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Chapter 13

Location: Imperial Naval Academy, Coruscant

Month 10 Day 1 Year 29 BBY

It is a chilly autumn night, if this planet had uncontrollable seasons. Padme wraps her arms around herself and shivers from the chill in the air. He tries his best to not instinctively wrap his arms around her to keep her warm. But he takes all of his effort not to do so. His eyes trace the outline of her figure in that lilac dress. It is fit and reaches her ankles. He has come to discuss his proposition in keeping her safe from that bastard. If he wanted to keep her safe from that bastard's grasps then it meant a compromise on both their parts. It is the only means by law that could keep her from his clutches. That bastard had done enough damage to her and Anakin didn't want to see her lose herself anymore than she had.

He leans against the balcony and eyes his friend of so many years. He voice calls out, " It is a beautiful night out."

Her stunning caramel gaze casts to him and she simply nods, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. He swallows painfully as he tries to breach the subject at hand. He knows she may turn his proposition, but he didn't know until he tried, right?

He rubs his hands through his gelled back hair and begins, " I have a proposition for you."

Padme' keeps her eyes set on the Coruscantian skyline, the busy skylanes busy with traffic during Fete Week. Most citizens of this planet left for their homeworlds during the holidays and the traffic seems to prove it. Her voice asks, " A proposition? Dear Ani what are you proposing?"

He smiles weakly and musters up the courage to continue his speech. " Yes, I've been researching on how we can help you with your current situation. But it has its drawbacks."

Padme' tries to ignore the seriousness in her friend's voice. She is already taking care of her predicament which he has no idea about. But she jokingly asks, " Drawbacks? Are you asking me to become a rebel spy? I mean I have some experience in that area within the realm of the Senate."

His gaze is weary upon hearing her choice of words. Even joking about joining the rebels could be considered treason. He knows she is only kidding as she is not rebel material.

Her brown eyes are playful. He could melt right into those dark orbs and never return. Her dark curls bounce around her face in a shorter hairstyle than he is used to. She wears her hair short to her shoulders, but he missed seeing her wild mess of curls- like he'd seen them once before.

Flashes of a night when they were young and naive' springs to mind. She takes his silence as confirmation of his weariness of her jokes. She smirks and persists her teasing, " I see Mr. Inquisitor, you want me to join the rebels. Well there's no chance in-"

Her teasing is cut off as her dear friend takes her left hand and bends down on one knee. Her eyes widened in shock. " Ani-what are you-"

He holds his hand up as he mutters shaking, " Pad- let me get this out before I regret my question and proposition for you."

She halts her speech as she fears what he is about to ask. She had seen this stance before- recently too.

She attempts to hold herself from speaking as he continues weakly, " I know you don't want to be tied to any romantic ties, but there is a law that can protect you from his harassment and abuse. If he is caught in some sort of act, he will go to jail for the rest of his life. But it requires you to be married to someone else. So I'm asking you to marry me, so that I can protect you."

The blaring alarm rings in his ears. He sits up still locked in his sleepy state. He bangs his head against the top bunk. He grunts from the agony shooting through his skull. He shakes the dream from his mind and turns himself so he is stilling up in his bunk. The bunks are small and military standard throughout the Imperial Academy. He yawns and stiffly shakes his revere.

What in blazes sith hells was that?"

That dream has him perplexed. He has dreamed of her before this, but why did this feel like a vision rather than a dream? His mind reels over the dream again, remember every detail of her face. Padme' hadn't looked the age she is now. She looked more like a woman. Her body seemed to grow more fitting in the years to come within his dream realm.

But why had he proposed to her? What in Sith Hells was that about protecting her from another man? As far as he knows she either left for off-world attending to the refugees that had come to Naboo from several war torn worlds, mainly those whom the Empire had deemed unwanted or had taken their territory to be used for mining of minerals or other precious items the Imperials needed for their Navy. Or she would be leaving for the colony soon. She would be busy with her work for a few weeks before Fete, though she had said during the summer months there was a chance her trip could be into the new year.

He is reminded again of how much he longs to be with her. 10 weeks from her seems like a lifetime. 14 weeks away from his home of so many years had left him feeling a bit homesick for Naboo. The excitement of being able to leave in forty days to see his family and friends has him feeling elated. 3 more weeks of blasted hell.

He sighs and pulls his Imperial cadet shirt over his head. The uniform is a simple gray with the ensigns of his platoon and rank. He is a private until he graduates from the academy in 2 years time. If he passes his classes then he will be the rank of Captain when he graduates and then will be sent to his first duty station off world or remain here on Coruscant. It depends on which branch of the Navy he is assigned to by the end of his first year at the Academy. There are many branches he is interested in: Infantry, Mechanical Engineers, or even the branch of Inquisitors. Though the latter is a branch it has been trying to avoid being noticed for. Those deemed worthy of becoming Inquisitors are force sensitive, those chosen to Interrogate higher officials, and rebels alike. Their job was to use any means necessary to get information for the tribunal, including torture.

