The Trace Which Remains

Chapter 4: ...why must we wait...

By a mutual agreement, Leia sat on the speeder bike, Han behind her, as it lay in neutral, Anakin pulling it at the side. It was the most efficient way to get all three back to the Ewok village- the bike wouldn't hold all of them, and Anakin didn't know where it was- and it gave Leia a chance to observe the former Sith closely.

His robes were simple, dark but not imposing, a plain tan tunic and trousers with an overvest of dark brown. He was tall, but not as much as Vader had been, and his build seemed lean beneath his clothing. His hair fell to his shoulders in careless waves, framing an open, smooth face pale from lack of sunlight. His eyes were the same shocking shade of blue that her brother shared.

He was paying little attention to their path, eyes wide and staring at the forest that surrounded him. She thought she could see tinges of age-lines around his eyes. He looked somewhat ageless, but his gaze held a youthful wonder as they traveled over the foliage. An amused, amazed smile twitched at his lips, and she knew he was repressing a laugh.

He was still scared for Luke, but he wasn't letting it rule his behavior. She considered this, and thought that perhaps it was a good path to take. She would not let her anger at his past affect her treatment of him now.

Interested, she asked, "What're you looking at?"

He shrugged and shook his head lightly, before sighing, "Everything. I didn't remember the colors being so... bright, the smells so fresh... the wind being so tickling. It's all new to me, Princess."

She contemplated the environment, before replying, "This is a pretty place. I guess you're lucky you were brought back here, instead of some hellhole like Tatooine."

His eyes tightened, his smile vanished. He shook his head sadly. "That's a place I hope to never revisit."

Surprised, Leia asked, "You've been there?"

"Highness, I was born there," he answered shortly, in a tone that clearly indicated it was a sore topic. Her curiosity was piqued, but she kept her silence, knowing that it wouldn't do to intentionally provoke negativity in him.

The ex-Sith- was he a Jedi now?- hung his head, and stopped pulling the bike. He whispered so quietly that Leia hardly heard him, but she managed to make out his words. "My mother died there."

His mother? She came to a startling realization that this man had indeed been a child once, with a mother of his own. Before, she hadn't thought of him as anything other than what she had seen of him- both as Vader and as Anakin.

Reaching out, she patted him on the shoulder awkwardly. She could sense the pain emanating from him with his bad memories, as well as unspoken guilt. Her lips burned with questions, but she knew that it would be a bad idea to burn him with them as well.

This was indeed a reformed man- his shame at his dark past was punishment enough for his crimes.

Their eyes met, briefly, before they continued their long trek back to the village.

Pain. And plenty of it. Luke Skywalker awoke to the sensation of thousands of sun-hot needles piercing his skin, all the way to the bone. He shivered instinctively, trying to force the pins out of his body by squeezing them out. It didn't work.

Opening his eyes slowly to a dimmed room, he glanced down at himself and noticed that there weren't any needles at all- that it was just his nerves on fire. He was garbed in hospital blues, bacta dressings beneath the thin fabric, and monitoring equipment was strapped to his chest and arms. Sighing, he reminded himself just how much he hated hospitals.

The door hissed open, and a shadow entered the room, slowly turning the lights up. Luke's vision adjusted, and he saw a young man in medical whites- unusually tinged with red trim- holding a datapad in his left hand and a vegetable in his right. Glancing up with bespectacled vision, the doctor nodded curtly before returning to his reading and taking a bite out of the veggie.

Luke stayed silent, observing the professional calmly. There was a faint hint of anger within his Force-sense, but his face was completely blank. Unusually pale for a human, with very light hair cropped short, the doctor's face was young, but harsh and angular, with very little to suggest any sense of humor or tolerance of stupidity.

After finishing the last bite of his orange vegetable, the doctor finally spoke. "It would seem you've survived something worse than death, Jedi Skywalker." The medic's voice was low, dry, and cold. Luke considered his words carefully. He didn't know just how thorough this doctor had been in his examination while Luke had been unconscious.

"I had a rough time over these last couple of weeks."

"I can imagine. I don't recall any medical history of someone who survived such lengthy sessions of Sith lightning." The doctor held his hand- slender to the point of almost being bony- out, and introduced himself. "Doctor Myka Severeth, third-year professional physician."

Luke took his hand, and noticed with a start that it was ice cold and without any roughness- unnaturally smooth and hard. His eyes narrowed, and he reached out with the Force to try to get a firmer idea of this doctor's nature, but it slipped from his grasp effortlessly.

The medic continued, either not noticing or ignoring the mental attempts. "Also, I cannot help but wonder how you were shot in the hand. It was a simple matter to fix, in comparison to the lightning, but I recommend caution from here on out." Skimming his datapad, Severeth grunted with bland annoyance. "You Skywalkers always had terrible luck with limbs."

Startled, Luke asked, "What do you know of that?"

"You're lucky you've only lost one hand. Your father had lost all of his limbs."

"I know." But how did this doctor?

"Some called him more mechanical than human, but in terms of physiology, he was little over forty percent artificial. Mass was a different matter, but back then, prosthetics were pathetic. Lucky for you he didn't have the agility that he would have if he'd had bionics like your hand."

Luke gaped. "You... know about him?"

"I heard about it from my teacher." Severeth stood, pressing a button on his datapad. A hovering droid slipped into the small room, arms held still. It chirped briefly in reply, and Severeth nodded towards Luke. "Don't let him move about too much, Damnyou."

