Chapter 3 – Planning

Author's Note: In which the Sith look around their new reality and make plans. :)

Some people have noticed that Obi-Wan is acting far more like Athair than he is his Jedi self. Yes, he is, and that's because he is really struggling with all of this. His Jedi and Sith ways of life are not compatible in the least, and since he can't reconcile them, he's following the lifestyle and behavior patterns that he can cope with easiest: those of the Sith. Even as a Jedi, he struggled with attachments, and that's not something he needs to fight if he's a Sith. I hope that makes sense! :)

~ Amina Gila

The adults wanted to talk in private, but Leia is pretty sure the main reason she, Luke, and Mara were shooed out was to keep Anakin occupied. She doesn't mind, though, because she finds him... intriguing. She's never been around a Jedi before, and she's not really sure what to expect. He doesn't seem terribly happy about being here, not that she's really surprised about that, even if he's hiding it well.

"What's it like to be a Jedi?" she asks, her curiosity getting the better of her. She ignores the unimpressed look Mara is giving her.

"We help people," he answers, after a pause,

"Father did that too! It's what we all did in our galaxy," Luke objects. It's true, even if Leia isn't sure that the Jedi here would see it that way. The only way to ever ensure peace in the galaxy was to rule it themselves.

"We're not a family like you are, but we...work together." he continues. "We all live together, and everyone knows one another."

That's... not at all how the Sith operate. Or how the Jedi in their galaxy are either, since those still alive are scarred across the galaxy, in hiding. "It's different with the Sith," Leia comments, "We live all over." It would never work to have them all in the same place at the same time. Sidious may have been intentionally creating rivalry between them, but even so, too many Sith in the same place tends to spell trouble, unless they're all working for the same goal.

"Who is your... Grandmaster?" Luke asks curiously.

"Master Yoda," he answers, carefully, eyeing them. Leia wonders if he's wondering if they're probing for information, which... she is not. She's genuinely curious, even if it would be nice for them to give this information to the others, they probably already know from Obi-Wan.

"Do you know our mother?" Leia asks, slightly awkwardly, but she is curious.

"...yes, I do," he confirms. "I did not realize she was Force-sensitive. She's a Senator here."

"She isn't trained?" Luke squeaks in surprise.

"No. She's the Senator of Naboo. I met her when we were young, and we've been... friends since."

"Father met Mother when he was nine," Leia comments, "When the Trade Federation – do you have that here?"

He seems to perk up a little at the mention. "I met her when the Trade Federation blockaded Naboo," Anakin confirms. "My master and his master, at the time, were sent to Naboo to negotiate. They escaped with Padme but their hyperdrive was damaged, so they came to Tatooine to replace it."

"That's what happened with us, too!" Luke exclaims. Leia can sense how curious he is, perhaps overly so. Her brother has always been one for stories and excitement – not that she can't say the same for herself. She loves stories of war and battle, but she knows none of it is as light and cheerful as she wants to believe. Her family has experienced first-hand the tragedy of war, too.

"Obi-Wan's master found me there, and I was with them while they destroyed the blockade before I was brought to become a Jedi."

"Athair found Father on Tatooine," Leia relates, "He was helping Mother with the Federation Blockade because the Emperor wouldn't do anything, even though Naboo was his home planet. That's when she realized we couldn't let him keep ruling, because he didn't care about the galaxy." She's heard the details of the story many times over, and in a way she's almost glad she never saw what the galaxy was once like before her parents took over. (Even if Luke seems to think the battles would be exciting to live through.)

"What happened to the Jedi there?" Anakin wonders.

"They were killed off decades ago when the Empire formed," Luke replies. "The youngest were raised in the Dark Side."

"It made them stronger," Mara comments, speaking up for the first time.

Leia immediately notices his... something close to discomfort. "Do Sith see everything in terms of power?" Anakin asks.

"In order to survive or help anyone, you have to be powerful," Luke counters, "And the Dark Side is stronger."

"Is it?" Anakin asks. "Can Sith love?"

"Most emotions are rooted out of the Dark Side," Leia answers. "The Light has very little emotional depth."

"That's why Jedi don't have emotions," Luke says in a tone implying that's the most boring thing he's ever heard. Never mind that saying that right to a Jedi is a little... rude. Normally Leia wouldn't care, but she likes Anakin. He is another version of their father, after all.

"They control their emotions so it does not cloud their judgment," he corrects, though she thinks he's... actually thinking about what they're saying.

"The Jedi fear the Sith," Mara speaks up, "That certainly clouded their judgment. That's why they were destroyed in the end."

"I don't know what things are like here," Leia replies, "But the Jedi saw the Sith as evil. Some of them did need to be stopped, but not all Sith are the same. We use our emotions to make us powerful. It's our intentions that matter."

