Star Wars Episode IIIAU: Sith Rising (Star Wars AU Series #1)

In Memoriam

Anakin's POV

"Is he alright?" I heard Bail Organa ask.

"Yes, although he was slammed into the wall numerous times. There has been no lasting harm done." A medical droid informed.

"Hey, Anakin. I believe this is your lightsaber. Obi Wan gave it to me when he dropped you off here." Organa said.

As I opened my eyes, the turquoise walls adorned with abstract paintings came into focus. For the first time in 2 months, I felt relieved. Organa was standing by my bedside.

"Hey, take it easy, Anakin! Palpatine slammed you against the wall countless times during your duel. Even if you made it out alive, you still got a bunch of bruises." He said as he helped me sit up in bed.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"We're at my house. Do you remember what happened on Mustafar?" Organa proceeded to sit on the bed.

"Y-Yeah...I remember killing Palpatine and his band of idiots..." I started. "How's Obi Wan?"

"He's okay, he's been preparing for the memorial ceremony, which takes place at noon today."

"What about Ahsoka and the others?"

"Ahsoka's in good shape, although she's a little traumatized about her duel with Kihara. Turns out the two of them were friends. Padme is at her parents' house, resting. Her time in the death camps was an ordeal for her. They're watching over the kids, too. Would you like some coffee?" Organa handed me a steaming mug of coffee.

"Yeah, thanks." I took the mug from his hand.

"Lux and Rex are okay. They're preparing for the memorial ceremony. Clay, however, wasn't lucky. His ship was blown up by the Imperials." Organa continued. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Clay. He was fiercely loyal to the Republic.

"And Will?" I saw Organa look down for a minute.

"...Anakin, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Will...kicked the bucket."

"He...did?"

"Unfortunately. He was killed by a bomb, along with Luminara Unduli, Barriss Offee, and some others." Organa admitted. I took a minute to pay my respects to those who fell during the Battle of Mustafar. Master Luminara and I got along pretty well. I still remember that time Obi Wan and I rescued her from the Geonosian queen.

Despite the amount of hostility I had for Barriss, I couldn't help but feel sad about her death. Sure, she bombed the Jedi Temple and blamed Ahsoka for it, but she wasn't the Sith apprentice we were looking for. Then, tears came to my eyes as I thought about Will. William Neisee, one of my best friends in the whole galaxy...gone. Sure, when we first met, we wanted to kill each other, but after I learned about his tragic past, I couldn't help but sympathize with him. Since then, we've been there for each other...until last night. Thoughts of Will, along with horrors I have seen in the last two months...the deaths of families, the fall of the Jedi Order...it was too much for me to take. I buried my face into Organa's shoulder and cried.

"I know, Anakin. It's always sad when someone close to you dies...but death is a natural part of life. Someday, you'll go, too, and you will see him again." Organa rubbed my back.

"You believe there's an afterlife?"

"Oh, yes. Some Jedi can come back as Force ghosts and communicate with the living world. But I'm not so sure about non-Jedi."

"He needs resting." The medical droid informed.

"Okay, but we won't be needing your services anymore. Good day." Organa issued for the droid to leave. "And Anakin, we should be making our way to Coruscant. The memorial ceremony should be taking place soon."