Creepy. That's what this place was.

Just plain creepy.

Weren't there supposedly lost tribes of Amazonian witch doctors and Voo-Dooers down here that just like...Use poison darts on people for entering their territory?!

He shuddered at the thought. Oh, not to mention the fact that his sister was pissed as hell at the moment. She was broadcasting that fact loud and clear through the Force. He smirked. He was sure Han was getting an earful right about now, no doubt about it.

"Leia's not going to be happy with us," Luke commented, his voice low and mildly amused, as they crept towards the coordinates indicated on their map. The jungle was thick-above them, the treetops were packed so close together, light barely reached the vine-twisted and dead-leaf covered ground. It also trapped moisture, lots of it, and though it wasn't currently raining, it might as well be. Luke was already drenched, his clothing sticking to him uncomfortably.

Looking at his father, Uncle Ben, Ella, and Mara, they weren't much better off. Good thing the girls' hair was put up. Even his own hair was plastered to his head from the dampness of the air. Monkeys and birds howled and cawed above them, and strange sounding insects were vibrating and clicking away, all of them combining to make an almost deafening racket in the surrounding stillness. Even so, Luke made sure to tread very carefully, as did his companions. Who knew what unknown animals might be lying in wait to take a bite out of them underneath all the moldy foliage they were trampling on. He tried to ignore Mara, but with her flame red hair pulled back into a braid, and her black vest hugging her white shirt, thereby accentuating her curves rather nicely, he noted….It was kinda hard to do so.

He kicked himself for going there right now. His father would tell him to focus...and not in that way...and most certainly not with her. He smirked and regrouped as his father spoke.

"Oh, I know," His father said dryly, "She's practically seething across our Force connection. Trust me." Luke paused at that, remembering that, like himself, Leia also had a deep connection to their father...and apparently, they'd once had an even deeper one themselves. A pang of longing lanced through his chest, and he tried to shake it off. Now was not the time to be thinking about the way things currently were, like his broken connection to his twin, or his fight with Mara and the awkward tension between them at the moment, or the fact that his memories, both in this life and his last, were a horrible mess.

No. He - they - were walking into a trap. He knew it. They knew it, and he - they -needed to be prepared if they wanted to get out alive. He did his best to block these feelings from his father, but he was sure that he was doing a crappy job of it. Thankfully, his father didn't say anything about it. "I'm not about to let our getaway ship get stolen or sabotaged. I'm not keen on getting stuck in the Amazon. Your mother would fly down here herself and kill me, if that happened."

Luke didn't doubt that one bit, knowing his mom.

"It's not fun, that's for sure." Luke said without thinking about it.

"Hmm, sounds like an adventure," his Uncle Ben commented dryly, though it was clearly an invitation for him to open up about it. Luke winced, and he carefully avoided looking at Mara. Talking about that particular adventure would bring up Talia. It was her, afterall, who had gotten him out of that particular mess.

And, he wasn't going there. Not now. Not ever, if he could help it.

"It was," Was all he said, his tone final, and he ignored the curious spark from his father leaking down their bond. He also tried to ignore focusing his gaze on Mara, as she began to walk ahead, giving him a lovely and clear view of her perfectly shaped backside. He swallowed, his eyes lingering in abject appreciation on her feminine form, and he wondered again, as he had many times since she'd gotten angry with him, what exactly they'd been to one another in their previous galaxy. Clearly, she remembered some sort of past life.

And, clearly, his past life was connected to hers somehow. But, how?

Again, he suppressed a growl of longing (and hoped he wasn't drooling), and chided himself in annoyance. Now was not the time to get into it with her. They came upon some rather large...ferns? Luke had no idea. His expertise was definitely not in horticulture. It didn't really matter. Whatever they were...they were thick, big, green, leafy, and in the way of their makeshift path through the thick undergrowth. Mara unclipped her lightsaber, igniting the purple blade, and cut through it in one fell sweep. "Over here!" She called over her shoulder, though only loud enough so they could hear.

A squeak came from behind him. Ella. "Please tell me we're there," she groaned, leaning closer to her father. "I'm pretty sure a snake just slid past my right foot."

Luke rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to remind her that she was a Jedi padawan and overly qualified to take care of a little snake, but as he came up behind Mara, he stopped cold. There, ahead of them, was the remains of a huge step pyramid, in the style of an ancient Mayan temple, almost totally covered in overgrown vines. Around it, the trees looked younger, and more sparse, as if the people who had once built this structure had cleared the area around it, and without anyone to maintain it, the jungle was greedily swallowing the land and the structure back up. Luke knew without a shadow of a doubt that, had they tried to find the temple without the coordinates, they never would have found it. Not in hundreds of years.

"It's like something out of an Indiana Jones movie," Ella whispered in awe.

