She's a long one. 

Y'all deserve it after I kept you waiting. Love youuuuu! 

Please, please, please let me know what you think. It was difficult to finally connect all the dots. So don't hesitate to ask if anything isn't making sense. 

One more chapter to go <3

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Kels's POV

I'd know those eyes anywhere.

The emerald shade marred by cruelty and an inherit cunningness that had every nerve ending in my body firing off in caution.

They were the same eyes that bore into my own as a blaster was pressed into my forehead. The same eyes that sparked in delight as a ringed fist split my lip open. The same eyes that beheld me with an immediate possessiveness and the sinister desire to dominate.

However, while the eyes I now looked into were the same. They did not belong to the associated man who I had shoved into the deepest, darkest crevice of my memory.

If anything, the eyes belonging to the man that strode into Chancellor Palpatine's office held an even more striking sense of brutality. Accented by the clear signs of maturity and age, he moved with a level of poise and focused confidence that Rayme never quite achieved, despite his best efforts. I knew immediately this must be the man whose very mention had Rayme near a panic.

This must be his father.

I can recall the fear that momentarily danced across Rayme's face on the casino rooftop when one of his henchmen threatened to involve his father if he wasn't able to get the answers he needed from me. The way his body tensed like a loaded spring as he immediately spun around to demand his men do the exact opposite. He did not want his father to be the wiser of what happened on Canto Bight.

It was the only time it felt as though Rayme wasn't in control. That is, of course, until Anakin showed up.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Skywalker." The man crooned in a voice that also felt eerily similar.

Anakin remained silent; however, I could see the muscles in his back tense from my place behind him. Without needing to look over his shoulder in order to see exactly where I stood, Anakin took a careful step to the side, perfectly shielding me from the view of our new intruder.

His first defensive action has always been placing himself in between me and whatever danger we were confronted with. Creating a physical shield with his body. The way it came so naturally to him had me wondering if he even realized he was doing it.

"Ah ah," Rayme's father tutted, taking a slow step to the side to reestablish his line of sight on me. "It would be rude of me to not address the women in the room."

Anakin stiffened, his thumb twitching towards the ignition button on the lightsaber held ready in his grip.

"Anakin." Master Windu muttered, shooting a sharp look in his direction.

Sending a condescending smirk towards Anakin, Rayme's father then brought his gaze to meet mine. "Hello, Kels."

My blood ran cold, and I swallowed hard to rid the newly formed lump in my throat. Deepa inhaled sharply next to me, clearly able to pick up on the tension perforating through the room. It was easy to tell that despite this man's poise and relaxed demeanor, he was no friend.

My eyes darted to a subtle movement in my peripheral vision, it was Obi-Wan placing an inconspicuous hand on Anakin's forearm. The same tremoring limb that held his lightsaber.

A warning to remain still.

I had to fight the urge to go to him, to wrap my fingers with his and ease the shakes. Every bone in my body wanted to be closer to him. For both of our sakes.

But I knew the best course of action would be to remain still and silent. My gaze redirected to Rayme's father as I tilted my chin upwards in response, forcing a subtle smirk to play across my lips. Just as I had on that rooftop with his son, I refused to allow my internal fear to show on my face.

"My name is Argon Tarro" he said, mirroring my smirk as he took a step closer. The fine lines accenting his eyes crinkled, which in any other case would be endearing. But I felt nothing other than a sinister menace from his gaze. "I have heard a lot about you."

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Anakin's POV

I wanted to rip Argon's fucking eyes out.

The way he was looking at Kels as if she were a prize. A hunter and his long sought-after prey.

I knew that look well. I have been on both the giving and the receiving end of that look.

Despite Mace Windu's warning expression and Obi-Wan's fingers digging into my forearm, I needed to pull Argon's focus. Dare him to look at me that way instead of Kels.

"Cut the shit, Argon. What do you want?" I interjected through clenched teeth, hoping to draw his attention.

Argon simply ignored me and took another step closer, maintaining his eye contact with Kels. It set a fiery rage ablaze in my veins. The only thing keeping me from making him look at me was the fact that he'd still have to actually get past me in order to reach Kels.

