Chapter 18: I'm A Psychopath
Anakin wakes up and exits the ship. He places his robe back on and grabs the mask he threw on the ground last night. He walks to the lake by the house where Sophie was currently staying at. He sat by the edge of the lake and threw his mask at the water in anger.
"Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you", he curses at the mask. He didn't know why he felt this way but Anakin unleashed all of his anger. He sent strong force pushes to the water causing huge volumes of water to fly up and splash back down. Waves formed spilling onto the land creating muddy areas. Anakin laid onto the grass and started to cry again.
"Why am I so fucking lonely. Mom why did you have to die, we could've had a good life but those bastards ruined it", he shouts in irritation. A part of him wanted to go in the house and see Sophie but he couldn't. Anakin didn't have the mental strength to walk up to the house. Ever since the incident yesterday he couldn't clear his mind from those thoughts.
"Your a psychopathic murderer"
"Don't hurt us"
"Your a cold blooded killer"
"Nightstalker under arrest you are"
Anakin began to scream mentally shoving his head into the ground. He was having the worst mental breakdown he ever faced.
"I'm not a good man, I'm a murderer"
"I'm not a good man, I'm a murderer", Anakin repeats to himself.
"Sophie doesn't deserve to have me in her life. She should live with Padme and be with her. I can't do it. I'm a murderer, a mentally unstable psychopath. I'm sorry mom but I can't start a family. After this mission I'm going to live alone in exile, where I can't hurt anyone", Anakin sobs. He sat up and stared at the lake which was slowly calming down after Anakin's outrage.
Padme woke up really early and luckily no one else was up. All she was thinking about was last night. Her mind was fixed on Anakin and only him. She wants to be with him, Padme knows he is hurt emotionally and she wants to be by his side. She quietly exits her room and makes her way out of the house to the dock where Padme and Anakin chatted yesterday. She heaved a big sigh looking at the wavy water. To Padme it seemed a little odd, the water was always still never before has she seen it wavy.
As she leaned over the dock she saw something floating towards her. Curious Padme picked it up and nearly stumbled backwards. It was the Nightstalker's infamous mask. Padme couldn't think straight "Did he kill himself. No he couldn't have the mission. But he ran away yesterday he might have ended it all", she tells herself. She frantically looked around and saw a man at the other end of the lake laying down with his hands over his face.
"Anakin", she whispers. Padme dropped the mask on the dock and sprinted towards him. Anakin was unaware that she was coming, he could usually sense people approaching him but his emotions clouded his mind. Padme crept and hid behind a tree, she slowly peeked and saw Anakin muttering words to himself while sobbing.
She took a deep breath and walked up to him. She knelt down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Anakin quickly turned around and saw it was Padme.
"No, no. Padme leave get away. You shouldn't be here", he shouts slowly crawling away from her. Padme looked at his red puffy eyes, he was emotionally broken.
"Anakin please stay don't go", Padme says softly. Anakin stood up and tried to run but he stumbled and groaned in pain. Padme ran to him and slowly started comforting him.
"Anakin you are hurt, please come back with me. I can help you", she says tears forming in her eyes. She hated to see the man she has feelings for be so conflicted. Anakin pushed Padme off him and backed himself to a tree.
" I..I'm a..a Murderer, leave you shouldn't be here I'm dangerous. Take Sophie and raise her, give her a good life without me. She doesn't deserve to be with a psychopath", Anakin cries. He couldn't bare to see Padme in front of him. All he could think is how she doesn't look at him the same way. He was no Anakin, he was a broken ruthless killer to her.
Padme slowly approached Anakin with her arms out. She quickly jumped onto Anakin and embraced him.
"Your not a murderer, you are a good man. Please don't leave. Sophie needs you she cares about you", Padme says. She pauses for a moment to stare straight into Anakin's eyes "I care about you", she whimpers placing her head on Anakin's chest. She can feel his warm body rubbing against her which made Padme feel cozy.