"True. And, you sure don't see that every day, huh, Luke?" Mara agreed, commenting quietly, and he jolted with a start when he realized she was actually talking to him now.

He tilted his head as his father joined his other side. "I guess…" he started, but he paused, wincing as a very brief flicker of memory surfaced in his brain. An old base, surrounded by jungle. In the distance, a helmeted man stood on a watch tower, holding some sort of scanner as a ship looking much like the one from his drawing flew in…

"Luke?" Mara's voice shook him out of the memory, and he shuddered. His father was there, in his mind, frantically waiting for the memory to continue to suck him in...but it didn't.

"I'm fine." He said, honestly, and he managed a shaky smile. Mara frowned, her green eyes flashing with suspicion, but she didn't argue the point.

"It looks like no one has touched this place in hundreds of years," Ben said, the first to actually step through the hole Mara had made to start making his way to the temple entrance. "It's quite a magnificent structure, actually."

"And, there are no bad guys around," Ella piped in, sounding relieved.

"That we can see or sense," Luke reminded them dryly, though he knew that Mara, Ben, and his father didn't need reminding of it. "Keep your guard up."

Ella frowned, blushing, but she didn't try to make an excuse for her inexperience. She was young. Not much younger than he was, true, but without a whole past life to burden her, she somehow seemed so much younger than him and Leia. Or Mara. Ella would learn. He hoped.

"Do you think the crystals are inside?"

He frowned, unable to believe that she couldn't sense the strong Force presence that surrounded this place, almost as strong as the one in Nepal. But, her father chimed in to instruct her. "Reach out with your feelings, Ella. Feel the Force. Why don't you show us where the entrance to the crystals is?"

Luke scowled impatiently. It would take far less time if one of them did it, not the inexperienced newbie. Patience, Luke. His father's voice suddenly filled his head, sounding more amused than anything else. One day you'll have to teach a youngling. You can't just do everything for them. They'll never learn if you do.

Luke made a face. It's a little soon to be thinking about that, don't you think?

Though his father had moved ahead to look at the temple up close, he could see his father's shoulders moving in such a way, he knew he was snickering. Maybe, maybe not. You're a special case. When you're ready to take on the responsibilities of a Jedi, you would make a great teacher. A pause, and then in a more serious tone, his father added: Leia said you were a brilliant teacher.

Luke made a face, waiting for painful memories...and none came. He relaxed. Do me a favor. Let's not trigger anything here while we're in the middle of walking into a trap. At least, not intentionally.

It's not my intention, but as you wish.

His father threw him a knowing look, one that said that he knew Luke was still trying to avoid dealing with his past-either one-as much as possible, but he was spared from having to respond when Ella suddenly shouted, rather loudly, "Over here!" Luke winced, tensing as he waited for a swarm of Inquisitors to swoop in. Ben apparently thought so too, because as Luke turned a corner of the temple, he heard him gently reminding his daughter to keep her voice down. She turned red in the face. "Sorry." she whispered, pointing to a huge, circular stone set against one of the walls. It was the only one not covered with vines, and ancient inscriptions were carved into it...some looking suspiciously like rudimentary lightsabers. "I'm pretty sure I found it, though."

Ben smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, approvingly, and Ella beamed with pride. "Good work, Ella." He praised softly, and Luke's throat tightened a little-and he wasn't sure why, exactly, he reacted that way.

Obi-Wan was your mentor in our old galaxy. His father replied, and there was a strange...tightness to his voice as well. Not disapproval, per se, but...jealousy? Longing? Sadness? Luke wasn't sure. Given what he now knew about his father, he suspected a combination of the three. You're probably reacting to seeing him with someone else.

Luke frowned. No, he didn't feel jealous. Nostalgic, maybe. However, he didn't correct his father, and instead studied the stone beside him. "Look." His father pointed out. "There are marks next to the door-someone has been moving this stone."

Sure enough, there were very obvious marks in the worn down, partially covered stone. Mara placed a hand on the stone, frowning at it. "Clearly," she said dryly, "It's not pushed with physical strength." It was true. The stone looked to weigh at least a ton. Even with all of their combined efforts, they wouldn't be able to lift it.

"Well, I guess the answer is obvious then." Luke said, stepping back and reaching up.

"Hold up." His father said, stepping in front of him. "If this is anything like back home, we're going to have to do it together."

Luke frowned, gesturing at the slab of stone. "Nepal didn't have anything like this." In fact, that temple's entrance was rather wide open. The challenge there was climbing the mountains to get to it.

"No. Not this world. Back in our old galaxy, Jedi temples were often guarded in such a way that you could only open them in a specific way-often only with another Jedi." He paused, his expression darkening. "Or, Sith."

Luke had a feeling that his father knew those kinds of temples all too well. "Okay. So, let's open it."

