Hello! I must have a lot of time on my hands if I take the time to actually try to make a language just for this story.
If some parts of the lore behind the assassins is a little confusing, don't worry, all will be revealed when the time is right.
Enjoy!
-DFD
Chapter 2
"Captain, I hardly think that is necessary," Padme said as she looked over her datapad displaying the current poll for the Military Creation Act. She let out a sigh, there was still a stalemate between for the army and against; and there had been only a handful of delegates whose opinions had swayed in the last few debates. Putting the datapad on her desk, she looked up to meet the gaze of her head of security, Captain Typho. He was adamant that on her return to Coruscant Corde should act as her decoy. Ever since the bombing at the last event, he was concerned that it was a targeted attack on her. And maybe it was, but there were other senators there it could easily have been for.
"Milady, I insist." Typho said with a stern tone, "There is a chance that I am wrong, but if I'm not, I'd rather be safe than sorry."
Padme sighed, "Very well, Captain," She said, "Make the arrangements." With a nod of his head he left the room to ensure her security detail is taken care of.
Leaning back in her chair she closed her eyes for a moment. The bombing was concerning, and it did make her wonder how far the opposition would go to assure its passage… but there were other things on her mind too. The man who saved her. There was something familiar about him. Nights before, she had thought that perhaps it was Anakin… but it couldn't be. He wouldn't have run like that if it were; he wouldn't have run like he wasn't supposed to be there. And yet that was the only name she could think of. Shaking her head, she looked back at the datapad and started to read through her messages hoping that perhaps her colleges have had better luck swaying votes.
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Anakin walked through the doors of the cantina, ignoring the sensual dancers as he passed. He had his hood drawn up to cover his face and his cloak was wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Near the back of the cantina there was a trapdoor in the floor with the same falcon that was engraved on his shoulder guard was carved. Pulling the door open with the force, he jumps down into the room below, pulling the door closed behind him. The corridor he stood in was so dark, if he held his hand directly in front of his face, he would be unable to see it. The darkness was not a problem for him to navigate though. Part of his training included sense deprivation. After he had learned the basics of the Shadow Guard's fighting styles, they had given him a potion that took away his sight for weeks. He had to learn how to live without his sight and then learn how to fight without it as well. It had not been easy and he remembered quite clearly how many scars he had acquired from that part of his training, but in time he learned. And once he had mastered that, they took away his hearing and then they took away both. Now, no matter what situation he found himself in, should one of his senses be compromised, he was still just as lethal.
Making his way down the corridor he followed the path until he reached a set of stairs that took him down to a door. Knocking hard on the door, he waited until the sliding peephole opened. He exchanged looks with the man on the other side. He was waiting for the words.
"Raokir ta y ov aczi," Anakin said. 'Reap what you sow'- the maxim of the Shadow Guards. The one truth they all acknowledge. They know killing is wrong. They know that almost every faith, every government see killing as morally wrong- and it is. But so is corruption. So is greed and ignoring the cries of innocence. Is it truly right to let such wrong continue when only one moral wrong needs to be committed to fix a much larger problem? Killing is wrong. But if it saves thousands at the cost of one soul, it's worth it. 'Reap what you sow'.
The peephole slammed shut before the door opened wide for him. Anakin stepped through the threshold and made his way to a table in the back. The room was large and spacious with a bar straight ahead surrounded by several tables. The large training area to the left was occupied by five other Obsidians going through several complex fighting techniques. Weapons racks lined the three walls of the space. To the right there were eight closed doors that led to bedrooms. Anakin walked past several other guards as he made his way to the back table. Some of them greeted him with a nod of the head and some of the more intoxicated ones patted him on the back. He didn't mind. The Shadow Guards were more like family than the Jedi ever were. They treated each other the same no matter where they came from or at what age they joined. There was no stigma against having a family either. In fact, several of his friends within the order descended from other members.
At the table in the back sat a greying man holding his bracer in his hands as he fiddled with the circuitry. Anakin took the seat across from the man. Lowering his hood he folded his arms across his chest and leaned on the table. "Senator Taa is still alive." He said, not looking up from his work, "You failed to kill him. Why?"
Anakin shifted in his seat, "There was an attack on the hall. I didn't want to order to be blamed for having any involvement."
The man nodded, "Is that all?" The man put the bracer down and looked directly at him, "Perhaps the reason you didn't kill him was because Senator Amidala was there." Anakin blinked and lowered his gaze, "Nothing wrong with liking the girl. She is very pretty. Smart too. But when you have a target, remember the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I believe you had a chance to kill Taa but didn't because you got distracted. Don't let that happen again. The next time that happens, could be your last."
Anakin nodded his head, "Yes, Zokir." He said. 'Mentor'- the man in charge of the Shadow Guard. The man who took Anakin as his student when he left the Jedi. The Zokir was in many ways a better teacher than Obi-Wan ever was. Obi-Wan had not been ready to have a student. He took an apprentice right after he finished his training. He wasn't ready. He didn't know how to teach let alone teach a boy who knew nothing of the Jedi and their ways. Obi-Wan taught by the book. When he explained things, the answer was simply 'because that is how it is'. The Zokir taught differently. Rules were taught by asking what he thought about them- by having him interpret them on his own and slowly guide him towards their true meaning. Anakin didn't even notice the trick until after his training had finished. And looking back, he sees that guiding it makes the student feel like they are coming up with the interpretation on their own- it makes the rules more personal.
