Authors Note at the bottom!
Anakin stretched some as he entered one of the many hangers within the Jedi Temple, after a few days of calming himself he wanted to see what he could uncover. He'd decided to meditate down here while working on his Eta II interceptor. It was generally unorthodox to be doing something while trying to meditate, but for Anakin it seemed to be the only way he could meditate at times.
He smiled when he saw the small ship, it was fast and sleek, just how he liked them. While not as heavily modified as the Azure Angel II it still had a few tweaks here and there, and he planned on making more when the parts became available. He opened one of the ventral engine access ports and settled underneath the ship with his tools. Slowly, as he began working on the engine, he settled his mind into the meditative techniques that Obi-Wan had taught him. Centering his mind on that which he needed to meditate on… namely his nightmares of Padme, and his thoughts of his lost Padawan. Slowly they came to him, replacing the sounds of a socket wrench turning.
First it was the same recurring dream he'd had for many nights over the past few months. Padme screaming in pain, calling out his name as the cries of two babies filled his ears. The slow feeling of her life force ebbing away into nothingness as he watched her die. It filled him with pain, he wanted nothing more than to pull away from the vision like normal. He pressed deeper though, needing to understand, willing to go through all this pain if it meant finding out what was risking the lives of Padme and his children.
Suddenly the dream revealed more. Clones marching up the temple steps in darkness, led by a robed figure. The screams of people, the sounds of blaster fire and flashing lightsabers, a great coldness washing over him and a flash of a child's face filled with fear outlined by blue light. Someone cackling in a sort of perverse glee at it all. Then a great heat… a great anger, someone pleading. The sound of two lightsabers clashing and more anger. A sudden pain and burning engulfed him, as though every inch of his skin was on fire. Even his insides. It stole his breath away. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see anything. He wanted to scream but nothing would come forth aside from a pain filled wheeze.
It finally stopped. He couldn't see or hear anything, just blackness. Then it came to him. The faint sound of a strange raspy breath, almost mechanical in nature. Repetitive, akin to a med-bay breathing pump. It felt so strange… so… wrong, and yet so familiar. This… more than anything else. More than the pain, the burning, the screaming, filled him with fear. Fear the kinds of which he'd never known. Fear that came from something so overwhelmingly powerful and strong that it felt as though its will power in the dark side alone could crush him. Finally, his voice came to him.
"Who…who are you?" He said to the blackness. His voice did not carry the normal confidence, and a great apprehension filled him.
"You." Came a mechanically distorted voice, followed by a red lightsaber swinging down at him.
Anakin was jolted out of his meditative state, eyes wide, gasping for breath. His head nearly slamming into the belly of his own star fighter as he was covered in sweat. He patted himself down, as though feeling for any burns or lightsaber slashes. There were none though. He forced down the bile burning in his stomach, using the force to calm himself as he re-centered.
That… that monster couldn't have been him. All that hatred and pain he felt, all the raw, powerful anger he felt radiating from the being. That wasn't him, was it?
Yet he couldn't help but think back to that night where his mother had passed… those Tuscans, what he'd done. A cold chill went down Anakin's back, as though his spine was filled with ice water. He shuddered some as the truth came to him. Whoever that had been…it was him in some way. It was his darkness. He rolled over, finding himself drenched in sweat as he took a few deep breaths.
Anakin felt like curling into a ball there on the cool floor of the hangar, his mind spinning. He tried to calm himself, to settle his thoughts and release them into the force. Yet he couldn't, not with this. The pleading came back to him, like an echo. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart!"
It was all he needed to hear. That voice, that fear. It was Padme. He… he'd hurt her. Somehow, he'd fallen to the dark side. He'd hurt Padme, possibly even killed her among other terrible things. Anakin finally wretched, grabbing a trash bucket and finally emptying his stomach into it. He took a moment to catch his breath, moving away from the bucket while he gathered his thoughts, letting the force wash through him.
Anakin began cleaning up his mess, as he'd made little progress into his star fighters engine. He sent a droid to take the bucket for cleaning, and then, once all his tools were put away, he went to see Master Yoda.
He found the Grand Master Jedi seated within a meditation chamber during one of the councils breaks. Before Anakin could even make his presence known, the old Jedi smiled. "Ah, young Skywalker. Please, enter, sit."
