Deception, Truths and Nightmares

Chapter Nine

A New Apprentice

A/N: Ah, it's about time I got a constructive comment… yes, I do agree that a lot of characters here are OOC in this fiction, but it's an AU – I think I can do whatever I want. And believe me, Anakin's not weak. He still is as skilled as ever, but he's trying his best to suppress his emotions, and become a better Jedi as well. He holds himself back – although he doesn't like it – to be able to embrace the light side again. I think that explains his sudden 'weakness' or something, but he's trying his best not to use the dark side anymore. His strength comes from emotion, yes, I agree, but I'm sure he's aware of the risk he's putting himself in by fueling his strength using his feelings now.

For Luke, it is a different matter altogether. Luke has only had a slight brush with the dark side, and under the tutelage of Obi-Wan and Yoda, he grew to become a completely different person altogether – apart from his father. He's controlled, but he still puts his emotions first. After ANH, ESB and ROTJ, Luke has become a very matured and calm Jedi, and as you can see he doesn't really get a shock when the Force ghosts of Ben Kenobi, Yoda and even Anakin Skywalker appeared before him. I'm very sure that as a Grand Master, Luke doesn't boldly claim that he understands the Force completely – and if Anakin had landed in the future, Luke would be sure to assume that he is here by the will of the Force. The surprise of having Darth Vader in his Praxeum is quite… well, kinda not there.

Like I have written, Luke went into the archives once again and realized that this 'Jaden' was actually his father. He does not quickly tell Anakin that he knows – and he also has figured that Anakin is at a stage where he has fully embraced the dark side – and decides to let him take a look at his descendants, hiding behind his false identity, to learn by himself. That way, it would cause less confusion to Jaina, Jacen and Anakin Solo. They don't need to know about Darth Vader's twenty-two year old self, especially Anakin Solo.

If you have a vast knowledge of the EU of SW, Anakin has been given a heavy burden in being named after his grandfather who had turned into a Sith Lord – but that's not the point of the story.

In the battle with Alora, Anakin chooses not to kill her but to take her back to the Praxeum – not an action of weakness, but rather, intelligence. He would have – if he had mastered his own emotions by then – wanted to bring her back to interrogate her to find out about the cult's leader, rather than killing off their source of information right there.

In the battle with Sidious versus Yoda and Ahsoka, I think I agree with you. It was a little too weak, and Yoda hadn't made a move. Hmmm… well, I admit that was a horrible gaping hole on my part. I will try to add more depth into the characters, and to make them out to be what they really are supposed to be.

I think I just had a bit too much OOC-ness than I would have wanted. Thanks for the criticism – there's always room for improvement… :)

Sorry for the late update; I've been sick for two days.


Luke Skywalker walked into Anakin's quarters, slightly surprised to see the young Jedi meditating on his bed. Anakin seemed to sense Luke's presence and opened his eyes with a small, uncertain smile.

"I see you've been meditating," Luke said plainly, sitting down on the chair across from Anakin's bed. Anakin nodded.

"I'm assigning you a mission," continued Luke, much to the delight of Anakin. "But it'll be the longest one you've ever had." Anakin grinned even wider now. He had been waiting for a mission like this, and he was feeling the excitement and anticipation rise within him.

"I'm assigning you a Padawan."

Anakin looked as though he had just been slapped on the face. Luke bit his lower lip, hiding his amusement. He knew Anakin would have reacted this way, and yet, he could not resist giving his father a Padawan to teach.

"Why?" asked Anakin curiously, "I thought it was a mission you're giving me?"

Luke nodded. "This is the mission, Jaden," he said calmly. "I think you need a Padawan of your own. He's my nephew, and I think you'll like him."

"Is he Jacen?" Anakin asked, frowning slightly. Luke shook his head.

"No," he replied, "His name is Anakin Solo." Anakin stared at Luke in disbelief for a moment, before blinking in surprise.

