A/N: WORK HAS BEEN KICKING MY ASS. I only really find time to update the story where I've made chapters in advance, mostly. The writer's block as to how to progress things does not help either. So you'll have to excuse me if things move a little slow.
Anakin breathed in and out as he stayed in his meditative position. He used to hate meditating. Hated it with a passion. Now it did wonders for his control of the Force. Anakin always knew he was capable of amazing things. It was all about using the Force the way it was meant to be used. Like he did against the Son and Daughter back on Mortis. That was what he was capable of. That was his true power.
As the weeks passed by, that's how Anakin spent a lot of his free time: meditating. If Obi-Wan saw him now, he'd probably wonder if it was really him. But this was how he was able to focus his emotions. It's why a lot of Jedi did it. But it was for a different purpose. Rather than block his emotions, they would be at his beck and call. He wouldn't get angry unless he wanted to. He wouldn't let grief strike him if he didn't want it to. If he wanted to be calm, he could and would.
This is where his role as Ahsoka's master came into play again. He was showing her that this was how the Force was meant to be used. She was always more of a calmer soul than he was, so this was far easier for her to be able to use than him. In both of their opinions, this is what the Jedi should be teaching Younglings. How to use their emotions, yet control them. Already with this use of the Force, both ex-Jedi could feel the Force differently. It didn't feel one-sided. It felt pure. It felt like the Force itself.
To be able to achieve what Anakin did on Mortis was a sign that he was the Chosen One. But who said he only had to achieve it once? Who was to say that if he mastered it, he couldn't achieve that level of power all the time? But despite all this, there was only one thing even this level of the Force could not achieve.
Anakin growled as he glared at his metal hand. Normally, it was more of a help than a detriment. Not in the case of Force Lightning. No matter how hard he tried; no matter how much anger he channeled, electricity would not fly from the metal fingertips.
"Dammit," Anakin growled before blasting the dummy he was aiming at with a Force Push. At least he was able to do that with his metal hand. "Now is the first time I curse this hand since I lost it."
"You mean you didn't want your real hand back before this?" Ahsoka asked.
"Of course I did. I just mean that I don't hate this hand as much as I thought I would after losing my real one," Anakin said, opening and closing his hand.
"Luckily for me, I've never lost a limb, so I can't say what it feels like. But I would imagine it feels like something's missing," Ahsoka said.
"Well, something's definitely missing. My ability to feel out of that hand as well as shoot lightning out of it," Anakin said casually. "Now... anything on the agenda?"
"You guessed it, Skyguy. Some word leaked out about some activity going on at the planet Yavin,"Ahsoka said.
"Yavin's definitely a place to post up at. You've got the planet and three moons to be to set up shop. Well, twenty six if you use nothing but droids," Anakin said in an as a matter of fact tone. "How'd this news get leaked?"
"Rex told us. But like Felucia, no one's around to help take care of the problem. So that responsibility falls on us. He told us to be especially careful about what we're going to find here," Ahsoka said.
"I'm definitely in. Any idea which moon we need to check?" Anakin asked.
"Not really. We'll just have to get lucky. Like most situations we get in," Ahsoka said, putting her hood over her head. Anakin grabbed his robe then did the same before walking out. But there was someone watching the pair as they walked out. And he caught a flash of silver right near their belts. Probably Jedi.
"How do you think Padme's doing?" Ahsoka asked.
"Most likely the same she's been doing throughout the entire war," Anakin said as he was facing the roof of the Eclipse with his eyes closed.
"You don't sound very concerned," Ahsoka said with a frown.
"Because I know she's very capable of handling herself. Plus I would hope no one on either side has reason to suspect we are anything but old friends," Anakin said.
"Do you at least miss her?" Ahsoka asked.
"Honestly? Not so much anymore," Anakin said with a sort of disappointed sigh. But he couldn't tell you whether he was disappointed in where things ended up or in himself.
"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked.
