Chapter 13
Anakin stood before Master Windu, keeping his face carefully composed in a neutral expression. He would not let his fear show, not now, not with the entire old Order watching him. How many times had they denounced feeling fear as, if not a crime against the Force, as an irreparable weakness?
He could sense Padme's presence, and the children's. He was grateful for their touch, and yet he mourned that they had to be present. Blast it all, why did they have to see this? They had no part in it. They shouldn't have to be put through this agony because of him.
/Maybe you should have thought of that before you acted/ a sickening voice within whispered.
"Anakin Skywalker," Mace Windu said in a tone devoid of any emotion, "you stand accused of genocide in the first degree and the betrayal of the Jedi Order to the Sith. How do you plead?"
He met Master Windu's gaze without flinching. Even as a defendant in what could never be an entirely fair trial, he had some dignity left.
"How else can I plead? I cannot deny the allegations against me. I am guilty of all you accuse me of."
"Father!" Luke exclaimed, shooting out of his seat.
"Order in this court!" barked the bailiff, whom Anakin recognized as A'Sharad Hett. "Sit down, Skywalker. You'll have your chance to speak."
Luke reseated himself but kept his gaze on Anakin, looking absolutely horrified at what was going on. His heart ached for his son. Anakin would gladly bear whatever punishment the Jedi saw fit to bestow on him, but Luke had no part in this. He shouldn't have to suffer for the sins of his father.
"Thank you, Anakin," Mace told him. "Have a seat."
He took his place beside Luke, who embraced him tightly.
/How could they do this to you/ Luke demanded. /You killed the Emperor. You've served the Rebellion for years. Doesn't that count for something…/
/Quiet, my son. In this room, you can be overheard. We won't be safe to speak like this until after the trial./
Luke scowled a little but obeyed. Anakin couldn't fault him for being annoyed – it hardly seemed fair that private telepathic communication was impossible in the presence of the Jedi.
"Father, why?" Leia whispered. "Why did you plead guilty?"
"Because anything else would have been a lie," Anakin replied. "And I will not add that to my list of crimes."
"Before we decide on an appropriate sentence," Mace went on, "we must take into account Anakin's actions in the past four years. He has attempted to make some restitution for his wrongdoings. The question remains, however – how much has he repaid, and how much remains to be repaid?"
A'Sharad, to Anakin's shock, was the first to speak. "Anakin has lived among my people for nine months, learning their ways and aiding them in escaping the slavery of Jabba the Hutt. He did this to fulfill the terms of the blood debt, to gain absolution from his crimes against the Tusken Raiders. He has repaid that crime and requires no punishment for it."
Anakin nodded gratefully at the young Tusken. A'Sharad had no reason to stand up for him, seeing as they'd been far less than friends in life, but to see him come to his defense…
"Rather than deal with his crimes on a case-by-case basis," Qui-gon Jinn suggested, standing, "why not absolve him entirely?"
One could have heard a pin drop after Qui-gon's suggestion. All eyes rested on the long-haired Master.
"Explain your reasoning," Mace ordered.
"You all know that Anakin is the Chosen One," he responded. "There can be no more denying that. He was prophesied to bring balance to the Force – and he did so in destroying the Sith Order. For that action, an action no other being in the galaxy could have accomplished, I believe he should be granted a full and complete pardon."
A harsh murmur filled the courtroom. Anakin couldn't suppress an amused smile. So like Qui-gon – blunt but compassionate, forthright but merciful.
"Have you gone mad, Master Jinn!" exclaimed Master Plo Koon, standing abruptly. "This man has killed thousands of people and almost single-handedly eradicated our Order! How can a single act, be it prophecy-fulfillment or not, redeem so much bloodshed? I agree that killing the Emperor demands a somewhat lighter sentence, but total absolution? Ridiculous!"
"Repentant he is," Yoda said firmly, his voice overriding the agreeing voices of Master Koon's supporters. "Shown he has that changed his heart has. Shown he has that sincerely regret his actions he does. And in destroying Kain and Palpatine, gained forgiveness he has. No more punishment does he require."
