Chapter 45
Anakin was angry the entire trip back. He wondered what the Force could be so important that the Chancellor would pull him away from such a crucial mission. He also wondered why the Council had agreed. Although, the Chancellor could have given them a direct order. Still it made him uneasy. Anakin did not really want to spend more time with the Chancellor than he had to. He tried to meditate on the way back but he was simply too restless. Instead he practised some sparring moves that Windu had been teaching him. Form VII came even more naturally to him than Djem So did.
The Chancellor was there to greet him on his return.
"Ah, Anakin. It is a pleasure." Palpatine gave him a simpering smile. Anakin had to fight his instinct to recoil and instead smile back.
"Your Excellency. I was told you have a mission for me?"
"Oh yes. I am attending a meeting between some of our Senators and some Separatists to see if negotiations can be reached." Anakin raised an eyebrow, not bothering to hide his surprise. "I need you to attend as my personal bodyguard." He had been recalled from an important mission...from Obi-Wan...to be a bodyguard. Anakin was beyond irritated. Exercising all the control he could possibly muster he kept his voice civil.
"Surely Master Yoda or Master Windu, one of the Jedi on Coruscant could have…"
"Yes, possibly. The problem is, Anakin, I have my suspicions about the Jedi. For such a delicate mission I require someone I can trust implicitly." Palpatine gave him another smile. Well, you certainly don't want me then, Anakin thought to himself.
"Suspicions, your Excellency?" Anakin asked. Palpatine only nodded.
"We shall discuss such matters on the way."
"Where exactly is this meeting being held?"
"On Mandalore. We needed a neutral planet." Palpatine told him. Anakin had to bite back a groan. Not only did he have this meeting and the Chancellor to deal with, he was going back to Mandalore. This was going to be kriffing awful. Not to mention a rather trying test of his patience. "We are to leave immediately." Palpatine told him. He could only manage a nod. Speaking would not be a good idea just yet.
They boarded a luxurious ship that had landed shortly after Anakin. He and Palpatine were led to a dining area and sat down at opposite ends of the table. It was feeling like he was an honoured guest, not a body guard right now. Especially as there were plenty of other guards dotted around. He knew he would have to be on his guard. Palpatine would not want these talks to be successful. Something was bound to go wrong.
"Which Senators are attending this meeting?" Anakin asked as they were served some posh looking food he had never seen before. Frankly, it looked disgusting.
"Senators Amidala, Organa, Baab and Burtoni." Palppatine told him. So quite a mix then. Two of his strongest supporters and two quite against him. Anakin was a little surprised, having expected the Senators to all be strong Palpatine supporters. He hoped this did not mean that Bail and Padme would be the targets of whatever was bound to go wrong. It would make sense. Have negotiations fail and take out two of the strongest voices for negotiations, thus meaning the motion was unlikely to happen again. Anakin would have to keep a close eye out.
"I can't say I've met Senators Burtoni or Baab but I know Senator Amidala to be a wonderful negotiator." Anakin stated.
"Indeed." Palpatine smiled and there was a slight edge to it that Anakin did not like. It only increased his suspicions that something was going to happen to Padme. Anakin picked at the food in front of him. It tasted as disgusting as it looked. He suspected it was some kind of fish but whatever it was, it was slimy and rubbery. Not his kind of food at all.
"Do you not like Burra fish?" Palpatine asked him when it became clear he wasn;t going to manage any more.
"Apparently not. I'm not really one for exotic food. On Tatooine there wasn't a lot of choice and the Jedi don't particularly encourage anything more exotic than ration bars." Anakin shrugged.
"Surely nice food can hardly be a problem. Do they fear you will turn to the Dark Side if you have good taste?" Palpatine gave a small chuckle at his own joke. Anakin pursed his lips.
"They see it as unnecessary indulgence." He replied shortly. "I see their point. Why should we all eat like kings while people starve on other planets?" Anakin asked, quite aware that his own frequent trips to eat at Dex's Diner were not necessary either. The Chancellor gave no response.
"To business." He said a short while later. "Anakin, I believe the Jedi Council is plotting to overthrow the Republic." Palpatine told him in an urgent whisper, despite their being no need to be quiet.
"Why would they do that? Most Jedi hate politics." Anakin frowned.
"Ah but they do not like answering to the Senate. They would prefer to run the war their own way."
"The Jedi wish to end this war." Anakin retorted.
