The Unseen

Chapter 11 - Decisions Unmade

Obi-Wan jerks back as through he's been struck. "I – I –" he shakes his head, "Anakin, I can't." There's so much emotion in his words – pain, sorrow, fear. "If I was capable of such a thing, I would have done it already, if only to spare you from the agony."

Vader looks down at the relic in his palm. It would have been so easy, and if not for the Sith spirit, he wouldn't be here right now. If Obi-Wan can't help him, there will be other ways. "A pity," he replies, tone never losing its mechanical neutrality, "For it would have been most convenient had you agreed."

"Your children," Obi-Wan reminds him, a hint of desperation in his voice. "Would you really do that to them? Is it not enough that they – have lost one parent?"

"They should not know me," he answers simply, because really, it should be obvious. "I am a monster and certainly unworthy of caring for them."

"Don't say things that like," his former master demands, moving closer and laying a hand on Vader's upper arm. He considers pulling away again but decides not to. It shouldn't matter. He can hardly feel the contact through his armor. Obi-Wan's gaze unerringly meets his, even though the lenses of the helmet. "You've done terrible things, true, but that doesn't mean you can't come back. You don't have to end your life."

"It would be justice," he argues, crossing his arms.

"Perhaps the galaxy would see it as such," Obi-Wan allows, "But there are others who wouldn't. No matter what happens, everyone won't be happy." He pauses, and Vader can sense a probe through their bond. "Your daughter is on Alderaan. She's going to meet you."

"What?" It's the most logical thing he can think of to say. He hadn't counted on that. He'd never thought he might actually meet them. He'd wanted to see them, but the realization that they might come to know him never actually dawned on him.

"Leia was adopted by Bail Organa," Obi-Wan patiently explains. "She'll be there when we arrive."

"And if I do not wish her to see me?" he queries.

"I have my doubts that she will accept such a proposition," Obi-Wan replies dryly. "She seems to be very much like you in temperament."

Somehow, the hand has become comforting, but Vader steps back, glancing down at the relic in his hand. He distantly realizes that it's taking Ahsoka a long time to return, but he's not exactly surprised. He doubts the shuttle had been landed nearby. Obi-Wan may be right – it wouldn't be the first time – but he doesn't want to continue living knowing how badly he messed everything up. It's simply too painful. Death is, by far, the best choice, but he has plenty of time to plan it. They won't be confronting Sidious any time within the next few weeks.

He clenches his fingers around the relic, striding resolutely across the hanger towards the outside. He stands there, a hot breeze blowing his cape as he uses the Force to throw the relic into a lava river a distance away. It disappears into the lava, and a flicker in the Dark Side tells him that it's been completely destroyed in the heat. The Sith spirit's dark presence disappears as it loses its hold.

The humming of a ship engine approaching breaks through his silent contemplations, and he turns, moving back to the hanger where Obi-Wan is waiting. His former master gives him a small, strained smile. It's meant as silent approval of his actions. The shuttle lands twenty feet away from them, and the ramp lowers. "Let's get out of here," Ahsoka yells from inside the ship, "This place is creepy."

Creepy isn't the word he would use, but he can understand the sentiment. Mustafar holds nothing but painful memories for him, and he has little desire to remain here any longer. He doesn't need to ask to know that Obi-Wan agrees. They board the shuttle, closing the ramp as Ahsoka flies away, up into the atmosphere. This chapter of his life is over, and a new one is about to begin.