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Chapter Text

"What about Mom?" Anakin asks, "What will happen to her?"

"I tried to free your mother, Anakin," Qui-Gon replies, "But Watto wouldn't have it."

Anakin freezes at the words, the realization slowly starting to sink into his mind. All he's ever wanted is to become a Jedi, to leave Tatooine and one day come back to free all the slaves. But... he always thought (hoped, at least) that his mother would be with him. He can't leave her behind here as a slave.

"Will you come back and free her?"

"Part of becoming a Jedi means leaving your old life behind, Anakin."

He frowns. "I don't understand."

"I can return to free your mother later, but you still wouldn't be able to see her."

What? "Why?!" He wants his mother to be free more than anything, because it'll mean she'll be alright, but this doesn't make sense.

"The Jedi do not allow attachments," Qui-Gon explains, which only serves to confuse Anakin even more, because what? She's his mother, of course he's attached to her.

"Being a Jedi is not an easy life, Anakin," Qui-Gon adds.

Suddenly, it makes a lot more sense why he was saying that earlier. Anakin looks down, uncertainty flooding through him. He always wanted to be a Jedi, still does, but suddenly he's not sure what to say anymore. He can't imagine spending the rest of his life unable to see his mother, simply because he isn't allowed to be attached to her. It doesn't make any sense to him. How can people not care about their family members? He doesn't understand.

"If you still want to come, we need to leave now."

"I... don't want to leave Mom here when she isn't free," Anakin says, finally. That, for sure, he can't do, because if he leaves, he wants to know that at least she's going to be safe. Anything could happen to her with him gone, and he would never even know if she needed his help.

He feels a rush of disappointment run through him, because he was waiting for this day for so long, but he can't leave now, either. He's beginning to have some major second thoughts.

"Alright," Qui-Gon replies, and he seems to understand or at least isn't upset at Anakin's sudden refusal, "I will come back, after this mission is over."

He leaves without much further ado, and Anakin stands near the entrance to the hut, watching him go. Moving closer to his mother, he reaches up, taking her hand. He can't imagine it, walking away like Qui-Gon is right now, knowing that he'll never see Mom again, not even to know if she's alright.

Why would the Jedi demand that?

It still makes no sense to him. Maybe he should've asked more questions about it, but Qui-Gon was in a hurry. He can... ask more about it when the Jedi Master comes back.

If.

Anakin can't explain why he has a slight inkling deep inside of him that he might never see him again.

***

"We must return to Tatooine after our mission is complete," Qui-Gon decides. "The boy is important. He must be trained."

"He's too old," Obi-Wan objects. To put it simply, he doesn't know what his master is thinking. Nine is far, far too old for someone to begin training. Most initiates are brought when they're babies. Three is the normal oldest, though there are sometimes exceptions, if the person is strong and their abilities haven't yet faded.

"He's important," his master replies. "I can sense it."

After the years of knowing his master, Obi-Wan can't help but wonder if there's something more he's not saying. "The Council will never accept him," Obi-Wan points out.

"Then I will train him myself, if I must."

"You can't," Obi-Wan argues. He's still a padawan, and it stings to hear that his master is already thinking about taking another. "What about him is so important?"

Qui-Gon is silent for a moment before he finally answers. "Obi-Wan, the boy has no father, and is of the strongest Force-sensitivity we have ever known. I believe he is the Chosen One."

For a moment, his mind screeches to a halt. He knows how his master has been searching for the Chosen One for years now. "Do you really think the Force would give that role to a random desert child?" Obi-Wan – unlike his master – never cared for the prophecy much. For the little he thought about it, he always assumed the Chosen One which his master has been so fixated on finding would be someone raised at the Temple. After all, why would someone of such importance not be a Jedi? He never believed in it, but it's not his place to argue with his master on this.

"He's special, Obi-Wan. If you meet him, you will know."

***

Qui-Gon did speak to the Council about the boy, but their reaction was much the same as Obi-Wan's. His master doesn't seem deterred in the least, though. The boy didn't accompany him because his mother is still in slavery, he'd said, which is enough to set off a lot of questions. It means the boy already has an attachment to someone, one not easily broken. (Obi-Wan pointedly does not think about how he has the same problem.) The admission gives the Council one further reason to object, but Obi-Wan suspects his master won't obey them, either way.

In the end... they don't have time.

The Sith which Qui-Gon encountered briefly on Tatooine is waiting for them on Naboo, and Obi-Wan knows from the very start that this is going to end badly.

The Zabrak is a deadly fighter, able to keep up with both the master and padawan with ease. How the Sith managed to stay out of the Jedi's sight for a thousand years is beyond Obi-Wan. That was before Master Yoda was born, and he's the oldest Jedi. Any concerns about the presence of Sith have long since been abandoned... until now. (Qui-Gon knew from the start. Somehow, he knew, and he was searching for a means to end them before anyone else suspected.)

The Sith kicks Obi-Wan off the platform they're fighting on, and he falls down a few levels below. By the time he makes it back up to where the battle is continuing – he tries to tamp down on the fear surging through him, worry for his master's safety – the two have made it to the end of the walkway through a line of ray-shields. Obi-Wan is caught behind the first one when they turn back on, and he can only wait impatiently for them to deactivate, hoping he makes it to the end before they turn on again.

The Sith is pacing back and forth at the very end, while Qui-Gon kneels behind the last ray shield, meditating. Obi-Wan can sense how his former master is slowly tiring. He doesn't have the same strength he used to anymore, and the fighting has worn him out. For as much as his master seems undefeatable, Obi-Wan knows he's still very human. He can fail. (He can die.)

The ray shield turns off again and Obi-Wan runs forwards, only to get trapped behind the last one the same way Qui-Gon was. Only, his master and the Sith are fighting now, the fight working its way around a melting pit in the center of the room.

It happens so fast.

Obi-Wan barely registers how it happened, only that Qui-Gon moves a second too slow, and the Sith stabs his blood-red saber through his chest.

Obi-Wan feels it almost immediately, the pain flaring – burning – through their bond, and the place where it was is rapidly filled with a vacuous emptiness as their bond rips in two. It's worse than it probably should have been, because to fight in sync, they have to intertwine their presences.

Horror and denial scream through his mind, as he stares at his master's now motionless form. He's... dead. Gone. Just like that.

He doesn't know how to accept this, how to deal with the sudden wave of shock and grief consuming him.

But he does know, is that's it's rapidly turning into a burning desire for vengeance. This Sith killed Qui-Gon. His master, the only person he's ever truly had a close emotional connection with. (More than he should have, as a Jedi.)

The Sith won't escape with what he's done. Obi-Wan will defeat him; he will make him pay for what he's done. His lightsaber springs to life, humming in his hand as he waits impatiently for the ray shields to deactivate.

The last of them finally hisses off and he charges forwards the Sith, uncaring that he's drawing on the Force with all of his emotions, with all of the pain and anger and desire for vengeance that he feels right now.

Obi-Wan attacks him furiously, but the Sith still matches him blow for blow as their duel starts to carry around the room. He's never felt the Force like thisbefore, so powerfully, responding to his every call. He knows somewhere in the back of his mind that he's drawing on the Dark Side, but right now, he doesn't care.

The red and blue blades continue to clash in a blur, and finally it begins to seem that maybe he's actually forcing the Sith a little onto the defensive.

Obi-Wan tries to Force throw the Sith back, and he instantly raises a hand to counter it. Both of them go flying to opposite sides of the room, Obi-Wan landing near Qui-Gon's body. Seeing him lying so still like this, next to him, only serves to fuel him even more, another wave of grief and anger crashing over him. He wants to hurt the person who dared do this.

He calls his lightsaber back to him, charging for the Sith once more. Their duel doesn't continue for much longer, before he finally manages to find a slight opening in the other's defenses. He slashes the Sith's lightsaber in half, knocking one part of it from his hands. The Sith lunges forwards, blade grazing down across his arm, and Obi-Wan instantly uses the opportunity to his advantage, cutting forwards, stabbing him. Maybe he could've pulled back and left him alive, but he doesn't, running the blade all the way through him instead. He's gone, and it feels good.

Obi-Wan pulls back, breathing hard as the Sith's body falls to the floor. Only now that he's the last one left standing, that he's the only one still alive, does the true implications of everything begin to sink in.

Qui-Gon is gone. Dead, murdered by the Sith.

And he used the Dark Side. He... Fell, because even now he doesn't know if he can let go of the darkness he drew on, doesn't think he even wants to.

The Jedi always warn against this, claiming they'll lose themselves forever once they start down the dark path. He certainly still feels like himself, though. He doesn't feel like the power-hungry, blood-thirsty Fallen ones are always depicted as.

Still, after this, he can't go back to the Jedi – for more than one reason. He doesn't know how and doesn't know if he even wants to let go of the Dark Side, and obviously, the Jedi will never accept that. They'll... he doesn't know, actually, and he doesn't care to stick around and find out.

In truth, he doesn't trust himself either, trust what he'll do. They say the Dark Side turns people into a monster, and... No, he can't and won't be able to return to the Jedi now. Going back would only constantly remind him of this anyway, of everything that happened.

Slowly Obi-Wan crosses the room, kneeling next to Qui-Gon's body. Only hours ago, everything had been fine, and now... He'll never see his master again. Not after this. It hurts more than he could say, and he's never lost anyone before, not like this. He didn't realize it could hurt this much.

The Jedi would say to rejoice that he is now one with the Force, and the mere thought makes him angry, because this should never have happened. It wouldn't have, if not for the Sith. Or if Obi-Wan had been able to do something about it. With the strength the Dark Side gave him now, he doubts if Qui-Gon would've died in the first place, had he accepted it sooner.

There's... too much going on right now, all of the things that happened in the last few minutes clashing with everything he once believed, and he doesn't know how to start trying to sort it out. But he still needs to finish the mission, and then leave before more Jedi show up.

He doesn't know where he'll go, but then, he suddenly remembers one of the last things Qui-Gon was telling him, about that boy on Tatooine. He can go there, train him as Qui-Gon would have. He knows it's what his master would want. It was what his master had wanted, the last request he'd made, not long before. This, at least, gives him something to focus on. It gives him center, a purpose.

Another wave of grief runs through him as he realizes that this means he won't even be able to attend Qui-Gon's funeral. It won't happen until this is over, and he can't wait for that. The Jedi will show up, and he doesn't know if they'd try to restrain him, but it's not a risk he'll take.

"I'm sorry, Master," he whispers quietly, to the empty room, before he reaches down, picking up his master's lightsaber and clipping it to his own belt.

He stares at him for one final time before he turns, sprinting out of the room, back the way he came. He draws more on the Dark Side as he does, letting it dampen the grief running through him, letting him focus on his anger and determination instead.

Making his way through the palace to find the Queen is easy enough. He quickly cuts through any droids that he finds in his making his way to the upper levels of the palace.

He arrives at the room where the Queen is, just as some destroyers approach it from the outside. The Dark Side siphons away his pain, drawing it into itself until it's nothing, filling him with power. And with it comes one certainty: he will not let another person in his care die today. Obi-Wan lifts them with the Force, crushing them into a sparking ball of metal and wires. He carelessly throws them aside and opens the door with the Force.

As it turns out, Gunray is as much a coward as Obi-Wan had hoped he was. It takes no more than a lightsaber pointed at him and a few well-placed threats to get him to backtrack and agree to shut down his army.

Now that all is said and done, the former-padawan turns to the Queen. "Do you have a ship I can... borrow?"

***

Obi-Wan didn't realize one (very obvious) slight little problem until too late... he has no idea what the boy's name is. It's not hard to guess though, because there's only one name anybody in the city will talk about right now. From there, it's easy to track him down.

Anakin Skywalker. That's his name. It... fits.

(He wishes he'd been able to be at his master's funeral, to see him finally put to rest. It would've given them some form of closure.)

"That was Qui-Gon's," the boy says first thing, his gaze fixed on the said Jedi's lightsaber. "Where is he?"

Why is that the first thing anybody wants to ask Obi-Wan? "He's gone," Obi-Wan replies, and the pain and grief he should normally have felt is instantly drawn in by the Dark Side. He won't – can't – let go of it. When he does, the realization and emotions accompanying the events in the last few days will come crashing down, and he is by no means ready to process it.

Anakin's eyes widen, shock flitting across his face along with his Force-signature before shifting to confusion and sorrow.

"I came here to train you," Obi-Wan adds, when he gets the idea that the boy is either in too much shock or too shy to say anything more. "If that's what you want."

The boy hesitates for a moment. "What will happen to Mom?"

"I'll free her," he promises, "And we'll stay here." It's not as if Obi-Wan has anywhere else he can go anymore.

And that was how Obi-Wan and the Skywalkers ended up on a moisture farm near the Lars.

***

"I don't know how to be free," Anakin says, "I don't know how to do this." He's wanted to be free his whole life, but now that he is, he doesn't even know how to handle it, what to expect, or anything, really.

"We all have to learn," Shmi replies. They're standing outside their new home, and Anakin can hardly believe it's actually theirs. He can only half comprehend the implications. Well, technically it belongs to Obi-Wan, but they're all living together now.

"What do I do?" Anakin wonders. Because honestly, he's only half sure. Watto's always told him what to do, all the time. Now, he feels... lost.

"You'll learn to be a Jedi," Shmi replies, "And there will always be the farm work here." Right. Because they do live on a moisture farm now.

Anakin stares out at the horizon for a few long moments, at the endless dunes of sand. Now that he's free, there's something else that he hopes maybe he'll be able to do. Try to free other slaves. They don't have to worry about hiding everything from Watto, so it should be easier. And maybe it will be easier to get the parts he needs to finish up the device to deactivate chips, too. He won't let them remain in slavery if he has a choice.

They don't have the chance to say anything more, before Obi-Wan approaches, calling Anakin away so that he can continue with his training. In reality, using the Force is nothing like Anakin imagined it as. It's much more complicated, and for whatever reason, he can't get it to flow through him the way Obi-Wan does. He can't interact with it properly.

"You need to stop rushing," Obi-Wan instructs. "It will take time. To master the Force, you must accept this."

He says it like it's so simple, but it's not. Anakin doesn't know how to 'slow down' because he can't. He never has. "How long is it supposed to take?" he asks.

"Most younglings start training when they are still very young and haven't yet closed themselves off to the Force," Obi-Wan replies, "Usually, it is not difficult, but you are starting late. It will take... time."

"Oh." He doesn't want it to take long, though. There's so much he wants to learn and do, and he's afraid Obi-Wan will be upset – even if he's been far more patient and understanding than most adults Anakin's known.

"There's no rush," Obi-Wan repeats. "Trying to rush will only slow you down."

He wants to finish learning, to get good enough to become a Jedi so they can help. "I understand," Anakin says, though he's really not sure he does.

"Good. Then, let's try again."

***

"I'm almost done with it," Anakin announces one morning. He looks down at the device in his hands. The device should work to deactivate the chips, and that means they'll finally be able to start freeing the slaves.

He knows it's more complicated than that, of course, because they have to have somewhere they can go and avoid being massacred by the outraged slavers, but... it's a start, and that's what matters most.

