Chapter 2
Another chapter!
Chapter 2
Time Irrelavent
He observed Jedi and Sith alike, searching for that one pinpoint of power. The One, prophesied to bring balance to the Force existed somewhere. Be it good or evil, this being could bring the Sith into a position of absolute power. Such potential could be harnessed and exploited.
The tiny ship moved but didn’t. It traveled, but remained in one place. Darth Andrian, dark lord of the Sith, searched, and examined. Like a hungry insect, his dark mind felt into every crevasse, peered into every shadow. Times changed. Empires rose and fell. The Sith vanished from the galaxy. The Jedi grew in strength, becoming a powerful force in the aid of the vast Galactic Republic. Systems spawned and died. Time passed.
Ever forward the Sith lord was pulled. Some time in the future, one man (for he could now sense that the One would be a man) would be born on a lonely world, would rise up, and would balance the forces of good and evil. Eventually. He was getting closer.
On a beautiful world, a young girl was born. Andrian ignored her birth. The One would be a man. How foolish of him, that he never thought to also look for the person who would pull the One inexorably towards his fate…
…by her death.
Several more years passed in an instant, a young boy was born to a mother on a desert planet. He had no father. The Sith had found him.
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22 years later
Obi-wan stared out his window at the valley beneath him. A planet sized desert lay in front of him and he wished he had never seen it in the first place. What had he gotten himself into? The frantic words of Qui-gon replayed over and over in his mind, but he could make no sense of it.
Of course the prophesy had been wrong. Anakin had not destroyed the Sith. He had let his anger consume him and had become too dark a creature to be allowed to survive. He had forced Obi-Wan to kill him, leaving him there, a smoldering corpse on the hellish planet of Mustafar.
Obi-wan turned, catching a brief flash of light out of the corner of his eye. A piece of metal in a crate against the wall.
Not any piece of metal either.
Anakin’s lightsaber.
Obi-wan turned angrily to the window again, thinking of tiny Luke growing up on a small moisture farm. Away from danger, but also away from a life. At least a life that Obi-wan valued. A life dedicated to preserving peace.
“Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough.” He would never speak these words to Luke. He couldn’t. He dare not bring Luke into the gaze of the Sith.
“Perhaps you still may,” a voice behind him said.
Obi-wan spun around, reaching for his lightsaber. His hand faltered and the weapon fell to the floor. His eyes widened and he struggled to remain standing upright. His legs shook.
Qui-gon Jinn stood before him.
“No.” Obi-wan whispered.
“Calm yourself, Obi-wan,” the familiar voice intoned softly.
Obi-wan closed his eyes and took a few slow breaths. He was still there when he opened his eyes. His form was pale and shimmered slightly with a sky blue hue.
“You’re dead.” Obi-wan said simply.
“I am. Please sit, Obi-wan. Something is happening.”
Obi-Wan floated down to a small stool, his mind whirling madly.
"Someone or something is interfering with the flow of time. A stone leave ripples when skipped over a pond, as does Time when something moves through it, against its natural path."
Obi-wan frowned, but said nothing.
Qui-Gon continued. “Everything in the Force is carried along in Time’s current. Something is fighting against this current and leaving ripples in Time. I haven’t been affected by these distortions, but I may in the future. I need you to undo what is happening.”
“Of all people, you chose me? Why not master Yoda?”
“Yoda has his part in all of this, but he will not come in until later. I need you because it is your former padawan who is to help you.”
Anger exploded inside Obi-wan. “Anakin is dead! I killed him! Can’t you see that?”
Qui-gon’s face remained calm. “I know what happened on Mustafar, Obi-wan. Anakin did die, but only that part which mattered. Only the part that you knew.”
“What are you saying?”
“Palpatine discovered the body of his new apprentice and salvaged him.”
“Anakin’s alive?” Obi-Wan said, his eyes brightening.
“I’m afraid not. The Sith Lord Vader lives, but Anakin Skywalker is gone.”
Obi-wan saw the holographic recording he and Yoda had seen in the Jedi Temple. Anakin kneeling before Palpatine. The Sith’s poisonous words boring into Obi-wan. “You have done well, my new apprentice. Now, Lord Vader, go and bring peace to the Empire.” Peace. The Sith’s twisted, mockery of it. Obi-wan clenched his eyes shut, banishing the memory.
Qui-gon waited calmly, allowing Obi-wan to sort through his jumbled mind.
“You said Anakin could help me,” he said after a long pause.
“I did.” Qui-gon said simply before elaborating. “These ripples in time, I spoke of, are displacing certain people duplicating some and even erasing others completely.
Obi-wan said nothing, his eyes communicating the surreal nature of Qui-gon’s statements.
His former master continued. “The prophecy concerning the One had one section that didn’t make any sense, until now. It stated that the One would set the path straight and then complete it. Most Jedi assumed that was just part of the metaphor for destroying the Sith. I believe that it is the role of the One to fix this temporal disaster, to set the path straight before he can complete his task.”
“I don’t understand.” Obi-wan said softly.
“Anakin’s alive. The Anakin you knew and taught. He is alive on Mustafar. He appears as he was before the Sith consumed him. I do not wish to speak to him. I want you to be the one to explain things to him. It would be much more proper as he never truly got to know and trust me.”
“You can come with me, though.”
“No, Obi-wan. I can appear when it is necessary, but I cannot live in this universe or affect anything in it.”
“You seem to be affecting it pretty drastically now.” Obi-wan said lightly, his tone softening.
Qui-gon smiled. “When have I ever obeyed the rules?”
