Amidala eagerly awaited Anakin's arrival. After a month apart, this was their first meeting. She stood frozen at the window, gazing out at the landing pad on the same level as her chambers. Evening twilight descended upon Coruscant, and the city blossomed with millions of colorful lights, painting the skyline like a living tapestry.
Finally, a two-seater speeder touched down. Amidala stepped toward the entrance, her heart racing. Before she could reach the door, it swung open and Anakin Skywalker practically flew into the room. His R2 unit rolled close behind, whistling cheerfully.
"Padmé!" Anakin exclaimed, rushing forward and lifting her into his arms. Spinning her around in a wild, joyful dance, he grinned.
"It's good to see you, Master Anakin," C-3PO added, creaking as he moved. "Hello, R2."
The astromech responded with a series of happy chirps.
For a moment, the two lovers were oblivious to everything else.
"Padmé, I missed you so much," Anakin said, setting her down and holding her hands.
"Oh, Anakin… I was worried about you."
"That's nothing compared to how I feel about you. You almost fell into the hands of the Separatists. It's a good thing Dagon saved you and the other senators… oh."
"What?"
"I think I even forgot to visit him in the hospital to thank him…"
"I didn't like him."
"Why's that?"
"He's too… strange. He's not like other Jedi. He seems dismissive of politics and the Senate."
"Oh, come on. How many Jedi do you actually know?"
Padmé hesitated, then realized he was right. Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin, Obi-Wan, the Council… that was it. Thousands more existed in the Order, yet she had scarcely met any.
"Besides," Anakin continued, "I'm willing to forgive him a lot — he saved your life, after all."
"Also… remember, he's the second Jedi in over a thousand years to defeat a Sith—or a Sith apprentice, to be exact."
"Ani… you're so kind."
"That's why you love me, right?"
"Are you staying long?"
"We leave in the morning."
"What? So soon?"
"The war…"
"Then… let's not waste any time."
---
Later, sitting in one of the Akatsuki cabins, I indulged in contemplation.
A flicker of shadows appeared beside me, coalescing into the familiar form of **Darth Nox**. The holocron Sith's presence radiated cold curiosity, eyes gleaming with something between fear and fascination.
"Dagon," Nox rasped, voice trembling, "what… what have you done?"
I leaned back casually. "You'll want to sit down for this. It's… a long story."
Nox's armored fingers twitched as he listened, the holocron like being recoiling at the first words.
"I faced Ventress," I began, "and I survived. But that wasn't all." My voice grew steady, measured. "I confronted the spirit of Darth Vitiate—inside my own mind, in every sense. And I purified the crystals."
The reaction was immediate. Nox recoiled, almost stumbling back. "Impossible," he hissed. "The undead… the Sith… no one… this cannot be real!"
"You underestimate what careful training and focus can achieve," I said evenly. "Fear and panic are your enemies. Learn to control them—or they will destroy you."
He whispered, barely audible: "The armor… the weapons… the lessons… you've changed."
I nodded. "Yes. There's more to do. New armor, similar to Sith Stalker or Sith Marauder designs—on Malachor V, virtually impossible to get , without Beskar. For now, we adapt Jedi and clone armor to fit the purpose. And the lightsaber…"
I held up the prototype. "I've constructed a double-bladed spinning lightsaber. The blade emitters rotate along tracks in the disc while the hilt remains stable. It emphasizes attack angles and precision. The crystal allows me to extend it and even connect it with my current lightsaber to form a rifle-blaster hybrid—far superior to the one in the archives. No overheating."
Nox's expression was a mixture of awe and dread. "So… all of it. The duel, the spirit, the crystals… the weapons. You've surpassed… everything I imagined."
I let the silence linger for a moment. "And yet, this is only the beginning. There are more trials. More to master. More to survive."