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Star Tours by Waki Paki
 Naruto & Star Wars: The Clone Wars Xover Rated: M, English, Adventure & Sci-Fi, Fū, Ahsoka T., Anakin S., Obi- Wan K., Words: 11k+, Favs: 488, Follows: 630, Published: 15h ago 42
Chapter 1
Alembuhi was passive-aggressively griping to himself, staring out of the giant glass viewport and occasionally glancing back at the vast array of consoles and scanners below it. He flexed his legs, fighting a cramp he could feel coming on, and sighed. The pale-green Twi'lek man was nearly thirty standard years old, and had been enlisted in the Republic for a little over six years.
He never took to tailoring, which had been a problem back on his home planet of Vjun. He liked to think of himself as smart, just not when it came to fabrics. He liked computer systems, consoles, tech, all that stuff. His family, however, were tailors through-and-through. They tried their best to teach him how to wield a sewing needle like they could, but it never really took. After a failed attempt at finding a wife and starting a family instead of banging his head against the wall that was his family's insistence he learn their trade, Alembuhi was eager when a Republic recruitment ship docked on the planet and started looking for volunteers.
"Join the Republic," they said. "Help protect the galaxy," they said. "See the wonders of the deepest parts of space," they said. "Someone as good with computers as you will find great opportunities," they said. Now look at me.
Okay, so maybe it had been his fault, too. After going through basic training, he went to technical training for advanced computer systems and systems analysis. When they started asking where he wanted to be stationed, he had said something very stupid.
"Anywhere, as long as it's far from Vjun."
Words like that were music to a personnelist's ears, especially in the military. Of course, he hadn't known that until it was too late.
That's how he found himself stationed on the deep-space monitoring station, Vesta. Really, it was a cramped little ship whose sole purpose was to monitor the few planets in this sector of the Outer Rim. They would spend about a month at one of a few different planets, recording data, occasionally shooting down a probe if there was something interesting (there never was), and generally just doing nothing but watching. Worst part was, he couldn't even apply for re-assignment for another two years. It had already been four on this damned ship.
Heavy footsteps told who it was before he even heard the cheerful voice. "Hey, Alem."
My seat spun and I faced the visitor of the cockpit. "Hey, Bag. Lunch break, then?"
"Yep. Anything interesting?"
"When is there ever?" he joked, getting a laugh from the other man.
Bagro Tlunz. Big and burly for a Weequay, the man was upbeat in ways Alem had never been. He was the guy everyone on the ship liked. Even Alembuhi, for all his bitterness over his crappy life, couldn't take it out on him. Tlunz was the ship's maintenance man, a job he was all too glad to do. He just loved finding all the little parts of a spaceship like this and making sure they stayed in top shape. If your bunk light went out or the sonic shower was on the fritz, he had it fixed in an hour and never complained about how much work it could be at times. When he first got assigned to the ship, everyone took it for granted how much effort he put into keeping things working. Years later, they all appreciated him a lot more.
He was also the ship's supply officer, the one who put in the requests for specific parts or goods whenever the ship was getting resupplied. Rations, power cells, replacement uniforms, all the usual stuff was expected. If you wanted to spend some of your credits on personal items, though, it had to go through him so he could requisition it. No matter what it was; Bagro never judged, and never told. That got him a lot of respect from the crew.
"I'll be back in an hour."
"Course," the larger man replied easily as he sat down. The Weequay would keep an eye on the systems while Alem took meal breaks on his shifts.
The mess hall was divided into a clear communal dining area with standard tables and chairs, then there was the recreation area off to the side. Some nice couches, a decently sized holo-screen, some artificial plants, and a short table. Made the place feel less like a prison barge.
The Twi'lek man wasted no time in grabbing a tray, filling it up with a few food items from the dispenser, and sitting down. He spent half an hour slowly taking apart his meal, sometimes fiddling with his datapad and rereading an old story. Given that it was technically the "night" shift, he was surprised to see someone come through the door until he recognized who it was.
"Greetings," the woman said, nodding to him as she went and got her own plate.
Alem forced down the response that sprung to his tongue. "Evening," he said instead.
The most recent addition to the crew, Stokiu was a brown-skinned Zabrak woman a few years younger than himself. She'd come aboard about six months back during a routine resupply delivery, much to the surprise of the rest of the inhabitants of Vesta. They hadn't been expecting new crew for at least another year when a few people's assignments were up. The reason given was that, given the increasing boldness and militant nature of the Trade Federation, they could use someone like a Jedi in case something bad happened. It would also be a favor to the Jedi themselves, having eyes on the farthest corners of the galaxy with a liaison.
Of course, he didn't need the almighty Force to tell that was mynock crap. Even if the Trade Federation had cared about a bunch of dead planets on the ass-end of the galaxy, they wouldn't care enough to attack their ship. And having a Jedi on board was unnecessary when they could've just as easily sent the data reports to them directly as well as Republic command. No, Alembuhi suspected it was something else.
He wasn't an expert on Jedi, but some of the old guys he'd talked with back when he first got this crap assignment had met more than a few. According to them, Jedi got their first official rank as Padawans and got their own lightsabers and had to train under a master until they passed some tests. If they did, they became Jedi Knights. If they failed to become Padawans, they got sent off to the Service Corps of the Jedi. They had 4 branches - Agriculture, Medical, Educational, and Exploration. Of course, all Jedi could help the Corps, but given that Stokiu obviously lacked a lightsaber and carried some kind of stun sword instead, it didn't take a genius to put the pieces together.
Having a failed, wannabe Jedi over their shoulder put the whole crew on edge except Gabro, naturally. Sometimes it felt like she talked down to them and didn't even realize it, other times she'd barely talk at all. She refused invitations for watching Holonet shows or the odd game of Pazaak and never drank. Polite, sure - the Zabrak was cordial all the time, but that was part of the problem. She never seemed to relax; always either training in the cargo bay she'd restructured, meditating somewhere, or taking a shift at the cockpit to stare at the unchanging surface of a planet. Bagro said it was just a matter of time until she really settled in and became part of the crew. Alem's money was on it being just a matter of time until the absolute dullness of the job wore her down like the rest of them.
Despite all that, the Twi'lek man found himself gesturing to his table when she'd finished selecting her food choices. "You're welcome to join me."
She looked at him, paused in walking towards another table, then seemed to shrug internally and take the seat opposite him. He sat and took a few bites of his own food. "You know, you're lucky you arrived when you did. We didn't even get the food synthesizer until about a year ago. Used to just have the rations."
Stokiu hummed. "I imagine it got old."
"Like you wouldn't believe. Least we got new kinds every now and then."
