A MESSED UP DESTINY
A STAR WARS STORY
Chapter 10
Disclaimer: Disney owns everything and I make no profit from this.
Hello there everyone and welcome to chapter 10 of A Messed up Destiny! This is the second to last chapter that revolves around the Battle of Geonosis, and contains the duel between Anakin and Jango. And yes, there is a big difference from cannon. You'll see if due time. Anyways, let me walk you through it all before we get started.
The chapter begins during the moment where Anakin, Obi Wan and Padme are entering the Arena, with Siri and Ferus held captive at Dooku's side as hostages. We'll get some Anidala fluff before moving on to the actual fight. Anakin (AKA Vader) will change the course of battle drastically, while Jango duels (and loses to) Mace Windu. The Clones will arrive as normal, with the exception of their deployment tactics (the Jedi are now under orders to play to the GAR's strengths) and the role Clone Commandos will have in the battle (I'll elaborate within the chapter). As Dooku attempts to retreat and deliver the Death Star plans to Palpatine, he'll meet his match in the form of Darth Vader, who still has a bone to pick with the ex-Jedi. Now that the rundown is over, let's dive straight into it!
Geonosis, Execution Arena, Anakin's point of view:
The Geonosian Arena was a place I had been to many times as Darth Vader, in my mind, that is. It was the place where Padme had first declared her love for me, and that moment was one I could never forget, not even after years of brutal training under the Emperor's watch. So, naturally, having to enter it again –with Padme at my side- didn't faze me as much as it should have, especially since I knew that Dooku's Battle Droids were no match for the power of the Dark Side. Padme may not have known it for sure, but that didn't stop her from giving me a reassuring smile while the chariot took us to the execution pillars, located in the middle of the Arena. I glanced at Padme, suddenly worried for her wellbeing, but she motioned for me to be quiet, so I said nothing.
"Ani, whatever happens now, I want you to know, that I will always stand by your side.", she told me while I stared, surprised by the confession. She had made it clear that she liked me, but I hadn't expected her to tell me something like this so soon after discovering who –or more accurately, what- I really was.
"I won't let anyone hurt you Angel. I promise.", I said, meaning every word.
"I know, Anakin. I know.", she told me in response, and I felt my heart flutter near my stomach, a steady reminder that I still had one.
"Padme, are you sure?", I asked her. She gave me a look of confusion, signifying that she didn't understand what I was asking her. "About what you said. That you'll stand by me. Because I can think of at least three reasons as to-", I began, trying to explain why she might wish to take her declaration back.
"Yes, Anakin. I'm sure. I will stand by you, during both the good and the bad, and I promise that I won't let you face your demons alone. Not now, not ever.", she said, her voice sounding heavenly as always, but also sounding determined to do as she said she would.
"But why? I may love you, but that's because I got to know you, I got to see the real you and-", I began again, suddenly not wanting her to be involved in the mess that Sidious would inevitably create.
"Because I love you too. And I did get to know you. Ani, when I first met you, you were the young and hopeful boy that wanted to free the slaves, that dreamed of flying away from Tatooine and seeing every star in the galaxy. When I saw you again a decade later, you were a grown man, but I could still see the kindness in your heart, could feel your need to keep the ones you cared about safe. I got to reconnect with you on Naboo, I got to meet the charming young man that would spend hours practicing a trick so he could do something nice for me the next day, the man who carried a massive weight on his shoulders, the man who was willing to do anything, going so far as reliving memories that were sure to make him miserable in order to comfort me when I was scared. You are all those things Ani, and you aren't the only person that has made mistakes. Everyone has, because no one is perfect. You've been through so much, yet you were still determined to help even those that once hurt you, to spare an enemy because in that moment, you could overcome whatever the Emperor had turned you into, and become the man you once were. Looking back, I can see you killing Darth Vader time and time again since I first met you, from saving Obi Wan when you had every reason to want him dead, to patiently sitting at a dinner table with strangers and wanting to know them better, to doing everything you could to make me happy when I was sad. I love you because I've seen the man beneath the mask and I stand by you because I want to get to know everything about that man, the real you. The man I've hopelessly fallen in love with.", she finished, and I couldn't stop myself from shedding a tear at her words. I hadn't realized she could see what was really going on inside my head, or that she cared so damn much.
