Chapter 12: Unfettered

Vader kicked at my chest with that promise and I rolled away, awkwardly trying to dissipate the force of the hit, but I ended up flat on the mat. He didn't offer a hand up.

…His hand was up, in a clenched fist. "You don't matter, Jedi. Except to keep them safe from any rebellious threat. They will not be under-protected again."

I dropped to the training mat an eternity of seconds after I got dizzy and lightheaded from the choking. I coughed and staggered to my feet. I would not cower.

My light saber was still in my hand.

*Good.* Vader replaced his saber to his belt. "New security measures will be added, which I will review myself. Dismissed."

I resisted my urge to be sarcastic, and hurried over to Elevens and the twins. They were too quiet, on the edge of frightened with angry tears. Hoping to soothe them, I bundled them in my arms and hurried to our sanctuary.

Vader arrived moments after me, and with a sigh changed back into the blue uniform.

Then he held out his arms for a child, his face neutral.

I didn't want to hand either over to him. "They're only starting to calm."

"I cannot show weakness over them out there, that will increase risk from rivals. I am getting pressure to leave them here for extended periods during missions." He looked at me, sadness on his face not reduced by the gold in his eyes. "Please, Obi-Wan."

Leia was waving her arms and angry, while Luke had a fierce grip of my tunic. So I handed her to her father.

His face softened, even if her hand grazed his face. "Hush my little princess, everything's fine. Daddy's fine. Bobo is okay. Luke is fine..."

Turning my attention to Luke, I soothed a finger over his little fist and projected calm for him. "You were very good today, Sunny-boy."

Leia had calmed and started sucking her thumb.

Vader looked down, unwilling or unable to comment.

"If I am to practice, 'Vens isn't enough to keep them off the mat. I don't want them out of sight when I train." Whatever Vader's reasons, I knew sharpening my skills again was useful.

That made Vader's eyes darken for an instant. "Your guard will be changing, to only experienced Commanders. They have been disproportionately dying, and some deactivated. One recaptured, even. If any clone is a threat, warn me, or deal with it yourself. You are still General, with authority on some issues. There are no fair courts for them better than you. Handpick additional guards for during your training if you want."

I got a whiff that it was time, but I had to know. As I checked Luke's pants, I hummed. -Do you have a plan?-

**Not yet.**

As shallow as it was to realize, I was glad to have my lightsaber.

Within a few more days, guards with familiar identification numbers replaced the ones I'd never really met, increasing our escort when the children and I were out of our rooms. Bly, Dice, and Fox were too… blank now.

Rex smacked Wolffe's shoulder when he showed up one day. "I'd suggest putting him on the garden detail, General."

Cody was irritated, though he held no real appreciation of his chosen name anymore.

Frustration and a little anger hid behind the joker's face, very refreshing after the emptiness of the others. I realized that he'd been gone for months. "Those details will increase as they will need to be restrained to keep from underfoot when I train."

I trusted Wolffe, even as he understood more than Cody had in months. He came in to chat sometimes, like Rex did, but he never explained what happened while he was gone. I assigned them as primary backups, one to protect each twin, beyond our normal escorts. I preferred guards who understood the true dangers.

Weeks and months passed as I retrained. Rex and Wolffe told about life outside the palace, including small things that said much that never made it to news reports. Vader visited twice a week on the average.

I never got comfortable with his burning scarlet blade for practice, but he could not, or maybe would not put it to a training setting. I could feel Rex and Wolffe's fear when they realized that from burnt masonry pavings and mats.

I wondered how long he would childishly feel satisfied, that he beat me a majority of the time with his unhampered use of the Force.

All evidence was a long time.

Still, I improved at conserving my strength for longer sessions and breaking out of the choke holds. Now he was beginning to tire in longer matches, with the greater energy demands of his form.

I regretted that this was honing his skill, that he would use against surviving Jedi or remaining Separatist. Those forces held more hope for me now.

Vader drew on the Dark when we fought, for strength and agility, as much or more as when he drew on the Light. What Vader didn't use, was beginning to make me wonder: Force Lightning. Dooku used it, but I was beginning to think Vader did not, and could not. He hadn't shown any of the mysterious Force abilities in the old legends I'd both devoured and feared as a youngling.

The Force suggested during a meditation, that he has not the leisure or interest in getting frightened when he was that age. He had memories of Tatooine.

So he was not being taught by his new Master.

Has he realized it yet?

Should I, could I, address that puzzle?

Leia and Luke were fast approaching their first birthday, and a grand celebration was being planned for the anniversary of the Empire. The latter was a great sadness for myself, so I let the former be my focus.

Two days before Empire Day, Leia finally fell asleep from listening to a tatty copy of Sora making friends with a baby Krayt dragon. Luke had already fallen asleep looking at the moving stars on the ceiling.

Vader was nearly as calm as they. He looked over with a frown. "I don't know what to get for them. Padmé mentioned gifts she'd gotten or given. But I don't know what to..."

"Customs vary." I'd considered the fabric of interconnections with other people around one, during meditation. I still had a few tokens of people lost to me, even if they might still live. "I don't see any reason to deny them small gifts on special occasions. From what I've read, a food treat, hug, or toy is about all they understand. Spending time with them means more than a droid lolth cat at this age."

"Where are you getting this shit? You didn't get this when I was a youngling."

"I'm reading ahead of their age from public references. The creche minders once knew all this for Initiates of Leia and Luke's age, but I doubt there was any experience or guides for an ex-slave your age." I took a breath and braced myself. "I regret that I did not understand when you were young."

