The ship shuddered, causing Anakin to jolt awake. It's not like he was really asleep, though. His mind was still reeling, thinking of the events that had transpired, and fearing what was to come. Minding his sleeping son, who had curled up into his side, Anakin rolled over on the small cot, sitting up on its edge. He looked over to see Padme with Leia resting in her lap, both asleep, with Obi-Wan lying just feet away, taking up what little room was left in the cell. Anakin frowned.
"Force, what have I done?" he said softly. To his surprise, he got an answer.
"It is the will of the Force, Ani." Qui-Gon Jinn responded, appearing before the exiled Jedi Knight. Anakin jumped up, almost knocking into Luke.
"Qu-" Anakin exclaimed loudly, but for the sake of those sleeping around him, he quickly quieted his voice, "Qui-Gon!"
"Yes, Ani," the older Jedi spoke softly, a small smile on his lips. "I needed to speak with you before you enter the belly of this monstrous beast."
"But Master," Anakin started in a whisper, shaking his head, "I'm not ready. I'm not the Jedi I once was. It all changed after..." he trailed off.
"After you joined the Dark Side?" Qui-Gon said, bluntly. Anakin looked away, ashamed.
"Well, yeah," he replied sheepishly. "Master, I'm sorry. I failed the Jedi."
"You define your failure, my friend. I believe it was the Jedi who failed you, and I know Obi-Wan and Master Yoda would agree with me." Qui-Gon explained, nodding his head towards his old apprentice.
"I think you have the wrong man, Master. I can't be this, this savior that you think I am. I've fallen too far."
"But you came back. You showed the galaxy, and this Sidious, that you are strong enough to defeat the darkness-" Anakin cut him off.
"And because of that, my family is in terrible danger. I know what the emperor is capable of, and there is no way we'll make it through this without a few scratches. I can't do this."
"You must, Anakin. You are the Chosen One. You will bring balance to the Force. You will end this darkness."
"Master, you've been saying that ever since you found me, when I was nine. At first it sounded wonderful, but now I don't believe it. It can't be me. The Chosen One is supposed to be this perfect Jedi, who is balanced and level-headed and everything that I'm not." Anakin shook his head. He was surprised to find he was shaking. He quickly composed himself. "I can't be this great person that you want me to be. I'm sorry."
There was silence between the men. Anakin brought his prosthetic to his forehead, resting his elbow on his other hand. The deceased Jedi Master sighed.
"I see there is no changing your mind, Ani. All these people in this room, whether they know it or not, they believe in you. But nothing can be done until you believe in yourself. And I can't do that for you." Qui-Gon said, sadly. He began dissipating in thin air. Anakin stood up a little taller, his eyes widening.
"Master! Master, wait!" he cried, but he was too late. Qui-Gon was gone.
"Ani?" he heard coming from the other corner. He turned over his shoulder to see Padme looking up at him, worry in her eyes. "Who are you talking to?"
"N-No one, Angel." Anakin replied, offering her a smile. "Just a little restless. Go on back to sleep." Padme nodded sleepily, leaning her head back onto the wall, falling back asleep.
Anakin huffed as he laid back down on the cot next to Luke, pulling him in close.
"I'm gonna figure this out. I won't let you guys down." he said silently, allowing his eyes to close as he drifted to sleep.
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"I must say, Admiral, I am quite pleased with your progress." stated the cloaked figure on the holocomm.
"It was not a challenge, my Lord." Admiral Tano replied, smugly.
"Then why did it take you six years to successfully apprehend him?" the hologram retorted. "I am not a patient man, Admiral. You're lucky I still have use for you."
Ahsoka clenched her prosthetic hands at the sound of this. The old man sure enjoys telling me how worthless I am to him. she thought to herself begrudginly.
"I thank you, my Lord." she ground out. "Our expected arrival time is fifteen-hundred standard hours, about three hours from now. Do you have any requests as to how the prisoners shall be brought to you?"
"Alive and awake. I wish to have a few words with Lord Vader before they are taken to the prison."
"My Lord," Ahsoka hid a scowl, "I believe it would be easier to just kill Skywalker and his family. They are traitors to the Empire, and must be made examples of."
"I thought we've been through this, Admiral. Having the so-called Chosen One sided with us would prove helpful in maintaining the Sith's rule over the galaxy. Even if he isn't the one from the prophesy, he is the most powerful being in the galaxy and can be used to our advantage."
"Of course. Forgive me, my Lord."
"Very well. I hope to hear no more of this. I await your arrival." the blue figure flickered out. Ahsoka stood up, allowing her scowl to form on her lips.
"How easy it would be to just kill the bastard and his precious family. But no! He holds so much importance to the cause! Pft." she huffed. "That's fancy wording for 'he's your kriffing replacement'." she laughed to herself, walking out of the small room and into the ship's main command center. All of the soldiers immediately snapped to attention.
"Admiral?" the general, she had simply forgotten his name, asked.
"Stay on course, General. Emperor Palpatine is expecting us."
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It's short, but I'm satisfied with it. I wanted Qui-Gon in this, kind of like one of the conversations on Mortis. Six years have passed since Anakin's turn to the Dark Side and, as was seen in the second chapter, he still feels guilt for that. He feels that because of this, there was no way he could be the Chosen One. I'm really trying to add more content to this rewrite, and I'm happy with how I'm doing so far. I just need to get more free time. I'm sorry it's taken so long to update, but things are starting to slow down so I'll be able to get back onto a regular schedule.
Drop a review!