Padmé stood near him, wearing the blue gown she had been buried in, her hair flowing freely behind her in curls. She smiled, tears glistening in her eyes. "Hello, Ani."
"Angel," Anakin gasped. He swiftly got down on one knee and took her hands, fighting tears of his own. "I am so sorry for what I did to you, for what I did to everyone. I was a traitor. I betrayed you and there is no excuse, no justification for what I've done. I'm sorry, Padmé, so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?" He stared up at her, finding some measure of peace in finally being able to pour out the words he'd been longing to say for twenty-two years. An apology. A plea for forgiveness, not that he deserved it bestowed upon him.
She rested a soft hand upon his cheek. "I forgave you a long time ago, Anakin. Now you have a chance at redemption."
Anakin climbed to his feet, fighting the swamp of emotions threatening to flood him. He latched onto something to distract himself from them. "I assume you're now the Ghost of Lives Yet to Come?"
Padmé smiled. "That's right. I'm here to show you what happens if you reject this chance at change, if you do not change your path. Please, Anakin, do not let what I am about to show you become reality. It's…" She broke off and shuddered. "It can't happen."
Anakin frowned. He was almost afraid to know what would happen if he didn't turn back, not that it was even possible for him to turn back. After all, "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny." No, scratch that, he was definitely afraid.
Padmé let go of one of his hands and turned. The scene swept away to a gray shaft. Luke and Vader were fighting red lightsaber against blue, on a gantry in the bottomless gray tunnel.
Luke landed a blow on Vader's shoulder. Vader exclaimed in pain and retaliated. Luke screamed as his hand and lightsaber fell into the abyss.
His hand. Anakin stared at the amputated limb, flexing his prosthetic hand in Padmé's. The loss of his hand had been one of the most traumatic experiences of his life, and now he had subjected his son to the same experience. His son! Their baby!
"There is no escape," Vader said. "Don't make me destroy you."
Luke scooted along a narrow rail, backing himself away from Vader.
"Luke. You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power."
Luke turned around to face the pole at the end of the gantry.
"Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy!"
Luke stood up, grasping the pole with his only hand, his hair whipping in the wind. "I'll never join you!" he spat.
"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side!" Vader said, curling his hand into a fist. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father."
Oh, no. No, no, no. Telling him right after cutting off his hand? How could that end any way but bad?
"He told me enough." Luke jumped down on the pole, getting even further away from Vader. "He told me you killed him."
"No, I am your father."
Anakin cringed. Padmé winced beside him.
"No. No. That's not true. That's impossible!" Luke screamed.
"Search your feelings. You know it to be true," Vader said.
"No! No!" Luke wailed.
"Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son." Vader reached out his hand to Luke.
Luke looked down into the abyss for a few seconds, then glanced back up at Vader.
"Come with me. It is the only way," Vader said.
Luke let go, falling down into the bottomless shaft.
"No!" Anakin exclaimed. He darted forward, but it was too late. Luke had already fallen, and the shaft was already melting around him. "Wait!"
Anakin and Padmé were standing on a walkway in a forest. Vader stood on the walkway, one lightsaber in his hand and one in his belt. Luke stood beside him, dressed all in black, hands in cuffs, with one black glove on his right hand. He had survived falling off the gantry. Stormtroopers and an Imperial officer stepped into the turbolift behind the two. The door closed, cutting them off from the walkway.
"The Emperor has been expecting you," Vader said.
"I know, Father," Luke said calmly.
Vader and Luke strode along the walkway together.
Vader glanced down at Luke. "So, you have accepted the truth."
"I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father," Luke said.
"Good boy," Padmé said.
Anakin glanced down at her and smiled. She was right. Luke was growing up to be a fine boy indeed, the whole falling-into-a-bottomless-abyss thing notwithstanding.
"That name no longer has any meaning for me." Vader shook the lightsaber in his hand at Luke.
"It is the name of your true self, you've only forgotten," Luke said. "I know there is good in you. The Emperor hasn't driven it from you fully."
Anakin glanced down at Padmé, who was watching proudly. Luke was so much like her.
Luke walked away and rested his bound hands on the railing. "That was why you couldn't destroy me. That's why you won't bring me to your emperor now."
A pit grew in Anakin's stomach. He hadn't disobeyed the emperor in twenty-two years. Even for his son, he wasn't sure it was possible to break the habit.
