I really am terrible at this whole update once a week thing. I mean I have the chapters ready but I just keep spacing it. It's annoying.
Anyway, this is Chapter Seventeen, which leads up to the journey to the Hrakert Rift, which will be in the next chapter along with a...hopefully decently written out duel and some bonding moments with our crew.
Thank you to ivanruzic3758, DarthVerus, Bountyhunter1977, Abyss Trinity, and ssj3gohan007 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are great.
In response to Bountyhunter1977's review, since I forgot to respond by PM: no, this story will not cover KOTOR2 or SWTOR but the story will not end with the end of the events of KOTOR. There are some loose ends that need to be tied up in a small conclusion arc after the events of KOTOR are covered and there will also be a sequel but that is all I will say.
I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter, even if it is a bit shorter than the recent ones, and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
Chapter Seventeen
Sith's Private Hangar Bay, Ahto City, Manaan
Mission moved over to join Luke, Anakin, and Zaalbar, where they were crouched in the corridor directly across from the doors leading into the Sith's hangar. She grinned at them as she held up the passcard that she'd swiped from the Sith trooper that had just left the hangar. It hadn't been as hard as she thought it would be, and she wondered if it was because she hadn't tried to pickpocket one of those Dark Jedi.
Either way, she managed to get it. "Now we just gotta figure out a way to get to the ship and use it to get to the secondary entrance. Anyone got any ideas?"
"Go in weapons blazing and hope for the best?" Anakin suggested.
"That is not a plan," Luke protested.
"No one asked for a plan. Mission just asked for any ideas."
"Honestly, Father, do you have any ideas that don't involve charging in weapons blazing and hoping for the best?" Luke said, folding his arms across his chest and raising his eyebrow.
Anakin chuckled. "You remind me of your mother when you do that. She didn't like it when I just jumped into a situation without thinking things through," he said. "But that might be our best course of action simply because if there are any Sith in that hangar bay, they're going to attack as soon as we enter it."
Luke seemed to think about Anakin's words and then sighed. "Yeah, true," he said.
"So go in weapons blazing?" Mission said.
"Does anyone have any other ideas?"
No one did.
"Then that's what we'll go with. Mission, go ahead and go first and open the door. We'll be right behind you."
"Sure thing." Mission crept into the corridor and, scanning the area, darted across it to the control panel outside of the Sith's Hangar Bay. She gestured with one hand to her comrades and, as they made their way over to join her, she swiped the passcard.
The doors opened and Mission led the way into the hangar bay, pulling out her blaster as she did so. She edged closer and scanned the area, taking in the Sith ship that rested at the heart of the hangar and the dark armored troopers that stood scattered across the hangar's floor. They looked bored but Mission could see several of them were standing next to the ship that they would need to take to reach the Sith Base's secondary entrance.
Well, I doubt we're gonna be able to sneak past all of 'em so I guess going in weapons blazing is our best bet, she thought and glanced at Anakin as he, Luke, and Zaalbar moved to her side, their weapons falling into their hands.
"I'm counting twenty enemies," Anakin said. "And most of them are around that ship but there are some that will come running to their comrades' aid once the fighting starts. Zaalbar, do you think you can keep those ones off our backs?"
'I can try,' Zaalbar growled as he lifted up his blaster rifle.
"Great. Luke, Mission, stay with me. We're gonna have to hit 'em fast and get to that ship as quickly as possible."
"That's your plan?"
"My plans usually work so..." Anakin shrugged as he slipped into the hangar bay, his lightsaber falling into his hand and Luke moved after him while Mission, shrugging since she didn't have a plan of her own, followed. Zaalbar brought up the rear and, as Anakin led the way to the ship, he slipped off to cover their sides from the enemies that were up against the walls.
Hit them fast and get to the ship as quickly as possibly actually ended up working far better than Mission thought it would, though she knew that was only because they had managed to take the Sith troopers by surprise. They clearly hadn't thought anyone would attack them in their own hangar, nor had they thought much when the bay doors opened because they likely thought that it was just one of their own coming in for a shift change or something.
She wasn't too sure. She just knew that she and her companions were able to get onboard the ship and blast out of the hangar bay without much hassle. Zaalbar even took out a couple of the Sith troopers that were attempting to follow them as well.
"I sure hope the Selkath didn't see that," she mused. "I mean they do got cameras everywhere, y'know?"
"Yeah but if they had then they would have known about the missing Selkath and where they are," Anakin pointed out. "And they would have known about the Dark Jedi that we narrowly avoided getting into a fight with due to his late arrival. I don't think they have eyes on the enclaves or the bases or anything like that. I think it's more in the actual city itself."
"Maybe." Mission hoped that was the case anyway since the last thing she wanted was to break any of the Selkath's laws when she had no clue as to what would happen as a result of that. Getting arrested was up there but there could be an even worse consequence based on how strictly the Selkath enforce their laws.
"It'll be fine, Mission," Anakin assured her as he guided the ship over the glistening and churning waters of Manaan's surface. The ship circumnavigated around Ahto City until they reached the preprogrammed destination within the ship and the ship docked at the Sith Base's second entrance.
