Star Wars: Heir of the Force
Episode 1: Chapter 4
***I own no part of anything Star Wars related***
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He could win, he would win, the Sith Lord reassured himself as the battle commenced against two of his sworn enemies. The younger of the two had immediately leapt over him, blocking his retreat and forcing him into a two-front battle.
But it did not matter, he had been well trained in saber combat and could easily recognize the form they both utilized.
Form four, Ataru, The Aggression Form. It focused on acrobatics and overwhelming an opponent in large areas with maximum maneuverability. The style was powerful but flawed and relied far too much on fancy maneuvers and a quick victory.
Maul's more deadly opponent, the Master, was older and the warrior knew he could not sustain prolonged combat, especially at the same rate he had been trained in. Thus, the Sith went on the offensive immediately, sending quick strikes towards the taller duelist while using the opposite blade to keep the younger at bay behind him.
Immediately, however, a problem began to emerge. His strikes were slower, less accurate, and lacking the power they normally held. Was it his injuries? It had to be, there was no other explanation to why he would be anything less than his peak at the moment. This only drove on the need to finish them quickly and the tattooed warrior fought through the pain in order to launch a flurry of attacks.
Jinn was able to dodge what he could not block, and even counterattack when needed. Even worse was the youngest constantly hounding him from the opposite direction, pressing in the attack whenever he gained even the slightest advantage.
Obviously, he needed to separate them, finish off one so that his injuries would be a less of a hinderance against the other. The Jedi wielded a form that did not allow for drawn out battles, but his own physical impediments created the same constraints for him as well.
Neither could afford a battle of attrition.
A feigned attack against the primary target drew in the secondary, just as he anticipated, and Maul lashed out instinctively, his foot impacting against Kenobi's chest and tossing him backwards.
But not far enough, there hadn't been enough power in the blow, and the reason had been obvious the moment he attempted the maneuver. Pain had surged through his torso and muscles contained within, and he had forced back a growl in response.
It was far worse than he thought, and as the two Jedi closed in on him once more the Sith began a slow, and humiliating, retreat.
If he could not use his body, he would use the terrain to divide them as his original strategy required.
***HotF***
"Captain?"
The man's eyes quickly scanned through the array of security footage before stopping on one view in particular. "In the throne room, surrounded by dozens of battle droids and even destroyers."
Padme fought the urge to groan, she knew it wasn't going to be easy but still… couldn't they just get another break or two?
"Alright, then we move as two units. Captain Panaka will lead the primary with me while Sabe leads the secondary. We can't match the Viceroy for sheer numbers or firepower, which means we need to use our knowledge of the palace and strategy to capture him."
Receiving nods from both leaders, and waiting for Sabe's group to move off in a different direction, the queen took a moment to gather herself, force away any remaining fears, and focus her mind on the task at hand.
"Are you okay?" the dark-skinned man inquired, concern evident in his eyes.
She merely nodded, "Yes… yes I'm fine it is just… a lot to handle for a teenager."
A small chuckle escaped him, "It's a lot to handle for anyone much less someone so young. But you don't have to do this alone, we are with you."
The guards nearby nodded in agreement and the weight on her shoulders seemed momentarily lighter. "Alright, let's go. Remember we must avoid getting stuck in a drawn-out battle. Their forces are scattered about but once our position is revealed they will converge."
With that they moved forward into the hallway, unaware that they had picked up a follower along the way.
***HotF***
Obi-Wan was concerned. Despite keeping the Sith, what else could a warrior so obviously trained in The Dark Side be, from fully focusing on the attack they still had not managed to achieve a victory, or even establish an obvious advantage.
What was worse were the obvious signs of his Master's exhaustion. Qui-Gon was getting on in years and it was showing more and more with each passing strike from their enemy. Luckily, the attacker seemed to be growing weaker as time went on as well, apparently injured from before their duel even began.
Still, he wouldn't lose the most important person in the Galaxy to him to an assassin.
He struck high again, mentally promising himself to take a deeper evaluation of his saber skills following their mission, only for it to be parried. Just as the tattooed warrior's attention shifted, once again, back to the elder man Kenobi spun, this time aiming towards the center of the man, shifting his blade at the last possible moment and slicing the double-bladed weapon in half.
Jinn acted immediately, backhanding the man and tossing him back into a wall, the Sith heaving deep breaths as he seemed to take in the situation he was now confronted by.
