Chapter 2 Coruscant, Naboo

On the way to Coruscant, Anakin felt pain while meditating in a room but realized it wasn't his own. Wondering if it was what he remembered, he went outside to look around with curiosity.

Entering a dining room or a living room with a dining table, Anakin found Padmé wearing a tragic expression, sitting at a table.

"Everything will be fine. You're a great queen who will risk everything to save her people, and they know it, or they will know it in the future," said Anakin, stopping in front of her.

"Anakin, no…" Padmé sighed. "Do you know who I am?" she asked, bewildered.

"Padmé Amidala, Queen of Naboo, and a person who keeps her heart in the right place," said Anakin. Padmé looked at him, stunned.

"How?" asked Padmé.

"A vision, although Qui-Gon says they're just future probabilities and shouldn't be taken seriously," said Anakin.

Padmé swallowed, not taking it lightly. Anakin knew it was because she was desperate, and in that situation, people were willing to cling to anything, even a fantasy or vision of the future.

"And can you tell me how this will end?" Padmé asked after swallowing.

Anakin grimaced, taking a step back, acting as if he had said too much and feared saying more. Padmé paled at his reaction.

"Anakin, please don't go!" pleaded Padmé. Anakin clenched his teeth, taking another step back.

"Padmé, you'll be fine. I'll save you in the future," reassured Anakin, and Padmé couldn't hold back anymore, standing up to walk to him and hug him.

"Anakin, don't be afraid. I'll protect you. You can tell me anything," said Padmé with some desperation.

"Padmé, I'm not afraid to say it. I fear you'll hate me if I do because those who want to harm you are the ones close to you," said Anakin reluctantly.

Padmé tensed. She stopped hugging him and looked at him apprehensively, but then seemed determined and took his hand, leading him to the table to sit beside her.

"Anakin, I promise I won't get angry or hate you. Please, tell me what you've seen," Padmé promised seriously.

Anakin looked at her with doubts for a few seconds. These doubts were not feigned because he wondered if this would help or cause some disaster. Still, he had to take the risk, as he couldn't allow Palpatine to accumulate unrestricted power.

Anakin took a deep breath, and Padmé tensed in preparation.

"Padmé, what I've seen about you is dark and blurry, except for you," Anakin warned. "In my dream, a creepy mass of darkness awaits us upon our arrival in Coruscant. But I can see you clearly, so it's not an assassination attempt," said Anakin, and Padmé breathed a sigh of relief. Anakin shook his head.

"It's not a killer, but this darkness will harm you much more than any assassin. To you and the entire galaxy," said Anakin with regret, looking at Padmé, who nodded, urging him to continue.

"The darkness can't touch you, but it whispers false words, offering you protection it doesn't intend to provide, in exchange for your support in its quest for power. And you'll accept," said Anakin with sadness. "I see you in a large high-ceilinged room, with thousands of people, surrounded by darkness, feeling sadness, pain, and helplessness, but also anger and fear, as you declare a vote of no confidence, which was the deal proposed by the darkness."

"After that, everything around you is darkness. I can't see anything except you and other small lights, struggling alone, unable to see the darkness beside them, always whispering, always promising but never delivering, only growing more and more powerful, patient but omnipresent for years and years. As the small lights go out one by one, only darkness remains, and I can see nothing," said Anakin, bowing his head with genuine sorrow, as that future was truly bleak. Padmé remained silent, and Anakin sighed.

"Padmé, don't worry. When you can no longer fight, I won't let you die. I'll save you, and we'll escape far away," said Anakin. "I'll become a powerful Jedi. The darkness will be too strong by then, but we can flee," Anakin continued. Padmé stood up and hugged him for several minutes. Then she pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"Anakin, we'll be okay. We'll all be okay!" she declared, walking with determination to leave the room.

"I hope so," whispered Anakin, as if Palpatine succeeded in taking control of the Senate, his plans would advance unhindered, dividing everyone into two sides to wage a war in which only he would emerge victorious.

Anakin knew there might be consequences, and the wretched old Palpatine might cause some disaster out of pure revenge if his plans were successful. However, he had to take that risk because if he allowed Palpatine's power and influence to be absolute, when the war that the miserable old man must have been planning for a long time started, he wouldn't be able to do anything.

