Chapter 36
The Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator cut through an ocean of ships and trails a wake of burning gases and crackling particles. The light of the planet reflects dully on the vessel's hull as it swings into the planet's gravity well, coursing toward the damaged Mon Calamari cruiser positioned above the Citadel.
The fearsome Sith Lord observes the chaos surrounding the Devastator and reorders it behind the red glow of his mask. He recognizes the maneuvers of fighter squadrons on both sides and identified pilots who break from their formations to better or worse effect. He sees the battle in microcosm and macrocosm and is instinctively aware of how each shot could contribute to ultimate victory or defeat.
Yet only the cruiser concerns him. He makes a single stroke of his hand as the enemy comes into firing range.
The ensuing echoes of turbolasers are garbled static in his helmet. Streams of energy pours from the Devastator toward its foe, illuminating the darkness like lightning. Starfighters—friend and foe—catch between the two massive ships and suffers instant obliteration. The cruiser's shields shimmer with iridescence then vanishes in a flash. Fires flares along its port side as hull plating shatters or melted and venting oxygen combusts.
"The rebel flagship is disabled, my lord," the Devastator's captain reports crisply at his side. The void does not turn to him as he speaks. "But it has received transmissions from the surface."
The void of the dark side stares at the burning ship. There is death at play, suffering, and fear, yes—and something entirely different. Something that repels his withered, agonized flesh.
"Prepare a boarding party," is a simple command, one that would not be disobeyed at all costs.
"Yes, my lord."
The destruction of the Citadel—the lancing of the planet below with the superweapon's superlaser above, the evaporation of a sea, and the disintegration of archipelagos—sends a tremor through the void's shuttle as the void and his squad rode to the flagship. The consumer feels fear then, too, vast and powerful and purer than that which emanates from the cruiser.
When his vessel reaches the flagship and his stormtroopers burn their way through the hull, he starts toward the rebel bridge and then pivots.
Perhaps instinct guides him. Perhaps something more. It does not occur to him to wonder. He sends his troops to continue on his prior path and moves on alone.
The corridor lights flicker while alarms blare. Trapped in the blood-red chamber of his helmet, the void is troubled by neither. He attunes himself to emanations of panic and desperation and follows their trail. When he encounters the prey reaching for their blasters or dashing to seal blast doors, he draws his weapon faster than they can blink and cut them down with unhurried strokes of his crimson blade.
The voice of a subordinate speaks to him through his comlink. "A data tape was recorded on the bridge just before we boarded. No sign of it here."
The void does not answer, but he bolsters his pace, no longer toying with the fools that cross his path and executing them before some of them could have even raised their blasters.
The void wound through the cruiser leaving corpses behind him. He finds his prey at last in a corridor thick with the prey back against a security door. At last, they could no longer be able to retreat from his unwilling might.
As particle bolts shoot toward him, he watches a data tape pass between desperate soldiers. He knocks the bolts aside with his blade, tears a blaster from one foe with might that defies nature and gravity, and marches on. He delivers killing stroke after killing stroke, awakened and relentless.
The security door opens a mere crack and his victims hands shove the tape through. The void reaches through life and matter and air and by will alone he pulls. He fuels his will with rage and fear and needs. It is enough to tear the rebel from the door and drop him at the void's feet.
But it is not enough to claim the tape.
The void grasps the rebel sprawled before him by the throat, lifts him, and stares at him through bloody lenses.
"Where," he demands, ensuring his fist is more painful than what the scum has ever encountered before, "are they taking it?"
The reply is a strangled whisper. "Away from here," the foolish victim replies. "Away from you."
He clenches his gloved hand until the man's neck snaps. Then he tosses the body aside. He activates his comlink and barks to his underlings, "Find their escape vessel."
The prospect of failure creeps over his skin like fire. The supremacy of the Death Star could not be jeopardized as much as he despises a superweapon which those who he must serve under commands of a Master believe the Force to be nothing but tales or something that could be destroyed. The total obliteration of the Rebellion remains possible; that it is in question at all was unthinkable.
They would eventually pay for their treachery.
The Empire would soon wipe out all Rebellion.
Anakin jerks upright to a sitting position as if electrocuted, inhaling his lungs full of air with a single long breath. The surroundings are dark, foggy; his eyes are still having trouble adjusting to the dim lighting of the quarters that he has been sleeping in for the past hours.
The void chases his quarry, seeking solace in the final triumph of the Emperor.
