Interior: Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Dojo.
While some horrified younglings and padawans watched, a bright yellow eyed Anakin was furiously lashing out and slashing at A'Sharad Hett.
"I hate Tusken Raiders! Sand People!
Whatever you monsters wanna call yourselves!
Those mindless animals tortured and murdered my mother!" furiously growled Skywalker between strikes, then disarmed Hett.
Racing in, Ahsoka ignited her saber and blocked what would've been a lethal strike before some younglings sighed in relief.
Skywalker looked at his apprentice before engaging in a fierce duel against her, venting all of his anger and darkness through each and every strike.
10 mins later.
Upon being disarmed as his eyes returned to their natural blue, Anakin suddenly collapsed to the floor, trembling, shaking, shivering, and gasping in pain.
Turning off her saber and rushing to her master's side, Ahsoka gasped, "Skyguy!"
Interior: Anakin's mind.
Lost in a dimly lit void, little Ani saw the shattered remains of the necklace he'd given to Padme upon the ground as he fought a losing battle against the imposing figure of Darth Vader.
Between strikes, Ani was knocked back, and slammed against a wall then the ground by Lord Vader.
"You're all alone, Skywalker. Alone in the darkness… and it will consume you," snarled Vader, "You will never be strong enough to protect your friends.
Your mother will die, Padme will die, your friends will die.
And because of your failure, I will rise.
The dark side is your destiny."
"No! Nooooo!" defied Ani who was thrown back to the ground, against a wall, then over a ledge which he managed to grab hold of.
"Then you will die, alone,"
Hanging from a ledge over a pitch black abyss, Ani couldn't move as the crimson blade of Vader's lightsaber motioned to strike him down, only to be repelled by a green blade.
A familiar voice warmly said, "He is not alone."
As Vader's dark presence was forced out of Ani's mind by a warm light, a figure in a white hooded cloak reached out to Ani, "Take my hand."
As he took her hand, her face came into view and she lifted him out of the darkness, into the light.
Exterior: Anakin's mind.
Interior: Coruscant, Jedi temple, halls of healing.
As his eyes shot open, Ani abruptly sat up with a panicked scream, "Ahhhh!"
Upon seeing Ahsoka by his bedside, he almost completely calmed down and tightly hugged her.
Returning the hug, Snips softly assured, "Hey, it's ok. It's ok, Skyguy.
You're safe, now."
Visibly shaken but calmed as he breathed slowly, Ani asked, "Ahsoka? What happened?"
"I think you were under some kind of psychic attack, so I used our Force bond to help you," explained Tano.
"Thank you, Ahsoka, you're the best," said a grateful Anakin, "I love you so much, my precious little Snips,"
"Awww, I love you too, Skyguy. And you're welcome, big brother," returned Tano.
As she appeared and SkySnips finished their hug, Padmè immediately hugged Anakin, "Oh, Ani, thank goodness you're ok,"
"I am, thanks to Ahsoka."
Tano asked her big brother, "What were you doing before you tried to kill Knight Hett?"
"In the middle of sparring with a training droid, I was having a flashback to the sand people killing my mother who was spared by the Force."
"Now I know why you were so freaked out when I told you about my encounter with them."
Padme looked to the young Togruta in worry, "What happened?"
"Clankers by the legions were trying to stop me and Fennec returning Jabba's son to him.
Tuskens led by Knight Hett and Master Hett came to our aid."
"Fennec as in Fennec Shand? The Bounty Hunter?"
"Yep, she's one of Galen's oldest friends, and his low-key bounty huntress girlfriend when he's using his mercenary persona."
Skywalker mentioned, "I recently had some hardware taken out of me, so I might have some outbursts of things like affection towards my Padawan.
If earlier was any indication, the psychic attack might've been in late retaliation."
"Good thing I'm from one of the most social species in the galaxy, so I'll welcome all the affection."
A week later.
Exterior: Yavin IV, forest, temple, command center.
Meeting with Obi-Wan, Luminara, Anakin and Ahsoka, Galen greeted, "Su'cuy, Ba'vodu Obi, Lu, ori'vod, cyar'ika."
Gree produced holograms of ferocious warriors with blood red skin and bright yellow eyes who'd been slaughtering local Republic and CIS forces alike.
As he entered, accompanied by a handful of Chiss soldiers and Sev'rance Tann, Thrawn stated, "They are Massassi warriors of the Sith."
