A MESSED UP DESTINY

A STAR WARS STORY

Chapter 36

Disclaimer: Disney owns everything and I make no profit from this.

Hello there everyone and welcome to chapter 36 of the story! Today we finally leave Coruscant and move on to the idyllic world of Naboo, where insane 'Doctor' Nuvo Vindi has recreated it and plans to unleash it so it may plague the Galaxy once more. As Padme, Anakin, Ahsoka and the 501st rush to stop him, a new Republic ally reveals himself, causing the Separatists' plans to spiral into chaos.

This Arc is a two-parter, beginning with the actual episode of the show and ending with a climactic battle in the Palace of Theed, but that's spoiler territory so I won't be going there just yet. Also, please be aware that I have a new project in the works that I will soon unveil. It is related to this saga and despite not being a new story or side-mission, I think it will being a smile to your faces, but I'll tell you all more about it in the epilogue.

Now…without further ado…let's jump right into chapter 36!

The Blue Shadow Virus! After the attack on Senator Padme Amidala and with the mystery regarding the Clone Inhibitor Chips still kept under wraps by the few who know of them, Jedi General Anakin Skywalker –still injured and exhausted from the aforementioned incidents- is sent to Naboo by Chancellor Palpatine along with his Legion of Clone Troopers, accompanied by High General Obi Wan Kenobi and his 212th Attack Battalion, along with Naboo's own Senator Padme Amidala. Unable to disobey a direct order from the Galactic Republic's Leader, the team leads a coordinated strike in an effort to destroy a new sample of the previously extinct Blue Shadow Virus, which the Mad Doctor is threatening to release into Naboo's atmosphere.

Meanwhile, with Darth Sidious having been given the perfect opportunity to destroy each and every one of his main adversaries, the Jedi and Clones will need help to come out of this mission alive, and who better to assist them than a new, previously unheard of Republic Agent claiming to have a lead on the Sith Lord's real identity?

Naboo's Atmosphere, Resolute, Anakin's point of view:

The orders from Sidious' public persona had come only about an hour after the incident involving Commander Fox and the Inhibitor Chips on Coruscant, with Padme immediately volunteering to take charge, knowing full well that it was a trap. The Council –playing into the Sith's hands as usual- agreed with her, believing that her status as a trusted public figure would help the Clones better coordinate an evacuation if Vindi did indeed release the Blue Shadow Virus, as he'd threatened to do in a recording sent to us from the Chancellor's Office.

Master Yoda had argued about the possible dangers, but was overruled by most of the Council, including an extremely hesitant Shaak Ti. Thankfully for them, not all the Council were in agreement with the decision, since Masters Fisto, Koon and –to everyone's surprise- Windu had suggested otherwise along with Obi Wan, but it hadn't been enough to make a difference.

As soon as it was obvious those idiots weren't going to change their minds, I immediately demanded to join her with the 501st, with Obi Wan backing me up before the Council Members could even speak. Even Yoda was ready to order me to stay, but a single bone chilling look from Padme was enough to silence all of them, with the Grand Master taking a small step back, pretending to be thinking as he carefully ensured that Windu was between him and my Angel.

That whole mess was the reason why the entire 501st had been shipped off to Naboo on the Resolute, along with Padme of course, and accompanied by the 'Negotiator', Obi Wan's flagship, which held the 212th Attack Battalion plus Siri, who had –by her own admission while apologizing- tricked Obi Wan into letting her come along, something he forgave far quicker than he ever had one of my stunts, but that didn't upset me at all. In fact, I was rather pleased with the fact that those two would finally get some time to talk undisturbed. They both deserved what little peace and quiet was available to them between the endless battles and the struggle to destroy Sidious and save the Galaxy from his iron grip.

At this moment in time, I was meditating in my quarters, letting the Light freely roam around me as the Force quickened the healing of my leftover wounds from the last few days. While Healing Meditation was generally slower and less effective that the instant boost in life energy granted by the use of Force Drain, it was also a good way to clear one's head, and I'd need a steady mind going forward, since a lot was at stake. Even if most Padme's family and friends were off-world, her nieces were at her childhood home in Theed, which was a densely populated area and a perfect release point for a deadly disease like the Blue Shadow Virus.

I was brought out of my meditation and back into reality when someone –Rex, I could sense- knocked on the door of my quarters. Standing up with significantly less pain coursing through my nervous system, I opened the door, only to find him looking rather stiff on the other end, which meant he was either nervous, worried, or both.

"General. Senator Amidala instructed that I pass this on to you.", he said in formal greeting as he extended a hand, revealing the Inhibitor Chip I'd acquired beforehand resting in his palm.

