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Anakin'd had enough.

He'd had enough of the in-fighting and petty bickering on the Council that had kept him from becoming a Jedi like everyone knew he should've been for entirely too long. He was one of the best battlefield commanders they had--even Palpatine said so--and they had waited until he was practically 23 before knighting him? Ridiculous. And now they were complaining about his tactics at the Battle of Praesitlyn, calling them reckless and unauthorized. It had worked, hadn't it? The Dreadnaught cruisers had been destroyed, which had been the whole point. Palpatine had called the idea brilliant. They were just jealous.

( Anakin's getting close to the Dark Side. Too bad he's not having a bad feeling about this... )

Almost a year had passed since he'd left Fandom and Anakin's mood had not improved. He'd gone on missions, he'd dozed his way through negotiations, he'd ignored Obi-Wan's constant scoldings and the concerned looks that he wasn't supposed to notice anyway. As they sped around the galaxy, trying to hold together a Republic that seemed bent on its own destruction, a part of Anakin's brain had kept track of time in Fandom.

( He'd missed Rory's birthday. )

Anakin's eyes were still slightly bloodshot when he stepped off the transport at the Jedi Temple.

Obi-Wan was waiting for him, a welcoming smile on his face.

"Welcome home," he said, gripping Anakin's shoulder firmly and looking into his eyes. "You've been missed."

Anakin smiled. "Thank you, Master."

Obi-Wan had known Anakin too long and too well not to know that he was hurting. He also knew that distraction was one of the best cures. "We have a mission briefing in a few minutes," he said. "A bit of trouble on Dantooine." He smiled. "From what I've heard, it will require your…flair with a lightsaber rather than a series of negotiations."

Anakin's eyes filled with gratitude. "Sounds interesting, Master," he said.

Mace Windu strode into the hanger and gave Anakin a sharp nod. "Skywalker," he said. "A word, please." One of Mace's unique powers in the Force allowed him to see shatterpoints—places in time where the future could be molded in one direction or another—and Anakin's return to the Temple was one of those hinging events. The image of the lightsaber crystal hanging around the Earth girl's neck had stuck with him. It was time to make it very clear to Anakin where his loyalties needed to lie.

Obi-Wan gave Anakin another smile. "I'll see you in the briefing room," he said and walked off.

Anakin moved closer to Mace. "Yes, Master?" he asked, bowing.

Mace held out his hand. "Your comlink, please," he said without preamble.

Anakin handed it over, looking confused.

Mace dropped it onto the floor and then crushed it under his boot. "You're a Jedi," he said evenly. "It's past time you remembered what that means."

Anakin stared at the floor, a flood of emotions rushing through him in the few seconds it took him to regain control: shock and loss and a sudden, overwhelming rage.

The muscles in his jaw clenched tightly. "Yes, Master," he said, bowing.

"The datapad will be returned as well, Skywalker," Mace continued. "You need to reflect on the matters in this galaxy rather than any other. There's more than enough going on here to keep you occupied."

With that he spun on his heel and walked off.

Anakin stared at the pieces of the comlink on the floor for a long moment, then straightened his back and stalked off to find Obi-Wan. He had a mission to get briefed on.

As he walked away, the future of the galaxy got a little bleaker. Anakin had shattered, all right. In the wrong direction.

[OOC: And now Anakin is off to face his destiny with no way to be contacted by anyone from Fandom. It's been a hell of a run. Thank you all.]