"Padme you know what I've done. How can you care about me, you only knew my good side not my vigilante side. I'm a murderer, I'm dangerous to be around you and Sophie. Please go home, you can't be here", Anakin pleas. He doesn't know why Padme doesn't understand when he says "leave."
She breaks off Anakin's embrace and places her hands on his face. She pulls herself so close to him that their lips are nearly touching.
"You are a good man Anakin. I'm glad that I know you are the vigilante. It makes me so relieved there is someone good beneath the mask. I want to be by your side and help you through this. Anakin please stay for me and Sophie", she murmurs. Anakin was about to respond when Padme pulled him in for a kiss. Padme unleashed all of her affection towards Anakin. The soft touch of Padme's lip calmed Anakin down and soothed his grief. He began to kiss more passionately to her and Padme moaned. Anakin broke off to catch a breath and stared deeply into Padme's eyes. Her radiant face was beyond anything Anakin could have dreamed of to see in a woman.
As she pulled in for another kiss wanting more of him, Anakin lightly pushed her off.
"Goodbye Padme", he simply says. Padme tugged on his arm and dropped to her knees crying.
"Ani, please don't go. Please", she sobs. Anakin stopped when he heard Padme say his nickname. No one knew of his nickname besides his mother. That word touched his heart and Anakin softened up. He knelt down in front of Padme and pulled her in for a fiery kiss. She glady accepted it and ran her hands through his hair. However it only lasted for a few seconds, because Anakin broke off her once again.
"Padme please go back to the others. Don't worry about me, there is nothing to worry about. You need to protect Sophie at all costs", Anakin says to her. Padme nods but pleas to Anakin once more to stay.
"Ani, I'm so lonely. You make me feel special whenever I'm with you. Please stay, I need you in my life", she pouts. Padme pulled closer to Anakin.
"I..I love you Ani", she chokes. Anakin finally lost it, his emotions were breaking through his mental block. He lost his focus, he couldn't think straight at this moment.
"She expressed her love to me", Anakin says to himself. But all those thoughts of the Nightstalker flew back into his mind. Padme can't love him, she is blind. He is a killer, a vigilante. Why can't she get that through her head.
Anakin stood up and looked down at Padme.
"I'm sorry Padme. I can't, I'm a killer a ruthless one. You deserve a man who can take care of you and Sophie the right way. I'm not that man and will never be. After this mission I will go into exile so I can't hurt anyone else. I hope you can forget about me and move on. I believe Sophie will too. Promise me you will live a good, prosperous life", Anakin says before he turns away from Padme.
Padme shouted "ANAKIN PLEASE DON'T GO." But it was too late he already left her alone. Padme dropped to the ground unloading her tears. It hurts to see him go, he was all alone and broken. After a few minutes Padme stood up and wiped her tears and decided to head back to the house. She honestly didn't realize that she was out there for so long, because as she entered she was met with a room full of concerned gazes. Jobal walked up to Padme and hugged her.
"Padme are you okay", Jobal says wiping some of her daughter's tears. Padme knew she wasn't fine, all she wanted was Anakin but he kept refusing to come with her. He kept saying he was a murderer but he truly wasn't in her eyes. No matter how hard she tried to convince him that she didn't care that he was a vigilante, Anakin didn't fall in. All he could think about is how different everyone sees him now.
Padme sighed "Everything is alright, I just needed some fresh air." Jobal nodded and led her to the dining room for breakfast with the others. As Sola and the others noticed Padme's puffy red eyes they quickly knew it was about last night. So no one bothered to mention about any of it.
"Padme I have good news, Breha is sending us a neutral transport ship to pick us up. She also said that your family can come with us", Bail smiles. Padme turned to Sola who was helping Pooja eat her scrambled eggs.
Padme sniffled "Well do you want to come with us". Sola nods "Yes we all thought of coming with you. It would be a fun time to experience Alderaan and also spend time with my favorite sis", Sola beams. Padme smiled back looking down at her food. She honestly wasn't hungry so she just kept picking at it. The wonderful kiss she had with Anakin satisfied her hunger but she wanted more of him. She wanted Anakin in her life, he was different than the other men she dated. Anakin made Padme feel good like she was meant to be with him.
