The Weaving Force: Chapter 47 (Patreon)

Chapter 47:

Anakin:

It was very rare for Anakin to rush anywhere. Oh, sure, he would happily… borrow a starfighter or any ship he could get his hands on and test the engine’s max speed limit to get somewhere ‘on time’, but that was for fun. That was different.

Rushing implied urgency, a need to get somewhere as fast as possible, not just an inane want.

So yes. he – typically carefree, easily amused and rather irreverent Anakin Skywalker, the ‘Chosen One’ – rarely rushed anywhere.

But he was doing so now.

The guards were clustered around the hall of the Sundari Royal Palace. As soon as he drew close, one readied their weapon with a glare and Anakin hastily brought his hands up to show he was no threat.

“Lower your weapon, Naboo,” Aras’ voice rumbled out of his helm, a gauntleted hand grasping the Naboo guard by the vambrace  “This one is a friend.”

The Naboolian royal guard didn’t look happy, but even so, he did lower his weapon.

Aras nodded. “Skywalker.”

“Aras,” Anakin breathed, letting himself catch his breath after sprinting across half the palace. “What happened?”

“An assassin,” the massive man who’d taken Anakin’s own mother into his home answered with a grim sneer curling his lip. “A successful one.”

Anakin felt his heart drop, the hallway spinning for a moment before he stumbled forward. Aras didn’t stop him as he moved past him and the other Mandalorian, Naboolian and Alderaanian guards.

The inside of the room was far less crowded than its exterior, likely due to its much greater size; the hall felt cluttered, claustrophobic. But this room, with its wide open spaces and high ceiling felt almost airy, even if every corner was stuffed full of more guards.

In the center of the room, with Master Fay kneeling at its side – a body.

“Padme!” he didn’t recognize his own voice at first, his heart leaping up to his throat even as it fell down to his feet.

He rushed forward, his eyes fixed on the pretty, painted corpse of the former Naboo Queen, now a Senator, the girl he felt as though he’d loved since the moment he laid eyes on her.

He could see the wound that had ended her life, still smoking, charred flesh and cloth around its edges. A lightsaber slash.

Then, Obi-Wan was there, his Master standing in his way but Anakin couldn’t hear him. His voice sounded distant, almost underwater. He struggled, ready to push past his Master to reach Padme even as Obi-Wan’s hands grasped at his shoulder

“Ani-”

The voice cut through the fog – as long as it had been, as many years as had rolled by he knew that voice.

His head whipped around, fixing immediately on one of the four handmaidens sitting off to the side, many of them crying. Padme, the real Padme, staring right at him was crying and it was so good to see that and not…

His eyes turned back, looking over Obi-Wan’s shoulder to the corpse.

A double.

Of course… a double.

It’d been how he met her… and here it was again.

The relief felt like water rushing across his body, its cool kiss quenching the fires of desperation, fear and anger.

“Padme?” he called hesitantly, almost cautiously.

She offered a hesitant, tremulous smile in return, the tears still marking her cheeks.

“Not many know-” Anakin turned to the voice, finding a man he distantly recognized as the Senator of Alderaan, Bail Organa. “Outside of our most private guards. So lets keep this quiet, Master Jedi, please.”

“What happened?” he finally found it in himself to ask, turning to look at Obi-Wan.

Master Fay stood, the eddies of the Force that had been flowing from her into the body, either in an attempt at healing or some other ritual of the Sephi Jedi Master.

“A sith,” the woman whispered, breathing deeply.

Anakin felt his heart again jump in his chest. “You’re sure?”

“I’ve given the best description I could,” Satine finally spoke up. “I… I’m almost certain it was a woman. Twin red blades.”

“Almost certain?” he pressed.

“A holofield,” Obi-Wan explained, gesturing to his wrist for emphasis. “Worn on the wrist, she looked like Arisa. The guards are checking her quarters now. We’re hoping she’s just knocked out, not dead, but…” his master shook his head. “It’s not looking good.”

Arisa had been a serving girl; he knew her. She always smiled for him and Obi-Wan, even brought him honey for tea once when he confessed he’d never tried any.

“None of them were without their guards,” he shook his head. Trying to focus, to pull together the panicking fragments of his mind to something coherent. Something that could be useful.

Anakin turned his eyes towards the far window, shattered into a million pieces. He knew these high rise window panes were shatter proof, unless exposed to something extreme, like the heat of a lightsaber.

Then he looked towards the floor, where a massive hole had been formed by something.

