Blaze: wow, I got 133 reviews in just a few days
Darth: dang
Blaze: yeah
Darth: this is going to be a short chapter, isn't it?
Blaze: probably
Darth: how many pages?
Blaze: 265292532
Darth: ha, like you could type that many pages for one chapter
Blaze: you've got a point, I'll say six, maybe eight
Darth: better
Palpypie: hi
Blaze: Palpypie died! Palpypie died!
Palpypie: Anakin's gonna die! Anakin's gonna die!
Blaze: (scowls angrily, slices Palpypie in half and stalks off)
Darth: nice going, you pissed off Blaze again!
Palpypie's Ghost: (grumbles)
Darth: here's chapter fourteen and Blaze hopes that you like it, reviews are appreciated. And yes this is AU, meaning the creatures that come into the story in this chapter come in different from canon.
Chapter Fourteen
Obi-Wan Kenobi narrowed his eyes as Anakin walked into the room that he had given the old Jedi Master. Yoda was also there though the Solo Siblings were with Han and Leia while Luke was touring the Executor with Anakin's mechanic Mara Jade. Anakin had left only a few minutes before when Admiral Ozzel asked him to come onto the bridge.
"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin smiled. "Why do you assume something happened?" he asked but, before Obi-Wan could reply, he shrugged. "Ozzel wanted to tell me that a ship came into the sector we dropped out of hyperspace into. He says that they wish to speak with me and their shuttle is currently heading toward hangar bay three of the Executor."
Yoda frowned. "Strange this is," he said.
"Not really," Anakin said. "A small feeling in the Force is telling me to act casual and yet to be on by guard. I have reason to believe we may not have to travel the remaining eight parsecs to the Unknown Regions but I cannot be sure."
"The Grand Admiral could this person be?"
"Perhaps."
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "And you came to tell us this why? I know you well enough to know that you would not just come in here to tell us this if it wasn't for a reason," he said.
Anakin turned to look at him. "Thrawn and I may respect each other but we do not like each other so I will need someone to back me up, especially if the Noghri are with him," he said.
"Noghri?" Yoda echoed.
"Yes, the Noghri like Thrawn and I but when Thrawn went to the Unknown Regions for a mission Palpatine would not tell me about, I let the Noghri go with him. I cannot say if the Noghri still resent me for that," Anakin replied.
"And you want us there to prevent these Noghri from stopping the alliance you wish to form with this Thrawn?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Not both of you, just Obi-Wan," Anakin replied.
Yoda narrowed his eyes. "Why?" he asked.
"I would prefer to be with just Obi-Wan," Anakin replied, his eyes narrowed and Obi-Wan caught a brief flash of coldness in his voice. He remembered that Anakin was too newly on the light side of the Force that anything may toss him back into the darkness.
"I will go with him, Master Yoda. Perhaps you can speak with the Solo siblings. They seemed to want to learn from the Jedi Master that teaches their master in the future," Obi-Wan said throwing Yoda a warning look.
He is too newly on the light side of the Force, Master Yoda. Anything, I mean anything, can push him back into the darkness, he said silently through the Force.
Understand this I do but like it I do not, Yoda said silently. "Speak with the Solo siblings I will while meet with this new person you two shall," he added out loud before he climbed to his feet and made his way out of the room. Anakin watched him go before looking back at Obi-Wan.
"Come, we must not keep him waiting," he said before he turned around and led the way out of the room. Obi-Wan jogged after his former Padawan and he noticed that Anakin seemed more at ease as they made their way away from the room.
"Anakin?" he said walking to his former Padawan's side.
"Yes Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked glancing at him.
"Why did you just want me to come with you and not Master Yoda?"
Anakin stayed silent for a long moment as he turned his gaze to the hallway that lay in front of him. "I do not trust him," he said finally. "I do not trust any Jedi of the Old Order aside from you and I know that it will take me some time to trust them again."
"Why don't you trust them?"
Anakin pursed his lips together. "They were the ones that helped Palpatine take over the galaxy," he said. "They may not have known it at the time but they were still partially responsible. I was not lying when I said I could see through the lies of the Jedi. I saw through the façade that they put on to make everyone believe that they were in no way responsible for what happened."
Obi-Wan stopped before stretching out a hand to stop Anakin. "Anakin, that is not true," he said.