Fifteen minutes later everyone stood up and began packing their things to prepare for the ship that was arriving in less than an hour. Padme walked back to her bedroom and saw Sophie on the bed.
"Mommy where did you go this morning", Sophie asks. Padme was stunned at Sophie's question. How did she know Padme left, she was sleeping. But she knew she couldn't lie and hide from Sophie.
"Well I went to the lake and stared at the water to clear my mind", Padme mutters. Sophie grabbed her dress and gazed into Padme's eyes.
"Are you still sad about daddy leaving, because I am", Sophie says tearing up. Padme bent down and picked Sophie up in her arms. She softly sat on the edge of the bed with Sophie still cradled between her.
"Yes", she whispers. She didn't want to tell Sophie that she saw him because it would make her go crazy and want to find him. Padme thought it was the best to stay quiet about it, for the safety of Sophie. Anakin told her before he left that she needs to protect Sophie so Padme will protect her for him. Sophie loves him and wants him to come back, but Padme doesn't know if that will ever happen. He seemed truthful when he told Padme to not worry about him and move on, but it would be hard for Padme to move on. Padme wiped the dried tears that stayed on her face and placed Sophie next to her.
"Let's get ready Sophie. We are going to leave soon for Alderaan", Padme says. Sophie nods and begins packing her things. Padme does the same and goes into her wardrobe and grabbed all of her outfits, she didn't want to leave any of them behind. Padme honestly didn't know if this might be the last time she steps foot in this house.
Anakin walked back to his ship still thinking about the encounter with Padme. She expressed her love towards him and kissed him. Anakin greatly enjoyed it but knew he couldn't go back with her. Seeing the others would cause him to run again and it would hurt Sophie even more. Anakin used the force to clear his mind and remembered he needed to get fuel. He hastily made his way into the village and enters the shop.
"Hey may I get some Rhydonium", Anakin asks impatiently. He wanted to get off Naboo as fast as he could. Anakin couldn't deal with the emotional trauma that surrounded him there, he needed to leave and continue his mission. Anakin needed to kill every single bastard that was still alive.
The old man nodded and came back out with three canisters.
"That will be plenty", Anakin says throwing a large amount of credits on the counter. Way more than it was worth, but he didn't care he needed to go. He grabbed the three canisters from the old man and waved.
He exited the shop and walked back to his ship. Anakin opened the cockpit and pulled out his beskar armor and helmet. As he put it on Anakin felt somewhat relieved, he was back to his old self again. It's not that he didn't like being his normal self it's just that he wasn't used to it and being a vigilante was much easier for him. He grabbed the helmet and stared at it.
"This is for you Rako", he murmurs placing his helmet on and looking at all the sensors and his HUD display turn on in front of his very own eyes. He grabbed the canisters of Rhydonium and began refueling his ship.
"Soon I will find those motherfuckers and slaughter every single one of them till there is no sign of their corpses", Anakin says to himself. He hated how the corruption in the Republic greatly affected his life. He always wanted to fulfill his mother's dream of becoming a father and raising a family but as time progressed it seemed less likely and Anakin was accepting it. He knew that he couldn't be a father, his past would always come back to haunt him and the last thing he would want to do is have a family, then run away from them because of his past. He felt it is best to live alone for the rest of his life.
Anakin finished refueling and hopped in his starfighter. He went to turn on the ship but hesitated. Anakin didn't know why he did but he thought maybe the force is trying to tell him something. Anakin felt that maybe his emotions were coming back and trying to stop him from leaving, so he sat in his cockpit and began to meditate.
"Master Jedi we have found an unknown ship approaching Naboo's orbit, it seems it is heading for the mountain region", says the officer.
Shaak Ti was back at thr palace with Aayla. She was utterly frustrated that those pesky traitors got away. But she let out a evil grin, today she felt they had no escape. Her and Aayla will kill them off ending their lives.
