There's a Mirror On the Wall

This is the fault of this post I added to my plot bunny fodder tag, and this one just a moment ago does not help. I am not sure if this is supposed to be part of my Dark Lady Padmé AU, or if it’s something else.

Crossposted: tumblr

Warnings: implications of mind-wiping and summary execution.

( cut because warnings )

The bit I wrote yesterday, and a new bit from today.

On tumblr: yesterday's, today's

---

They're silent passengers pressing themselves into the smallest nooks of the shuttle, watching him with frightened eyes. Alive, because he can't believe these younglings are complicit in the conspiracy of the Jedi. Too young yet to have been intiated into it, though they believe the lies they were raised with. Lies he had tried to hard to believe himself.

He hadn't been able to save all of them. Too many were being herded toward other places, to be raised in the evil the Jedi had become steeped in, and the 501st shot to kill. These are all he has, a dozen small younglings, most human, and he will undo the harm the Jedi have done. Somehow.

First, though, he needs to destroy the Separatists, and he needs to find a place to keep the yonglings that neither the Jedi nor Palpatine will look for them. The Jedi may be evil, but he doesn't think Palpatine is truly much better, else he'd already have told Anakin how to save Padmé. No. The younglings must be kept safe from everyone.

"You will stay with the shuttle when we land." He doesn't look away from the view port as he speaks, knowing they'll hear him. "When I have finished my work, I will take you where you will be safe, and you will stay there until I return."

"Yes, Master Skywalker." That's the boy who'd been the bravest when he found them. Asking him what they were to do, when there were so many. The others followed his lead, and will follow it now. It will have to be enough.

---

Once the last Nemoidian falls under his blade, he is supposed to await further orders from Palpatine, but he can't wait here, not with the younglings in the shuttle - and especially not when he's used a shuttle rather than his fighter. He'll have to find somewhere close to keep them, for now, until he can return to Padmé, and then he will return to take the younglings where he can keep them safe and free of the lies they would have become enmeshed in.

Rutan isn't too distant, and it hadn't been involved in the war, so there wouldn't be any clone troopers there who might not know that the younglings were to be left alive. He doesn't trust any of the inhabitants to leave the younglings alone, either, and it takes a while to find a remote structure, the ruined nature of part of it suggesting it's been abandoned for a long while.

"Here." He holds out his hand to the boy, whose name he'll have to ask later. "You'll be safe here. Stay together, and stay here. I'll come back for you as soon as I can."

He'll leave what supplies the shuttle has, though it means he'll need to return within a couple days. He should have seen what supplies the Separatists had on Mustafar, and brought those for the younglings as well. Too late now. Perhaps after Palpatine has contacted him. And he'll have to find a way to bring more supplies from elsewhere for when those will run out.

When he returns to Coruscant, maybe. If he tells Padmé, she'll be able to secure supplies, and then he can make sure of some of his men while she does that, and send them on a covert mission. No armor, though. He can't have the younglings mistaking his men for clones intending to kill them, and do something foolish.

"What if you don't come back, Master Skywalker?" The others have already hidden themselves in the ruins when he comes back with the meager supplies from the shuttle. "What will happen to us then?"

"If I don't come back, I will send men I trust to keep you safe and take care of you." Anyone else shouldn't be able to find the younglings, so they shouldn't have to worry about strangers. They'll have to trust his men sooner or later, anyway. "They'll have blue armbands on both arms, so you can recognize them as safe." That won't be difficult to make, and he can figure out something else later, when things settle a little with the new peace.

The boy nods, staying with him while Anakin carries the supplies into the ruins themselves, and watching while he leaves. He'll have to see about training the boy to be in charge of the others, so they have someone to look to when he can't be there, and he can't have his men missing.

Next Part

"That's the second time you've named me Jedi." Qui-Gon still has no sense that she's Force-sensitive. "What makes you think that?"

"I don't just make runs in the Outer Rim, Jedi. I know when I see one." She shrugs. "You don't hide very well, anyway. Now, you can pay the price I named, or you can try some other pilot, but as I said, you won't find a better price, nor a safer ship."

