Memories of the Past

Chapter 25

The trip was relatively short. I was in the medical ward trying to hook Sabine up to the analysis machienery. There was just a slight problem: I have never used it before, and the last time I read stuff about the medical equipment was during my time as a padawan. I couldn't figure out how to work the machine. After much frustration and experimentation, I got it to work and give me a full-scale analysis of Sabine's health.

I read the print out of the results. Everything seemed normal, except for thr fact that she had also sprained her right ankle. There was just one thing really off: the records. They said that she had died from the wound, but she didn't, unless my power has a deeper effect than I thought, which gave me a couple of ideas.

The only treatment the computer recommended was rest and a special pankiller if her ankle started to hurt. Sabine started to wake up. Groaning, she opened her eyes and tried to sit up.

"No, lay down," I said, putting a firm hand on her shoulder.

"What....What happened?" she asked.

"We were in the apartment complex, and a bounty hunter called Boba Fett blew up the entrance. We all passed out, and you might have. When I woke up, you were taking Boba on while the rest of us escaped on to Chopper's ship. After everyone else was on board, you were shot in the stomach and apparently died. Kanan held off Boba while I healed the wound using a special technique, and we left."

"I was dead? How is that-"

"Possible? I don't know. Strange things can sometimes happen when the force tampers with people."

"Well where are we now? Where are the others?"

"The Ghost was being tracked, so I flew the Phantom here. I had to make sure your injury was healing properly."

"So is it?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go! We have to get those plans to Senator Organa!"

She was successful in sitting up this time, but fell back on the bed trying to stand up. "No, Sabine, you have to rest. It's the only way for you to heal. Plus, you sprained your ankle."

"Wonderful," she replied sarcastically.

I opened the closet and grabbed some of the hospital robes. Placing them on Sabine's bed, I said, "Put these on. You'll be much more comfortable, and it'll be easier to wrap up your ankle, too."

"Alright."

I stepped outside while she changed. The interior was exactly the way I remembered it. The open halls, the large windows, the blast marks on the pillars...

When I first arrived many years ago, the Jedi Temple was everything I dreamed it would be. It was the home I never really had. Now, that was gone. Everything has changed.

I heard the door open behind me. I continued to reflect as Sabine began to speak. "So this where you and Kanan grew up."

"Yes," I replied, still not turning to face her. "Long ago, there were thousands of Jedi Knights bustling about these halls. Then, the Clone War began. Jedi were drawn to the battlefield every day.

"It was never really the same after that. I still remember that fateful day when the war ended. We should've celebrated an end to the fighting. But at the end of every era, a new one comes in to take its place. The day the war ended was the day the Jedi were massacred and the Empire began."

Sabine paused before answering. "That must have been hard. If you don't mind my asking, why were the Jedi destroyed? They were fighting for peace, a noble cause."

"It appears that way, yes. The Jedi were the peacekeepers of the Republic sent to restore democracy to the galaxy in order to keep the peace, or so we thought. The whole war was a setup. We were all pawns in the game of the most powerful Sith Lord in existence. He wanted to create a Sith Empire, rid of any Jedi.

"The war gave him power. He became the Chancellor of the Republic and the leader of the Separatists. The time eventually came for him to use that power. After his Sith apprentice and Droid General were both killed, the Republic was vulnerable. He seized the oppurtunity and took on a new apprentice called Darth Vader.

"Vader hunted down and destroyed the Jedi Knights. With the Republic's Clone Army at Vader's command, he marched on the temple and slaughtered anyone that stood in his way.

"The Jedi had fought beside the clones for years. We trusted them with our lives more times than I can remember. That's why Kanan doesn't get along with Rex. He fears Rex may turn on him like the rest of his legion, but Kanan's wrong. Every clone, except the earlier ones, has a chip inside their head that can control their actions. The Sith Lord controlled the entire army by activating these chips. Rex and the others got their chips removed. They are like any other person in the galaxy."

"Wow," Sabine responded. "I don't know what to say. I had no idea."

I turned around. Sabine was taking in the scene in front of her. Her eyes lingered on the blast marks scattered throughout.

Walking around, I paused on a particular spot. "I instructed a group of younglings when I was 17. It was quite the adventure. They built their lightsabers, and we were attacked by pirates on the return journey. Long story short, I was captured, they rescued me, we teamed up with the pirates to escape the Separatists, and we left." I sat down in a cross-legged prosition. "I was shot somewhere during the march on the temple, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was laying right here, surrounded by their dead and dying bodies."

"That's......that's....." Sabine stuttered.

"Come on, we need to wrap up your ankle. The others will be back any minute."

I stood up and made my way back to the medical chambers to where Sabine was standing. I helped her hobble over to her bed, and I wrapped up her ankle. She was silent until I finished.

"I have one more question," she blurted.

"Ask away. I don't mind."

"Did you know Vader before he turned?"

I took a deep breath. I had been expecting this question for a while. "Yes. Take a look at the bond between Kanan and Ezra. It's very similar to the bond between Vader and I. He was my master, my brother, and my best friend. We were the 'Kanan and Ezra' of the Clone Wars."

The others walked into the room just as I finished. I placed a hand on Sabine's shoulder. "It was good to talk with you, Sabine. I wish I could stay, but you know why I must go." She nodded.

I made may way towards the exit, not speaking to anyone else. The rest of the crew parted to let me exit. I made may way to the main entrance, where I'd the decision that changed my life.

I gazed at the beautiful sunset in front of me. Every word I'd said that day still stung. Maybe if I'd stayed, things would've turned out differently.

"I know," I whispered to myself. "I know."