Hello again.

This chapter was an interesting one to write, hope you guys like it! Lemme read the reviews

G119: I try my best.

Qinlongfei: Appreciate the comment, not much that I can talk about, but I always loved media that makes you start from the bottom, so it's nice to see people appreciating this fic that follows pretty much this idea since I was pretty sure it wouldn't grow as much as it did. And I had the idea in mind of making omake segments of the far far away galaxy since the beginning, but perhaps our ideas kinda conflicted. Nice that you're liking, wasn't sure if people would like an OC. From a certain point of view, this can happen.

Phantommore: oh boy.

hirshja: It's a journey full of hardships to remain in the light to him, taking everything into consideration. But who knows? This chapter right here has some reflections about the dark side and Anakin's perspective of it. Maybe yes, maybe not; Blake is a character with no guarantees, especially with the age in play, but I do have plans for her. Oh boy.

Hamilton406: yea, too old indeed, as well as his pride won't let him learn alongside kids. But a parts shop? This sounds cool af. Nah, kyber and dust are different things, don't need to worry. And about kyber and other people having lightsabers? Here I keep quiet, a game in the making!

Rook435: Thank you, it's relieving seeing the idea wasn't a flop. I can't say much about it, but there's one line in this chapter that omens if other SW characters will come to Remnant, and I actually started to do omakes in this chapter, now that things are getting 'better' for Anakin. A laser sword in a primitive world, marvelous in battle but quite the attention grab too. Their meeting I've been elaborating since chap 1, so I can assure you it'll be at least interesting. Oh boy. I watched this scene and holy fuck, Anakin is practically John Wick, but the thought of giving him a gun is one I've decided in chap 1... but it's a game in the making!

Mister Cuddlesworth: No doubts about it too. Thank you, really appreciated!

Cooldude: Man, what an oversight. Went right over my head. Me too, so the excuse that the metal melts and fuses with the dust and then it repels the saber energy does sounds half-cool?

Devin Devin: Thank u, sir! It's really nice to see that people actually liked this idea, but the Aura and the Force are something Anakin is starting to ask himself about, so answers will come soon.

Thanks to everyone who sent their appreciation and compliments to the story! Have a great time reading.

And then the world went white.

The sounds, the smells—somewhat different from the bacta and galactic formaldehyde, but that's it,—and even the conversations not too far from him told very well where he was. A hospital ward, like the hundreds he had attended during his two years serving and twelve as a Jedi. He was so used to it, the way he always found himself on the front lines of battles, that the clumsiness and the post-sleep grogginess were simple irritations that no longer bothered him.

It was not the same for the simmering pain in his abdomen.

Blinking his eyes, Anakin made careful movements as he sat down on the white-sheeted stretcher and massaged his eyes, clearing the cloudiness out of them. With the world no longer a mixture of white shadows and too much bright light, he scouted his surroundings as his right hand groped him for other injuries, grateful for his unconscious healing trance, an outstanding technique born of bloodshed. Not surprised that his mechanical arm had been removed, he huffed loudly as he felt the puncture in his right abdominal side, a familiar wave of anger working through him.

So that was what felt so wrong about Blake; not only was she a faunus and a terrorist, she was a Force Sensitive too. A terrorist right under his nose.

... A 13 years old terrorist who, the day before the attack, was practically drowning in reluctance, frustration and fear.

How many times had he heard that same story?

He laughed dryly to himself, stretching out his arms and doing some exercises with the Force to get the blood circulating with a greater cadence. The White Fang, eighteen months ago, had changed. From peaceful protesters to murderers, something hardly a child filled with anger and resentment would notice at first, if the latent frustration and the fleeing of those dark feelings within her are any indications. And soon enough, the child encounters themselves amidst blood, cruelty, and sweet-worded leaders, their morals distorted by their lack of understanding, all things leading to an ultimatum. Blake was trailing this path. Another poor soul destroyed by the cruelty of others... another slave to their own feelings and others' ideas.

Well, there's no reason to care about that now. The Force waved, subtly, that there will be the right time for this. Clearing the thoughts and feelings of complacency from his head with a simple shake, Anakin opened his eyes as he searched for the nurse call button; for some reason, he couldn't see his lightsaber or his mechanical arm anywhere on the little table next to the gurney.

... Where were his things?

It didn't take long for a nurse to come up to him, her monotone voice not calming that dark feeling brewing inside his heart.

It was only when a man dressed in the universal white and very fancy coat came to his gurney, closing the curtain that separated him from the other patients and dismissing the nurse who had brought him some water and food that things started to become painfully clear. The old black man, dark hair and frail appearance, brown eyes full of apathy that came along a profession focused on preventing death looked at him with nonchalance and little words, thus creating a gap between patient and doctor... Also, why should he try to relate to a homeless man?

It was that last thought that made his heartbeat heavily in his ribcage, bothering the bruiser massively.

"Even though you don't have Aura, your recovery is unprecedented. An extremely rare genetic error, by the way; only 12 other cases around the world and throughout history." He commented more as if Anakin was a lab rat to be studied than an injured man. He wasn't going to stop feeling grateful for the work, however, since recovering by healing trance alone would have taken a long time. If he saw his clipboard correctly, he has been in the hospital for a measly seven hours only. "Your injury is all but healed, Mr. Skywalker. Which brings us to our next point..." The Force drummed with disgrace. "The payment for the treatment—"

"Where are they? My things?" He cut the doctor off coolly. The man looked anything but threatened, putting down the clipboard on which he was making small notes and looked over at Anakin directly in the eyes, not even the slightest spark of fear rising there.

