The best laid plans...

[faithfulson]

WHO: Luke and Jadus (potentially others)
WHERE: Jeopardy Outskirts
WHEN: Sometime in the first week of April
WHAT: Luke decides to take the dramatic route in trying to find Atropos. This was a bad idea.
WARNINGS: Strangulation (no seriously), potential fridge horror, Luke making very poor life choices, potential Skywalker levels of retaliation, disturbing imagery (behind links), more to be added as needed

Luke wasn't a complete idiot, at the very least. He was legitimately nervous about this crazy plan that he came up with (and maybe had a little bit of prompting-not-really-prompting from Jadus), and was very well aware of just how badly this could go very quickly. He hadn't come to the decision to go through with this lightly, however; it was why it took him this long to say he wanted to go through with it. The appearance of things that were not meant to be there and the reality warping issue that was literally all of Jeopardy made it hard to say no, however.

But he was still nervous. To the point where his throat already felt like it was closing up on him.

He was early, earlier than he usually was when he needed to get somewhere, and he found himself pacing, trying not to think of the many, many ways everything could go wrong. It wasn't until a few minutes before they were actually supposed to meet up that he thought maybe, just maybe, he should give someone a warning about what was about to happen. He pulled out his communicator, and immediately hesitated, wondering just who he was going to contact and what he was going to say.

He finally sent a message to his sister and father, and shut his phone off, before flopping down on the ground and trying desperately to meditate, hoping it would be enough to calm his nerves.

Comments

third link cw: typophobia

[jadus]

The desert terrain had to be traversed on foot. That would provide some measure of privacy for the ritual. His place of meditation had grown outward in a circle, leaving a wide, inhospitable zone of lifeless rock, undulating swells of sand in strange geometric patterns, and a forest of lightning-fused sand towers, some toppled and shattered, others towering around the edges of a central structure that shimmered in the unnaturally cold air. It may have once been alive, packed together and twisted into a living dome of sun-drunk flesh. But all that remained was a metallic, skeletal structure that let in only weakly-filtered light to the smooth, glassed earth below.

Twice now, he had lost control in this spot, pouring out emotion and darkness itself into the landscape. Few other places on this planet would suit this ritual better.

He arrived at the appointed time, the crunch of dry ground giving way to dull tapping on the glass. "Control will serve you for now, but calm will not. Do not seek it."

[faithfulson]

Luke had sensed Jadus approach long before he said something, and ultimately decided to give up. It seemed useless to try to meditate in this place anyway; it was dark, not as dark as being before the Emperor had been, but definitely wholly unpleasant. And then there was Jadus himself, who felt more like a walking abomination than a sentient being.

He let out a breath, opening his eyes and looking up at him.

"As if anyone could find calm in this place," he replied mildly, before he shook his head. No, being a smart ass wouldn't help him right now. "Where do we start?"

[jadus]

"That is its purpose," he replied simply, taking his place opposite Skywalker.

"You have chosen your question. State it now. It will be your focus." Behind the walls of his mind, he prepared. The contact between them would be delicate, and utterly pervasive.

"Focus, and lower your defenses."

[faithfulson]

Luke took a deep breath, feeling his nerve immediately fray themselves out. No, this was fine, he could handle this. He was going to handle this, no matter how much he was going to regret it later.

"Where is Atropos?" he asked softly, closing his eyes and focusing on the Force. He forced himself to breathe, carefully letting down the mental shields he had up to protect his mind, leaving himself open to Jadus.

[jadus]

"Then we begin." Delicate filaments attached with gentle, unshakable strength to Skywalker's mind, waiting until it had focused on their question. Then the dark pressed in.

The grip began subtly. A slow constriction in the throat, growing more powerful with every exhale, every heartbeat, every twitch. Not the sudden, crushing grip of imperious disdain and anger, this was calculated and cold.

[faithfulson]

Luke flinched as the feeling of something small, but otherworldly invaded his mind, and it took everything for him not to immediately slam his defenses back up. It wasn't like being in the Emperor's presence, but more like being around something that was beyond sentient comprehension, something that his mind wanted to actively reject just to preserve his sanity.

He forcefully shoved his instincts back, just as he felt the invisible grasp slowly tighten around his throat. It was a struggle to fight against the panic that rose as a result, everything about him screaming that he was being hurt, that he should try to fight against it, and he squashed that instinct down, even as he gagged in pain.

For Luke - Rescue/Healing

[prophesiedone]

If Luke hadn't needed him, he might have argued with Obi-Wan. Frankly, he didn't feel right leaving his Master behind to face an ancient Sith Lord. But he had to admit that Jadus infuriated him and that was dangerous.

Besides, most of all, Luke needed him.

"Be safe, Master." he gathered his son into his arms, not giving him a choice on whether or not he wanted to - or could - walk. Then he hurried off, carrying Luke as if he weighed no more than an actual child.

"Luke, if you can hear me, you're with me now. Obi-Wan will take care of Jadus."

Violently, he hoped. Anakin knew his Master was capable of amazing feats. But he refused to think about that at the moment. Luke needed to be surrounded by Light and the best Light he had to offer was his love.

