Fortress Vader

Break It Fix It - Chapter 3 The Will of the Force

现在想想电影里面没让安纳金的英灵现身说法是可以理解的，因为一旦让本索罗堕入黑暗还崇拜维达，安纳金的英灵就很难插进来了。如果他见到了本，按照简单的剧情发展不外乎两个结果：一是本听了他的话回到光明面，全剧终；二是本不听他的，继续呆在黑暗面，但他对维达的感情肯定会受到影响而不会一如既往地继续无脑崇拜。所以为了不制造矛盾，他们干脆就直接把安纳金忽略了！问题是安纳金不出现也是个矛盾啊。为啥他们给本这个设定的时候就没有想到呢？不过还好，用复杂一点的设定还是可以圆回来的。于是乎，就有了这章师徒四人的群体相声。。

顺便推荐一首歌：The Nose（绞索）简直就像是Leia专门为她父亲写的歌词。。。

Chapter 3  The Will of the Force

Three ghosts and an old man. Masters and apprentices. The past and the future.

“When the Force Dyad is formed, it will resurrect the Dark Side to its full power, and the Chosen One will meet his end.”

Sitting in a meditation gesture, Anakin closed his eyes. His face was expressionless. 

After returning to the quiet Force Netherworld, he just kept sitting still. The prophecy read by Luke was echoing in his head, yet he never felt so tranquil since he became a Force ghost.

For thirty years, Anakin's afterlife was far from rest-in-peace, rather, it was another kind of suffering. He could feel everyone he had killed in the Force. Although some said they had forgiven him, there were countless other lives that had merged into the Force, who would never get the chance to say anything, yet their aura remained around him, haunting him with all the memories of the past. 

And among them, there was Padmé. He destroyed her, in the same way that he destroyed Anakin. The only difference was, Anakin could come back, but Padmé never would. He kept searching in the Force, wishing that he could get some signal of the lost love, at least some sign of forgiveness. He searched and searched, only feeling more and more pain and sadness, until it became an endless nightmare. He even started to believe that Padmé's spirit was speaking through Leia to show her hate to him. Leia would never forgive him, and neither would Padmé.

And then there was his grandson, Ben Solo. The resemblance of Ben's path to his past self was harrowing, as if someone deliberately manipulated it to remind him who he really was, that the dark path was always inevitable, and he, the sinner, was never redeemable. The fact that he could only witness Ben's fall but was unable to interfere, was just like... just like when he held Leia firmly in his grip, forcing her watching her home planet Alderaan blown up by the Death Star.

He was almost sure it was all karma. The only reason he still existed as a conscious ghost was to be put through this infinite excruciation.

Yoda and Obi-Wan tried to help him relieving that feeling, but it never worked. The truth was, he didn't want to be relieved. He knew he deserved it.

Finally, there came the prophecy, a new one that was even more obscure than the previous one, - or, is it the other half of the old prophecy? It sounded ominous, but in the moment he heard it from Luke, he suddenly saw an exit. 

- It will end.

His denial in front of Luke was just for making him less worried. Deep in his heart, Anakin knew the prophecy meant something to himself -  he, as the Chosen One, had not fulfilled his destiny yet, and there was still a debt to pay back. That explained why without any knowledge or training, he became a Force ghost spontaneously after death. Rather than a reward for bringing balance to the Force, it was an unfinished mission that he still had to carry on.

"A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored."

That was the prophecy Qui-Gon first found. And this new one just added more details to it: His final destiny would only come when the Force Dyad was formed.

Perhaps this time, that destiny could truly save him, once and for all. 

And now I'm really curious to see how this Force Dyad plays out... - He searched in the Force - Seems like Luke found something...

***

Luke sat dully on a black boulder at the hillside. Yoda's ghost just visited him, and now the giant tree that used to be the tree library was burning brightly under the night sky. He was pondering on everything he had been through today. Although Yoda asked him to pass on what he had learned to Rey and trust her with the future, his mind was still unsettled. 

When he looked up, he saw Anakin showing up again. 

“Rey and Ben have formed a Force Dyad. I saw it...” Luke's concern was quite distinct. 

“Rey and... Ben? So it indeed has something to do with us...” Anakin was a little surprised, but he remained calm, only slightly tilting his head. “That's why you burned the tree library?”

“It was Master Yoda...” Luke explained with embarrassment, “Well, I did have the impulsion but I quickly realized it was foolish. And yet Master Yoda did it for me anyway... I...”

“Haha, he was fooling with you. He already knew that Rey took away all the sacred texts.”

