Reborn as Anakin

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***

Handling the boat was a problem, but Erdwa and I managed. The kids couldn't help, so they just sat there and didn't touch anything. There was a choice of chasing the crew and then going to Mandalore, or going straight to Mandalore. I chose the latter, as I was used to it - first business, then rest. I had to give instructions to Ahsoka first. Not just instructions - she had to solve Ben's moral dilemma, so I had prepared a... not a speech, more just a "fish" speech, the backbone of a speech and general theses for leaving the Order. As the ship flew in hyper, now on main hyperdrive, we went into the theatre. There was a rehearsal coming up.

- Ahsoka," I turned to the girl, taking a seat on the stage. Now we will test your acting skills.

- Yes, Master," she climbed from the middle of the auditorium to the stage in one mighty leap.

- I was thinking... you're going to talk to Ben, and it's up to you to convince him to give up the Order and stay with Satine. You know? You need arguments and facts, just a good heartfelt speech. Think about it, how can you make a case for leaving?

- Um..." she hesitated, "do I love Shiai?

- No, that's not enough.

Ahsoka thought about it some more, then she said:

- I don't think the Order's cause is worth sacrificing your own life for. Dying for a cause is one thing, but condemning yourself to eternal torture and misery is another. Especially since we are not such important figures that our presence or absence in the Order will make a difference. I'm not a Grand Master, neither is he, we're just one of many.

- That's better," I smiled at the girl, "Anything else?

- Well... the Order's code isn't the most rational either. It calls for doing unnatural things to yourself and fighting your feelings and your nature.

- That's great. More?

Ahsoka thought for a moment, then pulled out her final arguments:

- In general, I think I'm doing the right thing. The Jedi forget that they do not own the right to the truth. They won't even agree on what the Force is, let alone dictate to others how to live their lives. For tens of thousands of years, from the first Je'dai Orders to the Ruusan Reform, the Order did not follow these rules, and were far stronger than the current Order. My point is that this is my choice, and I choose my own life the way it turns out. Without the moralising of the order.

- Everyone has the right to make a mistake," I agreed, "if you were wrong, you will be held responsible, and if the Order is wrong... they will just turn a blind eye, no one will apologise to you. The Force is not bound by any religious teachings, and the Jedi as a whole are just an attempt to systematise the Forcers and give them centralised power, they have no right to the truth and never have. If anything, all the others - Sith, Rakata, minor sects - are similar attempts, but the Jedi have simply achieved more due to their multicultural nature and ties to the Republic. There is only the force, everything else is superstition. There is only the truth that the force, heart and reason tells you. The rest is someone else's rules. Everyone has the right to decide whether to obey those rules or not. We are free, we are created by our power, the rest is our decision.

Ahsoka nodded, and then we started the training. We had a couple of hours left, so we made the most of them.

* Keldabe.

Ben Kenobi was enjoying the view of the summer garden. Summer had already set in as the heat had receded and the time was at its most pleasant. He breathed in the scent of the flowers once more and was transported back to the days of his childhood.

He didn't have to wait long - after half an hour, Satine quietly approached the gazebo, but he couldn't take the Jedi by surprise. Reaching up, he invited Satine into the gazebo where they merged in a kiss. Satine wrapped her arms around Kenobi's neck and the Jedi found nothing better to do than ask, breaking the kiss:

- Work?

- Damn it to hell.

- Anything new?

- Routine.

And they repeated the kiss.

In the middle of their kiss, which threatened to turn into sex, an alarm sounded over the palace, the sky lit up with a protective dome of deflectors and kinetic shields, but too late. Thunder boomed from the heavens, causing Kriz and Kenobi to fly out of the gazebo. The sound came from the braking ships - three, rather unusually shaped. Accelerating into hypersonic dive, the fighters passed through the planet's atmosphere and pierced the kinetic shields like a bullet through paper - forty tonnes grouped into a small fighter and accelerated to Mach twelve was a lot. The fighters braked, hovering above the ground. The guards, armed to the teeth, were coming from the palace, but what happened next made everyone think, one might even say, in a state of prostration. The fighter planes came down smoothly in front of the Duchess, and people came out of them... the guards who had taken them in a ring drew their weapons.

