A MESSED UP DESTINY
A STAR WARS STORY
Chapter 28
Disclaimer: Disney owns everything and I make no profit from this.
Hello there everyone and welcome to chapter 28 of the story! Today's chapter picks off a few hours after chapter 27 ends, with the gang having just arrived to Coruscant after the rescue of Padme aboard the Malevolence and the ship's –supposed- destruction. It tackles the issue of Obi Wan needing to find Siri with a healthy (for us, not Anakin) dose of Palpatine mixed in for good measure, as well as a plotline that will end up becoming very important in the next few chapters.
On another note, I actually decided to split this in two parts after all, so be aware that part 2 is coming next week, along with the Sith Phantom duel I've been dying to write for a while now.
Anyways…without further ado…let's get into it!
Saving a Jedi! When Anakin and Co. return to Coruscant to search for Jedi Knight Siri Tachi, who the High Council has written off as dead, they find themselves entangled in a complex web of lies and murder as Darth Sidious continues to silently crush the Republic Senate under a hidden iron fist and two Sith from a bygone era attempt to avenge their fallen sister, who had been murdered by the Jedi eons ago…
500 Republica, Landing Pad, Anakin's point of view:
As the Gunship finally touched the landing pad of 500 Republica, a massive skyscraper where the majority of the Republic's Senators resided and conducted their personal business from, I took a deep breath preparing myself to face a horror far greater than the Clone Wars could ever throw my way. This monster -for calling it a man would be an insult to all humanoid species- had the face of a human male and hid his true nature behind the face of a kind, benevolent and harmless old man. It was of the few lifeforms in the Galaxy to ever be blessed with the honor of a name, though it had long since cast the concept of a personal identity aside, in favor of a title that –in its mind- better represented what it truly was.
This fiend, a dark and terrifying beast, feeding from the despair and death of those around it, had taken the name of Darth Sidious years before I had come into existence, and perhaps that was for the best, since no one who had seen its true face would have ever been able to consider it a man ever again.
A void of darkness in the Force, who –much like a black hole- consumed all Light, never letting it or anything else escape from its grasp, Darth Sidious was a being unworthy of anything other than a long and agonizing death, though I myself doubted the Force would ever accept such a creature's life energy, regardless of the fact that the Force itself had blessed the monster with it.
Sidious, ever the manipulator, had been waiting for us on the landing pad, hoping to 'personally see' to Padme's safety after the 'harrowing experience she had undergone', as if he was not the one responsible for it to begin with. My Angel and I had of course discussed what to do when we encountered him, since there was no escape, not when he held all the cards…or…most of them, at least.
For the first time in my life, I sent a mental blessing to anyone working for a news outlet on Coruscant, accompanied by patting myself on the back for the story Padme and I were about to give them. Having fretted over it extensively during our return trip, we had both agreed that he needed to face consequences for his actions, or at the very least as much consequence as the Force allowed for the time being. He would get what was coming for him eventually, but for now, being publicly called out on a 'honest mistake' by one of the Republic's most beloved Senator's and letting the media and his political opponents –as few as they were- ride it as far as it would go had to be enough.
The pilot –Lieutenant Hawk, since I trusted him more than one of Fox's men- informed us of what we all knew to be true, and the doors slid open to reveal the open air and blinding lights of the planet-wide metropolis that was Coruscant to everyone inside.
Obi Wan sighed as he heard the crowd of reporters- all gathered around us in speeders with the Coruscant Guard desperately trying to calm them down- but continued to pace relentlessly, eager to be done with the current affairs and begin the search for Siri, who he firmly believed was still alive somewhere on world. The Force was strangely quiet on the subject, though that by itself was strange, since it seemed almost…muffled, in a way. Was Sidious' Darkness becoming too strong for the Temple's Light to repel, or was something else going on around here?
