Chapter 14 - And Avenge Defeat
Author's Note: Things continue to fall apart. Literally. ;)
~ Amina Gila
Tech is, in fact, able to generate sufficient security clearance for all of them on such short-term notice, not that there was ever a doubt. It gets them safely into the Senate, and Anakin keeps his hood pulled over his head as he watches the proceedings.
He's been here so many times before, but it still feels different now. Either it's the tension he feels upon being here, that he's hiding, or... the way the Force feels so tense and dark. It never used to feel like that, and Anakin misses home even worse now that he's in a place that's familiar.
Being here is dangerous. Someone could recognize him or one of the Sith could sense him – though, he thinks he would sense it first if Obi-Wan were that close by.
It's jarring to see Palpatine in the Nubian pod instead of at the head of the room, though.
"The Kaminoan cloning facilities were not lost in the Galactic Shrink or to some cataclysmic storm, as the Senate has been led to believe," Palpatine is saying. Evidently, now that more planets are disappearing – known planets – it's something the galaxy is beginning to have to acknowledge.
Murmurs ripple through the Senate. "What are you suggesting?" someone demands.
"The Kaminoan cloning facilities appear to have been intentionally destroyed. I have evidence from the recovered command logs of Admiral Rampart's Venator, which indicate that his own ships caused the destruction on Tipoca City."
Anakin can sense the shock and denial in the room, as Palpatine displays the hologram to the Senate.
"Order," Mas Amedda calls above the clamoring voices, "Admiral Rampart will be summoned to the Senate to answer to these accusations."
As it turns out, the Admiral is on Coruscant – must've come home after destroying Kamino and making sure the clones don't have a home to go back to – and it doesn't take long for him to be called to the Senate.
The hologram is displayed again, this time in the Admiral's presence.
"I request that the Admiral explains the meaning of this attack to the Senate," Palpatine says, "This is not an action the Senate itself would ever condone, so was Rampart working either in his own interests, or was he acting under direction of other forces in the government?"
Rampart is stammering nonsense, and Anakin can see his fear – there's no doubt he was following orders, but that doesn't change what he did. And he was definitely acting in his own interests.
"Senators," Emperor Clovis calls. "I am grateful Senator Palpatine has exposed someone this corrupt among us. I assure you there was no knowledge of this among higher levels of the government. Guards, arrest Admiral Rampart. An atrocity of this magnitude will not go without consequences, I assure you."
He's talking too smoothly, too calmly to actually seem troubled by it. Unless it's just that Anakin knows that he was involved.
The Coruscanti Guard immediately get in a pod, approaching the Admiral's Senate pod.
"Wait, no," he protests, half-angry, half-desperate, "I was just following orders –" Before he can finish, the guards are already shoving him out of the room.
That was definitely an ideal way of interrupting Rampart before he told the Senate what actually happened. Of course.
"I assure the Senate a proper investigation will be established to look into this matter," Clovis goes on, in an effort to calm them all down, and probably before anyone can question Rampart's words.
But this 'investigation' is something Anakin knows isn't going to go anywhere, unless Palpatine can be directly involved in it. The Senate doesn't... get things done. At least rarely. He's seen that more than enough. And when Clovis is definitely involved...
He just hopes that Hardcase's sacrifice will actually mean something, that it actually will make a difference against the Empire. More people might start questioning, but they don't have actual proof the higher-ups in the government were involved. Just that Rampart was.
For now, the Senate is moving on to other matters, so he and Padme quietly retreat from the room to wait until Palpatine can leave to meet up with them again.
They don't say much while they wait, Padme pacing back and forth restlessly.
"Are you alright?" Anakin asks her quietly.
She wordlessly shakes her head, pausing by the window, and he joins her, lightly touching her shoulder and just... stands there. There's nothing they even can say about it. Her entire family is dead. That's not something that can get better, and he knows better than to hope that some of her family members weren't on Naboo when it happened.
"I just can't believe this happened," Padme sighs, leaning into his touch, "That nobody's talking about it, trying to stop it..."
