AN: So, I read Redshift by pomegrenadiar and my immediate reaction of "What would happen if that happened to MY sith warrior" swiftly snowballed into "what is the one place I could most fuck up canon by dropping a time traveling sith warrior into?" This was the result. It involves a character from the game SW:TOR as a very major character, but I don't believe you need too much knowledge of the game to understand this, I'm posting it in the movie tag because it takes place in the movie world, and with mostly movie characters. It's also tagged complete, even though I'm adding to it when I can, because I've more or less tried to make each chapter sufficient endings on their own, as I am notoriously absent minded and may not ever finish this universe fully.
Disclaimer: I do not own star Wars, in any medium.
Darth Sidious drew on the Force, carefully channeling it into the holocron at the center of the ritual. He could almost feel the question curl through the Force, the holocron's rudimentary intelligence inquiring exactly what he wished. 'The greatest servant of the emperor', the aging man thought fiercely, channeling even more of his strength into the ritual. The device flowered open under his demand, unfolding into a complex structure. Sidious was beginning to sweat under the strain of pouring the Force into the seemingly endless vessel of the holocron, but he continued, for the reward he would gain would be priceless. A servant fit for the greatest of Emperors. A servant fit for him.
He had spent a long time working on corrupting the Jedi's precious Chosen One, but the stubborn brat just wouldn't take the last step. Sidious knew that the boy had been receiving Force visions of his wife's tragic death (a possible future, but one Sidious had been encouraging for all he was worth), but Skywalker just would not reach out to the Dark side, even with all of his "kindly mentor's" prodding. And without that, the boy was useless to him. If the ritual called him, then Sidious would no doubt be able to turn him. If not… Well, then there had been no need for him in the first place, and Sidious would have someone even better than the so called Chosen One.
The Sith Lord was pulled from his thoughts by a noise emanating from the holocron that was the center of the ritual. A vortex was beginning to form in the Force, distorting the air around it, and Sidious pushed even harder. He would have his servant. He would not be denied. With that last flood of strength, the vortex finally opened fully, and not a moment too soon it seemed, as he felt the Force signatures of several Jedi heading his way. A spot of light grew within the portal, and at last, his servant stepped forth. The vortex collapsed, the holocron snapping shut as he cut off the flow of power that had been fueling it, and allowed himself to take in the being he had summoned.
The being appeared female, though the heavy dark armor she wore obscured much of her body from view. But her face was bare, and Sidious had to force himself not to gape as he took in the high, striking cheekbones, molten orange eyes, and rich, red skin of what could only be a Red Sith, beings that had long been thought extinct. Yet one stood in front of him. Sidious felt a pleased smile stretch across his face. Oh yes, she would do very well.
The Sith stood still, eyes coolly studying him, a lightsaber gripped firmly in her hand, though she had not yet lit it. Sidious graciously allowed her a moment to collect herself before standing and striding towards her. The moment he did so, however, the lightsaber in her hand ignited.
"Who are you?"
He stiffened at the disrespect in her low, even tones, the demand flavored with an accent he could not identify. As both the Lord of the Sith, and the Chancellor of the Republic, he had long been accustomed to being treated with nothing but the utmost respect from everyone he encountered. So having someone summoned specifically to serve him behave in such a way infuriated him. Sidious took a moment to compose himself; she would learn soon enough. In the meantime, he supposed, she should know her master's name.
"I am Darth Sidious, Lord of the Sith." He answered proudly, expecting her to immediately understand exactly who she was dealing with. He did not expect for those orange eyes to roll in derision.
"Well, you are obviously not an apprentice, so Lord is to be expected. What I want to know is exactly who you think you are, to be calling on me. For that matter, where are we?" She glanced around. "This does not appear to be Dromund Kaas, which is where I would think a fool like you would live."
Sidious bit back a snarl. Forget allowing her time to become accustomed to the circumstances. He would not allow such behavior in his servant. He flung out a hand crackling with Force lightning, planning to teach her exactly what her place was.
