Where There's Fighting
Anakin still didn't know what to make of the situation. The chip that Issulla had given Obi-Wan had the time and place of the next planned theft, along with a list of what had been stolen previously and from where. His master thought that she had stolen this information from Grondo. Anakin thought that it was proof that Issulla was just as in on it. But for all his arguing and countering, Obi-Wan had a good point. Issulla had kept things peaceful for fifteen years, why would she want things to change now? But Anakin didn't want to give her that sort of credit. She was a Hutt. That automatically made her evil. But apparently, as Obi-Wan had patiently explained, she was the lesser of three evils. Either Issulla stayed in power and things remained peaceful, Grondo took over the Great Sea and would likely then aim for all of Bandomeer, or both could be removed and some other Hutt or sleamo would come and then who knew what would happen.
Needless to say, Anakin didn't like it one bit. He conceded the point, but he was decidedly not happy with it. When he pointed out that the Home Planet could take over mining in the Great Sea, Obi-Wan had raised an eyebrow and pointed at the datapad with all the information on Bandomeer on it. A quick review and Anakin realized that Home Planet probably didn't have the resources or capability to start mining in the Great Sea.
So he agreed with his master's plan to let Issulla stay in charge. For now. Hopefully the Force would provide a better option.
Anakin held his lightsaber close; peering over the edge of the catwalk he was lying on, Obi-Wan by his side. They were in position at the facility that was supposed to be hit by Grondo. It was a large facility on a seaside cliff, like most of the places that had been stolen from. Here, supplies were stored before getting shipped out to the various mines across the land half of the planet. Various security forces had been placed in the facility, hidden so that they could catch Grondo red-handed. Irrefutable proof, then Issulla would be left in charge of the Great Sea mines and the situation would be resolved.
While the resolution they were aiming for wasn't one that Anakin particularly liked, he wasn't thinking about it much at the moment. This would be the first real battle he'd been a part of. Even though he was hailed as the Hero of Naboo (as the Chancellor often greeted him), he hadn't really done anything beyond blowing up the thinking center of the droids. He spent most of that battle trying to figure out how to pilot the ship he was in with Artoo and things going wrong, then right, then somewhere. Right then, on Bandomeer, however, was different. This was going in to fight. Not tussle with friends like on Tatooine, not spar with classmates like back at the Temple, not scuffle in the street with jerks. A real fight. Battle.
And as much as Anakin had looked forward to this, the adventure of it all, he was oddly nervous... and scared... He wouldn't be inside a ship's thick hull. He'd be exposed. His opponents wouldn't be hidden in Pods or even racing. They'd be trying to kill him. Not knock him out of the race, not kick him off the mat. Kill him. Hurt him. Stop him. This was... very different than he expected. Still exciting, in an odd way, but also very scary.
An arm was suddenly around him in a loose equivalent of a hug, the best Obi-Wan could ever do when not in private. "Be calm, Padawan mine. All will be well."
Anakin blinked, noting the unusual use of "Padawan mine," and looked to his master. Master Yoda's words that Obi-Wan would need him increased his nervousness.
"Anakin," his master continued almost silently. "You've proven over and over again that you have excellent instincts within you. Trust them and the Force will guide you."
He nodded.
"Instincts, however, can only guide you so far," Obi-Wan continued, his arm tightening briefly around Anakin's shoulders. "You have proceeded with fantastic speed in your lightsaber training. One would think you'd learned it from birth-"
Anakin couldn't stop the smile.
"-but for all your instinct you lack experience." Obi-Wan pulled his arm back and lay the hand on the one that held Anakin's lightsaber. "You often argue with me because you see things differently and bring up points that I would never have thought of. However, I ask that in this you do not argue with me. I have experience in battle, you do not."
Anakin nodded, disliking the admission.
"During this encounter, if I tell you to do something, do not question, simply do. I will be seeing a larger picture than you and acting upon it."
"Yes, Master." And as much as it chaffed Anakin that Obi-Wan wouldn't trust him to handle himself, the thought that his master was looking out for him made Anakin relax. Because if Obi-Wan was by his side, everything would be all right.
"Open the bond, Padawan," Obi-Wan said, knocking ever so gently and politely on his side of their link. "I can keep a better eye on you that way and, when this is over, we'll see if you learned anything from what you observed of me."
