Chapter 25 – The Pykes

Author's Note: Soooo... we're starting arc 2 which is the beginning of all the chaos with Anakin (and Aayla and Reva ;). Also, there's been a timeskip. :)

~ Amina Gila

Kix stays. At first, Anakin hadn't been certain that he would, but the clone eventually settled down on Tatooine. Though he'd wanted to track down his brothers, the 501st was impossible to locate. The most they were able to ascertain was that they'd returned from Mandalore. Either they were retired along with the rest of the clone armies – something that Anakin is still trying to process; the clones are gone now – or they'd defected or escaped. Knowing that his boys were safely out there somewhere is the only reason he didn't go personally with Kix to track them down.

He knows Rex, and he trusts that Rex will keep them safe, even if he has to do it alone. Without him.

He misses Rex. He misses his boys. He misses Ahsoka. He thinks about them constantly, and a part of him yearns for the war, for the times when he had them and could be assured of their safety.

He misses Obi-Wan, too, and sometimes, he wonders what happened to him. He wonders where he is – if he's out there fighting the Empire or if he's still in hiding. A part of Anakin is afraid it's the former. He's terrified of it. Obi-Wan has a track record of not knowing how to handle himself alone. The number of times Anakin has had to save his life is too high for Anakin to be comfortable at the possibility of Obi-Wan fighting on his own.

But the one thing Anakin was forced to learn during the war was to trust others to handle themselves. So many times, he had to send his boys and Ahsoka into battle, hoping and praying to the Force that they would make it out, knowing that some of them would not, and trusting them to do their best and accomplish the mission he gave them. He has never been able to do the same with Obi-Wan, not quite, but he is trying now because he has nothing else. He cannot worry about Obi-Wan when he has to focus on the people who need him now.

And of course, there is Padme. Padme, and the child Anakin has never met. It troubles him sometimes, keeping him up into the night as he thinks about all the things he has missed. Their child is no longer a baby. She – or he? – has already started talking, started walking…

He tries to be content with what he has on Tatooine, tries to focus on the people here who need him. Ruling a planet is not easy, and he doesn't know how Padme ever managed, but he thinks she would be proud of what he's accomplished. Tatooine has become far more stable than it used to be. The slaves have been freed, and Anakin is working to give it a self-sustaining economy. Things haven't always been easy, but they make do.

It's been… so long since the Clone Wars. So long since the Republic.

The Empire formed one and a half years ago.

Sometimes, Anakin can't believe it's been that long. It feels like yesterday that he was with Rex, with Ahsoka even, fighting on the frontlines together.

Those feelings only grow when he watches Reva practice her forms. The girl has grown so much since she came with him to Tatooine. She's gone from a traumatized, scared child to one who is far more confident, self-assured, and determined. In the Temple, she had her first taste of war, and her experience has only grown since then. Reva is not a soldier the way Ahsoka was, but Anakin is still training her to be able to handle herself. Tatooine is no place for any child to be untrained and defenseless, even the Tatooine he is now building.

"Good," Anakin says, nodding as he circles Reva. He reaches out, hands light as he nudges her posture into one that's slightly better. "You don't want to be too tense," he adds, touching her shoulders. "Trust in the Force to flow through you. Trust it to guide you." He steps back. "Alright. Again."

He watches his daughter work through her katas, lightsaber tight in her hands. It's technically not hers – she has not been afforded the chance to build her own yet – but it's a lightsaber, and she deserves to know how to fight with one, no matter how dangerous such knowledge could be. Should the Empire learn of her, they will come for her. And yet, Anakin trusts his ability to keep her safe while preparing her for the fight that he knows is inevitable. He will not let Sidious keep the galaxy as his playpen.

He cannot afford to.

Aayla enters the room where they're working, and he doesn't even need to look at her to know that she's stressed about something. He could feel it before she arrived. Anakin holds up his hand to stop her from interrupting while Reva finishes.

"How'd I do?" she asks hopefully, extinguishing the blade and wiping the sweat from her forehead. "I'm getting better, aren't I, dad?" She turns to Aayla without waiting for an answer. "Mom, did you see?!"

Mom. It's a new term, one Reva has only started using recently. Anakin asked Aayla privately if she was really okay with it. She'd shrugged, looking away, her lekku twitching a bit. I never thought I'd have a padawan, she'd answered, and he could feel her grief. Her pain. If Reva wants me to be her mother instead of her teacher, I can try. And they left it at that. They're committed to giving Reva the best childhood they can.

