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arsonistvoyager · 4 years

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A Jedi for a Clone ; Captain Rex x Reader

PART 2 HERE

pairing: Rex x Reader

Summary: Imagine you're Pong Krells former padawan, now freshly knighted jedi, and you feel hatred towards the clones, especially the 501st, and you get put on a mission with Anakin. The clones are all a little scared to get close to you but also feel a little guilty (because they're angels) since you saw Krell when he was still a good jedi and they feel like they took your parental figure. But then the more time you spend with them you realize what your master actually did

a/n: this is pretty much my first time writing anything remotely star wars x reader so whoever comes across this bear with me. i’m a stupid little beginner lol.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, General, we expect the shuttle to arrive within the next 10 to 20 minutes.”

Anakin nodded as he looked over the cliffs that the 501st had set their temporary camp up on.

Arami was a planet located on the outer rim, not far from where Anakin had grown up, meaning barely outside of Hutt Space.

It had not been long since separatist forces had invaded the sparsely populated planet and had begun to enslave its population – doing so right under the republics eyes. To provocate them into a fight, Anakin had thought when the council had brought up the news of yet another separatist invasion. To make it seem like the Republic was illegally occupying neutral worlds and forcing them onto their side.

Anakin had known it was a set up from the very beginning, but the council had insisted that he take care of the problem. To be more specific, the council had sent Obi-Wan to give Anakin the orders, knowing of the connection the former padawan and master had and how Anakin was less likely to refuse the mission if it came from his almost-father figure.

And of course Anakin did want to refuse. He despised being anywhere near Hutt-Space, more specifically, his old home world of Tatooine. Too many bad memories were connected to that place. In the end he reluctantly accepted. It would be a quick mission. The seperatists had supposedly not sent many of their droid forces. An easy task for the Jedi General. And it may or may not have been his deeply rooted hatred for the slave business that convinced him to take on this mission.

As he looked over the cliffs near the coasts of an Arami ocean he had to admit the planet was barely anything like the sandy, vast, emptiness of Tatooine. If he closed his eyes and listened to the clash of waves he could almost pretend to be on the beautiful idyllic plateaus of Naboo, nobody but a certain senator by his side.

The only thing ruining the beautiful scenery inside his head were the excited and anxious chatter of his men, his troopers, behind him. The council had sent Anakin and the five-oh-first without any aerial star destroyer support. Not even the senate, nor chancellor Palpatine had been notified of the decision. It was supposed to be a quiet secret between them and the Arami people they would rescue.

The only other person assigned to the mission was another Jedi General. A senior padawan that had been knighted only months ago and Anakin and his men were about to meet her.

Formerly Commander now General (Y/N) (L/N) had made a name for herself within the last two years of the war, not only by rising up in ranks and in the favor of many High Jedi of the Jedi Council but also in her skill of many force techniques and abilities as well as the success rate of her missions.

Many civilians knew of her as a saviour, many jedi knew her as one of the top notch generals of the outer rim. The clones however would only know her under one name. Master Pong Krells Padawan.

The shuttle had barely exited hyperspace and reached the Arami system when whispered rumors circulated around Anakins men.“Krells Padawan. She’s really coming.”

“Do you think she’s bringing a clone battalion with her?” “Nah I heard she doesn’t work with clones. Not ever since...Umbara, y’know.” “I heard she used to command several troops until she heard the news of the Generals death. I’ve heard she...slaughtered her own men in a fit of rage.” “Banthashit! Don’t listen to all the rumors you hear in 79’s, Echo.” “I swear it’s true!” “Did you guys know she wields two lightsabers?” Anakin could not block their voices out, as much as he tried. The force surrounding his men was practically shaking with their insecurity. He hated that they felt that way. And he hated himself for not being on Umbara when it happened to help his men. He regretted leaving his men in the care of that psychopath in the first place. But how should he have known? The regret clawed its way into his mind anyway.

As for General (L/N)...She was not an unfamiliar face to him. In fact, because she was not far from his age, the two of them had often been in meditation and intergalactic geography classes together, as younglings. She had been nice to him. Helped him once with one of the questions when Master Mundi had asked him about the surface of Mon Cala and he had been too occupied with his daydream to realize he had been called upon. After whispering a quick “thanks” she had giggled in response, before focusing her attention back onto the Jedi Master. That was before Obi-Wan took him on his first mission, followed up by many more. As a result Anakin spent much less time with the other younglings. Maybe he had seen her once or twice in the halls of the Jedi Temple, Anakin could not recall it. Had Master Krell been by her side? He didn’t know either.

When Anakin had consoled his men after the nightmares of Umbara he had been more than surprised that many of the clones, Rex included, felt horrible for what they had done to the Jedi Master. Anakin at the time had thought it was due to their extensive training on Kamino, where they learned to obey their Generals under any circumstances. Only later had he found out someone had gone to his men and told them all about Pong Krell, his devotion to the Jedi Order and his kindness towards his fellow Jedi.