It is almost as if he is still behind the masked. He has felt as if his skin has been penetrated through with flames, obvious wounds sprawled across his body. Livid emotions of all kind surround him, radiates off of the dark side, and yet another memory cracks through his forehead.
'Rebel Alliance...'
The Rebel Alliance has become a threat, becoming a beacon of hope which is now fighting against the Empire. The Rebel Alliance acquired the plans for the Death Star by uniting a team of Rebels on their mysterious base, led by Jyn Erso and Captain Cassian Andor, and leading an assault on the Imperial records facility located on the planet of Scarif, where the plans were hidden in a massive secret vault.
On top of this, thanks to unwittingly using Galen Marek - the boy who he has trained for years - now becoming someone who has inspired many of the Senators unintentionally. The Empire was close to taking the captive founders of the Rebel Alliance to the unfinished Death Star in an attempt to execute them.
The plans are scattered and numerous Rebel spies or mercenaries rained blood on their hands to get them. In fact, Jedi Knight - Kyle Katarn - murdered an entire Imperial base just for a part.
And how he was close to gaining the Death Star plans! Not that they wound him but the Emperor would certainly not be pleased by his apprentice's results. He would be told of this by the underlings and pawns no doubt, but at the very least, they are closer to finding their hidden fortress...
Anakin shakes his head. Unwanted questions and answers filled him at that moment, leaving him wondering why he has that lingering thought about a Rebellion, faces which he has never seen before, pleading for mercy under his mask, pleading that they would not be eliminated, but receiving a swift execution by the void of the dark side.
The fact that whatever that mechanism monstrosity could be possible not only terrifies Anakin but make him realize how strong the dark side could be should it be left uncontrolled.
He never imagined himself turning into such a monster with unyielding power, his only limitations being that of amputation that he has suffered no doubt in that vision. There is no denying the incredible darkness in that monster, his power unchecked and leaving him with nothing but a void.
Anakin steps off of his bed before placing his garments, knowing that training has been extra harder for him lately which is why he is still incredibly exhausted. The stress of multiple situations as well as having to keep an extra eye on their surroundings has only made these visions far more intense.
Vader will always extend a helping hand toward Anakin in his time of need and desperation no matter whenever the event is carried out. While Qui-Gon certainly did try his best, he hasn't always been optional with the way of the Jedi intervened in his interactions with everyone.
Not even asking for permission, Anakin opens the door with a mere wave of his hand and abruptly enters the chambers, noticing Vader meditating as always in the middle, a Sith Holocron in front of him and the immense power of the dark side. Does the man ever do anything differently? And why does he imagine the void from his vision for a moment standing before him? What in the name of the Force happening to his sanity and his common sense? Is the stress of the situation beginning to get to him?
"Vader."
For some reason that is completely oblivious to him, the name itself gives him pause, a curiosity surrounding him, unlike anything that had ever been before, lingering.
Something about the man is off.
Vader has never deceived him before and has always been open with him but now is the time for the young man to demand and receive answers from the man who he willingly aligned himself with.
"I want the truth and I want it now," Anakin says, his hands clenching up at his side and making noise within the room. "I trust you, but these deceptions have to come to a stop..."
"I have never deceived you, Skywalker. There are many rivals who wish you contained such as the Jedi and the Republic because your loyalty to me, and so, for your safety, I have to keep information from you until you are powerful to do combat with the best of the Jedi. As of now, I am teaching you all I know but you must be patient, Skywalker, as power comes with obstacles and confrontation with your demons. In our fight against our enemies, you would have to be cautious and prepared."
"I don't want to talk about that at least not now," Anakin replies, having grown tired of Vader's lectures about caution surrounding that of the Jedi and other known enemies. They are each irrelevant, 'specially since he knows that he would have to be prepared for battle and knowing that his special abilities could sort them out.
Anakin's voice is powerful, demanding even, something that is uncharacteristically like him. "I've been thinking about the visions that you claim guide my destiny due to my role as the Chosen One and I want to know what made you sacrifice so much for me. What was it? And don't even try to counter my words with false information such as me being a special case. I want you to tell me what you are keeping from me. Enough stalling!"
"I never refer to you as the Chosen One but a human being. From a young age, you have been able to keep the slavers at bay to the point where they wouldn't engage in brutal methods with you as they had to many slaves because of your impressive Force Powers and fearing that you would destroy them all. All your life, you have been a being with immeasurable power that even those who held chains over you feared you." Vader responds.
