CHAPTER THREE
The fire was spreading fast. It blocked all the exits, there was no way out. He was panicking now. Where was the crew? Everyone in the main hall was panicking. People were running around pushing others out of there was. Some fainted, some screamed, some fainted and some broke down and cried. Chaos was all around.
The heat and smoke were almost unbearable now. He couldn't stand much more. He needed fresh air. He tried to use a Jedi calming technique, but it didn't work. He almost couldn't breathe anymore. He had to get out of here, but how? All exists were blocked by huge fires. Was this the end? He couldn't die this way. Why had the Force sent him here? There had to be a reason. Had he made the wrong decision? Should he have stayed on Yavin Four? Safe with his uncle in the Jedi Academy? All these questions erupted in his mind. He had done what the Force told him to. Well not exactly told him, only that he had to go to Coruscant. It was almost similar as the dream he and his best friend Tahiri shared back when he first met her., but this was no dream.
Tahiri… He felt her presence brushing with his. She knew something was wrong. He should never have gone. Just as he was thinking this, there was an explosion not far from him. The he was hit by something big that smacked at his chest. The last thing he remembered was a masked head hovering around him, and then everything went black… [/i]
I awoke with a start. Why did I have that dream? It was seven years ago and I didn't have a dream like that in a few years now. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. Involuntarily my mind wandered back to the day after the accident.
I awoke in a white room, which looked like it was a hospital room. The room was so white it hurt my eyes. The first thing I noticed was the fact I was cut of from the Force. There was nothing. It was like a piece of me was missing. This must be how Uncle Luke felt when he was on Myrkr. The Force dampened planet. Ysalamari! That must be why I had no Force connection. I felt a little more relaxed. This meant I was not dead! But where were mom and dad? And Jacen, Jaina and not to mention Chewie? Why weren't they here? Maybe they haven't been able to come over yet. Or maybe they don't know you're awake.
While I was thinking of all the possibilities why I was here a man in fancy grey clothes came in to the room. He looked at me relieved. "Good to see you awake Anakin," he said. "You had us worried."
I saw him looking at some monitors; the he turned his attention back to me. "I know this all doesn't make sense, but I'll explain everything to you as soon as my colleague gets here. She's always later. In the meantime, I'm Kinnon."
He came over and shook my hand.
Now I was really confused. This man acted like there was nothing to worry about, like I hadn't been in a freak accident... How long was it? "How long have I been here?" I asked him confused.
"A week. You were unconscious. For a while we thought you weren't going to make it, but you pulled through. You're a though one, kid."
Just as I about to launch another question at him, a tall woman dressed in a black dress entered the room. She was much younger than Kinnon who was maybe in his forty's, and she dressed better too. She smiled at me and said; "Good to see you in the land of the living, Anakin." She spoke in a heavy accent. "I'm Jamilla."
Apparently I looked really lost and confused. But then again, I was lost and confused. I had no idea what was going on and who all these strange people are.
"Anakin," Jamilla started, "You and eight other children are the only survivors of the accident last week. The other children have no one left. Only it wasn't an accident. It was a set up. The other eight children were part of a group of witnesses we were supposed to protect. We traveled by merchant ship because we thought it would attract less attention than a highly secured ship, but we were wrong. They found out anyway and we were too late. Hundreds died because we failed to protect a few. Our rescue squad managed to get you to safety. They thought you were part of the group."
I thought fast. "So my family thinks I'm dead? Is that what you are saying?"
"Yes," Kinnon said. "You have to understand, if we announce you, or the other children survived the attack, the terrorist organization will know they survived and come after them to kill them."
"And as long as they think they're dead, they won't," I finished for him. "So what are you going to do next?"
Kinnon smiled. "You're a very smart kid," he said "Well, there are several options. We would like the go through them and see what you think."
I still didn't trust them completely, but they seemed nice. Without the Force I couldn't be sure of anything. For all I know they are that terrorist organization they were telling me about. No if they were they wouldn't have killed me already. They wouldn't even have rescued me. So I played along. "Can I ask you something first?" I asked Kinnon
"Sure, kid. Go ahead." he said
"Why don't I feel the Force? I'm completely cut off. Are we on a Force dampened planet?" I asked
Jamilla smiled slightly. "We can't have you're family thinking you're alive. They would launch a search for you and that would only alert Group C." That was the first time I heard her call the terrorist organization by its name. "Not until we decided what we're going to do. And that's up to you.
And deciding I did. After they explained the options to me, I understood why the Force had driven me to leave Yavin Four. The Force had driven me here to fight the beast, the beast from within. The New Republic was slowly falling into darkness. It was the same darkness the Force had shown me. [/i]
I was abruptly pulled from my thoughts by a knock on my door
The fire was spreading fast. It blocked all the exits, there was no way out. He was panicking now. Where was the crew? Everyone in the main hall was panicking. People were running around pushing others out of there was. Some fainted, some screamed, some fainted and some broke down and cried. Chaos was all around.
