Okay, so I made you wait a little bit... sorry about that! Enjoy the next chapter!

Padmé was not too happy with Dooku being stuck with them, but she and her children were too busy tending to Aaliza to concern themselves with the Sith Lord. Ever since she saw her dead brother, she was either wailing or lackadaisical. The girl was like an on/off switch. There had to be some way to cheer her up, but Padmé didn't know what, and she wasn't too concerned on figuring it out right now… not when they were flying into the heart of the Galactic Empire.

The very fact that they were doing this shocked her. Certainly someone like Anakin would try to rush into a situation without thinking, but Padmé would've that Yoda and Obi-Wan would know better than to do such irrational actions.

Leia and Luke were telling Aaliza amusing stories about their adventures with the Rebel Alliance, but the girl was inattentive. Padmé sighed. She could understand why the young Nubian was acting the way she was, but this was not the time for them to be dealing with a ten-standard-year-old youngling.

"Come on, now, Aaliza," Luke said reassuringly. "It's okay. Everything's going to be fine."

Aaliza continued to stare ahead with her brown eyes. She was stiff as a board.

Leia sighed. "I don't know what else to do with her."

"How about you teach her to get a backbone?" Anakin said, entering the lounge.

Leia stood up, looking irritated. "How about you get a heart?"

Anakin shrugged. "I had one. But then it got stabbed and bled and it died. So I learned to live without one."

Anakin walked over to Aaliza and crouched down in front of her so she had to move her eyes away to avoid looking at him.

Her eyes didn't move. The distraught girl was comatose to the world.

Anakin suddenly grabbed her by her arms and gave her a rough shake. Luke, Leia, and Padmé all rushed over to pull him away, but he used the Force to hold them back.

"Now, listen to me, little girl," he said to her in a flat, serious tone. "Your brother is dead. You can stare into nothingness from now until you die and it won't make a difference. He's gone and he's not coming back. Sitting here like some idiot isn't helping him. You know your brother's probably in heaven watching you and saying what a baby you are?"

"Anakin, you're not helping," Padmé stressed, trying to break past the Force barrier Anakin put up.

Her husband ignored her. "Look up, girl. Look up at the ceiling. Up there, outside of this galaxy, your brother is watching you. Do you want to make him proud or are you going to sit here and mope over something that's already happened? Get off of your asteroid and get a grip!"

Aaliza's eyes began to fill with tears again and she started sobbing.

"Father, stop it," Luke protested.

Anakin shook Aaliza roughly once again to get her to look into his eyes. "Look at me, girl. Crying isn't going to change it. Tears make you weak. They only slow you down. Your brother is dead and you just sit around and cry; does it change anything? Tell me: does it change anything?"

Aaliza hiccupped and shook her head. Luke, Leia, and Padmé froze. That was the first time since the morgue that the girl reacted to anyone.

"Now get rid of those tears and get over it." Anakin told her, giving her a handkerchief.

Aaliza wiped her eyes and blew her nose just as Anakin turned and walked out of the room. The other three rushed over to the girl.

"I—I'm sorry…" she cried.

"It's okay, Aaliza," Leia cooed. "He's just a jerk, that's all."

Padmé looked at her daughter but she didn't say anything. What Anakin did was pretty cruel. How could he expect a ten-year-old to get over something so traumatic so quickly?

Anakin brooded as he walked out of the lounge. Stupid little girl, crying and acting incognizant… tears didn't get a person anywhere, he knew that when he was three.

The slave quarter for younglings was small and smelly. Most of the young ones there hadn't bathed in weeks, and considering the heat of Tatooine it wasn't pleasant. Mats that constituted as beds were strewn out all over the sand-speckled grated floor. In the corner of the room, a small semicircular window stood about a meter off of the ground, offering a ground view of the desert outside.

Younglings were filing in as they finished their work duty for the day. The ages ranged from three to twelve.

Four-year-old Anakin Skywalker trudged in, holding his bloody right hand in his other hand. He had cut it when he was fixing a moisture vaporator outside of Gardulla's palace, and it had been bleeding on and off since then.

"Did you hear that more slaves are coming in?" a seven-year-old purple-skinned Twi'lek girl asked the group.

"What?" Anakin looked up. "Not more,"

The Twi'lek nodded. "Yep,"

Off in the distance, they heard wailing. Most of the younglings ignored it, but others moaned in irritation, Anakin among them. Anakin walked over to his mat and sat down, trying to push the annoying racket out of his head.

