Hi All!

Next chapter is here!

Cookies for the reviews go to: .L, ACSkywalker, crabios, josephguy217, DVNIKKI, bugaboo13

Hugs for the favs go to: Stephen Ratliff, rosshrtly, ClaireRiley, arabman, PrettyLittleThingSamantha, RichardST, darklover21, Retrokill, RAZ3R88, Wanderer999, Lord of Wrath, diabolo88000, Childatheart28, dawnlight7295

And big thanks to my shy readers as always

Star Wars belongs to Disney.

Chapter 24

Luke lowered his practice saber and the next moment he was stabbed in the in the arm.

'Never lower your weapon unless you intend to immediately shift trough the stances to another attack,' Obi-wan instructed. 'You left quite an opening.'

'Yes, Master.'

'Ok, the next few moves will be used in parring the opponents attack.'

Obi-wan and Luke had been practicing fencing for almost 3 hours. They were going slowly through different sets of moves again and again. These were the very basics, focusing on the right stances and balance. Luke was struggling at first, yet slowly but surely he was starting to understand how to position his feet and how to balance the weight of his body to his advantage. Finally, Obi-wan turned off his saber and sat on the bench, indicating for Luke to do the same and giving him a bottle of water.

Luke was panting so he gladly accepted the drink and the break.

'You didn't even break a sweat,' he noticed in between sips.

'Give it time,' Obi-wan chuckled. 'You will be chasing me around the gym soon.'

'How was my father at this?' Luke asked with curiosity.

'He was particularly gifted considering his lightsaber skills,' Kenobi explained. 'And it was the area of his particular interest as well.'

'He did better than me, huh?'

'Young Luke,' Obi-wan chuckled shaking his head. 'Anakin is a very special Force-user. He has always been. So comparing yourself to him is like comparing a shyrack to a krayt dragon.'

'Ok, ok, I get the picture,' Luke laughed.

'You don't need to worry,' Obi-wan reassured. 'You catch up quickly and you don't usually make the same mistake twice. That's a valuable skill.'

'So, he didn't learn from his mistakes?'

'No, not at all,' Obi-wan confirmed. 'Sometimes in battle, Anakin would go on without thinking, lost in the frenzy. But his instincts serve him well, so he can afford that. Still, he should be more careful.'

Luke smiled and took another sip of water.

'So,' Obi-wan started. 'How is the family life?'

'It has just been a few days,' Luke answered. 'But it's nice. As if we've never been apart.'

'And how is Leia doing?'

'She's not exactly coping with it, but I think it's getting better and better.'

'I am glad to hear it,' Obi-wan smiled. 'Force only knows that Anakin needs this right now.'

'Master?' Luke asked shyly. 'Can I do anything to help him? I know this is all difficult and that I cannot possibly imagine having all these memories in my head, but… I really want to help him.'

'He will need to come to terms with what he saw by himself, I'm afraid,' Obi-wan admitted and put his hand and the boy's shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze. 'But there is one thing you can do, the thing we can all do. Never let him think that he is in all this alone. Never let him think that the fate of the Galaxy is on his shoulder, because it's not.'

'I think, I understand,' Luke nodded. 'Will that be enough?'

'I think it will,' Obi-wan confirmed. The he stood up, draw up his saber and positioned himself for further training. 'Come on, the break is over.'

'Can't we sit for just a little longer?' Luke whined and as soon as he uttered the words, an invisible hand pushed him off the bench and onto the floor.

'Ok, ok, point taken,' Luke said and got up his feet, mentally preparing for the next training session.

It was early afternoon and Anakin was sitting on the veranda of 500 Republica. He didn't have classes today and he was instructed by Master Yoda to meditate on the events of Dromund Kaas.

He went back with his thoughts to Yoda and the moment he finished telling the story of Vader. The little Master had been silent and had seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He had said that he had seen this, but hadn't elaborated further. Then, they simply went back to Corsucant.

Anakin was confused. He had his guess, that Yoda might have been, more or less, aware of something, since it was him who had sent him to Malachor in the first place. And that silence; no advice, no lecture, no nothing. He was lost. The only advice he'd received was to keep searching. And so he did.

