Chapter 7- The Nightmare
The lightsabers flashed and crashed together. Among the padawans, Whie Malreaux was second to none. He could hold his own against many adult opponents. But not this one. Never this one. Anakin Skywalker had been his hero. He had never even dreamed of besting him.
The lightsabers crashed again, blue on green. Whie panted with effort. The dark side flowed through the creature before him, a mockery of the man who had been Anakin Skywalker. Yet somewhere deep inside, Whie could sense Anakin's light.
The blue blade slashed in front of his face. He tried to parry it, but missed. This is it. I'm going to die. Let me die bravely, worthy of the Jedi order. He had seen this moment in a vision, though he hadn't understood it all. It had come at last.
But the death blow never fell. A pale, white blade deflected the blue one. The sith lord's blade singed Whie's shoulder, leaving him injured, but very much alive. He fell, rolled to his feet and rose.
"Scout!" he shouted. "Get out of here!" I'm trying to protect you!
"I'm not going anywhere without you," she returned stubbornly.
But Master Yaddle! He urged through the Force.
You're standing on the door, she replied.
The blue blade flashed down again to be met by two others. They ducked and parried, slashed and counter-attacked, all to no avail. Suddenly, the Sith lord's blade caught Talisbeth's unprotected back. She crumpled with a sob of pain, lightsaber falling from her limp hands.
With all his might, Whie swung his blade. Darth Vader caught it with ease as a blaster shot echoed off the walls.
"Mistress Scout!" cried Solis. His blaster fire bounced harmlessly off the Sith, scorching the walls and floor. With one hand, Vader force-pushed Whie against a wall; with the other he lifted Solis.
"You're a fine droid," Anakin's voice said. "You just need a tune up." A soft mechanical whirring came from the droid's inner workings. The Sith lord released them both. "Now, Solis, eliminate the boy and the girl. I have work to do."
Solis raised his arm with its embedded weapon and shot Whie. Whie saw his younger self fall as the droid turned and fired on Talisbeth. Don't be afraid, Whie, he wanted to say. But he couldn't.
"Well done. Stand guard here." Vader turned on his heel and hurried away, while Solis touched buttons on his arm. Rounding a corner, the Sith found Master Yaddle, her ears drooping and her eyes flashing.
"Do not do this, Anakin!" she pleaded, standing in the door of the Creche. "Do not listen to the lies of the darkness. We find neither life nor love on that path."
"Little fool! I have found power you will never know. I'll never be helpless again!"
Yaddle ignited her lightsaber. "Then I will do what I must."
He laughed as he deflected her blows with a flick of his wrist. "You're not much of a fighter, Creche Master. You should stick to younglings. You could join me – my Master could use someone to train younglings."
Vader swept his blade down, knocking her off balance. "Join us and I'll let you live. Wouldn't you like to be on the winning side?"
Yaddle shoved herself back to her feet and swung her lightsaber to block his. "I care not about winning or losing. That is out of my hands. I know only that I must choose the path of Light – the way of truth and love. The Light will prevail, Anakin Skywalker, even if I do not live to see it."
The Sith lord sneered. "You certainly won't. You will die, here and now."
His left hand shot out, using the force to pin her down to the floor. His right hand raised the lightsaber. A shot rang out from the Creche doorway. Vader blocked it with his lightsaber.
"The obedient droid," he scoffed when he saw Fidelis. "Commanded to guard the precious babies instead of Master, I suppose?"
He knocked the droid down as two more blaster bolts sped toward him. "I'll deal with you in a moment. First-"
He never finished the sentence. Yaddle had used the momentary distraction to summon all her strength in the Living Force. The walls buckled and the ceiling collapsed. Vader leapt back, barely avoiding being crushed. He coughed to clear the dust from his lungs and started to laugh at the little green creature's foolish sacrifice. Then he seemed to hear a voice.
There is forgiveness, Anakin. It's never too late to come home.
He heard the words not with his ears but with his heart. Master Yaddle was dead and speaking from the Force world. Anakin's face twisted in anger and misery.
A shriek of heart-broken rage interrupted his reverie. Little Grogu had escaped from the protection of the Creche and stood at the edge of the rubble, Yaddle's petite lightsaber clutched in his tiny hands. Unsteadily, he ignited the green blade and charged at Anakin with a heart-rending wail.
"Auntie!"
Anakin stared, then reached out and lifted him with the Force. Grogu struggled as Anakin continued to watch him. Whie understood. Anakin saw himself in the small creature, lashing out in anger to protect and avenge his loved ones. He had killed Grogu's beloved aunt, whom he loved more than anyone in the Galaxy. Grogu was alone now. No parents. No aunt. No one. His anguish and rage washed over Anakin. Whie felt it, too.