"It's over, surrender immediately and you will be judged by the Jedi High Council."
An animalistic snarl formed on the man's face and a hatred never seen before erupted in his amber eyes, startling the padawan. In a flash the horned man surged forward, attempting one last roll of the dice to destroy that which he seemed to hate more than anything else.
Kenobi felt his master's fatigue, knew he would not be able to react or move in time to defend himself, and in that moment, he made his choice without realization. The glowing blade struck true, bypassing his enemy's own crimson sword and separating his upper torso from his lower.
The darkly robed man fell forward into two pieces, mere inches away from claiming a life as well.
***HotF***
Anakin had never encountered someone this fascinating before. This girl, the one named Padme, was both terrified and fearless at the same time. She was reluctant to fight, almost a pacifist from what he could see, but was able to fire a blaster in order to defend those important to her just as well as a trained soldier. She was a politician but seemed to put the needs of others far above her own wealth or power.
Watching from a hallway behind the boy observed as the queen, and her loyal guards, fought their way through group after group of robotic soldiers, culminating in a battle in a massive hallway. It was here, unfortunately, that their luck ran out as a series of rolling droids deployed, forcing the resistance to take defensive positions near the large windows.
Despite their efforts the blasters could not break through the shields of the Destroyers. Just as the young Force wielder decided to intervene and provide assistance the young monarch came up with her own alternative. Raising her blaster, she fired up at a large chandelier, causing it to crash down and destroy the attackers, clearing their path towards where the corrupt viceroy was hiding deep inside the palace.
Just as the initial group reached where the Neimoidian had been hiding the man played his trump card. Dozens of battle droids and droidekas emerged from separate rooms, surrounding the rebellion soldiers and forcing the queen-in-disguise to call for a surrender.
Anakin frowned, contemplating whether he should aide her. Then he felt, more than saw, her plan. The backup force had snuck into the palace, their movements cloaked by the amount of damage caused by the primary team.
Unobserved by those nearby the boy was able to witness the declaration from the imposter, claiming that his occupation of the planet was over before firing at some of the guards and fleeing down the hallway.
Enraged, the tyrant ordered his soldiers after the armed resistance, ignoring the threat posed by those who had been disarmed moments prior, and it was that moment that the true queen sprung her trap. Pulling two pistols that had been hidden in her throne, and tossing one to the captain of her guard, Padme disposed of the remainder of the droids, sealed the door, and glared down the, now terrified, viceroy.
Through The Force, Anakin was just able to pick up her next statement, "Now Viceroy, we will discuss a new treaty."
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Reports
More and more reports, it felt like all she had done since the arrest, and surrender, of the viceroy had been to read through various papers and look over screens of information. With a sigh, the queen set the newest down onto her desk and wearily rubbed at her eyes, trying to massage away the building headache.
There was so much to do, so many people who needed help that it was overwhelming. Now that the situation had been resolved the Senate and other outside factions were more than willing to 'provide' aid, usually in the form of loans or supplies that could be shipped in 'at a discount'.
They were worse than leeches.
But were they worse than the Jedi? That was a thought that considerably deepened her frown. She had still not been told why the two 'peace keepers' had abandoned them in their hour of need, nor did they even consider briefing her on the fate of the mysterious warrior that had led them off. Instead the younger had appeared hours after the fighting was over, asking to use a communication room to contact Coruscant.
Her intuition told her that if the Jedi Council acted anything like the Senate, then they would make an appearance now that everything was resolved. It would be 'good publicity' after all.
The likely-to-be-elected Palpatine had already mentioned something to this extent, about himself and dozens of others wanting to have a 'victory parade'.
"And to think... I thought about having a career in politics once upon a time..."
Not for the first time did she give a silent thanks to the Gungans, not only for their efforts in rescuing those who had been imprisoned, but also in clearing Theed and allowing for their own victory.
"If only they could rescue me from all the politics…" she muttered, only to have her thoughts interrupted by a knock at the door to her study.
"Your highness," one of her handmaidens called out, "Boss Nass has just arrived for your meeting. He is early though and has assured us he does not mind waiting until the scheduled time."
Huh, maybe they could rescue her after all. "Nonsense," Padme replied without hesitation, "I will greet him immediately."
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"A Sith Lord?"
