All In The Game

Anakin listened to the Emperess' words and detected that she was not completely truthful. She was able to tap into the force and use it but she was not as strong as he was. Also what she said really did not make any sense. They had been fighting the clone wars against the trade federation, Count Duku, and others that had seperated from the Republic.

It had been the the thought of the Jedi council that a Sith Lord was manipulating the Trade Federation and had converted Duku to the dark side. He looked at the one called Shadow and he could feel the darkness there. One could not hide that fact. The emperess telling him that Palapitine had brought peace and prosperity to the EMPIRE.

When had the Republic turn into and Empire. Then again they called Palapitine Lord Palapitine, and him Lord Vader. Only one conclusion. Palapitine was the Sith Lord. Anakin was no fool so he played along. "I see. So if they were victorious, I take it we are now the outlaws or rebels. What are our assets and is there even a chance that we might be successfull, in defeating them?"

The comm beeped and Krell hit the button. "Sir two strange ships have dropped out of hyperspace. They are huge and nothing like anything we have seen." There was a bit of conversation on the other end as if someone was telling the caller something. "Correction sir. One of your crew has informed me that they are ships from IO.......a living ship and her child." The man sounded a bit confused. But Krell smiled. He knew what ships they were talking about.

"Bring them in as close to Haven as possible. She will not be able to enter the bay nor her child. We will have to go out to her."

Amelia smiled again and cast a glance at Montrose who seemed deep in thought.  "For that story, I will leave you in the more than capable hands of the Admiral."  She said, then got up.  She moved to her shadow and with a quick bow of her head, she left the bridge with him.  Once out of earshot and completely alone, she touched her shadow lightly on the arm and tilted her head.  "Your thoughts?"
Shadow lifted his head, "He is not what the Admiral promised."  He offered quietly.  "Keep yourself guarded Beloved, at least until his dark side has been fully awakened once more."
Amelia nodded and smiled, "Thank you Shadow."  She told him quietly, "What would I do without you?"  He knew not to answer the rhetorical question, but instead, he bowed his head.  "By the way."  She continued, "What of Serenity?  I can imagine our revival was quite painful."
"It was."  Shadow replied smoothly, "Enough to bring deep fear, but she has had ten years to hone her skills and it showed when I tried to connect with her."
"What happened?"
"Her sands scattered."  Shadow looked concerned, "She may not need them when we meet again."
"That is a problem."  Amelia said quietly, "What about her son?"
"He is still protected and from what I could glean, he is strong with the force already, much like she was.  The odds, no matter the Admiral's new friends, are stacked against us."
Amelia nodded, "Then we adapt and overcome."  She told him.

***

When Krell ordered they were brought close to Haven, Vera Prime opened her communications directly to him, "Krell, my dearest friend."  She said happily, "I received Serenity's calling, so came immediately.  If you like, we could connect with the asteroid and I could open up to allow access through a small docking door without you having to come out here and Serenity can be brought directly to me."

When the two left he raised a brow.  Inside he was smiling.  The emperesss could use the force but she was not well trained in keeping her guard up.  The one called shadow however was but that did not matter.  Even out of earshot her mind was open.  What was said he could hear in his mind.  One normally didn't do what he was doing, the Jedi Order did not allow it, well not normally.  Under certain cricumstances it was necessary.

He turned his attention to the Admiral.  He was an intelligent man with big ambitions.  His thoughts were easy to read.  Anakin didn't even have to try.  He thought he could control the Empress and her Shadow friend/lover and Palapitine.   His thoughts betrayed him, the senator was a Sith Lord, was Darth Sidious.  The council had been right and he had been right under their noses the whole time.  The admiral was a fool though.  Already he could sense that the Empress and her Shadow were plotting his down fall and taking control.  

But they had no idea of how powerful the Sith Lord was.  From the Admiral's mind he saw he had been powerful and had wiped out the Jedi.  A few well place mental thoughts and he learned everything.  The fall of the Jedi, Palipatine making himself Emperor and how he, himself had become Darth Vader.  That his wife had two children, Luke and Leia.  His heart leaped at that.  How in the end he had saved his son from death and returned to the Jedi side of the force.  But there was no mention of what had happened to Padamine.  Then the time frame, the length of time that had passed.

Anger began to fill him, but he remembered his training and calmed himself.  He breathed normally and gained control.  "Well Admiral, it looks as if the Empress has left it up to you to tell me how we stand against this rabble.  Again he figured working on the mans ego would make him easier to deal with later.

Montrose regarded Anakin with suspicion. True, he had been Darth Vader, the most feared Lord in all the galaxies, but he could feel something off in his gut. No doubt Amelia and her bloody shadow were behind it, but he had his ways of watching and controlling now that calmed him.
"Salarians have a distinct way of doing things." He began, "Their advanced technology means that no part of this universe is not within my reach and I intend to use every last ounce of it to do so. First and foremost, I'm going after the Diamond Dogs. A disgusting rabble of pirates and privateers. A woman leads them, or did when the uprising began. She and her traitorous lover, a former lieutenant of the Imperial Army, murdered the Empress and her consort." All true in his mind and he truly believed it. "And destroyed my career and standing in the royal court. Her destruction has caused chaos throughout the old Empire and she must answer to her crimes. There are many within the new senate that wish her downfall and have tasked me with her death." He regarded Skywalker again carefully. "I have come into possession of several cloning machines that I will use to rebuild my fleet. With the Salarians knowledge of technology, my fleet will be stronger and more dangerous than even the Empress and her shadow could conceive. When I am done, she will reclaim and restore the Empire. Senator Palpatine and yourself, Darth Vader, will take your places by her side. I will be named Lord of the Imperial Fleet and the Salarians will take their rightful place as Imperial governors. Any that defy us or them will face the consequences and we will have order again. Any questions, Vader?"

