Can You Love Me Again?

Chapter 3- The End Of The Beginning

  Former Jedi general Anakin Skywalker slouched in his seat, inside his personal fighter within hyperspace. The tears from his leaving was still fresh in his watery baby blues, he didn't bother wipe it away. Why hide the pain now? There is no one here to witness it. No matter how much he wished there was. 

  The long, hypnotizing period in lightspeed gave Anakin a chance to think and reflect. It was a horrible day of overbearing stillness, only the buzzing from the ship and quit hum of the engine to keep him company. A company he always found comforting but now filled him with dread. This really would be the only company he'd ever have again. 

  Every time he dared to shut his eyes the past would flare up once again. It was like a scar in his mind now. One that ran deep through his core. Especially if he was thinking of Padmé, Obi-Wan or the eyes of his children he'd never know. Anakin didn't know if it was the soothing lines of hyperspace or his growing apathy but he didn't have his family, so he no longer cared if he lived, or died on the unknown destination.

  Anakin occasionally wondered where he was headed to anyway. The chip attached to his lightsaber hilt only gave his the coordinates. The planets name and system was still a mystery to him. However if he had to guess in the context of his punishment, it'd be some kind of planet that the harsh conditions would eat away at his breaking soul. Where baking heat and lava flew and the sea was only the name of one of the five senses. No life there, no more green or blue, just red and black a place where the crippling depression could consume him but he'd never be strong enoug to fight it. 'Whats the point anymore?' he often asked himself. A place where he'd never die no matter how badly he begged for it. A place simply described as Hell. 

  When he finally pulled the lever to exit lightspeed however, he was surprised by the beauty of the celestial body orbiting before him. It was lovely actually. Anakin dropped a brow wondering what kind of sick joke this was, even looking over the chip to see if he calculated wrong. He was actually astonished when the coordinates were correct down the the hyphen. 

  Anakin leaned forward in his seat, finally sitting up somewhat straight for the first time the entire trip. It was the embodiment of beautician. He dropped his jaw a few inches in awe as he scanned the stunning planet. 

  Only from space, he could see lush green tectonic plates indicating forestry and nature. The sea was an electric pantone only a few shades darker than his own eyes. Ahch-To orbited before him. 

  Anakin looked down in sorrow. He did not deserve to be in the presence of such geographical beauty. He was going to punch in the coordinates for a more dingy planet, a planet that he deserved to suffer on. Like the molten Hell of Mustafar or the blistering heat and emptiness of Tatooine where his darkest and most crushing memories resided. A place that would teach him the most agonizing and grueling lesson ever to exist.  

  However he stopped himself because of a little nudge from the force. He ignored it and began to type in the demand into the navicomputer but the force shoved harder, so much so he nearly hit his head on the helm from the invisible momentum. 

  Anakin had no idea what that was about but the force must have its reasons, so he began the landing cycle onto his new surroundings. The ship descended as he landed fluidly. 

  Anakin shut the fighter down and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Once more, met with an awful image. His eyes shot open in frustration again, as he pushed the windshield top off and leapt out onto the soft, untouched grass, the spring in his step gone. It was abnormal that it was untouched but wasn't cut in years. 

  Anakin payed it little attention as his burgundy boots hit the ground. He scanned the vacant area to observe his new living area. However this wasn't home. Home was where the heart is and he had left his heart with Padmé.