A/N: D'oh! It seems that I uploaded a different chapter accidentally when trying to post this one .I am very embarrassed, and thank you all for your patience with me and my lack of computer skills.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Anakin stalked furiously, frustration gnawing at him and making him grind his teeth. There is no passion, he reminded himself. There is serenity. The platitude seemed empty compared to the anger that was rising inside of him, nothing more then words. How could words quell the fear in him, the foreboding that had lodged itself deep inside of him? He found his patience in knowing that she was safe, knowing that she was alive, safely sheltered in his ship.
He triggered another round of firing at the small ships that were being carefully sheltered by the bigger ones, allowing the large starships to absorb the fire. It was a frustrating strategy, and one that was paying off slowly in favor of his enemy. He managed to destroy some of the shuttles, and felt the deaths through the Force. He had to remind himself that it was either their deaths or Padmé's, and the thought set his blood swirling.
A ray of energy arched out from the largest ship, destroying one of the turrets. He forced calm to come to him, forced himself to become a Jedi again. He allowed the light to hold him and guide his movements until he was at ease, ready for the upcoming fight. The shuttles were almost to the planet now, about to touch down on the barren soil of Vijun.
He walked over to the controls, sending out one last round of fire. It would be all he could afford; soon, he would be too distracted to get to the controls. He would finish off all of the Imperials, and then go with Padmé to his ship, where they would leave quietly after thrusting another ship, on auto-pilot, into the middle of the fleet. It was not the ideal situation, but it would be enough. After that, they would set the whole castle to destroy itself, clearing the abomination from the landscape along with the Imperials.
They were now entering his castle, streaming through the halls like insects searching for a morsel of food; he could feel them. There was one among them who was somewhat strong in the Force, he saw. He would have to watch that one. It was as it had been before, the same feeling of gentle strength flowing through him, directing him, guiding him. The only thing that was missing was Obi-Wan.
All other thoughts were wiped away as he felt an unmistakable presence come closer. Before he even opened his eyes to focus them upon the unremarkable grey door, he knew. It was Padmé.
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She entered the weapons room, which was tucked in a discrete corner, but not so hidden that they, or the Imperials, could not find it.
The first thing she felt was a blast of anger and frustration mingled by fear. It hit her with such intensity that she actually staggered back for a second, falling into Anakin's black-plated arms.
"What," she heard him growl, "Are you doing?"
She levered herself calmly out of his grasp.
"Coming for you, love. There will be no possible way for you to carry out your plan without me. We leave together or not at all."
"I wanted you safe!" He pleaded with her, allowing a note of desperation to enter his voice.
She smiled at him again, allowing the confidence and love that she felt to merge into his doubt, overcoming it.
"Where am I safer then with you?" She whispered huskily.
Before he could respond, blaster fire surged into the hallway, missing her only closely. Anakin snarled and reached for his lightsaber, pushing her further into the room. She ignored him and went over to the controls, allowing herself to fall deeper into the current and discover the way the controls worked. She saw what each would do, and calmly sent off another barrage of fire towards the ships that hung above Bast Castle.
In the meantime, Anakin was engaged in a small fight with the squad of troops. He dodged their fire easily despite the limitations of the suit, ducking and weaving in-between them, coming to slice armor and flesh from what seemed like no where. If any of them had survived, his fighting skills would have spun their way into legend. As it was, he managed to defeat them all, coming out of the fray with only slight wounds.
He turned to see Padmé at the controls, forcing the Imperials to reconsider their positions and strategies, keeping them on their toes. Almost all of the turrets were destroyed, however, and the battle was beginning to turn in the favor of their enemies.
"We must leave," he said to her. There was no thought of anger in his mind at her for coming after him; there was only a pressing, pounding sense of desperation.
They came cautiously out into the hall, slowly making their way silently through the castle, the noises of their passage covered by the clanking of Stormtrooper armor elsewhere.
Padmé heard a loud scream coming from somewhere behind her, and whirled, eyes searching the hallways. There was nothing, and then another scream. Anakin pulled on her hand, not wanting her to pause any longer then they had to.
