A/N: This is a very AU story with a unique premise. It is meant for mature audiences and will feature a variety of topics to include adult situations, language, and intense violence. There will also be a fair number of discussions regarding post-traumatic stress, addiction, and how it can affect a person's actions.
Note that this story is in the middle of a rewrite before I finish it. What is present now is about two thirds of the way complete. I'm getting a substantial number of views, but very little feedback, so I need to retool some of the content. It may take a while, so for those of you who are waiting for the next chapter, I apologize, it will be a while. I've put two solid months of daily writing and love the story; I'm just wanting others to enjoy it.
The main character is not one hundred percent like he is in the cannon universe, which is due to many factors, including how he grew up. The self-control that is in the cannon universe is not nearly as present due to this.
Three years after Mustafar.
Anakin Skywalker walked down the dirt road leading away from the compound they had just raided. A dark look plastered on his face. To his left walked Lieutenant Firmus Piett with a small contingent of Stormtroopers marching behind them.
"That has to be some of the worst intelligence since the war began", Anakin spat.
Lieutenant Piett looked at his Emperor, understanding his frustration. "It would seem so, Sir. That compound appeared to have been abandoned for at least a few weeks."
"I want Commander Rinick reassigned, I don't care where, but if we are to win the war against this damned civil war against the Separatists, we cannot continue to make these blunders, Lieutenant. Inform the Admiral upon our return to the ship" Anakin said as he attempted to calm himself down.
It had been two years since he had renounced the Dark Side and he was determined to never let it take hold of him again. Two years ago, Padmé, whom he had thought was dead, had greatly risked her life and the lives of their twin children to pull Anakin on the path to redemption. He would not fail them again.
"I will speak to Admiral Bennett when we return to the Liberator, Sir." Piett was uncomfortable conveying the directive given his lack of seniority in the reformed Imperial Navy, but as Skywalker's aid de camp, he had been tasked numerous times over the last year to act above his station.
"If we cannot locate Moff Tarkin, this civil war will continue for years to come. I did not assume control of the Empire just to see the galaxy destroyed with a prolonged war", Anakin continued.
"Perhaps we had better adopt a different strategy, Your Highness. I've been…"
"Firmus, I've told you before, call me Sir or Anakin when we are in a private discussion. I despise the title, 'Your Highness'", Anakin gently admonished.
"Yes, Anakin", Piett said. As Darth Vader, Anakin would never have tolerated such familiarity, Piett thought.
After a few moments of silence, Anakin said, "Go on Lieutenant… What is your suggestion?"
"Well, Sir, it seems to me that our strategy of attempting to capture high value targets has yielded poor results. The Imperial Separatists refuse to meet us in a direct confrontation, so we should operate in a less than conventional manner."
"We should be using small strike forces to quickly hit lower valued outposts, which will deny the Separatists territory and intelligence. If they have no outposts to forward deploy, they will have no haven to evade us when we eventually move to strike at critical locations." Piett said. Confident in his analysis, but nervous as to Skywalker's response.
Anakin mulled the suggestion over silently. It made sense. The Separatists had numerous worlds that had broken away from the Empire after Anakin had killed Darth Sidious. Those governors and senators continued to believe Sidious' lie that brute strength and an iron fist was preferable to a ruler that believed in a lenient approach to governance.
"That seems to be a better course of action. Moff Tarkin is a prideful man; he will see the tactic as an affront and may be prone to lashing out with a direct conflict against the fleet, Commander Piett." Anakin said, as he eyed the spontaneously promoted Commander out of the corner of the eye, enjoying the site of the man straightening up with pride.
"I want you to be the one to put together the intelligence and coordinate with the Admiralty on implementing the strategy. I am confident that you will succeed where your predecessor has failed."
"Thank you, Sir! I will begin my work the moment we return to the ship." Piett exclaimed, shocked at the promotion. He had only graduated the Imperial Academy two years before. It was unheard of that a junior officer field officer would be given such a promotion.
"Good. I look forward to your…" Anakin stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed something in a field to their right.
He squinted in the sun, it appeared that a man was beating something over and over. No, not something, someone. Anakin felt a strange compulsion to investigate.
"Come with me", he commanded as he led the group down the embankment towards the farmer. Commander Piett and the Stormtroopers trotting to keep up with their ruler's long strides.