"As do the Senate." Palpatine replied calmly. "However a few times I have had to make a request into an executive order because the Jedi will not listen. I believe they grow tired of following orders and wish to rule instead." Anakin refrained from rolling his eyes. Barely. "I need to know I can trust you." Anakin bit his lip. His preferred response would be to thrust his lightsaber through the man's chest and tell him that he could certainly not trust him to help with his awful schemes. However, they could not afford to tip off Palpatine.
"Of course, your Excellency. My loyalty is to the Republic." Anakin replied carefully. That much was true at least.
"Good, good. I believe you will make the right decision when the time arises."
"The time?"
"The time when the Jedi rise up to overthrow me and the Senate." Palpatine gave him a grim smile.
"Of course." Anakin inclined his head. He had chosen wrong before but he would make the right choice this time. Just not Palpatine's version of right. The rest of the trip was more pleasant as he was not forced to make polite conversation with a man he hated more than anyone else in the galaxy.
When they arrived on Mandalore they found Duchess Satine and the Senators waiting to greet them. Anakin stood on the Chancellor's right, assuming a stance that would make it clear he was here as a guard. The rest of the guards formed positions around both him and the Chancellor. Satine led them into the Sundari Palace and to a room with a long table in the middle. Sat at the table were four people that Anakin guessed were the Separatist Senators. He did note that Dooku was not present.
For most of the talking part, Anakin tuned out. He could vaguely hear yelling and angry accusations being tossed about but he paid very little attention. Instead, he focused on the Force. He had to be careful not to reveal to Palpatine his new and increased levels of power, while also keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity. It was actually quite a taxing endeavour. As always, he felt Qui-Gon close in the Force, helping him hide some of his excess power. He always felt closer to Qui-Gon while this was going on. It did help to have the comforting presence nearby.
Nothing seemed to happen until the meeting appeared to be nearing its end. Anakin felt a small nudge in the Force and reacted purely on instinct, pulling Padme towards him. As he did so he yelled for everyone else to duck just as a shot rang out. A window broke as the blaster bolt came from somewhere outside, hitting the chair Padme had been sitting in half a second earlier.
"Thanks." She breathed as Anakin moved to cover her body with his own.
"Anytime." He grinned, sitting back up. Another shot rang out, this time aimed at Bail Organa. Thankfully he had already moved behind the table.
"Assassination attempt. This was supposed to be a negotiation!" Senator Burtoni accused the Separatist Senators dramatically.
"No! We had nothing to do with this." By Bluss replied frantically.
"Stay down." Anakin ordered Padme. Then he leapt to his feet and ran out of the Palace towards where the shooter must have been. He had not sensed a Force presence so most likely a bounty hunter. From the angle of the shot, the sniper must have been somewhere on a roof nearby. A third shot fired and Anakin spotted the fiery reddish brown hair of Aurra Sing. Figures. He sped off in her direction but the bounty hunter was already putting away her weapons and getting ready to leave. Anakin gave chase, running through the streets and occasionally on the rooftops of Mandalore. Sing always managed to stay one step ahead. Anakin did damage her speeder before she could get in it but she simply carried on. He noticed that she definitely had a good knowledge of the city layout which he didn't. Only the Force allowed him to keep pace with her.
Eventually she did run into a dead end. Anakin rounded a corner and found himself face to face with a sniper rifle. His quick reflexes were the only thing that saved him from getting a bullet through the brain. He managed to duck to one side, taking cover behind what looked to be a bin.
"Come out, come out little Jedi." Aurra crooned. Anakin shuddered a little. Glancing upwards he saw the building was too high for her to escape over as only the Force or a jetpack would allow someone to get high enough. Silently, he jumped up onto the roof. From there he could see Sing slowly moving forwards ready to peer around the corner where he had previously been hiding. Now he jumped down, lightsaber out, and slashed right through the barrel of her gun. To her credit she recovered quickly, pulling a smaller pistol from a side holster and forcing him to roll out of the way. The blaster bolt still caught his side and he hissed in pain. Ignoring it for now, he used the Force to pull the pistol to him and swung his lightsaber up to rest by her throat.
"Ready to surrender?" He asked.
"Never." She snarled. Sing made to move backwards away from the lightsaber but Anakin moved in perfect tandem with her. He kept the same distance between them. Eventually she backed up to the wall and glared at him. Then she raised her hands in surrender. Anakin spotted her mouth moving ever so slightly so he moved forwards and put her in cuffs. Then he pulled out an earpiece she had been wearing. On the other end he could hear Cad Bane's voice. He squashed the earpiece between his fingers and then escorted Sing back to the palace.
