Author's Note: Whoo! I just noticed my story reached 100 reviews! Here's a little bonus chapter as a thank you to all those of you who contributed to this counter. I love reviews and can't wait to read more of them.
Disclaimer: Star Wars is owned by Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort this series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun.
"F-father!" came the winded whimper beside her, stirring her from her slumber swiftly. She knew that weakened voice. She'd heard it once before.
Slowly pulling herself upright, Leia turned to find herself on the rocky terrain of a desolate landscape. Lightning crackled in the distance, despite the fact that the sky looked relatively calm above her. She turned to see the many stars flickering in and out, likely because of that very same asteroid field they'd passed through. Recalling that dangerous void, she attempted to gather her memories as to how she'd gotten there.
Luke! She suddenly realized, turning her attention to find the source of his voice. It didn't take her long to find his body strewn across a few jagged rocks. He was rail thin and looked as though death was about to take him. Whatever he'd done, it had used the last of his power. Leia could feel her twin fading away.
"No!" She shouted, trying to reach the near skeleton in her arms, "Luke! You have to pull yourself together!" A meek grumble exuded from his lips, and indicating he wasn't completely gone yet. Filled with hope, Leia pushed her twin, pushing his hair from his eyes as she whispered, "Listen to me, Luke... we were born together, and that means we were supposed to die together too! Don't you dare go leaving me alone in this galaxy! I've never really been alone before!" Her tears were overtaking her by then, "In the back of my mind, I've always had you!" She cried. And still he gave her no response more than a shaky sigh.
His icy blue eyes were no longer shining, becoming more like fallen snow that matched the sclera of his eyes. They were dull too, unable to see far anymore. But still, they dodged round the space, following the lightening strikes that flurried in the background. He could not see the spires of molten rock that clawed the skies around them, nor the distant glow of far off lava pools. In some ways, feeling her agony and despair at the situation, Leia was glad he was blind. Glad he could not see the hell they'd landed in to die. And the thought made tears run down her cheeks.
So deep was she in agony that she didn't sense the shadow approach her. He was clad in an old cloak, black and brown from the shadows and the mud he'd crossed to get near that golden light that had landed in this very spot. A golden light he was sure he'd seen before. "Anakin?" came the sudden call of a raspy old man with a dim lantern. He held the rusty contraption above his eyes sight, bringing a sudden, unwelcomed glow upon Leia. "Shmi?"
She turned to the man with desperation in her eyes, forcing him to raise a narrow, white brow. From him, Leia felt a tentative pull of the Force, brushing past her and her brother swiftly. Once he turned the lantern on the dying figure in her arms, he understood the situation. "Not Anakin." He realized, as his eyes moved from Luke to Leia, "Nor Shmi... but family none the less."
Filled with hope, the woman clutched her brother closer. "Anakin is my father's name." Leia suddenly spat out, her tears falling like rain down her cheeks, "And Shmi is my grandmother... if you really are my family, you have to save my brother!" She gestured back to her brother, who's breathing was practically nonexistent. The old man paused, lowering his lamp enough for Leia to get a good look at him. He was ancient, his face almost as old looking as Luke's was. A lengthy beard and sad eyes only managed to add to his pitiful appearance, even as his furrowed brow made him look strangely angry at the woman and her dying brother.
But it was not long until he said, "Come with me."
With a sudden smile, Leia sighed and pulled at her brother's arm, lifting him up over her shoulders to pull him across the barren terrain. With so little left to his body, Luke hardly weighed a thing, which made her worry for his bone density amongst these rocks. The only sound they heard besides the weather was the creaking of the old lantern the man carried. As they moved across the rigid and treacherous landscape, thunder clapping in the background, but the wind surprisingly absent, the old man inquired, "How did you both come about this state?"
Leia sighed, wishing the man with the lantern were more courteous in helping her along. Despite his lightness, Luke was still tiring her out to move. He even as a near skeleton, he was considerably bigger than her. "The... Gamr-gamragist."
