Chapter 4 – Landing on Coruscant
Author's Note: In which Anakin reunites with Padme, Rex talks to Ahsoka, and Luke meets the Jedi Council.
To Guest (1): I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story! ? There won't be much with Anakin and Luke in this chapter, unfortunately, but it does set up a lot more of the future plot. :')
To Guest (2): I'm glad that you like the character's interactions! :D
Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! ^-^
~ Amina Gila
The ride to the Senate is fairly quiet, and Anakin imagines it's because they're all trying to process what happened. Dooku is dead, and he still can't believe it. Dooku, one of the Sith, the leader of the Separatists, and the one who started the war. They've been searching him for years, and Anakin has fought him without success time and again.
Until now.
Dooku is gone. Anakin killed him. No – he didn't kill him. He murdered him in cold blood, and he feels sick. He feels dirty, and he tries to force his guilt away, because the Chancellor told him to do it. It couldn't be bad, right? The Chancellor would never tell him to do something if it was wrong. It's just like the Jedi: both tell him to do things that he feels are... wrong or immoral. He's accustomed to it, even if he doesn't like it. It doesn't matter how he feels about it though; it never has.
The war is one step closer to ending though. One of the two main Separatist leaders is gone, and that gives Anakin something to look forwards to.
What bothers him most is what's happening to Luke. Everything feels like it's going well now, but he knows something very bad could happen in the near future. The Force is in turmoil, as if it's... trying to decide something. As if it's currently laying out the future of the galaxy, mapping out another path that wasn't supposed to be here previously.
Luke was injured, and Anakin has no idea how or when, but he thinks it's worse than the boy is letting on. He really ought to get checked up in the healer's wing. Plus, he can sense the boy's distress. He's upset about something, and Anakin doesn't know what. He doesn't like it because this space hardly feels private enough to ask him about it.
"Master," Anakin requests finally. "I imagine the Council will want to speak with Luke. I would suggest he go to the healers, too."
"Really?" Obi-Wan asks.
"You too," Anakin adds as afterthought. "You were injured also."
"Minorly," he huffs. "It's no more than bruises, I assure you."
Obi-Wan is always cranky about these things, and Anakin knows it, but his old master is not the only person he's worried for here. Luke was strangled, and Anakin suspects he was injured beyond that, perhaps before he came. He's in pain, both physical and emotional, and he doesn't know what's causing it. "One of us needs to take Luke there," Anakin points out. "I doubt he knows his way around the Temple."
"I've never seen it before," he confesses sheepishly.
Anakin still can't imagine the future which is son is speaking of, and he would much rather not dwell on it, either. He sees Palpatine glancing towards them again – he knows who Luke is and where he's from, but Anakin knows the Chancellor won't tell anyone. This information isn't something they want to let get out, because Anakin knows the Sith would like to get ahold of it.
Assuming Sidious is real, of course. He thinks so, but Dooku could have been lying.
Anakin has also noticed that Luke seems... disturbingly jumpy around the Chancellor, which he can't really blame him for. Politicians can't make him comfortable if he was fighting against the government, and he doesn't want to think about his son being a terrorist.
They land at the Senate not long later, and Palpatine gets off the ship, soon disappearing into the crowd. "Coming, Master?" Anakin asks, stopping at the bottom of the shuttle and turning around.
Obi-Wan leans against the doorway. "No. I'm not brave enough for politics. I have to report to the Council. They will want to see Luke. Besides, someone needs to be the poster boy."
It's not as if Anakin didn't expect this attitude already, but it doesn't stop him from arguing. "Hold on. This whole operation was your idea."
"Let us not forget, Anakin," he argues. "That you rescued me from the buzz droids, and you killed Count Dooku, and you rescued the Chancellor, carrying me unconscious on your back."
"All because of your training."
Luke is watching in the background, something slightly wistful in his gaze. Anakin finds himself wondering what he's thinking, not for the first time. Luke is easy to read, though definitely harder than Obi-Wan, and Anakin hasn't known him long enough to know what he's like as a person.
"Anakin, let's be fair today," Obi-Wan retorts. "Today you were the hero, and you deserve your glorious day with the politicians."
"Alright, but you owe me one, and not for saving your skin for the tenth time."
