Saga A Jedi's Return (End of ROTJ Vader/Ani one-post short story) Some more replies 04/03/2006

A Jedi?s Return

Summary: Darth Vader?s thoughts on the events leading to and on the second Death Star.

Disclaimer: I don?t own Star Wars. George Lucas does. As someone else said, I?m just borrowing the toys to play in the sandbox.

My Thanks: To Darth_Lex, for having been kind enough to beta this viggie for me even through his hectic schedule, and give me the confidence boost I needed to post this first work, and to my good friend JediElanor for pointing out some crucial spelling and grammar points, as well as for her overall comments.

Author?s note: This is my first fanfic, and I very much hope you?ll like it. That said, any constructive criticism will be appreciated, but flames will be disregarded as such.

On to the story!

---

Deep in thought, a lone figure sat in a shuttle headed to the Sanctuary Moon of Endor. Darth Vader was his name, second in command to none other than Emperor Palpatine himself. He had been sent by his Master to go and collect young Skywalker, who was reportedly hiding on the Moon around which the Death Star orbited, on a mission for his precious Rebellion.

How he wished it had not come to this! How he wished his son had been reasonable on Cloud City! Then the situation would not be such a mess and he would not be obligated to submit him to the Emperor?s relentless inquisition.

But these thoughts were only ?what ifs?, and it would not do to dwell on them. Long ago, he had learned that they only caused pain and heartache. No. He had to be pragmatic. He had to do his Master?s bidding.

As the shuttle landed, his mind was resolved not to falter.

***********

He exited the landing platform onto a ramp on a lower level, where his son would be brought up by the Imperial officer in charge of the Moon?s defense.

The commander arrived, with Luke in binders by his side, two stormtroopers flanking him.

[i]Is that how you keep custody of a Jedi?[/i] Vader thought. [i]Is that how? You are lucky the Emperor asked that I execute his orders speedily, or else I would have taught you how.[/i]

Yet something in him was loath to showcase such a behaviour in front of his son.

?This is a Rebel that surrrendered to us,? the Commander said, breaking Vader?s thoughts and explaining the reduced number of guards. ?Although he denies it, I believe there may be more of them, and I request permission to conduct a further search of the area.?

Vader nodded his assent, locking his gaze with Luke?s, and was surprised at how composed the young man was. If not for the blue of the eyes, he almost could have sworn he looked at the boy?s mother?s.

The commander then extended his hand, giving his superior a metal cylinder.

?He was armed only with this.?

Vader parted his gaze from Luke?s to take the weapon. If his son was only armed with his lightsaber, that meant?

?Good work, Commander,? he said. ?Leave us. Conduct your search and bring his companions to me.?

?Yes, my Lord,? the officer said, and turned to leave.

As soon as they were alone, Vader began, ?The Emperor has been expecting you.?

?I know, Father,? the boy simply said. And something in the Dark Lord stirred, at being called so, something he had thought was long lost, a feeling of elation he had only known when?

He clamped an iron fist on his wayward emotions.

?So you have accepted the truth,? he said, for once thankful of the voice moderator that allowed his words to seem expressionless.

?I?ve accepted the truth that you once were Anakin Skywalker, my father,? Luke said.

[i]Anakin.[/i] That name again! Vader steadfastly refused to acknowledge the feelings that name stirred. The last people to have ever called him Anakin were his old Master, Obi-Wan, and his wife.

?That name no longer has any meaning to me,? he stated, a bit too forcefully.

He faced his son as the young man said, ?It is the name of your true self. You?ve only forgotten.?

[i]Forgotten! Not one instant do I forget that name, Luke. The name of a weakling, who believed the Jed

 

Hello my dear friend Laurethiel,

At seeing your work, I cannot say that it isn't good. In fact, I believe it is WONDERFUL!!! And maybe even more than that...

Here are some of my thoughs about things you wrote:

If not for the blue of the eyes, he almost could have sworn he looked at the boy?s mother?s.
Awwwww, so beautiful!!!

Everything else the green troll had thaught him was rubbish, but, Force! How that was true!
LOL, yes, indeed so true... I especially liked the part about him being a green troll, lol

And Darth Vader?s heart weeped at such a stab.
That was sooo sad!!! Whaaaaaa!