"The Schee Dust Company did not offer insurance for what happened, since it was a terrorist attack and was out of their control." Higher taxes to help those who suffered at the hands of White Fang... "And since you are not a registered citizen of Vale and carry no documents that can link you to any other nationality, I am obliged to give you two options—many only get one, lucky man."

The blazes were burning and that dark feeling was growing nonstop inside him, begging him to take action. A lost thought of Palpatine came to his head, wisdom words as always that even here applied; "They'll always read the smallest of lines to cover the biggest sins."

"Or you pay off your debt of 10,700.89 liens with nonsalaried work at one of the institutions on this list." The doctor held out to him a file full of strange names, almost none of which made sense to him. Almost, keyword. There was one he knew very well; Schee Dust Company. "You'll be guided to jobs of less procure, housing, food, water, and energy, of course, at your disposal until your debt is paid off."

He was no fool, no amount of friendly and reasonable words could change the picture; everything in this list was slave labor. Gardulla too offered housing, but she didn't need to specify that he'd be sleeping with another 56 people in a small room. Food and water? Maybe cooked rats or bugs, mostly spoiled, the water brown as Kashyyyk's Life Tree.

Slave. Before, he worked like one, but earned real money and could leave whenever he wanted or felt like necessary... But things have just changed. No longer could he walk out the front doors and never come back, should he choose this option. Until this exorbitant debt was paid, none of his already meager rights would apply. Not even his right of help applied...

Slave. After the millions of liens that didn't turn to smoke and ash in that warehouse, all because of him...

Slave. Again, a slave.

With his body shaking with fury, Anakin clutched the paper tightly, crumpling it slowly before, in a voice dripping with menace, asked;

"And... the other option?"

"For your lack of connection to the State of Vale, since you have no affiliations or IDs, we will exchange the debt for the dust sword and mechanical arm."

The arm he lost in the fight against Count Dooku, the piece of metal he has been transforming and enhancing and customizing into a mechanical marvel for years. The weapon that symbolized his life and all that he had been through throughout the Clone Wars. Everything he had brought with him from that galaxy, a vote of confidence from the Living Force that he would use those physical objects to find his purpose in this world ravaged by Sithspawns... All taken from him.

His life and legacy, or a life as a slave?

The answer hurt.

Hours later, Anakin walked out the front door of Patch Hospital with eyes of a cold blue staring his way ahead. The clothes given to him by Ada were back on his body, washed and clean, but the man felt dirtier than ever before, his mind repeating constantly; he'd never be a slave again. The broken moon shining in the midst of the devouring darkness reflected his feelings, massive corruption rumbling through his veins. It would have been so easy, so extremely easy. Kill anyone in your path with the Force until you find what is yours by right, run and hide afterward, for no one is better at hiding than a slave who sees not just a street in front of them, but several escape points and places to disappear. No one is better at fooling people and making them ignore you than a Jedi. So simple, so doable.

But what else would he lose after that?

He lost his childhood to slavery; years of freedom within high, thick walls; he lost his men in battle, his wife, and ultimately his life.

Now they have taken his legacy from him...

... However.

No slave can survive on Tatooine if they don't know how to steal back those few credits the customer bargained for from the product. Smiling cruelly like a scalding iron about to brand skin, Anakin turned his gaze to Patch Hospital, the four stories building not as incredible as most back in his galaxy.

A little further to the right. Just a few steps.

Here. Heavily using Force Suggestions, everyone that set eyes on him would gaze right through. Silent as death, he began.

Concentrating, the Jedi recalled his path from room 205° to the first floor, zigzagging across the building with a lost and strained look, methodically disguising the path he followed through the Force which, after a few good seconds, led him to his kyber crystal and, in turn, the lightsaber, his life.

Still, the weapon was behind a reinforced door with a guard staring languidly at the wall, bored and about to fall asleep on his feet. A little pity arose from the man, memories of his days as a padawan, a Jedi in training and who should be outside, learning and performing the wonders of his lifestyle; saving, fighting... not making rounds in the Archives! The minimal, wicked smile was lost as he walked past the man and nodded slightly, using the two seconds he had sight through the little window in the fortified door to mentally map the room.

It was good luck that there was a window pointing directly to the entrance.

Finally finding his lightsaber and focusing all the power of the 29,000 midichlorians within each blood cell—he always hated that word, too complex for a slave,—Anakin began to fiddle with the lightsaber. The weapon mingled and a wave indicated that it had just fallen to the ground, aiming at the window... the closed window.

Well, a little collateral damage is his trademark, after all.

Turning his back on the Hospital and continuing to walk, Anakin ignored the sound of glass shattering into thousands of pieces in the Force, choosing only to raise his hand and gently catch the weapon that came darting toward him, a deep relief in his heart as he clipped it to his belt. Now to run and hide as fast as possible. Easy stuff for a Jedi and a slave.

Yet, as he dodged the light from street poles and walked with a slippery appearance amongst the crowd of tired workers and inattentive people, dozens of Force Suggestions within a minute so that they either ignored his face or imagined someone else's upon seeing him, Anakin couldn't stop the pride at regaining part of his soul of being tainted by black streaks of hatred at those peoples' attempt to take something so valuable from him, displeasure at having recovered the lightsaber in a cowardly way, from the shadows, and not through blood and justice. But then again, what would he have lost if he had done that?

If he had executed those doctors and workers in his path, those various bored policemen trying not to fall asleep on shift, flames of desire to return to their homes, to see their loved ones again... If he had destroyed all those lives in pursuit of something as selfish as retrieving a weapon, then... he would have lost himself.

For when the day comes when he kills innocents for personal gain or for cruel revenge, a mistake he has made before and is ashamed of, then that is the day Anakin Skywalker will truly have died.