Besides, Obi-Wan is here to help them, and he's a Jedi.

Or a Fallen Jedi.

Anakin still doesn't get the difference, but whatever.

"Then it's time for us to start planning," Obi-Wan decides. "It's going to be a fight, even with the chips deactivated, and we'll need more people who can help."

"There is that... movement," Anakin points out. The anti-slavery movement that Anakin used to help with once, as much as he could. Which wasn't much without someone realizing that he was up to something. It's a secret that few people know about, but Anakin had found out because of one of his friends, one who was long since sold again.

"We'll have to get into contact with them, and act together," Obi-Wan decides, "We'll start in Mos Espa."

***

Two years later, the Sith – for so he proudly calls himself now – stands in the center of the main room in Jabba's palace, surveying the destruction. The battle is won, and he knew from the start who would come out triumphant, even if he feared at times who would be with him. He throws the Hutt's dead body off the throne with the Force. A new age for the planet will begin now, and Obi-Wan knows the Hutts will let the planet go. Starting a war would be bad for them.(Hopefully.)

Chapter Text

It's been six years since Anakin last saw Padme. (And since Qui-Gon died, but that's not something he talks about.) He's seventeen now, and the newly appointed Senator of Tatooine. He's young, yes, but it's not like anyone knows what they're walking into. If he'd known, he never would have agreed to this.

This is a nightmare.

The Senate is one of the most chaotic places he's been to in a long time, and that's saying something. He's only half following most everything people are talking about, and the times he does, he has no idea why everyone else is being so stupid.

"Ani?" Padme exclaims, surprised.

"Padme," he replies, awkwardly. He hasn't seen her in years, even if he has heard plenty about her, and he doesn't know how much she's changed.

"My goodness, you've grown."

"So have you," he replies automatically, flushing when he realizes it's not really true. She's different though. She's older, more mature in some ways.

Padme laughs. He missed hearing it. "How did you get from being a little boy to a Senator?"

"My i- my father made himself the leader of Tatooine, and I became the prince, and when we were established enough, I was the best choice. Better me than Mom." He almost laughs at the image off his mother being in this place. Oh, she'd be so much better than him, but for as comical as it would be to see her yelling at the Senate or trying to make treaties with people, she's safe on Tatooine with Obi-Wan. Anakin knows the intricacies of politics on his planet, of course. He's one of the few who rebuilt it, after all, and it's much safer him to be the one here on Coruscant, representing them. He has Force-training, and it's enough to protect him from any enemies he could have here.

"I agree," Padme says, looking amused, "And I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Honestly, I don't see how you get anything done here," Anakin deadpans.

"It takes time, when you're one of the newer members," Padme admits. "People are far more willing to pay attention to what well-established Senators have to say. I imagine it's harder since Tatooine is still establishing itself."

"Was it this... complicated for you?" Anakin asks.

"Well, initially the Senate didn't look fondly on the fact that I'd called for a Vote of No Confidence in the last Chancellor, and then Palpatine had become the Chancellor, so it was... difficult," she admits.

Anakin winces. "I can see why that would cause such a commotion." It would have likely looked like a setup, after all.

"It's gets easier, though," she promises, "You have to find the right allies. And Naboo and Tatooine have already worked together plenty in the past, so..."

"Yes, we have," Anakin agrees. And he knows that at least he'll be able to work with Padme to try and get things done, but that's only one person.

"So, what's Tatooine like now?" Padme queries, "I'm sure it's changed a lot since I was there."

"It's a little more civilized," he answers. "The slavers who survived had to accept it or move out if they weren't already killed. Many of them were. We're weeding out criminals, but it's still a good place for anyone to disappear."

"On a planet with that much corruption, I'm sure it's going to take a lot of time," Padme says, "You've made a lot of progress already."

"Yes, we have," Anakin agrees. He can't imagine how things would have turned out if he had decided to leave with Qui-Gon that day and go on to become a Jedi. Would he have gotten to know Obi-Wan this well? Would anyone have come to free Tatooine? The Jedi certainly haven't been any help to them. It's a battle they had to fight all on their own, and he hasn't forgotten. The only one who was there for help when they needed it was Naboo. He imagines that things are going to stay that way, even here in the Senate. But at least having Padme and a few other Outer Rim worlds they've been dealing with over the years as allies is a good start.

***

The Separatist movement is diving the galaxy, and Obi-Wan knew it would be a matter of time before it had an effect on Tatooine as well. That doesn't mean he expected it when Dooku himself decides that he wants to meet with him. In truth, he agrees with the Separatist ideals. He knows – as does Anakin – that the Republic is full of corruption. Likely, there is no way to weed it out, but it's not his concern, so long as his planet and family are safe.

The first thing Obi-Wan notices the moment the Count steps into the room is how he feels in the Force. Obviously, he knows Dooku used to be a Jedi, but for some reason he feels... dark. In much the same way that Obi-Wan himself does, even if Dooku is shielding himself well. One thing Obi-Wan realized about embracing the Dark Side is that it makes him far more attuned with the Force in a way he never has been before, in a way he never knew was possible.

If Dooku notices that Obi-Wan is a Dark Sider, he doesn't comment, instead trying to focus the topic of the conversation on how it would be in Tatooine's best interests to join the Separatists.

Obi-Wan might actually agree with him, if not for one not-so-slight problem.

"Are you a Sith?" he asks bluntly, because if he is, there's absolutely no way Obi-Wan is making deals with him of any kind. First of all, he knows he'll be betrayed in the end anyway because that's the way of the Sith, and secondly, he won't have anything to do with the line of Sith that's responsible for his master's death.

"I am," the Count answers, after a moment.

Obi-Wan's eyes narrow, his anger flaring. "I will not make deals with Sith, Count."

"You yourself are a Dark Sider," he replies, calmly.

Yes, and that doesn't mean he has to want to have anything to do with the line of Sith responsible for Qui-Gon's death. "I'm not the kind of Sith you are," he retorts, "I want you off my planet, immediately."

"It would be inadvisable for you to destroy an opportunity like this," Dooku warns, ominously, "The Republic will abandon your planet in time, as they do to all others."

Maybe they will, but he knows the Separatists won't be any different if they're being led by the Sith. The people who are part of the movement are definitely doing it for the best – and Obi-Wan does still support them, honestly – but they have no idea what they're actually getting themselves into. "You heard my decision, Count."

"You're making a mistake you're going to regret," Dooku warns, before he turns, leaving the palace without another word.

Well, that went well, all things considered.

***

"I don't see how the Senate can believe forming a military like this is going to solve the problem," Padme rants, for hardly the first time that evening.

"The Outer Rim Alliance will all vote against it," Anakin points out. It's beyond frustrating for him too. The Senate always seems to think that reacting with violence is the only answer to everything the moment that the Republic as a whole is being questioned, but when individual planets need their help – and could use some military aid – suddenly no one wants to do anything.

"Hopefully that will be enough," Padme sighs.

"At least it guarantees a certain number of votes against it," Anakin declares. The Outer Rim Alliance is the group of planets in Tatooine's general area which are all closely allied with Tatooine. They have an alliance of sorts in the Republic itself, and for the most part, they all have common interests. "We just need to focus on getting more to our side."

"I have a few ideas on that," she replies.

Sabe clears her throat from behind Padme, where she's working on braiding her hair. "Did you two forget something?"

Anakin blinks. "What?"

"It's literally your wedding night," she says flatly, "Like one hour away, and all you're talking about is politics."

"Hey, this is crucial to the fate of the galaxy," Padme protests.

"All of your work is," Sabe replies, "But you've been discussing it for hours already. Maybe now would be time for at least a little break? Maybe think about your plans for the future?"

"Our plans for the future most urgently involve defeating the Military Creation Act," Anakin insists, although privately, he has to admit he does see Sabe's point. Still, there's too much on his mind right now to try properly relaxing. At least when there's such pressing matters to deal with. If Anakin had known it was going to be such a problem in the Senate right now, they've might've considered postponing the wedding a little longer, but... It's been planned for so long now, it was too late to change the date.

Sabe sighs dramatically. "You know what I mean."

"I'll let you two finish preparing," Anakin decides finally, "I'll be waiting with the others."

He slips out of the room, leaving the girls alone for now. He long since finished his own preparations but Padme...

Well, she does tend to take quite a long time. And he had some urgent Senate matters they needed to discuss, so he figured why not stop by in the middle to talk about it.

They're at the Lake House resort now, along with the other guests who have been invited.

He steps out onto the balcony of the house, staring out at the shimmering lake below, drawing in a deep breath of the fresh air. For a moment, he tries to let the pressing matters from the Senate fade from his mind and actually think about what's about to happen.

He's become steadily closer and closer with Padme over the years as they worked in the Senate together, and now they're... going to become so much more.

Excitement floods him again as he thinks about what's about to happen. It will be... complicated for them to have a marriage when they live on and work for two totally different planets, but they can make it work. They've both awaited this day for so long. He might still be young, but... for Tatooine, it's not really that young.

"Are you ready?"

Anakin looks up at the sound of Obi-Wan's voice. He's standing in the doorway watching him, a fond smile on his face.

"Suddenly, I'm nervous," he admits. Even he's hardly sure why, except that this is... one of the most significant events in his life.

"You've handled a Senate full of imbeciles, trained as a Sith, evaded angry krayt dragons, and fought off Tuskens for years. And you know her very well. You really don't need to be."

Anakin chuckles in spite of everything. "I know, Ipa." It's the slave language – called Amatakka – word for father, one of the titles which he's bestowed on the man who trained and helped raise him.

Behind Obi-Wan, Shmi steps into view, smiling brightly. "It's almost time, Anakin."

He looks between both of them, his... parents, for a long moment, before nodding. He doesn't get to spend as much time with them as he wants to, as he used to, ever since he became a Senator, but he'll always be glad for the time he does get with them.

He can't imagine it: a world where he was raised as Jedi without being able to have this.

It isn't long before Anakin finds himself standing across from Padme with sun sinking down to the horizon, as the Nubian holy man stands close by, his hands raised as he recites the marriage texts.

When the man finishes speaking, the ceremony is officially over. Anakin reaches forwards taking Padme's hand in his.

It's over.

They're officially married. He can't believe it. He can feel her happiness in the Force, only serving to magnify his own.

They won't have long here, because the next morning, they'll have to leave for Coruscant again to deal with this Senate bill, and his parents will be returning to Tatooine, but at least for now, he can enjoy the time they'll have together.

***

"I don't need more protection," Padme declares adamantly as she sits facing the Jedi... bodyguards. "I want to find out who's trying to kill us."

They had expected something was going to happen on the way back to Coruscant after their marriage, but Anakin hadn't expected a sniper to try taking them out. He had reacted in time to get himself and Padme to safety, but by the time they could reorient themselves, the shooter was already gone.

And that is how the duo end up under Jedi protection, a thing neither are happy about. Anakin understands it though; the Jedi don't know that Anakin is a trained Force-sensitive who's stronger than any of them could ever hope to be. (Not that he's bragging. It's just... the truth.) Anakin is perfectly capable of protecting them both, but he hopes maybe, this way, they'll find out the truth.

"That is outside of our mandate," the Jedi Master Aayla Secura replies, "But if another attempt is made, we may find a lead with which to track."

"Very well," Anakin agrees, though Padme doesn't look much happier. His gaze is still on the Togruta padawan – Ahsoka Tano. She feels very bright in the Force, her wide blue eyes darting around the room, as if taking in everything at once.

"I've heard of you," Ahsoka remarks to him once they're in a slightly less formal setting. "The take-over on Tatooine was..."

"Well heard of and very controversial?" he supplies. In truth, Tatooine became a bit of a legend. For many people it was inspiring, a symbol of hope, but there were just as many who didn't benefit from it and were upset. That's why Anakin highly suspects many people in the Senate would be perfectly happy with him gone, and Padme has just as many enemies. Tracking down the person trying to eliminate them would be hard, especially after the recent formation of the Outer Rim Alliance – an alliance of systems Anakin formed. They work closely together.

"It was amazing!"

He smiles at her enthusiasm. "Yes, it was. It was all I'd wanted since I was young."

"Almost everyone knows about you," Aayla Secura tells him, "But an investigation would be... hard."

"Why?" Ahsoka asks.

"We have many enemies," Anakin answers vaguely.

"Enemies?" Ahsoka repeats incredulously. "Why?"

She's still so young and has every bit of the innocence Anakin himself never had. She may be a Jedi, but she has no idea how the real-world works. "When the Hutts were chased off Tatooine, a lot of things changed, and a lot of people lost money. And Padme is... good at uncovering injustices."

"You both are," Aayla speaks up.

Anakin acknowledges it with a nod. "Padme believes the Republic can be saved despite its corruption," he tells them. He doesn't know for sure whether or not he believes that, but he's willing to give being a part of the Republic a chance, at least.

***

It was Padme's idea to cover the cameras with hopes of luring the assassin out again, to which Anakin and Aayla firmly agree. All things considered, Anakin is unsurprised when he awakens to the Force screaming of danger.

By the time the Jedi arrive, the threat has already been eliminated by Anakin throwing the poisonous worms onto the floor with the Force and Artoo zapping them into oblivion.

Ahsoka has other ideas, though. She spots the droid outside the window almost immediately and runs to the window, jumping out straight through glass and blinds and everything, trying to catch onto the droid.

"Windows aren't cheap, you know," Anakin yells after her as she scrambles clumsily onto the tiny droid. He can't deny a mild concern for her safety – she's not very experienced.

Aayla lets out a sigh of exasperation, lifting a hand and catching the droid with the Force before it can fly away with Ahsoka on top of it, and drags them both back in through the window.

"Neither are blinds," Anakin adds as Ahsoka lands on the floor again, looking grumpy.

"I had to stop it somehow," she protests, climbing to her feet, shaking herself off. Frankly, he's mildly surprised the shards of glass all over her clothes didn't injure her more seriously than it appears.

"We can crack into its memory banks and trace the signal," Aayla declares, lifting the droid. "I will take this back to the Temple. My padawan will remain with you in case there is another attempt."

As if. Anakin is far more capable of eliminating threats than she is. It's not as if the Jedi know it, and he's not foolish enough to let them know, so he keeps his objections to himself. (He's still disturbed about how long the padawan will survive being so reckless though. The galaxy isn't an easy place.)

***

Anakin can think of a lot of words to describe his situation right now, none of which he'll voice. The Chancellor ordered him and Padme to return to Naboo while the Jedi investigate, and that's not something they can go against. Personally, Anakin would very much like to. He doesn't like the Chancellor much – they never got along well. It's nothing personal, it just is – but he still has to follow the rules, so if the Chancellor tells him to leave Coruscant temporarily, well... He has to listen.

"You seem upset," Obi-Wan says over the hologram.

"You wouldn't believe this," Anakin begins.

"You just got married, and you're already getting in trouble?" he quips.

"Ipa, this isn't funny!" The Sith constantly alternates between being frustratingly chipper and exceedingly cranky, and it seems right now he's the former.

"Then what is it?"