"We have to find out what happened," Anakin tells her, "I knew something was wrong when we went to Kamino. I've never heard of this before, but the Force felt wrong here from the time I came. I don't know what could have caused it, though. It still feels as though I know very little of this reality."
"There isn't much to know," Padme says, and they leave it at that. She's still processing, and presently, she's radiating numb grief. Anakin can't even imagine how that would feel. At least his reality isn't destroyed. He still has somewhere and somebody to go back to. Padme, all this time, had been counting on leaving eventually. Anakin may not be looking forwards to that, but he... he hoped she'd find whatever she needed to find peace.
She deserves her sisters. That isn't something Anakin could give her.
It, thankfully, isn't much longer before Palpatine shows up.
"Do you think this will go anywhere?" Padme asks, as they fly back for the Works so he and Padme can leave.
Palpatine apparently operates out of the Works. It's a convenient place since no one really goes there. There's no risk of being seen, or at least, the risks are minimal. Anakin can't help wondering if – if his Palpatine had something here, too. Doesn't want to think about that too much, though.
"I don't know, but I am... hopeful," Palpatine replies, "Many have been questioning the government for a time and this is ideal opportunity, but it... may take time."
Time in which the Senate could easily get distracted with something else. But there's nothing Anakin can do about that.
His mind wanders from what Palpatine and Padme are discussing when he senses something... off. He can't say what it is, but it's something wrong – that for once he doesn't think has to do with a planet being about to disappear, but it's still something bad.
It feels like someone's watching them, but glancing around discreetly, Anakin doesn't see anyone. Not that it means much. If someone is following them, they'd be careful about it.
"We may be being followed," Anakin warns in a low voice, and the other two stiffen. The two security guards accompanying Palpatine don't outwardly react, but he can feel their tension.
They could try to go somewhere to lose them, but they need to get somewhere indoors fast if they're going to –
The guard driving slows the speeder to a stop outside Palpatine's place in the Works, glancing around again. They need to get inside. Quickly.
The Force is humming with a sense of urgency as they swing out of speeder and head for the door. Except, it's not fast enough.
A blaster shot rings out suddenly, barely missing Palpatine. Anakin reacts instinctively, pushing him into the shadows out of the way and drawing his blaster – he doesn't have a lightsaber anymore, and he couldn't use it even if he did because the Empire doesn't need to know that Palpatine is associated with a Jedi – motioning for the others to get inside. The guards draw their own blasters, shooting back at the general direction the snipers are, but miss entirely.
Force. He hates snipers. Anakin has no idea if this is Crosshair or not, and he doesn't want to think about it, either. Doesn't want to see him again and have to leave, but right now, his only focus is surviving and saving everyone else.
Everything after that happens so fast.
Anakin fires at another one of the figures he spots, and they go down.
Several more blaster shots rain down around the same moment, and one of them hits Palpatine in the chest.
Padme cries in alarm, darting to his side.
Anakin fires back at the snipers a few more times before running to Palpatine's side, pulling him into the building with Padme close behind, the door clicking closed behind them.
No. No. This can't be happening. He just...
Anakin crouches at Palatine's side, heart hammering. He – he's dying. He's seen enough chest wounds to know that he's never going to make it, not even if he gets treatment right now, and there's no one to give that. He just –
Force.
This is the second time Palpatine is about to die in front of him, and the loss of his Palpatine is never quite so real as it did now. "No," Padme breathes, crouched on his other side.
The snipers must be Imperial – there's no one else who would be after them. They need to get out of here. Immediately, or they're probably going to take out Padme, too. Though, the assassins were probably here for Palpatine because of what he did in the Senate. Padme wasn't wrong about the risks. Anakin should've seen this coming sooner.
(What is wrong with him? How is this the second person killed in the last two days because Anakin wasn't fast enough? He promised his mother he wouldn't fail again, and that's all he's doing.)
Fives is standing at the bottom of the ramp, but sprints over to them when he sees what's happening. Not that there's anything he can do.
Palpatine is too far gone for that. All they can do is stay crouched next to him, stay with him, for the last few moments before he... goes still. He's gone.
Just like that.
And moments ago, before they came, everything was fine.
