KMC Forums - Anakin's Ultimate TK Feat! (New)

Credit goes to The_Muser.

The next storm-shield generator overloaded just as Anakin reached it. He had a split second's warning, one hammer blow from the Force. The storm seemed to hold its breath...

...and then exhaled in renewed fury as the generator erupted in a burning light show of sparks. With a scream like a wounded animal the shield directly overhead collapsed and a maelstrom of theta particles poured through the gap.

He acted on instinct-and out of sheer bloody-minded terror. Throwing up his hands he used the Force to hold back the stream of theta particles, and with a shout of rage became one with the storm shield. Rejected the storm. He thought he could feel his blood bubbling. He was losing himself, disappearing within the scarlet vortex of the Force as it consumed him and transformed him into fire.

And there was his mother, whispering again. He can help yon. He was meant to help yon. Furious, Anakin stood alone against the storm.

"It was the most awful thing I've ever seen, " Qui-Gon had told him, so many years ago. "Theta storms kill in two ways, you see. If you're contaminated from a distance, well, it takes a long time to die. But if you are in the storm's path it trill rip you to pieces and then melt your bones. I've seen it kill both ways, and both ways arc cruel. Better to be swallowed alive by a sarlacc. "

Anakin felt the explosion heartbeats before it happened. Sweating and trembling with the effort of holding back the theta storm, ignoring the villagers who'd come to see what was going on, he tried to send Obi-Wan a warning-but his mind was so bludgeoned by the quicksilver torment of keeping the raging storm at bay that he couldn't feel his former Master's presence.

And then the refinery went up like Coruscant fireworks on Republic Day.

Screams and shouts sounded as panic surged through the Force, bright and white and stunning. Vision smearing and blearing, Anakin sought in the crowd for Teeba Jaklin. She'd come from the charter house to see what the fuss was about and remained because she couldn't believe her own eyes.

"Jaklin! Teeba Jaklin!"

She pushed and shoved and swore her way to him through the jostling villagers who pointed and gasped and were beginning to break for the refinery.

"Yes, Markl?" She scowled. "If that's even your name. "

"It's my name at the moment, " he said, his teeth gritted against the relentless pain of the storm. "Teeba Jaklin, please. Find Yavid for me. Make sure he's all right. "

The explosion's echoes rolled around the village, trapped beneath the barely holding shield. The red stormglow beyond it was matched by the red glow of leaping flames. The refinery was burning. He and Jaklin stared at each other as the rest of Torbel's people ran to help, shadows in the glare of the storm. Some headed for the artesian well, for water. Others made straight for the burning building full of raw damotite.

A chilling thought struck him. Was the mineral itself flammable? That smoke-was it a toxic cloud poised to poison every last man, woman, and child beneath the storm shield?

"Teeba Jaklin! Is there danger from the..."

Her eyes were full of fear. "Yes. Not drop-dead-on-the-spot trouble but even with our secret protection we'll all of us be sickly in the next few days. " She looked up at the thrashing theta storm over their heads. "Unless that clears quick soon and we can down the shields so the smoke gets to blow clean away. "

"Which..." He had to pause, to rebalance himself. The effort of fighting the storm was threatening to drive him to his knees. He'd started to breathe in harsh gasping pants. "Which is-worse? The theta particles-or the damotite-smoke?"

The question made her laugh grimly. "The storm-unless it don't clear and we're left breathing smoke for hours on end. Then we'll be likely done for whichever way you slice the bread. "

Of course they would be. The universe had a stinking sense of humor.

"You need-to find Yavid, " he gasped. "If he's-not hurt he-can help you. "

The look on her face said she thought they were all beyond help. "I'll look for him. How much longer before you fail, Teeb?"

He didn't know. He didn't want to think about that. "I'm- all right. Go. Please. " Another deep, shuddering breath. "Find Yavid. "

They were alone now, save for the men working on the shield generator. Jaklin turned away from him. "Guyne! How soon before that generator's fixed?"

The oldest of the four feverishly tinkering men spared her a glance. "Going as fast as we can, Jaklin. Half the circuits are burned out. "

Anakin tightened his hold on the Force, feeling the seethe and surge of the storm like living fire. "I can-hold on, Teeba. Don't-worry-about me. Just go. Co!"

Half step by half step, Jaklin retreated. In the garish light her eyes were narrowed. A muscle worked along her jaw. "I know what you are, young Teeb. You're..."

"Not-now, " he said, almost groaning. "Please. Find Yavid. Tell him-I'll get there-soon as-I can. "

Instead of answering, she turned to look at Guyne one last time. "Could he our lives are with you now, old Teeb, " she said, her voice cracking. "Don't you be letting us down. "

His teeth showed briefly in his thin, seamed face. "Not planning to, old Teeba. Get on now. Rikkard'll have need of you. "

Anakin took another rib-cracking breath. "Teeba..."

"I know, " she snapped, retreating. "Yavid. I said I'd look, and I will. I'm an honest one-even if you aren't. "

She broke into a flat-footed run. He watched her for a few short, uneven strides, feeling Guyne's measured stare.

Don't look at me, old man. Fix that generator, would you?

Anakin hurt so much now it would be easy just to... give in. Give up. Let go. But he couldn't do that. Hundreds of lives were depending on him. He had to stand here and take it until the generator was fixed-or his heart gave out. So he closed his eyes. Whether it made sense or not he always found it easier to focus his will when cocooned in darkness.

With sight denied him all his other senses leapt to keener life. The stink of the shield generator's scorched circuitry. The stink of burning damotite from the exploded refinery. The stink of his own sweat. He heard-felt-three more explosions. Smaller this time, in swift succession. There were shouts, sirens. Sounds and echoes drumming. The worst of the Force's insistent warning had faded, leaving him scoured hollow and stunned. Now all he felt in the Force was confusion, fear and pain. Everything he usually felt, no matter where he was. It was terrible and yet, in the strangest way, also comforting. He knew how to deal with that.

It was the unknown that made him nervous.

How long had he been standing here, holding back the storm? Probably less than an hour. It felt like days. Years. He didn't have much time before the choice of whether to let go or endure would be out of his hands. Even the Chosen One had limits.

He remembered himself as a small boy, boasting to Qui-Gon at his mother's rough table.

Has anyone ever seen a Podrace? I'm the only human who can do it.

And now he was probably the only Jedi who could turn himself into a living storm shield.

It isn't boasting. It's the truth. I've got a knack for beating the odds.

Now all he had to do was beat these odds for just a little bit longer...

Sweat pouring, heart pounding, dimly aware that he was burning himself out, Anakin clung to the Force like a child to its mothers hand. Time passed. He passed with it, in silence.

"All right, " said Giuyne at last. "I think that's got it. Teeb Markl..."

Stirring, he opened his eyes. "Teeb?"

"We're going to try the generator. Get ready. "

He managed to nod.

The other three men stepped back from the generator as Guyne, sore and sorry and tired, took a deep breath and reconnected the power supply. He flipped a series of switches, waited-waited-then activated the shield.

With a sizzling hum the storm shield came back online. Guyne and his three friends cheered, tiredly ecstatic... and Anakin slumped, falling boneless and graceless to the hard, dry ground.

Master. "I know you couldn't. I'm not angry. If anything, I'm astonished. Anakin, what you managed..." Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm not certain that Yoda himself could've held this wretched storm back the way you did, for as long as you did. You saved the village. "

__________________

"There is only Revan. Only he can shape this galaxy as it is meant to be shaped."