Thank you for all your reviews. It was so nice to see them. I'm sorry this was so late in coming, I couldn't get on-line for the past week. More chapters will follow, including alternate endings if you want them. Send ideas, no promises. Again, after seven R&R's.... And now on to the story.
~~~~*~~~~
Leaning back in his chair, he let out a deep breath. Okay, what now?
Thinking back over the last memories he had, Anakin was almost disbelieving.
How could I have done that? Obi-wan was my Master, my friend, how could
I have believed that serpentine bastard! Calm down right now. There is no anger, only peace. Only the Force, the Light Side.
Anakin had felt the control he had over the fire burning inside him start to slip. He couldn't slip. It was so hard to control sometimes. Great Force, Padmé. How could he have believed such lies about her, while she bore his child no less. How could I believe that about her?
All right, just take stock of what to do right now, there will be time enough for brooding later. He rubbed his hands over his face.
He was in a tapcafe on Ord Mantell. He had gotten passage on a ship
from..... Where had he been? Some dark, evil place. Anyway, things were a little different now. Twenty-eight years, the bartender said. Well, at least Palpatine was dead. He wouldn't have to risk his soul killing him. And Vader, Oh. Vader had obviously gone on without him.
It was clear to him now. Diabolically clear. I'm a clone. That makes sense.
It hadn't been too long after the clone wars, and after he'd, No. Vader. After Vader had fallen into that pit, he would have been too injured to live. Except with the Dark Side helping. So, Palpatine didn't want to lose me, him, Vader? But I'm still Anakin, I'm still as strong in the Force as I was and it's as hard to control as ever. How can I...?
I have kids now? Luke and Leia? How did they escape Vader? What had
happened to Padmé and Obi-wan? How had Obi-wan's wife dealt with... no that
had been a lie told by Palpatine. I am such a gullible fool to believe him. She must have stayed with them. But then, if they were alive, why couldn't he feel them? He felt his son, blazing out there on Coruscant, his sister somewhat more faintly. Should he go to them? Tell them what had happened? But what had happened? They must hate me for what I, what my other half was, how could they ever accept me? I'm only the clone of their father. Do I have the right to barge in and turn their lives upside down?
The arrival of a complete stranger interrupted his reverie.
"Are you okay?" A feminine voice asked him. Her slight form slid onto the stool next to him.
"Please go away."
"You look like you need help. Are you in trouble?"
Anakin didn't answer.
Taking his silence as a cue to back off she turned to the barkeep.
"Hey Jorrin, I'm looking for Ogin. I need him for a job."
"Ogin's gone Saalot, the Imps still have this sector remember? He decided
to make himself scarce. There are a lot of out of work pilots here though. If you were looking."
Listening to their conversation, Anakin saw the opportunity to do what he always did when he was this frustrated. Race. As far and as fast as he could.
"I'm a pilot." Anakin spoke up "I really don't have much else to do."
"What's your name?"
"I'm Anakin."
"Like Skywalker Anakin?" She gave him a teasing smile. "What's the rest
of it?"
"Just Anakin." He could tell that bearing the name of Skywalker would draw a bit too much attention to himself. Besides, did he really have the right to it?
"You any good?" Saalot considered him for a moment. "You ever piloted a
YT-1210-class freighter?"
"I can fly anything you got."
"I'll ride along and see how it goes this time. If it works out, I'll consider maybe hiring you for a while. Meet me at hanger twelve tomorrow morning."
After receiving his thanks, Saalot left the tapcafe. Before she could go home, a shadowy figure stopped her.
"Saalot." Jorrin had snuck out the back to catch her. "That guy is weird. He was asking questions like the Empire never happened. If you're gonna do this, be careful."
"As long as he flies and doesn't try to steal my ship, I don't care what era he's living in. He doesn't have the feel of a glit-biter to me."
"You don't know what he is. He doesn't have to use spice, he could be a wanted criminal. I know you Corellians don't care much for odds but,- "
"Jorrin I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." She said with a kind smile. "Good night."
***
Anakin thought about what he was doing. I have to go fast. "I'm sorry Master Yoda," he said in his mind. "But I need to run for awhile, until I can get a handle on things."
But even as he showed up for his new job the next day, he still wondered what he was going to do, and how he could ever fix the mistakes his other half had caused.
Or if he should even try.
~~~~*~~~~
Okay. Don't worry. Anakin will eventually get together with his kids and grandkids. I stress EVENTUALLY. This takes place after Courtship, so Anakin is actually a few years younger than Luke and Leia. He's still got to come to grips with everything. I also like to explore alternate endings, so for those of you who were dying for an uninhibited young Darth Vader the possibility is still there. But I'll need a specific request. Please R&R
PS: The only serious change I'm making is that Anakin is the strongest Jedi since the last 'chosen one'. Okay? With all respect to Luke and Kyp, the current two top, there is meaning to the term 'chosen one' and for good or ill Anakin is it. His Force potential soars past those in the new order of Jedi and rightfully so. Anakin clone is like the Force giving Anakin another chance to be good.
