Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone! Super excited to be posting this next chapter! The feedback I've been getting has been incredible and I appreciate it! I'll let you get right to it!
Disclaimer: Star Wars still isn't mine...
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Anakin woke up to a feeling of intense grogginess, almost blinded by the harsh lights in the small hospital room. Contradictory to his surroundings, he felt as though he were on a cloud, his pain left only as a dull memory. Accompanying the grogginess, however, was the void-like feeling of being without the Force. Palpatine most likely ordered them to inject more Force Inhibitors into his system. Because that's exactly what I need right now... he thought glumly. He sat up carefully, surprised to find all of his wounds had been somewhat healed. He took this moment to take stock of his situation: his left arm was no longer broken but it was still sore, his back felt raw, cuts were scabbing over. The worst of it was the cauterized gash that ran across his body. He dared to lay a finger on the burned skin, only to open the not yet fully healed wound.
A Med Droid poked its head into the small room stepping through after seeing its subject was now awake.
"Ah, Lord Vader. Master Sidious has been waiting for you," it said in a monotone voice, removing the IV from Anakin's forearm. "And I see you've opened your wound." It added, sounding exasperated.
"Sorry 'bout that." Anakin replied shortly. "And it's not 'Lord Vader'".
"Of course, Lord Vader." the droid said, earning a grimace from Anakin.
"Master Sidious is expecting you." the droid repeated, sounding more forceful, pressing a bandage onto Anakin's chest. "A tunic is on the chair. Troopers will be here to escort you in a few moments."
And as soon as it had come, the droid left the room.
Anakin stood up, walked across the room and picked up the black tunic. He slowly threw the tunic on as two troopers entered. Anakin really didn't feel like putting up a fight, so he allowed them to cuff him and pull him through the Imperial Palace. They came to Palpatine's door, where Anakin was able to hear talking on the other side. The door then opened to reveal Palpatine and... someone else, Anakin couldn't quite see who it was as the man's back was to him. At the sound of the door opening, though, he turned to face the newcomer. And next thing Anakin knew, he was looking into the tired eyes of Bail Organa. Both looked at eachother in shock as Palpatine chuckled darkly.
"Do we have an understanding, Senator Organa?" Palpatine asked, raising an eyebrow.
Bail looked Anakin over gravely. It had been six years since they had seen each other, and what the years had done to each man did not go unnoticed. Bail's hair had grown grayer, and dark circles surrounded his once bright eyes. He never removed his eyes from Anakin as he made a quiet reply to Palpatine.
"Yes, Your Highness. I shall return to Alderaan and oversee this project personally."
Bail bowed quickly and shuffled out of the office, leaving Palpatine and Anakin. He walked briskly through the Imperial Palace, and out to one of his landing pads. Captain Antilles was already waiting for him beside the Tantive IV.
"Senator Organa. It's good to see you." Antilles smiled at his Prince Consort. Bail returned a grin.
"Yes Captain, thank you. It's good to see you too, old friend. Come, we have much to discuss."
The two men climbed up the landing ramp of the large ship. Antilles left Bail for a moment to see that the Tantive IV made it into hyperspace, and he returned to the small conference room where Bail was waiting for him.
"Unbelievable." Bail began, exasperated, "Palpatine is moving the construction of his new battle station to over Alderaan. He's onto us, I just know it." He rubbed his eyes, a troubled look on his face.
"I saw him, Raymus," he continued, quieter, "I saw Anakin. He looked awful, half starved and beaten up. Force knows what that bastard has been doing to him and his family." Bail silently worried for his old friend and ally, Padme. And the children. He had only met them once just after they were born, but they still managed to steal his heart.
"But he's alive?" Antilles raised an eyebrow. His senator had been a bit of a pessimist lately. It just came with the shroud of this dreaded Empire.
"Yes."
"Well, now we know that it's time to make our move." Antilles sat up straighter. "My mission was a success. Both droids are now in our hands."
"Very good. And our reinforcements?"
"I've been in contact with a few rebel cells, a majority of which have agreed to aid us in the rescue."
"I want you to set up a meeting with these rebels. Find a fuel station where we could do this. We must be discreet, especially with the Empire literally looming over our heads."
"I can have a meeting set up by tomorrow. Until then, Your Highness, I believe it would be in your best interest to catch some sleep." Antilles stood up and bowed, leaving Bail to his thoughts.