However, if he dared to take another gods damned step...

"You always have been predictable, Argon." Windu then said in an arrogant tone that sliced through the mounting tension.

Now this pulled Argon's attention. As well as mine.

Predictable. What the fuck?

"I have been called many things, master Jedi." Argon sneered. "But never predictable."

"Like a moth to the flame." Windu taunted in a calm voice, bringing his hands behind his back and taking a measured step towards Argon.

Argon remained still, eyes narrowing on the approaching Jedi. Simultaneously, I felt Obi-Wan's grip tighten on my arm as if to immobilize the use of my saber hand. A sinister sense of unease infiltrated my system.

"What the f-" I found myself muttering under my breath.

"So simple humans can be, when driven by grief and revenge." Windu continued in a lofty tone.

"If you have a point, I beg you get to it." Argon said with cutting sarcasm, his jaw tightening as he begin circling Windu, moving further into the room.

"We have been looking for you for a long time." Windu explained.

I knew this. A large part of the war effort as of recent had been focused on tracking down wealthy crime lords and putting an end to their financial pipeline fueling the separatist movement. Argon Tarro had been on the top of that list for a while.

Which was why the mission to Canto Bight was so important. We knew nothing about Argon beyond his name. His ware bouts, his coconspirators, and most importantly his plans have long been elusive.

So, when word of his loose-lipped son kicking up dust at the derby reached the temple, it was the first tangible lead we had.

We came back from the mission with enough information to point us towards Rush Clovis and the ensuing corruption within the galactic banking coalition. The mission was considered enough of a success that I was able to sweep Rayme's unfortunate end under the rug.

I wasn't asked about it. And I certainly wasn't going to bring it up. It would open the door to conversations I wasn't willing to have. Not yet.

And I figured if the council caught wind of me shooting Rayme dead in the forehead instead of bringing him in for questioning, every single Jedi in that room wouldn't hesitate to rip me a new one. So, their silence meant Rayme's fate was only known to Kels and myself.

"We had attempted to hit your illegal spice trade, to disrupt your credit laundering in the outer rim, to snuff out your in with the banking federation. But none of it was enough to draw you out." Windu continued as he recalled the previous tactics we had taken. A devious expression began to settle on Argon's features.

"That is, until we were left with no choice but to go after the one thing you cherish enough to evoke an impulsive desire for revenge." Windu stopped pacing and turned to face Argon with a hard expression. "Your son."

Argon's jaw went so sharp I wouldn't be surprised if he cracked a molar. "You fucking-" He seethed in a low voice.

I tore my eyes from Argon and landed on Windu.

"The incident on Canto Bight, while unfortunate, was what we needed to have you come to us." The older Jedi said with a sincerity that veered on inauthentic. "And here you are."

So, they did know about Rayme's death. 

Windu was claiming his murder was strategic. That I took Rayme's life under orders from the council. 

A bold face fucking lie.

I became acutely aware of Obi-Wan's grip on me. My eyes flicked down to where his hand encased the area just above my wrist. I then swept my gaze upwards to meet his. A vague semblance of pleading and caution gathered behind his eyes.

It was him. He must have witnessed Rayme's murder while he and Ahsoka were piloting the ship to come gather us from the rooftop.

But why didn't he ever say anything? Obi-Wan has never held his tongue around me.

"You fell right into the trap." Master Kolar spoke. "We knew you'd stop at nothing to seek revenge."

"I do not expect you Jedi filth to understand the value of a child born of your own blood." Argon said in low voice, rage simmering shallowly under the surface of each word. "But where I come from, one is justified in seeking justice against those who are responsible for murdering their only son and heir."

"Yes, we knew you'd come after Anakin and Kels." Windu confirmed, not allowing his stoic tone to waiver.

My entire body froze. Not only did they know about Rayme's death, but they were using me and Kels as fucking bait to draw out Argon. They knew one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy was after her and yet did nothing to stop him from reaching her.

In fact, they fucking enabled it. They allowed him to get close to her.

My free hand balled into a fist and my entire body began to shake as I allowed the rage to wash over me. I heard Kels let out a shallow exhale from behind me and I knew she had just come to the same conclusion.

