Happy New Year everyone! Lets hope that 2021 will be better than 2020!

Chapter 32 – Friends and Traitors

It had been a long time since he had considered himself a jedi. Leaving the jedi order has been a tough decision, meaning he had to leave everything he knew behind. His home. Friends. Maybe even his family. But Quinlan had always felt too constricted by their rules, too confined to a shell he didn't really fit into.

He had left without a goodbye. And somehow that haunted him till today. Maybe it was that twinge of guilt that had made him return to Coruscant. Bumping into the Duchess of Mandalore had been pure coincidence, but he knew that she was a good friend of Obi-Wan. Giving her the message to his old friend had been a short-term decision. Quinlan knew not to expect forgiveness, even though Obi-Wan had always been a very good-natured person. He himself would not be sure how he would react if a long-lost friend simply reappeared on his doorstep. Especially after he had simply abandoned him. For some part, Quinlan hated himself for that.

Perhaps that was the reason he decided to rescue these two bright beacons in the Force, despite he knew it was better and safer to stay hidden. He had thought that it had been younglings who had miraculously managed to escape the slaughter at the temple. He had used his status to try and get as many fugitives off-world as possible. The Empire wasn't looking for him directly, as he wasn't a jedi no more. Despite this, Quinlan doubted that they would spare him as soon as they noticed that he can use the Force and still wielded his lightsaber. The Kiffar couldn't be helped but to be surprised to stand in front of the duchess again.

"Quinlan Vos", she breathed, cradling a wailing child in her arms.

The ignited blade still held in his steady hand; he studied the small group. The Holo News had been pretty detailed about what had happened. "I see your visit didn't went the way you expected", he said with a sad smile, eyes locking on the blonde, then moving on to her companion.

Senator Amidala, he realized surprised.

"I know it's much to ask, but we need your help."

"I figured as much", Quinlan muttered, finally deactivating his weapon, but not before he took a tentative look around. One could never be sure enough. His eyes then set on the two children.

"Are these yours?", he asked. Somehow, the idea of Obi-Wan being a father had never crossed his mind. Even though, he would never doubt that the man would be a great one.

"No, they are mine", the senator cut in, "Luke and Leia Skywalker."

Quinlan's eyes widened. "Skywalker? Like in Anakin Skywalker? Kenobi's brat?"

"That's my husband", the woman retorted, her voice a little cooler than before.

He gently lifted his hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offence. You just caught me off-guard. The Skywalker I remember was just merely more than a child who took great pleasure in keeping his master on his toes."

The evenings when he had drunk himself together with Obi-Wan had branded themselves deeply into his mind. They had sat together in one of the shady bars on the lower levels, his friend exhausted from trying to handle a fiery padawan. That had been before the war.

And before he left them all behind.

Quinlan shook his head and tried to forget about that thought again. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the past.

The children were still crying, he noticed. That wouldn't do them any good on their way to escape.

He motioned for the babies. "May I try to calm them down?"

The senator shot Satine a questioning look but thankfully the woman took his side. "You can trust him, Padme."

The brunette gave her approval and the former jedi gently laid his fingers on their foreheads, sending calming waves through the Force. They quickly latched on to his Force presence, despite the dark traces it harbored. With a smile he sent a sleep suggestion and watched as the children dosed off.

"You gave them a sleep suggestion", the duchess remarked, having observed his actions.

"How did you know?", he asked, although he already had an idea where she knew that from.

"I saw Obi-Wan using it once", she muttered, her expression changing into something between sadness and worry.

His guess was right.

"We should get moving ", he suggested then, already turning back towards the alley, "I'll see what I can do to help you out."

He guided the small group through the lower levels, until they reached the small apartment, he had taken residence in in the past few weeks.

Pushing open the creaking door, he waved them inside.

"I know it's shabby, but we're safe here for now."

The room was small, the walls just barely covered with an old wallpaper that was already starting to fall off. No one would voluntarily live in this part of Coruscant, even the patrols avoided this place. Ideal for criminals - or people who needed to hide. Quinlan himself had been little bothered by these circumstances; in the years after he left the Jedi Order, he had done a lot of underground work. Sometimes doing more or less dirty work. Over time he had made a name for himself, found like-minded people he could trust. He had never been a man of honor, yet he would not stand by as innocents fell victim to this madness.