There is more to those words than lies on the surface of them, but at the moment, Qui-Gon needs the transport, and the Force is whispering that this is indeed the best chance they have. The best chance of what is less clear, but he'll take what he can. "The ten thousand we can pay in advance. The rest will have to wait until we arrive on Coruscant, and an exact accounting can be achieved, if you do not have to return immediately upon delivering us to our destination."

"I can wait a day, but you'd best be swift about those credits, or I'll take it out of your ship and what you leave behind with it."

"Very well, Captain ... ?" Padmé responds before Qui-Gon does, and the pilot chuckles, tilting her head in acknowledgement of the implied authority.

"You can call me Pilot, or Captain. Either one will suffice."

"Don't you have a name?"

"Yes." The pilot glances at Qui-Gon again, something flickering through her expression too quickly to name. "My ship is the Twisted Passage, and that's all the more name you need."

---

Crossposted: Tumblr

"MROW!"

Obi-Wan isn't sure if he wants to swat Rex - the large patch of gray on the left shoulder, and the blue markings above the eyes are distinctly Rex - or just bury his face in the back of Qui-Gon's head when Rex pounces, claws extended, on Qui-Gon's tail. Trying to distract the big cat for the rest of the cats to pounce on, probably. Or at least for Cody to do so, who seems to think that a frontal assault is an excellent plan.

/They're adorable. I think they're trying to protect you./ Qui-Gon shifts, batting Cody away from his face with one paw, and flipping his tail out of Rex's reach.

Moving with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan walks back to where Rex is about to pounce again, jumping down to land on the clone, bowling him over. He's not sure how to tell him that Qui-Gon is a friend, but he tries to say it anyway, despite the sounds coming out as a litany of meows and chirps and warbles.

Whether Rex understands what he's saying, or just understands that he's not pleased with them attacking, he doesn't try to pounce again once Obi-Wan backs away. Though the disgruntled look when Obi-Wan jumps back up onto Qui-Gon's shoulders is enough to convey his dislike of the situation.

/I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself if I need to be protected, thank you./ Obi-Wan curls up on the warm and blessedly dry fur of Qui-Gon's shoulder, watching as Cody hisses and spits at Qui-Gon for a while. Trying to yell at him, perhaps threaten him? He's not certain, though he thinks that does answer the question of whether or not Rex understood him.

/You're tiny. You're all tiny./ Qui-Gon uses one paw to drag Cody closer, and licks the top of his head, at which point the hissing turns into an indignant yowl.

/Anakin is not tiny./ Much to Obi-Wan's dismay. Though he hasn't seen his former Padawan since shortly after they were changed. Something about finding Ahsoka.

Not actually a snippet from today, because today is being frustratingly bare of words. I'll manage my word count somehow, but not soon enough for a snippet.

Instead, have a bit of snark that I may well lose to the change in POVs, but am really damned fond of.

Crossover: Children of Fire AU

"Someone's spending a lot of money on equipment that looks out of place in an underground bunker, unless you're planning for an apocalypse." He smiles at O'Neill, who's waiting along with a young woman in a lab coat - probably the base doctor - and a j'affa who is watching him with a suprisingly blank expression.

/The one who began the revolution among the j'affa, that Baal called the shol'va Teal'c?/ Tages is radiating discomfort with this situation, and Rossi isn't any more comfortable with it than Tages, though he refuses to display it. Some will bleed through, but he'll deny it as long as possible.

/Probably./ Rossi gives the j'affa a mildly curious look before he returns his attention to O'Neill. "Who's your friend?"

"Teal'c." O'Neill is watching him for a reaction, and Rossi doesn't give him the satisfaction of one. At least they'd been right about their supposition on the j'affa's name.

"He has an interesting tattoo." Rossi shrugs. "Is there a reason you had me arrested and brought here? You made me cancel a date with my ex-wife. I was looking forward to that." He hopes Carolyn isn't too upset that he'd had to cancel without even calling her himself; it hadn't exactly been what he wanted to do, but so long as between them, Aaron and Emily - and the rest of the team - had managed to explain to her, there's not much more to worry about.