Ahsoka was staying in the back on the ship, hidden away by Rex and Jango, who had both agreed it would be better for her to not be seen by the 'hounds' outside, and since Sidious himself was present, I couldn't agree more. Cody had stayed on the Negotiator with Admiral Yularen on the Resolute, in order to keep the men from making too much of a mess and ensuring the Venators were re-stocked for the next mission, whenever that would be.
Padme herself stepped outside first, with me following closely behind, barely sparing a look at Sidious before letting my eyes dart around in search of assassins or other more…mysterious threats. According to Revan, a duo of Sith Phantoms had been spotted in the works by his men, and we'd need to deal with them as soon as we found Siri, for word of their existence could never reach Sidious, less he figure out that he had access to a near-unbeatable army of Sith Warriors who'd be at his beck and call.
Obi Wan came out third and motioned for Rex and Fett to follow as my Angel stomped to where Sidious was standing and promptly slapped him in the face, earning everyone's undivided attention and causing the Sith Lord to stumble back from the force of it, without even needing to fake his surprise. That would earn his ire, but the look on his face was positively priceless as Padme had predicted, so it was –probably- worth it, in the end.
As reporters from all news networks prepared to open their mouths and begin a series of endless questions, Padme spoke, giving none the chance to be heard. "How dare you!", she screamed at him, seemingly furious but with a carefully controlled reaction hidden behind the act. "Sending me into an active Warzone and claiming to be a 'diplomatic mission'? Had it not been for General Skywalker and his men, a Republic Operation worth more than an entire sector's capture would have gone to Sith Hell!", she yelled again, stunning every member of the crowd as I stopped myself from openly laughing at the look on the Chancellor's face.
Sidious looked absolutely stunned as he was slapped, openly confused as the shock went away and absolutely furious as he realized what had just transpired, in public display for the entire Galaxy to witness. Controlling his expression the best he could, he tried to look hurt, but didn't get a word in my Angel continued to chew him out with a level of ruthlessness Darth Vader would beamed with pride at.
"I dare not think this was anything but pure incompetence out of fear of the implications, but had this incident not transpired, General Grievous would have been in custody. The CIS would have lost its greatest strategist and the War would have turned even more heavily in the Republic's favor. We're lucky to not have actually pulled a victory out of the dump you threw our chances in, but Chancellor, I am most displeased with you at this time!", Padme yelled again, turning her speech into something more formal at the end, to show that she was regaining her composure.
It was only after she had visibly calmed down that Sidious 'dared' to speak, still trying to appeal to the public through the image of a helpless man faced with consequences for something beyond his control, but any remnant of a public image he may have had a few moments ago had been deprived of both legs, an arm and was thrown into the fires of Mustafar to burn and die.
"Senator…I-I assure you whatever you speak of is some sort of misunderstanding!", Sidious stuttered, appearing completely helpless in front of someone at least half a head shorter than him. It wouldn't help him in the slightest, but it was still too early for us to take a jab at his public image. Even this was stretching our limits, and with how many contacts and agents he still had on his side, nothing we did now would work.
A single incident wouldn't be enough to do irreparable damage to his reputation, but this wasn't our current goal. The point was to ensure that he was indisposed for a few hours, preferably under heavy guard so that wouldn't be able to use his Sith persona against us as Obi Wan and I tried to find Siri…if she was still alive, that is.
Taking another deep breath –one that sounded far too mechanical in my ears- I cursed myself for what I was about to do, and sent a mental apology to Padme, even though she was already expecting it.
Stepping closer to the two, I got in between them, with Sidious sending his best 'help me' glance as I shot him a discreet smile, but in a way I knew would be caught on camera. "Senator…I refuse to believe that this was anything but an accident on the Chancellor's part, but have you considered the fact that he may not be at fault?", I asked, Vader's voice ringing in my head with every word I spoke in the Sith Lord's defense, and images flashed before my eyes, against my own will.
Darth Vader, kneeling before Sidious. "Yes, my Master…"
Vader, having finished reporting on a Jedi's location. "…as you wish, Master." Orders for the fugitive's death.
