Chapter 6

Level 4141 on Coruscant

It was amazing how quickly the sky disappeared; the lower you went down Coruscant. At this level, it was hard to tell if it was day or night. The streets were illuminated with a fluorescent glow at all hours of the day. Trash was scattered along the street, and you could tell how far down you were based on the amount of trash present. A couple of tookas skimmed past the feet of two figures in the shadows behind the flashing sign for the Blue Milk Cafe.

"Are you sure this is the place, Ahsoka?" Obi Wan questioned as he shooed away the Tooka sniffing at his boot.

"Yes, he said to be here at 8pm. I'm positive." Ahsoka swears that Obi Wan and Anakin sometimes shared one brain. While Obi Wan is usually the more patient of the two, it's times like these even Obi Wan had a hard time waiting around.

"Well, it's 8:30pm, and no one is here. Whoever it is we're meeting doesn't seem to keep time very well," Obi Wan declared irritably.

Ahsoka just chuckled as she kept her eyes focused on the street.

Through the Force, they both sensed someone approaching them from behind. Simultaneously, they put their hands on their lightsabers just in case as they turned around.

"Commander Tano. Sorry, I'm late," Rex appeared from the shadows.

Ahsoka sighed and dropped her hand from her lightsaber, smiling, "I'm not a Commander anymore Rex."

"You'll always be a Commander to me." Commander Rex stepped into the light with his helmet off. Apparently, he had taken some cues from Anakin for his theatrics and lack of ability to be punctual. He turned to Obi Wan and greeted him, "General Kenobi."

Obi Wan appreciated the gesture and the respect Rex was showing him as well.

"It's good to see you too, Commander Rex. I wasn't expecting to see you here." Obi Wan acknowledged.

"The 501st is a part of the team trying to locate Maul." He shook his head, "You Force wielding people are a slippery bunch."

Obi Wan and Ahsoka exchanged looks.

Obi Wan responded, "What can you tell us?"

Commander Rex grimaced, "I don't know if you were aware but before Maul pulled his military coup on Mandolare he ran a crime ring involving the Black Sun, Pike Syndicate, and the Crimson Dawn. We suspect he'll try to return to them."

Ahsoka pipped in, "Yes, I saw a hologram of him speaking to the Pike syndicate on Oba Diah."

Obi Wan raised an eyebrow, "What were you doing on ….."

"It's a long story, Obi Wan. Never mind." Ahsoka added quickly.

Rex cleared his throat and continued, "Since his capture they have broken up their alliances and have gone their separate ways. He had control over several spice trading routes. We believe he'll start retaking control of these routes first. His strongest connection was with the Crimson Dawn. We suspect he'll start there and reclaim control of them before going after the Black Suns and the Pike syndicate."

Rex shifted the helmet he had under his arm, "There were reports of a cloaked red and black face horned humanoid accompanying known spice smugglers off Coruscant today…."

"So..Maul isn't on Coruscant anymore?" Ahsoka interjected, clearly upset that he slipped through their fingers.

Obi Wan stepped up and placed a comforting hand on Ahsoka's shoulder, "Don't worry, Ahsoka. We'll catch up to him." Turning to the clone, "Commander Rex, do you know where the Crimson Dawn is located? I'm guessing we'll find Maul wherever this Crimson Dawn is."

"You're correct, General Kenobi. However, that'll be the difficult part. All the crime syndicates have taken the opportunity to grow and strengthen their holds, in the shadows, within the past year. With the internal turmoil, the Republic left these crime lords mostly unchecked." Rex revealed sadly.

Obi Wan added wryly, "and with the Jedi distracted with their own internal affairs, I'm sure they leaped at the opportunity."

"Correct, sir."

Ahsoka impatiently added, "That's just great. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack! Where do we start then?"

Commander Rex pulled out a holorecorder, and an image appeared, "Our intel has been following someone by the name of Dryden Vos. We believe he's the figurative head of Crimson Dawn."

"Figurative?" Obi Wan questioned as he studied the figure.

