Chapter Text
The moon had remained untouched for many years. After the crash landing of a republic warship, the moon returned to a quiet, uninhabited place in the never-ending vast galaxy. Snow would fall on the surface of the moon, and continue to fall, until almost the entire ship had been covered. The clone trooper helmets all set in a line of memorial all but but unrecognizable under the snow; the only thing to be seen was the top of some helmets depicting markings of a once brave Jedi Padawan turned civilian.
Then, out of nowhere, the once uninhabited moon became inhabited with life. Word had gotten around that the once Padawan of Anakin Skywalker and his former Captain turned Commander, CT-7567 had crash landed here along with a battalion of clone troopers. Once it was known that this was their last known location, every inch of the moon needed to be searched.
Stormtroopers arrived, landing on the snow-covered moon. Their white uniforms blended in with the snow-covered landscape. The soft sound of the snow crunching underfoot was the only sound to be heard for miles upon the moon. That was until another sound broke up the quiet.
The heavy mechanical sound of Darth Vader’s breathing alerted the storm troopers as they looked up to salute the Sith apprentice. His dark suit was hard to look at, with nothing but the white of the snow around him. No one ever dared to look him in the eye, or to even look at where his eyes were behind that mask.
Vader didn’t pay them any mind; his only mission was to make it to the wreckage of the ship. His mechanical feet crunched against the snow, the sound sounding like screams. He did his best to ignore it.
Another thing he hated was the sound of his breathing. It was in a long line of things he despised about this life. In fact, he didn’t like anything. Ever since he became Darth Vader, everything had gone wrong. Everything had turned to poodoo.
It had been three years since the Republic had fallen, and still Darth Vader couldn’t get his voice out of his head. Constantly he was there, yelling at him, saying:
‘This is all your fault!’ and ‘She’s dead because of you!’
Vader did everything he could to shut the voice out, to lock him in the furthest corners of his mind. This was the life Anakin Skywalker had chosen. It was his fault. Vader was just a consequence of his actions. Losing Padmé Amidala was a consequence. Losing their child was a consequence.
Vader heard and felt his mechanical hands curl into fists at his sides. The Jedi had failed Anakin Skywalker. They failed Padmé Amidala.
And they had failed Ahsoka Tano.
He walked until he saw the ship looming in front of him. It had half sunken into the moon’s crust, and it had turned rusty over the years of being constantly in the path of storms and snow.
Vader could see the faint hint of an old Clone trooper’s helmet, and as he narrowed his eyes, he could barely make out the crude paint job, the orange, the markings of a once Jedi commander.
Then he heard it.
Something was calling out to him. Dropping to one knee, he dug into the snow with a gloved mechanical hand until he uncovered it. The color had faded from its metal shell, but he knew it had belonged to Skywalker’s former apprentice.
Slowly he stood and brushed some of the snow off of the old forgotten lightsaber. He rolled it over in his hand and slowly held it out in front of him, igniting it.
He lifted his head into the sky. A soft, sound of a Convor echoed from up above. It flew around him in the sky, and his eyes narrowed. He thoughts betrayed him, thinking back on a time when his life could’ve been different, things could’ve changed, people could still be alive if he had just decided to take a different path. He remembered this Convor, this animal that in a past life, had given Skywalker a choice. A choice that he selfishly didn’t take. The dark had taken ahold of him, the light gone with everything else in his life.
But that was then. He had made his choice. He had to live with the choices that Anakin Skywalker had made. No, not live, Skywalker deserved to feel each pain filled breath that left his lungs. Each curl of a fist that was mechanical, for he no longer had flesh limbs. Each beat of a heart that lived for nothing and no one. Each stab of pain through his body. Each memory of holding onto the one person he loved most in the galaxy. Watching as he choked the life out of her. Skywalker deserved to live that pain each and every day of however much longer he would live. Vader’s only wish now was that he would live forever, so Skywalker could be in constant pain and suffering because that is what he deserved. After all, it was his choices that led them here. He is the one to blame.
Vader glanced down as the bright blue blade sparked into life, reflecting against the bright white snow underfoot. Vader could feel the moon shake under his feet. He held the saber tight in his grip and lifted his head. The Convor screamed above him before it moved, flying at him at an alarmingly fast speed.
He didn’t think. Instead, Vader lifted the lightsaber and sliced through the convor as it flew in front of his face. Once again, he didn’t stop to think about the consequences.
That’s when the world around him completely stopped. He fell to the ground, breathing becoming almost an impossible task. He dropped the lightsaber to the ground as the blue light disappeared. He let out a shaky, raspy breath as he rolled onto his side. What was happening? None of this made any sense.
He couldn’t think anymore as his breathing became more and more labored, before he closed his eyes, thinking with one last thought ‘sweet death.’
-
And then his eyes opened.
His body felt unusually normal. He found he could breathe, and breathe he did, inhaling deeply as he took in sweet breaths of air, with no ventilator to help, and he closed his eyes, drinking in the sweet taste of fresh air.
“Anakin, are you okay?”
His eyes snapped open again, and he looked to his side. His blood boiled and he felt anger rise inside of his body as he saw who was next to him.
“No, I’m not okay.” He snarled out, his hands bawling into fists at his side.
Kenobi.
His former Master was staring at him with confusion in his eyes. “I know you’ve been worried about Ahsoka. But you saw her just now, she’s perfectly safe and will be here any moment.”
Kenobi laid a hand on his shoulder and Vader recoiled from his touch.
“Don’t presume to know anything about me, Kenobi.” Vader snarled and pulled away from him. He was certain this was another dream, another nightmare that of course Vader couldn’t ever escape. But this, this felt so real.
The breath in his lungs. His hands and legs that were still very much attached. He lifted his flesh hand to his hair that also was still very much attached as well.
He tried to focus on where he was. Kenobi said Tano wasn’t here yet. Which meant that Skywalker hadn’t yet given her back her lightsabers. Which meant Order 66 hadn’t occurred yet.
Which means your wife and child are still alive.
Vader felt a tug on his heart. A tug he hadn’t felt for three years. He reaches out in the force at this moment, searching. He immediately found who he was looking for. Padmé, as beautiful as ever, her dark brown wavy hair pulled back into a bun, the soft velvet gown falling gracefully down over her body, leading a talk in the senate. All eyes were on her as she spoke. She was a force to be reckoned with. It was one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her. But no- this couldn’t possibly be real. Could it? Even as Anakin Skywalker, he never fully understood the force. All he knew was that it worked in mysterious ways.
“Anakin? Where do you keep going?” Kenobi asked, snapping Vader back into the moment.
“Where I go in my mind is none of your concern.” Vader moved past him, into the open area of the hanger.
‘You’ve been given a second chance, don’t screw this up’ Skywalker’s voice came to him, but it was fading. Because now Vader was Skywalker once again.
He had a chance to save the galaxy. To save his friends. To save everyone. To be the chosen one that he was prophesied to be. To save his wife and child, for real. To stop the Empire before it began. To prevent the future from happening. All he needed to do was not mess this up. Lifting his head, he heard the ship as it entered the main hanger. Tano was here.