Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.
AN: Here's chapter 33! Thanks for all the great reviews. Five years have now passed since the events in Chapter 32. Hunter is now sixteen, Blake is nine, and Ahsoka is seventeen.
Notes and thanks to reviewers:
Hannah Jane: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. As for Forever Destined, I'll try to work on what will probably be the final vignette soon, but I just haven't had any time to devote to it. But yes, Jenna is based on Jennette MuCurdy's character Sam. ;)
StoryArtistNamedS: Thanks, glad you're enjoying it! :)
Jedi Angel001: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
froovygirl: Glad you're enjoying it. As for Luke and Leia, stay tuned. ;)
Guest: Well, actually, Padme wasn't kidnapped herself in that chapter. The entire delegation was taken hostage, because I borrowed that plot from Clone Wars and reworked it. Anakin saved them in that.
Destiny Changer: I remember your suggestion, but it is not something I'm concerned with, nor interesting in including. Mouth kissing your children is weird to me. Sorry, but that's how I feel. I can tell you from personal experience that kids don't like it. I had one grandma that did insist on kissing on the lips when I was a child and one that kissed on the cheek. Believe me, I hated the awkward mouth kisses. I hate it now too. It's uncomfortable and spreads germs. That's how people spread colds and the flu. Sorry, but that's how I feel. As for the slave rings, I don't have a definite number, but there are also infinite numbers left in all probability. With slavery being legal in the outer rim, then when one goes down, another will pop up. It is a never ending battle. I would gladly check out the Smallville fic, but I wouldn't know what was going on. Never watched that show. Thanks, you have a good day too. :)
sexystarwarslover: Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it so much! :)
Force Jumper
Chapter 33: Fated Meeting
Coruscant
"Chancellor Palpatine, as lead member of the delegation of two thousand, I respectfully ask that you lay aside your emergency powers so we may end this long, needless war," Padme Amidala said, as she stood in the Chancellor's office with some of her colleagues, including Bail Organa, Bana Breemu, and others that she was often at odds with like Gavin Jothra and Orn Free Taa.
"If only it were that simple, Senators. But I am afraid that with General Grievous still at large and more planets are considering leaving the Republic, it is simply not possible," Palpatine said gravely.
"The Chancellor is right! We cannot afford more planets leaving the Republic and this is no time for your passive nonsense, Senator," Orn Free Taa spat. Padme ignored the portly blue Twi'lek.
"But Chancellor, if we show those planets that we are committed to resuming a democratic legislation..." Padme argued, but she was cut off.
"They don't care, Padme. Unfortunately, the leaders of those planets are as greedy as any. The Separatists are offering them lucrative payoffs to those that join them. Chancellor Palpatine has graciously maintained our integrity by refusing to sink to their level," Gavin argued.
"The Republic is bankrupt!" she argued.
"I admire your passion for the people, Senator, but my emergency powers will allow me to keep feeding our people and save us from total anarchy. Now, if you'll excuse me, the hour is late," Palpatine said, as he ended the conversation. Padme turned and stormed out with the others following her. She, Bail, and Bana got into a lift and it began to descend to the ground floor of the Senate building.
"Are you all right?" Bana asked her close friend, as she put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm fine, just frustrated," Padme replied, giving her a grateful smile.
"As we all are. This stalemate the war has entered must end. Neither side will make a move. Meanwhile, people are starving and crime is rampant," Bail said. Bana nodded.
"What do we do?" she asked.
"There's nothing we can do except keep trying and hope the Jedi can capture General Grievous. It is the first step in turning this war around in our favor," Padme stated. But she knew the Jedi were at a serious disadvantage since Grievous had the ability to Force jump. Anakin himself had experienced a few encounters and scrapes with him in the last five years. Each time, their battles had ended in stalemates and with Grievous' crafty deceit, he had always escaped. It didn't help that because of he wasn't completely organic, he possessed the ability to Force jump and almost never left a jump scar behind. It was the only reason he was able to escape her husband's pursuit. At the thought of her wonderful little family, she exited the lift and bid her colleagues goodbye. By the exit, a strapping young man with shaggy blonde hair awaited her. She smiled, hugged him, and kissed his cheek.
"Hey mom," Hunter said, as he greeted her, his voice much deeper with maturity.
"Hey sweetie," she replied, as they got into the speeder. At sixteen, Hunter was already six feet tall, only a couple inches shorter than Anakin now. He wore his sandy blonde hair in a shaggy style, much like Anakin's, and his once cherub boy features had matured into handsome and chiseled. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence to see young girls his age notice him and she would giggle to herself when her son would return slightly shy, but goofy grins in return. The mother bear in her, however, reared her head when she saw some much older women paying him the same attention that she deemed totally inappropriate.
