Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This whole time traveling business was confusing, especially after waking up in his eight years old body and having a whole new set of memories, but the emotional maturity of a kid. His life for the most part was the same, the only difference was that it had been Plo Koon the one to find him in Tatooine and practically adopt him. The Jedi Master had landed in Tatooine a year earlier than Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had in the previous timeline.

It was something Anakin had never known, but this time had noticed because of his advanced force abilities. Plo was also much better at making deals than Qui-Gon. Anakin's win at the Boonta Eve Classic race, won his freedom and his mother’s.

Afterwards, Plo had taken them to the temple to get their chips taken out and requested that Anakin could get some guidance to control his strong force aptitude. There was no prophecy or pushy Qui-Gon making unreasonable demands. Jedi Master Plo knew the rules and would never try to bend them. Anakin was eight years old and he could not join the Order.

However, the boy was bright and warm. With his mother safe and out of Tatooine, there was no reason to be afraid. Also, the Jedi had taken the chip out of them, so he was eternally grateful to them. That's why Anakin had spent his time at the temple, while the Council debated, helping everyone around and endearing himself to various masters, padawans, and knights. Especially, after they heard his story and their heart went for the poor boy and his mother.

Even the scary Master Nu was happy to have him around. As a freed slave, Anakin had not been given the chance to learn much. So, he had taken the chance with gusto. Madam Nu had been shocked by how smart the boy was. He was a genius for sure! He read and understood texts from maths, algebra, physics, chemistry, and mechanics of those Jedi Knights that have completed the advanced courses. What's even more impressive, was that he read those texts in their original languages. The boy was fluent in Amatakka, Huttese, Ryl, Basic, Binary, Nubaé, Alda, Neimoidian, Rodian, Kaminoan, Chandrilan, Mando'a, Togruti, Mirialan, and Shyriiwook.

Fifteen languages!

"My little sun is a bright boy," Shmi had giggled when Madam Nu had turned to her in disbelief. "He had always picked things up rapidly. Mechanics and piloting was needed to survive under the service of Mas... Watto," Shmi frowned at her mistake, Madam Na putting an arm around her shoulder for support. "As for the languages, the slave community of Tatooine is quite diverse and united. We taught each other all the skills necessary to survive. He picks languages fast. Though, I did not know he had picked up this many."

Madam Nu did what any sane person would do and presented her findings to the Counsil. They then decided to allow the Skywalkers to stay until their malnutrition treatment was done and observe the young Skywalker. Thanks to bacta, advance technology, and force healing it only took them half a year to heal. Six months in which Anakin took advantage of the Temple Archives and absorbed knowledge like a sponge. He had quickly caught up with his age-peers in the rest of the courses. Poetry and literature, though, he hated the subject. He mostly translated the texts for his mom who loved the pretty words used.

Biology, for anatomy he was advanced, as he used to aid slaves in surgeries to take out their chips. But as for nature, flora, & fauna, he still simply knew knowledge of an eight years initiate should have. The rest of the courses were less complicated: history, geography, social studies, civics, and economy. All caught up! Interestingly enough, during Master Nu’s tutoring, they had learned that Anakin was a few lessons from finishing the Astronomy Course. Anakin had hidden his sneaking out to meet bounty hunters from his mother. They had taught him a lot of flying and the stars. Shmi had been horrified, while Nu had been interested when Anakin had assured her, he knew they would not hurt him. He felt it.

Which was a complete and utter lie. He had learned al lot that in his previous life. Astronomy was the only subject left he could come up with a credible lie as to why he knew so much with only being eight years old.

So, while Nu reported back to the Council, telling them that even back Anakin had a strong connection to the Force which allowed him to sense the intention of people, she continued to focus on his lessons in Astronomy. By the end, of the six months, he had also completed the Astronomy Course.

This, plus all the same-age he had made thanks to Plo's introductions and parallel world crossing, time travel ability, Anakin was able to befriend every youngling he met in the Order. Especially, the initiate named Ayla. Which had the Council agreeing to let Anakin train to be a Jedi. They gave Shmi a job as a mechanic in the temple and allowed Anakin to visit her during the week-ends.

Another thing that had changed from the timeline in which everything had gone wrong, was that the no-attachments rule had been explained to Anakin. No attachments, means no obsession. Not pulling one life over the whole galaxy. Pure love like his to Shmi, was accepted and even praised. Anakin had a panic attack at that. All the pain and death, because of miscommunication.

That, that was the drop that broke the camel.

As for Anakin's Jedi Master, who do you think jumped at the chance to take him? Jedi Master Shaak and Windu had tried to get him, much to Anakin's surprise. But Anakin only had eyes for the one that had saved him and freed him.

High Council Master Plo.

One of the things he learned from the Empire was to always have powerful backing. It keeps you protected. Also, Plo had always been kind to Anakin. That kindness was what he needed to start healing.

Anakin was swiftly relocated to Jedi Master Plo's apartment and was quickly signed up to his courses. Poetry & Literature, Biology, History, Geography, Social Studies, Civics, and Economy, the standard classes. For force courses he was signed up to the Living Force Philosophy and Precognition course. He had no practical force classes, just to be careful and not injure any youngling with Anakin’s high midi-chlorian count. His lessons would be taken privately with Master Plo and Yoda. As for the Precognition Course, Plo heard and believed Anakin when he said he had dreams that end up happening, instead of just telling him they were simple dreams, he made sure Anakin would be trained. Stories were told about Seer Jedi that lost their minds because of their dreams.  

If he would later be named a Future Seer, that's a story for another time.

Going back to the courses Anakin would be taking, he also had been signed up to a Lightsaber course and Basic Healing course. It would be a waste to waste his knowledge in minor surgery, especially with how propensity he was to getting injured. Anakin had also demanded to sign up to a Kel Dorian course, to learn the language of his dear Master Plo.

He did not need to learn more languages, but his personal desire to continue learning made the Counsel quite pleased. They even handed Anakin the red bead for piloting, the blue bead for mechanics, and the orange bead for languages with a smile. Seeing three colorful beads, under a yellow band, on the padawan's braid of a now nine years old boy, turned quite a few heads in the temple's halls. But this was the life of Anakin Skywalker.

At least, this life's Anakin Skywalker.

Chapter Text

"How is Padawan Skywalker doing in his classes?" Master Windu asked the Jedi Master in front of him, she taught the civics course and they had put her in charge of Anakin's follow-ups because of her previous experience as a crèche master.

"The speed he has picked up Kel Dorian is outstanding," Jedi Master Kim praised. "He clearly had a base in vocabulary, things he had picked up... on the streets, but no grammar or spelling. Which he now utilizes perfectly for a beginner." Many Masters of the Council frowned at the reminder of poor Anakin's past. "He is excelling in his biology and basic healing course, and is always willing to aid in the Healing Halls for some experience." Now the Council members smiled at the good heart of the padawan. Master Plo, even puffed his chest proudly. "When it comes to his lightsaber technique his teachers can't stop singing him praises. From what they are saying he could be the next Master Windu. They even pointed out that when he grows up, he could pick up Vaapad if Master Windu and Master Plo agree. They seem sure that he would exceed in that form. For now though, he seems to have taken to the Form V like a fish to the water. Both variants, Shien and Djem So. He seems to take after his master in that area."

No one could see his smile under his mask, but Master Plo's joy could be felt through the force because of how pure and bright it radiated, earning smiles from his fellow council members. "I do not mind, but only after he constructs his own lightsaber," Master Windu turned to Master Plo, who nodded back gratefully.

"What about his character? Does he show superiority towards his fellow padawans?" Master Ki-Adi-Mundi interrogated suspiciously, ignoring the various disgruntled looks that turned his way. He had voted not to allow him in the order and he continued to stand for his decision.

"Not at all!" Master Kim exclaimed affronted. "He is always up for a spar and to help his fellow padawans improve their skill. Madam Nu can even tell you that he uses the Temple Archives for his study groups to study for tests or do homework. Thanks to that his class is the top of the year."

"Those study groups are not only for his courses, but also to learn more about each other's cultures!" Master Plo added excited and proud.

"Good, that is," Grandmaster Yoda praised with a hum. "Community, it created. Family."

"How did it turn out like that?" Master Kim inquired curiously. "And why is that none of us thought of study groups until now?"

"That's how he learned all the languages he knows," Master Plo answered. "In... the slave pits, the slaves shared knowledge for survival. He seems to be doing the same here."

"And it's working," Master Shank smiled. "An outsider perspective was much needed in the Order," she sent a superior look at Ki-Adi-Mundi who sat in silent rage.

"Change, the Order needs," Grandmaster Yoda's agreement stopped the upcoming fight and had many turn to him in surprise. "Continue, you must, Master Plo”

"Right," Plo coughed, shaking his head in surprise. "As for sharing their cultures, did you know that the padawans do not know much of the world they come from and its culture?"

"What? How is that possible?" Master Fisto exclaimed surprised.

"It seems that the confusion about the attachment rule has even reached our younglins," Master Plo answered quite saddened, just like he had felt when his padawan had come to him with this. He had also felt happy and proud that Anakin had felt safe enough to come with him about it. "My Padawan was inconsolable, thinking that he was doing something wrong by celebrating his religion and culture."

"Distressing, this is," Yoda's ears lowered, showing his sadness.

"I remember that!" Master Kim exclaimed. "I had to spend a whole class explaining that respecting the culture and religion you were born with was accepted by the Jedi Order. That discussion had come up because of Padawan Skywalker’s distinctive garments."

"His clothes?" Master Shaak tilted her head confused. "They are colorful, but not that different from the normal Jedi robes."

"In Tatooine, slaves wore grey and muted colors," Master Plo explained gently. "However, once a slave was freed they start wearing saturated colors to express themselves, something they had not been allowed before. My padawan uses white and blue, the colors of the Skywalker Clan."

“I did not know that," Master Depa commented. "That's a beautiful tradition. We must make sure the younglings from now on know about this. Also, we need to make sure the padawans, knight, and masters did not get confused either."

The rest of the Counsel nodded in agreement, while Master Ki-Adi-Mundi steamed, disliking that the upstart kid was getting so much praise. "What about the rest of the courses?" Master Ki-Adi-Mundi barreled in frustration, not noticing Grandmaster Yoda's frown when he turned to look at him.

"Well, it's quite clear Padawan Skywalker is a science kid," Master Kim reported with a chuckle, making Master Ki-Adi-Mundi smirk in victory and Yoda’s frown deepen. “He is still at the top of the class, he does absorb knowledge like a sponge. But everyone could notice a lack of... interest."

"We can’t fault him for that," Master Depa replied. "We all have our likes and dislikes. As long as he keeps doing his work and does well in class, it should be fine."

"That's the thing! I was teaching the class wrong!" Master Kim exclaimed, earning a startle look from the Council. "My apologies."

"Master Kim came to me with her concern and we approached Anakin together," Master Plo waved her apology away with a chuckle. "It seems that Anakin could not get engaged because he felt like it was all very... fantastical"

"Fantastical?” Master Depa inquired.

"He comes from the outer-rim, the Republic's influence does not reach there," Master Windu sighed. "No laws, order, or structure. They live by the law of the survival of the fittest."

"Which is why now his projects are based on the social, economic, and law structure of the outer-rim planets. It's history and culture." Master Kim explained. "He is much more engaged now. I believe you should read his essays, it might help our outreach programs there… especially, when the Senate tries to block our work there."

"Read them, we will," Grandmaster Yoda agreed. "Next, Force Courses."

"The Living Force Philosophy teacher loves him!" Master Kim chuckled. "Most students just repeat the code or quote Jedi Masters without understanding what they are saying. Padawan Skywalker is constantly asking "Why this?", "Why that?", "Why this way?", pushing his class to question things. She had to start sending the material for them to read on their own and then discuss it in class. Sometimes I have to come in and remind them that the class was over, because they were still absorbed in their philosophical debate!”

"Eager to learn, they are," Grandmaster Yoda smiled delighted by this. "Good. Happy, it makes me."

"As for his Precognition Course, most students take it to fulfill their two force related courses that are required," Master Kim's smile turned thoughtful. "But you knew, didn't you?" She turned to Master Plo.

“I had my suspicion," Master Plo replied, "Has it been confirmed?"

"Confirmed what?" Master Ki-Adi-Mundi asked, suspiciously.

"Padawan Skywalker is a future Seer," Master Kim's answered brought a deep silence to the room, as she received various looks of disbelief. "A rare gift and powerful on the young padawan, by what his teacher has told me."

"His mother told me tales of how he would dream something and wake up by the force telling him it was real," Master Plo informed the Council grimly. "They always came true."

"Important, it is," Grandmaster Yoda said with a thoughtful frown. "An eye. on Padawan Skywalker we should keep. Less, in the future, he gets lost. Meditate on this, I must."

They all need.

Chapter Text

Qui-Gon frowned as someone knocked on his door. He smiled when he sensed who it was through the force. "Good morning, Padawan Skywalker, "Qui-Gon greeted, as he opened the door.

"Good morning, Master Jinn, "Anakin smiled, holding a food container. "I heard Obi-Wan was sick, so I made him my mom's soup!"

"Oh, the famous Skywalker soup," Qui-Gon chuckled. Famous it was through the temple. Whenever a youngling, padawan, knight, master, and even Council member got sick, Anakin would make them a batch of his mom's soup. It worked leaps to earn him a way into the Jedi's heart and Master Plo could not be prouder of his padawan. "I can't wait to taste it!"

"Sorry! This is for Obi-Wan," Anakin giggled. "He is sick and needs it."'

"So, I can't have a taste?" Qui-Gon pouted playfully.

"Unless, you get sick," Anakin replied with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, the woes of being healthy," Qui-Gon joked, opening his door further. "Come in, I'm sure Obi-Wan will love to see you."

"Thank you, " Anakin stepped in and skipped to Obi-Wan's room. "Obi! I'm here!"

"Come in! "Obi-Wan called out, before coughing." Hi, there, dear heart," Obi-Wan smiled fondly at the young padawan. "Hi Obi!" Anakin smiled, he had truly missed Obi-Wan. How could he had ever thought of him as an enemy? He was kind and bright in the force, and he loved Anakin so clearly. "I made you soup!"

"Thank you, dear heart," Obi-Wan smiled, force humming in fondness and pleasure. His friend was so kind. How could someone so young go through so much and still maintain such a kind heart? “I’m sure it will be tasty."

"Of course, it will! It's my mom's recipe!" Anakin exclaimed, puffing his chest. "Oh! I also made you some pita bread! But don't go telling anyone, I haven't done it for anyone else!" Anakin smiled as Obi-Wan laughed, force shinning brightly.

"Thank you, dear heart," Obi-Wan smiled fondly. "I feel special."

"You are," Anakin replied, with not a single joking undertone in his voice. "You are kind, smart, loyal, strong, and my favorite person! I want to be half the man you are when I grow up!"

Obi-Wan looked at Anakin shocked, before smiling, melting in the force with fondness and joy. Anakin had always had a way to make Obi-Wan feel better, ever since he had met the young boy.

"I'm not that good, dear heart," Obi-Wan said softly.

"You are!" Anakin insisted with a small glare. If there's something Anakin had hated in both timelines, was Obi-Wan's lack of care of himself and his lack of confidence. "You have four padawan beads!" Anakin pointed at Obi-Wan's red, yellow, orange, and green beads on his padawan braid. "When most padawans barely get two, with luck and effort they might achieve three. You are already being known as a great negotiator! Not to mention, how everyone knows they can come to you and trust you. You are incredible and don't doubt it for a second!" Anakin pouted to emphasize his point.

"Got it, thank you, dear heart," Obi-Wan smiled, gratefulness and adoration seeping out into the force.

"You are welcomed! Now help me with my Literature & Poetry homework!" Anakin demanded, earning a fond chuckle from his friend. "I still don't know why I signed up for that class! It's so boring!"

"Because your mom likes the pretty words," Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Right," Anakin sighed. "Useless, pretty words. At least in coding everything has a use and function."

"The same goes to poetry and literature," Obi-Wan scolded him gently, making Anakin smile, as it reminded him of how his Master Obi-Wan would scold him and then go into full lecture mode. Anakin could not believe there would be a time he would missed his master's lectures. "Each word means something and expresses something, be it a feeling or a philosophical inquiry. All together, the body works harmoniously."

Qui-Gon smiled as his padawan taught Anakin a lesson. Obi-Wan will make a great master one day.

Anakin kept visiting after his lessons every day, even after Obi-Wan healed from his flue. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon loved having him around, they were even invited to have dinner with him, Master Plo and Shmi. Which they gladly accepted. Unfortunately, they had to miss the last dinner, because they had an important mission in Naboo.

Time to show my acting skills, Anakin thought with a smirk, as he "stumbled" into the Healing Halls.

"Force! Padawan Skywalker!" Healer Che came rushing to the "delirious" padawan. "What's wrong? You look so pale, but I can't sense any illness!

"Crash, Tatooine, Queen, Zabrak, gold eyes, darkness, blood, so much blood!" Anakin gasped, shivering, earning panicking looks from the healers in the room. "Death." The room is temperature dropped, as the force rang in truth. "Qui-Gon will die in Naboo."

Before proceeding to "faint" in the arms of Healer Che.

"Master..." her padawan turned to her in disbelief.

"Gather the Council," Healer Che turned to her padawan with determination. “Now!"

"You knew about the return of the Sith and no one thought of telling the Order!" Master Jinn exclaimed, barely containing his disbelief.

The Master-Padawan pair had just came from Tatooine, where their ship had landed wreaked. Luckily, Obi-Wan had recalled the pod race car Anakin had told him about. He followed his memories and found it hidden. It might have been an incomplete car but it had all the parts they needed to fix their ship. Everything would have been great... if a Zabrak Sith had not decided to try and kill them!

"Watch your tone, Master Jinn," Master Windu warned his maverick friend. "We were not aware of this until Padawan Skywalker had come to us with a prophetic dream."

“Dear heart?" Obi-Wan turned to them startled.

"Yes, he was half delirious as he fainted in Healer Che’s arms," Master Plo answered, ignoring Obi-Wan's slip. "He had a dream of you crashing on Tatooine with Queen Amidala, and then getting ambushed by a Sith."

"We tried to contact you,” Master Depa added.

"But our communication was down," Qui-Gon sighed. "Did he see something else?” Qui-Gon frowned when the Council went silent and the force flickered in turmoil. "What?"

"See you die, he did, Grand Padawan." Yoda informed him, ears touching his shoulders.

"But the Sith did not kill me." Qui-Gon protested. "I survived."

“Not in Tatooine," Master Shaak told him gently, as Obi-Wan paled in horror. "When you go to Naboo, the Sith will follow you and... kill you. Padawan Obi-Wan would then kill the Sith in retaliation."

"I'll kill someone?" Obi-Wan gasped horrified. "And dear heart saw that?!"

"Padawan Skywalker's condition is being monitored," Master Fisto told them gently, as Master Plo's fists tightened. "The dream kept on repeating every night since. It only stopped when the Council decided to send Master Plo and Padawan Skywalker you."

"It's a war!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, shocked. "No matter how good and smart he is, Anakin is still only nine years old!"

"Do you think I want to take my padawan with me?" Master Plo glared at Obi-Wan, who had the decency of looking down chastised. "But the force wills it. Quite insistently."

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized.

"Tense, we all are," Yoda huffed. "Unsettling they were, these revelations. Meditate, we must." Yoda pointed to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan with his cane. "To Naboo, go. The Queen, you must protect. Master Plo and Padawan Skywalker, with you, they'II go."

"Yes, Grandmaster," the Master-Padawan pair accepted, though neither of them looked happy about it.

"Master, I..." Obi-Wan turned to Qui-Gon as soon as they left the Council chamber.

"Go find him," Qui-Gon smiled at his charge, as this one rushed to find Anakin- not before hugging his master.

"You will not leave my sight during the mission, got it?" Master Plo ordered, startling Qui-Gon, who found himself on the receiving end of a glare, as soon as he had turned around. "My padawan spent weeks of night terrors, watching you die. I will not allow it to become true and have him blame himself. There will be no maverick maneuvers!"

"Got it," Qui-Gon promised with a nod, he did not want to leave his padawan either, he wants to be there for his knighting.

"Good," Master Plo nodded. "Now let's discuss our mission. We have a Sith to take down."

Which they did.

It seems that the Battle of Naboo ended up being the same, Anakin thought pleased, as the starfighter pilots carried him on their shoulders in celebration. Well, with some changes, Anakin corrected himself as he had noticed his new master, previous master, and previous grandmaster appear from the crowds, looking at him in pride.

Obi-Wan and Master Plo were supporting Qui-Gon, who looked worse to wear, but not a single lethal injury at sight.

"Master Plo! Master Jinn! Obi! Are you ok?" Anakin shouted, acting his part of the scared nine years-old-boy perfectly. Everyone stopped and he was allowed down to reach his family.

Family…

Why he had never seen the Jedi as his family was a mystery to Anakin? Oh, well, not really one. But just another reason to curse Palpatine for.

"We are ok," Qui-Gon answered, before groaning in pain. "Well, roughed up, but nothing that will kill us… at least not any more. Thanks to you."

"Thank you, dear heart," Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin, eternally thankful.

"You are my family, and Master Jinn is like my uncle, of course I will do whatever I can to keep you all safe," Anakin assured them, his expression and force aura glowing in a little kid's honesty and excitement. While, internally he meant a much darker meaning. "We better get you some medical help!" Anakin did not ask about Darth Maul, knowing that while Obi-Wan might have "killed" him, he was already in Palpatine's "delicate" care.

If anything Anakin now pitied Darth Maul and Ventress, after he had experienced the Sith's “hospitality".

"Pa… Queen Amidala," Anakin stuttered surprised, after leaving Qui-Gon, Master Plo, and Obi with the healers. Anakin winced as he had almost called her Palme. She is no longer your wife, Anakin scolded himself, as a dark voice added. Yet. "What can I do for you?"

Padmé did not answer but threw her arms around him. "Thank you!" She whispered in his ear. "Thank you for saving us and taking down that ship! I promise you a statue to be made of you!"

"I did not do it for glory," Anakin corrected her gently, as she released him. His angelic looks and melodic voice had caught the attention of every soldier, royal guard, medical personnel, and handmaid in the room. "Master Plo saved my mom and I from slavery a year ago and gave us a home. I just wanted to repay that kindness, giving it forward." Everyone was captivated by this kind angel. "I could not allow you… and everyone in Naboo to lose your home." Anakin corrected his slip rapidly.

Of course, in one year of acting I would slip twice in less than five minutes because of my angel! Anakin berated himself, internally.

"You are so kind," Padmé smiled enchanted by this boy. "But there must be something I could do to repay you."'

"We are friends now, right?" Anakin replied "innocently". "I was just helping out a friend!"

"What about R2-D2?" Sabé pointed out. "You like droids, right? I heard your master talking about it with Master Jinn."

Anakin almost raised an eyebrow. Almost! Look at that, Anakin thought impressed, as he showed the according expression of an excited little boy. And I did not need to do anything. The Force really works in mysterious ways.

"Perfect!" Padmé clapped her hands, catching the excited look on Anakin's face. "Sabé, get R2-D2 here for my precious new friend. Someone prepare us some tea! I want to get to know my new friend better!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Rang through the hall.

"I can't take more of your time, while you have to clean up after the war and prepare Naboo to sue the Trade Federation." Anakin internally smirked as everyone in the hall froze.

"Sue the Trade Federation?" Padmé repeated, dumbfounded .

"Of course!" Anakin replied with an "oblivious" cheer. "By the laws of The Republic you can demand the incarceration of those that wronged Naboo and demand war reparations!"

"Sabé have someone else get R2-D2," Padmé said slowly, looking at Anakin in stunned disbelief, before the woman Anakin had fallen for reappeared. "You get the council ready for an emergency session! This can save Naboo! And you!" She beamed at Anakin, leaving him breathless. Oh, how could I've forgotten how beautiful my wife was, Anakin wondered, completely charmed. "You will get that statue!"

Sorry for the deceive, my angel, Anakin thought, as he watched her leave, while being thanked by the personnel left around. And for changing Naboo's history. But I can't have you bond more with me, while I am this age. I won't have you look at me as a little boy.

The next time they meet, Anakin will be a man.

And he will make her his wife again.

Chapter Text

Anakin was having the time of his life! He had forgotten how simple things could be if you just let them. Podracing was how Anakin had won his freedom... why had he forgotten how fun they could be?

The Clone Wars and later the rise of The Empire, sucked all the life out of him. Being groomed since he was nine years-old had also affected him. Anakin blamed most of his mistakes on Palpatine, it was not simply a way to excuse his many, many, many mistakes. He knew what he had done. Anakin knows that he is not a good person, he was possessive and obsessive. He truly pitied those that fell in love with him and those that he fell in love with.

However, people did not give Palpatine’s manipulation enough credit. Anakin came from being a slave, to be freed, lose the teacher he had been promised, given to a mourning teenager that had called him dangerous and to an order that had resented him. He also had to call them Masters. Was he truly freed? Or did he only get a new master? Not to mention, he had not been explained anything, had thought the Jedi Order hated him, and had been planning on returning him to slavery.

Yes, none of that was true and there had been too many misunderstandings on both sides. But Anakin had not known that then.

Anakin had been served on a silver platter to Palpatine. Perfect for grooming.

To that you needed to add the many mind leeches from the dark side and all those night terrors, which had left Anakin exhausted, isolated, paranoid, and with a little dark voice in his mind that kept on hissing: "kill them... K them... KILL THEM ALL!"

No wonder, he had fallen. What is so surprising is how long it had taken him to fall. Even with a war going and being forced to work with slavers! Force! Anakin's will was strong… but Palpatine had always been ten steps in front of them.

Now, at ten years old it was quite clear how much damage Palpatine had done. Anakin did not remember a time he had felt lighter in his life. Has breathing ever been so simple and effortless? And the Force... Gosh! It was. so bright! Warm, open, like the hugs of Anakin's mother. When had he closed himself to the Force?

Kriff you Sidious! Anakin though viciously, as Master Plo went to get him a chocolate ice-cream cone.

"Here you go," Anakin looked up with a beaming smile and accepted the cone- he did not have too see it, but knew that Master Plo was smiling behind his mask.

“Thank you!" Anakin took a bite. "So cold!"

"It is," Plo agreed with a laugh, enjoying his padawan's happy reaction. "Do you like it?"

"I do!" Anakin nodded excitedly, not even acting. He had forgotten how good a simple ice-cream tasted. "It's cold and sweet! We don't have anything like this in Tatooine!"

"I'm glad," Plo smiled fondly at the little boy. Plo's heart ached at how much this boy had suffered, how he constantly asked if it was ok to waste precious water on him. Plo swore to protect this adorable angel, and he will! “Did you have fun? I quite enjoyed flying with you! You have a lot of talent."

"Thank you!” Anakin flushed at his praise.

He knew he was good at flying. He had won the Boonta Eve Classic race for Force’s sake! But most people rather complained about his recklessness, than praise his talent and that he landed-crashed when most people would have failed and died. "I had so much fun! Can we go flying again?"

"Of course!" Plo beamed. "Maybe next time, we can ask your padawan sisters to join."

"I have sisters?" Anakin asked in "awe."

"You do," Plo told him gently. "Two of them!"

Anakin smiled as he listened to Plo gush about his ex-padawans. Once upon a time, Anakin had a brother in Obi-Wan. Now he has a two sisters. That was new and will be interesting.

Obi-Wan will no longer be my Jedi Master. Anakin thought, as Plo continued to gush. What will be my relationship with him now? As Anakin wondered, the Force was laughing.

Before he could even touch the fact that the Force was laughing at him, Master Plo interrupted him, gaining back his attention with a deep sigh. “Sorry, padawan, but it seems that we have a mission. A possible youngling with strong force sensitivity.”

“We better get them then!” Anakin exclaimed.

Anakin was honestly quite excited about it. Missions with Obi-Wan were mostly guardian dignitaries in danger or negotiating peace. Being a searcher was new and thanks to Anakin’s affinity within the Force, he was quite good at tracking down force sensitive beings... he did that quite a lot for the Empire.

Anakin shook his head, chasing the bad memories away and focusing on the task at hand. This mission should be fun and easy.

It should have been at least…

Plo frowned as he flew towards Shili. Oh, he loves his job. He is quite fond of younglings, which was why he had chosen to become a Searcher. Bringing younglings to the safety and home that’s the temple for all force-sensitive beings, was quite the honor.

However, Plo did not like bringing his ten years-old padawan with him. The galaxy was a very dangerous place for younglings. However, Grandmaster Yoda had insisted. Well, the Force had insisted, and Grandmaster Yoda had enforced it.

Plo sighed, smiling fondly at his young padawan. Anakin was at awe and beaming at the stars outside their ship, as Plo flew them to Shili. Plo withheld his laughter at how bundled up the boy was. He had like three tunics and looked like a snowman. Anakin got cold quite easily, he was from a dessert world after all.

At least, one of us is happy with the situation, Plo thought amused.

"Are you ok Master?" Anakin asked sweetly. "I feel your unease in the force."

"I am just worried," Plo confessed softly. "You are too young for a mission."

"Maybe, but I am not a creche youngling," Anakin replied. "I've gone through much worse," Anakin's eyes got clouded with the horrors Plo could never imagine- though, they technically had not happened yet in this timeline. "Also, the Force would not put younglings in danger."

“It would not," Plo agreed, proud of his padawan's maturity. "We are going to take in a Tortuga youngling," Plo informed him, not noticing the millisecond in which Anakin had frozen.

Kriff you Force! Anakin curse at his "father". You sure love messing with my life! No wonder, you love that green troll so much!

"Did her parents contact the Temple?" Anakin asked softly, shaking off the Force's presence. "What?" Anakin pressed when he noticed Plo's tense shoulders. "What are you hiding?” Anakin winced at how much darkness bled into his tone. "Sorry..."

"It's ok, you are nervous as it is your first mission and here I am keeping intel from you," Plo smiled gently at his padawan. "Slavers killed her parents and kidnapped her. Luckily, she was rescued... she was one of the few younglings that were."

"What happened to the rest?" Anakin’s voice was cold.

His Ahsoka could have been a slave? Over his dead body!

