Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
AN: Here's part 4! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Enjoy!
Disturbing Enigma: A Forever Destined Vignette
Part 4/5
Ziya had been trained well, that much Anakin was sure, as their blades clashed in a series of furious movements.
"The Master has plans for you, Chosen One. Your death will be excruciatingly painful and I'm going to love every second of watching you suffer. I'll make sure to tell the Master to make you watch us torture the pretty little wife first. I know you'll enjoy that immensely," Ziya hissed.
"I'll never let you touch her. Sate Pestage learned the hard way what happens when you try to harm the woman I love," Anakin growled. He needed Ziya and the others to believe that he killed Pestage in order to protect Jayden. He could never let their son or any of their children fall into evil hands. Anakin parried her saber to the side and kicked her in the chest. She hit the wall behind them, knocking the wind from her. She growled and drew an odd looking blaster. Confident that he could block any blaster bolts, he took Padme's hand and started ushering her down the corridor, away fro Ziya. He sensed the Sith assassin fire the blaster, but laser bolts were not what was discharged. She fired twice and two spear like barbs attached to a pair of cables soared toward Anakin. Like heat seeking missiles, they sought warmth. Realizing the danger, he pushed Padme and Jayden ahead of him.
"Run Padme!" he called, as he cried out, as he was speared in the back and in the side. Upon contact, the speared cables came alive with an electro magnetic pulse. Anakin screamed in sheer agony, as his entire body felt like it was being stabbed with a thousand knives. Padme screamed, as she saw her husband writhing on the ground, being tortured by the vindictive witch that held the weapon. She looked around for something...anything she could use to help him. The corridors were lit with flame less torches, which burned on a dried magma source found on the planet. The torches had hot embers in them, which illuminated the corridors. As Ziya's attention was focused on Anakin. Padme took one of the torches from its holder.
"Did you really think we have not been working on ways to nullify your powers? Or ways to bind you, Chosen One? If so, then you are a fool, for this is just a taste of what we have in store for you," Ziya sneered.
"You're not taking him anywhere," Padme growled. Ziya looked up at her, but that was a mistake. Padme thrust the hot embers in her face. Ziya screamed in agony, as she held her burning face.
"You little bitch!" she screamed, as she tried to peel the hot embers from her already scalded skin. Padme knelt down and tried to figure out how the gun released the cables.
"Pull them out, Padme. You...have to pull them out," Anakin cried in pain. Padme dropped the gun and with a swift jerk, she pulled the first barb from his side and then the second one from his back. He cried out in pain, as she did so, but felt instant relief, once they were out.
"Daddy...are you okay?" Jayden asked.
"I'll be find buddy," Anakin replied, putting on a strong front. Padme helped him up.
"Come on, let's go," he said, as they ran back the way they came, thinking they could use Anakin's grappling cable to swing up to another level and escape through another route. They reached the droid factory again and Anakin fumbled with his grappling cable. He swung it up again and attached it to a metal beam above them, intending to swing them across and escape the way he came in. He wrapped his arm around her waist and she held Jayden tightly.
"Hang on," he told her, as he swung them across. Ziya snarled and raised her regular blaster, as she followed them. Her face was burned and her eyes scalded. She fired her blaster, snapping the grabbling cable, sending the three falling toward the lava lake below. Anakin swung them onto a metal platform, floating on the liquid magma, shifting his weight, so he would take the brunt of the fall. Anakin and Padme helped each other up, as Jayden cried against his mother's chest.
"It's okay baby, we're okay," she tried to assure him.
"There's no escape...Jedi," Ziya cackled. Anakin and Padme were astonished to see the doors on various levels had opened and were now each guarded by human looking men and women. Anakin could sense no life force from any of them, indicating that they were androids. Each was armed with a Force pike, also indicating that they were designed for security, much like the Red Guards in the Senate. It was then that Anakin saw the dark, cloaked figure enter through the floor level of the factory. The person was surrounded by more armed security personnel.
"Welcome Chosen One. It's so nice to finally meet you," the voice was mechanical and garbled, obviously being disguised with a distortion device. The person's face was completely covered by the cowl over their head and their hands were gloved. It was impossible to tell if the person was male or female.
"Who are you?!" Anakin demanded.
"My identity is of no concern to you. Surrender...and I just may spare your wife and son," the person said.
"We'll never surrender to you!" Padme cried.
