Disclaimer: It's George's sandbox. I just play here.
AN: Here's chapter 30! Thanks for all the great reviews!
Never Gone
Chapter 30: Identity Revealed
Anakin sat motionless in the pilot's chair of his and Padme's cruiser. They had come up with the unique name on their way back to Coruscant a few weeks ago. She had always told him that she loved his eyes. Indeed, they had been the first thing she had recognized about him upon their reunion after ten years. She had told him on many occasions that they were as blue as Nabooan sapphires and shined like them when he smiled or looked at her. He always insisted that she was an angel. Indeed, it had been his first question to her upon their first meeting when he was just a little boy. She had captivated him then and she still captivated him now. So, they had affectionately dubbed their ship, the Sapphire Angel. But now, Anakin's eyes didn't shine like the precious gems. Without Padme at his side, they had lost their luster. Now, they were dulled and stormy, as tears welled and dripped from them. A thousand things were running through his mind. He wondered if that evil woman had dared to hit his angel or hurt her. He worried doubly, knowing how delicate her condition was, being a month along with their precious twins. He placed his head in his hands and cried again. He didn't know what he would do if he lost any of them. Obi-Wan stepped quietly into the cockpit and laid a hand on Anakin's shoulder.
"It's going to be all right Anakin," Obi-Wan comforted him.
"I can't lose her Obi-Wan. I can't lose her or our babies," Anakin sobbed.
"You're not going to Anakin. We will get them back," Obi-Wan told him. Anakin wiped his tears away and nodded.
"Thanks Obi-Wan, how's Lea?" he asked.
"She'll be fine, just a bit of a bump on the head and a nasty headache," Obi-Wan replied. Anakin nodded, grateful that she hadn't been hurt worse. The console began beeping, signaling that they would be coming out of hyperspace in orbit of Naboo very soon.
"You should go back and get strapped in," Anakin said. Obi-Wan nodded and Anakin brought them out of hyperspace.
Anakin landed them in the docking bay and they disembarked. The palace was eerily quiet, but that was to be expected, considering it was likely that it was being held hostage.
"Lea, I need you to go. You'll be safe at Padme's parent's house," Obi-Wan said.
"I'm not leaving you!" Lea insisted.
"I can't have you getting captured too! They'll only use you against us, which is what they will already do with Padme. Go to the Naberrie's and wait for us. We will return and we will have Padme with us," Obi-Wan insisted. Lea wanted to protest, but she knew he was right. There was nothing she could do in a fight against the Sith. She nodded and kissed him passionately. Once they broke the embrace, she headed for a nearby speeder and flew it out of the docking bay and toward safety.
"They are here, my Lord," Dooku reported to the holo image of Darth Sidious.
"Good Lord Tyrannus. See that the Separatists leaders are on a ship en route to the Mustafar system. Have them and Ventress take the Senator with them and make sure Skywalker follows them. When they arrive here on Mustafar, I will be waiting and I will finally eliminate Skywalker and his beloved Senator for good. You stay there and deal with Kenobi. Then, you will return to Coruscant and we will bring the Jedi to their knees. Without Skywalker and Kenobi, they will have no chance," Sidious said.
"Yes My Lord, retrieve the Senator from her cell," Dooku ordered to Ventress.
Padme curled up in her cold cell. The shackles bit into her wrists and the dried blood from the cuts was splotched on her torn dress. Her hair hung in disheveled ringlets, her eyes red from crying and her cheeks stained with tear tracks. The cell swung open suddenly, and Ventress stalked in. She roughly grabbed Padme by the arm and hauled her to her feet. Padme yelped in pain, as the woman began dragging her to the docking bay.
Anakin and Obi-Wan walked silently through the corridors of the Theed palace. Suddenly, Anakin stopped.
"I sense Padme...she's frightened," Anakin said. Anakin stopped, trying to sense which part of the palace she was in.
"She's in the docking bay! They're taking her off planet!" Anakin panicked and ran off in the other direction.
