Author's Notes: Hello, everyone, I'm so sorry that it's has taken me so long to update. DRL and vacation have kept me very busy. I'll try to make up for it by posting every other day now.

IntelEwok: Thanks so much! I'm glad you're still reading. It means a lot to me to know you're enjoying the story.

Okay, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I'm not making any money, etc.

The Lost Ones-7

Kessel.

Anakin's propulsion and the thrust of the explosion knocked Luke some distance away. For a few seconds he lay on the ground stunned, then he leaped to his feet and looked over to see a raging fire where one of Kessel's air factories had stood a half-minute earlier. Anakin lay face down about halfway between Luke and the burning building.

His breath catching in fear and horror, Luke raced to his side and carefully turned him over. Anakin was still alive and, as far as Luke could tell at a glance, seemed to be in better shape than might be expected from someone who had been in close proximity to such an explosion. The right side of his face and his right hand were burned, but not too severely. His hair was singed, and he was beginning to go into shock, but there didn't seem to be any immediate life-threatening injuries. He must have had time to insulate himself with a Force-bubble, at least partially.

The most crucial thing at the moment, Luke decided, was to get both of them further away from that air factory. The heat was painfully intense and searing, and there could be more explosions. He gently lifted Anakin under the arms and dragged him a safe distance away. He was momentarily reminded of dragging his father across the hanger floor to the shuttle on the Death Star. It seemed a lifetime ago so much had changed since then. But then the shout of Kessel's guards brought him back to the present.

Luke reached for his lightsaber, but it turned out to be unnecessary. Several X-wings seemed to appear out of nowhere, leading some larger transports and carriers for ground troops. The New Republic task force had finally arrived. The Kessel troops, most of them cowards at heart, abruptly turned and ran.

The young Jedi dropped to his knees and tenderly took his father's burned hand in his own. He sunk deep into a healing trance, hoping he could ease his father's injuries. The next few hours were a blur. He learned later that the New Republic troops aided by some of the braver, stronger slaves overpowered the Kessel soldiers easily. Most surrendered without a fight once they realized the New Republic had landed. Doole himself was trapped inside the presidential palace by his own slaves. Luke himself was only aware of the transport that landed nearby and carried both Jedi to the medical frigate floating safely above the planet's surface.

The medical droids at first seemed slightly annoyed that Luke would not leave and let them tend to Anakin, but once they saw that the Force-induced healing trance was more effective than any of their own treatments, they let him be and concentrated on the others. There were actually remarkably few battle injuries, but some of the slaves were in very poor condition and had been taken aboard upon being rescued.

Luke was aware of nothing except his father's condition. He spent hours stabilizing Anakin's internal condition and then healing each burn. When he finally sat back and evaluated his work, he was greatly relieved to see that Anakin was as good as new. His skin was smooth and unmarked; he was no longer in shock. The only sign of his most recent brush with death was his singed hair, which would grow back quickly. He was still sleeping, though. Luke had sent him deep into unconsciousness to prevent him from feeling the tiniest amount of discomfort. His father had suffered enough pain in his life.

One of the med-droids came to check on them. "That's very impressive work, sir. Your father is completely healed. Even with a bacta tank, we couldn't have healed him so quickly. It is probably best if he stays overnight just for observation. If there are no further problems, we will release him in the morning. You are to be commended."

"Thank you," Luke mumbled as the droid left. If only that were true, he thought miserably. The truth was he had acted recklessly, with no thought to the consequences, and he could have caused many innocent people to die, and lost his father as well. He stared at Anakin's handsome face and felt an enormous, painful lump come to his throat. He knew that his father's greatest fear was fire. Anakin had told him about the duel with Obi-Wan so long ago and how it had ended with Anakin being burned alive and left to survive trapped inside the monstrous black suit that had sustained him for twenty years. He knew about the terrible pain Anakin had lived with because of the injuries from that showdown, and how he had suffered from being cut off from all contact with others. And yet, Anakin had been willing to face all that again to save Luke from being hurt in that sudden blaze.

