Hi people! I'm not dead! And neither is the story(I promise). Yay! :) Before you go to read the chapter I'm going to grovel at the feet of my beautiful readers(if you haven't all decided to not read this anymore :P) and apologize for not updating in over a year(yikes)!

I'm sorry for all the people who reviewed or PMed me that I didn't respond to! You guys are awesome, and I promise to answer this time! I just had a butt ton of things happen irl and just didn't get around to writing, so sorry again!

I tried to make this chapter longer than usual, and it is. :) I'm gonna apologize ahead of time for any mistakes, especially by the end. I just wanted to get this up before it got dark. I tried to get this done by May 4th for obvious reasons. So May the 4th by with you! :D hehe. All I ask is that you read the "previously" because it's been a long long time.

Special thanks again to those who read, reviewed, and PMed me up until this point! You guys are awesome!

Previously: After an argument with Han about her standings with the law, Leia is brought away to be put under a house arrest of sorts. Anakin met Han and they bonded over a conversation about starships. A call from Obi-Wan brought Anakin over to help the newly discovered, and unconscious Luke, and brought him to the medical bay. Han doesn't react well, and finds out just who Anakin is. An explosion cuts off all conversation, effectively making them sitting ducks...

Obi-Wan rubbed a hand over his beard, staring intently at the hologram image of the damaged engines in front of him. It was blue except for the damaged parts, which were colored red, fading and brightening in a slow throb of light, creating a police siren-like effect on the three faces in the dimmed room.

Around the circular device, besides himself, were Anakin and Captain Rex. All three of them were focused on the mini Resolute, looking at it with different levels of frustration and intensity. Anakin had just come up from the engine level where he had left Ahsoka, and what he had found had been more than a little unsettling.

Of course, however bad the information was, it was welcome since they hadn't heard any news on the matter since the first tremor. And it was bad. According to Anakin, both the engines and the hyperdrive core had been purposely damaged. They were dealing with sabotage, but they had no idea who could have done it.

The first thing that sprang to mind had been their three guests, but that line of thinking had proven unfruitful. All three had been accounted for-Luke being unconscious and Leia and Han having been under surveillance the entire time since coming aboard the Resolute. That knowledge came as a relief. Things were already complicated enough with their passengers, no need to add sabotage to the list of problems.

Sighing, Obi-Wan dropped his arms to the console, shifting his weight onto them. The movement caught Anakin and Rex's attention, their eyes flickering over to him.

"We need to discuss this in more detail," Obi-Wan started, "I'm afraid I don't understand what exactly was done to our ship. Surely you have more detail than you've shared?"

Across from him, Anakin met his gaze. Uncrossing his arms, the young Knight pushed a few buttons on the console, causing the holorgram to zoom in to look at the engines in more detail.

"Here," He pointed to one side of the engines. "and here," Another side. "Nothing has been cut, but the wiring's pretty screwed up. Whoever messed with it had a field day switching parts and cords. It'll take at least a day to get it all sorted out and we don't even know how much damage the parts have sustained in the first place." Anakin explained, frowning at his own words. "It's a mess, but more tedious than damaging. I don't think that whoever did this wanted us dead in the water. I think this was just supposed to slow us down."

Obi-Wan straightened up, stroking his beard with a thoughtful-however grim-face. "But for what purpose?" He thought out loud. "What is going to happen that we're not supposed to be around for?" His question was met with silence. Rex looked thoughtful, but something about Anakin looked...off. "Anakin?"

Obi-Wan's worried tone only gained a flickering of the eyes from the other man. It took a moment, but Anakin finally seemed to register that both men were looking at him expectantly.

"What?" He sounded defensive.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked, becoming a little more worried for his friend than the engines at the moment. Rex looked uneasy, shifting his weight from one foot to the other several times although he kept his gaze steady on his General.

Anakin shot his gaze between the two, his brows furrowed. He crossed his arms and shook his head, his face falling back into something more neutral, all crooked lips and lazy eyes. "Of course."

Obi-Wan's eyebrows lifted disbelievingly, but said nothing. He would catch him before he headed back to the engine level and talk to him then. Instead, he studied the hologram again before saying, "So we still have no idea who did this. I wonder at the possibility of someone from the inside..."

Rex straitened up at that, the arm around his bucket tightening just a bit. "I mean no disrespect sir, but you don't mean to say that a clone is responsible for all this, do you? I know every man on this ship, and I believe I can speak for all of us when I say that no clone here would do it. We're all loyal, sir."