[faithfulson]

Luke let out a weak noise, a faint attempt at protesting, trying to say he wasn't a child, but his voice just came out a weak rasp. He probably shouldn't have expected anything less as a result of being strangled, but being able to tell his father to stop would have been great right about now. He wanted to tell him it was fine, that Jadus hadn't done anything he didn't ask him to do (except... maybe leave pieces of himself behind), but he couldn't manage it.

He finally gave up with a raspy, defeated sigh, leaning heavily against his father's chest. At least he felt safe and warm, no matter how embarrassingly easy it was for him to cart him around like this. Seriously, he was lucky Vader never just slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walked off. It seriously wasn't fair.

The mention of Obi-Wan taking care of Jadus, he tried to tug at his father again, trying to hope that he would at least try to listen to him, never mind he couldn't really say anything without it hurting. He finally let out a frustrated noise, pulling out his phone and turning it on and...

...o-oh. Those were. That was a lot of messages.

Oh he was in so much trouble.

He shot off a few quick answers, before typing out a message, his fingers shaking from fatigue and just all of that. He finally got something out after a moment:

dont hurt him
asked him
needed to know

[prophesiedone]

Sorry, Luke, your father was a beast with his exercise regime. After losing his arm to Dooku, he had worked even harder to tone his body. The Jedi robes really didn't do him much justice - or any justice, really - but the civilian clothes revealed his muscles here and there. Luke would not be dropped nor would he have to walk a millisecond before he was ready.

Also Vader should have carried him off like a sack of potatoes. They could have ditched Palpatine, picked up Leia and said to hell with all of it.

The tug did get his attention and he peered at his son curiously.

"What is it?" he felt bad for asking. Speaking would be agony for Luke for some time. His throat needed time to heal.

"Don't worry about what anyone else is saying. There was nothing you could do..." he was cut off when he read the text, one eyebrow rising, "You asked him for it? Why? For Atropos?"

He wanted to support Luke in whatever decision he made, but this felt all too familiar and rash.

"Why didn't you say anything to me or Obi-Wan?"

[faithfulson]

Luke waved at his father, a frustrated look on his face, as if to say, "It's you two." He went back to tapping at his phone again a moment later.

protect this place
too much wrong
worth the risk

He let out a heavy breath, flinching as his throat felt like something was clawing at the inside.

[prophesiedone]

The frustration was shared. If Anakin ever passed on a lesson to his son and daughter, it would be don't do big things alone. Good intentions could end up wounding an entire galaxy.

"I would have taken the risk too." he argued, "Do you think I want to lose contact with you or Leia?"

[faithfulson]

Luke's shoulders fell at that, at least a little bit of guilt working its way onto his face. He wanted his family to be happy, of course; they never got to be happy. If he could do one thing right, it was at least to make sure they had a safe place where they could all be happy.

did what i had to
want this place to stay safe

He thumped his head against his father's chest, as if to put emphasis on that he wanted them all to be safe as well.

atropos is here
not present
but here

At the hospital [Open]

[faithfulson]

Luke was, in fact, really tired. He was bordering on exhausted, fatigued to the point where his eye lids kept drooping and his body screamed for sleep. It didn't seem to want to come to him, however; every time he shut his eyes for more than a few seconds, they snapped right back open, wide awake and alert and refusing to let him sink into the hospital bed he was on.

He let out a frustrated noise that did nothing for his injured neck, pressing his hands over his face. All he could see when he closed his eyes was the eldritch horror that was Jadus' mind, still lurking within his own. There was no way he was sleeping without nightmares any time soon, and he couldn't calm himself enough to meditate.

Luke let his hands drop when he heard the door open, planting a weak smile on his face and trying to make it look like nothing was really wrong with him as the person on the other side entered.

[hadthehighground]

There was no smile on the face of the person who entered, because Obi-Wan Kenobi certainly knew better.

When the Jedi Master finished speaking with Jadus, he had then found a quiet place to meditate and calm his mind. Something he had desperately needed after what he experienced, thanks to Luke. He also needed it in order to prepare himself for the talk to come.

The silence was deafening as he came in. Arms folded as he looked down at Luke for several moments, the look of disappointment not being masked at all in his blue eyes. Without saying a word, he then sat down in a chair beside the young man’s bed. He looked weary as he propped an elbow on the arm rest and ran his hand across his face and lingered on his chin.

He would stay that way for awhile. Perhaps until Luke did something or Obi-Wan decided there had been enough silence.

[faithfulson]

Luke was happy to see Obi-Wan was okay -- not that he thought Jadus would do anything to him, but that he was still bothered by the echo of what they had done. That happiness slowly faded from his face at the look on Obi-Wan's face, and he... wasn't sure how to handle it. He'd only really known Obi-Wan for a few hours back home, and most of that had been spent training or running.

He'd never seen him disappointed.

After a moment, Luke just sunk back into the bed, his expression dropping into one of humble sheepishness. He finally reached for his phone, tapping out a simple message.

Sorry?