And of course, about his very young Padawan.

Anakin had wanted to console her as well, had wanted to check up on her to make sure she was alright after the horrible news reached him. He knew very well the feeling of guilt about not being able to do something about the death of someone beloved and how the darkness would very easily latch onto that feeling and devour it. The council forbade him to act.

Instead they sent him on another mission – far from Umbara – a small planet in the mid rim. Simple humanitarian acts. The council had probably thought they showed mercy and compassion. Bantha shit.

The young General turned around as he received a message on his comlink. A trooper signaled him that the shuttle would land shortly. Anakin thanked him and started walking towards the landing area they had cleared up. As he walked past his men he noticed how they tensed up and muted. As if their earlier “whispers” hadn’t been loud enough for the entire system to hear. He sighed and regarded them with an empathetic gaze before he made his way to the front. He hoped they knew what he meant by that. He understood their fears.

The shuttle had settled on the ground and Anakin and several of his troopers watched as the ships ramp rolled out. Seconds later a figure emerged from the bright lights of the ships. There she stood, General (L/N), clad in dark jedi robes. She took less than a second to inspect her surroundings, looking the clones right into their eyes before her gaze fell upon the fellow Jedi General. With a strong, confident walk and a serious, stern expression she stepped down the ramp and made her way to Anakin, ignoring the soldiers saluting her arrival. --- You felt the clones’ nervousness in the force the moment the ship had touched Arami grounds. Good. They should fear you. They should shake underneath their bright white armor.

Blue. They had chosen blue to paint their generic armor. A pathetic attempt at individuality. Red would have been more fitting in your opinion. Had Master Krells red blood spilled on their neatly painted armor when they murdered him in cold blood? You had asked yourself the question numerous times. It still haunted you.

Dozens of eyes fell on you and you resisted the urge to shoot them a glare, deadlier than the two blue lightsabers attached to your hips. The council had sent you of all people on this idiotic mission. And you knew you had more important missions to attend to – in the calmness and familiarity of your own presence. Not surrounded by mindless clones. The killers of the kindest man you had known in your life, nonetheless.

“General (L/N)”, Skywalkers voice sounded. “It’s a pleasure to have someone as talented as you here with me.”

You knew of Anakin Skywalker. The golden boy of the galactic war. In fact, you had idolized him before Umbara had happened. Of course you knew he had nothing to do with what had happened, as he had been deployed elsewhere at the time, just like you yourself had been. B ut the fact that he continued to work with jedi-killers had shocked you. How was he able to live with these men that had killed one of you?

“As it is for me, General Skywalker.”, you finally answered, taking the hand he had reached out to you and shaking it firmly. “My deepest and sincerest apologies for what happened to Master Krell.” Oh no. “I want you to know that I-” You didn’t give him the chance to continue what he had intended to say. No – you did not need his empty words of pity.

“General I think we should discuss our strategy now.”, you instead cut him off with. “Yes...Of course.” Skywalker rubbed his forehead and sighed, stretching his arm out towards the location of their main tent. “But I just want to-”

You didn’t even give him the chance to speak, before abruptly turning towards the direction he had pointed at, determined to get this mission over as quickly as possible. It was then that you ran face first into a tall, broad man that had seemingly come out of nowhere. And your heightened Jedi senses had been too clouded with Skywalkers presence to recognize the other person.

Normally this simple occurrence would not have fazed you in the slightest. But this was Arami and aside from yourself and Skywalker there were only a certain group of people on the planet. Clones.

Instinctively your hands went to your lightsabers and your mouth curled into an angry scowl, eyes burning with fury. What imbecile of a labor-bred traitor had dared to step in your way?

You locked eyes with a blonde clone in full armor, clutching onto his helmet and already taking a few steps back. “General forgive me. I didn’t mean to-” The grip around your right lightsaber tightened. Had it not been for a decade of training in the arts of meditation, you would have probably jumped onto him like a feral beast and rammed your lightsaber right through that stupidly dyed head of his. Instead you decided to exhale deeply through your nostrils and stared right at him.

“It’s General (L/N) to you, soldier. Unlike you I have a name and I would prefer it be used to address me properly.” He could barely look into your eyes.

“Oh you’ve met, Rex.”, you recognized Skywalker's voice from behind you. “Captain Rex to be exact. One of my most trusted men.” Yes you knew of the silly little nicknames the clones gave each other and you were also aware of what Anakin was trying to accomplish, but you decided to not fall into his trap and walked towards the command tent.

“You okay, Rex?”, Anakin asked shortly after you left, laying his hand on Rex’ shoulder in a soft attempt to comfort. “Yeah...Yeah General. I don’t know what came over me. I wanted to apologize. I told myself now or never. But when I saw her I – I froze.” Anakin frowned, his eyebrows knitting in disbelief. “Rex you know you have nothing to apologize for. You acted in the name of justice.” The clone trooper stared at the ground, before putting his helmet back on. “If you say so.”

