HEROES AND VILLAINS By Kondoru.

Alternative ending to RotJ

Standard Disclaimers.

Thanks to Budgie for Beating.


Chapter Seven; Re introducing Anakin Skywalker, Hero of the Old Republic.

During that month there was renewed interest in the Jedi hero, Anakin Skywalker.

Luke, Ashoka and Artoo had dug up many old documents and holos of this individual. Empire censorship had long relegated the Jedi and their poster boy to the realm of myth. The Holonet broadcasted many documentaries of the Clone Wars, starting with that old one popular in schools `Jedi, Masters of the Force.` and much to that individuals slight embarrassment `Padawan Tano; training a Jedi.` ("Wasn't I a gawky little whelp?" she moaned.)

Luke gave a rare interview.

Etsi Yanadai was by unspoken agreement, the new found prophet of the New Jedi Order. Really she had not planned this interesting new role, but she was enjoying the new found Freedom of the Media, and the Twi`lek knew about catching waves.

Besides she liked Luke, an artless farmboy, but by his very innocence, great holo material. (1) Luke Skywalker was a great catch, the last of the Jedi, and the man who had singlehandedly (Han and the rest of the Rebels on Yavin did not count.) destroyed the Death Star.

(A device that though had been secret, the revealed existence of had appalled many a hard-core Empire supporter. With that and its successor out of the way, the Galaxy was a safer place for all.)

Luke might have a high body count to his name, but he was popular with pretty much everyone except the most fanatical.

So, seeing him on the Holonet was a big treat.

"Who was Anakin Skywalker?" She opened.

"He was my father." Luke, of course, was not one to fumble around the fact he had been sired by the monstrous second in command of the Emperor. (Unlike his sister, who was very concerned over how it would affect her public image.)

Etsi put on her face that clearly said she had a lot of doubts about someone who was called `Dark Father`s ability to actually reproduce. (Her and the rest of the Galaxy.)

"If it's anything to you I believe he did all that `before` his `accident`." Luke smiled grimly to himself. "He was married in secret…The Jedi order did not permit such frivolities. As yet I know very little about my mother…She must have been a truly remarkable woman to attract a Jedi."

"Do you know why he became Darth Vader?" Etsi asked the question on everybody's lips.

Luke shook his head in sadness. "That is one of the things we are trying to find out. For a person of Anakin Skywalkers high moral stance…To fall so low…Something must have happened. Something really terrible."

"And that's the central mystery here."

Her interviewee raised his gloved cybernetic hand. "Of course our psychologist's will examine him and his motivations very carefully before he is released. I believe he may have been brainwashed. If that can be established then he will be cleared."

"What made Darth,-"

"Anakin!" corrected Luke in an uncharacteristic snappiness.

"Anakin. What made him turn against the Emperor?"

Luke gave a grim smug smile. "His love for me of course. He wanted offspring. He believed them dead. Then he found me." He picked up his glass, and levitated it. "I have the Force too…And so does Leia, much as she might deny it."

The chat show host looked satisfied. "And all this talk of his return? He's dead, -yes?" Etsi jabbed in her usual tactless (but oh-so deliberate) way.

Luke shook his head "he's asleep."

"Sleeping?" Etsi gave a cynical laugh, one that indicated she doubted what her latest victim was saying. (Her twitchy lekkus were confirming this.)

The younger Skywalker straightened, a seemingly blank look on his still boyish face. "It takes a lot of meditation to enable a great hero to return from the dead…But I know he can do it, I have faith in him. "Luke stared directly into the camera, "-oh yes, Anakin Skywalker is coming back!"


Later on, he visited his new found friend.

Ashoka Tano had taken a shine to the estranged son of her former Master…More so, it seemed as he was willing to be her boyfriend. Of course, Luke hoped it was more than `that`.

Luke sauntered into the Ex-Jedi's apartment. He placed his hands affectionately on her shoulders.

Ashoka gently pushed him off. "Not today, Luke…I am meditating." She growled, showing her sharp canines.

Luke backed down. "Trying to make contact with my father?"

Ashoka smiled.

"Is he aware of you?" Luke had to ask.

She nodded. "Yes, and Anakin is letting me in."

"That's wonderful!" Luke had been worrying about his father's non response. But then he wasn't much good at mental connections, not yet. Now he had a link to his father, albeit through a proxy.

The Togruta gave a laugh; "I think he's getting a bit bored; Did you know the suit has a library and games?"

"Will wonders never cease? I have never explored fully the full potential of his equipment."