She turns back to the young lieutenant. "Tell your men to follow that ship, I sense that they are trying to escape. We can't let these traitors leave Naboo", Shaak Ti orders. The officer nods and heads to the forward operating base. Ever since the corruption in the jedi order Yoda was becoming suspicious of Shaak Ti and Aayla. He could sense their anger and resentment towards the vigilante, while Ki-Adi Mundi agreed with the Nightstalker. Yoda was in the middle he believed more like Ki-Adi. He thought that the Nightstalker was doing something good and the jedi interfering would only cause problems. While a small part of him disagreed with that claim. Nevertheless Yoda was at hard work meditating and figuring out all the jedi knights that were participating in these malicious acts.
Yoda called Ki-Adi Mundi to the meditation chamber. Moments later Ki-Adi Mundi enters the chamber with a confused look on his face. This was the first time Yoda called him to meditate. Ki-Adi thought that it might be important.
"Why did you call me here Grand Master", Ki-Adi Mundi says dazed. Yoda stood up and grabbed his stick. He waddled over to Ki-Adi Mundi and stared at the jedi master.
"Agree with you I do, Nightstalker good man he is. Meditated I did, now understand the reason behind his killings. Knows of the corruption of the Republic he does. Lost his mother due to this corruption he sadly did. Avenge her and protect others he will. Cleanse the galaxy and restore the Republic he wants", Yoda says. Ki-Adi Mundi's eyes lit up in joy. He finally agreed with him, they shouldn't mess with the Nightstalker. He is doing good deeds that no one can see because it is hidden behind his ruthless killings.
"That's great to hear Grand Master, but why did you call me to your meditation chamber", Ki-Ad Mundi questions.
Yoda's face turned serious. "Your the only one I trust. Strange feeling in the force I feel. I sense something bad is going to happen".
Ki-Adi Mundi nods and both proceed to meditate. As they began meditating they felt the strange feeling in the force. It was coming from the Naboo Palace where Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura are at. Yoda concentrated more and felt anger, vengeance, and revenge flowing through them. The dark side was radiating around them. He used the force to sense her thoughts and Yoda realized they were going to kill Obi Wan and the others. He also hears Aayla calling Obi Wan a traitor for leaving the jedi to side with a vigilante.
"Do you feel it too Grand Master", Ki-Adi Mundi says opening his eyes. Yoda nods "Yes I feel it too. Dark side flowing through the two jedi masters, corrupt they have become. Sense danger for Obi Wan and the others I do. We must go and stop them", Yoda states. Ki-Adi Mundi nods and exits the chamber with Yoda.
Yoda tells Ki-Adi Mundi to not tell anyone where they are going because it will spark suspicions. They both hopped into their starfighters and left Coruscant and headed to Naboo.
Meanwhile
"Master Jedi we have spotted the ship landing near a lake retreat", the officer tells. Shaak Ti and Aayla express evil smiles and equip their lightsabers.
"Prepare the troops and our personal transport. Stop them we must", Shaak Ti orders. The officer nods and prepares the Republic soldiers to board the ships.
"You should of never sided with the Nightstalker", Shaak Ti mutters under her breath. She nodded to Aayla and they both hopped onto the transport.
"Padme help us get these stuff on the ship", Sola shouts. Padme nods and begins grabbing suitcases full of their families belongings. Sophie also helped Padme which made her smile. She was becoming more and more attached to Sophie as the days passed. She was glad that Anakin handed Sophie to her. Her presence alone always kept Padme in a good mood during rough times. Padme finally placed the last suitcase in the ship and headed back to the others who were talking in the middle of the field.
"Well you guys ready. Let's get out of here", Bail grins. He was happy that the ship finally arrived because that meant everyone will now be safe and he can see Breha again.
Suddenly they heard multiple ships flying towards them and they all looked up. It was Republic transports surrounding their position. They all tried to make a break for the ship but one of the transports blocked their path.
"Fucking hell", Obi Wan mutters. They were surrounded and hopeless. This might be the end, they were all probably going to die. Soon Shaak Ti and Aayla exiting the transport and approached the group with smug faces.