His father lifted his eyebrows, but didn't comment on Luke's readiness to work with him on something without prompting, and came and stood next to him, reaching out his own hand. Ben and Ella moved out of the way, and Luke heard Ben quietly remind Ella to pay close attention to what they were doing. Luke closed his eyes, blocking them out, concentrating on the Force. This place was practically drenched in it-and not just the Light Side. But, the Dark Side as well. He wondered if his father could sense it-and realized that was a stupid thought. Of course, he could. He was the Chosen One, apparently, and a Jedi Grandmaster at that. His dad undoubtedly could probably sense more than he could...and yet, he was his son. He'd inherited much of that same power...but he'd also once been a Grandmaster himself, if his father was to be believed.

He reached deeper into the Force, his power stretching deep into the temple's very crevices, feeling a whole labyrinth of corridors and rooms just waiting to be explored down there...and with it, he found his father's presence, also digging into it, exploring. And somehow, he just...knew. He knew what he had to do. He joined his father's presence, which brightened with his own joined with his, and for the briefest of moments Luke saw another temple, a grand, beautiful building full of life and learning…

And, instantly, the stone rolled open, creaking loudly in the cavernous space, dislodging dirt and pebbles as it moved, revealing a darkened stairway leading down into the labyrinth. Luke opened his eyes, lowering his hand. "Well." His father said, and he clapped a hand on his shoulder, proudly. "That does it, then."

Mara peeked down into the cavern, whistling. "It's pretty dark down there." She commented, turning back to them. "And, rather cramped."

Ben approached, staring down into it as well. "So, it is." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "If they come in from behind, it'll be tough to get warning."

"And, it'll be tough to get help." Ella agreed, surprising Luke. Perhaps she was more observant than he gave her credit for. "Maybe one of us should stay up here and watch the entrance. That way, they can comm us for warning, and then go get help from Leia and Han."

"That sounds like a good plan." Mara agreed, tilting her head in thought. "I'll stay."

Luke whirled to her, immediately hating that idea. "But…!" He began, protests springing to his lips, begging to be said. But, at the glower Mara sent his way, the words died, and he hesitantly shut up. The idea of Mara being up here, alone...True, she was more than capable, of course. Much more so than Ella was. But, if she got hurt...even if she was mad at him, and maybe rightfully so, he couldn't...he couldn't…

Mara's eyes softened, as if she could read the thoughts in his eyes. She stepped closer, her expression almost...tender. More so than it had been in a while, at least. "Look, it makes sense. I'm the only one here not with their Jedi master. It's best if you guys stick together. And, I can handle myself, Skywalker."

Luke opened his mouth, and closed it, remembering who was around him. Specifically to her, he sent the thought, Talia could, too. I can't...I don't want to lose you, too.

Mara smiled, softly, sadly, and leaned up, kissing his cheek. You won't. Not today, at least. That's a promise.

Luke winced, but he knew by now that she'd won, and he'd never had a chance of persuading her otherwise in the first place. Sometimes she reminded him all too much of his mother. Don't make promises. He reminded her darkly.

Excuse me for interrupting here, but are we going in or not? His father interrupted, and he shot his father an irritated look.

"Fine. Let's go. We'll call you if we need anything down there." He added to Mara, who nodded, stepping away from him, her hand going to her lightsaber. Giving her one last look, Luke turned and followed Ben, Ella, and his father deep into the earth. What's your issue with Mara in the first place?! He shot at his father privately, making sure none of the other Force Sensitives could hear.

His father didn't respond for a moment, and Luke could tell he was choosing his words with care. Let's just say we didn't get along in our previous life. Mara can tell you more when she's ready. Before Luke could protest, his father added firmly, It's not my story to tell.

What the hell? Luke wondered, frowning. The others had pulled out their flashlights, and he scrambled to do so as well. I've got a bad feeling about this...


Anakin never liked caves. Especially not after his first mission as a padawan to get his first Kyber crystal. Too many things could go wrong. A cave in, with thousands of pounds of rock and dirt smushing and suffocating you. Unforeseen drops of who knows what that you didn't know existed until it was too late landing on you. Moist, stale air that made it hard to breathe. It certainly wasn't at the top of the list of things he detested, but it was on it nonetheless.

This cave, however, was a strange mix of natural rock formations and rooms and corridors carved hundreds, maybe thousands, of years ago by hand. Sometimes the passage would be so narrow, they had to squeeze through sideways single-file. Good thing they kept in shape. But, being the tallest, Anakin almost got stuck once, and Luke had to give him a solid Force push from behind to get through it. It was not one of his proudest moments, he had to admit. Then the passage would suddenly widen into a huge room with carvings and paintings etched into the walls. Each time, Obi-Wan would make them stop to take pictures.

