The Skywalker Destiny (originally posted online a year ago under the title "The Skywalker Dynasty")
Chapter 21 "My Immortal"
The Millenium Falcon screeched through time and space, acting strangely and frightening all those on board. Would it not work again? Should they even have tried? Were they too late, or lost forever in space? No one really knew. Obi Wan was wondering how this would affect him, being a spirit, but so far so good, the force had decided he should stay. Han and Anakin, in the pilot and co-pilot positions, were doing everything in their combined amazing skill to bring the ship and the mission in successfully. Leia came out of Luke's room and could barely stand to watch. She was so afraid she had made the wrong desicion, and they were going to be too late to prevent the tragic events. But, what if they weren't? What did she really expect to do? She thought of how strange it was going to be, 2 Anakins, 2 Obi Wans, she and Luke both adults and babies inside her mother, it was confusing. What was going to happen? The worry and tenseness made her heart beat strangely, and her hands and knees go weak. She was so thankful to have Han and Anakin at the controls, and Obi Wan's spirit was around. There was no one else better in a fight, or piloting, or getting out of trouble. Or into it!
Han and Anakin were shouting and struggling to control the ship with all they had going for them. At last, calm and silence. The shaking, the flashing lights, the time travel seemed to be over. Han and Anakin steadied the Falcon and searched the instruments and coordinates to determine their location. It had to be the right time, and the right place. Mustafar, or at least Coruscant, 24 years in the past. The stars were back to normal now. Space seemed its usual self. They spotted a planet. Anakin's heart sank. "That's not Mustafar, it was orange! We have to try again, go!"
Han understood his desperation, but couldn't do a thing. "I'm sorry, I can't. We were the first to experience time travel, and as of now I can't really control it. We were most fortunate to make it back to our own time, and here again. We will be luckier still to make it home."
Anakin could not accept this. "Why did you bother to bring me here if we weren't going to make it?" He was tearing up. So was Leia. "We had to try. And we can STILL try. Han, Father, what is that planet?" Han looked at his instruments. "I'll check it out, I have my suspicions, but I'm not sure."
Anakin put his hand in front of Han's face, but did not turn his own to face anyone. "You needn't bother, I know that planet, I recognized it the moment I saw it when we came out of hyperspace. I'd know it anywhere. It is Naboo."
"Naboo!" They all yelled out in surprise at one time or another in the next half minute.
"How is this possible?" Leia asked.
Obi Wan, who had survived the turn of events, looked at her. "I think that question is beyond any of us, anymore, my child."
She was feeling so lost. "What does this mean?"
"Well" Han spoke up, "let's take her down, and find out." He proceeded to carefully take the ship through Naboo's atmosphere.
As they broke through the clouds Anakin announced, "it IS the old Naboo!" Like Chewbacca had done with Kashyyk, he recognized it as different from what it would look like in their own time. He could tell by the landmarks and the scenes, it was indeed the Naboo of the past. "We might not be too late to save Padme, she must be here, or we can find a way to contact her if she is on Coruscant, let's land and see what's up."
They took it down. It was a very smooth landing considering their trip. They parked it in a discreet location and set out on foot. Obi Wan was invisible to all but force users, and Luke, Han and Leia would not be recognized by anyone since they were not around, or not grown, back then. Anakin felt lucky to find one of Luke's old Jedi cloaks in the back of the ship and he put it on, hood up, to conceal his possibly well known identity. The mood seeemed depressing. It was not a normal day. Anakin sensed the worst. Accosting a strange gungan, Luke asked him what was going on today, why the city seemed so inactive. The gungan bent his head and shook it sadly. "Weesa in mourning, friend."
Anakin was full of fear. "WHY?" he asked, knowing what he already sensed, not wanting to hear the response.
"Weesa lost her, our beloved former Queen and Senator, sweet, sweet Padme Amidala. Shesa being buried tonight."
Anakin split from the group and ran as far as he could get before his regrown lungs gave out air for him and he had to stop to catch his breath. The others followed, finding him, coming up behind him. "Don't touch me." He cried softly. They were all disappointed, but for him, it had been a chance at final redemption, a chance beyond hope that he could save her. And they had just missed- by that much.
Leia started to cry. "It's all my fault. We shouldn't have gone to Tattooine first."
Han gave her a hug. "Don't cry, princess. It wasn't your fault! If we hadn't picked up your Daddy here, we never would have made it this far. He helped me a lot. I hate to admit it, but I couldn't have done it alone."
She looked up at him with her tearstained face and whimpered, "now what? Do we go home? Was it all for nothing?"
Anakin turned around, in a rage of frustration, and yelled "NNOOOOOOOOOOO!" His voice echoed against the walls they stood between. They all hoped it did not attract attention. "We can't give up now, we have to do something."
Leia looked sympathetically at him, and wiped one of his tears, mingling with her own on her finger. "I feel the same way.But she's, gone."