Alembuhi realized he was babbling, just a bit, and went back to his food. It was just that he conflicted when it came to Stokiu. The way she talked and acted, the stoic and almost detached personality… it reminded him of his old girlfriend, Leh'jele. Their relationship had lasted three years before it eventually fell apart. It was his fault, really. He had been frustrated and felt caged in on Vjun, and Leh had taken the brunt of his complaining. She used to be livelier and happier when they first met, but disengaged from him slowly over time until she became distant like Stokiu was acting. The Zabrak before him being so similar scratched at an old wound. Dermel, the ship's doctor and shrink, would probably tell him that he was projecting and felt that he could somehow make things right for himself by being better to Stokiu than he was to Leh. Cyborg bastard was probably right, too, but he didn't need the reminder.
Plus, she was easy on the eyes… the woman had a killer figure, probably from all the exercise she did. Stuck on a ship with only nine people could leave a man very lonely. All the other eligible bachelorettes on Vesta had already paired off, and much as he liked the guy, Alem wasn't about to take Bagro back to his bunk.
Jedi weren't supposed to have attachments, and definitely not love or sex, he reminded himself.
But then she's not a full Jedi, is she? another part said.
He pushed the thoughts down. He wouldn't be getting anywhere with her, he knew. Still, it wouldn't hurt to try and at least become better acquainted. They were going to be seeing each other a lot, and the quicker they got along the quicker the better time they'd all have while being stuck together.
She finished her meal at roughly the same time he did. "Don't know if you heard yet, since I think you were asleep when we arrived, but we reached Korriban yesterday. If you want, you can come take a look."
Alem knew full well she had a shift tomorrow and could see it just as easily then. So for the life of him, he couldn't guess why she ended up nodding. "Very well."
They dropped their trays in the auto-wash and he led the way back to the cockpit. Bagro was kicked back with his feet up on the dash facing sideways, spotting them as they came in and giving a wide smile. "Hey, Stokiu. What brings you up here?"
"Hello, Gabro. We reached Korriban, yes? I wanted to see it."
With a grand sweep out the viewport, the Weequay grinned. "Feast your eyes. Though I warn you, after you've seen it every day for a month, it loses its appeal. Found that out the last three times we were here."
She seemed to barely acknowledge his words, instead stepping forward and leaning on the console with her face close to the glass. Her eyes roamed across the dull brown and orange surface of the planet below. Bagro glanced between Alem and her, then gave a sly wink to the man.
The Twi'lek ignored it and gave her a moment to look, then spoke. "So, what do you know about Korriban?"
Stokiu seemed surprised by the question, but barely showed it. "It is a world full of the Dark Side," she said slowly. "Many Sith have called this planet home over the eras, and some of them have been entombed here." She turned to face the two men in the room. "As I understand, it's been desolate and abandoned for many years with barely any life on its surface."
Frankly, Alembuhi wasn't sure how much he really bought the whole "Dark and Light Side" thing. Sure, everyone had seen those old Holovids about the big bad Sith with the red lightsabers, but didn't get what the difference was besides which ones liked to carve people up for fun.
"Well, the scanners agree with you," Bag offered. "Been here a lot of times, and the most we get is a minor earthquake."
One such scanner on the console suddenly blipped, alerting them all. The Weequay laughed. "Well, I'll be! Looks like there might be one happening right-"
Another scanner blipped. Then another. Suddenly, all the surveillance equipment on the console started lighting up and blaring out noises.
"What the- did we just have a power surge?"
Alem rushed into the seat, pushing past a quickly vacating Bagro. He tapped a few buttons and examined the various monitors. "Equipment looks fine, systems check out, and nothing else seems wrong with the ship. But-"
"Look!" Stokiu called out. Her voice was alarmed and her eyes wide, lending emotion to her visage they'd yet to see. They followed her pointed finger out of the window and down to the planet.
On the surface of Korriban, something dark and very large had popped up. Before their eyes, it began spreading; a writhing mass of black that rippled and flowed, popping up smaller spots elsewhere on the planet and likewise expanding until it met the other patches. They weren't sure how much time had passed, but before they realized it, the whole planet had been completely submerged beneath the darkness.
That's when it got even stranger.
Out of the black mass, several small shapes began to poke out the top. With an almost subconscious reflex, Alem tapped a button that brought up magnification to the viewport. What they saw was the top of a tree. A blooming green tree. And below it, the mass sank down and revealed more greenery; great fields of grass, bushes, other trees, even colorful patches that were likely flowers. By the stars, water was appearing in mass quantities. An ocean was forming in front of them.
From a desolate desert wasteland to a giant black ball to what now looked like an agri-world before their very eyes. Stunned didn't even begin to describe how they felt looking at it. But it seemed the whole thing had one last surprise in store.
Korriban began to move.
Their ship had remained far above the gravity well of the planet, so they knew they weren't moving, and yet the planet was suddenly getting smaller. There was no propulsion, no sudden appearance of rockets or engines, no black hole anomaly, the entire thing was drifting entirely unpowered in space away from them.
Alem's brain finally re-engaged and he scrambled for the flight controls, firing up the engines and strapping himself in. "Grab onto something, we're going to follow it!"
That brought the other two out of it as well and they leapt into the nearby chairs. "It's accelerating away from us, I'm gonna have to jump us to just under light speed if we want to keep up." He flicked a few safety switches on the overhead dash. "Firing engines in three… two…"
All of a sudden, the whining of the charging engines suddenly went quiet. "No, no!" He smacked the dash, flicking the switches back and forth and looking at the monitor below him.
"What happened?" Bagro asked.
"Damn engine powered down like we were trying to do maintenance on it. It's locked in the repair cycle. Blast it!"
Stokiu climbed out of her seat and leaned over the captain's chair. "What? How long will that take?"
"Three hours, at least," Alem replied, too astounded and frustrated to appreciate the woman's chest so close to his head.
There was a moment of silence in the cockpit as they digested what had just occurred, watching the planet zoom away and become lost in the vastness of space. Then, Alembuhi tapped a few keys on the console. "Luckily, our scanners and equipment recorded the whole thing."
"Thank the Force," the woman murmured.
"Bag," the Weequay sat up at his name, "Go wake everyone while I get this sent off. They need to know what in the galaxy just happened."
"Do we even know?" the larger man tried for a joke, but felt it fall flat and simply left.
Alem turned his attention back to the Zabrak. "So, have the Jedi ever heard of something like this?"
She stared out the viewport silently, making him think she hadn't heard. He was about to repeat the question when she shook her head. "No," she finally admitted, wrapping her hands around her upper arms like she was cold… or scared. "No, I don't think anyone has."