Anakin caught Obi-Wan's eye, the same incident about the clone trooper Slick flashing through their minds. Anakin looked over at Rex. "We know you're loyal, Rex, but it wouldn't be the first time a trooper has decided to express his...displeasure with the Republic with something like this-if the saboteur is even a clone at all." Rex didn't look satisfied with the answer, but he made no move to disagree. Apparently, he remembered the mission on Christophosis as well.

"Of course, sir."

Obi-Wan spoke up again, "This would be easier to solve if it didn't mean having to interview every clone and cross-referencing their answers." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Ahsoka could help you," Anakin offered. "Or you could get Yularen to do it." He paused, thinking, before saying, "Yeah that's probably the best option."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, unable to keep the amused glint from his eye. "I would always enjoy your help, Anakin."

Anakin grimaced. "No you wouldn't. We both know how that would turn out."

Obi-Wan shook his head, knowing he'd get that reaction in the first place. Force knows his apprentice had never been patient with any kind of subtle work. He had always struggled with the aspects of the their work that he couldn't hit over the head with a lightsaber.

It was silent for another moment before Anakin spoke up again. "I should get back to the engine level," He started moving towards the door. "I want to be there when they put things back together." He paused. "And I want to make sure they don't mess with my upgrades."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan called after him as the door swooshed open. The young knight half-turned, an eyebrow raised. "Be careful. Something about this doesn't feel right. I fear this may be the conception of something darker than we think."

Anakin's face fell back into the black state that had worried Obi-Wan earlier. "I don't sense anything." He said, but Obi-Wan felt strangely like Anakin wasn't being truthful. The lie didn't seem to be directed at Obi-Wan, but himself, and it confused him greatly. "I'll comm. you if I find anything." And he turned and left.

Obi-Wan looked over at Rex, turning off the hologram. "I need to get started on the interviews"

"I'm right behind you, sir." Rex said, taking the helmet from under his arm and placing it securely on his head.

"No, Rex, I need you to do something for me first."

"What do you need, General?" Rex stood straighter, though not quite at attention.

"I need you to make sure our guests are guarded properly. I want to make sure there won't be any problems concerning them while we handle this issue. For their sake as well as ours." He added the last part as an afterthought.

"Right away, sir." Obi-Wan strode towards the door Anakin had just left through, but before he could leave, he heard Rex speak up behind him. "Sir?" He sounded unsure.

Obi-Wan turned back. "Yes, Rex?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" At Obi-Wan's nod, he continued, sounding more confident. "I don't trust them-the civvies, i mean. Are we sure they aren't the ones who did all this?"

Obi-Wan took a moment to mull it all over before responding. It was a valid concern, but thinking it over a thousand times hadn't helped him so far, and he doubted it would start anytime soon. Deciding to go with a noncommittal answer, he stroked his beard and said, "Nothing is certain right now, but the sooner we investigate more thoroughly, the sooner we'll discover the answer to that question."

Rex nodded stiffly. "Yes, sir."

Obi-Wan took his leave then, hurrying after Anakin, hoping to catch him before he got to the lift to the engineering level. He needed to know what was going on with his former apprentice.

Anakin slowed down, knowing without having to sense it that Obi-Wan was following him down the hallway. He really didn't want to talk to him, but he knew he had no choice. For a man who could ignore an issue for as long as it pleased him, Obi-Wan sure could seek one out with the same single minded determination. Unfortunately for Anakin, that meant he would have to talk to him. He took a breath, wiping the palms of his hands down on the cloth of his pants and only half-heartedly tried to find his center.

"Anakin, wait." Obi-Wan caught up with him quickly, seemingly unaware that Anakin had already started to drag his feet to a halt.

"What is it, master?" A weariness settled in his shoulders as Obi-Wan's mouth opened to speak, already aware of what he was going to say. To Anakin's surprise though, Obi-Wan closed his mouth again. If Anakin didn't know any better, he would have thought that his former master had been at a loss for words. He did know him though, so he knew that he was just trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan started easily enough. "Are you-" He faltered. "You seem...distracted." He finished, lacking his usual articulateness. Anakin raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm fine, Obi-Wan. Just a little tired is all." He shrugged, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, not quite meeting Obi-Wan's unusually intense gaze. Obi-Wan sighed, weary-something he used to hide better before the war.

"I'm going to send out another transmission to the council so they're aware of the situation." He said like it was supposed to mean something. Of course Obi-Wan would contact the council. Anakin knew that already. Still, Anakin nodded.

