In orbit around Ryloth, four days after Anakin's disappearance.

Anakin breathed lightly so he wouldn't wake Hera who slept next to him in the cramped bedroom on Bo's starship. They had just delivered the slavers to the authorities on Ryloth who were extremely grateful for their transfer. The authorities had looked at Anakin skeptically as he wore his cloak with the hood down around his eyes, but didn't question him when he told them that there were no survivors at Jabba's palace. He didn't miss the glare from the red-headed bounty hunter either, but that wasn't going to change his mind in the slightest. The girl beside him made her wishes clear to him, and she wanted to stay so he was going to take her in.

It wouldn't be long now until Bo came back scowling like it was her true job, and the young man had a feeling that today would be when their paths went separate ways. She had stayed behind to secure their payment then told him she'd be right back, the way she had said that also made it clear she was not happy about his lie to the twi'leks. The choice had been left up to him whether or not they would find a new home for Hera, and he made a decision that he would stick by no matter the fallout from it.

Even over the past four days he felt that he and Hera had become fast friends. He had made her breakfast the day before, which consisted of pancakes, juice, and whatever fruit Bo had on the ship. They had spoken about some missions he had undertaken with the Jedi then about the few things she remembered from her childhood. Over the conversation he had found out that she was extremely interested in piloting a ship of her own one day so she could travel to any and all star systems she could find; hearing that brought a wistful smile to Anakin's face as he recalled a similar moment from no so long ago. If only things could be that simple once more.

Who was to say that they couldn't be like that anymore? Now that the Jedi were but a memory he could take the time to explore the galaxy as a whole with his new friend by his side. Maybe he would even be able to teach her how to pilot his starfighter since he wasn't such a bad pilot himself. Together they would have a stable environment to live in, one with company and companionship. Sparing a glance to the sleeping girl at his side Anakin began to think that maybe he could be a father figure to her. Much like had had been…for Ahsoka.

"You forget about your own flesh and blood young Skywalker. Do not forget about the future you so desperately cling to".

Anakin snapped his gaze away from Hera and twisted around to look for the source of the deep voice he heard. It had been a few days since he had heard from that presence that showed him visions of those two kids in his dream, and while he had thought about it he didn't pay it much mind as of late. His focus had been placed on Hera as well as what to do with his life now that it was his own, yet the voice that called to him was enticing, it felt as though it had something to show him.

"And I do" it said reading his thoughts. "Come to Moraband and you shall see the true path your future holds. You can witness the true power that runs within your veins, power that will be able to hold off any enemy of yours. No Jedi would be able to threaten you, no Sith would be able to touch you if you used the knowledge that I offer. Come to Moraband Anakin Skywalker".

A soft knock came to the door bringing Anakin out of his stupor, forcing the possible assumptions about the voice to leave his mind for the time being. Stealthy, he removed himself from the right side of the bed and on light toes he moved to the door that thankfully opened relatively quietly. On the other side he found himself within arm's length of the Mandalorian bounty hunter who wore a scowl that he had familiarized himself with. Putting his arms in the long sleeves of his robe he waited for the red-head to speak her mind.

Her emerald green eyes gazed into his eyes, never leaving them once. Whatever she was looking for Bo made no effort to tell him what it was or if she had her answer. Instead, she held out the case she had in her hand that Anakin didn't notice until then. "Your share" she told him.

He took the briefcase from her hands, but didn't move otherwise as he knew there was more to be said. The woman stared at him not with contempt or dislike, but with confusion. It became increasingly apparent that Bo just didn't understand why he was doing what he was even though they had an argument about it already. She sighed but asked, "where do you plan to go?"

"Moraband" he said without much thought, and through the Force he knew that the presence that stalked him felt pleased about his decision. Even though he never heard a word from it Anakin knew it still beckoned to him, called him out to play. It wanted him to know more about the power he held in his hand, yet knew nothing about.

"Don't know much about it" she told him with an awkward silence falling over them afterwards.

"I doubt that you would to be honest, it's not what I would call 'a popular destination' for most".

"Then why go Anakin?" she asked more frustrated than anything. She didn't know, and couldn't begin to guess why a man with so much potential would waste it away.

He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled loud enough to let his annoyance at her continued attitude be known. It wasn't necessary to let her in on his plan, though he felt it she should at least know why he was going to give up his ways. "Something has been calling to me from there through the Force. It's a voice that's been whispering my name, sending me strange visions and messages that I won't be able to understand unless I go".

