Full Summary: Five years have passed by since the Galactic Civil War began and Emperor Palpatine, along with his right hand enforcer Darth Ira, has nearly obliterated the Jedi Order. A group of Jedi, led by Padawan Ahsoka Tano, find refuge on the planet Ziost. As darkness rises in all places, Anakin, along with his children, his wife and his former master, find themselves on a mission that will lead to the discovery of unlikely allies…
Author's Note: this is the sequel to Exile and it takes place five years following the end of the first book. It is primarily a Luke/Anakin story because in this story, I'm going to explore the Father/Son relationship between Anakin and his five-year-old son. Reviews are much appreciated and here is the first chapter, I hope that you like it.
Disclaimer- I do not own Star Wars, I never have, I never will, George Lucas does and I am only saying this once.
Keeping Faith
Book II: Allies
Chapter One
Invasion
Zharan was a mysterious planet; with the Force cloaking trees that prevented any Force users from seeing people use the Force on the surface of the planet and the Twi'leks and humans that roamed the inhabited cities of the planet. Padawan Ahsoka Tano reflected that Zharan was, perhaps, the most mysterious planet she's been to since she became a Padawan.
Even now, with the dark side holding the galaxy in its' iron grip and the Jedi labeled as rogues and traitors to the Empire, Ahsoka still found herself thinking about life at the Jedi Temple and the life she once led when she was still apprenticed to Anakin Skywalker.
Five years have gone by since the Empire rose and Ahsoka, as well as many other survivors of the Jedi Purge, were still taking refuge on the planet Zharan. Yoda was there as well as Even Piell, Shaak Ti, Ferus Olin, who had returned to the Jedi Order when he heard about the purge, Jax Pavan, and many others of which Ahsoka didn't remember the names of.
Aayla Secura was also a Jedi that survived the purges only because she managed to fake her death when the clone troopers turned on her. Ahsoka spotted the blue skinned Twi'lek standing nearby, next to Shaak Ti and Even Piell. She glanced over her shoulder as Jax walked over to join her, he had changed his appearance in the five years since the war began and now had black hair and a clean shaven face.
"Hello Ahsoka," Jax greeted her.
"Jax," Ahsoka replied lowering her head in greeting.
Jax looked over at the three Jedi masters that were standing nearby. "It's strange that out of the twelve Jedi masters, only four survived," he commented.
"Five but Master Yoda doesn't speak of Mace Windu that often even though I know he's alive," Ahsoka said.
"Whatever happened to Obi-Wan and Anakin?"
"Who knows? Obi-Wan never returned to Coruscant after he was sent to Utapau so I think he may have been one of the ones to escape the Purges," the Togruta Padawan replied.
"And Anakin?"
"Alive Anakin is but far away from here," Yoda's voice sounded and Jax and Ahsoka turned to regard the little green dwarf as Yoda waddled over to join them, his gimer stick tapping against the sandy ground that lay beneath their feet.
"Where is Anakin?" Ahsoka asked curiously.
"Aiding the rebellion he is, along with Obi-Wan," Yoda replied calmly.
"What about Master Windu? Ahsoka said that he's still alive but if he is then why isn't he here?" Jax asked curiously.
Yoda narrowed his beady little eyes. "Alive Master Windu is, tell you that much I can but nothing more," he said.
"Why not?"
"Full of questions are you but answer any of them I cannot," Yoda replied before he walked away to join Aayla, Shaak Ti and Even Piell who were still deep in conversation. Ferus Olin, former Padawan to the late Siri Tachi who had left the order a few years before Siri died, walked over to join them.
Ferus was from the planet Ballassa and he had brown eyes and gold-streaked brown hair and Ahsoka remembered that he didn't really like Anakin that much when he was with the Jedi Order. He just barely came back to the order when Yoda contacted him and told him to come to the planet Zharan.
"Hello Ahsoka," Ferus greeted her.
"Ferus," Ahsoka replied.
"What are they talking about?"
Ahsoka, realizing Ferus was talking about the four Jedi masters, shook her head slightly. "I don't know," she replied. "It could have something to do with the Emperor and his right hand enforcer Darth Ira but I'm not entirely sure."
"Why don't we go see?" Jax suggested.
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "They'll get mad if they catch us," she pointed out.
"Jedi Masters don't get mad, they just get disappointed, there's a big difference."
Ahsoka sighed. "True," she admitted. "I still don't like it." But she relented and followed Jax and Ferus as they crept slunk through the trees in an attempt to get closer to the four Jedi masters. When they were within earshot, the three Jedi crouched down to listen.
"…about Skywalker? It is likely they will be in danger of the Emperor and Darth Ira," Piell was saying when Ahsoka, Jax and Ferus tuned into the conversation.
"Yes, in danger Skywalker is but other plans for him the Emperor has," Yoda said.
"Other plans you say?" Aayla echoed.
"Yes but know those plans I do not," Yoda admitted.
"Have you contacted Skywalker at all? Or Kenobi for that matter?" Shaak Ti asked.
"Not yet, contact me when they reached Lok Skywalker was supposed to but know what happened I do not," Yoda said.
