CHAPTER 1
THE MAW
"R2, just stay the course," Anakin Skywalker stated calmly, a half-hearted attempt to placate the droid. It would be two standard hours before they reached Mustafar. Anakin performed last minute manual checks on the ship before trusting R2 to take over with Auto-Pilot. Adjacent to the exterior of the Jedi Starfighter's canopy, the astromech whistled a nervous retort, translated to basic on the ship's Heads Up Display for the pilot's benefit. Anakin, who would now be considered one of the lost twenty-one of fallen Jedi, chose not to respond. He didn't necessarily blame Artoo for it's worries, but the droid would never understand his recent movements. His thoughts dwelled on Padme before he leaned his head on the pilot chair's headrest. The less R2 knew, the better.
"R2. I said stay the course," he said, exasperated. The astromech continued to complain about something, but Anakin continued to lean his head on the seat in an effort to keep his mins and train of thought blank. Exhaling in frustration, Anakin finally reacted to R2's increasingly urgent tone. He sat up and glanced at the HUD, a frown beginning to crease his face.
"A gravity well?" Skywalker uttered almost unbelieving. This was ridiculous! Why didn't R2 tell him there was a black hole approaching his vector? A half-second later, he glanced at the HUD and decided to overlook R2's ''I told you so'' plastered on the translator.
Swallowing and then exhaling forcefully, Anakin prepared to let the force guide him. Seeing a black hole up close and personal was no doubt intimidating, but he let that fuel his energy to get away from the danger. He became the ship, as his hands flew over controls, not comprehending what he was pressing, pulling, or pushing. He just knew that he would get to a safe destination. All around him, the ship began to rock violently. He could feel the gravity of the Black hole behind him as he began to pass by it...
"It's pullng us in! Artoo, shift the vents downward!" Anakin's eyes quickly scanned the readouts popping up on the monitors.
"We're sitting ducks. Once we get close enough to the Gravity Well, if we enter at a specific angle, we just might get transported to our initial position..."
Skywalker pulled on the thrusters as Artoo angled the starfighter's vents downward, Causing the ship to aim toward the edge of the massive black hole, nose first.
"I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered before checking that his crash webbing was secure.
In moments, he went from angling the ship towards the black hole, to careening through atmosphere at what he felt was hyperspeed.
"This is just like landing the Invisible Hand," Anakin said aloud, accompanied by a sudden pang of guilt. Was Obi-Wan alive? Anakin scowled. It wouldn't matter. Once he got out of where here was, he would erase the Seperatist Council and Padme would be safe. But right now, he could only wonder if he would find his way back-and how to crash without instantly killing himself.
Using the force, he willed the ship to slow down. Something easier said then done, the atmosphere continued to rush past and around the ship at all sides. From what he could tell, it was dark, whatever this planet, or moon, or whatever was. There was barely a light difference as the planet's surface continued to pull him and the ship and Artoo towards it.
Anakin felt strangely calm as the ship rocked from atmospheric entry and increasing velocity. R2's excited beeps could be easily heard by him although they held no relevance to him at that moment. Willing the force to protect him, he instinctively guided the starfighter to a large expanse of forest, right near the edge of it.
The crash happened without preamble, but was fortunately dampened by it's deceleration through the trees.
The ship was utterly wrecked.
Anakin climbed out of the smoke ridden hulk of metal that was considered a starfighter minutes before. Coughing violently from inhaling a bit of smoke, he breathed in the fortunately breathable air.
And almost gagged.
Although Anakin had pledged his allegiance to the Dark Side of the Force, he never in his life literally crashed into such a large nexus of Dark Side Energy. Breathing through his nose to prevent himself from hyper-ventilating, he trudged over to R2's socket at the side of the ship. The astromech's domed head swiveled around to communicate a rude remark.
"If you told me I was cruising by a black hole, we could have avoided all of this," Anakin replied with a shake of his head. He depressed the lever and his faithful droid popped out of the socket. Coughing in reaction to the smoke and the spiritual heaviness of the strange planet, Anakin regarded the old Jedi Starfighter.
It was truly a sad sight to see. It couldn't even be recognized as a ship anymore, with both it's wings nearly melted from atmospheric entry and smoke coming out from everywhere on the starfighter. If anything, it resembled a giant, malformed, metallic egg. He idly wondered how he had even survived getting out of the thing. Oddly, it was snared at many angles by the local fauna. From the looks of it, some of it looked manipulated. Best not to dwell on it, he thought to himself. Using the sleeve of his robe to cover his nose and mouth, R2 followed as he made his way through the jungle like terrain.
Anakin.
Anakin had already been following the obvious trail that the Dark Side was revealing to him. The air began to feel thicker and thicker as he continued along. The trees seemed to be massive, rivaling the Massassi trees of Kashyyyk. Much of the plant life looked...unnatural if Anakin had to give it a descriptor. As he neared a clearing, a quadruped animal was snatched up by a monstrous looking vine.
Anakin.
It was that call again. Anakin looked around the clearing. There was no one present, but that did not change the fact that there could still be someone here. Someone was calling for him and it felt distinctly feminine, but simultaneously dark and oppressive. Skywalker trudged forward, seeing nothing but a stone pillar.
"A fountain," Anakin muttered unbelieving. Around the fountain was what looked like an overgrown courtyard. Moss covered much of the stonework and the fountain with it's pool of water and stone column in the center of it was what drew Anakin's attention. R2 whistled softly from behind him, constantly nudging him in the leg.
The Dark Side was at it's strongest in this general area.
Drink it.
Anakin began to reach his flesh hand toward the water...
A reflection?
Anakin stopped suddenly, his hand inches from the liquid. He neared his face to it to better see the image forming in the water.
You were my brother, Anakin!
A lake of fire. Orange colors blinding his vision.
ULTIMATE POWER!
Sadness. Sadism. Was that Palpatine? His face was inhuman...
Anakin! Please!
Padme was in fear. Of him.
I am your father!
A young man that looked much like him, regarding him with fear and...sadness.
NO!
The young man jumps from the precipice, willing to die from a long fall than join him.
Rise...Lord...Vader
Heavy, labored, mechanical, forced...breathing.
"Gah!" Anakin shouted incoherently as consciousness assaulted him. He stumbled backwards, landing painfully on his rear. It felt so real. His head was pounding, and for a split second he did not know up from down and left from right.
R2's beeping had become even more excited, his frame nudging Anakin with more urgency. Skywalker regained his bearings, slowly standing up and palming the side of his belt for his lightsaber. It was still there. He had the sudden feeling that he would need it.