"Of course, master." Obi-Wan frowned then, the wrinkles in between his brows becoming more prominent.

Obi-Wan shifted his weight, leaning in a bit and speaking lower. "I noticed something was bothering you in the debriefing room. You hid it well in the Force, but I could see it on your face." He paused. "I can see it now." Anakin frowned, taking an unconscious step back. Obi-Wan caught the movement a moment before Anakin, and a sad expression came over his face.

"Anakin..." Obi-Wan said when he didn't speak.

"It's nothing." He sighed, rubbing tiredly at the side of his face. "Just your overactive imagination. I told you, I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it."

"Talk about what?" Anakin resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall, and settled for clenching his fists to hear the rubber of his gloves squeak instead.

"Nothing." He said lamely.

Obi-Wan looked skeptical,and a little disappointed, but his face smoothed, his eyes softening with an affection Anakin had rarely seen so plainly on his former master. Obi-Wan stepped closer again, putting a firm hand on Anakin's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Anakin nodded his head stiffly. "Yes." He cringed at the sound of his own voice.

"I realize that we haven't been able to sit down and talk like we used to before the war," Obi-Wan continued as if Anakin hadn't spoken. "but I still value your thoughts, and I hope you know that."

Anakin didn't know what to say to that. It had been months, if not years, since he could remember hearing him say something like that to him. It was an old comfort he missed; the soothing voice of his master from when he was still young and a now, it was awkward and felt out of place in their relationship. Anakin's exhastion seemed to catch up to him, and the urge to tell Obi-Wan everything and just let him deal with it while Anakin slept was so great that he had to bite his tongue.

"Of course, master." He said, only half-lying. Obi-Wan smiled.

Alarms interrupted the moment, blaring and red in the hallways. Startled, Anakin and Obi-Wan turned their attention away from each other and to the noise. Anakin was quick to pull up his comm. gabbing at the button to contact Rex.

"Rex, what's happening?" He demanded, already moving beside Obi-Wan towards the bridge.

"Something is trying to breach the outer shell of the bridge's hull, sir." Came the speedy reply. Anakin could kiss that man for how well he did his job.

"Try to get some eyes on whatever it is. We're on our way." Anakin stopped in front of the elevator, punching the button with his finger, ready to jump in when it got there.

"This is just what we needed," Anakin heard Obi-Wan mutter to himself. "If our ship is breached, we'll lose pretty much everything." His words were directed to Anakin that time. "I hope you've manage to master the art of breathing without air, my friend, because we'll all need that particular skill if our luck keeps up as it has."

"I thought you don't believe in luck." Anakin smirked, and the lift finally came. They both rushed inside, pressing the button for the bridge.

"Did I say luck? I meant if your wonderful modification's track records keep up."

Anakin was about to contact Ahsoka, but he paused, looking over at Obi-Wan, incredulous. "Well I didn't build the ship. And my modifications are fine. It's not my fault someone decided to play hide and seek with a few key electrical cords." He ignored Obi-Wan's eyes rolling to get in touch with his apprentice.

"What's going on, master? We heard the alarm go off." Ahsoka's voice cut through.

"Nothing much, just having the bridge chewed on. By what is anyone's guess."

"Is that all?" She huffed.

Anakin smirked at her attitude. "Listen Snips, I need you to stay where you are. Help the clones. Me and Obi-Wan will take care of this and then you and I can speed things up with getting this thing up and running again."

"Whatever you say, master. Just try not to get sucked into space."

"You got it, Snips." He said just as the lift arrived. They exited, making a bee-line to Yularin.

"So, any idea what we're dealing with, Admiral?" Anakin asked as he walked right past Yularin and up to the window. He couldn't see anything so he started trying to find a better vantage point, but only succeeded in looking restless. Which he was.

"The scanners show that it's-" A ginormous tentacle fell into view with a resounding thump against the window in front of Anakin, causing him to flinch back, half in shock, half in discust. "organic." Yularen deadpanned. Anakin got closer to the window and pressed a hand on the window, watching the slimy mucous on the other side of the glass stick to the clear surface. A moment of silence, then two.

"Admiral?" Anakin said, keeping his eyes on the beast in front of him.

"Yes, General Skywalker?" Anakin turned around, seeing the twin looks of vague disgust on Yularin and Obi-Wan's faces. It would have been funny if he hadn't been having such a bad day.

"Get the space suits ready."

