Author's Note: Anakin meets more familiar faces. ;)
~ Amina Gila
It feels almost too easy as the ship lands in the hangar back on Mustafar. The fight is over, and they're safe, but Anakin can't let his guard down yet.
"Now that that's over, you staying?" Anakin asks Asajj, turning back to her after they leave the ship. Padme is already off, conversing with some of the rebels who were waiting to greet her.
Asajj shrugs lazily. "I think you could use someone to keep you out of trouble, kid. What are you doing?"
"Staying. I don't have anywhere else to go."
Asajj crosses her arms, glancing at Qui-Gon, who's watching Padme and the others. He still seems... almost uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn. "I'll stick around, but just for now," she decides, "I think you're all gonna need the help."
"Thank you," Anakin tells her honestly – he doesn't know her well, but he doesn't want her to just leave, either.
Padme approaches him, and Anakin turns to face her. "Thank you for coming to rescue me," she says, "The Alliance Council is requesting you to stay. We could use your help."
Anakin glances at Qui-Gon, who's watching him now. He needs to go back home, because that's where he belongs, and he has no idea how to function without the rest of his family, but maybe... he'll be alright here for a while. The Force brought him here, and it's where he's needed most. "I'll help however I can," he decides, "For as long as I'm here."
"Thank you," Padme nods to him, smiling, and he smiles back, though it still feels a little hesitant and awkward.
"I'm a Jedi," Anakin points out, "It's my duty."
"I imagine they're going to have some questions as to where you're from," Padme adds.
Ah. That will be hard to explain. "I'm from a different place," Anakin replies, "Not from here. But first, I have a... personal mission to attend to."
"I understand," Padme agrees.
"What about you?" Anakin queries, "Where will you be?" He's almost afraid to ask, but really, she has her own life. He can't stop everyone else from living their own lives just because he suddenly popped in. He doesn't even belong here. He shouldn't have friends, but he doesn't want to be alone.
"Now that I'm free, I'll go back to where I was," Padme replies, "With my family. We call ourselves the Amidalans. We left the Republic after the Trade Federation took over my planet."
The Federation won? Force. Anakin can't imagine that. Where was he? That's what he was supposed to be doing – helping people. Freeing them. Clearly, this galaxy's version of him is doing a very, very bad job.
"We've been fighting for freedom," she continues, "We never aligned with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, but after the Empire formed, we have... similar views. We have the same endgame, at least." Right, because they had the same name as the Separatists, even if they're also just called the rebels.
Padme doesn't align herself with the Rebellion. Anakin doesn't know why he thought she did. Maybe – maybe Anakin doesn't belong here, either, then. "You're leaving?" he asks, unable to help his disappointment.
"Once I can find them, yes," Padme replies, "You're welcome to come."
"Thank you," Anakin tells her, honestly. It still hurts, though. "But I'm staying with Qui-Gon." Because of everyone, he is the one Anakin can't leave a second time.
"I understand," she nods again, smiling. "Well, see you around, Anakin."
"Yeah," he agrees, "You too." Padme turns away, and Anakin watches her leave, feeling a strange level of loss. Sometimes, he wishes he didn't care for people so much, get attached so easily.
Asajj pats his shoulder. "Don't worry," she teases, "I'm sure you'll see her again."
"Can I borrow your ship?" Anakin queries, "I want to go to Tatooine, to see if I can find anything about myself there. I should be here, but I don't..."
"Clearly, this you is doing a bad job at bein' useful," Asajj agrees, "Come on. We'll find you, if you exist."
Yeah. There's that, too, and it's not something Anakin wants to think about. He's not certain he's ready to find out what happened to his mother, either, but it's something he needs to know. It will never stop bothering him until he finds out.
***
Tatooine is the same miserable dust ball he remembers it as. That's one thing that's probably true in every single universe out there. Anakin can't imagine it any other way.
It feels like some things are just... meant to be, and Tatooine as the most miserable place in the galaxy doesn't seem too unlikely.
They spend at least two full rotations on Tatooine. There's no sign of him. No one knows his name. People laugh at the prospect of a human pod-racer. Even Asajj finds it funny. Anakin just feels numb.
He even finds Kitster, who's still a slave. Anakin needs to find him back home, to know where he is, what happened to him, but this Kit doesn't know him. He's dark. Depressed. Hopeless, like so many of the slaves here. He knew Shmi Skywalker, but she died years ago. Around the same time Anakin was freed in his own timeline.
"It's like I wasn't even born," Anakin murmurs as he and Asajj walk out of the cantina Kitster works in.