"It would be helpful if Mindy was still here." Anakin commented, almost sadly, on the third time this happened. "She would have loved this stuff."

"True. That she would've. And, she would have been able to translate it, and give the history behind some of it. Threepio can translate, but he won't give us the history. Don't smack me for saying this...But, I do miss the old girl." Obi-Wan agreed, his own voice a touch melancholic. Anakin simply nodded and patted Obi-Wan on the shoulder.

"Mindy?" Luke echoed, frowning slightly.

Anakin winced at the memories, and at the reminder that Luke didn't remember much of his life in this world in addition to his previous one. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't remember this one, though. "She was a good friend of ours from college. Your mother's best friend, actually. She was a history major. She was our Order's first librarian, and the only one who wasn't Force Sensitive. She...died at the hand of one of Palpatine's goons. Protecting you, Leia, and Ella when you were very little. Your mother has pictures of us all together up in the house...and we have one of her up in the library at the Academy." He didn't look at his son, but he noticed Ella's expression had hardened. Evidently, she remembered it.

"I see." Luke's voice was distant, and Anakin could sense his son trying to remember, but nothing came. For now, it was perhaps for the best.

After all, they had enough to be worried about at this moment.

They moved deeper into the labyrinth, coming across more rooms, until finally, after yet another painfully narrow passageway (at least painfully for Anakin: Force, it was sometimes a curse being tall), the corridor widened out again, this time with some rather dank wooden boards serving as a makeshift walkway under their feet. What was more, the walls were covered with what must have been millions upon millions of lightsaber crystals. "Well," Obi-Wan commented dryly, "I think we found the other source of the Inquisitor's crystals."

"I don't think there's even this many in Nepal!" Ella breathed in wonder, "And look, Dad! Someone's been mining them!"

Sure enough, discarded to the side of the wooden walkway, were chiselling tools. Anakin scowled at them-Lightsaber crystals weren't meant to be mined. They were meant to be chosen by their Jedi, and only by their Jedi. At least, that's how the Jedi viewed them. The Sith, however… "Anakin," Obi-Wan said gravely a few feet ahead of him, "There's more tools over here. Do you think...?"

"I don't need to be Threepio to tell you the odds aren't looking good that it isn't." He growled, and turned to Luke. "Did you ever hear anything about Palpatine mining or...gathering Kyber crystals? Or, hear any talk about a powerful weapon in development?"

Luke frowned, clearly puzzled. "No. I didn't even know this place existed." His expression darkened, and Anakin caught yet another glimpse of that girl. Fireheart. Talia. The girl his son had dated...the girl Luke didn't want to talk to him about. "If I'd become his apprentice, I probably would have been told." He said, sourly, and Anakin knew it wasn't because he wanted the position. Not anymore. Luke had his other reasons….reasons he would later need to work through with him. A lesson that would no doubt probably cause Luke to get angry with him all over again. Joy, he thought sarcastically.

"Why?"

Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a worried look. "Because," Anakin said, deadly serious, "Kyber crystals don't just power lightsabers. With enough of them, you can power lethal weapons of mass destruction."

"Like the Death Star." Obi-Wan said grimly.

There was a flicker of recognition in Luke's expression, and as Anakin readied himself to go to his son's aid, the look disappeared. "Well. That's comforting." Luke said, sarcasm dripping in his voice.

"Indeed." Obi-Wan was almost scowling, as he looked at the tools scattered about. "We'd better hurry."

They continued down the walkway. Anakin couldn't help but notice that this cave not only had smaller crystals for powering lightsabers, but also much larger ones too, some as big as his fist.

How big were the crystals for this...Death Star? His son asked through their Force bond, his voice cautious, and Anakin knew he was trying to ask without triggering any memories.

As Vader, he'd of course, seen some of the crystals that had powered the battle station's supreme weapon. They ranged in size. Some were incredibly large, needing special cargo ships to carry them. Others were as small as the ones in our lightsabers. Together, they could fuse themselves to form a weapon powerful enough to destroy entire worlds. He paused. Including Alderaan. Your sister's home world. He could not hold back the incredible sadness and guilt out of his thoughts, and he tried to withhold the memory of holding her back while the world she called home exploded into literal dust before her very eyes. From the flinch Luke made, he knew he wasn't successful.

You didn't order it. Luke's half hearted attempt to console him.

Anakin gave him an ironic smile. But, it doesn't matter, Son. I did nothing to stop it. And, I should have. Luke didn't argue with him. There was nothing anyone could say to justify those actions. But now, Anakin needed to help make sure nothing like that ever happened again. Even on a smaller scale (because he was sure someone would have noticed if Palpatine was building a battle station the size of the moon over Earth...Especially with him being Director of NASA and having access to so much classified intel).

