"Anakin…Anakin? Anakin!" Obi-Wan's voice cut through Anakin's thoughts and Anakin blinked back to awareness, not even having realised that he'd zoned out. Obi-Wan was standing right in front of him, on hand on Anakin's shoulder the other braced around Anakin's upper arm.
"The Death Star" Anakin offered softly.
"What?"
"The Death Star, Sideous' pride and joy, his greatest project. Construction would have just started on it, and I know where he's got a set of the plans."
"What is this Death Star?" Mace Windu asked.
"A battle station, far bigger than any Star Destroyer or ship built to date," Anakin replied, "it was under the control of Grand Moff Tarkin, or at least, the first one was."
"A Battle Station?" queried Obi-Wan.
"It has the fire power to destroy an entire planet in one shot."
A stunned silence followed Anakin's announcement.
"An…An entire planet?" Plo Koon choked out.
Anakin nodded, "I…I witnessed what it was capable of. I was on the bridge when it was fired."
"How…How many planets?"
"One…Alderaan."
"How…how could a weapon so powerful be developed?"
"The Superlaser was powered by eight enormous kyber crystals," Anakin explained, "the laser beams produced by the power reactors powered by the crystals were directed into one large beam. Whoever was firing could control how many of the reactors were used, to impact on how much damage to a planet could be done. Even on the lowest setting, however, one eighth of a planet's surface would be destroyed. The first Death Star was not very accurate, but with that kind of destruction it wasn't considered problematic. After being fired it also had a slow recharge time, needing a day between being fired."
"The first Death Star, there was more than one?"
"There was only supposed to be one," Anakin replied, "but once it was destroyed Sideous commissioned a second, more accurate and with a faster recharge time. This one was accurate enough to hit a capital ship, and only needed five hours to recharge, but it was never fired at a planet before, well…I assume the rebellion destroyed it…it felt like it was about to implode, but I died before it actually happen, so I can't be certain.
"There is a way to destroy this Death Star?' Mace Windu enquired.
"Yes, a small thermal exhaust port, no more than a few metres wide, in the Meridian trench. Proton torpedoes fired into this exhaust port would reach the main reactor and cause a chain reaction which would cause the entire thing to blow up."
"Surely that is an impossible shot?" Master Mundi shook his head in dismay.
"Not for Anakin," Oni-Wan replied proudly.
"You forget, I was one of the ones trying to protect the damn thing," Anakin shook his head, "I mean, I could have and now, yes, definitely, I volunteer to destroy it, but we need in in once piece to convince the Senate that they've been deceived, especially as the Republic have been funding it, along with the Separatists. Shortly after the outbreak of the Clone Wars Sideous held a meeting of 150 individuals, who still meet on a semi regular basis at the summit of the Strategic planning amphitheatre of the centre for military operations. These include the Strategic Advisory Cell, along with select Senators, including the chancellor and Vice Chancellor, representatives from Corellian Engineering, the Kuat Drive Yard, high ranking members of the military, members of the War Production Board, along with various star ship engineers and designers and others. Lots of big names at those meetings."
"Disturbing this is, when leading the military we are," Yoda ventured, looking worried.
"It's how they've had unlimited access to funding, and been able to construct the project in the first place. The rest of the republic don't know about it. Can you imagine what the rest of the Senate would say if they found out, especially when they find out it's being built over Geonosis?"
"Why would so many support it's construction in the first place?'
"Because fear, they do, that the separatists have their own Death Star," Yoda surmised, and Anakin nodded in agreement.
"Which they don't, just for the record."
"Help us greatly this does," Yoda told the assembled Jedi, "but not enough, it is. Fearful the Senate in, and many corrupted by Sideous, or by own desires and ambition, there are."
"Not all," Obi-Wan was quick to interject, shooting a quick glance at Anakin. Anakin, who had been able to protest that Padme would never be corrupt, quickly clenched his mouth shut, although he gave Obi-Wan a quick, appreciative look.
Yoda nodded, gesturing to Anakin's data pad, "Yes, not all. Allies and Friends, the order still has."
