You are luck. I got this done tonight! Hate to say this but I'm sorta seeing the light at the end tunnel for this story. However I do have the sequel planned out.
A reminder, JuJu is Anakin's friend from Coruscant. I love this character and wanted to use him again
Enjoy!
Chapter 36
"Come on Artoo, stop lagging."JuJu calling him. "Ugh I'm a week late bringing you back already. Oh don't give me your excuses. It was bad enough. I got hauled down to the Jedi Temple because of you. Honestly, what made you think, you just walk or rolled into the Jedi Temple. Oh spare me. Ah, the Thasus Center."
JuJu went in and made some enquiries where Anakin was."Thank You so much. Come along Artoo. Anakin is waiting for us."
Artoo let out some beeps and whistles.
Anakin was waiting in the garden for JuJu and Artoo. While waiting for then, he was looking over some droid semantics that Zeno sent over.
"Yes I might be the leader of the Jedi order someday but need something now to keep me busy."He thought. Even Qui-Gon thought it was a good idea, saying that Anakin could work on his business skills.
"Hello Anakin, hope I'm not disturbing you. If I was, tough!"JuJu laughing as he greeted Anakin."Here's your "Lets break into the Temple" droid Artoo.
"Hello JuJu. Artoo! What am I going do with you." Anakin whacking Artoo's dome. "Artoo, you just can't waltz into the Temple. Lucky for you, Master Adi realized who you were and has a sense of humor. What? A message from Master Kolar. Play it."
Artoo let out a whistle and an image of Master Kolar appeared.
"Anakin Skywalker, first let me congratulate you on the birth of your twins. I hope to see them one day. I please to hear about the recovery of your health. The Temple is not the same with you gone. You are missed here especially with the Younglings. I have taken over your job of chasing the spooks and ghost away from their quarters. Well I have attended a Council meeting, another thing that has gotten boring. I'll see about setting something up, so you join them again. Goodbye Anakin and don't be a stranger either."
"I didn't know you chase ghosts too. Anakin, you have many hidden talents."JuJu said
"Those poor Younglings, they were scared out their wits that week. They had complained about hearing something tapping the walls in the hallway. The caretaker checked and found nothing but the Younglings kept saying there was something out there. Eventually I heard about it and spent the night with them. Which, annoyed Master Windu and Yoda to no end. Well, it turns out. It was a Padawan's droid making the noise. However its balance unit was failing, hence why it was hitting the wall. It was created to spy on people in the dark. When a light was turned on, it would hide. Except, it did a lousy job of hiding from my lightsaber." Anakin chuckling "I caught the Padawan, who made it and he spent the whole day cleaning my starfighter for that."
"Have you wise up and now going to leave that blasted Jedi Order? They almost killed you." JuJu, hoping for a yes.
"No, much to the disappointment of everybody, I'm not leaving the Order. I'm on a vacation from them. I can't leave. I always wanted to be a Jedi. They just need to be reform, that's all. That's what I planned to do. I have been reading the history of Jedi and it has become clear. The Jedi Order needs to be on the right course because it's been on the wrong one. If it doesn't get on a new course, it will crash. Hell I feel this in the Force now. I told Master Yoda about this and he felt it. But he thinks something else is going on and it's not about the Order."
"Can't the Jedi kinda see into the future? So will I become a billionaire?"JuJu asked.
"Yes and no. I'm not very fond of doing that. I'm more happy to be in the present if you didn't mind."Anakin, looking at a flower. "I know what the future is JuJu. It's not an easy path for me and I'm not sure what route I'll take. But I can't avoid any of them either. I must do what I have to do. Yet I'm not sad about it. I want my kids to have something else in the Jedi Order."
"So Anakin looked into a mirror of the future and got a reflection of what he wanted to see, not the reality of what's behind it." JuJu suggested.
"Trust me. I rather be gazing at Padme's body. But yea, I was sorta gazing on what might happened. I found myself some place else. I saw a path I might take."Anakin stopping for a moment. He remembered that vision. The Order was so different. Gone was the staid Jedi. There were families and laughter there. He watched all of this from his office but there was one question. He couldn't answer. Was the old man he was talking to, his Father or was it Xeusa?"
"Anakin! Come back, you are no shape to travel about."JuJu whacking his leg.
"Sorry. I was having a flashback again. It's the Force way of reminding me of my path." he replied back and turning slightly red.
"Whatever that place was, you were looking peaceful and calm there. Now that's a first for you, peaceful and calm. My friend, I'm still worry about you, when you're still mix up in with Jedi Order. I will always still believe, it will better for you in the long run, if you just left. Hell with the Order Ani."JuJu pleaded. "They are not worth it."
"But they are worth it JuJu. I might still be a slave on Tatoonie or some other forsaken place. Granted, that ship's Captain offer was a legitimated deal. Despite, Obi-Wan thinking it was something else."Anakin smiling.