So very much like your mother, Vader thought. Foolishly optimistic, like my Padmé.
Ah, his Padmé, that is SO sweet he still though of her as such...

You are mine, the Sith had said. For some reason and for the first time after all these years, the mere statement sent shivers of repulsion down Vader?s spine.
Indeed it should, keep on thinking like this.

[...]the time it would have taken a young Anakin to say ?bantha poodoo?.
LOL, very funny, and so true!!!

Unless? No! It could not be! Obi-Wan! Padmé!
?Sister!? Vader roared. ?So you have a twin sister.[...]
Ahhhh, I loved how he cried Obi-Wan and Padmé's names when he realised the thruth!!!

Is that how I looked when I attacked Obi-wan before I fell into shadows and flames? he wondered as he contemplated the cold ice that had settled in his son?s eyes, the fury of his screams. Is that what I looked like? Is that what I really want for my son?
Oh, that was so beautiful, Poor Vader!!! He now realises how hard it must have been for Obi-Wan... And wonderful that he doesn't want that to happen to his son.

Vader then felt something he had not felt in the longest time. A heat coming from his chest, unfurling, expanding like a blooming flower in the fields of Naboo. Pride unparalleled and more, that his son had been able to do what he himself hadn?t.
*is speechless*
That line was AMAZING!!!

Before in time or before in space? Vader wondered. Could Master Yoda have been wrong? Could one really turn back to the Light?
*is speechless once again*

?Young Skywalker? won?t die if ?Old Skywalker? can do anything about it. I won?t stand by and do nothing to try and save the only blessing that?s happened in the mess of my life. I?ll do at least that one thing right.
How wonderful that was, I cannot tell you... I almost feel like crying... from joy and amazement.

The Son of the Suns had returned after an eclipse of more than twenty years.
My favourite line of them all... So beautiful!!!

Padmé? I am coming, Angel?
Awwww, so beautiful, I cannot say how much

Understanding it was their final goodbye, Luke saluted, then turned to the comforting embrace of his sister.
His sister? he had one lifetime to tell her all.
Beautiful, wonderful ending...

And it is so that I end my comment... I hope I wasn't too long, and that it'll leave some place for more people to comment on the amazing story. I'll do as much publicity as I can for everyone to read this fic, which deserves a enourmous audience, and tons of replies... I'm just glad I got the first one

Well, I hope this is only the beginning of a series of wonderful fics from you, and I know you can do it, you've got my total support. If ever you need any more help, just ask and I'll come rushing to your side

Yours truly devoted,

Elanor

 

up!

 

Great job, it's wonderful work. Good job with the characterization. I really liked this a lot. Hope to see more from you soon.

 

?I know, Father,? the boy simply said. And something in the Dark Lord stirred, at being called so, something he had thought was long lost, a feeling of elation he had only known when?

good line!
i liked this. keep up the good work!

 

I can't even begin to tell you how moving that was! Tear inducing for sure!

As soon as they were alone, Vader began, ?The Emperor has been expecting you.?

?I know, Father,? the boy simply said. And something in the Dark Lord stirred, at being called so, something he had thought was long lost, a feeling of elation he had only known when?

He clamped an iron fist on his wayward emotions.

?So you have accepted the truth,? he said, for once thankful of the voice moderator that allowed his words to seem expressionless.

?I?ve accepted the truth that you once were Anakin Skywalker, my father,? Luke said.

Anakin. That name again! Vader steadfastly refused to acknowledge the feelings that name stirred. The last people to have ever called him Anakin were his old Master, Obi-Wan, and his wife.


You did such a wonderful job with this, exploring the motions of both Anakin and Luke. WOW! That's about all I can say!

 

Wow...very nicely done! Vader's thought process was perfect, and I loved the movie quotes you integrated as well as his return to the light. Loved it

 

Hi, everyone!

Thank you all for your kind comments.

Individual replies will be up sometime this weekend.

MTFBWY,

Lauré

 

Uppies!!!

Come on everybody, make publicity for this fic, it's worth it... and I want the author feel like she needs to write more, because she does. And please do try to come up with something good to make it seems like the idea didn't come from me, lol.