The ship landed and Anakin shut the main engines off and led the way out of the ship and into the corridor. The door opened as Anakin approached it and Mission scanned the area as she darted after Anakin, Luke and Zaalbar bringing up the rear of the group. The area they stepped into was a short hallway and Mission frowned because she could see a couple of mines lining the hallway.
"Careful, there're mines here," she said as she slipped past Anakin and knelt down beside one of the mines. She worked quickly to recover all of the mines, since they could come in handy, and tucked them away.
She sliced open the door and led the way into the curving corridor that lay beyond. "Okay, so there's really only one way for us to go," she said, pointing at the curve.
"Keep your guard up," Anakin said as he moved forward to take the lead and reached out with the Force. "I can sense multiple life forms but they don't feel like the Sith."
"I just sense a lot of life forms," Luke admitted. "I can't tell the differences."
"The Sith have a darkness to their presences, even if they aren't Force sensitive," Anakin said. "When you're reaching out with the Force to sense who is nearby, look for that, for a darkness, a stain of sorts on their presences. That is an indication that they are Sith."
Luke's brow furrowed before he titled his head to the side, thoughtful as the group neared a door on which was a label indicating it was the Flow Control Room. He moved to that door and rested his hand on it. "I can sense life forms that don't have that...stain, not much of it anyway, beyond this door. Could those be the missing Selkath that Iridorian mercenary said he'd brought here?"
"It's possible," said Anakin.
"What do we do? Do we go ahead and check it out?" Mission asked.
"It's the only lead we have."
It isn't much of a lead but I guess it's better than tearing this entire base apart looking for those Selkath youths, Mission mused.
. . .
Sith Base, Ahto East, Ahto City
Getting into the Sith Base was as easy as Revan thought it would be, given that the passcards that T3 managed to decrpyt worked perfectly. He should have known that things were going to get complicated quickly though because it would have been far too easy otherwise. At the very least, he had the advantage of numbers when the Sith Security Officer didn't recognize them and she, her commander and four war droids joined them.
"At least it's not as many enemies," Carth mused as he blasted a war droid, scowling at the shield that surrounded the droid that prevented many of his blaster bolts from getting through.
Dustil huffed as he jumped forward, his crimson blade flashing as it sliced through the war droid, leaving it in smoldering pieces of metal. "Just leave the droids to me, Father," he said and, using the Force to augment his speed and his jump, jumped toward another droid. He landed on its head and stabbed his blade downward.
Revan easily danced around the blaster bolts fired at him from Commander Grann and, with one swift twist of his blade, he sliced through the blaster and then slammed the blade through Grann's chest. Behind him, he could sense that Bastila had taken care of the security officer while Dustil took out the third war droid.
He pivoted and, using the Force, leapt forward and landed on top of the last war droid. He sank his blade through the head of the last droid. Sparks flared as he jumped away and the droid exploded and crumbled into pieces to the ground.
"We should get moving before more enemies show up," he said as he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt.
"Where do we go?" Carth asked as he tucked his blaster away.
Bastila hummed as she deactivated her lightsaber and returned it to her belt. "I can sense that we will find what we seek if we head north," she said. She frowned and added, "And I also sense someone else..." A deadpan expression suddenly crossed her face.
Revan could understand where that expression came from. He'd sensed his apprentice's presence, as well as the presence of Luke, Mission, and Zaalbar, almost as soon as he entered the base. It made him wonder how it was that Bastila hadn't noticed them right away.
He understood him sensing Anakin right away, given the Force bond they'd formed between them when he took Anakin on as his apprentice, but Luke's presence was like a sun in the Force so Bastila should have definitely noticed him right away.
"What? What is it?" Carth said.
"Our resident father/son duo are in the base, along with the rest of their group," Dustil deadpanned.
"What?! What are they even doing here?"
Dustil shrugged.
Anakin, care to explain why you and your group are in the Sith Base? Revan sent along their link.
'...I'm a bit busy right now, Revan. I'll explain later.' Anakin abruptly shielded their link but not before Revan felt the adrenaline that suggested Anakin was in the middle of a fight. He decided that he would wait so as to not distract the other man from his fight.
"We can worry about them later," he said out loud. "For now, we need to find that data module for Wann."
"Yes, though I do hope that Anakin explains what he was thinking by coming here and why he is here to begin with," said Bastila, folding her arms across her chest. "He was supposed to be gathering information on the location of the Star Map, not infiltrating the Sith Base for whatever reason."
"Maybe he infiltrated the base for information on the location of the Star Map."
"That is incredibly reckless."
"This is Anakin we're talking about."
Bastila let loose a breath and unfolded her arms. "The sad thing is that I cannot even argue that statement," she said. "Come, let us find that data module. I believe it is this way."
"I am never going to understand this whole Force thing," Carth murmured but, nonetheless, followed Bastila as she led the way through the north door. Beyond the door was a long corridor with a door resting in its west wall that Bastila led the way to.
They walked into it and headed down the curving corridor, stopping when they reached a room labeled Disassembly Room in the south wall. It opened and Bastila scanned the short corridor. It was empty save for a war droid standing to the left.
"I can sense there are many enemies beyond that door," she said, pointing to the door at the other end of the curving corridor.
Revan hummed as he moved over to the droid and, opening up its control panel, began to work with it. Optimizing its weaponry and targeting systems and activating its shields and engaging it in patrol mode, he stepped back and let the droid move onward. "It'll be a temporary distraction but, at least, it's something," he said as the droid wandered to the other end of the corridor and opened it.