"Anakin, do you know where the plans are kept, right now?" queried Mace Windu
"No, I have a suspicion, but I can't be certain," Anakin admitted.
"Begin to make plans, we can. Speak of what we have discussed to no one, at this stage, not even within the Jedi order, or our allies outside of it. Prepare we must, for the worst. Get the Younglings out of Coruscant, we must, and away from the Clones, should issued this order 66 be."
"We can smuggle them out and hide them at Jedi temples," Mace Windu nodded, "along with the archives, we cannot let that information fall into the hands of a Sith.
"Is there a way to remove these chips?" Plo Koon questioned. Anakin smiled at the Master, knowing how much he cared about the men under his command.
"Yes, but we would have to do it without the Senate, or the chancellor being aware, and only if the Clone consented to it. It is a very invasive process, and locating the chip can be difficult."
"Of course" Plo Koon nodded.
"Begin to talk to your clones, you may, discretely," Yoda decided, "Their aid, I fear, we will greatly need. Many things to do, we have. Get started, we all must."
Taking the dismissal for what it was, Anakin bowed to the Jedi Council, and began to walk out of the room. Now that he had something else to focus on other than his past, or rather, future deeds, he found he was coping better, and surprisingly his overnight medidation session had proven benficial.
"Master…Skyguy, what are we going to do?"
"We're going to talk to Cody, Rex and Kix about the chips," Anakin replied, "it's the first step we can take to prevent the complete destruction of the order."
"Master…I still don't get what is going on?" Ahsoka admitted. Obi-Wan, who was walking alongside them, rested his hand on Anakin's arm.
"I'll comm Cody, tell him that we want to talk to him, here, within the temple. You tell Ahsoka what you need to."
"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Anakin smiled appreciatively, "come on, Snips, there is some things that I need to talk to you about."
Obi-Wan headed off on his own to send the message, leaving Anakin and Ahsoka alone as they continued on towards their shared quarters.
"Ok," Ahsoka replied, looking pleased that she was finally being let in on what on earth was going on. Anakin felt guilty for having left her in the dark, but he'd needed to sort his own thoughts out first, and now he felt that he mostly had a grip on things.
They let themselves into their apartment, and Anakin sat down heavily on his favourite spot on the couch. Ahsoka sat down in her spot beside him.
"IS this about…what you were saying on the Resolute?' she asked.
Anakin nodded, rubbing his hands wearily over his face. In his mind he could see, through Vader's eyes, the look of horror on an older Ahsoka's face as she realised who Vader really was.
"The truth is…I know who the Sith Lord is because in the future, I become his apprentice."
"What?" Ahsoka whispered, her eyes round with shock, "but…why?"
"Because he'd been manipulating me...grooming me for it, since I first joined the temple…and because I made some ridiculously bad choices. Through the course of the Clone War I'd been isolated from everyone I cared about, until I could either no longer trust them, or was separated from them. Then I had some visions which scared me. I couldn't find the answers I wanted through the Jedi, so I went to the Chancellor, as a friend…a mentor, and he told me that he could help me…In the end, I enslaved myself to him and the Jedi order were destroyed."
"Destroyed? How?"
"In the head of every Clone there is a behaviour control chip. Initially Master Syfo-Dyas included it as a way to temper the aggressive nature of the original host, Jango Fett, but ten years ago, after Master Syfo-Dyas was killed by Count Dooku and Sideous, they took over the project, installing executive orders and the like onto the chips. If one of these orders is issued by the chancellor, every Clone will obey, whether they want to or not."
"All of them?"
Anakin reached out and gently pulled Ahsoka into a comforting hug, "all of them" he confirmed, "the few that were able to resist it…were killed by their brothers, or at least they tried to. I've heard rumours that Rex survived, and that he got his chip removed so he could protect you."
"How do you know all this?"
Anakin sighed, "Because I've lived it. I've seen the Galaxy change, Snips, I was one of the ones enforcing the change. The republic was torn apart by Sideous. He declared the Republic and Empire, and himself the Emperor. He ruled a regime of fear and I was his weapon. For twenty three years I was a monster that children had nightmares about."
