Star Wars fic: "Queen's Gambit" (17: A Handful of Dust)

[bedlamsbard]

Queen's Gambit (173037 words) by bedlamsbard
Chapters: 18/?
Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Padmé Amidala, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Dooku (Star Wars), Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Mace Windu, Yoda, Bail Organa
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Parallel Universes
Series: Part 2 of Ouroboros
Summary:

Civil war threatens the galaxy. Hundreds of star systems have declared their intentions to leave the Republic and form a Confederacy of Independent Systems.

In the hopes of securing a quick peace, the Jedi Council has dispatched two Jedi to capture or kill the leaders of the separatist movement, Queen Amidala of Naboo and her lover, the former Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Into this period of conflict have come four refugees from another universe, fleeing a devastating massacre triggered by the death of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly the Sith lord Darth Sidious, at the hands of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker…

*

Rex handed the electrogrip over, pondering the best way to phrase his concerns, then finally decided to just say it. “You need to tell Queen Amidala about command word Retribution, sir.”

There was a moment of silence, then Skywalker slid out from beneath the gunship and sat up, setting the tools aside. He pushed a hand back through his hair, getting engine oil on his forehead, and said, “Go on.”

“These are good people, General,” Rex said, picking his words carefully. “Maybe they’re Seppies, but they treat clones a damn sight better than most of the regulars I knew back in the Republic. They don’t deserve to have an armed bomb sitting in the middle of them. Also, sir, with all due respect and speaking from experience, no one, clone or not, deserves to be used like that.” Without meaning to, he reached up and rubbed his fingers over his temples, remembering the insistent pressure inside his head. Execute command word Retribution.

His body hadn’t been his own.

General Skywalker gave him a look sympathetic enough to make Rex wonder if he knew more about that than he had ever let on. “You’re right,” he said. “Retribution, and Order 66, and whatever other nasty tricks Sidious had tucked up his sleeve are too dangerous to let go.” He pulled his knees up and rested an elbow on them, tilting his chin against his fist. “I owe you an apology, Captain.”