"Ninth time," he corrects. "That business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't count. I'll see you at the briefing."
Anakin nods. "Can you show Luke to my room? I would like to speak with him later."
"Of course," Obi-Wan agrees, before disappearing into the ship.
Luke's gaze is still on Anakin, and he hesitates in the doorway, but doesn't speak.
"Luke," Anakin calls, before he can turn to leave. If he's going to meet the Council and never met any version of them in the future, he should at least know what to expect. "The Council may not be what you are expecting. They... may be harsh, but they mean best."
He frowns, but nods, before disappearing into the transport, the door sliding closed behind him.
**w**
He senses her presence right nearby and after five months of being apart, after so long, it takes his breath away. He's been wanting to tell her about Luke, but now the only thing on his mind is how he's about to see her again in so long. "Excuse me," he says to Senator Organa.
"Certainly," he agrees, moving forwards into the Senate alone.
Anakin turns and heads towards the pillar. Padme is standing there, and he breaks into an outright run. This is home, the only home he belongs in and has ever truly had since his mother died. This is family, the one place he can say it without shame. He sweeps her into his arms, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. Her arms are around his neck, and they hold each other. For a fleeting moment, he finds himself wishing Ahsoka had been this happy to see him but what more could he expect?
They kiss each other before he pulls back. It's been so long. Too long.
"I missed you, Padme," he breathes.
"There were whispers that you'd been killed..."
"I'm all right," he assures, smiling. She, Anakin knows, is the one person who will always worry and fear for him, and not in the same overbearing way that Obi-Wan always does – she does it with honesty and openness, not lies and deception and fakery. "It feels like we've been apart for a lifetime, and it might have been, if the Chancellor hadn't been kidnapped. I didn't think they would ever have brought us back from the Outer Rim Sieges." This is why he wants to go, to leave, to walk away without looking back, He just wants his family, and there's only one person in the galaxy that is now.
Not Obi-Wan – he betrayed him.
Not Ahsoka – she abandoned him.
Only Padme, and though their relationship is full of lies and deception and though he knows she's too good for him and she doesn't have time for him, it's what he wants. A family. A commitment – someone he knows will support him, as much as he does them. (The only person he has that with is Rex and that's... not appropriate because they're at different levels.)
He moves in to kiss her again, but she pulls back. "Wait. Not here," she objects.
"Yes, here," Anakin argues. "I'm tired of all this deception. I don't care if they know we're married." He knows he shouldn't say this because Padme's career is important to her, but he doesn't care what the Jedi think about it. They already consider him an outcast and a failure, and how would it be worse if he had to leave? He might still believe in the Jedi and the Republic, but it's not the same as it once was. He doesn't want to be a part of it anymore, not when that's what destroyed Ahsoka.
"Anakin, don't say things like that."
Even if it's the truth?
He's about to argue it but then he senses something deeper. He's sensed it form the start now that he thinks about it, but she's shaking. "Are you alright?" he asks, frowning, fear instantly sparking. "You're trembling. What's going on?"
"Something wonderful has happened," she answers breathlessly. "Ani... I'm pregnant."
Anakin pulls back. He had wondered... when Luke told him, he had wondered, but he never would have expected this to happen now.
He's technically been a father since he met Luke, but that was more in a distant, abstract way. His son is around his age, but knowing that Padme is going to have a child... It's deeper, more personal. They're going to have a child, and it's the ones he'll raise and love and care for from birth, not... whatever happened in Luke's timeline. It feels like all the air is being squeezed out of his lungs.
He's about to become a father. It's not the same as being a master, because this is his child of flesh and blood, and he'll raise them from birth and – there's two of them, not one. Luke and Leia, he had said. And, Anakin realizes with a start, despite how badly he has always wanted this, he has absolutely no idea how to be a father. He's never had one. He had his mother, but she's gone, and the closest thing to a father he's ever had is Obi-Wan. But Anakin won't and never will use him as an example of a parent. Obi-Wan was his master, and – and they... well. Their relationship is far beyond complicated, and Anakin would certainly not call it ideal.
Nor does he have anyone to turn to, so he is totally, completely lost.
Nor does he know that he won't mess this up, too, just like he did Ahsoka.
But this is still what he wanted years ago when they married, and now that it's finally happening...
