Jedi, Second Time Around

by The Defender of the Faith

When Anakin finds himself resurrected on an Earth of superheroes and villains to finish fulfilling his prophecy, he needs to learn how to trust in himself again and save the universe from the ancient plans of the Sith. Warriors of old will rise anew, fallen heroes will rediscover their identity, and only one thing is certain for our heroes: the force will be with them. Request fic.

3. Chapter 3

Anakin wonders what kind of world this is to be so surprised by aliens and yet so full of them. He sighs, deep in his meditation and thankful for the hospitality of complete strangers.

But… what does he do now? Something is wrong, he can feel it. He should be… different. He remembers his past… what he'd done… every terrible stroke of his lightsaber, every corruption of the force in the clench of his fist…

Why should things be like this? He's different, he can tell. Not just his body but… his mind… it seems pulled from the corruptions of Vader, of all those decades of death and evil… he must have reverted to the last time he was a true Jedi, rooted in the light… and with a fully functioning body, of course. Had he looked like this when he'd appeared to Luke? Maybe?

It had been hard to tell things like that. Being non-corporeal. But hadn't he had his scars still? Anakin looked over his human hand again. They must not have been enough a part of his identity to stick around. He reached up to his eye. Well, that one was still there.

Until he learned differently he was sticking with the theory that he was resurrected with the most important parts of himself. The parts most entrenched in his identity. That seemed plausible enough.

But what was he supposed to do? How was he to restore balance to the force? How was he supposed to live? Even on this backwater planet, he was a mechanic, he supposed. Maybe he could get work there.

But… he turned his palm over, watching it clench.

But Vader.

But corruption and death and evil.

How could he ever touch the force again, really reach into it, how could he trust himself when he'd been so easily seduced before? How could he know that he wouldn't become that… thing again?

He couldn't… he couldn't trust himself with the force. Not for a long time. It would be hard, staying away from something so literally a part of him… but there was no other choice.

He needed to learn about this world before doing anything else. Needed to get his bearings. The force would guide him according to it's will whenever it wanted. Until then… yesterday he died.

Right now he needed to relearn how to live.