24 The Skywalker Saga – Part 1

Obi-wan frowned to himself as he made his way down the corridor, he was worried about Anakin. Though they had been through a lot at the start of this war, this may have been one of their worst campaigns yet.

Ashoka was injured and it would take days for her to recover, even with the use of Bacta. That alone showed how grave her injuries were. Luckily, she hadn't lost a limb and the number of scars she would have would be low. 

Obi Wan was sure Ashoka would be able to bounce back from this, but Anakin was taking it hard. They may no longer be Master and Padawan, but they still had a connection through the Force. He could feel the dark, troubling emotions that consumed his mind. There was also something else, something that was making him nervous. The weird thing was that as time ticked down today, he could feel it getting worse. Anakin was getting more nervous. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it was his duty as his friend to see how he was coping.

It wasn't hard to find him. There was only one place he stayed at the moment. The med bay. As he was about to enter the room though the door opened, and a worried Anakin stepped out. 

"Obi Wan?"

The question left his lips quickly though anyone could tell he was distracted.

"Anakin, I was just coming by to see how Ashoka was holding up and..."

"She's doing as well as can be expected. The Med Droid says she'll be conscious today, but will have to spend another 3 here before she will be let out."

As everyone expected, he was agitated, not even letting him finish his sentence before answering a small habit he had. Obi Wan didn't let that bother him as he nodded, letting Anakin walk out of the room and falling in step with him.

"Good news... but Anakin, she'll need your support after this ordeal. This is the most hurt and vulnerable she has ever been. As her Master, you'll need to..." 

He stopped for a moment, rephrasing what he wanted to say in his head before continuing, looking to phrase it in a different direction. 

"How are you handling this, Anakin? You'll need to be at your best if you want to help Ashoka."

Anakin stopped for a moment, and anyone could see the pain in his expression for a moment before he controlled it again. Continuing his walk, a new determination entered his voice as he spoke.

"You don't have to worry master I am... I'm going to go and meditate on my feelings now... I feel that this session in particular will help balance me... The Force is giving me a strong feeling."

Obi Wan stopped in surprise for a second. If anyone was to say that Anakin would go and calmly meditate to deal with his emotions. He wouldn't believe it. Though he was surprised, a small smile came to his lips as he stopped following his padawan. In a small part of his mind, he thought to himself Maybe, just maybe, his padawan was growing up.

"OK, I'll leave you to it. Remember, I'm here if you need help with your meditation. I know how good you are at it."

Anakin shot him a quick look, rolling his eyes at his master sarcastic voice. He was deceptively good at giving backhanded remarks like that. 

"Ha, ha. Who knows, maybe after this one session I'll be much better than you ever were."

Obi-wan also rolled his eyes at Anakin's cocky tone of voice. The most ireful thing was how naturally gifted Anakin was. Obi-wan was sure that if he put his mind to it, Anakin would no doubt surpass him in terms of meditation and introspection with the force. 

With that parting banter, the two men separated, Anakin walking off to his room, Obi Wan going back to the bridge to play the next steps of their campaign.

**************

Anakin opened his eyes slowly. He wasn't sure what he thought would happen when he closed them, what would happen when the timer hit zero. He talked to 'Phoenix' about how their session went, but still, this.... this was different.

Anakin's hand habitually wanted to gravitate towards his lightsaber at his hip, but he was quick to notice it was gone and as 'Pheonix' noted, there was no such thing as violence in the room, which obviously his lightsaber was counter towards. 

Though such power disturbed Anakin a little, he always was one that was quick to adapt and knew that he could fight even without his favored weapon. Looking around the room for a moment. He was shocked by how normal it was, as described by 'Phoenix', the default setting was a cabin, it's homely atmosphere drawing one in, calming one's mind as the sound of waves crashed in the background.

As a person that had grown up on a desert planet, the sound of waves was 'nice' if Anakin had to put it to a word.

Looking around Anakin was quick to notice the Chase Lounge in the center of the room, with a simple chair positioned next to it. Though he couldn't see anyone else in the room. Moving forward to have a look at the comfy lounge There was a small voice in the back of his head that wanted him to lay down and rest on it, as if all his problems could be solved if he just did that one thing. 

But he stopped...

It was at that moment that he realized there was something different about this room, about this whole place. 

He couldn't quite put his finger on it for a moment, and he hadn't noticed it till that exact second.

Then like a sudden blaster bolt to the head he knew what it was. 

The Force... it was.... gone. 

Not quiet. 

Not muffled.

Not covered, or anything of the sort. It was just gone. 

The feeling that had followed him through his whole life, one that he had tapped into many a time, was gone and it was something he had never experienced before. That cemented it for him, cemented that this place was different...something beyond the normal, and maybe that something could help him. 

Anakin was trapped in his own thoughts for a few seconds as he thought of this possibility. But he quickly snapped out of it as he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Quickly turning to the noise, his mind quickly began to work as he sized up the new entrant... The Counselor. 

He looked deceptively normal and around the same age as himself, something he wasn't expecting. He also looked completely human, also something that betrayed his expectations, especially after 'Pheonix' had talked him up so much. Anakin was quick to note that the man wasn't a combatant. He could tell by the way he stood and carried himself.

He seemed professional, but not dangerous. 

The man stood in a nice suit, his hair neatly cut, beard trimmed to perfection, a small twinkle in his eyes as he looked back. There was a clam smile on his face as he looked at Anakin, and piercing brown eyes that Anakin didn't exactly like. 

"General Skywalker."

The deep baritone of his voice was something he didn't expect from such a young man. But, it was soothing in its own way, while also demanding one listened to it. 

"Counselor."

Both men reached out for a firm handshake. You could tell a lot about a man through their handshake. Something both men knew. The hand shake was firm, neither vying for dominance, just a quick test of chracter. A little respect was born between the two as the professional handshake was made.

They each gave a small nod between each other of respect before letting go. It was time to get down to business.

Motioning to the side, the Counselor spoke.

"A pleasure. Would you like a seat."

Anakin looked at the man once again, an analytical look in his eyes as he sized up what he wanted to do. He knew why he had come. He knew how important it was. But there was a small voice in his head, scared of what he might find out. Especially what was going on with the Darth Vader business. 

In the end he shook his head. He was the hero with No Fear. Why would he fear this? He would take everything as it came, and he would make sure to deal with any problems that are exposed. 

Moving over to the Chase Lounge, he slowly laid down and got comfortable. The Counselor moved around him and took his seat. Slowly tapping the iPad as a virtual interface appeared before both. There was a small smile on his lips, almost a smirk in Anakin's opinion as he spoke playfully to him; pressing one last button before the room changed.

"Welcome to the therapy room."

Quick Notes:

Haven't been writing too much, every other novel I have is on hiatus and my Patreon is now gone. 

Don't know when the next chapter will be out.

Happy New Year!