"Obi-Wan doesn't see you clearly. He is a great Jedi Knight, but he is blinded by affection. But I see.” - Ferus Olin to Anakin Skywalker after a mission on Radnor.
Characters: Anakin Skywalker/Ferus Olin, Tru Veld, Darra Thel-Tanis
**
They are only 16 years old, and they are confident that they are already adults and independent jedi.
There is no action in this chapter and a lot of teenage arguments 😁
Chapter 3
“What am I supposed to wear now?” asked Ferus, staring at his wet knees.
Anakin snorted. Olin’s question sounded as if someone were obligated to answer to him—and, on top of that, to provide a wardrobe full of perfectly pressed clothes at the drop of a hat.
'He’ll be waiting a long time,' Anakin decided, and pointedly ignored him.
“We have extra sets of clothes! So I can give you my spare pants!” Tru interjected.
“Thanks for the generosity, buddy. But your pants won’t fit me,” Olin remarked gently. Indeed, Tru was tall and thin, but the senior Padawan looked like a grown, athletically built young man. “Darra, maybe you want to offer me your spare pants, too?”
Darra giggled, and Anakin bristled in annoyance. Skywalker had already realized that he’d have to lend his spare pants to the jerk. He promised himself that once Olin returned the pants, Anakin would never wear them again in his life. And yet he still held out a sliver of hope that the nerd’s strong butt would be too fat to fit into the pants.
Anakin silently walked over to the common cabin, where travel bags were piled in a heap, and began rummaging through his things until he found his spare clothes. And at that moment, the pants suddenly became very dear to him. He didn’t want to give his personal thing to Ferus…
When Anakin returned, he was struck by the unpleasant feeling that no one had noticed his departure. And if he were to disappear for good right now, would anyone even notice—or had Ferus drawn so much of his friends’ attention to himself that they had actually forgotten their Captain even existed?
“Don’t forget to give it back,” Anakin said sternly, summoning his willpower and finally flinging the pants at Ferus.
The rag flew straight at his rival’s face, but Olin, of course, deftly caught it. He merely nodded silently and left the cockpit.
In fact, the pants really were a bit too small for Ferus. He managed to squeeze into them, but the fabric clung tightly to his legs and buttocks. And yet, when Olin returned, it was clear to Anakin at first glance that his own pants looked better on Ferus. Anakin felt betrayed by his own pants and decided that not only would he never wear them again, but he would even throw them in the trash as soon as Olin returned them. Demonstratively!
Meanwhile, the 'jerk-with-a-great-ass' had settled comfortably into the co-pilot’s seat. Anakin was outraged that Ferus hadn’t asked him if he could take that seat. Formally, it was Tru’s seat, but Tru was now sitting in the pilot’s seat, and this was Anakin’s seat, which he himself had temporarily ceded to Tru…
“Piti! Stop!” Darra exclaimed. The chubby pet wriggled out of its overly kind owner’s hands and ran off. Darra dashed after Piti.
Anakin wanted to rush after her to help his friend, but changed his mind. He decided that now poor Piti would be afraid of him and would wet herself again if he tried to even touch her. He felt guilty toward Darra for having treated her pet badly, but at the same time, he himself felt resentful toward his friend. For some reason, this time he didn’t feel any support, neither from Darra nor from Tru. And only now did he realize that, for the first time, he wasn’t glad to have his friends around.
Lost in his own thoughts, Anakin missed the moment when Tru and Olin started discussing something. Anakin wanted to join their conversation, but then he thought that Tru should have called him. But Veld seemed not to notice him. Skywalker felt frustration and a sense of emptiness because Ferus had shaken his previously unquestioned leadership.
Anakin realized he needed to speak with Darra and Tru in private. But he didn’t yet know what to say to them. The situation weighed heavily on him.
Skywalker slipped quietly out of the cockpit.
Now he clearly understood where he had gone wrong. He hadn’t thought ahead about how to handle the fact that Ferus Olin would be meddling the entire trip. But worst of all was that Olin was trying to impose his ridiculous rules, while Tru and Darra had very quickly forgotten that this journey had happened only thanks to him, and not Ferus. And even the fact that Ferus was on board the ship was only thanks to him!
These were unpleasant thoughts and feelings. He wandered down the corridor, angry at his friends, and feeling guilty for being angry at them.
**
Ferus was fidgeting in the co-pilot’s seat. One of the seat’s armrests was broken, and the other was missing entirely. He didn’t like that, just as he disliked anything that seemed wrong to him. What he’d found out from Tru seemed especially wrong.
“So there are illegal, dangerous races happening regularly in the lower levels of Coruscant,” said Olin. “I’d like to know how long this has been going on.”
“I think it started recently, but I could be wrong,” Tru reported.
Ferus fell into thought.
The fact that a Jedi had participated in this was, of course, outrageous. But it clearly didn’t bother Skywalker, since he had secretly taken part in it after all—and even won with a stunning result.
“And what happened next?” Ferus asked neutrally. He quickly regained his composure when Skywalker wasn’t around.
“Nothing much,” Tru said. “Everything went as promised. I received the ship as a prize from the race organizer’s assistant, because Anakin was on a mission at the time. The only thing was, this ship turned out to be old and malfunctioning, but it’s much bigger than we thought. So we decided to fix all the problems with the worn-out mechanisms and replace a few things.”
“And did you manage it?”
“Well, yeah. You see, we took off, after all… ”
“Yeah, sure… And where did you buy the parts? On the lower levels too?” Ferus asked, hoping to hear a small story about how two Padawans snuck out of the Temple at night to buy junk on the black market. But what they had to trade in exchange?
“Well… We didn’t buy them,” Tru said, hesitating.
“What do you mean?” Ferus didn’t understand. “You didn’t steal them, did you?”
“No, no, of course not. There’s this one spot on the lower level of Coruscant, you know? All the Padawans know about it. So, one day I went there to find a part for a broken nanny-droid from our nursery in a big pile. That evening, I unexpectedly ran into Anakin. Can you imagine, we both grabbed the exact same part from the pile at the same time, but then these greedy creatures showed up, and we had to run away from them! We were jumping right over the piles—it was so much fun!”
“I see,” Ferus said briefly, rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily. So they were looking for spare parts at the junkyard. At a real-deal junkyard!
Olin recalled his only visit to the enormous garbage dump that filled almost the entire planet. The garbage-planet had made a very strong impression on him. He’d asked for a respirator within the first hour of being on the planet, and a little later he’d asked Master Tachi to wrap things up and fly away from the dump—anywhere, as long as it was fast.
“I almost died right there from the stench, even the respirator didn’t help…” Ferus muttered indistinctly under his breath.
“What?” Veld asked.
“I asked who owns your ship? A figurehead? Or maybe an organization?”
“Well… We don’t know. It seems the ship isn’t registered to anyone right now.”
“I see.”
At first, Ferus was surprised that Skywalker had ceded the pilot’s seat to Veld on this trip and hadn’t once tried to take control of the ship, but now Olin already suspected what was coming. Even if Anakin had been exhausted from the recent races, it wouldn’t last long. After this impressive victory, Skywalker wouldn’t rest until he showed the entire 'crew' what the unbeatable pilot he was. After all, none of the Jedi, except for Tru, had witnessed his triumph at the races.
“Still, there’s something I don’t understand,” Ferus remarked, “you received a large ship for winning an illegal race. Isn’t that a bit too generous? It feels like there must be a catch.”
Before Tru could answer, there was a soft click, and the control panel went completely dark.
“What’s going on?” Olin asked immediately. He loved being in control too much.
Tru immediately initiated a system reboot, but the panel never came back on. Anxiety gripped him, and to Ferus, he seemed less like a Padawan and more like an ordinary teenager who was afraid of getting into trouble.
“I don’t know,” Tru said, flustered, trying to calm his anxiety. “I think we should have already come out of hyperspace.”
Somber Ferus approached Tru. Veld tried to turn on the system again. But this attempt was also unsuccessful; the panel still wasn’t working.
“Call Anakin, please.” Ferus said curtly.
**
Anakin didn’t realize just how exhausted he’d become over the past few days. In the stuffy cabin, cluttered with belongings, the stifling heat wore him down, and he drifted off to sleep without even noticing.
Anakin’s dream was unsettling, but fortunately, he didn’t remember it.
“Anakin, wake up!” Tru’s agitated voice jolted Skywalker from his sleep. “Our ship’s control panel has shut down and won’t turn back on.”
His drowsiness hadn’t completely faded, but Anakin jumped up instantly and hurried to the cockpit ahead of Tru.
There, in the pilot’s seat, sat Olin. Anakin’s mood soured completely.
“Did you meddle with this?” Anakin snapped. He was already ready to pounce on Ferus, grab him by the collar, and shake him for the fact that this insolent fool had broken or reconfigured the devices without permission.
“I didn’t do anything,” Olin declared. “It is you should know the reason for this problem. After all, you’re the one who inspected and repaired the ship. Then again, if it’s stolen and resold junk, it’s no surprise.”
“What did you say about my ship?!” Anakin growled. So Ferus was really asking for a punch, and Skywalker was ready to snap right then and there.
Anakin grabbed Ferus by the sleeve to drag him out of the pilot’s seat, but Olin quickly freed his arm from the grip, as if he’d been expecting the move.
Ferus swiveled the pilot’s chair directly toward Anakin and looked at him with undisguised hostility.
Feeling no fear whatsoever, Olin leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing his raging opponent with a sneer.
Anakin suddenly felt uneasy. He didn’t immediately understand why, since he wasn’t the least bit afraid of Ferus. But for one brief moment, he felt like that frightened, bewildered nine-year-old boy standing in the center of the Order’s High Council chamber again. That day, Mace Windu had been perched on a low stool, crouched like a bird of prey before a strike, and scrutinizing the boy as if appraising the value of merchandise at a slave market. And Ferus now reminded him of Windu, even though there was nothing similar about their appearances.
“Tru told me that the two of you won this ship in illegal races.” Ferus’s voice was impassive, yet at the same time piercing.
“Oh? Is that what Tru told you?” Anakin bristled. He was deeply upset and even hurt that his best friend had so readily spilled everything to that bore jerk without consulting him first. And yet he didn’t hold it against Tru. Anakin understood all too well that Olin could be very intrusive and nitpicky.
“I won’t even ask if you plan to report this to your Master. I’m sure you’ll live up to his trust, as always,” Ferus said sarcastically.
Anakin felt a surge of anger wash over him. He stood frozen, holding himself back from exploding. His emotions were boiling, but he managed to keep them in check. He was the commander here, not Ferus. And he had to show everyone his composure, but stinking Ferus had meddled in his business again, and it infuriated him.
“Please, ‘Captain,’ have a seat.” Olin finally stood up and pointed mockingly at the pilot's chair where he had just been sitting. “I hope your competence is sufficient to resolve all the issues.”
It seems Leon looks so much like Ferus Olin (especially when compared with the Japanese cover of the books 'The last of the Jedi' and 'Jedi Quest'). All that's missing is a golden (silver) strand in his bangs.
Character, appearance, noble principles. Even the name is so similar to his last name.
I'm sure Ferus at 50 age should look like Leon in Resident Evil 9.
Characters: Anakin Skywalker/Ferus Olin, Tru Veld, Darra Thel-Tanis
**
They are only 16 years old, and they are confident that they are already adults and independent jedi 😅
Chapter 2
Staggering from the jolting, Ferus ran toward the pilot’s cabin. He knew he was too late. The ship had already broken through the atmosphere and was gaining speed. Just as he burst into the pilot’s cabin, the ship made another sharp turn, as if it had dodged a collision with something enormous at the very last moment. Ferus slammed into the wall again.
“What was that?” he shouted.
“I suppose a Republic cruiser,” Tru replied calmly from the pilot’s seat, quickly pressing buttons with his long fingers. “I hope you didn’t hurt yourself too badly? I promise it won’t happen again. It was just hard for me to take off so abruptly when there were so many small ships clustered near the surface. I have absolutely no idea how Anakin manages to pilot so skillfully."
At the thought of the scoundrel who kidnaps decent people in broad daylight, Ferus’s teeth clenched with rage. He really wanted to make it crystal clear to Skywalker what was acceptable and what was unacceptable when dealing with an older comrade…
“Entering hyperspace,” Veld announced to someone and pushed the lever to engage hyperspace.
“Don’t!” Ferus screamed and lunged toward Tru, even though he knew it was too late again. Now he, too, had become a participant in this mess… Just a wonderful morning!
But once they were in the hyperspace tunnel, the ship settled into a smooth glide.
A comlink dangled from Veld’s neck on a thin wire.
“Sorry, buddy. It was Anakin’s decision, though I support it too,” Tru shrugged, noticing his friend’s gaze fixed on the adjacent pilot’s seat. Ferus stared intently at his friend and realized he couldn’t really be angry with him. After all, Skywalker had come up with this whole scheme and dragged Tru into this mischief.
Veld turned around with a cheerful half-turn and, noticing someone in the aisle, gave a thumbs-up.
“Everything went perfectly, Captain!” Tru reported.
Ferus turned around, resigned yet irritated. Skywalker was standing in the aisle, looking straight at him and grinning triumphantly.
The senior Padawan decided he had very serious grounds to challenge 'Skywalker’s captaincy' before it got them into trouble. Ferus’s angry glare threatened Anakin with trouble, but it didn’t scare the insolent boy. Anakin was still grinning triumphantly, eyeing his rival from head to toe. Olin really didn’t understand what Skywalker was so happy about. To pull off such a stunt and yet gloat as if the Head of the Council had expressed his gratitude to him in front of the Order?
