1/05
ROTJ “missing
scene”
Fatal Flaw
by MJ Mink
“I can’t kill my
own father.”
Obi-Wan noted the
quiet determination in the young Jedi’s face. “Then Vader and his
Emperor have already won,” he said softly, knowing that it wouldn’t be
enough to persuade Luke. His memory drifted to the events of two
decades earlier. “Your father was lost long ago, Luke. He had a
terrible flaw that led to his descent into Darkness.”
Predictably, his
words piqued Luke’s curiosity. “A flaw? Was it anger?”
“No.”
“Pride?”
“No.” Kenobi shook
his head. “Anakin’s weakness was love.”
Luke stood,
frowning at Obi-Wan’s shimmering figure. “How can love be a weakness?”
He smiled at the
naiveté of youth. “Loving too much or too strongly is always a
weakness, Luke. That is why potential Jedi are taken from their parents
as babes or toddlers before they form emotional attachments to their
parents.”
The boy’s shock
and distaste were palpable. “That’s not right. Children should know
their parents.”
“You didn’t, and
that’s why you are strong,” Obi-Wan stated bluntly, studying the
other’s puzzled expression.
“I don’t
understand.”
“You were taken
from your mother, you and Leia were separated.” It was necessary
to delicately ration the truth, ladling it out in small, manageable
bites that would be feasible for the young one to swallow. “That’s why
Yoda was willing to train you. Though you are much too old to be a true
padawan, you have not formed any deep attachments that prevent you from
acting dispassionately.”
“That isn’t what
you said when I went to Bespin,” Luke retorted sharply. He turned his
face away, lost in thought for many minutes. Eventually he added in a
subdued voice, “What does any of this have to do with my father’s Fall?”
“My master took
him too late. He never should have been trained.” Kenobi stood, wishing
for a wistful moment to have his old body back, to be able to stretch
his muscles and feel the moist ground beneath his feet. “Anakin never
stopped loving his mother. Her death drove him to take his first
terrible step into Darkness. Then he dared love Padme and that
love was his downfall.”
The younger man
remained silent, though Obi-Wan could sense anger in him. Yoda was
correct that Luke had the Skywalker rage, but he also had the line’s
purity, the same purity Anakin had had as a child...the purity that had
been lost somewhere along the way, when no one had been paying
attention.
“However, it is
often true that a man’s greatest weakness is also his salvation.”
Luke looked over
his shoulder, cobalt eyes glowing with re-ignited hope. “So...love will
save him?”
“That and more.”
He hesitated, aware that he needed to frame his words carefully. “Luke,
only Vader can destroy the Emperor. And the only possible reason...will
be to save someone he loves.”
“Who--? You mean me? He doesn’t love me.” The strangled sound
was half-laugh, half-sob. “He doesn’t even know me.”
He knows you, child. But some things are best left unsaid.
“You are his son. He will destroy Palpatine and sacrifice
everything—including himself—to save you.”
Hands balled into
tight fists and eyes reflected unshed tears of fury and hurt.
“Sacrifice himself? You expect me to stand there and let him—” The
distraught expression melted into horrified realization. “No--no! You
want me to put myself in a position where he has to save my life! You want me to...ah,
manipulate him into suicide. I won’t do that!”
“You must,” he
replied soothingly, “for the greater good of the galaxy...and for
Anakin. Can’t you feel his pain? He yearns for redemption, Luke, and
only you can give that gift to him.”
Luke trembled with
outraged denial that echoed through the Force. “If you’re right that he
loves me, then I can save him. I have to save him.”
“At what cost?”
Obi-Wan smiled faintly, certain that the two Sith felt Luke’s emotion.
Let them be warned that their mutual end was approaching. “If he lives,
he will continue to be Darth Vader. He will Fall even further into the
Darkness and take the Emperor’s place. If he dies to save you, he will
be redeemed and become one with the Force. That is how you can save
him, Luke. By saving his soul, not his corporeal form.”
The youngster
walked away several paces, hugging himself and shivering. He shook his
head, but did not speak. Satisfied that the seeds of Fate had been
watered, Obi-Wan released his image and watched the echo of his
physical self fade away.
Luke would do as
he was told. But if by chance he resisted, Destiny would not be swayed
from its inevitable path. Anakin and the galaxy would be saved and,
just as importantly, Master Qui-Gon’s unfortunate mistake would be
corrected.
End
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