Chapter 10: I'm The Balance

It was now morning. The sun beamed through the small crack shining harshly at Anakin. He quickly rose from his slumber and glanced around the room. He felt different, without Padme he wasn't the same. Anakin needed to find her and save her. She needs him as much as he needs her. "Fuck the code", he whispers to himself. Forbidding attachments was what made the jedi weak, Anakin soon realized.

He slowly climbed out of bed and threw on his dirty robe. He opened the door and casually walked to the main hall where Obi Wan and Ashoka were currently at.

"Hey Skyguy", Ashoka beams. "Hah, Obi Wan beat you again."

"Don't get your hopes up little one", Obi Wan chuckles moving his piece to knock out Ashoka's. She fell silent. She stared in confusion as his sudden move costed her the game.

"Wha...",

"Hah look who lost now", Obi Wan grins pridefully. He turns his head to Anakin who was deep in thought. He realized how determined he was to get Padme back.

Anakin quickly got out of his train of thought. He needed to go alone. He is the chosen one and this is his own priority. No jedi or sith just the force. Revan's force ghost appeared to Anakin maskless this time.

"Revan", Anakin says somewhat suprised. He knows what Revan looks like underneath but didn't realize he was comfortable doing it. Revan approached Anakin and led him to a more quiet location. Anakin wiped the morning exhaustion on his eyes.

"Anakin you are nearing the end of your training. This is the last part, if you succeed then you will be complete. The powers within you will grow stronger and you will be more powerful than any jedi or sith has ever dreamed of", he explains. Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose taking in all the info Revan just told him. Anakin was somewhat confused. Revan told him yesterday that he will have to train him faster but not this fast. A part of Anakin felt he isn't even ready.

"Yes you are ready", Revan blurts out. Anakin was startled, he quickly grew red in embarrassment. "Why do I keep forgetting Revan can hear my thoughts", he tells himself. Revan didn't say anything, he just smiled at Anakin.

Anakin rubbed his hands together and wiped his face. He lifted his head up to meet Revan's gaze.

"So when is this last part of training", he asks curiously. Revan approached Anakin and wrapped his arm around Anakin's neck. He led him back to the main hall where Ashoka and Obi Wan were. Anakin glanced at them peacefully playing a game, but quickly turned back to Revan who seemed irritated.

"Sorry", he mutters nervously. Revan nodded.

"I taught you everything I know. From all the 7 forms of lightsaber combat, to the powers of light and dark. Now the true test will come to see if you are ready to complete your training. This mission is for you and only you. That means no one must follow you. Anakin, you are to go alone. Trust no one but yourself. Like I have taught you, be independent. The galaxy is harsh and will try to tempt you with everything they can throw at you. Don't listen to any jedi or sith, they mean nothing to you now. All you know is light and dark, the balance of the force. Be weary on your journey, the dark side will be tempting you with visions. Don't let them control you they aren't real. Trust you instinct and never keep your guard down. I believe you will succeed, even though you exhibit pride and arrogance. But to combat that you have heart and determination which makes you special", Revan said genuinely.

Anakin tugged on his robe and gripped his lightsaber hilt. He was ready, his training taught him well. He is the galaxy's last hope and he is determined to not fail. The emperor will not have the last laugh.

Anakin opened his mouth but was abruptly cut off by Revan. "I already know what you are going to say. When can I go save Padme? Let me tell you something important, and you need to listen carefully. I understand she is close to you and you need her. The bond you share with her is unconditional. She brings the good out of you, she gives you strength. But she is now succumbed to the dark side, that bond is now severed. However one person close to you can provide you such strength. Your mother. She brings the light and dark in you. Her unrelenting love makes you happy but her tragic death makes you angry. You need to let these emotions flow through you. Let them in and don't block them out. The jedi council were weak to forbid attachments and emotions towards others. We are all human and are made to love. That is what makes us stronger and to take that away makes us not human at all. That is why the sith rose to power unnoticed. That is why the jedi were eliminated. They were to blind to see it. The sith however let their emotions take control of their actions and let their hate control their judgement. You are strong Anakin, now go complete your training. The galaxy needs a hero and that hero is you", Revan announces trying to hold back his tears.

Watching a young man like Anakin start from a hopeless jedi to becoming as strong or even stronger than him, puts a smile on his face. It is like he is looking into a mirror of his younger self. Anakin embraced Revan into a brotherly hug. He was like a father Anakin never had, and Anakin can't be more appreciative of everything he did for him.

"Thanks Revan", he replies. "I will complete this mission, I--I promise".

