CHAPTER 2
"That was some shortcut, Anakin. He went completely the other way." Obi Wan was frustrated with the hasty actions of his student. You'd think Anakin would be used to his master's lectures by now, but Obi Wan still had a way of getting under his skin. This time, however, he took pleasure in his master's harsh words because he knew Obi Wan would soon be eating them. Anakin's apology was smug. "I'm truly sorry, master." With that he hopped over the side of the speeder. "I hate it when he does that." Obi Wan confessed to an empty speeder.
Anakin felt like he was falling forever. In the back of his mind, he wondered if his calculations were wrong and if he may plummet to his death. His arrogance faded momentarily and was replaced by fear and doubt. When he landed perfectly on the assassin's vehicle, his arrogance was tenfold. He pulled out his duplicated saber and smashed it through the glass and into the cockpit. The blasts made Anakin loose grip on his weapon. He didn't seem to care. The other is better, anyway, he thought.
Obi Wan however, was not so quick to dismiss a perfectly good weapon. Following behind in a speeder, he snatched it out of the air and set it on the seat beside him. He noticed the speeder he was following was now spewing out smoke so he decided to find a place to land so he could continue the pursuit after the inevitable crash. He landed the speeder, picked up Anakin's saber, and then pinpointed their exact location by sensing Anakin's presence. Finally, he saw his apprentice running into a nightclub. "Anakin." He called out.
Anakin stopped in his tracks and looked with relief to see he now had the aide of his master. "She went into the club, master." Anakin said, trying to catch Obi Wan up to speed. "Use the Force, think. He went in there to hide, not to run." 'Yes, master." "Did you see what he looked like?" "I think he's a she, and I think she's a changeling." "In that case we must be extra careful." Obi Wan said, extending the warning to not only Anakin, but also himself. He then held up the lightsaber Anakin dropped and said: "Next time, try not to loose this." "Sorry, master." "This weapon is your life." Obi Wan said.
Anakin constantly had the desire to have the last word. Because of this desire, he wanted to tell his master that this saber was not as good as the other. He wanted to say that this weapon was not his life. It did not give him the same feeling of power that the other did. He wanted to say: "No master, that other weapon, that is my life." Instead, all he said was: "I am trying, master."
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Anakin landed the Naboo cruiser just outside the homestead. He then held the two weapons, one in each hand and puzzled over which he should bring. He was going to free his mother, violently if necessary. He looked at the saber he constructed, it was adequate. He then looked at the one Palpatine gave to him. Immediately, a sense of power ran over him. If he was going to barter for his mother's life, he needed to exude an aura of confidence and power. Anakin felt that this saber would best suit his needs. He clipped it to his belt and proceeded down the ramp after Padme.
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Tatooine's moons shone brilliantly in the night sky as Anakin descended upon a camp full of Tusken Raiders. He felt the presence of his mother. He ignited his saber and cut through the wall of the tent. There she was, the woman who gave him life and who taught him so much about the galaxy, tied up, beaten, bruised and lifeless. The lightsaber felt ice- cold against his thigh. He untied his mother and exchanged last words with her, she died in his arms and he felt a single hot, stinging tear roll down his cheek as he closed her eyes.
Then he heard a voice inside his head. It was as if his weapon had taken a hold of his mind and was speaking to him. It seemed to say: "Use me. They did this to her! They killed her. Use me. Do to them what they did to her. They're no match for us. Use me, destroy them!" The voice was overwhelming. Anakin slipped into a hypnotic state, revenge was his only goal. He gently set his mother's body on the ground, ignited the weapon and exited the tent. He cut down two Tuskens, then another, then another, then another. He killed each one that charged him with ease. When they stopped coming after him, he went after them. Each life taken seemed to fuel his bloodlust, rather than quench it.
Eventually, he came too. His hands and clothes were covered in blood, but the saber handle was perfectly clean. Anakin closed the weapon, then looked around to survey the damage. He saw nothing but carnage. Dead bodies covered the ground and the smell of blood filled the air. He tried to justify his actions to himself, while he proceeded back to the tent where his mother lay. Then he turned a corner and no excuse he could think of could justify what he saw. A Tusken mother was holding her child, both were decapitated and their bodies mutilated. Only an unfeeling, unthinking monster could have done something like this. That's when it hit him. Anakin Skywalker dropped to his knees and wept. Between the sobs he repeated the words: "What have I done?"