"Let me guess, Chancellor Bishwag refused to give it up again?" Hunter asked. Padme tossed him a look at his use of the derogatory slang term, even though its meaning of untrustworthy fit Palpatine perfectly.
"He did, but you know how I feel about your cursing. I don't want the twins to pick up on it. They're sponges, you know," Padme replied. He smirked.
"Dad calls him that and I won't say it around the squirts," he promised, as he merged into traffic. Padme smiled. Two years ago, she and Anakin were blessed with not one, but two babies, growing their little family even more. They had three beautiful boys and one beautiful little princess that had Anakin, Sifo, and Quinlan all wrapped around her tiny little pinky.
They soon arrived home to her penthouse apartment in Republican 500, but weren't there long since Anakin was waiting to whisk them home to the Lake Country.
Upon arriving, she immediately heard three young voices calling to her.
"Mom!" Blake greeted, as he ran to her and she scooped him up.
"Hello to you too, sweetie," she replied, as she kissed his cheek. She heard the small voices of her twins next, as her father carried Luke and Master Sifo brought Leia, who he was holding in his lap on his hover chair.
"Daddy!" Leia called, as she reached up to him. Anakin was only too happy to take his little princess, while Padme took Luke.
"Oh good, you're home, Mistress Padme. I'm happy to report that Master Blake once again scored very well on his weekly tests," Threepio reported. Padme smiled.
"That's my boy," she replied. Blake beamed at her praise.
"Threepio, you have blue electronic crayon all over your chest," Anakin mentioned with a chuckle.
"Yes...oh well, Master Luke tired of his electronic coloring pad," Threepio tried to explain, as they all laughed.
"Lukie decided to try and color Threepio blue," Blake explained.
"Treepio blue!" Luke called out.
"Yes, he's definitely your kid," Quinlan added, nudging Anakin with his elbow.
"Let's go start dinner, Threepio and then we'll see if we can get the blue off," Padme said.
"Thank you Miss Padme. I took the liberty of completing all the prep work for dinner," Threepio rattled on. She smiled, as they put the twins down to play with their brothers. The old, timeless saying was true. Home is where the heart is.
"Did you get the supplies?" Whie asked, as he and Scout loaded their goods in the cargo hold of the ship. Solaris V was rich with most natural resources, but there were a few things they had to acquire from other planets, like some modern medicines, ship parts, and other tech items. Whie and Scout, being that they knew exactly where to get about anything had taken to making their supply runs. Lately, their students had been accompanying them to the planets their parents deemed safe. Arianna and Skyler had joined them on this particular mission to Naboo, for it was a favorite planet for all of them.
"That should be about it. We can head back in the morning," Whie said.
"Good, let's get something to eat. I'm starved," Skyler complained.
"You're always starved," Arianna teased her best friend. He smirked.
"My Mom says I am a growing boy," he reminded.
"I saw a nice little cafe a couple blocks away," Scout mentioned. They agreed and headed off. Unfortunately, none of them noticed the person inconspicuously following them.
Padme snuggled against her husband's bare chest, as they lay entwined beneath the bedclothes. Despite the warring and strife throughout the galaxy, they enjoyed a wonderful, peaceful life with their children, secluded in the Lake Country and occasionally on Yavin IV. Sometimes she felt guilty for their good life, despite that most of it was spent practically in hiding when she was not keeping up her pubic appearances in the Senate. Anakin was fond of telling her that it was okay for them to be happy, even in times of war. And protecting their children came first so that meant Padme was perfectly fine with hiding away for the rest of their lives if they had to. But Anakin always assured her that it wouldn't be that way. He was determined to bring the Xal'Kaar down. In the mean time, they were content to raise their children together.
Hunter was a powerful young warrior now, still learning everything he could from Anakin and his other mentors, all while experiencing everything it meant to be a teenager. Padme was more than aware of his hormones and his healthy awareness of the opposite sex. Still, her oldest son possessed his innocent shyness and his moments of aloofness that reminded her that he was not ordinary. He had abilities that most couldn't even begin to understand. He had experienced much more than most his age and his broodiness scared away the girls Padme considered empty headed and shallow, which she was grateful for. However, sometimes this attracted another kind of woman that Padme wanted him to have nothing to do with. Fortunately, her son seemed more interested in girls around his age and ones that had brains. She had raised him right, after all.