“Did she?” Luke felt relieved, “So Master Yoda was making fun of me...”

“He always does, doesn't he?” Anakin chuckled, “Obi-Wan told me how much fun it was watching him training you on Dagobah. It was a shame I wasn't there.”

“Yeah, it would be much more fun if you joined us.” Luke pulled down his mouth corners, “It's not time for jokes father.”

Anakin sensed his worry. He was about to soothe him when a voice came from behind.

“Anakin, there is a long line waiting to greet Luke. We let you go first and you already took a big chunk of time. Why are you still here?”

Both Anakin and Luke turned, finding Obi-Wan standing beside them, making a funny face.

“I'm Luke's father. Problem?” Anakin raised his eye brows.

“Always so arrogant...” Obi-Wan frowned, “And I don't like it when you tell others about our private conversation.”

“Luke is not others. He's my son.” Anakin looked at him with a manner of triumph. “You are just embarrassed to let him know that he was a cute subject for two old hermits to find fun in their boring seclusion.”

Luke cringed when he heard the word “cute” applied to himself.

“That's... nonsense.” Obi-Wan denied, “We were seriously training him to fight the evil... Sorry, I should not have used that word.”

Anakin let out a sigh, “You really don't need to take extra caution to avoid mentioning my past, Obi-Wan. I'm not a youngling that needs overprotection of feelings. I already have such a big son.” He looked toward Luke.

“A son that looks much more mature than you.” 

Luke shrugged when Anakin gave him a “heard what he said?” face before he turned to Obi-Wan. “Judging me by my appearance? Is that what Master Yoda taught you?”

“Not judging, it just keeps reminding me my young Jedi apprentice in the time of the Clone Wars.” Obi-Wan's voice suddenly became much softer. There was no irony in the tone at all.

Anakin paused. He then tried to keep joking. “Oh that's unfair. You can't treat me like an apprentice while my son is already the grand master!”

“I hope I could.” Obi-Wan didn't smile, however, “I hope we could relive that time again, in a totally different way. I hope I could give you more protection...”

“Stop it Obi-Wan...” Anakin felt a lump in the throat. He didn't like to handle this emotion in front of his son. “Didn't you come to visit Luke? I'll leave him to you now.”

“Wait, father!” Luke called out, “We have not finished our discussion yet. And I think Obi-Wan should know it too.”

“Know what?” Asked Obi-Wan.

Anakin rushed to object, “No, you don't want to tell Obi-Wan about it.” 

“Mind trick doesn't work on me, father.” Luke teased.

“I'm not using a mind trick!” Anakin threw up his hands, “What good would it do to let everyone know?”

“Obi-Wan is not everyone.” Luke corrected.

“You see...” Obi-Wan snickered, “Like father like son.”

Before Anakin could oppose further, Luke stretched out one hand, waving it in front of the burning tree. The smoke gathered in the Force, and formed a string of ancient Jedi words floating on the bright burning background, just like what was shown in the Jedi text.

“We saw this prophecy in one of the first Jedi texts.” Luke told Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan read it with astonishment before the smoke dissipate into air again. The heaviness he suddenly sensed dumbfounded him. He turned to Anakin with a deeply sympathetic look. “This is... cruel...” 

Anakin felt uneasy under the gaze of them. He tried to lighten the mood. “It's not the Jedi way to worry about the future. Isn't it what you taught me my master?”

Obi-Wan couldn't answer it. Yes, it was he who told young Anakin to ignore and suppress his worries about the future, but what did that lead to? For the twenty years in his seclusion, as he reflected on every piece that might have gone wrong, regret and empathy slowly replaced anger and disappointment in his heart. When Anakin finally came back to the light side, the last thing Obi-Wan ever wanted was losing him again.  

- Blast it! Why is the damned fate of the “Chosen One” still haunting him! 

Seeing Obi-Wan in silence, Luke reminded his father, “It's already happening! I've seen the Dyad they formed and now Rey is going to meet Ben...” 

“The prophecy can be as delusive as the premonitions.” Said Anakin, “Luke, don't fall into that trap again.”

“I won't.” Luke raised his head to look through Anakin's transparent face, eyes shining with affection. “But father, don't get yourself involved in any of this. Stay safe in your Force Netherworld. Leave it to us, to the living world. Please...”

“Luke...” Anakin put one hand onto Luke's shoulder. The blue glow lighted up his silver hairs. “You've already taken too much on your shoulders.”

