Hey everyone. Despite my earlier convictions, here I am, posting on a Sunday and guess what. Another cliffy is at the end. I swear I don't do those on purpose, but the perfect break always presents itself at those points. Anywho, Anakin finds out about Ahsoka in this one and it was so hard and easy to write at the same time. I was in pain just writing it.
And a special thanks to Sith Lord Darth Dragonis for calling to attention that the previous chapters needed a little proofreading. I was mortified when I went back and saw some of the grammar mistakes and things I overlooked in the story and went back immediately to correct them. You don't have to go back and read it. The story is still the same. It just makes for a smoother read. Okay. That's it. Read. Enjoy. And Review.
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Chapter Eleven
"So this is how liberty dies? With thunderous applause?" Padmé asked Bail.
Chancellor Palpatine, or Emperor Palaptine now, had been elaborating on a plot by the jedi to kill him and overthrow the senate. It was a preposterous accusation. The jedi had been the protectors of the republic for nearly a millennium. They wouldn't just suddenly turn on it. In fact, if that's what they had wanted, they could have achieved it a long time ago.
As always, the senate didn't question him. They just went right along with it. She was absolutely dumbfounded. How had this happened? She knew exactly how. She had seen the republic crumbling long before Palpatine had declared a new empire and himself emperor. That's why she had fought so hard to end the war and restore power to the senate. But now, there was no need for a senate. It was an empire. The emperor's word was now law. He could make the galaxy however he wanted.
Her thoughts went back to Ahsoka and what she had seen. She said she was loyal to Palpatine. She couldn't be loyal to this. There had to be something else. Something had been different about her. She had tried to kill her for God's sake.
Her thoughts were still with Anakin's former padawan when she got back to her apartment. Whatever was going on, Ahsoka knew about it and Padmé wanted to find out everything. It would be dangerous, but for the galaxy's sake, Anakin's sake, she had to find her.
"Threepio," she called going to her room, pulling out a jumpsuit that would show her obvious pregnancy. It didn't matter anymore though.
"Yes Miss Padmé?"
"Call captain Typhoo and tell him to prepare my ship," she said.
When Padmé was dressed, she found Artoo and told him to stop working on the holonet. She had another task for him.
"If Anakin returns… When Anakin returns tell him that I'm fine, and I'm going to return."
The droid began to beep hysterically in protest detecting something was wrong, especially since Padmé didn't specify where she was going.
"It will be alright Artoo. I promise," she said. "Threepio, come with me."
Padmé was going to get to the bottom of this, and Ahsoka threatening to kill her wasn't going to stop her.
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It took a few hours, but he finally rigged the speeder so that it would fly. It wasn't as fast as the one he crashed, but it worked. However, it couldn't fly fast enough when he saw smoke coming from the temple. He rushed to it and landed. As he started up the steps to enter, three clones pointed their guns to him. Anakin grabbed his light saber to deflect the shots and then slice through the clones.
Something was definitely wrong. The clones were on their side. Why would they attack the jedi? Anakin went in the temple dreading what he would find. He had to lean on a wall for support when his eyes took sight of the interior of the temple. He quickly let go of it when he saw there was blood on it though.
The entire temple was littered with the bodies of dead jedi; padawans, masters, and younglings… Younglings, he thought as he started through the halls. How could the clones kill younglings? They were practically harmless, defenseless. He searched the temple to see if he could find any survivors and found a room he didn't know the temple had. It was some kind of room filled with emergency escape ships and by the looks of some of the empty spaces, someone had sent a few off. He sighed in relief. Someone got away.
Anakin looked at the ground and saw Shaak-Ti's body, along with some of the bodies of her youngling class. So she had been trying to get the younglings away. Apparently there hadn't been enough time before their attackers found them. His eyes fell on a little boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. He bent down to close his eyes as he thought of his and Padmé's child. How could anyone do something like this? This could have been his child, slaughtered.
