(no subject)
May. 8th, 2026 07:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missizzyAnd so I have reached the answer to life, the universe, and everything, and meanwhile I have a birthday twin who's made it to the century mark! Congratulations, Sir David Attenborough. I should watch a bit more of his shows at some point. I've taken the day off, though I'm not sure what I'm doing with it. Besides posting this.
This morning I got the second comment on "The Final Afternoon" that was clearly from a scammer, which is especially depressing when the story still only has four hits. Though at least this one made the effort of reading it first. Here's hoping I have more luck with this thing.
Title: All Five
Part: 18: Everyone on Planet
(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17)
Fandom: Star Wars
Characters: Qui-Gon, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Mace, Padme
Disclaimer: Now Disney owns them.
Warning: Off-screen suicide
Note: Sequel to "Growing Up in the Jedi Temple."
Master Jinn and Obi-Wan ended up taking turns navigating them the rest of the way. It was a journey that could be done in just under a day if you took the quickest routes and went as fast as it was safe for their ship to go. Just enough time that Anakin had to actively work to keep all his scarier thoughts at bay.
It didn't help that they when they landed, after another conversation with Master Windu, Master Jinn decided to spend four long hours in Colorpa, looking to get any more potentially useful information that might have come there after Master Windu had left the city. Obi-Wan even went to the signal tower where Master Windu had found the holocron, but didn't find out much more. They heard some stories about who had seen Big Hargo meeting with his mysterious cloaked client, since that story had spread throughout the city, but even Anakin could tell most of those probably weren't true.
There were parts of the city that might have been more interesting to Anakin, under more normal circumstances. Some of the droids they walked past in the spaceport were among the most creative he'd ever seen. He thought a couple of the traffic patterns that were visible when they were high up were kind of interesting, too.
He wished they'd agreed to hack into the government's computers. He'd now read enough about Colorpa's to think he could've gotten in, all by himself. That would've given him something to do, something big. Something he thought there was a good chance he'd end up doing anyway, before this mission was over. His skills might not have yet been the best, but he knew he was the best of the five of them at it. But for now, the decision had been made (Anakin wasn't even sure exactly who made it) that they weren't going to do anything illegal without fully discussing it first.
They finally boarded the bus to Tanzer just as evening was giving way to night. By then, Anakin was feeling way more tired than he should have, considering how little he'd actually done during the day. Master Yoda's words came back to him about worrying meaning you spent your energy for nothing. It wasn't too common, anymore, for him to fall asleep on long transport rides, the way he often had when he was younger. But within an hour of the bus taking off, he found himself slumping up against Master Jinn's shoulder, and when his Master gently placed an arm around him and held him there, he didn't even fight it.
He woke up sometime later, to the sound of voices. He recognized Master Jinn's voice first, followed by Padme's, though that had the slight static of the comms attached to it. Master Windu's he recognized a moment later. Still feeling tired, he didn't even bother opening his eyes, though he assumed Master Jinn knew he was awake.
"She'll stay in place, I'm sure of that," Master Windu was saying. "She'll hate it, but she'll do it."
"Any idea what we're going to do with her afterwards?" asked Master Jinn. "Now that I've made a fuller assessment on Colorpa, I really don't know if we'll be able to take her off planet through there then."
And then, hesitantly, Padme started, "If the Epostulates are freed of the Sith's influence..."
"They will almost certainly still punish her for running from them." Master Windu's voice was very stern. "They might even kill her."
"Yes, of course, Master," said Padme, and she sounded so subdued. "But then what are we do?"
"I don't know yet," was Master Windu's response. Anakin thought he sounded very stupid then.
"We'll interview her again," said Master Jinn. "Perhaps some other solution may end up offering itself. Do you have any more information on the Sith's movements?"
"Currently still in Ruuger's City, as far as I can tell. But I can't help but think that if he hasn't realized I'm here yet, it'll be only a matter of hours."
"I'm sure you've planned for that," said Obi-Wan. He sounded nearly teasing as he said it. But Anakin couldn't find all that funny at all.
Yet Master Jinn sounded the same as he asked, "Would your plans involve sending Padme out of the city? If so, where would we go to meet her?"
"Unfortunately, I think that might be too dangerous, too much chance he'd go after the easier target. I know you don't like it, my friend, but we have to keep them both by us."
Anakin could feel his Master's dismay at this, and it suddenly made him angry. Okay, he wouldn't have wanted to have to leave Master Jinn anyway. But who was Master Windu to go telling him what to do like that? Master Jinn had always made clear he didn't want anyone on the Council exerting that kind of control over him, and Anakin had always thought him right there.
He didn't say anything to Master Windu in response to that, though. Instead he just sighed, "Very well, where should we meet up with the both you, then? It would be ideal, of course, if we could eventually lure Darth Maul somewhere with noone else around, either in or out of Tanzer."
"That could be two kind of places," Padme said. "Either we go out into the countryside, or we go into the city's works."
"Tanzer's old enough a city to have the extended semi-underground works, isn't it?" said Master Jinn. "There would likely be both known and unknown entrances, both inside and outside the city proper."
"We have already scouted out the locations of the known ones within the city," said Master Windu. "Particularly the one at the main power node, not far from the transit station. There are eateries on the station's second floor. We can easily meet there."
