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Chapter Text

"Your parents don't love you, your uncle hates you, Ben.  Don't you want to feel wanted—needed? I want you with me, Ben.  Take your place at my side.  Show them something to fear, you know they're already afraid of you."

"No," Ben whimpered, "I don't want to hurt anyone."

Anger rippled through the force. "Foolish boy.  You could have the galaxy at your feet.  You could have infinite power."

Pain lanced through Ben, and he nearly bit through his lip trying to keep down the scream of pain.  His only hope was that he'd pass out soon, because then, when he woke up, Snoke would ease the pain he had caused, and apologize, saying that he only wanted what was best for Ben, to make him stronger.

Ben scoffed at that deep in the caverns of his mind, the parts that were still his own, but that was starting to come with less conviction than before.

Then, came a sudden wave of not-quite-peace, but a kind of fierce calm. It eased the pain, throwing it away from his mind.

A presence made itself known, a woman.  She was strong in the Force, and her signature was one of the most peculiar Ben had ever seen.

It flowed smoothly between light and dark, with swirls of gray in between, linking it, preventing it from falling too far to one side or the other.  "Get away from him, you demon," said the presence.

"Why should I, witch?"  Snoke replied, darky amused.

"He is under my protection.  You will not touch him."

"What is your power to mine?  You are nothing.  A mere acolyte, who abandoned the path.  An acolyte, who even at her full power, could not overcome mere Jedi."

"I walk the path of the Force.  It flows through me.  I am the Force, and the Force is me.  Begone, demon."

A shield of power enveloped the presence, wrapping Ben in the most serene feeling he had ever experienced, even before Snoke came to him.

"This is not the end of it, I shall return, and he shall be mine."

"We will see."

And Snoke's dark fire eased itself from his mind.

Ben sagged on his cot in relief. "Thank you, whoever you are."

"Not a problem, my dear. Someone had to help you, Ke—Solo."

"Who are you?"

A feeling that felt like a smirk came through the Force.  "My name is Ventress. But you, my sweet… you can call me Asajj."

"Thank you, Asajj.  Why did you do that for me?"

"Let's just say, I owe your namesake.  He saw the best in me before anyone else.  He was right.  And I never got to tell him..."

"My namesake?  You mean Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"That's him."

"What was he like?"  Ben's innate curiosity was starting to get the better of him.

"Obi-Wan?  You don't know?  I figured Skywalker's spawn would've told you."

"Uncle Luke?"

"Yeah, him.  Of all the Force-damned names, Luke. How unimaginative."

"I know, but you seem to have known him. I want to know him as a person, not as a Jedi Master, or what's written in the tomes, and what's said in the tales.  And why hasn't he helped me like you have?"

He paused for a second, as the cogs turned in his mind.  "Wait a minute, did you know my grandfather too?"

"One question at a time, child."

Ben felt the blankets around him awkwardly float to cover him from where he had thrown them, at the foot of his cot, and a faint gray glow began to materialize at his side on the bed.

It took the form of a pale-skinned woman with short, almost-white hair, dark tattoos on her face, pale silvered blue eyes, wearing a tight black leather sleeveless shirt, a dark ash blue split skirt covering gray leggings.  And surprisingly, around her waist was an intricate belt from which hung two curved hilt lightsabers.

"Stars, is that a Makashi hilt?"  Ben breathed in awe, leaning forward.

She smirked, pulling it off her belt.  Thumbing the ignition, she showed off the ghostly white blade emitting from it.  "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"I've only ever seen one in the old Jedi text dedicated to Form II, where they say that a curved hilt is best for Jedi who choose to practice it.  I've been interested in it for a while, it looks so cool, even though I've been working on Form V."

Her lip curled, and the tirade on the tip of her tongue regarding Djem So was a parsec away from spilling out, when Ben unknowingly prevented it from escaping.  "Could you teach me?"

She blinked, caught off guard, and thumbed her lightsaber off.  "Well, I …"

She paused, thinking. She might be gray by now, but the point was, the last person she taught was Quin, and, well, that was something else.  She didn't know if she could truly teach anyone, if she was equipped to do it.   

She was not a patient or kind woman by habit, and Ben was a child, not a full grown Jedi, and he was already being tormented by that demon.

What if she accidentally taught him something from her old life, and she pushed him to the cold embrace of the Dark?

She glanced at Ben, at his wide, imploring brown eyes.  Oh, she shouldn't have done that. That look was entirely unfair.  Well… if it was only 'saber form, it couldn't be that bad, could it?  "Alright. Fine."

"Yes!"  Ben shouted excitedly, before he clamped his hand over his mouth.

Asajj chuckled amusedly, saying, "You don't need to worry about noise, I took care of that when I came."

She tightened the shielding she cast around Ben's room and Ben himself, so that anyone reading his presence would believe he was asleep, and dampened her presence in the Force, so that no one, save for Ben, would be able to detect her.  "Show me your 'saber."

He grabbed his lightsaber off of his nightstand, and held it out to Asajj.

She tilted her head, scrutinizing it.  "It'll be harder for you to execute the the moves and perform the bladework, but it'll have to do," she sighed.

She stood and went to the open spot in his room, igniting her 'saber as Ben did the same.

"Alright, this is the first step of Form II, the Makashi Salute.  It always goes before the opening stance.  Yes, but not quite so forceful. You don't have to power through the flourish.  Better—again.  Good.  Now, the opening stance of Form II…"

Chapter Text

Luke Skywalker was returning to his hut after a long day of teaching, and as he walked out of the halls of his academy, he was observing the Force signatures of his students as they slept.  It was a comforting thing for him, though he didn't exactly know why.

Soon, he came near the hut of his nephew. He could feel that Ben was asleep, and for once, it seemed, the boy was having peaceful dreams.

Luke couldn't count the amount of times he had rushed to his nephew's side because of the nightmares.   It seemed that Ben was cursed with the Skywalker gift of Force Dreams.

Luke had always tried to discern what the dreams were about, but they were nebulous and cloudy, no matter what he tried.

For this night, though, it seemed that Ben was granted peace.

Sighing, a content smile curling his lips, the Jedi Master walked on, coming at last to what had been his home for over a decade.

Having performed his nightly ablutions, he settled into his cot for the night.

However, peace and rest were eluding Luke for this night, as if in compensation for Ben being able to rest, the same would be taken from him.

After about thirty minutes of pointless tossing and turning, he murmured, "Ah, kriff it," and rose from his cot, moving to the meditation cushion in the corner of his room.

Legs folded beneath him, he sank into the Force.  The same mesmerizing sight greeted him, the swirls of energy surging and falling, flowing and rippling.  Luke let himself drift along the currents, letting the Force take him where it willed.

He was at peace when suddenly, there was a feeling that could only be described as hitting a wall.  It was so jarring, and snapped him out of his meditation so forcefully, that he fell to the stone floor of the hut.

Back in the mundane world, the winded Jedi picked himself up off the floor and moved to sit back against the wall.  Once he regained his breath, he moved back to the cushion, determined to find what exactly had caused that feeling and where it came from.

Once more in the Force, Luke retraced his steps in the currents, following the traces of his signature.  Soon, he approached the area where the feeling had come from.

Looking closely at it, he could see no difference, it looked like any other place in the Force.  Breathing deeply, he sank himself further in, trying to see if what was before him was concealing something.

Nothing.

It was impossible. No feeling that strong could have come from nothing.

So he went deeper, and deeper, dangerously deep, deeper than he had ever immersed himself before.

Finally, here, something changed. The light emanating from the Force was different here—colder, harsher, and there was more gray here than he had ever seen before.  The Force's texture was even different here, less like water, and clean, clear energy, and more like smoke.

Thick, gray, obscuring smoke.

Taking the risk, he extended a tendril of his presence towards the smoke. Once more that feeling came, but this time, he was prepared, and anchored himself.

Being dislodged only a few layers, Luke immediately dove back down. This time though, he cloaked himself with very thick shields, to conceal his presence, and the tiny exploratory tendril he sent out.

This time however, he waited, instead of diving straight in, waited for a thinning in the smoke-like currents.

Finding the desired opening, he dove through, and found that that was but an outer layer of some form of shielding.  It gave way to yet another layer of the Force like the one Luke had just passed through.

Here, however, things were even more obscured, and the surrounding Force looked like the clouds of a thunderstorm, thick and heavy.  The currents here were fast and roiling, and he scrutinized what he could see past the clouds.

Things were so hazy, but… with a gasp, he pulled out of the Force.

Deep within the haze, Luke swore he could feel a gathering of the Dark, more evil and sinister than his father had ever felt.

Releasing his fear into the Force, he dove back in, this time not to meditate.

He probed along the thin, silvery silken thread of the bond connecting him to his father.

It had puzzled Luke for a long time why he still had a bond with his father even after Anakin's passing, but near as Luke could figure it out, they were both too powerful for their parental bond to break completely, even in death.  "Father.  I don't know if you can hear me.  I don't even know why you've stopped talking to me, you used to visit and speak to me so often, but I really need your guidance now."

He waited for a response, but none came. Though disappointment, anger, and fear gnawed at him, Luke pushed those feelings aside, and continued.  "There's something, Father, I felt it.  A growing darkness.  I don't know what it is, or where it comes from.

Please, Father, if you could help me, help me figure out what this is.

Since you are one with the Force, perhaps you can investigate better than I can."

Once more, there was no response, but Luke was too exhausted to do much more, his strength sapped from dealing with the Darkness he felt.

He padded to his cot, pulling the blankets over himself.  Shutting his eyes, he settled in for sleep, at last on the edge of drifting off, when his eyes snapped open.

He felt a slight tug on his Force Bond with his father.  Reaching out, Luke mentally called, "Father?"

Like before, there was no reply, but this time, a feeling of peace washed over the Jedi Master, a peace that allowed him to finally drift away into sleep.

Chapter Text

In the Realm of the Force…

Anakin Skywalker was sitting in a meadow that looked rather like the Naboo Lake Country, trying to reach his son. 

He frowned in concentration, prodding along the thin bond still connecting him to Luke.  It was really still there—he wasn't imagining that it was there, he could feel it. 

The bond, formerly so willing to connect him to his child, had now for many years, refused to.  

A part of him wondered if this was a late punishment for all the evils he had done as Darth Vader, to be able to see his son, but not able to communicate, much less manifest himself.

"At it again, Anakin?"  The Chosen One didn't have to turn around to recognize the Coruscanti—accented tones of his erstwhile Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"No, Master, I'm looking at the prices of the new starfighters out of Kuat, what does it look like I'm doing?"  He replied, moving out of his meditative posture.

"Now, now, Anakin, getting snippy is not going to help you get in contact with Luke."  Obi-Wan said patiently.  

He was looking like he usually did in the Realm of the Force, about thirty-eight, the same age he was just before everything went to shavit.  "I know you're frustrated, but your emotion is just going to cloud your ability to reach him. Unless…"  He put a hand on his bearded chin, thinking. "It has been a while since you were last able to reach Luke, hasn't it?"

"It's been years for them, Master.  I can't even manifest myself anymore to them.  Anywhere else in the Galaxy, I've been able to appear, but to my family or anyone who knew me, I can't."

A pensive look settled itself on Obi-Wan's face.

Anakin knew that look too well, asking, "What? What is it, Master?"

Obi-Wan pursed his lips, then gestured Anakin to a nearby tree.  Side by side, the two Jedi approached the tree, and Obi-Wan settled into the meditation posture, Anakin puzzledly doing likewise.  Along their restored Master-Padawan bond, he felt the older man sink into the Force, and try to manifest himself to Luke, as he followed and felt the same resounding block he always did. 

Obi-Wan drew back, then took a deep breath and tried to manifest himself on Stewjon, his homeworld. 

Anakin felt as his Master's signature was extended into the mortal plane.  

In a split second, Obi-Wan was back at his side, and snapped out of meditation.  Anakin rose from the Force to see his Master stand, dusting off his cloak and tabards, a look of controlled alarm on his face.

"Master, what's wrong?"

Obi-Wan nodded to himself.  "We need to visit Master Yoda.  Now."

With a thought, they were on the swamp planet of Dagobah, or rather, the version of it in the Realm of the Force, a ways from Master Yoda's hut.  Thank the Force that this version of Dagobah was less inconvenient for their ghostly forms.  "Master Yoda, Master Yoda, are you here?"  Obi-Wan called out.

"Here I am, no need to shout, you do, Master Kenobi," Master Yoda proclaimed, appearing beside the pair.

