Cursed dreams

Obi-Wan was beginning to feel old. His lightsaber movements were still just as fast and precise, his voice was still strong and commanding, and his muscles could still bear enormous weights. But mentally, he was tired. Clashes between the Council and the younger members of the Order were more and more frequent. It was exhausting to see how many of the knights and Padawans had the firm belief that the Jedi Order was aging and that radical changes should be made. Obi-Wan was tired of explaining the same things over and over again, that the Order had ancient customs that had to be respected, that they couldn't be changed overnight, that they needed time ... But that was only one of his many concerns. Trying to clean up the image of the Order was becoming a difficult task and he had begun to doubt if he was really on the right side.

That morning he had finally had a break from his many occupations and was determined to try to meditate a bit to de-stress. He was walking to the room designated for that when he came face to face with one of the people he least wanted to see at that moment. And the concern in her gaze could only be for one person.

"Master Kenobi, I have something important to discuss with you." said the master Naya approaching him. For Obi-Wan, this was being too uncomfortable.

What's going on?" he asked as he sneakily pulled away a bit. But she came closer again, taking him by the arms tightly.

"I fear for Anakin" she said with almost palpable anguish. Upon hearing the name of his Padawan, Obi-Wan stopped resisting and focused all his attention on her, although still with his doubts. Master Naya used to exaggerate in everything related to the young Jedi Knight.

"What do you mean?" he asked as calmly as possible. But she seemed really upset.

"I don't know where his actions are going to lead us" Obi-Wan looked at her confused. There was something strange in her words.

"Sounds like he's given you reason to worry" he said taking care of his words trying to get more information at the same time. She took a deep breath.

"He has a dark mood. He's upset about something. And above all, I'm afraid he will do something stupid about it."

It wasn't the exaggerated response he expected to hear. In fact, it really sounded like a problem.

"I'll take care of him, if that's your concern." he said trying to reassure her, but he didn't see any positive reaction from her.

"Thank you, Master Kenobi" she said walking away at last.

Obi-Wan watched her go, still shocked by her words. Master Naya wasn't the only one worried about Anakin. In fact, almost the entire Order feared for the mental health of the Chosen One, who seemed more and more disturbed every day. Obi-Wan knew perfectly well the cause of his bad mood: the strange dreams that had started almost six months ago. He had been the first to be consulted by his old apprentice, but his advice hadn't been very helpful. Anakin had later sought the advice of Ahsoka, Yoda, Shaak Ti, and even Windu. But despite his willingness to solve his problem, it had persisted much longer than it should. And it was horrible to see his brother fall apart more and more, unable to do anything to help him.

The Jedi Order is rotten

Lost

Finished

Has to resurface

A new Order

With your help

Anakin opened his eyes with the feeling of not having rested at all. The nightmares had started spontaneously and had become more and more frequent, going from appearing once a week to being daily and constant. He couldn't even close his eyes to try to rest, because the voices were starting to drill into his head. It was a horrible feeling.

This time, neither Yoda's wise advice, nor Obi-Wan's meditations, nor the force-induced dream that Windu had caused him had worked. Anakin had given up after several failed attempts and was upset and uneasy. And Padme hadn't helped his bad mood lately.

All these months, she had been the only one capable of making the young Jedi sleep peacefully for at least a couple of hours. But their relationship had gotten worse in recent weeks. Padme had started working alongside Senator Clovis, a smug idiot who Anakin found the most irritating person in the world. From the beginning, the Jedi knight had noticed Clovis's insistence to be near Padme, and it bothered him quite a bit. She didn't seem to notice and Jedi and Senator had fought the night before over the same thing, ending the conflict with a furious Anakin leaving the apartment and swearing that Rush Clovis would deal with him. Of course, he had regretted it almost immediately, but had decided not to return. They both needed time to let their anger subside and try to relax.

So when Ahsoka ran into him in the morning, she wasn't surprised to find him sleepless, angry, and a little regretful.

