Chapter 84 – Luke

Author's Note: Marr struggles with his feelings in the wake of his encounter with Vader...

Also, just a fun fact, but we have a headcanon (a recent one) that Obi-Wan is a Mandalorian, and that he's Pre Viszla's older brother. Is that true in here? Probably. Also, he'll never know. I just think it's hilarious that he's Marr's uncle, and neither of them know. Lol.

To Pjo crossovers: I honestly don't think Vader disassociates from Anakin in here nearly as much as he did in Canon. Vader is… complicated, like all people, and he very much swings back and forth between being who he was on Malachor with Marr and Ahsoka, and the darker, more broken person that Sidious is making him into. But his fear of Sidious overrules most of his ability to reason.
It's not that "Anakin" is any more gone now than he was on Malachor, as much as it is that now, he's too scared to go against Sidious. He still wants to protect Marr but doesn't think himself capable. He knows if Sidious finds Marr, he will do far worse than killing him.
Vader's also wanted to die for years, since it's the only real "freedom" he could ever get so…

To Jayden: I think people might be a little surprised at where her arc goes, but hopefully, everyone will like it. I know a lot of people don't like what we did with her, but in a story this long, there has to be tragedies of some kind. And I'd rather bully the OCs than all my canon favorites constantly, right? xD

Thank y'all so much for reviewing! :D:D:D 💖💖💖

~ Amina Gila

Marr can't tear his mind away from Vader, but there's other things urgently demanding his attention: like Maul's betrayal. It would be best to confront him about it in person, but he has no way of doing that without calling him first, to set up a meeting. Maybe if he just doesn't mention what he wants to talk about...?

It might work, but Maul will probably figure out something is off. So, he'll be ready to track his location if he needs to.

As soon as he's somewhere private, Marr withdraws his comm link that communicates with the Sith, calling him.

"Yes?" Maul asks. Something about him seems... different, unless it's just because Marr's so suspicious.

"Can we meet somewhere private?" Marr asks, "I believe there's some things we should discuss without risk of anyone intercepting the communication." It's as little of a lie as he can manage.

"I hope your mission to that Imperial base went well." Oh, he definitely knows why Marr's calling, doesn't he? Marr can tell from that tone, that glint in his eyes. He's never going to tell him where he is.

Good thing he's already tracing the call.

"Why?" Marr asks, voice rising. He doesn't know why there was still a small part of him that trusted Maul. "Why would you throw away all the benefits you could have gained from this?"

Maul laughs. "Whether the Empire or a new Republic rule, it will be the same for me," he replies, "You may once have been my apprentice, but you chose to betray me. And now you have been replaced."

The call abruptly hangs up.

'Been replaced'...

Does that mean Maul has a new apprentice? That does not sound good.

BD beeps, displaying a map of the location the call traced too.

"We're going immediately," Marr decides, standing. He doesn't know if Maul will still be there when he arrives – he doesn't even know what he's planning to do when they arrive – but Maul knows too much for them to just end their partnership here.

He comes out of hyperspace above the planet, right in time to see another ship making the jump to lightspeed. The same moment, all traces of Maul's lingering presence disappear. He was on that ship, wasn't he?

"BD, track all possible destinations based on the trajectory," he instructors.

The droid beeps, immediately doing as he asked. Tatooine is Marr's first guess of the options. Obi-Wan was there, and it would make sense for Maul to decide to make a move now. Obi-Wan should be able to handle him fine, but that doesn't stop his surge of apprehension. He needs to get there as soon as possible.

He comes out of hyperspace above the planet in time to spot the shuttle heading for the surface. Marr follows, though he tries to keep his distance. It wouldn't be good if Maul sees him, though no doubt he senses his presence. Marr is shielding, but Maul is very attuned to the Force.

But as they get closer to the surface, Marr quickly realizes that he's not heading for where they last saw Obi-Wan. He's... heading to a moisture farm?

