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The Faithful and Ferocious	By : HatefulWitch Category: Star Wars (All) > Slash - Male/Male Views: 3332 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the plot, characters, or creation of Star Wars, nor do I make any money off of it.

Chapter List
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Ahsoka, come to the opposite walkway. Southwest. You'll want to see this.
The little Togrutan looked down at her comlink in confusion. If Obi-Wan was southwest on the walkway, he hadn't gotten very far after they split up. Since two hooded figures roaming around together would draw too much attention, the plan was to divide and weed out spots to camp out in until the execution. However, she heard the abnormal emotion in his voice and knew he wouldn't deviate from the plan unless it was important. She backtracked to the gateway of the courtyard to cross over to the opposing walkway. When her brother-in-arms came into view, she realized he was not alone. Someone dressed in raggedy black clothes stood in front of him with their back to her.
The closer she came to the pair, the stranger she felt. A warm feeling wriggled up her spine and after a few seconds of concentration, she realized the feeling was from a liftetime ago. She didn't have to be told or see the person's face- she knew. Her breath was stolen from her lungs when she stopped and stared on disbelievingly. It's not possible. Obi-Wan caught sight of her and tried to smile in reassurance. The unidentified individual beside him noticed the smile aimed behind them and turned. All caution, doubt, and possibilities were thrown into the sun as she sprinted the distance between them in the blink of an eye. She flung her arms around Anakin and buried her face against his neck. Tears crawled from the corners of her eyes, but she gave no other indication she was crying. There was hesitation due to the crippling pain in his body after Ahsoka launched herself at him, but Anakin soon secured his arms around his former padawan, "Hey, Snips."
The spacer pulled back to survey every inch of her old master's face: the grime, the hollow cheeks, the blood, the lightless eyes. The fall in her expression was unintentional, "You look terrible."
A half-smile graced his lips, "Glad to know you still hate the taste of sugarcoating."
She returned the smile, but it quickly faded, "How in the name of the radio galaxy is this possible? You…" Her words turned to whispers, "You fell into darkness."
"Even the darkness can't handle me."
The gravelly emotion in the response indicated he didn't want to discuss that sore subject, so she dropped it. She gave another brief hug, "You can't imagine how elated I am to see you, Anakin. This is miraculous." Noticing people starting to shuffle along the courtyard, she was reminded how close it was to noontime. She took a couple steps back, "I'm sure Obi-Wan's already given you the skinny. I need to get back into position and-"
"Hold up, Ahsoka," Obi-Wan interjected, "there's a slight change in tactics."
::::
Darth Noxion planned a show for the ages. The gruesomeness of Luke Skywalker's barbarous execution would be immortalized, passed down to future generations in fiendish folk tales. It would be a cautionary story for any remaining Jedi lurking in the shadows and to anyone entertaining the rebellion's persuasion.
Her long, lean limbs pranced with the grace of a tiger as she made her way through the underground fortress. A chain was entwined with her angular fingers and on the other end, a whimpering Luke was being led with a shock collar braced around his neck. The helpless child's hands were bound together by durasteel stun cuffs as his feet stumbled along to her rushed pace. He didn't comprehend the reason for what was happening, but Noxtalia, as she introduced herself to him, made it clear today was his death date. She'd given him an explanation involving his father and chlorine, but her logic seemed nonsensical to him. Not that he exactly had a say in the matter.
She tugged him from passageway to passageway, weaving between stormtroopers and random bystanders. Eventually, they came to a flight of quadratic stairs and with no amount of pity, she began to lug him up like luggage. The five-year-old careened against the first few steps, scraping his knees on their jagged metal coating, and crawled frantically to his feet. He wiped his tears with the back of one of his cuffed hands before clutching onto the chain protruding from the front of his neck in an attempt to use it as a balance while his little legs speedily hopped up the stairs.
He felt like he'd scaled a mountain by the time they reached a tidy, chalky room with multi-colored furnishings. Before he could get a good look around, Noxtalia yanked him into another room. Her wide stride caused him to hustle to keep up and he scarcely got a glimpse of a motheaten painting of a woman in red robes before being jerked into the next room. This one was exponentially larger than the previous two, with turquoise marble floors and ivory statues, but received the same disregard. She put her hand up towards the ligneous double doors ahead and they flung open by themselves to reveal blinding sunlight.
