Hang the Code
Disclaimer: If Star Wars was mine, I would've done the best I could to smack Anakin upside the head...several times.
Chapter Four: Conflicting Emotions
Lux Bonteri had been taught from a very young age taught to be polite, remain confident, speak with eloquence, not to appear to be wearing a mask, hiding true feelings should they be beneficial to the people, be creative and shrewd if need be and to maintain an open mind despite having conflicting beliefs to whatever the situation may be. Yet all his teachings, bestowed lovingly upon him by both his mother and father, completely flew out the window. He was a blank, bewildered slate.
Ahsoka Tano, his close and trusted friend who could perhaps somehow (if only, if only) become someone more just told him that his life was in danger. His first instinct was to laugh and tell the ocean eyed girl "duh". Did she not remember their little "adventure" on Carlac? They had lied to and defied Death Watch, a terrifying group of Mandalorian "Purists".
Ahsoka herself had compromised her position as a Jedi Padawan by not only helping him escape the Death Watch but by merely being his friend. The friend of a Separatist Senator, two strikes against her in the eyes of the Jedi. He knew that and kriff, was it a bitter taste to swallow. But hey, she had searched him out now and it was of her own, vintage Ahsoka defiant will.
Yet as he gazed into her large eyes, Lux knew that she was completely serious and that his life was in danger. Trying his hardest to remain calm, Lux forced a cocky, wry smile onto his face as he raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, Death Watch?"
To his surprise, Ahsoka let out a harsh laugh and looked as if she wanted to throw Jedi protocol out the window and start crying. "If it was Death Watch, at least I'd know what the kriff I'm supposed to do."
A claw of ice raked its way down his spine. "Well then," he began quietly. "Who is it that wants me dead?"
"The new Senator of Raxus, Lux," she replied uncomfortably. "Your uncle, Damien Thorne."
He was a blank, bewildered slate once again.
It took him some time to find his voice, Ahsoka waiting in agitated silence. "My...uncle...? Wh-what?" Lux shook his head and tried again. "Ahsoka, you're my closest friend and I trust you more than anyone, but what in the galaxy are you talking about? Why would my uncle want me dead?""
Lux," Ahsoka began gently. "Your uncle, he-" she broke off, a chill running down her spine. A sense of foreboding washed over her. Eyes roving, she searched amongst the throngs, her full lips pulling down into a frown.
"Ahsoka...?" Lux whispered, concerned.
"Quiet!" she hissed, air rushing past her teeth. She then spotted a man she recognized from Senator Thorne's security detail. So, it seemed that Mini-Palpatine didn't trust her after all. Well, she had to admit that the man wasn't an idiot. He knew of her friendship with his nephew and had blatantly implied that she meant more to the boy than as a mere friend.
It took all of her willpower to not flash the follower a smug, cocky, "I'm onto you, Loser and there's not a thing you can do about it" smirk. Perhaps her mouth could have curved that way had Lux not been standing at her side and had there been no Mandalorian citizens out and about.
Dark blue eyes remained on the man as Ahsoka reached out and grasped Lux's wrist and casually averted her gaze making it seem like her gaze had merely flickered over the man. She then began to move at an equally casual pace, speeding up when his presence grew fainter.
"Ahsoka where are we going and when are you going to explain this insane theory you have about my uncle?" Not looking back at him, the Padawan replied, "As soon as we rendezvous with my Master, Anakin Skywalker."
Lux froze in shock upon hearing the name, his abrupt stop causing Ahsoka to stumble back slightly. "You're the student of the Hero with No Fear?!" he cried.
Unfazed by the Republic given name, Ahsoka nodded. "Yep, that's my Master."
"While that hardly changes my view of you," the former Senator began. "Although, it does partially explain why you're so amazing, it means he's going to kill me. And that has nothing to do with being a former Separatist."
Despite her nerves, Ahsoka smirked. "Nah, Skyguy isn't all that bad. Sure, he can be protective and sometimes it's to the point of smothering, but he's not gonna blow up on ya."
"So you say," Lux mumbled.
His friend grinned and gently squeezed his wrist. "Just don't say anything stupid enough to set him off."
"Gee, 'Soka that's awfully specific," Lux deadpanned.