"But was it really his decision to change his heart?" countered Jocasta Nu. "Remember, he lost his memory and, with it, a great deal of his former personality. In my opinion, had he not been involved in that crash, he would never have attempted to make amends."
"And this is relevant how?" demanded Aayla Secura.
"Well, think about it," she went on in a quite reasonable tone, something she'd mastered after spending years in the Jedi Library. "Was it really his decision to turn back? Or was it merely the result of an altered state of mind?"
Despite all his efforts to keep his emotions in check, Anakin couldn't help feeling a rush of indignant anger. "Altered state of mind" indeed! Hadn't it been his decision to renounce the dark side? And if it truly was due to his "altered state of mind," wouldn't he have turned back to his former life upon regaining his memory on Bespin?
"He destroyed the Order," an Ithorian Master he didn't recognize said in a hard voice. "And he and his son had the gall to change the Code to suit their fancy. He deserves some sort of punishment, even if its simply letting him live out the rest of his years in a paralyzed body."
"He would be doing that anyway if we pardoned him," a young human Knight countered. "I say let him live out the rest of his years… without being able to use the Force."
"An appropriate punishment," Ki-Adi-Mundi said in his usual quiet but logical voice. "After all, it is the Force that he betrayed in destroying the Order."
Anakin hung his head and closed his eyes as a multitude of voices rose in agreement.
"What about Luke Skywalker?" demanded Coleman Traebor. "It was also his decision to alter the Jedi Code, not to mention that he's resorted to the dark side on a few occasions. Doesn't he deserve some sort of punishment?"
Anakin cringed. /Please/ he thought desperately/have mercy on Luke. I'll endure whatever you want to do to me, just leave my son alone…/
An irate voice sliced through the tumult, a familiar voice that rasped harshly and brought instant silence.
"You are all – every last one of you – hypocrites!"
All eyes turned toward an armored figure that strode angrily into the courtroom – not the slick black armor of Darth Kain, but the battered gray-green armor of the bounty hunter who had fallen prey to Palpatine's machinations… but redeemed himself in his final moments.
"Boba Fett," Master Windu said, unruffled by the man's accusation, "leave this room at once. You have a trial of your own to be preparing for…"
Fett glared at Mace. "The Jedi Order was the most self-righteous, arrogant, fanatical organization in the galaxy when it existed," he snarled. "I see that none of that has changed in the afterlife." He whirled to glower at the gathered Masters, Knights, and Padawans. "None at all."
"A'Sharad Hett, please remove this man from the courtroom," ordered Mace.
"You've let others argue their piece against the Skywalkers!" Fett retorted, shaking off the bailiff. "Let someone speak for him for a change."
Windu sighed. "Granted. Be quick."
Fett strode to where Anakin sat and turned to face Master Windu, placing a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "I have many issues with the Jedi Order, not the least of which is that you, Your Honor, personally killed my father before my very eyes. I doubt I can ever forgive you for that, but that has nothing to do with this trial. The issue I wish to address is the Jedi's attitude toward the galaxy in general, toward non-Jedi… and toward members of its own Order who express dissatisfaction with the Codes and bylaws of the Order.
"I lived during the Clone Wars. I witnessed firsthand many of its battles. And over and over I saw the Jedi distancing themselves from the very people they professed to protect and shepherd. They claimed to serve the people's best interests, when in reality they had little idea what those interests were. After all, things many considered essentials – like relationships, or family, or personal possessions – were forbidden to a Jedi. Few, if any, could sympathize with a child who had lost his family in a bloody battle, or a farmer whose land was rendered unusable by a biological weapon, or a woman who was forced to watch her true love go off to fight in a battle he would likely never return from.
"I ask you now – how can an Order that has purged itself of emotion and love, that has distanced itself from the very souls it professes to protect and serve, that considers itself above and beyond reproach, call itself the guardians of the galaxy? How can an Order that has never known heartbreak and loss as Anakin has dare judge his reaction to the pain he suffered? And how can they profess to be above hatred and vengeance when their very actions now – placing this man, who nearly died to redeem himself, on trial to satisfy their own egos – seem nothing short of hateful and vengeful?"