His indignation was growing, and the Padawan was already about to ask the young slacker, “Do you ever use your head at all?” or simply smack him on the head, but someone’s slender fingers appeared before his eyes and settled on Ferus’s face with the clear intention of covering his eyes.
“Gotcha!” the girl exclaimed triumphantly.
“Darra,” said Ferus, gently taking her hands. “Did those slackers grab you too and drag you into this mess?”
He hadn’t noticed how she’d ended up in the pilot’s cabin. Now he quickly surveyed the room. Like the rest of the ship, the cockpit was spacious, with two entrances on opposite sides.
“Grabbed and dragged in? Of course not!” Darra smiled broadly and exclaimed enthusiastically. “How could I possibly miss something so cool like this?”
“You know, I actually could have easily missed ‘so-cool’ and stayed at the Temple today. But he didn’t let me, without even asking me!” Olin said indignantly, but immediately regretted speaking so harshly. He didn’t want to offend her. Aside from Tru, Darra was the only one who had always been kind and patient with him.
“Ferus, you’re grumbling like an old man,” Darra said gently, not taking offense at his sarcastic tone. She patted him on the shoulder. “We’re just going out to relax and have some fun for one evening. It’s no big deal. Our Masters won’t even think about us until tomorrow. After all, we’re not children.”
Darra’s words didn’t calm him down. He imagined Master Tachi searching for him all evening, only to find the next day a screaming headline in the Holonet news feed: “Sensation! Young Jedi — Shameless Discipline Breakers! It was revealed today that four Padawans secretly fled the Jedi Temple and, having left Coruscant without permission, got into terrible trouble. Our special correspondent found the young people at…”
“Where are we going?” Ferus asked tensely.
“Don’t tell him under any circumstances!” Tru said to Darra with a laugh. “Let it be a surprise for him.”
“Thanks,” Ferus thanked him, resigning himself to the fact that he had become part of the disciplinary offenders’ entertainment program.
Showing his anxiety over not knowing their plans was a foolish mistake. He should have acted as if he wasn’t the least bit interested, and then Darra and Tru would have been bursting with the urge to spill everything they had planned to him as soon as possible.
The Padawan frowned and adjusted the torn tunic across his chest.
“Oh, Ferus, where did you get that?” Darra asked anxiously, noticing his gesture. Only now did she notice the small specks of blood on his chest, seeping through the torn fabric.
“Skywalker’s pet decided to make my acquaintance and scratched me,” Olin said reproachfully.
“Why did you decide it was my animal?” Anakin interjected into their conversation for the first time. He spoke defiantly loud and demanding, addressing Ferus as if he wanted to start a fight with a single sentence.
“Because it’s just as ill-mannered and insolent as you are,” Ferus replied in kind.
Anakin flared up. He wasn’t going to respond to his insult with some childish retort. His knuckles itched sharply, and his fist was already itching to rub against the cheekbone of that insolent nerd. Actually, why not fight him right now?
“Okay, boys, don’t argue,” Darra tried to defuse the mounting tension. “Ferus, please forgive me. Anakin has nothing to do with this. It was my pet who scratched you. I’ll treat your scratches with bacta right now.”
Darra took Olin by the hand and resolutely led him away. Anakin felt relief, but certainly not satisfaction with the situation. He knew that soon Ferus would get carried away and start acting like he was in charge. Anakin would certainly put that know-it-all in his place, but he’d have to be ready to rein him in at all times. And that would ruin the trip either way.
How could he not have thought of this before?!
At first, looking at the idiot who’d been caught off guard by what had happened, it was hard for Anakin not to burst out laughing. Olin, usually all polished and prim, in a starched snow-white tunic, with a perfectly styled hairdo and boots polished to a shine, was now disheveled, ruffled, and rumpled. What a surprised and dumbfounded look he had on his face when all this happened! That moment was worth it! Even Tru supported his scheme. Anakin was pleased that he’d managed to pull it off so cleverly on that snobby nerd, but now he regretted having gone through with it at all.
Skywalker sat down in the chair next to his friend. They chatted a bit about the recent races, but the conversation with Tru wasn’t flowing, for some reason. Anakin no longer sensed the same lightheartedness and enthusiasm from Veld as he had just a short while ago. Maybe it was because of Ferus, who was ruining everything?
His good mood had vanished completely. Only now did Anakin begin to doubt and think that things might not go as smoothly as he had imagined.
It was the first time he had ventured out of Coruscant on his own, without a Jedi Master watching over his shoulder, and he felt that intoxicating sense of freedom! But less than half an hour had passed, and anxiety was already poisoning his senses.
He couldn’t sit still. To keep himself occupied with something useful, Anakin began exploring the additional features of the wall-mounted control panel. He activated the screen and started digging through the functions. There he found a hidden video surveillance system. Most of the cameras were offline, but a couple were active.
Skywalker brought the image up on the main screen; a blurry view of the corridor appeared. He could see Darra’s pet scampering cheerfully toward the galley. Anakin switched to the second camera. The screen showed two figures.
Darra was carefully and gently applying bacta to the scratches on Ferus’s chest.
Anakin grimaced. He realized this was getting on his nerves a little. Everyone treated Olin with such reverence, as if he were a precious gem. After all, this 'moron on steroids' could have taken care of his own minor wounds himself, instead of slumping in a chair like a fat Hutt, waiting for someone else to do everything for him.
Anakin activated the voice transmission command, and the sound came out unexpectedly loud.
“Darra, where did you put our snacks?”
Thel-Tanis gasped in surprise and nearly dropped her bakta stick.
The reply came through her personal comlink.
“Um, Anakin, I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet. You took off so abruptly without warning. Our order was delayed, and when we took off, it hadn’t arrived yet,” Darra said apologetically.
Apparently, this meant they’d have absolutely no food for the rest of the trip. But Anakin didn’t want to show, especially in front of Ferus, that he was even slightly bothered by this minor oversight.
“Give it to me.” Skywalker heard Ferus’s venomously sweet voice through his comlink and saw his nasty smirk on the screen.
“It’s no big deal,“ Anakin said quickly to calm Darra and assure her that everything was fine. “A couple of hours without food won’t…“
“Wonderful! This is a great start, ‘Captain,’ ” Ferus chimed in, even though no one had asked him. He’d actually snatched the comlink from Darra! Anakin wanted to punch him in the neck. Unfortunately, instead, Darra was fiddling with him using a little stick with a bacta tip.
“I hope you have enough credits with you for four people to buy lunch and dinner,” Ferus continued.
Anakin blushed. He didn’t have a single credit with him. He’d already spent his entire stash on repairs and equipment. What a nasty jerk Ferus really is!
Darra ignored all of Olin’s comments. But Anakin noticed that she, too, had frowned slightly.
Anakin realized that, in a way, it was his fault, and he felt guilty. As captain, he should have kept everything under control and prevented such nonsense. But he couldn’t — he was busy with repairs! And the fact that Ferus had so sarcastically pointed out this oversight stung him.
Well, what had he expected? Olin had been acting like a real jerk from the very beginning. And Anakin knew it would only get worse. He’d start wandering through every compartment of the ship as if he’d come for an inspection, sticking his nosy nose everywhere, only to later berate Anakin for everything that caught his eye.
Anakin vividly imagined this, and he wanted to tape that nitpicking jerk’s mouth shut and tie him up in such a secure and clever way that he couldn’t move a finger, and if he started struggling, the bonds would only tighten further. That way, Ferus would be able to do nothing but moan for the rest of the trip. Isn’t that just great?!
In the screen, Ferus was still sitting there, his chin held high, generously allowing Darra to treat his scratches, completely unaware of Anakin’s thoughts about him.
Skywalker turned off the camera.
He glanced at the pilot’s seat, occupied by Veld. He suddenly realized that Tru had heard their entire argument, but hadn’t once stepped in to help him. Just like last time, and the time before that. It seemed Tru and Darra froze whenever he started arguing with Ferus, and only intervened when the conflict escalated.
Maybe they’d made some kind of deal between themselves? But when had they had the chance?
In any case, neither of them had openly supported him, and that puzzled him. Tru was his friend and should trust him. Anakin froze for a couple of moments. What was he afraid of? That his best friend would side with Ferus if an irreconcilable conflict arose between them?
Feeling his intense gaze, Tru stopped fidgeting in his chair and looked back.
“What’s up?” Veld asked with his eyes.
“Will you always support me?” Anakin finally asked the question that had been troubling him so much.
“Of course,” Tru agreed easily.
“And him too?” Anakin snorted contemptuously.
“Ferus is my friend too,” Tru said evasively. “And I don’t want you two to fight.”
“You saw it yourself. I didn’t start it!” Anakin blurted out, and he lost his temper. “He’s acting like a jerk and being a total jerk for no reason! He’d act all high and mighty anywhere, as if the Council had sent him on an inspection to check the cleanliness of the bathrooms. And it’s all because he’s just a conceited jerk —he doesn’t even need a reason, you know that yourself…”
Anakin stopped short. He could see that Tru was now looking at him with clear disapproval. It had been very rude of him to speak that way about Ferus. He should always remember that he was a Jedi, and that meant he had to be patient with another Jedi and know how to cooperate.
Surprisingly, he had completely forgotten about that. Only after escaping the Temple did he become an ordinary person, unburdened by the imposed norms of behavior that required him to maintain a good attitude toward all beings, even those he disliked and whose presence he found so difficult to bear. And now Anakin keenly felt that behaving differently was much easier and more honest, even if, from the Jedi’s perspective, it was unacceptable.
**
“Stop squirming!” Darra’s commanding voice reached Anakin and Tru as they crossed the corridor.
Anakin grinned, imagining Ferus wriggling because something was pinching a large scratch on him.
Unable to deny himself the pleasure of seeing this, Anakin turned toward the galley and dragged Tru along with him.
Much to Anakin’s chagrin, Darra wasn’t trying to boss Ferus around at all. She had already finished tending to Olin’s cuts, and now the two of them were attempting the strange task of filing down the sharp edges of their pet’s claws. Darra was trying hard to hold its paws, but the pet was struggling too much.
“Piti! Sit still,” Thel-Tanis tried again.
But Piti wouldn’t listen, it was squealing and struggling. Then Olin picked up the animal and sat her on his lap. Now Piti sensed that this particular male was not to be trifled with, and it stopped struggling, only occasionally whimpering pitifully.
“Looks like Piti has recognized you as ‘the most steadfast male,’ since she’s finally sitting still,” Tru remarked.
The “steadfast male” gave Veld a stern look and didn’t even snort in response to his joke.
Anakin knew that the Force had deprived Ferus of a sense of humor, but the senior Padawan’s excessive seriousness made his behavior seem arrogant.
“I’m sure she’ll recognize the ‘stubborn male’ in each of us if we handle her right,” Anakin interjected. He grabbed the animal by the scruff of the neck and tried to wrest the thick creature from Ferus’s hands.
“Don’t touch!” Olin barked, tightening his grip on the animal. But Anakin didn’t listen to him and didn’t ease up either.
Piti squirmed and squealed pitifully. Out of fear that these two cruel men would torment it, the animal squeaked and peed onto Ferus’s lap.
“Oh!” Darra blurted out awkwardly.
Anakin looked at Ferus’s face and barely managed to keep himself from bursting out laughing.
“Thanks, Anakin,” Ferus said with sarcastic politeness, surveying the mess. Sitting on his thoroughly soaked knees was the poor, trembling creature, whimpering pitifully.
Characters: Anakin Skywalker/Ferus Olin, Tru Veld;
**
Chapter 1
The crowded section of the landing platform for small spacecraft was equipped with a good ventilation system, but Anakin still felt muggy. The padawan understood that he would not have time to fully complete the repair of the ship. There wasn't much time left before departure, but the landing gear was already in working order.
"Good morning!"
These words, spoken in the restrained voice, made Skywalker curse inwardly and feel annoyed that this morning could not end as splendidly as it began. He was even more annoyed by the questions that should have followed immediately after the greeting. Indeed, Ferus Olin's reaction was predictable.
"Anakin, what are you doing here?"
Skywalker wanted to pretend that he hadn't heard or noticed anyone over the hustle and bustle of the big city. The hope that this unpleasant person would leave disappeared when Olin, with obvious interest, approached the transporter under which Anakin was working. Anakin slammed the door of the compartment to access the landing gear.
The pompous padawan, who had appeared so inappropriately on the city's landing platform, was famous for being able to spoil the mood in any situation, and Anakin had no doubt that Olin would cope with this task even now, before the coolest trip of the year. But meanwhile, Skywalker had an unpleasant thought that now the trip might not take place at all, because Ferus liked to report everything in detail to his Master, and he was especially passionate about reporting to the Council.
Anakin pushed those thoughts away.
"No way! Everything will work out."
Except now he couldn't imagine how he could get Ferus out of here so fast that the snob wouldn't lecture him or tell anyone what he'd seen.
"I can ask you the same question." Anakin said irritably.
Ferus looked him up and down.
"Yes, you can. But you didn't answer mine. You want to hide something," Ferus smiled just a little, it was a rare occurrence for him. The nerd was probably only really happy when he caught others red-handed doing what he thought was inappropriate. "Your transport is equipped with a hyperdrive, it is already warmed up and ready for takeoff, and you are busy adjusting the landing struts. Why do you fix them in a way that's only suitable when you need to fix the problem quickly? Wouldn't it be better to fix it so that no new repairs are needed soon? Maybe the lack of time before an already planned flight is bothering you?"
