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Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or anything Star Wars related.
CHAPTER 7
Kinship
Padme let a heavy yawn escape her lips as she rolled over in her large bed, reflexively reaching over towards Anakin's side to wrap her arm around him. Her spirits sank when she found it to be empty. The sheets were still cold where her husband would usually sleep, giving away the fact that he had not been there for quite some time. Her heart ached at the realization that he would not be around – and worse yet – that he would be gone for an undetermined period while on assignment, leaving her alone to cope with his absence. The more devastating possibility that he could actually lose his life during one of his dangerous missions had often haunted Padme's worried mind, but she fought to ignore the nagging thoughts the best she could. The idea of carrying on without Anakin alongside her was unacceptable…how could she ever live without him?
Stifling another tired yawn, the retired Senator tossed the thin sheets that covered her petite frame aside and crawled out of her comfortable bed, lowering her feet to the lush, carpeted floor and making her way towards the fresher adjoined with her room. Once she had reached its sink, she quickly splashed her face with cold water to help her wake up and patted herself dry with the soft towel that hung on the wall beside it. Then, after she had finished with her morning routine, she slipped into her favorite silk robe and started for the stairs to begin fixing breakfast.
When she reached the bottom of the staircase, Padme moved to enter the kitchen when she caught a glimpse of something in the sitting room just to her left. Curiously redirecting her course and walking into the elaborately decorated area, she spotted what had grabbed her attention…
"Anakin?" she breathed, a sharp gasp weakening her words.
She bounded forward, racing towards the couch that her husband lay sprawled out on as fast as her feet would carry her. However, her motion came to a sudden halt as she approached his unmoving form. Her first impression had been that her husband was asleep, but that assumption was quickly discarded when she saw that his eyes were distantly concentrated on the ceiling above, the vibrant blue that had previously filled them now replaced with a dull gray. Raising her hand to her mouth in horror, she spotted a deep gash in his ribcage – the front of his tunic soaked with what was unmistakably fresh blood.
"Anakin!"
The Jedi's limp arm dropped to his side just as the terrified shout left Padme's lips. The hilt of his bloodstained lightsaber dropped from his calloused palm when his lifeless fingers lost their grasp on it and it clattered to the floor with a loud thud, rolling to the former politicians trembling feet. She recoiled in fear and backed away from the device as it stopped in front of her – the glint of the visible silver alloy sending a tremor down her already shaking spine. Looking back up at Anakin through the tears that stung at her eyes, she felt her straining knees give out beneath her and she crumbled to the floor, burying her wet face in her hands as she nearly collapsed completely. Then, her head snapped back up to attention when a low cackling filled the room.
"Senator Amidala, your reputation precedes you," a dark silhouette said while it drifted out from the shadows beyond Anakin's broken body.
"Who are you?" Padme frantically demanded, slightly stumbling as she scrambled back to her feet and planted herself in a defensive stance. "W-what have you done to him?"
"Skywalker will be only one of many to meet the same fate," the silhouette hissed, its piercing yellow eyes boring into her.
"This is impossible!" Padme defiantly exclaimed, her words sounding almost hysterical, even to herself. Her vision blurred as more tears streamed down her unbelieving face. "I don't believe you! I don't believe you, you're lying!"
"Look for yourself, Senator, Skywalker is gone," the silhouette boasted as it extended a hand to indicate Anakin on the couch before them. "Search your feelings, Amidala…you know that I speak the truth."
Padme whirled around with a start when she felt a hand gently clasp onto her shoulder, almost knocking the woman behind her over in the process. Sabe reared back at the unexpected movement and took a hasty step away from her distraught friend with obvious wonder plastered over her worrisome features.
"Padme, it's just me!" she desperately cried out. "It's Sabe!"
Watching while Padme's glazed over eyes slowly returned to reality, Sabe sighed in relief.
Once again coherent, Padme turned back to inspect the couch that sat several feet away. It was unoccupied. There was no Anakin; no mysterious creature lurking in the darkness…there was only Sabe and herself.