A couple of Sith elite troopers immediately spilled into the corridor, firing at the droid but Revan moved the instant they were clear of the door. His blade made quick work of several of them, slashing through one elite trooper's chest and stabbing through the stomach of another elite trooper. Their armor may have been able to withstand most attacks but a lightsaber wasn't one of them, especially not one at point blank range.
He pivoted and casually deflected the vibroblade that the third elite trooper swiped at him. The elite trooper was a decent duelist in that he broke the stalemate quickly and pivoted out of the way to avoid the blade that Revan stabbed toward his stomach. He blocked the swipe aimed at his legs and quickly brought his blade up high enough to block the slash aimed at his side but Revan pulled back at the last second and stabbed at the trooper's unprotected side.
The elite trooper shouted in pain and Revan retracted the blade and swung it, cleaving straight through the trooper's neck before pivoting to see how the rest of his comrades were doing.
Dustil had already entered the room beyond, his crimson blade flashing as it blocked the various blaster bolts that were aimed at him. Carth stood at the doorway, firing at the Sith in the room and ducking back to avoid the blaster bolts the Sith fired at him while Bastila darted through the open door and immediately engaged one of the heavy troopers at the heart of the room.
Revan joined them, casually catching one of the grenades the Sith grenadier in the southwest corner threw at him with the Force and throwing it back. It exploded but the grenadier was able to throw himself out of his harm's way, not that it protected him from Revan's blade cleaving through him seconds later.
"I found something," Dustil said and Revan turned to find him kneeling by the broken droid, his lips pressed together as he pulled something free from the droid. He held it up and, as Revan joined him, he saw that it was a module. "Do you think this is the module Wann wanted us to find?"
Revan took the module in his hand and studied it. "I'm positive it is," he said.
"That was a lot easier than I thought it would be," Carth mused.
"We still have to get out of here without getting killed by any other Sith that are in this place," Bastila pointed out. "Not to mention it would be prudent to find Anakin and figure out why he and his companions are here."
Revan reached out with the Force and sensed that Anakin was still locked in battle, if the adrenaline he could feel thrumming through their link was any indication, but reached further. He could sense that there weren't nearly as many enemies where Anakin was.
"I don't sense that any of them in danger," he said out loud. "And it seems that they're on the other side of the base. It may take time for us to reach them."
"I say we should go and aid them," Bastila said.
Revan didn't think Anakin needed it but he decided that he may as well see more that this base had to offer. The base itself might have the location of the Star Map and Revan needed to ensure that information was lost if they did. The last thing he wanted was for more people beyond him and Malak, and the Jedi with him he supposed, to know of the Star Maps' locations. He doubted there was any information in the base but it never hurt to look.
. . .
Training Annex, Sith Base, Ahto City
There were three different rooms in the training annex that Anakin, Luke, Mission, and Zaalbar made their way into after taking out a Selkath apprentice whose actions, attitude, and clothing suggested that Luke was probably right about them being turned by the Sith. The apprentice hadn't been Force sensitive and only had a blaster pistol on their person, which made it ridiculously easy to take him out.
Luke hadn't particularly liked the fact that they had to kill the Selkath but Anakin wasn't surprised. In spite of the war that he fought through in his time, and the one he was fighting in now, he still didn't like what he had to do in order to survive. He would do it if necessary but that didn't mean that he liked it.
He really was a lot like Padme in that respect.
"Should we split up and search this place?" Mission asked.
"Might be a good idea. Luke and I will head to the training room. Mission, you and Zaalbar can head for the medical room. We'll meet back here and head for the dorm last," Anakin suggested.
"All right," Mission said and she and Zaalbar began to move toward the medical room.
Anakin turned on his heel and walked to the training room with Luke at his side. He came to a stop, holding out a hand to stop Luke, when he heard the sound of blasterfire beyond.
Peering into the room, he saw a Selkath fighting against two practice droids. The practice droids were tearing through the Selkath's defenses unfortunately and the Selkath fell before long. Anakin ignited his lightsaber and, using the Force, sent it flying. It cycled through the air and sliced through each practice droid, severing them in two, before returning to Anakin's hand. The two practice droids crumbled in two pieces to the ground.
"Whoa, you can do that?" Luke said in surprise.
"It definitely comes in handy when you don't want to get shot at, and can throw it without risking slicing through anything else like an ally," Anakin said with a shrug as he clipped his lightsaber back to his belt. "I'll teach you how to do that later."
"All right."
The two of them made their way past the two destroyed droids and into the short corridor beyond that came to an end at another door. The door opened and Anakin tensed, his lightsaber once again in his hand as he felt the dark side from the figure that stood at the center of the room, flanked by two Selkath.
"Dark Jedi?" Luke murmured, his own lightsaber in his hand.
"Probably," Anakin murmured back as he made his way into the room.
"How did you get in here? Wait," the Dark Jedi frowned and then his eyes lit up with recognition. "I recognize you! Lord Malak was most displeased when he learned you managed to escape Kashyyyk. He has promised a great reward to whoever captures you."
Anakin grinned as he activated his lightsaber. "I'm not exactly easy to capture," he said.