"An assassination attempt," Anakin explains grudgingly. "The Chancellor ordered Padme and I off-planet – we're returning to Naboo – while the Jedi investigate. But we're going to miss the vote, and you know what that means."

"I do," Obi-Wan sighs, looking none too happy, "But I would be more concerned over your safety."

"Obi-Wan, you taught me. I can take care of us."

"Perhaps." He's not playing anymore. Anakin can see and sense it. "But the other Sith are still out there, and I do not want you anywhere near them."

"They wouldn't come to Coruscant if they wanted to kill me," Anakin replies. He knows how much this means to Obi-Wan. After all, it was a Sith who murdered his father's former master, the closest thing he'd had to a father himself. He knows how much his father fears losing him. When he was young, it had been to the point of not wanting to let Anakin out of his sight. He had appreciated it so much then. He still does now. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"You don't know that," he replies, seriously.

"I'll take the hope that it's just someone with a random, petty grudge," Anakin shrugs, "But it could be worse, and we will be careful. I always am."

"And yet," the Sith says dryly, "Trouble always finds you."

"Me or you?" Anakin asks, smirking. "It follows you everywhere, too."

"It never attracted me until I met you," he defends.

Rude. "Anyway, I'll be hanging around some Jedi for the next few days," Anakin continues. "They don't seem so bad."

"They sometimes appear to be what they are not," Obi-Wan warns, "Be cautious."

"Of course. I'll see you soon, I hope."

Obi-Wan nods. "Stay safe, and may the Force be with you."

"And with you," Anakin echoes, before the hologram flickers off.

Sometimes he thinks he wants nothing more than to abandon politics and go live with his family. He misses his mother and Obi-Wan and really, really wants to spend more time alone with Padme without constantly stressing about the galaxy's chaos. Sabe was right about that.

***

This is one of Ahsoka's very first missions, so yes, she is excited. She doesn't know what to expect, but it's the thrill of something new that gets to her. She and her master are accompanying the duo to Naboo now, and the planet catches her attention almost immediately. She's known a little about it, but the Force here is extremely peaceful in a way she's never truly known. It's calm at the Temple, yes, but here it's in an even more natural way here.

"I think this is my new favorite planet," Ahsoka chirps as they look around the Lake House retreat, as she was told it's called.

"It's one of the only planets you've ever been too," Aayla points out, mildly amused.

"Well, it's certainly a lot nicer here than it is on Ilum."

"Where's that?" asks Padme.

"The place we get our kyber crystals from," she explains, "And it's freezing there. I nearly fell into an icy river."

"Doesn't sound like the most ideal place to send younglings too," Anakin says dryly.

She shrugs. "It's part of first learning to fuse the Force when we're on our own." It was... scary at the time, but one of the biggest milestones into becoming a Jedi. She leans against the railing, looking out at the view surrounding them. "I don't think anyone will be sneaking up on you, here."

"That is why we came here. Tatooine would be... a little too potentially risky," Anakin informs.

"Why?"

"There's still plenty of... criminal activity there, and there's a limited number of places to even go there. All settlements are located around the same areas."

"Oh," Ahsoka says, "I'd like to go there, some time."

"I imagine we may have a mission in that area, eventually," Aayla tells her.

The rest of the day passes relatively smoothly. They have about all the free time in the world, and Ahsoka is more than happy to spend it getting to know Anakin and Padme. They're the first politicians she's ever met and honestly, they're nothing like what she's always heard about the way politicians are.

She might have been hoping for a little more action on one of her first missions ever, but she finds she's not in any hurry for this to be over.

***

Ahsoka isn't sure it's technically appropriate to be... fooling around like this with the people she's supposed to be protecting, but she can't find it in herself to care. Besides, if her master had a problem with it, she would've said something. Although Aayla did make it clear that she has no intention of joining them out here in the water.

"And here I thought you were from a desert planet," Ahsoka puffs, diving out of the way as Anakin swims past her again.

"That doesn't mean I don't know how to swim," he retaliates.

"We spend more time here than we have on Tatooine," Padme calls, from a little further away in the lake.

"I guess that explains a few things."

Ahsoka swims closer, splashing water in Anakin's face. Or trying to, because he always manages to anticipate it and get out of the way in time, first.

"How do you keep doing this?" she huffs.

"I would've expected Jedi to have faster reflexes," he teases.

Hey. "I would've expected someone from the desert to be a little slower in the water!"

"I learn quickly," he says, smugly.

"Race me to the other end of the lake," she shoots back, turning around and streaking away across the water as fast as she can. It's probably only a result of not waiting for them to start at the same time that she reaches the other end first.

"Beat you," Ahsoka smirks.

"Did you... Snips?" he teases.

"Hey!" She splashes out of the water, settling on the bank, right as Artoo rolls up, beeping furiously.

"There's an incoming message from Master Vos," declares Aayla, standing up, "Come on."

Ahsoka immediately scurries after her, pretending that she isn't still trailing water behind her. They can worry about that... later. Whatever this message is, it must be important.

And as it turns out, it definitely is.

The Jedi Master gives them a very brief summary of the situation, that apparently, he found out of an alliance between Dooku and some of the commerce guilds, and it appears that the assassination attempts are courtesy of Gunray. And also, the Separatists are building a droid army. He doesn't get further than that, telling them that the Geonosians have spotted his ship, and if they don't hear from him in a few rotations, it's probably because he's stuck there needing a pick-up.

The transmission breaks at that.

"Stay where you are. We will handle the situation," Windu instructs Aayla.

"Yes, Master," she confirms, though Ahsoka can still see a hint of concern in her eyes as the call disconnects.

Anakin and Padme approach from behind them, looking worried.

"I should have known Gunray was behind it," Padme growls.

"I suspected as much," Anakin admits, "But if he's allying with Dooku, that could prove to be... an even bigger problem in the future."

"That's why we're here," Ahsoka chirps.

"I know," Anakin says, "And while I appreciate your efforts, we can't have Jedi guards forever, and we're needed in the Senate – especially now – not out here in hiding."

"The threat should be over soon," Aayla offers.

"I hope so," Padme says, expression still grim.

***

As it turns out, they end up spending the next entire week here on Naboo. Anakin is more than a little relieved that now they're finally able to head back for Coruscant, but now, it hardly matters.

Everything is already said and done, and... he can hardly believe everything that's happened in the past couple days.

There was constant debating in the Senate – with plenty of protests from the Outer Rim Alliance – but in the end, Palpatine was given emergency powers and basically decided to start a war with the Separatists. They sent Jedi to invade Geonosis and rescue Vos, along with newly purchased clone troopers.

Purchased.

And because they're "clones" apparently that means they don't qualify as slaves, so it's legal.

And yes, Anakin is furious. "I can't believe the Republic is supporting this," he rants as the starship streaks through hyperspace, heading back to the capital.

On second thought, yes, he can, because it isn't like the Republic has never made deals with Huts or slavers in the past either, and conveniently forgotten that their own laws don't allow things like that.

"I don't see how they could start a war like this, either," Padme replies, equally incensed, "Now there's definitely no chance of getting the Separatist systems to stay in the Republic peacefully, anymore."

"The Senate has already asked the Jedi for their assistance in the war," Aayla declares, gravely.

"Will the Council agree?" Anakin asks.

"I imagine they will," she replies, "Someone needs to defend the Republic in this conflict."

Or they could have not started the conflict in the first place, but he withholds the retort. It isn't Aayla's fault this happened, after all. "There's some things we can try in the Senate," Anakin says, looking to Padme, "But at this point, I don't think it's going to get anywhere."

"It's worth a shot, at least."

He decides to keep any further rants to himself, as it instead crosses his mind that they're almost back to Coruscant now, which means it's time to say goodbye to their Jedi escort.

Or Ahsoka, anyway. He'll admit that he's become quite fond of the padawan.

"Looks like we'll see each other later... Snips," Anakin says, looking down at her. Or so he can hope, at least. He doesn't know if he'll ever end up running into the same Jedi again.

"Looks like it," she says, with significantly less cheer than she's been showing this whole time. "I can come by the Senate some time, maybe, if you don't mind."

"We don't," Anakin assures her, "I'd be happy to have someone to talk to other than another politician."

"You're welcome to come by any time," Padme promises, right as the ship jolts out of hyperspace.

Time to get to work.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan senses the disturbance in the Force immediately. Danger. Something is very wrong.

He doesn't have to wait more than a few minutes to find out what.

Several palace guards rush into the room only moments later, their worry and fear pouring into the Force. "A Separatist fleet has just come out of hyperspace above the planet. They're blockading it and preparing to land," reports one of them.

Of course. He should have known this would happen eventually. Well, he did suspect it, but it isn't something they're ready to deal with, not right now.

They don't have any sort of air force, and they're still working on trying to rebuild the planet, so they don't have much in way of military force either, though it will be enough to defend the palace if things come to it. Most people on Tatooine can use a blaster, so if the droids start going after the civilians, they should be able to defend themselves, to a point.

But he's not going to take any chances. "Lock down the palace," Obi-Wan orders. That's likely exactly where the droids are heading, already. "Warn the people not to engage the droids in the city unless they have to."

They don't need to start a senseless massacre, because he knows that's exactly what the droids will do if they think they have a reason to.

The guards hurry from the room to do as instructed, and Obi-Wan immediately moves to his long-range transmitter. The Separatists will likely block transmissions any moment now, so he needs to make this fast.

He uses the emergency frequency, and Anakin picks up the call immediately.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin asks, worry clear in his gaze. He knows something's wrong, of course, or Obi-Wan wouldn't be calling him this urgently.

"The Separatists are attacking," he explains, getting right to the point, "See if you can get Republic assistance."

Anakin's reply is abruptly cut off as the line goes staticky. They jammed the transmissions. But he already got the call through. It doesn't matter.

Outside, Obi-Wan can hear the muffled sound of blaster fire.

The droids are here, already.

He hurries from the room, making his way up to the upper levels of the palace, where they have balconies overlooking the surrounding area. He finds Shmi first, positioned on one of the balconies, sniping down at the droids below. Numerous others are already taking up positions to join her.

"There's hundreds of them," she observes, as he moves to join her, expression grim.

There are regular and super battle droids, swarming all around the palace now. There's only way to get through, though.

Through the main entrance door.

And it's totally sealed off. The droids themselves will never be able to get inside.

"They won't be able to break through like that," Obi-Wan observes. The door is literally several feet thick for a reason, after all. Jabba intended the palace to be secure in case of attacks, and that certainly works to their advantage right now.

"Unless they bring in something bigger," Shmi calls, shooting several more times down at the droids. The blasts strike their mark, and the droids collapse to the ground. Some of them try to shoot up at the balconies, but it's too high above them, and the shots miss completely.

"They will," Obi-Wan says, because he knows that much. If they've come this far, they'll be prepared to deal with anything.

Except maybe another Sith.

He doesn't have to wait long to see what the Separatists are planning to do. The droids move out of the way, making room for several much larger spider-shaped droids which march towards the front entrance.

The first of them fires, the blast striking the door hard. Nothing happens, but he knows already that blasts like that are going to damage it, especially if they keep up.

Several of the spider droids fire again, at once, and the blasts slam into the door again.

Shmi aims her blaster downwards, firing at one of them, but the angle is too awkward, and the shot only glances off the side of one of them. At this angle, it will be impossible to destroy them.

"The Republic should be on its way," Obi-Wan declares, and he can only hope it's true. The Separatists have more than enough droids to overrun the entire planet, if that's what they're planning to do. "And I'll be waiting for the droids, if they break through."

He turns away from the balcony, heading down for the main level of the palace.

Almost constant blaster shots are bombarding the door when Obi-Wan finally reaches the ground level. The ground is shaking a little, from the force of it, but still, the door is holding. It's several feet of stone after all. It will be fine. For now.

He reaches down, hands resting on his and Anakin's lightsabers. (He still keeps it with him, because Anakin doesn't take it off planet.) When the droids do get through, he'll be waiting for them.

***

"Are you certain of this, Senator?" asks Aayla, expression doubtful.

"Yes," Anakin says, firmly, unable to help but feel a flare of irritation, "I can handle it."

More than they'll ever realize actually, considering that he's the strongest Force sensitive known, according to Obi-Wan. He's just careful to avoid letting any of the Jedi know that.

He supposes her concern about him asking to come down and participate in the literal battle is a reason to be on edge – when she doesn't know he's trained – but he's too tense to care for such concern right now. The Separatists are attacking his home. He is going to make them regret it.

"It is her job to worry," Ahsoka points out, as Aayla walks away, stepping over to Anakin's side. It's good to see her again, though he wishes it was under different circumstances.

"I suppose it is," Anakin agrees, with a forced smile.

"So, uhh... isn't your dad a former Jedi?" asks Ahsoka.

Anakin blinks at the unexpectedness of the question. "Yes...?"

"I'm sure he'll be able to help, back down there. Don't worry, your planet will be fine." He's not sure if she firmly believes that or if she's trying to cheer him up, but he appreciates the effort regardless.

He smiles faintly, reaching out and resting a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks, Snips."

The cruiser of the 501st finally jolts out of hyperspace, only to come face to face with the Separatist ships orbiting the planet. They've installed an entire blockade here, Anakin realizes immediately, and they'll never reach the surface unless they're able to break through here first.

He crosses his arms as he watches out the front viewport, his apprehension skyrocketing. They're already down on the surface and that means there's likely been a battle raging at the palace all this time.

Hopefully the droids aren't taking it out on the civilians too, like they usually do.

And Obi-Wan and Shmi... Are they alright?

He knows Obi-Wan should be fine, but he can't say the same for his mother, not if the droids have managed to break into the palace. They need to get down thee. As soon as possible.

Before long, a space battle is raging all around the cruiser, with Aayla standing the bridge, giving orders to the clones.

The Republic's slave army.

More than anything Anakin wishes they hadn't had to ask for Republic assistance here, but they didn't have much of a choice at this point. Still, that doesn't mean he has to like it. The clones are a slave army, and no matter what excuses the other Senators throw out for why they had to purchase an army, there is none. It's proof that the Republic is corrupt, and if the Separatists weren't just as bad, he'd join them in a heartbeat.

"We may be able to break through and reach the surface, shortly," Aayla announces, finally looking to Anakin.

"You can come with me," Ahsoka offers immediately as the clones who aren't out in the space battle already start heading to the remaining gunships.

Anakin takes a position next to the padawan, and the captain – Rex, he'd heard him being called – of the 501st as they start flying down for the surface once the Republic Star Destroyer is able to drop down into Tatooine's atmosphere.

Explosions ring out around them, as the droids shoot at them, many flying down to try and intercept the gunships.

"We're taking heavy fire!" one of the clones calls.

"Close the blast doors," Rex orders, and the door to the gunship slides closed, plunging them into momentary darkness before the emergency lighting flicks on, flooding them in a red glow.

He can feel the death in the Force, the feel of so many of the clones dying, and it's even more infuriating. All of this death and destruction for nothing. It's not as if the clones have a say in this matter. They don't have a choice. They're being bought and sent off to fight and die for a Republic that's literally enslaving them.

The Republic really isn't any better than the Separatists, in the end.