She nervously returned her attention to her friend, her forehead creased in confusion. "What happened?"
"You were walking in your sleep," Sabe explained. "I heard you yelling from upstairs and found you here. What's going on?"
"I…I don't know," Padme meekly replied, still clearly troubled by her 'nightmare'. "Something is wrong, Sabe. We have to go to Coruscant."
"Coruscant?" Sabe pensively questioned. "Padme, what are you talking – "
"It's important, you have to trust me," Padme pleaded, interrupting her friend before she could finish her sentence. "I have to find out where Anakin and Obi-Wan are."
Sabe skeptically studied the other woman for a short moment. "I trust you, Padme. I will have Threepio get our affairs together and we can leave first thing in the morning."
"No," Padme retorted. "We have to leave now…"
Gracefully pivoting on his heels, Obi-Wan Kenobi expertly disposed of another of his attackers with an impressive display of speed and precision. So far, he and his former apprentice had been doing an efficient job of fending off the barrage of cloaked figures that continued to close in on their position, but he knew that they couldn't keep it up forever. Despite their remarkable capabilities and experience in combat, they would soon be overwhelmed by the sheer number of adversaries that surrounded them – a number that constantly grew by the second as their heated skirmish escalated further.
Channeling all of his energy into shoving back several of his attackers with a powerful push of the Force, the Jedi Master cast a glance in his old padawans direction to check on his status once they landed a safe distance away. He looked just in time to see Anakin dodge one of the cloaked warriors as it lunged at him to strike with its deadly crimson blade. The lethal advance was easily parried and countered, and Anakin effortlessly delivered a fatal blow to his attackers abdomen before moving on to the next enemy.
Obi-Wan deflected a swipe made at his throat and resumed his own brawl when he was satisfied that Anakin had everything under control from his place in the ensuing battle. Trusting that the younger Jedi could handle himself, he shifted his full focus back to the figures that swarmed around him and proceeded to fight his way through the endless crowd. Much to his dismay, these particular attackers seemed to be more competent than those they had found dwelling within the hidden outpost on Hoth. Not only was their swordsmanship and lightsaber form more advanced, but they were also far more agile and skilled with the Force than their peers. Or perhaps, they were now warding off the teachers rather than the students.
Swiftly ducking another swing meant to decapitate him, Obi-Wan cut down the figure that wielded the weapon and flipped back through the air, slicing through the attacker that he could feel approaching him from behind. He couldn't help but notice that these Dark Jedi still had their flaws. As the Jedi were taught early on in their lives at the Temple, the head was the worst mark to strike when in a duel. It was not difficult to outmaneuver a swipe made at the neck and – if such an advance were successfully avoided – it left you open and susceptible to a counter attack by your opponent. As a result, most Jedi deterred from using such methods during sparring matches. Apparently, though, these individuals had not yet learned the same valuable lessons.
Obi-Wan grimaced when his blue blade clashed with the familiar red blade that belonged to the woman who had started their whole mess, both of them scintillating upon contact. As they pressed closer together and attempted to overpower each other, Obi-Wan tried to peer beneath the hood that still obscured the strangers face, but her hood kept her identity well concealed.
"Can we not be civil about this?" he spoke up through gritted teeth.
"You were given the chance to be civil," the woman barked back, clearly absorbed in their test of brute strength and willpower. "Don't worry, Master Kenobi, I won't make you suffer…much."
"Well, isn't that considerate of you, miss…" Obi-Wan mocked, hoping to get a response out of the infuriated woman.
"Darth Palomeir, Mistress of the Sith," she replied as she tilted her head up, revealing a sinister grin. "Know it well, Kenobi, for it will be the last name you ever hear."