Vader, receiving a transmission from the Emperor, kneeling in his quarters. "What is thy bidding, my Emperor?"
"Arise, Lord Vader." Sidious' voice, greeting his servant.
"-refuse to believe it as well, but what else could this be, if not a mistake? …General?" Clearing my throat, I realized Padme had been speaking. Right, no time for being stuck in the past. That could come latter, preferably when Qui Gon was around to pull me out of it.
"Perhaps the co-ordinates were switched by someone?", I offered, deliberately making the sentence sound more like a question.
Padme narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously, playing her part to perfection. "By who?", she asked, the two words seemingly making my composure crash and burn. Inwardly, I was laughing my ass off. Not every day I get to do something like this, especially in Sidious' expense.
My posture now stiff, apparently betraying that the question had caught me off guard, I uttered more words in Sidious' defense, hoping this charade wouldn't have to last much longer. Being near him felt as if all my Light was being drained away, and I couldn't stand another second of it. "Perhaps this mysterious assailant that's been running amok on world. This…Phantom?", I proposed, secretly biting my tongue so I wouldn't laugh at the irony of the name.
Padme shook her head, trying to convey that she was done with what would be perceived as excuses by everyone. We both knew it, of course, but it was still funny to see her act like this. "Chancellor, I apologize for my outburst.", she suddenly said, turning to face Sidious, who had been silent this entire time, and had –to our extreme luck- forgotten to remove his 'helpless old man' mask as he stood there, observing our argument.
With a quick –and most importantly, subtle- scan of his mind, I could see that his thoughts were focused on revenge, and that a plan to 'deal with' Padme was already coming to fruition. Even though that was worrying, his anger towards my Angel kept the Sith Lord's mind –mostly- off our conversation, only paying attention to the words spoken and our expressions, never straying to a scan of our minds. A rookie mistake, but he had been getting a bit complacent as of late, with everything –at least in his eyes- going his way.
Padme quickly walked away after that, not giving Sidious any time to analyze what had just transpired beyond surface level. Thankfully, this kept him silent as I addressed him, trying to help him save face, which was technically true, just not for the reasons anyone, including the aptly named 'Lord of Lies' himself.
"Did Revan come up with that one?", asked the voice of Obi Wan through our bond.
"Yes, old man. Now move, and help Revan keep Snips hidden with the illusion. I've got a Sith Lord to focus on.", I snapped back, though both my brother and I knew it to stem from a need to get this plan to go right instead of anger or frustration.
"Chancellor-", I began, forcing Sidious to turn his attention to me. "-if the coordinates were indeed tampered with, the Jedi will find an answer as to who is responsible. In the meantime, I'm ordering you to remain in your apartment along with two squads of Clones as guards while we try to resolve this issue." The satisfaction of being able to order Sidious around nearly made me cackle, since he'd be forced to do as I said if he wanted to keep the charade up, even though he outranked me Military-wise. We had him cornered and it was time for him to make the final move and accept the hand he'd been dealt while trying to benefit himself somehow.
Sidious expressed realistic hesitation for a moment, before his face fell in acceptance of the situation. He nodded silently, and began walking away, before looking back and staring at me in the eyes for a moment. "Master Skywalker…I do hope you'll keep me updated on the situation.", he said, and I could feel the mental pull as he tried to convince me to say what he wanted.
I pretended not to notice what should have been blatantly obvious to any Jedi –and was a risk on his part, though I had no reason to exploit it right now- and politely declined without really doing so, taking a page out of Obi Wan's book and answering while avoiding the actual meaning behind the question. "Of course, Chancellor. I'll have someone brief you on our findings when we're done.", I said politely before giving him –the crowd, mostly- a small bow and walking back to the Gunship with Obi Wan walking next to me, Rex and Fett behind us respectively.