"It's just... I don't know what changed. Something did. Because I remember when we married, I loved this woman with all my heart. And then... like, I said, something changed. Things aren't the same anymore. I can tell Padme's been thinking the same thing. She's not quite the woman I remember. And I'm more than likely not the man she remembers either," Anakin explained with a frown.
"Maybe it's a part of getting older," Ahsoka said.
"Getting older is not supposed to change relationships for the worse. It's only supposed to get better. Because as relationship gets older, they mature. Look where we are. That's a perfect example of it," Anakin said, gesturing between the two of them. Ahsoka put a hand on Anakin's cheek and patted it softly.
"It'll get better," she assured. Then she suddenly saw Anakin's face contort in a slight bit of pain before he put his hand on his head. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. I sense... something. No one died, but... I don't understand what it is," Anakin said as Ahsoka had an arm around his shoulders. "It's... fine. Just probably something from Yavin, that's all."
"Alright. Just try not to faint on me on the way," Ahsoka said with a grin as she walked back to her seat. Anakin had to avert his eyes briefly. A few years ago, she walked more like a soldier. That had certainly changed. There was too much hip swaying for that to be considered a soldier's walk.
"Now you're spacing out. You sure you didn't accidentally take any Deathsticks?" Ahsoka asked in a joking tone. Anakin blinked and turned to face her. He really had spaced out.
"There's a difference from being thoughtfully spaced out, and being spaced out to the point where you actually believe you're in space," Anakin said with a grin before turning. "We're nearing the planet now. We'll try Yavin 4 first."
"Is that because it's the closest moon to us that's habitable?" Ahsoka asked.
"You are absolutely correct," Anakin said easily while Ahsoka laughed.
Landing on the planet while putting their hoods on, they told R2 to watch the ship in case they needed to get away fast before walking down into the forest, looking out for any military outposts. Anakin walked in front of Ahsoka under risk of his eyes wandering without his permission again. I mean, there was a "look, don't touch" rule, but still.
"We're going to have to search from top to bottom to find anything," Ahsoka said.
"You're wrong about that," a figure said, stepping out of the shadows. On reflex, Anakin immediately summoned his saber to his hand and activated it, Ahsoka doing the same thing with both of hers. "Calm down Anakin." Out stepped two people: Cin Drallig and Serra Keto.
"I'm honored that they would send a Jedi Master after us. Unfortunately, I want nothing to do with the Jedi anymore. How did you even know I would show up here?" I asked.
"We found out that clone Captain Rex was relaying information to you. It wouldn't have been too long until we found out. He was ordered to tell you to come here under risk of being hit with some serious charges," Cin explained, making him and Ahsoka look at each other worriedly.
"He was just discharged from the army after taking his years of service into account. Plus he was very adamant about telling us anything unless we did try to hurt you. He'll be fine," Serra said upon their looks.
"I suppose you want us to come quietly then," Ahsoka said flatly.
"You don't have to, but he does. The Council has no interest in your affairs," Cin said dispassionately.
"That's what lead to her leaving in the first place. But I suppose I should thank you. It also lead to me getting away from the Jedi. Something I needed to do for a long time. I was never meant to be a Jedi. I don't have to suppress my emotions anymore. I feel free," Anakin said.
"With no emotion, there is peace Anakin," Cin said.
"I prefer passion. I may not agree with the end game of the Sith, but they do something better than you do. I don't think any of you will ever understand how the Force works. It's not meant to be a one sided thing. There's light and dark in everyone. All that matters is how you use both sides of it," Anakin said as he deactivated his lightsaber. "Use passion. Gain knowledge. Control your power. Both sides can still bring your harmony. And even in death, nothing but the Force will await us. So if you think I took the time to learn this only to go back and be a puppet under your strings, than you can forget it."
"Yes, but unfortunately, the Council does not want to take no for an answer," Cin said.
"We're ordered to bring you in. So we're going to do that," Serra said, drawing her sabers.
"Then you better hope you are one with the Force. You're going to need it," Anakin said, activating his lightsaber and jumping at Drallig. The Jedi Master barely activated his saber in time to defend himself. Force, Skywalker was fast.
