Chapter 4 - The Clone Wars

Author's Note: Enjoooy! ;)

~ Amina Gila

Green laser blasts tear through the droids as though they're nothing, and Luke can only stare, eyes wide. Then, another thought hits him. "I thought the Republic didn't have an army!" That's what the whole mess in the Senate with his mother was about. That's what Aunt Dorme died for. To prevent the bill from going through. Did that happen anyway?

Not that he can say any help isn't appreciated right now, but –

"We found them out of nowhere," Ahsoka calls to him, over the chaos. "No one understands where they came from. None of it makes sense."

With many of the droids destroyed, the gunships start landing. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan calls, appearing at the edge of one of the gunships. He looks visibly relieved to see him, as if that's a surprise.

"Come," Anakin calls, and they scramble for the gunships, clambering onboard. Luke catches onto one of the handrails to avoid falling out. Flying like this is fun, if he's being honest. Something he wishes he could do under circumstances less deadly.

Across the arena, he sees Ahsoka climb onto a different one with many of the other Jedi. He sees Obi-Wan there, too, though Anakin and Luke are alone here.

The rest of the gunship is full of armored troopers, all exactly the same. They all sound strangely similar, weirdly enough, when Anakin gives them orders on how to attack the Separatist fleet before they escape.

There's chaos everywhere, with laser fire and ships exploding all around them – whether their own or the droid ones. Luke wishes he knew how to fly in situations like this. Not that he's hoping for more battles like this, but still.

It's then that he suddenly spots something. "Father!" Luke calls, motioning to a ship where Maul and the rest of his... family are. There's Ventress, who was Dooku's official heiress and now Maul's wife, and their adopted daughter, Merrin. At least, Luke's pretty sure she's adopted. She probably is, since he's fairly certain he heard something about Maul having been cut in half. He could be wrong though.

"Follow them," Anakin orders.

They're heading for a hangar, Luke realizes quickly, as the gunship lowers to the platform outside, and he jumps off after Anakin. "Call for assistance," Anakin instructs, and the ship flies away, leaving them alone.

Suddenly, it dawns on Luke that they are, in fact, going to fight the Sith. It's not going to be easy, either. Not in the least. Luke may be far stronger in the Force than these Sith ever could be, but he's not trained. (He wasn't trained enough to protect Dorme.) He only has a blaster, and even if he did have a lightsaber, he doesn't even know how to use one. Maybe... Anakin was right after all, and he shouldn't have come.

"Stay back," Anakin cautions, "I will handle them."

"Alone?" Luke asks, a sudden wave of fear clawing at him. He knows even he doesn't know how powerful his father is, but there's three of them here.

"You are not trained," he reminds him, gently, "And help should arrive soon."

They can hope. Luke's not convinced, given how violent the battle was out there. Who knows when they'll find someone who's able to come?

Still, he stands back, as much as he hates it, as Anakin strides forwards into the hangar.

"If it isn't Skywalker," a woman's voice drawls. Ventress.

Luke steps around the corner, hands tightly clenched on his blaster, just in case. Not being able to see would be worse. It's not as if he'll be able to help now, either, but maybe... maybe he'll find a time for a well-aimed blaster shot to make a difference.

Maul ignites a double-bladed lightsaber with a dramatic flourish, and Anakin instantly ignites his own, moving forwards. Their blades clash, and they trade a few blows – it echoes loudly through the room, far more than Luke thought it would.

A sharp wave of uneasiness snakes down his spine as he watches.

"Merrin, get the ship fired up," Ventress orders, activating twin blades, and flipping through the air, straight at Anakin.

Luke's heart leaps to his throat, but of course, his father is fast enough, spinning to block her blades, shoving her back, before turning to block Maul before he can get even close.

Still, he should do something. Luke raises the blaster, waiting until the right moment. It's hard to get a good shot, when all three of them are moving so fast, and he won't risk the shot coming anywhere close to Anakin, but finally, he finds the moment he needs, firing several times rapidly at Ventress.