"There was an older slave there. She killed all the younglings, but got blown up by the slavers before she could have continued with the toddlers and infants," Plo informed him, against his better judgement.

"Freedom in death, or slavery in life," Anakin whispered brokenly, as he recalled all the initiates he had struck down during the Order 66 ordeal.

"What?" Plo turned to his padawan.

"Ar-Amu gathered her children in her chest as slavers came barging into her home. She had two choices, let them live as slaves or grant them freedom in death," Anakin retold in a hush. "Ar-Amu would never allow the slavers to have her children. She granted them mercy... the mercy of death." Anakin looked towards Plo with tears in his eyes, as his mind was on the mistakes of the past. The mercy he had granted all those younglings before they could fall into Palpatine’s hands. "There was a saying in Tatooine when a slave got pregnant... By Ar-Amu’s grace, I hope it gets born dead."

Plo let out a strangled cry. No child should ever say that. But here was his ten years-old-padawan, with steel in his eyes, still not letting his tears fall.

After all, you cannot waste water in tears in the desert.

It was a mark in Plo's heart that remained for the whole mission and even beyond. No matter how much guidance or meditation he did, it was hard for Plo to let go of his padawan. Even a whole years later when Anakin was finally ready to move on in his Jedi training, it was Grandmaster Yoda the one who had to push him into the right direction. 

Then again, Master Plo was not the only parent of Anakin did not want to let him go.

"Is that a candle?" Jocasta Nu asked her friend, as she entered the later's apartment.

"Yes, a prayer to Ar-Amu," Shmi answered, as she knelt before the candle at the window board. "To protect and bless my son."

"He will be ok," Jocasta assured the worried mother gently. "Master Plo will make sure that he makes it back safely. Ani's also, a very good Padawan, he'll get his kyber crystal."

"It's just that he is only eleven," Shmi replied, distressed. "Not to mention, he will be going on his own! Why is that? Shouldn't he go with a group of padawans?"

"Ani's force is too strong, we don't know how his test in the cave might affect the other padawans," Jocasta's answer did not make Shmi feel any better.

"How will it affect Ani's test?!" Shmi demanded to know.

"Shmi!" Jocasta snapped firmly, stopping the mother's panic. "Trust him, trust the force. Everything will be ok."

"OK," Shmi took a deep breath. “I trust him. He will be ok."

Meanwhile, in the Crystal Cave in Ilum, Anakin had a bored expression on his face.

"Like honestly! Is this the best you can do?!" Anakin crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. The scene of the Tuskan massacre and his mother's death was changed to the memory of him being abandoned in Mustafa by Obi-Wan. "Now I know you are just playing games with me!"

Suddenly, a Luke and Leia mirage appeared before him.

"Do you think you deserve a second chance?!" Leia hissed, eyes blazing with hatred and passion. "You tortured me! Your own daughter! What kind of monster does that?! As if that was not enough, you blew up my planet! Killed my real dad! You will never be a father to me!"

"Why are you doing this father?" Luke asked sorrowful, cradling his mechanic hand to his chest- the hand that Darth Vader had cut off. "I thought you had changed. That you would be better, do better. Why seek war? Why father?"

"Oh, my sweet sun and fiery moon," Anakin sighed, looking at them tenderly. "I am so sorry, you both deserve a better father... but I am not him. I might no longer be dark, but I was never light to begin with. My morals have always been ambiguous, maybe it came with being born as a slave.. or maybe I've always been fucked up," Anakin sighed, as his kids mirage stopped to listen. "What I do know, is that I am possessive and selfish. I want the 501st, my friends back. I want the Huts and the Zygerrians gone and all those slaved planets freed. I need a war for that to happen, I'm ok with it," Anakin shrugged uncaring. "I want the Senate and the Jedi Order to have a wake up call. For all these corrupt senators and Jedi, like Krell, dealt with. In war things move faster, they won’t get to escape or slip through the cracks.” He straightened up and looked at them with determination. "So, yes, I will allow the war to happen and hide the slave revolution I am planning in-between missions, while Padmé deals with the traitors in the Senate with the evidence I “gather”. I won’t ask for forgiveness or acceptance, I'm done with it! Be it the Jedi or Sith. I'll do what needs to be done and won't regret it. At. All."

Luke and Leia smiled, before disappearing. In front of Anakin, now laid a crystal. It was not his first crystal, Anakin was sure of that. The song was different. Which was ok, as he was a different Anakin.

Anakin raised an eyebrow, as he picked the crystal and noticed the orange hue. Orange? Now that is new, Anakin thought as he moved towards the exit. I've never seen an orange lightsaber … Cool!

"Ani!" Plo welcomed his padawan excitedly. He had been in the cave for four hours, not rare but Plo had expected him to be one earlier. "How are you feeling?"

"Great! Look! I got an orange crystal." Anakin told him, this time not needing to fake his giddy excitement.

“O-orange?!" Plo stuttered, eyes widening when he saw the crystal on his padawan's hand.

"Yes... is there something wrong?" Anakin asked his master-father figure worriedly, his reaction was weird. "I've never seen an orange lightsaber before… is there something wrong with this color?"

"No! Nothing!" Plo knelt down to assure his son. "It's a very rare color, but there has been one other orange lightsaber. A great Jedi hero, from the Old Republic era, Revan."

Anakin stood there silently. It took all his self-control from stopping himself from facepalming.

You kriffing  force! Anakin raged internally, as he excitedly asked Plo to tell him more about Revan. Screw you! You are worse than that green troll I have as a grandmaster! Really?! Why don't you Just put a neon sign with an arrow pointing at me saying "The Chosen One Here." Much easier than creating a whole new crystal for your chosen kriffing prophecy boys!

Chapter Text

It took Anakin some time to regain control of his emotions after the revelation of his so called chosen-kyber-crystal. But once he centered himself, he was guided towards the architect droid who presented him with the various materials he could choose from to build his lightsaber.  

Anakin, trusting in the Force, even if he wanted to strangle it at times, closed his eyes and allowed its guidance to flow through him during the crafting process of his lightsaber. An hour of focused concentration passed, and when Anakin finally opened his eyes, he was astounded by the sight before him. His lightsaber hilt was an extraordinary combination of materials that held deep significance for him. It featured Krayt dragon bone, a species native to his home world of Tatooine, and Haysian smelt, a rare and precious gold from Hays Minor in the Otomok system. Not only was Haysian smelt beautiful, but it was also an excellent conductor of electricity.

Maybe I could use Force Lighting through my lightsaber, Anakin thought as he caressed his lightsaber hilt. That would be an interesting technique if I get the hang of it.

The hilt's design was inspired by a dragon’s head, it was sleek providing excellent grip, and two wings elegantly extended to cover the sides, positioned like quillons below the primary blade. The result was a crossguard lightsaber, an ancient variant with three blades—a primary blade and two vents (or quillons) extending from the hilt. Anakin's wings replaced the traditional quillons, giving his lightsaber a unique and imposing appearance.

A crossguard lightsaber… not bad, Anakin hummed internally. Its ancient style fit perfectly with the ancient orange kyber crystal. I’ve never had a crossguard lightsaber, it will be interesting getting the hang of it. It will make “learning” the lightsaber forms more engaging.

Eager to see the culmination of his efforts, Anakin ignited the lightsaber, and gasped as a brilliant orange blade emerged from the hilt. The sight filled him with wonder and excitement. With his new lightsaber in hand, Anakin felt a deep connection to his creation and the Force. It represented his growth as a Jedi and symbolized the bond he had with his home planet, Tatooine. It will serve him well for the upcoming war.

Serve him well it did, as the years passed and Anakin allowed himself to show of the mastery he has achieved over the lightsaber forms in the previous timeline, even going as far as to present his modified Form IV, as he was well aware that the key to deflecting the fire of multiple adversaries was fluidity of motion, which he mastered enough to having adjusted the classic techniques of Form IV to better defend against ranged attackers. With this Anakin began to be called a prodigy in the art of lightsaber. One which Master Windu and Master Depa had taken under their wing to teach Vaapad.

Now at fourteen-year-old Anakin Skywalker stood across from Master Mace Windu in the training hall, ready to learn the lightsaber form Vaapad. The room was bathed in the soft glow of their lightsabers—an orange blade for Anakin and a distinctive purple blade for Master Windu. The air crackled with anticipation as the young padawan prepared himself for the intense training session.

Master Windu began the session by explaining the principles of Vaapad. He spoke of how it was born out of his own struggle with his inner darkness, and how he had channeled that darkness into a form of controlled fury. He emphasized the importance of maintaining balance and discipline while tapping into the power of Vaapad.

If only I had this training in the previous timeline, Anakin huffed in dry amusement. It would have worked wonders to focus my darkness and passion elsewhere. Oh, well, at least I have it now. Let’s focus and do my best!

When the spar began, Anakin lunged forward, his orange blade cutting through the air as he tried to break through Master Windu's defenses. Windu moved with ease, dodging Anakin's strikes with smooth footwork and precise saber movements. His purple blade seemed to dance, always finding the perfect angle to block Anakin's attacks.

Anakin's strikes were fast and fierce, driven by his eagerness to learn and prove himself. But Windu could see the young Padawan's form lacked finesse and control. Anakin's movements were more about emotion than a calm, focused mind, which was crucial for mastering Vaapad.

"Anakin," Windu called out during their clash. "You need to find your inner balance. Vaapad isn't just about aggressive attacks. It's about understanding your emotions and using them with purpose."

Anakin nodded, trying to take in the Master's wisdom even as they fought. He tried to adjust his approach, focusing on staying more composed. With each clash of their lightsabers, Windu offered firm but gentle corrections, guiding Anakin through the subtleties of Vaapad.

"You're strong, Anakin," Windu said calmly. "But strength alone isn't enough. You need to find the calm within yourself, the stillness in the storm. Use your emotions, but don't let them control you."

"Easier said than done," Anakin grunted, panting as he started to tire.

As they continued, Anakin began to absorb Windu's teachings. He steadied his breath and cleared his mind, finding a balance between aggression and control. His strikes became more deliberate, and his movements started to mirror the disciplined grace of his mentor.

The clash of orange and purple blades intensified as they pushed each other to their limits. Windu's controlled fury met Anakin's youthful passion, and in that moment, Anakin glimpsed the true power of Vaapad—the ability to turn darkness into light, to harness emotions for good, just as Windu had taught.

"Enough for now," Windu said, and Anakin dropped to his knees in exhaustion. "You promised the Creche Masters you'd entertain the younglings. You should get going."

"No praise for a job well done?" Anakin joked, knowing Windu's usual sternness.

"It was a great effort for a first time," Windu said, surprising Anakin. "Make sure to work just as hard in our next training session."

"Yes, Master," Anakin blinked in disbelief. "Thank you."

Well, I can add this to the list of things that have changed, Anakin thought, laughing in disbelief at what had just happened.

"Anakin!" Anakin laughed as he was received by the cheer of the younglings as soon as he entered the creche.

"Oh, how I've missed you little ones," Anakin hugged as many as he could. "Every time I come, you've grown even taller!" Anakin told them warmly, receiving happy giggles. "So, where did we end things last time?"

"You were teaching as Huttese!" Ahsoka, a beautiful orange tortuga with blue marking, answered excitedly.

"That's right," Anakin smiled warmly at his future palawan. Oh, how he had missed her. He went and plucked her from her spot, smiling widely when she squealed, and put her on his lap as he sat on the floor, surrounded by the younglings. "Have I told you the story of how the Suns of Tatooine were born?" They all shook their heads. "No?! How improper of me!" Anakin gave them all a mock resented expression, earning even more giggles. "I need to fix this soon!”

“Long ago, in the ancient days of Tatooine, when the sands were young and life was yet to thrive, there lived a divine being known as Ar-Amu, the Mother Goddess of the desert planet. Ar-Amu was a deity of both creation and destruction, wielding immense power over the very fabric of the world she inhabited.

In those times, the people of Tatooine lived in harmony with the land, cherishing the blessings of the gentle rains that would occasionally grace their parched world. But darkness loomed on the horizon. The masters, slavers from distant lands, sought to claim the inhabitants of Tatooine as their possessions, seeking to enslave the peaceful beings and profit from their toil.

Ar-Amu could not bear to see her beloved children, Luke and Leia, suffer under the yoke of slavery. She loved them deeply, for they were born from her essence and held the spark of life within them. Fearing the cruelty they might endure, she made a heart-wrenching decision—one that would change the destiny of Tatooine forever.

With tears streaming down her celestial face, Ar-Amu embraced her children one last time. In an act of mercy and sacrifice, she transformed them into two brilliant orbs of light—the twin suns of Tatooine. These suns would forever illuminate the skies above the desert planet, serving as a symbol of their love and a constant reminder of the injustice suffered by the people of Tatooine.

As the twin suns ascended into the heavens, they burned with a fierce and unyielding radiance, their light scorching the land below. It was said that the brightness and intensity of the twin suns represented the anger and disgust Ar-Amu felt towards the slavers and the hardships endured by her people.

In the wake of her sacrifice, something changed within Ar-Amu. The grief and anguish of losing her children left an indelible mark on her divine soul. Her tears ceased to flow, and with them, the rains vanished from Tatooine. The land, once relatively fertile, gradually transformed into a vast expanse of desert, with sand dunes stretching as far as the eye could see.

Some say that Ar-Amu's grief and sorrow created the arid landscape of Tatooine, while others believe that her divine power simply changed the nature of the planet. Regardless, the loss of her children left an eternal impact on the world she governed.”

To this day, the tale of Ar-Amu, the twin suns, and the transformation of Tatooine is passed down through generations. For it is said that the spirit of Ar-Amu resides within the very heart of Tatooine, watching over her children, forever guiding them with the warm embrace of her celestial light.”

The younglings in the creche at the temple listen in awe as Anakin recounts the ancient folklore, teaching them to understand the harsh beauty of their homeworld and the enduring spirit of the Tatooine people in the face of adversity.

"There's still slavery?" Barris asked softly. "Isn't it illegal? Isn't the Jedi suppose to help them?"

Anakin had to quickly hide his surprise at Barris’ questions. How could someone so gentle and that cares so much, incriminated her own best friend for a crime she had committed? Then again, maybe it was because she was gentle and cared too much that she did so. Some people are not made for war and with how much the Jedi Order had left their path... no wonder so many had been dissatisfied and left or fell to the darkside.

Compared to what Anakin had done, Barris' actions were a child's game. If he got a second chance... why should she not get one too?

"The Hutt Space, most of the Outer-Rim and Wild Space, do not belong in the Republic," Anakin answered her gently. "There, they don't have the same rules and slavery runs rampant. The Jedi tries their best, but only a revolution can bring peace there, and the Jedi are peace­keepers. Without the Republic's backing there's not much they can do either. But they try, Master Plo freed my mother  I from slavery when I was eight years-old."

"You were a slave?" Ahsoka turned on his lap, and looked at him with wide open eyes, as everyone else gasped.

"I was, which is why my colorful robes are important to me," Anakin answered, hugging her closer. "They are my canvass, with which I express myself. Something I was not allowed before. Which is why I got a tattoo. It shows that I reached maturity as a free man." The cheerful mood, now was gloom and serious. "Not many Jedi, like me telling you this. But out there things work different. Keeping you sheltered it's not the right answer... especially, when you are about to get your own light sabers!" Anakin laughed, as the younglings cheered in excitement. Though, Ahsoka and Barris remained serious. These two are too mature for their age. "Remember, there's no sides in the Force," he told them gently. As the rest of the younglings celebrated, Ahsoka and Barris focused their attention on him. "When it comes to the Force, there’s a dark and light side. There’s a grey balance."

With that said, he left them to their Creche Master. Anakin smiled later that week when he saw Ahsoka and Barris practice with their new lightsabers.

White lightsabers.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan smiled as he watched the young eighteen years-old-boy, practice his Vaapad flawlessly, showing that his training sessions with Master Windu had bared fruit. Though calling him boy was not right anymore. Anakin had grown a lot in the last decade. He was now taller than Obi-Wan, his baby-fat was gone, leaving space to define muscles and refine-aristocratically features. His golden skin, blond curls, and sky-blue eyes made him a beauty of no comparison.

He was still an angel. But unlike his past mischievous, yet angelic boy. He was now an archangel, a warrior of justice.

One Obi-Wan could not take his eyes off him. His eyes especially lingered on the unique orange lightsaber, before going back to Anakin's face. There his padawan braid, caught Obi-Wan's attention. Another thing that showed how much Anakin had grown, was the number of beads in the braid. Yellow and green had joined the red, blue, and orange beads. Making Anakin the youngest padawan that has earned five beads, also the only padawan in over a century to have earned that many. Which beat Obi-Wan’s record of being the only padawan to have earned four beads in over a century. Anakin had worked hard for them and even inspired his classmates to earn their yellow and orange beats. All of Anakin's friends were fluent in Basic, Binary, Huttese, Mandalorian, and Zygerrian. Not to mention, their native world’s language.

Anakin himself now spoke eighteen languages, having added Zygerrian and Dathomiri to his repertoire.

"Are you going to keep on gawking or will you join me for a spar?" Anakin turned to Obi-Wan with a cocky smirk, that simply worked to make him look more irresistible.

"I wouldn't want to damage that pretty face before your knighting," Obi-Wan replied, coughing and trying to hide the blush of his cheeks, from Anakin's growing smirk he had not been very successful.

Another record beaten by Anakin, was his early knighting. There has never been a padawan that has achieved the rank of Jedi Knight at eighteen before. At least, during the Republic’s Era. Back during the Old Republic, when the war against the Sith reigned, things were different.

Sometimes Obi-Wan thinks that Anakin made it his life objective to break every record set.

“Obi, you think I'm pretty?" Anakin teased, laughing when Obi-Wan's blush deepened. "It's ok, luckily for you I was already planning on going to visit the creche."

"Visiting the new initiates?" O-W asked, smiling softly.

By new initiates, he meant the rescued kids that had served as Anakin's knighting trials.

Anakin had been sent on his solo mission, at least first in this timeline. Anakin had been sent to look for possible Jedi initiates... what he had found had been horrible.

"Padawan Skywalker..." Master Windu looked at the normally untouched padawan in shocked.

Everyone in the Council did. They were having a routine Council session, when an emergency holo-call from Padawan Skywalker came through. Master Plo, of course, accepted it before anyone could question the sudden call, he had been worried about his padawan's first solo mission. What they faced was not something they had been expecting. Anakin's tank-top was shredded in various places, he had a bandage peeking under his pants and was cradling a clearly distressed baby in his arms.

"Ani! What happened?!" Plo exclaimed, stunned and worried about his son.

No matter, how reckless Anakin’s tactics may seem to many, they were always calculated and he had never gotten badly hurt during a mission before. This is the worst Plo had seen Anakin been injured since... he had been a slave.

"Council, I bring dire news..." Anakin spoke with barely contained rage, taking many Council members, even those skeptical of him, by surprise. Where was the kind boy they knew? "During my search I came into some dark rumors. A child trafficking ring of force sensitive kids..."

"Impossible!" Many in the Council gasped.

"We would have noticed!" Ki-Adi-Mundi glared at Anakin's hologram.

"Truth, he speaks," Yoda's voice echoed in the room, as he banged his cane on the floor. "To the Force, you must listen."

"Oh, dear!" Shaak gasped, eyes watering as the Force showed the truth of Anakin's words.

"I did not want to confront them on my own, least they use the younglings against me," Anakin continued his report. "But while I was searching for more concrete proof to bring to the temple, I caught the attention of the wrong people," Anakin sighed. "They were too many and chased me, before shooting my ship. By the will of the Force, I landed nearby where they had the younglings."

"Why did you not send for help?" Master Depa asked, not unkindly, but confused. Anakin would always think his plans through, even the more reckless ones, especially when there were younglings in the line.

"Communication was a bust, even my com was lost in the crash," Anakin answered, to many winces. "My initial plan was to find a way to call for backup... but one of the kidnappers tried to... he tried too..."

"Breath, Padawan," Yoda ordered him gently, noticing how distraught Anakin was. "Breath."

"Thank you, Grandmaster," Anakin took a deep breath, collecting himself. "He tried to rape a youngling... she is five."

"Kriffing Sith Spit!" Mace cursed, being followed by many other Council members. The Council Chamber has never been filled with so much rage. Even Yoda's ears were down, showing his distress. "Please tell me you got to her in time."

"I did," everyone sighed in relief. "But it ended up showing my location. I took the younglings and hid in the surrounding forest. I took the kidnappers out via a guerrilla style ambush. Took me almost two weeks, but I have them all contained. I need someone to come here and collect them, I can't travel with the younglings and criminals. Also, I can't stay in case reinforcement for them may come."

"Understandable," Fisto nodded his head. "Come home and bring the younglings, we will send Jedi to deal with the kidnappers."

"How many are there?" Plo asked his padawan gently, eyes filled with pride.

"A dozen, from recently born, to five years old," Anakin answered heart warm from the pride. "From what I gathered from them, their parents were all killed to take them."

"That's it," Mace stated. "I'll go."

"I'll join you," Depa agreed, a dangerous glint in her eyes, matched by her master’s. "It will be like old times!”

"Agree, I do," Yoda nodded. "Family, home, here they will find. Anakin come home."

"I will, " Anakin sighed, gratefulness clear in his tone. "Also... I don't think this is over. There must be more out there."

More there was, but the Jedi Order did not stop until they were all down. This hunt was the main reason as to why Anakin’s knighting had been postponed until everything had calmed down.

"I did promise I would visit and play with them," Anakin answered, taking his tunic off to change it with another one not covered with sweat.

"Is that a tattoo?" Obi-Wan asked surprised, having only then noticed the two orange suns on Anakin's right arm.

"The twin suns of Tatooine," Anakin smiled with pride. "When a freed slave reaches maturity, they earn their fate, a symbol of hard earned freedom. The fate is of our own choosing. Do you like it?"

“It's beautiful," Obi-Wan answered fondly.  The “just like you" was left unsaid, but still heard.

"Come, we have younglings to meet," Anakin told him.

He would not push. Obi-Wan was not ready. Not yet. He will bide his time, Anakin has learned to be patient. Even if he does not like it.

But Anakin will have him. Obi-Wan was his after all.

"Look at that!" Quinlan commented with amusement. "It seems that our kids decided to have some fun tonight!" Obi-Wan followed his finger to one of the tables of the shady nightclub in the lower levels they had just entered. On it Aayla and Anakin were dancing and having the time of their lives. "Then again, they are no longer kids. Force, when did my padawan get knighted and became a woman?"

Instead of teasing his best friend for being a nostalgic old man, for his uncharacteristically nostalgic comment. Obi-Wan swallowed hard.

The knight pair had just come back from their first mission as knights, and it had been a successful one. There was nothing wrong with them going out to celebrate. The issue, was that Obi-Wan can't handle how good Anakin looked.

With his braid off and being allowed to keep his hair as he wished, Obi-Wan had it hard keeping his hands from running through those golden curls. The metallic-blue mesh shirt, hugged Anakin's perfectly sculptured body perfectly. And those leather pants! Force! They left nothing to imagine, as Obi-Wan swallowed hard.

Again.

The redhead had to get out, as he could no longer breath inside the nightclub. Not to mention, if he did not keep distance between them, Obi-Wan would end up doing something he'll regret.

"Fear is not the Jedi way," a velvety smooth voice, dripping in seduction, commented. Obi-Wan stiffened where he was leaning against the alley’s wall. He slowly turned around to face the same devilish angel that has been invading in his dreams (wet dreams) for a long time. "You look good," Anakin smirked, not even trying hide how his eyes lingered on Obi-Wan's body, making the older man blush. "When will you stop running from me?"

Obi-Wan did not even try to refute Anakin's words. His dear heart deserved better than that. The red heal sighed. "I am much older than you, dear heart.”

"I like them older," Anakin replied without missing beat, chuckling when Obi-Wan blinked in shock. "What? I have a type." Anakin smirked, as Obi-Wan blushed. Obi-Wan, Palme, Anakin really did dig older partners. "Do you wish to own me? To possess me? Is your love not pure?"

Not that Anakin would mind, as his love borderlines with obsession more than not. Being owned by Obi-Wan… now that’s a thought I quite like, Anakin purred internally.

"It is," Obi-Wan sighed, smiling ruefully. He should have known there was no running away from this. Anakin always gets what he puts his mind on. No matter what. "I love you, my dear heart."

"I love you too, Obi," Anakin smiled, Force bursting in joy, like a supernova, leaving Obi-Wan breathless and in awe. He slowly leaned down to capture Obi-Wan's lips, when a sudden commotion by the entrance had them jumping away from each other. "What now?!"

Anakin fumed in anger at the interruption. Obi-Wan and Anakin rapidly turned around and saw a man being thrown against a wall, with Quinlan threatening him with a dagger against his neck.

"What now?' Obi-Wan echoed, sounding more exasperated than angry.

"No, means no, get it?" Quinlan threatened with a low grow1.

"That is it, Master," Aayla appeared from the shadows, throwing Quinln back. "I have this," she then grabbed the collar of the man's shirt an smiled, a smile full of teeth, at him. "No means no, get it? " Anakin snickered as the man pissed himself and nodded his head in desperation. “Good. Let's go Master, you owe me a drink."

"Would you look at that. He is a dad, who would have thought?" Obi-Wan smiled, as he saw Quinlan follow Aayla with a smile that was all pride.

"We better get going too," Anakin whispered in Obi-Wan’s ear coyly, making the older man blush and shiver in pleasure. “We have a long night ahead us, and we better get to a bed before my patience is lost.”

Chapter Text

"Confused, you are," Yoda commented, banging his cane on the floor.

"Well, I can understand why O... Master Kenobi is given this mission." Anakin answered to the Jedi Coucsil, from where he was standing next to Obi-Wan. "But, while I am no slouch in negotiation, I am not a Jedi Consular. I am a Jedi Guard that specializes in Search & Rescue, and protection.”

"Your lightsaber mastery is a boon when guarding your marks," Master Windu agreed. "And your force tracking is on par to your Master Teacher," Master Plo’s pride could easily be felt in the Force, making Anakin smile.

"But it is your languages skill which we will needed in this mission," Master Shaak continued. "Master Kenobi will take point on this mission, and while the ball will be hosted in Basic, many will speak their own languages."'

"Gather information, you will," Grandmaster Yoda ordered. "Ears open for danger, you will."

"I see," Anakin hummed with a thoughtful look. “But that's not all, I can sense it in the Force."

"Open ears you have, good," Grandmaster Yoda praised with a smirk, like the little green troll he was.

"You want to test us,'' Obi-Wan sighed, he had noticed it. “To make sure our new relationship does not interfere with our duty."

"No, then they would have sent us to a dangerous mission, not a ball filled with… politicians..." Anakin's eyes widened in understanding. "Really? Do you think I am that reckless?"

"Do you want me to give you a list of the dangerous stunts you've pulled?" Master Windu raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! I might be reckless, but it's all calculated! And I've got all Jedis and younglings back in one piece… most of the time," Anaking admitted. The Jedi Council had to give it to him. Reckless he might be, when the situations requires it, but always to protect his intentions are. "Also, I trust Obi-Wan! He is the most loyal person I know and would never cheat on me!" Obi-Wan turned to Anakin in horror, why was he bringing that up now?! "I won't get jealous of him flirting with politicians. If anything I'll need to stop myself from bursting out in laughter as all the politicians trip over their feet, fawning over him.”

"W-what?! I do not flirt!" Obi-Wan protested, gaining a dry look not only from Anakin, but the whole Jedi Council! "I do not!"

"Unbecoming of a Jedi, lying is," Grandmaster Yoda shook his head in disappointment.

"To be fair Grandmaster," Anakin smiled to Yoda conspiratorially. "Obi-Wan is mostly lying to himself."

"I am not!" Obi-Wan pouted.

Oh, Force, I am! The redhead moaned internally, as he kept his smile on the outside, easily flirting with yet another representative. Obi-Wan could feel his partner's amusement in the Force and did is best to ignore it. At least, he is not jealous.

Far from being Jealous, Anakin was having the time of his life. He could not understand why he had ever been jealous of the attention Padmé had received back in his past life? Watching his partners, talking around these fools and playing them like a violin, turned him on. Knowing they will leave with him, made him feel like one lucky son of a... Force. Anakin could only blame Palpatine and his dark side influence.

"Excuse me, are you from Ta­tooine?" Someone asked in perfect Huttese, startling Anakin. That was not a language you would expect to find in a posh, core-world ball.

"I am," Anakin smiled at the truthfully lovely lady next to him. But nothing compared to Obi-Wan and Padmé's beauty. "Your Huttese is perfect."

"Not something you would expect from a core-world," the lady chuckled, noting his surprise. "My grand-mother was a slave from Tatooine, she got adopted and freed by a rich merchant family." She explained, smiling with a warm look at the two suns on Anakin’s shoulder. "She got the same tattoo once she reached maturity, only in black and white. She taught her family all of her stories and costumes. My mother continued her lessons, even after she married into a noble family. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Leia!" Anakin blinked shocked at that. That will be the name of his daughter. The daughter he had tortured... "Is everything ok?"

Anakin turned to the lady again, Leia, and smiled at her concerned expression. "Everything is ok, I was just surprised. I always said that if I had a daughter she would be named Leia and if I had a son Luke, after..."

"The twins suns of Tatooine and Ar-Amu’s children," Leia smiled relieved. "But I thought Jedis do not do love."

"We are encouraged to love," Anakin corrected her gently. He was not angry, as he had made that same mistake before. A mistake that had costed too many lives... "My Master adopted me and is my father. Our love is simply healthy and we are taught not to get attached. One life does not equal thousands."

"I see..." Leia hummed in understanding. "Love, but do not forget duty. Wise. Does that mean you will look for your triad?"

However, before Anakin could say anything, Leia's escort came and took her away for work. Anakin could only stare at her in stock. Triad... I had not heard about that in a while, Anakin thought in amusement and shock. But it will be perfect to get Obi-Wan interested in expanding our relationship.

"Are you ok?" Obi-Wan asked in concern, as they were preparing themselves for bed later that night… dawn, really. "You've been out of it for a while.'"

"Oh, I just met an noble lady," Anakin chuckled. “Her grandmother used to be a slave from Tatooine, one that got the same tattoo as mine." Obi-Wan smiled, now in understanding, and caressed said tattoo and symbol of freedom, with veneration. “She had also mentioned some old traditions.. of my people.”

