Love and War

Chapter 34

Location: Tatooine

Owen was out repairing one of his moister collectors when he saw them coming. He straightened up pulled the scarf he had around his head off and squinted his eyes before shading his vision with his hand. It looked like a few people. He could make out two figures, but after a while he saw there were three of them.

"Beru! Beru we got company."

The farmer's wife ran out of the house and whipped her hands on her apron. She had just finished preparing their third day meal. The two suns were still in the sky but it would soon be nightfall and the temperature would plunge to bitter cold. Though, out in the dunes company could either be something good or something bad. It was general bad most of the time.

Beru looked out towards the direction Owen was gazing at and she also tried to make out who the strangers where, but they were still too out to see.

"Who is it, Owen?"

"I don't know. Get back into the house."

Owen went to the work house and went to get his blaster. He was tough enough to drive off thieves, but a second later he saw that the shorter of the three wasn't an adult, but a child. A human child. Owen wasn't sure if they were thieves anymore. He holstered his blaster.

After a while the three were at his door. He waited for them and saw that it was a man, a woman and a little boy. Both the man and the woman were wearing long cloaks with hoods. He couldn't see their faces.

"What are you folks doing out here?"

The man pulled back his hood and revealed his face. He had a beard, grey-blue eyes and red-brown hair. He was older than he thought and he could tell from his clothes that he was a Jedi. He was carrying something under his arm. The man gave Owen the bundle and he saw that it was a baby.

"His name is Luke Skywalker. He's your nephew."

Owen was surprised and looked down at the baby and then back at the man. Beru had come over when she saw the baby and stared at the strangers perplexed.

"What happened to Anakin?"

"He's gone."

Owen handed the baby to Beru. She took Luke and cradled him in her arms. Owen was curious about what happened to his step-brother, the Jedi. The last time he saw him; he had brought by their mother from the Sand People and then left with Padme. He wanted to know what had happened to him since, but the simple answer the Jedi spoke seemed to say it all.

"You're Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Yes."

"Anakin spoke of you the last time he was here."

"I have a favor to ask you."

The suns were beginning to set over the horizon. The temperature was already dipping. The dunes were now a brilliant red.

"Name it."

"The boy. I want you to look after him till we return."

Obi-Wan reached out and took hold of Jinn's shoulder and guided him till he stood in front of him. The little boy looked up at Owen and shook his head. He turned around to face Obi-Wan and grabbed his cloak.

"No! I don't want to go. I want to be with you."

Obi-Wan bent down to Jinn's level and held his shoulders. "It's alright, Jinn. We'll be back as soon as we can. You'll be safe here."

"No! I want to come with you."

Jinn then broke free from his hold and ran to Thirce. He opened his arms and grabbed onto her waist. She reached out to rub his head. Jinn began to cry. He buried his face into her side. She bent down and brushed away his tears.

He said, "You—you don't want me? I promise. I'll be good. Just don't go. Don't leave me."

Thrice pressed her head against his and began to soothe him with the Force. She cupped his face and said, "It's not that, Jinn. Where we are going is dangerous, but we will be back for you. I promise."

"Please don't go. I want to stay with you."

She smiled and rose up to kiss him on the head before manipulating the Force. Obi-Wan sensed her influence and was there to catch him as he fell asleep. Obi-Wan picked him up and handed him over to Owen. The famer took him and noticed that his eyes were half closed and shone gold in the dusk.

"This boy isn't human."

Obi-Wan pulled his hood back over his head. His heart was heavy. He didn't want Owen to see the pain in his eyes at having to leave his son.

"No, he's half human. We will return as soon as we can."

He then began to walk back to the ship. Thrice followed him. She didn't say a word till the suns had completely set. Obi-Wan stopped to turn to look at the lights at the Lars' farm in the distance.

"I don't like leaving him."

"We're not abandoning him, Sir Knight. It's only temporary."

"How can you be so calm about this?"