Serra went over to help her master, but she found herself being pushed into a tree with enough force to bruise her arm. Ahsoka waved a finger at her like she was a parent scolding a child who did something bad.
Serra growled before activating her lightsabers and jumping at Ahsoka. The Togruta in question raised her blades and blocked the aerial strike before lashing out at her leg with a foot. Serra lifted her leg from to dodge the kick before swinging her saber at Ahsoka's arm, who casually moved her lightsaber to the left in a Makashi like movement before kicking her back a few meters.
"We're both Ataru mains. But let's see if your master taught you better," Serra said.
"My master taught me more than yours. He taught me to never be afraid of my emotions," Ahsoka said, spinning her sabers before holding them at her sides.
"Emotions lead to the dark side," Serra said.
"Wrong. Controlled emotions only strengthen you. If you can control yourself; know when to be angry and when to be calm... why am I saying anything? The Jedi will never know because they don't look two inches past the dotted line," Ahsoka said before casually moving her hand and tossing a rock in Serra's direction with the Force.
The Jedi Knight swiftly sliced it before it hit her. When she turned, she immediately felt the brunt of an angry Togruta under a saber lock. And just like that, Ahsoka was using both her rage and her harmony as a weapon. It was overwhelming.
Anakin was locked in fierce combat with Drallig on his end. His saber moved in a blur, and the Jedi Master barely felt himself keeping up. He noted that Skywalker's skills certainly haven't diminished any. They only seemed to have gotten better. He didn't know what to make of the black lightsaber either.
"Anakin! This can all be avoided!" Cin yelled as he broke the lock before trying to hit his side to catch him off balance, but his saber was met with a swift parry before he shot a bolt of lightning at Drallig's gut that knocked him into a tree. Not only did it leave him breathless, but that lightning burned. It was like no Sith Lightning he had ever seen. Besides the fact that it was white.
"I will not go back to the Jedi," Anakin said in a deep, distorted voice that held the power that brought the Son and Daughter to their knees.
This was a strange surge of the Force that Drallig had never seen. It was a lot more intense; there was darkness and light in it. But truly, the very nature of the Force seemed to be at his call.
As soon as Anakin raised a hand, Cin raised his hands up for a Force Wall, but that didn't seem to matter. An invisible hand still gripped his throat that made him deactivate his lightsaber and clutch at his throat. It was only now that he realized that one of Skywalker's eyes was his regular blue shade and the other was a distinct Sith yellow.
"Master!" Serra exclaimed as she looked over at him and saw Anakin choking him. She flipped back and threw a saber at his arm. Without even relinquishing his grip on Drallig, the saber stopped in midair. Serra's eyes widened.
Ahsoka, who was not very pleased with what she did, grabbed the arm that still had a saber in it and broke it over her shoulder before flipping her over and stomping on the broken arm for good measure. Serra gave a cry of pain, and Ahsoka nodded in satisfaction.
"That was stupid to let my guard down like that," Serra hissed in her mind as she tried not to lean too much on her broken arm. Now both her and her master was going to pay the price for it. Then again, she was lucky to keep up with Ahsoka for the first few minutes.
"The only reason you're not dead is because you didn't aim for his back," Ahsoka told her in a hiss. Serra didn't doubt it for a second.
But to her surprise, Anakin only lowered Cin into the grip of his human hand before bashing his head against a tree, knocking him unconscious.
"He'll have a headache, but he'll be fine," Anakin said rather casually as he deactivated his lightsaber.
"How'd you beat him so quickly?" Serra asked.
"Like I said, me and Ahsoka know the Force in ways that the Jedi will never understand. Don't shy away from your emotions, young one. Embrace them, but control them. You can do whatever you want, but it's a bit of friendly advice," Anakin said. "Are there even any Separatists here?"
"No," Serra said, making Anakin sigh.
"Waste of a trip. Give my compliments to the Council. And by that, I mean you tell them to go fuck themselves," Anakin said before walking off with Ahsoka. "What a mess. I hope Rex is alright."
