Whassup! Responding to the review; maybe, maybe, maybe

Hope y'll enjoy the chapter!


Obi-wan –

With a meeting in the Senate today, the Temple was easy to storm. Smoke rose high in the skies of Coruscant, only adding a little more to the immense pollution of the planet's atmosphere. Throughout the Jedi Temple floor, bodies of clones were scattered, whether they had black and skin-smoldering lightsaber marks or the very shots reflected in the impenetrable defense that was the Soresu of Obi-wan and Yoda. On guard at the door of the huge Holocron vault, Yoda touched his chin a few times with his fingernail sharp. Many Jedi had been killed on the spot, that was no lie... Just as it was a relief when he checked the Temple's security map, seeing that at the council roundabout, one of the escape ships had been used. Some of them made it out alive, at least. His attention in the Force was drawn when Obi-wan communicated from inside the Holocron Room.

"I modified the message; all living Jedi will receive notes that the Temple is not safe and to stay away from the clones."

"Um... take time to find out, they will." commented Yoda, watching Obi-wan close the message holo and, with a pinch of anticipation, move on. "Something else on your mind, Master Kenobi, I feel... About Anakin Skywalker."

"I also sent him a private message, but I received no confirmation that he has found his destination. I fear for the life of my former student, master Yoda."

"Get rid of these feelings, you must. Fear is an easy path to darkness. I hoped you'd know better, I imagined." Yoda said, watching Kenobi bow his head a little in shame, whispering a 'yes, master.' "Meanwhile, I suggest looking at the security holos. Jedi escaped from the temple, I know." that seemed to bring some hope to Kenobi. If Anakin had fled the temple, then he could localize him according to the ship he used. Running to the security footage counter, the Jedi master began searching among several moments, changing the date to the day the temple was supposedly attacked. A sigh of relief left from his lips when the holographic image of Anakin appeared, silent flashes as he tore the clones with his lightsaber, some Jedi children coming after him.

"There are children with Anakin... And they're following him to the Council Room." smiled Obi-wan, the image of his apprentice guiding the weak with such leadership filling his heart with pride. Master Yoda made mention of smiling... In case the holo hadn't changed to one that, strangely enough, was recorded by Kit Fisto's in the Chancellor Room, a camera and microphone hidden in the master's saber. Yoda felt a disturbance in the Force when the holo began. At the holo, Anakin was kneeling before Palpatine... who had golden, hate-filled eyes, a red lightsaber in his left hand. Kenobi's smile slowly died.

"You now will be named… Darth Vader."

A Sith name... Palpatine was the Sith in the Republic Dooku mentioned. A shock ran over Kenobi's body when that achievement came to light. Not only because he had always been under the nose of the Jedi Order, but it explained many, many things. Palpatine always had a different friendship with Anakin; he always idealized him for other Jedi as the perfect way to be... Anakin was always his favorite... and the reason was right in front of him. For his apprentice was a puppet of Palpatine. A puppet full of anger and emotion... The most powerful puppet of any Jedi that ever lived.

And also a puppet that had betrayed him.

The holo moved into the room where several children were. Anakin arrived in it, and according to Palpatine's orders, it was for Anakin to kill them along with all the other Jedi in the Temple. But he did not. He was crying against a wall the next second... The master's heart shook when he saw his apprentice in the hologram. There was so much pain in his eyes, so much sadness, and confusion. Then it all happened like the last holo.

"Anakin, to the dark side changed... But, to the Light, he returned." Yoda whispered to himself, disturbed by the idea of someone coming back from what was supposed to be a dead-end to any Jedi, even the Chosen One.

"Master, I have to go after Anakin. I just can't leave him alone, not after what I just saw." Yoda just watched him, waiting for the rest of the human master's sentence. "Anakin... He did not become to the Dark Side of free will. There's something behind it, our bond says. I feel it now. Please see with your own eyes, master." Obi-wan said, closing his eyes and making any mental shield that protected his consciousness fall. Yoda, curious to understand what made the greatest Jedi of the modern age change, invaded Kenobi's mind and sought the bond... And it was no lie. There were Anakin's feelings inside, and everything was screaming the same thing;

"Need... A promise. Palpatine, something promised. The life of someone who will die." Yoda felt, a sigh coming as he held the cane with both hands.

