What Could Have Been Part 2: Anakin's Trials

The Lost Padawan

     Luke

     The Alliance Base faded into the background of the forest as a camouflage forcefield covered the area around it. The Alliance played it safe apparently. That meant something else on Felucia posed a threat to them. And thats what we're looking for. Luke thought gravely.

      "We're picking up small radio waves from the North. We'll head there first," Obi-wan informed him. Luke didn't look up. He sat near the edge of the skiff while trees zipped by. Thinking. Obi-wan noticed his distant stare and sat down by him. "I'm sure your father as well as your sister are okay. If I know your father-" he added. Luke looked up, "Master Kenobi, that's the problem. You know my father. Master Windu knows my father. Everyone knows my father except for Leia and I. If I can't know about his past, then how am I supposed to trust him?" Obi-wan ran his fingers through his grey-copper beard, "Luke, I wish I could give you an answer for that," he paused, standing up, "but it might be easier to show you." A twinkle in the old master's eyes only made Luke more curious. He followed Obi-wan over to the far end of the land skiff. He bent down and Force lifted the hatch of a secret cargo hold. "Wizard," Luke said under his breath. Master Kenobi smiled and pulled out a metal chest big enough to sit on. Luke watched him open the top and carefully pull out a small cube. It looked like a box, decorated with symbolic designs. One of them, Luke noted was the crest of the Jedi. "A holocron! I've never seen one in person!" he gasped.

      Obi-wan closed the lid and placed the cube on the ground. He stood back and closed his eyes. Luke studied with wide eyes as Obi-wan Force twisted the corners of the holocron, releasing blue light. "So wizard..." he whispered in amazement.

      The light exploded around them, forming a dome of energy. Blue figures came to life around Luke as he watched. Two figures stood with ignited lightsabers as they fended off battle droids. One was a young orange-skinned alien holding two green swords. The other was no doubt, Anakin Skywalker.

      "Who's that girl?" Luke asked, pointing to her as she Force pushed droids across the skiff. The girl's eyes were a milky blue and held something inside of them that Luke sensed had once lived in his father's eyes as well; fearlessness. Obi-wan seemed transported back to the past as he answered, "That, is Ahsoka Tano. She was your father's Padawan during the Clone Wars. They were the perfect team..."

     Luke grimaced.  The thought of someone else besides him and Leia as their father's apprentice made him see red. "Perfect team?" he asked, jealousy dripping from his voice. Obi-wan sighed, "That was... until she left the Order." Luke brightened, "Left?"

     Master Kenobi toyed with the holocron until the dancing image of Anakin and his Padawan retreated. "Yes, she left. There was an incident. She was falsely accused of a crime and expelled from the Jedi Order. We offered to reinstate her but... she had lost faith in the Order..." he added remorsefully. Luke frowned, "Didn't my father try to stop her?" he asked, suddenly guilty that he had been glad of the orange girl's departure moments ago. Obi-wan retrieved the holocron and replaced it back into the metal container. "Of course he did. He was the only one of us who had never lost faith in her. But I feel she may have even lost faith in him." Luke slumped his shoulders, "He must have been pretty upset." The aged master shook his head in agreement, "He never forgave himself. No one could replace Ahsoka," he said thoughtfully. Luke bit his lip though he knew Obi-wan did not mean to make him feel bad. Ahsoka must have meant a lot to him too.

     "That's why my father is afraid to expose Leia and I to all of this," Luke said slowly, "The world. The Alliance. The Dark Side. He's afraid to let someone else down." Obi-wan set a hand on his shoulder, "Your father wasn't the same after Ahsoke left. I thought he was himself again once you and your sister were born, but he'll never truely get over what happened," he noted softly. Luke sat still as the skiff tore across tree tops. "What happened to her?" he asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

      "We don't know," Master Kenobi replied with an unsatisfied breath.

     Luke looked out over the skiff. Everything felt chilled, like it was covered in ice. They were nearing a dark presence but for the first time, Luke saw things very clearly.

   

    Leia

     Blast came for a visit. Leia wished she still had her lightsaber with her.

     "I feel real bad about all this Leia! I didn't know you were, well, a Jedi-chick," he apologized. Leia wouldn't even look at him. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Cause it's not working!"

      Blast stepped closer, close enough to Force choke...

       "Why are you blaming me for this?" he asked with regret in his voice. Leia finally spun her head around, allowing her long braid to whip against her cheek, "Because I thought I could trust you Blast!" she rose to her feet with narrow eyes, "Even if you were a clone... maybe you could have been different," she said softly. Blast sniffed angrily, "Well I'm not different. I'm a soldier," he answered with steel coated words. Leia stared at her feet, trying to find a snippy comeback. It never came. "I thought you liked me..."

      Turning around to leave, Blast looked back over his shoulder, "Sorry, that's not in my programming."