Chapter 26 - The Assassin
Author's Note: Things get worse. ;)
~ Amina Gila
Aayla comms ahead to let Kix know that Anakin is injured and to wait for them. She also tells Owen, so he can keep Reva distracted while they get Anakin treated. There is no reason to terrify the girl unnecessarily. With the adrenaline of the fight wearing off, Anakin is struggling far more to move around – and even breathe properly – by the time they arrive. Kix helps Aayla get him off the ship, and they take him to the medbay so Kix can treat him.
Once Anakin is settled, Aayla returns to the shuttle to retrieve the weapons she'd picked up from the Pykes and the assassins that followed. She takes them to where Owen is working with Beru and Reva.
"I need your help analyzing these weapons," she tells them, laying them out on the ground. "I think they're being powered by kyber crystals."
Reva gasps. "How? Only Jedi use kyber."
"That's what we need to find out," Aayla replies grimly. "Whoever sent those people in knew what they would be facing. The alternative is that kyber weapons are becoming far more popular than we've realized."
"We can't be having those kinds of things here," Owen states firmly.
"Or anywhere," Aayla adds quietly. "These crystals, they were probably looted from the Jedi."
Her words hang in the air, and she sees the worried looks that the Lars exchange. She isn't as close with them as Anakin is, but Beru is still a good friend. Owen, too. Even if he's a bit gruff, he always means well, and he's fiercely protective. They couldn't ask for anything more.
"Mom, we can't let them use these weapons," Reva blurts out tearfully as they disassemble the first blaster. The design is similar to a regular blaster, but it's been modified to allow a kyber to be the source of the energy blasts. Though she had expected it, it still sends a chill down her spine. Aayla is not surprised – though she is very alarmed – to see that the rest of the weapons are the same.
How common are these things?
She thinks that the crystal shards inside the blaster were made by fracturing a normal crystal into smaller pieces. The blasts were powerful, but not as much as they could have been if it was using a whole kyber. The sniper who was shooting at them might have had a rifle with a whole crystal. They never did find the rifle. The sniper must have gotten away without anyone noticing.
"I know," Aayla answers, trying to hide how unsettled she is. Her shields are strong, but Reva is both Force-sensitive and very intuitive… and when Aayla is worried, her Twi'lek accent tends to become stronger. "Don't worry. Anakin will take care of it."
Reva doesn't seem convinced. "Is Dad okay?"
Aayla pats her arm. "He'll be fine. He's strong. Why don't you lock these up somewhere secure? It's getting late. You should get some rest. We can talk to Anakin in the morning when he's awake."
"Aayla is right, dear," Beru chimes in. "Let's go get some food in you."
Owen stays behind, and he and Aayla are quiet until Beru and Reva are out of the room. "It's bad, isn't it."
He isn't asking, and Aayla sighs, shoulders slumping. "Yeah. Either someone knows there are Force users here, or kyber crystals are being looted for weaponry. We need to get to the bottom of this and put a stop to it, no matter what it takes. This is something that could hurt millions. There is a reason why we are so careful not to let our lightsabers fall into the wrong hands." She falters. "We were careful about it."
"I got faith in you," Owen promises. "You and Anakin will figure this out."
She didn't know how much she needed to hear the words until they're spoken. "Thank you," she murmurs, scrubbing a hand over her face. Their mission is only growing, and she is not ready.
**w**
It's hard to sleep in a bacta tank, and Anakin uses the time to drift into the Force. It's close enough to true rest, a deep meditation that will hopefully provide him with some sort of enlightenment about their situation. Touching the Force like this is akin to touching a live wire. It's hard, overwhelming. It always has been, but Anakin doesn't let that stop him. It's never become easier to delve into the Force, though he has grown accustomed to it. It became a necessity during the war when he had to push past his exhaustion and pain and keep moving.
Even so long after the Jedi were destroyed, the Force still feels dark to him. It is still soaked with the feeling of death. It permeates everything, never leaving. Or perhaps, that is just what Tatooine feels like to him.
He reaches farther, catching glimpses of something bright and blue, perhaps a lightsaber. It blazes in front of him almost ominously. The color shifts, taking on a purplish hue before fading to black. It feels like an accusation and like death. Something orange catches his attention, and Anakin is wrenched out of the vision, the Force screaming in his ears as his bacta tank is opened.
But it's not Kix who's standing over him.
It's someone else. A masked guard. Anakin vaguely recognizes the outfit as having belonged to one of the security officers who worked in Jabba's palace. He replaced everyone with people he could trust, but some of the old guards still patrolled nearby. The man does not talk. He only lifts his hand, a short orange blade hissing to life.
Instinct makes Anakin scramble from the tank, naked save for a pair of underwear, dripping with bacta. He slips on the stone floor, reaching for the blasters that should have been left in the medbay for him. He keeps his gaze focused on the intruder… who is wielding a weapon Anakin had not thought possible. It's not a lightsaber; it's too small for that. The handle is smaller, palm sized. It's a dagger. A lightdagger.
