Dedicated to: Bethany, one of the best kinds of friends for which a person could ever ask. Of course, I can't forget Geffen, who helped in her own way with certain parts and Amy - who got me into SW in the first place and decided one night that AOTC, and what would later be ROTS, should be rewritten and we stayed up till nearly three AM thinking out the first half of Republic Twilight. As always, the rest of the Star Wars fans out there who wanted something more and the readers who got through RT. Enjoy!
Note: The following story is concordant with Expanded Universe books except for the following: SW: EII: AOTC, all Clone Wars books, Tatooine Ghost, Survivor's Quest, and the Dark Nest Trilogy. Also, I own squat of anything having to do with LucasFilm, LucasBooks, Skywalker Ranch, 20th Century Fox, Del Rey, Bantam Books and...well, you get the idea.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
STAR WARS
EPISODE III:
THE DARK NEW ORDER
Five months now, the Republic has been locked in war once more. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine remains in power, despite the fact that his terms have come to a close. A Grand Army of the Republic is now on the front lines against the Separatists. With his new powers, Palpatine sends troops into battle ruthlessly, under the promise to win back the worlds taken by the Separatists.
Meanwhile, the great protectors of peace and justice, the Jedi Knights, are facing their own battles. Increasingly under the shroud of the Dark Side, they struggle to find the Sith Lord who still remains at large. At the same time, they have to defend themselves from propaganda attacks – several Jedi have mysteriously disappeared, along with their families.
Despite grievances from Obi-Wan, the Jedi Council has kept Anakin Skywalker away from Coruscant – and away from Padmé. Forced to hide, the Council is afraid of loosing their greatest hope, young Skywalker grows more and more impatient at what he sees as banishment…
Final Hour
1
A single cruiser made its way down to the surface of the lush planet, flying over the capitol city of Theed. Watching the cruiser land at the spaceport, Anakin Skywalker stood on the balcony to his living quarters.
Naboo.
How ironic.
Anakin sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and wishing that he were back in his Jedi robes. Civilian clothes felt so uncomfortable after years of wearing the Jedi gear.
Shortly after the battle for Kashyyyk, something that Anakin tried not to think about, the Jedi Council wasted no time. A few days shy of being home for a week, they whisked Anakin away from Coruscant, under the guise of giving him an assignment.
Anakin knew better.
They wanted him out of their way. This was punishment for loosing control at Kashyyyk. Compared to the rest of the problems facing the galaxy, he was insignificant – the child sent to timeout while the parent deals with a collapsing house.
Then reports spread across the holonets of families of Jedi disappearing, or being murdered, especially those belonging to Jedi that were known to have fought at Kashyyyk. That was when the Council decided that it would be best for him to go into hiding. They conveniently found an underground assignment for him: overseeing the smooth transition of power on Naboo.
As of yet, Anakin had done nothing significant on Naboo. By the time he arrived, the battle was over. Naboo was back in Republic control. His duty was to alert the Council, thus the Republic, if the Separatist rebels attempted to retake the planet. Anakin saw no need for this. When the deadly and trained soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic, fresh from Carida, swarmed the planet the Separatist revolt quickly surrendered. After all, they had been simple citizens who happened to buy into the wrong propaganda.
Anakin sighed again. Off in the distance, he could make out the very place where thirteen years ago he stood as a fresh Padawan during the victory celebration after the first battle for Naboo. Thinking hard enough, he could remember what Padmé had been wearing. Now she seemed even more beautiful to him in his memory.
It wasn't right that he was here and she wasn't.
"Sir?"
Anakin turned around to see one of the white-armored troops of the Republic standing behind him. The Jedi insisted on sending him protection, which he found insulting.
"Yes?" Anakin responded flatly.
"Your presence has been requested."
That told Anakin nothing. It could mean nearly a million things – the Council wanted to talk to him; Palpatine wanted to reach him but why he would, Anakin had no idea; the governing board of Naboo wanted to talk to him…
The soldier turned, expecting Anakin to follow him. Since he was in hiding, the soldiers received all communications first then passed them along if they were deemed non-threatening. Anakin thought that all the security made it obvious who he was, or at least that he was someone important.