She smirks and persists in her teasing, " I see Mr. Inquisitor, you want me to join the rebels.

Dream Padme's words raise alarms in his mind. She had pointed out his branch of the Imperial Navy in his dream, which could only mean one thing- he is destined to become an Inquisitor for the Emperor, one of the highest branches in the Imperial Navy. He gulps with this realization. He wants to avoid this as best as possible. He already has to take it easy on the other cadets, as he is superior due to his force abilities.

He rubs the sleep from his eyes and stands up to his feet. He cannot sit in bed all day pondering what that dream or force vision had meant. He has to keep his mind on the here and now.

His bunk mate above him hops down, perky as ever. The other cadet is always one to rise early. He is usually the one to push his newfound friend into extra studying hours or extra hours in the practice room to practice their katas and hand to hand combat. Anakin has many times had to stop himself from using the force on his practice partner. His combat skills have grown as he didn't have that much practice other than brawling with a few of his buddies from the university which never had been this intense kind of training.

Anakin eyes the older man. He is shorter than Anakin by a few inches and has clear gray eyes. He's a senior this year. Every cadet has a mentor cadet who was a second year student, guiding them through the process of initiation and to pass the each term's exams. The exams will take three weeks, if Anakin passes them, he can continue through his second term after the holiday season of Winter Fete. If he fails, then he will go back to Naboo in shame. He has never failed at anything in his life.

Except when it came to your relationship with your best friend.

His mind flickers back to his friend. She is always not far from his mind. It has been torture from being away from her without any word from her. She has kept her word and not written, not a single holo, not a single letter sent via datapad. Nothing.

" Sleep well?" The friendly tone of his bunk mate calls.

Anakin's gaze flickers to his bunk mate in an almost stare-off like manner. His bunkmate notices the staring off into space and adds, " You're dreaming about her again."

This snaps Anakin out of his dream-like state. His blue orbs flicker back to the older man's gray ones. Sometimes his senior mentor seemed to have innate abilities to read his mind. Sometimes it felt like he had the ability to use the force. Anakin isn't one to question it though. He had only known his bunkmate for 2 months. And yet most of the time it felt as if they had known each other longer than that. It's as if the force had brought them together for some reason. He felt the connection through the force and it always seemed natural when working with the older man.

Anakin sighs and ignores his statement, " We should be heading to the chow hall. Second rounds of tournaments start at 0800. I need some grub before having to be tortured again by the General."

His bunkmate chuckles and follows him out of their quarters. The chow hall isn't far from their quarters. It would only take a few minutes to reach the line for breakfast, as it usually wrapped around the chow hall because everyone was required to eat at around the same shift, except for the higher ups. They usually had their private meals in their larger quarters or in the staff lounge.

His bunkmate chuckles and comments, " General Jinn is hard on the cadets for a reason. He wants the best graduating from his Academy."

General Jinn fascinated Anakin. He admires the man for his loyalty to the dying Republic and the rising Empire. General Jinn had been one of the few Jedi to turn his loyalty to the Empire at the time of its beginnings. Anakin figured it had something to do with still being a padawan at the time. General Jinn wasn't much older than Padme's father, Ruwee' and his master had been Count Dooku. He had followed Dooku into the depths of the Clones Wars as a separtist and had left the Jedi with his master's leadership. He was a fine warrior and infamous for his determination to free the enslaved people from the Republic. Unlike his former Master, Qui-gon Jinn held the standards of a Jedi, to right the wrongs of the injustice that the Republic had failed. Anakin had always wanted to meet him since he had learned about the famous General during his long nights at Watto's shop. He had seen the General several times during their tournaments, observing the hand to hand combat practices himself, but he never spoke to him personally. For Anakin that would mean the world. He understands the General had better things to do than worry about a fan-boys dream.

Anakin nods in agreement and comments, " I'm still sore from the tournament yesterday."

Anakin's thoughts drift back to his dream for a moment. He really isn't sore from hand to hand combat. It is something he enjoys. The thrill of the fight. The adrenaline racing through his veins always pumped him right before the battle, even though it isn't a battle.

The older of the two men sighs and murmurs, " Do I need to take you to visit the red light district? That girl shouldn't be our focus right now."

Anakin's eyes glint with a sadness the older man catches and he murmurs, " I don't know why I keep dreaming about her. She has been out of my life for two months like she said. I wish I understood the reasons I dream about her."

His bunkmate keeps strolling beside him, easy to keep in stride with the younger man. He states, " Dreams pass in time. You need to learn to let go of everything you fear to lose."