"Rex'll be fine. He's smart. Now I get what that warning about being extra careful was about. It was a subtle warning," Ahsoka said.
"It'd be nice to find him. He could definitely help us with what we're doing, but we have to find him," Anakin said.
"Maybe we'll find him at one point, but for now, let's just head back. What a waste of time," Ahsoka said, shaking her head.
"We'll look for something else. Let's just head back to Tatooine," Anakin said.
"I can assume things did not go well?" Windu said dryly.
"Skywalker's a lot more powerful," Cin said, rubbing the top of his head. "He also does not want anything to do with the Jedi. He doesn't want to kill us, as evidenced by my being here."
"By all means, if Skywalker wants to go, then he should be able to go. His status as the Chosen One should not dictate whether or not he is allowed to leave," Windu said.
"They just want to talk," Cin said.
"Talk? I assure you that the council is not taking no for an answer. They're going to try and keep him here. Because it's either let him stay out there and risk being caught by the Separatists or back here to be watched over. Which do you think would make them feel better about the situation?" Windu questioned.
"Point well taken. How is Serra?" Cin asked.
"Her arm will make her unable to hold a lightsaber properly for the next few weeks. Skywalker has stepped up his game," Windu said.
"That was his apprentice, actually. All I have to tell the Council is that if they want to capture Skywalker, you're going to need more than one Jedi Master with how much more powerful he's become," Cin said.
"Any details?" Windu questioned.
"He moves like a blur, his power with the Force is jarring, and not to mention the Force Lightning he can generate," Cin said, gesturing to his stomach. He wasn't even going to mention Skywalker's new philosophy on how the Force worked.
"He uses Lightning now?" Windu questioned.
"It doesn't look like your average lightning. I haven't been hit with lightning before, but this seems like it's just jarringly powerful. And he wasn't even trying to kill me," Cin said.
"So he uses the Dark Side now?" Windu asked.
"Apparently, yes. But no person who preys victim of the Dark Side cares for mercy. It seems more like the Dark Side is at his will. Something about Skywalker has changed. For the better or worse, I cannot say. But know that he will not relinquish what he sees as his freedom without a fight," Cin said, making Windu nod and walk towards the Council chambers.
"You have news about Cin? How is he?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Fine. Skywalker bumped him up a little, but he kept him alive. He has no intentions on killing any of us, but he won't return here willingly," Windu said as he took his seat. "There is nothing that we could say or do to get him to come here. The only real thing he cares about now is already with him already, given Serra Keto's story." Obi-Wan had to stop himself from refuting that statement. He may not have truly understood all of Anakin's reasons for leaving the Order, but he knew that regardless of him staying here or not, the two of them would always be brothers.
"So Ahsoka is with him?" Plo Koon asked.
"She was the one who took Keto down. Tano has constructed two new lightsabers. Both of them are white," Windu said.
"Wisdom, that lightsaber color signifies," Yoda said.
"Wisdom, yet she insisted on leaving the temple while the war is still going on. If the Separatists find her, she is on her own," Ki Adi Mundi said.
"Not if Skywalker has anything to say about. Drallig is one of the fastest Jedi we have, and if he says Skywalker is fast, then he is very fast. His power with the Force has not only become more potent, but he has no issue using the Dark Side of the Force either. It's also under his control rather than it controlling him. His willingness to spare both Cin and Serra proved that. Giving into the Dark Side completely means no sense of mercy," Windu explained.
"Still, there are things that have to be addressed regardless of his ability to control his emotions," Kit Fisto said.
"We all know that Skywalker's status as the Chosen One makes us feel like that we do not want to let him leave the Jedi fully. Or at least cut off all ties with us. But in the past, if a Jedi wanted to leave, we allowed them to do that. Not all of them were destined for the Dark Side," Stass Allie explained. This Master was appearing through a hologram due to the fact that that she was on a mission in Saleucami. Most of the Council was here, but there were a few exceptions that had to be on holograms. Like Stass and Agen Kolar, who were holed up fighting off Separatist forces.
