Chapter 42 – The Sand People
DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD
Author's Note: I'm so sorry for what happens to Anakin in here. This was not supposed to happen... but it did. ;-;
~ Amina Gila
"You wanted to speak to me?" Anakin queries, taking a seat in Dooku's office. A summons like this was unexpected, to say the least.
Dooku nods. "I did. There are two things, actually." He pauses, brown eyes studying Anakin in a grave silence. "First, I believe that Barriss might have been the one to assassinate Mina Bonteri."
Anakin stiffens. The news isn't exactly that surprising, he supposes, because Sidious would naturally have had a reason to want her dead. Still, it worries him that his master eliminated her without breathing a word to any of them and did so by the hand of the one Fallen Jedi none of them can trust. "She is a liability," he declares, narrowing his eyes. "We should eliminate her. I'm sure I can arrange something."
"I think we should wait," the Count cautions. "We don't want to alert Sidious to our plans too early, and certainly not before we're ready. I agree that Offee is dangerous, but… not yet. When the time comes, I'll let you know."
Personally, Anakin thinks that waiting will probably do more harm than good, because she could be used for many other objectives to which none of them are privy, but he doesn't object. He knows that Dooku is right. Sidious would become suspicious if they acted too early or killed a Fallen Jedi who is clearly in his favor. Given Anakin's recent defiance and refusal to kill Padme, Sidious might use that as an opportunity for a "lesson," and he shudders to think about what it might include. He cares for too many people now, and Sidious knows that.
Hatred twists in his gut, hot and fierce, but he smothers it, clenching his fists, and trying to focus on something else. "What is the second thing?" he questions.
"Please do try to remain calm," Dooku begins, and if that isn't ominous. "Senator Amidala has lost her position in the Senate, and upon her return to her apartment, she was attacked. There was an explosion, but reports are that she is uninjured. You would know if she were killed or seriously wounded." The Count gives him a pointed look, and Anakin reaches out to the weak link he has with Padme; it's still and bright the way it always has been.
"She's alright," he realizes, but that does nothing to relieve the increasing fear and panic within him. "Was it – Do you think Sidious was involved?"
"It is possible," Dooku allows, "And you should know that her two handmaidens, Dorme and Corde, were killed. Sabe is, by all accounts, still alive, though barely."
Anakin feels a pang shoot through him. He knew Sabe better than the others, and she and Padme are close. It would hurt his fiancée badly if she were to die. Their bond is not one he even understands himself, but he respects it. He's sick with worry and fear, and he wants nothing more than to go to his Angel's side. He can't though, and he hates that. He should be there, comforting and reassuring her in these times. All he can do is wait and hope. Their paths are separated for now, and he has to accept that. But it hurts. Oh, it hurts.
"She has many enemies," Dooku says, though it's not much of a reassurance. "She knows how to take care of herself. Now that she is no longer Senator, she won't be in the spotlight as much. It is safer for her like this."
He's right, and that stings in and of itself. Anakin had, once and very briefly, thought about what their lives would be like, free and away from the machinations of the Sith. He'd abandoned the thought almost instantly, because it would have meant living on the run and in hiding, being apart from anyone and everyone else whom they care for and consider family. And yet… it is a tempting daydream, especially now.
Dooku's comm chimes, and he looks down at it, frowning. "Sidious says that your mother wishes to speak with you," he tells him. "You can take the call privately."
Anakin nods, rising, anticipation and anxiety churning within him. His contacts with his mother have always been far and few between, and never in the past, have they been initiated by her. Did something happen? Is – is she okay? Fear pushes him to move faster, and it's not long before he's entering his mother's frequency, knowing that his master will likely view a recording of their conversation. In another universe, Anakin knows that he could have been deprived of his mother entirely, so he tries not to be too resentful of the observing.
"Ani," his mother greets him, relief clear on her face, "I'm so glad to see you, to see that you're alright and well."
'Well' is… relative, but Anakin doesn't contradict her words. He might wish to confide his true thoughts and feelings to her, though he knows that he can't do that now, not while the call is being observed. "Are you alright, Mom?" Anakin questions. "Did something happen?"
Shmi sighs, the smile dropping from her face. "I just got a communication from Beru Lars," she explains. "She told me that Owen's father, Cliegg, has been captured by a band of Tusken Raiders. They fear for him, and Beru worries that his absence will… hurt them as well as those who are relying on them."