"Master, give us the honor of aiding you in capturing this man for Lord Malak, and destroying that enemy of the Sith," the Selkath apprentice said in accented Basic, nodding to Luke.
"As you wish, my eager apprentices. Remember to leave him,"—the Dark Jedi gestured to Anakin—"alive but kill the other one."
Anakin's lips twitched, the urge to shove Luke out of the room and take all three of them on at once going through him but he shoved that aside. Luke could take care of himself. He had gotten far better at blocking blaster bolts with his lightsaber and he was getting better at using his lightsaber as well. He would be fine.
"Luke, focus on those apprentices. I've got the Dark Jedi," Anakin said, his gaze fixed on the Dark Jedi who scowled at him.
"I am nothing like the Dark Jedi that you have faced before, young Jedi," he retorted. "I am a master!"
"So? I've faced off against actual Sith before. I doubt you have anything on them," Anakin said with a shrug.
"That arrogance is going to cost you." The Dark Jedi Master lunged forward, his double-bladed crimson lightsaber igniting and slashing toward Anakin who raised his own blade to catch the attack.
Luke darted away from him, his own green blade easily disarming the two Selkath apprentices and a Force push sending each of them flying backwards into the metal wall with enough force to knock them out.
Anakin pivoted to avoid the slash aimed at his side and quickly used his blade to catch the burst of Force lightning that erupted out of the Dark Jed Master's free hand. He gritted his teeth as a Force push slammed into him, breaking his concentration and sending him skidding backwards. Another burst of Force lightning surged forward but Anakin caught it with his blade, hissing when some sparks struck his arm as he was sent skidding backwards.
He is pretty strong, even if he still isn't as strong as Dooku, he thought.
Luke shot forward, his blade slashing toward the Dark Jedi Master's back but the Dark Jedi Master must have sensed Luke's attack because he pivoted and held out a free hand, grasping Luke with the Force. Luke gasped and Anakin felt his anger spike as his son struggled to breath.
He snarled, lips curled back as a surge of power rushed through him and he unleashed a Force wave that took the Dark Jedi Master by surprise and threw him off his feet, successfully forcing him to cancel his Force lightning and his hold on Luke. Luke fell to the ground, gasping and coughing as he struggled to get his breath back.
Anakin lunged at the Dark Jedi Master, his blade lashing at the fallen enemy but the Dark Jedi Master unleashed his own Force push, shoving Anakin back just enough for him to jump to his feet. He lunged forward, his own double-bladed lightsaber slashing and slicing at Anakin who twisted and pivoted out of the way, using his own blade to catch each attack that he wasn't able to avoid by moving his body.
"You have such anger within you, young one," the Dark Jedi Master said as the two of their blades got caught in a bladelock, the Dark Jedi Master's eyes were lit with interest while Anakin's were smoldering with anger. "Is it because of that young man? Who is that young man to you that you would get so angry when he is harmed?"
He broke the bladelock and jumped back, holding out a hand and Anakin snarled when Luke was lifted into the air, his hands going to his throat as he gritted his teeth. "What would you do if I killed him right here and now?"
"Let him go," Anakin snarled.
The Dark Jedi Master laughed and tightened his grip on Luke's throat, causing Luke to gasp as he struggled to breath. "How about no? He is an enemy. I should just kill him. We were only ordered to retrieve you and Bastila Shan alive after all."
Anakin could feel his anger burning within him, gathering energy as it surged through him. It took all of his self-control to keep from lashing out with his emotions. Such an attack could potentially harm his son after all and Anakin didn't want that to happen.
And yet it was hard. It was hard to control his anger. As a Jedi, he was supposed to release it into the Force and yet he found it so hard to do so.
If you wish to learn more about the dark side then you need to learn how to use your emotions, not let your emotions use you.
Revan's words echoed in his head along with his advice on how he could do that. Using the Dark Side of the Force did not necessarily mean that the person using it was evil so long as one didn't cross that line of no return. He told him that his best bet at walking the path that he had decided to walk was to keep in mind the bonds that he had created. Those bonds could help him remain in the shades of gray, that could anchor him even as he tapped and delved into the darkness. So long as he had his bonds, his anchors, he would be able to come back to the shades of gray and prevent himself from slipping past that line of no return.
That mean that so long as he had his bonds, he could use the techniques that Revan has been teaching him, even if he knew that Luke wouldn't approve of such techniques.
But he was doing this not because he wanted to harm others or cause pain. He was using these techniques to protect those that he cared about and loved.
The technique in itself was not evil. It was how one used it that made it evil or not.
Anakin let loose a breath as he gathered his anger within him and, deactivating his lightsaber, he unleashed the energy. It surged forward in a powerful wave that took the Dark Jedi Master by surprise as it crashed into him and, with a scream, he was sent flying backwards into the metal wall, releasing his hold on Luke as he flew.
Luke fell back to the ground, clutching at his throat and coughing.
Anakin was on the Dark Jedi Master in an instant, not bothering on giving him time to recuperate.
The Dark Jedi Master started to jump to his feet but Anakin lashed out with the Force and slammed it through the master's defenses, clouding his mind as so that his movements were sluggish as he struggled to get back to his feet.
