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Enjoy the next chapter! :)
Kita hated wars.
In her lifetime she'd seen quite a few, but they were always small scale, affecting systems or just planets. This war, though…
Kita wandered the empty halls of the Temple, her heart mourning the loss of so many Jedi. She stopped by empty room after empty room, knowing that it would never again be filled with the warmth and life of the person who used to live there.
The rain rattled against the windows as Kita made her sad trek. It was an abysmal night that suited her abysmal mood. Three years of the Clone War had torn her world apart.
She normally tried not to be so pessimistic, but tonight it just seemed unbearable. She wasn't quite sure why, either, seeing as she had been having a delightful time with the younglings playing hide and seek.
Anakin… Kita realized. The pup was extremely strong in the Force – being the Chosen One, he held a greater connection to the living Force than any Jedi Kita had known.
Something was obviously bothering Anakin.
Picking up her pace a little, Kita began to sense out his presence. Anakin had enjoyed Kita's attention over the years, but as the war had progressed he found peace nowhere, not even in the affection from Kita, though she did seem to calm him the most out of any of the Jedi aside from Obi-Wan. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to help him tonight with as horrible as he seemed to be feeling, but she would at least try.
When Kita followed the source, she found it permeating the air in the Council chamber. However, Anakin wasn't there. She sensed horror, dread, terror, anxiety, anger, loneliness, desperation, and yearning. The negative mix turned her stomach and made her eyes water, and her world began to spin slightly. She had never sensed such overpowering emotions before, even from Anakin. Something was really wrong.
A fresher trail led out of the chamber, so Kita followed it, leading her to the hangar bay, which was being guarded by Master Shaak Ti.
Did Anakin pass through here? Kita asked the Jedi Master.
Master Ti nodded. "Yes, Kita, he did. He wanted to face Palpatine."
Kita blinked. Wait, what? Face Palpatine?
Master Ti looked grim. "The chancellor has revealed himself as the Sith Lord we've been looking for. The Temple's currently in lockdown as a result. Masters Windu, Tiin, Kolar, and Fisto went to handle the situation, and Skywalker showed up shortly after, wanting to help."
Merciful heavens… no wonder the Temple seemed strangely tense… Palpatine…?
Wait a minute…
Did Anakin seem okay? Kita asked urgently.
Master Ti sighed. "He looked ill, but he insisted it was his duty as the Chosen One to help the Masters against the Sith."
Looked ill… there was a bloody good reason he looked ill. Palpatine had been his friend. Kita knew that very well. She wasn't so sure the Masters understood just how well a friend Palpatine was to Anakin. No, this wasn't going to end well at all…
Ignoring any protest from Master Ti, Kita gathered the Force around her and used it to run faster than she ever had. She rushed into the hangar and leapt off the edge to the nearest building. She ran as fast as the Force would let her, nearly rivaling the passerby ships in speed. She had to get to the chancellor's office. Anakin's Force scent was very fresh – he must have just left.
Anxiety and terror filled Kita's stomach as she ran, and the chancellor's office quickly came into view. Kita saw a ship landing in the hangar near the office.
Anakin!
Kita ran harder, leaping the remaining distance and rushing into the bottom floor of the building. Some people paused, looking at her confusedly, but she rushed passed them, slamming the call button for the turbolift. This caused even more confusion among the people, and someone said to get animal control. Rolling her eyes, Kita ignored the people as the lift door opened and she entered, using the Force to immediately shut it and hit the button for the top floor. The lift immediately sped along its way, leaving Kita to pace restlessly.
Feeling out in the Force, Kita sensed Master Windu, who felt like a beacon of light in all the darkness surrounding the building. She then sensed Anakin, who was a storm cloud full of energy and power, and it was ready to burst. Then she sensed a hideous and odious darkness that made her shiver to the core of her being. That had to be the Sith Lord. Her fears increased and sadness entered her mind as she didn't sense the other three Masters, and she immediately came to the conclusion that they had to be dead.