But the Force was silent. Not like before, when it was very lightly pushing Anakin to the right directions. Skywalker felt shut out. He didn't know what to do and he wasn't particularly happy with mediation right now. He could still see Revan, split in two, in his mind. What if this was what was happening to him? What if the theory of Palpatine being alive is wrong? What if it is him, Vader, doing all this and taking over? Anakin shook his head. No. He considered the possibility, but he was almost sure that it was Palpatine, somewhere there, pulling the strings. But how to find him?

Anakin was thinking of the places he had already visited. All of them were connected to the Dark Side of the Force. Tatooine. Vjun. Dromund Kaas. Tatooine might have been a little bit of a toss-up, the Dark Side was brought there by Anakin himself. He figured that the next place would follow the pattern. He sighed, and shifted a little bit, making himself more comfortable.

All the knowledge he gained up until Kaas, were all Dark Side. Tatooine was not directly connected but it brought the storm of the Force out of him. Vjun reminded Anakin of his worst enemy – fear, not to mention that it was a stronghold of the Sith. Dromund Kaas released Anakin reborn with new view on the Force, with conquered fear, anger and hate. As far as he remembered, Kaas was not simply the capitol of the Sith Empire, but it also was a home of many, many Sith Lords. Anakin started to think of other possible places. In his head, he was traveling around the Galaxy considering and rejecting planet by planet. One planet was outstanding in comparison to others. Anakin focused more, trying to establish the place. He saw sand, orange sun and orange cliffs, he saw ruin in the background, not clear enough. He focused even more. Second after second, the image was clearing up.

'Dad?'

Anakin was brought back to reality by his daughter's voice. She looked at him with curiosity watching him as he tried to recollect himself.

'Have I interrupted something?'

'No,' Anakin shook his head. 'Not at all. What's up?'

'I've thinking,' Leia started, taking a place next to her father. 'Luke said he's already started his training.'

'And?'

'And he seems happy,' she said. 'And, I thought that it would be nice if I had a chance to start my training, you know?'

'You need a Master,' Anakin stated.

'That's what I mean, and I thought that you could … I don't know, put a good word for me?'

'I don't need to do that.'

'You don't?' Leia asked surprised.

'I've already decided that it's time to start your training,' he said.

Leia looked at him, not sure what to say. On one hand, she was not entirely sure if she wanted to have him as her Jedi Master, especially that he was no longer a Jedi, not exactly. But on the other, she knew just how much he had to offer.

'Only if you want to,' Anakin continued. 'If you'd prefer someone else, I will respect your decision.'

'Is this why you're not training Luke?'

'Yes,' he confirmed. 'I can see plain as day that we are very much alike. Passionate, impulsive, driven by emotions.'

'I know,' Leia admitted.

'After you had that display of your power, back in school, I knew that it was the right decision.'

'Shouldn't Jedi be, like, calm and emotionless?'

'The Jedi – yes. But we're both not cut out to be fully fledged Jedi.'

'I don't want to be Sith!' Leia immediately protested.

'Don't worry, that's not what I meant,' Anakin reassured. 'I would never put such fate on my own child.'

'I'm scared…' Leia whispered. 'I'm scared of it. After seeing all that you showed us, after noticing that we really are so similar, I'm terrified that it can happen to my too,' she admitted.

'That's why I want to be the one to teach you,' Anakin explained. 'So you'd understand what you should do not to fear. In time, you will learn how to control your emotions, you will learn to accept this part of yourself.'

'I don't want to use it… the Dark Side.'

'I would never Force you to do that. I just want to show you that it exist within each and every one of us. That it is there, and that only knowledge will help us master it.'

'I … I don't know,' Leia was still reluctant.

'Listen to me,' Anakin face turned serious. 'You have to accept the fact that the Dark Side is part of who you are and embrace it. If you do not do that, it will consume you, whether you learn it or not.'

Leia only nodded.

'I'm not going to lie to you. You're going to struggle. The sweet humming will be tempting you constantly, day and night. The pull will be stronger than anything you've experienced in your whole life. There will be times when you will want to jump into this storm and simply let go and forget about everything.'

