บท 176: V.2-C.77│Casus Belli II│
"Report to all battle stations."
A flurry of movement was happening, as the people onboard the battleship, along with other battleships within a formation that allowed for a stable and defensive position.
"Report to all battle stations."
"Prepare for combat."
"Negotiations have failed. Aggressive negotiations will commence once the Hutts are captured."
A voiced called over the intercom, allowing for everyone to know of exactly what was happening. Everyone was being prepared, or were getting prepared as they were now alerted to the break down of communication between their Emperor and the Hutt Cartels leadership.
A massive battle was about to begin, and the conflict that would start and end, would be something everyone within the galaxy would take note of.
[]
"So, you are telling us that you have started a war..." We rejoin Anakin, along with his loved ones, families and friends within his throne room. The current asker of this question was Aayla, who seemed to be both happy and now at Anakin having told them of what was happening, frustrated at the same time.
"Well... If you put it that way, then I guess..." Anakin said as he was to face the gauntlet that was a bunch of 'peace' loving girls that held 'peace' loving ideals.
"You guess?" Padme asked, as she was probably the one with the fiercest of positions when it came to maintaining peace, and all of that.
"Well, I have done it for a good reason, right?" Anakin didn't make any excuses for himself but did want to point out to them that it was for a good cause.
"I agree with Ani." Unsurprisingly it was Ahsoka, the least brainwashed by the Jedi and with more aggressive ideals compared to the rest of the girls.
"Of course you agree with him." Barriss rolled her eyes at Ahsoka's declaration, while the rest were all seated, discussing what was happening. Anakin himself wanted to go and join the synths on the battlefield, even when he was not needed he liked the idea of leading his troops.
"Anakin, you cant seriously believe that this is the right choice? You have just created chaos by doing this, within the galaxy at large that is. We all already know about how the people of the Empyrean would react." Padme said.
"They would be all for it." Aayla finished for Padme.
"Then there is the fact that because they are all for it, they wouldn't see the downsides of such a decision. It is already bad enough that I agreed to supporting you in giving the Galactic Republic some aid through droids... but this..." Padme seemed conflicted, as while she was peace loving and it was ingrained into her through her culture and religion from Naboo, she had spent enough time as a leader and senator to know that sometimes 'aggressive negotiations' were the only option sometimes.
When people say that violence isn't the answer, sometimes you may not use enough violence. Or this was at least the way she had heard of this joke from Anakin, as he wasn't really serious at the time.
"I think that this is a good decision." Surprisingly it was Shaak that would also come up to support Anakin's declaration.
"What do you mean by that?" Aayla asked.
"Did you not hear of Ani's reasoning? Freedom and liberty to those who are under the control of the Hutts, or anyone else that may seek harbor within the Hutt Cartels space. Isn't that a good thing?" Shaak didn't see too many problems other than the potential death of people, but she wasn't exactly an untainted by blood person.
Neither was the others within this room, other than Ahsoka. She was probably the only one within here that hasn't had any blood spilled on her hands before.
"That may be a good reason, but to do so now? At a time that the galaxy is already in great turmoil... this could upset things, especially with how the civil war going on between the Separatists and the Republic." Padme had already seen the long-term effects and problems of the now new Hutt-Empyrean war.
While the galaxy was in turmoil because of the civil war between the Separatists and Republic, the people, in the thousands, millions and billions were seeking refuge with a place that was under harmony and peace.
That place being the Empyrean.
No doubt the people would support Anakin, but the cost to that is a reduced amount of growth when it comes to population. It was dangerous if their numbers stopped growing at the exponential rate that they were, given that they were trying to build up and keep up with the growth through building new homes and opening up more places for businesses to be created.
The numbers would drop if the Empyrean goes to war, which would mean that all of that money spent would be wasted. Padme was defiantly a smart woman, but her intelligence had been increased by the super serum.
This allowed her an even greater range and perspective to see the world through new eyes. Eyes that were capable of seeing things in a new light, simply because her mind was better, faster and stronger than before.
Even with this change however, her ideals. The core of her being wouldn't change because of that.
"I think... I think that Anakin is right here." Barriss said, give that she was the second most quiet because Shmi was also in the room as well. There would be others, like officials and all of that, but Anakin had decided to separate the two.
While having a politically involved family was something that is inevitable, Anakin would rather separate work and play. Simply because emotions could get in the way of making proper decisions, just as it was now for Padme.
"So we have three against and two for?" Aayla looked at Barriss, Ahsoka and Shaak while the only person now left out was Shmi. She hadn't said anything but had instead allowed Anakin and his lovers, excluding Ahsoka, to talk it out.
Well, there was also one other person that wasn't present because she couldn't care less whether or not Anakin declared war on someone or not, and this person was Zannah. 'She could have at least come and displayed some support...' Anakin thought to himself.
The girls and Zannah had all been properly introduced, but there seemed to be some level of conflict between Zannah and the rest of the girls. Anakin put this down to the girls still being attached to the Jedi ideals, even when they didn't follow them, they were properly still uncomfortable being around someone like Zannah.
She radiated dark side energy.
"It would seem that you are the last, mother..." Anakin said as Shmi was just sitting there with a smile on her face. She wasn't the tie breaker in the vote, but she definitely still had value in the discussion.
"Ani has done it before. Gone to war that is..." Shmi said and everyone here were both surprised and trying to remember just when Anakin had gone to war. "He did so for his people. The people of Tatooine just after he had become a Jedi, does no one remember that?"
This definitely got them thinking, as from what they remembered, it wasn't Anakin that went to war, but instead it was the infamous and now vanished Vader.