- Sutres, if you don't put the guns away, I might get nervous," the chief pilot warned him loudly, "and if I get nervous, I might break these toys.

- Don't threaten me, Skywalker, you flew in here like a lunatic and you're still making demands...

- I'm sorry, I wanted to see my sister," Anakin, the chief pilot, shook hands with the chief of security under the surprised looks of Satine and Ben, and then turned to the duchess.

- Hello, lovebirds. Did you miss us?

- Ani? - Duchess got a nervous tic in one eye, -What are you doing here?

- I came to see you. Especially since I found someone," he nodded at the brute girl beside him.

- Ahsoka? - Kenobi was surprised.

- Ben? - Skywalker repeated his tone.

- Maybe that's enough," a boy who looked a lot like both Skywalker and the Togrut came out from behind Skywalker, "Dad, would you introduce me to your friend?

- Oh, this is Ben Kenobi. I met him a long time ago on Tatooine. It was a rough time back then - races, Sith, queens at every turn....

His remark made the encounter even more surreal.

- All right, freeze! - Skywalker, why the hell are you breaking through MY palace guards, you bastard?

- Really," Anakin feigned offence, "you should have signed up for an audience, right?

The guards, realising there would be no attack, slowly began to leave, leaving the disputants alone.

- Quickly to the palace! - commanded the Duchess, adjusting her dress.

Further conversation took place in the Duchess's chambers. Anakin sat on the couch, taking the most privileged seat, Shia and Ahsoka Skywalker took one chair, they were not used to it, and Satine and Kenobi sat on the couch opposite Anakin. Still, there was a slight air of surrealism in the room.

- 'Anakin Skywalker,' Obi-Wan Kenobi broke the silence, 'is that really you? I thought you were dead. Everyone did.

- And everyone was wrong. As they say, you can't wait.

- But... you were nowhere to be found! Master Qui-Gon even got in trouble with the council for your "death".

- I'm aware of that. I'm sorry, but I didn't leave you by choice. I was rescued by a friend of mine, after which we, Erdwa and I, had quite an adventure.

- I wouldn't mind hearing about it, over a cup of tea in the evening," Ben nodded, "but I'm more interested in what my apprentice is doing with you?

- Ahsoka? She's in training. And as for the circumstances of our meeting... you know how to lose young apprentices, Obi-Wan. First you had me dead, then you lost Ahsoka.

Satine looked from Shi'ai to Tano and back again. Then she looked at Skywalker. Knowing him, she realised that he was clearly not his usual way of talking.

- Okay, what's done is done," Anakin sighed heavily, "what happened here? I mean the reason why a Jedi is suddenly secluded with Satine in the garden...''

Satine was a little embarrassed, but Ben was far from a little.

- 'Anakin,' the Jedi grumbled unhappily, 'by the way, I have just as many questions. Why did you fly into the palace like that... why do the guards know you, why did you fly here in the first place?

- Good questions," Skywalker nodded, "sister, why don't you explain it to him? - I turned to Satine. Ben coughed at the word 'sister'.

- 'Of course, Ani. But a little later. Maybe you can answer one question about where Ahsoka was. We've been wondering...

Skywalker glanced at the togruta and fell silent. What came next was Ahsoka Skywalker's solo appearance.

Coughing, the girl explained:

- Well... I woke up aboard Skywalker's yacht. And from there, Master Skywalker trained me.

- Speaking of which," Anakin cut in, "the girl has phenomenal potential. It would be a sin to leave such talent undeveloped, so I took the liberty of training Ahsoka for a while.

- I see," Satine gave Anakin a hard look, "Ani, shall we go outside?

Skywalker stood up, leaving Shiai, Ahsoka and Ben alone. It was up to them to make the final point from here on out. As soon as the door closed behind the Duchess, Ben pounced with questions:

- Ahsoka, where have you been?

- Only on Master Skywalker's ship! - The girl answered honestly, "I didn't even go anywhere. Honestly!

- I believe you," Ben leaned back on the couch, resting his hands on the backrest, "I knew my first mission wouldn't go smoothly. What were you doing back there?

- Master Skywalker taught me," the girl said confidently, "I didn't understand everything, but he's a good teacher.

