"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond. 'aaaa' - regular dreams
AN: Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
I meant to have this chapter finished and uploaded last week, but life got in the way and I had to put my writing on hold for a bit. But, I was able to finish it and now you all get to read it. I really hope everyone likes it.
While I did like episodes 4 and 5 of the Bad Batch, I thought 6 was a lot more fun because we got to see Gungi again. (I will be watching episodes 7 and 8 before the new one airs tomorrow, so please, no spoilers)
I did end up changing the dialogue around for both Qui-Gon and Shmi (since they're still alive), so I really hope that you like what I've done with it.
Thank you princesselsaamidala22 and my guest reviewer for your reviews. I love reading them.
On with the story!
When Anakin, Rosella and Obi-Wan are tasked with discovering why someone would send out a Jedi distress code that hasn't been used in over 2,000 years, they get sucked into a mysterious world that is located on a distant planet.
Chapter 26: Finding Balance
Rosella yawned as she stumbled into the refresher that was attached to the guest bedroom that she had insisted on staying in. After using the toilet, she headed over to the sink and washed her hands before splashing some water on her face to help her wake up. Turning to her right, she walked towards the shower and was about to hop in when she remembered that she had showered the night before.
Walking back into her room, she walked past the bed and after making sure the blinds were closed, swiftly changed out of her nightgown and into her leggings, followed by her purple sleeveless top. After folding her sleepwear and placing it back into the overnight bag that she had brought with her, she grabbed her fingerless gloves and put them on. Once she had secured her vambraces on each wrist, she snatched her utility belt off of the tan dresser in front of her and unclipped it, placing it around her waist. As soon as it was secure, she made her way to a nearby chair in the corner and sat down, pulling on her boots that she had left nearby.
Getting up, she made her way over to the left side of the room and grabbed her lightsabers off of the bedside table. Hooking them to her belt, she quickly sat down at the vanity table that was next to it and brushed her hair out before braiding it.
Exiting her room, she walked down the hallway and turned the corner, entering the kitchen. Looking up, she smiled as she saw Padmé standing at the stove, flipping a blueberry pancake over on the griddle. "Morning," she said.
Padmé glanced to her left as she flipped the finished food item onto a plate. "Morning, sweetheart," she replied, reaching over to turn off the stove. Picking up the plate, she turned around and walked over to the island. Placing it down in front of one of the bar stools, she gestured to the empty seat. "Here's your breakfast. Come sit down."
Licking her lips at the sight of the pancake, she nodded. Walking over, she pulled out the stool and sat down. "Thanks, Mom," she said, picking up the knife and fork that had been placed there beforehand. Cutting into the fluffy item, she took a bite and then swallowed after a few minutes of chewing. "Mmm. Delicious."
"I'm glad you like it," the Senator responded as she turned away to clean the counters near the stove and sink.
As Rosella kept eating, she let her mind wander. Her thoughts slowly began to drift toward Lux and she quietly let out a sad sigh. After learning about Mina's death, she couldn't help but wonder what the boy was going to do with his life now. She quietly stared at her plate for a few minutes before looking up at her mother's back. "Mom?" She softly asked, her voice dropping to a quiet whisper. "What's going to happen to Lux now?"
"I'm…I'm not sure…" Padmé quietly responded as she washed and then rinsed out the bowl that she had used to make the pancake batter. "I just hope he doesn't try and get back at Dooku for killing his mother."
"So do I," she said before falling silent. A few minutes later, as Rosella finished her breakfast, a pair of footsteps were heard entering the room. Looking up for the second time that morning, she smiled as she saw Dormé walk in.
"Knight Skywalker is waiting in the sitting room, milady," she announced.
"Thank you, Dormé," Padmé responded as she turned off the tap and dried her hands. Turning slightly to her left, she glanced at Rosella. "You had better go gather your things."
The teenager nodded and got off the stool, slipping out of the room. After gathering her overnight bag from the room that she had stayed in, she left and headed to the sitting room. When she got there, she softly smiled as she saw that her parents were sharing a tender moment together.
Anakin, who had sensed her enter the room, cracked open one eye and gently disentangled himself from his wife's arms. Kissing her on the cheek, he said, "Sorry for the short visit, but Rosella and I need to go. Obi-Wan is waiting for us at the Temple."
The Senator nodded, knowing that they were being sent out on a mission, and stepped back. "Please, be careful out there," she said, watching as Rosella moved over to stand by Anakin's side.
"We will, promise," Anakin said before turning around and striding out of the room.
Rosella turned and waved goodbye before jogging after him.
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By the time the duo made it back to the Temple, they had just enough time to drop off Rosella's overnight bag at their apartment before rushing off to another hangar. As soon as they saw that the ramp had already been extended and that Masters Yoda and Qui-Gon were there, waiting in front of an Eta-class shuttle, Anakin and Rosella skidded to a halt and bowed to both Masters.
"Anakin, Rosella, glad that you could join us," Obi-Wan said, greeting them both.
Master Yoda nodded and then said, "A mission, the Council has for the three of you."
"Yes," Qui-Gon said, continuing the briefing as he watched Obi-Wan move to stand by Anakin's left side. "We received a transmission from Admiral Tenant. He and his crew have intercepted a mysterious message that originated far beyond the Outer Rim, in the Chrelythiumn system. Buried deep within it is a two-thousand year old Jedi distress code. Since we don't know the reasoning behind the message, we are dispatching the three of you to go investigate. Captain Rex and a few of his men have also been sent out aboard a heavily armed Venator to assist you in case it turns out to be a trap."
The trio nodded and then bowed to both Master Yoda and Qui-Gon.
After the Masters reciprocated the gesture and dismissed them, all three of them boarded the shuttle and took their seats. Then Anakin started the ship, retracted the ramp and took off.
Qui-Gon and Yoda watched as the craft flew away from the Temple. Once they could no longer see it, the duo turned around and headed back inside.
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As soon as the shuttle came out of hyperspace, the three Jedi looked around. The system that they had been sent to was so far out in Wild Space that Rosella hadn't even heard of it. It was also far away from the nearest Republic outpost.
Once it was clear that the cruiser was nowhere in sight, Anakin immediately contacted Rex. "Rex…Rex, do you read me?" He asked. Without even giving the man a chance to respond, he continued speaking. "We've made it to the rendezvous point and are awaiting your arrival." Frowning a little, he reached forward and adjusted the dials below the onboard communicator before giving up since there wasn't much he could do to clear up the signal with how far out they were. "Where are you?"
"Sir, we are also at the rendezvous point and there is no sign of you on our scanners," Rex responded.
Anakin raised one of his eyebrows and leaned forward a little. "Oh, come on. That's impossible," he said. Knowing that Rex was being honest with him, since his Captain had no reason to lie, he turned to look at Obi-Wan while the hologram just stood there flickering. "Something is clearly wrong here." Glancing over at the panel next to the steering wheel, he saw that they had arrived at the correct spot since the coordinates had been preset by the Council. "We're at the exact set of coordinates where the distress signal originated from, but there's nothing out here." Turning to face his brother again, he saw that Obi-Wan had begun to stroke the edge of his beard with his right hand, which seemed to indicate that he was thinking about their current situation while also listening to what he had to say. "Rex is at the exact same set of coordinates and he's not here."
After the Knight was finished, Obi-Wan slowly moved his hand away from his face. "This is getting rather interesting," he commented, as he was clearly amused by the predicament they were in.
All of a sudden, Rex's hologram disappeared and then reappeared not a moment later. "Sir…unable…find," he said, causing all three Jedi to glance up in concern as the transmission started to break up. "Where…are...?"
Rosella frowned as soon as she heard the static noise that was now coming from the holoprojector and swiftly turned towards the console that was in front of her. "Well, there has to be something here since our signal is currently being jammed," she said.
