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Chapter 45:
Byss was a planet completely out of the way. It was in the furthest reaches of the galaxy, buried within a complex maze of hyperlanes, debris and the unknown. To find it took an advanced navigations system, to get there took a skilled pilot. Luckily, Anakin was among the best.
They left the huge spacecraft in orbit, using smaller two-seat X-Wing fighters to enter the planet. Anakin and Padme were in one, Pieter and Ahsoka in another. Obi Wan and Ferus were going to stay in the skies, keeping their distance so their more obvious Force signatures were harder to detect. Not that it would make a huge difference on a planet like Byss. From the moment the small group had entered the atmosphere, the pull of the Dark side had intensified immensely. Anakin could feel it burrowing under his skin, tempting him, tainting him. He gripped the control stick of the X-Wing tighter, trying to stop the shaking.
"I don't like this place," Padme murmured.
She was sitting in front of him, slightly lower so he had an unobstructed view through the windshield. Anakin could sense her apprehension, which only intensified his own. He'd been trying to ignore that tugging in his gut, the one he knew was part Force, part instinct. "This planet is heavy with the Dark side."
Padme glanced over her shoulder, worry in her eyes. Anakin spared her a quick glance before turning his attention to the task at hand. They were hovering over the coordinates the Emperor had sent them, which turned out to be an empty field ringed by soaring trees, the likes of which Anakin had never seen before. The trunks were thick and knobbly, the leaves dense and black. Looking down from above, the clearing was the lifeless centre of a black hole.
"You seeing this Ben?" Anakin asked.
Obi Wan's voice came back clearly through the craft's comm. link. "It's like the planet is the living dead."
"I don't like this," Padme repeated.
Anakin landed the craft gently on the ground before placing a comforting hand on Padme's shoulder.
"Anakin," Ahsoka's voice sounded hesitant. "Be careful. The Emperor chose this place for a reason and while the Dark side may be strong here, you are stronger. Don't let him win."
"I won't," he promised.
Anakin jumped out of the X-Wing, turning to help Padme down. Seeing her hand laying protectively over her stomach, Anakin felt a twinge of guilt. She shouldn't be here, in such a dangerous situation. If anything happened to her or the baby, he would never forgive himself. But he knew she wouldn't leave his side.
Hands clasped between them, the couple walked to the middle of the field. The Emperor was yet to arrive, so Anakin reached out into the Force, trying to sense his friends. The Dark side felt him open himself up and instantly responded. Its slimy fingers slithered into him, inciting his fear and nerves. Trying to see past the darkness, Anakin searched the area around him. There was a slight whisper quite some distance away, so slight that he wasn't sure anyone but he could sense it. Hopefully that was Obi Wan and Ferus. Looking closer to home, he felt Ahsoka, her strange Force presence mingling easily with her surroundings. The Emperor wouldn't find her unless she exposed herself. Of Pieter, there was no sign, not that he'd expected anything different.
Padme's hand tightened, pulling Anakin's attention back to the clearing. An expensive, and unnecessarily large, spacecraft was slowing as it approached. Already Anakin could feel the Emperor on board, his overwhelming Force presence amplified by the planet's own connection to the Dark side. He swallowed back the whimper that nearly escaped. His whole body was shaking, his hand sweating in Padme's.
"Breathe Ani," Padme whispered.
He nodded quickly, too quickly. A wave of dizziness blurred his vision. He glanced down at Padme, so still and strong beside him and his resolve wavered. He didn't deserve her, she would be better without him. Their children would grow up without the dangers he attracted if he just... No. He couldn't do that to them, even if it meant they would be safe. He pushed the dizziness back and stood up straighter.
And then the Emperor was walking towards them and everything came crashing back. His knees buckled and he was on the damp ground, eyes lowered. He couldn't control himself any more than he could the weather.
Padme reached out to him, urging him to stand but he couldn't. His muscles wouldn't let him.
Palpatine's laughter rang out clearly through the field as he came closer.
"Well done Pet."
Anakin grit his teeth, ignoring the pride that was swelling inside him from the compliment. Unable to lift his head, Anakin instead reached out with the Force. He was careful to keep his emotions neutral so his own Force presence wouldn't flare out of control. It would do no good to have the cavalry arrive too soon because he'd let off the flare unintentionally. Besides the Emperor, there were three other newcomers – one female, two male, one of which was painfully familiar.
"Luke," Padme gasped.
She released Anakin's shoulder, stumbling backwards. Anakin's hands clenched into fists as he felt his son's Force presence. It was in a constant state of flux, flares of Dark side tempered by waves of Light. Neither seemed able to gain purchase within Luke, both sides slipping and sliding in their fight to dominate the young boy.
"What have you done to him?" Padme cried.
Anakin could sense her anger, startling in its intensity. He'd never felt her this furious before and that worried him.
"Luke, sweetie," Padme stepped towards their son, "Are you alright?"
Anakin wanted nothing more than to see his son but the idea of lifting his head seemed too much for his programmed muscles. The Emperor's presence was too overwhelming, more so than it had been before. It was as though Byss itself was lending Palpatine its strength so he could be stronger than ever.
Luke didn't respond to his mother's question but Anakin thought he sensed something through the Force. It was the briefest flash, a falter so small he wasn't sure he hadn't imagined it, but it was enough. A tiny glimmer of hope sparked in Anakin's heart. Luke could be saved.
"Rise my pet."
The Emperor moved closer, his attention fixed on Anakin. He didn't care for the young Skywalker any more than he did Padme. They were nothing more than pawns in his perfectly planned game. Anakin was the end game and everything he did moved him one step closer to possessing him.