'Is that's supposed to convince me?'

'But,' Anakin cut her off. 'When you learn it, all of it, you will finally be the master of your own fate.'

'When you put it that way it sounds scary and wonderful, all at the same time,' she stated.

'Because it is,' Anakin agreed. 'This is the balance. A constant battle between what's good and what's bad. Not a peaceful harmony as I once thought.'

'So what's the point of it if I will never be at peace?'

'That may be, but you will never fall too. You will always have a fresh view on everything.'

'You mean, cold and calculating,' she muttered.

'That too,' Anakin chuckled.

'Let me think about it,' she said. 'In the meantime, can we start with some basic Light stuff?'

'No,' Anakin answered firmly.

Leia frowned. 'I thought we were building trust here?'

'It's not that,' he shook his head. 'I … I just don't think, I can do one without the other anymore.'

Leia pursed her lips, not really angry, but frustrated. It was now or never.

She took a deep breath and look her father in the eye.

'Let's do this.'

The senate session finished quite early that day and Padmé decided to join her fellow senators at lunch. They gathered in Senator Organa's office, she, Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. Most of the time they were discussing the current situation in the Republic, more and less important things. Padmé noticed that Bail was glancing at her from time to time as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know how or if he should do this at all. Padmé sighed.

'Is something wrong, Bail?' she asked.

'We wanted to talk to you about something,' the senator admitted. Mon Mothma nodded with approval.

'We gathered a large number of Senators who think like us,' Mon said. 'We believe that the senate needs to be fully democratic again, without constant supervision of the Jedi.'

'I understand,' Padmé answered. 'I also think it's high time for the Jedi Council to step down.'

'Exactly,' Bail confirmed. 'We are grateful for their help but they have gotten paranoid over the years.'

'The post of a Chancellor should be brought back, but in the form that it was before Palpatine,' Mon continued. 'And any emergency power should not be allowed at any circumstances.'

'I agree,' Padmé nodded. 'But why were you so reluctant to talk to me about this? It must have been happening for quite some time now.'

'We have the committee almost ready,' Bail said. 'We have petition signed by almost the whole senate. We wanted to add you to the committee. And until everything is ready, it needs to stay confidential.'

Padmé nodded, but then she remembered what happened last time with the Delegation of 2000. They were all playing like Palpatine – hiding in the shadows and lying. Not to mention that she kept it a secret from Anakin at the time, with disastrous effect.

'No,' she said.

'I thought you would vote for democracy,' Mothma frowned.

'I do. But not like that,' Padmé said. 'We cannot do the same mistake we did in the past. We need to bring the matter to the senate session and talk about it openly.'

'You do realize how much time it will take?' Bail asked.

'Yes, I do. But that is the right way and besides, I need to talk to Anakin first before I agree to anything,' Padmé said.

'He has nothing to do with the Senate,' Mon challenged.

'But he has a lot do with me and I will not be plotting behind his back,' Padmé said firmly. 'Not again, not ever.'

'She's right, we cannot go back to the ways we followed while Palpatine was ruling,' Bail finally cut in. 'We need to raise it at the senate officially. The Jedi are not evil Sith lords after all, and they can be reasoned with.'

Padmé almost choked on the water she had just drunk. Bail and Mon chuckled, assuming that the comparison of Jedi and Sith must have been funny. Padmé smiled lightly thinking of the irony.

Anakin left Leia meditating at home while he decided to head to the Jedi Archives. He was buried in datapads and holocrons, and he was still not satisfied with his research.

He was looking for any information dealing with Force apparitions or possessing. He had no luck and the only things he did find were simple references to the Sith Empire, without any elaboration. He sighed and sat back in his chair. If only some of the Sith archives were preserved. Unfortunately, the Jedi destroyed almost everything a long, long time ago. Nothing of value was left. Some of the works referenced Jedi datacrons from before the Sith Empire. Anakin tried to find them but as it appeared, a large part of Coruscant Jedi Archives was destroyed by the Darth Malgus thousands of years ago.

He was stuck. He still couldn't figure out how a dead Force user can control anyone, or if that was even possible. He had his little trips, but they did not show anything in this particular field. They were, of course, invaluable, they gave him insight into the deepest corners of his soul.