Pulling the former Senator over to stand under a line of trees, Ahsoka said, "There's nothing for you to worry about. Anakin..." she blushed and looked away. "Ah...Anakin...my Master...he..he knows..." her voice trailed off, getting slightly higher in the end.
"He knows...?" Lux repeated, eyebrow raising. He took in Ahsoka's embarrassed face that still held a reminiscent yet happy smile. It then dawned on him. "He knows about Carlac?!" He was horrified.
"Oh, what? Do you regret it?" Ahsoka snarked. "Calm down, he knows it was for the sake of survival."
"Still," Lux went on. "I kissed a prominent Jedi's Padawan. Something tells me he isn't going to be too thrilled helping me out."
He frowned and looked at said Padawan intently. "And how did you feel when I kissed you? Did you regret it?"
Ahsoka fell silent, looking away. For what seemed to be the first time, since her return voyage to Coruscant from Carlac, she was able to give that moment in the tent some serious thought. At the time, she had been too caught up worrying about her friend as he flew away from her, further into the cold abyss of space. She also worried about what her Master would say about failing to return with Lux in tow and her so called "detour" to Carlac.
When it came to the kiss initially, well, truth be told, she was ready to hit the vengeful boy yet she had also given into her emotional side and further solidified her attachment to him. The question was now though, did she regret it? Did she wish that he could have found another way to silence her? She had just told Lux that her Master knew it to be a means to solidify a cover story, yet that was a lie. Both teacher and student came to the conclusion that Ahsoka did indeed have an attachment. It both thrilled and terrified her.
It thrilled her because it had been her first kiss, albeit it was stolen, but it had been during an insane rescue mission which had added to the danger and of course, there was her life's path as that of a Jedi. That also gave to the forbidden fruit taste of their kiss.
Ah and there it was. She was a Jedi. A fact that she was so proud of. She wanted to be the best, a Knight, just like Masters Skywalker and Koon. Yet according to the Code, in order to become a truly successful Jedi, one must not have any attachments for they will become distractions and eventual means for straying off the path of the light side and toward darkness.
Anakin seemed adamant in proving this wrong however. After all, the talk they had in the cruiser wasn't the first time they discussed attachment. True, the 'l' word, love had come up this time around, but as stated before, her Master and one of her confidantes had told her that as long as her attachments didn't get the best of her, then she would be able to find inner balance and learn to allow those attachments to help her.
"Ahsoka?" Lux's voice startled the Padawan out of her reverie. "You're taking a long time to answer." His silver frosted green eyes were downcast and his voice sounded despondent, breaking Ahsoka's heart.
She let out a loud sigh. She was so much like her Master. Honestly, if it wasn't for the difference in age and species, they could have very well been twins. She blinked. Never mind. She wasn't sure why, but she preferred the father daughter bond. Looking at Lux, she smiled softly daring to slip her hand into his and entwine their fingers.
"No, I don't regret it," she finally told him. "Not one bit."
Returning her smile, Lux moved his hand onto her arm and slid it up, grasping her warm neck while his other arm draped itself around her waist and pulled her closer, his lips descending toward hers. However they did not make contact for she tilted her head away and leaned her torso back, regarding him with a cheeky smile and sparkling blue eyes.
"I thought you said you don't regret the kiss," Lux frowned as her reluctantly freed Ahsoka from his embrace.
"I don't."
"Then why won't you kiss me?" He challenged.
"We had the brief privacy of a tent." She nodded behind him. "Jedi sometimes must go incognito while on a mission. There are too many potential witnesses. I'd like to stop the threat on your life before I'm kicked out of the Order if you don't mind. Not to mention said threat and the fact that we were being followed not too long ago."
Lux leaned in close again, mischief playing about. "I will get another kiss," he stated in a mock serious tone. "Even if I have to steal it again."
"Well," she replied in an equally flirty voice. "I look forward to the challenge." She took his hand once more. "Now, c'mon, let's go meet up with Anakin."
"I still say he's going to try to harm me," Lux insisted.
"We don't know that."
"I thought you said he wouldn't!"
Ahsoka just laughed.
Anakin was annoyed. He knew it was the right thing to do, protecting this kid from a possibly sinister figure could amount to something even bigger. And if not, well then, at least a life would be saved. It was just who he was protecting that annoyed him.
