Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
AN: Here's chapter 13! Thanks for all the great reviews!
Never Gone III
Chapter 13: Family of Warriors
Anakin stalked dangerously toward the Prince of Hapes.
"I warned you to leave my daughter alone," Anakin growled. The Queen attempted to dispel what was becoming a volatile situation.
"Master Skywalker...you are well! This is wonderful news!" she attempted to sound delighted. Anakin's icy glare shifted to her momentarily.
"Tell me...how much was it going to cost you to buy the next election?" Anakin asked.
"I beg your pardon?!" Ta'a exclaimed in mock outrage.
"Are you really planning to place Mon Mothma in the Chancellor's seat or are you going to fill it with someone else, perhaps? A certain Sith Lord, maybe?" Anakin taunted. The Queen turned white as a sheet.
"I...I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered.
"Oh yes...you do. You're so deep in all this, you're slowly drowning," Anakin replied.
"I..." she was at a loss for words.
"You're involved with the Sith. You are working for Palpatine and I will find out everything! You can bet your credits on that!" Anakin yelled, as he turned back to Isolder.
"As for you, I think we're long overdue for a chat," Anakin said. Isolder motioned to some of his soldiers, who stepped in Anakin's way. The poor men were visibly nervous, for Anakin's presence was stifling them with fear.
"A coward through and through, I see," Anakin goaded.
"You are not welcome here and you and your family are intruding," Isolder said calmly.
"You kidnapped my daughter! No...you had someone else do the dirty work for you!" Anakin yelled.
"She broke our agreement and ran off with that scoundrel! You should be thanking me for reigning her in!" Isolder said.
"Han is like a son to me...and you've hurt him too. The minute I was out of commission you began trying to hurt my family. And I will find out why," Anakin promised, as he started toward Isolder again, even as the nervous soldiers blocked his way. He smirked.
"Move please..." he stated calmly. Isolder's mouth dropped open, as the soldiers headed the simple command and parted the way for him.
"Stay away from me!" Isolder cried.
"Not until I get some answers," Anakin yelled. Isolder tried to run, but an unseen force tripped him and he went skidding to the marble floor. Anakin grabbed his cape and yanked him up.
"Tell me what you know about the Sith!" Anakin demanded.
"N...nothing!" Isolder cried. Anakin sensed he was telling the truth. Isolder was simply a pawn, as he suspected. He knew the Queen knew all about Palpatine...but she wasn't working alone.
"You're being manipulated and you have no clue. I almost feel sorry for you," Anakin said, as he kneed him in the gut.
"Almost...but you still hit my daughter and that is unforgivable," Anakin said.
"And as much as I would love to beat the living Sith out of you for touching her, you're so pathetic that you're not even worth it," Anakin said. Isolder looked relieved for a moment until Anakin lifted him up by his shirt and ignited his blade. Isolder looked like he was going to faint.
"But know this. If you come within a parsec of my daughter again, you'll be dead with one clean swipe of my blade. Never set foot on Naboo again and never come near my family again. If you do, I will kill you," Anakin said, as he extinguished his blade and released Isolder, who scrambled away from him. Suddenly, they heard a peculiar creaking in the ceiling. Screams ensued, as the ceiling busted open and a torrent of water poured down on them. Seeing through the raging water was impossible and Anakin lost sight of his family. Water filled the room and was already up to his chest and quickly rising.
"Padme! Leia!" he called, as he looked around frantically.
"Luke! Anna!" he called again, as suddenly he saw his youngest daughter surface. She coughed violently and Anakin swam to her.
"Daddy...a piece of plaster...hit mom on the head. She went under and I couldn't find her..." Anna cried. Anakin saw a large slab of duracrete floating in the water. He grabbed Anna around the waist and hauled her up onto it.
"Stay here," he told her, as he dove down to look for the rest. Anakin spotted the twins and they all surfaced.
"It's the water demon again," Luke said, as he gasped for air.
