Chapter Five: Towards the Future

Anakin followed Owen to a small room near the back of the dwelling. As Owen walked into the room, Anakin couldn't help but feel the tendon in Owen's body as the slightly older man looked at Shmi and his Dad's room. The room was well-kept. On the far wall next to the bed, a nightstand stood wot its surface bear except for a small lamp. Next to the lamp, a data pad lay undisturbed and covered in a light film of dust. As Anakin picked it up, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia as he looked at the pad.

"What is it?" Owen asked in confusion. "I didn't know Mom bought one of those."

Anakin looked at him and back at the pad. "She didn't." The young man confirmed. "This is something different." Anakin said before he looked at the back of the device and nodded.

On the back was something akin to a family crest. On one side stood a striped feral feline with a thick-bladed ancient two-handed metal blade in its mouth held by the hilt. The other creature stood as a white wolf and crossed blades with the first, but this sword was different. Slimmer and designed more for quick strikes rather than the heavy blows of its opponent, the sword's hilt was held by the wolf in its mouth between two areas that appeared to be wrapped in cloth for hand placement.

Anakin brushed the crest lightly and felt a surge of pride as he did. Once Anakin turned the pad over and held it in his hands a beam of light shot out from a small circle and turned red as it finished scanning him before it once again went back to being inert.

"Well, your father gave you a piece of junk. Go figure."

Something in the tone or words angered Anakin. Something deep in his mind caused Anakin to fight not to hit his step-brother. "Don't disrespect him like that." Anakin defended. "He left to protect me and Mom."

Owen looked at Anakin nervously. "So, what's the story between you and Ahsoka?"

Anakin flinched and unconsciously squeezed the data pad slightly. "I'm her teacher."

Owen raised a brow and sat down in a chair near the bed while Anakin sat on the bed. The two looked at each other awkwardly.

Then, Anakin opened his mouth as he rubbed the bed's comforter. When Anakin looked back up and saw Owen looking at him for more information, Anakin continued. "We've fought countless battles and grown close while I continued to teach her."Anakin took a deep breath. "Then, we were whisked away to a nexus of The Force." Anakin shivered and closed his eyes as a thin stream of tears rolled down his cheeks. "On that world, Ahsoka…died."

Owen looked at Anakin in shock. Unsure how to approach his step-brother, the moister farmer walked over and stood by Anakin before he cautiously put a hand on the most powerful Force user in the known galaxy. Without talking or knowing how Anakin would take the contact, Owen supplied more comfort in that moment for Anakin than the Jedi Order, even Obi-Wan had.Anakin responded by sobbing all the more as Ahsoka's lifeless body lay on his left and The Daughter on his right came back to Anakin in full, compounded by unresolved pain from his mother's death.

After a few moments of bawling, Anakin began to quiet, but to his surprise, Anakin didn't feel Owen's rough large hand on his back. Rather, the young man felt a soft and relatively small hand on his back. "Ah-Ahsoka?"

"By the Force, Anakin, don't scare me like that!"

Anakin looked at her in confusion before he went to stand up, suddenly nervous. "How much did you hear?"

Ahsoka gently pulled him back down to a sitting position on the bed. "I didn't hear anything." The young Togruta stated calmly as she could manage. "I felt your pain and saw Mortis from your perspective."

Anakin blinked in confusion as he processed what he heard. Jedi had many abilities thanks to the power of The Force, but this proved to be something new for both he and Ahsoka. Something in Anakin's vision of his mother came back to him. For a moment Anakin considered the possibility but brushed it away. If Anakin inherited anything alien from his father, it would have showed itself before now unless Anakin's father's people aged similarly to Grand Master Yoda. If my Dad's people are regularly as old as Master Yoda, they are insanely powerful! Anakin felt a strangely familiar shiver of glee at the thought.

Owen looked at the pair with a smile threatening to plaster itself on his lips. "Do you know what's on the data pad?" Owen picked up the pad. "I'm not sure, but I think it only responds to a certain biometric. I've only ever seen…" The man paused for a moment and chose his words carefully. "…Shmi take it out and relax from it some after particularly rough days."