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a/n: Originally I wanted to write out the entire idea of her sitting down with rex and talking it out and realizing how she had been in the wrong and even make it a little romantic but then i got a little carried away in the process and it turned out WAY too long anyway so- enjoy this. whatever it is. I’d call it experiment and me dipping into unknown territory to see if i want to continue lol Maybe I will do a second part where they actually work it out tho

#star wars #star wars the clone wars #sttcw #clone wars #the clone wars #captain rex #captain rex x reader #captain rex x you #anakin skywalker #anakin #skywalker #clones #tcw #reader #reader insert #clones x reader

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hinerdsitscat · 4 years

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i just binge-read your "lars and organa" series and i want to know if you have any ideas what might have happened if they did take over the empire? would they have gone evil?

Oh dang, this takes me back (my very first foray into Star Wars fanfic!) I guess I sort of have an answer for you, because I started work on a more-or-less-officially-abandoned sequel to Lars & Organa, which was going to be another four-part cycle where the galaxy has to deal with an invasion from a Yuuzhan Vong-style empire from parts unknown. But it got a little too grim and also overloaded with stuff from the Clone Wars and Rebels animated series, so I moved on to other things.

But I did write a good chunk of it.

In the first part of the sequel (tentatively titled A Day of Peace) while Luke is dealing with various Political Things and then running off to respond to a distress beacon from a mysteriously-reappeared Ezra Bridger, Leia is doing her thing with Rogue Squadron because the war with the Empire is still going on.

A supposedly-simple mission (ha) to steal some starfighters goes incredibly awry when a Star Destroyer shows up. Vastly outnumbered, the Alliance ships are suddenly saved by the arrival of three other Star Destroyers, who attack the first Star Destroyer and destroy it.

Here’s an excerpt:

There was a long silence before Han hailed the remaining Imperial ships. “Venerator, not to be ungrateful, but what the hell is going on here?”

“Let me take the opportunity for further introductions, then: my name is Fleet Admiral Chalnos Rivian. The Venerator is the flagship of the Fleet of Succession, which has sworn its allegiance to the true heirs of Palpatine’s Empire.”

“Then what are you doing helping us?” Han asked in confusion.

“Because they are currently among your ranks: the Emperor Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia Skywalker, the Lady Vader.”

“Oh shit,” Leia whispered in the cockpit of her X-wing.

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For the first time in Leia’s memory, Mon Mothma appeared to be at a loss for words.

“To be fair,” Leia said, fidgeting awkwardly in her chair, “we assumed that they would figure out that we had tricked them once we had escaped.”

The older woman pressed her fingers to her temples, then let out an exasperated groan. “What the hell did you do?”

“Nothing!”

“There is an Imperial fleet outside, and you call that ‘nothing’?”

“We didn’t—” The rest of Leia’s reply was interrupted by the entrance of General Dodonna, followed by R2-D2.

“Rivian gave us this audio recording, captured during the Battle of Endor,” General Dodonna said, gesturing to Artoo to play the recording. Leia winced as she listened to her brother do his best Scary Sith Lord impression.

“Apparently you were quite convincing,” Mon Mothma said drily once the recording ended.

“Okay, yes, that… that does sound bad,” Leia said, still wincing.

“And you just forgot to mention this during your debriefing?”

“We were only in charge for fifteen minutes!”

“You staged a coup and your defense is that it was brief?” Mon Mothma asked incredulously.

During Books 3 and 4 of L&O, Vader had been doing some work behind the scenes to gather any Imperial forces who he had influence over and set it up so that if Palpatine died, they would seek out Leia and Luke and follow them. The Rebellion is initially thrilled at the arrival of all of these resources, but are less than thrilled to discover that a) Leia and Luke were sort of technically in charge of the Empire for like five minutes at the end of Book 4, and b) these Imperials are still, well, Imperials and consider themselves heirs to the real Empire, not Rebels. Leia, gritting her teeth, decides to accept their offer and becomes the head of this weird group of not-actually-defectors.

It gets weird.

The head of the fleet is a fanatic who basically worshiped the ground Vader walked on, and is more or less angling to get Leia to take her father’s place in the whole Bloodthirsty Sith Commander department. Leia spends most of the story struggling to do some kind of good with the power she’s been given, but the pressure doesn’t exactly bring out the best in her.

Here’s a scene when Leia breaks up a brawl between a group of Rebels and a group of Imperials under her command:

“What happened?” Leia demanded. No one seemed prepared to speak, so she pointed at an officer she recognized. “You, Carden, what happened?”

Carden, a wiry dark-skinned man who worked with Agent Lumaan, got to his feet. “Some words were exchanged between the Wookiee and a group of our staff and then he attacked us, ma’am.”

“Without any provocation?” she asked skeptically. She turned to Chewbacca. “What happened?” she asked the Wookiee.

Chewie glared at the officer that Leia had noticed earlier, the one with blood on his face, and began a tirade of furious Shyriiwook that was far too fast for her to follow. At one point, Han nearly rose to his feet, but a few Rogues were able to grab him by the shoulder and hold him back.