"Anakin, remember the dark side is going to tempt you. Nightmares I mean bad nightmares that feel almost real. If you can push through all of that there will be a reward. This reward will signify your role as the guardian of light and dark. The Chosen one", he pats Anakin on the back. Suddenly Revan's force ghost disappears, leaving a distraught Anakin. "Is that the last time I will ever see him", he asks himself. However he heard Revan's voice in his head.

"Don't worry I will be with you at all times. I will guide and help you in dire situations but this is your mission to fulfill on your own. You won't even now I'm inside you", he responds awkwardly. Anakin chuckled and wiped the tears of laughter that spilled from his eyes.

"Yeah right", Anakin smiles. He walks to Ashoka and Obi Wan who finished playing and began chatting instead. He stood over them, but didn't open his mouth. Anakin didn't want to leave them but he knew this was important. He needed to complete his training. He needs to save Padme and bring her back to the light.

Ashoka lifted her head and gazed at Anakin. The former padawan stood up and waved a hand in his face. Anakin shook his head and came back to reality.

"I--I have...". The words just couldn't come out of his mouth. He drew a long deep breath and buried his hands in his hair.

"I have to go", he sighs depressingly. He loved being around them two, they always kept him company. But they can't go with him, it will only cause a distraction. Anakin needs to do this on his own.

Obi Wan stroked his beard slowly. "Alone", he asks. Anakin lowered his head and nodded. Ashoka embraced her former master tightly.

"Good luck Skyguy", she mutters into his ear. Anakin slowly pulled away and smiled.

"Thanks snips", he says letting a tear fall. Obi Wan turned around and faced Anakin. "Make us proud Anakin", he simply says. "We believe in you."

He said his last goodbyes to Ashoka, Obi Wan and Artoo. Anakin left the temple and made his way down the stony temple stairs. As he reached the entrance to the forest, he took a quick glance back at the temple. The place where him and Padme made love, where he trained with Revan. But now also serves a clear remembrance of his wrongdoings. How he broke her heart into a million pieces with those very words. If only he knew this would be the outcome. She would be taken to become a sith. But he used the force and cleared his thoughts. Anakin tugs his robe off a sharp tree branch and continues to his starfighter that he stole from the royal hangar, when he first met Padme.

He journeyed through the forest till he reached the field where the ship was. Anakin was appalled that it was still there and in perfect condition. However he rubbed his eyes holding back tears from falling through. It was the ship Padme escaped Naboo with. He clearly remembers how grateful she was when he saved her. How attached she was to him and how reluctant she was to leave him. All these thoughts flooded Anakin's mind. He approached her ship and ran his fingers across the body of the ship. His hand traced over an engraving. Anakin leaned closer to examine. He lifted his hand and wiped the dust that covered the name.

It was Padme's personal ship.

He laid his hand on it and began to cry. Anakin let his emotions out just like Revan told him. He must let them flow throughout his body but not let them control his life. Padme makes him strong in the force, he must not forget about her.

"Don't worry Padme, I will get you back", Anakin buried his head into his arms crying. "I promise. I will return your ship back to you. Then we will happily fly together across the stars. Where ever our love takes us. I will never stop loving you, the code made me blind to see the truth. I need you, I--I always needed you".

Anakin lifted his head and hopped into his ship. He pressed a few buttons and the ship began to lift up off the ground. Anakin flew out of Yavin 4's atmosphere. He grinned as he glanced back at the moon, he finally gets to go somewhere else. He reaches his arm out and punches in the coordinates for Tatooine on the navicomputer. He raised his other hand and pushed a few buttons, then slammed the throttle down entering hyperspace.


Palpatine casually strolled to the bacta chamber with Dooku. He opened the door and they both glared at the young jedi floating in the tank.

"Release her", Palpatine commands. Dooku nods and switches the lever causing Padme to exit the chamber. Her breaths quickened as she gasped for air. After a full minute Padme was back to normal. Her eyes darted left and right. She noticed two men standing in front of her with devilish grins.

"Rise my apprentice", Dooku aggressively orders. She obeyed and slowly stood up to. With a simple gesture from Palpatine, Dooku injected a needle into her to get rid of all her thoughts about the jedi and especially the good memories about Anakin. Palpatine wanted to keep the bad memories so she can pull her anger and hatred from them. Causing her to become stronger and more powerful.

Five minutes later.

"Are you in love with Skywalker", Palpatine asks curiously. Padme snarled and gazed at him with a yellow tint in her eye.

