Palpatine was in a bad mood. His beloved apprentice-to-be was still nowhere to be found. It had been two years and it had drastically changed his plans. Skywalker was supposed to be the one to bring forth his Empire, and now that looked to be in question. He had Dooku try to find him but to no avail. He even went as far as going to Tatooine to try and find him but Dooku had come back empty.
Now, he was simply trying to bring in as many planets as he could to gain more power. He still had a plan to take over the galaxy, he just had to make some drastic changes. He told Dooku about the group of planets beyond the Outer Rim that would give him the resources he would need to bolster his Empire when it came time to act. The planet Yara, he had found out, had a natural electric current to power the system. If he were able to find a way to use that for every planet and have control over it, he would be unstoppable.
The one other planet he was interested in was Imara. The planet was a mine for Phrik, which was a metallic compound which was pretty much indestructible. If he could be able to mine it and use the metal for his Empire, he would have no trouble conquering any planet or system he wanted to. It would all but ensure his rise to power.
He had just received word that Dooku had successfully formed a blockade around Yara and droids had been sent out to invade the planet. He would then contact the queen and ask her to join the Republic so that she would be safe from any other attacks. He figured the foolish woman would have no problem with his offer and join the Republic.
As he stood in front of his com, he quickly schooled his features to resemble an old man trying to help out a system in distress. He typed in a code and soon, a beautiful blonde woman stood in front of him. He was slightly taken aback by the calm demeanor she presented, as he would have thought for sure she would be scared senseless.
"Chancellor Palpatine, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Her accent made it slightly difficult to understand, but he was more interested in the fact that she appeared as though nothing was wrong. This sparked his curiosity.
"Hello your highness, I heard the terrible news that your planet has been attacked. I was simply hoping to see that you were alright."
The blonde haired woman slightly narrowed her eyes. It was almost as if she was studying him and he couldn't help but be intrigued. How was a woman who's planet was in danger be so calm and composed? There must be something that he didn't know about at play here.
"I am doing fine. Our army has been dispatched to take care of the issue. I will be calling an emergency meeting with the fellow planets in the system to discuss the invasion soon."
This was a problem. He was unaware that Yara had an army. And if she was planning on meeting with the other planets, was it possible they had one as well?
He smiled kindly at her and tried to make it appear that he was trying to come to her and help. He thought if he were to extend an olive branch to her, she would view him as a trusted man.
"Milady, we could have the army of the Republic assist you. Surely you know, the droid army is massive and any help you could get would be beneficial."
He watched as she seemed to be processing this. He grinned evilly on the inside as she seemed to be appeared to be leaning in towards accepting his offer.
"And if you were to join the Republic, I could offer to help your system in anyway they need. You would have the Republic backing you and would be viewed as valuable members."
She looked to be processing this, and he couldn't help but smile triumphantly. Another system under his belt and a very useful one at that. She cleared her throat to speak and he gave her his attention.
"That is a very tempting offer and one I will think about. However, I will have to discuss this with the other members of our system and get their approval on it as well."
Palpatine nodded his head at her, appearing to be understanding. This could be huge for his plans and he wanted it to go through. So, he decided he would do whatever is necessary to make sure that he would be able to secure the agreement for them to join the Republic.
"I understand Milady, as I am aware that this is not an easy decision. I will await your answer and cannot wait to hear back. Might I suggest coming to Coruscant to discuss this in person?"
He watched her closely as she looked thoughtful. If he could get them to come to Coruscant, he could show them how big the Republic was and what an asset they could be. And then, when his plan came to pass, he would have control over them and have all the access he wanted to their resources.
"I will discuss the offer with them and when I have an answer, I will contact you about the decision. If they agree, we will meet you on Coruscant and talk about joining you."
He smiled at her politely, but on the inside, he was cackling. One more foolish soul he'd use to achieve his main goal. Bowing his head in modesty, he accepted her words and prepared to end the call.
"I will await your answer and hope that you come to the decision to accept my offer. Until then, Milady."
He watched as she nodded her head and her image disappeared. Rubbing his hands together in excitement, he couldn't wait to have his grand plan unfold and have the power of all the galaxy to himself.
Anakin opened his eyes, as a feeling came over him. Something wasn't right. The Force seemed to be warning him that there was danger and he didn't plan on taking that warning lightly. Glancing over at Ahsoka, he saw her coming out of her meditative trance as well. She immediately turned to him and he could see the concern on her face.
"Anakin, do you feel that?"
He nodded his head at her. It seemed the Force was trying to tell them something, he just didn't know what. He had never felt something like that ever since he had landed on this planet two years ago. What could possibly be going on that could bring about this feeling?
"Something isn't right. I'm not sure what it is, but something tells me that trouble is coming."