“No, not enough. I should not have been hiding for these years and let Leia fight the war alone, and I can't let you step into this mess again. It's all on me now.” Luke reached out his left hand to touch Anakin's. He could feel the cool tingling on his skin. “Promise me, father, stay away from it.”

Anakin sighed, lowering his head. How could he make such a promise, when his feelings told him that this prophecy was about him?

“You should listen to your son, Anakin.” Obi-Wan seconded, “You have already risked yourself trying to turn Ben back. I won't allow this to happen again.” 

“Come on!” Anakin was frustrated, “You two old men are too sentimental!”

It was Luke's turn to complain now. “Amazing! What did you call me? Perhaps you do need extra protection my young father!”

“Stop scrambling for the responsibility! The Force will lead the way.” 

It was a voice echoing from the air. When they looked into where it was from, they saw an orb lighted up above the sea, glimmering with blue aura. It floated closer and closer when expanding into a shape more and more like a human. Within seconds, Qui-Gon Jinn was standing in front of them, dressed in the traditional Jedi robe, long hair glittering with golden sparkles.

Anakin and Obi-Wan almost shouted out simultaneously: “Master?”

Luke stared at him in amazement. He only met Qui-Gon for a few times in his life, and usually he only heard his voice. Since a visible apparition was not formed when Qui-Gon became a Force ghost, it would take him extra effort to maintain an image. Anakin and Obi-Wan told Luke how much they admired Qui-Gon. Not just because he was their respectable Jedi master, but also for his wisdom and open mind. Instead of following the teaching of the Jedi Order, Qui-Gon preferred following the Force itself and discovering new knowledge that was not taught before. Thanks to him, Yoda, Obi-Wan and other Jedi learned how to retain identity after death. And it did not stop there. Even now, they could still learn from him for his new discoveries. Luke also heard that Qui-Gon did not like staying in one place. He was always traveling to unknown spaces and dimensions of the Force, sometimes disappearing for years before coming back to visit his friends.

And yet now, Qui-Gon was standing in front of Luke in full shape.

“Young Skywalker, “ He smiled tenderly, “welcome back to the Force.”

Anakin was so glad to see him again. Qui-Gon was the one who always gave him peace of mind. But he was also surprised that Qui-Gon showed up so formally this time.  

“Luke, see how much honor you are given?” He jested with Luke, “Even Master Qui-Gon came all the way to greet you face to face.”

“Thank you, Master Qui-Gon.” Luke was humbled.

Qui-Gon nodded to Luke, then turned to Anakin and Obi-Wan. “I'm not just coming for Luke. I also come for the prophecy.”

Obi-Wan shrugged, “Why am I not surprised?”

Alright, it indeed was no surprise. - Anakin blinked his eyes blankly. - How could a prophecy escape the eyes of the expert? And if he knows, Yoda must have known as well. Perfect! Now everyone does know it!

“Do you also believe it, Master?” Asked Obi-Wan.

“As much as I believe the other one.” Qui-Gon answered. 

“But I'm confused.” Obi-Wan wondered, “If the destiny of the Chosen One meets with the resurrection of the dark side, doesn't it conflict with the old prophecy saying that he would bring balance back to the Force?”

“It's not a conflict. Rather, it's a complement.” Said Qui-Gon, “I have studied many ancient prophecies and found that most of them are not singletons. You would see pieces of them scatter in different places and emerge at different times. The prophets who wrote them could only capture a partial, sometimes even misleading, aspect.”

“If both are true, does that imply we were all wrong by believing that my father had already restored the balance in the Force?” Luke asked.

“Isn't that obvious?” Anakin shrugged, downplaying all the concerns they had, “I guess I'll just do it again.” 

“That's actually what puzzled me.” Qui-Gon turned to him, “Force ghosts have many limits. We are not supposed to interfere with the living world too much, and we can't change things as we wish. I've never seen a ghost making much impact on the Force before. But maybe there's something beyond our perception.”

Anakin felt deflated. There was not much he could do after all. Although death was not the end for him, it was not living either. It was draining to think about the endless purposeless days lying ahead, with no way to make amends to the past. He only wished he could do something, anything, for those he cared that were still out there, but even that was luxury.

Unlike Anakin, Luke and Obi-Wan were relieved hearing Qui-Gon's words. They didn't care if Anakin would be the hero to save the galaxy again, as long as he could stay safely as every other ghost. Probably the prophecy was just saying the Chosen One would no longer take the responsibility. After all, the previous prophecy only said that the ultimate balance in the Force would be restored "through" the Chosen One. It didn't say he could not pass on the destiny. 

