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Hindsight Is Not Perfect


Obi-quiet

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I really like the interjection with Siri. Why did you choose her, out of curiosity? Anyway, I think it's a nice counterpoint for the readers, reminding them of the way this all started, the consequences, etc. And Siri calling him "Vader" really struck that point home. I think that's always been a weird dichotomy when watching SW. Watching the prequels, it's sometimes nearly impossible to remember who that little kid grows up to be. And sometimes Vader looses some of the big "really bad guy" feeling. But then you have to watch the OT and be reminded. That was what you were doing in that scene, and it was really well done!

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SHE MEANS TO END US ALL!!! DOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!11eleventyone!
There goes Ami's reputation of being a peaceful, nice person.
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I had my reasons for choosing Siri...and I can't say too much about it, but Obi-wan and a bunch of the other people that would otherwise come and talk to Anakin are gone. Who's left? And I struggled and struggled with who I should choose. I thought that putting Siri in there with her little thing with Obi-wan would be over the top, but I think it worked out very well actually.

 

I wanted to forget that he was going to turn into Vader in the prequels. They succeeded in the first one...but in the second two...I know that people don't just start murdering off the bat, but I would have liked his turn to the Dark Side to be more subtle.

 

*shrug* But a few reminders every now and then are good, and yes, that's why I put this in here.

 

Did you get my chapter 9 btw?

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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”œTo do that I would need to return to the planet, with an army. Or at least an infiltration team.”

"It's always these little worlds that get you in trouble. Like Tatooine. I'm still living that one down." - Han Solo

Your barnacle has carnivorous salamanders the size of whales.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, for he who promised is faithful." -Heb. 10:23

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I like some of those suggestions for the "catch 22". Hmm...I might change that. *thinks about it*

 

Truthfully, I'm trying to just act and react. Kind of a "how would he act here" compared canon. Then I systematically think through the possible concequences, and go from there. I figure he'd probably unwittingly change more, so I'm trying to have other things different too, but for the most part I'm really trying to stick to movie. I"m really glad you like how it's developing.

 

I loved the character Padme/Amidala. She's got to be one of my favorite characters from the first two prequels. Besides, I think Natalie Portman is gorgeous and absolutely perfect for the part. I always did want to see more of her "Queen" side. I'm glad it's coming out well here.

 

I thought the Council deliberation was too short, but I couldn't figure out a way to lengthen it, so I'm glad you liked that too! ^^; I love Yoda. He always did what he thought was right, and in this case he's weighing his options carefully.

 

Oh, don't worry. The next chapter has one of my favorite Obi-wan/Anakin scenes that will be in the story. This one came easy. Sadly, the second really big one (the one that I"m working on now on chapter 11 that I've BEEN working on FOR FOREVER) is NOT turning out. *shakes fist* But eh, whatcha gonna do?

 

I never realized just how opposing her feelings towards Anakin were. Interesting to point that out. Thanks! I just figured Obi-wan wouldn't leave him alone. I'll give you a list of Jedi that were apart of sending Anakin back: Obi-wan, Qui-gon, Yoda, Mace (surprisingly, but he has his reasons), Adi Gallia, Bant, Ki-adi-mundi, Tahl, a few knights, and "Snips" (his padawan during the Clone wars). All in all, I'm guessing around 20-30 got together in the afterlife and discussed it. ^^;

 

I'll take your criticizm at the end with thanks and a hug! :hug:

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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Kind of a "how would he act here" compared canon.
I definitely think that's the best way to do this! It's a lot of how I approached by own AU - I think to make it realistic and keep people in character you have to always be keeping in mind how they would react instead of just "forcing" them to do new things! You've done a good job of it.

 

The next chapter has one of my favorite Obi-wan/Anakin scenes that will be in the story. This one came easy. Sadly, the second really big one (the one that I"m working on now on chapter 11 that I've BEEN working on FOR FOREVER) is NOT turning out. *shakes fist* But eh, whatcha gonna do?
Lol, don't you hate when that happens? Well, you have a good beta on this story, you could run it by Ami and see if it helps at all.

 

I'll give you a list of Jedi that were apart of sending Anakin back: Obi-wan, Qui-gon, Yoda, Mace (surprisingly, but he has his reasons), Adi Gallia, Bant, Ki-adi-mundi, Tahl, a few knights, and "Snips" (his padawan during the Clone wars). All in all, I'm guessing around 20-30 got together in the afterlife and discussed it. ^^;
Wow, you had the list all ready. So I have to ask, is that because you made a list to make sure it was a feasible occurence, or is this list going to come up later in the story and so you needed to make sure you had it?

"It's always these little worlds that get you in trouble. Like Tatooine. I'm still living that one down." - Han Solo

Your barnacle has carnivorous salamanders the size of whales.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, for he who promised is faithful." -Heb. 10:23

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The list won't come up in this story, and there were some Jedi that looked up to Anakin that he didn't know too well who helped too. It's important, but not until the third story probably.

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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Warning: Long chapter ahead

 

Chapter 8

 

Anakin sat next to Artoo in a daze as he waited for the preparations concerning the ship that would take them back to Naboo to be finished. The first seriously major difference that he knew of had finally come to pass: The council hadn't outright rejected him.

 

He'd stood there, in front of Obi-wan and Qui-gon, fully expecting the Council to outright reject him again, and all they could say was that they hadn't made up their minds.

 

It seemed like a horrible letdown, and yet a mind-blowing difference all at once.

 

And the irony was by no means lost on him. When he'd first come to the temple, ready and willing to learn and completely devote himself to their lifestyle, they'd rejected him. Now that he had Sith training and only cared to stay so long as it took to change the future, they couldn't seem to decide.

 

Actually, now that he thought about it, the simple term of "irony" didn't seem to encompass the sheer wrongness of the whole situation.

 

"Master Windu spoke to you?" he heard Obi-wan's voice come closer and blinked away his thoughts to look up at the talking pair.

 

"He said that most of the council is leaning towards rejecting the boy," Qui-gon replied. Anakin looked over to see the pair approaching, probably to await the arrival of the Queen.

 

"What did you tell them, Master?"

 

Qui-gon looked over at Obi-wan for a moment before answering. "I told him I would take the boy on as a padawan learner."

 

At first Anakin felt nothing but a numb shock from his former master. Then, the sheer pain through the Force hit the former slave like a Star Destroyer going into hyperspace, and he reeled from it. Rejection, betrayal, sadness and just the barest touch of anger all rushed through the surrounding atmosphere like a rabid mob before being dispersed into the Force.

 

Had all of that come from Obi-wan? Mr. Control himself? Anakin couldn't believe it.

 

"You are more than ready for the trials," Qui-gon said with a sad, but kind look to his rather shaken padawan. "And he is the chosen one. I will see him trained."

 

The emotion that hit Anakin this time was only and echo of the previous freighter, but he felt it through the Force from Obi-wan none the less.

 

The padawan glanced over at Anakin, who tried to look busy with Artoo. "The boy is dangerous. They all sense it, why can't you?"

 

The betrayal Anakin felt this time did not come from Obi-wan, and he couldn't help but send a dark scowl in his former master's direction. He remembered that being said before. This particular view point was not a new development.

 

So why had Obi-wan taken Anakin on as a padawan? That had always been a sore point to Anakin in his younger days. What had changed Obi-wan's opinion so much? It had to be something to do with Qui-gon's death, but no one would ever really tell him. Eventually, he'd just stopped asking.

 

"The boy's fate is undecided," Qui-gon said shortly, "and uncertain. The Council will decide Anakin's future. That should be enough for you. Now get on board."

 

With another pang of betrayal from Obi-wan, the padawan turned around and walked towards the ship. Anakin couldn't help his own flash of anger, both at Obi-wan and at Qui-gon's statement that the Council would decide his future. He would not allow anyone else to decide his future again. Not the Council, and not Palpatine.

 

And most definitely not Obi-wan.

 

Maybe he really should just forget about rejoining the pathetic excuse for a peace-keeping organization. Most likely he'd just end up with Obi-wan again. Obi-wan, who apparently didn't want to have anything to do with him. And Anakin still couldn't figure that out. And why was Qui-gon so adamant that he be trained? Just because he was supposedly the "Chosen One"?

 

"Anakin?" Qui-gon asked, breaking through his thoughts.

 

He looked up at the Jedi Master, and felt the urge to ask. "Why did you say that?"

 

"Say what?"

 

"That you would take me on."

 

Qui-gon smiled as he knelt down so as to look Anakin in the face. Anakin's own look darkened. He hated it when people looked down on him.

 

"I said that because I see so much potential in you," he said.

 

Anakin glanced after Obi-wan. He supposed he could see why the padawan had said what he had. If Obi-wan had done that to him, it would have hurt...a lot. He probably wouldn't have had anything nice to say either. The thought didn't do much to make Anakin feel better. "So, you wouldn't want to take me on if I weren't this 'chosen one'?" he asked softly as he turned back to face the older man.

 

Qui-gon's expression sobered, a troubled light entering his eyes. "The laws and rules exist for a reason, Ani."

 

"Why am I an exception?" he asked.

 

"Anakin," Qui-gon started, but the former slave shook his head.

 

"I shouldn't have done this. I shouldn't have come," he looked away, angry at himself for not acting on the obvious. This would just bring back too many bad memories and bring out too many bad traits of the people he knew he should leave behind.

 

"Why do you say that, Anakin?"

 

Anakin turned his glare back on the Jedi Master. "When you make exceptions to the rules, everything suffers. Everyone."

 

"Not always," Qui-gon protested, his voice never gaining Obi-wan's hard edge.

 

Anakin closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing to calm the anger. It kept calling to him through the Dark Side, like an old lover. Oh how it wanted him to come back again. He felt like a pod whose power couplings had failed; pulled in so many different directions only to crash spectacularly in a devastating display. Everyone seemed to be after him, everyone wanted him on their side. Had he brought this all about just by being born? Just by having that much raw potential?

 

"I wish I weren't so powerful," Anakin muttered.

 

"What?"

 

The anger kept pushing, and he was having a difficult time keeping it in check. "Everyone wants me for what I can do. They all want to control my life." His eyes turned hard as he looked back up at Qui-gon. "I'm not going to let that happen."

 

The Jedi sighed, his face gaining the thoughtful expression again. "You notice far more than you let on, Anakin. The only thing I can do is answer you honestly. Yes, I noticed you because you have Force potential. I would hope that I could have freed you whether you had such potential or not, but I do not know if that would have happened. I cannot take on every evil in this universe any more than you can. The only thing I can do, is follow my heart and try. And right now, my heart says you need to be here."

 

"What if my heart says something different?" Anakin retorted.

 

Qui-gon actually smiled and ruffled his hair. "Then you must follow it."

 

Well, that had not been the answer he'd expected. "Even if it takes me away from the Jedi Order?"

 

"Even if it takes you away from the Jedi Order," Qui-gon replied with a confirming nod. "Always remember that your focus determines your reality."

 

In that moment, his respect for the older man shot up. He'd underestimated the Jedi...badly. Not that he was always an excellent judge of character, but still.

 

There was still one sore point in Anakin's book concerning this man though. He'd just opened his mouth to voice it, when the Queen walked up behind them. Qui-gon greeted her.

 

"It is our pleasure to continue to serve and protect you," he said with a slight bow.

 

"I welcome your help," she responded, falling into step beside him. "Senator Palpatine and Chancellor Valorum fear that the Federation means to destroy me."

 

"I assure you I will not allow that to happen," Qui-gon said as they ascended the ramp into the ship.

 

"Neither will I," Anakin vowed quietly to himself as he followed. No harm would come to her. He would see to that.

 

After all, it was the least he could do for what he'd done to her.

 

xXx

 

The ship slept in an uneasy silence as Anakin crept towards one of the cargo bay areas. He'd seen Qui-gon and Obi-wan practicing their katas at various points of the trip in the largest of the three rooms on board the ship. If he avoided practicing in that one, he should also avoid detection from the Jedi. And he needed to practice...badly. It had been weeks since he'd even picked up a weapon with the intent to either use it or practice. Since before he'd come back, really.

 

Truth be told, he'd been avoiding it. The Dark Side had always come most easily as he fought. Now, he had no choice. He had to get used to fighting with his new body—with real arms and legs—if he were to protect Padme.

 

Locking the door to the smallest of the cargo bays behind him, he took a deep breath and walked to the center. It would be difficult to practice some of the more difficult moves in here, even with his diminished height, but the privacy would be worth it.

 

Taking another calm breath, he closed his eyes and reached for the Force. It answered his call, and he easily fell into a basic stance as he heard the familiar snap-hiss of Yoda's lightsaber and felt the familiar heat in his hand.

 

Two minutes and six near face-plants later, he felt like throwing the weapon through the wall.

 

Forget flesh arms and legs giving out on him, he could barely pull off even the most basic katas right now...and he couldn't figure out why. Nothing felt familiar, despite the fact that he knew he was doing it right. Form V had always been his favored style, and he knew it better than almost anything else, including flying. How was it that he could not swing into the basic stances?

 

It had to be his height, he realized suddenly. A child's body had different proportions than an adult body...especially a mechanical adult body.

 

Muttering a few choice words in Huttese, he sank to the floor in frustration and depression. How could he protect Padme when he could barely hold the stupid weapon without slicing off his own head. Or maybe he'd do Dooku a favor and cut his own hand off early.

 

Funny how quickly depression can be turned into anger.

 

Slipping the saber into his shirt, he sat in a meditative pose, focusing on his breathing and banishing the rage to the Force. If he picked up the weapon now, it would be all that much more difficult to reject the Dark Side. Although, he doubted that the Dark Side would help at the moment even if he wanted to use it. The Bogan only granted power, not immediate skill.

 

"What are you doing in here?" a familiar voice asked from near the door. Apparently the locks on this ship weren't all that good. Obi-wan stood, barely visible in the dim light, as he eyed Anakin warily.

 

"Uh..." Anakin looked around, glad that he'd put the saber away. "I couldn't sleep."

 

Obi-wan cocked his head slightly. His ridiculous braid seemed to grow with the gesture. The thought seemed strangely funny to Anakin.

 

"Why were you so frustrated just now?" Obi-wan asked.

 

Anakin scowled. "None of your business."

 

Obi-wan's expression flattened. "Right. Sorry to bother you."

 

He turned to leave, and Anakin blinked in surprise. Obi-wan never backed down like that. Ever. "Wait," he said, opening his mouth without really realizing he'd spoken. A portion of his mind took note that he'd been doing that far too often recently. He'd have to fix that.

 

Obi-wan stopped and looked back at him over his shoulder expectantly. Anakin blinked, unsure of what to say.

 

"What?" Obi-wan asked.

 

"Uh...how did you know?" Anakin asked, grasping at straws. He couldn't very well say 'it's not like you to walk away'. That would bring up far too many awkward questions.

 

"Know what?"

 

"That I was frustrated."

 

The Jedi's brow drew together slightly, giving him a rather confused air. "I just...can."

 

"Oh," Anakin said. They stood there for several seconds in an awkward silence broken only by the thrum of the ships engines.

 

After a few minutes, Obi-wan cleared his throat. Anakin knew that sound. It meant he was about to make a tactical retreat. So he opened his mouth before the other could voice anything.

 

"You're right."

 

Obi-wan blinked. "About what?"

 

"I'm dangerous."

 

The Jedi looked taken aback, and Anakin couldn't help but smirk. Anakin: One Obi-wan: Zero

 

"Is that a confession?" Obi-wan asked.

 

Anakin shot him an annoyed glare. "Confession?"

 

"Why would you tell me you're dangerous if not to confess? Are you a spy?"

 

"No!" Anakin sighed, shoulders slumping under an imagined pressure. "I saw it," he said softly. "In a vision." Or as close to one as he could get. He still wasn't sure it hadn't all been some horrifically real dream, even if that wasn't what it felt like.

 

Obi-wan's eyes softened, although the rest of him looked like he'd been carved from stone for how much emotion he showed. "Is that why you want to stay with the Jedi?"

 

Anakin didn't answer. That wasn't the main reason, but it technically was a reason. The main reason he wanted into the Order was the fact that he wanted to change the future. As a Jedi, he could have the power to do that.

 

But he had to answer and say something. "I don't want to hurt anyone," he whispered, not able to meet the other's eyes.

 

He heard Obi-wan sigh, and the tightness he'd felt from the twenty-five-year-old eased slightly. "Master Jinn is going to fight for you. You will be trained."

 

Anakin scoffed. "Will that help?"

 

"Why wouldn't it?" Obi-wan asked, sounding completely puzzled, as if that should have been an obvious answer.

 

Because it didn't before, Anakin thought. "I don't know," he said out loud.

 

"He'll train you," Obi-wan said quietly. "He's a good master."

 

Instead of the pain and anger he'd felt before, he only felt the betrayal and a sense of loss from Obi-wan now, but he felt it stronger than ever.

 

"He shouldn't have done that."

 

Obi-wan looked back at him. "Done what?"

 

"Denounced you."

 

The padawan shook his head, sad smile coming to his face. "He only did what he believed was right."

 

"It's not fair to you."

