Chapter Thirty Four:

Luke sat in his bed, pondering on how long it had been since his initial awakening. It had been about a week, and Luke was tired of staying in his bed. He ached to get out of the thing, but he lacked the physical ability to do so. Both because of his missing leg, and his lack of strength, though he was pleased at the progress he had made already. He was able to go longer periods between his naps, and he was getting better at not tiring out so swiftly as he attempted to do things. Kness had assured Luke that in time his normal strength would return, but that Luke must be patient, or he would be doing more harm than good.

It had been a full day since his family had visited, and the notion both saddened Luke and made him feel like he'd scored a victory.

Let them have a day to know how it had been for him his whole life!

But there was a deep, deep part of him that wondered why he was shunning the people who clearly wanted to love him. Why was he being so... closed off with them? What was he waiting for?

Luke didn't know, but nor could he just... let things go. Subconsciously the boy felt like he needed something before he could open to his family. But what that item was, Luke hadn't the faintest clue.

On the same note, something told Luke that when that something came, he would know it. That alone gave Luke some strength. There were moments when he questioned if he was supposed to even go on. What was the point of his continuing to exist? What did he have? He had no education, no home, no declared friends... nothing. He didn't even have a single change of clothing to call his own.

Luke felt so out of place it almost made him sick. He was so used to being locked in Hazael's house— either on Tatooine or on Coruscant— that his sudden, abundant freedom frightened him immensely. Unable to help it— since it was ingrained in him so deeply— Luke took comfort in the fact that he was confined to his hospital room. He hadn't left it once, even in his hospital bed, which Han had told him yesterday could move Luke just about anywhere.

But even so, Luke knew there would come the day when he'd have to leave. Doctor Kness had told him as much.

Luke had steadfastly kept the blinds to his room closed so he could not see outside. He felt like the windows were only reminding him of what lay in store for him.

Or rather, his lack of knowledge of what lay in store for him. Where would he go when he left the hospital? What would he do? How would he get food, water? What would be his new job?

Would he be safe? Would he feel safe?

And... the lack of a view sadly reminded the child of the cell that had been his place of residence for so long. It was a sickly need that he had, and Luke didn't know if he could break free of it.

Luke sighed heavily, drawing Han's gaze to him from the stack of cards he held. Luke knew the game Han played to be sabacc, but other than that Luke knew nothing else of it. He could not read the cards, and did not know what any of them said or stood for. Han had offered to teach Luke sabacc, but Luke had refused, embarrassed. Neither had Luke explained why he'd declined.

"What's the matter?" Han asked.

Luke made to answer but paused when he heard something... again. Luke glanced about, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. It had been happening with a regularity that alarmed Luke. He would hear what he thought was a voice— or even a few voices at a time— whispering just below his level of hearing. But whenever Luke sought out the source it was nowhere to be found.

And a few times he had asked Han if he'd heard anything, to which the other boy would reply 'no'. Luke wondered if he was going crazy.

Then, as he opened his mouth yet again to reply to Han, a memory came to him and he froze. He remembered when Hazael had gone on his trip to his mines on Tatooine, and Luke had begun to hear voices. A lot of them... and Luke had panicked.

Taking a gulp of air, Luke wondered if he was somehow gearing up for a repeat. And if so, this time was so much more frightening to him, because he knew exactly where this was headed if that was the case. But why was it taking so much longer this time around?

Luke also recalled that the serum Hazael had given Luke had cancelled out the noises. Was he hearing things because of his lack of having that serum? Was that why Hazael had given him the serum, to protect him from going mentally insane from the voices?

Luke wondered if the reason he was taking so long to hear the voices was because he'd been getting so much more of Hazael's serum lately. Perhaps it wasn't entirely out of him? Luke did not know how any of that worked, so all he could do was guess.

Either way, Luke found himself actually wanting the serum, if only so it could cancel out the whisperings he heard.

"Luke?"

Han snapped his fingers before the younger boy's face and Luke jumped, looking to Han to see him staring at Luke in concern.

"...Sorry," Luke whispered. "I... was wondering if... you could... call for more broth... for me please?" It wasn't really true, but he didn't feel like going through the voices query again.