He did not expect her to flip up her lightsaber and one handedly catch the energy on the blade. The energy crackled around the plasma, but did not touch her, and after a moment longer, he let the electricity fade away, still tired from the earlier feat of summoning her. She snorted at him, letting the lit blade lower until it was resting by her side, the tip almost on the floor. He was not fooled by the apparent relaxation; her eyes were sharp as they watched him.
The standoff was tense. She was still taking his measure. He was contemplating ways to make her submit. Neither were willing to back down.
Of course, that was when the Jedi barged through the door.
Mace Windu could hardly believe what was going on. A Sith was here, on Coruscant, and worse, was the Chancellor of the entire Republic. Today was not looking good for the Order. He strode confidently into the Chancellor's chambers, and saw the man himself standing there. Something trite spilled from lying lips. Mace ignored it.
The Jedi Master drew out his lightsaber, intoning confidently, "In the name of the Galactic Senate of this Republic, you are under arrest, Chancellor." He spat the title. Something flickered in the shadows in the corner of his eye, but he ignored it in favor of watching a snarl twist the Sith's face.
"Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"
Again, Mace ignored it. "The Senate will decide your fate."
Palpatine growled. "I am the Senate."
The Jedi forced his tone to remain calm and implacable. "Not yet." He clipped out.
A lightsaber appeared in the Sith's hand. "It's treason, then." He purred. The lightsaber ignited and suddenly the aged man was arrowing through the air, much faster than one would expect. The red blade clashed with Agen's and swiftly gutted him. Ignoring his grief for now, Mace threw himself into the fray, feeling his fellows follow. The man was good, much better than he'd thought, and it was taking all of his concentration to keep up. One of the other Jedi cried out in pain, and he heard a body fall, but he forced myself to ignore it and pressed the attack-
"Enough."
Mace froze. He couldn't help it. That single word, imbued with the Force and accompanied by a shudder that shook his very bones, allowed him nothing else. His only saving grace was that it had frozen his opponent as well. Lightsabers dropped from suddenly nerveless fingers and extinguished themselves against the floor. Everything was still. Then, from the shadows he had ignored only minutes earlier, stalked a dark, armored figure, clearly the source of the command. Mace felt his heart drop.
In their hand was a gleaming red blade.
"There's more of you?" He forced out through numb lips. The figure stepped into the light, revealing- Mace stared- ruby red skin, and dark red hair that the figure, now unmistakably female, wore in a tight bun at the back of her head. She snorted.
"I am nothing like him." She declared, before abruptly sobering. "Now," her voice filled with the Force in an unplacable command again. "Will someone kindly tell me what is going on?"
She clearly had no intention of letting them go, or for that matter, letting them do anything but speak, so Mace spoke.
"What do you mean?"
Her face- that red, red skin bothered him, he knew it from somewhere- twisted in a scowl of frustration.
"He calls himself a Lord of the Sith, yet you called him Chancellor of the Republic." She gestured at Palpatine. "So, where are we, for one?"
"Coruscant." Mace replied, puzzled. Surely she should know that. She gaped at him for a moment, before schooling her face back into neutrality. The dark skinned Jedi concentrated- he could feel feeling coming back into the tips of his fingers, perhaps he could hurry the process-
"What." And he felt himself freeze again and cursed inwardly. "That's the capital of the Republic!" She rounded on Palpatine. "What in the name of the Force is a Sith doing here?"
"Taking it over." Palpatine spat out, clearly compelled. "To make it into an Empire and rule forever as its Emperor." She blinked.
"Then why did you simply not take over the Empire?" She inquired, appearing completely sincere. "You claim to be a Darth, so when Arcann attacked you should have been able to lay claim to a Dark Council seat at the least." She continued, clearly thinking out loud. "I would almost think you were a Child of the Emperor- but no, you say you are a Darth, and openly so…" Her eyes refocused, pinning the Sith with a molten orange glare. "Yet you hold a Republic office. How, exactly, did you call me here?" The woman demanded. Mace was almost in awe of her ability to force even another Force user to speak the truth, which Palpatine clearly did not want to do.
The man croaked out, "The holocron. I opened it, told it to bring me the greatest servant of the Emperor. You came through."
