AN: You know how I went around fixing things before? I'm fixing more things. Like this: WHY would they leave Luke with Owen if his only interaction with Anakin is watching him cry and kill a bunch of sand people? WHY should we care about Anakin's mom when we see her for, like, no time, and Anakin has spent more time away from her than with her? Why why why. Let's fix it! Again, from before, I hate midi-chlorians, I hate that Anakin is Space Jesus, and I also hate that he was concieved by the Force. If Midi-chlorians ain't a thing, that's not happening either. How's this: his mom's a slave lady. Guess what you can do with slaves? Anything you want. You do the math.

Ok, rant over, let's go.

Chapter 4: Home

"Master?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we go see my mother?"

Qui-Gon slowly opened his eyes, looking at his Padawan in the pilot's seat of the Jedi Cruiser. The two Jedi were getting ready to return from a diplomatic mission to Rodia, and it was tense, made more difficult by the presence of Trade Federation officials. Needless to say, the mission did not go well. All talks fell through, the Rodians insistent that they would support the Separatists if it came to war. The Jedi did all they could, but the Negotiator had gotten to Rodia first, the elusive shadow operative having convinced the Grand Protector that the Republic was not worth being a part of.

The Master was tired, frustrated at the lack of progress, and his Padawan's large, pleading eyes were almost too much to bear. "We saw her a few months ago, Anakin..."

"I know, but Tatooine is so close!"

Qui-Gon sighed. "Well, we're out here anyway..." He watched Anakin swiftly call to his droid to punch in the new coordinates, his leg bouncing in anticipation. Once or twice a year, the two Jedi would find time to visit Anakin's mother. It was a hard decision to make for the Master, but after keeping him several years from her, his attachment to his beloved mother hadn't waned at all. If anything, Anakin yearned for his mother more, his attachment to her growing the longer he was away. After Obi-Wan had died, Qui-Gon finally understood it. Though perhaps not keeping in line with the Code, the Jedi Master understood that being torn from someone simply made the heart ache more for them. And Qui-Gon had never been one to follow the Code.

Qui-Gon had spent a lot of time in the past few months with Luminara as she attempted to train Anakin in Soresu, but the Padawan was proving to be absolutely useless in the form. It did give the Masters a chance to talk, though, and Qui-Gon began adopting Luminara's view that attachment was not wrong, so long as, when the time was right, one could let go. His sudden loss of Obi-Wan was made worse by the long distance between them, which is what ultimately led him to the decision to bring young Anakin to his mother in the months following Kenobi's death.

So far, the decision was a good one. Anakin always felt more focused, more at peace after the visits, and it was made even better when his mother was freed from slavery and married a moisture farmer. Her life was meager and hard, but she was happy, and that made the Padawan happy as well. It was also helpful that Shmi Skywalker fully embraced her son's Jedi lifestyle, encouraging him to study carefully to be at his very best, and the boy took the advice to heart.

Maybe other Jedi could not do this, but Anakin was different. He had a family he loved and remembered. Qui-Gon felt wrong keeping them from each other, and he always did what he believed was right.

Anakin landed the ship just outside the small moisture farm, the ship settling in the sand as the ramp extended, and Anakin rushed out, squinting against the bright suns as he saw a figure swiftly running toward them, and the young Jedi took off, rushing to meet the other and colliding with him hard, both tumbling into the sand and laughing. Qui-Gon sighed, shielding his eyes when a sudden gust of wind picked up fine grains of sand, smiling softly as Anakin came running up with a boy roughly Anakin's age, his face flushed and dark brown hair unkept.

"Master, did we have anything we needed to take off the ship?"

Qui-Gon shook his head. "I don't believe so. We won't be here for long." He smiled, nodding his head at the other boy. "Hello, Owen."

Owen flushed and bowed deeply, so far it was comical, and Anakin burst out laughing. "Stop it, Anakin! He's a Jedi!"

"So am I, you don't bow to me."

