CHAPTER 4:

JOURNEY TO ITALICA

Anakin wasn't sure why he didn't like it, but the sight of Lelei in the hazmat suit, her breathing rasping heavily through the respirator, put him on edge somewhat. He had a weird sense of déjà vu, after seeing that, and it felt, well, disconcerting. So he was glad when she removed her mask and the hood, revealing her stoic but cute features. Anakin was beginning to pick up some of the local language, with Rory's help: while Basic was something of a lingua franca even on this world, there was another local language that was more prevalent, and he realised he knew the language, or something like it. It was one of the ones he'd heard on Tatooine, a hub for trading. It was one of the languages he programmed into C3PO. Rory was just helping him pick up the stuff that he didn't know.

"What is that ugly thing?" Tuka asked, referring to Lelei's hazmat suit.

"They call it a hazmat suit: for hazardous materials protection," Lelei said. "It's designed for use near poisons and plagues. I used this to investigate the battlefield outside the base."

"Yes, I'd imagine the smell of carrion would be unpleasant," Rory remarked. "So why were you out there?"

"Remember how you were worried about having to sell yourself to the JSDF, Tuka?" Lelei asked.

Anakin frowned. "Sell yourself?" he asked, looking at Tuka. "As in…to sleep with them?" He knew that this was a dark secret within society, happening on Tatooine and Coruscant, despite it not being talked about, but he found it repulsive. True, it was illegal to demand sexual favours in such a manner, and it was certainly something harshly punished within the Jedi Order (a tenet Anakin agreed with wholeheartedly), but he knew it happened.

"They've been so kind to us, and for seemingly no reason!" Tuka protested. "No soldier treats people like this so kindly!"

"Not on this world, anyway," Rory remarked kindly. "You forget, Tuka, they come from a different world with a different culture, laws and mores." Turning to Anakin, she said in Basic, a bit more solemnly, "That being said, women using their bodies is very common here, especially amongst the nobility. Demanding sex as reparation for a wrong, real or perceived, is too common."

"Barbaric," Anakin hissed.

Lelei nodded. "With that in mind, I thought it better to find a means of supporting us. I believe they helped us out of altruism, but we would like to repay our benefactors. So, I investigated the corpses outside." She held out a hand, revealing dark scales.

"Wyvern scales," Tuka breathed. "Those would fetch a high price."

"Indeed. I'll need some help harvesting them," Lelei said. "Then, we can ask Lieutenant Itami to take us to Italica."

"Italica?" Anakin asked.

Rory, in Basic, said, "It's the nearest city, and pretty much the largest, outside of the capital of the Empire. It's a trading town too. Run by the Formal family, probably one of the better noble families in Falmart. They treat demi-humans with respect, even if publicly, they have to employ them as servants. The last remnants of the Bunny Warriors, the ones who weren't forced into becoming sex slaves after Zorzal's conquest, have allied themselves covertly with Italica."

Anakin nodded contemplatively. He had been told about some of the Empire's problems, and one of the things that rankled him was the rampant slavery. He'd had enough of that on Tatooine, thank you very much. And even then, Tatooine was practically a narcokleptocracy, all but run by the Hutts and other criminals. Whereas what excuse did the supposedly civilised Saderan Empire have?

As they gathered wyvern scales, Tuka looked at Anakin. "…Lady Mercury was telling me, you helped calm my mind when I was recovering. Thank you," she said.

Anakin smiled at the High Elf, for that was what he was told she was. "You're welcome. Are you all right?"

The blonde Elf shook her head. "No…I mean, my father is either dead, or missing. I'm certain he is still alive, but…the last I saw of him was when the Flame Dragon was about to attack him. That I lived, and the others died…" She shuddered softly.

He gently grasped her shoulder. "Hey…hey…it'll be alright. I'm sure the JSDF will look after you…and if not, then I will." Then, after a moment, he said, quietly, "I never had a father. I have a mother, one I had to leave behind, but no father. The closest I have to a father is Obi-Wan Kenobi, my master. Well, unless you count Qui-Gon Jinn, the master of my master. But…I am sorry for your loss, Tuka." In the short period of time he had known the Jedi Master, Qui-Gon had become like a father to him, and his death at the hands of that vicious Zabrak Sith that Obi-Wan spoke of hurt Anakin deeply.

Tuka nodded. "You're very kind, Anakin Skywalker. So is that JSDF man, Itami. I was told by Rory and Lelei that he was the one who got me out of the well. And there was that woman…Kurokawa…" Tuka blushed a little.

Oh. Ohhh. "So…you like her that way?" Anakin asked, curious. It wasn't like he didn't know about such relationships. Even at eight in Mos Espa, he had heard about that sort of thing.

Tuka blushed even deeper, but didn't respond. "Okay, I don't care. Just understand, she may not like you that way," Anakin said.

