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ANAKIN'S REDEMPTION
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Sorry for the delay in updating everyone!
Jedi Knight 13: "A fractured image"...ooh you gave me goosebumps. You need to start writing, you have a real way with words!
VFsnake: ROFLOL!
Faithfulcherryblossum: Yes you do have to wait and see! ;)
SG Michael B Jackson: I fully agree, the non-attachment rule is more the realm of sociopaths and definitely contributed to the downfall of the Jedi. And I think not many of them were actually able to achieve that level of attachment anyway. In Shatterpoint it was clear that Mace had become too attached to the Republic, and I think Obi-Wan was more attached to Anakin than he cared to admit. I think Yoda has conceded that it's ok for Anakin to love his children though, so he's come around a bit. We'll have to wait and see if Anakin overcomes the sick obsessive side to his love for Padme, or if it pushes him further into madness...well I won't wait and see, cos I already know, but you will hehehe!
Another "choppy" chapter coming up - ie it jumps around a bit, but that's cos a few things are going on at once.
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Chapter Sixteen – The Weight of the World
It had been a hectic few days. After her confrontation with Anakin, Padme had insisted on fleeing to another planet where Anakin could not find her. No amount of persuasion had talked her out of it.
That is how Luke found himself on the planet Selonia, one of the five planets in the Correllia system, deep in thought as he considered his place in the universe.
In one way, he felt a sense of completion. Luke had spent his life wondering who he was and where he came from, and finally now he had found his whole family. Though terribly fragmented…his mother was terrified of his father, his sister hated his father…Luke was the thin thread holding the family together. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
Luke looked over at his mother, sitting in her chair staring out the window, something he realized was a common part of her day. She was still very beautiful, but a broken soul, a shadow of what she had once been.
It was painfully clear to Luke that Padme had suffered some kind of nervous breakdown after Anakin's turn, and had never recovered. She spent most of her time rocking in her chair, a million miles away. However she was also prone to panic attacks, which struck without warning and left her hysterical. She was yet another casualty of Anakin's tragic legacy. Luke wished he could have seen her back in her youth, before she became a frightened, reclusive shell of a woman. He hoped to ask his father what she had been like…though perhaps it would be too difficult for Anakin.
Luke sighed. He felt such a heavy burden on his shoulders. He was a galactic hero, the defeater of the Empire. His sister was running herself ragged trying to repair the galaxy. His mother was a terrified recluse. He was responsible for his father, for his redemption and return to the light. Luke felt that he needed to protect Anakin, most of the time it felt like Luke was the father and Anakin the son, except during their training sessions. Luke feared for his father, wondering if he had made the right decision to send him off alone after the confrontation with Padme. With the ysalamiri blocking him he was not able to get a sense of his father's state of mind.
"Leia, I think I need to leave," said Luke, taking her aside quietly.
"What is it Luke? Do you sense something?"
Luke sighed. "No…that's the problem. I'm worried about Father."
Leia gritted her teeth. "So am I. I don't know much about the Force, but I know an upset Jedi is not a good thing. Especially when that upset Jedi happens to be the former Darth Vader."
"Exactly." Luke's eyes were serious.
"We'll leave today. I am needed back on Coruscant anyway. They are having elections soon. I'll tell Han to get the Falcon ready. You might want to take this time to say goodbye to Mother."
"Okay."
Luke felt reluctant to leave his mother so soon. But he was torn between her and Anakin. He knew he had to find his Father before something terrible happened.
"Mother?"
It took a few moments for Padme to pull herself back to reality and notice Luke.
"Yes...Luke, my darling. What is it?" She spoke slowly, as if she were talking in her sleep.
"Mother…Leia and I have to leave. We have…important business back on Coruscant."
"Oh…." Padme's voice was sad. "I feared you would not stay long."
"Come with us," Luke begged her. "Back to Coruscant."
Padme's eyes became wide. "No…no I can't go back."
"Why not?" Luke was confused.
"No…Luke, no. I don't…I can't…"
Even without the Force, Luke could feel the fear radiating from her.
"Mother, Father is no longer a threat to you…"
Padme began to tremble. "I'm not going with you Luke. I'm sorry."
Luke lowered his head. "I understand. I'll try to visit as often as I can. I'm…I'm glad to have met you, Mother."
Padme's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, my Luke! I wondered about you for so long. You have no idea what it means to see you all grown up. You're a man now. I know that you have important work to do. It's your job to repair the mess Ani…your f-father has made. You and Leia together. I'm proud of you."
"Th-thankyou, Mother." He kissed her on the forehead and took her hand, letting it trail between them as he walked away.