After a long, silent moment I added, "I can arrange for copies of the most useful books if you would like to understand more."

Vader looked at Leia and paused, his face darkening as he looked at me. "I don't have the time, you can do the research. I have other projects and duties that demand my time."

So much for that hope, at least Vader was proving a better parent than I feared.

"We will be expected at some events for Empire Day. Check their formal clothing fits tomorrow. They will be a credit..."

"They will be children. Do not expect more than they can..." I stopped speaking when he had stormed out.

Wolffe came in. Avoiding Vader or checking on us was not clear.

I finished tucking in the blankets and left Elevens on watch in the twins' room. I left for the outer room. "I hope you and Rex can stay with us, perhaps without armor, during the festivities. The attack last time does not give me confidence in their safety during events."

"You'd think some of the whiners and passies would have jumped to protect babies. At least to get them away."

There was little to say to that. Once I thought Bail would have done anything to help Padmé's children. I wished I knew.

I didn't see Vader in the morning for sparring, but there was a hum in the Palace. Larger sized formal costumes arrived for Leia and Luke that fit well enough that they could move around. That gave them the option to run in the Naboo style dress and Imperial uniform. Leia did not like the decorations on hers and started pulling them off and chewing on them.

While I thought it amusing, I doubted Vader would and I got them back in their play clothes as fast as 'Vens could help.

I also had a new costume. No real change aside from lack of wear, still navy, but now there were rank markings I did not understand.

A comm chimed.

My comm.

For the first time in a year. I found it by sound, inside the package with the new uniform. It still showed the caller as Anakin.

The bitter irony.

"Yes?"

"Wear the damn thing tomorrow." He didn't say anything else, but I could hear the frustration.

I needed whatever respect and mobility I could gather if I were to escape with the twins. I estimated they would need to be at least six to follow directions and not need to be carried. Meeting people, and perhaps making allies required this deep cover costume. "Very well."

Vader cut the connection without a word.

Though I disliked it greatly, it was only cloth and bits of metal.

Better was having a working comm again. I examined it, looking for alterations, I found few, but I could not contact locations off planet, like the Palace in Theed. I felt sure it was monitored and called no one I knew personally. I archived the missed messages for the last year, for later study.

Vader came later after we ate, in a mood that only lightened when Luke and Leia ran to grab at his legs. Nearly as bubbly as their glee at seeing him.

Once I would have ordered him to sleep if he were this bag-eyed.

"I was about to read to them the farmer girl in the snow story."

"I'll read it as soon as I change." He looked down and pried Luke off as I tickled Leia enough for her to let go.

When they slept again, most of his content drained away as he concentrated for a moment and began to remove my Force binders roughly and replacing them. "I have new cuffs for you, but I've made some changes. If I am present like during that attack, you should have full Force access to protect the twins from danger. I had to hurry before tomorrow's event, so it has not been tested enough. It randomly shorts and scrambles signals for a few minutes."

I felt a small smile at this. I could also feel more of the Force than since right after the bacta tank.

"Only a moment left. Don't do anything flashy. There's other acolytes in and out on missions, eager to take my place. The Emperor enjoys you being in stuck in here. The others see you as a potential rival if you Fall, and punishment for an 'accident' won't help you much."

He fiddled with a probe for a minute and the world around me dulled worse than before. "Behave, Kenobi. I expect another attack tomorrow for the anniversary."

Another adjustment and I could feel more again, enough that I wanted to spin and take it all in. Dimmer now that I felt more than only the trickle, but it wasn't all Dark.

Life continued on, even when so many lives had joined the Force.

*Shield, kriff it! You saw where I did it, you should be able to use the Force, even at the lowest setting. But this only works if they think you hobbled. Leave the random scrambler alone, the false alarms will bore them eventually. New recruits aren't that bright.*

I'd been looking at the cuffs and it had taken this long to realize they were thicker and, well, gaudier. Instead of only the gold traceries in dark smoke metal casing. This added gems. In varying sizes and colors nestled in the gold, until I realized the colors swapped depending on how my arm was tilted.

The value of something like this, made me nauseous.

Meditation before bed did not clear my unease completely. That many gems were another kind of danger and perceived attachment. They marked me as much as a branding iron or cult tattoo. I was not attached to this gilded cage, nor did I want to live in a palace. I wanted my simpler robes, my fellowship, and purpose.

Jedi did not want.

I wished we could have had a quiet day with the twins, but I knew something else would happen. I remained unsettled through katas, play, lunch, and nap. When Vader came to collect us early afternoon, we had birthday cake before the last piece of finery was put on.

Rex and Wolffe failed to hide their reactions to my new cuffs. The latter kept eyeing me, but just looked smug.

Our full escort took us to a nearby park, manicured and green with open lawn the twins wanted to explore. A few hundred guests were present, with fewer familiar faces than a year ago. Mon Mothma was now my best hope for a trustworthy contact. Organa's lips curled with a sneer, enough that I released my sorrow into the Force.

It almost seemed that as many Stormtroopers and Red Guard were present to keep out the uninvited and news camera drones, though most troopers were in full armor in the edges. Rex and Wolffe in their grays were of the few among the guests.

The Emperor's speech was a marvel for what it said, what it implied, and what it denied. If I had a Padawan, I would assign them to analyze it for all the ways it mislead.

Emperor Palpatine thanked the crowd for its patience. "And now my people, so begins the festivities, the Empire's heroes rewarded, food, and entertainments. The first entertainment should be thrilling, an exhibition duel between Lord Vader and the retired General Kenobi. To keep it interesting, it will be to first blood."

I could feel Vader's surprise, too.