"What...What...You're… how did you…?" The Dark Jedi Master started to say but didn't get to say more as Anakin grasped him through the Force and threw him into the center of the room. He crashed into the ground and skidded across it as Anakin pivoted and strode forward, his blade glistening as it remained ignited at his side.
"You think you can just harm my son and I won't do anything about it?" he said, his eyes glittering darkly.
"Y...your son?" The Dark Jedi Master struggled to get back to his feet but Anakin was still using the Force to cloud his mind so his movements were still incredibly sluggish. He gasped as Anakin clasped the Force around his throat and lifted him up.
"How does it feel to have the same thing happen to you?" Anakin said lowly, his eyes still glittering with controlled anger.
"You...You're supposed to be a...a Jedi and yet...and yet...I can sense...darkness within you," the Dark Jedi Master managed to get out, one hand on his throat while the other struggled to call his lightsaber to his hand from where it had been knocked to the ground.
Anakin's own blade lashed out and the Dark Jedi Master probably would have screamed had Anakin not had a hold on his throat as the blue blade sliced through his arm.
"I won't let anyone harm Luke, least of all a wannabe Sith like you," said Anakin as he slammed his blade through the Dark Jedi Master's chest. He gasped in pain as the blade burned through him and stared at Anakin.
"You...That darkness...it is...unusual. It is not...like a Sith's." Those were his last words as his body went limp and fell to the ground as Anakin deactivated his blade and released his Force hold on him.
He whirled around and bolted to his son's side. "Are you okay?" he asked as he rested his hand on Luke's shoulder.
Luke nodded slowly, coughing still but Anakin could feel his wariness through the Force.
"What...was that?" he managed to get out around his coughing fit. "You...You were...using the...the Dark Side...Father." He sounded so sad, so scared, that Anakin resisted the urge to wince. He knew that using the dark side around his son would invoke those feelings, only because they would make him think about what Anakin had become in his time.
"I'm sorry," he said as he gingerly wrapped his arms around his son. He held his son loosely just in case his son didn't want to be near him right now.
But he didn't seem to mind as he turned and curled closer to Anakin, burying his face into Anakin's chest as his hands clutched at Anakin's cloak. "It reminded me...so much of...Vader," he whispered.
Anakin lowered his head and rested his chin on Luke's head. "I didn't mean to remind you of Vader, Luke," he murmured.
"But why?"
"I have no intention of using these techniques that I've learned for anything other than protecting others. The technique itself isn't bad, Luke, it's how one uses it that determines whether it is bad or not. I used those techniques to save you and defeat the enemy, not because I wanted to harm others."
Luke lifted his head. "You've learned?" he echoed. "Father, where did you learn those techniques? Where did you learn how to use some dark side abilities?"
Anakin faltered. Revan didn't want anyone to know about him, about who he truly was and the fact that he had regained the vast majority of his memories, but Anakin didn't know how else to explain everything. He wanted his son to understand that he was still him, that he wasn't turning into the Vader from his son's own time, that he was simply working toward balancing himself.
"Balance is about more than just one side, Luke," he said finally. "One cannot be balanced if one is too firmly on one side, and it's no different with the Force. There's a prophecy, one that states that a fatherless child, a 'Chosen One', will bring balance to the Force. Many people, the Father, the Son, and the Daughter included, believe that I'm that person. But how am I supposed to bring balance to the Force if I can't even bring balance to myself?"
"Bring balance to yourself?" Luke said in puzzlement.
Anakin turned his gaze to the metal wall. "Balance is about two opposite sides coexisting in harmony. One cannot be balanced if one is too firmly on one side or the other. If I want to bring balance to the Force then I first need to balance the light and dark within me. Only then will I stand a chance at being able to do the same to the galaxy itself."
"Balance the light and dark within you?"
"Everyone has light and dark within them, Luke, but choosing a side doesn't necessarily mean you are good or bad. The galaxy isn't as black and white as that, as many people want to believe." Anakin wrapped his arms more tightly around his son, pulling him closer. "I choose to use both sides because I feel it is what I need to do in order to create a better future for everyone. I choose to walk the fine line between the two in order for that better future to come to pass."
"How can you be sure that it will work? That walking that line between the two will actually create a better future?"
"I don't. I know I'm taking a risk by doing this, by walking that fine line, because there is no guarantee that it will work. Just as there is no guarantee that the light will actually pave the way for a better future. We do not know of what the future holds. The future is constantly in motion, anything can change it, can divert the course that it follows. The only thing we can do is focus on the now."
He pulled back to gaze down at his son, a soft, loving smile crossing his lips as Luke glanced up at him. "But I won't do anything to harm you or anyone else I care about and love, Luke," he said softly. "I'm sorry that I scared you today, that I made you remember things you would rather forget, but I am still me. I am still your father and I do still love you, my son."
"Father...I love you too. That won't change, no matter what happens in the future. You will always be my father and I will always love you," Luke said softly, firmly.
Anakin smiled and gently kissed his son's forehead and released him. "We should find Mission and Zaalbar and see how they are doing," he said softly.
"Right."
The two started to head for the entrance to the training room but stopped when Luke spotted something. He moved over to it and picked it up, revealing it to be a datapad, and frowned as he turned it on. "Father, look at this."