"Traditions?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.

Anakin had to stop himself from smirking victoriously. "Yes, traditions," Anakin said instead. “Tatooine's slave community is... well, was known to form trials. Romantic partnerships of three people."'

"A triad?" Obi-Wan inquired. "I've heard of polygamy. But a specific relationship of only three people is peculiar."

Good, I do not sense any discomfort or doubt in our relationship, Anakin thought pleased.

"Yes, a triad. Under the sun slaves worked for their masters, but at night it's when they are the most free. The three people represent the three moons of Tatooine. Ghomrassen, Guermessa, and Chenini. Back then, marrying in secret under the moons was a way to rebel. The triad would then ask for the moons blessings, against the masters, the cruel desert, and suns." Anakin answered with a smile, he only wore when talking about Tatooine. He had long stopped hating his home planet, after all it had kept his son safe from the Empire. "Now that practice has died off a little bit, but it's still kept in certain parts."

"That sounds beautiful," Obi-Wan told his partner gently, earning a tender smile and a kiss. "Is that... something you are interested on?"

Dah! Of Course! Anakin thought and almost exclaimed out loud. Instead what he said was: "If the Force wills it and you want it too!” Which was true, as the Force wanted Luke and Leia to be born. "It would not be me in a relationship with two people. But all three of us together."

Which will happen, Anakin swore internally. That's the only outcome I'll accept.

“I can feel your insecurities through our bond," Qui-Gon commented with a smile, sitting next his old padawan-learner in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. “What's weighting in your mind? Your mission/test was a success."

"Dear heart's culture practices polygamy, more specifically triads," Obi-Wan answered, softly.

"And you are doubting if you are good enough and if you'll end up being discarded after you find your third partner. This is all my fault and Yoda's meddling," Qui-Gon sighed sadly. “You are a wonderful Jedi Master, but most importantly you are a caring, kind, and loving person. You should be proud of who you are, not insecure." Qui-Gon shook his head, as Obi-Wan looked at his master-teacher in shock. "I did this to you. I was not the best Jedi Master to you at the beginning, I don't think I ever got it right even by the end." Qui-Gon raised a hand, to silence his old padawan, when this one opened his mouth to protest. "You are immensly kind to think otherwise and loyal beyond words to defend me after all the faults I've committed against you. But I was not a good teacher, or even a good friend. All of my issues were never on you, but were my fault. Can you understand that?"

"I can," Obi-Wan answered softly, being completely honest for once, not even lying to himself.

"I can see that," Qui-Gon agreed with a warm look. "Anakin has been good to you, given you a confidence I've never seen... not even, when you've been with the Duchess."

Obi-Wan blushed, recalling the nights he has spent with Anakin. Steamy and passionate nights, as Anakin kissed and worshiped every scar on his body, words of praise burning against his skin. Words that little by little Obi-Wan began to believe, how could he not? When he felt Anakin's overwhelming love through their Force-bond, pure and blinding. When Anakin looked at him like he put the stars and moons in the sky.

So, it was no wonder Obi-Wan had changed his views of himself. After all, to be able to love his dear heart, he needed to learn to love himself. Little by little, Obi-Wan became more confident and braver. He stopped just letting Anakin ride him, but took charge, pinning his dear heart andd ravishing him with gusto. Marking Anakin’s golden skin with kiss marks and beard burns, possessively. Feeling a raw and primitive pleasure watching his partner walk around in his relevant tatooine clothing, passion marks clearly visible.

"He loves me," Obi-Wan answered, and that explained it all. Because it was that simple. "And I love him."

"I love Jocasta and Shmi," Qui-Gon confessed, earning a startled look from Obi-Wan- he had not been expecting that. "I am part of a triad."

"Shmi? Dear heart's mother?" Obi-Wan repeated dumbfounded.

Shmi Skywalker was as much as a legend as her son. She had worked as a mechanic at the temple, forming a quick and strong friendship with the strict Jedi Master Archivist, Jocasta Nu. After her son got his first lightsaber, she had left the temple and began her own technology company: Skywalker Corporation. With her son's generations advanced designs she quickly rose as a leader in ships, blasters, droids, prosthetics, water filtration, green energy, and agricultural technology.

They built their main Headquarters in Naboo, to aid those that lost their homes in Naboo because of their invasion, and show the Republic that they had not only survived the Trade Federation Invasion, but were thriving. The Skywalker name was equal to Her Majesty’s in Naboo by now. And Padmé was going to pass down as one of the most beloveds queens in Naboo history.

But the Skywalkers generosity did not end there. Shmi donated ships, prosthetics, droids, well… everything to the temples and corps. She had even opened a foundation, the Skywalker Foundation, to aid slaves and give them new homes in Naboo, and other sympathetic planets. Anakin, on his part, donated all of the money he had earned to the foundation and to a saving account for future crisis.

What no one knew, was that he would be using that money on the clones this vendetta on the Outer-Rim during the Clone Wars. But that's for later.

"Yes, that Shmi," Qui-Gon laughed, amused at his old padawan's reaction. "And I was the partner to join last. Which is not easy. I also had my doubts and felt like I was intruding."

"What did you do?" Obi-Wan asked, still surprised that his master had felt the same as him.

"I talked," Qui-Gon shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "I told them how I felt and we discussed it until I began feeling better. It took a while and a lot of conversations."

"It's that easy?" Obi-Wan asked surprised.

"Easy? Not at all!" Qui-Gon barked a laugh. "It was exhausting and took a lot of effort. Even though, the action was simple. Just talking."

"I see..." Obi-Wan hummed. "I'll trust dear heart and our bond, if the Force wills it and we get a third partner I will be honest... to all three of us."

"I am proud of you,” Qui-Gon told his old padawan, finally breaking him and getting an armful of a sobbing redhead. "Oh, dear one, I've never said it, have I? Such carelessness. I love you, my padawan, and I have always been proud of you. Always."

"Lady Skywalker, you seem quite happy today," Ric Olié commented with amusement.

"I get to see my son today!" Shmi replied excitedly, earning the attention of the palace's attendants, as her friend and her walked towards the throne room. "I've not been free to get to Coruscant in a while because of work. But Ani will be part of the team that will be escorting Senator Amidala back to Coruscant for her job as senator!"

"The Hero of Naboo is finally coming back?!" Ric was now excited too. This was the boy that had saved his planet and aided to build it back with all of his inventions. The people of Naboo love for Anakin Skywalker only came second to their previous Queen Padmé. "So, that's why the actual queen has everyone running around to prepare a grand feast."

"Lady Shmi!” Apailana, the Queen of Naboo, greeted her regally. Though, only those that knew her could sense the relief in her tense body. The throne room was empty for anyone but her handmaidens, royal guards, Padmé and Sabé. "Good. You will review the menu plan for the feast."

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Ric and Shmi bowed and greeted the young queen- too young in Shmi's mind.

"I am sure that my Ani will welcome anything, as a previous slave and actual Jedi Knight he does not need any extravagance." Another thing the Skywalkers shared, other than their golden hearts, is that the two of them were not ashamed of their previous lives as slaves. They were proud. Another difference from Anakin's other life. They survived what would have killed others and were thriving. Of course, they would be proud! "But he understands Naboo costumes and will be touched by your gratefulness. However, if I am permitted, Master Kenobi and my Ani are partners beyond their Jedi work. So, it would please them to be seated next to each other and sleep in the same room."

"Get the seating chart changed and tell the maids the chamber situ­ation," Queen Apailana told her handmaidens, who were quick get to work.

Another good thing about having a Skywalker in Naboo, was that the planet now knows the true meaning of the Jedi Code. So, the planning continued, until they were ready to receive the Jedis with at ease and have a ball.

"Welcome, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Sith Slayer, and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, the Hero of Naboo!" Queen Apailana greeted them, to the deafening applause of the public, that had gathered outside the palace. "Naboo welcomes you and thanks you for your successful aid during the invasion of Naboo!” More thundering applause. "We've prepared a ball and feast as celebration!"

"We greet you Esteemed Queen of Naboo," Obi-Wan, The Negotiator, bowed in respect. "We thank you deeply for your consideration."

"We've kept Naboo in our hearts and it warms us that Naboo kept us in it’s heart," not one to be left behind, Anakin sweet talked his way into the hearts of the millions watching through the holonet.

"Come!" The Queen announced, beaming and quite relieved of how well things were going. "Let's celebrate!"

Obi-Wan and Anakin were sitten next to each other in the high table. The order was like this: at the center sat the queen, with Obi-Wan at her left, next to him was Anakin, who had his mother at his other side. Who would have thought? Two ex-slaves at a place of honor in a royal court. The Force does work in mysterious ways. Oh, at the Queen's right sat Padmé, next to Jar Jar, the previous Naboo Senator before her, and at the other end of the table sat Ric.

The conversation proceeded smoothly and everyone had a good time. Especially, Anakin who enjoyed watching his angels verbally spar over dinner, while he made sure to charm their future wife.

Second step done, Anakin thought happily. Third one, is coming next.

"The ball was a success," Sabé commented, as the rest of the handmaidens finished packing. "The Queen was quite pleased."

"Hmm," Padmé hummed distractedly, as she was looking down her window at the castle's gardens.

Obi-Wan and Anakin were patrolling, though it looked more like a stroll through a beautiful garden. Padmé could not take her eyes off as the blond angel threw his head back and laughed at something Obi-Wan had said. Padmé's breath was caught, as she saw the look Obi-Wan sent Anakin. She might not be Force-sensitive, but she would be blind not to notice the love and devotion in that gaze. Padmé knew it was wrong, but she did not deviate her eyes as Anakin leaned down for a short kiss. She blushed when Anakin looked up and smirked at her. She rapidly backed away from the window and threw herself into the bed, ignoring the amused looks sent her way by her friends.

"Anakin is quite breathtaking," Rabé commented.

"He had always been a beautiful boy,” Saché agreed. "But boy, he grew!"

"He was not the only one!” Yané added, excitedly. "Look at Obi-Wan Kenobi! Who would have thought that taking out that silly padawan hairstyle and growing a beard would make him into such a DILF!"

"Yané!" Padmé exclaimed scandalized, finally elevating her head from her pillow, locking eyes with her friends teasing grins. It did not take long for them to burst out laughing. "Ok... I might have a crush."

"Might?" Sabé teased, loving how carefree her best friend was acting.

Padmé had always had to act older than her age was. She had been a Queen under an invasion, even with all the help the Skywalkers had given them, it had been a hard position for a fourteen years-old-girl. Then she became a senator and could not catch a break. Watching her fall for a couple of handsome and caring Jedis, was a relief for Sabé.

"Ok! I have a crush on them!" Padmé relented, giggling. "But they are together amd clearly in love. I won’t mess that up."

"He is clearly a child of the desert like Lady Shmi!" Rabé protested, exasperated by her friend.

"She is right," Sabé agreed, sending Padmé an admonishing look. "He wears the clothes of the desert, the colors of the Skywalker Clan and he bears the tattoo of a free man. He surely follows the same traditions as Lady Shmi. Who, may I remind you, is in a triad with two Jedi Master's.”

"I don’t even know if they like women," Padmé excused herself.

"Now you are just looking for excuses quite desperately!" Saché complained.

"I know for a fact that Jedi Master Kenobi had something going on with Duchess Kryze back during his youth." Yané shared getting various looks of surprise, that's an information specialist for you.

"Also, Anakin can’t take his eyes off you," Sabé continued. "If he is not looking at Master Kenobi, he is looking at you."

"He does, doesn't he?" Padmé smiled, wearing a bestowed look on her face. "I don't know how it happened? How I could have fallen so fast? But one look and that's all Ani needed to win my heart. He is so caring and loving, not to mention charming and handsome. Obi-Wan, is so much fun to spar with him! He can keep up and he is so much fun! There are not many out there that love battling with words. I..."

"You like them," Sabé finished for her friend, looking at her warmly. "You are allowed to be in love and have a relationship."

"I can go for it?" Padmé asked, sounding as young as she was for once.

"Yes!" Her friends exclaimed.

"Then let's get one of my finest gowns and charm these Jedis!" Padme jumped off her bed, eyes burning with determination.

As the girls were playing dress-up, Obi-Wan was scolding Anakin.

"You cannot behave like that! We are on a mission and we must behave like exemplary Jedi!" Obi-Wan kept on going, while it made Anakin smile like an idiot at his partner. "Are you listening to me?!"

Just like old times, Anakin thought fondly. "I am, but it was only a kiss, nothing compared to what we did last night." Anakin smirked as Obi-Wan blushed. "Or is it that we were caught?" Obi-Wan’s blush became more pronounced. "Or who we were caught by? You sure did enjoy flirting the night away with angel."

"I was not flirting!" Obi-Wan protested.

"You were so flirting!" Anakin’s smile was wide and eager. "You couldn't have flirted any harder if you had wanted!"

"What about you?!" Obi-Wan turned to Anakin in accusation. "You've grown even more beautiful than the last time I've seen you, angel."

“I do not sound like that!" Anakin laughed, loving that no matter the timeline some things never change. "I do like her, I'll admit it. I've been half in love with her, after the mission in Naboo.'' The first one, Anakin added in his head, making the Force ring true. "I know she will be perfect for our triad and the Force seconds it!” Anakin turn to him with a gentle and warm look. "And if you agree with it too."

Before Obi-Wan could reply, they had reached Senator Amidala's palace chamber. Both Jedi had to pick up their jaws from the floor at the beautiful and smug visage the ex-queen made in her gown.

"Jedi Master and Jedi Knight," Padmé nodded at the pair and strutted ahead, with a seductive swing of her hips. Her handmaidens giggled, as they followed their leader.

"Would you look at that," Anakin laughed, eyes burning with desire as they never left those round hips. "It seems that it's two against one." Anakin tunnel to Obi-Wan, when this one did not answer. “Or maybe we are all in agreement?" Anakin tease has noticed Obi-Wan's lingering gaze.

"Shut up!” A flustered Obi-Wan growled, following the senator.

Anakin laughed in happiness. His plan had worked, he will soon have everything he had ever wanted. He will make sure of that.

Chapter Text

Mace sighed at the disaster they had at hand. He looked regretfully at the crying boy in his father's arms. Jango Fett. A man he had almost broken the Jedi Code for and killed, had it not been for Anakin. Mace turned towards Anakin, who had Senator Amidala in his arms, as the two of them hovered over their third romantic partner and the reason the Jedi Order had gathered such a huge rescue operation for: Obi-Wan Kenobi.

A rescue mission that could have gotten almost 200 Jedi killed, had it not been for Anakin's quick thinking and incredible mastery of the Force and lightsaber. Anakin had taken the vanguard and deflected every blaster shot from the droids, while systematically slicing through them and blasting them with the use of Force. It had been both a scary and impressive show of strength, showing everyone that he truly was the Chosen One. He had made it so that no one had lost their lives. A miracle on its own. Maybe Dooku would think twice before trying to kidnap Anakin's lover now. Both of them.

Dooku...

Mace sighed at that. He could not believe a Jedi would act like this. Send assassins and orchestrate a war.

Then again, he was not a Jedi anymore, was he... Mace thought grimly.

"A tragic day, today is," Yoda said, coming to a stop next to him. "Won a battle, we have. But started a war, we did."

"This is only the beginning," Mace sighed, in agreement.

"The vote went through," Padmé sighed, joining them, followed closely behind by her boyfriends. "The Republic is sanctioning an army. We will be going to war against the Separatists."

Every Jedi in the area could feel her anger, frustration, and defeat. Such a small body, should not be able to feel that much.

"An army of forced and brainwashed, artificially aged, younglings," Obi-Wan sighed, leaving self-deprecation and guilt in the force.

Surely blaming himself for finding them, Windu sighed internally. Which was stupid! He had not ordered their creation or trained them. That was another Jedi… what had gone wrong with the Order?

"They will buy them and treat them like meat droids!" Padme raged, barely containing herself from cursing.

"About that... leave it to me," Anakin told her, much to their confusion- an evil glint in his eyes, one that promised retribution and mischief.

"What will you do?" Mace asked him wearily, getting a headache at all the shatter points surrounding Anakin at the moment.

"You'll see," Anakin replied simply, with a smile that promised so much.

Some months later, the Jedi Council could only stare at Anakin in equal measures of awe, incredulity, and horror.

"How did you do it?" Obi-Wan asked, from his newly earned Jedi Council Seat, looking both amused and done with it all- his normal reaction to Anakin in general.

The Senate had just passed down a decree that clearly stipulates that clones are sentient beings and have the same rights as every other living being. The clones bought from Kamino will become Republic citizens, entitled to their own names, and will stop being aged as soon as they make it into the Republic. The clones will join the newly formed Protection Corps, under the jurisdiction of the Jedi Order and away from the greedy hands of senators. They will be given the choice if they want to fight or not. Most of them did, but many joined the other cops under the Jedi Order. Silk included, though no one really knew why that made Anakin so happy.

"It was not that hard," Anakin shrugged.

"Not that hard?" Master Depa repeated dumbfounded, not even trying to hide her fear at Anakin’s blase response. "We are talking about the same sleemo, selfish and greedy senators, that are now acting like good people?!"

"They are still "selfish and greedy slemos” as you call them," Anakin giggled, making Obi-Wan look at him fondly. "But they are scared “selfish and greedy slemos” that want the Skywalker Corporation's last line of droids, armors, blasters, and shields. Not to mention, all the advanced medical technology that's perfect for battle zones." Anakin smirked, as realization dawned on the Council member's faces. "My mother would never sell a piece of technology, as a freed slave, to a group that owns a slave army. Which takes us to the second part of the plan!" Obi-Wan and Plo shook their heals tenderly at their drama queen. At least, someone was having fun during these tense times. "The media in Coruscant might be as corrupt as it comes, but in the other planets it is not. So, if someone might have leaked this information to the news channels and they made the connection to slavery. Can I truly be blamed that people would be outraged and protest? First a war no one wanted and now a slave army! And if those governments pressured their corrupt senators to vote one way when Padmé, my angel, and her friends in the Senate put in motion this decree… well, nothing can be linked to me. It was the freewill of the geverments and their people."

"You are scary," Ki-Adi-Mundi finally said with respect, as Yoda cackled like a the mad troll he was, and the rest stared in awe and horror at the blond. "What I would like to know is how did you get the funds to invest and fund the Protection Corps? And why did you choose Master Shaak and Commander Fox to lead it?"

Because I knew it was coming and made preparations, Anakin thought while maintaining a smile on the outside. Because I know better than to deviate a lot from script, that things have a way to shift back into place. Which is why Fox and his team will stay In Coruscant like they did before, and Master Shaak will remain our point in contact with Kamino. Which is also why all the squads remained the same… at least, as much as I could remember. Thank you Force, for guiding me through the choosing process.

Instead Anakin said: "The Force told me. Well, guided me. I started saving half of every royalty I've earned since I was eleven for something big… it ended up being this."

"Good. Listening to the force, you've been," Grandmaster Yoda praised him with a smile, having finally stopped cackling. "Put them in their place, you did. Proud, you must be. Saved a lot of people, you did."  

"Why are you even here for?" Mace sighed.

Right, before the holonet broke the news announcement of the Clones Decree, Anakin had interrupted the Jedi Council with grave news.

"Right," Anakin sighed. "Jango Fett has been killed in prison," bringing the mood of the Council back to grim and serious. "It's believed that it was the Separatists, them not wanting information to fall into Republic's hands."

"How is Boba taking it?" Obi-Wan asked, worried for the kid his girlfriend and handmaidens have been taken care of. "Do the rest of the vode knew?"

"As next in kin, Commander Fox was told about Frett passing and in return the rest of the vode now knows," Anakin informed the Council. "They’ll have a Mandalorian funeral and Boba will be given his father's armor. As for Boba," Anakin sighed. "He tried to run away amd kill Count Dooku, to avenge his father." Many councilors winced, while Yoda's ears lowered in displeasure. "He didn't make it out of the apartment, before Sabé caught him. He is... sad. Very sad."

"Understandably," Plo said grimly. "What will happen to him now?"

"As Fox is the highest ranking vode, that will remain in Coruscant constantly, and is next in kin, he will be given guardianship.” Anakin answered his master-teacher.

"Good, family he'll need," Grandmaster Yoda agreed. "Something else, you have to say."

"Well, I was planning to say it later," Anakin trailed, looking at Obi-Wan, who sighed, standing up from his seat, and taking his place next to his partner.

"With a war ahead of us, we've decided to get married, all three of us," Obi-Wan announced, shocking the Council for a thousand’s time that day. "You are all invited.'

There was a pause.

Then.

The whole room burst into congratulations. For that moment they could all forget that there was a war ahead of them. For that moment they could focus on the light, on the love, and the happiness that coated the Council Chamber.

Naboo was beautiful. Naboo was always beautiful,to be honest. But it was even more beautiful that day. How could it not? There was a wedding about to happen!

Of course, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé would get married in Naboo. Padmé had been a very beloved queen and the Jedis were their heroes. So, the monarchy and Naberrie family gathered to prepare a grandiose wedding like no other! The queen would be officiating the Naboo ceremony, while Padmé’s parents would walk her down the alley. Obi-Wan had chosen Jocasta and Qui-Gon to stand by his side and walk him down. While, Anakin chose his parents, Shmi and Plo.

However, the ceremony won't have only nabooian traditions. The ceremony would be at night, under the full moon, and there would be a prayer to the three moons of Tatooine to bless their union. As for the stewjoni tradition, there would a ring Exchange, that will symbolize their union.

At the moment, the triad was taking some time off their wedding preparation. Obi-Wan was helping settle down the invited Jedi, that have just arrived to Naboo. Anakin was catching up with his childhood friends, Kitster Chanchani Banai and Wald, who had been on of the first missions of the Skywalker Foundation. They've been Naboo citizens for five years now and had recently graduated from the Navy Academy. They will be joining Anakin's battalion at war.

As for Padmé, well, she was having tea with Senator Bail Organa, his wife the Queen of Aldeere, and Senator Mon Mothma.

"I’ve heard you will be taking the Skywalker name," Breha Organa commented with a warm smile, she loves happy occasions like weddings.

"I am," Padmé smiled proudly. "The Queen is gracious enough to name my new house part of Naboo's noble tree."

"A Jedi wedding that will be viewed by billions of people and will be named a new noble house!" Bail exclaimed. "Marvelous!"

"Yes, I wanted to do so after Ani's single-handed defeat of the Trade Federation and later with his advice that saved Naboo," Padmé confessed. "But Jedi don't do anything for recognition or glory, but because it is the right thing to do. Even at nine-years-old he had that motto close to his heart."

"A good head on his shoulder and a golden heart," Mon praised. "You've chosen good men."

"I have," Padmé smiled bestowed. "After seeing how Naboo was thriving, not only surviving... I had my own people petitioning that the Skywalker family were rewarded." Padmé laughed at the memory. "Once more I tried, but alas you've met Lady Shmi."

"We have!" Breha laughed. "A delightful lady. Strong and firm when needed, but incredibly kind and fair."

"Doing business with her is always a delight," Bail agreed with his wife.

"I just adore the stories she would share about her son," Mon chuckled. "You can clearly see how proud she is of him."

"She always tells me that the biggest problem in the galaxy was that no one helps each other," Padmé shared tenderly. "She requested in exchange that Naboo would open their doors to rescued slaves... how could I refuse? Especially, since Shmi would give them a jobs at the Skywalker Corporation and it would not affect Naboo’s recovering economy."

"Well, you’ve got your wish at the end," Mon commented.

"Only because the actual Queen phrased it as a reward for my many years as Queen,'' Padmé chuckled.

"Why not Kenobi? Or kept the Naberrie last name?" Bail asked, curiously.

"Well, my sister and my nieces will continue the Naberrie line," Padmé answered. "While, the Kenobi last home is given to outcasts in Stewjon, where the Force is seen as a curse rather than a gift. As for Skywalker, both Shmi and Ani are very proud of all the disadvantages they achieved even after where they were born in. Also... they wished that there would finally be a Skywalker to be born free."

The senators stayed quiet at that admission. Everyone in this room had achieved more than most people can in their lifetime. But they were born lucky, in an advantageous positions. They did not have to go through the hell the Skywalkers did, which only made their achievements more incredible than they had thought.

"My lady," Sabé entered, bowing respectfully. "Your betrothed Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker is here, requesting an audience with the Queen of Aldeere and the senators."

"Ani is?" Padmé looked at her friend in surprise. "Well, this is a surprise. Ani does not care for politics, he normally leaves It to Obi-Wan and I."

"I believe this is about the war," Sabé confessed, getting everyone's attention. "Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker received some intel from their contacts in the outer-rim, it seems to have shaken them."

"Have him come in and get him a cup of tea from Obi's collection," Padmé quickly gave the permission. "Oh, Ani," Padme gasped when her betrothed entered the room. She did not need Force to see how bothered he looked. "Seat here Ani," she pointed at the seat next to her, which Bail had gracefully vacated for him and taken the empty seat between the other two women. "What happened?"

"Ah," Anakin sighed deeply, taking a sip from his fresh cup of tea. "Do you know which is going to be the most money making business during the war?"

"Weapons and ships," Mon answered instantly. "There is a reason your mother has been so busy lately."

"Wrong," Anakin sighed, looking more bothered by the second, "Hyperspace routes." His words brought a silence to the room. The senators and queen exchanged looks, how could they have missed that?! "Which the Hutts and Zygerrians own a lot of, key ones at that. Now follow me closely, imagine us going to war against the Separatist and we need to cross through Tatooine, which is a key strategic position. What would Jabba Hutt do? What will that sleemo extort from us? What is the one thing the Republic would never condemn that the Hutts do and is the reason why we do not make deal with them?"

"Slavery," Padmé gasped in cold rage, as her friends looked at Anakin in horror. "The Republic would be forced to look the other way from their slavery and the Hutts would buckle down. Without caring because we would need to work with them."

"What will we do?" Queen Organa asked. "We can't allow them to do that!"

"But if we don't, they'll side with the Separatist," Bail reasoned.

"You can't mean you agree with this?!" Padmé exclaimed enraged.

"Calm down angel, I love your fire but everything has its place," Anakin calmed her down with a kiss on her forehead. The irony of it being said by Anakin, was lost by everyone but the blond. "Senator Organa does not agree, but that is what greedy sleemos in the Senate would say. It is easier to just allow slavery and they can also do some good business under the table."

"That is disgusting!" Mon scoffed, but did not refute Anakin's words. They all knew they were true.

"But we can always count on the Hutts to be corrupt and greedy," Anakin smirked sadistically, taking them by surprise. This was not Jedi Knight Skywalker, but vengeful freed slave Anakin. "Why do business with only us when they can gain double profit?"

"They are planing on double crossing us," Bail deduced sharply. "No, they've already done it."

"I can see why my angels speak so well of you!" Anakin laughed. And how you were able to raise my daughter into such a magnificent woman, Anakin thought fondly. Thank you. "I have proof of the Hutts in Nal Hutta making a deal with the Separatist to convince the Republic to name them our enemy and I’ll liberate Hutt Space from these slugs!"

"That will take a lot of time..." Breha told him gently.

"Or not," Bail caught Anakin's hesitation suspiciously. "You've been planning this for a while."

"I have contacts with various freedom rebellions in all Hutt Space planets, bounty hunters that used to be slaves and want revenge, with my Jedi friends and our battalions we can end them in less than a year." Anakin assured them. "I was planning on working from the shadows with the Skywalker Foundation, but if I get the green light from the Senate and Jedi Council, I'll be given so much more freedom."

"What about the slave chips?" Padmé asked worriedly. "Won’t they just use the slaves as shields?"

"No, because I was finally able to create an EMP to fry these chips and a scanner to find them," Anakin shared excitedly. "With all of us attacking at the same time they won't know what hit them and won’t get time to regroup.”

"They'll form part of the Republic?" Mon asked. “After they are freed, I mean.”

"That will be up to them," Anakin answered. "After a democratic body is put in place, it will be their choice… as they will finally be free. But we will have them they sign a treaty that says that during this war, we will have free passage through their hyperspace routes."

"What about their economy?" Padmé asked him. "They relay a lot on slavery."

"They were forced to relay on it," Anakin firmly but gently corrected her. "But these planets have many ways to sustain themselves... if we get creative. Tatooine's sand is it’s savior as much as it's destruction. When water dries out, a lot of minerals are left. The easy money making ones were mined, but salt? We have it on spades! Culinary refined salt and rock salt for planets with harsh climates. Spices that the core-worlds have never heard of and would kill to have. The sand can be molded into glass for greenhouses to grow food in the dessert and refined into beautiful glass art. If the Hutt Space works together, creating an union, they'll pull through together and aid each other with what they need. No need to bother the Senate, who wouldn't help anyway. Current company discounted."

"Wow... you've really thought this through," Breha praised, as they all stared at him in awe. "Also, the Skywalker Corporation won't mind opening various branches throughout Hutt Space."

"Well, my mom is currently incapable of keeping up with the demand of the Senate and the various planets. Having more factories would help the Republic quite a lot," Anakin agreed mischievously. "It would also create a lot of jobs."

"Well, I don't know about the rest," Mon smiled. "But you have my support."

"Of course, you have mine too Ani," Padmé told him tenderly, with a quick kiss.

Queen Organa and Bail exchanged looks. "For such an honorable cause, you have ours too," Breha assured him.

"Thank you!" Anakin told him gratefully.

"What about the Zygerrians?" Bail asked, having picked their mention at the beginning but not since.

"A confident source informed us that they are planning something similar... but no evidence that the Republic will accept," Anakin sighed.

Not yet, at least, Anakin thought darkly. My dear Zygerrian  Queen, you'll suffer your demise at my hands like last time.

Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s wedding was the biggest event Naboo had ever seen. The whole planet was buzzing with excitement, ready to welcome back their beloved ex-queen and the famous Jedi heroes. The Naberrie family and the royal court pulled out all the stops to make it a night to remember.

The wedding was set for nighttime, under the glow of Naboo’s full moon. The place was decked out with glowing flowers and fancy decorations, making it look like a scene from a dream. Guests arrived, wowed by how beautiful everything was, knowing they were in for something truly special.

