~Lux's POV~
Lux Bonteri had found that the most freedom inducing place, the only place where you could always, and at any time, find true freedom, was in the mind. Happiness, as the Jedi would put it, came from the inside.
It was hard to remember that when you were a slave. Lux ducked against the whip that snapped over his head, muscles tensed to absorb the blow should it hit as the former leaders of the Rebellion were rounded up, and escorted to their work. It was meaningless work.
Lux would have found it at least a bit more stimulating if he were doing something worthwhile. The Jedi were at least able to mine important crystals from beneath the Temple.
Their work was not completely wasteful, if not willful. The Sith could not afford to kill every Jedi, not if they wanted people to cater to their every wish and decree, not if they wanted the iron that the Jedi mined.
But those that were imprisoned most of their time, instead of enslaved, they were worthless, and every attempt to remind them of this was made by the prison guards.
There was no reason to keep them alive other than to keep the Jedi in line. It's all a big circle of blackmail, Lux realized, having heard the report from Bail and Chu-chi, whispered softly thro ugh metal bars, about the Jedi's plan. He wished Anakin luck.
We keep the Jedi in line, the Jedi keep Anakin in line, Sidious is a genius, an evil genius, he thought, marveling at the simplicity of it, and yet the cruelty that must exist in one's mind to use people against one another in such a fashion.
Lux wondered how Anakin was taking it. Or the twins, by force! "Hey!" the whip snapped dangerously close to his arm that time. Lux did not flinch, though his body jerked away instinctively. Coming to an abrupt halt, he looked down into the thin, scrawny face of Stick. Or, all of those who knew him called him stick, including the slaves when they were not heard.
Up front, his name, like all of those considered above them, was master or sir. No matter that Lux had been addressing people in this manner seven years, the sound of it was still acid on his tongue. The other prisoners behind him in the line looked down, eyes smoldering. Seven years had not broken their spirit, only made them more docile.
"Sir?" he asked, wondering how the clones had been able to say it for so long so easily, or perhaps they, too, had felt injustice burn in their hearts when they spoke the syllables. He hoped not. He never wanted another person to feel this rage, or this pain because of him.
"I know that look, scum, that's the look of a man slacking off his duty," of course he had to look over at Lux just as he was starting to drift off into his own world. Lux failed to see how slavery was a sort of duty, but far be it from him to argue with a man appropriately nicknamed stick.
Lux made his eyes flick downwards, avoiding eye contact. "It won't happen again, master. I'm sorry," sorry that I don't have a blaster right now so that I could finally put you out of your pathetic existence.
"Make sure it doesn't," suddenly, the butt of the whip smashed into his nose. Lux stumbled backwards, falling to his knees as stars danced in front of his eyes. Blood rushed in his ears, drowning out all other sound as head-splitting pain rocketed through his face.
His touched a finger to his nose and felt blood. Oh, great, he thought, looking up to see Stick moving aside, gesturing roughly for him to stand and move on. The words the slave driver spoke were lost to the rushing of blood in his ears.
He felt hands grab him beneath the arms, helping him to stand; Stick glared and snapped his mute whip at them obviously displeased by the show of empathy. Lux felt rage boil within him, but he calmed it.
This was not the time nor place for it, any impudence on his part could have disastrous effects for the others. Lux couldn't let that happen. Stumbling to his feet, trying to think past the pain making tears spring to his eyes, he staggered forward.
Hoping that his nose weren't broken, he followed the line of silent prisoners into the courtyard, and cringed backwards when sudden brightness blinded him. He cried out, the pain exploding behind his eyes and through his head. He was gently nudged forward by whoever was behind him. The gentle message was clear.
You've got to keep going.
He nodded, ignoring his throbbing skull and nasal. Using his flesh hand to protect from the intensive heat of the sun above (was it even a sun anymore, or had Sidious used the Death Star to destroy it and now used only artificial lights? He had heard a rumor about that somewhere) he kept going, keeping his eyes mostly closed.
Since the Rebel prisoners were mostly kept in darkness much of the time, the welcome warmth and illumination should have been a gift. Instead, it was piercing agony.