"Yes, I saw," Aayla answers. Her smile is strained around the edges. "I need to talk to your dad, okay?"

"Yep, got it," Reva chirps.

"You did good, kid," Anakin calls after her as she heads toward the door.

She grins back at him. "Going to stay with Beru. I know the drill."

"What's wrong?" Anakin asks almost before the door has closed.

"Cobb Vanth just contacted us from Freetown," Aayla replies. She withdraws a holorecorder and flips it on.

"The Pykes have come to town," Vanth says. He sounds stressed. He looks… He almost looks scared. "They wouldn't take no for an answer. They have strange weapons, and one is armed with the same type of sword that the Shadow used. Starkiller, we need your help."

Anakin startles. "The– the Shadow? The Pykes have a lightsaber wielder?"

Aayla presses her lips together. "Yes, I confirmed it with him before the connection was severed. Anakin… what do you want to do?"

He takes a deep breath. In truth, he had expected this. Ever since Tatooine had freed itself from Hutt rule, Anakin had known that the time would come when they would have to fight to defend their planet. He has seen the way other criminal groups have been circling, sniffing out their weaknesses. Tatooine is a very small fish in an ocean of sharks. Jacen Starkiller is known as a strong and just leader, but when it comes to the power and numbers of the Pyke Syndicate, he may not be strong enough.

Without him, the Trail would be helpless. They might have no choice but to cut their losses and make a deal with the Pykes so long as they did not implement slavery once again. Someone else might back out entirely and run.

Anakin is not those people. He has the Force, and he will trust in it to guide and protect them.

"We have to help them," he answers. "What good are we to these people if we cannot protect them from those who desire to exploit them?"

Aayla nods. She'd expected his response. "No lightsabers," she states more than asks.

Anakin hums in agreement. "We'll make a stand on our own. No lightsabers, no Shadow, no Force. Just us."

"Got it." Aayla spins toward the door. "I already told Kitster we'd probably be going out, and Owen got the ship ready."

Without Aayla as his second, Anakin doesn't know how he would have survived the past year of leadership. She's his closest friend. Without Owen and Beru splitting their time between the palace and their homestead, Anakin wouldn't be able to take care of Reva properly. Without Kitster and Kix, he wouldn't have anyone to hold the palace when they're away. They're his friends, his family.

They're ruling Tatooine because there is no one else who will if they don't. They know his secret. They know he's the Shadow, and they help him keep his identities hidden. Without them, the Empire might have realized he's a Jedi by now, and Tatooine would no longer be safe or free.

They fly out together, Anakin pushing the engines to their limits as they fly low across the sand. The ship is fast, but it doesn't feel fast enough, not when he knows that the people there are undoubtedly suffering.

"Get the guns," he orders, and Aayla reaches for the controls when they see the shadow of Freetown in the distance. It can't have been more than six hours since they got the call, but already, he can see the smoke rising. The Force is heavy with pain. Death. The battle is already over, or mostly, and the Pykes have declared themselves victors.

Mm.

Not for long.

Not if he has anything to say about it.

"Fire."

Aayla pulls the trigger, aiming for the closest speeder with the Pyke insignia emblazoned across it. It explodes, and Anakin can feel the shock and surprise flare into the Force.

"Draw their attention. I'll circle us around and land," he tells her. Aayla keeps firing as they fly, carefully aiming at the Pyke targets while leaving the nearby civilians unscathed and scrambling for cover. He can sense the blaster fire hitting the ship. The shields are taking a beating, and he frowns at the readout. Something isn't right. His senses are tingling, and he jerks the ship aside as an explosion rocks hit.

Cannon?

No, that doesn't seem right, and yet…

"Be on guard," he warns as he flies to the outskirts of the town and lands in the sand. "This might be a trap."

"They want to lure us out," Aayla agrees, "but they have no idea what to expect."

"No, they shouldn't," Anakin murmurs, but still, he feels uneasy.

Something isn't right. The Force is too tense for this to be an attempted incursion. It somehow feels like more, like he's overlooking something, like there are other forces at play than he can see right now.