Anakin nodded, already feeling the gentle warmth of his master more acutely in the back of his mind. Obi-Wan's presence removed the last of the anxiety and Anakin was surprised to feel the Force around him with more clarity than he usually did.
Amazing what a calm mind can do, hmm?
He chose not to respond.
"Obi-Wan?" their radio crackled. "Are you in position?"
"Yes, Clat'Ha," he replied quietly, his hand leaving Anakin's, but the presence continued to glow warmly. "Are you sure you should be here?"
"The day I can't do this kind of thing is the day I retire," she responded. "Everyone's ready. We just need our guest of honor to show."
"Excellent. Now, we merely wait."
Waiting indeed! Anakin didn't know why he bothered to be nervous when, almost four hours later, there was still nobody there. The Force was still clear, but Anakin had to admit, he didn't know how Obi-Wan could keep it going for so long. Anakin, himself was bored and ready to take a nap. Already, his master had had to nudge him when he tried to rest his eyes and nearly fell asleep.
Over the radio, there were speculations that Issulla had provided false information, that they should pull out and check other installations that were probably being robbed as they just sat there and did nothing. Anakin was inclined to agree with them. Surely something should have happened by now.
Anakin was resting his head again when he noticed Obi-Wan stiffen beside him.
"Master?"
Obi-Wan's face was looking to the side, through the wall that faced the Great Sea and Anakin wondered what had caught his attention. He tried to look through the Force to see what was up, but all he felt was a faint ripple of something he didn't understand.
"Grondo and company are inbound," Obi-Wan whispered over the radio. Tension started to fill the air and Anakin was sure he heard safety's being clicked off of blasters, though he didn't know how given that he and Obi-Wan weren't anywhere near the other security people.
"We have visual," was hissed over the radio.
"Stay in position," Clat'Ha ordered. "Give them enough rope to hang themselves."
They settled into silence once more, tensely waiting for Grondo's thieves to enter the facility. For what seemed like an eternity, there was nothing but silence. Ever so faintly, Anakin could hear the engine of Grondo's ship arrive before it cut off, no doubt at the dock. Silence again. Slowly, harsh whispers as the thieves entered the facility and filtered into the warehouse.
Many, were speaking in Huttese. Anakin grinned. Who knew growing up on that tiny desert ball was worth something.
"Make it fast. That ocean storm cost us too much time," an Imbat grunted, prodding the other thieves forward.
"You'd better be fast," was the low grumble of none other than the small, dark Grondo who slid into view. "I want as much as possible so we can put it in Issulla's private storehouse. The sooner she's taken off planet, the sooner I can run things properly."
Anakin turned to his master. Certainly, now was the right time to strike?
A moment more.
He gave a quiet huff. Obi-wan sent a dry chuckle.
There were easily fifty thieves below them. Some were Imbats, many were human. What was disturbing, however, was that several of the thieves had collars. Anakin stilled, knowing from the reading he'd done and Obi-Wan's own tale of his time here, what those collars meant. They were using slaves. So that even if they were caught, they were hostages.
This was why Anakin hated Hutts.
I'm not particularly fond of them either, Obi-Wan's presence whispered, a sharp tone of disgust under it. But we can handle it. The Force can disarm those collars. That will be our job.
Anakin nodded.
Below, the thieves were starting to break open crates, inspecting items and double-checking to make sure it was what they wanted.
Now that they truly were redhanded, Obi-Wan and Anakin stood as one, and easily leapt forward, the Force cushioning their fall as they landed in front of Grondo in the middle of all the thieves.
Stunned silence.
"Hello there, esteemed Grondo," Obi-Wan greeted with a polite smile. "Fancy meeting you here."
A long stream of curses came out. Anakin took note of a few he hadn't heard before. As blasters were aimed at the two of them, Obi-Wan made a small gesture and the lights of the facility all came on, revealing the trap. High in an observation office, a holocamera was recording everything as security forces poured out of hiding places, surrounding the thieves.
"It's over, Grondo. Come along quietly," Obi-Wan said.
Grondo glared, hatred pouring off of him in waves so strong Anakin couldn't help but shudder. In his mind, his master sent a soft pulse of warmth.
"Attack!" Grondo shouted, pulling out a blaster of his own and opening fire.
Battle like this was different from what Anakin had expected.