Obi-Wan must’ve noticed his look, his Master beginning to explain.

“Satine was the one who noted something was wrong,” he began with a nod towards the Duchess who sat slumped in her seat, forehead cradled in her shaking hand. “Arisa always…” he hesitated, clearing his throat. “She always smiled, greeting the Duchess with a good morning or a good evening.”

“This time she just bowed…” Satine cut in. “Duchess,” she mimicked. “Didn’t even look at me.” The blonde woman shook her head. “The more I watched, the more I knew something was wrong. I pressed my personal alarm,” she gestured towards a gemstone necklace, or at least what looked like a gemstone necklace.

Anakin knew the system. One tap for the guards to be on alert. Two for immediate intervention needed, and three for a flat out emergency.

“The Sith…” Obi-Wan continued. “Must’ve sensed something was wrong. She struck before she was ready,” he gestured towards the body. “Unfortunately… Alexandria hadn’t made it in time to avoid all casualties.”

“Alexandria?” he echoed, curious. He knew that Alexandria was a parahuman but her abilities were something of a mystery next to the others. He’d never seen her abilities.

He turned his eyes towards the hole in the floor. Victoria could have done something like that. Could Alexandria do the same?

Obi-Wan nodded. “The Sith ran, her holofield turning into a cloaking field. The guards and Alexandria are tearing the palace apart right now.”

Anakin shook his head. “I can’t sense her.”

“None of us can.” Fay answered, the beads and charms on her golden hair swaying with the shake of her head. “This assassin has mastered the ability to hide her signature. Even nearby, I never once felt her.”

That… that was dangerous.

Anakin remembered the Sith woman on the asteroid so many years ago, that radiating aura of rage and hate. To think it could be hidden, that it could be silent until it was too late… a disquieting notion.

“Should we join the search?” he asked.

“No. We need to stay with the Duchess and the Senators,” Obi-Wan said, nodding once in Padme’s direction.

“Why? The assassin is hiding, we might be able to sense her or at least help if we’re close enough?” he asked.

“Think, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, not unkindly. “The assassin had to act before she was ready, so we can’t be sure if Senator Amidala was her actual target, or if instead it was Senator Organa or the Duchess, and Senator Amidala’s handmaiden was sadly caught in the crossfire.”

That… that was a good point.

“I already have several Knights of the enclave joining the search,” Fay volunteered. “So I agree with Master Obi-Wan. It would be best if we stay with these three, you two in particular are the greatest combatants the enclave has available at the moment.”

“And so we must act as bodyguards,” Obi-Wan finished for her.

Anakin nodded, mentally dismayed (again) at Master Fay’s stance on pacifism. He could feel the woman’s overwhelming mastery of the Force. If she had even a little inkling towards combat, she could easily be one of the strongest combatants in the Order.

“I will remain with the Duchess,” the woman said calmly, “I imagine Alexandria will do the same once she returns. As such, my weakness in combat will not be an issue.”

“Then I shall remain with the Senator, if you have no objection, Senator Organa.”

“Not at all,” the Alderaanian forced a smile onto his face, still drawn tight with tension and jittery nervousness.

Obi-Wan offered a firm nod. “Then you Anakin…” he nodded towards Padme, “Will remain with Senator Amidala for now.”

The boy felt his heart again flop in his chest.

Even so he turned, offering a smile towards the woman who was so very, very fortunately alive.

“I’d be glad to, Master,” he answered.

—

Hours later, long after the sun had fallen, the palace was a home turned into a fortress. There were checkpoints at every junction, guard checks at each elevator station. Alexandria had taken over the palace security, and Anakin could tell she was leaving nothing to chance.

Two senators dying in Mandalore’s own palace on a diplomatic visit?

If the Sith had been successful, it might very well have been the end of the Coalition the Vizier had spent so many years and a lot of political influence constructing.

A single instant of carelessness had nearly cost them everything.

No, he couldn’t blame her for the extra security, tedious as it might have been.

Even so, they couldn’t stay at their charges’ side every second of every day. Eventually, they had to report these events to the Council, that the Sith had made their move.

“This news is… concerning.”

Master Windu’s understatement belied the growing concern Anakin could see forming on the Jedi Master’s face, his eyes not even really looking at him, Fay or Obi-Wan, but rather rapidly darting this way and that way, his mind piecing together just how close they’d come to complete disaster.

“If either Senator Amidala or Senator Organa would have truly fallen, the anti-slavery Coalition may have collapsed. It would have left Mandalore alone, isolated politically,” Master Ki-Adi-Mundi said.