Padme felt anger raging inside her, she pulled Sophie behind her and gripped onto her blaster ready for what was about to happen.
"Oh Obi Wan, I wish it didn't have to come down to this old friend", Shaak Ti smirks. Obi Wan can sense through the force that she was different. Her and Aayla weren't jedi anymore, they were corrupt and looking for revenge. Obi Wan grabbed his lightsaber and ignited his blue blade.
"I will not let you hurt these people", Obi Wan shouts. His heart was racing, everything that happened or would happen in his life was transpiring right before him. Marrying Sabe and having kids, when he first became a jedi, and when he achieved the rank of master. Obi Wan felt that this might be the end for him but not for the others. He will do anything in his power to protect everyone standing behind him, even if that meant he had to sacrifice himself.
"Your a traitor", Aayla hisses at Obi Wan. He can see a yellow tint forming in her eyes. He knew this wasn't going to be pretty.
"Kill me, kill me instead and spare their lives. I am the traitor, I left the order they have nothing to do with this", Obi Wan pleas. He doesn't want Padme and the others to die because he left the order. But Obi Wan didn't realize that Shaak Ti and Aayla didn't care that he left the order. They were going to kill all of them because of one man, The Nightstalker.
"Obi Wan please", Sabe begs. She doesn't want Obi Wan to die. She loves him and he loves her, it would break her to see him die.
Obi Wan turned around and faced Sabe.
"No time for arguing Sabe, I love you. I always loved you. I will not have these corrupt pieces of shit kill you, not on my watch", Obi Wan tells Sabe.
He faced the two former jedi masters and got into his defensive stance.
"I will do what I must to protect them", Obi Wan yells. Shaak Ti laughs igniting her blade.
"Oh Obi Wan how noble of you. Even if we kill you I still won't spare the lives of the others. They are all traitors just like you. You should've never worked with the Nightstalker. He is a sith who is trying to destroy the Republic", Shaak Ti shouts.
Padme couldn't take it she walked up and stood next to Obi Wan. She raised her blaster at Shaak Ti.
"He is not a sith and never was. The Nightstalker is a good man, he is doing everyone a favor by cleansing the galaxy from corrupt people like you that ruin the Republic", Padme grunts at her. Aayla ignited her lightsaber and walked a few feet forward.
"He killed Kit Fisto, my lover. He also killed numerous senators and innocent people and you believe he is doing a favor", Aayla screams in anger. Obi Wan knew she was lost the dark side consumed her. Aayla was full of hatred abd revenge towards the vigilante.
"Those people all had secrets they were hiding. On the outside they seemed innocent but on the inside they were something else. We were all oblivious to their ruthless acts but the Nightstalker wasn't. He knew everything and he felt it was his obligation to kill them", Obi Wan fires back.
Shaak Ti signaled to the soldiers.
"Prepare to fire on these traitors. They don't deseve to live any longer", Shaak Ti simply says. The Republic soldiers who surrounded the group all raised their blasters aiming at the group.
"So you are going to hurt a little innocent girl are you. God you make me sick", Padme yells at Shaak Ti.
Shaak Ti couldn't help but laugh "I need to cleanse the galaxy from people like you, the girl is just collateral damage. It seems harsh but she will die with you, so it isn't that bad." Padme wanted to run and beat the shit out of Shaak Ti. The chuckle she gave made Padme beyond enraged but Padme knew if she made one wrong mistake, she will be shot. Everyone here was going to die, they can't do anything about it. They all must accept it now, it was a fun ride but now it has come to a close. The group will now face the same fate.
"I will never let you kill them", Obi Wan yells aiming his lightsaber straight at Shaak Ti.
Aayla stands in front of Shaak Ti and smiles at Obi Wan who had a determined look on his face.
"Oh we will see."
End Of Chapter 18
Pretty short chapter. A little emotional with a cliffhanger. Will Padme and the others die? Who knows? Stay tuned for next chapter. Sorry if my writing is too simplistic, I'm not a experienced writer I literally started in March, so please bare with me. May The Force Be With You.
