HEROES AND VILLAINS By Kondoru.

Alternative ending to RotJ

Standard Disclaimers.

Thanks to Budgie for Beating.


Chapter Five; In which Luke practices Ascetic's

During the next few weeks, Luke meditated; he drank very little, he ate less. `Luke is in mourning, ` people said with sad bemusement.

Leia, of course was too busy to notice. She was very active, going through the Empire laws to see how many she could remove, debriefing and often yelling at politicians who were often only interested in keeping their positions ("And so you shall…But listen to me now!") Mon Mothma was in charge of demilitarisation. ("And finding you all new jobs.") Admiral Akbar and General Madine in chasing down annoying people who didn't want change. ("Don't you like our new leader? She is sometimes pretty.")

Han and Chewbacca had little to do…Except the all-important role of making sure Leia rested and ate regularly…That and keep an eye on Luke.


Contrary to popular opinion; Luke Skywalker was in reality quite busy.

He spent a lot of his time in the palace cellars. There were several levels, each packed with data chips and holocrons taken from the Jedi temple. It was fascinating and sometimes frustrating. Little had been categorised or labelled. The young Jedi sighed. It would take generations to sort this mess out.

But Luke was mostly concerned with data on Anakin Skywalker.

Artoo was very helpful.

As it turned out the Astromech droid had belonged to Anakin many years.

("Why didn't you tell me?" Luke had asked and got a non-committal reply from Artoo.)

For the first time Luke got an impression of his Father before his `accident. ` Artoo had many files and holos of his master.

Anakin had been born on Tatooine, had been discovered and taken to the Jedi temple at the age of nine.

There was a lot that Artoo wasn't telling him; Luke got the impression it concerned matters that Droids routinely kept from their masters…

…But then, his father had been born a slave too.

"Why hadn't we heard of this during his trial?" Moaned Luke. "It is Alliance policy to help those who are enslaved."

"Anakin could have told us…But what good would it have done?" Artoo said sadly.

Artoo also did a bit of slicing. He showed Luke all of Darth Vaders files from the Emperors records; including the secret ones.

This included a full holo of his operation and his medical records.

"I warn you this…It's biological." Artoo said sadly.

The young Jedi didn't really understand what his astromech meant by that. He was about to find out. Luke had expected an operation in a conventional operating theatre

What he saw was a nightmare in a Sith lab.

The subject was pulled roughly from the containment.

It resembled a big joint of roast meat.

The holocam zoomed into the subjects head.

Anakins eyes were wide open, and staring, still unable to comprehend what had happened to him.

"He's still conscious." Luke paused, he ran for the fresher and was violently ill.

Pretty soon he staggered back, grey faced.

"I'll shut it off." Artoo beeped.

"No…If my father could endure that, then I can watch. I need to understand his pain." Luke held up his metal hand.

All through the operation his father was fully aware of his surroundings and what was happening to him.

Droids cut away his burnt clothing and damaged skin

"How could they do this to him?" Luke asked. "You wouldn't inflict such sufferings on your worst enemy. Sidious was his friend!"

Artoo burbled sadly.

The grim operation continued. Anakins ribcage was cut away, revealing a still beating heart. A pacemaker was fitted, and his ribs replaced with a durasteel carapace. Blood dripped and flowed across the floor, now littered with discarded skin. But it was not replaced. Instead some tar like product of Sith alchemy was fed into Vaders veins. He moaned at this new poison.

"Hasn't he suffered enough?" Moaned Luke.

Artoo shook his domed head.

Luke held Artoos maniple.

Their victim was permitted no mercy of unconsciousness…Indeed should they faint, stimulants were injected to wake him again.

There was no time for healing. Vaders limbs were drilled and sliced into ready for the cybernetics.

As soon as the new limbs were fitted, (heavy mechanical devices, more suitable for a droid than a sentients form) his Father began to thrash around, an MD droid was thrown to one side by a metal hand.

`Restrain the subject` said an MD droid and Darth Vader was secured to the operating table with heavy manacles. He moaned and struggled at this new torment.

Black armour was fitted piece by piece, and slowly Darth Vader was revealed in all his horrible glory. His face was horribly burned but he snarled, drawing up his mouth in anger.

The table was tilted slowly to the upright position. Its traumatised occupant yelping when his new feet touched the floor for the first time.

As the great helm was lowered onto his burnt head, Darth Vader screamed. And screamed and screamed more. Clearly this device did not please him. He began to breathe through the respirator, the room was filled with the harsh rasping of his ruined lungs.

The black robed form of Sidious stepped forwards and laid a fatherly hand upon the black clad shoulder. "Be at peace, my friend; it's all over." He said as if his apprentice had just undergone a non-intrusive medical instead of being hacked up and completely rebuilt into a dehumanising form.

