I don't own Star Wars or any of the characters.
Republic Day had finally arrived. Weeks of careful planning begun to unfold. Entire levels of Coruscant, ranging from the upper most all the way down to the fiftieth, had been meticulously prepared for the most important day of the year. Streets had been polished, statues waxed, and buildings repainted. People dressed in their best clothes as they partook in the planet wide celebration. Everywhere people were feasting, dancing and laughing together. But the most anticipated event of Republic Day was the parade.
Senators and representatives from all over the Republic each sat on their own secure float, a pair of Jedi standing by with a team of guards for protection. At the head of the parade was Chancellor Padme Amidala's float. Riding on the float with the Chancellor was her husband; Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, son; Luke Skywalker and daughter; Leia Skywalker. Mara Jade and Han Solo rode on the float with the Skywalker family, as both added protection and being in their own respective relationships with the Chancellor's son and daughter. Even the family's droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, rode upon the float with the Skywalkers.
Anakin fidgeted in his seat. Padme looked at her husband and noticed his anxiety. Padme placed her hand over her husband's, gently smiling at him as he turned to face her.
"Relax Anakin. I haven't seen you this anxious since our wedding night. You've been acting strange all week. Anakin, if there's something bothering you, you know you can tell me. We've been married for over twenty-six years. I think by now you would know you could tell me anything." assured Padme.
Anakin pulled at the collar of his formal robe, shifting his weight from side to side. He wanted to tell Padme everything right there and then. He wanted to confess about all the things he had done as Vader, tell her that he wasn't really her husband, but Anakin knew that he couldn't tell Padme anything, at least not yet. So instead Anakin put on a smile and tried to keep himself from fidgeting.
"I'm just worried about the Sith and all these rumours of an attack on the Senate." told Anakin.
What Anakin told Padme wasn't technically a lie. He was truly worried about the Sith and the possible attacks on the Senate. From what he had read since arriving in this world, tensions were rising in the Senate just as they had before the Clone Wars. All it would take was one correctly planned attack and everything done to rebuild the Republic would be destroyed. And since Padme was the Chancellor, even though she was in her third year of her second term, she would be the primary target for any terrorist attacks and any attacks condoned by the possible Sith Lord as a way to get to him.
The thought of a Sith attacking Padme caused Anakin's anger to rise. Luke sensed the growing anger in his father and quickly made mental contact.
"Father, don't give in to your anger." warned Luke.
Anakin pushed down his anger, regaining control of himself.
"Thank you, my son. I almost gave in to my anger. Even though I relinquished the Dark Side, I still feel Vader trying to regain control. It you weren't here, Luke, I don't know what I would do." confessed Anakin.
"You're no longer Vader. You're Anakin Skywalker, my father." assured Luke.
No more between father and son had to be said. Anakin knew Luke would be there to help him if he began to fall, and Luke knew he would be able to keep his father from falling to the dark side again. Whatever the galaxy threw at them, father and son would face the challenge together.
The parade continued on as planned. Anakin tried to keep his focus but the former Sith Lord found himself drifting off more times than when Obi-Wan had lectured him as a Padawan. Anakin was almost about to fall asleep when the ex-Sith sensed a disturbance in the Force. He wasn't the only one. Every Jedi in the vicinity felt the growing presence of the dark side.
Suddenly, without any warning, the float behind the one the Skywalkers were riding on crashed into them. Everyone on the float held on for dear life as it sped out of the hoverlane and crashed into the nearest building, causing citizens to run for their lives. Anakin was the first to emerge from the crash followed by this children and Padawan. The droids clambered out of the rechage, C-3PO complaining about the situatio to R2. Han was currently helping Padme out of the recharge, having been the closest to the Chancellor when the float crashed. He wanted to help his wife, but the approaching dark side energy drew Anakin's attention to the matter at hand.
Before the Jedi Master stood three cloaked figures each brandishing a double bladed lightsaber. Anakin recognised the ring encircling the hilt of the strangers' lightsabers as a sign of the Imperial Inquisitors. Acting on instinct, Anakin drew his lightsaber. Discarding his robe, he fell into his familiar fighting stance as he faced the three Inquisitors.
"Whoever you are, you'll pay for what you did to my family!" snarled Anakin.