Obi Wan had shooed' Snips away from the landing pad once he realized that we wouldn't be going inside the building, therefore no longer needing to maintain the Force Projection that had made her practically invisible by projecting an image of the three men without Ahsoka following behind, an ability Obi Wan had only just begun to learn from Revan, since I was in no position to teach him myself, still not quite used to doing it to hide a moving object or person, especially if they were making sudden movements or –in the worst case possible- running.
As the Gunship's doors closed behind us I sent a mental note of thanks to my teacher, to which he strangely replied by a request to let him be for a bit. Knowing Revan, he was probably working on something, maybe talking to one of his men, or more accurately, the group of spirits we had rescued from encounters with Sith Phantoms.
Revan had been able to look into their shattered minds and pick out those most likely to help us every time we finished a fight with a Sith Phantom, and had then proceeded to form a bond between himself and the spirits in question before one of us cleansed their respective leaders from Dark energy, destroying their connection to the land of the living and their willing –or in some rare cases- corrupted followers.
The latter group is what he had been focusing on for the past few months, being able to convince a few spirits to join us after each and every battle. Said spirits were all former Republic soldiers from one era or the other, with only a single exception, a former Sith Assassin who had been a follower of Revan's and had aptly been dubbed 'The Phantom of the Night' by his fellow Sith before his death, for a shadow in the night was the only thing Republic Soldiers would see before he slit their throats open in service to the Sith Empire Revan had once commanded.
The nickname had since been shortened to 'Phantom' and his skills had been put to good use in clearing the Republic Senate of corruption since the defeat of a Sith Phantom known as 'The Alchemist', who had been bested by Revan and I in the bowels of the Jedi Temple a few months after the Clone War had begun for the second time. He had been invaluable since then, 'repaying' any Senator engaging in illicit activities by taking what they owed to the people, in his own words.
Had a Senator lost the government's money gambling in the Coruscanti Underworld, Phantom would be there to steal it from his personal credit account, or in some severe cases, physical possessions. Anything that could be sold to get that money back would be taken, and every leftover credit would go to either Refugee Relocation programs or to organizations that provided free food and housing to those who couldn't afford it, or who had lost it because of the War.
Had a Senator murdered someone to reach or secure their position in the Galactic Senate they would meet the exact same fate as their victim, with their crime being exposed to the public via secure transmissions to the Holonet.
Had a Senator owned or had otherwise supported slavery however, the punishment was far more severe. Whatever torture they had put their slaves through they would endure before their throats were cut wide open as they died painfully, gargling in their own blood while the slaves were all freed and sent straight to the Alderaanian Refugee Program to be provided with transport off Coruscant and the necessities to make a new life for themselves and any family elsewhere in the Galaxy. Thankfully, Bail's staff knew better than to question the origins of these people, and played dumb the one time Commander Thorn had questioned them on the Chancellor's behalf.
Revan had been the one to first propose the idea of bringing order to the Senate with an 'eye for an eye' methodology and I had readily agreed with him since, had a Senator done nothing wrong, they'd have nothing to worry about. Perhaps it had been a lingering effect that Vader had left behind after his death, or perhaps my personal opinions had been molded to be like this after years of being forced to deal with these corrupt sacks of Bantha Poodoo, but I didn't care much about the reasons behind the fact, only that it was what it was.
Unfortunately, in our haste to put our newest plan into action, Revan and I had forgotten about the Jedi Council and the fact that they would certainly take an interest in this whole endeavor, but them sending Siri I had not expected. Neither had Revan, in fact, but not telling Obi Wan immediately had been a bad call that I had come to regret the moment he told me of the news sent to him by Mace Windu.
Of course, we hadn't known the Council sent her to investigate the incident, but as I stood beside my brother on the Gunship, on our way to see the Jedi Council and learn more what had happened to Siri –at least from Obi Wan's point of view- I realized that I hadn't even told him about the plan to begin with, much less about the fact that it was probably my fault that Siri had gotten into danger.
"Obi Wan?", I uttered hesitantly, all too fearful of his reaction.
