Empire of Gold

by N.L. Nameless

The war is far from over. Anakin has changed for the worst and the galaxy is falling apart. The only way for Obi-Wan to cope, is to write letters to the one he has lost to darkness, and the one who, most likely, will bring him to ruin. Rated T for very light swearing and violence.

6. Letter 6

Chapter 6

18 BBY, Tatooine

Dear Anakin,

Six letters in and you have yet to reply.

As a feared Sith Lord, do you ever get personal time? A break? I find it very hard to see you function if you don't have your 'breaks'. You used to whine about them all the time, back when you were a Padawan. My Padawan.

Back when you were a Jedi.

Back when the Republic existed.

Never mind, I'd hate to ruin the conversation because I am slipping off into old memories.

What's it like? The Dark Side? Is it...is it like how the holobooks in the Archive describe it as? A cold, inky, black prison or a hot and angry fire? Or is it how this Sith of Old describe it as liberal and freeing, like the feeling of their 'chains being broken' as they used the term in their code, after all.

I still hear the sound of breathing in my sleep. The sound of your pained cries as I left you to burn and rot. The sound of screams as a lightsaber is being brought on them. The fact that if I had just been stronger, the Empire will not have its fearsome Enforcer like it does today? If I was stronger, your suffering would have ended. But didn't we have this conversation already?

Yes. Yes we did.

I am running out of things to write to you, Anakin. My life is as bland as it can get right now. No more war, no more Jedi, no more Clones, it's just me. Just Obi-Wan. Not Master Kenobi or High General Kenobi, it's just Obi-Wan, the man who lost his best friend and his brother the same day, losing everything else he cared about in the process, but...that hurt the most. Losing you to the Dark Side. That hurt the most.

Do you still fix things?

Mechanics, I mean.

It wouldn't be odd, I suppose, given the fact you are more machine than man now. And you always fiddled around with your right arm prosthetic, the one you lost to Dooku, trying to make it better than it was beforehand.

I can plainly see that the probably isn't comfortable either, but how do you take it off?

Does a machine do it?

A machine taking apart a machine...hmm.

If you do ever give a reply to my letters, hopefully you can answer the questions I have, you know that I have trouble sating my curiosity. Until I write again, old friend!

-Obi-Wan Kenobi

ThatTubaGuy: Don't worry I will ;) I think I have a total of 10 chapters planned, but that may change…

masterkenobi25: Thank you! I never planned for there being a reply, but the more I think about it...the better it sounds :) Thanks for the idea, maybe it'll be the next chapter…