It's not the first time he's begun to question if Tatooine even belongs as part of the Republic anymore, but it's something he'll have to think about more later. Right now, he needs to focus on the battle; Not that that's hard when he can feel the danger all around them.

Another particularly loud explosion rings out, and the ship suddenly jerks violently.

"We're hit!" warns the clone pilot.

"Just keep us steady," Ahsoka calls, though he can hear the worry in her voice.

He's pretty sure they're much closer to their destination now, but the intensity of the fighting hasn't let up yet. Another shot rings out, and the ship jolts again, hard, nearly throwing all of them to the floor.

"We're going down," the pilot warns, as the gunship shakes violently, and Anakin can feel it speeding for the ground much too quickly for his liking. Right now, he really wishes that he was the one flying the ship. He hasn't flown spaceships ships in all-out battle before but still. He has the Force, and he's crashed enough times to know how to do so while causing minimum damage.

"Hang on," Ahsoka warns him, but he can sense her apprehension in the Force, as she tightens her grip on her handhold.

He can smell smoke now, and that is not a good sign. The ship is burning badly.

Moments later, it slams full force into the ground, dislodging Anakin's grip entirely, and he's abruptly plunged into darkness.

***

Ahsoka struggles to push herself upright with a groan. Her head is ringing from being slammed so hard into the side of the gunship, and she knows she's going to have some serious bruises from this. The air inside is smoky too, so it's like she can hardly breathe.

But they need to get out of this ship immediately, in case it's about to blow up or something. Besides, they have battle to be fighting. They need to make it to the others.

Forcing past the pain and dizziness, she tries to drag herself back to her feet, only to slam her head on... something. She's not even sure what part of the ship she's lying on, she supposes, but it might well not be the bottom. It... could be one of the sides, but she's not even sure, because the gravity seems to be in a corner instead of any specific side.

Something moves, and the next she knows, blinding sunlight is flooding her vision. Anakin is standing by the entrance, likely having forced the doors open. Well, he's certainly far more equipped with handling situations like this than any other Senator she's run into. It makes her wonder what his life has been like, because it's as if he's as certain as herself or one of the clones.

"Are you alright?" Anakin asks worriedly, looking them over.

"I will be," Ahsoka groans, climbing shakily out the opening in the gunship.

Rex, and the other two clones in there with them climb out immediately after her. They're all walking, so that's a good sign. But the pilot took the worst part of the impact, and Ahsoka doesn't even have to reach out with the Force to see that they're too late to save him.

"What now?" Ahsoka asks, scanning the horizon. Way up in the sky, she can distinctly make out flashes of a raging space battle, but down here... there's literally nothing. No sign of life or anything.

"We'll have to go on foot," Anakin sighs, looking around.

"That's going to be a long walk," she says grimly.

"We better get going, because this isn't a good time to be out."

She can imagine. She's roasting already, and it definitely doesn't look like there'll be any respite from the heat for a long time. They have very limited water with them too, that survived the crash.

"What are your names?" Anakin asks the clones, almost immediately after he starts leading them through the desert.

They all seem completely taken by surprise at the unexpectedness of the question. To be fair, Ahsoka is herself.

"I'm Captain Rex," he answers, "These are Fives and Echo."

"I can't imagine this was the most welcome greeting," Anakin tells them, "But we're grateful for your help."

"It's... what we were made for, sir," Rex replies.

Ahsoka doesn't miss the way Anakin's expression darkens ever so slightly. (He's always upset with the way clones are treated, and she has to admit he's the one who taught her to treat them like individual humans in the first place. The Jedi don't have much caring for them... it's not that they don't care, they just don't go out of their way to save them, and when they do, it's always about resources.)

Ahsoka isn't sure how long they've been walking, when she suddenly starts to sense an inkling of danger in the Force. Something is wrong, and... She cautiously reaches out, trying to see if she can determine what it is.

The ground beneath them suddenly trembles. Some distance away, sand on one of the dunes starts to shift, almost as though something is moving underneath it.

"What's that?" Ahsoka asks, warily.

The ground trembles again, this time louder, and Anakin stops, expression tense as he looks around. "Run," he orders them, narrowing his eyes and spinning around. "Now."

"Why?" she blurts.

"Now!" he repeats and takes off.

She doesn't ask again and runs after. This is his home planet, after all. Whatever catastrophe is about to strike, he's the one who knows how to deal with it. Hopefully.

They don't get far. The ground shakes violently, and the next thing she knows, she can feel and see it moving, only right behind her. Throwing a frantic glance over her shoulder, she sees something – something enormous – slowly rising up out of the ground behind them.

It has the hugest... head she's seen in her life, and it spans so far on either side behind them, there's no way they could ever run out of its way in time. Its teeth are enormous, and it's slowly opening it's gaping mouth, looming right over their heads.

A blinding panic flares through her, and she tries to keep running, even as she whips out her lightsaber, all the while knowing that it's going to be useless against this monster, whatever it is.

"Stay back," Anakin calls, and abruptly spins around.

***

A krayt dragon was not on the list of things Anakin was hoping to deal with today, but there's only one way to stop it, and even if he doesn't want to reveal his secret, they're all going to be dead, if he doesn't. He raises a hand, delving into the Force.

He was never the best at this, but Obi-Wan's made him practice many times before. He can do this. He has to, or it's going to be the last thing he tries doing. And he absolutely refuses to die and let Ahsoka and these three clones die because he couldn't control an animal. He still struggles with it at times, because of the nature of this ability, but he can do it. It requires a deep and absolute understanding of life, and a deep-running trust of the creature being connected with, which is... extremely difficult for Anakin. It always has been, because of his past. He always struggles with trusting any forms of life with which he's not already well-acquainted.

Reaching out with the Force, he tries to connect with the monster's mind. Quickly.

Tries to feel it, through all of its violence and hunger.

He does his best not to look at the gaping mouth over their heads, about to close over them. If this doesn't work, they'll never be able to get away anyway.

Sleep.

The dragon keeps moving forwards, and he presses harder against its mind, sending it calming waves through the Force.

He's the literal strongest Force sensitive in the galaxy. He can do this.

Sleep!

The dragon lets out another growl, and Anakin practically holds his breath, as he continues to press the suggestion against its mind.

After a moment, it starts to back away, slowly sinking down onto the sand, even with its head still exposed, and closes its eyes, drifting off into a Force induced sleep.

It only lasted a master of seconds, but his heart is still pounding from the abruptness.

Now, time to do damage control.

Ahsoka and all the clones are staring at him.

"What did you do?" Ahsoka is the first to find her voice. (To be fair, the clones probably wouldn't ask, since they wouldn't see it as their place.)

"I used the Force," he answers simply.

"But... how?" she objects, frowning.

"Obi-Wan trained me," Anakin explains, "It's something that I really prefer not letting people know, so if you could all not mention it...?"

"Not a problem, sir," Rex replies readily.

"I, uh... sure, if you don't want me to," Ahsoka replies.

"Thank you," he says gratefully. In truth he doesn't know how the Jedi would react, and he doesn't really care to find out. The Council isn't unreasonable, but he has little doubt they'd be very upset if they knew he was trained by a Sith. Obi-Wan had never officially left the Order, either, which makes it more... dangerous for him.

"I thought we were about to become lunch," she says, eyeing the dragon for a few moments before they turn and start to walk away again, "What even was that?"

"A krayt dragon. And that was only it's head. Its body is much bigger."

Ahsoka shudders. "Are those things common?"

"Out in the Dune Sea, yes," Anakin replies, "But there's no real civilization out there, beyond Tuskens and Jawas."

"Sometimes I'm really glad there's no wild animals like that on Coruscant," Ahsoka deadpans. "Not to offend your home planet, or anything, but..."

"I can see why," he says, dryly, "But it's not so bad if you're used to it."

"Well, I hope that's the last... monster we'll be running into, here," she mutters.

Anakin stops in his tracks, at the distant sound of a blaster shot. Right over the next dune of sand, he can see vaporators, which mean they're practically to civilization now. And he can also see a bantha.

"Well, we might have found a different problem," he states grimly, reaching for his blasters.

"What?" Ahsoka asks, warily.

"I don't know yet."

He sprints forwards, to the top of the dune, where he can get a better look.

Sure enough, they've found civilization again, and right in time to see a small group of Tuskens attacking the farm.

Things with the Tuskens on Tatooine have been... better than they used to be, but some of the tribes still attack settlements sometimes.

He fires at the attacking Tuskens, and immediately catches sight of the figure perched on the roof of the house, doing likewise.

Oh no. This is not good.

A clone. They ended up on one of the stowaway clones' farms.

Tatooine has been... Well, they've made it known among the clones that any of them who want to run away from the army are more than welcome to come there, and they'll... conveniently not be found if the Republic comes looking for them.

And now, he's accidentally led Republic soldiers and a Jedi right to one of them. But he knows Ahsoka, and he can probably talk the other three out of outright reporting him.

The Force flares a warning, and Anakin spins around as two more Tuskens appear out of practically nowhere – how do they always do that? – right behind them.

One of them swings their club-stick for him, and he dives out of the way, barely avoiding it as it slams into the ground. Ahsoka whips out her lightsaber, jumping at them. Rex shoots down one of them, and Ahsoka slashes through the other's club and stabs him.

Anakin turns his attention back to the few who are near the entrance of the hut and fires several more times at them. They turn, catching sight of him. One of them yells out their warning cry, and they all run back for the waiting bantha.

Obviously, they realized that they're out numbered this time around.

As soon as Anakin's certain no other Tuskens are planning to try and attack them, he hastily crosses the rest of the distance over to the hut, waiting as the clone climbs down from the roof. He can feel his sudden apprehension and fear as he realizes that there's other clones and a Jedi here.

"Thank you," the clone tells Anakin as the door to his hut opens, and a pink Twi'lek appears in the doorway, a worried look on her face.

Seconds later, the door flies the rest of the way open and two half-human, half-Twi'lek children run out, racing over to the clone and throwing their arms around him.

"What's going on?" the Twi'lek woman asks, warily, approaching them.

"We were passing by, and saw you could use some help," Anakin answers, easily, "Your names?"

"I'm Sue Lawquane," she replies, "And this is my husband, Cut."

"You're a clone, aren't you?" Echo asks bluntly, eyes narrowed as he eyes Cut.

The man sets his two children down, and shoes them towards the house, before Cut replies. "I am."

"You're a deserter," Rex accuses. Anakin can feel his anger mixed with disdain in the Force.

"Well, I like to think I'm merely exercising my freedom to choose. To choose not to kill for a living," Cut retorts.

"That is not your choice to make. You swore an oath to the Republic. You have a duty."

"I have a duty. You're right. But it's to my family. Does that count, or are you still planning to turn me in?"

"Do I have a choice?" Rex demands.

Anakin takes that as his cue to step in. "If you believe that you have to turn him in, I cannot tell you not to." Because he won't force the clones to risk getting themselves in trouble, if they don't want to. Technically, it would be a crime for them not to report this. "But Cut is right. If you don't want to fight, you shouldn't be forced to. This isn't something... that I want to becoming public knowledge, but Tatooine provides protection to any clones who want to leave the Republic military."

"Isn't that... illegal?" Ahsoka frowns.

"Technically, it's also illegal to have a slave army in the first place," Anakin points out.

Ahsoka blinks, opening her mouth and closing it again.

"With all due respect, sir, this is what we were made for. It's our duty," Rex replies.

"Your loyalty is... admirable, Rex," Anakin tells him, because it truly is, but at the same time it's awful to see how loyal people can be to their slave masters. It hurts to see, because these clones least of all deserve it. No one does. No one should have their life permanently in the hands of another, with no will to choose. "But. that's part of my point. You were created for that. You were never given a choice."

Fives and Echo exchange glances behind Rex, but neither of them says anything. Anakin can't help but think that they – at least – are considering his words, even if that won't change their minds right now.

"At the very least, you should have a choice between whether or not you fight for an organization that doesn't even give you any rights, between whether or not you have to keep fighting and watching your brothers die, or live a peaceful life. Just because that's why you were... 'created' –" and it's sickening to talk about like this, "– Doesn't mean you should be forced to stay. That is slavery, even if the Republic calls it something else."

"I never thought about it like that," Ahsoka admits, gaze dropping to the ground.

"Most haven't," Anakin assures her, "And, of course, the Republic will never present it like that because "slavery is illegal". Not that I'm saying the Separatists are any better."

Silence falls over them, and he doesn't think the clones are really sure what to say, at this point.

"I can see what you're saying, sir," Fives concedes after a moment.

"And if any of you ever want... out, you're always going to be welcome here, too," Anakin promises, "So... I know you see it is as your duty to turn in Cut, but... think about what I've said, at least, first."

"I won't turn them in," Ahsoka says, firmly, and Anakin nods, giving her a small smile.

The clones don't say anything, but if Anakin is going to risk a guess, he doesn't think they're planning to, either.

"Now, we need to be getting to the palace," Anakin declares, a sense of urgency settling over him again. They need to get moving.

"You can take my speeder," Cut declares.

Anakin offers his thanks before the four take off again. He can only hope that they'll be able to get back in time.

"I know how you feel about the clones," Ahsoka remarks finally, quietly, "And I know why."

"They are slaves," Anakin replies, steely. "They are bought with money."

"The Kaminoans did raise them," she says sullenly. He's fairly certain it's not because she disagrees with him, but because it feels like it's her duty to defend the Jedi, to deny that they would ever condone something of such nature.

"Yet if the clones choose to leave, they are hunted down."

"The Jedi do care for them."

Anakin scoffs. "The way a slave is treated does not change their status. It doesn't make it right." He's heard that logic before, thank you very much. It's common among some slavers, to consider themselves superior to others because they 'treat their slaves well'.

"I... know what you mean," Ahsoka concedes. "I – I know my master does care, but normally, it's the resources they're concerned about losing."

It makes him sick to hear, because that was so very true for him. Slavers are always – okay, usually – careful not to harm their slaves too much lest they die, because it would be a loss of money. That's it; nothing more. How can the Jedi, who are said to serve the common good of the people, condone such behavior? He doesn't understand it and probably never will. It doesn't matter anyway, because it's wrong in every way he tries to figure it. The Republic is corrupt, but now he wonders if it is corrupt in ways he never would have imagined.

The remainder of the ride passes in relative silence. Anakin is pretty sure all four of the others are thinking over the incident still and considering what he said.

He turns his attention back to the battle raging, though, when he hears the far-off sound of blaster shots. They're only increasing in intensity as they steadily come closer to the palace, and his worry skyrockets again. He has no idea what happened in the time he was gone, and while Anakin is fairly certain everyone close to him is still alive – he would have felt it if they died; he must believe that – but he doesn't answer for everyone else, or if everyone is... alright.

There are clones here to help now, so the Separatists definitely haven't taken the palace, but that doesn't mean he isn't worried over everyone who's there. Obi-Wan should be fine but there's still Shmi and Kitster and Wald.

***

Obi-Wan is already holding his lightsaber ready as the door – part of it anyway – finally explodes, disintegrating in a blinding flash of laser bolts, debris from it flying all around. The opening is small, but the rest of the door has been badly damaged already, and now that they got through part of it, it's only going to be a matter of time.

