A/N I know some of you might want me to update TDoL, and I promise I'm working on it. This has been one knocking around my brain for a while now, and I wanted to "put it to paper" as it were. Things have been a bit tough lately, I talk about it more in the A/N for TDoL chapter 7. The height and weight given to Rick Miller are my actual height and weight. My name obviously isn't Rick Miller, he and I differ in several personality aspects to keep things interesting for RP purposes, and I'm obviously not dead, but I did give Rick those aspects of me.

This first chapter is basically the prologue.

WARNING: mentions of non-consensual intercourse (rape) and torture, with nothing explicit actually happening.

I don't own Star Wars

P.O.V Rick Miller(deceased)

Y'know, out of all the things I've ever done, I'd have to say dying is probably the weirdest.

I don't even have an accurate measure of how long I've even been dead. I didn't see pearly gates. I didn't feel the flames of hell.

Just… nothing

Which, while that sorta makes sense, what doesn't make sense is why I STILL FUCKING EXIST!

I'm still here! I don't have a body, or if I do, I can't feel it in any meaningful way. Why the fuck am I still around?

Like ok. Let's say the atheists are right. Hard pill to swallow for some (myself included) but for arguments sake let's say that they are. I shouldn't be here right? According to them, the only reason I exist is because of a bio mechanical machine called a brain that thinks it exists, and if that dies, than so do you, and there is quite literally nothing left. I remember my death. I remember exactly how it happened. I know I'm dead.

I was kidnapped, which honestly surprised me. I never thought that a 6'6" tall 400 pound fat dude would ever be kidnapped for any reason. I thought, "400 pounds is a lot of man to cart away, and even though a lot of it is fat, a lot of it isn't. I work out semi regularly. Just enough height and muscle to be a bad mark, and I'm also fat, and thus unattractive. No one in the world would ever even think of kidnapping my big fat ugly ass."

Maybe I was being unkind in that assessment, but we are always harsher to ourselves than we would ever be to other people. But I guess what I'm saying is, I was cocky. I thought it was a non issue. I walked through parts of the city I probably shouldn't have walked through at times where it would be stupid to do so. I wasn't an ass to people, but I wasn't deferential or fearful either. I was broke as hell and dressed like it too so I never got robbed. I was just living my life as a big ol' fat guy with no fear.

But I guess what the boondocks says is true. "You ain't too fat and ugly to get raped mothafucka".

I got snatched. Hit over the head and woke up tied up and gagged in the back of a van. I was terrified at first, thinking someone got the wrong person for some mob shit, but when the guy looked back at me, I could see the giddy expression on his face. He confirmed my suspicions when he said exitedly, "we're almost home!~ we're gonna have all kinds of fun!~ I even have a plus sized dungeon CBT bench rated to 550 pounds!~"

Maybe I was still half unconscious, or maybe I'm a bit touched in the head, but at first I was honestly impressed and even kinda flattered. To know that another human being wanted me enough to buy a special table, knock me out, and drag 400+ lbs of awkward human dead weight into a van for a steamy night in was kinda comforting. Then my brain booted up fully, and the abject horror of the situation dawned on me.

I was going to be tortured, probably to death! Not to kink shame or anything, but I ain't into that shit! Not at all!

He was still talking to himself, but he had to watch the road while he drove, so he wasn't looking at me anymore. I made a muffled "hrrrrmmph!" sound around the gag and he chuckled, glancing back. The van lurched, and there was a scraping sound, and he swore, turning back to his driving. I knew I had to escape before we got to wherever we were going, while we were still technically 'in public'.

If I escaped the van, people would see me, which meant he would probably give up.

Hopefully.

I knew from movies and tv that if you have your hands tied behind you, you can curl into a ball and slide the cuffs/ties over your butt to get your arms in front of you, and then you have more options. I tried it, but I had too much belly to curl up fully, and too much ass and not enough flexibility to stretch my arms around. I grunted, trying desperately to make it happen anyway, but no luck. It was like trying to put a pair of 36" waist jeans on. It just wouldn't work.