Suddenly, without another word, Obi-Wan took advantage of the momentary distraction and drew one hand back while keeping his other securely wrapped around his lightsaber. Calling on the assistance of the Force, he sent the woman sailing back through the air until she slammed into a nearby tree and was stopped in mid-flight upon impact. He smirked to himself when he heard her growl and she pulled herself up from the ground, now enraged ever more than before and somewhat rattled from the collision.
"You cannot allow a lapse in judgment to leave you exposed to your enemy," Obi-Wan lectured in satisfaction.
There was no hesitation as the woman leapt forward and their lightsabers met once again in a blaze of fury. This time, Obi-Wan was pressed back several steps as she hammered against his glowing blade faster than the eye could see, her newfound speed a mixture of her growing hate and anger. The power of the dark side increasingly fed her need and desire for revenge. Obi-Wan knew that the workings of the dark side held no secrets: everything was fueled by a lust for power and bloodshed.
Realizing that he was quickly losing footing against his adversary, Obi-Wan concentrated on searching the Force for an alternative way to end the fight. His silent quandary was answered a moment later when Anakin appeared overhead, slashing at the woman's crimson blade and knocking her back a step as he flipped through the air. The instant his feet touched down, he dove to the ground and rolled to his feet, narrowly dodging an incoming blow from one of the cloaked figures before whipping around to face his former mentor.
"You looked like you could use some help, Master."
"Indeed, Anakin, thank you for the assistance," Obi-Wan replied.
"You are impossibly outnumbered, Jedi," the woman spat in disgust, bracing herself for the next assault while she readily brandished her humming lightsaber. "You have no hope of escaping here alive. Surrender now and Lord Respian may see fit to spare your lives."
Anakin cautiously watched the cloaked figures that lingered around the three of them, standing in place as if they were waiting for some kind of signal from their superior.
"You underestimate the Jedi if you think we will give up that easily," Anakin bitterly retorted.
"Anakin, wait…" Obi-Wan sternly ordered, holding a hand up and gesturing for him not to take action. He then thumbed his lightsaber and switched it off, glancing over at the other Jedi. "She is right. This is no use, we are outmatched by over two-dozen bodies."
Anakin's eyes widened in astonishment and accusation. "You can't seriously be considering – "
"It is our only chance," Obi-Wan cut him off. "Now is not the time for this."
"I say now is the perfect time for this," Anakin argued, glaring daggers at Obi-Wan while his grip remained unchanged on his still activated lightsaber. "You know we can't just hand ourselves over, Obi-Wan, they'll kill us both."
"They will do nothing of the sort until they have consulted with their leader," Obi-Wan confidently stated. "You must trust me, Anakin. You must trust in the Force."
"With all due respect, Master, the Force is telling me something much different than what it's telling you," Anakin said before spinning around and cutting down the nearest cloaked figure.
That one decision was all it took. The battle once again erupted and the Dark Jedi engaged the two Masters, viciously dashing forward to make their final strike. The hooded woman sprang forward as well, obviously intent on claiming Obi-Wan for herself. He barely parried the first thrust of her crimson blade, but his lightsaber was ignited and ready by the time her second flew towards his midsection. He deftly stepped aside and batted the glowing blade away – stabbing another figure through the chest as it charged at him.
"You have failed to teach your padawan patience, Obi-Wan," the woman commented as she predatorily circled the Jedi Master, a hint of amusement in her tone. "I would be most interested in learning just what exactly you did teach him during his years under your tutelage. He has forfeit both of your lives with his arrogance and foolishness."
"You have not won the day yet, milady," Obi-Wan calmly replied.
"Kenobi, you are blind," she sneered. "You couldn't even defeat me as a padawan, how can you expect to vanquish me with the power of the dark side at my disposal?"
Obi-Wan quirked an intrigued brow. "Are you saying that we have met before, Miss Palomeir?"
"I am deeply hurt that you don't remember, Obi-Wan," the woman sarcastically retorted in fain hurt, reaching up to remove her hood. "It hasn't been that long, has it?"
Obi-Wan couldn't contain a gasp of shock when the woman's hood was pulled back, revealing a face that he immediately recognized.