…

Anakin returned to his room to meditate and try to find an answer on how to save Qui-Gon.

The journey to Coruscant lasted all night. Well, they were in space, where everything was dark. Still, it was mid-morning when they arrived in Coruscant.

In Coruscant, they were greeted by a contingent of guards, Chancellor Palpatine of Naboo, and Supreme Chancellor Valorun, whom Padmé looked at suspiciously. That meant she had paid attention to the warning but had mistaken the person. Anakin smiled inwardly; he was satisfied with her having suspicions.

Anakin first looked at Chancellor Valorun, an elderly man with gray hair but an imposing demeanor. Then he looked at Palpatine, the wretched old man who was already advanced in years but whose face was kind and seemed like a beloved grandfather and someone trustworthy. There was no slightest hint of his twisted mind or dark side insinuations.

Palpatine looked at him, and Anakin could see cunning eyes, but nothing different from what he saw in Valorun: a politician calculating his chances. His gaze toward Anakin was not penetrating, lasting no more than two seconds.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan greeted and then went their separate ways. Anakin was led with Padmé, who left him and Jar Jar in a room and went to deal with her political issues.

…

Anakin observed the city, stretching endlessly beyond where his eyes could see. He felt comfortable there, as that was what Xion had known for most of his life. Anakin hated his desert-filled home planet, so his mind and Xion's were in agreement on this point.

Anakin wondered how he could have access to all this technology. He was an adult and wouldn't rely solely on the Force to protect his life. He knew his brain was prodigious and could harness it, even without activating his divine cells; the intelligence of his current body couldn't be underestimated.

Anakin frowned when he sensed Padmé's disturbance. Anakin smiled, assuming Palpatine had made his vote of no confidence proposal to Valorun, promising Padmé a solution to the conflict in her hands but getting a reaction opposite to what he expected from her.

Anakin remained calm, as Palpatine couldn't do anything to Padmé in that place; he could only grovel at her feet and twist his own brain trying to get answers about Padmé's reaction.

…

A few hours later, Anakin and Jar Jar watched the Senate session through a small screen that Padmé's servants lent them.

The Senate session unfolded as Anakin expected, and no one wanted to support Padmé. Things turned into a tumult of accusations and demands, which was normal and would end up in courts. This exposed that there was something dark behind all this because this situation could be considered an emergency, and Anakin didn't believe that the Republic had no measures of exception for cases like this. These senators were simply overlooking the law, probably bribed or bought by Palpatine.

Padmé, in the midst of this uproar, looked helpless as she observed. The Supreme Chancellor's calls for order failed to calm tempers; it was a real circus. And this was what Palpatine could achieve as a mere senator from a planet on the mid-rim of the galaxy, although according to the wretched old man's background story, perhaps he had the support of the banking clan due to his master Dark Plagueis's influence on that clan.

Anakin continued to watch to see what Padmé would do, but as the uproar intensified, she directed a cold look at the Senate and didn't utter a word.

…

An hour passed until the Supreme Chancellor managed to calm the situation, mainly because Padmé had remained silent and hadn't spoken since the uproar began.

The last straw was when Palpatine, seeing that the situation was calming down, tried to speak. However, Padmé gave him a cold look that seemed to warn him that if he said a word, there would be serious consequences. Palpatine didn't dare to disobey and sat back down without uttering a word.

This reminded the senators that this was a public act and spending an hour shouting while one of the involved parties looked at them in silence could leave them in a compromised situation.

The senators heeded Valorun's efforts, shut their mouths, and returned to their seats. Only the trade federation, the other involved party, continued talking and trying to provoke Padmé for another fifteen minutes. However, she only looked at them in silence, without saying a word, which finally led them to return to their seats, motivated by Chancellor Valorun's threats to sanction them if they didn't.

After all the uproar, the Supreme Chancellor gave the floor to Padmé, but she shook her head.

"Chancellor Valorun, first of all, I want to make it clear that throughout this time, I had the right to speak, as I haven't even finished presenting my case. However, it seems that this Senate doesn't respect its own protocols or is willing to follow the laws of the Republic," declared Padmé with determination.

"This makes me think that for this Senate, the laws of the Republic don't matter. Therefore, I and each of the senators present will face each other in court.