"We have a problem, Master Yoda, Anakin cannot manifest himself to any of his family, even Luke, despite the bond he has with him.  To anyone and anywhere else, he can appear. I tried it myself, Master, I tried to manifest myself to Luke, only to be blocked.  I then tried to appear on my homeworld, and was successful."  Obi-Wan had been able to release his alarm into the Force, but the fact that he had been alarmed to begin with deeply unsettled Anakin.

Master Yoda tapped his gimer stick on the moist ground, saying, "Hmmm.  Peculiar this is.  Nothing there should be, preventing you from visiting young Luke.  

Very strong, Anakin's bond is, to young Luke, nothing there should be, to block Anakin from his son.  Come, meditate on this we must."

"Meditate, I've been meditating on this for years, something's wrong, isn't it, Master?  Tell me, Obi-Wan!  Just tell me!"  Anakin snapped.

Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder and the side of his head, forcing the younger man to look at him.  "Anakin.  I know you're scared, I can feel it.  But you must release that fear if we are going to be able to see clearly what is going on."

And he felt Obi-Wan send him a wave of calm through their bond, which he gladly accepted. 

Taking a deep breath, he nodded, which made a proud smile spread over his Master's face.  "Wonderful, Anakin. Come, let's follow Master Yoda."

They came to the place where Master Yoda had taught Luke to meditate all those years ago.  Settling onto the logs, the trio fell into the Force, Anakin diving back into his bond with his son, letting the two Masters scrutinize and probe at the thread.

"Hmm.  Still strong and healthy the bond is, no reason there should be, that Anakin cannot speak and appear to young Luke," Master Yoda said in the space of Anakin's mind.

"There is no block, Master?"  Obi-Wan asked.

"A block there certainly is, but one I cannot see, it is.  Hmm.  Perhaps deeper it is, we must go, to see it." 

And Master Yoda dove deep into the force, leaving the two younger men to follow him.

With a mental shrug, the two dove down after Master Yoda.  They went deeper, deeper than they had ever gone before, and when they came to his side, the trio were faced with something utterly wrong. 

It looked like a wall of almost-opaque gray glass. 

In its center, ran the thread of his parental bond with Luke, and where the thread met the wall, the light of the thread was dimmer, and pulsing faintly. 

Worriedly, Anakin approached the glass. He could see the thread extend past through the wall and he raised his hand to the barrier as Obi-Wan shouted, "Anakin, no!"

He was blown back to the feet of the two older Jedi. "Anakin, are you alright?"  His Master worriedly asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, that was just a shock, Master," he replied as Obi-Wan helped him to his feet.

"This most certainly shouldn't be here, Anakin.  There is something definitely wrong here.  

I'm sorry, Anakin, I'm afraid I've failed you yet again, my brother.  I should have brought this to Master Yoda sooner, and not thought that…"  He trailed off guiltily.

"That this was a punishment, right?"

Obi-Wan hung his head in shame.

"It's okay, Master, I've—I've thought it too."

"A bad feeling about this, I have," Master Yoda spoke, breaking the former Master and Padawan out of their self-recrimination. 

He then approached the wall and reached out a clawed hand. 

Eventually, the diminutive Master drew back, a grave look on his face.  "Not good, this is, the Dark I sense, in the creation of this block."

Anakin sighed, drawing into the same posture his Master did when contemplating matters.  "I thought I ended it all when I killed Sidious, Master Yoda."

"Ended the Sith, you did, the corruption of the Dark, you did not, young Anakin.  Powerful in the Dark, was the one who created this barrier, a threat to the Galaxy they certainly are."

Just then, Anakin felt a touch over the bond, like Luke was reaching out. 

Anakin rushed forward, close to the wall, but not touching it, he didn't want a repeat of that blow back, touching the thread as he closed his eyes in concentration. 

The connection was faint and choppy, Luke's sentence breaking up.

"Father—I don't—can hear me—why—stopped talking—me—Father—you—so often—really— guidance… Something—growing Darkness—don't—where—from—help me—figure—what this—since—one—the Force—investigate better—"

"Luke, yes, I hear you!  I'm sorry I haven't come to see you, something's been preventing me, but if I could have been at your side whenever you needed me, if I could be at your side now, I would be there!  

I know about the Darkness you feel, I think it's what's been preventing me from coming to you.  Don't worry, I'm going to help you, I will find out what this is, Luke!"

Anakin bent over, overwhelmed.  Near tears, he murmured, "Luke. My son," as he tugged on the filament of their bond.

Anakin immediately straightened as he felt an uncertain feeling come through, accompanied by a tiny whisper of "Father?"

"Luke, yes, yes, it's me, it's Father!  I'm going to help you Luke, I'm going to help you, even if I have to do it on my own!" And he pulled all the peace he could gather and pushed it through the bond.  Anakin then collapsed, drained.

Obi-Wan and Yoda helped the younger man to his feet, and then pulled him up through the layers of the Force, until they were once more on the logs.  

Anakin sagged against Obi-Wan for a second, then tried to stand up, only to stumble back, fortunately being caught by his Master.  

Obi-Wan placed him back on the log, saying, "Anakin.  You must at least take a breath before you hurl yourself headlong into danger."

"I'm going to be there for my son, Master, I don't care about the danger.  And I don't care if I have to do it on my own."

"Who said anything about you being on your own, Anakin?"  Obi-Wan placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder once more.  "You're my brother, Anakin.  I'm with you.  To the end of the Galaxy itself.  

And I do believe that Master Yoda is with us as well, if I'm not mistaken," he said, turning to the former Grandmaster.

"Hmm," he eased himself off the log, and took up his gimer stick.  "With you, I am, Kenobi and Skywalker.  

Come, reinforcements, we will need.  Your Master, Obi-Wan, we must speak to."

Chapter Text

Back at the New Jedi Temple…

"Good, that's the 10th Kata of Makashi that you just completed.  Once we get through all the Katas, I'll show you the Marks of Contact, the Sun Djem and the Shiak, along with the Makashi Riposte and Contentious Opportunity, although how, and the application, I'm not sure how we'll do it. 

Once you've learned these, I'll also have to figure out a way to move on to actual dueling, and we'll see where you're at. 

You've done very well, for your first time with Makashi," Asajj said to a panting, sweaty, and smiling Ben Solo. 

His form was actually quite good, once he got into it.  You could see that he had first been trained in one of the blunter forms, it was in how he held his shoulders and his arms, the coiled, tense energy waiting to burst forward. 

But as Ben got into the Katas, along with Asajj's tutelage, he was able to smooth out his motions, and he even found that for him, Makashi was easier and less draining on his energy, which gave him more stamina, due to the fact that he wasn't pouring the Force into every motion of his blade, which was a characteristic of Djem So.

Asajj was amazed at the boy. His Force presence was incredibly powerful and bright, almost brighter than Luke and his father. 

He was raw power, nearly unrestrained, and like a diamond in the rough.  A force to be reckoned with now, but, if trained properly, trained well, unstoppable in the future. 

He had the potential to be the best Form II duelist in Galactic History, better than even Dooku, thanks in part to his Form V training, loathe as she was to admit it. 

The strength inherent in the way he used his 'saber would, hypothetically, be able to counter one of Form II's greatest weaknesses—the lack of kinetic power behind the blade. 

She had been able to see that weakness for herself from where she was in the Force, when Skywalker had single-handedly defeated her former Master on the Invisible Hand.

She remembered that day well. 

Deep within the Force, the Dark practically cackled in glee when Skywalker executed Dooku.  She hoped and prayed that he wouldn't do it, that Kenobi would wake up, say something, anything, to snap him out of Palpatine's influence, even if only for that moment. 

But it was not to be.  And so, yet another umbral tendril of the Dark wrapped around Anakin Skywalker.  

The day he invaded the Jedi Temple, when Order 66 was carried out, was one of the hardest of her afterlife, rivaled only by the day Alderaan was obliterated. 

The screams of the Light were deafening, and all she wanted to do was curl up into a corner and cry, and yet. 

Yet she didn't. 

She watched, watched each soul-crushing minute. 

She watched, because she wanted to know what would happen, yes, but also because these people deserved to have someone who wasn't out to kill them, mark their deaths. 

Terribly sentimental of her, she knew. 

She watched the Mustafar Duel too.  She could feel Vader's hate for a man he once looked up to as a brother, and Kenobi's anguish at having to hurt the man he had raised, the man whom he considered and loved as a brother. 

She felt his pain as he turned his back on the burning shell of Anakin Skywalker, his agonized hope that his former Padawan would die from the wounds and the burns, not having the heart to strike a final blow, and before she knew it, she was feeling pain of her own, though not for Skywalker, as he was, but for Kenobi himself, rather.

A quiet "Asajj?" broke her from her thoughts.

"Yes? I'm sorry, I was thinking."

"It's okay, I understand, Uncle Luke and Mom think a lot, too.  I'm used to it," he smiled slightly.  "I just wanted to know if… well, if you'll be back tomorrow."

Asajj could feel the boy bracing himself for a negative answer, and the permafrost over her heart thawed a bit more.  "Of course, child, I said I would teach you all those things about Makashi, it wouldn't make sense for me to say those things, and not follow through on them, would it?"

She was not prepared for Ben to rush her, arms outstretched, for a hug, and even more unprepared to stumble back from the force of his "attack", fully expecting the overwrought boy to smack himself headlong into the wall behind her. 

And apparently, the feeling was mutual, if his wide eyes were anything to go by.

"You—you're solid, Asajj!"

Not able to resist, she replied, "What gave it away, Solo?  Was it the fact that you're hugging me, or the fact that you haven't brained yourself on that wall there?"  Though without as much biting sarcasm than she would've put in years ago.

"Well, I always thought Force Ghosts were… not solid, like… well, ghosts," he smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I'm not really a Force Ghost, Ben, not truly.  I suppose that's why."

"But…"

Asajj sighed.  "What do you know about Force Ghosts?"

Ben pulled back to stand before her, the picture of a nervous student during a test.  "Um… well, they're the spirits of Jedi who've died, and/or become part of the Force, they're completely different from the spirits of Force-Blind people, and… they're blue." 

Comprehension dawned on his face as he took in her shimmering, gray form.

"I'm caught between worlds, Ben. I'm dead, yes, but I'm… solid and gray probably because I'm not completely one with the Force.  I'm pretty sure it's punishment for my many sins…"  Her gaze became distant, as she recalled some horror of her past, then sharpened once more as she came back to the present.  "But if this is my punishment, it's so much better than I deserve."

"Well, you can't have been that bad if you're helping me," he gently replied.

"I—" part of her wanted to tell Ben what she was, what she used to be, and another wanted to hide it, to enjoy the fact that someone alive in the Galaxy didn't think of her only as Asajj Ventress, Darth Tyrannus' lapdog assassin.  But the nagging tendril of the Light that she had grudgingly learned to listen to over her years in… wherever-the-Sith-she-was in the Force, wouldn't let her not tell him.  "I'll be honest with you, Ben.  There was a time, a time I'm not going to give you the details of, because it's not something a child should hear, but I was not a good person.  You should know that now."

"But… I can feel that you're not bad now, even though there's a little bit of the Dark about you.  You don't feel evil.  You don't feel like Snoke."

She couldn't help a small laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment, Ben."

He rushed her once more, and hugged her even tighter than the first time.  

She was still surprised, but more prepared for it this time.  Slowly, her hand moved to the top of his head and she ran her fingers gently through his curly black hair. Eventually, she pushed him back, saying, "Come on, mikró agóri, to bed with you."

Ben let himself be led to bed, and as he settled in, Asajj pulling the blankets—physically this time, after an experimental touch—over him, asked, "What does it mean, mikró agóri?"

"It means little boy in the language of my homeworld, Dathomir."

"Oh."  Ben was silent for a while after, thinking so hard, she could feel it through the Force.

Eventually, she sat down beside him and asked, "And just what is it that has you thinking so hard, Ben?"

"I was thinking…"

"I gathered that much."

"Do you think that I could use what you taught me tomorrow, during the sparring classes?"

She thought about it, looking at two possible scenarios.  One, Ben hid it until he had mastered the Form, which would lead to, at best, all sorts of questions, or two, he began introducing what he had learned today and what he would learn into his spars as he mastered the Form, making things look more natural. 

Definitely option number two.  "You can.  Just be careful with it.  I hope your uncle has the sense to make you use training 'sabers in your duels."

"Yeah."

