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.
When he awoke, he was surprised to find himself still in the forest, passed out on the ground like a drunk lost in a stupor. It surprised him how well rested he felt, given the circumstances. Slowly, Luke rolled over and pulled himself from the ground, grumbling to himself about the stupidity of his request to undertake intensive training on the lights.
"I see you are finally awake." Gerali teased him, hiding from the sunlight in the shade of a lush, green tree. "It's about time, Skywalker."
"Whatever you say... Skywalker." Luke shot back at him with a grin. Still shaking his sleep from himself, Luke meandered over to his supply pack to dig out a quick breakfast, all the while conversing with his elder, "What's on the agenda today, anyway?"
Grinning, Gerali remarked with, "Your third light... the yellow light."
"And here I was hoping for the green light." Luke joked, only to see his great-uncle frown. He raised his brows as he took a bite out of his breakfast bar, confused.
"The green light is called thieving light... It steals life from those around the user." Gerali explained, "I figured you would be against embalming your enemies instantaneously." That thought suddenly made Luke lose his appetite. It astounded him that a Jedi would even consider such a technique. "And before you ask... you sacrifice your empathy."
"I think you made the right call, uncle." Luke retorted, forcing himself to take another bite out of the bar, "Any reason that technique was invented in the first place."
Drifting like smoke towards a tree closer to Luke, Gerali sat down with a slight smile on his face, as though story time was one of his more prized moments while alive. "None of these techniques were invented, merely discovered." He began, "One of our founding masters suggested that the Jedi look to nature to learn from it, surmising that the structure of the Force could be determined through it. Prior to this, many thought of the Force in terms of an energy field moving like the wind or water. Something which could be pushed or pulled."
Luke nodded, moving next to some protein in his pack, "The Jedi studies I read determined that Force presence is linked to midichlorians, microscopic entities in the blood of those who are Force sensitive. At least, that is what the Jedi before my time believed."
Thoughtfully, Gerali sat back against a tree, "I could see merit in that... Though it doesn't explain the hive-like nature of the Force in entirety."
"Remind me to introduce you to some sentients I've come across."
His great-uncle chuckled, enjoying the man's humor. "Indeed... But, back to our histories: the new approach to Force-use uncovered another school of using the Force. Rather than viewing the power we tap into as energy moving like wind or water, where one simply pushed or pulled, creating friction to forge lightening or stopping all motion to freeze an opponent, we viewed the Force moving like light... in a spectrum that had not fully been explored. From that, new techniques were uncovered."
"Hence naming the lights after colors." Luke realized, to Gerali's satisfaction.
"Many of our sages believed these techniques have always existed," the older man finished, "It was simply a matter of having the point of view to see them."
Bringing his hand to his chin to think, Luke thought aloud, "But that point of view is flawed... It was found to be dangerous and that is why your ancestors were banished here."
Smirking a little, Gerali reminded him, "They are your ancestors too." The comment brought to mind the woman from the refueling station and Luke nodded. He just then made the connection that her eyes were purple.
"Are some Drajdai able to return as Force apparitions?" he wondered. Gerali shrugged.
"I think that depends on the Drajdai." He informed him, "Most were so lost to their mission, they extinguished their own lives, their presence included, while imprisoning the Shaetin. Remember that for each skill learned, a part of themselves had to be sacrificed. Imagine loosing seven crucial elements to your personality, to your soul."
And suddenly, it dawned on him, "Perhaps I am mistaken in being here then." It was then that he saw Gerali smile widest. "Not that I view your knowledge as useless, but I am beginning to understand the merits of having a few shadows in your spirit."
"The quest for power is always about sacrifice Luke, but it is rare that power is a solution."
The young man was silent for a while, contemplating this wisdom. He closed his eyes, picturing the battle between he and his father on Death Star II. It had not been power that won the day then, but compassion... something which must be sacrificed to produce the burning light. He sighed, deeply, shedding a tear.
His own father had lost himself in search of power, but he turned to the dark. Yet I am about to do the same thing while turning to the light. It seemed that, no matter the direction or the intention, power was truly not the solution. Not if it sacrificed the good will and compassion of a person, something Luke still believed to be the most powerful aspect of Jedi dogma.
