Secrets of the Force: A Star Wars Story

chapter 02: the calm before the storm

"he was fire, born of the sun, with all it's light and warmth, and fun,
she was ice, born of the sea, with all it's depth and mystery."

Night had fallen, and with it, silence.

Anakin spotted a solitary figure crouched on the edge of the balcony, perched like a sentinel.

It was still deeply unsettling how he couldn't feel Kara in the Force. As far as he could tell, without seeing her, she might as well have been invisible. No presence, no aura—nothing but the silence and the subtle, eerie way she moved, like a shadow that clung to the edges of the light. Always there, never making a sound.

He took a breath before stepping forward to join her.

Questions swirled in his mind, but he hesitated to voice them. He could almost predict how their exchange would end—sharp words, tension simmering under the surface. Instead, he leaned against the balustrade beside her, fingers tracing patterns across the cold metal, his eyes flicking toward the city far below. Padmé's apartment was perched high above the bustling sidewalks, with a drop so steep that it sent a slight chill through him.

Kara remained on the narrow ledge, balanced so effortlessly that it seemed unnatural. She stared out over Coruscant, her posture serene but coiled like a spring, ready to move at any moment. The winds stirred, shifting her dark cloak, and for a second, Anakin imagined a stray breeze could topple her over the edge. Yet, she remained completely unfazed.

"If you're still wondering why you can't feel me through the Force," her voice broke through the quiet, "I don't have an answer for you. But maybe that's for the best. I'd rather not have you feel me."

Her hazel eyes slid to meet his, and for a moment, they blazed with a fire that startled him. The neon lights of the city danced in them, casting a golden hue across her gaze. Anakin's lips twitched into a smirk.

"Afraid of what I might find out?" he taunted, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

Kara didn't immediately respond. Instead, she rose from her crouch with a fluidity that was equal parts mesmerizing and terrifying, like a predator uncurling itself to strike. Now standing tall on the railing, she tilted her head down to look at him. Anakin arched an eyebrow, daring her to make her next move.

Her gaze swept over him, slow and deliberate. It felt more like an inspection than a glance, as though she were dissecting him piece by piece. From the tips of his boots to the top of his head, she took in every detail. When her eyes paused briefly at the lightsaber clipped to his belt, his heart rate ticked up a notch.

Satisfied—or perhaps amused—Kara stepped down from the balustrade, landing gracefully on her feet without making a sound. She moved toward him with deliberate steps, each one soft yet purposeful, and for some inexplicable reason, Anakin's breath hitched.

He couldn't sense her. Not her emotions, her intentions, nothing. It was like standing next to a void. And for the first time in a long time, he felt... unprepared. His hand twitched by his side, ready to move for his lightsaber. Kara could have pulled out a dagger and ended him before he even had a chance to react.

But it wasn't her movements that unsettled him—it was her next words.

"You hardly seem like someone I need to worry about."

Anakin stiffened, her voice a blow sharper than any blade. For a moment, he forgot how to respond, caught off guard by the casual dismissal in her tone. It gnawed at him, how easily she brushed him aside.

"If you're so unconcerned," Anakin bit back, his frustration bubbling to the surface. His glare bore into her as he stepped closer, towering over her smaller frame. Yet, as always, Kara had a way of making him feel like the smaller one, her presence more imposing than it had any right to be. "What are you really doing here? I doubt it's out of concern for your sister—"