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.
Even though a great calm had washed over him, it did little to temper the hairs rising on the back of his neck as he set his ship to land on the planet Mandelore. With a slight yawn as the ship settled on the landing platform, Luke glanced about and shrugged, wondering exactly what he was in for.
Outside the ship was, well, intriguing. With tall buildings covering the skyline and a grand, almost geological feel to the city's center, Luke could only smile at the sight. Following his instincts, he roamed about the bustling downtown, observing the gentleness of the people that was a distant memory in his time. The presence of the law was not more than a sign of comfort, their uniforms pressed and their eyes prideful of their work.
Nodding to one of these peacekeepers, Luke took a turn towards a large building that appeared both crystalline and earthen. The shimmering walls of the layered archives were covered in plants, both real and holographic, giving the public office a grand feeling. As Luke passed through security at the front, his lightsaber still on his ship, he noticed that the building was full of many a scholar invested in research.
As he progressed, closing his eyes at points to feel the pull of the Drajdai in the Force, Luke managed to navigate the labyrinth of shelving units and desks into a dank room in the basement of the building. Here, he found a meditation garden, not quite like the one in the Jedi temple, but not unlike it as well.
A small stream flowed through the space, separating the garden into four parts, a small deck in the center of the space acting as their connector. Luke yawned once more, despite his fascination, as he moved towards the center of the garden. In standing on the platform, he closed his eyes, sensing something below where he stood. "A spring." he realized, laughing slightly at the simplicity of such a hiding space.
Sitting down, he began to meditate, pulling at the threads of the Force that had drawn his attention here in the first place.
With new confidence in his presence, he roamed the whole of the block underneath this grand building with his mind. Visually, it was easy, his persona traveling about the space faster than he could have on his own. He reached out into the Force, finding a thread of blue energy coming from the fountain that could only mean one thing: he was close.
He followed this clue beneath the large, marble base, noting a set of stairs that exposed themselves when the right panel on the fountain was pressed. The exposed pathway clearly hadn't been used for some time now: webbing of fine green threads and a lack of lighting told him this much. The building was old, but the presence of the catacombs beneath indicated it to be older than the wear and tear (and feel) of the building suggested. A heavy breathing could be heard and he could have sworn he saw Asha's petite brown form with chestnut curls descending the stairs ahead of him.
Opening his eyes, Luke smiled and glanced to his right towards the fountain.
In meditating, Leia reached out to her brother, wanting more than anything to have his reassuring presence by her side as she prepared to confront their father. When she opened herself up to the Force, she was met with a large surprise: Luke was still Luke, but… it almost seemed as if his presence glowed brighter. What was strange was that his dark spots, the areas of himself he disliked because they tempted him towards darkness, were more pronounced despite the change.
Unsure of what to make of her brother's transformation, she prodded further. Despite the strange blue glowing in her eyes from last time, Leia needed to know what was going on with her brother. Visions of Gerali and strange expressions plagued her mind for the better part of an hour. She understood that she was seeing into her twin's memories of Advorosia, but didn't know how to get past them.
Perhaps the Force had wanted her there as well.
After a time, she gave up on reaching her brother. While she wanted his guidance, she didn't want to disrupt whatever he'd been attempting to achieve. Especially not if her visions were correct.
With a frown, she stood up and traveled back inside the apartment with shoulders low. She was exhausted. The night prior, she'd tailed Anakin. Following him to and fro from one place to another, she was convinced she could protect him by remaining close to him. That he couldn't do dark deeds if someone was around to play witness.
Exhausted, she reached into her pocket, her hands falling onto something hard as she sat down. Pulling the object free, she noted the strange key from under the Jedi temple. The one by the mural that felt it was made to predict her father. Staring at the small object, she twisted it between her fingers, pondering. Perhaps he knows what this is?
Suddenly finding yet another reason to intrude unexpectedly upon Anakin, Leia smiled and turned towards the door.
