His son was a much better man than he was and he was proud of that fact. That didn't keep him from wanting to talk to the man his son would become. He smiled. Luke wouldn't be very talkative right now and it would be a rather one way conversation. He felt the Force shift again as he noticed the eastern sky begin to brighten. Ahead of him he saw a figure approach. As it approached he saw that it was a barefooted Tusken . Anakin wasn't sure what was happening, but decided to play it through. He did what he had seen Luke do, removing his blade and throwing it away. The figure saw the action and did not hesitate to come within 10 feet of Anakin.
The Tusken seemed surprised to see Anakin in the sands. To Anakin's surprise a woman's voice came from behind the mask. "Why are you here in the desert, settler?"
Anakin raised himself from the ground. "I come to face the repercussions of my actions."
The Tusken looked at him. Strangely, he felt as if he were being probed with the Force for his intentions.
"What actions do you speak of?" The Tusken asked.
"In vengeance of my mother's death I slaughtered a tribe of your people," Anakin answered, getting the words out only with great difficulty.
"How was one man capable of destroying many warriors by himself unless you did it in a sky machine?" The Tusken inquired.
Anakin was having difficulty reading this figure in the Force and suspected she was Force sensitive.
"With my weapon." Anakin pointed at it lying in the sand some 10 yards away.
The Tusken reached out her hand, summoning the lightsaber to her.
She gazed at the weapon and activated the switch revealing the sapphire blade. After a few moments' inspection, she closed the blade.
"Why was your mother harmed by the raiders?" The Tusken inquired. "To kill women and children is not their way."
"I don't know, I only know I found her dying in a tent after being tied up and beaten nearly to death."
There was silence for a moment.
"To kill those who enacted the torture of your mother would be deemed normal within the culture of the Tuskens in a battle. The beating of a defenseless woman to death for no reason is not a thing tolerated within the culture at large. The village you came across were almost certainly scavengers or angry at the loss of a leader.
"This does not excuse your actions however. You went beyond the parameters of justice and turned to slaughter. It would normally be upon a member of the Tuskens' family to pronounce judgment- either banishment or death. None are available; therefore it is upon me, by the will of the Force, to pass judgment it would seem."
The Tusken lit Anakin's saber and paused. "It is my judgment you will never again raise a weapon against any Tusken ever again except in defense of others. You are known amongst the Tuskens as the Off-world Demon or Vengeful Ghost. You will never harm another child again or defenseless woman, and from this day forth you will consider yourself the protector of any child that you are able to save. Lastly you are forever banished from the Jundland wastes, except to save someone at great need, wherein you will also be required to be accompanied by another who can vouch for you. Will you swear by the sands of Tatooine and the moons in the sky that you will forever abide by this judgement?"
Anakin paused a moment before answering. "I do."
"Then if you fail to maintain your oath may the sands of Tatooine bury you forever," the Tusken said. With that the Tusken removed a lightsaber from her robes, lit its green blade and split Anakin's in two. "Anakin Skywalker, child of the twin suns, I further charge you to never again walk on the darkened path. Only misery will happen to you, your family, and your friends. Will you follow forever the light side of the Force and be its servant and not seek to bend the Force to your will? Will you never again allow your anger to cause you to become the terror of innocents?"
"I do," Anakin answered.
"If you fail to keep this oath may you never find shade from the suns," the Tusken intoned. "Remember your oaths and keep them well and let vengeance and hate never have a place again in your heart. Farewell, child of the desert."
The Tusken turned to leave when Anakin stopped her.
"Wait. You are a Jedi. Do we know each other?" Anakin inquired.
The Tusken turned and removed her mask revealing a blond woman 12 years or so older than Ben. She looked at him. "No, we have never met before, and whether we will meet in the future- that will be up to you, yet I deem it will be a long time before that happens."
" "What's your name?" Anakin asked.
"Tahiri," the mysterious blonde answered. "Farewell, Anakin Skywalker."
He felt himself hurled across space-time, seeing Luke and Mara's wedding and the years that followed. He saw as their son was born and watched him grow. It was with shock that he realized he knew a grown up Ben.
It was with this realization that much of what had happened recently become clear. Yoda's implicit trust in the two strangers and the seemingly coincidental journey that they had gone on. Images went by of Ben and Vestara with an adult Ahsoka in a strange world with gateways to the past. He watched as they entered and left the world to knight Ahsoka.
He watched as Ben gave a messenger bot Kenobi's letter on the night of the Harkeem incident. He saw an older Thrawn speaking with a Jedi council including his son, whom he had previously watched become the Jedi after the fall of the empire.
He watched and understood that his seemingly random journey and training had been anything but random, even if events took their path. The Palace of Light showing that even the strongest Sith lord saw that light was more powerful. The Bendu sending him to Revan so his mysterious past and the prophecy would no longer bind him. Yoda sending him into the cave to confront his darker impulses and see what could have been his future if he did not heed the lessons he learned on Tython and Ach-To. And the Bendu sending him to Tatooine to confront the night it all began and his first steps towards the dark.