Anakin sighed and started to clean the mess he had made. He was walking around the archives putting holocrons, datacrons and any other non – system integrated objects back to their rightful places. Suddenly he stopped, feeling a familiar tingling in the back of his mind. The Force was speaking.

Anakin saw an orange landscape, a little bit desert – like but having rocks, stones and hills scattered around. It was the same scenery he was seeing earlier that day, before Leia interrupted his meditation. He didn't need to check to know what he saw. It was Korriban. Anakin knew instantly and it was disturbing him. Vader has never been to Korriban.

Skywalker went back to the computer and looked up the most recent information about the planet. The fauna and flora remained unchanged for thousands of years. There was no population inhabiting the planet permanently. No additional information was added by any of the Jedi which meant that no one form the Temple had been there, or they preferred to keep their information to themselves.

Anakin went through the list of the creatures living there preparing himself for the inevitable trip. He also looked up the location of the Valley of the Dark Lords. It was the only place where he could look for answers. The Sith tended to appear there quite often to those who were supposedly worthy. Anakin remembered from his vision the face of Darth Sidious after the latter came back from Korriban. He stated that the ancient Sith spoke to him and offered a burial chamber to his apprentice – Darth Vader. Anakin shivered and went back to gathering necessary information about the planet.

After about half an hour, he felt Obi-wan approaching him.

'Korriban?' the older Jedi asked with curiosity. Anakin sighed but did not reply. 'You are not going to one of your crazy adventures to Korriban, are you?'

'In fact, I am,' Anakin replied as calmly as he could.

'It's a Sith world.'

'No kidding.'

They both were staring at each other for a while, as if trying to read something form each other's eyes.

'I'm sorry,' Obi-wan finally said. 'So, what do you want to see on Korriban?'

'The Valley of the Dark Lords, most and foremost,' Anakin said, standing up. 'The remnants of the Sith Academy and some other rocks.'

'Other rocks?'

'Yeah,' Anakin answered shortly and started to head out.

'Isn't Korriban a dead pile of rocks?' Obi-wan let the topic go for now. 'And, has Vader been there?'

'No, but he hadn't been to Kaas either.'

'I see,' Obi-wan said simply and followed Anakin to the ship.

'What do you think you're doing?' Anakin asked with irritation.

'I'm going with you,' Obi-wan rolled his eyes.

'I don't need a babysitter.'

'Since when?' Kenobi frowned. 'The last trip you asked Master Yoda to come with you. What's different about this place?'

'I don't know,' Anakin answered, looking away. Obi-wan remained silent, looking at Anakin expectantly.

'I think it's gonna get… Dark Side,' Skywalker finally admitted.

'I can handle it,' Oni-wan reassured.

'But I don't know if I can…'

'Don't worry about it now,' Obi-wan said. 'Anyways, the academy and most of the tombs were completely destroyed, you know that?'

'But the caves run deep and wide.'

'Ok, so that gives us a lot to cover,' Obi-wan chuckled. 'What do you think we will find there?'

'I don't think it's a what,' Anakin said a bit distantly. 'I think it's a who.'

'Looking for ghosts?'

'Yeah.'

Obi-wan's eyes went wide. 'You're serious?'

'Of course I am,' Anakin said. 'There is nothing in the Jedi Archives about possessing or Force apparitions, but from my visions on Kaas I understand that both these things are very much possible.'

'Your point?'

'The knowledge was buried thousands of years ago. With the ancient Sith,' Anakin explained. 'So my best chance is to talk to one of them.'

'Maybe that theory of mine, you know, with you having a mental disorder is right,' Obi-wan stated.

Anakin groaned. 'The valley of the Dark Lords is practically as cemetery. And as far as I know, the Sith have quite the issue leaving this world peacefully.'

'What exactly do you want to find out?'

'How the possession works.'

'And I imagine the Jedi Archives have no information whatsoever?'

'Nope. I think it's too Dark Side.'

'Alright,' Obi-wan said. 'Let's get going.'

'I'll give Padmé a call,' Anakin said.

TBC

R&R