The heat and smoke were almost unbearable now. He couldn't stand much more. He needed fresh air. He tried to use a Jedi calming technique, but it didn't work. He almost couldn't breathe anymore. He had to get out of here, but how? All exists were blocked by huge fires. Was this the end? He couldn't die this way. Why had the Force sent him here? There had to be a reason. Had he made the wrong decision? Should he have stayed on Yavin Four? Safe with his uncle in the Jedi Academy? All these questions erupted in his mind. He had done what the Force told him to. Well not exactly told him, only that he had to go to Coruscant. It was almost similar as the dream he and his best friend Tahiri shared back when he first met her., but this was no dream.
Tahiri… He felt her presence brushing with his. She knew something was wrong. He should never have gone. Just as he was thinking this, there was an explosion not far from him. The he was hit by something big that smacked at his chest. The last thing he remembered was a masked head hovering around him, and then everything went black… [/i]
I awoke with a start. Why did I have that dream? It was seven years ago and I didn't have a dream like that in a few years now. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. Involuntarily my mind wandered back to the day after the accident.
I awoke in a white room, which looked like it was a hospital room. The room was so white it hurt my eyes. The first thing I noticed was the fact I was cut of from the Force. There was nothing. It was like a piece of me was missing. This must be how Uncle Luke felt when he was on Myrkr. The Force dampened planet. Ysalamari! That must be why I had no Force connection. I felt a little more relaxed. This meant I was not dead! But where were mom and dad? And Jacen, Jaina and not to mention Chewie? Why weren't they here? Maybe they haven't been able to come over yet. Or maybe they don't know you're awake.
While I was thinking of all the possibilities why I was here a man in fancy grey clothes came in to the room. He looked at me relieved. "Good to see you awake Anakin," he said. "You had us worried."
I saw him looking at some monitors; the he turned his attention back to me. "I know this all doesn't make sense, but I'll explain everything to you as soon as my colleague gets here. She's always later. In the meantime, I'm Kinnon."
He came over and shook my hand.
Now I was really confused. This man acted like there was nothing to worry about, like I hadn't been in a freak accident... How long was it? "How long have I been here?" I asked him confused.
"A week. You were unconscious. For a while we thought you weren't going to make it, but you pulled through. You're a though one, kid."
Just as I about to launch another question at him, a tall woman dressed in a black dress entered the room. She was much younger than Kinnon who was maybe in his forty's, and she dressed better too. She smiled at me and said; "Good to see you in the land of the living, Anakin." She spoke in a heavy accent. "I'm Jamilla."
Apparently I looked really lost and confused. But then again, I was lost and confused. I had no idea what was going on and who all these strange people are.
"Anakin," Jamilla started, "You and eight other children are the only survivors of the accident last week. The other children have no one left. Only it wasn't an accident. It was a set up. The other eight children were part of a group of witnesses we were supposed to protect. We traveled by merchant ship because we thought it would attract less attention than a highly secured ship, but we were wrong. They found out anyway and we were too late. Hundreds died because we failed to protect a few. Our rescue squad managed to get you to safety. They thought you were part of the group."
I thought fast. "So my family thinks I'm dead? Is that what you are saying?"
"Yes," Kinnon said. "You have to understand, if we announce you, or the other children survived the attack, the terrorist organization will know they survived and come after them to kill them."
"And as long as they think they're dead, they won't," I finished for him. "So what are you going to do next?"
Kinnon smiled. "You're a very smart kid," he said "Well, there are several options. We would like the go through them and see what you think."
I still didn't trust them completely, but they seemed nice. Without the Force I couldn't be sure of anything. For all I know they are that terrorist organization they were telling me about. No if they were they wouldn't have killed me already. They wouldn't even have rescued me. So I played along. "Can I ask you something first?" I asked Kinnon
"Sure, kid. Go ahead." he said
"Why don't I feel the Force? I'm completely cut off. Are we on a Force dampened planet?" I asked
Jamilla smiled slightly. "We can't have you're family thinking you're alive. They would launch a search for you and that would only alert Group C." That was the first time I heard her call the terrorist organization by its name. "Not until we decided what we're going to do. And that's up to you.
And deciding I did. After they explained the options to me, I understood why the Force had driven me to leave Yavin Four. The Force had driven me here to fight the beast, the beast from within. The New Republic was slowly falling into darkness. It was the same darkness the Force had shown me. [/i]
I was abruptly pulled from my thoughts by a knock on my door