The Queen of Naboo officiated the ceremony, guiding the couple through their vows with grace and wisdom. Padmé’s parents, looking proud and happy, walked her down the aisle, cheered on by the people of Naboo.

Obi-Wan stood at the other end with his mentors, Jocasta Nu and Qui-Gon Jinn, both smiling warmly. Anakin had his mom, Shmi Skywalker, and Jedi Master Plo Koon by his side, showing all the love and support in his life.

The ceremony was a mix of Naboo traditions, Tatooine folklore, and Stewjon customs. With the full moon shining down on them, they said a prayer to Tatooine’s three moons, asking for blessings of harmony and love.

The ring exchange was a touching moment, symbolizing the strong bond between Padmé, Anakin, and Obi-Wan. The rings were unique, showing their unbreakable connection and commitment to each other.

When the ceremony ended, the night air filled with cheers and applause. The newlyweds were surrounded by the love and support of their families, friends, and the whole Naboo nation. It was a moment full of hope for the future.

Their wedding was proof that love can overcome any obstacle, shining as a beacon of hope in a galaxy often filled with darkness. Together, Padmé, Anakin, and Obi-Wan showed the power of love, unity, and the endless possibilities that come from following your heart.

Chapter Text

"501st!" Fox called out, in the newly formed Protection Corps.

"Sir, yes, sir!" The newly minted Commander Rex answered, stepping forward, in front of his battalion.

He was nervous, everyone was. They were getting their Jettis today!

"Oh!" Fox smirked. "Lucky battalion! You got General Skywalker!"

Rex froze, while his battalion whispered excitedly. Fox continued calling out the rest, but Rex's mind was elsewhere. He just had to get General Skywalker! The Hero of Naboo, who defeated the Trade Federation at nine-years-old. One of the greatest inventors and engineers in the galaxy. The youngest Jedi Knight in history. One that was not newly knighted because of the war, But given to him for his abilities. The wielder of the only actual orange lightsaber.

Kriff! Rex cursed in his head. I can do this. I can be the second-in- command of this legend. I can totally do this… Not!

"Vod'ika, calm down," the warm and comforting voice of his brother Cody was finally capable of breaking through the mist in his head. "Better?"

"Vode... I can't do this," Rex held into Cody. "I can't be in charge of protecting a Jedi Legend He is married to a senator and ex-queen! He is nobility and Naboo will have my head it something happens to him!"

"Not if my Jedi gets to you first.," Wolffe joked, joining his other two brothers.

"Wolffe!" Cody berated him.

"As if your Jetti wouldn't join mine!" Wolffe snapped back snarkily.

"Your Jetti… which were they?" Rex asked, totally lost.

"Wow, you really were out of it," Wolffe whistled.

"Shut it!” Cody snapped at him, before softening his expression when he turned to Rex. "My Jetti is Master Kenobi, General Skywalker's husband. And Wolffe's is Master Koon, General Skywalker's buir and master-teacher."

"Great!" Rex groaned, hitting his head against his vode's chest plate.

"Calm down, you drama queen," Fox chuckled, joining the three commanders. "You won the jackpot and are complaining."

"You did say that," Cody commented suspiciously. "Why? He is a great Jetti, but so is Wolffe's and mine."

"He is the one that masterminded the Clone Decree and it is his money that funded fully the Protection Corps." Fox informed them dryly, earning startled looks from his vode. "See? Lucky!"

"Kriff!" Rex cursed. "Now my own vode that will kill me if something happens to him!"

"Jeez, such a drama queen!" Wolffe laughed.

While the brothers teased Rex, the most famous triad in the Republic were saying their goodbyes.

"What are you doing?" Padmé asked softly as Anakin gave her his wedding ring. This was hard for her, her two husbands will be going to war today... a war she had failed to stop.

"If I take it with me it might fall off during battle, or get destroyed if something happens to my ship," Anakin answered her with a bestowed smile. "So, I am leaving it with you for safe keeping. As a promise of my return. I'll come back and you'll put this ring back on my finger. We can see it as a renewal of our votes."

"You do love your holo-roms," Obi-Wan teased fondly, kissing his husband's forehead while his wife chuckled with tears in her eyes. "Will you keep mine too?"

"Of course," Padmé beamed, tears rolling down her cheers. "I love you!"

"We love you too," Aanakin and Obi-Wan echoed.

With one last hug and kiss they all parted ways. Padmé back to the Senate, Obi-Wan to the 212th, and Anakin to the 501st.

Anakin's breath caught in his throat. These were his men, his brothers-in-arms. They were free now. One of Anakin's biggest regrets was aiding the enslavement of the clones. He had been a slave and then became a slaver...

Then again, I was a slave to the Emperor too... Anakin thought sadly, with a self-deprecating smile. He rapidly returned to his normal smile. He had become quite a good actor on these last few years.

"General!" Rex and his battalion saluted.

"Relax!" Anakin smiled at them. "Good morning Commander Rex, vode," Anakin's smile became sad at the startled looks he received. Even when they are free and citizens of the Republic, they still find kindness strange. "Here in my ship we run things differently," Anakin continued in flawless Mando’a, gaining even more surprised looks. "First, we are a family. Not only the vode, but all of us. If someone mistreats you, you tell me. I'll deal with it. The same goes to you, mistreatment is something I will not allow. If we do not have each other's back, then who will?" The 501st exchanged looks of wonder and hope. "Second, no Jedi or soldier is being left behind. Got it? You are soldiers, human beings, and are not expendable. Not in my eyes." Now some vode had tears in their eyes. "Third, I will not allow for war crimes. You see someone mistreating the civilians we've come to help, deal with it or tell me. The same goes to our prisoners. We let the law deal with them, we will not lower ourselves to their level. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!" The vode responded, loud and proudly.

"Good, and call me Anakin, I am not old enough to be called Sir," Anakin joked, earning some laughs from his men. "Also, if you allow it my mother would love to adopt you," that earned him a shocked silence. "You are my brothers-in-arms from now on, even if you do not accept being adopted, you are Skywalkers. And Skywalkers wear white and blue, it's our colors. For a fresh start, after years of slavery, and our reliability, as we are going to free others from slavery. Skywalkers, are slaves set free."

Rex looked at his General in awe and pride. Inspired and motivated. He was vode and he was proud of that. Mandalorians are honorable warriors, when they heard of their mission to deal with the Hutts, they were happy. They'll be battling and standing for a worthy cause. Being a Skywalker was the same.

Slaves set free...

Fox had been right, they were lucky.

Rex, Kit, and Jesse stood there, eyes wide in amazement, watching as the troopers suddenly halted. One of them tilted its head, like it heard something far off in the darkness. For a moment, everything went eerily quiet.

Rex felt a wave of danger wash over him, his instincts kicking in. Then, out of the darkness, a brilliant orange light blazed, revealing Anakin Skywalker standing before the small army. Anakin looked calm, ready for the droids to make their move.

Nothing happened at first, and then, the troopers raised their blasters and fired at Anakin. "General!" Rex shouted, ready to jump in, but Kit and Jesse held him back, knowing it would be useless.

Anakin’s orange lightsaber moved with hypnotic fluidity, deflecting the blaster bolts with ease. Some of the redirected shots hit the droids right in their weak spots.

It was a sight to behold. Anakin moved like a shadow, deadly and graceful. He took down droid after droid, his mastery over the Force and his lightsaber leaving the clone troopers in awe.

"Did you see that?" Kit whispered, amazed. Jesse just nodded, too captivated to speak.

Anakin’s use of the Force was astonishing. Rex watched as he lifted a droid into the air, crushing it with an unseen force. The Jedi hardly seemed phased, quickly moving on to take down more enemies.

"He's unstoppable," Rex murmured, admiration and pride in his voice.

The battle raged on, with Anakin taking down troopers with a mix of lightsaber skill and powerful Force abilities. Every move was smooth, every strike precise, like he was dancing through the fight.

Finally, the last droid fell, and Anakin stood there, catching his breath. “Well, that’s all of them,” he said with a smile, an almost unsettling angelic smile, as he led the way through the palace, the vode following close behind.

Rex could only stare awestruck at the scene around him. They were in Nal Hutt, home world of the Hutt species... or what's left of them. Droids and severed limbs of bounty hunters were scattered around the palace. The takedown had been easy, especially with General Skywalker taking the vanguard and slaying anyone standing on his way. No one could stand on his way and his lightsaber mastery.  

Rex who had lead his role behind the General, felt as if he had been guided by the orange light of the lightsaber. As if it was a light of hope and freedom. The orange twin suns on his general's shoulder, were also illuminated by the lightsaber. It was an inspiring scene. One that made Rex and his vode very proud of being part of the 501st.

"Osik!" Jesse cursed coming to stop next to Rex, as both of them stood in the Nal Hutt's palace's throne room. Their sight was on Anakin, who was sitting on the throne while he listened to the reports from the freedom rebellion in the planet. "Kit just told me that we lost no vode, only some nat-born soldiers perished, and 30 of the freedom rebellion members."

"Kriff!" Rex cursed, breathless. "This must have been the easiest take over ever."

"It will pass down in history," both troopers rapidly turned around raising their blasters startled. "Hello!"

Rex could only stare in shock at the man laying against the pillar lazily. How did he sneak behind them? Past all of them! Was he bounty hunter? An enemy?

"General!" Jesse rapidly saluted, having noticed the lightsaber on the man's waist.

"Relax, I'm a Shadow," the man waved uncaring. "Not a General. I'm Quinlan, I trained Aayla and am that vixen's husband's best friend," he snorted, pointing at Anakin with a nod.

"Byl's General," Rex murmured in recollection. "What brings you to Nal Hutt? Do you need our General?"

"I've been here since the start!" Quinlan snorted. "Way before you guys made it to the planet. The Jedi Shadows and rebel spies have been spewing poison in the ears of the Hutts for months. Why waste resources and lives when we can have them kill each other?"

"What?" Jesse asked dumbfounded.

"We did not take over an united planet," Rex realized. "But one that had just gone through a civil war."

"The planet was never united to begin with," Quinlan scoffed. "The Hutts are criminals that share only their species and their trade in slavery. But by killing a couple of high positioned Hutts and blaming others, their lust of power did the rest- they tore each other apart. What was left to do was pick what's left of them apart and stabilize the planets freed."

"That's what General Skywalker meant by it will be easy and it will go as planned," Rex commented, looking at his General, awestruck.

"That vixen has been planning this for a while," Quinlan snorted. "He has already has picked a democratic body for every planet, composed of 60% freed slaves and 40% free-born. And has already given them films, information packets, filled with trade, law, political, and environmental plans to aid them to become independent."

"Wow..." Jesse gasped in awe.

"Skywalkers sure are overachievers," Quinlan laughed. "Then again, you guys are now Skywalkers as well," he pointed at Tup, who was being checked over by Kit. He had his armor off and showing off the orange twin suns on his shoulder. The same tattoo every vode in the 501st had. Their freedom tattoo. "You might continue his chaotic legacy.”

Chapter Text

"How many languages do you speak General?" Rex asked Anakin, as he had yet finished another another meeting with a senator.

"20," Anakin answered. "I recently added Bocce and old Alderaanian."

Six months have passed since the war with the Separatist have broken. Half a year in the battlefield in the outer-rim, away from Curoscant. The Hutt Space was no more. Slavery was banned in those systems and democracy ruled. The Republic was none the wiser of how easily they've been used. They were quite delighted by crushing the enemy so fast and having free use of those hyperspace routes. They also adored how the public opinion of the war has turned around like a tide.

Anakin Skywalker was in every holonet channel, being called the Breaker of Chains by the Republic. Anakin had been smart and gotten the not corrupt holonet channels to the freed outer-rim planets to show the reality of the outer-rim. The injustices and corruption the Republic had allowed. The Senate might think the public opinion had turned in their favor, but they were wrong. This time around, instead of getting hate for turning their backs on peacekeeping, the public was sympathetic for the Jedi Order, who had been stopped by the horrid Senate from aiding these planets.

The public was grateful for the hard work of the Jedi, who had kept their systems in peace for centuries, realizing the true extend of their hard work. That if they had not had the Jedi Order they would have ended like the outer-rim, a lawless system.

The public watched as the Agri Corps aided these planets, like Tatooine, to heal and grow food. How the Medi Corps worked hard on de-chipping slaves and take care of injured soldiers and civilians alike. How the Education Corps built schools and the Exploration Corps shared their knowledge. How all of it was aided by the Skywalker Corporation and Skywalker Foundation. All while the Senate laid back and basked in the perks of having more ships, armors, and weapon, because of the new Skywalker Corporation branches.

Those outer-rim planets thrived under their new governments, new jobs, and donations from the civilians whose hearts ached by what they saw in the helonet. Which made Anakin smirk at how well his plan was going. He no longer was the Senate's poster boy. But the Jedi Order's golden boy.

And the Senate was unaware! Palpatine was too focused on trying to regain control over the Senate and get even more emergency powers. However, Padmé's political group was way too influential this time around. Not only, was she not only an ex-queen of a mid-rim planet. She was Senator Skywalker, a beloved ex-queen that finished with the Trade Federation, head of her own noble family, wife to two influential war heroes, and daughter-in-law of one of the richest women in the galaxy. Her influence was overwhelming.

Especially, with all the evidence she get from Anakin about the corruption of the Senate. Many senators were arrested and jailed, replaced by the choice of her and her allies, after they strongly advice their home planets. All these corrupted senators, that had worked for Palpatine, ended up dead, deaths that were blamed on the Separatist, fueling the flames of War.

Though, Anakin knew the truth. Palpatine had killed them all, to keep his secret safe.

Good riddance! Anakin was viciously happy of how easily and systematically he was isolating Palpatine in the Senate.

"May I ask why these senators?" Rex asked carefully. "Lady Padmé was shocked that you wanted them to come in to the various freed planets to sign an alliance with the Senate."

"Many of them are new senators that replaced previously corrupted ones. But while they were recommended by my angel and her friends, I needed to make sure their alliance was firmly set on my angel's political party. Seeing the horrors here in the outer-rim, not only as an spectator through the holonet, but speaking to previous slaves and liste­ning to their story... it drives the message home." Anakin explained grimly. "You saw their reaction, they were horrified and felt guilty of their ignorance. Many of them have al­ready donated millions of credits and became patrons of the planets they've visited. They will not betray my angel's ideals and they might even become her most ardent supporters. The others, were neutral senators and came to the outer-rim to discuss an alliance with the Republic, are already joining my angel's political party." Anakin turned to Rex with a tired smile. "A war is fought in various fronts, Rex. We can do good outside the battlefield. It has been tiring... but worth it at the end. Look at what we've achieved!"

Rex looked around Tatooine. The dessert planet he had first laid eyes on, was no more. Green plants laid around, thanks to force-rapid-growth, colors decorated the previously barren buildings, freed children were laughing and playing around the donated Skywalker droids.

Skywalker Corporation donated a lot of droids to the freed planets: maid droids, teacher droids, building droids, nanny droids, and human-relation droids. They did take a lot of weight off the Skywalker Foundation and the Jedi Corp, who had been working nonstop to aid them.

"Yeah," Rex agreed warmly. "We have."

Anakin smiled at the reaction of his friend. His brother. This time around, he had been able to give the Rex a war worth fighting for.

"What's wrong?" Anakin asked not even turning around. "I can feel your unease and guilt in the force, Aayla."  

"We need to talk," Aayla told her friend softly.

"What did you do?" Anakin asked her worriedly. Like honestly worried. He had never seen or felt Aayla like this before. She was so close to the edge. What had happened? "Come, let's go to a more private place."

"Is this where you and Lady Shmi used to live in before?" Rex asked as they entered the small house, followed by Aayla and By1.

“Call her mom, she did adopt you,” Anakin smiled, taking a seat, the rest following. "And yes. This used to be home, once upon a time. Now I have the temple, a senatorial apartment, and a lake. A whole lake with a beautiful cabin, that is more of a manor than a cabin really. It's truly incredible how far I've gone." Anakin sighed, before turning to face a weary Aayla. "What happened?"

"Two slavers died," Aayla confessed.

"All slavers and Hutts were condemned to death all over the previously known Hutt Space by the newly elected governmental bodies across the planets," Anakin replied confused, before realizing what she had meant. "Oh... you killed two slavers. Aayla," Anakin sighed, frowning when she flinched. He slowly stood up and went to see beside her. Hugging her, as she cried on his chest. The two clones watched sadly, the generals were too young for war... they all were. "I've delved into the dark side too.”

"W-what?!" Aayla looked up startled, not having expected that.

"Of course, I did," Anakin chuckled humorlessly. "I feel too much, I was a slave and now I am nineteen years old leading a battalion into a meaningless war. I am observing as the Order I hold dear, turns their backs on what they are at the core: peacekeepers. I am forced to lie, cheat, and kill to achieve my objective of freeing slaves. How ridiculous is that? When slavery is supposed to be illegal?!"

"Ani... " Aayla murmured shocked. "I did not think about it like that. You've always see me larger than life, so composed, and in charge. Of course, all of this has taken a toll on you."

"Luckily, I am going back home and my battalion is getting a month off," Anakin chuckled, hugging her close.

"Six months on the field nonstop and after this miracle take down," Aayla commented. "You guys deserve it."

"Who were they?'' Anakin finally tackled the elephant in the room.

"Gardulla and Watto," Aayla confessed.

Surprise and dark pleasure rippled through the Force, before Anakin rapidly tucked it in.

"Thank you," he simply said.

After all, what else could he have said?

"He kriffing did it!" Ahsoka exclaimed eyes shinning in awe and admiration as the holonet was passing a documen­tary of Anakin and his friends’ efforts in the outer-rim. "He is going around every rule of the Senate and Jedi Council, using every loophole in the book to his advantage. He is dealing with the corruption in the outer-rim! Marvelous!”

"Here we go again," Barris teased her best friend, her sister. The White Sisters, as they were being called lately. "Your Kight Skywalker hero worship is showing."

"Well, there worse Jedi to look up to," their Creche Master joined the initiates with a wide smile. "Master Koon should be so proud of his padawan."

“He is!" Ashoka jumped in excitedly. "The Senate can’t do a thing to stop him! The public loves Skyguy! They are starting to see that something good will come out of this war! The civilians are even donating to help these planets! They've accumulated millions of credits by now.'"

"People are starting to work together, everyone is putting their grain of sand," Obi-Wan said softly by the door.

"Master Kenobi!" The initiates exclaimed delighted.

"Skywalker now," Obi-Wan corrected fondly with a chuckle. "But I'll allow it, as having two Skywalkers might be confusing.”

"Just as Lady Shmi had wanted," Barris commented softly "Cooperation. Ironically, it happened when all of us were supposed to be at each other's throats."

"War tends to unite people in many ways," Obi-Wan said softly, eyes glazed in memory.

"It must be hard,"Ahsoka said softly, quite serious for her lighthearted character, earning a few startled looks. "I miss Skyguy," her confession earned her various looks of surprise and a soft-gentle-sad expression from Obi-Wan. "He is your husband and it's been six months since you've seen each other. It must be hard."

"It is... war on it's own is hard, but being away from those you love makes it harder," Obi-Wan confessed softly with a small-sad smile.

"The Senate are sleemos!" Ahsoka cursed.

"Ahsoka!" Barris exclaimed, scandalized.

"What?" The Tortuga turned to her in defiance. "I'm just saying the truth! They are corrupt and slave drivers! They are running the 501st to the ground!"

"Force! You are just like dear heart," Obi-Wan complained, but had a beaming smile on his face- fondness humming into the Force.

Ahsoka flushed in pride at being compared to her hero.

"How do you do it?" Barris asked, sadness and confusion surrounding her in the Force. "War, fighting when Jedi are supposed to be peacekeepers."

"Our duty is to the Force and our enemy is the Sith," Obi-Wan answered slowly. "We do not agree with the war, but we need to stop the Sith from creating their Empire. We have to go back to our time as Jedi Warriors, before the Republic was a thing,” Obi-Wan sighed. "It is tiring… but if we play our cards right we can also achieve great things. Like my dear heart, is crushing an empire built on slavery, one that has been around for centuries." Obi-Wan smiled with pride. "However, no one will force you to go to war if you do not want to. Especially, initiates and padawans. None of you will see the battlefields." Obi-Wan assured them firmly. "There are many ways of aiding in war efforts."

"Like the Corps!" Ahsoka pointed out, recalling the holonet documentaries.

"Yes, the Order might free the planets, but the Corps will help them heal and grow," Obi-Wan explained, noting how some initiates looked interested. "You might even say their job is even more important than ours "

Before Obi-Wan could continue his impromptu-lesson, the holonet channel broke into breaking news, catching everyone’s attention.

"Bop’ka! What's going on on the front lines?” Ca-fan, the hostess of the news holo channel asked with a serious expression.

“I am in the Ekkreth, the ship under the command of Jedi Knight Skywalker!" A beautiful woman with red hair appeared, as the camera changed to, clearly the interior of a battle ship. "We are in the space above Tatooine, where Jedi  Knight Secura's starfighter was stranded and is now surrounded by vulture droids!"

"W-what?" Obi-Wan stuttered, eyes widening, as the initiates' worry leaked into the Force. This was his best friend's padawan... his nieces of all but blood.

"Right now Jedi Knight Skywalker is on his way, on a solo mission to get her back!" Bop’ka continued, and then the image changed to a N-1 starfighter - the same ship that Padme had commissioned for both of her husbands.

"On his own?!" Obi-Wan exclaimed distressed, as he watched his husband zig-zag around the vultures and take them down with missiles and rays. "That idiot!"

"Wow!" Ahsoka murmured, stars in her eyes, as she watched Anakin play with the vultures as if it was a piece of cake. "Such a smooth piloting... even with Jedi reflexes that kind of flying should be impossible!"

"He must be by now the best pilot in the galaxy," Barris agreed with her friend.

"He is the only human to have ever won the Boonta Eve Classic race and broke the Trade Federation barricade, all between the ages of eight and nine," Obi-Wan sighed, worry and pride leaking into the Force as he watched Anakin do a shark's tooth maneuver getting three vultures to collide with each other. "He is the best pilot on the galaxy... might have been for a while."

"Shit!" Ahsoka cursed, but no one scolded her. Anakin had reached Aayla and was now flying her back to the Ekkreth.

"He did it..." Barris sighed in disbelief. "He has truly done it!"

"Why do you think he is the first Jedi we call to rescue other Jedi in bad situations?" Obi-Wan chuckled, but his own relief was palpable. "I'm sorry little ones but I need to get to my wife. She must be losing her mind."

"Oh, Skyguy s in trouble!" Ahsoka teased, much more relaxed now that everything had ended up alright.

"He is," Obi-Wan agreed darkly. "When will he ever learn not to give me a heart attack?"

The answer was never.

Poor Obi-Wan.

Chapter Text

Cody watched on as his General and wife got antsier as time passed on. The 501st was coming home to Coruscant today and General Skywalker's partners had come to see him, after six months that they've been apart.

Cody did not know Senator Padmé that good, but he knew his General had missed his husband like a lost limb. I really need to stop calling him General outside of when I'm on duty, Cody thought. He is my vode now.

The 212th had been adopted by Lady Shmi as well as the 501st. The only difference was that while the 501st had taken the Skywalker last name, the 212th took their General's maiden name. The Kenobi line lived on, through them.

The 212th and 501st were not the only ones that had gotten adopted. Plo Koon could have not been faster when he had adopted the 104th and they adopted the Koon last name in honor of their kind buir. The 327th adored their General Secura with all their hearts, especially Bly. However, she was too young to adopt them. Luckily, her master-teacher was not. They now wore the Vos last name with pride. Even Mace Windu adopted his battalion. Fox and the ones staying in Curoscant got taken in by Master Shaak.

There were various stories like that. The vode now had a family beyond them and got a home beyond Kamino and the long necks. It warmed Cody's heart and gave him hope.

"Ani!/Dear heart!" Cody got startled from his thoughts as his General and Senator Padmé rushed tow­ards their husband, who received them with a wide smile.

"Is that our General?" Boil asked as stunned as Cody felt, watching their usually calm and collected General, make out with his husband in the middle landing pad.

"At least you did not catch them while they were having holo-sex," Rex commented in amusement. Laughing when he earned various looks of horror from the 212th. "Yeah, my General has a thing of watching his spouses get at it."

"Stop!" Cody pleaded with his vode. "You've become quite cruel Rex'ika. At least, you are no longer afraid of having General Skywalker as your superior."

"He is vode," Rex replied firmly, being echoed by the 501st, earning surprised looks from the 212th. "Fox was right, we are lucky to have him."

"I see," Cody smiled, before gasping. "Is that the bad batch?" Cody asked Rex surprised, as he noticed who were the vode taking with the Generals and senator.

"They are new part of the 501st." Rex answered, puffing his chest proudly. "Ani'ka took us to collect them on our way here, which is why we were a little late."

"That's great!" Boil exclaimed happily.

"Come on, you all must be tired," Cody said. "Six months on the field... let's get you to the Protection Corp Headquarters to rest."

"Great!" Jesse sighed. "I love the work we've done, but I am glad we've got a month off."

"It's been tiring, but worth it," Kit agreed with his vode.

"We freed slaves and got good food in return!" Hawk exclaimed excitedly. "We got legumes, friki! Not to mention, spices from Tatooine! Ani’ka made sure to make various traditional plates of his home world. We get one warm plate a day and even a sweet to munch on!"

"Only eating those ration bars once a day is great for the morale, for sure," Jesse agreed with his fellow lieutenant.

"You guys get food other than rations?!" Boil whined. "Lucky! Why don't we too?"

"Because no one can cook in the 212th,” Cody replied drily. "And if we leave it to General Kenobi we might end up with the Negotiator in flames."

As the troopers laughed and joked on their way to the Protection Corps Headquarters, Obi-Wan and Padmé had dragged Anakin to their senatorial apartment.

"What were you thinking?!" Padmé shouted, as she threw pillows towards Anakin. Anakin caught them and smiled like a goof when he saw the wedding ring in his hand- he had missed the weight on his finger. “Are you listening to me?!"

"I am angel," Anakin placated her gently, wrapping his arms around her. She tried to resist, but ended up melting in his arms- she had missed her Ani. “I’m sorry I worried you. But Aayla is my best friend and is family, like a cousin to me. I could not let her go down like that."

"Did you have to do it on your own?" Obi-Wan asked, crossing his arms over his chest with a frown.

"Come here," Anakin opened his arms beckoning Obi-Wan to join the hug. He did. "Taking anyone else would have been too dangerous. I could not protect them and keep an eye on what was happening. I needed to focus on the vultures and Aayla. Total focus. But I followed the Force and I knew every thing would end up ok."

"Reckless boy," Obi-Wan huffed fondly, kissing his forehead sweetly.

"That's our Ani," Padmé chuckled with tears in her eyes, kissing Anakin's cheek. "You had the Queen and all of Naboo quite worried. They are now bragging to anyone that can hear, that they've got the best pilot out there."

"Good, because I am the best pilot!" Anakin joked, bragging and chuckling when he received twin hits on the chest. “Ok, tough crowd."

"How did we fall in love with such an idiot?" Obi-Wan shook his head in mock exasperation, though his fond smile revealed his true feelings.

"I've got no idea," Padmé followed his game, smiling widely. "I think it was the dimples."

"They are quite enticing," Obi-Wan agreed, playing with his beard with a thoughtful expression. "It makes you want to pluck his cheeks."

"Which ones? Because my ass is always red after you finish playing with my cheeks," Anakin raised an eyebrow, smirking wickedly when Obi-Wan blushed. "Talking about playing. I loved all of your holo-calls and watching you play with yourselves and each other. They were a heaven sent in the battlefield and all those lonely nights.” Anakin's smirk widened when new Padmé's cheeks became red. "However, it left me wanting more," his smirk now turned predatory. "What do you say? Are you up for some more playing?"

Anakin closed his eyes, enjoying the sun on his face as he laid down. They were in Naboo, in the Skywalker Villa. A lake that used to be part of the Naberrie property but became a wedding gift to Padmé from her parents. A huge gift. As the lake property, was as big as the main Naberrie Manor.

Two weeks of their breaks ended up on the same time. A miracle on its own as the three of them were quite busy. Padmé in the Senate, Obi-Wan negotiating all around the galaxy, and Anakin in the battlefield. But a miracle they were planing on enjoying.

Anakin fulfilled his old promise of showing Naboo to the 501st, taking the 212th with them. Sabé even convinced Fox to allow Boba to join them. Boba was enjoying his bonding time with the rest of his vode, the 501st and 212th were also having a blast.

Right now, Anakin was laying on Obi-Wan's lap as Padmé cuddled to the blond's side. Obi-Wan was leaning against a huge tree by the lake. Meanwhile, the vode and Padmé’s handmaidens were playing in the lake.

"How is the de-chipping process going?" Padmé asked, cuddling even closer to Anakin, eyes closed and enjoying the breeze.

"The 501st, 212th, 104th, 327th and every battalion that was with dear heart in the Hutt Space is free," Obi-Wan informed her. "Commander Fox and his men as well."

"Any new vode we get will get de-chipped by the Head of the Medical Division we've got," Anakin continued, not even bothering to open his eyes. "The rest of the battalions will get de-chipped while they are in Coruscant, under the security of the Protection Corps Head. We can't be too safe with their safety. It might be bad of me to say this... but we can't trust anyone with a secret like this. We can’t know who could turned these to the Separatists or Sith."

The secret being the behavior inhibitors in the vode’s brains. During the war in the Hutt Space, Anakin's EMP creation was the tipping point. It disabled the chips in the slaves and took weeks to be able to reactivate again. By then the planet had been won over and the slave chips taken out.

During the use of the EMPs, it was discovered that the vode had similar chips in their brains. What made them even worse was the fact that theirs was not to keep them obedient through fear, but to control the way they behaved and forced them to act in certain ways via programmed orders. To say that the Jedi, the classmates that had followed Anakin to the Hut Space, had been horrified was an understatement.

That a Jedi Master had ordered this atrocity of a clone army had already shaken their faith in the Order. It did not help that the Jedi Order, that were supposed peacekeepers, were now generals in a war. This... this, broke the camel's back. They only remained because of Anakin's dream of a galaxy without slavery and they still had to protect their vode battalion. They could not trust anyone but themselves with them. The vode had suffered enough as it is.