"When I come to you about my visions, they are kept at bay, but why don't you just tell me what you are hiding?" Anakin questions forcibly. "They keep coming, and I need to stop drilling those flashes within my head. I can't even close my eyes for a moment without thinking about how I am engulfed by machines and living off tubes and such!"
"You say that with such..." Vader pauses for a moment, allowing a dramatic silence to persist for a singular second before continuing to speak. "Irritation."
Anakin's nerves rise. Well... duh... who wouldn't grow furious with dreaming in every waking moment that there is some sort of threat in one form or another?
Knowing it would be stupid as well as arrogant to reply with such a comment despite the weight of his stress, Anakin chooses to reply, teeth ground together and barely able to keep a lid on his rising temper which is urging him to lash out and shake his mentor until he answers his questions: "They prevent me from popular sleep. All of them are dark and devoid. I'm tired of them-"
"Yet, despite their drawbacks, when did visions had not guided you?" Vader replies. "You knew long ago that the Jedi was coming to rescue you because the Force had given you a vision, even back on Tatooine. Premonitions has always been at the forefront of your mind and a special ability of yours, for the Force deems that you see what could be the possible future. Visions are not to be neglected but cherished. They are vexatious but they could be a use for you as well because some of them warn you what happens when you continue down a certain path."
"I have always been able to sense things before they happen but I presume it came with my Force Sensitivity. As of late, however, you been placing me into the position of questioning my beliefs and questioning past experiences. The Jedi have always warned their students to be cautious of their visions, and you have been doing the exact same, but you don't wish for me to neglect or ignore them."
There is no response from Vader which only grates to the irritation of the former Jedi.
"Is that how it happens?" The query comes after a second later, the speaker slightly miffed at the lack of answers on Vader's part. "Because so far, all my visions come in my sleep, in my dreams. I'm coming you and you are turning me away again. Tell me!"
"No. A Force vision is more powerful than any dream. They have always been there even in your training. There is an intensity that jumps out at you, and the details do not fade. They only grow stronger as the days continue on."
"This one was different from all the others," Anakin's blood run cold. "I dreamed of a suited figure, a void of the dark side. I have dreamed of some sort of a Rebel Alliance desperately scrambling for survival, and me haunting them down. It was almost as if I was the void."
At that moment, Anakin can feel the Force charging everywhere, but he is unable to detect where it's coming.
"Describe him. Tell me the monster you see in your dreams."
"He was nothing short of a brute, answering to a Master who holds him by the throat in return," Anakin responds, taking up the chance. "One thing that limited his potential was arrogance in times of conflict due to being drunk off of the dark side. He is more machine than man, twisted and loss in his own place of power. Those weaknesses: technology, and himself. He is entirely reliant on a mechanical suit to survive because the void had never been granted with a chance to accomplish the full side of the Force."
Vader doesn't respond.
"You know of them - the Rebel Alliance I mean?" Truth be told, Anakin didn't know why he asked such a question.
Vader ponders for a moment before responding, "Indeed, I do. They are bound to be successful eventually at the very least, for the Force fueled through them and thus an Empire born from corruption and darkness was eradicated from the face of the galaxy because they do not understand their opponents. Those within tried but they were cast aside before they could have destroyed the entire Rebellion."
"And I presume you know this because of visions just like me?"
"No," Vader responds, not overly defensive nor showing any signs of anxiety. "There are many attributes about me that you would never possibly understand, Skywalker, until the Force decides it right that you are ready to learn the answers of what is to come. I control the past and future but you do not know this because all you see is a Force User who is more powerful than those Jedi in the Temple but it is not that unambiguous."
Anakin pinches the bridge of his nose, hating how Vader has a response to everything.
"Can you at least answer why in the name of the Force was I seeing through the eyes of the void instead of outwardly as I had done beforehand? Something isn't right in my life - it's never been since you came. You changed the Force itself the moment you made yourself clear.
"I would satisfy your question with a response. The Force wishes for you to view a possibility as a warning what would happen should you not keep the dark side within you in check." Vader responds ominously, shocking Anakin to silence at that admission. "It is a message of what happens when you fallen so far into despair and fear, and it is warning you that the dark side could easily take hold should you allowed it."
Vader allows silence to pass through the room, going mysteriously quiet. Skywalker decides to just wait and narrow his eyes in the direction of the man, waiting for him to speak once again, even if it takes hours. Vader has too many questions about him, and Skywalker is not willing to allow the man to get away from him once more.
There is something that Vader knows that Skywalker does not. There is no way that this could be a series of coincidences. No, the Force wants him to know something-
And then, all the illusions are shattered by the voice of Vader echoing once more.