The path they were on suddenly split into two paths, both still with wooden walkways down each one. They stopped abruptly, glancing at one another. "I think we'd better split up." Obi-Wan said, obvious distaste in his voice.

Luke winced. "We don't know how far back either of these go. If one of us gets in trouble, it'll make it hard to get help."

Luke had a point. However, they needed to cover as much ground as possible. Besides, being underground was giving him the creeps. "We'll be fine." Anakin assured his son. "Obi-Wan and I have been in far worse situations before."

"Yes, well, let's try not to make it a worse situation then, shall we?" Ella said, and Anakin couldn't help but be amused noticing how much like her father she sounded.

They split up-Obi-Wan and Ella went right, while Luke and Anakin went left. Anakin quickly regretted that decision though, because yet again the passageway narrowed until he was barely scraping through-and this time, the walls were lined with crystals that literally tore tiny little holes into his shirt. "Great. Just great," Anakin grumbled, "Your mom is going to make me go shopping now." He heaved a sigh.

Luke, who with his somewhat smaller frame that Anakin had never envied until now, had squeezed out already, and turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. "And that's bad?"

Anakin grunted as he finally got free, scowling. "Yes. Shopping is the worst." He paused. "Unless it's for machine parts or new tools." He amended, a longing look on his face. "Then it's perfectly fine…But, just don't tell your mother I said that, or she'll force me to go with her more than she already does."

Luke's lips twitched into a small, amused smile. "I'm sure you'll live." He said. "Uh, do you need to go ahead so I can Force push you out if you get stuck again?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny." Anakin rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile. Force, it was good to hear Luke joke with him again. Luke's smile turned into a smirk, and he turned back around to lead the way.

It turned out that he didn't have to worry anymore. A few more paces, and they turned a corner, stopping short. Before them, the tunnel widened out into a massive cavern, full of crystals of all different shapes and sizes. Mining equipment was strewn out everywhere, and the wooden walkway hugged the sides of the cavern. Wooden platforms were also drilled into the walls at different intervals, stretching up to the ceiling...or where a ceiling might have been. The top of the cavern was totally open, letting in sunlight and fresh air. Whether it had caved in years ago, or had been recently blown open, Anakin couldn't tell, but he assumed this was how they'd fit all of the gear into the Kyber crystal caverns below. There were no other entrances or exits-just the pathway they'd come through, and the open sky above.

For a moment, they stood there, taking it all in. Finally, Luke cleared his throat. "Well," He said, stepping off the wooden platform and onto the cave floor, being careful of the crystals. "I guess we take a look around before we go back to Obi-Wan and…" he broke off, his whole body suddenly tensing.

"What?" Anakin asked urgently, worried that he was about to have another vision...but when he checked on their Force bond, he didn't sense anything like that. "What's wrong?" His hand went to his lightsaber, instinctively.

"Mara." Luke hissed out, and a split second later he called his lightsaber from his belt to his hand, igniting it and whirling…Just as a tall slender figure leapt from the top of the cavern above, twin red blades ignited, and smashed them into Luke's lightsaber.

Ventress.

Anakin's lightsaber whipped out, igniting, and he stretched out with one hand and used the Force to push her back and away from his son. Ventress did not falter-she landed gracefully on the other side of the room, lightsabers poised in front of her, a sly smile gracing her lips. "Well, well, wellll..." She said, her voice still that same raspy sound Anakin remembered from before. She was older...and human. With short spiky hair instead of bald. But despite that, she still was pale and looked like herself. "Look who decided to drop in uninvited."

We've got company, Anakin sent to Obi-Wan urgently, as he instinctively placed himself between Luke and the other woman, his own lightsaber held defensively in front of him and his son. He could feel Luke's annoyance at being protected, but he didn't voice his opinion. Now was not the time.

I know-we've got Inquisitors over here. Obi-Wan's voice was strained and tight. Who…?

Ventress. Anakin grimly told him, fighting the wave of fury at the sight of the woman. He heard Obi-Wan's blistering curse at this news through their Force bond. Asajj had caused him so much trouble in their previous galaxy-too much trouble. In fact, she was the reason he had the scar on his face, and she was also the reason for many of the Separatist's accomplishments. But now...Now, she was the reason for him almost losing his wife. Padme still had the scars on her shoulder and chest as a reminder of what she'd done that horrible night...and his son had the mental and emotional scars from the result of her kidnapping. Years spent believing that he'd killed his mother, that his own father hated him...She'd broken Luke's connection to his family and willingly gave him up to that monster she called Master…

Anakin didn't need his bond with his son to know that Luke was furiously thinking the same thing. "Fuck you, Bitch." Luke snapped, and before Anakin could stop him, Luke had charged past him, heading straight for Ventress, who smiled in triumph.