Rex continued, "Yes, Maul had Dryden Vos in charge of Crimson Dawn while he was on Mandalore, but it was clear that Maul was pulling Dryden's strings. Maul will no doubt try and connect with him and either collaborate with Dryden or kill him."

Ahsoka chimed in, "So we find this Dryden Vos, and then we'll find Maul!"

Rex winked at Ahsoka, "Exactly! My suggestion is to go undercover as spice runners and follow where the spice goes."

"What do you say, Ahsoka? Ready for a life of crime?" Obi Wan quipped.

"Oh, so you wouldn't consider being a bounty hunter, but being a spice runner is ok?" Ahsoka noted.

Obi Wan shrugged, "I have standards."

Rex pushed a button, and the holorecorder flipped to a map of the galaxy, "Are you familiar with the planet Bilbringi?"

Obi Wan stroked his beard, "Bilbringi, isn't that where the separatist ships are being dismantled?"

Rex flipped to the next screen to the shipyard on Bilbringi, "Yes, sir. The ships are being dismantled and repurposed there. Unfortunately, it's a haven for black market parts for obvious reasons. Go into town there, and you'll find a Bith named Choira at the local cantina. Choira is a local black market dealer not only in ship parts but also in moving spice around. He's been strongly linked to Crimson Dawn. Tell him you are looking for work as a spice runner. If you are lucky, he'll have you move a shipment for them and access the Crimson Dawn that way."

"If he's our best chance at getting to Maul, we'll be there. I'm feeling pretty lucky! What do you think Obi Wan?" Ahsoka was confident they could pull this off.

Obi Wan grimace. He didn't believe in luck. "We'll need more than luck to get to Dryden Vos, but this seems like the best way to accomplish that."

Royal Palace Theed, Naboo

Captain Panaka, or as he told Anakin, Quarsh was slowly giving up the responsibilities to Anakin. He made himself available to Anakin if he had questions and would stop in from time to time, but he wanted to give Anakin the freedom to adjust in his own way. Anakin appreciated the help. He was excited to finally have something to call his own. Although he would have to report to the Queen and the advisors, it wasn't the same as the Jedi High Council. He had much more freedom in this position. It was as liberating as it was terrifying. Quarsh had been very encouraging during the transition.

Anakin was in his office at the Royal Palace, he sat leaning on the back two legs of his chair with his legs crossed up on the desk in front of him. Several datapads were scattered in front of him. They started to blur into one another. There were so many mundane details he had to oversee. Quarsh told him that it's essential to delegate whatever tasks he could. Anakin was overly optimistic about his capabilities and hadn't relinquished his responsibilities to others. Now, he was feeling the burden as several things pulled for his attention at once.

Retep tentatively stepped through the door, "Captain Skywalker? Is this a good time?"

Retep was dressed in the Royal Security Commander uniform. It was well kempt without a wrinkle. His 18 years of age shown on his face as his eyes were still wide and eager, unlike the weary eyes that Anakin noted when he looked at himself in the mirror. He enjoyed the youthfulness and dare he say, the innocence that Retep still possessed.

Anakin ushered Retep in as he threw a datapad on the desk with the growing mound of other datapads. "I would rather talk to another living being instead of starring at these things all day."

"Sir, I have the information on the Spice Mines on the Moon of Rori that you asked about." Retep held out yet another datapad for Anakin to read.

As Anakin grumbled and reached for it, Retep pulled it back hesitantly, "I hope you don't mind but I read the report already."

Anakin leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Retep reminded him of his old padawan and maybe a little bit of himself.

"Did you now? Find anything interesting?"

Retep posture loosened slightly as his confidence grew, "I was reading the shipment manifest and noticed something odd about the export."

Anakin humored him, "They were having quality control issues with the spice being mined on the Rori."

"Well, that's the thing. This past month's shipment should be less because they had to discard the tainted spice, but when I looked into the ship's manifest, it said the cargo was fully stocked."

"Perhaps they filled the cargo with other supplies?"