He – he really wants to believe that this was all worth it, that –
Maybe Ahsoka was right. Maybe it never really is worth the deaths any fight costs. They can't stop fighting, but they can't – can't keep dying, either.
But if the galaxy is disintegrating, isn't that what they really should be looking at? All they sacrifice, all they fight for will be worth nothing if the entire galaxy is destroyed. The... shrinking isn't stopping and Anakin doesn't know what it means, but he does know they need to get off Coruscant.
Palpatine's personal guards are crowding around him now. There's nothing more they can do.
"Padme," Anakin murmurs, standing, "We need to go."
She doesn't move for a long moment, and he can feel her despair which he... entirely understands. He feels much of it, too. But he can't stay and help any more than he could with Hardcase, and it won't bring Palpatine back. Won't change that he failed again. They need to get out before someone realizes who they are. That... would not be good. "You could still be in danger," he reminds.
Padme stands finally, slowing moving for the waiting ship.
Anakin throws one last glance over his shoulder, the grief and despair tight in his chest as he heads up the ramp. Palpatine is gone. Anakin's version of him is too, and he's never coming back. Never – And there's nothing Anakin can do to change that. Somehow, it leaves him feeling more lost and emptier than he thought it ever could.
**w**
No one speaks until they've made the jump to hyperspace.
"That was a bold move by the Empire," Fives says darkly.
"They are trying hard to cover this up," Anakin points out. And with Palpatine gone, the investigation is pretty much guaranteed to go nowhere. It might help sway some people's opinions but overall... it's not going to help much. Especially with the panic surrounding the Galactic Shrink, sweeping everything else under the rug will probably be easy now. Even if assassinating Palpatine is a suspicious move, in and of itself, and there's no way no one will notice that.
Palpatine could have helped get to the bottom of this. Anakin had questioned if he was... trustworthy, loyal, but now that he's dead... he knows he was. It hurts enough that all he can do is try not to think about it, though it feels like he deserves that grief. No one on Naboo is left to grieve for him, so it's only right that Anakin does.
He deserves it.
He didn't deserve to die. Shouldn't have had to.
Palpatine could have helped them take the Empire down, and... he's a Senator. He could have done a lot of things to help the galaxy.
He would say the Rebellion, but after what he heard on Kamino about what happened here in the battle during the war, he understands why Ahsoka doesn't want to commit herself to helping them. Maybe they're not all bad, but... he can't just deny what happened on Kamino was wrong. What they've done to the clones is... wrong. Anakin can't imagine fighting them. Ever. They're his allies, his – everything.
"I can't believe they did this!" Padme exclaims, "I can't believe no one's doing anything about it."
"From what I have seen, that is... always how the Senate is." Anakin doesn't want to say it so bluntly, but it's the truth. He saw how the Senate was about things. That was why he always said the Republic needed a stronger leader, or rather, one with the power to do what needs to be done.
That doesn't mean this, though.
"That isn't how it's supposed to be," she retorts, slumping back in her seat, exhaustion visible.
"I saw enough of the Empire, too. That's why I couldn't believe in it anymore," Fives offers.
"I'll be in the back," Padme says, pushing herself up and heading out of the cockpit.
Anakin lingers a moment longer with Fives before he follows.
She's sitting on the bench in the hold, and he can distinctly feel her pain. He sits down next to her.
"I don't understand how Naboo could be gone," Padme says, the faintest tremor in her voice.
"I don't know. I don't understand how this is happening." Anakin reaches out, taking Padme's hand again. She squeezes it back with surprising fierceness. He wishes he had some answers on what was happening and what they could do about it. If the galaxy is really dying for some reason, that... really is more important than anything else, but it's not like it's something anyone can do anything about, is there?
Unless the Empire actually is causing it. But the only way to find out would be to... He doesn't even know. Talk to Obi-Wan maybe? He could... ask him when he sees him again, maybe. Because he's certain it's going to be a when but that doesn't mean it'll be soon enough, or... anything. And he has no idea what to do. Again. Everything about this is only leaving him feeling even more lost, but he has to do something about it. He can't just leave everyone behind, knowing they're all going to die within... months. How long do they even have left if the galaxy is steadily disintegrating from all directions?