"Palpatine must know we're here. Take care of your sisters while I find your mother," Anakin said. Luke nodded, as he and Leia swam toward Anna. Anakin dove down, searching frantically for Padme. With no sign, he was forced to go up for air.
"Looking for this...Skywalker?" a voice rasped. He looked up to see Aurra Sing, the water demon, standing on a piece of floating duraplaster. She pulled her tentacle from the water, bringing Padme up for air. His wife coughed and gasped for air.
"Ani..." she whimpered, just before the demon plunged her underwater again.
"Let her go Sing!" Anakin roared.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Aurra goaded, as she pulled Padme from the water again. Her tentacle lifted her out of the water and Sing coiled her other tentacle around Padme's petite body, constricting her.
"How would you like to die, dear Amidala? Would you prefer I drown you? Or crush your pretty bones to powder?!" Aurra snarled, as she squeezed Padme in her tentacles. Anakin drew his light saber and ignited the blade. Padme cried out, as Aurra squeezed her. Anakin aimed his blade and then expertly threw it. It spun beautifully, end over end, and it hit Aurra's tentacle, cutting it in half. The demon roared in rage, as Padme fell freely into the water. Anakin dove after her and they surfaced together. Padme coughed and clung to him tightly. Sing's rage became know, as water wraiths began attacking. Anakin used the Force to call his light saber to his hand and began to flight them off. Another piece of duraplaster floated by and he helped Padme onto it. She drew her blaster and began shooting at the wraiths. She screamed, as one slipped past Anakin and grabbed her from behind, trying to pull her into the water. She force it off and shot it in the head, while her husband continued to fend off dozens more of the water gremlins. Aurra Sing growled, as she jumped onto Anakin and plunged them both underwater.
"Anakin!" Padme cried. Aurra Sing sneered at the Chosen One, as she squeezed him in her tentacles. He appeared to be unconscious already and she wondered how her Master would reward her for his death. But her victory was short lived, as his eyes suddenly snapped open. His eyes shined like two beacons of light and she recoiled from him immediately. They surfaced and Aurra sputtered, as she tried to look away. But his searing gaze was too powerful. Padme and their children watched, as Aurra screamed, holding her eyes in agony, as if they were on fire.
"No more innocent blood will be spilt by you. And by the power of the Force, your soul will be destroyed," Anakin said fiercely, as a light beam erupted from his palm. It hit Aurra and she screamed, as the white flames of the Force engulfed her. She melted into the water, as her essence had been completely expunged. Anakin held out his palm and released a shockwave of power, killing all the wraiths in its path.
"Luke, we're going to have to climb through the roof and then down the side of the building. Help your sisters," Anakin called.
"Good thing we parked the ship on the cliff overlooking the palace or it might be underwater. All these poor people and those cowards just left!" Padme said.
"Yeah...it definitely proves their involvement with the Sith," he replied, as he tossed his grappling cable up and secured it at the top.
"Okay angel, up you go," he said, as he lifted her up and she began scaling the wall. Once she was done, she sat off to the side on the roof and watched him climb up, helping him over when he reached her.
"Now that we're up, how are we going to get down?" Padme asked. Anakin glanced over at their children on the other side of the busted roof and laughed.
"Like that. I taught him well," Anakin said. Luke had attached his grabbling cable to a lower tree in the courtyard. He then had attached his climbing harness to each of his sisters and sent them gliding to the ground one at a time. Padme watched, as their son secured himself on the cable and whooped, as he went sailing down through the air.
"Care to try it?" Anakin asked, as he secured his cable onto another tree below.
"Only if you take me down with you," she replied, cuddling close to his chest.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," he replied, as their lips met and they kissed passionately.
"Ah, can't they find a better place to do that later?" Luke complained.
"Oh leave them alone. We will be lucky if we're each in love with our spouse half as much as mom and dad are in twenty two years," Leia said wistfully. Luke looked at her like she had just grown Bantha horns.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my twin sister?" he asked.
"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.