"Well then, be my guest.  But I'll give you one final lesson tonight.  Don't get cocky.  Emotion like that is not good in a Force User—it makes you careless.  When you're careless, you make mistakes, and those mistakes can lead to a limb getting cut off, or worse.  Do you understand me?"

He nodded.

"Rest now. I'll stay until you fall asleep."

"Could you stay with me the whole night? It's not long until dawn, anyway.  Snoke might come back.  Please?  I don't want to have nightmares, Asajj."

Ben was afraid, she could feel it, it couldn't harm anything to watch him for this night, or the few hours left of it, at least.  

It would be beneficial for him in the morning, she reasoned, she most decidedly was not getting soft, and if you squinted at it from a certain point of view, helping Ben was helping Kenobi, wasn't it? 

But she couldn't help a teasing, "I might have other plans this evening other than watching an Initiate sleep, Solo."

"You don't have to if—"

"I was being sarcastic, Ben.  That's one thing you'll have to deal with with me.  Your namesake knew that well.  Don't be afraid to give as good as you get with me, I'm not fragile.  Rest now, otherwise you won't be able to remember what you learned in the morning."

"You'll stay?"

"I'll be here."

Smiling peacefully, Ben shut his eyes, and in no time, drifted off to sleep.

Hmm.  

This was not good.  

He thought he had taken all the precautions, blocking Luke Skywalker from sensing him, as well as blocking all Jedi Force Ghosts from making contact with Luke and Ben. 

Anakin was very hard to block, he was so irritatingly powerful.  And he was now aware of the block apparently, and Luke was aware of the shields he had cast around himself. 

He would have to watch those fronts more carefully, he could not afford to lose his grip any further on the Heir of Skywalker. 

But that Risen Acolyte was the proverbial hydrospanner in the hyperdrive, the virus in the processing unit. 

He should have known better, and blocked the Limbo Between the Force, too.  

Pride was a flaw, if not the greatest flaw, of the Sith, and he was better than them.  

He should have not immediately dismissed that place within the Force, not thought that there was no one there who would possibly come to the help of the Jedi.  Much too late, he remembered Asajj Ventress. 

Now that witch was guarding the boy, her presence loosening his grip on the Force around the Youngling, making his work so much harder. 

The Dark was going to be so easy for the child to unleash, if only he could sever the links connecting the boy to the light—this turning could be so deliciously easy, perhaps even the easiest in the history of the Dark, if only, if only. 

He would have to find some way to eliminate Asajj Ventress, because surely, she could not guard Ben Solo forever. 

He would bide his time, then, he would make sure she could never return, sundering all chance of peace from the boy, sealing his destiny as Kylo Ren. 

Finally, with such an apprentice at his side, Supreme Leader Snoke could step out of the shadows and wield his power as he deserved.

Chapter Text

The Next Morning…

Luke woke up early, but later than he usually did, about an hour after dawn, and stretched, feeling refreshed and more energized than he had felt in what he realized was a very long time.

He laid back down, staring at the stone ceiling of his hut as he basked in the simple feeling of peace that had come over him and remained from his attempt to communicate with his father.

He felt reassured, and knew that somehow, Father had heard his request for help.  Perhaps he was the one who had sent that wave of peace that still lingered in the depths of his soul.

Regardless, the Jedi Master got up with a spring in his step, and even caught himself whistling an old Tattooinian melody as he secured his belt around tunics and tabards.

It was truly peculiar, considering the sheer amount of evil he had brushed against the night before, but he couldn't help it.

A feeling resounded through the Force, telling him that despite what he had seen and felt, everything was going to be okay.

And as he stepped into the bright light of the sun, wrapping himself in his cloak, he found himself actually eagerly looking forward to the day.

Ben woke up naturally, his eyes cracking open slowly, the sun peeking through the gap in the curtain of his hut.  It had been a while since that had last happened to him.

"Well, well, Sleeping Beauty wakes at last," a silky, sardonic voice called from the corner of his hut.

He turned, and saw the gray glow of Asajj sitting on his meditation cushion.

Joy and peace flowed through him as he realized that everything that had happened to him last night really wasn't a dream.  "Asajj, you're still here!"

She smirked.  "You might only be an Initiate, but you're already a Master of stating the obvious, Solo.  Let's go, up and at it, you've got a long day ahead of you, especially if you want to show… Master Luke your Makashi."

He jumped out of bed, and ran to his trunk at the foot of his cot, pulling out a clean set of tunics and trousers, as well as a belt.

Asajj turned to give the child some privacy, and when Ben said, "Okay, you can turn around now," she turned back around and straightened his tunics before saying, "You have your 'saber?"

Ben reached out a hand, pulled his hilt to him using the Force, and a second gesture summoned a nerf-hide satchel.

He tossed the bag carelessly over his shoulder and clipped his 'saber to his belt, saying, "Yep, got everything."

"Go kick some ass, Kid."

He grinned, "Thanks, Asajj.  I'll see you tonight, I guess, right?"

"Yes, Master Obvious, now get moving before I change my mind," she half-grinned.

As he pulled open the door of his hut and jogged up the path to the Temple, she shook her head, that kid was something else.  She swore she had smiled and joked more than she had in… oh, at least maybe forty years?

Now, she had to decide what to do with herself for the day while the Kid was at school.

She could either retreat back into the Force, or, she could hang around, and watch as Ben went through his day.

As she thought about her choices, she paced around the hut, absentmindedly gesturing towards the bed, fixing the sheets with the Force.

Seeing a wrinkle on the top blanket, she smoothed it, recalling herself sitting there few hours ago, watching over Solo, guarding his dreams.

It brought back old, almost ancient memories.  Last night wasn't the first time she had kept watch over someone's rest.

Years ago, every now and then, when she was in a sentimental or guilty (or both) mood, she would take herself to Tattooine, cloak her Force Signature tightly, and keep watch over Kenobi and his dreams.

She owed him several times over.

He saw the best in her when she believed she had obliterated it all in her anger and hatred, he defended her to the Jedi Council when she came to them for help with rescuing Quinlan Vos, one of the few people she'd ever loved, when all they—save for Master Yoda—wanted to do was arrest her, he personally helped her rescue Quin, he indirectly got her a pardon, courtesy of Master Yoda, he disagreed when the Jedi Council wanted to kill her later, due to a… misunderstanding, and he even called her a "Friend of the Jedi", before the whole Council after her death, which if she could, she would tease him mercilessly about, so it was a small thing to do, give him a few nights of peaceful sleep every orbital period or so.

She knew Kenobi was now long dead, she could feel when Vader had cut him down, because who could miss the bright light he was in the Force disappearing like a candle being blown out?

She grieved when it happened, but soon released it, for he was happy now, she was sure.  He was with all his friends who had perished during Order 66, the subsequent relentless Jedi Purges, and his Master.

It couldn't have been so bad for him.

She did mourn though, the friendship-of-sorts that could have been between them.

They had always had an odd sort of relationship, even when they were on opposite sides of The Clone Wars.

It was adversarial, to be sure, but there was a certain respect for their skill as warriors they each held for the other.

And he actually gave as good as he got in their banter—he didn't back down as others before he and Quin did.

She could have manifested herself to Kenobi anytime during the twenty years of his exile, it would have given her and him someone to talk to, because she could tell that he was as lonely as she was.

But she didn't, believing that staying away was better for him, and her as well, because her presence might bring back bad memories for him, and when she finally ended up traumatizing him… no, it was better for him to remember her as a "Friend of the Jedi" who had given her life to save his friend, her love, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos from her former Master, Dooku, sappy as it was.

Friendship wasn't really her anyway, it was asking too much for someone else to accept her for who she was.

But she had been woolgathering long enough, (a habit she was all too prone to, because there wasn't an awful lot you could do when you were between worlds) she still had a decision to make.

Would she retreat back into the Force, or watch Ben as he went through his day?

Wandering through the endless mists of the world between worlds was not looking too appealing at the moment, so.  

Looks like watching the Kid was the order of the day.

Chapter Text

In the Realm of the Force…

No sooner had Master Yoda finished his sentence, than a rustling from the tree line made the trio look up.

The intense presence of the very leonine-featured Master filled the clearing as Obi-Wan and Anakin stood, bowing, with a murmured "Master."

"Now, none of that, Padawan, Anakin," Qui-Gon Jinn smiled, patting the shoulders of the younger Jedi.

He then turned and bowed to Master Yoda.

The diminutive Jedi nodded, acknowledging his Grandpadawan's respect.  "Master Qui-Gon. Felt the disturbance in the Force, you did, then?"

"Yes, Master.  I had been feeling recently a subtle unrest in the Force, which at first I believed was the mere background noise of the little quarrels within the Galaxy, but upon deeper meditation, I suspected the influence of the Dark, and when you, Obi-Wan and Anakin investigated, I felt the Dark clearly through my Bond with Obi-Wan, Master."

"Find the locus of the Dark in the mortal plane we must, and attempt to remove the block preventing Anakin from communicating with young Luke, we must.

Communication with the mortal plane we must have, if to defeat the Dark, we are."

Qui-Gon looked up in surprise, saying, "You haven't been able to speak with Luke?"

"Not for years, Master.  The three of us discovered the block today. I thought—"

Qui-Gon cut him off, knowing Anakin's self-recriminating bent with, "Anakin.  Do not think of your past—"

"But live in the moment," Anakin and Obi-Wan completed the sentence, identical smirks on their faces, to Qui-Gon's wryly raised eyebrow.

"I see you remember, so you should put it into practice."

"Glad as I am to have my line so happy together, to the business at hand, we must go.  Meditate to find the Dark Side user we must," Yoda interrupted, knocking his gimer stick against Qui-Gon's shins, making him jump and wince slightly, to Obi-Wan and Anakin's light snickers.

The Jedi quartet then seated themselves on the logs, submerging themselves in the Force.

It was a tricky thing: they tried repeatedly to find the darkness by drifting through the Force like Luke did, looking for inconsistencies within the flowing currents, but they were constantly being led away from the Dark so artfully, even with the combined powers of three Jedi Masters and The Chosen One, that by the time they noticed, they had to start all over again.

"Master," Anakin said, "this isn't working."

"What do you suggest, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked as the other Masters looked expectantly at the young man.

He huffed, "I don't like the idea of it, but… we could use my bond with Luke to find the locus."

Obi-Wan gaped, "Anakin, are you mad?  If that goes wrong, your bond with Luke could snap and with that block, you might never be able to communicate with him again!"

"I know it's risky, but we have to find the locus, Obi-Wan. Luke needs our help to find where the Dark is coming from, and we might be the only ones who can help him. My son is counting on us, Master.  Please, Obi-Wan, let's try it," He replied, his desperation veiled under a thick layer of forced calm.

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking, before he turned to Qui-Gon.  "What do you think, Master?  It's dangerous, given the state of the bond, but…"  He looked again to his former Padawan before a look of determination settled over the Jedi Master's features.  Speaking once more to Qui-Gon, he continued, "I believe that it should be possible."

"I say we should trust Anakin's instincts and try it, but I leave the final decision to Master Yoda."

Yoda's lips pursed as he tilted his head before looking intently at Anakin. Finally, he said, "Try it we will, strengthen the bond first, we must, to reduce the risk of the bond breaking.  Perhaps, with one stone, two birds we may catch.  Separate into teams we will.  You and Master Kenobi, young Anakin, through the bond, try to find the locus of the Dark you will, while Master Jinn and I, try to remove the block and strengthen the bond we will."

The rest of the Jedi quartet nodded, accepting their missions, Anakin murmuring a quiet "Thank you, Master."

They surfaced from the Force, taking a centering breath before they went back in, this time focusing on Anakin and his bond with Luke.

The four of them eventually arrived at the same place in the bond they had been in before, the gray glass looming before them, and this time a distinct feeling of hatred came off the glass in waves.

"What do we do, Anakin?" Qui-Gon asked, uncertain of how to approach this unique circumstance and problem.

No one else in the Force had a bond linked to a person still living—Anakin and Luke's was the only one.

"Put your hands on the thread, Masters, behind mine.  Not you, Obi-Wan."  Anakin put his right hand on the thread, then gestured for Obi-Wan to place both of his after.

His former Master, disappearing and reappearing on the other side of the thread, and having done so, Anakin placed his left hand on the bond.  "May the Force Be With You, Master Yoda, Master Qui-Gon. Follow me, Master," he murmured, before sinking into the bond.

It was slightly easier than he expected it would be, but still like walking through quicksand, their progress as fast as molasses.

