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.
The trip to Advorosia had lasted longer than ideal. At least, it felt that way to him. Though he prided himself on his patience, Luke knew that remnants of his old self would pop up now and then, such as in this instance. With stars flickering by him in hyperspace, he found himself nervous.
Would Gerali be able to help him? And could Leia hold down the fort in the meantime?
While he trusted his sister whole heartedly, every inch of him regretted leaving her alone with this task. Well, not alone, he reminded himself with a smile, father is there. But that thought did little to console him. Leia was stubborn and reckless when she felt she needed to be, something he wagered came from both sides of the family. If she really wanted to, she now had the power to tell their father everything. But I trust her, he reminded himself, swallowing that thought away.
I always have.
He thought back to the first few months they were around one another. It had been so confusing. While she was beautiful, kind and strong, there was something about her that made him highly protective of her. Something he understood now as family bonds. But back then, having never had a sibling, he didn't understand it. He thought those powerful feelings were something else.
Trust had been the most powerful of those feelings. He knew he could confide in her almost anything, even if he had kept the identity of their father from her for nearly a year. It wasn't that he didn't trust her with that information, it had been that he didn't want to accept the truth about Vader.
And now he had to believe in that bond.
Closing his eyes, he attempted to calm himself, reaching out into the galaxy and the Force for guidance. But all he felt as he moved across space was a cold, aching feeling.
Obi-Wan watched carefully as Anakin sat down inside his chambers. They were meant to have a heart-to-heart about the events at the senate hall, but he wasn't certain there would be any dialogue. After reviewing the footage, the whole of the council were very concerned. Since the arrival of the Darklighters, Anakin's blackouts and displays of tremendous, aggressive powers had them all on the brink of panic. Thank goodness they were Jedi.
"Where do we start then?" Anakin forced a smile, his shoulders still slumped as he attempted to calm himself. Obi-Wan grinned back, shrugging.
"Wherever you want." He replied calmly, "We don't even have to speak if that helps you."
Nodding, Anakin's eyes continued to trace the space on the floor of the room, "That power." he started, but added nothing more.
"That power." Obi-Wan echoed him, trying to help get the ball rolling. It was clear that his former Padawan was struggling with what that power actually was, "We could feel it all the way over here. It was enormous. It felt savage, Anakin... not quite dark, but not light either."
Anakin nodded slowly, "I'm not sure which emotions fueled that power. I felt so convoluted with emotions when Leia got hurt-"
"-Leia?" Obi-Wan wondered. Anakin shrugged, his eyes moving towards another corner of the room.
"Jaina." He replied, bringing his gaze back to Obi-Wan, "Leia is her real name." Turning his head to the side, Obi-Wan furrowed his brow.
"So you know who the Darklighters are now?" he wondered, and found his answer through the way Anakin seemed to shrink. "Why haven't you told the council?"
He frowned and shook his head, "It isn't their business." He informed the man firmly, "They are no threat and their identity isn't something that needs to be flashed to all members of the community." That comment severely disappointed Obi-Wan. He had hoped that Anakin had had more faith in him than that. More faith in the council too.
"I doubt the council would feel that way." Obi-Wan countered, crossing his arms, "Many of them feel your rebelliousness and secretive behaviors these past weeks are grounds for expulsion." Anakin flashed him a glare that showed that same spirit and determination from years of dealing with the council.
"As if that's news." He spat at the man. Then he stood tall, his frustration showing on every inch of him. "Perhaps this conversation is over."
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan cried as he stood up, rushing to catch the man before he flew out the door. But as he placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder, it was shrugged off angrily. Speechless, Obi-Wan stood before his door, unsure of what to do next. He was never sure with Anakin.
As the dark and gloomy figure rounded the corner towards the entrance, a new figure appeared beside Obi-Wan. He turned to find the stern Mace Windu beside him, "So talks didn't go over well." It was a statement, not a question, and Obi-Wan could only shrug in disappointment. "That's hardly a surprise. He's not quite ready to talk yet."
"But still," Obi-Wan admitted, "I had to try."
Smiling at him a little, Windu informed the red-headed master, "Sometimes you try too hard Obi-Wan." He was met with an uncertain shrug, which prompted him to add, "Anakin is a very complicated Jedi. We've often made the mistake of treating him as any other. It has been you who has brought balance to that error all this time."
"Thank you, Master Windu." Obi-Wan replied half heartedly, "If only it felt like my efforts did any good."
Nodding, Windu added as they began to move down the hall, though where they were going, Obi-Wan hadn't any clue, "The fact that you make the effort makes more impact than you know."
Surprised, Obi-Wan noted, "Forgive me, Master Windu, but you seem far more sympathetic to Anakin than in past situations, which is odd... given the gravity of these recent events." It took some time for Windu to respond.
"I'm starting to see the maturity we've been waiting for in Skywalker." He admitted thoughtfully, "The way he accepts his actions, even when they aren't wholly his own is admirable. While he still has much to learn in controlling his passionate outlook on all things, recent events show more temperance. It's almost as though he's becoming the Jedi master we all know he is capable of." Then, with a laugh, he added, "Perhaps those Darklighters were all he needed."
