More Aria/Anakin time. The next chapter is going to be amazing, I will say that :D I can't wait hehehehe

Keep with me lol, it might be a little slow paced on Earth, but things happen slow on Earth. It will pick up though, I know it will, I'm the author. Just...stick with me.

Yaaaayyyy let's get on to this next chapter!

Whoop Whoop!

Aria/Anakin

And yes...the next chapter will pick up where this leaves off...roughly...lol

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"I want an explanation!"

Please, oh please, let's not have him lose his temper now, and not with me. I would prefer to have him trust me, not hate me.

Aria instinctively had her hands raised in defense, a few feet away from the raging future Darth Vader in her room. The Lawless from season five of The Clone Wars sat on pause...with Darth Maul's face filling the screen.

"You have to let me speak so I can actually give you your explanation," Aria said slowly. "I probably should have prepared you a little better for this, I'll admit, but I didn't know exactly how to explain it."

Anakin wasn't accepting that explanation. "How about 'Oh, by the way, Qui-Gon's murderer Darth Maul is still alive,' did that ever occur to you?" he snapped.

"Keep your voice down," Aria said through grit teeth.

"Who cares!" Anakin exclaimed. "Obi-Wan has the right to know! For crying out loud, that's like-like-"

"Like not telling Luke who his father is, I know...even if you don't understand that reference. But I wouldn't be able to tell you much else as I'm not sure where Maul's been this entire time, where he is now, or anything of that sort. I would not be able to tell him much else. Besides, I know that Obi-Wan can handle him, so I'm not to worried about it whenever Maul does show up. This right here, what happens in this episode, is what I'm worried about."

"He should still be told," Anakin shot back, though Aria could tell that he was losing steam.

Good.

"He will learn as he did originally. I don't want to accidentally unleash Maul early on the universe. Right now, in the present, he's insane and harmless who knows where. This is a warning of what could happen, and if you would remember, I'm more worried about Satine and Obi-Wan than Maul. I'd prefer he doesn't suffer this scar, thank you very much."

Anakin's lips thinned as he bit back a nasty retort. "I still think that he needs to be told about this; that the Council needs to be told of this."

"Right now Maul holds no threat. And even at this point in time, Maul is only a minor threat compared to everything else that is going on...but this incident right here holds significance in my opinion. Now, can we please get to watching what happens so that you're aware of it? I'm afraid I can't let you watch all of the episode because of certain information that's contained at the end, but I can let you watch all the parts that are important."

Anakin growled low in his throat but he let it go, turning back to her laptop screen with his hands clasped behind his back. He said nothing, and he made no move to return to his seat on the bed that he had resided in previous to his outburst upon seeing Darth Maul. Sighing at his temperament, Aria resumed the episode. It had hardly reached thirty seconds before Maul had been show and elicited a reaction from him, and there was still the entire rest of the episode to be seen.

Aria wasn't quite sure she wanted to be in the room when Anakin saw Maul kill Satine in front of Obi-Wan…

"What do you want you traitor?" Satine's voice echoed from the computer.

"Oh, I should probably mention that this is all computer animation...and there's entirely different actors for characters in here," Aria mumbled distractedly, watching with half-hearted interest as Korkie made his failed rescue attempt. She knew how this entire episode went down, and she didn't think she had the heart to watch it all again. Anakin said nothing, but rather watched in silence as Bo-Katan and Korkie rushed Satine out of the prison with Satine trying to find a signal to contact the Jedi Council. She saw him wince when they were cornered and Satine kneeled down for her signal, already recording her message.

"This is a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi! I've lost Mandalore! My…"

The rest of the message was lost in the sound of the Deathwatch jetpacks and the scuffle-if it could even be called that-between Korkie and the Deathwatch member before Deathwatch knocked the young cadet unconscious. Satine turned back to the transmission.

"Obi-Wan...I need your help."


Anakin watched as the picture panned away and shifted to the Jedi Temple where Master Mundi and Master Yoda were waiting for Obi-Wan to arrive. The door slid open as he entered.

"You summoned me Masters?" Obi-Wan asked.

The two of them said nothing in response, and Mundi activated the transmission console in the middle of the room to show the message that they had received from Satine. Obi-Wan tensed upon seeing her, his attention riveted to her holographic form as his shoulders drooped and his expression morphed into a strange mixture of horror and shock.

