Who knows why the world works as it does. Why some live until his or her hundreds and others get taken away at an all-to-early age. The loss of a friend, a loved one, is heart wrenching. Anakin Skywalker had felt the feeling many times over his life, although he did not remember it until recently. His mother, his wife, his mentor, and his children had all been taken from him, although now he knew that his children were not dead, as he had been led to believe. But now Anakin lost a friend and ally: Janira.
Her body was over his, her head to the left of his stomach with her black hair sprawled over her face, and her legs in an outward V. She lay there, unmoving, and Anakin no longer was connected to her force signature – all was gone, detached from his feeling. He knew that she was dead.
For a moment, all that he could hear was the buzz of Larveus's light saber and the loud thumping of his own heart. It seemed as though his blood turned cold, and he lost all of his feeling, going numb. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of him and that the world had begun to spin without him. After what seemed like forever, his senses finally came back to him, and he looked down at his body. When he saw himself, however, his brows furrowed and a look of wonder crossed his features; everything had begun to go fuzzy. His own body, it seemed, was becoming a black mass. He felt his molecules beginning to separate from each other, making his body become outlined in black shadow-like blurs, like the shadows of the past Siths, only just on the edges.
Finally, after laying on the ground in a stunned shock, Anakin gently pushed Janira off of him, placing her to the side, and he rose to his feet, preparing to face his enemy. It was then that he noticed that Larveus was having the same effect happen on his body, with the black consuming him as well. Larveus was looking at his hands with shock and bewilderment, not sure of what was happening.
"Our links to the real world are slowly dissipating now that you have killed her," Anakin declared. "Soon, we shall disappear and return to the after life."
Larveus was silent for a moment, still in contemplation. "No… No… I have discovered the way to immortality; I shall live forever!"
"You were only able to live as long as Janira was alive. You have destroyed that, and so you have destroyed yourself – and me."
Even so, with what Anakin was arguing, Larveus was stubborn to the end. He brandished his light saber, going into his offensive stance. "I shall destroy you, Skywalker."
Although Anakin knew it to be useless, he too readied his own saber. "You will not save yourself by fighting me, Larveus. We are both destined to leave – as we already had. And now, history will repeat itself and take both of our lives. You nor I can stop it but only accept it." He took a few strides towards his adversary. "But I will make sure that you leave here before I do."
A smirk grew on Larveus's face. "You will try," he taunted.
Anakin only smiled at him. "You forget your own master's words: Do or do not. There is no try."
With that, Anakin raised his saber over his head and charged at Larveus for the last time.
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Luke zoomed through space, charging his star fighter as fast as it would go. Although his adversaries were bombarding him from all angles, he paid no mind to them. Instead, he just dodged their shots – most of them at least – and tried to get to the Persecutor as quickly as he could. Through the Force, he sensed that there was great peril going on there, but the most terrifying thing that he noticed was that he no longer felt Janira. For some reason, he could not feel her through the Force. Luke knew what this could mean, but at the moment, he refused to believe it. He refused to believe that his only Padawan was dead.
Luke shook his head as he continued to navigate through space. He couldn't think of that now; he needed to get to that ship and help in any way that he could. Luke's father was there and Janira – who was alive. Still, deep down, Luke knew that he was only kidding himself. But he refused to believe that fact as well.
Then Luke saw the ship approaching in the distance. Luke charged his star fighter even more, causing it to use every ounce of energy it possessed in order to get there ASAP. As he got closer, he could feel the urgency calling to him from the ship, and Luke only hoped that he would get there in time – if not to save Janira, then to save his father.
When Luke at last landed in the Persecutor's docking bay, he leapt out of the cockpit, light saber blazing, and ran to where his father's force signature was calling him. Luke ran hard through the long corridors, took a left, and then found himself in a large room – maybe a dining hall – where Larveus and Anakin were dueling – at least he thought that's whom they were.
Luke couldn't really tell who the two battling-shadows were, because, well, they were just that: shadows. The only humanly part left on them was the face – and that was barely readable. But by the way that one of the shadows was fighting, Luke was sure that it had to be his father. As the two fought each other, when they moved, they left a little line of shadow trailing behind them – but only for a split second. After that second, all traces of the black line and where they were previously standing had vanished, leaving only their own shadow figures visible.
Luke watched in awe as they fought – Anakin pressing onwards with every ounce of strength possible, and Larveus nearly falling down from fatigue. Still, Larveus was not failing and still fought with tough pristine. But to Luke it appeared as though Anakin held the upper hand and would surely defeat his adversary. As much as Luke wanted to jump in there, he didn't think that he would be of much help; after all, they were shadows and he was not. Living hands could not touch the shadows they had fought earlier, so Luke assumed that Larveus would be the same. However, since Anakin was a shadow too, Luke could only hope that Anakin would be able to strike their enemy down once and for all.