Two Gamorreans entered the room and tossed a screaming girl down onto the floor. The girl continued flailing and bellowing long after the guards had left. The younglings walked away from her and lied down on their mats, trying to go to sleep.

After a while, the girl stopped screaming, but she still cried uncontrollably.

Halfway through the night, Anakin finally gave up trying to sleep. That girl's consistent sobs were enough to keep him awake.

Growling in exasperation, Anakin got up and walked over to the girl, who was curled in a fetal position in the corner of the room.

"Why are you crying?" Anakin asked.

"I—I w-want my mommy!!" the girl wailed.

Anakin covered his ears for a moment and then put his hands back down. "Screaming isn' gonna make her hear you."

"Yes, it is!" the girl insisted. "M-mommy and daddy will g-get me…"

Anakin shook his head. "No, they're not. My mommy hasn't got me."

The girl peeked her tear-streaked face out and looked at him with brown eyes. "You h-have a mommy t-too?"

Anakin nodded. "Yeah, but she doesn't care."

"I—I think she does," the girl replied.

Anakin rolled his eyes. "You don't even know her. Now will you stop crying? I can't sleep!"

"B-but my mommy…" the girl sobbed.

"Listen, she's not gonna hear you." Anakin explained. "Don't you know that crying just makes it badder? They wanna see you cry. All of them. All those mean people out there wanna see you cry. And when you cry they think they own you. Crying's for babies. I'm not a baby. Are you?"

Anakin leaned against the wall, pushing the memory out of his mind. This wasn't the time to get lost in the past. Still, that Aaliza girl just brought the memory back.

The girl who had been crying was named Vara. Her parents were in debt with Gardulla and so the Hutt finally put a price on their heads. When the bounty hunters came to kill them, they found Vara and captured her, shooting her parents after they dragged her off.

Vara was always sure that her parents were going to come get her. She always sat on the windowsill every night for hours until Anakin finally convinced her to go to bed. The last he ever saw of her was just before he and his mother were handed over to Watto after Gardulla lost a bet with him.

Anakin sighed. He wondered if Vara was even alive now. She was only a year younger than him; if she were still alive, she would be forty-five. Not a bad age, considering Humans lived to be about one hundred ten to one hundred twenty. Being in one's forties for a Human was considered being in one's prime.

Sensing Obi-Wan walking down the hall, Anakin quickly left the area and went to a private corner of the ship where he could be alone.

He couldn't wait to get his hands on Palpatine's throat. He had always wanted revenge against that monster for what he did to him. When he killed him, however, it was to save his son, not to get revenge. Anakin planned on making up for that now; he even had Dooku to help.

It was odd being on the same side as Dooku. Anakin had only known him when he was Palpatine's apprentice and Anakin was a Jedi; therefore, he was the enemy, and Anakin had always viewed him that way, even when he was Vader.

Sighing, he leaned his head against the wall. The flight to Coruscant was sixteen hours long. Even though Alderaan and Coruscant were rather close to each other in terms of the sections of the galaxy, there were so many stars in the core of the galaxy that navigating through hyperspace could be tricky. If one got too close to a star, the gravity would pull them out of hyperspace and right into the star itself. It was actually faster to go to Tatooine than Coruscant.

It had only been four hours since they left, which meant there were still twelve long hours left. Anakin suppressed an exasperated snarl; sometimes hyperspace travel could drag on and on.

Obi-Wan sighed as he walked to the Falcon's lounge. Master Yoda was meditating in one chamber, Dooku in another. The only other private quarters were Han's and Obi-Wan didn't even want to know what they looked like. He had asked Han if there was somewhere else where he could meditate. Han suggested that he squeeze into a smuggling compartment, which he promptly declined.

So now they were heading to Coruscant, the Imperial Center. It was practically suicide, as Han had mentioned earlier, but it had to be done. They couldn't wait for Palpatine to get a fleet together. After all, they were separated from the Rebels… not to mention Palpatine would do anything to get Anakin back.

Anakin was Palpatine's little pet now. When he was younger, making him a Sith apprentice was one of Palpatine's objectives. Once he was in the suit, he was far weaker and bulkier. He was only there to serve his purpose until Palpatine found a better replacement for him. Now that he was younger again… Palpatine would want him more than ever. Force only knew what he would try to make Anakin do, and if Anakin didn't listen, then he'd either kill him or torture him into submission.