Anakin didn't answer, he ignored Olin's words and snorted. The annoyance that it was Olin who was here grew in him.
"So, Anakin, I assume that you are going to leave the Coruscant for a while. But then it turns out that Master Kenobi doesn't know anything about this ship or what you're up to, right?" Ferus persisted. "Don't you think that at your age it's time to stop breaking the rules?"
Anakin felt a strong urge to put a bucket on Ferus' head.
"Yeah. To hear you say it, I only live to break the rules." Anakin grumbled with displeasure, restraining himself. "As always, you made up nonsense about me. I advise you to keep your fantasies to yourself and not distract me."
But the older padawan remained calm and confident.
"Trust me, Anakin, for those who have known you for a long time, this is clear. Your excitement gives you away. I can see that in your mind you are no longer on Coruscant," Ferus said.
Anakin imagined putting a bucket on his head. But it didn't really help.
"What about you, Olin?" Anakin hissed, launching an attack on the idiot due to his accumulated irritation. "What are you doing here? Did you decide to take a walk to the landing platform instead of morning meditation in the Temple walls? Oh, by the way, does your Master Tachi know you're here?"
"Of course," the exemplary padawan-beast replied calmly. "And I'm here at the personal request of Master Windu."
Anakin disliked the name of the Council member. Mace Windu was always harsh and unfair to him. He treated him as if the former slave from Tatooine was no match for any of the Jedi. And even after Skywalker's talent and efforts allowed him to bypass all the other padawans, including his main rival, this did not change the attitude of the head of the Jedi Council towards him. Because of this, Anakin was sometimes tormented by bitterness and resentment, and he did not know what to do about it.
But why is Windu handing out personal requests to Tachi's padawan? And why is Ferus running so eagerly to fulfill them?
It was certainly not news to Anakin that Windu harbored some kind of personal affection for Olin. He was condescending to him for his mistakes and always praised his merits. Anakin didn't know the reason, he just saw that Korun had never been as hard on Olin as he was on everyone else.
"What request?" Anakin demanded, pompously, in order to parody this arrogant fool and switch places with him during this stupid interrogation.
"Today, the Council received complaints and requests that our ship be taken away, but access to its controls cannot be obtained so easily without the last pilot. So I'm going to fix it."
"Your ship?" Anakin asked. So Ferus is puffed up with pride because Windu personally sent him to re-park the ship? Is he serious?
"The transport ship we arrived on this morning takes up too much space, although according to legal norms it is considered a small yacht and could remain in the section for small vessels."
A memory from this morning flashed on the edge of the hull of a large barrel-shaped ship, which was slowly dragging along the main airway of Coruscant, and created the traffic jam.
The picture was clear and consistent in Anakin's mind. He was especially vividly reminded of his thoughts about the inadequate one, which blocked several air routes and caused a huge traffic jam. You can't even think about driving on a highway for small transport on a such fucking thing, but according to the documents, this huge vessel is considered a passenger small transport vehicle, which means the pilot had the right to drive on the highway.
Anakin snorted.
So the giant 'barrel' was driven by Olin. Well, that explained everything. Ferus, of course, would not miss such a wonderful opportunity to observe all imaginable and inconceivable traffic rules on the capital's airways, which for two hundred years have been not only confusing, contradictory in nature, but also significantly outdated.
"You really didn't even tell Master Kenobi about this?" Olin asked, sounding more worried than disapproving, pulling Anakin out of his thoughts.
Anakin made sure that the slow-witted nuisance wouldn't leave.
"Of course not, who am I even asking?" Ferus answered himself, looking accusingly at Anakin's ship. "You're not thinking about anything. You can't even guarantee that all the safety rules will be followed."
Skywalker silently watched with indignation as Olin walked around the transport. The meticulous idiot was muttering to himself about violating the rules and safety of interplanetary flights.
A light stream of Force blew into Anakin's face like a refreshing breeze, and the irritation dissipated like dry leaves. He caught the outstretched thread, too thin and transparent for other Force-sensitive people to feel it. On the stuffy platform, Anakin felt fresh and comfortable, and he felt confident and serene.
And then, in an instant, he realized how to once and for all wean the annoying, nasty bore from poking his nose into other people's business, and at the same time deprive him of the opportunity to complain to his Master in order to disrupt their trip.
"Of course, I can't guarantee that," Anakin said seriously. "But you can!"
Using the Force, Anakin pushed down one of the switches. The transporter shook violently, there was a click, and a stream of hot air gushed out of the nearby hole. It almost burned Ferus' sleeve and he had to quickly jump aside, closer to Anakin. That's when Anakin got him. He grabbed Ferus by the wrist and started shaking his hand like he was having an ADHD attack.
"What do you mean?" Ferus stared at him in surprise. He watched disapprovingly as Anakin restlessly shook his hand. "Calm down!"
Anakin didn't calm down.
"I am so grateful to you for pointing out my terrible mistake!" Anakin shouted enthusiastically. "From now on, you'll be in charge of tidying up my ship, checking all the instruments, and reporting for safety to me."
"Report to you??" Ferus stared at him. He started to step back, but Anakin held his wrist tightly.
"Of course, you have to report to me. I'm the captain." Anakin said in delight.
"The captain of 'what'?" Olin asked in horror. An expression appeared on his face, as if he had stepped with his highly polished boot into a fresh pile of shit.
The thin, lanky figure of Tru Veld appeared on the gangplank and jumped out of the ship.
"Oh, Ferus! My friend!" Tru said, surprised but friendly. Unlike Anakin, he really felt friendly towards the older padawan. "Glad to see you! I didn't know you were here. It's great that we're all on Coruscant at the same time."
"I returned from the mission early in the morning..." Ferus said.
"And now 'Oh-Ferus' is flying with us!" Anakin said cheerfully and peremptorily.
"Great! I'm all for it, friend." Tru said good-naturedly.
"Imagine what a stroke of luck!" Anakin chirped, having already decided on his plan. "I was just thinking about how we would organize the cleaning. After all, someone has to take it. Someone who is mature and serious, who loves perfect cleanliness and order. I'm sure not a single speck of dust or microbe will slip by such attentive guy as our Oh-Ferus!"
"Because all germs will die from his tediousness," Anakin added to himself.
"I'm not a cleaning droid!" Olin was indignant. He tried to pull Anakin away from him again and pull his arm out of the grip, but Anakin clung like a leech. "And I'm not going anywhere with you! Especially if no one knows.… What are you two up to and where are you going?"
"It's a surprise! Don't worry so much. Come in and find out everything. It will be fun, I guarantee. We'll be quick, just there and back! And we'll be back before morning tomorrow. After all, we have the right to spend a single day of rest wherever we want." Tru said carelessly.
But Ferus didn't share such a positive attitude. It seemed from his face that he definitely saw a violation of the rules in this and was not going to take part. Anakin shrugged and let go of his wrist, giving up. Then Ferus folded his arms across his chest and froze, making a convincing statue of 'Ferus Olin condemns breaking the rules'.
Skywalker stood next to him, rolled his eyes and chuckled, mimicking Ferus. Tru smiled.
Anakin looked straight into True's eyes. He didn't even have to explain, the agreement happened by itself. His best friend still didn't know exactly what he was going to pull off now, but Anakin could already see that True was ready to work with him. And Anakin was incredibly grateful to his friend for such trust.
"Listen, you're already an adult," Anakin quietly informed Ferus, grabbing Ferus by the elbow and getting close to him from the side, standing on tiptoe to conspiratorially whisper in his ear, "do you realize the importance of proper nutrition, especially for teenagers? We only brought a bag of sandwiches with us, but since we have such a good opportunity, you can make us a hot lunch and dinner with good homemade food. And then you'll need to clean up a bit, and wash everything we litter up. Tell me, Olin, are you capable of cooking as well as you meddling in other people's business?"
Anakin's other hand landed on Ferus' shoulder and gave him a friendly pat.
"What?" Ferus stunned. He recoiled from Anakin, as if he might catch imbecility from him. The younger padawan's arrogance and egocentrism shocked Olin so much that he imagined the real possibility of cooking dinner and cleaning on this wonderful, simply magical trip. This prospect angered the exemplary padawan and caused such a wave of indignation that his usual incredible vigilance sank significantly.
And that's when Ferus got caught.
Anakin acted at the same time as Tru, they became like a single organism. And everything happened exactly, quickly, and smoothly, just as Anakin had planned. Together, they grabbed Ferus and tossed him up, sending him on a short-term friendly flight. Before Olin could figure out what was happening, he had already flown past the ramp like a spinning catapult charge and was in the inner loading bay of the transporter. Ferus spun in the air to the united laughter of two galactic slobs.
He turned to the Force to gain control of the moment of his fall. He was quite good at performing acrobatic tricks in Jedi training, and he knew that he was capable of performing a small etude even now. However, something went wrong. Something invisible intervened and spoiled his plan, he spun in the air sharper and faster than planned, turned an extra couple of somersault, and instead of an exemplary landing on his feet, he plopped to the floor like a shapeless bag of vegetables.
"Oh!" Ferus blurted out.
Two sixteen-year-old blockheads, smiling happily, rushed into the aisle, running past Ferus, who was sprawled on the floor. The ship's ramp rose and gently closed, but the lights did not turn on automatically and the padawan found himself in semi-darkness. Olin wanted to immediately jump to his feet to keep the two blockheads from what they were about to do. He swung his legs to push his body out for the jump, but…
Plop!!
Something soft, but heavy enough, jumped onto his chest, and Ferus was pinned to the floor again. Four paws with sharp claws tore through the fabric and scratched the skin.
Something soft, but heavy enough, jumped onto his chest, and Ferus was pinned to the floor again. Four paws with sharp claws tore through the fabric and scratched the skin.
"Ouch!" Ferus hissed at the unpleasant sensation.
Under the weight of the unknown creature, he was left sprawled on the floor. In the semi-darkness, it looked like a hairy ball on paws, with a stupid muzzle and huge bulging lips resembling a bird's beak. The small phlegmatic eyes were barely visible behind the thick fur, but the pink leathery nose of the creature was curiously and painstakingly sniffing the new passenger's face, checking whether he was suitable as food or maybe had something tasty with him.
The ship suddenly took off abruptly, and the entire structure, consisting of Ferus and the creature, rolled over until it crashed into the opposite wall. With a screech, the creature clawed at the padawan's clothes and scratched his chest again, tearing the skin until it bled.
The ship's course leveled off and seemed to stabilize. Ferus winced in pain and resolutely pulled the creature off, but it immediately screamed in protest.
"Stop that!" Olin barked, not only sternly, but also irritably. Skywalker's stupid adventure had already pissed him off.
Ferus sat down on the floor and stood up carefully. The creature whined, now plaintively, asking for leniency from the new passenger.
The pilot swerved too sharply, the ship fell into an air pit, and then gave maximum speed. This time, Olin stayed on his feet, but he painfully fit his shoulder into the wall. Just now, feeling the moisture on his chest, he touched his fingers and his skin tingled. Small specks of blood appeared on his snow-white tunic.
"Fuck!" Ferus hissed.
The creature jumped clumsily, expressing its delight at the acquaintance, and wagging its thick fluffy booty, it nimbly galloped down the wide corridor to the pilot's cabin.
His shoulder was stiff from the cold and hard ground. Ferus Olin opened his eyes. Above him was a gray-orange sky. The space around was covered with a transparent and at the same time cloudy fog.
His thoughts flowed slowly, as if he had been sleeping soundly for a long time and could not remember yesterday. But not just yesterday's one. Ferus couldn't find an answer to the question of where he was or why he had fallen asleep here, right on the ground. Minutes passed, but nothing sensible came to mind. His head was empty and heavy, and his comlink was silent.
Through the transparent fog, the outlines of his ship could be seen in the distance, alone and unharmed. Well, at least it wasn't the persecution that caused this unplanned stop, otherwise he would have woken up already in captivity.
The Clone Wars were getting hotter every month. It is very likely that at this rate it will soon spread to the entire galaxy, and then Bellassa will also be dragged into the military conflict.
"Roan."
He needs to get home as soon as possible. Throwing aside reflection, the Jedi moved towards his ship, no longer paying attention to the transparent haze.
"Take your time, pretty boy." The clear female voice called out to Ferus, too authoritative for such a soft timbre.
Olin turned around and saw in front of him a very attractive creature with sparkling skin. She looked like a young girl, but there was something about her appearance that made her look much older than Ferus.
"Who are you and what do you need from me?" The former Jedi asked and braced himself for a fight. Only an experienced bounty hunter, a Jedi, or... someone much worse could suddenly appear out of nowhere.
But there was no attack. The girl just looked at him with playful curiosity.
"I called you, and you came to my call," the girl replied cheerfully. "I just don't understand why you woke up so soon."
"It doesn't sound very clear." The Jedi frowned. There was nothing familiar about the girl's appearance. Ferus didn't feel anxious, but he didn't like being in this place. "My head hurts too much to try to guess who you are and what your intentions are."
"Well, honey, I'll be honest, I already know you prefer this instead of any lie. So, actually, it doesn't matter who I am. But I'm what you need. Become mine and we'll have an eternity ahead of us." She smiled sweetly and depraved, and Ferus felt a wave of sharp dislike.
"Nobody has eternity." He objected rudely. "And I don't have not only eternity, but even a free minute for you and people like you."