"Into happier news!" Padmé exclaimed, realizing the bad mood the conversation was putting Anakin in. "Did you know that Fox has started to court Sabé?"

"Really?!" Obi-Wan and Anakin turned to Padmé in surprise.

"I can see it," Obi-Wan hummed.

"But it's still shocking as heck," Anakin finished with a chuckle. "If we are talking about dating, you won't believe who I caught making out in the Command Center, after my heroic rescue."

"Aayla and Bly," Obi-Wan answered with a deadpan. "News like that travel fast through the GAR. Cody told me all about it. Bly got drunk one night in the headquarters and could not stop waxing poetry about Aayla."

"As he should!" Padmé exclaimed. “Aayla is amazing and deserves all the poetry in the world!"

"Hear! Hear!" Anakin laughed, bringing a smile to his spouses' faces. "I'm going for a swim!" He suddenly jumped on his feet and rushed towards the lake.

Obi-Wan and Padmé , who had sat up to lean against the red head, watched as Anakin was received by his men with beaming smiles.

"Something is wrong," Padmé whispered in concern. "He smiles less and is less trusting. Not that I do not think he is wrong about being more careful! But..."

"It's not dear heart," Obi-Wan agreed. He looked at his husband in thoughtfulness and worry. "Unlike us, he's been in the heart of the war... for six months! It's different from our battles in the Senate or trying to keep planets from joining the Separatists." Obi-Wan sighed sadly. "He had to cheat, lie, and kill to free slaves and end slavery in the Hutt Space. That leaves scars on anyone, even someone as bright as dear heart."

It also gave a time traveler with a lot of trauma an opportunity to stop acting so much and start showing his whole-self and his trauma, without raising suspicion.

"We must be there for him," Padmé cuddled closer to Obi-Wan with a sigh. "He will need us."

"He will, he does," Obi-Wan agreed. "This war has been hard on us and we've only just started."

"If only Palpatine would put an end to it," Padmé frowned. "He used to be my mentor and now I have to make a political party just to stop him from gaining more power. When did he become so power hungry?"

"Power corrupts anyone," Obi-Wan told her wisely. “He's been in power for a while and does not know how to let go."

"Does not know? Or does not want?" Padmé replied bitterly.

"You've done a great job," Obi-Wan turned to her. "Since the war began, he had not been able to gain any more emergency power and his allies in the Senate decrease, while yours increase."

"Mostly thanks to mother's influence and the evidence Ani keeps on finding," Padmé waved his praise away.

"Skywalker Corporation has been on the rise since the war began," Obi-Wan agreed. "Mother is now richer than anyone could imagine and donates like 70% of her earnings to the Hutt Space planets, the orphans of war, and to aid the Jedi Order. The Protection Corps are covered by dear heart's royalties.”

"Did you expect anything else? They are Skywalkers!" Padmé teased him, earning a chuckle from him. "Even with only that 30% she is one of the richest women out there, matching royalty with her earnings. The Republic and Neutral Systems relay a lot on Skywalker Corporation."

"They do have the best technology out there," Obi-Wan commented.

"Angels!" They were both startled by their husband's shout out. “Come! Join us!"

"Would you look at that?" Padmé smiled, standing up.

"We can't say no," Obi-Wan chuckled, as he stood up.

It's not like any of them was ever able to say no to Anakin. That was one thing that remained the same. On both timelines.

Chapter Text

"Do you want to make Naboo love you even more than they do right now?" Padmé teased Anakin as she cuddled her husbands in their bed.

It was late at night and the power triad of the galaxy were laying on bed as they watched the holo-news. It was a couple of nights after Anakin and Obi-Wan had made it back from their joined mission in Genesis. This time it was a success, as Slick had not been there to leak their plans. A quick job, they were in and out in a matter of hours. For which, Padmé was eternally grateful.

"He is an attention hog," Obi-Wan teased too.

On the holo-news, the hosts were discussing how the Trade Federation had recently lost their seat in the Senate on various accounts of corruption and treason. Not to mention, the fact they were not even a planetary system that represented civilians. Adding the face that Naboo had previously sued them for almost every last penny and later the Skywalker Corporation had risen and hindered them from ever recovering completely. Which in return made their influence in the Senate decrease and it was easy to take them out. With the Skywalker Corporation and other businesses, alliances growing and establishing themselves in that period, the Trade Federation had been scrambling to regroup, the disbandment of the Trade Federation did not affect the Republic and the neutral systems' economy.  

"I just did my job," Anakin complained playfully, a pout on his lips. "You won't even believe what the Senate tried to do!"

"What?!" Padmé turned to her husband in worry. "Ani! They tried to pull something behind my back?"

"Oh, they did!" Anakin laughed, calming his spouses by his clear amusement. Whatever they had tried it had not worked. “You kept a good eye on us, the clones, and Naboo. So, they targeted Skywalker Corporation."

"The same company which is the reason we are winning this kriffing war?" Obi-Wan asked dumbfounded. He was really tired, if he was cursing. "Are they kriffing stupid?"

“Oh, I wish!" Anakin snorted. Face darkening, as his smile turned into a scowl. Obi-Wan and Padmé were no longer scared of Anakin's change of behavior. They embraced it and felt relieved that Anakin was comfortable with them to show his real feeling and not to put an act around them. It was a show of trust they will not take for granted. "Chancellor Palpatine approached my mom with the objective of giving her the emptied seat of the Trade Federation to the Skywalker Corporation."

Now, Obi-Wan and Padmé's faces darkened. Chancellor Palpatine was a touchy topic in the Skywalker household. He had been Padmé's mentor, but now was her political adversary. Obi-Wan had heard stories about how obsessed he was to get Anakin on his own when he had been young and had tried to bully the Jedi Order into compliance, even with Master Plo soundly refusing. Luckily, as Anakin was in dual guardianship with Shmi, Chancellor Palpatine had no way to force her the same way he had tried with the Jedi Order.

As for Anakin... the least is said the better.

Now the whole galaxy was seeing the other face of the “grandfatherly" Chancellor Palpatine He was being investigated for corruption, fraud, and embezzlement.

The Banking Guild had been disbanded and arrested for illegally holding the monopoly of the Republic's currency. It was broken into various different banks that work simultaneously to maintain the valor of the Republic's currency, with each planetary system having its own banking system. It had been one of Padme, Bail, Mon, and their party's greatest successes.

The problem came one when it had been pointed out that the Bank Guild had only been capable of holding that monopoly of power because of Chancellor Palpatine. One of his earliest emergency powers had been the cause. An Emergency Power that Palpatine had pushed for. Insistently. Which is why he was being looked into.

"Is he trying to use the Skywalker good public image to get this mess dropped?!” Padmé exclaimed in anger.

"Or is he trying to get close to you through her?" Obi-Wan pointed out. "Or to get Shmi to his side and then try to get to Padmé on his through her?"

"Who knows? Maybe all three!" Anakin scoffed. "Mom shut him down nicely though. Rex was with her at the time and recorded the whole thing. The GAR had a good laugh at least."

"Ani, what is your issue with Chancellor Palpatine?" Padme asked him carefully. "Lately, it seems as if it's quite personal, this animosity you have with him. Though, you hid it with anyone else but as."

"He… he makes a lot of comments," Anakin winced, frowning. He took a second to think what to say and decided to go with half-truths like always. They worked the best. "When I came back from Hutt Space, he called me to his office for a report. Though, he did not ask anything about the front lines. He kept on repeating how awful was the Council for sending me for so long, right after I've gotten married. And that me having issues bonding with you two after half a year away was normal. Especially, with all the time you both spent on your own... without me..."

"That sleemo!" Padmé exploded, eyes burning with anger "What gives him any right to comment on our private life?! What is even his plan?!"

"To isolate dear heart," Obi-Wan deduced, displeasure leaking through the Force. "He wants him away from the Council and us, so he will be forced to relay on him. Unluckily for him, dear heart has a lot of allies and friends outside of us and the Jedi Order."

"His obsession is worrisome!" Padmé glared.

"It is," Obi-Wan agreed. “I'll talk to the Jedi Council about being more careful around him."

Anakin hid his smirk on Padmé's hair as his next plan was in motion. Nothing better than when your hard work plays on beautifully.

"Commander Rex!" A worried Jesse rushed into the control room of th Command Center. "Look!"

Rex almost dropped the holo Jesse all but threw at him. Once he saw what had his vode so concerned, his face lost all color.

General Skywalker arrested for wrongly use of funds?

"What the kriff?" Hawke cursed.

"So, this is how the Senate is trying to get rid off our General," Admiral Wulff sighed.

"What do you mean Admiral?" Rex asked him confused. "Our General brought them the biggest victory of this war and his inventions are what's giving us the advantage!"

"But it is his evidence that got one-third of the Senate arrested and their reputation in an all-time worse," Admiral Wulff explained. "Many want him out before he uncovers more corruption and goes after them."

"Kriff them all!" Rex growled in anger. "We need to turn this ship around! Our general needs us!"

"General Koon, General Skywalker's father, needs us," Admiral Wulff stood before him with a stern expression. "What can we do in Coruscant? We will get in the way more than help. General Skywalker needs us to aid his father and husband in the front lines, a husband who is there because General Skywalker had a premonition dream of General Koon's ship being blown. We have to do this, so General Skywalker can deal with the Senate in peace and unconcerned about the front lines. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The soldiers answered, determined if unhappy.

Meanwhile, on Coruscant.

"Calm down, Senator Skywalker," Bail whispered, having to hold on into Padmé's arm to stop her from jumping down the pod and joining her husband. "This is Knight Skywalker, he will be fine."

"This is bullshit!" Padmé hissed furious, glaring at Chancellor Palpatine.

"Not to mention, illegal," Mon added from behind them. "Many of us were not informed of this decision. They might have gotten majority, but without a full Senate vote this farce can't pass down."

"Which will be pointed out by Jedi Knight Skywalker," Bail assured Padmé, who was calming down slowly. "If he does not, you have my promise that I will do it myself.”

"Thank you, Senator Organa," Padmé sighed. "You got this Ani."

"How do you plead General Skywalker?" Chancellor Palpatine demanded.

"First of all, it's Jedi Knight Skywalker,” Anakin corrected with a raised eyebrow, making his wife snort in amusement. "Second, if this is a court, where's the judge? In any case of juridical decisions, the Juridical System and a Supreme Court Judge is needed. The Senate cannot make a ruling on their own. Third, you cannot, even with majority of the votes, try to arrest someone or make decisions without the whole Senate voting. Clearly a third of this Senate had no idea of what this is about. Who was in the blind about this? Please raise your hand!" Almost half the room raised their hands. "Wow... really?" Anakin turned to Chancellor Palpatine with a raised eyebrow. "You know this is illegal, right?"

"Answer the question Skywalker!" Tarkin sneered, losing his patience at the disrespect.

"As I stipulated before, this is illegal," Anakin turned to Tarkin with a glare. Oh, how he hated that man. "So, no. I do not need to answer any question. Even if I did, I've done nothing wrong."

"How can you say that?" A neutral senator exclaimed. Until now she had been a fan and supporter of Anakin's, but now she clearly looked betrayed. She must have been lied to by Palpatine and his supporters, like many other neutral senators. "You took advantage of the seizing of the Hutt Space planets to push your agenda, using the funds of the Protection Corps to buy terrains. When it is illegal for Jedi to have possessions!"

"Ok… there are so many wrong things on that speech that I do not know where to start," Anakin shook his head with a tired sigh. "First of all Jedi are encouraged not to have material possessions. It is not illegal. Making it illegal, would be illegal. It would borderline with slavery. Second, the Protection Corps funds are donations that come from my own pocket. An emergency fund I started when I was thirteen. I can do what I wish with it and it would be legal, because I own that money and donated to the Protection Corps. The rest are donations in the form of technology from the Skywalker Corporation. Third, I did not buy any terrain with that fund. Skywalker Corporation did, using the royalties I gained during this war for my last inventions. I was tasked as the middleman between the Jedi Corps, Skywalker Corporations, and the planets."

"What for?" The same senator asked, this time calmer as the Senate's Hall was silent in shock. They could not believe that someone could own that much money and not use it for themselves, to donate millions, even billions of credits? Madness!

"Well, these planets were razed down by slavery and war, there are a lot of orphans. So, the Skywalker Foundation is opening orphanages and schools with the aid of the Education Corps," Anakin explained. "Also, the various Jedi Corps will need places to stay as they go to these planets for relief efforts. Small temple branches will be opening there. Half of the territories Skywalker Corporation bought will be donated to the Corps."

"You can't do that without the Senate's permission!" Tarkin snarled, foaming from his mouth, earning startled looks from various neutral senators, that seem to have realized they've been used and lied to.

"They can," Anakin replied snarkily with a smirk. "The Jedi Order might be dependent of the Republic. But the Jedi Corps have never been tied to any government. They've always remained a free religious organization whose first mission is to help." Anakin's smirk grew, as he gloated. "They do not need your permission."

With that said, he turned on his heels and strutted out of the room, not before throwing Padmé a kiss and a confident wink. Leaving the Senate to an uproar.

"He'll never change, will he?" Bail snickered, as Padmé and Mon watched the senators scream and smile with satisfaction.

They deserve it.

Chapter Text

Not believing what he was seeing, Cody could only stare in shock. They had just come from a successful mission, having saved Generak Koon. During the whole mission the Generals had stayed tense, barely holding themselves from snapping at others. The news of the Senate's new trick, had them on edge. They had not calmed down until General Skywalker had joined them.

Which lead to Cody's situation. The Commander watched as the blond Jedi strutted around on his revealing tatooine clothing, proudly and shamelessly showing off the beard burns and kiss marks his redhead husband had left behind.

"Something wrong Commander?" Anakin asked with a smirk, as Artoo came to a stop beside his master.

"Nothing General," Cody answered, glad that he had not taken off his helmet, because he was staring at the general's neck- which had more kiss marks than unmarred skin.

Who would have thought my General was so wild? Cody thought dumbfounded, as he watched the blond strut towards Plo Koon, who was watching his son with a fond-amused look.

"Vode," Rex greeted his brother with a smile. Now that his General was back, he was much more relaxed as well. "What's wrong?"

"Did you see your General?" Cody turned to his brother dumbly.

"I did," Rex chuckled amused. "Quite the work your General did."

“Idiots! The both of them!" Cody huffed, as Rex laughed. The cozy moment was ruined by the noise of a ship approaching. "Did you have anything scheduled?"

"No, did you?" Rex replied seriously.

"No," Cody frowned.

"There are two younglings on that ship," Both Commanders calmed down at Plo’s word. "What is the Council thinking by sending them into a battle field? Especially, since they are underage and have not been chosen by a Jedi Master yet."

"It did happen," Anakin commented with a grim expression. "I thought that with the future being in constant movement and them not appearing when they were supposed to... that it wouldn’t happen."

"What did you dream?" Plo asked his son worried.

"Ashoka and Barris are on that ship and they've been sent to be our Padawan and train on the battlefield," Anakin informed them grimly, shocking everyone silent, before they exploded.

"But they are younglings!"

"Anakin is 20! A master at such a young age? Are they insane!"

"Kriff!"

"What the kriff are they thinking?!"

"Enough," Plo spoke up. He did not raise his voice, the authority in his gentle voice was enough to make them all stop and turn to him. Plo's attention was fully on his son. "Why did you not tell anyone about this? You always tell at least someone about your visions."

"Because I only saw it once, a long time ago," Anakin was careful with how he answered, he did not want to be caught lying. "It happens more than you would expect. As the issue with Grievous."

"The King of Kalee? The one who waged war with Huk and exterminated the Yam’rii?" Obi-Wan turned to his husband surprised, having just joined them."You saw that happen?"

"No," Anakin shook his head. "I saw the Kaleesh continued to be prayed upon the Yam'rii, while the Republic turned a blind eye on the whole thing and continued to believe the lies of the Yam’rii, without further investigation. I mean those Sleemos prayed on the young of the Kaleesh!"

Everyone turned green at the reminder. Before this war and various senators involvement with the Hutts, that had been the Senate’s greatest smear campaign. Grievous spread the holo recording through the galaxy, showing what kind of people the Republic aided and defended. It tied the Senate's hands, no aid or revenge could be mentioned about the genocide that had happened in return.

"Grievous, hurt and desperate, joined Count Dooku and became the greatest Jedi assassin." Obi-Wan and Plo blanched at Anakin’s words. "But that changed. Somehow my mom had found out about it during her business trips and arranged the aid of the Freedom Alliance Rebels. Grievous took the smuggled weapons mom offered for this and... took it further than all of us had expected. I only found out about it when mom came to me distressed about it all." Everyone stared at him in disbelief. "Yeah, good news, they are on our side and will fight with us if asked. I recommend not to ask... unless they take things too far… again."

"Tell me about it," Rex replied breath­less.

"And this has happened before?" Cody asked. "You would dream of things and they would change without your involvement."

"If I do not change them directly like I did when I dream about Qui-Gon's death, I would do it indirectly," Analon nodded his head. "The Freedom Rebel Alliance never got as much tracking as it did now, mostly because of mom’s business and money. Which happened because of my invention. I also saw dad come to Tatooine and approached him. In that same line, my childhood friends would have stayed in Tatooine as slaves and would have join a rebellion like a decade in the future from now. Chancellor Palpatine by now would hold various emergency powers, which he does not because of Pademer and her political party." Anakin sighed. "All of that, I've only seen happen once. Yet it never came to be. How was I to expect this to came true when my dreams did not warn me? Like Force! When things happen they bombard me like crazy! Also, Barris was supposed to be Master Luminara’s and their lightsabers were not supposed to be white. Well, Ahsoka would have been, but not in years to come."

"Seeing the future must be complicated,” Rex commented as he watched his General’s passionate rant.

"You've got no idea!" Anakin snorted-drily.

"It is a difficult art to master, especially as the future is always in movement, like Grandmaster Yoda likes to say," Obi-Wan sighed, before smiling proudly at his husband. "Dear heart is one of the most talented future seers in the Order and yet he still struggles."

"The times I've woken dad and my angels with my screaming after a vision," Anakin shook his head, laughing without humor. "Is the insistence that gets to to me most of the time. It's like the Force keeps the dream on repeat until I've decided to take the correct path to stop that future."

"Like with Qui-Gon," Plo sighed, smiling softly at his son. "You had night terrors for days."

"Not night terrors," Anakin corrected him. "Night terrors are constructs created by anxiety and fear. What I saw happened... would have happened? It got better with time, as I learned the tricks to help me focus and keep grounded on the present. Most of my visions are boring and mundane, no longer filled with blood... at least, until the war. But the Force loves keeping me in line, throwing me a curve ball like this!" Anakin threw his hand at the ship that had just landed.

"Well, let's greet them first," Plo said, being the voice of reason. "We will yell at the Council afterwards."

Obi-Wan laughed at the surprised looks on the commanders' faces. “You do know he was ear heart's master, right? What kind of person do you think would raise someone as chaotic as dear heart?"

Ahsoka was having the time of her life. She was Jedi Knight Skywalker’s Padawan! It was a dream come true. Not the mention, the 501st was the best battalion out there!

On her first day, she had been worried, holding hands with her sister Barris, as they watched their masters shout at the Jedi Council via a holo-call for being foolish and buckling under the pressure of the Senate to send more Jedi into the battlefield. They had feared that their masters did not want them. But at the end they had accepted them.

Anakin had proceeded to do his magic and won, once more, the battle of the public opinion. Got the civilians boycotting the Senate for forcing underage younglings to fight a war. Most parents afraid of when they’ll start sending normal underage civilians. It got the decree taken back and the ones that pushed for it sentenced.

Anakin was delighted to see more of Sidious servants leaving and his “grandfatherly” public image des­troyed even more. He then proceeded to keep Ahsoka, going as far as to tell the Jedi Council that he did not trust them with her safety. Why should he? When they ruled to keep the Senate content, rather than to protect their younglings.

Ahsoka and Barris have never seen the Jedi Council look so hurt or devastated before. They were even more shocked when they all apologized to them. Ahsoka did not get a lot of time to come in terms with what had just happened, as the 501st was shipped to the Wild Space. Anakin had finally found conclusive proof of the Zygerrian Slave Empire working with the Separatists. The Republic had sent support to the Freedom Rebel Alliance.

At the beginning Ahsoka had thought that she would be participating. But she was wrong. She was part of Search & Rescue missions, or when aiding the freed planets to establish their independence and new governments. But otherwise she was studying. At first it made her angry, but she understood why Anakin did it. She was also kept busy with a lot of school work.

Ashoka's skills in lightsaber combat had developed over time, and she began to favor using a variant of Form V in battle like her master, although Barris was certain she would be skilled at Form VI as well. She came to Anakin with a yellow bead. Anakin had also given her a white armor and told her to decorated with blue if she so wished to, because she was already a Skywalker.

Anakin bonded with her via lightsaber training, tinkering with machines, and piloting lessons to unwind. By the end of the war with the Zygerrian Slave Empire, Ahsoka had earned a red and orange bead. She had already knew Tortugi and Basic, Anakin had the droids and robots only speak to her in Binary, the troopers only speak to her in Mando’a, outside of missions of course, and he would only speak to her in Huttese when not in missions or lessons. This way she gained her fluency quickly.

As for the classes, she was in advanced piloting, lightsaber technique, maths, algebra, coding, physics, chemestry, mechanics, and living force manipulation. She was in normal classes of biology, geography, astronomy, civics, history, and living force philosophy (which worked as the second needed force course and the needed art course). Instead of healing, like Anakin had taken in his youth, Ahsoka took a Shadow Beginner Course- as Anakin already knew she was good at sneaking around and nor being found. She is now focusing on keeping her skills sharp (lightsaber, pilot, and languages), while focusing on earning her blue bead.

So, yes, in six months she got a red and orange Jedi padawan bead, added to her yellow bead. Ahsoka was also on her way to get her blue and black bead. All things considered, it proved that she had the best master and she was very proud of her achievements.

Though, she missed Barris. It's been half a year since she came to the Wild Space, and holo-calls were not the same.

"How are you doing Ahso’ika?" Rex smiled fondly at his General's padawan, as she joined the vode for breakfast, in the currently occupied Zygerrian palace. "Slept good?"

"Force did I!" Ahsoka smiled, earning a chuckle from Jesse and Hawkes. "I've never slept in a fluffier bed.'"

"We can't wait to take you to Naboo!" Fives told her.

"True!" Echo agreed! “Lake City, the Skywalker residence, is incredible and they have the best beds!"

"Awesome!" Ahsoka cheered. "We are done here right?"

"We are," Rex assured her. "Just need to make sure Zygerria is stabilized and we will get a two months break. General promised us another vacation in Naboo."

"Yes!” Ahsoka cheered excitedly, earning chuckles from the vode. "Talking about Skyguy, where is he?"

"Last night he crashed," Kit told her. "He exhausted himself and will be taking a break. General Secura and the 524th will in charge today."

"Force exhaustion, right?" Ahsoka asked, earning a startled look from the medic. "I do not possess, my master's talent. But I was raised in the temple and grew up hearing stories about his gift. Did you know why he is called the best future seer of the century?"

"Because he can see decades in the future?" Echo guessed.

"No, though only a few of them can," Ahsoka replied. "Skyguy is capable of navigating the different timelines. He does not have to wait for his dreams to tell him what will happen." The vode were looking at Ashoka in stunned awe. "Awesome, right? Isn’t it suspicious that all of our battles were a success and we lost so little soldiers? How can you beat someone that can see the future?"

"All this time, his strategies were based on his visions?" Kit asked shocked. "No wonder he got Force exhaustion! Why did he not say anything?"

"Because the future is in constant movement," Rex hummed thoughtfully. "He can't know everything and things might change in the middle of battle. If the vode followed his plans as if they were prophecies... it might take their in independent thinking and get them killed in battle."

There was a deep, thoughtful silence, in the table. Before Five, broke it. "What about his dreams?"

"That is the Force communicating with my master," Ahsoka answered. "Showing him something he had missed or not looked into, that the Force wanted stopped or changed."

"This is kriffing complicated!” Hawkes complained, making Ahsoka laugh.

"Why else do you think so few padawans, earn a green bead for precognition?" Ahsoka chuckled. "Most get it for their Jedi Consular training."

"So, our General is the best?" Jesse joked, making everyone laugh. "Tell me something I did not know."

"Apologies," a modulated voice interrupted, making the table turn to a Mandalorian with red and gold beskar armour. "I would like to know where's General Skywalker"

Oh, I almost forgot to mention them! Anakin might have not taken the Kaleesh offer for help. But he did ask for the True Mandalorians and the Children of the Watch. They worked incredibly good together, what a better way for a warrior culture to unite and mend broken bonds than to battle united on the same side?

You see, Anakin had faked the evidence of the Zygerrian Slave Empire getting involved with the Separatists. As much as Anakin loathed to admit it, the Zygerrian Queen was smart and would have never gotten involved with the war after what had happened with the Hutts. So, Anakin got himself and his friends sent to deal with the situation. “Unfortunately,” they got there late, after the political figures of the Zygerrian Slave Empire had been killed... by Mandalorian venom darts.

What a pity.

So, Anakin and the 501st had stayed to aid the fallen empire and aid the planets like they did with the Hutt Space. This time the True Mandalorians and Children of the Watch had gotten a lot of exposure and a lot of holonet videos explaining their creed of aiding the weak, accepting all species and sexual orientation without judgement, and taking in younglings. The people loved them and "realized" that the warmongers were Death Watch and the bad Mandalorians, not this religious sect… which can be violent, but only to those that deserve it.

The Senate could do much when the Mandarolians started killing slavers. The planets are now independent and have the same deal, as the Hutt Space, with the Republic about the hyperspace routes, but won't join. They had to accept the True Mandalorians and allow the creed as a new accepted and lawful religion. As a recompense for their aid and to maintain a good friendship with this new influential religion.  

The True Mandalorians and Children of the Watch (and Clones) ended up creating a lot of security, mercenary, and bounty hunter type of business available thanks in part to good publicity, and the increase of piracy and crime due to the war taking up the able bodies that were previously policing it all. 

They now have settled into the various freed planets of the Hutt Space and the Zygerrian Slave Empire, alongside the new governments and Jedi Corps. They security businesses they had created, which stepped up to police the army-less planets, and to train their growing police and army forces.

As for the public opinion... the New Mandalorians' image was on the trash. To say that Duchess Saline's hate for A duplicated, was an understatement. First he takes her ex-lover, and how this!

Of course, Anakin "suggested" to the Senate to give them all the rights to beskar from Mandalore, as the Duchess has prohibited the use of the metal and religion in her lands- which she was getting quite a backlash from. With the pressure of the senate and public opinion, Satine agreed. As long as they swear to never set foot of Mandalore unless to mine the beskar and to never try to claim her lands. Which bit her in the ass, as the True Mandalorians had a good reputation now and she was being seen as a cultural and religious genocider.

Anakin made sure of that, he hated her for trying to take his Obi-Wan away from him and for trying to censor free choice of a religion. Another blow dealt to her, was that the True Mandalorians proved that one can be neutral without being inactive. 

Maybe core-worlds are too soft, but the outer-rim welcomes the creed's protective violence with a welcomed embraced. Because of their creed the clans grew fast in numbers by the adoption of various freed slaves and war orphan foundlings. They also vowed to protect their world.

"Armorer," Rex greeted her with a respectful nod, as he stood up. She was the leader of the Children of the Watch. “It is a surprise, I thought you would be with your new son." That's right, she had adopted a foundling they saved in Aq Vetina, after the Separatists had raced his village. "But unfortunately General Skywalker is resting. He used too much Force and will be dead to the world for days. General Secura is in charge until he recovers. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I hope for his quick recovery," the Armorer bowed respectfully. “I just wanted to give him the droids leftovers from the Aq Verita that my tribe had collected. I knew he can recover intel from them and recycle them to aid us."

"Then you can give it to us, the 501st will sort through them and prepare everything for when he wakes up."

"Good," the Armorer nodded and left immediately after, she had an ad'ika to get back to.

"She does not talk much," Ahsoka chuckled. "She takes ‘get to the point’ to another level." Before anyone could say anything, she clutched her chest and screamed, gaining the attention of the whole room.

"Ahso’ika!" Rex rapidly went to her side, filled concern, closely followed by Kit. "Whats wrong?"

"M-master! Something is wrong with Skyguy!"

Chapter Text

Rex didn't even think about it. He stood up and rushed towards the queen's chambers. The queen that Anakin had killed and the chamber's he had claimed. From the corner of his eye he could see Kit and Ahsoka following him, while the rest stayed to keep control of the chaos they had left behind.

Not that Rex cared. All his thoughts and focus were on his General. His brother. His vode. Rex slammed the doors open and barged into the room shouting: "General!"

"Skyguy!" Ahsoka exclaimed, groaning in pain, as Anakin writhed in pain on the bed.

Kit got to work quickly, as Ahsoka's knees hit the ground. She knelt next to the bed, holding her master's hand ten­derly between hers. Meanwhile, Rex was looking for clues that an attacker had been on the room. But nothing.

"There's nothing!" Kit exclaimed distraught. "No poison, no injury, nothing!"

"It's the Force," Ahsoka grunted in pain. "I can feel him... he is lost in a vision." She looked up to Rex, who flinched at the fear in his eyes. "I've never felt anything like it. Not even when he submerged in the timelines to device our war plans." Her eyes watered. "I don't know what to do."

"Ahso’ika, calm down," Rex put his hands over his shoulders to ground her. "We'll contact Master Kenobi for aid or Master Koon."

"I… I can do that," Ahsoka stuttered, as her trembling hands went to grab her com.

"Ahsoka!" They were greeted by the smiling face of Obi-Wan. Rex's heart dropped to his stomach, they will take that smile from him. "Congratulations on your victory! I talked to dear heart yesterday before he crashed, he was so proud of your job in the Command Center while he was in the front lines."

A broken, choke up, sound left Ahsoka's lips.

"Is that little Soka?" The cheery, yet gentle tone of Padme was heard from somewhere in the room. "Hi there!" The smiling Padmé appeared in the holo-call.

"Shit!" Kit cursed, under his breath.