"Maybe you weren't," Asajj proposes, "Maybe you're the only you in the multiverse. Maybe that's why you glow."
Not helping.
Anakin sighs. "Maybe, but that doesn't seem quite... reasonable."
"You do feel different," she tells him, "Everything has since you came here."
Maybe Qui-Gon would know. He always knows, but seeing him again, when Anakin is older, he seems far more... human. Maybe it's just that this version of him has been through far more. He's changed. He's hurt, too, even if it's hard to imagine anything hurting him. He was something legendary, other-worldly-perfect if he saw something in Anakin enough to want him, to take care of him when...
He didn't have anything. He wasn't anything. He believes in himself because Qui-Gon did.
But Qui-Gon is back at the Rebellion, on Mustafar. He was needed elsewhere, and Anakin didn't want to draw attention.
He's still afraid of coming back to nothing, waking up and realizing this is a nightmare or a dream. He has no idea which, but he never... It's been days since he was home, and Anakin misses it. He misses everyone.
"Qui-Gon in my reality believed me to be the Chosen One," Anakin confesses to her. He doesn't want her to look at him differently, but he still needs answers. "He thought I could balance the Force. If he was right, I don't know why I didn't come here a long time ago. The galaxy is so dark here. If anywhere needs balance..."
"Maybe you're on vacation," she suggests dryly, "Don't be broody. If we're done, we better get back."
There's a sudden ripple in the Force of something... dark. Distant, but still there. Fear. Pain. Death. People are dying, and it feels closer, more acute than it did not long ago.
Anakin stumbles to a stop, pressing a hand to his forehead, panting.
Asajj grabs his shoulder, turning him to face her. "Hey. Skykid, you good?"
Skykid? Really?
He was called Skygift on Carnelion IV.
Ahsoka called him Skyguy.
Now, Ventress calls him Skykid?
Sure.
"I like that," Anakin supplies, blinking a few times, but he can still hear the screams in his mind. People are being hurt. He needs – needs to stop it, but it's so much, so scattered everywhere that he can't pinpoint anything. "That name."
Everything is easier here. He's not on the Council. He's not Palpatine's representative. He's not a General. He's not... anybody, and it's terrifying, but the lack of responsibility is also relieving.
Asajj cares about him. It's so strange, but she's gentle with him. She's... caring. She doesn't expect him to take care of her.
"I want to see you Pod Race," she declares, hands on her hips, "But not when you're stumbling around like you're drunk. The heat's not frying your brain, is it?"
"Heat's fine," Anakin promises, "There's a disturbance in the Force."
She cocks an eyebrow at him. "Really? I don't sense anything unusual."
Anakin lowers his hand, blinking at her in confusion. "People are dying. How is that not unusual?"
"Didn't you hear what those goons were saying at the cantina?"
"About what?" He doesn't know why, but something about her expression gives Anakin an instant bad feeling about it.
She purses her lips. "Maybe they were drunk, or hallucinating," she says, "Or just telling horror stories."
Unease snakes down his spine. "What was it?" Anakin demands firmly.
"Missing planets," she supplies, "Hyperspace routes beyond the Outer Rim are being cut off. No one understands why. Doesn't really matter."
Anakin's heart lurches. He remembers when they left Coruscant, and he thought something was wrong, though he couldn't understand what, or how. It... probably doesn't really matter. Hopefully. "Let's just head back in," he offers because he really doesn't know what else to say.
***
It's been... so, so long since he was home. It's so far away now and going back feels almost unreachable. Anakin will try, obviously, but he doesn't know where to start. Qui-Gon hadn't known, either, though he promised to help.
It's so hard to figure out where his priorities should lie, too. Anakin has no idea if he should try to get home or focus on helping out here. Both realities need him. Desperately.
Does Obi-Wan have any idea what happened to him? He's probably worried to death. Do they think he's dead?
It's on the way back from Tatooine that Anakin finally finds the chance to settle down to meditate deeply enough that he hopes he might actually be able to reach them back home. It's – it's so far away, and it's hard, but Anakin won't stop trying. He can't.
It's Obi-Wan's presence that he's able to latch onto first, still bright and hazy, but there.
After everything that happened with the Malevolence, after seeing Obi-Wan as a Sith, this is what he needs.
They're too far apart for it to be long, but Anakin brushes his presence against his mind, and he feels Obi-Wan reach back. "Master," Anakin sends to him.
The response is murky, hazed over, but there. "Anakin, where are you?"
"I'm alive," he supplies, "Just far away."
