Squealing was heard from within Jabitha as we rejoin the group now headed towards Empyrean space. There was one place in particular that Anakin wanted to return to as he was to deliver the good news.
There were many people waiting for him on Tatooine and it would be remiss of him not to meet with them again.
"Ahsoka, why dont you calm down." Aayla called out from where she was seated.
No one was piloting the ship, as Jabitha was fully capable of handling herself.
Ahsoka was just having too much fun within the ship. She had never been on Jabitha before and was extremely interested in what exactly Jabitha was. Living, the ship is living and Ahsoka is hooked on the fact that 'she' is living and connected to Anakin through a special bond, not like the one he shares with the others.
But it was something different in nature and because of this Ahsoka wanted to know more about it.
"This is so cool! Ani, Why didn't you take me on this ship?" Ahsoka asked as she came around.
"Well, now that you are my apprentice, I believe that if Jabitha allows it of course, that you may use her as much as you like." Anakin replied.
Aboard Jabitha, they were all doing their own things and from time to time would converse with each other as there really much else to do other than watch things. There was however, the stuff Anakin had installed into Jabitha because he didn't want to be bored himself when using Jabitha to travel to places.
She may be fast but that doesn't mean she is absolute, meaning that that there is always room for improvement but he knew that if Jabitha got any more faster than she was now, it could start to break down space-time around them. Moving so fast that she would create breaks or wormholes within time and space just by her speed.
Which would be dangerous if the exterior of her hull is unable to resist such a force.
"Really? And how did you know that Master Yoda made me your padawan?" Ahsoka had this curious look on her face.
"I dont know? Maybe I can read your mind." Anakin replied.
"You can if you wanted to, but I know that you wouldn't." Ahsoka said in full confidence of his moral standing.
"You are right about that." Anakin replied. "I think that now you are my apprentice, it should be around the time I start taking your training seriously."
"W-What?" Ahsoka stammered. "B-But... I wanted to go play those virtual reality video games."
"There is no time to have fun with that, come. We will use the training sabers I have. Lets see just where your lightsaber combat abilities stand." Anakin stated as he started to walk into another room.
"But we dont even have proper sabers to use anymore..." Ahsoka was starting to question the sanity of Anakin as she followed after him.
Aayla, Shaak and Barriss were within their own worlds as they had full access to the ship as well. It was hug enough to house all of them, with separate bedrooms and all. In fact, Jabitha had 6 rooms and Aayla had taken to going to Anakin's room during their short trip to the Empyrean.
While Anakin and Ahsoka were within the room that had been temporarily remodeled into somewhere everyone could train because they now needed to reacquaint themselves to combat without lightsabers, at least for the time being. Aayla and Barriss were having a conversation.
A conversation that wasn't heated but because Barriss was slightly sad and jealous due to Anakin having already gone ahead and married Aayla and Padme, she wanted to do so as well.
"Hey, Barriss." Aayla greeted the slightly downtrodden girl.
"Yes?" Barriss didn't hate or feel angry at anyone in particular, since she knew the situation and was well aware of what could happen. She more so mad at herself for having waited this long and now another woman has entered into a relationship with Anakin without being bound by the Dyad.
"Don't worry." Aayla said as she patted her shoulder.
"That's easy for you to say. You are the one married to Ani, having SEX with him." Barriss gave Aayla a pointed look.
"Huh!? H-How did you know? I thought no one could hear..." Aayla whispered the last part to herself and was surprised to discover that the interior of Jabitha isn't as soundproof as she thought. "Jabitha! I thought you could cancel out the sound." Aayla spoke out loud and Jabitha replied mentally to Aayla.
'I am though...' Jabitha said though telepathic communication.
"Of course we could feel it." Barriss started.
"Feel it?" Aayla questioned now feeling very confused.
"Through the bond remember, we feel everything Anakin feels if he doesn't block himself." Barriss said thinking Aayla had gone a bit blank within her mind.
"B-But, I thought could." Aayla stammered as she was trying to come with a reliable answer as to why this has happened.
"I thought so as well." Shaak came into this situation as she had also felt Aayla and Anakin's passionate time together which also happened to allow them to feel that same pleasure and release.
Shaak continued with a little blush. "I believe that from how I understand it is that because of the closeness and vicinity to each other, we are able to feel it."
That is right, the Force Dyad becomes stronger and stronger and at some point becomes so strong to the point it would be unbreakable, throughout time and space. How does this relate to the inability to block out the bond?
Simple. While Anakin was extremely powerful and had developed his mental capabilities to be able to stop most of the transmission of feelings, the strength of the bond, or more in particular, the strength of the invasiveness of the Dyad was strengthen the close the bonded are closer to each other.
While Anakin could stop memories and thoughts through the bond while in such close proximity, when it came to the act of making love, Anakin had very little control in such transmissions of emotions.
That is right, when near each other Anakin and the girls should be able to sense each others emotional state, based on the bond. The further away, the harder it is to sense those emotions but because of such strength, if someone wanted to know what they were feeling they could do so.
"This is quite embarrassing... So you all felt what Anakin and myself shared?" Aayla asked with a blush of her own.
"Yes." Shaak and Barriss both said at the same, with Shaak just giving Aayla a deadpan while Barriss bore holes into Aayla's head.
"Woah! Calm down there, it isn't my fault that you haven't approached Ani yourself." Aayla said as she saw Barriss' look.
Barriss looked away. "I know that." She harrumphed.
"Stop being like that, you know how Ani feels, and you also know how you feel. So what is stopping you? We are not apart of the Jedi anymore, we are free to do what we want, however much we want with Ani." Shaak said as Barriss was being a grump.
"I dont know." Barriss said more to herself rather than the others.