Then, without warning, the entire shuttle began to lose power. The trio tilted their heads up in complete surprise as everything turned off, with the navigational system being the last to go dark.
Obi-Wan, who was the first to snap out of it, glanced at the dashboard in front of him. Reaching forward, he began to press various buttons to try and restore the power, but nothing seemed to work. "Not good," he said, his eyes widening a little as he shook his head.
As soon as those words left his mouth, Anakin turned and tried some of the buttons on his side of the ship, but encountered the same results as his former master.
Rosella, who had been checking over the navigation along with the other systems, turned around and quickly got out of her seat. "Everything's dead," she informed them, shaking her head as she placed her right hand on the back of Anakin's seat. "Including the life support."
Anakin glanced at the controls around him before turning to face the others. "Okay, now this is really strange, even for the three of us," he muttered, knowing that they both could hear him.
A few seconds later, a steadily growing hum was heard spreading throughout the ship as the lights and all of the systems came back online. It was as if nothing had happened at all. The three Jedi looked around as they were confused as to what made the ship lose power in the first place.
Obi-Wan smiled a little as he turned to look at his brother and niece. "There," he said in a reassuring tone. "See? Nothing to be concerned about after all."
Rosella raised her left eyebrow and nearly giggled as she heard what Obi-Wan said. Turning to look at Anakin, all she did was smirk at the serious facial expression that he was attempting to pull off. Shifting her gaze to the viewport, her smirk disappeared as her eyes widened. "Then what is that?" She asked, her voice slipping into a somewhat serious one as she took her hand off of the Knight's chair and pointed to something that was ahead of them.
Both Jedi turned to look in the direction that the teenager was pointing in. Anakin had to squint a little before his eyes widened in shock as he saw what was in front of them. He was pretty sure there was a similar expression on Obi-Wan's face.
Floating out amongst the stars was a massive, diamond-shaped, metal object that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Its metal surface was dark in color and had red lines etched all over it.
Suddenly, all three of them were jerked backwards as the shuttle shook violently for a minute, causing the young girl to grab onto the back of Anakin's chair before she was knocked off her feet. The entire ship lost power for a second time, causing them to look around in mild concern. But it seemed to only be for a few seconds. When it was restored, their faces were lit up as various buttons on both dashboards that were on each side of the holoprojector glowed red and the alarms aboard the ship began to go off.
As the shuttle slowly began to move forward, Anakin and Obi-Wan tried everything that they could think of to see if they could change the trajectory that the ship was travelling in. But it was no use. None of the controls were responding to either of the two Jedi.
Rosella leaned forward, knowing that Anakin was still trying to free the ship from the invisible grip that it was currently trapped in. Shifting her eyes over to Obi-Wan and then back at the viewport, she raised her eyebrows and said, "That thing, whatever it is, is still pulling us towards it."
As the shuttle got closer and closer, the object suddenly twisted open. A blinding, white light shone from it, nearly blinding the three as they stared at it.
"Everyone, strap yourselves in," Obi-Wan said, glancing over at Anakin and Rosella before turning to face the front as he felt the shuttle jolt beneath him and then begin to move at a faster pace. "It looks like we're going for a ride."
Rosella, who was now sitting in her seat, held her hand over her face and squinted as the light continued to grow brighter.
Soon, the shuttle vanished as it was encompassed by the white light. Up in the cockpit, Obi-Wan shifted his eyes to the left to see that Anakin had also turned his head in that direction. Since he couldn't see anything but more of the same light from before, he returned his gaze to the view in front of him. Then he squinted his eyes as he thought he saw something up ahead.
Anakin had shifted positions so now he was looking out of the viewport in front of him. Suddenly, he was thrown back in his seat as the ship began to pick up speed. The light grew so intense that he had to shield his face to avoid being blinded by it. Then darkness clouded his vision as he fell unconscious.
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Anakin was the first person to wake up.
When he opened his eyes, he found that his vision was a little blurry. Blinking away the fuzziness, he shifted his eyes to the right and immediately wondered how he had ended up in his current state. He let out a small groan and closed them again as he slowly sat up and rubbed his neck of his neck to clear away the slight twinge of pain that he felt. Figuring that it was from the awkward position that he had woken up in, he opened them again, only to find that the ship was now on the ground.
Which was a little strange since the last thing Anakin remembered was shielding his eyes from the intense light with his hand as the shuttle flew through the air. "Ugh, I must have blacked out," he said.
As Obi-Wan slowly began to come out of his unconscious state, he overheard Anakin's statement. Opening his eyes, he eased himself upright and blinked once to clear away the fogginess before shifting them to the right. "Then, who landed the shuttle?" He asked.
Rosella woke up in her seat behind Anakin's. She blinked twice before rubbing her eyes. "Not me," she replied as she sat up in her seat.
Moving his hand away from his neck, Anakin turned to face the front of the ship. "Um…does anyone know where we are?" He cautiously asked, looking at the view outside.
The shuttle was sitting in the middle of a grassy field with trees surrounding a cliff wall. There were rocks dotting the ground as well. Some of them were large, while others were a bit smaller. To the right hand side, sat an opening to what looked like a cave.
Rosella turned towards the navigation console that was in front of her and pressed a button. She was surprised to find that it was still operational. "Well, according to my scan of the area, we seem to be on some kind of organic mass," she said. "All of our readings indicate that it's bigger than an asteroid." Quickly pressing a few more buttons, she smiled a little. "Hey, at least the atmosphere is breathable."
Obi-Wan, who was currently trying to see if he could provide an answer to his brother's question, frowned as he pressed one of the buttons on the central console where the holoprojector was located. "This is getting more and more unusual by the minute," he said. Pressing the button two more times, he eventually gave up as he wasn't able to retrieve the information that he was hoping to get. "I can't even lock down just where in the galaxy we are." Looking up at the others, he added, "Or if we're even in our own galaxy."
Anakin placed one of his hands on the steering wheel and pressed the ignition button. The dashboard in front of him lit up and began to make all sorts of noise before suddenly turning off again. Letting go of the wheel, he leaned back in his seat. "Well, that's odd," he said. "There's nothing wrong with the ship's systems. Everything seems to have been unaffected by whatever brought us here. But for some strange reason, she just doesn't want to turn on."
Rosella, who had gotten up out of her seat, placed her hand on the back of her father's seat as she stared at the view outside. Narrowing her eyes at something that neither of the two men had seen, she turned around, walked to the back and opened the door that led to the ramp. As she moved forward, Obi-Wan, who had been watching as she headed for the door, got out of his seat and followed her.
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As the two Jedi made their way down the ramp, Obi-Wan reached into one of the pouches on his belt and retrieved a pair of macrobinoculars while Rosella, who had already reached the bottom and was now stepping onto the soft grass, turned and walked away from the shuttle.
The young Padawan soon came to a complete stop a few meters away and stood there, staring at her surroundings. As she studied the landscape in front of her, she briefly reached out to the Force and was quite surprised at how different it felt. It was very strong. Even more so than how it normally felt when she was at the Temple or even in the middle of a battle. After letting go of her connection, she turned her head to the right and then the left as she began to look for whatever it was that she had seen from the cockpit.
While the Jedi Master was busy surveying the area that they were in, Anakin, who was the last person to exit the ship, stood on the ramp for only a moment before stepping off and walking over to where his apprentice was standing.
"Hey!" The teenager said as she swiftly returned her gaze to the skyline in front of her, having spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Glancing at her father, who had come up beside her, she pointed to one of the many hills that dotted the landscape in front of them. "I saw something. It was a reflection, up on the hill."
Obi-Wan took a few steps forward and brought the macrobinoculars up to his face. "I don't see anything," he said.