Which... doesn't make any sense, unless he has something of use there. Or is that where his 'new apprentice' is? Marr can't imagine many other Jedi hiding on Tatooine, so it's likely someone who wasn't trained before. It's a good thing he's here, then, because he has no doubt this isn't going to end well.

Marr lands his ship a distance off, and he hasn't made it halfway across the endless fields of sand before he hears blaster shots. Not good. He activates his jetpacks, streaking through the air over the house, to see Maul fighting off two adults, and a blonde-haired boy who looks –

He looks so much like Anakin. He's a lot shorter but the resemblance is unmistakably there, along with hoe brightly he shines in the Force, even if his presence is naturally shielded.

He's – Is this Anakin's son?

Marr fires down at the Sith as he lands behind him, drawing the Darksaber.

"You made a mistake coming here," Maul growls, blasting the other three back with the Force, charging at him.

"Did I?" Marr shoots back, blocking the first blow, "Betraying us was your mistake, Maul. Not mine."

"Your usefulness was over," he snaps, attacking him in a blinding blur of red. Marr doesn't bother to reply, focusing on the fight instead. They already know who's going to win, unless Maul decides to run, that is.

It's then that he suddenly senses a familiar presence approaching. A Force wave slams into Marr, momentarily throwing him back, before Maul spins away from him, right as Marr turns to see Obi-Wan approaching.

The boy is gaping at them in near awe as Obi-Wan and Maul clash blades. It's been years, and Obi-Wan's abilities are not what they once were, but he still has it in him. He's hardened, darkened, but all of them have.

Marr moves closer to help, but it doesn't seem like his former master needs any. Maul is too lost in his desire for revenge – did something change that or was it always there and Marr just overlooked it? – to consider that this is a fight he's never going to win. Marr knows what's about to happen, a split second before it does.

The Sith spins to block Obi-Wan's blade, but it isn't quite fast enough, and he slashes through the center of the hilt, cutting into his chest. Maul staggers back, dropping his lightsaber. He's dying. It... Marr doesn't know what to feel about it, to be honest, so he turns away to check on the boy who he highly suspects is Luke, and the others.

They're fine, mostly, at least not enough that Marr needs to concern himself with it.

"Are you a Jedi?" Luke asks, awed.

"It's complicated," he replies. "I used to be. I was... I chose a different path." It's really the simplest way he can think of to explain to someone who presumably knows little of the Force. "I was one of Obi-Wan's... apprentices."

"Why are you here?" Owen inquires, stepping forwards.

"I was tracking Maul," Marr replies.

"What was he?" Luke asks curiously, "He didn't seem like a Jedi!"

"He was a Sith," Obi-Wan interjects.

"What's that?"

For some reason, Marr can feel Owen's growing unhappiness, as though he really wishes they weren't talking about this. "You could say they're... a group of Force users with very different ideals from the Jedi," Marr offers.

"Thank you for helping us," Owen interjects, "I'm sure you have... places to be."

Yes, he does, but this is the first time he's been able to meet Anakin's son ever, and he can't deny wanting to get to know him a little more. "I do," Marr agrees, reluctantly. He turns to go, then pauses, looking back, "These were hardly ideal circumstances, but I'm glad I got the chance to meet you. I didn't know Anakin had other family. He and I were... close friends." It hurts to even think about him now, even more than it did before somehow. He still doesn't understand how Vader could really have been planning to kill him. If he actually would have. He was obviously hesitating, but...

"You knew my father?!" Luke demands, jolting forwards, "How? I thought he..."

Does Luke know nothing about Anakin? It's not a surprise, he supposes, for safety reasons. Leia doesn't either, but still. It doesn't seem fair. "He was Obi-Wan's first apprentice."

"What?! But – he was a navigator on a spice freighter!"

What?! Marr looks between Owen and Obi-Wan, his confusion only growing by the second. Whose decision was it to tell Luke that? "He was a Jedi Knight. The best of us. A great warrior, and an even better man."

