I pulled a weed from the soft earth and tossed it aside. I wiped the sweat from my brow. Standing up, I stared out at the golden grasslands of Lothal. Cone-shaped boulders interrupted the endless grass. A cool breeze tousled my hair. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.
My thoughts turned to Kaller. It had been a year, but it felt like a lifetime. My dreams were as vivid as the day it had happened. A tear rolled down my cheek.
"Are you alright?" Caleb's voice interrupted my thoughts.
I flinched out of my trance and faced him. "I'm fine." I assured him with a small smile. "Just... thinking."
He sighed. "Still hurts, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
We stood in silence, remembering all we had lost. The sun began to set, tinging the world golden orange. The grass undulated like waves in the breeze. The smell of the prairie grass filled my nose, drawing my mind back to thoughts of home.
A cold rush spread through my body and a darkness clouded my mind. I gasped.
"What's wrong?" Caleb grabbed my arm.
I met his gaze. "Can't you feel that?"
He shook his head hesitantly. "I don't feel... anything." Somehow I knew he was talking about more than the cold.
Another wave of cold washed over me. The hate and the fear stole my breath. I froze, unable to move; unable to breathe. My heart stopped.
The whirring sound of engines sounded behind us.
I spun to see a black fighter with a round windshield and curved wings on each side.
The ship landed near our little hut in the middle of nowhere. The door opened and a dark figure walked out. He felt familiar.
"No." I breathed. "He found us."
Caleb stared at the Sith Lord, terrified. "Who is that?"
My eyes were locked on the half-robotic man in full armor. He wore a black cape. "Caleb, run."
He looked at me as if the word hurt more than any physical wound could.
"Run." I said again. "Now."
"But..." he tried.
I knelt and grabbed his shoulders. "Caleb, listen to me. Get to Capital City. I'll find you. I promise."
He glanced at the Sith over my shoulder, then, fighting his instincts, he bolted across the plains.
I turned to face my opponent. He walked silently forward.
I took a deep breath and marched to meet him. We stopped several feet apart. I could hear him breathing through a respirator in his suit.
"What happened to you?" I asked, trying to add a twinge of sass to my voice to mask my fear.
His only response was rhythmic, mechanical breathing.
I sighed. "I'm sorry." I stared into his emotionless visor. "Whatever I did to cause this, to make you hunt me done, to make you feel the need to kill me. I'm sorry, Anakin."
He ignited his lightsaber. "Anakin Skywalker is gone."
I focused and looked through his armor, into his dark mind. "I don't believe that."
He swung his blade at me. I pulled my lightsaber from my belt with the Force and blocked the attack. We spun and leapt across the grassy lawn. Sparks flew. We slashed through the long grass, the severed blades drifted away on the breeze. Our weapons collided harshly.
The Sith pressed against me, pushing my sabers closer to my throat. I leaned back, my strength failing. Desperate, I kicked him in the stomach. He stepped back, but didn't fall. Without missing a beat, he threw me backwards with the Force. My lightsabers flew from my hands.
The Sith approached me. "You've lost your touch."
I rose to my knees. "No," I stared up at him. "You're the one who lost... when you gave into your anger, when you lost yourself to the Dark Side."
"The Dark Side is more powerful than you can imagine." He glared down at me.
"That's what they all say." I replied. "And there are only two of you left."
The Sith breathed evenly. "But we were not slaughtered by mere clones."
Tears sprang involuntarily to my eyes.
He raised his blade. "Die in the knowledge that your fate was braver than your kin."
I let the tears roll down my face. "Death is a far better fate than what you have chosen." I squeezed my eyes shut and more tears streamed down my cheeks. I heard the buzz of his lightsaber moving through the air.
A sharp pain blossomed in my abdomen, spreading quickly through the rest of my body.
I opened my eyes, my vision blurred by tears. I could just see the Sith's eyes through the dark visor. They held my gaze, a deep sadness in them. It looked like... pity.
A spark of hope ignited among the pain. He felt sorry. He hadn't wanted to do it. There was hope. Anakin Skywalker was not gone. He was simply trapped inside the Sith that stood before me.
As black rimmed my vision, my mind drifted to Caleb. He would have to learn to survive on his own.
"I'm sorry." I muttered. Somehow I knew that he had heard me, that he knew. I felt my back hit the ground and I was staring at the darkening sky.
A rush of energy swirled through and around my body, caressing my skin and lessening the pain. It was the Force. I was becoming one with it, a part of it. That would be my fate, to exist as the Force forever.
The darkness closed in, but I did not fear it. It couldn't hurt me. I was one with the light.