The spider droid tries to move forwards, but its legs catch on either side of the opening, and it can't move any closer. It fires again, and he deflects the shot away right back at it. The blast tears right through its head, and it falls to the ground. More droids move forwards, climbing over and partly pushing it away from the opening as they march into the front entrance of the palace.

He doesn't wait, charging at them and slashing through them one after another.

The ground is still trembling from the force of the blasts striking the rest of the door, and he spins his blade furiously, deflecting away the bolts as the droids keep shooting in through the opening.

Way beyond them, he can make out the some of the clone forces arriving, attacking the Separatists from behind. But there aren't many of them, and there's hundreds of droids out there. It still isn't going to be an easy fight, at least so long as the Separatists can send in more reinforcements from the air.

Another blast strikes the door, and more of the rock... shatters, for lack of a better word, flying across the floor.

Yes, the palace is going to need a lot of repairs after this, and he is definitely not impressed, but that's a concern for a later time.

The opening is wide enough now, though, and soon dozens of droids are marching into the palace.

From behind him, some of the palace guards take cover near the walls, shooting at the droids.

He raises a hand, crushing a bunch of them with the Force, throwing them back at the advancing army.

There's a sudden flash of green, and a Togruta with a lightsaber – Ahsoka, the Jedi friend Anakin mentioned – leaps into view, slashing through several of the droids right near the corner of the entrance.

Moments later, Anakin himself darts into view, ducking out of the way of a blaster shot, and discreetly shoving a droid's blaster away with the Force. He's shooting back at the droids with blasters in both hands.

"You can take this, you know!" Obi-Wan calls above the commotion, motioning to Anakin's lightsaber on his own belt. He will never understand what his son loves about blasters so much, as opposed to lightsabers.

"That won't be necessary," Anakin yells back, dodging another shot and darting across the room, positioning himself behind Obi-Wan as he starts shooting at the droids with a skill obviously of a Force-sensitive.

From beyond the droids ranks, he can see someone else with a blue lightsaber cutting through them.

Aayla Secura is here too, then.

It looks like the battle may be closer to ending than he was expecting, after all. That's good.

***

Now that the clones are here, it doesn't take long for them to destroy the droids that have entered the palace, and Anakin moves up to the opening, positioning himself mostly behind it for protection as he keeps shooting at the droids. It doesn't look like any more reinforcements are coming, so they just to destroy all the ones on the ground. Unless something major changes, it's pretty clear who's going to win this fight. It's only a matter of how long it takes, and how much more damage the droids do before they're destroyed.

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka head out of the cover of the palace, joining the others in destroying the droids outside.

For the moment, things are going almost too smoothly, which, of course, explains why that promptly had to change. The Force suddenly flares in warning, and Anakin looks up sharply to see an explosive – he didn't see where it came from – flying right towards them. Instinctively, he throws up his hands, altering its path, pushing it away from the palace and from the clones.

It crashes down in the midst of the droids, tearing through them, sending pieces of metal flying in every direction. Some of the clones are still too close, though, and he sees several of them collapse to the ground.

Rex.

Anakin's eyes fall on the captain. He was too close, and he's injured too, and the droids are heading right towards him, still shooting, and the few others who are injured next to him.

No one will be able to get to them in time. Except for maybe him.

Anakin springs into motion in a flash, sprinting out from behind the cover of the palace, and running towards where Rex is lying. He ducks the blaster bolts fired at him, raising a hand and calling his lightsaber to him from Obi-Wan's belt.

The blade hisses to life in hands, and he deflects the last few shots away, yanking the super battle droid about to shoot Rex over to him with the Force, slashing it in half. He hastily finishes cutting through the rest of the droids right around him, and hurries over to the captain.

The explosion took out most of the droids, and the others should be able to handle the rest. Deactivating his lightsaber, Anakin crouches next to Rex, looking over his condition. The injury isn't as bad as he first thought it was, but some of the injuries are much like shrapnel wounds, thanks to the flying metal from the explosion. Some of them are bleeding badly, and he definitely needs to be treated soon.

Anakin looks past him, to the other clones next. He doesn't know any of their names, but their conditions don't look much better. He needs to get them somewhere safe. They're too exposed out here, with all the fighting.

"Don't worry about us, sir," Rex insists.

Anakin throws a glance over his shoulder at the approximately two dozen droids remaining. "They can handle it," Anakin replies moving to help Rex into the palace.

He comes back for the other clones next, and by that point, the rest of the droids are cleaned up.

Once he sees that the clones are being attended to, Anakin slips back outside again, surveying the wreckage. The outside of the palace has been badly damaged, but it looks like for the most part, casualties have been relatively minimal. He still doesn't appreciate the damage, though.

"Nice... place you got here," Ahsoka comments, although Anakin gets the feeling she's trying to be polite and that she's actually not terribly impressed with it. Well, she did grow up in the overly fancy Jedi Temple, so that's not really a surprise. "Is this where you live?"

"It's the palace, yes," Obi-Wan answers, approaching them, "And you see, Anakin? Lightsabers are more useful than blasters."

"They have their applications, but actually shooting back is far more effective," he replies stubbornly.

"Especially when it takes ten shots to destroy a droid when it can shoot you down in one," Obi-Wan says dryly.

"That's what we got brains for! To avoid getting hit."

"I think I have to agree with your dad on this one," Ahsoka chirps, "And I didn't realize you had a lightsaber."

"I don't take it with me for a reason," Anakin replies.

"You will need to be prepared, in case the Separatists return," Aayla warns, approaching them. If she's having thoughts on the fact that Anakin was trained outside the Order, she doesn't comment on it. To be fair, that would be pretty rude.

"This will take a while to get fixed up," Anakin observes grimly, looking around. So, if more droids did show up after the Republic left, they'd be able to get into the palace easily.

"I don't think the Separatists have an actual interest in Tatooine, except beyond the hyperspace lanes," Obi-Wan declares, "It may well have been Dooku's form of petty revenge."

"Revenge for what?" asks Ahsoka dubiously.

"He wanted us to join him and thought we would be stupid enough to agree even after knowing that he's a Sith," Anakin explains.

"I imagine he didn't appreciate my response," Obi-Wan informs dryly.

"That much is obvious," Ahsoka says, looking around at the damage again.

"Hey, is Mom okay?" Anakin queries, looking to Obi-Wan.

"She is," he assures, "She was staying up on the balconies as a sniper. The droids couldn't shoot all the way up there."

"I'll go see what the situation is," Anakin decides finally.

***

Anakin goes to check on the injured clones again once he's certain the rest of the situation is under control.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, stopping next to Rex's bed.

The captain is sitting up now, and he looks significantly better than before, though he's certainly far from okay.

"Better than before. I will be fine," Rex replies, "Thank you for helping us."

"It's not a problem," Anakin assures, "It's my planet." He honestly thinks Rex is legitimately confused over why he's even showing him so much concern in the first place.

"If I may ask, are you a Jedi?" Rex wonders.

"No," Anakin answers, "I was trained in the Force, but I'm not a Jedi."

"I thought the only Force users were Jedi," Rex admits.

"The Jedi do prefer it like that," Anakin answers, "But they don't exactly have a copyright on the Force. Obi-Wan used to be a Jedi, but he left."

"I didn't realize Jedi couldleave," Rex says, and Anakin is pretty sure he knows what Rex is thinking about again.

"Most Jedi are taken to the Temple when they're still babies," Anakin relates, "But they are allowed to leave if they want to, even though it rarely happens." He pauses for a moment, checking to make sure that they're alone, before continuing. "And I think clones have the right to have the same option, even if the choice about leaving is completely up to you."

"We were always taught that our only duty and purpose is to serve and fight for the Republic," Rex says, after a moment.

"I know," Anakin sighs, "If you want to stay, there's no reason not to. But just remember, if you change your mind, you're always going to be welcome here."

Rex eyes him uncertainly. "I don't know what to say, sir," he murmurs at last, seeming almost overwhelmed.

"I know what... slavery is like," Anakin declares, after a long pause. "It isn't something anyone should have to go through, in any form. But even if you choose to stay, I'm doing everything I can in the Senate."

They don't say anything else on the matter, and Anakin leaves it at that. He wishes there was more he could do to help the clones, but for now, he will have to stick to working in the Senate. And most things of that nature are being completely ignored as of late, because all the Senate cares about is fighting a war that they truthfully don't have any hope of winning.

If the war is actually won by either side, it probably isn't going to be until half the galaxy has been ruined so badly it will take centuries to clean up the mess. What Anakin really fails to see is why he and Padme seem to be some of the only people who realize that.

It's ridiculous. As far as he's concerned, the moment a widespread war broke out was the moment everything fell apart entirely. Fighting will bring them nowhere. It will only serve to destroy the other side, while harming its citizens, who have done nothing.

And for hardly the first time, he starts to question again if the Republic is really the right side to be on.

Chapter Text

It's the first time Obi-Wan's been to Coruscant in a long time, but given the seriousness of the situation, Anakin isn't surprised he decided to come here for this. Obi-Wan used to know Duchess Satine of Mandalore well, after all. She's been called to Coruscant to speak to the Senate, because from what Anakin's heard, a large group of people in Mandalorian armor attacked a Republic outpost, but they all escaped – or committed suicide – before they could get any answers out of them.

It doesn't make sense, because didn't Mandalore decide to abandon its warrior ways after whatever happened in the most recent civil war? Or at least that's what Anakin heard, but now everyone in the Senate is starting to question the neutral system's true loyalties.

"Duchess," Obi-Wan greets as she stops in front of them, looking mildly surprised to see them here.

Satine looks between them, returning the greeting.

"I heard about was what happening on Mandalore," Obi-Wan says.

"And you're here on behest of the Senate to determine whether or not I'm a traitor?" she asks, an icy note in her voice. Clearly, someone else shares some of Anakin's views on the Republic.

"We're here of our own accord," Anakin assures her, stepping forwards.

"I know you've taken efforts to end the warrior ways of your people," Obi-Wan replies, "And I know whatever happened you had no knowledge of. We can discuss the situation in private together, if you desire."

"I would appreciate it," she replies.

The Senate meeting isn't until later that day, so Satine heads for Padme's apartment right away. As soon as they're away from the public eye, Anakin notices that some of the formalness Satine and Obi-Wan were showing for each other disappears immediately. They're sitting in their speeder, on the way for the apartment.

"I wouldn't have expected the padawan I used to know to become the king of a planet," Satine says dryly.

"I wouldn't have expected the warrior I used to know become a complete pacifist," Obi-Wan retaliates.

Anakin carefully tunes them out as they start flirting. In front of him. Seriously. Ew.

Thankfully, it doesn't last long.

"So, you're his son, Senator Skywalker?" Satine asks.

"Yes, and you can call me Anakin."

"I heard about your marriage to Senator Amidala. I've met her in the past."

"She told me," Anakin replies.

"We agree on many things," Satine comments, "Although I can't support the war the Republic is fighting now."

"Padme and I don't agree with it, either," Anakin admits, "We're doing everything we can in the Senate, and we'll do everything we can to help you and prevent it from spreading to your planet as well."

Their conversation ends at that, when they arrive at Padme's apartment.

Soon, the three of them are sitting with Padme in her living room, as Satine explains the situation. "There are some who aren't happy about the changes on Mandalore. Some of them joined a radical group of terrorists, called Death Watch," she relates, "On occasion they will carry out terrorist attacks against the government. We've been searching for them, but we haven't yet determined their location. But Mandalore can handle this situation fine on its own. We do not need Republic intervention. If the Republic intervenes, the people will be upset, and it will also likely bring the war right to my world."

"We'll do what we can to protest in the Senate," Padme promises, "But with an attack as large scale as that, I imagine there will be many in favor of sending in a full invasion force to put down any possible resistance."

Satine scowls. "They're going to occupy my planet and trample our rights to self-determination. If the Republic goes to Mandalore, it could easily drag more than a thousand more systems into the fight. We're the head of the neutral systems."

Anakin can definitely understand her position, and for a moment, he suddenly has to wonder. Is starting a new Alliance outside of the Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems entirely what he and Tatooine really need? Like joining the neutral systems? It's something he'll have to think about more later and talk to Obi-Wan about, of course.

"The Outer Rim Alliance will vote in your favor, I'm certain," Anakin assures her, at last, "We'll do everything we can."

"Thank you," Satine responds gratefully.

"I imagine the Separatists are behind what Death Watch did," Obi-Wan comments, "Likely they mean to start another Mandalorian war against the Jedi."

"I will not tolerate this," she says firmly.

"Why do you think they want to depose you?" Obi-Wan points out.

Which suddenly gives Anakin another idea. "There's a little time left before the Senate session," Anakin speaks up, "And in the meantime... I think I'd like to do some reading into Mandalorian culture and traditions."

He doesn't know what he's looking for, but they'll have to try something more original to save Mandalore, and often, this is a good place to start. Besides, the Force seems to be nudging him in this direction, and he knows better than to ignore it.

Maybe, maybe he'll be able to find something that might be of use.

***

In the end, despite his best efforts, the Senate session ends with the exact result Anakin feared.

The Republic is sending a force to Mandalore, effective immediately. They're already preparing to go. It's being led by Luminara Unduli and her padawan, Barriss Offee.

Obi-Wan is here at the Senate too, and they run into Satine as she's leaving the meeting. Anakin can feel her anger and mixture of other emotions pouring into the Force as she stalks down the hallway. "Satine, wait," Obi-Wan calls, hurrying over to her.

She stops, letting out a frustrated sigh. "The decision is already made. There's nothing more you can do."

Or is there? After reading into the Mandalorian history so much, Anakin just so happened to chance upon something that might work to their benefit, but he doesn't know, and he hasn't had time to talk to Obi-Wan about it yet.

"I am concerned." Obi-Wan continues as they walk.

"I'll be alright," Satine interjects very unconvincingly.

"I don't think you should make any decisions in this state of mind –"

"This state of mind?" she snaps, "And what state of mind would that be, precisely?"

"What I'm saying is any person would be hysterical by now, but –"

"Hysterical?" she repeats, "The Republic is attempting to force it's will upon innocent people. Perhaps if more citizens got hysterical they'd be more inclined to speak up when the Republic tramples on their rights!"

Well, that Anakin definitely agrees with. "There might still be something we can do," Anakin speaks up.

"The Senate will not change their mind on this," she says, bitterly.

"Maybe not, but we might be able to figure something out... without them," Anakin replies. Or so he can hope.

"Do you have something in mind?" Obi-Wan inquires as Satine moves past them, continuing down the hall. She needs to prepare to return to Mandalore now, though Anakin isn't sure if that's the best of decisions, given what's about to happen. Still, she could be in danger here on Coruscant too, so...

"Most likely, as soon as the Republic gets there, Death Watch is going to 'stand up for the rights of the people' and start fighting with them. They'll blame Satine for it and try to kill her," Anakin points out. He's seen things like this before, to get enough of an idea what they'll try.

"Yes, that's what I'm afraid of," Obi-Wan agrees.

