Disclaimer: I do not own Starwars
Anakin Skywalker was a feared and powerful Sith Lord. He, along with the other Sith, served the leader of the Empire, Darth Sidious. Anakin, as Sidious' favorite apprentice, was extremely well trained and went on the most dangerous missions. And now he was assigned to babysitting duty. So he was irritated. Why do I have to do it? He whined to himself. Can't the new Sith find their way to the Temple by themselves? It's not like it's inconspicuous. The black temple looming behind him was visible for miles. As the headquarters for all Sith activity, it had to be.
Anakin was being sent to pick up a new Sith transfer. All Force-sensitive children were trained at Sith Temples on other planets. There they were apprenticed to other Sith. Then, the newly-graduated apprentices that showed the most promise were transferred to the Temple on Coruscant.
Anakin frowned and checked his datapad. It told him the landing platform that the transfer—a newly graduated Sith called Ahsoka Tano—would be at. Anakin was supposed to bring her back to the Sith Temple and make sure she knew where everything was. And he wasn't allowed to ditch her there. Anakin really didn't like the new transfers. They tended to be either really jumpy or thinking they knew everything. And Anakin really didn't like snooty people.
Anakin adjusted his black cloak so that it floated behind him appropriately and strode out onto the platform. Sure enough, a young girl was on it. So was Ventress—a Sith Anakin considered very creepy. Ventress' electric blue eyes were narrowed in rage, the dark tattoos around her mouth enhancing the snarl. The other Sith—Anakin assumed it was Ahsoka—was a Togruta youngling. That was interesting, because many of the Sith were human. Both Sith had dual lightsabers ignited.
"Don't be silly, little girl." Ventress hissed at Ahsoka. "I always get what I want."
"Not this time." Ahsoka said. Anakin looked around to see what Ventress was trying to get. A clone commander stood behind Ahsoka. That was the only thing he could see. It wasn't uncommon for Sith to challenge one another and steal the other's property. As far as Anakin could tell, there wasn't usually a reason for it other than annoying the other Sith. It was a dangerous game, though, and he was supposed to get Ahsoka back unharmed.
"Chill out, guys." Anakin said. They both turned to look at him.
"Vader. What do you want?" Ventress snapped. Anakin sighed.
"I'm supposed to bring Ahsoka Tano back to the Temple." He said, pointing to the dark building towering nearby.
"I'm not leaving with her here." Ahsoka said.
"Hand over the clone, little girl, and I'll leave!" Ventress said.
"No!" Ahsoka responded.
"Go, Ventress." Anakin said, annoyed. His hand brushed the hilt of his lightsaber. Ventress, though she was overconfident, knew better than to mess with Anakin. She deactivated her lightsabers.
"Very well, Vader. I'll find you later, little one." She said to Ahsoka. She walked away. Ahsoka lowered her two lightsabers but didn't turn them off.
"Well. That was interesting." She commented.
"Sorry about that." Anakin said. "She's just trying to show you that she's in charge."
"Weird…" Ahsoka said.
"Eh." Anakin shrugged. "It's pretty normal. Anyways, you are Ahsoka, right?"
"Yep. Ahsoka Tano. Who're you?"
"They call me Vader." Anakin said. He really didn't like that name, but it was imposing. R so he thought. Ahsoka just laughed.
"Vader? What kind of name is that?"
"It's my Sith name." Anakin said, a little offended. "My real name is Anakin Skywalker." He wasn't quite sure why he'd told her that. All Sith called him Vader. Ahsoka finally deactivated her lightsabers and put them on her belt.
"Why'd you stop Ventress?" She asked. "You could've waited."
"I have no patience." Anakin admitted with a shrug. "Let's get back to the Temple."
"Very well, impatient one." Ahsoka teased—teased. She'd teased him. No other Sith ever did that. He liked it.
"Sassy." Anakin responded. Ahsoka rolled her eyes.
"Come on." She said to her clone. Anakin spun—making sure his cloak swirled majestically—and headed back to the Sith Temple.
"So, what's the Temple like?" Ahsoka asked. Anakin glanced back, ready to regale her with stories, but he realized that she wasn't talking to him. She was talking to her clone commander. Weird. Anakin thought. Why would she…chat…with him? He'd never seen a Sith do that before.
"I've only been there once, sir." The clone said with a nervous glance at Anakin. "I'm sure General Skywalker would know better."
"Yeah, he might." Ahsoka said. "But I didn't ask him. I asked you." She looked up at the clone. "C'mon, tell me, please?" She gave him puppy-dog eyes. Anakin was righteously indignant. It was so undignified! But they were an effective weapon. The clone immediately ducked his head and gave in.
"It's very large, but there's not much color. There are secret passageways and hidden rooms and staircases everywhere. It can be easy to get lost at first because of all the hallways. Uh…there are many windows lining the outside of the corridors and towers." He looked back at Ahsoka.
"What about you, Skyguy?" She asked. Anakin gave her a startled look.
"Excuse me? Skyguy?" Ahsoka nodded primly.
"It's your new nickname. Skywalker is just…so serious."