A stream of tears fell from my eyes, and I couldn't care less about Dooku or Obi Wan or the Jedi or the War, or anything but the amazing woman standing beside me. I hugged her as hard as I could, clinging to her like a lifeline as the chariot continued to move forwards, nearing the exit of the tunnel. Padme made a motion indicating that she wanted me to let go, so I did, -unwilling to upset her- only to be pulled right into a passionate kiss that I would never, ever forget. She let go of me after only a moment, but it seemed like an eternity for both of us. The Force had revealed as much. Padme then straightened her figure, unwilling to give Dooku the satisfaction of seeing her vulnerable and I did the same, knowing that I had to seem strong if Dooku was going to continue underestimating me. The chariot finally reached the end of the tunnel and I raised my hands, as if I was a proud gladiator about to enter a challenge, and not a prisoner about to be executed. Padme followed my lead and I discovered there was something funny about her when she tried to show off to others. Making a mental reminder to ask Sola about the existence of any similar moments in the past, I allowed the Geonosian guard to tie me to the stone pillar next to Obi Wan.
"Anakin, what are you doing here?", he asked, exasperated. "You were supposed to report back to Coruscant!"
"I did. And then we decided to come and rescue you.", I answered, ignoring the urge to Force Choke him until he snapped.
"Good job.", he responded, voice filled with sarcasm.
"Don't worry Master. We've been through worse haven't we?", I asked him, testing my previous theory of him being from the future. Now to wait for his answer…
"Ah, yes. How could I forget the nest of Gundarks?", he teased, probably falling back into old habits, and I was sure he remembered since that particular incident had occurred during the final year of the War, and we had never been in a similar situation until well after the Battle of Geonosis.
"Not to worry, Master, backup will arrive soon. In the form of some very annoying space wizards you know and love.", I told him.
"Anakin…did you just call the Jedi 'space wizards'?", Obi Wan asked, and I had to once again ignore the little voice in my head telling me to kill him.
I was about to answer with another sarcastic remark, but Poggle the Lesser, the Archduke of Geonosis rudely interrupted me. He began saying something in his native language before Dooku stepped up to the podium, flanked by Jango Fett and two Super Battle Droids.
"The felons before you have been convicted of espionage against the Sovereign System of Geonosis.", the Count began, and I fought the urge to snap his neck where he stood. No…cutting him to pieces latter will be worth the wait. "Their sentence of death is to be carried out in this public arena henceforth!", the Count shouted and the crowd erupted in cheers.
Poggle then came forward as Dooku stepped back, giving him space. "Let the executions…begin!", the bug shouted, and the crowd went wild, erupting into roars and cheers once more.
Three different gates opened up and the three monsters I had faced years ago were driven into the arena. The Reek charged towards a nearby Geonosian and the Acklay mimicked it, leaving the Nexu to charge Padme alone.
"Take the one on the left. I'll take the one on the right.", Obi Wan said, just like he had the first time.
"What about Padme?", I asked, despite already knowing the answer.
"She seems to be on top of things.", Obi Wan cheekily replied.
The Reek –having finished stomping on the Geonosian from before- charged at me and I used a Force-assisted jump to land on its back, wrapping part of the chain around its horn. The beast backed off and shook its head angrily, which tore the chain from the post. I then had a crazy idea, but –confident that I could pull it off- used the Force to channel the Light Side and connect with the animal below me, guiding it towards another Geonosian who was battling the Nexu, which seemed to have momentarily forgotten about Padme. I stole a quick glance at her, only to see that the beast had already made its way to her. Darned thing is fast. The Nexu displayed its wicked, dripping fangs and I could sense Nute Gunray's delight, which seemed to originate from behind Jango Fett. The coward is probably hiding away.