Information can travel very quickly when it needed to, even when it came to the bureaucratic mess of a government known as the Republic. Of course, the Force travels faster still, which was why many members of the Jedi High Council had already felt a great disturbance and called for a session. By the time they managed to get everyone together, the information would be arriving shortly.
Several members were absent for one reason or another, but many were there in person or at least hologram. Yoda sat in deep thought while the other spoke animatedly. Master Poof, Master Yaddle, Master Tiin, Master Piell, Master Koth, Master Gallia, Master Koon, and Master Mundi were all in attendance. Sparing a moment's nostalgia and contemplation, Yoda observed the Council before him.
Master Yarael Poof, keen mental manipulator and compassionate being. Among the most playful of Jedi, he was not to be taken lightly. His lectures on mind alteration were the most insightful and potentially dangerous the Order had seen for centuries.
Master Yaddle, a member of Yoda's species, and perhaps the most compassionate Jedi the High Council had ever seen. The impressive size of her collection of strange artifacts and trinkets was dwarfed only by her capacity for caring and forgiveness. Old and very wise, she was one whom all other Jedi could seek counsel from.
Master Saesee Tiin, one of the most martial of Council members. A deadly pilot, warrior, and decent telepath. His utter devotion to the Order was such that even other members could be put off at times, particularly as he held no sympathy or remorse for any he viewed as traitors or having fallen to the Dark Side.
Master Even Piell, one who never allowed his diminutive stature to prevent him from having a large presence. Loud, aggressive, and beyond fear, he thrived wherever a battle was to be had. Traditions and proven methods were his bread and butter, and he ensured all his pupils understood them well.
Master Eeth Koth; another fearsome combatant, Yoda noted with a heavy heart. Would that times would allow for more Jedi of scholarly and peaceful pursuits to have a prominent place on the Council, but the galaxy wouldn't accommodate. Never one to shy from a mission and always glad to assist fellow Jedi, Koth had well earned his place as a Master.
Master Adi Gallia, the finest diplomat the Jedi had to offer. Well-versed in politics, psychology, and etiquette, she was often away to a distant world in pursuit of a peace treaty or negotiation of some kind. Certainly skilled with her Lightsaber, she still much preferred a conclusion reached without violence.
Master Plo Koon, another warrior in the ranks of the High council. His sense of justice bordered on what some may have considered too rough or brutal. Few other Jedi could boast the level of telekinetic control he had, and accompanied by his intellect and understanding of sciences, made him a foe deadly beyond his Lightsaber. Many among the Jedi considered him one of the up-and-coming historic figures of their era.
Finally, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, a unique figure among the Council given his family. Few other Jedi had been granted such liberty as to marry and foster children. Despite this, he was disciplined and wise, well-trained and well-learned. Occasionally a victim to his own pride and a bit too ready to sacrifice his life if it came down to it, he was still a well-rounded Jedi with invaluable experience.
Many faces he had seen occupying those chairs had changed, particularly in the past decade. Dangerous times they lived in, growing more so by the day. He drew his attention back to the conversation.
"You felt it just as well as I did, Master Poof," Ki-Adi-Mundi asserted. "A great amount of Dark Force just up and vanished without warning."
"Which, we all can agree, is a very good thing," Plo Koon cut in.
"Not necessarily," Even Piell refuted. "Powerful Sith have been known to have an ability to drain people and places of Force. They could become more powerful or sustain their life through it."
"Any on such a scale like we felt?" Adi Gallia questioned.
Scowling hard, the diminutive man answered. "Marka Ragnos was supposedly powerful in such a technique, but the only I could think of to this degree would be Darth Nihilus."
A visible shudder rippled through the Council, accompanied by a wave of negative emotions and returned mutterings. A tap from Yoda's cane silenced them.
"Assumptions, we must not make. Conjecture, guesswork, help us they will not." This caused the gathered Jedi to focus inwards for a moment and individually center themselves, returning to a more serene mindset. "Information, we need. Likely someone saw, hm?"
As if on cue, Master Windu burst through the doors of the Council chamber, clutching a data pad. A man of great power and talent, Mace Windu was one whom occasionally struggled with philosophies of the Jedi, which made Yoda trust him all the more. He was dedicated to peace and respected the wider Republic, which sometimes brought him into conflict with other Jedi members. It was that very struggle that Yoda respected, as it was important to have one who would challenge the Jedi's beliefs on the Council. Conflict and scrutiny would only improve the ideals they held.
"Grandmaster, please forgive my tardiness," he spoke quickly, "but I've just received this. It's a video and data log of one of the deep-space monitoring stations. I believe it is the source of that disturbance."
"If you would, Master Windu," Yoda gestured to the holo-table in the center of the room. The dark-skinned man wasted no time in uploading the file to the table and playing it.
Every person in the room watched the recording of Korriban as it suddenly was swallowed up by a writhing black mass which sunk away and revealed a completely changed planet. Then, it rapidly became smaller until it was no longer visible.
"Why did the crew fly away from the planet? Did they discover some attack?" Tiin questioned.
Windu shook his head. "According to the sensor readings and crew report, the ship did not move. It was the planet itself that moved away. The ship suffered a malfunction when they attempted to pursue."
They all sat and digested that piece of information, each with a thousand whirling questions and thoughts.
Master Yaddle was the first to break the silence. "Explanation indeed, this provides. Deeply corrupted by the Dark Side, Korriban was. Cleansed, it would seem, by this unknown force, hm?"
"Yet it only raises more questions." Piell's statement was met by nodding heads. "I've never seen planetary terraformation, and certainly no technology so advanced as to do that in so little time."
Gallia hummed. "Nor any technology capable of removing Force presence."
"Could it have been a chemical weapon of some kind?" Plo Koon wondered. "It certainly didn't behave or look like technology, so perhaps it was a biological agent."
"If there was something out there capable of doing that kind of transformation, there'd be no way that it'd be secret," Poof refuted with a furrowed brow. "The Republic doesn't have anything like that, and the Trade Federation has always pursued machines."
"A private company?" Koth suggested.
"Again; even if there was someone out there developing this kind of thing, it couldn't be kept quiet for this long."
"What if this is a new Force technique?" Piell threw out. "A technique similar to that of Darth Nihilus, only it uses the ambient Dark Side Force and turns it into a transformative element. If it was fueled by the Force, it would explain why it's all suddenly vanished, and possibly how it was even possible."
The surrounding Concil members seemed thoroughly disturbed by that idea, which Yaddle gave voice to a moment later. "Capable of such an ability, no Jedi is. If Force power this is, our enemy's it must be."
