Memories

Chapter 7.

Please be warned of panic attacks in this chapter. :)

Anakin's POV

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Out. Out, out, out.

That was what my mind was pleading. This was a place saturated with memories – lots of memories. Owen and Beru, though kind, were attached to those memories. These walls, though secure, were carved with pain. This heat, though comforting, was ablaze with grief.

And I wanted out.

In my blind panic, I found myself down in a cool area, away from the boiling suns and close to droids, bits of technology, and broken things that needed repairing. My pounding heart and erratic breathing slowed when my shaking fingers found something to fix. A little white-and-pink droid, similar to an astromech, though smaller than one, was tucked into a corner, and before I even thought about it, my brain was telling me how to get it working. It was familiar. It was like R2. I liked that.

My hands gradually stopped trembling as I became further immersed with the droid. I automatically checked for the parts it needed, but I couldn't immediately find the one I wanted. Instead, my eye fell on one that would work well enough, so I grabbed it and began carefully connecting it in its rightful place. Removing the fried wires and circuits, I rejigged the inner workings with spare parts that lay nearby, fitting everything to perfection.

Within minutes, I was satisfied with my work, momentarily forgetful of my position, and sat back on my calves, brushing sand particles off its tray. Then I switched it on, checking its identification number as I did so. 

"Hello, S3-S77," I greeted her softly. "Can I just call you S3?"

She turned her pink head in the jerky movements typical of her make, then beeped and chattered to me. "Hello."

"Oh, you speak binary, do you?" I chuckled. "I'm Anakin – Anakin Skywalker."

"Hello, Anakin, Anakin Skywalker," she responded blandly.

I laughed. "No, it's just Anakin Skywalker. You can call me Anakin."

I almost jumped out of my skin when I felt a very gentle hand on my shoulder and looked up quickly to see Obi-Wan standing beside me.

He smiled and crouched next to me, casting a glance at S3. "Who do we have here?"

I hesitated, feeling my heart rate spiking and my breath catching, but I forced myself to calm down. "Th-this is S3-S77," I said uncertainly, still swaying on the edge of another meltdown.

Obi-Wan was totally relaxed as he nodded to the droid. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Hello, Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said in her monotonous bleep. "I like you."

I smirked slightly. "You can just call him Obi-Wan." Then I commented to him, "She said that she likes you."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's very nice. I like her, too." Then he glanced at me. "She's a lot like R2, isn't she?"

I nodded keenly, my eyes lighting up. "Yeah, she is. She's more of a ground maintenance droid, though. R2's better with ships and stuff, but she'd be at home with land equipment and such like."

He smiled, and I felt better just sitting next to him. The complete calm and pleased pride that I sensed from him helped me to relax, and my heart stopped beating so fast as I felt safe beside him. 

He held out his hand, offering a small snack to me. "You missed lunch, but I grabbed you something, if you want it."

I looked at it for a few moments before taking it cautiously, fingering it uneasily.