Chapter 15: Epilogue
Anakin was able to come into the possession of an abandoned speeder that somehow managed to drive through the city of Coruscant, trying to follow the traffic law so he wouldn't be chased by the officers on Coruscant.
He had rather not have a warrant or potentially be arrested again because he had broken 10 or more street laws.
He has gotten off his speeder and walked inside of the building, wanting to see Padme immediately. As he rushed through the building and boarded an elevator and soon arrived at the correct floor, Anakin was just thinking about all that happened recently.
With angry tears now flowing through his eyes, Anakin rushed through the corridors and raised his hands and broken the doors down with the Force, shocking the residents who saw the big mess he has made, and the fact that he's the Hero with no Fear.
They shouted a few 'heys' towards Skywalker, yet he ignored them and continues to run down. As he entered the apartment, he noticed a few handmaidens surrounding the exact woman who he's looking for.
"Padmé!" Anakin shouted as he, in a correct term, stormed through the doors, shocking the handmaidens and guards led by Captain Typho who all turned to face him. They raised their weapons, fearing for an assassination attempt, but lowered them when they saw the former Jedi.
Exasperated, he stared at Padme and moved his head towards the handmaidens and security guards, silently motioning for them to be dismissed.
"Anakin-er, I need to talk to Master Skywalker," Padme said firmly, not knowing that Anakin had left the Jedi Order.
Luckily, her handmaidens and guards bowed before her respectfully before walking out. Once they were gone, Padmé walked up to the door controls, and the doors close, entrapping her and Anakin in.
"Anakin, now tell me what happen and why you stormed through my door like that?" Padmé asked, never seeing such fear and sadness in his eyes before, almost as if he'd regretted a decision that he had made.
Anakin took a few seconds to answer, but he finally did. "The Jedi have offered me a choice to return to the Order, and the rank of master," he said shyly, hoping she won't be angry with him and still love him despite him leaving the Order. Her confusion became slight joy since that's a good thing, however, she had known something was off. "But the pain I had felt from them banishing me from the Jedi Order..." Anakin hangs his head down, "the betrayal was too great. I couldn't return to the Order. Now, I am a Jedi no longer and am now an outcast. They would probably add me to the lost twenty... offering me the rank of Master felt like an insult. It felt like they are trying justifying what happened and that it's a trial to become a Master."
Padmé's eyes darkened as she thought about how the Jedi Council couldn't understand her husband. They had thought he was a murderer, that he had turned towards the dark side, that he would commit crimes he never would do willingly, and now in front of her was someone afraid and frightened of whatever life would throw at him.
It isn't fair, and Padmé wondered does she actually want to stay in the system. A system where they were going to convict an innocent and wrong person for the actions of someone else.
He had needed the Jedi. They were the only foundation that had given him purpose. They were the only foundation that had stopped him from losing his sanity. And now, she was afraid of that Anakin who had on Tatooine coldly murdered the Tusken Raiders was coming back.
"Anakin, what are you going to do?" Padme demanded softly.
Anakin shook his head. "I don't know anymore," he says hoarsely. "I'm-I'm just tired of betrayal. I-I wish life could have been easy."
Tears begin to leak out of the Jedi Knight's eyes, genuinely wishing that he could have time-travel, and just live a good life that he feels like he deserves. Why did life always throw crap his way? Why did his father figure have to die? Why did his mother have to die? Why did the kriffing Jedi Council abandon him?
Padmé leans forward and takes his hand into hers, squeezing it tightly, attempting to give her husband the best support she could have. Rather he's a Jedi or not, Padmé would always love him.
The Senator begins stroking his dark hair, leading him to the bedroom where he would be able to sleep, willing to just forget everything just to reassure him. She knows he needs her and that this was going to be a struggling time for her husband.
Anakin felt Padmé taking off his torn clothes and saw her disappearing in the closet to only return later with a black nightgown that personally belongs to Anakin.