"I assure you, senators, that whether it's money or blackmail, what they offered you to come here and shout will not be worth it. I will not rest until each one involved in this shameful spectacle faces justice," concluded Padmé. Although her words caused another uproar, she left the Senate, dragging Palpatine in front of her as he begged her to stay, but she ignored him.

…

"Senator Palpatine, if you return to that Senate, I will declare you in rebellion and treason," scolded Padmé with anger as her servants opened the door to her rooms.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider. If we become enemies of the entire Senate, our people…" Padmé closed the door in his face.

"Jar Jar!" growled Padmé, and Jar Jar, who was watching her entrance alongside Anakin with a horrified expression due to Padmé's anger, flinched and stood at attention. "Come with me, please," Padmé said, regulating her voice and controlling her anger.

"Anakin, the Jedi Masters want to see you," said Padmé and continued ahead. The servants dragged Jar Jar with them, as he seemed reluctant to follow Padmé in her state of anger.

Anakin smiled; it seemed Padmé had taken his words seriously and had already spoken to those close to her, including Jar Jar, to see if they had other options. She had learned about the Gungan army. That explained why she was so determined in the Senate.

Anakin opened the door and found Palpatine pacing back and forth, feigning concern, with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan coming for him.

"Master Qui-Gon, I've seen brothels with more order than your galactic Senate. It's like a meeting of drunken mercenaries," Anakin said in a nonchalant tone.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan blinked and then hurried to bow to take him away from Palpatine, who observed him for a few seconds but had more pressing matters on his hands and continued his act of feigning concern.

"Can I have access to the holonet?" Anakin asked. "Surely there will be a great scandal. I want to see if any senator apologizes for shouting or if they are even more brazen than in the Senate and accuse Padmé of being unreasonable and negligent, risking the people's wrath if they support her," Anakin said with genuine interest.

The results of Padmé's actions could be beneficial or disastrous for her. It all depended on how much influence Palpatine currently had in the galaxy, as well as Padmé's popularity and the outcomes on Naboo.

"Anakin!" said Qui-Gon with a serious tone. "Jedi do not intervene in Senate affairs," added Qui-Gon with authority.

"Weren't the Jedi collaborators of the Senate?" asked Anakin. "If the Senate is corrupt and the Jedi support it, people will think the Jedi are corrupt too, so this should matter to them, shouldn't it?" Anakin asked, furrowing his brow. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan blinked.

"People trust the Jedi Order," said Obi-Wan. Anakin shrugged, unconcerned about the matter.

"Will I have access to the holonet?" Anakin asked again. Qui-Gon sighed.

…

On the way to the Jedi Temple, in a Senate vehicle, Anakin observed the temple, situated on top of a mountain and with five enormous towers. It was an impressive sight both from afar and inside.

Anakin looked around until he reached the council chamber and was made to wait for half an hour before entering. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were left outside, and he entered alone.

As he walked, Anakin looked at each of the Jedi. Most of them he knew: Adi Gallia, Plo Koon, Grand Master Yoda, Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi. Besides them, there was a Kaminoan, a big-eared dwarf who was also of a known race. The others were not famous, so he barely glanced at them…

Anakin blinked. There was another little green creature on the council, but this one was a woman. This caused him some shock, as she could only be Yaddle, the master who was killed in the conspiracies of Dooku and Palpatine. Anakin believed he remembered that by this time, she had already disappeared, but there she was, alive and sitting on the Jedi council…

"Anakin Skywalker," called Windu. Anakin hurried to regain his composure, and if anyone noticed his startle, they didn't mention it.

Anakin looked at Windu. According to Xion's memories, this guy was one of the most influential, and also one of the strongest. Beside him was Grand Master Yoda, whose robes were the only ones of a light color, appearing as old gray rags. The little green creature was a shrewd individual because his lightsaber skill was almost unmatched, and his physical prowess, far from that of an elderly being.

"Anakin Skywalker, we are members of the Jedi Council, and we would like to conduct some tests. May we proceed?" asked Windu.

Anakin nodded, and Windu used an electronic screen to display images. Anakin had to describe them all, even though the screen was facing Windu. Anakin did it effortlessly since, from his first meditation, he had learned to see without using his eyes, so the test ended quite quickly.