"Anakin Solo?" he repeated. Luke nodded with a smile. "I'm sure you two will get along fine. He's arriving at the Praxeum with his mother," said the Grand Master, "Who is also my sister."

Anakin felt his heart warm as soon as Luke had said 'sister'. Not only do I have a son… I have a daughter even.

"Alright," Anakin said, more than happy to accept his new Padawan. "I'll teach your nephew."

Luke smiled. "Thank you, Jaden," he said sincerely. "Meet me at the Praxeum entrance in fifteen minutes."

Anakin nodded, and watched his son leave his quarters. At the thought of having a new Padawan, Anakin was instantly reminded of Ahsoka. He sighed, and frowned. He guessed that Ahsoka would have already heard of his betrayal to the Jedi, and she would hate him by now. He was never the best Master to Ahsoka, and he hoped that if she survived, she would continue her training under a much better Jedi Master. He wasn't sure if he was ready to start training another Padawan, but he had already accepted it – and what's more, it was his grandson he was training!

Anakin stood up, put on his dark brown cloak over his usual Jedi attire and headed out of his room and entered the elevator.

Upon exiting the elevator, Anakin's eyes fell onto a woman who was only a few feet away from her son, speaking with Luke. He approached them and Luke turned to him.

"Ah, Jaden," Luke said, "This is my sister, Leia."

Anakin smiled and bowed slightly towards her. Leia smiled too, and said, "I hope my son won't give you any trouble, Jaden." Anakin chuckled and shook his head reassuringly.

"I'm sure he won't," Anakin said. "I'll be more than happy to teach him the ways of the Jedi."

"Anakin, come over here," called Leia to her son, who had dark blond hair and striking blue eyes. Anakin could almost see the resemblance he had to his mother and perhaps even himself… a little.

"I want you to meet Master Jaden Korr," Luke said. "He'll be teaching you from now on."

Anakin looked up at 'Jaden' and frowned. There was something familiar about this man… but the answer was eluding him. It was almost like déjà vu, but Anakin knew better than that. He had seen the man somewhere before – but where, he could not remember.

"Hi," he said uncertainly.

"Hello there," Anakin greeted, smiling down at his own grandson.

"Well, I expect you two will get along fine, won't you?" Luke said, smiling. He turned to Leia and said, "I'll send you back to the Falcon. Han must be worried."

Leia smiled. "He can get along fine with Chewbacca," she said, and the two siblings walked off.

After the two were out of hearing distance, young Anakin Solo turned back to his new Jedi mentor. Anakin looked at his Padawan with a delighted smile on his face, but was increasingly worried the more he looked at his troubled expression.

"Is anything bothering you?" asked Anakin.

"No," replied the young boy. "You're the Jedi from my dreams. I've dreamt about you a lot of times."

Anakin raised his eyebrows.

"Really, that's peculiar indeed," said Anakin.

"You're Anakin Skywalker! I remember now!" he exclaimed a little too loudly. Several Jedi turned their heads in the two's direction. Anakin stared blankly at his grandson and gaped at him for a moment.

"How do you know?" he asked.

There was a triumphant grin on his grandson's face. "I've seen your face so many times! It's you! It's really you! You're my grandfather!" Anakin said excitedly. "How come you're here?"

Anakin knelt down so that he was only slightly shorter than his grandson.

"I don't know. You must not tell anyone who I am, young one," Anakin warned. "Keep this secret for me, Anakin."

"Okay."

"Now, tell me, how did you know I'm your grandfather?"

"I told you – I've been dreaming about you recently… Uncle Luke showed me what you looked like through the Archives," replied the young Padawan.

"Why?" asked Anakin, curious.

"Because I asked him to…"

Suddenly, realization dawned upon Anakin Skywalker. If Luke had shown Anakin Solo what he had looked like when he was this age now, Luke must know who he was!

Anakin frowned. Why had his son kept this from him? Had he been planning to let Anakin remain in the dark for the rest of his time here?