Wondering why her Uncle wasn't able to see what she had seen, Rosella glanced at him and then turned to look at the horizon. In the distance, beneath the clear blue sky that was filled with stars, were hills, some of which were towering, solid mounds of rock. Others were covered in grass. There were also a ton of different sized rocks floating in the air. Beyond that, she could also see that the sky was very cloudy.
While Anakin was looking around, he heard a woman speaking to him. "What the...?" He asked, swiftly turning his head around, only to be even more surprised when he was unable to locate where it had come from. "Who said that?" Wondering if the rest of his family had heard it, he turned to face them. "Did you hear that?"
Rosella didn't respond to his question as she was focused on the view in front of her.
Obi-Wan, however, moved the pair of macrobinoculars away from his eyes and glanced at Anakin. "I didn't hear anything," he responded while shrugging his shoulders. Then he returned to his task at hand.
Anakin, who was astonished that he was the only one who could hear the woman, didn't have much time to dwell on the thought as he heard it again.
"Are you the one?" A female voice asked.
This time, Obi-Wan and Rosella heard it as well.
They all turned around.
Anakin, who was the first person to spot the woman, found himself unable to answer her question since he had no idea what she meant by it. Rosella, who wanted to see just who it was that had spoken to them, stepped out from behind her father. Her left hand slowly inched closer to the handle of the smaller lightsaber that was attached to her belt, but decided not to unhook it as she sensed that the woman meant them no harm.
The woman, who was still waiting for an answer, was taller than all three of the Jedi. Her eyes, which happened to be green, and her soft teal hair that flowed down to her waist, stood out against her glowing, pale skin. The gold and white outfit that she was wearing shared the same glow. On top of her hair was a golden headdress.
"Hello," Obi-Wan said, his voice taking on a more cautious tone, as he had stepped in the same direction as his niece. He was quite surprised to see the woman standing there as if she had appeared out of nowhere.
"Who are you?" Anakin asked, placing his hands on his hips.
She stared at the three of them, Anakin in particular, and lifted her hands up to her chest. "My name is Daughter," she responded, her voice echoing around them as she bowed a little before straightening up and lowering her hands back to her sides.
Anakin was even more confused as he knew that Daughter was a title, not a name. He tilted his head to the right, raising one eyebrow at her answer while Obi-Wan, who was behind him, took his hand away from his beard.
The Daughter moved closer to the Knight while still gazing at him and asked, "Are you the one?"
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at the question since he was starting to get a vague sense of what the Daughter meant while Anakin was still clueless.
"Uh, the one what?" He asked.
"I will take you to him," she replied, completely ignoring his question.
Rosella, who simply stared at her in bewilderment, leaned forward and asked, "Him, who?"
Obi-Wan stepped up behind Rosella. "Were you the one who brought us here?" He asked.
"Only he can help you," the Daughter replied, her eyes flickering between all three Jedi. "But we don't have much time. You must follow me." Glancing up at the sky, she added, "We need to find shelter before nightfall."
As she turned around and began to walk away, hoping that they would follow, Anakin took a step towards her, only to turn around and face his daughter and brother. "And here we were, thinking that this place was strange. How about her?" He quietly asked, tilting his head in the Daughter's direction.
Obi-Wan, who had put away his pair of macrobinoculars, held out his hands in a calming manner. "The way I see it, we have two choices," he said. "Either we stay here with the ship or we do as she asks and follow her. I, for one, want to find out what this place is and why it is that we're here." Sensing that neither of them were too thrilled as he was about following a complete stranger, he quickly reassured them that they would be fine as long as they stayed together.
Rosella offered him a hopeful smile as she turned and followed her father, who had already begun to follow the Daughter as she headed toward a path that had been carved up the side of the towering rock structure.
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The trek up the mountain was quiet.
After their first encounter, the Daughter remained silent, leaving the Jedi with nothing else to do but observe their surroundings as they continued to follow her along the narrow, winding path that was cut into the side of the mountain. While both sides of the path were covered with various sized trees and other plants, there was a rock wall on one side and a cliff on the other.
"Have you noticed that the seasons seem to be changing with the time of day?" Obi-Wan quietly murmured, making sure that his voice was loud enough for the other two members of his family to hear.
Anakin shifted his eyes towards his former master. "Yeah," he responded.
"I haven't come across a single animal since we left the ship," Rosella pointed out as she glanced up at the sky.
Wondering if he was the only one who sensed the strong presence, Obi-Wan turned towards Anakin and asked, "Do you sense it?"
"Mmm-hmm," Anakin said, barely moving his head as he nodded, confirming what his brother was no doubt feeling. "Since we arrived. The Force is very strong."
As they continued moving forward, the Jedi Master reached out and brushed a stray leaf out of his way. "This place is an intersection unlike anything I've ever felt before," he said. "We should be careful."
Rosella turned her head to look at Obi-Wan and nodded as she understood what he was trying to tell them.
Anakin, who did not like being kept in the dark when it came to information about something, whether it be a mission briefing or knowledge about an enemy, walked up to the Daughter. "Excuse me," he said, trying to be polite as he could, "I was wondering if you could tell us just who you are taking us to see?"
The Daughter turned her head slightly to the right. "The Father, of course," she responded, not even bothering to make eye contact with the Knight.
"Of course, we're going to get another cryptic answer," Rosella said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.
"And what exactly are you?" Obi-Wan asked.
"We are the ones who guard the power," she said, glancing over her shoulder to look at them even though she never slowed down. Then she turned back to look where she was going. "We are the middle, the beginning, and the end."
Anakin, who had dropped back to walk with Obi-Wan and Rosella, tilted his head towards them. "Boy, am I glad she cleared that up for us," he dryly remarked.
As they continued around another bend, the plants and trees instantly changed color. Instead of staying bright green, they were now a mix of brown and red. Even the sky had changed, as it was now beginning to lose a little light as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Rosella looked at some of the plants in awe, as she had never seen anything like it before.
Suddenly, Anakin heard a faint rumbling just as the Force screamed at him in warning. Tilting his head up towards the sky, his eyes widened as he saw the large boulder that had mysteriously broken away from the wall on the other side of the path. "Hey!" He shouted, pointing upwards as it began to fall towards them. "Look out!" Sprinting forward, he shoved the Daughter out of the way before leaping in the same direction.
As soon as Rosella saw her father vanish behind the incoming cloud of dust, rocks and other debris, her eyes widened in alarm. Even though she desperately wanted to reach out to him over their bond to make sure that he was alright, she knew that her first priority was to get to safety. Just as the rock was about to come crashing onto the spot where Anakin had been standing, she took a few steps in the opposite direction before quickly twisting around and running past Obi-Wan.
The Jedi Master, however, wasn't so lucky. As he made his move to follow Rosella, his boot got caught in a crack which caused him to stumble and fall over the edge of the cliff. Quickly reaching out with his right hand, he grabbed onto the edge of the path. As he swung to the left, he reached up with his other hand and grabbed onto another part of the path before turning his head to the right to avoid the smaller rocks and pebbles that tumbled towards him.
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After Anakin had shoved her forward, the Daughter regained some sense of balance and attempted to take a few steps forward in order to put some distance between herself and the Jedi. She managed to take two steps before stumbling a little and ending up on the ground. Lifting her head, she glanced over her right shoulder at the Knight before shifting her gaze to see that a huge rock now separated them from the others.
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Once Rosella saw that Obi-Wan was hanging on to the edge of the pathway, she jumped to her feet and ran over to help him. Sliding to a stop, she grabbed his left wrist with both of her hands and used every ounce of her strength to pull him back up. As soon as he was able to plant his boots on a more stable part of the cliff, the Jedi Master pulled himself back over the edge while still accepting her help.