"That's wonderful," he manages when he finally finds his voice.
"What are we gonna do?" Padme inquires worriedly.
"We're not gonna worry about anything right now. Alright?" he asks, reassuringly. "This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life. And Padme... something else happened. When Obi-Wan and I were on our mission... we encountered a boy who said to be from the future. He's our son, Padme. I don't know how it happened."
Padme looks as overwhelmed as Anakin still is by the entire situation. "I want to see him," she declares firmly, almost disbelievingly, not that he can blame her.
"He's at the Temple now," Anakin replies. "I... want to see him again tonight."
**w**
It isn't until now that Ahsoka realizes how much she missed home – being with Anakin and Rex and all the boys of the 501st. When she's done greeting the rest of the boys coming with her – most of them she never knew, and it hurts to know all the ones she did know are gone now – before Rex pulls aside, asking to talk to her privately.
"What is it?" she queries.
He seems unusually tense, as he has the entire time. "It's about Luke," Rex replies, "He told me a little about the future he lived."
She raises an eyemarking. "I've been wondering about him. I still don't see how this is possible." She'll never understand it, but since he's apparently Anakin's son – she still has some serious questions about that – she almost finds it less surprising than if it was anyone else.
"He didn't want too many people to hear, but I thought you should know," Rex continues, "He said all the Jedi are killed, and an Empire was formed, under Sith rule."
What?! "Dooku?" Ahsoka asks, eyes widening. Anakin and Obi-Wan were going to fight him, and –
"He didn't specify, but he said neither the Republic nor the Separatists won."
"I know there's another Sith out there, possibly Dooku's master – Sidious," she replies, "I imagine it could be him who forms an Empire." The enormity of this is... She can't imagine it. "I don't see how he could do that. Or how he would be able to kill all the Jedi."
Rex's expression dims, and she frowns. "What?"
"You remember Fives, right?"
"Of course!" How could she possibly forget him? He was one of the clones Anakin was closest with, and by default, that meant she knew him better than many others even if they weren't exactly friends.
"When we were fighting on Ringo Vinda, one of the others was infected, or at least that's what reports said. He appeared to lose control of himself and killed one of the Jedi we were working with. Fives took him back to Kamino, and he claimed to find an organic chips in the brains of all clones. Chips that can control... our actions? He was taken to Coruscant, and the evidence was presented to the Chancellor, but in the middle of talking to him, Fives tried to assassinate him, and then ran away. He set up a meeting later with me and General Skywalker, but he seemed... extremely unstable when we tried to talk to him. He wasn't explaining it, and we were interrupted when the Coruscanti guard arrived and shot him."
That's... she had no idea about any of that, and it's horrifying to hear that Fives was murdered by one of his own brothers. But as for the rest of it... "And you think that these chips – if they're real – might have some connection to how the Sith would be able to destroy the Jedi?" It's horrifying to say, and a chilling feeling twists inside of her.
"It is a possibility," he admits, "I wanted to talk to General Skywalker or General Kenobi about it, but Luke didn't want me to. I don't know how these chips work, but I can't imagine how anyone could have access or knowledge of them, other than the Jedi or the Chancellor's office."
The words send a sudden surge of dread coiling inside of her. It makes so much sense, but it doesn't seem possible, but – "Maybe that's where we need to search for the Sith. There have been traitors among the Jedi before, though I don't see how one of the two Sith could be a Jedi."
Rex doesn't seem to want to believe this any more than she does. "There must be a reason Fives tried to assassinate the Chancellor," he says, quietly.
"You think...?" She doesn't want to believe it, doesn't understand how it's possible. How could he be hiding right there, and no Jedi sensed him? And he'd never seemed like anything more than a typical, crafty politician with an unseemly interest in Anakin, but she never thought about it until right now. It would make sense, too much sense, for the Sith to be in a position of power like this – for the Sith to control both sides of the war.
"We could warn the Council," she muses, "Though I don't know that they would believe us anyway. This is little more than speculation, after all. And I'm sure Luke will talk to them." Or so she can hope.
But there is something else they can do. Maybe. "We could look into the chips ourselves, though," she points out, "If everyone has one, we could just try out a scan on someone to see, and... Can these things be removed?"
"Fives removed his, but they claimed that's what made him unstable."
