Chapter 20: It Had To Be Done
Night time fell and Anakin was still at his mom's grave. The grief and anger that flowed in him was immeasurable. His presence alone could burn your skin up till only your bones were showing. His eyes were dark black and he felt non-human like he was an entity. Anakin stared at his body and noticed a faint glowing that radiated around his beskar. He finally stood up after hours of crying and screaming.
Anakin gripped his lightsaber and hopped into his ship. He headed to Mos Espa and landed in one of the hangars. He exited his ship and casually walked through the streets of city. People passing by stared at Anakin and some even dropped what they were holding. He looked like a god of some sort. His Mandalorian beskar was glowing white which brought life to the dark armor. Anakin ignored the people's stares and entered the local cantina.
He found a seat at the front and waved to the droid. The droid came over and Anakin signaled for a shot of Jawa's revenge. But he didn't come to the cantina to have a drink. Because that meant he would have to take his helmet off, which he wasn't going to do. Instead he came for another reason, he felt someone was going to attack him.
He was soon correct because right as he grabbed his drink he felt someone trying to pierce a blade through his armor. Anakin turned around and smashed the shot glass on the masked man's head with fury. The man tumbled backwards onto a table causing two rodians to jump out of the way. Everyone in the cantina started to sprint out when Anakin approached the attacker who was on the ground limping.
He pulled him up with the force and threw him into a concrete wall.
The man screeched in pain as his body smashed into the wall causing it to leave a giant crack. He fell down to the floor unable to move, his whole body was broken.
"WHO SENT YOU", Anakin shouts tempting to ignite his saber and end the man's life. The man spat blood all over Anakin's helmet. It smeared all over his T-shaped visor making it harder to see. Anakin wiped the blood and began to strangle the man's throat.
"I'm not going to ask again, who sent you", he retorts. Anakin felt the man's lung gasp for air, his pulse was slowly fading.
The man tried to speak but kept choking on his words. Anakin realized this and pulled his hand off the man's throat causing him to roll over and gasp for any bit of air he can get. Anakin was getting fed up with the man's inability to answer his question.
"I will...never tell... you", he stutters. Anakin had enough he knew the man wasn't going to talk so he was going to make him talk the only way he knows how.
He grabbed the man's finger and broke it causing the man to grunt in pain. He then moved onto the next finger then the next. Each time he broke a new finger the man screamed harder. The pain was agonizing and the man finally gave into Anakin's request.
"Fine I will tell you okay", the man pleas. He couldn't take any more physical pain it was unbearable. Anakin took his hand off the man's broken fingers and stood over him in a menacing way.
"Tell me and you will live", he threatens. Anakin ignites his white lightsaber sending fear into the attacker's eyes.
"Fuck man, please don't kill me", the man pouts. He pauses for a moment. "Okay the man who sent me was Gunaray Dod", he mutters. Anakin flushed with anger, he now knew why senator Gunaray Dod attacked him. It was because he killed his close friend Lott Dod. Anakin began placing the pieces together. He knew that it wasn't just Gunaray Dod who wanted him dead it was a whole group. The Dods were just pawns to someone bigger, more powerful and more influential than them. They were part of an entire fucking operation. It all made sense, the hitmen, the female spy, the bounty hunters, corrupt senators, jedi, military, rapists, pedophiles, criminals, and slavers. They were all part of this group, all under one powerful man who must have influence over everything.
"Hey man, am I free to go", the man interrupts. Anakin turns and faces the terrified attacker.
"Yes you are", he says slicing the man's leg off.
"Aaahhhh", the man scowls. "You lied you piece of shit, you said that if I tell you I would live ", he screams at the Nightstalker.
"You will", Anakin simply says. "In a different life", he whispers before stabbing his blade through the man's skull. Anakin pulled his lightsaber out and watched the blood burn off the glowing blade. He disengaged his lightsaber and walked out of the bar. Now he has a lead on this mysterious man who killed his mother.
Clovis sat there smiling when he heard the news that they burnt the house down where the Nightstalker once lived. He wrote a note years ago to the young boy he tortured and placed it next to the grave of the woman his dad killed. Clovis doesn't know who the man under the mask truly is. But he clearly remembers the house that the vigilante was living in.
