Thank you all for reading and reviewing! This should be the second to last chapter, not including an epilogue. I want to thank you all for sticking with me through this story, and hope that its sequel will continue to hold your attention.
Chapter 15
His lightsaber was ignited immediately.
"I do not have to explain anything to you," Anakin yelled defiantly at Obi-Wan. "You are not my Master anymore."
Moments later, Anakin saw Master Gallia step off their speeder and activate her weapon. Her back arched in anticipation as she lectured the former Padawan.
"You have much to explain, young Skywalker. You reek of the Dark Side; it swells in you and clouds your mind. Who is your Master now, since you have so obviously disclaimed Master Kenobi?"
Though he already knew about their suspicions, the mere suggestion from Master Gallia still hurt Anakin tremendously.
"Do not accuse me of being a Sith," he fired back defensively. "I have no Master, for I am my own person."
The sight of the impending duel between the lightsaber-wielding Jedi had caused Padme to instinctively retreat to the safety of the dead conspirator's hut. Seeing the situation escalate though, she boldly walked forward and placed herself protectively in front of Anakin, and between him and the two Jedi.
"You cannot force him to go with you," she argued. "He is a just a boy. Anakin has not done anything wrong."
"He has slaughtered countless indigenous tribe members and a Jedi Master on Tatooine," Adi countered back. "I find it highly suspicious too that this occupation of Naboo has occurred chronologically right after Skywalker's arrival here. He must be taken into custody and held responsible for his actions."
Obi-Wan addressed the Queen sternly.
"Your highness, I regret that we meet again under the most unfortunate of circumstances. However, this here is personal business between us." He then waved his lightsaber at her, almost threateningly. "I advise you to step aside, for your own good."
Immediately, Anakin positioned himself in front of Padme.
"Don't talk to her like that," he warned. He stepped forward and brought his weapon down towards Obi-Wan. The two lightsabers met tentatively in the purgatory between the two before both retrenched back into their defensive positions.
"You are mistaken about Anakin," Padme continued to plea to the Jedi. "He is merely a boy grieving the loss of his mother, and he has done nothing here on Naboo other than saving my life more than once. This invasion has been caused by manipulators who wished to murder me and defame my character, and has nothing to do with Anakin."
"Anakin," Obi-Wan asked his former Padawan, his face expression just as hurt as the young boy's, "who taught you to use Sith Lightning?"
"Sith lightning," Anakin asked, virtually in shock.
"We know you used the most twisted form of the Dark Side in your many murders."
"Back off, Adi," Obi-wan reproached crossly, "and let me handle this."
The Jedi Master bristled at the young Knight's comments but kept her mouth shut; there could appear no signs of dissension among the Jedi. Anakin seemed to ignore her completely for the moment.
"The lightning saved my life, and Padme's as well. I do not see what the Sith have to do with something as inherently good as that."
"Anakin, it is called Sith Lightning because only the Sith lack the restraint to use such a vile manipulation of the Force. It can only be generated through the darkest of thoughts and intent. What would cause you to do such a thing, Anakin? Do you remember even a word of my teachings to you?"
"If I hadn't been so busy memorized to your teachings, I would have been able to save my mother!"
At the same time, Padme realized that the Jedi Master she had been trying to persuade did not seem to be giving her words any sort of consideration. Instead, she turned her attention to Obi-Wan, hoping that her old friend would give her the time of day.
"Obi-Wan, please! Listen to me! Anakin didn't kill the Jedi Master!"
"He died because he was a lousy pilot and wouldn't stop chasing me," Anakin added, grateful for the support.
"And he used the lightning when he was cornered by the savages who murdered his mother. At least try to imagine the pain he was in, Obi-Wan."
Anakin winced inside as Padme brought up that old memory. He realized too, that unfortunately Padme was also all too familiar with such an experience now. The fact that she was bringing this up meant she was experiencing the same flashbacks he was right now. He looked back and smiled at her in a silent acknowledgment of thankfulness.
"He had no choice," she continued. "They had him surrounded. It was the only way he was able to save himself, and it was the only way he saved me from my assassin."
"A brutal way to save people," Adi voiced. "It is not the Jedi way. A Jedi should choose death over darkness."
Obi-Wan shot her another angry glance, and then turned back to Anakin with genuine concern.
"Is this true, Anakin?"
"Yes." Their fighting stances softened a little, though all three lightsabers still remained activated.
"What happened to your mother?"
"She was kidnapped by a tribe of Tusken Raiders," Anakin stated, trying to remain dispassionate despite the fact that his eyes were welling up again. They tortured her for weeks before I found her. She died in my arms."
Obi-Wan had never met Shmi Skywalker, but Qui-Gon had spoken very fondly of her. He felt remorse at her death; was it possible that he had been wrong in disregarding Anakin's nightmares? Did that make him somewhat responsible for the tragedy? Obi-Wan knew he had to set such thoughts aside. He could not waste time questioning himself when he had a Padawan to save.