Meanwhile, Obi Wan had been freed from his chains by the Ackley, which seemed hell-bent on killing the man. The Jedi Knight dodged one of the monster's swipes and made a run for a nearby Geonosian guard, who had a pike in his hands. Remembering what he had done last time, I decided to help the old man out and used the Force to make the Reek charge forwards, and right into the guard in question. I then pulled the pike to my hand before tossing it to him and throwing a broken pillar at the Nexu with the Force. The beast, having been distracted by Padme –and who could blame it?- never saw the chunks of rock coming and was crushed by them instantly.
"He can't do that! Shoot him…or something!", yelled the voice of Nute Gunray, but I decided to ignore the scumbag and focus on keeping Padme and Obi Wan alive.
Padme had finally freed herself by the time Gunray stopped shouting and I quickly Force Pulled one of Jango's pistols to her, which she used to begin blasting away at the Acklay, which was about to crush Obi Wan in two. The beast fell back and focused on its new enemies, giving Obi Wan the chance he needed to ram the pike into the Acklay's head. With all three creatures now dead or neutralized, the three of us turned our focus to Count Dooku and Fett, who was ready to jump down from the podium and into the arena, but was stopped by Count Dooku.
"Know how to ride this thing?", I asked Obi Wan before leaping off the Reek.
"Anakin wait! Where are you going?", he questioned.
"To get my saber back!", I yelled, hoping he would know to back off.
Using a Force assisted jump, I leaped into the air and pulled my saber from Jango's belt, the place he had put it after confiscating it not too long ago. I then ignited the sapphire blade and pointed at Dooku, intentionally failing to seem threatening.
"Count! As you can see, my friends and I have survived your so called 'execution'. I give you the option to release us and leave this place in peace, or continue fighting and spend the rest of your days rotting away in a Republic cell!", I yelled, diverting his attention from the others.
Dooku smiled and seemed ready to respond, but was cut off by a tap on his shoulder. "He's right. This party's over!", said Master Windu, having finally arrived along with the Jedi task Force. Windu then signaled to the other Jedi and lightsabers ignited all across the arena. Nearly two hundred Jedi had come to rescue us from Geonosis, although I did feel the urge to gut them for a moment. Thankfully, that urge was gone just after I could identify it.
"Brave but foolish, my old Jedi friend.", said the Count, seemingly overconfident in his army's abilities.
"I don't think so. One Jedi has to be worth a hundred Geonosians.", said Windu, and I held back a laugh, knowing that this overconfidence would one day be the man's undoing.
"It wasn't the Geonosians I was thinking about. How well do you think one Jedi will hold up against a thousand battle droids?", Dooku asked rhetorically before signaling into the air.
Thousands of droids started pouring into the arena from all directions and the Jedi were quickly overwhelmed. I immediately used the Force to crush a few dozen on each side, but it was of no use. There were too many of them. Was this how the Jedi felt when I had stormed the Temple during Operation Nightfall? Probably… An idea then popped into my head as I remembered reviewing the security recordings from Fortress Inquisitorius and the trick that boy –Kestis was his name- had pulled on the Stormtroopers. Deciding that it was our best bet, I dodged an incoming blaster bolt and took a deep breath before bending the Force and willing all the droids to slow down –nearly stopping them completely-. Some of the younger Jedi looked at me in amazement, but most Knights and Masters immediately scrambled to the center of the Arena, forming a protective circle around the injured ones and myself, who was still holding the droids at bay. Sensing that I was reaching my limit, I made one last effort to push the blots towards the droid army, successfully taking nearly all of it out. I was tired, but I couldn't afford to rest now.
A cry of surprise was heard across the Arena, originating from none other than Jango Fett, who was about to be beheaded by Mace Windu. I instinctively tapped into the Force, managing to pull the Bounty Hunter to safety at the last second. Jango's body was flung across the Arena and ended up near my feet. The Mandalorian was surprised that I had saved him again, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by Windu's cry off irritation over my action. The man came running to me -lightsaber raised- and I had to suppress the urge to kill the fool for daring to challenge my authority on…oh, yeah. I wasn't Vader anymore, so he could challenge me all he wanted.