Blake was something of a prodigy now. Her father had spotted the signs early during his tutoring and he believed he would grow up to be quite the diplomat. Ruwee said he reminded him of Padme so much in his conviction to help people. Though his memories had faded more than Hunter's, she knew that Blake still remembered flashes of the bad things he and Hunter had experienced. With her blessing, her father was grooming him much as he had her. It was a little overwhelming to think that in just a few years, her little boy might follow in her footsteps into the legislative youth program. She of course worried about his safety, but self defense was not lost on Blake. He had regular hand to hand combat training with Anakin and Quinlan, alongside Hunter. And when he was older, Anakin would train him with a blaster.
As for their two-year-olds, it was really too early to tell, but she could definitely see Luke wanting to follow Anakin and Hunter, even if it turned out that he didn't have the Force jumping ability. Anakin said it was far too early to know and it would happen to them sporadically if at all. But they were certain about their midichlorian counts and they were perfect twins, each with a count of fourteen thousand five hundred. It would be up to them when they got older as to what path they would take, for Anakin and Padme didn't believe in choosing their paths for them. As long as their children were happy, that was all that mattered to them.
The next day
"Are you sure you don't mind going to the market for me?" Padme asked, as she handed her son her shopping list.
"No, I don't mind at all," Hunter replied.
"Okay, just be careful," she fretted. He chuckled.
"I'll be fine Mom," he said, as he headed out to the speeder. Padme sighed and watched him go.
"Hi Grandma!" Blake said, as Jobal opened the door. She smiled and knelt down to hug him.
"Hello sweetie," she replied, as he scampered inside to find his cousins and Aunt Sola. Ruwee followed him, holding Luke and Leia's hands, as they toddled beside him.
"There are my little ones," Jobal gushed, as she hugged them.
"Ruwee," she greeted coolly.
"Jobal," he replied, with equal iciness. There was still tension between them following their divorce, but they kept things civil for the sake of their grandchildren. The tension between Padme and Jobal was even thicker, being that she refused to reveal her husband and the twins' father to her. Jobal had never met this mysterious man, but she was more than certain that it was that horrible vigilante. Still, she did not love her grand babies any less. She was even fond of the street urchins Padme adopted, though Blake more than Hunter. The oldest one rarely came to visit and was always with his father, who she had deemed was an obvious bad influence.
"I hope you don't mind, but we have an extra guest this morning for breakfast. He dropped by at the last minute, but he is a good friend," Jobal said, as she led them into the sitting room.
"Senator Jothra, this is my ex-husband, Ruwee," she introduced.
"It's an honor to meet you, Professor Naberrie," Gavin said.
"Senator Jothra, it's quite unexpected to see you here on Naboo," Ruwee replied.
"Oh, he visits quite often and I find his company absolutely refreshing," Jobal gushed. Ruwee rolled his eyes. He didn't trust him at all, but he wasn't surprised that his ex-wife was completely taken in by the younger, charming Senator. And he was positive he was charming Jobal in order to somehow get close to Padme again. Not that he was worried, because Anakin would jump him into a volcano pit if he tried anything. And Padme detested Gavin so she was naturally on guard around him.
"Well, Sola should have breakfast just about ready. Shall we?" she asked, as they headed into the dining room.
They ran as fast as they could through the alleyways in the shadier parts of Theed.
"Go...Go..." Whie urged, as he checked behind him, only to see the four Xal'Kaar agents gaining on them. He knew if they jumped, they would just follow them through the scars so hiding and outsmarting was the only solution.
"Sky...slow them down," Scout called. The very tanned skinned boy stopped and conjured a gust of wind with his Force powers and thrust it at them. It blew them back and they continued on, only to find two more coming at them from the other direction. Arianna shot a blast of water at them, but it only slowed them down for a moment, as they were cornered in the alley on both sides.
"End of the line, brats," one hissed.
"The Master will pleased to know that we've finally tracked you two down and taken care of his problem," another said, referring to Scout and Whie.
"Too bad for your little friends that they're going to meet the same untimely demise," the first one hissed again. Whie and Scout ignited their light sabers and went to battle four of them, while two seized Sky and Arianna. The teens were not about to go down without a fight and ignited their own light sabers, both sapphire blades blazing forth. But the seasoned agents were able to keep up with the inexperienced kids and Sky found himself shadowboxing to evade the man's vibro blade. He slammed the dark haired boy against a wall and his eyes went wide with fear, as he saw the man draw his blade back.
"Sky!" Ari cried for her best friend. He chuckled sadistically at the fear in his eyes.