"Yes, Anakin wanted to save someone... And he went to the Dark Side in search of that solution, which means it doesn't exist in the Light... Oh, Anakin. Why didn't you tell me? Didn't you trust me?..." he asked himself, hands through his hair. "I have to find those answers with him, master! If I can find him, then we can defeat Palpatine together! Palpatine killed four masters, including Master Windu, easily... Only the two of us would be impossible to achieve victory." trying to maintain his civilized tone and with a pinch of concern, Kenobi suggested. Yoda kept quiet for a few moments, turning his little body towards the door and closing his eyes as he visualized the landscape of death in the depths of his mind. With anticipation rising for every moment that the old master didn't make a peep, the Jedi tried his best to connect with the Light and remain still, giving Yoda space to make his decision. And finally, many seconds later, it came with a cane hitting the ground.

"Decided it was necessary for you to go, I did. Get Skywalker as fast as possible, you need to. Bring him here, and only then face Sidious, we will." ended, the face not seeming satisfied with that notion. Sidious was too powerful, even Yoda knew that. If he died or had to flee, it might take too long for a second chance to destroy the Dark Lord... And what could Sidious do in a time where no one opposes him? It's not enough of the 'Order 66' he quoted in the holo... Surely there are more and more dangerous things Sidious has in his mind consumed by the dark side. Kenobi sighed with relief and immediately ran to the ship registry, looking for the Starfighter his former padawan picked up in the special council room. The last moment he was in the air was... about 20 hours ago.

The name of the place brought a terrible taste to Kenobi's mouth.

"Mandalore. He's on Mandalore... I will leave immediately, master. What will you do in that time?" he questioned, turning to the master.

"Seek other Jedi, I must. Increase our numbers in shredding, it is necessary. Jocasta Nu, I feel she survived.

"Right, master... May the Force be with you." He bowed his head in respect.

"And with you too, Obi-wan." At the end of his sentence, the redheaded master made his swift way to his ship, leaving Yoda to himself in his quest for other Jedi.

– Anakin –

As a slave, he witnessed many things that should not happen between four walls filled with sand, dirt and open-air to the world outside. Dangerous medical procedures, food stock, and fragile parts... Births. He saw many births in his time. Slaves who had children were usually not taken to hospitals and were forced to have the children as primal societies do. Shmi helped many women in their labors and since Anakin followed her from there to here, he has seen many happen and even helped... Knowing that his wife had been pregnant for a few weeks reminded him of a lot of those times where he helped to deliver babies.

And now, 13 years after the last time he saw one, Anakin remembered how desperate and fearful they were. Padmé had woken up with contractions and a bad mood, as well as undeniable sadness... Like all pregnant women, hormones were blossoming like bombs inside his wife. She screamed, kicked her husband in the face, scratched everything as her world broke in tearing pain. Using the Force, the blond was easing the pain considerably and guiding himself to a process he hasn't done so much of, and in a long time untouched. When he put the Jedi children out of the ship and asked them to set up camp, the sun was still low and the weather dry... The moon was high in the sky and Padmé was still screaming in unbearable pain. Anakin was purple from being a woman's punching bag, his stomach was snoring and human needs were on top of his body, but he couldn't even dream of getting out of there or stop the procedure he was doing with a kitchen knife, a spoon, all the ship's rags, and alcohol, lots of alcohol.

When the sun was high in the sky, one day after he landed, baby cries caught the attention of the eight children outside the ship.

"Luke..." she whispered

"... and Leia". this name was Anakin who whispered, Padmé's eyes full of water while watching the two new lives in her husband's arms. Her trembling hand ran down Luke's face and, in fact, she let out a prolonged sigh. There was no way she could stay awake after that, and so Padmé was sleeping like a rock next time Anakin hocked his eyes on her. It took just another hour to stabilize his wife's body, remove the pregnancy debris, give her a bath, and put her on the last mattress with clean sheets.