Anakin understands what she's not saying, and he takes pride in the fact that his master won't recognize the inner meaning of Shmi's words. Unbeknownst to Sidious, or so Anakin hopes, Beru and her family are deeply entrenched in an anti-slavery movement on Tatooine. Anakin might not be able to actively help them, but Shmi gives the Lars advice frequently. With Cliegg being gone – Anakin has no doubt that the man is dead; that knowledge is the cause of his mother's current grief – Owen and Beru will struggle. Slaves who seek freedom will suffer as a result. More than anything, Anakin wants to help them.
"Is there anything I can do?" Anakin questions. He hopes that his mother is contacting him because she wants him to actually do something, not sit here stressing over the news.
"I spoke to Palpatine about it," she relates, "And he agrees that you may go to Tatooine to help Owen and Beru however you see fit. They doubt Cliegg is still alive, but it is a possibility."
There's not even anything to ask. Anakin already knows what his next course of action is. "I'll go there," he promises. He could take Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, or both with him, but they're finally getting a chance to relax – it's been a couple days since Obi-Wan came to Raxus – and he doesn't want to distract them from that. It won't be long before they all have to return to the war, and their breaks are far and few between. He would rather handle this himself. He doesn't need anyone to help him. Not in this.
"Be careful, Ani," cautions Shmi, before smiling suddenly. "I know you're strong and capable, but I'll always worry about you. I love you."
"I love you too, Mom," he whispers, before disconnecting the call. It's time for him to return to Tatooine, whether he likes it or not.
**w**
He goes alone. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka had both volunteered, but this is something which Anakin wants to do alone. He goes in his fighter, which is now named Rogue, landing on a ridge overlooking the Lars homestead – his mother had sent him the coordinates.
He pauses, briefly, to speak to Owen and Beru, meeting them for the first time, before setting out on his hunt. He takes a speeder, opening himself up to the Dark Side and trying to get a feel for where this camp of Tusken Raiders is located. The Raiders, at least in this part of the planet, have been a perpetual nuisance from what Owen told him, attacking and murdering without provocation. They do not distinguish between victims, adults and children alike falling to their hand. And now, Anakin is about to end it.
Maybe this is why Sidious allowed him to come here; his master knew that he would be forced to give in to the controlled bloodlust within him. He knew that Anakin would confront and embrace his inner demon. When he immerges from the other side, there is no way of knowing how he will be changed, if at all. But his master let him come here, so his master has a plan.
Anakin pulls his hood up over his head as he speeds through the desert, lets the ebb and flow of the Force guide him in the right direction. He is death, and he will exact vengeance. This is the way of the Sith, the way that Anakin has embraced. Perhaps he doesn't need to let it consume him or define him forever, but for now… this is who he is, and he will not be ashamed of it. The moons light his path as sunset wanes to night, the chilly air nipping at his face as he flies onwards towards the pinpricks of life which he feels in the Force.
He stops his speeder at the top of a ridge, swinging off as he looks down at the encampment. It seems so small when he views it from here, but he knows: this is the tribe that took Cliegg. The man, however, Anakin thinks may already be dead. He withdraws macrobinoculars, scanning the camp up close and zeroing in on the tent which is separated from the others. There are no guards there, but Anakin senses the Dark Side hanging heavily there, the pain, the fear, the anger.
Yes, this is the right place.
Cloaked in the Force, Anakin leaps down into the camp, moving along the outskirts as one with the shadows, approaching the tent. He ignites his red lightsaber, cutting an opening in the back wall before ducking inside. Cliegg is there; Anakin knows it's him intuitively, without ever having truly met him. He saw a holo of him once, many years ago, and even though he doesn't remember it clearly, the elderly man is too similar to Owen to be mistaken.
He's dead already, his body cold and lifeless. From appearances, he died sometime earlier this day; it's not been more than a day, surely. Anakin knows enough about the human body and death and torture to know. He determinedly doesn't think about how he learned that kind of information. It doesn't matter anyways.
He stands again, looking between the body and the door. He can come back for it later, but for now… well, he has vengeance to exact upon the Sand People here. Are they all responsible? Assuredly not, but if they live now, they will do the same again to others. And they will raise their children to be the same. He can't destroy every Tusken Raider across Tatooine – he doesn't think he would even if he could, not without knowing more about them – but this tribe is involved in random, sporadic, senseless attacks.
Maybe he is a Sith, but this is a wrong that he can right. It doesn't matter to him if this, in and of itself, is a wrong. Determination flooding through him, Anakin lets the Dark Side in, fueling him. He stalks forwards like a predator, yellow eyes gleaming in the dim lighting as he steps through the front door and ignites his lightsaber.
The night is filled with screams, and he drinks them in, the fear and anger of the enemy powering him. It's intoxicating, and he is aware of every second of it. The Force answers his call, and he bends it to his will, using it to destroy the camp as he moves through it like a specter of death. He is the Force, in this moment, and he knows that he is unstoppable. Perhaps he cannot yet confront and destroy Sidious, but soon. Very soon, he will achieve the level of power he needs.