"I'm sorry about... what happened," Anakin supplies, but it sounds hopelessly inadequate. Not that there's anything that can be enough. Nothing could've truly consoled him after his mother's death.
Padme nods, a shudder running through her before she... breaks down.
He slips an arm around her, offering her the only comfort he really can. Padme leans against it, twisting around and wrapping her arms around his neck. He just holds her silently.
Seeing her like this is... hard. Anakin has helped Ahsoka through more breakdowns than he can count, but Padme is different. When he saw her, back when they were young, he thought she'd never cry. That she could never be hurt by anything, that there was nothing strong enough to. Of course, Anakin had known that wasn't true, but it still felt true.
It's hard to imagine something strong enough to hurt her, but this is something far more severe. Anakin has heard of planets being laid waste to or badly damaged before. He's seen it in the war, but now... this is more than he's ever experienced. But the destruction in the war was nothing compared to entire star systems disappearing.
There were supposed to be bright stars in the sky on Kamino, the nearby ones, but those were... gone. Anakin hadn't paid attention to it at the time, but looking back, he remembers.
He wishes there was something he could do for Padme, to make this better. Maybe it would be best if he could... bring her when he went home, but he doesn't think now is the right time to talk about it.
He can't think about going home until he figures out what's wrong in the galaxy and stops it while there's still something of it left. It's getting worse.
And Anakin is terrified to know how many others have already died, will die, before this stops. He can't understand what could even cause something of this nature, but the way the Force whispers of wrongness and death implies something... caused it. This isn't a natural occurrence. It's something far more... Force-related.
Probably something the Sith did but saying that would just be an assumption, and even if Anakin stops it, that won't bring Naboo back.
"We all knew the risks, that – that any of us could die any day," she says finally, shakily, "But not – not like this. This doesn't even..."
"Make sense?" he finishes, and she nods. Every day during the war he knew any of the clones he knew well could die, but if all of them were gone at once from something that seemed so entirely senseless, it would... not be something he could let go of. (Not that he can just let go of any of those he lost. He'll remember his Fives every day, forever.)
"I wish I knew what I could say to you," Anakin confesses bluntly, "But I do not. There is no way to... reconcile from this. But we need to find out who caused this, and how. We have to stop it from getting any worse."
Padme nods, sighing. "I just don't know where to start. None of this makes sense."
"Nothing about this reality does," Anakin admits, "But that doesn't mean we can stop trying. The best place I can think of starting is with the Sith, though that will be dangerous. They should have some idea what's going on."
"That would be dangerous," Padme objects.
"I know," Anakin assures. He's worried, but... he needs to confront Obi-Wan again, anyway. This just gives him more reason, no matter how afraid he is.
**w**
Before going back to Ord Mantell to drop off Fives, they stop briefly at the rebel base to drop off Padme. Considering the severity of the Galactic Shrink, Anakin wants to warn the others about what's happening as soon as possible. Everyone needs to stay away from the Outer Rim. Assuming there's an Outer Rim left. He doesn't know how far the destruction has expanded by now.
"Why the long face, Skykid?" Asajj greets.
"What happened?" Ahsoka inquires, expression tense.
"The evidence was given to the Senate. Rampart was... arrested, and they claim there will be an investigation, but how far it will go, I do not know."
"They took out our contact. Sent an assassin after him before we could even get off-planet," Padme speaks up, an angry edge to her voice.
"Typical Empire," Asajj responds, though her expression darkens just a bit.
"Do you think this will make a difference?" Ahsoka asks, dubiously. That hopeless note is still in her voice – she's unsurprisingly still upset.
Everything they did feels almost pointless to him too, because for all that was lost, he doesn't know that anything will change. Rampart might've been arrested, but he wasn't the ultimate one behind it, and it's unlikely they'll actually bring him to justice anyway – unless they do just to keep him quiet. And besides, the entire galaxy is falling apart. Everything that's happened is going to be for nothing if they can't find a way to do something about it.
"I don't know," he replies, quietly, "We can... hope. But there is something else I must tell you. It's about the... disturbances in the Outer Rim we've heard rumors of."
