morally_cryptic | Chasing Shadows

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Chasing Shadows

[after this]

Anakin spends most of the time on the trip between Coruscant and Korriban alternately fuming about the situation and meditating, trying to reach out through the space between apprentice and Master for just a touch of Obi-Wan, to know he was alright. Or at least, mostly alright.

The fact that he can only seem to sense the barest hint of his Master only gets him more worked up. He remembers not being able to sense his Master at all once before and the reasons for it. Remembers how badly hurt Obi-Wan was by it.

Swears Revan won't be getting away this time, that she'll pay for what she's done.

Urges the ship to move even faster.

And somewhere in there, there is that touch he's searching for from Obi-Wan as he closes in on his destination. A brief sensation of his mentor, of his voice as clear as if his Master were standing over his shoulder. Remember the Tuskens. And a memory of a conversation he'd had with Obi-Wan after telling him about the Tuskens. It's as if he can hear Obi-Wan's voice from that day just as if they were back there, then. was stepping into the Dark Side worth it? ... It would have been a far greater blow to the Tuskens had you not revealed your presence and merely taken your mother away from them.

Anakin's nearly jolted out of his seat. Or would be, if he weren't strapped into it. He reaches for the connection, trying to hold it, but it dissipates, settling back down into the barest thread holding the bond between him and his Master. He growls in frustration, and then the meaning of the message sinks in. Anakin stares out at lightshow of hyperspace beyond his cockpit and mulls over the words. He's warning me. And helping me. The young Jedi exhales a long slow breath and closes his eyes.

He spends the rest of the trip in deep meditation, centering and grounding himself until finally, the ship drops out of hyperspace and comes into orbit around Korriban and Anakin sets the ship's sensors to work, to find any traces of a ship that would have just come through in the past few days, and where it went.

[Just typing this up for use when Revan and Obi are ready. :)]

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Revan spots his movement at once, and spins quickly, holding up her own hand to knock Anakin's attack out of the way. As the stones shower to the floor, she spins, leaping at him with her saber.

She looks calm. In truth, she's not calm at all. She's not calm, she's not happy, and she really, really needs to kill someone. When this is over, she's going home to annex something.

Like an entire solar system.

When she leaps, he's ready, blocking her attack and parrying with one of his own. He's ready to use every trick he's ever learned from anyone, including her, to win this.

He doesn't really care if she's calm or not.

Sensing the beginning of the battle, Obi-Wan poises himself.

He's still waiting for the moment to strike; that precarious second in which success and failure balance perfectly, awaiting for something to tip the scales.

He knows that it has not come yet, but it will soon. And when it does, he will be ready; ready not only to break the bond between him and Revan, but ready to break Revan just enough so he and Anakin can get the hell out of here...

Right now, Revan is fairly sure that what she wants is to hurt Anakin a lot, until she can make him kill Obi-Wan. Either that, or just kill everyone, then go somewhere and kill more people.

Her attacks are nigh-on ferocious, but used in such a way that she can avoid killing him. Because she does want him alive.

She does.

Honest.

He's fighting all out, not holding back an ounce. She will not have Obi-Wan. Or him. He'll kill her first.

Of course, it means that the line between whether he's in this for a selfless or selfish reason is rather blurry indeed.

But still, he fights, and at least she can say his skill has grown since they last met. Not that that exactly helps her any.

"You *are* getting better at this, I see," Revan remarks, blocking an attack and circling for another. "And that is not the only change. Tell me, Anakin, what exactly happened to your arm?"

She's intrigued, yes. But she also deliberately left that question until they started fighting.

And, right on cue, anger flares. Dooku is a...sore subject. Almost as sore as Revan herself.

So his reply is laced with sarcasm, even as he's circling with her, watching for her next attack, "We fight with lightsabers, things happen."

Perfect.

"So I see. Please tell me your opponent lost more than an arm. I would hate to think of you letting them get away..."

She doesn't attack again - yet - but continues to circle, waiting to see if Anakin's anger will push him into another exchange.

His eyes flash, "His reprieve is temporary."

Damn Sith Lord saying things deliberately to anger him, making him think of another Sith Lord who really has it coming and this place really makes it hard to think clearly what to do and he really needs to get to Obi-Wan so maybe it would be okay to attack her now....

He really shouldn't be rising to the bait.

But he was never very good at not doing things he shouldn't.

"Temporary," Revan repeats. "So you *did* let the person responsible get away..? Just think, Anakin... if you join me again, we can find them and make sure that they pay for their actions. Unless, of course, it was *you* who ran from the battle..?"

She just keeps pushing, knowing that any second now, he's likely to lose it.

Through gritted teeth, "I didn't run." As he raises his lightsaber and moves to strike.

Yeah. Attacking. Yeah. Angry.

Stupid Jedi.

[ooc- *hugs* No worries lovey, we understand. :) I have company coming this weekend so wouldn't be on much anyway, for it is the Holiday of Hot Dogs and Barbecues and Firecrackers and Flags in the US this weekend. :)]

Idly thinking how well Anakin fights when he's angry - albeit lacking in some of the precision one needs to keep such an attack from being as hampered by emotion as it is fuelled - Revan blocks and parries, moving her feet to keep her position firm.

"Yes," she says, "that is it - *use* your anger!"

That really ought to be the warning sign, when the Sith Lord starts encouraging you to do what you're doing. Well, more like the "you're about to drive over the cliff in 2.5 seconds if you don't STOP NOW" sign.

He doesn't stop. He allows his emotions to fuel his attacks, to let the power course through him.

It feels good. Well, relatively speaking.

