Episode 3 Chapter 16
Across the Stars (Reprise)
The meeting broke up shortly after Yoda's revelation about Qui-Gon, and everybody seemed to go their separate ways for the time being.. Obi-Wan headed off with Yoda to discuss the future of the Order, while Xander went to sit with Willow until she woke up. Buffy took Giles on a tour of the facility, partly as a way to get some time to catch up with him. And Faith just wandered, doing her best to let everything sink in. She ended up sitting on the edge of a small fountain oblivious to the Jedi and Polis Massans that wandered around her.
Even now, knowing what Buffy had been through, she still found it hard to reconcile the Buffy she'd known with the one she saw now. The old Buffy wouldn't have killed any human; yet this one killed on instinct. She thought back to the Slayer dream she had a few months ago. You are the strongest person I know, Buffy. Hell, I wanted to be like you ever since I met you. She couldn't help but wonder now- did she really want to be like her anymore?
Faith was brought out of her musings as a tall figure grabbed her attention. She watched as Anakin swiftly yet silently moved though the crowds, taking care not to attract attention to himself as eh headed for the hanger. Her curiosity piqued, he adjusted the Scythe on her back and quickly moved after him. She arrived at the hangar just as the Jedi quickly moved up the boarding ramp to the Millennium Falcon.
Buffy really cares about this guy. Faith thought to herself. And she'd never let us hear the end of it if something happened to him, I bet. Her mind made up, she ran into the hangar and jumped into the ship just as the ramp started to close. Moments later, the Millennium Falcon lifted off, bound for Coruscant.
"So Sunnydale doesn't exist anymore"
"No. It's a lake now."
Giles and Buffy walked aimlessly throughout the complex as the Watcher tried to catch Buffy up with what had happened on Earth.
"And now there are a bunch of Slayers?"
"A couple hundred now, all over the world." Giles confirmed. "Though right now there are about 160 Slayers at the new Council headquarters."
"In London."
"Yes. After the destruction of the old Council, a group of surviving and retired Watchers got together to reform the Council. Though Faith and I are striving to change their perceptions."
"How bad are they?" Buffy asked. "As bad a Travers?"
"Worse, at times." Giles admitted. "Though Sir Nigel did give this mission his blessing."
"Probably because all of his problem children left in one fell swoop." Buffy reasoned.
"Perhaps." They walked in silence for a time, with Buffy silently sneaking looks at her mentor. Finally when the silence got to much to bear, she spoke.
"You're having a hard time with this, aren't you? And I'm not talking about the whole space deal."
Giles nodded after a moment's hesitation. "You've changed a great deal, Buffy. In some respects, I don't recognize you."
Buffy nodded. "I can understand that, Giles. I really can. But I need you to realize this- It's been fifteen years for me. I've lost so much over the years- friends, family… it's changed me."
"As has this Jedi business."
Buffy looked over Giles with a wry expression. "What, you think they brainwashed me?" At his silence, she laughed outright. "Oh god, you really do! Oh, god…believe me Giles, if I was a model Jedi Master, I'd be more like you."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"All tweed and stiff-upper-lippy." She replied with a straight face. After a few moments, both broke out into laughter. Finally, Buffy tugged on his arm. "Come with me. I want to show you something." The two walked down the halls till they reached a room brimming with computers and stacked holocrons.
"Master Skywalker!" a voice called out in surprise, and Buffy grinned when Olee Starstone moved out of the stacks into view.
"Olee Starstone, I'd like you to meet Rupert Giles, my Watcher. Giles, this is Padawan Olee Starstone, who's in charge of my little project."
"Your Watcher? Oh- he's the one who trained you initially, correct?" the Padawan asked, and Buffy nodded. Starstone extended her hand to Giles, who shook it firmly. "Buffy's spoken of you often, Mister Giles. And may I say that you trained her well- I've learned a lot from her which she says you taught her."
