Anakin cursed in Huttese as he pulled back his braid, frustrated by the fact that it kept getting in his way while he was trying to repair the relay manifolds. His language was colorful and despite the fact that no one around him actually knew what he had said, the impression was quite clear.
"Having difficulties, braid?" asked Danika with a snicker as she looked over at him from her own work, her nickname for him both taunting and innocent.
Anakin shook his head in frustration, not failing to notice the amused look in her eyes as she observed him.
"Why do you wear that thing, anyway?" asked Jase Toneri, a fellow Rebel from Christophsis that Danika and Leandro had introduced to him the other day.
"It's tradition for a Jedi Padawan to wear it," said Anakin as he subconsciously ran his hand over the long braid, a symbol of a time long past. He doubted that the wearing of Padawan braids would survive in this era, with most of the old Jedi Order having been destroyed and forgotten. There was really no reason for him to have it now seeing as it was nothing more than a vestige, but even then he knew that he would return to his own time where the braid was both customary and mandatory.
"Must all Padawans wear them?" asked Leandro with great interest.
Anakin paused, "well, during the Old Republic they did."
"Then why do you wear it?" asked Danika. "Doesn't that make you recognizable as a Jedi?"
"I suppose so," said Anakin, "but I won't cut it off if that's what you're insinuating."
Danika only shrugged, "hey, it's your choice, kid. I was just curious."
"It's fine," mumbled Anakin as he returned to his work, his mind going back in time to when his Master had first braided his hair into the traditional haircut.
He had detested the haircut at first and to a degree he still did, but he had grown used to it over the years and had accepted its meaning. He was well on the way to becoming a full-fledged Jedi Knight, something he was proud of and he knew the importance of wearing his hair in such a way.
But still, a part of him believed that it was a means to mark him. A way of showing that he still belonged to something even though he was no longer a slave, and a part of him would always resent that.
Anakin continued tinkering away, his mind returning to the present when he heard the unmistakable voice of the Princess as she strolled past him with the former Senator of Chandrila following in tow, the both of them talking in low voices with their hands behind their backs.
Anakin observed them quietly, his eyes wondering over the two of them as he worked, his gaze lingering over the Princess as she smiled at something the older woman had said. There was just something about the Princess that tugged at him endlessly, but he couldn't quite place what drew him to her in the first place.
Leia didn't notice him at all, her attention completely focused on Mon Mothma as they continued their discussion, but the same couldn't be said for the older woman, who had not failed to notice the teenager staring at them from behind the large piece of machinery that he was working on. Her blue eyes never once leaving his as they strolled past him, her gaze tearing into the youth with such animosity that it made Anakin look away.
By the time he had the courage to look up at them again, they had already strolled past him and were making their way towards the exit, the older woman's attention having gone somewhere other than him. He didn't know why she seemed to detest him so much seeing as he had never once done anything to offend her, except being here of course.
His very presence seemed to threaten her and he wondered just exactly what she knew that he didn't.
Both she and Luke seemed to know something that he did not and it vexed him greatly. He could see the way that they looked at him, Luke with pity and Mothma with resentment.
Anakin shook his head as he got to his feet, his attention going somewhere other than the two of them as he made his way over to where he could get something cold to drink, his throat parched and in desperate need of water. He made his way out of the hangar and over to where the water dispenser was and was about to lean over when he heard the familiar chirp of Artoo from behind him.
"Hey Artoo," he said as he turned around to greet the Droid, his thirst temporarily forgotten as he leaned down to pat his domed friend.
Artoo chirped in greeting as he rolled closer to the Padawan, happy to see his former Master whom he had served for years, unknown to the boy of course. It had taken him awhile to understand what had transpired to allow Anakin to be here, but now that he knew the circumstances, things were different.
"How's it going?" asked Anakin as he listened to droid begin to talk in binary, a language he understood perfectly.
The Droid replied casually that he was good and that it was good to see him again, before asking how Anakin was enjoying the Rebellion.
"It's okay," he said as he shrugged, "it's just not exactly what I thought it would be."
The Droid beeped, asking Anakin whether or not he was bored at the tasks that he had been performing, and whether he would like to do more to help around.
"I think I would eventually like to learn how to fly an X-Wing. It would be a lot more fun than just sitting around helping with repairs, besides one of the Pilots said he would show me the ropes if I was interested. But I don't if Luke would be okay with that," he said with a sigh.
/ Since when is Luke in charge of you?/ asked Artoo, his binary tone indicative of something more than Anakin understood. / If you want to fly, don't let Luke stand in the way. He's not your Master/
"Well he's technically my superior," said Anakin, but something inside of him wholly agreed with what Artoo had said. Luke was not his Master and technically Anakin was older than him, and his training far more advanced than his was. But even then he knew that Luke was just as powerful in the Force as Anakin was, and at the same time he did not want to get into a disagreement with him.
But Luke seemed to think that Anakin was his responsibility if the last few days had shown him anything. Even though Luke had managed to keep his distance from him to a degree, he could still feel that the man was strangely wary of his actions in a way that almost reminded him of Kenobi. There wasn't a moment when Luke wasn't watching Anakin carefully and it was annoying, to say the least.
/ Luke's a good person, Anakin, but he's not being one hundred percent truthful to you. There's something he's not telling you that you should know/
The Droid seemed conflicted at that moment and Anakin knew that there was something that he wanted to tell him.