Then it happened. It happened so fast that Luke almost missed it. He watched as one of the shadows backed away form the other, a blue light saber in its right hand. The shadow fell to its knees and then toppled over to its stomach, defeated. Luke curiously watched as the shadow slowly began to disappear completely, one layer of black leaving after the other, until there was nothing left but the handle of a light saber.
Realizing that at last Larveus had been defeated, Luke smiled joyously and then ran over to his father's side. However, when Luke got there, Anakin too had fallen to his knees and then to his stomach. The smiled immediately flew from Luke's face as he knelt by his father's side, turning him gently over to his back. However, he was too late. Slowly, off of Anakin's body, his own shadow began to leave, flying piece by piece from his body.
"Father!" Luke said helplessly, realizing that there was nothing he could do to stop it. Luke tried to hug Anakin close, trying to keep the shadow from leaving, but it was useless. Before his very eyes, his father's body was dissipating.
"Father!" he desperately whispered one more time.
This time, however, he got a reply.
"Luke…"
As his father spoke, tears were beginning to form in Luke's eyes.
"Luke…" continued Anakin, "Look after Leia for me… would you? I never got to meet her… and…" Anakin couldn't finish.
"Of course, of course! Anything you want!" A pause. "She would've liked to meet you, father. You would've loved her."
"Would you… describe her to me… Luke?" barely choked out Anakin.
Luke tried to smile. "Leia… she's amazing. She's so strong. She has a wild spirit, and refuses to be pushed around; you can't tell Leia what to do. But she has a great head on her shoulders; please don't worry about her. Plus… Han loves her very much, he'll look after her too, as well as I will."
"What… does she look like?"
"Well, Leia's beautiful. Long, chocolate hair, with which she'll do these crazy hair-do's – buns on the side of her head. Isn't that funny?" Luke joked pitifully, trying to improve the failing situation. He looked into his father's dying eyes and tried to smile, imprinting this last moment into his mind. Trying to choke back the tears, Luke continued, focusing on his sister. "Her eyes are dark brown as well, full of passion and love. She can't be more than 5'3… but she is truly beautiful, inside and out."
With what appeared to be a smile, Anakin said, "Just… like your mother…" With a last little choke on his breath, Anakin lay completely still and then the rest of his body vanished into thin air, leaving Luke holding nothing but a memory.
Luke looked down at his hands, his empty, cold hands, and did nothing. Everything was silent, no sounds but the shallow breaths coming from his lungs. He was shocked, despaired, and lonely. His father was gone. His Padawan was gone. He looked over his shoulder to where Janira's body lay. He had missed it on his way in, too concerned for his father to notice anything else. He should've taken better care of her, looked after her more. Perhaps then she would still be alive – his father too.
He shook his head. He had to think positive. But in this situation, he could barely think at all, just empty blanks running through his mind. But he did have his sister… which reminded him that he should go rescue her. But what was the point? Perhaps she was dead too, Larveus killing her before he met Anakin and Janira. Did he really want to go and find her dead?
Still, despite his pessimistic thoughts, Luke rose to feet and went in search for Leia. Slowly, his feet shuffling, Luke left the place of death and wound his way through the ship to the prisoner blocks. One by one, he carelessly opened up each cell door, one after the other revealing no Leia. He pushed the next button and when the door before him opened up, there was Leia, sitting angrily on the metal bench. At the sound of the door opening, Leia looked up, and when she saw her brother, a grin immediately lighted her face.
"Luke!" he cried joyously.
Luke had to force a smile. "Leia."
At the tone of his voice, Leia's smile soon fell. "Luke? What's the matter? Where's Janira?"
"Dead," he said shortly. "Along with our father and Larveus. They're all dead."
"What?" Leia said in disbelief. "Luke, I'm so sorry… what happened? And what do you mean our father's dead? Wasn't he already?"
Luke sighed as he tried to explain. "Janira fought Larveus, but she was killed. Before, though, she brought Anakin back to life, and then he battled Larveus. Anakin killed him... but not before he was fatally wounded as well. He died in my arms… again."
Leia's eyes pierced Luke's sincerely. "Oh Luke… I don't know what to say… It's all so much, so soon." She rose to her feet and stood by her brother, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him for what she knew there to be no solution. "Come on, let's get out of here and go home," she finished.
Luke only nodded his head lamely as he let Leia lead him out of the cellblock and back through the ship. They walked in silence, each one not knowing what to say. All Luke wanted to do was get out of here – it held too much pain and suffering. Leia too wanted to leave. She could sense how much this place was hurting Luke, and all she wanted was to get him home; he didn't need any more death.
As they left the ship, once more passing through the dining hall, Luke stopped and went over to Janira's body.
"I just can't leave her…"
Leia understood completely and went over to help her brother carry Janira. Each helping the other, they managed to get her to the docking bay. Instead of taking Luke's ship, however, they commandeered one of the escape pods, since there was more room for all of them. Then Luke made the coordinates and set them off toward Coruscant, where he could only hope things would improve.
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