Vader ignited the lightsaber in his hand. The blade was green. "I see you have constructed a new lightsaber. Your skills are complete." He deactivated the lightsaber and turned away from Luke. "Indeed you are powerful, as the Emperor has foreseen."
Luke turned to face his father. "Come with me."
Padmé let out a small sigh beside Anakin.
"Obi-Wan once thought as you did." Vader turned to face Luke. "You don't know the power of the Dark Side. I must obey my master."
Luke shook his head. "I will not turn, and you'll be forced to kill me."
"If that is your destiny…" Vader said.
Anakin's heart hammered against his chest. He couldn't watch this. He couldn't watch him lose his son the same way he lost Padmé. "Let's go. I can't watch anymore."
"You have to keep watching," Padmé said.
"Search your feelings, Father, you can't do this." Luke stepped close to his father. "I can feel the conflict within you, let go of your hate."
"It is too late for me, son," Vader said.
Anakin's heart sank further. Wasn't it too late for him? Yoda always said once you became dark, there was no turning back. But why would the Force go to all this trouble of sending him these visions if he couldn't do anything about them? If he wasn't allowed to turn back?
The forest dissolved into a throne room, presumably on the second Death Star that was being built. Palpatine sat in the throne. The design of the room looked somewhat familiar. A catwalk had fallen. Vader was stalking the underside of the throne room platform.
"You cannot hide forever, Luke," Vader said.
"I will not fight you," Luke said.
"Give yourself to the Dark Side," Vader said. "It is the only way you can save your friends."
Anakin's head shook almost automatically. Vader was using the same tactics that had worked on him. That hadn't made his life any better, so why would he want to doom his son to the same awful fate?
"Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong. Especially for…your sister. So, you have a twin sister. Your feelings have now betrayed her too. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will."
"Never!" Luke cried.
He ignited his lightsaber and furiously beat back Vader. Vader retreated through the room under the furious assault until he was standing on a walkway between two pits. He fell back, clinging to the railing. Luke beat down on the lightsaber again and again. Finally, he sliced off Vader's right hand. The hand and lightsaber fell down the pit. Luke stood above him, panting, lightsaber poised to strike.
Every muscle in Anakin tensed. Only Padmé's hand in his kept him from bolting to intervene in the scene.
Palpatine cackled as he walked down the stairs toward Luke. "Good. Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny, and take your father's place at my side!"
Luke stared at his own right hand, then at Vader's shorn mechanical one. He deactivated his lightsaber and turned to face Palpatine. "Never." He threw his lightsaber to the side. "I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You've failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
"So be it, Jedi," Palpatine said. "If you will not be turned, then you will be destroyed." He electrocuted Luke with Force lightning.
"No!" Anakin cried. He ran forward. "You can't! Leave him alone!"
The torture continued until Luke was screaming. Padmé released him to cover her face, so Anakin bolted to Palpatine and swung a couple punches into him. They went right through, but it made him feel better.
Vader climbed to his feet and stood by Palpatine.
"Father, please," Luke begged. "Help me!"
The plea went straight to Anakin's heart. "Do something, you monster!" He shouted at Vader. "He's your son!"
"Now, young Skywalker, you will die," Palpatine said.
He sent more lightning into Luke. Luke screamed even louder, convulsing violently. Even worse, though, was when he fell silent. His body jerked for a minute or so more before Palpatine stopped. He turned to Vader. "Go take care of yourself. I'll get some guards to dispose of the body and destroy these Rebels once and for all."
Anakin fell to his knees in front of Luke, tears streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should have saved you."
Vader silently bowed to Palpatine and left the room.
The second Death Star dissolved to show Palpatine's throne room on Imperial Center. He was on his throne, flanked by Imperial guards.
Vader strode into the room, leading Leia in cuffs.
"Let go of me!" Leia spat. She jerked her arm out of Vader's grip.
Palpatine cackled. "Welcome, princess. I trust you had a good journey?"
"Do not call me that!" Leia said.
"You no longer need those." Palpatine gestured, and the handcuffs fell off.
"Master, I wouldn't…" Vader started.
Leia spun and punched Vader hard in the stomach. Vader doubled over. She reached for his lightsaber on his belt.
Palpatine raised a hand. Leia rose into the air. She kicked, spitting inventive curses at both Sith Lords.
"Your brother failed to defeat us," Palpatine said. "And he was trained by some of the best Jedi in the Order. Tell me, what can you, an untrained, angry girl, hope to achieve that your brother did not? You can never hope to sway your father from my side. You can never achieve his redemption."