 

Obi-wan's smile gained a touch irony, turning it into something vaguely sardonic and horribly familiar. That was the Obi-wan Anakin knew.

 

Was this how his Obi-wan had come into being? Through pain and heartache that would probably never heal?

 

Just how well had he known his former master?

 

"Life is rarely fair, young one," he said. "Master Qui-gon may not be perfect, but no one is. Not Jedi, or senators, or any race ever born into this universe." Yes, that sounded far more like his Obi-wan. "He hurt me, yes. But he didn't mean to...so I can forgive him. It might take me a while, but I can and I will."

 

"Why?" Anakin asked hungrily. That had hit a little too close to home, and he suddenly needed to know the answer.

 

"Because," Obi-wan said, that sad smile gaining just a twinge of hope, "I would rather swallow my pride and have him and his wisdom in my life than have my pride intact and become estranged over such a thing."

 

Anakin didn't quite know what to think of that. Could he forgive Obi-wan for his betrayal as easily as Obi-wan had forgiven his master? Because whether he actually had betrayed Anakin or not, the former Sith could not seem to banish those feelings. He still felt resentment and anger towards Obi-wan, and had a sneaking suspicion that he would whether it really had happened that way or not.

 

Was just accepting and dismissing all of that the answer?

 

"I don't know why I'm even telling you this," Obi-wan said, now looking down at Anakin curiously. "We seem...connected somehow."

 

So it hadn't been just Anakin's imagination. Maybe they still had a bond of some sort? Could he actually bring that back in time with him?

 

"You really respect him, don't you?" Anakin observed.

 

Obi-wan smiled. "Of course I do. He's my master. The closest thing I have to a father...and he's a good man."

 

"Could...could you forgive him for anything?" Anakin asked, not realizing how quiet his own voice had become.

 

"Anything short of turning to the Dark Side," Obi-wan responded easily. "And even then..."

 

They stood there in silence again, but this one seemed far more expectant, and far less awkward.

 

"It's pretty late," Obi-wan said finally. "Perhaps you should get back to bed?"

 

"I can't sleep," Anakin repeated. He wasn't pouting. He wasn't. Sith didn't pout, and neither did Jedi.

 

"I see," Obi-wan said, obviously thinking. "Well, we could-"

 

"Could you go through your katas with me?" Anakin asked suddenly. Obi-wan blinked. "I can't do more than the very basics right now," he said through gritted teeth, frustrated at the set back, "but even though I don't have a lightsaber, would you mind? It always clears my mind."

 

Obi-wan looked taken back again. Anakin still felt like he'd lost the scoring along the way somehow anyway.

 

"I don't see why not," he said finally, reaching down and unclipping his lightsaber from his belt. "But if that is what frustrated you, than you probably need to work with the balance of an actual weapon. Here, you can use mine. I am setting this on the lowest setting so you don't burn yourself...or me. I will know if you change it."

 

Anakin nodded, ignoring the stab of annoyance he felt at Obi-wan's wariness all while feeling grateful that the padawan trusted him that far. It was an improvement. He accepted the lightsaber and switched it on. A brilliant blue met his eyes as the laser sword grew to full length.

 

"Do you know this stance?" Obi-wan asked, holding up his hands as if to wield an invisible blade.

 

"Yes," Anakin nodded.

 

"Good," Obi-wan said. "Follow me."

 

He and Obi-wan ended up going through several of the basic katas. As they got further and further into the forms, Anakin was surprised to find himself feeling peaceful. He wouldn't admit how good it felt to fall back into habit, long forgotten and newly remembered. He also wouldn't admit how easily he had done so.

 

xXx

 

Qui-gon felt the vague presence approach and decided he'd better wrap up his meditation session. It couldn't be anyone but Anakin. Ever since the child had altered his shields, it had been much easier to find him in the Force, but only in fairly close proximity and the older Jedi found it just as hard as ever to sense the boy's feelings. It seemed he had taken Qui-gon's advice to heart, and the Jedi Master had little doubt that in the future, Anakin would be a formidable opponent.

 

"Ma—er, Qui-gon, sir?" Qui-gon didn't blink an eye at the slip of the tongue, but he did take note of it. Anakin hadn't started out calling him 'master', so what had changed? Maybe he still thought Qui-gon owned him? He'd bring up the subject later. Judging from Anakin's rigid posture, he had something on his mind.

 

"Anakin, come in. What's wrong?"

 

He winced, although Qui-gon could feel only the slightest traces of embarrassment and reservation. Just how good was his shielding? Was Qui-gon only feeling what Anakin allowed him to? If so, then his training had to have gone on for longer than a few simple months…

 

"You could tell," the boy responded in a flat, serious tone, as if he were reproaching himself.

 

Well, his self-esteem seemed pretty accurate for a long-time slave. He had mental shielding that would put most Knights (and some Masters for that matter) he knew to shame. He put on a mask of confidence, but it was the little sentences like that that would convince Qui-gon that it was just that; a mask. An extremely good mask, but a farce none the less.

 

Qui-gon had also come to the conclusion that the reason the mask was so good was because it had to be enough to hide the lack of confidence from Anakin himself. The Jedi knew from experience just how much easier it was to fool others when one worked at fooling themselves.

 

He raised an eyebrow at Anakin. "I meant it as a standard question, but if there is something troubling you then please come sit."

 

Immediately, Anakin did. The confident stance he took as he walked through the door, with his arms clasped firmly behind his back did not pass Qui-gon's notice. He looked more like a soldier than a slave.

 

"What can I help you with?" He asked, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. The last thing that would help the situation would be Anakin feeling forced into saying something. He needed to learn to trust to become a Jedi. One couldn't learn anything if one didn't trust their instructors or at least some of their fellow students.

 

For just a moment, Anakin seemed at a slight loss. Then his lips thinned into a determined line, and Qui-gon felt just a touch of resignation through the Force.

 

"I have dreams," he said. Qui-gon didn't say anything, waiting for an elaboration. "Whatever I dream comes to pass. Don't die."

 

Qui-gon blinked. The sentence had been so unexpected, that the tone that would have otherwise been an order went completely unnoticed. "Die?" he asked, still trying to wrap his head around the revelation. Did Anakin have the gift of foresight? Such a rare gift. The impressions from the Force during meditation that almost all Jedi had were vague at best, which is why most Jedi were encouraged to focus on the here and now instead of fretting about what might happen.

 

"Did you have a dream about me dying?"

 

Anakin looked down, confirming the Jedi's guess. Funny, he looked down to his left, indicating a conditioned response, but Qui-gon felt nothing but earnest determination from him. So what was he lying about? Not Qui-gon dying, but something related.

 

Correctly interpreting the silence as a hint to expound, Anakin continued. "Sometime after we land on Naboo, you and Obi-wan will run across the Sith Lord again." Qui-gon's eyes widened in surprise and more than a little apprehension. Where did Anakin learn that term? The Jedi Master most certainly didn't remember telling him. Yoda maybe? Somehow, he doubted it. He watched, well aware that Anakin had dropped any pretense of trying to act young. He was talking to Qui-gon like he would to an equal. Where had the lack of self-esteem gone? Or was his mask just that good? Either unaware or dismissive of Qui-gon's thoughts, Anakin went on. "He'll fight you both. At one point, you and Obi-wan will become separated. If you do not wait for him and decide to fight the Sith on your own, you will die."

 

Qui-gon's mind reeled. Not so much from the revelation of his supposed death, but from the absolute certainty in the other's voice.

 

"I…see," he finally managed to get out. "And you are positive this will happen?"

 

Anakin nodded.

 

"And you know all of this because of a dream?"

 

This time he looked offended, and slightly panicked. "Why else would I know?" It seemed something connected to that sentence was being kept hidden as well.

 

Qui-gon sighed inwardly, knowing the next part of the conversation would not be easy. "I told you before that I won't lie to you, Anakin. The council is worried that your former master may have been a Dark Jedi, or even a Sith Lord." Anakin blanched visibly. Ah, so the boy knew that some of what he'd been taught wasn't of the Light Side. That either made him the spy Obi-wan thought he was, or a reformed darksider. Either way, that didn't bode well for the boy's future at the Temple.

 

"I see."

 

Qui-gon raised a hand to his beard, stroking it thoughtfully. "Did the Sith Lord from the planet teach you?"

 

There was an unmistakable flash of pure hate before it was either squashed back behind the shields, or released into the Force.

 

"Never!" Anakin insisted. Again, Qui-gon felt nothing but pure truth from the boy. So the Sith hadn't taught him, but with that reaction, there was no way that Anakin didn't at least know of him. Did that mean he had been trained as part of the Sith Order? Qui-gon shook his head at the thought. Couldn't be. Every Jedi knew that only two Sith existed; a master and an apprentice. But if Anakin knew, then how was he involved?

 

A rather unpleasant thought occurred to the Jedi. Perhaps he was supposed to be the apprentice Sith's replacement? That would definitely make sense. It would also explain why Anakin had wanted to come to the Temple where he wouldn't have to compete for a title. And if he hadn't learned under the Sith on Tatooine, that would make the black and red Zabrak the apprentice. Qui-gon felt his stomach turn to ice at the prospect. The Sith he'd met had been no pushover. His master would be that much more powerful.

 

"Anakin," he said slowly, thinking how to best phrase the question he wanted to ask. "Did the same master teach both you and him?"

 

Qui-gon had seen many facets of this child, but the complete and utter helpless expression was a new one. It was all the confirmation that the Jedi needed, but he remained silent none the less. Anakin's answer would determine his future. If he answered negatively, then Obi-wan would be right, and he was most likely a spy. If he answered positively, though, then it would lend more credence to the 'reformed darksider' theory.

 

Finally, he deflated, not looking Qui-gon in the eye. He seemed resigned to a fate worse than death. Unfortunately, he probably wasn't that far off.

 

Qui-gon's worst fears were realized when Anakin looked back up at him dully and he answered with one word:

 

"Yes."

 

xXx

 

"And you know all this because of a dream?" Qui-gon asked. Anakin heard the unspoken accusation, and had to shove aside the anger that rose inside him again.

 

"Why else would I know?" Immediately after the words left his mouth, he kicked himself mentally. Even as calmly as he'd said them, those words had been defensive, and the Jedi would notice.

 

Qui-gon met Anakin's eyes. "I told you before that I won't lie to you, Anakin. The council is worried that your former master may have been a Dark Jedi, or even a Sith Lord."

 

He knows! Anakin felt his face drain of color. Oh Force, they all know! He should have known that even he couldn't pull this off! And if they knew, then Palpatine wouldn't be that far behind. He'd be on the run for the rest of his life! What about his mother? Or Padme? Undoubtedly he'd put them all in danger too. Again.

 

"I see," was all he could manage. His voice refused to say anything else.

 

Qui-gon raised a hand to his beard, stroking it thoughtfully as he scrutinized Anakin. They sat in silence for far too many seconds.

 

"Did the Sith Lord from the planet teach you?"

 

It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when he did, he nearly exploded. Maul? Of all people? Teaching him? The notion went beyond ludicrous! The very idea of learning anything from that disgusting piece of—

 

He smashed the hate down, releasing what he could to the Force and shoving the rest behind his shields. Undoubtedly Qui-gon had felt that, but Anakin could only barely bring himself to care.

 

"Never!" he seethed. Again they sat in silence, and Anakin forced himself to calm down. Yes the very thought of ever being trained under Maul nauseated him to say the least, but it had been a legitimate question. Anakin couldn't help it though. He hated Maul.

 

Almost as much as he hated himself.

 

The pure rage melted into a sort of sad resignation. He almost snorted at that. Normally it went the other way around.

 

"Anakin," Qui-gon's tone brought him back to the conversation. He'd figured something out. But what? What could he possibly—"Did the same master teach both you and him?"

 

He stared openly this time. How? This man had taken what few hints Anakin had, and then completely stripped his mind bare, leaving him completely naked and exposed. The numb shock on his face would give him away. He knew it. Qui-gon knew it.

 

Strangely enough, he felt relieved that his darkest secret had come to light.

 

He couldn't meet the Jedi's eyes. Shame and disgrace saw to that.

 

There was no point in hiding it anymore.

 

"Yes," he heard himself say and braced himself for the response. Funny, despite the effect this revelation would have on his plans for the future, he felt a strange sort of relief soothing over his soul. He hadn't felt this…light in years. Like a weight he'd been carrying for years had been destroyed.

 

Qui-gon gave a sigh out loud. Anakin felt a touch of disappointment in the sad recognition that poured off of the man. "Oh Anakin," he said softly. Strangely enough, his voice held no accusation or judgment. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

 

He tried to imagine telling the Council that the Sith order existed, and that he'd been trained as one. Even now he could see their plain dismissal. He'd be off for the Agricorps on the next outbound flight. He shook his head. "You would not have believed me." He had a point, and Qui-gon knew it.

 

Again silence stretched between them for several seconds before Qui-gon broke it. "Thank you for being honest with me, but you have to realize that this puts all of us in a very difficult position." The former Sith almost snorted. Qui-gon said it as if Anakin didn't know that already.

 

"I know," he said simply. What else could he say?

 

"What about the Jedi that you said taught you?"

 

What was he supposed to say to that? Well, he needed to try and do some damage control.

 

He hated damage control.

 

"That was true…mostly. I did have a Jedi master."

 

"His name?"

 

Anakin shook his head. The last thing he needed was to be put into a mental facility, drugged out of his mind to keep him from accessing the Force because of his delusions.

 

"You need to tell us, Anakin."

 

"I can't," he replied.

 

"Why not?" Again, his tone wasn't harsh, or demanding, but it had a grave tone to it that Anakin hadn't heard before.

 

"I just can't."

 

"Are you on orders not to say anything?"

 

Anakin blinked and looked back up at the man. "No. I'm not a spy."

 

"I want to believe that Anakin," Qui-gon replied. He meant it too. "It would be far easier to sort this out if you would trust me enough to tell me."

 

That's what it boiled down to: trust. And at this point, Anakin could not bring himself to do it. He couldn't put his faith in anyone else, except maybe Padme. But if he told her, that would put her in danger, and he couldn't do that either. So he remained stuck between an asteroid and a comet.

 

"I can't," he said again and got up. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over. He'd already condemned himself, and Qui-gon would just have to live with what he'd figured out up to this point.

 

Strangely enough, the Jedi didn't protest again. "Then can you promise me that you mean no harm to the Jedi or innocent civilians."

 

He didn't hesitate in his response. "Yes. I promise."

 

Qui-gon nodded. "Then I will trust you, and I will be here when you can talk."

 

The sentiment meant more than Anakin would care to admit. Even if he couldn't accept it, an open invitation felt…good. "Don't die."

 

Qui-gon regarded him for several seconds. "Thank you for the warning, Anakin. I won't."

 

With that, Anakin left, too lost in his own thoughts to notice Obi-wan's presence at the end of the hall.

 

xXx

 

Qui-gon watched the empty doorway for several seconds contemplating his decision. By all rights, the boy had just admitted to being a part of an order that encouraged pain and suffering. Mace would have him locked away in the deepest parts of the Temple until they got answers. Even if they got their answers, Qui-gon doubted the Council would let him go. Wasn't that why they were entertaining the thought of keeping him to begin with? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. He had training, so it would be better to have him there in the Temple instead of out causing Force knew what kind of damage.

 

"Master?" Obi-wan's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Qui-gon blinked up at his padawan, unable to hide surprise. He hadn't expected Obi-wan to approach him this early. Normally it took quite a while for his padawan to cool down and think everything through. He focused on the bond between them and realized just how worried the other would have to be before he came and checked up on his master.

 

Qui-gon couldn't help but smile inside. "What is it, Obi-wan?"

 

"Are you alright?" Obi-wan put his hands together and walked forward, visibly agitated, although he tried to hide it.

 

"Of course, Padawan. Why would you think otherwise?"

 

"I felt distress from the bond. What happened?"

 

This time Qui-gon allowed the smile to show. "Ever the perceptive one, Padawan. Anakin just told me something rather disturbing."

 

Obi-wan glanced back over his shoulder for just a moment as if to confirm that Anakin wasn't there before he turned and took another few steps forward. "What did he tell you Master?"

 

"He told me some things about his past, and he also told me about a dream he had."

 

The Jedi apprentice blinked. "Dream?"

 

Qui-gon nodded. "Apparently he has prophetic dreams."

 

"Prophetic?" This time he turned fully around and faced the door. "What happened in the dream?"

 

This would not be easy, but Qui-gon felt that Obi-wan had a right to know. He smiled grimly. "He said that I died on Naboo; killed by the Sith from Tatooine."

 

Obi-wan's head shot around so fast that Qui-gon wondered if he'd given himself whiplash. "What? Master—"

 

The older Jedi held up his hand. "I do not fear death, Obi-wan. Neither should you. However, I believe he warned me because he didn't want me to come to harm. He told me that I died because I became separated from you and tried to take the Sith on alone." This time his smile turned reassuring. "I won't do that now, Padawan. And now that we know of the probability of facing the Sith again, we can prepare."

 

"Prepare?" The younger man eyed him suspiciously. "You want to turn this into a meditation session somehow."