"What ship's captain offer, I never heard about that one?"
"Seven months before Qui-Gon came to Watto's shop. I met a ship's captain at the hangers. I had helped him find part he needed and help repaired the engine. I made a very good impression on him. Captain Sidtha Eskeats was his name. Well, he made an offer I couldn't refuse. He said he was going tried to get me off of Tatoonie and Mom too. The next time he returned, he was going to bring a somebody who knew how to deactivated the transmission device. Then I was going join him on his ship."Anakin explained. "I wonder what my life would have been like if that happened instead."
"I heard about those kinds of arrangements. You would have only become a slave again and this time, not a nice way to a young boy either."JuJu answered. "Anakin, you have a talent for getting yourself into some serious trouble."
"Oh no, he wasn't that kind JuJu. Sidtha, was the really golden deal. Yes I know about those type of captains. No he was married at the time and he did come back too. Sidtha tried to talk to my Mother but she refused to talk to him. I gather she was involved with Clieg at the time. It was pure luck that I ran into him five years ago. Now he owns a shipping fleet. Which with the help of Palpatine money, I did a little investing of 5,000 credit and made 15,000 credit profit." Anakin, watching for JuJu reaction as lean back in his chair.
"Egohu on the temple of Rettrly. You are too much Anakin Skywalker. 15,000 credits that went towards buying a share of Zeno's shop. In turned you made business trade agreement with me."JuJu laughing hard. "Watch out Universe. This Jedi doesn't need the Force to run a successful business. Maybe the Oder would be more successful, if they let you handle their business affairs. Heard some bills aren't getting paid again!"
"Again? I'll holler at Gingo for the third time. Another thing the Order screws up. Money! Some Senators will only deal with me when it comes to giving money to the Order. Would like to take some money and do some much needed repairs work to the Temple. It's become a disgrace. It desperately needed one major repair job. I was told the Order would have to wait for a donation from a planet. I just went to one Senator and worked out a deal for the repair work to be done. They just started it last week."Anakin said. "Best part is, Master Yoda still can't figure out who arranged it."
"Interesting, how the Senate seems to be willing to work with you. They really don't care for Master Yoda or his way of talking. Nobody wants to deal with cold-hearted Mace either. So, what do they say about Anakin, he is pleasant to deal with and straight forward too." JuJu stopping to take a drink. "There are some, who wish and believe that you should be Senator for the Order and a few, think you should run the Order. That's your plan for the future. You're going run the Order someday. Am I right?"
"I really can't fool."Anakin, breaking into a slow smile. "But the real question is, how am I going to gain control of the Order? How many Senators, want me to run the Order. ? If I have to use that one path, which I rather not use. I might need some credits and supplies. JuJu, I know you. You still have connections I might need." Anakin quietly asked.
"Well if you need something, you know where to ask. As for the Senators, I know who's doing the wishing and I should encourage them to spread that around. Anakin, the Senate is not happy with the Jedi Order now. Some are blaming them for the Clones wars. It's not good Anakin and the "walking tree stump" is losing respect outside the Order and in the Order too. Some of your fellow Jedi have been stopping at my shop, asking about you. They want you back and there are whispers of plans. I don't want to see you get hurt again but clearly you are needed. So if you need something, just let me know. Speaking of troublemakers. Where's Artoo? We were so busy talking. He gave us the slip."
"Artoo! Where are you?"Anakin getting up to search for him.
"No, Thank You Milady Naberrie. I'll have no problem finding Master Kenobi." Mace answered, after asked where Obi-Wan was.
As Mace walked towards the park, he couldn't help noticing how beautiful this place was. "Never why Anakin always wanted to go here. Ah, here is the path, now Obi-Wan, where are you?"he thought as he reached into the Force. Then he had a general idea and headed for him.
" I thought this ceremony was a simple one?"Obi-Wan asked, laying down next to her
"Anakin and Padme had the simple one. We're not." Karis rolling her eyes at him "Besides, the wedding is the bride's part and the seclusion is the groom's part"
Obi-Wan just broke into a bigger grin."Maybe we'll get lucky on the seclusion part."
"Oh you've been talking to Anakin again." she said, grabbing his hair and pulling it.
"Anakin? No Padme, she asked me if we were going to start a family right away now. Love it how she kept a straight face too." Obi-Wan replied.
"Do you want to have kids righted away?"Karis shyly asked
"Whatever happens, happens. I'm not going out my life on hold anymore. I sometimes I wish Padme had gotten pregnant sooner but then again, I wouldn't have met you." he said, leaning over to her and giving her another long kiss.
"Master Kenobi? What are you doing?"Mace asked, not believing what he was seeing. Master Kenobi practically laying on top of a woman.
Obi-Wan broke away and looked at voice who was calling him.
"Master Windu, what are you doing here?"