Again, thank you so much for your kind reviews. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it's quite long.
Chapter 13-Victory and Loss
The family strolled through the corridors of the starship as slowly as possible, trying to delay their inevitable parting as long as they could. Padme had her son propped up on her shoulder while Anakin fiddled around with his hand, playing a little game of arm wrestling with the bubbly-eyed boy.
"He's definitely grown. I can barely hold him up anymore."
"I can't believe how strong in the Force he is. I felt his presence the moment we exited hyperspace."
"Is he going to be a Jedi, Anakin," Padme asked apprehensively. For a moment she saw a defiant glare in her husband's blue eyes.
"That will be up to his parents," he finally asserted. "And it will be up to him."
"If only Leia were here. Our little family would be complete." Padme sighed longingly, wondering if she could ever lead a normal life.
"Leia's better off than any of us. Force knows how the Organas are spoiling her in that royal estate of theirs." Anakin had never been to Alderaan, but he imagined a palace as grand as the one in Theed.
"I wonder of she will remember us, after so long."
"Luke did," assured Anakin. At the mention of his name Luke turned his head to look at his father. Blue met blue, and Luke reached his arms out to his father. Padme handed the baby to him. "Our children are strong in the Force, Padme. They will always recognize their mother and father are."
"I hope the Organas don't get too attached to our daughter though," mused Padme, thinking back to the awkward situation from only minutes earlier. They didn't speak their thoughts out loud, but it was obvious that Owen and Beru were resentful towards Luke's real parents despite the kind words offered by Anakin concerning Cliegg. Anakin had sensed their discomfort though, and had suggested that they accompany Luke and Padme to Dagobah. Owen nodded his head with more reluctance than he actually felt, and Anakin knew that the crisis had been temporarily diffused.
They were met at the end of the hallway by Obi-Wan and two other companions. One was a lanky dark-haired young man that Anakin guessed to be about his age, if not a few years younger. Accompanying him was a little boy of about nine years old, crouching timidly behind Obi-Wan and the other man.
"Anakin! Let me introduce you to the pilot who saved both our behinds."
Handing Luke back to his wife, Anakin walked up cordially to the man and shook his hand. "You must be Freedom 20 then. I'm assuming you're new to the squadron."
"Just joined two months ago. I'm Shane Antilles, flew with the Corellia Volunteer Fleet until the Empire disbanded it and took our ships." He looked back and motioned for the kid, who hesitantly stepped forward. "This little creature's my brother Wedge. He runs the cannons on our ship and blew up a mighty number of TIA's today." Shane's eyes sparkled with pride. "We're both honored to meet the two of you."
"The honor's mine," said Anakin. He instantly developed a fondness for the Antilles brothers. Shane's eagerness reminded Anakin of the days when he was a headstrong Padawan looking to take on the Galaxy, and young Wedge's skills in combat brought Anakin pleasant memories of his own childhood piloting exploits.
"You've heard of Anakin Skywalker, right Wedge?" Wedge nodded his head at his older brother. "That's right, he's the greatest pilot in the galaxy."
Anakin laughed wholeheartedly. "I'd be lying if I say that your brother's exaggerating, but I'm sure someday you're going to rival me in your skills."
"Thank you sir," muttered the shy Wedge with complete awe.
"Let me introduce you to my family. This is my wife, the incomparable Senator from Naboo Padme Naberrie Amidala."
"Skywalker," added Padme as she stepped up. Anakin beamed with pride.
"And this little toddler's our son Luke." Anakin looked back down at Wedge again. "When he's old enough, I'd be honored for you to teach him how to fly."
Wedge nodded eagerly again, but his attention was elsewhere now. His eyes were completely transfixed on Padme, who gave Anakin a knowing grin.
Obi-Wan finally stepped into the friendly exchange. "I'm glad you're all getting along, Anakin. Captain Antilles and his brother will escort your family in their ship until they reach hyperspace."
"I wouldn't trust anyone else other this Master Jedi himself."
"We won't let you down, General Skywalker." Shane's voice boomed with certain confidence.
"General Skywalker," said Padme when they were alone again. "I'd never thought I would live to see the day."
