Shadows of Tantiss

Chapter 2 - Escape

Every time Emerie goes to get Anakin's blood, it makes her think all over again of how she has so many questions about the Empire now. Especially when she can see clearly now how upset the other children are at being here. She cannot forget what happened to Jax when he tried to escape and now there is another baby here who was brought by a bounty hunter. The children are not here anymore consensually than Anakin himself.

Anakin's gaze is unusually unfocused when Emerie comes in. He's looking worse with each passing day. His face is drawn and pale and haunted and... She is helping with that.

This is for science, which is her purpose but... She does not understand why there isn't another way to go about this.

She should not be talking to him as much as she has been but she can't forgot what he was saying about Echo. Anakin knew Echo. The same Echo who Omega told Emerie so much about. That by default makes her feel some connection to Anakin too, even if he's a natborn so it's different.

Maybe his name is familiar because he's a Jedi and she heard of a few on occasion, names passed by Nala Se and other Kaminoans during the war but she never gave it much attention before.

It still feels so wrong to turn the thing is again as she turns to leave. He didn't say anything this time and she almost misses it, even if that shouldn't matter.

"I'm sorry," Emerie tells him quietly, without turning around when she reaches the door.

She wishes she could have said that to Crosshair, especially now after Omega told her so much about him over the months.

She hears Anakin breathe out heavily even if she doesn't turn around. "Don't be," he says quietly, "It's not as if – if I don't deserve this."

...What?

She slowly turns back to look at him, hopelessly confused. He looks very disoriented but he's obviously aware of what he's saying. "What are you talking about?"

"I did – a lot. That's how I – ended up here."

She frowns. Is he saying he regrets whatever he did when he betrayed the Empire? At least she thinks thit must be something about that. "When you betrayed the Empire?" she asks uncertainly.

"No." He blinks a few times, gaze slipping a little more into focused after a few moments. She cannot say why she stands here waiting, half-hoping he is going to answer. Maybe it's only that she is not in a hurry to reactivate the sound.

"Why are you here?" she asks, "What did you do?"

She knows many of her brothers evidently betrayed the Empire too which is why they are here but –

They are still her brothers. But that is not her purpose. It should not be... important. (But it is. The brothers Omega told her about feel like hers, like she knows them herself.)

"I thought the Empire was the right choice," Anakin replies. She does not know what to make of his tone or expression – some mix of guilt and pain. "The Jedi committed treason and I thought standing with the Empire would help bring peace to the galaxy but... I was wrong. The Emperor is only using his power to continue the corruption that's plagued the galaxy all this time."

All of these are problems so far away from her, things she only heard about fleetingly. She listens, anyway.

"He tried to have my... my sister killed for nothing and that was when I really saw it."

His sister? "Another Jedi?" Emerie clarifies.

"Former Jedi. She wasn't a part of the treason plot but he wanted her gone regardless. And then I started seeing what he was doing to all the clones, to your brothers."