Star Wars: The Chosen One || An Anakin Skywalker Story [COMPLETED]

Twenty-Six || A Brother's Compassion

"So I, I bet my life, I bet my life, I bet my life on you."

- Imagine Dragons I Bet My Life

Narrator's POV

Too stunned by his sister's cunning, wretched voice to speak, Desmond instead lets Obi-Wan step forward, his boots clicking on the tile, echoing in the control room. "What a pleasure to see you again, Kyla," he remarks sarcastically.

Slowly, she turns around, at last facing the four men. She exhales as her eyes settle on her brother, and a creepy grin spreads across her face maliciously. "Wow, Desmond, you're a Jedi now?"

He shakes his head quickly and glances at his feet, as though he were speaking to royalty. In a way, he was. "Uh, no, I'm not," he stutters.

She chuckles lowly, evilly. "I didn't think so."

"We brought him here to speak to you," Anakin steps forward, standing beside Obi-Wan. "He is your brother, after all, Kyla."

Her yellow eyes turn to stare Anakin down, scanning him from his feet to the top of his wavy hair, her eyes narrowed and wicked. "You think you can call me that as you please," she barks, "when I highly suggest... you don't."

Anakin shuffles his feet and stands up straight, afraid of appearing weak to anyone in the room.

"So what do you want? To speak to me?" She snarls, her gaze focusing on her trembling brother.

"Yeah, Ky, I mean - just look at this place," Desmond sighs calmly, his eyes searching the large control room wondrously. Kyla retreats a bit, and Anakin assumes it was at the sound of her old nickname. Surprisingly, she doesn't snap at Desmond not to call her that. She seems... okay with it. "How'd you get this cruiser so fast? It's so nice." The three Jedi could tell Desmond wasn't being sarcastic nor was he trying to sway her over using dry humor. He was being upmost genuine to her.

She doesn't reply to his foolish comments and instead turns to Anakin. "Why would you bring him here? Your own attempt to speak to me failed horribly."

Anakin swallows, preventing himself from going off on her. "I... I know. The Council thought it would be smart to bring your brother instead," he says boldly, throwing a disappointing look to Obi-Wan and Mace.

She cocks her head. "If you say so."

The three Jedi exchange odd looks until she turns her back to them again and lets out an exhale. "Don't make me get Clones in here to escort you three out," she says, implying the three Jedi. "I assume you can all leave yourselves. Desmond," she barks, the sound making him jump, "you stay."

The three Jedi slowly back out of the room at their own risk, shutting the sliding door to the control room behind them. The door, to their dismay, is soundproof - and they cannot hear a word of what goes on.

Desmond clears his throat and uses the back of his sleeve to attempt wiping beaded sweat on his forehead away. He takes a breath as she turns around, and for a split second, he sees Kyla in Darth Demetrious.

"So, Desmond, I bet you thought you'd never see the day Jedi come and take you away."

His older-brother sarcasm kicked in. "Yeah, I thought the same for you, and look where you ended up."

She sighed and looked sad for a moment. "I... I know..."

"Aren't you proud of this? Everything you've accomplished?"

She tucks her hands into her cloak and lets out another exhale. "No... I mean - I am, of course I am, but it just... isn't enough."

It's silent for a moment while Desmond ponders what to say. He at last goes out on a whim and takes a risk to say something he never thought he would've blurted to Darth Demetrious.