Chapter 19 – Daimyo

Author's Note: Okay, so, with respect to the question I asked y'all last week, I was pretty surprised by the answers. Most reviewers said Aayla. Ngl, I thought Anidala would win by far, but some people were suggesting that Anakin could marry both of them. And that... is an interesting option, not one I considered before, but I'm definitely considering it now! Lol. I'm still not fully decided, but I'm most inclined towards Anakin marrying both.

Also, this is the final chapter of Act 1! Yes, I know there's a pretty big cliffhanger at the end. ;)

Unfortunately, you'll be waiting until after the third season of the Bad Batch comes out before I can start Act 2. As of now, a lot of the early plot points depend on that, and I've got like... 60+ pages of notes to organize and sort so I can outline in detail what'll happen next. :)

To angie: Yeah, I completely understand that, and honestly, Leia's existence is the main reason why I didn't want to just go with Aaylakin out of hand once I saw what they were like. He'd want nothing more than to be a father to his child, and even if that doesn't mean he would have to marry Padme, he would still feel that it's the right thing to do.

To Guest (1): :)

To Cipher: Haha never thought about it tbh.

To Guest (2): I'm glad that you enjoy the way this storyline is progressing! :D
Oh things are definitely going to change with regard to Anidala. It was written this way deliberately. They don't know each other very well. They're barely even friends, and they haven't spoken that much, all things considered throughout the war. Originally, before the Aaylakin aspect snuck up, it was meant to explore what Anidala could have been if they'd had a chance to actually become friends and develop a healthier relationship.
And no, Padme is definitely not more special to Anakin than other people in his family. He hardly knows her. He loves the idea of her and the idea of having a family with her, but he can't love her as a person when (and vice versa), for all intents and purposes, they're practically strangers.
Blood and marriage are definitely not more family to Anakin than anything else. That does a HUGE disservice to his character. Obi-Wan was a father to him. Ahsoka was a sister-daughter. Rex and the clones were friends and family to him, too. Family is about far more than just blood, especially to Anakin. Family is about who you choose to be your family, and given his life, someone choosing him as family is a huge deal. He wouldn't care if they're not blood related.
The story isn't even a third done, and a lot of things will be changing. It's far too early, I think, for you to conclude that Anidala "can't be done justice" in here. ;)
The twins needed to exist, yes, and Anakin wouldn't spend a night with someone who's "just friends" to him. That's not who he is as a person.
… Anakin and Obi-Wan are very close in canon. Their bond was extremely strong. Idk what you're talking about.
Thanks for reviewing! :D

~ Amina Gila

Tatooine has been in a state of unrest ever since Jabba's death, even with Bib Fortuna taking immediate control and trying to cement his control. With so many of Jabba's henchmen dead, it's hard for him to do so, something that makes Anakin feel no small measure of smugness, especially when he hears that one of the settlements to which he'd been sending freed slaves, Mos Pelgo, has declared their sovereignty from Fortuna and is now under the rule of a council, led by Cobb Vanth. Fortuna doesn't have the resources to resecure it, and given the small size of the settlement, it's most likely that he'll leave it.

But the unrest is only growing, slaves from all over standing up and fighting back, killing slavers and freeing themselves. It makes Anakin feel… proud. Proud that he was able to inspire these people to fight back, proud that he was able to accomplish something so vast.

His work is not yet done, though, and it's a little over one week later when he finally collects the armor that he needs to somewhat hide himself as he takes the next step forward. With Aayla at his side, he's not alone, and he feels far more confident in taking actions which could lead him back to war. But the Force has guided him thus far, and Tatooine is only one planet of many. Sure, he can help the slaves here, but what about the slaves who are all over the galaxy? What about the clones, who have been enslaved to the Empire with inhibitor chips? Who will help them?

He could never forgive himself for abandoning all those people out there who need him; this is what he was born for. All he's ever wanted is to help people, and it's time for the Shadow's rule to expand further.

But first… first, he needs to free Tatooine once and for all.

The armor he's wearing is made of a durasteel alloy, colored gold with a rising sun painted on his pauldrons, the symbol of the Trail. He's also wearing greaves and vambraces of a similar color, and a helmet that's open in the front. It's just enough to mostly cover his face, giving him a certain anonymity as well as concealing his face from holos so the Empire won't recognize him as a Jedi. His clothing underneath is a light gray, the typical garb of moisture farmers or many of the residents on Tatooine.

