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Chapter 11 - Shadows in Motion

The Assignment

The Council Chamber was a dome of quiet tension. Light streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the circle of Jedi Masters.

Mace Windu's gaze swept from you to Anakin. "The attempt on Senator Amidala's life will not be the last. She requires constant protection."

Yoda's ears tilted forward. "Her safety, Skywalker's responsibility will be. With her to Naboo, he will go."

Windu shifted his attention to you. "Meanwhile, Kenobi requires support. We've traced a trail connected to the assassin — it leads beyond Coruscant. You'll go with him."

You looked to Anakin. He was already glancing your way, not hiding the flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"You'll protect her," you said, voice firm but steady. "But remember — protection isn't just about fighting. It's about listening."

Anakin nodded once. "I understand."

"I know you do."

Anakin's Point of View

The transport to Naboo felt shorter than it should have. He remembered this world, though the last time he'd seen it, he'd been nine years old, small and starstruck, following in the footsteps of a queen who had defied an empire.

Now she was beside him again, not as a distant monarch but as Padmé — Senator, survivor, and someone whose smile was just as disarming as he remembered.

The Naberrie estate was warm and inviting, its gardens bursting with bright flowers. Padmé's sister, Sola, met them at the door, two young girls clinging shyly to her dress.

Sola's eyes went from Padmé to him in a heartbeat, and a sly smile tugged at her lips. "So… is this your boyfriend?"

Padmé froze mid-step. "Sola—!"

The two girls giggled, peeking from behind their mother.

Anakin, caught off-guard, could feel the warmth rising to his face. He looked at Padmé — and to his surprise, she was blushing too.

"No," she said quickly. "He's… my protector."

Sola raised a brow. "Mmhmm."

The subject shifted, but not before Anakin caught Padmé glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

That evening, they talked under the pergola as Naboo's twin moons lit the gardens.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," she admitted softly.

"I hoped I would," he said, leaning back in his chair. "When I left, I thought of a thousand things I wanted to say to you."

"And now?"

"I'm still finding the words."

The air between them was warm, but not heavy. They spoke of the years apart — her political battles, his training under you, the things they'd both gained and lost. The lines between guard and charge began to blur.

The Dream

It came in the stillness before dawn.

His mother. The wind howling over dunes. Her voice — sharp with fear — calling his name. Sand in his eyes, the taste of dust in his mouth.

Anakin jolted awake, chest tight. But instead of rushing for a ship, he reached for his comm.

The hologram shimmered to life, revealing you, standing in the muted light of some distant hangar.

"Talk to me," you said.

"I saw her. My mother. In pain." He hesitated. "It felt… forced. Like the vision wanted me to move, right now."

"It's a Sith technique," you said without pause. "Impressio Mentis. They reach into your mind and twist what you fear most into bait. They want you reactive, not thinking."

"They don't know she's safe."

"No. And we'll keep it that way. File it under what it is — a weapon aimed at your mind. And you're not going to hand them the satisfaction of pulling the trigger."

Anakin exhaled, feeling the tension ebb. "Understood."

"Good. Stay with her. Protect her. I'll handle the rest."

Your Point of View

The hangar lights hummed overhead as Obi-Wan strode toward you, datapad in hand.

"I trust Skywalker is with Senator Amidala by now?" he asked.

"He is," you said, matching his pace. "And he's where he should be."

"Good. Because our lead just solidified. The assassin's equipment traces back to a cloner on Kamino."

You frowned. "Kamino? That's… off every standard hyperspace chart."

"Exactly." Obi-Wan's tone was sharp. "We'll need to make a detour through the Rishi Maze."

The ship lifted from the platform, engines flaring as Coruscant fell away beneath you. Already, you could feel the pull of something larger — threads of war weaving themselves together in the Force.

Beside you, Obi-Wan was focused on the mission, but you knew what was coming. The Sith weren't just moving pieces. They were setting traps in the minds of those they feared.

And Anakin Skywalker was now high on that list.

Coruscant – Chancellor's Office

The Chancellor's private office was dim, lit only by the glow of the city beyond the vast transparisteel windows. Coruscant's endless traffic lanes reflected in Palpatine's eyes as he paced, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

A faint chime sounded as the secure holoterminal flickered to life.