After what felt like an eternity, the two of them were able to look through the bond on Luke's side.  Luke was walking through the halls of his New Jedi Temple.

That was unfortunate, but they were already here and they had no choice.

Anakin tapped on his Master-Padawan bond with Obi-Wan.

Sensing what Anakin was going to do, Obi-Wan opened the bond fully, and felt the the Light shine through and between them even more strongly. Anakin took a shaky breath.

This was the closest he had gotten to his son in a very long time, and it could very well be the last if the worst happened.  "Here goes nothing," he thought, before saying, "I'm sorry, Luke, this was the only way."

Anakin got a quick burst of love-joy-shock-fear and an incredulous "Father?" before Anakin jolted Luke's mind to the Force, sending reeling feedback through the three Force Users.

Anakin staggered, Obi-Wan clutching at his shoulder, while he was vaguely aware of Luke falling to his knees.

As mercilessly as when he was Vader, he delved and searched through the layers of the Force.

The presence fled and evaded, but he was much more powerful—and with Obi-Wan lending Anakin his strength, they were unstoppable.

He closed his mental grip over the Darkness while keeping it from touching his spirit, and compelled it to go to its source.

It fled past the Colonies, past the Outer Rim, and deep into the Unknown Regions.

Planets flashed by at the speed of light until it all slowed enough for Anakin to get a glimpse of a dark gray planet in a quaternary star system which had five moons orbiting it, before, in an almost incomprehensively massive burst of Dark Side energy, it forced Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Luke back, until they were once more on their respective sides of the bond.

Hurled through the barrier over the bond, Obi-Wan and Anakin landed with an audible "OOFF!" then stumbled to their feet, as Qui-Gon and Yoda grunted in exertion.

Anakin looked at the barrier, wondering why, when he realized that the barrier was quickly turning from the gray, almost opaque glass that it was, to black, impenetrable stone.

An inhuman scream of "No!" that Anakin later realized came from him, resounded through the space.

He ran to the wall, placed one hand on the flickering thread, another on the barrier, and in his fatherly fury, he easily batted aside its attempt to throw him back like it did earlier, and met the Darkness where it was trying once more to forever tear him from his son.

It was a battle of wills, both hard as durasteel, each with opposing goals.

Each time the Dark gained ground, Anakin pushed back, gaining a little bit more than he had before.

Soon, the Dark made a final push to forever cut him off from Luke.

Digging deep into wellsprings of the Light that he never knew he had within him, Anakin held all the love he had for his son before him as a shield, pushing the Dark back, as he screamed, "You.  Will.  Never. Take.  Me.  From.  MY.  SON.  NEVER AGAIN!"

He felt the presences of Yoda, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan standing at his side, pushing back with him, until the Dark, cowed and shying from the intense purity of the Light radiating from the quartet, retreated, fading into the background.

Anakin drew back, the others following.

When he came to his senses, he saw that the barrier was still there, but now it was like a pane of clear, though still gray, glass.

He was only able to huff a slight chuckle before his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed in a dead faint.

Chapter Text

After Asajj ushered him out of his hut, Ben ran happily to a quick breakfast, then his first class of the day: Meditation.

It was run by one of the Senior Padawans, and Luke's right-hand, Annilore Doren.

She was a Korun twenty standard year old cocoa-skinned orphan, whom Ben had known early in his childhood.

Uncle Luke had often taken her with him to Chandrila whenever he visited for his and his twin sister's birthdays, becoming a cousin of sorts for Ben, one he grudgingly accepted.

Throwing open the door to the classroom, Ben ran headlong into Annilore.

"Hey now, Shorty, where's the fire?" she asked, placing steadying hands on his shoulders.

"Morning, Lore," he breathlessly expressed as he caught his balance, "sorry, I'm just excited."

"You?  Excited for Meditation Class?  That's got to be a first."

"Well, I think it's going to be fun today."

"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with Ben Solo?"

"Hey, the… Force told me today would be fun, so…"

"Alright, alright, Ben, no need to get defensive, you might just be right," smiling placatingly, she raised her palms.

Ruffling his unruly black waves, she continued, "They'll be coming in soon, you better get your spot."

She grinned at his scowling face, and turning, began to arrange the fragranced oil diffuser in the back of the classroom.

As students began to enter the classroom, Ben quickly settled onto his favorite meditation cushion by one of the windows before someone else could claim it, and he shut his eyes, allowing the streaming sunlight to penetrate and warm his spirit.

Here, trailing behind the rest, was ten year old Evaè Maséad, a tiny slip of a girl from Naboo.

Long blonde hair falling in her eyes, she tried to avoid eye contact with the other students.

Quickly, she moved to sit beside Ben, as was her habit, but not before Septinus, a fourteen year old Kiffar, swiftly stuck a foot out, tripping her.  She was caught before she could fall on her face by Annilore, who had an arm thrust out.

"Thank you, Padawan Doren," Evaè murmured, as she was righted and set on her feet.

"You're welcome, Initiate Maséad.  Did you see anything in the aisle that tripped you?"  Annilore said meaningfully.

Glancing at Septinus, she shook her head, saying, "No, Padawan Doren."

Sighing, she replied, "Then take your seat, Initiate Maséad."

A quiet snicker could be heard from Septinus, which made Annilore sternly say, "Initiate Luns, did you see anything? You were right next to Initiate Maséad."

Seriously, he spoke, "No, not at all, Padawan Doren."

Huffing and rolling her eyes slightly, she said, "Alright, everyone, settle down.  Take a few deep breaths.

Now, shut your eyes, and feel the world around you.

Feel the Force in everything around you, and use that to fall into the Force."

Ben sent a sympathetic smile to Evaè, which she acknowledged with a quick quirk of her lips, then Ben let the gentle ripples of the Force around him draw him into it's currents.

Once he was fully submerged, he was shocked.  This was the most clear-minded and light he had felt in the Force in… well, forever.

Or what felt like it, at least.

A gentle tap on his shields diverted his attention, and turning his mental focus to the tap, he was surprised to feel the mental equivalent of Asajj waving at him from behind his mental shields.

Adjusting his mental defenses, he actively tried to project calm, and let Asajj in with a mentally hissed, "Asajj!  What are you doing here?  Anyone could sense you!"

She brushed off his concern with a flippant wave of her hand. "Oh, Solo—over the years, I've become very good at hiding my presence from Force Users.  Powerful ones, so don't worry.  Keep calm.  They'll definitely notice if you're panicking."

"I'm handling it," he muttered, his mind adjusting to the strain of splitting his mental focus.  "What are you doing here?  Not that I'm not grateful, but I thought I'd see you tonight."

"Change of plans, Kid.  I'm going to hang around.  See what your Uncle's teaching impressionable Force Users, and what the state of lightsaber combat is these days."

"What do you mean?"  Ben asked quizzically.

An enthusiastic light came into her eyes.  "Oh, I was alive during the time of some of the best lightsaber duelists, Ben.

Your namesake, Obi-Wan Kenobi, he was one of the best I've seen. His mastery of Soresu was something else.

And he wasn't just a master of one form—he also used Ataru and a little Jar'kai.

I count as one of the best moments in my wielding of a lightsaber that one time I managed to disarm him.

I tell you, the look of consternation on his face is something I prize to this day.

Mace Windu, the second highest ranking member of the Jedi High Council, was the creator of a lethal variant of Juyo.

Yoda, the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order was exceptionally skilled in Ataru.

And loathe as I am to admit it, your grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, was also pretty good.

He was a… Shien specialist. He had power behind his blade like no one else.

And when he and Kenobi fought together, it was truly incredible.

Two powerful Force Users with wildly different 'saber styles fighting like two halves of a whole."

"Who taught you Makashi, Asajj?"

"He was an old Jedi," she slowly said, "and I'm quite sure his name has been lost to time. His name was Yan Dooku."  She didn't say that Dooku taught her as a Sith, however.  In time.  Eventually.  Not yet.

"Dooku.  I think I've heard that name somewhere."  Asajj froze briefly, before forcing herself to relax.  "I can't remember where though.  Hmm."

The tension drained out of her at his statement.  "At any rate, I'm interested to see how your Uncle's running things.

There were… points of contention between me and the old Order, so I want to see what's going on now."

"Points of contention?  What exactly do you mean by that?"  Ben innocently asked.

"Exactly what I said, kid, that's all you're getting out of me," she replied, trying to keep a harsh edge out of her tone.   Changing the subject, she said, "So, Meditation Class."

"I'm not too bad at it, I just—it's not my favorite."

"Well, don't let me stop you, Ben, meditate away."  She gestured grandly to the space they were mentally in.

"Seriously?  You're gonna watch?"

"Something wrong with that?"

"I—wha—it—it's just uncomfortable."

"How about we do it together, then?"

"Okay, that's—that's better."  He readily sat down, crossing his legs, as she did the same.

The pair fell deeper into the Force.  It was strange, doing it with someone not Dark whispering in his head.

He was used to having to fight through the black hole, the abyss that Snoke's presence was in the recesses of his mind, but Asajj felt very different.

There were strange grays and nocturnal blacks about her, but also shining whites and gleaming silvers.

It was mildly disorienting, but not uncomfortable.

It felt almost normal, having that fierce calm that she seemed to always emanate right against him, it felt… grounding.

Letting the peace wash over him once more, like a sentient, friendly wave, he just let himself drift aimlessly and almost happily, feeling the currents and Asajj's presence beside him.

Before he knew it, he felt the telltale tap against his presence of Annilore signalling to the students that the class was over.

With a quick glance at Asajj, they both surfaced, her presence remaining in his mind with a cheeky wink, as the others were filing out the door.

While he gathered up his things, he noted Annilore coming up the aisle, a peculiar look on her face.  "Ben, you did very well today, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, I'm… yeah," he honestly grinned, feeling better after Meditation Class than he ever had, not quite knowing what to say.

"Keep it up, Ben," she smiled widely.

"I'll try," he threw over his shoulder, as he headed to his Galactic History Class, missing her wide smile shift into one of cautious, yet joyful hope.

After yet another boring Galactic History Class that not even Asajj's wry and sarcastic commentary running in his mind could completely fix, it was time for the first Force Training Class, which was basically the blindfolded students learning how to detect inanimates, animates, and sentients in the Force.

The other students would take turns being the "sentient" in the mix, and the somewhat willing mouse droids along with a couple of randomly selected plants from the temple gardens, were the animate portion of the exercise.

This time, Ben was almost wincing from how much sensory input he was getting.

In fact, he had to draw back slightly, not used to how bright everything seemed.

He belatedly realized that it was because before, with Snoke in his mind, he had had to open himself up in the Force more, to peer through the dark pall Snoke cast, than he did today.

With much less frustration than he was used to, he was able to walk to and touch the objects and person his teacher wanted him to.

After that class was Lunch.  Picking some bantha kabobs, Ben once more sat in the corner, far from all the cliques.

He heard a mental sigh, followed by, "Some things don't change."

Ducking his head down to cover his face with his hair, he replied, "What do you mean?"

"No matter what time or place, there are still outcasts."  Here she pointed at Ben himself, and the few others sitting on the fringes, trying to make themselves practically shrink into the walls.

"Surprised?"  He replied more bitterly than he expected, given how peaceful he had just been, but things like this tended to raise his hackles.

"No, no," she placated, "just seeing how alike we were.  Are."

"You were an outcast?"

A thoughtful "Hmm." was all the reply he got.  They were silent for a beat, then she mentally gestured to a nearby table.  "Who's that?"

"That's Evaè Maséad.  She's from Naboo.  Why?"

"Nothing.  She just reminds me of someone."  A beat of uncomfortable silence.  "You should ask her to sit with you."

Ben couldn't help but feel that she had ulterior motives, but nevertheless, he whispered, "Psst! Psst! Maséad!"

She looked around, before her gaze landed on him. He waved his hand in a "come here" gesture, and after watching him with some trepidation, she quickly moved to sit next to him.

"Hi," Ben began.

"Hi," she whispered.

"I'm Ben—"

"Ben Solo, I know.  Everyone knows you.  You're Senator Organa-Solo's son."  She owlishly blinked dark green eyes and shyly pushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"No one knows anything about you," Ben replied, in a knee jerk reaction.

"No one has to," she stated defensively.

"No, but it's nice to have someone to talk to at meals.  Being alone can get lonely," he reasoned.

"Hmm."  Was all the reply she deigned to give.

"What do I do, Asajj?"  He mentally floundered.

"Keep talking, Solo, that's what most people would do."