"That doesn't make sense. Those things aren't present naturally, so why would it have made him insane if it was taken out?" she objects, "We'll have to be careful, but... We can at least try."
**w**
Quite simply, Obi-Wan is not sure what to think of Luke. Time travel is unheard of and should be impossible, but apparently, it can happen.
The boy is living proof of that, and he has no idea what to think about the fact that Anakin apparently had a child. The future he spoke of was as outlandish as the very fact that he time-traveled itself, and the Council clearly agrees by the time Obi-Wan finishes giving them his report.
"We must speak with him," Master Windu declares at last.
"Be careful, we must," Master Yoda cautions.
"Did anyone see his arrival?" inquires Mundi.
"No," Obi-Wan replies. "I felt the disturbance in the Force as did my old padawan, but no one reported seeing him appear."
"This boy's presence may be a trick of the Sith," Mundi suggests.
"Possibly," Obi-Wan concedes, "But I do not doubt his relationship to Anakin. Luke is... powerful, much like him."
"He appeared in the midst of a battlefield," reminds Master Windu. "We must not forget this. He may speak the truth, but we must be cautious."
Obi-Wan knows this, of course. Even if he were to have a reason to trust Luke – which he does not – he would still be wary, as he knows nothing about the boy or his time period. Anakin seems to trust him already, but that means nothing. Anakin has always been far too trusting. It makes it hard to trust him – the boy is all over and lacks the adherence to the Code that he should have.
He wants to believe in Luke, but his story simply doesn't make sense. The Jedi couldn't be destroyed, and an Empire couldn't be formed. It's simply not possible. Plus, for all they know, he could be working for Dooku, trying to distract the Council from where they need to turn their focus.
"His story is questionable," Master Plo agrees. "However, we must consider his words. There may be truth to them."
"Perhaps," Master Shaak Ti replies.
"If we question him, perhaps we will discover the truth of this matter," Master Windu settles on. "Send him in."
**w**
Luke can't deny his nervousness as he stands in front of the Jedi Council. He's met Jedi before, but now, he's surrounded by eleven of them – because the Council is currently down one member. The only ones he recognizes are Master Yoda and Obi-Wan. The others are completely foreign. He has no idea what to expect, but Master Yoda was nothing like he imagined.
"From the future, are you, you say?" Master Yoda inquires, and Luke suddenly finds himself remembering how he saw the older version of this master disappear.
He banishes the thought just as quickly. "Yes," he answers honestly.
"Can you explain how the Jedi were destroyed?" one of the other's asks. He's a dark-skinned human seated next to Yoda. Luke doesn't know his name, but he sounds cold and emotionless. He's suspicious, Luke knows immediately.
"I know very little about this," he confesses. "Most information about the Jedi has been destroyed, but from the rumors I heard, the clones were the ones who killed them. I've heard something about... inhibitor chips, but I never looked into it. There was a clone who fought with the Rebellion of my time, so I know there is a way to free them."
The Council exchanges glances. "The inhibitor chips," Obi-Wan clarifies. "Yes. Their purpose is to prevent aggression. Their removal makes the clones... unstable. We have had past experience with this."
... strange. "It was a rumor," Luke reminds. "The details may have been incorrect."
"How could an Empire be formed?" Master Windu asks, and that's when Luke knows immediately that he needs to figure something out, and fast, because while he doesn't necessarily care for their trust, it will become far more difficult if they don't trust him. He can't let them know about Anakin, because he knows that would be a very bad idea, and he's not sure how much detail he should go into.
Plus, quite simply, he doesn't trust the Council. He doesn't fault them for distrusting him either – Luke knows well how war can do that to a person. He is not very trusting anymore, even if he once was.
"Palpatine was the Emperor," Luke answers. "The Jedi were accused of treason and destroyed the same day the Empire was formed. I... do not know the details. The history of the Jedi was destroyed."
There is another long pause of silence. It doesn't seem like they believe him.
"Much darkness I sense in you," Master Yoda declares, ears twitching.
That catches him off-guard, if only briefly. "Yes," he admits, "But I am loyal to the Jedi."
"That remains to be seen," the human replies.
"How old were you when you were trained?" Obi-Wan asks.