"Count Dooku," he said, his voice smooth but with an edge sharp enough to cut. "Explain to me why Anakin Skywalker has not acted on the vision we fed him."

The blue hologram of the Count inclined its head slightly. "It would seem, my lord, that your bait has failed to provoke the desired reaction. Skywalker… consulted his master first."

Palpatine's jaw tightened. "Consulted… Vorran."

"He told the boy to ignore it," Dooku confirmed. "And Skywalker obeyed."

"That is not acceptable," Palpatine said, voice dropping lower. "The boy's attachments are the key to breaking him. The mother was supposed to be irresistible."

Dooku's expression shifted into something almost like amusement. "There is another problem. She is no longer on Tatooine."

Palpatine turned slowly, his hooded gaze narrowing. "What?"

"I made inquiries through my contacts there. Watto, the Toydarian who once owned Skywalker and his mother, claims she was freed years ago — taken away by someone named Martus Kael Vorran."

Palpatine's tone turned to ice. "Where?"

"Unknown," Dooku replied. "She has vanished entirely from the galaxy's grid. If Vorran is hiding her, it is somewhere beyond my reach… and likely yours."

For a long moment, Palpatine was silent, the faint hum of the city the only sound in the office. Then he spoke, softly but with the weight of a thunderclap.

"Then Vorran has taken more from me than I thought."

He turned back to the window, the light of Coruscant painting his profile in gold and shadow.

"If I cannot use the mother…" His eyes glinted, and the faintest smile curved his lips. "…I will have to use the one he loves instead."

Geonosis – The Arena

The Geonosian arena shook with the sound of war.

The sky above swarmed with LAAT gunships, while below, droids poured from every tunnel and archway like a mechanical flood.

Every Jedi the Council could muster was here — green, blue, and purple blades cutting through the chaos. But even the greatest warriors of the Order could not escape without loss.

A Super Battle Droid's cannon fire caught Master Coleman Trebor mid-leap; Barriss Offee's master, Luminara Unduli, fell defending her Padawan. The screams of the wounded mingled with the roar of blasters and the clang of metal.

Through the maelstrom, Anakin fought with a clarity most Jedi could only dream of. His footwork was measured, his breathing steady, every strike the result of years of discipline under your guidance.

The Count's Last Stand

Count Dooku's escape route led to a side hangar deep in the catacombs. Anakin was on him before he could board his solar sailer.

Dooku's crimson blade ignited with a hiss, elegant and precise. Anakin's violet one met it head-on, sparks flying.

"You've grown stronger," Dooku said evenly. "But you are still no match for me."

Anakin didn't answer. He pressed forward, chaining Earth-born martial strikes into his saber work — trapping Dooku's blade, pivoting, striking with his free hand, forcing the Count to give ground.

When Dooku attempted his signature disarm, Anakin countered with a Jeet Kune Do parry, locking the Count's arm and sending his saber spinning to the floor.

Dooku staggered back, breath sharp, and Anakin's blade hovered inches from his throat.

"Do it," Dooku spat.

Anakin stepped back instead, deactivating his saber. "I don't kill unarmed men."

Behind him, you and Obi-Wan arrived, flanking the Count. Republic troops surged in to bind him.

The Cost of Victory

The gunships lifted from the arena floor, leaving smoke, fire, and the bodies of the fallen. The Separatist army had been broken, but not without a price. Too many Jedi lay among the dead, their lights extinguished forever.

As the surviving Masters gathered in the war room aboard a Republic cruiser, Yoda's voice was heavy. "Begun, the Clone War has."

The Council's eyes shifted to Anakin, who stood tall, his saber clipped at his belt.

"Skywalker," Mace Windu said, "your actions on Geonosis saved many lives. You showed judgment and restraint — qualities of a Jedi Knight."

Obi-Wan stepped forward. "I agree."

Finally, Yoda nodded. "Knight, from this day forward, you are."

Anakin bowed his head, the weight of the title settling on his shoulders. Across the chamber, you caught his eye and gave a single, approving nod.

The war had begun. And the galaxy had just gained its most dangerous Jedi Knight.

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