Raising her hands in a placating manner Bo asked, "so you won't take Hera with you on continued jobs that could make you a living, yet you'll bring her along to a planet where who knows what is waiting for you? Did it not cross your mind that whatever's there could kill you or her, maybe even want to bring you back to the Republic?"

"It's hard to understand if you aren't Force sensitive, but I know that it isn't. It's a feeling that we can get when we hear or sense something, and we know it to be true or honest. Whatever this presence wants me for I know for a fact that it's intentions have been made clear to me. I'm supposed to be on Moraband to learn more about my gift and how to use it".

Bo shook her head, pacing on the small metal floor in front of Anakin. He watched her with some amusement as she lost herself in thought. She could've been processing the information he had given her, but there seemed to be more to it, like she had been deciding something. Waiting for the woman to come to her own decision seemed like the best option so rather than force one out of her Anakin choose to be patient.

"Did this disembodied voice say what they wanted?"

He sighed, "it told me that it wants to train me, to prepare me for my future. The voice sees potential in me that no one has ever tried to look for; the Jedi never said anything of the sort since they believed it wasn't the 'Jedi way'. Each member of that council held me back, because they feared me, but not this. This voice or whatever it is wants me to become powerful, to reach my true height in the Force".

"Then what would you do with that power if it's really what you'll achieve? Will you simply sit in a home with Hera watching the days go by or will you do something about the problems you see? You'll have an obligation to make things better when you earn that skill, and I have no doubt that you shall. You can make things better for children like Hera, like you so no one will have to endure the horrors we've seen".

No response came from Anakin, instead he seemed to digest the claim he had just been told. Every word of hers made sense, and the inner conflict within him started to build. He did have an obligation – mostly to himself – to rid the galaxy of those who marred those who lived in it. There should be no more Hutts, no more Sith or Jedi, and there should be no more slavers. If the presence that called to him followed through on its promise then he would be able to do that. In a way, he could save those two sweet and beautiful children he had seen before they were ever even born.

Anakin didn't notice when Bo had closed the distance between then, but she had and stood right in front of him to make her points more impactful. The woman's pride swelled slightly at the sight of him considering her point, and she wasn't about to let that slide. Bringing a hand to his right arm she kept speaking to him, "I'd come with you Skywalker. You're already the most powerful Jedi…former Jedi that I've met, should you grow in power then you'd be unstoppable. Our will couldn't be hindered by any outside force in this universe. Should you choose to put those skills to use after you obtain them then I will assist in your training and with Hera".

His lips pressed together, and his eyes narrowed in on the red-head holding in them a seriousness she had come to associate with Anakin. "Why is this so important to you?" he asked her.

One moment passed, then two. The only thing that either could hear were the hum of electronics that kept the ship flowing or provided information to its passengers. Bo held out for what had to have been several minutes before answering, "people not too different form those slavers kills my sister, and I could have done something about that. At the time I believed I was on the right side of the fight, the one that would have made our traditions and ancestors proud. It wasn't until they took power in Mandalore that I realized just how wrong I was". Fierce determination clouded her gaze, a look he had been all too familiar with, "indirectly, I am the cause of my sister's death. I don't seek or hope for forgiveness, however I will make sure nothing like that happens again".

"Duchess Satine was your sister". It was a statement, not a question as Anakin put the pieces of it together. The Mandalorian's face fell once he figured it out, and a mixture of grief and shame had overcome the proud woman. He knew the story about how Maul had overthrown the government along with Deathwatch, he just didn't suspect that Satine's sister had been part of that.

Rather than letting her stew in her misery Anakin spoke, "I accept your offer. Together we'll make a difference to prevent situations like mine, Hera's, and your own. That is a promise".

Moraband, five days after Anakin's disppearnce.

Anakin walked alone through the copper haze that hung over the home world of the Sith. Once Bo and he had agreed to work together they made their way straight to the place that beckoned to him like a lost lover. Even from being in orbit he could feel the whispers calling to him, begging him to learn the secrets of the ancient order he had been raised to fear. Even at that specific moment he was unsure of what to expect and was on edge.

A darkness hungover these rust covered lands that made him feel a coldness he hadn't felt since the day his mother had died. With every step in the dirt, past rocks, and through mountain passes the feeling became stronger. He was glad that Bo had offered to stay with Hera on the ship, Anakin couldn't be too sure that there wasn't any danger here for them and he'd rather they be safe than die for their hubris.

The presence that had called to him through his dreams was here, he could feel it. Pure glee filled his senses and the Force around him, but it wasn't from Hera nor from Bo, and it had been lingering from the moment he stepped onto Moraband. Soon, the presence would find him and the anticipation of such a thing had Anakin jumping at even the slightest noise.