Anakin's breathing was slightly labored. The cloners at Kamino had done a good job at piecing him back together after he had slain Sidious, but his regenerated lungs still needed acclimation to physical exertion.
He had been furious when he learned of the cloner's capabilities to grow limbs and other tissues to repair his severely damaged body. Sidious had intentionally kept him trapped in the life support suit with poorly designed limbs just to keep him in servitude.
Padmé had watched and supported him through the agonizing process of surgery after surgery that had restored him from a cyborg back to a human. Human, Anakin thought. What a unusual thought. His mind still reeled from what he had become, what he had done. The love of his wife had saved him and the galaxy from the monster that was Darth Vader. His children were even more of a catalyst for his return to the light. The first time he had held them in his arms, he was a cyborg, and now he was able to be a flesh and blood father to them.
After a couple minutes, they approached the man.
Anakin saw a boy, maybe twelve years old with lash marks across his body, unconscious in the dirt. The man beating him appeared to be enraged in a drunken stupor.
"Cease your actions at once" Anakin commanded as he walked up to the man. His imposing figure towering over the smaller but stoutly built farmer.
The farmer turned to Anakin, wobbling on his feet. Could smell the stench of urine and liquor from the man.
"What's it to ya", the man slurred. "I bought em, I can do what I wanna do with him"
"You will do no such thing", Anakin responded, fighting to keep his anger at bay. Memories of his own servitude came to him, but even he was not beaten as a child. His time as the Sidious' slave was a different story. He still had nightmares at the torture the madman had inflicted upon him if he failed. The burns from the Force lightning were a constant reminder that he was merely property.
"Who's gonna stop me?", the man sneered. "You want me to stop, you gotta buy em from me."
Anakin had to take a deep breath. He couldn't let the darkness take hold again, no matter how just it seemed.
"I am not buying this child, but I am going to take him with me. You would be wise to not interfere." Anakin's tone was icy cold. A sober man would have been terrified.
"If you try an take em, I'll wrap this whip around your damned neck. Now get the hell off my property." The farmer turned and raised the whip again.
Suddenly, he found himself flying as Anakin shoved him with the force. He landed twenty feet away with a thud and rolled several times before stopping.
Anakin turned towards Commander Piett and the Stormtroopers. "Arrest this, man and turn him over to the local magistrate. Search the property for additional slaves."
"Any that you find are to be given medical care and safe passage to Alderaan. Senator Organa owes me a favor and will treat them well. Contact the Liberator and have them send down another shuttle.
"Yes, Sir" Commander Piett responded, and turned to the Stormtroopers to organize their search.
Anakin knelt and gently stroked the boy's face, wincing as he took inventory his injuries. Most of the lash marks had drawn blood. No child should have to endure such a beating. No child should have to be a slave.
The young one whimpered as he became conscious. Terrified of the man that loomed over him.
"It's alright, child", Anakin soothed in the gentlest voice he could muster. The same voice that he used when one of his children had a nightmare. This boy wasn't his child, but Anakin couldn't help but feel an attachment to him.
He noticed through a tear in the boy's shirt that he had a tattoo on his shoulder. It was a Mandalorian tattoo. Anakin respected the Mandalorian and their ferocity in combat.
Anakin wondered where exactly the boy was from as he scooped him up in his arms. Mandalorians would have never abandoned one of their own to slavery. He felt himself lost in thought as he gazed at the child.
He gently picked him up in his arms and the boy clung to him as if he had not been held with kindness in a long time.
Either way, he felt a sense of responsibility to the boy.
Three Months Later. Location: Coruscant
"Ani, do you really think it was best to leave him at the Temple?", Padmé asked.
"He'll be well cared for there, Padmé", Anakin said.
His wife frowned. "But Ani, he's such a sweet boy. He lost his entire family and was sold into slavery, he needs to be in a loving home, not with Jedi Masters who won't show him how to love."
Anakin looked at his wife. "My Angel, you've known Obi-Wan as long as I have. He's a good man."
"I'm not saying Obi-Wan isn't a good man, he's just not a family man", she replied. "You're a good father. Ever since you were returned to us you've proven that time and time again. You could raise him to be like a son to you."
"Padmé, he isn't my son. Even if he lived with us, he'd never be my son. I promise that we'll visit him often, but that's as good as I can offer", he said.
Padmé just nodded. She was torn on the inside and didn't want the boy to grow up in an environment where he wouldn't have a family connection. She'd almost died in childbirth and couldn't fathom what it would have been like if her two children had to be raised with people other than their parents.