 

Qui-gon smiled again, grateful that Obi-wan had broken the tension. "Again you show your perceptive nature."

 

Instead of arguing or refusing as he would have not a year ago, he instead sighed in resignation and sat down in a meditative pose. "Very well, Master."

 

Qui-gon reseated himself and put his hands on his knees. He had a lot of apprehension to release to the Force. He also had a lot of worry. Worry over whether he would live to see Obi-wan knighted, worry over whether he could fight a Sith Lord and still keep the Queen safe, worry about Obi-wan and his reaction to everything, and worry over whether he'd made the right decision to trust Anakin.

 

He spared one more glance toward the door before clearing his mind and reaching for the Force. He'd made his decision to trust the boy, and he wouldn't go back on it now. Dark side or not, he still believed that he was the Chosen One, therefore he had to believe Anakin would make the right choice.

 

"Master," Qui-gon opened his eye to see Obi-wan looking away. "I'm sorry for my behavior. It isn't my place to disagree with you about the boy."

 

Qui-gon waited, feeling that his apprentice had more to say. "I see now that I may have misjudged him." Qui-gon felt a ping of irony at that statement. Just when Qui-gon had been able to deduce Anakin's darker past was when Obi-wan decided that he'd miscalculated. Why the sudden change? What had happened between the two? "And I am grateful you feel I'm ready for the trials."

 

"You've been a good apprentice, Obi-wan. Don't sell your feelings short. You are a much wiser man than I am. I foresee that you will become a great Jedi Knight."

 

Obi-wan looked up again, meeting the other's eyes with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Master."

 

With their bond restored, they fell into meditation, releasing their emotion into the Force and preparing for the oncoming storm.

Edited by Guest

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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Chapter 9

 

They landed on Naboo without difficulty. Anakin had forgotten just how incompetent droids could be. If they had tried to land on a Separatist Planet during the Clone Wars in the Nubian cruiser without bothering to try any evasive maneuvers, there wouldn't be enough of them left to burn in the atmosphere. However, the response to shoot first and ask questions later had to be programmed in. Apparently, the Trade Federation hadn't done so yet. The droids didn't learn like humans, and so their lack of action made them incompetent in his mind.

 

Stormtroopers and clones were so much better to work with. And that said quite a lot. There was also no satisfaction in destroying a droid.

 

Anakin avoided the rest of that particular line of thinking.

 

After his confession to Qui-gon, he found himself waiting for the Jedi to inform him that he would be placed under some sort of arrest or watch, but the order never came. Anakin began to get jumpy whenever he felt the presences of the other two Jedi at all. The longer nothing happened, the more nervous he got.

 

As they traipsed through the jungle towards the sacred area the Gungans had retreated to, Anakin began to entertain the idea of trusting Qui-gon with more information. The idea of having someone else in this time that he could confide in had a lot more appeal to it than he would care to admit. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that he would wait and see how the upcoming battle worked out. Until then, it would be better to focus on the tasks at hand.

 

Like keeping Padme safe.

 

It took them only a few hours from the time they left the ship to get the Gungans to help them. As Padme stepped forward and knelt before the Gungan leader, Anakin could only watch in amazement. How was it that the love of his life could beg for her people's lives and still look like a regal Goddess. Instead of his opinion of her falling at such undignified actions, it soared to new heights. She had the strength of character to do what she needed to do despite her pride, and she knew when her own dignity came second.

 

He didn't know if he could do that. It was something Anakin had never managed to learn. Truthfully, he realized it would probably be something he would never get the hang of. After all that had happened, his pride was about the only thing he had left...and he didn't have much of it. At least she had a good support group, a loving family, adoring people to back her up. She could afford to be weak to be strong.

 

Anakin laughed grimly. Fabulous. Now he'd begun to stop making sense even to himself.

 

It took them a little over a day to set up a base camp and gather the leaders of the tiny rebellion groups that had sprung up all over the planet in protest. Anakin scoffed when the speeders came back loaded with people. None of them could be that good of a rebellion if they'd been located that easily. He only accepted them because they needed the manpower rather desperately.

 

They also got an unexpected surprise call just after the first groups had shown up. A Jedi named Traavis had landed on the planet not a week before, and volunteered to help the Nubian pilots cripple the droid ship. He had his own fighter as well as a few followers with their own ships. After a short conversation, Padme, Qui-gon, Panaka and Traavis agreed that the young knight would meet the others when the attack started. Anakin couldn't believe their stroke of luck. Had Traavis been on Naboo in the original timeline too? If so, why hadn't they been able to contact him the first time? Or was this just another difference? What could have brought about such a change? Anakin had no idea, but he wasn't about to look a gift-nerf in the mouth. Instead he found himself grateful that someone else with Force senses would be up there helping to take out the droid control ship, thus leaving him free to focus on saving Padme.

 

He slept surprisingly well that night.

 

They infiltrated the capital not an hour after dawn. Panaka lead their group of rebellion members in as a second group entered through a more main area as a distraction. After the signal, they attacked, causing the droids focus on them while Panaka, Padme and the Jedi lead their group of pilots to the battle hangar.

 

It was a good plan; simple but effective. They got to the hangar with little resistance.

 

Of course, as soon as they opened the doors, it became a light show of laser bolts zooming through the air, only to be stopped by blue and green lightsabers. Across from them, droids fell, parts scattered and what few people were there quickly vacated.

 

”œAnakin, find cover!”

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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Chapter 9

 

They landed on Naboo without difficulty. Anakin had forgotten just how incompetent droids could be. If they had tried to land on a Separatist Planet during the Clone Wars in the Nubian cruiser without bothering to try any evasive maneuvers, there wouldn't be enough of them left to burn in the atmosphere. However, the response to shoot first and ask questions later had to be programmed in. Apparently, the Trade Federation hadn't done so yet. The droids didn't learn like humans, and so their lack of action made them incompetent in his mind.

 

Stormtroopers and clones were so much better to work with. And that said quite a lot. There was also no satisfaction in destroying a droid.

 

Anakin avoided the rest of that particular line of thinking.

 

After his confession to Qui-gon, he found himself waiting for the Jedi to inform him that he would be placed under some sort of arrest or watch, but the order never came. Anakin began to get jumpy whenever he felt the presences of the other two Jedi at all. The longer nothing happened, the more nervous he got.

 

As they traipsed through the jungle towards the sacred area the Gungans had retreated to, Anakin began to entertain the idea of trusting Qui-gon with more information. The idea of having someone else in this time that he could confide in had a lot more appeal to it than he would care to admit. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that he would wait and see how the upcoming battle worked out. Until then, it would be better to focus on the tasks at hand.

 

Like keeping Padme safe.

 

It took them only a few hours from the time they left the ship to get the Gungans to help them. As Padme stepped forward and knelt before the Gungan leader, Anakin could only watch in amazement. How was it that the love of his life could beg for her people's lives and still look like a regal Goddess. Instead of his opinion of her falling at such undignified actions, it soared to new heights. She had the strength of character to do what she needed to do despite her pride, and she knew when her own dignity came second.

 

He didn't know if he could do that. It was something Anakin had never managed to learn. Truthfully, he realized it would probably be something he would never get the hang of. After all that had happened, his pride was about the only thing he had left...and he didn't have much of it. At least she had a good support group, a loving family, adoring people to back her up. She could afford to be weak to be strong.

 

Anakin laughed grimly. Fabulous. Now he'd begun to stop making sense even to himself.

 

It took them a little over a day to set up a base camp and gather the leaders of the tiny rebellion groups that had sprung up all over the planet in protest. Anakin scoffed when the speeders came back loaded with people. None of them could be that good of a rebellion if they'd been located that easily. He only accepted them because they needed the manpower rather desperately.

 

They also got an unexpected surprise call just after the first groups had shown up. A Jedi named Traavis had landed on the planet not a week before, and volunteered to help the Nubian pilots cripple the droid ship. He had his own fighter as well as a few followers with their own ships. After a short conversation, Padme, Qui-gon, Panaka and Traavis agreed that the young knight would meet the others when the attack started. Anakin couldn't believe their stroke of luck. Had Traavis been on Naboo in the original timeline too? If so, why hadn't they been able to contact him the first time? Or was this just another difference? What could have brought about such a change? Anakin had no idea, but he wasn't about to look a gift-nerf in the mouth. Instead he found himself grateful that someone else with Force senses would be up there helping to take out the droid control ship, thus leaving him free to focus on saving Padme.

 

He slept surprisingly well that night.

 

They infiltrated the capital not an hour after dawn. Panaka lead their group of rebellion members in as a second group entered through a more main area as a distraction. After the signal, they attacked, causing the droids focus on them while Panaka, Padme and the Jedi lead their group of pilots to the battle hangar.

 

It was a good plan; simple but effective. They got to the hangar with little resistance.

 

Of course, as soon as they opened the doors, it became a light show of laser bolts zooming through the air, only to be stopped by blue and green lightsabers. Across from them, droids fell, parts scattered and what few people were there quickly vacated.

 

"Anakin, find cover!" Qui-gon insisted. Anakin shot a glare up at the older man. His first instinct was to tell the Jedi 'no'. He gave orders, he didn't take them. "Quickly!" Qui-gon insisted. Annoyed at having to listen but seeing the sense in the command, he gave in and found a ship to hide in as he had in the previous time line.

 

"Get to your ships!" Padme yelled somewhere behind him. Once situated in the cockpit, he watched as droids and humans shot each other down and glowered. It had always seemed wrong to him that droids fought living, breathing creatures. Yes, both sides had their advantages, but the side with the droids didn't lose people. They didn't lose life. It took a lot of control to ignore the anger that burst forth every time someone fell to the ground, their life-force either fading or snuffed out.

 

It brought back memories. Instead of the Naboo hangar, he would be on a random planet, fighting to keep his troops alive. Then it would change to another random memory. Then another. Time after time, he saw different battles in his head. It skipped from the Clone Wars to different planetary disputes he'd been a part of as a Jedi, to Rebel and Imperial dog fights. The images came back in surprising clarity that had him cringing mentally.

 

Unwilling to just sit there and be of no use to anyone, he began to reach out with the Force as subtly as he could, using the power to throw off a droid's aim, or to ruin a droid's blaster. With Maul and one unknown Jedi around, he didn't dare use it more than that. To do so would give away too much.

 

Then, with a whoosh, the ships began to fly out of the hangar bay in yellow streaks.

 

"May the Force be with you," he muttered as the last of the vehicles finally left. He'd helped save the planet last time. He hoped he wouldn't be needed to save the Gungan army (and consequently the planet) this time.

 

Finally the fighting inside the hangar ended as the last droid collapsed to the ground. Not two minutes later, the second group came rushing through the door to rendezvous. The two teams rallied and began a quick discussion to decide where to go next.

 

"My guess is the Viceroy is in the throne room," he heard Padme say.

 

Panaka nodded. "Red group! Blue group! Everybody, this way!" With that, they all moved towards the door; Qui-gon and Obi-wan following behind. Anakin watched warily. Maul's presence kept approaching their position, and it made Anakin nervous. Neither of the two Jedi seemed to notice, though.

 

Finally, Anakin stood up, trying not to sound incredulous and exasperated. "Master Qui-gon, Obi-wan," he finally said. The two looked up at him as the group walked past his fighter.

 

"Anakin," Qui-gon started, but the boy cut him off.

 

"He's behind the door!" Could they honestly not feel him?

 

Everyone else stopped and looked between Anakin, the Jedi and the door while Obi-wan and Qui-gon exchanged glances. Then, as one they dropped their cloaks. Qui-gon nodded at Anakin before turning to the Queen. "Is there a back way?"

 

"Yes," she replied, looking rather confused. "But it's longer."

 

"Take it. Obi-wan and I have some business to attend to."

 

She didn't look happy about it, but she accepted his advice with a nod and led her group over to a side exit. They hadn't gotten more than a few steps when the main double doors began to separate.

 

"Anakin," Qui-gon glanced back up at the cock pit, "stay there."

 

Anakin didn't reply. Qui-gon and Obi-wan apparently took that as an affirmation, and turned to face the dark figure standing in the entrance as they ignited their lightsabers. Maul, somewhat surprised that the Jedi seemed to know of his presence, also dropped his cloak then wasted several second of theatrics switching on his own double blades. The fool.

 

Padme's group hurried away from the three Force users as the two Jedi launched themselves at their opponent.

 

Of course, that's when the shielded droidikas had to show up, shooting at Padme's group as they hurried out of the hangar. Unlike last time, though, Anakin knew exactly what he was doing when he turned the mounted guns of the ship on the group of droids, wiping them out easily so the others could keep going.

 

It took much longer than Anakin thought it would for Maul to lead the Jedi out of the hangar bay. This time he got stuck watching them fervently fight the Sith. He noted that Obi-wan wasn't using Soresu. When had he changed to Form III? Anakin made a mental note to ask the Jedi later as he watched them take the fight out of the docking area and into the bowels of the palace.

 

The moment Qui-gon and Obi-wan disappeared from view, Anakin hopped over the side of the ship and ran after Padme's group as he brought Yoda's lightsaber to hand. Artoo's whistle stopped him.

 

"I am going to save Padme. Follow me if you wish." Ignoring anything else the droid said, Anakin turned and sprinted through the door, feeling for Padme's signature and anything else that might be dangerous.

 

He would not lose her again.

 

xXx

 

Traavis knew something bigger was going on down below. He sensed it strongly. Yes, the Queen would try to trap the Viceroy and that was the main plot, but this felt different...even bigger than that somehow, and far more sinister. He could sense a battle between light and dark below, undoubtedly Qui-gon, his padawan and the Sith. They'd mentioned something about the darksider they'd encountered before being on the planet. Of course. What were the odds indeed.

 

Focus, he told himself. He wasn't a padawan that could afford be distracted by vague happenings in the Force. He was a knight, and he would do what he had to do to take out the droid ship and save the natives fighting for their lives and land below.

 

Strangely enough, Qui-gon had also mentioned something else to him, something about the deflector shield probably being erected around the main transmitter, not the main reactor deep inside the ship. It was risky, but possible to get inside the ship and destroy the whole thing if he could time it right.

 

How they knew that, he had no idea. He wasn't a risk taker, and didn't like dangerous plans. He was, however, a Jedi, and he would do what he had to do to save these people. If that meant flying on a suicide run, then so be it.

 

The dogfight had already started with a vengeance by the time he and his pilots reached the ship. They immediately shot for the control station, lending aid when they could.

 

The minutes crawled by as Traavis watched for an opening, all while trying to stay alive amidst the storm of laser fire. A twinge in the Force finally nudged him towards just the right spot, and when the opening came, he took it.

 

Sucking in a deep breath, he dived past the ship's defenses and ran almost directly through a hangar door that had let out a squad of small, droid-controlled ships just before the bay shield came back up.

 

As he did his best to dodge the pillars of support, large machinery and other immovable obstacles, he came to the conclusion that Qui-gon, or whoever had come up with this idea, was completely insane.

 

He found himself more surprised than ever when it actually worked.

 

xXx

 

It wasn't difficult for Anakin to follow the Red Group that scaled the outside of the building. A few well-placed Force jumps and he landed on the ledge they'd broken in from just in time to watch them get captured by the droids. He watched as they laid down their weapons hesitantly and put their hands up, eying the droids nervously. This, Anakin realized, would be the best time to take Padme out. Glancing around and reaching out with the Force, he stood back against the wall near the shattered glass and watched as the group was lead down the hallway.

 

They came across only two pairs of droid guards, both of which Anakin took out easily once the main group had passed. All it took were a few well placed Force pushes. The group ahead didn't even notice. Not that they would. Droids. They were fun to work on, convenient most of the time, but otherwise tended to be rather unreliable. Yet another reason why he preferred working with clones and other intelligent species.

 

Except for Artoo. Anakin looked around, finding it strange that the robot had not chosen to follow. Or if he had, he was just too far behind. Strange for the little droid. At least from what Anakin could recall.

 

Even as he ran along with blasters stuffed uncomfortably down his pants and shirt, he kept looking for the danger that would supposedly claim Padme's life.

 

Nothing happened. They'd almost reached the throne room by the time Anakin finally lost all of his patience. He had to be near her if he was to protect her, so he did the most logical thing he could think of.

 

"Padme! No!" He ran at the droids, only to be knocked aside easily, landing at Padme's feet.

 

"Anakin?" she asked worriedly, bending down to check him over. "What are you doing here? Are you hurt?"

 

"I'm sorry," he said as he threw himself at her, clinging onto her shirt. "I know I was supposed to stay in the ship, but you were in trouble!" Her eyes widened as she felt a blaster slip into her hands. Surprised, she looked down at Anakin for a few moments before allowing a smile to show on her face. She hid the blaster in her sleeve, and then her face had gone back to a mask of weariness.

 

"Your Highness," Panaka started, but a droid cut him off.

 

"Get moving!" it said, stepping forward with its blaster and raising it threateningly.

 

"Captain," she said, nodding to him. "Take him."

 

That was the last thing Anakin wanted, but apparently she knew he had more weapons to disperse. Looking perturbed and rather worried himself, the captain walked over to them, and drew Anakin to his side as the group shuffled into the last hallway leading to the Throne Room.