It took her hardly any time to drive over towards the Jedi temple, she being as good a driver as any other in her family. Once there, she rushed past the front desks, ignoring pleas for check in from the temple staff. A right turn from the foyer had her headed in the direction of the Jedi living quarters, and two more turns, and a flight of stairs, had her soon standing in front of her father's room. Tentatively, she reached inside, disappointed to find her father was gone.
A quick scan of the temple indicated he was nowhere in the vicinity, meaning he'd snuck past her again. That frustrating… she grumbled to herself, forcing the door open with her skill.
Stepping inside, she marveled at how much Luke and Anakin shared in terms of organization. Were Leia not constantly over to nag at Luke, she imagined his apartment would be much like Anakin's quarters: filled to the brim with half completed projects and in a major need of some dusting. Smiling a little, Leia clicked her tongue in disapproval, sauntering into the space with relative calm.
If Anakin didn't want her there, he shouldn't have snuck off.
Hoping that his recklessness would be taught a lesson by her intrusion, Leia began to scan over his things in interest: perhaps she could find more dark artifacts to remove. Put a plug into Palpatine's plans before he realizes he has someone undoing them. Though, something in the Force told her otherwise: Palpatine knew she was onto him.
"Well," she reminded herself, "That big display of knowledge in the senate probably didn't help." Still, she had to chuckle: she loved forcing him to endure his own games.
Stepping past the shelves of spare parts, Leia soon stood beside Anakin's desk. While wondering how it was that he could accomplish any sort of meditation in this room, her eyes fell on a small journal tucked away in the corner of the parts filled surface. It screamed 'important' to her in the Force, and she couldn't ignore its call.
The small journal was leather bound, various symbols treated into the material and pages falling out. It was clearly old. As she opened it, she scanned over the mysterious words, unsure what they meant, as the language was unclear to her. As she turned from one page to the next, she discovered a picture of a large, stone door, seven symbols on it. Something about that door felt pivotal: she just knew it.
On the next page, she found an image of a lock, one which surprised her as she noticed the key that went along with it. Pulling the ivory handled object from her pocket, she stared from picture to carving, her jaw agape as she wondered what to do about this new connection. Threepio was with Padme's ship, awaiting her signal, and they likely wouldn't be returning for a while.
Standing up with a new plan of action, Leia pocketed both the key and the journal and made to leave Anakin's room. The harsh stare of two deep brown eyes on a very tall man stopped her in the doorway. "Master Windu?" Leia inquired, forcing a smile on her face, "What brings you here?"
Frowning, he wondered, "I was about to ask you the same question."
She gulped, realizing then how strange this must have looked. Glancing up and down the hall, she noticed only a few Padawan roaming about, talking about their adventures on the front on their way to the mess hall. Smiling again, she stepped out of the room and closed the door, crossing her arms. "I'm merely borrowing a book from Anakin." she admitted, holding the old journal up for him to see, "It has some information I need, but I have to go to the archives to decode some of it."
Nodding, Windu stepped to the side and extended his hand, "Please allow me to accompany you. You'll need a password to get into the translation system." Smiling, Leia nodded and accepted his offer gracefully.
They roamed down the hall together, Windu leading the way, but keeping a slow and steady pace. He clearly wanted to talk, but waited until they were in an unoccupied hallway to do just that. "Who are you?" he wanted to know, his expression very earnest as he faced her.
Smiling, Leia shrugged, "A friend."
He frowned, clearly not liking the answer, despite how true it rang in the Force. "And why would a friend need to disguise their identity?" he wondered, forcing Leia to sigh in frustration.
"Why would a sage need to know this answer?" she fired back, wishing Luke were there to give her some insight into Master Windu's character. Not that she couldn't read his commitment to the cause nor his stern approach to things clearly on her own.