19 years ago
Clovis was nine years old and Anakin was only 4. Clovis's dad was just as evil as him now. He brought Clovis with him to his first ever execution. His dad flew to Tatooine with a few of his close bodyguards. They landed outside of the moisture farm where Anakin and his mom peacefully lived even though they were still slaves.
The door knocked and Shmi walked over to open it. As she opened the door she was quickly knocked out cold. The bodyguards stormed into the house and grabbed Anakin. They dragged both of them out of the house and threw them onto the hot sand. Clovis was forced to hold Anakin and make him watch his mother get beaten to death by Clovis's father. All he heard was the young boy's screams and cries as he watched his helpless mother reach her hand out to touch her son's face but quickly got nailed in the head. After five minutes of excruciating torture Shmi gave her last breath of air and dropped dead. Before she died she muttered to Anakin how much she loved him and how handsome he was. Anakin began to cry uncontrollably. Clovis took his hands off the boy and watched as Anakin ran to his mother's dead corpse and embraced her. Clovis looked up at his dad and smiled.
Clovis's dad bent down to him and whispered.
"Now go beat up the young boy, don't kill him. Just make him suffer", he chuckles. Clovis nodded and went over to the young boy and grabbed his tunic. The young boy turned around and spat all over Clovis's face, which only angered him. He grabbed Anakin and shoved his face in the sand suffocating him. He pulled him out letting the boy catch a few seconds of air before shoving him back in. After a minute of continuously slamming the young's boy head into the sand, 9 year old Clovis began to punch 4 year old Anakin all over his frail body cracking every bone. After he was done the young boy couldn't move. He threw him next to his dead mother and spat on him.
"Filthy piece of shit", he yells. Clovis walked back to his dad with a good feeling inside of him. Punching the young boy brought so much joy and excitement that he wanted more of it.
When Clovis turned twelve however his dad and a few others died in a shuttle accident leaving twelve year old Clovis to be adopted by the Munn family. The Munn's worked closely with Clovis's father and joined in his antics. When Clovis got older he swore to continue his father's legacy of torturing and murdering people. When he became senator and met Padme it took off from there. He was able to bring senators to his organization and make his malicious acts widespread all over the galaxy.
"Dad I wish you can see my progress", he whispers after he became head of the whole operation.
End of Flashback
Clovis grabbed his tablet and glanced at pictures of Padme. He got so horny after a few pics that he started to pack his things. He needed to see Padme real bad. His sexual desires were through the roof and he didn't know how much more he could handle being separated from her. He walked back to his desk and pulled out his holomap.
Before he left Padme to go to the banking clan he placed a tracking fob in one of her dresses, so he can always know where she is.
"Oh baby, I can't wait to see you in Alderaan", he smiles as he closes the holomap and grabs his bags. He was going to stay at least a week with her. Then he will return back to the banking clan.
He left his office and headed to the landing pad where his personal ship was already waiting for him. He entered the ship and the pilot took off, setting the course for Alderaan.
Anakin went back to his ship and sat in the cockpit trying to understand all the info that was presented right in front of him. He tried to discover who the man was but he couldn't wrap his finger around who. He realized that he wasn't going to find out by himself. He needs an inside source. The only way he can get an inside source is if he joins them. Then he can dismantle the whole operation from the inside.
It was the best course of action. If he stayed as the Nightstalker he would never find out, he would only come to dead ends. He hates to say it but he must pretend to be one of them. Anakin was going to disobey the oath he swore to when he first became a vigilante. It was going to be tough but he needed to really prove the galaxy that he was dead. He needed his image cleared, so it wouldn't be suspicious to see him working between the ranks of their operation.
But first he needed to fake his death. He left Tatooine and set his coordinates for Coruscant. He knew that the city had many cameras and they would be able to capture what he was about to do. This time Anakin was going to have video evidence of his death. To the galaxy it will look like the most feared man in the Republic is gone but in reality it was a decoy.
