So, yeah, this chapter is short, but the ending will keep you guessing on what sidious has planned, one thing is for sure, you'll never guess what it is. Hahaha. I had only figured it out myself.
Anakin looked at Mrs. Jixton thinking that he hadn't heard her right. "Your sister?" he asked.
"Yes, my ungrateful and incredibly selfish sister," Mrs. Jixton said. "When she told me that little Han had died in a fire four years ago, I took her and that horrid husband of hers in. I never dreamed that she would abandon her child on the streets to starve!"
"I hope that what your sister did wouldn't keep you from taking Han Solo in," Obi-Wan said.
"I'm all done Mister Anakin!" Han said coming out somewhat less grubby wearing the new clothes.
"Child you're still filthy!" Mrs. Jixton said standing up and walking over to the eight and a half year old.
Han looked up at her then. "But I rubbed that white bar over my face and hands!" he said.
"Child you need a bath to get scrubbed clean. Come I will draw you a bath and instruct you," Mrs. Jixton said ushering Han back into the refresher with Han protesting whole heartedly.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said catching his attention. "You do realize that the future will change, Han may not end up with Leia after this," he pointed out.
"Han and Leia will get together, I'll make sure of it," Anakin told him.
"This isn't a thousand years ago, Anakin, you can't choose Leia's husband, you can't force somebody to wed," Obi-Wan told him.
Anakin looked at him then. "Who said anything about force?" he asked.
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"You really do look familiar you know. Like I've seen you before," Han said as Mrs. Jixton pulled off his top.
"Eye lad you have seen me before," Mrs. Jixton said.
At that Han perked up. "Really? Where?" he asked.
"Your mother brought you to my house many years ago. You look the same as you did then, that's how I recognized you," Mrs. Jixton told him.
"How did you know my mother?" Han asked.
Mrs. Jixton frowned as she finished getting the child undressed and forced him into the tub. "She was my sister," she finally told him.
"Did she die? Is that why she never came back for me?" Han asked.
Mrs. Jixton didn't know how to answer the poor child. How could she tell him that his parents left him and pretended that he was dead? "Lies bring nothing but trouble Luvena," Her mother had always told her.She hoped that this lie wouldn't come back to haunt her. "Eye, she's dead," she told him.
Han looked down at that before he spoke, his voice less chirpy. "What about my father?" he asked.
"No more questions about your parents child, lets continue getting you scrubbed clean," Mrs. Jixton told him.
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Chancellor Palpatine was growing tired of the senator's persistent squabbling. Patience he told himself. Soon he'll be able to turn the republic into his own empire. Soon he will be emperor. Soon the senate will be no more. He chose not to let his true feelings show. He continued with his act of being a true champion of democracy through this war. No one even bothered to think of who was really behind the war. Who had planned it. Who had been feeding information to both sides. He inwardly smiled to himself. His ability to manipulate them all was far greater than his master could have imagined.
"Order! We shall have order!" Mas Amedda pronounced over the senators bickering.
Palpatine stood up when the senators quieted down. Now that this business was over with he decided that a change in topic was in order. "The chair recognizes the senator from Alderaan," he called.
The senate pod consisting of Senator Organa along with Senator Amidala and Senator Mothma floated into the center of the arena. There was silence before Senator Organa spoke. "On behalf of the delegation of 2000, I have noticed a flaw with the clone army! The army was created to defend the republic, yet it has not been able to hold back the separatists droid army efficiently! The clones lack the ability to stratigize or think freely without someone to command them. There for the delegation of 2000 requests that an additional army be created to help aid this war, one not consisting of clones!" Senator Organa announced.
Palpatine frowned at this proposal as the senate erupted in loud arguments. "I can assure you Senator that the clones are doing their job efficiently," he said.
Another senator joined Organa's pod. " If that is the case Chancellor, then why have the separatists been getting the upper hand as of late?" the senator boomed. The rest of the senate seemed to agree with him making Palpatine frown even more.
"Order! We shall have order!" Mas Amedda called.
Another senator came into the mix. "I suggest we vote on this matter!" he called.