Anakin, sitting on the sofa of the ship while watching the babies with oxygen masks in their faces, took an extreme, long gasp; just now the physical pain of human needs has affected him. He managed to get the water off his knee, but his stomach was too empty for anything else. His eyes moved to the children in his arms, using cloths that he specifically separated post-labor. Leia seemed to be always angry and moving on her clothes, while Luke, in turn, only slept serenely. Both so small, so sensitive... And there were two of them! Who would have thought? Both their Force signatures were so powerful, yet so equal, that he mistook being just a baby. But here they were... two. Oh no, they were coming again—as he watched them, tears reappeared on the face of the Hero with no Fear and, with difficulty, he tried to wipe them, taking the most extreme care not to let either of those two precious gems fall to the ground.

"Look what you've done to Daddy... He's all feelings." Anakin joked, seeing the angry little eyes of Leia staring at him, brown as her mother's. They were really angry, no matter how curious. As if she wanted to see everything around her, but was limited by a baby's body and a mask on her face. For sure, Leia was more like him instead of Padmé. Decided to play a little with his little daughter, Anakin stretched out his hand and levitated a piece of glass thrown to the floor of the ship... Leia just stared when the reflective object stood between her and her father... And then it turned, reflecting her baby face and that of Anakin who finally saw his face. He was in pieces! Leia laughed under the mask when the father looked startled by his own face... And Anakin couldn't love it anymore... Her little giggles... She sounded like an angel. His baby angel.

...Oh no, here they come again; once again, he was crying, a smile who couldn't squeeze way beyond his ears.

A few minutes later, he imagined it would be better to leave the children to sleep. Putting them next to Padmé, both together on a mattress, then checking the masks and then the oxygen tanks—Anakin was now guessing that the Starfighter was Yoda's since the masks were especially mini-sized.

Observing the three most important things in his life sleeping, Anakin walked to the door and, blowing a kiss in the air, left silently. From the outside, the children didn't look very well. First, killing his curiosity, Anakin observed the state of the ship... Irreparable; almost buried in the sand and destroyed everywhere that it was possible to hit the eyes. Sarcastically, he whispered to himself.

"Another happy landing."

"Master Skywalker, did everything come out all right?" one of the children asked. watching the master whilst holding some metal crates.

"Yes, everything is fine..." he let go with a sigh of sleep. Certainly, he had gone days without sleep on specific missions, but none demanded as much as a woman in labor. His face must have been scary for Leia, full of purple bruises.

"Is Miss Padmé all right?" It was Fannia's turn if he's not mistaken.

"She is. Luke and Leia are fine, too." she smiled, seeing the children seem calmer after those answers. Were they that worried about Padmé and the babies? Luckily the worry didn't get in their way out here. From the little they picked up from the ship's outer container, a lot they could do. Thick tarpaulins were used to create metal-backed ceilings, creating good shadows. Water and food, as well as medical supplies for the children who got hurt... And now, a dark-toned child was holding his hand and guiding him to a makeshift stool, he thinks it will be his turn.

"But what about you, Master Skywalker? Any bad injuries other than the one in your leg?" the boy asked, sitting the Jedi on the bench, going straight for the leg with a bacta spray on his hands; it was the same boy who was taking care of his leg last day. As soon as Anakin saw his sturdy black clothes being lifted, he bit his lip. Only now that the adrenaline had passed he felt the piercing pain of the injury.

Black bark and lumps existed all over his leg and, in fact, reddish tones followed in the less affected areas, creating a crunchy sound when touched. The burn not only burned the skin, but also the muscles... Luckily it was no artery or vein, or his leg would have to be amputated.

"Ow... Ohhhh..." the child snorted, looking to the side, hand in mouth and the look more open than before, clearly disgusted by the master's leg. Barely looking at the bad looking leg, he threw all the bacta spray as fast as he could to cover up that disgusting thing.