The lift finally reached its destination, and Kita bounded out into the hall. The door to the office was open, and Anakin was already inside, pleading about how Palpatine had to stand trial. Palpatine was crouching like a coward on one end of his shattered window while Master Windu had his lightsaber aimed at Palpatine's heart.
"I need him!" Anakin shouted desperately as Master Windu began to lift his blade to deliver the final blow.
Kita said nothing – she didn't want to make herself known to any of them, especially Palpatine. However, she did find herself internally cheering Master Windu on, begging him to finish the job.
Master Windu gave a powerful swing with his lightsaber, but it was interfered with when Anakin yelled out and activated his own blade to protect Palpatine. Anakin cut off Master Windu's hands, leaving Kita gaping for an instant. However, Kita immediately sensed danger as Palpatine began to move.
It was time to act.
Snarling, Kita bounded ahead with all the strength and speed she could muster. She may be a dog, but she was still a Jedi. This was her duty. This was what she had sworn to do. She would protect the galaxy from this tyrant.
Just as Palpatine was about to unleash some sort of attack on the now helpless Master Windu, Kita slammed into him, digging her claws into his chest. Palpatine cried out, and both Master Windu and Anakin jumped, completely caught off guard. The force of Kita's hit caused Palpatine to slip too far towards the open window, and Kita felt her world shift and whirl as she and the Sith Lord began to fall.
Kita!
Kita heard the voice in her head, and for an instant she was in Anakin's mind watching herself and the Sith Lord fall. She saw Anakin's vision dart between the two as he decided in a split second who he should save, not being able to hold both of them. And then the instant was gone, and she was back to flailing helplessly in the rain and wind.
Kita froze in midair.
Her heart was racing. The rain was pouring. The wind was howling. Her head was whirling. What had just happened? Slowly, Kita found herself rising and she looked up to see Anakin standing at the edge with his hand outstretched, his blue eyes watching her desperately.
Kita reached the top floor once more and floated to the windowsill. As soon as her paws touched the ground she immediately went to Anakin, who had collapsed. Licking his face to make him come back to awareness, Kita wagged her tail profusely and nuzzled him.
"What did I do, what did I do…" he muttered frantically under his breath as his eyes darted between the spot where Palpatine had been and the spot where Master Windu was now cradling his amputated wrists.
It's okay, Anakin, Kita hastily said to reassure him, but he couldn't hear her anymore. Sending soothing waves through the Force as she would to a distressed pup, Kita used the Force to pick Anakin up and put him on her back as she rose to her full height, leaving his feet dangling just above the ground.
Now what?
Kita could imagine Master Windu wouldn't be very happy with Anakin's supposed betrayal. She knew his actions were simply out of desperation; if there was one thing she had learned about Anakin, it was that he needed attention. He needed love. And if he received it, nothing in the universe would stop him from protecting the person who gave it, even if that person was a Sith Lord. Of course, Kita also knew that Master Windu would need time to calm down first, and this was not the time to let the Jedi Master try and deal with Anakin, so she carried the panicked Knight out of the office and back to the platform where he had landed his ship.
Going out into the rain once more, Kita gently manipulated the Force to make Anakin slide off her back. He slumped against the ship, so out of it from the overload of emotions and situations that he was starting to pass out. Kita immediately nudged him.
Anakin, she said, getting his attention as he turned exhausted eyes to her. I know you're tired, puppy, but I need you to do this one last thing for me. I need you to pilot this ship. We need to get back to the Temple.
"You killed him…" Anakin mumbled, staring at her before he suddenly laughed. "How are we going to explain that? The chancellor was killed by a dog!"
Anakin began to laugh hysterically, disconnecting his mind from reality. Kita sighed in frustration. She knew he needed to be looked after, but they had to get back to the Temple first!
Trying again, Kita said, Anakin, snap out of it! We have to get back to the Temple!
Anakin's laughter stopped and he gave her a dark look. "Somebody always needs something out of me."
Oh, you lost little puppy, Kita shook her head and then licked him on the cheek. I want to help you, but we have to get back to the Temple first. You know I can't pilot this thing.