"Maybe you should find out more about it then...Anakin Skywalker never had access to such high grade kit...I don't think getting him out of it is going to be as easy as you might assume." She groaned. "It's not like simply taking off a mask…That mask is his life, his personality, his identity, it enhances his senses, -and it provides him with information. I think giving up all that might prove very difficult."

"I heard that VR headsets used to be called `Darth Vader` helmets." Luke had never seen a VR, he knew the Empires military used them in training situations. He was going to explore the possibility of using them in Force training.

"Yes, and you now know why. According to his medical records, Anakin has normal sight and hearing…The MDs fixed that at least…However without his enhancements he's going to be effectively blind and deaf. How will he cope with that?"

"And Leia has landed Ysalmiri on him." Luke still didn't agree with it. "Losing the Force."

"He will be in prison…Probably for the best for all of us. My Master is going to have to re learn a lot of things that sentients take for granted. I have been reading about getting atrophied digestive systems used to solids again."

Luke groaned "He hasn't eaten in over twenty years! He's going to have tummy trouble!"

Ashoka laughed. "I'm sure he will cope…Eventually. No, a nice stay in non-stimulating surroundings on a bland diet is the order of the day for our Hero With No Fear. This is no easy trip."

"Rough justice indeed."

"You may say that." Ashoka rubbed her face sadly. "What could be more Just in turning a Sith made monster back into a human?"

"Yoda told me that souls are reborn again and again in different universes and situations…Yet to be born a sentient is very difficult…and only people have the ability advance spiritually. You must always remember this in all the decisions you make."

"Good advice. And by helping the Damned…We acquire much merit."

"I made the choice to save Darth Vader…And he me." Luke said firmly. "He can be saved."

Ashoka shook her head. "If he decides so." She reminded her new boyfriend.


Elsewhere in the palace a group of prominent beings held a meeting.

A Meeting certain twins had not been invited to. It was a slightly subversive meeting; life in the Empire was enjoying a subversive renaissance, and so who could blame the Alliance leaders if they indulged in a little waywardness of their own?

"I suppose now is the time to discuss what we will do with this annoying Hero who will not die?" Admiral Akbar said. He was getting tired of Luke's manipulations.

"Relax, Admiral…We will give the public Bread and Anakin." Mon Mothma replied. "I have been making plans."

"I hope they make sense." General Madine added. Madine had superstitious doubts about Force sorcery. He had heard too many stories about the dread Darth Vader. However as an ex-Imperial, he, like Mon Mothma, (but unlike Leia Organa) was all too keen to get Empire leaders on their side. Vader had proved compliant in helping the Alliance gain the upper hand, indeed entire planets had pledged their alliance to Leia and her gang because of him. He would be a powerful ally. A prisoner, not as much use.

"There will be a re trial…Big nuisance." Lady Mothma agreed. She really wanted to get down to the business of disbanding the Empires massive military machine. Only then she would feel safe. A lot of those men were perfectly happy to follow Vader…Or Anakin…Civvy street might not be so desirable.

"More fuss…But you are so right, it will distract the public in this time of worrying insecurity." Akbar agreed.

"I think we can make good use of Anakin Skywalker." Mon Mothma said grimly "…Mostly by keeping him out from under Leia's feet."

All laughed at that.

"By sending him off into Wildspace?" Rieekan said thoughtfully. As an Alderaanian, he really wanted to see the back of his nemesis for good.

She shook her head. "Our Sith lord is going to have to work very hard for us…If he wants to enjoy a certain amount of controlled liberty."

"So you're not pardoning him?" General Madine said with a lot of distaste.

Mon Mothma laughed "And what good would that do him? Darth Vader has lost the Emperor and his support…And my agents have found and `re allocated` any accounts he might have." She smiled wickedly. "He's now registered as a cyborg."

The committee all nodded. A cyborg was not counted as a sentient, but a machine. They had to have an owner, and sponsor, and undergo regular neural scans.

"So, he's a slave?"

Mon Mothma nodded back. "Rather, let's say he will be under our sponsorship and care…Darth Vaders medical needs are…Complex." She waved a hand, "we would not be thinking of his welfare if we did not do all in our power to see he is properly maintained for the rest of his natural life. Like making sure he has a good short power cable he can't entangle."

They all laughed at that.

"Justice gets done…We are merciful, Luke gets his daddy back and the Alliance gets a useful servant." She looked radiant "we all win. Even Anakin Skywalker."

"But what about Leia?" Asked Akbar. "She wants him dead."