Time would only tell what would become of him.
"Padmé, are you coming to bed?", Anakin asked.
"Yes, Ani", she said as she got under the covers.
"You know that I'm just trying to do what's best for everyone, I don't want you to be upset with me", he said. He lied, he was agonizing over his choice to abandon the boy, but he couldn't fathom himself raising the child, as gentle as he was, to be one of his own.
Padmé shook her head. "No, I'm not upset with you. I'm glad you're back home, you always worry me when you leave." It was difficult to think that her husband was in the thick of combat again. She prayed daily that he would use restraint when facing the enemy. She didn't want to lose him to the darkness again, especially after she had risked it all to bring him back.
She remembered that Obi-Wan had been entirely against the idea. He had pleaded with her not to go, convinced that the monster Darth Vader would kill her and find her children to raise to become Sith apprentices. Somehow, she knew those warnings were false and that she would be able to save her husband, as frightening as it may have been.
"I'm glad I'm home too. I missed you terribly", Anakin said as he traced Padmé's arm with his finger. "You know how I just can't get enough of you." He was intoxicated by his wife's presence. Part of him felt guilty every time he left her to go fight in the war, but there was much to be done to remove the stain of the evil Empire that Sidious had created.
He pressed his lips against her neck. Gently kissing her smooth flesh.
She gasped and wrapped her arms around him, feeling aroused by his gentle menstruations.
"I love you", he whispered into her ear as he slipped his hand into her nightgown so he could feel her skin. The spark still remained every time they touched one another. It caused both of their hearts to leap with excitement like it was the very first time.
Padmé moaned and grasped his har. "I love you too", she said.
He claimed her mouth with his own. He rolled on top of her, his hands roaming her flesh as he slowly built their arousal up to its peak. Anakin was driven made by his wife's moans. He gently slipped himself into her and they both gasped, enjoying the sensation of each other's sex. He began to thrust into her slowly, continuing to build the tension.
"Oh, Ani", his wife whimpered. "Please, you know what I need."
Anakin roughly kissed her mouth and began to slam himself into her at a furious pace. They both breathed heavily, unable to hold back much longer. Anakin felt his wife tense and he exploded into her, unable to hold back from the intense feeling. He collapsed on top of her and when he found his breath, he gently kissed her.
He rolled off her and pulled her into his chest. She nuzzled him, enjoying the musky scent they had created together.
Soon, the husband and wife fell asleep in each other's arms. Everything else would have to wait for the time being.
Eighteen years after Mustafar. Location: Sleheyron
Commander Din Djarin held his fist up, signaling his squad to stop. They squatted down setting security as Din crouch walked up to his best friend, and team executive officer, Lieutenant Wedge Antilles.
Din took his camouflaged hat off, running a gloved hand through his sweaty hair. "Why can't the Hutts build their bases on ice planets", he muttered to his friend. "I can do ice." The heat was suffocating and Din despised how it made him feel.
"You can keep the ice, Din. It matches your personality with every woman Dalia, and I have tried to set you up with", Wedge quipped.
"Spoken like a true family man", Din whispered. "I'm not settling down anytime soon, so let's not get into that."
"When you meet the right girl, you'll change your mind." Wedge said, wiping sweat from his brow.
"The right girl doesn't exist, now enough of that. How far are we from the compound?" Din asked, taking a seat next to his friend as they both pulled out their maps.
"I'd say another two kilometers, give or take. If you look, we passed this stream about thirty minutes ago", as he pointed to Din's map.
"Got it, let's set up on this small ridgeline south of the base and east of the shoreline of the cove. That'll give us a good overwatch position while we coordinate the assault." Din said, going over the operation brief they had received earlier in the week.
Din froze as he saw a large arachnid creep between the two soldiers. In a flash, he drew his tactical knife from its scabbard on his vest and stuck the creature in its head. He held his knife up, the spider in its death throws and showed it to Wedge.
"This is why I fucking hate jungles", Din said with a chuckle. Wedge's eyes were wide at the sight of the massive creature.
"Fine, you win. I planets it is", Wedge said, unable to believe how close he'd come from being bit by the damned thing.
Din pulled his knife out of the dead creature and quickly sheathed the blade back into its place. The two shook their heads and focused their attention back to the task at hand.
