Dear Readers:

I apologize profusely for my actions. That being, not updating in like for-literally-ever. I have been getting a couple of reviews lately that have made me feel so guilty that I went back to my fic and realized that I had already started chapter 82 from some while ago. Therefore I finished what best I could and decided to give you what I had tonight.

I do not know when or if I can ever finish this story. When I first started, I had grandiose ideas for where my characters where headed. I had thought of so many arcs that I simply don't think I can finish because life is moving so fast for me now. And the truth is that my heart is just not in this story anymore.

When I think of my Luke-is-kidnapped-by-a-Sith-lord-but-Anakin-is-still-a-Jedi universe, I envision a completely different tale from the one that I have spent years writing for you now. I just don't think this story is, dare I say, realistic to me anymore. I have dabbled with the idea of uploading a new fic (while still keeping this one) of how I imagine Luke's life to be but it's just so hard to get all the words out when there are a million other things I'm trying to do with my life now.

Again, I am so sorry to do to you what a thousand writers have done to me. It's the worst feeling. I hope to come back and tie up loose ends.

CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO

The Jedi fought tirelessly against the onslaught of Corellian soldiers. They appeared out of nowhere; but as soon as they had arrived, they left.

Corellian starfighters that had been in pursuit of Nubian starships suddenly stopped their chase and flew out of the Naboo atmosphere, back to their star destroyer.

Following suit, the legion of ground soldiers that had been in pursuit of the Jedi all appeared to stop what they were doing and run back to their carriers. Some of them even dropped their weapons and ran.

The Corellians were receding from Naboo.

Anakin, who had been in the middle of deflecting blaster shots from a handful of skilled soldiers who had encircled him, suddenly found himself free.

"Should we run after them?" Jerome yelled from across the hall. They had been attempting to go find Padmé and the Queen, but they were stopped by all the foot soldiers with advanced blaster weapons.

Anakin frowned. "No, we we know where they came from. We need to make sure the others are alright."

Jerome nodded and the two resumed running down the hall towards the Throne Room.

Luke groggily got up from the floor. He was disoriented, but Luke's collision with the wall behind him was mainly received on the back. He rose slowly onto his feet, listening to the cracks in his back as he did so. He hadn't been in this much pain in a long time.

He looked around and saw the throne room completely empty. Not a single Corellian soldier left and his entire family made it out safely.

He suddenly heard footsteps quickly approaching. He looked down at his belt and noticed his lightsaber missing.

Before he had time to panic, Jerome and Anakin appeared in the doorway.

Luke stared at them, surprised.

"Luke, what are you doing here?" Anakin asked, shocked to see his son here looking like… Anakin narrowed his eyes as Luke stepped closer.

"What happened to you?"

Luke stared up at Anakin, equally confused, "What happened to all the Corellian ships that were outside?"

"They left," Jerome answered., "We're not sure why."

Luke sighed and put a hand up to his forehead, "I have a bad feeling about this."

"You still didn't answer my question," Anakin repeated, this time more angrily. He came here expecting to find his family, except he found his son—who was supposed to be at home.

"We came here to rescue Leia and the others," Luke answered, distracted as he glanced around the room.

"What's wrong with you?" Jerome asked, annoyed at this point.

Luke glared at Jerome, "They were being held hostage by Jared."

"Vader's son?" Jerome frowned.

Anakin's eyes widened, "Why were they here?"

Luke shook his head, "I don't know. Han and Ryoo helped the others escape, and then Jared…"

Luke stopped. Remembering back to mere minutes ago… when Jared was in this room, holding Luke by the scruff of his shirt. He could have killed him but he didn't. For the past year, all Jared wanted to do was get rid of Luke and now he had his chance, but he didn't take it.

Luke shook his head, shaking the memory as well. "All of a sudden, some men came into the room and told Jared that they had 'found it,' which is what prompted them all to leave in the end."

Jerome folded his arms across his chest and looked over at Anakin, "Found what?"

"We need to go find the others," Anakin said, turning around to head back out towards the exit. Before he made it out of the room, he found the silver gleam of a lightsaber hilt on the ground. Frowning, he picked up it from the ground.

Turning to Luke, he raised his eyebrows. "Lost something?"

Luke, who was a little less disoriented now than he was when he first woke up from the floor mere moments ago, snatched the lightsaber from his father's hand in relief. He had feared the worst when he woke up without it.

Clipping it safely back onto his belt, he followed Jerome and his father back out of the room.

