Consequences

Chapter 1 - The Future

I'm floating somewhere, lost in the currents of the Force. I struggle to open my eyes, to find some sort of conscious reality, but the Force keeps me still. Suddenly, I feel like I'm falling. A quiet groan slips out of me, as I try to pull myself back to the real world. My head is still spinning. Did I faint?

I open my eyes and see a tree overhead. Uh... what?! I bolt up and look around. I'm in a forest. Trees surround me on all sides. I cautiously reach out to the Force. Everything feels so different, so empty. A distinct sadness and darkness seem to be permeating the galaxy. I hear a rustle somewhere nearby. Maybe I'm not on an uninhabited planet after all. At least there's life here, even if it's not sentient.

"Who's there?" I call out, my voice slightly shaky. I last remember being in front of the Jedi Council, ready to refuse to rejoin the Order. So, how did I get here? Is this a vision? Or something else?

A small, green being suddenly seems to materialize in front of me. Yoda. Master Yoda. What's going on? He must have jumped down in front of me. He regards me, curiosity and surprise evident in his gaze.

"What's happening?" I blurt out and begin rambling all the questions in my mind, "Where am I? Why are you here? Where is here? Why am I not in front of the Council? Where did everyone go? Where's my master? What –"

"Patience you must have," Yoda interrupts, "Answer everything at once, I cannot."

Embarrassment floods me. Did I hit my head? I can't remember ever talking like that to Yoda in the past. I sit there silently, waiting for him to explain.

He sighs quietly, "The last thing you remember, you must tell me."

I pause, slightly surprised by his statement, but I answer him anyways. "I was in front of the Jedi Council, and my master was asking me to rejoin the Order. I was about to refuse when... I don't know what happened actually."

Yoda nods, almost as though he expected it. "In the future you are."

"What?" I gasp, stunned, "How is that possible, Master Yoda?"

"With the Force, possible anything is," replies the Jedi Master, unperturbed.

"So, where am I?" I query, wondering why the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order is out here on what appears to be a mostly uninhabited planet.

"On Dagobah, we are," responds Yoda, "In exile I am." Exile?!

"Why?" I frown, completely confused. What could the future possibly bring that would make Yoda go into exile? What happened? What changed? Did the Separatists manage to win the Clone Wars?

"Not long after left the Order, you did, formed a Sith Empire was," he explains.

"What?!" Shock and confusion swirl through me. How is that even possible? The Republic may have been a disaster, but how could it have turned into a Sith Empire?! And what happened to the rest of the Jedi? Even if the Separatists did win the war, and I don't know they could have, the Jedi would never have let them do it. They would have stayed to continue the fight, not surrender. "What happened to the rest of the Jedi?" I demand, "And my Master?"

Before Yoda has a chance to respond, a shimmering figure materializes beside him. Is that a ghost? But ghosts aren't real, are they? It takes a moment before his Force signature – and image – register. No. It can't be. Obi-Wan? He's dead? Shock, denial, and horror flood me. He's always been like a second master to me, though we were never as close as Anakin and I. That doesn't stop the wave of pain at seeing him, and this time, I know he's really dead. He looks so much older than I remember. How long has it been?