"I'm not. I'm worry, but not about Jinn."

He narrowed his brow and turned back to her. "What is it?"

"It's the Clan."

His face softened and he reached out to take her hand. "It was no doubt the Empire. I'm sure the Emperor knew about your people's strength."

She shook her head. Her eyes were glowing red in the twilight. "It isn't that. The Clan will rebuild whether I am there or not. It's Lord Blackswan I fear. He will want revenge. He will attack the Core."

"I don't understand. If the Clan rebuilds and attacks the Empire, isn't that a good thing?"

"No. It will mean war. War with the Clan is something I wished the Core to never know."

A chill ran down his spine. He knew the scientist. He was a brilliant man. He feared what sort of man he would be as an enemy. Though, he knew what she said was true. The Clan had known war a lot longer than anybody at the Core.

"Your father is a good man, Milady."

"For your sake, Sir Knight I hope so."

XXX

Location: Dagobah

Master Yoda, Obi-Wan and Thrice took Anakin to Dagobah in hopes of saving him from the Dark Side of the Force. Though, Master Yoda was skeptical. He had never known anyone returning from the Dark Side after they had fallen, but he was willing to give the Warrior a chance. Her people were very old and wise. If anyone knew of other ways it was her.

They took Anakin's body out of the status pod and laid him out in a clearing in the swamps. The air was humid and warm. The sounds of creatures were echoing all around them. It was a natural place; untouched and pure. The Force was strong here.

Thrice laid a circle of stones around Anakin's sleeping body. Obi-Wan and Master Yoda silently watched as she worked. Obi-Wan had his back against a tree while Master Yoda sat contently on a log.

Master Yoda pointed with his walking stick to Anakin's body and said, "What does this Challenge require, Lady Thrice?"

She had just finished laying down the last stone and brushed her hands off on her pants and said, "I will open a door to the Beyond and he will wake through."

Obi-Wan was unnerved by what she was saying. "You mean you're going to open a door to Death? I don't understand. How can that be done? How do you know all this?"

To his surprise, she smiled at him. "I know of these things because I had taken the Challenge myself years ago. I learned it from a seer."

Master Yoda and Obi-Wan shared a look. They both wondered who this seer was who had knowledge of the Beyond. It sounded similar to Master Yoda's encounter with Master Qui-Gon's Force-ghost.

Though, a moment later they saw she stood over Anakin's body and draw her sword. She then made a cut in the inside of her arm and let her blood drip over the stones above his head.

The war-maiden circled the stones and began to chant. "I am Greenfire. I am the blood of the Lord of the Blackwoods. With this life I summon the Door to the Beyond. Obey."

She then thrush her sword into the ground above his head and a stones instantly caught fire. Obi-Wan raised his arms to shield his eyes as the flames jumped high in a brilliant green light. The fire consumed Anakin's body. It looked like more like a funeral pyre than a ritual for the soul. Then, gradually the fire subsided and only a small green ring surrounded the body.

Thrice stepped away from the fire and towards her husband. Obi-Wan approached her and said, "What happens now?"

"Now we wait."

Master Yoda asked, "For how long?"

"For as long as Skywalker needs."

Obi-Wan noted that she hadn't removed her sword at from the stones. "What about your sword?"

"It must stay. My sword is keeping the Door open."

"And if it should be removed prematurely?"

"Then Skywalker dies. His soul will not be able to return."

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin's body laying if though it were dead in the pyre. He thought about what Thrice had said. She said she had once taken the Challenge herself. He couldn't begin to image what sort of circumstances would cause her to undergo something like that.

"You said you took the Challenge. What awaits, him?"

She also turned to look at Anakin's prone form and said, "First the Eye."

XXX

Location: Unknown

Anakin woke with a gasp and clutched his head. He had a throbbing headache. He groaned and shook his head and looked around. He blinked and saw that he was in some sort of fog. He couldn't see a thing. He got up and rolls of vapor swirled around him in the mist.

