Chosen Paths Part 2
Anakin wandered through the familiar streets of Mos Espa, searching for the appropriate street marking. He turned left into a run-down shop. "Watto?" A familiar grating voice emanated. "Ah, outlanders. How can I hellllllp you?" Anakin grinned. "How's the podracing, Watto? Still paying off?" The strange flying creature squinted. "Anakin Skywalker?" Anakin bowed slightly. "None other. This is my wife, Amidala. Where's my mother?" Watto jerked his head towards the back. "Her usual place. Keep it down. Meanwhile, do you need any repairs?" Anakin dug out money. "I'd like to buy a slave. Two of them, actually. Shmi Skywalker and and Kitster." "Kitster's dead," a quiet voice said from the doorway to their left. Shmi stepped forward, her face drawn and gaunt, worn by years of work. "He tried to escape and his slave locator imploded." She squinted at them. "Who are you, looking for him?" Anakin stepped into the light. "Mom, I've come back." Shmi hesitated, then rushed forward and embraced him tightly. She buried her face in his shoulder, weeping. They stood like that for several minutes before pulling away. "You remember Padme." She turned and stared. "My gods." She held her at arms' length and smiled. "You've grown up quite a bit since I last saw you." She blushed. "That's not all." Anakin took her hand. "This is Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker, my wife." Shmi gasped and clasped them both in a tight embrace. Amidala looked over at Anakin and smiled broadly. He winked and smiled back, then mouthed, 'welcome to the family.' * * * Anakin stood in front of the troops he had commanded throughout the war. This was going to hit them hard. "I've been placed on detached leave from the unit pending special assignment by General Kenobi of the Jedi Order." "How long is detached leave?" Anakin sighed. "I don't know. As long as it takes. Meanwhile, we have the issue of an interim leader. Lieutenant Tarth, step forward." Tarth fought the urge to grin as he stood and moved to the front of the ranks. "Lieutenant, for your actions at Alderaan and for undaunting service throughout the course of this war, you are hereby awarded the rank of Brevet Captain and assigned command of Unit 877. Congratulations, Captain." There was scattered applause. They exchanged salutes and resumed their positions. "I know you will all continue to succeed in my absence and I look forward to hearing about your exploits when all of this is over. Dismissed." One by one, they filed past him, shaking his hand or embracing him or simply saluting. They all offered encouragement and he kept a straight face through it all, though his Force sense betrayed his dread. Amidala was the last to pass. "You feel strange. What's wrong?" Anakin wrapped an arm around her waist. "I have the strange feeling I won't see any of them again." He bent down and kissed her. "You, on the other hand, are going back to Tatooine. Chances are if they go after me, you'll be the first one they attack. I want you out of danger." Amidala made a face, but nodded. "When do you leave?" "Obi-wan's waiting for me at the hangar right now. We can't waste any more time." He pulled her in for a deep kiss and didn't let go until a deck officer informed them that General Kenobi was waiting rather anxiously for his arrival. * * * Amidala stood, watching the skies. Anakin had called a few hours ago, promising he'd be there soon. She hugged herself, shivering slightly against the Tatooine night. *Surprising that there's such a temperature difference.* Shmi came out to stand by her. "Any sign of him yet?" Amidala sighed. "None." She squinted. "Wait, I think I see the ship. Yes, there it is." "You'd better go meet him. Are you going to tell him?" Amidala winced and rested a hand on her abdomen. "He sounded tense, preoccupied. Something's horribly wrong. Maybe tonight isn't the best time." Shmi nodded. "Go to him. He needs you." Amidala gathered up her skirts and hurried toward the outskirts of the slave quarters. She kept one hand on her blaster until she was in full light again. She watched as the oblong ship made its approach and touched down. The hatch opened and Anakin ran headlong down the ramp and into her arms. She held him for a long time, feeling his tension slowly bleed away. "I've missed you so much. So much has happened. I tried to send you a message from Coruscant, but all Hell's broken loose." Amidala whacked him on the arm. "You promised you wouldn't put yourself in that much danger. Why were you there?" "Because