He turned to me, leaning closer so that the others wouldn't hear us. "Yes, Anakin?", he asked, the usual patience in his voice gone, replaced by worry for his romantic partner and a sense of dread at the thought of going into Sidious' lair. At least I'd be able to help with one of those.
"He doesn't have her.", I whispered to him, and Obi Wan would have jumped in surprise if he could, but resigned to simply flinching, a move that went unnoticed by everyone except Jango. The Mandalorian was trained in reading people's body language, but I could sense he didn't want anything to do with our business, instead impatiently waiting to be released from duty so he could call his son again, their previous discussing having been interrupted by a Separatist ambush, if memory served right.
"Then who does?", Obi Wan whisper-yelled in my ear.
I shrugged nonchalantly, purely for Rex and Ahsoka to see so they wouldn't assume something was amiss. Knowing them, they'd want to help, but I wasn't about to expose them to something as dangerous as someone capable of taking down a well-trained Jedi Knight, or –Force forbid- a Sith Phantom.
"I'll find out soon enough.", I replied in a normal tone of voice as the Gunship Doors slid open once more, this time reveling the Main Hangar of the Jedi Temple.
Ahsoka and Rex both shot a questioning glance at me, but I –with a swift move of the wrist and a few fingers- replied in sign language for only Rex to understand, since the specific variant had been made for Clones, or rather, for ARC Troopers to use while on missions.
The message was only a single word long, but it got the point across to the Clone Captain, who seemed surprised at my knowing of the signals. Logically, I shouldn't have known them, but after serving with Clones for over eight years of my life, I'd picked up a thing or two. "Later.", the message read, and Rex gave me a swift nod in affirmation, before immediately turning to Ahsoka and proposing that she show him around the place, making her smile with glee as she began dragging him around the Hangar, before disappearing into the adjacent hallway.
I'd get chewed out by the Council for this later, but I couldn't have cared less as I whiskered Obi Wan into a corner and away from any staff that were running around the place as Hawk took off, his destination being the Barracks provided to my Legion by the Chancellor, as a silent and –mostly- hidden bribe.
"Alright, now you better tell me everything.", Obi Wan demanded as soon as we were out of earshot of anyone else.
"You'll be furious with me.", I told him, wanting him to mentally prepare himself for me having done something very stupid. After all, the days where Obi Wan was actually angry with me could be counted on one hand, and the days where he was mad were nonexistent, at least until now.
Obi Wan, recognizing that I had good reason for warning him, took a deep breath and before I could say anything else, made his best guess. "Let me guess…Siri being potentially dead is somehow your fault?", he deadpanned as I nodded silently, causing him to huff at me.
"Anakin I swear to the Force if she is dead I'm throwing you back into that lava river!", he shouted, and I could only nod, completely agreeing on deserving it this time.
Probably realizing what he'd just said, Obi Wan tried to take it back, but I stopped him by raising a hand. "No, don't. I certainly deserve it if she is.", I told him, my voice truly emotionless for the first time in the past year.
"Anakin…", my brother began before pausing for a moment, probably trying to collect his thoughts. "Are you sure that it's your fault?", he asked suddenly, the question entirely unexpected.
It nearly made me crush something in anger. "Yes, I'm sure! Now let's go, we're wasting time!", I replied as I tried to drag him out of the Hangar, receiving a few sideways glances from the area's occupants before Obi Wan started running alongside me, following me all the way to the bowels of the Temple, and into the –formerly- Sith Shrine that the Alchemist had inhabited months ago.
There waited a squad of troopers wearing armor reminiscent of that used in the days of the Old Republic, though I knew it to be enhanced with the Light Side of the Force, and therefore stronger than any other armor in the Galaxy. One of them approached us and I recognized him as their second in command, the Republic Soldier Revan and I had rescued along with Phantom from the Alchemist.