Obi-Wan didn't know Palpatine very well, but he knew Anakin well enough. No physical torture would make him do something he didn't want to. No mental torture either; however, emotional torture was a different story. After all, Palpatine played on Anakin's emotions to make him turn to the dark side in the first place. Anakin's weakness had always been there. Obi-Wan had just been too blind to see them…

An old wound opened up once again as Obi-Wan thought about Anakin's turn to the dark side. He had blamed himself since he was Anakin's master. For twenty years he lived with that guilt, and he went over every argument, mission, conversation… just to see if he could find the clue that he should've found long before Palpatine got a hold of him.

It was also Obi-Wan's fault that Anakin was close to Palpatine; he had thought it was harmless. He even suggested that Anakin talk to Palpatine when he was stressed; particularly during the Clone Wars… he had been such a fool. He let Anakin walk right into Palpatine's trap, and then when the boy needed him the most he wasn't even there.

Anakin had known, too; when Obi-Wan was getting ready to leave for Utapau, Anakin had told him he had a bad feeling about it. Obi-Wan had thought it was about the mission, but looking at it in retrospect, he realized Anakin was talking about the situation at Coruscant—the situation in general—the big picture.

Obi-Wan entered the lounge and saw Aaliza sitting there with Luke and Leia beside her. Padmé was in the corner watching. Obi-Wan walked over and sat beside her.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Well, she was lackadaisical earlier," Padmé explained. "But then Anakin decided to treat her like he would an Imperial officer and now she's in tears."

Obi-Wan looked at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"He talked to her—a ten-year-old, Obi-Wan—and told her that crying wasn't going to bring her brother back," Padmé waved her hand. "Among other things,"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Padmé, surely you remember Anakin's awful habit of being blunt, sometimes even downright rude. Particularly when he's stressed,"

"I know, but… I just didn't expect him to do it to a youngling," Padmé looked away. "I don't even recognize him anymore, Obi-Wan…"

Obi-Wan put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Padmé. Just like we're trying to adjust to the situation, he is trying as well. He just… has a very unconventional way of approaching it."

Padmé laughed. "That's putting it lightly,"

Obi-Wan smiled and then stood up. "I don't suppose you know any place I could go meditate?"

"Well… you could have the quarters Leia and I are in right now," Padmé suggested. "We're not going to be in there for a few hours anyway, not with the state Anakin put Aaliza in…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan," Padmé smiled kindly.

Obi-Wan bowed slightly. "Thank you, Padmé,"

"No, thank you, Obi-Wan," Padmé replied. "You've given me a little insight."

Obi-Wan nodded and exited the lounge, casting a worried glance in the youngling's direction.

As he walked down the hallway, Obi-Wan took note of the time on the chronometer he carried with him. They still had ten hours left in hyperspace.

He was so preoccupied with the time and so caught up in his thoughts that when he opened the door to Padmé and Leia's quarters, he didn't even notice Anakin was standing there until he almost ran into him.

"What are you doing in here?" Anakin asked.

"I was just about to ask you that question," Obi-Wan said.

"I was just…" Anakin trailed off, trying to figure out how to say what was on his mind before his eyes hardened. "Hey, I asked you first."

"I was coming here to meditate," Obi-Wan said matter-of-factly.

"In my wife's quarters?" Anakin's tone bore suspicion.

"I was originally going to meditate in the lounge, but seeing as you've made quite a mess in there, Padmé offered me her quarters for the time being," Obi-Wan did his best not to snap at Anakin. The notion of Anakin thinking Obi-Wan was up to something with his wife was rather ridiculous. "She said that with what you did to Aaliza, she won't be needing it for quite some time."

Anakin snorted before moving to leave the room.

"You didn't answer my inquiry, Anakin," Obi-Wan interjected.

"I was just… looking for something," Anakin said unconvincingly.

Obi-Wan suppressed a sigh. "If you like, I can find a room elsewhere."

"Do I look like I still need this room?" Anakin motioned around the room. "I'm fine. Stay here and meditate if you like."

Anakin exited the room and the door hissed shut behind him. Obi-Wan leaned against the wall and blew out an irritated sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"

Anakin fumed the whole way to his quarters. Why did Obi-Wan have to barge in?

He hadn't been searching for anything… at least not really. What he was searching for was solace. In his wife and daughter's quarters, he could sense their presences as if they were with him but he wouldn't have to deal with the headache of Leia glaring at him wishing for his death or having memories of what happened to Padmé resurfacing whenever he looked at her face. He was fine until Obi-Wan entered.