Mace suddenly noticed the small, unassuming looking device that lay on the Sith's desk. It looked plain, but when he felt it, it reeked of the dark side so strongly he felt dirty just having sensed it. Their interrogator eyed it, understanding suddenly dawning on her face. Her eyes widened, and she hissed out, "Where did you get that?"
"An old archive." Palpatine sounded rather smug at that- and if such a thing could truly bring someone so powerful to his side (because she was keeping two Jedi Masters and the Master of the Sith frozen without visible effort, which was no mean feat), Mace had to reluctantly admit he had reason to be.
Her face froze, eyes wide, before they abruptly narrowed. "It seems I have been asking the wrong questions." Her eyes moved back to Mace. "What is the date and year?" Though puzzled, he named the requested information and she paled, the rich red of her skin fading.
"So the Great Galactic War?"
"Isn't that just a legend?" Mace replied, confused. She laughed, high and sharp and bitter, and turned back to Palpatine, who actually had a look of dawning comprehension on his face.
"Tell me what happened to the Sith." She demanded.
"There are two of us, a master and apprentice. We work in secret to bring down the Jedi."
Mace frowned. "Aren't you the apprentice?" There were only two Sith, after all, and shouldn't that mean that both were standing in front of him?
She snorted. "I haven't been an apprentice for a very long time, and I would never apprentice to one such as him." Their captor turned back to the other Sith. "What happened to the Empire?" She demanded.
He frowned, clearly trying not to answer. Her eyes narrowed and she reached out with the Force, one hand twisting the air. Palpatine froze, a choked breath hissing through the air. "Tell me."
"There is no Empire."
The floor dropped out from under them as the room was suddenly flooded with pure, unadulterated dark side.
Andrjin drew in a shaky breath as the anger that had slowly been rising in her over the course of the ridiculous, insane conversation abruptly exploded into pure fury. The beings she had been holding with the Force paled dramatically as the dark side began to swirl around her. Andrjin couldn't bring herself to care.
"You mean to tell me," the Sith began slowly, softly, her voice rising to a thunder, "That the Empire I fought for, bled for, and nearly died for, is gone? The Empire I fought to make stronger, better, that I served one mad emperor and killed two more for was destroyed?" Her voice shook with the force of her rage, as for once in her life she allowed her emotions free reign instead of bottling them for later use. Right now, even an attempt at bottling them would result in nothing but a more compressed explosion.
She turned a glare on the man that had brought her here. "And you tell me that the Republic won- that the Republic betrayed us?" She had forged an alliance, fought the Eternal Empire, sacrificed everything she loved- and this was her reward? To be summoned through time by an idiot Sith that thought playing with holocrons created by Vitiate was a good idea and then expected her to serve him? He clearly hadn't read to discover exactly who the holocron was supposed to summon.
"What-" One of the Jedi started, and she froze him with another wordless snarl. This was all such bullshit she couldn't even believe it.
The Sith drew himself up as much as he could. "The Republic was too strong to openly fight- until now. I called you that you could help me, help the Sith, finally triumph over the Jedi once and for all. Their precious Republic will become the new Empire." He clearly thought he had made a convincing argument and expected for her to help him- to serve him. And to a more power-obsessed, revenge driven Sith, it might have. Unfortunately for him, he had managed to hit most of Andrjin's berserk buttons. She growled.
"A pretty speech. But unfortunately for you, I serve no one." She reached out a hand and clamped the Force around his throat, sneering a little when his struggles completely failed to even dent her hold on him. And this weakling was considered the most powerful Sith in the galaxy?
His face was purpling- probably at least partly in rage, she thought with a tiny burst of amusement, and was close to falling unconscious when the Force screamed a warning. The Sith crumpled in a heap on the floor as she dropped him, whirling and bringing her lightsaber up. One of the Jedi- the dark skinned human- had fought free of the Force hold Andrjin had had on him while she was distracted by her fury at the other Sith, and his purple blade was slicing down at her unprotected back. She caught the lightsaber on her own and pushed him back, bringing one foot down in a Force-enhanced stomp that crackled across the floor in a miniature earthquake. He was flung backward, and she was ready to bring her lightsaber down- because Andrjin was so damn tired of trying to talk sense into Jedi that would rather kill a Sith than even contemplate that she might have a point- when the doors opened again. And in walked another Jedi.