Hearing my determined grunting, and reaching a red light, my kidnapper looked back at me. "Hah! Looks like you're tryin' ta break those zip ties, but they won't budge! Struggle! Cry! Get nice and slobbery around that gag! Get yourself ready hehehe!" Horrified, I redoubled my efforts. He kept laughing at my gagged shouts, and looked away as the light turned green.

Giving up the movie escape move as a bad job, and realizing he was probably right about the zip ties, I knew I had no other option but to cause a car accident.

The back area I was in wasn't separated from the front and passenger seats, and so I could in theory attack him if I wanted. The only problem was that my ankles were tied up too, so I couldn't get too fancy. I managed to roll over on my butt, and frog knee squat myself up into a half standing position, my shoulders pressed against the ceiling of the van. Now that I was standing I could see we were on an on-ramp to the highway, and I froze, suddenly unsure about causing an accident.

He must have heard something weird, because he looked back and jumped in surprise. I don't think he expected a fat guy like me to be able to stand up without hands. Just as I was feeling like I had won, he whipped out a pistol and pointed it at me, shouting, "Get back on the ground! Do it now!"

My heart felt like ice. I had never had a gun pointed at me before. I could die! Right here and now!

And then I realized. I would probably die anyway. A gun would be a whole lot quicker and less painful than getting tortured and fucked to death. I hadn't totally given up on life though, so I tried to say 'Ok, Ok you got me' which ended up sounding like, "fthowkuh! fthowkuh!whoghahe!"

I settled down a little lower, and made it look like I was easing myself down. He still had the gun pointed at me, but he must have bought my act because for a split second he glanced back at the road to make sure he didn't crash. I don't know if it was a conscious decision or drivers instinct, but I would take advantage either way. I leaped at him, barely making it through the gap between the two chairs and crushing down on him. His gun went off but I payed it no mind in the struggle, worming round ineffectually on top of him, trying to fuck up the steering wheel.

It was pretty chaotic, but long story short, I succeeded in causing an accident.

My shoulder had apparently clipped the steering wheel in my dive, and my weight had pushed his foot down into the gas pedal, causing him to floor it. We hit the roadside barrier and spun sideways, causing the vehicle to roll over a few times. I didn't have a seatbelt, so I bounced around like clothes in a dryer.

When the car came to a stop, and the adrenaline faded, I realized that I've never felt more pain in my whole life than in that moment. The only place that wasn't painful was my right arm below the shoulder, which I couldn't feel at all. I couldn't breathe properly, and blood bubbled up from my throat causing me to cough. I felt cold and super tired, like I was nodding off after a long day. Kidnapper man was still belted to his chair, which was on the ceiling. I guess the van was upside down.

He was sobbing and moaning, and swearing up a storm. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! You stupid bastard! You've ruined everything! You've killed me! you've killed me! You've kiiiiiiiiilled meeeeee!"

I heard the sound of sirens, which was funny to me, and chuckle-coughed, more blood staining the gag. Darkness curled at the edges of my vision, but I maintained eye contact, and said as emphatically as I could manage through the gag and the blood, "hkhkhuuuckk…hyuuuuu…" (Fuck you).

I guess he got the message, because he choked and sputtered in rage and brought up his gun, which he had miraculously kept hold of, and pointed it at my head. I saw his finger start to tense, then… nothing

So yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm dead.

A while after that, I gained a kind of awareness. I was in total sensory deprivation, but the anxiety that that would usually induce wasn't present. It was like I didn't have a body at all, just… me. It was kind of peaceful. I could still think, but everything felt… comfortable in a way.

I didn't feel tired or sleepy, but I didn't feel energetic or anxious either. I just…was.

I thought about my life, and how I died. I felt anger at my killer, and sadness for missed opportunities and the loved ones I left behind, but I also felt a bit exited! I'm still around, which means the afterlife exists! Would I see my grandparents again? My cousin? My best friend? My dogs? I hoped so! I'd just have to be patient.

For a while, I let myself bask in the peace and the tranquil comfort. I don't know how long I spent waiting. But I got bored. And I got pissed.