And still, anger burned strong inside him. Begging for blood, for justice, and no matter how much his Jedi teachings and his own morals were rowed inside his head, the rage and darkness would not let go of his bones and flesh. It was like that day, all over again, where the adults and wretches died... but so did the mothers nesting their children in their arms, faces of terror, a nightmare fuel. With haunting thoughts, the armless blond wandered the night streets with wide eyes and deflated chest, limping even with the raging pain that only invigorated the beacons of the dark side calling him with every damn step he took, the lightsaber giving silent thuds on his thigh.

Why did he have to come to this place? To learn something, to understand, to change? Why not just let him go, like everyone else? And if there was something he had to complete, some greater purpose, was that purpose great enough to justify him being stripped of everything he considered his, of everything that was left that truly belonged to him, thus having to suffer to keep the dark side out of his mind?

What is his purpose in Remnant—

"ANAK-IIIIIIIIIIINNNNN!" And just as unexpected as the sudden wave of the Force rushed through him, a reddish cloaked figure hit his arm with all the power of a child traveling through the air at 40kmph(24 mph), red rose petals on its path. His wound burned with the impact, and his stumbling feet almost gave way, but the Jedi managed to stand firm as he spun with the red, energy-filled girl stuck at his sleeve. Finally, after almost five full spins, the Jedi felt steady enough to stop and stare at the mischievous devil in red, bulging eyes staring at Ruby Rose clinging to his arm as if the damn thing was going to save her life, a toothy grin and gray eyes reflecting the glow of a Sun that wasn't in the sky. And then, in that sparse street of people who gave only a quick glance at the source of the yell and then went back to their business, Ruby spoke, simplicity and amused; "Hi."

And the darkness evaporated as if it had never existed. Ignoring the pain, forgetting all thoughts of frustration, injustice, loss, and aimlessness in this world that was not his, Anakin cracked a small smile as well;

"Hello, Stealthy one."

"Anakin, you were right, Anakin! You were! Hahahaha!" She laughed loudly, wounds healing at the melodious sound, wobbling her legs around. "I was watching cartoons at home and eating cookies with milk and arguing with Yang about a story she had told me, and out of the blue, I felt that same feeling! I rushed out and followed it as you said, but the closer I got, the sadder I felt, and I thought something bad had happened, but then I found you, and it is so amazing! Is this the Force, do I have it by any chance? Oh, Can I throw things with my mind and pull fish out of the water and—"

"Rubes!" Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed Ruby by the hood, pulling her out of his arm with serious strength, yet without the desire to cause pain.

"Yang, I have the Force!"

"You're embarrassing us in the middle of the street, that's what you are."

"But you don't understand, Yaang! The Force can do such cool things, like levitate fish and send grimm—" As Ruby took her time listing the things she had seen Anakin do with the Force, Yang rolled her eyes before her light purple pupils landed on said man in question, a simple 'humpf' after considering him for some time.

"Anakin Skywalker?" Her tone carried an interesting kind of tiredness; as if she had heard much of a single thing in a very short period of time, the countenance of a mother extremely tired of a child's cry, for example. The Jedi didn't take long to create an assumption;

"I guess you've heard a lot about me..." with a minimal smile, his blue eyes fell on Ruby, still lifted in the air by her older sister.

"I know you tend to exaggerate things a lot, Rubes. But is this serious? An armless bum has become your new idol?" The youngest was about to say something, but a frown stopped her. Looking at where the blond's right arm should have been, the apprehension that rose—ha!—in the Force coming from her wasn't much of a surprise. Hiding the venom and disgust at not having been able to find his mechanical arm—after all, it didn't have a kyber in it... Although it seems like a good idea. A spare lightsaber hiding in his arm, he's sure he could pull this one off if done in R2, so why not his own arm?—Anakin spoke in a fatherly tone, a Force Suggestion carrying feelings of peace and understanding to little Ruby.

"I'm fine, you don't need to worry about this... mistake."

"What happened?"

Anakin first stared at his surroundings before letting any words leave his mouth, the Force scanning the area for characters who preferred to hide from the public eye. The fact that he found a few was all he needed to not only raise his defenses, the lightsaber half a second ago from his one arm, but also to urgently change the locality of this conversation.

"Let's talk about it somewhere else—"

"At my house, at my house!"

"What? No, Rubes! We're not taking a rascal home!" Yang yelled at her younger sister, finally dropping her off on her feet. Anakin had to admit, this blonde reminded him a lot of Ahsoka in the honesty that hurts like a punch part, but a good few times more extreme.

"But, Yaaan—"

"Nope."

"—aaaaaaaaan—"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yang..." She whispered the last softly, and from the blonde's angry face and chewing indecision in the Force, it was working in amazing ways.

"Rubes, I said—" Turning to face Ruby as she said that sentence was a deafening mistake, Anakin watching the angry husk of the purple-eyed blonde breaking like a unit of clankers in Hardcase's sights—may the Force be with that true soldier and good man,—after all, Ruby was making puppy dog eyes at her, the ones the younglings would make to Mace Windu, begging him to show them his rare purple lightsaber, only here being hundreds of times more effective, Yang's anger completely overwhelmed by indecision. The Jedi hopes he is never on that side of the spectrum, as he doubts he could hold a 'no' against such eyes... Padmé used to do something similar, always applying the dirtiest and most terrible tactics to make him break from a decision that did not please her.

It was hard to hide the wave of sadness that echoed from within him. Now that he was reminded how easy it was to lose, those things that remained on the other side made him miss them even more.

"Oh, goddamned... Okay, all right, then! But if dad throws him out, I won't stop him."