"Did he really? I had thought that he had only taken you off of Tatooine when that had happened?" Barriss asked, as she was wondering just where this idea had come from. Everyone knows, or at least they believe that Anakin was not on Tatooine, and instead had only peacefully taken Shmi off planet.
Anakin knew what Shmi was about to say, and he thought it was about time that they found out about his now dead persona. "Ani is Vader. Or at least he was Vader, that was until he had officially been recognized as the Emperor."
This was quite the shocking news as everyone was surprised but the person that had the biggest reaction was Ahsoka. No one else may know it, but she knew of the possible dark and many terribly great things he could accomplish.
She had seen it happen and it pulled at her heart-strings every time she remembered Anakin like that. Broken mask, glowing, glaring, hatred filled yellow eyes, no eye while the other half of his face was obscured, that didn't matter.
She knew that, THAT was Anakin, through and through. Her other, older, alternate self didn't want to believe so and was also heartbroken at such a sight.
"Is this true, Ani?" Aayla asked Anakin as he sat there, awaiting their gazes to fall upon him.
"It is." Anakin confirmed and they didn't know how to react, given that Vader was said to be a monster, or within the scriptures passed on from the Empyrean, Vader was meant to be some other version of Anakin that focused on judgement.
It would seem that the living droids, that were now synths, along with the rest of the Empyrean's people were actually in on the idea as well. They may not know explicitly that Anakin was Vader, but subconsciously they believed this fact to be true.
"Now before any of you ask any more questions. I just want to make it clear that this was no vote, and it was most certainly only meant to inform all of you of my decision. It has already begun, and I hope that you all are not upset at my decision." Anakin said.
Everyone was ok with it, other than Padme and Aayla.
"Whatever you say Skyguy, but I think we need to talk some more later about you being Vader." Ahsoka gave him a look that would leave no room for argument, and he knew that she knew about that other him. So it would be best to address this problem with her, and alone at that.
Ahsoka walked off, going somewhere else, while dragging the dumbfounded Barriss along and Shaak just decided that she would go with Shmi, her now mother-in-law and get to know her a bit better. She had not had enough time to acquaint herself with Shmi, because she was busy doing other things...
Specifically 'adult' things with Anakin to concern herself with being social, but she knew that sooner or later she would have to interact with her.
"I guess that just leaves the three of us." Anakin stood up as he went over to both Aayla and Padme. "You two aren't mad now, are you?"
"I dont know, what can you sense through the Dyad?" Padme asked, having gotten more and more used to applying and using the Dyad to communicate with Anakin and using it to increase her power even more so than she had before.
"I am glad then." What Anakin sensed from Padme wasn't anger but instead some frustration, because she wanted to know more about him instead of anger at the situation. She was actually alot more forgiving to Anakin even when she was outright saying that she was against his choice.
"Since you know now, I would appreciate it if you would talk with all of us before you decide to do something like this..." Padme said as she went upto Anakin, hugged him and then proceeded to kiss him on the check and then onto his lips, full of passion.
She wouldn't stop loving him just because of this and she doubted she would ever stop loving him like this. It may seem strange, but she was totally willing to give her life for his. "It would seem however, that you have to deal with your soon to be babies mother..." Padme winked away giving him a display that he appreciated, trying to seduce him, but he needed to pay attention to Aayla now.
It was her that was the most upset with how things were going.
"So-" Anakin stared only to be interrupted by Aayla, whom was glaring a bit at him. There was a mixture of emotions he felt from her and he could attribute a few to her wild hormones, due to pregnancy.
"So?" Aayla said as she walked upto him, not afraid of her small swollen belly being knocked up against him, she embraced him and gave him a kiss on the lips as well. It was filled with just as much passion as Padme's was and then some.
Really, she had gotten hornier due to the pregnancy, and it seemed to be something Anakin both appreciated and didn't. He was able to have alot of fun times, even more frequent because of Aayla's increased sexual sensitivity, and because of this he was able to feel good as well.
The Dyad is all about both ways, not one.
After her passionate embrace, Aayla let him go and started to speak again. "You know... I didn't at first worry about how having a child now could affect things, because the war between the Republic and the Separatists had nothing to do with us..."
"But, it would seem that it doesn't matter anyway. I wanted to start a family during peace, where we wouldn't have to worry about this or that, and now that you have started this war, I fear for the worse." Aayla looked into his eyes and he gazed into hers, sensing her mixed emotions yet again.
"You know I want the best for us. You for, for myself, for the rest of the girls and what is probably most important is that I want the best for out children as well." Anakin scooped her up in his arms. "You dont have to worry. Everything will be fine."
"You say that now, but you do have a bad history when it comes to things turning out just 'fine.'" Aayla was referring to most of what he did, as they usually didn't have small explosions, but instead things finished with some extra flare... that was extra dangerous as well.
"When have I ever been wrong?" Like literally, when has Anakin been wrong in his decision making process. While it may seem like a bad move, Anakin believes that by taking care of the Hutt Cartel now, while the child can still be protected, then it would be best if they are taken care of.
While he may worry about Palpatine, or Dooku, or even the future threats, what matters the most now is that his soon to be first child is safe from the revenge of the Hutts. Taking them down a notch would at least ensure they wouldn't try anything funny as some sort of revenge.
"You know I love you, right?" Aayla said with a trembling voice because she was scared. Scared for her future, the future of Anakin and their child. Also the rest of their family, Ahsoka, Barriss, Shaak, Padme, all of them and more.
"I love you." Anakin replied as he gently gave her a kiss, a kiss that didn't speak of passion but of a type of feeling that would imply love. Pure romantic type.
Forgive Anakin for doing this, but sometimes you have to be cheesy when it comes to things like this.
There really is no other way around it.
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