"Anakin, wait!" Obi-Wan called. He was about to follow when he sensed a dark presence behind him. He slowly turned to meet the person waiting for him.
"Dooku," Obi-Wan spat with disgust.
"Hello Obi-Wan, it has been a long time. I haven't seen you since you were still Qui-Gon's padawan," Dooku mentioned.
"Yes, and what would my master think of you now? I'm sure he'd be disappointed," Obi-Wan replied.
"Don't be so certain Obi-Wan. We're not so different, you and I. Nor is young Skywalker. We all see what an abomination the Jedi Council has become. The rigid old fools have been dealing face to face with the Sith Lord for the past thirteen years and they still have no knowledge of it," Dooku said.
"What are you talking about?" Obi-Wan asked. Dooku chuckled.
"My master is waiting for him. The Separatist ship is probably already taking off with him following them. As long as they possess his beloved wife, he'll follow them anywhere. When they arrive at their destination, my master will be there. Skywalker and his wife are as good as dead," Dooku said, with an evil chuckle.
"NO!" Obi-Wan cried angrily, as he brought his sapphire blade up to strike Dooku. Dooku laughed and met it with his own crimson blade.
Anakin watched, as the Separatist ship's thrusters began to hum. He ran as quickly as he could to the Sapphire Angel, and fired up the engines. Artoo, track that ship and don't lose them!" Anakin ordered, as he prepared them for take off and slammed the throttle down. The Sapphire Angel followed the Separatist ship out of Naboo's atmosphere. Artoo tracked them and locked on the coordinates they had set. Both ships jumped to hyperspace right behind one another.
"Where are they heading?" Anakin asked, as he read the translator.
"The Mustafar System," Artoo whirled.
"Mustafar? What's it like there?" Anakin asked.
"Almost entirely volcanic. A large lava river runs through the entire planet," Artoo answered.
"A lava river? Sounds lovely," Anakin answered sarcastically.
"I suppose that there would be a lot of steam and energy sources on a planet with that much fire," Anakin reason. Artoo chirped a yes.
"A good place for another droid factory, like the ones on Geonosis and Dantooine, I suppose," Anakin replied. Artoo chirped another yes. Anakin nodded and sat back in his seat. Reaching deeply into the Force, as Obi-Wan had taught him, he attempted to calm himself. He sank into a deep meditation to prepare himself for the upcoming battle with Ventress. He just prayed to the Force that they hadn't hurt his angel. Little did Anakin know, Ventress wouldn't be the only fight he would be engaging in on Mustafar...
Dooku's saber clashed furiously with Obi-Wan's.
"Tell me...where they are going!" Obi-Wan cried, as he held his saber in a deadlock with Dooku.
"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to interfere, Obi-Wan. The chosen one has proven that he will not join us, so he must be eliminated, just as you must!" Dooku said, as his saber clashed in several devastating swipes.
"Qui-Gon would be proud. You have become a great warrior. It is too bad that you fight for the wrong side," Dooku chided.
"Qui-Gon Jinn was a great man. The same cannot be said for you!" Obi-Wan cried, as flipped around and brought his saber down on Dooku. The older Jedi flipped around and met Obi-Wan saber with his own. Obi-Wan growled, as they fought for control. Obi-Wan caught Dooku by surprise and his saber passed through his right limb, severing it right above the forearm. Dooku cried out in pain and snarled at the Jedi. Angrily, he reached into the Force and hit Obi-Wan full force with a blast of Force lightning. Obi-Wan howled in pain, as he was thrown to the ground. As Obi-Wan managed to look up finally, Dooku was already gone. He headed for the docking bay. His master was on Mustafar, facing the chosen one and he had seen this as an excellent opportunity. Dooku had never desired to follow his master for long, but rather overthrow him and become the master himself. He had sent an anonymous tip to one of the holonet news stations, telling them that the fight between the Sith Lord and Skywalker would be taking place on Mustafar. He would be revealing his master's identity to the whole galaxy this way, including himself, while he returned to Coruscant to wait for the outcome. If Skywalker defeated his master, it would save him doing so and vice versa. Either way, he would face and defeat either Skywalker or his master and become the true Sith Lord. Dooku fired up the thrusters on his ship and headed for Coruscant. The droid transports that he had ordered ready from Gunray were already en route and he would have what he needed to capture the Galaxy's capital for his own...