"Agreed. His right to leave the Jedi should not be gone simply because fate destined him for something greater. If he will return balance to the Force, it will happen regardless of our interference," Obi-Wan said.
"Not everyone achieves victory on their own, Master Kenobi," Fisto said.
"He's not alone. He does have the assistance of Ahsoka, who looks up to Anakin quite a bit," Plo Koon said.
"Still, he has not answered for his purpose of aiding the clone Fives. The clone in question claimed the Chancellor did something to him, and we all know that Skywalker had a close relationship with the Chancellor. So either Skywalker knew nothing of what Fives was doing concerning the Chancellor or what the clones said may have some merit," Shaak Ti explained.
"Worth keeping an eye on, the Chancellor is," Yoda said. "On our side, he may or may not be."
"Skywalker was our best way of spying on him. The Chancellor trusted him about as much as he trusted the Chancellor. But perhaps there is another way," Ki Adi Mundi said.
"Any other Jedi other than Skywalker would raise too many eyebrows. Senator Amidala would've been an ideal spy, but she's away with Senator Clovis on resolving an issue with the Banking Clan," Saesee Tinn said.
"Even then, I would doubt she would agree to spy for us. Politicians aren't the greatest in seeing the potential for bad things among themselves," Windu said. "Our last option is to keep our eyes open for anything that could raise any eyebrows. Palpatine is gaining great influence in the Senate and the courts. They're basically at his beck and call."
"Which is why this situation has to be handled carefully. Politicians have more control over the people than the Jedi ever will. So if the Senate says we're traitors to the Republic; to peace and democracy, then by all means, we are," Plo Koon said.
"A careful hand is needed. Because if Palpatine has some sort of plan in mind, I think the Jedi's way of life will be threatened even more than it ever has. This includes the times of Darth Malgus," Kit Fisto said.
"Approaching, dark times are. Trust in each other and the Force, we need to," Yoda said in a pondering tone. He could sense something dark approaching. Something was going to happen. Of that, he was sure. He just couldn't tell what.
"At least they don't expect us to come here," Anakin said as they came out of hyperspace.
"Home sweet home," Ahsoka said. "What do you plan to do after this war is over?"
"Focus on building a family," Anakin said.
"You see yourself building a family with Padme?" Ahsoka asked.
"I guess," Anakin said with a sigh.
"You guess? That doesn't sound like someone who's sure about what they want," Ahsoka said with a small frown.
"That's because I've spent more time away from her than with her. And then when we are together, there's just..." Anakin suddenly stopped speaking and he sort of shut down, lost in thought.
"I don't like when you're upset like this," Ahsoka said.
"Relationship issues are sure to arise when you live the life do I do," Anakin said with a sigh. Ahsoka walked up to Anakin and kissed him on the cheek.
"You shouldn't have them. Trust me. It gets worse before it gets better," she said before going to sit back down. Anakin touched the spot where she kissed him and frowned slightly. He then gripped his human hand. There was a weird tingling sensation going through it.
Ahsoka thought back to any time she willingly kissed someone. There was none. Not one time. She liked it though. There was something oddly... close about it that she liked. It didn't help that she couldn't shake the urge of wanting to do it again.
Anakin pondered his uneasiness about his relationship. When him and Padme first got married, they were so in love. He wanted to never part from her. But then the war started. They hardly spent any time together. Separation makes the heart grow fonder his ass. Bullshit. This kind of separation made him forget who he was married to. And in those months he went back to Padme's house, something was missing.
"So many things to resolve when this is all over," Anakin thought as he began to descend to the planet's surface. But as soon as he thought it, an uneasy feeling hit the pit of his stomach. Something about this situation didn't sit right with him.
"The intel was accurate. They are arriving on speeder," the commando droid said.
"Send in the droids and occupy their attention until our arrival," Dooku said.
"And the inhabitants of the city?" the commando droid asked.