"Oh!" Giles exclaimed in surprise. "Um, well…I'm glad that she learned enough to pass on." He shook his head in disbelief. "To be honest, I didn't even think she ever paid attention to me."
"On occasion, Giles. But only on occasion." Buffy chuckled. "Olee, I want you to show Giles here the history of the Jedi." She turned to give Giles an earnest look. "Maybe by learning about what I'm a part of, you can start to understand what I've become."
Giles considered that for a moment, before nodding in agreement. "Very well. What will you be doing?"
"Saying hello to my sister."
Dawn groaned as consciousness slowly returned to her. She slowly sat up and put her hand to her throbbing temple. "Oy…what a headache…" Slowly Dawn opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.
It was a clean room, with bare minimum of furniture that just screamed 'hospital' to Dawn. While she had never shared her sister's fear of hospitals, she wasn't that fond of them. Still, it didn't seem to be the medical wing at the Council, so she assumed the portal worked. But if it did, where…
She gasped as she saw the tall window next to her bed- and the starfield beyond it. Millions of stars… and asteroids… and was that a spaceship flying off into the distance? She was so caught up with the starscape that she never registered the familiar presence that came to stand in the doorway.
"Quite the view, huh?"
Dawn froze. It had been three years since she had last heard that voice ask that very same question. Slowly, she turned from the window towards the source of the voice-
-And saw her sister.
She was older, more worn than the last time she had seen her, a vision in her room shortly after the Tower, but it was Buffy. After three years, she had finally done it. She had found her sister. Slowly, she moved towards her.
"Oh god, Buffy…."
Buffy closed the distance between the, and wrapped her arms around Dawn, drawing her into a hug.
"I'm here, Dawnie. I'm really here."
"I can't believe it." Dawn breathed. Buffy sniffed and pulled away slightly, holding Dawn at arm's length to get a look at her. Her long brown hair was even longer than she remembered it- nearly down to the middle of her back. There were a few more worry lines around her blue eyes, but she seemed fit. She also seemed a foot taller than her.
"Must everyone in this family be taller than me?" she choked out. Dawn looked at her for a moment, then laughed. She bent down and kissed Buffy on the forehead, earning a mock scowl from her sister. "Very funny."
"Well, you do set yourself up for these things…"
"You look good, Dawn."
"You look…old." Dawn tried to joke, but fell flat. "How long…"
"Fifteen years." Buffy admitted hesitantly. "Why don't we sit down? We have a lot to talk about."
Anakin sat back in the Falcon's cockpit, watching light swirl in front of the canopy as the ship flew through hyperspace. He was more tired than he had ever been in his life, he thought. The elation of becoming a father was dampened by the fact that his hands were covered in the blood of his fellow Jedi, and the fact that the survivors were now homeless and hunted.
Where do we go from here? He wondered. And what will happen with my children?
"So I've got to ask- Where are you going?"
The voice snapped Anakin back into reality, as he jumped up to face the intruder- and came face to face with Faith.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded. Faith shrugged her shoulders, moving into the cockpit and plopping down in the co-pilot's chair.
"I got no freaking clue, A-K. Just thought that Buff would be pissed if you didn't get back in one piece. So I thought I'd back you up."
"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." Anakin ground out. Faith sighed in frustration.
"Look, Anakin. I messed up big time with Buffy the first time around…"
"I know." The Jedi interrupted. "Buffy told me all about you."
"Oh." Faith replied, not knowing exactly what to say to that.
"She also told me that, from what she gathered from your conversation a few years ago, that you turned out okay. She said that she felt she would have been proud of you, had she still been in Sunnydale."
Faith had to fight back tears as she heard the praise she had longed for during her first stint in Sunnydale. Blinking rapidly, she leaned forward in her chair. "That's why I can't afford to mess things up again, A-K. I'm going to watch your back, and I'm going to make sure you make it back."
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into." He argued. Faith chuckled.