A smile that left When she noticed Ahsoka’s pale and trembling form. Just in time for Anakin to grunt in pain again, letting a drowned scream out. Obi-Wan and Padmé paled, twin looks of horror replacing their smiling faces.

"Was that dear heart?" Obi-Wan asked them urgently. "When I talked to him he was ok!"

"Ani?" Padmé covered her mouth with her trembling hands, flinching when she heard Anakin screaming again. "Soka? What's wrong?"

"I d-don't k-know," Ahsoka stuttered. "I feel him so strong in the Force, I get echoes of his pain," Obi-Wan cursed, as he noticed that her trembling was in time with Anakin's scream. "Yet he feels so far away at the same time... I think he is lost in the Force, in a vision. I don't know what to do Master."

"Lost in a vision?" Padmé repeated dumbfounded. "Is that possible? He has never gotten lost in a vision before."

"He has," Obi-Wan corrected his wife grimly. "When he woke up his powers, he spent weeks with night terror watching Qui-Gon die over and over again."

"Oh. Ani!" Padmé cried in sorrow.

"What stopped it?" Rex got to work, seeing as he and Kit were the only ones focusing on the task at hand.

"Choosing the right path to stop that future," Obi-Wan answered. "However, it was Master Koon the one who got him out of that nightmare. He used his bond with dear heart to ground him to the present. He used their bond as an anchor."

"Could I do that too?" Ahsoka asked, silencing everyone. "Can I use our bond to anchor him?"

"No." Obi-Wan told her firmly. "Ahsoka I know you want to help, but Anakin would never forgive himself if you get lost in his Force. He is too immersed and open to the Force. It took Plo months before he was able to fully meditate without any shields. It took me years. Ahsoka as a padawan you'll do more harm than good." Obi-Wan felt bad when he saw Ahsoka flinched, but it needed to be said so she would not do anything stupid.

"What am I suppose to do then?!" Ahsoka shouted, pushing her fear away and focusing on her anger. "My master is suffering! I can feel it! Don't you dare tell me the Force is working on it, when it is the Force's fault he is suffering to begin with!"

"This time around the Force is working on it," surprisingly it was Padmé the one who said that. Padmé and Anakin were the two that prefer to take matters into their own hands, while Obi-Wan waits for the Force to guide him. "The annual celebration of Naboo's victory over the Trade Federation is next week, Master Koon offered to go to Zygerria and surprise Ani by taking his place there. That way the 501st could assist and start their vacation early." Padmé smiled at Ahsoka, who even when angry looked so afraid. "Master Koon and Ani ever broke their bond, he'll be able to get Ani out of his trance."

"Grandmaster is coming?" Ahsokaa gasped, as tears fell down her cheeks.

"He will, little one," Obi-Wan told her gently. "Everything will be fine."

Obi-Wan had a job to do. Obi-Wan frowned as he entered the Jedi Council Chamber. The chamber was full, except for Plo who was in Zygerria. It was rare, when in war they were constantly all over the galaxy.

"Come, Master Kenobi," Yoda prompted him. "A disturbance in the force, we felt. Knew of this, do you?"

"Jedi Council, this morning my wife and I received a panicked holo-call from Padawan Tano," Obi-Wan told them grimly. "Knight Skywalker had fallen into a Force induced trance. He was trapped in a future."

"That has not happened since he was a youngling," Depa gasped shocked, as various other masters shared her stunned expression. "Not since the invasion of Naboo and saving Master Jinn's life."

"I sensed a shatter point breaking this morning," Mace frowned. "This must have been."

"What did he see?" Fisto asked. his characteristically smile nowhere to be seen.

"He saw Master Krell Fall," Obi-Wan announced to the horror of the chamber. "It was not something that happened in an uncontrolled moment, but it was something he had planned for a while." Obi-Wan's fists tightened on his lap, as Yoda's ears lowered to his shoulders in sadness. They could all sense the truth in the Force. "He sadistically planned to give the soldiers of his battalion and the members of the Protection Corps under him orders, with the objective of them ending up shooting each other thinking they are the enemy."

"Kriff!" Many cursed, as anger replaced their horror.

"Tell me he has bee detained," Shaak growled, she was especially close to the vode.

"He has," Obi-Wan nodded. "We contacted the Admiral on-board... they found evidence of him being in contact with Count Dooku and leaking intel about missions and plans... which had end up with the death of half a dozen Jedi." Obi-Wan exhaled a breath, filled with guilt and sadness. "Oh, he gave them the was a diplomatic mission, which got Padawan Te and Master Kin killed.”

"A padawan?" Master Fisto asked in horror as Shaak growled and Mace cursed, the rest lowered their heads in respect of these that had become one with the Force.

"Stripped of his title and jailed, he'll be!" Yoda banged his cane, no one has ever seen him this angry before. "A shame, this is."

"How's Ani doing?" Depa asked softly. "Being trapped in these trance's can break even the strongest Jedi. Having one after so long... it must have been hard."

Obi-Wan looked at his fists on his lap and sighed. "He... it was a strong episode, one that Ahsoka was able to feel through their bond."

"Soka?" ShaaK asked worriedly. "We are predators, fiercely protective of our packs. Being unable to aid her Master as he suffered should be hard... but feeling his pain? That's just torture."

A silence fell into the chamber as the Jedi Council thought of their young ones. Yoda was the one to break the silence. "Help them, we will. Time to recover, they'll need."

"We'll take them to Naboo for the festival and then I will keep an eye on them for the remaining of his break, whenever I'm not in missions," Obi-Wan informed them. "While on Curocsant we'll try to convince dear heart to go to a mind healer. His been using his third eye a lot during the war and being on the front lines for so long is hard on anyone... he'll need professional help after this."

“I agree," Mace nodded his head. "But forcing anyone is not the way. He'll need to go willingly."

Mace was planning to continue his speech, but got interrupted by a call from Master Koon. However, the one in the hologram was Anakin.

"Shit!" Fisto cursed, as Depa let out a strangled gasp. Anakin looked so pale, was trembling, and looked as if he could barely stand up.

"Dear heart, you should be resting," Obi-Wan was saddened by the sight, but part of him felt relieved to see him awake and standing up.

"I will," Anakin smiled at his husband. "But first, I would like to claim the soldiers and Protection Corp members of The General." His request stunned everyone. "I am one of the Jedi that spends the most time in the front lines. I always need more men, even with my low-casualty rate, the numbers will make my planning easier. Also, my battalion will be taking two months break, something I believe The General's troopers will need after so long serving under Krell." Anakin's beautiful face twisted into a grimace of disgust.

"This, we can allow," Yoda nodded. "Safe and happy in the 501st, they'll be."

"Everyone in agreement?" Fisto asked, smiling when everyone nodded. "Then it's decided."

"Good," Anakin sighed. "I'll go and collapse now. I think there is a cuddle pile with my name on it."

"Never change, he will," Yoda laughed, shaking his head as the holo-call ended.

The chamber fell lighter with all the laughter and good humor Anakin had brought. However, that will not last for long. Not while the war raged on.

Chapter Text

"This is going from bad to worse," Bail commented, as the news continued to discuss the situation on Mandalore. "Only at the heights of the Children of the Watch & the Death Watch ever manage to gather this much bad publicity... and Duchess Sabine is a pacifist!"

"Is she truly?" Mon inquired, with a thoughtful expression. "Would she demand a warrior culture to disarm by threatening with exile or to be dealt with?"

"Still, we can't allow this to continue," Bail sighed. "Otherwise, there will be a rebellion and I rather Mandalore to remain neutral, rather than the future Mand'alor deciding to join the Separatists." He turned to Padmé. "Is there a way that Knight Skywalker might help us? He has an uncanny ability to turn the public's opinion." Bail frowned when Padmé winced. "Is there something wrong?"

"Ani has chosen sides on this matter... and it's not with the New Mandalorians" Padmé informed her friends carefully. "The "being a Mandalorian is a religion and the so called Duchess is censoring them and occupying their planet, not to mention, stealing their religious metal that holds the same weight as the kyber crystal to the Jedi”… well, that's an exact copy of Ani's little speech. Luckily, the reporter kept his name out of it, maybe because of some hero worship they have for my husband."

"Had he anything to do with the good publicity the Children of the Watch got?" Mon asked suspiciously.

"Ani never lies to the public," Padmé chose her words carefully. "He needed to give the Children of the Watch and True Mandalorians a good cover so the New Mandalorian and the Republic could not touch them, while they reestablish themselves without any interference." Padmé grimaced. "I don't know if he wanted it to get this bad, or if things got out of hand... but he is surely enjoying the result. He does not have a high opinion of the Duchess."

"So, he won it be of any help," Bail sighed.

"Unless, you want to add more fuel to the fire," Padmé replied with a shrug. "We can always contact the Armorer. Her tribe has established themselves on Zygerria and she is fair. She could take Paz Vizla and claim the dark saber." Padmé offered. "She has claimed my husband an ally to the Children of the Watch and a friend. She accepts the vode as Manlalorians, even if they don't follow her version of the creed and treats the healer vode with respect, even if they do not wish to battle. As long as you know how to defend yourself, protect the weak, especially foundlings, and wear some kind of armor you are good in her eyes."

"Not one set of armor is the same," Anakin quoted, as he strutted inside the meeting room. He kissed Padmé and sat next to her, after bowing to Bail and Mon. "That is what the Armorer told me. She even considers your dresses as armor, specially with all the hidden weapon pockets." Anakin snickered. “She also told me that Mandalore is a cursed planet and a lot the Children of the Watch think the same. Other than for beskar, they won't return there."

"Great!" Bail huffed, uncharacteris­tically.

"What brings you here Knight Skywalker?" Mon asked in amusement, she adores Anakin- it is always fun having him around.

"Well, the Republic and Jedi Order are going to Mandalore to discuss the ownership of beskar, as it is a religious metal," Anakin began to explain, playing with Padmé's hair, making her giggle. "As Obi has... a past with the Duchess," Anakin grimace. "They had the bright idea to choose me as their representative, as I'm fluent in Mando'a and have a link to the Children of the Watch and True Mandalorians."

"Fuel to the fire," Padmé muttered, putting her face in her hands, as Mon laughed out loud and Bail sighed. "Ani, please don't make things harder." Padmé paused noticing the frown on Anakin's face. "It's everything ok?"

"I... I don't know," Anakin sighed. "I just feel like I'm missing something big. I don't like it."

Especially, since Anakin’s words were 100% true. This time he was not manipulating anyone or leading others to believe something. He felt that something was off and had no idea of what it could be. In times like this Anakin cursed the fact that Mandalore had been mostly dealt with by Obi-Wan in the other timeline. He was going into this mission blind.

"Will the mission go wrong?" Bail asked in concern.

"No, the Force agrees with me that it will be a success," Anakin assured them. "But there’s something being kept from us and... we won't like it."

"That sounds confusing," Mon commented.

"Welcome to our world," Anakin and Padmé echoed, turning to each other and laughing, some of the tension relieved.

The tension did not return until the Ekkreth was reaching Mandalore.

"Skyguy, I've been brushing upon my history as you asked," Ahsoka approached her master. "But I do not understand why they are having issues with giving up the besker, especially with the New Mandalorians wishing to separate from their past."

"Most are afraid of exile and those that agree still come from centuries of True Mandalorian culture and history," Anakin explained. “We will just have to show them the religious importance of beskar through their history. How important it is to the True Mandalorians and the Children of the Watch. They do not want armor anymore, so holding into it is just petty." Anakin smirked sardonically at Ahsoka.

"Why would the Republic get involve now? When they supported the Duchess before?" Ahsoka asked, her master had an interesting way of looking at this situation like this.

"Because they wanted to detain, the feared and independent Mandalorian,” Anakin huffed. "But now that they are heroes, that adopt orphans and free slaves, the opinion of the public is much different. Especially, after they were educated on how a rightful ruler of Mandalore comes to power. The Senate are seen as these monsters that aided the occupation of a neutral planet and the cultural genocide of a religion." Anakin snickered. "With so much bad rep they've been gathering with this war they had to take action. The public does not trust them, so let's send the poster Jedi to deal with this mess. Maybe with his connections we'll get Mandalore to join the Republic or some beskar in return."

"But you are planning on demanding them to give up every piece of beskar they own, even accessories and sigils," Ahsoka replied confused. "Going as far as to say that the Republic will return those ingots of beskar the Duchess had gifted them for their aid when she took Mandalore."

"Not to mention, she'll have to pay for every piece she sold, with the Republic backing it," Anakin laughed, having such a good time. "She will be so hated by the time I'm done with her. Not only had she forced them to give up their armor, but now their sigils and heirlooms."

"Master..." Ahsoka hesitantly called him out. "Why do you hate the Duchess so much?"

"I only hate two things in life Snips... well, three things," Anakin corrected himself. "Slavers, sand, and hypocrites. Kryze is a hypocrite. She curses violence with a breath and asks for our help to keep her throne with the other." Anakin scoffed in disgust. "I hate that kind of people. Now her economy will crumble without the beskar, and the support she is hoping to get with this sacrifice... it won't return. I'll make sure of that."

Ahsoka looked at her master warily. She had never noticed this darker and calculative side of his… or maybe she has. But when it is focused on slavers and corrupt senators, who cared? Now that it's being aimed to dethrone a ruler.

But is she are true ruler? A little voice in Ahsoka's mind whispered. She does not hold the dark saber and is not the Mand’alor.

"We are here," Rex announced. "Welcome to Mandalore."

"Let's get this over with," Anakin smirked viciously.

One day later, Anakin was humming, smiling as Satine Kryze signed the treaty with a stiff polite smile.

Oh, I love it when things go my way, Anakin thought delightedly.

"Why all of this?" Satine asked, as Anakin took the treaty.

"What do you mean?" Anakin made sure to ask in the most respectful tone.

"Don't play coy!" Satine snapped, her pacifist Duchess mask breaking, showing her anger, jealousy, and envy through the Force. Ahsoka stepped back, when she felt the crushing weight of the Duchess' pride. "We both know that as soon as you step out that door at least half of my people will follow you out of my planet. They won't give up heirlooms that have been passed down for generations." Satine seethed. "What kind of monster forces people to give up their families?!"

Rex tensed, putting a hand on his blaster, while Ahsoka followed his lead, placing a hand on her lightsaber. Anakin, on his part, raised an eyebrow at the Duchess, staring at her in disbelief, before glaring. He no longer cared about maintaining his polite facade.

"We will start anew! Renounce to our past and move toward into a future of peace! Let us wash our sins away and the blood from our hands!” Anakin exclaimed theatrically, putting out a performance in a mocking tone. The room was silent, staring at him surprised. "These were your words, weren't they? The same words you proudly proclaimed when you occupied that throne, after begging the Republic and the Jedi Order for help like the coward you are…" Satine's face was red in rage, ready to shout at him. But Anakin was not finished. "You claim to be a pacifist, insulting us, the Jedi, for "claiming" to be peacekeepers and using force at the same time. Yet when you need that force, you miraculously forget about all that and demand our help."

Ahsoka was breathless, staring at her master. She had always admired his prowess and strategy on the battlefield. But watching him go all out was awe-ins­piring, as he had an experience politician speechless.

"While at the same time breaking families apart, making them decide between their armor or planet!" Rex had never seen his General so angry, body tense and eyes literally blazing in anger. "You cannot forsake part of your past selectively like that. Saying that all of the Mandalore’s past is bloody and bad, while keeping beskar and heirlooms of that bloody past you want to wash away!”

Satine could only stare at this youngster as he tore her apart, not finding ways to defend herself... because all he was saying was true.

"Where are the foundlings? Or is that another practice that is frown upon now?! Where's the species living in harmony with each other?!" The room shook with the anger Anakin was feeling. "Look around you! I only see humans! Mandalore invented adoption! They took anyone needing a home, despite their species and made them family! In a way only slaves ever did!" Satine was finding it hard to breath, as the Force pressure fell upon her, holding her there, almost crushing her. Not, but almost, and that was enough to bring her to her knees. "You took all of that and spat into your ancestor's hard work! Do not tell me I am dividing families when all I've ever done is try and reunite them! I especially don’t want to hear it from someone's whose only remaining family joined a terrorist organization to bring you down!" Anakin sneered.

"Master..." Ahsoka called him out in concern. "Calm down, your Force is starting to affect Rex."

In one second Anakin had his Force tucked in, it was as if it has never leaked out to begin with. Satine gasped, taking deep breaths of air.

"Sorry Rex," Anakin apologized, pointedly not apologizing to Satine, who glared at him with deep hatred. "You sure are pathetic," Anakin scoffed in disgust. "It enters from one ear and leaves through the other." He turned to his Commander and padawan. "Let's leave, there's nothing left for us to do."

"Are you ok Master?" Ahsoka asked him worriedly, as they marched down the hallway towards their ship.

"I am," Anakin smiled tenderly at his padawan, going back to his usual self. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

"You didn't!” Ahsoka was quick to assure him. "I was in awe, honestly. You were incredible! I can't wait to learn how to do that!"

"It will take a lot of practice before you can do that and not seriously hurt anyone," Anakin warned her. "You saw how I lost control I almost hurt Rex." Anakin turned to Rex with an apologetic smile, who simple waved it away.

"I will practice hard!" Ahsoka promised him. When Anakin suddenly stopped, walking, making Ahsoka crash against his back. "Hey! Be more careful!” Ahsoka grumbled, rubbing her nose. "Did you hear me?!” She stopped, after having noticed his strange behavior. "Master? Are you ok?"

"Snips," Anakin called her one slowly, staring at a young boy in the palace's gardens. "Can you sense the life force of that boy?"

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow at her master, but did as commanded. The boy was young, but around her age, maybe a couple of years older, around 16. He was a redhead, which surprised Ahsoka. Redheads were hard to come by, harder than blonds. He was smiling at the flowers and was clearly null force sensitive. But that smile and the similarities found in his life force had Ahsoka freezing.

"Master!" Ahsoka gasped, eyes widening in shock.

"Shit! I was right!" Anakin cursed. "That kriffing bitch! This will destroy Obi!"

"What are we going to do?" Rex asked. He might not have force, but he did have eyes.

"I will show Mandalore why I earned the Huttt and Zygarrian Slayer titles, and the Breaker of Chains moniker," Anakin's expression was dark.

However, it did not scare Ahsoka or Rex, it gave them determination. They will show Satine Kryze not to mess up with their family!

Chapter Text

"We will need to make a deviation to Kamino," Anakin told his group. "We got intel that the Separatists are going to make a move there."

"Kamino?" Rex turned to his General, pale. "We need to stop it. We have vode there, still training."

"We will, don't worry," Anakin assured his Commander.

"We might help the vode, but what about him?" Ahsoka pointed out, gaze in the almost catatonic Korkie.

Anakin sighed, heading towards his... step-son? He took a seat in front of him and smiled at him gently. "Want to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about? My whole life is a lie!" Korkie despaired. Anakin winced at the confusion and heartbreak he felt pouring in the Force. "I mean... I never liked my aunt... my mom? Oh, osik! I never liked the Duchess' politics, but rather than a civil war I preferred them. Then you come and show us all the dark truth behind her pretty words. And now this! I just don't know how to keep up."

"It's a lot," Anakin agreed. "I won't be able to do much for you. I might be amazing in many things, but not on this. Mind Healing and talking about emotions has never been my thing... neither Obi's if I am being honest. Also, the fact that I am only a couple of years older than you and I am your step-father, I can understand opening up to me won't be comfortable." Anakin smiled encouragingly. "However, I will be here for you. We all will. You don't need to use any labels. You can just call use family, aliit."

"Aliit..." Korkie murmured under his breath. "I can get used to that," he smiled weakly at Anakin. "Do you think that Obi-Wa... I mean, buir will like me?"

"He will love you," Anakin assured him, wholeheartedly.

"Thank you," Korkie thanked him.

"Don't even mention it, we are family," Anakin waved it away. "Though, get ready for landing. We are close to Komino."

The following hour was pure chaos, as the 501st tracked down the Separatist agent. Korkie and Ahsoka had stayed behind in the Ekkerth with orders to escape if things go south. Ahsoke did not like it one bit, but she had been put in charge of protecting a civilian, Korkie, and will fulfill her duty as padawan.

“Ventress,” Anakin hissed under his breath when he noticed who had Count Dooku sent. Just like last time she had been tasked into stealing the DNA of Jango Fett which was being used to create the troopers. “Everyone stay back! She is a Sith! I’ll take care of her!”

Rain poured from the dark sky, soaking everything below. The battlefield was a slippery mess, but for Anakin Skywalker and Asajj Ventress, it was just another challenge. They were deep in a deadly duel, oblivious to the downpour around them.

Anakin's orange lightsaber cut through the rain, its glow reflecting off the water. Ventress' red blade clashed with his, both of them fighting with fierce intensity. The sound of their lightsabers mixed with the constant drumming of the rain, creating a unique symphony of battle.

Despite the wet, slippery platforms, they moved with incredible grace. They leaped, spun, and parried each other’s strikes, their movements almost supernatural. Anakin’s hair stuck to his forehead as he pushed forward, determination clear on his face. Ventress, with her pale skin glistening in the rain, fought back with relentless intensity.

Ventress attacked with raw aggression, her red blade a blur. She was driven by the dark side, aiming to overpower Anakin with sheer force. But Anakin was no beginner. His years of training and countless battles had sharpened his skills.

Anakin’s movements were precise and powerful. He met Ventress' attacks with controlled, calculated strikes, his orange lightsaber slicing through the rain. He dodged her strikes gracefully, turning her aggression into opportunities for his own attacks. With each move, he silently thanked Mace and Depa for their lessons in Vaapad.

In a decisive move, Anakin disarmed Ventress, sending her lightsaber flying through the air. She stumbled back, eyes blazing with fury. Before she could recover, Anakin closed in, his orange blade hovering just above her throat.

Raindrops pelted Ventress' face as she lay on the ground, breathing hard from the fight. Anakin’s intense gaze held her, his lightsaber casting an eerie glow in the stormy night. The rain was the only sound, steady and unending.

Anakin's grip on his lightsaber was firm, his resolve clear. Ventress glared up at him, defiance mixing with the realization that she had been defeated.

"You've lost, Ventress," Anakin's voice was firm, edged with exhaustion. "Surrender now."

Ventress' chest rose and fell as she considered her options. The rain continued to pour, a testament to the intensity of the moment. “Surrender to Jedi scum like you? Never!” Ventress mocked him. “You are everywhere Anakin Skywalker. The slave that was set free, who breaks the chains of other slaves. You have some guts to name your ship Ekkreth!” Ventress glare was filled with hate, as her anger poured into the Force in torrential downpour, just like the rain falling from the sky. “And yet you are a slave to your Order, to the Force! Where were they when my master needed them? When he was doing the right thing?! WHEN HE DIED!” Ventress shouted on Anakin’s blank face. “You are all hypocrites! They allow you to do as you wish, only because it helps them take down the Sith, but when my master tried to set us free, to save us, he was abandoned!”

"The Jedi do not dictate my actions. I am no longer a slave, I won my freedom. You can too," Anakin answered Ventress, voice even and calm. He was the eye of the storm, feeling warm and calm in the Force. "The Jedi talk about kindness and not being afraid. But they are clouded by their own fear of the dark, I will admit to that. They failed your master and they are failing by allowing this war to rage on. You are right when you call them hypocrites.” Anakin conceded her point, taking Ventress by surprise. “I will be betrayed, but I still choose to extend my hand to you... to anyone that needs help. One of my mother's most important lessons, was that the biggest problem in the galaxy is the lack of people helping each other." Anakin finally broke into a soft smile. “I know what it feels to believe that there’s nothing left in your life but to cling into the dark side. Allow me to bring you back to the light, you can do it.”

Ventress eyes changes for a second, before throwing Jango Fett’s DNA into the air. Anakin leapt to catch the capsule before it could break into the floor and turned to Ventress. As he had expected she was gone.

“General!” Rex came to a stop next to me, Echo and Hawkes following close behind. “Do we chase after her?”

“No, let her go,” Anakin commanded softly, as he stared where he had had Ventress pinned. “We need to get Korkie to Curoscant, I won’t put him or Ahsoka in danger as I chase after Siths.”

"The talk with Mandalore was a success," Obi-Wan announced, feeling quite conflicted about it. While, he was proud of his husband, he also worried about his ex-lover. What he felt once for Satine might not ever be a third of his feelings for Anakin and Padmé, but she had been his first love and will always be dear to him. "The Duchess signed the treaty. They also rescued Jango Fett’s DNA, though Asajj Ventress escaped."

"I wonder what has my padawan so worried," Plo hummed thoughtfully. “Anakin's intuition never fails, if he felt that something big was suppose to happen..."

"It did," Mace informed them. “I felt the shatter point break."

"Inform us, Skywalker will," Yoda interrupted. "Once he makes it to Curoscant, a guest will join."

"A guest?" Depa wondered.

"Important, he is," Yoda nodded. "Know who he is, I do not. But Skywalker assured me, it better be done!”

Now every Jedi Council member was confused, while most of them also exchanged amused looks. What new chaos will Anakin unleash on them?

Suddenly, the door opened and three people entered. A troubled Ahsoka, an angry Anakin and a nervous redhead. The Jedi Council looked at the boy, then at Jedi Master Kenobi, and again at the boy in stunned silence.

"Duchess Satine Kryze is a bitch that lied to her own son about the truth of his birth. Making him believe his father did not want him, his mother was a reckless teenager terrorist, and she was the saint aunt that took him in," Anakin seethed, trying to keep his tone controlled. "I might be banned from returning to Mandalore as long as she is in power, but it was totally worth it." Anakin sighed and smiled slightly at the shocked Obi-Wan. "So, we have a son."

At that moment every fondness Obi-Wan still had for Satine died. That was his boy! His grown boy that he had never gotten to know and watch grow. How could she?!

"This unsettling, it is," Yoda frowned. "Kept one of us, the Mandalorians did."

"I am not force sensitive," Korkie hesitantly pointed out.

"It does not matter," Plo told him warmly. "You are Jedi Master Kenobi’s son, you are one of us. Force sensitive or not."

"I believe Obi-Wan and... " Windu trailed off.

"Korkie," the young redhead offered.

"Obi-Wan and Korkie would like to get to know each other in peace," Windu said. "I believe it's better for them to meet before we continue to discuss everything." They all watched in silence as the two redheads left, acting quite nervously. "Force! Why is it always you Skywalker?"

"Ask the Force," Anakin snorted humorlessly.

"Shit!" Depa cursed. "Kriff it all! She did that? To Obi-Wan?!"

"With all her actions to the Mandalorian people, are you that surprised?" Ki-Adi-Mundi scolded.

"Did you get him legally?” Shaak asked warily.

"I did," Anakin sighed. "Then again Korkie is legally an adult by Mandalerian law. As such he can leave on his own."

"Still, you got yourself banned from Mandalore?" Windu asked drily.

"I've never heard someone cursed in so many languages,” Ahsoka had a far away look in her eyes. "Even the droids were scandalized!"

"She deserved it!" Anakin pouted.

"What now?" Ahsoka asked, looking quite lost.

"Our mission has been a success, we will rest and wait for the next one," Anakin told his padawan gently. "I'll need to talk with angel and tell her to prepare another room. Korkie will need a place to sleep."

"Does that mean you are a father now?" Ahsoka asked her master surprised, she could not see it.

"I doubt Korkie would like to see it like that," Anakin laughed. "But finding out that you have a grown-up son that someone you cared about kept it a secret from you... that's not nice."

That is the century's understatement. If Anakin had found out earlier about his kids, before he had been lost to the dark side, things could have turned out differently. It was something Anakin has never forgiven Master Kenobi. He now can differentiate between them. Knowing that in the future that will never come he never knew about Korkie... well, he can move on from that past.

Forgive but not forget.

Chapter Text

“Can you believe it?” Barris asked Ahsoka, still shocked by the news Anakin had dropped on the Jedi Order. “My master is a father… he has a son…”

“Well, most masters are like parental figures to padawans,” Ahsoka hummed with a mischievous smile, she had missed her White Sister so much. “So, technically Master Kenobi is your father.”

“Shut up!” Barris blushed at her friend’s teasing. “What about Knight Skywalker? Is he your father?”

“Skyguy?!” Ahsoka threw her head back laughing. “No, he is more like my annoying older brother! If anything Master Koon is my father-figure.” She threw herself on her bed in Padmé’s senatorial apartment, and moaned in delight. This was a good bed. “I am going to enjoy this five weeks fully!”

“The Senate and the Jedi Council added a couple of weeks to your break after cutting your promised two months short because of the issue with… Duchess Kryze,” Barris commented, making both of them grimace at the mention of the Duchess. She was no longer seen in a good light by the Jedi Order as a whole, especially with how precious Obi-Wan was to the Jedi.

“Yup! As I am quite advanced with my studies, Skyguy promised me only light schoolwork and spars to keep my skills sharp,” Ahsoka groaned in pleasure when Barris began massaging her back. “I might not be in the battlefield but Skyguy made sure to keep me entertained.”

“I bet,” Barris laughed, playing with Ahsoka’s crystal padawan braid. “In less than a year you already have two padawan beads to add to the yellow bead we both entered our padawanship with.”

“As if you could say anything! Is that an orange and green bead I see under your yellow bead?” Ahsoka teased. “All that Consular Jedi work with Master Kenobi paid off!”

“I might have earned my orange bead, but barely! Master Skywalker made sure you start walking the same path as him!” Barris teased. “How many languages do you speak now?”

“Six,” Ahsoka answered unashamed. “Tortugi, Basic, Binary, Mando’a, Huttese, and Zygerrian. He has started me on Nabooian and got Knight Secure to tutor me in Ryl! By the time I am knighted, it should be eight!”

“Knight Skywalker really knows more languages than he knows what to do with,” Barris chuckled. “Do you have any idea what the 501st will do after their break? The two biggest slave traders have been crushed.”

“No idea,” Ahsoka frowned, her best friend was right. The 501st had been focusing in the front lines, fighting against the Separatists biggest allies, but now that they are done, what will they do? “Maybe send us against Siths? Or maybe send us for rescue mission? Before the war, Skyguy’s missions were mostly protection detail and Search & Rescue missions.”

“He is good at tracking Force signatures,” Barris hummed in agreement. “I hope that’s what they do. The idea of them sending you against Sith…” Barris shivered at the thought of her best friend facing those cold and evil Force users.