"Very well," the Master said, as they raised their hand. Several of the guards boarded swoop bikes and zoomed toward them. Anakin ignited his blade and cut the front end off one of the bikes, sending it and its pilot into the lava lake. Padme screamed, as one swept down and grabbed her and Jayden, sweeping them up onto their bike, carrying them back to solid ground.
"Ani!" she cried.
"Padme!" he called. The remaining pilot's fired their pulse blasters. Anakin screamed in agony, as he was speared four times, in both legs, the back and an arm. He was pulled from the floating platform, his writhing form forced to kneel before the Master. The guard that had captured Padme, ripped Jayden from her arms, while another restrained her with a pair of shackles.
"Mommy!" Jayden cried.
"Jayden...please don't hurt him!" Padme pleaded, as she sobbed, watching her husband writhe in agony.
"Stop hurting him...please!" she pleaded. Several guards swarmed around Anakin, revealing black colored shackles, which were placed around his neck, wrists, and ankles. Anakin screamed, as the spears were then yanked out.
"Those specially coated shackles will absorb any Force powers you try to use. Bring them!" the Master ordered.
Serra's cell opened, revealing two of Sate Pestage's lieutenants.
"I'm afraid your execution has been moved up, Miss Keto," Officer Landrey said.
"What about my baby?" she asked, clutching him tightly.
"The brat has a decent midichlorian count. The Master says he'll be raised and trained as a Sith assassin. I'm sure the Imperial Underground will take very good care of him until he is ready to serve the Master," Officer Jedrey sneered.
"You won't take him from me!" Serra said, as she Force shoved the Officers back against he wall.
"Little wench. I'm going to enjoy pumping you full of blaster bolts," Landrey growled.
"Like hell you will," Ferus growled, as he thrust his saber through Landrey's heart. Jedrey cried out, as the Jedi swooped down on him and swept his saber around, decapitating him.
"Ferus!" Serra cried in relief. He extinguished his blade and pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately.
"Come on, let's get you two out of here," he said, gazing down at their sleeping son. He took her hand and began the journey back to the main level.
The sound of the lava waterfall filled the underground chamber, beyond the droid factory. Another huge shaft extended above them, acting as a second steam vent. A vast network of platforms were sustained well above the pool of lava, where control consoles, which operated the factory, rested. Padme struggled with her bonds, which were secured to a metal post. They were allowing Jayden to stand beside her for now and he clutched her dress with his tiny hands. The cloaked Master examined the pages in the diary and Anakin hung by his arms, pulling on his bonds with all his might.
"Stop your struggle, Chosen One. You cannot escape," the Master stated in their garbled voice. The two guards each jabbed Anakin in each side with their Force pikes. He screamed in agony.
"Stop it!" Padme cried, as she heard Jayden start to cry, burying his face in her skirt.
"Do be quiet Senator...or perhaps you'd like me to throw hot embers in your face to see how you like it!" Ziya snarled.
"Control yourself, Ziya," the Master ordered calmly.
"Yes my Master," she obeyed.
"Master, what will be their fate, if I may ask?" Ziya requested.
"The language in this diary is unknown. I must take it with me to see if it can be translated. While I am disposing of his parents, take the boy to the lab and have his blood tested. If his count is below fifteen thousand, then kill him. If it is higher...then sedate him and put him in a holding cell on my ship," the Master ordered. Ziya yanked Jayden away from his mother.
"No please...my baby...please!" Padme cried.
"Mommy!" Jayden sobbed.
"Jayden!" Anakin cried, as he struggled fruitlessly with his bonds. Suddenly, they heard a roaring engine, as a large Syrian Cruiser descended through the steam vent above them, with Ferus Olin at the helm. In the distance, speeding through the air from the main factory, was a speeder, with Dooku, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan aboard, with Sylo Ma'jal as their prisoner. Obi-Wan stood up and flipped onto the platform. He swiped his saber through Anakin's bonds, freeing his brother. Anakin pulled himself to his feet, calling his saber to his hand, as it sat on the console next to the diary. It blazed with blinding white energy, as he killed the four android guards around the Master. Ziya snarled and pushed Jayden down, while cutting through Padme's bonds and wrapping her hands around her neck.
"Say goodbye to your precious wife, Chosen One," she growled. Padme retaliated by clawing her nails on Ziya's burned face, making her cry out in pain. Ziya growled and pushed her down. She screamed, as she rolled off the platform, dangling off the side.