"Who are you in such a hurry to see, pretty boy?" She was very close to him. Her slender hand, with long nails, scratched a path from his chest down to his groin area.
"Stop it or you'll regret it!" The former Jedi hissed, pushing her away from him.
"Think carefully, I can really be anybody for you."
Her body began to deform, and her face bent like a living mask. A few moments later, the man stood in front of the Jedi, and this shape was more creepy than the unknown girl, because Roan Lands was clearly recognizable in it.
What a disgusting fake!
"Failed attempt. I'm married. You already know that."
Roan… He missed his best friend's soft smile. Ferus hadn't seen him for only a few days, but like any beloved, he already missed his love very much.
How could this witch know what Roan looked like?
"Poor baby boy! You've never cheated on your spouse. How boring you are living in your marriage! But don't worry, buddy, I assure you, when the years pass, you'll get bored and want to try something new."
"I don't think so."
The man who looked like Roan snorted in response. He reached out to the Jedi, not to attack, but to touch him gently and tenderly. The touch caused his body to react against his will, and it made Ferus very angry. He had become a reserved person in his youth, but now he couldn't control his desires.
"Your body is hungry for my affection," the stranger replied happily in Roan's voice. "And I know how to please my guests. You can make sure of that."
"I don't care what my body craves under the influence of your spell. I don't want anything from you. And I can feel the Darkness reeking from you." The former Jedi drew his blaster and pointed it at the creature, feeling uncomfortable. Over the years, he had never gotten used to any other weapon that replaced the lightsaber.
"I won't miss." Ferus warned defiantly.
"No weapon can help you. Someone who is dead cannot die twice." Said the creature with a beautiful, familiar appearance and a rotten scent of the Dark Side of the Force.
"So you're corpse? Does it really bother a dead person that it happens like mine? Loyalty, friendship, and love meant nothing to you during your lifetime, and it stayed that way after your death, right? "
"You're a noble, sweet boy, but you still understand so little... "
"I know that I was lucky enough to meet my beloved." Ferus interrupted him, "Trampling and abusing love is the dumbest thing a mature person can do."
"Are you so sure about this, funny boy?" The man burst out laughing, but Ferus already felt like he had won. The enemy was about to retreat.
Can one meeting divide a person's entire life into before and after? Ferus had known his answer for a long time.
"Go back to where you came from." Olin said. His perception was no longer as sharp as it had been years ago. But when he gained access to the Force, it responded and clung to him. The haze cleared, and the former Jedi's vision cleared.
Under the illusion woven for him personally, he saw an ancient being. The witch wasn't too ugly, but her age wasn't measured in decades, but in centuries. It was she who confused his mind, clouded his memory so that he could not even understand how he found himself on this plain, among the gloomy landscape of Dathomir. It was a dirty move to seduce him into staying here. But she couldn't do it, because no one else in the galaxy could.
“The only one and forever. Only Roan, and no one else.” Ferus clearly remembered a vow to himself that he would not break in any delirium. He had already found his inner point of balance.He really would never have disgraced his feelings for Roan. Ferus was in love, and he didn't need anyone else. Roan would never betray their marriage alliance either, Ferus knew that.
"There are more important things than animal pleasure. Love is not exchanged for lust. The witch of Dathomir did not understand this during her lifetime. Will she ever understand it after she dies?" Ferus thought about it.
Now he could clearly see that in front of him was a creature of the Dark Side of the Force. This darkness was not frightening, not eager to take an innocent life, but indifferent, cold and sneering.
Sneering... something seemed uncomfortably familiar to Ferus. He couldn't remember, his mind was still hazy, like in a heavy dream, but the feeling was extremely convincing and unpleasant.
Of course, this creature didn't mean well to him. But she hadn't planned for his death either.
"Let me out of your spell and get out!" he demanded.
"Whatever you say, baby. If you change your mind... you've forgotten something important."
Ferus saw himself as if from the outside. He stood there with a blaster, annoyed and impatient, like a smuggler in trouble or a bounty hunter.
That he was a Jedi, that's what he forgot! Not just now, when the mist cast by the ancient witch of Dathomir had clouded his vision, but in general. He may not have been a part of the Jedi Order for a long time, but the Order is a part of him. He must act like a Jedi until his last breath, and not just as long as he possesses the weapon that make him a Jedi in the eyes of the galaxy. Being a Jedi means more than just wearing a lightsaber on your belt and blindly honoring the Jedi Code. He had so easily discarded and forgotten it!
The former padawan turned to the Light side of the Force and anger at the hypocritical creature receded.
The siren released from her clutches someone who did not want to become her guide for pleasure. The darkness created by the Dark Side was falling like heavy smoke and dissolving right in front of the Jedi's eyes.
The Jedi moved towards the ship with a confident and fast step. The moment Ferus stepped onto the ramp of his ship, he was overcome by an unpleasant feeling of semi-awakening. It was that strange feeling when you're still dreaming, but you're not sleeping anymore. And he wanted to stumble back, only not to wake up completely, to stay in his restless but happy dream.
For a brief moment, the Jedi was still hoping, still desperately wanting to believe in his happy dream, as if it were real. Taking a step back didn't help him. He took another step back, and staggered awkwardly when his foot landed on the ground of Dathomir. Ferus turned around, the landscape of the planet was still the same unchanging orange-gray, but the his life has become cruel and impossibly terrible.
“Roan... no... please…No!”
Olin felt as if he had been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. His legs buckled, as if there was no support, and he collapsed on his side. Pain shot through his shoulder from the sudden sharp impact on the ship's ramp.
The truthful reality crashed down on the Jedi like a waterfall, and the pain of the realization twisted his entire being. Grief was strangling him like a Sith garrote, and he, like a feeble old man, lay on an inclined ladder and floundered, unable to ease the pain in his heart until it receded of its own accord. For several long minutes, he twitched helplessly like a fish stranded on the shore, because his body, twisted by a spasm from heartache, did not obey at all.
The Jedi barely managed to roll onto his back. Long, pale gray strands of bangs fell over his forehead, blocking his view.
He had already remembered everything. Everything that happened after the Clone Wars, because it ended 5 years ago.
There is no Republic anymore. The Jedi Order is no more. And he, the former padawan, became a rebel and opposed the Empire of Palpatine. Pictures from his old life flashed before Ferus' eyes.
Arrest, jail, escape and pursuit, jail again and escape again. Then his ridiculous, unsuccessful espionage, and an equally ridiculous attempt to win. The result of the rebellion on Bellassa was defeat. And the most important and terrible result is that Roan's life was cut short by the hand of a cruel bastard. Their marriage is ruined because his beloved was killed by Darth Vader.
And all he had to do was remain faithful to the dead man.
"Stars!... " Ferus rasped desperately. His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper as he relived his own guilt.
The siren's call was no longer heard. The ancient half-dead witch had disappeared, and the monotonous gray-orange sky and silence remained unchanged, broken only by gentle gusts of wind.
"Calm down! Just calm down. Take your time! Inhale and exit. Slower. One more time..."
The heartache eased a little, and the Jedi carefully got to his feet and continued climbing the ramp. He got to the living cabin, and first of all, he took the medicines necessary for the exacerbation of his heart problem. The pill worked quickly and effectively.
When his heartbeat returned to normal and his breathing became even, Olin started takeoff on autopilot. His hands were still shaking. It seems that the treasured box of tiny pills will now have to be carried in a pocket.
The ship accelerated, filtering through the planet's unfavorable atmosphere.
The ancient witch from Dathomir turned out to be more insidious and cunning than it seemed at first glance. She created an illusion for him inside another illusion. And he believed it, he didn't doubt it for a minute. But in reality, the person he had loved once and for all now lived only in his memories. And he still hasn't learned to live with it.
Ferus's fingers tapped the control panel senselessly and convulsively.
Roan Lands would freak out if he found out that Ferus had developed chronic heart dysfunction at the age of thirty. And the excuse "I couldn't get over my grief" could hardly be convincing for him.
Roan would have said everything he thinks about her husband's mental abilities. He would have convinced. He would…
My fic for @reconstructwriter who inspired me to continue this long story, and for everyone who likes "Vader/Ferus" (later Anakin/Ferus)
**
It was one of the most amazing days during their vacation on Belazura. All morning they swam in the clear turquoise water, which sparkled in the gentle sun like a liquid, precious stone. Leia couldn't even imagine such incredible beauty before. After lunch, Ferus invited her to play practice ball. They chose a spacious field, next to the coastline. The sand was soft here, and Leia happily kicked off her beach sandals.
Ferus used Force tricks, he sent the ball flying in an incredible arc towards Leia. It was exciting, but Leia wasn't physically well developed, so she wasn't very good at catching and throwing the ball, and new attempts didn't bring improvements.
"I want to play with you too." A boy Ortolan came up to them. He was shorter than Leia and had a slightly overweight build.
Ferus gave the boy a quick, appraising look, and with a friendly smile, tossed him the ball. At first, the chubby boy seemed clumsy and slow, but he ran well, and his arms were thicker and stronger than Leia's, so the little fat boy got used to the game pretty quickly. Leia realized that she was now the weakest player. The girl was a little upset and decided to use a little trick.
Leia jumped up, hovered in the air, and used the Force to reduce the speed of the ball flying towards her. It wasn't difficult to catch the ball and throw it back.
"What an amazing dream!" thought Leia. Here she can control the Force much better than ever in reality! The Force was very kind and generous to her here.
"Hey, Leia! Are you cheating to beat us?" Ferus asked in surprise, but it was obvious that he was happy for his daughter. He threw the ball to Leia again, spinning the ball in an unexpected trajectory. She jumped to the height of her height, hovered in the air, deftly caught the ball, and threw it back, and then landed gracefully.
"Great! It seems you have a gift for flying!" Ferus praised her and smiled. "Please don't tell me that you dream of becoming a pilot!"
Leia laughed. Her father seemed so young to her now! She was surprised to notice that Dad's bangs were not gray, but golden. His incredible, golden-tinged hair shone stunningly in the sun.
The ball was already flying back to her, and Leia was thinking so hard that she didn't even notice who threw the ball to her, Dad or that boy. Belatedly, the girl jumped up and held out her arms, but her jump got out of control. She flew higher than she wanted to, and her ascent did not stop. A sense of unease gripped Leia. The only thing that kept her from wanting to scream was the certainty that Dad wouldn't let her fall. She flailed her arms and legs helplessly, then tried to grab onto one of the strands of Force, but the Force suddenly became completely beyond her control. The girl was dragged to the side and turned upside down. Leia saw the ball flying behind her. Hanging upside down, she looked down.
The ball landed on an open palm in a black glove.
There was a man in the galaxy in whose hand any object could turn into a deadly weapon, and this man was standing here right now. The motionless figure, clad in dark armor, looked like a black spot. The rays of the sun bounced off the Sith as if the light couldn't touch it.
Leia's frightening assumption came true. In Darth Vader's powerful hand, an innocuous ball instantly heated up and turned into a deadly projectile for throwing.
"Now it's my turn to throw!" Sith proclaimed in the mechanical voice and hurled a red–hot ball at her father.
The projectile flew at terrifying speed and hit Ferus in the chest with crushing force, shattering the bones of his rib cage and crushing his insides. The force of the throw sent her father flying backwards.
"Dad!" Leia's own scream hit her ears.
But Ferus didn't even cry out. He was thrown onto the line separating the grass and the beach sand. He was lying like a broken mannequin with a torn rib cage and didn't move anymore. Leia squeezed her eyes shut to block out the horror. She realized that her father would never wake up from such a wound.
The girl was still hanging upside down in the air, and the Darkness continued to play with the victim. A directed stream of Force rotated Leia around her axis. Leia was filled with a terrible feeling, as if she were a fly trapped in a spider's web, and the Dark Side, like a spider, was wrapping her in a cocoon, spun out of despair and fear.
Leia screamed and twitched. The rope by which she was suspended suddenly broke and Leia flew down.
In the next instant, the invisible rope bit painfully into her ankle again, and the girl's face froze right in front of the Sith mask. Leia froze in horror. Vader raised his hand, and Leia realized that now he was going to throw her head down, she would break her spine from the blow, and her dead body would remain lying on the sand, right next to Darth Vader's boots.
The invisible rope disappeared, and the victim flew upside down.
Leia woke up in horror.
She and Dad were staying in a small, cozy hotel in a coastal settlement on one of the mother-of-pearl shores of Belazura. Dad was sleeping peacefully next to her. Leia's mini droid hummed steadily on the table.
Leia took several deep breaths to even out her shortness of breath. It was just a dream. But her feelings of fear and utter helplessness were real. What could she do, even if she became an adult and mastered the Force, against a monster that could playfully kill anyone with one blow?
Leia took her father by the shoulder.
"Dad, wake up!"
"Mmm… Leia, why are you waking me up so early? Are you all right?" Ferus asked sleepily. He had a good night's sleep this time.
"Yes!" Leia declared. It was probably the first time in her life that she had deftly lied to him. She just couldn't tell dad about her nightmare, and she didn't know why. It all seemed so frightening and disgusting to her that she didn't want to talk about it at all, but just wanted to forget it as soon as possible.
"Wake up! You wanted to get up early to make us a special breakfast. And I'm already hungry!"
Ferus muttered that they already had three breakfasts and a couple of lunches here every day on vacation, and it wouldn't end well, but he started to get up.