"There will probably be widespread shock and celebration. But after a few weeks no one should be talking about me anymore", he says to himself. Anakin hates that it has to come down to this but he is desperate. He wants to find this man and kill him. If he can end his operation then the galaxy will be cleansed and his mission will be complete.
Few hours later
It was now morning and Anakin finally made it to Coruscant. He landed his starfighter on top of the senate building. He needed to find someone to wear the outfit for him to fake his death. Anakin vanished into the city and spotted a pedophile staring at a young girl taking her clothes off. Anakin was disgusted at the old man's facial expression and lifted him up with the force. He turned the old son of a bitch so he was staring directly at Anakin's helmet.
"Who the fuck are you", the man shouts placing his hands on his throat. Anakin walked up to the pathetic old man and ignited his lightsaber.
"I'm death", he whispers.
Anakin beat the man up to near death in the alley. He carefully brings him to the top of the senate building. He expertly avoided every camera and citizen that passed by.
"What are you doing to me", the man chokes. He was bleeding profusely and was soon about to die, so Anakin had to get this done fast before it's too late. He started to place the beskar on the old man. He used the force to make the old man unable to fight back.
"What is this", the old man questions. He looks up and down his body which was covered in the beskar armor.
"It's a parting gift", Anakin says coldly. The man cleared his throat and looked down behind him. He saw the people of Coruscant walking in and out of the building. The old man didn't know what was going to happen, but Anakin knew damn well what he was going to do.
He stood behind the pedophile who was dressed as the Nightstalker. Anakin used the force to control the old man's mind and make him do actions that he had no control over. He forced the old man to ignite Anakin's white lightsaber and slice a piece of the building's exterior. The pedophile unwillingly did and held the piece of metal in his hand. Anakin forced him to throw it down at the crowd below. The metal piece flew down at astonishing speeds and nearly hit a group of Republic soldiers on patrol.
Everyone looked up and stared in awe as they watched the Nightstalker stand at the edge of the building. Anakin could sense the crowd getting larger and larger. He could hear the rushing footsteps of reporters sprinting to get live coverage.
"Please what is going to happen", the old man cries. Anakin ignored the man's cries and used the force to make the man walk closer to the edge of the building. People watched in horror as the vigilante inched his way closer and closer to the edge. No one knew what he was going to do.
"Death awaits you", Anakin cackles kicking the old man off the building. He could hear the man scream in terror as he fell off the Senate building and made his way to the crowd below. Anakin quickly peeked over the edge and used the force to call his lightsaber back to him. He didn't care if he lost the beskar, even though it meant a lot to him. He needed his lightsaber more.
He walked back to his ship and heard the loud screams from the people down below. Everyone stood back and stared at the dead corpse of the Nightstalker. After a few minutes of silence, everyone began to jump in utter joy and celebrated with one another. The most wanted man in the republic killed himself for real this time. The republic soldiers quickly grabbed the body and took it to be burned. They didn't want the vigilante to get a proper burial. He was to be removed from the galaxy. The Republic wanted no trace left of the man. Anakin hopped inside of his ship and turned it on. The engines roared sparking life inside the aircraft. He flew out of Coruscant and watched the HoloNews broadcast.
He only watched it for a few seconds because all they were showing were the cheers and celebratory chants. They were happy the Nightstalker was dead and some even decided to make it a holiday. Which hurt Anakin's heart. He couldn't believe how much they hated him after all he has done for the galaxy. He risked his life to protect young children and families from being raped and killed. Now they want to make a holiday celebrating his death. He couldn't take it. Anakin was waiting for the day when it's all over and they all realize that they were the ones wrong. That they should've listened to him. He is going to have the last laugh after the mission is complete.
When he entered hyperspace, he began to think about the others. He realized how much of a shock this was going to bring to them. They were going to see actual footage of the infamous vigilante committing suicide.