Mon Mothma shook her head. "Leia's going to have to go with the flow…She isn't Palpatine."


Ashoka Tano paced up and down the cell in exasperation.

Ascetics…Might seem a good idea. But the ever practical Togruta was combining them with security testing at the Shard, Leia had been adamant about this. "We are going to look proper idiots if he escapes." She had said grumpily.

"Anakins cybernetics aren't working." Ashoka had replied.

"I made sure of that. And the Ysalmiri. But I want to be double sure." Leia gestured with a pen. "He's got a load of sympathisers too…" Leia frowned. Ashoka was a Jedi and she did not fully trust them. "Starting with a certain Togruta of my acquaintance."

"I'm loyal to you, Princess." Ashoka had reassured her.

"You are loyal to a certain blood relative of mine, don't lie."

"Yes! Your brother!" Ashoka had replied without any humour and gotten scowled at.

So now the renegade Jedi was shut up in the Shard, one of the securest prisons in the Empire.

This facility, Ashoka knew, was one of the few that had been proven secure against Jedi…Both from with and without.

And security was very tight. It was tighter than a Hutt's wallet. One of the clever methods was to be unpredictable; The guards gave her no set routine to plot against.

They kept moving her about.

She was hardly ever in the same place. Periodically her keepers would march in, handcuff and leg iron her, then strap her to a repulsorlift bed, hood her and cart her off to quarters new. She would be decanted and left to puzzle out her new situation.

Sometimes she was in a conventional cell, sometimes a barred cage, sometimes a ray shielded box. Some were cramped and others allowed a certain amount of exercise.

There would be a new routine too. She had new guards, humans in armour…Or humanoid, or droids. They were never the same. Nor was her feeding routine. Her ration bars could be delivered through a hatch, or brought in and chucked at her by a smiling guard. Sometimes they even had to be requested.

Aside from the obvious risks when being transferred Ashoka had to admit the system was very good. It kept her on her toes, she had little to relate to. It also made her very helpless.

She lay back in her latest accommodation. (They had the decency to allow her a bed roll, though no clothes. She knew that outside the temperatures were well below freezing too…) There was a ventilation hatch in the ceiling. Big enough for her.

Ashoka yawned and stood up. Time to make a move. She had no plans…But then, Anakin never had any plans.

She leapt up and grabbed her target. The hatch, predictably was alarmed, and the guards came rushing in. They gleefully subjected her to an ordeal that was too rough to be described as tickling, and too gentle for a beating. (It did not help, of course that her keepers knew she was trying to escape…)

"You have one warning, girlie. Next time we chain you up."

And they then carted her off to quarters new.

Ashoka gave a big sigh and began to mediate. This was really taxing her ingenuity. She couldn't get out on her own. But in the past, there was always Obi-wan and Anakin to help.

(Obi-wan was dead…But according to Luke still around, the smug wretch. She knew Anakin was in contact with him. Ashoka doubted the Jedi would help.)

"Are you still here? I thought you would be out by now?" Governor Norran popped by every day to see how his part time Jedi was faring.

"I'm, um, working on it." Ashoka replied with false cheeriness.

The next time Norran's Goons went for her she simply rushed them. This time she made it out into the corridor.

Only to run headlong into two droids…relics of the past. Ashoka froze in horror. Two pairs of maniples reached out and took her muscular limbs in grips of durasteel. She went limp.

One gripped her back lekku; one of the most vulnerable parts of her body. Ashoka slumped down resignedly. She was going to get roughhoused again.

"Submit?" suggested the first guard, some blue skinned race. (Chiss? Pantaloran?) His victim nodded. "For that you are going to get an intimate search!"

Ashoka didn't care less but the droids giggled, something that got severely on her nerves, the idea of droids laughing at `that. `

The second guard was some Twi'lek female. She had gotten punched in the belly and was clearly in a mood with aforesaid puncher. "Why don't you two do it?" she gestured to the droids. "We don't get paid enough to go poking in some nasty alien unmentionables." She suggested.

The two droids laughed nastily and pushed Ashoka down still further. She felt metal on her thighs…

….And was transported back to the cells on a Separatist ship…

Ashoka freaked.

She threw the two droids off of her with a sudden Force push, smashing them up with further telekinesis. Ashoka stood up, shaking. She rubbed her montrals. Steady girl! The Clone Wars are long over! She reminded herself. The two sentient guards retreated to the corners of the cell.