They disembark from the ship, and Anakin keeps his hands tight on his blasters as he steps onto the sand. Aayla is at his back, but he's aware of how exposed they are. If there's a sniper out there, they could try to pick him – or Aayla – off, which could lead to their abilities being exposed, and that is not something they can afford.

He can see the Pykes in the distance, spread out and closing in on them.

"You don't belong here!" he yells at them when they get within earshot. "This planet is under my jurisdiction. You have no right to be trespassing on my territory and hurting my people."

The air is tense the way it always is before a battle breaks out, and Anakin braces himself for the worst. An attack could come from anywhere, even behind if someone managed to sneak between them and their ship – unlikely, but possible. "You go right, and I'll go left," Aayla whispers to him. "We'll pick 'em off."

She's become so good at killing.

This is hardly the first time she's killed with him. For him. Being his right hand means that she has to do things that are… less than savory at times. They are Jedi – or they were. It's that was that keeps Aayla from becoming his assassin. It's a truth they are both uncomfortable with, and one they choose not to acknowledge. These are difficult times, and they will do what they must in order to survive.

"Is that so," the Pyke in front intones. "You've attacked our forces, killed our men. That means war, Starkiller."

"If you leave peacefully, I will give you your lives," Anakin replies. His grip tightens on the triggers. They have only seconds before someone starts shooting.

Or not, he realizes, when there's a too-familiar snap-hiss of an igniting lightsaber. It's in one of Pykes' hands, green in color. The hilt is shaped differently, though, and the blade is somehow… wider and flatter than Anakin had anticipated. It's more sword than saber, almost like the Darksaber. They've been experimenting with kyber, making weapons from the crystals looted from the dead Jedi.

Rage washes through him, and he can feel the answering anger in Aayla as it sinks in.

"Tell me to shoot," she breathes, "and I'll kill them."

Anakin takes a deep breath and reaches for the Force. "Kill them," he says, and they lift their weapons in sync, firing in opposite directions. Anakin takes down the Pykes in rapid succession, the ones with mere blasters falling easily, almost before they can return fire. The one with a lightsaber lasts longer, and Anakin wonders if he's a cyborg. A computerized brain could keep up with the shots and deflect them away.

Like Grievous.

Danger screams through the Force, and Anakin throws himself aside as an explosion tears through the ground. Sniper but the weapon has the force of a cannon. It doesn't feel normal.

"He said they had strange weapons," Aayla reminds him as they scramble for cover.

Their cover comes in the form of crates and vaporators which is not ideal but it's their only option. Though it'll do little to protect them, it will have to be enough. Yes, Cobb had warned them, and Anakin can see it now, in the remaining Pykes who approach from the back. Their blasters are sleeker, the firepower greater. They don't resemble any blaster Anakin has ever before seen. Of course, they are only blasters and therefore cannot protect their user like a lightsaber could, but it still unsettles him.

It unsettles him even more when a stray shot hits the vaporator and obliterates almost the whole structure. Whatever fuel source they're using, it's – it's strong. Another shot comes from above, exploding even more violently. It's enough to throw them back, but they were trained as Jedi, so they're quick to recover themselves, firing at the last few Pykes who are still shooting.

The rest of them raise their hands in surrender. It feels… staged somehow, but Anakin won't gun down someone who isn't fighting him. If he leaves them alive, he can send them back with a message. He and Aayla approach them warily, but the Pykes make no move to attack.

"Leave your weapons and go," Anakin orders, voice cold. "Tell your master that you are not welcome on Tatooine, and do not return."

The Pykes obey, taking their last remaining speeder as they leave.

Next to him, Aayla twitches. "This isn't over," she says, realizing the same thing that Anakin is now sensing. The Force is tense, warning them of approaching enemies.

He hears the thump of someone hitting the sand at the same time as he feels the intent. Anakin spins to face the masked individual, taking in the black and red garb as he identifies him as a member of the Order of the Night Wind. They're highly trained assassins who only work in Hutt Space. Something… does not feel right.

The man is joined by five others, standing in a loose circle around Anakin and Aayla. They activate their energy shields, and the weapons they're wielding look… as odd as what the Pykes had. There's a snap-hiss as they activate; they look like lightsabers, but they're not just lightsabers, and with a sudden flare of horror, Anakin realizes that the Pykes' blasters were using kyber. That's why they were so strong. That's why they feel so bright.