Luke's eyes filled with tears. He felt so undeserving all of a sudden. He had known how dangerous leading the slaves in a rebellion could be, and yet he had lost his head and risked both their lives and the slaves'. Compounding his guilt was the fact that he had very recently been upset about his memories of Bespin. Thank goodness he had kept that from Anakin. The last thing his father needed was to feel more anguish about the past.

"I'm sorry, Father," he whispered.

To his surprise, Anakin opened his eyes and said hoarsely, "Now I won't have you feeling guilty. That's my job." He patted Luke's hand.

"You're awake," Luke said unnecessarily.

Anakin nodded and glanced down at himself. "Either that Force- bubble was stronger than I realized, or you've been busy healing again."

Luke just smiled at him.

"Am I really all right?" his father asked.

"Yes, you're perfectly well. Even the med-droids agree although they want you to stay here tonight for observation. I'm going to ask them for an extra cot so I can stay, too."

"You don't-" Anakin began, but Luke interrupted. "I want to, Father. Please."

The older Jedi agreed, smiling himself now. "Well, I always enjoy your company, son." He grew serious and quiet for a moment. Then he asked, "How does my face look?"

"It's fine," Luke assured him, knowing Anakin would be worried about being disfigured again. "Except your hair is singed a bit on the ends."

"I suppose it was time for a haircut, anyway. If that's all, then I'm very grateful." Once more he reached for Luke's hand. This time he gently squeezed his son's fingers. "Thank you, Luke. Healing is a very special gift and talent. I'm so proud of you."

At that, Luke's eyes filled with tears. He shook his head. "You shouldn't be. I nearly ruined everything. Many slaves could have died because I was impatient. You could have been badly burned or killed. Father, I'm sorry."

"You already said that. It's all right. Everything will be fine. I can feel it." Anakin propped himself up on the pillows and held out an arm to Luke, who leaned against him and buried his face against his father's shoulder.

After a while Luke whispered. "Ben and Yoda would be ashamed of me. I didn't act like a Jedi in the slave tunnel."

Anakin hugged him close, sensing his son's pain and wanting to alleviate it. "You acted out of compassion, Luke. It was a tough situation, and I'm not sure if there really was a right thing to do."

But Luke shook his head. "Ben and Yoda would have waited for the task force to arrive."

"Perhaps. But how would you feel if you had done nothing, if you had let that poor old woman be beaten? At the least, she would have suffered great pain, and possibly have died. You saved her and the task force arrived in time to help." Anakin looked around at their room. "I'm assuming we're in a New Republic medcenter, anyway."

"We are. They did." Luke reponded. "And I would have felt terrible for that woman, but still, I endangered a lot of lives today. You said I acted out of compassion and I did, but I still think Ben and Yoda would not have approved."

"I'm not sure what they would have done," Anakin conceded. "The old Jedi had tremendous compassion for the galaxy at large, but not always for the individual. They didn't often let concern for one person interfere with their plans for helping the galaxy in general. But, you know, Luke, that's not always the best way to be."

Luke frowned slightly. "What do you mean, Father?"

Anakin sighed. "Most of the time you do have to consider what is best for the majority, but you can't sacrifice the value of each individual life. Of course, when I was Vader I did unspeakable acts- things the old Jedi would never have done-but in a way, my reasoning was similar. I wanted what I thought best for the galaxy, but I didn't value life on a personal level." He grimaced in remembrance, then he patted Luke's back. "But you do, son. And you should never change that."

"It's hard to find the balance sometimes," Luke said quietly.

"Yes," Anakin agreed. "But we have to try. I hope we can take the best of the old ways while avoiding some of the mistakes when we start training our own padawans."

Luke nodded. They both wanted to find Betta and Keren Colzin before returning to Naboo and beginning to work with the next generation of Jedi. That was a scary thought on its own. Luke didn't feel nearly mature enough or experienced enough to teach anyone else, especially after today, but there wasn't much choice in the matter. At least, he thought gratefully, he would have his father to help. But the time when they were actually going to begin re-establishing the Jedi seemed very uncertain. They didn't seem to be any closer to finding the Colzins than when they'd begun their journey.