 

To his credit, he only stumbled once when Anakin slipped the blaster to him as well. It only took a few subtle Force manipulations to cause slight noises and distract the robots' attention as the rest of the blasters were passed around. Really, Anakin almost found it too easy.

 

The Viceroy and his advisor met them in the large chamber, looking all too smug. Anakin couldn't remember which was which. It hadn't mattered when he'd killed them...

 

"Your little insurrection is at an end, Your Highness," one of them said, addressing Padme. Anakin's fists clenched, previous regret at the thought of striking them down forgotten. How dare they speak to her like that? "Time for you to sign the treaty and end this pointless debate in the Senate."

 

"Viceroy!" A new voice sounded from outside of the Throne Room. Rabe stood outlined in the doorway, clad in the Queen's battle dress and backed by at least 30 men and women. "Your occupation here is at an end!" She held out a blaster and shot down two droids before their masters had the opportunity to order them into action.

 

Anakin couldn't help the smug smile that appeared on his face as the Federation Representatives' shock and anger poured off of them in waves.

 

"After her!" the one that had addressed Padme before yelled. Droids quickly filed past them and into the hallway. Seeing this, the group outside made a hasty retreat. Still angry, the Viceroy glared over at Padme. "This one's a decoy!"

 

Anakin couldn't help rolling his eyes. Honestly, decoy or not, you didn't send most of your force out to capture something and leave barely a skeleton crew to guard the leaders. The depths of their stupidity suddenly became apparent to the former slave. No wonder Palpatine and Dooku could lead them around so easily.

 

As soon as a good amount of the droids had left the room, Padme nodded over to Panaka, and tossed her blaster to one of the other men before sitting down in the Queen's chair and pressing a button. One of the arms opened to reveal a small supply of blasters, which she quickly began tossing to the other unarmed members of the group. Keeping one for herself, they made quick work of the remaining droids.

 

"Jam the door!" Panaka commanded two of the men, both of whom nodded and rushed to the doorway.

 

Something's wrong, Anakin thought. He'd heard these events told by Padme herself, and each time she portrayed the Federation representatives, she would describe them as on the verge of panic; frightened cowards. The two beings that stood surrounded by the rebel group seemed as calm and arrogant as ever.

 

"Now, Viceroy," Padme said, "We will discuss a new treaty."

 

The two trapped beings exchanged a glance before the one who had done most of the speaking again opened his mouth in that strange way.

 

"I do not believe so, Your Highness. Did you honestly think that we would not be prepared for your plan?"

 

He couldn't pin point it! Why couldn't he? Anakin's eyes flew over the room as he whipped around and practically threw his senses out to try and find the problem.

 

It came to him far too late.

 

A warning shrieked at him through the Force just an instant before it happened. The entire side window nearest Padme blew in with a localized explosion. Everyone ducked away from the harmful blast, throwing their arms around their heads in protection. The only one who didn't shy away was the only person in the room able to feel the dark intent bent on the woman he loved.

 

The figure that swung through the window, a woman—bounty hunter of some sort judging from the dark body suit and small personal arsenal she wore—raised a hand with a blaster in it and shot at the Queen.

 

"NO!" Anakin screamed and rushed at Padme, pulling out Yoda's lightsaber, at first immensely grateful for the weapon. Then he realized he would not be able to intercept. He'd been standing at the wrong angle, behind and several feet away from Padme, next to Panaka. Frustration rose in an enormous wave. What had been the point of risking so much to acquire the weapon if he couldn't even use it?

 

It all happened in slow motion. Padme—who had deflected the transparisteel and other material flying in her direction by throwing her arms up—peeked out from behind her hands and looked over at the window sill, creating a clear shot. The Captain realized what was happening too and began to rush in Padme's direction only moments after Anakin had started. The other men scrambled back in confusion and the Viceroys slid off to the side, not bothering to hide their smug pleasure at the situation.

 

Anakin reached her first, practically flying as he hoped to knock her to the side and out of harm's way. He'd forgotten that as a 9-year-old, he did not have the mass necessary to do anything other than cause her to stumble.

 

The blast struck true, and Anakin could only watch in horror as Padme gasped in pain and fell back onto the floor. The light had already begun to fade from her eyes when she hit the ground...and Anakin could only stare in a numb shock.

 

In the distance, he vaguely heard the Viceroys protesting, stating that they needed her alive while the men all looked on in silence. Panaka reached her side and began to check for vital signs. He began to yell out to the others in the group, but Anakin couldn't' hear him. All he could do was stand there watching them cradle her prone body. He could only think one thing. The thought raced through his head over and over again, and he could do nothing to banish it.

 

He'd failed her. Again.

 

Suddenly, nothing else seemed to matter.

 

Then his world exploded.

 

xXx

 

Kar'tchok'ig had a reputation for being the best of the best. She could kill anyone, or so she claimed, and she took any job as long as it paid enough.

 

So when she got the anonymous request to hit the Queen of a mid-rim planet with an advance payment that exceeded her usual fees, she couldn't turn it down. It had been simple enough to set up a plan once she'd heard the young leader had landed on the planet. Obviously she'd returned to reclaim her world. To do that without a large number of troops and ships for backup they would need a signed treaty.

 

That meant they'd be coming for the Viceroy.

 

So she made the plan to become their "bodyguard", and they'd accepted after consulting their boss. She had a sneaking suspicion the person who hired her and their commander were one and the same, but she didn't speculate. In her business, speculating and connecting the dots usually got one killed.

 

It happened just as she'd predicted, and she even had to commend the party that came into the Throne Room, supposedly as prisoners. They had thought it out well, and the group coming second as a distraction appeared at just the right moment.

 

Only when they had taken the Viceroys and jammed the doors did she act, setting off the small explosives that would tear through the transparisteel and duracrete like a vibroblade through Mukslk cheese. After that, it was a simple matter of swinging in and taking the girl out. None of the others would be a problem once their leader was dead. That's what her employer had claimed in any case.

 

She hadn't counted on the boy reacting so quickly. To the assassin's surprise, the child seemed almost unaffected by the blast. He caught on far quicker than the adults and took it upon himself to rush in and save the Queen. He reached her just as Kar'tchok'ig fired. The blast would have killed before. Now it only hit the girl's shoulder, knocking her back. The assassin cursed and took aim again, but the angle wouldn't be right for a straight kill, so she paused.

 

The two Nimodians came forward, protesting. She paid the weaklings no heed. Instead her focus fell onto the captain and the boy. The boy had a cylindrical object in his hand and just stood there, staring down at the wounded Queen. The Captain, Panaka if she recalled correctly, reached his leader's side and began administering first aid.

 

The others had only frozen or panicked when the situation had gone bad, so the only two people she needed to worry about were the two now closest to the Queen.

 

The child, it seemed, had gone into shock, but something about him seemed off to the assassin. Something seemed...wrong.

 

Even though he had not made a single move, all of her instincts told her to run (from a child, her mind scoffed), but she brushed the feelings off. After all, she had to finish the job. Grunting in frustration, she stepped to the side, aimed her blaster and fired again. The noise of the blasts seemed to jolt the kid out of his stupor. When the green, glowing blade sprang to life, Kar'tchok'ig began to realize just what kind of a mess she'd gotten herself into. The kid was a Jedi!

 

She took a step back as her bolt deflected off to the wall or ceiling. She didn't know which because her eyes remained on the boy.

 

She had come across her fair share of Jedi. Some of them could stop her assassination attempts to a point where she'd have to come back to the targets after they left. They rarely chased her, and would always attend to the wounded first. True protectors of the Galaxy.

 

At that moment, the boy seemed nothing like a protector. Slowly, he turned to face her, an expression of pure hate twisting his boyish features.

 

"How dare you..." he whispered, his voice harsh and low. She could have sworn his eyes had been a clear blue-gray color, but as he glared at her, she could see that they had turned to a harsh, almost glowing yellow.

 

Staring at those eyes, she felt a deeply rooted fear begin to rise in the pit of her stomach. She'd seen eyes like those. They would show her no mercy.

 

All he had done was turn to face her, but even that motion seemed ominous and threatening. For the first time in her life, she came to the conclusion that she would cut her losses and leave. She doubted she'd be back to finish this one too. But the moment she turned to move, she found she couldn't. That's when the fear turned into a sort of desperate terror. She couldn't move, and he kept coming towards her.

 

She looked to the side to see the same thing had happened to the Neimoidians. Just what was this kid? She'd heard Jedi could do amazing things, but this went beyond even that. Besides, she refused to believe that this kid was a Jedi. Jedi didn't do things like this.

 

He raised his hand and then closed it...and that suddenly, she couldn't breathe! Oh, and it hurt. Somehow, she didn't think anything was supposed to hurt this badly, but as he approached, with that green laser sword of his swinging down to the side, she realized that he did it. He'd done something to draw out the pain. She had no idea what, or if that were even possible, but her quickly fading, oxygen depleted mind could supply her with no other answer.

 

Gasping for breath, she forced her eyes open. Fear gripped her heart in a way she'd never felt before. In her opinion, death had no meaning. So beings died. So what? She'd never really feared death, so she'd never really feared to go the extra mile in her jobs.

 

Right then, she began to realize that some fates were far more cruel than death.

 

Just before she blacked out, it released her suddenly. Not out of mercy, she could tell. No, he was playing with them. Through her slowly returning vision, she could see him finger the lightsaber gingerly, as if wondering what he would cut off first.

 

Thankfully, he approached the Viceroy first. The weaklings backpedaled frantically, right into a corner. He raised the saber to stab them through, and they both fainted at the sight. Doing so may have saved their lives, because the kid got angry.

 

Keep distracting him, she thought, prayed really. If any being out there could hear her, she begged them to keep the boy's attention away from her as she forced her protesting body to move. If she made it to the window, she could escape. Whether she died or—by some insane stroke of luck—actually made it away from the planet didn't matter to her. All she desired was to get away from that...thing.

 

She'd gone no more than a few meters when the invisible force came back, grabbing her by the throat again. Gasping for breath, her body lifted into the air. Then the invisible force slammed her into a pillar, knocking what little breath she'd managed to recover out of her.

 

The boy had begun to approach her, hand outstretched.

 

Black spots began to dance around the edge of her vision.

 

Right about then, she realized she still held a blaster in her hand. With far too much effort, she raised the weapon and shot blindly in his direction. He deflected the bolts easily with the laser sword. His expression had changed. Before he'd been angry and in pain. He now looked positively murderous.

 

It was the strange gleam in his eye that really caught her attention, though. He was enjoying this; seeing her in pain. Not in a vindictive kind of way. No, it went much deeper...as if he drew his very strength from her horror and torment.

 

She was going to die, she realized. Not a fast, relatively painless death by blaster, but a slow, drawn out death. Torture at the hands of this...child—this monster!

 

And for that moment, she did not see a child. It may have been her fading consciousness, or perhaps her fear and utter knowledge that this being would end her life that very day, but in place of the pre-teen she'd seen before, she saw a tall, dark figure with a horrendous, black mask. A black cape bellowed behind him, and a harsh, red laser sword had replaced the previous green one.

 

Blinking, she looked again and saw the hateful child with the green blade, but the image from before still remained burned into her memory.

 

She hadn't thought it possible for her fear to grow any at that moment.

 

She was wrong.

 

"W-who a-are you?" she managed to hiss a whimper somehow.

 

The slight figure locked gazes with her and leaned close.

 

"Vader," he leaned in and said in a child's voice, but it still sounded too deep; darker than a boy's ever should. "Darth Vader."

Edited by Guest

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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Ah well, I'll finish posting this story here anyway. Maybe someone in the future will want to read it all.

 

xXx

 

"W-who a-are you?" she managed to whimper somehow.

 

The slight figure locked gazes with her.

 

"Vader," he leaned in and said in a child's voice, but it still sounded too deep; darker than a boy's ever should. "Darth Vader."

 

Chapter 10

 

Several light years away from Naboo, Senator Cos Palpatine stopped mid-sentence on live feed. This surprised many of those watching him, as he had a reputation for being the picture of a perfectly in-control man. The press had just gotten word of his Queen going back to their planet, and they wanted his opinion. As always, he'd been the confident senator, full of concern and worry for his home world...and then he stopped.

 

The group stood in silence for several seconds, and he still did not respond. Many news reporters exchanged glances, and one of them went so far as to speak out of turn. "Senator?" the reporter””a blue-skinned, female Twi-lek””said aloud. He didn't answer.

 

The small smile that appeared on his lips would not be visible to any regular onlooker. Indeed, only someone who knew him intimately would ever have had a chance at identifying the expression correctly.

 

"Senator!" the Twi-lek said again. This time, Palpatine heard them and seemed to jolt from a reverie.

 

For a moment, he didn't seem to know where he was, yet no fear or uncertainty entered his expression at all. "Forgive me. As you can see, this has affected me deeply, and I want the universe to know that neither I, nor the other Nubians will give up! As soon as the Jedi dispatched returns with the proof necessary, we will have our home back!" Nods of approval met his exclamation, and he continued on.

 

xXx

 

In the Jedi Temple meditation room, Yoda's eyes suddenly flew open. Next to him, Mace Windu sensed his fellow Jedi's distress.

 

"What is it?" he asked.

 

Yoda looked up at him sadly.

 

"A grave mistake I may have made."

 

xXx

 

Jedi Knight Traavis felt the switch from light to dark on the planet clench at his soul. Even as he flew out of the exploding ship, essentially saving the Gungans as the droid army shut down, he knew something had gone horribly wrong.

 

With little thought to the cheering pilots over the com, he turned his ship towards the planet. He knew he would arrive too late to be of any real help, but that did not mean he wasn't going to try. He had to. He had at least two comrades on the planet, and he could not count himself a true Jedi if he didn't.

 

xXx

 

In the lowest mechanical and ventilation rooms of the palace, three figures whirled, twirled and traded blows with their lightsabers as they leapt and dove across the different walk ways intersecting the particularly large chamber. They'd been going at a break-neck pace for several minutes, the two Jedi playing tag-team against the Sith.

 

Then, as if on command, all three froze at the same time, halting their duel and staring unfocused ahead of them as if to confirm something they'd only just become aware of.

 

Then, recognition caused the Jedi to go pale. To Maul's annoyed surprise, they exchanged glances. How dare they take their eyes off of their enemy? Did they underestimate him that much? The fools.

 

"Anakin," they said at once, and that quickly, the red and black Sith Lord was forgotten as they turned on their tail and ran. At first Maul found himself surprised. Then curious. Did they want to go and stop this new entity? This 'Anakin'? Then he felt the familiar, comforting rage. His prey had decided to try and run, for whatever reason. He would not allow that to happen.

 

"You will not escape me," the Zabark hissed and took off after the Jedi. He would kill the pair of weaklings. Then he would seek out this new darkness and make it his own. With that kind of power backing him, he could easily take over and become the next Sith Master.

 

An anticipatory grin split his face as the trio raced through the palace.

 

xXx

 

Vader looked up at the woman he had pinned to the stone pillar with the Force. She had on enhancing eyeware, probably the kind that allowed for several different spectrums of vision, so he could not see the fear in her eyes. He could feel it though, and he reveled in it. What he could see of her face had already begun to turn a lovely shade of purple and she continued to struggle in vain, using up what little precious oxygen her body already had inside of it. He allowed her esophagus just enough slack to let in the barest trickle of air. It would keep her alive after all. And he wanted her alive. For now. It would make her upcoming death that much sweeter.

 

She would pay for what she'd done.

 

The Dark Side flowed through him in familiar waves, and he marveled at it. This is what he'd been so afraid of? This power? Oh, he'd forgotten how good it felt to be strong. For the first time since he'd come to the past, he felt like he had complete control of the situation...and he liked it. No, he loved it.

 

And right now, he wanted it.

 

How could have ever fought this? Why had he avoided it when it held all the answers? It always had.

 

He could feel Obi-wan desperately yelling at him from the back of his mind. Some people never changed. The weak old fool. Well, in this universe, the weak young fool.

 

And right then, he realized just what he could do. With the Dark Side as his ally, and his knowledge of the future, he could easily destroy Palpatine and lead the Galaxy into an era of true peace. With him at the head of course.

 

The Jedi would protest, but he would deal with that when the time came. Sidious would prove to be the more dangerous threat at the moment.

 

The difference was, now he knew it.

 

Oh, and Sidious would pay.

 

But first, this woman would. He approached, shutting down the lightsaber and holding his hand out further and clenching his fists. The already panicking woman opened her mouth, futilely trying to draw in air as he finally closed off her supply completely.

 

Death by asphyxiation had always been one of Vader's favorites. The person would lose all sense of dignity as they lost control of their internal systems, causing whatever waste inside the body to be expelled. Anything left in the stomach would undoubtedly come up too if he could draw out the spasms.

 

It was the least she deserved for hurting Padme. The gaping hole where the woman he loved should have been in his life””in both lives””would never heal. So he used it. He turned that pain into anger, and hate, and rage. And he would enjoy every minute of it.

 

A cruel grin crossed his features as he stepped forward again.