He also covered the scar next to his right eye, the scar he got from Dooku during their duel on Naboo in the middle of the war, and tied his hair back with a simple piece of leather to keep it back and to distinguish himself further from Anakin Skywalker.

And it's with that disguise that Anakin walks up to Jabba's palace in the middle of the day, Aayla at his side. The two guards outside are shot dead before they can even reach for their blasters, and weapons drawn, Anakin and Aayla venture inside the darkness of the palace, to the throne room where Fortuna is holding court.

Two more guards try to stop them, and they, too, are shot down before the walk down the steps onto the floor of the throne room. "Your rule's at an end, Fortuna," Anakin calls out, raising his blaster and firing, shooting the Twi'lek through the skull. "I am in charge here, now."

Someone to the side lifts a weapon to fire at them, and Aayla spins, gunning him down.

"Anyone else?" Anakin asks, looking around.

Slowly, one of the individuals in the room, someone who looks to have been a security officer or the like, steps forward, dropping to one knee, and the others in the room follow his example.

"I am Jacen Starkiller, your new Daimyo," Anakin states. "You will answer to me. Disloyalty will be punished harshly. Am I clear?"

Murmurs of agreement echo through the room, and he casually strolls to the throne, shoving Fortuna's body off it and taking a seat, Aayla standing to his right side, his loyal protector.

"You are of the Trail," realizes the officer, standing, and something about him is… off. Anakin narrows his eyes, touching him lightly through the Force, just a flicker, but his shields are strong. Still, he seems oddly familiar for reasons Anakin can't quite place.

"I am," he answers coolly. "It is because of the actions of the Shadow, whoever they are, that we have won this victory. I expect full compliance from all of you." Slowly, he meets their eye one by one, watching the way they react, assessing them, judging who he can trust, who he'll need to watch his back around. Slowly, he slides his two blasters back into their holsters, but he keeps one hand close to them, just in case.

None of them know he's the Shadow, and if he has his way, they never will. He knows the Shadow has a huge bounty on his head, and that will only ensure to keep him as a myth, a legend among those who are freed and even those who are not. Anakin Skywalker cannot be the Shadow anymore than he can be Jacen Starkiller. He has to build a new persona for himself, a new identity entirely, and yes, it's a risk, but it's one worth taking.

Sidious won't be looking too closely at a change in power on Tatooine because it's not important in the whole scheme of things, especially not when Anakin knows that many other Jedi survived, some of whom will undoubtedly be causing problems for him. Tatooine is far in the Outer Rim, virtually important, with no major resources. He's counting on that to protect him, to protect all of them, to keep them and their actions hidden from the eyes of the Empire.

He's the Shadow. That means he can work in the shadows, in the dark. Why not start his own Shadow Empire to combat the Galactic Empire?

It's a thought for later, at any rate, something to seriously consider.

To do that, of course, he'll need a better set of armor, one he can get on and off much faster. Maybe he should look into his original idea of designing it with nanobots. Now that he's the Daimyo, all of Jabba's resources are his, and he can utilize them to make things better. Better for his people, the people who are now his to protect, and better for the galaxy as well.

This – this is where he's been led all this time.

It's not the place he could have imagined himself being a year ago, or even when he first came here, but it's the place where he's been brought, the place to which the Force has guided him. Anakin does not know what will happen now, on Tatooine or in the galaxy, what the repercussions of this act will be, but he will continue to fight for as long as he is able.

He is Anakin Skywalker, and he is free.

**w**

Anakin spends the rest of his first day as Daimyo overseeing everything, getting a sense for the current state of affairs on Tatooine, and crushing down any of the revolts that spread on Mos Espa when the slavers learn of his identity as part of the Trail.

It's nightfall when Owen and Beru finally arrive along with Reva. He hadn't wanted them to come until he could be relatively certain that it's safe for them, and he's not, not really, but it'll have to be good enough. Ruling a planet is not easy, and maybe he'd underestimated a little how much work is involved, especially when the elite on the planet will be adamantly opposing him. Well, he'll just have to win them over. Nothing worth doing is ever easy, after all.