The Zokir shook his head, "Nevermind Taa," He said, "Given the circumstances, you did the right thing not to go after him. Makes the attack clearly one in support of the Military Creation Act. Killing Taa would have made it look more like a terrorist strike against Democracy." The Zokir waved a waiter over to bring them drinks. "Someone else with take Taa's contract." He said taking a long swallow of his drink, "I have another task for you. One I think you are perfect for."
Anakin played with the rim of his drink, "Whose my target?"
The Zokir shook his head, "You're not going to kill anyone- not unless you have to anyway." He smiled, "The next attack is likely going to be against the leader of the opposition to the bill. I need you to keep her alive."
Anakin's eyes widen, "You want me to protect Senator Amidala?"
He nodded, "Yes. It's easier for you, I think because if she does happen to see you, at least she's already seen your face. Helps that she knew you as a child too. Means you can stay close to her without drawing suspicion."
"Isn't it already suspicious that I happen to show up when I do? I haven't seen her in ten years."
He shrugged, "Perhaps. But that's why you keep your distance like we always do. Get close only when there is no other choice. Remember your training."
"Hide in shadows." He said. It was one of the first things he learned how to do. Hiding in the places where people would never look and staying just out of sight. It isn't easy to do- even harder in a crowded space. But when done properly, no one will ever see it coming.
The Zokir nodded, "Prepare for anything. I don't know what is going on yet. But keep in touch with our contacts. They'll hear something soon enough."
Anakin downed his drink in one gulp before standing. Bowing his head to his mentor, he turned and walked towards the training area. Three of the Guards training were Obsidians like him and the other two were novices. Anakin watched the novices exchange a few blows with the heavy practice blades. The larger of the two clearly had an advantage and easily overpowered the smaller one and disarmed her, the blade flying into the air and landing just in front of Anakin. Picking up the blade he walks over to loser of the match and hands it back to her by the hilt. "Most of your opponents are probably going to be bigger than you," He said, "You're not going to win a fight with strength. You're just not built for it. Let your power come from ground." She nodded and took the blade wordlessly and ran through the drill again. This time she managed to stay on her feet longer and got one good blow in to her opponent's side.
Anakin ducked to the side as one of the Obsidians tried to strike him from behind. The Obsidian recovered and quickly cut up to strike him but Anakin leaned back to avoid the strike before leaning forward enough to grab his opponent's wrist. Ducking under his arm and stepping behind the Obsidian, he twisted his arm enough to make him drop the blade. Releasing the arm, Anakin kicked the man with the sole of his boot, sending him forward into the dirt. "You and your Jedi tricks," The man mumbled as he stood up, dusting off his jacket, which looked similar to his.
"No need for tricks when I can hear you breathing a parsec away." Anakin smirked at the man. His name was Leojay Pencov and he was one of Anakin's closest friends. While not the most skilled at combat, he was an excellent sneak. Before joining the order, he had been a pickpocket living in the lower levels of Coruscant.
Leojay rolled his eyes, "Please, you just wish you were as good as me." He picked up his dropped blade and went to the wall and grabbed another. Twirling the blades in his hands he tossed one to Anakin before moving in quickly with a series of jabs. Anakin parried them with light taps with his own blade. "So, how'd your assignment go?" Leojay asked as he power spun into strong attack from the side.
Anakin adjusted his grip just before the attack hit and blocked it by spinning himself, "Not good," He answered. "Still alive. You?"
Leojay shrugged as he jumped over Anakin's low sweeping cut to his legs, "Easy," He said, "My target was a drunk so just a little poison in the right place and I'm done." He sends a jab with his blade straight at his head, which is dodged easily before he spins and throws his elbow into Anakin's jaw.
Leojay smirked as Anakin rubbed his sore jaw, "Lucky hit." He said.
"What are you going to do about your target?"
Anakin sighed as he threw the tip of his blade in the ground, "Nothing. I got reassigned."
Leojay furrowed his brow, "That can't be good."
"You ever been assigned to keep someone alive?" Anakin asked. He knows it's not unheard of for the Shadow Guard to want to keep certain people of interest alive. But it doesn't happen very often. The last one Anakin had heard of had been some duchess on Madalore. But that had been years before he was even born.
"Never." Leojay said as he tried to balance the tip of the blade on his finger, "Is that what you have to do now?"
Anakin nodded, "Yeah, not sure how I'm suppose to protect someone when I don't know a thing about who's after her."
"And if whoever is trying to kill them knows about us, it makes it harder to catch them." Leojay flipped the blade in the air but Anakin caught it before him.
"I need to be prepared for anything," He said, "And I am- for the most part. Weapons, poison, hiding… I can do all that pretty well." Anakin sighed, "But if she catches me…"
Leojay sits on the ground and watches him pace, "You can't tell her about us." He said, "You know that just makes our job more complicated."
Anakin nodded, "I know. But what kind of cover would I use? And if she sees me kill someone… it's not like killing a target and witnesses."
Leojay shrugs, "Hope it doesn't come to that?" He suggests.
Anakin shakes his head, "That seems to be the only option right now," He said. Taking the blade by the hilt he throws it hard at the wall. The blade hits with enough force that the blade is still shaking as it hangs out of the wall. "I need some rest. Got to get to Coruscant before she does. And I need to scout out the areas she's most likely to be targeted at."
