Echoes of a Future Lost

Chapter 1 - Memories Lost

Author's Note: I've always wanted to do something with Anakin and Obi-Wan when Anakin is still a padawan, but when there's no canon content from that time, it's hard to come up with a worthwhile plot to write. And I've always been obsessed with amnesia AUs, so this insanity was born. XD 

Also, this is a gift for lore_reyen on ao3, and this is for the SW Father-Son Appreciation Gift Exchange. :)

This fic is four chapters. The second chapter will be posted on Sunday, and then, the next two on each Sunday after that. ^-^

~ Tirana Sorki

The first thing Anakin notices when he slowly fades back into consciousness is that everything feels wrong. His eyes blink open, and he finds himself staring up at the ceiling of... somewhere. He doesn't know where he is, and he doesn't even remember coming here in the first place! Last he knew, he was training at the Temple with his master, so where in the world is he now?! And how did he get here?

His body feels weird, wrong, and he aches like he's been fighting for hours. And... for some reason his right arm feels almost numb.

The Force feels strangely dark and out of balance in a way he's never felt it before in his life, but maybe it's because of the planet they're on? He doesn't know but it scares him, because he's never felt this much death in the air before.

And he doesn't even know what's going on!

Slowly, Anakin pushes himself into a sitting position, abruptly struck by the realization he seems... taller. Maybe. Unless he's still dizzy from whatever knocked him unconscious in the first place.

And the next thing he realizes is that for some reason, there are dead bodies all over the floor in here, along with a few parts of destroyed droids. On the opposite side of the room, Obi-Wan – wait, why does he look so much older? – is starting to stir. He has no idea what's going on here, but he can't remember what mission the two of them were on. He knows things like memory loss can happen temporarily from a head injury, so maybe that has something to do with it?

Force, he hates this. Reaching down, Anakin picks up his lightsaber, only to realize that it's... not his? Well, the crystal inside feels like his, but it doesn't look like the one he had at all. What is going on here?

That's when Anakin notices that he can't feel in his hand. He can sense pressure but it's not the same. And why does he have a glove on it? Wariness suddenly pooling inside him, he reaches down, slipping the glove off, jerking back at the sight of the gold metal beneath it.

His hand is metal. Why is his hand metal?! How did this happen? When did this happen? Yes, he definitely missed a lot.

But Obi-Wan is here, so at least he will know what's happening.

Anakin slowly makes his way across the room over to him, wondering why his body feels so weird and... just not his size. It sounds so ludicrous to even think.

"Master?" Anakin asks, shaking his shoulder.

Obi-Wan opens his eyes, which promptly go wide. "Anakin – what?!" He jolts upright, looking about as mind-blown and half-panicked as Anakin is feeling right now. "What happened to you?!"

"... what do you mean?"

"You – you look like an adult! Where are we?!"

"I don't know! And you look strange too," Anakin protests.

"What do you mean?" he frowns.

"Older?" Anakin offers. Great, do they both have some serious brain damage here? "I don't know what's going on. The last I remember, we were at the Temple."