Revan just grins, more and more, as she feels him giving in, as she senses real force, pun intended, behind his attacks.

She returns them, of course, upping the pace, increasing the challenge, loving every second.

So close now...

He's really enjoying this far too much, a feral gleam in his eyes. This is what he's been waiting months for.

It's a small voice, in the back of his mind, that reminds him he's doing this for Obi-Wan, not his own gratification.

"I knew you had it in you," Revan says to him, in between attacks. "I knew you were ready to find the fire within your anger."

"You are almost there. Just a few more steps, and you will find the power I have so longed to show you."

Now!

The shield of darkness shatters. A bright beacon, probably the brightest that Korriban has ever seen in ages past, is revealed, with Obi-Wan at the centre.

Obi-Wan's bond with Anakin flares open and a large portion of the Light that Obi-Wan had fashioned burns down it and into Anakin. Yes, Anakin now sees the potential power of the Dark Side, but let him see the power of the Light, as well.

Let Anakin see how it can banish the Darkness, if he would but learn how to wield it.

At the same time, he reaches out with a slightly greater portion of Light through the bond he shares with Revan. He now knows where Amber is hidden and he need not waste any precious time searching for her. He practically yanks her out of her hiding spot and hands her this Light energy, trusting her to do what she can with it.

As a final act, to protect him from any backlash and further complications, he shatters that bond he had made out of desperation so many days ago, banishing the Sith from his mind, even though it means abandoning Amber to that fury.

The last and smallest portion he uses himself, allowing the Force to give him strength enough to stand and make his weary way out the door, down the hall, through the garage, around the corner and to the top of the ramp.

Physical strength gives way for a moment and he falls to one knee, his confinement and its consequences starting to catch up with him. But he knows he can't stop here, he has to get to Anakin...

It is the beacon that brings Anakin up short, eyes widening in shock. It is the sheer power of Light funneled down into him that burns away the Darkness ~~for now~~, centering him and bringing him back to himself. And it is that bond with his Master (mentor, friend, brother) opening and the sensation of Obi-Wan filling up a part of him that had been left empty by his teacher's disappearance that causes Anakin to completely forget Revan's lures.

He remembers why he's here.

He knows what he has to do.

And it's about the time of that realization that he senses Obi-Wan at the top of the ramp whereupon he runs to his mentor -- though keeping half his attention on Revan in case she tries anything.

"Obi-Wan...." he breathes, relieved to his Master alive. But apparently not so in serious-Jedi mode that he doesn't add, "You look like hell."

"Anakin..." Obi-Wan's voice is still a tad hoarse. His healing trance was not aimed at that sort of thing, after all.

And his Padawan's name is the only word he speaks, as he turns haunted eyes up at the youth, though he manages a ghost of a smile for him.

The look says it all: Can we go home, now? ...Please?

Revan, seconds away from what would have been a very, very serious attack, feels a sudden flash of energy, followed by an intense, shocking burst of Light.

Light, born of the power of Korriban's Dark. The amalgamation is practically nauseating, and had she time, Revan would no doubt have a lot to say about this. Unfortunately for her, other things occupy her mind. Quite literally, in this case. Deep inside, Light and Dark collide.

The red-clad figure's lightsaber deactivates, and she drops to her knees, letting out the most anguished scream possible, head back, eyes open to the blinding sky, incoherent words sounding behind the cry.

Then her head falls forward, and for a moment, all is suddenly, sickeningly silent. Finally, she looks up, blinking... but her eyes are not her own. Not anymore.

"...A-Anakin? Obi-Wan..? How did you..? Wait, I... oh, powers, no... not..."

From behind Revan's eyes, Amber can see the world once more, but it's blurry, only part-real. Half-shaking, half-crying, she tries once more to focus on the two Jedi. "Run," she gasps. "Now... please... go!"

Her words are desperate, full of haste... because she can already feel her grip on reality shifting - and Revan fighting back with the most intense hatred imaginable.

"I can hold her off... but... not for long... go!"

Anakin's already calling Artoo to bring the ship in closer right now and lifting Obi-Wan as carefully as he can manage while still hurrying about it, carrying his Master over his shoulders ~~(a la how he does in Episode III)~~.

He spares a moment to give ~~Crazy!Revan~~ Amber a sympathetic look. He may ~~hate~~ really really not like Revan but he feels badly for Amber. However, with a quick "thank you" and an "I'm sorry", he's off, moving as quickly as he can over the rough terrain carrying Obi-Wan toward their ship.

Before Anakin picks him up, he shoots Amber a sympathetic look that conveys his own apologies.

The next thing he knows, he's been hoisted over Anakin's shoulders and they are moving away from the Ebon Hawk.

He lets Anakin take care of him, knowing that he's pretty much useless right now.

Still on her knees, knuckles white against the hilt of her lightsaber, Amber cries out once more, full of desperation. The anguish in her eyes is nothing compared to the battle raging within - a battle born of dichotomy. Light versus Dark, Good versus Evil.

Amber versus Revan.

And it won't stay inside for long...

It doesn't take as long to reach his ship as it took him to get from his ship to Revan's. Of course, he's not exactly sneaking this time, and Artoo did bring it in closer.

So it's only a few more moments and he's climbing up carefully, and as gently as possible putting Obi-Wan into the co-pilot's seat.

Obi-Wan winces a little, as he's deposited into Anakin's ship.

He sinks into the seat gratefully and closes his eyes, trusting Anakin to get them the hell out and away.

Anakin slides into his own seat, and a moment later, they're off, zooming out of atmosphere as fast as the ship can take them.

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Chasing Shadows

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