Unsurprised, Galen greeted, "Su cuy'gar, Thrawn,"
"Yes, and I do apologize for the brutality of our previous encounter.
It was nothing personal.
And the planet's destruction was not the doing of the Confederacy or the Ascendency."
"I have a feeling I know who was responsible for it being dead in the Force.
For everyone's sake, I hope I'm wrong."
Skywalker asked, "I take it we're working together, this time?"
"That would be mutually beneficial as both Republic and Confederacy are allies against this returned Sith Empire who've additionally trespassed in Ascendency territory." answered the Grand Admiral.
Looking over a holomap, Gree asked, "Any ideas where they'll have their main base?"
Highlighting a location on the holomap, Marek answered, "From the proximity of the known attacks, I'd suspect their main stronghold is here, the temple and resting place of Naga Sadow."
Confused, Anakin asked, "Isn't that back on Korriban?"
"He has a tomb there, but it's not his resting place.
After the Great Hyperspace War, he went into exile here on Yavin IV where he was buried."
"Oh, fantastic."
Ahsoka wondered, "So, do we split up?"
"You, Tann and Luminara will take some of the troops to investigate the north western temple.
Obi-Wan, Ani and I will take some troops and check out the temple to the north.
They're about three clicks away from each other." answered Marek.
"Can do, Starguy."
"You would do well to regularly report and keep in contact." advised Thrawn, "I believe the phrase is to 'keep a channel open at all times,'."
Tano found herself smiling at the Grand Admiral.
"Is there something I can do for you, Commander Ahsoka?" asked Thrawn, noticing the attention.
Ahsoka admitted, "I'm just appreciating that we're on the same side this time."
"I am on the side of my people, and form alliances with those I deem suitable and powerful enough."
"What's your assessment of the Jedi?"
"I've concluded that the Order of the Jedi Knights would be a suitable ally if they had full autonomy from the Galactic Senate.
After all, religious philosophy and galactic politics should remain separate."
"Chancellor Amidala passed a vote that gave the Order just that.
Agreed, and how about the Mandalorians?"
"I require more data on the present incarnation of the Mandalorians before I can properly answer you.
Though I greatly respect Galen Marek as a warrior and leader."
Later.
Exterior: Yavin IV, forest, temple.
While fending off a Massassi ambush, Marek, Kenobi and Skywalker's unit held their ground before they felt a disturbance in the Force.
Unable to resist putting on a strange bright red pyramid shaped pendant which hissed sharply in the Sith tongue, Anakin clutched his head with one hand while holding an old sword in the other, "No! No! Get out of my head!"
"Anakin? What's wrong?" asked Obi-Wan as he went to place a hand on his brother's shoulder, only to be launched into a wall by red lightning.
Rising to his feet and raising the old blade, Anakin, in another voice, commanded, "Kneel before Naga Sadow!"
Unsheathing his beskar sword as the Force guided his hand to its hilt, Galen casually dismissed, "Piss the kriff off, you bloody schutta,"
Taken aback by the disrespect, Sadow snarled, "How dare you speak to me with such insolence?"
"Very easily, Dar'jetii scum." answered Starkiller, "that body's not yours, get out of it."
As Naga Sadow, in Anakin's body, attacked him, Galen, using Force speed to keep up, blocked several strikes in time while studying the fighting style of his opponent, starting on the defensive with Niman.
It quickly became apparent that Sadow's reflexes were several times faster than Anakin's human body was usually capable of, taking a toll on it.
Getting to his feet, Obi-Wan implored, "Anakin! You're being controlled! Fight it!"
"He can't hear you." sneered Sadow, between strikes with Galen, before casting lightning at Kenobi who was sent crashing into a wall despite blocking with his blade.
"Naga Sadow or not, you're going back to hell." growled Galen whose reflexes sharpened every moment, yet it still wasn't enough.
5 straight hours later.
As Sadow tapped deeper into Anakin's raw power, he amassed then cast a storm of Sith lightning at an exhausted Marek who intercepted the blast which he absorbed, re-energising him.
With a roar of righteous fury as the ground shook, the rejuvenated Starkiller glowed with a golden aura whilst his eyes burned fiery blue and the Force flowed through him.
The ancient Sith Lord was shocked and taken aback, "I haven't seen a power like that in over five millennia, but it will not save you, Revan!"
"I'm not Revan!" growled Starkiller who seamlessly transitioned to Mando Vaapad.
