Disclaimer: doing it for fun!

Little Spoilers for Rise of Skywalker...sort of. And definite spoilers for the video game Jedi: Fallen Order.

Chapter 3

Padawan Cal Kestis had never felt so alone and confused in his entire life. Until today in fact he had never experienced being alone and whenever he felt confused, his masters were there to help him through it. But here on the surface of Bracca with his dead Master's body in his arms, he had no idea what he was supposed to do next.

'Why did they turn on us?' he thought confused and frightened, trying to block out the memory of all the clones suddenly attacking them, of his master sacrificing himself to save him, of their ship exploding in orbit from Master Tapal's sabotage of the reactor core as their lone escape pod rocketed away.

'Master…I'm sorry,' he thought as he wept. He figured the first thing he needed to do was make his escape pod disappear. He had to cover his tracks. The planet was one big junkyard. From the hill where he landed he could see a lot of fires raging. He figured it was debris from their vessel raining down. So setting fire to the pod seemed like the best plan. He could give his Master a Jedi burial at least. The great Master Jaro Tapal deserved that much at least, he surmised.

Tears stinging his eyes, he shivered in the cold as he removed all the supplies on the pod that he could use to survive until the council could send help. He had to hurry but he had the hardest time letting go of his Master. What would he say to Master Yoda or Master Windu? He straightened his master's body in as dignified a way as he could. His hands shook violently as he finally ignited the engines and set the pod ablaze.

He wept unreservedly for a long time. He didn't know what he should do or where he should go. After finally expending his grief he left the pod. His pack heavy with survival gear and rations enough for maybe three weeks, maybe more if he was careful. He needed to get more supplies. He made his way from his master's pyre and headed towards the nearest town on foot.

It took him almost a week to get to the nearest town. It was mostly habitations and a couple of taverns. Both the taverns had a transmitter for general broadcasts but they were disabled due to a blackout of communications. This scared Cal even more! The war must be going badly for the Republic. He concentrated on getting from one day to the next selling scrap he salvaged from wrecks to survive.

Days turned into weeks, on his seventh week troops started pouring in. The white armored troopers scared Cal but he realized their helmets looked different. As one of the troopers ordered him to get out of the way he realized they were not clones. The voice was definitely a woman's voice and the clones had all been male and had the same voice. An announcement was made that the Empire was taking over the yards of Bracca.

'The Empire? What Empire?' wondered Cal but he didn't dare ask questions. The other orphans he had blended in with didn't care about galactic politics, the Republic or the Separatists. They disliked them all equally. They wanted only for a meal and a place to sleep and perhaps a way off Bracca. He kept quiet, always afraid someone might notice he was Jedi.

'Day number 66 since the day the troopers turned on us,' Cal thought as he sipped the hot broth. He had been smart to ditch his Jedi robes within the first day he was here. He made his way to the tavern to get a meal. He took a cup of bone broth and some bread then sat down in a corner by the door. The transmitter was fixed finally and the tavern was relatively quiet as they listened to the news anchor talk about Senator Amidala's return to Coruscant.

"Crowds are out to welcome the triumphant return of the hero without fear! General Skywalker!"

Cal's heart leapt with joy!

'Finally some good news!' he thought hope ringing in his heart.

'I can finally go home!' he hoped. He had met Master Skywalker only a handful of times but he was so nice to be around. He was patient and kind but strong and heroic! The chiseled features, tall athletic frame and the youthful good looks impressed little Cal so much that he hoped one day to be just like him.

"General Skywalker had been badly wounded by a group of Jedi who attempted to murder our benevolent Emperor Palpatine!"

That last bit sent a cold shiver down Cal's back.

'Emperor Palpatine? What?' he thought but pretended to not be interested, watching from the rim of his broth cup. His cup froze as Senator Amidala made her way off the ship and a camera zoomed in on the General. His right arm was gone; he wore a patch on his right eye and struggled to walk. Senator Amidala looked like she was holding him up as he struggled next to her dragging his right leg. He looked like he had aged 20 years in a few weeks!

'What happened to him?' Cal wondered horrified trying to listen.