"But when I was reading about Mandalorian history and tradition," he continues, "I did find something that might work to our advantage."

He doesn't know, but he can only hope so, because at this point, it's the last thing he can think of on such short notice, and they're running out of time.

***

The ship they're on with Satine finally comes out of hyperspace above the surface of the planet, and they fly down towards the capital city. Anakin's never been here before, but he can immediately see the signs of war that still cover the surface. So much of the planet is barren wasteland now, and the civilizations are located in domed cities.

"So much of the planet was destroyed in the last civil war," Satine explains, gesturing around them, "I will not allow this to happen again."

Her desperation and anger are radiating strongly into the Force. Anakin can only hope that their plan is going to work. Although if it does, that isn't going to automatically solve everything. And Satine might have to reconsider her determination to eliminate the warrior ways of her people.

Anakin can understand why she's doing this – war has caused so much devastation war on her planet. But not having a proper defense isn't the best idea either. He had enough of an experience like that on Tatooine, though there, the biggest problem was that they were simply way too outnumbered by the droids, compared to the relatively small population size. And they don't really have enough resources to have a proper military defense. There's still much work to do there, he knows that much.

Hopefully, they can help Mandalore before things descend into further chaos.

Satine immediately goes to meet with her advisors on the situation, and it's only hours later that the Republic shows up. Anakin and Obi-Wan head out of the palace shortly after that, moving discreetly throughout the city as they watch to see how the people are reacting, and looking for any signs of trouble.

They find this 'trouble' without even having to look far. It's only been a matter of hours before there's protests spreading throughout the streets. The people are extremely upset that the Republic is here, policing them like this, and Anakin can't blame them.

"If we're right about what Death Watch is planning, it's only going to be a matter of time," Anakin murmurs.

"It appears the time is up," Obi-Wan states grimly. Anakin looks up, following his gaze to see an armored figure streaking through the sky up above them. There's several more following behind.

From their position, they're too far away to intervene or do anything about it – not that there's really much they could do anyway – when the figures land in front of an assembled crowd of people.

A fight erupts between the Death Watch members and the clones almost immediately, and of course, the people are in full support of Death Watch.

"We need to get back to the palace," Obi-Wan declares urgently. Anakin couldn't agree more.

***

He can already sense the approaching danger in the Force right before the doors to the throne room burst open, and Mandalorians in Death Watch armor stride into the room, Pre Vizsla in the lead.

All of Satine's guards instantly raise their weapons, but she stands, holding up a hand. "No!" she calls, firmly, "There will be no bloodshed."

"But Duchess!" protests one of the guards.

"I will not be provoked to violence by these terrorists."

"Listen, Duchess. Do you hear the people?" Vizsla demands, "They cry out for change. Your weak-minded rule of Mandalore is at an end. It is because of you that the Republic is here, and the people will not stand for this."

"I didn't ask for the Republic's intervention," she snaps.

"If Mandalore had never left their warrior ways, the Republic would not dare step foot on our planet," he retorts, "The name Mandalore should set fear into the hearts of all who oppose us. The resurrection of our warrior past is about to begin."

The Death Watch members all move towards Satine, blasters pointed, obviously fully intent on arresting all of them. At least they aren't planning to outright kill Satine. Anakin can at least be minorly relieved at that.

He steps forwards, hand resting on his lightsaber hilt as he keeps fully in mind how all the blasters in the room are now instantly turned to aim at him instead.

Vizsla accepts the challenge – of course he does. Anakin can feel Satine's unhappiness behind him, but he ignores it. There's no way they'll be coming out of this without fighting, and this is the least messy way.

He ignites his own lightsaber, holding it ready in front of him. The Darksaber hisses to life in Vizsla's hands, the blade sounding more like a sword being unsheathed than anything else. He won't be able to use the Force in the fight, obviously, but that won't be a problem for him. He knows how to do this, even if it won't be an easy duel by any means.

"For Mandalore!" Vizsla shouts dramatically, brandishing the Darksaber before he charges forwards. Anakin swings his blade up to meet the blow, parrying the next few strikes as the Mandalorian attacks him incessantly.

He counters the blows with ease, shoving the Darksaber aside and slashing for Vizsla's head. They trade a few more blows before Anakin kicks him, sending him skidding back and nearly falling to the floor. Vizsla activates his jetpack, blasting off into the air as Anakin lunges for him again.

The Force flares in warning, and he hastily raises his lightsaber to deflect away the blaster shots as the Mandalorian starts shooting down at him. A couple of the shots deflect back, striking Vizsla's armor – and one of them nearly hits him right in the face which was totally an accident – and he lands on the ground again, charging at Anakin.

He's already ready for him, though, unleashing a flurry of attacks on him, forcing him to back away yet again. The Force flares in warning yet again, and Vizsla turns on his flamethrower. Anakin dives under it, knocking him to the ground, swinging for his head.

Vizsla promptly flies off the ground again, firing some kind of explosive at him. He leaps out of the way – using the Force does define as fair, at this point, doesn't it? – and Force jumps at the Mandalorian, knocking him to the ground. Sparks run through his jetpack as he lands right on it, but he immediately raises the Darksaber to block Anakin's lightsaber from nearly beheading him.

He rolls back to his feet, and Anakin doesn't waste a moment, raining a furious blur of attacks on Vizsla, forcing him back again. He's on the defensive now, even if his armor is making it a lot harder to defeat him. Anakin continues to force him back, and he spins out of the way, trying to fly off again. He jumps forwards, blade slashing through his jetpack before he can try it. Vizsla yanks it off, throwing it to the side as it explodes. The blast tears through the floor and wall on the far side of the room, sending shards of glass from the window splintering everywhere.

Oops?

Vizsla instantly lunges at him again with renewed fury, slashing furiously. Anakin still blocks the blows with ease, and finally kicks him back, knocking him to the floor, the Darksaber slipping from his hands. Anakin levels his blue blade inches away from the Mandalorian's neck and calls the Darksaber to his other hand with the Force, igniting it.

It's over. He won.

"Only the strongest shall rule Mandalore," Vizsla replies, as Satine's guards move forwards.

"By your tradition, this belongs to me now," Anakin declares smugly, looking pointedly at the other Death Watch members in the room.

For a heartbeat, no one moves.

Then a few of them step forwards and kneel on the ground in front of him.

Okay, um, this is awkward.

If Vizsla is upset by the fact that he lost his position and everything short of his life, really, his expression changes little. If anything, his expression is... resigned. Well, he knows what happens in duels like this.

One of the others, who has orange hair, steps forwards, eyes narrowed. "We will not pledge our allegiance to a ruler who will force us to give up our Mandalorian identity the way Satine has," she snaps.

Okay yes, this complicates things.

Because technically now Anakin is the leader of Mandalore, and... he has to make this decision. If Satine says anything, it's going to make things worse.

He may or may not have stolen the rule of her planet.

Oops?

It wasn't exactly how he was planning for this go!

And how he handles the situation will be the deciding factor between a new war on Mandalore, or peace. "I won't," Anakin replies, at last, and he knows Satine is not happy about this, but they'll have to discuss it later, "Perhaps it is time for Mandalore to change. The Republic does not belong here, but we do not need to start a war with them either. There are... other ways to remove them for the planet."

He didn't want it to come to this, but he already talked it over with Obi-Wan, and... in the end, he thinks this decision is going to be the best for everyone.

***

The... truce between Satine's forces and Death Watch is about the most strained, awkward, and uncomfortable situation it could be for all of them. Satine's guards take Vizsla away – he is, in fact, still guilty of innumerable crimes, and it's not as if the rest of Death Watch isn't, but they can't arrest everyone if they don't won't a revolt – and the others begin to file away, leaving Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Satine alone in the throne room again.

"This was your plan?" Satine demands, and Anakin isn't sure if she's pleased or not about the turn of events. Maybe she isn't really sure herself.

"Well, it worked," Anakin smirks, "You shouldn't have to worry about any problems from Death Watch in the future, as long as they're still allowed to maintain their warrior ways." Well, with some changes anyway.

"It's the ways like this that brought Mandalore to this point," she objects.

"The people are more inclined to support them now, than you," Obi-Wan points out, bluntly, "If you try to suppress them, it will result in war again, either way."

"There's a balance point between being pacifists and being ready to fight if it's necessary," Anakin replies, "And by the way, I didn't mean to... steal your planet."

"The leadership of the planet will be no one's if the Republic is not also dealt with," Satine objects, "It's going to bring the Separatists here, and the planet will be at war whether we have Death Watch under control or not."

"That's why Tatooine is intending to leave the Republic," Obi-Wan replies.

Satine blinks. "What?"

"After everything I've seen as a part of the Republic, especially after this, I can see that they're as corrupt as the Separatists, maybe more," Anakin explains, "And being a part of the conflict between the sides is only destroying everyone."

"If more systems leave the Republic to become neutral, the Republic will... need their forces more urgently elsewhere," Obi-Wan asserts.

Most, if not all, of the systems part of the Outer Rim Alliance will leave as well, and for them to be actually neutral, it means they won't let the Republic or Separatist military forces travel through their hyperspace lanes. So yes, the Republic will have to get their troops off of Mandalore.

"You did well," Obi-Wan compliments as soon as the two of them are alone again. They have to take care of the Senate matters soon, but they're alone right now. "I'm impressed."

"Hey, I learned from the best," Anakin replies teasingly, blushing slightly from the praise.

***

In the end, things go more or less according to plan.

The Senate is... outraged, but Anakin can't remain a part of a system like that any longer. More and more he's begun to see that the Republic can't be fixed, and staying a part of it isn't helping, not when he isn't in a position to do anything anyway.

The clones had to leave from Mandalore almost immediately, so the planet is free from occupation.

He and Obi-Wan are still on the planet, though, because they still need to deal with the awkward fact that Anakin and Satine are both leaders of Mandalore. Death Watch isn't very inclined to accept Satine's role, and she still doesn't want to return Mandalore to its former military ways.

So there's a lot of things that they need to work out before they can leave, because... Anakin can hardly walk out on the planet he accidentally became the ruler of.

"How do you manage ruling a planet?" Anakin asks flatly, leaning back on the couch, staring out the darkened window in front of them. He and Obi-Wan are sitting in the quarters that Satine gave them at the palace.

Obi-Wan chuckles. "Why do think I started by massacring so much of the population?"

"You did not have to put it like that!" Anakin yelps.

"That is what happened."

"You were bringing slavers to justice, not 'massacring' people!"

"My point is, it still made ruling easier in the long run," he insists.

"That doesn't really help us solve Mandalore's problem," Anakin says flatly, "Unless you're trying to... imply something."

"Now why would you think that?"

Anakin huffs and drops the topic. "I just don't know how to go about handling this."

"Why don't we talk about it in the morning?" Obi-Wan proposes, "It's late and you should be in bed."

"You know, I stay up later at the Senate all the time."

"Well, you aren't in the Senate now," Obi-Wan retorts, "And there'll be a lot to deal with tomorrow."

"Fine." Anakin concedes, standing up.

His mind is whirling as he climbs into bed, but he's still asleep in moments.

Something is nagging at the edge of his senses, awakening him almost immediately. Anakin opens his eyes, looking around the darkened bedroom. Something isn't right.

He hears it suddenly, a quiet movement off in the dark, almost like something dropping to the floor. He can't see the entire room properly from here – no thanks to the much too fancy bed – but he's sitting up in a flash, hand reaching for his closest weapon.

There's a glint off in the darkness, and Anakin can make out what appears to be a Mandalorian in armor, somehow having snuck his way into the room.

His fingers close around the hilt of the Darksaber – it was the closest weapon – and the blade hisses to life in his hands.

He's expecting the man to fire, but instead, he feels a flare of shock and confusion in the Force, before the man abruptly lowers his blasters.

"What are you doing here?" Anakin demands, sharply.

"You're the Mand'alor?!" he exclaims, stunned. But what catches Anakin's attention the most is the sound of his voice. It's like a clone's.

Jango Fett.

Oh. Oh.

"Someone sent you to kill me?" he realizes. It's not a surprise, not really, the question is who. "Who sent you?"

"I don't know his identity," Jango replies, "But he was human, and he was hooded so I could see little of his face."

For some reason, the first person who comes to Anakin's mind is Dooku... though that doesn't feel quite right. It would make sense for the Sith to try and have him killed, but it would make even more sense for someone on the Republic's side to want him dead.

"Are you certain it wasn't Dooku?"

"No, it was not. I have done work for him in the past, and it was not him."

Why is something about this setting him on edge so much?

Anakin's dealt with many assassination attempts before, so honestly, the fact that Jango came so close to killing him doesn't really bother him.

It's something about this whole thing in general that's setting him on edge, and he can't explain why. It's as though the Force is urging him to be careful, to look into this more, though he doesn't know what he could even do at this point. He'll have to talk to Obi-Wan about it.

But as far as handling Jango is concerned...

Well, the bounty hunter currently seems appalled that he was sent to kill his leader. Anakin almost feels bad for him. He lets him go back the way he came in, before any of the guards show up to try and kill him or something, and mentally notes to mention the pathetic lack of proper security here in the morning.

"I think we made someone angry," Anakin informs Obi-Wan the moment he sees him early the next morning, as soon as he steps out of his bedroom.

"We made a lot of people angry," Obi-Wan replies, giving him an odd look.

"I ran into a bounty hunter, and –"

"Hold on, when did that happen?"

"He might've broken into my room," Anakin admits sheepishly.

"And you never thought about saying something earlier?!"

"It was the middle of the night!"

"You could've been killed!"

"I pulled the Darksaber on him before he even had a chance to try shooting at me," Anakin defends, "And he was horrified to learn I was the leader of Mandalore since he's Mandalorian himself."

Obi-Wan frowns. "Who do you think sent him?"

"I don't know but it wasn't another Mandalorian," Anakin replies, "Or Dooku either. Something tells me it might be someone from the Republic. Someone important, I mean. I don't know why, but the Force is warning me to be careful."

"Then we'll be careful. If whoever this is tried something once, he'll try something again. We might be able to find out more information if another bounty hunter shows up."

"Maybe," Anakin frowns, "But Jango seemed to know nothing of his identity. I doubt anyone other bounty hunter would either." Which leaves him with little idea what to do.

"If he tries anything again, we should find some kind of lead," Obi-Wan replies, "Eventually."

***

"Are you certain about this?" Anakin inquires, standing in front of the hologram of Padme.

"It's the Queen's decision, really," she replies, "I don't know really know what to... think about any of this."

"I know how much the Republic means to you," Anakin says. She doesn't seem upset over Tatooine's decision, but he could understand it if she was. "But after everything, Tatooine couldn't remain a part of an organization so corrupt."

"I still believe that there might be something we can do to save the Republic," Padme responds, "But perhaps starting over isn't such a bad thing. I do understand the Separatists' perspective."

"Me too," Anakin admits, "We probably would've joined them ourselves if not for the fact that Dooku is a Sith. And in the end, they aren't really any better than the Republic."

"With Naboo joining up with the rest of the neutral systems," Padme declares, "The Republic is going to lose more ground. Maybe it will force them to stop fighting and consider negotiating."