As Tuka blushed even more, Anakin looked around the battlefield. From what he had gathered from Itami and Rory, the JSDF wiped out much of the imperial army. At a later point, the Emperor sent the armies of his vassal states, a strategy, Rory guessed, was to prevent said vassal states from being able to muster up a rebellion. And the Emperor was sure to have started a scorched earth strategy in a futile attempt to hinder the JSDF, something that angered the Padawan immensely. The Emperor would pay for his crimes against the people he attacked, and the people who he was supposed to protect, the people he ruled. No ruler should do that to their own people…

After they had gathered the wyvern scales, they managed to inveigle Itami and his team into taking them to Italica. Anakin, Rory, Lelei and Tuka were heading there. It took some time to get there, but shortly before they reached the city, Anakin spotted smoke in the distance, and Lelei commented about it being artificial. Rory made a portentous remark about smelling blood in the air, with an unnerving smile on her face. Anakin could certainly feel the fear of many people in the distance.

They soon reached the city gates, and halted. Itami suggested that the natives of this world disembark first. Anakin said that he would disembark as well: his clothing was clearly not that of the Special Region, as the Japanese called this world. And given that Basic was spoken by some of the inhabitants here, he may be able to call out and reassure them.

As he climbed out of the jeep (as he learned the vehicle was called), the smell of blood, bodily waste, and smoke wrenched at his nostrils. The scars of a desperate battle fought littered the road leading up to the massive walled city of Italica. As Rory, Tuka and Lelei stood next to him, he put his hands to his mouth, and shouted, "Citizens of Italica, we come in peace to trade!"

After the best part of a minute, the gate of the city was opened by a girl about his age, with braided blood red hair, and similarly red eyes. She was dressed in elaborate, expensive-looking armour, designed more for freedom of movement than protection, he dared say. A person of authority? There was something about her that reminded him a little of Padme, only more naïve.

"Ohhh, now this is interesting," Rory remarked. "It seems Princess Pina Co Lada is here."

"Princess?" Itami asked, having exited the jeep. "Is she the Emperor's daughter?"

"Third in line to the throne, despite being born to a concubine. She's the leader of the Rose Knights," Lelei explained. "The Rose Knights are an order Pina herself founded in her early teens, a group of noble children who are trained in the ways of chivalry. However, they have been mostly used as colour guard. Though I wonder what she is doing in Italica."

"Italica is between Alnus Hill and the Imperial capital," Rory said. "She's come to investigate the losses of the Imperial army and those of the vassal states, I'd wager. Her father probably allowed her off the leash to give her something to do. She's been itching to have the Rose Knights be something other than décor at parades. Still, this may be an opportunity."

"Why's that?" Itami asked.

"Out of the more important imperial heirs, Pina is the best for you to have encountered. She's a dyed-in-the-wool patriot playing at soldiers, but she also gives a damn about her people. Zorzal is an oversexed sadist with barely a brain in his skull, and Diabo is a coward and an inveterate schemer…or should that be an invertebrate schemer, considering he has no spine?" she remarked wryly.

"Well, should we go and see what she's doing here? And why this place looks like it's seen a battle recently?" Anakin asked.

"Remember those bandits you and I encountered?" Rory asked, looking back at the Jedi. "You may not have understood what they said, but they said something about joining up with deserters and remnants of the army after the attacks on Alnus Hill. I think that they've banded together to become a rather dangerous group of brigands…"

Greetings were eventually exchanged, tense, but thankfully not devolving into violence. Pina and her associates, including Hamilton Uno Law (a girl a little younger than Pina who acted as her page and herald) and Grey Co Aldo (a grizzled older knight) were intrigued when Anakin introduced himself as a Jedi. They hadn't heard the term before, but when Rory explained it to them, they seemed intrigued. But of the JSDF, they seemed wary, and given that they had been investigating Alnus Hill, probably understandably so.

Pina explained that, indeed, Italica had been fending off attacks from a bandit army. Upon arriving with a small group of her Rose Knights, she took command of Italica's defences, as the young Countess Myui Formal was struggling. But the main force of her Rose Knights was still a day out, and Italica's defences were crumbling.

Therefore, it seemed that the JSDF would have to ally themselves with Pina. And she had a plan that Anakin didn't quite like, though Itami and the others were willing to go along with it. Basically, she split the JSDF into two, having them guard the north and south entrances, making them seem poorly guarded, while placing the majority of her forces there. In effect, she was using the JSDF as bait. However, Anakin decided to go with the princess to the east gate. He had a bad feeling about this plan. On Itami's suggestion, he took a walkie-talkie, a primitive handheld radio, just in case, as well as binoculars. If need be, he wanted to be able to summon Rory, given that she was one of their heavy hitters. Anakin had allowed them to leave with a farewell of "May the Force be with you."

