Chapter 32 – United

Leia and Padmé watched the battle unfold from the Executor's bridge with burgeoning anxiety. While they couldn't see their individual fighters, they listened to Sigma Squadron's radio broadcast for a clue on Luke and Anakin's status.

"They're aboard the Eclipse," a tinny voice announced.

"Redirect forward firepower away from that Super Star Destroyer!" Piett ordered. "We've got men aboard that ship!"

Despite their restraint, the Eclipse continued to unload their batteries at them. The cumbersome Executor couldn't do much to evade the barrage, so blast after blast rocked the shields. Leia and Padmé held onto each other, pleading for the shields to hold and for Luke and Anakin to be safe.

Finally after fifteen minutes the onslaught came to an abrupt end and a transmission crackled on the bridge with a terrifying message. "Executor, this is Fulcrum. We require immediate medical attention for General Skywalker."

The battle had been won, but at what cost? Admiral Piett led the way to the nearest hangar while Leia did what she could to keep Padmé from panicking. She wasn't doing a very good job, however.

"He's dying! Leia, he's dying!" she repeated over and over.

"He's not dying," Leia insisted. "He'll be fine. Ahsoka's with him."

She spoke with assurance, but a gnawing sense of dread had her stomach in knots. She knew her father was alive for now – she could sense his presence still – but other than that, she really had no idea. Ahsoka had sounded especially grim over the transmission.

They arrived in the hangar bay to see a mottled ship with a unique trapezoidal shape touching down. Leia recognized the vessel, although she hadn't seen it for many years. This was the Ghost.

"Look out. There's a ramp."

A long shadow proceeded the arrival of Luke. He had his arm wrapped around the back of a shorter woman in pink Mandalorian armor, a grimace stretched across his taut face as he labored down the ramp with her assistance. A crimson stain seeped through the gauze bandage wrapped around his left thigh.

Leia rushed forward to the base of the ramp. "Luke!" she called out.

He looked up to see her. "Hey, Leia," he said with a strained smile.

"You're hurt?"

"Nah, I'm fine." He stepped off the ramp, the accompanying wince of pain doing little to corroborate this assurance. "Just a bit nicked up."

Padmé was suddenly at her side, her voice shrill in her ear. "Where's Anakin?"

Luke hesitated. "He's…"

They all looked up when they heard heavy footsteps at the top of the ramp. Emerging from the hull of the Ghost was an incredible sight. Knees buckling and arms trembling, Ahsoka carried an unconscious Anakin in her arms. Leia let out an involuntary gasp. Her father's head lolled backward and his tunic was painted red with blood.

"Anakin!" Padmé exclaimed.

"I need some help here," Ahsoka struggled to say.

From behind her, Leia heard Piett bark out an order. "Gurney! Now!"

Leia helped Luke limp out of the way as a team of medics rushed forward at the admiral's command. A repulsorlift stretcher presented itself before Ahsoka at the bottom of the ramp and she set Anakin down with a grunt.

"He hit his head pretty bad," Ahsoka panted to the medics.

"We see that," one of them said with a curt nod.

"He's going to be okay?" Padmé asked. "Tell me he's going to be okay!"

The medics ignored this question. Tearing through his tunic with a surgical knife, they began padding the jagged wound to his abdomen.

"AZI-6, check his vitals."

A stout medical droid floated above the gurney and performed a pass over Anakin's body, a flickering red beam scanning him from head to toe.

"O2 stats are within normal range," the droid announced. "Heart rate is low."

A medic placed a finger on Anakin's neck. "Pulse is faint."

"What does that mean?" Padmé asked.

"We've got to get him to the ICU, stat."

"Is he going to be okay?"

The medics continued to ignore her as they pushed the gurney away. Frantic, Padmé spun to her and Luke with shining eyes.

"He'll be fine," Luke told her.

"He's been through much worse," Leia contributed, her voice sounding a bit hollow.

Padmé bit down on her tongue and looked Luke over. "You're okay?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Took a blaster bolt to the thigh and shoulder," the Mandalorian contributed. "You should get that checked on."

"Come on," Leia said. "Let's get you to the medbay."

Padmé was well ahead of them. She took off running after her husband, a trail of fear behind her radiating powerfully through the Force. She and Luke both sensed it, and the twins traded nervous looks.

"He'll live," Luke said.

"He has to," Leia added.

Leia had found herself in this situation far too many times – pacing back and forth while she awaited an update from the doctors. She, Padmé, Ahsoka, and the Mandalorian woman whom she now recognized as Sabine Wren were in the hallway of the Executor's medbay. Droids and medics alike whisked up and down the corridor, sparing them no mind as they went about their tasks. There were a great many patients to tend to in the wake of such a disastrous battle.

Padmé listened with rapt attention to Ahsoka as she recounted the events as she understood them. Leia was far less attentive, barely acknowledging the jumbled words as they washed over her.

"Gideon refused to surrender… He had a vibroblade… Slashed him in the abdomen."

She could feel her father's presence through the Force. How or when she had become so attuned to it, Leia did not know, but she could now identify it without hardly having to concentrate. It was always so near, like a part of her, in a way. But now it was faint, fluttering. She closed her eyes and reached out, attempting to nurture him back to health despite not knowing how.