And then his thoughts turned to his grandmother's spirit, kept alive simply through the love she had for her family. She had made a very heartfelt request of him, one he could completely understand.
"Is there a light that will allow me to save a Shaetin?"
He turned to face Gerali, finding the man smiling wide. "There is one, but the techniques I know will only heal darkness in a newly formed Shaetin. The master who discovered the full breadth of the light did not come to Advorosia with us." he then paused, "I will teach it to you, blue light... The healing light, but to save my brother, you need further instruction."
"And where might I find this instruction?" Luke wondered, hoping for an easy answer.
Gerali grew grim, "Mandalore."
It never ceased to amaze her just how beautiful the Jedi temple was. All the carvings, intricate details, it was something she could obsess over for ages. The various materials used to construct the beautiful halls and corridors filled her with awe and the sense that true empathy was sealed within the walls made the place very familiar. Part of her wondered if maybe she had been born here, and that was why it felt so welcoming. Another part assured her of otherwise.
Either way, she was glad for her Jedi garb, making it easy for her to enter the space unabated. Slowly, she meandered down the halls, marveling at one thing or another and wishing her brother was beside her. His internal wonder always seemed to triple her own. When she passed by a group of Padawans, she had to turn and watch their laughter with a wide grin. It wasn't hard to ignore her foreboding knowledge.
Eventually, her feet found her to the armory near the Forgest for Jedi weaponry. There, she found a droid hard at work with a young Padawan, teaching them the intricacies of their new saber. She smiled, watching as the patient droid instructed the youth on repairs for a damaged modification, waiting her turn like a good role model.
She closed her eyes, allowing herself to hope just a little, picturing a similar scene, only with herself and her father. He replaced the droid, instructing her on work with her lightsaber, a wide smile on his face as her small hands continued to move about the damaged device.
"May I help you?" Interrupted her reverie. She opened her eyes to find the Padawan gone and the droid staring at her earnestly.
Shrugging, she informed him, "I seem to have misplaced my lightsaber."
"Well that is a problem." The droid replied, "Seeming as a lightsaber is literally a Jedi's life." Leia nodded, understanding the sentiment. She slowly approached the droid, who turned about to fetch a variety of parts for her. "You'll have to construct it using new pieces then... These are what I have."
Leia smiled, recognizing a few parts from her own lightsaber, but realizing this was an opportunity to customize it once more. To make the saber her own, just as her father had guided her with her forms. She only wished Luke were here to walk her through that process, though, such thoughts brought her back to her daydream as well.
"Leia?" Came a familiar voice from behind her.
She turned to find her father in the doorway, a confused expression on his face as he stared at her. He stepped through the threshold to stand beside her, staring at the pieces before him. "I'm afraid my lightsaber is missing, so I came to replace it." She explained.
Wearily, the man eyed her, "I thought you were guarding Padme."
"Ahsoka is with her." Leia assured him, "I have a new mission." Furrowing his brow, the man shrugged away a thought and then inquired of the droid for two specific mods for his own lightsaber. Leia watched attentively as Anakin focused with the Force and took his own weapon apart, replacing pieces to improve the focus of the blade. She could not help but notice how worn those old pieces were.
You've seen many battles, haven't you father. She sighed, feeling sorry that someone so young had to endure so much, Not that my life was any different at his age... but...
Pushing those thoughts aside, Leia found inspiration in her fathers's design, selecting new pieces for her own blade. Once finished, she had to consider a focusing crystal, which proved to be more difficult that she'd anticipated. "What's the issue?" Anakin wondered from beside her, waiting patiently for her to make a decision. It was clear he wanted to know more about her mission.
She sighed, "I'm not feeling any of these crystals... to be honest." She peered up at the droid, "No offense."
Anakin sighed while the droid informed her, "These are all I have, I'm afraid." Leia nodded in understanding.
"I'm afraid that I just don't belong with any of these." Suddenly, a black clad hand was in front of her picking up a small, clear crystal. He passed it to her sternly, dropping it into her hand. To Leia's surprise, the crystal now called out to her. She turned to Anakin and smiled, thinking back to her daydream with joy.
A dream come true. She realized, That doesn't happen very often.