"It doesn't matter what he was," Owen interjects, "Anakin is gone." There's a subdued sadness there, like he didn't really know him well, but still misses him. And the way he says it, he truly believes Anakin is dead. Obi-Wan never told him. Maybe he can get why they might not want to tell Luke – although really, he's practically an adult now; he really should have the right to hear about this, but it's not up to Marr to make that decision – but Owen? Anakin's brother?

Marr ignores the feel of Obi-Wan's pointed look on him, probably hoping he isn't going to do this. "Owen... Anakin isn't dead."

"What?!" all three of them chorus. Marr can feel how Obi-Wan is unhappy, but he doesn't pay it any mind. It's important, but Luke should know the truth. So should Owen and Beru.

"He's still alive," Marr repeats, slowly.

Owen looks between him and Obi-Wan, his growing confusion clear.

"I believed him dead," Obi-Wan replies, obviously uncomfortable.

"If he's alive, then where is he?!" Luke demands, an obvious note of excitement in his voice. Yes, this conversation will not be easy.

"It's complicated, but he's an Imperial –"

"What?!" the boy yelps, "But the Empire..."

"Isn't good, we know. He knows it, too," Marr replies. "Something happened to him. I don't know what. I don't think he wants to stay with the Empire, but he doesn't see himself as having much choice."

"Why?" Owen frowns, "What happened? Did you know about this, Ben?"

"I had no reason to believe he was alive," Obi-Wan defends.

Marr suppresses the urge to facepalm. "Obi-Wan – or Ben, if that's what you know him by – didn't find out until more recently, and it was easier for him to continue believing otherwise when Anakin turned on everything he knew. Truthfully, I don't know what happened to him. When I knew him, he would never have stood with the Empire as it is."

"I want to see him!" Luke argues.

Obi-Wan has that 'instant migraine' look on his face, that Marr remembers far too well from when he, Ahsoka, and occasionally Anakin made a little too much very helpful chaos, during the Clone Wars.

"That's hardly an option right now," Owen interrupts, "But I would like to understand what happened."

"I'll... talk to him again when I have the chance," Marr says, then hesitates. This is the truth, but he doesn't want to push anyone to do anything foolish. "Although I think it may help him if he did meet Luke. He didn't know he had a child, but it meant a lot to him when I told him."

Owen's frown only grows, and Marr ignores Obi-Wan's extremely unhappy gaze on him. "Why wouldn't he know that?"

"Like I said, there's a lot I don't know right now." Obi-Wan probably does, though. Maybe he should ask him about the details sometime. Maybe. It's obviously an extremely touchy topic.

"I want to meet him!" Luke repeats again, stubbornly.

"Before you did, I think it'd be best if you were... trained in the Force," Marr says. He doesn't really know how things would go, but regardless, meeting Vader would put Luke in serious danger, if anyone found out.

"Why?" Owen objects, unhappily.

"It's dangerous," Marr explains, "The Emperor is hunting down all Force-sensitives, and any he deems worthy of keeping alive are... forced to serve him."

"Is that where my father is?" Luke asks, horrified.

"Yes," he affirms, sighing quietly, looking back to Owen, "I understand if you don't want Luke involved in any of this. It is dangerous, but I think it's only a matter of time before he'll be drawn into it whether we want it or not. It's better if he's ready for it."

"I'll think about it," Owen replies gruffly, and he can keenly feel his fear. It's something Marr can relate to all too well. He didn't want Vizma dragged into anything for years, and that's what held him back. But in the end, it would've come to Mandalore eventually anyway. He'll never regret his choice to get involved again, even if he wishes so many things could be different. (That so many others could be alive, like Satine.)

Luke is obviously still bursting with questions, but they leave it at that.

Marr walks over to Obi-Wan, stopping near Maul's body. It's jarring, seeing him lying so still and motionless in the sand, and... He was angry with him and really, this was the only way, but for some reason, it still... almost hurts. He did care about Maul, in a way, even if he could never forgive him for killing his father or what he just did now.