"Yay! You're going to love my house, Anakin! There's so much neat stuff and there's also Zwei and dad, he said you look pretty cool—hurry up already, let's go!"

"I would have suggested a library that I know, but I think it's okay to meet your father too. There's something I want to talk to him about."

That last phrase brought a suspicious look from Yang, but Ruby seemed completely oblivious as she led the way, Yang shrugging off, even if her mistrust about him persisted in the Force. To hear both sisters talking, Ruby so excited about everything, a ray of sunshine at noon on a summer's day, and Yang more down-to-earth and obtuse at her sister's imagination-filled words—who in this world would have imagined a scythe-blaster-lightsaber? Ruby Rose,—Anakin following them in silence, comments sparse as he used this walking time to straighten things out in his mind.

He had lost his job, there's no doubt about that. He also lacks an arm, practically handicapped in the eyes of the world, a humiliation that seriously made him remarkably angry... But, there was something about Ruby's presence that made it impossible for him to feel anger, so that ardent emotion just withered into sadness, disappointment, and frustration at himself. If he hadn't frozen when he recognized Blake's Force signature, then maybe he would still be a complete man, at least in appearance.

A general without an army. A man without a job, home, or family. He hated that the only thing he could continually ponder in this world was what he'd lost and or left behind on the other side.

At least there is Obi-wan Jr. to grace him when he returns home at the end of the day.

With a sigh, he looked at the two sisters, Yang watching him over her shoulder with suspicion and distrust, a look that was softened following a small Force Suggestion carrying feelings of thoughtful empathy, making her imagine herself in his shoes. It wasn't going to make the doubt evaporate and suddenly a friendship emerge between them... but it sure would be a hundred times easier to gain the blonde's trust, if he tries it at all. More likely yes now that he had touched her mind, for there was something he would recognize anywhere in there.

Interesting how, of the four girls he has had 'strong' contact with so far, three are Force Sensitive. Does this mean something? Nothing in the Force happens by coincidence, so— his train of thoughts got crashed by Ruby's voice, however.

"Anakin, you didn't visit me like you promised you would!" Ruby looked at him as if he had committed a very serious crime, a glance that lost its strength 'cause of the pout she held.

"Sorry, it's been full days for me."

"Man, what a hideous scar." Yang pointed out, studying with a certain disgust at the taut, lacerated synthetic flesh of the stump. "I hope I never lose an arm."

"You get used to it... and it wasn't because of the arm that I didn't visit you if that's what you think, Ruby—I lost it a few years ago," Anakin said, feeling relief inside her Force signature. If Yang was honest in her words, then Ruby was in her Force Signature. A breeze of renewal compared to most of the Jedi whose signatures were empty as husks, devoid of thoughts and emotions.

"Um. It's still strange, why didn't your Aura mended the wound? It's not miraculous voodoo to make the arm grow back, but it should have prevented a scar from looking like the face of a pissed-off newborn, at the bare minimum."

"Yang, I told you he doesn't have Aura."

"Of course he doesn't have Aura, the semblance must be rented then?... Gee, a beggar renting a semblance!" She laughed at her own phrase, Ruby's face full of resigned apprehension as she turned to Anakin.

"Ignore her, Anakin, she's always like this." The tone was calm and solemn, sounding as if it was Obi-wan there apologizing for Anakin's incredibly, precise and good direction.

"I can imagine." Spoke with a slight smile, blue eyes shifting skyward now that the sisters had gone back to arguing. Immersing himself in thought again, time seemed to pass more quickly and, before he even noticed, a sizable house emanating comfort emerged in the path ahead, all made of wood... Even the chimney. The architect had no fire hazards protection in mind when building this, he guesses. A seesaw made out of a speeder wheel and rope, attached to the tree closest to the steep terrain that told hundreds of stories of a childhood full of laughter and good times, just as a small barren and almost invisible terrain in the down of light shouted about moments of intense fighting, essentially giving him the whole picture of a Ruby jumping and hacking around and shooting the teacher who taught her how to use that bizarre farmer's tool.

His attention went to the front door, which suddenly opened enough for an overly excited dog to come running toward the trio. Ruby perked up and grabbed the puppy as if it was the most amazing thing in the world.

"ZWEI!" She spun the little canine animal around, laughing as he licked her repeatedly on the face. "Anakin, meet Zwei! The best puppy in the world and the holder of the fastest time in biting his own tail!" She brought the puppy to his face, Yang moving out of the way to avoid being hit by her sister's speed. The puppy raised its head to face Anakin since, even with her arms outstretched, Ruby couldn't reach his face. The pup seemed friendly enough, so he gave it a pat between the ears, a bark following soon after. "Uh, he liked you."

"Wow, what a surprise." Yang huffed.

"Remember that Zwei is a fine judge of character, Yang." The new voice caught the attention of all three, Ruby putting the dog down.

"Dad! This here is the guy I—"

"Anakin Skywalker." The blond man who had apparently managed to come from the door and stop two meters away from him without the slightest noise said, a gentle smile hiding danger behind those eyes. His stretched hand was not just an invitation for as soon as Anakin shook it, the man's massive strength threatened to crush his fingers like bananas. The Force, however, increased his resistance and prevented the Jedi from breaking the calm and peaceful countenance he carried around, putting any and all possible honesty in the gleam of his eyes. Silently, each of the men tested the power behind the facades, brought out the darker intentions behind the windows of the soul, and once each pulled his hand back, solidified the foundation to build trust. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same here, Mr. Rose."

"Hey, don't even start that sir stuff on me, boy. You can call me Tai." Both girls and the canine watched the exchange in silence, one of those drooling with his tongue out. "But let's go inside, it'll get miserably cold soon."