I could no longer hold my tongue.

"Did you know about this?" I whipped around to face Obi-Wan.

He hesitated, seeming to carefully gather the words to his response.

"Perhaps if you hadn't missed the morning briefing after your return from Erep, you also would have been in the know, Skywalker." Windu interjected.

I couldn't help but cringe as I recalled the council briefing I opted to miss in favor of spending the morning in bed with Kels. After spending weeks as a hostage on Erep, I felt I had earned a morning with her. So I ignored my commlink. 

But now it made sense. When I did eventually report to the council, I had been so thrown off by the their decision to simply allow and attack to happen. Unbeknownst to me, they had an ulterior fucking motive.

I knew they were cutting me out of discussions and decisions. I fucking knew it.

"I never would have allowed any actual harm to come to Kels." Obi-Wan murmured so only I could hear. A weak fucking attempt to absolve himself of this betrayal.

He knew a threat on my life was just another gods damned day in the galaxy. Barely anything to bat an eye at. However, putting Kels at risk, now that was a fucking problem.

Especially since I was made to be none the wiser. Had I known someone was coming after her with murderous intent, I would have eliminated the threat myself. At all costs.

I didn't give Obi-Wan the courtesy of a response before I whipped around to meet the gaze of my angel. She was watching me with a face full of confusion and apprehension. I wouldn't blame her if she suddenly felt very unsafe in a room of knights ironically sworn to protect and safeguard the galaxy's citizens.

Before I could register, my feet were taking me to her. My hands found her face, cupping her flushed skin. "We need to go." I muttered. Her delicate hands found their way to my wrists as she nodded in agreement. Her thumb ran softly over my skin, and I wasn't sure if it was a soothing action for her as much as it was for me.

My only goal now was getting the fuck out of here. She deserved to feel safe again.

We only took a few steps, pulling her away from Deepa's grasp until Windu's sharp voice called out.

"Skywalker."

The sound of it turned my simmering anger into a full-on boil.

"You have your fucking prize, Windu." I spun around gesturing to Argon roughly. "We are no longer of use to you."

"You forget yourself, Anakin." He replied in a booming voice. The same voice that had me biting my tongue and bowing my head in obedience in the past.

But not today. Not anymore.

"Anakin, think about this." Obi-Wan interrupted. But long past was the moment where he could have talked some sense into me. His usual, self-righteous spiel about Jedi duty and the heavy burden which I alone carry no longer had power over me. There was nothing he could say.

Windu scoffed at our interaction, clearly off-put by where this discussion was headed. He instead turned his attention back to Argon who was watching me carefully.

"Your prized Jedi and his little pet aren't going anywhere." Argon muttered. And as if waiting for their cue, a stream of mercenaries filed into the room. Suddenly the Jedi were significantly outnumbered. "And frankly, neither am I." Argon added as his face pulled into a smirk at the sight of his hired reinforcement.

Everyone in the room tensed, however no one made a move to ignite their lightsaber.

The familiar adrenaline pulsed through my heart, readying me for a fight. I'd do whatever it takes to get Kels and myself out of this room.

We are getting out of this together.

"You were foolish in enlisting a mercenary army, Tarro." Windu said, slowly eyeing the influx of armed men. "We never would have known an attack was imminent if we had not caught wind of a supplementary army forming under an unknown separatists banner."

"No one would be foolish enough to infiltrate the temple without a supplementary army behind them." Argon spat Windu's words back in his face.

"Fuck this..." I whispered under my breath, reaching down to encase Kels's hand with my own. I pulled her close to me so that her body was pressed into mine. My patience had run out and I no longer had the desire to stand here and listen to Windu and Argon's pissing match. My eyes began to scan the room, looking for any way out of here that didn't necessitate taking on an entire platoon of mercenaries by myself.

"Window?" Kels murmured softly so only I could hear as she caught on to my shift in behavior.

"Reinforced with an electromagnetic shield. Would take too long to get through." I replied in a hushed voice. Kels, tucked her bottom lip in between her teeth and nodded.

"I repeat, Skywalker..." Argon's heated tone cut through my conversation with Kels, both our heads whipped in his direction. "You and Kels aren't going anywhere."