"What is it?" asked Anakin, his heart suddenly feeling heavy within his chest as a sense of dread came over him, the Force starting to hum dangerously around them.
Artoo was about to reply when a golden protocol droid rounded the corner, his attention focused completely on the domed droid.
"There you are, Artoo!" he said as he shuffled over to them with his arms raised in the air. "I have been looking everywhere for you!"
Anakin squinted at the familiar looking Droid who looked different from when he had last seen him, but he knew it was Threepio from the moment he laid eyes on him.
"Threepio?" asked Anakin as he got back to his feet, whatever Artoo was about to tell him temporarily forgotten.
"Yes? I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. How might I be of service to you?" asked the Droid, no hint of recognition for his creator as he made his way over to the Padawan.
"Threepio, what are you doing here?" asked Anakin, not deterred by the fact that the droid didn't seem to know him.
"I do not know what you mean, sir. You seem to know who I am but I have no idea who you are. Have we met before?"
"Of course we've met before," said Anakin, "I built you!"
The Droid looked confused and a little bit offended as he looked over the teenage boy, deciding that Anakin must be wrong.
"Excuse me, Sir. But I can say without a doubt that you were not the one to create me. You are far too young to have made me seeing as I am much older than you are. Besides, I think I would remember my maker."
Artoo beeped up at the golden plated droid in confirmation as to what Anakin was saying, but it seemed as though Threepio would have none of it.
"That's preposterous that this boy could be my maker! I have never before seen him in my entire life. Really Artoo, I think something must be wrong with your circuitry if you believe that."
"I think something's wrong with your circuitry, Threepio," said Anakin as he eyed the plate on his head where the Droids memory relays were stored. Someone must've wiped his memory and Anakin knew that there was a possibility that the memories were not completely destroyed, but instead shut off.
But he couldn't be sure unless he got his hands on the Droid, something he knew Threepio would surely resist.
"I could take a look at your relays if you want," offered Anakin.
"Thank you for the offer, but I am afraid that that will not be needed, Sir. I can assure you that all of my memories are in fact undisturbed and that my circuitry does not need repairing. If they were, I would much prefer Master Luke to fix them."
Anakin shrugged his shoulders, but his mind was not deterred. He would fix Threepio when he had the opportunity to do so in the near future, but he had more important things to take care of at the moment.
He was about to ask Artoo to continue what he had been about to tell him when Luke rounded the corner, his eyes landing on the trio. Anakin didn't fail to notice the bright orange flight suit that the Jedi was wearing, the same one that the pilots wore during their flight missions.
"There you are," he said to Anakin as he made his way over to them, "I've been looking for you."
"Why?" Anakin asked with a raised eyebrow, something that Luke didn't fail to notice.
"I just wanted to check up on you, see how repairs were going."
"They're going fine," said Anakin as he looked down at Artoo, who had earlier warned him that Luke was indeed hiding something from him.
"Good, I see you've been making friends," commented Luke as he and Anakin began to make their way down the corridor.
"Yeah, why?" asked Anakin vacantly.
Luke shook his head, "no reason. It's good you're integrating into the Rebellion."
"Yeah well there are other ways to integrate," commented Anakin.
Luke looked over at Anakin with an unreadable expression. He knew exactly what Anakin was referring too and he knew how much Anakin wanted it, but he was still unsure.
"I know you want to fly," he began slowly, "and I've given it some thought."
"And-?" asked Anakin.
"And I think that you would make one helluva pilot, Anakin, but-"
"But what?" asked Anakin as they both came to a stop, their eyes engaging in an intense stare that could only end in a stalemate.
"But you have to understand that it's dangerous. Do you know how many Rebel pilots have died in the line of duty, Anakin? And besides, you're not even eighteen yet," pointed out Luke. The Rebel Alliance had issued that rule and it was there for a reason.
"I'm almost eighteen," said Anakin as he ground his teeth together, his annoyance at Luke growing steadily. Anakin was not his Padawan and he was not his responsibility so he saw no reason why Luke was acting like this. He was not a child for Force sakes!
"It doesn't matter, Anakin. Even if I let you, do you really think the Alliance would?"
"They don't know how old I am," pointed out Anakin, "you're the only one that does and you know I can pilot."
"Of course I know you can pilot," said Luke calmly as he let out a long sigh.
He was truly conflicted about whether or not he should let Anakin pilot. According to Ben, his father had been one of the greatest pilots there ever was, but he also knew how dangerous these battles could get. He knew the kind of things that came with being a pilot and he didn't know whether or not he should submit Anakin to that, but something told him that Anakin could handle it.
Or at least he hoped Anakin could take it. He knew his father must've already seen some serious bantha shit seeing the type of life he had been living under the Order, but he still had his qualms.
He didn't even know why he was being like this, and he knew it wasn't earning him any brownie points with the youth.
"Fine," said Luke after a few moments of silence, "I don't like lying about your age, but if you really want to try your hand at it then you can."
Anakin nodded his head, understanding that he was asking Luke to lie on his behalf, something he knew was wrong and against the Jedi way, but he knew that he could really help the Rebellion this way. It was better than just sitting around making repairs, which was fine but Anakin knew that he could do more.
"Thank you, Luke," he said as he bowed his head.
"Don't thank me," said Luke, "I don't this and all I can say is you better not do anything stupid out there, or I will make sure you never sit in another X-Wing, you understand?"
