| abstract
| - From the back of a gunship, one of several at the end of the large industrial landing platform, Mace Windu had watched the Invisible Hand come in. Even he, Jedi Master as he was, marvelled at what he had seen. Who else brought down this hulk? Who else could have come close? Who else would have even considered it? Mace shook his head. Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One. “Believe it,” said Kuan Yin Nevu, she had watched it with him and courteously hadn’t reminded Mace of his initial reluctance to accept Skywalker into the Jedi Order. She hadn't needed to. “Is that Dooku with them?” asked Renust Nju. Windu nodded, here was yet another unbelievable thing. As a Jedi he had been known as one of the best swordsmen in the Order, and he had been taken alive. ‘Alive and unharmed’ had been Padmé’s official report to the Integrity. Mace strode out with the other two to meet them just as Anakin was helping Palpatine down from the cockpit. It was a curious scene, Palpatine looking slightly dishevelled, Padmé leading Dooku as her prisoner, the dented astromech droid beside her, Obi-Wan following Padmé and bleeding slightly from a head wound. But Skywalker… He carried himself as if the scene was designed for him to be in it, completely in control of himself and the moment he was in. “Chancellor.” Mace inclined his head respectfully. “Are you injured? Do you need medical attention? I have a field surgery on stand-by.” “I am quite all right thank you, Master Windu,” Palpatine reassured. “If I may suggest your efforts would be better place in the rather…undesirable company.” “It’s being attended to,” Mace told him, sure enough Kuan Yin and Renust were leading Dooku into a waiting armoured airspeeder. “Master Kenobi? Anakin? Padmé?” “Never felt better,” Anakin said taking something from his belt and handing it to Mace. “You might want this.” The Jedi Master examined it. Dooku’s lightsaber. But why? And why did Anakin keep it? But Mace postponed his questions, they could wait for another time. “Let me be the first to congratulate the three of you for capturing Count Dooku,” Mace said warmly. “It wasn't me,” Obi-Wan interjected. “It was Anakin and Padmé who captured him; I was…taking a nap.” At this last remark he made a gesture to his scalp wound, but he was smiling. “How did it happen?” Mace asked. Padmé and Anakin traded an uncomfortable glance. How was he going to explain to Master Windu that he would have killed Dooku if Padmé had not been there? “Dooku threatened the Chancellor,” Padmé replied, hoping Anakin would take the hint and shut up. “Anakin managed to overpower him quite easily after that.” “I myself did not see the end of the fight,” Palpatine interjected, “and I know very little of swordplay, but it seemed that Anakin was more highly motivated. After all,” he smiled at Anakin fondly as he said this, “Dooku was only fighting to slay an enemy, but Anakin was fighting to save—if I may presume the honour—a friend.” “Interesting,” Mace remarked, scowling slightly. ”Well, I am sure the Council will be looking forward to your full report.” These last words were directed at Anakin who understood their meaning perfectly. “Yes, yes, of course, Master Windu,” stammered the young man. “There is a shuttle coming,” Mace told the Chancellor. “The HoloNet has already been told you will want to make a statement.” “I will, indeed I will,” replied Palpatine, touching the Jedi’s arm lightly. “You have always been of great service to me, Master Windu.” “The Jedi are honoured to serve the Senate, sir,” Mace replied with more emphasis than he would have liked and subtly moved himself away from the Chancellor’s touch. “Is there anything else to report? The capture of Dooku seems news enough, but what of General Grievous?” “Grievous escaped,” Obi-Wan told him. “He is as cowardly as ever.” “Grievous will run and hide like he always does,” Mace replied, recalling for a moment their encounter before the kidnapping. “No doubt the capture of Count Dooku will further spur the ending of this war,” Palpatine said. “The Separatist council will splinter. The final days of this war are at hand.” “Then it is no doubt the time to sue for peace,” Mace suggested but Palpatine shook his head. “I am afraid peace is out of the question with Grievous still at large,” Palpatine said sadly. “Dooku was the only check on Grievous’s lust for slaughter, and now with Dooku in our custody the general has been unleashed to rampage across the galaxy. This war may be about to get a lot worse.” “But Dooku can be made to help us,” Obi-Wan suggested. “Perhaps he can even reveal the identity of the Sith Lord.” “Perhaps, perhaps,” agreed Mace reluctantly, giving Obi-Wan a hard look that he hoped would silence anymore talk about the Sith. “But Grievous is not known for his mercy, Chancellor. He spared you, but I cannot imagine why.” “I can only assume the Separatists preferred to have me as a hostage than as a martyr,” Palpatine replied with a shrug. “Though may have just been his whim. It is impossible to say what he will do next, he is notoriously erratic.” “Perhaps the Separatists can restrain him in exchange for some…considerations,” Mace suggested, they could see the shuttle now that would take them to the Senate building. “Absolutely not.” Palpatine said with dignity. “A negotiated peace is no peace at all, Master Windu. It would recognise the Confederacy as a legitimate government which would be the same as losing the war. No,” Palpatine shook his head decidedly. “We all know that this war can and will end in only one way: unconditional surrender.” He was referring—without naming names—to the fiasco that had been the peace talks on Avingnon four years ago. “And Grievous is not like Sarsur,” Obi-Wan reminded