"Leia?"

It was her mother's voice. She turned to it sluggishly.

"Look who's here."

Padmé gestured with her head and Leia followed it. Escorted by a black-uniformed officer on either flank, a familiar face surged through the parting crowd.

"Doctor!" Leia exclaimed.

Vezara looked grim. She came to a halt and waved off her escorts. "Ms. Vader," she said with a slight bow of her head.

"How did you –"

"Admiral Piett summoned me," Vezara informed her curtly. "Where is my patient?"

Leia directed the expeditious doctor to the operating room across the hall and Vezara took off without another word.

"Who was that?" Ahsoka asked.

"Anakin's doctor," Padmé answered. "She fitted him with the new prosthetics."

Assured that Vezara would do everything in her power to help her father, Leia released a breath and turned to the three women. Her mother was seated on a bench with her knees clasped together and her hands pressed to her temples. To her right, Ahsoka and Sabine leaned against an air vent. Whereas the Jedi was chewing her lower lip anxiously, the suave Mandalorian was clearly bored with the wait. With one leg elevated and her foot planted against the grated wall behind her, Sabine sighed loudly as she twirled a strand of purple hair around her finger. Leia's face twitched at the sight, a spark of anger flaring up within her.

"You know, you don't have to wait here," she snapped. "Just go if you don't want to stay."

Sabine raised her eyebrows, startled by the sudden outburst. "Leia –" Ahsoka tried to say, but she cut her off.

"I'm serious. Why are you even here?"

Eyes narrowed, Sabine pushed herself off the wall. "You want me gone?"

"Yeah, I do!"

Ahsoka attempted to intervene, but Sabine was already storming away down the hallway. "Sabine! Come back!" She let out a low sound of frustration and spun back to Leia. "What was that about?"

Leia didn't know how to explain herself, so she was grateful when Padmé rose to her feet to defend her. "Let her be, Ahsoka."

"That was out of line," Ahsoka said. "You can't just lash out like that." She pointed a finger at her, but Leia slapped it away, eliciting a gasp of indignation. "Hey!"

"You two, stop it!"

Leia and Ahsoka both turned to Padmé authoritative voice. She had a stern expression, her jaw set and her eyes flinty.

"We're all on edge. We're all scared. But we can't take it out on each other. Bickering won't do us any good."

Leia quickly bowed her head with shame. "Sorry," she muttered.

"I know how much Anakin means to both of you. There's no need to try to prove it to each other."

Sobered, Ahsoka tilted her head and gave Padmé a probing look. "You've changed," she observed.

Padmé shook her head before sitting back down. "I'm not changed. I'm restored." Eyes pointed blankly at the floor in front of her, Padmé leaned forward with a sigh. Ahsoka stared at her for a long while before taking a step forward and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm glad you're back."

Padmé looked up to meet her eyes. Without a word, she nodded and rested her hand atop Ahsoka's.

The minutes stretched on into hours, and Leia was convinced she had traversed miles in her pacing. The occasional visitor interrupted the monotony. Admiral Piett arrived to offer his support and condolences, but he had to leave quite quickly to attend to other matters. Rex and Cara Dune showed up soon thereafter. The clone talked in hushed tones with Ahsoka while her Alderaanian compatriot attempted to cheer Leia up.

"Gideon's been taken to Coruscant," she told her. "Seems like your brother did a number on him."

That earned Leia's attention. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't hear? Gideon lost his hand."

Leia gulped at this information. Luke hadn't told her about that.

"He deserved it. Anyone who supports the Empire after what they did…"

Cara trailed off, but Leia didn't need her to elaborate. They both knew what she was referencing.

The door to the operating room slid open and Leia straightened her back in anticipation. There had been several false alarms over the past hour when a droid or medic emerged from the room without any new information to share, but this time it was Vezara herself stepping out into the hallway.

"Doctor!"

Vezara made her way toward them. Behind her, she heard Padmé getting to her feet with Ahsoka's assistance.

"How is he?"

Vezara waited until everyone had gathered round to answer. "As of right now, I can cautiously say that he is going to be alright."

Padmé let out a gasp in relief, but Leia wasn't yet ready to celebrate. "Why cautiously?" she asked.

"In the medical profession, it is always prudent to err on the side of caution," Vezara said smartly. "In your father's case, he endured a severe physical trauma mere days after undergoing a serious procedure. Determining anything with complete certainty would be a foolish endeavor."

"But he's going to be okay, isn't he?"

Vezara made an exasperated sound. "He is stable."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"I would like to have him transferred to the medical facility on Coruscant. There I will be better able to assess any internal damage he may have sustained."

Leia nodded and shared a look with Padmé. "Can we see him?" her mother asked.

Vezara eyed Padmé with undisguised suspicion. "Don't think I forgot what happened last time I allowed you access to my patient."

Leia held up a hand to prevent her mother from hurling a retort. "That won't happen again," she insisted to the doctor. "Please?"

Vezara met her gaze. "Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Very well then." The doctor spun on her heel and marched back toward the operating room. Padmé and Ahsoka made to follow, but Leia blocked their path.