Chapter 2
Time Irrelavent
He observed Jedi and Sith alike, searching for that one pinpoint of power. The One, prophesied to bring balance to the Force existed somewhere. Be it good or evil, this being could bring the Sith into a position of absolute power. Such potential could be harnessed and exploited.
The tiny ship moved but didn’t. It traveled, but remained in one place. Darth Andrian, dark lord of the Sith, searched, and examined. Like a hungry insect, his dark mind felt into every crevasse, peered into every shadow. Times changed. Empires rose and fell. The Sith vanished from the galaxy. The Jedi grew in strength, becoming a powerful force in the aid of the vast Galactic Republic. Systems spawned and died. Time passed.
Ever forward the Sith lord was pulled. Some time in the future, one man (for he could now sense that the One would be a man) would be born on a lonely world, would rise up, and would balance the forces of good and evil. Eventually. He was getting closer.
On a beautiful world, a young girl was born. Andrian ignored her birth. The One would be a man. How foolish of him, that he never thought to also look for the person who would pull the One inexorably towards his fate…
…by her death.
Several more years passed in an instant, a young boy was born to a mother on a desert planet. He had no father. The Sith had found him.
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22 years later
Obi-wan stared out his window at the valley beneath him. A planet sized desert lay in front of him and he wished he had never seen it in the first place. What had he gotten himself into? The frantic words of Qui-gon replayed over and over in his mind, but he could make no sense of it.
Of course the prophesy had been wrong. Anakin had not destroyed the Sith. He had let his anger consume him and had become too dark a creature to be allowed to survive. He had forced Obi-Wan to kill him, leaving him there, a smoldering corpse on the hellish planet of Mustafar.
Obi-wan turned, catching a brief flash of light out of the corner of his eye. A piece of metal in a crate against the wall.
Not any piece of metal either.
Anakin’s lightsaber.
Obi-wan turned angrily to the window again, thinking of tiny Luke growing up on a small moisture farm. Away from danger, but also away from a life. At least a life that Obi-wan valued. A life dedicated to preserving peace.
“Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough.” He would never speak these words to Luke. He couldn’t. He dare not bring Luke into the gaze of the Sith.
“Perhaps you still may,” a voice behind him said.
Obi-wan spun around, reaching for his lightsaber. His hand faltered and the weapon fell to the floor. His eyes widened and he struggled to remain standing upright. His legs shook.
Qui-gon Jinn stood before him.
“No.” Obi-wan whispered.
“Calm yourself, Obi-wan,” the familiar voice intoned softly.
Obi-wan closed his eyes and took a few slow breaths. He was still there when he opened his eyes. His form was pale and shimmered slightly with a sky blue hue.
“You’re dead.” Obi-wan said simply.
“I am. Please sit, Obi-wan. Something is happening.”
Obi-Wan floated down to a small stool, his mind whirling madly.
"Someone or something is interfering with the flow of time. A stone leave ripples when skipped over a pond, as does Time when something moves through it, against its natural path."
Obi-wan frowned, but said nothing.
Qui-Gon continued. “Everything in the Force is carried along in Time’s current. Something is fighting against this current and leaving ripples in Time. I haven’t been affected by these distortions, but I may in the future. I need you to undo what is happening.”
“Of all people, you chose me? Why not master Yoda?”
“Yoda has his part in all of this, but he will not come in until later. I need you because it is your former padawan who is to help you.”
Anger exploded inside Obi-wan. “Anakin is dead! I killed him! Can’t you see that?”
Qui-gon’s face remained calm. “I know what happened on Mustafar, Obi-wan. Anakin did die, but only that part which mattered. Only the part that you knew.”
“What are you saying?”
“Palpatine discovered the body of his new apprentice and salvaged him.”
“Anakin’s alive?” Obi-Wan said, his eyes brightening.
“I’m afraid not. The Sith Lord Vader lives, but Anakin Skywalker is gone.”
Obi-wan saw the holographic recording he and Yoda had seen in the Jedi Temple. Anakin kneeling before Palpatine. The Sith’s poisonous words boring into Obi-wan. “You have done well, my new apprentice. Now, Lord Vader, go and bring peace to the Empire.” Peace. The Sith’s twisted, mockery of it. Obi-wan clenched his eyes shut, banishing the memory.
Qui-gon waited calmly, allowing Obi-wan to sort through his jumbled mind.
“You said Anakin could help me,” he said after a long pause.
“I did.” Qui-gon said simply before elaborating. “These ripples in time, I spoke of, are displacing certain people duplicating some and even erasing others completely.
Obi-wan said nothing, his eyes communicating the surreal nature of Qui-gon’s statements.
His former master continued. “The prophecy concerning the One had one section that didn’t make any sense, until now. It stated that the One would set the path straight and then complete it. Most Jedi assumed that was just part of the metaphor for destroying the Sith. I believe that it is the role of the One to fix this temporal disaster, to set the path straight before he can complete his task.”
“I don’t understand.” Obi-wan said softly.
“Anakin’s alive. The Anakin you knew and taught. He is alive on Mustafar. He appears as he was before the Sith consumed him. I do not wish to speak to him. I want you to be the one to explain things to him. It would be much more proper as he never truly got to know and trust me.”
“You can come with me, though.”
“No, Obi-wan. I can appear when it is necessary, but I cannot live in this universe or affect anything in it.”
“You seem to be affecting it pretty drastically now.” Obi-wan said lightly, his tone softening.
Qui-gon smiled. “When have I ever obeyed the rules?”