There were a number of 'eyes' on that matter forcing Palpatine to give in to this madness. Very well if that was how it should be, then so be it. "The voting shall commence," he announced. He was most displeased when the senators voted in favor of this new army, he however would prolong their involvement for however long. Finally he stood up. "Since no army of this kind has been created, then I must insist that our troops enter boot camp before they can fight!" he announced knowing that they couldn't argue with that.
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This time when Han came out of the refresher he was completely clean But Anakin noticed that that wasn't the only thing different about him. He looked over at Mrs. Jixton. "You've told him didn't you," he deducted.
Han walked over to him then. "Thank you for finding my aunt for me Mr. Anakin," he said.
Anakin smiled down at the boy. "I'm glad to have found you a home, Han. Perhaps we'll see each other again," he told the boy.
Han looked at him with that. "You're leaving?" he asked sadly.
"As soon as my business with the king is over, I'll be leaving," Anakin told him. He then gave him a wink, "remember what we talked about," he said.
Han brightened up at that. "I will," he told him.
"Come on Child, It's time for you to come home," Mrs. Jixton said ushering Han out the door. Han looked back over his shoulder at Anakin then and gave a wave. Anakin only smiled at him in return.
Once they were gone Obi-Wan spoke up. "All in a days work," he said.
Anakin crossed his arms. "Yeah," he agreed.
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Anakin and Obi-Wan stood in the throne room again the next morning with the King, Princess Makayla and the same advisers who were at the last meeting. They waited for the king to speak and they held their breath when he opened his mouth to speak.
"We have reviewed the evidence which you have given us and have come to realize that Chancellor Palpatine is an enemy of the republic. Due to your devotion to the republic and democracy to have brought this evidence to us, we have decided to help aid you in whatever cause you may need," The king announced.
Anakin and Obi-Wan sighed with relief. One battle had been won.
"However, we insist on you staying just one more day to discuss this new army," Princess Makayla said.
"Gladly, your highness," Obi-Wan said.
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Padme couldn't believe how easy it was to get the vote to start the new army. She only wondered what Chancellor Palpatine would do to ruin things. She threw her cloak off and placed it over the couch before continuing into her bedroom where she began to undress. She unhooked her elaborate senate dress and let it pool at her feet. She stepped out of the dress and sat down at her vanity. She began to undo the elaborate hairstyle and looked at herself in the mirror thinking of all the times that Anakin would stand behind her and traced her jaw and neck first with his fingers and then with his mouth. He would do so slowly putting her in agony while he took his time before they could join as one. She wished that he was here right now. She was beginning to get spoiled as Anakin spent more time at home these last eight months. But she knew that the war would call him back out onto the battlefield soon. She only prayed that she wouldn't loose him to this war, now more than ever. Coming out of her reverie she finished getting ready for bed, prepared for another night in bed alone.
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Siri walked through the streets of Coruscant along with Dirthmar alone. From what she had learned about their target was that Senator Garm Bel Iblis was a skilled military leader, that was why Dirthmar had insisted on coming with her. The Corellian senator would fight back against his attackers. Their so called nameless boss wanted the senator dead. He wanted Corellia to turn against th republic and to come around to the separatists side. Inside Siri was working on a plan to sabotage this attack and not have it pointed to her. She wasn't paying attention when a swarm of battle droids came out of the shadows surrounding them.
"What the hell!" She called.
"It seems as though we're surrounded," Dirthmar said pulling out a weapon. "Although I am surprised to say the least," he added.
The battle droids all raised their weapons at them. "Kill them," the leader said. "Roger roger," the others repeated.
Siri knew that she was in a bind. Her hand itched for her lightsaber, she knew that she shouldn't make any sudden move. She would have to use a blaster least her cover be blown. Before she could tell Dirthmar not to do it, he raised his weapons to get rid of the droids, but they were faster and began shooting him at all angles. Siri watching as he clutched his weapons in his hands and he body shifted with each blaster shot. Foregoing her cover, Siri pulled out her lightsaber and began taking out the droids. She flipped over a few droids heads and sliced them apart at the same time pulling the blasters out of the remaining droids hands with the force throwing hem far away. It took her no time to destroy the droids after that. Once they were all nothing but smoldering rubble, Siri rushed over to where Dirthmar lay crumpled on the ground. He stared up at her in rage, something the falleen never did.