"You're not a Jedi, Ani, you're just a student." The Padawan punched his step-brother in the shoulder, and with a cry, both boys took off running toward the homestead, Skywalker getting a fair lead on the Lars boy. The Jedi Master slowly made his way to the homestead, the blazing suns beating down on him. He smiled softly when he saw Shmi Skywalker, now Lars, patiently waiting for him outside the white hut. Her face brightened as he drew near, and she hugged him tightly, her tiny body nearly engulfed in his as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Anakin's nearly as big as you now," she said as they parted. "Though I admit, I'm disappointed that he didn't walk with you."

"You know how teenage boys are."

She laughed sweetly. "Yes, Owen is very similar. He's always rushing about. He has calmed down a bit, though, since he actually brought a girl home."

"Mm, I'm afraid I won't have that advantage with Anakin. Has he seen you yet?"

"Oh yes. Very quickly, Owen bought a junk speeder. They've gone to look at it together." Qui-Gon smiled, watching the woman's face light up with pride as she talked about her sons. She looked much healthier, much younger than she did all those years ago when Qui-Gon had taken Anakin from her. It was nine years later, yes, and her life was still hard, but she was made young again with the love of a happy family. "How long will you be staying?"

"Not long, I suspect," the Master sighed, running his long hair through his fingers and he frowned. There was sand in his hair. "We are technically on a mission."

"Let me rephrase that," she said quickly. "Are you staying for dinner?"

Qui-Gon was about to politely refuse, but the woman's eyes were wide and wet and hopeful, and he just couldn't deny her. "Yes, of course we will stay."

She grabbed his hand tightly, smiling in delight as she led him into the home, the Master having to duck low to get through the door. "I'll put a few more things on, you just go relax. Anakin and Owen will be in the garage."

"Naturally."

Shmi smiled and made off to the kitchen, and Qui-Gon went in search of his Padawan, and for once, the boy was easy to find. Anakin's sleeved were rolled up, and he was up to his elbows in the engine of the speeder in the garage, Owen underneath the vehicle and working on one of thrusters. "Master, look!" Anakin shouted, excitement pouring off him in waves. "It's an X-34 landspeeder! I've never actually seen one of these!"

"It's completely trashed," Owen mumbled, grabbing a rag and wiping his face, "but I got it for a good deal, and I know we can fix it."

"How long do you suppose it will take?" Qui-Gon asked softly, and Anakin stood back, examining the open engines.

"I don't know," he said slowly. "If I had it at the Temple, I could do it in a few weeks, maybe..."

"Oh? Are you including all the training and missions in that time frame?" The Master smiled when Anakin balked.

"...a few months then."

"I'm obviously not as good as Ani, but I think I can get it done in a few months." Owen sat up, smiling at his half-brother. "We're working on it together now, so I'm learning a lot. And next time you guys come, we can take it out to Tosche Station." Young Lars smiled slyly. "You can meet my girlfriend."

"No way, you've got a girlfriend?!"

"And this is where I leave," Qui-Gon drawled. "I told your mother we would stay for dinner. Be ready to leave after that."

"Aw, Master, can we leave in the morning?" Qui-Gon looked at the Padawan sternly, and Anakin threw his hands into the air. "Alright, alright, sorry! You win!"

"We're going to be late getting back to Coruscant as it is. You'll remember that this was a very unplanned visit."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He grinned. "Thanks, Master." Qui-Gon left the boys, hearing Anakin quietly demand for his brother to tell him all about the girl he was seeing, and the Master shook his head. It had been a long time since he was young, but Qui-Gon had been a handful in his teenage years, having a nearly single-minded focus on the opposite sex for a few years before he managed to gain mastery over his desires. Even steadfast, dedicated Obi-Wan had enjoyed a brief but passionate affair with the young Duchess Satine. It was unreasonable to expect Anakin to not have those desires.

The Jedi made his way to the kitchen, breathing deeply as the smell of roasting meat wafted through the air, Shmi standing by the counter and swiftly cutting vegetable. "Where's your husband?" he asked quietly, and she turned to him and smiled, scraping the cut veggies into a boiling pot.