Anakin chuckled in response and tried to put on his best mask of humility. "Well, honestly, I don't believe ranks mean much when you're a rebel." He said the last word softly. Anakin still had trouble labeling himself as a rebel. It had a negative connotation to it in his mind. He was fighting on the right side. He knew that and it was comfort enough for him.
"I think the little one had a crush on you, Padme. Was I that cute when I first met you all those years ago?"
"Cuter," whispered Padme, but she wanted to wipe the devious grin off her husband's face. "But not by much. I do remember the last time a boy looked at me like that. You better treat me right, General Skywalker, or you're going to have some serious competition in ten years or so."
"Oh, if you even dare," said Anakin with mock anger, "I will have no choice to go after your old handmaidens. I wonder if Sabe will still be single then? Maybe Eirtae? I've always had a thing for blondes. Of course if I wanted to try my luck with a married woman, I can always go after Rabe."
Padme shot fire from brown eyes towards her husband but held back the urge to punch him in his lower regions. She had started that course of conversation, and besides, it wouldn't be good for Luke to witness such domestic violence at such a young age.
"Alright, enough of this. I don't want to spend our last minutes together speculating on extramarital affairs."
"Hey, you started it."
"Right, and I'm ending it. You're pretty good with kids," she said changing the subject. "I remember how my nieces loved you back in Naboo. You're going to be a great father to our children, I know that." She snuggled closely into her husband's arms. "Promise me that you'll stay alive till then. Promise me that this won't be the last time I see you."
"I promise. You promise the same."
"I do." Padme found that leaving Anakin's arms was the hardest she had ever had to do. After a year together she could not imagine even a second without him. They had been there for each other through the darkest of times in the darkest of places. Now, only one final task remained and they could be a normal family for once. Forever, she hoped.
"It's time," he whispered into her ear.
"I love you, Anakin. Stay alive."
"Your wish is my command, milady. I love you too. Take good care of our son." Anakin did not try to hold back his tears as he watched his wife and son walk away from him, Padme looking back with a furtive glance towards him every few steps. Luke seemed to naturally sense the mood as he was sniffling a bit, but amazingly he was more composed than either one of his parents.
"May the Force be with you," Anakin said quietly under his breath as they disappeared from view.
"So what's your plan for winning the battle, Padawan?" Obi-Wan and Anakin mere minutes from briefing the Freedom Squadron on their next mission. Only six of the forty-seven pilots perished in the previous skirmish, whose success led Senator Mothma to give them free rein over their ensuing missions and strategy.
"Well, remember what we did with the Invictus?" Anakin had a mischievous look in his eye, and Obi-Wan didn't like it one bit.
"You don't expect us to pull something like that off again, do you? They'll be expecting it!"
"And therein lies the inherent brilliance of my plan, Master."
"How did you learn to talk like that?" The once skeptical Obi-Wan was puzzled as to where his old Padawan learned such vocabulary. Definitely not from the grammar classes he had tried to shove into his hard head for ten long years.
"Spend a year with a Senator, Obi-Wan, and you pick some things up."
Aboard the Super Destroyer Executer Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin frowned as he studied the holoprojection of the battle. He still struggled to reconcile the fact that a small rebel counterattack had crippled the offensive abilities of the Invictus. One pilot, he thought. One was all it took. Tarkin walked up to the window of the bridge and suddenly felt a lot more vulnerable than he preferred to.
A subordinate officer approached him nervously.
"Admiral Tarkin, the same squadron that attacked the Invictus is launching an offensive against us. They are fighting through our defenses with much success."
"Incompetence," he spat out with complete contempt. "Pure incompetence. I find it ridiculous that the great Imperial Navy cannot defeat a ragtag group of pilots." He examined the holomap again. "So the rebel group is ignoring the Hemmler," referring to the other Star Destroyer that along with the Executor was quickly advancing towards the bulk of the rebel fleet.
"It seems that their target is us, sir. Intercepted communications indicate that the two leaders of the squadron are escorting an unmanned vessel. They would like to perform a repeat of the Invictus."