Leia sighed, picking at some lint on the sleeve of her shirt. She felt restless, and she had to actively keep herself from thinking about things. Namely Han and Luke. Where was Luke anyway? She hadn't seen him in a while, and the thought that she hadn't really noticed until that moment upset her. She plopped down onto the simple bed behind her. She was too distracted to keep everything in her head all of the time. She couldn't believe that she hadn't thought more about Luke though; she had been looking forward to speaking more to him about her her thoughts on the more recent things she had gone through. She liked getting his opinion on her thoughts. They just seemed right.

A buzz from the door's comm had her snapping to an upright position, staring at the metal door intently. A voice that belonged to a clone came through, like the other times they had spoken to her.

"Ms. Solo, I'm coming in the room. Don't be alarmed." At least he had manners. Still, Tarkin had manners when it pleased him. She stood up as the door opened, revealing a helmeted clone she actually thought she recognized.

"Captain Rex...correct?" She kept her arms carefully at her side. He nodded, taking off the helmet covering his face. Well, his face may not have been completely accurate.

"Yes, ma'am. I was sent here to check up on you to see how you're doing." He looked uncomfortable, and Leia sighed again.

"You don't have to lie to me, Captain. I know you're here to make sure I don't get into any trouble." She walked over to the small desk on the other side of the room, crossing her arms and starting at it for a moment before she turned her head to look at him again. "What's happening out there?" She decided to ask. What was the worst thing that could happen, he'd not tell her?

"It's nothing to worry about." He said simply and she nodded. She knew he probably wouldn't tell her anything, but she still had to fight off the frustration that the lack of information was giving her. Sometimes she really missed simple politics. Although...maybe not so simple. But even with all the lies and stiff formalities, at least she knew how to handle that life. She felt like she was floating in limbo now. She had no idea what was going on and she was utterly alone at the moment. Minus her guest anyway.

"Of course." She half muttered to herself, trailing a couple of fingers over the metal desk. It was too small for any real work to be done on it and she wondered why exactly it was even there in the first place. She turned to face him fully then, a thought coming to her. He hadn't moved from his spot right inside the door. "Can I ask you something, Captain?" He looked at her wearily, and nodded once. "How long have you been assigned to General Skywalker?" He looked surprised at the question.

"General Skywalker?" She nodded. "I've served under him for several years."

"And what is your opinion of him?"

"With all due respect, ma'am, why are you asking about the General?" He was becoming suspicious. She almost forgot how persnickety militaries were about any kind of information they divulged.

"I've only just met him," She frowned. "and I've only really hear stories. I want to know what you think of him personally." She really did want to know how his men thought of him. And who better to ask than his second in command? Of course, he probably wouldn't say anything bad about him, but if there was one thing she had learned in all her years, was that perspective matters. And she wasnted to know exactly how twisted his men's views were of him.

Something came over his face and she realized that he must have gotten questions like that before, maybe from the press or something.

"He's one of the best, and most creative Generals I know. He gets his job done, he cares about his men, and they care about him. I have nothing but respect for him." He stood taller when he said that, looking her straight in the eye. She couldn't help the way her brow furrowed at his description. It didn't matter if it was true or not, it was true to the Captain-and probably the rest of his men if they were anything like Rex. She had seen loyalty like this before on both sides, and for the first time she wondered what had even happened to the clones from the Clone Wars.

"I see." Was all she said.

They sat in silence for a minute or two longer, and Leia became increasingly aware of the temperature drop from not moving enough. Space travel always made her cold. She came from a planet with colder weather, but she was always sensitive to it. She had no idea why though. She rubbed her arms.

"You're cold," Captain Rex stated. "I'll have someone bring some blankets for you." He put his helmet back on, locking it into place. She didn't say anything to him as he turned and left, too caught up in her thoughts.

She didn't know what to think about everything she was hearing. Everything seemed too messed up for her liking. She wasn't completely sure of the exact history of the Clone Wars because the Empire had edited it almost past recognition, and they were still sorting out the mess, so everything she heard was new to her. Not to mention, a bit overwhelming.

Getting frustrated again, Leia decided to move around and get warm.

"Kriff." Obi-Wan watched, not unamused, as Anakin tripped over a pipe protruding from the outside of the Resolute and shaking his foot like he was trying to get something off of it.

Apparently, Anakin was familiar with their unexpected passenger, and had described it in his own, unique way, saying it was, 'the equivalent of Yoda as an underwater dwelling hutt. But in space.' Obi-Wan had never heard of it, but then again, he had never really bothered to learn much about the inhabitants roaming around Tatooine. Contrary to what Aankin believed, he didn't know every useless fact of the universe-although, in Obi-Wan's opinion, they were never useless-and some things he just never bothered to learn.