"How are your classes?  Is Galactic History as boring for you as it is for me?"

A little smile appeared at the corner of her lips, and she replied, "Yes, I think it's boring for everyone."

This broke the ice, and there was somewhat flowing conversation between the two Jedi Initiates.

After a few more classes, there was the second Force Training class, which tested the delicacy with which they could handle the Force.

The students had to make intricate stone totems, carefully balancing each stone atop the other, and the two Initiates had a little competition to see who could build the best totem, one that had their instructor nodding approvingly at them.

Finally, it was the last class of the day: Lightsaber Dueling, one of the few classes run by Luke himself.

Today, Luke walked in with an odd expression on his face, one of barely-concealed dazed relief.

He cleared his throat, then said, "Alright, today, it's going to be a little different: we'll go straight to dueling.

I'd like you all to pair off, and we'll go from there.

Remember to set your 'sabers to training strength, I will have no severed limbs today!"

First up was Sareh Olir, a Mirialan against Septinus, and as soon as the duel began, Asajj was pointing out flaws in Septinus' attempt at Ataru, and practically ripping apart Sareh's Soresu.  "Oh, come ON!  If Kenobi was seeing this, he'd want to pluck his beard out!"

Once the duel ended, Luke corrected some of his and her errors, but not enough for Asajj's taste, judging from the scoff and rolling eyes Ben heard and felt in his mind.

The duels went like that, Asajj providing colorful mental commentary as 'saber met 'saber, and when it came time for Evaè's turn, she was facing off against Ittena Jeler, a nice enough Pantoran.

Their mutual grasp of Niman was enough to provoke a sigh from her, but at least she didn't say anything out loud.

Luke wanted a little more fluidity from the two of them, and Asajj didn't argue that.

Finally, Ben was up.

He was facing off against Erisk Ort'heno, a Bothan male, whose preferred form was a mix of Ataru and Djem So.

Bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet, he then stepped onto the dueling mats of the salle, igniting his blue-bladed lightsaber.

They circled each other before taking their starting positions.

Erisk had his 'saber held above his head, in the opening stance of Djem So, a confident look in his eyes—he thought this was going to be easy.

Instinctively, Ben put his 'saber in the same position, and the duel began.

It was a bit like watching a spaceball match, in that no one seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Parrying a blow, Ben backflipped to the edge of the mats, about to go back on the offense.

Here, he remembered the mental presence of Asajj—she had been quietly and neutrally watching his duel.

She enigmatically raised an eyebrow, and cocked her head.

Ben immediately shifted and executed a perfect Makashi salute, falling into the opening stance of Form II seamlessly, which had Luke widening his eyes, and leaning forward in his seat, the motion of which went unnoticed by Ben, and Erisk shifting into Ataru's opening stance which did not.

This time, Erisk was the one who attacked, while Ben quickly parried with a flick of his wrist.

Ben advanced, pressing the Bothan to the edge of the mats, his entire posture changed.

He was looser, more fluid, his shoulders more open and relaxed, and his energy more focused.

Time seemed to slow, now that the Force wasn't being pushed down his arms and through his 'saber.

As he continued to push Erisk, Erisk glanced back: he was too close to the edge.

Ben sensed what was coming—as clearly as he saw the present, he saw the future.

Erisk will somersault over him, trying to get more space.  For some reason, he will land off balance.

There's a perfect opportunity.

Exactly as he sensed, Erisk flipped over Ben, but he was ready, and simultaneously turned around.

Before Erisk could get his lightsaber into any sort of position, Ben had his behind his opponent's emitter, and with a barely noticeable flick, had the other 'saber sailing into his outstretched hand, and his own blade against Erisk's throat.

In a stunned voice, the Bothan murmured, "Solah," stepping back.

Feeling a little flashy, Ben flourished his 'saber in another salute, before deactivating it.

Noticing the weighty silence in the salle, Ben looked around and saw the stupefied look on everyone's faces, the look of happiness on Evaè's face, and the stunned shock mixed with—was that pride on his uncle's face?

Luke stood and stepped forward, saying, "An excellent demonstration of Form II against Form IV, Initiate Solo.

Initiate Ort'heno, you need to work on your command of Form IV if you wish to use it along with Form V.

Practice with your flips would not be amiss—Initiate Solo disarmed you because you were unsteady when you landed your si'omne flip.

That will be all, students, enjoy your well earned dinner."  And with that, he turned around, walking to the doors of the training salle.

Ben silently handed Erisk back his 'saber, squashing the feeling of dissatisfaction that Luke hadn't said more about his side of the duel, while walking over to his belongings.

Evaè was seated by his bag, swinging her feet and smiling up at Ben.  "That was amazing, Ben," she murmured in wonder.  "I've never seen you use Form II—you've always used Form V!"

"Yeah, I've been studying it," he said sheepishly, rubbing a hand against his damp neck while he clipped his lightsaber to his belt.

"Come on, let's get to the refectory, before all the good stuff gets taken."

They walked side by side to the refectory, and were about to enter, when Luke appeared out of the shadows cast by a corner, saying, with an impassive look on his face, "Initiate Solo, I'd like to speak with you."

Evaè looked at him, silently asking if he wanted her to stay, despite the fact that her presence would very likely not be appreciated.

Ben shook his head, and gestured to the open doors of the refectory.

Evaè nodded, and continued through the doorway.

Ben turned back to Luke, the more rebellious part of his mind, the part he suspected more and more was being nurtured by Snoke, whispering "What now?"

Stubbornly ignoring it, he focused on the moment and said instead, "Yes, Master Skywalker?"

Luke's face softened, and became the one Ben had seen when he had still been living with his family on Chandrila, the one he associated with "Uncle Luke".

"None of that now, Ben, it's Uncle Luke.  I just wanted to tell you that you did very well in dueling class today, and… I'm very proud of you."

Ben's mouth fell open. He couldn't believe it. He almost incredulously said, "What?" but instead replied with, "You are?"

Luke chuckled, "Yes, I am, Ben.  I'm very happy and proud of you.  I knew you had an interest in Makashi, but I didn't know that you learned it to the point of using it well and confidently in a duel."

"I've been studying," he grinned.  It wasn't a lie, after all.

"Well then, keep studying," Luke said, reaching forward to ruffle Ben's hair.  "And if you need any help, I'm always here for you."

This time, Ben didn't mind at all the disarrangement of his hair, and instead rushed forward to hug Luke.

Luke grunted slightly, but wrapped his arms around his nephew's lanky form, patting him on the back a few times.

When Ben pulled back, Luke slapped him on the shoulder, saying," Go on now, we've got Corellian fried steak tonight, one of your favorites."

"Thanks, Uncle Luke," he whispered.

"Not a problem, Ben."  And so the Master watched his nephew run in to the refectory.

Later that night, after an animated conversation with Evaè, and having scarfed down two servings of Corellian fried steak, Ben trod into his hut, exhausted.

He set his bag on his table, unclipped his lightsaber, placing it gently on his nightstand and turned around to see the glowing, gray apparition of Asajj sitting on his bed, a lopsided smile on her face.  "That was good work, kid.  You did very well for your first use of Makashi."

Ben blushed, saying, "Thanks, it was your teaching."

"Don't put yourself down," she snapped.  "I may have taught you, yes, but you were the one who disarmed that Bothan.

Don't get cocky, but know your worth, and your talent."

Something occurred to Ben.  "You were quiet after my duel. Why?"

"I wanted you to be able to enjoy the moments after you won without you having to divide your attention between me and the outside world, and I knew I'd be able to tell you exactly what I wanted to see improve when you came here."

"But you—"

"I said you did 'very well', but you were not perfect.

Your weight.

I want to see more balance between both feet.

There were times that your feet moved more like Form V, rather than Form II.

Now pick that 'saber up, we've got work to do on that."

"Oh come on, I'm tired, Asajj!" Ben exclaimed.

"An opponent won't care if you're tired or not.  He'll still try to kill you.  You can't say, 'Okay, can you stop? I'm tired.', Ben.

Now come on, we fix this, you can go to bed."

With a sigh, Ben summoned his lightsaber and activated the blade, as he stood beside Asajj.

"Now, let's do the first and second kata, focusing on the footwork.

Back, forth, forth, back, and back, back, forth, back.

Again, Ben, more weight on that left foot…"

Chapter Text

"You look happy, Master Luke," one of his Senior Padawans and assistant, Annilore, said as he strode in, noting the pleasant look on his face and the spring in his step.

She was a human from Haruun Kal whom Luke discovered when he went to the planet with the freshly-formed New Republic to wrest the last vestiges of the Empire's control from it.

"Because I am, Annilore. Is it so unusual?" he smiled, genuinely wondering if his daily worries had affected him so much to make a slight smile on his face a notable thing.

Maintaining a neutral face as she was thinking, Luke could feel the discomfort in her Force signature—she didn't want to say the wrong thing and shatter her Master's good mood.


"You make it special, Master."

"Um-hmm, 'special', huh?  I think we both know that that's code for 'Sith, yes.'"

Annilore ducked her head, tightly wound coils of dark brown hair falling in her face as she chuckled at her Master's unexpected joke.  "You're funny when you want to be, Master."

That sent another twinge though his heart, but he brushed it off, and laughed along with her.  Once they sobered, he asked, "How did the Initiates do in Meditation Class today?"

"They did well, Master, they were all pretty much able to find their way to rest in the Force…"

"And?"

"Um, you asked me to observe your nephew in particular, Master, to tell you of any changes I sensed in his presence."

"Yes, I did," he replied, bracing himself for… what, he didn't know.  It was a knee-jerk reaction he tried to ignore, struggling to keep ahold of that peace he had had since he woke.

"Well… he was something else, Master.  He was the calmest and most peaceful I've ever seen him, and he slipped into the Force as quick as you please, Master. It—it was almost as if I were watching you meditate, Master.

And he was happy, incandescently happy, Master, he was almost too bright to look at in the Force."

Releasing a breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding, Luke brushed a hand across his chin, an action that, as he became a Jedi Master, he'd began to often do.  He must have picked it up from Old Ben.  "That's… thank you, Annilore. That's wonderful."

"You're welcome, Master, it's such a relief to see Ben happy after all the…"

"Skywalker shavit?"  Luke said, eyebrow raised.

"I wouldn't quite put it like that, Master, but.  Yeah, Skywalker shavit."

They shared one more laugh before Annilore said, "I'm afraid I have to go, Master, I have a class to supervise."

"Go, go, don't let me keep you."  And Luke kept walking through his temple, basking in the Force surrounding everything, when a feeling he never thought he'd feel again rang through him.

His brisk pace slowed slightly, uncertain if this was merely a figment of his imagination or if it was real.

The bright, shining firestorm that was his father was pressed up against his Force Signature, as if he were standing behind him.  Then, clearly, so clearly, his voice spoke, "I'm sorry, Luke, this was the only way."

A plethora of emotions surged through Luke as he incredulously whispered "Father?" before a power flowed through him, picking his presence up and dragging it through the layers of the Force.

He staggered, feeling the strength of his father and… Old Ben?

Luke blinked, and his mental vision became what he saw physically.  

Father seemed to be gripping a Dark Presence and was somehow forcing it to it's locus on the mortal plane.

A gasp escaped the Jedi Master.  This was the foul, rank presence he had felt the night before.

Father had answered his call.

Father came to help him.

Planets flashed by, fast as hyperspace, and then came the sight of a dark gray planet in a quaternary star system which had five moons orbiting it, before a riptide of the Dark exploded over them, and all three Force Signatures were hurled upwards.

Luke caught flashes of long, dark blonde hair, a black synthleather glove, short auburn hair, and cream tunics, and then his vision was filled with the dark slate floor of his temple.

Luke had collapsed, fortunately behind a large pillar out of sight of passing students, thank the Force.

He ran a shaking hand through his hair, pulling himself up against the pillar.

Breathing for a few seconds, he calmed his racing heartbeat, before an iron grip seemed to settle over the Jedi's very Force Signature.

Performing a quick check of his mental shields, they were still strong as durasteel, and there were no presences trying to intrude.

Where was it coming from?  

An icy shiver crawled up his spine.

Frantically flying to the mental place where the Force Bond between him and his father lay, Luke could only watch in horror as the bond began to dim.

He placed his hands on the bond, trying to prevent whatever was trying to sever it, and instead he was sucked into what seemed at first like Hoth.

It was bitterly cold, dark, and the wind howled in deathly screams.