Revan had promoted him to the rank of Captain, even though it was purely for him to have someone he could bark orders to and a person who'd take care of any newcomers after they agreed to join us and were sent here to await orders from Revan, since I already had a Legion of my own to command. I remembered his self-appointed name to be 'Bloodhound', along with bits of a conversation regarding his renowned tracking skills on the field. He was an excellent investigator and a good soldier, but wouldn't be of much use in this mission, since we'd have to sneak him through the Coruscant Guard if we wanted his help.
I immediately discarded the idea as I stepped towards him, ignoring the customary greeting he sent my way. "Captain. Where is Phantom?", I inquired rather impolitely, but finding Siri was more important than manners, less I want to lose another set of legs to Obi Wan.
"Out, my Lord. He has been trying to enter a secure area for quite some time now and-", Bloodhound started, but I cut him off with another question.
"The one that Commander Fox is guarding?", I asked quickly as Obi Wan caught up to be, immediately causing every soldier in the room to raise their guns at him.
"Yes, my Lord.", Bloodhound replied as he too aimed at Obi Wan with his own blaster rifle.
Exasperated, I didn't give them time to do something stupid like open fire, and immediately got between them and my brother, for the sake of everyone's safety. "He's with me!", I announced loudly, and all guns immediately fell limp in their owner's hands as everyone went back to their business.
"Anakin, I don't recall you mentioning that you knew of Phantom. Has Revan been keeping tabs on him?", Obi Wan asked, suspicious in his own right.
"He's one of ours.", I quickly confirmed for him, adding a follow-up sentence to avoid being yelled at. "I didn't know the Council had sent Siri to investigate, but if Phantom is trying to get into the Warehouse, it means that she is also still there. He would have reported back if Sidious had gone, so he doesn't have her.", I explained to my brother, who looked to be a mix of furious and relieved that Sidious wasn't involved.
"What do you mean 'he's one of ours'?", Obi Wan shouted loudly. Yep, fury had certainly won over.
Not bothering to give an answer I knew would lead to us arguing and therefore wasting time, I changed the subject. "Look, I'm panicking seven ways to Mos Eisley right now and Siri is running out of time, so if you want to tell me that 'an eye for an eye' mentality is now the Jedi way, or that this isn't something I should be doing, wait until we've saved your girlfriend!", I shouted to him, and Obi Wan grew serious for a moment before deciding to veto this discussion for the time being, and rushed out the room, headed for the Hangar once more.
Using Force Speed as he was, I only managed to catch up to him as he was about to leave on a Speeder Bike, jumping on at the last second before he punched it and began driving through the packed streets of Coruscant at maximum speed on a bike modified to go at least twice as fast as it normally would –curtesy of my younger self if memory served- and swerved around every last obstacle and speeder on the airway in a way I hadn't even known he could –mostly because of his apparent hatred for flying-, causing about a dozen police droids to chase after us, barking reprimands and promises of speeding tickets as I hung on to my seat for dear life.
When we finally came close to the area Fox and his men had closed of Obi Wan didn't even bother to park, instead simply jumping off and letting the speeder crash into a nearby pile of scrap as I followed him, landing right on my feet as Fox rushed over to see what was going on, thinking we had been shot down by the thoughts he was projecting, but stopped in tracks upon seeing we were alright, causing the Clones following him to fall on top of him in an almost-comedic manner.
In the few seconds it took for the Clone Commander to get back up on his feet, Obi Wan was already at the door to the Warehouse, trying and failing to open it with the Force because of his worries and fears preventing him from forming a clear connection to it. Shaking my head in a disapproving manner –it felt strangely satisfying to be the one doing it to him for once- I waved my hand in front of his face, causing him to look at me as the door opened up immediately.
I flashed him a cocky smile, the type usually reserved for joking around, but he only scoffed as he began to walk inside. It was then that Fox physically grabbed him and pulled him away from it, causing Obi Wan to look at the Commander in a way that was most disturbing, and that was coming from me of all people.
"Sir! I can't let you on in there!", Fox protested, desperation evident in his voice. His mind betrayed him however, and I could sense that he was already in distress prior to our arrival, an emotion caused by…his brothers disappearing inside…what in the Force was happening here?