The Force flares in warning as he fires again, and a Force-wave catches him, hurling him across the hangar. He barely has more than a few seconds of panic – the feel of flying like this when he can't stop it is not fun – before he slams into the wall.

Stars are swimming in front of his eyes, and his head is pounding. Distantly, he can hear the sound of clashing lightsabers. Because Anakin is fighting the Sith alone, and he needs to wake up. Struggling to force away the dizziness, Luke pries his eyes open, to see all the Sith attacking his father now.

He doesn't know how it was this very moment that he finally opened his eyes, but –

Anakin's deflecting away some of Merrin's Nightsister magick with one hand, trying to block Ventress' blades with his other. Maul lunges for him at the same moment, and before Anakin can pull back, the blade slashes through his right wrist.

Somehow, Anakin still has the mind to Force-blast them all back, even as he goes on his knees with a strangled cry.

"Father!" Luke barely registers his own cry of horror and denial, because what –

He forces himself upright, scrambling for his dropped blaster. This should not – should never have – Anakin has never been hurt before, and he always seemed so strong and infallible; it's very, very easy for Luke to forget that his father is human. As human as anyone else.

And somehow, the Sith hurt him, and Luke doesn't want to think about what that'll mean or the permanency of it or anything, but – He should've been able to do something sooner, should've something.

He's too lost in – in all of this, to notice it until Obi-Wan sprints into the hangar. The Sith family were already boarding their shuttle, but Maul instantly stops, expression twisting into fury.

"Kenobi," he growls, "For years, I have awaited this moment."

Obi-Wan's expression darkens, his eyes flicking between Maul and Anakin. "Your new legs look better," he says, dryly, "But I should have aimed for the neck."

What?

Luke can only gape at him – not that he feels bad for Maul in the least, but still. He somehow never knew before exactly how... brutal the Jedi were.

"You and your Order will suffer for what you have done," Maul says warningly, igniting his lightsaber again.

Obi-Wan just seems smug. Presumably that he... got a reaction? "I don't believe you've considered the political ramifications of the Separatist leader speaking like this," he comments, wryly.

The Sith's eyes flash with anger, and he's about to lunge forward, when –

"Maul!" Ventress yells from inside the ship, "Get on board now before more Jedi arrive, or we're leaving without you."

"I will not let him escape," Maul snarls.

The engines fire up in response, and he jumps onto the ramp when it starts to close. The shuttle blasts out of the hangar before they can stop it, but Luke hardly finds it in himself to care. He scrambles to Anakin's side instantly, feeling sick at the sight of – of this.

He should have known – it should have been obvious – that Anakin could be injured. Somehow, it... wasn't. And Luke knew that, has always known that, but seeing him injured is...

"Anakin," Obi-Wan calls, instantly moving to his side.

"Father," Luke breaths again, shakily.

"I... will be... fine, Luke," Anakin replies, somehow,though his breathing is labored in a way that very much implies otherwise.

"You are not," Obi-Wan replies flatly, an obvious concern burning in his eyes as he lays a hand on Anakin's shoulder. His father leans into the touch a little, betraying how obviously exhausted – if that's even close to the right word – he is right now. "You need to get to the gunship."

He helps Anakin stand, and they move outside to the waiting ship. Luke follows them numbly; he still can't believe this happened. He should've done something other than just... laying there.

He could have. Should have. Just like with Aunt Dorme. It makes sense now, why he had a bad feeling about this. It makes sense, too, why Luke knew he himself would be fine. He shouldn't have come. If he wasn't here, his father would've been with the other Jedi, and he wouldn't have had to fight the Sith alone.

If Luke helped, he...

This didn't have to happen. It's different than it was with Dorme. Instead of a haze, all he feels is a slowly building rage. And yes, he is angry. He's furious at the Sith that hurt his father. And he won't let this be forgotten.

**w**

Consciousness returns... slowly. Painfully slowly. Anakin didn't expect it to be anything else, but still. When he finally awakens, it's to sense the close presence of his former master and padawan. Of course, they're here.

"Hey," Anakin rasps, pulling his eyes open.