"I never do. Part of the job." She replied, sitting back once more. "Now, you gonna tell me where we're going?"
Anakin sighed in defeat and settled back into the pilot's chair. "To Coruscant. I managed to break Traya's control long enough to allow a Jedi to take several younglings away. I told her to take them to a safe place."
"And do you have any idea where to look?"
Anakin nodded. "Right now, there is probably only one safe place for a Jedi to go." He smiled at Faith. "Dex's Dinner."
They spent hours talking. Just talking about things of little importance, really. Dawn told Buffy about how her classes were going, how Watcher's training was progressing. She told her about her love life- or rather, lack of one, to which Buffy silently expressed relief. She wasn't quite ready for her little sister to be dating just yet, dedpite their years apart.
Likewise, Buffy told Dawn about her years of training at the Jedi Temple- her apprenticeship under Mace Windu, learning how to wield the Force, her Trials, and her run ins with various people, from Chancellor Palpatine to Master Jorus C'baoth. She even showed Dawn her lightsaber, much to Dawn's delight. Her story tapered off as she got to her time or Corellia. The pain still fresh in her mind. Dawn noticed something was wrong, and gently brushed her artificial arm. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?"
Buffy smiled weakly and flexed her mechanical fingers. "That's not the half of it. There's a lot…things that hurt to even think about…I had a daughter." She finally blurted out. Dawn gaped at her sister- that was the last thing she had expected to hear. "I got trapped on Corellia and met a man named Jacen. He already had a son, Han, but his wife had died after childbirth. We fell in love… we were engaged to be married, but we were going to wait until Corellia had been freed. We had a daughter; I named her Joyce. I think she would have looked a lot like you, had she grown up." She swiftly got up and walked to the window, looking out at the stars as the tears she had held in for so long fell freely. "They were all killed several weeks ago when Traya ordered an all out attack on Corellia."
"Buffy…" Dawn whispered, rising and moving to her sister, wrapping her arms around her to comfort the grieving mother.
"So much has been going on, I've been able to block it out…but with everything that's happened…with Anakin, you all showing up…I can't….I just can't…"
She turned into Dawn's embrace, burying her head in her sisters shoulder. And at long last, Buffy Summers-Skywalker, Slayer and Jedi Master, finally let it all go and broke down in her sister's arms.
"Preparing to come out of hyperspace." Anakin announced, reaching forward for the hyperdrive control. Faith quickly sat down in the co-pilots chair again and strapped in as he pushed the lever forward. "Here we go…welcome to Coruscant."
Faith gaped at the sight before her. The planet before her didn't appear to have any greenery- instead it was all silver and the concentric circles of the cities shining in the darkness of space. "The Lines of space ships veered into the planet ahead of the, and Anakin maneuvered the Falcon into the lane with practiced ease. In the distance, she saw what looked to be salvage vessels working on the wrecked hulls of massive battleships.
"Separatist Battle ships.Munificent-class". Anakin explained. "They attacked a few days ago."
Faith looked over to the Jedi with a incredulous look. "What, they get pissed off at the traffic or something?"
"Wait till we hit the actual planet." Anakin replied.
Faith's amazement grew as the Falcon descended thought the upper atmosphere and merged into the main traffic lanes that coursed through the city. She stared at the huge skyscrapers that rose kilometers into the sky and the floating landing platforms. She turned to Anakin to ask about the city, but stopped short at the intense look of concentration on his face.
"Hey, what's wrong A-K?"
"Palpatine is on the planet now." Anakin said shortly. "I'm trying to mask my presence in the Force from him, but it is difficult. He's quite powerful."
"And what happens if he finds out you're here?" the Slayer asked. At his look, she sighed. "Yeah, I get it. Bad things. All right, lets go find your kids."
"Good idea." Anakin replied. "And by the way, would you please stop with that ridiculous nick-name?"
Faith just smiled and whistlesd a happy tune as the Falcon descended further into the planet.