That is decidedly not good.
Whoever this is will soon learn that he's messing with the wrong person. They'll capture him, get the information from him on who sent him, and then kill him. That means they can use the Force if they need to. He can use the Force, and with the odds currently against him, Anakin has no doubt that he'll need to.
His fingertips brush the cold durasteel of his blaster, and he lifts it, aiming and firing at the intruder. He ducks the shots with an ease that makes Anakin wary, lunging forward. Anakin uses the Force to stop the blade only inches from his bare skin. He senses no surprise from his opponent, and with a sinking feeling, he realizes what it means. Whoever sent him knows. They know he can use the Force. They might even know that he's the Shadow and Anakin Skywalker.
His appearance has changed in his time on Tatooine but not enough. Anyone who knows his face will recognize this new version of him if they look closely.
Anakin kicks at him, catching him in the leg and sending him back a step, enough for him to shoot again. The assassin – whoever he used to be and whatever his role may once have been is here to assassinate him – deflects one with the dagger's blade and swings at him again. They exchange a rapid flurry of blows, Anakin ducking away from the heat of the dagger when it gets close enough to singe his skin.
All at once, the door flies open and Kix runs inside, blaster in his hands. His eyes widen when he sees the assailant. "We have a security breach," he calls into his comm.
Between him and Anakin, the assassin is put onto the defensive, and it only takes moments before Aayla and Owen join them. It doesn't take long for them to get the lightdagger from the man's hands and get him up against the wall, held at blaster point.
"Who are you?" Aayla demands sharply. Her accent is thick with her protective fury. "What are you doing here? Who sent you? Was it the Pykes?"
The helmeted head turns toward her, lingering for a long moment. Abruptly, he lifts his hands. The four of them are thrown backward with the Force. Anakin slams into the wall, collapsing to the floor. It's shock that keeps him from instantly recovering and chasing the fleeing assailant.
The assassin is a Force user?
How did Anakin not sense him?
Aayla is the first to scramble to her feet, running after him, Owen right behind her. Kix pauses to help Anakin up, giving him a robe as they follow. They catch up at the entrance of the palace to see a speeder flying away at a speed too fast to be safe for any non-Force user.
Anakin stares after it, nonplused. "That… is not good," he says – which yeah, obviously not.
"Something about him was familiar," Aayla admits, crossing her arms. Her expression is troubled. "I don't know who he was."
Well, add that to the list of things they need to figure out, and fast. "He saw me use the Force," Anakin admits, rubbing his face with his human hand. "We need to find him."
"The palace is secure," Kitster informs them, approaching, "but you should see this." He hands over his datapad. It's playing a recording of a burning building. Anakin recognizes it immediately. It's the headquarters of the Trail, located in Mos Espa.
"When is this from?" he asks.
"Just now," Kitster replies grimly. "It was the Pykes."
So this is it.
This is the war that Anakin always knew could come to Tatooine but always hoped never would. They're such a small out-of-the-way planet. They have no resources to offer anyone, but the Pykes, for whatever reason, are intent on invading anyway. He doesn't understand why. What do they have to gain?
If it was the Empire, he could understand it. The Empire, at least, would have a reason to be hunting down a suspected Force user, even all the way out here in the Outer Rim. But this isn't the Empire. This is a crime group… who might know – or at least suspect – who he is. Why?
Anakin doesn't know, and he's running out of time to find out.
They gather in the throne room to discuss the situation. He finds out from Aayla that some of the Pykes' weapons – and those being carried by the six assassins from the Order of the Night Wind – were powered by kyber crystals. That, too, is a mystery. How could the Empire allow that? Anakin doesn't know what Palpatine's long-term plans are, but it seems foolish to permit the use of kyber crystals in weaponry. Such things could easily fall into the wrong hands and be used against the Empire… so how is it that they exist?
Even more questions.
Even fewer answers.
He had hoped to put this off for a little longer. Reva is still so young. He would like to protect her from the reality for a bit longer, but Tatooine is no place to hide the truth. She needs to know what's going on, too. Anakin glances at her. Fear is in her eyes, but her face is set with determination. She's too young to fight, but she still wants to do her part.
Everyone in this room are people he would trust with his life, and it's for that reason that he admits what has been weighing on him ever since they first went to Freetown. "Whoever sent these men knows exactly who they're dealing with, which means they might know who I am," he tells them.
He watches their expressions shift, watches as realization dawns.
"We can't take any chances," he continues. "Owen and Beru, I need you to keep Reva save until this is over. If you think it'll be best on your farm, then go once it gets dark. Kitster, you will need to be my double. If we can keep people thinking that Starkiller and the Shadow are separate, that will be best for everyone. I don't want to bring out the armor or lightsaber unless it's necessary, but I will do it if it'll mean the difference between victory or defeat. Aayla and Kix, I'll need you two with me."