"Luke, no!" Anakin called, but it was too late. He had no choice but to follow, to force Ventress to pay attention to two of them instead of just one. We need to do this together! He shot at his son through their bond, Ventress is a formidable Dark User opponent, not one to be taken lightly! Obi-Wan and I have taken her on together before in our old galaxy! He wondered, idly, as Ventress brought up each of her blades and met theirs with ease, if this was how Obi-Wan had felt every time he'd charged head-first into battle as his padawan...Without controlling his temper or his emotions. As their lightsabers began clashing, and they began to move through the room, ducking and spinning and lunging at one another, Anakin made a mental note to apologize (again) to his best friend.

Anakin, be careful of the crystals! Obi-Wan's voice floated into his head again, and he couldn't help but notice the strain in his voice. Ella wasn't as trained as Luke was, and Obi-Wan was older than him. Anakin was certain Obi-Wan could handle it, but there were limits to even a Jedi's capabilities. They could easily become unstable and blow up in our faces!

I know! He shot back as he dodged a lunge from Ventress. As he did, he blew another Force push her way, knocking her back. Again, she easily recovered, laughing maniacally as she did so. "Is this all the Jedi can do?" She sneered, giving Luke a pitying look. "Such a shame. You had such promise, too."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Luke was shaking, and through the Force, Anakin could feel his anger overflowing, about to go supernova any second.

Alarmed, Anakin attempted to send soothing thoughts to his son. Focus, Luke. She's trying to get a rise out of you. Not that he blamed Luke. He himself wanted to strangle the life out of the woman after everything she'd done to him and his family. But, he wouldn't. Couldn't. He would never, ever cross that line again. Even if she deserved it.

His words might have worked. In fact, Luke started to try to reign in his anger...but Ventress knew his son well, obviously. She knew exactly what buttons to push. "Perhaps if you hadn't let her win, you would have taken your place at our Master's side, and Fireheart would still be…"

She never finished. Suddenly, she cut off, an all too familiar expression of startled bewilderment, and then panic on her face, as she reached up to frantically claw at her throat.

Oh Shit.

Maybe it was a bad idea to bring Luke out here. He wasn't ready. "Let her go, Luke." Anakin's voice was firm and commanding.

"She almost made me kill Mom." Luke's voice was dark, full of hatred. "She deserves it."

Anakin firmly grasped his son's shoulder, but Luke wouldn't turn from Ventress. "I know that." He agreed, pleading with his son. If he couldn't get Luke to listen...he wouldn't ever give up. But, it would make Luke's journey back to the Light so much harder. "But, this isn't justice. This won't change anything." He paused. "This isn't you, not anymore. You promised to be better when you asked me to train you. This isn't the Jedi way, Son"

For a moment, Luke seemed to have no intention of letting go. Then, finally, Luke dropped his hand, and Ventress collapsed to the floor, gagging and gasping for air. Anakin let out a relieved breath, and squeezed his son's shoulder. "Thank you." and he meant it. Luke didn't move, only continued to glare at the woman as Anakin let go of his son and approached her, his lightsaber still ignited and humming. He raised it to her throat, threateningly. "You will tell us where to find Palpatine." He growled.

Ventress was hunched over, still gasping for air, her shoulders beginning to shudder. Anakin frowned. Was she...crying? Surely not. But then, what he took for wheezing quickly became obvious for what it was- hysterical laughter. "Ah, Skywalker." He knew she wasn't referring to him. "You still have it in you, Boy. You'll never be a Jedi like your father." Anakin could feel Luke's indecision, his insecurity as again, her words hit home.

Anakin shoved the lightsaber closer to her face. "Answer me NOW! I may not kill you, but I have other ways of getting you to talk." His voice was harsh, even to his own ears.

Finally, Ventress looked up at him, a smirk of triumph on her face. He frowned, the Force whispering a warning. "My Master tells me you're not so saintly either, oh Grandmaster." She hissed. "Tell me. What did you do?" Anakin's eyes narrowed. Maybe strangling her wasn't such a bad idea after all. When he didn't answer, she scoffed. "Well. It's been fun. But, no sense hanging around this dead party. Ta-ta!" Suddenly, her lightsabers were ignited again, and he was pushed back with a Force push...admittedly smaller than his was of course, but enough to make him stumble back a step. It was all she needed. She was back on her feet, lightsabers ignited...but she leapt up, using the Force to propel her upwards until she'd landed on a wooden balcony above them. She deactivated her weapons, shielding them at either side of her hip. "I wish I could stay, but I have other Jedi to destroy today." In one fluid movement, she pulled something out of her pocket, holding it up for them to see. "I'll see you two in Hell." She dropped the object...and as it fell, Anakin recognized it for what it was.

A grenade.

Oh shit!