She turned towards him, her eyes searching the dark mask.
"What…"
"That," he said slowly, "Is why I was careful not to let you roam the castle unescorted."
Her eyes widened, and Anakin felt another twinge of regret at what he had done as Vader, however useful it seemed now. But there was no time to feel, no time to think; there was only time to run. And so they did.
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Nilar stood at the top of the balcony that overlooked the main entrance to the castle. Stormtroopers were streaming in, forming a huge force despite those who had been destroyed in the attacks from the castle.
The General could hear screams now and then, echoing off the castle walls. It took all of his dignity to prevent him from wincing; Vader's home was, of course, very well protected.
They still had not found Vader and this… Padmé that the Emperor had spoken of. It galled Nilar to know that they could be escaping even now. Frustration crept up at him; frustration at the thought of his ambitions and plans being thwarted.
But… something came to him, barely more then a whisper that happened to float on the wind to his ears, as if by simple happenstance. It tugged at him, telling him to leave. It was a feeling, a gentle suggestion. Come with me, it said. And Nilar was perceptive enough to follow it, motioning discreetly to his elites, signaling them to come with him, leaving command to another, the glory to himself.
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Anakin raced with her down corridors and passages, leading her as he deactivated alarms and traps. He finally reached his destination, which was the place from which he would set the whole castle to destroy itself.
He quickly entered a complicated sequence into a small keypad. The code, Padmé realized, after a few seconds, was the day she had been born. The realization of such a simple thing that her husband had done, even in the deepest darkness of Vader, filled her with warmth, and she tightened her grip on his hand slightly in a gesture of affection.
Revealed under the metal plating was a simple switch, looking deceptively harmless. She was about to laugh before she realized that he was closing his eyes and reaching deep into the Light side, unarming whatever devices he had to in order to flip the seemingly innocent switch. As it was, it flipped down on its own accord, without him even touching it. There was no alarm, no blaring signals. The end would come to Bast Castle swiftly and silently without warning.
He took her hand tenderly, and she could almost feel his crystalline blue eyes burning into her eyes and thus her soul, her very self. Love flared in her in a sudden explosion, swelling in her, consuming her whole. It was the most intense love she had ever felt, flaming within her, surpassing everything, and she blazed with it, wanting to scream and cry and laugh all at the same time. It stemmed from Anakin, coming to her in rays of golden light, wrapping her, binding her, becoming her, unifying her until she was whole.
"Anakin," she whispered, her voice trembling, "Our children live."
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Nilar allowed the small whisper that only he could hear lead him, drawing him through the labyrinthine mass that was Vader's castle. Men who had been chosen for their ability to be silent and swift crept behind him. They walked only in his footsteps, taking care of the hidden dangers all knew to be there.
They came to what seemed a dead end, with only gleaming silver metal around them, indistinguishable from what they had just passed. But the whisper continued in Nilar's mind, and he closed his eyes, pressing on the metal with his mind. It opened with a hiss, revealing at the end of a hallway two figures, one in the intimidating black hulk of Vader, the other a smaller, delicate female.
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Anakin stood for a moment, the ripples of their love fading slowly into shock and then disbelief.
"What did you say?" he hissed softly, suddenly grateful for the mask that hid his expression. Children… alive? But hadn't she told him that they had died, victims of their father's wrath… unless she had lied to him, misleading him, like Obi-Wan, like the Jedi… His thoughts fell back into Vader's mindset, tracing along the grooves of bitterness and anger that were etched into his soul. Hurt rose in him, dark hurt mingled with anger that boiled in him, threatening to explode.
Before it could, however, before he could release the rage that pounded at him relentlessly, a driving force, a single shot blazed out from behind him, and even as he felt its approach, even as he turned, his anger forgotten, he was too late. The sudden rush of the Dark side taking hold of him had blinded him, betraying him. And he turned helplessly to see Padmé, his wife, his angel, his life, topple to the ground.