"That was some shortcut, Anakin. He went completely the other way." Obi Wan was frustrated with the hasty actions of his student. You'd think Anakin would be used to his master's lectures by now, but Obi Wan still had a way of getting under his skin. This time, however, he took pleasure in his master's harsh words because he knew Obi Wan would soon be eating them. Anakin's apology was smug. "I'm truly sorry, master." With that he hopped over the side of the speeder. "I hate it when he does that." Obi Wan confessed to an empty speeder.
Anakin felt like he was falling forever. In the back of his mind, he wondered if his calculations were wrong and if he may plummet to his death. His arrogance faded momentarily and was replaced by fear and doubt. When he landed perfectly on the assassin's vehicle, his arrogance was tenfold. He pulled out his duplicated saber and smashed it through the glass and into the cockpit. The blasts made Anakin loose grip on his weapon. He didn't seem to care. The other is better, anyway, he thought.
Obi Wan however, was not so quick to dismiss a perfectly good weapon. Following behind in a speeder, he snatched it out of the air and set it on the seat beside him. He noticed the speeder he was following was now spewing out smoke so he decided to find a place to land so he could continue the pursuit after the inevitable crash. He landed the speeder, picked up Anakin's saber, and then pinpointed their exact location by sensing Anakin's presence. Finally, he saw his apprentice running into a nightclub. "Anakin." He called out.
Anakin stopped in his tracks and looked with relief to see he now had the aide of his master. "She went into the club, master." Anakin said, trying to catch Obi Wan up to speed. "Use the Force, think. He went in there to hide, not to run." 'Yes, master." "Did you see what he looked like?" "I think he's a she, and I think she's a changeling." "In that case we must be extra careful." Obi Wan said, extending the warning to not only Anakin, but also himself. He then held up the lightsaber Anakin dropped and said: "Next time, try not to loose this." "Sorry, master." "This weapon is your life." Obi Wan said.
Anakin constantly had the desire to have the last word. Because of this desire, he wanted to tell his master that this saber was not as good as the other. He wanted to say that this weapon was not his life. It did not give him the same feeling of power that the other did. He wanted to say: "No master, that other weapon, that is my life." Instead, all he said was: "I am trying, master."
************************************************************************
Anakin landed the Naboo cruiser just outside the homestead. He then held the two weapons, one in each hand and puzzled over which he should bring. He was going to free his mother, violently if necessary. He looked at the saber he constructed, it was adequate. He then looked at the one Palpatine gave to him. Immediately, a sense of power ran over him. If he was going to barter for his mother's life, he needed to exude an aura of confidence and power. Anakin felt that this saber would best suit his needs. He clipped it to his belt and proceeded down the ramp after Padme.
************************************************************************
Tatooine's moons shone brilliantly in the night sky as Anakin descended upon a camp full of Tusken Raiders. He felt the presence of his mother. He ignited his saber and cut through the wall of the tent. There she was, the woman who gave him life and who taught him so much about the galaxy, tied up, beaten, bruised and lifeless. The lightsaber felt ice- cold against his thigh. He untied his mother and exchanged last words with her, she died in his arms and he felt a single hot, stinging tear roll down his cheek as he closed her eyes.
Then he heard a voice inside his head. It was as if his weapon had taken a hold of his mind and was speaking to him. It seemed to say: "Use me. They did this to her! They killed her. Use me. Do to them what they did to her. They're no match for us. Use me, destroy them!" The voice was overwhelming. Anakin slipped into a hypnotic state, revenge was his only goal. He gently set his mother's body on the ground, ignited the weapon and exited the tent. He cut down two Tuskens, then another, then another, then another. He killed each one that charged him with ease. When they stopped coming after him, he went after them. Each life taken seemed to fuel his bloodlust, rather than quench it.
Eventually, he came too. His hands and clothes were covered in blood, but the saber handle was perfectly clean. Anakin closed the weapon, then looked around to survey the damage. He saw nothing but carnage. Dead bodies covered the ground and the smell of blood filled the air. He tried to justify his actions to himself, while he proceeded back to the tent where his mother lay. Then he turned a corner and no excuse he could think of could justify what he saw. A Tusken mother was holding her child, both were decapitated and their bodies mutilated. Only an unfeeling, unthinking monster could have done something like this. That's when it hit him. Anakin Skywalker dropped to his knees and wept. Between the sobs he repeated the words: "What have I done?"