Anakin moved to his son's side and peered at the datapad, surprise fluttering through him. "So that's what that wannabe Sith was trying to do. He was trying to get these Selkath to betray their own world," he said.
"We need to tell the authorities about this," said Luke firmly.
"I agree."
. . .
Ahto City, Manaan
The ship glided into the now empty hangar bay and Luke shut off its main engines, turning to a pouting Anakin. Once they had left the Sith Base, after finding Shasa and convincing her of the evil of the Sith by showing her the datapad that Luke was carrying with him, they had decided to go back to the hangar bay. This was mostly to avoid being caught by the Selkath who'd caught Zhane and their companions outside of the elevator that led into the Sith Base.
"So Zhane got arrested for all the chaos that happened in the Sith Base. He's being held in prison right now while everyone else was escorted back to the Ebon Hawk until the court made their decision and no one seems to know about our involvement," Luke said, summarizing everything that Anakin had learned from Zhane through the Force.
"That's it," said Anakin. "He thinks it'll be fine but said that it might be a good idea to bring the datapad to the high court. Even if he said that he would be able to prove himself innocent on his own, the high court should still know about what happened to those disappearing Selkath youth."
"True," said Luke. "All right. Do we know where the high court is?"
"Ahto West," said Mission, "surprisingly enough, it's not that far from the mercenary enclave so we can kill two tachs with one stone."
"Sounds good," said Luke.
The four of them made their way out of the ship and into the empty hangar bay. It was odd that there was no one there, since Luke knew that they hadn't managed to defeat all of the Sith when they'd first arrived in the hangar bay, but he supposed he shouldn't look a gift bantha in the mouth.
"Let's get to the enclave and then to the high court as quickly as possible," Anakin said.
"Got it."
The group quickly made their way out of the hangar bay and toward the doors that would take them into the city. They moved swiftly down the courtyard and around the bend toward the doors that would take them into Ahto West. They moved swiftly around the various Selkath and other beings that stood scattered across the courtyard until they reached the mercenary enclave.
Anakin led the way into it, scanning the area until he found Shaelas. He jogged over to join him. "Hello Shaelas," he greeted.
While they spoke about what transpired in the Sith Base, Luke frowned because he could feel an oddly dark presence. He turned around and scanned the area but he wasn't sure where that presence was coming from. It didn't feel like it was in the city itself, more like beyond it, maybe in the space above.
What is that? He thought.
'I believe it may be a Sith that is heading toward this planet,' Anakin sent along their bond as he continued to talk with Shaelas. 'Malak may have figured out we were here and sent some of his Sith to find us.'
I hope that isn't the case. Luke may have been able to hold his own against the Dark Jedi but his attempt to fight that Dark Jedi Master had showed him that he still had a lot to learn. He has never actually fought a Sith before, were the Sith was actively trying to kill him that was. His fight against Vader didn't count because Vader hadn't been trying to kill him the first time they fought and there was conflict within Vader the second time they fought.
Anakin gently nudged him through the Force, reassuring him as he quietly accepted the credits Shaelas offered him and thanking him.
"Wow, sometimes helping people feels pretty good, y'know?" Mission commented as Anakin said his goodbyes to Shaelas and moved toward the entrance to the enclave.
"It does," Luke said with a nod.
They made their way to the High Court next. As expected, the Selkath didn't want to allow them in due to the fact that they were in the middle of a trial.
Luke moved forward. "We just have some information about the Sith that we think you should know about," he said as he held out a hand to his father who handed him the datapad. "We found this and think you should look at it."
The Selkath did and said something that Luke couldn't understand before he turned and darted away.
"He said that this will possibly change everything and he is going to report the new evidence to the judges right away," Anakin translated.
"It must be nice to know the Selkath's language, huh?" Mission mused.
"It comes in handy, yeah, but the method isn't something I'd like to repeat unless necessary."
Luke glanced at his father. Is it another dark side technique you somehow learned?
'It can be classified as such, yes, mostly because it does invade the privacy of the being its used on.'
I see… Luke still didn't particularly like that his father was learning dark side techniques, and he had no clue as to who was teaching him and how they were managing to keep such teachings a secret from the rest of the Jedi onboard the Ebon Hawk, but he was glad that his father didn't seem to be changing. He didn't seem to be showing the same attitude that Vader had and Luke didn't feel the same cold darkness coiling around him like it had around Vader.
In fact, he could actually feel the gray. He could feel the light coiling around Anakin, moving in tandem with the darkness that was slowly coiling around him. While the light was clearly stronger in Anakin's force presence, there was still darkness that was slowly getting stronger.
He really hoped that Anakin could balance the two, that he wouldn't fall so far into the darkness that he wouldn't be able to find his way back, that he wouldn't become Vader.
Anakin curled his arm around Luke's shoulders. 'So long as you are with me, my guiding light, I will always be anchored to the middle ground and I will be able to find my way back. My bonds with those I care about and love will surely help me too,' he sent along their link.
Luke leaned against his father. I will always help you in anyway that I can, Father, and I will always be there to pull you back before you fall too far. I won't let you become seduced by the dark side again, I won't let you become Vader again!
'I know you won't, my son.' Anakin turned his head and gently kissed the top of Luke's head, resting his cheek on his son's hair while Luke remained leaning against him.