"This is the one who was shooting at the Senators." Anakin informed the group at large. There were various cries of outrage and accusations about who hired her. Anakin kept his eye on the Chancellor who seemed just as angry as the rest, however he got the impression his anger was not for quite the same reasons as everyone else.
"Who hired you?" Padme asked quietly. Sing just glared at her.
Who hired you?" Anakin repeated in a dangerous voice. Sing looked at him and seemed to consider him.
"Count Dooku." She replied finally. He sensed a lie. For once Dooku had nothing to do with this.
"You lie." Anakin accused softly.
"No. It was Dooku."
"Do not insult my intelligence." He told her, growing angry.
"General Skywalker, we shall take her into custody and this bounty hunter will answer to the Senate." Organa said quietly. Anakin considered. If she was taken into Republic custody the chances of her escaping or being killed before she could talk were very high. However he didn't have many options.
"Very well." He allowed reluctantly. It seemed nothing had been settled at this meeting so the war would be continuing. The Republic party moved to their ships and departed Mandalore.
"You did well, capturing that bounty hunter scum." Palpatine told him once they had settled down.
"Just doing my job, your Excellency." Anakin told him with a slight shrug. The Chancellor smiled fondly at him. It made his skin crawl.
"Indeed. I knew you were the right choice. You are the most powerful of the Jedi." Anakin felt a brief flash of panic. Had the Chancellor felt his extra power? "Your young Padawan is lucky to learn from such a wise Master." Palpatine continued. Anakin went from panic to protective rage in a split second. He wanted to yell at Palpatine to stay away from Ahsoka. Still, he tried to control himself, making no response as he couldn't trust his voice just yet. The rest of the trip passed in silence. Anakin excused himself to check on the prisoner several times. Thankfully nothing happened. Though he expected that to change once back on Coruscant.
When they finally arrived back, the Chancellor offered for Anakin to come and have a drink with him. He politely declined saying he was required back on Umbara. Thankfully Palpatine simply nodded and said they would have to do so another time. Anakin made his way back to the Temple to find Windu or Yoda. He found Windu in the lightsaber practise area.
"Master Windu." He called when the older Jedi took a break.
"Ah, Skywalker. You've returned." Windu said. "What did the Chancellor specifically need you for?" Anakin told him everything that had happened, including Palpatine's words about the Jedi overthrowing the Republic. Windu heaved a sigh.
"It is a shame negotiations failed but he would never have allowed them to succeed. This seems to have been more about trying to turn you away from the Jedi."
"That was my thought too." Anakin admitted.
"You did well, Skywalker." Widu told him with the faintest of smiles. "Now, Umbara. Krell has proven to be a traitor. He took command of part of the 212th attack battalion and tried to persuade them to attack the 501st under the guise of thinking they were Umbarans in disguise. Obi-Wan managed to intervene before we lost too many Clones. However Krell went mad when his plan was thwarted and attacked Obi-Wan. He was injured in the fight." Anakin's heart stopped for a couple of beats and then restarted, pounding double time against his ribs.
"Was he severely injured?" He asked, trying to keep his tone light.
"No. Enough to put him out of action briefly but nothing life threatening. Master Tiin got there in time. Krell escaped though. We need you to take some reinforcements back to Umbara and capture Krell."
"Yes, Master." Anakin nodded. Receiving no further instructions, he quickly ran to fetch Ahsoka and then the duo went straight to the flagship they were borrowing. The trip to Umbara was unbearable. The only thing keeping him together was the fact that Obi-Wan had not been severely injured. Still, if kriffing Palpatine had not pulled him away then Obi-Wan might not have been injured at all. Another thing Palpatine would pay for. He filled in Ahsoka about the mission to occupy some of his time. He was far too restless to even try taking a nap though he needed one badly.
Thankfully the trip was relatively short compared to many others he had been on. It was quite annoying that he was closer to Mandalore than Coruscant though. It would have been much quicker and easier to come from Mandalore rather than returning to Coruscant first. Still, nothing to be done about it now.
When they landed, the first thing Anakin did was find where Obi-Wan was. He and Ahsoka burst into the med tent to find it thankfully empty except for a bunk that held a sleeping Obi-Wan on it. Anakin cursed silently. He wanted to speak to Obi-Wan for himself but he would not wake him up. Instead he settled for gently running a hand through his hair.