"And you also wanted to come with me to the central market to buy me a pet. You promised, Dad!" Leia blurted out.
"Did I promise to buy you a pet?" Ferus asked in disbelief, stretching sleepily.
"You just forgot." Leia chirped sweetly, and put on an innocent childish smile.
**
It was really hot in the central market at noon. However, Ferus felt more comfortable under a couple of layers of fabric, despite the fact that he was sweating.
"Dad... "
"Yes? " Ferus asked, looking down at his daughter. After all, she was tiny even for her age.
"I just..." chirped Leia happily, "I just want to hug you."
The little girl wrapped her arms around Ferus' lower back and snuggled up to him.
"That's not true, Leia," her father said, stroking her shoulders. "You want me to buy you this pet. What you're doing now is called 'manipulation.' And I don't like that."
"But, Dad…"
"Listen, Leia. I don't mind a pet at all, besides your mini-droid. But understand, this breed was artificially bred from Naboo Shaak. He doesn't have enough intelligence even for a pet. It's harmless, but it's useless and eats too much, so no one bought it."
Ferus suddenly realized that Vader often did things that made the prisoner feel like a useless and disenfranchised animal. A spasm went through him from the surging sensations.
"What am I doing? Is she asking so much of me?"
After all, he himself was afraid that after experiencing the horror in captivity, Leia would become withdrawn and distrustful. However, the girl endured Vader's captivity and influence better than he expected. The Jedi looked doubtfully at the fluffy round animal in the cage. He again tried to gently explain and announce to his daughter a whole list of difficulties that would arise when caring for such a pet, but Leia resisted, despite his arguments. She said that if this is true, then all the more reason to buy this one, wonderful 'Flu-Shaak', because no one else needs this pet, and it is very sad and unfair.
"Well." Ferus gave up. He was glad that his little girl had such deep sympathy. Olin remembered that at a young age he himself was too obsessed with order and rules to be truly kind and compassionate to living beings.
Jedi consoled himself with the fact that caring for a stupid pet was not a problem worth seriously worrying about. Especially when he think about the fact that he was recently a prisoner... The images from the past made the Jedi feel sick and nauseous. Would these memories haunt him all the time?
Ferus sighed, paid the merchant, and once again found himself thinking that, against the backdrop of large-scale events that would go down in the history of the galaxy, he was engaged in minor stupidity. But is that so?
Many of his actions will one day fade from Leia's childhood memory, but she will remember that Dad spent a lot of time with her, taking care of her, and they were a small and happy family.
But it won't always be like this. Ferus clearly understood that. Time passes quickly, and life changes. Leia will become an adult woman, and a man will appear in her life, who will be more important to her than her father. She would marry him and they would have children, and then her father would no longer be in second place, but in third place. Ferus was already beginning to be jealous of this 'future husband', even though Leia was only ten years old, and he might not worry about her future marriage for a long time.
Baby Leia sat comfortably in an airtaxi. Right now, she was not interested in anything in the world except for the cute 'Flu-Shaak'. She enthusiastically stroked the furry creature, which was sniffing the hands of the little mistress. The Jedi was happy for his daughter and watched as the maintenance droid loaded boxes of pet care products into the trunk of the airtaxi.
Ferus's personal comlink beeped, signaling a new message. He took a comlink out of his pocket, activated the message, and a holographic figure of a thin and middle-aged woman appeared on his palm. Ferus recognized her at first glance, even though she had aged quite dramatically since their last meeting.
Anxiety squeezed the Jedi's chest. Even before the demonstration of the short message ended, he had already formed a bad assumption about why Breha Organa invited him and Leia to Alderaan.
"She wants to take Leia back."
**
He existed at a point where there is no light, no space, no time. But something was directing the current, which inexorably dragged him to the surface, and Anakin felt that he was slowly emerging from this viscous pool of nothingness and timelessness.
Someone pushed him with a final effort, and the fallen Jedi surfaced.
"Where am I?"
Anakin tried to take a breath, but instead of air, cold penetrated his lungs and stabbed thousands of tiny needles. It was impossible to take a breath, his lungs were tearing apart, but some kind of device inside his chest forcibly pushed the air flow, preventing him from suffocating.
His consciousness had not yet cleared up, but fragments of memories were already pouring over him like an avalanche. Anakin saw many different pieces of his past at the same time. These unrelated images and sensations from different times and different places bombarded his mind. He would have gone mad from the onslaught of his memories or lost himself in the whirlpool of memory, but he was saved again by someone else's presence.
Anakin found himself among a cluster of intertwined threads woven into a web of Great Force.
A familiar presence positioned itself next to him, supporting him. In the web of Force, the former master looked like a small dot glowing like a star in the night sky. Unquenchable, eternal. And his light was powered by something ancient that was immeasurably older than Obi-Wan himself, older than their Galaxy.
They were out of reality, and at the same time in reality, hidden on one of the uninhabited planets at the edge of the Galaxy.
"Obi-Wan… Don't go away! Don't leave me alone!" The fallen Jedi spoke through the Force and extended a ghostly hand towards him.
When the fingers of the ghostly hand of the traitor and murderer touched Obi-Wan's face, he felt disgusted and wanted to cut off this mental touch. But the Darkness, under the onslaught of the passing wall of Light, finally retreated, and next to him was no longer Vader, but Anakin. And Anakin begged him.
"Don't go away!" He called desperately again.
And this time he decided to answer.
"Don't worry, I'll be there." The quiet, broken voice of the former Master rang out.
Darth Vader no longer expected that this would ever happen. After all, It's been a year, but no escaped rebel has appeared on Bellassa. Probably, after the searches in the bins of the rebels, there was nothing valuable left to return for.
However, trusting his instincts, Vader ordered the installation of spy droids on Bellassa, and his efforts paid off.
The intruder made his way to the capital and his appearance did not go unnoticed by the Empire.
"It has been established that someone broke into an empty townhouse on the outskirts of the city. He's probably a hired enforcer, not one of the wanted rebels. At the moment, it has not yet been revealed how the intruder entered the city," the officer reported to Vader.
Vader glanced at the intelligence on the datapad in the officer's hand.
The Sith froze, and his subordinate felt uncomfortable. Vader only needed to identify the distant pattern in the web of Force. The darkness told him that the intruder, who had dared to enter the abandoned Lands house, was his old enemy.
'You showed up personally. Bastard…'
"No," Vader said, "it's Olin."
So, now it's not so important how he got in, it's important that he doesn't get out.
"Then should I give the order for the immediate dispatch of the nearest armed group for capture?" The subordinate asked. He longed for a promotion, and therefore tried to anticipate his commander's orders.
Vader thought about it.
What is the Jedi looking for there? In the abandoned safe house where he lived before the start of the rebellion, all the hiding places have long been cleaned out. And everyone involved in Bellassa's rebellion is either dead or has fled and changed their names.
So he's there for his own personal reasons?
His intuition told him that the enemy would not escape from the planet unless he was scared off. And in that house, the former Jedi will feel safe. But this is just self-deception, and it will be very pleasant to take advantage of it.
The Jedi is obviously still broken and weakened.
Vader smiled.
Surely he wouldn't run away from Lands's house. Ferus Olin is the kind of person who can fuel his grief inside himself for a long time. This is excellent. May he enjoy it to the fullest. And Vader wasn't going to stop him from doing that. Nothing will hit him more painfully than the full realization that he could have lived a different life, which is now useless to dream about.
Living with the beloved who is no longer there... the lost common future… All this is very acutely realized among the old places and things that are closely related to significant memories.
Let Olin wash face with his tears there, alone with his shattered hopes and dreams of the future together that will never come. Vader knew full well what an overwhelming pain it was. This means that it will also be unbearable and painful for a Jedi, like never before in his life.
After all, occasionally, in Vader's dreams, he saw his completely different life. Another reality where Padme Amidala was alive, and was with him.…
Darth Vader wished his old enemy to feel it all in full.
"My Lord?" The loyal officer asked impatiently.
The Sith was tormented by impatience, but he restrained himself. The Jedi will be captured, and he won't be able to escape from the city or the planet anyway. But it's worth waiting to set a stronger trap.
"Order to prepare the squad immediately to capture the escaped Jedi. But don't give yourself away prematurely. If necessary, let them take sackcloth stormtroopers from the Bellassa garrison, and everything that is required for the operation to be successful. Block the airspace of the entire planet." Vader said.
"It will be done, my Lord."
The officer did not know that the garrison on Bellassa was small. There was no point in leaving powerful military forces on a peaceful and sparsely populated planet. A year ago, Bellassa's rebellion against the Empire was severely crushed. The arrested rebels were taken to mines on other worlds, and stormtrooper reserves were assigned to other planets, where there was an urgent need to increase the Empire's armed forces to quell local unrest.
"And one more thing," Vader added, "I need him alive. Tell this exactly to the commander of the capture group."
"Yes, My Lord," the officer said, and rushed to carry out the order he had received.
Despite the unofficial blockade of the planet's airspace, this is still a fairly simple operation. One person, no matter how tricky, can't create many problems.
**
The man for whom Darth Vader was preparing a trap actually washed his face with his tears that day.
Ferus Olin easily reached his native courtyard, where the house Roan's family lived was located. Getting in here was even easier than sneaking into Bellassa, bypassing the Imperial security checkpoints.
The Jedi was stunned by how Bellassa had changed since the days of the strikes a year ago. The capital became quiet and deserted. The once bustling streets now left a cheerless impression. No one was walking around, just a few passers-by hurrying about their business. Most of the cultural buildings were demolished, and warehouses for the Empire's military factory were built in their place. Instead of the central city park, the Imperial Headquarters building towered, looking like a solid pyramid-shaped monolith with a worn upper corner. It was the first thing that had changed on Bellassa since the Empire came, and Ferus remembered it well.
Now, it seemed like there was a curfew in the city. Sparse groups of stormtroopers patrolled the streets. They were not efficient, and it was clear from their lazy movements how disgusted they were with the assignment in this deserted, boring city.
In the semi-darkness, Ferus slipped like a shadow into the courtyard.
It's strange. The Jedi hadn't noticed the surveillance, but something was bothering him. There was an unpleasant, sticky feeling on the way here.
Spies may have discovered him, but there's something in this house that the Empire still doesn't know about. There was a hidden underground passage under the house, connected to caves and leading far into the mountains.
Unfortunately, this escape route didn't save them last time. In the days of the riots, right before the arrest, he and Roan were not here. They were not prepared for an attack from the Empire.
He's ready now.
But the former Jedi was completely unprepared for his own thoughts and feelings that came flooding back to him here.
Inside the house, silence and emptiness reigned. And alone in that silence, he had only now fully realized why the Jedi Code forbade any attachment.
That's what happens if a Jedi dares to put someone on the throne of his love.
That's what happens if a Jedi gives his heart once and for all.
Losing the beloved is also possible once and for all.
After Roan's death, Obi-Wan helped him enormously. He helped bury his grief deep inside himself so that it could not completely destroy him. So that Ferus could act as before. But there was no need to act now. Everything that was worth living for was gone from his life forever.
He sincerely believed that he had already mourned Roan, that he had already accepted this terrible, destructive reality for himself.
In vain.
Now his whole old life looked like a collection of scattered pictures. The images, like a selection of the happiest Jedi memories, were cut into shreds by Darth Vader's red lightsaber.
The word "Never again" beat inside the Jedi like a living heart. Ferus tried to accept his loss again, to let the meaning of that damn "Never again" sink in, to clench his teeth and not howl in pain as it pulsed through his entire body, causing a sharp pain in his chest.
'Never again...'
Roan Lands would never smile at him again. Never again would he walk through the streets of Bellassa, holding his beloved's hand. And they will never have children. There will never be grandchildren.…
Never.
Years will pass, and many decades will pass. He will live to old age if he is very lucky. But all these years will be lonely and meaningless for him.
If things had been different, if he hadn't been such a fool, he would have lived the rest of his life with his beloved. Somewhere infinitely far away, where the paws of the Sith have not yet squeezed through.
How wonderful it was to live with him! Make him happy every day! That was how it had been during their peaceful years on Bellassa, and Ferus had abandoned some of the principles of the Jedi Code in order to grow closer to the object of his love…
The dust from the room settled on the things scattered on the floor. Evening light filtered through the cracks of the windows, sealed with thick fabric, and Ferus could see individual tiny specks of dust rising into the air when he touched something.
The dust made everything seem abandoned.
The bitterness in his throat wouldn't go away. Ferus slowly ascended to the second floor and entered a small room. This room, like the rest of the house, was completely silent.
Roan's former room. This room has been preserved in the same form when Roan ran it in his youth. And everything would have remained untouched from the now–past life, except for one global phenomenon that the Imperials had desecrated the whole house with - all things were dumped on the floor and scattered. Broken and disassembled equipment was also lying on the floor. Cupboards and shelves were empty, many things were piled in the corners, piled on top of each other.
The Imperials conducted a search and had a lot of fun. It looked more like an act of vandalism. The house was searched from top to bottom, but fortunately nothing was found.
Why is he hesitating?
He has to do the job, not suffer from his grief.
The Jedi found a holographic clock. The device was smashed. Olin carefully picked up the watch and felt the recess for the power compartment on the back panel with his finger.
The broken holo screen of the clock did not light up, time data was not shown. Their time with Roan was over too. Time is irrevocable.
It took him only a couple of minutes to carefully pull the tiny recording rod out of the back of the instrument.
The data carrier was unharmed. Olin carefully packed the rod into the inside pocket of his jacket.