She flashed him a frown before placing a hand on his scar that was on his stomach near his chest, and wrapped her arms around him, knowing that she would have to make sure to alert C3-PO to lock the door so nobody would interrupt them. The last thing they need is for them to be caught in bed together, and rumors to begin spreading.
She assists him in placing the new clothes on before deciding it would be best for her to place her own blue nightgown on. Anakin is the only one to ever see her almost naked. Anyone else would have been punched in the face or meet the muzzle of her specialized blaster.
"Padmé, I-I need to be with you. Please." Anakin spoke quietly, wanting to lean against her for once and feeling like a failure for it. He was the husband and she was the wife. He shouldn't have to ask comfort from her and give it to her instead. It had made the young former Jedi Knight feel more pathetic.
Padmé didn't protest though and instead offered him a reassuring smile, before wrapping her arms around her husband, pulling him into her chest and laying together on the bed.
If another woman saw her husband like this, Padmé was certain that she would have tortured them herself. She had remembered what Anakin had told her about the Queen of Zygerrian, Miraj Scintel, and was glad that she wasn't with him on that mission, or that woman's head would have been blown off.
Eventually, he had fallen asleep, and she had soon joined him after rubbing a few of his scars.
Together, husband and wife slept in a mournful and painful embrace, the latter attempting to offer the former comfort in these dark times.
Padmé was grateful that Anakin had such loving friends who would likely check on him from time-to-time since Obi-Wan, many men in the 501st, some in the 212th, and Ahsoka each give several hints that they knew about their relationship, but her husband always freaked out whenever someone actually reveals they know.
It had been nearly a day since Anakin had left the Jedi Order, and at the fact that he is gone, two Jedi were feeling dejected and lost, feeling like they had lost someone who was extremely important to them.
Luckily, the Jedi Council had allowed them to reflect on Anakin's departure, and to meditate in their own chambers or they might have snapped at the Council. The two were angry with the Council, that is a fact, and the two were frustrated. They felt like Anakin didn't deserve the wrongful treatment from the kriffing Jedi Council or the Republic.
Besides Obi-Wan, Ahsoka felt numb. Anakin, her master, her best friend, was gone. She had no power to stop him from leaving the Jedi Order. Quite frankly, Obi-Wan felt bad for her and knew she wouldn't be able to recover from it easily. It was only her promise to Anakin that had stopped her from leaving the Order.
Like Satine, had Anakin said the word for him to leave, Obi-Wan would have left, but he didn't want them to leave. Apparently, Anakin was going to do something horrible and had left so he would be able to avoid it.
The Council had called for them to the Jedi Council, and now it was time for Obi-Wan to fulfill his promise to Anakin.
"We should have not allowed Skywalker to leave the Jedi Order unwatched. There is a darkness in him. We have witnessed what happened to Count Dooku. Who can say the same won't happen to Skywalker?" Master Windu was saying, absolutely not too happy with Skywalker leaving the Jedi Order, despite the fact that he was wrongly accused by the Order.
Each of the Council members, some of them there physically, and others their via holo transmission, each immediately going silent as their had gone known to be inside of the Council Chambers and they stood tall in front of the Jedi Council.
"Masters, as you all known, my former apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, has left the Order. Before we can resolve something else, I would like to create a motion where his former Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, be granted the rank of Jedi Knight and as General of the 501st." Obi-Wan said, attempting to keep the hostility out of his voice and to speak with nothing but professionalism. The Jedi Master soon realized that he hadn't taken his seat yet, but he was standing next to Ahsoka as of the moment, wanting to pass her comfort through the Force.
As always, Master Windu just had to speak. Could he just shut the kriff up?!
"Padawan Tano is a teenager, 16-years-old. She is not ready to become a Knight, nor is ready to become the General of an entire legion." Master Windu spoke hotly, clearly not pleased by the motion that Obi-Wan just proposed.