Obi-Wan quickly recovered from the Force lightning and headed for the docking bay to find a suitable ship. He had no idea where Anakin was, but if he could hail him, he could find out.
"Come on...come on..." Obi-Wan said. But all he got was static. Wherever Anakin was, he had probably landed not too long ago and the planet he was on was causing too much interference.
"Blast!" Obi-Wan screamed. There was no way he could help Anakin or tell him that the Sith Lord was waiting for him. But he did have a good idea that Dooku would be going to Coruscant, so quickly he set the course and blasted into hyperspace...
The Sapphire Angel loomed into the sooty atmosphere of Mustafar. Anakin saw the Separatist ship on the landing platform and another ship nearby on another platform.
"Holonet reporters? How in the Sith did they find out about this place?" Anakin wondered allowed. His attention drifted back to the other platform, as Artoo began the landing sequence. His eyes blazed with anger, as he watched Ventress roughly drag Padme inside the structure.
'Anakin, let go of your anger,' Qui-Gon spoke.
"Master? How can I? They've done so much to hurt her!" Anakin cried.
'Yes Anakin, but love is much more powerful than hate. Use love as your strength, not hate, just as you always have,' Qui-Gon instructed. Anakin reached deeply into the Force to draw on those feelings he held for Padme. He calmed himself and let Padme's love wash over him.
"Thank you master," Anakin said into the Force, before he shed his cloak and stepped down the ramp of the ship, heading for the structure.
Dooku reached Coruscant and sought out medical attention. Once a healer had fitted him with a suitable prosthesis, he killed the healer and headed for the Senate building. As Dooku arrived at the Senate building, so did his droid army. As Dooku entered the Senate building, saber blazing, his army of droids fought their way in through the Clone Troopers. Those in the Senate building at the time took cover wherever they could. Dooku smiled evilly and headed for the Chancellor's office...
When Dooku killed the red guards, he marched into Palpatine's office, expecting to find him there. But the person he found waiting for him was not Palpatine, but rather acting Senator Tarkin.
"Where's the Chancellor?" Dooku asked, his saber humming at his side. Tarkin chuckled, acting if the blazing saber did not scare him in the least.
"Where do you think he is?" Tarkin asked.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Dooku demanded.
"Think about it my friend. A Sith Lord controlling the Senate. Palpatine was never simply the pawn of the Sith Lord," Tarkin smiled evilly. Then it dawned on Dooku. Palpatine was Darth Sidious. His master had deceived him all along! But then, he supposed that was the nature of the Sith, for he too planned to betray his master.
"So, you've been in league with him all along?" Dooku asked.
"I'm in league with whoever has the power to rule the galaxy," Tarkin replied.
"There is a very good chance that the boy could kill the old man. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you?" Dooku asked.
"Because, while you have the power of the Force, I possess the tactical genius needed to pull off something like this. Why do you think Palpatine has kept me so close? I have no Force powers, but I possess the same dreams as both of you. This Republic is dying and it is time that it is replaced with something greater," Tarkin said. Dooku thought for a moment and then extinguished his saber.
"Then I guess we will be working together," Dooku replied.
"Where is master Sidious!" Nute Gunray demanded angrily, as they entered the control room. Ventress dragged Padme behind her and then shoved her against one of the panels.
"Shut up," Ventress growled.
"Well, Senator, it seems that you will finally pay for all your transgressions," Gunray said, as he grasped her arm.
"When Master Sidious joins us, you will finally die and I will enjoy every last moment of it," Gunray spat at her.