"You know why you were brought here. I just want to know why you keep pretending you're not a goa'uld." O'Neill's been hunting, and he's clearly fishing for answers Rossi's not about to provide. His team meeting Tages is one thing. This is entirely another.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what a goa'uld is."

/And he looks like he's bitten into a lemon./ Tages gives a mental snort. /Does he really think that all of us are the same?/

"Then you won't object to a couple tests to make sure." O'Neill gives him a bland smile that sets Rossi on edge.

"Just don't damage the suit. I'd hate to explain to my tailor that his work was destroyed by the US military on a wild goose chase." Rossi lifts his hands, still in the cuffs put on him in Washington. "And do you mind taking these off? They're beginning to chafe."

I also added to playlists today, and finished up one of the ending scenes for Into Shadows (and now I just have to fill in everything between Obi-Wan being shot and that newly-finished scene).

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So, have more Burn!Anakin mucking about in near-canon

Once Organa has left them on a landing platform, Anakin moves quickly to get out of the main walkway, trusting the Padawan to keep close.

"I forgot to ask your name, Padawan."

"Zett Jukassa." The boy is nearly on his heels, and Anakin glances down at him a moment. There's worry, and a bit of fear, in the boy's expression. "You're General Skywalker. I've seen you on the holo-net."

"No, I'm not." Anakin grimaces, shifting so the boy is ahead of him as he ducks into an alley. "I'm not a Jedi, and I'm not your Skywalker. If you call me anything, call me Anakin. It's my name."

Zett is quiet a moment. "General Skywalker has a scar over his right eye, and he doesn't have a red lightsaber. Only the Sith have those."

"And me." Anakin snorts, watching the walkway they'd been on earlier. "I didn't have a lot of options for lightsaber crystals when I built my lightsabers. The artificial red ones were easer to get."

"Why didn't you go to Ilum to get new ones?" Zett is watching him, and Anakin shrugs one shoulder.

"It wasn't an option." Anakin holds up a hand before Zett can ask another question. "I need to try to contact Master Windu, and arrange a rendezvous. I need you to keep a watch on that entry to the alley, and let me know if we have trouble."

"How are you going to do that without a communicator?"

Anakin grins, leaning against one wall, the durasteel cold even through the layers he's wearing. "The Force can do a lot of things, if you know how, Zett. I won't be able to pay a lot of attention to things nearby if I'm going to contact Master Windu, though."

He's not actually certain what he's trying will work - neither he nor Master Windu is naturally a telepath, and he doesn't have a bond with Windu to counteract that - but he has to at least try. Younglings deserve a chance to learn more than how to die.

Closing his eyes, he draws a deep breath, taking long moments to settle into a meditative trance - he's never been good at this part of it, no matter how often he practices. Seeking out someone else in the Force is easier, but more dangerous when he knows there are at least two Sith on the planet who would really prefer the younglings didn't survive, much less Zett or Master Windu. Getting the other person to notice him without attracting unwanted attention? That's the trick, and Anakin hopes he manages to fly under Sidious's notice - his alternate might be less sensitive, if he's not meditating, but Anakin can't be certain of that.

What the hell?

Master Windu's thoughts are audible for a moment before he slams shields up faster than Anakin can blink.

"Ow." He slams back into his body with a grimace, though he has enough information to find Master Windu, and from there, he can go looking for the younglings if they split up - he would have suggested that, if he'd been in Master Windu's place.

"Did it work?" Zett is crouched nearby, his back mostly to Anakin, though he glances back as he speaks.

"Sort of. Mostly." Anakin reaches up to rub his temples as the pain begins to subside to a managable level. He really needs to practice more, if he can't do something like that without backlash. "I know where Master Windu is, if we don't take too long to get there. Did your Master teach you how to cushion a landing with the Force?"