"This is a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi! I've lost Mandalore! My people have been massacred, and Almec is now the Prime Minister. I can't explain everything now, but Almec has the support of the crime families." Satine turned away for a moment and Obi-Wan covered his mouth and beard with his hand, hiding his true reaction to the news he was receiving. "Obi-Wan...I need your help."

Even in cartoon form, Anakin could tell that a righteous fire was burning in his Master's eyes. It was an expression he had only seen once so far...and that was the expression he had witnessed four days ago on Aria's television screen as he watched the first Star Wars Episode where Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan battled Maul.

"Your thoughts on this, Master Kenobi?" Yoda asked Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan had yet to move.

"Satine has been at odds with the Deathwatch for years...and according to a report from Padawan Tano, they are no longer in league with the Separatists," Obi-Wan explained gravely. "If there was a takeover on Mandalore, it was most likely an independent act, caused by the Deathwatch alone."

Yoda and Mundi both looked down.

"Without involvement from the Separatists, this is an internal affair for the Mandalorians...I'm afraid we cannot help," Mundi said.

Obi-Wan was quick to argue, borderlining explosive in his immediate reaction. "We cannot just hand Mandalore over to these crime families and let Satine become a martyr!"

"I'm afraid her decision to keep Mandalore neutral makes this situation difficult," Mundi responded calmly.

"Understand your feelings I do, Obi-Wan," Yoda said softly, peering up at the Jedi Master. "But to take action, support from the Republic Senate, we will need."

"You know what the Senate will decide," Obi-Wan responded lowly. "They will not send aid to a neutral system."

"At this time, nothing more can we do," Yoda said sadly. Obi-Wan recoiled slightly, jaw set and eyes closed to hide his expression of pain.

"He's not just going to sit by is he?" Anakin asked abruptly. He hated seeing Obi-Wan like this, and knowing that Satine in danger caused his Master this much pain…

At least it was confirmation that Obi-Wan indeed had a heart.

"No...like I said earlier...he goes alone," Aria said quietly. The mood dropped even more at her words as Anakin recalled what she had said earlier, about how Satine had been killed in front of Obi-Wan when he had stumbled into a trap that she had been the bait of.

He turned his gaze back to the laptop screen where Maul and the Prime Minister were discussing their trap for Obi-Wan. His eyes narrowed and he tensed, but he said nothing as he watched it all play out. Obi-Wan arrived at Mandalore, the ship he was piloting smoking the entire time. Obi-Wan sighed in relief when he finally touched down, but jumped with an alarmed cry whenever one of the controls spontaneously caught fire.

"Anakin...that's the last time I borrow a ship from you," he muttered to himself as the fire was automatically doused and he grabbed a helmet from off to the side.

Anakin couldn't help but chuckle softly at that. It was rather amusing to hear Obi-Wan as he continued to grumble and complain about the state of the ship, even working it into his ruse to knock out the Mandalorian guard that came to check on the ship. After donning the red Mandalorian armor, Obi-Wan easily infiltrated Mandalore, heading right for the prison as if he knew where it was by heart. It was easy to get in and find Satine's cell; too easy in Anakin's opinion. Obi-Wan should have been aware of this, but Anakin didn't think he was yet. Still, he couldn't exactly do anything about it considering he was just watching a cartoon. On the screen, Obi-Wan opened up Satine's cell, hovering in the doorway.

"Here to do more of your master's bidding?" Satine asked while Obi-Wan glanced from side to side. Obi-Wan stepped confidently into the room, gracefully removing his helmet.

"I do my own bidding," he said with a sly grin. Satine's eyes went wide and she threw herself into Obi-Wan's arms recklessly, his name spilling forth from her lips in relief.

Gently, Obi-Wan pushed her away, peering down the hall once more. "Are you alone?" she asked him worriedly.

"Yes...the Jedi Council and Galactic Senate will be of no help to us here," Obi-Wan informed her as he pulled her out of the cell.

Anakin watched the couple as they made their escape, snorting in amusement when Obi-Wan settled for knocking out a guard oh-so-gracefully and left his body in the elevator. Something told him Obi-Wan didn't really have a plan other than to escape. Satine and Obi-Wan grabbed a speeder bike, rushing away just as the alarm was raised and yet still before blaster bolts could fly through the air. Anakin watched, tense in anticipation as Obi-Wan and Satine reached the landing pad that Obi-Wan had docked on without much of a problem.