Lux Bonteri, a reckless, determined, passionate teenage boy who went charging into danger headfirst dragging along others for a ride. In this case it had been his Padawan whom Bonteri had taken and to the Death Watch no less. If Anakin hadn't been convinced that Bonteri liked Ahsoka, he would've been seething with fury that the kid was escorting her to her doom.
What made matters worse was that Ahsoka also liked Lux. True, she was angry with him for choosing such violent means of vengeance...
Like you're one to talk? A soft voice chided him silently.
Force, Ahsoka and Lux were the younger versions of Padme and himself, only with slightly different circumstances including that the girl of this attachment was the Jedi and the boy was the politician. Anakin grudgingly figured that the connection to Bonteri should make him a bit more agreeable. However if he heard any rumors of a wedding, he was locking the girl in her room until she was thirty. She was seventeen now (younger than he had been!), the war shouldn't last for another thirteen years. Hopefully, anyway.
Anakin made his way toward a nearby bar when a familiar voice stopped him.
"Skyguy!"
He was torn between grinning at the nickname and scowling in annoyance for he knew what Ahsoka's finding him meant. Instead, he settled his features into that of the calm and somewhat aloof Master, inclining his head to acknowledge his Padawan while his posture remained straight, hands clasped behind his back. A smile threatened his cool facade as he noticed the mischievous look on Ahsoka's face as she whispered to Lux, no doubt explaining to him why she called Anakin "Skyguy".
The smile stopped tugging at his lips as the two came to a stop in front of him. Ice blue eyes studied the teenage boy before them. So this was Lux Bonteri, the former Separatist (Oh, Snips, why'd you have to fall for a Separatist?) Senator who had disrupted the peace negotiations and who had involved Ahsoka in his quest for vengeance by dragging her halfway across the galaxy. Again, his inner voice taunted. You're no better. Doesn't Padme know all about your own act of vengeance from when your mother died?
Lux was a miniature non-Force sensitive version of Anakin himself. Yeah, that really didn't make the Knight like the boy any better. He was so caught up in staring the kid down that he hardly noticed Ahsoka eyeing him oddly. "Uh, Anakin?"
He couldn't fight the smirk on his face as he noticed the look of slight awe and intimidation that came into Lux's eyes as he stared up at him. Anakin felt a small kernel of satisfaction bloom within him. So the kid knew to be wary of him. Good!
"Master?" Ahsoka tried getting Anakin's attention again. She succeeded this time.
"Yes, Ahsoka?"
"Are you all right?"
"Never better, Snips. So," he gave a nod in Lux's direction. "Is this your friend?" Anakin put the lightest stress on the word "friend" but it spoke volumes, blaring the fact that he was well aware of the two teenagers being more than just friends. Lux blushed and looked away while Ahsoka shot him an annoyed glare.
"Master Skywalker," she began in a clipped, completely business voice. "This is Lux Bonteri. Lux Bonteri, meet my teacher, Master Anakin Skywalker."
Anakin knew that voice, after all Padme had one just like it. He usually had to tread lightly lest he face some sort of humiliation or a cold shoulder later on. Unfortunately for Master and Padawan, a risk had to be taken today, if he had to spend any time around the boy who had put Ahsoka through so much and Anakin wasn't referring to emotional hurdles alone.
True, he was letting his personal feelings take reign while on a mission, but the Chosen One prophecy aside, he knew he wasn't the ideal Jedi and he knew that he wouldn't be himself if he was. "Lux Bonteri," Anakin began, holding out a hand for the kid to shake. "From what I've heard, you're quite the audacious type."
Seeing the grimace on the boy's face as well as the determination in his eyes, Anakin knew Ahsoka had given him some form of coaching before they rendezvoused with him. This would make things interesting. "Master Jedi, with all due respect to you and Ahsoka," Lux began. "I didn't want to get Ahsoka involved."
"You saw my Padawan at those earlier negotiations," Anakin responded, voice cold. "You were well aware that despite being a Separatist, she didn't dislike you and I'm venturing a guess here that you knew how compassionate she is. Of course she'd get involved, despite whether or not you had prior knowledge of her presence on Mandalore!"
Master, Ahsoka spoke through their bond, her "voice" tinged with nervousness. Calm down.