"Dad, guess what!" Ruby shouted, waving her arms and smiling as she stepped forward in ahead of everyone. Tai raised an eyebrow and, amused, Ruby threw her hands up. "I have the Force!"

He was looking forward to this conversation.

[I have]

The interior of the house reflected its exterior very well, just as cozy and charming. There was still the danger of fire, of course, but that was always going to be a nitpick of his; on Tatooine, if you left any kind of amplifying glass near flammable materials, chances were that in less than 10 minutes an entire district of the city would be engulfed in flames and no one was going to waste water putting it out. The couch was quite comfortable too, far from the one Padmé had in her apartment, soft enough to swallow a man whole like one of those monstrous plants in Umbara... So many good men lost that day.

He let the thought fade from his mind as he put the half-empty glass of beer on the table, staring at Tai on the armchair at his left side, Yang on the floor playing some kind of video game on the holoscreen, and Ruby solely focused on a cartoonishly plush grimm on the coffee table, hands outstretched toward the creature... as if trying to use the Force to levitate the teddy grimm.

Tai noticed him staring at Ruby, and from that, the conversation began.

"She hasn't gotten that idea out of her head in weeks." Ruby's disbelieving look on hearing her father's mocking laughter almost made Anakin himself laugh.

"Duh, of course I haven't. The Force sounds so cool, killing grimm with a swing of the hand, making things fly around—oh, can I fly with the Force?" Yang, almost imperceptibly, shook her head. So they both didn't believe Ruby... certainly this would be a very interesting conversation.

Raising his hand, the grimm levitated off the table, crossing the air languidly until it reached his hand. At first instance Ruby thought she was doing it, eyes filling with glitter and staring at her own hands, but a pout soon came as the little wolf was grasped by Anakin. Tai stiffened at the display of power, and Yang seemed anything but focused on the screen full of unimportant information.

Anakin considered the stuffed animal before he began to speak.

"Ruby... Your daughter, Tai, is an extraordinarily talented girl. She must have talked about the fight against the creatures of grimms in the forest surrounding the city, I imagine." Ruby winced under her father's icy stare, a stare full of previously told sermons about following strange men into forests at night, but the playful smile was still there, which caused the Signal teacher to sigh loudly; just like her mother, it was what jumped out of Tai's mind at that moment. Seeing his cue to continue, Anakin handed the plush to Ruby. "But no kind of talent can match what she could achieve should Ruby learn the ways of the Force, of the Jedi."

"Jedi, what the fuck do you mean?" Yang, her game forgotten in favor of what was unfolding. With a minimal smile, Anakin sought few but precise words to explain an Order that remained for millennia.

"Where I come from, a place far from here and that I have yet to see on Remnant maps." This information was tactically thrown to the wind, so as to build confidence and questions of which he'd already be prepared to answer. "The Jedi Order is what I might call the junction of the Army and the Schools of Remnant. From childhood to adulthood, children are trained to bring peace to the ga—to the kingdom, and unlike the 'Semblance' and 'Aura' that differs between each individual, the Force is a unique energy that unites all, and with proper training." He turned to a mesmerized Ruby and smiled warmly. "The Force can be used to shape the world as we know it."

"Soooo cool..." Ruby almost jumped in her seat. "Dad, can I become a Jedi?! Can I, can I, please, can I?"

Anakin almost laughed at all this display of excitement. Looking at Tai, however, he knew exactly what was on the man's mind before he could even speak, which he promptly capitalized on to make his next point.

"No, Tai." The older man's gaze clenched in confusion. "I am not taking Ruby away from Remnant or away from her family. And yes, the Force allows mind-reading." The glass in the homeowner's hand was dangerously tight between his strong fingers, his shoulders tense in the face of information of high magnitude. But in equal measure was skepticism. More evidence, then. "The Force is also capable of controlling more fragile minds, such as those of animals and..." With a wave of his hand, the other three pairs of eyes followed to a corner of the living room where, just barely, Zwei had not urinated on the wall. The little dog quickly ran out of the house for no good apparent motive. "...and prevent disasters." The sarcastic smile didn't seem to marry with them, but even then, Tai's tension was easily fading away by itself as an understanding of the situation fell befell on him.

It was... suspiciously quick, as if he had already come to terms with the fact that his 11-year-old daughter was special in any way. Maybe there's something special about Ruby that he doesn't know? Well, more special than carrying a giant scythe around and flying in whirlwinds of petals created from the air itself. Yang looked a little overwhelmed at all this information, exchanging a long look with a completely dumbfounded Ruby, the thought of impossible possibilities flashing before her very eyes.

"And... and I could fight like you, like a Jedi?"

"If you are willing to learn, then, with a mix of future prediction, enhanced reflexes, enhanced strength..." Suddenly, Yang began to laugh, a strange collective gaze on her after this unexpected development, "then yes, you'll fight like a Jedi."

"Haha, okay, okay, stop right there." Yang laughed for a bit more as she rose from the ground, a half-disbelieving face. "Predicting the future, reading minds... what else can this damn 'Force' do?"

"Yang—"

"You're not seriously buying into all this, Rubes? I understand that he can levitate things around and fight well and, for a however reason, stop dogs from pissing... But the amount of horseload shit this thing can do is absurd, sketchy absurd..."

"On that, I have to agree with my daughter, as the whole situation seems very, very unfamiliar. But... How do we know that Ruby has this Force? She has never shown any signs of being able to do the sorts you say you do." He leaned forward on the armchair, a dangerous glare apparently running in the family considering Yang held a very similar one, even if Tai's had a healthy dose of curiosity behind it. Ruby flinched with wide eyes as she watched how things were developing, not finding a way to make tempers calm down, an awkward "guys?..." ignored. Anakin looked solemnly at her, hiding his desire to pacify the girl.