Obi-Wan nods, and Marr lifts the body with the Force, moving it to the edge of the farm where they prepare to cremate it. It's about all they can do, at this point.

He doesn't say anything immediately, silently watching the crackling flames. Especially now, he can't ignore the part of him that regrets things came to this. But in truth, he has to wonder if Maul isn't better off dead. He may have been obsessed with power, and corrupted beyond hope of change, but Marr knows there was a part of the Sith that just wanted someone to care about him. He hurt the galaxy the same way he was hurt and saw no reason not to.

Force, please tell him that's not how Vader feels.

"I thought you two were working together," Obi-Wan breaks the silence, once the fire has died down to nothing but a trail of smoke.

"He... sold us out to the Empire."

"I did think I taught you better than to trust Sith," he says, mildly.

Okay, maybe some other time, some other situation, he could have found a note of humor in that. "Not now," he replies flatly.

He can feel Obi-Wan eyeing him. "What?"

"Things haven't been easy recently," Marr says. He needs to talk to him about the rest, but he almost doesn't want to, given his attitude last time. Still, he can't do this all alone. "And... I saw Vader again."

Obi-Wan's presence stills in the Force. "What happened?"

"Ahsoka and I broke into the Inquisitor's Fortress to free my sister," he begins, almost distantly, as his mind replays it again. He doesn't want to think about it, but he needs to talk about it. "Vader was there, and we – He asked me to join him, and I refused. I think he already expected that. But something... was different about him."

"What do you mean?"

"We fought and he – he was going to kill me." He's mildly impressed he's able to keep his voice so level, "He didn't want to, but he seemed to think he had to. But then I slashed open the window and started flooding the hall, and he... let me escape."

"You will need to be prepared for the situation when you find he is gone," Obi-Wan points out. At least he's not being as blunt and stubborn as earlier. Marr counts that as a win, but it still hurts. Talking or thinking about Anakin hurts so much right now. They will never be how they once were, but Marr still wants to help him.

He tried to kill him. He almost did.

He let him go, too.

It's a vicious, repetitive cycle in his mind as he tries to comprehend the enormity of what just happened. It's not as easy as it should be.

He wants to help Anakin more than anything, but Obi-Wan is right. There is a chance, a small chance, that there may be no way to save Anakin while defeating Sidious. It's... hard, because a good portion of the reason Marr is pushing for Sidious's destruction so hard is for Anakin.

"I lived without him for sixteen years," Marr replies. "I'm sure I can do it a little longer." He can't say about indefinitely. He can't say that he could bear to settle down with Ahsoka – assuming she is even capable of it, after spending her entire life as a warrior – and with Obi-Wan and everyone else without Anakin.

He misses the days where there wasn't so much to worry about, where he was simply living on Mandalore with Bo-Katan and Anastasia and Vizma and Satine and Korkie. Satine is gone. It still hurts to think about. She died so they could live. Vizma had a life there, and even if she was a warrior, she could have grown up without being so surrounded by violence. Marr hasn't seen her in months, and he misses her so badly.

"But that doesn't mean I'll give up," he continues. This isn't only for himself. It's for Ahsoka and Obi-Wan and Luke and Leia. The twins deserve to get to know their father.

But what if – no. Anakin is still in there, no matter what he's done or tried to do. He let Marr go twice, and he didn't hurt Ahsoka. He didn't want to fight them or hurt them. The Dark Side doesn't destroy people. Vengeance can consume them, but Anakin Skywalker has never – or rather, very rarely – been motivated by vengeance. It's foreign to him.

"And I don't want to argue about this," he finishes. He's too exhausted, mentally and emotionally. He hasn't had time to process, and he doesn't want to start questioning his belief. "He may have changed, but the Dark Side doesn't destroy people. What we see now is something that's always been there, and what we once saw is still there."

"He said it himself. Anakin is gone."

"He told me that too."