“Chewbacca, please, slow down,” she said. She looked over at Han. “What is he saying?”

Chewie glared up at Leia and used a word in Shyriiwook that Leia knew all too well from Tatooine: “Slave. He called me a slave.”

“And more,” Han growled. “That he had served on Kashyyyk, that he had taken part in what the Empire did there, that he would make sure that he—”

More Rebels joined in, but Leia was no longer listening to their words. She could only hear the blood roaring in her ears. She began to walk slowly towards the officer. “What is your name?” she asked him, her voice soft and dangerous.

“Lieutenant Stria, ma’am,” he said, carefully standing up.

“Did you say those things, Lieutenant?”

“No, ma’am, it’s all—”

“I will know if you’re lying,” she said as she stepped closer. “Did you call him a slave? Did you brag about your role in enslaving his people?”

“Ma’am, it’s just a Wookiee—”

Leia snarled and shoved Stria against the nearest wall with the Force. She was in his face only a moment later. “These are our allies, Lieutenant. These are my friends. If you can’t get the most basic notion of respect through your thick duracrete skull, then at least remember that.”

Leia could barely see through her rage. Stria tried to look away; she grabbed his chin and forced him to face her. “I don’t know what Empire you think you’re fighting for, Lieutenant, but now you’re working for me and you know exactly who I am. Exactly what I am: I am the Lady Vader, you useless bucket of Hutt-spit, and I can literally flay you alive if you so much as cough in a way that I deem offensive.”

Pinning the now-shaking Stria to the wall, she turned to face the rest of the Imperials. “That goes for every single one of you: if there is even a single instant of anything other than complete obedience and loyalty, your next trip off the Venerator won’t be on a shuttle—it’ll be through the fucking airlock.”

“And you…” she hissed in Stria’s face, “not only are you no longer a lieutenant, you’re no longer a person. You are a walking carcass who should count his every future breath as a damned miracle. What I have planned for you back on the Venerator is going to make this—” she flicked a finger against the blood drying on his face “—look like a fucking trip to the refresher, you—”

Leia had let go of his chin to indicate the blood; as she did so, Stria slumped to the ground, senseless.

She hadn’t been holding his chin. She had been strangling him.

Leia flinched back in horror. A dozen Imperial eyes were on her, not to mention those of her former squadmates. She couldn’t have a meltdown right now. She had to get out of here.

Straining to keep herself from visibly trembling, she signaled two members of the shuttle crew. “Bring him aboard.” He was still alive, at least. She looked at the rest of her staff. “Let’s go.”

Admiral Rivian had apparently been watching the entire incident from the ramp of the shuttle.

As she passed him, he inclined his head respectfully. “My Lady,” he said, giving her a smile that sent chills down her spine.

So... not great.

While the first series involved Luke’s temptation to the Dark Side and ultimate rejection of it, the sequel series was going to do the same with Leia. Luke, whose temptation had involved experiencing a lot of trauma, is now developing new relationships and support (introducing the Ultimate Sass Squad of Luke Organa, Ezra Bridger, and Mara Jade), while at the same time, Leia is growing increasingly isolated, leaving her vulnerable to the Dark Side.

It all works out in the end, of course. But the journey to get there was a bit more exhausting than I could manage at the time, and I shifted to working on some prequel-era AUs instead.

I hope that answered your question at least a little?

#star wars #star wars fanfic #by me #fanfic #q: anonymous #Anonymous

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jadejedi · 4 years

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Love Does Not Fail (2/?)

Summary: When Anakin saves the galaxy from Palpatine, Padmé and his children survive, but their family is split apart nonetheless. Leia is taken to be raised in the Temple, not knowing that the Jedi who "found" her is actually her father. Luke grows up with Padmé, knowing only his mother's side of the family. But some things are inevitable.

Chapter Summary: Consequences and fallout.

A/N: Thank you everyone who has read chapter one and liked/left kudos/commented so far! This chapter will deal more with specifically the fallout with Anakin and the Jedi, and future chapters will deal with what has been happening with the Senate and the Galaxy at large.

ao3 link here.

Anakin wondered if every Jedi feared the Council chambers as much as he did. Did anything good ever happen up here?

In the wake of Palpatine’s execution, the Council members had been summoned immediately back to Coruscant.

Anakin stood in front of them, unsure if he was about to face a trial or a debriefing.

“So, Young Skywalker, an interesting few days you have had, hmm?” asked Master Yoda.

Anakin shrugged, not knowing how to respond to that.

“Find out about Palpatine’s treachery, how did you?” the green Jedi Master questioned.

“We were speaking in his office. He basically confessed.”

“Why would he do such a thing?” demanded Master Windu.

Anakin looked down at the floor. “I believe he was manipulating me.” He stopped, then corrected himself. “No, I know he was manipulating me. He was trying to get me to turn to the darkside.”

The Council members made noises of shock. Only Yoda, Windu, and Obi-Wan did not look surprised.