Ahsoka and Anakin shared a knowing look. There could only be one thing worth that much secrecy and protection while also helping Shmi cope during rough times.

That's right, Snips. Anakin confirmed with only a look. This must've be the gift Mom left that she wants me to find.

As Owen handed the data pad to Anakin, he became aware of how seamlessly Anakin and Ahsoka communicated with just expressions. I wonder how much of that is wartime bonding and how much is love. Owen thought to himself. Beru is going to throw a party when I tell her. In an effort to tell his wife as quickly as possible Owen let himself out of the room and felt the two warriors to their business with the data pad.

"If I'm right," Anakin said as he touched the pad and saw it react. "This pad holds basic knowledge on my father's race, his people's customs, and other important information related to the species."

As the pad came to life, a distantly familiar voice greeted Anakin. Oddly, it only seemed to be an audio recording as Anakin waited for the hologram that never came only to continue heartily a voice as the message played. "(Hello, my son.)" A weary voice began to speak from the pad. "(I see you've found my record left for you in case the worst should befall your mother and me.)" He smiled sadly as a sour came from the pad. "(We will always be with you, my son.)" The voice seemed to reach and hug Anakin as the young man listened to his father's farewell. "(Come home.)" The voice said as map coordinates appeared in a script Anakin could somehow read instinctually. "(I love you, Anakin.)"

Meanwhile; Owen, Buru, and Lars sat in the main room of the house. Beru put her arm around Owen and smiled. "Were you able to find out anything?"

Owen nodded. "They have a deep bond, but I can't really tell if it's the battles they've gone through together, love, or a combination of the two."

Beru nodded, but before she could add a verbal answer, a low-pitched rumble rattled the course and caused all three to jump up and run towards Shmi's room. The three Humans in the room looked toward Shmi's room with curious or frightened looks. Lars looked toward the source of the mournful hey powerful sound It triggered a memory when Shmi did something similar not long after Lars freed her but before he chose to marry her. She made a similar noise a few days before the harvest season started the year she.died. The man shook his head and followed his son and daughter-in-law to Shmi's room.

Unknown to Lars or any of the Humans, Anakin's father made the "noise" as he signed off on the message to Anakin. When they came up to the room to find Ahsoka and Anakin in an intimate embrace. Beru fought a a squeal as she watched Ahsoka skillfully console Anakin. Instead, the woman judged her us and who looked at his Dad. Lars seemed to think it over for moment and continued toasty here them until Anakin gained control enough to dry his eyes. Then, Lars cleared his throat.

"May we come in?"

Neither Force user startled when the old moister farmer spoke. "Did we interrupt something?"

"No," Anakin said calmly. "We were just listening to a final message from my dad." Anakin explained. "I can't be sure, but I think he died around the same time as Mom."

Lars seemed surprised by this fact and walked over to look at the projector as it seemed to display a message in an odd script. Lars wasn't a protocol droid, but he knew this writing system belonged to a people in the known galaxy. The man looked at his stepson. "You need a droid to translate that mess."

Ahsoka shook her head. "Anakin can read it," the Togruta countered. The female alien squinted at the odd script. "I can't read it to the extent he can, but I can make out enough to know it's a star chart with coordinates to a system near the Outer Rim of the Unknown Regions."

Ahsoka could see the fear in Anakin's face as he thought about the possible destination. Part of her understood Anakin's hesitation to board the Aether and instantly head for the system to learn more about his heritage. The last time they went into a situation completely blind, Ahsoka died and would have stayed that way had The Daughter not used the last of herself to restore the young Padawan.

Anakin looked at Ahsoka for a moment longer before he seemed to debate within himself. I need to go.Anakin thought as a final verdict of the debate within himself. This could help me finally put my past to bed for good.

Ahsoka knew that look on Anakin's face. She saw it on Anakin's face after she became infected with the Blue Shadow Virus. I'm not a kirffing damsel, unlike a certain slutty Senator I could mention. Ahsoka thought in moderate anger before she finally voiced her opinion of Anakin's annoying protective tendencies that carried over from Padme. "If you think I'm going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs while you rushing into danger, you're an idiot, Skyguy."