"Time to gut me another impure little bastard," he hissed. Those were his final words though, as he was suddenly writhing in agony from red colored lightning that struck him. Ari gasped and saw the other teen, tall with shaggy blonde hair, standing there. She gasped again, as she watched him Force jump and slay the two with ease, before jumping into to assist Scout and Whie with the others. The other four fell to this obviously extremely well trained youth and they stood in awe, wondering if he would now turn on them. But he extinguished his blade and put his hands up in a nonthreatening gesture.
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," he assured.
"You're...like us," Sky said. He nodded.
"Yes, I'm a Force jumper. My name is Hunter," he replied.
"You're more than that. You have Force powers and you've been trained in the Jedi arts. Who taught you?" Whie asked.
"I did," Knightblade said, as he emerged from no where. He had sensed the danger through his training bond with Hunter and observed from a distance, as his son took care of the situation.
"Oh my gosh...you're him..." Scout said in awe.
"I know what Mace Windu tried to do to you. Master Kenobi has done some digging over the years and knows that he covered up your escape by telling everyone that you died in an explosion on the battlefield," Knightblade stated.
"Master Kenobi...he knows?" Whie asked in awe.
"He's been our secret mole inside the Temple for the last five years, but this probably isn't the best place to discuss any of this. We have a place we can go and discuss all this," Knightblade said. He noticed his son's stare on the beautiful young blonde his age and nudged him.
"Why don't you get their things?" he suggested.
"Huh? Oh yeah," he said, as he stumbled over to pick up the supplies they had dropped. Anakin shook his head in amusement. When they were ready, Anakin jumped them to the Naberrie cabin the mountains. Ari looked around and then back at Hunter.
"And they can't find us here?" she asked.
"No, plus my dad built a device to erase our jump scars," Hunter replied, as they watched Anakin use his device to erase the scars.
"We have a friend that can do that, only he does it with force fields," Sky said.
"Then there are others that have Force powers like Hunter's?" Anakin asked. Arianna nodded.
"If you have a secure comm system, then I can contact my dad. He can explain everything," she replied. He nodded.
"You guys contact your people. I'm going to get the rest of our family and I'll be back," Anakin said, as he disappeared.
While Whie, Scout, and Sky went about using the secure comm system to contact her father, Arianna found herself drawn outside onto the veranda. The view of the lake below and the mountain range was absolutely breathtaking. For Hunter though, the view was not what he thought was breathtaking. He felt his breath catch, as she turned back to look at him, her amazing sapphire eyes locking on him.
"You have the power of lightning," she mentioned.
"Huh? Oh yeah...you have them too?" he asked curiously. She nodded and he watched in awe, as she conjured a sphere of water.
"That's amazing! I've never seen anyone else Force bend an element," he said. She let the sphere float into the air and then shot it up. It dissipated and they felt a light mist fall on them.
"Are there others that can do this?" he asked.
"A few. Sky can manipulate the wind. And back home, our friend Dustin can manipulate ground elements, even cause quakes. And my best friend Mina can conjure snow," she explained.
"And our friend Riley has an even more unique power. He can create force fields and erase jump scars with his powers," Sky chimed in.
"And you're all Force jumpers too?" Hunter asked. They nodded.
"I didn't get to thank you earlier for saving my life," Sky mentioned, as the two young men shook hands.
"Just glad I got there in time," Hunter replied.
"So, your dad is really the Knightblade?" Arianna asked.
"Well, he and our mom adopted us five years ago. But they're the only parents we've ever known and we love them as if we were related by blood," Hunter explained, as Anakin returned with Sifo-Dyas, Quinlan, Padme, Ruwee, Blake, and the twins.
"This is your family?" Sky asked. Hunter nodded.
"The one in the hover chair is our grandpa Sifo. He and Uncle Quinlan took in my dad when he was just a boy. Then the other man is grandpa Ruwee, then my mom, my little brother Blake, and our little brother Luke and little sister Leia," Hunter explained, as they went back inside.
Arianna saw her father's face appear on the comm screen and they went inside.
"I was getting worried. You weren't answering my hails to the ship," Jake Zearing said.
"Sorry Mr. Zearing. We ran into a little problem," Whie explained.
"The Xal'Kaar?" he asked in concern.
"Yes, but fortunately, we got a little help," Scout replied.
"You're Knightblade," Jake stated. Anakin nodded and removed his mask.
"My real name is Anakin Skywalker, though I ask that you keep that to yourself for now. My son rescued your daughter and her friends from Xal'Kaar agents this afternoon. I was surprised to see that they have unique Force powers like he does," Anakin said, as he gestured to Hunter, who showed the man his red lightning.