"But you came back. That's what you send to the Council, that you were able to come back to the light?"
"Yes, I was able to come back," Anakin reassured, "and I died in the arms of someone I cared a lot about."
"Obi-Wan?"
"No…No I'd killed Obi-Wan about four years earlier."
"You…You what?"
"I cut him down, he became one with the force instantly. I was convinced it was some sort of trap. I hated him for what he'd done to me, leaving me to burn on mustafar, not that I can blame him now. It's probably a good thing I killed him when I did, because if he'd still been alive a few years later when I learned what he'd been up to in the years following my fall, well…I wouldn't have given him a quick passing."
"What had he been doing?"
Anakin liked his lips, slightly nervous now, "You know that sometimes I…let my emotions rule me, whenever Pad…Senator Amidala is in danger."
"Yes, I think everyone knows that."
"It's because we're secretly married."
Ahsoka's eyes went even wider, "Married…Master…you and Senater Amidala are married."
"I haven't told the Jedi Council about that part yet," confessed Anakin quickly, "so don't go telling people. Obi-Wan knows, I told him after I came back from…witnessing everything that was about to happen."
"Married, as in that its already happened?"
"Yes, it happened just after the first battle on Geonosis," Anakin replied with a wry smile.
"Well, looks like Rex was right."
"Wait…what?" Now Anakin was confused.
Ahsoka shrugged, "the 501st had wagers on what was actually going on. Some of them bet it was just an act to cover for you and Obi-Wan, while others thought you were only boyfriend and girlfriend. Rex and Fives were definitely in the 'they're married' pool."
"And what did you think?' Anakin couldn't help but smile.
"That there was definitely something going on, but that it hadn't gotten that far yet, not that I was involved. We thought it wouldn't be proper, since I was your Padawan and everything."
Anakin snorted, "Obi-Wan's manners must have rubbed off on you, I wouldn't have been so…considerate."
Ahsoka smiled, but it wasn't convincing, "Master…are you alright?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Anakin quipped in response. Ahsoka, however, didn't laugh, or even smile, and the smile slid off Anakin's face.
"Look, Snips," Anakin sighed and leaning forward, resting his weight on his elbows, "It…I won't say that it's easy, but it's what I did. There is no-one I can blame but myself. I know that I keep talking about how the Chancellor manipulated me, but I was the one who chose to fall, he didn't force me to do it. I could have said no and jumped off the edge of a gantry."
"Master?" Ahsoka's frown deepened.
Anakin shook his head, "never mind, just a…something that actually happened."
"It sounds like something you would do."
Anakin smiled, "It actually wasn't me…although you are right…it does sound like something I would do."
"Is there anything I can…help with?" Ahsoka asked.
Anakin sighed again and leaned back against the sofa, "I'm Sorry," he apologised.
Ahsoka reached out and took Anakin's flesh hand in her own.
"What for?"
"For everything I did to you."
'You haven't done anything to me, other than be the best Master ever."
"Don't let Obi-Wan hear you say that," Anakin sighed, "he might get jealous."
"No, he'll just try and take the credit and say it was because he taught you everything you know."
"Well, he wouldn't be wrong," admitted Anakin, "I don't know what would have happened if Obi-Wan hadn't taken me as his Padawan. Things could have ended up very differently…better, or worse…not that I could imagine things getting much worse than it did."
"It's OK, Skyguy…we're doing something about it. We'll deal with the chancellor and everything will work out for the best, you'll see."
Anakin nodded, forcing himself to stay positive and focus on the present, rather than try and speculate what was going to happen in the future."
"I'm still sorry," he told Ahsoka, who barely managed to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.
"What for?"
"For the maelstrom you're about to get dragged into. You thought the Clone Wars were bad already. It's about to get worse…so much worse, and we're going to be stuck right in the middle of it."
"We'll be fine," Ahsoka told him confidently, "as long as we stay together with Master Kenobi and the other allies you talked about we'll be ok."