First and foremost, it was loud. Not the steady hum of a Podracer's engines, or the loud cheers of a crowd, but a cacophony of sounds warring together. Blaster bolts, exploding crates, raining debris, shouts, screams of pain, hums of lightsabers, toppling supplies, orders, counter orders, grunts, growls, it was all jarring, sudden and there was no continuous hum of it all. It rose and fell in unpredictable crescendos and made it hard to focus.
His master sent something along the bond so fast Anakin couldn't catch it, other than the fact that the Force suddenly swirled and battle seemed oddly, quieter, making focus easier. He sent a thanks as his lightsaber whirled in the simple swings of Shii-Cho that Master Yoda had taught him and scores of other younglings at the Temple.
Cover me. I'll start deactivating collars.
And suddenly, Anakin had a massive responsibility placed on his growing shoulders, because Anakin didn't know what his master had to do in order to deactivate the collars of the slaves. So he needed to really keep an eye out and make sure his master was safe. Because Obi-Wan was family and Master Yoda had said that Obi-Wan would need him, and this just might be the time.
Anakin reached for the Force like he never really had before. Most of the time, when working with lightsabers or droids, or whatever required focus, he always seemed to sink into it without being aware of it. He simply had to do something so he did it. And this was such a time that he needed it. It didn't work as well, and he knew it was because he was trying to force it, but he and Obi-Wan were maneuvering through the alleys and hideaways that all the crates of the warehouse made. He needed to know where Imbats and humans and Grondo were all located so that if any came to close to Obi-Wan he would take care of them.
The first slave they came to was hidden in a nook between two crates so narrow it was amazing the girl had even slid in. She cried out as she raised a blaster, but Obi-Wan merely kneeled and focused. Anakin guarded Obi-Wan's back as one of Grondo's men had somehow gotten to the catwalk and was trying to snipe at the security forces. It was easy deflection for Anakin, he could do this with his eyes closed as he often did during lightsaber practice, but it wasn't enough. He wanted that blaster bolt to be deflected back at the shooter, take him down quickly so he could worry about the next shot coming from an Imbat further down the alley of crates who had seen them.
Anakin wondered which of the other lightsaber forms could do this, because he wanted to start studying that now, because Obi-Wan needed him to watch his back and Shii-Cho suddenly seemed woefully inadequate.
Obi-Wan was quick to deactivate the collar as it snapped off suddenly. The slave was still crying and holding the blaster in front of her, but Obi-Wan merely nodded and moved on with Anakin. The Imbat went down easily, but then Anakin knew that Obi-Wan had been working hard over the years to learn a new lightsaber form. Watching the quick and energy-saving flicks of blue humming around Obi-Wan, Anakin admired it for all the work he knew was put into it while he was in his classes. He didn't have more than an instant for that thought before he was once again deflecting blaster fire from the catwalks as they turned a corner and found another slave grimly aiming his blaster at the security forces up on the catwalks.
He didn't even see them coming as Obi-Wan reached forward for the collar.
The slaves they freed either turned on their prior owners and just huddled down and tried to hide, ignoring the battle that raged around them. The security forces, led by Clat'Ha who was up in the observation office barking orders into the radio, did a good job of taking down the Imbats and humans who were working for Grondo.
As for the Hutt Grondo, the sleamo was slithering with surprising speed between crates and picking off security one by one.
"Master, if we take down Grondo, won't that stop things quickly?" Anakin yelled over the blaster fire as Obi-Wan removed another collar from an exhausted male.
"He's too well defended at the moment," Obi-Wan replied and a picture came to Anakin's mind of were Grondo was and where the Hutt's forces were in comparison.
Oddly, this conflicted with what Anakin sensed. He tried to send the picture of it to Obi-Wan.
"That's the current moment, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied, deflecting another blaster bolt. "If we go now, that's what it will look like."
"And you know this how?" Anakin's swing took down an Imbat and Human at once.
"Through the Force..."
And suddenly, in the middle of the firefight, in the wide-open alleys between two different types of crates, his master suddenly stopped. Not just stopped, but completely froze.
Ahead, through a wide docking hanger door, the sun was just starting to rise over the rough waters of the Great Sea, and Obi-Wan was staring at it with horror.
In Anakin's mind, he could see images, great silver-scaled beasts gliding to him, one such winged beast bearing Qui-Gon, another image of a wall of corpses of the golden-eyed avians, blaster fire surrounding the lizard-like predators and the faint voice of Obi-Wan through it all, Will anything else from my first trip arrive here? Xanatos from the grave? VeerTa? Obi-Wan's voice started to sound younger. I know I'll never be good enough to be a Padawan, please don't reject me again... You're my last chance, Qui-Gon... Master...