***

At Haven, Vera Prime moved into position over the asteroid and carefully settled upon it. Her son entered into her hold and she manoeuvred her docking tentacles into position so she could access the airlocks and the people on Haven could access her. "I am ready to receive Serenity and any that wish to join her." She said through her comms. "All are welcome, provided they are clean of infection."

"An excellent plan Admiral, but I forsee a flaw in the plan. Palapitine if I understand everything controlled the old empire. He will wish to be the absolute ruler of this empire that you seek to bring about. I see a conflict between him and the emperesss." his face was calm and emotionless. "Like you Admiral, I think the galaxcy needs order, but this might lead to more chaos."

If indeed Palapitine was a sith lord, he would want to be in complete control. He would not hesitate to destroy any that got in his way. "You have brought me back from the dead, and I am in your debt." Anakin told Montrose. He knew a bit of flattery and the hint that he owed him a debt would also boost his ego and put to rest any thoughts of or suspisions about him.

Kai and the other students learned of the Ioian ships arrival and of course Kai could not contain his eagerness to see them. It was almost the end of the school day so the teacher released the. Kai made a beeline for the docking area that the ships had made. There he saw his father waiting along with a few others.

Krell was on the communicator with the medical facility. "If she is ok to be released, I think she will and to be here when we board Vera Prime." he told the doc.

"She can go, but make sure she takes it easy." was all he said. He then turned to Serenity. "Shoo, they are all waiting for you. I think that living ship is also waiting to see you." he grinned.

Kai was excited. He had heard about Vera Prime but had never saw her. A living ship that could change her interior to suit who ever and also had engines, power plants and the like. A ship not made of metal, and one could talk to it. He had explored every inch of the Raven and Phoneix. Now he wanted to explore Vera Prime. He also had heard that her child had come as well. He would love to meet him or her."

Montrose nodded and partially smiled at the flattery, "And no doubt I will call on it very soon." he said, "But do not worry about the senator. I have arranged it that he is brought back in his younger years, when his strength was not yet tainted my age and disfigurement. I think he and the Empress would make a fitting pair and would at the very least, provide a pure bloodline for the future stability of the Empire."

***

Serenity got off the medical bed and nodded to the doctor in thanks. She made her way up to the docking area and almost sighed with relief when Vera Prime opened up her bay doors to allow entry. "It's good to see you again, Vera." She said warmly.
"It is good to see you too." Vera Prime replied, "And such a pleasure to see that you have a son. He is strong and proud, like his mother, as he should be. No doubt he is eager to explore, just like you were when you first boarded me. My own son would also love to meet you finally. He remembers when you prodded and poked at him in my belly. He wonders if he might be able to poke you now."
"I doubt it." Serenity laughed, "He'd send me to the other side of the 'verse! But I'd love to see him anyhow."

The second Serenity walked into Vera's brain centre, she felt like she was home and happily sat at the main consol while the others did their own thing......

Vera Prime was now suitable for human habitation. She had given birth and all the problems with people being there was gone. As soon as they boarded, Kai ran off to find Vera's child. He soon found the other living ship and stood there looking at it. "Hi, my name is Kai" he spoke to the ship. His eyes were wide in wonder and the energy about him glowed it seemed.

Krell followed Serenity to the command center of Vera and others as well. They took up positions as they would have on the Raven. "Well now Vera, it looks as if we will be going out after Montrose together. How are you feeling and how is your child." he looked around and seen Kai had disappeared. "Mmmmm you will have to excuse Kai, is is very inquisitive. I hope he does not upset you with his prodding and exploring."

A younger version of Palapitine. Perhaps when he was just a boy and the Senator had come into the position of Chancelor. He would have been a sith lord then still but perhaps like Montrose had said less bad tempered. But still he did not like the idea of a Sith Lord coming to power. Even with the taint of the dark side on him, which he now recgonized, the Jedi training made made him look at Palapitine in a different light.

Vera Prime focused her eyes into the brain centre and regarded Krell with a warm and almost motherly smile. "It is so good to see you, Krell." She told him warmly, "I am well and my son is also. He grows faster every day, not unlike your own son, I see." She gave a slight giggle, "Do not worry about Kai, he can prod and poke all he likes while we are here as I have blocked off my weapons section. It will be good to go after the former Admiral together. Once Soul has left me, I can accommodate the Phoenix and Raven and I can create some extra pods for the additional crews should they wish to stay aboard."

Down in Vera's abdomen, her son regarded Kai. He looked so small compared to him, but he knew instantly he finally had a friend to play with. "I'm Soul." He said cheerfully as a long tentacle appeared from between his front eyes. The end of it glowed white and it came right down level with Kai. "Mother has told me all about your father and mother. She says we were born almost at the same time. Your mother's presence stimulated me to birth early." The tentacle prodded and poked playfully at Kai.

***

Montrose fell back into silence and began staring out into the vast nothing. His mind was blank almost as though he wasn't entirely there, but there was a good reason for that. At his left out of the way and unseen in simple passing, his arm was connected to a machine. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes as the machine started pumping liquids in and out of his arm. What went in was the expected deep red blood, but what came out was slightly wrong. It was a deep red, but it was tainted with black. His blood was being drawn as clean blood was being pushed in.............