"Any knowledge of their menus?" Obi-Wan asked. Which was a question Anakin himself was interested enough in that he opened his eyes.
He couldn't help but be drawn to the little image of Padme, standing beside her Master, in the comm projection Master Jinn and Obi-Wan were talking to. It felt like so long since he'd last seen her.
She looked so tired. It almost shocked him. He didn't think he'd seen her that way since the second time he'd had to save her life.
And Master Windu looked like he always did. Solemn, unflappable, stern. "We'll look for them and send the information to you," he said. Anyone else, Anakin thought, would've been smiling. Of course, he was not.
"Thank you, my friend," said Master Jinn. "We'll be waiting for that. May the Force be with you both."
"May it be with us all," replied Master Windu, and Anakin closed his eyes again as they ended the call.
Up on the second floor of the transit station, they had agreed to meet place called Junor's. It served a local version of flatbread, where the main topping seemed to be needle-like pieces of a strong-smelling dark green plant. Most of the rest of it was nicely chewy, though, and Anakin found himself feeling hungry more often than not these days. Which Master Jinn knew, and he made no comment when he started wolfing a piece down as soon as the three of them were at their table. Obi-Wan looked at him oddly, but didn't say anything.
He'd had three pieces, and Master Jinn and Obi-Wan two, when Padme and Master Windu joined them. She, too, he knew to be hungry much of the time. He'd see her restrain herself more often then not, though, in front of her Master. But that definitely didn't account for how when she sat down and picked up a piece, she stared at it for long moments before taking the first bite, as if she wasn't sure she could eat. That was just alarming.
Master Windu was eating and talking at the same time. "While I have to think he knows by now," he was saying, "we can't be completely sure he's done anything in response yet. The one thing we've noticed so far is that a lot of the Eposulates seem to have left Ruuger's City yesterday, which of course doesn't even necessarily mean anything. Wherever they've gone, it isn't here in Tanzer."
"It would be good if we could get something about their identities," said Obi-Wan. "Or even if any of them are Force sensitive. Not even necessarily because Darth Maul's planning to make use of them now, but for after, and what they might do, especially once their leader and teacher is dead."
"Unfortunately that's going to be difficult at best," said Master Windu. "It might not even end up being a task for us."
"Fair enough," said Master Jinn. "It is certain he himself is still in the city. I and Obi-Wan can both sense him presence, even from here." They'd told Anakin that already, though they hadn't reacted much when Anakin had admitted he couldn't, not really.
"Padme and I have done some mapping out of the works," said Master Windu. "Here's what we have so far." He pulled out a small holoprojector and activated it. The image filled of the table, and included three levels worth of structure, but had several empty, unmapped spaces in it. "This is probably most of the northern half. The main entrance is here." He pointed to the northern end of one tunnel near the middle. "There's another officially known entrance on the eastern side." He tapped another spot on the map, not too far from the end.
"We also managed to find two entrances so far not on the official maps. One of them's a hidden hatch just outside the city, leading into here." He placed his finger over a spot in the middle, about halfway down. "That's the quicker way in. The other one is a lengthy tunnel with one end about half a day's walk from the walls, leading to around here." He pointed to a spot near the southwest end of the image, on the second level down.
"Wouldn't that be one of the most dangerous parts of the works for anyone to set foot in, with the gases?" asked Master Jinn.
"It is," said Padme, and she sounded strange. Distracted, maybe, or even distressed over something. Anakin suddenly wished very badly he could get her alone so he could ask her what was wrong. But he had the feeling he wasn't going to get to do that at all until this mission was long over. "The main gases are released on the other side of the works, though, so it wouldn't hurt you immediately to go in there."
"There's not much around the ground entrance," said Master Windu. "My first guess as to who's responsible for it would be some sort of criminals, but if so, it doesn't look like they've used it in a very long time. Nor did it feel like anyone with any Force sensitivity has recently been anywhere in this northern half."
"We asked Clistara about them," said Padme, and that was definitely pain in her voice. "She never knew about any Eposulates going down there."
"Or so she said," said Master Windu, "although I do not think she was lying." Was it just Anakin's imagination, or did it feel like he'd just cut her off?
"So we're not likely to have that kind of complication," said Obi-Wan. "So are we using the works? And if so, how to we want to approach this? Do we attempt to make Darth Maul think we're doing anything in particular or going anywhere in particular, or do we just spend an extended amount of time in there until he finally shows up just to find out what the frack is going on?"
"We should probably try to map out a little more of it first," said Master Jinn. "Even if we try to stay in one section of it, we need to know all the twists and turns of that. I suppose we're only going to have so much time to explore before our Sith friend does, as Obi-Wan just said, show up just to find out what the frack is going on, but...Padme?"
His voice had suddenly turned very concerned, and the eyes of all three men joined Anakin's in looking at Padme. But Master Windu's voice instead turned stern, as he said, "Padawan, your mind must be here right now. You know that very well. It cannot dwell on that which you cannot help when you cannot help it. I know how much you care. I do not-"
"No!" It came from Padme loud, sharp, and nearly anguished. And without so much as looking at any of them, she turned and ran.
Master Windu lunged after her, but stopped a moment before he probably would've grabbed her. "No, she's right," he said. "Though it is likely too late." Then he took off after her.