"Well don't go singing and dancing on me about it." Anakin commented dryly, almost zapping Leia of her focus as she fought a laugh. It was easy to forget that Luke wasn't the only one who intruded in on her thoughts every now and then. Once free of her giggle fit, she resumed her concentration, assembling her new lightsaber quickly. Once complete, she stood up and tested the device, surprised at how her blade was such a light blue, it nearly shined white.
"My favorite color." She realized, surprised as she deactivated the device. She turned round and nodded to the droid, "Thank you."
"Proud to be of service." the droid saluted her before turning about to continue his work, taking the spare pieces with him. Leia grinned from ear to ear as she followed Anakin out the door. In many ways, she felt bad that Luke wasn't able to interact with their family as well, knowing he'd treasure these moments as much as she had.
They were halfway down the corridor when Anakin inquired of her, "So... your new mission?"
Leia sighed before answering that, "You, actually." She told him, sensing his surprise, "With mother, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan off world, someone needs to be your anchor while you sort out all the tough stuff."
"And who says I need an anchor?" Anakin inquired, his tone indicating that he was slightly insulted at the prospect.
Stopping, Leia eyed him wearily, "You forget that Luke and I can feel your moods, your presence, like no one else in the galaxy. We can sense that you are struggling with a great dilemma right now, heck, we have had these same struggles." She placed a hand on his shoulder, "We just want to help you."
Very quickly, Anakin shrugged her hand off of her, "I'm not some child that needs guiding." he spat at her, "I am a Jedi Knight, for Force's sake!"
As if to match his temper, Leia stepped up towards him, trying to tower over him with her personality in a way that her small frame could not. "I never said I would guide you." She growled, "No one can make these decisions for you!" He was clearly surprised by the level of command the woman demanded, as he was silent long enough for her to add, "I simply hope to remind you of the life you can have if you play your cards right, to keep you from unnecessary risks."
Frowning, Anakin turned away from her. When he sensed her stomping after him, he informed her, "I want to be alone right now." And she stopped in her tracks, allowing him this.
Yet, as she watched him walk away, she clutched her lightsaber carefully to her chest, as if it had been a gift from her estranged father. I know you are a good man. She assured him through the Force, Please don't think I doubt that... but it is hard to see clearly in the smog of war father. I know this for fact.
Down the hall, Anakin paused in his stride, hearing every word. He glanced down at the saber in his hand, gripping it tightly as he fought yet another internal battle. "I hope I'm doing the right thing."
Ahsoka and Padme were quick to disembark, their eyes scanning the crowd for some semblance of a welcome party. While Padme knew who she was looking for, Ahsoka didn't have the slightest clue, trusting only in the Force to help her along. Yet, that usually subtle pull wasn't assisting her at this moment, rather it was warning her of a great darkness. This feeling kept her on edge, even after Mina Bonteri was spotted by Padme, and vice versa.
With a wide grin, Padme embraced her old friend with jovial reception. "It has been far too long!"
"Yes, it has been some time, hasn't it?" An older woman with a kind air about her replied. Wearily, Ahsoka eyed her, unsure whether the woman could be trusted in the first place. She was taller than Padme, with dark hair pulled back ornately; clearly a senator. Yet, Ahsoka was told to be cautious around politicians, and so her status as a seperatist did little to ease the warning bells she heard in her head.
So, silently, she followed, hoping and praying to the Force that this was not some terrible mistake.
Padme's nerves grew into a wild frenzy as she landed on Mandalore, her escort Ahsoka in tow. The last time she'd visited this planet, she'd been invited here by the duchess herself; now she was an acting fugitive. At least six edicts were being tossed to the wind now and all for the sake of peace.
And for Anakin.
Her mind drifted back towards Coruscant as she descended the ramp and onto the landing platform where she was to make contact with one of her old friends. Leia had been so certain, she realized, so convinced that Anakin was in a bad way… I want so badly to trust and believe in him, but-
Her thoughts were cut down by the sight of one Mina Bonteri. The woman always sported an air of calm, her face serene and not a single brown hair out of place. Even her voice was collected, emanating an aura of peace. "Padme!" she called out, her tall frame bending down to hug the younger woman.