In one of the small anterooms of his temporary apartment, two more Republic soldiers sat surrounded by electronic equipment. Both of them had their helmets off, giving them their human appearance back. Anakin hated the skull-like helmets; they dehumanized the soldiers and made them hard to read despite the fact that Anakin could feel every one of their emotions through the Force.
"Here, sir." One of the soldiers sitting at the table picked up something and got up to hand it to him. He dropped a small holoemitter in his hand.
Anakin stared at it then at the soldier. "What…?"
"Don't worry sir. We've taken care of it for you – it's a private message. You can go where you like to receive it. She's waiting for you."
Confused, Anakin nodded. He looked at the holoemitter with excitement, the usage of the word "she" by the trooper not lost on him. In the sitting room he sat down and, hands shaking slightly, turned on the little device.
"Anakin?" a minute Padmé asked.
"I'm here," Anakin said softly, a million emotions running through him. Instinctively he reached out to touch her, but realized she was just a hologram. But it was better than nothing. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too. Anakin –" Padmé paused, putting her arms across her stomach. Watching her, Anakin realized that something about her looked different.
"What is it?" he pressed, eager to hear the simple sound of her voice, no matter what words she spoke.
"I – I'm thinking about coming back to Naboo," she faltered.
"That's great! I can't wait to see you!" He leaned forward earnestly; a large smile on his face, almost telling her he was on Naboo. He thought better of it, surprising her if she returned would be much better. However, Padmé only half-smiled. "Wait. What's wrong?"
"Anakin…I should have waited till you got back to Coruscant to talk to you about this…but I don't know when you're going to be back, and I had to pull some strings to be able to get hold of you…I just had to…"
She looked at him, thinking over how to put the thoughts in her mind into words.
"If I go back, I'll still be Queen. I'll have duties I have to do. I don't know how much we'd be able to see each other. You're still in hiding, I don't even know where you are, and…" Padmé stopped. She moved her arms again, and Anakin struggled to make out what was different about her.
For a second, Anakin started to feel angry. How could she be thinking about duty now? They had been apart for five months; the thought of seeing her again was what kept him from going insane out here. He made himself remain calm.
"We won't worry about it for now. I'm sure we can work out something. I miss you so much," he said. Unable to formulate anything else to say, he said, "You look different."
Padmé smiled. "You do too. Your hair…"
In response, Anakin shook his head. After having become a Knight, his Padawan braid had been cut and he was letting the rest of his hair grow out. Longer than it had been years ago when he first left Tatooine, he was surprised to find that his hair was slightly wavy. Still, it was nothing like Padmé's curls.
"Well, you know…haircuts are hard to find out here…" he teased. She let out a small laugh. "Anyways…I can't wait to see you again. We will, I promise."
"Okay," she replied softly. "I should go."
Anakin did not say anything.
"I love you," she offered, hoping it would make him feel better about her having to go. She didn't want to leave either.
To her relief, he smiled slightly and muttered back, "I love you too."
With that, her image disappeared. The holoemitter rested lifeless on the table in front of him. Anakin leaned forward and put his head in his hands. The second she left, he felt alone again. He sat there for a few minutes, feeling almost on the verge of tears and not knowing why. Finally he stood up. It was dinner time.
In the kitchen he fixed himself some tartapi soup, just like how his mother used to make back on Tatooine all those years ago. Away from the Temple, Anakin allowed himself simple pleasures such as these since the Jedi no longer watched his every move from over his shoulder. The troopers on the other side of the apartment paid him no mind, absorbed in their dejarik game.
As he ate, thinking of his memories on Tatooine, he felt a wave of sadness. The death of his mother still plagued him, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut to stop the images of how she must have died from going through his mind.
Now he was separated again from someone he loved. All because of the Jedi.
If they really wanted him to be safe, they would let Padmé come here so that he would not go insane. Leaning forward, he put his head down on his arm.
I should not be angry at the Jedi. They've given me so much, especially Obi-Wan. Without them, I'd still be a slave on Tatooine…Anakin swallowed heavily at this thought. And yet I still killed some of them…
Anakin dropped his spoon into his bowl of soup. He gritted his teeth; his eyes squeezed shut as tightly as possible. The memory played over again in his mind…
"Jedi Pilot, this is Green Two, why haven't you responded? Are your communications systems out?"