"You're blind, Obi-Wan," Anakin snapped turning to glare at Obi-Wan. "The Jedi are supposed to be the keepers of the peace and yet they still hastened forward throughout the war, not once pausing to think of a way to stop it. The Jedi are supposed to be powerful on the light side of the Force, able to continue to keep the peace, and yet they couldn't stop many of their kind to die. Not to mention they say they follow the will of the Force and the Jedi Code but what they don't see is that the Jedi Code is different in the eyes of many."
Anakin paused for a long moment, looking away as he examined a nearby wall. "I loved Padmé, I really did. I knew it was against the Jedi Code but then I began to look at the Code from a different point of view. The code says, there is no passion, there is serenity. The thing I noticed most of all is that passion is many different emotions all rolled up into one. Passion is love, anger, hatred, joy, and so many other emotions, some of which are central to the life of a Jedi. I felt that even though I was in love it didn't stop me from accomplishing the trials that were placed in front of me."
"And yet you still turned to the dark side," Obi-Wan said softly.
Anakin turned to glare at him. "I did it to save someone's life," he snapped. "The Jedi would never have understood the true reason why I turned to the dark side. I wanted to save Padmé and the Jedi would not have helped me. Instead of helping me stop my visions from coming true, they would kick me out of the Order."
"You could have told me," Obi-Wan said. "You should have trusted me enough to tell me the truth and yet you kept it to yourself until I learned it, not from you, but from Padmé herself."
Anakin was silent for a long moment. "The Jedi do love," he said. "They love the people that they protect, even it isn't passionate love, it's still unconditional love. It doesn't matter how you describe it, how you define it, it is still the same, it is still love. Compassion is love, passion is love, it is all the same thing."
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "Not all love is the same, Anakin," he said.
"It is," he said in reply to Obi-Wan's statement.
Obi-Wan sighed. "From a certain point of view," he said.
Anakin narrowed his eyes. "That is what I am trying to tell you," he snapped. "What I'm trying to say is that the Jedi Code can mean many things, they can have two meanings to the same line but one person sees one meaning while another sees the second but none see both meanings of the Jedi Code."
"And you think you have?"
"I know I have!"
Obi-Wan let out a long sigh. "Anakin, the Code may have two meanings to the same line and you may have seen both meanings but it does not account for the crimes you have committed since you turned to the dark side," he said.
"I regret them, Obi-Wan," Anakin murmured. "I thought Palpatine could save Padmé's life. I thought that he could teach me to stop death but now that I think about it, Palpatine knew all along that he couldn't stop death. Death is the only thing that is certain in life and sometimes you cannot stop it, especially if the Force decrees that it is your destiny. I understand that now and I wish that I knew what I knew now then."
"I know, Anakin. Perhaps things would have been different if you had the knowledge you have now during the time when you needed it the most."
Anakin stayed silent for a long moment. "Come, we need to keep going," he said before he led the way down the hallway. Obi-Wan followed him though he couldn't help but think about what Anakin had said about the different types of love. He knew that he had been in love before but he and the one he was in love with decided it was best for the Jedi Order if they did not act upon it.
But Obi-Wan still felt it, the passionate love that Anakin had felt. Perhaps Anakin is right and there are two meanings to the Jedi Code, he thought but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he followed Anakin toward the hangar bay.
Anakin narrowed his eyes as he walked into the hangar bay as the shuttle landed. He noticed that it was an Imperial shuttle while the ship that lay in the space beyond the shields was a Star Destroyer. Strangely, Anakin recognized the Star Destroyer as the Chimera, the Star Destroyer that had been patrolling this area of the Empire in search of the Rebellion when the Empire thought they were stationed here.
I guess that the Emperor wanted to keep this area secure just in case the Rebellion should come here, he thought as he made his way toward the landing bay. The shuttle had completely landed and the boarding ramp of the ship went down.
A lanky gentleman that Anakin recognized at Captain Pelleaon was the first one out followed by five short clawed blue-gray skinned and black eyed creatures that Anakin recognized as the Noghri. Just behind the Noghri came the one person Anakin knew he would be seeing today.
The alien was dressed in white, the color of a Grand Admiral. His pale blue skin and shiny blue-black hair signaled him out as alien in spite of his humanlike body. His glowing red eyes scanned the area before turning to look at Anakin as the Emperor made his way over to join the group.
"Lord Vader," Pellaeon greeted him.
"Captain Pellaeon," Anakin replied calmly though his eyes were on the Grand Admiral. "And I take it you have not heard the news?"
"News?" Pellaeon echoed.
