Disclaimer: All Star Wars characters/worlds/etc belong to LucasFilm, but the plot and events are mine, so pretty please don’t steal and give credit if you use any ideas 🙂
See Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Palpatine started to chortle, hysterical laughter exploding from him – wave after wave. The old man could barely stand up, so great was his amusement. Beady eyes finally looking back up at Anakin’s defensive position, a smirk appeared on his face. “You. You truly believe you can defeat me? Foolish boy! Not even your Master Yoda could come out victorious! And yet, somehow your childish mind, fantasizes that you, not even a master, could win such a duel?”
There were several things, that Obi-Wan, having known Anakin for so long, knew could get his padawan worked up into a tizzy. One – threatening those he cared for, which the Sith had managed to do splendidly, and two – treating him like a child, something Palpatine had also brilliantly succeeded at.
Force help them all.
Gripping the hilt of his lightsaber tightly, the blue beam shimmering against the red and orange landscape of Mustafar, Anakin made himself take a deep breath – never losing sight of the hooded figure. “Well, it’s certainly a good thing that I am not Master Yoda then, isn’t it?”
Palpatine’s lips curled up into an evil grin. “Ah, such arrogance! Such poorly placed confidence!”
“It’s not poorly placed if it’s true. And,” Anakin took a step forward, “I don’t have to defeat you to win.” This time, he was the one who gave the other a smirking expression.
Padme watched all of this with wide-eyed anxiety, grateful that her idiot husband and his ridiculous friend had stopped fighting, but at the same time, now encased with an entire new thing to worry about – namely, whether they would all survive to escape this planet.
Next to her, Obi-Wan was still trying to process everything. His mind was going into overdrive, and the only thought that kept passing through was Force help us. Force help us. Force help us.
Obi-Wan!
Said Jedi started suddenly, glancing around, before his eyes came to rest on Anakin. Anakin?
Yes. Of course it’s me! Listen, I’m going to hold Sidious off. I want you to get Padme and the babies – force that’s still weird – off this planet. Don’t worry about me.
Are you insane?! He’s going to kill you!
Thanks for the vote of confidence. You’re not going to change my mind, all that matters now is getting Padme and my kids to safety.
Obi-Wan attempted to persuade Anakin, but it was now clear that his padawan had, at least temporarily, closed off the connection in order to focus. Kriff, if Jedis took vacations, he was seriously going to need one once this was all over and done with.
Turning to Padme, he gave her a tight-lipped smile and gently picked up one of the babies. Force help us all…he thought for the thousandth time, as the Jedi helped the young twins and Padme into the ship, while in the distance, red and blue lightsabers sparked violently.
Southern Dreamer 