouldn't?" Luke asks, incredulously. To say he's horrified would be an understatement. Ahsoka is clearly younger than him, possibly more than he realizes if Anakin trained her. In truth, he doesn't know the details of the workings of the Order. He never asked, but Master Yoda had told him that they were normally taken between ten and thirteen.
"The Jedi serve the Senate," Obi-Wan replies tightly. "We must follow their decisions. It was a sacrifice we believed needed to be made, but we were wrong then."
A sacrifice that needed to be made, like when Obi-Wan ordered Luke to kill his own father?!
He breathes in deeply, trying to maintain calm, at least outwardly. "And then what?"
"Anakin found the true criminal, and Ahsoka was cleared. We offered her a choice to return to the Order, but she refused, choosing to find her own path."
"She didn't leave," Luke argues, incensed, "You expelled her, and she, of course, refused to return!" He knows, in truth, he doesn't know the details, and he's probably judging them overly harshly. He doesn't know what evidence they had, and he knows he's biased while he struggles over what happened with his father. It was only Sidious' fault that he died, but it still feels like the Jedi before him should have done something differently, and if they had, Luke would have been able to live his life with Anakin and Leia, like he should have.
"She chose to leave," Obi-Wan objects. "She could have returned. We made the offer to her, but she walked away instead."
Luke turns away from him. This – this is why he doesn't trust Obi-Wan anymore. It's the exact same thing he said about Vader, and he lied. How can Luke know he's telling the full truth now?
He should talk to Anakin about this later, after he's done preparing for Ahsoka's return.
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