"We can hope," Anakin replies, "But I'm not sure if they're actually going to stop until someone forces them too."

And something tells him neither Palpatine nor Dooku intend to do anything of the kind.

At least he can rest assured that the war won't come to Tatooine again.

Chapter Text

It's been over a year since Tatooine left the Republic, and Anakin hasn't had many dealings with the Jedi in all the time that he's been gone, so he's admittedly surprised when he gets a call from the Jedi Council itself.

Obi-Wan is there too when he accepts the call from Yoda and Windu.

"Need your assistance, we do," Yoda declares.

"With what?" Anakin asks.

"We may be willing to assist, as long as it won't drag us into the war," Obi-Wan adds.

"We've uncovered a plot by a criminal named Moralo Eval. We have him in custody, but it is likely that his plot has already been set into motion. We believe Dooku may be behind it."

"What do you want us to do?" Anakin frowns. It's strange that the Council is asking him to do something for them, when the Outer Rim Alliance hasn't been working with the Jedi for a long time.

"We need someone who can get into contact with Eval and try to see what he was planning. A bounty hunter who he'd trust to hire," Windu explains.

"And a Jedi can't do that?" Obi-Wan asks.

"We considered having a Jedi go under disguise as a bounty hunter, but the risk is great and there's no one who can fill the role properly."

"You want us to be an intermediary, so he believes he's working for us?" Anakin inquires. It's... smart thinking, he grudgingly admits. Apparently, sometimes the Council can be smart. "Is there anyone you had in mind?"

"It has to be someone with a notable reputation already. We would suggest Jango Fett, but the choice is yours."

***

Since Jango is giving all his reports to Anakin under the belief that that's who he's working for, he's fully informed on what's going on; he has been calling the Council regularly to give them updates on the mission.

Anakin wasn't entirely expecting Jango to report back that he's now inside Dooku's castle, but since he's already there, giving him another side mission shouldn't hurt. As long as he's careful about it, anyway.

It's the perfect opportunity, really, to try and figure out who Sidious is.

It's risky, but he knows Jango can do it. He's not one of the best bounty hunters out there for nothing, and his mental shields are better than most, so as long he's careful what he thinks about whenever he's around Dooku, the Count shouldn't get suspicious. Hopefully.

It's sometime later, in the middle of the night, when Jango sends a rushed transmission again. "I identified numerous transmissions the Count is receiving from Coruscant, all from the same person who initially sent me after you initially." He sends over a holographic recording of the hooded figure next.

Anakin frowns as he studies the image. For some reason, he looks very familiar, though Anakin can't quite place why. Or maybe he can, but it's too outlandish to consider.

"I also discovered him sending Dooku a bunch of highly classified Republic military intel," Jango reports, detailing a little on what he found before he has to end the call.

"No one should be able to access to this kind of information except for a Council member. Or..." Obi-Wan trails off, exchanging a worried look with Anakin.

"Yes, or the Chancellor or of his top aides," Anakin concurs, expression grim.

And it's perfectly obvious that the Sith in the hologram recording is not Mas Amedda, or any of the others that they know about. Probably.

"We can try facial and voice recognition," Anakin proposes, after a moment. At least it will give them a small measure of confirmation, if nothing more.

In truth, he's not even surprised when it comes up with a very high match on both accounts.

Palpatine is Sidious.

He's the one who tried to have Anakin killed after he took over Mandalore and ruined the Separatists plans.

He's been giving Dooku information about the war and playing both sides from the beginning.

It... makes so much sense; there's obviously so much planning that's gone into it, Anakin could almost be impressed. Actually, the only one he's truly impressed with is Jango for managing to get ahold of the information without being caught.

"We need to inform the Council," Obi-Wan declares, gravely.

"If they do anything against him, they'll be guilty of treason," Anakin points out. He can only hope that they'll be smart enough to keep that in mind before they come up with a plan.

And speaking of that, another thought promptly hits him.

"We have bounty hunters 'kidnapping' Palpatine for whatever plan he has in the works," Anakin murmurs, "Maybe Jango's finger can slip and... all problems will be solved."

"He'd sense it coming," Obi-Wan points out.

"Not if he was drugged or something," Anakin murmurs contemplatively, "But the Jedi should be able to help."

"Yes, and we'll have to be ready to fight at as well," Obi-Wan replies. "This may be the only opportunity we get."

Anakin nods firmly.

It's a very risky plan and they still need to go over way more details of it, but it might be the only chance they get to stop Sidious. Anakin doesn't know what the Sith Master is planning and he doesn't care to find out. It's nothing good. In the end, it's ultimately his fault that Qui-Gon was killed as well, and he's the one behind the war. It will be... justice.

***

"Remember to stay focused on the mission," Plo Koon reminds Ahsoka again as they head down the ramp of the shuttle, out into the Theed landing platform. She's accompanying him here, because her own master is on a topic secret mission somewhere that she didn't get to hear the details about, likely until she gets back.

"Of course, Master," Ahsoka chirps, with barely contained excitement. It's been so long since she last got to see Padme. And Anakin if he's even here.

So much has changed. The Republic has been experiencing serious losses and while she's not happy that Tatooine and Naboo decided to leave the Republic but thinking back to the conversations she'd had with Anakin and his unhappiness about the war and using the clones, she supposes it's not surprising.

And... it's going to be interesting to be in neutral space for the first time in a long time. She doesn't know how to feel about the fact that there's going to be Separatists here, though. Neutral or not, she can't trust them.

As they and the rest of the Jedi who are here accompany Palpatine get off the shuttle – he's here because Naboo is still his own planet, after all, even if it's no longer part of the Republic – the Queen and Padme herself are waiting.

Ahsoka waits until all the formal greetings are over before she splits away, hurrying over to Padme. "It's good to see you again, Senator," she greets, excitedly.

"Ahsoka!" Padme exclaims happily. "I wasn't expecting you to be here."

"We're here for security, technically," Ahsoka points out, looking around as they walk, "I've never seen the Festival of Light before. It sounds like a big event."

"It is," Padme agrees, "Our leaving the Republic has made this no less meaningful. I'm glad you were able to come."

"Is Anakin around?" she wonders hopefully.

"He is. I can take you to see him now." Padme leads her into the palace, leaving her outside the room where he is and hurrying off to deal with greeting other guests.

Ahsoka hesitates a moment before entering. "Ahsoka!" Anakin exclaims, turning.

"Anakin!" Ahsoka greets, all sense of formality evaporating instantly. She darts across the room, throwing her arms around him.

"It's good to see you again, Snips," Anakin murmurs, slipping an arm around her.

"I missed you," she admits.

"I did, too," Anakin replies, "I'm glad you're okay." She supposes he would've had no real way of knowing if she was all right, out there on the battlefield.

"I wasn't sure when I'd see you again," she murmurs, gripping him tighter. She can't explain what he is to her, but... in many ways they're closer than she's been with any Jedi at the Temple. It's been so long since they last saw each other, but now that they're together again, it doesn't feel like anything has really changed.

"I'd offer you a place back on Mandalore or Tatooine with me," Anakin says teasingly, "But I don't think that's an option."

"I'm part of the Order. I don't need to be adopted, but... I would love to be there," she admits. For a fleeting moment, she almost wishes she could agree. Her whole life she's been a Jedi, but sometimes... Well, she has questions. Still, she's never known anything else so it's a moot point. She wouldn't have anything anymore, if she left.

"If you ever chance your mind, you know you'll always be welcome. How's Rex?" Anakin inquires.

"He's doing fine," Ahsoka assures him, and she admits it's mildly touching that that's one of the first things he asked.

They start walking through the halls of the palace, as they talk.

"I always hoped I'd get to see the palace one day," she comments.

"Yes, I imagine you find it a lot more impressive than the one on Tatooine," he says dryly.

"Are you seriously asking me to insult your home?"

"I was only observing that you seem to be much more in awe here."

"I suppose things can't really be built for beauty on Tatooine." She pauses in her tracks when she sees a few of the people up ahead who she knows aren't Republic. "They're Separatist, aren't there?" Ahsoka asks.

"They are," Anakin agrees, "Why?"

She shrugs. "I can't imagine they'll be eager to run into a Jedi here."

"It's a given since the Chancellor of the Republic is here," Anakin points out, "I don't think they'd mind meeting a Jedi as much as you might expect."

"Maybe," she says, doubtfully.

"Why don't we find out?" he proposes, moving forwards. She follows him slowly, only half certain if this is a good idea. The only Separatists she's met have been trying to kill her, after all. It would be weird to meet one who isn't.

"Hey, Lux," Anakin calls, approaching a boy who looks to be around her age.

"Senator Skywalker!" Lux replies, perking up.

"You are a Senator?" Ahsoka blurts dubiously.

"My mother is," he corrects, eyeing her, "Are you a Jedi?"

"Yeah, I am," she agrees, a little stiffly, "Why do you ask?"

"Before the war, I always told the Jedi were good," Lux replies.

"And now?" she asks, a little warily. She has a pretty good idea where this is going.

"I don't know," he admits, "There's a lot of terrible things happening, a lot of killing. And now my friends are saying the Jedi are to blame."

She can't help but feel a flare of anger. The Jedi are not the ones responsible for the war. "I'm the first Jedi you've ever met, aren't I?" she challenges. And hey, where did Anakin go? He must've left when they were in the middle of talking. She'll go track him down later.

"Well, yes," Lux admits.

"Look at me," she chirps, crossing her arms and staring pointedly at him, "I'm not so bad, am I?"

"No, not bad at all," he answers lightly, staring her up and down.

She rolls her eyes, letting out a groan. "It seems boys are the same whether they're Separatists or Republic."

She turns to walk away, but Lux calls after her. "Wait!"

"Yeah?" she asks, looking back.

"How many Separatists have you actually met?"

"What?" She's literally been fighting them for the past two years!

"I mean, you think we're all the bad guys, but how many of us have you actually met? And droids don't count."

Well, now that he mentions... "Other than military officers like Grievous and Ventress... you're the first, I guess."

"So, am I so bad?" Lux asks, and he's totally throwing her own words back at her, but she can see his point.

"I know there's... many sides to this war," Ahsoka concedes, "I suppose assuming all Separatists would be like Grievous and Ventress is a rather biased view."

"That's why I don't blame individual Jedi for the war," Lux replies, "Even if I don't know what to think about them as a whole."

She doesn't have any longer to continue the conversation because Plo comes to find her. It's time to prepare for the celebration that evening and get into their positions. Maybe she'll have more time to talk to Anakin again later.

***

"Here. You'll need this."

Anakin frowns at the proffered lightsaber hilt before raising his gaze up to look at Obi-Wan who's standing opposite him. "No thanks," he replies lightly, patting the two blasters strapped to his hips, concealed by his dark Senatorial robes. "I've got these."

Obi-Wan gives him a flat look, one filled with both fondness and exasperation. "Anakin... you can't go up against a Sith Lord with only a blaster."

"Why not?" Anakin demands, crossing his arms. He is absolutely not pouting. Senators don't pout. Besides, he's twenty-one. He's an adult.

Obi-Wan looks up at the ceiling for a moment as if praying for patience. "Because," he answers, carefully enunciating each word, "He's a Sith Lord."

"You're a Sith Lord," Anakin rebuts defiantly. "I've fought you with my blasters before, and I've won every single time."

"I'm not as powerful as Sidious is," Obi-Wan deflects. "Even Dooku is far weaker than he is, and he was one of the strongest Jedi I heard of. I don't know how this is going to end up turning out, but we won't have any second chances."

"I know," Anakin agrees, giving in and taking the hilt, concealing it in his robes. He might have made the lightsaber, but he prefers his blasters. At least no one will question why a Senator is an expert marksman.

A Senator using a lightsaber, on the other hand, will definitely raise eyebrows. He would much rather not let anyone know how powerful he is, even if Ahsoka and Rex already know he's been trained. That was why Obi-Wan first taught him how to build impenetrable shields. No one can sense even a fraction of his true Force sensitivity. That's going to be especially important for when they confront Sidious – if things come down to a duel. It's likely the Jedi will start to realize how strong he is, but... That might just be the price of taking down the Sith.

Obi-Wan's face is filled with satisfaction when Anakin complies. "Now, let's review the plan."

Anakin sighs, rising and stretching as he paces to the window, looking out at the Nubian countryside. Being here for the Festival of Light is... It's a moment for them to acknowledge that life goes on and that they can still celebrate despite the tragedies occurring all throughout the galaxy. He can't wait until the Chancellor is dead. That sneaky, manipulative bastard has been in control for far too long. What they need is to remove him from the equation, and Anakin is more than willing to take treasonous means, if it will guarantee the safety and peace of the galaxy as a whole. (To be fair, if he isn't part of the Republic, it isn't exactly treason anyway.)

Finally, he turns back towards Obi-Wan. "Ipa," he sighs, "I know what the plan is." He pushes ahead before Obi-Wan has time to interject. "Once Palpatine has been taken by the bounty hunters, Jango will finish him, unless he doesn't die, in which case we'll get down there."

Obi-Wan chuckles slightly. "Yes, I would be surprised if you didn't remember, but you have to let me worry about you sometimes, Anakin."

He can't quite hide the small smile on his face or the surge of warmth and love that rush through him. Impulsively, Anakin reaches out and tugs Obi-Wan into a fierce embrace. He doesn't want to admit how terrified he is that he'll lose his father during a potential fight against Sidious. The bond between them is frightening strong – even Shmi has commented on it – and Anakin is quite certain that he'll lose his mind entirely if Obi-Wan is taken from him. But then again, he's incredibly protective over all of his loved ones, having lost so many friends during his childhood.

Obi-Wan exhales audibly, wrapping his arms around him in turn, holding him comfortingly as Anakin presses his face against Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I'll be alright, vikka," he whispers – his right hand rubbing Anakin's back comfortingly. Vikka is the Amatakka word for child, son in his case, an endearment which Obi-Wan has used almost as soon as he learned what it meant. He can't know that, but the words are reassuring, and Anakin lets them – and the feel of Obi-Wan's body – lull him into a sense of temporary peace.

As Anakin relaxes in his embrace, his thoughts turn to Padme. He hopes she'll understand that he and Obi-Wan are doing what they have to do. They don't have another choice; gathering evidence against Palpatine would be better, but it would also take too long. As least this way, they can make their sacrifice without hurting anyone else. Besides, violence is the only way on Tatooine; it's all Anakin has known. Criminals don't deserve to be arrested and tried, especially for heinous crimes. They only get the death penalty. It's what Obi-Wan believed too, which is the only reason their planet is as stable as it is.

***

Obi-Wan would be lying if he said he wasn't on edge as the festivities for the evening begin. This is it, the moment that they'll have to try and kill Sidious. He tries to keep his mind focused on other things, though, since he's literally in the Sith's presence right now. He doesn't need to sense that something about this plan isn't as he intended. Likely, he has already, though. They need to be ready for it.

Tuning out Palpatine's ridiculous speech, he glances around the area again. There's quite a few Jedi here, and they're all prepared for the same thing.