Fantastic.
Mace struggled to stand, his vision blurring from the hit but feeling at last a spark of hope as he realized that Skywalker had walked in. Kitt, unfortunately, was unconscious behind him, having been thrown backwards and into the wall. The female Sith was horrendously strong, an even better fighter than Palpatine, but Anakin was a great fighter himself. They might have a chance of winning, especially since the two Sith seemed disinclined to work together. "Anakin," He gasped. "Thank the Force you're here, Palpatine is stronger than we thought, and there's another Sith. We'll need to work together to take them down." The younger Jedi nodded, his eyes distant.
"Palpatine will stand trial?" He asked, a strange note of urgency in his voice.
Mace was about to respond when a sudden clash of lightsabers broke into their conversation and interrupted his own attempt to rise to his feet. Palpatine had taken the other Sith's distraction as a chance to reclaim his own lightsaber, and the two were dueling, red sparks flying from each clash of their bloody looking blades. "I will be Emperor! You will obey me!" The man howled, and was met only with a derisive laugh from the woman he fought. Despite his grandiose words, it was obvious he was losing ground fast to his younger, stronger opponent. "You will be my greatest servant." He insisted, his voice becoming cajoling. "I will take you as my apprentice, and you will rule at my side. I will give you anything you desire." The purr of his voice was rather ruined by the harsh noise of their blades, and the woman he dueled simply snorted before lashing out with a palm, blasting him backwards. He tumbled to the ground, his lightsaber falling from limp fingers as she stalked forward.
Palpatine scrambled backwards. "You were supposed to be mine- my greatest servant. The greatest servant an Emperor could have."
The woman's face was emotionless as she looked down at him. "Unfortunately for you, the greatest does not mean the most loyal." She raised her arm, the blade poised above his chest.
"NO!" The word tore from Anakin's lips as he ran forward, his own blade out and angled for her arm, ready to slice it off at the wrist. The Sith jerked her arm back, and the two blades met harmlessly. She lashed out with a kick that sent him tumbling backwards, and barely angled her blade in time to catch the blast of lightning that Palpatine sent at her chest. The purple energy crackled against the red plasma for several seconds, the man's face becoming steadily more sunken and wrinkled as he drew on the dark side to fuel the desperate attack. He finally fell back, panting.
"I am too weak," the Sith moaned. The woman turned from him to look at Anakin.
"Don't kill him." The young man pleaded, having finally caught his breath after her brutal kick. The skin above her eye wrinkled in a clear mimic of raising an eyebrow.
"He is a Sith. You are a Jedi. At worst, you should be cheering at my killing him, at best trying to kill him yourself." She snorted. "It's not like you ever want to actually talk things out peacefully. Hypocrites." Mace thought he could hear her mutter.
"I need him." Anakin's voice was raw. "He promised to save Padmé. That he could keep her from dying." Mace frowned to himself. The Senator from Naboo? What did she have to do with anything?
That was when his body had finally had enough and succumbed to the unconsciousness that had been threatening since the Sith threw him into the wall.
The red skinned Sith actually laughed at that. Anakin bristled at the mocking tone. "If he promised anything, I can guarantee that it was a lie." She gestured with her blade at the man lying prone beneath her. "I have met Sith like him before. They will say anything if it will get them what they want."
"Aren't you a Sith too?" Anakin demanded. She actually smiled at that, as if the question amused her. Anakin really wanted some answers.
"Yes, I am, both by blood and training." She inclined her head calmly. "My name is Andrjin Iné, and I was the Emperor's Wrath, back when Sith ruled an Empire great enough to oppose the Republic and win." Anakin gaped, because he'd never heard of a Sith Empire. "An Empire that is long gone, thanks to actions of fools like this." She glared down at Palpatine. "And it is because I was Emperor's Wrath that I know exactly what it takes to bind a being to life; you are a fool to wish that upon anyone, even your worst enemy."