I opened my mouth to fire off an obscenity-laced response, but he once again cut me off.

"Especially since I went to such great lengths to locate you both." He added with a devilish leer.

I spun around to fully face him, curious to hear where he was going with this. I felt Kels peering around my body from behind me to also hear what Argon was alluding to.

"I have been tracking your whereabouts since your recent trip to Naboo. The queen was not shy about parading the "Hero of Theed" around during the festival of light."

I cringed internally at the mention of the overly pompous moniker I took every opportunity to avoid. However, I made sure to keep my expression a deadpan, unwilling to betray any hint of emotion.

Argon continued, "Much to my dismay, I received reports that Kels was not with you during your time in captivity. So, I had to wait until you eventually returned to the temple where you two would inevitably be reunited. I had one shot at this, so I needed to strike when the two responsible for Rayme's death were together. However, just as soon as I received word you had returned to the temple, I learned you had once again been reported as missing from Coruscant."

I swallowed hard remembering how I had to coax Kels with me onto a ship  headed to Tatooine under false pretenses.

"You two had suddenly vanished. Leaving me to once again delay my plans. I sought out every usual source to discover your whereabouts. And nothing. No one knew where you two had fled to. That is...until...I was approached by an unlikely source. Jabba the Hutt."

At the mention of the Tatooine crime boss, I felt Kels's hand fly to my hip, bunching the material of my robes in her fist. I had to make an effort to control my breathing, not liking where this was going.

"You see, Jabba was very unhappy. Apparently, you had swindled him out of a very lucrative agreement by preventing your precious Kels from boarding a smuggler ship belonging to one of his associates. However, upon realizing I also held the valuable information he stood to gain from your foolish little agreement, he was all too willing to hand over your location in exchange for the banking federation name he so greatly coveted: Rush Clovis."

Guilt swept across my chest, making my heart feel heavy. I had been reckless when making a rushed deal with Jabba and then preventing it from coming to fruition. Jabba doesn't take too kindly to not getting his way.

"And Anakin, to not check for a location tracker in the fuel lodge? Oldest trick in the book." Argon scoffed.

Well, that explains how Jabba knew our location. And why our fuel system alert went off on the ship. I exhaled sharply, feeling the guilt continue to mount as my carelessness was put further on display.

"I knew exactly when you two had returned, and finally I was ready to follow through with my plan of attack only a few short days after." Argon finished with a cruel smirk.

"So..." Kels said in a timid voice from behind me, stepping to the side to face Argon. "You weren't attacking the temple per say, but us? And we just happened to be in the temple."

My heart twisted hearing the bravery underneath her quivering words.

"Oh, my dear, my assumption always was that the attack would take place at the temple. Seeing as that is where you both spend most of your time together. Hence the need for a militia. But to answer your question, yes. It had come to a point where I had grown impatient and would have focused my attack wherever your ship landed." Argon confirmed.

Kels inhaled a shaky breath. I knew her well enough to know that she was feeling responsible after demanding we return to Coruscant. She'd likely point to her decision to come back as the reason for today's loss and destruction. I reached down to squeeze her hand gently in an attempt to soothe any guilt.

This was not her fault. I would shoulder the blame here.

For killing Rayme. For angering Jabba. For not charting a course to a planet far away and never returning.

My eyes once again panned over to the Jedi masters, the anger evident in my gaze. However, my ire was focused on my former master.

"And you made damn sure we came back to Coruscant. Just fucking pawns in your grand plan." I seethed as I recalled the myriad of messages received from Obi-Wan. Each one increasing in severity as he demanded our immediate return. His final message being the one that had Kels dead set on returning.

I was so fucking sick of being a pawn.

"We needed the attack to happen here, Anakin. Where we had Jedi reinforcements ready. It was our best shot at capturing Argon." He tried to argue. Argon chuckled arrogantly, clearly taking issue with Obi-Wan insinuating he would be "captured."

"And you didn't think, even just fucking once, to tell me that he was after Kels?" I shot back.

"If I had, you would have truly disappeared." Obi-Wan said in a voice that carried an undercurrent of sadness.