Lux had never hated the sun so much. Or, to be more specific, he had, but not as deeply as he did now. The courtyard was at the side of the Sith Palace, in open space. The large square was spiked off by an electrified fence.
There was no escaping to the outside world so close.. Ahsoka had said that once it was a playing field for younglings, where outside games for force manipulation as played. It used to be a sunny, pleasant area, blocked off from the rest of the world, where laughter and playful competition was flagrant.
Now the grass had withered and died, been crushed by several dozen piles of massive rocks. The blood rushing in his ears slowed, sound started to slowly come into focus.
He felt a benevolent hand grab his elbow and lead him away into the farthest corner of the courtyard, where a fresh pile of giant stones and pick axes awaited them.
Lux glanced at Bail's worried, tanned face and gave slight nod of thanks that he didn't have to open his eyes any more to see his way to his spot. In a span of time that took minutes but felt more like centuries, he finally arrived at his pile.
Lux touched his nose briefly, and was relieved to feel that no bones were broken.
He still had a splitting headache though. Ignoring the impulse to lie down and sleep, he picked up a pickaxe and carefully moved forward to roll a rock into his area of sight so that he could pretend it was Sticks' head and crush it. He heard a soft sound from next to him, and cautiously turned towards it.
Bail, without looking up from his own stack next to Lux's, was speaking without looking at him. Lux strained to hear the words. "…Broken?" he heard.
He's asking if my nose is broken, Lux realized, and gave a slight shake of his head, taping his forehead instead to indicate that he thought maybe his brain had been ogled just a bit too much.
Bail nodded in understanding and bent to his task. Lux let his mind wander as he continued with the back breaking work, wondering where Ahsoka and Intrepid were, if the twins' were alright, what Sidious was doing to Anakin, when he would see them gain…
Tirelessly, his brain went to the image it always escaped too when trying to avoid pain. The celebration that they had spent on Naboo, celebrating Intrepid's knighting ceremony. He remembered it had been spent in one of Padme's private lake houses, where she and Anakin got married, actually.
"Ahsoka!" Anakin yelled racing after his old apprentice. Ahsoka came running out of the back rooms, a devilish smile on her face as she clutched Anakin's lightsaber to her chest.
The Jedi knight followed her heatedly.
Nava glanced at Obi-wan, sitting next to her on the couch. Intrepid and Padme shook their heads at the shenanigans, turning back to their task in the kitchen of trying to cook the fish Anakin had caught earlier that day in the lake. Luke and Leia laughed from their place on the floor, clapping their tiny hands excitedly. "Run, Soka! Run!" Leia giggled.
Obi-wan chuckled softly, eyes dancing as he watched them, Nava grinned and leaned against him, tucking her feet beneath her. They were the perfect picture of a happy couple. Lux wished he could see that same happiness on their faces more often.
He leaned back in his place in the small wooden rocking chair smiling. Ahsoka pounced over the couch acrobatically, missing the top of Obi-wan and Nava's heads by a hairs breadth. "Intrepid, heads up!" She called throwing the lightsaber. Anakin lunged just as it left her hand; and both went plummeting to the floor in a tangled heap.
Intrepid caught it with one hand easily; she studied its shiny surface with a scholarly air. "Force above, Anakin, what do you do? Spit shine this thing?" She asked.
"No. I taught him to polish it every day," Obi-wan stated knowingly. "And he made me read a book every time I didn't, so I'm in the habit now," Anakin agreed standing. He glared down at Ahsoka with exaggeration, his eyes promising later revenge.
He was about to use the force to snatch the blade when Intrepid tossed it to Nava, who sat up and waved it at Anakin temptingly.
"What is this, harass Anakin day?" The young knight growled grabbing a pillow and hurling at her. "Harass Anakin month, actually," Nava answered cheerily handing the saber to Obi-wan. She ducked the missile, which suddenly swerved in mid air to land in Luke's excited palms. Lux watched with fascination and amusement.
Obi-wan gave his friend an apologetic smirk and threw the weapon over his head, where Padme made an athletic jump to retrieve it. Anakin did a back flip over the sofa, and seized her by the waist, wrenching the blade from her hands.
