Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.
AN: Here's chapter 25! Thanks for all the great reviews. Six months have passed since the events in chapter 24. Here's notes to a few individuals who have been kind enough to review:
Harry2: Thanks, glad you like the story. But Blake's midichlorian count isn't high enough to train in the Jedi arts. His path will be different. As for Scout going to Yoda, it's not that simple. There's no real evidence against Mace and he has many waiting to cover whatever base needs to be covered. The war between Force Jumpers and the Xal'Kaar is a very long way off.
FateOfChaos: Thanks, so glad you're enjoying the story.
Annabel Willow: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story and the addition of Hunter and Blake. And yep, Scout knows. Things are going to get very interesting.
Jedi Angel001: Thanks, glad you like it. Yep, Scout knows the truth and is on the run. Things are okay for now, but I'll be throwing some action in soon. :)
Hannah Jane: Yep, Anakin and Padme have a family before Luke and Leia, but the twins will be born. As for FD, I am slowly working on the next vig, but I'm not in any hurry with. I have this story, plus two others in another fandom. Only so much time to write and I have to go where the inspiration is currently. I will be posting the next vig as soon as I finish the first part of it.
Chewbrok: Thanks, glad you're enjoying the story.
sexystarwarslover: Thanks, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Yes, they're going to be family and as for Scout, the coming chapters will tell her story. :)
TheNabooQueen: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
Dolphingirls: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story, especially the scenes with Padme and the boys. As for Scout, the coming chapters will tell her story. :)
Avalon West: Thanks, glad you're enjoying the story!
generalfangirl: Glad you're enjoying the story! And yes, I reused the name Hunter, but only because I really like the name.
Green Verde: Thanks for the great compliments, glad you're enjoying the story. :)
Regin: Glad you love it! Enjoy this next chapter. :)
Force Jumper
Chapter 25: Ulterior Motives
The wreckage was disheartening and he didn't want to imagine what radical weapon could have so easily caused the catastrophic destruction to their fleet. Various ships in the Clone fleet had been surprised attacked, leaving no survivors. And now Plo Koon and his fleet had discovered a massive Separatist flagship in the Abregado system.
"Commander Wolffe, did you contact Coruscant?" Plo questioned.
"Yes Sir, they are relaying our position to Master Kenobi and his padawan in the nearby Bith system. They had been ordered to protect the supply lines, but the Council is sending them as reinforcements," Wolffe reported.
"Sir…communications are being jammed!" a Clone soldier called.
"It's coming from that ship," Wolffe said. Plo Koon gazed out at the massive flagship and witnessed a purplish orb forming from the weapon.
"They're attacking…battle stations!" Plo Koon called, as the jarring of the hit threw many to the floor. Power was cut and they were thrust into darkness.
"Report!" Plo called.
"That weapon has taken out all power, Sir. The engines and weapons are gone," Wolffe called.
"Another hit and we won't survive. Get to the escape pods!" Plo Koon called. All three Republic attack cruisers were lost, with just Plo Koon, and three Clone soldiers surviving in their escape pods.
Grievous accepted the incoming transmission and his Master's hologram shimmered to life.
"General, the location of our ion canon has been compromised. There were survivors of that Republic fleet," Dooku stated. Grievous wheezed.
"I will send out the pod hunters," the droid general replied.
"See that you do. The Republic must not discover our weapon," Dooku replied, as his transmission ended. Grievous Force jumped to the lower level of his vessel and stomped toward his subordinate droid army.
"Find the survivors and eliminate them," he ordered, as the pod hunters were sent out.
"Your Excellency, Master Windu is here," the receptionist informed him through the comm.
"Thank you Diana, please send him in," Palpatine requested. Jedi Master Mace Windu strode confidently into the Chancellor's office and bowed respectfully to the leader of the Senate.
"Chancellor, your summons sounded urgent," Mace stated, wasting no time.