"General Skywalker was taken back to the Emperor's homeworld of Naboo to be healed but was almost killed by remnant separatist forces. Luckily Senator Amidala – the current Senator of Naboo and the Chommel sector – was there to protect him!"

He knew that had to be a lie. But his heart and hopes were crushed to dust. If someone as tough as Master Skywalker could be turned into that wreck by the Empire then there was no hope for him. The reporters continued cheerfully exclaiming how great it was that the Jedi order had been disbanded. The galaxy was better off without them, according to the reporters. Fear at least ended for Cal. No one was coming for him. It was over! Life as he knew it was gone. Whatever was left of his hopes…his dreams…vanished!

He hurried to finish his meager meal. The workday was about to start so he rushed to join the line of day workers – people who would only get paid depending on the value of what they salvaged. A big Abednedo male noticed him as he reached the line. He walked over to Cal and offered an Abednedo version of a smile. Cal shyly bowed his head a little, not knowing if he should run or stay put. He stayed put.

"Hey kid! I've noticed you've been bringing in some good pieces! The Scrapper guild could use someone like you. Someone small and agile that can get into tight spots, that's you right? What do you say? It pays better," the big guy offered, he didn't know if it was just that he was feeling especially lonely but he felt like he could trust the guy.

"The name's Prauf!" the big guy introduced himself boisterously. He explained he was an engineer from the Scrapper Guild.

"Cal," he replied shyly and politely accepted Prauf's offer. Cal went through the day feeling completely disconnected. It was like he was on autopilot and he couldn't hear or feel the Force anymore. He still managed to impress his new friend Prauf. He made more that day than he had made in weeks. But he felt empty. The Jedi order was gone, he still couldn't believe it. Finally, as night was falling, he was about to go search for the other kids he'd been blending in with, when his new friend called out to him.

"Hey Cal, you have a place to stay?" Prauf asked softly. He and his fellow orphans made ramshackle tents out of rusted metal slabs at night. He decided not to say so; the troopers were arresting anyone living on the streets. Vagrancy was illegal and Cal didn't want to think what the Empire would do to him as a former Jedi let alone a vagrant one. But once more Cal decided to trust his new friend so he shyly shook his head.

"There are some apartments guild members can rent. They're small but comfortable and they are pretty cheap. Comes fully furnished! Come on I'll show you!" Prauf offered. Cal hesitated but realized quickly, what did he have to lose? He might as well build some kind of life here. His home was gone. They got on the maglev train and Prauf showed him to the apartments stopping on the way to buy food. He handed Cal a key card and walked him over to his new place.

"Here's yours! I live next door. Holler if you need anything," Prauf called out as he added a good night.

"Thank you Prauf," Cal shyly nodded and Prauf smiled, said good night again and went in to his apartment. The apartment was small; it had one bed about the size of his bunk on board the venator-class stardestroyer Albedo Brave. It had a little kitchen and sink, a small clothing sanitizer, a fresher with a shower and toilet.

He gratefully stepped into the shower letting weeks of grime go down the drain. He shivered naked under a blanket waiting for the little clothing sanitizer to finish cleaning his grime covered clothes. He dressed in his new clothes after a little meal then he finally laid down on the little bed which was surprisingly more comfortable than his bunk on the Albedo. That was when it hit him!

'This is it! This is my life now!' Cal curled up under the blanket and wept as the life he had once envisioned for himself vanished!

Prauf could hear his new little rigger weeping next door. He felt bad for the kid; the war had taken everything from him obviously. He could tell that Cal was not one of the rough kids who were raised in the street.

'He had a home…a good home and the war took that away and not all that long ago either,' Prauf thought. A well educated kid in a war torn backwater like this… He decided he was not going to look too hard at it. Safer for Cal…

He frowned deeply, if how the troopers were treating Cal and all the other kids like him was a taste of things to come; the Empire was gonna be worse than the Separatists and the Republic had ever been…

-0-

-0-

The Emperor finally called the senators back to Coruscant. The Empire had finished reorganizing so governmental operations resumed. The speed that it all happened confirmed what Anakin already knew. Palpatine had been planning this for years. He was the one that ordered the creation of the clone army and he was the one who masterminded the Clone Wars to weaken the Republic; vilify the Jedi and take over in the confusion.