Meanwhile on the far side of the galaxy, other Jedi have been dispatched to deal with Dooku simultaneously. It should all be over soon. In the end, he supposes it's only a question of who's going to make it out alive.

He throws a glance over at Anakin again, where he sits next to Padme, Ahsoka standing near them. Anakin will be fine, he's certain, but he can't help but worry regardless.

The speech finally comes to an end, and fireworks go off in the sky far above them, lighting the area. Nearly everyone's gazes are rooted on them, and that's when Obi-Wan finally catches sight of the movement on the far side of the ray shielded platform.

"The shield generator!" Master Plo calls urgently, as a long tentacle-arm penetrates it.

Shaak Ti instantly springs into motion, racing across the clearing towards it, but the generator promptly explodes, the shield over the platform vanishing. Almost everyone immediately goes into a panic, and the security start trying to safely evacuate everyone.

Obi-Wan pushes his way through the dispersing crowd, over to the designated meeting spot with Anakin. Not far away, he can see the bounty hunters throwing a "Senate guard" into the back of a speeder, and taking off with him, even as the Jedi gave chase.

Anakin is already there at the waiting speeder and fires it up the moment Obi-Wan is inside, zooming away across the Nubian landscape. The faster they get to the rendezvous point the better.

The speeder finally races through the trees, right in time to see Bane dragging Palpatine out of the back of his speeder and dumping him very unceremoniously on the ground. It's maybe a little too satisfying to see, even if it is Sidious who's letting them treat him like that. For now.

"We have incoming," warns Jango as they race in through the trees. Obi-Wan can hear the sound of engines a distant behind, indicating the Jedi will be here shortly.

"Stop or we kill him," Bane warns, aiming a blaster down at Palpatine's head.

Jango fires.

For the barest second, Obi-Wan dares to hope that this is going to work. But he can't tell from here because he can't clearly see everything thanks to the angle and –

The next thing he knows, the bounty hunters go flying back from a Force shove, and Palpatine is climbing to his feet. He's still shielding as heavily as ever, but still, something shifts in the Force around him. And that dark look in his eyes as he turns to face Anakin and Obi-Wan sends an involuntary chill through him.

They're first plan failed and in truth he finds he isn't too surprised. But now it means they'll have to fight the Sith himself. On the very same planet where it all started, where Qui-Gon was killed by a Sith over ten years ago. He doesn't know if he's ready for this. But it's not himself he's concerned for. It's Anakin. If anything were to happen to him...

The bounty hunters are all aiming their blasters at Palpatine again and he casually flicks his hand, lifting them all in a Force choke. Anakin's lightsaber springs to life in a flash and he throws it at the Sith. Sidious side steps it, but it forces him to release the others in the process.

Obi-Wan immediately ignites his own lightsaber, and Anakin draws the Darksaber. They charge forwards together as two blood red lightsabers spring to life in Sidious' hands. Seriously, does he carry those things everywhere with him?

"You're fools to believe you would actually succeed," Sidious snarls as their blades clash.

"We'll see," Obi-Wan retaliates, shoving back against his lightsaber. He goes onto the defensive as they fight, especially when he quickly begins to realize that for some reason, the Sith's favorite move is an 'I'm trying to stab you through the chest or gut you' motion. It's clumsy and leaves a lot of openings, but nearly impossible to defend against.

As their blades in a furious blur, another speeder zooms up through the trees and Windu, Shaak Ti, and Fisto jump off, running towards them. "In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic you are under arrest, Chancellor," Windu warns as the three stalk forwards.

Sidious pulls back out of the fight for a brief moment, to look at them. "It's treason, then," he growls and lunges forwards.

The duel is fast and furious. He's almost impossibly good, and it makes it harder that it's not like all five of them are able to fight him at once. Especially since he keeps ducking out of their way or throwing them off just in time.

Sidious is having a much harder time, though, now that Windu is here helping them.

He ducks away from them again, slashing higher than Fisto can block him, blade stabbing him through the side. Obi-Wan doesn't know if the injury will be fatal, but they don't have time to worry about it.

Shaak Ti is the next to go down. Sidious blasts her right into a nearby tree – practically literally – and she doesn't move to get back up. It's down to the three of them again, against them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Obi-Wan registers that Eval and Bane have taken off, obviously not wanting to get involved in something like this.

He clashes blades with Sidious again, and the lightsaber grazes across the side of his arm. He jerks back as the burning pain radiates through him. Sidious instantly slashes at him again, far lower than Obi-Wan can block in time – while the Sith continues fending off Anakin with his other hand – and it cuts deeply into his leg.

With a stifled cry, Obi-Wan falls to the ground. Anakin throws up a hand, flinging Sidious back, before giving pursuit alongside Windu. It's just the two of them now, and he doesn't have time for this. He can't leave Anakin completely alone against the Sith, and –

From his position he can't see what's happening either. He doesn't know if that's better or worse. He can't help anymore, and Anakin is fighting Sidious. He could die, and there's nothing Obi-Wan could do about it.

A cry of half-rage, half-pain reaches his ears, and he twists around a little, despite himself, in time to see Anakin stabbing Sidious. And then the next thing he knows, lightning blasts from the Sith hands, throwing both Windu and Anakin to the ground.

No, no – He knows in that moment, that the Sith is trying to kill them before he goes out too, and there's nothing Obi-Wan can do to stop him. And –

There's a flash of armor as Jango blasts into the air above them. Several blaster shots ring out and the lightning just as rapidly ceases.

A ripple seems to run through the Force, and so much of the darkness that's always lingered in the air seems to start dissipating.

It's over.

They won.

He tries to push himself up anyway, ignoring the pain running through his leg. "Anakin?"

"M'fine," the boy groans in a tone that very much implies he is not fine.

He wants to go over to him, but he can't well move in the moment. The least he can do is rest in the silent assurance that the fight is over and they're both alive.

***

When Anakin opens his eyes again, it's to somewhere in a medbay.

"Anakin?" Padme asks, looking worriedly down at him.

"Padme?" he coughs, turning his head look around. The ache from being electrocuted is still running through his body, and – He jerks upright, ignoring how his muscles scream in protest.

"What happened to Obi-Wan?" he demands frantically.

"He's fine," another voice – Ahsoka – replies. She's sitting on his other side, and it's... admittedly touching that she decided to wait here for him to wake up.

"He's been treated," Padme responds, frowning, "What happened?"

He slumps back against the pillows, relief running through him. "What did happen?" Ahsoka presses. "The celebration got interrupted and the next thing I know I'm hearing half of everyone is in the medbay!"

"We fought the Sith," Anakin explains, "And... I don't know what happened, actually." Because on second thought, he doesn't even know if the Sith is dead. He'd lost consciousness and... He can't be certain if what he thinks he remembers is real or wishful thinking.

"Hang on!" Ahsoka protests, "What Sith?! And here?!"

Apparently, she hasn't heard anything about it. Not that it's a surprise. They can't exactly let it become common knowledge that they technically murdered the Chancellor. It's better if as few people as possible know anything about it. But Padme and Ahsoka should know the truth. "What happened to Palpatine?" Anakin asks.

A less happy look crosses Padme's face. "He was killed."

Anakin swallows hard. "There's something you should know."

"What?" Ahsoka asks, almost warily.

"He was Sidious." He doesn't know how else to tell them, and getting to the point is probably the best.

For a moment, they both stare at him. "What – how's that possible?" Padme protests at last.

"It makes sense, if you think about it," Anakin replies grimly, "He manipulated his way into the most powerful position in the galaxy and he head control of Dooku from the start. He's been playing both sides of the entire conflict."

"So, you decided to run off Sith hunting and never thought to tell me a word until now?!" Ahsoka demands. (He's pretty sure she doesn't know how to react to the rest of the news, so she's focusing on the other aspects.)

"I wasn't going to take a padawan to go fighting Sith," Anakin says flatly.

"The Council knew about this? Was all of this their plan?" Padme asks, finally finding her voice again.

"We foiled Sidious' plan with one of our own," Anakin explains, "The kidnapping thing was his idea, not ours. But we took advantage of it. Taking him down like this was really the only way."

"Dooku is dead, too," Padme adds suddenly. "I heard the Jedi sent a strike team to break into his castle on Serenno."

Anakin closes his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. "Good. That means the war will be ending." He scoots to the edge of the bed. "But I want to go see how Obi-Wan is doing now."

"Hold on, you are still recovering," Padme cuts in, giving him a pointed look, "I'm calling the healer to check on you before you're going anywhere."

***

"How could you do this? Why would you do this?" Ahsoka demands, standing on the other side of the ray shield opposite her friend.

Former friend.

Can she really call Barriss Offee her friend, after she blew up part of the Temple?!

"I had to make a point, and I didn't know what else to do," Barriss answers quietly.

"And so, you decided to attack the Temple," Ahsoka states, bitterly. She can't believe that this happened, so shortly after they were bringing an end to the war now that both of the Sith are dead. It's only been a couple months.

Barriss looks away. "Why do you think I turned myself in?"

She sighs. She doesn't know how to feel about any of this anymore. The Order is in so much chaos, and more and more she finds that... she wants something else. She doesn't know what but staying in the Order and trying to learn how to be a Jedi in peacetime doesn't – she doesn't know how to do it, even if she knows Aayla would be able to teach her fine.

She has so many questions too, and it doesn't really feel like she belongs here.

***

It hardly helps that a lot of Jedi seem to be having issues with the Dark Side – most of them apparently had had interactions with Sidious at some point so it's not really a surprise – and Barriss is one of them. Now that her best friend at the Temple has done this, it's shaken her up even more.

It takes her a couple more weeks before she finally reaches her decision. She doesn't feel like she belongs here anymore, but until Naboo, the thought of leaving was ridiculous and unrealistic. Where would she go, after all? But she knows the answer to that now.

"I'm sorry, Master," Ahoska says quietly, standing in front of Aayla on the Temple steps. She can't believe things have come to this point.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ahsoka?" Aayla presses.

"I don't feel like this is the place for me," she admits, quietly, "I need to figure things out on my own." She doesn't think sitting back and being 'peacekeepers' will work either, lest the galaxy continue to fall, and she can't stay while the Jedi do that. She needs... time.

"You'll always be welcome here if you change your mind and want to return," Aayla promises.

Ahsoka isn't sure that's completely true though, because... a Jedi leaving the Order is an extreme thing, and to many members often it's seen much like a betrayal. It doesn't matter. She doubts she'll be coming back. She knows where she's going, and once she gets there, she doesn't think she'll want to return.

***

"You're planning to stay?" Anakin inquires, surprised. He was serious when he made the offer to Ahsoka, but he wasn't expecting her to actually take him up on it.

"I don't want to go back – assuming you're okay with..." Ahsoka trails off.

"Of course, I am," Anakin promises, "I wouldn't have offered it if I wasn't."

"It's weird to think that you're technically the leader here," Ahsoka comments, moving over to balcony railing of the Mandalorian palace, overlooking the surrounding city.

"Technically, Satine is still the ruler," Anakin points out, "Some of the people just... prefer to see me as the ruler instead."

"You're doing a good job at it," she replies, "Especially with trying to create peace between the Jedi and Mandalorians, even if some Jedi aren't the happiest about the... changes."

"Not all Mandalorians are either," Anakin admits.

Since Mandalore was starting to go back to its previous warrior ways, Anakin had begun to worry – especially with the war going on – that they might end up joining the war, especially against the Republic. He found the simplest solution to it. Requesting the Jedi send their Initiates to spend time on Mandalore was mutually beneficial for both. The Jedi need to spend more time among the people if they will ever be effective.

He hears a sudden movement behind him and looks up to see Rex stepping out onto the balcony behind them.

"Rex?" Ahsoka ask, surprised.

Equal surprise flickers across the former captain's face. "I wasn't expecting to you here, Commander."

"I wasn't either," Ahsoka admits, "And you know, you don't have to call me commander anymore."

"He came here, after leaving. A lot of the clones did," Anakin interjects. And now clan Fett is one of the biggest there is. Jango seemed much too happy with having a ridiculous increase in his number of children (even if Boba is his favorite and everyone respects that), and Anakin suspects someday he might get a little too caried away and demand the Republic turn over the rest of them because 'this is the Way'.

Rex doesn't stay out there for long before leaving again, leaving the two of them alone.

"What happened?" Anakin wonders, "What changed made you want to leave?"

"The last thing was the bombing of the Temple," Ahsoka admits, "The person who did it... She was my friend." There's a pained look in her eyes as she says it, and he can only imagine how she must be feeling, having one of her friends betray her and everything they stood for. It's not something he can relate to.

"I'm sorry," he offers sympathetically, reaching over to rest a hand on her shoulder. It's completely insufficient, he knows, but there's nothing else he can do. He can try to be here for her, to help her heal with time, but healing is much easier said than done. Offering silent support doesn't feel like it's nearly enough, and it doesn't help how Anakin doesn't entirely know what to offer her. A family, perhaps? It's hard to say. She was raised a Jedi, not with a real family.

"I don't know how she could've done something like that," Ahsoka murmurs, "The Order has changed and... maybe not in a good way. I don't know anymore."

"They do need to take a more active role in helping people, not doing what the Republic is telling them too," Anakin agrees. On that note... "Maybe getting to know True Mandalorians will help with that."

"Maybe."

They fall silent for a few moments, while Anakin's mind wanders over the implications of Ahsoka's presence here and what it will mean for both of them. "I can adopt you, if you want," Anakin offers, "You're technically still a minor."

"You could?" she asks, looking up at him in a mixture of surprise and multiple emotions he can't name, on her face.

"I can, if that's what you want."

Ahsoka moves closer almost impulsively, wrapping her arms around him. He slips his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Did I hear something about 'adopting'?" Obi-Wan asks, appearing in the doorway behind them. He's been here a lot recently, especially thanks to his relationship with Satine. They're married now and... Anakin still finds it weird that he technically has two mothers now. Sort of. He doesn't consider Satine a mother or anything, but it's similar in concept.

"You're going to be a grandfather, Ipa," Anakin chirps.

"I'm too young for that," he protests stubbornly.

"Oh, come on, you've known you're going to be one soon from the moment I married."

"This is completely different. I'll have a teenage granddaughter?" he grouses, "I'm only thirty-seven!"

"I do, I think," Ahsoka murmurs, grip tightening, ignoring Obi-Wan's complaints. "Want you to, I mean."

"I'll have to talk to Padme," Anakin declares, "But I'm sure she'll be more than happy to agree."

Ahsoka only gives him an almost shy smile in response, as if uncertain how to respond.

Anakin turns to look out at Mandalore again as the three of them stand side by side, staring out at his... second home. Or third. First Tatooine, then Naboo, and now here. He has a deep connection to all planets now, even if he'll always put Tatooine first.

It's strange to think that Ahsoka will... technically be his first child now. He's always seen her as something of a younger sister, but maybe it will become more than that now.

And if she wants, he'll train her in the Dark Side as well, the same way Obi-Wan trained him.

"Unless something else comes up," Obi-Wan speaks up, "We should be ready to leave for Tatooine again soon."

Anakin nods, smiling faintly.

In the end, Tatooine will still always be his home.