"And you're a Force Jumper too?" Jake asked. Hunter nodded.
"Then the abilities are limited to those who also have the ability to Force jump?" Anakin asked.
"It seems so and the abilities start very young. We have about fifteen youths that have extra abilities that go along with their Force jumping skills," Jake explained.
"And you're able to remain hidden from the Xal'Kaar?" Anakin asked.
"So far. We're very remote, so that helps. Supply runs take weeks since the ship travel takes so long," Jake explained.
"We're training to someday take on the Xal'Kaar, but Mr. Zearing always felt that it would be necessary to somehow ally ourselves to you someday, though we had no idea if you would even be willing," Whie interjected. Jake nodded.
"Whie is right. Our students have made progress in their light saber training thanks to Whie and Scout. But we need more. As we stand now, we are years away from even being able to take on a good sized faction, let alone the Nexu's den that is Haruun Kal itself. Is it true, however, that you are able to jump entire planets?" Jake asked.
"Yes, I just have to see where I'm jumping though. I'll have to take the first trip by ship, but once I have acquired jump sites, I'll be able to jump myself and others between your planet and Naboo or anywhere else in seconds," Anakin explained.
"Then you are actually willing to help us?" Jake asked.
"Well, I won't lie to you. We're probably still a ways away from any kind of strike. Truthfully, I'm not sure taking Haruun Kal down is possible, at least not first anyway. But I do have a plan and we need all the help we can get as well," Anakin said, as Obi-Wan stepped forward.
"This is our friend Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and he is our secret weapon so to speak inside the Jedi Temple," Anakin stated. Jake's eyes widened.
"You have someone on the inside and Mace Windu doesn't suspect?" Jake asked.
"If he does, he doesn't show it. My padawan is privy to our plot as well. Mace Windu is careful though, but I'm confident that we will eventually be able to expose his entire operation. But Anakin is right. We need all the trained fighters we can get," Obi-Wan replied.
"Then I invite you to our planet, though I must ask you promise discretion," he stated.
"Understood. My eldest son and I can travel back with your daughter and the others. Once I acquire a few jump sites, I can return for the rest of my family," Anakin said.
"We will be honored to have you and your family join us. Without you, we would have never even believed we had a chance of standing against any of the Xal'Kaar," Jake stated.
"What they do is wrong and it's time the entire Galaxy knows about them, especially the Jedi," Anakin stated.
"We'll get supplies and start out tomorrow morning," Anakin decided. Jake nodded.
"I'll see all you soon," Jake said, as the screen went dark.
"Well, I think we should go back to Varykino. You guys can go about training in the meadow for today and then we'll have a special dinner," Padme decided.
"It's absolutely incredible," Obi-Wan said, as he observed the training in the meadow with Quinlan.
"Yeah, we thought Hunter's abilities were just an anomaly. We were sure that Anakin's ability to Force jump planets was simply because he was the Chosen One, but it seems some pick up specialized abilities. These kids could definitely be the edge we need," Quinlan replied. Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, as they continued to observe.
Hunter knew he was staring again. She had caught him, but didn't seem to mind if her small, shy smiles were anything to go by. He had caught her stealing glances his way as well. Her control with her element was also amazing.
"I haven't met anyone else that can channel the Force into an element," he mentioned.
"There aren't many of us that can do it. I think sometimes it frightens people more than the Force Jumping," she replied. He nodded, understanding what she meant.
"I thought at first it meant I was bad, because Force lightning is always associated with the Sith," he said.
"How did Anakin find you and your brother?" she asked.
"Nearly the same way I found you," he replied.
"Blake and I ran away from the orphanage after a few older boys decided to teach me a lesson after I stopped them from abusing Blake. Once I jumped, we knew there was no turning back. We stowed away on a supply freighter and ended up on Naboo. Anakin saved us from the Xal'Kaar and took us home. Then he and Padme adopted us. He and Uncle Quin trained me," Hunter explained. She nodded.
"My mom is our President and she keeps a close eye on the Republic Senate. She doesn't have a lot of good things to say about most, but admires Senator Amidala greatly. She always says that if there weer more like her and Senator Organa, then the Republic might not be in such turmoil," Ari said.
"She sound like a wise woman," he replied, as they shared a soft smile.
"Come on you two, they're calling us for dinner," Whie said, as they started in.
"Good, I'm starving," Sky mentioned.
"Me too. My Mom is a great cook too," Hunter promised, as they headed inside.