Ahsoka was not willing to take this backing down. She would lead the 501st in battles of this war no matter if the Council approves or not. She knew Obi-Wan and hopefully, Master Plo would be on her side. She believes so since Plo had admitted her maturity had grown since the last year.
"Master Windu, with all due respect, I had commanded the 501st before on missions whenever Anakin was unable to do so. Their techniques are special. No normal Jedi would be able to lead the 501st as well as Anakin Skywalker besides me." Ahsoka replied sharply, crossing her arms across her chest as she was attempting to keep her cool. It was surprising since Anakin would have not been able to keep his cool.
"The fact still remains that you are a child. No Padawan before ever became a Jedi Knight at your age." Master Mundi added in assistance of Master Windu's words, agreeing with the Korun Master.
"In fact, you should be sent to the Agri Corps for your Master's inner darkness and corruption. How do we know he didn't pass that knowledge and corruption onto you?" Coleman Kcaj deduced, satisfaction clear in his voice as the thought of sending her to the Agri Corps was clearly satisfying to the Jedi Master. The Togruta was a lot like her master, and so, she should be sent off-world so she wouldn't continue Anakin's teachings in the Jedi Order.
Ahsoka's eyes went wide as she stares up at Obi-Wan for assistance. The Agricultural Corps, or AgriCorps, was one of the four branches of the Service Corps of the Jedi Order. The largest part of the Service Corps, this organization was formed so that those Jedi Initiates who had failed to pass their Trials could use their connection to the Force for the betterment of galactic society. Ahsoka remembered her grandmaster telling her that the Council was thinking about granting her the rank of Knight for quite some time.
"No," a dark voice spoke up, and all turned to see it was Obi-Wan, who was surprisingly glaring at Coleman Kcaj, his expression darker than anybody had ever seen before. "No," he repeated. "You have done enough damage, Master Kcaj. In fact, you are one who should be sent away for a while since you are one of the Jedi who has long since lost their way."
All in the room converted their eyes between Kcaj and Kenobi in interest, the former staring at Obi-Wan with shock and outrage, while the latter was glaring at him with anger and hatred.
"Explain why you want to grant Padawan Tano the rank of Knight and as General of the 501st," Windu states, leaning forward slightly, colliding both hands against each other.
Obi-Wan sighs before continuing, attempting to keep his patience and cool, despite the edge in his tone.
"There has been enough damage done to the Order, and I would be damned if someone who is very close to Anakin would be sent to the AgriCorps. Ahsoka is one of our best Padawans next to Anakin who has very high Force potential. Ahsoka had been tested with the darkness before, and she had managed to recover from it and remain loyal to the Order as a whole. Ahsoka managed to surmount fear, isolation, betrayal, a deep sense of focus, forgiveness, assisting the weak and innocent, and maintaining the role as a prime example of what a Jedi should be. If it wasn't for Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, the Republic would have lost the Clone Wars or on the verge of losing. So, Masters, banning Ahsoka and sending her to the Agricorps would be a foolish choice on our part. She has continued to pass every test of courage this war has sent her." Obi-Wan revealed, staring directly at Master Yoda pleadingly, hoping that he would be able to convince them.
"She seemed to have more than one trial left to face," Saesee Tiin commented.
"Testing the spirit," Shaak Ti appended.
"Facing the mirror," Eeth Koth added.
"And that is what concerns me," Oppo Rancisis acknowledged his disapproval and disagreement about granting her the rank of Jedi Knight. "To walk the path of the Jedi one spirit must be strong that requires discipline and she often been disrespecting or disobeying you or Skywalker, hasn't she not, Master Kenobi?"
Yoda stares at Rancisis disapprovingly. "Did you not often disobey me and disrespect me from time-to-time in your youth, Master Rancisis?" Yoda declared, sending a look his way before closing his eyes to seek guidance from the Force. "Adjust obey this, but in these times of war need all the Knights we can. An increase Young Tano's reputation has been, so do will be her trial. Trust in the Force I do, a Knight she will be."
