„Look over there!" Obi-Wan shouted, as the Assault Transport came out of a sand-cloud. Below, and a bit ahead of them a Flitknot speeder, straddled by two Geonosian Fighters was on the run. The grey, bit balding scruff, and the black cloak were unmistakeable.
„It's Dooku. Shoot him down!" Anakin ordered the clone pilot, but his answer was unpleasant:
„We're out of rockets, Sir."
„Then follow him!"
„We're gone need some help!" Padmé tried argue, but Obi-Wan shook his head:
„There isn't time!... Anakin and I can handle this." It seemed Dooku noticed them as well, because in the next second his two guard ships turned back, dropped behind them, and started to fire at their ship. The plane reeled, when the lazerjets hit. As the pilot tried to pull up to avoid a dune, the right wing was struck, the prow barged into the sand, and the whole ship leant. Anakin had felt Padmé and a clone were about to fell off, a moment before it happened. He acted without thinking, reached out through the Force, pulled the Senator –his love- back from the edge, and grabbed her arm, gently but firmly.
„Careful, Senator!" he said with teasing grin „I can't protect you even from your own clumsiness." Compared to what Padmé's face was promising for him, even the duel with Dooku ahead of them would be a piece of cake, Anakin was sure about it.
„I can't believe you can joke around in a situation like this!" Obi-Wan cried out.
„Why, Master? You had ten years to get used to it." As they spoke, Dooku landed at the dock, and ran inside. A second later their ship stopped for a moment, so the two Jedi could jump out. As they wanted to ran after the Count, a huge explosion struck them down from behind. Anakin turned back and watched as the remainings of their transport disappear in the deep. It took him a few moments to understood what'd happened.
„PADMÉ!"
Anakin sat up, soaking wet, gasping heavily from his nightmare. „Why?" he asked himself „Why do I have to live trought that day over and over again?" Of course he knew the answer all too well. He still blamed himself. „You've promised at your mother's grave, that you woundn't fail again. And you broke that promise in less than a standard day. Was it worthy to become a Jedi? You'd lost both your mother, and your love, right after you got them back. Do you really want this life?" this maletic voice of doupt kept haunting him along with the nightmare in the past one year, so he knew exactly what to reply „Yes, I do! In fact I want it even more than before. I want to be a Jedi, to protect others from harm. The fact I couldn't do the same for my loved ones, doesn't mean I can't do it for everyone else!" There wasn't a single night since the Battle, when he didn't have to see the ship explode, and it was barely rarer when he didn't lose his right to Dooku's master lightsaber skills again and again. Soon he came to the conclusion the best thing he could do when the nightmare starts, to use Jedi meditation to calm his mind down, postponing the dream. The problem with this technic was that, he could use it only when he wasn't exhausted, and was aware the fact that he's dreaming. On other words: he couldn't sleep when he needed it the most.
A lot of things had happened since that fateful day on the Geonosis. He had fought in uncounted battles in this crazy war. He faced Ventress, Dooku's apprentice on Yavin 4, and he thought he pushed her into her death. Obi-Wan had became a member of the Hight Council, and soon after that, Anakin had been knighted. And then had come the battle of Cristophsis, where he met Ahsoka, whom was assigned to be his Padawan by Master Yoda himself. At first he didn't even want to hear about teaching her. Not like he was not proud for that the old Grand Master had found him worthy of such important task, it was much more because he didn't find himself worthy of their trust. Yes. He, the „Chosen One", who only a few moths earlier had thought about himself as a match for anyone in the Council, he was doupting in himself. He had two reasons for it: because he let Padmé to be murdered, he felt he was unreliable, afraid of the possibility of the youngling would die beside him, and his newborn fear of the Dark side. He had never really believed everything the Jedi taught about it before his duel against Dooku. But when the Count's blade chopped of his arm, a vision of the future ran through before his mind-eyes. He saw himself slaying younglings trough the corridors of the Temple, and fighting Obi-Wan surrounded by flames. At this point however he's head hit the floor, his body fell on top of his Master, and the vision disappeared as it came, leaving only the agony at the place of his missing right. He had more than enough time to think about what he saw, and realised how right Yoda had been, when they had met for the first time. The death of his mother and Padmé, pushed him dangerously close to the Dark Side. And when he had come to this conclusion, he had seen why was it nearly impossible to turn back if someone stepped on the path of fear. Now that he understood he's concern about his beloved ones really had lead him one by one to anger, hatred and suffering, he was afraid of letting anyone too close to him. But this fear would also had pushed him through the steps again and again. So instead of letting himself think about it, he tried to turn every bit of his attention to the war. But this was just another path of darkness. At the end it had been Yoda's wisdom what helped him, with putting the responsibility of guiding a Padawan on his shoulders. „Only a year ago, I was just a hot-headed, arrogant Padawan. I never really understood why is Master Yoda respected so much, besides his age. But now I see. He could help me, when even Obi-Wan could not. But I'm afraid, he made a mistake. I'm starting to get too attached to Ahsoka. I don't know how far would I be pushed farther towards the Dark Side if something happened to her as well. See? Here it comes again..." he couldn't think anylonger, because his comlink started to sign…
„Ahsoka, where is Anakin?" Master Kenobi's hologram asked. Along with Master Yoda, Windu, and Mundi, he was „standing" at the other side of the planning-table, facing her, Master Luminara, and Bariss.
„I've just talked with him, he'll be here in a few minutes."
„Then go, and tell him we need you two immediately in the interrogator of Negotiator! To discuss this business we need to talk pesonally."
„Alright." she said and ran out, calling her Master throught the comlink. A few seconds later, he answered:
„I'M ON MY WAY!" his voice howled from the small device, like he was next to his Padawan.
„Master, I've got new orders from Obi-Wan, he wants us immediately…" as she turned on a corner, she bumped into Anakin „…on his ship." she finished, with a smile.
„Great! What the hell is it now?" As turned back, and headed to the docks where he left the Twilight Ahsoka glared at his back in disbelief. „What's with him? He's usually glad when there's a mission ahead."
„What are you waiting for? Didn't you say, Obi-Wan wants us immediately?" he shouted back to her, with an „I'm in a bad-mood, so I kick in everyone"-tone. The young togruta girl ran after him, and decided not to bother with trying to question what his problem was. She knew him well enough, to know it'd be pointless.
„Finally, you're here. It took you long enough." Obi-Wan „greeted" them as they stepped in the interrogator. While they were on their way, Master Plo, Secura, and Fisto's holograms joined the other Jedi.
„What was so urgent?" Anakin asked.
„Look it for yourself." his ex-master pointe on the window of the room. On the other-side a human male was sitting, who could have been Anakin's twin-brother!
Hello there!
I know this was very slow, and I'd guess it's full with grammatical mistakes -particularly the past tenses gave me a headache here- but I promise to try to speed it up a bit.