Anakin nodded some, sitting down. He was a firm believer that there was no sneaking up on Master Yoda. He'd tried enough. "Master… I did as you asked. Meditated on the darkness inside of me." He began.
The Grand Master nodded some, "See something, you did?" He asked.
Anakin nodded, "Yes… I did. I… I saw glimpses of… terrible things. I saw myself turning to the dark side." He explained, still shaken by what he'd witnessed. "I… I think I led an attack on the temple… I… I killed my wife." He managed to get out.
Yoda nodded some, in thought. "Troubling this is, very troubling." He began slowly. "But, warn you, I feel the force has. True it is, that hurt your wife you will not?" The grandmaster said.
Anakin shook his head quickly, "Never Grandmaster. She means everything to me. I wouldn't lay a finger on her." He said with certainty, nodding.
Yoda seemed to smile some, "Then, turn will you to the dark side, knowing that you would hurt your wife and friends?"
Anakin shook his head again, "No… at least… not willingly. But still Master, what if I can't resist it? What if I'm still tempted. I… I've seen so many things wrong with the galaxy, even our own order." He said.
Yoda looked to him, "Mmm, doubt yourself you do, young Skywalker. Remember you must, the changes the council plans to implement. No longer just warriors and enforcers of the Republic can the Jedi be, but of the people we must. Have our help you shall, Knight Skywalker. Walk the path of Chosen One alone, you no longer will. Begin to meditate with myself and Master Jinn you shall. Help you to find peace, our goal is." Yoda offered him a reassuring, almost fatherly smile.
Anakin sighed some, "Thank you Master. I just… to know that I did these things. Or that I could." He said, looking down.
"Yet you have not done these things. Seductive to us all, the dark side of the force is. Resist it daily we must." Yoda explained. "Warned you, the force has. Not of a certainty, but a possibility." The old Master said as he stood up from his seat.
"What do you mean Master?"
"Hmm, not set on this path we are. Testing us, the Force is. Testing you, it is." Yoda began, walking towards Anakin and pointing to him with his cane. "Resist the darkness you must. Tasted its power you have, seen what it allows you to do. Yes. But, strong your concern for your family is, for your friends it is as well. This strength, a gift from the light side of the force it is. Draw upon your emotions you must, but let them overwhelm you, you cannot. Something all Jedi need to learn this is, if to adapt we are."
The Green Jedi began to move past Anakin, motioning for him to follow. "Fear, Pain, Anger, vengeance. Paths of the Sith these always have been. Try to distance ourselves from them, the Jedi have. Worked it has not."
"Grand Master, you aren't saying the Jedi should stop controlling their emotions, are you?" He asked.
Yoda shook his head, "No, the dark side, that leads to. Control these emotions without ignoring them the Jedi must. Let them flow through us as the force does, the Jedi must learn. Started down this path already, you have." He said with a smile.
Anakin nodded, it was taking him a while to register with this. The Jedi were always so reserved, many to the point of being near emotionless in many ways. To him it had always seemed so distant and cold to act like this. Especially for those who were supposed to love all people within the galaxy.
"Master… if what you're saying is true. Then… if I can find a way to balance my own emotions, to balance the light and darkness inside me. Would the Jedi begin teaching new Padawan's that?"
At this the Grand Master chuckled, "Ambitious you are young Skywalker. Meditate more on this we will. Guide us the Force shall." They'd arrived at the turbo lift heading up to the council room, Yoda called it and motioned for Anakin to step inside.
"But other matters to attend to we now have. A joyful occasion for you to witness I have. Chosen a Padawan, Master Kenobi has."
"Oh well that's… Wait. Master Kenobi? Obi-Wan's taken a new Padawan?" he asked. When did his master find time to do that? He hadn't seen it coming, especially with how busy they'd been due to the war. Although, he couldn't deny he felt happy for his Master. He was worried that the recent issues involving himself would put his friend off on taking a second learner. "I'm glad for him, he's an excellent teacher." He smiled.
"Requested by the council it was, two days ago when your troops had arrived. Busy with your men you have been." Yoda smiled.
It was true, Anakin had been consistently working with the Five Oh First in getting things lined out with all the procedures and patrols. Or keeping the nagging masters at bay when they found out their Padawans and younglings were playing dodge the blaster bolt instead of studying. Only now had he found the time to meditate and come to Master Yoda.