"Uh, fine then, uh…" Anakin thought furiously. "Snips." She laughed.
"I like it!" Hmph. Of course she does. He switched topics.
"The Temple is…" he trailed off, realizing that the clone had effectively described its appearance. "The Temple is strong in the Force." He said, trying to figure out how to say it. "The Force…rings inside it. It is old and powerful and wise. Most Sith learn to tune it out."
"Why would they do that?" She asked.
"The Temple belongs to the Light Side." Anakin replied, and then realized what he'd said. "It belonged to the Light Side. At one time." At one time, it had been a Jedi Temple. That was before the Sith had taken over the galaxy. Anakin led them into the Temple courtyard and Anakin motioned to the door leading into the Temple building.
"You can find your rooms?"
"I guess." Ahsoka said. Then she motioned to her clone. "What about him?" She asked.
"Uh…he sleeps in the barracks." Anakin said, wondering why Ahsoka kept bringing him up. Ahsoka frowned, then nodded. She turned to the clone.
"Com me if anything happens. I mean it." She gave him a pointed look.
"Yes sir." The clone replied. Ahsoka folded her arms.
"Anything. Injuries, inconveniences, Ventress—anything."
"Understood, sir." The clone replied. Ahsoka nodded.
"All right. Then you can go." The clone walked off. Anakin gave Ahsoka an amused look.
"What was that about?" he asked. He'd never seen anyone take the time to do something like that.
"What?" Ahsoka looked at him strangely. "Don't tell me you've never checked in on your troopers before." Anakin thought back. Had he ever even spoken to them before? Other than orders, he didn't think he had. After all, Sith weren't supposed to interact with them.
"They have feelings too." Ahsoka said, like Anakin was supposed to care about it. He would never tell anyone that he did. "Talk to one and see."
"Sith don't socialize with clones." Anakin said, trying to be scandalized. He wasn't. He was curious. What do clones feel? What do they think? Of the Empire, of their life, of me? What if they don't like me? The thought scared him way too much. I'm a Sith. Of course they don't like me. It was not comforting. He wanted them to like him.
"I dare you to!" Ahsoka said smugly before flouncing off. Anakin frowned. No self-respecting Sith would turn down a dare! Only cowards would do that. He didn't admit to himself that he really was just curious. Anakin—with only the interests of his reputation in mind—strode off to the barracks of the clone legion Anakin commanded, the 501st. Anakin decided to speak with his captain.
When he entered the small, bare room Anakin saw his clone captain sleeping on the floor. He thought that was strange. The captain scrambled to his feet almost immediately. Both Anakin and the captain realized that the captain's helmet was lying half across the room. The captain glanced towards it, but didn't move from standing at attention. Anakin studied the trooper. He had blond hair. All other clones had black hair. Anakin wondered about this for a moment.
"Did you need something, sir?" The clone asked. A slight hint of irritation mixed with his nervous confusion in the Force.
"Yes." Anakin said slowly. "I want to talk to you." The captain inhaled quickly, nervously. Anakin fidgeted slightly.
"A girl dared me to talk to clone troopers so that's what I'm trying to do." He blurted out in one breath. The captain's eyebrows rose—in shock and amusement, as far as Anakin could tell.
"I…I'm afraid I don't understand, sir." The captain said, and Anakin realized that he was. It sent a twinge of pain through Anakin as he remembered feeling the same way.
"I met this girl." Anakin started, more slowly. He thought he saw the beginnings of a smirk on the captain's face, but when he looked closer, he decided he must have imagined it. "I escorted her to the Temple—she's a new Sith—and she dared me to talk to a clone." He realized that he was talking to a clone, but the clone wasn't participating very much. Anakin decided to remedy that.
"So…what do you guys do?" He asked. The captain blinked and stared at him.
"Whatever our orders tell us to do." He replied slowly, as if this was rather obvious.
"In your free time." Anakin added.
"Sleep…" The captain was looking at Anakin warily, but Anakin thought he detected some cautious amusement as well.
"That's all?" Anakin asked. That's kinda boring.
"Yes sir." The captain said. He hesitated. "We don't have much." Anakin bit his lip, feeling slightly guilty for having woken the captain.
"Okay…well, what's your favorite color?" The captain stared at Anakin again like this was something he'd never even considered.
"I don't know, sir." He replied. Anakin sighed. The captain flinched slightly. Anakin was surprised. Does he really watch me that closely?
"Well, what's your name? Do clones have names?" Anakin asked. Tension filled the Force and Anakin knew he'd reached a sensitive topic. The captain looked to the ground, bitterness, fear, resignation, and frustration swirling around him.
"Clones have numbers, sir. It their general allows them to, they have names." He said stiffly. Oh…Anakin blocked himself from thinking about the past.
"What's your name?" He asked. The clone looked back up, frustrated.
"My general has not said whether his clones could have names, sir." He said, the statement pointed. Anakin cocked his head.
"Why wouldn't he?" He asked.
"I don't know, sir. He probably doesn't…care." The captain replied. Anakin held back a flinch. If only you knew.
"Is there a reason clones shouldn't be allowed to have names?" Anakin asked. The captain clenched his jaw.
