The Slave Who Makes Free: An Anakin Skywalker Quest

The Temple's lightsaber instructors have always taken great care to remind their eager young students that for those who take part in them, duels are not the glamorous, spectacular affairs seen in holodramas. Even short skirmishes are intense and exhausting, putting tremendous pressure on both combatants' bodies as they're pushed to their physical limits, and on their minds as they make snap decisions again and again that can make the difference between victory and defeat.

Most of them neglect to mention that all of this can also make dueling terribly fun.

Of course, not everyone here is a born fighter, or failing that, as fond of the taste of adrenaline as you. But of all the emotions that can flow through the Force, joy has always been shared most easily—in fact, it almost demands to be shared. And it's hard to begrudge an opponent a triumph when part of that triumph is also, in some sense, your own.
Anakin is a fight junky and adrenaline junkie.

"Anakin…" She hesitates for a telling moment. "You were on Naboo during the crisis. You're the only one of us who's been in a real battle. What…was it like?"

In spite of the adrenaline pushing you to keep fighting, you almost choose to step out rather than answering that. To a youngling raised in the Temple like Darra—and like everyone else here—pain and death are far-off, immaterial things, like desert mirages. But you lived with them every day, before you had ever even heard of Naboo. You can answer Darra…but how will she ever understand what you tell her? The gap between you and your friends seemed as if it was starting to close, but only now do you realize just how wide it yawns.

But the way she's looking at you…it's almost pleading. She needs you to at least try.

You take a deep breath, one that—although you've had barely a moment of exertion—has ragged edges. "Sometimes you can pretend it's not quite real. Like you're in a flight simulator or a training room or something. It can even be a little fun, when it's like that. But then…"

"Someone gets hurt. Or someone dies. And you can sense it."

Maybe she's not too far from understanding after all.

"Thank you," she says quietly, and takes a single step back that carries her out of the circle. "That's all I needed to know."
That's a really heavy topic to think about and Anakin was exposed to something a child really shouldn't have been exposed to.

Then he says, "Of course I'm afraid of you, Anakin. I'd be an idiot not to be. You're not just more powerful than me. You're more powerful than any of us. Maybe more than all of us put together. But with great power there must always come great responsibility, and you're the least responsible person I know. If you became a Knight or a Master, and you started thinking that no one but you should get to say what the galaxy would be like…I don't know what would happen. But I know what kind of a person you'd end up as if you did. And I think you know it too."

You can't even comprehend it at first, what you've just been accused of, what kind of a dire future he's just laid out for you. But then, in an instant, it falls into place.
I mean based off future knowledge that's an understandable accusation but dude really shouldn't be throwing around accusations that harsh.

[X] No…that's not true. That's impossible!

I wanted to go for search your feelings for the character development but the argument that doing this will clear some stress and it's a pretty reasonable reaction to the accusation changed my mind. Even if Anakin could become Vader this kid doesn't know that and throwing around accusations like that isn't cool.
 
How dare he. What does he know of such matters? Hiding his contempt and distrust of our upbringing behind such lofty chastisement. He's never felt thirst or hunger or seen in another's eyes that you're nothing but a thing to them. He's never had a bomb put in him, and yet he accuses us of that? How dare he.

[X] No…that's not true. That's impossible!
 
I really like that Anakin is not 'super lightsaber fighter' here
He could have been but you all chose to socialise instead. /s

[X] No…that's not true. That's impossible!

Edit: I just wanted to have a friendly spar, but you guys chose to pick a fight with Ferrus for some reason. I knew this was a bad idea. Can't wait for what comes next.

Edit 2: also I don't think this vote is that important, Anakin didn't fall because he though, that he was doing the right thing for the galaxy (even if he had shades of that in the canon), he fell because he valued his loved ones over the everything else. He just deluded himself into thinking the Empire is good in order to justify his own selfish actions.
 
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[X] Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

At this point, Anakin has seen an example first-hand of what Ferus is saying in Grievous. If he reigns in his temper for a moment, he can probably see the parallels when pointed out.
 
[X] Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

Self knowledge will do us a world of good


tbh Ferus can suck a lemon because this asshole really should practice compassion over fear because we're a reckless teenager and not a god damn Sith Lord yet
 
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