That's all. That's all he's going to take away from here.
It's unbearable.
He definitely appeared on Bellassa for the last time in his life, and he will only take digital information from here, but nothing tangible.
Ferus replaced the clock.
There was a piece of crumpled paper nearby. The indifferent hand of the Imperial Bloodhound crumpled the paper document and threw it here, having become convinced of the uselessness of this thing. Ferus carefully straightened the paper. It was a certified record of graduation from the university in the database. The owner has not needed this diploma for a long time. Just like everything else. The owner of the room will never need any of these things again. No furniture, no clothes, no old documents.
Ferus sat down on Roan's bed and hunched over, feeling like he was being crushed by grief. A dull pain tightened the knot inside his chest. He's already lost everything. Why does he feel this way again?
This was his true punishment. It must continue to exist.
Just think, then why did he have the good fortune to escape?
Olin bent over and lowered his face down, burying his hands in his hair. Tears were now running down his nose and dripping onto the floor by the bed.
It doesn't matter when he dies or where he is buried. It doesn't matter how many more years he roams the galaxy. His life had already ended on the same day, a year ago. Ferus also died when Darth Vader burned out Roan Lands's heart with a lightsaber. Not even a swing, but just a single thrust pierced through Roan's chest and destroyed their reality.
And now Ferus saw Roan's dying gaze again, looking straight into his soul.
'Don't give in to Evil.'
It was the only thing Ferus had time to read in his gaze. That was his last request. His plea that his brother would not turn into the disgusting evil they were fighting.
"Forgive me!" Ferus sobbed. "It's my fault… Just mine. I was useless. I couldn't protect you from Evil."
Silence answered him. Only a thin layer of indoor dust covered everything.
Dust that makes it clear to everyone who enters that no one lives here. And no one is waiting for anyone anymore.
Emptiness and dust.
Indoor dust.
That's his legacy.
That's all that's left of his life.…
That damn day, Roan died quickly right in Ferus' arms. And after that, Vader beat the Jedi and ordered him to be thrown into prison. A couple of days later, he was released from prison on Palpatine's personal orders. And here Ferus faced a new challenge. Roan's body was not given to his family.
Roan's ashes were buried somewhere... among the construction debris.
Ferus managed to find out that Vader ordered Roan's body to be sewn into a bag and thrown into a recycling bin along with other rebel bodies. And then their ashes were dumped in a landfill near a dam under construction on the outskirts of the city.
Even before the Clone Wars, there were picturesque waterfalls. Ferus and Roan often dived in those clear waters. Then the Empire came and a large-scale construction was set up there, and the waterfalls were destroyed.
Now the Imperial Hydroelectric Power Station with multi-level sections of dams had been built, and somewhere among the piles of construction debris lay the ashes of the defenders of Bellassa from the Empire.
Ferus couldn't imagine it.
How could Roan be killed? Such a kind, loving and honest man?
And his body... burn his body like garbage in a recycling bin with a lot of other bodies. And throw the ashes in the trash...
But Darth Vader did it without hesitation. To him, Roan was just one victim from an endless list.
Roan's family had to put a tombstone on an empty grave, as well as many other Bellassians.
Roan was the only late child in the Lands family. His death cut off the family from their former, happy life. Looking at the empty grave of their beloved son was unbearable for the parents. Roan's mom had aged so much over the past year that Ferus found it hard to recognize her. Roan's father was also devastated by his son's death. The loss hit his heart hard, and his father was no longer a joyful, graying man. Now he has become a very unhealthy, elderly man, living out his life.
Grief rolled over them, breaking their fate.
But could Ferus imagine how they felt? Could he understand elderly parents whose only beloved son had been killed at the whim of a complete bastard?
Ferus was sure he couldn't. He didn't have any children of his own. And it never will be.
Darth Vader deliberately hit the enemy's most vulnerable point. He took Roan's life, only to inflict the incurable wound on Ferus. And Vader did not lose. But it is unlikely that the Sith himself could have guessed how accurately and strongly he hit the target.
It was impossible to recover from that. Anakin Skywalker deprived Ferus not only of love and friendship, he deprived him of the meaning of life.
And again that unbearable murder scene before his eyes…
A flash that activated red lightsaber, and Ferus lost everything in one instant.
Something kind, honest, eternal is gone from life forever.
'My best friend. My brother. My beloved…'
That's all. Ferus's heart is here forever. Now he knew that for sure.
**
With a thud, the body of the strangled officer fell at Darth Vader's feet. He doesn't need excuses or explanations. There should be only one punishment for irreversible failure.
Vader didn't like the report that a ship had burst out of Bellassa's atmosphere and gone into hyperjump.
Where this ship was hidden, and why two squads of stormtroopers ended up under the rubble in the destroyed caves, no one could give an answer. The commander of the task force suffocated along with his subordinates under the collapse. Not only did they miss the fugitive Jedi, they didn't even figure out why he was there. That's the whole result of the operation.
Vader's current assignment was too far away from Bellassa for him to take on the case on his own. But his subordinates had all the trump cards in their hands, and yet they failed this task. Now the Emperor will find out about this, and he will undoubtedly be displeased.
Vader's anger slowly dissipated. Nothing can be changed anymore.
This outcome was unfortunate, but there will be a new opportunity. He knew that.
One day, he would face the cursed Jedi again, and then the bastard would no longer be able to escape.
My fic for @reconstructwriter who inspired me to continue this long story, and for everyone who likes "Vader/Ferus" (later Anakin/Ferus)
**
A few months later.
The ceremony of 'Purification of memory and farewell' took place favorably, but sadly. At least that's what it seemed to Ferus Olin.
The white-robed politician who took over the post of head of the New Republic delivered a speech in memory of the fallen Jedi Order.
She announced that the ceremony was dedicated to all the Jedi who served the peace, but were severely deceived and cruelly destroyed. She talked about the treachery of the Emperor, who unleashed the Clone Wars in order to destroy the Jedi and gain control of the Galaxy.
Ferus didn't listen to her every word, but overall, the leader of the New Republic made a positive impression on him.
Ironically, not a single Jedi was officially present at this event. According to the official version, there are no more of them left in the Galaxy. But there were plenty of Coruscant residents here. These crowds came to the central square in front of the Senate building to listen to the speech and pay tribute to the memory of the dead. The broadcast was carried out on the whole planet. After Mon Mothma's speech, the citizens of the New Republic began a memorial ritual in honor of the fallen Jedi Order. Everyone could light one round candle and lower it to the surface of the artificial pond in front of the Senate building.
Olin was well aware that just one candle would not be enough for him. He was familiar with many of the fallen Jedi, and every one of them was a living person in his memory.
First, Ferus lit a candle for his first Master. And after that, he began his long list of many names.
Darra Thel-Tanis. Siri Tachi. Tru Veld…
Candles floated along the pond. After a short time, the built-in mechanisms for floating in the air were activated in them, which slowly lifted candles into the atmosphere directly from the surface of the water.
Ferus did his job calmly and methodically. In his confident and dexterous movements, as well as in the reverence with which he performed the ritual, a casual viewer could easily recognize that he was not an outsider.
He had already launched more than a hundred candles into the water, and he was going to continue until he launched for every dead Jedi knight or Padawan he had ever known or even slightly remembered. Olin understood that he had caused puzzled glances from the crowd. He even attracted the attention of reporters, and several flying golo-cameras were now watched him. A whisper went through the crowd, "He's a Jedi", "he's definitely a Jedi". Ferus wasn't bothered by this, he continued his personal farewell ceremony.
At the end of his long list, he dedicated candles to those he didn't know too well, but remembered anyway.
"Anakin Skywalker"
They weren't on good, friendly terms with him, but Anakin had friends, which meant he had a good, kind side that Ferus didn't know about.
The farewell ceremony ended before the middle of the night, and Ferus remained sitting on the floor of the square, near the water, watching the tiny orange lights slowly fly away into the upper atmosphere and disappear from view until the morning. This ritual didn't have any mystical power, because it was just a social event, but Olin felt a sense of relief that he hadn't remembered for a very long time.
The glow of sunrise has already appeared on the horizon. The light of the distant sun, thanks to a system of directional orbital mirrors, gave a soft morning light to the city. The people of Coruscant have long since dispersed.
Baby Leia met a night's sleep here. Before midnight, Olin had laid her in a small bench near the pond and covered her with his cloak, and now he woke her up.
Ferus looked at her sleepy face and smiled slyly. Right now, his daughter looked like an ordinary child who was woken up early in the morning, and she was unhappy about it like a moody teenager.
"Good morning, sunny!"
"Dad, why did you wake me up so early?" Leia said sleepily in her squeaky childish voice. She tried to imitate the businesswomen she had seen here, and her tone had already acquired the mannerisms and pomposity typical of Coruscant beauties.
"Actually, it's already dawn." Ferus replied with satisfaction.
"Can I get some more sleep? In the meantime, you stay here."
"No, you can't. Wake up, my sleepyhead. We're going to have breakfast and walk around the festive city. And in the evening we go on vacation to Belasur.
"What is a vacation?" Leia asked.
"I don't know myself," Ferus replied, "but I really want to know."
**
The rain had stopped for once, but the sky was so overcast and the humidity was so high that there was no reason to hope that it wouldn't rain again today.
"Too tightly holds the darkness Skywalker in captivity. Escape he will not." Yoda mused sadly, pacing back and forth in front of Obi-Wan.
Qui-Gon's ghost was standing nearby, but Obi-Wan had a strange, aching feeling in his chest.
"Help him we can, young Kenobi." Yoda continued. "To the Light side return he can, if want he does. But irrevocably something we must sacrifice."
Qui-Gon looked hard at his Padawan. And at that moment, Kenobi understood what it meant, understood everything, before such terrible words were uttered.
"Obi-Wan, this is our last meeting."
He didn't say 'Padawan' to him, he just bitterly said goodbye.
"No! Master..." begged Obi-Wan. He wasn't going to hold back his emotions, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Please don't go! Don't leave me alone with all this!"
He just couldn't lose his Master again. Obi-Wan's face contorted like a crying child, he was really crying and was no longer shy about it. He could ask dear people to stay with him as much as he wanted, but the result was always the same. Everyone was leaving, but only Anakin remained. It's his burden. And Obi-Wan had to constantly give to his apprentice. And in return, he received betrayal.
For a moment, he felt a flash of anger. Why should he sacrifice the most precious people? Why should he lose his Master again?
For a moment, Kenobi felt a burning anger, and pain overwhelmed him. He didn't want to let his Master go so badly! He hated this injustice so much, this disgusting, repetitive pattern. Qui-Gon was leaving again, but Anakin was staying again. He had a sudden urge to finish off Vader right now so he wouldn't lose Qui-Gon, but of course he pushed those thoughts away. No, he would never go against the Master's will.
"Master! I can't let you go. Don't you understand?... " He sobbed. "I...I'm going to break down... did we have that much time together? I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said softly and gently. His voice was resonant and seemed to come from everywhere, "you will always have all the time that we spent together. It's with you forever."
Obi-Wan looked at them through tears. The moisture in his eyes made the image waver, but he still saw one ghostly figure in front of him, and the other a low but dense figure.
The little old Jedi sat down on a log and, hunched over, closed his eyes.
"Grand Master now you are, Obi-Wan." Master Yoda announced softly.
"But why?" Obi-Wan asked in disbelief. He was so confused by this statement that he looked like a Padawan now.
"Told you, I Before, young Kenobi. Fault is mine, the death of the Order and all the Jedi. Changed has time, changed have people, but not allowed I did for the Order to change, for afraid I was of changes. Huge fault is mine. Now to decide it is for you, what will the New Jedi Order be like, what rules and codes there will be. Handle it you can, young Grand Master, hmm?"
There was a mischievous twinkle in Yoda's eyes now.
"And what about you, Master?" Obi-Wan said, and looked at his old Master with incomprehension.
Yoda turned away, he got up from the log, and continued pacing back and forth.
"Sacrifice something you must for the sake of a goal, young Kenobi. In the Force, I will leave, at the same time as your Master. But great power's flash of Light during our departure there will be, and enough this Light will be to separate and dispel the Darkness in which your disciple so deeply entangled is. The only way out, I see, this is. Out of the Evil trap into which he has fallen, Skywalker will not be able to get on his own. Help him we can. Last gift to him, this will be."
"Please don't. I cannot accept such a sacrifice."
"Coming soon is my time, young Obi-Wan. Feel it I can. Wise and strong enough you are already, to carry the burden of the New Order on your shoulders."
Obi-Wan felt empty and desperate.
"And if we fail with Anakin? Again! Are two lives worth the effort?..."
"Right to choose, everyone has. To give it to him, the right thing is. Want to come back, if he does not, then make the different choice, young Skywalker will. Find peace, the murderer will not. Suffer, he will."
Qui-Gon just gave Obi-Wan a sad but determined smile.
**
Darth Vader felt like a formless entity and felt only pain and burning hatred. Hatred of all living things. He wanted to destroy. He wanted to take revenge on everyone for his suffering.
He wasn't just a stump devoid of arms and legs, he was nothing. He almost did not exist physically, and was not even able to see.
It felt like he was trapped in semi-solid ice and denied access to the Force.
But was it much different from how it felt when he was trapped in Darth Vader's armor? By now, Sith was no longer sure that there was such a significant difference.
He thought of the woman who was more important to him than anyone in the Galaxy.
Padme...