"Perfectly," mumbled Anakin as he followed after the Jedi, trying his best to not make a snide comment.
Luke was probably one of the most interesting people that Anakin had ever had the pleasure of meeting because Anakin couldn't decide whether or not he liked or detested the man. From the moment that Anakin had met him, he had liked Luke in a strange but natural way but at the same time, he disliked Luke for a great deal of things.
Luke was far too protective for Anakin's liking and he seemed to have no qualms against keeping secrets from Anakin, despite the fact that he had just told him that he didn't like lying. He was a complicated individual and it was hard for Anakin to truly get a sense of his character. He could sense that Luke had been touched by the Dark Side and that this encounter had left him changed. He used his head more than he did his heart, which Anakin had a feeling may not have always been the case.
He was powerful in the Force and his use of it was more serene than Anakin's had ever been, his calmness something that Anakin envied. Anakin had always been a rash person, ready to jump head first into dangerous situations with no thought, but Luke wasn't like that.
It was hard to describe the differences between them and of course those differences were to be expected. They came from different time periods, and from different upbringings that made them so radically different from each other. It was true that they were both from Tatooine, but Anakin had grown up in slavery while Luke had been a moisture farmer. Both were Force-sensitives, but Anakin had been taught under the shelter of the Order and had begun at a much younger age than Luke had, and of course, Anakin had never had to face the horrors of the Empire like Luke had.
And while Anakin respected Luke for that, he still did not appreciate the fact that Luke was keeping things from him while he had been nothing but truthful to him.
It tarnished his image of the Jedi, despite everything else that Luke had done.
He was not a child, therefore there was no reason to treat him as such.
Luke noticed the sour look on Anakin's face and he knew that the younger man was not entirely happy with him, and Force, Luke wasn't entirely happy with himself. He knew that there were better ways to handle everything that was going on and he knew that Anakin deserved better than how he had been treating him the past few days. Things had been going so great between the two of them, but then it had dawned on him that Anakin was becoming suspicious of him and that the time when he would have to tell Anakin everything was coming soon. And then there was the matter that Anakin was being given an opportunity of freedom outside of the Order, probably the first time in years was he being allowed to operate on the sort of level that being a Padawan had not allowed him and he knew that Anakin was going to use every bit of it.
Who wouldn't?
He would have to keep an eye on the kid and make sure that he didn't do anything reckless because that was something that could not be afforded at this time. If something bad happened to Anakin, then that might affect the outcome of this entire situation and not to mention the fact that Anakin had to return to his own time so that Luke could be born.
A prospect that scared Luke the more he thought about it.
"Listen, I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, but I just want to make sure that you know what you're getting into. Being a pilot is dangerous work and I don't want you to get hurt."
"I know it's dangerous," said Anakin shaking his head. "But I've been doing it since I was a child. My Master knew I was good, so he had me compete in pod racing tournaments despite my mother's wishes. I built my first pod racer when I nine from salvaged parts from the shop where I worked and I raced with it in the Boonta Eve Classic. I was the first human to win it, and I also won my freedom. So yes, I know it's dangerous but I also know that I can do it."
"You won the Boonta Eve Classic?" asked Luke, latching onto that piece of information. His Aunt and Uncle had never mentioned that, Luke definitely would've remembered if they had.
If he remembered correctly, there had only been one human to win the race and that had been years before his birth, but Luke had still heard about it from time to time but he had never known that that kid who had won it had been his father.
"Yeah, that race was my ticket off that dust-bowl."
"I've heard of that race before, some people talked about how a human had won it," said Luke with a small grin. "Unfortunately, the Empire outlawed pod racing across the galaxy and because of their stringent enforcement, the sport became almost nonexistent on Tatooine."
"Really? I'm sure the Hutts loved that," said Anakin sarcastically. It wasn't like the Hutts were ones to obey the law anyway, so he had no doubt the sport was still alive in secret.
"Pod racing still happens, especially in the Outer Rim and the unknown territories. But so far they've managed to escape Imperial intervention."
"I figured," said Anakin as he crossed his arms over his chest as he looked over at Luke, waiting for his reply to his earlier statement.
Luke noticed this and sighed, "I'll talk to General Dodonna about you joining one of the Squadrons and then we'll figure it out from there."
"Thank you, Luke," said Anakin.
Luke smiled, "you're welcome, Anakin."
With that, Luke made his way into the hangar to meet up with the Rogue Squadron for their training exercises, something Anakin hoped he would be participating in soon. Anakin tore his gaze away from the group of men and women dressed in their orange jumpsuits and started to make his way back to where Danika and Leandro were working. Leandro, although not a mechanic by trade, was decent enough to help Danika and him with repairs even though his job was working in the Intelligence section of the Alliance.
"What are you still doing here? Asked Anakin with a grin as he went back to his repairs. "Don't you have data to analyze?"
"Someone had to help Danika seeing as you were too busy smooching up to the Commander," joked Leandro as he handed the Jedi back his toolbox.
Danika shook her head as she turned her attention back to Anakin, curious as to what he and Luke had been talking about.
"What were you guys talking about?" she asked as he smoothed a strand of her hair off her face.
"He's going to see if he can get me in the cockpit," said Anakin as he grabbed the hydrospanner, his eyes never once leaving his work.
"Really? I didn't know you were a pilot," said Leandro.
Anakin shrugged, "there's a lot you don't know about me."