-Who's that young man with you? - Ben looked at the boy. Shiai cast Ben an equally curious studying look.

- Um... teacher, we need to have a serious talk-" Ahsoka frowned. Ben did too.

- Yes?

Ben was prepared for the worst, however, not for what followed next.

- Master, I have decided to leave the Order. I've completed the mandatory four years and... well... I love Shiai.

- Shiai is me," the boy informed her just in case. Ahsoka nodded. Kenobi closed his eyes tiredly. The last thing he would want to do was that.

After spending a few languid minutes in silence, he asked only:

- Why?

Feeling the support of his lover, the former Tano sighed and began to explain:

- You see... I realised that there are more important things in life than this whole mess. Really, look, are we really that important to the Order, and the galaxy, to play an important role in it? Sometimes I think if the Jedi suddenly disappeared, no one would even notice. Is service to the Order worth sacrificing your own life? Even fate, not life? You know, I suddenly realised... - Ahsoka thought, - everyone in the galaxy knows how to help others, but no one knows how to help themselves. And the Jedi too - most of them are trapped in their superstitions. No one will even give me an exact answer to what the Force is, let alone the rest of the Order's rules. Who can guarantee that these rules are right and not wrong? I have learnt that a Jedi must follow his heart, mind and his will, not submit to other superstitions. I believe the Order is wrong to believe that we must give up our nature for the sake of... an obscure unattainable ideal. Once these conditions did not exist, the Order lived and lived for tens of thousands of years, and now they have appeared and they want to convince us that we should have lived this way. Where is the logic? - Ahsoka asked.

- 'I see,' Kenobi booted himself up.

- Where's the logic? I finally have to give up my nature and my feelings and my will and my choice of reason for what? Isn't that what the Force is all about - feelings, will, reason... it's my feelings, my choices and my will.

- All right," Ben grimaced, "but still... are you sure?

- Well..." Ahsoka didn't know how to break the news, "Shia and I are already... well... married.

Kenobi coughed, and Shiai took the floor after Ahsoka's long monologue:

- Obi-Wan, I believe that no order or organisation should impose its will on others, except for laws dictated by common sense. It is the way of the dark side to suppress the will and mind of the adept, while the way of the light is goodwill and harmony with oneself and the force. What harmony can we speak of if the rules of the Jedi Order, though not yet to the point of outright prohibition, are very unfavourable to certain aspects of their adepts' lives? So our choice is this. I love Ahsoka too, and I will stay with her. The Order is only a relatively small organisation, no more than a medium-sized ministry on the scale of the Republic. I realise now that they select children and raise them from a young age so that they don't think it's wrong. You don't have to think that way. I was raised by my parents, even though they're Jedi, but I prefer to think with my head. And I wouldn't like it if some organisation demanded that I give up my feelings for the greater good. I can't make the whole galaxy happy..." he smiled slyly, "but I can make one Togruta happy. Let it be my contribution to the common good.

Ahsoka and Shiai merged in a brief kiss, after which Ben finally fell out of reality and sat down and stared out the large panoramic window overlooking the garden. Shiai pulled Ahsoka out of the room, leaving Ben alone.

Meanwhile, while the young forsurgeons were perching on Ben Kenobi's mind, a no-nonsense conversation was going on in the next room, the one she had pulled Anakin into.

- What, did you do that? - Satine exclaimed in surprise.

- 'Yeah,' Anakin smiled, taking a sip of wine from his glass, 'well, what's the point of me getting in their way? They love each other, and I... I believe that the power of reason and will can do a lot. You know, Satine, I didn't tell you...I used to live on Tatooine.

- You didn't," Satine sipped from her glass, "you didn't mention your background at all before you went to the academy.

- I know. I was once just a slave on a shabby Hutt planet," Anakin sighed, sensing that the children were eavesdropping, "you know, poverty, getting shot on every corner, and so on...

A smile slid off Kriz's face:

- Are you serious?

- Yeah. It was a tough time, I worked in a junk shop. It was a dangerous place, I almost got killed a lot of times, but it was okay," Anakin sank back into his memories, "My mum and I made ends meet. I had to work hard, even steal from the local pirates and other bad men, but we got out of it. I bought myself and Mum out, and by the time Qui-Gon came to Tatooine, we were free men. Then, with the money I won on a deadly race that rarely even half the racers survive, I got a job studying... and flew for a while before that as a smuggler.