"It promotes individuality." He said. Anakin sucked in a quick breath. I know. He wondered for a moment why he hadn't thought about the clones like this before.
"Go ahead." He said. "You can use names." The captain stared at him with obvious disbelief and suspicion.
"It's not a trick." Anakin said, meeting the captain's gaze and willing him to believe. "Tell me your name, if you have one." The clone stiffened.
"Rex, sir." He said. Anakin nodded.
"I will make it official." He said. "All the clones of the 501st will be allowed to go by their names." The captain was shocked.
"Thank you, sir." He said. Anakin gave a small smile.
"Names are important to me." He said simply. Even when he was being trained to be a Sith he hadn't been known by his name. It was "Sidious' kid" or "the Emperor's apprentice". Anakin had been happy to be called "Vader" then.
"Tell me why names are important to you." Anakin offered. The captain hesitated.
"A name means that we're not just numbers." The captain—Rex—said after a moment. "Droids have numbers. Blasters have numbers. People have names." He shrugged slightly, embarrassment flooding the Force. "Sorry, sir, I—"
"Don't apologize." Anakin interrupted quickly. "You are right…Rex." Rex's eyes widened.
"I—thank you, sir." He said. "That's…it's really…thank you. I never—" Anakin frowned slightly as Rex broke off.
"You've never had someone call you by name?" He asked quietly, the memories of his childhood returning.
"Not a real person, sir. Just clones." Rex said, and Anakin froze. You're just a slave. You don't have a name. You're not a real person, just a tool! Voices from his past shouted. Anakin shook his head abruptly.
"Clones are people, Rex." Anakin said firmly. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He quickly left the barracks, ignoring the tangle of his own emotions. Ahsoka approached as he walked to his room, grinning broadly.
"How'd it go?" She asked.
"Not now." Anakin muttered.
"What's wrong?" Ahsoka asked, turning from cheery to concerned in a moment.
"Noth—actually, come on. We'll talk." Anakin said. Ahsoka followed, worried. Anakin entered his quarters and locked the door. He picked up his datapad and activated several security measures.
"Why did you ask me to talk to clones?" Anakin asked.
"Because they are amazing. Why are you activating all the security?" She asked, peering over at his 'pad.
"I am Vader." Anakin said, spitting out the name. "I press my luck by fighting in front of a clone, let alone talking about them. Sidious expects me to be completely…" He trailed off, unwilling to say anymore. Ahsoka cocked her head.
"You fight with them?" She asked.
"Just for fun." Anakin said defensively. "Not because I'm being heroic or something." Not because I'm trying to save them. In all honesty, Anakin did fight because he loved it. But now…the purpose might have changed slightly.
"Well maybe you should be." Ahsoka replied. Anakin frowned down at the ground.
"Maybe…" He said slowly. He thought back to the concrete room that his captain had been in. It had been completely empty, except for the entrance to a sleeping pod. The plain walls and floor reminded Anakin of the room he'd been in before he'd earned his quarters at the Temple. Cold, empty, and unfriendly.
"I messed up." He admitted. He'd hated how Sidious had treated him, but he was treating his clones the same way.
"You're really beat up about this." Ahsoka said, sounding incredulous. "Everyone told me that you were…"
"I'm not a normal Sith." Anakin muttered. He hated people's fear. He liked making them laugh. And he'd been a slave. He knew what it was like to be without comfort. Without a name. He knew what it was like to just be a tool.
Ahsoka left to check on her troops and Anakin called for Obi-wan. Obi-wan was one of the Sith who trained him, a very wise Sith who Anakin held in high regard. Despite the fact that he leaned towards the Light Side. Anakin considered him his master, not that he could ever say that in an unsecure location. Sidious was jealous of his apprentices.
"Obi-wan?" He asked into the comlink.
"Anakin? How did it go?" Obi-wan asked, sounding slightly concerned.
"Fine…but can you come to my quarters?"
"Yes." Obi-wan arrived shortly and sat on the end of Anakin's bed. Anakin sank down into a chair.
"I'm confused, master." Anakin said. "The girl—Ahsoka—she told me to talk to the clones…" he waited, watching Obi-wan. "And I did."
"Yes. What's bothering you?" Obi-wan asked.
"They're…people. Like me." Anakin said. "They're supposed to just be numbers, handy weapons locked away until they're needed. But I saw that they weren't and I can't go back to seeing them that way." He frowned. "It reminded me of me."
"You have a good heart, Anakin." Obi-wan sighed. "But it is dangerous to care."
"I can't go back." Anakin said resolutely.
"Then do what you must." Obi-wan said cryptically. Anakin frowned. That wasn't the easy answer he wanted. "But be careful." Obi-wan added.
"But what do I do?"
"Listen to your instincts, Anakin." Obi-wan said. Anakin thought about that for a moment and raised his chin.
"My instincts say to protect them." He said. "To show them that they matter to me." And secretly, Anakin longed for friendship. But he wouldn't tell anyone that.
"I know you can help them." Obi-wan said.
"I will." Anakin replied, determination filling him. He would set things right with the 501st. He would be their protector, the way he should have been for years.