Coleman Kcaj scoffed, clearly trying to push the motion down. "And there is still the fact remains that she is too young. If we allow Ahsoka Tano to become a Knight, that means we would have to allow other Jedi Padawans to become Knights at her age. How would that be fair against our best Jedi, examples being Serra Keto or Caleb Dume?"
This caused Yoda to turn on Kcaj. "There have been a few exceptions in the past, Master Kcaj. Agree with Master Kenobi, I do," causing the Jedi Master's eyes to go wide, and a small smile to appear on the faces of Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. "Vote on this, we shall. All in the motion of granting Padawan Tano the rank of Knight, raise your hand."
Obi-Wan raised his hand, soon followed by Shaak Ti, Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, Depa Billaba, Luminara Unduli, and surprisingly Grandmaster Yoda. Murmurs followed as none of them had expected for Master Yoda to actually vote since he is usually the one who remains quiet except passing guidance to others in Council meetings.
"And all oppose?"
And only Master Windu, Mundi, Koth, Kcaj, and Rancisis raised their hand.
"Pass the motion of Master Kenobi's proposal, the Council did. Granted the rank of Jedi Knight and General of the 501st, Padawan Tano will be." Yoda stated, giving a smile to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, who stared back with thankful looks.
"First's thing first before we proceed, kneel, Ahsoka Tano," Obi-Wan ordered.
Just as the Council Chambers went dark, Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber, followed by others in the Council Chambers, some displeased but willing to grant her the rank of Knight.
"Padawan Ahsoka Tano, throughout this war, you have proven you are deserving of the rank of Jedi Knight. It would be an honor to grant you the rank of Knight and see you hopefully become a marvelous Jedi Master one day." Obi-Wan speaks up, unable to mask his happiness as he was relieved that he had managed to convince the Jedi Masters to grant Ahsoka the rank of Knight and General of the 501st.
"Step forward, Padawan," Yoda commanded sternly. "Ahsoka Tano, by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, dub thee I do, Jedi..." the Grandmaster slices off Ahsoka's Padawan braid, "Knight of the Republic."
Ahsoka allowed a smile to come across her face as she would be able to lead the 501st now just like she had promised to Anakin.
"Leave the Council Chambers, you may, Knight Tano. Clear up Skywalker and your old quarters, you may. And then report your promotion to the men in the 501st, you should." Yoda ordered, causing Ahsoka to bow slightly but tightly and she walked out of the Council Chambers.
"There is something that concerns us, Master Kenobi. It must be addressed since most of us believe former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker forms a threat to the Jedi Order. We are asking you what do you think because we are thinking about convincing Skywalker to seek treatment from the healers about his darkness which is extremely dangerous. We are debating about if we should apprehend him and bring him in for treatment." Master Windu told the Jedi Master, causing his eyes to go wide. The Council was practically proposing that Obi-Wan places Anakin under arrest so he could receive treatment. That might make things worse though.
"No, Anakin should be left alone. He already distrusts the Council as much as it is. Bringing him here potentially against his will would cause his hatred for the Order to increase and pin the needle in the coffin." Obi-Wan defended his former apprentice immediately, having not speaking up enough for Anakin before and is willing to do so this time.
"Disagree with this choice, I did," Yoda interjects, frowning at his fellow Council Members. "Listen to me, the Council does not, sometimes."
This comment earned Yoda shock looks from each of the members of the Council as the closest of anger came across his expression.
"The dark side is untamed in Young Skywalker. Most of us believe he should be placed on a close watch. There is a possibility that he can become another Count Dooku if not worse." Luminara amended, frowning as she had leaned forward, having witnessed her former apprentice becoming a dark side user.
"I believe we should keep a close eye on him, but if we force him here against his will, it would make things worse. Not to mention we have a war to fight, and I believe if Anakin does try to turn to the dark side, we would be able to stop him." Obi-Wan nearly growled, him not willing to allow the Jedi Order to practically kidnap Anakin, and the fact still remains that Anakin is in danger of falling. He had decided it would be best to try that excuse.