"Tell me where you are. Let us find you."
"I'm in another reality. This isn't something you can help me with. Tell Ahsoka," he asks before pulling back, and exhaustion crashes over him in waves.
He needs to find his way back home. Somehow.
***
The first person he sees when he gets back to the base is Padme. "I thought you were leaving?" Anakin asks, approaching her, a tentative hope blooming that maybe she changed her mind. That's not fair, though, because these Amidalans are her family, where she belongs. It's not fair to want her to be anywhere else.
"I can't get into contact with them," she replies. She misses them, wants to know if they're okay – Anakin can sense it as much as see it. Something about her emotions seems far easier to read than the other Padme's. "We had a plan, for all of us to disappear if anyone was captured in case whoever was captured gave the Empire any information. I thought I would be able to find them again, but I can't find any traces."
"If even you cannot find them, they should be safe from the Empire," Anakin offers. At least, Padme's friends should be alive, and that's what's most important.
"That's what I was thinking," she agrees, though she still seems unsurprisingly subdued, "But if I keep looking for them, it could put someone on their trail. For now, I'll have to stay here. I'll do a lot more good for the galaxy helping here than by searching everywhere for them."
He has to agree; the situation is somewhat similar for him. "I'm sure one of them will hear word that you're here in time," he points out, because if they're friends, there's no way they wouldn't want to at least confirm Padme's fate. "For now, I'm staying here, too."
"I suppose we'll be staying together, then," she replies, giving him a small smile, "Are you officially joining up with the Rebellion?"
"I haven't... decided yet. Will you?" He still doesn't trust the leadership. Yes, they're not the Separatists who caused so much harm in his reality, but he's still wary.
"I'd prefer to stay independent, at least for now, but I'll be working closely with them as long as I'm here." Padme is quiet for a long pause, eyeing him. Or maybe, she's eyeing the glow as Asajj keeps calling it. "So, this other place you're from, did you know another me there?"
"We met briefly, when I was very young," Anakin replies, "I was there when the Federation invaded Naboo."
She was the first friend he made after leaving Tatooine. The only friend, really, until the war. He was always so alone at the Temple because he could never connect with any of the others, and if he ever did, it never lasted long. The friend he always kept remembering all those years was Padme. That's why he sometimes looked her up on the holonet, just to... see if she was okay. It felt like they were still friends, in a way, even if it was only on his side, and he always wanted to see her again someday.
Their paths had almost crossed once right before the start of the war, but Anakin had been sent to Kamino to investigate the clones' creation with Obi-Wan instead of protecting her. He'd been disappointed then, but the war broke out not long later, and he never had the time to think about it after.
They didn't meet again until briefly during the war, and she'd been so detached then. She hardly seemed to remember him, and it... had admittedly stung. He already had Rex and Ahsoka by then, though.
And this Padme seems far more open than the other one was, last time he saw her.
"Really?" Padme asks, curiously, "Were you from Naboo before you became a Jedi?"
"No, I was there with... Qui-Gon." He doesn't mind sharing the details with her of what happened, as much as it hurts to remember everything about the incident – from losing his mother, to the Council rejecting him, to... how Obi-Wan was acting, and then to losing Qui-Gon – but now isn't really the time to get into it. "I... accidentally flew a fighter into space and blew up the Federation ship."
"That ship was the exact reason we lost Naboo!" Padme exclaims, "No one could get past the shield to destroy it. Weren't you young then?"
"I was nine. It... was an accident, like I said."
She huffs out a breath. "I don't know how you could do that by accident when none of our other pilots could. I suppose that's probably how you managed it. Still, that's impressive."
He gives her an almost shy smile, a warmth spreading through him at the compliment. He doesn't... hear those often.
"You've been... fighting, ever since the Blockade?" Anakin asks. That's over ten years, and that's all he's ever done, but it was never something Padme did in his reality. She hadn't wanted to go to war.
"Yes. I never got the chance to finish my term as Queen. The Federation installed someone who they wanted in control." He doesn't miss the bitterness in her voice.
"We may still win it back," Anakin offers. It's the most he can offer. That's what they're fighting for, after all. And he has to believe that it's for something, that it's going to make a difference, just like he had to in his own reality.
***
He's been here a few weeks now. Anakin's spent most of the time researching the recent galactic history – he's still entirely lost when it comes to figuring out what's happening. All he knows is that the Empire formed not long after the Federation blockade, allegedly as a result of it.
Pirates and criminals were far more... prominent than they were in his own reality, which is saying something. What point things changed, Anakin has no idea, but it only matters so much.