When it ends, there is silence, and Anakin stands surrounded by the bodies of dozens of Tusken Raiders. And he doesn't regret it. He would do it again, in a heartbeat, and that terrifies him. The Dark Side doesn't take a person all at once; it does so slowly, seducing them further and further until they can see no way back. Maybe it's already too late for him. Maybe he has already passed the point of return. Maybe… And Anakin recognizes – and accepts – that there is a part of him that does not want to turn back anymore, that he would rather stay on this path than try to claw his way back to… the Light.
To Obi-Wan, his mind reminds him, to Ahsoka, to Padme, to Mom.
Yes. Yes, there are them. They would – they would regret seeing him like this, the full power of the Dark Side surrounding him. They would not want to see him as a Sith, but they would nevertheless accept him – at least Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and his mother would – no matter how much it would hurt them to do so. It would upset them to see him so Dark, so twisted, so Fallen. He doesn't want that, and yet… he doesn't know how much more of this he can endure before cracking entirely and giving in forever.
He feels numb, detached, uncaring about the dead men, women, and children – yes, there were children here, some no more than infants – strewn all around him. If he can kill them with naught more than a thought, what does that make him? Is there even anything left of the good person that was once Anakin Skywalker, or is he gone, replaced entirely by Darth Vader? It's not something Anakin wants to think about, because he doesn't want to know the answer to that. He doesn't want to know if he's lost himself too much to return.
This, he realizes, is what Dooku had been warning him about from the start, cautioning him about delving too deeply or too far. The war, the bloodshed, they have taken their toll on him. They've changed him, made him darker. He knew that already, and he hated himself for giving in. Now, Anakin doesn't know if he can even hate himself anymore for falling further than he'd even realized to be possible.
Slaughterer of innocents.
He should add that to his list of titles. He's drowning, and he doesn't know which way leads back anymore. He doesn't know how to find his way back if he even can. It didn't happen overnight; it was a slow, gradual process, each use of the Dark Side for causing mass chaos and death leading him a little bit further from the balanced middle ground. And now, all he can see, all he can feel is the darkness. It would be smothering if it didn't feel like a literal extension of himself now.
He is – he is not Anakin anymore. He is Darth Vader. He is a Dark Lord of the Sith, and that is his destiny. Sidious raised and trained him for this. Whatever delusions he once had about being able to stay good in the face of the evil being poured down his throat – forcefully – are gone. This isn't – he chose this. He chose to kill these people. He chose to destroy everyone. He can't simply undo this, and he doesn't know if he even would want to if he could.
Extinguishing his lightsaber, Vader clips it back to his belt, turning to retrieve Cliegg's body and return it to the Lars family. If nothing else, they can at least bury him, lay him to rest and find healing from there.
**w**
On the other side of the galaxy, Sidious feels a tremor in the Force, his bond with his favorite apprentice flickering and darkening rapidly, the Dark Side plunging it into sheer chaos. In his office, Sidious smiles. He has long been waiting for this moment, for the moment that Vader gave in to the destiny, to the fate he had been trained for from childhood. At long last, the time has arrived. Vader will be unstable now more than ever, but Sidious needs to do just one more thing to secure him in the Dark Side and bind him there.
Vader's Jedi pets won't comprehend the sudden change that has come over their once-friend. They do not understand the Dark Side like Sith do. Even Dooku, Sidious knows, will be shaken to the core when faced with Vader at his finest. Sidious needs only one more thing, one thing which will push Vader fully into the grasp of the Dark Side which will eat his pain. It is so easy to manipulate him, to nudge events in their proper, predestined direction, to ensure that his plans reach fruition.
And Vader has been an integral part of that from the moment that Sidious created him in his mother's womb. Oh, that was a glorious moment; knowing that he and he alone was powerful enough to craft the weapon that he would use to destroy the Jedi. Even now, he still relishes the memory, looking back on it with utmost fondness.
Vader is his. The future is his. The galaxy is his. It is only a matter of time, and Sidious will be patient. Perhaps, when Vader's mind has been sufficiently twisted by the Dark Side, Sidious will instruct him to slaughter those he now calls friends. And he will do it. He will do it, because his master requests it of him, because his master can ask him for anything, even his very life, and he will offer it up willingly.
Dooku's greatest mistake was in failing to see and plan for the way the war would change the boy he thought would be his. Vader has always been meant for darkness, for greatness, and no one can change that, not even Dooku or Shmi. They can try – they will try – but they will fail, and when they do, Sidious will laugh.
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