"I'm sorry Sophie and Padme", Anakin sobs. He knows they are going to be heartbroken but this is what he had to do. They were probably going to cry for hours on end but Anakin has to finish the mission. Even though he wants to go and show them he actually isn't dead he couldn't. It would only cause problems, and Anakin needed to take out this organization once and for all. He can't stop thinking about them though. How Padme expressed her affection towards him and how depressed she felt when he left her in the forest. Sophie was going to have it the worst. She grew attached to Anakin ever since he saved her. She called him daddy and always wanted to see him. But when she hears that he is dead and gone forever, she will be devastated. Anakin doesn't even want to think of how they are going to feel, all he can hope for is that they move on and don't grieve too much about it.
He decided to go back to Tatooine. He landed where his old home used to be. Anakin knew that he needed to get himself into the organization but he was emotionally exhausted to do anything. Anakin walked to his mother's grave and dug himself next to her. Even though he hated sand for a passion, it didn't stop him from laying next to his beloved mom. Today he wasn't going to do anything, he was too weak. All the anger and hatred left his body causing his strength to diminish. He was tired, sad, and depressed. He needed sleep and that is what he was going to do. Anakin tilts his head and stares at his mom's broken gravestone.
"I love you mom. I'm sorry that I may have hurt Sophie and Padme but it had to be done. It is the only way I can finish the mission the fastest way possible. If I stayed as the vigilante every lead I would find would be a dead end because they would know I'm coming for them. But now that they believe I'm dead, I can easily put myself in their ranks and figure out the man behind this tyranny and end his life", Anakin whispers to his mom. He closes his eyes and lays his head back into the sand. The bright rays of the sun beamed on Anakin's face but he didn't care. He used the force to clear his thoughts. Ten minutes later Anakin finally fell asleep.
Padme and the others finally arrived at Aldera's royal palace and were greeted by Breha and her royal guards.
"Hey honey", Bail whispers giving her a light kiss on the lips.
"Hey babe", she responds seductively.
The others exited the ship and began taking all the suitcases out. Twenty five minutes later everyone was finally settled in. When they arrived the weather was nice and sunny but now it was ugly and rainy. It foreshadows what Padme was going to feel soon. Padme shared a guest room with Sophie because she didn't want to leave her alone in a room by herself. They were all called down to breakfast at the royal dining hall.
Padme put on one of her senate gowns and proceeded down to the dining hall with Sophie. As they made there way inside the dining hall Padme noticed everyone crowded around the holoscreen. However Jobal and Ruwee didn't come down because they weren't hungry. She saw the shocked look on their faces. Curious to what they were dazed about Padme approached them and tapped on Sabe's shoulder.
"What's going on", Padme asks curiously. Sabe turns around with tears in her eyes. Padme quickly knew whatever it was, it wasn't good.
Sabe embraced Padme and let her tears flow down onto Padme's gown. She tried her best to comfort Sabe but she couldn't hold back her emotions.
"What happened", Padme asks desperately. She wanted to know the anticipation was killing her.
Sabe leaned to Padme's ear and whispered "The Nightstalker is dead." Padme took her hands off of Sabe and dropped to her knees.
"No, no, no", she says bewildered. "That's not true it can't be", she continues. She thought he died on Naboo but it seems he made it out alive. Obi Wan helped Padme up and showed her the footage. She clearly saw video evidence of the vigilante jumping off the senate building to his death. She gasped in horror as she watched Anakin fall to his death and lay motionless on the ground.
All those thoughts she had about Anakin flooded her mind. His crystal blue eyes and the contagious laugh he expressed that made Padme's heart squirm.
"NO, ANAKIN", she shouts. Padme grabs Sophie and carries her out of the dining hall and sprints to her guest room. She shuts the door and flops onto the bed.
"Ani", she murmurs. Sophie came to Padme and hopped onto the bed.
"What's wrong mommy", Sophie says softly. Watching Padme cry made Sophie begin to sob. Padme turned to Sophie and embraced her tightly. She honestly didn't like being called mommy because she wasn't Sophie's actual mom. But now she has to be because Anakin is gone and he was to take Sophie after the mission. She wanted to tell Sophie that her new dad was dead but she didn't have the courage to. She stared deeply into Sophie's innocent blue eyes that closely resembled to Anakin's. His eyes were as blue as the Nabooian sky. All those memories at the lake and at their first dinner together popped into her head once more. She couldn't live without him, she just couldn't.