Not bothering to reach out and grab it, rather letting it float into my waiting hand with the Force, I nodded in thanks, allowing Rex to get the formalities out of the way. "Sir…I'm worried.", he revealed hesitantly, as if ashamed of it.

Wanting to ease whatever worries were on his mind, I placed a hand on my friend's shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. "Don't worry Captain, you aren't the only one.", I said, the words coming out of my mouth the same way fighting banter would.

Rex blinked repeatedly behind his helmet, as if a massive secret had just been revealed to him. "…You sir?", he asked after a moment of silence, to which I responded with a nod of affirmation. I had no reason to lie to him about this after all, unlike the many things Rex still hadn't the faintest idea about, not that it wasn't safer that way.

"General…", he began in a tone of relative disbelief, "…I've never seen you be afraid of anything.", he stated, as if I truly was the Hero with No Fear. His statement brought back a memory of the one and only time I truly had been fearless, if only for one fleeting moment as the night sky had shown on the soon-to-be-destroyed Jedi Temple when Order 66 came down, but it went away just as quick, leaving me hoping to never have to remember that night again.

"Sir?", Rex suddenly asked, concerned. It was then that I noticed the tear that had fallen from my left eye, and I quickly used Pyrokinesis to vaporize it in an instant while Rex simply stood there, mind and thoughts running wild as he begun to second-guess himself, thinking he must have imagined it. My friend never even noticed the temperature rising, if only for the moment that it did before returning back to normal.

"Never mind, General. It's nothing.", he quickly covered for himself, and for the time being, I was content with letting this matter be until I was ready to tell him the actual reasons behind that painful tear, which had stung more than any lightsaber wound ever could.

Deciding to change the topic to one that didn't remind me of genocide, I adopted a more casual tone as I opened up a drawer with the Force, levitating a datapad out of it. One of the many incident reports I'd been writing up since the beginning of the War, in case they could someday be used as official evidence against our benevolent Chancellor. "Hey Rex, what's our ETA?", I asked him nonchalantly, walking to and sitting down in my chair as I began typing out the events of my scuffle with Sidious' squad back on Coruscant.

Rex, having grown more comfortable around me and being –mostly- used to the idea of having a Jedi other than Snips for a friend, peeked above my shoulder to see what I was writing. After reading the first line or two he stiffened, hesitant to ask about the incident. "Ask Fox if you want to know. I need to get this written in the next…", I said, trailing off on purpose and giving him something to say so he wouldn't focus on the report itself.

"Two hours sir.", Rex finished for me, before shooting me a concerned glance from under the cover of his visor. I was about to assure him that everything was fine, but he simply sighed and left the room quietly, probably going to call Fox, who should still be in the Halls of Healing if Master Vokara had her way, and she always did.

Smiling to myself at the small joke, I opened up my bond with Revan, not really in the mood to be totally quiet while typing away at the Datapad. He readily accepted, and the two of us got to work, since I really did need to get this done soon…

Two and a half hours later, Naboo Swamplands, Ahsoka's point of view:

This mission wasn't going to be easy. Master Skywalker had said so, and since he was always right about these things, I didn't question him on it. Besides, my mind was more focused on Fives and Echo, or Cutup, Droidbait, and Hevy too. Rex had barged into the barracks as Domino Squad was trying to teach me some Mando'a, and had told them that they were now under my personal command, emphasizing the point. When I asked him why he just shrugged it off as Master's orders, but I was still curious as to why this had happened. Maybe he'd noticed that I was becoming friends with them? Force knows, really. Still, it wasn't up to me to question it, especially when it gave me a chance to have their backs out there in the field.

What I was curious about was the fact that Senator Padme Amidala was here with us, looking fully combat ready and determined to see this mission through. Admittedly, I didn't really know anything about her except the fact that Master looked up to her, as he'd complimented her to me when the two of us passed by the Mess Hall, where the boys were watching the 'authorized' channels, which included a broadcast of one of her speeches.

Master Skywalker had turned to the direction of her voice the second we were in earshot and I'd followed him, wanting to see what had gotten his attention. The speech we ended up watching alongside Oddball and Appo had something to do with taxes and trade routes before it shifted to another thing about the Republic Fleet, but even I could understand that she was defending the rights of the Mid Rim's people against a Bill that would force most of them to be working overtime to meet the Army's ever-growing standards, or at least that's what Anakin had explained to me since I'd tuned out halfway through.