The old man stopped a moment and turned himself about to stare at her more closely with the lamp light. He paused a moment, regarding her, "This Gamragist is a very dangerous weapon of old, my dear. Using it often damages the living spirit. Only Shaetin venom does more damage than that infernal device... that is why you have degenerated so." He then pushed forward, leading them onwards towards a rather small spring.
"Shaetin venom?" Leia wondered as she struggled to keep up. The old man nodded, missing the hint that she didn't understand him. After catching her breath along a rather steep hill, Leia finally gathered the energy to ask, "What is Shaetin venom?"
He didn't answer her right away, instead silently moving along a wide cliff wall. His three fingered hand ran along the dark stone tenderly, his fingertips clearly haven memorized a pathway only one who knew of it could follow. Then, without word, he turned into a wall. Or rather, an optical illusion.
Leia followed him carefully, pulling her brother through a narrow ridge that jutted out in ways that resembled needles, but pulled together that peculiar doorway that one could not easily see. Twice, Leia almost walked into a spire, and twice, she almost trembled with her brother in tow. But, feeling his fleeting spirit, she did not give in, no matter how much her aching body demanded she surrender to her fatigue.
And, like a flicker of hope, she rounded the last bend and stepped into an illuminated chasm, whose sky was open above and whose cave walls were lined with luminous toadstools.
Stopping by the edge of the spring hidden near some rather jagged rocks, the old man set down his lantern, "Shaetin are ghosts of the selfish, of those who use the shadows and darkness. Their souls are eaten away by their greed, anger and fear, leaving only a hungry, empty being." Leia nodded as she approached the edge of the water, looking at the spring thirstily, "They have a venom which encourages this same process in others. It ages and kills those infected, leaving them for dead."
Putting two and two together, Leia wondered, "Is my brother becoming a Shaetin then?"
The old man approached Luke with widened eyes, eyes she soon realized were red and yellow, like a Sith. But not once did she sense ill will from this man. In fact, she only sensed a dire need to help them. "No... He's not been attack by the darkness. He's injured by your journey." Then, after a deep breath, as though catching a waft in the air, he added, "Besides, he's touched too much light to turn to the dark now... He's simply fading into half."
Leia sighed and shook her head, "How do we save him?"
Chuckling with a throaty voice, the old man stepped back. "The same way we save you." And then he gestured towards the spring. It was a green and blue puddle of water that seemed to go quite deep. As Leia moved closer, she began to notice that there was an eerie glow about the water, as though a mysterious yellow were part of the mix. Cautiously, she approached the water's edge, turning to the old man before making any more moves towards the water.
"What is this?" She inquired carefully.
With a smirk, the sharp toothed old man replied, "This is the life-stream... what you Jedi call the Living Force." Leia's eyes went wide as she heard that.
"You mean this spring is filled with the light side of the Force?" She wanted to know.
The old man moved closer, "Not at all." He explained, setting the lantern down by the water's edge, "This energy is neutral, just like the Living Force. It will neutralize both the light and dark inside of you, thus removing the poison. You need only submerge yourself completely for a while." Leia nodded in hearing that, turning back to the old man.
"Thank you, Mr..." She started, her brown eyes wide.
The old man sighed and smiled, "Gerali... I am your grandmother's uncle Gerali." Smiling gently, Leia nodded to him her thanks before taking the first step into the water. It burned.
Behind her, Gerali called out, "Take your time." he warned then, "The water burns the flesh on first contact, but it is a healing burn... one you must endure." In hearing that, Leia nodded and continued her journey into the depths of the small spring, bringing Luke with her every step of the way.
"Leia-" he whispered and then hissed, "This hurts!" She felt his grip tighten on her shoulder slightly, and her determination rose high to save him.