"Why", she chokes. She didn't understand why he died. He killed himself and left Padme alone to deal with it. She couldn't handle it, all she was thinking about was Anakin. A part of her felt it was her fault for his death. If she was there to help him then he wouldn't have died. But what can she do now. The man she grew attached to just died without saying goodbye. Padme couldn't even bear to see what Sophie's reaction would be to Anakin's death. She was so close to Anakin and loved him deeply. To see that she will never see him again will literally break her heart that she might lose the will to live.
"Anakin please tell me your out there. Please don't be dead. I love you, I need you in my life. So does Sophie, you can't leave us so soon", she says to herself. Suddenly a knock came at the door and Padme's head jerked up. Her instincts kicked in and she reached over the bed and grabbed her blaster. She grabbed Sophie and quickly placed her under the bed.
"Mommy what's wrong", she quietly sobs. Padme kissed her on the forehead and comforted her.
"Don't worry everything is going to be okay. Just stay hidden under here and don't come out unless I say so, Understood", Padme addresses. Sophie nods and covers her face with her hands. Padme got out from under the bed and took a deep breath. She quietly walked to the door and swung it open. She raised her blaster and aimed it at the person's head.
Padme soon realized that it was her mother and horror flowed through her. She threw the blaster to the side and hugged Jobal who's eyes were wide open.
"Omg mom I'm so sorry. I could've shot you", Padme cries burrowing her head into her mom's arms. Jobal comforted her daughter.
"It's okay Padme, it was my fault. I frightened you. Here I brought you some breakfast", Jobal says softly. She hands Padme the tray of food and Padme lightly places it on the small table next to her.
"The others told me that you ran to your room crying. Is something wrong? Are you ok?", Jobal asked worriedly. Padme wanted to tell her mom the truth. That the man they met at the summer home was the Nightstalker but she couldn't say it. Her parents disliked the vigilante and if they heard that Padme was mourning for him it would cause issues. It would be even worse if she told them that she had feelings for him. Jobal and Ruwee think the Nightstalker is a dangerous man and can't be trusted. Even though he saved them from death they believed he was a psychopath.
"Yeah I'm fine. I was just looking at old photos and it made me sad that's all", Padme lies blatantly. She never lied to her parents but this was important for her to hide from them. She has feelings for Anakin and if he is alive she doesn't want her parents to get in the way of it.
Jobal read Padme's face and realized that she wanted to be alone.
"Hey do you want me to take Sophie. Me and Ruwee can go get her ice cream. It seems you want to be alone", Jobal says caringly. Padme beams and calls Sophie from under the bed. She runs to Padme and lifts her head to meet Padme's gaze.
"You will be going with Jobal to get ice cream", Padme says happily. Sophie was filled with excitement and jumped into Jobal's arms.
"YEAH ICE CREAM", she yells. This made Jobal and Padme laugh. Jobal waved to Padme and took Sophie with her leaving Padme alone. She closed the door and left the tray of food on the table. She walked over to the bed and snuggled between the blankets.
She felt something between her legs. Curious Padme lifted the blanket and noticed a necklace. As she pulled it out to take a look at it she quickly realized where it was from. Sophie told her that Anakin gave her the necklace to use it to remember him. Padme brought the necklace to her chest and started to cry.
"Oh Anakin please come home", she whimpers. She turned off the lights and pulls the covers over her. She gripped the necklace tightly and cried herself to sleep. It was going to be hard for Padme to get over Anakin's death. Little does she know that Anakin is well alive and secretly working his way through the mysterious man's operation. Dismantling and destroying it from the inside and completing his mission once and for all. The Nightstalker may be supposedly dead but the man behind the mask isn't.
End of Chapter 20
Hey guys I'm back with another chapter. I recently started a new fanfic that is a Modern Au. You should go check it out. I'm also currently working on the next chapter for Love that Exceeds the Code. It may release later tomorrow night, mostly depends how fast I can do my online schoolwork. Hope you enjoyed this small chapter. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU, ALWAYS.