Kai laughed and enjoyed the childish antics of the Soul. A bit later Soul opened up and Kai went inside. He found Soul's command center and sat talking to Soul. This was going to be an interesting friendship. "I hope mother and father allow me to stay aboard with you. I get to go with them this time." Kai told Soul. He then began punching up everything about Soul. "Wow you are amazing." he told Soul. He seen the weapons that Soul carried and his propultion system. Mechanical mixed with living material. The Ioians had created his mother mixing the two. Exactly how Kai didn't know, it was not in the data bank. But it was amazing and when Soul was being ceated with in Vera various parts of her assembled the mechanical parts and infused them with him, in a natural process.

Anakin gave the Admiral a slight bow and left. When he was out of sight and was able to, he found a computer terminal and accessed the data bank. His knowledge of such things made it easy to hack into the system and draw up the plans for the Death Star. When he saw it he knew it would be a formiable weapon. Also in the computer were the plans for the Star Destroyer Class Ship. The admiral was right he would have a fleet of ships that would out class any that the Republic had.

He downloaded the plans and pocketed the device then continued on to explore the Death Star. Eventually he found what he needed and constructed a new light saber. "Ah that is a lot better he said, as he moved it around testing it. "Felt naked without this.

Soul laughed and giggled as Kai explored his innards. It was a tight fit though and he was thankful Kai was as small as he was. An adult would be uncomfortable. He turned his eyes in and stared at Kai with a smile. The whole front panel of his face lifted, including the console Kai was using. "So this is what it feels like." He chortled as Kai touched something ticklish. His eyes jittered about as he laughed and small tentacles came out from his inside skin to tickle Kai back. On his comms, he opened up a link to his mother, "Mother!" He called, "Mother, I have a crew!" He seemed really proud that he could accommodate Kai, if only for a little while. It would be several years before he could hold anything bigger. "Isn't this wonderful?"

Up in Vera's brain centre, she began to laugh as she heard her son's message and turned her eyes towards Krell and Serenity. "Kai has been able to board Soul." She said with pride, "It seems the pair are fitting together nicely. Soul has called Kai his first crew. He's really proud of himself. Kai should be too."

***

On the Death Star, Shadow left Amelia in her quarters to rest and relax for a while. he wandered the halls, not looking for anything in particular, but thinking deeply on recent events. With any luck, the Admiral would give up on his folly and allow them to do what they did best. It didn't matter much though for the moment as Montrose was still useful to them. As he wandered and wondered on things, he came across Anakin's presence and entered the room where he found the young man tinkering.
"You are a skilled mechanic." he offered in a polite gesture and stared down at the light sabre with a nod of approval. "I won't insult you by asking if you know how to use such a weapon." He said with a dark fanged smile as he drew out his own and handed it to the boy. "As you can see, things have not changed too much in design. I see you prefer a sabre with some weight to it. I prefer much the same."

Anakin sensed Shadow's approach but continued to work. When he spoke he smiled and turned slowly towards him. "I have always had an infinity with mechanical things. I enjoy working with them. Simpler then dealing with people it seems. Everything is orderly and works when well taken care of." He examined Shadows light saber. It was well made and he imagined was probably made in the very room they were in now.

Handing it back to Shadow he asked. "If you don't mind me asking, what race are you? I have been, well had been all over the galaxy and I have never seen one like you." He could not see quite what the creature looked like, except a part of his mouth, and his eyes. "Also, and again if you don't mind answering, how did you and the emperoress come to meet. I have noted the way the two of you talk and it seems that there is alot more to your relationship then you merely advising her." Anakin smiled and raised a brow."

Kai was truely enjoying his time there with Soul. The two seemed to be bonding well and Soul had called him his crew, that made Kai feel good. His own ship, and a friend as well. He opened his comm to Krell and Serenity and basicly said the same thing. He was happy and asked. "Can I stay aboard Soul when we head out? Well for the most part. He says he can dock with Vera and they can open a hatchway between them so I can come over."

Serenity looked at Krell and then at Vera's eyes. She smile warmly, "Maybe." She said to her son, "We'll talk about it over dinner."

Shadow worked his jaw a little over Anakin's question. He could honestly say that no-one, living or dead, had ever actually asked him directly like this. He'd usually left it to rumour and mystery as it distracted and allowed him to read people without any barriers. However, he now gave it some serious thought. He put his sabre carefully into his cloak and came to sit down next to Anakin close enough to talk, but not close enough for physical contact. He kept his face mostly hidden.

"I grew up on an ancient world known as Ioan, but I wasn't born there. I was born on a ship in space between two galaxies. My parents came from a planet that was destroyed by a supernova. Cronum. I was made a ward of state after my parents were murdered for a crime they didn't commit. I left there in my teenage years hidden aboard a transport into the new galaxies." He tilted his head slightly as he remembered his extremely long years. I met the Empress when she was still a girl. It was shortly after she and her sister Elizabeth were separated, so I never met her. I knew the Empress was strong and determined and I knew of her bloodline. I watched her and protected her as she blossomed into the woman that would be the most powerful force in the Empire." He spoke of her as though he not only admired her, but deeply loved her and it wasn't far from the truth. "She and I share a symbiotic relationship, she relies on me for balance and advice and companionship and I rely on her for understanding of more modern concepts that I cannot tolerate on my own. And she doesn't regard my pale and distorted flesh as others do and I bask in her grace and beauty."

Well she had not said no, that was a good thing. All he had to do was convince his dad and have him throw his weight into the proposal. Kai was not dumb when it came to manipulating some situation. Discussing it over dinner would make it even more easy. He sat there and talked with Soul for a long time, about anything and everything. Soul was wanting to know alot of things that his mother had not told him yet.