The other three followed. As they reached the first level, they could hear yells and angry remarks, and Anakin could just catch Padme's apologetic replies as she nonetheless barrelled through the crowd. Her Master was calling something to her, but Anakin didn't bother trying to make his words out. He was close behind her, spared the need to shove anyone aside by the path she had already carved out. Anakin, his Master, and Obi-Wan also found it easier to navigate the station's lobby as they followed in their wake, with people even scuttling out of way.
Inevitably, of course, there were people who realized who they were. A few exclamations of "Jedi!" came from various places around them. Most of them didn't exactly sound pleased. Master Windu would probably scold poor Padme for that, too, on top of whatever else.
When the three of them got out of the station and into the street, it was just in time to see Master Windu go into a building across the way, presumably following his Padawan. "I think that's the building they put Clistara up in," said Master Jinn, and they all three had to be certain at the same moment: this had to do with her.
Neither Master nor Padawan were in sight when they entered the building themselves, but at that point when they focused, they could sense the two of them in there, moving upwards. As they found the entrance to a side-stair and started up it, they also sensed when first she stopped moving, and then we he reached her and also halted.
Anakin somehow found himself taking the lead as they went up the stairs. Well, he probably could sense her most strongly, more than either Master Jinn or Obi-Wan could sense even Master Windu. He knew exactly which floor to get on, and exactly which way to turn to get to her.
The three of them emerged on the right floor, and then all stopped short at the sound of her crying. Followed by Master Windu's impatient voice saying, "Padawan, please. We need to figure out how she did it. If this is some ability the Eposulates have, it could prove vital to the mission. If she used the Force in any way at all, this might not even be the only ability they all have."
"I told you we should've let her go!" they heard Padme cry in response. "I told you! She didn't kill herself; we killed her!"
Anakin heard dismayed exclamations from both the men behind him, but suddenly he couldn't really hear them anymore. He'd never heard Padme be in pain quite like this before. Sure, he'd seen her terribly injured, and twice in even more dire straits, but that hadn't felt at all the same.
"Do not put blame upon yourself for this, Padawan," sad Master Windu, never mind that that hadn't really been what she'd been doing. "We made a considerable effort to deprive her of any means of suicide. There is a good chance the one she used is not one we could've anticipated. We do not even know for sure it was suicide. It is possible Darth Maul has the ability to kill rogue followers from afar."
"You really think either she or Nyder would have ever lived to meet me if that was true?" Padme rightly scoffed.
"If it took him enough effort to do it, he might not have viewed it worth it in every case."
"Well, if he only did it because she was here and we were here, than we definitely killed her!"
"You know that's not true." Master Windu had that worst scolding tone of his. "You knew there was a high risk of civilian deaths on this mission, just as there always is when the Sith get involved. Of course we did our best to prevent this-no, Padme, we did. We don't even know if she would've lived had we turned her loose, especially if Darth Maul did kill her; she was still here long enough for him to guess at her possible association with us."
Anakin could see it all in his head, the way he was talking to her now, all the chiding gestures he'd seen him make-to him more than to Padme, but he knew he'd make them towards her, too.
And then he heard Padme say, "Oh, I know all about the body count this mission might get. And don't think I don't know you're willing to even let me and Ani both be killed, if that's what it takes. Though I'm probably more expendable than him, you know. You still need him to destroy the other Sith after this."
"I do not think we should listen to the rest of this conversation," Master Jinn said sharply, and he pulled Anakin back through the door and down the stairs so fast he couldn't even get a protest together, Obi-Wan following. He could still hear Master Windu's voice, but much as he tried, he could no longer make out what he was saying.
Maybe he didn't have to, though. It was all pretty clear to him in that moment, anyway. Of course Master Windu was willing to sacrifice Padme. And of course she'd rather die herself than lose, well, anyone else at all, but Anakin especially. And of course Master Windu was willing to take advantage of that, do that to his own Padawan, all for the sake of some stupid prophecy.
Anakin had heard Master Jinn say, multiple times, that different Masters did things differently, and that didn't necessarily mean any of them were doing things wrongly. He'd specifically felt the need to say that to his Padawan about Master Windu in particular. But surely there was no way this could be right. Even if Jedi weren't supposed to get attached to anyone, even their Masters or Padawans (although really, that was absurd; Anakin knew he and Master Jinn loved each other, and so did Master Jinn and Obi-Wan, and plenty of other Masters and Padawans he knew), surely he had to have some compassion for Padme. He shouldn't just be willing to throw her away like that.
But now, as he followed Master Jinn and Obi-Wan out, the two of them having an anxious conversation about all the implications of Clistara's death, Anakin was thinking about what Chancellor Palpatine had said about Master Windu's behavior towards his Padawan as well. And when combined with everything he had seen between the two of them over the years, especially the way he knew he meant the whole universe to Padme, and he'd probably taken advantage of that, too, well...Anakin Skywalker was starting to get angry. Anger like he'd never known in his whole life. Anger he couldn't hope to just let go of, the way he was supposed to, and also, he didn't want to either. Not when there was such a wrong being done right in front of him, and he knew noone else in the universe would ever do anything about it.
"Oh, I know all about the body count this mission might get. And don't think I don't know you're willing to even let me and Ani both be killed, if that's what it takes. Though I'm probably more expendable than him, you know. You still need him to destroy the other Sith after this."