The Padawan let go of his arm and took a step back as soon as she saw that he was no longer in danger of falling off again.
Quickly standing in an upright position, Obi-Wan glanced to his left and took in the sight before him. Then he turned to look at Rosella and smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you for saving me," he told her.
"You're welcome," she responded.
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The dust from the landslide had finally settled down.
Anakin, who had already gotten up off the ground and checked himself over to make sure that he wasn't hurt, walked over to the Daughter who was on her knees. As the Knight reached out to make sure she was alright, he immediately pulled his hand back as she turned around and got up.
Standing at her full height, the woman glared at Anakin. "It is forbidden for anyone, including yourself, to lay a hand on me," she said, sharply reprimanding him for what he had done.
"Sorry," Anakin said, taking a step back as he held his hands up in the air. "But I did just save your life back there."
The Daughter gave no indication that she had even heard what the Knight said as she tilted her head up into the air, her eyes focusing on the rock behind them. "That was my brother's work," she said, sounding surprised at what he had done. Then she looked at Anakin. "You are in great danger. Wait here until I return. Do not leave this place." Quickly turning around, she walked away, heading up the path.
"Hey," Anakin said, taking a step forward as he raised his mech hand, hoping that the woman would stop and turn around. "Wait!"
Then his wrist communicator went off.
"Anakin, are you there?" Obi-Wan asked, causing the Knight to lower his right hand and glance down at his left wrist as he raised it in the air. "Are you all right?"
He let out a small sigh. "Yeah, and I'm fine," he responded. Turning around, he glanced at the large rock that now separated him from the other members of his family and then looked in the other direction to see that the Daughter was about to disappear around another turn. "Well, it looks like our new friend here is currently trying to run away from us," he added, raising his voice in frustration at the last few words. Letting out another sigh, Anakin released his frustration into the Force and glanced down at his wrist. "Go back to the ship. See if you can get it working long enough to send out a distress signal. I'm going to follow her and see if there's a way to get off this rock."
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"And what if this turns out to be a trap?" Obi-Wan asked as he turned away from the fallen rock that was currently blocking their only path up the mountain.
"Then I'm not going to stick around to find out!" Anakin retorted.
"Anakin, stop! Wait for us to find another way around," Obi-Wan said. "Then we can all go after her together." All he heard in response was a burst of static followed by two beeps, signalling that the connection had been cut. "Anakin?" Shaking his head, he lowered his arm and then crossed them both over his chest. "Even now, he's still reckless and impatient."
Rosella stepped forward. "Don't worry, Master," she said reassuringly, "I'm sure he'll find her."
"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed as he narrowed his eyes in concern before turning to face the young girl. "But I'm more worried about what else he might discover."
A sudden rumble of thunder captured their attention. Turning their faces towards the sky, they spotted a dark storm cloud in the distance.
"I think we'd better hurry," Rosella said. "I don't like the look of that cloud."
"I think you're right," Obi-Wan responded.
Turning to their right, the pair headed back the way they came.
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By the time the two Jedi got back to the place where the ship was, it was nowhere to be seen. The sky, which was now a dark shade of orange due to the setting sun, cast a warm glow over the land, causing the grass to look as if it was the same color as many of the trees and plants that they had seen earlier.
Obi-Wan and Rosella walked up to the spot where the ship had been parked. As soon as the Jedi Master came to a halt, he crossed his arms over his chest, not at all happy with their current situation.
"Now what are we supposed to do!" Rosella exclaimed, letting her mounting frustration bubble to the surface as she stopped in her tracks and stared at the empty space in front of her. Raising her right hand, she gestured to the area. "The shuttle is gone!"
"Yes, I can see that," Obi-Wan responded dryly, bringing one hand up to stroke the edge of his beard.
As the last rays of sunlight disappeared, the teenage padawan placed both of her hands on her hips and looked around. Then she turned towards him as she released her frustration into the Force, letting her arms drop to her sides. "It was here, no question," Rosella said, raising her hand again as she pointed towards the grassy spot. That was when she heard the sound of something beginning to crumble. Looking down at the ground, she felt her eyes widen as several of the plants suddenly shriveled up and turned into dust. "And look, everything around us is dying."
Both of the Jedi were so occupied by the bizarre display in front of them that neither one of them sensed the being who had suddenly appeared behind them.
"Did you happen to lose something?" A soft, yet sinister voice asked.
The pair spun around. Rosella narrowed her eyes as she grabbed her main lightsaber with her left hand and got into a defensive stance. Holding the hilt in a horizontal position, she ignited the blade, allowing the starlight glow to illuminate her face.
The man, who was a little taller than the Daughter, had no hair on top of his head and also had pale skin. The black and dark red clothing that he wore helped accentuate his glowing red eyes which matched the markings that were on his face. He lowered his head a little as he stood there with a displeased expression on his face. "You didn't do as you were asked," he said, his voice echoing with the same amount of power.
Obi-Wan shifted into a more relaxed stance, even though he still kept his guard up. "And what was that?" He asked.
The male lifted his head and placed his right hand on his chest. "My sister told you to stay where you were," he said, dropping his hand back towards the ground.
Neither Jedi took notice of the dry leaves that began to blow around the area.
"Did she now?" The Jedi Master sarcastically quipped as he placed his left hand on his hip. In the back of his mind, he wondered why Anakin hadn't said anything to them about it. "Well, we unfortunately got separated from her and our other traveling companion and decided to come back here to wait for them. Oh, and we would like to have our ship back, if you don't mind."
"Not yet," the mysterious figure said, raising his arm in a threatening manner towards Obi-Wan, who slowly began to reach for his lightsaber in response. It was only when he backed down, that the elder Jedi did the same, dropping his hand away from his hilt. Then the man stepped closer to him. "Is it true that he is the Chosen One?"
Obi-Wan's heart lurched in his chest as he leapt backwards, watching out of the corner of his eye as Rosella effortlessly transferred her main saber to her other hand. Knowing that she was going to be reaching for her shoto, he quickly grabbed his own lightsaber and unhooked it from his belt. Holding the hilt in both hands, he ignited the blade and aimed the weapon at the being.
As the young teenager ignited her smaller blade and held it behind her, the mysterious figure gazed at her with a seemingly intrigued look on his face.
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you know of such things?"
"The events that are about to happen shall occur whether you like it or not," the male told them, his response just as cryptic as the one that the Daughter had given them earlier. As the wind began to pick up, he lifted his right hand and waved it in their direction.
Rosella glared at the figure one last time before shifting her gaze to her now deactivated lightsaber. How is this even possible? She thought to herself as her eyes widened in astonishment.
Obi-Wan watched in a mix of shock and astonishment as his blue blade also vanished back into its hilt. Then he narrowed them as he looked up at the mysterious being and pointed a finger in his direction. "You are a Sith," he said in an accusing tone.
"Sith?" The mysterious figure asked, crossing his arms over his chest just as a brief flash of lightning lit up the single cloud that had appeared in the air behind him. It was followed by a rumble of thunder that roared throughout the sky. Then the rain began to fall. As he closed his eyes and let a soft, yet dangerous chuckle escape from his lips, a brief flash of lightning illuminated the right side of his face. Turning to look at the Jedi Master, he opened his eyes. "Yes," he shifted his gaze over to the Padawan and as quickly as it had appeared, his amused expression vanished. "And no." His voice had now taken on a more serious tone. Letting his arms fall to his sides, he began to turn around, only to pause and glance at them over his shoulder. "I must warn you. The storms here are quite lethal. If you want to survive, I suggest you take my advice and find shelter immediately." After glancing at the teenager one last time, the being spun around and broke into a quick sprint before leaping into the air. Just as another large flash of lightning lit up the night sky, he shapeshifted into a gargoyle and let out a loud screech before flying away.