He realized that Palpatine even masterminded the invasion of his own planet by the Trade Federation. Anakin and Padme realized looking at the history of the past fifteen or so years that this single event had created a cascade effect that culminated in the Clone Wars. The timelines all suggested it and now Anakin could kick himself for not seeing it sooner!

"He knew how to manipulate us all Anakin," Padme reasoned as they settled back into their home on Coruscant.

"And keep us distracted! Pulling the Jedi in a million directions on a wild goose chase," he agreed as he finished setting up a workbench to fix his new light saber. He had cleared a room in the back of the apartment to use as training and meditation room. It had few windows but lots of floor space.

The workbench Padme had ordered for him ahead of their arrival remembering how much he loved to tinker with droids and gadgets. Padme watched him, curiosity getting the better of her. She wanted to see how a lightsaber was built but at the same time she wondered if this was something a Jedi should do in private. Anakin smiled enjoying her curiosity.

"I could use an extra hand…I only have one," he teased. Padme rolled her eyes but laughed in spite of herself. She sat next to him on the bench.

"Did I ever tell you about Professor Huyang?" Anakin asked as he began to sort the pieces he needed. She shook her head and listened as Anakin told her about going to search for his kyber crystal on Ilum. He much he had enjoyed taking shop with their only droid Professor. He tried not to dwell on the strange looks the other kids gave him. He was the only one among them who already had a Jedi mentor. He both retrieved his crystal before the rest of his class and completed his saber first. Obi-Wan had been proud of him and Professor Huyang had been impressed but the other kids… not so much.

She helped a little passing him a tool or helping him hold something as he told his story. She listened to his story noting the sadness tinged with an undertone of bitterness here and there. She realized that Anakin's life with the Jedi had always been hard and lonely. His story didn't make any mention of his classmates. As a child she remembered him as a very social and friendly boy but why didn't his classmates figure in his story?

'Why was he alone? He couldn't have been that different?' she asked herself. But she thought about what the so-called journalists of Coruscant said about Jedi being arrogant – always looking down at people. Had there been some truth to it? Had the other kids treated Anakin like an outcast because he wasn't raised in the temple? She realized this must've been the case. How else but a certain sense of superiority could've blindsided the Jedi? Sabe and Tonra knocked on the doorframe.

"Padme, everything is unpacked," Sabe announced from the door to Anakin's work/meditation room. Padme smiled and beckoned her friends forward.

"Eirtae and Rabe will be here next week with the new Gungan representative, Senator," Tonra added, JarJar had decided to retire, life in politics and war had proven too much for the simple minded Gungan. Padme smiled and thanked them.

"Hey, you guys wanna stick around for a bit and help me out?" Anakin asked as he soldered a piece of the casing.

"I'm helping Anakin rebuild his saber," Padme explained. Sabe was reluctant to intrude on their quiet moment. Sensing this Anakin looked up with a mischievous smirk.

"I could use a few extra hands," he pointed to his stump "I'm a little short," he added with a grin. Tonra and Anakin laughed heartily as Padme and Sabe groaned deeply. But they joined Anakin and Padme. He was now explaining the basics of lightsaber mechanics.

"You have to make sure the emitter is in the right way, that's very important," he explained solemnly.

"What happens if it's not right?" asked Tonra.

"Boom! It blows you up!" Anakin replied with a grin, winking at Padme recalling how he had once described the tracking device in his body. She rolled her eyes.

"There's no end to the bad jokes, is there? Poor Ahsoka!" she replied. Anakin laughed.

"Rex is the one you should feel sorry for! Ahsoka was just as much a pain as I was! More sometimes!" he laughed. Tonra passed him a tool as Anakin shared anecdotes of the little pranks he and Ahsoka would play on poor Rex. They chatted and laughed as Anakin instructed each person on how to prep each piece of his new saber.

"He did love that kid though," he concluded with a nostalgic sigh. He began to pull Obi-Wan's old saber apart now but stopped as he looked at Obi-Wan's crystal. It was green. He remembered that the crystal's color depended partly on the disposition of the Jedi who found it. Obi-Wan's was green like Master Quigon's because they were more knowledge seekers than enforcers. He was considered more of an enforcer; his crystal turned a pure blue when he found it because of his desire to protect people.