Queen Mydara sat on a nearby bench, surrounded by her handmaidens. She was grieving the disastrous scene before her.

Padmé approached her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Padmé said, the words stuck in her throat.

The Queen shook her head as angry tears spilled onto her makeup-smudged cheeks, "No time for sorry, Padmé. My people's blood was spilled today."

Padmé nodded her head, "I will take this matter to the Senate. We will have justice, Your Majesty."

The Queen rose to her feet, "The time for justice has passed." She gestured towards the burning buildings in the distance, destroyed by the battle waged by Corellian starfighters, "When Corellians marched down our halls, where was the justice? They invaded our home and burned down our capital and killed soldiers and innocents alike."

The Queen looked around to the small group surrounding her who had also been captive with her in the Throne Room.

"I do not seek justice, my old friend. I want vengeance for what has occurred here today."

The others cheered and whooped in approval, agreeing with the Queen's hawkish desires.

Padmé frowned slightly. Always the pacifist, she abhorred the notion of war. "I'm sure we can find a way to make them pay without the spilling of more blood."

Mydara shook her head, chuckling slightly as if it were a child's suggestion. "This is war, today they have confirmed it."

The bystanders seemed to forget everything Naboo stood for as they cheered along with the Queen's suggestions.

"And if vengeance means that I have to storm the capital of Corellia the same way that they have stormed mine by force," the Queen turned to Padmé with an icy glare.

"Then so be it."

Later that evening, Padmé was back sitting in her sister's living room after one of the worst days she has had in a long time. The Naboo security guards were still clearing the city to make sure all the remnants of Corellian soldiers were eradicated.

"It seems like they left as soon as they came," Leia commented, sitting across from her mother.

Padmé had a terrible headache. She rested her forehead on her hands as she slouched back in her seat. Leia never saw her mother look less like a senator.

"The Queen wants to declare war on Corellia."

Leia raised her eyebrows, "That's good, right?"

Padmé felt her stomach churn at the thought of it—the thought of war altogether was so repulsive.

Luke and Jerome entered the room, prompting Padmé to sit up.

"What is it?"

"The others are going to regroup while the rest of the Royal guard check the Palace for bugs and other security threats," Jerome explained.

Leia frowned, "But I thought that Han told me that some Corellian soldiers came to this house earlier searching for Luke, how do you know they didn't do the same here?"

Luke shrugged and after a long pause, Jerome turned to face him.

"Funny how they knew this house."

It was a simple statement, but Luke saw the fire underneath Jerome's glare.

Luke straightened his shoulders to meet his height, "What are you suggesting?

Jerome's eyes narrowed, "Oh, I think you know."

There was a long pause and Leia glanced between the two, unsure of what was going to happen.

"Jerome, do you think there's a—"

"No," Luke interrupted her, "Let him say it himself."

By now, the rest of his family entered the room, including Anakin, Han, and his aunt—who was still more than angry at the ordeal.

Jerome took a deep breath, "There's a mole."

Not 'I think there's a mole,' much more definitive in his statement, Luke thought.

The grim expression on Anakin's face didn't change, but Aunt Sola was nodding furiously next to him.

"Clearly! Why else would those brutes show up at my house!"

Luke rolled his eyes. She didn't even know what she was talking about. But then he took a glance around the room and noticed that the room was swayed to her direction.

"I have bad news," Anakin said simply.

Luke felt his stomach drop.

"The plans are gone."

Padmé shot up from her seat, "No."

"I just confirmed it with Master Mundi back at the Palace. Seems like that's why Vader's son was here in the first place."

Leia shut her eyes and groaned and Luke watched his mother sit back down on the couch in total defeat.

But Jerome started laughing.

Luke grimaced and turned to him, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I knew it from the start," Jerome continued chuckling, shaking his head at Luke, "You were still one of them."

Luke's lips parted but he couldn't think of what to say.

"They come to steal the Death Star plans—our only leverage—when we're all conveniently on Naboo?"

"And how do you know the C.L.O. didn't tip them off?" Luke shot back.

Jerome shook his head, steadfast in his convictions. "This is all your fault."

Luke turned to see the look on his father's face, but it was unchanging. Did he believe Jerome as well?

"You don't believe this?" He asked uncertainly, turning to his mother also, who was looking away.

His last hope, "Leia?"

Leia started at him with wide, hopeful eyes, "O-Of course I don't believe that, however—"

Luke shook his head violently, "No buts! What is this? You're all just trying to find a scapegoat."

He turned and walked away, muttering to himself, "I can't believe this."