Obi-Wan's communicator beeped and he didn't even answer it. Anakin flicked his lightsaber against another bolt and yelled into it, "What?"
"Ah, the young Padawan," Issulla greeted in Huttese.
Anakin replied in kind, blocking bolt after bolt as Obi-Wan seemed to stare out at nothing. After the insults, he growled, "We're a little busy here taking care of your problem!"
Issulla gave a great laugh. "I've been monitoring. But I thought you might want to know that you're blaster fire has caught the eyes of some of the draigons of the area."
Anakin turned and slashed with his lightsaber again, taking off the hand and blaster of a lumbering Imbat. "Excuse me?"
"Draigons, brat. Draigons. You'd best close those hanger doors, else you'll be breakfast."
Anakin let out his own string of words; including a few he'd learned from Grondo just a half hour before to see how they rolled off the tongue. The images Obi-Wan was projecting made sense. He'd faced them before and all these reminders of what his previous mission here was like was dragging him into the past. Anakin had no clue where this insight was coming from, but he stopped blocking long enough to look inside, find his link and shove his way through.
"Here and now, Obi-Wan!" he yelled, both out loud, through the Force, and in his mind.
Because Obi-Wan had been right. His instincts were good, but he lacked experience and he was starting to feel overwhelmed.
It was a mental slap to the face, and suddenly Obi-Wan was back in the storage bunker, staring out the open hangar and seeing the silver swarm of draigons as they made their way towards them. There was also an impressively tall Imbat, perhaps three meters, readying a giant fist to smash into the face of his earnest Padawan. Obi-Wan quickly brought up his lightsaber, blocking the massive fist and then cutting in with a snap of his wrist, singing the Imbat's ribcage and giving the being something to think about. While doing so he started yelling into his communicator.
"Clat'Ha! Close the hangar bay doors!"
"What? Why?"
"There's a swarm of draigons interested in our crossfire! Close the doors or we'll be swarmed!"
"On it!" the redhead said from her location high above them.
Anakin and Obi-Wan were back to back, the Padawan using his Form I beginner's skills with the efficiency of the up-and-coming Kit Fisto, the master using his newly acquired Form III stances to make all harm thrown at them utterly harmless. It had been hard at first, Form IV had been Master Qui-Gon's style, and in the beginning he had clung to anything that reminded him of his departed master. Over time, however, he'd realized that he never, never, wanted to put his own Padawan, to put Anakin, through that unbearable experience. He needed to survive, and to do that he needed a strong defense. Soresu offered that, and he taken up the form with fervor. He still didn't have complete efficiency of the moves, he could sense the wasted energy, but he found the style effective beyond measure. The contingent that Grondo had amassed was impressive, and he doubted he and Anakin would be faring half as well without it.
Another blaster bolt was tossed aside and Obi-Wan found another slave. He knew how to disable the collars now and pop them off without injury, and he deactivated the machinery with a calm breath and a wave of a hand. The worker startled when the collar fell off, and that was all Obi-Wan allowed himself to take note of as he worked his way through the battle, Anakin at his back and keeping him safe.
Obi-Wan sunk into the Force, letting it fill his imperfect body and shrinking his own consciousness to a tiny corner in the back of his mind. Left, left, up, right, dash, disable, move. Each nudge moved his hand, each pull took a step, and soon he found himself upon the last collar. He took if off with a gesture and took a deep breath, satisfied at a job well done. The cacophony of blasters, too, seemed to have settled down.
"How are things with you, Padawan?" he asked slowly, taking another deep breath and still wading out of the Force.
The boy looked up at him with a slightly harried expression, panting but unhurt. "How..." he huffed, "How can you be... so calm... after all that?"
Obi-Wan blinked, a little surprised at the question. "The Force was with me," he said, as if that explained everything.
Anakin let out a strangled growl. "Did you find this... easy... or something?"
Now Obi-Wan was openly confused. "Easy? Certainly not, no battle is ever easy; though I do admit that I've had harder battles."
The strangled growl repeated itself, and Anakin threw his hands up in the air. "I spend all this time worrying over nothing? I'm going to beat that stupid troll into a pulp! Stupid Yoda!"
Now that was just disrespectful. "Padawan!" Obi-Wan intoned, bringing his full displeasure into his voice.