"You do have a point there Master." He said with a nod. "Well, let's go meet Obi-Wans new student. I'll have to teach them all the ways to annoy him." Anakin grinned, pushing away his visions for now.
Even Master Yoda chuckled at this, "Hmm, feel bad for Master, or Padawan, should I?" He asked.
"Both." Anakin smirked.
Kittani took a deep breath as she walked into the Council Chamber with Master Kenobi. All the Masters were there, albeit many via holo projector form. The always serious look of Mace Windu was the first to catch her eye. Followed by the much calmer, contemplative look of Grand Master Yoda. The warm smile of Master Shaak Ti, albeit projected, and many more.
She bowed when they got to the center of the room, as was expected. "Greetings Masters." She said through her own nerves. She'd taken Master Kenobi's advice, even after they meditated that evening on the balcony she'd taken the time to seriously consider this. The Jedi were deeply involved in a war, and Master Kenobi was at the center of it. Yet… she couldn't pass up this opportunity. To be trained by someone as skilled as him. Who'd faced off against Dooku and Greivous and had beaten a Sith.
She believed that the Force agreed with her as well, she'd felt no objections from it about this decision. She'd been so nervous when she'd confirmed this morning that she did wish to be his Padawan. Afraid that he would change his mind and that she would not be picked. Yet when he'd smiled and reassured her that he would be glad to take her on as a Padawan, she'd been overjoyed. Her friends still couldn't believe it, but were happy for her.
The sound of Master Kenobi behind her snapped her from her thoughts. "Anakin, what are you doing here?" She heard him ask.
"What can I say Master. I couldn't miss out on this." She noticed that Knight Skywalker was standing off to the side of the room, watching the proceedings. Every Padawan had heard of him from some of their tactical study classes, or just from the general talk about him and Master Kenobi's deeds in the war.
"It's good to have you here. Just… try not to start teaching Kittani any bad habbits before I've had a chance to teach her proper ones." She heard him chuckle.
"I'll only teach her what I learned while under you Master." She watched as the Knight grinned.
"I know, that's what worries me."
It was then that Master Windu cleared his throat, shaking his head some at the banter. Their attention drawn to him.
"Master Kenobi, Initiate Jaxx. I take it you have both came to a decision?" He looked between them.
"Indeed we have Master Windu." She heard as Master Kenobi knelt behind her.
"Then by all means, you may begin."
Master Kenobi took a few locks of her hair into his hands, carefully braiding them into a small braid which then came to be draped over her shoulder. She could barely contain her excitement, as was obvious by the grin she could feel spreading on her own features.
"With this braid, we on the Jedi Council now recognize you as Padawan and Master. With this sacred bond, you both accept the roles of teacher and student. Expected to uphold the teachings and ways of the Light Side of the Force and the Jedi Order. May the Force be with you both." Master Windu said, smiling some.
Master Kenobi squeezed her shoulder some before standing, she turned back to see a slight smile on his face. "Welcome to the Jedi Order, Padwan." He said.
Kittani beamed, "Thank you Master. I won't let you down." She said before standing back to bow to him.
Obi Wan chuckled, "I know you won't. Now go say your goodbyes, I'll be by later to take you to your new quarters."
She nodded, and with a bow to the rest of the Council, hurried off to do so.
Well guys, here's the next chapter. Sorry that this is later than normal. Allergies have hit me hard and I've had to take so much medicine I've been a bit groggy. I should be a bit more back to normal by the next update. I plan for a short time skip here soon, to start including a bit more action. I don't want to rush the story, but I also don't want it to get stale just talking. I want to find a good pace and take my own time with this story.
To Guest: I'll see what I can do about the Bad Batch, as they aren't entirely attached to the 501st to my knowledge. Which will be one of the main units the story focuses on along with the 212th. However Fordo and the Muunilinst 10 will make some appearances. Possibly even be attached to the Seventh Sky Corps, which Obi Wan commands and the 212th is a part of. Also, how could I forget Snips?
To Andrew: I think by this point the ARF Troopers weren't always on AT-RT's which later had their own specific pilots. While they are present I don't know how often they will be seen. And yes, I have seen the trailer and I flipped. Very happy indeed!
To Mandalore the Freedom: I may, I may not. We shall have to see.
To all of you who enjoy this story. May the Force be with you all!