For the first time Luke wondered what they would do if they didn't locate the women. It would be very difficult for Anakin. He wanted so much to atone for the past. If the Colzins were forever lost, it would be another tragedy he couldn't do anything about. Still, Luke reminded himself, they were a long way from giving up. Luke knew of at least two more places that had used slaves. The problem was, he dreaded going to either of them, and he knew that his father would feel even more strongly than he did.

"Quit thinking about unpleasant things," Anakin lightly chided, even as he held his son close. "Let's just enjoy being together."

"I am," Luke said softly. He relaxed into his father's embrace, feeling infinitely grateful that Anakin's life and health had been spared.

Anakin reached up to curl his fingers around the back of Luke's neck, pausing to see for himself that they were healed. "Amazing," he murmured. "Where were you twenty-three years ago?"

Luke smiled a little, despite himself. "Not born yet."

After a moment of silence, Anakin asked, "What unpleasant things were you thinking about?"

"Where to go next if the Colzins aren't on Kessel," Luke told him.

"Oh?"

"There is one place I know where slaves were fairly common," Luke hesitated. "Tatooine."

Anakin frowned. "I vowed I'd never go back there."

"So did I, but I went when I had to, to rescue Han," Luke replied. "If there's any chance they might be there-" his voice trailed off.

"We'll have to go," Anakin finished with a sigh. Then he added. "But they could be here. Doole didn't any more check those slave records than a Weequay can fly. We'll have to do it ourselves, and I imagine it's going to be a big job. We don't have to worry about going to Tatooine just yet."

For a while they sat close together in silence, just feeling thankful to still be together. Luke had just gotten up to go see about getting the extra cot when there was a knock on the door and Wedge Antilles came in.

"Hi, I hope I'm not intruding, but I heard you guys were up here and I couldn't find out any details. I just wanted to make sure you were all right," he said.

"I was burned a bit," Anakin told him. "But Luke was able to heal me. It's a pleasure to see you again, Commander Antilles. Please, come sit down."

Wedge shook his head. "Thank you, but I've got to meet with General Madine soon. I better be going. I'm glad you're okay, sir."

"I've got to check about getting that cot. I'll walk out with you, Wedge. Be right back, Father," Luke commented.

Anakin nodded, lay back against the pillow, and closed his eyes. He was well, but still weak.

Luke accompanied Wedge to the frigate's hanger where they wished each other well and parted ways. Luke spoke to a med-droid about the cot, and was on his way back to Anakin's room when he glanced into an examination room as he passed by and saw a sight that stopped him frozen in his tracks.

A Kessel guard was lying unconscious on a table having an artificial foot attached to his ankle. It was a reminder that any skirmish can result in injuries and death, and, for Luke, a brutal flashback to the worst time in his life.

He remembered being in the Alliance's medical frigate having his own missing limb replaced. He remembered the physical and mental agony he had suffered after that first aggrieved duel. He remembered the disbelief and horror of learning that Darth Vader was his father, the very person who had tormented his friends, frozen Han in carbonite, beaten and battered Luke himself, and finally had taken his hand and his innocence. He remembered the despair that had threatened to consume him, and probably would have if Leia and Han had not needed him so desperately. He had contemplated suicide more than once in the weeks following Bespin. Only the knowledge that Leia couldn't take any more losses, that without his help Han might be frozen in carbonite for eternity, had kept him from it.

For a few moments, he remembered it all so intensely it was as if the events of Bespin had just happened. Luke abruptly turned around and switched direction. He could not go back to his father right now. Anakin would know immediately that something was wrong and would want to help.

Luke knew that this was one thing he could never share with him. He wanted to. He needed to talk about these terrible flashbacks with somebody. He wished desperately that he could confide in Leia or Han. Lando and the droids would be a comfort, too. But they were all back on Coruscant, out of range for the communicator. Anakin was the only one available, and Luke just couldn't burden him like that. Anakin knew bits and pieces of how they had all felt after Bespin, and what he already knew was almost too much for him to bear. Luke truly loved his father and didn't want to hurt him any more.

So the only choice was to suffer in silence.