A Path Less Taken

Chapter 21 - Things Going Wrong

A/N: WORK HAS BEEN KICKING MY ASS. I only really find time to update the story where I've made chapters in advance, mostly. The writer's block as to how to progress things does not help either. So you'll have to excuse me if things move a little slow.

Anakin breathed in and out as he stayed in his meditative position. He used to hate meditating. Hated it with a passion. Now it did wonders for his control of the Force. Anakin always knew he was capable of amazing things. It was all about using the Force the way it was meant to be used. Like he did against the Son and Daughter back on Mortis. That was what he was capable of. That was his true power.

As the weeks passed by, that's how Anakin spent a lot of his free time: meditating. If Obi-Wan saw him now, he'd probably wonder if it was really him. But this was how he was able to focus his emotions. It's why a lot of Jedi did it. But it was for a different purpose. Rather than block his emotions, they would be at his beck and call. He wouldn't get angry unless he wanted to. He wouldn't let grief strike him if he didn't want it to. If he wanted to be calm, he could and would.

This is where his role as Ahsoka's master came into play again. He was showing her that this was how the Force was meant to be used. She was always more of a calmer soul than he was, so this was far easier for her to be able to use than him. In both of their opinions, this is what the Jedi should be teaching Younglings. How to use their emotions, yet control them. Already with this use of the Force, both ex-Jedi could feel the Force differently. It didn't feel one-sided. It felt pure. It felt like the Force itself.

To be able to achieve what Anakin did on Mortis was a sign that he was the Chosen One. But who said he only had to achieve it once? Who was to say that if he mastered it, he couldn't achieve that level of power all the time? But despite all this, there was only one thing even this level of the Force could not achieve.

Anakin growled as he glared at his metal hand. Normally, it was more of a help than a detriment. Not in the case of Force Lightning. No matter how hard he tried; no matter how much anger he channeled, electricity would not fly from the metal fingertips.

"Dammit," Anakin growled before blasting the dummy he was aiming at with a Force Push. At least he was able to do that with his metal hand. "Now is the first time I curse this hand since I lost it."

"You mean you didn't want your real hand back before this?" Ahsoka asked.

"Of course I did. I just mean that I don't hate this hand as much as I thought I would after losing my real one," Anakin said, opening and closing his hand.

"Luckily for me, I've never lost a limb, so I can't say what it feels like. But I would imagine it feels like something's missing," Ahsoka said.

"Well, something's definitely missing. My ability to feel out of that hand as well as shoot lightning out of it," Anakin said casually. "Now... anything on the agenda?"

"You guessed it, Skyguy. Some word leaked out about some activity going on at the planet Yavin,"Ahsoka said.

"Yavin's definitely a place to post up at. You've got the planet and three moons to be to set up shop. Well, twenty six if you use nothing but droids," Anakin said in an as a matter of fact tone. "How'd this news get leaked?"

"Rex told us. But like Felucia, no one's around to help take care of the problem. So that responsibility falls on us. He told us to be especially careful about what we're going to find here," Ahsoka said.

"I'm definitely in. Any idea which moon we need to check?" Anakin asked.

"Not really. We'll just have to get lucky. Like most situations we get in," Ahsoka said, putting her hood over her head. Anakin grabbed his robe then did the same before walking out. But there was someone watching the pair as they walked out. And he caught a flash of silver right near their belts. Probably Jedi.