Serra Keto, Jedi Knight and guardian of the last of the Jedi's younglings and Padawans, peered out from behind the store room's door to the diner beyond as a group of Clone Troopers confronted Dex. Drake Lo'agan watched from behind her as the Clone Troopers started to tear the place apart.
"What do we do, Master Keto?" the Padawan asked, burying his fear deep down. Serra smiled grimly.
"I buy you time to find another place to hide, Drake." She said, adjusting the grips on her deactivated lightsabers. I'll open up a hole, and you lead the Younglings though."
"I'm not leaving without you!" the Padawan protested.
"There's no time for arguments!" Serra hissed. Dex can't hold them off for long, and- " she cut off as a presence she hadn't felt since her early days as a Padawan flooded her senses. "It can't be…"
"I'm telling ya!" Dex shouted hotly as the Clones tore up his diner, roughing up the clients at the same time, "There's no Jedi here! Hey, you can't do that!" He moved to intercept a Clone roughing up one of his regulars, but stopped short when the clone raised his blaster to his face.
"You've been charged with harboring enemies of the state, alien." The Clone sneered. "That means we can do whatever we want."
"Excuse me, gentlemen."
The Clone's spun around to face a lone man standing in the middle of the street. He was adorned in simple Jedi garb, with his long brown hair pulled back in a pony tail. The Jedi ignited his lightsaber, its green blade gleaming thanks to a last-minute switch-out of the Illum crystal from Yoda's lost lightsaber.
"If it's a Jedi you're looking or, I'd say you've found one." Qui-Gon remarked, raising his lightsaber in a salute.
"Jedi scum!" the Clone growled. "Blast him!" The Clones opened fire, their heavy blasters sending bolt after bolt at the reborn Jedi Knight, who easily deflected them. The Clones were so intent on Qui-Gon that they didn't notice twin green blades of energy erupted. Serra used Qui-Gon's diversion to get the drop on several of the Clone troopers.
"Master Qui-Gon!" she shouted, her twin blades flashing as she destroyed blasters and body parts alike. "How…"
"The rumors of my death," Qui-Gon paused to dispatch another clone, "Well, they were fairly accurate. Let's just call this the will of the Force, alright?"
"I'm not arguing!" Serra exclaimed as she finished off the last Clone. "It's good to see you, Master Qui-Gon."
"You as well, Serra. Congratulations on achieving Knighthood."
"Qui-Gon, you old space dog!" Dex laughed. "I heard you were dead!"
"I was…" Qui-Gon trailed off as he spied an incoming pair of troop transports. "We've got incoming!"
"I'll get the children out-" Serra' s voice was cut off as a pair of concussion missiles streaked overhead and slammed one of the transports, destroying it instantly. The other veered off sharply as the Millennium Falcon streaked overhead, banking suddenly and coming down in seconds for a landing. As the ramp lowered the other transport circled around and landed a block away, instantly discharging three squads of the 501st.
"Serra! Get the children on board!" Anakin yelled as he raced down the ramp. He stopped suddenly as he caught sight of his one-time savior. "Master Qui-Gon?"
"It's good to see you again Anakin." The Jedi said warmly. Though perhaps now isn't the best time to catch up."
"Are you okay, Anakin?" Serra asked warily. Anakin nodded.
"I'm myself again." He confirmed. Now get those children on bo-"
A spinning blade brought him up short as it flew past his head and buried itself in a Clone trooper that had raised its weapon at the Jedi.
"Talk later, flyboy!" Faith yelled as she ran out of the ship, the Scythe spinning in her hand. "Let's move!" Anakin cursed as Faith tore into the Clones with her Scythe, dodging blaster bolts as she went. Anakin ignited his blade and moved in after the Slayer as Serra and Drake led the younglings and Padawan's onto the Falcon..