His master nodded, "It appears that way. He was well trained in the Jedi arts and wielded The Dark Side with experience. I have no doubt that this was not a mere coincidence."
"And his fate, what of it?"
Jinn turned to the eldest Jedi Master, "My apprentice was forced to destroy him in self-defense. If I had faced him alone, I would not have been able to defeat him."
This statement caused murmurs among the faces on the screen before them. Obi-Wan used this time to reflect briefly on what had occurred during the past day. His master, following their victory, had asked him to obtain a private room with which they could use to contact the Jedi order. After departing the younger man had remembered that in all the confusion and adrenaline, they hadn't checked on the queen.
Luckily, she had succeeded in her own pursuit, but seemed rather annoyed at his request and they had been attended to by a security guard, who had given them more than a few glares during the escort. He wanted to tell her, to express how important it was that they defeat the other Force wielder before he could intervene in the occupation, but she wouldn't have understood.
Only someone Force sensitive could truly grasp what a Sith was.
"We should investigate this further," Mundi suggested bringing the apprentice back to the present. "The body could very well provide us with with further clues as to the origin."
The others nodded, with Windu, again, taking center stage, "Secure the remains, we will depart Coruscant within the day."
"A gesture of peace, this will be as well," the oldest member spoke, "help the connection between the Naboo and Gungans, we will."
Obi-Wan held back his comment about how the queen was likely not to see it that way based upon how the past few hours had gone, and merely nodded in agreement along with his master.
"We will inform the queen of your arrival immediately."
Kenobi had a bad feeling about this.
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"Greetings, you highness." Padme welcomed, as the Gungan leader stood to greet her. "I hope you were not waiting long?"
"No, meesa just admiring some of your status. We Gungans always like dissen art."
She smiled, "We will have to look into making one of your victory, to celebrate it."
He waved her of but she merely smiled, already set to make sure that no one ever forgot what his people had done for them.
"Meesa comin to check up on da Naboo, makin sure theysa okie-day."
Why couldn't the galaxy itself functioned so simply? People simply helping each other. "We are, thanks to you. The few camps that remained have been liberated and those who had been imprisoned are receiving the aid they needed."
The larger individual nodded, and Padme decided to press on with something she had been debating since she heard of the Gungan's involvement, perhaps even earlier. "I was hoping to speak with you on another topic. I am sure you know what the Galactic Senate is?"
He nodded slowly, "Dey are da ones who run all de other planets, make all dem decisions somewhere else."
"Yes, after the invasion I went there to seek out help, to beg them to intervene and help our planet, they refused."
This brought a dark frown upon the larger individual's face. Perfect, so he felt the same way she did.
"Even the Jedi, two of them came with Jar-Jar, refused to intervene and give us aid. Now, that the war is over though they all want to come celebrate."
"Deysa want to party now dat da work is done..." Nass grumbled, earning another nod.
"Yes, but I don't think they should, which is why I want you to choose when and where the celebration occurs. It was your actions that saved my people, not theirs."
The Gungan seemed to ponder on this for a few minutes, pacing back and forth before turning towards her with a broad grin on his face. "Meeeesa havin an idea."
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"It looks as though your mission was an outstanding success." Windu noted as the council walked down one of the hallways of the Naboo royal palace. "I am more concerned about your encounter with the supposed Sith though."
Jinn nodded, "Before your arrival I performed a basic check on the body. There doesn't appear to be any objects of identification on him nor anything that has any real value save for the lightsaber. I did find, however, multiple lacerations to his back that were not made during our duel."
"Fresh they were?"
Again, a nod, "Yes Master Yoda. Upon finding these I began to review the battle in my mind and looking back he seemed injured, though at the time it was hard to tell. There was a hesitation in some of his movements, actions that were either slowed or lacking in the power he possessed at other times."
The dark-skinned man frowned, "You believe that he had been badly hurt before you encountered him? There were no other Jedi on the planet, nor any reported incidents. I find it hard to believe that anything besides a trained Jedi could have done something like that."
"I thought so myself, which had me believing that the injuries must have come prior to his arrival... until I overheard some servants talking about this." As the group turned down another hall Qui-Gon gestured forward, showing off a shattered window nearby.
Immediately, several Jedi Masters moved forward to investigate.
"The Naboo don't know what caused this?" One inquired.