Scoffing as the water climbed above her knees, Leia replied, "I know Luke, but you have to grin and bear it." Moments later, they were shoulder deep in the water, both gasping for air from the pain they were feeling. Leia sighed and turned back to Gerali, who sat by the bank with an expectant look on his face that made his ruby-red eyes appear innocent. He nodded to her, encouraging her to follow through with his instructions. She tentatively nodded back.
"We have to go under water." Leia told her brother, who's blue eyes glanced at her intensely. But after hardly a moment of deliberation, Luke nodded and took his sister's hands below the surface.
They'd do this together.
Both inhaled deeply, staring into one another's eyes for support. Then, together, they fell under the water until even the hairs on top of Leia's head were completely submerged.
It hurt at first, but the pain lessened when they reached the bottom of the small spring. In opening their eyes, they noticed that beneath the strangely aqua water was a liquid made of a golden hue, that seemed to glow eerily around them. The bottom of the spring was lined with long reeds of seaweed that seemed to grab hold of the twins. With the green reeds around their ankles, the two of them took on another's hand, Luke's flesh one specifically, and nodded to one another.
They were okay. They could do this. And for a great length of time, that seemed so.
But then they ran out of air and panic filled them both. Suddenly struggling to reach the surface, Luke and Leia kicked at the weeds hurriedly. But their efforts were in vain, for the reeds simply tightened their grip on the duo, making their struggles more difficult. And, eventually, they did run out of air. Their mouths opened and their exhale shot towards the surface in two clouds of bubbles, while golden water filled their esophogus's swiftly, burning them from the inside.
Luke wanted to shout while Leia fought to scream. They flailed and fought, never letting go of their twin's hand while they kicked and pulled and... breathed.
After a time the water no longer burned and the twins relaxed, taking deep breaths of water while they gently kicked at the ground. They felt better. Better than they had in more than a week. And in glancing at one another, they realized they looked better too. Their faces were no longer wrinkled or ashen. Their bodies no longer too lean. They were young and strong again, no longer at deaths door. But not quite young and strong enough yet...
Two hours later, the plants released them, allowing them to float to the surface easily. As their heads peeked out of the water, they turned to one another and smiled wide. With cheers of jubilation, they tackled one another in the water, embracing tightly, giddy at their survival.
And, after a while they noticed that their great-great uncle Gerali was still there, waiting for them with a gentle smile on his face, his glowing eyes still dangerously red.
Wading through the water, one twin reached out to the other carefully, only to discover something rather startling: though their bond was still there, they could not communicate as they once could. And, based on his smirk, it seemed Gerali already knew this.
As Luke and Leia crawled onto the ground, he stood and proclaimed to them, "By purifying your bodies, you've removed your affiliations to the light and dark side of the Force temporarily." He then stepped closer to their much younger looking bodies, "Because you two have always been filled with love and light, this has weakened your connection for now. It should be normal in a few hours, as you were born with innate love and light. And your power will return to you in a few days."
Both nodded and then bowed to the sage, "Thank you, Gerali." Luke told him, "We would have died without you."
Gerali smiled and then nodded, "You must be Luke." And then his eyes turned towards the petite young woman, "And Leia." When she nodded, the man stepped back and rested on his rock once more, "So it was though Shmi then... how wonderful."
Luke cocked his head, "I'm sorry?"
Shaking his head, Gerali chuckled some, "It's nothing to concern yourselves over yet... When you return to your time, this will be waiting for you." Luke sighed and then glanced over to his sister, "I understand you have many questions for me Luke, but they must wait." Gerali told him as he glanced about a moment, "You should return to your ship and leave now."
"But-" Luke tried, stepping forward.
"-Go." Gerali raised a hand at the approaching young man, halting him mid-step, "I know you wish to learn from me, but you cannot until you're power has been restored." Luke swallowed, and turned to his sister for help. Leia could always grease the wheels on a conversation.
She shook her head though, sensing that there as a deep foreboding inside of their long lost relative. "We should go, Luke... We have to watch over mother." He sighed and turned back to Gerali, disappointment written all over his features. Luke loved learning.