Then the Deathwatch came flying towards them and blaster fire began to be exchanged as the two made a break for the ship. Obi-Wan returned fire while Satine rushed onboard the ship, and Anakin felt bad when the ship that he supposedly lent them started off with problems, with Obi-Wan having to literally pound the controls to get the desired actions.

That was when Maul arrived.

Anakin visibly bristled and his vision turned red around the edges as he watched the Sith approach the ship while Obi-Wan scrambled to get them out of there and Satine spoke of contacting a sister for help. At Maul's signal, two rockets were launched into the air and easily took down the ship. The alarms blared in what must have been eardrum-rupturing intensity as Obi-Wan seized Satine's hand and rushed to depart from the ship before they went down in a fiery inferno with it.

"Obi-Wan!" Satine cried out, and Anakin flinched when the woman was knocked loose of the ramp. Obi-Wan barely managed to grab onto her hand and remained the only thing between the woman and a fall to her death. Obi-Wan lost his grip, though it almost seemed timed as he let go just moments before the ship exploded and they managed to land on solid ground instead of plummeting down to Mandalore's deaths. They both rolled, but lay still as the ship crashed and shrapnel went everywhere.

Obi-Wan rose slightly, shaking his head to dispel his daze before he noticed Satine lying motionless under a large segment of the ship. Fear—real, actual fear—flashed across his master's face as he reached out for Satine and freed her from the shrapnel through the Force before he collapsed back to the ground, weak from the near death experience and the fall. He pushed himself up by his hands, shaking his head again to fight the dizziness that threatened to overtake him. From the smoke of the burning remains of the ship emerged Maul.

"No...it can't be..." Obi-Wan murmured, his arms trembling while weakly pushed himself to his feet, lightsaber clutched close to his chest before he activated it.

Anakin frowned in fear and concern. Obi-Wan was in no shape to fight anyone, let alone Darth Maul; that much was obvious...and it seemed Darth Maul knew this too.

Maul seized Obi-Wan in a Force Choke, pulling him into his physical grasp and twisting his wrist until Obi-Wan was forced to drop the lightsaber.

"We meet again Kenobi; welcome to my world," Maul hissed. He threw Obi-Wan into the guards. "Take them back to the palace."

Anakin couldn't help the furious sneer that snaked across his face while the other Zebrak picked up Satine. Rage was bubbling up inside him at what he was witnessing. Never; never was this going to happen, so long as he lived. The slime would be dead long before he could harm Obi-Wan like Anakin knew he would. The image changed, and Obi-Wan was restrained in front of Maul while Satine was forced to a kneeling position next to Maul, who sat in a throne.

"Your noble flaw is a weakness shared by you...and your Duchess," Maul sneered, grasping Satine in a Force Choke and lifting the woman into the air. Obi-Wan tensed, his gaze constantly flickering over to Satine. "You should have chosen the dark side, Master Jedi..."

Obi-Wan had instinctively reached for Satine, but forced his hand to lower as Maul continued. "Your emotions...betray you. Your fear, and yes, your anger!" Maul hissed, and Obi-Wan clamped his jaw shut, shooting Maul a murderous glare before he squeezed his eyes shut in an obvious attempt to drown out the Sith's voice and will away his own emotions. "Let your anger deepen your hatred!"

"Don't listen to him...Obi!" Satine gasped.

"Quiet," the yellow Zabrek snarled.

"You can kill me...but you will never destroy me. It takes strength to resist the dark side...only the weak embrace it!" Obi-Wan growled, and he was forced back by the guards that held him.

"It is more powerful than you know," Maul returned emptily.

"And those who oppose it are more powerful than you'll ever be," Obi-Wan said firmly. "I know where you're from, I've been to your village; I know the decision to join the dark side wasn't yours. The Nightsisters made it so—"

"Quiet!" Maul roared. "You think you know me? It was I who languished for years thinking of nothing but you! Nothing but this moment!"

He pointed towards Maul, and a ghost of the expression of panic flickered across Obi-Wan's face for a second. "And now, the perfect tool for my vengeance is in front of us. I never planned on killing you; but I will make you share my pain...Kenobi."

