Chapter Text
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Vaderkin POV
“Things are never dull with you, Knight Skywalker.” Windu sighed, pinching his nose.
“This meeting is unnecessary and unprofessional in your attempt to keep tabs on me. My padawan is cleared for action and will be accompanying me on my next mission. I see no reason for this meeting, it wastes all of our time.” Vader snapped viciously. Arms behind his back as he stood straight.
Only Masters Windu, Rancisis, Yoda and Obi-Wan were in this meeting, the other Master’s had already been deployed on their missions for today already. Or they didn’t think this meeting was worth their time. Knight Naq Med was also there. Standing beside Vader, looking small next to him.
“Skywalker, when a fight breaks out between Padawans and they both are gravely injured it does in fact require the attention of the council.” Windu snapped back.
For a master he has surprisingly little control over his emotions. The Dark snarled. Vader agreed even as he shoved the voice away.
“The situation has already been resolved. Ahsoka will be punished as I see fit as her Master. As is my responsibility. And Edger Gran has apologized to me for the whole affair, which I was quite impressed with. Before he became hysterical.” Vader replied. “And I’m sure, Knight Med will want to deal with his Padawan as he sees fit. I see no reason to interfere. And as Padawan Gran is still in the medical bay recovering from something, I believe it is unfeeling and downright cruel to make Knight Med listen to a berating from the council. A council that has never interacted well enough with either of the Padawans in question to judge a just punishment.”
“Knight Skywalker, you will be respectful in this meeting or-“
“Respect is earned. Master Windu.” Vader interrupted, holding eye contact with the man, before glancing around, making his sentiment known. “And I have things that need to be done. Our unit is moving out in just under 10 hours, I would like to be prepared.”
“Respectfully, I agree with Knight Skywalker, Masters, I would like to wait for any disciplinary action till the healers find out what happened with my Padawan.” Med added quietly, still looking at the ground. No doubt feeling the after effects of a broken bond, something that was quite unpleasant.
“You’re dismissed.” Master Rancisis said before Window could open his mouth. He shot the other master a look but Rancisis ignored it. Vader met his eyes and was slightly put off to see something that looked like recognition in the Master’s eyes. Vader gave a nod that Rancisis returned before Vader turned and left the room. Naq Med following, before he headed off towards the med bay.
Interesting.
Vader had never really interacted with the Thisspiasian Master in the past. He was a senior master on the council and revered for his rare Force ability that he’d mastered. Malacia, a Force technique that could cause dizziness and nausea in opponents. His long tail would make you think fighting with a lightsaber would be difficult but he was rumored to be quite skilled.
Ahsoka tugged in their bond questioningly and jerked Anakin from his thoughts. He sent back a vague impression that he was coming and she closed the bond.
The halls were mostly empty, most of the Jedi gone on their assignments.
Good, he wouldn’t have to talk to anyone.
“Knight Skywalker!”
Spoke too soon. The dark laughed at him.
Vader sighed, turned and saw-
What is a Mandalorian doing in the Jedi Temple?!
But a thorough check through the Force revealed that this was probably a Jedi. Vader removed his helmet as he studied the man coming closer to him. He had close cut blond hair, so Knighted recently. He was also dubbed head to toe in green mandalorian armor, a helmet tucked under one arm, lightsaber attached to his belt. He had a strong force signature and was tall for a human.
“Yes?” The man stuck his hand out as he reached Vader, but he didn’t smile, his expression very somber and serious. Vader shook his hand.
“I’m Knight Bardan Jusik, you probably don’t know me, but before a couple days ago I had never seen you either. I’ve certainly heard of you though.” He was nervous, slightly, Vader noticed. Vader nodded and waited for an explanation for his interruption.
“I just wanted to say that I thought you were right. I watched your spar and heard what you said to Yoda after. And I found that I agreed with everything you said.”
He what?
He agreed?
“You do?” Anakin asked skeptically. Jusik nodded.
“Yes, you said ‘we are peacekeepers fighting in a war. We are freedom defenders leading an army of slaves. We are healers destroying planets. We are defenders attacking those who oppose us.’ I recorded everything you said. You sounded like you meant it. Did you?”
“I meant every word.” Jusik nodded.
“Good. I know you’re doing something, you’re planning. That stunt on Aldar, you had that public for a reason. And I’ve seen the results of that and your little talk in the senate building, it’s everywhere right now. You’re getting public opinion on your side. For what I don’t know. But I do know that you’re the first Jedi I’ve seen stand up to the council. And I want to stand with you. I want to help you.”
Vader was shocked. He hadn’t had any idea that other Jedi thought the war was wrong. He’d never even heard of Bardan Jusik before. But a tiny hope jumped forward in his chest. If Jusik really meant it then that meant there were maybe other Jedi who thought the same, maybe the Jedi order wouldn’t be lost.
“I’m not a normal Jedi, Jusik, I’ve broken the Jedi Code and I will again. Are you going to be comfortable with that?” Jusik nodded.