[]
"Ok, we are here." Anakin stated as he exited the ship. He was excited because he could finally put to ease the uneasy feeling of staying with the Jedi, as he knew this was from the Force telling him that it would be bad to stay any longer.
He knew of this fact himself, but it great to know that the Force is starting to more and more let him be and do his own thing without trying to direct him. Of course it would still do so, but that is par for the course about how the Force is.
The reason he could put to why the Force was not acting on getting him to turn to the dark side and destroy the Jedi, then return to the light and destroy the Sith is probably because of the massive progress it had made in 'balancing' its energies on Geonosis.
"So this is your home planet?" Ahsoka asked as she was beside him. Compared to him, her height was quite small despite her age of 15, which made a stark contrast between the two.
Of course, Anakin still had a stark contrast between himself and most other people or species due to his height, but that didn't get in his way. He still kept his nimbleness, flexibility and everything else that would could with the territory.
Even the problem of the chance of dying younger due to being taller isn't a problem to him. Now with his advanced healing factor, immortality, biological and cellular repair and recycling of materials within himself.
"Yes, this sand filled, torturous heat and double suns you see in the sky is par for the course here on Tatooine." Anakin answered Ahsoka.
"It isn't that bad though." Ahsoka said as she stared into the sky, through the glass like dome covering the city they had arrived in.
"That is because you are protected by this bio-sphere. It creates an artificial environment with, meaning that everything here is controlled to work properly. The heat, the wind and the rain. Everything." Anakin said as the other girls exited the ship.
"That is quite cool." Ahsoka said.
"Yes, it can even control the weather, and even simulate the passage of time. What I mean by this is that those within will experience seasonal patterns and as time passes they could get used to this. There are other things, not about the bio-sphere but within the homes constructed to replicate this affect however." Anakin said, now being rejoined with Aayla, Barriss and Shaak with everything they could or would take from the Jedi temple.
"Why is that?" Ahsoka asked before adding. "I mean, why would anyone spend resources for even the homes to have the same or similar effects."
"Because, Humans aren't the only inhabitants throughout Tatooine, or even throughout the Empyrean's space." Anakin said before continuing. "The people here can live within an environment that is best suited to their species, otherwise it might be harmful."
"Of course there is the fact natural evolution is a thing and over time species would adapt but that doesn't need to happen, as they could evolve in different ways to compensate. Technology is a beautiful thing." Anakin finished.
"You say that because you love anything to do with technology." Barriss stated knowing full well how much time he spent on anything to do with engineering, mechanics and other forms of advanced technology.
"You are 'technically' correct." Anakin replied as he continued. "We should start moving now. Jabitha will be just fine if we leave her, she will come to an undisclosed area." Anakin said.
"So Jabitha will go towards an area while cloaked?" Ahsoka asked as the group started to walk with all of their luggage.
"Yes." Anakin answered.
The group, as they started and the day was basically between starting and in the middle, were greeted to the various people that lived on Tatooine, more specifically the city that used to be called Mos Espa, is now called Sky-City.
Why would the people like the cities name that was still the same after some time? Most of the citizens on Tatooine were originally either normal people who were crushed by the oppressive dictatorship of Jabba the Hutt or slaves that were apart of the slave trade that Jabba allowed.
"Why is everyone staring at us?" Ahsoka questioned as she started to notice more and more the people were starting to gather around and follow the group.
"That is because our Ani here, is the prince of this Empyrean. Remember?" Aayla answered Ahsoka's question.
"I knew that. It is just that I didn't think the people here would even know all that much about him since he has been away alot." Ahsoka replied.
"That may be true, but you forget that he is a public figure with some level of fame in the Republic. Take that fame and multiple by about a thousand times that because of the many things he has done he has done for them. Or at least there are alot of things that he has done for most of the people." Aayla continued.
"But isn't this level of fame still insane? And why does no one actually approach us?" It was Barriss that questioned this as even though she along with Aayla and Shaak had been here, she didn't know all too much.
The person with probably the most information about Anakin's social status within the Empyrean is Aayla.
"My Prince!" A mechanized voice called out from the distance, and the ground started to shake a little which caused the group to be shocked at what was approaching them. All except the denizens of Sky-City and Anakin himself.
It was a group of droids that had come to escort the group to the palace. Anakin had hoped for his coming to be a surprise for Shmi, and hoped that it wasn't her that had the droids come here. In fact he is also thankful for the droids because he was just about to call them over anyway because the people here were being a bit creepy.
They weren't totally silent or anything but they did keep a distance and as if both scared, respectful and fervent in their approach they didn't want to leave. Thankfully they weren't stans, no doubt he probably some.
He would have to deal with that now that he was back. Another thing to think about was how much the people knew about him, he didn't think they would be this devoted or whatever other feelings he could sense.
It was also starting to make the girls uncomfortable by the amount of attention they were receiving for being next to him. The life of a celebrity is not as fun as alot of people would of liked to have.
There was just too many problems for Anakin to even consider being such a public figure but he couldn't avoid it because of the choices he has made. Now he has to deal with those consequences, but he would also enjoy the benefits, whatever they be.
'At least the droids know not to use the title of Emperor willy nilly.' He thought to himself.
"My Prince! Why didn't you call for us? We shall escort you and your..." The commanding droid looks at the girls before continuing. "Consorts?"
That gets a reaction from the girls as they exclaim that they aren't his consorts, but Aayla does say she is his wife while the others are... Friends. Yes, friends.
"I apologize, my mistress!" The commanding droid tries to bow, while the other droids also bow down because they must follow the lead of their commanding officer.
"It is a small mistake, but please dont mistake me for a simple consort." Aayla says while the other girls had calmed down, with Ahsoka being a little shocked herself that her Anakin would out of nowhere be married to Aayla.
That conversation would have to wait however, as they were heading to the palace.
Anakin was going to make a grand entrance.