Take to heart your own advice, Snips.
He went on. "You knocked her unconscious, hijacked her ship and brought her to Death Watch's doorstep, intentional or not." His ice blue eyes narrowed into a sneer. "If that's not audacity...recklessness, then I don't know what is." He could practically feel Ahsoka's palm meeting her forehead.
Hello pot, she sent, radiating sarcasm into the Force as she tilted her head towards Lux. Meet kettle. You're black. Shall I fetch a mirror to prove it?
He arched a brow. Ignoring that.
Shocker.
Aloud, Anakin continued. "Did you even know that she could've been killed?"
"Everything was fine until the attack on the Ming Po village!" Lux protested. Ahsoka winced, that wasn't going to win him any points with Anakin. That was just playing into his hands.
"Which had been attacked because the Death Watch are cruel, vicious and manipulative," Anakin shot back. "And yet the Ming Po chieftain had stood up to them anyway. Unlike you. I can't decide if you're stupid but brave or cowardly."
"Master!" Ahsoka hissed.
Deciding to wrap things up, Anakin leaned toward Lux using his height to full advantage as he loomed over the boy, whispering. "Stupid but brave, that's what you are and for the sake of keeping you away from your psychotic uncle, I'm willing to overlook most of your stunts." He flicked his eyes toward Ahsoka briefly, but the message behind that gesture was clear.
Looking back toward Lux they became colder, more threatening as his whisper became harsher. "But you put Ahsoka who is like a daughter to me through emotional hell again and I will personally hunt you down. Do I make myself clear?"
"Unnecessarily crystal," Lux replied.
Anakin straightened up and regarded his Padawan. "Have you briefed Bonteri as to why we're here on Mandalore seeking him out?"
Ahsoka hesitated, "Not quite, Master. We were being followed by one of Senator Thorne's guards. I couldn't give him a full briefing, he only knows that his uncle has hatched some dangerous plot against him."
"Wait," Lux held up a hand. "I can't be the original reason why you're here. Knowing Ahsoka, she was probably sent here to attend peace negotiations with Senator Amidala. I'm guessing that goes double for you, Master Jedi," he added, inclining his head respectfully toward Anakin.
"You're right," Ahsoka affirmed. She sent him a sly smile, "you were just an added bonus."
Anakin stared dryly at her. Really? You're flirting? Now?
The response he got was an attempted look of innocence as she refused to meet his gaze. I wouldn't call it flirting, Master. It's just banter.
Otherwise known as flirting.
Refraining from rolling her eyes, Ahsoka spoke, "So what now, Master? I was sent to retrieve Lux and bring him to his uncle so he can receive who knows what as a punishment. Clearly that's not going to happen. What are we going to do?" Regarding Lux's shocked look, she inwardly winced. It was like her nightmare all over again, only this time she wasn't playing into Thorne's hands.
She hoped.
"Remaining here on Mandalore is too risky when Senator Thorne is clearly still here waiting for the two of you," Anakin began. "Returning to Raxus would be too obvious as well, our best course of action is to take you to Coruscant, you'll have the protection of the Republic." He gave the kid a deadpan look. "Try to not reject their help this time."
"I won't, sir," Lux replied. "But wouldn't Coruscant be just as risky of a place to be on just like Mandalore here? That's where the Senate convenes and where the Senators, most of them anyway, live."
Anakin smirked, "Very astute, kid." He ignored Ahsoka's jab to his side. "However that's also where the Jedi temple is located, should the need to call for back up arise, we'll have easy access. Though my Padawan and I usually fare just fine on our own." He looked to the blue eyed apprentice. "Right, Snips?"
She nodded warily. "Right, Master."
"As for right now, what's going to happen is this," Anakin began. "We're going to go to the palace and Ahsoka, you're going to board Senator Amidala's ship with Bonteri. Given what happened during the last attempt at a peace negotiation, I'm not entirely too sure just how welcome Bonteri's presence will be, particularly with the Separatist Senators and I'm not just talking about his uncle. You are to give him the remainder of his briefing while I go see if it's time for Senator Amidala and the others to return to Coruscant or if we are to procure a ship for ourselves and head back to Coruscant without anyone else."
Ahsoka didn't need to read her Master's Force signature to know that he wasn't exactly comfortable with such a plan even if it was something that Skywalker would have normally come up with. The emotions flooding his icy eyes said it all.
