Star Wars

"The Path to Redemption"

Summary: The path to redemption is paved with forgiveness, hope, and love…something Anakin Skywalker, with the help from his children, is about to find out.

Author's Note: This takes place at the end of ROTJ.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to the George Lucas.

… Star Wars…

Chapter 1: A Son's Stubbornness

The second Death Star was in chaos.

Officers, Storm-troopers, and Droids scattered every which way in an attempt to escape the doomed battle station.

In only a handful of moments, the Rebel Alliance would strike the fatal blow that would rip the Empire asunder and give them their greatest victory to date.

Luke Skywalker knew all this, felt it in the living Force that surrounded him and the universe.

That was why he was making his way to the nearest starship to make his escape.

It wasn't easy, however, as he had to drag the crippled body of his father, Anakin Skywalker—formally Darth Vader—with him.

He managed to reach a small transport vessel and hefted his father onto the ramp.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, he checked on the black clad figure that had until recently been the most feared being in the galaxy other than Emperor Palpatine himself.

Anakin's breathing was irregular, which told his son that the respirator within his suit—that was keeping him alive—was damaged.

"You m-m-must go, my son," Anakin wheezed through his voice synthesizer. "Go now, before it is too late."

"No," Luke told him, firmly. "I'm not leaving you!"

"You must," Anakin replied, firmly.

"But you'll die," Luke told him, his voice catching in his throat.

"Nothing can stop that now," Anakin told him, resigned.

Luke's jaw clenched stubbornly. "Wanna bet?" he growled, angrily.

Reaching underneath his father, he hefted him by the armpits and started pulling him up the ramp.

"L-Luke," Anakin pleaded, weakly. "Leave me, please!"

"No, Father," Luke replied, through gritted teeth. "I won't. We're both getting out of here alive!"

"I-If I had the strength," Anakin told him, as he was pulled into the ship. "I'd turn you across my knee, youngling!"

"You wouldn't dare," Luke told him, smirking.

He pulled him to the back of the ship and placed him on a bunk.

"Wanna bet," Anakin threw his son's words back at him.

"If you have the strength to threaten me," Luke told him, smiling. "You certainly have the strength to live."

He then plugged him into the ship's respiratory system—giving his father much needed oxygen.

Anakin sighed. "I'm so tired, son," he told him, wearily.

"Then rest," Luke told him, going up to the helm and starting the ship's engines. "I'm getting us out of here."

"You're as stubborn as your mother," his father rasped out, grumpily.

"Thank you," Luke told him, smirking. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Anakin grinned within the confines of his suit. Stubborn brat!

: Rest, Father: Luke's mental voice filled his mind through the tentative Force-bond they shared.

: I'm still going to turn across my knee: Anakin replied back, as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Luke smiled, feeling his father drift into sleep. He sighed with relief.

Luckily, with the chaos raging, no one had thought to activate the tractor beam that would have prevented them from leaving.

He shot the small transport out of the Death Star's hangar and began steering it toward the moon of Endor.

"Hee hee," a familiar voice chuckled beside him. "Stubborn you are, young Skywalker."

Luke glanced over to find the glowing form of Mastery Yoda sitting in the co-pilot's chair.

"Master Yoda," Luke said, glad to see his old teacher.

"Well done, you have," Master Yoda said, nodding in approval. "Faced him, you did. Saved him, you did."

Luke glanced back over his shoulder at the still black clad form.

"Does that mean he will live, Master?" he asked, worriedly.

"Hard to see the future is," Yoda reminded him. "Fulfilled the Prophecy, he has. Brought balance back to the Force, he has. Uncertain, though, his future is. Depends on you, it will."

"Me?" Luke asked, puzzled. "I don't understand?"

"A reason to live, you and your sister are," Yoda told him, calmly.

"Will he fight to live because of us, do you think?" Luke asked, curiously.

"The Force is strong in him," Yoda told him. "Broken, however, his body and spirit are."

The wizened Jedi gave him a speculative look.

"His body can be fixed," Luke said, knowingly. "And his spirit…well, we'll deal with one problem at a time."

Master Yoda nodded.

"Give him a reason to fight, you shall," the Jedi spirit replied, smiling."Of that, I am certain."

Luke smiled at that.

"Thank you for everything, Master," he told him, sincerely. "I will always remember what you taught me."

"May the Force be with you, young Skywalker," Yoda spoke, obviously in farewell.

"May the Force be with you as well, Master Yoda," Luke told the Jedi spirit.

Yoda nodded one more time, and then faded back into the Force.

Luke glanced back at his father, and reached out with the Force to assure himself his father was still with him.

: It is impolite to bother an old man when he's resting: the tired, yet strong, mental voice told him sleepily.

: Yes, sir: Luke silently replied, smiling.

Turning back around, he began scanning for places to land.

Endor was still crawling with Imperials.

If he was going to get his father the medical help he needed, he was going to need help.

And there was only one person he knew he could count on to help them.

Leia…

~TBC~