"Except, it said it was only carrying spice off world. All the financial reports and mining logs state that a certain allotment of spice was tainted and discarded. Whoever is doing this was smart to cover their tracks, but they forgot to cover the ship's manifest that records the details of the cargo they carried." Retep reasoned.

"So you think someone is stealing spice from the mines?" Anakin questioned.

"Yes, sir. I know it circumstantial evidence but I think it's worth looking in to." Retep stated

"Very good. I'll take a look at it. Just leave the datapad with me." Anakin brought his feet down from the table and leaned forward with his hand open to Retep.

Retep still held on to the datapad looking at the ground.

Anakin raised an eyebrow, "Is there something else you want to add?"

"So…I started looking into the transmissions that were being sent from the Moon. I didn't find much, but I think that maybe the mining supervisor Wehttam might be involved."

Anakin frowned, "Why do you say that?"

"I intercepted a transmission he sent out a week ago. Well, actually, it was on a private channel, but he was talking about getting a packaged delivered, and he didn't want anyone to find out about it." He added quickly.

Anakin's eye widened, "Are you telling me that you went and spied, not only on the mining facility's transmissions but also on the private comms of the Mining Supervisor?! Who authorized this?"

"Um…actually..you….did. I kinda told them I was doing this for you." Retep squeaked out.

Anakin stood up and towered over Retep. His face drawn visibly angry. "Young man, you have crossed the line! There might be something happening on Rori, but this is not the way to go about it!"

"Sir, I thought you would like me to be proactive. I just wanted to catch whoever is doing this. I think it's Wehttam. He's the obvious choice!" He pleaded.

Anakin clenched his teeth. "You should have come to me sooner before you decided to investigate this on your own! There's a lot you don't understand and things going on that you might not see. It's easy to jump to conclusions that aren't there." Anakin was trying to control his temper. The kid's eagerness was turning him reckless.

He continued. "You need more evidence before you go listening in on people's transmissions, ESPECIALLY private transmissions."

Retep started to protest.

"This is not how we are running Naboo!" He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Young man, there's a fine line between espionage and privacy invasion. I don't want you to do any unsanctioned spying without my permission again, am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." Retep didn't meet his captain's eyes and placed the datapad on Anakin's desk before scurrying out.

Anakin slumped back down into his chair, berating himself for losing his temper. He'll have to go apologies to Retep later.

Skywalker's residence on Theed, Naboo

Padmé strolled in through the front door. It was quiet, which meant that Dormé managed to get the children to nap. She just finished several meetings with the head of each local governance on Naboo, and it was late in the afternoon. Kicking her shoes off into the shoe closet, next to the front door, she noted how Anakin's boots were strewn outside the door. At least it's in the general area.

She wandered the house looking for where her tall, handsome, former Jedi husband could be lurking. She found him at the dining table with a cup of tea in front of him as he leaned back on a chair reading a datapad.

Padmé sauntered behind her husband and placed her hands on his shoulders. He turned and smiled to her, pulling one of her hands down to plant a kiss.

"Welcome home, my love," he murmured.

She leaned down and gave him a quick peck on his lips. "How was your day?"

[ This section is under revision ]

He hesitated before asking, "Padmé, have you heard about any conflicts from the spice mines?"

"Spice mines? You mean the ones on Rori? It's a small mining company compared to other planets. It's very profitable and one of the reasons the Republic pays any attention to our planet, unfortunately. There hasn't been any conflict at those mines for years. Why do you ask?"

"My second in command thinks that someone is smuggling spice from the mines."

Padmé frowned, "That's a serious accusation. I never liked the fact that Naboo contributed to this industry. It tends to draw unwanted attention."

Anakin fiddled with the cup in front of him, "He thinks that the mining supervisor is behind it."

Padmé raised an eyebrow. "How did he come to that conclusion?"

He added dryly, "He was spying on Wehttam's personal comm transmissions."

"Did something happen for him to suspect Wehttam?"

"No, he told me he just had a hunch it was him but didn't offer any evidence why."

Padmé folded her arms, "That sounds like privacy invasion."

