From the darkness slowly crawls a single ray of light, illuminating the swirling flecks of dust floating through the air. It is the first glimpse of light I've had in months, and it is blinding - painfully so. I close my eyes against the onslaught, but there is no escape from the constant nightmare that haunts my every waking moment. It's funny how vividly things come back to you. The memory surfaces from where I had hidden it - the deepest, darkest corner of my mind.
Tall grass sways gently in the breeze. The spray of cascading water pounding the rocks gently caressing my face. And her gray eyes, lit by the soft rays of a setting sun. She draws tantalizingly close, leaning up to brush her soft lips against mine. I start to wrap my arms around her, but she freezes me in place with little more than a thought, playfully skipping backwards. "If you want me, you're going to have to find me," she whispers. A moment later, she's disappeared into the tall grass. I feel her release the Force hold she has on me, tugging slightly at my hair to goad me on. Grinning, I charge after her, crashing through the undergrowth to flush her out. But I should know better - a Jedi is not easily startled, as she loves to tell me. From the corner of my eye, I catch a fleeting glimpse of red and brown that vanishes as soon as it appears. I wonder if I should go after her. And yet, I know her too well to fall for an old trick like that. I silently head in the opposite direction, relying mostly on my ears to guide me. While I'm no Jedi, my senses are far sharper than those of an ordinary human, which is how I hear the faintest, rhythmic whisper of air. A smile spreads across my face, and I circle around, silently creeping up beside her. "Found you," I whisper softly in her ear before wrapping my arms around her slender waist. She spins in my arms, pressing her lips to mine, kissing me long and deep, and I realize again how lucky I am - and suddenly, my senses are in overload. Something cold presses against me, yet somehow I'm burning. And her silky strands of red and brown are suddenly, inexplicably the color of the sky. There is a final flash of blue, and I'm plunged into darkness.
Scalding tears fill my eyes as the pain of my loss washes over me. I trace my hands over my face, recalling her hot blood spattered over my skin. And still, I'm not allowed to grieve in peace. The rhythmic, mechanical clanking of an assassin droid draws close. It grabs the stun cuffs binding my wrists, hauling me roughly to my feet. It pokes a blaster into my back, shoving me forward. The stun cuffs between my ankles make me lose my balance, and the cold stone wall is waiting to catch me. I feel something in my nose give way, and the metallic tang of blood fills my mouth. But I don't give it the satisfaction of hearing me cry out. I struggle to my feet in silence, and we move on. We end up in front of a pair of heavy blast doors. The droid hisses something into a comlink, and the doors slide open, letting in a blinding torrent of light and sound.
As my eyes slowly adjust, I realize that this is a circular arena filled with millions of adoring fans. Chanting for my blood. I step forward, slowly walking towards the center of the arena. I stop at the sight of a bloodstain spreading through the sand. A young Wookiee is being dragged away in the distance. I swallow my shock, determined not to let it show. Across the arena, another pair of doors slides open. The figure that emerges is a nightmare made corporeal. Swathed in a waterfall of flowing black, wielding a gleaming silver staff like it's a pencil, he strides forward until he's five paces away from me. I catch the glint of metal under his hood, which transforms his image from that of a living being into a terrifying, machine-like monster. My stun cuffs are suddenly unlocked, and the assassin droid whirs up behind me, pressing a smooth, polished cylinder of black and violet into my hand. Without looking, I know.
That the shimmering violet blade I hold is my dead wife's. And the hooded figure in front of me - he's the one who killed her.
A sudden surge of rage fills me, more powerful than anything I've ever known. And as my vision goes red, I feel the world erupt around me.