"He's awake," Ahsoka calls, leaning over the edge of his bed, head snapping up to look across the room.

Obi-Wan practically teleports to his side. "How is it?" he asks. "Are you alright?"

Anakin looks down at his arm. His hand is... it's been replaced by a gold prosthetic. And it hurts. His body may have recovered from the shock of it, and it's definitely better than it was earlier, but it still hurts. It will probably take a long time for his nerves to become accustomed to it, and it still doesn't feel right.

This is all... wrong. Anakin doesn't even know how it happened.

"I could have used a hand," he says, finally.

Ahsoka snorts, though there's something pained lingering in her eyes. "That is certainly true."

Obi-Wan's expression borders on disbelieving. "This is not amusing, Anakin."

"I will be fine," Anakin assures, pushing himself upright. Ahsoka drops a hand to his shoulder, and Anakin reaches up, pulling her into a one-armed hug. She practically melts against him, leaning down a bit to rest her head on his shoulder. Touching her is... strange. His hand can feel pressure, but its senses are very limited. It's just gone.

"We will find Maul," Obi-Wan promises.

Anakin glances up at his master, a familiar worry growing inside him. Obi-Wan may be the Jedi Grandmaster but now that Anakin is older, he no longer idolizes his master like he once did. He can see how much Obi-Wan struggles with the Dark Side, despite all the good he's capable of. Despite everything he is. And every time Maul comes up, it unbalances him.

Anakin himself doesn't know what to feel about what happened. It was so... fast. He never trained in lightsaber combat, despite how skilled he always has been in that area. He'll need to learn more.

Injuries are common. They don't really bother him, except this isn't an ordinary injury. It's something long-lasting, and it's... stupid that he was able to let the Sith do it. How is he supposed to destroy the Sith if he can so easily be hurt by them?

"Master," he interjects, "You need to let it go." If it had been anyone else, or if it had happened years ago, Anakin is certain Obi-Wan would have already. He'd take it as Anakin's failure, or his own, not like this. It's only this way because it was Maul, and Obi-Wan has had very bad experiences with the Sith already.

Obi-Wan's expression pulls into a frown. "He is a Sith, Anakin. We must do whatever we have to, to stop him."

"That is not... what I mean," Anakin replies, sighing. Not that he expected any other response from his master.

"He harmed you," Obi-Wan answers, evenly.

He'd much rather not think about that right now, but if someone did the same to Ahsoka, Anakin would be furious, too. "I know," Anakin says, "And I know we can never forget this, and nor do I expect you to, but... I know what he's done, and that it won't be easy to move on from."

"It will no longer be a concern, once he has been stopped," Obi-Wan replies, and sometimes Anakin really thinks his master seems to have no idea how to appreciate someone being concerned about him as him,even after all these years. Or he's just deliberately avoiding the topic.

"Luke's waiting to see you," Ahsoka finally interjects.

"He's here?" Anakin asks, perking up, "He's alright?"

"Aside from being worried about you, yes."

"You can tell him to come in, then." He can only imagine how his son must actually be feeling, given what he saw. When Anakin took him there, he never intended to drag him totally unprepared into an all-out battle.

Ahsoka slips from the room, returning momentarily followed by Luke. He instantly scrambles to the edge of the bed, eyeing Anakin's hand. "Is it..."

"It will need adjustments, later. But it is... acceptable." He's still coming to terms with the realness of it himself, but he doesn't want Luke to worry. One look at him already says how much he's blaming himself already. He could have lost more than just his hand, he knows, and it's – nothing will ever be the same again, but he's lost things far more integral before (like his mother, and the chance to raise his children) not that it makes this easy, but he'll... manage.

"I will be back later," Obi-Wan decides, "The Republic has officially declared war on the Separatists, and Palpatine is already requesting Jedi participate on some level in whatever is to come."

That is not good news. "You handle that, Master," Anakin advises, watching as the other two slip from the room, before turning his attention to Luke. "This wasn't your fault, Luke," he assures him, softly.