They were going to hit Garrum The Hutt's base of operations. Garrum was one of the Galactic Slaver Confederation's chief counterintelligence officers and a minor warlord. One that Din suspected had been responsible for a devastating attack on the Second Fleet a few weeks back. Four Star Destroyers along with over a hundred thousand Imperials lost.
"Okay, I'll move us up nice and slow", Wedge responded. The two young men helped each other up, their heavy packs strained their muscles.
They had been slugging through the jungle for three days after being dropped off by a former Imperial pilot turned smuggler.
As Wedge slowly advanced, Din took a quick drink of water from his canteen, silently cursing the heat again. He waited for his place in the patrol line and began to walk, meticulously planning each step to avoid making noise. The snap of a twig could alert an enemy patrol if one were in range.
While they had seen no sign of regular patrols in the area, there was always the possibility. But they were also deep in Hutt Space, which may have caused the warlord to be complacent.
Din and his seven men silently crept towards the ridgeline. The sound of the ocean and gentle breeze welcomed.
Din and Wedge dropped their packs and carefully crawled up to the ridgeline where a sheer cliff dropped off and overlooked the Garrum's base of operations.
"Looks like intelligence was right. They have two heavy anti-aircraft cannons on the north and south walls of the perimeter", Wedge said pointing them out to his superior.
"Right. Those are going to cut up the landing team shuttles. Mark them as priority one", Din said. His mind whirling over the tactical plan.
He slowly brought up his heavy E-12 long-range repeating blaster and peered through the scope. "I count four century towers, each with a single guard", he said. "Mark them as priority two.
"Understood. Any sign of armor?" Wedge asked, scribbling notes on his data pad with a stylus.
"No, but that doesn't mean they're not there. Look at how dense that tree line is to the northeast." Din said.
Wedge peered through his Electrobinoculars at the dense foliage. "Yeah, if they do have them there, we're fucked. We brought only two RPS-6 rockets."
"Okay, we can't do anything about that now. You take fireteam two down the cliff and work your way to the east of the compound with both rockets. Hit the anti-aircraft batteries with them and start laying down suppressive fire. I'll send Dagger Three and Dagger Four to the west to mark the landing zone for the first wave. Once the Stormtroopers are on deck, we need to get them to advance and establish a beachhead as quickly as possible so we can get the heavy shuttle with those two AT-STs in play."
"I'll remain up top with Dagger Five and call targets to the Tie Fighters for strafing runs while Dagger Five engages point targets." Din was all business now. "Let's move, the Dauntless is going to be in geosynchronous orbit in less than thirty minutes."
"Yes, Sir", Wedge acknowledged, crawling back to brief the rest of Dagger Squad.
Din cracked his neck before peering through his scope again, his fatigue vanishing as adrenaline over the anticipation of combat took over.
The twenty-seven-year-old man had enlisted in the Imperial Navy when he was just sixteen years old, having obtained permission from his friend and guardian Anakin Skywalker, much to the behest of his wife, Padmé. Din had felt that his natural aggressiveness and desire for confrontation would be best suited to carrying a blaster rifle versus continuing to work as a quasi-servant rebuilding the Jedi Temple.
Din had graduated from Cardia into the Stormtrooper Corps and for two years was deployed to minor skirmishes with some of the various factions that had sprung up after the Empire had prevailed in the Civil War against the Imperial Separatists.
After being severely wounded and at Padmé's wish, Anakin sponsored Din for a position at flight school at the Imperial Academy. Being sponsored by the Emperor himself made him a target of the instructors. Nevertheless, Din was able to graduate with honors and was selected to become a Tie Interceptor pilot. Shortly afterwards, he broached the idea of creating the Special Forces to Anakin.
The War against the Galactic Slaver Confederacy began just a year after the formation of the unique Special Forces Unit, which was comprised solely of officers. Men and women that had undergone both Stormtrooper training and pilot training. Of course, Padmé was livid.
The Slaver Confederacy had been formed after Anakin had convinced the Imperial Senate to enact sanctions against the Hutts who made considerable profits off the abduction and enslavement of beings, selling them by utilizing their vast criminal network.
The Slaver Confederacy began attacking various Imperial trade routes in retaliation to the sanctions, prompting outrage amongst the bulk of the Empire.