Pretending not to have seen it, she gave him a confident smile, "understood, Master."
"I understand as well, Master Jedi," Lux added.
"Very well," Anakin stated. "Let's move out."
Upon reaching Duchess Satine's palace, Ahsoka and Lux did as Anakin asked and headed for Senator Amidala's transport. Nodding to the pilot, Ahsoka led her friend over to a seat, seating herself across from him. "So."
"So," Lux replied.
Ahsoka sighed. This was going to be hard. Lux already knew that his uncle was after him and that was already difficult enough for him to swallow, but she had inadvertently created more stress for him by mentioning that his uncle wanted her to be his pawn. Then of course it seemed that Mini-Palpatine knew that she wasn't going to obey him, follower or not. She was a Jedi, not a bounty hunter. And as he so blatantly expressed, Lux was her friend, she wasn't going to betray him.
A chill ran down her spine. Perhaps Senator Sleemo would out her to the Council. While the seasoned Jedi were not necessarily on the best of terms with the Separatists, when it came to one of their strictest rules, the one on attachment, Ahsoka was willing to guess that they'd make an exception. Something also told her that going to Anakin to once again discuss her attachment to Lux wouldn't exactly be the best of ideas.
The sigh became louder. Some days she really hated her life.
Lux was leaning against the seat cushions and stared out the viewport, watching security detail and royal guards move about the concrete structure. Folding his arms against the sill and rested his head against him. A moment passed before he gave a short laugh. "So, my uncle was impudent enough to ask you to betray me. He made you his tool." His smile was weak. "Whatever circumstances may arise or whatever danger may come about, I'm glad you found me."
Ahsoka forced herself to become more comfortable. Despite the situation, Lux was her friend. She just wasn't sure what was worse, the Death Watch or the threat of a family member. She scoffed lightly. "Well, duh, Lux. So glad you have confidence in me. Of course I wasn't going to hand you over. I may be a Jedi, but I'm also not a traitor. I'm not going to endanger someone's life for such a stupid reason."
"So why exactly is my uncle after me?" Lux asked as her turned toward her. "You didn't get to finish explaining and truth be told, it just..." he hesitated, green eyes searching out the viewport again. "It just doesn't make any sense."
"Well, since I planned on finishing our discussion despite Master Skywalker's instructions, I guess I'd better do that now." Ahsoka shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable and it wasn't just to assuage the tight muscles in her shoulders and back.
Seeing that she had Lux's full attention, she began. "When I had that conversation with Senator Thorne, at first, he made it sound like he was a properly worried uncle. Well, at least he tried. But there was something...off about his tone. Something sinister and...honestly, slimy. He said your 'tirade' during the last peace negotiations left you in a negative view of the other Separatist Senators and he was concerned for your safety, but then he said you also needed to be reprimanded because you humiliated both the family and Raxus."
Noticing the sudden look of conflicting shame and sadness, she moved off her seat and knelt in front of him, laying a slender hand upon his shoulder. "Lux?"
The boy looked at her, noticing the sympathy within her oceanic orbs and somehow felt even more vulnerable. "Is he right, Ahsoka?" He whispered. "Did I shame my home planet? Did I insult both my parents' memories?"
"I don't think so," she answered truthfully. She sat next to him. "Let's put this part on hold for now. Lux, tell me about your uncle, tell me everything you know, every memory that could possibly put the pieces of this family feud together. It's not just about protecting your life but..." she looked away, embarrassed. "It's kind of about protecting your heart too, so that way you'll be able to move on from this."
Lux managed to smile once more. "Thank you, Ahsoka." He sighed, tilting his head to face the ceiling. "Now, to tell you about my uncle. Truth be told, there's not much that I remember, we didn't spend much time together. But, from what I can remember, it was mostly arguments with my mother. You see, he didn't like the fact that she was the Senator of Raxus, never mind that they were both supporters of Dooku. They still had differing views.
My uncle was louder, more outspoken than my mother. He didn't want peace to come about anytime soon, he didn't believe that the Republic was capable of finding a balance with the Separatists, that they were arrogant, above everyone else."
