Chapter Thirteen - Setting the Pieces
"You don't know the power of the Dark Side."
- Darth Vader
#
"What would you have done if you had found out about Padmé and I on your own?"
The question from Anakin came right before they moved to rejoin the others. Obi-Wan stroked his beard and gave the question serious consideration.
What would I have done? he wondered.
"I'm not sure, Anakin. I truly do not know. But I do know this: I would have done nothing without at least speaking to you first."
Anakin nodded. "Let's join the others." They began walking again before he blurted, "How did Ventress get here?"
"Just another question we'll have to ask your wayward apprentice," Obi-Wan said with a smile.
Anakin didn't return the smile. "She's not my apprentice anymore, Obi-Wan, she gave up that life."
Obi-Wan gave him a sad smile and patted him on the shoulder. "Anakin, just as you still refer and think of me as your master, so too will she be one you will always consider to be your padawan."
#
Luke and Mara were seated together on a couch while Padmé spoke softly with Ahsoka. Ventress looked painfully ill-at-ease and Mara was tempted to play a game of 'whose former master is more evil' just to break the ice, but she managed to restrain herself long enough for Obi-Wan and Anakin to return.
Without a word, Anakin strode towards Ahsoka who stood up somewhat nervously. He stood there for a moment, not saying a word, and just stared at her. Then a wide grin appeared on his face and he lifted his former apprentice in the air and hugged her fiercely. "Snips...I missed you!"
"Let me down, Anakin!"
Padmé snickered, "I told you he'd be happy to see you again,"
"Be less happy, Skyguy!" Ahsoka yelped, still engulfed in a hug.
"Never," Anakin murmured. A few moments later, after Ahsoka finally surrendered to her former master's affection, Anakin put her down.
Ahsoka was blushing furiously, something normally hard to discern with her orange coloring, but she was definitely blushing. She elbowed Anakin in the stomach, but there was a soft smile on her face as she did so.
Anakin took a step back to truly take a look at her. She wore formfitting pants that boasted a thigh holster for a blaster and a utility belt that also served to hold her two lightsabers. A sleeveless earthy brown tunic and arm coverings completed the attire. She also wore separated armor segments in a fashion similar to Obi-Wan, with her lower legs, shoulders, and wrists given more protection. But even with her new atire, she still looked very much like the Ahsoka he remembered.
Ventress, on the other hand, was quite different than the last time he met her. He could feel her presence in the Force, unmistakably hers but no longer immersed in darkness. She truly had changed and had renounced the Dark Side. She was no longer bald and instead had short, cropped, white hair. Gone was her normal getup and instead she, like Ahsoka, wore pants. A dark shirt and an even darker vest completed the ensemble. Yes, she has changed quite a lot, Anakin thought, and for the better, it would seem.
"So...not that it isn't a pleasure to see you, both of you, I suppose, but how exactly is it that you came to be here? And how is it that you came to be here together?" Anakin asked.
Ahsoka smiled weakly, "After I left the Jedi, I was somewhat aimless. I ran into Ventress while she was working on a bounty. I helped her catch her target and we got to talking. She invited me to be her partner."
Anakin wasn't quite sure how to respond to this and Obi-Wan's face said he was suffering from the same reaction. "So...you're a bounty hunter?"
"It's not as rewarding a life as the Jedi. But it's my life now, and I am content."
"And as long as you are, than we are proud of you," Padmé said firmly and Anakin nodded his agreement.
At the lull in conversation, Obi-Wan ventured, "Well Ventress...it's good to see you again."
Asajj smirked, "And without violence it seems, on my part anyway."
"So it seems," Obi-Wan smiled as he stroked his beard.
"To your original question, Anakin, several days ago I-we felt a disturbance in the Force. I felt it was connected to you somehow," Ahsoka said seriously.
Anakin sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He had a moment of indecision before he mentally shrugged and simply pointed at Luke and Mara, who had been sitting quietly watching the interactions with interest.
Luke stood and offered his hand to the two women, both of whom tentatively returned his handshake. "My name is Luke Skywalker-"
Before he could say anything else, Anakin interrupted him. "My son."
"Come again?" Ahsoka asked.
Later that night, Padmé's apartment was occupied only by the four Skywalkers. Obi-Wan had left first, going back to the Temple, while Ahsoka and Ventress had lingered for another hour before they too returned to their temporary lodgings.
Padmé had offered both women a place to stay but both Anakin and Ventress' obvious discomfort with the idea had nixed it. Nevertheless, they promised to stay in contact as things developed. Both women had been flabbergasted by Luke's appearance; it's not everyday that your offspring of a forbidden relationship time travels after all, but they had been considerably less surprised about Palpatine being the Sith Lord. Both women were ready to do their part to prevent the Empire from rising, though for Ventress it was considerably more personal than that as she didn't have any real love for the Jedi.
"What do you think the Emperor wants?" Mara asked Anakin.
"I'm not sure. He's asked me to join him on less official outings before, but with Dooku's death and the recent assassination attempt here, I'd imagine it's something more serious than that," he replied.
Luke hummed an agreement. "It won't be long before he starts putting pressure on you, Anakin. Pressure and attempting to isolate you from those who care about you."
Padmé had a ferocious look on her face, "We won't let that happen then, will we?"
"No, we will not," Mara agreed, just as fiercely.
#
It was now late and all of the residents and guests at Padmé's apartment had gone to sleep.
All but one.
Anakin stared at the ceiling and felt the weight of galaxy resting on his shoulders. Beside him was his wife, beautiful and with child. In another part of the house was one of those same children, a child of his blood who had been through a hell that had been partly Anakin's making. But his nightmares continued to plague him and he didn't dare try to block them out lest Palpatine become aware that his subterfuge had been detected.