Luke was gaspingly sobbing by the time they exited through the spacious doorway and met hundreds of piercing eyes. Dread swelled in the pit of his stomach as he gazed over all the unfamiliar faces. A short moment of immobilization was disrupted when Noxtalia mightily wrenched his chain forward. He staggered then fell to his already damaged knees. She didn't wait for the child to stand again before she effortlessly drug him along behind her like an unwilling lamb to the slaughter. Shocked faces sailed through Luke's vision as he was hitched along a narrow opening in the crowd. Tears, cries, and blood spilled from the frightened boy while he was sadistically pulled to the fountain in the dead center of the courtyard. A two-man camera crew fought with elbows through the horror-struck crowd to digitally capture every single movement and sound. The Sith apprentice made no indication she was aware of their presence when she came to a halt at the edge of the circular fountain.
She towed the chain in, little by little, to haul Luke closer to her. Luckily, he still had a stable hold on the chain, which prevented the brace of the shock collar from cutting into the tender flesh of his throat too badly. When she finally pulled him close enough, she maliciously stamped one of her leather boots down onto the chain to rigidly pin the injured youngling to the concrete by the neck.
She callously snarled and her mismatched eyes regarded the cowering civilians gathered, "This rotation, we restore order to our galaxy! We strike down the last of a savage breed which coveted control and committed unspeakable crimes unto the Old Republic and her people! Today's bloody rebellion, founded on the depraved religion of that savage breed, seeks to destroy the Empire and her people just the same! We will let Luke Skywalker's blood flow as freely as the water in the fountain before us and let all who wish to oppose peace and order know they will die like flies!"
Once her speech concluded, she unhooked a lightsaber from her black leather belt. A red beam sprouted forth when she smashed the stud and removed her foot from the chain Luke's cuffed hands still gripped. She purposefully took off flesh as she scraped the tip of the lightsaber against the bottom of the shock collar with the intent to remove it. Luke released a pained yelp as blood dribbled into his filthy shirt. This brought a vicious smile to her face, but it also brought unanticipated guests.
The fountain rested on a runway in the center of the courtyard and healthy, fully-bloomed oak trees lined the the runway. Unbeknownst to the striped executioner, Luke's liberators patiently waited in the cloaking leaves for the right time to spring forth. Luke's cry of pain was a clear indication to both liberators it was time for action. Ahsoka pounced from an oak tree on the right side of the courtyard and Obi-Wan pounced from an oak tree on the left side. If Noxtalia was surprised, she didn't give any external signs of it. Her facial expression was blank and her single red lightsaber met theirs blow for blow. Obi-Wan noticed her eyes moved in different directions like a chameleon's and such sensitive vision most likely allowed her to keep up with the three lightsabers assailing her with little to no difficulty. Admittedly, her catlike reflexes and agility probably helped. Kicks, jabs, Force-pushes- she managed to endure or evade everything her opponents threw at her while still fending off every blow of their lightsabers.
This was taking much too long.
The Jedi Master knew the fastest way to land a hit and end this battle was to distract her. It was a simple, cheap ploy, probably too easy to work, but he was willing to try it to save Luke. His lightsaber never ceased in its assault as he called out, "Ahsoka! Leave her to me! Get Luke!"
Amazingly, his ploy worked.
Ahsoka learned long ago that when Obi-Wan said something stupid during battle, there was a hidden agenda in it. He had a plan and she was going to go by it because their saberplay certainly wasn't getting them anywhere and reinforcements would make it through the crowd at any time. She used both of her lightsabers to smack down a blow from her adversary. This caused a short recovery time and the couple seconds she needed to dart around the red-striped Sith to make a mad dash for Luke. The dark side warrior twisted to Force-push the dashing Shilian without taking into account the opportunity it provided Obi-Wan to expertly slash his lightsaber across her torso.
However, as soon as the weapon made contact, Noxtalia ducked back and averted fatality. Still, she was wounded. This didn't stop her from hastily springing forward and spearing her neon red lightsaber at Obi-Wan. He deflected the strike and engaged her in another round of tit-for-tat saberplay. During this time, Ahsoka cut the excess of the chain around Luke's neck away and cut the center band of his stun cuffs so he could move his arms freely. She disengaged one of her lightsabers and blindly clipped it to her belt before kneeling on the concrete. She embraced Luke's waist and tugged him against her chest. Once the child was secured in her muscular arm, she didn't chance a glance backwards.