“I’ve broken the Code as well, Skywalker, I’m attached to my squadron, and that is why what you said about them being slaves really hit hard. It’s true, they are slaves and we should never have been apart of that.
“I’ve seen the armor you gave your men, they wear their colors proudly, it also resembles mandalorian armor. I asked your men about it and they said you had it made for them, and told me that it is Beskar. I was only with them for a few minutes but the message was clear, they would follow you off the edge of the galaxy willingly even if you told them not to.
“And that confirmed my choice. If those men are that trusting, well you must have earned it. The Clones are loyal because they have to be, they’ll follow any order a superior will give, but they don’t trust. They do trust you however.” He meant that. Vader could sense it through the Force. He genuinely wanted to help and believed that Vader was his best option.
“You’re right, Jusik, I am planning something. But first I would like some time to think on your offer.” Vader acknowledged. Jusik smiled and held out his hand again.
“Thank you, Skywalker, that’s all I ask and if you need anything, let me know.” And with that he turned and walked away, his shields were impressive but nothing next to Vader’s power in the Force and he could sense the man’s excitement.
And Vader just stood there and watched the strange man as he left. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel. He hadn’t really meant for others to hear his tirade against Yoda, which he didn’t really care, he just hadn’t thought others would agree with him. But Bardan did. Enough to approach him and say he wanted to help.
A small smile appeared on Anakin’s face. He didn’t even know him, and yet he had a feeling that Bardan could be trusted. But he would do a backround check anyway. Better safe than sorry.
Ahsoka tugged on their bond again and Anakin rolled his eyes and huffed as he continued on towards the hanger bay. So demanding, his padawan.
Preparations were done and the Star-Destroyers were prepped for tomorrow, when he got to there. He sent the clones back to the barracks for the rest of the night.
“Where were you for so long, Master?” Ahsoka asked as they walked towards the Refectory to grab some dinner.
“I had a meeting with the council about the fight this morning with the other Padawan.”
“Oh, am I gonna get in trouble?” She asked quietly.
“Not from them if I have any say. But there will be consequences, Padawan.” She sighed.
“Yes, Master.”
“But first you need to eat.” Anakin said as they entered the dining hall. Almost immediately several heads turned toward them and they looked with curiosity in the Force. He ignored the looks and went up to one of the feeding stations while Ahsoka went to another. He grabbed a bowl of some sort of soup and went to a table in the corner. There weren’t very many other people in the hall but he’d rather be left alone just in case. Ahsoka joined him with her plate piled with all kinds of different meats, which she immediately dug into. Anakin looked down at his soup despairingly. It was an odd green color with what looked like little potatoes in it. He shrugged and began eating it slowly. Didn’t want to throw this up too.
After he took a few bites he looked up at his Padawan who was still stuffing her face.
“Ahsoka? Have you ever heard of a Knight Bardan Jusik?” He asked, it was a stretch but she might know. She quickly swallowed and furrowed her brow thinking.
“Umm, yeah, I don’t know him though. He just got a Padawan, one of the younglings that Bariss watches sometimes. Her name is Etain Tur-Mukan I think? She was Bariss’ favorite, she was sad to see her go and was worried about her being in the war. She’s two years younger than me.”
Bariss Offee. He’d forgotten about her momentarily. He smashed down the snarls of the darkside before they could even surface, knowing that fighting them off would be harder since he would probably act on those thoughts. He shoved the thought of Bardan Jusik aside for the moment and focused on his Padawan.
Vader hummed and took another bite and swallowed before speaking.
“You see Bariss often?” He asked trying to sound nonchalant but he was pretty sure he failed when Ahsoka looked at him oddly.
“Normally whenever I’m at the temple. I have one class with her, and sometimes I practice Katas with her. Why?” She asked, her tone defensive. Vader raised a brow at her tone.
“It was just a question, Padawan, I want to hear about your friends.” She looked very suspicious of that.
“You never did before.” She snipped. The brow went higher.
“Before I almost died, Padawan?” That was too far and she deflated immediately.
“Yeah.” She muttered. Anakin sighed.
“Sorry Snips, that wasn’t necessary.” She nodded.
“It’s fine, Master. Do you have anything after this, or do you wanna spar?” She asked, changing the subject. He was gonna go through his reports and look up Bardan Jusik, but that could wait till after Ahsoka was sleeping.
“We can spar, I want you to go through everything you’ve learned so far with Form VI.” She nodded, her side of the bond alighting with excitement as she quickly shoveled the rest of her food down.
“But we are gonna meditate first, with how much food you just guzzled, you’ll get sick if we immediately go spar.” The excitement faded as she huffed, but nodded. They finished their meal and then headed towards the training hall closest to their rooms.
They did a quick meditation, Anakin barely touched the Force, but it lit up the moment he did and welcomed him home. Lately when he meditated, it seemed to be pulling him, trying to submerge him in the depths of it. And he had to work to pull himself out. He’d never had that problem before and he wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t used to having that much connection to it again, or if it was because he’d gone back into the past.