Anakin watched her, and she felt him probe into her mind as he searched for any shred of honesty in her remark. As he did so, Kita shuddered, feeling just how shattered his own mind was from the ordeal.
Where's Obi-Wan? Kita suddenly asked, giving him something to latch onto.
Her little idea worked, and Anakin immediately focused, but his expression turned to dejection. "He's busy…"
He won't be for long. Kita immediately told him. You get us back to the Temple and I will personally drag Obi-Wan back. Okay?
Anakin watched her, and after having already sensed her sincerity, he wearily placed a hand on the ship to help himself stand. Kita aided him as well as he dragged his feet to the cockpit and climbed in. Kita hopped in beside him just as she sensed Master Windu approaching angrily.
Nudging him, she said, Now, little pup!
Anakin activated the engines and lowered the covering over the cockpit, making the ship rise a little unsteadily before shooting into one of the lanes. Kita had flown in a ship once before when she had gone on vacation with Anakin and two other Padawans – Force that seemed like an eternity ago now. However, there had been a pilot for that expedition; this was her first encounter with Anakin's piloting, and she suddenly understood why his Master had grey hair. They weaved in and out of traffic as Anakin fought to stay conscious and Kita continually yelled in his head.
Watch it—there's a speeder right ahead coming in the opposite direction!
Anakin sighed heavily. "You sound just like Obi-Wan."
Maybe that's because he's very happy to stay alive. Kita insisted as she leaned in one direction in a desperate attempt to make the ship do so as well.
They somehow managed to make it back to the Temple in one piece, but just as they landed Anakin finally couldn't fight his exhaustion anymore and he passed out. Kita couldn't blame him, but she was a little annoyed since they were still trapped in the cockpit. She had no idea which button let them leave, and she was too afraid to figure it out, thinking she might accidentally make the ship take off again. Kita managed to use the Force instead to open the cockpit, though it did send the covering flying across the hangar and made Master Ti scramble for cover.
Gently pulling Anakin out of the cockpit, Kita carried him on her back as she rushed by a completely bewildered Shaak Ti. She hastily said to her, The Sith Lord's dead, but Master Windu's hurt. Go get a healer and find him at the chancellor's office!
Master Ti immediately sprang into action, departing just as Kita ran in another direction. She knew just who to leave in charge of Anakin.
Entering a large room, Kita called out to the Bear Clan, and the children immediately came. They all gasped upon seeing Anakin and helped Kita lower him onto the ground. Kita ordered them to get pillows, towels, and blankets, and they all dried him off from the soaking rain, taking off his tunic and getting him a fresh one before laying him on a sleep mat and covering him with a few blankets.
"What happened to him, Kita?" one of them asked.
The Sith Lord appeared. Kita explained, and the younglings all gasped. He tried to get Anakin to join him.
"Oh no!" they all looked at her in horror. "Did he put him under a Sith spell?"
Mild amusement flashed through Kita as she thought about the times when she would pretend to be a "Sith witch" and cast evil spells on the younglings. They had obviously taken that to heart when it came to real Sith Lords.
Only for a very short amount of time, Kita quickly said. But he hurt Master Windu when it happened and now he might get in trouble. Do you think you could protect him?
All the younglings immediately nodded. They'd dealt with Anakin before since he had occasionally volunteered (with great persuasion from Kita and Obi-Wan) to babysit them, and so they all held a fondness for him. "Don't worry, Kita; we'll make sure even Master Yoda himself doesn't find Master Skywalker."
Kita smiled and nodded. I knew you guys could help me. Keep him safe!
Kita ran out of the room and then found the nearest communications station. Using the Force to patch in the correct frequency, she managed to call the only person in the galaxy who could fix this problem.
"This is Gen. Kenobi," Obi-Wan's voice immediately responded, sounding tense.
Kita opened her mouth excitedly, and then she realized something. She had never spoken out loud in her entire life. There was no way Obi-Wan would be able to hear her from Utapau.
Sithspit.