Her feet moved like greased lightning down the remainder of the runway and people gleefully made a path for her. Ahsoka didn't slow even when the sound of clashing sabers was out of range. By the time she could see the molt, she could see the stormtroopers. She was far from the fountain, but Obi-Wan was still not behind her. If she didn't fight through the oncoming wave of troops, no one would. Only when they were coming over the bridges at the end of the runway did she slow to a trot so she could address the child in her arms. She used the most concise and informative language she could, "Luke, my name is Ahsoka, I am a friend of your father's and I want to keep you safe. I need you to hold on tight, both arms. Don't let go no matter what, okay?"
Her vision trained ahead at the stormtroopers hustling their immediate way, but she felt the boy nod his head. Cuffs dug into her flesh as little arms wrapped around her neck and bloodied knees constricted against her torso. About a dozen seconds later, her lightsaber sliced through a stormtrooper. She felt Luke press his face into the base of her neck as she carved a path to one of the bridges. She manually broke down the wall of flesh on the bridge, kicking the last stormtrooper over the rail and into the water.
She was very conscientious of the precious cargo on her arm as she deflected shots and took out random troopers. She made sure nothing hit him and was very cognizant of the position of his arms and legs. With immense speed and intent, she sprinted straight through the main turquoise gates of the courtyard. She didn't stop hotfooting it until she reached a wooded area some way from the palace. Her breathing was laborious and the sweat on her face reflected the midday sun by the time she came to a stop. There were luckily no pursuers that managed to follow her, but there was still no sign of Obi-Wan either.
Luke's raw, contused arms drew her attention. She leaned back and touched one of his tiny shoulders and his hold around her neck loosened. His knees and elbows were shred, his neck was bruised, there were welts on his face and hands, his limbs were scraped up, his little lips were cracked. He wasn't in the best of shape, but he could be much worse. Ahsoka hauled the five-year-old against her chest again and jogged the rest of the way to the corvette. It was parked well out of sight in a mildly forested area about four kilometers from the Theed Hangar.
When she remotely opened the hatch, a nervous Anakin immediately stepped forth with a hand against the overhead frame. His eyes were filled with perturbation and amazement as he gazed down at the little fair-haired boy in Ahsoka's arms. This was the child he never thought he would hold; the child he presumed to be lost; the child he thought he killed. Instinct and overwhelming heartache caused his hands to outstretch and cup his son's tear-stained cheeks.
A small, thrilled laugh bubbled from his lips when he felt the radial heat from Luke's face. He now had undeniable proof his child was here and alive before him. Another laugh, a more cheerless and affected laugh, escaped his lips, "We're pretty banged up, aren't we, cadet?"
Luke's colossal sky-blue eyes widened in question, "Are you friends with my daddy, too?"
Anakin blinked back king-sized tears as he delicately manipulated Luke from his friend's arms and hugged the battered child to his chest.
Now that Ahsoka's arms were free and she wasn't ruining a formative moment for father and son, she pulled a one-eighty and began jogging away. All attention was quickly drawn to the fleeing spacer, "Where are you going?"
She turned but continued jogging backwards, "Obi-Wan's still fighting a Sith apprentice and a battalion of stormtroopers; I really have to go back!"
"You left him?" Anakin yelped over his son's head.
"It was either him or Luke! He made it clear before we went in I was to choose Luke!" The former Jedi was practically out of earshot and sight when she complained, "Or I would be given one of his droll talking to's!"
Dammit, Obi-Wan. I didn't want you in the line of fire. The Tatooinian shook his head. Stop worrying. Obi-Wan can take care of himself.
"You're hurt."
His attention was drawn to the small boy in his arms. He rapidly blinked as he processed what Luke had said, "Don't worry about me. Let's get you out of these restraints."
Without any second thought, his hand lifted and he employed the Force to break the brace and cuffs off his son's neck and wrists. There was no time to focus on his use of the Force when Luke peered up at him with stunned eyes, "Who are you?"
He wanted to break down; he wanted to explain everything; he wanted to apologize; he wanted to beg forgiveness. You should be in your mother's arms, not mine. Despite his feelings of inadequacy and culpability, he wasn't going to lie. There was enough pain and deception without him adding to it. The disgraced Jedi felt his teeth chatter, "I am…my name is Anakin Skywalker. I'm your father."
The hope in Luke's eyes was staggering, "Really?" The yes given was barely audible, but it was heard all the same. Tiny arms enveloped the fallen Jedi's neck, "I knew I'd find you, Daddy."
This immense innocence and ready acceptance rejuvenated Anakin's tears. Again ignoring the pain in his body, his arms constricted around his son and the side of their heads pressed together. If only you could be here to see him, Padmé. Without explanation, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Luke. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He planted a kiss in pale tresses, "I'm so sorry."