The wound on the boy caught his eye. It wasn't a blaster wound, but clean cut of a light saber… Oh no, he thought as he dream came rushing back to him. It was the work of the sith. His vision was coming true. Anakin ran to the control room. Surely the holocams had recorded what had happened. Before he went to the cams, he stopped the beacon telling all jedi to return to the temple. If anyone was left, they had to stay away from the capital.
He rewinded to a few hours before, around the time he had felt the horrible force disturbance. He watch as the sith came up the temple steps with an army of clones and swept the temple. The person killed every Jedi he came across. Anakin frowned. He knew that fighting style… It was oddly familiar. Then the person came to the secret door to the room Anakin had found Shaak-Ti in and cut the door down with his light saber. He removed his hood and Anakin found out it wasn't a him, it was a her. And a familiar her to begin with, his padawan. Anakin fell down in a chair horrified by what he saw. He stopped the tape. He couldn't watch anymore.
This had to be the force's idea of a sick and cruel joke. Ahsoka wouldn't do this. It had to be an impostor. But the force told him that this was no impostor. It was Ahsoka alright. But why would she do this? How could she do this?
Anakin's mind was a whirl of thoughts and emotions. He had to find her, to possibly knock some sense into her. Something was very wrong with her. But he found he couldn't find the strength to move. The weight of what he had seen lied heavy on his body. This was how Master Yoda found him when he got there later. Anakin didn't know how long it had been and he didn't care.
"Knight skywalker," he said. "Massacre of the jedi, horrified you, it has. But something else I sense, weighing upon you. Found out you did who betrayed us."
Anakin nodded and pointed to the holocam. Yoda play the tape where Anakin had left off. It showed Ahsoka killing younglings and later her fighting and killing Barriss. Yoda frowned and then even more when he saw the girl talking to Palpatine, or Darth Sidious as they knew then.
"Know now why disturbed I felt when informed me of Palpatine's sudden interest in your padawan you did. Right in front of us all along, Darth Sidious was," Yoda said grimly. "Taken your former padawan as an apprentice, he has."
Anakin shook his head in denial. Seeing it was one thing, but hearing it out of Yoda's mouth made it even more true if that was possible. Suddenly he knew how it felt to lose a child or a padawan. It was like Ahsoka had died out of nowhere. Like one expected their child to outlive them, he had expected that Ahsoka would grow to one day maybe even surpass him as a great jedi. Someone being better than he was used to scare him until Ahsoka became his padawan.
Obi-Wan came in the room and looked at Anakin. He didn't have to look at the holocam recording to know who had led the clones in the attack on the temple.
"I'm sorry Anakin," he said regretfully
"I just can't believe it. It can't be… Why would she have done this? I can't get my mind to comprehend it," Anakin muttered finally moving from his spot to stand up.
"Destroy the sith, we must," Yoda said gravely.
Anakin shook his head. "Please master. Send me to go after Sidious. I can't fight Ahsoka, my own padawan."
"Destroyed by the dark side your padawan was. Ahsoka Tano she no longer is. Darth Pesinoé, she has become," Yoda explained.
"I can't," Anakin insisted and Yoda sighed, shaking his head.
"In emotional turmoil you are Knight Skywalker. Perhaps best it would be if flee this planet you do. To a neutral system, you will go. Send to us the coordinates, you shall," Yoda replied.
Anakin then remembered Padmé. He had to get her and the baby off the planet. It was too dangerous, especially since Ahsoka knew they were married. She had probably told the sith lord.
"Padmé," he said. "I have to get her first."
"The senator?" Yoda asked not surprised in the least. He had practically seen it coming. They had always been close.
"She's my wife. She's pregnant. I have to go get her. Perhaps she'll know of a planet we can go to," Anakin said and then left the room. He couldn't stay there anymore.
Obi-Wan looked at Yoda. "I have to kill her don't I?"
Yoda nodded.