A moment later, Padme couldn't believe that she'd actually said such a thing. She hadn't even really let herself think it before that moment. But there was no doubt in her mind as to its truth. And if there'd been any, Master Windu's sad expression destroyed it.
"You really do need him," she added. "At the very least, so long as there's any chance the prophecy's true..."
"I know," said Master Windu. "And I also know you would sacrifice yourself for him in a heartbeat even if I outright forbade you to do it. Even though I do think, prophecy or not, you would ultimately be a better Jedi knight than he would be."
And, of course, she was the person in the all the galaxy he most wanted to keep alive. He would never say such a thing, of course, if only because, officially, at least, he wasn't supposed to feel that way. If conditions got bad enough, that wouldn't cause him to choose her life, either. But Padme knew it as one of the basic facts of the universe.
His voice was at its gentlest, as he said, "Padme, I know, too, how much this hurts you. I won't even tell you anymore not to care for him, or for anyone else, as much as you do. There are some things about their basic nature even a Jedi cannot change, and nor should they. But what's done is done, and we have many more lives at stake, including all of yours, and you know all three of Master Jinn, Knight Kenobi, and I will do everything in our power to keep either of your lives from being among those lost next, while continuing this mission that truly must succeed."
"I know you will," said Padme, fresh tears falling, "but why did I lose her? You didn't lose either of your people. And what if I've lost both of mine? What if Darth Maul did kill her, and then we didn't send Nyder away in time?" And if that was the case, they would likely never even know. The question would haunt her for the rest of her life.
"Nyder and Clistara were in a much more dangerous situation than Xador and Edny were, and Clistara was the only one of them also a potential danger to herself like this. You are, perhaps, not wrong to wish we had dealt differently with her. Perhaps I genuinely did make a mistake."
He didn't make that kind of admission to her all that often, but it was hardly the first time either. Padme did wish he hadn't included the word "perhaps" twice. Still, she appreciated he was doing something she knew remained hard for him. He would be the first to say he shouldn't be proud, and should be willing to accept he was fallible, but she supposed anyone in his position would struggle with that.
"I do think," he continued, "that you may ultimately be able to sense whether Nyder is all right or not, at least for the next few weeks. We can try to check up on him by more mundane means when this is over as well. I know neither of those methods can be entirely relied upon, but it will be better than nothing."
Padme was even more grateful when her Master then pulled her into a hug, and let her cry the last of her tears into his robe. "Please, Padme," he said softly, "do not let yourself be crushed by this. You cannot afford to in any case, but also, I do not believe this is your fault. And you know I would say so if I did." That, indeed, Padme did know.
He let her stay there for a couple of minutes, before gently pushing her away. "It would make things easier," he said, "if we were to dispose of the body ourselves. Do you know of any funereal preferences she might have had?"
Padme found her calm, then, as she thought back, then shook her head. "The Eposulates have their own rituals," she said, "but I don't know if she would've wanted that or not. Also, their full ceremony would attract attention. Though there is a shortened version of it that probably wouldn't, if we take her outside the city."
Master Windu nodded. "We will try to keep her from being discovered until 0100 local time. We can probably carry her out of the city at that time via the rooftops without being noticed by any people. I'm not too worried about the city cameras, either; even if we catch notice through them, we can likely avoid being identified for as long as we need to remain in the area."
"I suppose I just made that harder, though," Padme couldn't help but comment. In hindsight, that had been kind of stupid of her, especially when she probably should've realized Clistara had died instantly. She hadn't mostly because she hadn't wanted that to be true, and that was dangerous behavior indeed by a Jedi. It felt even worse because she'd noticed Master Windu had refrained from stopping her immediately; he had not been able to sense that.
"We have dealt with more unwanted attention than that will generate," said Master Windu. That was true. It hadn't always even been Padme's fault. "We lock her in and put up the privacy request, and then avoid being seen in this hotel again, they might not connect the room to us, at least for a few hours. Master Jinn should have already taken Knight Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker out of the hotel."
They wrapped Clistara's body up in all the room's blankets, and placed her in the corner furthest from the door. The room had a window, and it was high enough that with their cloaks covering them they could quickly scramble out of it and up to the roof. Traveling between the rooftops was easy enough here. A few minutes of that, and they were able to stop long enough for Master Windu to contact Master Jinn and confirm a rendezvous point.
They descended into a darkened corner of the streets, where Master Jinn and Anakin were waiting for them. "Obi-Wan's getting us a room. Just for tonight, though I don't think we need necessarily change accommodations every single night we're here. Once in there we can study the Works with more privacy."
When told about their plan to bury Clistara, he immediately agreed with it. "It's the least she deserves from us, perhaps. I have read a little about the Eposulates, and their shortened ceremony is not entirely unlike ours. I don't suppose most of them had any idea of that."
"Would she be happy if she knew she was getting a funeral like that of a Jedi's?" Anakin asked sulkily, and instantly Padme knew something was wrong. While it was far from unknown for him to be grumpy, and had especially been since they'd been cooped up in the Temple, she wouldn't have expected it now that they were finally going and facing the Sith. Also, there was a bite to it she’d never quite heard before.
"We are doing our best by her," said Master Jinn.