Truth be told, I'd held myself back from asking more about her that day, since it had happened only a few weeks after Christophsis and I hadn't really gotten to know Anakin yet. Now that I did however, he was starting to feel more like an older brother than a Jedi Master, even though I still didn't want to disappoint him in my training.

Regardless, he seemed to be even more enamored with her in person that her recording from back then. For a few moments between the second when our feet touched Naboo's surface just outside Theed and until Master Kenobi had shook his shoulder, it was almost as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist, leaving only the Senator alone with him. Master Kenobi had mumbled something under his breath, but refrained from acknowledging that he'd given the same look to Knight Siri Tachi, who would be joining us for today's mission.

During the entire exchange I had said nothing, awaiting directions for what to do and where to go, but the whole thing had quickly ended when the Senator cleared her throat and Anakin's mind snapped back into reality. He seemed almost confused for a split second, and I would have teased him if it had just been us and the boys, but refrained from doing so since I really didn't know how to act in front of a Senator. The Jedi Masters at the Temple didn't have lessons for this! Well…more like I hadn't been paying attention to them…but still.

"Okay everyone. Let's recap the plan one last time. The 501st has been deployed across the entire planet's major population centers, ready to assist civilians if a problem arises. Obi Wan will take Cody and the 212th to secure Theed and establish a safe zone that had shelter both Republic Troops and civilians if anyone gets hurt, while Jango will take a squad of troopers and keep an eye on the Queen.", Master Skywalker listed off, not yet reaching the part of the plan where we kick Droid butt.

"The rest of us are going to the Lab's location to destroy any traces of the Blue Shadow Virus and capture Doctor Vindi. Remember to double check your protective suits now, I don't want anyone getting infected with this thing, since it hasn't shown up in millennia. Senator Amidala has the rumored location of the Lab and will be leading us until we reach the inside, but I expect everyone to follow my orders once we're inside. Remember, the disease can't get out and we only have one shot, so there's no room for mistakes.", Anakin continued calmly, earning a chorus of affirmatives from all the boys, both in orange and blue. Master Kenobi nodded encouragingly before we and his men went off into the city as we began our way to where this Lab was rumored to be. I could only pray to the Force that we weren't wrong about the location…

Fifteen minutes later, CIS Laboratory, Anakin's point of view:

Already knowing both the location and defense measures of the Laboratory proved to be extremely useful, since it took us way less time to find than it otherwise would have, even providing us with a solid plan to ambush Vindi inside. This is perfect… As the entry hatch opened up, a lone Battle Droid pooped its head out to check the perimeter, and immediately lost it to my lightsaber. The poor thing's mechanical body went back down the hatch and was about to crash into the floor, but Ahsoka managed to stop it in midair and gently lay on the cold floor beneath the ladder's last rung. Personally, I would have vaporized the whole thing, but I wasn't that confident in my precision when it came to Pyrokinesis just yet, so I didn't intervene.

Against my suggestions, Padme was the first to descend the ladder, followed by myself and Ahsoka, Rex and Domino Squad right behind us. Not wanting to leave such an obvious access point or a way for the airborne version of the virus to escape, I used the Force to seal the hatch shut, doing so slowly to avoid making noise in the progress. Our group then continued to move through the Laboratory, with Padme at the head, signaling me to quietly take down any droids that might be in our way.

I was of course the one telling her where to go and which corners to turn, courtesy of my extreme fears of her dying from the Blue Shadow when she'd been infected causing me to relive this mission a thousand times until Obi Wan and I had actually gotten the antidote from Iego, but she'd continued to insist that she would be first in line through our Force Bond, and I didn't want to argue with her right now. We'd have time for that after we captured Vindi and saved the Galaxy from yet another pandemic, as if the countless health crises over the last millennium alone weren't enough.

As Padme was about to turn another corner, she suddenly stopped, nearly losing her balance as she did so, but I caught her with the Force, helping her steady herself on both feet. "…I told you it is ready! I don't care if you think it's too dangerous, this is my greatest creation to date!", shouted the voice of one Nuvo Vindi, resident mad scientist of this Laboratory.

"And I have made myself clear Doctor. You will wait for my signal before releasing the Blue Shadow. Lord Sidious wants Skywalker and his lot dead, and that won't happen if Naboo is deemed too dangerous a place for the Republic's most skilled Jedi Knight!", replied the voice of Dooku, and a smirk found its way to my face. The old man was trying to help us by delaying the virus' release!

"No, Count! You are the one who forbade me from testing out the original specimen, and you won't take this away from me! I won't wait for some foolish Jedi to arrive here and kill me! I'm going to test out my beautiful creature right this moment!", Vindi shouted in an odd mix of anger and excitement.

