Broken Warrior
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The Jedi code was flawless.
And that was why he fell.
The Jedi code was pure and bright,
And that's why he turned to darkness
The Jedi code was sure and good,
And that's why he was inadequate.
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He was a noble warrior,
Bound in promise
He was a cunning warrior,
With a hunter's mind
He was a cheerful warrior his friends were his family.
He was an inspiration to all
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No longer do the cries of cheers ring out
No longer are there bursts of joy
No longer does he meet in secret with the one he longs for most
No longer does he receive loving praise
No longer do people gaze and smile
No longer does he wish them to.
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They run in fear before his steps
Those boots that sound so heavy upon the ground
They shake when they hear his voice
That metallic rumble as clear as death
Their cold fear feeds his loneliness
He finds their hatred invigorating.
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His anger makes him strong!
And his pain makes him remember why…
Hate clears his mind and brings instant power!
And sufferings are forgotten within that blissful haze.
He is proud of all of his accomplishments,
For he is a stronger man now, than that of old.
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The young heart wanted to save the lost
The broken heart wanted to save himself
The young heart wanted to learn and explore
The broken heart wanted to divide and conquer
The young heart wanted soar and fly
The Broken, searched for one who could make him fall again.
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People avoided him like a plague
People felt fear and death in his presence
No one wished to know him more.
No one knew where he came from.
They just knew what he did.
They just knew that he was the one to hate.
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He buried his past and anyone who might know of it.
He felt sick when he remembered himself.
Remembered who he was, who he is, and who he could be.
He couldn't focus… he had to forget… He had to forget…
Too many failings. Too many mistakes. Too many promises.
Live for now… I'll be better soon… Live for now… I'll be better.
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Nineteen years he lived on the edge,
Nineteen years he lived in the knowledge,
That this was what he wanted most.
Nineteen years he murdered for his righteous cause.
'Security… They all needed to be secure.'
'They all needed to submit. So, there could be peace.'
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Nineteen years he waited until he could have his revenge.
Nineteen years… but he failed.
The body vanished like a trick of some sort.
Then the Rebels got the plans to the master's vanity project…
Nineteen years of time and hard work.
Nineteen years since he gave up hope.
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No! He hasn't given up hope.
He is the chosen one! He will bring balance.
He is doing what he was destined to do from the start.
He has slaved away for his master.
He has done everything that was asked of him.
He should now receive the power he was promised.
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No, he is hated even more.
His master hates him, and the warrior feels unsure.
His master fuelled him with so much power and now…
Nothing, he pushes him further away, further away.
He gathers younger naïve slaves to do his bidding.
The warrior hates them, they are what he was.
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They feel honoured in his master's presence
They feel blessed by his master's power
The warrior feels in need of more…
And kills them when he can.
No one can take his place.
He will make sure of that.
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No, they couldn't take his place.
He had done things for his master no one could dare.
No one could understand the gain from his pain.
No one shall know 'that old sky name.'
No one should know, no one would know.
He killed all who did. 'Didn't he?'
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'Yes.' He has conquered.
'Yes the warrior has destroyed Skywalker.'
No one will ever know of that name again.
He burned it away. It no longer exists.
No one knows…. And he feels alone
Only the Emperor… and he hates him for it.
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1, 2, 3, and 4 the ships are falling. Falling. Falling. Falling.
The warrior kills them quickly and perfectly
The X-Wings splinter off into tiny pieces,
Upon the huge surface of the mighty Battle Station.
Nothing seems interesting anymore to the Warrior.
Everything too easy, nothing is strong.
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Regret. Regret is something the Warrior will not face.
Regret is something he is determined not to feel.
But he does. He regrets killing of the Jedi of old.
Back then it was challenging, it was energizing.
For now though … he is bored, he is sick….
He is tired of killing those who are beneath him in power.
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Obi-Wan was a huge disappointment.
He had felt no Fear. He had felt no Anger.
He had felt no Sadness. He had felt no Shame.
He had simply been at peace.
And that was worst thing of all.
He couldn't bear it. Kenobi had to feel his pain!
