Part Six

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 The Mos Eisley Cantina was buzzing with chatter, music, clincking drinks, threats and agreements as the cloaked middle aged man walked in.  He shuffled his way through the crowd, many eyeing him suspiciously.  Anywhere a cloaked person went was suspected of something.  He finally sat down right on one of the rusted bar stools beside a glaring, bulky zabrak.  He called over the bartender and as she was cleaning a glass asked “What can I get you, sir?”

“Just the regular drink, please.” His voice clearly cut through the air with a melodic accent.  The bartender fluttered her eyes in confusion on hearing that accent but shook her head and smiled brightly.

“Of course.” She chirped and went into the back part of the bar island to fix his drink. The man did a polite cough and turned his attention to the fuzzed net screen that hung on the back wall of the bar island.  The channel was on some holonet news channel, and the man inwardly sighed.  All they ever did was complained about the Empire, and they were then always coming back on the screen apologizing for what they said and that they were wrong.  Even though he hated to watch the complaining, the word Coruscant stood out to him, sending his clipped hair standing on its end.  The man listened even closer to the news report and saw two familiar faces on the report, but the faces of the two were blurred, making it impossible to see who they were.  The bartender came back with the man’s drink and set it in front of him.

“Will that be all for you?” She asked him, eyes wide, hoping to convince him to spend more money buying things.  Only half-paying attention, he slapped some money on the table and muttered  “Yes, that will be all.”  The bartender scooped up the money and began to walk away, just when the man recognized that the reporter was standing in front of the ruins of the old Jedi Temple. The man almost did a spit take and yelled “Wait!” to the bartender, she turned around smiling, waiting for another order.

“Do you mind turning up that report please?” He requested, still staring intently at the screen while taking a swig of his drink.  She scowled but grabbed the remote and turned up the volume anyway.  He now was able to hear the report with full clarity.

“I AM HERE IN FRONT OF THE RUINS OF THE ONCE FAMED JEDI TEMPLE WHERE HERE THE DOWNFALL OF THE REPUBLIC CAME TO A CLOSE AND THE EMPIRE HAD NO ONE TO CHALLENGE THEIR HORRID, TYRANNICAL REGIME.  BUT TODAY WILL GO DOWN THE HOLONET HISTORY BECAUSE THE VERY ONE WHO DESTROYED THIS TEMPLE, SAVED US FROM THE EMPIRE AND THE EMPEROR.  EARLY THIS MORNING, FORMER EMPEROR PALPATINE WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH HIGH AMOUNTS OF MANSLAUGHTER, TREASON, SLANDER AND MANY OTHER CRIMES THAT WILL BE MENTIONED LATER.  ANAKIN SKYWALKER, THE FORMER DARTH VADER, RENOUNCED AS HE SAIDDisgusting Title.”  AND CHANGED BACK TO SKYWALKER.  HE BATTLED THE EMPEROR AND WON BACK OUR FREEDOM AND WON BACK A NEW REPUBLIC.”

The man did a spit take and unfortunately, spit his drink all over the zabrak next to him. For only one second, the zabrak look astonished and in the next, his eyes were on fire.  

“So, you think you will make a fool out of me, I don’t think so.” He told the man and grabbed him by the collar, raising his bulging fist full of muscle back.  As the zabrak lunged his fist forward to strike but his fist was suddenly stopped in mid air.  The zabrak grunted in frustration as he tried to move his fist forward but it was lodged in place.  He turned wide eyed to see that the man he was grasping was responsible for this insolence.  And in one, swift motion, the zabrak was slammed against the wall while knocking over a table.  The man dropped him to the ground and quietly exited the cantina.  

“Anakin is back.  I must see Anakin!”
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Padmé gazed silently at the city of Coruscant with the light, see through curtains whipping behind the opening to the balcony.  She took a deep breath of the fresh air and replayed through her mind what happened in just the past 24 hours.  Her Ani was back, he turned from his old ways to the person he was when Padmé married him.  Now, she was even more in love with him.  But fear tingled up her spine and constantly tried to claw its way to all parts of her brain, haunting her every thought.  She pushed that emotion back and focused on the peaceful drive bys of hoverships.  The hypnotic whooshing sound of each hovercar was soothing, almost like a transfixed lullaby, and soon Padmé was almost drifting into a doze.  Just as soon as sleep was about to catch up with her, she heard the apartment door slam open.  She quickly turned her head to see Sidious, lightsaber blazing red and a menacing smile, and right behind him, her own husband.  His face was just as it was on Mustafar, relentless and deadly.  They both charged towards her and she screamed as she clung to the last bits of her life-

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