"We are, Ani," Padme added. Then, thinking of something, she asked, "but also, I think we have to discuss something else. Ani, how good have your hacking skills now gotten? I think I have an idea."
This morning I got the second comment on "The Final Afternoon" that was clearly from a scammer, which is especially depressing when the story still only has four hits. Though at least this one made the effort of reading it first. Here's hoping I have more luck with this thing.
Title: All Five
Part: 18: Everyone on Planet
(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17)
Fandom: Star Wars
Characters: Qui-Gon, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Mace, Padme
Disclaimer: Now Disney owns them.
Warning: Off-screen suicide
Note: Sequel to "Growing Up in the Jedi Temple."
Master Jinn and Obi-Wan ended up taking turns navigating them the rest of the way. It was a journey that could be done in just under a day if you took the quickest routes and went as fast as it was safe for their ship to go. Just enough time that Anakin had to actively work to keep all his scarier thoughts at bay.
It didn't help that they when they landed, after another conversation with Master Windu, Master Jinn decided to spend four long hours in Colorpa, looking to get any more potentially useful information that might have come there after Master Windu had left the city. Obi-Wan even went to the signal tower where Master Windu had found the holocron, but didn't find out much more. They heard some stories about who had seen Big Hargo meeting with his mysterious cloaked client, since that story had spread throughout the city, but even Anakin could tell most of those probably weren't true.
There were parts of the city that might have been more interesting to Anakin, under more normal circumstances. Some of the droids they walked past in the spaceport were among the most creative he'd ever seen. He thought a couple of the traffic patterns that were visible when they were high up were kind of interesting, too.
He wished they'd agreed to hack into the government's computers. He'd now read enough about Colorpa's to think he could've gotten in, all by himself. That would've given him something to do, something big. Something he thought there was a good chance he'd end up doing anyway, before this mission was over. His skills might not have yet been the best, but he knew he was the best of the five of them at it. But for now, the decision had been made (Anakin wasn't even sure exactly who made it) that they weren't going to do anything illegal without fully discussing it first.
They finally boarded the bus to Tanzer just as evening was giving way to night. By then, Anakin was feeling way more tired than he should have, considering how little he'd actually done during the day. Master Yoda's words came back to him about worrying meaning you spent your energy for nothing. It wasn't too common, anymore, for him to fall asleep on long transport rides, the way he often had when he was younger. But within an hour of the bus taking off, he found himself slumping up against Master Jinn's shoulder, and when his Master gently placed an arm around him and held him there, he didn't even fight it.
He woke up sometime later, to the sound of voices. He recognized Master Jinn's voice first, followed by Padme's, though that had the slight static of the comms attached to it. Master Windu's he recognized a moment later. Still feeling tired, he didn't even bother opening his eyes, though he assumed Master Jinn knew he was awake.
"She'll stay in place, I'm sure of that," Master Windu was saying. "She'll hate it, but she'll do it."
"Any idea what we're going to do with her afterwards?" asked Master Jinn. "Now that I've made a fuller assessment on Colorpa, I really don't know if we'll be able to take her off planet through there then."
And then, hesitantly, Padme started, "If the Epostulates are freed of the Sith's influence..."
"They will almost certainly still punish her for running from them." Master Windu's voice was very stern. "They might even kill her."
"Yes, of course, Master," said Padme, and she sounded so subdued. "But then what are we do?"
"I don't know yet," was Master Windu's response. Anakin thought he sounded very stupid then.
"We'll interview her again," said Master Jinn. "Perhaps some other solution may end up offering itself. Do you have any more information on the Sith's movements?"
"Currently still in Ruuger's City, as far as I can tell. But I can't help but think that if he hasn't realized I'm here yet, it'll be only a matter of hours."
"I'm sure you've planned for that," said Obi-Wan. He sounded nearly teasing as he said it. But Anakin couldn't find all that funny at all.
Yet Master Jinn sounded the same as he asked, "Would your plans involve sending Padme out of the city? If so, where would we go to meet her?"
"Unfortunately, I think that might be too dangerous, too much chance he'd go after the easier target. I know you don't like it, my friend, but we have to keep them both by us."
Anakin could feel his Master's dismay at this, and it suddenly made him angry. Okay, he wouldn't have wanted to have to leave Master Jinn anyway. But who was Master Windu to go telling him what to do like that? Master Jinn had always made clear he didn't want anyone on the Council exerting that kind of control over him, and Anakin had always thought him right there.
He didn't say anything to Master Windu in response to that, though. Instead he just sighed, "Very well, where should we meet up with the both you, then? It would be ideal, of course, if we could eventually lure Darth Maul somewhere with noone else around, either in or out of Tanzer."
"That could be two kind of places," Padme said. "Either we go out into the countryside, or we go into the city's works."
"Tanzer's old enough a city to have the extended semi-underground works, isn't it?" said Master Jinn. "There would likely be both known and unknown entrances, both inside and outside the city proper."
"We have already scouted out the locations of the known ones within the city," said Master Windu. "Particularly the one at the main power node, not far from the transit station. There are eateries on the station's second floor. We can easily meet there."
"Any knowledge of their menus?" Obi-Wan asked. Which was a question Anakin himself was interested enough in that he opened his eyes.