"Where is Padme? I cannot sense her." Whimpered Vader in his new mechanical voice.

"Even in the midst of his agonies, my father was thinking of my mother," Luke whined.

Sidious shook his head sadly. "Dead."

"Dead? But she was still alive the last time I saw her." Darth Vader replied in bewilderment.

"Two days ago. It seemed in your anger you killed her." He said in a tone more suited to minor problems.

Darth Vader howled inarticulately. He tore the restraints from the table with the unnatural strength of metal limbs. Droids and medical equipment was smashed in a telekinetic rage.

And on the face of the Emperor, there was a satisfied smile.

Luke had cried himself out. "So…This is how a monster is made. "


Darth Vader lay in silent meditation. He knew he had to conserve his suits resources like never before. He meditated, drifting in and out of Force statis. He was satisfied. Honour had been satisfied. Justice had been satisfied.

And more importantly; Luke had been satisfied.

And yet, Darth Vader had a visitor. This was an unofficial one.

"I'm sorry." He said. A hooded and robed figure appeared.

Darth Vader wriggled, trying to get his useless cybernetics to allow him to roll over to a more comfortable position. He then remembered he was in a coffin. "Master?"

The Force ghost knelt down by his former Padawan. Another appeared; Qui-gon Jinn.

Darth Vader thought quickly. "Can anyone see you?" He asked mentally. "Cams and mikes in here."

"Only Force users."

"I'll keep it in our heads…I have a feeling you snuck in…What are you doing here? Aren't you dead?" He asked with the unspoken question that he was wondering if Obi-wan was alive. "Anyway why isn't the Ysalmiri affecting you?"

Qui-gon gave a laugh "…Let us say, we Masters have resources that maybe the likes of you haven't."

"I'm dead." Obi-wan Kenobi said flatly.

"I killed you."

"I'm glad you noticed…Another notch on your lightsabre, eh?" His Master smiled.

"As you can see…I am now getting my just desserts…Which soon will end in me getting very dead." Darth Vader frowned under his mask. "…Wait a minute, If `you` are here…Then that means there `is` an afterlife…And I'm in `very` serious trouble!"

Obi-wan smiled that infuriating smile of his. "What trouble?"

Darth Vader whimpered. "Um, like, I am a Sith Lord, trouble." It was obvious that he was terrified.

Obi-wan gave a reassuring laugh. "There is no punishment in the Netherworld of the Force. Besides, from what I can feel from you, I doubt any Hell would be worse than the life you have led for the past twenty years."

"Are you sure?" Asked the Sith with obvious relief.

"The Netherworld is full of reformed Sith, Dark side users, renegade Jedi and other colourful people. You will fit in perfectly well." Qui-gon smirked mischievously. (It was obvious these were his best friends.)

Darth Vader cheered up. "And I'm going there? Will I get my body back?"

Obi-wan nodded. "Yes you will." He smirked. "And you will get stronger in the Force…Strong enough to overcome your furry little friend who is vexing you so much."

"Ah, so that's how you did it." Darth Vader laughed "I confess to being beat. And when I am your Padawan again…I suppose you will give me the thrashing I so soundly deserve?"

Obi-wan shook his head sadly. "I'm not going to be your Master, not yet. It's been decided."

"Ah."

"Young man who is a friend of mine…He's called Galen Marek…" Qui-gon said with a wicked smile.

"Uh oh." Said Darth Vader guiltily.

"Says when he gets his hands on you, you will get all the floggings you gave him when he was alive…" Obi-wan added.

"Yeah." Oh yes, Darth Vader well remembered Galen Marek, the apprentice who had turned against him and started the Rebellion.

"You are called `Dark Father` aren't you?" Qui-gon was so smug.

Obi-wan gave a sudden punch to his adversaries head…."Is that what were you planning on doing to Luke? I'm sorry, Anakin…I have forgiven you lots, but some things I cannot….Don't forget it."

"But I'm alive" protested Darth Vader. "I'm not dead! For there is no afterlife!"

"Yes, there is an afterlife…if you're strong in the Force…No, there is no Hell…But I think you are going to have to work very hard to be accepted by those you have wronged." Qui-gon added. "The Sith lied to you."

Obi-wan nodded. "No, you are still alive."

"Yes…Waiting to die." He paused. "Do you really think Leia will let me live?" Darth Vader laughed. "They are monitoring my vital signs through my suits computer…My Daughter won't be excavating me until she's sure I am deceased."

Qui-Gon gestured to his Padawan. "Come, Obi…Time we had a quiet word in the Royal Ear…"


"You are wasting away." Leia told her brother with disgust. "All over him."

"You don't understand." Luke said sadly. "He is suffering, so I have to share his pain."