He didn't like the planet any more than Aankin did.

"Tell me, why in the galaxy didn't we bring any clones to help us with our little problem?" He ignored the look Anakin gave him over his shoulder, making sure he didn't trip over the same pipe he had.

"Because we still don't know who messed with the ship. I don't want to risk anything." Came the indignant reply. Obi-Wan halfheartedly tried to repress a sigh.

"That's one reason. But you and I both know that the odds of the saboteur being chosen to come with us are less than likely-if they're even a clone at all." He caught up to Anakin's side, stealing a glance over at him. "Now, what's the real reason?"

Eyes finding their way to the heavens, Anakin gave a very good attempt at a pout. It didn't quite fit his face like it had when he was a boy. After a moment Anakin sighed, shaking his head in defeat. "The truth is, I really feel like hitting something right now, and I don't want to have to be careful of anything-or anyone-else when I do. It's just a bit of stress relief." He shrugged.

Obi-Wan's lips thinned at his reasoning, deciding not to remind him that he should just meditate instead of hitting something over the head. It was pointless, really. It was pointless to go over it in his head though; he had already worried the thought through his mind once that day already.

"Well, I'm glad you haven't deemed me an impediment." Obi-Wan deadpanned.

Anakin rolled his eyes, making a point to stare over at Obi-Wan. "I don't think you or the clones are impediments, master." He smirked then, standing a little straighter. "I just want to hit it more, myself." It was Obi-Wan's turn to roll his eyes.

"Of course."

A movement in the corner of his eye caught Obi-Wan's attention, dragging it away from Anakin. He turned to see fleeting glances of tentacles belonging to the beast flying in and out of view. There was no sound of course, but he still cringed when one of the tentacles slammed down hard enough to cause tremors that reached where they were standing.

Obi-Wan looked over at Anakin, who's initial frown at seeing the beast was quickly turning into a grin as he started off towards it. Obi-Wan almost regretted deciding to come out to deal with the thing in the first place, instead of interviewing an endless amount of clones. Almost. He would never admit it to Anakin, but he wanted to hit something over the head too.

"You just gonna sit there and watch, master?" Anakin teased, turning on his lightsaber and force-jumping to cover the distance to the monster more quickly. Obi-Wan didn't answer, but followed with a force-jump of his own, turning his lightsaber on in mid-air.

He landed by Anakin, who had just finished attempting a wide swing to the left. "Let's just get this over with."

Anakin arms were burning from the strain of swinging his lightsaber. He didn't need to put nearly as much effort into his swings as he was doing, but he had added extra swipes and stabs in the effort to wear himself out completely. If he was worn out, he wasn't thinking.

And he didn't want to think. Not yet.

Opening himself up more fully to the Force, he brought his lightsaber down heavily, slicing clean through a tentacle and skimming another. The severed appendage thrashed and withered as it floated off into space.

Anakin didn't know what Obi-Wan was doing. He had clamped down on the bond in an effort to hide his not-so-Jedi-like emotions, but if the flashes of Obi-Wan's expression were indication, he wasn't helping himself.

Another chop. Swipe. Roll. Frustration at recent events burned at the back of his throat. Dodging an incoming blow, he swung his arm out, throwing his lightsaber in a deadly arch, and taking off two more limbs. It didn't matter, it had plenty to spare. Dodge. Slash. Swing. Another limb. Stab. Chop. Another. The screeching of the monster was constant. Its limbs coming off too frequently for it to stop. He barely registered what was happening around him, so focused was he in the moment. He certainly didn't notice the slight push at his bond with Obi-Wan.

Another limb, and Anakin felt the shock of his master's presence, cool and soothing. He'd let his walls slip in his distraction, and Obi-Wan had taken advantage of it. It was enough of a shock to his system that he hesitated, snapping his head towards him and ignoring the beast. What he saw made him tremble.

Past Obi-Wan's shoulder, he saw him. The Sith.

Then, he felt him-

-and got knocked on his back by one of the few remaining tentacles belonging to the beast he had been fighting.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called, worry bubbling when he heard an 'ooph' and a crack as Anakin fell on his back hard, his legs flying up and causing him to tumble backwards. He quickly ended the beast's life-which he probably should have done earlier- and rushed over to Anakin's prone form as quickly as the lack of gravity would allow him. Falling on his knees beside him, Obi-Wan brought him into a slouching position, supporting him as best he could. "Anakin." He tried again, checking for any cracked glass on his helmet.