"Master Yoda," Barriss Offee, former Padawan to the late Luminara Unduli, walked over to join them. "We're receiving a transmission from Skywalker."
"It is about time," Piell muttered.
"Impatient you are, not a good thing that is," Yoda admonished the old Jedi Master.
"My apologies, Master Yoda," Piell said.
"Put the transmission through you will," Yoda ordered Barriss calmly.
"Yes Master Yoda," Barriss replied before she held out a comlink and the holographic image of Ahsoka master, Anakin Skywalker, appeared before them.
"Contact me sooner you did not, Skywalker," Yoda said.
"My apologies on that Master Yoda but we've been running back and forth for the past five years and I have been unable to contact you for fear of letting loose where the rebels were located to anyone who just happened to be trying to track us," Anakin's voice replied.
Ahsoka noticed that Anakin looked different than when she last saw him, even if she was only seeing him as a hologram. The posture in which he stood and the calmness that existed around him came as a shock to the young Togruta Padawan. Anakin sure has changed in the last five years, she thought.
"…are you located?" Aayla was saying when the Togruta tuned back into the conversation.
"Nowhere right now," Anakin admitted. "We're trying to find a suitable base and I can't give out any information because anyone might be tracing this message. I'm using an encrypted code to send this transmission but I'm not sure if someone could break it."
"How is Master Kenobi? And who else is with you?" Piell asked.
"Right now Master Kenobi is talking with a friend and the only other people with me are my children and Padmé and…Luke! Get away from him, how many times have I told you to stay away from him?" Anakin called, turning his head away from the Jedi Masters and focusing on some point away from the transmission.
"But Dad…" a small voice sounded in the background.
"No 'buts', Luke. The last time you tried to fiddle around with Threepio, you ended up erasing half of his memory and I don't think he'd appreciate having the other half of his memory erased," Anakin replied.
"All right," the little voice muttered.
"Sorry about that, Masters," Anakin said turning his gaze back to the Jedi Masters.
"Who was that?" Aayla asked.
Anakin looked at Yoda. "You didn't tell her?" he asked.
"Have the time I did not," Yoda replied. "And…" He broke off before lifting his head and Ahsoka glanced up as well. Her eyes went wide when she saw starships starting to make their way down to the planet's surface.
"What's going on?" Ferus whispered.
"I think we're being invaded but I'm not sure," Ahsoka replied.
"Contact you later we will, Skywalker, have problems to attend to here we do," Yoda said.
"All right, Masters, may the Force be with you all," Anakin said then his holographic image disappeared. Barriss tucked the comlink away before narrowing her eyes.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"We're being invaded," Shaak Ti said grimly. "Barriss, you, Ahsoka, Ferus and Jax gathered as many Jedi as you can and get off of this planet. We'll try to distract the Imperials for as long as we can."
"How can you be sure they are Imperials?" Barriss asked. "And where are Ahsoka, Ferus and Jax?"
"They're Imperials because I sense that they are thinking alike, like the clones we used to fight alongside with. As for where Ahsoka, Ferus and Jax are, they're right behind you," Aayla was the one that replied.
"I told you to be quieter," Jax protested.
"We were being quiet, you're the one that snapped that twig," Ferus protested.
Barriss jogged over to join them and, having overheard the brief argument, narrowed her eyes. "You two can discuss that later, we need to get as many of the Jedi off of Zharan as quickly as we possibly can," she said.
"What about Masters Yoda, Piell, Secura and Ti?" Ferus asked.
"They can take care of themselves," Barriss replied.
A series of blasterfire surged across the forest before slamming into nearby trees, instantly causing them to catch afire. Panic could be felt through the Force and Ahsoka swore under her breath in Huttese, having learned how to say those curse words from her master.
"Come on, we have to at least get the younglings off of the planet," she said standing up and running toward the cavern where the younglings were located. Jax, Ferus and Barriss instantly hurried after them as an onslaught of blasterfire continued to surge through the forest.
Darth Ira narrowed his eyes as he examined the planet that lay below him. Even though Zharan was cloaked in the Force, Ira knew that the Jedi were still there and that was why he sent the Imperials down there to hunt them down.
Admiral Lycar stood at his side, also examining the planet. "I don't mean to question your judgment, my Lord, but we came here before and there was no one here. How can you be sure they are down there?" he asked.
"The planet may cloak the use of the Force but I still know they are there. It is likely they will try to evacuate as many Jedi as they possibly can so keep an eye out for any transports heading off planet," Ira ordered.
"Yes my Lord," Lycar said before he muttered the order to a nearby sergeant who nodded in reply and immediately went to work. Ira turned to look at the planet as he waited for the Jedi to make their move against the Imperials that were sent down there.
It is likely that the Jedi will scatter once you invade Zharan and that may make it harder for you to hunt them all down but you'll be able to do it, Lord Ira, Palpatine's words echoed in Ira's mind.
A cruel smile crossed his facial features. Palpatine is right, I will be able to hunt the Jedi down and kill them all, he thought
a/n what do you think?
Blaze: that was the first chapter
Darth: it was short
Blaze: I know, I'll try to make the next one longer
Darth: that's cool
Blaze: so please review and I'll post chapter 2 as soon as I possibly can but I doubt it will be anytime soon.