Why am I in limbo like this? What even is this? Am I just supposed to 'rest in peace'?! But if that's the case, why am I still conscious?! Shouldn't I have like, fallen asleep, or 'faded away' or something by now? How long am I going to be like this?!

Forever?

I don't know how long it's been. The one upside of all this is the clarity I have. I guess you need to have a brain to be mentally ill, because I haven't ever felt more at peace. I don't feel crippling anxiety or panic, and even though I don't have physical sensation I don't feel emotionally numb either. I have just enough to genuinely feel and care, but never enough to overwhelm.

I remember. I get sad. I feel happy. I get bored. I get pissed. I get scared. I get hopeless. I give up. I feel comfortable and at peace. I feel better. Rinse and repeat.

This went on for who knows how long, but eventually I started to sense something. Like a distant trail of lights, flowing from one place to another. I sensed a sort of echo to my own thoughts, but they didn't match mine, like there were millions of other people all grouped together in a line, thinking together in the distance. I could never make out what they were saying, it was like they were far away, but I could tell they were together. Why am I alone? Where were they flowing to? Why can't I be with them?

I tried to 'think loudly' by concentrating more, but it didn't seem to do any good. I screamed my thoughts, trying to get someone's attention.

Suddenly, I felt a presence unlike anything I ever imagined. It was vast and powerful, and when it spoke, its words were soft and calm, but so powerful it felt like I was being pierced down to the soul, like it was speaking to my inner being.

"What do we have here? How did you slip away, little one?"

I nearly burst with relief at finally interacting with something!

"I don't know! All I remember is dying, and then I was here!"

The voiced paused, and I felt my memories flash before my 'eyes'.

I felt shock emanate from the presence, and it spoke again. "What is this?! You died quite along time ago! How did you slip out here?"

All of a sudden I felt naked, like someone was scanning my whole being.

"Ah! I see! You are quite unique! I can hardly remember the last time I saw soul that could slip across dimensions! I didn't even consider it being a problem!"

At this I got irritated. "Hold on! You mean to tell me I could have been in the afterlife or whatever all this time, but I haven't because of a whoopsie?! What the hell?!"

The voice was silent for a few seconds, and I got nervous. "I mean… no disrespect or anything… sorry…"

I felt amusement from the presence. "I understand it is a bit disconcerting to be faced with a mistake in the afterlife… Tell you what; if you do a job for me, I'll give you another chance at life. Another go, if you will, in one of the other dimensions I'm responsible for. If you do this, not only will you have another opportunity to accumulate karma, if things go well I'll make you one of my personal agents, and give you freedom to travel to different worlds on the spiritual plane, and visit whoever you want to visit, wherever they are, so long as you don't harm anyone and act honorably. It's not a deal I can give to just anyone, you are quite lucky you know!"

I mulled this over, trying to wrap my 'head' around it all. "What if I say no? What will you do then?"

"I will return you to your rightful place in the afterlife, and remove your ability to slip between dimensions. You will go to whatever place you would have gone if none of this ever happened."

This answer surprised me a little. This being basically had me by the metaphysical balls. They could have done anything with me. They could have slapped my soul in this new life whether I wanted it or not. They could have threatened to leave me here or destroy me or something. But no… they really were offering me an opportunity. They were giving me a choice. And that thing they said about karma made me pause. I wasn't evil by any stretch of the word, but I wasn't a saint either. This was a good opportunity to live a new life with all my knowledge in tact, and be better. To be happier and more successful. To have new adventures and get to know new people! Maybe to actually get a girlfriend/get married! A clean slate! And who wouldn't want that?

Making my mind up, I responded, "It sounds like a good opportunity! What is this job I'll be doing?"

I could tell that the being felt pleased. "Wonderful! You will be saving the life of a hero that shouldn't have died. Oh, and call me… Rob" Just like that I felt myself be whisked away, like we were traveling across eons and universes in a single instant. When we finally came to a halt, my senses were restored! Looking down at my body I saw it was transparent like some kind of ghost.

