The Cassie Skywalker Chronicles

by Lady Dawson

Chapter One: One Rescued, One Lost

Staring vaguely out into space, Anakin took a deep breath, leaning his head back, trying to think of anything but what had happened back on Coruscant. The pain was too raw, Padmé's betrayal too fresh. Everything that he thought he had known, everything that he had believed was nothing but a lie.

One thing was for certain, though; he would not let his child be corrupted by Padmé. He would not allow the baby to be raised in such evil. Bad enough that she would have to grow up in a galaxy ruled by the Sith.

Anakin knew what had happened back on Coruscant, at the Senate; Senator Organa, who helped him stage a rescue at the Temple, had told him everything. Padmé had gained control of the Senate by telling them of the Chancellor's "assassination" at the hands of the Jedi. They had unanimously voted her Supreme Chancellor and then voted to turn the Republic into the Galactic Empire, with Padmé as Empress. It was altogether too unreal, but Anakin knew that it was true.

At least they'd managed to rescue some of the Jedi, he thought. By the time Anakin got to the Temple, there were already clones everywhere, killing any Jedi that they saw. Masters, Knights, Padawans, even the younglings were being murdered before his eyes.

It was perhaps a miracle that they'd rescued as many as they did, he thought, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hadn't heard from any of the other Jedi who were off-planet, but this attack was happening everywhere; that much Padmé had told him before he raced for the Temple. And if this was happening everywhere, then that meant that there were probably very few survivors in the galaxy . . . it mean that . . . that there was a very good possibility that Obi-Wan was . . .

"No," Anakin muttered, giving himself a shake to clear his thoughts. He wasn't going to accept that. Obi-Wan had to be alive. He wasn't sure if he could get through this without his best friend, his brother.

Obi-Wan had to be alive.

Hearing a knock on the cockpit door, Anakin turned around in the pilot's seat to see Senator Organa standing behind him.

"Any word?" he asked.

"Nothing," Anakin said quietly, turning away. They'd been trying to hail any Jedi on the comm., but so far, there was no reply. He'd tried calling his master directly, but either Obi-Wan was in trouble or he couldn't answer. Either way, there was no answer from anyone.

"What were you planning to do with the children?" Organa inquired as he stood impassively behind Anakin, who sighed.

"I didn't really have a plan," he admitted. "We can't really rebuild the Temple somewhere else; if she's as strong in the Force as I think she is, Padmé would sense it and send clones at our door. We have go into hiding and we can't do it together; too many Force-sensitives would be like a beacon for the Sith." He sighed, looking around at the Senator. "Did you know?"

"Know what? That my colleague and friend was a Sith Lord? That she was working with the Separatists all this time? No, Anakin, I didn't."

He nodded once, looking away. "I suppose that was the plan all along; she wanted us to believe the façade that she put up. They both wanted us to believe the lie so that we . . . we would do what they wanted us to do. And I played right into their hands," he muttered.

"I know it may not help much, but . . . I am as much at fault as you are," Organa said with infinite sympathy. "Padmé was my friend. I . . . I should have seen something; you would think I would be so used to political schemes that I would've seen this. And . . . perhaps I did," he said quietly. "There were times when . . . I don't know, when something didn't seem right about her. A word here or a phrase that seemed . . . off. If I'd thought about it . . ."

Anakin sighed. "I know, Senator."

Organa looked at him. "I know it may not help much, but you did the right thing in taking down the Chancellor. You trusted him, so I know it can't have been an easy thing for you to do. No one else will probably say it for a long while, so thank you, Master Skywalker." Anakin couldn't even force himself to fake a smile. "You know, I could take the children and put them up as war orphans. Many would be willing to take in an orphaned child."

"That's a good idea," Anakin agreed. "Thank you. I'm sorry, I—" He stopped as he caught an emergency code, the one used for Jedi.

Opening the communications, Anakin was relieved to see the familiar face of Obi-Wan Kenobi on the holoprojector.

"Obi-Wan!" he said. "You don't know how glad I am to see you!"

"Likewise," his old master said. "Anakin, my clone troops turned on me. I need help."

"It's happening everywhere," Anakin told him. "The Temple was attacked by an entire army. I was barely able to get a handful of younglings out alive." Obi-Wan's eyes widened in shock mixed with horror. "I'll explain what happened when you get here. I'm sending you our coordinates."

"All right," Obi-Wan said. "I'll see you shortly. Anakin . . . are you all right? You look . . ." He trailed off, as though he couldn't quite put his finger on the word.

Anakin swallowed. "I'll explain when you get here," he said monotonously.

