Chapter 5 - Discussions

DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P

Author's Note: The first and last time we'll see Vader's POV. ;)

~ Amina Gila


Vader stands there for a long time, arms crossed, as Luke disappears into the darkness of the forest along with his sister and friends. Yoda's Force ghost vanishes, but Obi-Wan's remains standing there, still staring at him, expression filled with sadness and regret.

"Anakin," he begins, and before Vader can yell at him to stop talking, because that's not his name, Obi-Wan continues, "I'm sorry." That… was not what he had expected somehow. He'd expected a lecture or something filled with the usual condescending attitude the Jedi always seemed to show him.

He scoffs, the noise sounding strange through his vocoder. "Whatever for?"

"For failing you," Obi-Wan replies with genuine regret. "For leaving you to die. For not seeing what Sidious was doing to you. For not being the master you needed. For not helping you when you needed it."

Vader can deal with antagonism, but this, this is something else entirely, and he has no idea how to respond. He's still somewhat is shock over the sudden turn of events, and if it had been up to him, he would have died killing Sidious so as to escape this. But that would have hurt Luke immensely, so he didn't take the easy way this time.

He'll become Emperor. He'll dismantle the Empire and change it back into a Republic because that's what his son wants, and truthfully, he's become tired of fighting. That's all he's done in his life, and he – he doesn't actually know what he wants to do. He wants to have his family back, something which isn't possible, at least not right now. Maybe not ever. He thinks about Leia, and how he treated her on the Death Star. He doesn't deserve her forgiveness. He doesn't deserve his son's love either. He joined Sidious to protect them, but he didn't even do that.

Obi-Wan is still standing there, still watching him, probably sensing that he's trying to process everything. "Sorry does not change anything," Vader states flatly, the words as much to his former master as they are to him.

"No," Obi-Wan agrees softly, "But it's a start, and all we can do is show others that we mean it."

"I do not care how the galaxy sees me," Vader retorts harshly. "In their eyes, I will always be a monster. Nothing I do will change that."

Obi-Wan sighs, moving closer. "Maybe you don't care for the galaxy, but you do care for your children, Anakin. You've proven that it's never too late for someone to change. The very act of destroying Sidious has freed you from his chains. I'm no longer alive, but I will still do my utmost to help you."

Vader pretends that the words don't send a twinge of guilt through him, because he's the one who killed his former master, his best friend. "Why?" he asks, honestly confused. "After everything I did to the Jedi, to you, why would you want to help me?"

"Because, whether I like it or not, I still care for you," Obi-Wan tells him quietly, the barest hint of a smile on his face. "And I know you will do anything to keep your children safe. Their lives are no longer in such perilous danger because of the Sith. Sidious is gone, and you, I don't believe you will force them to join you in the Dark. On the contrary, I believe you will let them guide you back to the Light."

Vader turns away, unwilling to face the painful truth in Obi-Wan's words. Much as he doesn't want to ask, there is one thing which he's desperate to know. "Obi-Wan, did – did I kill her?" He doesn't need to give a name; Obi-Wan already knows to whom he is referring.

There's a long pause, and Vader can nearly feel Obi-Wan weighing the pros and cons of telling him the truth. "No," he says at last. "You didn't. She would have survived, but… the medical droids believed she gave up. The woman I knew would never have done that, not when her children needed her."

The clawing desperation makes it even harder to breathe than normal, but the respirator continues at its normal pace. "Then – then why –?"

"I don't have an answer," Obi-Wan concedes, "But Master Yoda and I suspected that the Emperor drew away her life force. There was an… unusual disturbance in the Force, but everything was so clouded that we were unable to determine the cause."

"Then it was all for naught," Vader whispers as quietly as he can with the vocoder, clenching his fists. The Force pulses with his rage and pain, as everything around him trembles from the force of his grief.

Everything he did, all the lives he took, it was all for nothing, because Sidious killed his Angel. Did he ever intend to let her live, or was it all a lie? And if she survived childbirth, then was his vision a glimpse of her last moments when she was murdered? It's a thought which is too terrible to consider, and the implications are staggering. He – he doesn't want to think about it, to let himself acknowledge the enormity of his deeds lest they destroy him.

And he wonders, if he had listened to his wife on Mustafar, how would things be different now? "Obi-Wan…" His voice trails off as he turns back towards where the Force ghost is standing. "I am a monster. Why are you even here, talking to me? You know the things I have done."

"Yes, I do," Obi-Wan agrees, "But I also know the person you used to be, the one you can still be. The choice is yours."

"You know I cannot simply wipe out my crimes," Vader hisses. "It is not that simple, or everyone would do it."