“And able to be attacked by its enemies, including the Hutts… it would have been war,” Piell sighed, his one good eye clenching shut as he shook his head. “What a mess.”

“I’m afraid it’s even worse than that,” Master Trebor cut in. “Slain by a Sith, one of them would have been. To many beyond our walls, Sith are just another form of Jedi, or something that only exists in history books. The public, and especially the Mandalorian public, would have seen it as a Jedi attacking diplomats, even worse, the ruler of Mandalore. Our Enclave there may very well have been attacked by outraged Mandalorians if something had happened to the Duchess, and public sentiment in the rest of the Republic worlds would have been little better.”

Anakin hadn’t considered that. It made for a grim thought.

“We never should have placed an enclave on that world,” Piell muttered, his voice carrying easily.

“The Sith cannot be allowed to succeed,” Mace called, leaning back in his seat. “Many Masters are away right now, leading their enclaves, but I will send a general call… and we will be assigning teams of two to each potential target.”

“Six Masters?” Obi-Wan’s voice carried the very real undercurrent of shock. “That’s… unheard of for guard duty.”

“If the Sith succeeds in killing any of those three at this juncture, the damage it will cause will be catastrophic,” Ki-Adi answered. “An overabundance of caution in this instance is better than carelessness.”

“I understand-” Obi-Wan nodded. “-but even so, with the Conclave on Corellia just a few weeks away it’s just… surprising.”

“It is… a concern,” Master Trebor admitted. “But let us worry about the Conclave, Knight Kenobi. Your primary concern now needs to be the safety of your charges.”

“A moment, Masters,” Master Rancisis said, holding up a hand as the other stroked his long beard. “Discretion might be needed here,” he said. “The Sith believes she killed one target. I see no reason to undermine that belief. Two Masters returning with the Naberrie entourage to Naboo will reveal her survival clear as day.” The serpentine Master gestured towards the two of them. “I propose that we instead send Masters as intended to Senator Organa and the Duchess of Mandalore, but only Master Obi-Wan or Padawan Skywalker, not both, should accompany the surviving Naberrie. Acquaintances they have been since the Trade Federation Crisis on Naboo. It would not be odd for at least one to accompany her remains to pay respects.”

Also a very good point, and a decent idea. Anakin itched to step forward, to volunteer immediately, but… if it came down between him and Obi-Wan, maybe Obi-Wan would be the stronger of the two of them to defend her-

“Anakin has my full confidence.”

The words nearly bowled him over, and Anakin found himself whipping his head around so fast towards Obi-Wan beside him, he felt the bones of his spine crick.

“He’s still a Padawan,” Piell commented.

“Not for much longer,” Obi-Wan said with a nod. “He is stronger than I was at his age, and has been assisting in training Knights in the Shadowlands for years for an encounter with the Sith,” his Master nodded. “As I said, he has my full and complete confidence. He can be trusted with this mission and any mission you place before him.” Obi-Wan’s hand came up, clapping Anakin on the shoulder as he finally turned to look at the stunned youth with a small, barely there smile on his bearded face. “I can remain here on Mandalore, and his absence will be far less conspicuous than my own anyway.”

“Hmmm.” The sound Mace released was contemplative, eyes like knives as he stared through the hologram.

For the first time in a while, Master Fay’s voice cut in, stopping Mace from speaking

“I agree with Knight Kenobi,” the woman nodded, offering a small smile in Anakin’s direction. “The Force urges us to accept this course of action.”

The other Masters exchanged glances. Mace leaned back in his seat, fingers interlaced in front of him. “We will consider this approach and give you an answer soon. In the meantime, keep the Senators and Duchess safe and on Mandalore for now. You can expect the Masters to arrive in just a few days. The VIPs must stay on the planet under extreme guard. The Sith cannot be allowed to kill any of them.”

“I understand, Master Windu,” Obi-Wan bowed, Anakin following suit, sensing the conversation was over.

Mace nodded. “Padawan, Knight, Master,” he said to each of them in turn, nodding before the feed was cut off leaving the room in gloomy darkness.

—

“Mom,” Anakin was not whining. “I’m fine, really!”

His mother cupped at his cheeks, turning his head this way and that way. “You don’t look like you’ve been eating,” she chided… as she always did when he came to visit.

He didn’t always come. Sometimes, he guiltily had to admit, he tried not to. He knew very well the fact that he visited his mother was a secret Obi-Wan was keeping for him and he didn’t want to abuse that. Most Jedi didn’t get to see their parents.