"He's gone to see if he can get a new repair droid from the Jawas. He should be back later."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Do you need help?" Shmi pouted, her little fists resting on her hips as she pouted.

"Master Jedi. I told you to rest. Go on, you can use my room."

"I'm not an old man..."

"No, but you are older than me, and I am exhausted raising a teenage boy. It must be worse for you, you need to teach my willful son discipline."

"...point taken." The Jedi bowed and left the woman to her cooking, moving slowly down the hall to the room he knew to be Shmi and Cliegg Lars'. He closed the door, breathing deeply as he took a moment to relax, and moved to a small desk in the room, placing the round, holographic projector of his comlink on the surface, and he called the Council, sitting on the edge of the bed as Mace Windu appeared.

"Master Windu."

"Master Jinn. How did the mission go?"

"Poorly. Grand Protector Chekkoo has pledged his support to the Separatists if it comes to war."

"Damn it," Mace snarled, his hand clenching into a fist at his side. "They are skilled weapons and arms manufactures. That is very, very bad in Separatist hands. Was there nothing you could do to convince him?"

Qui-Gon shook his head. "The Negotiator had been there earlier in the week." Cold fury passed over Windu's face. "...there's nothing we can do, Mace. It's like he knows where we're going."

"Of course he knows! Kenobi had said there's a Sith Lord in the Senate, and the Senate has been sending us on these diplomatic missions. If the Negotiator isn't the Sith Master, then he's very, very closely connected to him, so of course he knows where we're going! We're telling him!" Mace walked away, and the hologram disappeared, and for a moment, Qui-Gon had thought he cut the connection before the Master walked back into view. "We need to catch him."

"I agree."

"Kenobi was right. We need to force their hand and meet him on our terms. His activity has greatly increased in the past few months, so now is the time to do it, or he's going to tear the entire Republic apart." Windu paced out of view again, coming back a moment later. "Did the Rodians say anything about him?"

"No. It's the same as before, nobody is saying anything. We know he comes alone and unarmed, but that's all we can get from anyone." Windu went back to pacing in and out of view, and Qui-Gon leaned back, hands behind him on the bed and supporting him. "We need to eliminate all other possibilities before we start trying to use the Senate to catch him. Can we launch our own diplomatic mission independent of the Senate to make sure the Negotiator doesn't beat us there too?"

Mace came back in frame, surprise on his stark face. "Qui-Gon, are you suggesting that there's a leak in the Jedi? You don't think one of us is Sith, do you?"

"Dooku is a Sith Lord, and he fell right under our noses. I'm not pretending I know anything. Clearly, we cannot sense the Dark Side when it's festering in a person that knows even the basics of shielding."

"...you're right." Mace crossed his arms, looking at the floor and lost in thought. "We'll send someone somewhere small. We don't want to attract attention to this."

"After we have cleared the Jedi, we can see if we can't get ahead of the Senate. We can leave before they send us, which should give us a jump on the Negotiator."

Mace nodded. "We'll send someone to observe the Senate. The only thing we need to discuss is how best to handle the Negotiator when we find him."

"I will leave that to your wisdom, Mace. I'm having difficulty detaching myself from the Sith."

"I'll discuss it with the Council." Mace sighed. "I know the mission was a failure, Qui-Gon, but we'll come out on top at the end. Don't take this loss too hard."

The Master smiled softly. Mace was never comforting. He must have been getting soft in his age. "I won't. Thank you, Mace. I'll see you tonight."

Mace nodded, the com cutting, and Qui-Gon flopped back on to the bed, closing his eyes, and he very easily drifted off into a light sleep.