"Because I worry what your presence means for Knight Skywalker." He confessed, his voice hard as his frustration grew slightly, "Since your arrival, he's lost control of his power thrice, causing massive amounts of damage and doing extensive harm to others. At the end of the week, he has to stand trial for having harmed Rush Clovis with the Jedi Council: he's been brash before, but he's never been inside that room as much in a year than he has in this month alone. It's worrisome." Leia smiled, sensing his genuine concern for the man, "While I do not necessarily believe him to be our Chosen One, I do view him as a potential master, a potential member of the council, perhaps even a grandmaster, should he show more commitment than he has."
Turning back to Leia, he added, "So, I trust, you see my concern."
Smiling still, Leia shrugged and glanced over towards the door to the archives. They'd stopped once he'd begun his long list of hopes for the general in question, the hall still miraculously empty. She didn't know what to say to calm the master. Well, there is that... "I'm glad to see he has such a friend in you, Master Windu." she told him, forcing him to furrow his brow, "You are a much better friend than that Sith, Palpatine. Perhaps all is not lost, if he has someone watching his back like you and Master Kenobi."
Stunned, Windu crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at Leia as though she'd sprung horns on her head and the tattoos of a Zabrak spontaneously. "You accuse the chancellor of being a Sith?" She nodded, "And what proof of that have you?"
Frowning, Leia pointed out very casually, "Outside of his attempts to extend his term and all the new powers his office has achieved since his election, not very much." She then admitted, recalling how Anakin was before the chancellors estate, before he'd committed cold-blooded murder, "But I sense his hold over Anakin and worry. While I understand why the council has not always offered Anakin the luxury of full trust and disclosure, that doesn't change the fact that Anakin has made a habit of consulting the old man for advice."
Hiding his surprise by tilting his head to the side, Windu wondered, "And this makes him a Sith, how?"
"Anakin is likely visiting with the chancellor as we speak." Leia raised her brows in an all knowing fashion. "When he returns, ask him about it and then tell me what you feel." And, with that statement, she stepped past him and into the archive.
Tentatively, Windu followed her, new thoughts brewing in his head as he contemplated the many changes in the republic he'd noted with disapproval. Could she be right? Was his number one question: it wasn't as though she was off the mark. He'd seen her disgruntled statements at the senate on the HoloNet shortly after, astounded with her guts.
As Leia took a seat beside one of the data councils, Windu sat beside her and keyed in his passcode. Without so much as a second thought, the confident young woman took the book from her pocket and set it down on the counter, opening the pages to the one with the lock and key. The computer whirred to life, a small blue window appearing before her holographically as she set the book face down on the desk. While the machine scanned through its archive of languages, Windu watched her carefully, noticing her worried look in her eyes and the way she bit at her lip nervously. He was surprised to detect that he was not what unnerved her.
"Is something on your mind?" He wondered, leaning on his elbow to observe her carefully.
Leia nodded, not hiding that fact in the slightest. "I worry for Anakin: I worry I am too late to save him from the chancellor's manipulations… And I worry that his career as a Jedi will be cut short because of these suggestions."
Tilting his head to the side, Windu observed, "You truly believe the chancellor to be a Sith?" She nodded, her eyes showing her certainty. "Tell me, if we were to investigate this allegation, what would be the best course of action in determining he were?"
Leia frowned, scanning through her on archive of knowledge to find a single line for Master Windu to grab onto. She could sense he was a friend, but not friend enough to trust with her identity. He needed something tangible and from the now. Something he did stand a chance of finding. "I've heard rumors that he makes coded HoloCalls to Count Dooku. Perhaps you can find the device he does this with and tap the line."
Stunned, Windu stared at her a while, contemplating some more. As he went over the chances of procuring a warrant to even search the premises, the translator completed its work, the blue screen presenting them with its finding. Leia read them quietly to herself, "The lock on the seal of the Shaetin can only be used to open the door to add more prisoners. The key had been lost some time ago, when Master Yoani Heartstriker, the discoverer of shocking light, left the planet. He was convinced that the key had become a dark object, strengthening the lock each time it was used, but also poisoning the user." Leia furrowed her brows, staring at the key curiously. Nothing about it felt dark. Nothing whatsoever.