After training his entire life as well as fighting in a war Anakin had thought himself to be in shape, yet he was beginning to doubt that now. He left the ship over an hour ago, and at that time he hadn't realized how big of an oversight it was to forget water. The heat and humidity of the planet was nearly unbearable thus making the dryness in his throat even worse. In his head he prayed that some sort of sign would come to let him know where he was supposed to go.

"Ani?"

Anakin froze midstep. That voice, her recognized that voice and it filled him with equal parts fury and anxiety. She shouldn't be here, not here, it had to be a trick. It called to him again in the exact same manner, and Anakin couldn't find her no matter how many times he turned in his place.

"Master, in here!"

Before he understood what he was doing Anakin began to move to where the voice had come from. Leaping over boulders and jetting rocks brought him further into the canyon he had been exploring. The deeper he went the more he noticed the sun giving way to an overwhelming darkness. To say that it felt foreboding would have been a very gross understatement.

After reaching for his lightsaber and igniting it Anakin stopped to look around at his surroundings. Writings lined the rust colored canyon walls made up on different symbols that he couldn't begin to decipher. His flesh hand trailed along the rock to feel the deep cuts and jagged lines that made up the writings, which made his hair stand on end. This was where he was supposed to be, that much was for certain.

"Anakin, why have you come here?" He turned around quick enough to give a lesser man whiplash, and his eyes found Padme standing before him with a scowl he had never seen in his life. Most times her face had a lack of emotion or held some sort of hidden glee, however this one held a deep-rooted contempt. Anakin knew that was for him and it brought back a rush of pain he had been ignoring.

"Are you here to discuss your failures, Master?" Ahsoka asked coming from the shadows behind his ex-wife. "If so then you've come to the right place to brood, it suits you I believe".

"No…this is a trick!" he said pressing himself to the canyon wall behind him, "neither of you are here".

"Always so sure of yourself Anakin" said the third and final form of Obi-Wan. The look of disgust that had been plastered in his master's face made the younger man's stomach drop. There were times when he had disappointed Obi-Wan for sure, but never had he seen him look like this. The older man continued to shake his head, "if only you stopped to think about your actions, if you thought about the consequences!"

"It's hard to look at you Ani" Padme told him with her eyes brimming with tears. "You aren't the man I know or tried to love, not anymore. After what you've done this is where you deserve to be, alone and on a planet far away from where you can hurt anyone else".

"The galaxy would be better off without you my former master, it's safer this way. If only you hadn't complicated things further by fathering two spawn that endanger everything we've stood for" Ahsoka spat at him.

"What?" Anakin asked in a voice that barely reached the three people who once meant the most to him. He knew he had heard them right, but he hadn't fathered anyone yet. Luke and Leia, they were only real in his head. That would be impossible for them to be alive right now, he would know. His eyes had been glaring at the blue tinted dust at his feet, and when he changed his line of sight to the three in front of him his blood felt like ice. There in Padme's arms were two infant children wrapped in soft gray blankets, both asleep.

"You have done too much damage to the galaxy, and we can't take anymore chances. These two must die if we are to truly right the wrongs you have done Anakin. It's your deeds that have sentenced your children, you'd best remember that" Obi-Wan said unclipping his own lightsaber. A quick glance to Ahsoka showed that she had done the same, and her eyes were fixated on the baby closest to her.

"You can't! They're innocent children, our children Padme!"

"They're a reminder of a choice I made that I shouldn't have Anakin" she told him as she openly cried and handed the two babies to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka respectively. Her chocolate eyes lingered on Anakin, the utter disdain clear as day in her gaze.

"Please!" he cried but it fell on deaf ears. He watched as Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both raised their weapons to the children's bodies, their fingers on the ignition button. "No!" Anakin screamed leaping forward and driving his blade into the stomach of his former Padawan then twirled to cleave his former master in two at the waist.

He threw the lightsaber at the wall he had been leaning on and began to search for his children. Tears openly fell from his eyes while he crawled on hands and knees with nothing to find. No bodies lay on the ground, and no cried from the mouths of babes filled his ears. Confusion began to set in, yet he never stopped looking for the two children he had seen in his dream.

"You've defied any expectations I've set for you Anakin Skywalker" the voice he had become familiar with echoed through the canyon. His breath felt unsteady and he tried to comprehend what had just happened all while the voice continued to speak, "you have proven that you are willing to do anything to save what you desire most. I can say with confidence that I have chosen correctly in who I pass down my knowledge to".