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Endor was quiet. The celebrations had died down over the past few nights, and most of the Alliance had moved on to other battles. Even after the death of the Emperor and— even after the last battle, the war was far from over.
Luke was almost the only one left, now. A couple of stragglers were packing up in the abandoned Imperial base. Han, Leia and Chewie were waiting in the Falcon for him to be ready to leave.
It was quiet out, nothing but the night-time stars and the wind and the strange meteors of falling Death Star debris to keep him company. And of course, his father’s grave. It wasn’t much to look at, just some freshly overturned soil and a small, stone marker. No different than the graves of any other Rebels that had died in the battle, although it was separated from the main graveyard a few minutes walk away.
Most people wouldn’t see it as any different, but Luke had tried to make it special in his own way; letting an impression of his love for his father soak into the trees and the rocks and the very air around the place, so that if anyone passed that was able to touch the Force, they might know that the person buried here was loved. Despite Luke’s best efforts, however, the air was still tinged with regret.
Luke kneeled beside the grave, letting a couple of tears slip down from his eyes. He would be leaving in the morning, this would be his last chance to say goodbye.
“Father. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”
A small light flickered into existence. From a little star in the darkness it brightened and grew to form a figure that cast a pale blue light all around him, illuminating the leafy branches of the surrounding trees. Luke looked up in surprise, meeting his Father’s ghostly eyes.
The ghost of Anakin Skywalker smiled, “You did save me, Luke. You brought me back when I thought I was lost to the Dark forever. Yes, I died, but....perhaps that’s for the best.”
“But if I had just been stronger, or faster, or if you didn’t have to save me from the Emperor, we could have—”
“Luke I—” Anakin paused, “There’s an old Sith technique. A way to drain the life out of a person and give it to someone else to keep them alive. You were dying and.... I could have survived, Luke, but you wouldn’t have.”
Luke’s mouth dropped open , “You….gave me your life.”
“I didn’t really think of it that way, but I suppose I did.”
“I’m sorry, Father.”
“Luke, you never have to be. I don’t regret what I did; in fact I’d say it’s the one thing I’ve done that I don’t regret over the last twenty years. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, a thousand times if I could. It’s not your fault I was too slow to save you any other way.”
“But I—” Luke let out a sob, more tears pooling in his eyes, “You could be alive right now.”
“You can’t save everyone, Luke. You have to remember that. It’s a lesson I never truly learned. And please, regret anything else, but don’t regret what happened on the Death Star. You did the best thing you possibly could have done for me, and now Anakin Skywalker is more alive than he’s been for decades. I am so, so proud of you, my son. Please don’t regret what I chose to do.” Luke’s father was smiling down at him, even as he felt he didn’t deserve it.
“I’ll try my best, Father.”
“Of course you will. Just the same as you tried your best on the Death Star. That’s all we can do.”
There was silence between them for a few minutes, nothing but the crackling of the fire and the sounds of moving trees and the whispers of a hundred tiny life forms in the Force all around them. Luke never imagined he’d be able to do this, sit in peace with the father he’d thought lost to him forever, fulfill the hopeless dream he’d spent years longing for on Tatooine. He supposed that was a miracle in itself, even if his father was pale and translucent instead of solid and breathing. Perhaps his father was right. These moments, and the promise of many others to come, were more than enough.
The silence was broken by Anakin Skywalker’s voice; warm and loving, oh so different from the deep, cold, artificial sound of Vader, or the strained whispers of the dying man unmasked. “It’s not dark, what I did, if you’re worried about that. I’m not sure how to describe it exactly; the Jedi always told me the Light was about rejecting attachments, but they also told me it was about selflessness. Whatever I did, it was love. My love for you was what kept you alive.”
“Isn’t that what the Light is?”
Anakin smiled, pride and understanding and what almost looked like wonder on his face, “I’m not sure the old Jedi Council would agree with you on that one, but you might be right.”
Luke gave a small smile “You’re sure you’re okay with this?”
“Of course I am, Luke. You’re my son, I’d do anything for you. I was too lost to show it, back when I was alive, but I’m glad I was at least able to do this. And, in a way, I suppose I’m just passing on what was never rightfully mine in the first place.”
“What do you mean?”
“The technique was used on me a long time ago, without my knowledge or consent. Just after I’d taken on the name ‘Vader’. I’d been injured, left to— left...by someone who couldn’t kill me. My Mas— Darth Sidious wanted me alive to consolidate his new Empire.”
“Who died?” Luke was almost afraid to ask.
Luke hadn’t realised that ghosts were still able to cry. “Your Mother. I would have died a thousand times for her, but I didn’t get that choice. I think a part of her is keeping you alive now, as well as a part of me.”
“Do you think she’d mind?”
“Oh Luke,” Anakin placed a weightless hand on his son’s shoulder, “I don’t think there was anything I could have done with her life that she would have wanted more”
Luke gave a small smile, “I wish I could have known her.”
“I wish you could have too.”
It was nearing morning. The black of night had slowly shifted to a brighter blue and the stars were slowly fading away. Soon, the first few rays of sunrise would shine out over the horizon and it would be time for Luke to leave. Already, he could sense Han stumbling through the forest, looking for him.
Anakin’s ghost seemed more transparent in this light, the light he himself cast was becoming almost unnoticeable. As Luke’s friend drew nearer, his father started to flicker and fade, like a hologram losing battery.
Before he disappeared, Luke called out, “Father.”
“Yes, my son?”
“Thank you.”