"Yes Master Windu, there is something of importance I would like to discuss with you. Please be seated," Palpatine requested. Mace complied and the Chancellor sat down at his desk.
"As you are painfully aware I'm sure, the Separatist's new weapon is of great concern. The Senate is in uproar and the damage to our fleet is already catastrophic. To lose this war would mean to lose our way of life," Palpatine stated bluntly.
"I am as you say painfully aware, Your Excellency, but I assure you that the Jedi will not rest until we find a way to destroy this radical new weapon," Mace responded.
"There are whispers that you may have found the location of this weapon," Palpatine said. Mace nodded.
"Yes Chancellor, we believe we know. We are still working on a way to nullify this radical new weapon," Mace informed.
"Yes…perhaps I can offer a strategy," Palpatine replied.
"By all means, Your Excellency," Mace requested, as Palpatine stood and motioned to the other man to follow him to his expansive panoramic window that gave a spectacular view of Coruscant.
"I think we both know that your loyalty truly lies with your people, Master Windu, and it is something I respect more than you know," Palpatine stated quietly. Mace was silent for a moment.
"Chancellor, while my people and I are forever grateful to you for your continued funding of our important cause, I believe it is best that we do not speak of this matter aloud," Mace stated.
"Master Windu, our goals are similar. We both agree that the Separatists must be defeated and that your people must continue their work to rid us of dangerous people with the power to create discord and chaos in our great Republic. I am simply offering a solution to a certain aspect of our problem that happens to collate," Palpatine stated smoothly.
"Please continue then, Your Excellency," Mace responded stiffly. With his hands clasped behind his back, Palpatine paced slowly before the window.
"As you know, Senator Amidala is the leading opposition against the war in the Senate and she is very influential, despite her scandalous dealings with a certain vigilante," Palpatine said. Mace nodded curtly.
"I am well aware of the threat posed by Knightblade. But what are you suggesting, Chancellor?" Mace asked.
"On the record, I have a simple, perfectly safe diplomatic mission that I will be sending the Senator on very soon. I will suggest that it is so safe that she can even bring her newly adopted brats with her," Palpatine replied.
"And…off the record?" Mace questioned.
"She will fly right into the thick of battle with the Separatist fleet. Seeing an opportunity to take such a well-known and influential Senator as a hostage will certainly not be an opportunity they will waste," Palpatine informed.
"And this will most certainly draw Knightblade into the fray as well," Mace said, knowing exactly where he was going.
"This conversation never happened," Palpatine warned. Mace looked at him with his usual stoic expression. Mace nodded curtly.
"Good day Chancellor," Mace bid farewell and left quietly.
"The Chancellor has indicated that negotiations with the banking clan may be possible," Bail Organa stated, as he and a few other Senators that shared the same views met in one of their weekly meetings. This week they were being hosted by Senator Amidala.
"This new weapon the Separatists have has already caused catastrophic damage to the Republic fleet. A negotiation with the banking clan is our only hope. The Republic will be bankrupt in no time at this rate," Mon mentioned, as she sipped at her tea.
"I'm not sure I like the idea of any deals that banking clan will offer us in this time of war," Padme spoke.
"I don't either Padme, but what choice do we have?" Mon asked.
"I realize the situation is dire, but bending to the kind of stipulations they will demand for funding could be morally bankrupting," Padme responded.
"Padme is right. There will be severe cuts and you know those not guided by their morals will call for education and special interests to be the first to go," Bail mentioned, as they heard a small noise. Blake had wandered out from his room and peaked around the corner. Padme smiled, as she saw Dorme dash in.
"I'm sorry milady, I didn't mean for the interruption," she apologized.
"It's fine Dorme. It's okay sweetheart, come here," she called. Blake ran to her and she lifted him into her lap.
"Did you have fun with Dorme today?" she asked. He nodded.
"I painted a picture for you, mommy," he replied. She smiled and hugged him close. In the last six months, that small family bond between the four of them had grown into something wonderful and beyond anything she had ever imagined having. She knew she couldn't love her boys more if she had actually given birth to them.