He couldn't help but be drawn to the little image of Padme, standing beside her Master, in the comm projection Master Jinn and Obi-Wan were talking to. It felt like so long since he'd last seen her.
She looked so tired. It almost shocked him. He didn't think he'd seen her that way since the second time he'd had to save her life.
And Master Windu looked like he always did. Solemn, unflappable, stern. "We'll look for them and send the information to you," he said. Anyone else, Anakin thought, would've been smiling. Of course, he was not.
"Thank you, my friend," said Master Jinn. "We'll be waiting for that. May the Force be with you both."
"May it be with us all," replied Master Windu, and Anakin closed his eyes again as they ended the call.
Tanzer, a Couple of Days Later
Up on the second floor of the transit station, they had agreed to meet place called Junor's. It served a local version of flatbread, where the main topping seemed to be needle-like pieces of a strong-smelling dark green plant. Most of the rest of it was nicely chewy, though, and Anakin found himself feeling hungry more often than not these days. Which Master Jinn knew, and he made no comment when he started wolfing a piece down as soon as the three of them were at their table. Obi-Wan looked at him oddly, but didn't say anything.
He'd had three pieces, and Master Jinn and Obi-Wan two, when Padme and Master Windu joined them. She, too, he knew to be hungry much of the time. He'd see her restrain herself more often then not, though, in front of her Master. But that definitely didn't account for how when she sat down and picked up a piece, she stared at it for long moments before taking the first bite, as if she wasn't sure she could eat. That was just alarming.
Master Windu was eating and talking at the same time. "While I have to think he knows by now," he was saying, "we can't be completely sure he's done anything in response yet. The one thing we've noticed so far is that a lot of the Eposulates seem to have left Ruuger's City yesterday, which of course doesn't even necessarily mean anything. Wherever they've gone, it isn't here in Tanzer."
"It would be good if we could get something about their identities," said Obi-Wan. "Or even if any of them are Force sensitive. Not even necessarily because Darth Maul's planning to make use of them now, but for after, and what they might do, especially once their leader and teacher is dead."
"Unfortunately that's going to be difficult at best," said Master Windu. "It might not even end up being a task for us."
"Fair enough," said Master Jinn. "It is certain he himself is still in the city. I and Obi-Wan can both sense him presence, even from here." They'd told Anakin that already, though they hadn't reacted much when Anakin had admitted he couldn't, not really.
"Padme and I have done some mapping out of the works," said Master Windu. "Here's what we have so far." He pulled out a small holoprojector and activated it. The image filled of the table, and included three levels worth of structure, but had several empty, unmapped spaces in it. "This is probably most of the northern half. The main entrance is here." He pointed to the northern end of one tunnel near the middle. "There's another officially known entrance on the eastern side." He tapped another spot on the map, not too far from the end.
"We also managed to find two entrances so far not on the official maps. One of them's a hidden hatch just outside the city, leading into here." He placed his finger over a spot in the middle, about halfway down. "That's the quicker way in. The other one is a lengthy tunnel with one end about half a day's walk from the walls, leading to around here." He pointed to a spot near the southwest end of the image, on the second level down.
"Wouldn't that be one of the most dangerous parts of the works for anyone to set foot in, with the gases?" asked Master Jinn.
"It is," said Padme, and she sounded strange. Distracted, maybe, or even distressed over something. Anakin suddenly wished very badly he could get her alone so he could ask her what was wrong. But he had the feeling he wasn't going to get to do that at all until this mission was long over. "The main gases are released on the other side of the works, though, so it wouldn't hurt you immediately to go in there."
"There's not much around the ground entrance," said Master Windu. "My first guess as to who's responsible for it would be some sort of criminals, but if so, it doesn't look like they've used it in a very long time. Nor did it feel like anyone with any Force sensitivity has recently been anywhere in this northern half."
"We asked Clistara about them," said Padme, and that was definitely pain in her voice. "She never knew about any Eposulates going down there."
"Or so she said," said Master Windu, "although I do not think she was lying." Was it just Anakin's imagination, or did it feel like he'd just cut her off?
"So we're not likely to have that kind of complication," said Obi-Wan. "So are we using the works? And if so, how to we want to approach this? Do we attempt to make Darth Maul think we're doing anything in particular or going anywhere in particular, or do we just spend an extended amount of time in there until he finally shows up just to find out what the frack is going on?"
"We should probably try to map out a little more of it first," said Master Jinn. "Even if we try to stay in one section of it, we need to know all the twists and turns of that. I suppose we're only going to have so much time to explore before our Sith friend does, as Obi-Wan just said, show up just to find out what the frack is going on, but...Padme?"
His voice had suddenly turned very concerned, and the eyes of all three men joined Anakin's in looking at Padme. But Master Windu's voice instead turned stern, as he said, "Padawan, your mind must be here right now. You know that very well. It cannot dwell on that which you cannot help when you cannot help it. I know how much you care. I do not-"
"No!" It came from Padme loud, sharp, and nearly anguished. And without so much as looking at any of them, she turned and ran.
Master Windu lunged after her, but stopped a moment before he probably would've grabbed her. "No, she's right," he said. "Though it is likely too late." Then he took off after her.
