The Edge of the Universe

XXIV

Anakin's POV

I stood in the middle of the large, ruined, dusty, slightly dark building facing Dooku with my lightsaber in my hand. Plo Koon was almost out the door now which was a relief.

"Skywalker, I hardly recognised you. I guess grief does change people," Dooku sneered.

"You were lucky I didn't finish you off in Kamino," I growled.

"We're even now, I could have finished you off on Geonosis when I cut off your arm, and you could've finished me off on Kamino after you cut off my hands," Dooku replied, "Which was a bad move on your part because now I have a much more powerful weapon to use force lightning since I can't do it with my prosthetic hands," 

I ignited my dark blue lightsaber blade and Dooku pressed a button, a jet of purple and dark blue force lightning shot towards me from the top of the wall behind Dooku. I brought my lightsaber up as the force lightning hit the blue blade, I slid back a bit as I held the lightning at bay. My lightsaber was shaking in my hand and vibrating from the harsh impact of the force lightning, it was by far the most powerful force lightning I've had to deflect. My lightsaber absorbed the force lightning until it finally stopped, Count Dooku lunged at me and I just managed to block his blow by twisting my arm around. 

I pushed his lightsaber away and went on the offensive moving faster constantly twirling my lightsaber and striking his so often that in the centre it was just a blur of purple and white. We locked our blades in a lightsaber hold and he was drawing on the force to push my blade towards me.

"I can sense all your hate and anger, but it just builds up in you because you don't use it," Dooku spat. 

I pushed him away and took the offensive again releasing everything and with each blow and strike, I was pushing him back. We got in a short hold and when our lightsabers hit force lightning shot out of mine and hit the wall, I pushed him back again and jumped at him again connecting our blades, I continued to push him towards the back wall and every time our blades hit force lightning would shoot out of my blade and run down his zapping his prosthetic hands which made it hard for him to continue to fight me. I could tell he was panicking now and he ordered the bounty hunters to shoot, I backflipped away from Dooku and blocked the gunfire that came towards me while holding Dooku back. Dooku swung his lightsaber at me with one hand and I ducked to avoid the blade but his other hand grabbed my lightsaber, he swung his red lightsaber down and I had no choice but to let go of my lightsaber. I rolled away and Dooku told the Bounty Hunter's to stop firing, I got back to my feet and Dooku held my lightsaber out to a bounty hunter. Obi-wan/Hardeen took it but didn't ignite it, I drew on the force letting it surround me and I was prepared for anything Dooku was preparing to throw at me.

"I've been looking forward to this," Dooku grinned.

He pressed the button and the jet of force lightning came towards me, I used the force and sent it towards the force lightning in attempt to stop it. I closed my eyes waiting for the impact but it never came, I opened my eyes and a transparent, blue-tinged shield was absorbing the force lightning and the force lightning was turning into a ball after the shield absorbed it. I didn't even know what I was doing but Dooku was just as surprised about it as I was, the force lightning stopped coming and the shield disappeared but I was still holding the ball fo force lightning together, I used the force to push the ball of force lightning away. It crashed into the ground and waves of force lightning went flying towards Dooku, he deflected it with his lightsaber and it went up into the ceiling. The roof began to cave in and the bounty hunter dove for cover, I ran and tried to leap out of the way as dust and rocks crashed down. I covered my head and used the force to stop some of the bigger pieces from crashing down on me, medium-sized pieces rained down on me but after everything had stilled I slowly got up and moved out of the way. I let the big pieces crash to the ground sending a wave of dust and dirt towards me, I coughed and looked around, I spotted my lightsaber on the ground and Obi-wan/Hardeen was stirring. I grabbed my lightsaber and ran out of the abandoned building and towards the ship which was ready to leave. I jumped on board and sat in the pilot seat, I closed the doors of the ship and brought the ship up into the air. Plo Koon was sitting in the co-pilot seat and making sure everything was running smoothly, we left the planet and it wasn't until we were about to go into hyperspace when I remembered the Holocron. 

"I forgot the Holocron!" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Skywalker, Dooku left me in a cell with the Holocron in case I decided to open it. Well, a bounty hunter came in and I used a Jedi mind trick on him to create a replica of the Holocron while I took the real one," Plo Koon quickly explained revealing the Holocron.

I sighed in relief and brought the ship into hyperspace, I leant back in my seat and relaxed. Doing that weird force shield thing made me exhausted and my eyelids felt heavy but I stayed awake, Plo Koon had probably been through a lot more than me in these last 7 months. He had been with Ahsoka trying to defeat the Separatists and find out where they were for months and then he got captured a week ago.

"I thought Master Kenobi would be here as well," Plo Koon stated.

I froze, I didn't know what to say or do. Obi-wan was alive but obviously no one knew that besides me, Windu and Yoda. I really didn't want to lie to the Jedi Master but I didn't have any other choice right now.

"Master Kenobi is dead," I said slowly sighing.

Plo Koon looked at me sharply and I made sure my face showed no hint of emotion.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. H-How did it happen?" he asked.

I paused, I really didn't want to tell him but Obi-wan and Plo Koon were friends and I knew Plo Koon would find it weird if I didn't tell him.

"He was shot by Rako Hardeen around 6 months ago, he died on sight," 

I couldn't keep some of the anger out of my voice, I still remembered how gutted I was and reckless when Obi-wan had died. I couldn't believe Obi-wan kept me in the dark and expected me to believe that he had died, he had used my trust to make his death more believable.

"I'm sorry for your loss, I know that you two were close, probably the best Master and Padawan duo I've ever seen. Even after your knighting you two worked amazingly together," Plo Koon commented. 

"Thank you, I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I know growing up Obi-wan would look up to you," I replied.

"There's no other way I would've wanted to find out then from his former Padawan," 

I nodded and swallowed the lump that had risen up in my throat. 

For the rest of the journey, Plo Koon slept, leaving me with my thoughts and I found myself thinking about Ahsoka, I knew I hurt Ahsoka when I argued with her before but I couldn't get close to her again because there was always the fear that I'd lose her again. I always brushed attachments aside and thought it wasn't a big deal, obviously I had married Padme but that was a different story. I didn't focus much on my attachments with Obi-wan and Ahsoka and then I had lost them both which fueled my anger and hatred. I didn't hate them but just hated the fact that they left, even though they both came back. 

When I was 20 I told Obi-wan I wasn't ready for a Padawan and I didn't want one but I found myself opening up to Ahsoka but in the end, it turns out I was right. I wasn't ready to be a Master and I had failed Ahsoka. So maybe that argument with her was a good thing, she would be assigned to a different Master, one with more experience and one that could properly teach her.