#berrychat

In this universe, Shmi and Anakin were both born earlier, so the events of the fic take place a year before the Battle for Naboo, which would have led to Palpatine's girlboss upgrade to Chancellor.

Anakin is raised by Shmi and naturally develops his Force abilities; not trained-Jedi level, but powerful in a new, different way. This eventually leads to Shmi spearheading the rebellion, with Anakin helping in ways the Hutts could not quite prevent, predict, or survive.

When the dust settled, the Freed Peoples of Tatooine (FPT) came into being. Anakin was around 17 when they won the war, and not long after the government was on stable ground a few years later (20), began traveling the galaxy, following the whispers of the Force, which led him to small pockets of Force-users that had existed independently of the Order for thousands of years, picking up a few tricks and tips from them. He understood the Order wouldn't know what to make of him, and probably disapprove of his approach and usage to the Force, so he didn't give it much thought to go to them.

When issues kept amounting at home over the next few years, he returned at his mother's request to help keep the peace. Associates of the Hutts kept trying to claim their territory, and Tatooine was busy preventing a backslide into the hellhole it'd been.

By his late 20s, Anakin and Shmi had begun to suspect that there was a master puppeteer pulling the strings. Tatooine's on-going issues seemed too well-structured and deliberate. They dug and dug and dug, peeling back layers of lies, bribes, loophole laws, fake names, detecting a pattern that kept the Outer Rim destabilized, a powder keg waiting to go off.

Which eventually led them, through deductive reasoning and the effort of many people, to Palpatine. It wasn't definitive proof though, it was just a name that kept popping up unexpectedly every time they traced back shell companies and events far enough. He seemed to always be involved in some way.

And Anakin was convinced that the Force had to be involved. The way this master puppeteer kept pulling off impossible feats was the way he had won key victories for his people. The luck, the knowing, the mind tricks—it seemed too obvious.

But they had no real proof. It could be a mistake. Or maybe Palpatine was rotten, just not a Force-sensitive. Either way, he represented an ongoing problem for Tatooine/the Outer Rim, and, it seemed, the entire galaxy. The man was working his way up the ranks, his aim of Chancellor grew too threatening to ignore.

Spearheaded by the original rebellion leaders that had won their freedom, FPT decided to join the Republic, sending Anakin to uncover whether their suspicions held any water, and to what degree.

Which is where we enter the centre cannot hold; Anakin isn't particularly interested in politics or what the Republic can do for Tatooine, he's there to be bait and executioner as needed.

Recognizing that heading into the heart of the Order and a man whom he suspected to be a Force-sensitive, Anakin spent a long time developing a functional suppressor cuff unlike what the Jedi use; this one is fully voluntary, a tool. It's not that it prevents him from using the Force, it's that when he keeps his focus, it deadens the Force around him to normal levels to make him appear as a non-sensitive. But it doesn't in any way keep him from dropping the charade and calling on the Force.

The bracelet, the one he gives to Obi-Wan—it's a reminder. Made during the war and given to him by his mother, representing what they were fighting for, freedom. Using the cuff isn't easy, nor is the mission, so Anakin keeps them together, two of a pair, a reminder of why he must do this.

Anakin driving Obi-Wan nuts by slipping out despite the threats, all of it was intentional to see who the true snake in the grass was. If not Palpatine, then who?

Palpatine, of course, suspected something was off about Anakin from the start. It's not that his plans were that altered by Tatooine throwing off the yoke of slavery and cleaning up, but that had still been odd, and now he had a potential reason why in front of him.

Obi-Wan being "fired" as bodyguard was Anakin deciding the weird thing between them was an unnecessary complication. Like, yes, that padawan is very cute and also clearly into him, but he has a mission.

When the assassins attacked, it was Anakin who finished them off when Kit was unable to, badly injured. It was also Anakin who kept Kit alive by pouring the Force straight up into him, keeping his essence knitted to his body.

Needless to say, the Order noticed that. Vokara sure as hell did, but she was just grateful, which is why she's like jfc SENATOR get the fuck out of my hospital and go to BED, he's not dying anymore!

The Order wasn't exactly sure of what happened in the store, and Kit Fisto was in no condition to tell them. Thus, the uneasy stalemate of them strongly suggesting Anakin stay in the Temple for the time being, which he accepted—it suited his plans just fine. Palpatine had ramped up, now was the time to get final confirmation of whether Tatooine was going to turn over all of the evidence they'd uncovered, or if Anakin was going to have to deal with it more decisively.

When Kit wakes up from his bacta nap, he confirms to the Order that Anakin is a Force-user skilled enough to take on three assassins and win. Clock having run out, this is when Anakin flees the Temple, rather than deal with the Order's questions and possible harsher reactions.

He's got something he's gotta take care of, anyway; it's obvious the Order doesn't approve of his more practical ways of using the Force.

Thus, we reach the end of the fic. 1v1 with Palpatine that turns into a 2v1 with Obi-Wan's arrival. Anakin dips but wavers at the last minute, giving Obi-Wan his remembrance bracelet as a "we'll meet again, if you seek me out" promise, stages Obi-Wan's convenient excuse for not capturing him, and GTFO Coruscant, back to Tatooine, which was never truly interested in joining the Republic. After all, it never gave a shit about them, they can do just fine without it.