The Skywalker Destiny (Dynasty)

Chapter 18

Leia was still crying as he mother's ship disappeared in the clouds. She got up and tried to flag down Han, but she didn't see the Falcon anywhere. She ran back inside and bagged a few items she thought might be important She knew that if Padme returned and found them gone, she would no longer trust her, but knowing that unless she reached her she was never coming back, she took the chance. Contacting Han on her communcator, she met him on the balcony. He opened the hatch and she jumped in.

"Han, we've got to get to Mustafar, now."

"Mustafar, is it? What next?" He shrugged and exhaled heavily.

"You don't know how important this is, my mother is going to die, my father is going to fight Obi Wan Kenobi and become Darth Vader, hurry!"

Han remembered how originally he wanted nothing to do with this princess, and Luke had convinced him helping her would be worth it. Sometimes he wondered if that turned out to be true considering all they had been through. But worse may have befallen him if he had not been with her. She did save him from Jabba, and from himself, in many ways. Still, there were times he had to wonder, "why couldn't I have fallen in love with a normal girl?" He spoke this under his breath, and she heard him.

"I'm so sorry, Han, but this is really, really important."

"Leia, there is no guarantee we can even make it, or do anything once we get there."

"I know, but we have to try."

"You know, I didn't tell you because you were so worked up, but I believe we will be able to make it home, to our time now, and I want to go."

"Han, no, not before we save my parents! And my adoptive father! We can prevent the empire, and save Alderraan, and countless lives! You will go down in history as a hero!"

"You forget, once we change these things they will no longer have occured, so who will know? Our own recent heroics on Endor will be forgotten."

"Is that it? Oh, Han, we can save so many so much pain! Let's get to Mustafar, fast!" But just then, she felt a disturbance in the force. She sat down and closed her eyes. In a state of near medidation, a vision came to her. Luke. Her twin was in trouble, she could feel her father but not see him there. She knew Luke had to be saved, and turned back, now. But what about her parents? Maybe she was meant to do both? How? Could she save everyone? She called out to Han and told him what she saw.

"Tattooine, now? Make up your mind! I know you care, but we can't take on everything, baby!"

She tried to be brave, but the tears came. "I'm sorry, Han. I don't know what to do. You said we could make it back to our time, so let's get Luke first! Then we can bring him back here, and he will know what to do in Mustafar!"

Han was doing well holding his temper. "You do know that if we go back to the present we may not be able to return here. It's a chance you must take if we leave now for Tattooine. Think about it."

Leia decided to leave it to the will of the force. She was not sent back by accident. If she was meant to return, she would. "Tattooine." She said, breathlessly and unsure."Tattooine first, then back here, with Luke, to stop Mustafar, if we are not too late."

"I will set the coordinates to whatever brought us here, it may work, it may not. All I can do is try." He set his course, and they flew away fast. "If any ship can do it, it's this baby." He bragged.

Far away in time and space on Tatooine, Luke and Anakin were engaged heavily in battle. The duel was very evenly matched, to Luke's surprise. He had intended on having an easy time with his father, but he did not. For a moment, he resented having donated the tissue that healed him. "Damn you, I made you, you are only what you are because of me, and my tissue! I made you!" he screamed. Anakin found the irony so hilarious he wanted to laugh. "YOU made ME? Are you forgetting, I am your FATHER?" With this, their lightsabers clashed in a strong stalemate and stare-down until finally Anakin broke his out and crashed it down onto Luke's. Luke did the same to him.

They were both very fast, very strong, and very capable. Back and forth they went, all across the sand, up and down the landscape, in twists, turns, flips and push-offs. Anakin was feeling very high on his own adrenaline as he realized he was almost what he was before his Mustafar injuries. He was suprising even himself with his moves. He gloated to himself in satisfaction, the pride and happiness showing on his face like an aging ice skater whose long gone triple axle had finally returned. He was actually enjoying the Jedi flips and turns, his strength, and skill, and the challenge of the fight with an even opponent. His heart was not full of rage at all, he was fighting because he knew he had to, and because he needed to stop Luke. In the meantime, he took pleasure in testing and proving his skills. It was actually a beautiful fight to watch, and Obi Wan was watching. He would step in if he needed to, but saw no need to at this time. Anakin was holding Luke one on one, and even taking advantages at times.

Luke, on the other hand, was furious. He was angry at his father for trying to stop him, and angry his father could not be stopped. His dark side rage led him to use his left hand to shoot force lighning at his father again. This time, Anakin was ready, and deflected it with his lightsaber right back into Luke. Every time Luke sent it back, Anakin blocked it. "Bounces off me and sticks to you!" Anakin snarled as he mustered all his strength to deflect it. He was not able to inflict it on any part of Anakin, his eyes, his chest, his limbs, anything, Anakin was too well prepared, and too good a shot. He block it perfectly. "Just stop it, Luke, you have no idea what deflected force lightning does to a person."

Luke did not stop. "You're bluffing, how would you know?"