This is something he has pondered a lot since he arrived on Remnant, still.

Normal people felt normal in the Force. However, Ruby, Yang, and Blake, all Force Sensitives... felt somehow strange, forcing him to dig within them for exactly where the threads that connected all people to the Living Force and thus understand why they didn't show any signs. In better words, it is as if the girls' Force is intensely muffled, hidden. If it has something to do with Aura, it's time to find out.

"How does one... know they have Aura here on Remnant?" One of Tai's eyebrows rose minimally in curiosity, while Yang's were much more expressive, as if Jedi had just asked a hell of a stupid question and, when the silence grew uncomfortable, Ruby decided to explain herself.

"Well, everyone knows they got Aura. But to unlock it you need someone else who already has Aura to connect you to your Aura; they touch your head, make you speak an oath, then they speak your name, and boom! Aura." Her tender smile soothed Yang, looking for signs of understanding of the new information that was so commonplace to her on Anakin's face. The armless one, however, nodded his head when Ruby finished, his best look of comprehension hiding the absolute lack of it in his mind.

The aura was a strange thing indeed. Able to make someone so fast and so strong with such a seemingly quick and simple ritual.

... Well, with no better clue as to why Ruby, a girl that feels so powerful in the Force couldn't even feel it in the fullness of her childish years, Anakin went for the obvious.

"Usually children demonstrate their connection at age 2, so it's safe to imagine that Ruby's Force connection is dormant, as was her Aura at one time." The girl looked at her family with mixed anxiety and excitement at these words, for it was not hard to imagine what he intended to do now.

Tai sighed with closed eyes, struggling with this odd situation his daughter got into, his mind unprotected enough for Anakin to sent a small Force Suggestion that carried perception and calm pride at his daughter's special capacities; if they have met before and alone, then there is no reason to expect that now, surrounded and trapped, he will attack or do harm to Ruby. The blond's frown tranquilized, Yang crossing her arms as she waited for her father's response, clearly not liking this situation. A devoted and loving sister, that's for sure.

"Fine." like a rocket, Ruby's bright, expectant eyes were glued on the Jedi, pure thrill with the prospect of such a unique and incredible power and that... Apparently, that would help her save more lives as a huntress? That thought denoted a high resignation and a good heart, all of which he already knew were characteristics of hers, but which still brought a smile to her face. "You might unlock... Ruby's Force. However, if anything seems odd or she is in pain, then things will not end well for you." That ominous tone chilled his spine a little, a normal reaction and one he was highly used to, an easy thing to not let himself be shaken.

"Honestly, I think the only pain will be yours; powerful children experiencing the Force for the first time find it very funny to complete other people's sentences... all the time." Rising from his spot on the couch, Anakin stood facing the pale girl, who'd laughed a little at her father's face. "Stealthy one, before I do this, I want you to understand that the Force, like Aura, is a gigantic responsibility, for it separates you from others. You will have to take an oath and promise me that my teachings..." He remembered Ahsoka and that fateful day on Mortis, the dark side corrupting her and her mind. He never wants to see another apprentice turning like that again. "Will serve to help and save others, and only to help and save; never to kill and destroy."

Ruby didn't say anything right away, looking for something in his eyes as the Force flagged slightly within her, Anakin sighing when he assumed that she had just felt his pain, signs of a Force Bond and her immense power—though numb to it, she could feel his emotions and form connections to other strong like her. A few moments later, she finally said softly and full of confidence;

"I promise."

Not waiting another moment, Anakin focused his mind with a soothing sigh, his hand resting on Ruby's forehead.

"Repeat after me—" He was already going to start reciting the Jedi code, the same one he did years ago in the Council Room, the same one Ahsoka did every time he handed her a new bead for her padawan braid. But he couldn't, for his mind met this sudden realization that he, here in this world of Remnant, was the only Jedi. The only Jedi about to take an apprentice.

Which meant that he could teach in any way he pleased. And the way he would teach this child full of life, blossoming into a fine warrior by herself, even without the Force, would not mirror those of children locked inside high ivory walls, their entire lives spent learning from nonchalant men and women. It didn't work with him, and it wouldn't with Ruby too. There was no uncertainty when the Force whispered the right words, his mind going after the strings that connected Ruby to the Living Force.

"There is emotion, but I will always find peace." For to deny emotion was to deny being human, as Qui-gon explained it in the very little time they had together.

"There is emotion, but I will always find peace." There they were... Ruby's Force strings were incredibly tuned and powerful, perhaps hereditary?

"There is ignorance, but I will never deny knowledge." There is always room to improve, to know more, no one can know all the best settings of a spaceship, no matter how long they do spend building and improving the things. To say that 'there is no ignorance' went against everything he believed in as a mechanic, a teacher, and a survivor of the scorching desert of Tatooine. Ruby repeated, eyes closing and chest heaving as the Jedi began pulling on the Force strings, energizing them with his own and thus causing her cells to begin producing the midichlorians needed to make the connection.

Interestingly, Anakin felt too what he thinks is her Aura; it was masquerading and holding her Force back from growth. Why though?

"There is passion, but it will never overpower me."... He didn't understand why he said that. The Force simply seemed to think it was right. Ruby repeated, painless electricity crossing her spine as her blood changed at a fast pace. Anakin was sure that Yang and Tai reacted in some way, but he was focused on the here and now, on Ruby.

"There is chaos, but in my presence it dies." Ruby closed her fists at those words, the physical Force flooding her perceptions of the world and changing the way she understood it.

"All things must die, but with the Force I will sow peace."

There was only one last thing missing now, the Force practically coming in waves from inside the girl, but indeed out of her control.

