Saga ANNOUNCEMENT 9/9--AS DARKNESS FALLS--ep3 speculation

::Sits at a small round table in a darkened cafe, stirring her lemon tea listlessly and wishing that she had the Dark Side plot bunnies of the Sith would leave her alone. She is clad in a pair of black cargo pants and a red-trimmed black shirt, auburn hair in loose curls around her shoulders.

A man enters from an unknown direction and nearly passes her by before turning and fixing her with a puzzled gaze.::

Man: Aren't you...
Me: Who?
Ma: Ishtar?

::I smirk slightly, but gesture him to a seat.::

Me: Technically, Ishtar is a figment of Sumerian imagination, an explanation for why sithly stuff happens to Skywalkers on a regular basis. I'm just the writing incarnation and loyal representative of everything she stood for.
Ma: Nevertheless, milady, I've heard of you.
Me: Flattered, I'm sure. Which vicious rumors have you heard?

Ma: Worse. I read All the Wrong Places.

::I glance down at my tea and shrug.::

Me: Much to your disappointment, then, I'm not imbibing the blood of my enemies from their skulls, trampling the weak under my stiletto Birkenstocks, or using the toothpicks as lethal weapons.
Ma: Naw, that would be too obvious for you. So, what is a Sithly girl like you doing alone in a place like this?

:owns rest of tea.::

Me (snarling the word as though it's a vile profanity): Brainstorming.
Ma (chuckles): On what?

::Stands.::

Me: I wrote my heart and soul into All the Wrong Places and loved it, but I've been asking myself what would really have happened. Now that Episode 2 is out, there's a whole new dynamic to plot bunnies and the entire motivation for the extinction of the Jedi Order is altered. I wonder if I might have a stab at rewriting Episode 3.
Ma (hopefully): Twice as gory as the first?
Me: No, my dear, we'll have to see.

 

Sounds quite intriguing! Will we see it soon?

 

Yes. And don't worry, I'm making this spoiler-free, especially since I started planning this the moment someone suggested a 'mushy, happy fic' challenge for me.

 

"If you don't come now, they won't let Anakin live to see the dawn.".

It was not unusual for Senator Padme Amidala Skywalker to retrieve communications in the middle of the night, to hear urgent requests or grim pronouncements, but tonight was most disturbing. She had awoken three hours before dawn to find Obi-Wan in an unparalleled panic and her husband under arrest.

And he could not explain why, only begged her to intervene. All fatigue gone for the moment, she had slipped quietly from the house without fanfare, guards, or handmaidens, and hailed the first repulsortaxi she could find.

"Hall of Justice, southeast entrance," she called to the driver. "And make it fast."

The Bothan flashed a grin before flooring it. "As my lady commands."

Her hands fumbled in the small satchel slung over her shoulder, finally retrieving the commlink and dialing it to a familiar channel. "Sabe?"

"I just heard," the older woman said grimly. "I assume you're headed there now?"

Leave it to Sabe to know every minor detail before she could even find out the basic charges. "Of course," she sighed. "Any idea of why there are three Jedi Knights and two Jedi Masters being held under arrest at this time in the morning?"

"It's not entirely clear," Sabe admitted, "but the long and short of it seems to have something to do with the uprising on Situx IV. The orders came from the Supreme Chancellor himself."

She had expected it to be related to the mission, but to have an ally be the instigator was unthinkable. "Palpatine," she sputtered. "He knows Anakin. He knows he wouldn't do a thing to merit arrest."

"Palpatine knows him," Sabe agreed, "but he also knows Republic law. If there's a reason that five Jedi are incarcerated, he's likely to have no choice in the matter."

 

Okay, one reply before I wrote. Upping this. Maybe people are seeing Ep 3 and Ish in the same sentence and freaking.

 

I'm intrigued, for sure! Please continue!

 

Most intriguing. More soon please!

 

Ohh man, this is going to be a good story I?m sure. And totally original. I?ve read the episode 3 spoilers and I can?t imagine how Episode 3 can be cheerful.

 

Actually, the cheerful thing is a touch of irony. It's just more cheerful, well, maybe not, probably not... I've got a very interesting format for the Jedi Purges, inspired by a lot of Nazi techniques. It's mostly false advertising. But there will be happy, joyful, mushy stuff in between.