"Oh," said Anakin, smiling. "Well, let's get going then. We have much to train on."

"But—"

"No buts, Anakin! Now, promise me you'll keep my identity a secret."

Anakin Solo pouted for a moment, before reluctantly nodding. "Alright," he said.

-

"What?" bellowed Han Solo, staring at Luke with a mortified expression on his face, "You mean Darth Vader is teaching my kid?" Luke sighed and glanced at Leia, who merely shook her head. Han always had a knack of overreacting without listening to the whole conversation, and this was one of those times.

"I only said Anakin Skywalker is here," Luke said dryly. "I never said Darth Vader is here."

"They're the same person, Luke," Han growled. "I don't want him teaching my son."

"He's from the past, Han," Leia said pleadingly. "He isn't the Dark Lord we once fought against." Han glared at his wife. How could these two siblings gang up on him like this?

"How in blazes did he land here?" Han demanded angrily. Luke frowned and shook his head.

"I don't know, Han. All I know is, he isn't a Sith Lord," replied the Grand Master to his friend. "I'm sure of it. He doesn't have a reason to kill Anakin – I know my father, and he's one person who never hurts his own family members."

"You mean he knows?" asked a shocked Han Solo. "This is just great – hey, Chewie! Get my gun, quick! I'm gonna kill Darth Vader!"

A loud growl coming from the Wookie could be heard from inside the Falcon. Han groaned in frustration.

"Han! Calm down!" Leia shouted. "He's not going to hurt our son!"

"How do you know that?" retorted Han.

"He's our father," Luke said calmly. "I saw the expression on his face. He was more than happy to realize he'll be having a grandson."

Han grumbled something under his breath and folded his arms.

"Fine," he growled. "But if my boy gets hurt, I swear Luke, I'll stick your lightsaber up his ass!"

Luke looked at his twin sister and they both chuckled.

"What's so funny?" demanded Han. "I'm worried for my son!"

"You worry in the most amusing way possible, Han," Luke commented.

Han scowled. "Are you sure he won't pull any tricks? I have Chewie at the ready," Han threatened. Chewbacca growled loudly again – this time, in frustration.

"He's Anakin Skywalker," Luke said, annoyed, "My father, your son's grandfather, and your father-in-law – what are the odds?"

Han rolled his eyes.

"A million to one?" he asked sarcastically.


Obi-Wan Kenobi landed his Starfighter in the hangar of the Star Destroyer and jumped out of it, only to see Darth Sidious and Ahsoka standing there, apparently expecting his arrival.

"Master Kenobi, what a surprise!" said Sidious, cackling. Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes and clutched his lightsaber firmly in his hand.

"I have Clones at my disposal, Sidious – you are highly outnumbered," he threatened. Ahsoka eyed Obi-Wan closely, her eyes begging; pleading for him to escape now while he still could.

"No," hissed Sidious, "for now, you are highly outnumbered!"

"You won't escape with Ahsoka – I will not let you!" said Obi-Wan. His blue-gray eyes fell onto Ahsoka's. "Come back with me," he said gently. "It'll be fine."

"No it won't," Ahsoka said icily. "I need my Master back."

"Sidious is lying!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, outraged that Ahsoka could not see through the lies of the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"You and Yoda told me Anakin would be able to come back!" Ahsoka yelled, feeling anger rising within her. "Where is he?!" Her voice resounded throughout the whole hangar, surprising even Sidious himself. He smiled deviously – delighted at his new apprentice's anger.

"If Master Yoda can't bring him back, what makes you think Sidious can?" Obi-Wan said, his eyes piercing Ahsoka's. This was his only chance left – he could not bear to let Anakin return only to find that his old apprentice had turned to the Dark Side just because she had wanted to save him.

"I… I saw him," Ahsoka said helplessly. "I couldn't refuse…"

"She had to believe," Sidious snarled, taking over. He could not afford to lose another apprentice again. "Because deep down, in her heart, I know… she loves him."

