Memories

Chapter 28.

Anakin's POV

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I kept my breathing slow, though my heart was racing. The sudden electrocution had surprised me, but I was pretty sure it was coming. The various emotions and warnings drifting or snapping through the Force had given indication of it long before it actually happened. One thing was for sure: it had given me a "shock." I made myself cringe at my own awful jokes.

But it had pulled me out of those horrible scenes that had been flashing through my mind. I couldn't seem to shake Asajj's words as they merged with the memories of the past and the fears of the future. All I could see was my mother dying in my arms and hear her gentle voice, whispering words of encouragement, though each one fell like a jagged knife, plunged into my heart. Asajj was right: I did want my mother. But I wasn't able to save her. I couldn't take care of my loved ones. It seemed that Obi-Wan was going to be suffering now because I couldn't win in a fight against Asajj.

I scrunched my eyes shut tight, and two unauthorized tears trickled down my cheeks. I missed her. I really, really missed her. I wasn't fast enough to save her; who said I wouldn't be too slow to save Obi-Wan, as well?

Mother's face flashed into my mind for the umpteenth time, and I could see the scars and bruises on it. Then, for the briefest of moments, I thought I saw Obi-Wan's face instead of hers.

I snapped my eyes open again, my heart rate doubling. Was that my fears ... or was that the future? Was that what I was afraid would happen ... or would that be reality? A cold dread tied a knot in the pit of my stomach. I didn't want to think too much about it. I just hoped like crazy that my gut feeling was wrong, and that I wasn't going to be holding Obi-Wan in my arms, just as I had done with my mother.

My muscles went floppy, protesting the recent electricity, and I leaned my weight against the energy field, saving my strength, until the door opened. A pair of Geonosians came in, clicking and chattering to each other in their local dialect. They seemed uncomfortable around me, their translucent wings fluttering when their bug-like eyes rested on me, and they approached me carefully, their staffs levelled towards me. But I didn't have the strength to fight against them, and it took all of my energy not to collapse when they removed the containment field. They removed the cuffs around my wrists and ankles, instead replacing them with a pair of binders that I could have bent open like a paperclip, though I resisted the temptation. If I gave them a false sense of security, I might be able to use it later.

My stomach jolted when I realized where the Geonosians were taking me: Petranaki arena, the execution ring. Memories jumped into my head, some of them from our time in this place, others of the pain that I had carried into it. Mother had died the night prior.

As I entered, the grandstands, packed with overexcited Geonosians, roared with shouts and cheers. Up in the viewing platform, I spotted Poggle the Lesser, the Geonosian leader, and next to him stood Dooku. This was first time I had seen him since I had heard he was involved in this. But I was a little confused when I couldn't see Asajj with him.

The Geonosians poked me over to one of the four carved columns, and I smiled slightly when I saw Obi-Wan and Ahsoka already chained to their own columns.

"Just like old times, right, Obi-Wan?" I mused with a smirk, glancing at him on my left, as the Geonosians attached my cuffs to the chain that hung down.

"You could say that," he responded lightly, but there was concern hiding behind his eyes. I felt it, too. A distinct unease stuck in the air, and the Dark Side gathered thickly around us.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I commented dryly, causing Obi-Wan to cock an eyebrow at me, so I gave him a small grin. The main thing about this nostalgic treat that disturbed me was the camera droids that buzzed around us. They looked like Coruscant's media droids. Why was this important enough to be broadcast all around the galaxy? How was this Dooku's surprise for us? And hadn't he already tried this?