"I will kill him", she screams clenching her fists tightly. Feeling sastified with her progress Palpatine exits and leaves her with Dooku. He paced back to his office, cackling the whole way. He had something up his sleeve.

Palpatine entered his office and sat in his seat. He laid back in his chair and cracked his knuckles.


Anakin entered Tatooine's atmosphere and landed outside the Lars homestead. He exited his ship and stalked to the house. He leaned against the wall and peeked into the window. Luckily there was no sign of stormtroopers being there recently. Wasting no time at all, he kneeled in front of his mom's grave and placed his hand on his mother's tombstone.

"Mom", he chokes. "I love you. I need your love to draw my strength, you power me in both the light and the dark. If you can hear me, please come to me."

Anakin could feel his mother's presence around him. It was calm and soothing. He instantly felt the light and dark flowing through him. He remembered to not block his emotions so he unclenched his fists and lowered his shoulders to relax. He sighed and took a few deep breaths. Anakin gripped his mother's tombstone harder and closed his eyes.

Vision

Anakin woke up in a empty dark room. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. Finally regaining his sight, Anakin spotted his mother on the other side of the room. He used his left arm to help him up, he slowly inched towards his mother. She was on the ground with her back turned.

"Mom", he says softly. Anakin abruptly stopped as he watched his mother slowly turn to meet his gaze. He wiped his face, relieved that it was actually his mother.

"Come here my son", she tells spreading her arms out wide, waiting for an embrace. Skeptical Anakin stood still for a second. After a long pause, he finally gave into his mother's request and edged closer to her.

As Anakin reached his mother he could see her beaming back at him. Anakin extended his arms out to hug his mom, unexpectedly a bright crimson blade ignited behind her. With one swift strike the hooded figure plunged the lightsaber straight through Anakin's mother.

"Ani", she screeches. Anakin stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

"Mom, Nooo", he shouts bug-eyed. He watched his mother reach out for him but fall to the ground lifeless. Anakin felt his anger boiling inside of him, the dark side was fueling him.

"Reveal yourself". Anakin ignites his lightsaber illuminating his sapphire blade. The lights flashed on and the hooded figure stood in front of him. Anakin stared at the figure with curiosity. It was not a male, it was a woman. The woman pulled her hood off and exposed her face. Anakin's mouth dropped as his eyes fell upon the woman.

It was Padme.

Suddenly the dark side flushed out of him, it was only the light.

"Padme I--I'm". She quickly cuts him off.

"Don't call me that name. It has no significance to me anymore", she hisses. However Anakin wasn't backing down and slowly approached her.

"Padme please", he begs. Tears spilled out his eyes as he stared at her. They were bright yellow, not the beautiful warm brown eyes that he remembered.

"No" she growls. "You hurt me Skywalker. Now you will die."

Anakin stopped at her answer. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. He waved his lightsaber in front of him.

"I won't hurt you. But I will protect myself at all costs".

She laughed.

"Oh look how pathetic you are. Too bad the Chosen One won't fulfill the prophecy. You are a failure", she yells disengaging her lightsaber. Anakin was dazed, however he stood his ground with his lightsaber in front of him. Suddenly a loud hiss igniting from behind him. Anakin tried to turn around but it was too late, the blade penetrated his stomach. He dropped his lightsaber and fell to his knees.

Anakin gasped as he watched the red blade slowly pull out from him. He plopped to the ground screaming in agony. He opened his eyes and saw Palpatine smiling at him.

"Such a shame Skywalker, everyone trusted you to succeed. But all you brought was failure and victory to my empire", he smirks turning off his lightsaber. Palpatine motioned to the Dark Lady of the Sith. She nodded and re-ignited her blade. She called Palpatine's lightsaber to her and turned it on.

She approached Anakin with a devilish expression on her face. He grew pale as she lifted him back to his knees. She placed the two lightsabers mere inches from his neck. She glared at Palpatine who stood back and watched.

"End him, end him now", he orders viciously.

She swings the lightsabers cutting Anakin's head off. However he was still conscious and watched his head roll across the dimly lit room.

"Haha", she laughs.

End of Vision

Anakin quickly rose from the ground panting. His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. He was sweating profusely. The nightmare was so real to him. He felt the dark side growing inside of him as he recalled his mother getting killed. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. His eyes flashed from blue to yellow as he ignited his lightsaber in utter anger. He frantically scanned the area around him and noticed Tusken Raiders surrounding him.

"I will kill you", he shouts. But before Anakin went on his rampage a vision hit him.

"Anakin, remember the dark side is going to tempt you. Nightmares I mean bad nightmares that feel almost real".

