Saga Imbalance - Darth Vader/Palpatine/Leia Organa AU

Title: Imbalance

Genres: Alternate Universe; Jedi Philosophy; Sith Philosophy

Time Period: Post ROTJ

Primary Characters: Darth Vader; Palpatine; Leia Organa Solo

Summary: Following the tumultuous events of the Battle of Endor, which resulted in the death of his son, Darth Vader must find a way earn the forgiveness of the daughter he never knew he had, and in doing so, find a way to fullfill his destiny.

********************

The Emperor's private storage area rarely received visitors. Although the room contained items of great value and intrigue, it was not a place frequented by the Empire's citizens.

Most were not even aware of it's existence, believing that most artifacts, like the civilizations and institutions they represented, had been crushed long ago under the slow and methodical wheels of the Imperial war machine.

But the room did exist, and on this day, it opened it's rarely-used doors to reveal a visitor.

The individual paused carefully upon entering the large room, taking care not to disturb or alarm any of the serveants or attendants charged with organizing the room's inventory.

That would be...unfortunate the stranger decided. He was here for a specific reason, and did not wish to alert any as to what that reason was. If he happened upon one of the room's attendants, it most certainly would be unfortunate, for an encounter with the mysterious visitor would most likely result in the attendants' deaths.

I have seen too much death and suffering in my lifetime the stranger thought. To cause anymore would not prove anything, except of course that I have learned nothing.

The visitor continued his trek, remaining cautious. Moving towards the back of the large room, he spied a glass case resting against a wall. As he approached the case, the stranger's pace slowed, until finally he came to a stop.

With a slight gesture of his hand, the stranger deactivated the case's locking mechanism. A door on the side the case slid open, allowing access to its contents.

Carefully, as not to touch the other items being stored, the armor-clad individual reached into the case and withdrew the item that he sought. He took a moment to examine the object- a cylindrical device made of metal, before clipping it to his belt. Satisfied, the stranger replaced the lock on the case, and left the storage room, being careful once more to remain inconspicuous.

********************

Several minutes later, the black-clad warrior entered his private residence.

The appartment was sparsely furnished, as most of the equipment found within seemed to be designed for use in a hospital or laboratory setting.

The stranger entered a small sparring room and keyed a program code into the room's lone computer terminal. Across the room from the hulking individual, several droids armed with blasters came to life.

The stranger allowed the droids to advance on him for a few moments, and then he slowly reached for the object that he had retrieved earlier. Taking the lightsaber in his gloved right hand, the armored giant ingited the weapon and assumed a classic defensive posture.

Letting the Force flow through him, Anakin Skywalker waited patiently for the droids to respond, confident that the Light Side of the Force would be more than a match for them.

 

Intriguing start. So what did happend during the battle of Endor? How come Luke died?

The only thing that disturbs me slightly is you calling him "stranger" occasionally. He is, after all, in his own element and not a stranger. Besides, I suppose we all can guess who he is.

But then, maybe I'm wrongo.

Let's see, when you post more.

-Red

 

Very cool start! I can't wait for more

 

My brother is dead.

That was the first thought Leia Organa had upon waking every morning, and the last she had before falling asleep. Luke Skywalker was a man she had known for many years and trusted with her life. When she learned of their shared parentage, the idea that she and Luke were related had given her a feeling of completness.

But just as quickly as that feeling had made a place for itself in her heart, it had been taken away.

More like burned away Leia thought bitterly. Though she had not been on the Death Star at the time of her brother's death, she was certain she knew how the young Jedi had met his unfortunate end.

Two nights after what was a bittersweet victory celebration, Leia had a dream. In it, she saw Luke and... her father, she realized, enter the throne room of the large battlestation and stand before the Emperor.

Palpatine had taunted Luke, urged him to give into his feelings of anger, resentment, and hate. Luke stood firm, but his patience was rapidly evaporation. Finally, he lashed out at Palpatine, striking quickly with his lightsaber. Vader had blocked the death-blow, and a fierce duel between two gifted Force users had ensued.

