Title: Anakin's Paradox, Part 2
Author: Jonathan Evans
Author email: noggins_evans@hotmail.com
Summary: Contains Episode II spoilers! During a fierce battle, Anakin
Skywalker finds himself in a future that he never expected in which
the galaxy is in a state of civil war and his teacher is now an old man
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns everything and I'm not making any
money off of thi nor do I intend to (I'd like to but that's not the
point). You can distribute this freely provided that it's
complete with this disclaimer.
Anakin's Paradox
Part 2 - Close Encounters Before The Battle
by Noggins
The starship, called the Millennium Falcon, as Anakin had discovered from it's captain Han Solo, had landed in the hanger of a Rebel base located in the middle of the lush green jungle world that was Yavin IV and everyone had slowly departed. Obi-Wan did his best to keep Anakin away from Luke but that had only led to the two teenagers to get more than a little suspicious of one another.
They eyed each other up carefully as they entered the briefing room where a Rebel commander told them about the Death Star station and how it could be destroyed with a well placed proton torpedo in a seemingly tiny exhaust port. After the speech was finished, Anakin just shrugged it off. "Sounds easy enough," he mused.
A young hotshot pilot turned to him with a shocked expression on his face. "You're joking right?" he choked. "Didn't you hear what he said. The port's only two metres wide! That kind of target's impossible, even for a computer." He honestly couldn't believe that Anakin was so blasé about it until Luke spoke up. He even caught the young Jedi's attention as he stood up to face the ranks of battle-hardened Rebel pilots who had seen more service than he ever could.
His voice was filled with confidence as he spoke. "It's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home. They're not much bigger than two meters." Anakin smiled at the boy who seemed to appreciate the first compliment he had received from the mysterious stranger. "Thanks," he replied to the unspoken words.
The general closed down the computer screen that showed the schematics of the Death Star and addressed the pilots one last time. "Man your ships," he said. "And may the Force be with you." As the pilots slowly crawled out of the small room, Anakin noticed Leia chatting to the Rebel leader. Using his ability to sense emotions he could tell she wasn't confident about a victory. He walked towards them both.
"...it's really a matter of hope," the general told her. "They have to believe there can be a victory or we really would have no hope."
"But it really is a losing battle. What hope do we have?"
"The Skywalker boy seems to be quite confident he could make the shot, but I don't want to risk putting him in the advance squadren. Garven Dreis is the most experienced pilot we have. He *could* do it."
"But your not sure? Maybe Skywalker should..."
Leia turned to see Anakin closing in on them then stop suddenly the moment she uttered Luke's name. She looked concerned as she addressed him. "Qui-Gon... What's wrong?"
"You... you said Skywalker," Anakin stuttered, still suffering from the shock. "Surely you didn't mean that kid... Luke?"
"That's right... Luke Skywalker. He joined General Kenobi on Tatooine. I think that's where he's from."
Without saying anymore words, Anakin ran out of the briefing room and into the corridor. He quickly caught up with Luke who was heading towards the pilot's changing rooms where he was about to be decked out in the bright orange uniform of the Rebel Gold and Red Sqaudrens. "Hey! Hey!" he called. "Luke!"
Luke turned around to face him, still a little supiscious. "What?" he asked, almost aggressively. "What is it?"
"I heard Leia call you Skywalker... is that really your name?"
"Yeah," the former farmboy replied, eyeing Anakin carefully. "What about it?"
"Your father... is he... is he still alive?"
Luke shook his head but seemed agitated by this upstart Jedi who arrived on the scene only to be seemingly considered more highly by Obi-Wan. "No. Ben told me he was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader... before I was born."
Anakin suddenly felt light-headed as he fell back into the wall, which was the only that prevented him from collapsing on the floor. Luke grabbed his arm to stabilise him. "What? What's wrong?"
"Your father was killed?"
"Yes. That's what I said." There was anger in Luke's eyes as he felt his private life was being intruded on by this 'Qui-Gon Jinn.'
"By the Force... I... I..." He suddenly took off again, back the way he had already come and in the direction of the quarters that Obi-Wan had been assigned. He punched the wall as he stormed up the corridor before finally realising that the last time he did that had resulted in breaking two of his knuckles. In all the excitement he hadn't even noticed! He stopped and slammed his palms, followed by his head, into sleek durasteel panels that the walls of the base were made up of.