"You just admitted you were a Sith- why should I trust anything you say?" Anakin demanded. The woman- Andrjin, apparently, and wasn't that a strange name- eyed him with eyes that were cold, despite their heated orange.
"Can you read someone's feelings through the Force?" She inquired. "I am willing to drop my shields if I must, to prove that I am sincere."
What? Anakin frowned, trying to detect any hint of deception in her words. He could find none. This Sith, this complete stranger, was completely willing to allow him access to her very mind if it would help him to understand. He gulped. "I can, if you are willing to let me in. It's not something I'm very good at." The Jedi admitted with a dull flush of red.
She nodded. "Few are. I have found most Jedi are afraid to teach their students the art of understanding other people's most inner thoughts and emotions." There was a wry twist to her lips. "Personally, I think many of them are afraid of what would be found should their lessons be turned back upon them." Anakin refrained from commenting- he had many an uncomplimentary thought about the Order himself, but he felt he probably shouldn't be agreeing with someone who was nominally still an enemy.
"Reach out for me. Do not attack, simply try to understand." She instructed calmly. "I will not resist."
Anakin resisted the urge to close his eyes- this could still be a trap, despite the feelings he was already getting from her. She could be simply trying to lure him into a trap- but he had to know. He needed to know the truth, whether that truth was that Palpatine had lied or not. He had to know if he could save Padmé. He reached out through the Force, feeling Master Windu blazing like a restrained star. He shuddered at the cold, slimy feel of Palpatine, wondering how he could have never felt anything like this from the man before, and finally found the one he was looking for.
Andrjin felt nothing like he had expected her to, her Force presence neither cold, slimy, or even all that dark. Instead, she felt almost- comforting? Her power was vast, barely leashed, and definitely capable of killing, but it felt like a starfighter wrapped around him, a lightsaber raised in his defense, his troops fighting by his side, and he didn't understand why she didn't want to kill him, isn't that what the Sith wanted? The destruction of the Jedi?
'Hardly.' Her voice murmured inside his head and he jumped. He hadn't realized he'd been broadcasting. Her amusement was like a touch of cool water on his mind, completely opposite everything he'd ever known about the dark side. 'Not every Sith is a mindless beast, wanting only death and destruction. In my case, I simply wish the Jedi would stop trying to kill me, as if they'd actually talk to me they'd likely find I am not so different from them.'
'You can't be serious.' He thought back, trusting the lack of barrier between their minds to carry the thought through.
'Deadly so.' Her tone shifted then, becoming more businesslike. 'But I believe you were searching for proof that either myself or Sidious was lying.'
'I- yeah.' He agreed. Suddenly, a series of images flashed before his eyes. A man, tall and broad and with red skin just like hers, but a dead look in his eyes. A voice booming from all around her, though there was no one there, before people with glowing eyes and tortured expressions tried to kill him. An entire world withering before his eyes, all of its energy and life being sucked into a being that was more like a black void. A distinguished looking man with white hair and golden eyes that felt like the same void, ordering his death. World after world stripped bare, some by missiles, some by the same crushing devouring Force presence.
Finally, the stream of images ended, and he felt himself panting from the force of it.
'What- what was that?'
Her mental voice was grim. 'The only two people I have ever known to cheat death.' Anakin jolted, feeling hope rise- only for it to be dashed by her next words. 'The first man you saw was Scourge, the Emperor's Wrath before me. He served the Emperor for three hundred years. He could not die, but the Emperor exacted a terrible cost for that boon. Scourge could not feel anything. His emotions had been stripped away beneath the chemicals and rituals used to make him immortal, and with them, all color and flavor in life. He was nothing but a machine, bound to the Emperor's will.'
Anakin swallowed hard, almost fearing the answer. 'And the second?'
'The Emperor himself. He ruled the Empire for over a thousand years, moving from body to body as they wore out. He gained the power to do so by stripping a world of millions bare of all life. There is nothing there. Not even the Force. But he wanted more power, and decided that he would do the same to the rest of the universe.'
Anakin knew he was as pale as a sheet, but he had to ask. 'So Palpatine-?'