"Obi-Wan! Where are you?"

The last thing Anakin remembered was battling Obi-Wan on Mustafar. His meddlesome wife, Lady Thrice had done something to him. She had attacked him with Force-lightning. His body had been momentarily paralyzed by the pain of her shock, but right now he felt fine. It was strange. Just a second ago he was nearly overwhelmed by the violent heat on Mustafar, but now there was nothing.

Though, a second later a low, deep and powerful rumble echoed out from somewhere in the mist. Anakin drew his lightsaber from his belt and it voomed it life as he activated the laser blade. It seemed to glow in the fog. Though, it wasn't the sound that startled Anakin to battle. It was the all consuming presences of something dangerous and large.

A gust of wind picked up and Anakin had to raise his arm to shield his eyes. The low rumble was closer now. It was so loud now that it rattle Anakin's skull. It vibrated everything inside him and seemed to press him down. Then, the fog lifted and Anakin saw a huge black sphere about the size of a four-legged walker appear. The air grew thick in the presence of the black sphere. Anakin saw that underneath the sphere was a pool of water. He had almost missed it because the water was so still underneath the mammoth. Yet, there was no mistaking that there was a presence. It was a dark presence. It was blacker than anything he had ever felt before. It was thicker than the fog. He felt like he was drowning in it. Without realizing it he had dropped down to his knees.

"Good. Down on your knees, mortal."

Anakin gritted his teeth and tried with all his might to stand, but when he rose up he fell right back down.

"Struggle all you like, but you cannot fight me. I am not the Dark Lord. I am the Dark. And those in my sight cannot escape me."

Anakin grabbed his lightsaber. It had turned off when he fell to the ground. He gripped it tight. He then staggered and rose up again, but this time he managed to fight the dark presence and remain standing.

"You're nothing!" shouted Anakin.

The sphere began to split and the split began to widen. Anakin saw that it was an eye. A giant floating eye that was staring right at him. The dark presences began to grow at it looked at him. It felt like it was staring right into his soul.

"You are strong, but you are nothing. I can see it. The Darkness. It already has you. There are no need for words. I have seen your dark deeds. Killing the innocent. The women. The children. The children. Your child. Your woman. Your hands are bathe in their blood."

Anakin turned away from the gaze of the sphere. "No! No! The Jedi betrayed me first. They started it. They made me do those things."

"Don't deny what has already happened. Revel in it. Let the Darkness in. Let me in. I am pure. I am pitch. Join with me. Let us live as one."

Anakin narrowed his brow and steeled himself to turn back and face the sphere's glare. The moment the eye met his he felt the gravity of his stare weigh him down.

"What do you want from me?"

"Everything."

The Eye was suddenly wide open. The glow from the open orb was drawing him in. Without thinking, he found himself walking towards it until his feet touched the ledge of the pool. The water splashed against his heels. Already Anakin felt himself drowning in the evil presence of the Eye.

"Yessssssssss. Come closerrrrrrrr. Let there be no divide between us. Let there be no ussssssss. Let there only be one."

The word one struck a cord with Anakin. He was the Chosen One. The one to bring balance back the Force. He had a destiny. He then found himself free from the Eye's spell. He came back to himself. He become aware of the Eye's seduction. He felt how it was eating away at his being and had already tasted his soul.

"No. I can't."

The pupil of the eye lowered until it had Anakin directly in its sights and dilated with rage. All around, the ground began to rumble like a storm, but instead of raging the Eye cooed.

"Come. Let go. It can be so easy. Let me guide you."

Anakin met the Eye's stare dead on and said, "No. You're the one whose nothing. I can see that know."

He then turned and walked away. There was a light ahead of him and he wanted nothing from the darkness.

XXX

TBC

XXX

Author's Note:

Disclaimer, I don't own Star Wars, but the scenes in the Challenge are all my original ideas. It's a little trippy but I hope you enjoy the next following chapters.

Please read and review. Thank you.