"Padme!" Anakin cried, as his and Obi-Wan's sabers clashed with the Master's. Dooku swerved the speeder toward Padme, while Qui-Gon leapt onto the platform. He scooped Jayden up and plucked the diary from the console, before hopping back into the speeder.
"No...the diary!" the Master's garbled voice screamed, as they unleashed powerful black Force lightning of the likes which none of them had ever seen. It sent Anakin and Obi-Wan to the floor, writhing in agony.
"Foolish Jedi scum! You will not defeat me!" the distorted voice screamed. As Qui-Gon held Jayden, Dooku slowly moved the speeder close enough. Reaching one arm out, he grabbed a hold of Padme's waist and pulled her into the speeder. Ziya growled and leapt into the speeder, but Dooku was ready. He swerved the speeder, making sure they were all secure and dumped her out. She screamed, as she was sent falling into the lava lake below...
Anakin watched his grandfather safely maneuver the speeder into their cruiser. He and Obi-Wan breathed heavily, the black Force lightning having sapped much of their strength.
"You and your brother shall die today, Chosen One," the garbled voice hissed. Anakin smirked, as he saw Artoo at the ship's ramp, releasing his hover board.
"Not today," Anakin said, as he released a flail of white energy at the mysterious person. While the Master was busy dispelling it with the strange black Force lightning, Anakin grabbed Obi-Wan's arms and leapt onto the hover board. Obi-Wan wobbled, struggling to balance behind Anakin.
"Bloody hell Anakin, you're going to give me a heart attack!" Obi-Wan yelled.
"That's what I live for," Anakin teased, as they sailed onto the ship. Artoo closed the ramp and Ferus took them up through the steam vent.
"NOOO!" the Master screamed in rage, as the Chosen One had ruined carefully laid plans yet again. They had him! And the diary! But somehow, he had slipped through their fingers again...and with the diary.
"I will make you pay, Chosen One! Next time, I'll capture you and make you watch me slaughter every single person you love, before I torture you until you can take no more!" the person screamed, as lightning erupted from their fingertips.
"As for the diary, I will get it back and unlock its secrets. There is no one in the Temple that can translate the ancient language," the Master said confidently. The mysterious person boarded a swoop bike, intending to make their way back to their ship, where they would head back to the unknown location of the Imperial Underground headquarters.
Once they were safely in hyperspace, Padme and Qui-Gon quickly ushered Anakin to the med bay to tend to his wounds. Dooku decided that it would be a good idea to have the med droid do a scan on Jayden, even though he had no visible injuries. He was sure Anakin and Padme would agree.
"Jayden...let's go see your mother. She'll want the med droid to look you over," Yan said. The little boy put his toy down and trotted to his great grandfather. Yan lifted him up and ruffled the boy's hair.
"Papa, do I have to get another shot?" Jayden asked.
"Another shot?" he asked.
"Uh huh. The bad man poked me with a needle. Mommy didn't want him to, but the man pushed mommy down," Jayden explained.
–A blood sample. Dooku concluded silently.
"Another shot shouldn't be necessary, young one. Though if you do have to get one for some reason, it will be okay," Dooku assured him.
"The bad man is gone, right? He can't hurt mommy again, right?" Jayden questioned. Dooku still didn't have the whole story on what all had happened, but he would soon.
"Yes, the bad people are all gone," he replied, as the door to the med bay slid open.
"Owww..." Anakin cried, as he kicked the med droid. It sputtered, as it went sailing across the room and hit the wall.
"Ani..." Padme scolded.
"He kept poking me with those sharp things," Anakin complained.
"Well, I see our model patient is doing just fine," Dooku said, as he entered, standing next to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Anakin hissed in pain, as Padme applied another bacta patch to one of his puncture wounds.
"I'm fine Padme," he tried to assure her.
"Fine? You have six puncture wounds and two cracked ribs. You're not fine," Padme replied, as she started taping his ribs.
"Okay, but I'm not going to get better if that dumb droid keeps poking at my injuries," Anakin complained. Padme ignored his protest and rubbed alcohol on his bicep, before giving him a shot, injecting an antibiotic serum into his system.
"Oww...what's that?" he asked.
"It will dispel any blood infection you may have gotten from those barbed spears," she replied, as she kissed his forehead, before finishing with the bacta patches on the rest of his puncture wounds.
"I thought it would be a good idea to have Jayden checked out as well, just in case," Yan said.