 

xXx

 

Obi-wan had never been at such a loss before. He knew this feeling. He'd known it ever since he'd met Xanatos, Qui-gon's fallen former apprentice.

 

This tainted cold that whispered false promises of power and gain was the very essence of the Dark Side. And he felt it coming from Anakin!

 

Sometimes he hated being right.

 

So why had he and Qui-gon silently agreed to go racing through the palace with an enraged Sith Lord on their heels to try and help the boy? Why did he feel so strongly? He didn't know, and the other Jedi didn't seem to either.

 

"Obi-wan, we cannot lead the Sith to the Queen," Qui-gon said, his breath beginning to hitch.

 

"Master?" he looked over his shoulder for the barest second.

 

"Go to Anakin. I will distract the Sith."

 

Obi-wan suddenly went numb. "What? Master, no! If you and I get separated..."

 

Qui-gon looked him hard in the eye, even as the continued to run. "I am not afraid to die."

 

"I can't lose you!" Obi-wan insisted.

 

"You can," Qui-gon said. "Because you're stronger than I am, Obi-wan."

 

"Master, no! We'll take him together!"

 

Qui-gon shook his head. "And then what of Anakin? He is the Chosen One! What will happen if the Chosen One falls to the Dark Side? You must stop him, Obi-wan."

 

His mind urged him to accept his master's logic, but his heart wouldn't hear of it. A whisper told him that he could do little for Anakin at the moment anyway.

 

"I won't, Master! We'll face him together! We'll face both of them!"

 

Qui-gon smiled. "I'd wondered where you'd gone, Obi-wan." The padawan blinked at his master, unsure of just what the man meant. "Go, Obi-wan. I'm giving you an order," Qui-gon insisted again.

 

"I won't!" Obi-wan responded.

 

His master looked at him, and Obi-wan met the gaze with his own determined glare. Only two Jedi could glare at each other while running at break-neck speeds through a maze of hallways. Finally, the Jedi Master smiled, relenting. "Very well. Now!"

 

Somehow, he'd known. The Sith had to have known what they were going to do, because the moment they stopped, Obi-wan felt a twinge of warning in the Force. He moved, but far too late as a heavy vase smashed into his head, knocking him down.

 

"Obi-wan!" Qui-gon's voice sounded somewhere above him, but he heard it as if through water. Colorful spots popped into his vision at random, and he fought unconsciousness. Great, probably had a concussion. Well, if he knew that he was thinking at least somewhat lucidly. Gingerly, he reached to the Force and released the pain and worry into it gratefully. It helped. A lot. His vision began to clear, and that's when he noticed his master fighting the Sith...alone.

 

Eyes wide, he struggled to get up, willing his vision to clear completely, going so far as to douse the area in the healing that was the Force. It complied slowly. He'd never been all that adept at healing. Oh how he wished he'd paid closer attention to Bant's lectures now.

 

As he stood, the world swayed, and it was all he could do to stay on his feet.

 

"Obi-wan," Qui-gon said through his grunting as he kept the Sith at bay, "stay down!"

 

Obi-wan didn't listen. They both knew he needed healing, but the padawan couldn't leave the one person he cared about most to die at the hands of a vicious Sith. After a few seconds, his stomach stopped doing acrobatics and he straightened, drawing his lightsaber.

 

"Obi-wan, no!" his Master said. It only took that moment of distraction for the Sith to knock Qui-gon's blade aside, and stab him through the chest.

 

Obi-wan felt it through the bond. He felt the shock, and worry, and pain and...acceptance.

 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Obi-wan screamed, ignoring the pain in his head, and he launched himself at the Sith.

 

xXx

 

Vader wasn't quite sure when Obi-wan's yelling stopped being directed at him. He'd gotten used to tuning the Jedi Master out, so the silence didn't really faze him.

 

The anger did.

 

So much so, that he lost concentration out of sheer surprise and the woman fell to the ground gasping and coughing. Anakin paid her no heed, now focusing on that little part of his soul that would always be connected to his old master.

 

It was true. He could feel Obi-wan's anger. Obi-wan never got angry. He got upset, stern, annoyed all too often, and sad. That was all before he released those emotions to the Force. But even then, he never got angry.

 

And he never hurt the way Vader could feel he did. The sense of loss and attachment... It shocked him down to his very core.

 

At first, he didn't know what to make of the situation. He'd never even dreamed of dealing with such a thing because it was so implausible. 'Obi-wan' and 'anger' didn't belong in the same sentence unless 'was' and 'not' or other terms with similar meanings came in between them.

 

Then a smile grew on his face. Obi-wan was angry.

 

Jedi never got angry because anger lead to hate, and hate lead to the Dark Side. He could get Obi-wan on his side. It wasn't that he needed the older Jedi with him, but taking Palpatine down would be so much easier if he had an accomplice with the same goals...

 

This younger, more malleable Obi-wan made an ideal candidate. But first, Maul had to be out of the picture.

 

Despite the rage bordering on hate, the Jedi had yet to truly draw on the Dark Side, only allowing it to trickle in instead of embracing it. He also seemed injured somehow. At his current level of technique and power, there was no way he could defeat the Sith without fully drawing on the Dark Side anyway.

 

Use it, he urged through the Force, only just then noticing the growing mass of anticipation growing in his stomach. Use the power...

 

xXx

 

Use it. Obi-wan almost allowed himself to become distracted by the impression that settled in the back of his mind. Almost. He could only allow a small portion of his brain to analyze the thought.

 

Vaguely he wondered just what he was supposed to use, but his focus on the fight at hand didn't allow for much thought. All he knew was that he needed to avenge his master's defeat. He wanted to. Desperately. Use the power...

 

He didn't care whether he was using power or skill or speed. He just wanted to end it. He wanted to end this thing's existence!

 

Even with his head pounding and throbbing, he matched the horned being stroke for stroke, only stopping when they broke away from the blows for quick assessments before launching attacks at each other again. Every time they took a step back from each other, Obi-wan could see an anticipatory gleam in the other's yellow eyes. It only served to make the Jedi angrier. His master's presence continued to fade and the Sith was enjoying this. Along with the anger, this realization brought disgust. How could any being think like that?

 

Obi-wan decided then and there that he would do anything to cut off this creature's life. Anything.

 

Good... He didn't hear the word so much as glimpse a general approval, and it confused him. The thoughts felt distinctly alien to his mind, like they came from a completely alternate source. But where?

 

That thought cost him. Taking his mind off of the battle at hand, for even a moment, was not something he could afford to do. The Sith sprang forward, and levered Obi-wan's lightsaber out of his hand, sending it clattering behind him to lie next to the dying Jedi. Shock and panic stopped the padawan from doing more than widening his eyes before the Sith used a Force push to shoot him in the opposite direction of his master and weapon. He landed hard on his backside and slid into the base of a pillar. He let out a cry of pain as the pressure that had shoved him into the support column did not lessen.

 

Obi-wan gasped, willing his winded lungs to do work. The Sith continued to advance slowly, obviously gloating at his victory.

 

For just a moment, Obi-wan looked up and was filled with an anger and rage that he'd never felt before, and he reached for it. He needed something more to defeat the Sith, and he felt a hidden power there.

 

Then he stopped. Where had this sudden extra power gotten him? Pinned to a wall and barely able to breathe. Power didn't help, it corrupted. If he wanted to live through this, he'd have to calm down.

 

He had to think.

 

The Sith had not been able to cut Obi-wan off from the Force, so there had to be something...

 

An idea came to him as he looked down the hall at Qui-gon's prone form, and the two long, cylindrical objects lying in fairly close proximity...

 

If he brought either one of the ligthsabers to him with the Force, not only would it arrive too late, but undoubtedly the Sith would block it somehow. No, he needed a distraction.

 

Sending a glare up at the advancing figure, he reached out with the Force and grabbed at some decorative vases, drawing them towards the dark figure.

 

The Sith sliced through them easily, only barely losing a step and then shooting a look at Obi-wan that said 'is that the best you can do?'

 

Obi-wan's answering smile accompanied by a snap-hiss had Maul spinning around. The Jedi had activated his lightsaber with the Force and then brought it speeding towards the Sith. The darksider brought up his own lightsaber just in time to deflect the weapon, then reached out with a hand and grabbed the hilt, deactivating the blade easily.

 

He was just about to turn to the Jedi, probably toying with the idea of killing Obi-wan with his own blade, when he was forcibly stopped by something foreign in his chest. It took him a moment to blink and look down. A good foot of a green lightsaber stuck out from his body.

 

Behind him, Obi-wan gave the blade a good tug, drawing it out of his opponent and allowing the Sith to fall to the ground. It hadn't been easy, moving more than three different objects from different directions at the same time, but it had been worth it. When Maul had turned to face the lightsaber coming at him, he'd let the pressure holding Obi-wan down, and the Jedi had caught the second, deactivated and unnoticed lightsaber. He hadn't hesitated in shoving it through the darksider.

 

As Obi-wan stared at the dying Sith before him, he shut off his blade. Funny, now that he'd accomplished his goal, he felt no satisfaction. Only a deeply rooted sadness.

 

It only took a moment for him to rush to his Master's side.

 

"Master..." he gasped.

 

"It...it's too late," the older Jedi managed to mutter.

 

"No!" Obi-wan protested, shaking his head.

 

"Help him...Obi-wan. Anakin...help him..."

 

The fraying bond snapped, breaking with a firmness that left no room for argument. Obi-wan's master had died.

 

For the first time in over a decade, the padawan did something he he had thought he would never do again.

 

He cried.

 

xXx

 

Padme didn't know quite where she'd ended up. All she knew was that it didn't matter. Somehow, she recognized that she'd fallen unconscious. The sharp pain in her shoulder probably had something to do with it.

 

"Padme..." A voice called out to her. She turned to look over her shoulder, but her eyes found no one. Not that she could really see anything, but that was the closest she could find to the general concept of her searching out another entity.

 

"Hello?" she called. Her voice didn't echo at all, but still seemed to stretch away from her, moving forever towards an unseen horizon.

 

"Padme..." the voice said again, louder this time.

 

A flash of a figure, a woman dressed in Jedi robes, crossed her mind. The next instant, it vanished like smoke drifting into the atmosphere. What had she just seen?

 

"Padme..." It came again, louder than ever. It also sounded more strained than ever.

 

The image of the woman, a blond woman, came to her strongly before it vanished again, but this time, she caught and held onto the impression.

 

"I'm here!" she said. "Who are you?"

 

"You must reach him..." the voice whispered, floating in and out on invisible currents. She still wasn't quite sure she'd really heard anything.

 

"Him? Reach who?"

 

The voice returned. "You're the only one who can!" She sounded so desperate. "Wake! Wake up! Or there will be no hope. I can't accept that! I won't! Neither will you! Wake!"

 

She turned around in the white motion of her mind, but the presence had vanished. "Wait!" she called. "How do I wake up? Who are you?" But no answer came.

 

Frustrated, and more than a little worried, she sat down and thought. How could she make herself wake up? She'd never tried to consciously awaken herself before. How did one go about doing so?

 

The pain, she realized suddenly. The pain linked her to the real world. She needed it to take her there now.

 

Gritting her teeth, she turned all of her focus to her shoulder...

 

Gasping out a soft, strangled scream, she opened her eyes. Captain Panaka knelt above her, surrounded by several of the men who had accompanied her on the mission. He wasn't looking at her, though. Instead, his wide eyes stared over at something on the other side of the Throne Room.

 

Trying to ignore the agony screaming through her arm and chest, she forced herself into a semi-sitting position and followed his gaze.

 

Again a gasp escaped her lips, this one of horror.

 

It was Anakin. Sweet little, helpful, 9-year-old Anakin that looked like he was about to kill the woman lying slumped on the ground in front of him.

 

You have to stop him, the voice echoed through her memory. You're the only one who can!

 

Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and forced all of her energy into saying one word:

 

"Anakin!"

 

xXx

 

Vader felt Obi-wan emotionally backing away from the Dark Side and hoarded a surge of anger. As ever, the faithful Jedi. If he would not turn, then he would only be a problem Vader had to fix. Nothing more. Shame really, but nothing the Sith couldn't get over.

 

He turned his attention back to the unconscious woman in front of him. Off to the side, the Viceroy and his attendant lay unconscious next to each other. He'd have to take care of those pathetic weaklings too, and he would soon enough. First, though, he wanted this woman's life.

 

Just as he raised the lightsaber to strike, he felt Maul die and faltered for a moment. So Obi-wan had managed to overcome the odds yet again. Even without the Dark Side””especially without the Dark Side””it was an impressive feat. There was no chance of Obi-wan turning now.

 

He would go to his fatally wounded master and have the man die in his arms, as he had before.

 

Vader would have scoffed again, but just then, another unbidden image came to mind. The image of a young man dressed in black and pleading with him to stay.

 

"You're coming with me!" he insisted. "I'll not leave you here, I've got to save you!"

 

Stupid, stubborn and completely desperate, begging with his father in an unspoken plea. Don't leave me!

 

"You already have," he'd said. He remembered how earnestly he'd felt that. Luke had saved him. Or had he?

 

Blinking, Vader looked down at the woman unsurely. He still wanted her to die. Shouldn't she pay the price for hurting””killing Padme?

 

Then a voice behind him...an ever familiar, sweet and all the more desperate voice.

 

"Anakin!"

 

He drew a breath, not daring to hope. He'd been so sure...he'd seen her die...or had he? Whipping around, he saw several of the men crowding around Padme as she struggled to sit up. Her face had gone pale, and she clutched at her shoulder, obviously in a great deal of pain, but she was alive.

 

"Padme...?" he asked. He vaguely felt surprise that his voice came out high-pitched and youthful instead of harsh and mechanical.

 

"Anakin, it's alright. I'm okay."

 

He didn't know what to do. She was obviously in pain, and he felt torn between taking revenge and going to her side. He was also torn between pitying Obi-wan for his loss and killing him for not turning. Both of the powerful conflicts surrounded those he had once been close to. Shouldn't he throw those away? But weren't they the reasons behind why he'd turned in the first place?

 

Confused and at a loss, he looked between the guards, staring at him in a sort of awed fear he'd come to expect from people, and Padme's pleading eyes. Then he looked between her and the woman lying at his feet.

 

Then he looked down at the green, glowing lightsaber.

 

Believe in you I do, because a good person you are. The memory of Yoda's words couldn't have hit him harder if they'd been made from metal.

 

He backed away from the lightsaber as if it were a tunnel snake, letting it clatter to the floor as it switched off. Then he took another look around the room, taking in the scene as if through new eyes.

 

What had he done?

 

What had he done?

 

He'd fallen. Again. He'd allowed his own personal feelings to obscure his judgment without even verifying that they were true. Just like last time.

 

"Anakin?" Padme asked, sounding uncertain and coaxing.

 

Suddenly he had to get out of there. He had to get away. Away from her forgiving glance that he did not deserve. Away from the judgmental, fearful stares the men in the room continued to shoot at him. Away from the handiwork of the three unconscious enemies he'd been more than willing to murder in cold blood.

 

The door was still jammed shut, so he did the only thing he could do at the moment. Much to the horror of the others in the room, he turned and fled out the window, jumping onto a ledge several meters below before taking off along the moldings like a panicked gizka. He knew he could not get far enough away, but he could try. He'd run until he could stop the guilt.

 

He ran for a long time.

 

xXx

 

Well, you guys get a new one earlier this week. Mainly because my schedule at work changed, so Mondays aren't as open to me as they were before. *shrug* Ah well.

 

Anyway, please let me know what you think!

 

Haven't done a disclaimer in a while: Doesn't belong to me. I'm just having fun with it.

 

Shout out to Amidala Skywalker for beta-reading this!

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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I thought I'd briefly de-lurk once again to tell you that I'm really enjoying where you're taking this story. Especially Anakin's new insight into Obi-Wan. I do wish you hadn't killed Qui-Gon off, but it worked very well for the story.

 

More, please?

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"Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought." --- Abraham Lincoln

"We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang seperately." --- Benjamin Franklin in the movie, 1776

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*hug* Thank you so much, hon! It really means a lot to know that someone is still reading it.

 

Chapter 11

 

The rest of the day went by in a rushed daze for Obi-wan. Somehow, his brain just shut down and he lost track of the order of events after he brought his Master's body to the Queen. She seemed to be in a bit of a dazed shock herself (not to mention quite a bit of pain), but despite that, she managed to start organizing her men and getting a hold of who needed to be contacted so they could begin to get the people out of the camps and back to their homes. The Gungans helped when they could, and Obi-wan heard the Queen comment more than once that their help had been invaluable.

 

Jedi Knight Traavis showed up in the throne room sometime after Obi-wan did. After a short, vague explanation from the padawan, Traavis went down to check the Sith's body and make preparations concerning its transport back to Courscant. Obi-wan couldn't help but feel relieved that he would not have to worry about doing it himself. He didn't think he could look at the Sith again.

 

After a while, what did start to worry Obi-wan was the fact that no one seemed to know where Anakin had disappeared to. If the Jedi had been in a more normal state of mind, he might have caught the fearful glances and strange whispers when he asked about the missing boy, but for the most part, he'd long since simply fallen into an auto-pilot state that just kept him moving one foot in front of the other and only obeying what orders he managed to hear.