His comment is wise for his age. Obi-wan is only a few years older than Anakin, perhaps 22 or so. But there it is again- that direct insight, almost as if he can read or sense his thoughts within the force. Anakin wouldn't dare to ask Obi-wan if he can use the force as well. Those lines of questions are considered dangerous and can get you killed. And he liked Obi-wan's judgement and sane advice. He didn't need to know if he could use the force or not.

Anakin nods silently as they reach the chow hall. The voices of over a hundred cadets filter through the chow hall. They have arrived fairly early and many of the cadets have already settled to a simple bench with their fellow friends and comrades.

He and Obi-wan gather in the long line of other cadets and Anakin's eyes fly through the stream of gray uniforms, checking out each table, and other officers that have entered as well. It isn't unusual to see three or four officers on duty in case of fights breaking out in the chow hall. Others were just interested in the new cadets that came in each fall term.

His eyes glance onto a Dathomirian Zabrak with yellow spikes forming at the top of his head like horns. His red and black markings cover his head and those piercing yellow eyes somehow manage to glance across the room at Anakin. Anakin's eyes flickered over his attire, his black uniform was that of an Inquisitor, Anakin knew that much. His eyes flicker down onto the thick belt on his waist and the lightsaber attached to it. Many of the Inquisitors carried lightsabers, some colors of gold, white, violet or red. Anakin knew the colors the Jedi had once been outlawed, but most of the Jedi are dead and gone. The ones left had fled for their lives and had been living either quiet lives or had chosen to fight for the Rebels who had grown a larger threat in the past year.

He is taken aback as those golden eyes peer from across the room, staring right through him. Anakin is mesmerized by those eyes. He can feel a slight push through the force, as if he is being pulled towards the Zarark. His feet are plastered to the floor, but sucked into the force connection. This connection felt similar to his with Padme' and Obi-wan's but darker. The connection felt forced and almost as if the Zarak attempted to penetrate his mind from across the room. He feels the slight pull and then it's gone as Obi-wan elbows him to move further in the line. He blinks and moves automatically behind the other cadets in front of them. Obi-wan comments eyeing his pal and asking, " Is everything all right?"

Anakin gulps and nods towards the Inquisitor leaning against the wall. He questions, " What is he doing here?"

Obi-wan frowns and mutters, " He's scouting out potentials for the Inquisitor program. Maul is one of the best, Emperor Palpatine relies on his expertise."

Anakin's eyebrow lifts out of curiosity and he asks, " And what is his area of expertise?"

Obi-wan's gaze is stormy and he suggests, " His expertise is scouting out rebels that have infiltrated into the Navy. He is highly capable of sifting through several minds within a few feet- at least these are the rumors. Most people can't detect his probing, it feels like a slight tingling in your head- at least that's what General Jinn once told me."

Anakin turns his gaze back on Maul. He murmurs, " I think he was probing my mind."

He hadn't meant to admit this to Obi-wan, but he trusted his newfound friend. The force spoke of their trust through the force. Obi-wan forces Anakin to keep his eyes on the chow line stating, " Whatever your feelings suggest, do me a favor and focus on the feelings your stomach is giving you. I'm starving."

Anakin sighs and keeps his eyes focused on the lengthy line ahead.

Obi-wan watches his newfound friend. Obi-wan tries to keep his mind focused on his stomach moaning for substance, but the uneasy feeling through the force came with Anakin's words. He knew Anakin hadn't meant to reveal that information to him, but it shows how much their bond has grown over such a short amount of time. He had felt Inquisitor Maul's brush as well, but his mental shields have been in place for years under Qui-gon's training. He knew when to reveal information that seemed little significance to any Inquisitor. No one suspected him of treason, no one suspected his master either.

But then there is Anakin. Anakin Skywalker's force signature at times could be dim and blocked, but not often. Obi-wan had been surprised after meeting him the first time how much raw power the young man possessed. He seemed aware of this untapped power, but really didn't seem to know how to mentally shield his presence in the force. It worried Obi-wan and General Jinn when his presence could be felt by both of them. His power was unnaturally raw and any force user could feel his presence if they had any force abilities. He knew that Maul had his eyes set on him for many reasons, many unknown to Anakin and he would know in time. He has only a term to gain Anakin's trust and to see if the young man can be trained in the ways of the Jedi- to save him from the darkness of the Dark Side.

Obi-wan and Qui-gon had both felt the warning through the force. This young man can tip the balance either way and he has no idea what the force has in store for him…..

" Obi-wan hello? Are you going to grab a plate?" Anakin's voice snaps his friend back to reality and he grabs a plate and receives shooting glares from other cadets around him.

Obi-wan nods silently jared from his thoughts. He needed to speak to Qui-gon on their next steps on how to approach Anakin. They have to tread lightly.

To Be Continued….