Picking priorities is so hard, though. He's hardly sure whether he should be staying here or searching the galaxy for a way to get back home. To tell the truth, though, Anakin has no idea where to start. There should be something about it in the Archives at the Temple, but that's out of the question. There are other Temples scattered across the galaxy, but he doesn't know how to find them.
The deaths he keeps sensing in the Force don't stop. Anakin thought they would, but it never stops hurting, and it's constantly distracting, but he's slowly getting used to it.
The Rebellion is mostly CIS, labeled the Rebellion by the Empire itself. They formed the same time, by Count Dooku, who was thought to be concealing surviving Jedi. Whether that was the truth, no one can say.
He's dead now, killed in an attack on Coruscant.
It's almost disturbing how similar the realities are.
Clovis apparently is the galaxy's second Emperor – the first having been killed in the chaos over Coruscant. That explains how someone so young got that role. Anakin doesn't think he's much older than Padme, which is to say, not even in his thirties yet. He apparently was named as the former-Emperor's successor.
Anakin is meditating, trying to mentally wade through the barriers between reality, when Qui-Gon approaches him. "The Alliance Council is sending us on another mission," he says, and Anakin straightens a little, blinking himself back to present.
"What is it?"
"A former CIS senator, who was arrested by the Empire for speaking out against it. He needs our help."
Anakin sighs. He's not helping the Separatists. CIS doesn't mean they're evil. It's so hard to remember that. This isn't treasonous, and if someone needs his help, Anakin could never turn his back on them. Still though, it's hard to... keep track of what's what. He feels lost. "I'll go," he agrees, standing. "I'm good enough at stealth, and I know the Separatists. CIS," Anakin amends a moment later.
"Very well," Qui-Gon replies, "We'll all go. Padme already agreed to come."
Padme's coming with them? His heart flips a little at that. He wants to work with her again. He wants to be her friend, too. "What exactly are we getting into?"
"I'll explain on the way," he promises, "We don't have long."
***
They land deep in the woods on Raxus. This was the heart of the Separatists in his reality, and it's jarring to be here.
Anakin had to leave his Jedi robes on Mustafar, even if wearing anything else feels wrong. He's dressed in... casual attire, at least for now, because they need to avoid attention. He still has his lightsaber, though it's hidden, and he'll have to deal with just using a blaster for a while. Allegedly, the Empire has what they call Inquisitors to hunt down Jedi, and the last thing they need is one of those on their tail.
He and Padme slip into the city together to scout out the situation. She's good at scouting places out, her every move speaking of someone who's spent years on the run. With that and his own skills at sneaking around, they make it back to the ship undetected. For now, at least.
"If we all go in, we're going to stick out," Padme says, arms crossed. "The defenses are too strong, and we don't need to cause a scene."
"I can go in alone, with Artoo," Anakin proposes. He's good at stealth missions, and he'd rather do it than someone else have to. Besides, it has to be a Force user. Asajj probably wants to stay here with her ship, and he's not standing by while Qui-Gon goes into a fight alone. Never again.
"We'll be ready if you need backup," Padme promises.
And so, Anakin heads back to the city alone, Artoo rolling along behind him.
Anakin and Artoo make their approach slowly, sticking to the shadows. As of now, he's not even fully sure where to go. His best guess is to search for clues in the Senator's residence because chances are high that the Empire won't take him far. They're not going to want to make a scene out of it based on what Anakin heard.
Anakin senses someone approaching just as much as hears it, and he ducks back behind a nearby bush, motioning for Artoo to get out of sight. He knows the Force presences, though. They're familiar, but he can't quite place who they are. It's not someone he knows well.
They're not coming closer, and there's no time to wait. "Change of plans," Anakin whispers, "Artoo, go out there and draw the guards' attention. Send them to me."
The droid whistles, rolling into plain sight immediately.
"You! This is a restricted area!" one of the clones calls, sharply.
Artoo beeps.
The clones start towards him, and he rolls the opposite direction, back for the tree line.
"Stop!" one of them calls, as they give chase.
Anakin springs into motion the moment they're close enough, knocking them out before they see it coming. He's about to run for the entrance when there's the click of a blaster behind him. Anakin freezes, turning around slowly.
He was expecting to see Imperials, more clones – and they are clones, just not the ones he was expecting.
He knows them.
"Hunter?" Anakin asks, blinking a few times. He wasn't expecting them.
"You know us?" Hunter asks, staring through his helmet.