"You two," Mission said with a chuckle. "You've only known you were father and son for not even a month yet and you're still already incredibly close."
"What can I say? I have always been very close to my family," Anakin said as he released his son and turned as the Selkath he'd spoken to earlier came back.
They spoke at length before Anakin let loose a breath of relief. "Well, that's good news. Thank you," he said and the Selkath responded before walking off.
"What?" Mission said.
"The datapad proved exactly the evidence that Zhane needed to be proven innocent. They're letting him go now," said Anakin. "I'm so glad that I didn't have to explain just how I managed to get that datapad."
"Don't look a gift bantha in the mouth," Luke said with a chuckle.
"Oh I'm not. Believe me, I'm not."
. . .
Republic Embassy, Ahto East, Ahto City
Bastila gave Anakin a long look when he, Luke, Mission, and Zaalbar joined her and the rest of her companions in the heart of the Republic Embassy.. Everyone else had left the Ebon Hawk that they had been escorted to and regrouped at the embassy and Zhane had rejoined them after his trial ended and he was proven innocent.
"And just what have you been up to, Anakin?" she demanded, planting her hands on her hips.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You look like I got into trouble or something," said Anakin.
"We all sensed your presence in the Sith Base," Dustil pointed out from where he was leaning against the wall. "So we have all been rather curious about why you were there."
"And how did you manage to find your way into the base?" Carth said, raising an eyebrow.
Anakin shrugged. "I raided the Sith's Private Hangar Bay, stole one of their ships, and just waltzed right in through their secondary entrance. I left the same way too," he said.
"Of all things to do..." Bastila resisted the urge to throw her hands up in exasperation. She knew that Anakin was reckless but this was far more reckless than what he has done since they met each other on Dantooine. "What possessed you to raid the Sith's Private Hangar Bay? And raid the Sith Base itself?"
"I was looking into some missing Selkath for a Selkath named Shaelas," said Anakin. "He was looking for his daughter and I found out that his daughter and the other missing youth were in the Sith Base so I went to see if they were really there and help them out. That's all."
"Him finding those missing Selkath, and that datapad, also helped out with my trial," Zhane said. "That datapad proved to the Selkath that the Sith were attempting to turn the Selkath youth against their own world and use them to overthrow the government and set up a puppet government controlled by the Sith."
"That..would have been terrible," Carth said, eyes wide. "If they had succeeded then Manaan would have likely become a part of the Sith Empire, which would have disastrous effects on the Republic because we would lose our source of kolto."
"Good thing Luke found that datapad then," Anakin said. "Anyway, why were you guys in the Sith Base?"
"We were getting something for Wann in exchange for information he said he might have on the Star Map's location," Bastila explained, deciding that she wouldn't lecture Anakin on the recklessness of his actions. He may have been reckless, and he may have risked a lot, but he had managed to not only save those Selkath but also expose the Sith for who they truly are to the Selkath authorities.
"Where is Wann anyway?" said Carth.
The door opened at that moment and Bastila turned as Roland Wann made his way into the lobby of the embassy. "Hello," Wann greeted them. "I see you have brought more companions with you. Welcome. Anyway, have you managed to retrieve the data from our droid in the Sith Base?"
"Yes, here it is," Zhane said as he handed over the data module.
"Excellent! It does not appear to have been tampered with, so the Sith did not manage to copy its contents yet. And now for your information..." He tucked the data module away as his face became serious. "We are not supposed to speak of this but, since you're a Jedi and we have exhausted all the other options, I think I can entrust you with this. As you know, the Republic is fighting for its very existence against the evil of the Sith Empire. As you also undoubtedly know, we are doing very poorly. We need much in the way of supplies and material to stem the tide of battle and bring us victory. Manaan is the sole source of kolto, the most powerful medical substance in the galaxy. Frankly, we need as much of it as we can get."
Zhane frowned.
"Okay, what the blazes did the Republic do?" Anakin said in irritation, clearly not liking that Wann seemed to be beating around the bush.
"The Selkath conservatives, with their neutrality treaties, seek to treat the Sith and the Republic equally. This includes kolto exports. But a few more far-sighted Selkath see that if the Sith are ever allowed to win, the galaxy will be plunged into darkness and there would be nothing to stop them from taking Manaan anyway. So we made a deal..."
"You violated the treaty?" Bastila said in surprise.
"Shh, not so loud. Yes, it is a technical violation of the treaty, but it is sanctioned by elements of the Selkath government. We need only keep it hidden from the Sith."
"What is this deal?" Zhane asked.
"We recently began construction of a secret underground facility to harvest kolto directly at its source. We also hope to one day be able to synthesize it effectively. Current techniques are insufficient for the task, so we must mine it for now. The amount we take would hardly be noticed, since most is lost naturally before it reaches the surface anyway. We were nearing completion of the base when the digging teams reported some sort of obstruction... an ancient building or artifact. Possibly your 'Star Map'. Transmissions from the base were cut off abruptly after that, and we haven't heard from the station since."
So the Star Map is really at the bottom of the ocean, Bastila thought.
"What happened though?" Luke asked.
"We do not know," Wann said with a sigh.
"You haven't investigated?"
