What Could Have Been Part 2: Anakin's Trials

Into the Darkness

Luke

Luke wasn't sure what they were, but there were a lot of them.

"Stay behind me Mom. I've got this!" he cautioned. But to his surprise, the hum of his lightsaber was drowned out by the scream of another as it ignited. What?

Luke turned to see his mother in a ready stance with an electric blue saber held high. Despite the situation, he stared in shock as his mother dropped her robe to reveal a chocolate brown skirt and tunic. She was ready to fight.

She smiled at him proudly. "Don't act so surprised Luke. I've been married to a Jedi for thirteen years," she reminded as the tribe of creatures closed in.

The menacing savages hissed and snarled more savagely the closer they got. Luke knew it was now or never so he shook the astonished look from his face and took stance.

Luke had to admit, his mom fought good. For a mom. "Watch the one coming from your blind side!" she warned as she drove her lightsaber into a beast. "So your a Jedi?" he asked while he took her advice and slashed the one coming from behind him.

Padme laughed and kicked back a creature before removing its arm as well. "Not exactly. Your father wanted me to know how to defend myself so he gave me a lightsaber for our fifth anniversary," she explained with amusement. Luke turned abruptly toward her, "Wait. You got a lightsaber before I did?" he asked. His mother yelled for him to duck and as soon as he did, she beheaded the approaching attacker coming his way. "Is it really so bad that your mother shares the same hobby you do?" she asked slightly offended. Luke spun around and slashed into two beasts. "Well no, it's actually pretty cool. And what are these things anyways?"

Padme

"They're called Stryds!" she shouted over the battle cries erupting from them. Padme never thought she would have to use the skills her husband had taught her but there she was; battling with her baby boy.

The howls of the Stryds gradually became louder and louder as more and more clustered around them. "Artoo!" she yelled desperately. One of her opponent's clubs struck her shoulder and she winced in pain. A soft whistle came from the little droid but Padme couldn't see him over the sea of Stryds. "Artoo, how far is Obi-wan from our coordinates?"

Luke stood back to back with her as he fought off a trio of creatures. "Mom, there's too many if them. We need Master Obi-wan!" Padme shifted her footing and clashed her sapphire blade into the abdomen on another Stryd. "Hang on!" she cried.

"M'lady! Oh dear!" shrieked C-3PO, waving his hands over the tribe. "Artoo says the Master Kenobi should be landing in approximately six point five minutes!" Padme sighed as she tore a club from one of the Stryd's grip. As she stabbed through the now unarmed beast, she hurled the club into another. Six and a half minutes. They could make it.

She began counting down. Six minutes and twenty-seven seconds. She swung her lightsaber around and crashed it into another two Stryds. Six minutes and ten seconds. As Padme turned to cut into more of them, she heard the protocol droid's voice once more. "M'lady!" he wailed in horror. She didn't wonder what had happened to the poor droid very long because a few seconds later, a golden arm, heavy with tarnish, landed by her feet. Padme barely had time to smile before one of her attackers dove onto her shoudler before she shoved her sword into it and it fell limp to the ground. Five minutes and fifty-four seconds.

They kept coming. Five minutes and fourty-nine seconds. And coming. Five minutes and fourty-two seconds. Padme clenched her teeth to center her focus on the engaging Stryds. Two of them struck at once and she couldn't dodge them both. A heavy club came down on her upper arm and she gritted her molars all the harder. Five minutes and twenty-one seconds. Could they really last that long?

Luke grunted with each swing. His power diminishing. Padme became out of breath as the Stryds swallowed them in a pool of chaos. Three minutes and eighteen seconds... Or was it four minutes? Padme lost count.

In the corner of her eye, Padme saw a surge of electricity flash through a group of the monstrous beings. They collapsed onto eachother and R2-D2 rolled up, whistling with victorious laughter. But the Stryds filled in the space left by their fallen warriors and R2 was trampled until he tipped over. "See-threepio! How much more time?" Padme called fiercely. The one armed droid was nowhere in sight but his voice was audible through the screeches of attack. "If my calculations are correct, accounting for-" Padme tore through her foes with rage. "How much more time?" She repeated. "Two minutes and forty-seven seconds! Oh dear, where has my arm fallen?" he cried in distress.

Suddenly, Padme felt another collision of wood onto her shoulder and she crumbled to the ground. As she attempted to recover, more strikes fell onto her. One clashed into her forehead and rattled her skull. Luke spun around and fought off the Styrds over her. "Mom!" he pleaded. Padme sprung to her feet and dug them into the dirt in search of traction. One minute left!

Feeling the blood trickle from her forehead, she fought all the harder. Ever so faintly, the distant roar of a ship, maybe a skiff, became present. As the sound consumed that of the Stryds, the tribe thinned, dispersed, and finally vanished, leaving only a massacre of bodies in the wake of the battle. The others retreated in fear and Padme was thankful for the skiff that slowly landed with a cloud of dust building around it. Obi-wan didn't wait for a complete stop to Force jump off and run toward them. Fatigue overcame Padme and she felt her legs beg for sympathy. Too tired to care, Padme let her body fall to the ground. The last thing she saw was Obi-wan's cocerned face hovering over her as he shouted something her ears didn't process. If they had heard it, Padme wouldn't have blacked out when Obi-wan yelled something about Luke not breathing...

Anakin
An echo pierced his ears like knives into his head.

Mom, there's too many of them! Where's Master Obi-wan?
"Luke!" he said under his breath. Anakin stopped in his tracks. He was deep in the forest of Felucia and the gnarled trees and plants seemed to spin rapidly around him. Something in his stomach twisted into a knot. His son was in danger. He felt it.

Hold on!
He heard Padme's voice beg. His heart dropped like a stone into a well. "Padme, no!" he shouted weakly. His voice was strained and pathetic in the immense wild, just like his confidence. His whole family was in danger. His children. His wife.

Anakin told himself it was the Darkness of whatever he had sensed earlier but he didn't even trust himself anymore. As the screams and cries of his family in pain pounded into his mind like gunfire, he stumbled against a tree. The blood rushed into his head, throbbing against his brain. He was failing. It was all his fault.

Anakin broke down to his knees in agony. He clamped his hands over his ears, trying to block out the suffuring of his loved ones. He heard another voice enter his mind and the sweat on his forehead froze like ice.

"Luke! Can you hear me? Mace, he's not breathing!
"Nooooooooo!" Anakin shouted into the echoes of the darkness. He bent over with tears falling down his face.

"I've failed them. I've failed everyone..."