But after today, with Padme nearly dying… and Arisa likely having been killed, well…

He just wanted to make sure.

“UNCLE ANI!”

The scream of joy brought a smile to his face and Anakin turned at the sound of pounding feet rushing to meet him. He knelt down, grabbing hold of the little boy that was, in truth, getting to be not so little anymore.

But he was still small enough Anakin could pick him up with a dramatic roar of triumph.

The now… six? Was it six? Or seven? Sithspit, he was bad at remembering.

Either way, the boy laughed, delighted as Anakin twirled him through the air before setting him back down. “Daryan!? Is that you! I didn’t recognize you! You’re getting to be as big as a Wookiee!”

“I’ll be as big as dad when I grow up!” the boy declared proudly. Anakin doubted it, but wished him the best of luck. Aras’ height was not common.

“Hi, Uncle Ani,” Jen called, far more calmly as she walked in behind her brother, dragging a stuffed doll of what Anakin could guess was a Basilisk war droid behind her.

It wasn’t lack of enthusiasm that had her dragging the thing, but rather because it was almost as big as she was. She was quite determined to be ready for the day she got her own Basilisk war droid.

Nevermind that her father said the droids were long since lost, Jen said she’d find one and it would be hers.

Anakin very much got the impression that the universe would bow to her will… or else.

He smiled at the twins, opening up his arms. “Where’s a good hug and kiss for your uncle Ani, huh?”

Daryan lurched forward, nearly bowling him over before Jen walked into her half of the embrace – it was a little awkward, hugging both her and the basilisk plushie, but he managed.

Standing with the two twins in his arms was a bit of a struggle. “Ohhh,” he groaned, smiling back at his softly smiling mother. “You want to feed me like them, huh? They’re getting huge.”

“Children grow,” she said fondly “Much as we might want otherwise.” She frowned then. “I heard there was some trouble.”

His own smile slipped. “Something like that… but… it’s fine,” he assured. “We’ll deal with it.”

“Skywalker-”

“Dad!/Daddy!”

The two little ones squirmed out of his grip, rushing to get to their father who marched in behind him.

Anakin offered a nod to the larger man, watching as Aras patted the happy tykes on the head  as they hugged at his legs, barely reaching past his knees.

He looked at the older man. “Any developments?”

“None,” the palace guard answered. “Shift change.”

Anakin nodded. “And Miss Hannah?”

“With Cook,” he answered simply. “They’ll be returning in three days. I’ve been told you might be leaving soon.”

Word spread fast. “That’s not confirmed yet.”

Another nod and a grunt, the door closing behind the man as he extricated himself from the little ones who still grabbed at his hands or the cloth of his pants.

“You’re welcome here for your stay, if you wish,” he answered easily, marching past him.

“Thank you, but I have a job for now,” he admitted. “I just came for a short visit.”

His mother looked sad, but she understood. She always did. “Well, let me get you some food to take with you.”

“Mom, I-”

“Shh. You’ll be taking food,” she declared. “We have too much.”

Aras grunted, but Anakin got the impression he didn’t dare contradict Shmi Skywalker when she wanted to give her son some food.

(X)(X)(X)

I got inspired yesterday and  managed to write up a full chapter in just a few hours, so ya'll get a 2  for one this week :D (again)!!!

Now; some notes for this chapter.

1) At this rate; Hannah and Aras are gonna become Team Mom and Dad. They're already feeding all these kids with them just showing up randomly at their house so its just one step removed really.

2) We are now in the "Time frame" of the Clone Wars film. Now as you can imagine butterflies have flapped their wings to the point that the film's plot is completely destroyed. It will not happen here. But I'll remind everyone that the Clone Wars film itself took place over the course of just a handful of *days*. Now granted seeing as how I destroyed the films plot I can stretch or shorten the time as needed but keep in mind that as we proceed with the following updates these chapters might be within the same day or even just a straight continuation of where the previous chapter left off. I don't want anyone getting confused by this so I'll try to be as clear as possible when time passes but just keep it in the back of your mind that this is all taking place *relatively* quickly. One thing after another rather than spread out over the course of weeks or months. 

Now as a reminder:

1)There is a wonderful discord page for those of you who are on patreon to discuss chapters and other things with members of our comunity without the need to fear spoilers;

https://discord.gg/3DPceAa8

And 2) This fic has a wonderful TV tropes page here:https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/TheWeavingForce

If you're able and willing to add to it I will be very appreciative :)And I'll see you all next week :D