"We figured," said Danika as she looked over to where the pilots were standing, talking amongst themselves before they each headed off towards their own ships. Anakin could've sworn there was a look of longing on her face before she quickly masked it with her typical smirk.
"You're lucky," she said with a soft and encouraging smile, "they don't let just anyone fly."
"Luke told me," said Anakin as he pursed his lips, his gaze lingering over Luke as the Jedi climbed up into his seat in the cockpit.
"Are you a pilot?" asked Anakin after a few moments of silence.
"I was," she muttered under her breath. "My father was, so he taught me when I was about eleven or so. But I ended up developing an incurable eye disease when I was about sixteen and my dream of flying in the Rebellion went down the drain. I haven't flown in years and I never will."
"I'm sorry," said Anakin quietly, not quite sure what he would do if he was in her position. Flying meant so much to him that he couldn't imagine not ever doing it again.
"It's okay," she said with a pained smile, "besides, I'm fine doing mechanics."
"You're pretty good at it," commented Anakin truthfully. She was one of the best mechanics he had ever seen and he had seen quite a few in his short life so that was saying a lot.
"Damn right I'm good at it," she said with a smile. "So are you."
Anakin smiled, "I learned a thing or two on Tatooine about mechanics."
"Well yeah, it's Tatooine," said Leandro as he cut his way into the conversation, "everybody there is either a farmer, a criminal, a pilot, or a mechanic."
"You've been there?" asked Anakin.
"Once when I was nineteen. My family had to stop to refuel there when some runaway kid tried to pickpocket my wallet. Good thing I figured out what he was trying to do before he took off with it, or else I would've been screwed."
Anakin shrugged, "that's pretty common on Tatooine. Everybody there knows you don't carry your wallet out in the open, especially if you have a lot of credits in it."
Number one rule for visiting Tatooine. Don't flaunt your wealth.
"Wish I knew that then," said Leandro as he crossed his arms across his chest. "So how long were you there for?"
"Until I was nine," said Anakin as he shrugged his jacket off.
"Huh, don't suppose you ever met Commander Luke there?" asked Leandro, his curiosity about the teenager growing.
Anakin shook his head, "no, can't say that I ever met him while I was living there."
Probably because Anakin had left years before Luke had even been born, which was strange to think about seeing how much older Luke looked than him. In all technicality, Anakin was older than Luke, who couldn't be older than twenty-three from the look of him. Anakin would be about forty-five in this time, old enough to be Luke's father for Force sakes!
And yet Luke treated him like the child.
"Just cause two people are from the same planet doesn't mean they know each other," pointed out Danika. "Just look at me and Sasha, we're both from Dondoran and we only just met a month ago."
"I just thought it might be worth asking," said Leandro. "I mean Tatooine isn't that populated."
"It isn't," confirmed Anakin, "but I never met Luke until a few days ago. And trust me, I would've remembered him if I had."
"Well you know him now," said Danika as she stood up and brushed her pants off, "now it's way past lunchtime. You guys hungry?"
"I'm always hungry," said Leandro with a grin as he followed Danika.
"Hey braid, you coming or not?" asked Danika as she waited patiently for him to reply.
"You two go ahead, I'll catch up in a few," said Anakin as he motioned for them to leave. He wanted to find Artoo and see what it was that he was about to tell him before Luke had interrupted them, something inside of him was curious as to what the little Droid had to say.
"Sure, see you there," said Leandro as the two of them made their way out of the hangar, leaving Anakin to his own devices.
Anakin carefully placed the tools back into the box before standing up and shrugging his jacket on, not minding the dirt and grease that had accumulated on his clothing as he made his way out of the hangar in search of his domed friend. Even though Artoo didn't have a presence in the Force, he was still able to find the little Droid in one of the corridors. It was just his luck that Threepio was no longer there and this would give Anakin ample time to talk to Artoo alone.
"Hey Artoo," he said as he waved to the Droid.
The Droid beeped happily as he rolled over to Anakin, who had bent down to address the AI with a smile.
"Sorry I had to leave. I talked to Luke about becoming a pilot here and he's going to talk to Dodonna about it. Looks like I might be in the cockpit here soon."
Artoo chirped, happy for the youth that he had finally managed to talk some sense into Luke as well as the fact that Anakin and Luke were talking civilly to one another.
"So what was it you were going to tell me?" asked Anakin.
/There's something about your future you should know. /
Anakin's face dropped as he tightened his lips into a thin line, unsure as to whether or not he should hear what the Droid had to say about his future or not. He was conflicted about wanting that sort of knowledge, his stomach churning restlessly as his heart seemed to drop within his chest in anticipation and dread.
Did he really want to know? Was it worth it?
"Wait," said Anakin as he held his hand up to stop the Droid before he said anything else. "Is it bad?"
The Droid paused for a few moments as if trying to decide whether or not it was or not, a sad chirp confirming Anakin's worst fears.
/It's not good, but you should know. /
"No," said Anakin adamantly as he shook his head. "If it's bad then I don't want to know. I would rather go back to my own time not knowing than knowing that something bad was going to happen. And if I do manage to prevent all of this from happening, then maybe whatever bad things that happens to me won't happen."
/But-/
"No," said Anakin firmly, "please Artoo, don't."
/You will need to know, one day. You can't hide from your future forever./
"Maybe one day, but not now."