"But I don't even know where she is," Obi-Wan protested.
"Use your feelings Obi-Wan and find her, you will," Yoda said.
Obi-Wan was hoping he didn't say that because his feelings were saying to follow Anakin to Padmé's apartment.
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When Anakin got there, Padmé wasn't there. She couldn't have up and left. All her things were still there, and something was telling him she was in danger. But where could she have gone?
Artoo rolled out of the back and started beeping madly. Something about Padmé leaving and saying she'd be back, but he didn't know where. Anakin groaned. What could have happened?
He wracked his brain and suddenly he was taken back to a conversation he had with Ahsoka. Somehow they had gotten on the topic of the separatist. It was something Palp- Sidious had told her. She was saying that they were just as much cowards as Grievous to hide instead of fighting for what they believed in, even if it was wrong. He remembered saying that where ever they were, he was sure they were living in some forest planet like Endor where they thought no one would look. She had responded jokingly, but now he wondered if she was being serious.
"Or maybe they're sweating like banthas on the Mustafar system," she said dryly
His dream came back to him. They had been on a fiery planet like Mustafar in his dream, and it was just like Padmé to go find out what was going on. She hated being out of the loop. He paled dramatically and got in the small aircraft he had taken from the jedi hanger. He called Artoo over. The droid rolled over to Anakin and the young jedi attached him to the speeder just as Obi-Wan stepped out of his.
"Anakin. Where are you going?"
"Ahsoka. She's on the Mustafar system. I think somehow Padmé knew where she went and followed her there. I've got to get there quick," Anakin said. The only thing that calmed him was in the dream, Padme wasn't dead. She had been alive. But Anakin hated to think what would happen if he didn't get to Mustafar in time in any case.
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Padmé landed on the fiery inferno planet that was Mustafar. She rubbed her belly in worry. Everything had gone so wrong. The war had been difficult, but there had always been some hope that peace and democracy would be restored, especially with the jedi. But now it was so wrong. Palpatine just didn't get it. There would never be peace in an empire where there was one sole ruler and the people didn't have a voice. It was when people didn't have a voice and thought they were being forced to do something that they started rebellion.
"Stay here Threepio," she said. "I'll be back."
Padmé walked down the ramp and walked with a purpose towards the building. It was hot and humid, a very uncomfortable atmosphere for a pregnant woman, but she only had one purpose in mind. She didn't get far from her ship though. Ahsoka came out the building and met her there.
Pesinoé scowled. No matter what she did, this woman always came back to haunt her.
The two women glared at each other, two women who were in love with the same man, who would go to the ends of the galaxy for him if they had to. They had both proven that in the last few hours.
Pesinoé broke the silence and laughed coldly. "I have to hand it to you Senator. You're very bold coming here to face me after what I told you."
"You won't kill me," Padmé said sternly.
"Yes mother," Pesinoé said rolling her eyes. "What kind of authority do you think you have?"
"You only said you didn't want to find me back on Coruscant when you got there. You never said anything about following you," Padmé replied.
"So like a politician," Pesinoé snarled. "You know exactly what I meant. But in any case, I'll give you a chance to leave now with your life and your baby."
Padmé was in no way deterred. "I'm not leaving until I know what's going on. I just came back from a senate session where Palpatine declared the jedi traitors. He's just declared himself emperor. You're not loyal that, are you?"
"He's done a better job at bringing peace to the galaxy than any jedi could have accomplished in a matter of days. The war is over and now there's peace," Pesinoé replied in a factual tone. "But I don't have to explain myself to you."
"Anakin wouldn't agree with this," Padmé said hoping to play on the girl's love for her husband. "He'd fight this."
"How would you know that?" Pesinoé asked and then groaned. "Wait. Of course you'd know. You and the jedi manipulated him and brainwashed him into you little puppet to be used like a mindless robot. You all used him so that you might be able to take over the republic and betray him. But it didn't work. My master and I saw through your plan and stopped it before you could carry it through."