"Another fit of jealousy?" she asked calmly, although she already knew the answer.

"I have my reasons, Snips" Anakin replied coldly.

Ahsoka had learned all the details of Anakin's relationship with the senator, in an attempt by his master to end the jokes about him and the master Naya.

"Padme would never cheat on you. You know it" Ahsoka said convinced. It wasn't the first time she had told him, but Anakin seemed to forget it at times.

"I don't doubt her. He's the one who worries me" Anakin growled annoyed as he struggled to stay on his feet. His body was beginning to fail him almost as much as his mind.

"He's a senator, I think they're just doing their job," said his Padawan again.

"You don't understand. You don't know how he looks at her, like a damn hungry animal in front of a piece of fresh meat" said her master angrily. One of the temple crystals began to crack and Ahsoka pulled her master away just before all the windows exploded, under the astonished gaze of some masters and knights.

"Master, you have to calm down. Padme can be patience but not infinitely. And these outbursts of anger will not help mend your relationship" Ahsoka advised as she sneakily peeked into the corridor full of broken glass. That had been terrifying.

Anakin sat on the ground and took his head in his hands, trying to avoid the dizziness that had washed over him.

"I know Snips. It's just ... everything is so out of control inside of me" he said completely distraught. He couldn't deny that he was scared too, a lot.

Ahsoka walked over and hugged him, feeling her master tremble. There was no doubt that things were much worse than she thought. Something definitely had to be extremely wrong for the Chosen One to feel so powerless.

"Are you still hearing the voices?" she asked in a soft voice as she stroked his hair. Anakin relaxed a bit at that gesture of brotherly affection.

"Every time I close my eyes. They're an annoying and hostile murmur" Anakin said, trying to keep his cool, although it was actually late enough for that.

"Have you thought about doing what they say? You know, going to that strange place in your nightmares" Ahsoka said thinking aloud. It would probably be risky and she knew it, but would it be worse than living like this? Anakin's health worried her more and more and if the solution was a trip to the most dangerous and mysterious planet in the galaxy ... Ahsoka was willing to accompany him and take that risk.

Anakin let out a long breath, releasing some of the tension that was invading his body.

"The Council would never let me. They didn't even let me take command of that mission to Geonosis" he said disappointed. Ahsoka couldn't debate that. It was not the best topic to discuss at the moment, less in the state in which Anakin was. The least she wanted to do was make him even angrier.

"I'm sure if you had gone, it would have ended much better" she replied trying to cheer him up. But that had exactly the opposite effect.

"With fewer deaths, you mean" Anakin corrected her in a dark voice.

"The Jedi Order saw it as a great victory," Asoka said innocently. Not that she wanted to fight her master, but it was what she had seen on the HoloNet.

"Sure. Because sending the clones on a suicide mission is heroic" Anakin hissed wryly.

The clone army, discovered by Windu more than a decade ago, had not been used until that time. Until that moment, the Republic had limited itself to using it as small guards on each of the planets represented in the Senate, but there were so many that more than half were there, on Coruscant. They had been created to fight and the Republic had thought that intervention on Geonosis would be the best chance to see what they were capable of. But they had been used as cannon fodder, to save the Jedi who had led them there.

A brave rescue the HoloNews had said.

An unnecessary slaughter Anakin had remarked.

All the wars in the galaxy had long been over and the art of strategy was no longer something taught in the Jedi Temple. Besides that the choice of Krell as commander had not been the best, not only because he was a terrible strategist, but because he considered the clones "expendable and replaceable".

"I never said that I agreed" Ahsoka defended herself. Anakin had no intention of starting a fight, his head was beginning to rumble.

"I think you should look for Obi-Wan" the Togruta suggested. The presence of Master Kenobi had always been comforting to Anakin, even though the Jedi Master knew nothing of his apprentice's complicated relationship with the Senator.