Anakin looks past him, to where Tech and Wrecker have their blasters aimed at him, too. He doesn't see Crosshair, which instantly strikes him as odd – the four do everything together, and he can't understand having that kind of bond with someone, but they were close. Maybe he's just... elsewhere. He's a sniper, after all.
There's a fourth, but it's not him.
Anakin saw Echo's armor after he joined Clone Force 99 – just once, when Anakin came to visit them briefly on Kamino. This armor is... different, and the presence, for as familiar as it is, it doesn't feel like Echo. Maybe it's just... reminding him of someone because Anakin can't place it. Whoever it is, they're... part mechanical, though he can't tell exactly how much. He only knows because he can feel it. They're still human-looking, which is more than what he can say about Echo.
"Yeah," Anakin answers, blinking a few times, "I do. I didn't expect to see you here. What are you doing here?" It's a little ineloquently worded, but he needs to make sure they're not with the Empire.
Is Echo even alive? And what happened to Crosshair? Those are both questions ringing nonstop in his mind. He needs to know. He worked with Crosshair. They were friends. And Echo – Echo was one of his men, who worked with him for... technically, it wasn't that long, but Anakin knew him.
"Who are you?" Tech demands, stepping out from behind Hunter. They feel tense in the Force.
"I'm doing the same thing I've always done. Helping people." They don't know him, either, and that's not even a surprise, but it still hurts. "I'm a Jedi," he supplies, finally.
Hunter and Tech glance at each other. "Yeah, that doesn't say much," Hunter says.
"I heard what the Empire's doing here, and I came to help," Anakin offers.
"There's no time for this," the fourth speaks up, and he sounds irritated. Anakin can't place his voice, either, but he's not one of the original four because he sounds like the regular clones. "We have to get inside before we're spotted."
"Yeah," Hunter agrees, "Let's move."
"Go back to the ship," Anakin requests, turning to Artoo, "Tell them I found unexpected help. I'll catch up."
Artoo beeps an agreement, rolling away, and Anakin rejoins the others at the door. They have a protocol droid with them, who evidently worked for the Senator they're searching for, and thankfully, knows all the codes they need.
Hunter leads them to a doorway, and Tech plugs in, working on something that Anakin doesn't ask about. He trusts them, even if he shouldn't. They're clones and trusting them is... instinctive.
"So, what exactly are you after?" Anakin queries. The Rebellion wouldn't have sent them in, too, so it's something a bit... different.
"We're here for the Senator," Hunter replies.
Which he already figured, but that doesn't say much because he has no idea who they're working for. "Yeah, I gathered that, but why? I thought clones worked for the Empire."
"Not all of us," the unnamed one answers.
"I am tapped into their security system," Tech interjects, flipping up the visor on his helmet and turning back to them.
"If the Senator's inside, I'll check downstairs," Anakin says, glancing at Hunter. "That'd be my first guess."
"You two, clear the upper levels," Hunter says to Wrecker and the other. "Tech, we'll take the main floor and below." He turns back to the droid with an almost too pointed, "Droid, you're sticking with me."
Well, clearly, he's having the same issues working with the enemy that Anakin is.
They split up inside, the other two going up, and the four of them heading down.
Anakin goes up front, Hunter and Tech right behind him. He can feel their unease and wariness, though he tries not to think about it. They don't trust him. Apparently, the clones never worked with Jedi in this reality. The 501st never knew him, either. Anakin really doesn't want to think about that.
Anakin stuns the two guards in front of the door before they have a chance to react, and they move on from there.
Once they're downstairs, he can hear voices on the other side of the door. The door opens when they approach, and Tech throws a smoke bomb into the room. Anakin stuns the two clones standing right inside before they have the chance to fully turn around. Hunter stuns the Imperial officer and shoots down the torture droid that's hovering in front of the Senator.
It's a good thing they got here when they did.
"Senator! I followed your instructions to the letter," the droid says, rushing forwards.
"I knew you'd come through, GS-8," the Senator replies, standing and rubbing his wrists after Tech frees him.
"We should hurry," Anakin tells them from the doorway, keeping an eye out outside. He doesn't sense anyone's approach right now, but it'll be around any second.
"An alert has been triggered," Tech warns, "Our position has been compromised."
Anakin winces when an alarm turns on. They have to move, and it's a good thing they're fast. He still doesn't know what happened to Crosshair, though. Hopefully this isn't another 'maybe he was never born' case because he's had enough living in that himself. That doesn't seem quite reasonable, though, but he'll ask them about it once they make it out of here. The actual fight is about to begin.
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