So she turned and kept reading, silently this time. All the sages of Advorosia had agreed the key was suitable for its job, determining that Master Yoani had been attacked by a Shaetin, his mind being poisoned with fear. Sheer proximity to the key is rumored to make the lock of the door glow with the light side of the Force. It was then that the page cut out.
Staring down at the key, Leia wondered about it. Clearly Master Yoani was no longer around to inquire about the device, but she had to wonder how an Advorosian relic from the time when the Jedi were still on Tython somehow got lost in this temple's catacombs.
Unless, like Luke's lightsaber, it's a device that shows when it is needed.
But Leia could only guess what it was needed for. Transcribing the rest of the book would likely assist her, but she was weary of Master Windu and his questions, despite the fact that he did want to see her father succeed.
"And just what is a Shaetin?" Windu wondered aloud, scanning over the passage several times himself. Leia frowned, unsure of how to explain it, since Luke was the one better versed in this Advorosian hell. "I've never heard of Master Heartstriker either."
Turning to face him, Leia was honest as she could be, "While I'm not sure about Master Heartstriker, a Shaetin is a force apparition: a dark one."
Staring at her curiously, Windu reached out with the Force to better understand the statement. Sitting back from his arms, where he had been resting, he contemplated the notion of a force ghost. "You're saying one can retain their individuality in the Force?" Leia nodded.
"I've seen it personally." She insisted, recalling the images of her father, Obi-Wan and, apparently, Yoda on Endor quite clearly in her mind, "And these Shaetins are dark, twisted versions of a force apparition: they are also currently my enemy." Surprised by her candid reply, Windu nodded and contemplated her words.
"A Sith chancellor and a dark ghost." He muttered, mostly to himself before adding, "Perhaps I am right to worry about you, Ms. Darklighter." Leia turned away, unsure of what to say to that conjecture. When Master Windu stood, she glanced at him curiously, watching in dismay as he logged himself out of the computer. "Still, something rings true to your words: something which cannot be ignored."
He then moved towards the door, turning about with a smile, "Good day to you, Ms. Darklighter."
"Likewise, Master Windu."
Obi-Wan sat nervously at the table as Satine smiled around the room. It was just the two of them, Quinlan now on watch for Darklighter while he rested and prepared for the confrontation if the man had shown up. They would both be at work overnight, seeming as the Force seemed to pull them in the direction of the warehouses at dusk.
As their greens disappeared, both of them of the mind that the healthy should be ingested before the better tasting, he finally found his nerve to speak. "About that friend of yours," he started hesitantly, "That Bradiway character…"
Nodding, Satine turned to him and smiled, "Ah, yes, you were supposed to tell me what had you so concerned with the man earlier."
Nodding back her way, Obi-Wan took a deep breath and let the accusation fly. He only hoped it found his target, as Satine could be quite unpredictable, "I met him once before, on Tatooine. He had me drugged and stole tissue samples from me: I was wondering if you knew anything about that."
Shrugging, Satine leaned forward on her arms, deliberating the accusation. "This is quite the declaration." She told him, "To accuse a member of my aristocracy of such a violation is no small matter Obi-Wan." He nodded, well aware of that, "But I know you: you wouldn't say such a thing if it hadn't occurred in some way. If you were drugged, perhaps you mis-associated him with the charges you've presented." Obi-Wan shook his head, sighing.
"I wish that were so." He admitted gently, resisting the urge to take Satine's hand and comfort her. Like the other special ones in his life, she took betrayals very carefully, valuing her convictions and trust in others very highly. It was something he'd always admired about her.
"Very well." Satine decided, "I'll have someone draw up a warrant and search his property."
Turning to her saddened face, Obi-Wan nodded his thanks, "I appreciate this, Satine."