"They are of no concern. Kill them if necessary," Dooku said before his hologram disappeared. The commando droids then came from behind their speeders and started to drive towards the village.
Anakin rubbed his neck as he started to head into his house. But then he sensed something heading his way. That gave him pause and made him halt in front of the door.
"Something wrong?" Ahsoka asked. Anakin turned his head and immediately saw what peaked his attention.
"Commando droids!" Anakin exclaimed with a point before drawing his lightsaber. All ten of them jumped off their speeders and started firing with reckless abandon, hitting a few bystanders in the process. "Son of a bitch!"
Moving at the speed he was starting to become known for, he got close and removed the heads of two of the droids before focusing the Force in his metal hand and slamming the ground with Force energy, knocking the other eight droids through the air. Ahsoka jumped and did a type of spin with her sabers, slicing through another two of them.
Lifting another droid in the air with the Force, he charged the thing with electricity before tossing it at the others behind him. It exploded on impact, discharging the other droids behind him. Force Lightning had so many advantages when it came to fighting droids, it wasn't even funny. Anakin certainly wasn't laughing right now. He was angry.
The remaining two droids had finally recovered from the blast, their armor dented from the Force energy that slammed into them. The droids were almost a full minute behind schedule for them to delay for their leaders' arrival. Perhaps a minor error in their strategy.
"Scrap them," Anakin said darkly.
"With pleasure," Ahsoka said, lifting both droids in the air before crushing them in her grip. Then she felt a sharp pain in her lower back that made her drop the droids. Anakin heard the blast, so his focus immediately shifted to her body falling to a kneel.
"Ahsoka!" Anakin exclaimed. Things went wrong really fast. First the Separatists find them, and now this.
Turning on his heel to face the man, who had his blaster aimed at Anakin, but jumped when he saw his eyes. Both of his eyes were the Sith's ominous yellow. There was no one of each. There was nothing but hatred in his eyes. It was the first time he lost control in a while.
So when he fired his blaster, the so called informant eyes' widened when he saw not only the blaster bolt freeze in midair before flying to a still moving Commando droid, but his entire body froze as well.
"If I had the time, I would've made sure you would die slowly and painfully. But I'll just settle for this," Anakin said before the bones in the man's body started to crush. He yelled in pain, and all the while, he couldn't move a single muscle while the whole thing was taking place. He just hung in the air like a puppet on strings. His legs started to break before he found he was dropped onto them, making him grunt from the pain.
Then came his arms. The both of them started to hang at odd angles before he could feel his rib cage being the next to go. But the bones there were forced more inward and he gasped when he felt each bone that was made to protect his heart start to puncture it instead. He was gonna bleed out slow, choking on his own blood. And he was sure that was exactly what Anakin wanted to achieve. One thing he was not banking on was dying out of this encounter. The man used to be a goody two shoes Jedi for goodness sake.
"You're going to be fine," Anakin said, carrying Ahsoka in his arms. Her eyes were still open. Granted, they were half lidded and he could feel her losing strength at a steady pace, but she was doing ok. He had stuff in his ship he could use to patch her wound easily enough. She may have gotten shot, but the wound wasn't fatal. At least he was assured she wasn't going to die. Though the longer he waited to patch her wound, the longer she would be off her feet.
A ship landed near the village, and it was definitely a Separatist one. Wasting no time, Anakin got Ahsoka to the speeder and started to head off towards Owen's farm. Ahsoka still had enough strength left to hang onto Anakin. She wasn't completely useless. At least that's how she would've put it.
"R2, get the Eclipse over to my brother's place. If the Separatists know anything, then you'll find some droids there. Blast them to pieces before we arrive, if you can," Anakin said, making R2 beep in confirmation.
"That's R2ooie. Always comes through," Ahsoka said with a weak smile. Anakin smiled. But even though he knew that the wound she had was not fatal, there was still this knot of worry that made it hard to focus. For both her as well as Owen and Beru. He gripped the speeder handles harder before ramming up the speed.