/Don't you want to know what happened to you? To your mother? /
Anakin paused, his posture going rigid as he turned to face the Droid with raised eyebrows.
"You know what happened to her?" he asked quietly, the image from his dream of her bloodied and bruised face staring up at him.
He had been scared as to whether or not it was just a dream or if it was a vision, choosing to push it far back in his mind so as to not think too much about it. But he had never quite been successful in getting that image out of his head.
/I know. /
"Tell me," said Anakin firmly as he tried to prepare himself for whatever the Droid had to tell him.
/A few years after you left, Shmi was freed by a man named Cliegg Lars. They got married but a few years after that she ended up getting captured by Tusken Raiders./
"Tusken Raiders?" asked Anakin, fear and anger boiling inside of him. "Please tell me she was okay?"
/When you found out, you tried to rescue her. But you were too late. She died in your arms./
Anakin's heart fell and the breath was sucked right out of his lungs, causing him to clutch at his chest as a soft sob escaped from his mouth. It hurt more than anything he had ever felt before, the pain in his chest as if someone had just stabbed him.
He couldn't stop the lone tear that made its way down his face before he furiously wiped it away with the sleeve of his jacket. He had tried to save her but it had been too late, his failure resulting in her death.
For Force sakes where had her husband been? This Cliegg Lars was supposed to protect her, not let her get taken by Tusken Raiders!
"When did this happen?" he asked quietly, his face dangerously blank.
/About two years from your time. /
Two years was plenty of enough time to go back to Tatooine and save her. He vowed that the first thing he would do upon going back to his time was to go and save her and bring her back to Ben'we so that she and Nayeli could be reunited.
There was no need for her to die in such a disgusting and vulgar way, not when he knew how to prevent it.
/I'm sorry, Anakin./
Anakin said nothing as he rose to his feet, his face still dangerously blank as he turned and stalked out of the corridor, his appetite completely gone as he made his way back to his quarters. He needed in that moment to be alone so that he could process what he had just been told.
If his future was worse than his mother dying, then he was perfectly fine not knowing.
As soon as Anakin closed the doors to his quarters, he fell onto his bed and let the tears flow, unashamed and freely he sobbed into his pillow for his mother. It wasn't fair that she had died like that, it wasn't fair that he had to leave her in the first place! If she had gone with him to Coruscant in the first place this wouldn't have happened. But no, the Jedi were so against attachment that they had made him leave her behind, not even bothering to grant her her freedom.
"I'm so sorry you had to find out like this, Anakin," came the familiar voice of his Master.
Anakin lifted his head off of his pillow to stare at the blue apparition of his dead master, his eyes red and wet as he looked into his Master's sad eyes.
"Master," he greeted blandly as he sat up. "You're blue."
Of course, that would be the first thing Anakin would notice.
"Obviously my very young Padawan," said Kenobi with a hint of a smile on his face before his features dropped, his eyes growing sadder upon seeing the state of the boy. "I know you're hurting, Anakin. Talk to me."
Anakin inhaled deeply and looked away, "my mother died and I wasn't able to stop it."
Kenobi sighed, "but you will have the chance to save her when you go back."
"I intend too, but you know the Jedi will not allow it," said Anakin, "you know the rule about attachment."
"That doesn't change the fact that she was your mother, Anakin. The Jedi don't understand that kind of love between a parent and a child and they never will. You will always have an attachment to her no matter how hard they try to break that connection."
"What are you saying, Master?" asked Anakin as he sat up straighter, interested in what his Master had to say.
"I'm saying follow your heart, Anakin," said Kenobi as he placed his transparent hand on his Padawan's shoulder. "The Jedi don't know everything, if they did we wouldn't have been fooled by the Sith like we were."
"Are you saying to leave the Order?" asked Anakin as he scrambled to his feet, not quite sure what he was hearing.
"If that's what you wish," said Kenobi, suddenly looking older than he was. "Either that or there needs to be some sort of reform within the Order as well as the Republic."
"Reform? What sort of reform?" asked Anakin as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"There are quite a few things that probably need to be changed," said Kenobi looking over at Anakin, "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."
Anakin sighed, his mind already addressing the things that he knew needed to be changed. The indoctrination of children from infancy, forcing them to grow up in a loveless environment with no parents or family. An almost unwillingness to accept people who were different from them, something he had been told was not true but to him, an outsider who had grown up a slave under the care of his mother, he could see it as plain as day.
The Jedi were also ignorant of the Dark Side, warding it off so much that they could barely understand what it was they were fighting. How were they to fight an enemy they knew nothing of?
They also seemed to have a nasty tendency of thinking but never acting. For years the Council had been discussing methods for finding the Sith Lord, but they had yet to act on those ideas.
And then getting involved in a war? The Jedi were not soldiers, they were peacekeepers who did everything within their power to maintain composure in any situation they were faced with. A Jedi did not draw their lightsaber lightly, so then why were the Jedi fighting a war on behalf of the Republic?
A war would only distract them from what the Sith was truly doing and it would inevitably weaken them to the point where they could be overtaken.
Maybe the Force wanted Anakin to find a way to prevent this Clone War from ever happening, which he knew would inevitably end in the destruction of the Jedi and the Republic.
His Master seemed to know what was going on through his head and replied accordingly.
"The Sith Lord we were looking for was hiding under our nose all those years, becoming more and more powerful. He orchestrated the entire war as a means to divide and conquer, the Republic and the Order having grown weaker and weaker until he was able to strike."