"No." Zett looks at him with a frown. "What are you going to do?"

"Take the quickest route down into the deeper parts of the city." Anakin reaches out to rest a hand on Zett's shoulder a moment. "I can keep us both from splatting, I just needed to know I would have to."

---

And near-canon-ish Obi-Wan being ambushed by feels in the As It All Burns AU

Blinking, Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow. "Padmé and Sabé? I thought Sabé was her handmaiden."

"She is. Or was. I'm not actually certain how that works." His alternate shrugs, looking back at the arches, drawing Obi-Wan's attention to the sound of familiar voices - one of which he's not truly expected to hear again.

"Obi-Wan!" The first person through the arches is a green-skinned Twi'lek, one lekku wrapped to show she's a Padawan. She darts toward his alternate, wrapping him in a hug a moment that is returned, before she turns to look at him. "You're misplaced."

"Cese." Qui-Gon isn't far behind, though he looks different from the Master Obi-Wan remembers. Older, and with scars across his face that just miss his left eye, and run across his nose - which looks as if it's been broken again. Caught in more conflict than he could avoid?

"It's true." Cese sighs, glancing down a moment. "I know, Master. I shouldn't say everything I see." She pauses, and a moment later, Obi-Wan is startled by her hand on his arm. "No one's ever lost forever, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan draws in a deep breath, shaking his head before he looks over at the girl. "No, they're not. How did you know?"

"Because seeing truths is something I can't stop." Cese shrugs, sitting on the side of the bed. "Your Anakin does the same thing, doesn't he?"

---

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As It All Burns AU again today, a little bit from Obi-Wan and company, and another small bit with Valorum's aide and a meeting she's taking notes for.

Obi-Wan and company:

The frustration from Anakin boils over into a momentary burst of anger, and Obi-Wan holds up a hand to deflect the pillow that is sent flying at him with Force-enhanced speed.

"There's only so much that can be taught in isolation, Anakin." Obi-Wan tosses the pillow back to the bed, watching Anakin for a long moment. "It won't be so bad to see other people again."

"If they hurt either of you, yes it will be." Anakin scowls, crossing his arms over his chest. "If we killed Sidious, we'd be heroes, and they'd have to leave you alone."

"Would that it were that easy." Obi-Wan rolls his eyes, heading for the main room, and his clothes. If they could so easily kill Sidious, he'd never have needed to ally himself with Maul to teach Anakin. They wouldn't have needed to hide on a backwater planet at the furthest reaches of the Republic that hid their Force-signatures from anyone who might be looking.

He never would have needed to break Maul out of the Temple, because if Maul had been confident of his ability to kill Sidious, they never would have met on Naboo over crossed sabers.

---

Darra (Valorum's aide) and a meeting:

"Serenno has land which can be used to build another Temple for the Order."

Dooku is attending the meeting via hologram, and Darra watches him from her seat behind Valorum, her stylus flying over the flimsiplast to record what's being said. He's the only Jedi she'd seen in the eight months she's been among the Separatists, and he'd been the one to reassure her that walking away from the Order isn't a horrible decision. That wanting to find some other manner of helping people is an entirely reasonable response to seeing her Master slaughtered in front of her, and barely escaping death herself.

"On Serenno, another Temple build we will not." Master Yoda shakes his head. his ears drooping, and looking more stooped and old than Darra remembers him being when she'd been in the creche. "Other places, there are, the Order to rebuild."

"At the moment, it would be better to maintain a more mobile population." Master Windu looks tired, and worn, though he wears age more lightly. "Even the younglings will be better split into their clans and housed in different places, in case there's ever a repeat of the Emperor's attempted massacre."

Yet more of Anakin from As It All Burns in a canon-verse-AU. Because universe hopping after killing Sith means he has to kill Sidious again, and he is actually a little more concerned with other things at the moment. He'll go kill Sidious again later.

Followed up with another bitty snippet of canon-AU Obi-Wan in the As It All Burns AU.

