Title: Ghost of the Past
Author: Spirit White
Summary: Luke Skywalker died at thirteen years of age. Abruptly, the threads of the future were torn to pieces and remade, and Leia Organa and Lord Darth Vader must deal with the consequences.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by George Lucas, Lucasfilms Ltd. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Revised Friday, December 7th, 2007

Chapter Five: Goodbye

Three Days Later

"I'm going to be a senator, Luke," Leia said haughtily.

"Why, though?" Luke asked as he sprawled out on the floor.

"Because I can help the people from inside the Empire itself." Leia replied.

"What makes you think you can help? Besides the fact that you are politically brilliant." Leia looked at him.

"Am I supposed to answer that?" She asked. Luke rolled his eyes.

"No, I suppose not." He sighed, sitting up.

"Besides, I have the perfect spy. I can learn anything."

"How so?" He asked lazily. Leia turned to stare at him.

"Why, you, of course," she replied.

"Me?" He asked, straightening abruptly.

"Yes, you! Nobody but me can see you, and only when you want me to. You don't leave fingerprints, can't be spotted on security cameras…the perfect spy." Luke had no idea if that was allowed. He simply stared at Leia, who had her eyebrows raised at him. "Well?" She asked impatiently.

"Ahhh…" Luke said, eyes wide. "Ahh, you see, I don't know if…"

"Oh, come on!" Leia snorted. "You, who seek thrills even after they've killed you, don't want to have the thrill of spying? Really, think of it! We could learn secrets from anyone! Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Vader, even the Emperor himself!"

"Ah," Luke started, wiggling his fingers. "No. The Emperor is disgusting…I'll not be going there, thanks. I don't know if you can throw up when you're dead, but I'd rather not find out."

"Oh, well, that hardly matters. You can hear everything from other sources."

"I don't believe my stuffy Royal sister is trying to get me to spy for her," Luke grinned. "Yeah, all right, I'll do it. You owe me, sister."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Leia replied, turning back to the mirror. Luke stood up off the ground.

"Time's up," he said cheerfully. "I'm off. Tell me what you want me to find out and I'll see what I can do."

"See if you can find Governor Tarkin. There isn't anything specific I need to know, but I've always hated the man. See if you can't find some things about him."

"Sure, whatever," Luke replied. He waved at her through the mirror and let his surroundings fade. "Hi, Master Qui-Gon," he said as they rematerialized. His surroundings were now Jedi quarters, where he spent what little spare time he had. Qui-Gon Jinn looked at him from the window.

"Luke, good. I've been waiting to talk to you."

"Yeah?" He asked, suddenly feeling uneasy. Something in Qui-Gon's voice wasn't right.

"I can't stay here anymore," Qui-Gon said quietly. Luke blinked and felt his heart thud nervously. "I've been staying here to help you, but my place is further in, with the rest of the Jedi."

"Further in?" Luke asked, eyes wide.

"Yes. I took you there, once, just after you died. The Jedi Council. Did you feel the difference between there and here?"

Luke thought back to those terrible minutes just after he had died. Yes, he remembered. There had been a difference. That room where the Council sat was filled with peace and contentment compared to the room Qui-Gon resided in. Slowly, he nodded his head.

"That is where I belong," Qui-Gon said. "I have taught you much in the past year, young Luke. You are ready to go on, on your own."

"But I don't want you to go," Luke whispered sadly. Qui-Gon smiled at him.

"I know, Luke," he said. "but it is time for me. I have faith in you. You will do what is right." Blinking quickly, Luke nodded his head and looked down at his feet. Qui-Gon put a hand on his shoulder.

"You remind me much of Anakin," he said, a smile in his voice. Luke glanced up, puzzled. "Led by your heart," Qui-Gon said, placing a hand on Luke's chest. "A fierce weapon, your heart can be. Be wary, however. Remember your father's path. He fell to darkness to prevent his vision, and by doing so, made it come to life."

"I'll remember," Luke whispered. "I won't let Leia do the same thing. I'll bring my father back. He's good, I know he is."

"I look forward to seeing it come to be," Qui-Gon smiled. He stood up, tall and strong and wise, and moved towards the door of his spirit-like quarters. "Good luck, young Luke," he said, and with one last smile he opened the door, and was gone.

Suddenly overwhelmed, Luke sat down hard on a chair at the kitchen table and buried his face in his arms.