A hand on his shoulder made him turn around. It was Leia and she seemed concerned. "What's wrong?" she asked ever-so-slightly carefully. Anakin turned around slowly and calmly but his heart was beating and his palms sweating. He didn't even notice his was shaking until Leia took his hands in hers. "What's wrong?" she asked again, this time with even more affection.
"Nothing!" Anakin snapped as he pulled away violently and paced to the other side of the corridor to begin punching the walls again. For the second time Leia grabbed him in order to stop him damaging himself. He pulled his hands away again. "Get off me! You don't know me! You don't know me! You just don't know!!!"
"Well, if that's your attitude!" she replied stubbornly and turned on her heels to start to walk away. Before she had got less than five metres away from him he called after her. She moved around slowly to see the sheer sorrow in his eyes.
"Don't go," he whispered. "Your... your presence is soothing."
The Alderaanian princess came back to him and he wrapped his arms around her. His head nestled in her shoulder he started to break down. "Why? Why? Why didn't he tell me?"
"Who? Tell you what?" Leia asked, pulling him away so she could look in his eyes. She was suddenly mesmirised by his blue eyes which reminded her of the calming pools back on her home planet that she used to bathe in. She moved her hand up to stroke his cheek. "You can tell me..."
"Not here..." Anakin muttered, taking her hand and pulling her out of the main corridor into a small, dark cul-de-sac that no one ever entered. He leaned back onto the wall and sighed deeply. "Obi-Wan..." he began to explain. "He lied to me about... something important. It was something I should have known but he didn't tell me."
Leia noticed that beneath his rough, cocky exterior there was an emotionally scarred, vulnerable individual. The stranger seemed to encapsulate all the best qualities of Han, Luke and herself and she began to be afraid that she was falling for him. "What should he have told you?"
Looking at Leia, Anakin saw not only intelligence, integrity and leadership skills of Padmé but also the nurturing, caring, loving side that he had missed during the last ten years of his training and would never see again now that his mother was gone. As he felt her hand in his he began to worry that he was falling for her. "About my future... my past... it's hard to explain. I'm not an ordinary Jedi."
"Oh, I noticed that," Leia half-smiled as she moved closer to him, her fingers trailing up his arm and down his chest before finally wrapping around his waist. He cocked his head to the side as his lips began to meet hers. With one effortless motion, he took her into his arms and they kissed passionately. Neither had experienced anything like this before as their entire world span into a frenzied whirlpool. Leia pushed Anakin against the wall as their bodies embraced.
After what seemed like an eternity they broke apart, both breathing heavily. Leia held Anakin's hands tightly as she giggled like the girl who was barely out of her teens that she really was. "Oh, Qui-Gon..." she muttered. "If only we had more time..."
"Time..." Anakin whispered in reply. "...is not as linear as you think. We could have forever."
"But we can't! The Rebellion! The Empire! We know the Death Star is heading towards this planet as we speak." She quickly moved forward to kiss him again before pulling back to continue her explanation. "We don't know if we can survive this but even if we do I don't know what we can do. As much as I want to, I can't give into this. I can't throw my life away while the Rebellion continues. I have more important things to do than fall in love."
"That's what they always say, Leia!"
"But it's true! Even if we do defeat the Death Star the Empire will continue to exist."
Anakin stood up straight and tall. "Then we have to make it fall while we still have a chance... then maybe it could work."
"Gods, I wish it could be that easy, Qui-Gon."
Anakin still hadn't got used to people calling him that. He wanted to tell her his real name so much but it would only confuse things even more. He had so much of a connection with Leia... he couldn't explain it but he didn't want to risk losing it. He kissed her one more time before heading towards the main corridor. "I'm getting on one of the fighters, I'm gonna blow that thing sky-high then I'm coming back to be with you!" Their hands parted as Anakin darted off towards the hanger where the T-65s were being prepared for take-off, leaving Leia watching him leave, her mind confused with love and duty.
* * * * * * * *
As the Jedi apprentice neared the doorway to the hanger he sensed a fellow Force-user present. He span around to see Obi-Wan waiting for him with a stern expression on his face. "What do you think you're doing, Anakin?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know what's going through your mind. You must understand it isn't possible."
"Really? You said you didn't know how I could get back so maybe I should make the best of it. Leia's a great girl... I don't know how but without even knowing her there's something between us..."
"I think, my young apprentice," Obi-Wan began slowly as he put his arm around Anakin to speak to him privately, "we need to discuss some important matters..."