'Planned to turn your wife into an unfeeling monster? Most likely, yes, if he meant to save her at all. In my experience, Masters dislike it greatly when their apprentices have loyalties to any but themselves.' Her voice was cool, but not unsympathetic, and somehow, Anakin knew that she understood the pain he was going through. The betrayal of a trusted mentor stabbed at his heart, and he found himself reeling. Andrjin reached out to support him.
Which is when Palpatine- Sidious- struck.
A blast of lightning flung the surprised Andrjin to the side, another catching Master Windu and dropping him to the floor while the Sith Lord summoned his lightsaber to his hand. Anakin cried out as her mind was ripped away from his, and she struck the wall. Her body was limp as it slid down- though she was still alive, he could still feel her. "This is your chance, Anakin." The man crooned softly. "Strike her down and you will become my apprentice, with access to all my power and knowledge. You know you will be able to save Padmé." With a jolt the Jedi realized Sidious had not heard their conversation, did not know Anakin knew he had lied. And now that Anakin was searching for it, he could feel it, feel the lies oozing off of the Sith's Force signature like drops of oil.
He snarled, feeling the hurt and anger at yet another mentor being untrue- Qui-Gon may not have meant to leave, but he still did, and he had always known Obi-Wan hadn't wanted him- flood over him. "You're lying!" He screamed, his lightsaber igniting in his hand. Everyone lied, but he thought that he could trust Palpatine, and to find out now that he had lied like all the rest- his eyes flashed yellow, and he hurled himself at the man that now represented all of the pain and anguish he had suffered. Their lightsabers clashed, the man's sunken face looking shocked, before he abruptly shifted to a delighted smile.
"Yes," he hissed, "do it! Embrace the dark side, draw on it and strike me down! You are the Chosen One, the most powerful in the universe, and you will be mine!" Anakin jerked back, horrified at the words, and he felt the burning rage within himself extinguish.
"No." He breathed. He couldn't have- he was a Jedi! He didn't use the dark side. He couldn't! Sidious' face was that of a proud parent.
"But you did." Sidious insisted. "With you by my side, I don't need her, I don't need anyone. And if you join me, I will help you save your wife."
Anakin shook his head as he stumbled back. Padmé, Force, what would she think of him? She would never want to be a machine like Andrjin had described, she would hate the very thought of it. And the other option was even worse.
Sidious extended a hand to him. "Join me, my apprentice." He invited, looking confident.
Anakin bared his teeth at the monster in human form that stood in front of him. "Never."
A bored look flashed across the Sith's face. "Then you will die. Pity. You would have been a much better apprentice than Tyranus." He raised his lightsaber, ready to leap at Anakin, when suddenly he stumbled, a look of shock distorting his already grotesque looks. A beam of pure red light emerged from his chest, incinerating his heart. His body dropped, and behind him stood Andrjin, scorch marks scattered across her breastplate but otherwise unharmed.
"Force damn Emperors and their kriffing god complexes." She spat, glaring at the corpse. Her eyes softened as she looked back up at Anakin, and the Jedi realized in a burst of hysteria that he was taller than her. It was a ridiculous thing to notice, but it was all he could think of. A hand landed on his shoulder. It was Master Windu, awake again.
"Anakin." The master said softly. "You know attachment is forbidden to Jedi." Anakin felt as if the iciest wind of Hoth had slithered down his spine. Oh Force, he'd heard. "You cannot be married and be a Jedi."
Anakin bowed his head. A loud "What!" from the third conscious occupant of the room (Kitt Fisto still lying unconscious from his much more grievous injuries) broke into his thoughts, and he turned to look at Andrjin, who was in turn staring in disbelief at them both.
"You mean to tell me that you Jedi are now forbidden to marry? Force, even in my day your Council wasn't that strict. I know for a fact their Grandmaster had a son."
Anakin jerked at that. She continued, oblivious to their reactions. "In fact, it was practically commonplace for the Green Jedi to marry and have children. Force sensitivity is known to be passed down through genes, after all, and they were all about having more Jedi." She frowned admonishingly at them.
"What in the kriffing hells is your Council doing?"
