The Tragic Jedi | Anakin Skywalker

𝓢𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓮 𝟑𝟎

Astrid's mouth dropped open at the sheer amount of ships housed within the mountain.

Sariah laughed at her expression and said, "Pick the starship you need. They are all available for you to use." 

Astrid walked forward into the room, and chose a medium sized starship in the close left corner of the room. "This ship should work," Astrid told Sariah, walking up to it and running a hand along its metal flank. 

Sariah nodded and said, "Then she is yours. Do you need anything else?" 

Astrid shook her head and turned back to the Grey Jedi. "No, that's all." She paused before asking, "What were you doing last night when I ran into you?" 

Sariah smiled slightly as she replied, "I was on scouting duty. I wasn't sure if you were Jedi, Sith, or neither, and I wanted to know if you were a threat to my community. I attacked to see which one you were." 

"And you saw I was a Jedi and presumed good intentions?" 

Sariah laughed before nodding begrudgingly. "I took a chance. We don't ever see Jedi from the Jedi Order here. I thought I might use the opportunity to try and sway you to our beliefs. After all, if you want your Jedi Order to survive the change coming to the galaxy, the Order needs to reform." 

Her words sounded ominous to Astrid, and she suppressed a shiver as icy fingers of dread tickled down her spine. 

Astrid tried to sound light hearted as she inquired, "You don't suppose you know what exactly this change to the galaxy entails?" 

Sariah chuckled with amusement as she shook her head. "Unfortunately, I do not, but I can sense the Dark Side is growing stronger. My entire camp can sense it. Maybe the Jedi Order will be able to keep the Sith in check if they reform." 

Astrid couldn't help but recall her and Anakin's encounter with Darth Maul. If what Anakin said was true and Darth Maul was only the Sith apprentice, then the Sith Master was still out there, waiting, calculating, growing in strength as the two Sith plotted together. 

This time Astrid couldn't resist her shiver. 

"Well, thank you, Sariah," Astrid told the Grey Jedi with sincere gratitude. "I hope we meet again." 

Sariah dipped her head and replied, "May the Force be with you." 

"May the Force be with you, too." 

Astrid began to walk up the starship's ramp leading up to the open bay doors as Sariah moved towards the wall. A moment later, a portion of the left wall slide open as bright light spilled into the room. 

As Astrid reached the bay door, she suddenly remembered something, and she whirled back around and called out, "Sariah!" 

"Yes?" Sariah replied as she took a few steps closer to her starship from where she'd been waiting by the wall. 

"Where do you get your white lightsabers?" 

A faint smile appeared on Sariah's face as she replied, "We purify the kyber crystal in a Sith's lightsaber, turning the lightsaber from red to white. We heal it." 

Astrid's eyes widened as she regarded the Grey Jedi in a new light. Sariah had confronted a Sith and beaten them. She'd survived. And she'd stolen their lightsaber? Astrid was impressed. 

Sariah jerked her head towards Astrid and said, "Perhaps you'll make your own one day. Now, hurry up and get out of here. You're needed elsewhere." 

Astrid gave her new friend a smile of goodbye before she bounded up the rest of the ramp and threw herself into the pilot's seat in the cockpit. She closed the bay doors before revving the engines.