"And she would be safe!" I countered in a rough voice.

In my mind, he had willingly traded Kels's safety for Argon's capture.

Obi-Wan clenched his jaw, eyes quickly darting over to Windu who was watching us with intrigue. And just as he opened his mouth to respond, he clamped it shut, giving me a pleading look.

Fucking pathetic.

I knew I was blatantly displaying my attachment to Kels as a priority over Jedi duty. In front of council members. But I was so fucking far past caring.

"This is touching, truly." Argon interrupted in a bored, sarcastic tone as he lifted his finger and spun it in a tight circle. His men immediately fanned out along the perimeter of the room. "But I did come here for a reason."

I waited for the usual adrenaline to continue coursing through my system, however this time it was accompanied by a true, prickling fear.

Because Kels was right next to me. Once again, she had found herself at the epicenter of danger. And once again, it was my fault.

"Steady." I heard Windu warn in a murmur. The Jedi remained still, but I flexed my hand by my side, itching to do something as Kels pressed against me. I could feel her chest rapidly rising and falling.

"Oh, by the way Kels," Argon said in a sickly-sweet voice. He began to take slow steps towards us. To which, of course, Mace Windu did nothing to stop as he sauntered by the Jedi. "I have some information that might be of interest to you."

Kels stiffened next to me, her chest stilling as she held her breath.

Argon halted and gave Kels an expectant look, waiting for her to take the bait. I wanted to strangle him for even thinking he could speak to her.

"One of the more difficult parts of my plan was finding a way to infiltrate the temple," Argon continued when he realized he wasn't going to get a response from Kels, but he did indeed have her attention. "One does not simply walk up to the temple with explosives at their disposal and blast holes into the sacred walls. Oh no...I had to exploit an existing weakness. One that had already flown under the radar."

I felt my eyebrows furrow, unclear as to why he was directing this information towards Kels.

"Low and behold, the very weakness I had been seeking was being sold to the highest bidder on the black market. A remote detonation device programmed to trigger various micro explosives already placed strategically within the temple." Argon paused, now only a few strides away from where Kels and I stood, his eyes narrowed in sinister delight.

"Does the name Raj Nabul ring a bell?" He said in a lofty voice, drawing out the syllables of Raj's name.

Kels gasped next to me, flinching at the mention of the man who murdered her best friend.

"Ah yes, I expected you might recognize the name."

It took every ounce of effort I possessed to remain still. In this moment I wanted nothing more than to pummel this piece of shit into the ground for bringing up one of Kels's most painful memories. I could practically feel the grief and anger falling off her in waves.

"Shut your fucking m-" I began in a threatening voice.

"No," Kels said in a soft but strong voice, reaching forward to wrap her hand around my elbow. "I need to hear this" she whispered.

Argon shot a smug, tight-lipped smile in my direction before refocusing his attention on Kels.

I'm going to fucking kill him.

"Raj performed his duty admirably. While remaining incognito as a temple guard, he placed the micro explosives in various parts of the temple. After befriending and manipulating multiple members of the temple staff, no one came close to suspecting him. That is...however...until an pesky cook witnessed him placing a bomb in the kitchen, one of our main access points. Understandably, he had to eliminate the cook as to keep his true mission a secret. An unfortunate mishap." Argon let out a rough chuckle.

Kels inhaled sharply, as if the words landed like a physical blow. My heart twisted with anger and pain.

"Well, that mishap turned into a greater nuisance once the Jedi caught wind of the incident. But even then, Raj was able to spin a story about intending to poison a senator and more importantly, that he acted alone. So, despite his capture, the crime family he belonged to was able to sell a fail-proof way to infiltrate the Jedi temple. Valuable beyond belief."

Kels's grip on my elbow intensified, her fingers digging into the fabric of my robes. Her entire body shook with fury.

"And luckily for me...I recently came into a small fortune after my fathier won big on Canto Bight. I suppose I have you to thank for that, Miss Remlik." He ended with a sickening smile.

"An unfortunate mishap?" Kels spat in an incredulous tone as she let go of my elbow and took an aggressive step forward.

"Kels." I warned under my breath. I understood her anger, but I needed her to stay levelheaded.