"I don't want to bother him. He already has a new Padawan to worry about" Anakin replied as he stood up. It was still strange for him to think of Obi-Wan training someone else, even though he knew it hadn't been his choice. The Council had ordered it in an attempt to reconcile with the younger generations of the Jedi temple, although it hadn't worked very well. After all, the Padawan was almost three years older than allowed and there had been no lack of and outraged voices against what they considered an injustice.

Well, hadn't the Council refused Anakin's training? There were whispers and rumors that coincided in the same way, Kenobi's new Padawan had been accepted because he had been raised in the temple. And even more than ten years later, Anakin was still considered an outsider in the Order. And all that gossip only set Anakin and the younger ones further apart from the older Jedi.

"But you will always be his favorite annoyance" Ahsoka consoled him as she followed him through the corridors, fearing that her master would slip at any moment due to the weakness of his legs.

"It's a relief" said his master wryly, as he felt the arms of his Padawan carry him over her shoulders.

"I think we'll give you a visit to the medical bay, Skyguy."

"Well" Anakin said without resisting as the Togruta dragged him to the other side of the temple.

The search for Obi-Wan was not as difficult as others see. It was enough to ask a couple of people and follow the path of destruction that her apprentice had left to know where she was. After the Jedi Master saw the crystals on the ground and after making sure that no one had been hurt by the accident, he headed to the only place where Anakin could be: the medical bay.

There he found the smiling and tired Jedi knight lying on one of the beds and listened attentively with Ahsoka to the usual diagnosis. Extreme tiredness, muscle weakness and stress.

The only solution they had was to sedate him and wait for his body to recover on its own, but that good health would only last a couple of weeks before Anakin deteriorated again.

"This must have some solution, Anakin" his master told him as he watched as the droids connected him to various machines. His apprentice wasn't even complaining anymore, completely used to it.

"I accept any suggestion" he said amused as another droid placed the serum on his arm.

"Shouldn't you be training your skillful new apprentice?" Anakin asked his master ironically. Obi-Wan gave him a half smile.

"I still can't get rid of the first one" he said with false sadness. Ahsoka laughed at Master Kenobi's joke.

"I told you," she whispered to Anakin, who grunted in response. The peaceful atmosphere was interrupted by the sound of Obi-Wan's communicator, who left for a moment. When he came back he had a tired look.

"An urgent call from the Council" I explain to Anakin and Ahsoka. The Jedi knight lying on the bed nodded sympathetically.

"I guess it must be important" he told his master with an unusual calm in him. It was probably from the effect of the sedatives.

"I should stay looking after you. It's my duty" Obi-Wan muttered as he looked for a place to sit. But Anakin took his hand firmly.

"I'm not going anywhere. They'll probably sedate me and I'll be unconscious for a couple of hours. Maybe more" he told him to calm his master down. And Obi-Wan could see in his defiant blue gaze that he was determined.

"Are you sure you can take care of it alone?" he asked Ahsoka, still unsure. The togruta looked at Anakin and then back at Obi-Wan.

"I don't think anything extraordinary will happen if he is asleep" she said aloud.

"Although with Skyguy, you never know" she whispered at the end, so that only Obi-Wan would hear.

"Let me know if something happens" he murmured in Ahsoka's ear.

"And you, make sure you're still alive when I get back" he said pointing at Anakin with mock seriousness.

"I'll try" he replied with a smile. His tired eyes began to close and when Obi-Wan made sure he was asleep, he left the room.

Master Kenobi arrived at the Council room quickly. He was surprised to see all the masters gathered so soon. But when stern gazes fell on him, he knew this was not good.

"Sit down, Obi-Wan. Of young Skywalker, we must speak" Yoda said.

Obi-Wan sat up feeling every muscle in his body tense. What had Anakin done this time? Perhaps they had found out about their Padawan's little accident that morning.

He did not suspect that this would be one of the most decisive moments of his life.