When Ahsoka ran out of patience, she poked him until he pulled away from the warm embrace of the Force to glare at his padawan.
“You know, I think I almost preferred it when you hated meditating, you rival Obi-Wan at this point.” She snipped. Anakin shook his head and stood up, before walking over to grab training sabers.
They went through Form l first together and continued on through all the Forms. By the end, Anakin was mostly satisfied with Ahsoka’s improvements. With all the training they did together, the better they would be on the battlefield. She was learning to know exactly what he was doing before he did it and the same vice versa.
Next he activated the training holograms and bots. They took turns fighting defense and offensive, Ahsoka charging forwards while Anakin covered her blind spots, and she did the same with him. Anakin decided they were done when Ahsoka began to make mistakes, her motions slugging down as her body tired. But he was proud, she had lasted longer than last time they trained. She was starting to get stronger. Her arms and legs starting to get muscle definition.
She went to bed without complaining after getting a shower, when they got back to their rooms. Anakin also took a shower and then went back to his room. Setting up the new screen he’d ordered that had finally delivered. Once he was done, he added extra safety measures to make sure he was the only one that could get into his systems.
First he checked that Aldar was in running order. Lord Corin had sent him two reports, mundane things about the rebuilding of the parts of the city that had suffered from the missile strike. He skimmed over that mostly, he didn’t care that much about it. Dooku hadn’t made contact and that was what he cared about. Lord Corin said no Separatists had even tried to land on the planet.
Rex had also sent him a detailed report of all the clones surgeries that had been done. They’d only had one fatality. The clone had died immediately and painlessly but it still stung. Anakin had thought that the surgeries would go fine.
Dex had found a lot pertaining to Senator Garm Bel Iblis. A Senator from the Corellian sector. He was 65 years old and quite the radical. Very outspoken and wanted the war to end. His proposals were all very violent but he was on the side of Democracy. And he was in charge of one of the most important ship yards in the Republic. He was radical enough that he might just side with Vader. And if Vader wanted his own armada outside of the GAR? Garm Iblis was the man to go to. He’d need more credits however. Jedi themselves didn’t get a pay, they just used the temples funds for whatever they needed.
But Anakin had been Pod-Racing in the undercity of Coruscant ever since he’d arrived.
When he’d first come to the temple, that had been his insurance if the Jedi decided he wasn’t worthy to be a Jedi. And then he’d continued as an outlet for his anger. And then he’d just never stopped. And he never lost either. He had quite the reputation in the undercity. He had made a couple million during his years and had saved everything in accounts that no one would ever find. He was a child of slave markets and the ugly parts of towns that no one wanted to look at. He knew exactly how to survive there where others wouldn’t last a day. And Vader had his account running investments and collecting interest. So he was gaining money everyday. Anakin had never shaken off the need to have something as back up from when he was a slave. And when he’d learned that he could keep the money he earned? He’d made sure to keep it protected and couldn’t help but try for more.
He had almost never slept at the temple at night. He never had needed much sleep, and one thing he was glad for meditation was that it helped him refresh his mind faster than any nap would. Sleep had always been horrible for him anyway. Constant nightmares keeping him in fitful rest.
He didn’t really care about the money now, but he would need it for the future. And it was paying Dex to get him this information. He’d meant it when he’d said price wasn’t a problem.
He sent a request to Senator Garm Bel Iblis’s office and asked if he could have a meeting when he got back from his mission. That done, he continued on and saw that Argente Passel had sent him a list of other Senators he’d gotten to sign the contract.
Wow, he worked fast. Vader thought as he sent back confirmation and that if he continued, all his secrets would remain secret.
Then he researched Bardan Jusik. Quite the interesting Jedi he made. He was knighted about two weeks ago and was 24 years old. And Ahsoka had been right about him gaining a Padawan. A youngling around
Jusik was part of a training program where Clone Commandos were being trained by a Mandalorian, Kal Skirata. They had done several successful black opps missions already with a few Clone casualties. Other than that, Jusik seemed to be very normal, if not having several incursions on missions. He had a tendency to do what he thought was right and not what he was ordered to do. He was born on Mandalore and had been taken by the Jedi when he wasn’t yet a year old. A Mandalorian with the Force was interesting. Not many Mandalorians did.
Well, he would fit right in with Anakin and the 501rst. And again, Anakin smiled. Someone believed in him. This random guy who didn’t even know him. And it affected him more than he thought it would.
He turned off his screens and sat down in the middle of the bed, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes and tried to meditate again, but his head was racing with possibilities. Jusik seemed to be intelligent and very skilled from the reports. A good addition to Anakin’s plans.
But besides that, he knew he needed to speak to his master again. The fact that he’d covered Anakin’s actions boggled his mind. He would have to ask him tomorrow, alone. No one else needed to know what he’d done. Even if he didn’t regret it. He sighed, lied down and closed his eyes. Maybe the Force would actually let him sleep peacefully for once.