She gave a shrug, "how does that improve things? I wish he could share my pain!" Leia shook her head sadly. "Is he even still alive?"

"Yes."

"And what do you propose doing about that?" Her tone was full of hidden menace.

Luke hung his head "Nothing without your permission."

"I love you Luke...But not when you love him."

"I love my dad."

Leia gave a disgusted grunt.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving it up to the Will of the Force." Luke cajoled.

"I'm not sure I like this mysticism." Leia warned him. "My government deals in real things."

"Do you deny the Force?"

"Not me," she waved a hand. "We both have it...But well over 99.999% of the rest of the populace of the Galaxy don't! That's who we will deal with."

"And I intend re-establishing the Jedi Order, agents of peace and justice with the consent of that 99%" Luke said. "For that I need Anakin Skywalker."

"Do you?"

"If he has reformed the Force will be with him and ensure he lives...Otherwise."

"So you think the Force is capable of making moral decisions?" Leia asked curiously. "Or if he is strong in the Force he will survive, -regardless of good or ill intent?" She shrugged. "He is indeed strong in the Force."

"I think that describes our father very neatly."

"I want to give the bastard another week or so." Growled Leia.

Luke shook his head sadly. They both knew that Darth Vader could live solely upon his suit for days. In spite of the devices shortcomings it recycled water very efficiently, -air, water, and the IV nutrients were all he needed. (And when the medics had found he could not swallow even liquids they had improvised and injected it into a part of his anatomy that would absorb water very efficiently. More blackmail fodder.) "He's not Darth Vader anymore." Luke scratched his metal hand in reflex. Reading his sires medical records had given him a new appreciation for his top of the range cybernetics. "Didn't you sentence him to death? And now he is buried."

Leia gave a nasty grunt.

"He needs to die so he can atone for killing our father." Luke said.


That night, Leia sat with Threepio to watch the Operation holo.

She had to rush for the fresher.

Like her brother, she watched it right through. Leia winced and whimpered at every scream of her father.

Threepio was silent for once.

"So now I know how monster are made…"


Unbeknownst to his sister, Luke was worried. He knew his miserable sire was alive, he could feel him. But Darth Vader or Anakin Skywalker or whoever he was, was blocking every attempt to establish a better bond.

Why?


The very next night Obi-wan visited Leia.

Princess Leia lay sleeping in a comfortable bed, the old Jedi master watched her in sorrow. Snug as she might be, it was her father who slept peacefully; not her. The princess writhed and whimpered in pain. He knelt down and placed an incorporeal hand upon her forehead.

Leia woke up. "Who are you?"

Obi-wan straightened, a smile on his grim face. "I'm Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi, recently deceased."

Another ghost appeared next to him. "And I am Qui-gon Jinn."

Leia sat up, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. "Two revenants, I see." She gave a frown. "And no doubt hand in glove with a society offender who really is underground."

"Yes, we visited the condemned." Qui-gon admitted.

Leia frown gave way to a scowl. "I suppose you are visiting me to ensure that Darth Vader does not end up polluting whichever afterlife you may be enjoying when he dies?" Her scowl changed to a grim smile. "Isn't there a special place for the likes of he?"

Obi-wan put on his best teacherly expression. "I'm afraid not…Anyhow, from what we have heard, he's in Hell here."

"Ha-ha" laughed Leia mirthlessly. "You weren't there when Alderaan was destroyed. I have to live through that every night! And he is holding me!" she spat "I too, live in Hell…A Hell he made for me!"

"And only when you begin to forgive will you heal." Obi-wan said sadly. "As Luke told you…He killed me. And yet I have already forgiven him."

"I didn't see Darth Vader blow up your planet…Where do you come from?"

"Stewjon." Replied Obi-wan. He had no memories of the place and had never been there.

"Darth Vader was not responsible for the destruction of Alderaan." Qui-gon said. "I do believe that's one act he was cleared of?"

"Yes. One sop to leniency." Growled Leia. "He's not getting any other."

"Your brother showed you the holo of his operation?" Obi-wan said sadly. Both He and his master had been with Luke, watching in horrified silence.

"Yes, I did watch that holo….He's suffered horribly." Leia was subdued. Watching her best enemy be hacked up and put back together in a vile new form distressed her…But not sufficient to give her much sympathy.

"Do you want to become Palpatine?" Obi-wan was grim.

"I don't like this talk." Growled Leia.

Qui-gon nodded. "Anakin is a true Jedi Master…But he needs you to achieve salvation."

"And I suppose that also means medical treatment to free him from the suit?" She asked.

Obi-wan nodded. "He's a monster…Only with the love of family can he be able to be human again…Can you do this one act of mercy? Help a lost soul become human again?" He cajoled "it may be the finest deed you will ever do."