In that moment, I could it. I could see Obi Wan's emotions exploding right in Fox's face as he yelled unlike any other time…only for that moment to never come. Instead, Obi Wan, as if his emotions had simply disappeared walked up to the Clone Commander and calmly asked him why that was, to even Fox's surprise.
"Sir, we've lost three squads of men in that warehouse. I haven't had contact with them for hours and Jek had gone with the last one, but I've got no work from him either. No shouting, no requests for backup, not even static. They just aren't picking up.", Fox explained, removing his helmet to run a hand through his hair before moving to put it back on again.
I stopped him by holding the item in place for a moment. Fox looked at me, expecting some form of plan to get his brothers back. I didn't need the Force to tell me that either. It was written all over his face. "Don't worry Commander. We'll find your brothers and our Jedi.", I assured him, putting the remaining Clones at ease immediately. They trusted me enough to know I wouldn't fail them, and they were right to do so. I'd keep my word, and we all knew it.
Obi Wan then cleared his throat, turning my attention from Fox to the locked door in front of us. The Commander himself noticed as well and pressed a button on a nearby console, opening it for us. And for the Coruscant Guard to drag a remote locking mechanism to the Works of all places, there was clearly something serious going on here.
As Obi Wan and I walked inside, a Dark presence seemed to study us for a moment, before being joined by two more, the latter duo nearly identical to one another. And as Fox locked the door back up behind us, my suspicions were confirmed. It was Sith Phantoms that we were dealing with.
Sparing a glance at Obi Wan, I could tell he was still nervous. I was about to ask what had happened for him to be…normal after noticeably feeling many emotions at a time, but he answered without me needing to say a word.
"Qui Gon's scolding never failed to bring me back to the real world when I was a Padawan. Apparently that kind of thing is still effective to this day.", he commented nonchalantly, as if he hadn't been freaking out two minutes ago.
I knew he wasn't alright and that he wouldn't be until Siri was found, regardless of what state she was in, though we were hoping for 'alive'. I let out a sigh as I realized we wouldn't get a chance to talk until after we were done with this, and –unwilling to be anything but the textbook definition of confidence- I flashed Obi Wan another smile, sending a wave of Light through our Bond to tell him that things would be okay before following up with a quip, if only for banter's sake.
"Alright old man, now let's go save your girlfriend, shall we?"
And…scene! There you have it guys! Chapter 28 of A Messed Up Destiny…part 1. Part 2 is coming next week as I said earlier, but this one really does introduce a lot of stuff which will be important later on and I didn't want to overwhelm you guys with information, so I've tried to have a bit of exposition here (it would have been here anyways, just followed by another 6.000 long chapter afterwards plus the added paragraphs in the epilogue). Part 2 is mostly done anyways, so it might actually take me less time than usual to post, though I'll probably use the extra days to start working on the next draft. It's good to be a bit ahead of shedule after all.
Okay, I'm going to be a bit more thorough with this explanation, and feel free to PM me for any questions. Anyhow…let's get to it!
Firstly, Anakin and Padme. Their conversation from last chapter will be expanded upon and revealed in the near future (as soon as the Siri plotline is done, so like 2 chapters from now), but I won't reveal what exactly they talked about yet.
However, the move they play against Palpatine is actually pretty smart of them, since he can't possibly get out of it without either looking like a complete idiot, or like a traitor (which he is, but he doesn't want the public to know, obviously). They've backed him into a metaphorical corner and the entire thing will dominate the Holonet for a long time, because of how memorable it would be.
I mean, a well-respected Senator publicly slapping the Leader of the Galactic Republic and then calling him out in front of what is basically the entire population of the Republic and beyond, while also implying that had this *mistake* not happened the War would be practically over and that the CIS would have lost? It's not getting out of anyone's mind for a while.