Padme elbowed him in the ribs in response. Anakin answered by kissing her on the forehead lovingly. Lux laughed and looked to Ahsoka, who happened to be glancing at him. An agreement took place.
As one, Ahsoka, Lux and Intrepid grabbed pillows, coming to rescue Padme from Anakin. "Ah, come on, no fair!" the knight laughed as he was barraged with pillows. "Pillow fight! Pillow fight!" Luke cheered, encouraging this behavior gleefully.
"This is not the Jedi Way; I hope you all know that!" Obi-wan received three pillows in the face for his opinions. Nava laughed boisterously. "I suppose they don't care," he mumbled to the obvious.
"Oh, they should," Anakin, replacing his weapon dramatically back on his belt, said. He gazed at them with narrowed eyes, not in their defenselessness cannily. "Weren't you just Knighted?" he demanded of Intrepid.
Lux's friend gave Anakin a singularly droll look that gave all the answers. Lux walked over to sink back into his rocking chair, content to be near the balcony so that he could feel the breeze.
"Then again," Padme considered thoughtfully, turning back to her fish. "Being Knighted never stopped you from acting like a child, Ani," she pointed out. "I second that statement," Ahsoka agreed, with a laugh.
"Hey, hey, no one ever said I had to grow up…"
"I suppose I'm no one…"
"Except for Obi-wan, and I never took the time to listen to whatever he said, so there. Besides, maturity is overrated," Anakin informed them. "What's overrashid?" Leia inquired curiously, mispronouncing since she currently only had about five teeth with which to use to speak. It sounded enormously cute anyway.
"Palpatine's wrinkles," Nava supplied helpfully. Lux snorted in laughter, clapping his hands in agreement. "Wait, wait, Yoda's walking stick," Ahsoka piped in, with a look to Anakin, who nodded in agreement, laughing. "Jabba The Hutt," the Chosen one guessed.
"The Twilight," Obi-wan chuckled. Anakin chucked a cup at him. "I say the idea of a droid army is becoming very overashid," Intrepid volunteered, emerald eyes twinkling with good humor.
"How about Sidious's 'we are in the final phases of ridding our peaceful Empire from the interference of the Rebel's speech?" Lux put in, mimicking their arch enemies' rasping voice. "Winner! I say that's the most overashid of them all!" Anakin announced.
"I'm getting tired of that one," Ahsoka sighed. "What about you, motha?" Leia asked, looking to Padme. "What's overashid?" She asked. Padme, who was currently trying to best her newest nemesis, the fish, in skinning it, gave them all an irritated stare.
"I say this blasted fish is overashid! Blast, Anakin what'd you get me, a demon eel? First you blow up all my blenders, now you can't even catch me a decent fish? What is the problem with this thing?" she demanded, exasperated.
Anakin, seeing an opportunity to prove his worth in the eyes of his wife, wandered over to inspect the immobile animal himself. It was quite large, almost four feet long and wider than Lux's arm span. He stared into the fish's globular eyes contemplatively, hand rubbing his chin.
"You know fish are slippery, angel," he reminded his wife. "I know that! I've skinned fish before. But every time I go to skin him he jerks, as if he's possessed. Demon eel," Padme scoffed irately.
The Jedi in the room gave her an odd look as Anakin went to poke the fish in the eye with the carving knife curiously. Suddenly, just as the tip of the knife touched the eye, the entire creature jolted and started wriggling around with violent intentions.
"IT'S ALIVE!" Padme screeched as both she and her husband jumped back, startled. Lux jumped, eyes wide as the fish managed to get itself off the counter top and started flopping around on the kitchen floor, taking gulping breaths of air.
"By the Force! It was dead; I know it was! It came back!" Anakin gasped. "Fishy!" Luke cried cheerily. "You two didn't know that? It's been alive the entire time. It just slowed down its heart rate so that you wouldn't know it," Ahsoka told them, her white brows beetling in confusion.
"You all knew it was alive and didn't tell me?" Padme gasped, hand going to her heart as if she were having a heart attack. "Well, we thought you knew dear. We thought you knew what you were doing," Nava explained.