Eventually, the younger Skywalker prevailed, disarming the Dark Lord and slicing off his right hand. Palpatine once again urged Luke to give into his anger and embrace the power of the Dark Side. Luke witheld, drawing out the Emperor's anger.

Palpatine unleashed powerful bolts of lightning on Leia's twin, causing him to cry out for mercy. In an effort to save his son, Vader lifted Palpatine up and threw him into the core shaft adjacent to the cat walk. The armored giant then collapsed, every remaining muscle in his body showing sings of extreme exhaustion. Though she was no expert, Leia had been surprised at her father's show of strength.

But Vader had acted too late. The Emperor's attack had left third-degree burns over the majority of Luke's body. The Jedi, Leia realized, had tried healing himself with the Force, but his attempts were in vain. Eventually, Luke Skywalker, a hero to all who knew him, took his last breath, his body disappearing into the Force as he did so.

But that was not the end of Leia's dream. No, the ending had been much worse. She had heard a terrible cackling sound in her mind. It almost sounded as if someone was laughing. It was then that Leia realized the awful truth.

Somehow, Palpatine was alive, and the only person who could stop him... was her father.

 

So Leia knows that Anakin/ Vader turned on Palpy, but to late to save Luke? And she thinks of him as father already?

How did the weakend Anakin survived the Death Star explosen, or didn't it explode?

 

Considering Leia has no experience with the Force and Force-induced dreams, and that she is usually (depicted as) a brain person, I wonder if she will believe the dream.

 

You'll have to excuse me, I'm a post behind due to technical problems. I see you have another post up, and I cannot wait to read it, but I can't until tonight. In the meantime, here's my thoughts on the first one.

I didn't plan on starting any new stories right now as my net time is severly limited, but this one was too intriguing to pass up. Very interesting start, and the summary piqued my interest. I'm very curious as to what you have planned for this. Nice job!

--later--

 

Anakin Skywalker stared out through the viewport of the ISD Avenger. Although the Rebellion had succeeded in destroying the Death Star, Anakin knew that as long as the majority of the Imperial fleet was in tact, the Empire still held strength.

That was why he was here- not to lead the Empire as Palpatine had done, but to remold it and remake into a government of peace. Civil war had raged throughout the galaxy for too long, and Anakin was determined to see that the conflict came to an end.

"Lord Vader," said the officer standing nearby, startling the Jedi Knight from his throughts, "repairs are complete. The fleet is ready to get underway."

"Very well," said Anakin. When the officer remained at attention, Skywalker turned to face him. "Yes, Captain?"

"Did you not wish us to begin searching for the Rebels, sir?"

Anakin paused, considering his answer carefully. Though he was no longer a servant of the Dark Side of the Force, he still wore the chilling armor of Darth Vader, and unless a means could be found to rid him of that armor, he would have to play the part of a Sith Lord in order to avoid attracting attention to himself.

"The Rebellion has dealt us a grevious blow, Captain, one that I will not soon forget. However, it is both uncessary and unwise to committ an entire fleet to determining their location. Assign two ships to begin the search."

"Yes, my lord."

"And Captain," Anakin added, "those ships are to locate the Rebels, not engage them."

"Of course, sir."

With that, the officer departed, leaving Anakin to once again gaze out into space. Looking at the stars had always filled Anakin with sense of calm, but now they only seemed to fill his mind with questions, questions he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to.

**********************

Leia read the intelligence reports for the fifth time in the past three hours. Nothing had changed. All reports indicated that the Imperial fleet had finished repairs, and was now able to begin searching for the Alliance. But something was different.

Before, the Empire had always committed several ships to participate in searches. Palpatine believed that it was necessary to show the might of the Empire as a means to force the Rebellion into submission. But that wasn't happening here.

Leia stopped pacing around her quarers and sat on her bed. What is the Empire doing? she thought. Why send only two ships? It doesn't make sense.

"Answer those questions, I can," a voice said.

Startled, Leia reached for her blaster, only to discover that the weapon was across the room. Standing between her and the weapon was a tiny alien with pointed ears, who for some strange reason was surrounded by an erie blue glow.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Your brother's teacher, I was. Yoda, my name is."

 

I'm still a post behind, but here's my thoughts on the second post.