 

It didn't take them long to take down the communications block. As Obi-wan approached the throne room again, along with the inter-planetary com it held, he couldn't help but wish it had taken the Nubians longer. He did not want to face this. The pain of his loss had receded behind a numb wall that he did not want to tear down yet.

 

But he was a Jedi, and he would not shirk from his responsibilities, no matter how much he desperately wanted to. Trying to put on a confident expression, he strode back into the room with far more purpose than he'd had earlier that day. Traavis and the Queen were conversing with the blue hologram of Master Yoda when he entered.

 

"Ah, here he is now," Traavis said, voice encouraging as he turned to his fellow Jedi.

 

Obi-wan forced his feet to move towards the blue, static-filled image of the small Jedi Master and bowed, thankful for the ingrained habit to fall back on.

 

"Master Yoda," he heard himself say, and hoped he didn't sound as empty as he felt.

 

"Sorry for your loss, we are," Yoda said softly. "A good Jedi, Master Qui-gon was."

 

Every word slashed through that wall, throwing sharp little stabs of pain back into Obi-wan's soul. Determinedly, he started back, refusing to do anything but keep a straight face. "Thank you, Master."

 

"Report, you will," the hologram insisted.

 

"Of course, Master," Obi-wan said and began his tale. He spoke with a monotonous voice and only barely listened to his own words so as to distance himself from the pain they brought. Judging from the worried looks Traavis, the Queen and Master Yoda shot him, he didn't succeed in fooling anyone. He did succeed in finishing his report though. That had to count for something.

 

Once he finished, he bowed low. "That is all, Master."

 

"Knight Traavis," Yoda turned to look at the other Jedi. "Confirmed you have, Padawan Kenobi's story?"

 

The brown-haired man nodded. "All of my evidence supports Padawan Kenobi's view of events."

 

Yoda nodded. "Very well. Arrive we will tomorrow evening. Inspect the body of this Sith, we will."

 

A touch of confusion slid through the numb. "Master, you are coming here?"

 

"Offered to honor Master Qui-gon, the Queen has," he glanced at the Queen, who nodded and smiled sadly. "Hold the ceremony on Naboo we will." Obi-wan wasn't sure what to feel about that. On one hand, it was custom for Jedi to be cremated at the Temple. On the other hand, Qui-gon would probably love for the ceremony to be held on a planet that held such life.

 

After a moment, he nodded. "Very well."

 

"Young Skywalker, where is he?"

 

Obi-wan blinked as his mind processed the sudden question. "We have been unable to locate him master."

 

"It is possible that he left the Palace," Traavis started, but Obi-wan cut him off.

 

"No...he's here."

 

Everyone turned to look at Obi-wan. "How do you know this?" Traavis asked.

 

Obi-wan thought for a moment, but his mind refused to support him with an answer. Finally, he spoke up, repressing a tired sigh. "I don't know."

 

"Find him, you should," Yoda said.

 

"We've asked the Queen to keep his presence here quiet," Traavis said, lowering his voice and shooting a quick glance at the intricately dressed girl.

 

"I still don't like it," the Queen spoke up with a scowl. "He saved my life."

 

"Necessary, it is," Yoda commented. "Grateful, we are."

 

She nodded, but Obi-wan could still sense how put-out she felt.

 

"Talk to him, you must," Yoda insisted. "In pain he is. So much pain."

 

Two sparks of feeling managed to reach Obi-wan. The first seemed resentful of Master Yoda's statement. Anakin may be in pain, but so was Obi-wan. Couldn't he heal a little himself before he went off to make sure someone else was alright?

 

But that isn't the way of the Jedi, a voice that sounded suspiciously like his master spoke in his mind. Besides, Qui-gon would be the first person to volunteer to go. If Obi-wan didn't, he would be dishonoring the Jedi's memory.

 

The second feeling he vaguely recognized as worry. What had caused Anakin pain? Was it physical or emotional? Like it or not, he had a bond with the boy, and he needed to know if Anakin was alright, if only for his own peace of mind.

 

"Yes, Master," Obi-wan nodded.

 

"Go now," Yoda dismissed. "Find him. Then rest you should."

 

Obi-wan bowed and left wondering just how he would find the boy. After a few moments, he closed his eyes and reached inside himself.

 

Yes, there. He could still sense Anakin, if only barely.

 

With a silent nod, he turned and began to walk determinedly towards the north wing of the Palace.

 

xXx

 

Anakin sat just outside the hangar bay on an outcropping of stone, overlooking the preserved wild lands surrounding Theed. In the distance, he could hear the cheering and merrymaking of the Nubians as they returned to their homes. Their voices drifted on the air, filled with happiness, joy, thankfulness and an abundance of other positive feelings.

 

None of those feelings could touch him.

 

He'd stopped running just before the sun had set, somehow ending up here. Exhaustion, deeply ingrained in both his body and spirit convinced him to sit down. He hadn't moved since. That had been three Nubian time-blocks before. The sunset had probably been breathtaking. He hardly remembered it.

 

For the life of him, he could not figure out how someone born with such innate power could be such a failure. He'd failed at being a Jedi, failed at being a Sith, failed at being a good husband, failed at fatherhood, and now, even with his knowledge of the future, he'd failed to hold to his convictions, and failed to protect anyone or change anything significantly for the better. Qui-gon had still died. Padme had been hurt. Sidioius was still a senator possibly running for Chancellor, and there was still a good chance he would gain the position.

 

Anakin couldn't understand it. He had the power, the skill, the discipline...why couldn't he do anything?

 

Fortunately, he couldn't seem to muster the energy to even feel frustrated. Not that it would have broken through the blanket of numbness that had settled over his little, black heart.

 

He should leave, before he really screwed up everything else. All he'd have to do was grab a ship and speed off. He'd find a way to make it. He'd find a way to change things for the better out there. He could...couldn't he?

 

He scoffed at his own insecurities. Since when did he, the Chosen One, have lack of confidence? Seemed he failed at being the Chosen One too.

 

"Anakin?" a soft voice actually caused him to turn his head slightly. How could he have been so distracted that he hadn't felt anyone approach? Not that it mattered.

 

It was Obi-wan.

 

But why would he be here? He had no reason to come looking for Anakin. In the previous timeline, Obi-wan had disappeared for over a day while he came to terms with what happened to his master. Anakin vaguely remembered that he'd come back a changed man. What had caused this divergence?

 

The Council. That had to be it. Probably something along the lines of 'go and find that kid and make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else!'

 

"The Council sent you," he muttered, not caring that his voice sounded emotionless and dead. Obi-wan's eyes furrowed in concern and surprise. He didn't answer. Anakin didn't need him to.

 

"Anakin, you need to come back. Everyone is worried."

 

This time, Anakin remained silent.

 

Obi-wan balanced expertly on the carvings decorating the temple as he climbed casually over to where Anakin sat on the edge of the cliff. It was a nice gesture. Anakin knew Obi-wan didn't care for heights, but he still couldn't bring himself to care much. Right now, all Anakin wanted to do was be alone. He'd make his decision, and that would be that. The Jedi wouldn't ever have to worry about him again. It would be easier on all of them.

 

"It won't happen again," he heard himself say. "Leave."

 

He hated the tone of his voice. He'd meant for it to sound like an order, but it felt more like a plea.

 

Obi-wan considered his options, obviously wondering how to get around that without stepping on toes. Ever the negotiator, even if his expressions were so much easier to read now than they would be in the future.

 

"If I don't speak, may I stay?" he finally asked.

 

Anakin didn't have the energy or motivation for a confrontation at the moment, so he shrugged. "Very well."

 

Obi-wan nodded with a rather forced smile. He really should be somewhere looking after his own needs. Of course, that was Obi-wan for you. The Jedi Order came first, the people came second, friends came third and Obi-wan came last.

 

The young Jedi relaxed into a meditative pose and closed his eyes. He looked so calm and serene next to Anakin's rigid posture. How was it that he had no energy but had subconsciously reverted to habit and sat with a straight back for who knew how long?

 

A sudden stab of emotional pain from Obi-wan rushed through Anakin. It didn't take a genius to realize what the other was thinking.

 

"I warned him," Anakin said softly, breaking the silence.

 

Obi-wan opened his eyes and glanced over at Anakin with a curious nod. "That if we were to become separated...yes, he told me."

 

"Why did you let him go on alone?" It made no sense. If Obi-wan knew, he wouldn't have let it happen. No matter the age or immaturity, Obi-wan just wouldn't have let it happen. It would be so much easier to sort through his own problems if he didn't have minor distractions from Obi-wan too.

 

Another flare of pain and then a flash of anger quickly dispersed into the Force from the older man. "I didn't. The Sith distracted us and knocked me out of the fight," he paused. Anakin continued to listen in silence. "Qui-gon died protecting me...and you."

 

Wait, what? "Me?"

 

Obi-wan cringed slightly, and Anakin felt a vague self-reproach from the man. After a few contemplative moments, the Jedi finally answered. "We were...distracted; rushing back to help you when the Sith surprised us."

 

So Anakin had been the cause this time. He'd been the one to cause the other two to break their stances.

 

Yet another death on his already full conscience.

 

"I see," he said. The silence became uncomfortable again as neither of them seemed to know what to say next. Anakin shook his head. Now Obi-wan would resent him more than ever. Who wouldn't resent the man who had killed their father figure? Well, if Anakin were in his place, he undoubtedly would. However, he felt no such feelings from the Jedi. Was he hiding them?

 

"You're not angry," he commented so quietly he wasn't sure Obi-wan had heard him until the other spoke up.

 

"No. Not anymore."

 

Anakin tried to wrap his head around that. This was why he'd never been able to make heads or tails of his old master. The man never made sense.

 

"Why?"

 

"Anger is dangerous for a Jedi," the padawan repeated the old adage. If Anakin could have found the motivation, he would have rolled his eyes. Yes, this was Obi-wan. Old, unhelpful, annoying Obi-wan.

 

He must have read the marginal disappointment in Anakin because he sighed slightly and leaned his head back against the cool, rough material coating the palace exterior. "What good would blaming you do?" the Jedi asked. "It isn't your fault." Anakin wanted to snort, but Obi-wan continued before he could gather the energy and motivation. "You obviously regret your actions, and you did not intend to originally hurt us." Anakin blinked, not taking his eyes off of the green landscape. "If anything, you gave me a few more moments with my Master. I don't see a reason to be anything but grateful to you."

 

Anakin could not believe what he'd heard. "Grateful?" he asked incredulously.

 

The Jedi regarded him out of the corner of his eye for a moment before he sat up, shaking his head. "Please, Anakin, don't carry the weight of his death on your shoulders. A child your age shouldn't have those kinds of burdens."

 

A child his age? Burdens? At any other time, he may have laughed out loud. He was about to reply, but Obi-wan cut him off before he could.

 

"Besides, you saved the Queen. You protected her when we couldn't. That is no small act." Obi-wan turned to look back out at the vast, deep green continent stretching away before them, blending into the night. "Imagine all the lives you've saved because you saved her."

 

Anakin shook his head. "The Council will not see it that way."

 

Obi-wan thought for a moment. "They will take everything into account," he finally responded. "They will realize that it is natural to fall back on your ingrained training." It was Anakin's turn to blink, surprised. He'd never told Obi-wan about his Dark Side training. Obi-wan must have noticed Anakin's slightly panicked response. "Qui-gon didn't tell me anything."

 

"I just couldn't hide it," Anakin muttered. Yet another failure to add to the already too-long list.

 

"I don't know why you tried," Obi-wan said, shaking his head. Seemed he had a while yet before he learned tact. "But I must admit, I am impressed."

 

Anakin actually started a little at those words. They were not something Obi-wan said. Ever. "Impressed?" Anakin asked, now utterly confused. It seemed he would never be able to understand his former master's way of thinking.

 

"Anakin, you have either struggled to keep yourself good and light despite your previous training, which would require an almost inhuman amount of willpower and determination, or you have turned back from the Dark Side. No person I know of in the written history of the Galaxy has ever done that." The sad smile seemed to turn slightly hopeful. "Either way, you have shown a strength of character that I find difficult to comprehend."

 

Anakin blinked at him, far more shocked by those words than he had even been by his return to the past. Somehow, he'd never quite seen it like that.

 

"Qui-gon believed in you," Obi-wan said quietly. "And I've come to find I can as well."

 

This time, Anakin shook his head sadly. "Your master trusted me."

 

"And he didn't regret it."

 

"I can't tell you everything. I may never be able to."

 

Obi-wan nodded thoughtfully. "That is your decision. I realize I barely know you, but you may speak with me if it will help."

 

This second invitation he'd received meant so much more than the last one. First, it came from Obi-wan. Second, Obi-wan knew what Anakin could do if pushed too far, and still trusted him.

 

"I will bare that in mind," he managed to say.

 

Obi-wan smiled with a nod, and they fell into a companionable silence for the rest of the evening.

 

xXx

 

Anakin stood next to Obi-wan as the Senator's ship landed in front of the Queen's entourage. If he'd been nervous the first time he'd seen Palpatine, he was an emotional wreck now. He desperately held onto his mental shields, clinging to them like a lost sailor would to a life raft and praying the Senator didn't notice.

 

He didn't listen to the last few comments from the Queen or Panaka as they spoke to the Viceroy. No, his eyes remained firmly fixed on the ship. It was all he could do to not throw up then and there.

 

Obi-wan gave him a worried look and placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. It didn't help much.

 

Anakin followed sedately as Obi-wan walked forward and bowed to the Senator. And here he'd thought he couldn't feel any worse. He forced himself to bow stiffly as Palpatine walked up to them. Oh how it galled him to do that.

 

"We are indebted to you for your bravery, Obi-wan Kenobi," he said magnanimously.

 

Anakin clamped down on every single feeling he had, trying desperately to clear his mind. It became that much harder when Palpatine's eyes dropped to him. Anakin couldn't meet them. "And who is this?"

 

Right, they hadn't said anything about Anakin being there with the Queen, trying to keep it under wraps.

 

"A potential initiate for the Temple," Obi-wan replied easily.

 

"Isn't he a little old?"

 

Anakin had a hard time keeping a flare of annoyance down. In the previous timeline, Palpatine had always spoken directly to him. Rarely did he really ignore Anakin. He hadn't realized how he was used to that. How much he still almost wanted it...

 

"That is for the Council to decide," Obi-wan replied.

 

"Indeed," Palpatine said with a smile than turned to look down at Anakin. He looked away, unable to meet those eyes yet again. He could still see them filled with hate and anger, watching him with a harsh yellow glow. "And what is your name, young man?"

 

It took everything ounce of will power he had to open his mouth. "Anakin Skywalker...sir."

 

"I wish you luck, young Skywalker." Anakin ground his teeth, clamping down even harder on his anger. Palpatine had only called him that for the first few years. After that, he only heard it when the Sith had been discussing Luke. "We shall watch your career with great interest."

 

With that he walked past, heading towards the Queen. Just as he did, he touched Anakin on the shoulder. Anakin couldn't help but flinch away. Don't touch me! he wanted to yell, but he wouldn't give in to the anger. He wouldn't give that man the satisfaction.

 

Just as he passed, Anakin caught a glimpse of the other's eyes. To anyone else, he would have looked kind and encouraging, but Anakin saw the hungry glitter.

 

That quickly, all of his anger vanished and the sick feeling returned. It felt as if the world had suddenly dropped out from under him. He knows... he thought, watching as the Senator turned away and continue towards the Queen.

 

Sending another worried glance at him, Obi-wan bowed to the Council members that had slowly gotten off of the ship in the Senator's wake. Dully, Anakin followed suit. Then they turned to watch the two Nubian representatives greet each other.

 

"You have the gratitude of all Nubian people, Your Highness. Because of you, I sill have a planet to represent," Palpatine said with a smile. " I am running for the next Chancellor election. I hope I win so we can prove together that peace and prosperity for the Republic can indeed be obtained."

 

Padme smiled, and even through her makeup Anakin could see the radiance that came from it. For a moment he felt torn, wanting the vile creature to stop talking to his beautiful angel, but as Amidala, she didn't smile often. It was a rare gift, and he wanted to savor it.

 

Even if it was not meant for him, he only wanted to see with that expression all the time.

 

"Come, Anakin," Obi-wan said quietly, turning to follow the Council members towards the Palace. For a moment, he felt like a padawan again, tagging along behind his Master, but shook the thought from his head. The Council wouldn't allow him to stay. Even if by some miracle they did, he wasn't sure he wanted to be Obi-wan's apprentice again.

 

As they all filed back into the Palace, Anakin caught Yoda's gaze as the short, green Jedi hung back from the other Council members. At first the former slave turned away, trying not to look guilty. Then he nervously shuffled up to the Grandmaster.

 

"Here, sir," Anakin said quietly, holding out the lightsaber. Yoda raised an eyebrow and took it, attaching it to his own belt. "Thank you for the use. I am indebted."

 

"Helpful, you found it?"