As if on cue, his com-link started to beep at him. He glanced down at his wrist and saw that it was Devan trying to contact him. Pressing the activation button, he answered it.
"What's going on Devan?"
The response he got put him on edge.
"Queen Allamani needs you and Ahsoka back here immediately."
The two mentioned shared a concerned and confused glance with each other, before Anakin went back to him com.
"What's going on?"
Looking back at Ahsoka, he could see her becoming nervous. Her brow was furrowed and she was listening intently.
"Queen Korić of Yara has called an emergency meeting. They are under attack and need help immediately."
And there it was. The warning that the Force was trying to tell him. He locked eyes with Ahsoka and saw that she had reached the same conclusion. Standing up, they immediately made their way to the ship.
"We're on our way. Have the men prep the ships and be ready to make our way to Yara."
Devan told him he would and the com cut out. They had already arrived at the ship and Anakin sat down to head back to the castle. Turning to Ahsoka, he saw her staring out the window. She looked to be lost in thought and he could sense the unease coming off of her. Reaching over, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It'll be alright Snips. When we get back, we'll figure out what's going on and put a stop to it."
She smiled and nodded her head at him. Giving her one in return, he gave her shoulder a squeeze before turning back to the controls. He hoped though that the war had not made its way to his home.
When they arrived, they were immediately ushered in to the throne room where he could see that the meeting was still going on. Locking eyes with his wife, he made his way over to her. He could see that she was bothered by this and the way she was looking at him made him want to hold her. The slight fear in her eyes spoke volumes to him as he had never seen this from her before. However, they had never been faced with this threat since he arrived here two years ago.
Turning his head towards the com-station, he saw Queen Korić, as well as King Oshen from Kherra and Queen Vermalen from Ishla. He greeted them with a bow and asked how things were looking.
"We need help to defend ourselves from the Separatists. There are more than we had expected and our troops are being overrun."
Queen Korić glanced apologetically towards Sakina, before turning back to Anakin.
"I hate to ask this of you General Skywalker, but with your experience with them from your time in the war, our planet needs you."
Anakin turned towards his wife and she seemed to hesitate. It wasn't that she didn't want to help, more so worried that he could be hurt. To ease her worries, he sent her feelings of warmth and comfort through the bond they shared. It wasn't as strong as his and Ashoka's, but he could see the effects of it. Her shoulders relaxed and she was able to take a deep breath. Still looking at her, he saw that she finally nodded her head in approval. Turning back to the blonde woman, he nodded his head.
"We'll make our way there. I already had my men prepped before I arrived here. Tell your General to hold them off as long as possible and we'll be there to take care of the issue."
The woman nodded her head in appreciation and gave Anakin a small, but thankful smile. She took another glance around the room and spoke again.
"I was contacted by the Chancellor of the Republic. He offered for us to join and we would receive help and protection if we did."
This made Anakin uneasy. He wasn't concerned that they would be getting help. That seemed to be a good offer at the moment. However, how did the Chancellor know that Yara had been attacked? Anakin had just found out maybe 10 minutes ago.
The respected leaders took in the information that was presented. Anakin looked towards Ahsoka and she seemed to be confused as well. She turned to lock eyes with him and he could tell she was thinking the same thing he was.
"That's an interesting offer. But wouldn't that make us all a target for the Separatists if we joined?"
His wife's voice broke them out of their staring contest and they turned back to the holograms. All of them seemed to be contemplating her words. She was right though. If they joined, then the Separatists would see them as an enemy and plot to take over their planets, if they were to be stopped this time.
"I was told by the Chancellor that he would make sure we would be safe. He asked that I contact him when we reached a decision and come to Coruscant to discuss further details."
Anakin watched as the dark skinned king narrowed his eyes towards the woman.
"How could he offer us safety from that far away? Coruscant is the center of the galaxy and we are in the Outer Rim. The only way he would be able to do that is send troops all the way out here."
The king had a point. It was impossible to keep that promise unless clones were dispatched to their planets. And if so, that would make many Senators and leaders unhappy if they received special treatment. It was a peculiar situation and it made Anakin uneasy.
"That's why I contacted you all to discuss this. I couldn't tell him we accepted his offer if we weren't all in agreement."
At this moment, the quiet woman from Ishla spoke up.
"Maybe we should go to Coruscant to discuss this in person. For us to agree to something without knowing what we're getting into would be foolish."
A nod of agreement was seen from King Oshen as he turned towards Queen Korić.
"That would help us understand everything. We might even be able to discuss what we want and need from him and get it approved."
The three then turned towards Sakina and Anakin watched as his wife seemed to be thinking very carefully. He could tell that she was considering it, but knew that she didn't want to bring her planet into a war. She had lost her father to one and that was enough for her. But, if their system could benefit from the safety and protection they were being offered, it might be worth it.