Kita stood there, frozen and helpless. She had never really thought about her speaking predicament before, but now, the one time she truly needed somebody because the fate of a puppy's sanity and safety was in the balance, she couldn't speak.
So she barked.
"Uh, hello?" Obi-Wan sounded confused. Kita barked again, even louder. There was a long pause before Obi-Wan finally said, "…Kita?"
Kita barked again encouragingly.
"Kita I have no idea what you're trying to tell me. Is something wrong?"
Kita barked once.
"Is that a yes?"
Kita barked once again, but she was starting to grow frustrated and she had no doubt that Obi-Wan was too. They had to establish some way to talk!
"Kita, listen to me. If the answer is yes, bark twice. If it's no, bark once. Is something wrong?"
Kita barked twice.
"Does it have to do with Anakin?"
Kita barked twice.
"Is it urgent?"
Kita barked continuously to make her point. She made it quite well, apparently, since she heard Obi-Wan swear harshly over the other end.
"Kita, I'm in the middle of a campaign—"
Kita interrupted him, barking incessantly and urgently.
"Okay," Obi-Wan hastily replied. "As soon as this battle is over I'll—"
Although she knew he couldn't see her, Kita shook her head vigorously as she began to bark incessantly again. She had to make her point somehow!
"Kita I can't just abandon the campaign and my men in the middle of battle!" Obi-Wan argued, sounding frustrated. Kita heard blaster fire grow louder in the background. "I'm their general! Look, let me contact Master Windu so I can figure out what's going on—"
Whoa, no, no, bad idea. Kita barked once.
"Don't contact Master Windu? What in the blazes is going on over there?"
Kita whined. Put the pieces together, dang it!
Obi-Wan sighed heavily, and Kita heard his lightsaber deflect a blaster bolt. "So something's wrong with Anakin, it's very urgent, and I can't contact Master Windu about the matter."
Obi-Wan paused and then swore harshly. "It doesn't have to do with a certain senator, does it?"
Kita paused, completely bewildered. Huh? Palpatine was the chancellor, not a senator. She barked once.
"Well forget I said anything on the matter," Obi-Wan hastily added before grunting as he probably dodged another blaster bolt. "Look, this really isn't helping, Kita – is there any way—on never mind. I'll ask questions, just answer them quickly, okay?"
Kita barked twice.
"Is Anakin hurt badly—and I don't mean his regular injuries, Kita. If this is so urgent he'd better be—"
Kita barked twice; he wasn't necessarily hurt, but she doubted Obi-Wan was going to ask specifically after his mental condition. She heard the whirling sound of Obi-Wan's lightsaber pause as if he had frozen in place.
"Kita, I…" Obi-Wan's voice cracked a little and she heard him clear his throat. "I can't… there's nothing I can do to help improve his condition that the healers probably aren't doing… I can't just abandon my troops."
Kita was starting to debate whether she should actually just go to Utapau and drag Obi-Wan back. At this point it would probably be faster.
"Is that why you called me?"
Kita barked once.
She knew Obi-Wan blanched at that. "Wha—what do you—you're saying if there was nothing else you wouldn't call to tell me my former Padawan's dying?!"
Despite the severity of the situation, Kita did find herself smiling. If only Anakin could see how much Obi-Wan really did care about him.
"Well blast it, Kita, what else is there?!"
Kita paused and then cut the connection. She had a better idea. Running back to the Bear Clan, she immediately motioned to the younglings, who were all doing their best impression of acting as if they had no idea anything was wrong—though she was rather sure their act wasn't foolproof since one of them was attempting to read a data pad and was therefore holding it upside down since he couldn't read.
I need the oldest to come here now! Kita said urgently. A girl, Shia Letap, ran forward, her chocolate brown eyes gazing at Kita in worry.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice shaking.
I need your help, Shia, Kita explained urgently as she motioned for the girl to climb onto her back. Shia did so and Kita tore down the hallways back to the communications station. Keying in the frequency once more, Kita prayed that Obi-Wan would once again respond.
"This is Gen. Kenobi," he dutifully answered.