Reva jumps out of the speeder, running across the sand and jumping at him before it's even fully stopped. Anakin stumbles back a step when she crashes into him, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. "Missed you, dad," she mumbles into his chest.

"I missed you, too," Anakin answers, stroking a hand through her hair, "But you know what I'm doing is important, and I do not wish to bring you into danger."

He feels more than sees how she makes a face. "Yeah, I know," she answers, "Can I stay here with you? Do I haaave to go back to the farm in a couple days with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru? You're staying here. So's Mas- Aayla. I'll be safe, right?"

Anakin exchanges looks with Owen and Beru over Reva's head, both of whom are watching with fond amusement. "Just give it a little time," he replies, trying to be soothing, "There is still much unrest, but I will have it handled in a couple weeks. Then, it will be safe for you to be here."

He doesn't tell her that he fully expects bounty hunters or mercenaries or other want-to-be-leaders to try and kill him in his sleep. He and Aayla have already settled on a sleeping schedule where they'll alternate shifts at night, just so no one gets the jump on them, no matter how unlikely it would be since they're Jedi. They need to be careful. They cannot let anyone find out that they can use the Force, or the Empire will be down on them in hours.

For Reva's sake, for the sake of Tatooine and its people, Anakin cannot let that happen.

He has people to protect.

"A couple weeks?" Reva yelps. "That's way too long!"

"I have an idea," Beru offers, stepping forward. "Why don't I get into contact with Kitster and Wald? I'm sure they might not mind staying here with you, to offer more protection and people you can trust. If you have more allies, it'll be safe for Reva."

"She can use a blaster good," Owen points out gruffly, stepping forward to clasp Anakin's shoulder. "You taught her that well, and you know Tatooine isn't a place to go soft."

Anakin very nearly rolls his eyes at that, but Owen is right. "What?" he asks, half incredulous. "You want her to stay with me?"

Owen and Beru look at each other, having an entire silent conversation without words. "Well," Beru answers, "She'll be miserable without you, and you will be miserable without her. You cannot afford to be distracted, and at least if she's close, you won't worry as much."

… She has a point. He can't deny that.

"I'll think about it," he says instead of agreeing, because he still has a couple days to dwell on it, to make up his mind and decide what would be best. "Would you like to see Jabba's rancor?"

"You kept it?" Owen asks, skeptically.

Anakin shrugs, turning to lead them into the palace, Aayla falling in step beside him, Reva on his other side, clinging to his hand. "She's a good deterrent to anyone who might want to threaten me," he answers, amused.

He leads them to the underground pit where the rancor is kept. She's still young, an adolescent, and after he connected to her with the Force, she's very accepting of him. Reva leans against the bars, clasping them with both hands and peering at the rancor within.

"Her name is Muchi," Anakin tells her, watching as she reaches out into the cage to touch the rancor. Muchi makes a snort-growl noise and shuffles closer, letting Reva pet her head. In the Force, Anakin can feel Reva reaching out, touching the rancor's mind, connecting with her, and somehow, he just knows that they're going to be… close.

"I like her," Reva announces, delighted, still petting Muchi. "Can I ride her?"

Aayla hides a laugh with a cough. "Technically, yes," she answers. "She's been ridden before, and she might welcome the bonding experience, teach her who her… owners are."

"In the morning, though," Anakin interrupts quickly before Reva can beg for a midnight ride. "Let's go settle down, talk things over, get some rest."

"I'm not tired!"

"Yeah," he agrees dryly, "You say that now. It will be a different story in the morning, when you need to wake up and are too tired."

She sulks, but doesn't argue, knowing he's right.

Anakin reaches for her, taking her hand to lead her on a short tour of the palace, Aayla, Owen, and Beru following along with him. He's the Daimyo, so he has a lot of responsibilities to his people and planet, and that means he won't have nearly as much time for moments like this, where he can spend time with his newfound family without his duties calling him away. But he's doing this for them, for his child who he has yet to meet, for Padme, for Obi-Wan, for Ahsoka, for the clones, for the surviving Jedi who are out there.

He's doing this for freedom.

It will be a long journey, a journey which has only just begun.

**w**

It's the dead of night when he slips outside, a cool breeze from the desert rustling his clothing as he ducks behind a rocky outcropping and withdraws the comm unit, rapidly typing up a report, compiling everything he's gathered, before sending it out. He doesn't know what to make of any of the most recent developments. They are… unexpected.