Anakin listened to Shadow. From another Galaxy, now that was rare indeed. He had heard of a ship full of Jedi that had set off beyond the rim of the galaxy to try and travel to the nearest other galaxy. They never returned and that had been a couple hundred years before he had been born. "I am truely sorry to hear that you lost your parents in that way. I to lost my mother. She was murdered by a band of Sand People on my planet of birth." He knew how her death had begun his path to the Dark Side. Now he realized this and kept better control on his anger. But perhaps Shadow had not the training for that. Perhaps it had driven him to the Dark Side of the force. He could feel it well as close as they were sitting to each other.

He did not mentioned to Shadow about Padimine. He missed her but knew she had to be long dead by now. Then a glimmer of an idea sparked in his mind. If they had the Senator's DNA, did they have hers. He nodded his head when Shadow explained about his relationship with the Emperoress.

"I think the Admiral has plans for her and the senator. If I have been informed correctly, he became the emperor of the old empire and therefore would be a suitable pair up with her. At least that is the jest of what I have gleaned from him.

"You need not apologise for the past." Shadow told him with a lifted brow, "And it cannot be changed, so I see no reason to dwell on it. Think to the future, young Vader and rejoice in the coming war." The topic moved onto the admiral's plans and he nodded, "Yes." He said, "You are correct in your thinking. A union between the senator and the Empress would provide security." He smiled knowingly at Anakin, "And the Empress will do what is necessary and best for it. If the senator is as wise, he will too. But there is a long way to go before that."

Shadow got to his feet and moved around the table. "First, we must remove the Diamonds and the Republic." He smiled icily, "A feat I am much looking forward to. Serenity Diamond and I have much unfinished business." The smile dropped, "And it would be wise to keep yourself guarded at all times around her. To underestimate this one would mean your life. I know this from personal experience." He touched his throat, still remembering the feeling of the sabre as it separated his head from the rest of him. "And she's had ten years to refine this skill, so we will have our work cut out for us."

Anakin smiled and nodded. It seemed that Shadow already knew and did not mind the union of the Senator and the Emperoress. "Indeed I will." he told Shadow. "I imagine that we will set forth once the Admiral has his fleet he spoke of. "This race, the Salarians. I have never heard of them. They were not in any records I read. Any idea of who they are and where they came from. With the technology it would seem that they surely would have been noticed."

Back on Vera Prime a familar shadow appeared behind Krell and Serenity. Her voice was calm but full of urgentcy. "Anakin Skywalker is trying to hide the fact that he is not the Darth Vader everyone thinks he is. He is managing to control his emotions at the moment but like before he might have something set him off and turn him. The old emperor once awaken will not have to pretend to be the Senator he once was. He will be Darth Sidious and will attempt to ensure Anakin becomes Darth Vader."

Krell was oblivious of the shadow and her voice. Only those with the ability to use the force would see her. But two others could as they entered the control center of Vera. Selika and Marla had arrived. The Grey Sith and her Jedi padawan. Both gave Serenity a polite and formal bow. "The Council have sent us to go with you Mistress." She looked at the shadowy form and smiled giving her the same bow.

Shadow gave a slight nod of his hooded features, "They are an ancient race, not unlike myself." He said, "They were expelled from their home worlds millennia ago and were exiled to the outer edges of the universe. They lived in the dark space where no soul would dare tread. All record of them and their war-like ways were destroyed. Their technology has evolved with them, but they have kept their old Gods and more importantly, they still want their revenge and their home worlds. They are the perfect allies to our cause."

****

Serenity felt a presence behind her and half turned her head as a quiet voice came to her mind. She turned her eyes to Krell who seemed oblivious and then looked across to Jenny. She had seen the figure too and heard her words. Also, it seemed two more had joined the group and both nodded their heads with respect to her. She nodded back and got to her feet. She moved over to them and Vera followed her with her massive eyes. "Serenity?" The ship said carefully, "I am sensing a slight shift in the midichlorine levels, but I see no reason behind it. Are you aware of this?"
"I am Vera Prime." Serenity replied smoothly, "Don't worry, the presence is friendly."
"Very well. I shall return to my diagnostics." Vera said, then went quiet again.

Serenity looked down at the two young women with a smile, "Welcome aboard Vera Prime." She said, "And I don't hold any formality here, neither does Krell, so you can relax." She looked around briefly and nodded, believing everyone needed to be present. "Right folks." she said, "Us freakies have received word from the ghosts again. Vader ain't Vader just yet and he's doing well hiding it for now, but we all know the stories of how he was turned, so we need to start moving soon. If we can get to him before Amelia and her shadow get their claws well and truly into him, we might have a chance at pulling them down before they can do any real damage. What say you lot?".....

When Serenity began speaking aloud to everyone, they listened. A huge "Aye" was yelled out and Krell grinned. "Very Well, lets get the Phoenix and Raven on board and then get our selves moving. It would be just the two ships, Vera Prime and her Son that would be going. The cruiser and friget would be remaining behind. From what he knew of Vera Prime, her weapons were powerful and her size was enough to intemidate. If her son was anything like her, he would be a powerful little ship. Well little compared to Vera. He was the size of the Raven, already.

A couple hours more saw crews, supplies and equipment loaded onto Vera Prime and Soul emerged from Vera to allow the two ships to dock within. Kai was still aboard him and was loving every minute of it. His own ship, a living ship at that, and a friend. What more could a young boy want."