Anakin ignored him, pushing the proton torpedoes under his control towards the Jedi.
"Help me! I have torpedoes coming for me –"
Anakin inhaled with satisfaction as he felt the torpedoes collide with the ship.
The Jedi let out a strangled scream, his craft exploding.
Anakin had not even known that Jedi, and yet he blew him to bits without mercy. Inside of him, anger had taken over and he had not been able to tell the good from the bad. Yoda always lectured to him that light and dark were distinguishable when he was at peace, and Anakin knew he had not been at peace at that time. He had acted on his emotions, dragging himself straight into the dark side.
And so far, no one knew about it but the Jedi he killed, Padmé, and himself.
It was going to stay that way.
Based on their actions, Anakin knew that if the Jedi Masters found out about what he did, coupled with his relationship with Padmé, there was no question that he would be expelled. No matter what, Anakin could not let that happen. As a Jedi, he had a mission – he was the Chosen One. During Kashyyyk, he learned what he had to teach to the rest of the Jedi, he learned what it meant to balance the Force.
So far the Masters only suspected something about what he did, and as long as they only suspected, he would remain a Jedi of the Republic. Anakin was ready to do whatever he had to in order to protect his secret so that he could teach the Jedi the truth about the Force.
On the other side of the apartment, Anakin heard the troopers hollering about something regarding the dejarik game. He shook his head at them, sat up and tried to eat some more, this time not thinking about his mother.
Suddenly, though something flashed to him through the Force.
Anakin stood up so fast that he knocked his chair over and looked to his left, lightsaber ignited and pointing in the direction of his gaze at the doorway. The blue blade hummed and cast an eerie light in the room. Something alerted him to great danger, but he could sense nothing close. Just then, pain and fear jolted through him.
Death.
Feeling almost sick, Anakin reeled on his feet. He put his arm out to steady himself, but another wave of pain and fear washed over him. This time it was stronger, and followed by a third shock. Anakin's knees gave out, the pain becoming physical, and he fell over. The lightsaber dropped to the floor, turning off as soon as it left his hand. The last thing he remembered was the side of his face hitting the sharp edge of the glass table.
Obi-Wan watched the newest refugee transport land. This one came in from Kuat, still reeling from the assault five months ago. While the Separatists had managed to destroy the shipyards, taking the system back became the top prerogative for the Republic. Instead, they had managed to turn the system into one continuous battleground as each side fought to regain control.
The ship landed, and Obi-Wan took a deep breath. It was time to start working. A couple hours, and so many refugees later that they all started to look the same, one of the refugees talking to a Republic soldier called out to him.
"Obi-Wan?" the man exclaimed upon seeing him. He turned away from the white-armored trooper before him. "Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan said nothing, watching as the man and the woman with him stepped over to him. Something about him looked vaguely familiar. He squinted to get a better look at him.
"It's me. Owen – your brother."
Obi-Wan stared at the man.
"What…? How…?" Obi-Wan stuttered. He took a closer look at the man. Sure enough, something about his appearance reminded Obi-Wan of himself. He could not say exactly what it was, but there was something of a family resemblance between them. Owen had darker hair, stood at about the same height as Obi-Wan but was a little stockier. Obi-Wan reached out through the Force. He knew this man was telling the truth.
"I have to talk to you, Obi-Wan," Owen said, a sad look coming over his face. The woman, Owen's wife Obi-Wan assumed, glanced around nervously.
"Don't use that name. Call me Ben," Obi-Wan advised, giving a side glance to his surroundings. Owen nodded. He continued, "Just a second."
Without another word, Obi-Wan walked over to the trooper Owen had been talking with. He spoke a few words, and the trooper nodded, saying, "Alright sir. We've got it covered."
Obi-Wan nodded and looked back to Owen. He motioned to the distance with a shake of his head and began to walk away. Owen understood and followed him. Inside a closed speeder, Owen sat down next to Obi-Wan in the passenger seat and gave his brother a curious look.