"Master Kenobi?" Shia immediately yelped.
Obi-Wan paused. In the pause Kita heard no blaster fire in the background; that was a good sign. "…Hello?"
Kita barked.
"Kita? What happened? How's Anakin?"
Shia immediately began to explain hurriedly before Kita could even prompt her on what to say. "Oh, Master Kenobi, it's horrible! The Sith Lord appeared and he put a Sith spell on Master Skywalker and Master Skywalker hurt Master Windu and now Master Windu's mad and now Master Skywalker's in trouble but Master Skywalker's sick and he's hurt and he's sleeping and we're hiding him and it's really bad and—"
"Wait, what?!" Obi-Wan exclaimed.
Ask him if the battle is over, puppy, Kita prompted.
"Kita's wondering if the battle's over," Shia said.
"Wha—yes, yes, it's over, but—the Sith revealed himself?!"
Kita nodded, and Shia was about to ramble on once more when Kita interrupted her. Shia, tell him that he has to come back now. Anakin needs him.
Shia nodded fervently. "Master Kenobi, Master Skywalker needs you and you really need to come back right now and—"
"Why haven't I heard anything from the Council?"
Rolling her eyes, Kita gave Shia the answer, who then said aloud, "Because the Council doesn't know the whole story right now."
"Then why don't you tell them?"
"Kita says Master Skywalker's health is more important right now. She needs you to come home. She said she promised Master Skywalker she'd bring you home."
"What's Anakin's condition?"
"He's in really bad shape!" Shia immediately said. "He's pale and he's cold and he's shivering and he's sick and he's hungry and he needs his Master!"
Kita sighed. Tell him I'll explain more when he can actually hear me.
Shia relayed the information and Obi-Wan was silent for a time. At last he answered, and he finally seemed understand the gravity of the situation when he said, "Very well then, Kita. I'm on my way."
The Temple was in chaos. With Master Yoda gone, Master Windu was in charge, but he was in quite the foul mood after believing he had been betrayed by Anakin. He hadn't even realized that Kita was still alive since he hadn't seen Anakin rescue her. Kita was too busy trying to help the Bear Clan keep Anakin hidden to concern herself with correcting any assumptions. She was just waiting for Obi-Wan to arrive.
"He's really pale, Kita," one of the clan members said worriedly as she looked over Anakin.
He hasn't been feeling well lately, Kita commented, and the thought of it made her smack herself mentally. She had known something was wrong with Anakin; he hadn't been eating, drinking, or sleeping over the past three or four days. The poor puppy was practically a walking corpse by the time Palpatine revealed himself as the Sith Lord.
Before Kita could contemplate the matter any further, she sensed the clan's mentor approaching. Your Master's coming! Quick—hide Anakin!
Gasping, the younglings frantically began to run around, trying to figure out what to do with Anakin. Five of them grabbed the sleep mat and tried to drag it, but they all fell over each other since Anakin was too heavy. Another group of younglings attempted to hide him under a pile of pillows and then sat on top to make it look inconspicuous, but then Kita quickly reminded them that Anakin needed to breathe.
Kita helped the clan slide Anakin to the corner of the room, where they then threw a bunch of stuff in a pile between Anakin and the rest of the room so it would block him from view. Then Kita sprawled out in front of the pile as the children all ran to their sleep mats that they used to take naps during the day.
Light spilled into the room from the hallway as their Minder entered the room. When he noticed the children, he asked, "What are you all doing here?"
Shia immediately took charge. "You never said it was bedtime!"
Another youngling piped in as well. "Yeah! So we stayed here! And Kita watched us so it's okay!"
"Kita?" the Master looked over to see Kita, who wagged her tail nervously as she did her best to act natural. The younglings were doing a better job than she was…
Shaking his head, the Master said, "Well never you mind. It's bedtime now, younglings, so come along."
The children looked nervously at each other and then they all glanced at Kita. The Master noticed the movement. "Am I missing something, Kita?"
Kita wagged her tail again. Why would you say that, Master Chen? The puppies just want to stay up, that's all.
