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𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝'𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞^^
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DEEP IN THE CAPITAL, from the Senate building, Palpatine looks out the grand windows with a sinister grin stretching across his lips. His plan was working, though it had some obstacles–he managed to get everything to work.
His hands were clasped tightly behind his back as a hologram of a kneeling Count Dooku came into view. The Chancellor knew that what he would be informed of would be good news for him because he felt it through the Force.
"My Lord," the former Jedi acknowledges with his head down as a show of respect. Palpatine turns around to face the Sith and gestures for him to continue, his black cloak covering most of his face. "The bond has been made. Whatever the Chosen one feels, the Senator will feel."
"Very nice job, Darth Tyranus," his voice came out low and hollow, sinister and evil coating his tongue, "does this work for pain too?"
"Only if the attack is intended to hurt both, my lord," the apprentice informs. This sends a large grin to Palpatine's face–everything was going as planned.
He had sent Anakin the vision of his mother dying through the Force and tipped off the Tusken Raiders her location and a large sum of weapons as a deal for them to kidnap and torture the woman.
Every event that led Anakin to a deeper state of sadness and hatred, the closer he was to the Dark side. And if all else failed, he would use the bond to his advantage to get Anakin to turn and do his bidding because Palpatine knew that the boy would do anything to make sure Astrid didn't get hurt.
He would use this bond to make sure that he got his way.
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STEPPING OUT ONTO THE BREEZY BALCONY, Astrid freezes when she sees who stood there. Anakin was on the balcony overlooking the garden just the same way Astrid was the night before. Not wanting to disturb his peace, she turns to leave, but his voice stops her.
"Don't go," Anakin's voice was raspier than normal due to just waking up. He wore a beige baggy shirt that was paired with brown trousers. His padawan braid was swept over his shoulder as his eyes remained shut, meditating.
"I don't want to disrupt your peace," Astrid says, hugging the robe tighter around her body as the wind sweeps by. She still felt terrible after the conversation yesterday–it took everything in her to not just wrap her arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss.
"Your presence is soothing," Anakin simply states, his hands clasped behind his back. Astrid admires the boy's back profile, her eyes trailing over from his but to the back of his head.
"Did you have another nightmare last night?" Astrid tries to converse, moving forward slightly, but not enough to be standing right beside Anakin.
"Jedi don't have nightmares," Anakin quickly shuts down, sending a frown to Astrid's lips. She had heard him mumbling on the way back to her room after calming down.
"You don't have to lie to me," the girl spoke softly, "I heard you."
Anakin finally opens his eyes, turning back to look at her. From the way his eyes looked, he's been waiting to talk to someone about it for a while. "I saw my mother. I saw her as clearly as I see your beauty now. She's suffering. Astrid. They're killing her! She's in pain..."
Astrid's eyebrows tug together, one hand going to cup the padawan's cheek. She didn't know what to say to comfort him, but she knew how to comfort someone physically.
His hand wraps around her wrist as he sinks his head on her palm, "I know I'm disobeying the mandate to protect you and Padme. I know I'll be punished and possibly thrown out of the Jedi Order, but I have to go." The way he spoke sent a sad jab to Astrid's heart. She needs to help him, in some way or another. "I have to help her. I'm sorry, Astrid. I don't have a choice."
"Hey, there's nothing to be sorry about," Astrid tells him, "I'll come with you, and I can bet that Padme will want to come too. That way, you'll still be doing your mandate."
"What about Master Kenobi?" Anakin whispers, his voice is so soft it was almost like it hurts to speak any louder.
"What he doesn't know won't kill him."
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LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW, Astrid watched the landscapes fly by in awe. She had never been to Tatooine, mainly because her mother had forbidden her to, but it was something she'd never seen before. A sand planet. Though, she still dreaded walking through the area because she knew the sand would end up everywhere.
The Naboo Starship lands in a large parking garage on the outskirts of Mos Espa. As the three step out of the ship, Padme loops her arm with Astrid, looking at the other pilots stare at them like a piece of meat.
