Anakin and His Angel: What Should Have Been

Chapter 14 (0 BBY)

     Obi Wan and Han reached Luke's cell. Obi Wan easily killed the stormtroopers, pushed the door down, and surveyed his surroundings. It was a dark cell, the bars to the doors less than an inch apart, with no other light sources besides the hallway. Obi Wan touched his fingertips to the wall, and felt a wet squishing sound. They were  covered with moss and mildew, feeding off of years of germs and bacteria on the surface. The ceiling dripped constantly, water droplets forming small puddles on the floor. He wondered how they could have held a Jedi captive for all these years. Did they threaten to hurt people close Luke and Leia? Malnourish them? Torture them? They definitely didn't have their lightsabers; the Emperor wasn't so stupid as to allow prisoners weapons, especially Jedi.

    Han and Obi Wan entered the cell, and Obi Wan heard a deep groan. He lifted his foot and nudged the space in front of him. Another groan. “Luke? Is that you?”

    “How do you- I mean, I'm not telling you what my name is!” he groaned again.

    Han was irritated by the constant complaints and hostility, not knowing Luke's physical condition. “Listen, we're here to help you, and by the sound of it, you need our help, so let us give you what you need.”

     “What he means to say is: you're father, Anakin Skywalker, sent us here to help you, and we don't mean to harm you,” Obi Wan took off his helmet and crouched down next to Luke, placing a firm, yet gentle, hand on his shoulder.

    “What? My father sent you? I have to see him! Where is he?” Luke sat up, immediately forgetting is pain.

    “You may, but first there are a couple things we need to do. We need to know what happened to you, and where your sister is,” Obi Wan's calm, reassured voice tampered down Luke's excitement.

     Luke took a small moment to reply, “It was- I-” he sighed, “they tortured me, cut off my hand. The Emperor wanted to know where my parents were; I didn't give in. He said that if I ever tried to leave he would kill Leia….” he trailed off, “I'd do anything to help her,” Luke's voice echoed a yearning from the deepest corner of his heart. Just hearing it spoke volumes about his love for his sister. If Obi Wan had seen his face he probably would have had to look away out of burning sympathy for this mere boy, who had been cells away from his sister, and not seen her for 13 years. Almost there, but not quite.

     Obi Wan finally broke the agonized silence, “So, where's your sister?” He stood up and put his helmet on.

     “Well, her Force signature seems to be located down the hallway, take a left, then your second right, and then it should be the fifth cell on your right, number 3,624,” Luke pulled himself up slowly, forcing back a deep groan.

    Han turned to the opening, “let's get going already, before we're discovered.”

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   Anakin jabbed at Palpatine’s chest, but he was met with a simple and graceful parry. He jabbed again, this time at his side, and he was again blocked. Anakin clenched his teeth in frustration, growling. Palpatine caught his distraction and used it to his own advantage, slicing the side of Anakin's thigh. Anakin growled, his agony echoing through the dim cyan and crimson light, playing shadows across the walls and curtains.

    Anger welled up inside him, like the fire that had burned him years ago on the black glass sand. Palpatine had done this all to him! He had caused him this pain! He hated- no, he couldn't do this again. He wasn't going to hate. That wasn't what life was about, hate didn't get you anywhere-except hell, except the dark side. His life was about his love for Padmé, and his children. Anakin loved them, he loved them.  Anakin pushed the disgusting anger and hate away, and in less than a split second, he curved his lightsaber at the Emperor’s neck from the left.

     The Emperor took a desperate slash at Anakin's mask as he stumbled backwards, struggling to vacate the range of the lightsaber, and fell back into the black curtains, enveloped in their darkness

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    Padmé felt a jolt of chills go through her body, like crackling electricity. She sat up. Anakin was in danger, and she knew it sure as his love for her. She bolted down the ship and slipped through the chute without time for a second thought.

  She ran through the corridors, not caring who saw her, somehow knowing where to go. The world around her went in a blur, the troopers firing in her direction passed by like small starfighters, their laser bolts missing her every time. Padmé kept on running. She had to get to Anakin. She just had to.

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A/N sorry to leave you hanging! The next chapter should be out by the end of today! Thank you all for your support! :) <3