BEYOND THE STARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

CHAPTER 14: FOREVER

(Hellooooooooo, no warnings today just a lot of angst and feelings but what's new? Anyway the song above is Forever by the Beach Boys if you don't know it I'd suggest listening to it and getting yourself familiar with it because it will be very significant to the chapter! Also there will be a lot of flashbacks just a heads up and one of them will fill in a gap of time that wasn't shown in KENOBI: EXECUTE ORDER 66. So if you haven't read that yet go check it out! Ok I'll shut up now have fun and enjoy the chapter!)

~ The Thermal Oscillator ~

Darkness thrives in every crack and cavern of the gargantuan room. The very little light allows enough visibility to comfortably see, but just barely. Though it matters not, the only living resident in the room is sat in the middle of a long, slender bridge wide enough to barely walk across. It has no railings, no safety feature. The dark metal bridge runs across a large, bottomless pit. The black pool of a promised death seems to almost have tentacles that grip onto weary souls waiting to tug them down into its insatiable void. Her eyes are closed, and she sits cross-legged as she reaches out to the thriving darkness as it fills her head with evil whispers and old memories she'd long forgotten. A reminder to her of all that she'd once had, and of what she'd all lost.

Memory after memory whizzed through her mind until the darkness had completely restored it. Cal, the Jedi Order, their false teachings of peace, Anakin...

Stars, Anakin...

She'd been so young; she didn't understand what was happening.

~ 19 BBY ~

~ On the way to Mustafar ~

Anakin looked at the little girl that lay in his lap, her sleeping unpeaceful as her little auburn eyebrows twitched and furrowed. The newly-named Sith, for the first time since the death of Jedi Master Mace Windu, allowed his face to fall from its angry contortion.

He'd never wanted to use the force against her, never, she was his self-proclaimed niece. He loved her with all his heart. But she didn't give him a choice; she wouldn't listen. She was afraid, she didn't understand. He was protecting her! Obi-Wan would continue to teach her only the light side of the force, teach her to fear the Dark side. He would pass on the same old traditions that the traitorous Jedi had followed for hundreds of years. The Jedi were weak, they were arrogant. He would sit by and teach her those exact same principals. Not if he had anything to say about it. He would protect Reia from the ways of the Jedi if it was the last thing he'd do.

There was a lot going on in the temple, a lot of loud noises and deaths she'd surely been able to feel through the force. His little niece was always very attuned, always laying her tiny hand on his large one when he was troubled. It was as if she could sense his conflicted mind. Though she of course did not know what was troubling him, she knew he was troubled regardless. That small action had always given him peace, given him comfort. The simple fact that someone so young and so small was trying to comfort him while in distress, no matter how big or small, was sometimes all he needed to push forward.

The war would take a great toll on Anakin, he found his mind was often troubled with the things he'd been forced to do. But her little hand on his never once failed to calm his racing mind. He would never burden such a small child with his worries, no, those worries were his to bear. But her sweet little smile and that soft tiny hand had meant the world to him time and time again.

Perhaps if he tried again, tried to explain that he was protecting her then she would understand. If he could just get her to listen. The temple was loud and scary for someone so small. And as attuned to the force as she was, surely she was simply overstimulated. She was frightened. Right of course she was. She hadn't been afraid of him. She was just afraid in general. She would never be afraid of him. He was her Uncle Ani. He would give his life for her without a second thought if it'd ever come down to it. Force forbid she ever be put into a position where he'd have to do that.