As Anakin walked, he slowed his pace. Something still wasn't quite right…

Yoda sat cross-legged as he calmed his mind. He had a lot to worry about since they were going to Coruscant. Palpatine, of course, was the biggest thing to worry about, but another big concern was Anakin Skywalker. Skywalker had been fidgety, brooding, and dark ever since Yoda had been with him, and Yoda was sure he was like that before the Jedi Master's arrival as well. Anakin was going through a difficult trial, being around all these people: his son, his daughter whom he tortured, his wife who he almost killed, his mentor and brother/father figure who he did kill… it was no wonder the boy was so stressed. Still, they couldn't confront Palpatine with him being so indecisive… so unsure of himself.

Yoda knew from his duel with Palpatine all those years ago that it would take more than the Jedi Master to fight Palpatine. Although the duel had almost been a stalemate, Yoda could not rely on almost.

Sensing Anakin walking by the door, Yoda stretched out his feelings towards the boy. Anakin felt stressed, irritated, and restless. He also felt lonely.

Shaking his head, Yoda felt sorry for the young one, but there was nothing he could do to help him at this moment. Anakin wouldn't listen to anyone.

However…

Something else was bothering Anakin. Something that the boy sensed… Yoda had sensed Aaliza following them the whole time and had watched her, making sure she didn't get hurt or into trouble. He even slipped food in subtle ways as to not tip her off that he knew of her being there. Out of the five Force sensitive people, four of whom were trained Jedi, only two—the Grand Master of the Jedi Order and the Chosen One—sensed a ten-year-old girl following them. It wasn't a lack of talent, Yoda knew that well. It was distraction; Luke, who hadn't perfected many talents of his quite yet, was too concerned with Alderaan and everything that was going on. His mind was on so many things that it really was on nothing at all. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, was so preoccupied with trying to help Anakin and figure out what to do with him that he didn't even think that Anakin actually did sense something wrong and not just imagine it.

If Anakin was disturbed by something he sensed, it wasn't to be taken lightly.

Feeling out through the Force, Yoda tried to detect what could be wrong. It was rather difficult, considering everything was going wrong all at once. Fortunately, Yoda managed to pinpoint what was bothering the boy…

What he found froze his blood. No wonder Anakin was in such a state!

The beeping sound signaling that they were exiting hyperspace ripped through any conversation or noise in the Millennium Falcon. Everyone immediately rushed towards the cockpit. The air was thick with tension and anxiety.

The blue, white, and black kaleidoscope faded away into realspace and the Imperial Center came blasting into view.

Han gulped. "I hope you guys know what you're doing."

"Land the ship near the Works," Anakin instructed. "There's a port near there."

"What about verification codes?" Luke asked. "They're going to ask for those, aren't they?"

Anakin nodded, more so to himself. "I'll take care of that."

He walked over towards the copilot chair and Chewbacca moved aside. Anakin sat down and entered the code before the Imperials requested it.

"Is that standard protocol?" Padmé looked at her husband uncertainly.

"Of course it is," Anakin replied. "If you waited for them to ask, you'd be telling them you're a newcomer to Imperial procedures, prompting a scan of the ship, its cargo, and its passengers. You do what you're supposed to do and you're less likely to garner anyone's attention."

Han flew the Falcon into the atmosphere without a hitch and piloted it towards the Works, an abandoned area where the factories of Coruscant used to be. It was now a rather shady place.

"Are you sure they won't find us here?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, they'll find us," Anakin said.

Everyone gaped at him. "What?"

"So you're putting us right into a trap!" Leia yelled.

Anakin held his hands up. "I wasn't intending for us to be captured. They'll recognize this ship no matter what. It's the Millennium Falcon, the entire Empire knows this ship. The verification codes will keep them deterred until they look at the details of the protocol scan they performed on the ship. The moment they realize it's a Corellian freighter, they'll grow suspicious and send a squad to investigate. We're landing in a docking port so that'll be something in our favor. If we were suspicious we'd land somewhere inconspicuous. The port near the Works is inconspicuous but in a subtle way; it's a lot easier to lose them there than anywhere else. Besides, maneuverability is also a lot easier since there's little air traffic in the vicinity. Just be prepared; there'll be stormtroopers no matter what."

Dooku, who had been standing in the hallway just outside the cockpit, let out a chuckle. "I'll admit one thing about you; you've always been a strategist."

I know it's a semi-cliffie! I tried to make sure it WASN'T a cliffie, but if I kept typing until I found a stopping point, this chapter would be long enough to make your eyeballs pop out of their sockets! O.o

Review! Reviews inspire me to write more!