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Anakin Skywalker is on the path to become one of the greatest figures on the galactic scene. If you want to read an original story of greatness, you can check my story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Tatooine
Sanctum Sanctorum
"Should we open it?" Anakin asked, his voice wavering.
"Your call. You are the Force-sensitive one."
Anakin approached the writhing mass with measured steps, one hand stretched out. He touched it. The strands ceased all movement, and the orb expanded with a blinding light.
—
They stood in a dimly lit room.
Two figures were there, one a towering holoprojection, the other a kneeling human, only his hands visible. Beneath the hood of the holoprojected individual, they could see the long, narrow face.
A Muun, Anakin thought.
"Sidious, what is the situation in Naboo?" the Muun asked. His eyes were exactly like the ones of the spirit fragments in the long-dead Sith warrior's lightsaber. A mix of red and yellow and full of darkness.
"Proceeding as planned. Padme Amidala is on route to Coruscant. We will succeed soon, Master," Sidious reported. His voice was deep and made him feel as if snakes were slithering on his skin.
"Good."
"If I may, what of your experiments?"
"Manipulating the midi-chlorians only works for so long before the Force reacts. Healing wounds, perhaps even saving a dying individual, is possible, but creating life seems impossible for now."
"A pity," Sidious said, his tone turning flat.
"This is not a memory," Strange stated the obvious, examining the environment for more clues.
"I think the Force is showing me this vision," he said, watching the Sith master and the apprentice.
"To let you know what you feared was not true."
Anakin sat down with a weariness that did not belong to a young man his age. He wrapped his hands around his knees, watching the exchange. Strange sat next to him, wondering.
"Whoever they are, these two seem to be the architects of the invasion of Naboo. Queen Amidala will be pleased to know this."
"But that's not what's on your mind right now."
"If the Sith or the Jedi didn't create me, then who?"
"I think you are a, how to say this? " Strange racked his brain. "An immune response to the Sith trying to manipulate the midi-chlorians. The Force is sentient, that much is clear. It wanted someone that could be its champion."
"Why me though?" he asked. Why did it choose his mother, a slave, where he might have died young? Were there more like him out there?
"That, I can't begin to guess," Strange said, squeezing Anakin's shoulder. Perhaps the Force had something in mind for him.
"I am the creation of a galaxy-spanning energy well that wants me to destroy the Sith. That sounds a lot like fate."
"Are you going to listen to the Force?"
"Heck no. I'll do what I want. I'll kill the Sith if they get in my way, not because my absent father told me to."
Strange chuckled. "Atta boy."
The environment around them began to dim. He felt the Force fade away, as if this were all it wanted to show. The dimly lit room was gone, leaving them back in the darkness of the first layers of his mother's consciousness.
"Uhhh, what is that?" he asked, pointing at the disturbance in the fabric of space across them. Even in the darkness it was visible.
"The vision must have disturbed your mother's subconsciousness. We should leave now," Strange said, closing his eyes to focus. Anakin followed his lead, feeling himself quickly fall asleep.
Not before he heard a dark chuckle, though.
—
All three sprung up with gasps at once.
"What was that?"
"A memory of my battle with Dormammu. Given the circumstances, we are lucky there was no need to fight."
His head snapped to his mother violently, and he felt his vision darken for a second. "There aren't going to be any side effects, right?"
"No. We left quickly enough; he did not materialize fully. Even then, he would simply disappear as soon as we were repelled."
"Did you find it?" Shmi asked, gathering her son in her arms.
"Yes. I was created by the Force as a response to the Sith's attempts to create life."
"Thank goodness."
—
Fort Freedom
"I need to speak with the queen. It's urgent," he said to Ventress, rubbing his eyes. Sleep had not come to him easily last night.
She stopped her swings, sheathing her vibroblades with pursed lips. "How urgent exactly? She is a busy woman."
"It's about the masterminds behind the invasion of Naboo."
She did a double take, reaching for the holoprojector she carried. "Give me a second." She sent the call through, waiting. Fortunately, the day and night cycles of Naboo and Tatooine roughly matched. "Your Majesty," she said with a shallow bow.
"Asajj," the queen smiled, "is everything alright?"
"Yes. The Sorcerer has apparently discovered intelligence related to the ones behind the Trade Federation's invasion."
Amidala's smile fell, her eyes narrowing like that of a predator. "What?"
"We should speak face to face," he said. Long-range comms were too unreliable for what he was about to share.
"I will be waiting. Asajj, come with him."