The other three followed. As they reached the first level, they could hear yells and angry remarks, and Anakin could just catch Padme's apologetic replies as she nonetheless barrelled through the crowd. Her Master was calling something to her, but Anakin didn't bother trying to make his words out. He was close behind her, spared the need to shove anyone aside by the path she had already carved out. Anakin, his Master, and Obi-Wan also found it easier to navigate the station's lobby as they followed in their wake, with people even scuttling out of way.
Inevitably, of course, there were people who realized who they were. A few exclamations of "Jedi!" came from various places around them. Most of them didn't exactly sound pleased. Master Windu would probably scold poor Padme for that, too, on top of whatever else.
When the three of them got out of the station and into the street, it was just in time to see Master Windu go into a building across the way, presumably following his Padawan. "I think that's the building they put Clistara up in," said Master Jinn, and they all three had to be certain at the same moment: this had to do with her.
Neither Master nor Padawan were in sight when they entered the building themselves, but at that point when they focused, they could sense the two of them in there, moving upwards. As they found the entrance to a side-stair and started up it, they also sensed when first she stopped moving, and then we he reached her and also halted.
Anakin somehow found himself taking the lead as they went up the stairs. Well, he probably could sense her most strongly, more than either Master Jinn or Obi-Wan could sense even Master Windu. He knew exactly which floor to get on, and exactly which way to turn to get to her.
The three of them emerged on the right floor, and then all stopped short at the sound of her crying. Followed by Master Windu's impatient voice saying, "Padawan, please. We need to figure out how she did it. If this is some ability the Eposulates have, it could prove vital to the mission. If she used the Force in any way at all, this might not even be the only ability they all have."
"I told you we should've let her go!" they heard Padme cry in response. "I told you! She didn't kill herself; we killed her!"
Anakin heard dismayed exclamations from both the men behind him, but suddenly he couldn't really hear them anymore. He'd never heard Padme be in pain quite like this before. Sure, he'd seen her terribly injured, and twice in even more dire straits, but that hadn't felt at all the same.
"Do not put blame upon yourself for this, Padawan," sad Master Windu, never mind that that hadn't really been what she'd been doing. "We made a considerable effort to deprive her of any means of suicide. There is a good chance the one she used is not one we could've anticipated. We do not even know for sure it was suicide. It is possible Darth Maul has the ability to kill rogue followers from afar."
"You really think either she or Nyder would have ever lived to meet me if that was true?" Padme rightly scoffed.
"If it took him enough effort to do it, he might not have viewed it worth it in every case."
"Well, if he only did it because she was here and we were here, than we definitely killed her!"
"You know that's not true." Master Windu had that worst scolding tone of his. "You knew there was a high risk of civilian deaths on this mission, just as there always is when the Sith get involved. Of course we did our best to prevent this-no, Padme, we did. We don't even know if she would've lived had we turned her loose, especially if Darth Maul did kill her; she was still here long enough for him to guess at her possible association with us."
Anakin could see it all in his head, the way he was talking to her now, all the chiding gestures he'd seen him make-to him more than to Padme, but he knew he'd make them towards her, too.
And then he heard Padme say, "Oh, I know all about the body count this mission might get. And don't think I don't know you're willing to even let me and Ani both be killed, if that's what it takes. Though I'm probably more expendable than him, you know. You still need him to destroy the other Sith after this."
"I do not think we should listen to the rest of this conversation," Master Jinn said sharply, and he pulled Anakin back through the door and down the stairs so fast he couldn't even get a protest together, Obi-Wan following. He could still hear Master Windu's voice, but much as he tried, he could no longer make out what he was saying.
Maybe he didn't have to, though. It was all pretty clear to him in that moment, anyway. Of course Master Windu was willing to sacrifice Padme. And of course she'd rather die herself than lose, well, anyone else at all, but Anakin especially. And of course Master Windu was willing to take advantage of that, do that to his own Padawan, all for the sake of some stupid prophecy.
Anakin had heard Master Jinn say, multiple times, that different Masters did things differently, and that didn't necessarily mean any of them were doing things wrongly. He'd specifically felt the need to say that to his Padawan about Master Windu in particular. But surely there was no way this could be right. Even if Jedi weren't supposed to get attached to anyone, even their Masters or Padawans (although really, that was absurd; Anakin knew he and Master Jinn loved each other, and so did Master Jinn and Obi-Wan, and plenty of other Masters and Padawans he knew), surely he had to have some compassion for Padme. He shouldn't just be willing to throw her away like that.
But now, as he followed Master Jinn and Obi-Wan out, the two of them having an anxious conversation about all the implications of Clistara's death, Anakin was thinking about what Chancellor Palpatine had said about Master Windu's behavior towards his Padawan as well. And when combined with everything he had seen between the two of them over the years, especially the way he knew he meant the whole universe to Padme, and he'd probably taken advantage of that, too, well...Anakin Skywalker was starting to get angry. Anger like he'd never known in his whole life. Anger he couldn't hope to just let go of, the way he was supposed to, and also, he didn't want to either. Not when there was such a wrong being done right in front of him, and he knew noone else in the universe would ever do anything about it.
Back in the hallway
"Oh, I know all about the body count this mission might get. And don't think I don't know you're willing to even let me and Ani both be killed, if that's what it takes. Though I'm probably more expendable than him, you know. You still need him to destroy the other Sith after this."