She ignored me and took another step forward, "Payto Oola. Not some pesky cook." She said in a loud, clear voice that echoed throughout the room. "That is who Raj murdered."

"Struck a nerve, did I?" Argon taunted.

"I hope Raj rots in hell along with your pathetic excuse of a son." Kels spat in a voice so venomous I'd doubt it even came from her if I hadn't seen the raw wrath written across her features as she delivered the cutting words.

Argon's smug expression fell, eyes narrowing in on Kels. "Payto Oola was a nobody. A worthless life which will be remembered by absolutely no one once I am finished with you."

Before I could register the rage that simmered across my own skin, Kels bolted forward.

"Kels, no!" I called out, flinging my arm towards her. But she was already out of reach.

Judging by the trembling fist balled up by her side, I could tell her impulsive plan was along the lines of delivering a punch to Argon's face. However not even my training could prepare her for the speed of the world's most dangerous crime boss. His eyes lit up with glee as he snatched her airborne fist from the air and roughly twisted her arm so that he now held her pressed against his chest.

It all happened incredibly fast, and not even seconds later I leapt forward. Wrath and desperation ripped through my system as I heard her yelp in pain. My hands were just about to enclose around Argon's neck until a metallic flash out of the corner of my eye stopped me in my tracks.

A blaster pressed against Kels's temple. Held firmly in place by Argon.

Her eyes flashed in shock as they met mine, glossed over with pain from her arm being twisted unnaturally behind her.

In any other situation, my Jedi training would kick in right about now. Because this was the point where negotiation typically become the accepted course of action. I'd been trained to find a way to diffuse the situation...always.

But instead, I saw red. So, I wasted no time.

Flinging my hand up, I jerked it to the side which resulted in Argon's gun flying out of his grip and clattering to the floor. Fuck de-escalation. No one is going to hold a fucking blaster to Kels's head.

Before Argon could make his next move, I once again brought my hand up and channeled every ounce of force directly to the fucker's neck. Effectively crushing his windpipe and cutting off any air supply.

Kels stumbled free from his grip as his hands flew up to his neck, clawing at the invisible force preventing oxygen from reaching his lungs. She fell forward into my body as I instinctually wrapped my free arm around her.

"Anakin! Let him go!" Obi-Wan's voice cut through the anger-induced anger ringing in my ears.

But I had no intention of doing that. I wanted him fucking dead.

At this point, I saw it as either him or us. And I would do whatever it took to keep Kels safe.

The decision must have been written across my face because suddenly, I sensed every single blaster in the room pointed in my direction. Argon's entire militia had their aim on me.

"Anakin, not like this." I heard Kels say, her eyes darted to all the blasters now pointed in our direction. She grabbed my shoulders wincing in pain as she lifted her now injured arm as she tried to get me to look at her.

Seeing her in pain only spurred me on. My fingers twitched, tightening the force grip on Argon's throat. His face began to turn a deep burgendy.

Voices of Jedi demanding I relinquish my hold, the shouts of militia men threatening to shoot any second, Kels's desperate pleas...they all blended together.

But I was hearing none of it.

It was as if all my anger and frustration had channeled into this very moment. Every time I bit my tongue, or was rebuked for asking questions, or was intentionally kept out of the council's plans, it all came to a head. And the neck of that head...it belonged to Argon Tarro.

His eyes began to bulge, widening in fear as his end was growing closer. He let out a wrangled gasp, gagging as the air hit an impenetrable wall of force, robbing his lungs of oxygen. I took a sick sense of pleasure watching him flounder as my force grip was now the only thing keeping him upright.

Kels was pulling desperately on my arm, but I couldn't hear her. I heard nothing but Argon gasping pathetically for air.

Until a solid, clear voice said my name.

"Anakin." 

It sounded as if it were actually in my head.

Suddenly, Chancellor Palpatine's face came into a sharp focus in front of me, blocking my line of sight to Argon. The abrupt interruption had me faltering, inadvertently loosening my grip.

"Stop." He demanded in a voice that had my muscles involuntarily faltering.