Bail Organa is mostly there to provide a rescue, since he was there in canon. If I ever decide I want to post this to AO3, there will be much watching of stuff for characterization checking.

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---

A Padawan is leading several younglings out of one of the lower entrances when they arrive, and Anakin doesn't even stop to think, just asks how many are still inside. The girl smiles at him, her expression both frightened and relieved as she looks between him and the Jedi with him. Whatever is happening, the Temple is no longer the sanctuary Anakin had hoped for.

"I don't know. Master Ti told me to keep these younglings together and get them out." Her voice is shaking, and she is staring at the Jedi's missing hands. "Master Windu, what happened?"

"A Sith and a corrupted Jedi." Windu - Mace Windu, he must be, though Anakin hadn't met the Councilor of his own universe to be able to recognize him on sight - meets Anakin's gaze. "See who else is in there, Skywalker, and make sure anyone else you see gets out." He pauses, narrowing his eyes. "And please don't go looking for trouble."

"There's enough trouble that might come looking for me." Anakin shrugs, grinning a moment. "I'll do what I can, Master Windu. Don't wait for me here. I'll find you later."

How much he can do is the question, when he can feel the wash of death even here - not as concentrated in time, and easier to miss feeling when they happened, but an echo of pain and despair that weighs against him as he moves toward the upper levels. There are a few more Padawans with frightened younglings in tow, and he does what he can to calm them and make sure they know how to get out before he moves forward again.

Reaching the main entrance hall, Anakin stumbles, putting out one hand to catch himself against the wall. There are bodies - some are armored, with blasters still in hand, felled by reflected shots or lightsabers, others robed familiarly and riddled with blaster-shots - scattered all across the marble floor. Some of them still have Padawan braids or beads, and Anakin can feel his rage welling up at the senseless slaughter.

A sharp smile crosses his face as he lets himself feel, draws the Force closer as he takes a deep breath of air tainted with blood and smoke. Reaching one hand up to flip his hood over to hide his face, he steps over bodies as he picks his way deeper into the Temple. The Force is tugging him, jangling at his nerves with a swell of danger that pushes him in one direction. Toward one of the speeder bays, he thinks, and into an ambush of armored men who don't hesitate to open fire.

His saber gleams the same red as blaster bolts, reflecting them back toward the soldiers as he darts forward. There's a Padawan, a boy who is running for a speeder parked outside, and some of the soldiers are focused on him. Anakin shakes his head, reaching out one hand and the Force, shoving soldiers off-balance to spoil their aim.

It's the work of moments to destroy the squad, and the boy is staring at him as Anakin shuts his lightsaber off.

"Are you all right, Padawan?" He glances past the boy at the man standing next to the speeder, the face registering after a moment, though the Bail Organa of home has been dead for several months. It's good to see him alive here.

"I am." The boy sounds wary, watching him approach. "You're not a Jedi. You don't feel like one."

"I'm not. But I'm not your enemy, either." Anakin hangs his lightsaber from his belt, jerking his chin in the direction of the speeder. "I don't think it's going to be safe to stay here, Padawan. I think His Highness is waiting for us."

The boy watches him for a brief moment longer before turning, running and jumping into the speeder with Anakin only a stride behind him. Organa gives him a long look before shaking his head, and moving the speeder away from the platform.

"Are you the only survivors?"

"This high up in the Temple, yes." Anakin keeps his hood up, watching the traffic around them as they race away from the Temple. "Master Windu, some Padawans, and younglings are down at the lowest entrances, the ones that aren't on any public map of the Temple. Aren't even known to all the Jedi, according to Master Windu."

"Master Drallig didn't tell me about hidden entrances." The boy is fishing for information, Anakin thinks, as well as confirming his assertation. "How many got out?"

"I think a little over twenty. I wasn't really counting how many I ran into." Anakin watches their approach, and leans forward. "Taking us back to the Senate building or 500 Republica would a very bad idea, Your Highness. The Sith is there, and I'm afraid I left on very bad terms not more than a few hours ago."