Faith was on auto pilot. She didn't register that the Clones were, in effect, humans; she saw them as a threat and the Slayer in her responded in kind. Even when a blaster bolt grazed her shoulder she didn't stop; she thrust the stake end of the Scythe into the Clone's helmet. Anakin was more subdued in his approach, still haunted by what he had done, but soon the last of the elite troops were on the ground and the two were heading back to the ship. Anakin stopped n front of Dex and gestured towards the Falcon.
"You too, Dex. Nobody gets left behind."
"What about my diner?" the big alien asked, looking forlornly at the smoking ruins of his establishment.
"You stay here, you die, Dex. Come with us. You can rebuild somewhere else."
Dex finally nodded in agreement and hurriedly followed Anakin up the ramp. After a few moments the ramp closed, and the Millennium Falcon lifted off. Anakin ran around the corner and headed down the hall into the cockpit, where Qui-Gon and Serra sat side by side flying the ship through Coruscant's lower levels. He looked down at Faith, who was groaning silently as she rubbed her injured shoulder.
"Are you alright?" he asked her. The Slayer nodded.
"I'll be fine in a few hours. Perks of being a Slayer."
"Another one?" Qui-Gon asked in amazement. Faith chuckled.
"You know, it's been a few years since I heard that…"
"There are plenty of mysteries to go around Master." Anakin said sternly. "For now, let us concentrate on the here and now. What's the situation?"
"They've scrambled fighters," Drake said from the communications console. "V-Wings. Five-oh-First has scrambled two more troop carriers. And the Victory-class Star Destroyer Revanche is on an intercept course. It will reach us before we reach the hyperspace jump point."
"Serra, get the oldest Padawans into the gun turrets." Anakin directed slipping into the pilot's chair as Qui-Gon moved to cover the co-pilots station. Serra was already moving out of the door.
"Understood." She called back, moving down the corridor to the belly turrets. Qui-Gon shook his head.
"Those guns wont make a dent in the Revanche's shields." The elderly Jedi remarked.
"It's all we got, besides the concussion missiles." Anakin replied. "Maybe we can get in a lucky shot."
Faith tuned out the banter and bustle as she studied the sky before her. Even in this life-or-death situation, she couldn't help but be awed by the receding atmosphere, the bright stars of the approaching space- some blocked by the giant orbital mirrors-
"Hey, wait," Faith interrupted, sitting up. "That big-ass ship- does it have windows?"
"Yes." Anakin answered irritably. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, why don't you use your wacky Jedi powers and point one of those big mirrors at it?"
"What possible good could that do?"
"Blind the crew." Qui-Gon realized. "point the mirror directly at the ship, bending the sunlight right at it. The light would blind anybody near a window-"
"It'll fry any lightly-shielded electronics as well." Anakin continued, then sobered. "It's too big for me alone."
"Good thing we got a ship full of you guys then, huh?" Anakin smirked and hit the central comms switch.
"Attention, this is Anakin Skywalker. We have a plan to escape the Revanche, but I need everyone's help. Knights, Padawans, Younglings- I need you to reach out to me through the Force. Let me guide you…." Anakin's eye's closed as he reached out with one hand towards the giant orbital mirror with the Force… coaxing it out of its orbit. By himself, he had no chance… but with all of the Jedi on board merging their Force-potential with his, the mirror stood no chance. After a few moments the mirror shook, then started to move. The Falcon shook as the Revanche fired their guns at the smaller ship, but Anakin paid it no heed. He put all of his concentration into the battle meld, urging the mirror to rotate.
Finally, with one last nudge, the mirror finally shifted, and a beam of sunlight shot right at the Revanche. On the bridge of the star destroyer the crew yelled in pain as their corneas burned away before they could cover up, and sparks flew from random stations as the EM field from the beam fried the equipment. The Revanche's guns fell silent, and the Falcon streaked by the disabled warship.
A beeping noise brought Drake out of the meld, and he glanced over to the navicomputer. "We are free and clear to navigate. Course plotted."