Dooku's hologram let out an audible sigh, and I could practically see him shaking his head in disappointment, even though we all had to stay hidden for now. "Doctor, this is your final warning. I suggest that you-", Dooku tried to object, but he was cut off by another voice, this time robotic, certainly belonging to a Battle Droid.

"Doctor! Intruders!", a droid yelled from behind us, and Vindi slammed his hand on the communication console before turning to us as Ahsoka sliced the droid's head off and Rex aimed at him with his blasters.

Seeing this and being arrogant enough to ignore the danger he was in, Doctor Vindi laughed. "Do you really think you're in a position to make threats here, Republic scum? I hold all the cards! I am the greatest scientist the Galaxy has ever seen and my version of the Blue Shadow Virus will make your little Clone Army bleed from the inside out as I-", Vindi rambled, but he was cut off as a blaster shot rang through the air.

The Doctor dropped dead only a moment later, Padme still holding the blaster pistol she'd used to kill him. I shot her a look of amazement, since I'd expected Rex to do that before her. My Angel was one for negotiations and not shooting before asking her questions, so I'd expected some kind of insult at the very least.

"General! Come look!", Rex shouted to me, now kneeling over Vindi's corpse and I approached his position, but then noticed the detonator for the bombs I knew were in here had been activated, along with the mechanisms.

I was about to call out to Obi Wan for help, but he reached out first, sounding extremely worried through our Force Bond. "Anakin! We found bombs containing the Blue Shadow all around Theed! And they just went off! What's your status?", he asked, all types of concern flooding to my side of the Bond.

Wanting him to have an accurate assessment of the situation, I made haste in responding as the others tried to find us a way out of here. I ran along while sending the mental message, in no mood to be infected by such a terrible disease. "Vindi is dead. Padme shot him, and the bastard had his hand on the detonator!", I yelled back, praying he could do something to prevent a planet-wide infection.

The grim response came as soon as my brother managed to find his words, just as bad as I expected. "Anakin, we didn't manage to defuse the bombs last time, so unless you suddenly gain the ability to teleport them all into a black hole, I…I don't think there's anything we can do…", Obi Wan said, and Padme froze in place, having caught our conversation because of my inability to properly shield due to the despair I was feeling.

My Angel fell to her knees, unmoving as Ahsoka tried to help her up, thinking she'd lost her balance and tripped. Domino Squad and Rex were busy fending off droids, the Laboratory's guards swarming our team from all directions. I couldn't even find the strength to help them, because for all my power and training, I had failed. Even summoning Vader's power to my side would be useless, since Naboo would be doomed no matter what I did.

Padme was crying now, not making the slightest effort to hide the grief and sorrow she was feeling. All I could do was help her sit against the wall as we waited for the sounds of blaster fire to die down and be replaced by the screams of terror and despair all the infected would soon release in the Force. The sound of shots being fired died down a few short seconds after, with both blast doors at each end of the corridor slamming shut as I tore their circuits out in my anger.

It only took a few moments for Ahsoka and the Clones to realize what was going on as Obi Wan's voice rang through the emergency channels, apologizing for this utter failure of a mission. Knowing that I wouldn't survive seeing Ahsoka or Rex look as hopeless as they were, I kept my eyes shut as the countdown for the bombs reached ten seconds…and braced myself for the consequences of my failings…

A few seconds ago, Naboo Grasslands, [REDACTED] point of view:

Taking one last glance at the detonator in my hand, a device mirroring the one that Doctor Nuvo Vindi had on his person, I shut my eyes for a moment, and made my choice just as the countdown for the bombs' detonation reached the final second. I was going to be a part of this insanity, since it may be the Galaxy's last hope in stopping Darth Sidious. Slamming my hand against the button, I watched with anticipation as the countdown turned from one second to only half…before stopping completely.

Gritting my teeth at the punishment I'd later receive for everything that happened here, I tapped into Republic Coms, and listened carefully as cries of fear and desperation turned to static, and then it in turn evolved into wild cheering.

Today would be another victory for the Republic, another extremely close call and however many people all owing their lives to the great Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with No Fear, but I didn't mind in the slightest bit. I would let them believe, let them celebrate their hero, because if not for him, I never would have made this call.

After all, there may someday come a time where the Galaxy needs legends like him to believe in, because that's when they would need them the most, so I'd let Naboo have its heroes. I'd ensure they were all there for those who needed them, because if there was one correct thing my son had ever said, it was that our focus never should have strayed from the Republic's people, and yet, we had all allowed ourselves to do just that. In the end, I had been amongst the few who saw the truth about the Senate, the Jedi, the Republic as a whole.