Anakin notices this and quickly calls for a rickshaw to pick them up and take them to their designated place. The boy stares out at sights he hadn't seen in years, Astrid watches the way his eyes clouded over in nostalgia. She could feel that he was sad, but she didn't know why, she wasn't some sort of empath or anything.
The rickshaw finally stops in front of a sandstone building surrounded by merchants. Anakin tells the droid to stay as they all get out of the vehicle. The boy leads the girls into a dim shop filled with different tools and parts.
When they get closer, Astrid sees a Toydarian sitting at the entrance barking orders and cursing at three pit droids. He's transfixed by the broken sensor, so much so, that he doesn't even look up when the trio approaches him.
"Watto," Anakin said in a sharp tone, his eyes struggling to stay open in the bright sunlight. Astrid could feel the hatred pouring from the boy towards the Toydarian who she assumed was named Watto. "I need to speak with you."
"What?" Watto scoffs in Huttese, his eyes moving from the Jedi to the two Senators, "leave me alone, I don't know you."
"You do," Anakin responds back harsher in Huttese.
"Shut down," the Toydarian orders one of the pit droids before sneering at Anakin, "what are you saying? I don't know you, boy." The creature trails off for a moment, his brain switching to a more businessman type of persona, "but, what can I do for you?" His eyes travel over Anakin's clothing, lingering at his waist where his lightsaber hangs, "you look like a Jedi...whatever it is, I didn't do it."
"Let me help you with that," Anakin offers, taking the sensor. Astrid watches as he works quickly with tightening the bolts and twisting certain wires. Once he fixed the droid, he placed it in front of Watto, whose face lit up in surprise. "I'm looking for Shmi Skywalker. Where is she?"
Doubt fills the Toydarian's eye, narrowing his eyes on Anakin to get a closer look at him, "Ani? Little Ani? Nah." But after a few more moments of inspection, the Toydarian flew up and hugged the boy, who recoiled in disgust. "You are Ani! It is you, you little womp rat!"
"I'm not here for a reunion, Watto," Anakin snaps, frustration building through him.
The Toydarian ignores him and goes on a rant but the boy quickly shuts him down. Watto shifts uneasily, "yeah, uh...see, she's not mine no more. I sold her."
Suddenly a wave of anger crashes over Astrid, but she knew it wasn't her rage–sure, she was despised slavery, but she'd never felt emotions this strong. One glance at Anakin gave her the idea that it was Anakin's rage, yet she didn't know why she experienced it too.
"You sold her," the padawan seethed, his hatred for the man growing by the second. Astrid curls an arm around Anakin's bicep to show him she was there, it seemed to have worked because he relaxed at her touch.
Padme, although upset about the recent revelation about Shmi, smiles slightly at the two. Her plan to get them together was working beautifully, though she did feel some awkwardness on the ship, she pushed it off as nothing.
"Years ago. Sorry, An," Watto apologizes, though it never reaches his orange, beady eyes, "but, you know, business is business. I sold her to a moisture farmer named Lars. Believe it or not, I heard he freed her and married her–can't beat that, huh?"
Astrid could sense that something in Anakin had shifted–something dark. Sliding her hand down his arm, the girl interlaces their fingers, earning a sharp squeeze from Anakin. Her eyes travel from the Toydarian to the padawan, his jaw twitched and his eyes went from a warm blue to a pale, icy shade. "Where?"
"Long way from here," Watto flailed his arms, uninterested, "someplace over on the other side of Mos Eisley, I think..."
"I'd like to know," the boy spoke so softly, that it sent a chill down Astrid's back. She knew–no, she felt how angry he was, so the fact he was acting so calm was almost eerie.
Watto seemed to notice this too. "Uh, yeah, sure...absolutely. Let's–uh, let's go look at my records."
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𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐞!
𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐢 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐟 𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧'𝐬.
𝐢 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝!
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