I CHOOSE YOU: star wars¹

twenty-eight

Zelena was the first to confront Anakin about what had happened at the opera. All she knew is that he left for the opera and came back with a swollen eye and busted lip. "Anakin, we have yet to talk about it."

Anakin looked over at his wife. "Zel, your sisters were there and your mother. Corvus' sisters were there, too." He took a deep breath. "And my sister." Zelena held back her tears.

"Is my family truly that wicked?" Zelena stood and began to pace. "This is my fault. The Republic's Assassins wouldn't even exist if not for me and my safety." She swallowed and looked to her beloved. "Anakin, I'm so sorry."

"Do not blame yourself, my love." Anakin pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "I'll never leave you. I'll always love you." Zelena smiled at his words. "I'm afraid I'm leaving again tomorrow. There have been seiges in the Outer Rim. Obi-Wan and I have been assigned to see to them."

"How long will you be gone?" Zelena asked as she looked out the window.

"I don't know." Anakin admitted sadly as he looked up at his wife. "I fear for my sister, yours and Corvus' and your mother. I won't have you lose your mother in the way I did mine."

"I won't lose my mother. She has made her decisions, as have I." Zelena sighed heavily. "Now, I am set to have tea with Padmé. Please, don't break anything while I'm gone." She pressed a kiss to his lips gently but ever so passionately. "I love you."

"No, I love you." Anakin smirked causing his wife to laugh as she left the apartment leaving Anakin to his thoughts.
*****

Cordalia practically ran from the ship and into Exegol's throne room. The others followed her happy to see the ancestral seat of the Embara family. She then contacted Lord Sidious with a smirk upon her face. "My dear Sith Knight, and my Knights of the Empire." They each bowed their heads forcefully none of them appreciating Palpatine at the moment.

"Lord Sidious, they mission was a complete disaster." Cordalia spoke first to avoid furthur confrontation. "Four Jedi and many Senatorial guards were present. We put up a fight and we all escaped unscathed. The Senatorial guards were not so lucky."

"The Jedi would have apprehended you should you have stayed. Your actions were of what any warrior should have done." Palpatine told them. "I believe congratulations are in order."

"Thank you, Milord." Astrid looked at the hologram with disdain.

"In other matters, the Jedi have been sending out their ranks into various planetary systems to uphold the peace that you all have destroyed on my behalf." Palpatine's words brought a sickening feeling into the pit of Cordalia's stomach. "I must ask you to officially join the Separatist movement." The Assassins looked at each other in shock.

"Milord, are you certain that this is the correct move?" Arya asked her expression mimicking a stone statue.

"I will make it the correct move." Palpatine hissed his eyes glowing yellow in the hologram. Cordalia and Astrid glanced at each other shivering. Palpatine shut off the hologram from his end.

"This is insane." Zarina groaned looking towards Cordalia in shock. "You're not actually considering doing this."

"It's betraying every value that we've every had." Maeve glared at the area that Palpatine's hologram had once stood.

"We can't join the Separatists." Arya huffed in annoyance. "They're the Separatists."

"Maybe this is the best option." Amalia swallowed heavily as she weighed their possible options.

"Believe me, this is most certainly not the best option." Astrid looked at her mother in confusion. "Why the hell would you even say that?"

"Maybe for once we should actually listen to Palpatine without complaining about it beforehand." Cordalia looked at her dragons. "Palpatine has this plan to get himself kidnapped in five months."

"You know what that means." Arya closed her eyes with a sigh.

"We have five months to train." Maeve frowned thinking of her husband and child.

"We'll never see Naboo again." Zarina sighed in sadness. "And by Naboo, I mean our children and our men."

"I know and that is why we have to make this count." Cordalia looked to the other Assassins who all looked either downtrodden or angry. Eventually, however, they all nodded in agreement looking to their leader for what to do next.
*****

Zarina stared down Cordalia and Astrid as they paced. "We only have five months until the Chancellor is kidnapped and we need to be on that ship."

"We have to join the Separatists. It is the only option." Amalia looked between her daughters as Cordalia spoke.

"That is exactly what Palpatine wants us to do, but have you ever considered what you want to do or what we want to do?" Maeve eyed her friends before standing.

"We've been debating this for far too long." Zarina said pinching her nose in frustration. "We all know what we must do no matter the cost."

"I don't want to do what I have to do." Arya murmured looking over at the dragons before she had an idea. "I have a thought."

"Yes, Arya, we all know you have those." Astrid huffed as she looked at the youngest member of the Republic's Assassins.

"No, I mean it. We should make a dragon fleet." The others eyed her with confused expressions.

"What?" Maeve asked as she raised a brow.

"Think about it. If we have an enormous fleet of dragons, think about how many people would certainly want to ally with us." Arya smiled proudly at her idea.

"It's actually not a horrible idea." Amalia piped up.

"What? Are you serious?" Zarina looked over to her old Master.

"We have to gain the Separatists' trust and what better way to do that than to display our power, our resources. They'll want to have them and with that comes our help and alliance." Cordalia looked over to her mother and nodded.

"We're joining the Separatists. That much I know. We will build the greatest dragon fleet ever to exist and we will take back what is rightfully ours." Cordalia surveyed the others' faces. "We can and we will."