"Oh leave her alone, Luke. She's in love," Anna said.
"She is? With who?" he asked. Leia rolled her eyes.
"Are you that dense?" Anna scolded. He looked offended.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"If you can't figure it out, then I'm not telling you, dummy," Leia said.
"Well, excuse me for not keeping up with your social life, Senator Skywalker," Luke complained.
"It's Han, you Shaak butt," Anna scolded.
"Han?" Luke asked, before he burst out laughing. Leia frowned.
"What's so funny?" she asked defensively.
"You and Han used to HATE each other!" he laughed and then yelped, as Leia punched his arm.
"I was five, Nerfherder!" she yelled.
"Ouch...I'm kidding Leia. I'm happy for you," Luke said.
"Thanks," Leia said sadly, as she suddenly burst into tears. Luke looked frantic, wondering what he had done now. Anna glared at him and he suddenly remembered where Han was right now.
"Hey...it'll be okay Leia. We'll get him back," Luke said.
"Luke's right, princess. I will go after him as soon as I can," Anakin said, as he and Padme landed next to their children.
"Thanks daddy," Leia replied, with a watery smile. Suddenly, Leia screamed, as something grabbed her legs and tried pulling her into the ground. Luke and Anakin grabbed her arms and pulled her from the ground demon's grasp. Darth Malina snarled, as she rose, bringing dozens of wraiths with her.
"Great...more," Anakin growled, as he ignited his blade. Luke and Anna followed suit, flanking their mother and sister. Padme and Leia drew their blasters and stayed close to Anakin. Luke and Anna flanked off to either side to take a group of wraiths each. Malina growled and disappeared underground, as her wraiths attacked Anakin, Padme, and Leia with a vengeance. Anakin swiped his saber furiously, cutting through dozens at a time. He was already sick of Palpatine's foolish games. He wanted to face the Sith Lord and he wanted to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, he would have to play Sidious' games until the Sith decided to show himself. And Anakin vowed that this time, he would not catch him off guard. The Skywalker's stopped fighting when all the wraiths were gone and waited for Malina to resurface.
"Stay close," he told his family, as they huddled together. Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to shake violently.
"A ground quake!" Luke exclaimed, as the ground beneath their feet began to crack and break apart.
"We're sinking!" Padme cried, as the piece of grassy dirt they stood upon slowly began to sink into the ground. Luke scrambled off the sinking trap and then held his hand out for the rest of his family. Suddenly, Malina grabbed Luke by the shirt and hauled him to his feet. She growled at him and fixated her glare upon him.
"You'll be my first victim...young Skywalker!" she hissed, as Luke's airway became constricted and he began to choke.
"Nooo...Luke!" Padme cried in terror.
"Stay here!" Anakin told his wife and daughters, as he used the Force to propel himself up. He flipped and landed on his feet in front of Malina, his eyes blazing brightly. Malina hissed and turned away from him.
"You won't kill me so easily...Chosen One! Not before I claim your son as my victim!" Malina screamed. Luke was turning blue and Anakin knew he had to act fast. The Force aura around Anakin glowed brightly and expanded around Malina and Luke. The demon began to panic, as the brightness of his power burned her cornea's. Luke gasped air into his lungs and she dropped him to the ground. He coughed and panted air into his lungs, as his color slowly returned. Malina growled and tried covering her face, as Anakin calmly approached her. Malina screamed and Luke's eyes widened, as he saw the Sith demon's eyes. They were literally on fire with white flames.
"You may have defeated me...but my Master will destroy you!" she screamed, as the fire spread to her face. Luke scrambled away to help his mother and sisters up. Anna grabbed his hand first, followed by Leia and then Padme. They all watched in awe, as the white flames spread over her entire body, burning her soul to nothingness.
"I'll destroy your Master just like I've destroyed you. No more innocents will suffer at your hands. Tonight, you cease to exist..." Anakin said. Malina roared in rage, as her form became completely engulfed and eventually her scream was squelched, just as her very essence and soul was as well. The light faded and there was nothing...not a trace left of the demon. Padme knelt beside Luke and hugged him.