"Great affinity with the Force, he possesses," declared Master Yoda, and the rest of the council nodded. "But your feelings are also strong," said Yoda, nodding.

"Anakin, we Jedi must not have deep ties with other individuals, as we follow the Jedi Code, which prohibits forming bonds like marriage or, in your case, individual bonds like a family," explained Windu. Anakin simply nodded.

"Would you be willing to renounce your family ties to join the Order?" asked Windu.

In Xion's memories was this part. By this time, the Council had sensed the fear of young Anakin for his mother's fate, and because of this, they had refused to accept him. He didn't feel fear, but he hadn't dismissed the feelings for his mother because he didn't want to, and the traveler didn't find anything wrong with it, so their minds were united in this, and there were no fears, doubts, only determination.

"No," said Anakin shaking his head. "I know my mother; she deserves my love. It's a feeling that gives me strength and propels me forward. I feel like I'd be leaving a part of myself behind if I were to give it up," Anakin responded sincerely. Windu frowned; he didn't like his answer.

"Love is an attachment. If you love, you fear loss. Attachment leads to envy. The shadow of greed, that is," warned Master Yoda disapprovingly.

Anakin grimaced and looked him up and down. He could only sigh in his mind. If this old one didn't change that way of being, he'd end up in a swamp eating bugs and regretting his poor decisions.

"As I said before, I don't consider it wrong, and you haven't given me any compelling reason to change that opinion, so I won't," said Anakin, and the masters looked at each other. Windu glared at him.

"Anakin, Grand Master Yoda speaks from great experience and wisdom. The Jedi Order has followed his wise counsel for years. You are still a child; you should listen to the advice of your elders," said Windu.

"I have heard his wisdom before, and I understand his good intentions. Besides, I know he's old. But the world changes, and the past is left behind. Those who refuse to live in the present can never have a future. The past is there for us to learn from it, not to follow its example to the letter," Anakin paced his gaze over the Jedi masters, who looked surprised by his stubbornness. "It's a nice place, but my dreams are nice too. The problem is they're not real," said Anakin, and some council members startled, and silence covered the place.

"Anakin, thank you for coming," Windu bid him farewell a minute later. Anakin remained calm and bid farewell with a bow.

"Masters," said Anakin and left, giving the place a last look.

…

"I think I haven't pleased them," said Anakin, shrugging when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan saw him exit.

"I knew it," said Obi-Wan with a sigh. Qui-Gon seemed dismayed. Anakin supposed that he, like in his memories, had insisted on thinking that he was the chosen one.

…

The council did not give a clear response to his acceptance or rejection, as Padmé informed that she would leave the capital and return to Naboo. This led the council to postpone their decision and send Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to protect her, with permission to take Anakin with them. Of course, Anakin wasn't going to leave his life in the hands of the Jedi Council, and he already had a plan to escape their control if things went wrong. But first, he had to help Padmé, as Palpatine would not stop trying to kill her now that he had been denied access to the Senate.

…

An hour after departing from Coruscant, one of Padmé's servants interrupted his meditation to call him and guide him to a room where some crew members were gathered around a table headed by the fake queen, with Padmé at her side, Captain Panaka, and her servants. Qui-Gon was on the other side, observing Jar Jar, who was explaining that the Gungans were warriors.

"Your Highness, this is a dangerous idea. If we wait for the Senate…"

"Master Qui-Gon, we are here because the Senate has been bought, and at this moment, I even doubt our own senator. I am considering making an official request to investigate his actions," the fake queen interrupted.

"Based on what would you make that request?" asked Qui-Gon surprised. The fake queen kept her gaze forward, but Padmé looked at Anakin, who arrived and positioned himself in the middle of both parties.

"Your Highness, Force visions cannot be taken as something certain; they are just a possibility," explained Qui-Gon uncomfortably. It seemed that speaking to those who were not Force-sensitive caused discomfort to the Jedi, but Qui-Gon already imagined that Anakin had said something.

"Thank you, Master Qui-Gon. I will take it into account," said the fake queen confidently, indicating that Padmé had already made this decision and was now just presenting her ideas.

"Your Highness, please, if the Gungans are not willing to support us, promise me that we will withdraw," Captain Panaka requested. The queen nodded, as that was a reasonable request.