It was cold down in the Temple, dark and drowning in the Dark Side, but Obi-Wan felt comfort there, warm as the darkness crawled through him and filled him with power. It was a powerful nexus of the Dark Side, more powerful than anywhere short of Moraband itself, and Lumis was filled with grim satisfaction that it happened to sit right beneath the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The Jedi had no idea. They built their Temple on top of the ancient Sith Temple as a show of strength, a symbolic gesture of the Jedi's triumph over the Sith, and that choice, the fatal arrogance of the Jedi, would be what destroyed them.

For thousands of years, the Dark Side nexus had been slowly infecting the Jedi, not turning them, but dulling their senses over time, and now, they could barely sense it at all. It explained everything to Obi-Wan. How Dooku fell without their notice, how he fell right under their noses, how they could stand right beside the Sith Master Darth Sidious and feel nothing. The Jedi of old would have rooted them out and destroyed them before they became too strong, but these Jedi lacked the power to even sense them, let alone destroy them.

His glowing yellow eyes saw easily in the darkness, his vision not just coming from his eyes, but from the Force, and he walked through the Temple toward the heart of it where his Master stood, gazing into a basin filled with a thick liquid.

Kenobi came before Sidious and knelt, head bowed and saying nothing, smiling and groaning in satisfaction when his Master placed his hand on his head, running his fingers through the thick, blond hair.

"Have you been to Kamino?" Sidious whispered, placing his fingers under his apprentice's chin and drawing him upwards, indicating he should stand, and the young Sith got to his feet.

"I have, Master. The clones will be ready soon. The first platoon is currently being trained and will be ready to be deployed within the year. A million more are being grown, and they will be able to join the war effort at a steady pace."

"And the droids? Dooku seems satisfied with their progress."

"Well, there are certainly a lot of them..."

Sidious looked up at his apprentice, frowning deeply. "But you are displeased."

"I am. We have the numbers, but the droids they are mass-producing are the same droids that attacked Naboo. I fought against those droids, and they are nothing. The Jedi will be fighting them, and they are completely ineffective. A single Jedi Knight can conquer an entire droid battalion."

Sidious was silent for a moment, his yellow eyes narrowed as he focused, his hands pressed together in front of his face. "What do you suggest?"

"Tyranus complains about the cost of the droids, but he is throwing money away on strength of numbers when he should be investing it in the production of better, stronger, smarter droids. We will have fewer troops, yes, but they will be more effective."

"You do not believe in strength in numbers, Lumis?"

Kenobi shook his head. "The Jedi have numbers, Master. The Sith have three, and we will destroy them. Numbers mean nothing. Strength is all that matters."

"I have taught you well, my Apprentice." Sidious said smoothly, his voice even and pleased, and Obi-Wan felt his Master's satisfaction through the Force, the Lord affectionately petting at his mind. "I will let Tyranus know of the change of plans."

"...Master," Kenobi said tentatively, and Sidious' presence within his mind sat still. "I can deliver the order. Tyranus is..." He took a deep breath. "I don't think he doubts our cause, Master, but he has brought a Force sensitive woman to Serenno. She is very strong in the Force, and I've no doubt he's taking her to train."

Sidious was silent, but Obi-Wan could feel his rage in the Force, the strength of it setting his nerves on fire, and he dropped to his knees, breathing fast and deep as he channeled his pain into the Dark Side, using it to greatly dull his senses to the boiling within him. "You believe he is training an apprentice of his own?" the Master hissed, and Kenobi nodded frantically. Sidious took the Sith Lord's head between his hands. "Show me."

His yellow eyes rolled back in his head as he submitted to the Master, tearing down his own defenses and allowing Sidious to plunge into his mind. In his submission, the pain disappeared completely, replaced by the soothing feel of his Master. Long ago, this was painful, agonizing no matter how much he had lowered his own resistance to the Sith, but now, it was a comfort, the satisfaction of pleasing his Master overriding any lingering resistance he may have had. Kenobi gasped deeply when Sidious had found what he needed, moaning softly when the Master returned to his lazy stroking of the apprentice's mind, the hand on his head running through his hair.

