Chapter 3
He didn't like where he was. The blank walls, the single metal table and chair, the shackles that hung from the chair… it was all designed for prisoners. Yularen sat across from him. The admiral spoke softly and calmly as he explained what was going to happen but Anakin wasn't listening. He already knew what was going to happen, the questions they were going to ask. He knew that Obi-Wan was on the other side of the wall, most likely with Masters Yoda and Windu. In the corner of the room a holocorder sat protected behind a ray shield and recorded everything that was happening. Anakin twisted his fingers in his hands, unsure what to do to get out of this quickly. Answering yes to everything would do that, but at a price he wasn't sure he could pay.
Yularen looked once at the camera before clearing his throat, "General Skywalker," He began, "You have been missing for a little over two years. Can you tell us where you were?"
"Zygerria," He mumbled.
"Do you know Queen Miraj Scintel?"
He nodded.
"You need to say it." Yularen urged.
Anakin swallowed as he took a shaky breath, "Y-yes…"
The admiral gave him a small smile of encouragement, "While you were in her company, did she cause you any bodily harm?"
Silence.
"General?" The Admiral coaxed, but Anakin simply shook his head. "We'll come back to that one then," He whispered. "Why were you on Zygerria?" Again, Anakin shook his head. Yularen bit his lip, "Were you there willingly or against your will?"
Silence.
Yularen let out a huff as he leaned closer, "Anakin, please…" He urged, "Answer the questions truthfully. I promise, it will all work out."
He wasn't listening. The Queen had told him one day he would his loyalty to her would be tested. That if that day came, the best thing he could do was to take her side. She told him that the Jedi would betray him. That his friends left him to suffer. That they were not interested in helping him. What if she was right? What if this was his test? What if this was just a way for them to take pleasure in all the ways he had been humiliated over the past two years?
"Anakin…" Yularen's voice pulled him from his thoughts and slowly, he lifted his gaze to meet the naval officer's look of concern. "Were you on Zygerria against your will?" He swallowed as he shook his head. "Anakin?"
"No!" He shouted, his hands gripping his hair tightly. "I-I wasn't there against my will! I chose to stay! It was my choice!" Anakin's breath came out harshly as he tugged and tugged at his hair, his eyes tightly sealed shut, "And she didn't do anything to me— nothing."
Yularen looked up at the holocorder as if looking for direction on what to do now but seemed to have no new instructions. He cleared his throat, leaning forward onto his elbows to look at him, "I saw the medical report," He said slowly, "You have deep lacerations on your back. Several scars as well. There were a few broken bones too that never fully healed properly." He paused, his head tilting down to try and see Anakin's face. "How do you explain those?"
Anakin gave a shrug as he took a deep breath and released his hair, parts of it now clumped together and standing askew from his tight grip. His eyes were red and his lip trembled. "Mistakes," He said. "Stupid mistakes."
"What about the bruising on your hips? Or the bite marks on your neck? And what about the rope burn on your wrists and ankles?" Anakin turned his head away as the admiral stood from his seat and whispered, "injuries like that are consistent with sexual assault," He started. "Please, tell me the truth. Did she do anything to you?"
Anakin shook his head and pushed back from the table and looked up at the holocorder, "I-I can't do this," He said, "Let me leave. Please."
It took only a minute before the door to the room opened and Anakin quickly walked out, leaving Yularen and Obi-Wan in the room. He didn't wait for them to catch up, he didn't want to listen to them. He just wanted to get out of here. Blind in his desire to leave, he wasn't too sure where he was going. He'd been in the military center on the capital many times in the past and there had been a time when he knew the layout pretty well… but it had been two years, and his mind was elsewhere so he wasn't paying attention where he was going until he stepped through the door to the cellblock. Level upon level of inmates were all locked up here. He could hear the shouting of prisoners and see the lifts carrying armed guards patrolling the open space in the block. A part of him screamed to leave but another told him to stay. She was here. He was certain of it. Anakin hesitated near one of the empty lifts by the doors. It would be so easy to see where she was and maybe—
No! Bad idea. Horrible idea. And yet… part of him felt like he needed to see it. He needed to see her. Needed to know… he took one step onto the platform and keyed in her name. The platform read the cell number and without taking the time to think it through fully, he pressed the button to raise him up to that cell. Alien species of all kinds passed him, slandering him for being a Jedi but he paid them no mind. He didn't see himself as a Jedi anymore no matter what he wore. He was broken.
The lift came to stop at her cell. Behind the yellow tinted shield, she lay curled in a ball on the small raised block that served as her bed. Her finery was replaced with a yellow jumpsuit but her presence still sent a chill down her spine. Her ear twitched as the lift stoped by her and she opened one elegant eye. Her lips curled into a smirk as she lazily twisted and stretched out to lay on her side, her hips cocked and her hand resting on her hip as she pushed out her chest. "Hello, Anakin," She purred, "Missing me already?" The Queen laughed as she pushed herself to her feet and slowly walked over to the shield, swaying her hips suggestively. Her hand came to rest on the shield in front of his face, her index finger tracing the outline of his jaw and trailing down his chest towards his groin, "I knew you'd come for me… after all, I miss you too."
Anakin swallowed as his fists clenched. He wanted to tell her that he was finally free. That he wasn't her play thing any more. That she had no power over him. But deep down, he knew that to be a lie and he knew she wouldn't believe him.