"There is still so much that you have yet to learn."
Anakin hates to feel as if Vader is regarding him as if he is a child that has to be lectured. He is tired of being shielded by all around him. He is no longer that child on Tatooine, and he hates when people believe otherwise. That is not who he would ever be again no matter what despite the beliefs of others.
He is stronger now. Aside from Vader, he is the most powerful man on this ship.
"Skywalker, those visions you have been seeing were not visions but of events that already happened," Vader continues. "Not yet does the Force deemed that you understand of what I am talking about, but know this, do not presume those visions are your destiny. Fear can blind your vision, young one, but that does not mean that you have to live in fear. After all," Anakin is adamant that Vader is currently smirking, "the future is always in motion. Out of all the flaws of Yoda, that is one truth within the Jedi's teachings: that the future can be altered. Trust me, there was another destiny that you could have roamed which would have led you down a darker path."
"You're not helping!" Skywalker sneers. "I want to trust you - I really do - but I'm finding myself not trusting in which path that you are leading me down. I cannot deny all that you have done for me and my mother but you are continuing to close me out while probing me. Why is everything coincidental around you, Vader? Why is everything coincidental around us all?"
"That is the way of the Force," Vader declares simply. "Cause and effect are not a simple linear relationship. The Force transcends space and time; it flows through us and around us; it influences our past, present, and future, signifying that it is cautioning you of walking down an all too familiar path."
"You fear me..." Anakin begins, the words barely managing to come out of his lips. Perhaps that isn't correct as a whole especially since Vader's abilities outclassed him with many years.
"No, I far from fear you. I applaud how despite all of your struggles; you are able to keep stability and control within yourself. You could possess wonders at your fingertips once you accomplish your full potential." Vader retorts. "I respect you not for your power but a person who you are individually. I do not even fear you, not like the Jedi who would have attempted to control you would have. I acknowledge you for who you are instead of your power as if you are a slave."
"You are hiding something from me..." Anakin replies, still skeptical, especially since he can sense that there is still something surrounding the older man.
"No, I have told you the truth but your perception is still flawed for you to listen or to understand." Vader responds, sounding more amused now despite how Anakin is intent on challenging him. "All those years ago, the Jedi granted you with answers to your questions instead of allowing you to navigate for them yourself, thus creating a great weakness for you as a person."
Anakin doesn't like when secrets are being hidden from him by those who are close to him especially. Definitely, it can be argued that Vader is trying to protect him from whatever secrets the man harbors between them, but his powers are intensifying each day and that means whatever is going on behind the curtains would have to unveil.
"Can you please just tell me?!" Anakin growls. "Damn it, Vader, I want to help you but it's almost as if you don't trust me! I am not going to be a failed student if that is what is on your mind! You are a person and your name is Vader; you have struggles and traumas that you need help with - allow me."
Vader appears hesitant for a moment and it sounds as if Anakin's words winded him. "Why do you care so much?"
"Because I love you. You are the closest being to the father I have in my life. Qui-Gon is like a surrogate grandfather. Obi-Wan is like a brother to me." Anakin barks out. "Damn it, Vader, can't you see?! You have grown closer than my mother has even been with me! I trust you but it appears as if you don't trust me in turn! What have I done to you for you not to place your confidence in me?!"
By now, Skywalker has almost tears going down his eyes. He has come here to get answers, and he isn't going to leave without them. Anakin has always been a fighter since the moment he was born, fighting against the slavers to the point where they even feared touching him, fighting to the point he never shed a single tear during the beatings he had received from Watto, fighting even against starvation, and the daily risk of death.
"I trust you, young Skywalker, but my role in this galaxy is to guide you and teach you in the future so you can stand against whatever rivals that opposes us," Vader replies, his voice not changing even if it sounds slightly pained. "Why do you care about my mental status?"
"Because you're me!" Anakin growls, his face morphing from slight composure to utter anger.
Vader has to admit being alarmed by that statement, at least only slightly. Is it possible that Skywalker has found out all too earlier than Vader had intended? How can such an event happen when Vader took every precaution to ensure Skywalker doesn't discover the truth, at least not just yet?
"You are me in every sense of the word," Anakin continues, calming down. "I can see your eyes. I can see that compassion and power behind your gaze. I can see what you truly are, a victim: someone who have been a slave; a man who is running from his past. Unlike me, you have liberated yourself of the chains that have been placed over you, but you know all too well that I am just like you and maybe that is one reason why you are afraid of me."