“The key is the Dyad now.” Qui-Gon continued, “Ben and Rey are the ones that will shape the future.”

This suddenly reminded Luke of his second biggest concern. “But the prophecy says the Dyad will resurrect the dark side, so will Rey fall into the dark side too?” 

“It's possible.” Qui-Gon answered, “But they both have their own choice to make. What will happen on the path to their destiny and beyond is still up to them. The prophecy cannot determine everything.”

Their choice? - Anakin looked from Obi-Wan to Luke. Those choices he had made were of enormous consequence. He couldn't let Ben make the wrong choice anymore, while he still had chance to influence him.

“That's right!” He bursted out, “I need to talk with Ben again. He will listen...”

“I disagree!” Obi-Wan cut him off, “You forget how dangerous it was last time?”

“I know I need to find a way to stabilize my energy in the dark side...” Anakin suddenly realized he might find the answer now. He then turned to Qui-Gon, “Master, do you happen to know the solution?”

Qui-Gon didn't expect this question. He fell into a brief silence. Did he know? Of course he did. And he could guess what happened to Anakin when he imprudently visited his fallen grandson, so eager to persuade him to come back to the light side. He knew it so well because it was not any knowledge he learned from the Jedi lore, instead, he learned it from his own experience - yes, when he tried to do the same thing himself a long time ago...

“Yes, I know it.” Qui-Gon finally responded, with a much lower tone, “But...”

“You are always so helpful, Master Qui-Gon!” Anakin was exited and did not wait for Qui-Gon to finish his words, until he heard, “But I don't recommend it to you.” 

“Why?” The frustration was there again.

“The solution is very simple. But when you know how, you'll find it useless, and painful.”

“Pain is the last thing I would worry about... but why do you say it's useless?”

“Anakin...” Qui-Gon sounded a little hesitant, “Do you know how I learned this trick?”

“You always have the guidance of the Force...”

“Yes, the Force taught me. But I learned it because of you.”

“Me? How?” Anakin was intrigued. 

“Do you remember I told you that I was watching you throughout your life?”

For a second, Anakin was bewildered. He used to thought that Qui-Gon saying he “watched” him was some kind of metaphor. But if he meant it literally…

“No way... You came to see me when I was... in the dark side? But why did you never speak to me?”

“That is exactly what you asked about: To retain yourself in the dark side, you must strictly follow the will of the Force, abandon all of your own intention, and restrain yourself from any action that can change the course. If you dare to try anything different, the Force will always strike back by bending the consequence to its will - and that was what I learned through trials and failures.”

“What happened? I don't remember anything...” Anakin tried to search in Vader's memory about Qui-Gon's appearance, but there was none.

“It was the twist of the Force. You never realized it was me. When I tried to speak to you, it only became some voice that evoked more pain and anger in you, which eventually made your dark side grow. In the end I had to close my mouth entirely and suppress my own feelings. Only by being fully silent could I avoid the urge of trying to bring you back.”

Anakin was at a loss for words. That was the pain and uselessness Qui-Gon was talking about. He did remember that in the early days of his Sith life, there had been moments when he heard some indistinguishable voice calling to him, especially in his meditation. The voice had softened his mind for a while but in the end it had always led to more hatred toward his own weakness. He had thought it was just illusion created by the not-quite-dead Jedi in his heart, but only today did he know some of them had come from Qui-Gon, the Master that had never given up on him even in the darkest days.

And now he understood what was really happening when he visited Ben. He was too upset and impatient with his grandson. The Force was actually using his impulsion to drag Ben deeper into the dark side!

A shiver went down Anakin's spine. 

“Anakin,” Qui-Gon continued, “As I said, this is the limitation of us force ghosts. We shall only pass what is needed to the living world when it's the will of the Force.”

“The will of the Force?” Anakin grimaced, “So it was the will of the Force that I fell deeper and deeper into the dark side, and now it's also the will of the Force for the same thing to happen to my grandson?”

“You know there is a way out, just not from a ghost. That was why I asked Yoda to train Luke.”

“And this time it's that girl Rey?” Anakin snorted, “Is it the tradition of Jedi to always hide behind an innocent small fry and expect that they become the savior that takes on all the burden of saving the universe? Why do we even still exist if we are just passively waiting for them to do everything?” 

“That's an interesting point of view...” Qui-Gon didn't rebut, instead,he even sounded a little delighted. “We shall see what we can do. But for now, we must be patient, Anakin.”

“I can't just wait!” Anakin began to pace back and forth, “At least now I know how I can visit Ben again... Thank you Master!”