"Baby, are you okay?" she asked, as she smoothed his hair.
"Mom...I'm fine..." Luke complained in embarrassment, as his mother suddenly treated him as if he was five again. They all stood up and Anakin smiled, as his wife and daughters gathered around him in a family hug. Luke smiled, as his father pulled him in and his sisters squeezed him tightly in a hug of their own. Padme felt her eyes swim with tears. Her family was together again, just as it was supposed to be.
"Come on, let's get off this Force forsaken planet. Palpatine has likely sensed the destruction of his demons. We should go before he decides to send more," Anakin said.
"Do you really think Isolder and his mother escaped the planet and went to him?" Leia asked.
"I'm afraid it's very likely. Isolder was simply a pawn before tonight, but now I'm sure he's learning exactly what his mother has been up to," Anakin answered.
"But we still don't know who the apprentice is. Mom, did you know that Palpatine had a son?" Anna asked her mother.
"No sweetie. Palpatine either made sure his existence was a secret or he did not know about him. Though, I would venture a guess that it is the first one. Palpatine wouldn't have wanted anything to do with an infant and would have only wanted to make sure he was raised to know everything about the Sith," Padme said.
"You're right. He probably made sure his son was hidden away, likely on Korriban, since we know that his son studied the holocrons. He is the one that released Palpatine's soul from Sith hell...and had the Kaminoans clone his father," Anakin said.
"Ani...it is very likely that Palpatine himself ordered that the Kaminoans clone him in case he was killed. And then, he made sure his offspring spent his life studying the holocrons in order to perform the ritual," Padme replied.
"You might be right. If that's so though, who told him about the Clone?" Anakin asked.
"It would have had to been the person caring for his son all these years," Luke said.
"I wonder who his mother is? I mean, was she evil too? Or just a vessel? Did Palpatine kill her or was she loyal to him? Did she raise their son?" Leia wondered. Anakin stopped at his daughters words.
"What is it Ani?" Padme asked, as they reached the Sapphire Angel, atop the rocky cliff.
"Leia's on to something," Anakin said.
"I don't get it. Who would want to be with Palpatine?" Luke wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Oh my goodness...it's Ta'a. She and Palpatine...were lovers," Padme said, looking as if she was going to be sick just by saying those words.
"Wait...you mean the Queen had Palpatine's baby?" Anna asked, also looking sick.
"It fits," Anakin replied.
"But...it can't be Isolder, can it?" Leia asked.
"No...it's definitely not Isolder. Isolder's father was the King of Hapes, which means that Ta'a had an affair with Palpatine before or after Isolder was born. Ta'a likely hid the child somehow," Padme said.
"But she would have kept him close...even if she could not acknowledge him in public," Anakin replied. Then it struck Leia like a bolt of Force lightning.
"Jaren..." she exclaimed.
"What?" Luke asked.
"It's Jaren..." Leia said, looking her family.
"What makes you think that, sweetheart?" Padme asked.
"I...when he captured us on Bespin, I saw his eyes flash yellow for a brief second. I thought I had imagined it...but when he slapped me, I felt electricity behind his hand. It's Jaren, daddy...he's the Sith apprentice!" Leia said. Anakin nodded.
"It certainly fits. The Queen has had him disguised as Isolder's aide all these years. No one would suspect. If he's anything like his father, then he would have been very good at hiding his true identity," Anakin said.
"So...if we're right, Jaren is the son of Palpatine and the Queen Mother of Hapes," Padme concluded. Anakin nodded.
"But why have they been sending these demons after us? If they're so powerful, then why haven't they tried to take over yet?" Luke asked.
"Because Palpatine is extremely patient and his plans always take careful planning and require him to bide a lot of time. It took him thirteen years last time before he revealed his ultimate plan and made his move. He won't take nearly as long this time, but he is planning something big, we can be sure of that," Anakin said.