The sound of Argon's ragged breath finally making its way down to his lungs had me sneering, but it was as if my limbs froze, rendered momentarily useless while the Chancellor was now in my direct line of sight. My eyes snapped to his, unable to look away.

"This is not how we do things, Anakin." Chancellor Palpatine reminded me in a steady tone, watery blue eyes bore into mine.

"Anakin, please" Kels was now leaving her place by my side to stand next to Palpatine in front of me. They now formed a wall blocking the direct path between me and that fucking piece of scum. Kels's shaky hand found mine. "If you kill him, they will shoot you."

And while Palpatine was able to break me out of my murderous hyper focus, it was the genuine fear and desperation in Kels's eyes that had me eventually lowering my arm and releasing Argon completely from my force hold.

He crumbled to the ground with a loud thud, coughing loudly and bringing up a hand to cradle his neck.

Kels squeezed my hand, pulling my focus to her once again. I didn't even realize how rapid my breathing was until she carefully brought her trembling hands up to my chest, applying a gentle pressure right above my heart. A silent request for calm.

Her touch had an immediate effect on my racing heart and suddenly she was all I saw.

"Leave him." She whispered before reiterating the promise we had made, "We are getting out of here together, remember?"

"He won't fucking stop, Kels." I murmured.

I knew Argon had every intention of following through with his perceived sense of justice. He would never stop looking for us.

She must know that.

"Not like this. They will shoot you." She whispered again, sliding her hands upwards to rest on the sides of my neck as her panicked eyes darted to the militia surrounding us. 

"We can come to a resolution here." Palpatine said in an authoritative tone. He held out his hands in a placating motion, taking a step back and turning slightly towards Argon.

Argon looked up at the Chancellor, seeming to focus on him as he spoke. No doubt, the most powerful man in the galaxy offering resolution was of interest to a crime boss. Ever the businessman, a hint of intrigue flashed in his now bloodshot eyes.

I saw Obi-Wan in my peripheral vision approach slowly followed closely by Ahsoka. I had almost forgotten they were here. But now that Argon was unarmed and I had begrudgingly showed mercy to his oxygen flow, I was sure they felt now was the best time to de-escalate.

"Justice," Palpatine said in a loud voice as he maintained eye contact with me but spoke to the whole room. "Will be found here today. Through diplomacy and compromise."

I clenched my jaw at the use of Argon's word...justice.

A silence bathed the room, each party waiting for the Chancellor to elaborate. Despite a call for compromise, no one wanted to make the first move.

But then, a dark, ragged chuckle broke the silence.

All eyes now landed on Argon.

He pressed his hands firmly on the crimson carpeted floor, steadying himself before he rose to a knee. I delighted in the violent red and already purpling welts on his neck.

"Yes..." He rasped in agreement. "Compromise."

Kels looked over her shoulder, watching as the battered crime lord looked up at the chancellor. Palpatine brought his hands to his hips, regarding Argon with hopeful optimism.

"How about this..." Argon pressed on in a strained tone, pausing before he slowly dragged his gaze to meet mine with a growing smirk. "Eye for an eye, Skywalker?"

Suddenly, he sprung to his feet and hurled his body towards the Chancellor. I was in motion not even a second later, also lunging towards the older man in an attempt to meet Argon's physical attack.

The force of Argon's body against Palpatine's back had him crashing into me. My arms instinctually shot out to prevent him from falling. But as soon as my focus was on the Chancellor, Argon pivoted.

However, when I moved to match Argon's change in momentum, the Chancellor gripped onto my forearms to steady himself. This slowed me down by just a fraction of a second.

And then a sharp gasp filled the room.

Coming from Kels.

There she stood; silver eyes wide with shock as Argon was pressed against her from behind.

My hands found his shoulder immediately, pushing him away from her with all my strength. He went flying across the floor, a maniacal laugh spilling from his throat.

My heart fucking stopped, and the entire world froze.

Because in his hand, I saw a bloodied butcher's knife.

Horror seeped into my bones as Kels stumbled into me seconds before her knees gave out.

My hands latched onto her arms, falling with her to the floor just as I noticed a pool of thick, ruby-red blood pooling through her shirt. 

My nightmare come to life.