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But he had to cut the force from his life too early.
He had to wipe that arrogant smile off his face.
But, nothing. He had nothing, but Kenobi's Lightsaber.
He had wanted to torque him, and cut off his legs.
He had wanted to show him everthing he had learned
And teach his old Jedi master the Dark tricks himself.
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'Had Obi-Wan even suffered at all?'
'Did he know what I've thought of him all these years?'
'Doesn't he know how it felt to see him walking away.'
'While I was burning… Burning… Burning…'
'You deserved it though. You murder.'
'You deserve to live your whole life in darkness.'
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'I don't want to be alone. How did it come to this?'
'I chose this path. I wanted this.'
'There's so much pain though. My legs will they never heal.'
'I like the pain it helps me to remember why.'
'Why? Why am I still weak? Why am I still ignorant?
'What?'
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'We are still the same. From the day we changed.
Just weaker. Just alone. So Alone. I want to die.
I shan't die. You are weak, but I am strong.
I am broken, I am weak, and so tired, so tired.
Be Silent! and never surface again, BE GONE.
... Goodbye for now… If you need me… I need a friend. Please find me …'
….
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'I am not the same as I once was. I have changed.
I am more powerful now than I ever was then…
No, maybe not. … The force comes fast to my aid,
But hasn't it always…
The thing I wanted most…
I haven't learnt, my master has not taught it to me.'
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He sought after his master.
He wanted the power he was promised.
The power the force had over death itself.
He wanted the sacrifices to all be worth so much more.
He wanted the degree of honour and respect
That so long ago was showered upon him.
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But he was a Failure. Lightning strikes once.
A Failure to his master. Lightning strikes twice.
A Failure to the Empire. Lightning strikes thrice.
'I'm a slave again.' Lightning strikes a forth time.
'Why didn't we notice!'
And then silence.
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The Warrior awakens, once the Royal Guards drop him.
He had been place back into his space.
Back into his meditation prison
Back into emptiness.
His master would teach him no more…
Hatred caught in his throat and tried to choke him.
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'Why!' 'Why should I get the blame
For the destruction of that failure!'
Do the Emperor's promises mean nothing to him.
'He promised me not you…'
'Be silent! Fool!' 'No!'
'He is a liar, a manipulator, a hateful man.'
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'A true Politician.'
'You have done everything he has asked of you.'
'I have, it's time to get back something in return.'
'I need healing. I need renewal.'
'No, pain is good. I shall keep it.'
But, I need a new balance of spirit... Study the Jedi Holicron!
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'There is no need.'
'But what of Master Obi-Wan's power?'
'He had no such power, all he did was die.'
'But his spirit lingers… Do you not sense it?'
The Warrior did, try as he might
He knew his younger soul was right.
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He was weary. He surrendered his body to his machines.
'Now is not the time for Obi-Wan to haunt my mind. He is dead.
I must focus on the here and now.
I need to achieve something great, for my master.
Something that will strike fear into the hearts of the traitors.
So they will know, the force is greater than any single weapon.'
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'The one who destroyed the Death Star was strong in the Force.'
'… Maybe … Yes, I think he was.'
'Who was he? He had a young soul, and a mourning heart.'
'Who had he lost, I wonder, Whom had he loved.'
'Why did we feel him so clearly?'
'I'm not sure.'
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The Warrior got up and made the arrangements.
He would find this foolish Rebel.
He will make him feel pain for all he had done to his Empire.
This pathetic man had made the warrior look weak.
This lucky, pathetic pilot had made this Lord miss!
This Dead man had made this Sith Fail!
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Failure is unforgivable.
Failure is insufferable
Failure is for the young
Failure is for the inexperienced
Failure is for the weak
Failure is for the unprepared
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Day 1 and no Report
Day 2 and no Report
Day 3 and no Report
Day 4 and no Report
Day 5 and no Report
Day 6 and no Report
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Week 6 and no Report
Week 7 and Spies speak of the treacherous Princess.