Satine coughed:

- A smuggler?

- Well, yes. I worked for a few months, until Justice started reaping 'free traders', and flew to Alderaan to study. And then you know the rest. Anyway, I had a very eventful childhood, especially the bad ones.

- You still haven't forgotten that girl, have you? - Satine asked sympathetically.

Shiai pressed his ear against the door.

- Yes, I don't forget things like that. If I wasn't a Jedi, I'd be out for revenge, but... if personal interests coincide with social interests, I don't see anything wrong with satisfying them.

- You must have loved each other very much," Satine said sadly, "if you're still willing to destroy an entire planet for her.

- Not an entire planet," the Emperor shook his head, "but an entire organisation. They crossed the line between opposition and terrorists when they attacked civilians. That's unacceptable, so sooner or later... but I'm in no hurry. Besides Ali... I have a different life now," Anakin shook his head. Satine gave him a concerned look, which was ignored by Anakin.

- 'And how are things with you and Ben?

- Well... - Satine hesitated, but Skywalker interrupted her:

- Okay, I'm generally aware of that. There is a relationship between the two of you, quite far-reaching already....

- How? - The Duchess' surprise was unbounded, "Are you following me?

- No," Anakin shrugged, "but do you really think I wasn't in control of the operation? Specialists took information from common sources, analysing the smallest details, down to the smallest facial expressions, and drew conclusions. You know, the presence of a man is not something a woman can hide from an attentive observer.

- I give up," Satine leaned back tiredly in her chair, glaring at Skywalker with her eyes, "I really do.

- The little ones are working on Ben right now. I believe in them, they can show him by example that Jediism is not the meaning of life. Actually, you know how I feel about all these idiotic vows.

- I know you criticised them last time," the Duchess nodded in agreement, closing her eyes, "it's hard to put into words how much you do for me. I... don't even know how to repay you.

- Don't bother. I do good deeds for free, and you're my sister, it's as natural to help you as it is to help Shiayu and Ahsoka.

- Are you sure you didn't do anything to them?

- You didn't do anything to them? No, of course not," Skywalker finished his speech in his own manner and answered the question, "their feelings are just that, their feelings. I'm just an observer, except that I pushed them towards each other.

Satine got up and walked around the room, thinking aloud:

- Should I go and see Ben?

- You could. Better give him a few minutes alone, though.

Realising that they had been exposed, Shiai and Ahsoka knocked on the door. Satine had gone to her lover after all, and the children entered the room, disapprovingly eyeing the bottle of wine.

Meanwhile, in the next room sat Kenobi.

The lights in the room were off, only shining through the window. Having had a couple of glasses of wine, Satine felt less tense than she had an hour ago. Kenobi sat on the couch in the dark, staring at the window in front of him. The Duchess slipped into the darkness of the room to Kenobi's side, but stood next to him rather than sitting down.

- Ben? Ben!

- Satin? - he sprang to life.

- 'They're back,' the Duchess said satisfactorily, 'I told you your apprentice would be found.

- But... she wants to leave the Order,' he sighed, 'understand?

- I understand," Satine sat down next to Ben, "it's her choice. Even Yoda can't order her to do otherwise.

- And still..." Ben rubbed his temples tiredly, but Chrys caught his hands and nestled a kiss on Ben.

- Ben... it's her right to be with the one she loves. It's the right thing to do.

Kenobi gave in:

- I... you know...

Satine understood, and only kissed him once more. Confess to her, he could confess to her a hundred times later.

In the semi-darkness of the living room, the Duchess sat on Kenobi's lap, pressing herself against him. Only her confused breathing could be heard.

- Stay with me," Satine begged, pressing herself against Ben.

- 'I... the Order needs me.

- I need you too, Ben," Chrys countered, "I don't know how much the Order needs you, but I need you a lot, Ben. Stay. The Order won't cry over your loss. I will.

That was the last straw - the cunning Duchess knew that Ben Kenobi was most attracted to a woman's tears, so it was a low blow. They stood up, Kenobi stated confidently:

- I may not be able to make the whole galaxy happy, but I can make one person happy. Let this be my contribution to the common good.