"As you may have noticed, we are hiring a lot of mercenaries around here. Ostensibly they're to be shipped off-world to aid in our fight against the Sith, but they are really for another purpose. When we lost contact with the station in the Hrakert Rift, we sent our contingent of Republic soldiers down to investigate. None returned... We have tried hiring mercenaries and sending them down as well, but none of those expeditions have returned either. The reason we really sent that droid underwater—and the reason we needed its data back so badly – was to find out what had happened to the Hrakert Rift station. But now that we have the data back, our operation is in no danger of exposure to the Sith. And now I must live up to my end of the bargain."
"How will we get down there?" asked Mission. "'Cause I'm pretty sure that's a long swim."
"Relax, you will not have to swim. I have taken the liberty of having a submarine prepared for your departure. I would send soldiers to help you but we have lost many of ours and nearly exhausted the mercenary population of this planet. We have barely enough soldiers to keep this base secure. Please, find out what happened to the facility. There may be some survivors left down there, perhaps even the head scientist – Kono Nolan. Good luck in your efforts." Wann walked off, leaving the group of eight to stand at the heart of the Republic Embassy.
"Okay, so we go to the sea floor, find these missing people, find the Star Map, and leave, right?" Mission said.
"Basically," Zhane said as he walked over to the room leading into the bay where the submersible was located. It was small and Luke frowned because he doubted that all eight of them would be able to fit inside.
"So now we have to decide who's going and who isn't," said Zhane as he studied the submersible. "It looks like five can fit so three will have to stay behind. I'm going."
"Me too," Anakin said.
"That means Luke's going to," said Mission with a grin at Luke who shrugged.
Bastila figured that would be the base, considering how close Luke and Anakin were. They didn't seem capable of being separated to the point where they may as well be joined at the hip. "I will go too," she said. She had to go after all because she had to keep an eye on Zhane.
"That leaves one spot open," Zhane said.
"The four of us can simply stay up here," Carth said.
Dustil didn't seem to like Carth's idea as he gave him an irritated look before turning and striding to the submersible. "I'm going," was all he said before he slipped into the submarine, leaving Carth to frown as worry flared in his eyes.
"I should have expected that, since he doesn't like standing around and doing nothing, but still. It's going to be dangerous if Wann hasn't been receiving any transmission from the facility," he said.
"Have some faith in Dustil, Carth," Anakin said. "He has proven himself capable of taking care of himself. Besides, we'll be with him so we won't let anything happen to him."
Carth still looked worried but he nodded. "Yeah, I trust you can keep him safe," he said.
Anakin smiled at that, looking happy that he had finally managed to gain some of Carth's trust.
Bastila knew that was only because Carth wasn't the most trusting person in the world. Due to his history with the Sith, and what happened to Telos IV, Carth didn't really trust anyone. But, in the time that he had traveled with Bastila and her companions since they left Dantooine, he has come to develop a tentative trust in all of his companions.
"Let's go," she said and followed Dustil to the submersible with the rest of the group following her.
. . .
The Hydra, Spaceport, Ahto City
Darth Bandon made his way down the gangplank of the Hydra and scanned the area with both his eyes and the Force. Just as his master had said, the two young Jedi that his master wanted him to capture were there along with another Force presence, one that he had only learned about as he was leaving.
The Force presence of his master's former master.
Malak had seem very angry to find out that his former master survived and Bandon was determined to defeat him. He knew that he could. He was gifted and had been trained by Malak himself. He had the strength, the power, and the skill to defeat Malak's former master and all of his companions and capture the two young Jedi Bastila and Anakin.
Perhaps, by doing so, he could prove himself even more worthy of being Malak's apprentice, his Shadow Hand.
He glanced at his companions. The three Dark Jedi that were accompanying him were the strongest and most skilled ones that he could find when he had left. He knew that they would serve as the perfect distraction that would allow him to gauge his enemies' strength and, perhaps, serve as a way of weakening his enemies.
"Where are our enemies?" the first Dark Jedi asked.
"I sense them near the sea floor," Bandon said as he strode deeper into the city. "We will simply have to find a way to get to the sea floor."
And all he knew he had to do was steal a submarine of sorts and use that to get to the sea floor.
But, for now, he would have to find a submarine.
Once he got to the sea floor, however, then he would begin his hunt and his prey was not going to escape from him.
Whereas the others failed before him, he would not.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: and that was chapter seventeen, which sets up the final Manaan chapter rather well. And then we shall get into the Leviathan Arc, which was, honestly, my favorite arc to write in this entire story. I just had far more fun with it than I thought I would
Rey: I've read it. I liked it
Ben: it was an interesting take on that arc
Palpatine: it sucked
Anakin: no one cares what you think. And how did you get access to that arc anyway? Blaze hates you
Palpatine: (cackles) I have my ways
Anakin: … alright, who screwed up with the security system around Blaze's future chapters?
Everyone: (looks, as one, at General Hux)
Hux: I didn't do anything!
Rey: bull
Ben: shit
Rey: you have the files in your hand, idiot
Ben: and the computer spike that you used to break through Blaze's security system in the other hand, stupid
Blaze: Rey? Ben?
Rey: way ahead of you (ignites lightsaber)
Ben: already there (ignites lightsaber)
Hux: (gulps and takes off running)
Rey & Ben: (chases after Hux)
Anakin: well, we all hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.