Star Wars One-Shots

Anakin's Dream

It had been a full-on day for Anakin Skywalker.

Even with Kenobi by his side, it had been difficult to hold off the hordes of Separatist droids that had been attacking them that day. They were intent on capturing him and turning him over to their superiors, which didn't surprise Anakin at all. He was easily one of the Order's most powerful warriors, and the "Chosen One." Kenobi had praised him for his abilities several times, and admitted that he was beginning to overtake him, both physically and in the Force. It made Anakin proud to hear that.

But no amount of power, or athleticism, could have prepared Anakin for the onslaught that had attacked them earlier. Several times he and Kenobi had had to take cover and escape the action to recover their energy, and he had also, on occasion, tapped into the dark side to draw on more strength. He was strong, but not invulnerable. Today had very much proved that.

He was very tired. It wasn't that late, but he had already said goodnight to Kenobi and Ahsoka. He put his sleepwear on, and got into bed.

All of a sudden, Anakin opened his eyes and saw that he was in a forest. But not just any forest. It was a creepy place. Any trees he saw were dead. The ground was barren, and cracked in places. It was dark, cold and there were no good places to take cover. Anakin felt uneasy and shivered, whether due to the cold or his ever-growing fear, he couldn't tell. Probably a mixture of both. Either way, he was lost and needed to find a way out of this place. He called on the Force to help him, but it yielded nothing.

Then he heard it.

The sound which would haunt him forever.

It sounded like someone who was possessed by a demon breathing through a ventilator, in the absolute worst way possible.

He felt his instincts kick in and activated his weapon.

Yet, Anakin felt strangely drawn to the sound. For some reason, he felt something in the Force, even though he'd never heard the sound before in his life and never wanted to hear it again. He slowly walked towards the sound, clenching his weapon tightly in his prosthetic hand.

As he continued to walk forward, he kept debating if he was doing the right thing; the Force was telling him danger was close by, and he believed it. However, he wasn't one to run from danger under any circumstances. After all, he had been given the "Hero with no fear" moniker. It was time to show why he'd been given the moniker and confront whoever this was.

Then he saw them.

A tall, menacing figure dressed all in black, who looked to be wearing a suit. On their belt was a lightsaber. When Anakin looked more closely he noticed that the lightsaber hilt slightly resembled his own. It struck him as odd at first, but he quickly dismissed it as insignificant. What did it matter? Many lightsaber hilts resembled each other. It was nothing new.

As he was looking at the lightsaber, the figure in the suit picked it up and activated it. It glowed red, and Anakin's suspicions were proven correct. This was a Sith lord. And a dangerous one at that. But Anakin couldn't help noticing that the way they were holding their lightsabers was almost identical. This began to unnerve him, and he felt his battle instincts kicking in again.

As he was about to say something, he paused. The figure seemed oddly familiar. As if he'd seen them before. Except he couldn't remember when. The thought disturbed him greatly, and any courage he had left vanished in that instant, leaving him feeling lonely and scared.

"There's something... wrong about you," Anakin said, warily. This Sith was more dangerous than any adversary he had faced before and he could sense it. Taking on Dooku was a cakewalk in comparison.

The suited figure breathed a few times, then looked at him more closely. Anakin couldn't see their eyes behind the mask but he could sense that they were scanning him. They did this for some time, but he got no verbal response.

As they stood looking at each other, the feeling of familiarity strengthened. It frightened Anakin, because he'd certainly never made the acquaintance of this creature. But the Force didn't lie.

"I... I... I know you somehow," Anakin said slowly, staring into the mask of the suited figure.

They started slowly walking towards him, but still said nothing back. The complete lack of verbal response from the figure was creeping Anakin out.

"You... you-" Anakin suddenly, horrifyingly, found himself unable to speak in fear. This suited figure scared him more than anything else, ever.

The figure then stopped walking, held out their hand, and said in a slow, deep, modulated voice, "You do not realize what you will become."

Anakin desperately wanted to sever their hand with his weapon, but found himself unable to do it. Instead he took their hand in his, and images flashed through his mind.

Padme, being choked. Kenobi, being hit by a barrage of rocks. A boy's hand, severed by a red blade. Younglings being slaughtered. The mask of the figure, with his face in it.

Anakin yanked free of their grip and stumbled backwards, clutching his weapon.

"You cannot resist," said the figure confidently.

Anakin couldn't believe what he had seen. He was going to do all those terrible things? Why would he ever do so? He would never dream of harming Kenobi. Anakin took a step back.

"I will not give in to you. EVER!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the forest.

All of a sudden it felt as if he was being strangled. He turned his head to see the suited figure choking him with the force.

"It is your destiny," they said calmly, letting him go. They promptly started walking forwards.

Anakin looked around, trying to find an escape route. But it proved hopeless. There was nowhere to run to. He had nowhere to hide. He had to face - himself. He raised his lightsaber into a defensive pose, keeping his left hand down by his side. The figure - him - continued their advance.

"This is some... Sith... trick. It HAS TO BE!" he shouted.

At that moment their lightsaber connected with his block and he cried out in effort. Even Savage Opress didn't strike this hard. He quickly started walking back in retreat.

He only managed to hold his own for what felt like seconds before a powerful sideways blow disarmed him, his weapon flying out of his grasp. He tried to force-push the figure back, but it didn't affect them as much as he hoped it would, and he felt himself being choked again. He tried to break free, and to his horror, realized that he could not.

"Only one fate awaits you. You cannot stop me," said the figure.