Anakin had briefly spoken very highly about his new commander, so she was surprised by Retep's actions. He sounded like a responsible young man but this was dangerous territory.

Anakin pushed his cup away and leaned back into his chair, "I know. I ordered him to cease all monitoring immediately."

Anakin was quiet for several minutes afterward as Padmé stayed by his side through his thoughts.

Breaking the silence, "Where do you draw the line? When is it a security risk and when is it privacy invasion?"

He furrowed his brow, "I know back on Coruscant, if the Jedi were spying on me, then our secret would have been revealed much sooner."

Padmé leaned over and held his hand as Anakin continued, "Because they didn't, I was able to have a life outside of the Jedi Order with you." He squeezed her hand.

Padmé playing the devil's advocate responded, "Well, you did break the Jedi Code."

"So maybe they should have spied on me? Did they deserve that information? Don't I get a choice when or whether I want them to know that?"

Padmé knew he wasn't attacking her directly and just working through his feelings, so she continued to probe further.

Still playing the other side, Padmé countered. "If it was someone more concerning, they could have prevented corruption or even violence from occurring."

Anakin responded, "the Jedi and the Clones spied on persons of interests in the Republic, but that was because we were at war, and it was a necessity." He paused, "I think we took it too far."

Padme replied, "You mean how they asked you to spy on Chancellor Palpatine?"

"Now, I understand where the Jedi are coming from but I still don't agree with what they asked of me." He replied bitterly.

"I don't want Naboo to turn into the Republic with all the lies and mistrusts that plagued the Republic during that time. If we start spying on the people of Naboo just as a precaution, where does that end? Is this something that should be dealt with on a planetary scale? Do we choose safety over our freedom? Even the freedom to make a mistake?"

He let go of her hand and placed both of his hands on his chest. "How do I keep Naboo safe? Is this my burden to bear? What if something happens to Naboo and it's my fault because I wasn't watching closely enough?"

Padmé reasoned, "If you lose your integrity you become the very thing you fight against."

"Yes, but if you can prevent a possible destructive future…" Anakin countered.

Padmé stated firmly, not liking the direction of the conversation, "Anakin, of all people, you know you can't predict the future."

"Yeah, I know. It doesn't make it any easier." Anakin grumbled.

He knew Padmé was referring to his premonitions that she would die in childbirth. He was so sure that it was the only possible future. He was ready to make catastrophic mistakes based solely on those dreams. It was a painful lesson on how much control he really had. Even now, it continues to be an ongoing struggle for him to not be so overprotective.

His children constantly reminded him of that humble lesson every time they got injured, doing normal things that innocent children do. One time, Luke decided it would be fun to run with a fork in his hand, which lead to him fall and stabbing his thigh with the fork. Anakin was mortified and screamed at Luke, who didn't understand what was going on, only that his father was very upset with him. This led to Luke crying even more and added to Anakin's guilt over his son's injury. Luke's flesh wound healed, but Anakin watched him like a hawk for a week before Padmé finally reasoned with him that he can't prevent every accident that happens.

Padmé leaned back on her chair, tapping her chin with her index finger, "What is that thing the Jedi say all the time…"

Anakin raised an eyebrow and mockingly replied, "May the Force be with you?"

She smiled and pointed at him, "Yes, that! Maybe you should trust in the Force to guide you?"

Anakin gave her a half smirk, "Now, you sound like Obi Wan."

She pouted, "Well, I hope I'm better looking then he is."

Anakin's eyes softened, "There's no comparison to your beauty, my love."

A/N: I wanted to grow Anakin's character development in a more healthy environment. He's sorta has graduated from the "school of Jedi" and has his first real job where the training wheels are off. I think the Jedi constant criticism of Anakin really stunted his growth because he would reflexively react to them. It bugged me how they constantly berated him like he was a little child. In this story, now he has to stand on his own two feet and live and die by his actions. I think having to deal with the consequences of his actions will help him grow as a person and having a healthy support system, like his wife, will help him to learn from his mistakes. Because we all make mistakes!