Obi-Wan is silent for a long moment, a thoughtful look on his face. "When Yoda said that the Dark Side will forever dominate your destiny if you Fall, I'm not sure he meant that you can't turn back. I'm beginning to think that he meant your deeds will forever burden you, but it's not something you can't deal with. You're strong, Anakin, one of the bravest men I've ever known." His voice falters, and he seems almost ashamed. "I know I never tried to help you enough in the past, but I give you my word that if you want, I'll try and help you now."

Vader looks down at the ground, knowing that he's unworthy of such loyalty and assistance from his old friend who he'd murdered but –

"I would not be… adverse to receiving your advice if you wish to bestow it upon me," he grudgingly tells the Force ghost.

"Well, then I would suggest figuring out how you're going to leave the planet's surface first of all," Obi-Wan declares with far more cheer than he ought to be expressing.

Vader stares at him in confusion, and his former master smirks, pointing to something behind Vader. He turns warily and freezes, gaping at the shuttle which is definitely not sitting innocently on the ground in the middle of the clearing. Instead, it's been slammed into the trees and is tipped at an odd angle. He doesn't need to be an expert at mechanics to know that it won't be going anywhere, at least not without some repairs.

"Fine!" he snarls, throwing out his hands with disbelief – he knows when this happened; it was when he lost his temper many minutes ago. "I will call Admiral Piett and order him to send a shuttle," he decides, glaring at Obi-Wan. Before going to attack the Emperor, he'd told Piett to move the Executor a distance away from Endor, so it wasn't damaged during the attack. It's likely still sitting safely on the other side of the system.

"You do that," Obi-Wan agrees, still smirking faintly, "And if you ever want to talk to me, about anything, please do not hesitate to call. I will be there." With those words, the Force ghost fades away, and Vader is left feeling oddly bereft. Shaking his head to chase away those unwanted thoughts and emotions, he pulls out his comm to give the Admiral a call. It would be best if he doesn't have time to think about how badly he misses his former master's presence.

**w**

Murmurs of shock fill the room as Luke finishes his speech to the leaders of the Rebel Alliance, recounting his shared vision with Vader and detailing all the events to the present, including his and Leia's parentage, though judging from her expression, she's not happy with him.

"We should arrest Vader." Madine is the first to speak. "We can't trust him. He's too dangerous to be left here."

Luke releases a frustrated sigh and purses his lips. "Do you remember what happened on Vrogas Vos? He single handedly destroyed two entire squadrons of fighters, and dozens of our men, not to mention equipment. If you antagonize him, he'll kill you, and I won't be able to stop him. With the Emperor gone, there will be a power vacuum, so he intends to take over the Empire and restore the Republic. We must work with him."

"How do we know that this is not a trap?" demands Mothma. At least they're not downright brushing off his arguments or declaring him insane. He supposes he can probably work with this. Saving his father isn't going to be easy, but he's determined to do it. He didn't change the future only to lose him now.

"He wouldn't have anything to gain from that. If he wants you killed, it would be far simpler to do it while we're still here," Luke replies, "Besides, I'm planning on going with Vader back to Coruscant. He wants me to help him." That's easier than telling them the truth – that he wants to stay with Vader.

"You're going with him?!" exclaims Leia, "Luke, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"He wouldn't hurt me," insists Luke, "In any case, it would be easier for both sides if I was there to act as a mediator."

"True," his sister concedes, looking even more unhappy than before, "But I still don't like it."

"I have to agree with Luke in this case," Mothma speaks up, "Having a representative with Vader who he won't kill will work in our favor. If he plans to do anything destructive, I'm sure Luke will warn us."

"I will," he promises instantly. He loves his father, but he won't let him do anything which could destroy the galaxy even further.

"I have my reservations about this," objects Madine, "How can we be sure he's not planning to take control of the Empire and have all of the Rebels killed?"

"We have a chance to end the war, to restore the Republic," Luke points out. "Do you really want to risk losing such an opportunity because of paranoia? I know Vader has been our enemy for years, but if he wants to ally with us, if he wants to help us, why should we refuse him?"

"We need to discuss this matter privately," Mothma asserts finally.

"Of course," Luke agrees, "I would expect no less."

He exits the room to wait, but soon, the tension is too much for him to bear, so he begins pacing back and forth outside the room while waiting for the decision. He gets the distinct feeling that in addition to discussing whether or not they should agree to his suggestion, they're discussing potential ways to kill Vader if they decide he's a threat. Or maybe the possibility of putting him on trial after the New Republic is formed.

Luke winces at the thought. His father likely not be very accommodating to such a proposition, and it's something they'll have to address during the negotiations. And if Vader doesn't think it's necessary, then Luke will do it, because he doesn't want to lose his father now.

Finally, the doors to the room slide open again and the Rebel leaders file out. "We've decided to accept the offer," Leia tells him reluctantly, "I hope you're right about this, Luke." She hesitates before adding, "And I'm going with you to Coruscant on the Falcon."