"...May the Force be with you, Ruby Rose."

And then it happened. There wasn't a light show, or some ancient chant echoing in the wind, no. The minimal smile Ruby gave him as she opened her silver eyes was personal, the first connection of the Force practically intoxicating the girl's senses, a look of excited shock as she peered down at her own hands, following then to a Yang disguising her anxiety very well and a Tai tense with silence. Anakin backed off a little, waiting for things to unfold.

The teacher and father was already about to break the silence, but Ruby cut in;

"If am I all right?... Is that what you were going to ask, dad?" She more stated than asked, and as Tai's face turned to surprise, Yang's was one of utter disbelief. "Yang... Are you thinking about how anticlimactic that was and—gee, Yang!"

"What?" To say that the blonde was bewildered was an understatement.

"You can listen to that boy band crap later! I just gained the Force now and—oh."

"... Wait, did you just—"

"I... did. I read your mind!" She turned to Tai, pointing her finger at the older man. "And dad was going to say 'wow...'. And, and... Oh, Zwei is going to come running through the door!" As soon as she pointed to the front door, the dog advanced through the gap with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, oblivious to why everyone was staring at him with mixtures of excitement and confusion. Anakin, hardly able to hide his pride as he crossed his arm and stump, watched Ruby quickly began to search her pockets for something, a coin coming out.

With a toss upward, before the coin even dropped, she said with complete certainty;

"Heads!"

And heads it was. She tossed again.

"Heads!"

Correct.

"Tails!"

Another right guess.

"Tails!"

And another.

"Tails!"

And one more.

"Hihihi, tails!"

Another got right. And another. And another. Crossing a glance with a frowned brow Yang and a slightly open-mouthed Tai, Anakin let Ruby indulge in her new powers for a few seconds more before bringing the coin into his hand with the Force, Ruby not even looking offended by it, animation bubbling within her veins.

"Did you see that, dad? Yang?! I can predict the future! Everything feels so... much more. So more real!"

"Man... that is so bizarre."

"It's a part of Ruby now, and it's certainly no more bizarre than the giant scythe thing." Yang laughed at that little comment, a laugh that died in a tired sigh.

"I can't believe I'm bound to lose all bets now. Holy shit."

With everything settled, Anakin decided it was time for him to leave. Not only was it getting too late and he had something to do before... 10 pm? But it would also be better to leave this family alone so that they could not only get used to this new part of Ruby's life. But also to have rest, tomorrow was going to be a long day after all. Force Sensitive children can be quite the trouble sometimes.

At least he wouldn't have to go to work.

... Not that he could. He is not as armed as he'd like to search for a new job tomorrow. He laughed internally with the pun, Obi-wan Jr. would sure love this one.

"I must say, it was great to meet your family, Ruby." He began, eyes locked with the girl. The brand new Force student's smile seemed to die a little bit.

"Are you leaving already?"

"I am. There's a lot you and your family need to talk about, and I have my own business to take care of." Tai got up from the armchair and the trio followed the Jedi to the front door, Ruby using these last few seconds to exchange words. "But I'll be back soon after you get used to the Force—perhaps a few days. If you need me, you know where to find me."

"Don't you have a scroll? I'd like to keep in touch to talk about Ruby's training." Tai said with a slightly friendlier tone, maybe because of Ruby's joyful display of her new Force abilities, or maybe it was simply that he welcomed someone into his home and shared a good beer with them. Obi-wan says that is the best way to create friendships.

"I'm working on getting one for myself."

"Will keep it on the wait, then." Yang looked like she was about to make some sassy comment, but a sharp look from Ruby stopped her.

"Is she going to be reading my mind all the time?" He laughed before answering, almost with pity from the blonde.

"Until I teach her control over her power, then yes. You get used to it... maybe." The positive nod said that the possibilities of what Ruby could do had not crossed her mind. It will be a harsh surprise the next time the blonde has any less than puritanical thoughts.

As soon as they arrived at the door, Anakin already outside and the family inside, Ruby approached and gave him a warningless energetic hug, A really strong hug, indeed, his ribcage in flames. At least the Hospital patched him tightly.

"Thank you for everything...the Force is amazing!" He patted the girl's back a few times, the sweet, gratitude-filled feelings she conveyed giving him the much needed energy to ignore the wretched discomfort. She just got her new powers, scold her for hugging too tight would be his first step into becoming like Mace Windu. Force no.

"Take good care, Ruby. And remember what you swore to me." With another second or two of hugging, they both parted, Anakin nodding respectfully to Tai and Yang before walking off into the night.

"May the Force be with you!" Ruby called out, the Jedi's smile widening.

Now, with the night deeper and the dark more intense, Anakin found himself staring at the moon with this offbeat feeling. His ill-tempered anger was calmed and frustrations quieted, but none was exactly slain. Everything still looms there inside, the dark side feeds off of strong emotions and, if he knows even the slightest of himself, it wouldn't take long until he has to face the beast once more.

It would be so easy to fall, to let the darkness take over, to stop torturing himself with the thoughts of why he is here in Remnant. So easy to lose the little he has.

But, after today, he can for sure say he understands a bit more of why the Clone Wars and all the suffering and pain and death didn't make him fall to the dark side, despite edging it so many times—he almost fell to the dark side. Multiple times. It was useless to deny this part of him.

Never he could admit it to other people, much less the Jedi. How they'd see him? What would they think about him? These questions made him doubt so much for so long, a plague that never disappeared, that always was there, waiting for his weakest moments to prey. Here on Remnant where no mud of the dark side scourges every corner, he finally may understand why things never changed and, sincerely, were worse by the day; he didn't trust people...