"What are your intentions?" For some reason, there's a small part of her that almost wants Anakin to stay Light because she likes how he feels, but it would be better for him if he embraced the Dark Side. The way he's avoiding replying to her comment makes her wonder what he's thinking.

"Whatever Father decides," Luke chirps.

"We'll help," Leia agrees. In their own way – a way the Jedi may not understand. "However Father says."

**w**

Tracking down the building owned by the other Sith isn't difficult. Vader stops in front of the tall structure, looking it up and down. The outside of it is built securely, and he imagines there's security measures in place in case someone comes here tampering. They'll have to be careful.

He raises his hand, unlocking one of the side doors with the Force, and is mildly surprised when no alarms of any kind go off as he and Angelus step inside. There's no sign of any life here, but the building has to be for something.

"Even if no one is here, they may have information of some kind," Angelus murmurs.

"Yes," Vader agrees, "And there may be droids here." Even if no one lives here, there's no way it's completely unoccupied.

She nods, hand resting on her lightsaber as the two silently start forwards. They step into a long main hallway that stretches far in either direction.

They make their way methodically through the building, checking out all the rooms. As it turns out, there are droids here, though most are shut down. They carefully avoid the others.

"Why are there cribs in here?" Angelus asks almost incredulously, stopping by one of the doors.

Vader turns, approaching her. Sure enough, there are, but it doesn't feel like anyone's been in here recently. "Perhaps they are preparing for something." Like kidnapping younglings? But if they really believe in having only two Sith, he doesn't know why they would be.

A quick sweep of the room reveals no more information, so he moves on down the hall. "There is... operating equipment in here," Vader observes, moving past her to the next room. Something tells him there might be a connection, though he isn't sure what. Does this Sidious experiment on people? Or is Plagueis still alive? Vader remembers that he used to do that. Athair had told them that's what happened to many Jedi when the Order was destroyed when Plagueis formed the Empire. The older Jedi who weren't killed were taken to be his... experiments. All of the much younger ones were indoctrinated with Sith ideals, Athair included.

From there, they make their way to what looks like a main control room. "I will see what I can find," Vader decides, stepping up to the controls. He hacks into things all the time and his knowledge of future technology should make this easier.

"There have been numerous transmissions from... Coruscant?" Where the Chancellor is. Do they even need a further confirmation of his identity? It fills him with fear and anger as he remembers his own reality back then. Sidious had been the Emperor, and he has no doubt Palpatine has the same goal. They will not let him succeed this time, and they won't lose anyone when they do.

All of the transmissions have been deleted immediately, but splicing through lines of security defenses, he's actually able to pull up an old recording. The quality is bad so he can't hear much, but he would recognize that hooded figure anywhere. And the voice – even without words – is enough to send a chill down his spine.

It's him. There's no question about it.

They might be far more powerful now then when they fought him before, but... Vader doesn't think he'll ever forget holding Athair's body in his arms. It haunts him even now that he has his master back.

"I knew it," Angelus murmurs, yellow eyes flashing dangerously. He can feel her fear and anger, too. She was trained as an acolyte by Sidious, and Sidious was far worse a master than any other Sith that Vader has met.

"We must inform the others," Vader declares urgently.

**w**

None of the others are surprised to hear, and it doesn't change any of their plans for now. This does give them a better idea on how to take over the Republic, though. They'll work out the details later. For now, they need to focus on forming the... Outer Rim Alliance.

"Anakin will not be happy to hear this," Athair muses. It's surreal to be discussing things with him again, almost as though he was never gone.

Vader frowns. "Why?"

"He knows the Chancellor well," he explains, "They're... friends."

What? "How did he become friends with the Chancellor? I thought Jedi did not get involved in politics on that level."

"Palpatine asked to see him after Anakin saved his planet, and the Council found their relationship... useful."

Well this... could be a problem. It means Anakin could easily blow their cover, and they can't risk that. "We should tell him. It would be risky not to." He deserves to know. The man is his friend, after all, even if Vader can't imagine any universe where he was friends with someone like Sidious.

Athair hums his agreement, and they go to find him.

Anakin is standing outside, watching the lava river when they approach. "You were asking about Sidious," Athair begins.

"Yes," Anakin agrees, cautiously. He's been guarded since the moment they left Felucia – unsurprisingly – but it's been worse since Obi-Wan remembered his other life.

"In our reality, Palpatine was Sidious. I confirmed he is a Sith here as well," Vader relates.

Anakin just... stares, his shock and disbelief radiating into the Force. "No, he – he wouldn't," he denies.

"Think about it," Athair interjects, "Dooku told me the Sith was in the Senate. He'd have to be in a position of power to get what he wants in the end: the entire galaxy reunited under his rule."

"We must stop him," Vader asserts.