Vader is, for the first time in a long time, speechless. Skywalker has managed to do something no one has done for decades. Gone is the boy who is submissive and waiting for the commands of others, but now a dominating young man who fights for what he believes in and is not willing to stop until he is satisfied with the answers he received.
For the first time in a long time, he stammers for words but of course quickly recovers which is not something expected of him, even to himself. "Y-you're incorrect, young one, I far from am frightened at you as an individual that you represent let alone the power that is clinging onto you."
Anakin shakes his head. "I just wish you can tell me the truth so that I can help you deal with the shadows that linger over you. I hate having to suspect you keeping truths from me." Skywalker's trust in Vader is being shaken and tested by time. Ever since what happened to Obi-Wan and himself, he's been doubting Vader's motives.
Vader murmurs something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like:
"So do I."
Anakin faces him again with determination. "Then remove your hood. For the past nine years, you have been living in seclusion. Grant me with the pleasure of being able to see your appearance for the first time."
While Anakin is certain he wouldn't have done it, he is surprised the moment Vader brings his hood down, revealing a face that seems to mock everything Anakin thought he had. While middle-aged, the man standing across him has a black beard trimming down his lips, something that Anakin could never imagine himself with. Long black hair going down his face, and the distance of a scar.
"Are you proud?" Vader asks, his voice still sounding as powerful as it always has, but seeing the man speaking out of his voice instead of through the mask he wears is completely odd. "At last, you have managed to see me through your own eyes. That is not an accomplishment that many could have."
"Why can't you just keep being this? You are not a machine, Vader, so why do you want to go through war all the time?" Anakin queries. "You can wear simple robes and still be as powerful as you always are."
"Being in the midst of battle is who I am," Vader replies, but even the man himself has to admit that such an excuse is pathetic.
Anakin retorts. "It is not and I would prove it. I would show you the pleasures of being a human if it is the last thing that I would ever do."
Vader smirks, obvious enough for Skywalker to see. "I welcome that challenge. Perhaps you would be successful. Perhaps you would fail. You are indeed a strong young man, Skywalker, and now you are becoming a grater person than myself."
Padmé walks around the building of 500 Republica, inspecting for anything that seemed out of place and finding none, before entering the room and checking on the Senator to see that she is still resting soundly, her hands pressing against her cheek, and for a moment the young woman feels her heart coming to a stop as she wishes she could still have that innocence intact.
She closes the door upon scanning the room and walks out to the living room, noticing that the two Jedi are meditating, earning a scowl from her. Isn't that all that those monks are known for?
"Captain Naberrie," Ellé, one of the new ladies that joined their ranks not that long ago, speaks, leading a platoon of ladies. Padmé never is as rough-spoken and commanding to the new ladies who fallen to her position because she knows that they still have much to learn. "You would be pleased to know that we have secured the premises and there haven't been any discoveries."
"Continue with your search," Padmé replies, receiving affirmatives, walking up to all of the ladies sitting on the couch, allowing the friendly form of herself to slip through as these are some of the ladies - sans her real sister - who gets the honor of seeing this side of her. "You each are taking the Senator's life being threatened quite calmly."
She stares at each of her former handmaidens. Although much didn't change in the past years, they are colder and the lights from their eyes that once were frequent are removed, cold brashness not expected of them. There is the fact that Rabé now has a lizard ally, a trophy she gained in one of their missions on Naboo.
"You have been tensed as of late, buddy," Yané responds lightly, sounding like the medic she is known for the rest of them. "You really need to relax."
"I'll relax when this mission ends, Rabé," Padmé replies, scowling at the two Jedi not that far away but she didn't dwell on their lack of attention on the situation for long. "I see that they have made themselves comfortable. Why am I'm not surprise?"
Sabé scoffs. "Is anything else expect?"
"Jar Jar?" Padmé acknowledges the Gungan who approaches.
"Mesa am worried about yous. Yousa have changed since da Battlen of Naboo, Missen. Padmé."
Jar Jar, while not the brightest person in the galaxy, is certainly one who they each have a soft spot for. While he is irritating to many, the Gungan is someone who has been some sort of an anchor as of late.
"Things are happening too quickly, pal," Padmé replies, knowing that deep down the Gungan is correct, but knowing that he doesn't understand. "You have something you wish to tell us?"
Jar Jar smiles before changing the subject. "Da senator plansa about maken mesa her representative, Missen. Padmé!"
Padmé is about to respond when a bullet tears into the air nearby and crashes against the Gungan's head, causing him to slump onto the ground before her.