It was around dinner time when Krell told Kai he had to come aboard Vera Prime. Kai knew better then to argue but told Soul he would be back as soon as he could. Soul latched on to his mother and opened an airlock between the two of them and was able to leave.

A Galley was created in a section of Vera. Vera Prime created the proper enclousers and the food processing equipment was set up. Tables were formed along with chairs for people to sit and eat. When Kai arrived, Selika and Marla was already there. When he entered and came up and hugged Serenity, Marla tilted her head to one side looking at him and smiled. Krell made the introductions. "Kai this is Selika and Marla, from the Jedi/Sith Academy. Selika, Marla, this is our son Kai." Both gave Kai a slight nod of the head as did he in return. He looked at Marla and smiled. He could tell she was the padawan of Selika, and both of them knew that Luke had took it upon himself to train the son of Krell and Serenity. A great honor indeed.

Kai sat down to eat and began telling his parents and the two girls all about Soul. Marla showed intrest in this and asked if she could visit the young living ship. Selika sighed and nodded. "Though I am not sure if such a young levathian can accomadate three people, yet." she was quite intelligent for her young years.

Anakin nodded at Shadows explanation. It seemed he knew quite a bit about the race. He had only been out of the cloning chambers a short time, not much longer then Anakin had been. But he knew much about them already. Perhaps thes Ioians that he mentioned knew about them, and he had learned about them in his youth. For surely he could not have found out all that in such a short time.

He finally excused himself from Shadow and made his way to the cloning chambers. Here he began searching the data bank for what DNA samples they had. Finding the one he wanted he called one of the technicians over and told him he wanted it cloned. Using his abilities to manipulate another's mind if unguarded, he had the technician take the cloning chamber to a secluded spot where it would not be seen and had the process begun. She was the stabalizing force in his life. Without her he did not know what might happen to him.

"The first of your fleet has been finished Admiral. A fine ship she is. Your Star Destroyer class ship with our technology should make a powerful ship out of her indeed. Though I do not see the necessity of such a ship when you have this." he waved his hand at the interior of the Death Star. "This is even more powerful then anything we ever had."

Serenity hugged her son back and smiled as she kissed the top of his head. Ten years old and already a captain with his own ship. Well, if one could call Soul a full ship yet. The young leviathan had a lot of growing to do before he could accommodate and create enough inside space for a crew and still be comfortable. She decided she would go and have a little talk to the small ship after Kai was in bed. In the meantime, she listened to the banter and smiled. Almost like old times. She looked around the galley, picking out all the new faces and a few old ones.

All too soon, the meal was finished and all went back to their new posts. Serenity put Kai to bed and went down to the airlock Soul was covering. A slight sound and a small whoosh of air through the hole told her the young ship was asleep and she smiled. She didn't go into him, that would wake him and might hurt him, so she patted the entrance to the hole instead. "Sleep well, young Soul." She whispered, "Tomorrow the adventure begins."
"Indeed it does." Vera responded quietly, "Serenity, may I speak with you privately?"
"Sure," Serenity replied, "Where would be best?"
"My brain cortex."
Serenity arrived in the brain centre a few minutes later and then slid herself into a small space and sat down. A flap came down to give them both some privacy and a small tentacle came out to peer at Serenity closely. "So what's up, Vera?" She asked.
"I am having doubts about Soul being involved in this." Vera offered quietly through the tentacle, "What we are doing is dangerous and I don't honestly like the idea of him being put in the middle of it. You understand this, don't you?"
Serenity nodded, "I understand perfectly." She replied softly, "I don't like Kai being in this either, but we can't leave them behind. It's a case of the lesser evil, I'm afraid and all we can do is keep an eye on them." She pointed to the tentacle, "So to speak."
"I intend to." Vera said firmly.
"Is there anything else you wanna share, Vera?" Serenity asked, feeling the leviathan hadn't told her everything.
"I'm not quite sure what it is, but I think you humans call it a bad feeling." She told Serenity, "It's like a feeling in my gut and it's churning around. I don't like it."
Serenity nodded, "I know the feeling." She said honestly, "It's saved my life a few times. What is it telling you?"
"Something very bad is going to happen very soon. Do you feel it too?"
Serenity nodded, "I have." She said, "The moment you wanted to talk privately with me. What do you midichlorine sensors tell you?"
"They are saying nothing as yet, but I feel there may be a shift in them very soon." Vera said with worry. Serenity nodded and patted the tentacle lightly, "And I feel a shift in you too."
Serenity lifted an eyebrow, "Oh?" She asked, "What kind of shift?"
"I don't know yet." Vera said, "But it's there."
"Is it connected with your bad feeling?" Serenity asked.
"Yes." Vera said.

***

Montrose nodded to his commander, "That's what I intended." He said coolly as he unplugged himself from the dialysis. He too looked around the bridge of the Death Star, "Yes, she is very powerful, but she is also slow. The Star Destroyers are much faster and can elongate my reach, Commander." He got up from his chair and went over to a consol. He brought up star charts and pointed to a small cluster. "Do you know what this is?" He asked.
"No Sir." The Salarian replied.
"This." Montrose said, "Is a cluster of asteroids, the remnants of a planet. This is our first target. In amongst this mess is one particular rock called Haven. It's almost impossible to get to without guidance and I don't know which piece of rock it actually is. The star destroyer will wipe out the entire lot in one go. Leave nothing but star dust for Krell and his infernal wife to come back to. Understood?"
"And any survivors?" The Commander asked.
"Star dust." Montrose said firmly.

It would take a few days for the clone to be made. A few days that would be an eternity was the way Anakin was feeling. Keep it secret and find a way to leave the admiral, emperess, Palapitine, and Shadow behind. A fast ship was what he needed. He wandered around the Death Star, as if looking at it as if he was exploring it, getting to know it.