"Very well, we would keep a close eye on him and his presence. Make no mistake, if Skywalker shows any threat to the Order, we would have to apprehend him immediately." Oppo Rancisis spoke for each of the members of the Council, causing him to nod angrily.
Well, at least he had gotten that far.
"Council dismissed. Talk with Master Kenobi and Master Windu, I need to." Yoda spoke up, causing each of the Jedi Masters to walk out except Obi-Wan, Windu, and Yoda.
When all of the people inside of the room were out, the three Jedi Masters stares at each other and begins speaking.
"Master Kenobi, as you know, Skywalker and I, friends we were," Yoda begin solemnly, closing his eyes and allowing the sadness to pass through the Force before he stares at Kenobi.
"Yes, all the more reason why we shouldn't pursue him. You were a mentor towards him, Master Yoda. Besides, he holds high anger for Dooku after he cut off his arm. I don't believe he would truly turn against the Jedi." Obi-Wan said almost pleadingly.
For once, a compassionate look came across the face of Master Windu which was surprising since Windu had been cold and impassive throughout this whole incident.
"I said the same for Depa and Dooku, Obi-Wan. If he indeed does turn to the dark side, you must let him go. Dooku was one of our finest Jedi Masters like Anakin was one of our finest Jedi Knights. If a Jedi Master turn, there's a chance Anakin can turn as well." Windu declared firmly, remembering the day when Depa had became a... a different person. "It's very dangerous, allowing him to leave the Order. I don't think the boy can handle the stress of the real world. I don't trust him."
A frown came across Obi-Wan's face as he stares directly at Windu. How else was he supposed to react? Master Windu appears to believe Anakin is going to fall to the dark side.
"With all due respect, Master, is he not the Chosen One? Is he not to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force?" Obi-Wan asked, not even attempting to hide the pointed stare he was giving to Windu. The man was one of the reasons why Anakin had left.
"So the prophecy says. But do remember, a Jedi must carry out the prophecy. I'm afraid Skywalker isn't a Jedi anymore so perhaps the prophecy is misread." Windu said.
At that moment, Obi-Wan wanted to leap up and chop off Windu's hand for assuming that Anakin's purpose as a whole is misread; but the Jedi Master can only sigh and look down, not wanting to lose faith in Anakin.
"He will not let me down. He never has. Anakin would never turn to the dark side because he is different from other Jedi in the past. Whereas Anakin has trouble controlling his emotions, I believe he would eventually grow and develop. Maturity came for me at one point. What would he earn joining Dooku and the Sith?" Obi-Wan responded hotly, glaring at Windu, having already being furious at the Korun Master and that fury is increasing.
"I hope right you are." Yoda voiced, having his doubts about Anakin's devotion to staying on the light, despite believing he was innocent since the beginning. In the Council Chambers, Skywalker had great darkness in him, and the fact that he didn't leave in peace shows that he is far darker than Obi-Wan would like to admit.
"He'll be all right. I trust Anakin with my life." The Jedi Master defended his former apprentice, staring down for a moment and placing his hand on his chin before staring up critically.
"Unfortunately, I cannot say the same," Windu replied simply, frowning slightly as he remembered Count Dooku and Depa Billaba.
"Discuss this in another time, we should. Too long before the Separatists would send another attack, it won't take. Meditate in our time of peace, we should." Yoda deduced, causing both to bow respectfully at Yoda before turning and walking out.
'How could Anakin trust us when we couldn't and still can't trust him?' Obi-Wan thought bluntly, practically storming to his chambers as he had wanted to take up this free time to meditate. It was taking all of his self-control to not scream in rage.
None of the people inside of the Temple clearly ever saw the Jedi Master this furious. He needs to relieve himself of stress or he is going to develop his umpteenth gray hair.
