Chapter 30 – Daiyu
Author's Note: Hehe the beginning of the next arc! I'm sure some of y'all will be really happy with it! ;D
~ Amina Gila
Rumor has it that a Jedi is on Daiyu. Windu doesn't know if he can believe it, but it is possible. Far more Jedi have survived than he could ever have dreamed of at first, and slowly but surely, he is bringing them all back together. They will grow strong in the shadows, and the day is coming that they will rise and destroy Sidious – and the Empire with it.
Every planet he goes to suffers the loss of Imperials. Windu locates the outpost – if it's there – and destroys it. He will not let the Sith forget that he's still out here… and that they have not located, much less stopped, him.
The outpost on Daiyu is no different. He's patrolling the streets, taking out the remaining stormtroopers that he can find when his comm pings. It's from Vos, and Windu retreats to the coordinates of the bar that Vos sends to him. The Kiffar is waiting, and Windu is quick to join him. They don't speak immediately, and Windu takes the opportunity to down a few shots of the strongest alcohol the bar has.
He doesn't drink as much as he used to, but it's still his go-to after a particularly brutal massacre – or sometimes before he has to do it. If he's intoxicated, it's easier to focus on the killing and less on the echoes of pain and death in the Force. Fighting off the Dark is sometimes a struggle for him, but he was not a Jedi Master for nothing. His knowledge of Vaapad is the only thing that keeps him from losing his carefully crafted control.
"Rough few weeks?" Vos asks finally, turning toward him.
Windu just barely refrains from scoffing. "Years," he corrects, deadpan.
"Maul's got plans," Vos tells him. "He wants to use the city as a testing ground for the new weapons. If they work… he intends to manufacture what he can. I'll get a load for you."
Windu nods. He knows of Maul's plans – Vos has kept him updated on everything Maul is doing ever since they first got back in contact with one another a few months ago. Having a Shadow as skilled as Vos on his side is useful. "What else?" he questions, because he can sense the thoughtful silence from the man next to him.
Vos grunts. "I've got a tail," he admits. "Maul wanted me to lure him here." He glances sideways at Windu. "Skywalker."
His breath catches in his lungs, and his right hand squeezes the edge of the bar hard enough to nearly fracture the stone. "Where?"
The other Jedi shrugs. "He'll be coming. He's got himself a new name now. Darth Vader."
"A Sith," Windu says woodenly.
"Yeah," Vos answers, subdued. "Maul said he was always meant to be the Sith's. To be Sidious'."
This time, his hand clenches down hard enough to break off a piece of the stone. He lets it fall to the floor, but no one notices the sound over the thumping music in the background. He forces himself to let go. "He's here for Sidious," Windu insists, because that's the only thing that makes sense. The alcohol is distorting the edges of reality just enough for him to be laser-focused on the end goal and not on what he'll have to do this time to get there.
The ends don't always justify the means, and Windu knows that, but sometimes… sometimes, it's hard to find a better, lighter path when the Order is gone and the Sith are in control.
"He's here for Maul," he adds, "for the criminal network he's built." It all makes perfect sense now. "He'll unite them for his master."
Vos' brow furrows. "I'm not sure–" he starts.
"He killed the Jedi, Quinlan," Windu interrupts desperately. "You didn't see–"
The Kiffar looks away. "I wasn't strong enough to kill him."
Windu throws back another shot and then stands. "Leave that to me. Just aim Maul's forces at him. I can handle him."
He leaves without looking back and without waiting for an answer. He is the only one who can destroy the so-called Chosen One. Chosen. Ha. What a joke. Chosen indeed. Perhaps chosen to destroy the Jedi Order and bring the galaxy to ruin. Chosen by the Sith to be the ultimate answer to the Jedi and to the Light.
Anakin Skywalker is many things – hero, warrior, most powerful Force user, killer – but he is not the Chosen One.
He was not born to bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith. Perhaps the prophecy was misinterpreted. Perhaps – perhaps… it is actually him? Windu's sole purpose from the moment Sidious revealed himself has been to destroy the Sith. The destruction of the Sith will mean balance has been restored to the Force. Maybe the title of Chosen One is one to be claimed and earned, not given.
Unlike Qui-Gon, Windu has never believed that Skywalker is the Chosen One. Perhaps his mother lied about the circumstances of his birth. He might be powerful, but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous. When he first came to the Council as a child, Windu had looked at him and seen… darkness. The enormity of it shook him, and he'd wondered – for a moment – if it might not be better for everyone if he died then before he grew into his powers and unleashed darkness on everyone.
And here they are, years later, Windu's fears fully realized.
But Skywalker is not the only one with power. If the hallmark of the Chosen One is an individual with power… Windu has obtained power of his own. The things he has learned from the holocron he took from the Temple have changed his ability to use the Force in ways he could never have dreamed of. What he can do now can change things. It can make a difference. It might be enough to tip the scales and destroy the Sith once and for all.