"I can't wait to see it," she told him, as she turned to her smiling friends.
"Blake, these are my good friends, Bail and Mon. Can you say hi?" she asked. Blake, still very shy around strangers, managed a bashful wave.
"It's very nice to meet you Blake," Bail said.
"Yes, your mother has told us you're quite the little artist," Mon said fondly.
"I like painting. Mommy says I'm going to go to school soon," Blake said, as he eyed the cookies on the caf table. Padme smiled at him and gave him one.
"Just one before dinner," she told him.
As they were about to return to their conversation, they heard the door indicator chime. Dorme answered and immediately bowed, as Chancellor Palpatine stood there, flanked by two red guards.
"Chancellor Palpatine…" Dorme announced in surprise. The three Senators rose to their feet and Blake glanced at the visitors. His arms tightened around Padme's neck at the sight of the red guards, for they were very scary looking.
"Mommy…" he whispered uncertainly.
"It's all right sweetheart," she whispered.
"Good afternoon Senators," Palpatine greeted pleasantly.
"Chancellor Palpatine, what a pleasant surprise," Padme greeted with a curt bow.
"Yes Chancellor, what a pleasure," Mon greeted.
"I came by to request a favor of Senator Amidala," Palpatine stated.
"Please sit and be comfortable, Your Excellency," Padme offered. They all sat down and Padme shifted Blake in her lap. Dorme came to try and take him, but he was having none of it, as he buried his face next in Padme's neck.
"He's all right Dorme," Padme assured.
"Can I offer you some tea, Chancellor?" Padme asked,
"Yes, thank you," Palpatine responded, as Dorme poured it for him.
"This must be one of the charming young ones you've adopted," Palpatine stated.
"Yes, this is Blake. I'm afraid he's a little shy," Padme said, as she ruffled his dark hair.
"It's okay honey," Padme told him, as he turned his head.
"Well, I'm sure the big scary guards aren't helping," Palpatine mentioned.
"This is Chancellor Palpatine. Can you say hi?" Padme asked.
"Hi," Blake said, waving shyly.
"Hello young one," Palpatine greeted.
"Where is your other boy?" Palpatine asked.
"He's in school," Padme responded without missing a beat. Blake knew that Hunter was with the man that he had come to call daddy, but if his mom didn't want this man to know that, then he wasn't about to tell. He knew bad people would chase his brother and his daddy, because of their powers and he didn't want that. And while Blake couldn't sense things about people like Hunter could, he knew mean eyes when he saw them. This man was only pretending to be nice, but he had seen enough mean eyes in the orphanage to easily recognize them when he saw them.
"What was the favor that you needed to ask of me?" Padme asked. She didn't want to seem like she was trying to get rid of him, but he was making Blake uncomfortable and Anakin and Hunter would be home soon.
"Oh yes, well I need a Senator to journey to meeting place for negotiations with the Banking Clan's supreme executive. I believe there is no one better for this than you," Palpatine said.
"I'm honored you think so Chancellor," Padme replied.
"I realize that you're likely not ready to leave your boys yet and I have assurance that this journey is completely safe. In fact, the executive you will be meeting with is hosting it at a very secure resort and has welcomed you and your boys. There will after all be plenty of time for recreation," Palpatine suggested. Padme knew she couldn't refuse. He hadn't employed an executive order of her, but she knew him well enough to know that it was implied.
"Very well Chancellor, when must we leave?" she asked.
"Tomorrow morning, if possible. I will have the coordinates relayed to your Artoo unit," Palpatine replied, as he rose from his seat.
"Good day Chancellor," Bail bid him farewell, as his red guards escorted him out.
"We should go as well Padme. It's getting late in the afternoon," Mon said. Padme nodded and saw her friends out.
"We thought they'd never leave," Anakin joked, as he and Hunter appeared suddenly. Blake ran to them and Anakin scooped him up.