Author: Jonathan Evans
Author email: noggins_evans@hotmail.com
Summary: Contains Episode II spoilers! During a fierce battle, Anakin
Skywalker finds himself in a future that he never expected in which
the galaxy is in a state of civil war and his teacher is now an old man
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns everything and I'm not making any
money off of thi nor do I intend to (I'd like to but that's not the
point). You can distribute this freely provided that it's
complete with this disclaimer.
Anakin's Paradox
Part 2 - Close Encounters Before The Battle
by Noggins
The starship, called the Millennium Falcon, as Anakin had discovered from it's captain Han Solo, had landed in the hanger of a Rebel base located in the middle of the lush green jungle world that was Yavin IV and everyone had slowly departed. Obi-Wan did his best to keep Anakin away from Luke but that had only led to the two teenagers to get more than a little suspicious of one another.
They eyed each other up carefully as they entered the briefing room where a Rebel commander told them about the Death Star station and how it could be destroyed with a well placed proton torpedo in a seemingly tiny exhaust port. After the speech was finished, Anakin just shrugged it off. "Sounds easy enough," he mused.
A young hotshot pilot turned to him with a shocked expression on his face. "You're joking right?" he choked. "Didn't you hear what he said. The port's only two metres wide! That kind of target's impossible, even for a computer." He honestly couldn't believe that Anakin was so blasé about it until Luke spoke up. He even caught the young Jedi's attention as he stood up to face the ranks of battle-hardened Rebel pilots who had seen more service than he ever could.
His voice was filled with confidence as he spoke. "It's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home. They're not much bigger than two meters." Anakin smiled at the boy who seemed to appreciate the first compliment he had received from the mysterious stranger. "Thanks," he replied to the unspoken words.
The general closed down the computer screen that showed the schematics of the Death Star and addressed the pilots one last time. "Man your ships," he said. "And may the Force be with you." As the pilots slowly crawled out of the small room, Anakin noticed Leia chatting to the Rebel leader. Using his ability to sense emotions he could tell she wasn't confident about a victory. He walked towards them both.
"...it's really a matter of hope," the general told her. "They have to believe there can be a victory or we really would have no hope."
"But it really is a losing battle. What hope do we have?"
"The Skywalker boy seems to be quite confident he could make the shot, but I don't want to risk putting him in the advance squadren. Garven Dreis is the most experienced pilot we have. He *could* do it."
"But your not sure? Maybe Skywalker should..."
Leia turned to see Anakin closing in on them then stop suddenly the moment she uttered Luke's name. She looked concerned as she addressed him. "Qui-Gon... What's wrong?"
"You... you said Skywalker," Anakin stuttered, still suffering from the shock. "Surely you didn't mean that kid... Luke?"
"That's right... Luke Skywalker. He joined General Kenobi on Tatooine. I think that's where he's from."
Without saying anymore words, Anakin ran out of the briefing room and into the corridor. He quickly caught up with Luke who was heading towards the pilot's changing rooms where he was about to be decked out in the bright orange uniform of the Rebel Gold and Red Sqaudrens. "Hey! Hey!" he called. "Luke!"
Luke turned around to face him, still a little supiscious. "What?" he asked, almost aggressively. "What is it?"
"I heard Leia call you Skywalker... is that really your name?"
"Yeah," the former farmboy replied, eyeing Anakin carefully. "What about it?"
"Your father... is he... is he still alive?"
Luke shook his head but seemed agitated by this upstart Jedi who arrived on the scene only to be seemingly considered more highly by Obi-Wan. "No. Ben told me he was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader... before I was born."
Anakin suddenly felt light-headed as he fell back into the wall, which was the only that prevented him from collapsing on the floor. Luke grabbed his arm to stabilise him. "What? What's wrong?"
"Your father was killed?"
"Yes. That's what I said." There was anger in Luke's eyes as he felt his private life was being intruded on by this 'Qui-Gon Jinn.'
"By the Force... I... I..." He suddenly took off again, back the way he had already come and in the direction of the quarters that Obi-Wan had been assigned. He punched the wall as he stormed up the corridor before finally realising that the last time he did that had resulted in breaking two of his knuckles. In all the excitement he hadn't even noticed! He stopped and slammed his palms, followed by his head, into sleek durasteel panels that the walls of the base were made up of.