Anakin moaned, reaching up with a gloved hand to rub at his head, only to be obstructed by the glass of his helmet. He seemed to come to himself then, his back going ridged and his eyes snapping wide.

Obi-Wan blinked, confused. "Anakin?" But the low tone was lost on his former apprentice as he scrambled to his feet, staring off into, well, space.

Obi-Wan stood up too, turning to see what he was looking at. "Did you not feel that?" Anakin demanded, swinging intense eyes on Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan frowned.

"What I felt was a lot of anger, Anakin." He said slowly, cautious of the fragile state of his former student. "I thought I taught you better than to let your emotions run rampant during a fight." He couldn't help but add, although it was more out of concern than the need to reprimand. Anakin didn't seem to take it that way. Obi-Wan could feel him closing into himself, but he didn't know what to say to make it stop.

"I was just-" Anakin seemed to flounder for words, his mouth working without sound, before he finally gave up. "Sorry." He said lamely.

Obi-Wan frowned, aware that something was seriously wrong. "Let's go back inside. You need to have your head checked." When Anakin opened his mouth to protest, Obi-Wan added, "And then, you're going to get some rest." Anakin scowled, but Obi-Wan ignored him in favor of the mess floating around them. "We will talk about what happened here later." He caught Anakin's gaze, noting its distress. "No more lies."

Leia stared up at the ceiling. She had been trying to get some sleep for a long time, but it was elusive. She was worried, she couldn't help it. It didn't matter how much she tried to put Han and her brother out of her mind, knowing they were safe. The encounter with the Captain was still fresh in her mind as well, and she kept playing it on a loop in her head. There were just too many thoughts for her to calm down enough to sleep, even if she'd felt like kneeling over since finding Han.

Even telling her what was happening and why the alarm had gone off earlier would help her state of mind immensely.

Luke was worrying her the most though. She knew it must be the bond Luke always said they shared, but she knew something wasn't right with him. He was in danger, or something. The minute she had actually started to really think about him, she had felt it. It was this horrible gnawing at the back of her mind that she couldn't shake. Not to mention, she had been feeling the same nauseated pit in her stomach that she'd felt in that death trap on Tatooine.

Closing her eyes again, she sighed, trying to get comfortable for the nth time. She had to sleep.

Finally feeling herself drift off, Leia started to dream.

She was back on the Death Star, being tortured by Darth Vader for information. Seeing her planet-her home-blow up. Knowing she'd never see her family again. Then, she was on Bespin, feeling the sting of betrayal as Lando turned them over to Darth Vader. Holding a tortured Han. Watching him be frozen in carbonite. Caring for a newly amputated Luke. Then Tatooine, as Jabba strung her up like a doll at his lap. And finally, holding the chain around his neck. Squeezing. Feeling the life drain out of him...

Leia woke with a knock to her head, flying to the floor and barely managing to catch herself before her face hit. "Hold her down." Bodies were on her almost immediately, griping her wrists and twisting them painfully into a pair of cuffs.

"Wha-?" She gasped, confused as she tried to see what was happening behind her. Before she could focus on anything, she was hauled roughly to her feet. On the floor was Captain Rex, gripping his throat as he coughed, while another clone was crouched by his side. She stared with wide eyes as the Captain got back on his feet, still clutching at his neck. "What happened?" She breathed. It sounded distant.

It looked like the Captain wanted to speak, but the clone next to him ended up being the one to do so. "The Captain was here to give you some blankets, but you attacked him." He spat, gripping Captain Rex's arm in support. She blinked, and the panic started to set it. What had she done? She was dreaming, and the next thing she knew..."Get her out of here." The clone ordered.

As she was being led away, Leia tried to glance behind her at the Captain again as one thought kept repeating in her head.

Just what had she done?

The light was blinding. But empty. So, so empty. It was suffocating, how alone he felt. He felt as if he had no sense of self, yet he had never felt so alone with himself before. The loss of connection was painful and confusing. He felt like he wanted to throw up and curl into himself all at once.

Gasping and swallowing air as if he had stopped breathing in the first place, Luke's eyes snapped open.

Thanks for reading my new chapter (and my story in general)! I hope you liked it. :) Luke's up again and Leia's gotten in trouble again, but they're gonna get their butts moving again next chapter, so yay. And I'll say again; this story is NOT abandoned. Even if it take s me a while(although hopefully not as long), I will finish it. I appreciate any and all thoughts and comments and will treasure them forever! You guys are awesome! Until next time. :)