Across from me I saw a child about 6 or 7 years old, who radiated a bright light. He looked passingly familiar and was dressed in some kind of worn sandy robes. I tried to place where I'd seen him before.

Our eyes met, and he seemed to startle. When he spoke, it was frank and direct, but I could tell he was scared.

"H-hello. Who are you? Where are we? Am I…dead?"

I was about to respond but Rob beat me to it. "You aren't dead yet child, but if nothing is done, you will be. There was an accident during the race, you are hanging on by a thread. This man is here, because he can save your life. By merging your souls, we can create enough energy to fully heal your body, and together you two can become something truly amazing."

Whoahwhoahwoah. Merging souls? I was told nothing about this!

The child spoke again, "Will I… or I guess will we, be free?" I could feel the hurt deep in his soul, and the desperate hope in his eyes, and my heart melted. Rob answered.

"With the knowledge this man possesses, and the power of your soul, you can indeed become free, both of you"

The boy became excited, like he couldn't believe his ears. "I'll do it!" He said with an ear to ear grin. There was a fire in his eyes, an intensity I couldn't explain.

Rob turned his attention on me and I could feel the question he was asking. I answered. "Ok. I'll do it." I turned to the kid, and extended my hand for a handshake. "Hey kid. My name's Rick Miller. I guess I'll be helping you out."

He smiled, and shook my hand like an old friend. Where our hands met, a bright light shone, and I felt a strange heat. "Nice to meet you!" He chirped sincerely, "My name is Anakin Skywalker! Thanks so much!"

I blinked in shock. "What?" I said dumbly.

The heat and light grew more intense, and as our souls flowed together, I could feel his memories, see that he was telling the truth, and it dawned on me just what kind of life I would be living. He, feeling my memories, understood exactly who he was and what he had the potential to become, the bad, or the good.

"Holy shit" we said in unison, ironically the last words either of us would speak as separate beings.

—

Rob P.O.V.

As the two souls fused, I directed the energy created to fully heal Anakin's body, as I had promised. With the new soul properly tethered to a functional body, it zipped down into mortal reality to resume/begin its new life. I felt genuine happiness, as the Star Wars universe was one of my favorites.

I hoped that with this foreknowledge, that they can figure out how to actually be the chosen one. I had overseen many timelines in this universe, and the vast majority never figured it out.

Will this new Anakin truly destroy the Sith as so many had failed to do before? Will he free the dark side to take back the place it once held in times past? Only time will tell.

This was the first time I had ever tried this particular strategy. Hopefully Isekai was the answer, but if not, I will still keep the promise I made to Rick. His job was 'to save the life of a hero who shouldn't have died' and technically he had already accomplished that. Even if he failed to realize the destiny of the chosen one, so long as he remained an honorable soul, he would receive his reward.

Exited, I sat back, and watched this new life unfold.

—

A/N: Aaaaaaannnnd that's a wrap. Like I said at the beginning, this first chapter is basically all prologue. Luckily, Tatooine is already a pretty fleshed out location, so we can get into the meat of the story right away. Anakin does plenty of dangerous shit even as a kid, so it should be pretty exiting right away.

Anakin is 7 years old at this time, and this is one of the races he did where he burned out and didn't finish. In this timeline, he was critically injured by this and would have died if Rob hadn't stepped in.

I am going to take elements from both Canon and Legends, and ignore plenty stuff from both. I like doing my own thing. I LOVE the first six movies and the clone wars tv show, so I will try to stay faithful to the universe portrayed in them. If any of you have any stories or characters from Canon or legends you like alot, feel free to tell me about them! If they work with my story, Ill put them in.

I hate cannon rehash fics, I think they are boring as hell.

As the main character changes things, events will go off the rails pretty quickly. He will obviously try to keep things predictable, but he will not succeed.

TDoL chapter 7 is fighting me hard, but it will be out soon! I have plenty planned for that fic, but actually getting to the cool parts in a satisfying way is proving to be a challenge. Chapter 7 will end the "childhood arc" and then we'll be off to the races. It'll be out soon, I promise!

Reviews are life! Y'all have a good weekend! See you next time!