Beyond - Legends Beloved Deceiver - Luke, Anakin, Leia, Han - post ROTJ AU - updated 6/16/08

Title: Beloved Deceiver
Author: VaderLVR64
Characters: Luke, Anakin Skywalker, Leia, Han, Chewie and the other usual suspects!
Timeframe: Post ROTJ
Genre: Short story (ha ha ha), AU
Notes: I adopted this plot bunny from KELIA. The bunny was as follows:

Anakin does not die after the events of ROTJ. Instead, Luke gets him off the Death Star before it explodes and takes him the nearest ship to stabilize him for transport to a med facility.

When he is reunited with Leia and Han, he tells them he found a seriously wounded rebel. He does not reveal Anakin/Vader's true identity to anyone.
Luke explains to Anakin no one, especially Leia is ready to deal with his survival and redemption just yet.



Beloved Deceiver

?O villain! Thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this.? - William Shakespeare


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


?Go?leave?me?? gasped the newly redeemed Anakin Skywalker. He was ready to collapse, his body sagging more with each step.

Luke looked down at his father. ?No ? I?ve got to save you,? he protested firmly. Slowly, he felt his father?s body grow heavier, as if he was growing even weaker. Anakin?s presence in the Force flickered dangerously, frightening Luke. ?No,? the son said again, this time his voice was sharp, commanding. ?Don?t you do it,? he told his father. ?Don?t you dare leave me ? not again.?

There was a pause from the dark figure; the only sound coming from him was the sickly wheezing of his respirator. Then Luke felt his burden grow imperceptibly lighter. ?All?right?son,? Anakin said, and Luke knew the effort that even those few words had taken. But one dark boot moved forward, slowly?painfully? And then the other.

They made their way painstakingly to the very shuttle that had carried Luke to meet what had always been his destiny ? to redeem Anakin Skywalker. At last, Luke got his father settled and rushed toward the pilot?s seat. Quickly, he started the engines and took off, just barely getting them out of the crumbling landing bay. A series of muffled explosions far away rocked the shuttle, but Luke quickly corrected his course and they were soon rocketing out of the dying Death Star.

?Hold on,? he called back to his father.

?This is?where the fun?begins?? Anakin said so softly that Luke almost did not hear him. The words made no sense, but Luke took heart from the fact that his father was still alive ? for now. And Luke intended to keep him that way.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



?Luke, where are you?? Leia?s anxious voice came over the comm.

With a sigh, Luke activated the comm to talk to his sister. His sister? The words still sounded strange ? felt strange. ?Leia,? he answered warmly. ?Listen, I?m fine. Are you and Han okay? And Chewie?? He wished he could be there with them all, celebrating the victory, but he had something much more important to do.

?We?re all fine, Luke,? Leia answered, but her tone was no less sharp. This time there was a touch of irritation to her voice. ?But where are you??

He glanced over his shoulder to the slumped form of his father in the chair. Anakin still lived; the sluggish rhythm of the respirator confirmed that, as well as the Force. ?I?ve run into an unexpected situation,? Luke answered at last. If he was going to tell Leia the truth, now was the moment. Something, however, stilled his tongue. The idea of having a father was still too new, never mind the notion that he had helped to redeem Darth Vader. A father?s love for the son he had never known had been just enough to free Anakin from the chrysalis that Vader had built around him for more than two decades.

Leia?s reaction to all of that was difficult to predict, at least for Luke. For the present at least, this was something he would keep to himself. In time perhaps, he would find the right words, but for now they escaped him. ?There was another prisoner on the Death Star,? he said, struck by inspiration. That much was true, he thought, for his father had been a prisoner, imprisone

 

I don't know how you can write so many stories. It's got to be a full time job.

I love these kind of stories. Actually, I love most all Luke stories. Keeping this secret is going to eat Luke up inside. We saw how well Anakin dealt with his secret marriage...Let's hope Luke does better.

 

Interesting start!

Well I thing I said this before, somehow letting Anakin survive was more or less a "no go for me" until now. I am curious though how to let this work out this time. I just had this idea that this could be the real beginning to this other story you wrote, where anakin gave his life in order to let Leia's child live....

Anyway, I think I agree that this is going to be a tough one for Luke, lately.

cheers,

VeryBusy

 

Girl you are a story writing machine!!! And they're all sooooo good. This looks wonderful and I can't wait for more.

Well done!

 

i want more it's great!

I just wonder if mara will be in it somewhere?


can i be on the pm list?

 

Most interesting. What a coincidence. I had this plot bunny a few days ago and I am in the process of brainstorming. Most interesting. Anyway, I'm sure you'll do a much better job than me.

Wonderful start!

Looking foward to next post. Can I be on the PM List? Thanks

Merry Christmas!

 

That was really cool. I loved it. Please PM me with updates.

 

Awesome!

I loved the way Luke lied - but didn't... and how he could hear the joy in Leia's voice. Han was pricelss - perfectly Han!

Vader - er.. Anakin is well, Anakin. "This is where the fun begins" I can almost see that litle smirk that goes along with it!

I'm thrilled you adopted this plot bunny - I can't wait to see where you take it!

 

I don't know why, but I have a soft spot for any Anakin-survives-post-ROTJ stories. It must be the inner idealist in me. I'm really curious to see where this one will go.

This is where the fun begins.

That line really got to me, it reminded me of the camaraderie that he and Obi-Wan once shared. I hope he gets to develop such a relationship with his son.