—
Naboo
Theed Royal Palace
"What exactly have you discovered?" she asked as soon as the door to the meeting room was locked behind them.
"The Sith were behind it," he said.
Padme took a deep breath, gritting her teeth. "I know that much." She had spent her time researching the Zabrak who had almost taken her life. All signs pointed out that he was a Sith, not some random dark side user.
"There was a master and an apprentice. The master was a Muun and the apprentice was a human male, Darth Sidious."
Padme grasped him by the shoulders, her left hand leaving a small bruise. "How did you come to learn this? Is your source trustworthy?" she demanded, pushing him back a step. She blinked, having realized what she had done, and pulled back, offering a quick apology.
"I was investigating a separate matter. Long story short, a Force vision showed me the two discussing the state of Naboo's invasion and how close they were to success."
She paced around the room. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon always trusted the Force. She didn't know Anakin was Force-sensitive too, but if he came here, then he was certain.
"What was the matter you were investigating, if I may ask?"
"It is personal and irrelevant to Naboo's situation," he replied with a reserved tone. He didn't feel comfortable discussing this matter with anyone else yet. Perhaps he never would.
"I have been trying to find who was behind Gunray for years. The only lead I ever found was his connection to a former Jedi master. You have given me a lot, thank you," she said, letting herself drop into a chair.
"No need for it between friends."
"This Muun, can you describe him to me?"
Anakin traced a circle in the air, putting his palm in the middle. A pulse of golden energy coalesced together, recreating the image of the Muun, at least as much as he had seen him.
"I know that face," Padme snapped up, closing her eyes, diving into her memories. "He was at the celebrations thrown due to my election as the queen. We didn't speak much, but it was odd he would be there." She remembered that he was influential among the banking clans, which made it odd he would be at Naboo of all places. They weren't big partners of the Clans.
"I shall check the records," Vaeliae said, sprinting for the computer in the middle of the meeting room. She accessed the records of the celebration, finding the guest list.
She projected the image over the computer. "Hego Damask II. He bought an invitation to the celebration in an effort to "support the efforts of such a young and bright queen," in his own words."
"Anything else? Any acquaintances among the guests?" Padme asked, biting her knuckles. This was the closest.
"None. He didn't stay long, only spoke to the press at length."
"Damn it."
She searched for him in the holonet, projecting a news article. "He died days after Chancellor Palpatine's election in what is presumed to be an assasination by a rival faction."
"And there goes our only lead," Asajj muttered, glaring at the image of the Muun.
"The Sith are treacherous. It is possible the apprentice, Sidious, killed him," Anakin said. The change in Sidious' tone upon learning creating life was not possible through manipulating the midi-chlorians showed disappointment.
If his master was no longer useful, Sidious might have disposed of him.
"Now I know where to look."
"Your Majesty, you are one of the few people in this damn galaxy that actually cares about the people. The Sith are dangerous. Do not take any unnecessary risks," he cautioned. She was a friend and an ally to their cause. He would not let someone like her be killed. Not when he had the power to face any Sith.
"I thank you for your warning, but I can't let this go," she said, her eyes hardening. Every single person she had lost during the invasion would be avenged. Even if it meant she would have to personally confront Darth Sidious.
"Then call me when it gets dangerous. I can assure you, the Mystic Arts are more than a match for any Force user out there." He summoned a wand, shaping it into a sword and twirling it in his hand. He was becoming an excellent duelist in his master's opinion. Combined with the obvious superiority of the Mystic Arts compared to the Force from what he had seen so far, Sidious wouldn't be a problem.
She shook her head. "I can't ask you to abandon your duties to help me."
"You are not asking. I am offering. Just as you did," he said, a blinding smile on his lips. It was the least he could do for her.
"Very well, thank you once more. I won't forget this."
—
Tatooine
Fort Freedom
"Say, do you take an apprentice?" Ventress asked in a playful tone, half-serious.
"I am a student myself," he said. He didn't feel comfortable teaching anyone yet. He wasn't even certain if he wanted to.
"Pity. That sword looked like it could stand up to a lightsaber."
"They do actually."
"You tried it then. Was it against the Jedi?" she asked. She had seen those banthas around the fort. Only Obi-Wan's existence stopped her from confronting them verbally.
"No. I found an old Sith lightsaber. I've been testing it against the mandalas," he explained. He had managed to rebuild it with the aid of the Force. It mostly served as a test bed for how the Mystic Arts affected it.
"You have a lightsaber?" she paced forward, turning towards him. "I could use one."