That was a heartbreaking scene. Very intriguing still, and I will definatly be back for more!

--later--

 

Poor Anakin trapped in Vader's suit and Leia's found Yoda. This is getting very intresting!

 

Up.

 

Ha! A chance to catch up!

So Anakin is trying to change the Empire without calling attention to himself? And I like Leia's meeting Yoda, that was cool.

--later--

 

Interesting.

If answer these questions, Yoda can, it means, of Anakin's (re)turning, he knows. At least, guess I so do. Hmmm?

 

Leia stared at the spectral being before her, unsure if what she was seeing was real. Yoda, the greatest Jedi Master in the history of the Order, stared back at her, a warm smile on his face.

"You knew my brother?" Leia asked.

"Know all the Skywalkers I do, Leia. Saddened I am by Luke's death. A great Jedi he would have been. Knew your mother, I did as well. Beautuful, strong, a wise woman Padme was. Loved you very much did she."

Leia saw where this conversation was going and turned her back on the tiny alien. "I suppose you're also going to tell me what a great man my father was, too," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and bitterness. "Don't bother. I know all I need to know about Darth Vader."

Yoda waited patiently for the young woman to face him again before he continued. "Know Vader, you did, but know your father you do not. A great man, Anakin Skywalker was. A great man, he is."

Leia's brow furrowed, and her face twisted into a strange scowl. "I don't understand."

Yoda nodded. "Before he left, told you Luke did that he wanted to save your father. Believed, he did, that Anakin could be redeemed.

"Disagreed with your brother's choice, did I. Turned from the Dark Side no one has ever been... until now. Met his end, one Skywalker did, but reborn, another was. Renounced the Dark Side, Anakin did. Right about your father, Luke was."

Leia shook her head. What was this man saying? Yoda almost made it seem as though Anakin had suddenly reappeared after two decades, as if he had been on some sort extended vaction. But Leia knew that wasn't true. Her father, if that's what the Jedi Master chose to call him, had caused Leia and the people she loved enough pain to last several lifetimes. He had stood by and watched as Grand Moff Tarkin gave the order to destroy Alderaan. Worse, he had tortured Leia in an effor to find the Rebel's base at Yavin, so the Death Star could lay waste to that world as well.

As if sensing her turmoil, Yoda said, "Understand your feelings, I do. Caused much suffering, your father has. Serious mistakes has he made in his lifetime. Difficult it will be for you, Leia, but help your father you must. Our only hope, Anakin Skywalker is."

 

I loved Yoda's comment about knowing Vader but not knowing her father.
I hope Leia will continue Luke's work.

 

Why does Yoda not appear to Anakin?
He can surely need some moral support.
It will not be easy to convince Leia, pehaps she needs to meet him in person first to see and feel the difference for herself.

They could mourn Luke together to move on.

 

To answer your question, VadeyFan2002, Anakin will be receiving a visit shortly.

Thanks for the feeback everyone!

 

For the third time in as many mights, Anakin Skywalker was not able to sleep. Each time he closed his eyes brought forth memories of the traumatic events aboard the Death Star, the place where his son had lost his life.

Thoughts of his son filled Anakin with a fresh waves of saddness and guilt. If only I had acted sooner, Luke may still be alive he thought. Then again, if I hadn't turned, none of this would have happened.

Anakin adjusted the temperature within his hyperbaric chamber, and in doing so, caught an unwelcome glimpse of his face as it reflected on nearby monitor. The Jedi scowled, still made uncomfortable by the sight of it, even though he had lived with the scars for more than two decades.

Thinking about his injuries only evoked more feelings of guilt and angst. Anakin buried his face in his gloved hands as more painful thoughts forced their way into his mind.

It's all my fault he thought. My fault. My fault. My doing. My fault.

"I deserve at least part of the blame, Padawan."

Startled, Anakin looked up, coming face to face with his former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The agred Jedi regarded his former student thoughtfully, a warm smile showing on his face. "Hello, Anakin. It's good to see you."

"Master..." Anakin spoke the word without hesitation, almost as if two decades, a civil war, and his turn to the Dark Side had not affected his relationship with Obi-Wan. The two men stared at each other, as though unsure how to continue the conversation. Finally, it was the younger Jedi who broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. For everything. I..."