Anakin takes a step away from them. "No, you – you're Sith too. How is what he's doing any different than what you want?" It's a fair question, Vader supposes, for someone who knows nothing about their reality.

"He will destroy the galaxy," Athair replies.

"You don't know that."

"In the other reality, he was my master, Anakin. I know him. Those here may not be completely the same, but they are similar. If he cared for the galaxy, he wouldn't have caused this war."

Anakin seems unsure how to reply, but his disbelief, pain, and betrayal echo loudly enough in the Force. And his fear of... losing someone else.

Vader can't explain why he's filled with a strong urge to protect him – maybe it's because of their very strong bond, and that he's close enough in age to his own children? – but he doesn't know what to tell him. Not when, for him, there's none he hates more than Sidious.

"He is not who you think he is," Vader points out, "He will destroy the Jedi as well if he is not stopped."

"And you won't?" he challenges.

Athair sighs. "I told you before Anakin, I have no quarrel with the Jedi. They are... misguided, but we have no intention of destroying them. We only want to restore peace, even if we have to go to extents that they never will."

Anakin... doesn't look very convinced. "What do you mean?"

That is not something Vader or any of the others have any intention of completely sharing with him, but they have to tell him something.

"We will... begin in the Outer Rim. The Hutts have ruled for far too long," Vader replies. Letting him know this much shouldn't hurt.

He seems surprised. "You are going to free the slaves?"

"We will start there," he confirms.

He looks a mixture of hopeful and relieved now, though his emotions – especially about Palpatine – are still raging. He requires time to sort through it before returning to Coruscant. They can't risk anything alerting the Council. Or Sidious.

**w**

"Are you certain the Council will believe it?" Vader asks. Although truthfully, it's not the Jedi Council he's so worried about. Sidious has definitely heard by now about the Sith who appeared out of nowhere. And besides, he isn't in a hurry for Athair to leave. He just got him back and now they're saying goodbye for the indefinite future.

"We already discussed this. They have no reason to suspect otherwise," Athair reiterates, pausing at the bottom of the ramp, "But I know that isn't why you're asking."

In truth, he wants to stay with him at least a few moments longer, but that much is clearly already obvious. "You will be on the same planet as Sidious."

"He has no reason to suspect anything. This time we will have the element of surprise."

Anakin does not look comfortable by this line of conversation, but Vader doesn't know what else they can say to him at this point. He'll have to accept it in time on his own.

"I know."

Athair eyes him. Likely, he knows what's really bothering him right now. "It will not be long," he promises, stepping forward, pulling him into his arms again.

Vader hugs him back tightly, for a moment, before they pull apart. He doesn't want them to leave yet, when he's spent so long apart. But once this is over, they'll be together, ruling the galaxy together as they always should have.

Athair turns to walk up the ramp again, and then Vader abruptly remembers something else. "Anakin?"

The boy pauses, looking back. "Yes?"

"I apologize if this is a difficult topic for you, but what happened to your mother?"

Anakin stills, a sudden wave of pain, grief, and... guilt? crashing into the Force around him. Likely, Vader can only sense it so well because of their bond. "She's gone," he replies quietly.

So they share that in common too.

Athair steps over, laying a comforting hand on Anakin's arm. "It happened ten years later for him," he tells Vader, before the two disappear onto the ship.

Vader almost wants to ask for more details, but it doesn't matter. Shmi is dead. He'll never see her again – any version of her. Not that he expected otherwise. He long since let go of her, even if for a fleeting moment he had still hoped.

He doesn't think he'll ever be able to shake the images of that day from mind. He'd been in Watto's shop with her, when Athair had arrived with Padme – who had yet to be trained as a Sith – looking for parts for their hyperdrive. He was helping her with the Trade Federation blockade of her planet – since the Empire was doing nothing about it.

Athair had tried to free him and Shmi from Watto, and... something had happened with the transmitters. It detonated in front of him. Athair had started electrocuting Watto – he's pretty sure he electrocuted him to death for that – and Padme had pulled Anakin out of the shop to try and help him calm down from everything, if that was possible. Athair took him along when they left.

He may have been raising him more as a Sith apprentice, but he was the only parent – father – Vader knew for the next ten years, and Athair didn't hesitate to show his own affection, even if he was... often harsh.

Vader looks down when Leia reaches over, taking his hand, her brown eyes regarding him with... near worry. Both his children usually notice when something is bothering him, though now Luke is too busy bouncing with excitement to notice.

"Time to leave," Angelus declares, looking to the others.

Vader nods, turning away from watching the receding ship. They have a mission to accomplish. They freed the slaves in the outer Rim once, and now they'll do it again.

**w**

Anakin still doesn't know what to think about this. They're asking that he betray his beliefs, principles, everything. He knows he shouldn't, that he should remain loyal to the Council, but he can't imagine turning Obi-Wan in. He – he doesn't want to do that. He can't imagine doing that, and he... supports what the Sith are doing right now, if they can truly help where the Jedi can't, though he fears what will happen with the war effort.