"The fools. Could they possibly believe that one ship can immobilize a Super Star Destroyer." Tarkin pondered the situation in his head. He held the upper hand now, and if he could get rid of this pesky Freedom Squadron the Battle of Chandrilla would be all but over. All he needed to do was cut them off at the head. That presented him another tempting concept. Tarkin had heard rumors that the squadron was led by two former Jedi Knights. Such a bounty would make a perfect dowry that will regain him the favor of his Emperor.
"Fortify defenses around this bridge. They must not get through."
"Yes sir."
"And launch a counterattack against this so-called Freedom Squadron. I want their leaders cut off. Lead them on a pursuit towards the side of the ship, and turn on the tractor beam."
"Yes sir." Captain Dantua was more than relieved. His turn as the bearer of bad news was almost over, and he, unlike many of his colleagues, had not yet been slated for immediate execution.
"By the way, Captain," remarked Tarkin in a casual manner, "make certain that both pilots are alive and held captive on this ship, or your death will accompany theirs."
"Anakin! You almost got me killed back there." The two Alliance T-Fighters swirled through the swarms of TIA's.
"Had to protect the bait, Master. Besides, I'm helping you learn how to take care of yourself."
"Ha." Obi-Wan's fighter flew on Anakin's right side with an unarmed vessel in between the two. Their path towards the bridge of the Executor had been cut off moments ago.
"Aren't you enjoying this? It reminds me of old times."
"Yes quite. In fact, last time we did something like this, we saved the life of a Sith Master from the clutches of his own apprentice."
"Point taken." Static. "In other words, we completed our mission, which the Jedi Council sent us on."
"Point taken."
They were closer to the Star Destroyer now, which mean they had to avoid the blast cannons from its surface as well as the infinite numbers of clone piloted fighters. Anakin sped ahead as he engaged offensively against the enemy, meeting with little resistance. He pulled up as if to re-engage a course towards the command center of the battleship and encountered numerous volleys of cannon fire. Anakin dodged them and pulled back into position besides Obi-Wan, who had already lost control of his craft.
"They've got the tractor beam on. I'm being pulled in."
"Ah, even better for us. This time we won't have to depend on nonexistent escape pods."
"Oh, by the way Anakin, remember that General Grievous, the one who released all those pods on the Hand?"
"Vividly. Unfortunately I still remember his odor, too."
"Well, I'm not sure if I got to tell you this, with the whole Jedi Purge happening and all, but I did manage to personally get rid of him on Utapau."
"Oh, good job. I knew you had it in you, Master."
Hundreds of blasters were pointed at them the moment the three fighters docked onto the Star Destroyers. One of the clone captains spoke out with a voice projector.
"You are surrounded and outnumbered. Come out unarmed and you will not be harmed. The Empire grants a fair trial to all enemy combatants."
"What do you say, Obi-Wan," asked Anakin into his com. "Now's a good time?"
"As good as any."
"Let's roll." Anakin pressed a button on the remote detonator in his hand and braced for impact. The explosives packed into the unmanned fighter shook the two Jedi's fighters and blew away the exposed clone troopers outside. Anakin and Obi-Wan immediately ejected out of their vessels and ignited their lightsabers as they surveyed the wreckage. The smoke from the explosion clouded the vision of the clones, not that they stood a chance from the very beginning. Their lightning quick reflexes took the two men quickly to all corners of the room as they deflected any blaster shots. Soon they were the only ones alive in the room.
"Okay," said Obi-Wan, gathering his thoughts. "Now we fight together."
"Agreed. We'll head straight to the target. And no patience this time. Let's rush things."
The two warriors fought their way through the ship, sprinting at full speed the entire time. The narrow corridors and their pure speed prevented the clones from surrounding and overwhelming them. Their officers never saw more than two blinding flashes of lights before their troops were cut down. The smarter ones fled in panic. The valiant ones lost limbs and lives.
"You know who we forgot," remarked Anakin as he jumped over a line of clones. He kicked several in the chest as he landed and started slashing around himself in circles, cutting down the troopers in the midst of their numbers. "Artoo's still on the Protector."
"Oh yeah." Obi-Wan cut down the troops between him and Anakin and the two of them proceeded to an elevator. "Do you think we needed him on this one?"