Anakin stared at him while holding his lightsaber firm against the lightning. "You remember Palpatine's face, what it looked like? I saw that happen, I was there! It was caused by exactly this. He tried to shock Master Mace Windu with force lightning and he deflected it back into his body with his lightsaber! That's how he came to be hideously deformed! So stop before it happens to you!"

"But Windu lost that fight, and so will you."

"Windu only lost because some impetuous young, misguided, misled fool stepped in and took off his hand before he could stop Palpatine. That young fool was ME! Don't you do it, Luke, don't let the dark side consume you! Isn't the story of my life lesson enough for you?" Anakin was sincere, and all his feelings were expressed on his face. But Luke was too full of rage to stop. He saw that his father was trying to use his experiences to steer him back on the right path, but he was in no condition of mind to listen. Anakin's lectures and advice were the reason he blinded him and fled in the first place. He had not changed. He continued the fight.

On and on the elegant and expertly done and evenly matched duel between father and son raged on until Anakin got one more move in on Luke and skillfully knocked his lightsaber from his hand by its handle instead of taking off his hand. Luke lost his balance and stumbled backward on his rear end and lay there, glaring up at his father who was glaring back down at him. Anakin saw Luke reach out his hand to pull his lightsaber to him using the force, but Anakin also reached out his hand and tried to do the same. The lightsaber rattled in midair as the two force strong opponents both tried to haul it in. This was when Obi Wan Kenobi made his audio and visual presence known. He stepped up and used the force break the tie and help guide the lightsaber to Anakin's left hand. Anakin reached out and grabbed it, and crossing the two in front of him as he had done against Dooku years before, held them both over Luke with a smile and look of triumph glowing all over his face. Anakin glanced over at the still hiding Obi Wan out of the corner of his eye and winked. He nodded back in approval.

"You are beaten." He proudly announced to Luke, in his best non-voice amplified Darth Vader voice. "Don't make me destroy you." He smiled as he looked down at Luke. "Or cut off your limbs, or put out your eyes, or anything like that." Luke sreamed and tried to kick the lightsabers out of Anakin's hand. "Don't do it, Luke, I will cut off your legs if I have to. I don't want to." Seeing and sensing his father was serious, he lay still. But he wasn't finished. He tried to use the force to choke Anakin. Holding both lightsabers and having no hands left to do the gesture, Anakin stared hard at Luke and used his mind to answer. Both of them were starting to choke a little when Obi Wan walked up and stood by them. Luke was shocked by the appearance, and ashamed he hadn't sensed him in his fury. He felt angry and ashamed, but not regretful, not yet.

"Release each other!" Obi Wan demanded, and waved his hand as the choke holds released and each caught their breath. Luke spoke first.

"Ben! What are you doing here? You take his part in this?"

"Luke, I tried my best with you, but like your father before you, in his youth, I failed. I am for what is right in the force, and now, your father is on the right side, you are not." Luke only gave an indigant dirty look and locked his jaws in a teeth gritting growl.

"It's over, Luke." Obi Wan said in his calm, stately, wise voice.

"NEVER!" Luke screamed, rising to his feet. It took both Anakin and the spirit of Obi Wan to subdue him again.

"Now," Anakin told him to his fac, pointing to the vehicle,."get your butt over to that Jedi fighter, and get in, sit down and shut up. We're going home." Anakin knew, as Luke had of him, that nothing could be done to restrain him because he was so force strong. He was not coming peacefully on his own, and Anakin did not want to take any of Luke's body parts to stop him. Obi Wan used his stronger eternal force power to contain Luke, and levitated him to the Jedi fighter. As Anakin tried to climb in, Luke lunged forward again, and Anakin was forced to strike him with one of the lightsabers. A gaping but not deadly wound tore through his shirt and into his shoulder. He howled in pain, and held it with his other hand. "You are most fortunate it was not much worse, because if not for my compassion for you despite all you've done, it would have been." Anakin declared powerfully. He knew could have and would have easily killed or maimed him if he had not been his son.

"I hate you!" he snarled at his father. Anakin stared into Luke's eyes and was surprised to see they were still blue, even in such anger. This was a good sign he was not totally a Sith yet. There might still be hope for him.

Obi Wan realized this had been no ordinary father-son brawl as he felt much peace flowing in the force. The Chosen One had done it after all, stopped the last ember of the Sith in the universe, and brought balance to the force. He even had done it while sparing Luke's life, as he said he would. Thanks to Anakin, and Luke, the prophecy had been fulfilled. Still he sensed that was not the end of all Anakin was destined to do. More awaited him, and the force was still not done with Anakin Skywalker.

"It's over, Luke. For your own good, stop." Obi Wan ordered him. Obi Wan's spirit would have to contain Luke on the ride back. Anakin turned off both lightsabers and hooked them onto his belt. Very full of himself, he used his old Jedi moves to jump, not climb, right into the pilot seat for the flight home.

Before anyone could speak or act, they saw a ship landing to the side of them. Almost in unison, the trio recognized it as a familiar sight to all of them, and sighed aloud: "The Millenium Falcon!"