He closed the door behind himself. "You want to get off-world, don't you?"

There was no need to tread around the obvious.

Quinlan watched how the women exchanged a look before the duchess began to speak.

"Yes, we hoped that you might be able to help us with that", she said, adjusting the hold on the sleeping child in her arms, "even though that's not the only thing we need you for."

The former jedi raised an eyebrow and moved to lean against one of the walls with his shoulder. "Just say it. I'm not the most patient man."

"We need you to get Obi-Wan and Anakin out."

His eyes felt like they were about to fall out of their sockets. "What? You want me to break into the prison?", he exclaimed flabbergasted, "I'm sorry, but this is madness. And for Skywalker, I have no idea where he might be." He pushed himself of the wall and waved his hands in a denying matter.

The duchess handed the kid back over to the senator and stomped over to him, visibly angry. "I don't know much about you", she hissed, "but I never thought that the jedi raised cowards."

Her face was merely inches from his own and Quinlan could see the fire burning in her eyes. "I begin to understand what Kenobi sees in you."

"Yet, it seems that you still don't care enough about the fact that he considered you a friend, Master Vos", Satine gnarled.

He took a step back, trying to hide the fact that she had hit a wound spot. "Look, it's not like that. I-."

"You had what? Your reasons?", she clenched her jaw, "What reason did he give you to not deserve a simple goodbye?"

They stared at each other and an icy feeling began to settle above them like a blanket.

"I was afraid."

The words tumbled out of his mouth before he thought about it. It was true, he had thought about it for long time since his departure. He just didn't have the guts to face his best friend that day. Obi-Wan might have even succeeded in convincing him to stay. Even though he knew that his friend would have never asked this from him. He would have let him leave, but Quinlan knew that he would never forgotten the look of betrayal in his eyes.

Not that it was any better now.

"And you're still afraid now. You hoped he would come looking for you after I gave him your message."

"You're right", he took a deep breath, "Still, I won't change my mind."

Quinlan averted his gaze and let it rest on nothing in particular. "I can get you on a transport that leaves in a few hours. It's headed to Alderaan. I'm sorry I can't help you any further."

As he brought them to the small freighter on one of the unauthorized landing pads, the former jedi still quarreled with his decision.

Sidious almost had to laugh at the boy's blue-eyedness. Chosen One or not, the Jedi had no idea who he was trying to mess with. The Sith had no intention of killing Skywalker. No, he would control and manipulate him, turn him into a mindless slave.

Everything he needed to do that was literally at his fingertips. The boy's greatest weakness was his loyalty, his affection. Sidious had first considered using Kenobi for this step, but the danger was far too great that the man would snatch his protégé from his hands again.

He would deal with the Jedi Master later.

Now he needed someone else, someone Skywalker trusted. Someone the boy would protect with his life.

It would be a little while before his lure would reach the Senate.

Sidious licked his teeth and smiled. Time to play a little before the really exciting part began.

He twisted the hilt of his sword mockingly around his hand. He had watched the boy since the Jedi had brought him from Tatooine. Skywalker favored Ataru, a fighting style particularly designed for attack. Quite the opposite of his doomed master, who had perfected Soresu.

Perhaps that was what had made this duo so dangerous. They complemented each other like two sides of the same coin.

But now that he had separated the two, uncertainty was visible in his future student's eyes. Something he absolutely had to work on. He would not allow any weakness.

Skywalker was waiting for him, the blue blade humming quietly in front of him. The boy was breaking his habits. A fact he liked about him.

A beep from the commlink on the table informed him that his target was almost at the senate. Skywalker wouldn't even know what was going on.

With a laugh, the Sith jumped upwards with an inhuman speed, his red blade catching the jedi's midair. Age was no concern for a Dark side user, they simply drained the miserable life forms around them. Sidious moved like a man in his best time, but Skywalker surprisingly held his ground.

"You're doing good, my boy", he taunted, almost landing a fatal blow on his opponent's head.