Quickly, he reached for it, calling on the Force to stop it before it hit the crystals...but Luke already had it in his own Force grip, suspending the weapon just mere inches above the nearest crystal. Ventress was already jumping up the platforms back towards the top of the cavern. "Go get her!" Luke snapped, and Anakin nodded, about to move...but the grenade suddenly exploded.

The explosion itself wasn't as big as it could have been, and Anakin managed to throw up a Force Shield in the instant it ignited, protecting him and his son from the shrapnel and the blast itself...Luke doing a good job helping to contain the blast. In fact, had they not been in a cavern of Kyber crystals, it wouldn't have done anything except cause some dirt to fall off the ceiling.

But, they were in a cavern of Kyber crystals.

And, Anakin feared that all hell was about to break loose.

Shit, he sometimes hated being right.

When the grenade exploded, tendrils of fire escaped Luke's Force grasp...and fell onto the nearest crystals below. Luke and Anakin looked at one another, alarmed. "Shit!" Anakin muttered as the crystals began glowing red, one after the other...and as they did, the smaller ones began to explode, spreading the instability to other crystals in a chain reaction, like a set of dominoes.

Obi-Wan, Anakin sent to his friend, You'd better get the hell out of here fast.

Why do I have the suspicion that you explicitly ignored my warning and this whole place is about to blow? Obi-Wan replied dryly.

We can talk about it later. Get Ella and GO! Ventress had already escaped. Melted bits of crystal were flying, spewing out across the cavern and igniting more crystals. The remaining part of the grenade explosion had dissipated, and Luke had now sheathed his own lightsaber. "We gotta go," Anakin said, turning back to the entrance…

That was when the exploding crystals caught the wooden walkways on fire, and the world erupted in flames before them.

Anakin froze, staring at the flames that quickly consumed the wooden walkway, cutting off their escape route out of the entrance to the cave. Images, horrible, painful images of his past replayed in his mind. There was a reason he avoided anything to do with fire. Anytime Padme wanted a fire going in the fireplace, she'd have to make it herself. When he and Obi-Wan had taken their kids camping when they were little, Anakin made Obi-Wan start the fire. Neither one of them argued. They more than understood why. But now…He remembered how he'd struggled to crawl across the sulfuric river bank towards his old master, how the heat of the lava below set the edge of his clothes on fire...how the fire had quickly spread, engulfing him in flames, as he screamed and writhed on the ground to escape the burning pain. He remembered how difficult it was to breathe, how difficult it was to see, to think of anything else but the incredible pain, and his own hatred for…

Someone was yelling. Luke. He couldn't understand the words he was saying, only that it sounded urgent. Finally, he felt hands on his shoulders. SNAP OUT OF IT! Luke practically screamed through the Force...Anakin blinked, coughing, as smoke began to cloud the cavern. Luke was shaking his shoulders. We're not getting out that way!

"Y-yeah," Anakin said, panic in his voice. Force, he needed control...but it had been so long since he'd been surrounded by so much flame, and it was getting worse… "But…"

Luke huffed, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the urgency was gone, replaced by a calm Anakin hadn't seen on his face since he'd turned himself in on Endor. "You and I are going to make it." He said, his voice confident. "We need to go up." He pointed at the wooden platforms embedded in the walls. "And, we need to go now before those are gone, too. Do you understand?" Slowly, Anakin nodded, his own sense of determination and reason coming back to him. "I'll go after you."

"NO!" He shouted, startling Luke. He fought to get calm. "No. You're my son. I'll...I'll burn again for you if I have to." A peculiar look crossed Luke's expression, but it was quickly stamped out, replaced by that calm again. "I'll be right behind you."

Luke didn't argue. They didn't have time to. Instead, he turned, ran as far as the fire would let him, and used the Force to jump onto the wooden platform above, which shuddered under his weight. Anakin suppressed a groan. That hadn't happened when Ventress was escaping. They didn't have much time.

Luke seemed to know this, too. He didn't wait long, and again used the Force to jump to the next one, coming closer to freedom. Heat licking his face, back….everywhere, really, Anakin followed after his son. The first platform groaned, shuddering even more under his weight, the wood beginning to crack. Anakin cursed, using what he could to propel himself forward and upward to the next one, as soon as Luke had cleared it to move on to the next. He was bigger than Luke was. Heavier. This wasn't good...Don't look down, he told himself over and over again, coughing from the smoke as the room below him was now fully engulfed in flame. Don't look down.

They continued this way, jumping from one platform to the next. Each time, the wood beneath Anakin seemed to get more and more unsteady. "Hurry!" Luke called, as he jumped onto the last wooden platform before freedom...and to Anakin's horror, it gave out, the wood tumbling out from underneath Luke, falling towards the flames below.