This was no Hoth.  This was a manifestation of the Dark Side.

It nipped at his very being, sucking the hope, joy, and peace from him.

He wrapped his robe more tightly around him, doing his best to remember what the feelings flowing out of him like sand through a broken glass felt like.

Luke fell to his knees, overwhelmed.

Then came a faint glow, off in the horizon.  It gradually came closer, became brighter, until it was like being out in the full light of Tattooine's twin suns.

Father.

The Dark coalesced, meeting his father's Light, pressing oppressively against it.

Father pushed back relentlessly, never giving up, gaining ground from the Dark slowly but surely.

However, the Dark burst forward, pushing with immeasurable strength, but the Light and… love, pure love, love for Luke himself coming from Father intensified until it was like standing in the heart of a star.

Luke averted his eyes, and heard a faint scream of "You.  Will.  Never.  Take.  Me.  From.  MY.  SON!  NEVER AGAIN!"

The Light, already inconceivably bright, illumined even further as presences he recognized as Master Yoda and Old Ben along with one he didn't know, stood at his father's back, lending him their power.

The Dark pulled back, and in the blink of an eye, Luke was once more against the pillar, a lightness filling his being, like a weight that he hadn't known he was carrying was suddenly lifted.

He immediately checked his Force Bond to Anakin, and laughed silently, resting his head on the cold stone behind him, tears filling his eyes, when he realized it was still there, and stronger than it was before.

Chapter Text

In the Realm of the Force…

As he fought his way back to consciousness, Anakin felt his Master's amused presence beside him, keeping a watchful eye on him. 

Once he was fully awake, Obi-Wan asked, "How are you, Anakin?"

"Like I was chased by a Gundark, trampled by a herd of banthas, thrown into a Sarlaac Pit, and then thrown up by the Sarlaac," he moaned dramatically, processing his surroundings.

He was in the Force's manifestation of the Halls of Healing at the Coruscant temple.

"So in other words, our mission average," the Jedi Master smiled.  "Well, you did exert quite a bit of energy, Anakin, it's to be expected."

"How's the patient?"  Twi'lek Jedi Master Healer Vokara Che asked, bustling into the room.

"Fine,"  "Complaining," Anakin and Obi-Wan replied simultaneously.

The Master and erstwhile Padawan turned to glare at each other at their contradictory statements.

Master Healer Che just sighed, shaking her head, well used to The Team's antics which she had experienced in life, and now in death.  She approached the bed, waving a blue-skinned hand over The Chosen One.  "Acute Force Exhaustion, Skywalker.  That's quite a feat for you, considering.

You'll need to rest for at least a day or two.  I'd prefer the two.

Master Kenobi, I trust that you can keep Knight Skywalker under control."

Smiling charmingly, he replied, "You can rely on me, Master Che."

She merely raised an eyebrow and walked out of the room.

"I can't afford a day, let alone two, of rest, Master Che, my son needs me!"  Anakin shouted at her retreating figure.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan broke in, "you need to rest, I know you want to help Luke, but it'll be pointless if you don't even have the energy to speak to him, much less manifest."

The younger man slammed his head back onto the pillow, frustrated beyond measure.  "I felt him, saw him, Master, for the first time in years!

I promised myself that since I missed the first part of his life through my own karking fault, I would be there for him in my death."

"It's not your fault, Anakin."

"I KNOW!"  He shouted, before silent tears streamed down his cheeks.

Obi-Wan placed an understanding hand on Anakin's arm, saying, "You must relax, my young Padawan, you will not recover if you keep working yourself up like this."

Nodding, the younger man murmured, "I've just missed him, Master," sniffling as he viciously swiped his hand across his face.  "I've missed him so much."  His breathing hitched a couple of times before he burst into sobs, overwhelmed by exhaustion, and the emotions of the day.

Obi-Wan sighed, moving to Anakin's bedside.  "Come here," he said to his sobbing Padawan, opening his arms.

Anakin didn't hesitate, moving into the embrace of a man both father and brother to him, whom he had treated so cruelly.

In spite of that, that same man had welcomed him with open arms, just as he did now, as soon as he woke up within the Force, with nothing more than a whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Anakin.".

His Master's forgiveness, the forgiveness of those within the Force, and the forgiveness of the Force itself never ceased to amaze him.

Before he knew it, Obi-Wan fell into the old routine he would use when Anakin would wake from a nightmare as a young boy, rocking back and forth as he softly hummed a particular song.

It was in the list of traditional Stewjonian songs he had looked up once as a Padawan out of curiosity, and when he clicked on the audio link, he was shocked to hear a melody that was familiar.

He meditated on it, and for his reward, was granted a brief flash of looking up into bright gray eyes and familiar features framed by long, dark red hair as that same melody was sweetly sung.

His mother had sang it to him as a baby, and it was Anakin's favorite, never failing to get him to sleep.

It was written in a combination of both Basic and Stewjonian, and it was called "Loch Lomond".

Obi-Wan never sang the words, they were of a sad bent, but the melody was beautiful.

Anakin's sobs subsided halfway through the song and he was asleep by the end.

Reaching through their Master-Padawan bond, Obi-Wan sent a very powerful sleep suggestion to the younger man.

Immediately, Anakin fell even more limp against the Jedi Master.

With a sigh of relief, he gently laid Anakin back down on the bed, brushing away the tears and errant curls of hair.

"Love him, you do," Master Yoda's voice spoke.

Obi-Wan looked up to see Yoda and Qui-Gon in the doorway.

Collecting himself, he honestly replied, "He is my brother, as I've said… and once upon a time, he was my son, Master."  "Still is, I suppose," was the unspoken part of his sentence, but somehow, the unuttered sentiment hung in the air.

Yoda hobbled closer, reaching out to Anakin's presence.  "The same, he feels, Obi-Wan.  Both father and brother to him you are."

"I know."

With a slight look of concern, Qui-Gon approached, saying, "That's a very strong sleep suggestion you sent him, Obi-Wan, almost too strong."

"And we'll be lucky if he sleeps through the day with one that powerful.

Hopefully, it's strong enough to keep him down for two days as Master Che asked."  Unknowingly, he had continued to card his hand through Anakin's hair.

Qui-Gon came to Obi-Wan's side, placing his hands on his shoulders.  "Rest, my Padawan.  I will watch over him.  The boy is like my grandson after all."

Moved by Qui-Gon's implication, even after all this time, he said, "I won't leave him, Master," tiredly leaning into his Master's solid presence.

"Then all of us watch him, we will."  Yoda replied, not giving Obi-Wan a choice, as he moved to the small sofa in the corner of the room.

"I can't ask—"

"We're not asking, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon grinned, turning to sit beside Yoda.

"Thank you," he whispered, sitting back down by Anakin's bedside.

The young Jedi Master's eyes grew misty when he heard Yoda grumpily mutter, "Elsewhere would we be?" and felt the warm love and support Qui-Gon sent through their bond.

When Obi-Wan woke from his unexpected doze, he was prepared to have to wrangle a stubborn Anakin, but thankfully, he was still unconscious on the bed.

No, the presence that had roused him was that of a young brown-haired woman.

"How is he, Obi-Wan?"

He turned to see Qui-Gon and Yoda asleep on the couch, then faced the woman once more.  "He's exhausted, Padmè."

Obi-Wan proceeded to tell the whole story, starting from when he met Anakin in the Force's version of the Naboo Lake Country.

She looked like she wanted to say something when he reached the point where he and Anakin saw Luke, but she let him continue.

"Is this Palpatine again, Obi-Wan?"

"No, he's long dead, Padmè.

Unfortunately, this is something else.  Something that I'm afraid we'll have to help Luke deal with."

"How—how is he—Luke? I haven't been able to see him or Leia.

I know I can't talk or show myself to them, because I'm not Force Sensitive, but I've always been able to at least see them."

"You were blocked too?"  He asked.

"Yes, I was, I suppose."

He rubbed his hand over his chin, thinking.

Well, if the Dark Force User was able to block Jedi Ghosts, what more the presence of a Force-Blind person?

"He… he's well, he was happy to 'see' Anakin again, he has established his Jedi Order to the point where he has a temple, and is most likely training students.

He's older now, probably only a couple or a few years younger than my current appearance.

He still looks like Anakin, though I see you in him a bit more now than when he was younger."

"Really?"

"And he's still as strong as you and Anakin.

He walks like you, as well."

"Oh."  She had a hand pressed to her mouth, touched.

"You'd be so proud of him."

"I am."

"Would you like to stay?"  Obi-Wan smiled.

"I'd like that."

With a thought from Obi-Wan, another chair appeared on her side of the bed, which she gratefully sank into.

In this manner, almost all of Anakin's family in the Force watched over him as he slept.

When Anakin cracked his eyes open again, the sun had set over the Halls of Healing.

Good, he had only slept for a few hours even with Obi-Wan placing that pesky sleep suggestion which he had been, if he was honest with himself, too tired to resist.

"Oh, Anakin, honey, you're awake," Padmè worriedly said.

"How long was I out?"  He croaked.

"Two days, Padawan," Obi-Wan replied, smirking.

"What?!"

"Tired, you were," Yoda said, as Anakin turned his head to look down at him.

"How—"

"You underestimate my power, Anakin," his former Master grinned slightly.

"Don't," Anakin said, pointing his finger as he half-heartedly glared at the man.

If Obi-Wan was now able to joke about that time on Mustafar, well…

"Qui-Gon tells me you exhausted yourself, Ani," another familiar voice spoke, as she came in with the aforementioned Jedi Master trailing behind her.

"Mom, it was for a good cause, your grandson needed help," he whined slightly, attitude regressing to a nine-year old's in the presence of his mother.

"And you took a well-deserved rest after.  Don't blame Obi-Wan, son, you needed it."

"I have to help him, Mom."

"And you'll do it straight away, tomorrow, when good Master Che releases you from the Halls."

"Mom!"

"Don't you argue with me, Anakin Skywalker," she retorted, casting a reprimanding look at him.

"Fine," he muttered, which elicited snickers from everyone else in the room.  "Oh, I'm glad you all find this funny," he glared at everyone in the room.

"It kind of is, Ani," Padmè giggled.

"There now, relax, and you can plan what you'll do next to your heart's content with Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Yoda, and Padmè," Shmi said, as she bustled over and adjusted Anakin's blankets the way she knew he liked them.

"Will you stay?"

"Oh, I'm not sure what help I could be."

"Please, Mom,"

"You are welcome to stay, Shmi," Qui-Gon interjected, to knowing glances from Padmè and Obi-Wan and a vaguely confused expression from Anakin at said glances.

"Oh," she murmured, looking at down at her hands, "then, um, I'll just take my knitting then, from my home,"

"I will accompany you," Qui-Gon smiled.

She walked out of the room, Qui-Gon following closely behind.

As soon as the door shut, Obi-Wan and Padmè burst into laughter.

"What?  What's going on, why are the two of you laughing?"  Anakin asked cluelessly.

"Ah, clueless you are, Skywalker.  Let your wife or Master explain this to you, I will.

How the father of children you are, I do not know," Yoda sighed, moving back to the couch.

"Will either one of you calm down long enough to tell me what's going on, for Force's sake?"  He turned to the two at either side of his bed.

"Oh, Ani, can't you see it?"  Padmè giggled.

"See what?"

"Force, you can't see it?"  Obi-Wan incredulously said.

"Master Jinn has a crush on your mother, Ani, and she knows," Padmè gently explained.

"What? No, he can't!  He doesn't."

"I'm afraid he does, Padawan," Obi-Wan said seriously.

Anakin's head repeatedly swiveled between the two, before he said, "Oh, gross! Ewww!"  This only provoked more laughter from the two.

"It's not gross, Ani, it's cute," Padmè replied when she got control of herself once more. 

"She's married, for Force's sake!" 

"It's just a harmless crush, I'm sure it'll go away in a millennia or so," she reassured him.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that, Padmè, my Master can be quite devoted," Obi-Wan smiled.

"Now you're just torturing me, Master," Anakin groaned.

"At least it took your mind off of our problem for a while, Anakin," Obi-Wan grinned.

The five of them planned while Shmi quietly knitted in the corner.

The Jedi all agreed that they were dealing with someone very strong in the Dark, and now Anakin, Obi-Wan and Luke were aware of a physical location for their adversary.

But everything still came down to establishing communication with the mortal plane, which meant removing the block, the very thing that had landed Anakin in the Halls of Healing.

Anakin reluctantly agreed once everyone objected, to wait one more day before attempting to break the barrier again.