For a moment, Anakin's eyes widened as he thought he heard Ahsoka's voice whisper an angry comparison to Padme and dismissed it after a moment only for a part of his mind to remember the pair were connected through The Force. Why did the Jedi never mention telepathy? Anakin passively thought as he spoke. "I wasn't-"

Ahsoka shot Anakin a look Owen recognized from when Beru wanted to strangle him. Wow, Anakin. Owen thought as he consciously held back a grin. My money says Anakin will fold in three…two…one.

"Why do you think I treat you like a damsel?"

Ahsoka blinked in shock. "I didn't say anything about being a damsel."

Anakin raised a brow and laughed. "You didn't have to, Snips." Anakin put a hand on her shoulder. "After fighting together for so long, I can read you like a book." I don't need to scare her by saying I could faintly hear her thoughts.

Ahsoka crossed her arms and continued to glare at him. "I'm going with you, Anakin."

Anakin nodded. A part of him screamed about Mind Tricks, but the logical part of Anakin dismissed the idea on two fronts: Ahsoka didn't do the necessary hand gesture, and Anakin was too strong-willed for her to use it on him. In the bewildered part of his mind that reeled from how quickly the man agreed with his friend's statement, Anakin thought, How did she do that?!

Owen grinned like a madman before he motioned his step-brother over to a spot away from the others in the room. "Don't bother fighting or trying to figure it out, Anakin." Owen informed him. "Certain women just have power only they can possess."

Anakin raised an eyebrow and looked at Owen intrigued. "Is it possible to learn this power?"

Owen fought laughter as he shook his head. "I'm afraid not, bro." The man denied. "This power is only for her." Owen added to the statement in the safe confines of his mind. She who holds a man's heart has power over him some consider to be unnatural.

Anakin gave Owen a confused and slightly worried look. "Are you alright?"

Owen looked up at the sound of Anakin's voice. "Yeah," the man said with a slight nod. "I just keep thinking about how painful it must have been to see us the first time."

Anakin nodded. "It was difficult, but if it wasn't for that trip, I would not have opened my eyes to see the Jedi as they are, or…" Anakin trailed off.

"I'm not going to pretend I know how you feel." Owen said as he put an arm around Anakin's shoulders. "However, I will say this." He smiled and gestured to Ahsoka and Beru as the girls chatted. "You're in a much better place than you were when we first me." He nodded to Ahsoka. "She's done good for you. Don't let the happiness she brings you ever fade."

Anakin looked over at Ahsoka as she continued to talk with Beru. Something stirred in the young man as he studied her. She was still alert but able to relax enough to chat casually with the other woman. Part of Anakin envied that. Even as a young kid, Anakin could never relax because the others would attack him and bully him. For a long time, Anakin didn't even begin to know peace until he met Ahsoka. A part of the Jedi Code rattled in the man's mind: There is no emotion; there is only peace.

Owen looked at Anakin and seemed to sense the conflict in his brother. There's no telling what garbage the Jedi filled his head with. Owen didn't want Anakin to continue to act like a basic droid, so he decided on a more direct approach. "Don't neglect the missing piece of yourself, or you will be miserable. Don't…ever let's her go, bro. If you do, I'll kick your ass."

Anakin blinked. "What?"

Owen sighed. "Mom had a saying: Where there is love, there is peace."

Anakin opened his mouth to respond but never did because he felt a tremor in The Force. "Everyone out!"

Ahosoka didn't need to be told twice, picked up Lars, and made for the door faster than the average sentient could move. She knew the patriarch likely didn't care for being carried out of his house at speed, but when an explosion ripped the Lars Homestead from the surface of Tatooine, the Togruta felt she would be forgiven as she made a move to put him down.

"Ahsoka!"

Anakin's voice tore into her mind as the sound of blaster fire alerted her to trouble. Ahsoka quickly handed Lars to his son. "Stay back." Ahsoka ordered as she went from normal teen to a solder protecting civilians in a matter of milliseconds.