The Jedi murmured among themselves, some stung by Fett's accusations, others defiant and angry.
"Even now, you all indulge in the very emotion that you consider to be of the dark side," Fett went on. "You hate Anakin for what he did to you, and you hate me for daring to speak the truth to you. And isn't it telling that those who should hate you for what you are doing now to their family harbor no anger toward you?"
Master Windu raised his hand for silence. "You make a very compelling argument, Fett, which is telling considering you let your hatred toward the Jedi and the Skywalkers define your actions for the past several years."
"I am certainly guilty of that," Fett replied. "But I have let go of my hate. I suggest that the Jedi Order does the same – and no longer seeks to exact revenge upon Anakin Skywalker." He sat down.
"Thank you, Boba Fett." Mace looked around the room. "Is there anyone else who wishes to speak?"
Luke shot to his feet.
"Yes, Skywalker?"
"Fett has a point," Luke said. "How could the Jedi serve the people when they couldn't even identify with their causes, their heartbreaks, their dreams and desires? If a Jedi has never known what its like to lose a loved one, or a home, or a family, how can they truly want to help those who know those losses or are threatened with them?"
"And you believe this justifies your alteration of the Code?" asked Master Windu.
Luke nodded, an unrepentant look on his face. "Yes. A Jedi has every right to know love and family. It's those bonds that strengthen him… and make him able to sympathize with those he serves."
"I second that," Leia said, standing. "Some ask why the galaxy didn't do anything to stop the Jedi Purges. Maybe its because, just as the Jedi couldn't identify with the plights of the non-Jedi, the non-Jedi couldn't identify with the plight of the Jedi. Not to say the Order deserved what it got, but the non-response from the galaxy in general shouldn't have come as a surprise."
Padme stood now. "I loved Anakin with all my heart. I still love him. And no edict of the Jedi is going to change that." She smiled at him warmly. "I do not regret our defiance of the Code, because if we had never wed, Luke and Leia would never have been born… and the galaxy would have been short two of the heroes it so desperately needed."
Obi-wan stood. "Acquit Anakin, my friends and comrades, and let the Jedi Order be born anew. The galaxy is not a constant – it grows and evolves. It's time the Order learned to grow and evolve with it. Then, perhaps, we can avoid an error like the one that led to our destruction."
Anakin couldn't tell if Yoda was standing or not, but it didn't matter – he could still be seen and heard clearly enough. "If punish Anakin we must, let this be it – that serve the Order he must, and for every Jedi he slew, train another in his place he must. If die he does before finished with the task he is, then continue from beyond the grave he must, until met his quota is."
He felt his jaw drop. Making him train over eight thousand Jedi! He wasn't expecting THAT punishment!
Qui-gon was the last to stand. "Even the Jedi are not infallible, as Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker have just reminded us. And if we are allowed our mistakes, perhaps Anakin Skywalker should be allowed his."
Mace Windu nodded gravely, but Anakin thought he could detect a trace of amusement in his eyes. "Then it is decided. Anakin Skywalker, your sentence is as Master Yoda stated, and you will begin serving it once this vision has ended. Court is adjourned."
Jedi began standing and heading for the exit, still talking amongst themselves, bewildered at this turn of events. Anakin felt a heady sense of relief as he stood and embraced first Padme, then his children.
"I was so scared," Leia murmured. "I thought for sure…"
"Even they wouldn't dare disobey Yoda," Anakin assured her. "His voice pulls a lot of weight."
Padme reached up and tenderly brushed Anakin's face. "Ani, I love you. I wish you could stay."
"I love you, my angel," he breathed, kissing her gently. "I will be back."
"I'll be waiting."
Obi-wan stepped forward and embraced Anakin. "Welcome back to the Force, my Padawan."