them. “He’s not going to allow that.” “Then the Jedi will make the capture of Grievous our most important priority,” Mace replied, walking with the Chancellor to the shuttle. “This war has gone on more than long enough. When we find him, this war ends.” “I agree, but we should not underestimate the deviousness of the Separatists,” Palpatine reminded him. “It is possible that this war is only the final move in a greater game.” These last remarks were not comforting, yet Mace took them in due course as the shuttle ascended. As the shuttle neared the Senate building, Mace made a small, surreptitious gesture to Obi-Wan. The Jedi made no sign of recognising it, but when the shuttle docked and Palpatine, Anakin, Padmé and Artoo headed out Obi-Wan stayed behind. “Aren’t you coming, Master?” Anakin asked. Obi-Wan shook his head. “I haven’t the courage for politics,” he admitted. “Besides…” he glanced at the holo-journalists scattered around, “someone has to be the poster boy.” Anakin glared at him. “Poster man.” “Quite right, quite right,” Obi-Wan chuckled. “Go and meet your public, Poster Man.” “But this operation was your idea,” Anakin protested. “It’s only fair that you should take the bows with me.” Obi-Wan only smiled. “You and Padmé are the real heroes in this, Anakin,” he said. “You captured Count Dooku, rescued the Chancellor while carrying some broken-down Jedi Master unconscious on your back. Not to mention making a landing that will be the standard of Impossible in every flight manual for the next thousand years.” “Only because of your training,” Anakin reminded him. “That's just an excuse,” dismissed his former Master. “You owe me for this one, Master,” Anakin said. “After saving your skin for the tenth time—” “Ninth time,” Obi-Wan interrupted. “Cato Neimoidia doesn’t count, it was your fault in the first place.” He waved Anakin and Padmé on. “I’ll see both of you at the briefing in the morning.” “Don’t worry, Obi-Wan,” Padmé reassured. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble.” “I won’t worry,” Obi-Wan replied, then he entered the shuttle. As it moved away from the landing platform he watched the two of them walking together. There once was a time when Obi-Wan had been reluctant to leave Anakin alone with Padmé, but that time was long since past. Now he could leave his former Padawan without the secret fear that the young man would be entrapped by his own feelings. “So what do we do now?” Anakin asked Padmé as they walked past the politicians and journalists. Before Padmé could answer they were greeted by Senator Organa. “Skywalker, Padmé, the Republic cannot thank you enough,” the senator said. “The capture of Count Dooku is not an easy feat to boast of, neither is being the rescuer of the Supreme Chancellor.” “We all do our best to serve, Senator,” Padmé replied with a smile. “The kidnapping was a bold move by the Separatists,” Anakin said. “But it was a mistake that we were able to take advantage of.” They were inside the Senate building now, the tall red columns casting strange shadows. “Count Dooku’s capture will surely bring an end to this war,” Organa continued, “and an end to the Chancellor's draconian security measures.” “I wish that were so, but the fighting is going to continue until General Grievous is spare parts,” Anakin replied. “The Chancellor is very clear about that.” “Yet there is every chance that that will be soon,” Padmé reassured, turning when she sensed someone else approaching them. It was Danta Pela, once a pilot of goff birds on Naboo, then the representative of Senator Nalanda. Now he was Senator of Naboo, yet some of his critics said he would never grow into the role that had been left by Nalanda’s death. Padmé knew otherwise, the Gungan’s heart was in the right place as were his associations. “Mesa pleased to see yousa Padmé,” Danta said giving her a broad smile, yet a wider smile was reserved for Anakin. “Annie, mesa see yours flying. Really bombad piloting, very bombad.” “Thanks Danta,” Anakin said, blushing slightly. At this inopportune time, Bail Organa’s comlink buzzed. When he realised who it was he apologised. “I have to take this,” Organa said, he glanced at Padmé carefully. “Would it be fine if you called on me later? I have some questions about what you found on your mission.” Anakin expected Padmé to refuse this, after all why was Senator Organa prying into Jedi affairs? Yet to his surprise Padmé readily agreed, the senators excused themselves and he and Padmé were alone. “What was that all about?” he asked her. “I’ll explain at another time,” Padmé said. “It’s a very long story.” She glanced up at the chrono on the wall. “You wanted to know what we should do now?” “Yes.” Anakin gave her a side-ways glance. Padmé smiled at him, not like the forced, tight smiles she had given him earlier. This was as he remembered her back on Naboo, even if there was still the something between them. “I think we would do something fun,” Padmé suggested. “Something fun?” Anakin stared at her. “Yes, is something wrong Anakin?” Padmé asked. “Are Jedi not allowed to do anything fun?” ”Yes, but…” There were all these questions he wanted to ask her. Hadn’t they just survived a battle? Somehow enjoying themselves seemed…inappropriate. And what about what she had said to him five years ago? That smile she had given him could have meant she had forgotten all about it. But Anakin chastened himself, hadn’t he promised Padmé to let her set the limits on their relationship? If she wanted do go and do something fun it was her lookout. “All right,” he agreed. “I just don’t think your idea of fun is the same as mine.” “Trust me,” she said, walking off with him. “It is.” The ever-faithful R2-D2 trundled behind them.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)