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Anakin was kicked down to his knees, but he still looked up at Palpatine with furrowed eyebrows. Palpatine smirked.
"I hope Admiral Tano wasn't too hard on you yesterday. She's just had all this pent up rage toward you, and I figured I would indulge her, if not for but a few hours." he said smoothly. Anakin grimaced in reply.
"It has been two weeks since your capture, Lord Vader." Palpatine continued. Anakin was surprised to hear that such a short amount of time had passed. He felt like he'd been on Coruscant for months. "You are as strong as ever. You and I will be unstoppable, as soon as you come back to the Dark Side."
"Yeah, right." Anakin huffed, hiding his surprise at how worn out his voice sounded. Palpatine sighed.
"You make this too difficult, apprentice. How can I convince you to rejoin me?" he asked, sincerely.
"You could release us. Let us go back to our home and never bother us again." Anakin replied, sharply. Palpatine chuckled.
"No, Lord Vader. You know very well that I won't be doing that." Palpatine leaned back into his chair. "However, I do believe a little bit of a reprieve is in order. I'll give you and your family one day together. After that, you will join me and I shall complete your training."
Anakin's eyes widened and his face lit up as the two troopers lifted him to his feet. He was brought to a small, empty room complete with what Anakin knew was a one way window. The troopers left him and locked the door behind them. For a tragic moment, Anakin thought Papatine had been kidding, that Palpatine would walk through the door and continue torturing him. But then the door hissed open, and all hell broke loose in the best way.
"DADDY!" Leia screeched as she broke free of the trooper escorting her, sprinting to Anakin's arms. Tears sprang to his eyes as they collided in a tight hug.
"Oh Leia, my sweet Princess Leia!" Anakin cried. He heard a silent gasp from Luke, and he set Leia down to go attack him with a hug of equivalent intensity .
"Daddy, we were so worried!" Luke said, muffled by Anakin's shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"Of course, Luke. I'm better than okay now!" he exclaimed, ignoring the pain on his chest. His wince did not go unnoticed by Padme and Obi-Wan. He set Luke down at the sight of his beautiful wife.
Though, Padme was in rough shape. Her usually slim form was borderline malnourished, her tunic now seeming over-sized. Dirt matted her hair down, and dark circles were under her eyes. Anakin gently embraced her, pressing his lips against hers.
"Ani. Ani, are you okay?" she asked, tears running down her cheeks, "What did he do to you?" She placed a hand on his chest, causing him to grunt.
"Nothing much, Angel. It's just a scratch," he lied. Padme didn't fall for it, but decided not to push. "What about you!? Has he done anything to you?"
"No. But the food, there's never enough for Luke and Leia. I- I don't want them to starve or-" she was cut off by a tighter embrace from her husband.
"Don't worry, Angel. Don't hurt yourself. We'll be out of here very soon, I just know it." He whispered, grinning, with hope in his eyes.
"What makes you say that?" she replied, just as silently.
"I'll tell you in a moment." he said, kissing her forehead lightly.
Anakin looked up to see his old master, standing by the door. Bags had appeared under his eyes, and he looked incredibly calm.
"You been meditating, Master?" Anakin raised an eyebrow.
"Just because I can't feel the Force doesn't mean it has left me." Obi-Wan replied, coolly. "Perhaps you should give it a try."
"Not for me," Anakin shrugged, "I don't exactly have time for it between torture sessions." Padme winced at Anakin's choice of words.
Luke and Leia had latched themselves to their father as the five of them sat down on the cold floor. The small family sat in silence for a while, other than Luke and Leia's momentary and random chatter. It was the first time since leaving Iego that Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan actually felt relaxed. They still sat on edge, though. They knew they were still being watched...
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Emperor Palpatine frowned as he watched the Skywalkers reunite after their semi-separation. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Skywalker's family was his weakness, but he knew that if he were to kill them all, Skywalker would never really be his. Skywalker would spend the rest of his life in darkness, yes, but there was no way he could control Skywalker when he'd be thirsting for the blood of his wife's murderer. Palpatine cursed inwardly, enraged with how things had played out six years ago. He turned away from the one way window to face Admiral Tano.
"Yes, Admiral?" he hissed, not really in the mood to deal with whatever problem had occurred.