“B,” Ahsoka turned around and dragged her to cuddle next to her on the bed. “Skyguy is quite protective of me, he will never allow me to join the front lines and only let me out of the Ekkreth when the battle is over and the planet had been won. Do you think he would let me chase down a Sith, when the reason he did not chase after Asajj Ventress was to not put me in danger?”

“He would not,” Barris agreed with a watery chuckle, quite glad that the two of them had gotten good masters who look after them.

“If we ever come across a Sith, he would order me back to the Ekkreth before slaying the sleemo,” Ahsoka continued. “Ventress is one of Count Dooku’s best assassins and she did not land a single hit on Skyguy! I am more than protected with him by my side!”

“That’s true…” Barris hummed.

“If you are still worried, why not make sure my skills are sharp?” Ahsoka teased her gently. “Let’s spar!”

“You are on!”

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Korkie were having tea. Quite awkwardly. The silence was heavy as the two of them stared into their tea cups, fidgeting, and evading the other’s eyes.

“Ok! This is it!” Anakin announced, entering the living room. Padmé followed closely behind with an apologetic smile. “What are you two even doing? Shouldn’t you be getting to know each other? Obi, you can’t read his mind! Ask him questions, get to know his hobbies and try them with him! Heck, even go as far as to give him some training!”

“I am not Force sensitive,” Korkie repeated for like the tenth time, looking quite confused.

“We know,” Padmé smiled gently at him. “But you can still be trained to know how to defend yourself. I know for sure that Obi has one of the best troopers when it comes to shooting, Longshot, right?”

“He is very good,” Obi-Wan agreed, trying to collect himself. His partners do know how to make an entrance. “He could teach you how to handle a blaster… and I could teach you hand combat. If you would like?”

“I would like to,” Korkie smiled hesitatingly, but still warm and honest.

Suddenly, Ahsoka and Barris barged out of their room. “We are going to the Temple to spar! See you tomorrow!” Ahsoka shouted, as they made their way towards the door.

“Here it’s quite lively,” Korkie chuckled, as the door was slammed shut behind the padawans. “I like it.”

“Good… I like having you here too,” Obi-Wan confessed, earning a startled look from Korkie but one that transformed into an open smile.

“I am sorry to do this,” Padmé’s smile was bashful. “But we have a gala to get ready for.”

“No,” Anakin moaned. “I should be having a vacation, a break from work. I should not be dealing with senators,” he pouted. “Can’t you and Obi deal with them?”

“I promise to take the week-end off and go to Naboo with you, the 501st, the 212th, the girls, and Krokie, if you come with us,” Padmé bartered.

“You do drive a hard bargain,” Anakin hummed thoughtfully. “You know what, deal! I get a week-end with my family and to see you and Obi run circles around senators as you please. It’s a win-win for me!” Anakin with the energy and span attention of a kid, kissed all three of them in the forehead, and strutted towards the master bedroom to get ready for tonight’s event.

“Is he always like this?” Korkie asked laughing at the ridiculous scene that unfolded before him.

“Always,” Padmé and Obi-Wan echoed with a sigh, but were smiling fondly at Anakin’s retreating back.

And they both hope he never changes. Why would they? Their dear heart/Ani was perfect just the way he is.

In the grand ballroom, with chandeliers casting a warm, golden glow, the Republic’s elite had gathered for a huge event to raise awareness and funds for the war against the Separatists. The room was buzzing with a mix of fancy celebration and the serious reality of the conflicts happening across the galaxy. Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan were right in the middle of it all, standing out in their impressive outfits.

Obi-Wan was there in his classic Jedi Master robes, the deep browns and beiges giving him an air of wisdom and authority. He was chatting with senators and dignitaries, holding the room’s attention with his calm, thoughtful conversation.

Anakin was next to him, looking sharp in his Tatooine-inspired outfit. His white and blue clothes flowed gracefully, showing off the desert royalty vibes from his home planet. He scanned the room with those intense blue eyes of his, watching the political scene unfold with a mix of amusement and detachment.

Padmé was like a vision in her stunning ball gown adorned with celestial designs. The gown shimmered like the night sky, and the stars woven into her hair made her look almost otherworldly. Heads turned as she walked by, her presence stopping conversations in their tracks.

Anakin leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a soft smile on his lips as he took it all in. He couldn’t help but feel proud watching how his partners handled the political scene. Obi-Wan’s calm diplomacy and Padmé’s passionate speeches made them quite the team.

Obi-Wan was weaving through conversations with a blend of logic and reason, while Padmé’s words were full of spark and conviction. Everyone seemed to hang on their every word, drawn into their discussions like moths to a flame.

Anakin found it pretty entertaining to watch the politicians stumbling over themselves, trying to impress the impressive pair. His eyes wandered to Padmé, admiring her elegance and the way her gown moved with each step. He also couldn’t help but sneak glances at Obi-Wan, appreciating the way his robes hinted at what was underneath.

As Anakin watched, a mischievous smile crept across his face as he thought about what might happen when they got home. Tonight was definitely going to be fun.

Chapter Text

Anakin and Obi-Wan stood side by side, watching as Korkie took on his opponents with confidence. Obi-Wan’s son moved with impressive skill, his vibro-knife spinning through the air with a mix of grace and precision. Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged glances, both of them unable to hide their pride and amusement. It was clear that Korkie’s skills were better than they had expected, and Anakin couldn’t help but give Obi-Wan a grin.

As Korkie blocked a series of simulated attacks, Obi-Wan leaned over to Anakin with a smirk. “Looks like he’s been busy with his own training, huh?”

Anakin chuckled, his blue eyes sparkling. “Yeah, he’s really good.”

Korkie’s movements were smooth and confident, showing off the years of practice he must have put in. Anakin watched as Korkie expertly dodged and countered each strike, his focus evident. It was clear he’d been training in secret—his pacifist "aunt" would never have approved of him learning to fight, even though she’d never claimed him as her own.

“He’s got a bit of both of us in him, doesn’t he?” Anakin said, his voice filled with warmth. “I didn’t expect that.”

Obi-Wan sighed, his eyes filled with affection as he watched Korkie. “Yeah, it’s like he’s got the boldness of a Skywalker mixed with the wisdom of a Kenobi. Quite the combination.”

As Korkie's practice session came to an end, he put his vibro-knife away and turned to face his mentors with a triumphant grin.

Anakin stepped forward, clapping a hand on Korkie's shoulder. "You've been busy, haven't you? Training in secret? How did you get that passed your mother?"

Korkie's grin grew wider, and he shrugged with a hint of sheepishness. "Well, you know, can't just rely on political discussions to save the galaxy." Blatantly ignoring the mention of his mother, he has been doing that since he got to Curoscant.

Obi-Wan chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Indeed, a well-rounded approach is essential."

Anakin's admiration was evident in his voice as he spoke. "You've got the spirit of rebellion, Korkie. Just like your father and, well, me."

Korkie's eyes sparkled with pride. "Thank you, Master Skywalker. It's an honor."

“Please call me Anakin,” the blond requested for the hundredth time. By now, Anakin was sure that Korkie was doing it on purpose. The boy did have the same dry sense of humor as his buir.

Obi-Wan's gaze softened as he addressed his son. "We're proud of you, Korkie."

Anakin playfully nudged Korkie's shoulder. "Just remember, though, it's not all battles and heroics. Your father can attest to that."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, his exasperation tinged with fondness. "Indeed, and I assure you, Korkie, the two of you—Anakin and you—will be the death of me."

Laughter echoed in the training area.

While Obi-Wan continued to oversee Korkie's training, Anakin felt a familiar presence approaching. Rex approached with a determined stride. Anakin turned his attention to Rex, his brows raised in curiosity.

"General," Rex's voice carried a note of urgency, "I've got news."

Anakin's gaze sharpened, and he gestured for Rex to continue. "What is it, Rex?"

"We've successfully managed to dechip every trooper we've got from The General's forces. They're free, vode." Rex's expression was a mix of relief and satisfaction.

A genuine smile spread across Anakin's face, a blend of pride and satisfaction. "That's fantastic news, Rex. I'm glad to hear it."

Rex nodded, a sense of accomplishment radiating from him. "It was a team effort, but we did it. They're finally free from the inhibitor chips."

Anakin's gaze drifted towards Obi-Wan and Korkie, his thoughts momentarily turning to the broader implications of this development. "It's perfect timing," he remarked, his voice tinged with a mix of anticipation and determination.

Rex raised an eyebrow, curiosity evident in his expression. "Timing for what?"

“Our next mission, Rex. We're about to head out again." Anakin's smile widened as he shared the news.

Rex's eyes gleamed with understanding and resolve. "Understood. I'll get the men ready."

As Rex moved to carry out his orders, Anakin turned his attention back to Obi-Wan and Korkie.  Obi-Wan approached Anakin, his expression curious. "What was that about?"

Anakin's gaze remained fixed on the training area as he explained, "The troopers of The General are all dechipped. It came just in time for our next mission."

"That's excellent news, Anakin. Their freedom is a victory in itself." Obi-Wan's eyes lit up with understanding and approval.

Anakin nodded, his expression resolute. "Exactly. And we're going to make sure they have a chance to fight for it."

In the Jedi Council Chamber, Anakin stood before the Council members, waiting for the news he already knew was coming.

“Time for a new mission, Skywalker,” Grandmaster Yoda said, though Anakin could’ve predicted it. “Rescue Master Even Piell and Admiral Tarkin, you must. Captured by the enemy, they have been.”

Plo Koon spoke up, his voice calm and steady. “If their knowledge falls into Separatist hands, it could cause serious problems. Your job is to get them out and recover any important information they have.”

Anakin nodded. “Got it, Masters. I’ll do everything I can to rescue them and get the intel,” he said. “But this is a trap.”

“Of course, it is,” Mace Windu sighed. “One does not need your gift or mine to see that. It’s obvious.”

Anakin frowned. “What makes it worse is that I’ve been seeing things less clearly lately.”

“Clouded, your vision is,” Yoda said, looking at him closely.

“Someone close to me is doing it,” Anakin said slowly, letting it sink in. “Someone on Coruscant.”

He was finally letting hints about Palpatine slip, though he knew Palpatine had what he wanted from the war and had no interest in letting it drag on any longer. Anakin’s hope was to have a peaceful galaxy for his kids someday.

“We would know if there was a Sith on Coruscant!” Depa said, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe it, even though they all sensed the dark, oppressive presence in the Force.

“Hidden, they can stay,” Yoda said, his face grim. “Meditate on this, we all must. For now, Skywalker to his mission, he goes.”

“Yes, Grandmaster,” everyone in the chamber echoed in agreement.

Here we go, Anakin internally smirked. Seeds of doubt planted, the green troll will do the rest for me.

In the middle of all the chaos, Anakin Skywalker’s mission to rescue Master Even Piell and Admiral Tarkin was turning out to be tougher than he’d expected. As he got closer to the heart of the enemy stronghold, his senses were on high alert, ready for anything. Just in time, he managed to save Master Even Piell from an explosion, getting him out of the way and saving a lot of lives in the process.

But even as Anakin pulled off this heroic feat, tragedy struck. The bomb went off, killing Admiral Tarkin in the blast. The explosion sent Anakin flying, and he hit the ground hard, his body taking the full force of the blast. Pain shot through him as everything around him turned into a blur of confusion and noise.

Using all his strength and the Force, Anakin pulled off a desperate move—he created a protective shield around himself using a new technique he’d been working on. The Force armor absorbed most of the explosion’s impact and saved his life from what would have been a fatal blast.

When the dust finally settled, Anakin was lying among the wreckage, his lightsaber shattered, a new scar across his forehead, and internal injuries that made every breath a struggle.

His soldiers rushed over, their faces showing a mix of worry and thanks as they started to take care of him. Anakin was hurt bad—a concussion, bleeding inside, broken ribs—and he fought to stay awake through the pain.

As they carried him away from the wreckage, the soldiers and Jedi around him looked on in awe at his bravery and quick thinking. Despite everything, Anakin’s courage and quick actions had saved their lives.

As news of the explosion and Anakin’s injuries spread through the Republic forces, a heavy sense of worry fell over the Jedi Temple. Everyone was on edge, but for Aayla Secura and Rex, the news hit especially hard. They couldn’t shake the guilt gnawing at them, wondering if there was something they could have done to prevent it all.

Aayla paced back and forth in her quarters, her usual confidence replaced by a restless, worried energy. She couldn’t get the image of Anakin’s hurt body out of her head. She kept replaying everything that happened, trying to find clues or mistakes she might have missed. Her mind was racing with questions—Could she have seen the danger coming? Was there something she could have done differently?

Rex was in a similar place, struggling with his own feelings of guilt. He had fought side by side with Anakin so many times, and now that his friend and leader was hurt, it felt like a weight he couldn’t shake off. He tried to find comfort in being with his fellow soldiers, but the guilt of not being there for Anakin was heavy on his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka was trying to make sense of everything. Seeing her once-invincible master injured was a tough blow. She was caught in a storm of feelings—worried about Anakin, angry at the situation, and facing a vulnerability she hadn’t really seen before. Her admiration for Anakin’s strength was being tested in ways she hadn’t expected.

The Jedi Temple was filled with a tense, uneasy feeling. The news about Anakin’s condition had spread fast, and there was a heavy silence in the halls that used to be full of purpose and determination. Jedi and Padawans exchanged worried looks, a stark reminder that even the strongest warriors could be knocked down by the harsh realities of war. After all, this was the first real injury Anakin had faced in his service.

Plo Koon and Obi-Wan Kenobi were visibly shaken by the news. Shmi was a mess with worry, her heart aching as she thought about her son. And Padmé’s reaction was just as intense.

When the news reached General Skywalker’s unit, the 501st Legion, it hit hard. This was the famous battalion that had fought bravely under Anakin’s command, and they were deeply affected by the news of his injuries. They’d formed a close bond with their Jedi General, their vode, and seeing him hurt made them realize that even their fearless leader wasn’t invincible.

So, the decision was made: the 501st was called back for some much-needed rest and healing. The troopers knew this wasn’t just a break—it was a chance to regroup after the blow of seeing Anakin in such a state.

The Jedi Council had moved quickly, making sure Anakin got the medical care he needed. Waking up in the temple’s medical bay was a strange experience for Anakin. The first thing he noticed was the cold, clean smell of bacta and the worried faces of his friends and healers around him.

His memories were a jumble of blurry images and confusing gaps, and he had to work hard to piece together what had happened. The Jedi healers and his fellow Jedi tried to help him remember, but everything felt fuzzy and elusive. It was disorienting, like trying to grab hold of something that kept slipping away.

On the way back to the temple, Anakin had spent time in a bacta tank, letting the healing liquid do its work on his battered body. Even so, the scar on his forehead, the ache of broken ribs, and the bruises reminded him of what he’d been through. As he lay there, he couldn’t help but think about the Force shield he’d used during the explosion.

His thoughts wandered to the idea of using the Force in new ways. He began to imagine that, just as they could use the Force to enhance their physical abilities, maybe they could also use it to create protective barriers. It was an exciting concept—one that could open up new possibilities for the future.

During his quiet moments, Anakin found himself thinking about why his memory was so messed up. He figured that his strong connection to the Force, his old lightsaber crystal, and the sheer force of the explosion had somehow messed with his mind. Losing the kyber crystal, which had been a part of him for so long, had probably done more than just leave physical scars. So when the Senate started asking questions about the mission and Tarkin’s death, Healer Che backed up Anakin’s explanation about why his memory was all over the place.

While the Jedi Temple was buzzing with worry and relief over Anakin’s recovery, there was an air of cautious optimism. Everyone was happy that Anakin was conscious again, and the Jedi Council felt a bit of relief seeing one of their own come through such a tough situation. But under all that, Anakin was hiding a secret.

As the people around him fretted over his injuries, Anakin couldn’t help but feel a bit smug inside. He was playing the part of the recovering Jedi, while secretly he knew he’d pulled off a major win for the light side. By taking out Tarkin, who was a big supporter of Palpatine, he’d made a huge move against the dark side’s plans. He felt a bit guilty about all the drama, especially seeing how worried his family was about him, but he knew it was necessary. Tarkin had outlived his usefulness from the last timeline, and it was time for him to go.

As Anakin's recovery progressed and his strength returned, a new development emerged. Anakin found himself in the presence of Grandmaster Yoda. With Healer Che's assessment of Anakin's complete recovery, Yoda arrived to deliver good news, Anakin was finally allowed to go and get his replacement kyber crystal.

Yoda's eyes twinkled with a knowing glint as he examined Anakin's scar, the mark left by his recent trial, complimenting him on his mark. Not that Anakin minded it much, as it was the same scar Ventress had given him at one momento during the previous timeline. It seems that some things were meant to stay the same. As long as the Force does not ask for his arm again, Anakin was ok with it. Honestly he kind of liked it, it gave him character.  

With permission granted, Anakin took Ahsoka and went to the caves.

“Why am I here as well Master?” Ahsoka's brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "My lightsaber's fine."

Anakin's smile broadened. "Yes, your lightsaber is fine. But I believe you've reached a level of mastery where you're ready for a new challenge."

Ahsoka's eyes widened, realization dawning. "You mean..."

Anakin nodded, his eyes reflecting his pride in his padawan. "I think you're ready to learn the art of wielding two lightsabers simultaneously, as I know you’ve wished for a while."

“Two lightsabers? You really think I can do it?" Ahsoka's jaw dropped slightly, her surprise quickly giving way to excitement.

"Absolutely,” Anakin's confidence was unwavering. Even without knowing the other timeline, Ahsoka has shown the talent needed to be a double-wielder. “Your skills have grown, Ahsoka, and I believe you have the potential to master this technique."

Ahsoka's grin matched Anakin's as she absorbed the significance of his words. "I won't let you down, Master. I'm ready for this challenge."

Anakin's expression softened with pride. "I know you are, Snips. It won't be easy, but I have complete faith in your abilities."

Ahsoka's determination shone through her eyes. "Thank you, Skyguy. I can't wait to get started."

Chapter Text

The senators were throwing looks at Anakin filled with empathy, as the tired Jedi looked dead on his feet. Wrapped in bandages and with a deep scar over his eye, which it if it had been an inch lower could have taken out the man's eye. Padmé, Bail, and Mon were furious by this whole facade. Anakin should be resting, not here answering questions about Tarkin's death, when it had been clearly a tragic accident.

Meanwhile, Anakin was bored out of his mind and pissed off. He had been in a delicious sandwich between his angel and Obi, when he had been summoned. The only thing keeping Anakin from throwing all his plans to the wind and reveal Palpatine as The Sith was that he was curious about what Palpatine was planning. Anakin knew he was being used as a distraction for Palpatine's party to raise up an outrageous proposal, which Anakin's allies in the Senate would Jump to consider to "save" him.

As if they had read his mind, a Senator "friend" of Palpatine's stood up and shouted: "Why are we debating this when we have a war going on?! The Separatists are forming a trade embargo against the Neutral Systems, we must do the same! Force them to finally choose sides and end this war once and for all!"

Anakin raised an eyebrow at that. The Trade Embargo... I had completely forgotten about that! Why did I never consider how much of a bad idea it had been? Right, mind leeches. Anakin looked around the chamber noticing how senators from all parties were considering this. Then again, everyone wants this war to end and they believe this could work.

"Why?" Anakin asked, bringing the Senate Chamber to a startled silence. They had all but forgotten about the injured Jedi they had summoned. Anakin would have been angry, had it not been for he had to fix this. "How does isolating those systems from both sides help us? If the Separatists won't trade with them, they'll only be able to trade with us. Or with the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space. They don't have to fight to help us. Supplies are important too, just like the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space's hyperspace routes."

Anakin had to bit off the smirk that was threatening to spread through his lips, as he felt Palpatine's seething furry in the Force as most senators were nodding in agreement with his words. Palpatine might be a genius at hiding his presence in the Force, but Anakin had spent two decades with him, he was in tune with Palpatine's presence: Now for the finalblow.

"Why would anyone want to condemn worlds to starve simply because they want to avoid the tragedies of war?" With that said, Anakin turned around and left the Senate.

The vote failed as Anakin had expected, and in return he got a very welcomed thank you from Padmé that night. The following day, Anakin contacted with his mom to get the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space and the Skywalker Corporation to trade with the Neutral Systems. After finding out what the Senate had almost allowed to pass, the Neutral Systems kept their trade with the Republic but preferred to trade with the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space and the Skywalker Corporation- bringing a boom in the newly freed planets and making the Skywalkers richer.

Thank you for your stupidity! Anakin toasted in delight. You gotta love it when things go better than planned.

"Did you know that the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space were planning this?" Padmé asked, as she entered their chamber in the senatorial apartment.

"Planning what angel?" Anakin asked confused, tilting his head, from where he was cuddling Obi-Wan on the bed.

"The Queen of Naboo had just received an invitation to join their forming democratic representative system," Padmé informed her husbands, much to their shock. "They are forming a democratic council to protect themselves from future invasions and keep each other accountable."

"Why invite Naboo? A planet that has never known slavery and is part of the Republic," Obi-Wan inquired curiously. "Not to mention, it is ruled via monarchy."

"Their reason is because Naboo has been the oldest ally of the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space with the Skywalker Corporation, and has become a safe haven to many ex-slaves," Padmé answered. "The thing is... the Queen and her advisors are seriously considering it. They've not been happy with the Republic and the Senate since the Trade Federation had invaded us. The war is meaningless and has brought to surface of corrupt this system is."

"My mom was asked to represent Tatooine," Anakin shared. "The Skywalker last name has always been nobility between slaves. My actions during the war and naming my ship Ekkreth only added to the legend of "the slave that sets others free." They even offered me kingship when I was there, during the war against the Hutts."

"Kingship?!" Padmé exclaimed, eyes wide open.

"You did not put that in your report for the Jedi Council," Obi- Wan frowned.

"Because they asked Anakin Skywalker, Ekkreth come again, not Jedi Knight Skywalker." Anakin replied. "Telling them that we already had a noble title in Naboo and could not accept it, did nothing to dissuade them. But once I pointed out that Ar-Amu wants true freedom for all of their children, they finally proceeded on electing a democratic body. They still insist on mom representing them as Tatooine's Senator."

"This is a mess," Obi-Wan sighed. "If Naboo leaves, the Republic will be left without a Chancellor."

"That is not a bad idea..." Padmé pointed out. "I am tired of the corruption here, so is Naboo. If we leave, we can finally take Palpatine out of power, and free us from the Republic. I can leave the Senate in the hands of Bail and Mon, who would grant the Separatists their independence if they agree to denounce the Sith. They would also keep the Republic from retaliating on Naboo for defecting to the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space. I can stay as Senator of Naboo, just in another democratic body."

Anakin's eyes widened at Padmé's plan. He had not thought of that as a possible plan. They could easily out Palpatine when they strip him off all their power, and the separatists would be outraged when Count Dooku is revealed to have been using them. It was perfect...

This is why Angel should be left to do all the planning, Anakin thought fondly. She is simply brilliant.

"What about dear heart and me? We are part of the Jedi order, who swore themselves to the Republic," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Well," Anakin winced, he knew that there was something he had forgotten about.

"What did you do?" Padmé and Obi-Wan sighed at the same time.

"This time it was not me!" Anakin protested with a pout, before adding mostly mentally. "Naboo is not the only one disappointed with the Republic. Many Jedi, most of them from the younger generations and the Jedi Corps, are not quite happy with the Jedi Council."

"They want to split the Order?" Obi-Wan sounded aghast.

"They want to follow the path of the Gray Jedi," Anakin corrected.

"How many?" Padmé asked, startling both men. "I know you Ani, you would never bring it up if you had not thought this through."

Not in this timeline, Anakin agreed internally. Force knows, I was quite impulsive before. Out loud he said: "80% of the Agri Corps, 50% of the Medi Corps, 30% of the Exploration Corps, I5 % of the Education Corps, and 10% of the Jedi Order with the Protection Corps members scripted under said 10% following their Generals."

Silence reigned in the chamber as his spouses stared at Anakin in disbelief. "Force!" Obi-Wan swore, as Padmé was speechless for the first time in her life.

"That is not counting the Jedi Order members that were unaware of the option that they could leave, and the younglings," Anakin continued, careful of the other's reaction. "The Corps have seen with their own eyes all the work they can do in the outer-rim and wild space. Not to mention, they are not happy with how dismissive the Jedi Order and the Republic had been of them. Sending the “failures'' and not educating the younglings correctly about all of their options."

"That is not what happens!" Obi-Wan protested, raising his voice agitated.

"Then why is every youngling so afraid to be not chosen by a Jedi Master or Knight and forced into the Jedi Corps?" Anakin raised an eyebrow unimpressed, receiving an awkward silence in return. "Half the Galaxy was unaware of the Jedi Corps! Do you have any idea how much aid the Agri Corps could have been doing at the desert planets?! Even you Obi saw being sent to the Agri Corps as a death sentence!" Obi-Wan looked away ashamed. "This is not a critic to you Obi," Anakin sighed. "This is just how the Jedi Order had fallen, even before the war, they made the younglings believe that they were being tested and if they failed, they were sent away to the Corps. Not once, were the Corps and the Jedi Order put in the same level of importance. Only the Medi Corps come close, even then they are known as those that "care too much" and are unable to control their emotions."

"Ah, you are right," Obi-Wan sighed. "The Jedi Order is not the same."

"So, are we in an agreement?" Padmé asked after a few minutes of contemplative silence. "Naboo leaves the Republic for the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space, outing Palpatine as Chancellor. Bail and Mon end the war. And you two start your Gray Jedi Order in the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space."

"I'm in," Anakin quickly agreed. "The faster we end this war, the better."

Padmé and Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, who had a thoughtful expression, and waited. After some minutes, Obi-Wan sighed and smiled sadly. "We will do this together. All three of us."

"All ten of us, plus the Skywalker and Kenobi trooper clans," Anakin corrected with a chuckle. "Don't forget our three children and four parents, and if I had my linage sisters that's twelve."

"With my linage brother and best friend that makes fourteen,” Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Plus all of Naboo... we have such a big family," Padmé laughed.

That they did. And they will do everything to protect them.

Chapter Text

As Padmé had returned to Naboo with Obi-Wan, Anakin, Barris, and Ahsoka to discuss the leave from the Republic with the Queen. Korkie had decided to accompany Shmi to oversee the various factories in the outer-rim and wild space. Because of what an important figure she was, she had been given the protection of a Jedi Master, a Jedi Knight, and a whole batallion from the Protection Corps.

Korkie and Shmi surely felt quite safer with Quinlan Voss, Aayla Secura, and the 327th with them. Especially, with the rumors going around of a new Pirate Queen taking control of the planet Rattatak, after going to battle and crushing the Weequay raiders.

"The Shadows network say that it is a Sith that took control of the planet," Quinlan shared in the Control Center of the Liberty. "However, they call her the Ungolden Sith."

"The Ungolden Sith?" Shmi repeated confused. "What does that mean?"

"It means that she does not have golden eyes,” Quinlan answered.

"That makes no sense," Aayla shook her head. "Golden eyes are the sign of the Sith."

"How can they call her a Sith if she does not have gold eyes?" Korkie asked, all of this being quite new to him.

"Well, Asajj Ventress is a Sith... or used to be," Quinlan replied, bringing them to a startled silence. Their shock loud in all the quiet. "After her battle with our Vixen in Kamino, she disappeared. Neither us or the Separatists could find her. She then appeared again in Rattatak and conquered the planet. She was vicious in putting down the crime rates and pirates. But she has made the planet safer and banned slavery."

"Should we get involved?" Bly inquired, looking as lost as everyone else felt.

"She is no longer a Sith or involved with the Separatists. Rattatak is a Neutral Planet, so there is no reason to get involved." Quinlan answered with a shrug. "But the Jedi Council wants to know how her eyes are no longer gold and how her lightsaber is now white."

"Leaving the darkside should not be possible," Aayla frowned.

"Yet she did it," Korkie pointed out.

"Nothing is ever impossible," Shmi stated with confidence.  "Anything is possible in life. Just look at what we have achieved! Everyone thought that slavery could not be ended, but we are so close!"

"Lady Shmi is right," Bly agreed, smiling brightly at Aayla. "We all thought we would always be meat droids... but we were given hope and with that belief, things changed."

The good mood in the Control Center got interrupted by the upcoming call from an unknown ship. Carefully, Aayla, the ship's General, accepted the call. As if summoned by the Force, Asajj Ventress appeared on the screen. No gold in sight in her eyes. "Hello. General Secura, right? Knight Skywalker's friend," Ventress comment had everyone tensing. "Darth Maul has his sights on you. He wants Lady Skywalker and Skywalker Corporation's weapons to aid him conquer Mandalore."

"Mandalore?!" Korkie was on his feet, agitated by the mention of his home planet. "What would a Sith wane with a pacifist planet?!"

Ventress looked at the boy with an uninterested expression. "He has killed Pre Vizla and is now in possession of the dark saber."

"The Deal Watch is being lead by a Sith?" Korkie paled, as his legs buckled and he was forced to sit down.

"Osik!" Bly swore.

"Darth Maul was killed during the invasion of Naboo by Obi- Wan," Quinlan crossed his arms over his chest. Ventress looked more interested in him than anyone else in the Control Center. "How is a dead man the Mandalore?"

"Because you Jedis need to make sure we… they stay dead," Ventress drawled drily. "Next time burn his body. Maul is a cockroach and has a frustrating talent of surviving. He is out for revenge and as he can't get to neither Knight Skywalker and Senator Skywalker, he goes for the second best thing."

"His son's mother." Shmi sighed. "Going for his mother-in-law is only a plus."

"We need to get you to safety," Aayla turned to Shmi.

"We need to help Mandalore." Korkie protested.

"Enough!" Quinlan silenced them firmly with a glare, before turning to Ventress in the screen. "Why tell us? What is your objective? Do you want to add Mandalore to your Kingdom Pirate Queen?"

"I used to be a slave in Rattatak,” Ventress’ confession silenced them, Shmi and Bly's expression turning understanding. "I was freed by my Jedi Master... he then died and I was enslaved by the darkside. Siths are but slaves believing themselves slavers." Ventress’ words resonated in the Control Center, their deep meaning shaking them to the core. "Knight Skywalker made me realize that... he truly is the Ekkreth..." the soft look came and went before anyone but Quinlan had noticed it, as a mask of indifference slid into place. "I owe him, so I am paying him back."