 

-

I've already typed up about five chapters of a new story with this plotline as a main focal point, too!

 

I'm so dense! It looks like by now I would realize reading these stories of your's will have me blubbering like a baby, but I naively plow into them.

I really wanted him to survive in the movie and can't wait to see what you do with this. Could I have a PM when you update.

Good work

 

Well done! I can't wait to see what happens next.

PM me?

 

Yay, the plot bunny comes to life! And it's a wonderful as I imagined it to be.



It's great that Luke didn't have to lie to Leia.

And I just loved the newly formed bond between father and son



Please add me to the PM list, I don't want to miss a post.

Looking forward to more

 

Once again, I find myself reading a VaderLVR64 creation and am hooked! Please PM me when you have updated. Thank you for the great stories.

 

*attempts to burble and choke out something that sounds like 'can I be on the PM list?'*

this had me in tears from the word go

 

Yet another great start, can't wait to see how Luke can keep this all hidden. PM list?

 

A clutching beginning, VaderLVR64. Curious to see where they?re going, and what happens when they get there. If you can, add me to the PM list too.

 

RebelMom Luke? He's a sweetie that's for sure!

verybusy Yes, I think it happens to flow quite nicely into that other story.

Jade_Pilot Thank you!

pat_skywalker39 To be honest, I haven't thought of bringing Mara into this one. I don't know why.

ImperialRemnant That's the great thing about this huge sandbox we play in, everyone can take a turn at writing the same basic plots. Because they all turn out so different in the end! I think you should write it, and if you do, PM me!

dianethx Thank you! I hope you like where I'm going to take it.

Jade_Max I'm a sucker for redeemed Anakin stories.

Rhodna Me too! And thank you for reading!

PonyTricks See note above and go for it! Just make sure you PM me!

Lea-El I will and thanks!

Jturtle Sure! And thanks for reading.

KELIA Thank you for the amazing plot bunny!

merijune Thanks! It's my pleasure (and sweat and tears and...you get the picture!)

palpyisgod2 I'd be happy to PM you.

izzard Sure, and thanks!

Dahlia_Santary Thank you, and I will!

---

[b]Chapter 2[/b]


Luke decided that it would be wiser to free his father from the armor before taking him into the medical facility. Darth Vader was far too well known for his presence to escape the notice of the locals, and he told his father this without rancor.

?But?? It was obvious that Anakin was almost panicked at the idea of being freed from the armor. Luke felt certain that he could make enough adjustments in the equipment they had on hand to ensure his father?s survival during the quick journey to the med center once they landed. He was not so sure he could save Lord Vader if the authorities became aware he had survived the destruction of the Death Star.

At last, he made Anakin see the necessity of it and once they landed, Luke and his father began the slow and tortuous process of freeing the older man from his prison. With each piece that was removed, Luke became more amazed that his father had survived. Even the old injuries were of sufficient severity that they could have easily ended Anakin?s life. Not only was his father missing all his limbs, there was still a network of scars patterning his flesh from the burns he had sustained so many years ago.

As they removed the complicated circuitry that had maintained Darth Vader?s life, Luke saw that much of it was a charred and twisted mess from the effects of the Sith lightning. Again, he marveled at Anakin?s continued existence. As they removed the armor, and more of Anakin Skywalker was exposed, Luke felt his father?s misery and shame rolling off of him in the Force. Unable to find words that might comfort him, Luke resorted to sending all of the love he felt for him through the Force. There were no lies in the Force, not in the Light, and he knew that his father would recognize the truth of his feelings. Unable to do anything else for Anakin, Luke wanted to make certain that his father knew he was loved.

When they were finished, the pale and pitiful form of Anakin was bared to Luke?s gaze. His father was thin, his flesh white and fragile, marred by the scars of the injuries that had put him in the armor. Anakin gasped for breath, and it was clear that not even the oxygen tank would sustain him for long. ?We have to go now,? Luke said quickly, wrapping his father?s fragile form in his cloak.

They arrived and his father was quickly ushered into the recesses of the med facility, while Luke waited anxiously, pacing the confines of the small room where he waited. Just completing the necessary forms for his father?s admission had distracted for a while. Struck by inspiration, Luke had given the patient?s name as Anakin Lars. It seemed easier to address him by his real first name, one he would be more likely to respond to in a crisis and simply add on the last name from hi

 

Oh, dear. Vader now realizes just how much of an SOB Palpatine was, manipulating him all those years. But he needs to regain his calmness and accept that it was somewhat his fault as well.

Good job. Keep up with the PMs

 

So Vader relizes Palpatine didn't actually care that much. And Luke knows it to.

Great Job.

 

I wonder why it comes as a surprise to Anakin that Palpy lied?

Good second post. I look forward to more.

 

Of course Palpy lied. He was a master of lieing and twisting the truth. I hope his temper doesn't give him away.

 

Poor Ani! I can just imagine his rage and dispear. Mean ol' Emperor, keeping my sweet Anakin in that horrible, terrible suit for so many years! I could just throw him down the shaft myself, twice over.

Loved the update, and thanx for the PM! Keep those coming.

 

Now that Anakin realizes just how cruel Palpatine was, I certainly hope he doesn't give into the ager and rage building up inside him...

I loved how tenderly Luke treated his father, especially once the armor came off.

Wonderful update

 

Sob sob!! It's a good thing Palpy's dead or else...

I look forward to seeing what the medic can do for Ani.

Good post


Thanks for the PM