Ahsoka snorted, "What, has he not met Padme until today? She's clearly not like that. A good amount of the Republic Senators are not arrogant. And when it comes to the planets within the Galactic Senate, not all of them are well off. Many are struggling financially, many families don't have a sense of peace of mind and this escalating war is making matters worse, not better. The whole point of these meetings are to end the war peacefully and tactfully both the opposing sides are just so strong!"
"Well, it's not like the head of the Confederacy is open to suggestions," Lux grumbled.
Sidestepping the fact that Dooku was also a Sith, Ahsoka added, "Well, it's not like the Chancellor is doing much to help either. Oh and while I get the feeling Padme may agree with me, don't tell Anakin. I can't understand why, but it seems like he'd rather take council from Chancellor Palpatine over his own former Master."
"Perhaps the Chancellor shares a viewpoint with Master Skywalker that his former Master does not," Lux suggested.
"That doesn't make any sense," Ahsoka grumbled, frustrated. "Master Kenobi is known throughout for his negotiation skills. He's a great leader. Granted, he's a Jedi Master and a war general and not an actual politician, a bit more by the book, but one would think Anakin could identify with him! Then again, Skyguy is reckless, who knows? Maybe Palpatine was like that in his heyday on Naboo."
"And what about yourself?" Lux asked, his voice teasing. "Think you've got a career in politics?"
"Oh ha ha. Isn't that a slap to the face of the Council," Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "They hardly trust Senators. Forget about me. Let's go back to your uncle."
Lux shrugged. "He disagreed with my mother, disagreed with my father and saw me as most adults do. An impressionable child, someone to mold, particularly the child's mindset, to their liking. Of course, my mother caught on quickly and limited his visits. Even after my father died. I guess when my mother passed, I became even more impressionable to my uncle Damien. Unfortunately for him, I was too bent on avenging her murder to really care much about politics. I just wanted Dooku out of power, to stop hurting people. I still do."
"Believe me," Ahsoka began, her hand returning to his shoulder. "You're not the only one."
"Now it's your turn to answer a question for me," Lux told her.
"All right," she agreed. "Shoot."
"How did my uncle manage to single you out at the meeting? You're a Jedi, a representative of the Republic and a friend of Padme's."
"He knows, Lux," Ahsoka replied solemnly. "Somehow he knows that we're friends, and perhaps even more. Says he watches and that he's known since the time I met you on Raxus. He doesn't know about Carlac, but…" she sighed. "He knows I have an attachment to you."
"So, in other words, he blackmailed you," Lux stated bluntly. "Yet instead of handing me over, you're taking me away to safety."
"Haven't we already established that?" Ahsoka smirked. "I'd rather he not go to the Council about that and maybe he won't. Perhaps your uncle just likes toying with people. I don't know. But what I do know is that you're my friend and I really care about you, Lux. We're a team, people on a team aren't supposed to betray one another."
"I hope you know, I'd never betray you," Lux promised softly.
Ahsoka grinned. "Yeah, I know."
She wasn't sure when the tense, serious moment suddenly became sweet, but she found herself leaning closer toward her good friend, her eyes sliding closed. Before they met, Lux cupped her face and asked softly, impishly, "You're not going to hesitate on me, are you?"
"No," she whispered.
Lips met, pressing softly and firmly against one another. Ahsoka leaned into his embrace, feeling his warm, slightly muscled arms wrap around her slender frame. Her own arms wrapped around his neck, fingers coming to toy with his hair. She absently noted that it was getting longer, too lost in the kiss to say anything about it.
All she was aware of was the feel of Lux's lips against her own, his arms encircling her and his hand which gently stroked her lekku, the other laying on her back, keeping her leaned on him. It was their own world and all their troubles including that strict Jedi Code flew right out the window.
Oh my gosh, I did not mean to take so long with this chapter! There was writer's block…major, major block and school. What got me going was the season five preview. Lux is back and clearly his storyline has nothing to do with this. But of course you guys already know this is an AU, well semi. It just needed to be reiterated. You guys got a kiss! I could've teased you again, but I was in the moment and thus, a kiss was written in! It's going to be interesting next chapter. I'm not entirely sure what's coming myself, hopefully it's enough to keep all you wonderful reviewers interested. Your reviews have been amazingly kind and I've been so touched by all you have to say. Thank you so much.