The conversation is starting to make him... uncomfortable. "Nineteen," Luke answers.
The Council exchanges glances again.
"Who trained you?" the human inquires.
Luke finds himself glancing at Obi-Wan briefly before looking back at the unnamed man. "I received some training from Obi-Wan, and Master Yoda completed it."
"The latest we accept younglings is three," another one of the Jedi Masters interjects – not one Luke recognizes.
"Anakin was a rare exception," Obi-Wan replies calmly, as if there's nothing wrong with it. "He was nine. The latest we accepted before was five – and with dire consequences. The Council excepted Anakin only because of who he was."
"Three?" he echoes incredulously. "Before they are old enough to make this choice for themselves?! How can they choose to become a Jedi if they don't understand what it means?" He's scrambling to understand all the information suddenly being dumped on him. He knew he was old, but not a decade older than the former oldest who was... apparently three times two old?! And what does Obi-Wan mean "because of who he was"?!
The Council members exchange glances again – maybe he spoke too quickly, too certainly. He needs to remember to mind his words – he doesn't need their trust, but it would help. "You claim to be a Jedi, yet you question all which our Order stands on?" the human asks.
"That's not what I –" He breathes in deeply to calm himself. He needs to stay level-headed for this, and it's not fair for him to judge. "Why is it done this way?" Luke asks. He doesn't understand it, because it sounds very much like all these people's free will is being taken from them, and he doesn't believe the Jedi would do something like that.
"A Jedi must not have attachments," Obi-Wan answers this time. "If we do not learn this from childhood, many cannot let it go. We must adhere to the Code."
"But that's separation," Luke continues. It's not an easy situation, but he won't back down just because it's awkward, or because he's making everyone else feel uncomfortable. "At such a young age, it's harmful."
"It is what we must do," the other human replies coolly. "Life as a Jedi may not be easy, but it is our duty."
Personally, Luke does not believe all those born with the Force should have their families taken away, but he doesn't voice that. If anything, it would only escalate the situation. He knows life as a Jedi requires a dedication.
"If you weren't raised as a Jedi," another asks, one that's a species he doesn't recognize. "Who raised you?"
"My uncle and aunt on Tatooine," he answers. It sends a pang of grief through him to think about how they're still alive here, and he almost wants to see them again, but the truth is, they don't know him. The people he knew are gone, but that doesn't really matter, because he's not staying here forever.
There is yet another long lapse of silence. "Who was your mother?" asks the human – he's doing most of the talking.
"I don't know," he answers, honestly. "I never knew her. I don't know her name either." Luke is actually grateful for that, because he has no idea what he'd have told the Council if he did know. He doesn't want to ruin anything for his father.
There is another long pause of silence, and Luke gets the feeling they don't believe him. He doesn't blame them, but he has no idea what to do.
"Can you prove you're from the future?" the human asks.
His mind races as he tries to come up with something logical. "My hand is a prosthetic," he offers finally. It's not something he's comfortable talking about, but he has to tell them something. He's still uncomfortable thinking about it because he lost it to his father. To be fair, he also cut off his father's hand... which was also a prosthetic and Luke knows it is already, though he has no idea how that happened. "It's from future technology. And you can do a blood test. I imagine our DNA will match."
He hopes it will, anyway, because very, very strange things have happened in that regard. First, he thought the droid was defective or something, but when it started happening more frequently, he started wondering if one of his parents was blacked out from the central system or something. There are enough species for someone's to be 'unknown', but Luke is certain he's entirely human. So is Leia.
But then he remembers that he has no idea who his mother is, and he wonders.
Final Notes: If you want to join our Discord to receive updates or just hang out, here's the invite link, and please delete the spaces! :) discord . gg / nqSxuz2
You can find us on tumblr at fanfictasia (which is our more serious blog which does have controversial posts on it; I won't be offended if you choose to block it, promise), and disastertriowriting (which is our fun blog with crack posts or incorrect SW quotes; we also advertise our SW gift exchanges on there)
And! We have a YT channel for tributes! Please delete the spaces in the link. :D youtube channel / UC_g1M5rSCxJUzQCRS29B6pA
Finally, if you're interested, you can submit a SW gift fic request via the following form (delete the spaces): forms . gle / rmXWtRomMMaULuPa6