The Skywalker was suddenly struck by the irony of the whole situation- a Sith, lecturing a Jedi Master and Knight about the history of their own Order and their own Council's failings, and he started laughing. His voice was rather high pitched and a bit cracked, because if he was feeling a bit hysterical, well, who could blame him after what had just happened?
The Sith in question blinked at him, before sighing and admitting with a smile. "And that sounds completely ridiculous coming from me, I'm sure." Anakin nodded with a snort.
"But seriously." She grumbled. "And I thought the Jedi in my day were stupid." She suddenly looked up with a frown. "And what was that about the Chosen One."
Anakin shrugged. He'd never felt comfortable with the title. "There was a prophecy."
He was subjected to yet another incredulous stare. "What." Her voice was flat. Master Windu had clearly decided that enough was enough, and his hand tightened on Anakin's shoulder.
"Some Jedi believe that Anakin is the one who will bring balance to the Force by defeating the Sith once and for all." His voice was cold, and Anakin could feel him tense, but he did not attack. Probably because it had already been proven that the Sith standing in front of them was capable of beating him easily when he was at full power, never mind when he was woozy from a concussion.
Andrjin gaped at them. "That is not the meaning of balance-" she started the sentence before abruptly snapping her mouth shut. Nothing she said on that would make a bit of difference, she could see that in the dark skinned human's eyes already. And the younger Jedi- the one that had been willing to listen, had trusted her to speak the truth (though she knew that had been helped by her Jaesa-like mind sharing)- wilted beneath the older man's hand. No, not just his hand, but the weight of destiny the fools had placed on his shoulders. She was reminded once more of Jaesa and the fool Nomen Karr, though she doubted that the young man- Anakin, her memory supplied- had ever been the other man's Padawan. They simply did not behave like a mentor and student would.
"Enough." The older Jedi said. "Sith, you are under arrest. Please come quietly."
She frowned. "What have I done?"
With an incredulous look he gestured at the body lying on the floor. "You killed the Republic Supreme Chancellor, and injured two Jedi."
Andrjin's brow furrowed. "Whom you were trying kill yourself, I simply got there first. And I merely kept you from being killed, as you surely would have been if you have fought." She pointed out logically- after all, two of their number had already been killed before she interfered and she saw no reason why the other two would not have followed shortly, and she said as much.
The Jedi Master scowled heavily. "We would have prevailed. The Force is with us."
"And it was not with him?" She gestured at the body lying behind them.
Anakin finally stirred himself out of whatever mental world he'd lost himself in. "Master, we can't arrest her. She has done nothing wrong."
"Quiet, Skywalker." The Master admonished. "You will be dealt with later by the Council." She frowned as she watched the way the Jedi- who had been so determined and bright when she had allowed him into her mind- diminish, folding into himself.
"Just don't punish Obi-Wan." He said quietly. "He didn't know."
"Later, Skywalker."
Andrjin frowned. "Three thousand years and you Jedi are still using and abusing your apprentices."
Oh, that got quite the scowl. She was probably supposed to be intimidated. She ignored him, instead choosing to speak directly to the subject of her comment, wanting to confirm the rather distasteful image forming in her head. "Anakin," she said. The Sith hadn't known her voice could get so gentle, but really, he reminded her so much of her own apprentice that it was no surprise at all. "Am I correct in assuming that the wife whom I can feel you love so much, is forbidden to you under the Jedi Council?"
He nodded slowly, heavily. She frowned. "And I assume your Council will wish for you to renounce her."
The Jedi Master- she should really learn his name, but he was obnoxious, so she'd just call him Baldy (and dear Force, Vette had rubbed off on her)- spoke. "It's the only way for him to remain in the Order. And even then, he will have to be censured."
She ignored him again. "Anakin." She waited until his eyes met hers. "Do you wish to renounce her?"
The young Jedi gave a full body flinch. "Never." His voice was hoarse with suppressed tears. "I love her, and the baby. I can't give them up." Baldy started at the news of a baby, but when he went to speak she glared at him until he shut his mouth. Good Jedi.
She nodded, satisfied. "Then as I see it, you have two options. Either you leave the Jedi Order and make your own way," she pretended not to see the wince he made at the thought "or you change the Order so that is is allowed." He stared at her, jaw slack, at that.