Despite many years being aware of the presence of a new Sith Lord, no progress had been truly made. Capable of hiding their Force presence, they'd eluded the Jedi many times, even when clear evidence of their meddling had been found. Still, there had been no indication that such an ability was in their repertoire.
"Master Windu," Yoda said calmly. "Your counsel, I would have. Shatterpoint, this is?"
Sharp intakes of breath came from the other members. Mace Windu's unique ability to perceive these Shatterpoints in the Force made him an invaluable ally and able to provide insight others simply couldn't.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused on perceiving through the Force. After a few moments, he opened his eyes once more. "This… no, it isn't. At least, not that I can see. If anything, it feels like it should be, but… there's nothing in the Force that tells me it is."
"Most unusual, this is," the Grandmaster murmured into the quiet room. Everyone waited to hear his next words. "But, nothing can be done, for the moment. Outside of our reach, Korriban is. Another day, answers we will search for. Careful attention in the coming years, we must give, hm?"
"I'll speak with our Exploration corps," Master Tiin stated. "Make sure they're on the lookout for any planet matching the size and description we have of this… New Korriban."
Windu nodded assent. "The Republic should know to be aware, too. They can cover far more ground than we can."
"That may not be wise," Poof countered. "Can you imagine the panic that may arise in the public if it became public knowledge that an entire planet suddenly changed and then ran away on its own?"
"Discretion must be exercised, but we will still most likely need the Republic's help in finding it." Gallia undercut the tension and rising argument between the two men. "I'll handle dealing with the Republic and emphasize subtlety."
"Duties to attend, we have," Yoda summarized. "If nothing else, there is, then this meeting is concluded."
Some holograms clicked off and the remaining members departed the chambers, leaving a very ponderous Yoda to ruminate on these most unique developments.
Elsewhere on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine was sitting in his cushy diplomatic suite in the city, going over the very same data as the Jedi Council with very similar concerns and questions, though taken in a different direction.
There was little doubt in the man's mind that this was indeed some kind of powerful Dark Force technique, as no Jedi had ever been capable of something on this scale. Even his old master, Darth Plagueis, would have never been able to reach such heights of power. He made similar connections to Darth Nihilus' fabled abilities, but this wasn't that. This was some kind of transformative Force Parasite. This was new, dangerous, a mystery.
Naturally, Darth Sidious desired it greatly.
However, his greed was tempered with practiced ease, and well-honed caution furthered the questions in his mind. He and his Master had been the last Two, as there always had been, and he was the current Master, though lacking a true Apprentice. So then who was it that was out there, employing such a powerful ability? Whoever they were, they were clearly both powerful and a great fool. The amount of Dark Side Force to be gained by draining and utilizing the many tombs of the Sith on Korriban was enough to cripple entire worlds or bring the Jedi to their knees, yet they only used it to turn the blasted planet into something that could support life. Moreover, they failed to sense a Republic scout ship that then spotted them. A true Sith should always remain in the shadows, revealing themselves only when it was time to strike decisively. Power came with arrogance, and perhaps this unknown Sith Lord had noticed and simply not cared that the Republic would know of their existence.
Palpatine paused as he pondered that thought. Yes, the Jedi would become aware of them. However, it may also have been an invitation to all other Sith in the galaxy. Palpatine's own power was not inconsiderable and was growing by the day. Perhaps this unknown Master was leaving a rallying call to any who were clever and powerful enough to discover them? Surely any Sith that could track them down would be worthy of instructing. It may be a test; find them before the Jedi or Republic do, and you will have proven yourself in the eyes of this Sith Lord.
Bold, daring, even taunting. It was exactly the sort of thing a powerful Sith would do.
Activating his privacy measures, Palpatine donned his hood and made a holo-call to his most promising pupil.
Count Dooku appeared in his handheld transmitter, kneeling as was required. "What is thy bidding, my Master?"
"A new and powerful Sith Lord has revealed themselves to the Galaxy, Count Dooku," he stated slowly and ominously. "They have taken Korriban, drained its Force, and used it in ways unseen." He sent the data he'd acquired through their connection for Dooku's later perusal. "I want Korriban found. When you have discovered its location, you will inform me immediately."
"Yes, my Master."
"I do not expect this to be an easy task, Dooku, and do not let this impede your current tasks. However, I will not accept failure in this. We must find it before the Jedi do. Is that understood?"
"Yes, my Master."
"Good." He disconnected the call.
Somewhere, a new power was rising in the Force, and he intended to take all he could from them before finally killing them and retaking his rightful title of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy.
Then, Darth Sidious would be truly invincible.
Well-worn hands fiddled with a grunged motherboard. It was a careful, meticulous process, cleaning those out. One wrong tap to knock some of the sand off and you could erase half the hard drive. Use the wrong cleaning solvent for the type of metals integrated in that particular board and you'd corrode the parts. A shaky grip when using a micro-laser to remove the more persistent filth may scorch the circuits. Hers were experienced hands, though, and handled the task with care and efficiency. It had been two hours of work, but the job was done, and it promised a fair few peggats when she delivered it.
Not that she knew what exactly she was planning to do with the money. Not with Ani gone.
Shmi sighed, placing her tools back on her workbench in their proper places. It hadn't even been a year since Anakin had been taken by the Jedi. Watto had her working harder for the month following their departure. Sometimes, she wondered if it was his way of trying to take her mind off it or if he needed her to pull the weight Anakin used to help with at the shop. Watto had always been hard to read, and she was never quite sure if he was showing kindness or just didn't care. It was a better fate than many other slaves - that, she was sure of.
She knew he would be happier there, on Coruscant. He'd have a good life, grow strong and free, and one day even come back. Even if he couldn't come back, it was still for the best. No child should have to grow up a slave, and certainly not in a place like Mos Espa. Traveling the galaxy and learning the Force was probably the best life he could have.
No matter how many times she reminded herself of those things, it still wrenched her heart to know that she may very well never see him again. He had left and taken a part of her with him. How could a mother be whole without her child?
She shook her head, willing away the sadness. She would be happy for him. He wouldn't want her to be sad. Instead, she glanced out the window. It was late, later than she'd realized. She'd gotten to work on the board after dinner and it must have been a long job, as the sun had clearly set a while ago. Lacking other things to do, she decided to just do some mindless tidying up before she settled in for the night.
No sooner had she grabbed a broom to attack the eternal sand and dust that decorated the floor of her modest dwelling than a knock came to the door. This was very unexpected, as she hadn't been expecting any company, and Watto never knocked. Her heart seized for a moment as she considered that it may be some kind of robber. Whatever little she may have, it was still more than others; and in Mos Espa, that was enough for some.