Soon, Obi-Wan stormed to his room and closed the door abruptly, sighing lowly as he had remembered when Anakin use to sleep in this quarter alongside him before he had become a Jedi Knight, but now Anakin is truly gone, not in the Temple, not on a mission to assist the galaxy, but somewhere on this planet, possibly without a home and struggling. He regret always pushing Anakin away when he was younger and wish he could just redo his training and be a better Master.
All he had left after Qui-Gon, Siri, and Satine were Anakin, Ahsoka, and his best friend in the 212th, Cody. Anakin's gone, Ahsoka is clearly more distant from him and angry at the Council right now, and he is apart of the Council, and Cody... well, he was afraid of something happening to Cody as well since Kenobi have already lost so many people.
How many people would Obi-Wan lose before life decides to be kinder towards him?
Nightfall was descending over the Executive Building on Coruscant, and everyone was either out on dinner, about to fall asleep, or going back to their home planet after a long trip on Coruscant.
Chancellor Palpatine sat in his office, anger seeping off of his appearance, showing the clear sign of the dark side. Skywalker had done one thing that he had told him he would never do. He had left the Order, and that means he might leave the planet.
He had a bunch of paperwork, a wretch been stabbed into his plan, and he'd felt the urge to enact his plan right here and now, to execute Order 66 and raid the Jedi Temple and slaughter the Jedi across the galaxy. But the masters are at the Temple, and executing the order will prove to be a mistake on his part.
He hadn't expected the boy to actually ruin Tarkin's claims. He wasn't supposed to be out right now, he was supposed to be imprisoned and convicted, and now he can disappear without notice or any trail left. Once convicted, Palpatine was supposed to step forward and provide the evidence that led to Offee; and now there is a chance Skywalker would be out of his reach. If he publicly threatens the Senator, he would still lose the boy. And it would be useless to assassinate the senator because Skywalker would track down the bounty hunter, interrogate them endlessly until his name is given, and hunt him down. Even if he has Dooku do it, the boy would have surely been smart enough to realize that Dooku's master had ordered it when he finally decides to reveal his true identity.
Either way, he'll lose his apprentice.
Upon executing the order, the damage cannot be undone, and they would only attack any Jedi, and with all of the masters now at the Temple, it will be impossible to not reveal himself if he kills the Jedi. No, now is not the time, Palpatine will have to sit back in the shadows with a different motive.
Palpatine wouldn't execute Order 66. He would continue to wait in the shadows. There is still Maul's pathetic followers, and Dooku and Grievous, along with not the entire Senate being on his side just yet. He must wait for at least a year until he would give the order. The boy has been broken anyhow so that meant he might not even prove to be a mighty Sith with already power in the back of his mind. He would probably prove no use to him.
Perhaps when he feels the time is right, and after he issues the order to execute the Jedi, he would hunt down and torture him more than he could ever imagine, morph him into being his slave. For now, though, Palpatine would wait until General Grievous and Count Dooku are destroyed or brought in captivity so he would be able to cast both off as they pose a threat to his plan.
Palpatine allows a dark smirk to cross his face. The Chosen One not being in the Jedi Order would cause them to receive more backlash from protesters so perhaps he doesn't need Skywalker at the moment.
With the Chosen One broken, even if he does survive his Empire, he would be unable to fight. Skywalker only grows stronger and more powerful every day, but the Jedi Knight had only cared for the Jedi Council when he was in the Order. There is no way he would ever be able to truly fight for them since Skywalker doesn't get over betrayal easily so this is even more beneficial. He was broken, and he no longer proves no use to the Jedi.
Palpatine allowed an evil cackle to come out of his mouth.
The Jedi's days are numbered, there would be no hope for their survival, and the Sith would at last rule the galaxy forever.
A week later:
It had been a week since his trial, and now he sat on the couch, alone, him standing in new robes that he had worn from his time as a Jedi.
He had no real robe of his own yet to wear and so he would have to wear the robes of the Jedi.
Although the dejected former Jedi Knight had been practically quarantined inside of the 500 Republica, he would exercise past the limits so he wouldn't lose his muscle gain. After all, he didn't want to be that swany boy that was a pathetic slave ever again.