"Don't you 'Padawan' me! You have no idea what I've been through since coming here because of that stupid evil little troll! Did you know that he-"
"Obi-Wan!" came a frustrated crackle. Anakin was paused in his tirade and Obi-Wan quickly gave a response. "The blaster fire's totally fried the controls, I can't get the hangar doors to close."
"Blast," Obi-Wan cursed. He and Anakin shared a look, and the two silently agreed to talk later before they dashed through the maze of crates and supplies and bodies of security and thief alike, passing people being handcuffed and dragged away to the security transports. Grondo was nowhere to be seen, but Obi-Wan's primary concern was the hangar doors. The sun had crested the sea, one yellow globe of light that blinded all but those with the Force to help them. The swarm of draigons were much closer now, their silvery bodies indistinguishable from one another as they massed toward the port. One or two would dive down to the ocean to snack before the feast, but it was obvious that they found the beings in the port storehouse much more interesting as a main course. Sighing, Obi-Wan accepted his rush of irritation before letting it go; he didn't need it, especially now.
"Where's the manual overrides?" he asked Clat'Ha over his comm.
"On either side of the hangar," Clat'Ha explained. "It'll take two people to close it, assuming neither of them were blasted to bits."
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, and the boy was already darting off. The Jedi smiled and let himself feel the pride before dashing in the opposite direction. As the redhead stipulated, there was a grey panel box on his side of the hangar bay. There were singe marks but no severe damage, and Obi-Wan was already unclipping the outer frame to gain access to the wiring underneath. He did not have the skills with mechanics and droids that his Padawan did, but he knew enough (and had subsequently learned much more from little Anakin) that he understood what wires were meant for what relays, and he was quickly cutting and reconnecting what he needed.
Finished, he sent a small pulse along his bond. Anakin?
Damaged bad fixing now need time go away, filtered in pieces back to his master. Obi-Wan felt that Anakin had sunk into the Force, much as he did when working on droids or, as story told, pod racing. Obi-Wan trusted the Force to guide his Padawan, and cast his gaze out to the silvery mass of flying predators, now swarming in front of the sun. One broke apart from the pack and dived for the hangar, and Obi-Wan met it, igniting his lightsaber and snapping it towards the aviary beast. It fell down the side of the cliff and Obi-Wan was once again remembering a rainy day with another swarm. He shook it off, however, and firmly planted his feet in the here and now, as his master, as his Padawan, had told him.
He heard a deep grinding sound from above, and a glance up showed that the doors were finally lowering slowly. Good. He eyed the draigons again, more were starting to dive at the hangar, and he was all too quickly sinking back into the Force. Up, right, block, thrust, left, left, stab, block, slice, clang.
... Clang? And Obi-Wan saw that at last the gap of the doors were narrow enough that the draigons could not fly through, instead banging and bucking against the doors as they continued to close. The Jedi blinked, taking a moment to absorb the scene, so similar and so different from his memory, and smiled. He had conquered his memory, in a way; he'd cast it aside - no, he'd put it away - and made a new memory to share the space with it. Obi-Wan suddenly thought of his master, not in his memory, but in the now. He closed his eyes and thought to him. You would approve of this, wouldn't you?
Smiling, he turned his head to find his Padawan, to send his own approval, his pride. The corner of his eyes was the only warning he had, Grondo had a blaster, and Obi-Wan was not with the Force, he didn't react quick enough. His lightsaber was on and moving to deflect but the move had too much energy, over compensating instead of meeting, and his arm suddenly exploded in pain.
The second shot he was ready for, however, and he blocked it easily along with the third.
"Master!" Anakin shouted both with his lungs and in his head; Obi-Wan almost went to clutch his temple with the noise the call generated, but he did not and leveled his gaze and the Hutt. Anakin was immediately in front of him, lightsaber out. He stole one look at Obi-Wan, and the Jedi saw his face contort with rage and watched in horror as his Padawan lunged towards the Hutt.
"Anakin! Anakin stop!" He reached out to the Force and literally yanked the boy back to his side, stepping in front of the child even while his gaze never left Grondo.
"I like that boy," Grondo said in Huttese, blaster still leveled at the Jedi. "He's got the makings of a Hutt."
Anakin growled and sputtered, but Obi-Wan held him back. "You're burglary failed, your minions are either captured or freed. I suggest you give up."