Uh... Did I say that outloud? Oh well, you know me Laurethiel... so I guess it won't make any difference, will it?

Anyways, gotta run, I have one final exam on monday and I have to go through another TV show obsession of mine before I can study...

MTFBWY & SG,

Elanor

 

I love this! It was so good! I loved all the introspection of Vader's. I always thought that Palpatine was stupid to intrude on that last part of their fight--if he hadn't, Luke might have turned, but Palpatine diffused it by cackling.

 

Hi lauré! Glad you got the courage to post this.

Just a few of my favorite lines ?

If his son was only armed with his lightsaber, that meant?
Throughout you make great connections to PT elements. I particularly like this one for its connection to the Jedi of the Old Republic, armed only with lightsabers ? and the Force.

The last people to have ever called him Anakin were his old Master, Obi-Wan, and his wife.
Such a sad thing to consider?

then why did Vader persist in calling Luke his son?
Exactly! Although the shock of the ESB revelation is now gone, its importance to the character of Darth Vader has only grown in importance now that the PT has shown us the boy and man Anakin was. By acknowledging Luke as his son, Vader must acknowledge that he was (is) Anakin Skywalker ? and at that point the possibility of a return from the dark side is born.

Is that what I looked like? Is that what I really want for my son?
Especially after seeing some of those really chilling expressions on Anakin?s face in the first ROTS trailer, this thought when Vader sees Luke?s murderous rage in the Death Star throne room has considerable emotional power. Makes you wonder if there somehow had been a way to show ROTS Anakin what he was becoming, if he could have turned away?

?Young fool? only now, at the end, do you understand.?
I love where you placed this line within your internal monologue of Vader?s thoughts. The Emperor, of course, intends this line to be derisive to Luke the Jedi ? but in fact we could now see it as a moment of epiphany for Vader the Sith, or more accurately for Anakin the Jedi. Only now, at the end, does the Chosen One understand how to turn away from his two decades of darkness, and bring balance to the Force.

Great story. Hope to see you writing more in the future.

 

Awwww... *sniffle*. I've always considered the scene where Anakin saves Luke from the Emperor to be the best moment in all of Star Wars. There were just so many moments in this story that I loved reading.

 

Elanor:

"Awwwww, so beautiful!!!"
I figured that would be something to irk Vader... A sudden, unforeseen reminder of his wife.

"LOL, yes, indeed so true... I especially liked the part about him being a green troll, lol"
It does seem to be a favourite comparison among these boards, at any rate, so I tought I might as well use it.

"That was sooo sad!!! Whaaaaaa!"
I think it pretty covered up Vader's contradictions.

"Ah, his Padmé, that is SO sweet he still though of her as such..."
Vader or not, I think it would be rather hard for him to completely forget the one love of his life...

"Indeed it should, keep on thinking like this."
Yep. Along the line of 'My name is Anakin Skywalker, and I am a person.'

"LOL, very funny, and so true!!!"
What's the use of coming from Tatooine if you can't use some of the more colourful native expressions?

"Ahhhh, I loved how he cried Obi-Wan and Padmé's names when he realised the thruth!!!"
Vader's bound to lash out at someone by that point. And Obi-Wan and Padmé are the obvious choices.

"Oh, that was so beautiful, Poor Vader!!! He now realises how hard it must have been for Obi-Wan... And wonderful that he doesn't want that to happen to his son."
Nothing like seeing the errings of your youth on your children to make it a wake-up call. And I always thought that Vader had his own code of honour, and that it would upset him to see Luke like that.

"*is speechless* That line was AMAZING!!!"
Thank you. It kind of wrote itself out, by the way. Before I knew it, it was on my screen, and it just felt... right.

"*is speechless once again*"
That is one of the most important double meanings of the saga, methinks.

"How wonderful that was, I cannot tell you... I almost feel like crying... from joy and amazement."
Nice to see Anakin turning the tables on Palpatine, huh?

"My favourite line of them all... So beautiful!!!"
It's such a classic analogy, I'm just surprised it hasn't been used more.

"Awwww, so beautiful, I cannot say how much"
It figured his last thoughts would be for Padmé, since he is free to be one with the Force, without the weight of his past.

"Beautiful, wonderful ending..."
I am just glad I succeeded to catch the bittersweet feeling of the moment.