Luke wasn't sure how to respond to these apologies, so he only held his father tighter. They were interrupted when a panting Ahsoka entered the corvette with an equally out-of-breath Obi-Wan close behind. Anakin was relieved his dear friends were safe, but the ache in his soul didn't subside.
Obi-Wan kneeled beside the Skywalkers, wiping perspiration from his brow, and established Anakin was emotional but not unhinged through eye contact alone. His attention turned to Luke, "Let's get those wounds taken care of, little one."
::::
After they applied copious amounts of bacta to Luke's wounds, they stuffed him full of ration cubes and bundled him up in a sleeper. Once the boy finally fell asleep, Obi-Wan announced he needed to go to the cabin to discuss their ground plan with Ahsoka. He was almost out of the rest compartments section of the ship when a fretful whisper sailed over his shoulder, "What was the official cause?"
He turned around to find Anakin standing a few feet behind him with despairing eyes glued to the floor, "The medical droids couldn't find a reason."
"It wasn't…" the disgraced Jedi trailed off, but the mechno-hand that clenched the front of his throat said everything.
"No, it wasn't."
"Then what? Did she have a uterine rupture, cardiac arrest, embolism, obstetrical hemorrhage? I need to know what happened," Anakin frantically demanded.
Obi-Wan tightly gripped his sleeves to resist reaching out and embracing his clearly distressed friend, "She was perfectly healthy. There was nothing wrong when her vitals simply started dropping."
The brunette flinched back like he'd been slapped and his voice came out in near gasps, "When? When did she deliver the twins? On that rotation, a rotation later, four rotations later, when?"
"It was two rotations later."
He didn't say anything else though his breathing grew heavier and his eyes fanned wildly. When he did finally speak, his gaze was still lowered and his words were most unexpected, "I'm going to go lay down."
He shakily turned around and took slow steps back towards Luke's compartment. The older Forceful wasn't sure what the date of Senator Amidala's death revealed, but it undoubtedly revealed something. With a sigh, he crossed his arms, turned, and headed for the cabin. This was one topic he knew better than to try to force Anakin to elaborate on.
The harrowing pain in Anakin's heart found some level of alleviation when he heard the deep breaths of his sleeping five-year-old. He laid down beside Luke on the sleeper and dotingly combed his flesh fingers through pale, unwashed hair. When he first learned of his children's fate, it felt strange to love someone so much without ever meeting them. As he looked upon the sleeping child's angelic face, he didn't know how he could ever feel strange about loving his son. Now they were finally together, he found his paternal affection was no issue; it was the overwhelming guilt he felt that caused distress.
It would take time and concentrated effort to defeat the guilt he felt every time he thought of his children. He left them alone, and for what? For power and control. He tried to steer the hand of fate and save their mother when in the end, he was the reason she was dead. He was the reason they were motherless. He was the reason why they were left with human wreckage for a father. He was the reason they had to grow up in a climate of death and oppression. Nevertheless, if Leia could so willingly forgive him as Luke seemed to do, there was hope he could one day atone for his transgressions.
::::
Worry and anxiety brought Obi-Wan back to the rest compartments within half an hour. He tried to tell himself his returned friend was getting some rest, but he couldn't stop replaying the events of the last few hours. He was used to Anakin's mood swings and strong emotions, but they seemed to cycle more rapidly and occur more intensely than they did even before the two Forcefuls' five-year separation. He didn't know if it was all the stress or if something deeper was going on.
He silently looked into the compartment, only to find the father of two awake. The corners of his mouth upturned once he noticed mechanical fingers stroking Luke's hair and he turned to leave. However, the soft call of his name stalled him and he turned back towards the room.
"Don't take him from me."
One of the Jedi's hands grasped the frame of the door, "What are you talking about?"
"I'm not stupid, Obi-Wan."
He defeatedly sighed and moved to sit on the vacant sleeper across the room, "No, you are certainly not stupid." His elbows rested on his knees and his hands clasped together. Rationale was the only way to win this argument, so he proceeded carefully, "Luke lives on Owen and Beru Lars' farm and I reside close by in the Jundland Wastes should he ever need me. Despite our proximity, this is the first time we've met. There is nothing I would like more after this debacle than to keep Luke with me, to ensure his safety every moment, but he deserves stability. The Larses and their farm is what he knows and we shouldn't rip him away from that. The Sith tried to rip him away from it and we cannot do the very thing we just prevented others from doing."