His son blinks, momentarily looking down. "I came to help you, and I didn't even do that," he replies, "If I hadn't –"

"We cannot change what happened," he tells him gently, "This could well have happened even if you weren't here. Or it may have been worse. You did all you could have. I was unaware of what we were walking into."

Luke doesn't look convinced, but Anakin knows accepting otherwise won't be easy for him. "If I hadn't come..."

"It wouldn't have changed anything," Anakin answers, "This wouldn't have happened if it weren't meant to."

"I called Leia," Luke says, "She wants to see you as soon as you can leave."

"That will be... as soon as the healer dismisses me." They probably want to do a number of tests first, but the sooner he can go see Leia, the better. "She's back on Coruscant?"

"They'll be here tonight," he replies, a touch of bitterness in his voice, "With the bill already passed anyway, there's nothing for Mother to hide for anymore."

**w**

Leia couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong with Ahsoka's rescue, but she never imagined it would so quickly escalate into a war.

Padme insisted on going back to Coruscant to deal with the chaos in the Senate – because apparently, the Republic pulled an army out of nowhere anyway. The Senate voted emergency powers to Palpatine, and... If not for that, all the Jedi who went to Geonosis would have died, so she can't say she's upset that that happened, but at the same time, this is what Dorme was lost for. Why does it seem like everything in the Senate is so impossible sometimes?

But right now, that's not her top concern either, because she got a call from Luke, that apparently Anakin was injured. He lost a limb. She can't begin to imagine what that must be like.

It's not until the next morning after what happened – a morning after the galaxy just descended into war – that Anakin and Luke show up at the apartment.

She practically teleports to their sides, instantly. "Father," Leia breathes shakily, eyes falling on the golden, metal hand in place of where his right one once was. It looks... awful. And – how did this even happen?! She expected it, but still, it's completely different to see it with her own eyes. It's – it's horrifying, really. It's no wonder Luke had been as shaken up by it as he was. She is, too, at the mere thought of it. What it would mean to see it happen, Leia can't even imagine.

"It's alright," he promises, though he seems worn out. She can see it in his eyes, even if he's showing it little. She steps forwards, throwing her arms around him in a crushing hug, trying to pretend it's perfectly normal when something hard and metal presses against her back.

"Are you... okay?" she asks finally, when they pull apart, gaze jumping between him and Luke, "Other than that?"

"We got out," her twin offers. Even his usual energy seems lessened right now, even more than it had been right after Dorme died.

"Many Jedi were lost," Anakin replies, gravely, "The Federation army was far more massive than we anticipated."

"I know," Leia agrees, sighing, "I don't understand how things came to this."

Anakin lightly squeezes her shoulder with his left hand. "None of us do. We can only trust in the Force to guide us."

"Right," she concedes, nodding. She does trust in the Force, even if it's still hard. Her eyes drift to the golden prosthetic again. "What's it... like?"

Her father looks down, flexing his hand. "It's different," he admits, "It doesn't have much feeling, but it's more than I thought it would."

"Does it hurt?" Leia asks. She probably doesn't want the honest answer to that, but still, she has to know.

"The nerves are still growing accustomed to the loss," he says, which she takes to mean a lot,but he won't say so.

"I've been thinking about... joining the military," Luke interjects quietly, uncertainly. "I know I don't know anything about that, but I want to be close to you right now." He's talking to Anakin, and Leia completely understands and relates to that feeling, and she's about to say so when it finally dawns on her what that would mean. Luke was going to be part of her security, but if he isn't, that means she won't be with him, either, if she becomes Queen of Naboo. And she's already working on that. She can't just leave.

It also means that she's going to be on Naboo all alone. The one thing that she's been most afraid of, without any of her family. She knows it just happens when people get older, but that doesn't mean she has to like it. That doesn't mean...

"Are you certain of this?" Anakin asks, "You and Leia have always been close. I don't want to interfere with that."

It's either her, she realizes finally, or Anakin. And Anakin has already spent years of his life almost entirely alone when he didn't need to. It's not fair to any of them. "It's alright," Leia interjects, ignoring the crushing pain in her heart. "Really."