"If ever you need any more help, just ask and I'll come rushing to your side"
Same goes to you, my friend.

Thanks for the up, btw. Oh, and what does "& SG" mean?


Fated2Bdespised:

"Great job, it's wonderful work. Good job with the characterization. I really liked this a lot. Hope to see more from you soon."
Thank you. I was worried I had written Vader a wee bit too mellow. Nice to know I was wrong.


SarkaVrae:

"good line! i liked this. keep up the good work!"
Thanks. And I thought it would fit with in-denial Vader.


cleveland1000:

*hands out tissue*


VaderLVR64:

"I can't even begin to tell you how moving that was! Tear inducing for sure!"
I am glad you liked it.

"You did such a wonderful job with this, exploring the motions of both Anakin and Luke. WOW! That's about all I can say!"
Again, thank you. It always broke my heart, how much the GFFA was alike a Greek tragedy.


lunetta:

"Wow...very nicely done! Vader's thought process was perfect, and I loved the movie quotes you integrated as well as his return to the light. Loved it"
I really appreciate it, coming from you.
The idea for the quotes came when I remembered Vader looking to and fro from Luke to Palpatine, and I could almost hear them in my head in V.O.


Laine_Snowtrekker:

"I love this! It was so good! I loved all the introspection of Vader's. I always thought that Palpatine was stupid to intrude on that last part of their fight--if he hadn't, Luke might have turned, but Palpatine diffused it by cackling."
His overconfidence is his weakness, after all. Might as well demonstrate it in full measure. And thanks.


Lex:

"Glad you got the courage to post this."
Thank you. But I couldn't have done it without your kind yet

 

Hehe, it's me again!!!

With another Up!!!!!

And a quick explanation... & SG meant and Season's Greetings, lol I myself asked me what I meant by that for a minute or two before I remembered, LOL

Well, I hope many more people will read this!!!

See you soon Laure,

Elanor

 

A little up!

MTFBWY,

Lauré

 

And a BIG one...

UUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elanor

 

Great fic. You really capture the emotion of that scene and the feelings of both Anakin/Vader and Luke. Just an excellent job really, of characterization. And I like how you brought in details of the PT, like the Jedi and their lightsabers. All in all, a wonderful job.

 

Alethia:

"Great fic. You really capture the emotion of that scene and the feelings of both Anakin/Vader and Luke. Just an excellent job really, of characterization. And I like how you brought in details of the PT, like the Jedi and their lightsabers. All in all, a wonderful job."
Thank you for the kind comments, Alethia. My aim in this story was really to understand Vader's motivations for his turning back. I'm glad that you think I wasn't off-track. As for the PT details, I didn't really think much about it, except that it somehow felt... right to include them. Completing the circle, as it were.
Once more, thank you.

MTFBWY,

Lauré

 

Great Job I loved it

 

Marvelous piece, I loved it

 

DarthBrian82:

Thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

Jedi_Linewalker:

Marvelous? You flatter me. But it's OK...

MTFBWY,

Lauré

 

Such a sweet ending. I thought you wrote inner Vader very well. Good work.

 

Having surfed this way from _Darth_Lex_ *grins*, just to read your story, I must say that it's wonderful! And it did make me cry by the end, but sometimes I am easily moved to tears. *sad smile*

The saga itself is a tale as old as time, and all the good extra branches that are grafted onto the tree of this particular story help to make it more wonderful, more complete, in their explanations and fill-ins of scenes that we wished that had been in the films, in seeing inside the hearts and minds of the characters that one can do with the written word, but alas is often lost in plays/films/tv (unless the voice-over or soliloquy device is used, of course). Your part in this story is quite good reading, and I hope that others will discover it now.

Btw, would you mind PMing me as to where your LOTR AU stories might be found? Thanks in advance!

 

Thank you. I but aim to please.

Thanks for the hyperspace jump! I hope you recovered fast from the crying.

It's the one advantage of fanfiction that we are able to explore where the authors haven't dared (or been able) to go. I like to be able to do that, and I am glad you liked it so well.

I haven't published the LOTR story yet (it's a HUGE work-in-progress), but I'll make sure to PM you when I do!

MTFBWY,

Lauré