Whether it was the tone he used or the expression he wore, Anakin didn't know, but Obi-Wan asked no more questions, simply nodded and ended the call, promising he would be there as soon as he could.

"One of our pilots can take over," Organa said, watching Anakin carefully. "You should take one of our cabins; you look like you could use a few hours' sleep. I'll wake you when Obi-Wan arrives."

Though he doubted he would get even an ounce of sleep, Anakin reluctantly agreed, allowing Organa to lead him to a vacant cabin. But to his surprise, the second his head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep.


"Anakin?"

Groaning slightly, Anakin was pulled from his sleep by someone shaking him gently, turning over to find Obi-Wan standing next to him, his expression unreadable.

"It's good to see you alive, my friend," Obi-Wan told him.

"You, too," Anakin muttered as he threw aside the blankets, pushing himself into a sitting position. Behind Obi-Wan, he saw Yoda leaning heavily on his cane, looking concerned as he watched them. "Master Yoda."

"Glad, I am to see you alive, young Skywalker," the green Master said with a nod to him. Anakin just nodded as he stood up, accepting his cloak as Obi-Wan handed it to him. "Talk we must about the happenings at the Temple and the Senate. What know, do you, about Senator Amidala's newly appointed position as Empress?"

Obi-Wan looked at him curiously and Anakin swallowed.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go to the conference room and I'll explain. But . . ." he said uneasily, glancing edgily at Obi-Wan. "There's some things I have to tell you that you're not gonna like."

His old master looked doubly worried, but followed him as they headed into the conference room, all three of them taking seats. Anakin took a deep breath, placing his hands together on the table, trying to figure out where to start.

"I should tell you that . . . I found out who Darth Sidious was," he said slowly, looking around at Obi-Wan. "It was—it was Palpatine; he was Darth Sidious." Both Obi-Wan and Yoda looked startled at this revelation. "I found out and Master Windu and a few other Council members went to stop them. When I got there, Master Windu was the only one left. He and I fought Sidious together and I managed to kill him, but not before he hit Master Windu with Force-lightning and hurled him out the window. But before he died, Sidious told me something . . . about Padmé. He said that she was his apprentice, that she was a Sith. And she confirmed it when I confronted her about it," he added, shaking his head in frustration.

"Anakin . . ." Obi-Wan whispered. "I'm sorry. I know how good of friends you two were."

"You don't know the half of it," Anakin said dejectedly. "Look, there's nothing you can say after I tell you this that's gonna make me feel any worse than I already do, so I'm just gonna tell you." He took a deep breath. "After the battle of Geonosis, Padmé and I were secretly married on Naboo." Obi-Wan opened his mouth in shock, but Yoda didn't seem at all surprised by this, as Anakin knew he would. There didn't seem to be much that surprised the old Master. "I didn't know it at the time, but Padmé had been ordered by Sidious to bear my child. After they met me, they realized that I was the Chosen One," he said bitterly, "and Sidious knew that any child of mine would be powerful in the Force. And he wanted my child to be raised as a Sith, so he used Padmé and my feelings for her to . . ." He trailed off, shaking his head. "And it worked," he added flatly. "She's pregnant, right now. Pretty close, too; she could go into labor at any time."

"Disturbing news this is," Yoda murmured. "A child of yours, Skywalker, raised in the Dark Side, a powerful enemy could become."

"I know," Anakin murmured. "That's why I have to go back. I have to finish this, Obi-Wan," he said desperately to his old master, who was still in a state of shock. "If I do nothing, then I have sentenced my son or daughter to a fate worse than death and eventually, I'll have to face them and—" He couldn't force himself to say the words, but all three of them knew what he was going to say. "I have to go back."

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, looking at him directly. "What's your plan?"

"Half a plan's all I've got," Anakin replied. "I'm going to sneak onto Coruscant undetected. I think I can shield myself from Padmé, but . . . I have no idea if she has any other Sith working with her. For all we know, there could be hundreds. But I stay low until she gives birth and then I'm gonna break into her chambers and kidnap the baby, get them offworld and then I keep running. I'll get a ship, keep moving, and never stay in the same place for too long."

"It's not a bad plan," Obi-Wan admitted. "But like you said, you have no idea whether or not there are other Sith with Padmé; you could be walking right into a trap, Anakin. And the child will be well-protected. You said it yourself: she wanted your child to be raised in the Dark Side. She will not let go of the child so easily. She will make sure that the child is impossible to get to."

