Author's Note: I won't be able to post this weekend, so I am giving you a short chapter now. PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!
Disclaimer: Star Wars is owned by Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort this series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun.
Shadday Potkin felt her long before she attempted to gut her. Yes, she'd sensed the Sith cretin a mile away and was stalling until back up could be found. To her good fortune, the ever friendly Master Wezz was strolling about the large courtyard before the temple. Her dress billowed in the wind as her red hair tossed about. It was as though the terrain knew a classic showdown was coming.
Through the Force, they prepared for the onslaught, and through the Force, they felt the battle begin.
Anhilis was swift on her toes, and Potkin found herself wondering how Jaina Darklighter could even hold her ground. The woman was strong, angry and fierce.
Even as two Padawan came to aid her, the two masters fought to maintain the fight. Four on one seemed like decent enough odds, until the Togruta Jacen Darklighter fought appeared out of nowhere.
With a slight growl and anger in his eyes, he ripped through one of the Padawan learners. A young Cerean with great promise by the name of Bagu-ni-Wadi. He giggled slightly as he did this, stepping back to bring the others into the challenge. They did not see him pull the boy's keycard to his hand subtly through the Force.
But as they readied themselves to fight, shots suddenly rang out.
"Get back you seperatist grunts!" shouted a small group of clones, their blasters raised as they did, "Or get dead!" Potkin sighed with relief as she recognized their leader, Captain Rex, at the forefront. He was poised with blaster raised, his dyed blonde hair glowing slightly in the sun's light.
Though the Mirialan Anhilis raised her blade with a crooked grin, the Togruta shuddered and stepped back. He grabbed at her green arm and shook his head, his eyes no longer holding the darkness that they'd once held before, but rather a great pain.
"What?" She hissed at him.
Devaro sighed, "I'm not ready to face him yet." Was his answer before he dashed off into the crowd.
Frustrated, Anhilis followed suit.
As the small group of clones approached the three remaining Jedi, Potkin caught her breath. That was the second time in two days she had to face those monsters, and she felt lucky to survive both. "It's like I'm the target or something." She commented as she and Wezz stood up from their battle stances.
"Are you two all right Generals?" Captain Rex suddenly inquired, helping the other Padawan, a Mon Calamari, to his feet. Both nodded.
"Thanks to you, Captain Rex." Wezz suddenly admitted, "The male seemed most afraid of you." Rex shrugged, even as his associates smiled at him, namely Fives and Tup.
"I don't know about that General Wezz." He replied, "I'm just glad your all right."
The two woman nodded and turned to the fallen Padawan with pain in their eyes. Sadly, not everyone was all right.
Palpatine had to hand it to himself. He knew exactly how to play that Skywalker into a tizzy. He'd likely burst soon, filled with rage, and drive away the one he loves, only to come begging for her forgiveness. And then the cycle would begin anew. It would drive him darker and darker, until all that remained was a Sith.
He prided himself for this situation, as it was a very simple project. Infuriate Skywalker. Let him feed into his insecurities. Sooner or later, Amidala will walk away and all that will be left is his jealousy and rage.
And the dark side.
But, as he walked down the hall with his entourage at his side, the Jedi having already headed to their own speeder, he had to deliberate a few things. For the first time in the two days since the mysterious light erupting in the Force, his sharp mind was clearing up and he had to catch up with the rest of the galaxy on current events and problems.
The first being the source of that great light. It felt just like Skywalker, he reminded himself as they moved towards the grand hall, Only he felt so much more powerful than he is now. What this could mean... too many factors to consider. Perhaps I need to escalate his transformation. He deliberated a bit more as they finally entered the grand hall, many senators already in place to hear the announcement prompted by Rush Clovis's return.
But I felt that same power in the room with him, Palpatine decided, as he wasn't sure before, Only so much smaller, like it didn't want to be found. And Skywalker was no different then before... what about that conference was different then the times before?
And, as his mind muddled over that, he found himself still thinking most lustily about that Jaina Darklighter. She looked even more beautiful today in her more Jedi-like garb than she had in her civilian clothes, and he had to wonder how the black of the Sith contrasted with her porcelain skin. It astounded him that she preferred white when her husband seemed comfortable in the black he was always wearing. Yes, he knew he was in lust, as he had no heart to love with, and he knew that this desire to have Jaina would soon become an obsession of his if he didn't vent these feelings somewhere. He only hoped Grievous would be successful in dispatching her stoic husband.
But, despite this extraordinary desire to own the woman, something in the Force warned him of her. Something that whispered into his ear the name Skywalker, and he could not understand why.
I need more bacta treatments, he realized as he grimaced, my mind is still not operating optimally and I cannot risk this lack of insight much longer.
Luke followed the floating chair of Senator Organa for quite a while. The senate meeting involving Clovis had just finished, and Luke had had his first taste of the Old Republic politics he'd been hoping to avoid. Despite being adamant against the man, Organa had held his tongue through the meeting. He cast his vote, disliked the outcome and was now heading home unhappily. Luke could even sense how worried he was about his friend Padme. The man, it seemed, was as determined as Leia. Not that it surprised Luke. He'd had to have been just to raise her. He thought with a grin.
Leia had been left on her own for a while. Luke knew how prideful she was and that she needed time to process all they'd learned about their origins on her own. Desperate as he was to help his twin, he knew distance was what she needed more than ever.
"Mr. Darklighter?" Bail suddenly inquired, Luke stepped forward to be level with his chair.
"Yes, Senator?" He asked back gently, finally allowing his guise to slip just a little bit. Palpatine had left the building immediately after the hearing, as had most of the Jedi that had stuck around to see the verdict. He didn't have to fear anyone spying his presence as it actually was.
Bail glanced at him with a slight grin, "I must admit, it is nice to have you here, but..."