Even though she had wanted to stay behind, he had urged her to do what she must do, and so Padmé had gone to her Senate meeting, leaving Anakin Skywalker alone in the living room, staring out at his surroundings.
For once in his life, Anakin Skywalker had wanted to be left alone and didn't even want to be next to Padmé.
Their interactions had been strange but normal; She had cooked for him; she had rubbed his wounds; she had slept next to him; staying up late to ensure he would go to sleep. And once he does, she would join him, holding each other as close as possible, one depending off the other for assistance, and the other attempting to do what they can do to assist the other.
Anakin was thankful for her comfort since she is the only one in his life, and each time she had come up to him, he had felt a minimum of peace and serenity, but mostly, his emotions was chaos and fear.
Anakin stepped in front of the wood and steel table, feeling the urge to shattered something. The kriffing Jedi had betrayed him, and he would never forgive either of them besides Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and a few others. What has he done to deserve such treatment from that corrupt Order? He had never meant anything towards them, given the fact that they had abandoned him to stand trial. Why did he want to be a Jedi again?
Anakin would never know.
"How could they abandon me?! I thought I was valuable to them! Did they ever even consider me as one of their own?! They only cared about my Chosen One status!" Anakin sobbed desperately, closing his eyes and grasping his head with his hands as he had allowed the pain and fear to pass through his soul.
"I can't say I blame you, General Skywalker, but it's all the same, you're under arrest.'
'Anakin, it's me, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka is with me! Stop running!'
'Anakin, we can help you, please stop!'
"Ugh! Damn it!" Anakin raged, the fear, anger, hate, suffering, stress, and pain passing through him like a pod, but unlike the many times before, he couldn't control it.
He begins punching away at the table, his fist making a crack in the table as voices were heard in his mind.
'I had a dream I was a Jedi. I came back here and freed all the slaves.'
Another punch.
'Life forms living together for mutual advantage. Without the midichlorians, life could not exist and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us telling us the will of the Force.'
Another punch.
'I... I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead. Every single one of them... and not just the men, but the women and the children too. They're like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals! I hate them!'
Another punch.
'He may be good with a lightsaber, but that doesn't mean he'll make a good Jedi.'
Another punch.
'No. After all, he's just a slave to his emotions. It's obvious.'
Another punch.
'Exactly. Just a slave.'
Another punch.
'You're not all-powerful, Ani.'
Another punch.
'Well, I should be! Someday I will be. I will be the most powerful Jedi ever. I promise you. I will even learn to stop people from dying! It's all Obi-Wan's fault! He's jealous! He's holding me back!'
Another punch.
'And neither should you, they're hunting you like you're an animal, Ani! Running from the Republic is foolish! Come back with me and we can get this settle!'
Another punch.
'You should be careful with your emotions, Skywalker, they are dangerous especially with someone like you. There is inner darkness in you that can be dangerous if my former Master finds out about it.'
Another punch.
'We have raised you since you were a child. Perhaps we shouldn't have accepted you, for you have murdered the lives of civilians, Jedi, and clones alike. How can you fall this far? Perhaps you are like Count Dooku.'
Another punch.
'I wasn't strong enough to save you, Mom. I wasn't strong enough. But I promise I won't fail again. I miss you...so much.'
Another punch.
'You lied to me. How many other lies have I been told by the Council?'
Another punch.
'Calm down, Skywalker, the dark side of the Force is surrounding you. Perhaps this is why we'd never trusted you. We knew you were corrupted from the beginning. Your attachment has always blinded you which is still a glaring issue until this very day. You are simply not Jedi material. It is our mistake that we have trained you, for now, the monster deep in you is revealing itself.'
Another punch.
"It is the Council's opinion that Knight Anakin Skywalker has committed sedition against the Republic, and thus, he will be expelled from the Jedi Order.'
Another punch.