He finally found what he wanted, one of the hanger decks that had a number of ships in it. Some were small fighter craft, others looked to be shuttle craft. But one looked like it was a fast ship and could carry a small amount of people. He needed it to get away and warn those that the Admiral was out to destroy.

Kai could not sleep. Something was bothering him. A feeling, that he was getting from his mother. He could tell when she was bothered by something, especially if the Force had something to do with it. He slipped from his bed and out of their quarters and to the docking port of Soul, "Soul, are you awake?" he touched the outer hull.

"Yes I am awake." he said.

"Can't sleep, something is troubling mother." Kai said.

The portal opened and Kai entered. "Yes I can feel my mother is troubled as well. I think it has something to do with where we are going and who they are after."

"Yes I think you are right. A very bad man according to my mother. Soul? Are you sure you will be alright if we get into a fight?"

There was a small chuckle, "Yes Kai, I think I can hold my own and then some." A bed like structure formed in the control center of Soul. "Sleep Kai. Your body needs it."

Serenity laid in bed with her eyes open. The bad feeling she shared with Vera Prime was too much for her mind to rest and for her to sleep. Next to her, she could hear Krell gently snoring and she didn't want to disturb him. She closed her eyes again and tried to relax. She controlled her breathing and cleared her mind. The next thing she knew, she was on board a huge ship.

Serenity looked around carefully and noticed how everyone there ignored her. They couldn't see her, or feel her. The space was busy, that was for sure. As she turned around, she got her first proper look at a Salarian. "Shit, you're ugly!" She said out loud, but he or she simply ignored Serenity again. She began to study the space again carefully. It was a medical bay of some kind, but not like one she had seen before. Instead of medical beds, there were pods mounted on the walls. "I know this." She said as she went to one. It was empty, but the record of its inhabitant was still on the screen next to it. Amelia Diamond. "Replication pods." She said, "These are the pods stolen from the Caminos." She moved along the line to find the shadow's and then the next was still in use. "Palpatine." She said darkly and peered into the front. There he was and he was almost ready. She checked the screen to find all his vitals. She couldn't resist the temptation and touched the screen.

It only took a few taps of various icons and Palpatine's vitals suddenly went haywire. Salarians and droids were there instantly, but the damage had been done. The old Emperor's DNA was corrupt and he wouldn't survive. Serenity watched him die as the alarms sounded one by one and then slowly backed up with a smile. "I really hope I'm not dreaming this." She said to herself as she backed away and turned to leave.

As she made for the door, she saw a familiar face coming towards her. Shadow had arrived to find out what had gone wrong and just like that, he walked right through her. Serenity sucked in her breath as he did so and felt the sheer ice of his soul pierce through her like a knife. She shuddered and quickly turned around. Shadow also did this and he lifted his head to look around. Now she knew she wasn't dreaming. Shadow stared in confusion at the spot Serenity was stood in, but she could tell he couldn't actually see her. Shadow tilted his head somewhat and narrowed his eyes and Serenity backed away carefully. After a few more seconds, he turned back to the pod and started yelling at the Salarians, demanding to know what had gone wrong.

Serenity quickly made her way through the ship, knowing now exactly where she was. She was on the Death Star! She began taking mental notes of everything for when they finally met up for real. She wanted to know every weakness this thing had and every weakness the crew had. The crew were easy enough to read and she smiled. After some time, she made it to a hanger and stared at the array of ships. And then, tucked away right at the back and out of sight of any passing guards, Serenity spotted something that really shouldn't be.

Tucked away into a corner was another cloning pod. She went right to it and peered inside. It was a woman, but it wasn't Amelia, or anyone that she recognised. The woman was beautiful, stunning really. She checked the attached screen. "Padme Skywalker?" Serenity's eyes shot back to the woman in the pod. She blinked a few times in shock, but this was anything but bad. In fact, this was the best thing she'd seen so far! Anakin hadn't been turned yet. He wasn't Vader! She turned around to find the pod connected to a small ship, but powerful ship. He was intending to leave with her! She turned back to the pod and checked the screen again. Padme still hadn't fully developed and it would be a couple of days yet before she was cooked so to speak. Then she felt Anakin's presence behind her and she turned quickly. The pair locked eyes.

Serenity stood silent and still for a minute, wondering if he'd actually seen her or felt her there. She stared into his eyes, seeing into his soul. There was no darkness there, nothing of the evil he had been famous for as Vader. Against her better judgement, she opened her mouth. "Get out of here as soon as you can." She told him quietly, "Take your wife and leave. Get out." She didn't know if he heard her or not, but she didn't wait around to find out. She had one more place to see before she 'woke up'.

It only took a few minutes and some rather nifty tricks like walking through walls and bulkheads, and Serenity was on the main bridge. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Montrose. Even grey haired and haggard, she still recognised him. And how she hated him! The air around her cooled as she moved forward. Montrose didn't feel anything as he sat there connected to his machines. Serenity studied them carefully. "You're dying." She said quietly as she studied the machinery. The man had cancer. He should have been dead years ago, but the Salarians were curing him. By the tracks on his arm, this had been going on for a while. Just then, another walked right through her.

The Salarian commander stood before Montrose and bowed his head slightly. "The Star Destroyer will reach the asteroid field within the hour." He told Montrose.
Montrose nodded back with a dark smile, "Good." He replied coldly. "They are to fire as soon as they come out of hyperspace. No warnings, no parley."
"Yes Sir." The commander said and walked away.