The ray shield was powered down and no less than a dozen guards rushed in. (She was flattered that they believed she needed so many.) Ashoka flopped down in surrender but was still hit with a stun bolt.

She awoke with a splitting headache…In a containment field. Ashoka was relieved. As far as she knew, there was no way out of these. She had been defeated, and could rest.

She wanted her Skyguy back…but not like this.


Two weeks later Ashoka Tano sat in Governor Norran's office. She had been formally released, but now had a studied distrust of the man who had visited a thousand indignities on her these past days.

He wasn't a bad sort…If it wasn't for his attitude that everyone had a serious criminal in them.

Governor Norran was in fine form. "I have sent your records back to the new government." He smirked. "For a prisoner I was told was a reformable specimen…You sure have attempted to escape a lot."

From anybody else this would have been funny. Ashoka sat in silence.

"You are tasking me to hold this Anakin Skywalker person in custody while he undergoes a 90 day psychiatric assessment, -that and a lot of physical care."

"Yes." Ashoka replied. "It is the Alliances belief that though he is reformable; it's in everyone's best interests he undergo a proper rehabilitation."

Governor Norran made a sound that suggested that as the guy who got all the worst cases, he did not believe in such notions as `Reform.`

"And that will take a lot of effort."

Governor Norran grunted, he keyed up a holo display. "See this, Ms Tano?" (Just what is your title anyway, girl?) "This was set up by the Emperor over two decades ago. It has never been used."

Ashoka leaned forwards. The holo was of a block of the Shard…More security. It seemed to be designed for someone who did not breathe a standard 20% Oxygen 80% Nitrogen atmosphere….the cell was enclosed on all six sides by Mandolaran steel, a fabulously expensive material proof against lightsabres.

It reminded her of a part of the Executor she had examined with great curiosity. That too was designed for someone with very special needs.

…Of course. She should have known. This cell had been designed for just one person. She knew just who.

"I understand. Palpatine did not trust his apprentice. "She sighed, "I should have known."


Ashoka came home in shame. She had failed.

Luke was staying in her apartment. He had his quarters in the palace, of course. He didn't like them. The whole place was still full of the Emperor…In spite of Leia's attempts at redecoration. The drapes were too expensive to replace. (Who would believe that curtains cost so much money?) And getting the Imperial Guard out of that morbid red armour was proving tricky. The men were among Leia's most devoted supporters…Just so long as she didn't try to change too much too soon.

They were right, of course. You couldn't change the Galaxy in five minutes.

So Luke had shacked up with an alien, the likes of which he had never heard of until he entered the Akul pit.

But Ashoka was right; He was of her tribe.

Luke was busy learning Togruta cookery…That and playing Anakins Holocron.

The Holocron had been recorded to teach Ashoka to fence in his style. Luke wasn't interested in the technical details, not as yet. He was busy observing Anakin himself.

Anakin was a man in his early twenties, blue eyes, sun bleached hair, -he was all too obviously Luke's father. He had a wry tilt to his face and a devil may care grin. This was a confident, cocky individual ready to fight all in the Universe that would put him down.

Luke had never had that look on his face…Had he?

The key went in the latch and Luke switched off the Holocron with a vague feeling of guilt. "Ashoka!"

She stood in the doorway, a defeated but still standing warrior. "I, um, had some setbacks." Her face was very pale.

Luke gestured to her and she sat down next to him in a weary slump. "I see you have been busy absorbing my Masters teachings." She said sadly.

"Getting to know him, more like." He was silent. "Will we ever get him back?"

Ashoka said nothing.

Luke tried to caress her but she shook her head sadly. Ashoka had been subjected to far too many intimate probing to want touching in such areas as yet.

"Was it bad? Did they hurt you?" Luke was concerned.

"A few bruises, I was tickled half to death. No, being a prisoner in the Shard is very damaging to the spirit."

She did not tell him about the incident with the droids.

"Governor Norran has been awaiting him for a long time…Ever since he was made." Ashoka said sadly. "Ani has known, of course."

"Known what?"

"There's a cell in the Shard with his name on it."

Luke sat up. "But that is a good thing…And you failing to escape is also a good thing. It means that we can contain him."

She hugged her new boyfriend to her. "I'm glad you are so positive. But you are right." In the background, Anakin growled in jealousy.

Luke and Ashoka laughed insolently.


"Dig the bastard up…I'm sick of all your whining." Leia snarled.

"I want that order in writing." Luke said thoughtfully.

He got his permission written on the back of a shortbread biscuit box.


(1) Think Hanna Hauxwell.