The Emperor’s Traitor

Summary: Written for Quietmoon as part of the FandomGiftbox challenge. Obi-Wan’s force ghost won’t leave Darth Vader alone
Warning(s): Spoilers up to and including The Empire Strikes Back and the prequel trilogy; AU; some references to violence

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It had all seemed so easy at first. Kill the Jedi, every single last one of them. End the whole Order forever and his wife would be saved. Padme wouldn’t die. They’d be able to raise their children in peace together. What did it matter that the peace would have been born from bloodshed? It was a small price to pay to prevent his visions from coming to pass.

But he’d been a fool. Lied to. Tricked. The Emperor had deceived him. This wasn’t new knowledge. His own actions had turned his foretelling into a self-fulfilled prophecy. Padme had ultimately died because of him. And his children? His children had been taken far away. Beyond the reach of the Sith. Beyond the reach of the Empire.

And against all the odds, they’d found their way to him. Not only that, but they’d found their way to each other. Princess Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker. Those weren’t the names he would have chosen for them, but they were the names that belonged to them now.

It would be easy to say that the only reason he second-guessed himself and the Emperor was when he’d learned of his biological children and their roles in the rebellion. But the truth was, he’d had these doubts for a long time. Ever since he’d first allied himself with Emperor Palpatine, if he was honest. After all, he’d only formed that allegiance to save Padme. But once he’d taken that step and destroyed the Jedi, there was no going back. He had no path to redemption, because there was nothing left to save. He’d given himself over to Palpatine wholeheartedly and, in return, he’d lost everything.

It had only become worse when he’d struck down his old teacher and mentor. Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you could ever imagine indeed.

He didn’t know why Obi-Wan’s force ghost was sticking to him. Most of the time, his old mentor didn’t speak to him. He just caught a glimpse of the transparent figure. Fortunately, his helmet meant he could hide his reactions to the sight. But Palpatine would be able to read what he was feeling when they met in person. Unless he closed himself off, of course, which would carry its own problems along with that.

It was the evening now; one of the only times Anakin could remove his suit. It kept him alive, but he had to clean it regularly. Had to bathe his body frequently. And the scarring on his body made it impossible for him to do that himself. Still, even allowing droids to remove his armour and help him to bathe was difficult. It demanded a more submissive mindset that he just wasn’t used to demonstrating to anyone.

It was just after he’d fully dried himself off and was preparing to put on the suit again that he glimpsed Obi-Wan Kenobi out of the corner of his eye.

Every time he’d seen the force ghost, he’d ignored it. Either focused on something else, or stared right through his old master until the image had disappeared. And really, he should do the same thing now. What possible advantage could there be for acknowledging the man he’d killed? And, not only that, the man he’d betrayed?

But maybe it was because he was feeling nostalgic. Maybe it was because he was having doubts and questioning everything about the empire and his relationship with Palpatine. And maybe it was because he was alone, with only droids for company; and they wouldn’t reveal anything that went on in his room. He’d programmed them long before now to keep his secrets.

Anakin focused on Obi-Wan’s form, noting that the ghost didn’t look like he had when they’d last seen each other. When Anakin had cut down his old master. Instead, Obi-Wan carried the appearance of how he’d looked when Anakin had lost his wife, his children…the Jedi.

“Why are you here, with me?” Anakin’s voice was loud, far too loud, in the silence of the room. He didn’t tend to speak without his helmet and hearing his own, unmodulated voice out loud reminded him why.

“Do you mean rather than giving your son help and advice?” Obi-Wan’s voice was distant. Far away. Making it clear just how large a gulf existed between them. “Luke doesn’t need me right now.”

“And what makes you think I do?” Anakin placed his helmet over his head once more. It made him feel better; like he could hide from his old master. He picked up his lightsabre and thought about activating it. Thought about swinging it through Obi-Wan’s force body, like he had through the man’s physical body. It might not harm him, but perhaps it would banish the ghost.

“You’re questioning your actions. Second-guessing yourself. Wondering if the path you took was the right one.” Obi-Wan walked with slow, sure steps towards Anakin, stopping just in front of him. “It’s taken you a long time, Anni.”

The old nickname gave him pause. Sliced through the protest he’d been about to make. He turned away, curling his gloved hand into a fist. “I haven’t made any decisions.”

“Is this the kind of father you want to be for your children?” Obi-Wan asked. “A tyrant? The right hand of the Emperor?”

“It’s too late for me.” Anakin refused to break. He wouldn’t even look at Obi-Wan. He finished dressing in his suit and spoke sharply to the droids. “Leave me.”

The droids filed out of his room, but Obi-Wan was still there even after the last was gone and the door was closed.

“What do you want from me?” Anakin asked the ghost. His voice came out calm and emotionless, even if the emotions roiling inside him were anything but. “Do you plan to keep on haunting me until I turn to the light side? You’re going to be waiting for a long time.”

“No, I don’t think so,” Obi-Wan answered softly. “You regretted it the moment you struck me down. Do you think I didn’t know?”

Beneath the mask, Anakin closed his eyes. He’d never truly believed that he could kill Obi-Wan. When he’d sliced his lightsabre through his old master’s body, he’d expected a trick. That Obi-Wan would use the Force to escape. And when his lightsabre had hit and Obi-Wan had collapsed and….

“It was supposed to be an ending,” Anakin whispered, opening his eyes again. He’d half-expected to find himself alone, but Obi-Wan was still standing there, right in front of him. In his personal space, if he’d been solid. But they couldn’t touch. Anakin could choose to walk away from Obi-Wan, but he couldn’t fight him. Couldn’t use his lightsabre or any of his force abilities.

“This was just the beginning.” Obi-Wan stepped away from Anakin, but didn’t disappear. “You have two paths ahead of you, Anni. It’s not too late to turn to the light side.”

Anakin shook his head in disbelief. “It’s too late for me.” Again, his helmet ensured his voice came out flat and emotionless. There wasn’t even a hint of the conflict churning inside him. “And even if I did make that choice, where would I go? What would I do?”

“You would stay here.” Obi-Wan’s response was given without hesitation. “The Death Star had one minor flaw that allowed it to be destroyed. You would be that one minor flaw, that one weakness, in the Empire. When the time is right….”

“There will never be a right time,” Anakin said harshly. “I destroyed the Jedi. I helped the Emperor take complete power. Even if I planned to do what you suggest, even if I was willing to turn on Palpatine, who would ever believe I had changed?”

“Your son would.”

The words hung in the air between them before Anakin laughed bitterly and shook his head. “Where were you? We fought. I told him I was his father. And I cut off his hand. I know he’s not dead, I would have felt it through the Force, but he’s never going to believe in me.”

“I think he will surprise you,” Obi-Wan said. “It’s not too late to turn back, Anni. You have a second chance.” His form became even more translucent; his voice even more far away. “Don’t squander it and repeat the same mistakes from the past.”

Anakin stared at the spot as Obi-Wan finally disappeared from view. He looked down at his lightsabre and thought about throwing it across the room. He considered calling the droids back and tearing them apart. Letting loose his emotions and darkness on them.

But the thought of giving into his anger, giving into his hate, made him feel hollow inside. Empty. He’d spent so long in the dark, he didn’t know if it was even possible to turn to the light.

But he wanted to try.

The End