The heat still blistering over his skin, Skywalker withdrew immediately, clearly on edge. "I learned from the best", the jedi rasped.

"You don't know what's best for you", Sidious barked, shooting some Force lightning from his fingertips.

Skywalker blocked the onslaught and redirected them back towards the Sith.

Simply sidestepping his own projectiles, he straightened himself again, red blade held in front of him.

"Futile", he shook his head, "I hope you'll do better as soon we start our training."

"There will be no training. 'Cause you'll be dead", Skywalker hissed, pressing forward in an attempt to attack.

Sidious snorted and pushed the jedi back against the wall with a wave of his hand. "You're so full of yourself. I promise we'll change that. But first, let us invite our dear guests."

As if on cue, the door to his office opened.

Their appearance had the desired effect as Skywalker froze and gaped at the new arrivals, muttering a name under his breath.

CT-7567 had only seen the insides of the senate for a few times. Not that Re- CT-7567 could really remember that. He and his men had been ordered to the chancellor's office. They hadn't questioned the order- though they hadn't expected to be called off from their original target so fast.

The traitors would not vanish by themselves.

Their enemies hadn't expected the attack. It had been almost too easy to burn their homestead. No mercy was shown. They all had to die. CT-7567 had thought to have seen in some kind of recognition in their eyes, or even a hint of betrayal, as his projectiles snatched their lives away. Some had hesitated to defend themselves, confusion clearly written on their faces. Something had begun to ache in his head at this thought. Not that he paid them much attention.

Good soldiers follow orders.

Their armored boots clanked against the tiled floor as his troop approached the office. A battle could be heard from the inside. He nodded shortly towards his brothers, motioning for them to ready themselves.

Something inside his head told him that now was the time for them to enter.

With a strong push he opened the door, letting his comrades' step inside behind him.

There was something strange about the scene that unfolded before them. Re- CT-7567 again felt the unpleasant tugging in his skull.

The chancellor was facing one of the traitors, who was staring at them with wide eyes.

"Rex," the man muttered. CT-7567 did not know what the man was talking about, only the finger over the trigger began to twitch. He returned his attention to the chancellor. He nodded briefly under his blue and white helmet.

"Sir, I believe you ordered us here."

A kind smile appeared on the chancellor's face. "Ah, the 501st. What a great delight. You see", he motioned towards the traitor, "I have some trouble with one of the traitors."

His brown eyes fixed on the man again. "Should we kill him, sir?"

The man's face twisted in confusion. "Rex, what are you talking about? Come on", a insecure laugh escaped his throat, "stop this game. This isn't funny anymore."

"I'm afraid this isn't a game, my boy", the chancellor said, before turning towards his shoulders, "Stun him."

"Very well, sir."

CT-7567 and his men opened fire, leaving the traitor almost no time to defend himself. The blaster bolts were redirected by the bright blue blade, but everyone knew that the traitor wouldn't last forever.

It was becoming more evident that the traitor wasn't aiming to kill them.

The headache inside of Re- CT-7567's head became even worse, but he pressed on. A lucky shot slipped past the traitor's defense and hit him in his thigh. The man collapsed down to one knee but still didn't give up.

"Rex!", he called between the strikes, "Stop it, I won't fight you."

The traitor deactivated his weapon, throwing it to the floor. The hilt chattered a few times against the tiles before it came to a halt.

He motioned for his men to hold fire.

The man panted and lifted his hands. "I won't fight you", he gasped, "you're my friends. We fought side by side for years." His eyes trailed over to the chancellor. "I don't know what he did to you, but I know you can fight this."

CT-7567 stepped forward and aimed his blaster at the man's chest. Blue eyes pierced into his visor and something twanged inside him.

Anakin Skywal- No, traitor. General of the 501st – The clone shook his head, those had to be those blasted mind tricks those traitors were able to pull off.

His finger tightened around the trigger again.

"Good soldiers follow orders", he hissed through clenched teeth. He pulled the trigger and the jed- traitor crumbled lifelessly to the floor.

"Very good, soldier", the chancellor spoke from the side, "now secure him and prepare him for the chip insertion."

A low blow, even for Palpatine. But let's be serious, Anakin would have never killed his own men even if it meant to surrender.