"Sure, sure," Grondo said, dropping his blaster and holding up his hands. "I won't be gone long. This is a clear miscarriage of justice. I've been set up, no court will convict me."
Obi-Wan smiled, genially. "We'll see about that," he replied as security came up to slap cuffs on Grondo. "After all, I'm sure Issulla's testimony will carry much... weight."
And it was clear on Grondo's face that he would likely not live to trial.
"This is my fault," Anakin moaned, watching a medic wrap a bandage over Obi-Wan's bicep. "This is my fault."
"Padawan," the Jedi said, confused with the latest mercurial shift in the boy's emotions. "What are you talking about?"
"Master Yoda," Anakin replied, looking down in sullen despair. "He told me you'd need me, and I've been so worried about it. I didn't know what it meant but I figured it'd be bad and now this happened and I wasn't anywhere near you and I couldn't protect you and I need to get better so I can protect you and Mom and Padme when I marry her and-"
Obi-Wan quickly put a hand on his Padawan's shoulder. "Anakin," he said softly. "From where I'm sitting I'd say you did a very good job."
Anakin stared angrily at the white bandage and then up at his master.
The Jedi smiled. "I wonder if perhaps you're taking things to literally. All Master Yoda said was that I would need you, is that correct?" The boy nodded. "That can be interpreted several ways. You were thinking in the physical sense, protecting me from physical injury. I rather think Master Yoda referred more of my mental state. I was rather... wrapped up... in the memories of my first time to this planet. You helped me through that, by making me relive all those memories to purge them from my system, and then overlaying them with new memories with you. It was you, wasn't it, who told me to focus on the here and now? That is something that Master Qui-Gon would tell me many times, and now I have you to tell me. I'd say you did rather well, Padawan."
Anakin continued to pout, staring at Obi-Wan's bandaged arm. Obi-Wan thought he heard a thought, I'll be better next time, and he could only shake his head. It was something Anakin would have to learn. Sighing, he decided to change the topic.
"By the way," he said in a more amused tone, reaching into his belt. "Rumor has it that someone's birthday is today."
Anakin's head snapped to attention.
"The thirteenth birthday is very important for a Padawan," Obi-Wan explained. "Jedi do not own many possessions, but on the thirteenth birthday of a Padawan the Master is expected to give a gift. I've been thinking about it for a long time now, but I believe I've finally found something appropriate. Hold out your hands."
Curious and eager, Anakin complied, and Obi-Wan carefully set his gift there.
Anakin stared at it in disbelief.
"... A rock?"
"Much more than a rock, look at it again." Anakin stared at it skeptically, and Obi-Wan coughed and tapped his head slightly, a subtle hint. He knew when Anakin realized the nature of the river rock when he gasped. At his look of askance Obi-Wan explained. "It's Force sensitive. It was the gift Master Qui-Gon gave me for my thirteenth birthday. It's been rather a treasured possession of mine."
"... And you're giving it to me? I can't accept-"
Obi-Wan held up a hand. "'A Jedi let's go of personal attachments.' Honestly, though, I'm happy to give it to you. I think it's appropriate that something that gave me such good memories should be given to you so that you can make your own memories. Perhaps you can pass it to your own Padawan when the time comes. For now though, it makes a very handy touchstone."
Anakin looked down, suddenly shy, and bowed his head. "Thank you, Master."
"Happy birthday, Anakin."
Author's Note: Hehehe. Anakin did save his master, too bad he doesn't see it. ^_^ Really, Anakin and Obi-Wan's changes are subtle for this arc. When Jude Watson's Jedi Quest series starts, nothing really changes for Anakin and Obi-Wan. Palpatine is still whispering in Ani's ears and he and Obi-Wan still butt heads. But there are subtleties going on that will start appearing when we get to the Clone Wars.
Speaking of, just to be clear, our Clone Wars arc goes from the end of EpII till Anakin's Knighting. Mwahaha, we have plans for the Clone Wars. Things from Anakin swimming in ice, explosions on gaseous planets, many a scene with Padme, befuddling Mace, younglings hanging off of Obi-Wan, and bonds deepening.
We'll be taking one month off from posting for this story. Just some time to go through the Clone Wars arc, reread now that we've had some time from it to catch any small mistakes, (maybe write that one drabble we need in that area that feels empty...), etc. And, somewhere in that month off, we'll post a preview of the story we're currently working on.
Enjoy your brief reprieve and see you in a month!