"Anakin, one cannot change the past. We must learn to let go of our attachments so that we may clear our minds for the future."
Though his heart had been temporarily sated, his old Master's words wasted no time in pulling his internal trigger.
"How could you be so cold," Anakin yelled, enraged. "She was my mother! Do you even know what it feels like to have a mother?"
"Anakin, you know I never knew my mother."
"Of course, Obi-Wan. You'd never understand then."
The four of them stood at a silent impasse, none of them knowing how to proceed. Finally, Adi Gallia took the initiative and stepped forward.
"You have become twisted and misguided in the most extreme way. You will come with us, Skywalker, for rehabilitation, after which the Council will decide your future as a Jedi."
Anakin shrank back.
"No. I will not go back to the temple. I have no future as a Jedi."
"Anakin," Obi-Wan begged, "it's not too late. I can still save you. The Dark Side is dangerous, but you are still young and barely exposed to it. Let us help you before you succumb completely."
Anakin laughed in the heat of the moment before turning serious. It was obvious that he had not given any consideration to the Jedi's offer.
"Forget it, Obi-Wan."
His throat lumped up at what he had to say next. Obi-Wan hadn't always been that bad, and despite whatever dissatisfaction Anakin had about his training, he had still developed an affection for the man, almost as if he was the father that Anakin never had. But there was no turning back now.
"I will never forgive you, Obi-Wan, or the Jedi, for letting my mother die. I will not become the cold, uncaring creature that you wish me to be. If you try to train me, you will fail."
"But you're the Chosen One, Anakin! It is your destiny to bring balance to the Force. You must be trained!"
Anakin's face contorted in anger.
"I will not let my life be dictated by some dead Jedi from thousands of years ago! No person, no prophecy, no order will determine my destiny!"
"You cannot escape your destiny, Anakin!"
Anakin gritted his teeth.
"I will make my own destiny."
"Master Jedi's," Padme pleaded, "can't you just let him be? You can't force him; it'll be kidnapping."
"Skywalker belongs to the Jedi Order," Adi replied coldly. "He is too dangerous and has too much knowledge of the Force to be left on his own. He will come with us willingly, or we will apprehend him through whatever means."
The two Jedi started taking steps towards Anakin. Padme retreated back towards the house, but Anakin stood his ground firmly and defiantly, poised to fend off his attackers.
"You will try," he growled, and the battle was on. Adi struck at the boy first, bringing her saber down in one smooth, graceful motion. Anakin's weapon was there to defend the blow, but he was surprised at the strength and power that came from the Jedi Master's petite form.
She moved fast, too. Anakin found that he could barely keep up with her as her quick footwork. Her nimble movements allowed her to circle around the boy while still keeping up the pace of her attacks. Soon, she had Anakin turned around, and she moved forward aggressively, forcing Anakin to retreat towards a reluctant Obi-Wan, who now had an open shot at striking Anakin's backside.
He did not want to hurt the boy, but Obi-Wan knew that he had no choice. He struck at his former apprentice. Surrounded on both sides, Anakin reached deep into the Force and found speed that he had never known he had before. He hurried to meet Obi-Wan's parry and in less than a second brought his saber back to fend off another one of Adi's attacks. Anakin continued this back-and-forth process several times.
It was obvious that both Jedi were holding back tremendously and not fighting to their full potential. Adi kept trying to divert Anakin's attention with her strikes, forcing him to defend himself in ways that left him vulnerable to Obi-Wan. For some frustrating reason though, Obi-Wan never allowed himself to take advantage of her opportunities and disarm the boy. Adi gave the young Knight a cross look, but Obi-Wan simply avoided any eye contact and continued to slowly and half-heartedly attack.
Knowing that it was all up to her now, Adi increased the velocity and intensity of her jabs and thrusts to the point where they were now barely visible to the naked eye, including Anakin's. He knew he couldn't keep up his defense much longer, so he tried moving to his side in an effort to escape the wedge between the two Jedi. Another parry from Obi-Wan distracted Anakin, and as he swung his arm around to meet the weapon, Adi's lightsaber made contact with his shoulder.
Anakin screamed in pain as he dropped his lightsaber, and the wound was enough to cause him to lose his balance as his feet tripped on the rocks below and he fell onto the ground. Seeing the Jedi tower over him, Anakin tried moving his right arm and to his relief found that it was still intact, as the wound was only a burn.
Knowing full well the origins of his lightning now, Anakin had not wanted to resort to using it in the fight, but now he had no choice. Summoning all the hate he had for the Master before him, he raised both palms upward towards her and shot off the most intense lightning he could muster.
The attack caught Adi by surprise at first and as she moved her lightsaber to defend it the lightning drove her back several steps. However, she quickly recovered and was able to deflect the lightning away harmlessly into the air, being careful not to deflect back towards Anakin or Obi-Wan. Empowered, she advanced on him again.
"You have lost, Skywalker. Give up."
Anakin screamed in hatred as he tried to amplify his attack.
"Never!"
"You heard him, Obi-Wan! Cut off his hands now and disarm him!"