Thinking, Obi-Wan offered no comment. He was in the midst of feeling pride for Anakin at being so highly complimented and worry for what impact those Darklighters had had on him. Windu took this silence as an opportunity, "Speaking of which... Jacen Darklighter has left Coruscant. He borrowed a small Nubian ship and is currently headed towards Wild Space."
Turning to him in surprise, Obi-Wan wondered, "And what is being done about the situation?"
Frowning, Windu informed him, "You have been tasked to track him and observe his activities in Wild Space. Quinlan Vos has been assigned to assist you in the hunt for him." Obi-Wan's eyes opened wide. He couldn't imagine working with such a headstrong Jedi... and he worked with Anakin at almost every turn.
"Oh, joy." he said flatly.
Midway through the trip, Luke was forced to stop and refuel at a small spaceport orbiting a moon on the edge of the known galaxy. The planet this moon orbited was a great distance away, but was a peculiar sight to him as he stared out the glass panes at it. Comprised of gas, the large, ringed planet almost seemed to shimmer different colors, occupying his attention for nearly half a standard hour while his ship was tended to.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" a woman's voice remarked from beside him, he turned to find a young woman standing there, her peculiar purple eyes continuing to watch. Save for her eyes, there was little that was remarkable of her. She was, like Leia, small in stature, and, unlike Leia, not quite fit. Despite this fact, she wore a sleek black jumpsuit and large, glass earrings.
He nodded, turning his eyes back towards the planet in silence, contemplating an odd feeling in the back of his mind. In his peripherals, he saw the woman step closer to the view outside.
"I've always been fascinated by how so much color is hidden inside of light." She added, turning about to showcase those prism shaped earrings of hers, "So much so, I keep little reminders with me everywhere I go to collect the light I find."
Smiling, despite the awkwardness he was now feeling, Luke replied, "An interesting hobby." The woman grinned, her plum lipstick stretching wide against her pale face.
She stepped forward, closer to him, with more curiosity in her eyes than anything. "I suppose it is, though, your hobby is far more interesting."
Confused, Luke fought the urge to step back, "My hobby?" He wondered, sensing that odd feeling multiply down his spine, "I'm afraid I don't follow."
Frowning a little, the woman laced her hands together behind her back, her dark hair falling into her face in curling tresses as she did, "Ah," she sighed, "You have a little hobby you don't know you have." She teased while beginning to circle him, "A hobby of collecting power... A self-cleansing ritual that is hardly necessary as you plunge yourself further and further into the light."
His hand fell onto his lightsaber as he heard that, his mind suddenly suggesting that this woman was not as friendly as she seemed, "And what would you know about me?"
Smiling, the woman admitted in a whisper, "Everything."
She then stepped away from him, tugging at yet another prism like jewel that hung around her neck. As she continued to grin at him, Luke pressed, "Who are you?" The woman continued to smile, her eyes suddenly flickering a familiar icy-colored blue.
"Your ancestor." she told him proudly, "The one that brought our line to Advorosia all those years ago. Like those others before you, I continue to live on through you and the Force... And I am here to warn you." Something in her purple eyes told him she was intent to her purpose.
"Warn me of what?"
Still stoic, she stepped closer and informed him, "There is a difference between the light the Jedi seek in the Force and the light you are about to seek." She then removed her prism pendant from around her neck, pushing at the very top of it to reveal a lens. Taking Luke's gloved hand, she raised the lens above it, casting magnified light onto his black covered palm. He felt warmth. "The Jedi seek light from a distance, balanced and gentle. They seek peace both within and out."
Luke nodded, understanding this philosophy as she moved the lens to a new point, intensifying the gentle light until it was a bright, small dot, "But we Drajdai sought something more intense, more pronounced in the Force... a light that is aggressive and unforgiving. Our techniques takes more from you than those of the Jedi, and they can cloud the mind as easily as bright light blinds the eyes. These gifts cannot become your new normal Luke, or you will lose yourself to them as I did."
"You make this sound like the darkside." He pointed out, to which the woman flinched and looked away.
"Tell me, Luke." She explained softly, "In which scenario is it easier to see? When it is pitch black or blindingly white? And what will steal your sight from you faster?" His jaw slackened as he realized the wisdom of her hyperbole, "A determined person, filled with light and conviction can be just as dangerous and unforgiving as a person filled with darkness and greed. There is a reason we must balance both the dark and the light inside ourselves. Remember that as Gerali trains you."
Closing his eyes, Luke nodded, "I will." And, when he opened his eyes, the woman was no longer there.
Filled with new wisdom, Luke glanced back up at the planet before him, a planet filled with color. He would not soon forget this encounter with yet another Force apparition.
Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thank you so much for your patience. I realize that this is a short chapter, but it breaks best to end it here. I will try and post an update as soon as possible. Sorry about all the delays, it turns out life gets busier the older you get, and I wouldn't dream of posting a chapter without making sure it looked good for you all.