One of the Inquisitors broke off from the others. Using the Force, Anakin tried to get a reading on his opponent. All Anakin could determine was the Inquisitor was a female Togruta before he was forcibly blocked from reading the female Force-sensitive. Whoever she was, she was well trained in the ways of the dark side.
Anakin raised his lightsaber as the Togruta Inquisitor ignited the crimson blade of her double bladed lightsaber. Though her face was hidden by a mask, Anakin could feel the female Dark Side user staring at him.
"Anakin Skywalker. I have heard stories about you." spoke the female Darksider.
The dark allied Togruta's voice was distorted by some sort of machine, but Anakin could have sworn he recognised the voice.
"Funny, I've never heard of you." responded Anakin.
"I am Darth Venger, apprentice of the Immortal Emperor. Soon to be leader of this and all universes." declared Venger.
Before Anakin had the chance to respond, Venger was already upon him. Venger attacked the Jedi Master, catching him momentarily off guard. Anakin mentally scolded himself for letting his guard down. He had been so focused on trying to figure out who Venger was that he allowed her to gain ground and attack him. But Anakin wouldn't allow that to happen again.
The Jedi Master lunged forward but Venger quickly jumped to the side and narrowly missed severing his arm. As the fight continued, Anakin began to recognised a pattern in the Sith apprentice's fighting style. Whenever Anakin went in for an attack Venger was able to intercept or redirect it. It was almost like she had fought against Anakin before, but this was the first time the two had ever met, wasn't it?
As Anakin continued to fight Darth Venger, dozens of more Inquisitors and common beings allied with the Sith began to reveal themselves. Panic erupted. People scattered as blasters and lightsabers randomly seemed to target both civilian and political parties. The Jedi and Republic troops took up arms against the Sith followers, fighting back as hard as they could.
One minute Anakin was fighting and the next he was waking up in the Halls of Healing at the Jedi Temple. It took Anakin a moment to realise he was not alone. Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Leia, Han and Padme were all gathered around the cot Anakin was lying on. That's when Anakin noticed something was wrong. Luke wasn't anywhere among the gathered crowd before him and he could not sense his son's presence anywhere close by in the Force.
"What happened? Where am I? Where's Luke?" panicked Anakin.
Padme pushed her husband back onto the cot before he could injure himself any further.
"Anakin, you have to calm down. Panicking won't help any of us." stated Padme.
"But where's Luke. I can't sense him anywhere in the Force." told Anakin.
Anakin noticed the faces of his friends and family, grow dark and distant. This only caused Anakin's panic to increase. Something had happened to Luke and they weren't telling him. Familiar dark urges began to resurface but Anakin quickly pushed them back down. It would do him no good if he drew on the power of the Dark Side here in front of all these Jedi. It would only cause him more trouble and keep Anakin from learning what had happened to his son.
Sensing his former Padawan's distress, Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder. Anakin looked up at his former Master not knowing if he wanted help from him or to blame Obi-Wan for whatever happened to his son, no matter how illogical it was to do so.
"During the attack you blacked out. You would have been killed by that Sith apprentice—Venger?—if Luke and Mara hadn't rushed in to save you. But then something overcame Luke and he blacked out just like you. The Sith staggered and almost looked like she would black out too, but she regained her focus just as Mara was about to attack her. The Sith knocked Mara out and…" explained Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan trailed off. Ahsoka took over for the aged Master, knowing she could relay the news to Anakin better than he could.
"Luke and Mara were captured by the Sith, along with other Jedi Padawans and Initiates. Steel, Annie, Cham and countless other young Jedi were captured right under our noses. We tried to go after them but the Sith just disappeared. And the few of their followers we did manage to capture aren't talking. We are…" reluctantly told Ahsoka.
Anakin drowned out the rest of his former Padawan's words. Whatever she was saying, Anakin knew it wasn't important. Luke had been captured by the Sith. They could be torturing him or worse, trying to turn him to the Dark Side. That last thought sent shivers down Anakin's spine. Ever since he came to this world Luke had been acting as his anchor, helping him stay rooted in the light. But Luke was gone, and Anakin swore he would make those who took his son pay. One way or another.
Sorry about the late update. I've been having a bit of writer's block. I've got the story going where I want it to now and the updates should be coming faster from now on. Comment if you like the story.