Rosella glanced down to make sure her lightsabers were hooked onto her belt before swiftly returning her gaze to the sky. Then she turned to look at Obi-Wan. "What in the universe was that?" She asked, her tone full of bewilderment.
"I'm not quite sure," Obi-Wan admitted as he hung his lightsaber back on his belt before turning to face Rosella. He still wasn't sure whose side the man was on or what to make of his unusual set of powers.
As the storm began to grow more intense, a bolt of lightning struck the ground a few feet away, causing a small shower of dirt and rocks to fly into the air. Both of the Jedi took a step back and Rosella glanced at the ground as even more plants began to shrivel up and turn into dust.
Obi-Wan glanced over his right shoulder. "Quick," he said, turning back to see that Rosella was looking at him. He was amazed that she was still able to hear him even with all the noise from the storm. Pointing towards the opening that he had seen, he continued. "I spotted a cave over there. We'll stay there until the storm has ended."
Then the pair turned around and ran towards the entrance as another bolt of lightning struck the ground.
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Anakin, who had quickly followed the Daughter after ending his conversation with Obi-Wan, was very surprised when he didn't see her anywhere after making his way out of the mountain area that the group had been walking through earlier. Any prospect of finding out where she had disappeared to immediately vanished as soon as the storm began. Remembering what she had told them before they started out on their journey, he knew that he needed to find shelter and fast.
Quickly running through a small field that was filled with dead trees that were now glowing a bright and luminescent blue, with just a small hint of silver in them, he scrambled up a small hill on his hands and knees before standing up straight as he regained his footing on a sloped part near the top. Running the rest of the way, he quickly leapt to his right as a flash of lightning lit up the ground around him, followed by a nearly deafening crash of thunder. Then there was another flash and this time Anakin leapt to his left. A few seconds later, a bolt of electricity hit the ground, causing yet another shower of dirt and rocks to fly into the air.
Making his way up to the entrance of a small cave, he swiftly jumped inside just as another bolt of lightning struck the ground right where he had been standing. More lightning lit up the darkened skyline and the thunder followed soon after as Anakin peered out of the cave. That was when he saw it. A tall monastery was sitting on top of a rocky spire way off in the distance. A large, glowing crystal floated above the pinnacle.
"I'm pretty sure that whoever I'm looking for is going to be inside that monastery," he said.
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After taking some time to rest and recover his energy, Anakin continued on his journey. As he got close to the base of the spire, he tilted his head upwards and saw the platform at the top. But since he hadn't seen any stairs around, he knew that he was going to have to scale the mountain in order to get up there. Walking around to the right, he approached the rocky surface and began his accent.
It wasn't long before he finally reached the platform at the top.
Instead of stopping to catch his breath after his long climb, the Knight raced around the right side of the structure and headed for the long staircase that led up to the large, open doorway at the top. Running up the steps, he approached the light-filled gap and quickly came to a halt as he was quite startled by what he saw inside.
The large, cavernous room appeared to be dimly lit, with most of the light coming from blue panels that had been laid along the edges of the long walkway and circular discs that were floating on top of their pedestals. As Anakin walked down the middle of the floating walkway, he saw a series of platforms sitting in the middle of the room. On top of the largest one sat two statues that vaguely resembled birds. The one on the left had a pair of glowing white eyes and the one on the right had a pair that glowed red.
In-between them sat a medium sized platform that had a large scale on it. Floating on either side of it were two orbs with a rock underneath each one. The first one had a flowery design etched into it, while the other had two identical three pronged shapes. Then his eyes were suddenly drawn towards the smallest one as he saw an older man kneeling on it. The first thing he noticed was the long white beard and grey skin. Next were the blue robes that looked a little faded in the dim light.
The only thing that the man did as Anakin approached was lift his head. It was like he was aware that he had a visitor, but was content to just sit there and continue his meditation.
Since he didn't have much of a choice, the Knight slowly sat down in front of him, crossed his legs and placed his left hand on one knee while curling his right one into a fist and punching his other knee with it. Unlike Rosella, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, he never liked waiting for anything and preferred to jump right into action, usually with his lightsaber in hand.
A few minutes later, the man opened his eyes, revealing that they were a bright shade of blue. Upon noticing the Jedi in front of him, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Welcome, my friend." His voice echoed in the same manner as the Daughter's.
Anakin, meanwhile, began to grow uncomfortable with the way the man was staring at him. Knowing that he had to be the Father, the person that the Daughter had been taking them see, he took a deep breath and asked, "What is it that you want from me?"
"All I want is to learn the truth about who you really are," he responded cryptically. Then he continued while gracefully getting up from his kneeling position. "I suspect that this is something you have known all along." Anakin took that as his cue and got up just as the man began to walk towards him. "This truth is one that you must believe in order to fulfill your destiny."
Anakin raised his right eyebrow. "Enough with the riddles, old man," he said in a sharp tone, trying his best not to let his frustration get the better of him. "Just tell me what is going on here."
All of a sudden, a few flashes of lightning lit up the stained glass window behind them, followed by a couple rumbles of thunder.
"You will get your answers in the morning," the man said. Then he gestured down a side path. "As you can see, it is late and you have nowhere else to go." Turning to his right, he began to walk away, causing Anakin to quicken his pace in order to catch up. "Follow me. You will stay here as my guest tonight."
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The cave wasn't much, but it would have to do until morning.
As soon as they had made it inside, Rosella managed to find a few sticks and helped Obi-Wan get a fire going as there was a pit in the middle of the room. The glowing crystals that were bunched together throughout the cavern provided some light, but no real heat. Shortly after, the young Padawan made her way over to the right side of the room, sat down and fell asleep.
Obi-Wan, who was content to let her sleep as he sensed that she was very tired from their trek up and down the mountain, stared at the ground. Sleep was the last thing on his mind since he was still thinking about the man that he and Rosella had encountered earlier. He wondered what the male knew about the Prophecy and had meant by events happening that neither of them had any control over.
"Obi-Wan."
The Jedi Master sharply turned his head and glanced at his niece, who had not moved from her sleeping position. Glancing to his left, he saw that the storm hadn't let up as it was still raining heavily outside. He shook his head as he must have been hearing things. Maybe it was the planet and its strange inhabitants that were getting to him. Then he began to wonder what his former Master would say if he were here.
"You have done well, Obi-Wan."
He whipped his head around and was quite surprised as he saw Qui-Gon standing in front of him with his right hand behind his back. "Master?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice taking on a sharp, yet curious tone as he leapt to his feet and ignited his lightsaber. Backing up, he pointed the tip at the man who had taken him on as an apprentice in his youth. "What are you doing here?"
"I am here because you are here," he responded. Turning to his left, the man took a few steps in that direction.
The hair on the back of Obi-Wan's neck stood on end as he kept his saber trained on his former mentor. This had to be a vision of some kind since Qui-Gon was currently on Coruscant at the Temple and not here with them. Keeping his guard up, even though he lowered his blade a little, he said, "I…I don't understand. What is this place?"
"I'm not exactly sure what this place is. But what I can tell you is that it's very different than any of the other planets that you have been to," the elder Jedi responded, coming to a halt. He remained where he was, closed his eyes and meditated for a few minutes. Then he opened them. "This place is acting like a conduit for the Force which is why it is very strong here."
Obi-Wan took a few minutes to think about that he had just heard and felt his eyes widen. If that explanation was indeed true, then he, Rosella and Anakin would have to be on their guard at all times. Looking up at the man who was still standing there with his back facing him, he asked, "We're not in any danger, are we?"
"No," Qui-Gon said. "But there are three people here who want to know the truth about Anakin. They, like me, believe that he is the Chosen One who will defeat the Sith and restore balance to the universe."