"... Yes, Senator?"
The man's hesitation had Luke worried, but not as much as the way his smile faded, "I... I don't want you guarding me..." Luke paled when he heard that, as did his smile. Bail noticed this and attempted to correct himself, "At least... I don't feel as endangered between you and all the various guards I've got... I'd rather you guard someone else."
"Someone else?" Luke tried, his brow furrowing.
Bail nodded, "Senator Amidala." he admitted. "Her current responsibilities worry me. She's... a very good friend. But she has a tendency to get in over her head." Luke nodded, understanding.
"Jaina is quite fond of that herself." He replied with a smile, making Bail relax some. "But... I am afraid that it is Queen Julia's will that determines where I go. Not my own." Bail seemed to frown at that.
But Luke understood his worry. He sensed something off about that man, Clovis, and wanted to ensure that Amidala was safe. But he was worried that guarding her now might put her on the top of their enemies hit list, if they were still being followed. At the moment, he could not feel Tano's presence around the Senate Hall. And that made him a bit more relaxed.
"Do you think she'll be all right?" Bail wondered, his voice strangely calming to Luke. It was like being near his father and hearing that emulator had brought back those proud final moments on DeathStar II. Moments that made him want to mourn once more, and celebrate.
"I know she will be." Luke assured the man.
Leia had taken quite a while in trying to maneuver a cheap, feasible means to get to Naboo. She was mostly frustrated and returned empty handed, irked that her brother was not able to collect much in the form of credit from still slightly suspicious Queen Julia at the hospital. And their tenure guarding Organa for the last five days hadn't allowed for that either. He'd merely provided them with suitable clothes that would last them a few days worth. His token of gratitude.
Truth be told, she was tempted to steal from someone, but knew Luke would frown upon it.
Though her brother had his dark moments where he would bend the rules, he tried every other step first. It had been that way with Jabba the Hutt when they'd rescued Han. Lando believed the plan was mostly his, but Leia knew better. She'd watched the way Luke subtly changed everything around under Lando's nose.
Lando had been sent in first to scope the place out and to provide a means of evacuation should anything go wrong. The droids were there to be support, especially Artoo, for if Luke's presence was needed. Leia and Chewy had arrived, and were meant to be the official rescuers, but Jabba had been smarter than that. As soon as Leia had taken a calculated risk in freeing Han from carbonite, their original plan failed. And Luke, having sensed her distress, became their only means of escape. And his arrival meant that Jabba's palace would fall.
And it did. He killed almost every person on Jabba's skiff save for Jabba himself. Leia had seen to that slug personally.
Back then, he'd been a bit darker, edgier even*. Taking risks, killing, and stealing from others didn't bother him whatsoever. And at times the subtle angry gleam in his eye scared Leia. She'd wondered what he was becoming at odd moments when he seemed the most stoic and dangerous, but soon noticed that Luke was not only battling some hefty demons, he was conquering them.
No matter how heavy the emotional hurdle, he always came back to her with light in his icy blue eyes and a smile across his face. Something he attributed to her presence in his life.
And when he revealed to her their paternity, she understood those demons and began fighting them herself. But she was not as resilient as her brother in defeating them. That was her challenge here, and her performance a few days ago indicated that she was, perhaps, more like her biological father than she'd realized. She'd chosen to hide away in a diner they'd passed on the mid-levels of the commercial district while she pulled herself together, hating herself the more for passing up on this precious time with Bail. Hours later, she chose to find a means to get to Naboo to watch over her mother when she inevitably traveled there.
So, having been stuck out all night, she returned to their room in Bail's apartment with shoulders sunk and eyes red from her efforts. She was tired and was amazed that she even remembered how to get back to Alderaan's senatorial suite.
Between every connection she made, Leia had to creep into an alley to fend her tears off once more. Emotions were overtaking her and all her Force training could do little aid her as she dealt with them. The state she found Bail Organa in was traumatizing, as though the Force had a cruel sense of humor and wanted to make some bizarre point. And standing next to her biological father was irksome and troublesome, mostly because of how apparent it was that she truly, deeply hated him. Luke's disappointment in her control was also disheartening, as only he and Han mattered to her in this life. And, lastly...
Finding my mother.
Truth be told, she was more distressed about that than anything. Her heart was breaking in two seeing the woman alive and knowing that a cruel fate awaited her. Our father...she found herself grumbling internally, he killed that beautiful, kind, loving woman! Our mother! Those were usually the thoughts that had her breaking down. She felt such a betrayal as a daughter that Vader could be so cruel in taking that woman away from her. Away from Luke! How could he have done such a thing?! Didn't he at least love us enough to keep her there for us! He died saving Luke, after all!
While Luke was content to meditate through the night, monitoring the whole house, she returned to him a mess. And he knew she'd arrive that way. He'd given her space to sort things out, while he continued to be the strong one, to be the rock for her, as she had when he'd faced these kinds of crises. His own battle with the identity of his father had left him more than disturbed at first and he wanted nothing more than for his sister to acquire peace with the idea. Peace for the first time in four years.
He didn't even have to verbally invite her into his embrace, she crawled straight into it and let him rock her back and forth until she fell asleep, being brotherly and fatherly all at once. An awkward combination, Leia realized as she started falling asleep, but a good one right now.
Author's Note: Sorry that it's a short one this week, but I've been excessively busy AND I wanted to get a sampler out for Shmi's story. Check it out and vote please. Also, that bit about Luke being darker and edgier in Jedi is totally in reference to the book. I won't spoil it, but it does give more insight into how Luke feels through that episode.
Also, thank you to those who began reviewing last week. I really appreciate it! And those of you who haven't yet, PLEASE REVIEW! I do want to know what you think of this story, especially as the plot begins to get more complicated. Good or bad, please tell me what you think!