He waits until the unit shows that the report went through before entering a frequency and making the transmission. It takes a few minutes for the connection to be established – or maybe he's being deliberately forced to wait, he doesn't know – before the hooded hologram appears. "You have a report for me."

"Yes," he replies, voice quiet. Sound carries at night, especially in the desert, and he cannot afford to be seen. His mission here is far too important to allow anyone or anything to interfere. This is for – for all of those who have been lost.

"Speak."

"Jabba is dead. Fortuna is dead," he says. "The new Daimyo goes by the name Jacen Starkiller, but I have reason to believe that is not his name. He claims to be part of this… freedom network."

"I see. Will it affect our plans?"

He hesitates for a moment. "Probably, yes," he answers. "Starkiller is cracking down on crime and slavery, but the people support him."

An unimpressed hum. "For now. There is still much we can do to unseat him should it be necessary."

"I – there is more," he ventures slowly. He hadn't seen it happen, or he knows he would probably have been killed too. He'd fled when the attack began, and not a moment too soon, it would seem. "The Shadow is the one who killed Jabba."

"The bounty has turned up nothing?" The hologram crackles with static, but the transmission remains unbroken.

"No, not that I have heard." He pauses again. "I believe the Shadow is a Sith."

"Oh?" There is naked curiosity in the voice.

"The Shadow used a red lightsaber," he answers, a little defensively. "He was no Jedi."

"Wait for now," comes the order. "Do nothing yet. Keep your eye on Starkiller."

"Do you want me to take care of him?" he queries. "I – it is not impossible that he knows the Shadow – or is the Shadow."

"Yes, I suspect as much." The tone is dismissive. "Do nothing without contacting me. Now is not the time. Let him think he's in control. Let him become complacent. We will strike when he does not expect it, and when we are ready."

"As you wish," he answers, bowing his head and ending the transmission. It seems he'll be on Tatooine for a while yet. His job here is not yet over.

**w**

"The insurgents are getting bold," Neyo, CC-8826, remarks, pausing outside the door to the outpost in Iziz, the capital of Onderon. "Keep your eyes open, boys."

Neyo and a company have been here since a couple months after the Empire formed. They were reassigned after the previous company had met an unfortunate fate at the hands of an unknown, lightsaber-wielding individual. A surviving Jedi, no doubt. Kriffing traitors. He doesn't know how he didn't realize it sooner, what those aruetiise, those traitors, were planning. And sure, he doesn't really like being assigned here to guard duty, but he's a soldier, so he'll always do his duty, no matter how distasteful it may be.

(Still, he thinks it's somewhat of a waste of their abilities. They're commandos; at least they could be tasked with actively hunting down the insurgents, but no. That was given to the new natborn TK troopers who are nothing like what good soldiers should be, in Neyo's opinion, not that the Empire ever asked him, of course.)

"Copy that, sir," the two troopers in the front of the outpost reply, saluting, snapping to attention.

The insurgents have recently been attempting to raid Imperial buildings and supply storages, no doubt to get more weapons and ammunition. They haven't come to this base yet, but Neyo is relatively certain that they'll be next, no matter how well-armed and defended they are here.

A flicker of movement draws Neyo's attention, and he turns, lifting his blaster instinctively. It's dusk outside, not late enough for an attack to occur, so it's probably just an animal.

But then, a dark-robed humanoid figure steps out into his line of vision, hood drawn up to shroud its face from visibility. Something about him – or her or it or whatever it is – sends a chill down Neyo's spine, and his grip on his blaster tightens.

"Halt," barks Sparker, stepping forward. "Stop where you are! You are trespassing on Imperial property!"

The figure does not stop, casually holding out a hand towards them, and all at once, the two troopers are lifted off the ground, clutching at their throats as they're choked. Despite Neyo's rising panic, he still slams the button to lock the facility. "We have a Jedi," he calls into his comm, as he opens fire.

His brothers' bodies are slammed into the durasteel, followed by the snap-hiss of a blue lightsaber as their unknown assailant deflects the bolts away. Neyo knows he's going to die here, but he can only hope that his brothers will be able to stop this traitor and avenge him.

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