"You know, every youngling who takes part in the Gathering on Ilum has to face their fears. Mine was being alone," he confessed. Padme put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled at them, he was not alone. The smile on Padme and the resolute looks on Sabe and Tonra ratified that.

"I've been thinking that maybe Ahsoka was right to leave. Maybe I could have restored balance and saved the Jedi if I had gone with her. But I was afraid to let go," Anakin explained looking at the crystal.

"You think you might have been able to save them from the outside? Sort of a different perspective kind of thing?" Tonra asked.

"Yes! A different point of view… What if removing myself had let me see better?" Anakin wondered looking at Obi-Wan's crystal pondering what would happen if he touched. Would it change color? What if it didn't? How would he explain it being green instead of blue? But those questions seemed trivial as the bigger "what if" swirled in his mind.

"Sometimes you do need to step away from a problem to get a fresh look at it. Often you learn something you missed because you were too close to it before," Sabe pointed out with a thoughtful look. He looked around at his new little family unit. For the first time he felt…understood! Among the Jedi he had always felt like an outsider. The chancellor – now Emperor – forcing him onto the council made things worse.

"So are you saying that you are finally ready to let go Anakin," Padme asked. He smiled; he had never had a conversation like this among his peers in the Order. There was no judgment in them. It felt liberating!

"I'm convinced that I am not the Chosen one…at least not anymore. But I have to be ready to protect the Chosen one when he arrives. I will protect who I can and let go when I have to," he thought and pulled out Obi-Wan's crystal. For a second he could feel Obi-Wan's mind full of sorrow and pain. He felt Ahsoka, she was lonely and sad but he knew both were safe. He resisted the temptation to reach out and let them know everything was gonna be ok. He would wait, one day they would meet again. He was sure of this! He closed his hand around the crystal.

'For now I have to let both of you go and follow my own path,' he thought. He felt now Master Qui-Gon's presence as his voice full of pride filled his mind.

'Well done Anakin,'

He opened his palm and smiled showing Padme, Sabe and Tonra the result of his test. The crystal was now blue.

"Cool," said Tonra awed.

"You think that's cool! Just wait! Now I have to put it together," Anakin replied cheerfully. He could feel their excitement as he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and reached out through the Force. The pieces floated up and lined themselves up perfectly. They practically held their breaths amazed that Anakin wasn't looking but the lightsaber pieces were clicking together in all the right places. Anakin opened his eyes and reached out to take hold of the finished saber.

snap – hiss

The blue blade came to life and to Anakin's pleasant surprise Sabe, Tonra and Padme clapped. He could feel the surge of hope in his little family as the blade lit the room. A shiver in the Force sent him a warning a few seconds before Tonra's comm beeped. One of Padme's other guards let her know that a summons for Anakin had arrived. The Emperor was inviting him to see him. He felt the surge of anger and concern from his new family.

"It's alright everyone. I'm ready for this test," Anakin said to them. They all looked at him, blue blade glowing in the dusky room and their anger became hope once more… and determination!

Padme had helped him dress but not in Anakin's Jedi robes. He wore a Naboo Royal suit – one of many Padme had commissioned for her – it was blue and silver brocade shirt with a navy blue and silver embroidered vest with matching blazer, matching navy blue pants and very shiny black boots perfectly tailored to him. The sleeve on his right arm had been left short and was closed at the end to protect the still sensitive stump. A matching navy half cape covered the missing arm.

"The Emperor's advisor is here, General," Tonra announced very solemnly over the comm.

"I'm on my way," he replied looking at Padme. He kissed her deeply, trying somehow to physically reassure her that he would return to her.

"Here, take care of this for me. I won't need it," he said handing Padme his saber. She shook her head alarmed.

"No Anakin! You need this! It could save your life!"

"You are my life, Padme. I will return to you. Trust me," he replied. Padme reluctantly took it struggling between wanting to be supportive and being scared for her husband's life. She kissed him fiercely once more.

"You better be back here before dinner!" she ordered him.

"Yes milady," replied and offered his arm to his wife.

