Galaxy's Edge

Chapter 3

Anakin deftly caught Luke as the young boy collapsed, unconscious, and shot a glare at Obi-Wan. "Was that really necessary?" He snapped, scowling.

"Anakin, he's the son of a Sith lord! I was just trying to prevent any unnecessary violence. Has he given you any reason to trust him so far?" Obi-Wan replied, unperturbed by the unconscious body between them.

Anakin huffed before replying. "No, he hasn't," he answered shortly, because it was the truth. But... there was something about that boy that he couldn't quite pin down. It felt as if the Force itself had brought them together. Anakin didn't mention this to Obi-Wan, though.

Luke was lighter than he expected as Anakin carried him up the loading ramp of their shuttle. He seemed younger asleep as well. The lines in his face softened out, and he looked less tense. That was something Anakin had noticed about the boy through their brief encounters. He was contemplative, always lost in deep thought, and it made him look older than he really was.

Now that he'd been presented with a chance to study Luke's face, Anakin recognized a sort of... softness to it that he couldn't quite place.

Oh well. It didn't matter. They'd bring him to the Council, just as Obi-Wan wanted, and then they'd be reassigned and would likely never see Luke again. That was the way these things always worked.

Anakin set Luke down on an empty bunk for the duration of the journey before finding one for himself. He was looking forward to getting some rest. It had been a relatively sleepless night the evening prior, what with the nightmare of his mother and interrogating the Father, and then there was the display of power he'd put on not long ago. It had been a long, strange day. It wasn't long after he'd laid his head to rest that sleep overcame him.

In his dream, Anakin found himself wandering the dark halls of an unfamiliar space station. Men in armor filed past him. He thought for a moment that they were clones, but the helmets were different, and their voices were not like that of the clones he was so used to. Who were these soldiers, exactly? As he continued to explore the space station, a whole squad of troopers walked right through him, and it was then that he knew he was dreaming.

It wasn't often that he dreamt, and when Anakin did, it usually spelled trouble for him, his loved ones, or both. So, what did this dream mean? Was it a vision of a past long gone, or a warning of something that was to come? All Anakin could do now was keep going and see what the dream had to offer.

A cold feeling washed over him, and in that moment Anakin knew that he was on the right path. He felt called to follow it by the Force, and so he carefully tried to reach out and see where he needed to go. He could not help but sense the dark side clinging to the station, practically choking it.

Anakin stumbled suddenly when he felt the dark side reaching back, calling him.

He hastily caught himself, leaning on the wall for support as he attempted to catch his breath. The onslaught had caught him unawares, and it had been powerful, more powerful than any pull Anakin had ever experienced before. Why had the dark side called him so? What did it want? Anakin wasn't sure he wanted those questions answered. He took another moment to steady himself before slowly standing up and resuming his trek.

Not going to let himself be surprised like that again, Anakin immersed himself in the Force. He let it surround him, shelter him. He breathed it in, exhaled, and repeated the exercise. He wasn't often able to achieve this sense of peace, but he could tell that the Force was assisting him, just this once. Now, with his senses open, Anakin could truly see the path the Force wanted him to take. He let it lead him, unconscious of the steps he made.