"What are you doing Skywalker?", the Jedi Master asked, engaged by my intervention.
"I'm doing well, how about you?", I replied, wanting to annoy the man.
"Why did you stop me? I had him!", Windu yelled once more.
"He was unarmed. I only stopped you from breaking the Jedi Code. You would have regretted killing him later." I told him calmly, before turning to Jango, who had managed to pull himself up once more.
"Jedi!", he shouted, trying to seem intimidating. "I challenge you to a duel. May the best fighter win!", he yelled while pointing at me. He was obviously just trying to buy himself more time, but I told the others to back off and eagerly accepted the Mandalorian's challenge, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to turn Jango to our side, since Dooku would surely try to kill him if he lost.
The other Jedi seemed hesitant to leave me to fight the Mando alone, but Obi Wan agreed, saying that it was a matter of honor in Mandalorian culture and that the least we could do was offer the defeated man an honorable last stand. Jango seemed surprised by Obi Wan's words, but didn't show it. I was only able to tell because of my extreme attunement with the Force. Jango -unwilling to use a blaster- pulled out the vibroblades he had used on Coruscant and attached them to his gauntlets. The Jedi seemed ready to charge at him -perhaps debating whether to listen to Obi Wan or not-, but were distracted by a new wave of battle droids that had entered the arena -Threepio's head and body among them-, so they left Jango and I to our duel and charged at the droids.
The Bounty Hunter made the first move, quickly dashing to my left before attacking from the opposite direction, but I was smart enough to see it coming and blocked the incoming blade with my saber while using the Force to keep his other hand still. Jango pulled back almost immediately and used his free hand to activate the flamethrower on the one I was keeping still, thinking that I would release him in order to dodge the fire. I had other plans. With the Force as my ally –for the first time in years- I was able to spin him around, positioning his right arm in a way that would burn any nearby droids, thus saving a Jedi Padawan from certain death. Jango practically growled at me before unleashing another torrent of fire from his other gauntlet, which was also equipped with a flamethrower. The fire in question wasn't redirected, but blocked by my recently conjured Force Barrier. I then countered with some lightsaber strikes, which were blocked by the Beskar armor Jango wore, leaving nothing but light scorch marks on the spots I had managed to hit.
He then used his jetpack to fly away and switched to a pistol, trying to shoot me. The shot that would have hit me was immediately blocked and sent right back at the Mandalorian, hitting his pistol, which went flying. Jango landed near where the gun had fallen and retrieved it before reattaching the vibroblade and trying to rush me. I remained calm and used the Force to slow him down -just as I had done to the droids earlier-, before damaging the flamethrower located on his suit's right gauntlet. Jango -understanding he wasn't going to win at this rate- decided to try and corner me beneath the podium Dooku was standing on and I played along, allowing him to do so. The Bounty Hunter took a moment to reach my position, so I used the extra time to send another batch of droids flying, successfully saving another Jedi from an early grave.
Having finally reached me, Jango decided to abandon his gadgets and use brute 'force' to beat me. Needless to say, it didn't go very well for the Mandalorian. I met his first few hits in a sloppy manner -trying to make it seem like he was losing- and Jango –having grown tired of our duel- attacked with a fury I had rarely seen in anyone but a Sith. Unfortunately for him, he had left his right leg exposed, so I jabbed my saber into his kneepad. It barely went through, but it was enough to make him lose his composure. I –taking advantage of this, used the Force to push him into the wall and held him there, marking the end of the duel.
Jango let out a small laugh, recognizing that he had been defeated. "Never thought a Jedi of all people would be the end of me.", he said before letting out another laugh. "You fought well kid. I'll give you that."
"Thanks.", I told him, accepting the complement for what it was. "You aren't half bad against Jedi either. Heard you managed to kill six with your bare hands. That's pretty impressive.", I continued.
"So…aren't you going to kill me now?", the Bounty Hunter asked.