"Well they can't – it's far after their bedtime anyway. Come along, young ones."
Again they exchanged panicked looks. Some looked like they were ready to protest, but Kita slowly shook her head and motioned for them to follow their Minder. They did so, but their behavior apparently had the Master quite suspicious. After he led them all out, he told Shia to escort the clan and then he returned to Kita.
"Kita, you know the news, don't you?" he asked quietly.
Kita feigned curiosity and confusion. News?
"The Temple's been in lockdown for an hour, Kita," Master Chen said. "You didn't notice?"
I noticed something was up. Kita was trying to be as honest as possible, but she wasn't sure if she was successfully pulling off the impression of being out of the loop.
"It's Palpatine," the Master said, sounding miserable and terrified. "The Sith Lord we've been looking for—it was Palpatine. The chancellor himself! Can you believe that? It's—what are we going to do? The entire Republic's been led by a Sith—and his apprentice led the Separatists! An entire war—just to—it's sickening, particularly with how many have died, and—it just seems like it'll be impossible to clean up… and then Skywalker…"
Just as Kita was about to inquire after what he might have meant, a moan was heard from behind her and the mountain of pillows. The Master immediately jumped and peeked around, wondering if perhaps one of his younglings had been hiding. When he saw and recognized Anakin, he suddenly looked at Kita in astonishment and accusation.
"Kita—you—he—you knew!" he stammered, pointing at her.
Kita shot to her feet. Master Chen—
"Master Windu said Skywalker has turned to the dark side—he defended the Sith!" Master Chen said angrily. "How could you—he's not some helpless boy you can defend anymore, Kita! He is—he was—a Knight!"
Using the Force, Master Chen immediately turned Anakin onto his stomach and placed his hands together behind his back. Grabbing a sheet he fashioned it into a small rope and bound Anakin's hands. Anakin began to stir and squirm under the man's hard grip while Kita tried in vain to protest, but the Master once again interrupted her.
"You put the safety of my clan at risk bringing him in here!" he said angrily as he called someone over his comlink.
Kita paused. She—she hadn't really put them at risk, had she? No, of course not! Anakin would never hurt the puppies! He was confused—he was ill—he was compromised! He needed—
Kita's train of thought whirled all of a sudden as she made connections she hadn't thought of up to this point, and it made her head spin. If Palpatine was the Sith Lord then he had been playing merry havoc with the Jedi this entire time—he knew Obi-Wan would be sent to Utapau; that's why he let the Council find out about Grievous' whereabouts! He knew Obi-Wan was Anakin's one defense!
Well, almost his one defense.
Kita never really cared if people outside the Temple ever knew about her, but in this one instance she was suddenly grateful they didn't; she didn't want to know what the Sith Lord would have devised for her to get her out of his way. The one encounter had been enough.
As she was thinking all of this Kita failed to notice that Master Windu had arrived until he suddenly used real binders to incapacitate Anakin rather than the sheet and then ordered that Anakin be taken to a holding cell. Kita immediately tried to argue, but Windu was out of the room before she could protest—had he even noticed her?
Growling in frustration, Kita was about to follow when she heard the Masters suddenly talk about the possibility of the clones turning on them. At that thought her blood ran cold, and she put Anakin's safety to the side in the stead of all the other puppies—he would be fine so long as the Masters just placed him in a cell and then forgot about him temporarily.
You don't really think the clones are going to attack us, do you? She asked Master Ti.
Shaak Ti shook her head. "I don't know. The clones swore their loyalty to the Republic and the Chancellor… but news of his death hasn't spread yet."
How are we going to cover this up? Kita asked worriedly.
"We can't cover it up," Shaak replied. "We'll have to explain it… somehow."
Kita looked worriedly outside; this was going to be a long night.
To Be Continued...
So as I'm sure you noticed with the chapter title this is in two parts since I didn't want to cram it all in one chapter.
And who says dogs don't kick butt? XD GO KITA! Ah, it's always so satisfying writing Palpatine's death - it never gets old!
Kita'd love a review. ;)