"LUKE!" Anakin cried, reaching for his son, images of losing Luke the way he'd almost lost his own life on Mustafar playing in his head...but Luke had moved fast. He managed to jump at the last second, grabbing onto one of the overhanging vines, dangling momentarily over the flaming cavern, before grunting and pulling himself up and over the edge and onto firm ground. Anakin let loose a breath in relief...which was quickly once more overshadowed by crippling fear for his own life. There wasn't a platform. It was a very long jump between him and the ground. Perhaps he could do it...he was the Chosen One, after all. But, the wood groaned and cracked beneath him, and he knew any second the platform he was on was going to break, and he'd tumble and…

"Dad!" Luke's voice reached him, and he looked up again to see him on his belly, reaching out with his hands. "Jump!" Anakin hesitated, and the platform shuddered dangerously. If he leapt, it could bring it down that much faster, and he wouldn't get the momentum… "DAD!" Luke shouted again, and Anakin looked up into his son's bright blue eyes and his earnest expression. "Trust me. I've got you."

That was it. In that moment, Anakin totally believed him. He didn't think about the flames below. He didn't think about the wooden platform now starting to break under his weight. He simply gathered the Force around him, and jumped, hands outstretched…

Luke caught him, their hands firmly wrapping around each other's wrists. Luke grinned, even while he was under the strain of holding his father's weight. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly he slid forward, and both Skywalkers began to panic as Anakin's weight began to drag Luke back over the edge…

"Oh no you don't," A welcomingly familiar voice said, and suddenly Obi-Wan was there, hands on Luke as he pulled Luke, and therefore Anakin, back, pulling them both back over the edge and onto solid ground, with the help of the Force.

For a moment, both Luke and Anakin lay there, panting, gulping in deep breaths, coughing when smoke got into their nostrils. "See?" Luke gasped, turning his head to look at his dad. "Nothing to it."

Anakin could think of a lot of things to say. He could thank Luke for snapping him out of it and therefore saving his life. He could chew Luke out for putting himself in danger. He could curse Ventress and her stupid habit of escaping when she sensed she was outnumbered. He could thank the Force he was still alive. But instead, he began to laugh. Uncontrollably. Loudly. Freely. Until his sides were splitting, and Ella had joined Obi-Wan in staring down at him like he'd lost his mind. Who knows. Maybe he had. He was alive...he wasn't burned. And, so was Luke.

Still, he didn't relish the idea of telling Padme about this little escapade.

"Um." Ella finally said, "Shouldn't we get away from here? You know. Before the whole place explodes?"

"That would be advisable, yes." Obi-Wan replied, a small smile on his face. "Can you two stand?"

"Yes." Luke was already getting up, giving his father a concerned look. "Dad….?" Anakin nodded, about to reply...when suddenly the sound of gunfire erupted in the distance. Very familiar gunfire. All four of them turned in the direction of the Millennium Falcon, where the sound was joined by the presence of multiple dark presences in the Force. "Leia," Luke breathed in horror.

It was enough to get Anakin back on his feet, and running towards the ship, his companions following close on his heels. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and glanced at Anakin as they ran headlong through the jungle.

"I've got a bad feeling about this!" Obi-Wan huffed.


Well I couldn't let Luke's first time in the field as a Jedi go smoothly. He was bound to have a hiccup. Also, because as you all know, battle chapters are like...major stressful for me to write, I highly doubt we're going to finish this story before the Last Jedi comes out. I just hope the Last Jedi doesn't like...throw all these plans into limbo. I think I was careful about it so that wouldn't happen, but you never know.

I did want to address some of the reviews I got last time...I have mixed reviews about Hayden, which is fine and justified. Some people feel like if Anakin hadn't fallen, it would have been natural for them to have a few more kids. Some people feel that twins would have been enough for them. I personally don't mind either way. In the novelization of Ep 2, both Padme and Anakin think a lot about their ideas of family, and what it should look like. They're both pretty big goobers, frankly. So I wouldn't be surprised if they'd tried for one more. I don't think they'd have like 7 babies either, because that's a lot even if you do like kids (certainly not something I could handle lol)...but at the end of the day, it's open for interpretation. I should probably write about Hayden more since I did choose to include him, but there's a lot of characters in this story, so it gets really hard sometimes trying to give everyone the time they do or don't deserve. Ultimately, this focuses on Anakin and Padme, and Luke and Leia. In no particular order lol. I'm trying to balance things out for people in both camps, but there's only so much I can do. I'd really rather focus on the story itself at this point, as I'm trying to now bring things together. Hope that's cool. (Awkwardly slides away like the awko taco she is)

Anyhow, the two songs for this chapter are:

Fire Mountain by Two Steps from Hell

Through Fire and Flames by DragonForce

Next time, we find out the battle from Leia, Han, and Mara's end, and the conclusion of it...which also means I'm going to have problems writing it again lol. Sorry in advance. But go check out my other stories if you're bored!

Love,

Sarah