"I know what we talked about," Luke says, shifting as he eyes her. He's hoping she really means it. "But this..."

"It's alright," she repeats, leaning closer when Anakin touches her arm again.

"The Jedi are gonna be getting involved in the military. If I join, maybe I can be with you," Luke says, turning back to Anakin.

"Perhaps," he agrees, "But you know there is much training involved in that. And joining now does not necessarily mean we'll end up working together."

Luke's expression falls a little. "There's nothing you can do about that?"

"No," Anakin answers, "Not that I know of. I can speak to Palpatine about it and see if there's something he can do."

"We should go see him, anyway, if he has time," Leia points out, "He's going to be leading a war now." That would be stressful for anyone. He helped raise them, in so many ways, when their mother was too busy to be around. They've spent a lot of time with him over the years, and she'd like to know if he's okay, too.

"Okay," Luke agrees, perking up, "And... I got to go far into the Temple. Like way more than when we were at those political meetings."

"Tell me on the way," Leia requests, smiling, despite the pain still nagging at her. If this is the last time that she'll be with either of them for an extended time, she'll enjoy it while it lasts.

**w**

"It has been a long time since we've spoken," Palpatine greets, as Anakin and Luke come into his office.

"It's good to be here again, your Excellency," Anakin replies – it has been a long time since he last saw Palpatine. They've known each other for so many years now, and Anakin's forever grateful to him for helping when he was a child, and for helping Luke and Leia.

"So it is, especially in times like this," Palpatine replies, gaze falling on Anakin's hand. A look of sympathy crossing his face. "You lost it in the battle, I presume?" he asks.

"I did," Anakin confirms. It'll take so a lot of getting used to, and he can already feel the stares on him, for being part robotic. (Like it's something to be looked down on.) He doesn't mind being part droid, not at all. It's just that it's difficult to get used to, and he lost a part of himself. And mostly, the way people look at him, as if he's broken or... something. Which he isn't – metal is actually stronger, and with it, him. Or maybe he just has to tell himself that.

"And how are you, Luke? I know how Dorme's death affected you."

Luke nods, solemnly. "It hasn't been easy," he admits, and Anakin's heart aches the way it always does when he sees his children hurting, "But there's something I need help with."

"Of course. What is it you need?" Palpatine asks.

Sometimes, Anakin still doesn't understand how he's so caring towards them. He doesn't even see why, but he's immensely grateful for it.

"With the war starting, I was thinking about joining the military," Luke explains, "But I want to be with my Father, and I – Is there anything you can do about that?"

"I thought you intended to spend time with Leia once she is elected?" Palpatine asks. He's been helping her a lot with advice on politics, Anakin knows. Before he became Chancellor again, he had more time for that than Padme did.

"I was, but... I think I could be of more help here," Luke explains.

"I will see what I can do," Palpatine promises,

"Thanks, Grandpa," he says, brightening.

Palpatine gives him a warm smile, briefly laying a hand on his shoulder. "It is no problem. Your skills would be of great use in this conflict, though I do hope it does not last long. And I know you both should have had the chance to spend more time together."

He often seems subtly upset about how Anakin was forced away from his children, and Anakin's admittedly grateful for that, even if it's reached a dull acceptance now. But he might actually have a chance to spend time with Luke now. It also means Leia will be alone, though, and that his son will be right tin the middle of danger.

But it feels like it's meant to happen, like this is the path he's meant to take. If the Force wills it, Anakin will trust that. That doesn't mean he isn't concerned for Leia, though – he doesn't want her to feel the way he has all this time, but it's Luke's choice to make.

His son's face pulls into a frown, the way it always does when this comes up. "I know."

"Leia asked how you were," Anakin interjects, "None of us were expecting this war."

"I saw it coming, but the Separatists taking these steps is surprising," he replies.

He never seems to answer a direct question about how he's doing.

Anakin has no idea why, but Obi-Wan is the same way. Now that he's older, he can't help but notice a number of uncanny similarities between them.

"Hopefully, it'll end soon," Luke offers. That's all any of them can ask for.

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