[hadthehighground]

Luke had an advantage on him with those few hours though. Obi-Wan didn’t really know him at all, aside from the few interactions they had in this world. That didn’t mean he cared any less though. He had been there when Luke was born. Had been the first to hold him, and bond with him. Carried him across the galaxy for his own safety. Taken care of him as best he could until finally delivering him to his aunt and uncle on Tatooine.

He wouldn’t remember it, but Luke had witnessed his tears when still trying to process their loss.

Now that baby was sitting in a hospital bed, doing his darnedest to follow in his father’s footsteps. A path that could lead him to the same tragedy.

It was these thoughts that swirled in his mind as Luke shrunk away. The Jedi’s eyes lifting as he saw the device with the simple message. It was then he straightened up and let out a long sigh.

“Apologies alone won’t fix this, Luke.”

His voice was stern, and yet pained as well.

[faithfulson]

He... really wished he would stop looking at him like that. The disappointed look on his face was actually making him want to squirm, and after a moment he found himself having a hard time meeting his gaze. He finally turned his focus back down on his phone, tapping out another message.

I'm not proud of having to do this.
But I still feel it was the only way to find the answers we needed.

[senateur]

Padmé had rushed to the hospital when she'd discovered that was where her son was, but once she'd reached the building itself, she hadn't gone into his room. She'd needed to get a hold on her emotions and so she'd walked through the halls, visiting the cafeteria and small gift shop, stopping by the maternity ward to stand at the window and watch those newborn children sleeping. That was what finally gave her the strength to enter that hospital room — her child was lying in a bed and she needed to see for herself that he would be alright.

So it is with the controlled expression of Senator Amidala that she enters the room, closing the door quietly behind her before moving to take the seat beside the bed. She doesn't say anything; Luke will have to make the next move.

[faithfulson]

He let out a happy noise when he saw his mother, only to... find himself shrinking back against the bed again. Luke wasn't sure what was worse, Obi-Wan's disapproval, or his mother's senatorial stare.

It was a moment before he meekly raised his hand, waving to her as his best way of saying hello.

[senateur]

That wave did nothing to break through her mask. She had far too much practice in building that wall and keeping her emotions to herself. There were no world-shattering revelations to beat her down now, only a son finally experiencing his mother's reaction to his rash decisions.

"Why did you do it?" The even words and expectant stare... Even her emotions were a calm before the storm.

[faithfulson]

Luke sunk further back into the bed, feeling like he was nine all over again, after he had run away from home for the first time and dealing with Aunt Beru's worried wrath all over again. Obi-Wan's disappointment had been bad, but this was so much worse. He swallowed nervously, before fishing for his phone, tapping out a message and turning it for her to see.

I've been concerned about the reality warping effects that have happened lately. I'm worried they could cause problems in this world, possibly tear it apart like what happened in De Chima. I felt that finding Atropos would help solve that problem.

This was the best way I could think of to do it.

[onlydoubts]

After the conversation with Luke and the search of the grounds of Base One turns up the exact result Bodhi expects, he sends Poe a brief message, detailing the events and leaves. It's about an hour later when he finally does show up -- one could count his visits to Jeopardy on one hand (and still have fingers to spare), and he needs to get directions to the hospital upon arrival.

The nurse on duty gives him the room and when he opens the door it's to Luke, sitting up in bed, furiously typing away at a message. There's a retort on the tip of his tongue, as he enters and takes a seat by the bed. About how terrible he looks. To alleviate the tension. Instead, he reaches over, takes Luke's hand in his own ...

... and then snatches his device clean away.

"You can have that back in a moment, once you've had a chance to clear your head."

He said he wasn't gonna yell (never said he didn't have things that needed to be said), and he's not sure that arguing with someone after a near death experience is the way to go.

[faithfulson]

Luke's head snapped up, irritation bordering on actual rage on his face. Seeing Bodhi was enough to pull him out of it, so sharply that it was like something cracked. He shuddered, biting his lip as what he'd just been doing sunk in, and he flopped back against the bed, squeezing his eyes shut as he forced himself to just breathe for a moment.

He finally opened his eyes, giving Bodhi a weak smile.

[onlydoubts]

Bodhi waited patiently, until Luke calmed himself down. He returns a smile that doesn't quite meet his eyes. While he's glad to see him -- alive, he hates to see him so vulnerable and hurt.

Dammit.

"I take it you got into contact with Leia." Because he had just been choked out, Bodhi hands him back over the device. To at least let Luke speak for himself.

He's not sure what he feels. Worry, obviously -- because, is it always going to be like this? Disappointment, that Luke had gone off and done this without a word to him? Because he knew that Bodhi would object? Emotions twist in his chest as he fiddles with the edge of a frayed cuff, unaware of the action.

You should have told me, too.

[faithfulson]

Luke's expression was pained when he took the phone back, looking down at the dreadful conversation he had been having with his sister. There was no way he could apologize for this, not right now, so he deleted what he had been tapping and closed it out, opening up the notepad instead.

I never realized this would have the effect it did. I just wanted it to be done and no one would need to know.