"Who is this Sith Lord?" asked Anakin. "Who is that he could hide like that for years without our knowledge?"
His Master arose to his feet and placed both of his transparent hands on either of Anakin's shoulders, his eyes boring into Anakin's in a way that made the Padawan almost scared to know the identity of the Sith.
"Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord, but now he goes by Emperor Palpatine."
Anakin's eyes grew wide in disbelief, "Chancellor Palpatine? No, it can't be. He's not like that- he's my friend! He wouldn't do that! Master, there has to be some sort of mistake-"
"There is no mistake, Anakin. It is true, he is a Sith."
"But how?" asked a lost Anakin. "Surely we would've known? He isn't even a Force-sensitive!"
"He fooled us all, Anakin. The Sith are Masters of deception and unfortunately, we all fell for his charade."
Anakin inhaled deeply, the truth ringing clearly through the Force, leaving him no choice but to believe his Master. Anakin had been visiting with the Chancellor for years and he had trusted him with his deepest and darkest secrets, his life in the Order, his longing for his mother, and so much more. And he had trusted him wholly and completely, never once had he had reason to be suspicious of the kind older man that Anakin had viewed almost as an adoptive grandfather.
"He managed to get the Senate to grant him emergency powers during the war," began Kenobi, "and when the Jedi finally caught wind of what he really was, we tried to organize an arrest for him, which ended up failing and giving him the upper hand. He seized control of the Senate and painted the Jedi in a bad light for all of the galaxy to see, changing the public opinion of us drastically."
"But what about the Jedi? Luke mentioned something about order 66 and clones," said Anakin as he listened intently to what Kenobi had to say.
"It is true that the Republic used a Clone army during the war, hence the name Clone War. It was not our brightest idea and now thinking back on it, I see how immoral and wrong it was to use the Clones like that. Another thing the Republic compromised its morality on, a sign of our descent into the political turmoil that gave rise to the Empire."
"But there was something wrong with the Clones," said Anakin as he pressed his Master to continue.
Kenobi stroked his beard as he nodded his confirmation, his face firm and deep in thought.
"Some years prior, Master Sifo Dyas ordered the creation of the Clone army, believing that a war was imminent within the Republic which would require additional manpower to fight in. What Master Dyas did not know, however, was that Sidious had found out what he was doing and had managed to secretly gain control of the army, implanting Order 66 into their chips. And when the army was presented to us at the very start of the war, we did not question it as we should have. We fought with those Clones, for three years through hell and back and never once did we imagine that they would end up turning on us, Anakin."
"But it wasn't just the Clones," said Anakin, "Darth Vader assisted in the destruction of the Temple too."
"Indeed he did," said his Master with sadness and pain etched onto his face. "A Jedi who betrayed us and submitted himself to Sidious, allowing himself to be consumed with darkness."
"Who is he?" pressed Anakin. "Who is the bastard that did this?"
Kenobi smiled sadly, his gaze falling away from the Padawan to rest on the window at the passing stars as a large sigh escaped from him.
"I can't tell you who he is, Anakin."
"Why not?" demanded Anakin impatiently.
"You'll know soon enough, my very young Padawan, just not now."
"Why not now? Please, Master! I need to know who did this. I need to know who killed you."
"So you can avenge me?" inquired Kenobi.
Anakin didn't say anything as Kenobi sighed, his blue hand coming to rest on his face as he looked over at the boy thoughtfully.
"Revenge is not the Jedi way," he said softly after a few moments of silence. "You know that, Anakin."
"Whatever happened to an eye for an eye, a hand for a hand? Do you think that neither the Emperor or Vader deserve to pay for what they've done with their lives? Let the punishment fit the crime," said Anakin, anger boiling inside of him.
"Just because they've done all these terrible things does not justify murder, Anakin. Once you go down that path, my very young Padawan, there is no returning. Your actions always have consequences, and they will always stick with you no matter how far you try to run."
"But-!" began Anakin before he was silenced by his Master.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Anakin. Do not start down that road thinking that what you are doing is righteous."
How can you not hate them, Master? How can you not want them dead?" asked Anakin, feeling defeated.
"Your hate for them is not righteous. No matter how much you try to convince yourself that your hate is righteous and justified, in the end, it is still hate and hate leads to the Dark Side. Wanting someone dead makes you no better than them, Anakin."
"They still need to pay for everything they've done," mumbled Anakin.
"Oh there's no doubt about that," said Kenobi as he yet again started to stroke his beard. "There will come a day when they must pay for what they have done, but hopefully upon your return to your own time, things will correct themselves."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Anakin.
Kenobi merely smiled at him with that sad look on his face that made Anakin's stomach churn uncomfortably, and there was no doubt in his mind that his Master was also keeping something from him. But something told Anakin he didn't want to know whatever it was.
"You'll know soon my young Padawan," he said looking back out the window, "it's not my place to tell you, but have faith, Anakin. All will be revealed in time."
"Is this what Luke has been keeping from me?" asked Anakin after a few moments of silence, his voice sounding a lot smaller than normal.
Although Anakin had been suspicious of Luke for whatever he was keeping from him, he wasn't so sure he wanted to know what that secret was anymore. He didn't know if he could handle another tragedy like that of his mother's.
"Luke has his reasons for keeping information from you, Anakin. Luke is a good person and trust me when I say that he has your best interest at heart, but he is not perfect, my young Padawan."