"Siri!"
"How nice, you do remember me," his childhood friend mused.
Aayla Secura gazed out at the brown and green globe of Korriban from the cockpit of her starfighter, Master Windu taking point just ahead of her from behind the controls of his own Delta-7. Even from a distance, the bleak world caused an involuntary shudder to pass through the Twi'lek Jedi. Korriban was a place of dark myths and legends – many of its historical tales and fables having lasted generation after generation. Some were speculated to be nothing more than stories thought up to frighten younglings of the dark side while others were well-known facts that were stored in the Temple Archives back on Coruscant. Now staring at the drab planet, Aayla couldn't help but recall one story in particular: the legacy of an evil Sith Lord named Darth Malak.
For thousands of years, the Sith and the Jedi had waged war with control of the galaxy at stake. Though the Jedi Order didn't seek to rule, they served the Republic and its people in an effort to maintain peace and diplomacy. Millennia after the galaxy was left reeling from the Sith's last uprising, the legend of Malak was still a common tale.
History told of Malak having been horridly injured in a lightsaber duel. Though no pictures existed to show just how disfigured he had actually been, an enemy had severed his lower jaw and he had been forced to wear a metallic jaw guard that hid his wound from view. The guard had also included a vocoder, through which he spoke with a distorted tone that he had used to his advantage when in battle. Apparently, the booming sound of his voice had been quite intimidating.
The Jedi Knight turned Sith had fought valiantly to repulse the Mandalorian marauders shortly after the end of the Great Sith War. While the Republic was still reeling and licking its wounds from the devastating conflict, Malak had been foremost among the famous heroes of the turmoil filled era. Unlike many other Jedi who had been known and praised for their clever military strategies, Malak had gained a reputation as a headstrong warrior who would recklessly charge into danger and give no thought to the consequences. As documented, his former Masters had been well aware of his impetuousness during his days at the Jedi training academy located on Dantooine. The records spoke of the old Council having been hesitant to unleash Malak onto the battlefields, but the outbreak of the Mandalorian Wars had left them with very few options, and so he had been dispatched to fight.
Eventually turning the tide of the Mandalorian invasions, Malak had pursued their fleeing forces into uncharted regions of space. All contact had been lost between the Republic and the missing Jedi for months, and it was during the time of his disappearance that something terrible had happened…Malak had succumbed to the dark side. He would later return to the galaxy not as a Jedi Knight, but as a Sith Lord. He had reemerged after somehow amassing a huge military force and with each world that had been conquered, they had added to their legions. Disturbingly, many Jedi and Republic soldiers had switched sides to follow Malak, pledging their allegiance to the growing Sith movement. The Republic had stood on the verge of collapse due to the relentless assaults of Darth Malak's army. From the bridge of his massive cruiser knows as the Leviathan, he had repeatedly ordered the razing of entire worlds, and planets such as Taris and Dantooine had felt the might of the Sith Lord's wrath.
Some claimed that Malak had followed the ships of the Mandalorian marauders to Korriban and it was the evil planet that had corrupted him, turning him to the dark side and beginning the chain reaction that had nearly toppled the Old Republic. Others said that the temptation to give himself over to the dark side had always been present and that his conversion had only been a matter of time – that it was bound to happen, regardless of his visiting Korriban or not. Whichever story was true, everybody agreed on one thing…none of them ever wanted to set foot on the gruesome world.
"Master Secura, I am receiving an encoded message that appears to be transmitting from Korriban somewhere," a voice suddenly spoke up, breaking Aayla's train of thought.
"Where?" she asked.
"The coordinates aren't precise," Mace answered through her starfighters' communications unit. "But the line has been identified as Skywalker's. I am attempting to lock onto its frequency now, standby."
"Standing by, Master."
Aayla patiently waited for Mace Windu to finish his analysis while a knowing smirk lit her face. She had no doubt that it was R2-D2 who was trying to contact them…