Week 20 and Border patrol sees the ship 'Millennium Falcon'
Fleeing with guns blazing from Bakura stealing medical supplies
Week 22 … A secret broadcast from the Princess of Alderann.
'Her planet was peaceful… The Empire had murdered them out of spite and fear….'
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Week 25… A dream.
A strange dream, like those many years ago.
A cold, hot, sad, angry, cruel, … strange Dream:
Obi-wan. Tatooine. The burning suns. A farm. Droids…
Obi-wan smiling… 'These aren't the droids you're looking for.'
'Droids! I know you!... I know them.'
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The Warrior searched for the data report.
The Warrior searched for Stormtrooper footage.
The Warrior searched for the proof.
He searched for that old name… 'Ob….Ben Kenobi'…?
All that time. He had always been there.
Knowing the Warrior would never wish to see the planet again.
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Documented, were the things they destroyed.
The Stormtroopers had been thorough.
The Stormtroopers had done so well.
The Stormtroopers had… 'the farm? I recognize it.'
Had Kenobi been so desperate for company that he lived with them?
'No… I need to go. I need to see the truth. I need to know the truth.'
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The Twin Suns… The sand… The winds…
They were strong that day as if trying to break back the Warrior.
Beat him into submission. Beat him into the rock. Beat him into the earth.
But they had never conquered him, not then. Not now. Not ever.
The small farm was scarred and covered
Sharp sand, burned black, and white.
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His first greatest Failure still lay here…
He found the stone. It lay broken and splintered.
But he surprisingly felt nothing now.
It wasn't the reaction he expected.
He was numb. He felt nothing. He cared little.
Three more stones were beside her now though.
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Three weak fools to join her in the hot hard ground.
He felt shame for her. Shame that she had to remain.
He walked away, and towards the home.
'Something's out of order…'
'Be silent, ANAKIN… YOU ARE DEAD!'
'But there's … Pain… so much pain…'
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'A grave for the mother, a grave for the father.'
'A grave for the son, and for his lover,'
'But what of the other?'
The Warrior touched the wall and reached into the Force.
The Warrior felt a sudden painful vergence, a memory.
That then broke right through his shields.
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Feet were running. 'No… please no….' the feeling of HOPE
Feet were slowing. 'NO! Why… no…' the feeling of DESPAIR
Knees tremble. 'It's all my fault.' the feeling of DEEP PAIN
Knees buckle, hit the sand. 'I shouldn't have left them.' the feeling of BLAME
Blue Eyes look up. 'They destroyed so much…' the feeling of ANGER
Eyes look through him. 'They will pay for what they did!' the feeling of HATE
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The Warrior felt these emotions as if he had been the child himself.
'No, not child. He is a young man.'
'So, they had a son… but why…'
"No. Not a son." A clear voice rang out.
The Warrior leapt backwards. "Obi-wan!?" It was his old master.
"Anakin." He nodded and stood up from a broken chair. "Welcome home."
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"You're dead!" The Warrior pulled out his saber.
"I saw it myself." "I took your life." "I have your lightsaber."
He turned it on and thrust it out, spinning into the air.
It passed through the old ghost-like figure as if he had been a hologram.
"Yes, You did." Obi-wan smiled. "Very well I might add,"
"You must feel satisfied. Achieving such victory."
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His voice held no hint of mockery, but it stung.
His voice held no hint of hate, but it stained his anger.
His voice held that sound of peace, that he has lacked for so long.
He was teaming with anger….
"You are a disgrace. What good did you do them?"
"Why come out of hiding at all? You let yourself die."
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"Did I?" The old man sounded puzzled.
"Yes, well you died for nothing. I let them go,
I had always intended to from the start.
I wanted them to escape. To lead me to their base."
Obi-wan sat down again. "So, you found them."
"Yes."
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"And you've had your revenge, or do you still need a plan B?"
His words made him feel like a child again… 'Not anymore!'
"I shall in time. One Starfighter had good fortune,
And my plans for revenge have only been temporarily halted."
"He wasn't lucky Darth Vader."
"He is just a boy and you can no longer help him."