"Jar Jar!" Padmé shouts, running after the Gungan and catching him before he falls, gripping his hand soothingly before she stares at the guards and ladies. "Call for help! We need a medic!"
"M...mesa was glad to serven yousa..."
Padmé stares at the Gungan and feels him reaching a quivering hand up to grip her cheek. Tears fill her eyes. She has been too weak and foolish. Damn it, Jar Jar was too innocent! He didn't deserve to die! She clenches her hands up into fists before turning around and scanning the threats.
They all look at the door, only to see the ever-familiar balls of droidekas rolling up before coming to a stop and beginning to fire, causing Eirtaé to flip over a table and pull out her blaster, firing her own fair of shots with her ladies' comrades joining her.
Olin and Tachi are up in under a second and stand side-by-side, much like Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi did all those years ago. At the time, the ladies found such a scene admirable and a source of protection, but now they merely shrugged it off as there is nothing impressive about the hypocritical peacekeepers even though their prowess is notable.
Many of the Senator's mere handmaidens who have not been assigned as fighters but rather as disguised individuals all collapse onto the floor with a cry. Even the few fighters collapse, being connected immediately by the blaster shots ripping into their arms, and she can even see one of the handmaidens she trained herself also collapsing into a heap of her own blood.
Captain Typho is firing at their side not far from them behind the couch that he flipped over himself, trying his best to avoid the bolts while firing his own blaster, with his two remaining Guards that have been blessed with survival for slightly longer as they are too shot grievously. She is not willing to allow the nephew of her once loyal Captain to face a similar fate that his uncle faced in the palace all those years ago, and so she manages to run and sidestep the bolts, gripping the wounded man, and bringing him gently to her side.
"Padmé!" Rabé cries over the blaster bolts before pulling out a grenade and propelling it into the direction of the droidekas, activating immediately and sending them into pieces. They can each feel the intensity vibrating towards them.
Taunting applauses fills the air, causing all of them to turn around to see - is that Mandalorian armor - who is holding the Senator with a wrist-implanted knife pointed at her neck.
They raise their blasters at the bounty hunter, sensing everyone else that is currently not wounded or checking on them doing the same.
"Release her now," Eirtaé stresses the words.
"Or else," Sabé snarls, shoving her blaster forward as emphasis that she would shoot if given the opportunity.
"Hm, it's nice to see that the protection of this Senator has some spunk unlike all the other ones I have killed," the Mandalorian let out a mocking laugh before firing three bolts into the direction of the window, his jetpack activating.
"Drop your weapon! You are surrounded! Do it now or we would open fire!" Padmé replies, her hands tightening around the blaster, wishing that she could squeeze the trigger, but she knows that would risk shooting the Senator.
"While I would love to dance with you ladies, I'm afraid that my time has come for me to leave!" The Mandalorian replies coldly, pulling out a smoke grenade and throwing it in front of him, before flying off.
By the time they regain their bearings, the bounty hunter is already gliding across the air in the Coruscant sky. They are too far in a range to get a proper shot, and even if they meet their mark, the Senator would not have a pleasant ending.
"Fuck!" Dané curses.
And to make matters worse, the Padawan just had to be the hero, jumping off after him and shattering the window while doing it, landing on him and struggling in that process.
"Ferus!" Tachi shouts after her Padawan in concern.
"Ugh! You think you would have learned to control your damn Padawan!" Padmé snaps her head in the direction of the Jedi and gives her a brief glare.
"And my Padawan as well," the Jedi adds.
She growls as she turns in the direction of Siri Tachi, feeling the urge to punch her in the face at this rate because her Padawan dares to question her efforts. "Your Padawan has no self-control, Jedi, and he may have doomed our efforts. Now we would have to babysit him now, you idiot. You should have really taught him better and now his recklessness and ignorance may only doom us further!"
Padmé comes forward when Sabé grips her shoulder.
"While I won't deny that my Padawan was reckless in what he just did, he can maybe wound him in the long run and allow us to capture and escort him to the Jedi Temple." Siri replies, keeping her cool despite the insult.
"Karking shit, Jedi," Padmé replies, grasping hold of her shoulders and beginning to shake her as a courtesy of not giving her a black eye. "Your Padawan don't know a kark 'bout war and these types of situations! You Jedi need to learn when to stay out of matters when it comes to predicaments such as this and allow those who have experience in such fields - like myself - to do this! Can you Jedi ever stop overstepping your boundaries?!"
"We don't have time to discuss this!" Sabé shouts. "The Senator and Jedi's life is in danger! Let's talk later!"