Anakin slowly opened his eyes, and exhaling engaged the hyperdrive. The stars streaked into lines as the Falcon leapt into hyperspace.
"That was…intense." Drake remarked. Anakin and Qui-Gon nodded.
"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked the younger Jedi.
"I witnessed Master C'baoth perform a demonstration of the battle meld when Master Obi-Wan and I were aboard Outbound Flight. That was the first time I've actually used it, though." Anakin turned to face his former savior. "Now, I think we need to have a conversation."
Buffy's sobs gradually faded away, and soon the Slayer pulled herself away from the embrace and wiped her eyes. "Look at me, I'm a mess." Buffy joked. "I'm the one whose supposed to be comforting you."
"You've been though hell, Buffy." Dawn remarked. "It's all right to get emotional."
"There is no emotion, there is only peace." Buffy quoted, remembering when Mace went over the Jedi code with her.
Dawn blinked. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
Buffy snorted in laughter, and nodded in agreement. "There's a lot of things in the Jedi Code that I didn't agree with. But in some cases, it does make a strange kind of sense." Buffy looked at her sister, and experimentally she reached out to her with the Force. Almost instantaneously Dawn subconsciously responded, and after a moment surprise registered on her face.
"What the frilly heck was that?"
"Dawn, when the Powers told me they couldn't send me back, they changed me. The magic they used was keyed to my blood, and it helped me become sensitive to the Force, which in turn let me become a Jedi. Well, whatever the Powers did, whatever spell they used, it's still floating around out there."
"And we share the same blood." Dawn realized. "So, what… are you saying I'm a Jedi now?"
"No, you're Force-sensitive. To be a Jedi, you'll need training. Which I plan on giving you." She smiled at her sister. "I'm taking you on as my Padawan learner."
Dawn smiled broadly. "Does that mean I get to make a laser sword?"
Buffy chuckled. "Lightsaber. And you'll make one when you stop asking me when you can make one."
"Awww." Dawn whined playfully, and Buffy smirked.
"You think that's bad, wait till you see how you're going to have to cut your hair." At Dawn's look, Buffy laughed outright. "Come on, enough tears. Let's go meet your brother and his family."
The two sisters left the room and started walking through the base towards the nursery. Dawn looked around in wonder at the sights around her.
"I still can't believe we're in space.: she murmured, glancing at a pair of Padawan's as they walked by. "Nice hair."
"They're Padawans." Buffy explained with a small smile. "The haircut's tradition."
The two walked in silence for a few moments before Dawn stopped cold. "There is no way in hell I'm cutting my hair like that! Do you know how long it took to grow it out!"
Buffy laughed out loud at Dawn's outburst. "Time are changing, sis. But I may just have to make you…"
"Please, you barely reach my shoulders as it is. What makes you think I'll let you near my hair?"
"Great. More short jokes." Buffy muttered, shaking her head. "It was bad enough with Anakin."
"Why?"
"When you see him, you'll know." Buffy replied as they reached the nursery. "Here we are! Padmé, can I come in?" she called through the door. After a few moments she heard a muffled a few moments she heard a muffled Yes! And entered the room with Dawn. The sisters entered, and saw Padmé laying on her bed with Leia in her arms. On the other side of the bed in a small crib lay Luke, who was fast asleep.
"Hello, Buffy." Padmé said, a tired smile on her face. "And you must be Dawn. I've heard a lot about you."
Dawn blinked. "You have?"
"Buffy talks about you often." Padmé replied. "And Anakin always hoped he'd have a chance to meet you."
"Dawn, this is Padmé Ami- er, Skywalker." She amended. "Former senator in the Great Republic, and wife to our brother, Anakin. Padmé, this is my sister, Dawn." The two women exchanged greetings, and Buffy looked around. "Speaking of my wayward brother, where is he?" Buffy asked. "I thought he'd be fawning over the kids."
"He had to step out for a few minutes." Padmé answered evasively. "Would you like to hold your nephew? I've got my hands full here, but I'm sure Luke would like to meet his Aunts."