"I am Darth Naga Sadow! Dark Lord of the Sith!" hissed Naga who cast pure dark side energy at his opponent.
As he blocked it with a mightier Force shield than he'd cast before, Galen powerfully told him, "No, in the end, you are nothing."
As their blades continued to clash, Galen channelled his aura into his sword which shattered Sadow's pendant, sliced clean through his blade, then cut off the lower part of the arm holding it with the starsaber, before Sadow could stop him, and before he himself realized.
"This is over!" declared Starkiller whose voice projected as he commanded. "Begone!" and focused the Force into his palm which hit Skywalker's chest, expelling the trespassing ghost from his brother's body.
"Noooo!" shrieked Sadow's spirit as he was sent back to the hell from whence his spirit came, and Anakin's exhausted form collapsed to the ground with his right forearm missing.
Medics immediately rushed to Anakin's side to tend to him.
"Does someone want to explain what the hell just happened?" asked Kal.
"Naga Sadow must've used his dark magic to bind a piece of his soul, his spirit to his pendant."
"Like the One ring? Or a Horcrux?"
"Close enough," sighed Galen.
"Skywalker's not going to be happy about losing his hand."
"The blade of the starsaber is thinner, sharper and more precise than your typical Jetii'kad.
At least it'll be easier to treat and sterilize the wound.
And I don't sense any nerve damage."
Ahsoka suggested, "Starguy, maybe you could use the Force to make Skyguy grow back the hand."
"Wouldn't be the strangest thing I've ever done," chuckled Galen.
Several hours later.
Interior: Yavin IV, Republic base, med-bay.
As he was strapped down to a medical bed after emerging from a Bacta tank, a shirtless Anakin asked, "You sure about this, Galen?"
"If it doesn't work, I'll go to plan B and build you a beskar arm.
Assuming I don't have to do bones first, flesh second."
"Great, and that's gross."
Lightly blushing at the sight of Skyguy shirtless, Ahsoka pointed out, "After all the other crazy stuff he's done with the Force, re-growing bones should be business as usual."
Noticing her flushed cheeks, Anakin teased, "Like what you see, Snips?"
"I'll bet we can thank Padme for keeping you in such good shape."
As his eyes widened, Skywalker blushed at the implication, much to her amusement, before the process began.
Shortly thereafter.
As he successfully completed re-growing Anakin's right arm with the Force, Galen gave him some painkillers.
Skywalker asked, "Good as new?"
"That remains to be seen, Ani. It'll take a while to get used to.
Take it slow, you'll have to build up its strength." answered Galen, "You'll be out of action for a while, so you know the drill.
No missions, operating heavy machinery, driving, piloting, lifting heavy objects, etc."
"But I'm needed on the front lines." protested Anakin.
"You will be a liability if you go into battle without having recovered."
Changing the subject, Ahsoka teased, "Congrats, Ani, you got your first girlfriend back."
"Snips!" gasped a mortified Anakin.
"Skyguy!"
As she entered, Luminara asked, "What's going on in here?"
Anakin answered, "Not much, just learning how Harry Potter felt when he had to regrow the bones in his arm."
"Skywalker, I'm placing you under the care of an appointed supervisor until further notice.
I'll speak to Padme about her looking after you during your arm's recovery in exterior accommodations.
You've done so much for her over the last few years.
I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help."
Anakin's eyes lit up, "Thank you."
"You're quite welcome, and I'll be doing a routine examination on your regrown arm."
"Okay, I think the Council's going to freak out about the suggested arrangement with Padme."
With a hint of mischief, Unduli casually replied, "You'll need to relax during your recovery.
And I'm sure nothing will relax you more than your special lady… if you know what I mean." making Ahsoka burst into laughter at the priceless look on Skywalker's face.
Galen chuckled, "Luminara, did you just make a dirty joke?"
"I thought I was speaking the truth." replied Luminara who chuckled, "please tell me you got that on video."
"Naturally."
Anakin mentioned, "I know Jedi aren't meant to keep in touch with their relatives, but I-"
"You miss your mother?" understandingly asked Unduli.
"Yes." answered Skywalker.
"I won't tell the Council if you reach out to her, and you can always come to me for support as well."
"Thank you, Master Luminara."
"You're most welcome."
Mando'a translations.
Su'cuy - Hi.
Ba'vodu - uncle.
Ori-vod - big brother.
Cyar'ika - darling/sweetheart.
Su cuy'gar - so you're still alive.
Dar'Jetii - Sith.