As their ship landed on Mandalore, Padme let loose a deep sigh she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Beside her were three Togrutas: Ahsoka, Minaka and Lucika. During the flight, they were all quiet and somber, making the trip anything but enjoyable. Rather, she was nerve wracked.
And she desperately wanted to get back to her children on Coruscant.
Learning as she had from the Tanos of Luke and Leia's upbringing, she had many questions for them. While she would have rather left well enough alone, she wanted to know whether her family had any say in their growing up, or if her mother and father were left to believe they had no grandchildren through her. And this was despite the fact that she already knew the answer: her children had no idea who she was prior to returning to the 'fall of the republic.' Suddenly, the thought of Luke and Leia cut off from their real family was weighing on her like nothing else. Not even Anakin bothered her as much.
Stepping down onto the landing pad, the four of them headed over towards Satine's home in the grand palace. She'd been invited over to stay, especially since she'd returned to Mandalore so unexpectedly.
"We should report in." Ahsoka suddenly reminded her as they ascended the steps, "I'm sure the council is wondering what I'm up to, despite having you as my escort and I know Luke and Leia will be wanting an update." Padme shrugged, not ready to talk to them just yet, despite her desire to. "Then there is these two." Ahsoka added, gesturing back towards her future offspring. Luci merely puffed her cheeks out while Mina furrowed a brow quizzically. She clearly wasn't used to the ways of Sarcasm her mother had learned as a teenager.
Smiling, Padme glanced back at the two girls, both so different from one another. Mina crossed her arms over her chest with attitude while Luci flushed and frowned. One was ready to speak, the other ready to have a stare off. In many ways, she could see Luke and Leia doing the same thing: except for that weird twin connection they had in the Force.
"Let's get settled in first." Padme suggested, a strange tugging in her chest telling her to look towards another building. This one was the archives of Mandalore, one of the greatest libraries in the sector. Luke? She wondered, wondering where this was coming from. Instinctively, she reached for Leia's lightsaber, confused about what she was feeling.
"Senator?" Ahsoka suddenly called, just realizing she'd ascended the steps well ahead of her, Mina and Luci in tow. "Are you coming?"
Breaking her trance, Padme turned to her with a nod and smiled. "Of course."
Night had fallen over Coruscant as Anakin left the temple in search of his next target, having conversed with the chancellor all day, off and on, as to who was next. Careful to research the patterns of this next victim, or sacrifice, as Anakin saw it, he now tailed the representative of the Banking Clan carefully. It had been determined he should not pursue the warned victim. Palpatine insisted they maintain the element of surprise.
As his swoop easily turned the corners after the Muun, a speeder halted behind it, Leia in the driver's seat. She watched him wearily, a frown on her face, before speeding off after him.
Behind her was the senate hall, the chancellor boarding his limousine to head home for the night. As he drove off, another figure observed him carefully from the shadows, brown Koran eyes stony and yet uncertain. Glancing back behind him, Master Windu entered into the senate hall, dreading his actions as he did.
He had no warrant, nor approval from the council. He only had his intuition, and, after hours of meditating, it said to trust Jaina Darklighter at her word.
Using a Force Flash to knock the surveillance out temporarily, Windu easily entered the chancellor's office. The lights were out, and he left them that way, using the Force to guide him through the room and down the stairs to his office space. For the first time, he felt darkness in the room. It seemed that, without the owner of the office to moderate the Force within it, many secrets were starting to ease out of the shadows.
Following his mind's eye, he stepped off towards the right. There, he found a small, marble topped wet bar area with a sink, likely for the chancellor to store refreshments for when meeting with important dignitaries. The mirror behind that bar, however, seemed to hold some sort of secret. Upon tapping the frame, a small digital screen appeared, asking for a code: a wall safe?
Using the Force, Windu easily prognosticated the code, opening a small box with many important documents hiding inside of it. Despite how unassuming it seemed, the Force whispered to him, go farther!
He obeyed, finding a switch inside of the back of the safe, which was easily activated by touch. The bookcase on the other side of the nook then trembled and peeled backwards: a secret passageway.