There were people there for him, a lot of people that trusted him, but never knew of his most shameful acts. And he lost all of them.

Obi-wan, Padmé, Ahsoka, Palpatine, Rex... Everyone he loves was left behind, to go on with their lives and together finish the Clone Wars and make the galaxy a better place. But the Force, he misses them so much, why did he realize how important each one was in making the war bearable just now? They deserved so much more trust from him. Every day was worth it if he could teach Ahsoka something new; or smile at Padmé and softly kiss her, her touch healing scars; observe Rex's face full of triumph and respect after a battlefield full of clankers' scrap; mesmerize himself with Palpatine's tales and lessons, always with a story prepared in the roof of the mouth that would teach him a little more about the world, life and the philosophy of command, peace, society, and war... And Obi-wan. He'd fight a hundred wars to make his master proud, for him to even give a laugh, followed then by a sarcastic comment. A hundred wars would mean nothing if there was all that in the end.

And yet none of them know an awful lot of him... He wants them to know everything now, but who'd listen to the tales of a dead man?

It was a lesson to learn. Mistakes that he can't let be repeated again. He had to die to finally understand this? A slow learner he is, that's for goddamn sure.

The moon was broken, but she was not alone.

A sad smile crossed his lips as acceptance grew in this barren terrain that is himself, Anakin walking until he reached the city of Patch again, strolling through the square he already recognized and then stopping in front of a book store so small and simple, but also so comfortable to the eyes.

The little bell on the door resounded.

"Good evening, welcome to—Anakin!" Ada shouted as she turned toward the door, eyes going wide as she narrowly missed falling off the ladder propped up on one of the stands. "Oh my dust, oh my dust, oh my dust..." Descending in a hurry and ignoring the falling books in her path, the brunette scorpion locked him in an arms-and-tail hug, both very tight, taking his breath away before he could even utter a 'that's my name'."I heard on the CCTS about the White Fang attack on the warehouse you work, there were no recordings and I haven't seen you all day and then I started to assume the worst had happened, but then they said someone held the White Fang before the police arrived and..." Her face practically paled.

He was broken, but by no means was he alone. And the same mistakes won't repeat.

"Anakin... What happened to your arm?" Her concerned tone carried more fear than the day she lost an important ticked and practically scoured the store looking for the damn paper. With a tender smile as he tugged off from the hug, Anakin replied;

"I think you're going to need some tea for this story." His smile, combined with a Force Suggestion as to settle her worries, gave her that casual pretty blush that remembered him a lot of Padmé.

"Oh... Chamomile or sweet grass?"

He didn't like either, but it would be silly not to enjoy these little things in life. Things so easy to miss, to lose.

"Chamomile, please."

[The high ground!]

Palpatine did not show his anger normally. The emotion breaks his lovable, gentle facet of a concerned old man and is much better if stored deep within his soul so that when the time of Revenge, the time of the Sith, then he could use it to its full potential and power. He lived this philosophy for 60 years now, a long-time effort that'd pay in the end.

But for that very reason, his anger now paints his face, disgust in equal measure.

Anakin Skywalker, simple as that, executed on the battlefield. So much raw and developing potential, power of the best quality; lost. A tool that would have come to be of great use to him, now but a fistful of ashes.

"Foolish boy," Palpatine whispered in the stillness and darkness of his Senate office. Dead protecting, dead alongside flesh robots, never achieving the glory of true control... but what to expect from a slave and a Jedi? His plans now harbor an annoying loose end. Tapping his finger on the arm of his chair, a gesture that could be seen as impatient for lesser people without the Force; he was thinking, pondering the best ways forward while researching the dark side of the Force.

The depressed senator from Naboo was of no use. What a failure of a woman, not even being beneficial as to get pregnant in marriage, for then he would have an extremely powerful, young apprentice for him to mold in whatever way served him.

The man of thousand faces, Kenobi, is also not fit to behold the power and glory of the dark side in its entirety as his apprentice. The man's devotion is too great, too hard to break, even in such a contemptible state after the death of his 'brother'.

Which brings him to the last pawn...

Feeling in the Force that the doors of his office were about to open, Palpatine clicked a small button on his chair, the lights brightening to a more welcoming volume, curtains retracted as to give a better view of his future Empire, the dark side peeling away from the walls. Then, as the moody togruta passed through the doors, all she saw was the welcoming Supreme Chancellor, a thoughtful countenance laden with notes of sadness.

"I am here as you requested, Chancellor."

"Ah... padawan Tano, it is good to see you. Please sit down." He pointed his palm at the chair in front of his desk, the togruta silently taking a seat. Internally, the man scoffed at the 16-year-old girl's pathetic attempt to hide her true and powerful feelings. Feelings that in the past weeks had made her a brutal and bloodthirsty fighter on the battlefield, a personal crusade to kill what killed a part of her; feelings that were drifting her away from those who patted her on the shoulder and gave her empty words of condolence, and most of all drowned her in the sweet benightedness of the dark side of the Force.

She was not human or a man, as he would prefer, but that could be taken care of; destroy her image, make her an unrecognizable freak and make her hate herself so much that any mirror is an offense and, soon enough, behind dark robes and endless pain, his powerful new apprentice would emerge with a new name and face.

The dark side had a name already ringing in its ears, drums of a prelude fueled with blood and tears: Darth Fulcrum.

Endnotes: well, Ruby is the first one to unlock her Force Sensitivity. I think yall already know what I'm planning giving all the team RWBY? Hope you do 'cause I'm not answering, much more fun to understand when the time comes! Hope you had a great time reading!

A sneaky peaky on the next chapter: "It's a pleasure to met you, my name is Ironwood."