Chapter Text
Darth Vader fell to his knees and screamed. The trail he had followed was all for nothing. The son he had heard about wasn’t here. He was still utterly alone. Alone with no one but himself and his thoughts. All alone… Five years ago when he took Palpatine’s offer to save his wife, he never thought this would be the outcome.
His other half dead, his best friend and brother betraying him, and his son missing. He never wanted this. All he had wanted was a family and for...her to be safe. But… Vader could still see his wife’s face as he choked the life out of her. But if his son was alive and out there somewhere, it couldn’t have been him.
She didn’t die by his hand. If she did Luke would never be alive.
Vader tangled his mechanical and flesh hand into his hair and screamed once more out in agony. Everything was gone and lost. And it was his own damn fault. That’s what hurt the most about it. If he never accepted Palpatine’s offer maybe things would be much better now. But they weren’t, they weren’t…
The tears he had been holding spilled down his cheeks and onto the sand below him.
“Anakin.”
He heard the voice and quickly stood up and threw up his hood. But no one was around besides him for miles. The bodies of the Lars by the doorway and the homestead were the only things around.
“Ani.”
“Whoever you are, stop calling me that! Anakin Skywalker is dead. He died with his wife.” Vader screamed.
He felt something familiar but it was elusive and he couldn’t tell who it was. But someone was clearly messing with him. Anakin, Ani? Those were names of a dead man. As far as he was concerned Anakin Skywalker died with his wife that day.
“Anakin stop screaming and listen to me.”
Vader slowly turned around to see Padme Amidala standing there in a blue hue. He was frozen. No… She, she was dead! This was impossible. He was clearly hallucinating. After all, he was seeing a dead woman.
But… “Padme…?”
“It’s me. It’s difficult to explain but I don’t have much time. So just listen.”
Vader was speechless. How was she here? She was dead! He was sure of it.
“Luke needs your help. He was taken. Taken by slavers. He needs you. Go to Nal Hutta and hurry! Please, save our baby.”
Slavers? Slavers had his son?! They would all die for taking the one thing he had left. Every single one of them.
“I’ll save him Padme, I promise I will.” Vader finally replied.
Padme Amidala smiled at her husband one more time then faded away into the Tatooine night. Finally, Vader knew what he had to do. He turned towards his ship, finally for once in his life feeling like he had a purpose.