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Obi-Wan was quiet… unnaturally quiet.
And then he spoke. "A long time ago…"
"...You told me you could see the Jedi ghosts of the past."
He sighed out loud again, and shook his head.
"The ghosts of the departed…"
"Like Qui-Gon… I couldn't understand it…."
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The Warrior clenched his saber. "And you didn't believe me."
"No, I didn't." Obi-Wan Agreed. Shaking his head.
"I had read no recorded memo that could prove that it was possible."
"And so I couldn't believe it." Obi-Wan frowned.
"I'm sorry Anakin." The Warrior called upon the Force through his old master.
Blazing, His anger was nothing. Empty. Useless. Against the force itself.
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His old master was one with the force. Not there. And yet still living.
'Why was he here? What did he have to say?'
"Why are you here Kenobi? What does Tatooine have to do with you?"
He frowned. "I was watching after the family that lived here."
"You failed miserably." The Warrior smiled under the mask.
"You are right Vader. From a certain point of view."
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"What?" Vader walked a few steps closer.
"I failed you and I failed your family, but not him."
He looked puzzled for a moment. "Well… I hope not."
"What do you mean?" Vader felt his suit speed up his oxygen rate.
The Warrior, Anakin, was being quiet… waiting, and then. "What is he!? Who is he?"
"A son of a Jedi. A replacement. A fix. An experiment!"
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Obi-wan shook his head. "I had no such desires. To make him so."
"If I had I would have trained him long ago."
"I brought him here for his Uncle and Aunt."
"I brought him here to live that life that could have been for you."
"I brought him here to be secure from the Empire."
"I brought him here to be safe from you."
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The Warrior's cold heart, beat fiercely within his chest
The Warrior's mind counted the years since that hated day.
The Warrior's trust had believed his Sith master for so many years.
The Warrior's tongue had no sharp return, or justice, or truth to say.
The Warrior's worn-out soul shattered again, and broken.
The Warrior's heart refused to believe such lies.
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He must. He must not believe these…. , but instead he spoke…
"Was she alive? When you left? When you took her? Was she dead?"
Obi-wan frowned. "No. Why would you think she was?"
The Warrior said nothing. His throat was closing in.
He felt his breathing speed up and then stop and restart.
He felt his legs aching more and more and more.
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"You stole him. You stole him." Anger and betrayal again.
"You stole what I had wanted most!"
"You took from me what I had longed for most!"
"Did you rip him from her dying arms!"
With a burst of energy the Warrior cast out the pain and anger all at once.
Creating a small miniature earthquake-like explosion within the small space.
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It had no effect on the dead Jedi.
Every physical item had been cast aside but not the Jedi.
He remained in the centre of the room.
Calm, patient, and at peace.
The Warrior Hated him.
He hated him more than he hated himself.
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"And what if I had taken him?"
"BE SILENT GHOST!"
"Wouldn't you have done the same thing for your Emperor?"
"NO! of course not. He's my son!"
"The men you sent here almost killed him…"
"NO!..."
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"If he hadn't been with me he would have died."
"NO! You're a liar!"
His throat was hurting. His arms were hurting. His hands were hurting.
"I'm not lying. Vader." He walked, avoiding the Warrior, to the door. And turned.
"You are the one who has been lying to yourself for so long."
"Tell me. Have you brought peace to your new Empire?"
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The Warrior lost control and before he knew it he had released lightning
Out of his fingers, out of his knees, and out of his eyes.
His mind pushed it towards Obi-wan.
Kill! Kill! Kill! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!
The Force burned through him with perfect accuracy
And deathly consequences.
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The passion was the first to go as the pain came.
The hatred simmered, but was too hard to maintain.
He stopped the flow and opened his eyes that seemed to be still burning.
Obi-wan was there. Still there. Still not burning. Still untouched.
"Vader. I'm one with the force. You can't kill the Force."
The Warrior sunk to his knees.
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He couldn't go on. The Warrior could cope with the pain,
But not with the care needed for his body after the shocks.
'Why? Why had he brought him here?'