Anakin spun around, breathing heavily. He refused to accept it. "NO, she's not. There has to be something we can do." Then he turned to Obi Wan. "Master, you told me that if a body was not dead long, not beyond restoration, it would be possible for the immortals of the eternal force to bring back life. You brought back my eyesight, you can bring back Padme."
Obi Wan feared it would come to this. "Anakin, healing your eyes was one thing, bringing the dead back to life, that's something else. This is what caused your turn, you remember."
Anakin turned to stare at him, still crying. "Then you know just how much this means to me, and that I would stop at nothing to save her. It's even stronger now, for all my years of suffering over this, I must make it right." Obi Wan did not respond. Anakin spoke again. "You know you can do it. And you know you want to. You know, you loved her." His spirit face was covered with more human emotion than it had shown even if life. He did love her, and pity her, and also wanted to save her. "Let's go to the funeral, Anakin. I cannot promise you anything, but we will see what we find."
"Then you think there is a way?"
"As I told you, there is much we do not know. But we can learn." This was all the spark of hope Anakin needed. The group regathered, and they set off on foot for the area of the funeral of Naboo's most loved resident.
When the time came, the sad procession started. The time traveling group stood among the crowd and watched, trying not to attract attention. It was heartbreaking for them all. Luke for the first time looked upon his mother's face. Leia looked upon it as the woman she had seen alive only recently, and had tried to save, as well as being her mother. For Obi Wan, it brought back a lot, being there when she died, the sadness, the deep tragedy of it all. As he stared at her face, though he knew it may not be meant to be, he had to consider if Anakin was right. Anakin was beside himself with grief. All the pain he had felt over and over manifested itself again when he actually saw her dead body, and he didn't know if his mind and newly restored body could handle it. His heart was pounding, and he had pains in his chest. His eyes were so full of tears he could barely focus on the beautiful face he had not seen in so long. Then, through the tears, he noticed the little snippet in her hand, the one he'd given her when they were so young, and he turned away in untold grief and pain. He didn't even see, as the others did, the heartbroken faces of Padme's family as they passed behind her. It was all anyone could do to subdue Anakin. Together, after the procession had passed, they circled around him and showed him all the love and support they could.
It was then that Han, of all people, spoke up. "Wait." He smiled in his sly way. "I have an idea." They all turned to look at him. What did he have in mind?
Slowly the crowds dispersed. As often happens in funerals here on earth, the family and friends had all departed, not wanting to see the unbearable inevitable- her being layed to rest. This left only the gravediggers with the body. Now, the group approached. Luke used his Jedi mind tricks on them.
"You don't want to bury this body." he said, waving his hand in front of their weak minded faces. "You want to go now, to have a drink."
They both fell for it. "We don't want to bury this body, we want a drink." And with that, they left Luke, Leia, Han, Obi Wan and Anakin alone with Padme's body. Anakin pushed back his hood and bent to kiss her cold lips, as if she'd awaken like a fairy tale princess. For a moment, he just stared at her, drinking in every part of her beauty, touching her hair, her eyelashes, her cheeks. He had been so starved for this for so long, and now here she was, but still gone from him. He felt as if he was losing his mind. He squeezed her hand, and lay his body upon hers trying to send all his force powers through her. It did no good. "I'm here, I'm here! I LOVE YOU!" he screamed, between gasps and outbursts of uncontrollable crying. Obi Wan recalled her dying words, how she had asked for him, and how she felt there was still good in him. He knew, as Anakin did, that if he had been there, and spoken these words to her, it would have mattered. But it was too late now.The others stared in grief of their own and agony for him. Finally, Anakin turned to Obi Wan.
"You have to bring her back, Master." He begged. "Try it, it might work."
Obi Wan did not look positive. "I told you, healing body parts is not like restoring life. Perhaps this is what Yoda meant when he said that I would lose my immortality for helping you. I don't know as much of the eternal as Yoda and Qui Gon, but one thing I do know is that we who have passed are a life force, and each person has only one life force." He put his glowy hand on Anakin to calm him for the unwanted news. "A life for a life. If I bring back her life, I could possibly lose my own immortal being." At first, Anakin was furious! He wanted Obi Wan to sacrifice himself, he wanted Padme, it was all that mattered. Then he realized it wasn't right to ask that of him.
All Anakin's feelings swirled in his mind, body and soul, until finally he took a deep breath and spoke. "Obi Wan, what about MY immortal soul? You said, as Jedi, I will have one as you do. You said you would teach me. Teach me now."
Obi Wan was amazed at Anakin. "How will that help now, my friend?"
Broken down, shaken and crying, his blue eyes red rimmed with tears that also stained his cheeks, Anakin raised the green lightsaber, slowly ignited it, and aimed it at his own chest. "Take MY soul. I am going to give my life for her. When my body is gone, use my spirit, and bring Padme back. It is my final wish."