The knocking came again, a little softer than before, and she was somewhat reassured by that. A robber would have just broken in by this point, right? Or at least tried calling out for someone inside. Maybe it was just her client, that Zabrak fellow, and he was hoping it was done early. That was probably it. One hand clenched the broom tightly as she approached the door. With a deep breath, she opened it and just barely managed not to give a startled scream.
Two people. Two tall people; humans, by the looks of it. Only humans generally didn't have eyes that glowed or shifted. The outfits were bizarre as well, and definitely not designed for desert weather. The man was wearing some kind of doctor outfit, if an unusual one. The woman looked younger than she was and had what looked like a sword strapped to her back, which sent another course of fear in her. Bodyguards of the Hutts or other criminals tended to carry melee weapons in Mos Espa.
"Hello?" she said, doing her best to remain calm.
"Hello," the tanned woman said with a smile. "Sorry to bother you this late, Ms. Skywalker, took us a bit to find you and we had a busy day."
Well, she sounded friendly enough, so Shmi swallowed and nodded. "It's fine. Can I help you?"
"Well, yes, sort of. Oh!" she stopped herself, giving a wry grin. "We should introduce ourselves. My name's Fu."
"And I'm her husband, Doctor Ikimono. Or just Ito, if you prefer," the man followed with a deeper voice and slight smile. "We wanted to speak with you, if you were available. May we come in?"
Just looking at them, she could tell they could probably break down the door if they wanted, so there wasn't any harm in just inviting them in. "Yes, please. May I get you something to drink?" She asked as she stepped aside and let them past, the doctor needing to duck.
"If it's no trouble, then yes, thank you," he replied.
She shut the door, then went to retrieve a pitcher of blue milk from the fridge. The familiar motions put her more at ease, and by the time she was pouring them both a glass, she felt far calmer.
"Hey, this is pretty good," the woman named Fu declared after they'd both taken a drink.
"Always wanted to try this," her husband said with an amused smile, as if thinking of a private joke. "And yeah, it's better than expected. Thank you."
For the first time since their arrival, Shmi chanced a smile. "So, Miss Fu, Mister Ikimono-"
The girl waved a hand. "It's okay Ms. Skywalker, you can just call us by our names if you want."
"Then you can call me Shmi, dear," she said kindly, receiving a smile in return. "What do you want to talk with me about?"
Doctor Ikimono leaned forward, interlacing his fingers together. "To cut right to the chase, Shmi, we're here to offer you your freedom."
Her eyes widened. "You mean… you would buy my contract? And free me?"
"No," Fu said, causing her heart to sink for a moment, "we mean we'd destroy that slave implant of yours and give you a ride off this crappy planet."
Shmi felt her heart getting whiplash from the way it suddenly leapt, causing her to put a hand to her chest to steady herself. Two strangers had just come into her home late at night and told her they could free her from slavery. She wondered for a moment if she was dreaming, but a quick and subtle pinch to her leg confirmed it was real.
"Wh- what? How? Why?" her words caught in her throat.
"We'd like to free you," the doctor repeated. "The how is because we're powerful enough to do something like that no problem. It wouldn't even hurt you."
"And for the why, a few reasons," the younger woman began. "For one, well, I respect the hell out of you for giving up your only child to try and give them a better life. I want to see the happy ending resulting from that decision."
Maybe it was because she wanted to believe it, but the stranger's words felt sincere. The sentiment brought a tear to Shmi's eye.
"For another, I personally find slavery distasteful," Ikimono continued. "Much as waging a two-person war on this entire planet to end the practice of slavery sounds fun, it would almost certainly cause more problems than it would solve, and dealing with those new problems is not something I'm keen on. Saving one person, though, is a simple matter."
That was something she agreed on. She hated slavery, wished it wouldn't exist any more, but you couldn't just try to wipe it out in a day and expect things to go well. It was the harsh reality she'd known for many years.
"Another reason is regarding the Jedi themselves."
"What about the Jedi?" Shmi asked, concerned. Granted, she hadn't had much knowledge about Jedi beyond common knowledge, but Master Qui-Gon-Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi seemed like good people.
Fu's face twisted into something between a scowl and a grimace. "A lot of things about them are bad and don't make sense. It's too much to really get into right now, but an example is the whole 'no personal attachments' thing. The Order thinks having emotions is bad. It's stupid and dangerous, and it makes the kids who become younglings and padawans think of the Order as their only family, even when plenty of them had real families."
"Qui-Gon Jinn was an outlier by Jedi standards, nearly an outcast. His behaviors and methods were very much not standard Jedi Doctrine," Ikimono explained further. "Most won't be like him."
The blue-clad woman drained the remainder of her glass and put the cup back down a bit roughly. "You love your son, and he loves you. That shouldn't go away just because the Jedi get all worked up over people having emotions."
"Which is why, if you choose to accept our offer, we would be willing to arrange accommodations for you on Coruscant." The doctor leaned back. "It would take some subtlety and careful handling for him to sneak away from the Order for visits, but I'm sure you'd be able to find times to see Anakin again. Not to mention how much better life is on Coruscant compared to here."
That hadn't been something she'd really thought about. Sure, people talked about how Jedi weren't supposed to have attachments, but when they put it like that, she had a pang of worry for Ani. What exactly would the Jedi be teaching her son?
It was the fact that they said his name that suddenly sprang to her awareness. "Hold on, how do you two even know all this?" They knew her name, where she lived, what happened to her son… in her shock, she hadn't questioned it, but it was now all she could think about.
Her two guests shared a glance and slight smile. "In simple terms, we're both incredibly powerful and can see many things." With a nod, the table and chairs started floating with all them sitting in it.
Shmi yelped at the sudden display and would have probably tipped right out of her chair if an unseen force hadn't steadied her. They remained in the air for a few moments before gently floating back down. "Are you two Jedi? Outcasts?" she asked in wonder.
"No, and we never will be," Ikimono refuted firmly, so much she was caught off guard. Do they have problems with the Jedi?
"We're just on vacation," Fu continued. "We saw what happened with you and your son and wanted to do something about it."
She supposed that was as straight an answer as she was going to get with how they were dancing around it. In the end, it didn't really matter who or what they were. They were giving her the chance to be free and even see her son. However, she still had one burning question. "What do you want in return?"
Tanned hands reached over and rested on her own, which had been laying on the table. "Nothing extreme or dangerous, I promise. Just a bit of caretaking."
It didn't take long for her to reach a decision. With a deep breath, Shmi nodded. "Yes. Yes, please, set me free and take me to my son."