"Maybe it's best if it's just the two of us," she said cautiously, bobbing her head to Padmé.

A flash of resentment passed Ahsoka's face. "Is that so?"

"It's just… I don't want to overwhelm him."

"Leia's right," Padmé contributed.

Ahsoka bent to her will. "Very well," she said, stiff in tone and even more rigid in posture. "I'll wait here."

Padmé spared Ahsoka an apologetic look before placing her hand on Leia's shoulder and steering her away toward the operating room. Vezara was waiting for them at the entrance. Seeing that they were following, she opened the door and stepped inside. Emerging on the other side, they found themselves in a compact airlock.

"I'm sure you know the drill," Vezara said.

Jets of pressurized air struck them from multiple directions, causing Leia's hair to billow up into her face. She had only just brushed the errant strands aside when a mechanical hiss signified the opening of the opposite door leading to the operating room.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

Leia sidestepped the doctor to see Luke seated on a chair by his father's bedside. He had been stripped of his flight suit and fitted in an unflattering medical gown. Beneath the flowing fabric, she could see bulky bandages affixed to his shoulder and thigh where he had been blasted.

"It's alright, doctor," Leia said on her brother's behalf. "He's family."

"I see," Vezara said, eyes narrowed.

Choosing to disregard the edge to the doctor's voice, Leia stepped forward into the austere room. It was sterile, bright, and frigidly cold. In typical Imperial fashion, grey medical equipment and black walls drained the room of color. A rectangular view port granted them an uninspired view of space. A Star Destroyer in the distance drifted past, but other than that, there was nothing to see. Nor was there anything to hear save for the rhythmic beep of a heart rate monitor, the high-pitched sound setting Leia's teeth on edge.

"Can you wake him?" Padmé asked.

"It would be best for him to remain anesthetized until he arrives on Coruscant," Vezara replied.

Leia walked over toward Luke who gave her a nod. "How are you?" she asked.

"Fine," he said absently.

His gaze returned to his father on the bed, and Leia followed suit. The medics had removed his tunic and robes to reveal his emaciated torso. A tightly bound bandage wrapped around his abdomen, squeezing on his prominently protruding ribcage.

"He looks horrible," Luke said.

"He's severely underweight," came Vezara's voice from behind them. "I advised him to stay in the hospital to undergo a nutrient replenishment regimen, but he refused at the time. Now I'm going to have to insist."

"Of course," Padmé said. "We want him healthy."

"Do you now?"

"I care for my husband's wellbeing, doctor."

The twins ignored this testy exchange as they continued to stare at their father. Luke scratched the bridge of his nose with the hand on his uninjured side.

"How could someone so frail be so powerful?" he asked.

"No, Luke." The both of them looked up to see their mother approach the opposite side of the bed. "You have it exactly backwards." She placed a hand on her husband's chest and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "But not anymore," she said in a whisper. "Together we can make him strong."

Finally, the Skywalkers were united. Finally, they were a family.

The End

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading and for your many kind reviews. As of such, Hunter is now complete, although I may write an epilogue at some point in the future. Before posting this final chapter, I went back to read some of the earlier chapters, and wow this story really evolved a lot in a relatively short window! My writing could be neatened up for sure as well, but if you made it this far that clearly isn't something that bothered you.

Having now completed several stories, I have come to learn that each story has its own message, not only for the readers but for the author as well. Hunter is a story of division and polarization, yet it is also one of reconciliation, forgiveness, and love. While I typically eschew commentary on contemporary events while writing my stories (fanfic is supposed to be a form of escapist entertainment, after all) it is impossible to ignore how relevant this story is to the chaotic world in which we are currently embroiled. Perhaps the evolution of this story was a subconscious reflection of my own circumstances, where Luke and Padmé were trapped in a quarantine of sorts by the big bad Darth Covid.

But back to the subject at hand. I was surprised to see how many of my readers took such strong positions in support of one camp over the other. When I was writing the story, I had no particular bias, or so I thought. I figured my readers would adopt a similar mindset, seeing the flaws as well as the positive attributes of both Padmé and Vader. Yet instead I discovered what I now suspect to be a deeply human tendency: the proclivity to polarization. As an American, I see this phenomenon growing more and more intractable – starting with politics yet now permeating nearly every aspect of our fragmented society. It has reached the point that the issue of wearing masks has somehow become a contentious issue.

What I hope you can take away from this story is that reconciliation is not impossible, even amidst bitter and acrimonious circumstances. Padmé told herself that Vader could never be forgiven, and to an extent she was right about that. Vader told himself that he could never become Anakin again, and he was right about that as well. But in spite of that, both found a way to forgive each other and themselves. It was because of their children that they strived to seek reconciliation. They saw how much their children idolized them and they saw how their intransigence could negatively affect them. Both Luke and Leia turned to the dark side briefly for the sake of their parents. The reminder that their actions and inactions could have such devastating repercussions on their children inspired them to better themselves, and in the process, they learned to love each other again. Because of that, the Skywalkers were finally united as the family they were meant to be. Perhaps we can all take solace in that.