Anakin nodded solemnly, knowing that what his Master was saying about Luke was true. There was no doubt that Luke had his best interests at heart, but the way he was treating Anakin was still something that had caused a rift to form in their friendship.
"Do you understand everything that I have shared with you?" asked Kenobi.
"Yes Master," said Anakin as inhaled deeply and straightened his posture, his eyes still red from the tears.
"Good," said Kenobi with a small smile as he patted Anakin's shoulder with his transparent hand. "Just have faith, Anakin. Everything will be okay."
"I know it will be, Master. It's just not easy."
"Nobody said it would be, but you're strong enough. The Force wouldn't have sent you here if you weren't."
Anakin didn't feel strong. He felt weak and shaken, like waves from the sea, he was constantly being battered and it felt as though he was drowning under the weight of it all. He felt so tied down he didn't know if he could take another step without collapsing from it all.
But his Master seemed to believe that he could do it and he was right, the Force knew what it was doing when it sent him here and there was obviously a reason behind it all.
Anakin swallowed shallowly before nodding, his mouth dryer than the deserts of Tatooine and his heart heavier than a Bantha.
"Thank you, Master."
"You're welcome, Anakin," said Kenobi as he started to slowly fade away until there was no one else in the room but Anakin, who suddenly felt abandoned as he stared around at the sterile and barren room that the Princess had managed to secure him.
He sighed as he got to his feet, his eyes catching his haggard reflection in the small mirror that was hanging up in the fresher. His face looked pale and his eyes were bright and red-rimmed, a tell-tale sign that he had been crying.
He splashed some cold water on his face, trying his best to mask the pain that shown in his eyes before he ran a comb through his hair, replacing the ponytail at the back of his head before he shrugged his jacket back on and made his way out his quarters, his stomach having finally caught up with him.
He was about to turn the corner when he ran into the Princess, both figuratively and literally. He hadn't even felt her presence so it came as a shock to him when her face had suddenly appeared in front him, the surprise on her face quite evident too.
"Oh I'm sorry Anakin, I didn't see you there," she said as she shifted her bag further up her shoulder, her brown eyes looking up at him intently, as if she could sense the pain he was trying to hide.
"I didn't see you either, Milady," said Anakin curtly before he tried walking away, not really in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment.
"Wait!" she called back to him.
"Yes, your Highness?" he asked, not bothering to turn around to face her.
"You're good at mechanics aren't you? I mean I've seen you working on some of the ships in the hangar with Ms. Pava and Lieutenant Favreau so you obviously know a thing or two about mechanics-"
"What is it?" interrupted Anakin as he took a tentative step towards her, his height dwarfing her tiny frame as he stood next to her.
"Recently I came across one of my father's old Droids that he used to store transmissions that he had sent to his operatives, but I can't access them due to a failsafe that was put in place so the Empire wouldn't be able to get their hands on them."
"And you want my help in accessing them?" asked Anakin.
"If you would be willing too," she said smiling at him.
"I wouldn't mind taking a look at it, but I was about to go get some lunch right now and then go and finish up the repair work," he said gently.
"It doesn't need to be done right now," she said shaking her head, "really whenever you have the time would be fine with me. It's not urgent."
Anakin nodded, "I'll tell you when I'm free. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about, Princess?"
"Oh yes, you can go get your lunch," she said with an awkward smile.
Anakin nodded his head, not quite in the mood to return the smile as he turned on his feet and started to make his way down the corridor to the mess hall.
"Oh, and Anakin?" she called after him, stopping him in his tracks with her soft voice.
"Yes, Princess?" he asked, again not bothering to turn and face her. He wasn't trying to be rude or anything, he was just emotionally spent and her company, or anyone's company for that matter, was just not something he wanted to deal with. He just wanted to grab something to eat before he had to contact his Aunt and tell her what had happened to his mother and to not waste her credits on hiring a private investigator. That money should be put towards helping Nayeli and her family, not investigating a dead woman.
"You can call me Leia."
Anakin nodded numbly before he disappeared down the corridor, leaving the Princess in his wake.
Anakin stared down at the comlink numbly, trying to find the strength within to pick it up and contact his Aunt. He could only imagine the sort of pain that this would cause her, to know what cruel fate his mother had suffered on Tatooine.
To find out what had happened to her sister only to lose her yet again and in such a way.
It wasn't fair. Not one bit.
Anakin swallowed as he finally plugged in the frequency, his hands shaking ever so slightly as he set it down, waiting for her to receive the signal. He hoped she wouldn't answer, just this once he hoped she was too busy or fast asleep but his silent prayer went unheard as her smiling face appeared in the blue hue of the link.
"Ani," she greeted as she sent him a toothy smile, her eyes bright and twinkling as she addressed her nephew. It pained him how much his Aunt resembled his mother, from her smile right down to the color of her eyes.
She seemed to notice the despondent look on his face, his blue eyes downcast and his mouth pressed into a thin line, the very same look that Shmi had given her when she had been sad. She instantly knew something was wrong, her smile fading away gradually and her features growing worrisome.
"What's wrong?" she pressed.
"I-I found out what happened to my mother," he said blandly, his chest tightening.
"What? What did you find out?" pressed Nayeli, her eyes widening in sudden fear and dread. She already had a sense of what the boy would say, but she wanted him to say it.