His thoughts drifted to his mother when the images of Yoda secretly freeing his mother years prior went by leaving the young Skywalker dumbfounded that he was unaware of that courtesy. The spies and minions of the Dark Lord of the Sith concealing the communications from his mother. The images faded back to him being on the sands of Tatooine with the sun beginning to rise.
He pondered and realized that Ben and Vestara had been one step in front of Sidious the whole time because not only were they time travelers, but they had the greatest minds of the galaxy making this plan. Mara and Thrawn both knew Sidious personally and could counter his plans. Luke and Snips planned everything on the Force side of things, drawing on ancient knowledge of the Jedi that was lost even from the current broken Order.
Anakin then felt another shift but this felt more ancient. With a blink he found himself standing on a green mountain overlooking an ocean.
He turned and saw a hooded figure gazing at the sunrise. The figure sensed Anakin with some surprise and turned. The figure removed his hood to reveal none other than his son who had aged to midlife.
"Hello, Father," Luke said.
"How is this possible?" Anakin asked, going forward to hug his older son.
"I honestly don't know, but I suspect it's what Ben and Ves went back to handle," Luke said with a smile.
"How-" Anakin started.
But Luke cut him off. "It doesn't matter; it could only be done because the galaxy is in danger of absolute destruction."
Anakin paused for a moment. "How did you do it?"
"Do what?" Luke asked.
"Come back for me on Endor?" Anakin asked.
"I didn't see a choice. Even on Bespin after much reflection I still sensed a glimmer of light in you and the conflict," Luke answered. "Throwing away someone into the dark is not what Jedi are for, even though it is true that most darksiders will never come back. But you, I had to believe that the good man that Ben and Yoda talked about still was alive."
"Quite a risk," Anakin said.
"My wife has long said I need better impulse control," Luke said.
"Yeah, we might live longer if we listen to our wives," Anakin said.
They both laughed at that statement.
"Is there something about the future you need to tell me? Is that why I'm here?" Anakin asked.
"No, I think this is a gift," Luke said. "Your future is down a different path now. I don't know what it will be, but when is that different from any other day? All I can say is make it a good one."
Anakin nodded as he felt their time was growing short.
"Farewell. I hope to meet you like this on the long way around," Luke said. "Take care of Ben and Ves for me, will you?"
"I'll do that," Anakin said.
The father and son turned and watched the suns rise to meet a new day and the vision disappeared.
Attolan
The Bendu raised his head at the stars above and laughed. "Balance is restored."
Coruscant
Sidious watched the night lights flicker on the planet that never slept and felt a shift in the Force. Compared to the galaxy, the shift was minute, but he had long known a single pebble can leave a big wake. He sunk back in his seat in fear. What were the Jedi plotting to do?
Tatooine, Rakatan Temple
"Anakin! Anakin, are you alright?"
Anakin blinked his eyes and saw the face of his friend over him. He groaned and tried to turn over.
"Easy, you have your lightsaber in your hand."
Anakin looked down at his hand. His saber had not actually been broken, but it felt different.
"You might want to open the crystal chamber of your lightsaber and inspect it for flaws," Hett said.
Anakin sat up and allowed the Force to disassemble the lightsaber. When he opened his eyes, he was astonished. There were two crystals. The Sith crystal had turned a beautiful white, and it was in place with the Krayt pearl.
"The crystal was healed," Hett muttered, "I am uncertain how that happened, but it has."
Anakin closed the saber and stood up. He looked A'sharad Hett in the eye and said, "No, I would never do it again." "
Hett looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Come, let us leave this place."
Lars Home, Near Sunset
Ben was sitting on the dunes, meditating with visions of possible futures coming and going through his mind; he even saw one that would require an enormous unlikely change in the timelines where his friend Rey Palpatine was burying something. Earlier in the afternoon Yoda and Ahsoka had arrived from Ossus with the babies and escorts, saying they had sensed the children wanting their parents.
Padme came up behind him with Vestara, each of them carrying a baby. When they reached Ben, they spotted two figures on the horizon. Padme ran down the hill towards the two.
"I think we need to hold onto Aunt Leia for a moment." Ben smiled as they watched the pair embrace.
"Do you think we have succeeded.?" Vestara asked.
"Who knows? Time will tell," Ben said. "But either way, this is better so far."
Anakan and Padme went up to the dune behind the Lars house.
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Padme asked.
"Yes, peace from that night," Anakin said, running his hand through Luke's hair, then hugging Padme. "I also got a souvenir."
Anakin unbuckled his saber and in the dimming light lit up a new greenish white blade. Exclamations of amazement could be heard from onlookers before Anakin placed it back on his belt. "Now we look forward instead of backwards for our family, friends and the galaxy."
Anakin and Padme, holding Luke, gazed out at the sunset, looking towards a brighter future.
The End
Epilogue coming soon
Sorry about the fact the initial version didn't upload correctly