“What, specifically, did he say to you?” Master Windu prodded.

Anakin sighed, and tried to recall the words that had been spoken that day. “I was expressing to the Chancellor my desire to be helping Master Kenobi take down Grievous. He believed that the Council was overlooking my abilities. He offered to train me in the ways of the dark side.”

He could tell by the expressions of the Council members that they could read between the lines of what he was saying. That he also believed that the Council was overlooking his abilities. But he ignored their looks and pressed on. “He said that the dark side had powers beyond what the Jedi control. He said that with the dark side, I could save Padmé.”

An uneasy grumble rippled through the Council.

“To your wife, you refer, Young Skywalker?” Master Yoda asked.

Anakin looked at him, rather than at the floor. “Yes.”

Another grumble, louder this time.

“You have betrayed the Order!” Master Fisto exclaimed.

Several Masters rumbled their agreement.

“He saved the Order!” Obi-Wan disagreed. “If it hadn’t been for Anakin, we might never have discovered Palpatine, let alone defeat him!”

Before anyone could argue with him, Master Windu interrupted. “Enough!” He turned to Anakin. “We haven’t finished discussing what happened that night. When he offered to train you, what did you say?” he asked, leaning forward in his Council chair.

Anakin crossed his arms. “When he said that the dark side could save Padmé, I realized that he had been manipulating me.” He glanced at Master Yoda. “As you know, Master, I have been having terrible visions and dreams of death. Of Padmé’s death. When he said that, I realized that they must be coming from him. He said that it wasn’t him that was manipulating me, but you, the Council. I said that I wouldn’t listen to him. I said that I wasn’t going to kill him. I called you, Master Windu, instead. I held him at lightsaber point as I did so, and when I continually refused his offer, he decided that I was weak, and fought me.”

Master Windu did not look content with his explanation. Master Yoda looked deeply troubled. “What, exactly, was it that he offered you? How was he tempting you to the dark side?”

“With power. With acclaim. He promised me peace for the galaxy.” Anakin resolutely did not make eye contact with Obi-Wan as he continued. “He knew that I had felt that Master Kenobi and the Council were overlooking my abilities.”

“But that’s not all.”

“No.” He looked back at his feet and sighed. “He told me that Padmé faced certain death, unless I had the power of the darkside.”

“Why would you think the Senator’s life was in danger?” Master Koon asked.

“Because she is pregnant. My visions were of her dying in childbirth.”

The Council chamber erupted into shouting.

Master Yoda ignored them all. “Then, refuse him, why did you?” he asked. Anakin sensed only curiosity from the enigmatic Grand Master.

Anakin was silent for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. “Because of Padmé, I suppose.” He paused again. “For the entirety of our relationship, I have been scared of losing her. I have come to realize that if I do lose her, it will be because of my own actions, not because of the actions of others. If I turned to the dark side, I knew I would lose her. And what he was offering, it wasn’t peace. It was enslavement. It was against everything that Padmé has fought for in the Senate.”

“It was his love for Padmé and his relationship with her that saved him,” Obi-Wan said immediately. “He should not be punished for it.”

Now, Anakin did look at Obi-Wan, and he was surprised to see that his former Master looked… almost proud? He felt a burst of warmth towards him in that moment that fought against the cold he always felt in these chambers.

Master Fisto huffed. “It might have saved him, but he wouldn’t have even been worried about this Senator if he hadn’t been in a relationship with her in the first place!”

“But clearly the Chancellor’s manipulation of Jedi Skywalker began before his relationship with Senator Amidala, and extended beyond that,” Master Ti interjected.

Before any more discussion could break out, Master Yoda looked at him and spoke. “Young Skywalker, much to discuss, we have. Summon you at the end of these discussions, we will.”

Anakin swallowed. He did not have a good feeling about this.

He wasn’t sure how long he waited outside the Council Chambers. Over two hours. He paced. He sat. He tried to meditate. Tried, being the operative word. Mostly, he thought about how he’d got here. Everything that he’d done that had led him to these events. He went through past conversations with Palpatine in his mind, now able to clearly see the manipulation.

He thought back to every thing that hadn’t seemed right about this war: Master Sifo Dyas ordering a clone army ten years before war breaks out, the way the it sometimes seemed like the Seperatist Senate and Dooku were two separate entities, those chips that Fives had tried to warn them about.

Fives. Anakin swore under his breath. How many Jedi, how many clones had laid down their lives for this kriffing war?

Sometime around the third hour of deliberation, as the sun was setting over the Coruscanti horizon, Padmé appeared, accompanied by Master Billaba and a boy that Anakin assumed must be her new padawan.

Even under the circumstances, Padmé stole his breath away. Her brown curls hung mostly loose around her face, a few strands pulled back. Her eyes full of a mix of indignation - probably at being summed to the Jedi Temple so late in the evening- and worry and love.

“Anakin,” she called out to him as they approached.