He quickly turned off his lightsaber and closed his eyes.

"This isn't real, none of this is real. I will never fall to the dark side. The Chosen One will never fall", Anakin whispers to himself. He felt a strange mist brush his cheek. Curious he carefully opened his eyes and noticed the Tusken Raiders weren't there. It was like he just got to Tatooine a few seconds ago. He stood confused and placed a hand on his forehead trying to remember what had just happened. However he felt something land in front of him into the sand. He lowered his head and noticed a strange looking cloak with two lightsaber hilts next to it. Anakin bent over and picked the two lightsabers up. Intrigued he ignited both blades. He was shocked to see a purple and red blade. He looked at his belt and noticed his own lightsaber was missing. However Revan's words hit him again.

"If you can push through all of that there will be a reward. This reward will signify your role as the guardian of light and dark."

That's it.

This was the reward. These two lightsabers were of a jedi and a Sith. Light and dark, signifying Anakin's role as the chosen one. He equipped both sabers to his belt and bent over to grab the cloak. He reached his hand out and rubbed off the sand that covered it. It was a pure white cloak with a black tinted hood and sleeves. He examined the insignia that appeared on the shoulder part of the cloak. It was a hooded figure raising two lightsabers in the air. One red and one purple. Above the figure it showed a white mist that hovered over the figure. Anakin realized that the figure was him, that is what he is now. He will bring peace to the galaxy.

He threw off his dusty cloak and placed his new cloak onto him. Anakin felt powerful as the cloak rubbed against his bare skin.

"Congrats Anakin you did it. You completed your training. Now this is truly your mission. Do what you feel is right, trust only yourself and don't let others tempt you. This is your destiny you decide who lives and who dies", Revan says before leaving Anakin's mind.

"Thanks Revan", he quietly murmurs.

He laid his old cloak over his mother's grave. Using it to signify his past. How he wanted to be a jedi and ultimately left his mother to become a jedi knight. Now with this new cloak on him, it resembles his new awakening. Defeating the emperor and bringing balance to the force. However this wasn't a dream to him anymore, it is now a task. He is determined to succeed and not even Palpatine or Dooku will stop him.

"I'm coming for you. You should've never crossed me", Anakin threatens staring up at the twin suns.


Palpatine sat in his office and slammed his fist on the desk in frustration. He surely thought he could somehow turn Anakin to the dark side but it seems he is too strong. Sidious was suspicious however, he could feel the power in Anakin. It must have been the person teaching him.

But who?

Palpatine rubbed his chin. He closed his eyes hoping to get something but came up with nothing. All he knows is that this figure is strong not only in the dark but in the light. However he wasn't a jedi or sith, he was independent. Before he could think more into it he was rudely interrupted by Dooku.

"What", he grunts. Dooku was silent for a moment. He felt that he should've waited to call his master but it was too late.

"Sorry Master, it seems my apprentice didn't forget about everything. She has a strong shield blocking her inner thoughts. Are you sure we can't just kill her, it seems she is pretty useless to be left alive", Dooku asks to Sidious.

"No", Palpatine orders. "She must be kept alive. Without her there will be no one to distract Skywalker from achieving his true power. With her presence as a sith he will focus on trying to bring her back leaving a weak spot for me to strike. Thus ending the prophecy and continuing my reign as Emperor. Force her to remember the memories of Skywalker that make her angry. That will cause her to fight with her own thoughts, maybe then she will forget."

Dooku bows and ends the call. He turns to his apprentice and hands her a lightsaber.

He pulled up a hologram of Anakin. He turned to his apprentice who was gritting her teeth in utter hatred.

"Do you love him", he asks pointing to him. She ignited the lightsaber and ferociously swung at his image. Hey eyes were burning yellow as she screamed with every swing. The only thoughts she had about him with the ones that hurt her. Dooku stood back and stroked his scruffy beard.

"Remember how he hurt you. Choosing a code over you. Remember how he used you only for pleasure. Your body was just an object to him. He saw you as nothing, not a woman, just a whore", Dooku yells. Padme growled as she swung even harder. Every swing grew faster and faster as he anger flushed inside of her. All she thought about was when he rejected her love towards him and told her to leave him alone.

"I HATE YOU", she yells so loud that anyone in the galaxy could probably hear it.

End of Chapter 10

Hey guys I'm back with another chapter. Feels good to be back, I was caught up with my new fic. It just feels refreshing to write a modern au especially about the military. But it's nice to return back to the star wars universe and continue this story. I hoped you enjoyed, sorry for the wait. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU ALWAYS.