"Plan to take over the republic?" Padmé asked bemused. "Are you listening to youself. That's ridiculous Ahsoka. The jedi have been guardians of the republic for over a thousand years. They-."
"Don't call me that," Pesinoé shouted. "That name has no meaning anymore. It belonged to the weak girl who almost fell to the manipulations of the jedi, who weren't letting her unmask her true potential in the force. My name is Darth Pesinoé."
"Darth Pesinoé?" Padmé asked and then put a hand to her mouth. "You're a sith and… Palpatine is your new master."
"Sidious offered me everything, gave me everything and wants nothing in return. Now not only am I more powerful than I ever could have been with the jedi, I have the power to make Anakin hate you and desire me," Pesinoé said.
Tears sprang to Padmé's eyes again that day as her heart began to ache for her husband. He'd be devastated, heartbroken.
"Is that what this is all about?" she asked. She knew the girl was jealous, envious even, of her marriage to Anakin, but she didn't think it would drive her to do something like this.
"I've brought peace to the galaxy and once I'm rid of you, me and Anakin will rule the galaxy the way we want to, without anyone telling us to restrict our feelings."
Padme stared at the woman. Surely she could see reason…? No. She couldn't. Any reasonable argument Padmé could give would be shot down with whatever Pesinoé had come up with to justify her actions.
She looked at her in disgust and backed away. "You're sick. Don't you see yourself? You're not really in love with Anakin. You're obsessed because you can't get him, and you think you deserve him. If you really loved him, you'd want him to be happy even if that meant him being with someone else. None of this is going to impress Anakin. You've destroyed everything he holds dear. The republic, the jedi, yourself and you're trying to destroy me."
"Shut up," Pesinoé growled. "Everything I've done is because I love him even if it means I have to hurt him in the process."
"You don't love him. You don't deserve him if that's what you think. You're obsessed and the more you try to pull him toward you, the more you're just succeeding in pushing him away. He might have loved you before. Who knows what could have happened in the future? But now, he might never love you," Padmé said raising her voice and getting firmer with every word. "Not like this."
"Because of you," Pesinoé spat.
Padmé shook her head. "Not because of me. Because of what you've done, what you're planning to do," she said and then softened her tone. "Perhaps it's not too late Ahsoka. Stop. Stop now. Come with me and we'll find Anakin and go somewhere where no one will find us. We'll tell Anakin everything. He'll understand. He'll forgive you. We'll help you heal your pain and find peace with yourself. Please, for Anakin's sake!" Padmé pleaded.
Pesinoé had had enough of the woman's talk.
"You liar! Don't act like you care. Don't act like you want to help me. Die!" Pesinoé screamed.
Padmé suddenly fell to her knees in pain. Pesinoé smiled. She hadn't thought trying to seduce her body into attacking itself would work. A little longer and the woman would never recover.
"Stop that," someone shouted. "Leave her alone!"
His voice snapped Pesinoé out her trance. She stopped her attack and Padmé fell to the ground.
"Padmé," Anakin said running to check on his wife. He was so focused on making sure Padmé was alright, he forgot who was there with them. He checked her pulse and then used the force to make sure she was alright. She was fine. Her body was healing the damage.
"Padmé," he said holding her close.
"Anakin," he heard his name spoken softly, barely above a whisper and looked down think it was Padmé.
It wasn't. And that was when he remembered who was there with them, the person that was responsible for all this. He looked up at her with sad eyes.
"Ahsoka," he said in the same tone.
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AN: This chapter and the next tore my heart in two. I was near tears. Anywho, Ahsoka can't see herself at all, but that's because Palpatine has twisted her mind into really thinking that the jedi and Padmé are out to get and control Anakin even though part of her can see they're not. But you couple that with the fact that she wants Anakin and boom! She goes down the dark path. Until next time. Review Please!