According to Luke, if Anakin were to fall to the Dark Side, it would make Palpatine's end goal of destroying the Jedi Order a very real possibility.
With Obi-Wan and the rest of the Council now aware of his marriage, much of the constant anxiety and fear that had lived with him had been alleviated, but it had by no means disappeared. And now Palpatine wanted to meet with him at the opera. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how to feel about that. He knew he had to play the part of angry potential Sith Apprentice, but playing the part and becoming the part weren't separated by a vast distance.
However this goes down, Anakin swore, I will not leave Luke an orphan or as the son of a monster.
When Padmé made a soft sleepy sound he had to relent to a soft smile. Resting a hand around Padmé's waist, he joined her in sleep.
It won't be long now, thought Palpatine, news of Grievous will spur the Jedi to capture or destroy him. If I am lucky, it will be Obi-Wan who leaves, making young Skywalker all the more accessible.
Still, the disturbance in the Force had changed something and Bane's death seemed to be a greater sign of it. His plans had been derailed and without knowing how, he would have to put his plan back on track. If Obi-Wan were to be removed from the picture, he could be free to act more overtly with Anakin, and since nightmares of Padmé's death didn't seem to be having as significant of an impact as he had hoped, a more direct threat might be required to induce his loyalty. She needed to stay alive, at least until Anakin's offspring were born. They could then be used as leverage or he could simply train the whelp to replace its father.
Decisions, decisions.
He couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face. Worried though he might be about his plan's current viability, he still had to take pleasures in the simple things. Holding Padmé or their spawn would do quite nicely, but one thing at a time.
While Anakin and Padmé spent some time together as husband and wife, Luke and Mara went to the Temple to discuss the Jedi Order's future with the Council.
Luke, Mara, and the rest of the Council that was currently on Coruscant had been debating how to derail Darth Sidious' plans. Those not on Coruscant like Masters Koon, Secura, and Ki-Adi-Mundi were there via holo-transmission.
"Those in the medical wing and the younglings must be evacuated immediately," Master Secura stated firmly.
Mara interjected, "On principle, I agree. But you shouldn't underestimate Palpatine. If he sees transports picking up large numbers of the infirm or the young, he will suspect something. This process must be gradual and steathlike, meaning not on Republic owned ships."
"A valid point," Master Yoda observed. "To what destination shall we send those to be evacuated?"
Luke rubbed at the side of his neck before saying, "There are places strong in the Force that would be appropriate for a short term stay. Yavin IV, Ossus to name a few. We can't evacuate everyone either; the Temple must have a strong presence. It would be good to recall Jedi not on critical missions as well. Jedi who are isolated among their troops need to have plans to find safety quickly, or to find non-clone regiments to lead from."
Master Ki-Adi-Mundi frowned. "That will be difficult, possibly impossible for some of those in the field."
"As much as I hate to say it, if the command for Order 66 is given, it will not be possible to save everyone. Though all Jedi should be warned, it would also be suspicious if all Jedi were suddenly out of reach of their Clone units. If the order is given, Jedi will die. Our focus must be on destroying Palpatine before he gives the order or on countermanding the order as soon as possible," Mace Windu said.
Mara simply nodded and folded her arms. "Things will come to a crux when General Grievous is caught or destroyed. Palpatine has been saying repeatedly that he is unwilling to relinquish powers until both Dooku and Grievous were destroyed. With Dooku already out of the picture, if Grievous is killed, Palpatine will have no excuse to keep his powers."
Master Yoda hummed, "When the threat of Grievius is eliminated, confront Sidious we will."
"What can we expect from Sidious?" Plo Koon asked.
Mara sighed. "As a Force user, there are few in the galaxy that can rival him in both knowledge and power. Very few. The exact events of that night are unknown even to me, but I know that he killed several Jedi personally before he dueled you, Master Yoda. You were unable to defeat him, though to your credit, he was unable to defeat you as well."
There was a stunned silence as the Jedi digested this new information.
"When you send a strike team in," Luke advised, "Make sure they know to expect an expert with the blade and the Force. I was the recipient of his Force lightning and I would not wish that on anyone."
"And what of Anakin?" asked Obi-Wan.
There was no immediate answer
"I think leaving him behind or leaving him out of it is the worst thing that we could do, even though it might be our inclination," Obi-Wan said.
"One of the worst things you can do," Obi-Wan said with a huff, "Is leave Anakin to stew on things. I've said before, teasingly, that he is always on the move. But in truth, he is most effective when in the thick of things and when he doesn't have time to agonize over a decision. His heart can usually he relied upon to steer him true."
"Usually?" asked Mace Windu with a pointed stare.
"He is human, Master Windu, and humans make mistakes. We are here to make sure that he makes less of them," Mara said.
"I agree with Obi-Wan," Aayla Secura said, "He should be on the strike team. It will serve as both a way to make sure he remains on the path of Light and to help him fulfill his destiny."
The members of the Council nodded, albeit some of those nods were reluctant.
"Sing."
"Lord Sidious."
"A change of plans, bounty hunter. Keep observing, but I need you in a position where you can move quickly. I will need you, on possibly very short notice, to take custody of one Senator Amidala of Naboo."
"Kidnap a Senator?" Aurra Sing asked somewhat dubiously.
"Is that a problem?"
The voice was cold and sinister and made Aurra Sing regret her question. "No, Lord Sidious, do you have a preference for where I should take her?"
"I will contact you when it needs to be done and I will give you the details then. Stay alert, bounty hunter."
"I'll be ready."
"See to it that you are, you will not like how I reward failure."
As the comlink clicked off, Aurra Sing shivered. She wouldn't admit to anyone, but this 'Lord Sidious' was someone that she never wanted to cross.