"Sure," he said, opening a small portal and pulling the lightsaber out of the drawer in his little workshop. "Here you go." He threw it to her, sidestepping the agent as he did.
She caught it, pressing the button. She repeatedly blinked at the green color. "Sorry to disappoint you, but the Sith lightsabers are red, not green."
"It was red. My master defeated the shades inside. The crystal was restored to its color after that."
She blinked, her jaw falling. He glanced back, smirking.
"That's not possible. Purifying a blood kyber crystal turns it white, not to its original color," she said. Her master had taught her as much in Rattatak while speaking of the dangers of the dark side.
"Maybe that's what they can do with the Force."
"Fascinating."
"Actually, I do have more of these crystals. I found them in underground caves. You are welcome to take them," he said, dropping a handful of crystals on her open palm.
"You are full of surprises, aren't you?" she said, grinning. None of the crystals resonated with her, but a functional lightsaber was better than vibroblades.
—
Qymaen had come up with a plan. He, Anakin; two of his Izvoshra-Bentilais, San Sk'ar and Rrakkis vor-Duun; Ventress; and Artoo would board the Strange Tides. They would use the Tatooine Dash to appear on the outskirts of the system. Anakin would fly the ship through the Mirror Dimension right inside the Lucrehulk containing the droid control system.
Anakin had memorized the location of the central system since he was the only one who could successfully traverse the Mirror Dimension. They would infiltrate on foot, only leaving when Artoo was in reach of the dataport.
The rest was a matter of defending their location until the astromech changed the IFF codes.
A different kind of storm was brewing on the other side of the galaxy.
—
Coruscant
The Senate
"Master Windu, the Senate has always appreciated the Jedi's contributions to peace and democracy. Yet this secrecy is worrying," Palpatine said with a concerned look while seething internally.
"Your concern is understandable, Chancellor. The nature of the investigation required absolute secrecy as our discoveries were grave," he said, activating the holoprojector. Hundreds of images of Kaleesh enslaved and sold by Yam'rii, forced to work on Huk's underground mines to death and more.
More importantly, evidence proving the unchecked aggression of the Yam'rii in invading Kalee and stripping the planet bare once they lost.
"Master Windu, what is this?" he asked, feeling his blood boil. It was the final nail in the coffin of their chance to recruit Grievous.
"Chancellor, members of the Senate, we all have been deceived by the Yam'rii. They were the aggressors in the conflict between them and the Kaleesh. Upon losing the war, they resorted to bribery, lobbying, and propaganda to bring the Senate and the Jedi to do their dirty business," Windu said, raising his voice to a bellow towards the end, pointing at the cowering Yam'rii senator and his aides.
"The people of Kalee, regardless of their nature, were only defending themselves and fighting for their freedom. In return, we condemned their entire population to death through starvation," he said, presenting images of a once desolate planet and the starving masses.
The Senate was plunged into a state of uproar. Accusations that the evidence was false, as well as immediate calls to sanction the Yam'rii, fought for dominance. Naboo, Alderaan, and Chandrila pushed together, proposing immediate seizure of all Yam'rii assets in Republic Space to fund a relief package for the Kaleesh.
"Order! Order in the Senate!" Mas Amedda slammed his staff on the podium, but his calls were ignored. Palpatine, disgruntled, pressed the button that would echo his voice across the chamber.
This could still be salvaged.
"My friends," he called out, silencing the rampaging Senate in an instant. "This evidence has shown that our previous leadership has been deceived. Yet it is not too late. We can make up for our mistakes. I put forward a motion to freeze the membership of the Yam'rii and seize their assets for usage in reparations to the Kaleesh."
"Cast your votes now," he said, already playing his hand.
It was an overwhelming yes and one of the quickest decisions reached by the Senate. He would use the media to frame himself as the man who fixed a grave mistake committed by Valorum, further increasing his standing among the Galactic Republic.
He would kill the Sorcerer of Tatooine for this, though.
—
In the next chapter:
"We should retreat," Ventress said, eyes locked on the old, distinguished gentleman before them. With a white beard and hair, he was dressed in a set of dark tunics and trousers, touting a brown cape with two lightsabers at his belt. He was speaking to a Hutt, the new speaker of the Council.
"If an alliance between us can be reached, we can supply the mighty Hutt Council with all the weapons they will ever need."
"That's Count Dooku. The queen knew he had something to do with Nute Gunray, but the details weren't clear. I don't know how good you are, but he is deadly."
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