"Perhaps," the Sith finally spoke, "you can be trained in the ways of the dark side."
Vader looked up and saw five of his Clone Troopers watching him. "Put binders on this little one and guard him. I will return for him. Make sure all the other younglings in the Creche are dead."
He force-tossed Grogu to one of the Clones, then marched down the hall to the Council room. The rubble began to shift and Fidelis appeared, tossing aside a massive block.
"Give the child to me and I will let you live."
Talisbeth Malreaux woke trembling as she always did after the Dream. Whie's visions were so real. It didn't seem to matter the she knew Solis had shot them with the most harmless stun ray possible. She knew that he had created a force field to hide their life presences from Vader, that he was only pretending so that he could save their lives. It didn't seem to matter that Grogu and the babies were fine now, most of them all grown up. She knew, of course, that Yaddle's brave action had destroyed the inhibitor chips and freed the five Clones. Poppy, Punch, Handie, Clide and Barrel had helped save them all after Whie's ridiculously strong droid had cleared the rubble and Solis had located and opened the secret door in the hallway. It was all so long ago yet re-living it was still terrifying.
She felt Whie's gentle hand guiding her to look at him. "I am truly sorry you had to endure my vision again, Dearest."
She smiled at her husband. "Sharing your visions is a small price to pay for being alive and being your wife. And being able to move."
Golden rays streamed through the window and sweet music filled the room. Whie and Talisbeth lay still listening. Finally, the music ended and Whie rose, crossing to the wardrobe. As he removed clothes for himself and Talisbeth, Solis glided in.
"Good morning, Mistress! I trust you slept well?"
"Aside from an unwelcome vision, yes," she replied. She glanced at her husband. "Whie, I'd like to get up now."
He turned, concern evident in his blue eyes. "Are you sure? It is a fine morning for a lie-in."
"I want to finish my harvest today, Dear, and I need to get started right after breakfast, if I'm going to do that."
Whie sighed. "I suppose it's no use saying Solis would be glad to gather your harvest."
Talisbeth shook her head with a grin. Yielding, Whie breathed deeply and stretched out his hand. Talisbeth closed her eyes as Whie's life force flowed through her, strengthening her lifeless limbs. She sat, then stood as Solis busied himself helping her dress. Whie, already dressed, leaned around the droid to kiss her.
"I'm going to meditate on the Hill. I will see you at breakfast. Take care of her, Solis."
"I always do, sir," returned the droid, deftly fastening Talisbeth's simple brown dress.
Talisbeth watched Whie walk out of their bedroom. In her mind's eye, she could see him leave the house and climb up the gently sloping Hill to his favorite meditation spot. Whie sat cross-legged with his feet on his knees and opened himself to the Force. Talisbeth felt his calm wash over her as Solis brushed and braided her hair. Then she caught a glimpse of something and her pulse quickened. What was it? Unlike the night visions, Whie's waking visions were not plain to her.
Whatever it was, Whie would have something important to share with his household. "Solis, ask Fidelis to gather the children."
The children. Pan and Tallulah were over thirty. Jai was a teenager. Still, they were her children.
Half an hour later, Talisbeth stood waiting in the main room of the house. The two droids were there, as well as Jai, the son she had borne to Whie nearly seventeen years ago. Pan, a tall, lithe Twi'lek male sat next to Tallulah, an effervescent female Gungan. They had been the only two babies in the Creche with no families to take them back. Pan was a war orphan and Tallulah's parents had succumbed to a disease. So she and Whie and the two droids had decided to care for the two infants. She was glad the two were part of her family.
The door opened and Whie appeared. "Changes are upon our horizon," he announced solemnly. "I have seen … Skywalker."
"Skywalker?" Jai repeated, awestruck. "But, Father, you felt his death right after he returned to the Light."
"The ways of the Force are mysterious, my son. I do not know how and I do not fully understand why. I only know that he is coming and great danger will follow in his wake."
Talisbeth said nothing. Whie would explain as much as he could when he was ready. In the meantime, her family needed to eat breakfast. She nodded to Solis. The droid emitted a ding like a small bell and Fidelis opened the doors to the dining room.
"Breakfast is ready at your convenience, Masters and Mistresses." The droid bowed from the waist.
Pan, Tallulah and Jai hurried through the door while Talisbeth watched Whie with a chill of foreboding. In that instant, she knew that the simple, pleasant life they had had was coming to an end. Whie stepped to her side, took her hand, squeezed it and kissed her fingers.
"Do not fear, Beloved. Whatever happens, we will be together, come what may. Now, you must eat."