"Why would I?, I asked him, pretending to not know that these duels almost always ended with the loser dead.
"Because that's how it usually goes.", Jango explained.
"Just because it goes like that normally doesn't mean that it does all the time.", I told him, rather obviously pointing him to the 'out' I had created.
"You're sparring me?", he asked, genuinely surprised by the decision.
"Sure I am.", I told him with a smile, since I had never wanted to kill him.
"Well I will not!", Dooku yelled suddenly, before unleashing a torrent of Force Lighting on the both of us.
Not wanting Jango to die like he had last time –and considering that he'd make for an invaluable ally- I conjured another Force Barrier, trying to protect us from the attack. Thankfully, the barrier held even without the power of the Dark Side reinforcing it and neither of us was hurt.
"I knew you'd betray me, butcher of Galidraan! I should never have trusted you!", Jango yelled, which earned him an amused laugh from Dooku.
"I'm surprised the Jedi haven't told you Fett. Betrayal is the way of the Sith.", Dooku answered calmly, as if nothing was wrong.
"Well, I don't take kindly to traitors!", Jango shouted before jumping up to his feet and crouching in a way where the missile on his back aimed at the podium. Dooku, too surprised by the sudden change of attitude, only had time to push the Separatist Leaders away from the explosion as the platform they were on collapsed into a million pieces. I used a Force assisted jump to leap away from the debris and Jango flew away with his jetpack, only to land next to me a moment later.
"So…what now?", I asked him, trying to seem as if I didn't want to recruit him to the Republic's side.
"You bested me in a challenge of strength and then sparred by life. I now owe you a life debt, so I am at your service. Besides, I looked into what you said about Galidraan and it looks like I have a bone to pick with the old man. I'll gladly join you in your efforts to destroy him.", Jango answered, and I was surprised by the fact that he owed me a life debt. My knowledge of Mandalorian culture wasn't very much, but I had not even considered this development.
"We're glad to have you on our side. Now…to battle!", I shouted excitedly, making the Mandalorian laugh.
"Not exactly how this works, but you'll learn.", he told me.
"You know…I think this is the beginning of a long friendship.", I jokingly said.
"You might be right kid. You and your Master are the only Jedi I've met that are worth their salt.", Jango admitted. He paused for a moment, considering the offer. "Sure, why the heck not?", he rhetorically asked, letting out a laugh as he did so.
"I'm Anakin, by the way. Anakin Skywalker.", I told him, introducing myself as if I'd just met him.
Seeing what I was doing, Jango decided to humor me and played along. "Jango. Jango Fett. Although I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of me in the near future.", the Bounty Hunter said.
"Was that a pun?", I questioned.
"Believe what you want to believe kid.", he told me, and leaped into the battlefield right after. I raised my blade high and charged at the nearest battle droid, ignoring Dooku's menacing gaze and getting ready for a real fight.
And…scene! There you have it everyone, chapter 10 in all its glory! You know…I'm thinking of making the 'and…scene!' thing the new outro. What do you guys say? Epilogue details aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. Writing everything –from Padme's confession to the slight banter between Anakin and Jango- was very fun for me. I also hope you liked the puns. Anakin's was pretty bad, but the guy had near zero contact with anyone while in his suit and needs time to readjust, so I'd give him a break if I were you. Anyways, onto the exposition!
Firstly, Anakin's feelings. It actually is cannon that Vader used to dream about any and all moments with Padme during the first years of the Empire, and I thought that their first kiss would be something he's relived hundreds of times. It's only natural. Also, worrying about Padme's wellbeing is Anakin's/Vader's new default state. Just saying.
Secondly, Padme's confession. I feel that while intense, it did make for a very good explanation of Padme's feelings towards Anakin, especially because she emphasized that he's capable of killing (or in those cases overcoming) Darth Vader's habits and the Emperor's training, which is something Anakin desperately needs to hear, hence the extreme reaction of actually crying after she was done. I also think that Padme would definitely notice and appreciate the little things that Anakin does for her (examples are provided during the actual confession) and that he needs to understand how much those things matter to her. That she doesn't need some elaborate celebration to be happy and that she likes those kinds of small things more. It would definitely relieve him from his problem in cannon, the 'have I done enough' syndrome, a state where the individual is always worried that they haven't done enough to please Padme, specifically contracted by any and all Anakin Skywalkers throughout the Multiverse. Just kidding guys, that's not a real thing. It's just a joke, so chill.