Han studied him, and Luke had the distinct impression Han knew Luke wasn't being forthright. But Han didn't call him on it, instead nodding and leaving for a few minutes. When he returned, it was with the usual portion of broth.

"I asked them to try a new flavor for you." Han winked cheerfully. "See how you like it."

Luke smiled genuinely. "Thanks."

As he sipped the broth— which had a nice flavor to it, he admitted— Luke pondered that maybe he did have just one friend after all.

00000

The children were asleep, both tucked in and checked on, and Anakin was glad to have the opportunity to still tuck them in. Who knew how long it would be before Leia didn't want that anymore? Anakin planned to take every opportunity to cherish his children while they were still young and innocent.

Anakin and Padmé were just sitting down to enjoy some time alone when his comlink signaled for him. Sighing, Anakin deliberated about answering, but a tremor in the Force warned him not to ignore it.

With a sense of foreboding, Anakin plucked the communication device from his belt. "Skywalker."

"Master Skywalker," Doctor Kness's voice answered. "Are you and your wife able to come to the Jedi Temple tonight?"

Anakin glanced to Padmé, who frowned. "Why?"

"The Jedi Master who's been studying the serum is ready with his analysis, as am I. I came to the Jedi Temple to cross-check my notes with his, and we are now ready to talk to you both." He paused. "It would be best to do so without the children, however."

Padmé was already reaching for her own comlink, and Anakin stood. "We will be there soon."

"Thank you."

While Padmé made arrangements for their security detail to watch Leia and Ijon, Anakin gathered their coats, and then retrieved the speeder from their private hangar bay. He parked it on the balcony and entered from there.

By then the security personnel had arrived, and Padmé was filling them in.

"We don't know how long we will be gone," Padmé finished as the couple started to leave.

"We understand Senator," the man on the left said with a salute, "your children will be safe with us."

"Thank you." Padmé inclined her head and allowed Anakin to help her into the speeder.

Anakin started it up and took off for the Jedi Temple, the structure visible on the horizon from their home. "Hopefully we will finally get some real answers."

Padmé nodded. "That would be nice. I am both nervous and curious what Hazael was giving our son."

Anakin thinned his lips. "As am I."

They arrived, with Anakin landing the speeder effortlessly and then helping his wife from her seat. Both turned to find a familiar figure heading their way.

"Obi Wan," Anakin greeted the other with a brotherly embrace. "Did you get called also?"

"I did," Obi Wan said as he embraced Padmé too. "I thought I'd meet you and take you to the room."

The Skywalkers walked with their friend, and Obi Wan turned his head to face them, his face somber. "Before we go in, I want you to know that Artoo finally cracked the last file from Hazael's computer on Tatooine."

Anakin's head came up. "What did it say?"

Obi Wan hesitated. "Nothing good, I'm afraid." He held up a hand to forestall Anakin's rebuttal. "I will explain: but not here, and not yet."

Anakin thinned his lips, but accepted the answer.

Padmé frowned. "Is it that serious?"

Obi Wan sighed. "I'm afraid so."

Anakin didn't like the sound of that, but he withheld commenting. At length, they arrived at a door he hadn't been through in a long time. It was a laboratory deep within the bowels of the Temple, and Anakin had had few occasions to visit, having no need to do so except for a mission here and there.

Doctor Kness looked up from a datapad he held, and came forward to offer a hand. "Master Skywalker, Senator Skywalker, thank you for coming on such short notice. We," he gestured to the Jedi Master standing on the other end of the table, "both felt it was best to be prompt." He spotted Obi Wan and greeted him as well with a handshake.

Anakin looked to the Shistavanen Jedi Master, Nekoda Viwe, who stood at the far end of a large work table. The wolf-like man met Anakin's gaze with amber eyes that were hard to read. His medium-length, dark gray fur looked to Anakin like it would be as soft as Leia's hair. When he spoke, his voice was smoky and just on the edge of rough.

"Welcome, all of you, to my lab." He gestured to an open area of the table. "Let us begin."