This is only the beginning.
Windu has only begun to explore the forbidden abilities that the Council – wisely – hid. Perhaps this is what it means to be the Chosen One. He knows that the Council of old would have cast him out for trying to learn such abilities, but here and now, with the Dark destroying the galaxy, he thinks they would understand.
This is their future.
They have no other choice.
He has no other choice.
Windu climbs up onto the roofs of Daiyu, helmet under his arm as he stalks through the shadows. The hunt is beginning.
**w**
Daiyu looks like any other city when they land, but the Force is… strangely tense, warning Anakin of coming danger and urging him to be cautious. He hopes that feeling of foreboding is merely because of how Dark everything is here. Daiyu City is a crime world, and such places are always saturated with Darkness. The Underworld on Coruscant felt the same when he was there.
Anakin knows he cannot underestimate what they might be walking into, but the mission seems relatively simple in theory. All he has to do is sneak covertly from the spaceport to the location from which the transmission came. Even if Maul isn't here himself, it is likely that Anakin will find people who work for him and even if they won't share any useful information with him, he may still be able to gain access to the communication network which should allow him to track the origin of the transmission to Tatooine.
Reva shadows him when they disembark from the shuttle. He can't risk leaving her behind, not when he has no idea what he'll face on the planet. His nano-armor covers his body, and Reva's hooded cloak will do well to conceal her from prying eyes. To the rest of the city around them, they should merely look like bounty hunters – or perhaps mercenaries. He knows there is a chance that Maul's men know he is coming, but he hopes that he can take them off-guard.
All of this is happening for a reason. Maul did this for a reason, and Anakin needs to find out why.
It's unlikely they'll have anticipated Reva, so perhaps they will not realize he's there until he's right on top of them.
"Stay close," Anakin reminds Reva again as they start walking through the spaceport.
The city is bustling with activity which is perfect for remaining unnoticed especially since it's almost nighttime. They walk through the streets, and Anakin pauses once to check the coordinates he obtained. They still have a way to go when the Force prickles at the edge of his senses. Something happened, and as he glances around, he can see smoke rising in the distance. Instincts honed through years of war tell him to look closer, so he does.
He can sense the agitation and fear of the nearby people, and he drifts closer to an alleyway as he tries to listen in. People are talking, voices high with alarm.
"What's wrong?" Reva whispers, tugging his hand. "What happened? They're upset. It feels– it feels like–"
"The Dark Side," Anakin finishes grimly. "Death."
She curls in on herself. "Yeah. Dad, what happened here?"
The sensation of death is one Anakin is well acquainted with from the war. Reva would only have felt it once – during Order 66. It's no surprise that she seems anxious about it.
He unhooks a holonet accessible datapad from his belt, tapping into a nearby communication tower to see if he can determine what's happened without having to ask someone. It takes a moment for the device to process the input from how chaotic everything is.
Grimly, he looks up. "Someone attacked the Imperial outpost," he tells Reva, "and stormtroopers have turned up dead all over the city. The Empire has been contacted for reinforcements."
She sucks in a breath, wide eyes looking up at him. "Who would do that?"
"Imperial comm chatter – what's left of it, that is – says that it was… 'the Predator'." His brow furrows as he takes in the odd title. "It is… odd," he admits. "No Empire-aligned Force user would do this, and I cannot imagine any Jedi would have fallen to such depths."
Reva bites her lower lip. "Maul?" she guesses tentatively.
Anakin glances around, taking her hand as he leads her further into the alley. It'll be best to take a roundabout route to their destination. Perhaps this commotion will provide enough cover for them to get in and out before the Empire arrives. "I don't know what Maul's goals are," he answers, "but I don't think he would do this. He would have no reason to." And Vos was just on Tatooine, so either Maul is working with many Jedi, or he's not involved with this.
"Then who?" she queries.
"A Fallen Jedi," Anakin realizes.
"Maybe we should find them," she suggests. "They can help us."
A smile flickers across his face for a moment. It's something he would have said as a child, or perhaps even Ahsoka when she was still young. The desire to help people is something Reva shares with him. Despite everything she's endured, she is still a Jedi at heart.
"Maybe later," Anakin replies. "We need to find Maul first before the Empire gets here."
They keep moving, and he cannot shake the feeling that there is someone watching them. A prickly, elusive presence that he cannot quite pinpoint, but which is unmistakably there. Mostly, he just senses a feeling of wrongness that never fades no matter how many twists and turns he takes in a bid to shake their pursuer.
"Keep your eyes open," he murmurs to Reva.
"I feel it, too," she whispers back. She twists, looking over her shoulder. "Don't see anyone. Maybe it's the Jedi?"
Anakin shakes his head. "I can feel the malicious intent. It is no ally."