"Yeah, I just realized that he would've been very useful."
"Too late now." The two were standing still now, waiting for the elevator to reach its destination. Anakin began fidgeting his fingers through his hair.
"Do you have to do that," asked Obi-Wan feigning annoyance.
"What?"
"The hair thing." He pointed at Anakin's head for good measure.
"Oh. Why do you care?"
"I don't know. It makes me feel uneasy."
"Huh. Where have I heard that before?" Before Anakin could answer his own question the doors slid open. Lightsabers re-ignited and the break was over.
The upper levels featured less clones among the soldiers as more of the fighters were recent graduates of the Imperial Military Academy. Anakin felt some qualms over killing such beings, but war was war and he didn't have a choice. It was his responsibility to end this war once and for all and bring peace back to the Galaxy. A real peace, not one of the tyrannical Sith. If that meant sacrificing courageous men who just happened to have been fighting on the wrong side, then so be it.
There was no stopping the ultimate team. Both men fought as one object, guided completely by the Force. Anakin reached with his mind through the labyrinth of the Destroyer. When he found the bridge of the vessel he let go of his thoughts entirely and focused on letting the Force guide him on a one-way path towards his destination. Through their mental bond Obi-Wan felt the same nudges from the Force. Their running, their jumping, and their hacking were no longer conscious actions. It didn't matter what odds were stacked up against them. They were agents of the Force itself. They were unstoppable.
The Executor was in a state of panicked emergency now. Waves after waves of reinforcements sent to stop them were to no avail. High ranking officers joined the fight themselves only to be cut down as quickly as their brute infantry. Soon chaos reigned over the Imperial hierarchy. Without orders anymore, the clone troopers not engaged in combat against the two Jedi stood still at their posts. The more sentient fighters fled to safe-rooms and locked the doors, hoping the Jedi were not on an extermination spree.
When they finally reached their goal, Anakin found that the door to the bridge was locked. "They must be sealing themselves in there," he said to Obi-Wan. "Artoo would be useful right about now. He can hack into the computers and open the doors for us."
"Or we can do it the traditional way," advised Obi-Wan. "Shortcuts aren't the only route, my Padawan." Only stuck his lightsaber into the door and started cutting a circle through the steel.
"Ah, forgot about that. Lesson learned." Anakin followed his lead and started cutting the other half of their entrance. Soon their task was completed.
Anakin immediately felt another presence. It's a trap, he said to Obi-Wan mentally.
I know, I feel it too.
With the Force, Anakin shoved the man hiding behind one of the computer frames onto the wall. He heard a back break and saw a blaster drop onto the floor.
Quite a pathetic trap, if you ask me.
Anakin, be careful. Such methods are of the Dark Side.
Dogma doesn't concern me anymore, Obi-Wan. I do what is necessary.
Anakin approached the man. He groaned on the floor with a defiant glare at the intruders. "What is your name?" There was no answer. "Ok then, I'll get straight to the point. What are the passkeys to access this ship's computer?"
The man spat at Anakin, but the saliva never reached him. With a gesture of his hand, the spit went flying back into the spitter's eye. "Strike one," Anakin said, and without warning he used the full weight of the Force to probe into the man's mind. It took only took mere seconds, but Anakin immediately knew Wilhuff Tarkin's complete life story.
To Obi-Wan's continuing surprise Anakin filled with rage as he lifted Tarkin's body up into the air, his paralyzed legs dangling limply in the air. Anakin stared into the Admiral's eyes.
"Admiral Wilhuff Tarkin, you do not deserve half a second of decency in this life or whatever follows. For your crimes I sentence you to death." Anakin plunged his lightsaber through the suspended body and let go with the Force, dumping it unceremoniously onto the floor.
Obi-Wan stood still in shock. "Anakin, why did you do that? And, what I felt you did, how did you probe into his mind so…so ruthlessly?"
Anakin's response was cold and unmoving. "One of the techniques I learned on Korriban. I use them, but just because I do doesn't mean I serve the Dark Side." Anakin turned and walked to the Executor's main control panels. "I found out what I needed to know, and I found out about a man who deserved to die."