"You two better still be alive," Anakin thought.
In the distance, Anakin could see R2 flying the ship over the farm. The front of their place was surrounded by droid bodies while having fire burning and scorch marks all over the house. No sign of the married couple though. They must've been inside. But first things first. Get Ahsoka onto the ship.
"I'll be back," Anakin assured her once he laid her down on a bed. But some part of him couldn't help but move one of Ahsoka's montrals to the side. She smiled before grabbing his hand and patting it.
"It's gonna take more than some clankers to kill your stubborn ass. I could say the same for me," Ahsoka said, making Anakin smile before walking off the ship. He quickly went inside Owen and Beru's house, raising his hands when they raised a rifle at him. There were plenty of droid bodies around the house as well. Tables were flipped over, chunks were taken out of the wall, more scorch marks. But the two of them seemed to be unharmed.
"Thought you were more of those droids. I can assume they found you?" Owen said, lowering his rifle.
"Yeah. I can only assume that scumbag I killed told them about us. Either way, we need to go. Ahsoka got shot, so hurry," Anakin said, gesturing for them to follow him. He immediately raised his human hand, and it stopped the blaster bolt that was fired at him before he quickly drew his lightsaber.
Three commando droids as well as six Magnaguards exited the ship before out walked Dooku and Grievous. Force, did they want him that bad?
"Get onto the ship," he told Owen and Beru. They started running towards the Eclipse, and the commando droids turned their aim to them, but Anakin, seeing this happening, grabbed each of the droids before frying them with lightning and throwing them to the side. Even with just one hand, his lightning had quite a bit of radius.
"Impressive," Dooku said, interested by Skywalker's white lightning.
"That's a first, isn't it?" Anakin said as he was surrounded by Magnaguards.
"Quite. You already show the makings of a powerful Sith. There is much potential beyond the Jedi, and you've made the first step in realizing that. My master is very interested in... having you in the order of the Sith," Dooku said. He wasn't ignorant to the implications of that sentence either. He knew of the rule of two. One of them was going. Whoever made the smartest move would survive.
"And I suppose he's here for moral support, huh?" Anakin said, pointing at Grievous.
"I care not for the Count's petty recruiting campaign. I am here to take you in by force if necessary. And I know you will not come quietly. There is an entire fleet waiting out for you beyond the star system. Do you really think you will escape them?" Grievous said, already grabbing two sabers off his waist.
"You seem to have forgotten that I've done that multiple times," Anakin said. Tapping into both sides of the Force would be too powerful for even them. He could...
"Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin. They'll betray you," Obi-Wan once told him. There was great risk in taking them on. He was still a little unbalanced emotionally from Ahsoka's injury. A little prodding from Dooku, and he could end up losing himself in the Dark Side of the Force rather than trusting in both sides. And that would make him weaker as a result. No, better to retreat. Make sure he lives to see tomorrow.
He hit the side of his comm to signal R2 before deactivating his lightsaber as a sign of submission. Grievous' eyes showed an apprehensive look and Dooku signaled the Magnaguards to move in. R2, who had started to move the ship closer while opening the door, acted as a signal for Anakin to Force Jump in the ship with ease.
Dooku, who wasn't surprised in the slightest that Anakin pulled that move, attemped to shoot lightning at him to knock him out of the air. But, without looking, Anakin countered it with his own torrent of lightning. The two energy streams exploded in midair on contact. Now this is Skywalker if he had ever posed a threat. There was patience even beyond his hatred. More wisdom.
"Inform the fleet that Skywalker is attempting to leave the system! Do not let him get away!" Grievous exclaimed before turning to Dooku. "Lord Sidious will not be pleased if he gets away."
"I am aware of this. And Skywalker will most likely succeed in making his escape. His piloting skills are reckless, but exceptional," Dooku said.
"We're right back where we started! Arghhhh!" Grievous said, growling in anger. If there was a Battle Droid next to him, he'd smack it.
"Patience may be the nature of a Jedi, but it would be unwise for us not to use it. This was a learning experience," Dooku said calmly.