Buffy smiled as she picked up her tiny nephew. He smile turned sad though as she looked down on him, and she looked to Padmé. "Do you mind if Dawn has a turn?"
"Of course not." The young Senator smiled. Buffy handled the tiny bundle to her younger sister, who carefully took the tiny infant in her arms.
"It's funny," she said at length. "Two days ago, I was an only child with no family left. Today, I got two sisters, a brother, a niece and a nephew."
"It must be a lot to take in." Padmé said kindly. Dawn nodded, smiling down on Luke's sleeping form.
"Just a little."
The three chatted for a few minutes until Obi-Wan entered the room.
"Buffy, there you are." He started, then noticed Dawn standing beside her. "And you're Dawn, Buffy's sister. I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Nice to meet you. Buffy's told me a little bit about you."
"All good things, I hope." Obi-Wan Joked. Dawn just stared at the Jedi.
"Not really." She said deadpan. Buffy snorted in laughter, which sent Dawn off. Obi-Wan just sighed.
"Great, now there are two of them." He groused, then turned to Padmé. "Padmé, have you seen Anakin?"
Padmé shifted uneasily in her bed. "He had to step out for a few minutes," she repeated. Obi-Wan pieced her with a glare.
"Did 'stepping out' including taking the Falcon?"
"The Falcon's gone?" Buffy said suddenly, then reached out into the Force. The first thing she realized what that she sensed her brother, but at a distance. The next thing she noticed wasn't though the Force, but through the senses she hadn't used in over fifteen years…
"Faith's gone." She said suddenly. "I never even realized I was feeling her with my Slayer senses, but she's been subtly setting them off since she got here."
"That happens between Slayers." Dawn explained. "It's kind of like a Slayer radar. You probably didn't notice because it wouldn't feel like a threat, like a vampire or demon would."
So Anakin's far away, but getting closer; and Faith's MIA." Buffy whirled to face Padmé. "Padmé, where in the frilly heck have they gone?"
Padmé sighed in defeat. "I don't know about anyone named Faith, but Anakin took he Falcon on an errand he needed to do."
"To where" Obi-Wan asked.
"To Coruscant."
"BUN tyen-shung duh ee-DWAY-RO!" Buffy exclaimed, causing all parties in the room to flinch.
"Jeeze, Buffy! Not in front of the kids!" Dawn exclaimed. Buffy paused a beat and looked over her sister.
"You understood that?" she asked incredulously. Dawn shrugged.
"Got the basic gist. Whatever it was sounds a lot like Mandarin. I filled in the blanks myself."
"You know Mandarin?"
"I know 6 languages now, and speak four of them fluently."
"Buffy, just calm down and listen!" Padmé exclaimed, exasperated. "Ani told me he managed to break free from Traya long enough to let several Jedi escape. He had to go back and get them!"
Buffy was about to reply when Obi-Wan's comlink beeped. He answered it, then looked to Buffy.
"The Falcon has arrived. With guests." Buffy reached out, and sure enough felt both Anakin and Faith in the direction of the hanger. She nodded.
"Well Dawn, you'll get to meet your brother… right before I kill him."
Buffy stalked towards the hangar, careful to keep her anger under control. Anger led to the Dark Side, and that wasn't where she wanted to go. No, she was planning a one way trip for her and Anakin to the Smackdown Hotel.
Walking behind her, Dawn watched Buffy with amusement. "Some things never change."
"You mean she was always like this?" Obi-Wan inquired. Dawn nodded.
"If anything, I think she's calmed down. She used to be much worse."
Buffy entered the hanger and saw a group of younglings and Padawans being led down by Serra Keto. Buffy stalked right past them to her brother, who was walking down the ramp-
-Whom she promptly slugged.
"Nee TZAO ss-MA? Nee-YOW wuh-KAI CHANG?" she yelled at him, causing all heads to turn towards the two siblings.