Obi-Wan looked remorsefully at his old Padawan, who was looking back at him with a mixture of anger, hatred, and a childish fear in his eyes. His swollen and moist eyes looked like he was almost begging him to spare the final blow.
"I will do what I must," Obi-Wan whispered to the boy before readying his lightsaber.
Anakin waited for the blade to cut through his hands, but it never came. At the last second Obi-Wan diverted his weapon away from Anakin in order to deflect a blaster shot. Looking to see the source of the attack, Anakin was overjoyed to see Padme shooting at the Jedi with her blaster. The lightning subsided as he watched the two defend the relentless volley of shots that came their way.
"Please," Padme begged even as she fired shot after shot at the Jedi, who deflected the blasts easily away from any human being. "Let him go, and just let us be. He will not be a threat to you, I promise!"
"With all due respect, Your Highness," Obi-Wan remarked, "it does not appear that you have either the leverage or the authority to make such a claim right now."
Adi addressed her coldly.
"Queen Amidala, cease this attack, and we will do what we can to defend your reputation and restore your rightful authority on this planet."
"What makes you think," Padme sneered, her finger never giving the trigger a reprieve, "that I want anything to do with Naboo anymore?"
Adi continued to fend off the blasts, but she aimed her deflections closer and closer on the ground towards the Queen.
"If you do not comply, we must defend ourselves. It is your choice to have attacked us, and we cannot be held responsible for what happens."
Panicked, Padme began firing wildly, not even bothering to aim anymore. Adi deflected the blasts in various directions, hitting directly obvious targets such as the windows of Cnal's house and a shurra fruit on the tree behind her in a demonstration of the deadly precision of her skill.
Two successive blasts made the difference in the outcome of the duel. The first one was in the general direction of Obi-Wan's head, and the Jedi raised his arm high to deflect the shot away. The second shot was closer to Adi who deflected it behind her. What she did not expect was for that shot to have struck on Obi-Wan's lightsaber as he was in the process of bringing it back down. The blast ricocheted back towards her again, and as she flipped her wrist to bat it away, another shot from Padme's blaster struck her right in the hand. The Jedi Master screamed as she dropped her now-broken lightsaber.
Anakin had been watching Padme in a daze, fearful for her life but paralyzed to do anything about it. This new turn of events, however, woke him from his coma, and without hesitation, Anakin reach through the Force with his unharmed left arm and watched his lightsaber fly back into his hand. Everything else was in slow motion as he watched the blue blade of his weapon cut towards the still reeling Adi Gallia, who screamed again as both her legs were separated from the rest of her body.
Her torso fell on to the ground. Invigorated with his triumph, Anakin felt the Force flow through him. Forgetting his pain, he jump up and over his old Master and slashed at his neck. Obi-Wan's quick reflexes allowed him to keep his head as well as his life.
The Force was now flowing through Obi-Wan too. He had been relying on Adi to disarm Anakin earlier on in the fight. Now he realized that he was the only thing that stood between him and the possibility of losing Anakin forever. Moreover, Obi-Wan felt hurt that Anakin would try to strike such a lethal blow on him, especially in the light of how he held back during the earlier moments of the fight. Obi-Wan glared at his former apprentice.
"This is the end of your little insurrection, Anakin. I will not lose you to the Dark Side."
He charged towards Anakin, powered by a surge that he had not felt since the moments right after Qui-Gon's death when he was in the midst of the battle against the Sith warrior. Anakin moved quickly to counter his blows; he was familiar as any with Obi-Wan's style of attack, as there was no one in the temple Anakin had trained more with.
However, this new aggressiveness was something he had never seen before, and Anakin found himself unable to predict where and when the next strike was going to come. Both were hyperventilating as Obi-Wan drove the boy further and further back.
Then the fight was over. Obi-Wan faked a parry to disarm Anakin's left hand, but then promptly switched directions after Anakin had reacted to strike him on his unprotected hip. Anakin swerved to avoid the blow, but it was too late and his movements only allowed the scorching to continue onto his back as well. His body contorted and twisted in agony before he fell again onto the dirt.
Obi-Wan stood over Anakin, satisfied at his victory.
"It is over now, Anakin. I have saved you. You have no choice now."
Anakin leered at his old Master. He had attacked him in hate earlier, but in defeat all the venom left his body and he was left with nothing but fear. Anakin looked into his future; he saw himself being brought back to the temple in shame, confined to a tiny, unadorned room for years and being forced to meditate and study without rest as punishment for his crimes. Surely they wouldn't let him see Padme again. He knew they would view his feelings for her as signs of an attachment.
Anakin raised his lightsaber again, but instead of striking towards Obi-Wan, he steadied the weapon above his own neck. The only thought that raced through his head was how he would never see Padme again. He looked at her, who looked back at him in the same shock and fear he felt.
"Goodbye, Padme," he said simply. "I love you."
Chosen One or not, he would determine his own fate. Closing his eyes, Anakin braced himself for his final act.