"Yeah, I know that," Anakin replied, "but I also know Padmé and I know what her security is like and I know how to get in and out of her chambers undetected. I've been doing it for three years. I know you don't like it, but I don't have a choice, Obi-Wan. If I do nothing . . ."

Obi-Wan considered him for a long moment, then stood up. "Then I'm going with you."

"No," Anakin protested. "I'm not going to let you risk your neck on my account, just because of my stupidity."

"And I am not about to let you die, my friend," he replied. "It's a dangerous mission and you could use some help. Anakin, you were played just as much as any of us were. Palpatine and Padmé used you. Granted, things may have gone differently had you not followed your emotions, but you acted on love. And without love, then you may have followed their path."

"I thought you were gonna tell me something about not forming attachments or something."

"Qui-Gon once told me that in a different galaxy, things would be different . . . that the Jedi Order would be different. And perhaps, if you had been allowed to be honest with me about your marriage, then things would have turned out differently than they did."

"Correct, Obi-Wan is," Yoda agreed, speaking for the first time for several moments. "Though forbidden attachments are, times there are when they are what saves a Jedi from the Dark Side. And believe I do that this is one of those times, Skywalker. Defeated Sidious, you could have not, were it not for the love you felt for the unborn child, you did."

Anakin swallowed; he wasn't wrong. Sometimes, he forgot just how clearly the old Jedi Master could see into his heart.

"After we take the younglings to Alderaan, we'll take a smaller ship back to Coruscant and lay low," Obi-Wan said. "And then we'll both go into hiding."

Though he understood, Anakin was slightly disappointed. "You won't be coming with us?"

"I'm afraid not, my friend," Obi-Wan told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Of course, I'll let you know where I settle, but it's safer for the two of you if I'm not with you. You Skywalkers are strong enough in the Force that you'll stick out like a sore thumb, but if too many Jedi are together, then Padmé is sure the sense our location."

Nodding briefly, Anakin looked down. "I understand . . . but I'm sure going to miss you."

"Let's make sure we succeed in our mission first before we start with the goodbyes," Obi-Wan said. "This isn't going to be an easy one."

"Since when are any of our missions easy?"

"True . . . but I think this one is going to be even more so . . ."

"Yeah," Anakin sighed. "If we pull this off, the Empire is never gonna stop hunting us."


Knowing that time was short, Anakin hadn't hesitated after they delivered the Jedi children to Alderaan; many of them were immediately taken in by caring families, though most of them were unaware that the children that they adopted had in fact been future Jedi Knights. The moment that the coast was clear, Anakin and Obi-Wan boarded a ship given to them by Organa and headed straight for the capital; when they arrived, they docked in the lower city and bided their time, abandoning their Jedi clothing for more civilian apparel and Obi-Wan shaved off his beard, though he vowed he was growing it back after Anakin laughed at him for about five minutes.

He did apologize for it, though; after everything that he'd gone through over the past few weeks, he really had needed a laugh. Besides, it was impossible for anyone to recognize the Jedi Master now; he looked a lot like he had when Anakin had first met him, thirteen years ago.

And anyway, they did need to alter their appearances; Anakin had cut his long hair so short he looked like a Padawan again and he was growing a small beard. He doubted anyone would recognize them just by glancing at them, though sneaking into Padmé's quarters would be another story. But Anakin was sure that he could get in there; he had done it plenty of times before.

But this time, it was completely different.

She was Empress now; she was in a completely new wing, with added security, all of whom would undoubtedly shoot Anakin on sight. If he was spotted, there was no way that he would get out alive, much less rescue his child.

"Relax, Anakin."

Glancing around at Obi-Wan, Anakin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but it was hopeless.

"I can't," he whispered. "If one thing goes wrong—if one little thing goes wrong, then . . ." He shook his head, leaning against the window, staring out into the streets of Coruscant, his gaze fixed upon the Senate, where his wife was. "I just can't stop worrying; what if something happens and we can't get her out?"

"That's the thing, Anakin, it can't go wrong," Obi-Wan said firmly, but gently. "We have to make sure that we succeed, because if there's one thing that this galaxy cannot afford, it's a Sith Lord born of your bloodline. The consequences of that are . . . far too ghastly to imagine." Anakin didn't bother to reply; he didn't want to imagine his child as a Sith either. "Just try to be patient; it's not one of your stronger suits, I know, but it won't be long before we have to break in. And you're going to need all the rest you can get for it."

Anakin shook his head. "I doubt I could sleep now."

"You should at least try," Obi-Wan told him, walking over to him and pushing him towards the bed. "At least for a little while, my friend."