Also, Anakin doing a shitty job defending Sidious here is obviously intentional, and it's being done so that complications to the plan don't arise, since they still need Sidious in office or else he'd be able to work entirely from the shadows, but they can use his public persona to control him sometimes, like Anakin does by issuing an investigation and ordering Palpatine to stay well-guarded. This means that Sidious will be out of the way temporarily, since he'll have a lot of eyes on him at all times.
Secondly, Obi Wan and Revan. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but it is mentioned than Revan has begun teaching Force Projection to Obi Wan. This line is important because it means that Anakin won't be the only one with all the new powers from now on, though 'Perfect Jedi' Kenobi will strictly be using Light Side powers, so no lightning, breaking into people's minds, or other Dark Side powers.
It's also referenced that Anakin doesn't know the power well enough to even begin teaching him, and that's honestly because I don't want to make him feel OP. While Anakin/Vader's conflicts and weaknesses have always been centered around emotions and their effects on his psyche, I still don't want him to feel like he can do anything right off the bat. Obviously Anakin will learn it eventually as with many, many other powers, but he'll have to practice to get there, just like Obi Wan. After all, talent is nothing without training.
Thirdly, Phantom. This plot point…is very important for obvious reasons. It's proof that Vader still has a –limited- hold over Anakin and casts a shadow over our Jedi hero and will also play a vital part in the future operations against Sidious, or at least the ones taking place on Coruscant. I can't go into any more details, but this will be brought up again and again while the gang is on Coruscant, so all will be explained soon.
Fourthly, Revan's army. Now, I thought this to be a very cool idea, and extremely in character for the former Sith Lord. It's a side of Revan that I've yet to show, the 'morally grey' part of him that hasn't been expressed so far. To further elaborate, Revan as a character (depending on the choices you make while playing KOTOR) is someone who loves turning people's lackeys and allies against them, and there is nothing more satisfying for him than to practice this whenever he can, since it also usually involves saving people from a terrible fate or decision they're about to make/ have made.
Revan freeing spirits from the Dark Side's corruption and giving them a choice to fight for the Light again, giving them a purpose, is something I can see him doing, and it's also a good tactical move. All in all, these guys –Bloodhound and Phantom especially- will certainly appear again, even in scenes with major plot relevance.
Fifthly, the Sith Phantoms and Siri's fate. Before I get into this, a much deeper explanation of what these things are and how their mechanics work is given in the side story "Shadows of the Sith" which can be found on my profile. I thought them to be an amazingly interesting concept and a way up the stakes since eventually the gang would be too strong for me to postpone the confrontation between them and Palpatine. Anyways, onto the actual point.
These two Sith Phantoms that Revan located on Coruscant are obviously the same ones Anakin and Obi Wan are about to face, but they also have major relevance in the main plot. As a side note, each Phantom has a gimmick (I'll talk about this more next chapter) and their abilities will certainly cause problems for our heroic duo in the impending duo.
Now, as far as Siri's fate goes, we know that she was last seen in a location that they've made a lair out of, and that she could very well be dead, since Sith aren't exactly known for sparing Jedi lives. On the other hand, it's worth mentioning that there are two Sith Phantoms and that Anakin senses three Force Presences looking at him and Obi Wan through the Dark Side. I'll let you guys theorize about what this means, since saying more would be considered spoilers.
Lastly, somethings to look out for. Anyone notice how Anakin keeps referring to Padme as "Angel" in this chapter? And how he's experienced visions of Darth Vader as soon as he came in direct contact with Palpatine? Yeah, keep an eye on both of those things for future reference.
Next time: Having entered the lair of two dangerous Sith Phantoms, Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi investigate the disappearance of Jedi Knight Siri Tachi and to uncover the fate of members of the Coruscant Guard, who have also disappeared inside this Nexus of the Dark Side. Will the two Jedi manage to recover their friends, or does death and betrayal await them inside this abandoned Warehouse in the Works?
That's all for now everyone! Reviews are always welcome, whether it be to ask question or to chat, and I'll see you all next chapter, but until then, May the Force be with you!