Obi-Wan held up his hand to silence his former Padawan. "You don't need to apologize, Anakin, for any of this. The fact that you are here at all conveys exactly how you feel. You can't know how much it means to me to have you back, my friend. I have missed you all these years."

"And I you, Master. I should have listened you all those years ago. If I had, things would have been different. I wish..." Anakin stared down at the floor, unable to meet his friend's eyes. His guilt came back to him once again, and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Luke's death was not your fault, Anakin. You did you could to help him. It was the will of the Force that he did not survive."

"He was my son!"

"Yes, he was, but sometimes sacrifices must be made in order to accomplish a greater good. Luke understood this. He was willing to die if meant that you could be saved."

"Such an effort should not be wasted on one like me," Anakin said. "Luke could have been more than what he was, had he lived."

"Perhaps, but the Force did not choose Luke. It chose you, Anakin. You are the one who shall restore the balance."

"The balance has been restored, has it not? Palpatine is dead."

"No," Obi-Wan said. "He is not."

 

This is surely a shock for Anakin.

 

Ouchie. I can imagine after losing his son and going through such self-recriminations, and then learning that the Evil Overlord (TM) who was behind this is not so dead as he thought, Anakin would throw an absolute fit of rage!

Or I would, if I were him.

-Red

 

Up.

 

Didn't think Ani saw that one coming. I can't wait for the next post. Will Anakin continue being Vader and when will he team up with Leia?
When they do will it be 'the enemy of my enemy?" or will Leia accept him as her father.
Oh so many questions.

 

Glad I found this story. I definitely like the idea of Anakin and Leia teaming up against Palpy. Looking forward to reading more!

 

Leia Organa paced back and forth across the Rebel Alliance command ship Home One. Han Solo sat at a nearby table, waiting patiently while his bride-to-be tried to sort out the issues circulating in her brain. Finally, the former senator of Alderaan turned on her companion and spoke.

"I just don't know what to do, Han. Should I believe this Yoda character or not? Should I try to help... Vader or not?"

Han shook his head. "I don't know, Leia. I don't undertand all this Jedi stuff. What I do understand is that Vader tortured me, just for the purpose of getting Luke's attention. That doesn't sound at all like the 'great man' Yoda told you about. If I were you, I wouldn't go anywhere near him."

Leia nodded before continuing. "Yoda made it seem like Vader was the only person who could defeat Palpatine, that the galaxy would be in grave danger without him."

"The galaxy is in danger," Han said, "because of Darth Vader, Leia. If you ask me, I think this Yoda person is just trying to cause trouble. Besides, if the Emperor has found a way to cheat death, who's to say that anyone can stop him?"

"I don't know," she said. "But I have to find out. Yoda wants me to be trained."

"As a Jedi?" Han spat out. "Is he out of his mind?"

"He was extremely serious about it, Han. I'm thinking that maybe I should..."

"Should what? Get yourself killed like Luke did? Besides, there aren't any Jedi left. I remember Luke telling me that once."

"That's not true. Yoda told me about a woman named Aayla Secura, a Twi'Lek, who lives somewhere in the Outer Rim. He said that she will train me as a Jedi."

********************

Anakin vaulted over the combat droid and angled his lightsaber downward as he landed. The blue blade sliced the droid in half, sending sparks and metal in several directions. Anakin deactived his weapon and left the sparring room.

My performance is improving, but more practice is still required he thought to himself. Ever since Obi-Wan had informed him that Palpatine was somehow still alive, Skywalker had spent the majority of his time training, trying to gain any sort of advantage that would help him when he confronted the man he once called his Master.

Palpatine was powerful, Anakin knew, and such power gave one a tremendous advantage during combat. But the Emperor was also extremely arrogant, and the Jedi knew his overconfidence could be used against him. It had before, even if the results were not what Anakin had hoped they would be. Forcing that particular thought out of his mind, the former Dark Lord headed for throne room of the Imperial Palace. The Emperor had 'died' more than twelve days ago. It was time to speak to Empire's citizens about the future.

 

Up.