 

I'm intrigued... can't wait for this.

 

I'm here too!

 

"Identification?"

The cell block was deserted save the two guards stationed at either end of the corridor, shooting furtive glances at the cells and clutching their blasters very protectively, as though a firm grip on their fear and firearms could save them should just one of these 'criminals' decide to practice his mind-trick.

Padme had just begun to remove her identichip when a familiar voice broke in. "Let her pass, she's family and I can personally vouch for her credibility."

The guard grudgingly waved her through and she stretched up to greet Chancellor Palpatine with a kiss to the cheek.

"Chancellor," she said urgently. "Surely, there's an explanation for this. You can't think..."

He shook his head grimly. "I'm not at liberty to think anything at this moment, milady," he admitted. "The fact of the matter is that these five Jedi were caught in the ending days of a civil war and those they were supporting came out rather badly. The newlyy established government considers them to have sided with traitors and had them all arrested."

It was a story she had heard many times from exiled leaders and displaced refugees, but she had hoped never to associate it with her husband. "But Republic jurisdiction surely..."

"That's why they are here," he reminded her, "instead of lying headless in some public arena. You can thank the Force they serve for that small comfort."

He stopped abruptly, eyes going to the force fields along the row of cells, and his hand came up to clasp her shoulder gently.

"Enough talk of these troubling times," he soothed. "Go talk to him."

She flashed a grateful, if very strained smile at him, then proceeded to the cell that the guard had indicated, with two of the Jedi she passed calling out to greet the thankfully familiar face. She raised a hand in greeting, but did not respond, throat too tight to speak.

When she reached Anakin's cell, the tightness became a burning as her gorge rose and she spun away. "Which one of you half-witted Gamorreans did this?" she demanded, sending them to cower against the walls. "Answer me or I'll leave you in the same condition!"

"Padme."

The familiar voice one cell further stopped her mid-tirade and she moved quickly to greet the third familiar face of the night.

"Not you, too," she groaned.

Anakin's fellow Knights had never been particularly close to him, with the stigma of what passed for fame in the Temple counted against him, but Anakin had been blessed with one friend who had stayed with him beyond all trials. And now, she shared in even this mortal peril.

Tizar Nan, standing at the force field, smiled in spite of the split lip and considerable bruising along her swollen jaw. "Don't go castrating anyone just yet," she suggested. "The new management on the mission wasn't too happy with any of us, so they didn't restrict prisoner brutalities for any of the guards on the flight home."

It was something of a relief to know that they were, for the moment, out of that danger, but it still didn't ease her stunned anger. "Including whipping?"

Ti regarded her solemnly, then turned her back, revealing an undertunic slashed to shreds, exposing the ragged flagellation marks trademark to more primitive whips, jagged protrusions from the gashes indicating where the bits of metal woven into the whip had caught on the skin and had to be ripped free. Her auburn curls were in a high nerf-tail, exposing more lacerations wrapping around her narrow neck.

"He tried to protect me," she said quietly, "and received worse treatment as a result, but we all fell victim to it."

Padme fought down the bile in her throat with difficulty, but nodded. "But you didn't fight back?"

Ti shook her head. "There wasn't much we could do, since fighting back had already killed three during the war and one of us during the arrest, but they didn't want to risk that, so they drugged us for most of the time."

She turned back, grin gone, eyes cold. "Enough debriefing," she chided. "Your duty is first to that nerf-herder I cal

 

You don?t need guidance. In time you will learn to trust your feelings?then you will be invincible. I have said it many times, you are the most gifted writer I have ever met. I see you becoming the greatest of all storytellers, Ishtar. Even more powerful than Master Lucas.

 

Great chapter! The scene in the cell was very touching. A very good story so far.

 

Lol. thanks, Kos. Should I let the Jedi know you plan to murder them all?

 

Sorry to ignore you, dally, but you posted around the time that I did, so I didn't see you. glad you liked the last post.

 

No! Only the Dark Lord of the Sith knows of our plan. If informed the Jedi are, multiply our adversaries will.

 

Okay Darth Ish,

I'm readin', and I'm liken'.