The Skywalkers, Obi Wan and Kness all took up positions about the table as indicated, with Kness returning to where he'd left his datapad.

Nekoda looked to the Doctor. "Would you like to go first Doctor Kness?"

"Of course, Master Viwe, thank you." Kness dipped his head respectfully. He made a gesture and the screen in the center of the table rose, showing what was on his datapad to the others present. "Now, my lab was only able to look at the physical components, so here is what we found."

At a gesture, a string of elements appeared, some of which Anakin recognized, some he did not.

"Much of the serum we attained has vitamins and minerals in it, which explains how Luke survived the lack of food," Kness said. "I do not believe these are the serums he was receiving his whole life, as the traces of certain elements within Luke's bloodstream are more pronounced than others. It's like they have been present there for longer."

"What elements have been there longer?" Padmé asked, studying the display intently.

"There is a particular strain that is organic, matching the chemical makeup of a plant, but I am not familiar with the genus, I'm afraid." Kness looked apologetic. "However, there are others; chemicals like vinnian, which is meant to deliver other things faster throughout the body. This particular item made certain that the serum acted swiftly, and with the amount of vinnian in the serum, this drug worked almost instantly on Luke."

"Drug?" Anakin echoed uncomfortably.

"That was essentially what the serum was," Kness said, "but when I say drug, I mean something more along the lines of a prescription. I estimate that this serum was designed specifically for Luke."

Anakin took that in with a grain of salt, and then frowned lightly. "Master Viwe, do you know what plant was used?"

Viwe shifted, looking uncomfortable, but sighed. "I do..." He again paused.

"It was aaspina," Obi Wan whispered.

Anakin froze, his face going pale. "Excuse me?"

Viwe offered a surprised look to Obi Wan. "You already know?"

Obi Wan fingered his beard as was his manner. "Yes. Artoo finally cracked the file he's been working on. Hazael kept a record of what he'd been up to after his supposed death."

Viwe looked impressed, but he was interrupted by Padmé, her features confused.

"What is aaspina?" Upon seeing Anakin's reaction, Padmé had felt her heart rate increase with worry.

Viwe brought up an image for the group to see, and Padmé was repulsed by the image of a vile-looking plant that resembled a fleshy, many-fingered cactus. It could have passed for a tree if she were to view it from afar. But the flesh of the plant was red, the spines a sickly black.

"This is aaspina," Viwe said. "It's an unnatural thing that is actually a byproduct of..." he hesitated yet again; only making Padmé even more anxious.

"Sith alchemy," Anakin whispered. "It was a creation of the ancient Sith."

Padmé gasped, her hands going to her mouth. "Where would Hazael get that?" She paused, frowning deeply. "Furthermore, where would he even know of something like that; let alone where to find it?"

Viwe shrugged. "Where he learned of the plant, I don't know, but I do know that the plant is only found on Ziost."

Kness was also frowning. "I admit: I've never heard of this plant either."

"Few would," Viwe replied matter-of-factly. "Ziost is a Sith homeworld, and few dare venture to its surface."

Kness glanced to Padmé. "I second her notion, then: if it's so unknown, where would Hazael learn of it?"

"From the Nightsisters on Dathomir," Obi Wan answered, now taking out a datapad himself. "That file Artoo cracked held all the details of the man's acquisition of the serum's ingredients. I'll read his notes for you all to hear regarding the last component."

Obi Wan cleared his throat and began. "I had everything I needed except a way to block the Force from the Skywalker brat. How to block a power that was inherent in him? My answer came when I recalled an account of Force-wielding witches on Dathomir. Dark witches that gave even the Jedi a run for their money. This was too good to pass up, so I risked going, even though many warned me that they were less than friendly toward men.

"So I made my way to Dathomir and after some searching I found a coven. They were nothing like I expected, but they did not immediately attack me either. They were openly curious why a stranger would venture into their midst, and I readily explained my plans to them. Upon hearing what I needed, the Nightsisters— as I would come to learn was what they called themselves— deliberated amongst each other.