 

Anakin sighed and shook his head, too emotionally weary to be anything but honest. "No, ma-sir. Turned out that I could hardly use it."

 

"Hmm," Yoda nodded, looking thoughtful. He'd probably expected that turn out one way or another. The old troll. "Padawan Kenobi," the green Jedi called out. Ahead of them, Obi-wan turned around at the sound of his name. Many of the Council members paused and looked back as well.

 

"Yes, master?"

 

"Speak with you we would," he looked back at the Queen and the Senator who were still talking as they walked several meters back. "An empty room, have you?"

 

The Queen blinked, surprised at the request. "Of course," she said, quickly regaining her senses. "Rabe." One of the handmaidens walked up. "Take some guards and show our guests into a meeting room."

 

"Yes, your majesty," Rabe said, bowing her head and curtsying. Then she made the same gesture to the Jedi and Anakin. "If you would follow me."

 

Two guards accompanied them through the Palace, down a side hallway and up to a meeting room.

 

"I will wait here to show you to your rooms," Rabe said, bowing to them and opening the large, intricately carved door. Inside, a spacious room awaited as the Council members all walked into it.

 

"Wait here, you will," Yoda said to both Anakin and Obi-wan before walking in and closing the door.

 

Rabe and the guards stood on either side of the doors while Anakin and Obi-wan shuffled nervously in place.

 

"What do they wish to speak of?" Anakin asked.

 

"Probably the Sith."

 

Anakin shook his head. "This soon? Why not wait until they had been shown to their quarters?"

 

Obi-wan shook his head with a slight shrug. "That is the only explanation I can think of at the moment."

 

With a sigh, Anakin nodded in understanding.

 

They waited for several minutes before the entire Council came shuffling back out. "If we could be shown to our quarters now," Ki-Adi-Mundi said with a smile to Rabe.

 

She looked a little taken back, but nodded. "Yes, sir," she said, only the slightest waver in her voice. "This way."

 

Before they followed her, Plo Kloon turned and smiled at them. "Master Yoda will explain. You may enter now."

 

Trading glances, Obi-wan and Anakin waited for the Council members to leave before walking into the large room. With the setting sun in the background, it seemed dark compared to the normal Council chambers and the Throne room.

 

Yoda stood in the middle of the semi-dark room, leaning on his gimmer stick and watching them approach. Obi-wan knelt on one knee a few meters from the older being. Anakin did the same.

 

"Good news, I have," he said in a light voice. First he turned to Obi-wan. "Confer upon you the rank of Knight, the Council does."

 

Obi-wan blinked. Anakin knew this was not entirely unexpected, but in these times—before the horror of the clone wars—it was out of the ordinary.

 

"Thank you, Master," the young man said, bowing his head in gratitude and respect.

 

"As for you, Young Skywalker..." Anakin tried not to flinch at the name. If Yoda noticed, he didn't say anything. "Accept you as an initiate, the Council does."

 

Right about then, his train of thought froze solid, despite him focusing all of his energy on processing that. Accept him? Even after everything he'd done?

 

"B-but I..." for the first time in decades, Anakin found himself at a complete and utter loss. "Surely you know," he said finally.

 

Yoda nodded grimly. "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Yet you fight it. Come back you did. Know this, we do. Impressed, we are." He smiled over at Anakin, giggling in that strange humm-like way he always did. "Proven yourself, you have."

 

Anakin blinked, still unable to comprehend what he'd just heard.

 

"Come. To our quarters we should go. Tired I am. Rest, I must," Yoda said as he walked past them and to the doors. Obi-wan stood to follow and had to tap Anakin's arm before the boy could follow.

 

He walked out last, still in a daze as the guards closed the doors behind him.

 

The Jedi Council. The stiff, strict, sitting with sticks-up-their-butts, complacent and never changing Jedi Council had accepted him...without Obi-wan or Qui-gon seriously interfering.

 

Right about then, his mind gave up processing that information and he slipped into auto pilot as the three Jedi strode to their rooms.

 

xXx

 

They held Qui-gon's funeral that night.

 

Obi-wan still felt the wound in his heart left by his former master, but he also found the ritual comforting. The Queen, Senator Palpatine, Boss Nass, most of the rebellion leaders and many of the other people they'd come to know stood silently by as Qui-gon's body burned.

 

He heard a a few whispered conversations in the background, but couldn't bring himself to care. His master was being laid to rest on a planet filled with the Living Force. He would only allow himself to feel peace this night as he remembered the good man that his master had been.

 

Beside him, Anakin looked on sadly.

 

"I never congratulated you," he said quietly.

 

Obi-wan turned and looked down at the blond. "On what?"

 

"Your Knighthood."

 

The Jedi nodded, understanding. "Thank you." They fell into silence for a few moment, watching the flames dance before their eyes. "I never congratulated you on becoming an initiate."

 

He felt the slightest ping of incredulity from the boy. Apparently he still hadn't gotten used to the idea. Not that Obi-wan could blame him. It was a surprise, but a pleasant one. The Temple and a normal childhood would be good for the former slave. Well, a semi-normal childhood.

 

Anakin didn't speak again for several minutes. When he did, his voice had grown soft. "He was proud of you, you know."

 

Obi-wan couldn't help a small, sad smile. "Yes. I know."

 

xXx

 

Palpatine looked down at the crowd in front of him, grinning like an insane school boy in the sunlight. Such an obvious display, with the Naboo cheering on their newly found Gungan comrades. It made him sick inside. How long would such a connection last? He gave it a galactic standard decade. Two, tops. Not that it mattered. In a decade, if all went according to plan, he would be Chancellor, and in a prime position to finally rid the galaxy of this useless Republic.

 

Still, the Jedi had managed to throw a wrench in his plans again. He stood to the side of the Queen and the two Jedi that had supposedly saved their planet. Palpatine allowed himself the luxury of speculation on the two for a moment. Jedi Kenobi, a lost cause if Palpatine ever saw one. Strong in the Force, but so utterly brainwashed that he could be of little use. Jedi Traavis stood next to him. Also a lost cause. Young and eager, but far too moralistic.

 

For just a moment, his eyes wandered back to the boy, now wearing Jedi robes and standing next to the members of the Council. Palpatine had noticed him before, but now he couldn't help but find himself fascinated. Just who was Anakin Skywalker? Why had the fools on the Council decided to allow him into the Temple? Did he have a connection to the powerful presence he'd felt?

 

And there was another mystery; the dark presence. It hadn't been just any dark presence, but a fully-trained Sith. The thought alone was impossible. There were only two Sith. Palpatine didn't know of Maul taking an apprentice behind his back (and doubted he could have trained anyone to that extent anyway), and he hadn't trained anyone else himself, so who was this new potential enemy? Or Ally?

 

Somehow, he felt the boy had a connection to the presence. It both frustrated and enticed Palpatine that he could not seem to read the child's presence. Skywalker had shielding, that much was obvious. He also knew more about Palpatine than he was letting on. He had refused to meet his eyes since Palpatine had landed, and continued to do so now. So why hadn't he told the Jedi? Just how much did this boy know? Did he have any proof? Unlikely, but still a possibility. If he did have proof, what could Palpatine do to counteract it?

 

Such questions; such mysteries. Palpatine had a feeling that he would enjoy unraveling them. And unravel them, he would; whether the boy wanted him to or not. Still, it would take time and patience. Fortunately, Palpatine had more than enough of both.

 

"Peace!" Boss Nass said in a booming voice, holding up the Globe of Peace. A great cheer arose from the gathered crowd.

 

Palpatine returned to the task at hand, smiling out at the parade again while the young, idealistic Queen beamed beside him. He had to admit he was impressed with her. Not only did she manage to see through his manipulations, but she also miraculously freed her people with a handful of supporters and managed to survive an assault from one of the most dangerous assassins in the known galaxy.

 

He didn't even know how she'd done such a thing.

 

Well, the assassin had lived. He was planning on questioning her himself eventually.

 

For now, he would overlook Amidala's troublesome presence. It would cost too many resources to take her out now that her threat had passed. Resources that he needed to put to use finding another apprentice.

 

Fortunately, he already had someone in mind. Someone who could be his in only a few short months...

 

His smile gained just the slightest sinister tinge to it.

Edited by Guest

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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So, I am still reading this, it's just that life is very busy and I can't ever seem to keep up with how quickly it comes! It's crazy that we're already at an epilogue... so much has changed in the story, and yet so much is the same!

 

The highlights:

I really liked the changes you did make. Sometimes little changes can have big impacts, but sometimes they don't change much at all! With Maul's skill at dueling and the conditions, it is no great surprise that one of the Jedi still died, and for a slightly different reason, no less! Obi-Wan has a lot more peace about it this time (sooner in time, I should say), at least.

 

Palpatine seems no closer to being stopped, but at least he is one step "behind", so to speak, where he would have been - and Anakin still knows enough to keep trying to impact things. Unfortunately, Anakin can't even look at him right now... which means it would be difficult to try to gather any real evidence. Even if he could, who knows how he would survive the encounter in terms of Dark Side or not!

 

Anakin's relapse to the Dark Side was a great (yet horrible...? lol!) surprise to the plot. I have to be honest, I had to "suspend my disbelief" a little bit for some parts - that Padme's shoulder wound could bring her that close to death so immediately, or that no one would notice or attack the assassin for that long of a time when there were so many trained people with weapons in the room even outside of Panaka and Anakin, even if they were a bit shocked at first. At least with Padme I could see Anakin jumping to conclusions a little too soon - that certainly follows his actions last time it happened, and Padme getting hurt is the sure thing to cloud his judgement immediately. Outside of those two incidents, I found it believable and a great plot addition to change up all that did happen to this new crazy ending! It shows how easy it is to slip into past habits, and Anakin, of course, has long been known for his impatience and failure to think before acting/feeling!

 

Anywho, most of all I've really loved all the interactions between Anakin and Obi-Wan. Anakin's heightened awareness of what Obi-Wan is struggling with during this time frame (to see that Obi-Wan doesn't just quote rules rotely, but that he actually did have to struggle and choose peace or sacrifice for many of them), plus the minor differences from the old plot, have led to a completely new relationship, even if both of them are still struggling to understand it and Anakin is still loathe to fully accept or believe in Obi-Wan. Also, the fact that he is starting out with the Jedi having a greater understanding on their part of his struggles, plus the very important knowledge that they are accepting him this time rather than Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan's stubborness, must mean a lot! It won't be enough to stop challenges in the future, but it will undoubtedly help a lot!

 

You've done a great job playing with TPM and making it your own. The setup for the next story is already there as we wait to see what happens in the "new" future, after all of these changes! How do you plan on doing that? I'm assuming the epilogue will answer at least a few of the questions - i.e. who will Anakin's master be, and in what ways will his training change? Jumping to the AotC timeframe would be difficult without filling in at least some of those gaps of how this Anakin acclimates to temple life!!

"It's always these little worlds that get you in trouble. Like Tatooine. I'm still living that one down." - Han Solo

Your barnacle has carnivorous salamanders the size of whales.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, for he who promised is faithful." -Heb. 10:23

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Well, thank you for your honest opinion as always, Gimpster.

 

"suspend my disbelief" a little bit for some parts - that Padme's shoulder wound could bring her that close to death so immediately, or that no one would notice or attack the assassin for that long of a time when there were so many trained people with weapons in the room even outside of Panaka and Anakin, even if they were a bit shocked at first.

 

The shoulder wound wasn't life threatening from the beginning. It was a point I was trying to make as to how the dark side twists perspectives. First she was hurt...then she was almost dead in his mind...then she was dead. It wasn't a difficult jump for him to make because she had already died in his past. He's going to take note of that, and it's a pretty important plot development for the sequels. ^^;

 

As for the people with the assassination not acting, they were rebel leaders (so people with loud voices) who hadn't already been captured. Basically, a rag-tag band of men that were either lucky enough or smart enough to escape. Naboo is a peaceful planet. Many people compare it to Alderaan which supposedly had no weapons. Now obviously they haven't gone that far, but their tactics lead more towards using decoys, ducking and covering more than defending and fighting head-on. Combine that with an EXPLOSION right near them, and there's going to be panic for a few moments.

 

That's all a good assassin needs. Anakin is used to things like that. Has been all his life. It wouldn't faze him. Panaka is trained for that, even if it is on a peaceful planet, I doubt their higher-ups have no experience whatsoever, so that's me giving them the benefit of the doubt (I mean, they had blasters hidden in the arm of the throne...excellent idea imo).

 

It won't be enough to stop challenges in the future, but it will undoubtedly help a lot!

 

Well, at least I got SOMETHING across right! LOL ^^; That is EXACTLY what I was going for there.

 

No, actually. The whole master thing is going to be decided next story. This next chapter/epilogue may give some hints as to the conflict concerning that though...

 

Thanks again. I so always look forward to your reviews.

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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Prologue

 

Anakin couldn't remember a time when he'd felt this nervous, especially over something so small. After all, he'd only be starting classes in the temple today, but he still could not seem to calm his anxiousness.

 

Oh, he remembered how the classes had been like well enough, but that was before, when he hadn't asked the Council to not tell anyone of his supposed prophecy. That had been back when he'd only been accepted because of Obi-wan. Back when he'd either been an outcast due to awe or jealousy. This time, perhaps he could make some decent allies.

 

Faces of some of the original initiates and padawans he'd met flashed across his mind and flinched.

 

Then again, maybe not.

 

What bothered him more, though, was that fact that this time, he wouldn't have Obi-wan to back him up. Before, when classes had become unbearable, he'd talked with Obi-wan or Palpatine. He couldn't do either at the moment. Not strictly speaking anyway. He wouldn't go to Palpatine if the universe ended, and Obi-wan would now be off starting his days as a knight, traveling across the galaxy.

 

Without an apprentice.

 

Thinking of Obi-wan as a Jedi representative without Anakin by his side felt incredibly strange. Most of his memories regarding Obi-wan featured his master as a Knight. Now they would both be on their own. Anakin wasn't sure what to think of that. It actually annoyed him that a lot of the insecurity he felt stemmed from the fact that he wouldn't have Obi-wan's support. Instead of sharing a room with the older Jedi, he had been given a small initiate room of his own upon arrival at the Jedi Temple after the funeral and parade on Naboo. He couldn't remember if initiates normally got their own rooms or had to sleep in barracks of some sort. He knew the cresche children didn't have their own rooms.

 

Berating himself for being foolish (and getting off track again), Anakin returned to the task at hand, making sure he had gathered everything he would need. For about the fifth time that morning, he ran over the list in his head again. A few blank data pads, flimsy and styluses in case he needed to put down a diagram, and several data pads filled with information about the latest gadgetry and mechanics in case he became bored (which he undoubtedly would) and last but not least, his textbook data pads.

 

Nodding in satisfaction, he froze when he heard doors open behind him. Then a familiar presence entered.

 

"Master Yoda," he said, somewhat surprised as he whipped around to face the smaller being. "Why are you here?"

 

Yoda chuckled. "Come to escort you, I have."

 

"Escort me?"

 

"To your classes, mmm?"

 

Anakin blinked. "But...you're the Grandmaster. Why escort me?"

 

Yoda hobbled closer, using his little cane for balance. Anakin often wondered about that. With the Force, it wasn't like the old Jedi needed it. He somehow suspected that the little troll just liked to hit people with it.

 

"Know me, you do. Familiar, no?"

 

Anakin read through the lines. So this was how his life with them keeping a close eye and tight leash on him would be. For several seconds he just stood there, resigned. "You are right to be wary of me." Would he have to have an escort everywhere now?

 

Yoda shook his head. "Worried for you, I am."

 

"For me?" Anakin asked, immediately suspicious. Yoda had never been this welcoming to him. What had changed?

 

"New this is. No master have you. Felt I could help, I did."

 

Ah, so that was it. Yoda always had had a soft spot for children.

 

"I will not have an escort tomorrow?" Anakin asked slowly.

 

Yoda shook his head with a smile. "Important you are, but not that important."

 

In his old life, that would have made Anakin angry and resentful. He was the Chosen One! How could he not be important?

 

But at that moment, to his great surprise, Anakin found that the old master's words were exactly what he needed to hear.

 

Nodding his head, he hefted the bag full of data pads onto his shoulder before turning to give a bow that seemed both awkward and practiced at the same time. "Thank you, Master Yoda."

 

Yoda just chuckled and led the way through the door.

Edited by Guest

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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Nice little epilogue. I don't really get what Yoda was talking about though...what did he mean by visiting Anakin? Just reassurance? I'm sad Obi-Wan isn't Anakin's master (at least yet)... Anakin was so formative for Obi-Wan that it will be interesting to see how Obi-Wan turns out without him.

 

One thing:

Faces of some of the original initiates and padawans he'd met flashed across his mind and flinched.

 

Did you mean to say that Anakin flinched or that the padawans in his mind flinched? If the padawans flinched, then this is fine, but if Anakin flinched you need to add a subject before flinched (like 'he').

 

Can't wait for Episode II!

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SHE MEANS TO END US ALL!!! DOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!!11eleventyone!
There goes Ami's reputation of being a peaceful, nice person.
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Nice epilogue! I think it summed up the changes in Anakin and the new mindset (and struggles) going forward really well - just enough detail to help us understand what those years will be like, and yet a solid ending as well.

