hadriel | [Video]

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[He is like a caged beast, moving restlessly indoors while the wind howls at his doors and windows. Anakin has never done well alone, but he's afraid to live with anyone.]

How can anyone stand this planet? [Gripping his mechno-hand into a tight fist, he breathes deeply, trying to calm the anger he feels almost constantly.] What needs to be done? I'm strong; I'm powerful - I can help.

[Anything is better than being stuck with his memories.]

I'm Anakin Skywalker, by the way, and I think I've been here before.

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Nick Valentine. Got it. [He finds a piece of paper and writes down the name.]

I don't feel any interference, but who knows? [Anakin is almost certain he would sense someone messing with his emotions.]

It's nice to meet you too. So you can really fight?

Okay, good. [a pause] How old are you?

You can feel when the aliens are messing with your emotions? Wow. Does it help you resist what they try to do? [she looks genuinely impressed]

Yeah, I can really fight. I know Lerdit, a martial art from my homeworld, and I'm learning how to use a katana.

Twenty-four. Why? [He feels one hundred and twenty-four inside and that won't change after he loses his limbs and falls in the lava.]

I expect I will be able to sense it. I am a trained Jedi and - [The apprentice of a Sith Lord.] These gods are part of the Force too.

Impressive. I prefer to rely on my lightsaber, but I wouldn't mind wielding a blaster.

They'll probably have me patrol with you. I'm fifteen, that's a grown-up where I'm from, but still a kid here. [and someday, that fact won't chafe, but today is not that day]

Really? Um. Mind if I ask what a Jedi is?

Thank you. Blasters--that's a gun, right?--and other guns are hard to come by. Most people who have them, brought them from home.

We'll be fine together if that's the case. I can keep you in one piece. [But not completely out of danger.]

A Force-user. [He grins infuriatingly.] It's better if I show you. Jedi are supposed to be the peace keepers of the galaxy.

[But they failed greatly in his opinion.]

They're basically laser guns. [He sighs.] I'll have to make do with antiquated weapons.

[she grins at him] I can keep me in one piece. But thank you for the reassurance. [she likes danger]

And what's the Force? [she doesn't find it infuriating in the least, she's just curious] All right, where are you? I'll come by and see. [and an eyebrow quirks slightly] "Supposed to be?" I take it things didn't exactly go according to plan.

We have those at home. [and she groans at the "antiquated weapons" part] Oh, I know! These phones are antiques where I'm from. And we're confined to only one planet! It's ridiculous.

I believe you! Age doesn't really tell me anything. It's not like you're a little kid. [Anakin, would you take a tiny child on guard duty? Sure why not!]

The power or energy that surrounds everything; that creates everything. Once we pass from this life, our spirits will enter the Force to complete the cycle.

[He loses all of his amusement.] They failed. Wretchedly. I couldn't let them continue.

[Anakin is quiet for a moment.]

We have communicators and holos, but nothing quite like these phones.

Thank you. I'm not a little kid and I have powers of my own, powers I was using back home for the past six months to help protect the United Planets.

Ohhh. I've never heard of that before.

[oooops?] ...that's too bad. I'm sorry it happened.

[and she doesn't break the silence]

Same here. The phones work well enough for what we have here, but I do miss 30th century technology.

We all have different experiences. I wasn't exactly a sheltered child either.

[Though poor Shmi tried.]

Me too. [His expression is tight and his lips are pale.] They could have done so much more, but they were controlled and blinded by their own biases.

Huh. Thirtieth century? What planet do you call home anyway?

[as did Winema Wazzo, but her idea of sheltering was more like smothering in practice.

and she grimaces] Sounds like the United Planets as a whole. They didn't take the White Triangle threat seriously until Earth was attacked directly. Not even the destruction of Trom--seven billion lives lost--was enough to get them to accept that there was a problem.

I'm originally from Bgztl, a planet in perfect orbital and rotational sync with Earth, but it's in another dimension. How about you?

[Shmi never smothered, bless her. She probably wanted to, but she refrained.

Anakin pales, angered that there are others like the Jedi out there.]

Seven billion? How can they live with themselves? They might as well have killed all of those people.

[He grits his teeth and forces himself to calm.]

Tatooine. It's a desert planet and I hated it. The best part of it was my mother.

[Winema Wazzo would have run every aspect of Tinya's life if she could. trying to get her royal-blooded daughter out of the stigma of having a Terran father.

she sighs] They kept telling themselves that there was inconclusive proof of who was involved, but there's only one race that's capable of frying a planet from space without using weapons and that's Daxamites.

[and she closes her eyes briefly to regain her composure]

I'm glad you at least had your mother.

Are you sure they don't have some...deal...with the Daxamites? [Anakin smells something fishy and underhanded. Why let so many die if it could be stopped?]

We were slaves, so it wasn't easy, but we had each other and a warm home. I built a droid and a podracer from parts I salvaged in my free time.

Daxam is a part of the United Planets. We were told that the Daxamite faction behind the attack, the White Triangle, was a fringe group, but I don't buy it. [and in all fairness, few people are willing to openly challenge a race that has super-strength, speed, flight, and heat vision while they're under a yellow sun.

she also delicately sidesteps the slavery thing] What's a droid? I can guess what a podracer does, but not a droid.

I don't either. If they're so powerful and important, they should know about what all of their people do. [But someone has to eventually. Anakin is crazy enough to set himself against them, too.]

A droid is like...a robot. But more intelligent. They can serve a wide variety of purposes and speak multiple languages.

They should at least know that some of their people are racist nassheads. You'd think that would stand out a little. [he could . . . try?]

Wow, really? We don't have anything like them back home. And you made it yourself?

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