"Yes, Emperor Palpatine was killed and, before he died, he named me his heir," Anakin replied. Inwardly he was grimacing, he never wanted to be the Emperor and yet here he was, in charge of the Empire.
Pellaeon frowned. "I had not heard that," he admitted.
"Captain Pellaeon just barely ascended to his position as captain," Grand Admiral Thrawn said in his coolly calculating voice as he made his way past his Noghri bodyguards and came to a stop in front of Anakin. "I, however, heard the news, your Majesty."
Anakin nodded once. "We were not expecting to find you here, Thrawn," he said, his voice was cool and he and the Grand Admiral stared each other down before Anakin was forced to look away from the alien's glowing red eyes.
"Indeed, I was not expecting to find you here," Thrawn agreed before he turned his scarlet eyes to Obi-Wan. "I had not realized you brought company with you."
"This is Obi-Wan, he is a friend," Anakin replied gesturing toward Obi-Wan who lowered his head in greeting.
"It is strange to find the Emperor this close to the Unknown Regions. I thought as soon as the Emperor was killed, you would head straight to Coruscant."
"We were delayed by complications," Anakin replied. "But we came toward the Unknown Regions because I need to speak with you, Grand Admiral, of a matter of most urgency."
"I see, and what would this matter be?" asked Thrawn.
"May we speak alone?"
Thrawn glanced at his Noghri bodyguards before he looked back at Anakin. "Would you not mind if the Noghri had a chance to stretch their legs and roam the Executor?" he asked.
"Feel free," Anakin replied. "Just do not harm anyone."
"We would not harm anyone, Lord Vader, you have our word," the catlike voice of the first Noghri said lowering his head in deep gratitude to Anakin.
Anakin nodded once in reply and the Noghri slowly made their way away from Thrawn and Anakin and Anakin watched as they disappeared within the many hallways leading away from the hangar bay.
Obi-Wan frowned. "They seem to be thankful toward you for some reason," he said.
Anakin shrugged. "The Empire helped to stop the poisoning of their planet," he replied. When the Empire had arrived to Honoghr, the Noghri were in need of help and Anakin and the Empire had helped Honoghr before they enlisted the Noghri to become the Empire's personal Death Commandos.
Grand Admiral Thrawn followed the Lord Darth Vader as he led the way toward his private room. As he entered the room with Captain Pellaeon just behind him, he narrowed his scarlet eyes. "What is this matter of utmost urgency?" he asked.
Vader glanced at him. "There is this Clan of creatures known as the Yuuzhan Vong who are ruthless and evil," he said. "They are creatures who kill just because they want to and will enslave the entire galaxy if we cannot stop them."
"Yuuzhan Vong? I have never heard of them," Pellaeon admitted.
"Nor have I," replied Thrawn, his eyes narrowed. "Are you absolutely sure they wish to take over the galaxy?"
"Yes," Vader replied. "I sought you out because I wish to form an Alliance with the Chiss Empire for I fear that the Empire, alone, will be unable to defeat the Yuuzhan Vong and the Rebellion will not help."
Thrawn narrowed his eyes though his posture was still calm. "The Chiss Empire knew something was coming," he said. "We knew that something would come but we did not expect them to come this soon. Some of our researchers predicted the coming to be more than thirty years from now," he said.
"It is complicated to explain," Vader said. "But the Yuuzhan Vong are here and if we do not defeat them then the future will be destroyed."
Thrawn narrowed his eyes. "The future?" he echoed.
Vader narrowed his eyes. "The Force," he replied. "It has much to do with the Force. I know that you do not know much about the Force but that is the key to the Yuuzhan Vong coming ahead of schedule."
"I see."
"And if we do not have the Chiss Empire to help us then we will become enslaved or killed by the Yuuzhan Vong. I hope to get the Rebellion to help us but I fear I will be unable to do so, so I need another ally."
"I see." Thrawn fell silence as he thought about Vader's words. They made sense, Thrawn did not want his kind to become enslaved or killed. As he considered Vader's words, Pellaeon seemed to be doing the same thing.
"He makes sense, Grand Admiral," said Pellaeon.
"Indeed he does," Thrawn agreed. "But I must speak with the leaders of the Five Ruling families before I am to make my decision. I will get back with you, your Majesty, on my decision."
"Thank you, Grand Admiral," Vader replied lowering his head and Thrawn saw deep gratitude in the blue eyes of the dark lord.