'Your Knight status will be stripped from you, and you shall forfeit all rank and privileges within the Grand Army of the Republic. You will be turned over to the Republic courts and whatever punishments they will set for you. Henceforth, you are barred from the Jedi Order.'
Another punch.
'Former Knight Skywalker, I shall prove that you were the mastermind behind the attack on the Jedi Temple, and once your accomplices carried out your orders, you eliminated them one by one. Luckily for you, the Supreme Chancellor has talked me out of bringing down the full extent of the law to be brought down on you, including the penalty of death. Or you would have been facing the firing squad, traitor.'
Another punch.
'You never belong with them, Anakin, the Jedi only wants to use you for your power, and then cast you aside. You are meant to be expendable. They have mistreated you since you were a boy, banned you from rescuing your mother, and other such incidents. You don't mean anything to them, you never have.'
That was the final straw as he shouted in rage and frustration and his right robotic hand broke the dented table in half... literally, causing two halves to fall to the floor, broken and shattered.
Upon impact to the floor, it smashed into parts everywhere, leaving a loud boom in its place at the feet of the angry man and perhaps a piece in his knee, but instead of complaining about it or allowing it to bring him down, he had ignored it and stood up tall.
A few of the guards and handmaidens came into the room with their guns aimed since they have been ordered there to check on Anakin by the Senator, just in case someone tries anything because of him having been falsely accused of murder a week ago or if Anakin does homicidal things against himself.
And they were surprised to see Anakin standing over the shards of a broken yet easily replaceable table.
None of them dared say anything as a chilling presence passed through the room, nearly causing each of them to shiver. They didn't even raise their guns nor taken them off of safety.
Captain Typho sometimes wonders why he does so many favors for the senator. There was always something about Skywalker he personally finds disturbing.
Each of them was surprised when their guns instantly crashed to the floor, and yet, none dared to move a muscle.
Anakin said nothing as adrenaline and newfound power burned through him, the former Jedi Knight breathing heavily. He felt like he had all of the power in the universe, but now he is tapping into holes of darkness. It had consumed him.
The dragon...this darkness in him felt so satisfying. Why did Anakin not allow it in for so long? It had felt like a call to all his needs and wants. The Jedi had been holding him back the moment that Qui-Gon had escorted him in front of the Jedi, and now Anakin felt and sees it.
The dark side of the Force calling out towards him and Anakin accepted it calls without hesitation. The night of him slaughtering the Tusken Raiders, and the satisfaction was almost like a temper tantrum, compared to the power of what he had felt now.
Soon, Anakin turned to face them, his lips curled up in a sinister sneer, his face extremely pale with some sort of corruption, creature-like golden flashed in his eyes...
Anakin Skywalker was nobody's puppet anymore...
Arthur's note: Okay, that ending gave even me chills. I finished this days ago and couldn't wait anymore.
Anything can happen now to Anakin now. This is why I love Anakin. Imagine Obi-Wan or Ahsoka in his position. I can't even imagine those two struggling as Anakin would. Sure, the two may struggle with the darkness, but at the end of the day, the two can control their emotions better than Anakin ever could so they would have likely recovered already.
Anakin is that character who can be truly anybody. He can be light. He could be dark. He could be grey. Anakin is someone you can give any personality you want without being questioned about it. It's hard to make a Sith or Dark Obi-Wan and Sith or Dark Ahsoka because those two are shown to be more different than Anakin in terms of light and dark.
Originally, I was going to have only lines that were shared in past chapters during Anakin's breakdown, but I wanted to bring every painful moment of his life before this, and while I'm sure I miss a few since I didn't watch Attack of the Clones and The Phantom Menace for a while, I do remember a few lines so I had added them in. It was hard for me to not add moments after season 5 such as season 6, 7, or Revenge of the Sith, but I managed to pull through. Lol
This sequel is obviously going to be very dark; I can't wait as I have a lot of ideas for it. I'm going to enjoy Anakin's conflict.
May the Force be with you all always.