"She passed away a few years ago," he said taking in a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Aunt Nayeli. She's gone."
His Aunt clutched at her chest, but she made no noise as she looked down at the floor, not even a tear escaped from her eyes. After a few moments of silence, she finally looked back up at Anakin, her face full of unspoken pain as she shut her eyes tightly and let out a deep breath.
"How?" she asked softly.
Anakin debated on what he should tell her about the manner in which his mother had passed. Should he tell her that she had been captured and tortured, eventually succumbing to death in his future counterparts arms? Or should he lie to her? Tell her that his mother went peacefully in her sleep or something like that.
"She-uh she was killed by Tusken Raiders," he said, leaving it at that. There was no way he was going to go in depth with that, neither he nor Nayeli would be able to handle that.
He knew what the Raiders did to those they captured and it was not something he wanted to actively think about, not now not ever.
"I have no idea what Tusken Raiders are but I can only hope that it was quick," said Nayeli shaking her head, "I hope she wasn't in any pain."
"She wasn't," said Anakin, the lie slipping easily out of his mouth. "It was quick."
"Good," said Nayeli, "thank you for telling me Anakin, but I have to go make dinner now."
"I'll talk to you later," he said as she nodded her head, not quite all there in the present from the looks of things.
"Goodnight, Anakin," she said as she switched the comlink off.
Anakin sighed as he leaned back in his chair, running an agitated hand through his hair before he set the comlink aside. He could tell that Nayeli had not taken the news well, her grief process radically different from his own and her countenance painfully blank and emotionless.
People handled grief differently and he knew that she was hurting just as much as he had, she just showed it differently.
Anakin pushed the chair back, his eyes zeroing in on the makeshift cot that was calling to him. He was tired, the day having taken a lot out of him but he knew what it would mean if he went to bed.
He didn't want to sleep if it meant that he would have another dream, or vision- whatever the kriff they were. Thinking back on it, he probably should've asked Obi-Wan about them, but his mind had been too focused on his mother and of what had happened in the past to ask his Master about them.
The dreams had been coming to him nonstop at that point, each one more vivid and real than the last. And each one terrified him more and more and there was no escaping them, no matter how hard he tried.
Last night he had dreamed of Padme again, her face appearing to him in his sleep begging him to save her over and over until it had driven him mad. He had tried so hard to ask her what he was supposed to save her from before she had faded away and he had once again found himself consumed by the flames that were ever present, his screams loud and present before another scream had joined his. But he could've sworn it was the cry of an infant, a strange addition to the dream that was unexpected, to say the least.
It had been then that he had awoken, his heart racing and his mind just as confused as always as he had searched around his cot frantically as if he was trying to find the baby. It was ridiculous but there was something there, calling to him and tugging on his heart.
Anakin had, of course, pushed the dream to the back of his mind before heading out to finish the tasks he had been given for the day, but now the dream echoed throughout the reaches of his mind, making him afraid to see what that night's dream had in store for him.
He didn't want the flames to consume him anymore and he absolutely did not want to see Padme in that much pain either, screaming and begging for him to save her.
He had tried his hardest over the past week not to think of her, but he could only push her out of his head for so long before her angelic face reappeared. He knew that most of his dreams tended to revolve around her and he wondered why this was.
If these dreams were visions of his future, did that mean that their futures were intertwined? The way that she had acted around him, even the way that she had looked at him in those dreams indicated that they were romantically involved, but was this to be in his future?
That vision revolving the fireplace scene had been more than real, his emotions stirring wildly inside of him as he tried to get her to see things his way. They could make it work, the both of them if she was only willing to give him her heart as he had given her his.
There was no doubt in his mind that whatever he had seen was real and had actually happened, and he wasn't quite sure what to think about that. He knew the Code and he knew that if he had engaged in a relationship with her in the future that it would mean that he had broken his vow, but something told him that that sacrifice was one that he had been willing to make.
But there was more to it than just that, it was what came after those precious moments with her that scared the Bantha shit out of him. Every dream ended the same, with him being consumed by the flames and her begging him to save her.
Were the flames a vision of how he would die? Consumed by fire and smoke as he tried to save the woman he loved?
Anakin didn't want to know, choosing to remain ignorant rather than in pain.
This was why he refused to let Artoo tell him of his future, seeing as he already knew that his future was a sad one. He just saw no reason to know and he was perfectly fine with that.
"What you don't know won't kill you," he mumbled under his breath as he let out a large yawn, his eyes still lingering over his cot.
He couldn't evade sleep forever. But he could hold it off a little bit at the least, which was what he had decided to do as he sat down on his bed, his entire body facing the window in front of him as he assumed a meditation pose and started to clear his mind out.
Meditating was not something Anakin particularly liked doing, the idea of clearing out his chaotic mind seeming like far too much work for him. But nonetheless, he started the meager process of allowing his mind to enter completely into the Force, which was a better alternative than falling asleep only to have another nightmare.
If only his Master could see him now. He would probably faint if he could see his Padawan actually meditating willingly and without instructions to do so.
Anakin had to crack a grin at the thought of his Master feinting, and in the process of doing so lost his concentration.
He sighed as he allowed his mind to once again enter into the Force until eventually, he managed to find himself in a trance, his slow and deep breaths the only thing that could be heard in the eerily silent room.
AN: We're getting closer and closer to the big reveal. Everything is starting to unfold slowly but steadily :)