"I'm afraid Master Sidious sends his regards. He won't be joining us and he has informed me that all of you have outlived your usefulness," Ventress said, as she drove her saber through Poggle the Lesser and Rune Haako. Screams of terror filled the chamber, as Ventress began executing the Separatist leaders. Nute Gunray stood terrified before Asaaj Ventress. Just as Ventress was about to kill him, the glow of a sapphire light saber pierced through the metal door. When the owner of the saber had melted enough of the metal to pry the door open, he did so and stepped inside the room.
"Ani!" Padme breathed a sigh of relief, as her husband stood tall and proud before them. He gave her a small smile and sent her comforting waves of love through the Force. His stare turned to ice, as he stared at Ventress and Gunray.
"So good to finally meet you Skywalker. I will take great pleasure in killing you," Ventress hissed in her low, raspy voice.
"You will try," Anakin replied calmly, as his saber met hers. Ventress grew continually frustrated, as she fought him furiously. Anakin's saber strikes were fluid and certain, as he met Ventress blow for blow. Growing increasingly frustrated, her strikes became languid. As a last ditch effort, she shot Force lightning from her fingers. Anakin caught the lightning with his saber. But being inexperienced in dealing with Force lightning, Anakin quickly lost control of the situation and the lightning seared into his body, dropping him to the floor.
"ANAKIN!" Padme cried, wanting to run to him.
"Stay back Padme!" Anakin called, as he slowly hauled himself up from the floor. Anakin ignited his saber again. Bringing it over his head, he slammed it down on Ventress, his taller form towering over her.
"After I take care of you, I'll take great pleasure in killing your wife...and children," Ventress goaded. Anakin's blood ran cold, as her words struck him hard. Anakin let his love for Padme and his unborn children flow through him, renewing his fight.
"You will do nothing of the kind," Anakin spoke, as he brought his saber around. She met it with her own, but now found herself shadowboxing. His movements became faster than she could predict and his presence in the Force burned too brightly for her dark soul. Ventress became frightened, as the light seemed to shine through his eyes, his gaze piercing through her.
"Your love for that woman makes you weak!" Ventress spat.
"You're wrong...and you know it. Love makes me strong and it's something you will never know. For that, I pity you," Anakin said, as he passed his saber through her neck, severing her head from her body. Nute Gunray looked at the young man fearfully. Like a coward, he grabbed Padme's arm and pressed a blaster to her head. Anakin reached out with his hand and pulled the blaster from Gunray's hand effortlessly. Padme pulled away from him and turned to him, kicking him squarely in the stomach. He yelled in pain, before angrily trying to grasp for her neck. But he was stopped dead in his tracks, as he felt a searing pain in his abdomen. He looked down, only to see Anakin's saber protruding from his body. He looked up into the young man's icy stare as he spoke.
"You'll never hurt her again," he said, as he pulled the saber out of Gunray's body and the viceroy slumped to the floor, dead. Anakin severed the shackles around Padme's wrists and she threw her arms around him. Anakin held her tightly and then pulled back to kiss her passionately. Their lips moved over each other's feverishly, drinking in the taste of one another.
"Oh Ani," she sobbed into his chest.
"I was so worried about you. Did they hurt you? Are the babies okay?" he asked frantically.
"I'm fine Ani, we're all fine," she replied.
"Still, I'll feel better when I get you back to Naboo and to a healer. And these cuts on your wrists need treatment before they get infected," Anakin said, as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her out of the structure, headed for their ship. Once outside, Anakin stopped them suddenly, as a black cloaked figure waited for them on the platform. Slowly the hooded figure turned around and only his nose and mouth were visible.
"Who are you!" Anakin demanded. The figure chortled an evil, sickening laughter that sent shivers up his and Padme's spine. The man removed his hood and both husband and wife gasped in disbelief. The face was very familiar to them, but the horrible yellow eyes that glared out at them were something they had never seen on him.
"Chancellor Palpatine?" Padme asked.
"Yes my dear," he replied.
"It's been you all along! You're the Sith Lord!" Anakin screamed.
"Very good Anakin. You fell right into my trap. Now, I will destroy you," Palpatine cackled, as he ignited his saber. Anakin pushed Padme back and ignited his own, preparing to engage in battle against the Sith Lord himself...