- Wise words.

- That boy... said so," Ben nodded.

Kriz was left to applaud the Skywalkers, and definitely standing. They'd done the operation so filigree that they'd never poke their noses in. And Kenobi wouldn't say that Ahsoka and Shiai had married just to convince him of their words. And they even found the right words.

* Morning, Anakin Skywalker *

It's nice and strange to wake up in the morning at Satine's palace. I'm in a good mood this morning, but I haven't learnt the results of the operation yet. After gathering my thoughts, I left my bedroom. The little ones stayed in theirs, which they were allotted one, which is also an indicator. Scoring a warm up, I went to the 'master' wing, having only just gotten dressed.

Judging by the fact that Satine and Ben were in the same bed and sleeping well, everything had worked out fine last night. It's not a good idea to spy on them at times like this, which is why I didn't use sensorics last night.

The return of the prodigal emperor was played out extravagantly, one might say, according to the canons of theatre art. We did everything without saying anything of substance.

I, against all etiquette, went to the kitchen and took a large breakfast, eating it alone. When I returned to the living wing, Satine and Ben were already up, as were Ahsoka and Shiai.

- Morning! - I shouted through the door.

- Come in already," Chrise mumbled.

I went in. Satine and Ben had already cleaned themselves up. Ben was sitting pensively on a chair, and Chrys was standing next to him.

- How are you, alive?

- More alive than ever," she nodded.

- Speaking of which," Ben turned to me, "Anakin, can you tell me why you look so strange? Did you dye your hair?

- No, I'm a natural blond," I chuckled, "you've seen my son, we have the same hair.

- Tell me more about it.

I had to tell him the story of my misadventures, and how I met Satine, and how I got to the past... I didn't tell him about the architects, but my admission to the Order hasn't been revoked yet. Nor is my status as a Jedi Master. Ben listened with increasing amazement. I told him about the current state of affairs briefly, in a thesis. The main themes were that I was now Emperor, I had a son, Shiai, and he was now Ahsoka's husband. The latter caused a glance between Satine and Ben.

- Okay," Ben listened to my story, "It's fantastic. So many adventures...

- Because I mixed up the ships that night," I grinned, "or rather Erdva took me to the wrong ship. And that bastard knows how to find adventures on his iron... head.

- I take it you're not going to be on the Order's good side.

- Come on, Ben. I'm a Jedi. Except I already have more money and influence than the Order, so I have no desire to be lectured by Yoda. I swore an oath to the Order, not to the current Order, which perverts concepts and is mired in notations, prohibitions and subordinate to the Republic, but to that Order. The real, fighting Order, the one the whole galaxy knew, half the galaxy respected, the other half feared.

Ben thought for a moment while I pulled myself together.

- All right. I get your point, your motives are clear too...I thought you made conditions that you would only join us if Qui-Gon taught you?

- That's right... that's a thing of the past, I'm a Jedi Master myself now. And a master of an order by whose standards you are still an average padawan. War isn't like eating peanuts. - I grinned, and turned to Satine: "By the way, when is Ben's mission over?

- I don't know," she cast a sly look at Kenobi, "Ben... Ben agreed to stay with me....

- Oh how? I raised an eyebrow," That's wonderful. Only a blind man wouldn't see that there is love between you two. Congratulations. It's a love fest, first Shiai and Ahsoka..." I grinned. Satine took her rightful place next to Ben.

- By the way, how do I report you to the Order? - Kenobi asked.

- Better not. I don't want anything to do with the Order.

- I haven't told anyone that Ahsoka is missing, so... I don't think it'll be a big deal.

- In that case... invite me to the wedding.

* Anakin Skywalker, yacht *

Mission accomplished. I gathered my thoughts and reread Ben and Satine's file before destroying all the records. Even if he found out about my mediating role in this, it wouldn't change anything - Satine's feelings were real. And his, too. Leaning back in my chair, I was drumming my fingers on the table thoughtfully when the silence of the office was broken by a voice from the speakers of the holoprojector:

- Your Majesty, there's an alarm!

- What is it, Shin? - I jumped up immediately. My commander-in-chief certainly wouldn't say such words just as a joke.....