The Star Destroyer Devastator Darth Vader's private hangar bay

"Size two hydrospanner," Vader said, holding out a hand. He kept his eyes on the shuttle's exposed circuit panel, holding them steady with one hand. A few seconds, and an assistant droid set the required tool in Vader's other one. He went back to work on the wires, gently twisting them into place.

"I've always loved ships," a voice said suddenly from behind him. Vader's heart suddenly labored. He knew that voice…

He turned his head. Sure enough, the ghostly blue figure of his dead son sat slightly behind him, knees drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around them. Slowly, deliberately, Vader put his hydrospanner down, and took his hand away from the wires, shifting the bulk of his body to face Luke.

"You came back," Vader said, for lack of anything else. Luke smiled at him.

"Of course. I told you I would, didn't I?" He replied. Vader's respirator cycled several times.

"I have learned, in the course of my life, to not expect anything." He finally responded. Luke frowned.

"Well, I'm here anyhow, even if you didn't expect me to be."

"Why are you here?" Vader asked after a moment's pause. Luke grinned at him, eyes sparkling.

"To see you, of course."

"I see," he responded. "And what do you plan on doing now?" Luke grinned and shifted onto his knees.

"Well, I thought we'd talk. Get to know each other and stuff." He shifted forwards, examining the wires in the panel. "I've always loved ships," he said again, poking at an exposed wire. He giggled when his finger slid through it.

"Did you enjoy piloting?" Vader asked, before remembering how his son had died. Piloting accident, he remembered, and felt his lungs constrict again.

"Oh, yes," Luke smiled. "Very much so. One of the only things I hate about being dead…I can't fly anymore."

"There are no ships?" Vader asked, disturbed. No ships…he didn't like the thought of that.

"Oh, I'm sure there are," Luke said reassuringly. "I can't fly them, though. I don't have access to them."

"Access?" Vader asked blankly. Luke grinned at him and shrugged.

"Yeah, but it's really hard to explain everything about…there. I'm not sure I'm allowed, either, so I better not say too much." Luke bent closer to the panel. "I used to repair lots of things, too. Vaporators, mostly, but we had a lot of helping droids that broke down a lot from the sand. I always had fun repairing them. And my speeder!" Luke laughed. "It was always breaking down…sand and stuff. It was really old. I always used to make little modifications on it…I made the rear engine respond to the frontal throttle once, but that was an accident. Scared me good when I discovered it." He laughed. "I had a great time watching my friends try and figure out what was going on. None of them would pilot my speeder anymore."

"Really?" Vader asked, slowly bending beside the blue figure. Luke nodded and sat back.

"My Uncle Owen had a swoop bike when I was really young, but I only have a few memories of it. When I started getting interested in it, my uncle sold it immediately. He had the right idea, I think. I would have wrecked it, sooner or later. I had this bad habit of sneaking out at night…" Luke grinned, looking up at his father from under his lashes. "I remember I took the speeder once to Anchorhead…I must have been nine or so. Just after Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru fell asleep. I went with my friends. Biggs, who was eleven, and Deak and Windy, ten, I think. We lost track of time, and I didn't make it back in before my aunt and uncle woke up. You should have heard Uncle Owen shout," Luke grinned in remembrance. "It was fantastic. I was grounded for so long…"

"You were not…were you happy, there?" Half way through, Vader changed what he was going to say. If it wasn't true, he didn't think Luke would appreciate being asked if he was abused. Luke shrugged.

"You mean was I content? No, not really. I could never keep my head on my shoulders…my uncle always said it was in the stars, where I really wanted to be. But I was fine. I loved – love – my aunt and uncle…I just didn't want to live with them. I always wanted my father," Luke smiled. "I wanted to be a star pilot…I was never content on the farm."

"I see," Vader said, distant. "Do you know how you came to be on Tatooine?"

"Yes," Luke said. "Ben – uh – Obi-Wan Kenobi took me there."

"Obi-Wan!" Vader said. "Is he still there?"

"No, he left," Luke replied. "Same day I died. Just a couple hours later, he was gone." Vader stilled, and sank back down, having been about to surge to his feet.

"Where did he go?" Vader asked, trying to stay calm. Luke stared at him, eyes calm.

"I don't know," he said quietly. "I didn't follow him." Vader turned away in frustration. When he turned back, Luke had gone.