Obi-Wan carefully considered his next choice. In the back of his mind, he knew that neither he or Rosella were in any sort of trouble given their current surroundings. After a few more minutes of silent contemplation, along with the reassurance that the Force would alert him if something bad was about to happen, he deactivated his lightsaber. "You were right," he said, placing his weapon back on his belt. "The Force within him is very strong. In fact, he is one of the strongest Jedi that I've ever met. I've trained him to the best of my ability, but he's still willful and balance eludes him."
Qui-Gon turned his head slightly to the right. "If Anakin is the Chosen One, he will discover it here," he said.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Obi-Wan had one final question for the man. "And if not?" He asked.
Qui-Gon turned around and gazed at his former apprentice. "Then you must realize, with his power, this is a very dangerous place for him to be," he said.
The sky outside the cave was lit up by a few flashes of lightning that were followed by a clap of thunder. Obi-Wan gazed at his former Master one last time before narrowing his eyes and placing his gloved hand on his chin as he filed away all the information that he had gained. The bright glow that had surrounded the older man disappeared, causing the Jedi Master to look up at the spot where Qui-Gon had been standing just a few moments ago. He was gone. After glancing around the cave and seeing no sign of him, Obi-Wan turned back towards the entrance and crossed his arms over his chest.
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Anakin couldn't sleep.
He rolled onto his back as the lightning from the storm flashed repeatedly, casting shadows on the walls as the glow came in through the window that was on the wall behind him. The current predicament that he was now in left him feeling completely off balance. The conversation that he had with the old man only furthered to complicate things. He preferred not to think about his supposed destiny and the task that was laid out before him. As he kept tossing and turning, his thoughts drifted towards Obi-Wan and Rosella. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty about what he had done and hoped that they were safely waiting out the storm inside the shuttle.
Turning to his right, he finally began to drift off into the later stages of sleep when he heard the voice.
"Wake up, my son," the soft, soothing, female voice said. A hand that felt so familiar and warm reached out and lightly stroked his hair before brushing his cheek. "I have a secret that I must share with you."
Anakin's face twitched and his eyes shot open as the mere thought of getting back to sleep all but vanished from his mind. "Who's there?" He asked, turning around as he sat up and flung his left hand out in front of him. When he didn't get a response, he repeated the question. "Who's there, I said?"
"It's me, Ani," the voice replied as the Knight turned around so he could see who was talking to him. "Your mother."
Anakin stared at her in shock. As Shmi spread her arms out wide and began to kneel so she could hug him, he quickly kicked the blanket off of his body. Then he leapt up and went into a handspring, landing near the door. Turning around, he held out his right hand to stop her from coming any closer. "What kind of black arts is this?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as he slowly moved to the left side of the room. The last time that he had spoken to her was over a hologram before he had been sent to Balith. And she definitely hadn't been wearing the outfit that she currently had on. Fearing that this could be a trap, he shielded the more sensitive parts of his mind. "You…" he trailed off, trying to come up with something, anything really to finish his train of thought. He did think about lying, but decided not to do it. Lowering his arm, he glanced at the floor and took a deep breath. Then, after lifting his head so he was looking at the woman, he narrowed his eyes again and forcefully said, "You are not my mother. So I'll ask you one more time. Who are you and how did you get in here?"
"How I got here doesn't matter right now," she responded, completely ignoring his first question. "But I still have something to tell you."
"Then tell me whatever it is that you need to tell me," Anakin said in a low voice as he was beginning to get impatient.
"Everything you have done, along with everything that you have learned, has led you here," Shmi told him. "Your Jedi training has served you well, my son, but you are more than just a Jedi." Then a concerned look appeared on her face. "You are in pain. Tell me what is causing it so that I might take it away from you."
Turning away from her, he said, "I feel guilty for not listening to Obi-Wan. He told me to wait until he and my padawan made it around a large rock that had separated us, but I ignored him. I ended up leaving them behind while I alone went after the person who was supposed to bring the three of us here."
"It's time you realized that your guilt does not define you," she said. "You define your guilt."
Anakin sighed. "Now, I'm afraid of what will happen to me when it's time for me to let go of those whom I love," he said, watching out of the corner of his eye as his mother came up to him and rested her head, as well as her left hand, on his chest.
Shmi raised her head so she was looking at her son. "Then it is not love," she replied. "It is a prison."
"But I have a family now," Anakin said as he glanced down at her. "I have a wife. You've already met her. She and the other members of my family mean a great deal to me."
"You must let them go," she said in a soothing and gentle voice. "They are not your destiny."
"But I love them," Anakin said, turning to face her.
Shmi narrowed her eyes and leaned away from her son. "No!" She forcefully told him, her voice beginning to echo in the same manner as the Father's. Moving around to stand in front of him, she continued speaking. "They are obstacles, meant to keep you from reaching your true potential!"
Anakin immediately began to back away from the woman while glaring at her. "What are you?" He demanded.
Two simultaneous flashes of lightning appeared outside the window that Shmi was standing in front of. Suddenly, a harsh, white, blinding light filled the room for only a minute as she shapeshifted into a gargoyle. After another quick flash of light, the woman was back in her normal form. Spreading her arms wide, she sneered at Anakin. "Your fate!" She nearly roared before melting into the shadows behind her.
Anakin thrust out his left hand as he stepped forward, but no one was there. It was as if she had simply vanished into thin air.
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Back in the cave, Rosella had turned over so that she was now sleeping on her left side rather than her right. Both of her arms were tucked underneath her head. Then she heard a voice that sounded a lot like her own.
"Are you happy with your life right now, child?" A more mature sounding female voice asked.
Rosella's eyes sprung open as the words faded into the air around her. As she sat up, her gaze immediately darted over to where Obi-Wan had been sitting by the fire. A frown quickly appeared on her face as she noticed that he wasn't there anymore. She could still hear the storm outside and it sounded like it wasn't going to end any time soon. Wondering if he had gone as far as the entrance, she continued to look around, but wasn't able to locate just where the voice had come from.
"Your Jedi Master, does he treat you well?" The voice asked again.
The teenager's eyes swiftly moved to her left and began to travel back over to the right when she spotted the tall female standing on the other side of the fire pit. After rubbing her eyes so she could see better, the young girl nearly jumped as she realized that she was looking at an older version of herself who was staring at her. Quickly rising to her feet, she kept her gaze locked onto the female while reaching for one of her lightsabers. "How does that in any way relate to you?" She asked, her voice taking on a more suspicious tone.
"I am your future," the older girl said. "Your potential."
Rosella quickly grabbed both of her sabers with the force and ignited them. Holding her main one over her head, she positioned her shoto so that the hilt was sideways. "This is nothing but a trick!" She hissed, narrowing her eyes at the apparition. The only other place where this sort of thing was likely to happen was on Ilum when Jedi Initiates would go looking for their kyber crystals. But then she remembered that Obi-Wan had told both her and Anakin that the planet was strong in the Force. Weird things like this were bound to start happening sooner or later.
"I sense that you have a bit of a wild streak in you, young one," the female said, raising her hands in an attempt to get her to calm down and put away her sabers. "I can see seeds of the dark side that have been planted there by your master. Don't you feel it?"
Rosella raised her right eyebrow as she stared at her future self. "No!" She answered vehemently. "He is like no other Jedi. Even though he can be impulsive at times when he really shouldn't, he's also passionate, loyal and brave. I trust him with my life."
"There are many contradictions in you," the future version of herself said as she turned around. Then she glanced over her shoulder. "And in him." Slowly turning around, she held out her right hand. "I must warn you! If you continue to remain at his side then you will never see your future! Leave this planet now!"