Serenity stood ramrod straight as the blood drained from her face. A Star Destroyer heading to an asteroid field. She felt her heart sink into her gut. "Haven!" She breathed, "He's going after Haven! All those people!" There were thousands there at the moment; families that had nothing to do with her. And with the two main ships out in space with Vera Prime, there was no way they could fend off an attack like that. "Oh Gods!" She breathed and rushed from the bridge. "Ok, Ren, you gotta wake up now!" She told herself firmly. "Wake up!!"

Just like that, Serenity sat bolt upright in the bed and literally fell out of it. She screamed as she hit the deck, causing the room to shudder and vibrate as she made Vera jump too. "Krell!" She cried, "Krell! He's gone after Haven!"

Back on the bridge of the Death Star, Shadow entered quickly and went straight to Montrose. "Serenity has been here!" He said sharply, "She has seen everything! Whatever you're doing, hurry it up already!"
"Calm yourself." Montrose said back firmly as he unplugged the machine. "The destroyer is less than an hour away from Haven. It doesn't matter what she does, it will be too late. There isn't enough power in the force to get her people out in time and sending a message won't stop it happening."
"But she can still warn them." Shadow told him, "And they'll have their defences ready."
Montrose smiled darkly, "She's out with her two main ships, Shadow, in that leviathan. What possible defences could they have against the destroyer's arc weapons? They could send everything they have at the ship and it won't make so much as a dent. The arc will wipe out the entire asteroid field and there's nothing Haven or Serenity can do about it. Relax."
"Palpatine is dead." Shadow said next, "Serenity corrupted him. You cannot make another."
Montrose turned in his chair, but didn't look disturbed, "It doesn't matter." He said, "You can take his place. You and Amelia were always the perfect pair anyway."
Shadow lifted his face to look at Montrose squarely. "You ask too much of us, Admiral." He said carefully, "Only a pure bloodline will ensure the Empire. Only Palpatine had that. You cannot simply replace him."
"I just did." Montrose said coldly.
"I shall inform her of the changes then." Shadow said and left.

From across the bridge, the commander came to Montrose. "Ten minutes." He said, "Shall I have all signals from Haven jammed?"
"No need." The admiral replied calmly, "It won't make any difference."
"Very good, Sir." The Salarian said and went back to his post......

Anakin felt the presence of Serenity. He did not know who it was but the presence had no evil to it. For a moment, the briefest of moments, he saw a face. The face of a woman. He chuckled as the presence left. "Ah Shadow, you have a right to fear her." he whispered to himself as he made his way to the control room of the ship.

Another invisable presence appeared on the Death Star. A young child. "Oh WOW." Kai said as he looked around. He was aboard a ship that was being prepped for launch. A young man sat in the pilot's seat. The young man suddenly sat up straight and slowly turned his head towards Kai. A deep look of concentration was upon his face as it seemed he locked on to Kai. A slight touch touched the mans lips. Kai could sense that this man was very strong with the force, like his mother. "Ah you must be the son of the woman that was here just a bit ago. You have much of her in you." he laughed softly.

Kai's eyes went wide "You must be Anakin. The one my parents have been talking about." Kai said.

"Oh you are strong with the force, for one so young." he laughed again softly, "You remind me of myself when I was young like you." Anakin said with warmth in his voice. "Return to you parents now. Tell them their home is safe."

Kai woke up inside of Soul and was off the bed and running for the opening to Vera Prime. "Mother, Mother." he called out.

Many ships were coming and going, bringing more supplies, equipment and personnel to the Death Star. He had seen the Star Destroyer depart some time ago and could only guess at its destination. Anakin always was good with mechanical devices. He understood them and could see everything that was wrong with them. The same was true for the Star Destroyer. A simple coded message to its navagation computer was all it took. A signal that would not be detected as it was piggybacked on a number of messages being sent to the Star Destroyer from the Death Star. It would arrive in the general sector of space as the orginal course had been set but to far out to do what it was sent there to do. Their target would have enough time to escape.

Sitting at the controls he engaged the engines and lifted the ship from its docking bay and was soon emerging through the force screen that kept the vacuum of space from sucking the air out of the large bay. Once away from the Death Star he set his course. A course that would cross paths with the huge leviathan. He had gleamed the course from the young boys mind. He would have to guard his mind alot more, especially from those like the empress or Shadow. He punched the hyperdrive and was gone. In a few hours he would make the rendevous.

Serenity hugged Kai and nodded as she read him. His mind was not guarded at all and she saw everything and heard everything he had. "Go back to bed." she told him, "And I'll see you in the morning." Kai did and Serenity then went straight to Vera's cortex. "Vera." She said.
"What's wrong, Serenity?" The leviathan asked. "I sense fear."
"Montrose has sent a destroyer to Haven." She said quickly, "It won't appear directly on it, but close. I need you to send out a message. Get them to evacuate as quickly as possible."
Vera's eyes shifted somewhat and then seemed to nod at her, "Done." She said. "How soon will the destroyer arrive?"
"Within the hour." Serenity said sadly.
"Even at my top speed, I cannot get there in less than a day." Vera said, "Serenity, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be." Serenity said, "We should never have left. I should never have gone after him."
"It's not your fault, Serenity." Vera said warmly. "We could not have predicted this. Is there anything else I can do?"
"Yes." Serenity said lowering her head. "Send out the whistle as far and wide as you can. Bring my dogs to me, Vera."
"Consider it done." Vera said, "Now go back to bed. There is nothing more you can do. I will wake you if anything changes."
Serenity nodded and left the cortex.