 

I liked Anakin's ruminitions of what was the same and what was different. "Allies" is an interesting word choice - Anakin still doesn't feel the need to look for friends, it is more "against me" or "for me" like he throws at Obi-Wan on Mustafar. He's hoping for people to help him rather than ignore him... but doesn't hope for friends. Interesting.

 

I wonder what will happen to both him and Obi-Wan without the other nearby?? That is going to be one of the hardest things to wait for in Episode II. Like Ami pointed out, having Anakin there helped continue to form Obi-Wan into the very calm, patient, and yet slightly daredevil at times Jedi he is/was...what's gonna happen now?!

 

Outside of the sentence Ami caught, the only other thing I noticed is that "cresche" should be "creche." Oh, sorry, one more:

What bothered him more, though, was that fact that this time, he wouldn't have Obi-wan to back him up.

It reads a little awkwardly, I would recommend removing the second comma.

 

Oh - and loved Yoda's comment at the end... haha, classic Yoda, and a good place to end on, yet again, how Anakin has changed, and yet how things are so close to being the same. Yay!

"It's always these little worlds that get you in trouble. Like Tatooine. I'm still living that one down." - Han Solo

Your barnacle has carnivorous salamanders the size of whales.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, for he who promised is faithful." -Heb. 10:23

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  • 2 months later...

I don't think I ever thanked you guys for those comments, nor did I tell you how much they mean to me! *smacks forehead*

 

I'm sorry! *glomp* You seriously rock, and I'll look at changing that, Gimpy.

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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Desperately seeking a method of not working on the paper that's due tomorrow, I found myself here and read through the entire story this afternoon. Very nicely done; I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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"According to this website, you should never trust the source of an online quote." --Abraham Lincoln

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All of these people are popping up!

 

You should stay around and procrastinate some more, Ethro!

"It's always these little worlds that get you in trouble. Like Tatooine. I'm still living that one down." - Han Solo

Your barnacle has carnivorous salamanders the size of whales.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, for he who promised is faithful." -Heb. 10:23

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Oh my gosh! People are popping up like crazy! How are you, Ethro?

"It's always these little worlds that get you in trouble. Like Tatooine. I'm still living that one down." - Han Solo

Your barnacle has carnivorous salamanders the size of whales.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, for he who promised is faithful." -Heb. 10:23

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Ethro...hmm, were you around 10 years ago when I happened to be here too? ^^; Dang, I really need to do better at remembering people here. >.> <.< >.>

 

Hope you got your paper done, but I'm really glad you read this and enjoyed it.

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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  • 4 months later...

Hmm, going to have to go over this and make sure that it's all here.

 

Anyway, I need a bit of help, guys. I got a review on FF.net for this, and while I disagree with a lot of what he/she said, I don't want to dismiss their thoughts completely, and wanted to see what you guys thought.

 

First he said that it would be a good story if Anakin had a single good reason for not telling the council about Palpatine. In response, I wrote:

 

Alright, let me explain my thought process here:

 

Anakin is 9-year-old kid they picked up off of a backwater planet, supposed to be very talented, but also has darkside training. The Jedi have reason to be suspicious of him, and many still believe he's a spy.

 

Anakin: (to Jedi council) By the way, the Senator from Naboo--a very prestigious person I realize, and one many of you know personally--is taking you in. He's actually a Sith Lord in disguise. Just FYI.

 

Council: *looks at each other*

 

Mace: (happily) So, when's the next shuttle for agri-corps?

 

Honestly, they would ask if Anakin had proof. He doesn't. He could say he saw it in a vision, and they wouldn't be able to do a blasted thing about it. Not without hard evidence. So if Anakin (or anyone really) DID happen to know where to find some, don't you think that said Sith would get suspicious of someone poking their nose where it shouldn't be? And then--

 

Palpatine: Oh, no! That poor boy! How could his shuttle simply explode! We must have someone look into it! Is the temple sure all of their craft are up to par?

 

So let's say he says Palpatine trained him. Again, they'd need hard proof before they could make such a high-profile arrest. And that's if they even believed him to begin with. Many would believe Anakin was trying to throw them off of the trail of his real master by giving them a senator to investigate (by not telling them, he's avoiding suspicion). Besides, Palpatine is GOOD at hiding his trail. Do you honestly think that no one ever looked into his past? Seriously? He ended up being the president of the ENTIRE GALAXY for goodness sake. At least a third of it would have looked into his past for blackmail or discrediting purposes, and a good deal more would have wanted to look into that past just for a background check. He has an alibi of some sort, and I wouldn't doubt it could hold up under some pretty incredible scrutiny.

 

The sequel to this story is actually about Anakin trying to find proof without getting himself killed. Then, instead of the council just 'watching him closer' for years as they did before (which, might I add, happened to end up in an epic fail), they might actually ACT and DO SOMETHING about it.

 

So, you may not consider Anakin trying to be safe and making sure something gets done about Palpatine not a reason, but I would most definitely have to disagree rather adamantly.

 

None the less, I do appreciate the feedback.

 

IN RESPONSE, HE/SHE WROTE:

 

Hmm, I suppose I understand where you are coming from. But I have to disagree with you. Mainly, that he supposedly doesn't have proof.

Proving that Anakin is from the future is EASY. He knows many Jedi personally, has intimate knowledge of the Order, can predict future events as further proof...

You forget that these are Jedi, not normal people. They are, among other things, telepathic. All Anakin needs to do to convince them is to lower his shields and open his mind to them. Yes, that would mean admitting to having intimate knowledge of the future and that he was both Jedi and Sith, and all the consequences that come with that. But, chances are, that if he shows that he is trying to remain on the light side, the Council would give him a chance. At least, they wouldn't kill him, and eventually he would escape any prison they might put him into.

 

Also, you forget that being an active Sith is not a crime. It simply means that you have an entire Order of people dedicated to your destruction. If the Council believes that Palpatine is a Sith, they won't need further proof. They would simply try to kill him, and most likely succeed because they would have numbers and surprise on their side.

 

Keep in mind that everything REALLY BAD that happened in Anakin's life is essentially Palpatine's fault. Anakin is annoyed with the Jedi, actively dislikes most of them. But his one real enemy is Sidious. His first priority is killing Sidious. He understands that with every day Sidious only becomes more powerful (mostly politically), that waiting is counterproductive.

 

Furthermore, Anakin's other priority right now is freeing his mother and childhood friends. He is mentally a grown man with command of the Force. With a little Force persuasion he can achieve the above goals VERY EASILY! I CANNOT imagine him simply 'learning' to be a Jedi as a Padawan for countless YEARS, while he knows that his mother is SUFFERING. The first time around he didn't have the necessary skills, so he had no way to help her. This is no longer the case, so having him simply stay with the Jedi without first helping his mother is completely out of character!

 

Also, Anakin has to understand that there is NO chance of him both finding proof and keeping his cover as a little child. As you said, Sidious has countless political enemies. If they couldn't find anything, with whole spy networks dedicated to the task, Anakin won't find anything as well, and he also understands that. He also understands, that he doesn't NEED any proof beyond his memories!

 

Regarding needing proof for a high profile arrest... Anakin understands that he will NEVER find any proof of actually 'illegal' activities. Also, in canon the Jedi were ready to kill Palpatine, when he was HIGH CHANCELLOR WITH EXECUTIVE POWERS!! That means that they CAN and WILL kill any Sith, regardless of position. And a common Senator is much less important, and will draw less attention than a high chancellor.

 

All in all, sorry, but your arguments do not convince me. Anakin can prove that Palpatine is Sith. Anakin CAN'T prove that Palpatine has committed any actual crimes, and he won't realistically be able to prove that in a reasonable time frame. These are facts! There is therefore nothing actually keeping him from telling the Jedi what he knows about Sidious.

 

On a final note, regardless if you agree with me or not, you need to show Anakin's thoughts regarding the matter in the story! Whether why he thinks it a bad idea to warn the Jedi, or only a bad idea to warn the Jedi yet, or why it is a good idea... it has to be shown in story, because the reader feels confused,when this key element is simply ignored. I kept waiting for an internal monologue that would explain Anakin's actions one way or another, but it never came.

 

Hope this criticism helps you.

 

IN RESPONSE, I WROTE:

 

Quote: All Anakin needs to do to convince them is to lower his shields and open his mind to them. Yes, that would mean admitting to having intimate knowledge of the future and that he was both Jedi and Sith, and all the consequences that come with that. But, chances are, that if he shows that he is trying to remain on the light side, the Council would give him a chance. At least, they wouldn't kill him, and eventually he would escape any prison they might put him into.

 

Perhaps, but you have to realize that Anakin has never been the kind of person to think things like that through to that extent--he's been the type to go in guns (or in this case ligthsabers) blazing, screw the odds against him! Actually, I was going to have him come to the conclusion that he just needs to open his mind to the Jedi council (he's already got the beginnings of that one planted in his mind), and once he does reach that solution, he'll have it as a backup if he can't change anything himself (well, he'll keep telling himself that). The problem is that it all really does come down to a matter of trust. He doesn't trust the order to actually do anything about the knowledge, proof or not, so why trust them? Yes, I do agree that he's probably going about this the wrong way, and he needs to trust other people to be able to do something about it, but at the moment, he can't trust the Jedi. That's the point of the story is he's spent decades hating and distrusting EVERYONE. It was a huge step just for him to come back.

 

Also, Anakin hates the idea of being locked up, mainly because it would take away his freedom. As a former slave, and with his trust issues, I just can't see the former Darth Vader take that chance.

 

Quote: If the Council believes that Palpatine is a Sith, they won't need further proof. They would simply try to kill him, and most likely succeed because they would have numbers and surprise on their side.

 

Yes, but how can Anakin convince them that the nice senator who some of them do know on a personal basis is an evil Sith (or just a Sith, in the council's eyes, it would all be the same)? Yes, once he does learn to trust them and can convince them with only his memories, they will turn against Palpatine, and I agree that they would do everything they could to take him down. Anakin, on the other hand, doesn't. The Jedi in his mind are a stagnant order who are so set in their ways that nothing could move them. It's been exaggerated by years of hate, anger and the dark side, so while you and I (and hopefully other readers) can see that yes, trusting the council in this particular case would be a GOOD thing, he can't bring himself to believe that yet.

 

Quote: Keep in mind that everything REALLY BAD that happened in Anakin's life is essentially Palpatine's fault.

 

I know that, you know that,but Anakin is just coming to that realization. It hasn't quite fully hit him just how manipulated he was. He's not just going to give up 20 years of hating the Jedi and believing that everything bad in his life came from them on a dime. I don't know if you've seen people change their character/personality irl but I have. In my experience, no matter what proof you have or how logical it may seem, people have habits ingrained into their subconscious and will act accordingly. Habits are HARD to overcome. Why else would the world be in the mess it's in today?^^;

 

Anakin thinks he's in the mind set of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" now, but he hasn't quite reached the 'friend' part. His way of thinking right now is "the enemy of my enemy is my ally", which is quite a bit less personal and more distant.

 

Quote: Anakin's other priority right now is freeing his mother and childhood friends. He is mentally a grown man with command of the Force. With a little Force persuasion he can achieve the above goals VERY EASILY!

 

The biggest problem is that slave laws don't just act like "oh, they're freed" with a word from their master. Without a serious war, their freedom has to be bought. He has plans there, and he's not just going to wait for the council to agree with him this time. However, his first priority is actually Sidious at the moment. Then we get back into the whole "is he going about it the right way" again, which we seem to agree that he's not, but that's because I believe this is what he would do.

 

Quote: I CANNOT imagine him simply 'learning' to be a Jedi as a Padawan for countless YEARS, while he knows that his mother is SUFFERING...so having him simply stay with the Jedi without first helping his mother is completely out of character!

 

Again, I have to disagree, but I know I'll have to explain myself this time, because I totally see where you're coming from. It mainly comes down to the fact that he knows his mother was freed and happy at one point and doesn't believe he has the right to interfere with that. No, he doesn't want to just leave her (or anyone else) there, but at the moment he doesn't have the resources to buy anyone's freedom, nor does he have the resources to wage a war on the Hutts (who, btw are powerful enough to resist the Republic, and one Jedi/Sith isn't going to be of much help when he's already having an identity crisis of his own). Oh sure, he could go in and kill everyone causing problems, but that would be embracing the dark side again, and that would kind of go against everything he's worked for. He's not willing to do that at the moment.

 

One major point I'm putting in the next story is that people think differently under the influence of the Dark Side. It's like they're on a drug; one that enhances abilities admittedly, but a drug none the less. It's something I've noticed while watching the movies and reading the books. Sith and Darksiders don't usually think like they would under normal circumstances, which is one reason why letting the Dark Side in just once is so dangerous.

 

Quote: ...In canon the Jedi were ready to kill Palpatine, when he was HIGH CHANCELLOR WITH EXECUTIVE POWERS! That means that they CAN and WILL kill any Sith, regardless of position. A common Senator is much less important, and will draw less attention than a high chancellor.

 

Ah, but the reason they were willing to do so in ROTS is because they could see the damage he'd done and was doing and that he needed to be stopped immediately. Now they would undoubtedly think that again if Anakin could convince them (a point I've gone over above), but I just can't see them thinking with that level of urgency. Anakin's biases are exaggerated, but not wholly unfounded. In RotS, they wanted to stop the war; stop people from dying day in and day out. They haven't reached that point in this story. Would they go after him? Most definitely. Would they go and assassinate him in his chamber? Um...that would be a tad difficult to explain.

 

I can see them before the senate now: "We have proof that he was a Sith."

 

"So you murdered him in his own council room without the Senate's agreement?"

 

"That would have given him the warning he needed to flee."

 

"You took the law into your own hands."

 

"We are Jedi. He was a Sith. As such, it was a matter of the Jedi alone. We did not need the Senate's permission."

 

"You have yet to prove that he was a Sith! And even if he was, he was still a senator!"

 

No, that would not go over well. Their already waning support in the senate and the general public would diminish greatly. Yes, they could go on living, but at this point they would not be ready or willing to deal with those consequences.

 

Quote: On a final note, regardless if you agree with me or not, you need to show Anakin's thoughts regarding the matter in the story!

 

In my defense, you're the first person who has thought that I didn't. I put in a great deal about the trust issues he has as well as the whole idea that he believes he can do it alone (stupid, but Anakin). I could actually point out the chapters I went over that if you'd like.

 

THEN:

 

Sorry, ran out of room on my previous note. ^^;

 

I was going to say that I do appreciate the feedback, even if I don't agree with most of it. It seems we may just have to agree to disagree in this particular case. However, it still gives me insight to what people who read the story think. The fact that you read it all the way through does say something for it in any case. ^^; Either that, or you're a far more patient reader than I am, because if I don't like something, I will stop reading it.

 

If you think that this story is so wrong, I would challenge you to write one of your own (it's what I would do if I read something that I thought had a good idea but wrong execution). I'd like to see what you come up with, and maybe that would illustrate your points a little better?

 

Either way, thank you for taking the time to respond to both the story and my rebuttal.

 

END

 

So, what do you guys think? Yay? Nay? Did people actually think something along these lines but was too polite to say it? Or did it not even cross your minds when you were reading? Or did you honestly think that I made my point well enough?

You know the closer you get to something

The tougher it is to see it,

And I'll Never take it for granted,

Let's go!

 

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Hmm, I thought you had done a pretty good job of highlighting Anakin's distrust of the Jedi and thus why he would not go directly to them with Palpatine's true character. It never stood out as a blaring gap to me, although everyone has their own opinion, and truly I would probably have to go back and re-read it with that specific question in mind to give you a final answer... something I don't have time to do at the moment.

 

It sounds to me like the real point of debate is 1) what is Anakin's number one goal, and 2) what is he willing to do to accomplish that? It sounds like for #1 you have mostly the same list but different time frames in mind (i.e. rescuing his mother and friends right away vs thinking she'll be free and happy later, but need to still protect her from the Tusken Raiders). And #2 is definitely a difference in opinion, and I can see the validity of both sides but it depends on two different Anakins to move forward either way - in one he has to be wholeheartedly ready to do whatever it takes to get rid of Palpatine, and in the other he still has to be haunted by the past and beliefs he's held for some time. I think moving forward with an emphasis on the second part was a very valid option and you did it well.

 

So... yeah. I thought it was fine and Anakin's fear of the Jedi not taking him seriously and completely turning on him instead was valid with his history, or even just being unable to take action within the bureaucracy. If you're still very concerned, consider this an excellent writing exercise. Lay out your assumption of the characters and their reactions again. Go through the story and make sure it's clear and you've laid the necessary ground work for each decision without having giant brain-dumps of inner monologues. Add another instance of him starting to explain what being shut down or stopped part way through. Not necessary, in my opinion, but reader input is always something good to consider.

 

My $0.02.

"It's always these little worlds that get you in trouble. Like Tatooine. I'm still living that one down." - Han Solo

Your barnacle has carnivorous salamanders the size of whales.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, for he who promised is faithful." -Heb. 10:23

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