"I should have known that you were a jedi after seeing that jedi weapon," he told her.
"Listen, I can help you, you don't have to die, but I need to know who's trying to kill Skywalker," she told him.
"I'm dead anyway jedi," Dirthmar told her and hissed in pain. "Whether I tell you or not, both choices has me dying. Personally, I'd rather keep you guessing his name as tribute to your deceit."
"You need to tell me his name," Siri insisted.
"Rot in hell!" Dirthmar told her.
Before Siri could continue to try to get him to tell her anything She felt his life leave him at that moment as his blood continued to empty into the streets. She had failed and now they may never know who was trying to kill Anakin Skywalker. She stood up then knowing that she couldn't stick around for long. Whoever had sent those battle droids would be coming by to make sure that he was dead. She would let them have that at least. With her failure in mind, she began the long walk back to he jedi temple.
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"Well I'd say that we've accomplished our task here," Obi-Wan said as he and Anakin walked into the palace hanger the next morning to return to Coruscant.
"I have to admit, it was easer than I thought it would be," Anakin told him.
"Perhaps that Master Yoda has had something to do with that," Obi-Wan suggested.
"Perhaps," Anakin agreed as they climbed into their starfighters. "Either way, we have a full report to deliver to Master Yoda," he said at last.
"I know that you're eager to get home," Obi-Wan said as they prepared to lift off.
"You have no idea," Anakin told him once the headset was on and the canopy of the starfighter closed. "Lets get going," he said lifting off out of the hanger. He and Obi-Wan connected with their respective hyperspace rings and left Corellia.
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When Siri had finally returned to the temple her failure had hit like a ton of bricks. Dirthmar had died before he could tell her who had hired him to bring Anakin Skywalker to Mustafar. But it wasn't just her failure that had her avoiding the other jedi in the temple as she made her way through the temple. She had to reach the comfort of her own quarters. She needed time to collect herself and to come to grips with what she had done on this mission.
She spotted Obi-Wan and Anakin walking through the temple and she froze. That's when Obi-Wan noticed her. "Siri? SIRI!" he called beginning to yelled her name as she came to her senses and began to run. She knew that he was following her so she increased her speed. She pushed and shoved her way through the many jedi at the temple finding her refuge when she spotted the lifts. She made a running leap into one after a group of jedi just got off of it. She hit the button to close the doors just in time as both Obi-Wan and Anakin began to catch up with her. When the doors closed and the lift began to move she sagged inside the lift. She couldn't face him, not yet. She knew that she would have to report to the council and inform them of her failure. The problem in that mostly was that Obi-Wan was on the council.
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Obi-Wan stopped in front of the closed doors of the lift that he had seen Siri enter moments before. He began hitting the button to get the lift to open, but it didn't open.
"Maybe she just doesn't want to see you," Anakin suggested stopping next to him. When Obi-Wan shot him a sharp look he spoke again. "Not that you did anything, perhaps it's her problem. Perhaps something happened on her mission," he suggested.
"Perhaps," Obi-Wan said turning away from the lift. "We'll find out soon enough what had happened and hopefully she had found out who is trying to kill you," he said as they began to walk away.
"Something tells me otherwise," Anakin said looking back to the lifts.
Obi-Wan turned to see what he was looking at and sighed. "Come, we have a report for Master Yoda," he said at last.
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Lord Sidious looked down at the dead body that was brought before him. His men found no trace of the his companion. Whoever it was, he knew had used a lightsaber. He frowned and examined the body of the bounty hunter. If he had his choice, he would have had him alive so that he could question the thing himself. But apparently he had put up a fight. Lord Sidious looked up at the one who had dragged the body to him.
"Have you gotten the project completed?" He asked.
"Yes my lord," the alien said at last.
Lord Sidious smiled. "Good. We will test it out on him before we collect our target," he said.