He immediately got up from where he was sitting outside the Council chamber and strode over to her, wrapping her up in his arms, careful to be mindful of her very large baby bump.

After a long moment, she pulled back enough to look at him. “Ani, what’s going on?” She looked back at Master Billaba. “They wouldn’t tell me anything. Did something happen during your meeting with the Council?”

There had been three days between Palpatine’s defeat and the Council meeting. During that time, he’d been allowed to stay with Padmé. Well, they hadn’t locked him in his quarters, so he’d taken that as permission to stay wherever the hell he wanted to. And his quarters in the Temple hadn’t been his home in a long time. Padmé had been extremely busy in those three days with Senate business, but it was still better than being around all the busybodies in the Temple.

“It went about like I expected it to,” he said. “Obi-Wan defended me,” he continued, with a bit of surprise creeping into his voice.

“Of course he did!” Padmé said with a gentle smile. “He’s your friend; he trusts you.”

Anakin nodded.

“I don’t know what they think of me right now,” he admitted. “It looks bad, Padmé.”

She shook her head. “You were manipulated. Palpatine was a Sith! The Council missed it just as much as you did!” She stepped back fully from his embrace, crossing her arms so they rested on top of her stomach. “And you know what I think of their attachment rules,” she said, loud enough for Master Billaba and her padawan to hear.

The door to the Council Chamber opened and Obi-Wan stepped out, looking more solemn than Anakin had ever seen him.

“Padmé, Anakin, we are ready to see you now,” he said. He glanced past them. “Thank you Master Billaba, Padawan Dume,” he said, with a slight bow of the head.

Master Billaba and her padawan - Padawan Dume - bowed in return and turned to leave.

Anakin felt his heart in his throat. He truly did not know what was awaiting them within the Council Chambers. The Force had no answers for him; it hummed only in anticipation.

He grasped Padmé’s hand in his own, and with a quick glance at her, let Obi-Wan usher them into the chamber.

Obi-Wan took his seat as Padmé and Anakin stood in the middle of the chairs.

“A very long deliberation, this has been,” Master Yoda began. “In full agreement, we are not, but come up with a solution, we have.”

Anakin noticed that none of the Council Members looked particularly pleased. In particular, the auras of Obi-Wan, Master Fisto, and Master Tiin all rippled with dissatisfaction.

At that moment, Anakin realized how much he cared about this decision. His relationship with Padmé might be the most important thing in his life, but the Jedi Order was his life. He didn’t know what he would do, or what he would be without it.

Master Windu cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Skywalker, we want to start by saying that we do understand and appreciate the gravity of what you have spared both the Order and the entire Galaxy from by helping us find and kill Chancellor Palpatine. And we know that it is natural for Jedi to be tempted, and you are to be commended for resisting that temptation.”

“But?” Anakin asked.

“But,” Master Windu continued, shooting him an annoyed look for interrupting him, “The depth of the Chancellor’s influence on you is still… unknown. Even to you. And on top of that, you have still broken the Code,” he said with a meaningful glance at the senator. “We could expel you for that alone. But we aren’t going to.”

A whoosh of air rushed out of Anakin. “You’re not?” he asked, hardly believing it.

“Don’t think you are getting off with no consequences,” Windu all but snapped.

Padmé gave his hand a little squeeze.

“What consequences?” she demanded. “From where I am standing, Anakin has saved us all. You should see his success as a result of the love he feels, not something that happened in spite of it.” Anakin felt a wave of the love he felt for her wash over him as he smiled a bit, despite himself.

Master Windu gave a nod of acknowledgement. “We agree. That is why we are not requiring that he give up his marriage with you. We do ask that it remain a secret, however. We are not changing the rules on attachment, merely making an exception, as we seem to do too frequently for you, Skywalker. We don’t want any other Jedi to get any foolish ideas.”

Anakin nodded. He didn’t love the idea of keeping their relationship a secret forever, and he could tell that Padmé didn’t either. But it wasn’t like they weren’t used to it. And now he wouldn’t have to make up excuses for why he was so rarely at the Temple when he was on Coruscant.

“Also,” Master Windu continued, “We are invoking our legal right to your child.”

With that, the temperature in the room dropped. Padmé gasped, and Anakin staggered back a step.

“You are what?” he growled. He turned so that he could look at each Master in turn. All of them but Obi-Wan looked calm and serene about this decision.

Master Windu sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “Your children are going to be strong in the Force. Very strong. We can all sense it.” The other Council members nodded in agreement. Anakin clenched his jaw. He shouldn’t be surprised that they could sense not only that Padmé was carrying twins, but that they would both be strong in the Force.

“It would be the best thing for both of them to be trained here at the Temple, but Master Kenobi-” here Windu shot a glare at Obi-Wan, “has argued that we should not take both of your children from you two. We have agreed.”

“I’ll leave the Order,” Anakin said quickly, with a shake of his head. His voice cracked a little, and he wasn’t sure if it was from fear or anger. “I’m not letting you take one of our children away from us, away from Padmé.” She had gone stock still next to him, desperately clutching at the hand she was holding. Her face was pale.