Their attackers close in, and for the first time, Anakin wishes he'd brought his lightsaber with him. Sure, he might have outed himself, but he'd have a much better chance of defeating them with a lightsaber. His first instinct was right. This is a trap.

"We fight," Aayla says, voice filled with fierce determination, bolstering him when he falters. "We're not going to let them win."

She's right. They won't. They can't.

Anakin thinks of their daughter. He thinks of Reva who is undoubtedly waiting for them to return, and he knows that they cannot die here. They have to go back to her. She needs them.

Aayla grabs for one of the Pykes' unusual blasters on the ground, tossing it to Anakin as she grabs a second. They fire at the assassins, but the blast is blocked by the energy shield, and the subsequent explosion nearly knocks the assassin off his feet – and Anakin and Aayla with him. This is not a good situation, though Anakin has faced worse during the war. The only difference is that now, he needs to focus on not using the Force like he would have in the past. If he gives away his Force-sensitivity, the risk is too high that the Empire will come for him.

And he cannot take that chance.

An idea occurs to him, one that's dangerous and risky, but it's better than nothing. "We'll shoot at one of them," he murmurs, "and then try to get past their circle. If we can get their weapons, we can use them."

Aayla doesn't hesitate. They fire in sync, and Anakin is pleased to see that the impact sends the assassin reeling. Aayla skids past, ducking around as she engages him in hand-to-hand combat. He tries to use his lightsaber and shield to keep her at bay, but she's good, and he doesn't stand a chance against her.

Anakin isn't quite so fortunate.

Facing off against five opponents with nothing to aid him, all he can do is fire futilely at them, hoping that the smoke will be enough to disorient them a little. The Force guides him when they attack, and he uses that foreknowledge to stay a step ahead of their blades. But at the end, he is only one person against five. He feels the sharp burn as the first blade makes contact, burning through his armor and singing skin. He kicks the man's wrist, rolling aside as another blade nearly bisects him, but the strain is showing.

Then Aayla is there, her blue blade flashing as she engages another assassin. It gives Anakin the leeway he needs to duck out of their circle, leading them across the sand as he fights them off the way the Twi'lek did. It's easy for him to swipe one of their weapons, stabbing it through the heart of the second assassin as Aayla finishes off a third.

The three survivors pause and reassess before two of them charge forward. They're skilled, no doubt about it, but a lightsaber is not a normal weapon, and Anakin and Aayla have trained in lightsaber combat for far longer than these men. He loses sight, momentarily, of the sixth attacker.

It proves to be a mistake.

The Force screams, and Anakin turns in time to see that the sixth man has shifted the configuration of his lightsaber, using some mechanism to make it more blaster-like. And then he fires. Anakin tries to block the shot on instinct, but it's – it's not a blaster bolt. It's more, and it detonates like an energy grenade. The force of it hurls him backward, slamming him into the wall hard enough to rip open the burn on his back and probably break a couple of ribs. Pain flares in his chest, and he gasps for breath, trying to blink away the blurriness from the hit to his head and the brightness of the explosion.

A life goes out. Anakin can feel the death in the Force, and he struggles to push himself upright. He can hardly see straight, his vision blurring, and he thinks he can see three Aaylas which can't possibly be right. He tries to grab for the weapon he dropped. He misses – he can't locate it properly – so he instead reaches for his blasters. He lifts, aims, and at the last second, closes his eyes to let the Force guide him.

The shot strikes true, in the back of the assassin dueling Aayla. The man drops.

Anakin looks around, searching for another target, but it's quiet. Everything is quiet. The six assassins are down. He takes a step, pain stabbing violently through him, and he can't breathe through it. Sticky warmth is trailing down his back, and he stumbles, falling to his knees, unable to hold in a cry of pain.

He doesn't think he blacked out, but Aayla is suddenly there at his side, crouching next to him.

"Give me a minute," he rasps, "and I'll be fine."

She looks like she wants to slap him. "It's over," she answers. "I'm taking you back to the palace to put you in the bacta tank. A couple of hours in there will do you good."

He frowns at her. She's being ridiculous. It's not that bad. He's had worse.

"Kix won't let you say no," she adds almost smugly, hauling him upright and letting him lean on her. "We're going home. We need you on your feet to deal with the fallout."

… Yeah, okay, she has a point. He'll deal with Kix and whoever else fussing over him so he can get back up and figure out how to handle this.

This isn't the end.

He thinks it's just the beginning.

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