"Your Highness, if we manage to remove the droid army from the city, we can take the fighters and try to shoot down the command ship," Captain Panaka said. "That, coupled with the capture of the Viceroy, should give us an advantage in negotiations," he added.

The fake queen nodded and unfolded a map to see where they would enter. Anakin observed the palace hangar because he had his own plans to earn Padmé's favor in this battle, where until now, he had contributed little, but now he had a vital role to play. Without his help, many people would die, and the plan would fail.

…

A few hours later, they landed on Naboo and met with the Gungans without revealing their plans to the Republic. The queen was already sure that her enemies controlled the Senate, and any information she gave to the council or the Senate would leak to her enemies. Qui-Gon sighed when communication was prohibited, and he was threatened to be left behind if he didn't cooperate. Padmé was very determined when it came to the safety of her people.

…

The Gungans were pleased to be considered equals by the people of Naboo and agreed to the distraction plan, marching with their army and causing the Trade Federation to deploy its droid army, pulling them out of the city.

Padmé and the others attacked by taking the hangar, which was easy since it was protected by B1 droids and there were no destroyers.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were about to follow the queen, but Maul was already waiting for them.

Anakin retreated to a starfighter, and Padmé ordered R2 to stay to guard him. Qui-Gon also warned him not to move from there. Anakin nodded, pretending to be obedient until everyone left, and he began to tinker with the buttons of the starfighter to see how the controls worked. R2, who was watching over him, was alarmed and asked him to stop and behave.

"Anakin, use the Force!" Anakin encouraged himself in a ghostly voice, ignoring R2 as he found the power button, shot out of the hangar, taking a minute before heading into space to familiarize himself with the controls.

…

"Testing, testing. Red Leader to Cannon Fodder. Red Leader to Cannon Fodder. Cannon Fodder, I'll take a couple of minutes to take out that ship. Do what you can not to die. Red Leader, over and out," Anakin said.

"Who are you calling Cannon Fodder, kid?" the mission commander asked angrily. "Your droid says you didn't even know where the power button was. Return to base, that's an order!" the commander reprimanded.

Anakin cut off communications and performed some maneuvers to dodge shots, as he was in space, and there were Vulture droids everywhere.

Anakin headed straight for the Trade Federation battleship, shaped like a sphere, ignoring the droids, while R2-D2 made sounds of concern as enemy shots passed close to his head.

"Calm down, R2. I'm using the Force, and at the speed we're going, I have plenty of maneuvering room. We don't need to waste time shooting or evading. Let's go straight to the target…" R2 emitted sounds of distress.

"R2, I can count. I know fifteen Vulture droids are chasing us because they think we'll crash into their precious flagship. Don't worry, I have a plan. I assure you we won't crash…"

"R2, they won't shoot us down either. Focus on the shields; we'll need them when we turn towards the hangar. We'll take some hits in the last second of the turn," Anakin explained.

R2 made sounds of concern as they performed maneuvers, and the Vulture droids became even more desperate, sending more fighters after him without daring to fire missiles for fear they would hit their precious command ship and cause more damage than Anakin could with his small fighter.

The pursuit lasted a minute, and as Anakin had planned, at the last second, he veered away from his suicidal maneuver, leaving only five centimeters of separation between the enemy hull and his fighter, and turning towards the Vulture droid hangar a hundred meters away. Three of the twenty Vulture droids chasing him, the closest ones, couldn't turn in time and crashed behind him, causing some short circuits and making the shield protecting the hangar fail, allowing him to enter without impediments and receiving only about three shots due to the abrupt change of direction from vertical to horizontal.

"No, R2, it's not a miracle; it's the execution of Death Star Plan 1. You'll see it's very effective, and we'll use it in the future," Anakin said, ignoring the droids and R2's questions about more suicidal plans.

Anakin sped through the ship's corridors towards the control room and central engines, leaving no doubt that the engineers who built this ship lacked gray matter in their heads.

These ships had internal shields that could be activated to prevent invasions, but Anakin was flying in a supersonic fighter, covering hundreds of meters in a second. By the time the controllers could activate the proper protocols to activate shields in his path, he would have entered and exited twice.