"Is he going to be alright?" Ahsoka asked.
"Master Windu said so." Anakin shrugged. "Well, we'd best find Master Tiin." He added reluctantly. The Jedi Master was a few klicks north but the trip was still a dangerous one. Umbarans attacked them several times but the Jedi easily held them off. Finally they reached the forward encampment.
"Master Tiin." Anakin greeted as the Iktotchi Jedi Master came over to meet them.
"Skywalker. Padawan Tano." He greeted.
"What's the situation?" Anakin asked.
"Krell was apprehended by some of the Clones from the 212th. He tried to escape and was killed in his attempt only minutes ago." Tiin informed them.
"Do we have any idea why he did this?" Ahsoka asked. Tiin shook his head sadly.
"No. I wish we did."
"How goes the rest of the battle?"
"We have taken the Capital. We now need to make sure we can hold it."
"We brought some reinforcements with us. I will oversee the transport of any injured Clones back onto the ship we came on and take them to the nearest medical facility." Anakin said. Tiin nodded. Anakin left and began giving out orders for the injured to be moved. After a little while Rex came over.
"Good to see you back, Sir. You missed all the action though." Rex told him.
"Yeah, I'd much rather have been here." Anakin told him firmly. "Glad to see you're still in one piece."
"Takes more than that lot to take me out, General." Rex grinned.
"You bet it does." Ahsoka agreed firmly. "How's Fives?"
"Just fine. He'll be pleased to see you. It's been a while, General." Rex gave Ahsoka a soft smile that made Anakin raise an eyebrow.
"Yeah, way too long." Ahsoka agreed.
"Right, come on, Snips. You go and start getting Obi-Wan's men onto the ship."
"Yes, Master." Eventually all of the injured clones were ready to go. Fresh reinforcements meant that the city was definitely theirs. Best of all, Obi-Wan woke up and was moving around, though a little gingerly. Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka would be going to take the Clones to the medical facility and then heading back to Coruscant. Master Tiin would remain on Umbara to make sure they maintained the Capital. On the trip to the facility, Anakin went round and made all of the Clones as comfortable as he could. He helped the medical droid to patch up the minor injuries. He was sad to see Longshot, Harper and Echo among the injured but at least they were alive. And they would survive to fight another day.
When he was finally done, Anakin went back to his quarters and was grateful to see Obi-Wan there with food ready.
"You're an angel. I'm starving." Anakin said.
"I thought you might be." Obi-Wan smiled.
"I'm also glad to see you in one piece." Anakin added, hugging Obi-Wan tightly before sitting down and stuffing his face. Obi-Wan wrinkled his nose slightly at the complete lack of table manners. However, he was mostly used to it by now.
"Yes, I'm rather glad to be in one piece as well." Obi-Wan admitted with a slight chuckle. "Do you know what happened to Krell in the end?"
"I believe Cody shot him while he tried to escape custody. I believe Cody was rather unhappy you got injured." Anakin smirked. Obi-Wan gave a slight smile but it was rather forced. Once they had finished eating, Anakin could barely keep his eyes open so the two Jedi got themselves ready for bed and moved to the bunk. Anakin wrapped himself around Obi-Wan and he promptly fell asleep.
Anakin awoke sharply. He had an uneasy feeling that he didn't like at all. His dreams had been fragmented and the harder he tried to remember, they quicker the memory slipped away. Yet he had the sense it was an important dream. Anakin was distracted by the feeling of fingers running lightly through his hair. A hand that was wrapped around his waist also tightened, pulling him closer to the body next to him.
"You alright?" Came Obi-Wan's voice from somewhere just above him.
"Yeah. Just a bad feeling about something." Anakin replied.
"About anything in particular?" Obi-Wan asked, concern colouring his tone.
"Something is coming. Something big." Anakin told him. It was the only way he could possibly describe what he was feeling. It felt like a turning point was just around the corner but for good or ill he could not tell.
"Whatever it is, we will deal with it together." Obi-Wan promised. Anakin twisted slightly so he could look up at the older man.
"Together." Anakin repeated. Obi-Wan leaned down to kiss him and soon all ill feelings were washed away. Anakin rolled over so he was hovering above Obi-Wan, allowing their bodies to lightly touch all along their length. He kissed the older man more firmly and felt his arms wrap tightly around him, forcing them closer together. Anakin turned his attention to kissing down Obi-Wan's neck, sucking gently in various tender spots. It made Obi-Wan shudder and writhe against him in a delicious fashion.