There's a long lapse of silence, in which Marr finds himself thinking about everything and nothing at all. He wants his family back, and he will have to fight to find them, but why must it be so hard? Why does it feel as though he's the only one who wants it?

Briefly, Marr finds himself wondering if the same is true for his mother. She was raised differently, and she isn't willing to put family above all like Anakin always was, but still. That doesn't mean he forgives her.

"Maybe it would be best if we confronted him together. All of us," Marr suggests finally. He ignores the small part of himself that twists uncomfortably with something like fear. Only twice since leaving Mandalore has he encountered foes he couldn't defeat, and he's not anxious to do it again.

One look at Obi-Wan tells him his old master feels the same.

"If someone can get through and find Anakin, it will not be me. I tried. I wanted to see him, but I couldn't. Vader is nothing Anakin was."

"He's passionate. Loyal. Determined. I think he shares more qualities than we want to admit."

"He can't be," Obi-Wan repeats. There's something almost haunted in his expression now. "We fought. We nearly killed each other. If Anakin was there, I would have seen it. I wouldn't have..."

"Left him?" Marr asks. "Sometimes, that's all we can do. We can't help him if we can't stay alive."

"He wasn't going to kill me, Theseus. He told me that."

Marr doesn't know what to think. It feels like something in his brain stopped working, and it'll take time to sort out. Probably more time than they have. Vader wanted to turn Obi-Wan, because he still cared for him, but he was going to kill Marr. He said it was a mercy. "You were raised believing the Dark Side is evil. If you hadn't left, if you had believed in Anakin, you would have joined him, wouldn't you? You knew that. You did it to protect yourself. Just like Ahsoka when she left us. Sometimes, we have to make selfish choices, or we do because it's... easier. That doesn't always make it right."

"How did you become so insightful?" There's a faint note of teasing, but it mostly falls flat. It's still the first hint, the first flicker of the Obi-Wan that Marr used to know.

"When your wife is a terrorist, either you become the sole voice of reason or you end up on the end of the next flamethrower," he replies, smirking.

Amusement flares into the Force, and Marr smiles faintly. It hardly seems right for him to be out here with Obi-Wan while Vader is Force-knows-where and dealing with Sidious, but he needs this right now. Obi-Wan has always been strangely grounding, for as frequently as they fight.

Marr turns sideways, wrapping his arms around his once-master. He misses this, too – when he could once have someone to guide him, other than Revan. Revan is a ghost. He's not here, physical and tangible. "He told me it was a mercy, which, from experience, is true," he mumbles into Obi-Wan's shoulder, because he needs to say this to someone. "I was captured once. It was brief, but bad. Kanan rescued me. That was when I met Ahsoka again. It should be easier for me to accept, but it's not." He doesn't know why. Maybe he did go into shock. Talking about it hurts, but he needs to sort it out somehow.

"I still mourn Anakin's loss every day," Obi-Wan tells him.

Both have mourned him longer than they knew him, but they can't stop. Anakin was always like that. He was so Light and... he's what the galaxy needs now. "I hardly knew him. It's been years, but all I want is to bring him back."

"After I learned Anakin survived, all I wanted was to have him back, but I knew he wasn't the person I remembered."

And suddenly, Marr finds himself wondering if the reason he wanted Anakin back was to be who he once was, instead of who he is now. He knew they all changed, but the changes keep throwing him off. They shouldn't. Vader's a Sith in all that matters. He's Sidious's apprentice, and he's... he's likely being tortured the way Maul was, and is so lost and scared he doesn't see a way out. Marr can't imagine Anakin in that state. "He's not who he used to be. I need to accept that."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agrees, "You do."

He wants Vader for Anakin, because he wants him to become the person he once was. He wants to... change him, and maybe it's to better him, but it's all everyone has wanted him for. Marr doesn't know what to think about that. Maybe... he's not the right person for this, but if he doesn't, who else would?

In truth, there is no one. If Obi-Wan and Ahsoka won't, it only leaves Marr. He loathes how it feels as though he's Anakin's last hope.

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