How infinitely long ago she died, as if in a previous life! This tragedy happened only because of himself. Breaking through to power over the Galaxy, Skywalker himself destroyed the one that meant the most to him in the world.
He strangled pregnant Padme himself.
But thanks to the Light Side of the Force, she was able to give birth to the daughter and died. But if he had been with her at that moment, this would not have happened.
Sidious had them separated. He manipulated Skywalker. And when the young Jedi fell to the Dark Side, the Darkness demanded that he give up everything for full power. Skywalker didn't know this would happen. And if he could have even a little idea what it would lead to, he would have...
He would have made that sacrifice. As always, impulsively and without thinking about the consequences. But he would have done it.
So, at that terrible moment, Skywalker just craved power and might much more than he wanted to save his beloved. And he killed Padme with his own hand. For the sake of power, for the sake of dominating the Galaxy.
And then, when he really realized that he had lost Padme forever, everything went to waste. No matter what he did, he returned to this terrible state of devouring loneliness, burning pain and hatred for all living things around. The emptiness devoured him from the inside, and the Darkness that settled inside him demanded new atrocities, for the sake of even greater power.
But it could have been different. Vader knew that.
Sith heard the familiar voice from the age of nine, and that voice sounded like it was inside him.
"I'm here to say goodbye to you, Anakin. We'll never see each other again. And very soon you may die. Or you can survive, take responsibility for everything you've done, and continue living like a Jedi. Your former friend is giving you one last chance. Won't you use it?" Qui-Gon's voice said.
"Go away." Vader replied, trying to make the cursed Jedi disappear. He felt furious at him. For everything, even for letting Maul kill him back then.
Qui-Gon's presence had finally dissolved.
And the Sith could no longer hate him. He felt only bitterness and decay inside himself.
Vader listened to himself. It seemed to be true, the Skywalker inside him was dying, and Vader realized it. Skywalker's screams of agony subsided, as if he could no longer scream. The man inside him was rotting away.
But is he, the Lord of the Sith, obligated to show mercy to someone he despises so much, to someone who is not worthy of living?
"Mercy... " thought Darth Vader. "May damn this mercy..."
I couldn't help but think of new idea for one fic with age-swap (Anakin is an adult and Ferus is a young one).
I was wondering how two such dissimilar characters would interact and get along together. Still, I guess young Ferus' flaws shouldn't piss Anakin off too much, because Anakin will become an authority figure for Ferus.
But will he protect him? I don't know.
What's especially unusual about this story is that it's set outside of the Jedi Order. And that's the concept I had. (I guess it will be a maxi fanfic)
My boy Oli-Fer.
Summary:
After his death, Darth Vader finds himself in an alternate past where Anakin Skywalker was never born. The former Sith who has lost his memory of his terrible past wanders the galaxy, but doesn't find any of his former friends. With no one he can trust, Anakin hides his identity and travels to Tatooine hoping to find his mother, but instead he suddenly discovers his old rival as a slave boy.
Love charms in the Japor pendant (innocent gift for Padme)
Revenge of the Sith, Matthew Stover
When I reread these phrases, it begins to seem to me that Matthew has left a maneuver for readers. This is an opportunity to assume that Padme's pendant, using the Force of the Chosen One, imposed on her the love attraction to Anakin.
"What about Senator Amidala?" he asked, leaping away from Vader. He faced him, his lightsaber held in an offensive position. "What about Padme? What happened on Mustafar?"
He felt the quake in Vader. He had reached him at last.
"Do not mention her name!"
"I thought it was a lie, that the Jedi killed her," Ferus suddenly understood, the Sith Holocron burning under his tunic. "it wasn't. You killed her, didn't you? You killed the woman you loved."
Vader's wrath filled the room. Ferus could feel it. Instead of turning away from it, he took it. He filled himself with it.
This is what the Emperor meant. This is the last step.
He flew across the room and this time he landed a blow.
a commission inspired by the TLOTJ series (artist: 珊小狼DSS）， also a tribute to El Lissitzky’s iconic Civil War poster 'Beat the Whites With the Red Wedge' (1920). Clear.Neat.Also no room for compromise in this battle, since their very existence is a denial of the other's way of existence at this decisive moment.
ps: if you haven't seen Lissitzky's poster:Abstract3.jpg (1170×655)
Just a reminder that Dooku didn't want Obi-Wan dead and hoped to win him over to his side.
Something tells me that if Obi-Wan had woken up just before Anakin beheaded Dooku, he would not have allowed such an execution to take place.
Fandom: Star Wars Legends; Jedi Quest, Last of The Jedi Series - Jude Watson;
Summary: just my sad mini fic for the mood.
Characters: Siri Tachi/Obi-Wan Kenobi (past), Ferus Olin
Siri Tachi glanced at the serene shore from a small dinghy sailing on a magnificent blue lake. She appreciated that the mission had brought her and her padawan to this paradise. Alderaan remained a peaceful, friendly planet, but unfortunately, there were fewer such prosperous worlds.
Well, spending the rest of the evening here until the Republic ship arrives to take them to the Temple turned out to be a sound idea. It was quiet and incredibly beautiful. Lush trees with large, translucent foliage were planted along the shore.
Ferus sat across from her and controlled the boat's engine from the back seat. Siri's gaze settled on the apprentice's focused face. He was 19 years old, but his unfailing serious gaze and impassive expression made him look a little older.
"Excuse me, Master. I'm not used to talking about things that I can't explain clearly enough." Ferus said with perfect politeness.
"It's okay, it's not an exam." Master Tachi replied, "There is no need to try to put these thoughts into the most appropriate words. There's no right answer, you know that."
Ferus's expression remained serene and unreadable.
Master Tachi knew her padawan's manners well enough to know that he would remain silent, but there would be no disrespect or impoliteness in his gaze or gesture. To her repeated question on this sensitive topic, Olin would not answer her anything intelligible until she told him something personal about herself.
In another situation, Siri would have jokingly accused the apprentice of blackmail, but now she was hoping for his frankness and she had to restrain any sharp jokes.
"Forgive me for this conversation, I'm not asking out of curiosity. I have some reason to believe that the Council will nominate you for the Trials soon." Siri paused for a moment and added softly, "You see, I was younger than you when I fell deeply in love for the first time. At that time, my whole life was almost ruined. All the years of Jedi training that shaped my discipline and patience, even the Jedi Code that I followed so strictly.… It all almost fell into the abyss. By my will. When I recognized this feeling, I believed in love so much that everything else ceased to mean anything to me. Feelings for one person and his well-being have become the most important thing in the Galaxy. He's become more important than me, even more important than the Order, do you understand? At that time, I could really slip up and not become the Jedi.
Ferus watched her without making any premature judgments. He did not allow emotions, but only absorbed information and analyzed it. His restraint usually helped him deal with it well.
"What happened then? Did it end badly?" Ferus's gaze became even more attentive.
"No, not really. As you can see, I'm here now." Tachi hesitantly replied, "but in a way, yes, it ended badly."
Siri hesitated a little. She only scratched the tip of her nose with one short gesture, but it was enough to betray her nervousness. There were signs of sullenness on her face. But then, in an instant, she relaxed and looked into the apprentice's eyes.
"We have decided that we will not be together. That's all. Or rather, he decided. I agreed with this decision. So there was no disaster. But it was extremely painful for me. To be honest, I've never experienced such intense and terrible pain in my life."
Siri paused and looked at a leaf that had come off the branch, which slowly sank and lay on the surface of the serene, perfectly smooth water. The fresh, bright yellow leaf with pinkish edges really seemed delicious. It attracted the eye with its beauty and iridescence of colors, but at the same time, the tree no longer nourished it. The leaf was already lifeless.
"I understand. Of course," the apprentice nodded seriously.
Under his guidance, the boat moved away from the shore and slowly headed towards the center of the lake. There were light ripples from the breeze on the clear, transparent water. Tiny, swaying waves made the surface of the reservoir sparkle in the setting sun of Alderaan, as if pink-gold silk covered the turquoise of the lake.
"Well," the padawan finally said. He turned off the boat's engine and took his hand off the primitive control panel located on the upper engine panel. Now their small boat was pulled forward only by inertia, until it stopped completely.
Ferus looked off into the distance, and Siri realized that he couldn't see anything in front of him right now. His impeccable posture remained unchanged, but a ripple of doubt ran across his face.
"I miss someone." Ferus' pleasant voice broke the silence, but it wasn't as restrained as usual. "I miss someone fiercely and bitterly. I do not know why this is so. I've never really fallen in love with anyone in my life. I didn't feel that way. No passion. Maybe I only felt some sympathy, a little more than the usual friendly disposition. That is all. But, sometimes, there are moments when I feel an urgent need for someone. I miss someone I've never met before. This is ridiculous and sounds like the ravings of a madman, right?
But I feel sadness, and the pain is not from loneliness, but from separation. And at the same time, I have a strange feeling of oneness with someone. With someone I've never known.
Tell me, Master, is it possible to feel the bitterness of separation from someone you've never been with before?"
Siri shrugged her shoulders.
She was taken aback by such frankness.
And at that moment, a wave of premonition of Force washed over her. Master Tachi wasn't one of those Jedi who had visions of a possible future, but now she felt as if the Force itself had allowed her to learn one important thing about her padawan's future. Siri realized that Ferus would meet someone. And this person will be the one he will love. Just as selflessly and without looking back, he will give this person his heart. Once and for all. The rules of the Jedi Code won't stop him. He will not lie, trying to maneuver between half-truths and duty to the Order. He'll just come and honestly say he's leaving.
And the Jedi clearly realized that on that day she would lose her padawan forever.
Near the shoreline, large leaves continued to swirl and slowly fall onto the perfectly level water.
Siri dived back into the days of her youth, when she loved wholeheartedly. Alas, their love story ended before it had even begun. Obi-Wan had made the decision for both of them that day.
Was he right?
She believed that he had probably done the right thing, although it still hurt to admit it.
But now there was a abyss between her and Obi-Wan. This happens when you have to trample on your heart to crush your feelings. She believed that after that it was impossible to fall in love again.
It was a pity that Obi Wan had stopped being her friend. No matter how much they pretended to be friendly and welcoming to each other, they weren't friends.
There will always be mutual help and meaningful support between them, just like between any Jedi who have deep respect for each other. But at the same time, there was awkwardness between them, some kind of incomprehensible annoyance, and a strange desire to leave the common room as soon as possible if they happened to be there together. That was how she felt about him now, and she knew Obi-Wan felt the same way about her.
Could she explain this simple thing to her padawan? Or is it possible to understand this only if you go through this ordeal?
If it happens that someone breaks Ferus' heart…
Siri couldn't teach this cruel lesson to her apprentice. She just hoped that he would never have to experience this.
"Master, may I ask you something?" Ferus pulled her out of her thoughts.
She nodded calmly.
"Do you regret about it? About what didn't happen?"
Siri had been expecting this question, but it still confused her. It was unbearably difficult for her to give a direct and frank answer. She just wanted to laugh it off so I wouldn't have to think anymore, not answer.
She looked at Ferus darkly and absently. Well, if the question is written correctly, it already has a part of the answer.
"I'm not sure." She said, "but maybe you're right, Padawan. I regret what didn't happen then and now will never happen again."
She was really sure that her feelings were over long ago. This is irreversible. And it's bitter.
But Siri filled herself with determination.
If Ferus ever had a choice like that, she wouldn't talk him out of it. She simply couldn't deprive him of what she had been deprived of all her life.
It was wrong, because her goal was to make him a great Jedi, not a happy man. But if she really has to witness such events. Then…
Let the apprentice decide for himself.
Night was slowly creeping up on the capital of Alderaan as the two Jedi walked down the street towards the landing platform, where a Republic transport was already waiting for them.
No wonder they say that the lakes on the outskirts of Aldera are a work of art. Siri took one last look at the wonderful urban landscape of a peaceful planet. She turned around to look at the lake, but it was already too dark to see anything behind the dense foliage.
I would prefer something like this little Anakin in "The Phantom Menace"
If you think about it, it's obvious that Anakin's age won't affect the storyline in The Phantom Menace (9 years old or 12-13 years old doesn't matter, he would have become a padawan anyway)
But for the viewer's perception, it would be a huge difference.
These are good references for young Ferus, don't you think? They even have similar hairstyles
My fic for @reconstructwriter who inspired me to continue this long story, and for everyone who likes "Vader/Ferus" (later Anakin/Ferus)
There was a boundless starry space around him, and the stars were reflected in an endless, glass-like path.
He didn't remember anything. He didn't know where he was.
"Who am I?"
This entity slowly moved along the glass path. It was hard for him to walk, as if he was controlling the body of a dead man.
"Who am I?" he asked himself again.
One name came back to his mind.
"I am Anakin Skywalker."
He was wearing his old, dark Jedi robe.
"Am I a Jedi?"
His memory gave him hints, but he couldn't put them together.
There were also feelings.
More precisely, fragments of emotions and feelings.
Fear. Pain. Rage.
Are these someone else's emotions?
No, it was his own emotions. Bright and violent.
He was once the greatest warrior. He knew that for sure.
But what happened to him later? Did he die tragically?
Someone had betrayed him very cruelly. He felt it, but he couldn't remember who.
Streams of Darkness suddenly appeared ahead. At first, they seemed shapeless and transparent, like a thin cloth floating in the air, but after a moment, they condensed and formed a impenetrable Shadow. And this shadow entity was alive and intelligent.