His Obi-Wan is gone though. The Sith took him away, and for as much as Anakin wants to be upset with Vader for that he can't bring himself to be. Maybe he should.

He's been told his whole life that his destiny is to destroy the Sith, and he has no idea what that makes for their future now. He didn't ask for this. He didn't want it. Obi-Wan is – he's gone. He might look the same, but he is not the same. Not anymore.

How are they supposed to go back to the Temple and pretend nothing happened?

Obi-Wan – unlike normal – seems to sense his distress. "Anakin," he asks. "What's bothering you?"

"How am I supposed to act as though nothing is wrong?" he demands.

"Where does your loyalty lie?" he asks. "With the Jedi Council or with your family, your friends?"

"I..." Anakin looks away. That's not as easy a question as he wishes it was. "You taught me to be loyal to the Council," he reminds.

"Yes, but you have always cared for your friends. Perhaps too deeply. Vader was the same way. We must do this, the same as we did everything else."

"You're not him anymore," Anakin replies bluntly.

Obi-Wan sighs quietly, leaning over to touch his arm. Maybe it's supposed to be comforting, but all it does is hurt. It's not soothing or grounding as it once could've been. He isn't... scared of him exactly, but it's close enough to be left unsettled. He hates how he can't trust this person not to hurt him. "We all grow and change in life."

"You remember an entire life I know nothing of. We are not... we cannot be the same as we once were."

"Perhaps," Obi-Wan concedes, "But you are still Anakin, and I remember you."

Yes, he knows that, but it's still different. Obi-Wan is nothing like he once was, even if he looks the same. "I know, but you're... different." For a moment, he misses his own Obi-Wan so much, even if it makes no sense when he's sitting right beside him.

"I am not who I was in Vader's reality either," Obi-Wan replies, "I remember a life as a Jedi and a Sith, and I... cannot be either."

What does that mean? "Aren't you a Sith?"

"Yes, but not like I once was." He can feel the Force shift around him, and his eyes fade back to blue. The Dark Side that Anakin has felt on him from the moment the Sith did that ritual disappears, and if he didn't know better, he could almost think that nothing has changed. He feels more or less like he always has. Of course, he'll have to project that or the Council will know immediately something's wrong. Obi-Wan pauses briefly, and he seems... not exactly uncomfortable, but close. "This has not changed how much I care for you, or Vader."

... okay, if Anakin had any doubts as to how similar Obi-Wan is to the one he remembers, they're definitely dispelled now, because he doesn't say things like that. All he can do is stare.

Obi-Wan dares to look momentarily amused at the probably incredulous expression on his face. What? What is he supposed to say?!

"You were... more to me than just an apprentice. Both of you."

Anakin just gapes at him, for a few moments, because what. He does not talk about things like this. He just doesn't. "Master..." he trails off, unsure what he's trying to say.

"I know as a Jedi I did not show it, but you... you meant so much to me."

What –?! He has no idea how to react to this, but it's... something a part of him always wanted to hear, even if he knew he never would. Because Obi-Wan had always seemed like a perfect Jedi, and never liked it when Anakin made it obvious he saw him as more than just a master, even if he didn't seem to dislike it either.

He's different now, though, and even if he doesn't entirely feel like his Obi-Wan anymore, he... still is. Apparently, half becoming a Sith made him far more willing to talk about this?

Anakin hasn't let himself think this much about what he does see Obi-Wan as in a long time, and the emotions whirling through him are almost more intense than he can handle. And he suddenly has no idea what to say, how he should react to what Obi-Wan just said.

Obi-Wan stands, and Anakin stands opposite him, uncertainly. It might be strange because this Obi-Wan is technically still a Sith, but when he doesn't say anything, Anakin finally steps closer, wrapping his arms around him.

He's wanted this from the moment the Sith took him, when he was so afraid that he was going to lose him. For a moment, it almost feels like he has his own Obi-Wan back, even if that's not entirely true.

His former master slips his arms surprisingly tightly around him. Obi-Wan doesn't say anything else, but the affection Anakin senses through their bond says more than any words could have.

All Anakin knows now with certainty is that there's no way he can tell the Council about what's really going on. For a fleeting moment, he can't help but wonder if this was Obi-Wan's intention from the start because he's a Sith, after all, but Anakin doesn't want to let himself think like that.

This... It's what he always wanted to hear for so long – even if thinking about attachments this deep is not the Jedi way – and he doesn't want to consider that it could be for nothing more than to manipulate him. No, his master means it. He's certain of it. Besides, what he can feel from him in the Force is not fake.

He won't tell the Council, and he can only hope this is the right choice.

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