A hand on his shoulder made him turn around. It was Leia and she seemed concerned. "What's wrong?" she asked ever-so-slightly carefully. Anakin turned around slowly and calmly but his heart was beating and his palms sweating. He didn't even notice his was shaking until Leia took his hands in hers. "What's wrong?" she asked again, this time with even more affection.
"Nothing!" Anakin snapped as he pulled away violently and paced to the other side of the corridor to begin punching the walls again. For the second time Leia grabbed him in order to stop him damaging himself. He pulled his hands away again. "Get off me! You don't know me! You don't know me! You just don't know!!!"
"Well, if that's your attitude!" she replied stubbornly and turned on her heels to start to walk away. Before she had got less than five metres away from him he called after her. She moved around slowly to see the sheer sorrow in his eyes.
"Don't go," he whispered. "Your... your presence is soothing."
The Alderaanian princess came back to him and he wrapped his arms around her. His head nestled in her shoulder he started to break down. "Why? Why? Why didn't he tell me?"
"Who? Tell you what?" Leia asked, pulling him away so she could look in his eyes. She was suddenly mesmirised by his blue eyes which reminded her of the calming pools back on her home planet that she used to bathe in. She moved her hand up to stroke his cheek. "You can tell me..."
"Not here..." Anakin muttered, taking her hand and pulling her out of the main corridor into a small, dark cul-de-sac that no one ever entered. He leaned back onto the wall and sighed deeply. "Obi-Wan..." he began to explain. "He lied to me about... something important. It was something I should have known but he didn't tell me."
Leia noticed that beneath his rough, cocky exterior there was an emotionally scarred, vulnerable individual. The stranger seemed to encapsulate all the best qualities of Han, Luke and herself and she began to be afraid that she was falling for him. "What should he have told you?"
Looking at Leia, Anakin saw not only intelligence, integrity and leadership skills of Padmé but also the nurturing, caring, loving side that he had missed during the last ten years of his training and would never see again now that his mother was gone. As he felt her hand in his he began to worry that he was falling for her. "About my future... my past... it's hard to explain. I'm not an ordinary Jedi."
"Oh, I noticed that," Leia half-smiled as she moved closer to him, her fingers trailing up his arm and down his chest before finally wrapping around his waist. He cocked his head to the side as his lips began to meet hers. With one effortless motion, he took her into his arms and they kissed passionately. Neither had experienced anything like this before as their entire world span into a frenzied whirlpool. Leia pushed Anakin against the wall as their bodies embraced.
After what seemed like an eternity they broke apart, both breathing heavily. Leia held Anakin's hands tightly as she giggled like the girl who was barely out of her teens that she really was. "Oh, Qui-Gon..." she muttered. "If only we had more time..."
"Time..." Anakin whispered in reply. "...is not as linear as you think. We could have forever."
"But we can't! The Rebellion! The Empire! We know the Death Star is heading towards this planet as we speak." She quickly moved forward to kiss him again before pulling back to continue her explanation. "We don't know if we can survive this but even if we do I don't know what we can do. As much as I want to, I can't give into this. I can't throw my life away while the Rebellion continues. I have more important things to do than fall in love."
"That's what they always say, Leia!"
"But it's true! Even if we do defeat the Death Star the Empire will continue to exist."
Anakin stood up straight and tall. "Then we have to make it fall while we still have a chance... then maybe it could work."
"Gods, I wish it could be that easy, Qui-Gon."
Anakin still hadn't got used to people calling him that. He wanted to tell her his real name so much but it would only confuse things even more. He had so much of a connection with Leia... he couldn't explain it but he didn't want to risk losing it. He kissed her one more time before heading towards the main corridor. "I'm getting on one of the fighters, I'm gonna blow that thing sky-high then I'm coming back to be with you!" Their hands parted as Anakin darted off towards the hanger where the T-65s were being prepared for take-off, leaving Leia watching him leave, her mind confused with love and duty.
* * * * * * * *
As the Jedi apprentice neared the doorway to the hanger he sensed a fellow Force-user present. He span around to see Obi-Wan waiting for him with a stern expression on his face. "What do you think you're doing, Anakin?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know what's going through your mind. You must understand it isn't possible."
"Really? You said you didn't know how I could get back so maybe I should make the best of it. Leia's a great girl... I don't know how but without even knowing her there's something between us..."
"I think, my young apprentice," Obi-Wan began slowly as he put his arm around Anakin to speak to him privately, "we need to discuss some important matters..."