"There was a man here and he had mean eyes," Blake blurted out.
"Yeah, we heard from the bedroom. That was Chancellor Palpatine and he's not my favorite person either," Anakin told him.
"I could feel anything from him," Hunter mentioned.
"He has exceptionally strong mind shields and not even I can get a clear read on his emotions. That's why Uncle Quin always warns you about people like him. You never know where they stand," Anakin said, as he kissed Padme tenderly.
"How long have you two been hiding?" Padme asked, as she hugged Hunter.
"Since the mean eyes man asked you to go on a trip," Hunter replied.
"Well, then you know about the negotiations with the executive of the Banking Clan that the Chancellor wants me to attend," Padme said.
"And you agreed?" Anakin asked.
"You know that if I didn't, he would have given me an executive order. You know how he always manages to get his way," Padme replied.
"True, but you're not going alone. I think we should leave the boys on Yavin IV though," Anakin suggested.
"But we want to go too," Hunter whined.
"Yeah," Blake echoed.
"The Chancellor did say it was safe," Padme stated. He looked at her incredulously.
"And you trust him?" he asked.
"Of course not, but he couldn't blatantly send me into danger without rousing suspicion," Padme argued. Anakin nodded. It wasn't the Chancellor's style to get his hands dirty.
"I guess you have a point," Anakin replied.
"And even if something went wrong, you'd have us all out of there in no time, right?" she asked.
"Right," he answered, as she kissed his cheek.
"I'm going to start dinner and then we'll start packing for our trip. If everything goes right, this will be like our first family vacation. We can even take my dad with us," Padme said, as she headed to the kitchen.
Mace entered his secret Xal'Kaar base of operations on Coruscant
"Master," Depa greeted, bowing respectfully.
"Have there been any sightings of Scout?" he questioned.
"No, I'm afraid not, Master. It seems that she is very adept at hiding and our empty handed searches suggest that she is only jumping when she has no other choice," Depa reported.
"Keep searching, I want her found," Mace ordered to one team.
"Depa, I'll be moving you to a more urgent mission. You'll take four agents with you and leave as soon as possible for the coordinates that I've already programmed into your Arfour unit," Mace explained.
"What is the mission, Master?" Depa questioned.
"I have it on good authority that Senator Amidala will be journeying to these same coordinates, believing she is to meet with the head executive of the banking clan. However, she will find herself in the fray of battle and General Grievous will not waste the opportunity to take a member of the Senate as his hostage. It is most certain that Knightblade and a possible accomplish will show up to rescue her," Mace detailed.
"And then we can ambush him," Depa replied. Mace nodded.
"We must get him this time. There is no room for mistakes or failure," Mace said sternly, as he looked at his agents.
"Understood Master, we will leave at once," Depa replied.
Ruwee entered his daughter's apartment, the place he had resided for the majority of the last six months. He was returning this evening from a two week visit that he spent on Naboo with Sola and his granddaughters. He had missed them terribly, but he had also missed his new life on Coruscant with his youngest daughter and his new grandsons.
"Grandpa Ruwee!" Blake called, as he ran to him. Ruwee caught him in his arms and lifted him up.
"Well, I missed you too," Ruwee chuckled, as Blake hugged him tightly.
"Grandpa, we're all going on a trip tomorrow," Blake announced.
"A trip?" Ruwee asked.
"The Chancellor has asked me to meet with the executive of the banking clan at a secluded resort. Ani isn't letting me go alone and it's supposed to be safe, so we're taking the boys with us. I know you just got home, but we'd like it if you'd come too," Padme said. He smiled.
"Of course I'll come," Ruwee replied.
"Good, I could use your experience in dealing with stuffy banking executives," Padme said, as she kissed his cheek, before going to check on dinner.
"So the Chancellor asked her to be the one to meet with the banking clan executive?" Ruwee asked Anakin. The Force Jumper nodded.