"I heard the fish is better if its kept alive for a few seconds before you skin it. I thought you were doing something like that," Intrepid agreed, lips perking at the sides. She walked up to the fish and calmly put a hand on its body.
At once, the animal calmed beneath her touch, eyes swiveling to glare at her accusingly. "I'd feel bad if we ate the thing now. After all we've put it through," Intrepid said; eyes bright with compassion. "What we've put it through?" Padme croaked incredulously.
"No way! I spent two hours trying to catch that sleemo! He's getting fried whether he likes it or not!" Anakin declared boldly as he strode forward and took the poor creature by the tail, about to place it back on the counter.
Before he could, though, the fish suddenly jerked around and with all the power behind strong muscles whacked Anakin square in the nose.
"Ow! He tried to murder me!" Anakin cried, dropping the animal as he staggered backwards, holding his bleeding nose. Lux couldn't help but burst into raucous laughter. The others except for Padme followed sooth. The fish flopped vengefully on the ground, giving Anakin a piece of its mind in burbling gurgles.
"Force, that was funny," Ahsoka gasped as the laughter died down, holding her sides as she doubled over. "What da kriff, guys? Doesn't anyone care dat de ding just died do assassinade me?" Anakin griped as he held his bleeding nose. Padme, holding back laughter, reached up to dab at the blood with a rag.
His speech, impaired by the nose hitting he had just received, only made them laugh harder.
"Masder!" Anakin whined. "Da demon eel hid me!" he complained loudly. Obi-wan, swiping away tears, sat up and gestured to Anakin. "Alright, alright, come here, Anakin. Let me see it," he called, chuckling. "No! You laughed ad me!" Anakin carried on.
"You're mean! You don't get do dake care of me," he said heatedly. "It was funny, Anakin. That was irony, and justice for you harassing that poor fish," Obi-wan lectured, seemingly more amused by the childish display.
"Fish lover!" Anakin accused, crossing his arms huffily. "What are we going to do with it now? Since its an accused murderer and everything," Padme asked, with a small chortle. "I say we kill id," Anakin harrumphed. "Considering its previous history I'd say we should just let it go, and fast. It's running out of air," Nava pointed out.
"He deserves id," Anakin growled. "Now, now, Anakin, have compassion…"
"Shut up, Obi-wan. My nose hurts," Anakin interrupted hotly. Obi-wan only chuckled, swiping away tears.
"Well, it isn't broken. Just your pride is bruised. I don't understand how a fish did what Sidious, Dooku, Grievous, and Ventress have been doing for years," Padme said as Intrepid gently picked up the now still animal with care and started to carry it back out towards the lake. Anakin glared as it went past.,
"Demon," he bid it farewell. "Ah, justice," Obi-wan said merrily. "Nava, can I kill him?" Anakin grumbled, glaring savage murder at his best friend. Nava waved airily. "I suppose if you really need too," she responded.
Luke and Leia, who had been watching the exchange silently for quite some time, finally came forth with their input.
"Now that's overashid," they said unison. The others laughed for a long, long time.
It was one of Lux's favorite memories. Suddenly, he heard a slight scuffle from behind his pile. Lux looked up, realizing that he had crushed ten more rocks into bits, and that his hearing had returned. The pain in his head and nose had dimmed to a dull throb and nausea.
His eyes caught a flash of something brown in the back of his pile. Frowning, he shook his head and looked down. He must have imagined it. Even so, it had seemed like a flair of brown hair…
"Lux," he jumped. He certainly had not imagined that. He looked up, and suddenly saw the deep brown eyes of Padme Amidala hiding behind the large rocks, sheltered by the mass from the prying eyes of the slave drivers behind them. He glanced at Bail and Chu-chi on either side of him to see that they too had paused in their wok to gawk at the apparition.
"Padme?" Bail hissed, glancing anxiously over his shoulder. "What are you doing here?" Chu-chi added angrily. "I came to see if you guys are alright, and to get some information," she replied quietly, eyes not on them but the slave drivers behind them. "Keep working," she hissed.