"What did we possibly learn?" Grievous said. Dooku's response was to raise the laptop Skywalker used to handle all of his bounty hunting jobs.
"What he does for a job. That makes it rather simple to lure him into a trap," Dooku said before walking into the ship. "The Shadows of the Force. Simple, but that's what makes it the best cover."
"Your flying's going to kill her before the blaster wound does!" Beru exclaimed.
"You wanna get out of this alive? We are dealing with a whole fleet here!" Anakin retorted. "Hyperdrive's almost ready. Just need to keep from being pulled in by a tractor beam."
Anakin then closed his eyes. His natural skill was all he needed to out-fly a bunch of clankers, but his trust in the Force only enhanced that skill. There was much more clarity in his actions; he really knew what was going to happen and act seconds in advance.
Anakin sighed once they had enough room to launch hyperspace. He then let the ship fly before going over to Ahsoka. Her eyes were now open fully, but he noticed she was lying on her side. She was looking up at him with a warm look and smile.
"How ya doing Snips?" Anakin asked.
"Remember that one time I got hit by a Gundark?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yeah. It broke three ribs. You still took its head off," Anakin said.
"That one blow was deadlier and more painful than this blaster bolt. He must've been carrying one of those baby blasters that obviously does not compensate him very well," Ahsoka said with a grin, making everyone roar out a laugh. Everything felt relaxed even though they were just shot at by a bunch of droids and ships. But none of the gigantic ships fired. That just made getting away even easier. They obviously didn't want him dead.
"Yup. You're definitely ok," Anakin said with a smile.
"Of course. After all the crap we've had to wade through together, you think I'm going to fall from getting shot in the back?" Ahsoka said, wiping Anakin's smile off his face.
"Had he aimed a few inches upwards, it was a very likely possibility," he said.
"Ani, I'm fine. I'll just be off my feet for a few. I'm ok," Ahsoka assured him before grabbing his human hand and patting it. She then gave him a serious look. "I'm fine."
"I should really have not given you permission to use that nickname," Anakin said with a small chuckle.
"Too bad for you. I'm not relinquishing the right," Ahsoka said with a grin. Anakin only rolled his eyes before walking off. Or at least attempting to. Ahsoka grabbed his arm and tugged at the sleeves of his robe.
"No. Stay," Ahsoka said softly. "I mean, a girl gets awfully bored here by herself. And R2's got the ship. Hell, he's flying about as good as you now."
"Don't get carried away Snips," Anakin said with a grin. "But fine. I'll sit here."
"Good," Ahsoka said before turning to try and lay on her back. She grimaced a little, but settled after a while. "Much better. What now?"
"We'll just have to move around. We can't stay at a place for long. Good thing all our credits are in a private account. We just gotta take some out every once in a while and we'll be good for a bit," Anakin said.
"I can't wait for this war to be over," Ahsoka said, grabbing Anakin's hand again. She started to notice how much she was doing that. "Finally stop worrying about having to move around every two seconds; never having a safe moment."
"It's not a life any of us want. But it's the one we have. So we have to cope," Anakin said.
"You think I could find someone to care for me like Padme cares for you?" Ahsoka asked.
"Positive. It'd be a lucky guy too. After all, you're so much like me, how could they not be lucky?" Anakin said, making Ahsoka laugh.
"Under normal circumstances, I would've made a joke about which team you actually bat on," Ahsoka said, making Anakin chuckle while shaking his head. "But I do agree on that. We are very much alike. And if I had someone that loves me half as much as you do for Padme, then I know I'll be fine."
"Yeah. You will," Anakin said with a smile. Yet he couldn't put his finger on exactly why her last sentence felt incorrect.
A/N: Took me ages to get going, but once I did, I got the ball rolling. There was a lot I put in this chapter alone. I did drop some hints in her about Anakin and Padme's straining marriage, but there was one little detail I dropped in there concerning one of the Lost Missions episodes. But let's just say the events that transpire will be a little... different.