A moment later, Padme couldn't believe that she'd actually said such a thing. She hadn't even really let herself think it before that moment. But there was no doubt in her mind as to its truth. And if there'd been any, Master Windu's sad expression destroyed it.
"You really do need him," she added. "At the very least, so long as there's any chance the prophecy's true..."
"I know," said Master Windu. "And I also know you would sacrifice yourself for him in a heartbeat even if I outright forbade you to do it. Even though I do think, prophecy or not, you would ultimately be a better Jedi knight than he would be."
And, of course, she was the person in the all the galaxy he most wanted to keep alive. He would never say such a thing, of course, if only because, officially, at least, he wasn't supposed to feel that way. If conditions got bad enough, that wouldn't cause him to choose her life, either. But Padme knew it as one of the basic facts of the universe.
His voice was at its gentlest, as he said, "Padme, I know, too, how much this hurts you. I won't even tell you anymore not to care for him, or for anyone else, as much as you do. There are some things about their basic nature even a Jedi cannot change, and nor should they. But what's done is done, and we have many more lives at stake, including all of yours, and you know all three of Master Jinn, Knight Kenobi, and I will do everything in our power to keep either of your lives from being among those lost next, while continuing this mission that truly must succeed."
"I know you will," said Padme, fresh tears falling, "but why did I lose her? You didn't lose either of your people. And what if I've lost both of mine? What if Darth Maul did kill her, and then we didn't send Nyder away in time?" And if that was the case, they would likely never even know. The question would haunt her for the rest of her life.
"Nyder and Clistara were in a much more dangerous situation than Xador and Edny were, and Clistara was the only one of them also a potential danger to herself like this. You are, perhaps, not wrong to wish we had dealt differently with her. Perhaps I genuinely did make a mistake."
He didn't make that kind of admission to her all that often, but it was hardly the first time either. Padme did wish he hadn't included the word "perhaps" twice. Still, she appreciated he was doing something she knew remained hard for him. He would be the first to say he shouldn't be proud, and should be willing to accept he was fallible, but she supposed anyone in his position would struggle with that.
"I do think," he continued, "that you may ultimately be able to sense whether Nyder is all right or not, at least for the next few weeks. We can try to check up on him by more mundane means when this is over as well. I know neither of those methods can be entirely relied upon, but it will be better than nothing."
Padme was even more grateful when her Master then pulled her into a hug, and let her cry the last of her tears into his robe. "Please, Padme," he said softly, "do not let yourself be crushed by this. You cannot afford to in any case, but also, I do not believe this is your fault. And you know I would say so if I did." That, indeed, Padme did know.
He let her stay there for a couple of minutes, before gently pushing her away. "It would make things easier," he said, "if we were to dispose of the body ourselves. Do you know of any funereal preferences she might have had?"
Padme found her calm, then, as she thought back, then shook her head. "The Eposulates have their own rituals," she said, "but I don't know if she would've wanted that or not. Also, their full ceremony would attract attention. Though there is a shortened version of it that probably wouldn't, if we take her outside the city."
Master Windu nodded. "We will try to keep her from being discovered until 0100 local time. We can probably carry her out of the city at that time via the rooftops without being noticed by any people. I'm not too worried about the city cameras, either; even if we catch notice through them, we can likely avoid being identified for as long as we need to remain in the area."
"I suppose I just made that harder, though," Padme couldn't help but comment. In hindsight, that had been kind of stupid of her, especially when she probably should've realized Clistara had died instantly. She hadn't mostly because she hadn't wanted that to be true, and that was dangerous behavior indeed by a Jedi. It felt even worse because she'd noticed Master Windu had refrained from stopping her immediately; he had not been able to sense that.
"We have dealt with more unwanted attention than that will generate," said Master Windu. That was true. It hadn't always even been Padme's fault. "We lock her in and put up the privacy request, and then avoid being seen in this hotel again, they might not connect the room to us, at least for a few hours. Master Jinn should have already taken Knight Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker out of the hotel."
They wrapped Clistara's body up in all the room's blankets, and placed her in the corner furthest from the door. The room had a window, and it was high enough that with their cloaks covering them they could quickly scramble out of it and up to the roof. Traveling between the rooftops was easy enough here. A few minutes of that, and they were able to stop long enough for Master Windu to contact Master Jinn and confirm a rendezvous point.
They descended into a darkened corner of the streets, where Master Jinn and Anakin were waiting for them. "Obi-Wan's getting us a room. Just for tonight, though I don't think we need necessarily change accommodations every single night we're here. Once in there we can study the Works with more privacy."
When told about their plan to bury Clistara, he immediately agreed with it. "It's the least she deserves from us, perhaps. I have read a little about the Eposulates, and their shortened ceremony is not entirely unlike ours. I don't suppose most of them had any idea of that."
"Would she be happy if she knew she was getting a funeral like that of a Jedi's?" Anakin asked sulkily, and instantly Padme knew something was wrong. While it was far from unknown for him to be grumpy, and had especially been since they'd been cooped up in the Temple, she wouldn't have expected it now that they were finally going and facing the Sith. Also, there was a bite to it she’d never quite heard before.
"We are doing our best by her," said Master Jinn.
"We are, Ani," Padme added. Then, thinking of something, she asked, "but also, I think we have to discuss something else. Ani, how good have your hacking skills now gotten? I think I have an idea."