Maul tightened his grasp on Satine's throat, cutting off her airway. Obi-Wan tried to rip free from the two Deathwatch members that held him, but a heavy blow to the shoulders sent him to his knees. In a futile attempt, Obi-Wan stretched out his hand as if it would stop what would inevitably come next.

Maul activated a black bladed lightsaber and pulled Satine forward, impaling her through the stomach with the weapon.

Anakin couldn't breathe. He felt like he was the one who had been impaled as he watched Obi-Wan's reaction as he watched the pain fill Satine's eyes. Impaled just like Qui-Gon...while helpless to do anything...just like Qui-Gon. All of his anger drained out of him at what he was watching and he leaned forward, bracing himself on Aria's bed by his hands as Satine's strangled gasps came through the laptop's speakers. Maul dropped her to the floor, and Anakin watched, practically paralyzed, as Obi-Wan rushed forward.

"Satine!" Obi-Wan cried out, his voice sounding broken as he gathered the woman into his arms, lovingly brushing the hair from her face. Satine's eyes blindly searched for Obi-Wan's for a moment before they successfully found them, the blue/gray orbs filled with pain.

"Remember, my dear Obi-Wan," Satine breathed out, every word an obvious effort. She reached up, cupping his cheek in her hand. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and leaned into the motion, savoring the moment. "I loved you always..."

Obi-Wan's eyes went wide suddenly as the denial settled in. Satine, her voice fading, forced herself to say her last words.

"I always will..."

With that, Satine went limp in his arms and Obi-Wan, head bowed low, pulled her hand lovingly to his lips, tenderly kissing her hand with the utmost reverence.

"Do we kill him now brother?" the yellow Zebrak growled.

"No...imprison him below. Let him drown in his misery...take him to his cell to rot..." Maul hissed, and Obi-Wan was dragged away from Satine's body with next to no resistance.

Aria gave him a heart attack when she suddenly appeared out of nowhere, closing the laptop with a resounding snap when the picture changed to a view of the Senate Building and creepy music began to play. Anakin blinked but stayed braced on the bed. He needed a few moments to gather himself.

It seemed Aria did too, because he heard a sniffle, and looked up in surprise to see she had tears running down her face. "Don't look at me," she said in an attempt to sound sharp, but the break in her voice ruined the effect. "It's an entirely new experience to...to watch that...knowing that it could happen and knowing Obi-Wan...personally now..."

"It won't happen," Anakin croaked out. "I swear it won't, I...I don't know what I'll do yet but I won't let that happen to him—to her—to either of them."

Aria gave him a watery smile and a one armed hug. "I know you won't. That's why I showed it to you. And I'd rather it be resolved without the weight of the knowledge of what could happen being dropped on his shoulders. That's what I'm trying to do is resolve stuff like this without burdening the people who went through it with the pain of what could or could have happened."

Anakin looked up at her, his eyes watery yet somehow retaining the tears and keeping them from spilling over. "You're holding entire lives in your hands that way...are you sure you can take care of them all?"

Aria froze at his words, thinking over her words for several moments. "I know I am...and I'm so afraid of messing something up and making something worse...but I have to try. I've got a chance to make things better, and I could never live with myself if I didn't at least try."

Anakin nodded slowly. "Fair enough..."

Aria gave him a strained smile. "We're going out tonight to try and relieve some of all the stress I know is over you guys with what I've shared today. It's going to be a little bit later tonight so...you can stay up here and...process things for a while. I'm going to read and listen to some stuff on Luke until then up here too."

Anakin looked up at the mention of Luke. "Do you think I could join you?"

Aria smiled at him. "Sure. I was going to listen to the Dark Empire audiobook. I started listening to the first one once upon a time but I have yet to finish it."

She opened the laptop, and Anakin didn't miss the fact that she was quick to mute the device before it could continue the video until she had closed out of the page and pulled up the same YouTube she had pulled up when she showed them the scenes about Luke. Slowly, Anakin sat down on the bed, clasping his hands together and staring at the floor as the audiobook started to play where Aria had left off.

"R2, I wanted a light, not some old hologram..." came a voice Anakin guessed was Luke. "Wait, leave it on...that's an image of the Emperor! What's he saying? Can you boost the power?"

And so they began to listen in silence.

Well it started in silence.

The further into the story that they got, the more of a reaction it evoked out of them.

And there was over two full hours of an audiobook to go through.

What an amusing pair they must have made.