Tense silence was broken by a soft snarl, "Why don't you cut the phobium? Say what you really mean."
Well, he tried. He knew better than to try to deceive the mercurial man a second time, "You are unwell, Anakin. You can hardly stand up, let alone take care of a child. I know you're going to automatically buck up against the idea, but I'm suggesting we take Luke back to the salt flat while you stay with me. You will still be close by to him and surely we can arrange for visitations."
"No," Anakin hissed.
He stood up from the sleeper, "Just give it some thought. It's the best thing to do, for you and Luke."
The Tatooinian looked up with palpable umbrage, "How the kriff is it best for me?"
The Stewjonian dared to step forward and ghost his fingertips over his friend's cheek, "You are in pain so immense it is corroding your energy, body, and soul. You need to focus on healing."
He didn't wait for a response before leaving the compartment.
::::
As Obi-Wan sauntered into the cabin, he released a nearly inaudible sigh. His arms crossed and he took the seat beside Ahsoka, not even sparing her a glance or word as thoughts raced through his mind like comets. She planned to give him the space he seemed to require, but he swiveled the seat towards her. His eyes didn't meet hers and his voice was hesitant and perturbed, "He, uh, he is quite…he seems rather malnourished to me. Does he to you or am I neurotic?"
Despite the seriousness of the question, she gifted a small smile, "No, you're not neurotic, at least not about that. He is skeletal. It will take a lot of work to put some meat on his bones. But if I trust anyone to get him healthy again, I trust you." After a slight pause, she investigated, "Did he say no?"
A sardonic laugh slipped through his lips, "Of course."
"Give him time. He'll come around like an asteroid."
"I'm not so sure honestly," he raked a hand through his hair then spun his chair forward again.
"I am." He gave her a curious glance and leaned back in his seat. She only smiled again, "Luke would be nearby and with your silver tongue, I'm sure the Larses will agree to allow daily visitations. Anyway, I'm sure he won't pass up a chance for you two to live together."
Obi-Wan strangely twisted his shoulders and crossed his legs, "I'm not even going to pretend I understand what you mean by that."
Ahsoka openly laughed, "Then I'm not even going to pretend you don't know precisely what I mean by that."
::::
Why was Obi-Wan always right? It was utterly maddening and oddly comforting. Just as he knew his destroyed body couldn't handle clashing with the Sith, Anakin knew his destroyed body couldn't hold up to or keep up with raising a child. He didn't want to be separated from his son for even a moment, but he knew Luke deserved the best care available. When he was younger and more reckless, he may have been able to convince himself of whatever bullshit, but through all he'd survived, one truth remained: Obi-Wan was unfalteringly right.
The older Force-user wasn't in the cabin. Unsure where else to look, he quietly slipped out unnoticed by Ahsoka and made his way back towards the rest compartments. On his way to Luke's compartment, he noticed a dim light on in the one a few paces down the hallway. Without making a sound, he glided to the open door and found Obi-Wan silently moving around micro-books and dissembled parts of a pick-up droid. His voice was almost mousey when he called out, "Hey."
Obi-Wan gave a slight start but recovered swiftly, turning with his natural grace and dropping his fisted hands to his side, "Yes?"
Anakin looked to the floor then entered the room and closed the distance between them, "The only way I will do as you ask is if you can promise me daily visits with Luke. When we get to Tatooine, promise me you will talk to them and arrange it. We also have to get security scanners with alert monitors that sound off in your house and at least one defense droid at the farm, otherwise he could be taken just as easily as before." He figured the desperation in his voice was evident when Obi-Wan stepped closer, "If you don't promise me those things, Luke is coming with me and…and who knows when you'll see us again."
Even though he knew he could easily stop the weakened man from taking off with Luke if necessary, Obi-Wan didn't combat the threat. He merely placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and assured, "I promise I will take care of it, Anakin. There's nothing going to stand in the way between you and Luke. Moreover, I hope you know, especially after today, I will do everything within my power to keep your son safe." He didn't know why a glimmer of tears appeared in sapphire orbs, but whatever the reason, he felt the need to tack on, "I will do everything within my power to keep you both safe."
Anakin looked searchingly into emerald eyes, as though he thought he was being tricked. When he found no traces of deception, he stepped forward, ignoring the excruciating pain still lingering in his body, and tentatively wrapped his arms around his best friend's neck, "I've missed you so much, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan returned the embrace, "Not as much as I've missed you."
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The Faithful and Ferocious