It was also agreed that he would spend that day in the Temple, meditating with his Master, Grandmaster, and Great-Great-Grandmaster, so that they would be in the best condition to fight the Darkness.

The end of that day came, and the quartet were perfectly focused, a soft blanket of peace lying over the Jedi. "Ready to begin, are we?" Yoda asked, looking around.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon nodded their acquiescence, and Anakin looked over at where his wife and mother were sitting.

The pair of women approached and gave him a hug.  "You can do this, Anakin," his mother reassured, to her son's nod.

"Tell Luke I love him, Ani," Padmè smiled.

"I will, Angel."

The women let him go, stepping back from the circle.

"Ready, Master," Anakin said, preparing himself.

"Then begin, we will."

The Jedi took a simultaneous breath, then sank into the Force, again focusing on Anakin's Force Bond with Luke.

The gray glass wall loomed before the quartet, the Dark still present, but… dormant.

"Ok," Anakin sighed, "let's try this again."

They all approached the wall, determined to break this barrier.

"It might try to throw you back, Masters. Be prepared, and it won't be able to. May the Force Be With Us all."

All four Jedi placed their hands on the glass, and it shuddered, vibrating with the strain of trying to keep itself intact.

Just when it seemed like it was going to shatter, a feeling of a sinister chuckle came through the glass, and the four were dumped into a turbulent sea.

Much worse than any storm Anakin had ever seen, it was tempestuous, and raging.

It boiled and roiled, tossing Master Yoda and Obi-Wan under the waves repeatedly.  However, Anakin sensed the Dark was weaker in this attempt.

"Masters!"  Anakin screamed.  "Hold onto me!"

Fighting through the waves, the other three managed to take hold of Anakin's Force Signature, which helped keep them all closer together and above the surface.

Thrusting an arm out, he searched through the Darkness, prying for any weaknesses.

He could feel the others doing the same behind him.

Joining their efforts through the Force, they probed along the Dark.

After what seemed like an eternity, they encountered a small, but perceptible weakness.

Before they could make a move towards the flaw in the Dark shields, a hundred-foot wave came surging at them, pulling them all under the current.

They floundered, Anakin grateful for the Padawan swimming lessons Obi-Wan forced him into, as they continued to be pounded by the water.

The wave dragged them all farther away from the wall of shields relentlessly, neverendingly, and Anakin was about to do the same thing he had earlier to beat back the Darkness, when he felt a peculiar tug on his Force Signature.

Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of a glowing rope in his periphery.

As he began to swim towards the rope, the Dark raged even more, incandescent with fury, which only made Anakin more determined to reach the rope.

Sending his power into the most powerful Force Pull he had ever attempted, slowly, he and the others managed to draw closer, and closer, until the edge of the rope was only slightly out of reach.

Smirking, he Force Pulled again, and was drawn through to fall onto a packed earth floor, a demonic scream ringing in his ears.

When he collected himself enough to stand up, he became aware of the familiar hum and glow cast by lightsabers out of the corner of his eye.

Willing his specter dry, he turned, and saw someone he never expected to see.

Tall, female, pale skinned, tattooed, with short, nearly white hair.  With an odd, gray glow about her.

Asajj Ventress.

She stood protectively, mysteriously white-bladed lighsabers held before her, in front of a dark haired child, about twelve years old, who held his blue lightsaber in a similar position.

"You!" Anakin managed, before Obi-Wan appeared and inelegantly flopped to the floor.

Keeping his eye on Ventress, he helped his Master up.

Obi-Wan brushed soaked auburn strands away from his eyes, and took in the sight before him.

His jaw fell open, and he said, "Asajj?!"

Chapter Text

"Arrrrgh!"  Supreme Leader Snoke screamed in anger.

How, he mused, how were the Jedi Force Ghosts able to get past him?

He was the most powerful Dark Side User alive in the galaxy!

This was impossible!

Now, not only was Anakin Skywalker in the presence of the boy, but so were Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Yoda, and if they were not tempering influences on that child, he didn't know who would be.

He was better than this.

Damn that Risen Dathomirian witch to all the Sith Hells!

How he wished she would burn alongside his thrice-accursed former Master, Darth Sidious.

Taking a seething breath, he fomented his anger, sinking into the comforting embrace of Sith Meditation.

And so, he reflected on his past, which never failed to envelop him in the embrace of the Dark Side.

He was young once.

A child on the planet Masrah, in the capital city of Menthis.

It was a paradoxical planet with harsh desert and lush oases.

His father was a farmer who had a large tract of land not far from the city, on the banks of the life-giving river that ran through the whole of the planet, the Eil'n.

His people worshipped the god Hr'a, god of the Sun and the Energies, what his people in their ignorance called the Force.

His mother was chief priestess at Hr'a's temple, and he dutifully accompanied her every worship day, to help her tend to the sacred flames and keep the incenses burning.

Oh, how he loved her and Father.

What a pitiful fool he was.

One day, the temple floor was wet with water from the rare rains that worshippers tracked in, and his mother slipped on the slick limestone of the temple floor, knocking over one of the golden braziers full of fire.

It all happened so fast, she didn't even have time to use the Energies to stop her fall or the brazier's.

He screamed his mother's name, reaching out a hand, as if he could stop it from collapsing onto her body.

They were both surprised when the brazier halted in its fall, suspended in midair.

The acolytes of the temple rushed over to set the brazier aright, and to help their priestess up.

"My son, you are gifted with power over the Energies, as I am.  Your gift must be trained, lest you use it ill," she told him.

Eagerly, he agreed, and was inducted into the ranks of the acolytes.

Indeed, he was gifted, and soon rose in the ranks, until it was agreed that he, young Acolyte Snoke would succeed Chief Priestess Nepthe as Chief Priest once the good god Hr'a deigned to take her unto himself.

Alas, this time was not to last.

A rebellion rose up of those who worshipped the god of chaos, Zet'h.

They sacked and pillaged his city, desecrating the temple of Hr'a and killing his father and mother, who had tried to save the people of their city by offering them sanctuary in the temple.

The Zet'h rebels held nothing sacred, though, and soon broke through the doors, despite his efforts, his mother's, and the other Acolytes to hold them back with the Energies.

They slaughtered his people, running his father through with their swords, and slit his mother's throat upon the altar of Hr'a.

They however, collected all the acolytes, Snoke among them.

They would be tortured daily, to break their spirits, to force them to serve Zet'h.

Many of his fellow acolytes died, unable to take the pain day after day, while others apostatized, willing to do anything, if only to make the pain stop.

He was the only one not to break.

Not out of faith in Hr'a, because after all, where was Hr'a when his mother, his High Priestess' blood was spilled on his altar, in his temple?

No.

It was out of spite that he proclaimed day after day that he would not serve Zet'h.

He would not serve the god of those who killed his mother and father.

Oh, how he hated them.

Hated those who would lash at him with barbed whips, who placed searing metal against his skin, who cut his flesh.

His mother would have whispered forgiveness, begging him to forgive those who wronged him, not to let hate burn in his gentle heart, but his mother was not around anymore to tell him these things, was she?

So he let the hate burn and fester, let it fuel his Energies.

Until one day, as they sought to place another red-hot piece of metal against his side, he broke the encorcelled cuffs around his wrist that were there to deaden his connection to the Energies, and killed his persecutors.

He went through the palace of the Governor, where he was being held, and ended the miserable lives of all within.

He saved the leader of the Zet'h rebels for last.

He dragged the screaming man to Hr'a's temple and killed him in the same way his men slaughtered his mother.

As he took a few breaths, panting as the sudden burst of power the Energies lent him faded, he heard a slow clap come from the temple doors.

A man robed in a black, hooded cloak was standing a the entrance.

Snoke gathered the Energies about him once more, ready to fight this intruder, when he was suddenly held in a mysterious grip so strong it could only be fueled by the Energies.

The robed man approached, saying, "Bravo, bravo, my dear boy.  That was spectacular.  Your wielding of the Force, a masterpiece."

"The Force?"  Snoke rasped.

"What your people call the Energies is called the Force to most others who use it.  Myself included."  The man reached up, and lowered his hood.  Snoke looked into clear, ice blue eyes and graying light brown hair.  "I should introduce myself.  I am Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith.  And you, my boy?"

"Snoke," he replied.

Suddenly, the strong grip on Snoke's body tightened painfully, and Darth Sidious' eyes flashed gold before returning to blue as he snarled, "You will call me My Lord, or Lord Sidious, child.  Are we clear?"

"Yes, My Lord," Snoke gurgled.

Satisfied, Sidious' grip relaxed and Snoke dropped to the floor, gasping for air.

"Now, I was here to see about an alliance of my soldiers and the inhabitants of this planet, but it seems I might receive something even more valuable from this endeavor. 

Arise, Snoke, and let me look at you."

Snoke stood and looked at this man.

Suddenly, Lord Sidious was within his mind, rifling painfully through his memories.

Snoke fell to his knees, overwhelmed by the onslaught.

Eventually, the mental invasion ended, and Sidious said, "Yes, yes, this will be wonderful.

I now make you an offer, Snoke. Come with me, and I will train you in the ways of the Force."

"I already know how to wield the En—the Force, My Lord."

"Yes, but not the way I do.

I can teach you how to unlock the deepest and darkest depths of your anger and hatred, how to unlock your true power."

A part of him that was still the boy he had been, back when he still had his father, his mother, and his place in the world screamed at him not to accept Lord Sidious' offer, but the other part of him that relished his own dark deeds, the blood he had spilled, wanted nothing more than to take the offer.

So he mercilessly squashed that part of him that wanted to refuse, and bowed his head lower, saying, "What is your bidding, my Master?"

"Yes, good, very good," Sidious chortled.  "Come, we have work to do."

And so, Darth Sidious trained Snoke for many years.

Snoke grew in strength and power until he could even read some of the private thoughts of his Master.

Soon, he would strike down his old apprentice, Darth Tyrannus, and name him as his new apprentice, giving him the name Darth Ahnobis.

Snoke thought to himself, why should I wait for my Master to strike Tyrannus down?   I should be the one, and prove myself worthy of being Darth Ahnobis.

So Snoke planned, in the deepest and most shielded areas of his mind. He knew exactly how he would do it.

Everything was set up.

Tyrannus would meet an end worthy of the new apprentice to the greatest Dark Lord to ever live.

The night before Snoke was going to put his plan into place, his Master called him into his presence.  "My dear student, how are you?  How are your studies?"

Puzzled, Snoke replied, "Well, my Master, I feel more confident in my ability to tap into my hate and anger."

Smiling satisfiedly, Darth Sidious murmured, "Good, good.  And your pride ?" He finished with a vicious snarl.

Sidious took hold of him through the Force, and threw him against the wall, then strode up to Snoke, the Dark Side raging around him like a maelstrom.  "How dare you plot against my apprentice, Lord Tyrannus?"

"I—"

"Spare me, Snoke.  You think that you have grown so powerful that you can read my mind without my knowledge?

Everything you have seen is nothing that I have not allowed you to see.

I have been testing you, you see, and you have failed, failed me so utterly.

Yes, I do intend to dispose of Lord Tyrannus, but at a time of my choosing, not yours.

You fool.

You will dispose of your plan to end Lord Tyrannus now ."

"Or?" Snoke said.

Sidious did not deign to answer, striking him for a prolonged length of time with Force Lightning.

Once the attack ceased, Sidious said, "That should be answer enough for you.  Now get out of my sight," dropping Snoke to the floor.

Thus was the seed sown of Snoke's hatred for his own Master.

He planned now, not just for Lord Tyrannus' death, but for that of his own Master.

He no longer attempted to read his Master's thoughts without at least ten layers of shields before his presence.

His plan was perfect.

He would strike down his Master first, then Tyrannus.

He snuck into his Master's room, using the Force to quiet his steps and his ignited lightsaber, as Sidious slept.

It would be so poetic.

As Sidious struck down his Master, Plagueis, so would Snoke strike down Sidious himself.

He raised the red blade, then struck, killing Sidious.

He was just about to rejoice when he heard an impossible voice.  "Oh, Snoke, you disappoint me."  Sidious was standing in the corner of the room.

Snoke looked down at the body he had run through with his 'saber.

Sidious waved a hand and the body disappeared.  "You still have much to learn, apprentice.

You forget that everything you know, I taught you.

You think I did not sense your rebellious thoughts?

You are a greater fool than I thought.