The shadow seemed vaguely familiar to him. Once upon a time, he undoubtedly knew this person. But right now, the Shadow was very hostile towards him.
"Get out of the way," said the entity with the face of Anakin Skywalker, hoping that the Shadow would retreat and not try to harm him. Instead, the Shadow moved towards him.
"We don't need to fight. I am not your enemy!" Anakin shouted.
"However, I'm your enemy." the Shadow replied in Count Dooku's voice. The shadow approached and took on the shape of the old man with ghostly, wavering outlines. He looked like he was alive, and the weapon in his hands was real. Anakin was unarmed and the Shadow acted quickly and cruelly. That's what Anakin did before. Without hesitation, Dooku cut off his arms and legs with a lightsaber. With a kick to the chest, Dooku pushed the murderer down.
The Sith fell for a long time, and then he was thrown onto the scorching hot ground of Mustafar. The river of lava flowed behind him, and he lay very close to the coastline.
The Force eluded the Chosen One. He floundered and tried to crawl, but was unable to move forward. Volcanic fumes were destroying his lungs from the inside out. It seemed to him that he had drunk a cup of liquid fire, and this fire was now burning his esophagus.
And then Anakin remembered that terrible moment in his life, which he would not want to remember, much less relive.
But Obi-Wan was to be here! He couldn't leave!
The hope fluttered in him. The heat of the volcanic ground made his eyes water.
"Obi-Wan... " he called hoarsely.
No one answered.
Anakin's Jedi robe caught fire, flames licking his body. Then his hair caught fire, and his skin melted and bubbled, mixing with the burning fabric.
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin screamed in a broken voice, unable to contain his despair.
And suddenly the fallen Jedi saw someone's blurred figure on a rise near the shore. He swung his stumps more intensely, but this only made him slide closer to the lava. The figure approached and bent over him, silently watching his torment. The Sith's face was almost inhuman and merciless.
"You!" Anakin hissed in rage when he recognized Palpatine.
"He's not coming." Darth Sidious said. It sounded very sympathetic. Watching Palpatine's friendly, mockingly affectionate intonation, Anakin was struck by how he could have previously failed to notice his filthy manipulations and his deceitful empathy. It was obvious that Sidious had been flattering and deceiving him all along. "He disowned you forever. You slaughtered the entire generation of his precious Jedi Order. With your own hands, you exterminated those whom he considered his family. You even tried to kill him."
"No!"
The realization was killing him now. The fallen Jedi protested furiously, trying to cut off the terrible mistakes of the past from his mind. He desperately wanted to rewind time and not do what he had already done, but it was impossible.
"No! I... I didn't want this!…"
"How disgusting it must be to be you. To be the person who raised the weapon against the one who nurtured you and did everything to make you fulfill your dreams. And in gratitude, you betrayed his friendship. My simple plan worked just amazing!
And after your defeat on Mustafar, he couldn't even finish you off, or he just didn't have time… However, it doesn't matter anymore. I can do it." The shadow with Palpatine's face promised gently.
"No! You... you can't hurt me anymore. I overthrew and killed you! You're already dead!"
"Just like you're already dead, Anakin Skywalker. Only I killed you much earlier. I've been killing you since your feet touched Coruscant, but neither you nor any of your precious Jedi friends have noticed."
Palpatine leaned closer to the smoldering piece of the body and spoke insinuatingly.
"I created Darth Vader. I've been nurturing it in you since the beginning. I used your fears to bring you to the edge unnoticed. I ordered Count Dooku to hire the Tusken Raiders to torture your mother to death. But all the other people you loved were your victims. You remember that, don't you, how you killed them?"
"No!"
He pounded his stumps on the hot ground, protesting against the terrible reality in which he had done so much Evil. The guilt was destroying him like an ongoing agony. He couldn't change anything anymore, and that was the most merciless thing.
"Please! Please don't!."
"I have something else for you." Sidious continued with a smile.
He lifted Anakin’s chin with his bony, but surprisingly tenacious hand. When eye contact was established between them, Palpatine uttered terrible words. The meaning of those words was so ridiculous and terrible at the same time that Anakin couldn't even imagine it.
"Your mother did not become pregnant with you under the influence of the Force itself, but only because you were artificially created in her womb."
Palpatine's other hand clutched at his hair, which was burning on top of his head.
"You're not human." Sidious hissed in his face, "you are the fetus of an experiment by my Master, who adored ancient Sith’s sorcery. And if it weren't for this experiment, you would never have been born."
Anakin's agony wouldn't let go, but the words were etched into his mind like a burnt brand.
"What do you say to that, you pathetic nonentity? Do you understand now why you're destined to always be someone's slave? "
Tears streamed down Anakin's burned face.
"That's funny. You believed so strongly not only that you were Chosen One, but also that you were conceived by the Force itself, right?"
"Lies... " he protested desperately, through his sobs, "Lies! This... can't be true! I am the Chosen One! I've never stopped being one. "
"No," Palpatine explained clearly, "You are not the Chosen One, and you never were. You're just a toy of Darkness. Just like before, you were a toy in the hands of the Light Side. You've always been just a thing in someone else's hands."
The fire burned out for a few more agonizing moments.
"No..." the fallen man could no longer object. He was crying and howling in pain, convulsing.
"Miserable fool." Darth Sidious whispered softly, almost compassionately, and that made his words seem even more mocking, "you still don't understand anything."
There was only a wild, painful howl in response.
"So stay in the Darkness forever!" With these words, Palpatine threw him back to the lava river. The lava slowly wrapped around the burning stump of the body. It began to slowly absorb him, and what was Anakin Skywalker dissolved into nothing.
The Darkness was defeating him again.
**
Fate is a terrible thing.
Unpredictable, inescapable.
"At least, mine fate" Kenobi thought, looking out at the dense jungle through the pouring rain.
No one predicted to him that he would become the Jedi Master of the Chosen One. No one predicted to him that the Order would sink into oblivion.
Evening covered the rainy planet early, but even during the day it was not as dazzlingly bright as on the desolate expanses of Tatooine.
Obi-Wan stood at the entrance to a wide, high-tech tent. The design perfectly protected from rain, moisture and coolness. Lamps and heating devices provided pleasant light and warmth.
Ahsoka had provided him with this wonderful tent, which was quite a substitute for a temporary home, before she left him. She was very laconic, discussing only the details of her assignment and not saying a word about the Sith.
The Jedi Master saw that she was uncomfortable and she was eager to get on the road as soon as possible.
Obi-Wan understood her pain. He accepted her decision not to share this burden with him. He assumed she couldn't stand Vader's presence any more than Ferus could. And could Obi-Wan endure the presence of this damned murderer? No one asked him about it. He had no choice. He had only the duty to the destroyed Order and to his dead Master.
So now he had to do it alone – sit next to Vader all day and try to break through to Anakin in deep meditation.
The Order had taught Obi-Wan patience. And he was very patient and consistent while trying to reach out to a former apprentice.
But it turned out to be useless.
It's hard to admit, but all the new ways of deep immersion in the Force that Qui-Gon taught him on Tatooine were not able to help in one particular case. He couldn't get Anakin out of the clutches of Darkness. He couldn't even touch his consciousness. Anakin was hidden and buried so deep that Obi-Wan couldn't even find his spirit. Now he wasn't sure if Anakin was even there. Maybe there's only Vader left?
And what should he do if nothing succeeds? To do what he hadn't completed on Mustafar's heat-scarred ground?
Obi-Wan didn't know.
He was afraid to ask himself frankly what he really wanted, and not what he should do. After all, in the most difficult moments, when sadness seized him, he wanted only one thing – to end the life of the damned traitor and murderer. Not out of anger, but calmly, with full awareness of what he was doing. Because this man didn't deserve to live.
Obi-Wan had been crying for everyone for a long time. But today, his tears suddenly burst out again.
"It hurts so much! It pains me to realize how many deaths have occurred because of his betrayal."
"Enough," the Jedi told himself. "It's not worth increasing the moisture on a super-humid planet."
And he wiped his face.
From his research, he realized that Palpatine had inflicted too severe damage on the Chosen One. But Anakin Skywalker inflicted the worst damage on himself. His mind was wrapped in a shroud of Darkness. These impenetrable streams of Darkness greedily embraced every phenomenon they touched. Thus, any thought, any sensation was greatly distorted for perception.
But it happened by Anakin's will.
"It was probably easier for him that way."
And this is Obi-Wan’s personal mistake. He shouldn't have let his padawan take the easy way out, either in thought or deed.
Vader was unconscious, and Obi-Wan was carefully monitoring him. Well, seeing the consequences with his own eyes is… is payback for his mistakes of the past. Obi-Wan believed he was paying the price for being blind and biased. He himself was constantly finding excuses for all of Anakin's wrongdoings. This was unacceptable for a Jedi Master, so he overlooked the moment when the apprentice began to sink into Darkness. But even after rethinking all their joint missions, starting with the very first one, Obi-Wan could not find the exact moment where something went wrong. It bothered him.
Even during his exile on Tatooine, the Jedi had been thinking about this for a long time. He admitted his mistakes, there really were a lot of them. There were times when he should have supported Anakin and sided with him rather than the Council. There were times when he shouldn't have ignored his padawan's problems, much less betrayed his trust. He confessed with remorse that he had repeatedly done wrong.
But did Anakin ever really trust his Master?
Obi-Wan kicked a small, wet pebble that rolled onto the tent's threshold.
He wondered what would have happened if he had really done everything right. If he could build a truly trusting relationship with Anakin, what kind of relationship would he and Qui-Gon have?
But this difficult question no longer needed an answer. Qui-Gon had long ago given him the hopeless, cruel answer.
"With that kind of reasoning, you're excluding the main figure who turned our lives into a spectacle in a deadly arena," Qui-Gon remarked with a slight admonition. "Palpatine planned everything in advance. If you were as dear to Anakin as I am to you, Darth Sidious would certainly figure out how to eliminate you."
And Kenobi found nothing to object to.
Moreover, he understood that Darth Sidious would not only plan his death, but would also profitably play his death as his trump card, only to manipulate Anakin and discredit the Order in his eyes.
Thoughts of the past sometimes brought him back to a time where people dear to him were alive. At such moments, Obi-Wan felt as if time had frozen. He froze himself, he hadn't lived for the last couple of months, he just existed. However, just like the last 10 years.
Being alone was too much for Obi-Wan, and he decided to take the opportunity to call Ferus to talk to him. He needed simple conversations, about something unimportant.
It was not by chance that Kenobi chose Ferus as his interlocutor. In fact, he was the only one suitable for this. Talking to him wasn't dangerous. They had no common past, no friendship, and no shared memories that would make them both feel awkward, but at the same time they had a common grief and understanding of the scale of the tragedy that had happened. The little clever Ferus avoided any mention of Anakin, probably so as not to remind the Master of the death of his only beloved padawan.
The holographic figure of the adult padawan of Siri, made Obi-Wan return from the past to the present.
"I once had an incorrigible habit of comparing every friend to Anakin. I've so often compared his strengths and weaknesses," Obi-Wan thought.
The habit disappeared by itself many years ago.
He hadn't missed Anakin in a long time. He was just hurt and lonely.
And Kenobi planned to keep in touch with Ferus. Somehow, he sensed that Siri's former padawan would be connected to his own destiny, even though he didn't understand how.
And if it hadn't been for these friendly conversations, he probably would have started to go crazy.
Kenobi lightly kicked another pebble that was lying next to the threshold.
Qui-Gon had not appeared in front of him once since their conversation in the cabin on Fulcrum's ship. And if it weren't for Olin, Obi-Wan would have suffered from loneliness, just as he did during the early years of his exile on Tatooine. But Ahsoka and Yoda's mission was necessary, and their cause took precedence.
"Who among the Jedi will this really help?" the sad thought nagged at him. "There's almost no one left."
"But isn't it important to clear the good name of all the Jedi as soon as possible? Isn't it important to make sure that the persecution of those who were born with the gift of Force stops?"
Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon would have answered him something like that now if he had been there. And he prepared to wait patiently and endure all the hardships.
It was as if the Great Force had heard the Jedi's disturbing thoughts. And as a reward, a white dot flashed in the sky and rapidly approached the surface of the planet. And only this point, which took the shape of a small ship, made him breathe a little more freely.
"I'm ready, Master Yoda," the tired Jedi muttered.
We know from the first book "TLoTJ" that Ferus Olin was involved in business after leaving the Jedi Order. The essence of his business was that he created new ID documents for witnesses who spoke out against corporations that violated laws and engaged in corruption. He helped these witnesses to disappear from persecution by very influential people. Ferus also had the skills of a cyberintruder, which was shown in the TLoTJ books.
I wonder what if Ferus had chosen a slightly different field of activity?
His rationality, coupled with his excellent patience and meticulousness, could turn him into an excellent cybersecurity specialist. During the Clone Wars, he could have become a shadowy figure who hacked databases and stole protected information from influential Separatists.
It can be assumed that one day he got to extremely important information, because of which the Separatist Alliance condemns him to death. After the announced hunt for him, Ferus gets stuck on a separatist-occupied planet. Like all cyberintruders, he works under an assumed name and hides his face from both the Republic and the Separatists.
The Jedi Order sends two Jedi (Obi-Wan and Anakin) on the covert mission to find, protect, and smuggle the cyberintruder to a Republic-protected planet.
**
Are you interested in this idea? What kind of pair would you prefer for this story?
Anakin/Ferus, Obi-Wan/Ferus, Roan/Ferus or maybe another one?
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