Shortly afterward, the Imperial Senate, with little opposition, approved a declaration of war against the Slavers throwing Din into consecutive deployments. Normally, he was only gone for six months at a time, but with the Admiralty's need for additional Special Forces Units, Din's squadron remained in the outer rim while other squadron's trained additional officers.
Din and his squadron had been finally scheduled to go home a few weeks back, but with the ambush against the Second Fleet, the chance to catch Garrum was just too great to pass up, even for the exhausted commandos of Dagger Squadron. The task at hand was to find out if there was a mole in the Second Fleet as it was unusual that the Slavers would be able to execute such a deadly ambush against the powerful fleet. Over one hundred thousand Imperials lost their lives in one swift attack.
Of course, the extension to the deployment had its own consequences. He had made a promise to a young girl that he'd be back soon and much to his dismay, he had broken his promise. One thing Din Djarin abhorred was breaking his word.
Din watched his men silently set anchors for their rappel down the side of the cliff facing the ocean.
Once on the ground, his team quickly advanced to their objectives, keeping behind rocks and foliage to prevent detection from the guards in the tower.
Once Wedge's team was in position, Din touched his throat microphone and radioed to his men, "Alright, once Dagger Five begins engaging the guards in the tower all units execute."
"Okay, Tycho, it's all on you", Din whispered to his sniper.
"Roger", the young blonde said. "Firing in three… two… one…"
The sharp report of Tycho's blaster rifle echoed in the cove. The guard in tower on dropped like a rock and Tycho began quickly shifting his aim and firing again after again, eliminating the guards.
After the first shot, two rockets shot out from the east tree line, detonating the north and south anti-aircraft batteries and blaster fire poured into the compound from Wedge's fireteam.
"Dauntless, this is Dagger One. Anti-aircraft element has been destroyed, okay to send in the shuttles and Tie Fighters once on station", Din yelled into his radio over the noise of the engagement.
"Affirmative, Dagger One. We will be on station in five minutes. Hold tight", the communications officer replied.
Din surveyed the battle. He noted that fighters inside the compound were scrambling to climb the guard towers while it appeared that a counterassault team was also preparing to exit the fortress from the east.
Suddenly Din heard a low rumble to the east, behind Wedge's position. He shifted his rifle to that direction and peered through the scope.
Shit, he thought as he saw what appeared to be five ancient AAT-1 Hover Tanks lumbering through the trees. The high profile of the Clone War era tanks was easily identifiable.
"Wedge, you have enemy armor coming from directly behind your position. Move your unit up to the north of the compound, now!" Din yelled into his mic.
"We hear them Dagger One, moving now." Wedge responded his voice labored from exertion.
"Tycho, keep engaging troops climbing those towers. With Dagger Two's team moving we won't have suppressive fire until they get in position to the north."
"Got it", Tycho replied.
The counter assault team began pouring out of the eastside of the compound, taking position behind various rocks and sand berms. Din lined up his repeating blaster and began sending bursts of automatic blaster fire into the enemy.
"Dauntless, this is Dagger One. We have heavy armor moving in on our position. LZ will be hot, repeat, LZ will be hot. Do you copy?"
"Dagger One, this is Dauntless. Good copy. Landing element will be notified. Pop smoke on LZ and hang tight. Help is on the way."
Din assessed the situation. Things were getting out of hand quickly.
"Dagger Three and Four, this is One. Pop smoke to designate LZ. Once the shuttle is making its final approach, draw fire so the Stormtroopers can disembark", Din barked into his radio.
"Dagger One, this is Three. Understood, out."
Din resumed firing at the remaining troops from the Slaver counter assault team. They had shifted their position to fire at Din's position, kicking up dirt and rocks into Din and Tycho's faces.
Din and Tycho's accurate blaster fire picked them off one by one, until there were only two left. Din drew a deep breath to steady his aim and let off at short burst, killing both remaining counterstrike troops.
Heavy blaster fire began pouring out of the compound into the north and south. The enemy had set up several E-web blaster cannons.
He looked to the west as he heard Tie Fighters and a shuttle making their approach. Reassured by their presence but realizing with those blaster cannons the landing team would get chewed up quickly if they could not get the situation under control.
To his west he heard a sharp crash. He darted his gaze in that direction.
The enemy tanks had broken through the tree line.
A/N: Sorry this chapter was so long. Again, this story is in the midst of a rewrite. The basics will remain the same, but if you choose to continue reading, I'd enjoy your feedback so I can tweak the story to make it more enjoyable.