"None, at least not that they are willing to share. I get the distinct impression that our presence is not as welcome as it once was. I have inquired about conducting interviews with anyone who might have been in the area at the time but my request was flat out refused."
"Do you think she is hiding something? That she, or someone on her staff, knows more and they are trying to prevent us from finding out?"
Kenobi found this moment to give his own input, "I believe it is due to the events at Coruscant, with all due respect. The queen was turned away by both the Senate and our order save for my Master and I's own escort. Then, once we arrived on Naboo we were forced to leave her side due to the assassin, whose presence we could not, and still have not, explained to her."
"Concerning this is, maintain good relations with the galaxy we must strive to do. Speak with her about the importance of secrecy you must, but not reveal too much. Fear, the Sith wield, create more we must not do."
"Master, this incident has only enforced another truth to me. My apprentice is ready to face the trials to become a Jedi Knight. Though he has much to learn of the living Force there is little else that I can teach him."
Windu let out an almost annoyed sigh, "This is neither the time nor the place to discuss such things. When this mission is finished and you return to Coruscant the council will debate this further and make our decision. Until then stay with the queen and ensure that peace has been fully restored. We will take the body of the Sith back to the temple for further investigation."
Yoda, on the other hand, merely continued staring at the window in thought. He had little doubt that Qui-Gon had spoken the truth, but knew that Mace had been right as well. Such an event, with little other evidence in the area, spoke more of combat through The Force than a fight between a trained Sith and Naboo security guards. But if that was the case who else had been involved?
And more pressing than that, if always two Sith there were, which one had been destroyed. The master or the apprentice?
***HotF***
A loud horn blared across the field as the Kaadu took off at full speed, earning hoots and hollers of excitement from nearby adults and children alike.
Nearby a painter worked on capturing a Gungan family's portrait.
In a tent further down members of both races traded foods that would be common to them, but delicacies to the other.
Anakin smiled as he wandered about, watching the interactions between the two cultures. Watched as barriers that had been maintained for centuries were broken down so easily. Now that peace had returned he would need to move on soon, find the next of those in need, to continue his training.
Still, a part of him lingered, wanted to just stay somewhere and belong rather than constantly moving, never settling down or making friends, never having another to talk to.
"Its you!"
He paused in his walk and turned to where a familiar girl was grinning at him, two adults standing behind her in confusion.
"Who is this sweetheart?" the woman asked, a bit confused at her daughter's sudden outburst.
"He's the one who gave me something to eat mom, in the city before you were rescued!"
Ah yes, he remembered her now. Part of his heart warmed knowing that she had found her parents, and that another story had a happy ending to it.
The man appeared a bit uncertain, "Are you sure honey?"
Apparently she was, judging on the way she stomped her feet and pouted, "Of course I'm sure dad! You remember me don't you?"
The boy smiled and nodded, "I do and I'm glad that you found your parents."
Glancing at each other, the two adults shared an unnoticed nod before returning their attention to the boy in front of them. "Are your parents around here..."
Picking up on their unspoken question he quickly answered, "My name is Anakin, and no they aren't. I never had a dad and my mom died a long time ago. I'm just here visiting."
"Well then Anakin, you must let us repay you for your kindness. I own a bakery and I have some fresh bread you can have and we would be honored if you would tour the festival with us."
Nodding, the boy accepted the gift just as another horn announced the main activity. A few minutes later and he sat on a hill overlooking the 'peace ceremony' as the girl he remembered from early handed a large glowing sphere over to the leader of the Gungans that he had met even earlier than that.
As the male lifted it up, shouting 'Peace' into the air the crowd burst into applause and the queen looked out, pausing as her eyes met his.
Curiosity overtook her features for a moment as she looked at the oddly dressed boy that for some reason drew her attention.
Anakin, in the mean time, merely grinned back at her.
***HotF***
A/N: Canon will begin changing far more from this point forward. Qui-Gon has survived Naboo and the queen is not nearly as happy with the Jedi or Senate as she was in the original content. This will also, hopefully, begin a larger portion of Anakin's involvement in the story. He will be older in the next 'Episode' after all and thus have more personality to him.
My next update might take a bit longer as I find myself with multiple paths branching from this point. I need to figure out what role Qui-Gon will play, how Padme will develop, what to do with Kenobi, and the events of The Clone Wars in general.
If anyone has any suggestions feel free to message me.