"Mina!" Padme replied, smiling wide, "It has been far too long!" She sensed the woman nod a moment, almost reminding Padme of her own mother back on Naboo.
"Yes, it has been some time, hasn't it?" was her whole-hearted reply.
Stepping back, Padme ushered towards Ahsoka, "Mina, this is my friend Ahsoka Tano. She is the reason we are able to meet today." Nodding towards the woman, Mina smiled wide and welcomed the woman.
"A pleasure my dear."
Ahsoka took a moment to reply, but not because she was appalled to be in the presence of a separatist. Rather, her thoughts were pulled elsewhere towards a strange darkness that seemed to brush by her shoulder, one that Padme was beginning to wonder if she could sense herself. After a small Jedi bow, she turned about, ignoring the pleasantries of the other women to find the source of such malice.
And Padme left her to it, far too ready to concentrate on what she believed would save Anakin's soul. All of her family was doing their part at this moment: she here to end the war, Luke somewhere far away to stop the time-travelers that threatened their family, and Leia with Anakin. While Mina spoke at length of their upcoming travel arrangements, Padme allowed her thoughts to wander towards those two, so alike in personality, yet so different at the same time.
Leia had a light in her eye that flickered occasionally in Anakin's eyes. Given what she knew about the twins, it was apparent that she had suffered as much as Anakin, if not more, in her life. But what was it that kept that light alive? That same light that shone brightly in her brother as well... What could she and Anakin learn from their future offspring that could, inevitably, save the galaxy from darkness?
What lesson was she missing in this unheard of event?
Anakin sighed as he approached the chancellor's private apartments, a grand, almost estate like abode that was well groomed and well guarded. While part of him regretted being there for the purpose he had, the other part continued to marvel at the space around him.
And deep inside, he could feel the awe of that little boy from Tatooine. That little boy was on his mind quite a bit throughout his training, the youth with no means to protect himself was now suddenly one of the most celebrated swordsmen in the galaxy. It marveled him to see how far he'd come, how far he'd grown… but it was never enough.
He always missed the mark.
Only two people ever seemed to find him remarkable, seemed to recognize him for his raw talent and skill: Palpatine and Padme. Yet, even then, Padme did find things to disagree with him about. She was the love of his life, yet he had no idea how they managed. Her world was not one of suffering and degradation: hers was a world of splendor and celebration. Sprinkle in a little… no a lot of close calls, and you have Padme.
Sometimes he wondered how she ever survived without him. He wondered all the time how he even lived without her.
The door was right there, yet he couldn't bring himself to announce his arrival. Something about plotting the death of a supposed ally didn't sit well with him, even if the man in question was nothing more than a sleemo. He kept hearing Padme's voice echoing in his head about respecting due process.
Instead, he sat down on the steps and contemplated all that he'd been learning. But before a single thought could be observed in full, the soft footfalls of a familiar presence sounded her way to him. "Father?" she inquired carefully, sitting herself beside him, "Why are you hurting so much?"
He felt his jaw drop, startled by the question that, not once in his life, he'd ever heard voiced so sincerely. Everyone always assumed they had a decent picture of the problem, and asking him about it was a formality. Obi-Wan was especially notorious for this. The only one who ever seemed to truly want to hear his side was the man in the building behind him: it was actually a solid foundation in their father-son relationship.
So he had to test her, him and that little angry voice in the back of his mind. "Why do you think?" he challenged her.
And she shrugged, "I don't care what I think right now. I care what you think, and that is all I want to listen to right now." Anakin turned to her, shocked.
And then he had to grin, "I'm starting to believe you are my daughter… You possess my infinite supply of tact." Leia chuckled and turned her eyes towards the sky. It was clear she had her own worries at the moment, namely Luke, Padme and Ahsoka. "If your job was to protect Padme, why did you stay behind?"
"I am confident that Ahsoka will be fine." Leia started, "Something tells me not to worry so much about mother, and to worry a lot more about you." She paused.
And suddenly her eyes were filled with a tremendous amount of hurt. "What is it?" Anakin wanted to know.