Finally, she looked back towards the group.
"We can go to Coruscant. Speaking to the Chancellor may help us get an idea of what he wants from us. I have a feeling that him reaching out, was more than just an act of help."
The three leaders looked confused for a second but shook it off. They all knew that Sakina was merely looking out for all involved and did not want to be tricked. She had a big heart, but she also knew when to put her foot down.
"I will contact the Chancellor then and let him know we accept his offer to meet him on Coruscant. Hopefully, our meeting will work out for us and keep our planets safe."
She then turned towards Anakin and bowed her head in thanks.
"Thank you in advance for coming to help us General. I only ask that you be careful so that you may return to your wife."
Anakin gave her a small smile and bowed in return.
"I will Your Highness. We'll be there soon."
The call ended and Anakin turned towards Devan and Bray, who had been stationed by the doors.
"Let's go boys. Looks like we're getting some action."
The two nodded and made their way out to the hangar where the ships were prepped and ready to go. Turning towards Sakina, he watched as she stepped close to him and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Be careful okay?"
He nodded his head and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
"I will my love. As you heard, I already have orders from the Queen herself to do so."
He smirked at her and she gave him a loving smile in return. He turned towards Ahsoka to give her orders as well.
"I need to you to stay with my wife Snips. Keep her safe while I'm gone, and make sure nothing happens to her."
Ahsoka nodded her head, but he could see she still seemed to be hung up on what the Queen said. Sakina seemed to notice something was wrong, so she spoke up.
"What's wrong Ahsoka?"
The Togruta looked eyes with Anakin and he sighed. Before he could say anything, Ahsoka had beat him to it.
"Do you think it's unusual that Chancellor Palpatine seemed to know there was an attack happening before we did?"
At this, Sakina narrowed her eyes and looked questioningly between the two. He could see that she was concerned about it as well, considering that she didn't know about the attack until she was told by Queen Korić. He rubbed her shoulder soothingly before turning towards Ahsoka.
"I do think it's a bit weird, but right now we have more pressing matters."
He gazed towards his wife, who was still looking at him in concern. Using his thumb, he gently caressed the side of her cheek before cupping it.
"We'll probably still be on Yara while you head to Coruscant. I plan to help them out and make sure we don't just leave them decimated. I'll contact you two when we finish up there and we'll meet on Coruscant."
His wife nodded her head in acknowledgement of his decision. He watched as her eyes glanced down to his lips before looking back up again. He took the hint and leaned in to give her one more kiss.
"I love you."
He felt her smile, as their lips were still pressed against each other's.
"I love you too."
She gave him a quick peck and they pulled apart. He walked to Ahsoka and embraced her tightly.
"Be safe and take care of my wife. And I love you."
He felt her arms tighten around him as she nodded her head.
"I will, and I love you too."
He kissed the top of her head and waved goodbye to the two most important people to him. As he made his way to the hangar, he saw his two best friends waiting for him.
"About time. I could've cooked a full meal and eaten in the time it took you to get here."
He smirked at the comment from Bray as he walked up to them. Glancing between the two, he inquired about if everything was ready.
"All our squads are ready to go. We have a few staying here in case the droids try anything. I have Rosaé protecting Alia while we're gone."
Anakin nodded his head at the response from Devan. Informing them of Ahsoka's duty, they turned to make their way towards the cruiser taking them to Yara. As they boarded, Anakin gently pulled them aside.
"I want both of you to be careful. I plan on all of us making it home when we take care of business. Queen Korić informed us that the Chancellor has reached out to her about the system joining the Republic."
This peaked their interest as they both looked at him in surprise. Sharing a glance with each other, they turned back to Anakin.
"What did she say?"
Anakin shrugged in response.
"They plan on going to Coruscant to discuss it in detail. We'll meet them their after we clean up the mess the Separatist are bound to create."
He received a nod in response to his answer. Bray held up a fist between the group and smirked.
"Well, let's go take care of business then. The quicker we're done, the sooner we'll head to Coruscant. I'm sure you're dying to go back."
Anakin shook his head in amusement before pounding his fist against Bray's.
"You have no idea."
The group shared a laugh before all exchanging fist bumps and made their way into the conference room on the cruiser. As the ship took off, Anakin tried to center himself for the battle that awaited him. He knew this was important and he wanted to be ready for action. The sooner this was dealt with the better. Hopefully, he could see his wife soon and no harm would come to either her or Ahsoka while he was gone. He reached in to his bond with his wife and sent her feelings of love and warmth. Feeling her brighten and return it, he smiled before doing the same with Ahsoka. He could feel her return his sentiments and it filled him with resolve. He'd come back to take care of his wife and sister as soon as he could. He wasn't going to let anything harm them if he could help it.