"Do you realise how much cybernetics cost?"

"Do you realise how much you sound like the Banking Clan?" Offered Obi-wan.

"Come on, Girl…This is beyond monetary worries." Qui-gon pulled a face. "I'm sure you have swiped enough from Palpatine's accounts to fund such a scheme."

"Anakin can build his own." Obi-wan suggested. "He's an expert with machines. I hope you remember that if you ever need any difficult mechanical jobs doing. Ani can fix anything."

"…And Darth Vader can break anything…" Leia said under her breath.

"I'm afraid the Temple made many mistakes with Anakin. They never addressed the issues of his slavery." Qui-gon added.

"He never talked about it…I am pretty sure he wasn't being hurt…When I saw him in his owners workshop he seemed a happy and well-adjusted boy." Said Obi-wan.

"But being a slave does insidious damage to your psyche." Qui-gon continued. "When you live in fear for your life and well-being, -even if your Masters the other side of the Galaxy."

Leia was silent, remembering her time in Jabbas palace. She too had spent time, not as a being, but as a chattel. She couldn't imagine being born into that state, and regarding it as natural.

Or of being the Galaxy's most powerful and feared being…Yet still living in fear of a master.

Qui-gon looked stern "it's not like you will be releasing him…Spending the rest of his life in jail will be sufficient punishment."

Obi-wan laughed "…It might be a reward. He can spend his days in meditation and improving his mastery of the spirit…In preparation for the afterlife." He gave a grin. "And then the Chosen one will achieve full potential!"

"Very well." Leia nodded. "But if this grand scheme goes all wrong…I'm holding you two idiots to blame."

All three laughed.


Luke wasn't the only one who had been doing digging.

It was lunch, and the mess hall was busy. Luke sat at his usual table along with Wedge and others of Rogue squadron. In spite of being with them, he was sat silently reading his datapad.

"Hi Luke." Leia came up with her tray.

Luke looked up in obvious bemusement. Wedge turned around to see who it was. "Hi, Princess…Want to sit opposite your brother who is being a bore here?" He stood up.

"You mean he's not boasting of X wing exploits and being a bore talking shop? Luke, how could you?" She took Wedges place. He gestured off the rest of the squadron, and the twins were left in peace.

"Brother, last night I had a visitor."

"Not our father?" Luke couldn't understand why Anakin had visited Leia and not him.

Leia scowled. Luke looked a bit perplexed. His sister composed herself. "Yes, you are right in your assumption that my visitor…How shall we say it? Non corporeal…No, it wasn't Darth Daddy."

"Oh." Luke didn't hide his disappointment. He took a sip of caf.

"It has finally been my pleasure to meet Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi…I take it you have seen him…And not mentioned it?"

"I thought non Force sensitives couldn't see or hear him." Luke said thoughtfully "Then you…"

"I don't like it but I am the daughter of Darth Vader."

Luke gave a goofy grin "and I'm the son of Anakin Skywalker."

"You betcha!" Leia hadn't any more to say to that. "Anyhow, Master Kenobi, who has confirmed that he has continued your teachings had other things to say to me. Him and his Master, the Esteemed, but unconventional, Qui-gon Jinn." She curled her lip. "Both are liberal scoundrels."

"Are they?" Luke said levelly.

"Anyhow, these two deceased rogues…Whose deaths had not put an end to their Force mischief…They have convinced me to dig up the Corpus delectai." Leia poked at her food. "There is indeed an afterlife for Jedi scum and they don't want to see the likes of Vader stomping round in his black armour…Lower the tone of the place."

"That's good news"

"Thusly putting our poor government to the expense of a re trial…Still, our friend Yanadai will have a field day…Her and her fellow hacks." Leia looked up. "And thanks to our Force ghost friends I have a new contact. She can tell if our Daddy is a Sith…Or a Jedi."

Luke was pleased. "That's great news."

She shoved the datachip across the table "…Here. This is how to contact a certain Ex-Jedi."

Luke was shocked. "You mean there's survivors?"

Leia nodded. "Isn't that what the Jedi Master here wants? What have you been doing lurking in the cellar all month?" Leia looked grim "aside from research on our sire."

"I was concentrating on him, yes." Luke had to admit.

Leia gave a great sigh. "She knew our father." She told him. "She trained as a Jedi…And had to leave the order."

"I will go find her. " Luke agreed.

Leia gave a nod and finished her meal in silence.


Later that day Luke finished reading Leia's file. "A big catch." He muttered to himself.

He then put a com through to Mon Mothma asking her for more information. The Senator was evidently pleased. "I knew Ms Tano when she was a Padawan…If she is still alive she would be a worthy addition to our numbers." She made several suggestions for Luke's search.

"Do you think that Leia is coming round to my thinking?" Luke asked Artoo.