"I have to be careful. People know me from the Kashyyyk disaster," Obi-Wan explained. He glanced down at the memory of the loss of the system.
"I understand." Owen swallowed, and an awkward moment passed between the two men.
Obi-Wan didn't know what to say, this was a brother he didn't know. He only had vague memories of him. Owen didn't know how to explain what brought him here to Coruscant.
"I actually was hoping to find you here," Owen started again. "The reason I had to come here –" His voice choked up.
Obi-Wan looked at him, reaching through the Force.
"Because you're the family of a Jedi," he finished for him.
Owen nodded hastily.
"You and are the only ones left, Obi – I mean, Ben."
The statement hung heavily in the air.
"We were out running errands," Owen's wife, Beru, began for him, "and when we came back we found the house destroyed. They even killed my parents-in-law – your mother and father."
Owen leaned forward, feeling sick. Obi-Wan did the same as his brother, only he put his hand over his mouth, thinking hard. Due to the fact that he was a Jedi, he had not known his family. The Jedi were his family. But somehow, knowing that the people who raised him in the earliest part of his life were dead…it hit Obi-Wan harder than he thought it would.
At that moment, intense pain hit Obi-Wan through the Force. He could feel the fear, followed by the flash of intensity that marked death.
"Oh blazes," he exclaimed, as another jolt, and then a third hit him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the sensations coming to him through the Force. Owen scooted away from him, unsure of how to react. Beru stared at him, wide-eyed.
After a moment, Obi-Wan opened his eyes and started up the speeder. Matter-of-factly, he muttered, "We have to get back to the Temple."
Owen said nothing in response, sharing a glance with his wife. He knew he had no other choice but to ride along with Obi-Wan back to the Temple. In the back of his mind, he was irritated that Obi-Wan had reacted to whatever that was more than he had to the news of his family's death.
It was his family.
In fact, if Owen looked at it from a certain angle, he could even blame Obi-Wan for the murders. They had been killed because of Obi-Wan: if he were not a Jedi, they would all be alive.
Without another word, Obi-Wan powered up the speeder and sped off.
Back at the Temple, after having arranged Owen and Beru with a meal in the kitchens, Obi-Wan stood with Mace Windu and Yoda, only to learn more troubling news:
Several Jedi masters had just been slain.
"Killed, they were. All of them," Yoda said sadly. He shook his small head and looked down at the ground. "Even more troubling, killed by the Force they were."
"What?" Obi-Wan exclaimed. He gaped at the small green Master.
"It's true. The Separatists sent us holograms of them…we received them just minutes ago. Not only were they attacked by someone who knows how to use a lightsaber, but they all suffered from burns."
"A wielder of the dark side, their attacker is."
Yoda had no need to elaborate. It was popular legend that the typical weapon of choice for a Sith was blue lightening – harnessing the raw power of the Force itself.
"It's incredibly brave for this Sith Lord to attack Jedi like that," Obi-Wan commented. "It hasn't happened since…the Sith wars."
Mace nodded in agreement. "Yes, but it's the perfect opportunity. The dark Side is clouding everything. Killing four Jedi at a time like this will make him favorable with the people of the galaxy – Separatist and Republic alike. Have you heard anything from Anakin Skywalker?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I have other news though. My brother is here. Apparently, our entire family was killed."
Yoda let out a grave sigh. "Too much this is. Torn in too many directions are we. Bad timing for the leader of the Republic to leave us." He put his hand on the side of his face, his eyes closed. For the first time that Obi-Wan had seen, he was truly worried.
"I think it would be a good idea for me to find a place where my brother can go into hiding," Obi-Wan said, breaking the silence.
"Yes. Help your brother you should," Yoda agreed. "No need is there to call the Council into session over this."
Suddenly, Yoda turned and left. Mace and Obi-Wan stared at each other.
"I've never seen him so worried," Mace said.
"Neither have I," Obi-Wan replied. He sighed.
It was deeply troubling to see Master Yoda so upset. They both knew that only truly desperate times could bring Yoda to this point. Deep in his heart, Obi-Wan had the feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better. He sighed again, and left to find his brother.
To Be continued...
AN: Thank you for reading, and if you have something to say then feel free to leave a comment!