"You are right that Tyranus is ambitious," Sidious drawled, "and the woman is strong. You were right to warn me. It is nothing yet, but it may be in the future. You will monitor the situation. If she becomes too powerful, I will command Tyranus to kill her. It will be a good way to test his loyalty."

"Master, the girl is a Nightsister." The Master's face became expressionless, almost apprehensive. "I can't help but feel that we need to tread carefully when it comes to her. I know you have had contact with Talzin in the past, and she already wants revenge on the Sith. Another betrayal, and we may need to deal with the Nightsisters."

"Do you fear them?"

"No, but I feel we must be cautious."

Sidious nodded. "Talzin is powerful, but she is no Sith. If we must, we shall purge Dathomir of her filth."

"As you say, Master."

"Rise, Lumis." Obi-Wan looked up at his Master, the golden eyes glowing and pleased, and he rose to his feet, standing close to the Sith. "Can you break Tyranus' mental defense?"

"...I don't believe so. His resistance is very strong, and he's too smart to let me in. I need a trained Force sensitive to practice on. I was on the way to meet with Grievous to discuss the capture of a Jedi for me to play with. I can break Hutts and Toydarians, but a fully trained Sith or Jedi is a different matter. "

Sidious nodded. "We shall have to correct that. We will intensify your training."

"As you command, Master."

"Have you met with your Duchess yet?"

"...no, Master." He didn't need to look at Sidious to know those blazing eyes were on him, narrowed in anger that he felt through the Force. "I have been doing your bidding, Master. Dealing with Satine takes time I have not had, and I put her after your demands."

"Dealing with her was demanded of you, Lord Lumis."

"So was handling Dooku's contract, which required hunting his hunters. And then I have been sent to countless worlds to bring them to our cause, and when I did go to Mandalore, she was here. On Coruscant."

"Making a mess of things," Sidious growled. "You weren't overstating her powers of persuasion. She is worse than Padmé Amidala. All attempts to reason with her have failed, and she is completely impervious to light Force Suggestion."

Kenobi chuckled. "My Satine is intelligent and strong-willed. Gentle persuasion won't work. Tell me what you need her to do."

"I need the woman out of the Senate. The Mandalorians have always been difficult to cull, and she is no different. I will deal with Mandalore when the time comes, but that time is not now. A pacifist Mandalore will make the people easy to control. We need to keep it that way."

Obi-Wan was silent, running through all his options, all the things he could say to Satine, and he came up with nothing that wouldn't draw the powerful woman's ire. "I understand that Mandalore joining the Republic would be best, but that's not going to happen. What if I can find another way to have Mandalore serve your needs?"

"Do you have something in mind, Lumis?"

Kenobi shook his head. "Not yet, Master, I haven't see her in some time. Let me see where she stands on things and I'll find a way to make this work for your benefit."

Sidious slowly nodded. "See what you can do. As long as the woman is out of the Senate, I will be pleased. She is interfering with my war effort. This may be our best option. Her death would cause more problems than it would solve."

"...did Dooku suggest that?"

"He did."

"Of course he did," Kenobi growled, crossing his arms, and the Master smiled.

"When did you see her last?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and thought of the Duchess, the last time they were together, how long it had been, and how badly he ached. Preparing for war was not an easy business. "Perhaps ten months, Master."

Sidious laid his hand on the apprentice's back. "It's good to see you so dedicated to our cause, Lumis, but I can feel your longing, and it is a distraction. You have lost your focus by denying your passions." He grinned as Kenobi looked away. "I'm going to teach you how to break the mental defense of the Jedi." Sidious smirked wickedly as he felt Obi-Wan lust for the power.

"Teach me, Master, please..."

"I will. And after, Lumis, you will go handle the Duchess."

Kenobi looked down at Sidious, his yellow eyes amused and lustful. "My Master, it would be my absolute pleasure to do as you command." And it was. Every fiber in Kenobi's being belonged to the Dark Side, and deep underneath the Jedi Temple, the Sith Lord Darth Lumis would learn how to best destroy the Jedi.