Of course, one had to be aware that no one would think these corridors would be used as an access route by a supersonic fighter. That would be an impossible maneuver for any human being. However, as an engineer, one always had to consider Murphy's law, as nothing could be taken for granted.

Anakin reached the main engine room in two seconds, as he had to slow down from his entry speed. R2 launched the missiles while Anakin annihilated the controllers with blaster shots to ensure his path remained clear of shields or barriers.

The fighter took a few blaster shots from the B1s guarding the area, but Anakin ignored them. After completing a half-turn maneuver to shoot the controllers, he activated the turbo and made his escape. As he exited, Anakin reactivated the radio.

"Red Leader to Cannon Fodder. Red Leader to Cannon Fodder. Death Star Plan 1 was a success. Get away from this scrap if you don't want to be destroyed in the explosion," Anakin warned.

"What?" asked the mission commander incredulously. "How…?" Anakin cut off the communication as he shot out of the enemy hangar, triggering chain explosions behind him.

Once outside, Anakin wasted no time. After some celebratory stunts and spins that left R2 screaming in indignation, he set the queen's palace as his target and returned to the hangar approximately ten minutes after leaving.

…

Upon reaching the hangar, there were a couple of destroyers, but with the command ship destroyed, they were deactivated.

Anakin exited the fighter with R2, whom he planned to bribe with some upgrades and also promised that they would be heroes, to help him in future missions…

Suddenly, Anakin found himself lifted into the air by a squadron of pilots who had followed him there.

"Kid, you're the best pilot I've seen in my life!" shouted one of them as they tossed him in the air.

"Put me down; I have something urgent to do!" Anakin ordered urgently, and the pilots lowered him, looking stunned by the urgency in his voice, as with the command ship destroyed, the war was won.

Anakin didn't explain anything and ran toward the source of a cold feeling that ran down his spine.

Anakin and R2 reached the generator room of the palace, another creation of some deranged engineer, but Anakin didn't have time to figure out its purpose. Right at that moment, Qui-Gon was impaled by Maul's lightsaber, about a hundred meters away.

"Damn!" cursed Anakin, unable to approach because the shields were still active.

Anakin had to wait while Obi-Wan yelled in helplessness and pain, waiting for his turn to face Maul. Anakin advanced only when the shields opened, managing to cover thirty meters before they closed again.

"R2, do something," Anakin said, annoyed.

R2 complained that there was no access terminal nearby and questioned his judgment in approaching the danger unarmed. R2 suggested running away and letting him take care of everything.

Anakin rolled his eyes and continued advancing when the shield opened again. Obi-Wan and Maul paid him no attention and continued their fierce duel.

Finally, after three minutes, Anakin reached Qui-Gon as Obi-Wan cut Maul in half. Obi-Wan looked at him surprised by his sudden arrival, but instead of asking him what he was doing there, he took Qui-Gon in his arms, calling him with tears in his eyes.

Anakin sighed. The Force had warned him in his meditations, just like with his mother, whom he could only leave a large sum of money in case Watto changed his mind and decided to sell her, that he couldn't save Qui-Gon. The Jedi simply ignored his premonitions, and even if he listened, Maul was still there.

Despite everything, there was something Anakin could do for Qui-Gon, but he decided to wait until Obi-Wan said his goodbyes.

"Anakin!" Qui-Gon said weakly, and Anakin hurried to kneel on the other side of Obi-Wan. "Anakin, Obi-Wan will train you. He will be your master," Qui-Gon said with difficulty. Anakin didn't say anything and took his hand.

"Relax, don't resist," Anakin said, closing his eyes to summon the presence of the Force like he had never done before, immersing Qui-Gon in it. With all the power the Force provided him, Anakin was sure that a wound like Qui-Gon's would be nothing. But he had no skill with the Force; he only had the Force itself. Fortunately, Qui-Gon was no ordinary Jedi, and the Force had offered him an exit…

Anakin, holding Qui-Gon's hand between his own, felt them fade into the air. He opened his eyes and saw Obi-Wan holding his master's clothes, but there was nothing more. This was the second path the Force had shown him, helping Qui-Gon accelerate his journey to union with the Force. Now, he only had to find a way to communicate with him.

Anakin sighed as Obi-Wan looked at his master's clothes without understanding anything. Anakin tried to get up, but the world began to spin, and everything turned black.