The two walked out to the foyer where Mas Amedda stood flanked by a few of those new Imperial Stormtroopers. In the years he had frequented Palpatine's offices, Mas Amedda had been solemn but very solicitous towards Anakin. Now as Anakin shuffled towards him, exaggerating the injury to his leg, the Chagrian looked down his nose at Anakin.

"Good Evening General Skywalker. You certainly have looked better," Mas Amedda greeted. He felt more then saw Padme restrain herself from saying something scathing at the Chagrian's condescending greeting. He was moved by how offended Padme and her entire staff were on his behalf. Anakin chuckled good-naturedly.

"War leaves us warriors with scars. But you look quite well Vizier Amedda. No scars on you at all!" Anakin remarked cheerfully. The Vizier clenched his jaw in anger at Anakin's jab. Anakin was a hero after all – even the Empire acknowledged that and Amedda was just a toady who always cowered and hid when things got rough. He didn't like Anakin reminding him of it.

"Weapons are not allowed in the Emperor's presence! You will need to leave your weapon here," Mas Amedda ordered with barely restrained contempt. Anakin smiled but Padme thrust Anakin's saber hilt in front of her.

"His saber is staying here! The war is over isn't it?" Padme shot back at him. The two stared each other down. Anakin barely managed to keep a straight face as Amedda turned away from Padme's glare. His wife was a force to be reckoned with! He was so proud of her.

"Cowards are those who serve the dark side"

Anakin felt Master Qui-Gon's reassuring presence and knew it was time. He stepped forward with the Vizier who in a condescending tone told him he could bring one of his guards to help him walk. Tonra stepped forward immediately, his calm face showing nothing of how deeply offended he was by Mas Amedda's tone.

"You might consider a cane, General," he added in a mocking tone. Tonra bristled as his fist clenched but Anakin laughed.

"Or maybe a staff like yours! But maybe they only make those for old people?" Anakin countered as he leaned on Tonra. Tonra covered a chuckle in a light cough offering his shoulder as support. Padme smirked proudly as she stepped up to kiss her husband goodbye…

Arriving in the Emperor's palace Anakin suddenly felt an oppressive weight on his chest. He leaned heavily on his friend Tonra whose face was calm but Anakin could tell he was on edge. Tonra walked him to the lift that would take him to the Emperor's throne room. He had been at this place a million times but never had he felt such an aura of darkness. The dark side was so thick it was hard to breath. Tonra was forced to stay behind at the door to the lift. Anakin would ride the lift alone to the top. As the lift door closed he began to panic.

'Oh no! Luke and Leia! He's gonna figure out what happened! I shouldn't have come!' his brain awhirl with fear he forced himself to calm down and reach out to the Force. It came to his aid in the form of one image: Little Kani Skywalker on his bier. Grief became a bubble of light around him pushing back the darkness.

"Remember Anakin, the Sith's weakness is their arrogance. The Emperor will only see what he wants to see,"

'Right! He only brought me here to confirm his victory! He wants to see me broken by grief so he can feel secure in the knowledge that I am no threat to him,' Anakin reasoned. He knew Luke and Leia would be safe because Anakin was going to give the Emperor exactly what he wanted. As the lift opened, he was ready to put on a show. His mind filled with the memory of little Kani…

"Come my friend…I've been expecting you," the Emperor's ominous raspy voice sent a shiver down Anakin's spine. The Emperor smiled at Anakin, seeing the young man broken by grief pleased him immensely. His grief poured out of him in waves, the loss of his son had hit him so hard Palpatine doubted he would ever recover. But he needed to be sure, so he left his lightsaber out in the open where Anakin could reach it.

"Do you see what the Jedi have done to us my dear boy?" he began looking as old and feeble as possible, trying to tempt Anakin into attacking him by making himself as easy a target as possible. But Anakin didn't even look at the saber on the desk. He looked down at his feet as he nodded and shuffled forward falling heavily into the chair Palpatine offered him. Part of him was disappointed, Anakin once promised to be such a powerful apprentice now the Force was very weak in him.

'I wasted so much time on him! Pathetic!' he thought annoyed wanting to be rid of him quickly. Anakin, in a solicitous and grief stricken tone, expressed how glad he was that Palpatine was alright. He tolerated Anakin for a few minutes longer trying to make sure that the boy was not going to be a threat to him.