"Are you willing to battle a Sith?" Quinlan asked.

Ventress smirk was vicious and all teeth. "Do you even have to ask?"

After finding out that Darth Maul was back and trying to take control of Mandalore, Shmi reached out to the True Mandalorians for help. The Children of the Watch had sworn never to return to Mandalore, but the True Mandalorians, with their deep sense of honor and duty to their home planet, stepped up to the challenge. They weren’t about to let a dar'jetii to take over their world.

As the True Mandalorians and the 327th Battalion gathered at a makeshift command center, a tense silence filled the room. The True Mandalorians, decked out in their iconic beskar armor, were a formidable sight, and their presence showed just how seriously they took the mission to defend Mandalore.

In the middle of the tense atmosphere, Korkie Kryze stood facing the True Mandalorians. The warriors stared him down with a mix of scorn and disbelief, clearly not impressed by his background. After a moment, one of the bigger Mandalorians stepped forward, a gruff figure with a sneer on his face.

“Look at this guy,” the Mandalorian said with a sarcastic grin. “A Kryze trying to play the hero. Son of the pacifist Duchess and nephew to a Death Watch traitor. Quite the resume, huh?”

The room burst into laughter and mocking comments, all aimed at shaking Korkie’s confidence. But Korkie didn’t back down. He squared his shoulders and held the Mandalorian’s gaze, showing he wasn’t going to be intimidated.

One of the warriors sneered at Korkie, his face twisted with disdain. “So you think you can just stroll in here and become a real Mandalorian, huh? Your family’s history isn’t exactly full of honor, is it?”

Korkie’s eyes flashed with anger, but he took a deep breath and kept his cool. “Yeah, my family’s had its problems. But Mandalore’s in my blood, just like it is in yours. I’ve taken the Creed to heart, and I’m here to fight for our people.”

Another warrior folded his arms, looking unimpressed. “Your family’s known for pacifism and cowardice. You’re just another weak link from that same branch.”

Korkie’s voice was steady and determined as he spoke up. “Pacifism isn’t the same as being weak, and strength isn’t just about swinging a weapon around. I’ve got more than just the Kryze name—I’m part of the Skywalker, Naberrie, and Kenobi families too. You all fought under Buir Skywalker against the Zygerrians. I’ve been trained by some of the best warriors in the galaxy these past few months.”

Shmi stepped forward, her eyes firm but understanding. “Enough with the insults. We have a bigger problem—a Sith who’s threatening everything we care about. It’s time to put aside our differences and fight together.”

The room went quiet as Shmi’s words hung in the air, bringing a brief calm to the heated argument. Korkie took this chance to speak up, his voice a mix of frustration and determination.

“I’m not here to show off or prove anything,” Korkie said, his tone steady. “I’m here because I love Mandalore. I want to honor its past and make sure it has a future. If you’re up for fighting with me, then let’s get to it. If not, then step aside.”

A murmur of surprise went through the True Mandalorians, their faces going from scornful to thoughtful. The tension in the room was thick as everyone waited to see what would happen next. Finally, one of the warriors stepped forward, looking at Korkie with a hint of respect.

“You’ve got some guts, Kryze,” he said gruffly. “But you’ll have to prove it with your actions. We’ll give you a chance.”

Korkie nodded, his resolve firm. “Sounds good. Let’s show them what Mandalore’s made of.”

As the True Mandalorians and their allies got ready for the fight, the room’s mood shifted from one of hostility to a reluctant sense of teamwork. The insults and doubts had given way to a shared drive to protect Mandalore.

The battle for Mandalore kicked off with a fury that matched all the tension leading up to it. Asajj Ventress and her pirate crew were locked in a high-stakes dogfight in the skies, trying to take control of the key hyperspace routes through the planet. Down on the ground, chaos erupted as the True Mandalorians clashed with the Death Watch warriors. Blaster bolts lit up the streets of Sundari, and the clash of vibro-knives filled the air with bright streaks of light and a constant noise of combat.

In the middle of the mayhem, Quinlan, Aayla, Bly, Korkie, and the 327th troopers fought side by side, their resolve unshakeable. The True Mandalorians, despite their earlier doubts, fought with everything they had to defend their home, showing their strength and unity in battle.

The whole scene was intense—blasters fired, lightsabers buzzed, and explosions rocked the city. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and the sounds of battle, with every moment marked by the clashing of weapons and the cries of warriors.

As Korkie fought through the chaos, his eyes scanned the battlefield, his heart racing as he looked for his mother. Then, his worst fears came true when he saw her—Satine Kryze, captured by none other than Darth Maul. Korkie’s steps stumbled, and his breath caught in his throat as horror filled him.

“Mom!” Korkie shouted over the chaos, his heart racing as he broke away from his allies and ran straight toward the confrontation that threatened his mother’s life.

Darth Maul’s eyes locked onto Korkie, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he tightened his grip on Satine’s throat. Korkie’s feet moved on their own, driven by a mix of fear and fury. Everything else around them seemed to blur as he focused on the horrifying sight in front of him.

Satine’s face twisted in pain, her struggles against Maul’s grip doing nothing to free her. Korkie’s heart pounded as he got closer, a storm of anger, fear, and desperation churning inside him.

As Korkie reached the edge of the scene, everything seemed to slow down. His mother’s eyes met his, her look a mix of worry and reassurance. In that moment, all the anger and betrayal he’d felt toward her faded into a deep, overwhelming concern for her safety.

Korkie’s determination solidified as he faced Darth Maul, his voice steady but filled with defiance. “Let her go!”

The Force seemed to pulse around them, charged with the intensity of the battle. Korkie’s hands were clenched into fists, his resolve burning bright as he fought to keep his fear in check.

“I was expecting your Jedi father to come here,” Darth Maul sneered, his voice dripping with malice. “But seeing both of you die by my hand should be enough to drive him insane.”

Korkie’s heart pounded in his chest as he heard Maul’s cold words, anger and grief bubbling up inside him while Maul kept his grip on Satine firm. Satine’s eyes met Korkie’s, filled with a deep, unspoken love.

Then, with a cruel flick of his wrist, Darth Maul used the dark side of the Force against Satine. Korkie watched in horror as his mother’s body convulsed, her life slipping away before his eyes. A pained cry escaped him, a mix of fury and heartbreak that echoed through the chaos.

As Maul threw Satine’s lifeless body aside like trash, Korkie’s sorrow turned into a blazing rage. The intense fire of his emotions fueled his resolve as he screamed at Maul, his eyes burning with both anger and grief.

He was thankful for the red beskar armor Shmi had given him; it protected him from Maul’s dark Force attacks. With a determined grip on his weapon, Korkie stepped forward, ready to face the Sith.

The battle that followed was a whirlwind of lights and shadows, a clash of opposing forces and raw emotions. Korkie fought with all the rage and grief he felt for his mother’s death and the darkness that Maul embodied. Every swing of his vibro-sword was a strike for justice, driven by the need to make Maul pay for what he’d done.

Darth Maul was a fierce opponent, his dark side power evident in every move. But Korkie’s anger and sorrow gave him an edge, turning his grief into a desperate determination. He fought with precision, his movements a dance of vengeance as he clashed with the Sith. His beskar armor took the brunt of Maul’s attacks, blocking the blows of the dark saber.

In the end, Korkie landed a final, decisive blow. His vibro-sword cut through Maul’s defenses, severing his connection to the Force and ending the battle. Maul’s head hit the ground, his dark presence fading away.

Korkie stood there, panting and exhausted, his heart and mind a storm of emotions. The fight was over, but the cost was heavy. He cast one last, sorrowful look at his mother’s lifeless body before turning away, the mix of grief and triumph weighing on him.

After the battle, the streets of Sundari were a mess—bloodstains everywhere, a grim reminder of the sacrifices made for Mandalore’s freedom. Korkie Kryze, bruised and heartbroken but still standing tall, walked to the center of the battlefield, gripping the dark saber tightly.

“Enough!” His voice cut through the chaos, freezing everyone in their tracks. “Darth Maul is dead! Duchess Kryze is dead! I’ve got the dark saber now! According to the Creed, that makes me Mand’alor!”

Everyone stared at him, shock written all over their faces. “As Mand’alor, I’m ordering you all to stop fighting! The battle’s over, and we’ve won!"

Chapter Text

Time traveling is not as easy as it sounds. It is not a miraculous cure that fixes the Galaxy in one go. No Sir. It takes years of hard work and when you get to where Anakin was, having changed as much as he had, you woke up one day without recognizing the Galaxy you are in. After having changed so much, it tends to affect the timeline you came from. Which is why until then he had not even recalled Mortis or the various Sith Temples. Not until the force had given him a dream of what could have happened in his original timeline. What he saw made him rage. Kriffing Siths! They can't Just leave the sky walkers alone! His grandson Ben being brainwashed, another Sith Empire on the rise... He really needed to put a stop to it.

Which meant going to Mortis. Alone.

He was not risking Obi-Wan and Ahsoka to that place again. So, of course, Anakin went to Mortis, sacrificed the father to combine the brother and the Sister into the Balance, stepping the Brother from escaping and allow in Anakin to escape from Mortis. Not before, telling the Balance that to pay him back for his help, they would need to destroy every Sith Temple. That way the Sith won't be able to remain in the land of the living and possess anyone again.

“Where to next General?” Rex asked Anakin as he entered the Control Center of the Ekkreth.

“To Mustafar,” Anakin replied, taking his seat. “There’s a star there that needs to be destroyed before it becomes death itself.”

“A death star?” Fives joked, not noticing how Anakin tensed at his words.

“Premonition dreams, you gotta love them or hate them,” Anakin joked lamely, sighing in relief when an upcoming from the Negotiator. “Obi,” Anakin smiled, happy to see his beloved after his time in Mortis. “How’s Curoscant?”

“Well, we are not in Curoscant,” Cody informed them when he noticed that Obi-Wan was not going to say anything- the poor Jedi was looking ahead unfocused. “We are on our way to Mandalore, to join Lady Shmi, General Secura, Jedi Master Voss, and Korkie.”

“What even are they doing in Mandalore?” Anakin asked confused.

“Maul is alive… well, he was alive,” Obi-Wan mumbled, in a state of shock. Oh, shit! Anakin mentally cursed himself. How did I forget about that? How the kriff do I continue to forget about this things?! “My son is now the Mand’alor.”

Korkie? Really? Anakin raised an eyebrow impressed. Good for him! Out loud he said: “I think you are skipping quite a few chapters there Obi. Darth Maul survived your attack in Naboo? How did Korkie become the Mand’alor? Do the two things have anything to do with one another?”

Watching Obi-Wan open his mouth and fail to say something, Cody took over. “So, Darth Maul took over the Death Watch and attacked Mandalore with the objective of luring out Obi-Wan and having his revenge on our General. At the end, the 327th and Asajj Ventress, who seems to be a Pirate Queen now, went to fight them off with the aid of the True Mandalorians and Korkie came into possession of the darksaber after killing him for revenge for killing his mother. Fun fact, Ventress is no longer a Sith!”

I knew she had done it in the other timeline, but look at that… I’m impressed, Anakin praised internally. It took quite literally the enslavement of the Galaxy and my son being tortured before me to leave the darkside. Then again, Ventress has always been a stubborn bitch.

As for the death of Satine Kryze Anakin felt nothing at all. He could not celebrate her death, as he knew her los would weight on Obi-Wan and Korkie. Yet, he could not mourn it either. His loathing for her being too much for that. Anakin called it maturing. Though, he was not as mature as to say he was sure he would party and dance over the future grave of Palpatine. That is, if Anakin even allows them to make him a grave.

“You know that it is not your fault, right?” Anakin told him. Obi-Wan looked up startled, making Anakin sigh. Of course, Obi-Wan would think that. “We’ve gone through this Obi. Other people’s actions are not on you, only Maul can be held accountable for the Duchess’ death.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan replied softly, looking at Anakin in gratefulness and fondness. “I hope you make it back to Curoscant soon, I do not like leaving our angel there all alone.”

“Neither do I,” Anakin sighed, shaking his head. “However, The Ekkereth has one last stop before going back to Curoscant. I just hope to make it back before she has to pull Naboo out of the Republic.”

Obi-Wan’s expression turned serious at that. “Chancellor Palpatine won’t react good.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Anakin’s smile was wry.

If only Anakin had known how bad Palpatine would have reacted. However, as he was returning to Curoscant from Mustafar their holo-pads were filled with breaking news about the Supreme Chancellor being a Sith all along.

Anakin looked in disbelief at the articles that kept popping out. After Senator Skywalker from Naboo proclaimed that her planet was leaving the Republic, Chancellor Palpatine was stripped from his position of power. That made him snap and send Force Lightning towards Padmé. Luckily, Yoda and Windu were there and worked together to keep Palpatine in line while the Senate was vacated. At the end, half a dozen Jedis died but Palpatine was killed by Yoda and Windu working together. Though, Windu ended up losing his left arm during the duel, giving Yoda the chance to strike Palpatine down, once and for all.

“Well, that was fast,” Rex commented.

Anakin could not agree more. Mandalore, Rattatak, Mustafar, Mortis, and Palpatine all done in a matter of a couple of days… the Force really wanted things done.

I kinda of dragged things for longer than I should have, Anakin shrugged. Oh, well, now everything is done and we can all rest…

“All that is left to do is deal with the Separatists and Count Dooku,” Echo pointed out.

… almost done.

“So, it seems that the Separatists have agreed to our terms,” Bail, the Vice Chair of the Republic commented.

Bail, Mon, Padmé, and Anakin were having a tea time meeting, while Obi-Wan was still on Mandalore with Aayla, Quinlan, and Shmi aiding Korkie get used to his new position as Mand’alor. It had taken them a few weeks before everything had calmed down to gather together to discuss everything.

Anakin had been busy reporting back to the Jedi Council about the Death Star in construction he had “found” in Mustafar, which everyone had agreed to keep a secret from the Galaxy. He had also assured them that by the end of the year all of the Sith Temples in existence will be destroyed by his “ally”.

It was to no ones surprise that Anakin had been named a Jedi Master, his merits during the war had spoken for themselves. Anakin was happy to have beaten another record, by being named the youngest Jedi Master, but he had refused the position in the Jedi Counsil. He had not mention why, because he was waiting for Obi-Wan to come back to do it together, but many in the Counsil looked at him knowingly.

While Anakin had been taken out top art by his Jedi Friends and the 501st to celebrate his promotion, Padmé, Mon, and Bail were quite busy with the Senate. Yes, even Padmé, it was not easy to take a whole system out of the Republic, it took a while and a lot of paperwork. Paperwork that had been pushed back because of the whole situation with Palpatine. Even dead he made sure to make everyone’s lives even more difficult.

Mon had ended up being named Chancellor of the Republic, with Bail as her second- Padmé had headed their election campaign. Their political party had decided to support Mon rather than Bail, as Bail was married to the Queen of Alderaan and they believed they would be giving the Organa family too much power. Not that Bail cared much about said power, as long as good was being done he was happy to support his good friend Mon.

With Mon and Bail in charge of the Republic they smoothed the parting of Naboo and made sure that there would be no retaliation and sent their terms to the Separatists. They’ve been losing the war and were more than happy to accept the terms of surrender, they will be given their freedom and a chance to get revenge on the man that had used them for years. Count Dooku.

“All that is left to take care of is Count Dooku,” Padmé hummed.

Mon looked at Anakin with a raised eyebrow. “Well, him and what is going on with the Jedi Order. The Senate might have agreed with Naboo leaving and ending the war with the Separatists as we’ve done… but the Jedi Order splitting and one half making their home in the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space? That won’t go as smooth.”

“Just throw the Skywalker name and it will shut everyone up,” Anakin shrugged uncaring. That was not his problem, he had left most of the political issues to the three of them for a reason. “The public won’t allow for anything else and they need my mother’s company to keep their economy stable. Not to mention, that right now if they want to keep their trade alive they will need the hyperspace routes of the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space, as to get to the Separatists and many Neutral Systems they are needed. Now with the war done, the Republic cannot use them for free anymore. They cannot touch the Freedom Rebel Alliance Space without grave consequences.”

“Did you plan it?” Bail’s question had everyone stopping. Padmé and Mon looked from one man to the other, the tension so thick that it could be cut with a knife. “The Freedom Rebel Alliance Space, the Hutts and the Zygarrians fall, the Gray Jedi Order. Did you plan all of that?”

Anakin sighed and out his tea cup down. He stared at Bail’s eyes firmly as he thought of how to answer to that, without giving out too much. “I did not start the war or was in charge of deciding if we went to war or not, that has been on the plans since before of the Trade Federation Invasion on Naboo.” Which was true, though Anakin could have stopped it before it had all started. Then again, that would have not worked for Anakin’s plans of war against slavery. “Sometimes you need to do a lot of bad things for good outcomes… I took advantage of the war that is true. I did so quite ruthlessly. I wanted slavery to end and manipulated the Senate to do so. However, I never lied,” not fully, that is. “All the evidence I gave you was real. And every choice the Senate had decided upon was not guided by the use of Force or anything else. Everyone had the free will to choose what they chose.”

Anakin’s answer was met with a deep silence as the three Senators thought about what the blond Jedi had just said. Padmé took Anakin’s hand and smiled at him. “I believe you Ani. You’ve done a lot of good and you should be proud. I am. Very proud of you.”

“Angel,” Anakin murmured in awe at her. She had always been his strongest supporter, always willing to take all of him in, even his darkside. He then turned back to the other two senators and, being the maniac troll he was, dropped another bomb with a shit-eating smirk. “Oh, by the way, you do not have to bother about Count Dooku. Ventress took her pirate ships from Mandalore and hunted him down. She might no longer be a Sith, but the Pirate Queen wanted revenge and she got it. The Senate might be getting Count Dooku’s head delivered to them soon.”

There was a pause before…

“WHAT?!”

“You can’t just drop something like that in that manner!”

“I did not sing up for this!”

All meanwhile, Anakin continued to drink his tea quite pleased with himself. After all, it’s been quite exhausting keeping the Galaxy on track. He did a good job at the end.

Chapter Text

The wedding of Sabé and Fox was a joyful break from the endless battles of the Galactic War, and Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé were soaking up the happiness of the day. The whole place was filled with love and celebration, a welcome change from the years of fighting and chaos.

Padmé, glowing in her beautiful dress, couldn’t stop smiling as she watched her best friend Sabé and Fox exchange vows. Their love was so obvious in every glance and touch.

As they mingled with the other guests, the three friends found a quiet spot to catch up and reminisce. Anakin looked at Padmé and Obi-Wan, his eyes full of warmth. "Remember our wedding?" he asked with a nostalgic smile.

Obi-Wan laughed softly, a fond look in his eyes. "Oh, I remember it well. You were so nervous, dear heart. It was quite charming."

Anakin gave a mock groan, draping his arm around Padmé’s shoulder and wrapping his other arm around Obi-Wan’s waist. "Well, I was about to marry the two most incredible people in the galaxy. Can you blame me for being a little on edge?"

Padmé chuckled, snuggling into Anakin’s embrace. "Such a flatterer."

Their conversation took a warm turn as they talked about Omega’s lucky break into Sabé and Fox’s family. "It really makes me happy to see Omega in such a loving home," Padmé said, her eyes shining with emotion.

Obi-Wan agreed with a smile. "Yes, Sabé and Fox have made a wonderful place for those who need it."

Anakin looked thoughtful as he added, "And it’s pretty amazing that Sabé adopted Boba by Republic or Mandalorian law."

The celebration went on into the night with laughter, dancing, and heartfelt conversations. The three friends swapped stories, shared laughs, and enjoyed the moment together. As they toasted to Sabé and Fox’s happiness, their talk shifted to lighter topics, savoring the joyful atmosphere. When the wedding festivities started to wind down, Padmé pulled Anakin and Obi-Wan aside for a quiet moment. She looked at them, a mix of excitement and nervousness in her eyes, her heart racing as she prepared to share something special.

Padmé took a deep breath, her eyes shifting between Anakin and Obi-Wan as they sparkled with emotion. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you both,” she said with a soft smile.

Anakin’s eyebrows shot up in curiosity, and Obi-Wan’s face mirrored his interest. “What is it, Padmé?” Obi-Wan asked gently.

Padmé took a moment, her emotions playing across her face. “I’m pregnant,” she said, her voice a mix of excitement and nerves.

Anakin’s eyes went wide, and a huge grin spread across his face. “Padmé, that’s amazing!” he exclaimed, his joy clear as he realized the twins were on the way.

Obi-Wan’s eyes softened, and he reached out to gently touch Padmé’s arm. “I’m so happy for you, my dear,” he said warmly, his smile genuine.

The next day, they headed over to Healer Che’s chambers to share their exciting news. Padmé had asked Healer Che for a check-up, and now they were waiting for the results. After a few moments of tense silence, Che’s face went from focused to surprised.

“You’re having twins,” Che said, a smile spreading across her face.

Padmé’s eyes went wide, and she looked between Anakin and Obi-Wan, who were both grinning. Anakin’s laughter burst out, full of joy, and filled the room.

“Twins? Really?” Obi-Wan asked, his voice full of awe. He looked at Padmé and Anakin with a mixture of amusement and wonder. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a dad, let alone the dad of twins,” he said, still trying to wrap his head around it.

Anakin’s laughter was still ringing, a happy sound that bounced off the walls. “Looks like our kids are already making an entrance with a bang,” he said with a playful wink. “Good thing we’ve had practice with Korkie, Barris, and Ahsoka.”

Padmé looked at both of them, her heart full of love and gratitude. “They’ve already brought us so close together,” she said softly, her eyes shining with affection.

“There’s one more thing,” Che said, glancing back at Padmé with a hint of disbelief. “The twins actually have different fathers. The boy is connected to Anakin’s Force aura, while the girl’s connection is to Obi-Wan’s.”

As the news of the twins sunk in, Anakin felt a mix of joy and unease. He was thrilled about becoming a father again, but there was a nagging feeling that he couldn’t quite shake off. Seeing Padmé’s happy face and Obi-Wan’s gentle smile made him smile too, but there was a part of him that wondered about the future.

Anakin couldn’t ignore that quiet voice in his head, reminding him of a truth he’d struggled with for a long time. He couldn’t help but think that, in this new timeline, one of the twins wouldn’t be his by blood. He had come to terms with the strange turns of fate that had brought them all here, but there were still moments of doubt.

So, you finally got your wish for a daughter, huh? Anakin thought to himself with a wry smile. You’re no longer my daughter… Not that I blame you; I wouldn’t want to be my kid either. Oh, Luke, you’re stuck with me as a father again. But I promise I’ll do better this time.

His earlier laughter had faded, and now Anakin found himself lost in thought. He knew that their love was real and strong, going beyond just blood ties. He’d felt their bond and seen how it could overcome even the toughest challenges. But sometimes, doubt still crept in. He wondered if he deserved this happiness, given all the mistakes he’d made and the rough path he’d walked through time. Even though he was committed to this new life and had built strong connections, there was always a part of him worried that his past would somehow mess things up again.

Anakin’s eyes wandered to Padme, chatting happily with Obi-Wan. She had this way of radiating strength and grace that always drew him in. He loved how she could find beauty and hope even in the darkest times. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his own insecurities might mess up the perfect love they had.

As time went by, Anakin struggled with whether to dive into the joy of the moment or let his doubts take over. He knew he had to push past his fears and believe in the love that had brought them together. But healing was a process—one that needed time, patience, and facing his own issues.

When his eyes met Obi-Wan’s, it was like they were sharing a silent conversation. It was a reminder that they had been through so much together and had always come out stronger. Anakin took a deep breath, letting the warmth of their connection sink in. He promised himself to face his doubts and work through his struggles so he could fully embrace the love around him.

In the peaceful Halls of Healing at the Jedi Temple, Anakin and Obi-Wan took a break from the bustle to chat and reflect. Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin, looking thoughtful. “You know, Ani, I’ve been mulling over what you said about the Gray Jedi Order.”

Anakin leaned back against the wall, watching the light play across the room. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it too. The war, all the mistakes we made… the Jedi’s strict rules could have been our downfall. Now that things are settling down, I think it’s time for us to make a move.”

Obi-Wan nodded, his eyes showing that he was on the same page. “You’re right. We were so focused on seeing things as either light or dark, we missed the full picture of the Force. It’s a spectrum, not just black and white.”

Anakin’s face brightened as he saw that Obi-Wan was genuinely on board with the idea. “Exactly! The Gray Jedi Order is about finding that balance. It’s about accepting both the light and the dark sides of the Force and using them without being overwhelmed by either.”

Obi-Wan sighed, looking off into the distance. “I’ve seen how dangerous it is to blindly follow the Council’s orders. We pushed away so many talented Jedi, calling them ‘dangerous’ or ‘unorthodox.’ We can’t afford to make that mistake again.”

Anakin’s face grew serious. “And it’s up to us to fix that for the next generation. The Council has seen where we went wrong during the war. They’ve learned from our struggles and are ready to rethink how the Order works.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes met Anakin’s, a glimmer of hope in them. “Exactly. They’re starting to see that the Force isn’t just about one path. They’re open to change and to bringing in those who seek balance.”

Anakin nodded, a small smile on his face. “It’s a step in the right direction. It shows that being a Jedi isn’t just about black and white. I really hope they make those changes to the Jedi Order… but our place isn’t in Coruscant anymore. We belong with the Freedom Rebel Alliance now.”

Obi-Wan chuckled softly. “It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? We used to be the rebels, the ones breaking the rules. Now we’re going to be in charge of setting the rules of our own Order.”

Anakin’s smile grew. “Yeah. Maybe we’re finally starting to hear what the Force is really telling us. And maybe we can guide the next generation toward a better path.”

I truly hope we do, Anakin sighed internally. The Galaxy can’t handle yet another Galactic War. I’ve seen what it did in my dream during the previous timeline… there was no coming back from that. Maybe that is why the Force had decided to send me back to change it all. To stop the Galaxy from hurting that much, to aid it heal.

So, with their decision made, Obi-Wan and Anakin stood in front of the Jedi Council, ready to explain their vision for the future. The Council members looked at them with a mix of curiosity, concern, and understanding.

Yoda looked at them with a hint of sadness in his eyes. “A hard path, you’ve chosen. Not easy, the ways of the Gray Jedi are.”

Obi-Wan nodded respectfully. “Grandmaster Yoda, we know this path has its challenges. But we really believe the Force is guiding us this way. The Gray Jedi Order isn’t about leaving the Jedi teachings behind but expanding on them—seeing the Force for what it truly is.”

Mace Windu’s stern face softened a bit. “You’ve both grown so much. And while this decision is hard for me, I can see that the Jedi Order does need to change.”

Anakin’s eyes were full of determination. “We’ve seen the harm that comes from sticking too rigidly to dogma, Master Windu. The war showed us that the Force is more complex than just black and white. We need to learn from our past and move forward.”

Plo Koon, the kind Kel Dor Jedi Master, spoke up next. “Anakin, you were once my Padawan. You’ve become a truly remarkable Jedi and a force for change. I believe in your vision and your ability to guide those who seek balance.”

Anakin felt a wave of gratitude. “Master Plo, your support means so much to us.”

Plo Koon gave a reassuring smile. “I am also your father. I won’t let you face this path alone. I will be joining you too.”

The Jedi Council chamber was filled with a stunned silence. Even though they had been expecting Plo Koon’s decision, it still hit hard. Yoda let out a soft sigh, knowing they were losing two Councilors and the Chosen One. “Parting ways is hard, but the will of the Force it is. Go you must, and may your path find balance.”

As they walked out of the Council chamber, Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, his face a mix of excitement and nostalgia. “I’m really going to miss this place, Obi. But deep down, I know that starting the Gray Jedi Order is where we’re meant to be.” He glanced out at the stars through the Temple windows.

Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “As long as we follow the Force, we’ll find our way. And remember, we’re not abandoning the Jedi Order. Masters Windu and Yoda will make sure it moves in the right direction.”

Anakin nodded, looking out at the horizon. “And we’ll be there to help those who want to find balance in the Force, just like Plo and Qui-Gon helped us."

Chapter Text

Dear Readers,

I hope this message finds you well. I'm reaching out to let you know about some exciting changes coming to The Three Moons of Tatooine. As many of you are aware, the original story had its moments but didn't fully meet my vision, particularly in how it wrapped up and developed the relationships between characters. I felt the ending was rushed and that there was more potential to explore the dynamics and subplots.

To address this, I will be undertaking a complete rewrite of the story. The core storyline will remain intact, but this revised version will include additional points of view and expanded details on the subplots. This means a richer, more nuanced narrative that will provide a deeper understanding of the characters and their interactions.

The revised story will be published as a series, titled Freedom Alliance Federation Series. The original chapters will remain available for those who wish to revisit them, but I hope you'll find the new version a more fulfilling and engaging experience.

I'm excited to hear your thoughts on my story! What was your favorite part? Are there specific elements or themes you think I should definitely keep? Additionally, is there anything you feel is missing or that I should expand on? Your feedback means a lot!

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. I look forward to sharing the revamped story with you all!

Chapter Text

Hello, wonderful readers!

I'm excited to announce my new Star Wars fanfiction series, Branching Out! This series is a bit of a departure from this fic as it doesn’t focus on romance but instead delves deep into the introspective journey of Anakin Skywalker. Through this series, I’ll be exploring his inner conflict, his thoughts on destiny, and his struggle with identity in a galaxy at war. 

If you enjoyed Three Moons of Tatooine, I think you’ll appreciate this new direction—focusing more on character development and the psychological aspects of Anakin’s journey. Feel free to check it out and let me know your thoughts!

Here's the link: https://archiveofourown.org/series/4380478

May the Force be with you always.

PS. Do not worry! The rewrite of this fic is still in the process and will come out soon! 

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The rewrite of my story is officially up! Three Moons of Tatooine has been reimagined as The Twin Suns of Tatooine, with some exciting updates and new twists. I hope you all enjoy the revamped version and continue to love the journey as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing it to life. Let me know your thoughts—I’m eager to hear what you think of the changes! 🌌✨