I sent him there." Amidala turned and launched herself at Obi-wan. She embraced him, then punched him in the stomach. "Why?" Obi-wan grimaced. "Your Highness, you are certainly fickle. We had to assess the situation, see what could be done. Palpatine doesn't see him as a threat, just a potential ally. So far, he's none the wiser." Obi-wan sighed. "In the last three weeks, twelve Jedi Masters and one hundred and nineteen Knights have been killed. Not to mention Healers and Padawans. We don't know if it's linked to Palpatine or someone else, since this whole mess started long before he dissolved the Republic." Amidala's eyes widened. "The mystery Sith Lord. It has to be him." Anakin nodded. "I can't get past the feeling that Palpatine is behind all this. He's certainly powerful enough." Amidala groaned softly and buried her face in her hands. Anakin moved to her side. "Well, what are we supposed to do about it? We can't confront him on it; he'll kill us as well. If we don't, this goes on until we're next in line with no one to carry it on." Obi-wan bit his lip. "I hope we're right, in a way. It would simplify everything and explain a lot." "Let's go inside. We can discuss this more there." Obi-wan seized Amidala's arm. "Why didn't you tell him?" "It's not the right time. You can sense that. I'm afraid for him. There's some dangerous intent in him." Obi-wan smiled. "That's what I've been saying from day one. Same with the Jedi Council." He sighed. "I need to take him away again. Just for a week." Amidala covered her eyes and ran a finger under her right eye, brushing a tear away. "Please, keep him safe for me. I can't bear to lose him." Obi-wan embraced her. "Go, be with him while you can. If nothing else, you can save his sanity before he goes over the edge." * * * Anakin stepped through the door of Palpatine's Coruscant quarters and caught his breath. There was a palpable aura of evil in the air. The Force reeked of murder and corruption. "Come in, Skywalker." Anakin moved forward, his hand on his lightsaber. "Who are you?" He demanded. The hooded figure near the windows turned. "I've been watching you for eleven years now. Waiting for you to reach the right level, Force- wise, age-wise, maturity-wise. You are now suitable for the will of the Force." "Who are you?" Anakin repeated a little less surely. "Where's Emperor Palpatine? I have an audience scheduled with him." "I am Darth Sidious. I have been the wraith in your life--the demon under your repulsorbed, the monster in the storage cubicle. It is I whom Kenobi fears will destroy you all. You, your Master, your wife, your mother. In time, I will take care of the others. For now, you are at my disposal, quite literally." "You're not going to let me out of here alive, are you?" The figure laughed, a low sinister growl that grated on the ears. "The Anakin Skywalker you've lived as, no. The power that you hold within your reach, yes. That, in the end, is all that will remain of us, even the best of us. That is what you must release into space to survive the Purges." "Is that what you and Palpatine have been calling them? Purges?" "It is a cleansing of all the hypocrisy and injustice of the Old Republic. It started on the inside rings and worked its way out. Even as we speak, the Outward Bound project is being remedied." He pulled back the hood. "And, Jedi, it is not myself and Palpatine. We are one in the same, as you can see." Anakin staggered back, then regained his balance. He swung his lightsaber up into position and ignited it, charging the monster. Palpatine flicked a hand and lightning erupted from it. Anakin nearly impaled himself falling backwards. Palpatine laughed. "I told you the day after the battle for Naboo that I would watch your career develop with great interest. Now you know why. I believe the Jedi Council called you the 'Chosen One.' Do you know what that means? It means that you, Anakin Skywalker, will bring balance to the Force. The debate for the last eleven, even hundreds of years, has been simply this: which side of the Force will be increased to balance the other?" He smiled. "You are about to find out that the Light has overpowered, become corrupt by adopting that which it forbids. The Darkness must find a champion and you, my young apprentice, are it." "The Darkness has done enough work. For the last ten years, you have been murdering in the name of this balance. I have nothing to do for you." Palpatine smiled coldly. "You are about to find out just how wrong you are."
Journal Of The Whills