“A great travesty, it would be, and a possibly a great danger, to not train such a powerful child in the ways of the Jedi,” Master Yoda said, having mostly been watching quietly up until this moment. “Whether or not you stay in this Order, Young Skywalker, one of your children, the Jedi are claiming.”

Anakin felt his emotions swell up in his chest, almost choking him. Anger, at the Jedi for their cruelty and for their stupid rules. Fear, because this had been their fear for months now, that the Jedi would try and take their children from them. But usually, the Jedi respected the parent’s wishes, though legally they didn’t have to.

He thought of his mother, and how hard that must have been for her to have to give him up, and they had been in a much worse living situation than he and Padmé were in.

He let go of Padmé’s hand to wrap an arm around her, and startled to realize that she was shaking. Padmé, he knew, hadn’t wanted this for their children. She had wanted to raise them on Naboo, with her family and with him. He had wanted that, too.

After a long moment, Padmé spoke up, with a slight tremor in her voice. “So you’re blackmailing him to keep him in the Order? Is that what is happening here? You want your precious Chosen One here in your Temple, so you’re going to kidnap one of his children to keep him in line?” she demanded incredulously.

“We prefer not to see it as kidnapping,” Master Windu said. “It is truly what is best for all Force sensitive children. And like we said, we are still uncomfortable with the amount of influence Palpatine has had over Jedi Skywalker. We prefer that he remain here, with us.”

“I’ll do it,” Anakin agreed, before Padmé could respond. She whipped around to look at him, betrayed. “But I have conditions of my own.”

Master Windu looked skeptically at him. “I don’t know that you are in any place to negotiate.”

“Hear him out,” Obi-Wan said in a pained voice. “If you are going to truly do this, he deserves to have some say in it. They both do.”

“Hear your conditions, we will,” Master Yoda said in a way that made it clear that he was not automatically agreeing to those conditions.

Anakin reached down to once again take Padmé’s hand in his flesh one. “I will be allowed to see my child, and interact with them here in the Temple. We will say that I am the one who discovered them.” He looked over at Master Koon. “You found Ahsoka as a child and kept in contact with her.”

He nodded. “That’s right; I did.”

Anakin nodded to himself and took a deep breath. “When the child turns ten, I will take them as my Padawan.”

At this, a few Masters made noises of disagreement. Master Windu exchanged a look with Yoda. “Fine. But they cannot know of their connection to either you or the Senator. Or that they have a twin. Failure on either of your parts to comply will result in your expulsion from this Order.”

Anakin nodded. “I understand. But both children will stay with Padmé for the first year. Most younglings don’t come to the Temple until they are at least that old; it won’t hurt to have them with us during that time.”

Master Yoda nodded. “Allow this, we will, and trust that attempt to run from your responsibilities, you will not.”

“How will you choose,” Padmé asked in a cold voice. “How are you going to choose which of my babies you will take from me? Or am I supposed to decide which one I must hand over to you?”

“We will take the one with the higher midichlorian count,” Master Windu said, as if such a thing were obvious. “If they are fraternal twins, of course. If they are identical, it hardly matters.”

Anakin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. They already knew that Padmé was carrying fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. He said nothing. Padmé dug her nails into his hand.

“Are we done here?” he asked shortly.

“Yes. You are free to go.”

Anakin strode out of the Council Chambers, Padmé next to him, still holding tightly to his hand.

They had only taken a few steps outside the door when they heard the doors open and closing quickly behind them. “Anakin!” Obi-Wan called. He walked quickly to catch up with them. “Wait,” he said, putting a hand on Anakin’s shoulder to stop them. Anakin turned around to face him, and tried very hard to remember that Obi-Wan was on their side in all of this.

Obi-Wan gave both of them a regretful look. “I am so sorry,” he said, with an earnestness that was wholly sincere. “I tried to argue that this was unnecessary, that the both of you should not be punished for Anakin’s misconduct” he shook his head, cutting himself off. “I tried to argue that this wasn’t even something that warranted a punishment,” he said ruefully.

Padmé reached out to lay a hand on Obi-Wan’s arm. “We know you did all you could,” she said, and Anakin could see the tears shining in her eyes.

Anakin nodded at his former master, hoping it conveyed without speaking that he was grateful for the words he’d spoken on their behalf.

“We should go,” was all he said. Obi-Wan sighed, and looked back at the Council Chambers. “Yes. I just wanted to say that I am truly sorry that this is happening to you both, and that I am here for you. Whatever you need,” he said, shooting him a look that said that he truly meant whatever.

Obi-Wan headed back to the Council Chambers and Anakin dropped Padmé’s hand as they entered the Temple proper, making their way to the Temple’s landing platform. They walked silently and swiftly, ignoring any Jedi milling about. Anakin led her to the speeder he usually used while he was on Coruscant, and helped her inside.