"After about an hour, in which I waited anxiously, they turned back to me and their leader nodded once. They agreed to help me if I would bring them a certain plat they also required for some of their spells. I asked them what they wanted and they told me to collect three healthy stems of something called knard. They warned me not to touch the plant with my bare hands, saying it had psychiatric properties. Only after agreeing did they tell me that I needed a special plant that had been created by Sith Alchemists long ago. A plant called aaspina.

"They promised me the plant had been created for just such a purpose: to block all Force sense from someone who is sensitive to it. But in order for its properties to work, one had to harvest the inner sap of the plant. And one could not touch it with their flesh before it entered the bloodstream, or the effects would be dampened."

Obi Wan paused, shifting in discomfort, but he continued. "They also warned me that the plant's ability came with a dangerous side-effect: it was also a toxin that would haunt a person for a long time after ending the usage of the plant. They warned that the effects could last for... weeks afterwards."

Everyone present winced, but Obi Wan held up a finger to let them know he wasn't done.

"Lastly, they told me that when the usage of aaspina stopped, the Force may return swiftly and all at once, or a little at a time. It was a matter of how much of the plant was in one's bloodstream when the usage was done."

Kness shuddered. "I ran more tests on Luke's first blood samples after we finished our surgeries. Now that I know what I was seeing, I can tell you that there was an inordinate amount of the plant matter in his blood."

No one liked the implications of that, and everyone was quiet for a moment.

Anakin finally frowned thoughtfully. "I can feel Luke, but he hasn't given any indication that he's sensed the Force himself."

Obi Wan considered. "Perhaps his Force sense is returning slowly. We can sense him because he's not technically blocked anymore, but since it's in his system, it'll be a while before it leaves entirely. Thus he isn't sensing things yet... that we know of."

Padmé was pale-faced. "So Luke was being poisoned all these years?" She whispered in horror. "What effects will that have on him in the future?"

Kness shifted. "It may stunt his growth, but we won't know until later. After his discharge from the hospital, I'd like to have him seen annually to be certain nothing comes up without us being able to catch it. Or at the very least we can catch something early enough to stop it before it does permanent damage. Hopefully," he added somewhat sheepishly. "I'm afraid I know as much as the rest of you about aaspina."

Everyone was again quiet for a time before Viwe spoke. "I had to dig through many of the Jedi Archives in the restricted section to find the information I did. It's frightening to know that the Nightsisters knew of it all along."

"It makes me wonder what other secrets they know," Obi Wan said a little warmly. "And if they're planning anything."

Anakin frowned somewhat. "They've been quiet ever since the Clone Wars, Obi Wan. I think if they were going to do something, it would have happened already."

"Let's hope so."

Anakin sighed, rubbing tired eyes. "Master Viwe, is there any way you could try to formulate some sort of... I don't know... an antidote or something to counteract anything that might come up because of Luke being forced to take aaspina?"

Viwe hesitated. "I... can try, but I cannot make any promises. I know little of the plant, and would need to study it closely. I will see what I can do, but please to not expect a miracle." He took a breath. "And to study it, I would need a fresh specimen."

Anakin felt his heart grow heavier. "I understand. Just do what you can, please."

"I will." Viwe promised.

"Thank you." Anakin glanced to9 his companions. "And... if you need some retrieved, I will do so, for Luke."

Padmé blanched, but didn't argue. Viwe merely inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Everyone stood quietly, processing, until Padmé straightened. "If there's nothing more, we really should get back. It's late."

Anakin nodded his agreement. "Thank you all for your efforts on behalf of our family."

Viwe and Kness both offered welcoming nods, and then moved together to consult further as people of their professions did. Obi Wan left with the Skywalkers; and it was in silence that they returned to the speeder.

"I am so sorry," Obi Wan said sadly once they were there. "I truly wish things were different."

Anakin nodded, sighing wearily. "We all do. But we have to work with what life's thrown at us."

Padmé hugged Obi wan again and entered the speeder, still disturbed by what they had learned. Obi Wan spoke before Anakin lifted off. "I will return Artoo as soon as all the files have been copied and backed up."

Anakin nodded. "Take your time."

"Goodnight, both of you," Obi Wan said, waving as the Skywalker speeder pulled away.