Lux look down, in his shock of seeing Padme magically appear he hadn't noticed that his pick axe laid useless at his feet. Quickly, he picked it up again and began working.
"Padme, do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to be here?" Lux growled at her. "I know, I know, but I had to see you all," she flashed an impish grin so like her husband's. "Anakin is not allowed to be the only hero in this palace," she informed them. Lux was well aware, but all the same…
"Where're the twins?" Chu-chi asked between thrusts. Padme ducked a stray piece of rock that flew at her from the crushing. "Best you not know that for now. Don't worry, we've got it all figured out," Lux nodded. He wasn't sure he wanted to know anyway.
A bead of sweat ran down his temple. "It's good to see you," he admitted, glancing up. "The feeling is mutual. I'll have to remember to bring water; and some food next time I'm here," Padme muttered. "You shouldn't even be here!" Bail pointed out harshly.
She gave him a pointed look. "Bail, when in all the years you've known me has there ever come a time when I was anywhere that I'd been invited too?" She demanded. Bail did not answer.
Lux doubted he had one. "Don't worry, I'll be careful as I can. Anakin would kill me if I got hurt anyway. How many guards are there here?" She asked. "In all? Thirty," he breathed. "Any Sith?" he wondered what this information could do for her, but answered anyway.
"Not today. They're here most of the time though," Chu-chi answered. "How many?" Padme shot back, ducking another stray piece of rock. "Only about five at a time," Lux glanced at a lengthening shadow to his left. He twitched his head to Padme, but she had already ducked behind the pile. Stick went on his toes to peer over Lux's shoulder at the progress he had done so far.
Lux did not look at him. "Hmm," Stick growled, displeased with something. But he didn't crack his whip, which meant that Lux was safe for now. "Keep working, laggard," Stick sneered, as he walked away to invade someone else's personal space. Lux rolled his eyes when he had gone.
"Whatever you say, Stick," he mumbled. "Stick is right. He looks like his mother used him to impale his own father with and put him over the fire like a spit," Padme observed quietly, dark eyes following stick with hatred. It hurt to smile, but Lux could not help it.
"Something like that," he agreed. "How many prisoners are here?" Padme inquired, once more the interrogator. "Now? Thirty five. We started out with fifty," Bail's face fell, momentarily. At the memory of what had happened to them.
Even in the heat, Lux shivered. Bad things happened in the darkness of night, and especially down in the dungeons where there are only a few people liable to hear you scream. "Stars," Padme gasped, eyes sweeping over the area to take in the slaves there.
"I am definitely bringing some food and water. And the twins, to take care of distracting the guards while we pass it around," Lux was not sure this was the wisest plan, but the steel in Padme's eyes kept his mouth shut.
"Do you have a plan of some sorts?" Chu-chi asked quietly. "Not really. We're just getting a feel for everywhere there could be slaves, for when the time is right," Padme shielded her eyes against the sun. "Hopefully, that'll be soon," she muttered. Lux could not agree with her more there.
"You should get out of here,' he muttered to her. "Before you get caught," he side. Padme shook her head determinedly. "No. I won't leave any of you, we're in this together. Besides, I have nowhere else to go," she pointed out.
"Padme…" Bail warned. "Don't worry, I won't get caught. And I won't distract you from your work. I have some observations I need to make anyway," she replied. Lux could not help but tease.
"Since when did you become the war general?" he asked. Padme flashed him a small smile. "Since seven years ago when all my generals went missing. I couldn't let Anakin have all the credit," she chuckled. Lux nodded, his day seemed just a bit lighter now. He had missed her.
"As long as you don't get caught. Anakin would kill us," Chu-chi grumbled without any real bite. She sounded relieved herself. When the day ended, they would remember this beyond all things, and it would get them through the darkness of the dungeons.
"After he killed me, of course," Padme hastened to assure them. Then, without another word, she ducked back behind the pile and said not another word. Lux shook his head, chuckling, and hummed as he worked.
Whoo, starting junior year of high school today guys (I am so gonna die. I am not ready for this!) and someone yell at me to write, please? I usually come to months long hiatus of writing during the school year, but not this time!
~QueenYoda