"Who knew you'd come back here, Skywalker?" The Duros smiled. "Then again, that's what you Jedi are about: misinformation and blindness."

Anakin raised a brow at Cad Bane. "Who put the bounty on me?"

The Duros glared at him. "You know so little, Skywalker."

To prove his point, the bounty hunter produced a strange crystal and held it to the light as it shimmed with pure white light. After a moment, the light expanded and surrounded Anakin. The young Force sensitive's stomach turned and rolled within him under the effect of the light."What…is that?"

The Duros walked over and kicked Anakin hard. "You don't ask too many questions in my line of work. Jedi." Bane chuckled. "That's an easy way to die."

Ahsoka glared at Cad Bane as she saw Anakin's eyes turn milky in blindness and leapt at Bane with her saber drawn. Something in the way he moved seemed different to the girl as she moved with a ready counter. Then, the Togruta felt a shift in The Force around the Duros. He's a been changed. Ahsoka realized, unnerved by how familiar Cad Band felt in The Force. He's been given a corrupted link to The Force, but… "That's impossible!"

Cad Bane laughed, "Impossible is simply a state of mind, child." The bounty hunter gripped her with the cold iron grasp of a Force Choke. "My benefactor exists outside the realm of possible." The red-eyed beast turned to her with new focus and crushed her writs with invisible durasteel clams. Ahsoka dropped her sabers with a pained cry. "I know this hurts, young one." Cad Bane sneered. "Call to him."

Ahsoka growled and wasn't sure it would work. She kicked Cad Bane between the legs, rolled away, and called her sabers to her hands. "I don't need to depend on Anakin to save me." Ahsoka added in her mind. …unlike the Senator. Ahsoka's anger rolled again at thoughts of Padme. Ahsoka focused her anger like a sculptor's beam and blocked her opponent's baster shots and redirected reacted them at the Duros' head.

Cad Bane lazily dodged the bolts and threw Ahsoka off with such a move, but it didn't rattle her as much as the bounty hunter hoped. He watched the girl's flaring eyes almost glow with focus before she sliced through the Duros' favorite LL-30 pistols. Bane scowled at Ahsoka and tossed the ruined remnants of the pistols to the side, stirring dust as they landed. Cad Bane showed very little emotion, only a flicker of rage here and there in his eyes before he tapped a control on his wrist. "There are many ways to collect a bounty."

Suddenly, ship-mounted cannons whined to life. I should have seen this coming. At the sound of the cannons, Ahsoka tried to dodge, but point-blank range left even a Force-user's options limited. Ahsoka knew Anakin stood too far away to protect her, even if the cannon blast diameter could be covered by his body. With that in mind, Ahsoka closed her eyes and waited to be one with The Force.

Ahsoka opened her eyes to look into the eyes of…Anakin?! The milk of blindness seemed to evaporate as Anakin looked at Ahsoka. When Anakin's eyes cleared, the once blue pools transformed into orange-red irises that glowed with the fire of an iron will. The cannon discharged, but Anakin gave no sign of discomfort with the exception of a slight grimace. Again, the cannon sounded and again.

Anakin growled with a nigh feral look of fury in his eyes, irritated with this vermin for attacking His Mate in front of him, no less! Anakin whirled on where Bane should be in a rage only to see The Xanadu Blood retest out of Tatooine's atmosphere.

Ahsoka gasped. The young former Jedi could barely understand what she saw. Unconsciously, Ahsoka reached toward Anakin's back to get more information to confirm or deny her eyes. Wisps of steam rose up from Anakin's back, now coated in jagged black scales which glistened in the light of Tatooine's twin suns because of the fluids from Anakin's flesh, pieces of which still clung to parts of his scales.

Anakin aimed a tired smile at Ahsoka. You're safe.

Ahsoka nodded and couldn't help the tears as they rolled down her face, "I'm safe."

Lars startled Ahsoka as he put a hand on her shoulder with a worried look at his step-son and recited the thing Shmi made him swear to should something happen to Anakin on Tatooine. "There's only one place in the galaxy that can help him now, Ahsoka: Earon."

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