Much to their mutual annoyance a message from Ahsoka interrupted them to let them know they were about to arrive at Coruscant. Anakin groaned. Then he forced himself to get up, pulling Obi-Wan with him.
"Urgh, I don't want to go to sit in a meeting all day." Obi-Wan complained. "There are much better things I could be doing."
"You poor thing." Anakin mocked with a smirk. Obi-Wan shoved him gently. They went to meet Ahsoka on the bridge. She was with Rex and Cody. Together the group left the ship. Obi-Wan went off to his meeting and Anakin suggested that he and Ahsoka get some sparring practise in. She agreed eagerly. This time he used Vaapad to fight her to make it more interesting.
He quickly found that the problem with this was it was very hard to hold back while fighting with Form VII. This made it difficult to train with. The reason it worked with Windu teaching Anakin was that they were close enough in level to not need to hold back when fighting each other. Ahsoka, however, was not on Anakin's level. She was very good but not a match for her Master when fighting outright. This meant he had to switch back to Djem So for training purposes. Still, it felt good to spar.
When they were done he told her to go and get some rest. Anakin went back to the apartment. Despite the fact he had slept earlier he did not feel well rested. He decided to try and get some more sleep in before Obi-Wan came back.
Anakin stood with Obi-Wan before the Jedi Council. However, he noticed that all of the attention was on the other Jedi. It was as if he wasn't there.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi. You are charged with breaking the Jedi Code and entering into a relationship." Windu stated flatly. Anakin wondered why his name had not been brought up.
"It was my fault." He said loudly. None of them seemed to hear him.
"How do you plead?" Ki-Adi Mundi asked coldly.
"It's true." Obi-Wan admitted though he sounded proud and not regretful.
"Under normal circumstances you would be expelled from the Jedi Order for your crimes." Windu told him. Crimes? Anakin was furious but apparently unable to do anything. "However, given the current climate we cannot afford any more rogue Jedi. You will be executed." Anakin wanted to scream. That was completely unfair. How could they kill someone for being in a relationship? He moved protectively in front of Obi-Wan who had said nothing in his own defence. Obi-Wan had put up no protest to this disgraceful judgement and it killed Anakin. Windu advanced. There was no sorrow or regret in his eyes. The purple lightsaber ignited and he screamed even louder, begging the Jedi Master to stop this nonsense. The blade was thrust forwards, moving straight through Anakin. He whirled around as he heard Obi-Wan gasp. The purple lightsaber had been thrust right into his chest. Red stained the white robes, spreading outwards. Anakin lunged to catch him as he fell backwards but he went right through his arms, landing heavily on the floor.
"How could you!" He screamed at Windu. He could only watch as Obi-Wan died in front of him.
Anakin sat up, panting hard. Automatically he reached out to the side and only felt cold sheets. Obi-Wan was not there. A flare of panic sparked in his chest. Had that been a real vision? Surely the Jedi wouldn't. Desperately he reached out for their Force bond and heaved a sigh of relief when he felt Obi-Wan's presence. Anakin got himself up and took a shower. His body had been covered in sweat. When he felt almost himself again he went to the front room. He saw it was morning and realised he must have slept the entire afternoon and night. As he went about making himself some breakfast, he saw a note from Obi-Wan on the counter saying he had been summoned to another meeting with Windu and then his presence was required in the Senate for something. Anakin felt another brief flare of panic.
Just as he finished reading the note, there was a ripple in the Force and suddenly he could no longer feel Obi-Wan. Anakin reeled, dropping the box of pancake batter all over the floor. Their connection was gone. He drew in a ragged breath and then forced his unwilling legs to move. He headed directly for the last place he knew Obi-Wan to have been which was on his way to the Senate building. Anakin didn't even bother to stop and explain as he dashed past a startled Ahsoka. He could think of nothing except Obi-Wan. Maybe he had just been put in Force suppressing cuffs again. That had to be it.
As he ran through the streets he heard a commotion nearby. Ambulances were there too. Fear gripped his heart as he dashed towards the noise. As he arrived, a body was being moved. It was Obi-Wan. Anakin's legs gave way and he fell to his knees. He could not be dead. He just couldn't. Pain and anger swirling within him, threatening to drown him. He struggled to breath, air would simply not come. Not that it mattered. His world was shattered, lying there on some awful stretched. Anakin's vision narrowed to the small dart in Obi-Wan's neck. He used the Force to summon it to him. Whoever had done this would pay. Dearly.