(At least in this version)
~~~~*~~~~
Leaning back in his chair, he let out a deep breath. Okay, what now?
Thinking back over the last memories he had, Anakin was almost disbelieving.
How could I have done that? Obi-wan was my Master, my friend, how could
I have believed that serpentine bastard! Calm down right now. There is no anger, only peace. Only the Force, the Light Side.
Anakin had felt the control he had over the fire burning inside him start to slip. He couldn't slip. It was so hard to control sometimes. Great Force, Padmé. How could he have believed such lies about her, while she bore his child no less. How could I believe that about her?
All right, just take stock of what to do right now, there will be time enough for brooding later. He rubbed his hands over his face.
He was in a tapcafe on Ord Mantell. He had gotten passage on a ship
from..... Where had he been? Some dark, evil place. Anyway, things were a little different now. Twenty-eight years, the bartender said. Well, at least Palpatine was dead. He wouldn't have to risk his soul killing him. And Vader, Oh. Vader had obviously gone on without him.
It was clear to him now. Diabolically clear. I'm a clone. That makes sense.
It hadn't been too long after the clone wars, and after he'd, No. Vader. After Vader had fallen into that pit, he would have been too injured to live. Except with the Dark Side helping. So, Palpatine didn't want to lose me, him, Vader? But I'm still Anakin, I'm still as strong in the Force as I was and it's as hard to control as ever. How can I...?
I have kids now? Luke and Leia? How did they escape Vader? What had
happened to Padmé and Obi-wan? How had Obi-wan's wife dealt with... no that
had been a lie told by Palpatine. I am such a gullible fool to believe him. She must have stayed with them. But then, if they were alive, why couldn't he feel them? He felt his son, blazing out there on Coruscant, his sister somewhat more faintly. Should he go to them? Tell them what had happened? But what had happened? They must hate me for what I, what my other half was, how could they ever accept me? I'm only the clone of their father. Do I have the right to barge in and turn their lives upside down?
The arrival of a complete stranger interrupted his reverie.
"Are you okay?" A feminine voice asked him. Her slight form slid onto the stool next to him.
"Please go away."
"You look like you need help. Are you in trouble?"
Anakin didn't answer.
Taking his silence as a cue to back off she turned to the barkeep.
"Hey Jorrin, I'm looking for Ogin. I need him for a job."
"Ogin's gone Saalot, the Imps still have this sector remember? He decided
to make himself scarce. There are a lot of out of work pilots here though. If you were looking."
Listening to their conversation, Anakin saw the opportunity to do what he always did when he was this frustrated. Race. As far and as fast as he could.
"I'm a pilot." Anakin spoke up "I really don't have much else to do."
"What's your name?"
"I'm Anakin."
"Like Skywalker Anakin?" She gave him a teasing smile. "What's the rest
of it?"
"Just Anakin." He could tell that bearing the name of Skywalker would draw a bit too much attention to himself. Besides, did he really have the right to it?
"You any good?" Saalot considered him for a moment. "You ever piloted a
YT-1210-class freighter?"
"I can fly anything you got."
"I'll ride along and see how it goes this time. If it works out, I'll consider maybe hiring you for a while. Meet me at hanger twelve tomorrow morning."
After receiving his thanks, Saalot left the tapcafe. Before she could go home, a shadowy figure stopped her.
"Saalot." Jorrin had snuck out the back to catch her. "That guy is weird. He was asking questions like the Empire never happened. If you're gonna do this, be careful."
"As long as he flies and doesn't try to steal my ship, I don't care what era he's living in. He doesn't have the feel of a glit-biter to me."
"You don't know what he is. He doesn't have to use spice, he could be a wanted criminal. I know you Corellians don't care much for odds but,- "
"Jorrin I'm a big girl. I can handle myself." She said with a kind smile. "Good night."
***
Anakin thought about what he was doing. I have to go fast. "I'm sorry Master Yoda," he said in his mind. "But I need to run for awhile, until I can get a handle on things."
But even as he showed up for his new job the next day, he still wondered what he was going to do, and how he could ever fix the mistakes his other half had caused.
Or if he should even try.
~~~~*~~~~
Okay. Don't worry. Anakin will eventually get together with his kids and grandkids. I stress EVENTUALLY. This takes place after Courtship, so Anakin is actually a few years younger than Luke and Leia. He's still got to come to grips with everything. I also like to explore alternate endings, so for those of you who were dying for an uninhibited young Darth Vader the possibility is still there. But I'll need a specific request. Please R&R
PS: The only serious change I'm making is that Anakin is the strongest Jedi since the last 'chosen one'. Okay? With all respect to Luke and Kyp, the current two top, there is meaning to the term 'chosen one' and for good or ill Anakin is it. His Force potential soars past those in the new order of Jedi and rightfully so. Anakin clone is like the Force giving Anakin another chance to be good.
(At least in this version)