𝓢𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓮 𝟓𝟎

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TWO YEARS LATER

NEAR THE END OF THE CLONE WARS


Anakin strode towards Chancellor Palpatine's office at the topmost level of the Senate building, his dark brown Jedi robes billowing behind him. He could feel his lightsaber hilt tapping gently against his thigh in tandem with his long strides.

Palpatine had called him to his office minutes ago, interrupting the precious time Anakin had been spending with Astrid. It had been two months since the last time he'd seen his wife, and he had been fully intending to maximize their time together. He'd only been with her for fifteen minutes before he was summoned by Palpatine via a comlink call from Master Windu.

Anakin tried to push away his annoyance at Palpatine's interruption. After all, Palpatine was like a father figure to him. Besides Obi-Wan, he had been the first person to reach out to him when Anakin had first arrived at the Jedi Temple. Palpatine had offered him a helping hand and listening ear when Anakin had been nothing but overwhelmingly homesick and lonely, providing him kindness and compassion when nobody else in the Order could possibly understand Anakin's nostalgia and yearning for his mother's comfort.

Palpatine deserved nothing but kindness and gratitude from Anakin.

So, Anakin had departed for the Chancellor's office, promising Astrid he would see her later. Now, as he raised a hand to knock at Palpatine's office door, a raspy voice from within--Palpatine's voice-- said, "Come in, Anakin," as if he'd already sensed the Jedi outside.

Anakin swung open the door with a hand and spotted Palpatine seated at his desk upon a small platform, backdropped by the large window behind him that offered a brilliant view of Coruscant. The walls were crimson red, giving Anakin the impression of walking into the innards of an animal.

Palpatine, himself, was dressed in his formal, red senatorial attire, and a smile blossomed on his pale, wrinkled face as Anakin approached his desk. "Anakin, how good to see you," Palpatine greeted warmly as he beckoned towards the seat in front of his desk with a gnarled hand.

As Anakin sat down in the chair in front of Palpatine's desk, he gave the Chancellor a smile and replied, "I'm glad to be back. I've been fighting in the Outer Rim for months now."

He gave a small chuckle with a tired shake of his head, even though he hadn't truly minded being at the war front. He didn't mind the fighting, only the distance separating him from Astrid when they were forced away to fight.

"Yes, yes," Palpatine murmured with a nod, folding his wrinkled hands in front of him. "I heard General Katarn joined you in the Outer Rim just briefly two months ago." He paused before adding, "I had the chance to speak with her when she arrived back at Coruscant about a month ago. She seemed... quite unwell."

Anakin's brow furrowed at Palpatine's words, and he repeated with concern, "Unwell?"

Anakin hadn't noticed anything when he'd been with her just moments before, and she'd never mentioned anything to him either during their occasional holographic calls when they were both fighting in the Outer Rim.

"Oh, yes," Palpatine replied nonchalantly as he leaned back in his seat. He settled a stare on the young Jedi. "She seemed a bit faint." He gave Anakin an amused look as he added, "I insisted she visit the medical wing, and I believe she did. She appears to be fine now, which I am glad. We need all of the Jedi we can get for the war."

The Tragic Jedi  | Anakin SkywalkerWhere stories live. Discover now