Stunned, Windu followed the path into a tiny room, one that was clearly a panic room at some time. Lighting lined the floor, the blue making the space eerie. It had been refitted, however, into a comm station, with a large HoloProjector in the center of the room. Off to the side was a dark black cloak. Wearily, Windu lifted it from its peg, inspecting the Force around it: the dark side.
Frustrated, he grimaced and shook his head, returning his attention to the projector on the floor. He knelt down and turned it on manually, overriding a pass code using the dials on the side as he did. Swiftly, he began replaying the last message with a frown.
And, with his regal poise and powerful voice, Count Dooku appeared. "Yes, my master." he inquired, prostrating himself on the floor. A snarling, unfamiliar voice responded.
"How fare you with the preparations to eliminate Darklighter, my apprentice?" Windu balled his fist, feeling a heavy, undesired feeling building in his chest: his republic had been apprehended. It had been overtaken! And by a Sith, no less!
"Grievous is being dispatched as we speak." Dooku informed him, "Our spies indicate he's arrived on Mandalore. We've contacted some old friends of ours there to assist with his execution." Furrowing his brow, Windu stood tall, pulling a small device from his pocket as he did. He started recording the device with it, moving around the room to document everything while the conversation played on.
"Ah, yes, Deathwatch." The feral voice admitted, "An excellent choice! We must, however, adjust this plan… I need both Darklighters and I need them alive."
Stunned, Dooku glanced up and stared at his master in confusion. "And, if I may ask, why is that?"
There was a sigh of frustration in the recording, Windu bending down to adjust the playback to show both holographic figures. The one of the Sith master suddenly appeared, and he documented it. He wasn't a very tall figure, not compared to Windu or Dooku, but he was menacing. With the cloak from the side of the room covering his face, the chancellor appeared the Sith master Jaina had accused him of. Only his nose and mouth shone, his frown actually sending chills down the Koran master's spine.
"Indeed, I'm afraid you must impart this information on Grievous." the chancellor admitted, "Jacen and Jaina Darklighter are not of this time: they are the descendants of General Anakin Skywalker come from many years in the future." Astounded, Dooku looked up his way, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe his master. Windu was frozen at the allegation.
"Is such a thing possible?"
Nodding, the chancellor sighed, "After much research in my library of Sith Holocrons, I can say safely and assuredly that this feat is, in fact, quite possible. They have used a machine from the old days of the Sith to accomplish this and I wish to learn more about it and them."
Stepping back towards the door, Windu took a deep breath and contemplated what to do. He was here illegally, seeking evidence for both himself and the council to pursue an actual warrant on the chancellor. Time was of the essence here, as it was only a matter of time before the chancellor owned all the judges and courts. But now, he knew who Jaina Darklighter actually was. Jacen too. What to do with this information was a daunting question.
"Indeed," Dooku smiled, "It is not often one comes across a true oracle of the future."
Rushing forwards, Windu went and copied the whole conversation onto his device, knowing that the council had to see this immediately. Yet, as he did, regret overtook him, as though endangering Jaina and Jacen, as this revelation surely would, was a crime against the Force.
Clearing up any evidence he'd been inside the office, his presence in the Force included, the Koran Jedi strode confidently down the hall. But that was only a mask.
Author's Note: Happy New Year! I promise I'm still here! It's been a while and we're jumping around a lot in this chapter, but I hope it was interesting and worth the wait. Were any of you expecting Windu to find out? I know I wasn't: it just sort of happened.
Sorry about waiting so long between postings: I've been uninspired for such a long time, that it was hard to write anything until recently. Unfortunately, real life drained the imaginary one right out of me for a while. That, and the stories I could work on were, well, check out my profile page for that information.
Anyways! Please don't forget to read and review! I missed all of you and can't wait to here your opinions of this chapter. The next one is already written, so don't worry: I'll be following up soon. I'd love to hear your theories though!