“No, Anakin, I don't think it's a good idea...”

“Don't worry. I will remember what you said. I won't try to change anything.”

“Then why do you still take the risk?”

Anakin paused. He tilted his head to look straightly into Qui-Gon's eyes, “Then why? Why did YOU come to see me even after you knew it was useless?”

Silence again. He could feel Qui-Gon's energy softened into an empathetic mood. Qui-Gon walked closer to Anakin to hold one of his arms in his gentle grip. 

“I felt your pain, your suffering. I saw your endless effort trying to resurrect Padmé. You were so lonely and desperate... I just wanted to be there for you, waiting for the moment that you could come back, because I've always believed that you were the Chosen One.”

“Qui-Gon...” Warmth and sorrow flew into Anakin's heart at the same time. “You were sharing those sufferings together with me... I’ve owed you so much...” 

“You owe me nothing, Anakin. It's my own choice.”

“Then,” Anakin returned to a more insistent tone, “I think my answer to your question is the same. I want to know more about Ben. I want to know what made him fall.”

Qui-Gon conceded with a smile, “I understand now. But you need to be very careful.”

“Yes,” Anakin assured, “I have a plan.”

Just when the two were talking, Obi-Wan was also thrown into a bewilderment by Qui-Gon's revelation, although he was bothered by a different question.

“Master Qui-Gon,” He finally brought it up, “Why did you never tell me I could visit Anakin as a Force ghost? You warned me not to try it instead, and I just followed your order! That's unfair!”

“What good would it do for you to haunt Darth Vader?” Qui-Gon darted him a taunting look, “Do you think you would be able to hold yourself when watching the consequence you had caused in his meditation chamber or Bacta tank?”

Anakin felt a shudder when he tried to imagine the hypothetic scenario that Obi-Wan appeared in front of Darth Vader while he exposed all his vulnerability from flesh to soul. That would definitely destroy Vader, making him a monster of pure wrath. - Thank Qui-Gon for making such wise decision and thank Obi-Wan for being such a obedient apprentice! - Anakin gave Obi-Wan a bitter smile, seeing him slightly opened his mouth, but then bit his lip in resignation.

“What consequence?” Luke asked Qui-Gon out of curiosity.

“The reason why Vader was put into that life supporting suit.” Qui-Gon answered plainly.

“Wait...” Luke turned to Anakin, “You told me it was an accident...”

“An accident?” Obi-Wan's eyes widened, “You never told Luke the truth?”

“It was the truth... from some point of view.” Anakin curled his lip, “It was an accident caused by my recklessness, wasn't it?”

For all these years they spent together in the Force Netherworld, Obi-Wan never had the courage to talk with Anakin about that event and both of them had this tacit agreement to avoid mentioning it. He knew what he did was cruel. He used one of the most merciless marks of contact for lightsaber combat on his own apprentice, the mark that was actually forbidden to be used on any life form. He regretted it even more when he found out that Anakin was not dead. He knew how much Vader would hate him because he was responsible to the pain and suffering that had fed Vader's dark side endlessly. When he told Luke he “created” Vader, he meant it, not just as some ordinary failure of teaching as Luke understood. Yet he had never known what Anakin thought about it. Did he still carry grudge? Did he keep silence on it just because it was too difficult to speak about among other complicated things? And yet now, from what he told Luke, he took it so lightly, as if nothing serious had ever happened...

Obi-Wan felt an urge to give Anakin a tight hug. 

Luke sighed, gazing compassionately at Anakin and Obi-Wan. “Now I see both of you have deliberately hidden something from me, trying to let me believe you were the one to blame and the other was mostly innocent...”

“It's all over now, Luke.” Anakin cut in, “There's no need to dwell on it.”

“I just wanted to say...” Luke grinned, “I feel so happy for you, father and Master Obi-Wan.”

A strip of white light started to glimmer on the horizon of the ocean. Dawn was coming to the small island of Ahch-To.

“We have stayed for too long.” Anakin remarked, “It's time for me to drop in on my grandson now.”

“And not before long will Rey reach his cruiser. You need to hurry up, father.” Said Luke, “I'll go into meditation to watch them in the Force.”

“Good.” Qui-Gon nodded, “I'll continue my investigation, and hopefully I'll see you soon.”

“Investigation?” It caught Obi-Wan's attention, “Of some arcane matters?”

“You shall see.” Qui-Gon smiled mysteriously. 

“Well,” Obi-Wan shrugged, “may the force be with all of us.”

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