"I'm not here for redemption," Leia spat. "I'm here for revenge."
Vader climbed to his feet. "Revenge is not the Jedi way."
"I'm no Jedi," Leia said. "I'm here to bring both of you to justice for the murder of my brother."
"I have an offer to make." Palpatine folded his hands. "You have no hope to defeat us. Your Rebels are gone, and you and your pathetic boyfriend are all that is left of that pitiful fight. You are all alone here and have no hope of success. You could die here, now, the same way your brother did." He sent a tendril of Force lightning towards Leia.
She arched her back and screamed as the lightning enveloped her.
"Or you could become my new apprentice. I could train you in the ways of the Force, so you can defeat your father. When you have learned all there is to know as my apprentice, you can kill me and take my place as lord of the Sith and emperor of the galaxy." Palpatine lowered Leia to the floor.
Leia raised her eyebrows. "You'd train me to kill you and Vader?"
"It's the way of the Sith," Palpatine said.
Anakin could not rise from the floor. He tried to catch his breath but couldn't. "Leia, don't do it. It's a trap. The Dark Side isn't worth it." But she was already so angry, she was almost there already.
"Leia, do not listen to him," Vader said. "It is not worth it."
Leia stared into his eyes. Her face changed at his words. She turned and lifted her chin, turning a fiery glare at Palpatine. "I'll do it."
Leia was dressed in a black jumpsuit. She raised a lightsaber against Vader, who was barely defending himself. Palpatine was still on his throne, cackling.
Vader stumbled back. He lost his footing and crashed to the floor. His lightsaber flew out of his hand.
Leia poised her lightsaber over his chest.
"Have mercy, my daughter," Vader said. "Spare me. We can defeat the Emperor together."
"I lost my mercy when you murdered my brother," Leia said. She brought the lightsaber down.
Vader's body fell to the floor, respirator silent at last.
"NO!" Anakin cried. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "Leia! Oh, Leia."
Palpatine rose and shuffled over to Leia. He put a hand on her shoulder. "You have done well, my young apprentice."
Leia turned her fiery yellow eyes to Palpatine. "You're next, Master."
Arms wrapped around Anakin's shoulders. He glanced behind him. Padmé was standing above him. Tears streamed down her face. She pressed her cheek to his and hugged him tight.
Palpatine and Leia stood on a rocky outcrop. Lava spilled into the air. It wasn't Mustafar, but it might as well be.
Ahsoka strode up, igniting her lightsabers. They really were white! Anakin had thought that was just his helmet screwing with the color.
"Your reign is over, Palpatine," Ahsoka said.
Leia jumped down in front of Ahsoka and ignited her lightsaber.
Ahsoka drew back. "Leia?"
"It's Darth Zus," Leia snarled.
Leia and Ahsoka fought furiously over the rocks. At first, Leia was beating her, but then the situation changed.
Ahsoka leapt onto a rock above a lava river. "You fight like my master, Anakin Skywalker," Ahsoka said.
"I am nothing like him!" Leia snarled. She leapt up, trying the same foolish move Anakin had tried on Obi-Wan.
And of course, it ended just as badly. Leia fell near the lava river, disarmed—literally.
Palpatine leapt forward. Their fight was even more furious. Anakin alternated watching them and keeping an eye on Leia, spitting out Huttese curses as she failed to move herself away from the lava. Inevitably, her clothes flamed up. Anakin cringed. Padmé buried her face in his shoulder. Leia screamed.
Both Palpatine and Ahsoka turned to glance at Leia. Ahsoka's eyes widened. She seemed horrified.
Palpatine darted forward and plunged his lightsaber in Ahsoka's stomach. Anakin didn't have any more energy to scream. His mouth gaped open.
Ahsoka spun her lightsaber up and lopped off Palpatine's head.
Anakin sat in shock as his child, his apprentice, and his master lay dying on the lava planet. Finally, Padmé stood in front of him and put her hand on his cheek. "Let's go."
They were back in the meditation chamber. Anakin stood up slowly. Padmé put her hands on his cheeks.
"You can't let this happen," Padmé whispered.
"I won't; I promise." Anakin drew Padmé close to him. "I won't let Palpatine get our children. I'll defeat him, I promise."
Padmé gazed up at him. "I have to go. I love you." She gripped the back of his head, threading a hand through his hair. She pulled him down and they kissed.
Anakin sighed and closed his eyes, running his hands over her back. When he opened them, she was gone.