"Was there any sign of civilization?" Anakin asked, trying to get the mind of the boy out of his injury, that looked nothing but a scratch.

"No... We don't know what planet we're on either. We were going to check the panel, but you made it very clear it wasn't to go in until you left."

"Thank you for respecting the order. I needed all the privacy I could... I'll see after you're done there. Anything else?"

"We've done the food count... Now that there's 12 of us, it'll last a few weeks. Clo-ud and Kina are preparing and stocking up on baby food."

"I'll thank them for that. We will start looking for civilization from tomorrow; by the way, how will the food last so long? Does the ship have that much?"

"There is a consensus among us." Another boy showed up, shirt wrapped around his forehead and body all sweaty, medical cargo on his hands. "We'll eat only every five days, so Miss Padmé and the babies will have more. That or until we find civilization." and, in fact, Anakin noticed that it was necessary. He already intended to do it alone, but he hadn't imagined that the children would do it of their own free will. Waving positively to the child, the other one had already finished spraying his leg and was now looking for more atrocious injuries elsewhere.

"Here... It's pretty ugly that one of those..."

"Speeders!" a sudden scream caught everyone's attention, especially Anakin. The place where the scream came from had a child pointing down the horizon. All the others but the one with the bacta spray in hands ran to see. Anakin went on to notice that there was a gulch from where the ship was to such a desert plain. With a frown, Anakin watched in the distance, a dry wind knocking at his head... Three speeders moving at low-medium speeds... And in a 'v' formation? While the children seemed excited, Anakin connected the Force to seek clearer answers, concentrating on the deadly, bronze horizon.

His teeth cracked and, running back to the storage compartment, he went for something he had seen before, the children's gaze turning to the master's exaggerated reaction... Who was now returning with a Tibanna Gauss rifle?! His yell came in sequence.

"Get out of there, now!" ordered the children and, walking to the edge of the cliff, Anakin saw the three speeders continue to approach. Following his orders, strangely enough, the children walked away and, with a sense of danger arising, looked at each other. "Scouts... are coming to scan the ship..."

"You mean they're clones?!" one of the children asked, his eyes wide open for the new news that they were in danger once again. Placing his eye on the scope as he lowered himself, the planet's warm sun on his back, lying against the arid rock of the ground, his chest exposed because he had to use his Jedi robes to stop bleeding during his wife labor, Anakin held his breath... They were clones. Damn it. Palpatine sent them, probably... He already knew where Anakin was. Or, for lucky them, just a bunch of clones who happened to see the ship crashing... His wish. He had to get out of here as soon as possible. Pulling the rifle bolt and watching the amount of ammunition, Anakin connected not only with his Force but with the Force that Luke and Leia emanated, bringing calm to his heart.

... And the first shot resounded with force, lifting dust from the ground. The speeder continued, but the clone's smoky head fell to the ground. The one in the middle is gone.

The other two noticed and tried to turn the speeders—the left one had the engine exploding into a fireball.

Before the third one could squeeze his communicator, a shock wave spread all over his chest and he wrecked the speeder into the cobblestones. And only then could Anakin release the sigh he was holding, his left finger on the stun function of the gun.

"I'm going after their speeders; keep your sabers in hand." said the blond man

Quickly, throwing the gun with nine more shots on his back, the saber coming in his hand and, without waiting for a response from the other kids, descending the gulch to the speeders—which were only half a mile, one kilometer away—With the Force Speed, Anakin got there in record time, the first thing he did was to remove the helmet from the clone he stunned. He couldn't communicate without it. But since he was stunned for the next few hours, he wouldn't be able to communicate with anything! Pulling up the clone's datapad, he searched for information... There was no data on why he was here or what his mission was, but there was information from the planet.

Mandalore. 4,128 kilometers from Sundari.

"Great; the last place where Darth Maul was sighted, the death of Obi-wan's friend, where Ahsoka ended up, strong clone influence... Mandalore. Best place in the galaxy to fall."


Once Anakin turned to a force ghost, Obi-wan and Yoda said to him that Leia kissed Luke. When he heard that, Anakin wanted to die again