"The question is what? We know that his ultimate goal is to take over the Republic and create an Empire upon which he has complete control over," Padme said.
"Yes, but it is how he will achieve this that remains a mystery," Anakin added.
"Then we have to find out what he's doing!" Luke exclaimed. Anakin smiled thinly.
"Easier said then done, son. Palpatine is so masterful that it is likely we will not know what he is going to do until he has already begun," Anakin said.
"Then...how are we going to defeat him?" Luke asked.
"We train to be prepared and to be ready. And we investigate every angle we can, starting with Jaren's past," Anakin said.
"Are we going to Coruscant right away?" Leia asked.
"We'll be making a short stop on Naboo to drop Anna off and then we'll head for Coruscant the following morning," Anakin told them. The Skywalker family strapped into their seats, as Anakin took them up. They left Hapes behind, hopefully for good, and disappeared into hyperspace...
The small shuttle slowly descended into the docking bay of the massive ship. Isolder was at a loss for words and completely confused as to why they were here.
"What is going on? Where are we?" he asked.
"Shut up," Jaren snapped.
"How dare you talk to me like that?! What has gotten into you, Jaren?" Isolder asked. The prince never saw Jaren's fist coming until it had already connected with his jaw.
"I said shut up, you little bastard!" Jaren yelled.
"Mother...how can you let him do this?!" Isolder cried, as his lip trickled blood.
"You are such a coward, Isolder. At least my Jaren is not like that," Ta'a said, as she stepped down the ramp and smirked at the figure awaiting them. Jaren grabbed Isolder by the tunic and dragged him down the ramp. As Isolder saw Palpatine there, he suddenly became even more frightened.
"It's true then. You are involved with the Sith, mother!" he cried.
"Of course it's true, you little nuisance. Jaren is the son I bore with the greatest ruler the galaxy has ever seen! The true prince! You were just an unfortunate mistake that I had to put up with all these years, thanks to those damned Skywalkers!" she yelled.
"What?...how can this be?" Isolder said, at a loss for words.
"This means I have to put up with you no more. The roles have been reversed and you'll be serving me," Jaren said.
"I will not help you! Anakin was right and I will not serve you! I am the Prince of Hapes! My father was King!" Isolder cried.
"Your father was as worthless as you are. That's why I mother and I poisoned him, so we could get rid of him," Jaren said evilly.
"You...you killed my father!" Isolder exclaimed. He had been small when his father died of the Bothan influenza he had been told. But now that he learned that it was all a lie, he wondered how much else he did not know.
"Yes...he was interfering with Mother's plans and was suspicious of me. We had to be rid of him. Now, if you will not help us...then you will die," Jaren said, as he ignited his crimson blade.
"What will it be, brother? Will you stand at my side or will I get the pleasure of slicing your worthless head off?" Jaren asked. Isolder panicked at the sight of the crimson blade.
"Please...don't kill me. I'll do...whatever you want!" Isolder pleaded for his life. Jaren extinguished his blade and returned it to his belt.
"Good choice, you sniveling coward. Now, pick yourself up and follow us," Jaren said, as his boots sounded thickly on the durasteel.
"Two of our demons are dead," Palpatine said, as his son walked in stride with him, as Ta'a and Isolder followed them.
"Yes, it is unfortunate. But our other demons will be more difficult for him and should provide us with enough distraction, particularly if we send the wind demon after Amidala again," Jaren said.
"Yes...and we still have the fire and ice demons. They are more powerful than the rest and will not be so easily defeated. And when the time comes, we shall crush the entire Skywalker family...for good this time," Palpatine said. Jaren smirked evilly.
"Yes, things are going well. Except having young Leia to hold over Anakin's head would have been useful," Palpatine said.
"Yes, it is unfortunate that Isolder fowled that up. But there will be other opportunities to attack his children," Jaren said. Palpatine laughed evilly.
"Yes...yes there will be. Come," he ordered, as they reached the bridge of the massive Star Destroyer...