The apparition stood up straight, crossed her arms over her chest and then tilted her head up towards the ceiling as the surged upward, causing her to vanish behind the wall of red and yellow flames.
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"Rosella?" Obi-Wan asked, not even bothering to try and hide the growing amount of concern that was in his voice.
A pair of hazel eyes shot open and the teenager quickly sat up, whipping her head around to look at her Uncle.
The Jedi Master's concerned expression grew even more alarmed as he took in the fearful one that was on Rosella's face.
"I had a vision," she said, breaking eye contact with him as she looked down at the ground. Then she swung her head back up to look at him. "I think Anakin may be in trouble."
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Anakin didn't say anything as he stalked into the main area and unhooked his lightsaber from his belt. Walking up to the Father, who had returned to his kneeling position on the small platform, he ignited the blade and brought the tip as close as he dared to the man's face.
The Father raised his head a little as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Then he felt the heat of the blade against his skin. "Cannot sleep?" He asked. Without waiting for a response, he continued. "To strike an unarmed man is hardly the Jedi way."
"You are a Sith Lord!" Anakin said as he lowered the blade a few inches, but kept it pointed at his face.
Bowing his head, he said, "You have a very simple view of the universe. I am neither Jedi or Sith." Raising his head once more, he finally opened his eyes and gazed at Anakin. "I am much more. And so are you."
Anakin was slowly beginning to get frustrated. All these cryptic answers were really testing his patience. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. "I see through your spells and visions, old man," he said in a tone that implied that he was done playing games. Drawing his right hand back, he thrust it forward again, this time aiming his saber at the Father's chest. "Now tell me what is going on here!"
The Father said nothing in response at first. The only thing he did was raise his right hand and wrap it around the end of Anakin's blade. Then he began to speak. "There are some people who have called us Force-wielders," he said, holding onto the glowing rod as he pushed it away from his chest. As the man rose to his feet, he flattened his palm against the tip and pushed it back towards the hilt.
Anakin, who was still standing in front of the man with one foot on the small platform, glanced down to see his saber vanish. The Knight was so stunned that he couldn't think of anything to say as he stared at his now deactivated lightsaber. It was only after he had lowered his hand to his side that he thought of something. Looking up at the man, he said, "The Jedi have never spoken of anything like this before."
"Hmm. The reason for that is because there are only a few people who still know of our existence," the Father replied as he made a sweeping motion with his right hand.
Anakin backed away. Wanting to get back to the topic that he had come out to discuss, he stood up straight before gesturing to the room that he had slept in with his right hand, which still had his lightsaber firmly gripped in it. "My mother came to me while I was in that room," he said. Then he began to raise his voice. "But it wasn't her. It was something else."
"Ah," the Father said as he brought his left hand up to stroke his beard. Then he took a step off of the platform while continuing to speak. "That would be my son, I assume. We are able to take on many forms. The shapes that we embody are merely reflections of the life force around us." He stopped moving as soon as he reached Anakin's side and closed his eyes. Then he tilted his head towards the young man. "I sense that you are carrying a great sadness in your heart." Then he sighed and opened his eyes. "My children and I can manipulate the Force like no one else can. Therefore, it was necessary to withdraw from the temporal world and live here as anchorites."
Anakin walked towards the man. "So, this is a sanctuary?" He asked.
"It's also a prison," the Father said as he lowered his head. Sharply glancing back up at the Jedi, he continued. "You cannot imagine what pain it is to have such love for your children and realize that they could tear the very fabric of our universe apart if they were to escape this planet."
Anakin frowned. "I don't…" he trailed off and shook his head a little, slightly confused with everything the Father had told him so far. "… fully understand what you are trying to tell me," he finally admitted.
"It is only here, on this planet, that I can control them," the Father explained. He had moved ahead and was now standing a few feet away from the Knight. "A family in balance. The Light and the dark. Day with night." Then he glanced over his shoulder and looked at Anakin. "Destruction replaced by creation."
"Then why did you reveal yourselves to us?" Anakin asked.
"There are some who would like to exploit our power," the Father responded. "The Sith are but one. If there is too much dark or too much light, then that would be the undoing of life as you understand it." Slightly turning to the left, he glanced at the Jedi out of the corner of his eye. "When news reached me that the Chosen One had finally been found, I just knew that I needed to see you for myself." Then he fully turned around to face him.
"Look old man," Anakin said. "That prophecy is nothing but a myth."
"Is that what you think?" The Father asked, raising his right eyebrow. "Well then, I should very much like to find out for myself." The corners of his lips suddenly curled upwards as a pleasing smirk settled itself on his face. "Why don't we find out together?"
Anakin narrowed his eyes, sensing that he was not going to like whatever the old man was going to say next.
"All you have to do is pass one test and I shall have the truth that I seek," the Father said as he stepped closer to Anakin. "Then you and your friends may leave."
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Early the next morning, as soon as the storm had stopped, Obi-Wan and Rosella left the cave. Once the pair had safely made it up the mountain path, over a hill, and down into the valley, they began to walk on a dirt path that led them through a forest of glowing trees. As the sun slowly began to creep up over the horizon, everything that the light touched began to come back to life. The ground, which had been black and not very pleasing to look at, was suddenly covered in green grass while the tree branches, and their trunks, changed back to their normal brown color before blossoming to life with leaves.
Rosella, who was staring at a glowing tree that had just come back to life, raised her eyebrows as green leaves suddenly appeared over the bare branches. "The longer we stay here, the weirder this place gets," she remarked.
Obi-Wan, meanwhile, continued to look around. "It appears that the planet is renewing herself," he said. Then he glanced at Rosella, sensing that something was troubling her.
"What about Anakin?" The teenager asked, her eyes full of worry. "Do you think he found somewhere safe to stay?"
"I'm sure he's fine," Obi-Wan replied in a comforting voice. "Besides, he won't be so easy to deceive."
As the Jedi continued moving through the now revived forest, neither of them sensed the two powerful Force presences that had suddenly appeared in the sky above them. Both creatures flew past one another and then suddenly changed course as they dove towards the pair.
A large shadow fell over them, causing Obi-Wan to halt in his tracks and glance at the sky over his shoulder. Rosella looked at him and then turned her head to the right before looking up. Their eyes widened as soon as they saw the same dark creature from before, as well as a large white and green creature heading right for them. But before any of them even had a chance to react, the creatures extended their claws, grabbed them both and flew away.
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On the other side of the monastery sat an arena that had been cut down into the rocky spire that the building sat on.
The Father led Anakin out to the center of it, then glanced up at the bright, blue sky before looking at him. "Now, the time has come for you to face your guilt and know the truth," he said.
A pair of screeches filled the air, causing both the Father and Anakin to look up as the winged beasts that had grabbed Rosella and Obi-Wan flew towards the area. The Knight turned to his left and kept his eyes on the dark gargoyle who currently had his daughter captured in its claws. As it slowly landed on the ground, it let go of Rosella's left arm and forced the teenager onto her knees in order to plant its foot on the floor. Behind them, the griffin hovered in the air for a moment before gently lowering Obi-Wan to the ground.
Then the gargoyle let out a loud roar.
Rosella, who had been trying to free herself from the creature's tight grip, glanced up at the beast before placing her other hand on one of the talons that made up its hind claw. She pushed against it with all her might, trying to get her arm free, but it was no use. Then she looked at her father. "Whatever he wants from you Master, don't do it!" She yelled.
The Father and Anakin turned in the other direction to see that Obi-Wan was struggling to break free from the griffon's claws. Even though the creature's grip wasn't as tight as the gargoyle's, he clearly wasn't strong enough to escape. The griffin also let out a roar, sounding as if it wasn't happy with this test.