She shivers, and he can feel her fear, but she bravely keeps it tucked away as she tries to focus on their mission instead of her own anxieties. Though she's only a little over twelve, life on Tatooine has taught her that she cannot dwell on her fear. It's something the Jedi told her, and something she learned personally after Order 66. From him, from Aayla, from Owen and Beru. All of them have made her into the person she's become, and Anakin cannot say how proud he is of her.
"Get 'em!" calls someone only moments before the Force flares with danger. Anakin ducks instinctively as a blast flies over his head, hitting the wall and burning a hole through it. Somewhere inside, someone screams.
Kriff. Kyber weapons. He should have guessed.
"Use your blaster," he orders Reva as he draws his lightsaber, stalking forward to meet the three attackers. He won't let her out herself unless there's no other choice.
She fires from behind him, stun bolts only, as the three men open fire on them. Anakin deflects the blasts aside, though it takes more focus and strength than it would for a normal blaster bolt. He shudders to think what the droid army would have been like if they'd had weapons like this. Even he, for all his strength, could not have fought through platoons of droids with such blasters.
His red blade glows brightly in the relative darkness, and he lifts his hand, using the Force to throw the three backward into a wall. One of them is activating his comm, trying to contact someone. Anakin rips it away from him and crushes it beneath his boot. As they're getting back up, Reva takes down the first one with two stun bolts. The second swiftly follows. Anakin drops the third with a lightsaber to the gut.
They pause for a moment, looking around, before Reva scurries back to his side. She's panting, almost trembling from the adrenaline coursing through her. "Maul?" she asks shakily.
Anakin kicks at one of the blasters with his boot. "Maul," he affirms. "We are on the right track, but he knows we are coming. We have lost the element of surprise."
"What do we–"
The thud of boots landing on the pavement interrupts her, and they spin to see a helmeted figure activating a blue lightsaber.
Reva gasps. "The Jedi," she blurts out.
"We meet at last," the figure intones, and the helmet distorts the voice. Anakin could swear he's met the man – it is a man, isn't it? – before, but the presence is distorted and illusive. He can feel someone is there, though he cannot feel anything more specific. It's unnerving. Never before has he experienced anything like this.
"We are not enemies," Anakin says, stepping forward and holding up his hands.
Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Vos did lie. Maybe – maybe this isn't even Maul's operation at all. Or maybe, Maul is gathering for himself an army of Fallen Jedi.
Anakin doesn't know what's more terrifying.
"I have been looking for you, Skywalker." It's almost a snarl, and as he lifts his blue blade, Anakin can see the skeletal grin of the helmet. The Predator. The name comes to him unbidden, and he knows with certainty that that's who this is.
"Run," he orders Reva, tone leaving no room for her to argue. He positions himself between her and the Predator. Whoever he is, he must have known Anakin was coming. This whole thing… it was a trap. For him. Set by Vos, and perhaps set by Maul, too, and Anakin didn't look clearly enough. He walked right into it.
"And you have an apprentice," the Predator comments idly.
Anakin will die before letting anyone touch his daughter. "I'm here," he says. "Come and get me."
He hasn't even finished speaking before the other Jedi is lunging at him. Their blades meet in the middle of the alley, blue against red, and Anakin gets the foreboding feeling that this battle will not be one he walks away from unscathed.
**w**
It's been over a week since Obi-Wan came to Daiyu. He'd thought it would be easy to locate Maul, but so far, the Sith Lord has been elusive. If he's here, he's hiding well enough that even Obi-Wan cannot track him down. Though perhaps this is an exercise in vain, Obi-Wan has more he wants to accomplish here. Being unable to find Maul would be unfortunate, but if he can at least locate Maul's network here, he'll consider it a win.
A few months ago, he picked up a blaster fueled by a kyber crystal. Knowing that such a weapon exists unsettled him, and he's tracked it to Maul. If nothing else, he would like to know how many of these weapons are out there. It's a desecration of the Jedi who died to take their kybers and turn them into such uncivilized weaponry.
He's on his way to meet a contact, trying to ignore the unease in the city as the Empire takes a hit from an unknown assailant, when he picks up the sound of… lightsabers? He can feel the turmoil in the Force, nudging him to follow it, and he deviates from his path to make his way into the alleys.
He stills, frozen as he watches the two figures dueling viciously. One is wielding a red blade – undoubtedly an Inquisitor – while the other has a blue blade. A Jedi, then. Except then, the Inquisitor shoves the other backward, and when he stumbles, his blade casts light on the helmet he's wearing.
Obi-Wan freezes.
No, not just a Jedi. It's the Predator himself, the one that he's been searching for, the one who came to Alderaan and killed an Imperial there, the one who fought Obi-Wan and then abruptly left. Obi-Wan doesn't know what the Jedi could have wanted or why he was fighting him, but he will not let any of his fellow Jedi fall at the hands of an Inquisitor.
He winces with sympathy when the Predator is kicked in the chest and draws his lightsaber. On one hand, he could walk away, but on the other hand, the Force tells him to stay.
Obi-Wan ignites the blade and steps forward.
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