And Then There Were Two (A Star Wars Fanfic)

Chapter 7

"Master?" Arrai looked around for master Plo, but couldn't seem to find him anywhere. "Alright," she admitted defeat. "I give up."

"No!" Master Gi said. "You must find him. Reach out with the Force. Feel every living thing. Find your master."

This, of all things, was not one of Arrai's strongpoints. Finding someone or something via the Force was harder than it looked.

She took a deep breath, concentrating all her energy into finding her master. She needed to feel in tune to the Force. She struggled to gain that position. First, she had to choose which side of the Force she would use. Usually, to find someone more quickly, the Dark Side was called upon. And so she did that.

She suddenly opened her eyes and could feel them turn a dark yellow. She stretched her hand out slowly. Her brain began to connect with very living being. Everything. She could feel the living creatures far beneath her, the grass she stood on, Master Gi, and, there he was, Master Plo.

"I found you!" She called out. She shook her head violently, the way she always did to get rid of the evil color in her eyes.

Her master revealed himself from behind a large rock. "Very good, young one." He congratulated. "But your left eye is still flickering."

"Oops. I'll work on it." She once again thrashed her head around. "Is it gone?"

"Yes." He said. "Now, come. I have a test for you."

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"We're going where?" She asked for the millionth time.

"If I tell you again, will you final believe me?" He asked. She nodded. "Good, cause we're almost there." They exited the ship onto an interesting planet.

"Where are we, exactly?" She questioned.

"We're still on Nequek, just the other side if it. This place is very essential in your training." He walked out onto the dead grass as if he had been here many times over.

When Arrai got off, she could feel the sudden power in her. Her eyes went completely red. Her knees buckled from underneath her. "I don't think I like this place."

"You will, in time."

"What's happening to me?" She did not ask in fear, but in curiosity.

Master Plo cleared his throat before answering. "This side of Nequek is especially concerned with the Dark Side, as you have probably already noticed. That is why we use this planet. It is perfectly balanced between the Light and Dark sides. Here, every Dark Jedi must reach their full potential. They must draw on the power of the Dark Side, use it to feed them. Then, at their most powerful, they must return to the Light full of bursting energy. Then they can simultaneously draw on both sides. It is no easy task, but by completing it, you will successfully progress to the next stage of your training."

Arrai was writhing in pain. Her head was exploding. She began gasping for air and sweating very hard.

"No," her master said. "You must let it consume you. 'Let the monster free' is an old saying we have. You have to let go of everything and embrace the Dark Side. Stop fighting it."

She couldn't believe he was saying this. What was wrong with him? But surely, he wouldn't tell her to do something if it was not right. She decided to trust her master.

Her breathing slowed as she obeyed. She slowly stood up, fists clenched. The entire power of the Dark Side was at her disposal, begging to burst free. And she let it. All the energy was channeled into one great ripple in the Force. Her power was felt throughout the entire quadrant. Many of the Jedi at the Temple felt it, as well. It was the biggest rift ever to be created by anyone. And her power was limitless. She continued to let out her anger and fears and confusion on the world.

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It was not an unusual thing for a Force-sensitive being to simply collapse. Many did as the Force shook in one direction or another. Some would literally fall into visions. But there was always a reason a Jedi suddenly became unconscious.

Obi-Wan had sensed a massive shift, but his padawan had passed out. The master felt as if the source of this rift was the boy. But he didn't think that would be right. He felt so much dark energy swirl into the light, beginning to consume it. Every Jedi simultaneously grabbed their heads and fell to the ground, many coughing up blood. To not suffer this fate, Master Kenobi did something unthinkable. He briefly connected himself to the Dark Side. And that small attachment let him feed off the immense power. Then he fought the Darkness.

And as quickly as it came, it left. Obi-Wan detached himself from the Dark Side and latched back onto the Light.

"Anakin? Are you alright?" He called out.

No response.

"Anakin!" He instinctively checked for the padawan's pulse, which barely beat. This wasn't caused by the sudden convergence, this was by something else.

Droids came in to check on everyone. A medical droid was called soon after. Apparently, Anakin was the only one who'd not yet awoken.