"You read my mind," Padme said, as Yan handed him to her. She kissed her baby boy's cheek and set him on the exam table next to his father. Jayden looked up at his father and Anakin smiled down at him.
"Daddy...you got lots of owies!" Jayden said.
"Yeah, but I'm okay buddy. I'm just glad you and mommy didn't get owies too," Anakin told him. Padme ran the scanner over him and it came back negative, much to her relief.
"Mommy, do I hafta get another shot?" he asked.
"No, no shot sweetheart," she replied.
"Jayden was telling me about his first shot. I thought we might discuss it, but perhaps it would be better to wait until we're inside the Temple to discuss everything with the rest of the Council present. You both look like you could use some rest," Dooku said. Anakin and Padme nodded in agreement, as Padme picked their son up.
"Let's go give you a bath and put you to bed, sweetie," Padme said.
"Awww...but I'm not tired mommy," he whined, even though he could barely keep his eyes open
"I'll be in soon," Anakin told her with a soft kiss to her lips. She nodded and left the med bay. Anakin sighed, as Obi-Wan patted his shoulder.
"It's okay now. It's all over," Obi-Wan tried to assure him.
"But that's just it; it has only just begun, hasn't it?" Anakin replied.
"Perhaps. But we will discuss all this after we've all had some rest. Now go on son. We'll talk soon," Qui-Gon assured him, as he nodded and left, heading in the direction his wife had.
"He's right, isn't he? It's only just begun," Qui-Gon stated.
"Unfortunately, yes. This was just another battle. The war continues to rage. It's not just the Jedi vs. the Sith or Good vs. Evil. It's the war, in which the end results will determine the balance and fate of the galaxy...for all time..." Dooku stated ominously.
Marcus fussed, as Ferus cradled him and put the bottle nipple to his lips. He eagerly accepted it and began drinking. He kissed his son's forehead and sat down on the bed, watching Serra sleep. She was exhausted, as she had not slept a wink in nearly four days. But somehow, she still sensed that her son was awake.
"Ferus..." she said drowsily, as she turned over.
"It's okay. I've got him," he assured her. She sat up and gazed down at their son, while resting her head on Ferus' shoulder. Marcus finished his bottle and Ferus burped him, before gently rocking him to sleep. He put him back down in the crib beside their bed, before climbing back into bed with his future wife. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.
"You need your rest," he told her.
"Hold me," she requested. He tightened his hold on her, curling her against his chest. She was asleep almost instantly and he was not far behind her.
Jayden was restless after his bath, so Padme tucked him in and began singing to him, trying to soothe his nerves. His eyes slowly drifted closed and his muscles relaxed at the soothing sound of his mother's voice and the strong, protective presence of his father that was enveloping both he and his mother. Once she was sure he was asleep, she ended the song and leaned down to kiss his hair. Anakin leaned down and kissed him too, before pulling his wife into his arms. They watched their youngest son sleep for several moments. Though both were reluctant to leave, they eventually did and entered their adjoining bedroom aboard the ship.
He's fine," Anakin assured her.
"Do you think he'll remember all this? Do you think he knows what he did to Pestage?" she asked.
"His memory may fade over time. He's only four. As far as Pestage is concerned, I don't think he really understands exactly what death is yet. All he knows is that his mommy was scared and he needed to protect her. He called to the Force...and it answered him," Anakin said, pausing.
"He knows the difference between good and bad. That's the important thing. I'll talk with him tomorrow. I'll gently ease into the subject and get a sense of what he knows," Anakin promised.
"I know that he'll be okay under your guidance. I'm just worried. What if they find out Jayden lifted that table? What if they find out he has powers like yours and they're already showing? What if they come after him?" she fretted. He hugged her tightly.
"Shh...they won't find out. And I'm going to train really hard, so I'm ready for all their weapons next time," he said, as he caressed her cheek.
"I'll die before I let anything happen to you and our kids. They won't win, angel. Our love is just too powerful," he replied. Padme slid her arms around his neck and their lips met in a soul searing kiss.
"Come on, let's get some sleep. We'll be home in the morning," he said. She nodded, as they undressed and put their sleep clothes on, before climbing into bed together. Anakin spooned her against him and they both fell into a deep sleep in each other's arms...
Things wrap up in the next chapter. The Council learns of what Jayden did and the diary is discussed. Can anyone decipher any of the ancient language inside?