Anakin narrowed his eyes as he turned to look at the Father. "Let them go," he said, nearly letting his voice slip into the tone that he used when he was out in battle. "I will not play your games!"
"Oh, but I think you will," the Father retorted as he began to pace around the Knight. "You see, I have ordered both of my children to kill your friends. Now, there is one question that you need to ask yourself." The man suddenly vanished from where he had been standing and Anakin spun around, looking for him. Then he glanced up, only to find that the older man was now standing on a platform high above him. "Who are you going to save? Your Master," he gestured to his right before placing his hand behind his back and bringing out the other one as he gestured to his left, "or your apprentice? Now, you must now release your guilt and free yourself by choosing."
Anakin stared at him for a few seconds before forcefully shaking his head in protest. "No!" He yelled angrily before glancing at his brother.
Obi-Wan panted for breath after yet another attempt to break free. "Their powers are too strong for us, Anakin!" He shouted. Then he lowered his head and closed his eyes for a brief second as his bond with his brother's padawan flared to life. Raising his head, he opened his eyes and felt them widen as he saw what was going on across from him. "Save Rosella!
The Knight narrowed his eyes a little as he wondered why his former master was asking him to save her. As soon as he heard her softly cry out in pain, he swiftly turned around. The gargoyle let out another roar which drowned out her second painful cry as her right arm was still stuck in the beast's tight grip.
Rosella used the Force to take away as much of the pain as she could while also trying to free herself. Then she cried out again as the creature's grip got even tighter.
Anakin gritted his teeth and nearly gave into his emotions right then and there. Narrowing his eyes at the sight in front of him, he turned to face the Father and said in a dangerously low voice, "Let them go!"
The Father walked towards the edge of the platform. "Only you can make my children release them," he told him.
Anakin closed his eyes and spun around as he struggled with the choice of who to pick. He was determined to save them both since they were his family and he didn't want to lose either of them.
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called out, remembering what he had gone through last night. "This planet is strong with the Force. Use it."
The Knight took a deep breath and focused on his determination as well as his fear for his family while drawing on the Force and gathering it around him. Then he opened his eyes. "You will let them go!" He demanded, his voice echoing throughout the arena much like the three Force-wielders as he pulled his arms inwards before flinging them out in opposite directions. The symbol beneath his feet began to glow as a surge of energy that was nearly strong enough to be seen rippled outward, sending the bird-like creatures stumbling back a step as they dragged their captives with them. Quickly twisting both of his palms around so that they were facing the sky, he slowly started to raise them while also lifting the beasts off the ground.
The sky swiftly changed from the light of day to the darkness of night. Then the walls that surrounded the arena began to glow as the floor lit up and sent out a pulse of golden light.
Obi-Wan stared at the ground in complete and utter fascination as he had never seen anything like this before in his entire life.
Lighting crackled in the sky above as Anakin twisted his hands so they were facing outwards again. Then he gently lowered them, forcing the creatures to let go of their captives. Rosella fell to the ground first, landing on one knee. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she narrowed her eyes and looked up so she could see what was going on. Obi-Wan was next. He also landed on one knee, but turned to look at the sky while glaring at the glowing winged beast.
Then Anakin clenched his hands into fists and pulled them in, dragging the creatures towards him before flinging them out again. Both of the winged beasts were sent flying into the stone wall that circled the arena before unceremoniously falling to the ground.
Rosella, who had run away from the dark creature as soon as it had slammed into the wall behind her, backed away as she saw it begin to get up off the floor. After stopping at a safe distance, she instinctively got into a defensive stance just as the four-legged beast leapt back into the air. Obi-Wan, who had already done the same thing, turned around and quickly unhooked his lightsaber from his belt. He ignited the blade and held it out to the side just as the griffin got back up and leapt into the air as well.
As the gargoyle flew towards the young teenager, she reached for her main lightsaber. As soon as the hilt was firmly in her grasp, she lifted it off her belt, aimed it at the incoming creature and ignited the blade, causing the beast to shift flying positions as it aimed its hind legs at her.
Anakin narrowed his eyes again as he saw what was going on and aimed his right hand at the creature. Calling on the Force, he used it to yank the gargoyle away from his Padawan. "Down!" He yelled, throwing the creature to the ground before turning to the griffon and doing the same thing. Once the two of them were on the ground, they began to struggle and roar in protest as the Knight dragged them towards him. "On your knees!" He began to lower his hands, watching as the pair in front of him tried to resist the command that they had been given.
The creatures were given no other choice but to fall to their knees. Then they slowly shifted back to their natural forms.
Obi-Wan, who still had his lightsaber in his hands with the ignited blade pointed over his head, glanced at the scene in the middle of the arena before tilting his head upwards in amazement as the dark clouds began to dissipate, allowing the sun to shine in the bright blue sky once again.
Anakin stood up straight and lowered his arms as the glowing floor faded away.
"And now you see who you are truly meant to be," the Father said as he suddenly appeared behind the young Jedi and began to walk towards him. Anakin turned to his left and glared at the taller being. The older man remained unfazed as he continued speaking. "The Chosen One is the only person who is capable of taming both of my children."
The Daughter and the Son, who were still on their hands and knees, looked up from their places on the ground.
Anakin, who was still a little winded from what he had just done, sensed that Rosella and Obi-Wan were walking towards him. The duo, who had already deactivated their lightsabers and placed them back on their belts, looked at the pair of kneeling siblings. Then he turned to look at the Father. "I've taken your test," he snapped, not looking any happier at the praise that the man had given him. "Now fulfill your promise and let us go."
"I will, but first, you must understand the real reason why I brought you here," the Father said. Then his blue eyes shifted upwards as he turned his head and glared at everyone else. "Now, all of you, leave us."
Rosella leaned forward and lowered her voice so only Anakin could hear her. "Do not trust him," she warned.
Anakin turned to look at her. "You think?" He responded while raising his eyebrows.
"I said, leave us," the Father repeated in a more forceful tone when it was clear to him that no one was willing to leave.
The young girl turned around and walked away from the pair, followed closely by Obi-Wan. As they walked past the Son and the Daughter, the siblings got up off the ground. Without even saying a word, they turned around and left the arena.
"Do you feel your destiny?" the Father asked, taking a few steps toward Anakin once they had been left alone. "Surely, you must see it now." He watched as the Knight turned around to face him then shifted his line of sight away from the young man. "I am dying," he looked back up at him, "and you must replace me."
Anakin couldn't believe it. "Replace you?" He asked, with a small hint of skepticism in his voice. Then he glanced at the arena that they were in. "I can't stay here."
"But this is yours," the Father insisted as he gestured to the entire building. "It has been foretold. The Chosen One will remain here to keep my children in balance."
Anakin immediately backed away. "No," he said.
"I…" the Father said, releasing his breath as he lowered his head for a moment before looking back up, "I can't force you to do this. The choice must be yours." Then he walked up to the Knight. "But if you do end up leaving this place, I want you to know that your selfishness shall haunt both you and the galaxy for a very long time."
Anakin looked up at the Father before looking away as he took a few minutes to make his final decision. Once his mind was made up, he closed his eyes and let out a sigh.
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The shuttle was sitting on the platform below the entrance to the building. Not wanting to spend another moment inside, Anakin quickly made his way down the staircase and walked toward it, watching as Rosella made her way up the ramp. As soon as he reached the bottom, he stopped and turned around.
"Are you ready to leave?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin turned to look at Obi-Wan before shifting his gaze back towards the monastery. While he did feel a little sorry for the Father and everything that he had done to try and help him, he wasn't going to regret his choice. Turning around, he boarded the ship and joined his family in the cockpit.
Obi-Wan, who had already started the ship, lifted off just as Anakin took his seat. Then, after the wings were locked in place, they flew away, leaving the planet and its three inhabitants behind.