Swamped by memories of what came from disobedience, Anakin was quick to his feet. His eyes were lowered and his hold on the Force was tenuous. If the Emperor told him to block his connection to the Force, he would.
"You stay away from him."
Padme's hand slipped into his, tugging him away from the Emperor and behind her slight frame. Her strength was fuelled by anger and hatred, directed entirely at Palpatine. That protective instinct was back, spreading through Anakin's body like wildfire. He clenched his teeth, feeling every muscle tense. He couldn't give in to the Emperor's conditioning, couldn't leap in to defend him against Padme. That would not help their cause at all.
Breathing deeply, he tried not to think, tried to stay focused on Padme. His muscles relaxed slightly but he knew the instinct was just waiting for him to lose concentration.
"You should watch that temper Padme," the Emperor taunted. "It can't be good for the baby."
"This child is none of your business."
"But it could be." Anakin could feel Palpatine's smirk and knew he was just riling Padme. "Maybe I should just start from scratch. This one has been more effort than he's worth."
Pure fury flashed through Padme. Anakin grabbed her arm before she could take a swing at the Emperor, pulling her back.
"Good to see all that hard work was not in vain," Palpatine stated. Anakin dropped Padme's arm instantly, unsure who he'd been protecting.
Beside him Padme seethed. Her intense anger worried him, made him wonder. Could it be the Dark side feeding her emotions, heightening her fears and anxieties? The same way it was weakening Anakin, reducing him to the Emperor's pet once more.
"Enough of this idle chitchat," the female voice was young and sounded bored. She stood guard behind Luke, the other man with her dressed in near-identical Mandalorian battle armour. The pair had been silent until now, content to watch the proceedings.
The Emperor nodded to her, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Right you are Aleema." He turned to Anakin, who instantly lowered his gaze. "Shall we?"
This was the moment but his body wouldn't move. Fear paralysed him. The small group around him were waiting, the whole field dead still. His thoughts were racing. If he handed himself over like the Emperor expected, Luke, Padme, Leia and the baby would be free. The Emperor would leave them alone and they could start a new life somewhere away from danger. If he didn't move, refused to hand himself over, they could fight. The Emperor would probably be expecting some form of resistance, hence the two Mandalorians. And while fighting the Emperor stuck to Obi Wan's plan, Anakin wasn't actually sure he could go through with it. His stomach still heaved at the mere thought of a weapon and the Dark side was beginning to gain purchase within him. Soon he wouldn't have the strength to resist Palpatine's conditioning and then the whole plan would be over before it began. They'd really underestimated how strong the Dark side was.
"You aren't reconsidering are you?" Anakin didn't miss the slightly threatening tone.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped up to Padme and pulled her to him. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before kneeling down in front of her. Caressing her swollen stomach, he placed another kiss there.
"Look after each other," he murmured, standing back up.
Padme grabbed his hand. "Don't you dare."
A sad smile was all he could offer her. He pulled his hand from hers and glanced down at the comm. link on his wrist. He switched it off, turned away from Padme and started towards the Emperor.
Ferus was restless. Behind and slightly above him sat Obi Wan, his eyes calm but focused as he kept a careful distance from the field. The pair was suppressing their Force signatures as best they could whilst still keeping an eye out for Anakin's signal.
"Do you think he'll be able to do it?" Ferus asked.
Obi Wan sighed. "I hope so."
Ferus nodded slowly, his mind churning. He wasn't sure he shared Obi Wan's optimism. Anakin was not the same man they'd planned a prisoner rescue with six months ago, both of them knew that. Something had broken within him and Ferus wasn't convinced that Anakin was still as loyal as he'd once been. How did they know that the Emperor wasn't luring them into a trap so he could get rid of the Resistance and its leaders?
"Ferus, stop thinking so hard."
He rolled his eyes. "How do you know you can trust him Ben? The Emperor had plenty of time to turn him. I mean, if I were in his position, that's what I would do."
There was silence.
"Come on Ben, don't be blind! Anakin could very well have led us into a trap. He's a smart guy, he could have been playing us from the moment Rex and Ahsoka let themselves get caught. We are the leaders of the Resistance and here we are meeting up with the Emperor on a planet that exudes the Dark side."
"Ferus, you don't know Anakin the way I do."
"And there's my point. I don't know him; I don't know what he's capable of. I think I know more about the Emperor than I do about my own friend."
"He's like the son I never had," Obi Wan muttered. His words were softly spoken, nostalgic almost. "He's saved my life so many times over the years. I've watched him grow from the annoying little brat who destroyed that droid control ship into a strong young man who would do anything to protect his loved ones. He has seen so much sadness in his life and yet he has overcome it all. I know he can do it again."
"That may have been true six months ago Obi Wan, but there are some things even the strongest of us can't bounce back from."
"I trust him to do what he must Ferus."
The comm. link in front of Ferus beeped, pulling the pair from their argument. Ferus answered the call, doing his best to set his fears aside.
"Anakin's comm. link has been deactivated. We've lost our ears," Ahsoka's voice was hushed. "Pieter and I are moving in to new positions."
"What happened? Was he forced to turn it off?" Ferus demanded.
They could hear Ahsoka's steady breathing as she ran through the dense forest surrounding the field. "I'm... not sure. It didn't sound like he was under duress but we're really only hearing Anakin's side of the conversation. He hasn't been close enough to the Emperor yet for us to have good audio on him."
"So it's possible that he turned it off for no reason?"
"What are you implying?"
Obi Wan placed a hand on Ferus' shoulder. "Don't worry Ahsoka. Proceed as you are and keep us informed."
Ferus ended the call with a rough stab. "You better be right Ben."