But after questioning him the Emperor realized Anakin could not remember what happened in his office during his duel against Master Windu. He confessed, choking on tears that he had only been thinking of saving Padme's life. That his only motivation for trying to save Palpatine was for the power he needed to save Padme.

"But that doesn't matter now…it wasn't Padme…" he stopped and the Emperor resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Anakin choked back a sob. He pretended to be the caring and sympathetic friend but he had gotten everything he needed out of Anakin Skywalker. He even learned that Anakin's injuries prevented him from fathering any more children. He would verify all of this of course; his agent on Naboo would be bringing him the proof that Skywalker's son was dead and a full account of Anakin and Padme's injuries.

'Skywalker is no threat…he will never be one ever again!' he thought eagerly. He soon dismissed his friend and waited until he shuffled slowly and painfully towards the lift. He cackled evilly as his well laid plans had born fruit. Anakin had been his top choice for his new apprentice but he was far from his only choice. He would decide what to do about him after people had forgotten the "Hero without Fear".

He had projects underway that just might give him the new apprentice he needed. His comm beeped, it was his servant caring for the hidden Sith meditation rooms he used during his days as Chancellor Palpatine. He had used it primarily for his secret meetings with Count Dooku. He had an apprentice project there that started last year. He had not been able to check up on that project and had actually forgotten about it in the hustle and bustle of his grand victory.

"My lord, the girl has given birth to a boy as you predicted. But the child's midicholorian count is extremely low, the experiment is a failure," a dark figure reported. Palpatine sneered annoyed that yet another project for an apprentice had failed; but he was never the kind of guy to put all his eggs in one basket.

"Kill her and the infant. Make sure there is no trace of their existence," he ordered calmly. He turned off his holo-communicator his mind already on his next scheme…

-0-

-0-

"As ordered my lord," the servant bowed deeply as the Emperor's image disappeared. He did not see the girl behind him, just out of sight listening to his every word. She had been forced from her family at a young age and sold to slavers. She had ended up in this place after years of hardship where she was well fed and cared for. But the girl hated this place more than any of the mines or salvage yards she had ever been forced to live through. It was a cold evil place!

She found herself pregnant one morning not long after arriving, she had no recollection of engaging in any sexual activities but she had seen the lab and the clinical equipment. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened to her. But she played dumb, all the while making her plans. She looked down at the tiny boy wrapped securely against her chest. He opened his eyes briefly and snuggled up against her.

She was suddenly filled with determination and love for the tiny person in her arms. She pulled up the blaster she took from the droid guard she deactivated. She snuck carefully towards the Emperor's man and as he turned around put a bolt in his brain. She quickly scavenged through his clothes looking for any valuables.

'Score!' she crowed to herself. She found the tracker for the chip in her body. She knew her baby did not have a chip as the med droids hadn't gotten around to it yet. Her baby was only a couple days old and she knew he was put inside her in hopes he would be an heir to the creepy man who called to check on her. She took some rings off the guy and a heavy looking gold necklace. She rummaged around the guy's desk and found some credits, enough to get her off world.

There were so many people fleeing the new Galactic Empire that it was easy to get lost in the crowds. No one looked for a slave who wasn't supposed to exist. It took a few days but after years of being traded and sold she set foot once more on her home world of Jakku. She breathed in the super hot air of her home and smiled. She used the cash from her sale of the jewels and the blaster to acquire a small ancient speeder and a stake in a little moisture farm.

'We'll have a good life here,' she thought smiling at her tiny baby.

And a good life she did live with her son.

The years went by with relative peace. Interrupted slightly only once when the war against the Empire was conclusively decided on Jakku's orbit and the New Republic emerged triumphant. The baby boy grew to be a good but simple man. Thirty years had passed since the day of his mother's daring escape when he met a nice woman, they married and had a little girl. The man smiled as he held his tiny daughter. His wife and his mother smiled at him.

"Hello little one, we are going to call you: Rey…" he said his heart full of love and hope for the future…

So I know this is a short chapter but hopefully I will get the next one going soon. Thanks for reading everyone!