Force, why was she giving advice to a Jedi? (Because he made her think of her own apprentice, now lost to her forever, and in some ways of herself, before Asha- no, don't think of it- and she hated to see another young one lead down a wrong path by his elders. And he was so, so young, still, though she doubted he'd see it that way.)
Andrjin hesitated, hardly able to believe she was going to offer this, but as much as she hated to admit it, she was entirely and completely alone in this strange new world, and having killed the one that summoned her, was unlikely to ever go back.
"I can see from your face that the second one will never happen." She said, and by his wince knew she was right. "But-" she paused, "I may be able to offer a third option." She could tell that he was paying attention.
"You could come with me instead. Your wife and child would be welcome, of course," the Sith hastened to add when his face clouded, "and that way you would not be alone. I am also more than willing to help should you wish to continue practicing with the Force."
Baldy was unable to keep silent at that. "If you think I'm going to just sit back and let a Sith go free to rebuild your cursed order-"
"I have no desire to rebuild the Sith." Andrjin cut him off sharply. "I had just finished a campaign to destroy the most evil Sith that the order has ever been produced when that fool summoned me. I have been forced to be something I hate by an Empire I tried to love, and I want nothing anymore but peace. And should that peace include offering sanctuary to a Jedi that your order has driven to the breaking point, used and abused until there is nothing left- then I have no problem with it!"
"Lies." Baldy snapped back. "All the Sith have ever wanted was to destroy the Jedi. I won't let that happen."
She laughed, sharp and biting. "Jedi. Always so self-centered, so arrogant despite your code demanding you be humble. You think the universe revolves around you, when in truth I'd happily have nothing to do with your order ever again. As far as I'm concerned, the only good things your order produced are long gone, with the only one left standing in front of me now." Andrjin could tell that Anakin was not expecting her to gesture at him when she said that, and it hurt her (too soft, too soft) heart to think that he was neglected enough to accept praise from one that should be his enemy.
"You-" Baldy drew himself up with a snarl. But before he could continue, he was cut off by a soft voice.
"I'll come with you." Anakin said softly. It left the other Jedi flabbergasted, his mouth flapping in a most undignified manner.
"What!" Baldy spluttered. "Anakin, you can't! She's a Sith. You saw what happened to Dooku when Sidious got him! How can you risk that happening to you? I forbid you under my authority as a Master of the Jedi Council."
"With all due respect, Master Windu," Anakin began (Andrjin still liked calling the man Baldy better), "I formally withdraw from the Jedi Order. I find that I no longer have a place with you that I can call my home, and I wish to seek truth elsewhere." Here his voice hardened. "As is my right as a citizen of our Republic."
He turned to leave, looking over his shoulder at Andrjin, who couldn't suppress a smile. "We need to go see Padmé. She'll be able to help us with what to do next. Though, Master Windu?" He said. "I would recommend contacting the appropriate authorities to explain what happened with the Chancellor. I'm sure Padmé would be glad to help you as well, since you were part of removing such a threat to the safety of the Republic." He paused. "I am equally certain that she would object
He turned back to the Sith and gestured at the door. "I left my speeder over there, and we'll need it to get to Padmé's apartments. She'll be able to help us figure out what we're going to do next." The Sith- species only, for she was very tired of the order- inclined her head.
"Lead the way. And?" He glanced at her. "Thank you." Andrjin said softly.
He shook his head, and for the first time on this crazy, awful day, he smiled. "No." Anakin said softly. "Thank you." He paused. "I think Padmé has a much better chance of surviving me as a retired Jedi than she does me as a Sith, and if you hadn't been there, I think that Sidious would have won." He admitted softly.
"Visions are strange and confusing things." Andrjin offered. "The Force does things in ways that we cannot begin to fathom." She paused to think.
"And perhaps, that is a good thing." Anakin nodded in agreement.
Mace Windu watched them go, disbelief at the way the day had gone roiling through his mind. In all the shatterpoints he had ever seen, this had never been one of them. Behind him, he heard a groan as Kitt awakened.
He was not looking forward to explaining this to the Council.