Luke had to smirk. "Damnyou?"

For once, the medic cracked a wry smile. "His full designation is Deluxe Medical Unit 1, or DMU-1. Dee-emyou. I once let out a curse, and he responded. It's been his name ever since." Severeth plugged his datapad into Damnyou for a moment, then turned back to Luke. "If you need anything, that button on the desk next to your cot will summon Damnyou. If it's an emergency, the monitors will page me. I'm going to put together a report for when your friends get here."

Luke nodded his understanding, and leaned back as Severeth left the room.

After almost two hours of steady walking, or, in Han and Leia's case, riding, Anakin caught sight of the Ewok village. Tiny creatures that vaguely resembled Wookiees shuffled about, carrying plants, captured Imperial armor, or in some rare cases, the bodies of their dead comrades. Anakin scowled to see the damage that had been done to their little society, and cringed to think of the effect the battle would have on the forest.

A roar greeted them, and he saw a giant, furry form slide down a tree, its claws embedded in the bark as it climbed down. It was the Wookiee Chewbacca, and Solo and the Princess dismounted the bike to greet him. Anakin stayed behind, realizing for the first time that the Wookiee could tear him apart if he wanted- and if he got angry.

From several meters away, he couldn't make out their speech, but it was obvious that Chewbacca had noticed him, for he pointed directly at Anakin and asked Solo a question. Solo glanced his way, before muttering something short and vague to the Wookiee.

The tall beast stared, head askance, for a moment before walking up to Anakin in a few long strides. Anakin lifted his head to look the Wookiee straight in his cobalt eyes, knowing that Wookiees had almost as much disdain for evasion as for disrespect. Chewbacca spoke in Shyriiwook, [You smell like Luke, Jedi. Who are you, to reek of his scent and bear his eyes? You have the bearing of one who knows he is guilty.]

Anakin inhaled deeply, and answered levelly, "I am the Twenty-first Lost. I turned my back on sanity, compassion, and my friends, only to lose everything I held dear. Luke has given me back my soul, that I may atone for my crimes."

The Wookiee mulled over his words for a moment, before nodding. [I remember your scent on Master Yoda, and on Kenobi as well. Your scent is also akin to that of the Dark Lord. Yet it has changed. There is less rage. You are no longer mad for blood.]

Chewbacca seemed to understand. Lowering his voice, Anakin spoke only to the Wookiee. "All of that is correct. I hope to save lives to make up for those I have taken."

[Your eyes are like Luke's. They cannot lie, even though I cannot always read humans. You, however, are just as honest as Luke- although not always so honorable in your dark past. But I will accept your presence. Your son and daughter seem to.]

"You smelled that they were siblings?"

[When I first met the young humans, I knew that they were kin. I knew that they were the kin of someone Yoda had known, and someone Kenobi had known. Upon smelling your blood-tainted scent on Bespin, I knew that it was you that they were kin to. Luke's sorrow-madness after the battle was proof.] The Wookiee laid a huge furry paw on Anakin's shoulder, and leaned down to confide in him. [You cannot hide your past as Vader forever- but I will give my word of honor that it will not be myself to tell the secret. I will vouch for you and give my word that you have changed- I can smell your redemption on you.]

Anakin's mood brightened, and he patted the hairy paw. "Thank you, Chewbacca. I am very sorry for all I have done to you, your honorable people, and your honor-family."

[We Wookiees know true honor when it is shown. You have the stench of Palpatine's death on you- I know you killed him. That in itself is proof that you are no longer Vader.]

With a formal bow of gratitude, Anakin smiled at the Wookiee, who "hrrrrned" with approval. He looked at Solo and the Princess, who were staring at both of them, Han with a "what the..." expression, and Leia with an indignant "you knew!" glare directed at Chewbacca.

Suddenly, Anakin sensed a fury directed at him. Turning, he saw a group of Rebels, armed and led by Mon Mothma herself, approaching them swiftly. Mothma, her steely glare aimed at his face like the muzzles of the blasters her escort held, spoke coldly, efficiently. "Darth Vader, you are being placed under Alliance custody to be tried as a war criminal. You have the right to silence, for anything said or done can be used to prosecute you. You have the right to justice, as given by a jury of your peers and executed in a humane manner. You have the right to representation, to defend your actions before the High Command. If you resist, we will need to use deadly force."

He stared for a long moment, before raising his hands above his head. His voice shook as he spoke, wondering who had turned him in to the Alliance. "I have no resistance to give- you may take me prisoner."

They roughly cuffed him, and he felt something wet and slimy hit his face. One of them had spit on him, but he just closed his eyes and permitted the humiliation. It would be a bad idea to incriminate himself further.

Leia came forward and spoke clearly to Mothma. "I offer to serve as his Arbiter in the trial."

He saw astonishment flicker over Mothma's cool gaze, before the auburn-haired leader nodded abruptly. "If you so choose." She gestured towards a waiting armored speeder, and he was shoved harshly before he could begin walking. Catching his balance, he struggled to control his panic.

He would allow them to call him by the hated name of Vader, if it would protect his son.

Luke Skywalker shot up in the medical cot, his head screaming in pain as he felt his father's terror. He crushed the thin sheets in his fists, calling out through the Force for Anakin.

He had to tell everyone the truth, soon- to protect his father.