"Do you have somewhere better?" Organa doesn't turn to look at him, though he does at least change direction. "I'd have to go back to 500 Republica to get to my ship."

"Take us down a few levels, I'll make sure the Padawan and I meet up with Master Windu. It might be hard to get off Coruscant, but it's not impossible. We'll manage."

"I can make sure you have credits to hire a ship, or buy one outright, if you need them." Organa doesn't sound like he is happy about it - and Anakin thinks the Aldaraanian is worried about them, but he's not as certain of that as he might be of Jedi who aren't trying to shield.

"That might be useful, but traceable. I have some talents, I promise we'll manage. And I will make sure they're safe. As many as I can."

---

"Guests?" Obi-Wan isn't sure he wants to know who else might be here, though unless his double has entirely lost his mind, he can hope it isn't another Sith.

"A few friends. My Master." His double shrugs, watching Maul as the Sith leaves the room. "Anakin should be here, but I've neither seen him nor sensed him in the Force since you dropped in - quite literally - on us."

There is an undercurrent of worry in his double's voice, and Obi-Wan has to admit he would be worried about Anakin going off on his own as well. "I assume he's no longer a Padawan?"

"He never really was, not properly." Obi-Wan's double watches him for a long moment. "He was my apprentice, and Maul's, for thirteen years. Ten of them spent here, the rest mostly either on Serenno with the Jedi, or on Naboo with my Master and with Commander Padmé."

Obi-Wan can't stop the snort of amusement that the news of Anakin being anywhere near Padmé brings. "That's not a surprise. Anakin - my former Padawan - is utterly in love with Senetor Amidala."

"Oh, he loves her, there's no doubt of that, but he thinks of her more like an older sister. I don't think he's in love with Commander Padmé." His double shakes his head. "Even if he were, it's not as if she'd leave Sabé's side for him."

---

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12:05 AM

I've gotten more written tonight. Thanks to some new music I've picked up.

And I thought I already had the potential pairings for the one sequel screwy enough, but my muses disagreed... that, and Jack seems to want to sit back and not take an active hand in the one - he's happily getting involved in the other one, so he's not being completely uncooperative, it's just... he's going to push the other potential pairing more towards the realm of possiility, and it makes my brain hurt. Not as much with the characters as they are, but still.... it's not squick, just difficult to visualize.

12:37 AM

Anyway, I don't know if it'll actually happen, but I've gotten past the point where I was wondering if my muses were quite insane. I think I'm going to need to read some fluffy goodness after this.... don't know, am still in the floaty & yet vicious state I like writing in. Stuff just... flows.

1:35 AM

Tosh is fun to write. Not in the sense that she's playful-fun, like Jack. She's just... observant, and at the same time, choses to ignore some things, even hen they're right in front of her. I think she may also be a bit of a plot device for me in writing "Broken", bu I'm not certain I care. It's moving the story forward, which is more than I can say for "Damage Control" tonight. Though the particular new CD I picked up is more suited to the former than the latter.

Also, the Doctor is very good about getting into trouble when he's not paying attention.

Snippit for which I say so:

( Spoilers for 'Broken' )

Which segment also makes my brain hurt, but I'm not going to even touch to try and edit, or I'm afraid I'll lose the thread of the story.

Mmm... and word counts: Broken (4130 - 1302 since today began, 847 yesterday evening), Damage Control (2251, none today, 369 yesterday evening)

I don't know which I'll get finished first, but I'm pretty sure they'll have as much unsaid as Fallen does. Don't know if either will have as ambiguous an ending, though. Hoping not. Don't need more endings which can split into different stories. Bloody am not writing a "Choose Your Adventure" fragging story. *crosses arms* Hmph.

Anyway, going to stop making this entry longer for now.

[EDIT]

3:02 AM

I thought I said earlier I didn't want to have any more places in the story where I can take the plot in more than one direction without resorting to ebil plot twists. The muses are ebil. Though I can happily tell them I'm not taking the one possible path. I'm not bloody writing fluff for them, no matter how prettily they beg.

[/EDIT]