As he strapped himself into the Falcon's cockpit beside his sister, his mother's words echoed in his head. Repair the mess your father made. Like the burden on him wasn't heavy enough already.
---
"I have discovered some interesting information about our dear Princess. Information that could greatly assist us."
"Oh yes?"
"It appears that our Princess was adopted."
"Adopted? Yes I knew that, that's old news. You don't get to my position without being privy to certain information. Her parents were the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who became Darth Vader, and Senator Padme Amidala. Unfortunately Amidala died many years ago, and Darth Vader died on the Death Star. There were reports of him still being alive, but they appear to be unsubstantiated."
"Apparently not. It seems that Padme is not dead, but in hiding on the planet Selonia."
A pause. "Are you sure of this?"
"I tracked the Princess to Naboo. She met with a woman there, then they left for Selonia shortly after. I managed to catch a glimpse of this woman, and I believe she is Padme Amidala. I can't be sure, as I only ever saw Padme once as a child, but I am fairly certain it is her."
"Find out! If it is her, then bring her to me!"
---
Luke was straining in his seat as the Millenium Falcon descended on Coruscant. He was anxious to begin his search for Anakin before he did something foolish. As soon as the Falcon touched ground Luke was already unbuckled and heading for the door. Leia was close behind him.
"Do you need me for anything?" he asked her.
"No Luke, you go and find Anakin," she told him. "I'm going to talk to the Senate about the upcoming elections."
"Okay," Luke started to walk away, then stopped. "Leia?"
"What is it, Luke?"
"You called him Anakin."
Leia looked confused. "Yes…that's his name…"
"You usually call him Vader."
"Oh." For once Leia didn't have anything to say. Luke smiled and turned to find his father.
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Anakin sensed Luke and Leia's approach to Coruscant, and went down to the shipping decks to meet them. "Luke!" he waved when he spotted his son leaving the Falcon.
"Father!" Luke's eyes went wide and he ran to his father, almost knocking him down in a fierce embrace.
"Woah!" Anakin laughed. "I'm glad to see you too, son."
"Oh Father, I was so worried!" said Luke, the relief in his voice evident.
"Worried?" Anakin frowned. "Why, was there some danger? Did Leia's attacker strike again? I've been here on Coruscant, I haven't heard…"
"No danger," said Luke. "I was just so afraid…when you left you were so upset…I thought - the dark side."
"Oh," sighed Anakin. "I came close, believe me. But I realized that it wouldn't be worth it. I just got my life back. I just got Anakin back. I couldn't throw that away."
"Oh thank goodness," breathed Luke. "I felt terrible, I should never have left you alone like that, I should have gone with you, if you turned I'd never have forgiven myself…"
"Stop right there." Anakin took his son by the shoulders firmly and looked him square in the eye. "You are not accountable for my salvation. I am. It is not your job to watch over me to keep me on the right path. If I fall again, that will be my choice - not yours. Don't become like Obi-Wan, shouldering the blame for something he had no control over."
Luke was gaping. "O-okay, Father."
"You helped me against the Emperor, I don't deny that. But I made the decision to turn back, not you. You couldn't make that choice for me, though you tried. I stood up against Palpatine, I killed him, and I saved you as much as you saved me. Don't forget that."
"I – won't, F-father…"
"I am the father, you are the son. I don't want to see you taking on the responsibility for me again. Understood?" He pointed a finger in Luke's face.
Luke was dumbfounded. "Y-yes, Father."
"Good."
Luke looked at his father for a long moment. "Thankyou, Anakin."
---
Luke spun his lightsaber around in the air against an imaginary enemy. It felt good to get out the tension he had been carrying. He had wanted to train with his father again, but Anakin had wanted some time alone to meditate. Now Luke was glad he could train alone without distraction, to think over the events of the past few days.
The conversation with his father had been an immense relief. A weight had been lifted from him now that he knew he didn't have to protect Anakin from the dark side anymore. The words resonated through his mind train yourself to let go. Yes, he must let go. If Anakin turned, then that was his destiny. Luke could not control that. He breathed in the Force, exhaling it out again as he pivoted and swung his saber. The only person I can control is me. He felt himself letting go, of his fears for his father, his urgency to repair the relationships between Anakin, Padme and Leia. Mother will need to conquer her own fear. Luke jumped, flipped and landed on his feet. Leia will release her own anger and learn to forgive by herself. Luke rolled, slashing at the air. It's not for me to make her do anything. Luke sidestepped and rotated. Father will correct his own mistakes. He leaped over an imaginary obstacle. Their relationships will work out the way they decide, not the way I want them. Luke backflipped. The people I love will live their own lives and be who they should be. He stopped, exhausted and breathing hard.
And I will be a Jedi.