"You brought my son. HERE! Of all places! My son!"
Obi-Wan nodded. "It was a wise decision was it not? You hated it..."
"It's a hard place to leave. Even if you want too. You just keep coming back."
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"He was my son. You had no right!"
"No right?!"... Obi-Wan gave him his solid stare.
"Who has murdered every force-sensitive child on Corescant?"
"Who has hunted down every Jedi and made his life a living hell?"
"Who betrayed all his friends and turned them over to be murdered?"
The Warrior glared back. "It was all of you who first betrayed us?!"
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"Who are, this us?" Obi-Wan's image seem to be flickering through the Force.
"You and Your Emperor Palpatine?" He winced as he spoke the name.
The Warrior was still on his knees. "My master has taught me things…
Things You can never know, not in visions, nor in dreams."
"He has promised me… I shall even conquer death!"
"Shall? What you haven't done it yet? You've had a good 19 years to learn."
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"My master hasn't…" The Warrior was silent.
'My master hasn't really taught me anything new.'
'Nothing that I didn't know already…'
'I've learnt to direct my hatred in order to destroy.'
'I've learnt pain is a better teacher than any…'
'He's just how to let go, how to forget, how to feed off people's fear.'
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"Well then… did you want another free, non-painful, lesson from me?"
"You haven't conquered death! You are merely an echo. A voice."
You haven't come back to life. You can not affect the world around you."
… A long wait. The Warrior stood. And looked about him.
Obi-Wan had done none of this. It was all him, the Warrior.
He used the Force to pull the chairs back into place.
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'Who was this boy? What was he like.' 'My son.'
He walked away from Obi-Wan and down a corridor.
He made his way into a room, and jammed shut was the door.
But nothing a lightsaber can't fix.
It looked so much like the room he had… back then…
Yet, black, broken, and melted tools were all over the floor.
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Here, his only son had spent his days.
Here, he had walked under the blazing suns' gaze.
Here, out of everywhere in the galaxy he had dwelt.
Unaware. Uncaring. Not knowing. His father… had been alive.
The Warrior would have given anything… Anything to have him.
'He is mine… He is mine.'
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"I will have him at my side. It is my right."
"No Anakin. It is not." The Warrior turned.
"What would you Jedi understand of such matters?"
"What reason would the boy have to come to you?
You love nothing. You value nothing. You hate everything."
"You speak of that which you can not comprehend."
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"Really Vader? He was even on the Death Star.
Your son. Right there. Under your very nose.
You could have taken him then if you had been listening
To what the living force was telling you of.
But you were too focused, Too focused on your hatred of me."
The Warrior was silent, and still.
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The seconds rolled by, then the minutes, and then the hours,
And then the Warrior finally realized he was alone.
He was alone. So much more so than he had realized.
'Everyone had lied. Everyone had deceived him.'
'He could trust no one. He could trust nothing.'
'Even the Force had not revealed this truth to him.'
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'I wish I was dead.' 'No, We are in this together.'
'I wish I was dead.' 'No, We must find my son.'
'It's useless. It's so useless.' 'No! Have hope.'
'What hope?' 'I had never dared to hope before.'
'Why? He will hate me. Just as everyone else.'
'No! Obi-wan thinks he will hate you, and he will...'
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'...But he may not hate me.'
'You and I are all but the same.'
'Now you think so..? After all this time?'
'You are dead to me. You should not exist.'
'Yet, I'm still here. I can sense his longing. His thirst…'
The warrior breathed. 'I sense it to.'
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'He is searching for truth. For Hope. For Justice.'
'He is searching for Power. Revenge. And Purpose.'
'He is longing for Friendship, Meaning, and Love.'
'He longs for Respect, Direction, and Adventure.'
'He is like me.'
"I am like him."
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The Warrior stood again,
Gathered a few objects that his son had felt drawn too.
And looked, And wandered, and Searched.
'I already know his weakness. I know his love for the skies…
I know you son. I know you. I shall find you.'
'I shall bring you home. Luke Skywalker.'
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By Abigail Skywalker