As Anakin tried to calm himself, Pina asked in Basic, "Sir Skywalker, I have to ask, why did you ally yourself with the Men in Green, these JSDF soldiers?"

"First off, don't call me sir. I'm not a Jedi Knight. A Padawan…it's more like a squire in a way," Anakin said, though he felt a pang of annoyance and impatience. He should have been a Jedi Knight ages ago, in his opinion, but that didn't matter for now. "Secondly…I don't come from this world, or the world beyond the Gate. Instead, I come from a world beyond the sky, so far that light takes millennia to pass between them, if not longer." He had to smirk somewhat as they boggled. "I went with the JSDF simply because I was with Rory Mercury at the time. In truth, it was just as well. You view their weapons and vehicles as magic, Princess, but it is technology. I need their technology to help my repairs of my communications systems so that I can contact the Jedi Order and find a way home."

Pina looked at him, somewhat confused, before she said, "When we heard of the JSDF while in a pub, they spoke of a mage wielding a sword of light, who shielded them from the Flame Dragon's fire with powerful magic, and who attacked it with little regard to his own safety. This mage, along with the JSDF, drove off the Flame Dragon, so they say."

Anakin stifled a sudden urge to preen, even if it was a small urge. He could hear Obi-Wan's chiding already. Instead, he took his lightsaber into his hand, careful to raise it in a salute rather than an aggressive manner, and activated it, the distinctive sudden crackle of its activation, followed by the familiar dangerous yet comforting hum. He could see their eyes staring at the lightsaber in fear…and awe.

As he looked at Pina's eyes, lit up by the light of his lightsaber, he was reminded once more of Padme, though he found Pina wanting a little by comparison. Padme, despite being a few years Pina's junior at the time, had helped manage matters admirably for her age, albeit in conjunction with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Padme was an adult in a younger body, while Pina was still a child trying to be an adult. Still, she was enough like his angel to have him want to protect her, and his own sense of righteousness would have him protect the people here.

"I will do the same for the people of Italica, Your Highness. I will protect them to the best of my ability. The Jedi are there to protect the people. I would be most remiss if I didn't help you defend this city…"

CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:

Now, while I may be teasing that a little, there won't be any Anakin/Pina, any more than there will be any Anakin/Padme (sorry, fans of that pairing!). No, I have another pairing in mind. What that is…well, you'll have to wait until later in the story…

Oh, and did you notice the pseudo-foreshadowing of Anakin's possible fate as Darth Vader when he finds himself disturbed by Lelei using a hazmat suit? Hooo-perrr…hooo-perrr…hooo-perrr…

Finally…this story is officially at the halfway point, favourites-wise, of all Star Wars/GATE stories. Admittedly, including mine, there are only 7, as of writing (and from three chapters alone!). Still, I'm actually quite sad to see that this story has surpassed my personal favourite of this crossover, Universal Impossibility by MMiFwI, which is an excellent story, and one that I hope the writer will continue soon. It needs more love.

Review-answering time! I have to say, thanks for your praise at having Rory tutor Anakin. I like doing Rory as a mentor figure of sorts. I did do that to a degree in my Potterverse crossover Parva Sub Ingenti (shameless plugging no jutsu!). Now, keep in mind, I'm not going to be bashing the Jedi outright. Indeed, Yoda and Qui-Gon (the latter as a Force Ghost, obviously) will make appearances, and Yoda will be somewhat impish and a little snarky (keep in mind, he is a bit like this in the films), but overall, while Anakin is chafing at the bit about the Jedi, he still respects them, or at least ones like Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Yoda.

On the other hand, though, the strictures of the Jedi probably do a little more harm than good in some cases, especially in Anakin's case. Because he's supposedly the Chosen One, he's being held to a higher standard with greater strictures on him. Plus, there's what happened to poor Ahsoka Tano. No wonder she told the Jedi to swivel on it after all that.

Anyway, Rory will still be a somewhat hands-on teacher, but she will get Anakin to think in ways away from the Jedi doctrine. Obviously, she won't be doing anything like Palpatine did: Rory, for all her dark nature, is not evil (a few fics turned me off where she was portrayed in a villainous or semi-villainous light). Indeed, she has a sense of justice and morals, a little twisted though they are. But she can also see his potential as a warrior and a paragon, not necessarily of Jedi or Sith doctrine, but as a true hero.

Reishin Amara: I've got Obi-Wan tentatively pencilled in as Ahsoka's new master, though don't worry, Anakin and Ahsoka will still meet, and Obi-Wan will be perhaps a touch less strict with Ahsoka, if only because of the lessened pressure involved with not teaching the Chosen One.

Blazblade: He nearly will, but by the point he meets Zorzal, the Republic are already starting negotiations to bring Earth and the Special Region into the Republic, so, sadly, Anakin won't get to choke a bitch. Even one as deserving as Zorzal. However, that scene will diverge rather significantly from canon in one way…

No numbered annotations this time.