What Could Have Been Part 2: Anakin's Trials

Battle Tactics

     Luke

     All he needed to do was Force control the security panel that controlled his cage. It would be difficult, but not impossible.

     I can't fail now... Not now...
      Luke closed his eyes and concentrated but he was interrupted by the clash of electricity. He opened his eyes and gasped as his father connected his blade with Darth Midas'.

       "Dad!" he screamed in horror. Again, Luke closed his eyes, forcing himself not to watch his father battle the Sith. He focused his mind on the security panel across the room. He imagined the engergy flowing through it, the intricate switches, each with a different purpose. But he had to find the one that released him and fast.

       "Let this be a lesson boy," Darth Midas chorused, "The Sith are stronger than the Jedi. We see the truth!" Luke tried to ignore the words of the Sith but it was tempting to listen. "No!" he cried, not wanting to believe it.

        Luke cleared his mind and imagined reading his sister's thoughts just a few weeks ago. Back then, the world was confined to his home and his only worries were how to uncover his sister's secret diary. Now, the world was expanding too quickly for him to keep up and he was surrounded by worries like the fires around him in his dream.

        Luke heard the clash of lightsabers once again but withheld the urge to glance at his father's duel. Staring wouldn't help.

         Just a little closer...
        He reached out with the Force and used all of his will to reach the control panel. The hum of swords prominently pierced his ears but suddenly, he felt the pulsing heat surrounding him retract.

       The force-field was down.

       Leia

       Leia shot a fierce glare at Han. "Now is not the time to make smart comments!" she growled as she struggled to help him hold up the lomg metal pipe. The pole whined under the weight like a dying animal that screeched for mercy until it gave out and the walls continued to close in. Leia desperately leaned against the wall and screamed, "Dad! Luke!" But her calls only echoed against the chrome walls.

       Han shook her by her shoulders, "Leia! Leia, it's no use!" he criticized in frustration. Leia closed her eyes and breathed in the rotting smell of garbage. "Someone... please help..." she whispered as Han searched the walls of the chute for an escape. The walls only grew nearer to each other so that Han and Leia were side by side, pressed between the metal.

       The room was no more than a narrow passage yet it grew only more narrow. Leia shut her eyes tight and winced, "Help!"

        Then the crushing metal clanged to a halt.

         The walls separated and Leia let out a breath that she forgot she was holding. "We're safe..." Han muttered in surprised relief. Before Leia could speak, a hatch squeaked open with a cry through thick rust. A familiar face appeared, Master Obi-wan, "That was close..." he sighed with a laugh.

       Han looked to Leia for explanation, "Who's the fossil?"

       Padme

      The strike team was simple and small; Padme, Mace, Maya, and two droids.

      Padme took the first transport with Maya while Master Windu followed with R2 and C-3PO. Out of habit, Padme did the young girl's hair just as she did with her own daughter.

       "How old are you?" she asked. Maya fingered her bandages, "Thirteen."

       Padme smiled as she braided her long black hair into neat braids. "Not much older than my son and daughter. You must be very brave to be fighting in this war," she noted with admiration. Maya turned to look at her, "I'm not much younger than you were when you became Queen of Naboo, and led your people in the fight against the Trade Federation," she replied with equal praise. Padme chuckled, slightly embarrassed, "How did you know about that? That was long before you were born." Maya fidgeted as Padme pinned her hair into two buns on the sides of her head, "Everyone knows about you. You were one of the most courageous leaders during the Clone Wars, Master Windu said it himself."

       Padme raised her eyebrows, "Is that so?" she asked. Maya nodded, "He tells me all about fighting beside you, and your husband of course," the girl adding with a trail of hesitation. Padme felt weird hearing someone mention Anakin as her husband. During the Clone Wars, their marriage had been so hidden.

       "You know, I think you and my daughter would be great friends," Padme finally mentioned with a smile. Although she said it with a smile, Padme's hesrt ached with the thought of her daughter in danger. Maya looked up at her and saw the slight pain.

      She held her hand and smiled, "I can't wait to meet her."

      Anakin

      The fight had begun immediately after Anakin insulted the Sith and Midas let his rage get the best of him. Anakin knew he was strong enough to hold out the duel but he remembered the visions, Qui-gon's prophecy, and the picture of the Destined Warriors.

       He knew this was not his battle, but his children's. One day they would have to defeat this Sith and redeem the galaxy once and for all. He was the Chosen One. He was chosen the train the Warriors.

       He just had to get them out of this base alive,

       "You are trying to change fate, Rett. You fear my children and you know what they are capable of," Anakin taunted as he blocked the Sith's blows easily. This young Sith was not as skilled with his lightsaber but Anakin sensed a greater power within the dark man. This Sith's weapon was not his crimson blade but his manipulation. That was why he wanted to turn Luke and Leia to the Dark Side.

       "You're faith in your children is misplaced Skywalker. One day they will see you for the man you are and then they will join me!" Rett cackled. Anakin was caught off guard and forced back by a stream of perries from the Sith's lightsaber.

       So that was his leverage. Once again, Anakin was being haunted by what his past could have become. He had been so close to destroying the world around and Rett knew that. It was his deepest secret.

       Anakin fought back harder and his blue blade was a blur of light as he took over the dance. "You're threats are nothing to me!" he declared. Just as he was about to jabbed at Rett's arm, the Sith grinned widely, a smirk of pleasure on his face. "Of course, if you're wife knew of your plan to join the Sith all those years ago, what would she think of you?" he asked, knowing the power of his words over Anakin. For a second, Anakin saw an image of his wife's angelic face in his mind and before he knew it, Rett had him pinned on the ground with the firey red blade iches from his neck. His lightsaber skidded across the floor, retracting automatically.

       And then, out of the corner of his eye, Anakin saw a blue blade ignite and come sprinting toward them.

       Luke stood over his father and Rett backed away, still wearing a contorted smile. "Well well well, I must say, the boy has exceptional talent. A shame his father will never be able to see him blossom into such a fine student of mine... You don't realize when to give up boy..."

       Luke stood firmly, unaffected by the Sith's words. "Thanks for the offer but I don't think you'd want an apprentice like me," he said with a wink at his father, "I am a slow learner."

        Anakin couldn't help but chuckle.

       Like father like son...

      Posting off schedule because it's officially my half-birthday. :) Hope you all liked this chapter. I finally got past my writer's block so I might be posting more often. Well, it's time for me to take the PARCC assessments. In the words of like every Star Wars character, "I have a very bad feeling about this...