A warm tingle somewhere on her spine surprised her. "Slave chip destroyed." Ito glanced about the home. "Go ahead and gather everything you'd like to take with you, and don't worry about the size. Whatever you want to keep will come along."
Shmi rose from the table, her hands slightly shaking with excitement and nerves. She was really doing it. She was leaving. She was going to be free. She was going to see her son.
Packing everything was a blur with her mind as distracted as it was, but she made sure not to forget anything important, like C-3PO. Anakin worked hard on him, he'd be glad to see him again. Shmi had briefly considered leaving a note for Watto, but decided against it. At the end of it all, he had still considered her and Ani his property. Whatever she left behind for him to find was more than enough to assuage any lingering guilt or uncertainty.
"All ready, then?" Ito asked, surveying her pile of meager belongings.
Not trusting her voice, as if speaking would shatter the illusion and reveal it all as a dream, she just gave a nod.
Her mind went a bit foggy, something dark appeared off to her side, and she felt a bit tired. For some reason, none of that worried her as the woman offered her hand to guide Shmi.
"Okay. To Coruscant, then."
He fought to keep the smile off his face. It wouldn't do to show emotion, being a Jedi Knight now, but mostly he just didn't want to encourage his excitable young padawan.
Anakin was an… interesting student. At times, he seemed to follow his master's every word as the law itself, and others he would pout at and fight. However, he took to his lessons on the force and other physical matters with vigor. It was a good thing he was such an able student, considering how much older he was than was generally accepted for someone to start their training as a Jedi. Most children his age had been training for upwards of six years or more.
Perhaps that was why he was so willful and argumentative at times. Usually, when a Jedi took on a Padawan, their student had the Jedi Code and teachings drilled into them like a droid. They'd been living the life of a Jedi-in-training for so long and were prepared for further individual teachings. Anakin, however, had already been 9. He'd spent years as a slave in one of the most uncivilized planets in the galaxy. He had to grow up quickly to survive, learn quickly to adapt, and assert himself so he didn't get stepped on by the criminals and scum of Mos Espa.
He could see how those habits had kept him alive and well on Tatooine, but they didn't serve him well in his pursuit of being a Jedi. And, again, it wasn't always. When Anakin actually listened and followed instruction, he was a fantastic student that any Jedi would be proud to call Padawan. He was intelligent, but more importantly; he was intuitive. The boy was able to think outside the box, propose alternatives to problems presented to him, and work with everything he had on hand to tackle a scenario.
Trying to balance the importance of theoretical lessons and philosophical teachings that Anakin disliked against the practical lessons he thrived on and enjoyed was a careful act, but he thought it more than worth the effort. Balance was everything to a Jedi, and if he couldn't balance his student's training, how could he hope to maintain balance in the galaxy?
His efforts had started to bear fruit. Anakin and he had started building more of a proper rapport, and the boy seemed more and more willing to trust and take his instruction, even if he didn't like it. Conversely, he found himself getting on well with a boy who had more wits to him than certain other Jedi in the temple. Even if he lacked sense at times.
Obi-Wan lost his fight with his smile. Just like me, I suppose.
"Master Obi-Wan! Check these out!" Anakin called as he ran over to a shop window.
Having been in isolated training for many months, Obi-Wan decided to reward his apprentice by going out and wandering around the upper levels of Coruscant for a day. Anakin always wanted to explore the planet, since it was so different to his former home. He'd argued that he was smart enough to know how to avoid shady people and his mom trusted him to be out on his own, but Obi-Wan wasn't about to let the young Padawan go romping around on his own. They'd only been out about an hour from the temple by this point, mostly just letting Anakin look at all the buildings and people, when the boy spotted the display.
Anakin looked like he was holding himself back from placing his hands on the glass of the display on a droid store. Glancing at his master through the reflection, Anakin pointed at the R3 unit. "It's got the latest drivers for computer interface, extended utility space, and a faster motor for the treads!"
"Should R2-D2 be worried that you're looking to replace him?" Obi-Wan asked with amusement.
"Psh!" the Padawan waved the thought away. "I wouldn't replace Artoo. But I could strip the parts from these newer models and give him an upgrade!"
"Well, I'm sure it would be very impressive," and he did mean that, as he'd seen Anakin's engineering prowess many times, "but you can't afford it."
Jedi with Padawans received a monthly stipend from the Order to procure items they may need and help with expenses for travel or similar things. Obi-Wan had decided to split the stipend with Anakin as a lesson on financial responsibility and a way of showing his trust in him. It's what Qui-Gon would have done.
It was a lesson he'd hardly needed to bother with. Anakin had grown up dealing with money and knew its value. He wasn't the sort of boy to spend it on a whim and had been carefully saving his meager allowance. Upgrading R2 would be, in his opinion, one of the best ways to spend it. Still, it was nowhere near enough being able to afford a new droid, or even the parts.
"I could if you chipped in! It's for Artoo!"
Glancing at the price under the display piece, Obi-Wan hid a grimace. "Maybe, but not right now. Besides, this is just one shop."
Anakin blinked, then gave a sheepish grin. "Yeah, you're right. Always better to check the other places when you're looking for something. Get the best deal," he said more to himself. He was probably thinking of many years of haggling with traders in Mos Espa.
"Come along, then. We've got plenty to see, still."
They left the shop and meandered around for a few more hours, pausing now and then to browse other stores and gaze at sights. They stopped at one of the higher level bridges that extended between a commercial district and a grocer district, leaving most of the city-world far beneath them. Leaning on the railing, they gazed out, watching the travel of hover cars criss-crossing across the sky in an endless trail.
At some point, Obi-Wan felt Anakin trying to extend his Force senses out to feel the world around them, which he rather approved of. Getting in some training out here would be good for him, experiencing the different hum of the life and Force around him compared to back in the Temple. Obi-Wan extended his senses as well and felt Anakin grasping for the connection to their surroundings.
"Easy, Anakin," Obi-Wan said in a slight lecturing tone. "Remember, the Force is in everything. Do not try to take it or seize it. Simply open yourself and let the Force in."
The young boy nodded and tried to relax. He waited with held breath to feel the touch of the Force on his senses, but was too eager and tried to grab the connection when he felt it. He gave an annoyed scowl when he felt it recede.
"Patience," the Jedi Knight lectured once more. "Do not let your frustration or eagerness betray you. There is no emotion-"
"-there is peace. Yes, I know master." Anakin took a deep breath. Obi-Wan felt his mind start to clear and abandon distracting thoughts. Slowly, more carefully, the young boy opened himself to the world once again.