The Queen let out a small laugh, "Your homecoming not what you expected?" She asked, "Are you missing your true home? Let me out of here and we can return." Her eyes locked with his and he could feel the confidence radiating just from her gaze alone. He knew what she was promising and knew she would hold up her end if he did as she asked. And much to his struggle, he was actually considering it.
Anakin bit his cheek as he pulled his eyes away from her and squeezed them shut. He wanted to say no, wanted to say something— anything, but no words were coming to him. With a small huff, he punched the key on the lift to take him back down. The Queen watched him descend but he kept his eyes focused on the exit. He had to leave. Now.
The Force wafted with the turbulence from Anakin as Obi-Wan stood rooted where he stood after the younger man had hastily fled. Padme had been right. Anakin was not ready to give testimony. But, without it, how else were they to indict Miraj and the Zygerrians of war crimes? Their role in helping the production of the droid army for the Confederacy was one thing, but if they wanted to eliminate them as an ally for the Separatists, they needed something like what they had done to Anakin to justify their capture of their leader and placement of a new deputy to serve in some formal capacity of governing until the status of their monarch is determined. But all of it would come at the cost of forcing Anakin to confront what had happened to him directly— something he clearly wasn't ready to do yet. Torn between running after him and trying to find a new plan to get his friend the justice he deserved, Obi-Wan stroked his beard pensively. He didn't know what to do.
Yularen cleared his throat as he walked from around the table. The Admiral had one arm folded behind his back while he looked at a datapad in the other. "That didn't go as planned," He said, glancing up from the screen at the general. "We don't have much we can keep the queen locked up much longer."
Obi-Wan heaved a sigh as he leaned his back against the door, "I'm aware of that."
"If you're able to get him back here—"
"—It won't work," He cut in, "Anakin… I don't think we can get him to come back here willingly."
The Admiral shook his head, "I can't do much with what he's said here. He basically denied your claims. And as the victim, he has the power to dismiss the charges." Yularen quietly put the datapad on the table and tapped his fingers lightly on the metal surface. "Do you think he'll do it?" He asked, "Drop the charges?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. He didn't want to believe that would happen. In his mind, he could only see things going one way— Miraj facing trial for her crimes followed swiftly by her conviction. To think that the Senate would rule her innocent or give her a light sentence was unimaginable. Anakin was practically a symbol for the war effort. The poster boy of the war (poster man). True, there was always the chance that things might go the other way, but it was hard to imagine when something so inhumane had been done to him. And yet, it seemed that the greatest threat to it all, was Anakin himself. And there was no way to know what he would do.
Obi-Wan gave his thanks to Yularen and promised to keep the man updated on what was going to happen before leaving the room in search of where his friend had dashed off to. There was no time to worry about hypotheticals right now. Following the wide hallways of the building, Obi-Wan stretched out his senses for Anakin. The emotions coming off him were intense, easy to trace and follow. His brow furrowed as he realized the path he was walking down was not the direct route to the exits but the hall to the holding cells. His pace increased slightly as he felt the strength of the emotions grow. And rounding the final corner, he found him.
Huddled on the ground, Anakin held his head in his hands, his breath was ragged as he muttered inaudibly to himself. It killed him to see him like that. Crouching low, he placed a hand on his shoulder. Anakin jumped at the contact and raised his head. He looked startled only for a moment before settling once he recognized his face. Obi-Wan smiled kindly at him, rubbing his back until he felt the younger's shoulders relax. "Lets get you home," He said, helping Anakin to his feet.
Wordlessly, they left the prison, taking the same ship they had arrived in. The trip back to Padme's felt so much slower than before. Traffic was not an issue as Jedi had the privilege of not needing to abide by all traffic laws while on official business and made it easy to take the more direct route to 500 Republica. The apartment building cut through the sky like a shimmering beacon in the light of the setting sun. Obi-Wan had always known Padme to be a woman of great taste and her apartment was no exception. The penthouse was the most opulent of spaces in the building and by far had one of the most beautiful views of the city. He could understand why Anakin liked spending his time there. The view had to be very calming at night and in the company of a close trusted friend, it must be nice to let his guard down for just a little while.
After parking the speeder in the roof, the two men made their way down the lift to the apartment. As expected, Padme was in the main room to greet them. They'd barely walked off the lift before her eyes settled on Anakin and noticed his withdrawn behavior and made no attempts to hide the depth of her feelings for him when she closed the distanced between them and wrapped Anakin tightly in her arms. He stiffened momentarily in her hold as she whispered something in his ear before he started to relax and even partially returned the gesture. Obi-Wan could sense his reluctance when she pulled back from the embrace to welcome them further into her home, but instead, the Jedi Master gave her a reluctant smile as he held up a hand.
"I'd love to stay," Obi-Wan started, "But I have work that requires my attention." His eyes briefly met his friend's as he gave a half bow and folded his hands in the sleeves of his cloak, "I'll be back in the morning to visit you," He said. Anakin's eyes uncharacteristically widened as he looked between him and Padme before his eyes returned to the ground. Through the Force he could sense unease at the thought of spending the night, which was unexpected. Perhaps it was just because he'd never openly acknowledged knowing the extent of their relationship, or perhaps he was still uncomfortable from what happened earlier in the day. For the moment, he decided to let it go, trusting that Padme would have the calming effect that he desperately needed.