"My Lord, I think I found something. It was something Skywalker said the other day. An... anomaly of sorts." she bowed her head as she spoke, feeling her master's anger in the Force.
"Go on," he waved a hand in annoyance.
"The children don't know of Skywalker's temporary fall to the Dark Side."
Palpatine raised his eyebrows at this information. It wasn't exactly relevant to any of his plans for the Skywalker children, but it could be a way to get to Skywalker himself. He smiled maliciously for a moment, knowing how Skywalker's next meeting with him would be conducted.
"My Lord, I've been thinking," Tano continued, to Palpatine's dismay, "The boy dreams of being a Jedi. He could easily be swayed to the Dark Side if this is played right. The two children are strong in the Force. Possibly stronger than Skywalker himself. They would be easier to control and we could just kill-"
"No!" Palpatine cut her off, a look of annoyance donning his face. "Tano, I grow weary of your constant pathetic attempts to get me to kill Skywalker. We need him. He is the prophesied Chosen One. If we lose him, we could lose control of the galaxy. You lack vision, you stupid child. You should consider yourself lucky that I'm not quite finished with you yet. One more word of murdering Skywalker, and you find yourself becoming one with the Force sooner than you'd expect. Am I understood, apprentice?" he hissed, Ahsoka now kneeling before him.
"Yes, my Master. Forgive me." she ground out, standing back
"You are dismissed. Get out of my sight." he waved her off, turning back toward the window.
Ahsoka walked out of the small observation room, a snarl on her face. In that room, something had snapped within her. The last time she had felt this way was when Skywalker had left her to the clones. But last time was different. She had lost control last time. Now, she was older, and no longer naive. She had the Dark Side. She would use her anger to keep her focused.
The thing Palpatine didn't understand was that she didn't lack a vision at all, her vision was just a lot different from his. It didn't matter at this point. She knew a lost cause, as well as how to step away from it. And Skywalker was a lost cause, Palpatine was just too ignorant to see it! He'd spent too long with the light.
She stormed through the hallways and to her private quarters, a plan forming in her mind. Skywalker would be hers. She would die before letting him get out of this mess alive. If she could bring Palpatine down too, it would be a nice bonus. She was sure she could give Skywalker the opportunity to get her "master".
Ahsoka smiled. Yes, yes this would work, she was sure of it. She just needed to get close to him and the others. As much as she hated to admit it, Skywalker would be an important part of this plan. It would require the two of them to work together, whether Skywalker knows he's planting the seed of his demise or not. One thing Ahsoka knew without a doubt, though: this would be interesting.
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Luke and Leia had fallen asleep after a small meal consisting of dried meat and crackers. Anakin hadn't eaten much, giving Padme an opportunity to get something into her stomach. He knew she'd need her strength. The children had their heads resting on Anakin and Padme's legs while Obi-Wan sat across from them. Anakin and Obi-Wan decided it was safe to speak, feeling Palpatine's dark presence disappear down the hall. They believed it to be evening, and that Palpatine had retired for the night. Whatever his reason for leaving was, they were glad to have some privacy.
"Bail was in Palpatine's office earlier." Anakin said, quietly. Padme and Obi-Wan perked up upon hearing this.
"You saw him!" Padme exclaimed in a hushed voice, a ghost of a smile on her lips, "Was he okay?"
"I think so," Anakin replied, "He was surprised to see me. But he also seemed relieved."
"Do you think our contingency plan worked? That the droids made it off planet and are now in Bail's hands?" Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm sure Artoo was on top of it from the beginning. But, I don't know, I just saw Bail and I knew something was in place to get us out. We just need to be ready."
Before either of the others could respond to Anakin, the door slid open to reveal Ahsoka. A wide-eyed look of confidence and determination crossed her face. She, for a moment, looked younger, like in the earlier days of the Clone Wars. It gave Anakin some hope that he could save his old apprentice.
"Don't worry, Skyguy," she said excitedly, hardly containing a smile, "You will be."
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Phew! Another chapter don e! Hope you enjoyed it! I'm definitely straying a bit from the original story, to give it more substance. Plus, some of the things my little eighth grade self wrote don't exactly make sense...
I really can't tell you when the next update will come, but I'm sure it won't be too long. We're finally getting to the real nitty-gritty exciting stuff!
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