Satisfied, the teacher allowed his own senses to expand. He wasn't a prodigy, nor was Force sensing his strong suit, but he was a Jedi Knight and was well able to feel the many lives around him. Coruscant was a thriving, densely populated world. Handling this much input would make good training for Anakin, and even himself. So they stood there, gazing out into the vast metropolis as their minds made contact with the hum of the Force that was so dense in the world.
Which is why they were both very startled when they heard a loud "BARK!" right behind them.
Anakin was snapped out of his almost-trance, tried to leap to the ready as he was trained, but instead fell over in his surprise. Obi-Wan spun around, hand reflexively going for his lightsaber, but stopped short when he saw what had so loudly caught them off guard. It was a large dog. So large, in fact, that it nearly matched Anakin's own height at a little over a meter tall. White and silver fur covered its large body. Sharp and defined teeth filled its happily panting mouth, and it started at them with eyes of such a rich blue they seemed like sapphire. Atop its head were two ears that stood tall, though the left one appeared to have a scar straight down the middle that terminated somewhere on its scalp.
Unbothered by the reaction it generated, the hound trotted over to the boy who was sitting up and started to lick his hands.
"Oh! Uh, hey there big guy, yes, it's nice to meet you, would you stop for a second?" He stumbled out his words amidst the affections of the creature and tried to stand up without pushing it away.
Obi-Wan, though happy to see it wasn't a threat of some kind, was quite surprised as he actively tried to feel for the dog's Force presence and found nothing. The dog registered as nonexistent to his non-organic senses. It wasn't even a vacuum, it was just ignored completely. He had heard of creatures like this, certainly. Biologically, it was very rare for Force-blank creatures to occur, but they did happen. However, it was more common that such beings were genetically engineered by Sith.
Looking at the great fluffy thing as it sat in front of his Padawan and actually obeyed his commands of "Shake!" and "Roll over!" he couldn't help but be skeptical it was the latter. The Sith were not known for their fondness of cute creations, far preferring horribly mutated appearances that struck fear into their enemies. Still, it begged the questions of what it was and where it came from.
"Legion! Come back here! Oh, I'm sorry sirs!" a woman's voice came from the far end of the bridge. The two Jedi turned and spotted a woman in nice clothing jogging towards them, bags of groceries in one hand. "He just ran off, I hope he didn't…" her words trailed off as she got closer. "Anakin?"
Shocked, the boy stared at the woman that he now recognized as his mother. Her clothing was quite different, as was her posture. Even her face had a change to it. Her features seemed lighter, cleaner, and more relaxed than either Jedi had recalled her looking on Tatooine.
The Knight made to speak, but didn't get the chance. Like an invisible signal had been given, Shmi dropped her bags as she and Anakin both ran towards each other. The lad practically Force-lept into her arms, and they held each other tightly as she stumbled a bit under the momentum. Both were shedding tears freely.
"Mom," he croaked. "M-Mom…"
"Oh sweetie," she whispered back. "I missed you so much."
This is… Obi-Wan didn't want to say "impossible," but it certainly felt appropriate. He could tell with certainty that this was indeed Shmi Skywalker, albeit a healthier and livelier one than the Shmi he'd last seen. "Ms. Skywalker, what are you doing here?"
Releasing her son, though he clung close to her side, she addressed the Jedi. "I… well, I was freed and given a job offer here."
"But how? And by whom?"
Legion barked, then walked over and picked up the bags Shmi had dropped, bringing them over to her with his teeth. The woman smiled, giving the dog a pat on the head and accepting the suspiciously dry handles. "It's a bit of a story. Please, would you two join me for dinner? We'll be able to catch up."
"Of course we will, Mom!" Anakin shouted immediately.
Obi-Wan nodded seriously. "That sounds nice. Then, please lead the way." Anakin's mother suddenly appearing on Coruscant? There had to be something larger at play here. He needed to get answers, then maybe contact Master Yoda for guidance.
As it turned out, Shmi didn't live too far away. He'd expected a modest dwelling, down a few levels in one of the more affordable areas of the planet. Instead, it was a tower apartment building just on the other side of the grocer district. Anakin chatted incessantly, recounting all of his training with eagerness and joy to his smiling mother. She cooed and praised his hard work, sometimes rubbing his hair affectionately. Legion walked on her other side, his large size serving to help clear their path easily as he was quite visible to other pedestrians. Obi-Wan walked behind them, observing the woman and the dog with careful scrutiny. His many burning questions sat quietly in his mind, held at bay by the promise of an explanation.
The woman paused at the door to pull out some kind of identity card that was waved in front of a scanner, which unlocked the door with an audible click. "Well, here it is," she said a little nervously, then pushed it open and led the way inside.
It was… roomy. Like a studio apartment, the front door led to a wide open area, tall enough that there was a balcony and upper floor visible from the door. The furnishings all looked new and comfortable, the appliances as well. To one side, a large window allowed them to see out into the city skyline just as easily as they'd been doing on the bridge. At a glance, Obi-Wan could recognize that it was far stronger than normal glass. There were shutters, retracted at the moment, that could be closed to offer privacy and greater security. Most incongruous were the number and variety of potted plants dotted around the space; some had crawling ivy vines that went up the wall and added to the decor, some bore fruit, some merely flowers, and others he couldn't speculate on.
"Wooooaaah!" Anakin called as he ran inside. "It's so big in here! It's like some of the rooms at the Temple!"
"I didn't need this much space," Shmi admitted a bit sheepishly, "but they insisted. Said it's always nice to have room to breathe in crowded planets like Coruscant."
"Would you be willing to explain who 'they' are now, Ms. Skywalker?" the Knight asked. He didn't want to seem impatient, but he was too distracted by this mystery to focus on much else.
"Oh, of course. I'll tell you while I prepare dinner," she agreed and walked off to the kitchen area. "And you can call me Shmi, master Kenobi."
"Just Obi-Wan for me then, as well," he acquiesced and sat down at the table. Anakin took another chair and Legion ambled over, resting his head on Anakin's knee.
Shmi proceeded to regale them with the story of two strange and powerful people who had come before her one night in Tatooine. They'd spoken of Anakin, of her life, of the Jedi, and finally their job offer. She'd been vague on the details of how exactly they arrived on Coruscant, or how they afforded to give her such a place, but those weren't crucial details.
"I was shocked to find my caretaking duty would be looking after Legion and these plants." Shmi popped the dish into the oven to cook. "I mean, I'm no gardener or veterinarian. Still, it's not very hard. The plants just need some water every day, and Legion here is very well trained," she said with a smile, sitting down next to Anakin with Legion between them, tongue lolling out and looking up with a happy dog grin. "Him running out like he did today was the first time he's acted out."