Padmé, still glaring at the Tachi, nods before dashing out with Siri following, shouting "Dané, you're in charge here! Saché; Yané; check on the injured!" The rest of the ladies instinctively follow suit, up until they reach the speeder pad, and they find a perfect one that would suit them all, before chasing after the Jedi and the bounty hunter, luckily coming up to them in a short time.
Tachi runs to the back, and reaches out a hand in the direction of the young Jedi, bringing him towards her and gripping his hand, pulling him along with her.
She smiles first before giving him a glare. "We would have a long talk about this, my young Padawan."
Padmé marches up to the young Jedi and punches him in the cheek, not caring about the wound that comes as a result. "That is for risking the life of the Senator, you idiot."
Dormé, while nowhere is the best driver in the galaxy, is fairly decent, keeping up with the extended bounty hunter and making sure to never lose sight of the Senator.
"Padmé, he's landing!" Dormé shouts, cutting her off from any further lecturing she could have offered the young Jedi.
Padmé turns and looks back at the viewport to see that indeed he is landing on the building, releasing the cuffed Senator onto the ground and staring in the direction of the transport.
"Why don't you fight like a lady and prove yourself as the leader of these women without your tricks, little girl? If you win, you get your lady back. If I win, I'll kill you."
Padmé throws her blaster to the side with an arrogant smirk. "Oh, it'll be my pleasure." Before she can continue her advance, Padmé glares at the two Force Users, not needing to be Force Sensitive to tell that they wish to interfere with his battle. "Jedi, don't get involved."
She walks up to the Mandalorian who merely throws his two blaster pistols to the side, obviously going to keep true to his word. One thing Padmé learned about bounty hunters is that most of them have a moral code not to shy away from fighting when challenged.
Padmé and the bounty hunter raise their gloved fists up and move around the small circle that has been created, waiting for the first punch. While Padmé's training with Vader has been limited at most, she has learned Echani training from ancient times and all of the forms with her former handmaidens now sisters in all but blood helping her in that process as well as the training droids.
She starts off by attempting to intimidate the bounty hunter with a few test jabs. The Mandalorian eventually throws a punch in the direction of the woman, attempting to catch her in the chest. She blocks his hit with her shoulder and then begins an entourage of her own blows at him. He stumbles back as Padmé's fists strike him five times, appearing to be surprised but also recovering, fighting back with jabs and various defense methods, gripping hold of her arm and sending her onto the ground which slightly wound her.
Padmé kicks upwards to the bounty hunter, connecting to his jaw and sending him away long enough for her to stand. At one point, when she attacked the bounty hunter's masked face, he performed a counterpunch, successfully pounding the woman in the nose and sending her back, nearly onto the floor had she not managed to perform a backflip.
Fueled by the desire to save the Senator, Padmé staggers to her feet, wiping at her nose and staring down with disgust to see that there is a small stain of blood on her forearm. The blow from the bounty hunter had damaged a tiny vein in her nose, allowing blood to course from her right nostril. Upon obtaining this knowledge, Padmé realizes she has to be careful and not attack as if she is an animal or he would chip away at defensives that would begin cracking more and more.
As the match between the two rises in ferocity, both of them giving each other a fair number of strikes and blows, Padmé is gaining the advantage as she remembers the intensive training and knowledge to be careful as she uses similar defense mechanisms to get the better of him. She is not afraid of the possibility of death but she knows she would have to be careful if only to save her allies, and that is backup up when she is punched in the jaw and a tooth falls out. Padmé recovers despite the pain.
Eventually, though, there came a moment in the round that nearly ended this physical fight between the two. It is when Padmé is pounding the bounty hunter with all her might, and he is losing the energy to fight back. Just as it seems that the woman would conclude the match by pinning the bounty hunter on the floor, the Mandalorian manages to loosen Padmé's grip on him, allowing him to recover and split from her. She attempts to deliver another jab but he expertly headbutts her and sends her back.
Padmé carefully steadies herself to continue the battle. The Mandalorian's unanticipated headbutt only astonished her for five seconds, and, once she fully recovers, the woman turns in the direction of the bounty hunter who appears amused. The rage within her is more powerful than it had ever been before. It is stronger than when so many people of Naboo suffered while she was nothing but a coward who was not strong enough to save her own planet. It is stronger than when the palace of Naboo was annihilated and all her innocence was obliterated just as much. It is stronger than the deepened rage at so many of the tearful faces of her people saying goodbye to their loved ones - some of their bodies that have never been recovered. All three recent events cause Padmé's hidden fury to rise to a higher portion, and, because she is now reaching a snapping point, she finally allows her suppressed agitation to possess her- to persuade her to do what Vader motivated her to do to those who dared to challenge her and put the lives of her loved ones: Fight back with everything she got or die for it.