Thirdly, Obi Wan. It should be obvious by now that Obi Wan is from the future, since I actually took the time to have Anakin test his previous theory, and that a BIG discussion awaits the two once the Geonosis arc is finished. Also, in the prologue I mentioned the Clone Commandos, but didn't actually include them in this chapter. Why, you may ask? Because of a deleted scene that has been reduced to a simple reference since it didn't fit with this or the next chapter. What was going to happen is that there would have been a mention of Obi Wan redirecting the Clone Commandos to their original squads and have them sneak behind enemy lines, but I can't do a full scene with only that because the second part of the battle has to focus on the duel between Vader and Tyranus and I couldn't fit it in.
Fourthly, Jango. I personally think I did a good job describing the duel (though that could just be me being proud of my work) and that the fight was enjoyable. I certainly hope you agree with me (leave a review so I know what you think). Anyways, as I said in the last epilogue, in my mind the only reason Jango wouldn't betray Dooku first in this situation is because he holds himself to a higher standard than the other Bounty Hunters. Also, the 'butcher of Galidraan' title is a real thing coming straight from Legends. Another thing is the dynamic between Vader and Jango (and yes, I do mean Vader). In both canon and Legends Vader had a close working relationship with Jango's son, Boba Fett and I want to recreate that here. I want their dynamic to be a 'War buddies' thing, where they trust each other to cover them on the field and with stuff that is Clone Wars related (meaning Vader versus Sidious matters and other Vader-centric missions), but not to a point where they talk about personal stuff. That is reserved for Qui Gon, Obi Wan (at a later date), and Ahsoka (but not for the first couple months), Padme and the new character from Legends that will help Qui Gon with Anakin's training. For those who missed the teaser I had uploaded a little while back, don't worry because you'll still be able to understand what was going on and because I didn't actually give the name away, so you aren't at a disadvantage knowledge-wise.
Also, in case anyone asks, Siri and Ferus are fine, Dooku pushed them away from the explosion too (because he just pushed everyone since he didn't have time to focus on specific targets), but it wasn't included because I couldn't have Anakin break away from the fight and notice them without rescuing them and make it seem realistic, so there will be a quick rescue of the pair in the next chapter, maybe a scene where Anakin and Jango are kicking droid butt together.
Lastly, the timeline for what happens after Geonosis. I think I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again. After the arc is concluded (meaning right after the fight with Dooku and the return to -and from- Naboo) we'll follow Anakin while he tries to exist in the Temple without killing someone because they inhaled too loudly and we'll get some chapters from Obi Wan's point of view where he talks to Qui Gon about Anakin and stuff like that. In case you didn't know, Obi Wan knows that Qui Gon is a Force Ghost from his exile on Tatooine so Anakin won't have any trouble convincing him when it comes to that. Another character that will make an early appearance is Yoda, but I can't say more about him without spoiling important stuff. Another person we'll be introduced to is the second Force Ghost, but I shall say no more. The last character Anakin will 'meet' before a time skip (haven't decided how long it's going to be) is Rex, who hasn't actually met his General up to that point in the story since Anakin would be away first with Padme, then on medical leave to recover from the Battle of Geonosis, and finally going to get a new lightsaber (which isn't a spoiler since he does so in canon), so you can imagine the Clone Captain will be nervous to meet the man that destroyed an army (the droids on Geonosis) single handedly. Poor Rex. I'd be nervous if I had to face Darth Vader too.
Now that we're all done with the epilogue I can bid you all goodbye. I'll see you next chapter (or the review section if you decide to leave one –please do because hearing from you guys is so cool-), but until then, May the Force be with you!