"About the hyperspace routes being a mess?" Asajj clarifies.
"Yes. Our contact told me about it. The galaxy is... dying. Stars and planets across the Outer Rim have been disappearing. Naboo is gone already. The destruction is only getting worse. No one knows what caused it, but everyone is trying to keep the severity of the situation under wrap so there is no panic, and... people will stop caring for the Empire and the Rebellion if the knowledge of the extent of it spreads. I believe this is why there was a black hole near Kamino. There never was before."
And now, the planet is probably entirely gone. He has no idea what to think about that. Or about the fact that Tatooine is definitely gone too. Not that he'd ever want to go back there, but it was still always an important planet to him, the planet where his mother was buried, and now it's just... gone. This universe's Kitster must be dead also, now.
"That would explain the disturbance in the Force and why it is not fading," Qui-Gon realizes, grimly.
"The entire galaxy?" Ahsoka asks, eyes wide.
"Yes," Anakin agrees. It explains why the constant feeling of death, of people crying out, never stops. Why it always hurts so much when he meditates. "But there has to be something we can do to stop it."
"I've been all over the galaxy, and never once heard of something that would make it die," Asajj replies. The usual flippancy in her voice is gone. "Can't imagine it's something anyone knows about."
"That's why there has to be a way to stop it. It's not... natural," Anakin answers. But how, he still has no idea. "If something caused this, there has to be something to stop it."
"I have never heard of anything that could cause this, but I will... look into what I can find, immediately," Qui-Gon says.
"Do you think it could be related to... whatever brought me here in the first place, or something else?" Anakin queries, uncertainly.
"What brought you here was a rift in the Force, opened into the multiverse," he answers, "I see no reason that itself would have caused the disturbance. Opening portals to alternative realities is not entirely unheard of."
His heart flares just a little at the words. "That means there is a way for... me to go back?" They haven't really had time to talk about it, and he didn't want to constantly dwell on it because it felt so pointless. But whatever happens, he's not going to abandon this galaxy until he can find a way to stop what's happening.
"Yes, there should be a way to open a portal in either a Jedi Temple or a... Sith one, if the Force is strong enough."
Anakin glances between all the newest members of his family – the fact that he's going to have to leave them eventually has never felt as real before as it does now. It's only a matter of time now. (And if he doesn't find a way to stop this disintegration soon, it will be too late for all of them, including him.) "I'm not leaving until I find a way to stop the... Galactic Shrink."
"Galactic Shrink?" Asajj repeats, incredulous, "What a name."
"I didn't name it," he defends.
"Whenever you go back," Ahsoka begins, "I... want to go with you."
Anakin's heart simultaneously flutters and clenches. "Are you sure?" he asks. He wants her to come. Badly. And he knows she has nothing left here, but this still is the place she was born. He can't quite imagine her going... anywhere else.
"There's nothing here for me," she replies, firmly. "I... want to stay with you."
"Can't imagine meeting another version of myself," Asajj pipes up, "That would be... insufferable. But maybe it'd be worth it."
"I can't ask you to leave your home, Asajj. Not... because of me." He can't really understand why they would, either. Not for him.
"Haven't decided where I'd prefer taking bounties yet," she assures, waving a hand.
She's obviously not certain of her decision yet, and he doesn't want to think about never seeing her again – because his version of Ventress still isn't someone he's very keen on meeting again – but it... was expected, from the very start. (Why does it feel like he's guaranteed to lose everyone eventually?)
"The galaxy may be dying, but if we can stop it somehow... This place is still my home. I... I can't leave what's left of the Rebellion," Padme says, holding his gaze for a moment. He didn't expect anything less, because even if her sisters are gone, this is her universe. They already knew what's between them can't last, even if it hurts.
"This isn't something anyone needs to decide right now," Qui-Gon interjects, "First, let us focus on finding a way to stop the... shrinking."
Anakin's grateful for the distraction. He doesn't want to keep dwelling on the inevitable point he's probably going to lose all of them, except Ahsoka. At least that's... something. "Right now, I need to take Fives back to his brothers."
And after that, he'll focus on how exactly he's supposed to save the galaxy.
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