"I don't like it either, but that's why I'm not letting her go alone. I wasn't crazy about taking the boys, but if something goes wrong, I can get us all out fairly easily," Anakin replied. Ruwee nodded, confident in Anakin's abilities.
"Well, I suppose I won't bother unpacking then," Ruwee said.
"So you're coming grandpa?" Hunter asked. Ruwee nodded.
"Of course, now let's go get washed up for dinner," he said, as he took the boys with him to the fresher.
"I don't like it Anakin…this whole thing could be a huge trap for you both," Quinlan said. Anakin had jumped home to Yavin IV after dinner to let them know what was going on.
"I sense the same," Sifo-Dyas stated.
"I know Masters, but if Padme had refused, the Chancellor would have just issued an executive order. I'm reluctant to bring the boys though if I'm being honest, I may need Hunter if something goes wrong. He has come a long way in controlling his lightning abilities," Anakin replied.
"Yes, it is remarkable. I have never sensed someone use Force lightning the way he does without it being innately evil," Sifo-Dyas mentioned fondly.
"Be that as it may, you two might need a little experience on your side," Quinlan mentioned.
"Does that mean that Uncle Quin is coming with us?" Anakin asked with a smirk.
"Someone has to keep an eye on you lot of troublemakers, that is if this troublemaker promises not to run off and get himself into another predicament like he did on Geonosis," Quinlan quipped, as he looked to Sifo-Dyas.
"I'll be fine Quin. I'm due for a good meditation retreat and I can do that right here," Sifo promised.
"All right kid, let me go pack a bag and we'll be off," Quinlan said, as he went upstairs.
Scout stepped off the transport and looked around. She stood out, being that she had just arrived on Ryloth, but she'd only be here long enough to find work to make more money so she could continue to stay on the move. This new way of life for her had gotten old, but she knew staying in one place meant being found by her former Master's hunters. And it was all because of an ability she didn't even fully understand. She sighed and decided she would start in the business district and try to find work in a small shop of some sort.
He saw her running for her life through the city streets that he couldn't place. The two men chased her and kept firing strange electrified cables at her. He observed her surroundings as she ran and noticed many of the people milling about were mostly Twi'leks. His breath caught in his throat and he screamed, but no sound came out, as one of the cables caught her around the leg. She looked up at her captors with fearful eyes, as one drew a gleaming blade and thrust it downward.
Whie woke up with a terrified start with her scream ringing in his ears.
"Scout…" he cried, as he panted air into his lungs. One of his gifts, or curses in some cases, was the ability to see the future. He always took heart that what he saw was never set in stone and he had to remind himself that this was one of those times.
"But it will be the future if I don't find her," Whie mumbled to himself.
From day one, he hadn't bought Mace Windu's story that he had fed to the Jedi Council about Scout's death. He had relayed to them all that she had been lost in combat and presumed dead. But Whie believed he would have felt her die if she had. Six long months had passed and he had no dreams or visions of her. Just as he was beginning to accept that she really might be dead, the Force had finally spoken to him. Scout was alive…and in danger. He quickly got up and pulled on his clothes, before stopping to think for a moment. He had seen Twi'leks and while they were all throughout the galaxy, so many in one place suggested that she was on Ryloth. He knew if he went and abandoned the Order, the likelihood of being accepted back weren't good, but he knew in his gut that something much bigger was going on. And the girl he knew he loved, despite it being forbidden, was in the middle of it.
With his decision made, Whie packed his very few belongings and scribbled an apologetic note to his Master, Maks Leem, before slipping out of the quarters he shared with her…
Artoo rolled up to Anakin, as he approached the Nubian cruiser that rested on the private landing pad.
"Artoo says all the checks are done, so let's be underway," Anakin said, as Padme, the boys, Quinlan, and Ruwee walked up the ramp. Anakin and Artoo followed and raised the ramp, before taking the helm of the ship and leaving Coruscant for their journey ahead…