After a few hours and the constant light whistle of Serenity's old communicator, Vera saw something on her sensors. Slowly, she turned to face the object and thought at first it was someone answering the whistle, but then she saw it wasn't any ship she or Serenity would know. Instantly, her defences went up and she lit up everything within her. "Serenity!" She said, "Serenity, Krell! There's a ship heading straight for us! I don't recognise any of the markings!" Serenity was immediately awake and heading for the cortex while the other crews were quickly waking up and getting to their stations. The only ones that weren't disturbed were the children, including Soul.......

Alarms rang out, people were running everywhere to their battle stations. The crew of the Raven had the ship manned and at battle stations in record time. It was ready to exit Vera Prime to do battle. The noise of the alarms woke Kai and Soul. With Serenity and Krell in the Cortex, Kai had gotten dressed and to Soul. "What's happening." he asked Soul.

"Incomming ship. My sensor readings of it shows it is of an unknown design but the markings are not in the database." Soul replied.

On board the ship approaching Anakin grinned as his sensors detected the power increase all around the giant ship he saw before him. He had never seen such a ship. The ships during the clone wars had been big but nothing like this. A living ship with a mind of its own. Again something that no one of his time had seen or even heard of. A marvelous creation.

A hail came in over the comms. "Unidentified ship, you will identify yourself or be fired upon."

Anakin looked back at the pod and nodded. He once again turned towards the controls and slowed his approach. Concentrating he sent out a mental image of himself. In the Cortex where he had sensed Serenity the image appeared. "Greetings Serenity." he turned to Krell and gave a nod of the head to him. "Greetings Krell. Permission to dock and come aboard." Then he turned as Luke entered the Cortex. A quizzaled look appeared on his face."

Luke only smiled and chuckled. "Greetings Father. We have much to talk about." he smiled and turned to Serenity.

"I am getting a message from my mother." Soul told Kai. "I think you will want to be there when the occupants of the ship come aboard." Kai immediately left and ran all the way up to the Cortex of Vera Prime.

Serenity stared at the ship as it slowed, but it made no attempt to open comm lines. Instead, an image of Anakin appeared in Vera's cortex and she turned quickly to face him. It took only a second for her to know that he didn't mean any harm and she nodded. "Vera." She said warmly, "Stand down."
"Are you sure?" Vera asked.
"Yes." serenity replied, "Stand down. All crews stand down. Open a small docking bay for Skywalker and give him some power down there for his wife." She then looked at Anakin as his image regarded the old man that was his son. They had much to talk about, Luke had said. A lot indeed. At that pointy, Kai arrived in the cortex and Serenity waved her hand at him to calm down.

"What do you mean it was deserted?" Montrose screamed. "How could the Star Destroyer come out of hyperdrive so far off course?" Then he learned of the other bad news. Skywalker had vanished from the station. No one seemed to know where he had gone. The veins in his neck and head could be seen as his anger boiled over. Everything was falling apart. Palipatine's clone was dead, it's DNA corrupted. Skywalker was missing, more then likely had left. He had been brought out of his clone chamber to soon. Palipatine should have been the first to come out to assert his will over the young Jedi. Now Montrose saw his error and it made him even more angry.

"Set a course for the Federation." he commanded. "We will meet up with the Star Destroyer and blast everything in our paths. A few planets destroyed will bring the others in line and begging to surrender.

The sighting of the Star Destroyer set everyone in all three governments in a whirl of events. Fleets were mobilized and planetary defense on worlds that had them were activated. The Jedi/Sith readied themselves. Their unique talents and skills would be needed.

Selika and Marla were soon at the airlock created by Vera. Anakin emerged and smiled at the two. "Seems that they are getting younger." but he acknowledged them with a slight bow of the head and upper body. He then smiled at Serenity and at young Kai. Kai was trying to squeeze through between Krell and Serenity.

Finally Luke stepped forward. "Father he said and embrased Anakin. Anakin felt a bit awkward. Here was a man that could be his grandfather or more calling him father. This was going to take some getting use to. A son he never knew he had, and had missed out on growing up and becoming a Jedi Master.

As a crew went aboard the ship to bring the pod and power supply on board Vera Prime Luke looked at Serenity and Krell. "I would like a bit of time with my father to catch him up on so many years that have passed. We will meet you all in the dinning hall." Krell nodded knowingly. Family came first then they would find out what Anakin knew.

Over the next couple of hours. Luke filled Anakin in on what had happen, how Palaptine had deceived the entire Republic and Jedi Order, made himself emperor and had all the Jedi hunted down and killed. How he had become Darth Vader after the loss of Padimane. Their battles and finally the battle with the emperor and how he had saved his life but in doing so had caused catastrofic damage to his life support system and had died. He told him of Leia his daughter who became the leader of the New Republic along with Hans Solo her husband. About their children and grand children.

"What of you?" Anakin asked.

Luke smiled. "I was married for a time and she bore me two children, and they gave me a number of grandchildren. But Jade died some time ago I am afraid."

Anakin put a hand on the old mans shoulders and nodded. He had grandchildren and great grand children and great, great grandchildren. He shook his head as he tried to get his head around it all. Oh how he was going to have to explain everything to Padamane when she awoke.

Later the two of them joined Serenity, Krell, Selika, Marla and Kai in the dinning hall. Anakin looked at Serenity and smiled. "Luke has told me much about what has happened and what you have been able to do. It was thought that I was the one of the prophisey, but I think it was you. You are the one that has brought order to the force. Both Sith and Jedi working together now instead of fighting." He chuckled.