The Mandalorian looks at Padmé as she slowly approaches him. He stares into his opponent's eyes and is convinced that the woman is being consumed by a heartless, satanic commodity based on her facial expression and physical movements. Automatic movements guide the woman to walk down slowly and menacingly, raising her fist and sending him back more and more. For the next thirty seconds, she mercilessly pummels the armored man in the face again and again. Of course, the Mandalorian hasn't been expecting this and is attempting to fight back with his knowledge - landing a few blows every so often - but that was to no avail to getting the advantage as she dodges and blocks the strikes.
The Mandalorian finds himself skidding backward, her fist smashing dead in his face and sending him flying across the air, his helmet falling off and revealing a bloody and wounded face. Padmé has to admit being weary, sweat going down his face, her own collective wounds also obvious, and she collapses onto the floor due to the battle wasting her.
The Mandalorian recovers first and walks over to Padmé and aims his blaster at her forehead. Padmé glares up at him, not willing to die with her eyes close.
"I am a man of my word. You did good and won this battle, so you can take your friend."
He holsters his blaster before taking off in the jetpack. The Jedi Padawan rushes up, activating his lightsaber, obviously wishing to stop him before he could take any action.
"No! Come back here!"
Eirtaé growls as she grasps hold of him, dragging him back to the shuttle. "What were you thinking when you were jumping out of the speeder?! You could have gotten more lives killed as well as the Senator's!"
"We managed to save her at the end," Siri assures.
Padmé stares at her com before staring up with a smirk, just as a speeder descends with Guards and handmaidens who have been back up for Naboo no doubt.
"The esteemed Senator from Naboo goes straight back to a hidden base on home where she would be safe," Padmé says, nodding at the unlucky ones who have to watch over her for the remaining of the time.
She sputters when Rabé and Eirtaé go to the cuffed woman, unceremoniously pick her up then carry her back to their speeder, before leaving to go back to 500 Republica.
"Come, Jedi," Padmé hisses. "Maybe you could prove of use when they return. You would do well to stay alive so I won't have to save your karking ass again, Jedi."
"You should have just killed him," Olin grumbles.
He is ignored.
After some time, Saché, Yané, Rabé, and Eirtaé returns, the latter the one driving the speeder. She parks the speeder inside the transport before walking out with all of her passengers, immediately falling to attention to Padmé.
"The Senator was secured and the next transport would instantly take her back to Naboo," Rabé states.
"And many of the wounded was taken to a nearby medical center," Saché replies.
Padmé acknowledges them with a nod before staring at the Jedi, the anger bubbling within her heart. "Unless you wish to walk back, Jedi, you might want to hitch a ride."
They are obviously not happy - namely the younger one - but they decide to join them on the ride.
"Why are we not looking for the bounty hunter?! We need to track him down!" Olin finally manages his voice and spills his indignation at it all.
Rabé turns her head around to look into the gaze of the Jedi. Her eyes burn with fury and she is about to give them the chewing of a lifetime if it's the last thing she ever does.
"It's you two fools," the woman grunts with disdain. "It's because of your complete lack of common sense that countless of our comrades died today. The least you can do is stay put, shut up, and allow the professionals to recover our ground while remembering we are not Jedi."
"This isn't our fault," Siri weakly denies. At that point, all ladies in the transport, save for one of them - Yané - who is reading over a report - turn to look at her.
"Bah, Jedi. They're still not thinking about the consequences of their actions. Typical," Eirtaé grumbles with disdain, and the transport descends on the side of 500 Republica. "At least you're no longer our problem, but advice for the future: perhaps you should create less of a situation if you allow the experts handle the issues."
"That is exceptionally rude!" Olin concludes aloud.
"Don't lecture us about rude, boy," Padmé snarls. "It was rude that you disobeyed us because you arrogantly believe yourself capable of protecting the Senator instead of remaining put. Listen here, boy, next time, stay out of the people's way and cease attempting to play hero."
Padmé didn't have time for any more Jedi's incompetence nor did the ladies. They didn't have time for the Jedi anymore; the Jedi who wanted to imprison Vader who saved their planet and offered more of a helping hand, the Jedi who wanted to imprison an innocent little boy, and the Jedi who abandoned them in a time of war.