I hope you stick to your challenge, but even if you don't, it's too late for me anyway. I'm hooked!

~M

 

YAy! My newfound friend Marsa has come! Will post later.

 

[Mr. Burns] Excellent [/Mr. Burns]

That was FANtastic with a capitol FAN. I haven't followed a story in awhile, but I'm really looking forward to this.

 

Loved this chapter.


"Have you, rounded out a little?"

Men are so subtle!

 

It had been a restless night, to be certain, since Anakin had only achieved sleep when the morning shift of guards came on duty and then only for a mere two hours. Nevertheless, he forced the energy reserved for his intense frustration at his present circumstances to rouse him from his fitful slumber.

It would not do to insult the Chancellor with a well-timed nap.

The vicious guards that had escorted them 'home' had been replaced with the civilian guard of Coruscant, but for this meeting, he was surrounded imposingly by the Chancellor's personal guard. It was early enough in the morning that the news of the Jedi traitors had not hit the newsfeeds and neither holoshills, nor hostile forces, bothered to intercept them. It would be a little while yet before there was any considerable threat to them.

The fact that the Chancellor, under such circumstances, would provide for unnecessary security measures, was, he hoped, a good sign. Then again, it might be a formality to ensur that no one interfered when the Chancellor took it upon himself to throttle them all.

Stop your fretting, Skywalker.

The command was a familiar carillon, a gentle reproach that had kept him grounded through the last five weeks. There had been times when absolute silence had to be maintained, when the only thing filling his mouth could be ragged breaths and the bitter taste of apprehension, so he always turned back to the memory of that voice and the fear subsided.

Fortunately, it had been the same way last night.

Any further thought was cut off as they entered the suite of offices assigned to the Supreme Chancellor and his staff. Due to the early hour, only a few aides were scuttling about, shooting furtive, decidedly nervous glances in his direction.

Great. One political misunderstanding and I'm evil incarnate.

"Welcome, Knight Skywalker," Palpatine greeted, not surprisingly, in the same genial tone that Anakin always heard directed towards him. "I've been expecting you."

He bowed slightly. "Far be it from me to correct Your Excellency, but I am no Knight."

Palpatine knew it well, but he seemed to be the only one with any faith left in Anakin Skywalker, encouraging his talents, counselling him, and sharing the excitement of each new success. He was what Anakin had seen in other Jedi Masters, but never from his own Master.

If there is one cruelty in this universe, it is that this man was not endowed with the power of the Force.

"Welcome home," the Chancellor continued, "though I'm sure you're not feeling very welcome right now."

Anakin's lips stretched painfully in an approxamation of a smile. "Having your own abuser and a very uncomfortable dungeon cell tends to do that," he countered lightly.

"But at least your lovely wife is providing some distraction," Palpatine reminded. "I understand you're expecting new additions to the family in just a few months?"

His head snapped up, a flash of annoyance running through him like a lightning strike.

"Have you told your family?"

"Silly child," Padme chided with an uncharacteristic giggle. "I haven't told anyone because only the father should know first."

"Don't worry," the other man interrupted his thoughts with a knowing smirk. "She's never said as much, but as Chancellor, I have my own sources."

His stiff posture relaxed slightly and he nodded, smile broadening. "Seven months," he clarified. "At least I won't have missed the bulk of the pregnancy."

Palpatine's hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "Hopefully, this unfortunate business will take no more of your time than the mission itself did."

"And that's why I'm here?" he guessed.

They had now entered his office and Anakin took a deep breath, saturating his senses in the reassuring, though suffocating, sense of power here. The door hissed shut behind them and the Chancellor immediately moved to unbind his hands.

"You no longer need those," he declared. "You're among friends here."

Anakin's wrists flexed painfully against the flesh

 

I'm glad Anakin is free, but he has to be somewhat suscipous of Palpatine - knowing about the babies, etc...

 

We'll see. And did it occur to you that probably Palpatine gets intelligence feeds from people like...doctors?

 

"You no longer need those." Creepy foreshadowing... almost as creepy as Anakin thinking he'd sell his soul to Palpatine. Poor misled Anakin. Things aren't going nearly as well has he thinks they are.