In the end, all my efforts had been for naught, since I had subjected the ones I'd been trying to save to a system far worse that the Republic, to a monster that didn't deserve to live, much less rule. It had been I who was the fulcrum to the Empire's creation, and now…I would be the one to ensure it would never come to pass.

Huh…Fulcrum. What an interesting word…a name, even…

And…scene! There you have it everyone, chapter 36 of A Messed Up Destiny! You can thank me for the speedy upload later since we have a lot to cover here, and need to move onto the exposition!

Firstly, Anakin and Rex. These two have grown a lot closer as friends over the past year of fighting in the Clone Wars, and Rex has become a trusted confidant for Anakin to speak to when he wishes to vent, even though there still exist some secrets better left to tell another time. Since learning of Anakin's plans and of Sidious' existence, Rex lo longer has blind faith in his General, seeing that he is also human, can make mistakes and keeps secrets, just like everyone else.

However, I do think that this here is the defining moment where Rex's view of Anakin shatters, where Anakin's own view of himself crumbles into pieces, because this is the first time where Anakin fails. It's the one and only time where he was the one who needed saving, where he was in a situation he couldn't possibly get himself out of. This is going to impact the story a lot moving forward, so keep an eye out for more development on this front.

Secondly, Ahsoka. From the short segment I devoted to her POV, I tried to show that she's grown somewhat from the first time we saw her on Christophsis, and now that she's no longer focusing on one single minded goal we can get a more complete picture of her character. She's truly learned a lot under Anakin, and not just about lightsabers or the Force.

She's no longer a kid. She has the inquisitive nature of a teenager, curious about the world around her. She's formed lasting friendships with people she cares about and is observant of everything that goes on, being the only one who notices the brief interactions between Anakin and Padme, as well as Obi Wan and Siri. She's no longer the sheltered Temple youngling and can handle herself just fine in a fight, while also understanding that War isn't a game. I think that seeing her Master give up and be defeated for the first time is going to be eye-opening for her in the coming chapters, more so than anything else she's ever experienced.

Thirdly, Padme and Anakin. While some may think that she's behaving a bit out of character in this chapter, I'd like to point out that like Anakin, Padme is very protective of those she loves. In this case, it's her family, her friends, people and her entire planet on the line. She's taking charge of the group because this entire matter is extremely personal to her, and when Vindi is right there, gloating about how much havoc his creation will reek, she finally snaps and takes the shot.

When the bombs are about to detonate, Padme is the first to realize that there is no going back, no miracle that's going to save Naboo after what has been done. She, the bastion of light and hope is the first one to lose it, because it's her fault. She killed Vindi, she allowed him to detonate the bombs. Maybe she wasn't quick enough, maybe she made the wrong choice, but does that really matter. In her eyes, her planet is doomed and she's the cause. She has every reason to break down, taking Anakin with her.

He on the other hand, hasn't become accustomed to failure. The last time he 'failed' the whole Galaxy burned. The last time he lost the Republic Fell, the Jedi were eradicated. During this mission to stop Sidious, not once has he failed. Somehow, even when all the odds were against him he came up with something, or used some power of the Force to save the day and come out on top, but here…not even Vader's power can help him.

This is an admission of weakness, not in terms of strength and power, but in terms of ability and skill. He failed…everyone. Qui Gon and Obi Wan put their hopes in him to save Naboo, the planet is about to become inhabitable. Ahsoka, Rex and the Clones believed in him and his ability to get them all out the other side safe and sound, and they're about to be infected by a deadly sickness sure to kill them all. Above all else, he failed Padme. She put her trust in him, believed in and supported him when he needed it, only for him to let her down the one time where she needs help. He has failed, and in his mind, nothing he can do will make up for it, because it's over. They're all going to die and without them…Sidious will win.

Lastly, my new project. Having foreseen a time where I may not have the time to put together long and complete chapters like this one, I came up with the idea of doing shorts to fill in the blanks. I thought I could write a few of them in one sitting for all you to enjoy and laugh at until the main story can get back on track, and I have some ready just in case this happens. I'll put them all under a new story I shall call "A Messed Up Destiny: Bloopers" and give you guys a heads up when the first chapter is uploaded if I ever need to do it. Otherwise I'll still use them to fill the space between Books 2 and 3, because I don't plan of having that many short stories between those two.

Next Time: As Anakin and Padme try to cope with their failure to stop Vindi, which would have led to the death of Naboo if not for Fulcrum, Obi Wan and Siri face a larger threat than ever before, with neither of them being ready for the fight ahead.

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!