Reluctantly, Anakin lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. He supposed he must have drifted off at some point, because the next thing he knew, his mind was plagued with images of Padmé, like the visions he'd had of her before, except he realized that this was happening as he saw it.

He saw Padmé in a white maternity shift, her large belly protruding as she lay on the bed, her forehead glistening with sweat as she gasped with pain and relief, laughing as a baby's cry rang out. A triumphant smile spread across her face as Anakin woke with a start, looking around at Obi-Wan.

"It's time. She gave birth to the baby."


Anakin kept his head lowered and his gaze straight ahead as they made their way to the maternity ward, where he could sense his wife. She was asleep, for now, but he knew it wouldn't be long before she woke; he might be able to mask his presence from her, but she was strong in the Force. She would sense that something was wrong and immediately go for the baby.

To her, that was all that mattered.

The maternity ward was relatively deserted, with only a few medical droids here and there, but none of them took a second glance at the two Jedi. The few clones that they'd seen, they hastily avoided, quickly taking another route until they had passed them.

Anakin took a deep breath as they finally reached the nursery; there was only a few children there, but one was the one he'd come here for.

"There she is," he whispered, almost breathlessly as he peered through the window, staring intently at the bundle of pink blankets.

She was so beautiful, he thought in awe, staring at his daughter for the first time, unaware of anything else. So small and delicate, but strong in the Force, he smiled, sensing that all too clearly.

As though she sensed her father's presence, his daughter's eyes fluttered open to look at him. His heart clenched as he found himself staring into his own ice-blue eyes, mirroring his so perfectly that there was no doubt that this was his daughter.

"She looks like you," Obi-Wan murmured as Anakin forced his legs to move, heading into the nursery, straight for his daughter, gently lifting her from the cradle, clutching her to his chest.

The infant girl squirmed in his arms, opening her mouth.

Thinking she was about to cry, Anakin shushed her. "Shh, it's okay, little girl," he whispered, clumsily trying to rock her back and forth to stop the tears before they even started. "Please, don't cry. We have to get you out of here, so you have to stay quiet for me, okay? It's okay, Daddy's here. Daddy's here," he crooned, but to his surprise, she just yawned, snuggling against his chest and closed her eyes.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Anakin looked back at Obi-Wan. "Okay . . . let's get out of here," he said.

Nodding once, Obi-Wan opened the door for him and they quickly made their way through the hospital, but they had barely taken a step outside the nursery when a pair of troopers spotted them.

"Hey! What are you doing?" one of them yelled, pulling out his blaster and firing, but Obi-Wan had his lightsaber out, easily deflecting the blaster fire, dispatching both of them while Anakin unsuccessfully tried to comfort his daughter, who'd woken up from the blaster fire and was now crying.

"That's going to get some attention," Anakin observed, pulling out his own lightsaber and holding his daughter closer. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Agreed."


Padmé was halfway out of her bed when she heard the blaster fire and instinctively froze, realizing what was going on. Anakin was here; he was fulfilling his promise to come back for his child.

Not even bothering to grab her robe, Padmé raced out of her room, catching the barest glimpse of Anakin and whom she was sure was Obi-Wan rounding the corner and she saw a bundle of pink blankets in Anakin's arms.

Glancing briefly at the fallen clones, she hurried into the nursery, looking quickly around at the newborn babies. Of the four babies that were born that night, there were two missing—and both of them were the ones that she had given birth to only a few hours earlier.

For one, brief moment, Padmé felt fear pass through her, sure that the last thirteen years had been for nothing and Anakin had managed to kidnap both of the children, but then, the nursing droid appeared from the room beyond and in its arms, it carried a bundle of blue blankets.

Relief surged through her as she hurried over to him, snatching her son out of the droid's arms.

"Is everything all right, Your Highness?" the nursing droid asked, seemingly surprised to see her.

"No, it is not," Padmé screeched at her. "You allowed two Jedi Knights to come in here and kidnap my daughter!" She glanced over at two clones that had appeared, having been alerted to the commotion. "Dispatch of this droid. Have her turned into spare parts," she snarled.

"Yes, Your Highness," one of them said. "I'll send a troop after the Jedi; they won't escape the Capital alive."

"That won't be necessary," Padmé replied, caressing her son's forehead with a small smile. "We have our prize."

Anakin may have thought he had won, but he would be in for a surprise, she thought, chuckling to herself as she carried her son back to her room, unwilling to let him out of her sight. He may have one child, but so did she.

She had what they had planned thirteen long years for.

She had the son of Skywalker.

And very soon, his Sith training would begin.