The ride back to 500 Republica was silent. Anakin glanced over at her as often as he felt was safe. She sat stock still, arms wrapped protectively around her stomach.

It wasn’t until they were back in her apartment that she flung her arms around his middle and sobbed into his robes. He felt his own tears prickle at his eyes, and he rested his head on hers. They stood there for a long time.

“We can run away,” he offered, eventually, once her sobs began to even out. “Kriff the Jedi and kriff the Senate. We’ll just leave. Find some big city to get lost in, change our names.”

Padmé shook her head and leaned back in his arms to look up at him. “They’d find us. You know they would find us, even if Obi-Wan is on our side. They- they are so scared of you!” she cried in frustration.

Anakin winced. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “This wouldn’t be happening if you were with anyone else.”

She shook her head. “Ani, that’s not what I meant,” she said softly. “I just don’t understand them!” she huffed. “You saved them-and-and- this is how they thank you?” She sniffed, her nose runny from crying. “I don’t want our children to live a life on the run.”

“So you want one of them to grow up without any family at all?” he asked, bewildered. He knew that the Order was a Jedi’s family, but that had never really been true for him. He’d known his mother long enough to know the difference.

Her face crumpled, and she leaned her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. “I’m sorry,” he said into her hair. “I know that’s not what you want.”

“I want them to have a good life! A stable, safe life! With family! With us,” she said, choked up. “Was it naive to think that that would be possible now that the war is over?”

Anakin shook his head. “I don’t think it’s naive. I think you underestimate the Jedi Council.” He closed his eyes. “What are we going to do, Padmé? What are we going to do?”

She stepped back from his embrace, wiping at her eyes. She made her way to one of the sofas in the sitting room. Anakin followed closely, sitting so that he could keep one arm around her. The sun had long set on Coruscant, and the only light currently in the apartment was from a couple of lamps and the lights of the city outside the window.

Padmé took a deep breath before speaking. “If this is really happening, we need to figure out what we are going to do. How we will conduct our lives. How we-” she paused, and Anakin could tell that she was trying to maintain her composure. “How we will make our family whole again. Because we will be together again, someday,” she said fiercely, turning to him.

Anakin nodded. “We will.” He wasn’t sure he believed it. But he wanted to.

Padmé looked down at her lap and nodded to herself. “Okay. We can do this.”

They did not get any sleep that night, staying on the sofa, discussing their future, with help from Threepio, who brought caf for Anakin and a Nubian tea for Padmé that had a mild stimulant that was safe for pregnant women.

They decided that they would insist that the children not have their midichlorians tested until the end of the year they’d been granted. They didn’t want to treat one child differently while they had them both. They decided- and this was their most difficult decision, that had had Anakin up and pacing the room, all but pulling his own hair out in frustration at their impossible situation- that their relationship could not be known to the child who was with Padmé. Not at first, at least.

Since they had to keep their marriage a secret from the public, as per the Council’s orders, it would be too big a secret to ask a child to keep. Twelve, they decided, was a good age to tell the child. It would be safe at twelve. Until then, Anakin would have to continue sneaking in and out of the apartment to see his wife. Anakin still wanted to have a presence in both of his children’s lives, so he would still be around, as Padmé’s friend, the Jedi, providing security whenever possible. They figured twelve would be about the age when a child would start to question this story.

And if he was going to be around, then his padawan would have to be around, too. By the time the twins were ten, they would all be together as often as possible, even if neither child knew the truth.

As far as when to tell, or even if to tell the Jedi child… they still weren’t in total agreement, even after hours of discussion. Should they tell the child when they were young, and would still be able to live out some of their childhood with them, if they chose? Or should they wait until the child was knighted, fully trained and able to spend time with them even if they chose to remain in the Order? Or maybe as an older padawan, mostly trained but not fully inducted into the Order? However, both children would be told about the other at the same time, regardless of when they were told about their parents.

The easiest decision, beyond not testing for midichlorians right away, was that Anakin would not stay in the Order forever. He would stay long enough to raise their child as much as possible, until they were old enough to make their own choice about staying in the Order or leaving. They would tell both of their children eventually, and then Anakin would leave to be with Padmé and at least one of their children. They did decide that the Jedi child shouldn’t be told at least until a few years into their apprenticeship with Anakin. If the Jedi child preferred to stay in the Order, at least they would all have some time together during that time.

As the sun rose over Coruscant, Anakin and Padmé drifted off to sleep on the sofa, holding tightly to each other.

Okay, I hope everyone’s reasoning and motivation in this chapter made sense. Trying to convey why this had to happen was really difficult, lol. Please leave kudos/comments below, especially if you have any questions about the chapter!!

I have been able to get these two chapters out fairly quickly because I am on Spring Break, but that is over starting Tuesday, so I have no idea what that will do to my updating schedule. As of right now, I have quite a bit of free time, but I did just get a second job, so who knows. I do really love writing this, so I hope people are enjoying reading it!

#love does not fail #star wars #star wars fanfic #anidala #anidala fic #my fic #sw #skywalker family

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