As he entered several codes and entries into the computer he continued: "He was the one who attack you and Luke on Tatooine and tracked you to Utapau. He was responsible for the attacks on Zonoma Sekot. He has committed countless massacres and atrocities, and would have continued to do so had he lived. One day he would have been a destroyer of entire planets."
"Perhaps, but it is not your place to condemn him."
"It wouldn't have mattered. He would have died anyway by the time we are done." The computer beeped. "Which we are."
Obi-Wan shrugged in defeat. He still needed to have a serious talk with his old Padawan sometime, but the current timing did not do much for conversation. Retracing their steps it took only minutes to get back to their ships. Resistance was much lighter without anyone giving orders, and soon Obi-Wan and Anakin were back flying through the freedom of space.
It was not much longer after when the sharp tip of the Executor, following expertly encoded and un-overwritable programming in its navigational controls, led itself through space until it collided and stabbed into the mainframe of the Hemmler. The result was equivalent to a massive earthquake on both destroyers. Explosions filled the vacuum of space as the Super Star Destroyer continued its course, cutting a hole through the middle of its smaller counterpart. Rocked by the thunderous impart both ships began falling into pieces.
There was no conversation on the small freighter that carried the Skywalker and Lars families. Padme held Luke in her lap as she sat at the front of the ship manning the controls. Owen helped Beru in the kitchen as she prepared some simple stews and broth. F'ibo Jek meditated on the floor of the storage compartments, resenting the mission she had been sent on. It seemed sacrilegious for her to be safeguarding the wife and child of a wayward Jedi rather than actively fighting the evils of the Sith Empire.
The trip into hyperspace had been uneventful. The freighter sneaked away from the Protector escorted by a Corellian vessel under the command of Captain Shane Antilles and his little brother Wedge. Once the freighter entered hyperspace the brothers flew back and rejoined the Battle of Chandrila just in time to see the mighty Star Destroyers of the Imperial Fleet literally rip each other apart. Nobody sensed a void in the Force following the refugee ship. Nobody felt that void reach across the dead of space until it found the hyperdrive of the freighter.
Padme was surprised when they exited hyperspace prematurely. She consulted the maps and found that they were not even a quarter of the way to Dagobah yet. The ship's computer informed her that their hyperdrive had been leaking. The nearest planet was Kuat, and Padme decided to land on a mech station on one of its moons. Darth Sidious's stealth craft did never appeared on the radar as it followed them into the station.
The shadow left his vehicle and approached the freighter at a surprisingly fast pace. F'ibo had sensed that something was wrong the moment they exited hyperspace, but she could not pinpoint any reasons. It was not until she stepped off the ship when she finally felt the presence of the Sith Master in the form of waves and waves of Sith lightning.
Darth Sidious did not relent, channeling all his hatred towards the young Jedi Knight. He had not personally killed one of them since throwing the Master Mace Windu out of the window of his office. Sidious savored every bit of her pain until F'ibo's soul melted away along with her flesh. When his work was finished, Sidious entered the ship. The dead Jedi had joined his haunters, he felt with malicious glee, and would find nothing but darkness for all eternity.
There were four people on the freighter. Two of them mattered. The others were worthless pieces of galactic dust. Sidious brushed the dust away as he passed through the kitchen. Even as Owen and Beru's bodies crashed into the wall with ferocious velocity Palpatine felt no satisfaction with his kills. They were insignificant compared to the two prizes that lay waiting in the cockpit.
Luke was crying furiously as Padme plotted the ship's navigational controls for the journey following the repair. She stopped to comfort her child when she heard violent noises coming from the kitchen. Before she could react a dark robed figure stepped into the room. The fear was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Padme clutched her son to her chest tightly and stared back at the Emperor with raging defiance.
"Padme Amidala, the Senate has missed your faithful attendance." His voice sounded like death itself.
"What do you want from me?" Padme did not bother to play any games with Palpatine.
To her horror her son was ripped away from her arms by an unseen wind and floated treacherously towards the shadow in front of her. The shadow spoke: "My next apprentice."
Then darkness surrounded her as the lightning poured out of Darth Sidious's hands.