I should have left you in that temple." Sidious thrust his hand out and before he knew it, all Snoke knew was pain, even greater than that which he suffered at the hands of the Zet'h rebels.

When the pain faded, he realized that he was no longer in his body, or more to the point, that he no longer had a body, his robes in a pile on the floor where he had stood.

Sidious stepped closer, grasping Snoke's spirit.  "Now, I shall dispose of you where you will no longer disturb me, or my plans.

I had hopes for you.

It is too bad."  With those words, Sidious flung his arm out, throwing Snoke's spirit across the galaxy until it landed on a barren planet where everything was dark gray, and four suns hung in the sky.

Snoke eventually got up and walked forward until he struck a barrier of what looked like thick foggy glass.

He walked in the other direction, and soon came upon a similar wall.

He walked in every direction possible, and encountered the same wall.

His Master had imprisoned him.

And Snoke screamed his rage to the skies.

So he continued to plot and plan, despite there not being a lot he could do from his prison, learning to stretch his awareness into the galaxy, to see the machinations of his former Master.

He had to admit, the plan Sidious had concocted was rather brilliant, the final steps even more so.

Use an invasion of Coruscant, which the Separatists could not even hope to take, let alone hold, to stage his kidnapping at the hands of Tyrannus, then use Skywalker to do the work from there.

It was a beautiful double-edged blade.

Not only was Sidious able to dispose of Tyrannus, but it also served to push Skywalker closer to the Dark, and made him more susceptible to the dreams of his wife dying.

He watched as the Dark ascended, almost wiping out the Jedi Order in one fell swoop.

It actually made for entertaining viewing.

Snoke spent the next twenty-three years planning and watching Sidious keep hold of the galaxy.

However, the hydrospanner in Sidious' plan was the very person who was his apprentice: Darth Vader, the former Anakin Skywalker.

His offspring were weak points for his devotion to the Dark Side, and Snoke could have seen Skywalker turning against Sidious for the sake of his son from a million parsecs away.

The moment Anakin Skywalker threw Darth Sidious down the reactor shaft, Snoke couldn't help but laugh, because while it meant the Light was ascendant, it was satisfying to see his former Master spread across the galaxy as so much dust.

Sidious was dead, and the offspring of Anakin Skywalker, Luke and Leia, were now restoring peace and balance to the galaxy, since they had ended the Emperor, and that was certainly the end of the Dark Side Users, right?

And, how lovely, Leia was pregnant, a son, yet another symbol of hope for the New Republic.

Hah.

How he would prove them wrong.

Every now and then, he would send the unborn child horrible nightmares, variations of evils Snoke himself had committed when he was younger, whisper in his thoughts.

A few more years of that and the Solo whelp would be stark, raving mad before he was ten.

If this was all he achieved, driving the Heir of Skywalker insane, then he would take comfort and amusement in the boy's inevitable psychotic rages.

But then, he sensed something else through the Force.

The Imperial Remnant was fleeing, fleeing to the Unknown Regions, which was exactly where Sidious had dumped him.

How fortuitous.

Invading the dreams of one of the officers the Remnant had chosen to lead them, a Grand Admiral Sloane, Snoke led them to his planet that was apparently named Mmita, which, from what he remembered of his research during his time with Sidious, was an ancient Sith prison planet, thanks to unique crystalline structures native to the planet that trapped the spirits of the prisoners, leaving them in a half-life, which certainly explained the odd glass walls of his prison.

Now he had what remained of his former Master's forces, an excellent start to an army.

Now to do anything further, he needed an apprentice.

The ones Luke Skywalker was taking were too eager to accept the Lightsided teachings, he needed someone powerful, and yet a blank slate, someone he could mold into his image.

Snoke almost despaired of finding the perfect apprentice, when one day, an idea occurred to him that made him stop mid-sentence with Grand Admiral Sloane, discussing plans to cut the crystal housing his spirit from the ground of Mmita.

Dismissing Sloane with stern orders that he desired his prison moved onto the Annihilator within the next two days, unless she desired sudden respiratory problems, he ruminated.

Yes.

It would work.

Snoke reworked his plan.

He would no longer seek to drive Ben Solo insane, but rather turn him to the Dark Side, again corrupting the Skywalker line.

He would finish what his former Master started, and rule the galaxy, this time with a faithful apprentice who would sooner fall onto his own lightsaber than betray his Master.

Now, Snoke was bound and determined to obtain Ben Solo as his apprentice, but the boy's mind was almost unnaturally strong, and he just refused to turn.

It really would have been easier to drive him insane, just a few hundred brutal invasions of his mind would do it, but since he wanted him as an apprentice he had to take a gentler approach.

And he had strong connections to his family, damn it all, which impeded his Fall, Snoke would have to take care of that.

And those meddling Jedi.

And that Risen witch.

Ahh, he had to get off this line of thought, it wasn't producing the productive kind of anger.

So he thought of a lovely, power filling thought, which never failed to stir his lust for more anger and hate, feeding into the beautiful cycle: one of the more valuable tenets of his former religion, as an acolyte of Hr'a.

They believed in the concept of a true name, called a Ren, a distillation of the person's very being, their soul, heart and mind.

He, like all acolytes of Hr'a, underwent the ritual to discover their true name, as a being would not have knowledge of their own Ren without the rite.

His had been Loyal Faithful Servant, marking even more clearly his destiny to serve the god as his Chief Priest.

He wholeheartedly rejected even the idea of that name now.

He was meant to to be the master, not the servant.

He even rejected the name he had once so longed for, which had seemed so true: Darth Ahnobis, Dark Lord of the Sith.

There was only one name he now claimed as his Ren, his new destiny, the only thing he now answered to.

Supreme Leader.

And soon, the galaxy would know his name.

Chapter Text

As soon as his heart calmed, and he recovered from the shock of having his parental bond with Father strengthened, Luke leapt to his feet, walking as fast as he could to the library.

Urgently, he activated the integrated holocron of Master Jocasta Nu, the former librarian of the Coruscant Jedi Temple.

“Ah, Master Skywalker, how may I be of assistance?”

“Master Nu, I need information on planets with a gray colored surface in a quaternary star system.”

“Well, I will see what I can pull up.  I will look through the data chips and the catalogue of the texts for any references.  The information should be available tonight.”

“Thank you, Master Nu.”  Master Jocasta Nu’s holocron was one of the best things he had ever discovered.  Her holocron was unique in the sense that it could be integrated into a library system and learn new information, adding it to its drive, so to speak, since a holocron was a blend of advanced technology and good old-fashioned Jedi mysticism.  Her holocron was as good as any Artificial Intelligence, even better, in fact.

Luke decided that while Master Nu was looking through the archives, he could do some work of his own.

Heading into the communications room,  he pressed the button locking the room, and then the button securing the comm channels.

The frequency Luke input was one the Jedi Master had had for several years.

They still talked, especially when the other man thought he had something from the Republic.  Perhaps he had some knowledge that he had gleaned on his… travels that could help Luke.

“Master Skywalker.”  The person who answered the comm was an attractive black-haired woman, juggling an unruly three year old in her arms.

“Iden.  It’s good to see you.  Is Del around?”  Iden Versio was the wife of Del Meeko, both of whom were Imperial Navy officers who had defected to the Resistance in the last days of the Empire, refusing to follow orders which would have made them accomplice to genocide in Operation: Cinder.

He met Iden and Del a long time ago, (which was a long story that involved blasters and some bombs) but he now had a friendship of sorts with Del and a pleasant acquaintance with Iden.

“No, he’s getting some supplies for the Corvus planetside, but he should be back soon, is there something you needed to ask him?”

“Yeah, could you have him call me when he gets back?  And… both of you might want to hear what I have to say,” Luke said gravely.

She shifted her daughter—Zay, Luke recalled—a similary grave look on her face.  “I’ll tell him, Master Skywalker.  We’ll talk to you soon.”

“I’ll expect your call, Iden.”

As the comm’s glow disappeared from the room, Luke mentally touched the place in his mind where his Force Bond to Father lived, in awe of the strengthened connection, as he went to his next class, Meditation for the Junior Padawans.

Luke’s day was almost over—he had fifteen minutes until the Initate’s Dueling Class, when Annilore ran up to him, breathless.

“Master Skywalker,” she gasped.

“Take a breath, Annilore, what is it?”

“Urgent secure comm for you, Master, from Mister Meeko and Miss Versio.”

“Thank you, I’ll be right there,” he replied, quickly striding to the communications room.

When Luke arrived, he could see the serious faces of Del and Iden already waiting for him.

Running a quick scan in the Force to check that no one else was in the room, he again pressed the buttons to secure the line and lock the door.  “Iden.  Del, it’s good to see you.”

“Same here, Master Skywalker, you said you wanted to talk with me and Iden,” Del prompted.

“Yes.  Have you heard of unrest or odd occurrences in the Galaxy, particularly the Unknown Regions, Wild Space, or the Outer Rim?  Anything odd at all?

Del and Iden shared a look before he said, “Not really, but I can ask around.  It might take some time because I have to ask some people who don’t exactly advertise their location, and I have to tread carefully.”

“I’d be grateful if you could, Del.  You should know… whatever you find out could alter the course of the galaxy.”

“Did you sense something in the Force, Master Skywalker?”

Luke nodded.  “I sensed and saw something.  It does not bode well for any of us.”

“Have you spoken with your sister, Her Highness?  She might have access to information from the Republican Intelligence Agency that could help,” Iden asked.

Luke smiled at her stubborn insistence at calling Leia “Her Highness” up to now.  Imperial habits, he guessed.  “I was going to call her tomorrow, the time difference on Chandrila is too big for me to have called her these last several hours.”

“I’ll do some investigating, and get back to you soon, Master Skywalker,” Del said.

The Jedi Master gratefully nodded.  “May the Force Be With You, Del, Iden.”

“And with you,” they said in unison.

As the comm disconnected, Luke could only hope that whatever good fortune had been visiting him this past day would continue.

No one was more surprised than he to see his nephew use one of the rarer forms of lightsaber combat: Makashi.

It was not widely used nowadays, as most deemed the weaknesses of the form too great to use in this time.

But Ben was able to work through the weak spots in the form, his past study of Djem So showing and helping him put power behind his blade, which was the main deficiency of Form II.

It was truly impressive to see him defeat Erisk Ort’heno, a Form IV and V student, with Makashi.

He was proud, really proud of Ben, and it was all he could do not to sing his nephew’s praises in front of all the students.  If only Leia could see her son…

As he walked out of the salle, Luke could feel disappointment coming momentarily from Ben, before it was quickly released.  Did… did Ben think that he wasn’t happy with him?  He’d have to fix that.

From what Annilore had told him earlier and what he’d seen just now, his nephew was progressing beautifully.

Which is what led Luke Skywalker to skulk in a shadowed corner in front of the refectory.  If it was a bit dramatic, well.

Drama ran in the Skywalker bloodline and Lineage.

Luke noticed that the other student with Ben, Evaè Masead, if he remembered correctly, from Naboo, was expectantly waiting for Ben, but at the shake of his head, and his gesture, she proceeded into the refectory.

So Ben made a friend, it seemed.  That was good.

Luke didn’t fail to see the wide-eyed look on Ben’s face as he told him he was proud of him.  It broke Luke’s heart a little, that a small compliment from his uncle made him so happy.

Had he been ignoring his nephew?

He had been trying to show impartiality, that his students were all equal, not necessarily in gifts, but in attention.

Perhaps he had been trying too hard in that aspect, and perhaps Ben needed… needed him.  More of his Uncle Luke and maybe a bit less of Master Skywalker.

So, he ruffled Ben’s hair like he used to when he would visit his sister’s house.

When the boy rushed to hug him, he didn’t hesitate to return the embrace and pat him on the back a few times.

When he pulled back, he slapped the young boy on the shoulder, telling him to go eat some dinner.

Luke was tempted to sit with Ben as he animatedly ate and spoke with Evaè, but something told him not to, so he retreated to his usual table where Annilore was already seated.

He listened to her report for the day as he ate, and kept a surreptitious eye on his nephew.

It eased his heart to see Ben happy like that.  He had been worried for a while about the boy.

Ben had been a cheerful (if not sarcastic) child, and while Luke knew it was a necessary evil, to separate him for such extended periods from his parents, to train his gift, it still hurt to see Ben so isolated.

He had hoped that Ben would make friends at the temple, and it seemed that he finally had.

That night, as Luke laid himself on his bed, he muttered along his and Father’s bond, “Together, Father.  We can fight back the Dark again.”