"He's lying, Ahsoka! He cannot bring Anakin back!" yelled Obi-Wan.

"Liar!" shouted Ahsoka. She ignited her lightsaber and jumped towards Obi-Wan. Due to the trainings she had taken from Anakin, Obi-Wan and lastly, Sidious, she was now on par with the legendary Jedi Master. She blocked Obi-Wan's attacks almost too easily, and the Jedi Master felt that this battle was now one evenly matched. He blocked her attacks slowly, waiting the moment when she would be vulnerable for just a short moment, so that he could get her out of the way…

"Anakin doesn't need to see you on the wrong side!" Obi-Wan said, still parrying and attempting to faze Ahsoka.

"I'm doing this for him! I don't need to meditate! Once I kill you and Yoda, he'll bring Anakin back!" Ahsoka shot back, even though she did not want to mean those terrible words, and now, the two were already fighting their way past Sidious slowly.

"Anakin needs you to defeat him! He's your Master – how can you betray him?" yelled Obi-Wan. His sentence seemed to have struck a strong pang of guilt in Ahsoka, and he used the moment to Force push her into a wall, rendering her unconscious. It will buy us time, he thought with regret. Turning back to the enraged Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan shot him a small smirk.

"Your apprentice seems to have a weakness for her old Master," Obi-Wan taunted, "Maybe I will turn her back."

Sidious scowled loudly. "You won't get the chance," he hissed, before revealing a lightsaber from under his sleeve and igniting it. Obi-Wan knew he was not ready to face Darth Sidious, but he still had to try. For Ahsoka, he thought, for Anakin.

Darth Sidious' attacks were far faster than Ahsoka's, causing Obi-Wan to back away from a few strikes from time to time. His blue blade crashed against Sidious' red blade repeatedly, and Obi-Wan knew that he could not win this duel. Sidious was just too powerful for him. Obi-Wan could only tell himself that there would only be two people good enough to defeat Sidious – Anakin and Yoda.

Obi-Wan twirled his blade in midair and slashed at Sidious aggressively, who had become more amused the more they progressed into the battle.

"You are weak," Sidious taunted, "Weaker than Anakin, by far."

Obi-Wan controlled his emotions and managed to concentrate on the battle. Even his mastered saber combat form, Soresu, could not match Sidious' unique array of combined saber forms – a preference Ahsoka had also chosen as her fighting style.

"Qui-Gon would have been so disappointed, Obi-Wan," Sidious said, chuckling. "But you would have made far better apprentice than Ahsoka…"

"I'll never join you!" Obi-Wan yelled. "Your apprentice killed Qui-Gon!"

"And you killed my apprentice!" Sidious roared back, his loud, thunderous voice echoing in the vast hangar.

Sidious suddenly raised his hand and used the Force to choke Obi-Wan. He lifted the Jedi Master upwards into the air, and flung him to the wall behind them. Obi-Wan fell to the ground, not lifeless, but rather, unconscious.

Sidious beckoned to a few Clone Troopers who had witnessed the whole battle to come to him.

"Take Kenobi to the prisoners' cells," Sidious commanded. "And take my apprentice to the medical room."

"Yes, my Lord," said the captain.

Sidious watched as the Clones carried Obi-Wan and Ahsoka's body into the lower levels of the Star Destroyer with much disdain. His new apprentice had not been as powerful as Darth Vader – and much more reluctant, by far – and he would just have to kill the two after one last objective. He wanted to lure the rest of the Jedi here, so that they could save Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka Tano… and so that they could walk right into a trap. Once Sidious was able to hold the rest of the Jedi captive here, there would be nothing that could stop him.

Smiling to himself, Sidious walked back slowly to the control room, deciding that he would not need Darth Vader after all.


Shorty, but review!

I know this story may have flaws – but no story is ever perfect. Now really, I know cliffhangers suck, but I can't help it. I always end my chapters with a cliffhanger - and that usually leaves you wanting for more!