Luke narrowed his eyes as he walked beside Mara down the hallways of the huge Super Star Destroyer, the Executor. Mara was a beautiful young lady and Luke couldn't help but wonder as to how he would be able to marry such a beautiful woman. Mara, as if noticing Luke was gazing at her, glanced at him. "What?" she asked.
Luke lowered his head before shaking it once to tell Mara 'it was nothing'. Mara pursed her lips together but nodded and they walked onward. Luke could tell by Mara's posture that she was angry but he couldn't figure out as to why he was angry. He pulled out the datapad he had grabbed from his room when they passed by it before he wrote on it.
'You seem angry,' the datapad read and Luke handed it to Mara who took it before reading words.
"I am not angry," she said handing the datapad back. "I just cannot believe that the Emperor is gone. He basically raised me and taught me everything that I know and now that he's gone, it's all coming as a shock."
'Was it like he was your father?' Luke wrote onto the datapad.
Mara shook her head after she read the datapad. "No, he was more like a mentor," she said.
'Oh okay,' Luke wrote onto the datapad before showing it to Mara.
Mara glanced at him. "How do you handle being mute?" she asked.
'I was born this way so I guess I'm used to it though I have wondered as to what my voice would sound like if I could talk,' he wrote onto the pad before showing it to the flaming red haired girl.
Before Mara could reply, five short blue-gray skinned, black-eyed creatures walked down the hallway before coming to a stop in front of Luke and Mara. The first creature frowned. "Hello," the creature greeted them in a catlike voice. "You smell like Lord Vader."
Luke frowned. What is that supposed to mean? He thought.
"My name is Rukh," said the creature.
"What are you?" Mara asked.
Rukh turned his gaze to Mara. "I am a Noghri," he replied. "And I, and the rest of my Clan, are in debt to the Lord Vader. You smell like Lord Vader so who are you?"
Luke frowned, unsure of how to respond to the Noghri's question. Mara glanced at him before looking at the Noghri. "His name is Luke Skywalker," she said. "I guess he smells like Vader because he's related to him."
"Why was he unable to speak for himself?"
"Because he cannot speak," Mara said.
Luke lowered his head as the Noghri looked at him and, for a long moment, Rukh studied him. "Now that I think about it, his scent may be similar to Lord Vader's but there is something about it that is different," he said. "We may be able to smell bloodlines but I can smell a slight, only a slight, difference. I would assume this difference is Young Vader's inability to speak."
Luke winced. 'Will you tell them not to call me young Vader?' he wrote onto the datapad before handing it to Mara who read it before frowning.
"Luke said not to call him young Vader," she said handing the datapad back to Luke.
"What shall we call you then?" Rukh asked.
'Just call me Luke,' Luke wrote onto the datapad before showing it to Mara who repeated it to the Noghri.
"Very well Luke," Rukh said. "Now if you shall excuse us, we would like to continue our tour of this ship." Luke and Mara nodded before they stepped aside to allow the five Noghri to walk past them.
'That was strange,' he wrote onto the datapad before showing it to Mara.
"Yes it was," agreed Mara and the two of them began walking down the hallways again. And as they walk, they began to speak. More or less, Mara spoke and Luke wrote but nonetheless, they began to learn more about each other, and about the lives they led before they met each other onboard the Executor.
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: LUKE/MARA!
Darth: Mara is a hottie
Blaze: I love this pairing so I had to bring it in
Darth: I thought no one liked Luke/Mara in Vader/Luke stories
Blaze: well, in my opinion, tough
Darth: that's mean
Blaze: it's not like I'm going to go in depth on it, I'm just pointing out that this is a pairing in this story
Darth: ah okay
Anakin: hi
Blaze: ANAKIN! (Tackles Anakin)
Anakin: (Startled) uh hello? (Hugs Blaze back)
Palpypie: ANAKIN'S GOING TO DIE!
Anakin: (Scowls, stabs Palpypie, picks up Blaze and stalks off)
Obi-Wan: nice going, you pissed off Anakin
Palpypie's Ghost: but I didn't do anything
Darth: (scowls, makes Palpypie alive, stabs Palpypie, and stalks off)
Obi-Wan: nice going, you pissed off Darth
Palpypie's Ghost: but I didn't say anything
Obi-Wan: (sigh) please review and Blaze will post chapter fifteen as soon as she possibly can. She hopes to get at least 150 reviews mainly because Blaze'll most likely not post a new chapter for a few months.