"Master," he murmured, "forgive me… you deserved better than me…"
"You lost the way for awhile, young one," Obi-wan replied. "But the important thing is that you found your way back, something few have ever done." His mouth quirked in a dry grin. "Besides, I was an old-school Master. How could I identify with a Padawan who'd left behind a mother and a home to follow the Jedi path?" He squeezed Anakin's shoulder. "You will make an excellent Master, young one – not in spite of your past, but because of it."
Fett spoke up. "You saved my life back at the fortress," he said quietly. "I understand you did it more for your son's sake than for mine, but I was still indebted to you." He gave a sharp nod. "We're even now."
Anakin laughed. "You never owed me anything, Fett."
He looked away. "The Jedi will still try me for my actions as a dark sider," he went on. "They don't understand, do they? They've never served the dark side; they can't know that it is slavery, bondage of the worst kind. That doesn't justify it, but still…"
"When the time comes for your trial," Anakin replied, "perhaps I can arrange to speak on your behalf."
Fett shrugged. "I'll be fine. You owe me nothing."
"You helped my son, and you aided me. I do owe you, Fett."
A man in armor similar to Fett's, only silver and blue, appeared at the doorway of the courtroom. He caught sight of the hunter and beckoned to him.
"I have to go," Fett told them. "I have some… explaining… to do to my father." He shook Anakin's hand. "May the Force be with you."
"May the Force be with you," Anakin replied as Fett walked away.
Luke watched him go. "I feel sorry for him."
"He proved himself in the end," Anakin told his son. "That should grant him some sort of reprieve. And I don't think Yoda will let them be too hard on him."
The room around them suddenly became blurred, as if he were viewing it through thick transparisteel. The faces around him faded, noises became muted…
Break…
Anakin opened his eyes.
Something had changed. He wasn't sure what, but something was different. It was as if colors were suddenly more vibrant, sounds sharper and more clearly defined, smells enhanced. The pain at the base of his neck, where the vertebra had been shattered, was gone. The constriction in his lungs, the laborious effort of every breath, had vanished. And his arms, his legs…
He sat up, rejoicing in every movement. He lifted his hands – both intact, both flesh and blood – and touched his face. It was whole, smooth, free of scars. He reached up to run his fingers through his hair, to touch his ears and jawline, to grasp the plastic oxygen mask around his mouth and nose and pull it away.
For the first time in over twenty years, he took a breath on his own. Nothing he had ever consumed in his life, no fine wine or delicacy, ever tasted as sweet as that mouthful of air.
Tears ran down his cheeks. The Force had imparted a gift upon him, a sign that it had truly forgiven him of his crimes. It had freed him of his pain and wounds. It had healed him, given him new life. He was whole.
On either side of the bed, Luke and Leia were still asleep, leaning against the bed for support. He reached down and gently placed his hands on their heads. Oh, how he loved his children, their presence, their touch in the Force. How under the stars had he been so lucky to have them restored to him?
The door to his room opened, and Forenze came in, still staring at her datapad.
"You two have probably been in here long enough," she muttered. "Better let your father get some rest…" She looked up.
It must have been a shock for the good doctor to walk into the room of a quadriplegic patient on life support, only to find him sitting up without a mark on him. Anakin couldn't fault her for being startled, but that painful shriek was most uncalled for.
Luke shot up at the sound of Forenze's scream, alert at once. "What's going on…"
"It's all right, Luke," Anakin told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "She was just spooked."
Luke whirled, staring. "Father?"
Leia got to her feet. "How did…?"
Anakin laughed and stood up. "Through the Force, all things are possible." He beamed at his children. "All things… even what others would call completely impossible."
Luke flung his arms around his father. Leia joined in the embrace. He hugged his children tightly to him, letting his love for them flow through their bond in the Force. They returned the emotion, filling him until he thought he would burst.
Forenze managed to get her sputtering under control. "Will somebody PLEASE explain what's going on?"
"All in good time," Anakin told her. He slapped Luke's back good-naturedly. "We have a lot of work to do in the meantime, don't we, son?"
Luke laughed and nodded. "Definitely."