"Buffy, calm down." Anakin pleaded, shifting on his feet.
"Calm down? I am calm. I'm relaxed. I'm full of fucking serenity. What the hell were you thinking going back there?"
"I couldn't leave them behind, Buffy!" Anakin exploded. "I killed so many of our colleagues, our friends; I couldn't just abandon them!"
Buffy was about to reply, but caught movement out of the corner of her eye and spun to face Faith, who was trying to make a discreet exit. "And what the hell did you think you were doing?"
Faith sighed. "I was watching his back. I wanted to make sure he came back in one piece. Which he did, so chalk one up on the 'Yeah Me' column."
"Anakin did just as you would have done, Master Skywalker." A voice spoke from inside the ship. Buffy turned to see Qui-Gon walk down he ramp, a small smile playing on his lips. "He risked his safety for those in need. Will you tell me now that you wouldn't have done the same thing?"
Buffy crossed her arms in annoyance. "I would have gown with back-up. And don't think you can shock me with the whole 'coming back from the dead' thing. I've pulled that one on more than one occasion."
While Buffy was dealing with being a higher rank than the man who had freed her thirteen years ago, Anakin walked passed her down to the end of the ramp towards a hesitant-looking Dawn.
"Hello," he greeted awkwardly, extending his hand. "I'm Anakin. Buffy's told me a lot about you."
Dawn took the proffered hand, then seemed to make up her mind and drew him into a familial hug. "It's nice to meet you, too. I'm looking forward to getting to know my new brother."
Any sense of fear Anakin had evaporated at those words, and he returned the hug in earnest. The two pulled away, smiling at the understanding forming between them, and Anakin glanced over to Buffy, who stood farther up the ramp talking with Qui-Gon, and smiled. Dawn looked at the smile quizzically, then looked to Buffy as well- and snorted in laughter. Buffy, who had remained oblivious to the two, looked at the pair suspiciously.
"What?"
Anakin smirked. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that this would probably be the only time you could look either of us in the eye."
Buffy looked to Anakin, then to Dawn, who now stood just as tall as her brother…then looked down, to see she was about three feet off of the ground on the ramp. She turned her glare back to her brother, who was having the first real laugh he had had since becoming Traya's slave.
"Very funny."
"Do not be sad, Master Skywalker." Yoda said as he entered the room. "Remember: size matters not."
Buffy stared at the tiny Jedi as her two sibling burst into laughter. "Oh, HELL no. Tell me you aren't making short jokes about me!"
Yoda chuckled for a moment, then grew serious. "Called a meeting of the Senior Jedi, I have. Plan our next moves, we must."
"I'll gather the Scoobies there, as well. I think they'll need to sit in on this meeting as well." Buffy remarked. "Serra," she called out to the young Knight, "Gather the Younglings and put them with the rest for now. They're with Master Secura- help her watch over them."
"Yes, Master Skywalker." She replied. "Children, gather around and come with me." Buffy watched them leave, then turned back to Qui-Gon. "Ready to announce yourself?"
"No time like the present." He replied with a smile. Buffy nodded and turned to Yoda.
"Alright then. Lead on, Mac-"
Buffy was cut off as Xander stumbled into the room. His clothes were disheveled, his hair askew, and a small cut had opened at his scalp.
"Xander!" Buffy cried out as Dawn and Faith both rushed to his side. "What happened.?"
Xander took a moment to catch his breath, then looked up at Buffy with a small, triumphant smile.
"Darth Traya's dead, Buffy." He announced. "Willow's back."
TBC
Good GOD I had a bitch of a time writing this chapter! Two flippin weeks! Sorry about the delay in posting, but the holiday came about, I just kinda got backlogged. Right now chapter 17 is being beta'd,a dn I'm hard at work on Chapter 18. After that, only two more chapters- In Chapter 19, we find out what Darth Sidious is up to, and in Chapter 20, the gang heads home.
See you in a week!