Two people capable of telekinetic feats, destroying slave chips in the body without damaging the person, with personal knowledge on Anakin and his mother, clear distaste for Jedi, but enough generosity to provide for this woman and grant her freedom. His first thoughts were of Sith manipulations, perhaps a subtler approach than Maul's attempt at assassination, some way of alienating Anakin from the Jedi or keeping an eye on her as a hostage for the boy when the time came.
Yet, his own instincts rejected those ideas. They could just as easily have moved her anywhere else in the galaxy if they wanted a hostage, somewhere where the Jedi did not dwell in large numbers. And if there was some attempt at coercing Anakin to the Dark Side or merely against the Jedi, they would have been here as well; implying the boy owed them for freeing his mother and denouncing the Jedi. And no matter which way he looked at it, they had been kind to Shmi. He wasn't sure he bought the reasons they gave to her, but no other explanations were forthcoming.
"Shmi, how long have you been living on Coruscant?" the man asked.
"Only about a month."
Not too long ago. Were they waiting for something? Or did they really just recently arrive? What else happened around that time? "And you haven't seen them since then?"
She shook her head. "They told me they wouldn't be around very often, but they trusted me to take care of everything while they were gone."
"Did they give you any means of contacting them: An address, planet of origin, communications number?"
"None." The woman frowned. "Actually, I hadn't even thought to ask for those."
"When you see them again, would you do so?" Obi-Wan pressed. "I'd like to be able to reach them myself."
"Yes, I will."
"So we'll be coming back soon!" Anakin declared happily. "I'll come visit often, Mom!"
With the sudden change of subject, Shmi's smile returned. "I hope so, Ani."
This… left Obi-Wan in a predicament; and not a small one, either.
The Jedi Code expressly forbade personal attachments and relationships. This usually wasn't a problem due to most Younglings being little more than infants when they are taken in by the Order and grow up barely able to remember their parents. Anakin's continued interaction with his mother was a clear violation of the Code. Continuing to harbor that relationship would be dangerous, leading Anakin to one day needing to make a choice between doing what was right and doing something to protect Shmi. The clear decision was to forbid Anakin's further interaction with her.
There were a great many problems in the way of making that clear decision, though. He needed information on this mystery duo, which would be difficult to attain if Shmi wasn't cooperative. More than that, it would very possibly alienate Anakin from him for the rest of his training. They'd just begun to really bond as student and teacher. Denying him the one thing he cared about as much as being a Jedi itself would just as surely lead him down the path of resentment and anger that led to the Dark Side, no doubt.
Mostly, however, the man just couldn't bring himself to do it. Sitting there, observing the mother and son as they began chatting away like old times, the loyal hound inserting himself into the middle and garnering laughs from two Skywalkers, the look of a happy home and cheerful reunion… he cared for Anakin. How could he deny him this opportunity?
It would have to be kept secret, that much was also clear. Preferential treatment and continued violation of the Code like this would sit ill with the Council, and not all were as understanding as Obi-Wan was about Anakin's outbursts or rebellious attitude. They may outright forbid their contact without any consideration for what it might do to the boy. It would mean he'd need to shift some of their training around, emphasize mental defences sooner rather than later to help protect the secret.
In his mind, he sighed. Barely had my first apprentice for a year and I'm already going against the Code. Master Qui-Gon probably would have approved. Master Yoda will give me guidance… I hope.
"We may not be able to visit often, Anakin." Obi-Wan held up a hand to forestall a rebuttal. "Your training comes first, and you'll soon be expected to accompany me on missions. However, we may be able to from time to time, so long as we keep it quiet. The Council would not approve."
"Yes! Thank you, Master!" the boy shouted jubilantly. He stood up and gave a proper bow. "I'll never forget this!"
He smiled, though it was somewhat forced. "We can discuss details for future visits later. For now, why don't we eat?"
"And then can we see all the rooms?" Anakin asked his mother.
She laughed. "Of course, Anakin. And, you'll be happy to hear, I brought C-3PO here too."
He grinned. "I'll be able to get him working in no time, now."
The conversation turned to Shmi talking about what she'd been doing since her arrival while Anakin suggested things they would do when they saw each other next time. Obi-Wan stayed mostly quiet, contemplating his decision and lost in his own thoughts about this sudden change to their lives.
Observing this heartfelt reunion remotely, Fu couldn't help but grin. This was definitely a better outcome than just killing Anakin to prevent him from becoming Darth Vader. At least, for now. It was still an option if things didn't work out.
With a little application of divine will, she wove a careful protection around the minds of the three humans. Nothing crazy, just a little something to prevent Shmi's existence and their visits from being picked up by mind reading or coercion. In a galaxy full of mind-readers and torture devices, it was good to cover your tracks.
She could have just teleported over to where she felt Palpatine skulking around in his chambers doing bad guy stuff, turned him inside-out, and let the galaxy calm down without him manipulating everything, but Ito had asked her not to do that. For one, he had some vague plans, and for another, he didn't want things to get boring quite so quickly.
After all, it was vacation. It wouldn't be fun if the most interesting part was removed right when they got there.
Fu took one last look at the trio, gave Legion a telekinetic pat on the head, and vanished.
Heyo, folks.
Welcome to the future! Try not to break it.
As some of you may recall, when I was writing Thread Plague, I asked for suggestions for cool places or story arcs for Fu and Ito to check out. Well, I have a similar request here.
Given that there are millions of planets in the Republic at this part in the timeline, even if the vast majority are apparently not important enough for Lucas Films to characterize and detail, there's gotta be a lot of really interesting ones. Ito and Fu are here on vacation, after all, so if you can recommend some planets or specific places worth visiting, I'm open for ideas. I'm wanting this fic to be more of a sightseeing tour for a bit and I want to give you readers the good ones. This is definitely not me being ignorant of the larger Star Wars Lore.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Fuck Disney, so if you've got suggestions that are considered "Non-Canon" then throw them my way anyhow. As long as they're not fanfiction things themselves, I'm probably down for it. My own knowledge of Canon and consistency is being buoyed by Wiki articles and it's a certainty I'm going to make mistakes about the rules or the timelines. So don't pop a blood vessel if I fail to account for certain characters doing certain actions at certain times or what have you. You can leave a review, certainly. Many decent ideas for TP came out of reviews.
If you've enjoyed Thread Plague and want to help support me writing this story as well, and you're feeling particularly generous, please feel free to head over to my Pat*reon, the link to which can be found in my profile bio.
Thanks for reading, take care.
-Waki
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