He looks between them. His friends. His family. This might be the last time they're together… either at all or for a while depending on what happens.
"Understood," Kitster answers. "I'll do my part, and the Trail will do theirs. All the freed stand with you, Anakin. We'll fight with you. You're not alone in this fight."
Anakin nods back to him, and their eyes meet, a moment of silent understanding passing between them. They were best friends when they were young, and Anakin always knew that Kitster had his back. Even when the other children laughed at him, Kitster believed in him. He knew Anakin was able to build that pod and win that race. And here they are, years later, reunited and fighting side by side to make their planet free.
"We need to spread out. Find out where the Pyke leadership is. They won't be attacking us unless they're here somewhere on the planet. Aayla, Kix, we're going to Mos Espa."
"Sir, is that wise?" Kix questions. "We're far more secure here."
"I know," Anakin answers, "but those are my people, and I need to show everyone that I will not tolerate outside forces attempting to mess with us. This isn't like the Clone Wars, Kix. The people who see us here are the ones who will either support us or turn on us."
The clone pauses before nodding. "I'm with you."
"I'll go look around the city," Aayla chimes in. "Someone somewhere must know something."
"And I'll meet with the leaders of the various quarters in Mos Espa," Anakin says. "May the Force be with us all."
It's only Kix and Kitster who are with him when the leaders arrive at the palace. The meeting does not go as well as Anakin had hoped. They are not eager to commit themselves and their people to him, not if the Pykes don't intend to attack them personally.
Tatooine has many species that live on it. The slaves were only one part of the population, and it is the unenslaved who will be his biggest adversary. Many of them were not fond of the way he overthrew the system and changed everything. Though there have been no rebellions, Anakin knows of the unrest. He's doing the best he can, but with this new threat, his best might not be good enough.
Once, that knowledge might have filled him with discontent, but he has changed from the time when he was a Jedi. He is beginning to realize that maybe it isn't fair to demand he fix everything. Maybe it's not fair for him to be expected to do better than what he is capable of him. Maybe his best isn't what is needed, but his best is still better than nothing.
This isn't a battle he is waging alone.
They will do what they can, and though Anakin is afraid of the outcome, he also trusts that the Force will guide them. He has not had any premonitions of doom… though he does sense that everything is about to change in a major way. Whatever happens here will change his fate, and the fates of many others as well.
Perhaps he isn't ready, but then, he probably never will be.
"So, it means war, then," Kitster states after the leaders depart.
Anakin sighs, rising from his throne and descending to the stone floor. "Indeed, and we cannot count on their support, though I expect they will choose to remain neutral until they have cause to believe we will lose."
"Better than nothing, I guess," the other man mutters, shaking his head. "Be careful out there, Ani."
A small smile flickers across his face at the childhood nickname. "You too."
They hug each other briefly before Anakin goes to bid farewell to Owen, Beru, and Reva. The girl jumps into his arms the moment he appears, clinging tightly. "Dad, come back," she all but begs.
Anakin holds her close to him, soaking in the soft warmth of her presence and wishing, fiercely, that Ahsoka was here, too. He could use her support and more than anything, he would like to know that she's okay. His first daughter. The child he trained to be a soldier, no matter how much she had loathed the thought at first. He wishes he could go back and do it all again. He wishes he could spare Ahsoka from that, but he knows that his lessons are what kept her alive.
"I'll be back, Reva," he promises, kissing her forehead and letting her go.
Owen huffs. "You'd better," he says, and he steps forward, squeezing Anakin's shoulder. "We'll stay here 'til dark and then head out to the farm."
Beru hugs him, too, and Anakin wraps an arm around her shoulders. She's become a sister to him in the same way Owen is his brother. He's glad he got the chance to get to know them.
They don't linger, and they don't give each other extended farewells. Though this could be the last time they see each other if something goes disastrously wrong, this is Tatooine. The planet is never a fully safe place. A risk is always present that something could do badly. That is just what it means to live here.
He feels their eyes on him as he climbs into the speeder with Kix, heading toward Mos Espa to join Aayla. Kitster will stay behind in case he's needed to double as Starkiller and so he can oversee the operation from a safe distance. If something goes badly, he needs to be able to step up and lead the Trail. Even if they all die here, the movement must go on. The slaves who have been freed do not deserve to be re-enslaved when the Pykes arrive.
And, of course, there is still the other mystery of who is behind them. Someone sent them. Someone hired the Order of the Night Wind even though they only work under Hutt control. Someone sent in a trained Force user to kill him. That someone needs to be found and disposed of before the truth gets out, because Anakin knows that the moment Palpatine catches wind of him, he will bring down the Empire on Tatooine, and there will be no safe place for anyone.
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