"I first met you when I was about fourteen." She confessed, wanting desperately to explain to him why their bonding was so important to her, "Luke and I had been born in secret and separated to keep us safe. I didn't know you were my father, but I sensed something pertinent about you that could only bring one word to my mind… I remember asking my adoptive father why you were so hurt inside." She sighed as a tear rolled down her cheek, wiping it away as she bit her lip, "He said it was because of the physical injuries you'd sustained, but I knew better… I think you were so sad because you were lost and alone."
She then turned to Anakin with a small grin and sorrow in her eyes, "I am here because I don't want you to be lost and alone in my time. I want to see the man before me become the amazing father I know you will be. So I would like to know what is hurting you, because I feel that Luke and I can help you make those wounds go away."
Stunned by her sincerity, Anakin had to turn away from her dark eyes and stare off into the distant sky. He wondered where to start even, as the list of slights he was dealing with lasted his entire life span; his enslavement, his mother's death, the Jedi council, this supposed father he may or may not have had, the twins and his foreboding future... But then there was that more recent debate."How can I be sure you are who you say you are?" He suddenly wondered. Turning back to Leia, he saw how taken aback she was by the comment.
"I… I'm not really sure." She admitted.
"Well, that is a problem for me." he informed her, "It is hard to take you seriously when I can't even be sure you aren't some stranger trying to take advantage of me and Padme." Stuttering, Leia hugged her knees as the gears in her brain turned. "Why not give me a DNA sample?" Anakin suggested, "I'll run a few tests and then we can move on from there."
He saw Leia tentatively reach for her hair, her face in a stupor. "I'm not sure that is safe… I've never had my DNA encoded before and in this time I-"
"-Then you must be a fake." Anakin reasoned, stunning Leia into sharpening her claws.
"You would dare say that after all your experiences?" She growled at him, "All those moments where your instincts told you Luke and I are your progeny?"
"Feelings can be wrong."
Standing up, Leia spat, "Not in our family they aren't." Now Anakin stood, staring down at the small woman that claimed to come from his genetics, he, who was nearly a foot taller than her.
"Then prove it." he challenged her, "Eliminate all doubts so that I can trust you freely." he watched as the woman frowned, her demeanor switching from defensive to helpless. "What, no useful facts that might prove you are one of us? No memories of old that could put my mind at ease?"
Sighing, Leia bit her lower lip, "No." And he watched, suddenly feeling lower than the ground as the woman turned about and stormed off, her emotions running wild as she fought back her own sense of abandonment.
And he sat down once again, wondering what had come over him to push her away so much. What are you so afraid of Anakin? he wondered, Why not let her get close and help you? And suddenly, he was well aware of the fact that no one ever truly had. It wasn't from their lack of trying, he just never had the courage to let someone truly break through his walls. Padme tried, but her empathy was limited. Obi-Wan wanted to try, but he lacked the understanding to come even close.
But Luke and Leia: they knew suffering, they knew the power he had... And they also knew his darkness and still apparently loved him regardless.
Standing back up, he reasoned that, until he could fully come to terms and trust these twins, it was his responsibility to continue working with the one man who came close to truly understanding him. Palpatine truly was the father he'd never had, and not once in his life had he steered him wrong.
Yet, even as he approached the guarded doors, he could sense her eyes in the distance and feel her cry in the Force. Don't trust him! Were he not so upset, he might have found her to inquire of her fear, but emotions were driving him once again.
Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your wonderful complements over the past few weeks! It is exciting to be this far with so many of you still with me, and so empowering to have so many new individuals sharing their comments with me! While my updates are still quite infrequent, I hope each one has been worth the wait. From this point, my author's note is just an FYI on my writing schedule and related projects.
I have been trying to update all of my stories more consistently, which should hopefully make me get on a new schedule of once every three weeks. If you are interested in reading some of the ideas I passed up while writing Promise, I actually had used my story Quisling War as a 'dumping ground' for cool things I wish I could have fit or used in this story. It is an entirely different writing style, and I would love to hear your comments on it. It is a Legend of Zelda fanfiction, so you don't have to worry about spoilers between either story.
Heritage Foretold has also been updated. The most recent chapter gives an interesting look at Demantis if any of you are curious as to how he got as twisted as he did.
Again, I am looking forward to hearing from you! Please don't forget to review, follow or favorite! It makes my day every time I read a new notification or review! Thanks again!