Tentatively, they walked together towards their ship, slipping through the hidden door and walking across the barren plain. Luke's eyes flew about the surroundings, echoing the light of the storms in his icy blue irises. A quick glance at Leia showed her own dark brown pools carrying the light in an odd way, glowing as though illuminated from within. Is that from the water? He wondered to her, but heard no response.
The silence startled him, and so he attempted reaching out for the Force, unable to find it. And the emptiness that left him with, not being able to find his guiding spirit, sank his own dreadfully.
As they approached the intact vessel, Leia sighed in wonder at the sight of it. Despite a few dents, the ship appeared pristine. I could have sworn it was destroyed in that storm... she wondered. "How'd you do it Luke?" She wanted to know. He merely shrugged and started up the ramp, his sister following behind him.
Moments later, they rose into the atmosphere, Luke's eyes trained on the small speck that was the lantern of Gerali. And he frowned.
"What's the matter Luke?" Leia wanted to know.
With a deep sigh, Luke replied, "I... I think he's dying."
In hearing that, Leia's jaw dropped. She wanted to check and confirm this, but she had no means to access the Force. It was like her luck and power were all gone in a single swoop. Sensing vaguely that Luke was hurting, Leia took his hand and watched the landscape fade away with him.
This man was likely their last hope, and they were leaving him behind.
Anakin awoke with a start in a room that twirled around as though caught in a hurricane. He became aware of beeps and bloops, and the lights and darks that were the hallmarks of the temple. Slowly, he tried to pull himself up, but found a messy tangle of wires preventing that. Groggily, he sat back and brought his flesh hand to his face, waiting for all to become clear, despite his limited patience.
Eventually, the blurs that traveled round him gave way to sentient forms and the boxes reminiscent of healing equipment. Around him were several faces, both familiar and unfamiliar. Jedi healers? He soon realized, I'm in the infirmary! He took casual note of them all, waiting patiently for someone to come and explain just what had happened to him. Yet, not a soul did.
Some even turned direction once they'd become aware his eyes were following them, their heads turned down as though in the presence of something shameful. And he grew confused and frustrated.
When his patience could not take the stigma any more, Anakin sighed and began pulling all the medical garbage from his arms. As he began removing monitor after monitor and tube after tube carelessly, he became aware of several Jedi healers watching him. The sensation was awkward.
"Why is everyone staring?!" He suddenly bellowed, forcing the imposing silence into a sudden resume of normal activity. But still, no one would offer him an explanation as to how he got there. "Stupid kriffing-" he was suddenly cut off by the gentleman next to him.
"You've spent the last four hours rambling about your son," the person in the cot sitting next to him informed him, "And you expect our proud institution to baby you?" Anakin halted and turned to the man in shock.
"But I don't have a son." He replied earnestly, turning to discover that the owner of the gruff voice was none other than the Basilisk Jedi Krell. He was a giant, with a wide mouth and suspicious eyes. Anakin always had gotten a strange vibe off of him, but several of the Jedi heralded him as a hero.
Krell merely snorted, "That's not what you were saying a half hour ago."
Shaking his head, Anakin continued to disconnect the many monitors, ignoring when they started making alert sounds. Even as several of the upper-level healers barreled his direction, Anakin did not halt for anyone. He couldn't stand the thought of looking in any of their eyes again. Their accusing, stuck up eyes!
He wanted out. He wanted to find Ahsoka, Rex or Fives. Most of all, he wanted answers.
And, with the mad look in his eyes, no one dared stand in his way.
What had happened on that ship to throw him into such a state? And why was he rambling about someone that didn't exist yet? These questions were the first two on his mind, and he felt that the temple offered him no answers. Only one person did, a person who would not inform him of anything until he made a difficult journey into Hutt Space.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this little bonus piece. At least we get a slight resolution from the last chapter :-) But I wonder what Anakin is in for after this little spell.
Don't forget to review! After all, my reviewers are responsible for this little extra piece! Thanks again everyone!