[ The holo-call comes about a week later. He's landed on an asteroid which speaks rather clearly as to how little wriggle room he's got left at this point. The ship is new, stolen exactly twenty-two standard rotations ago and his droid is working on fitting the small, portable bacta tank, the only thing along with supplies he's brought along from the previous ship. It's a familiar routine by now, moving ships - he's done it more than a hundred times over the past three months.
And even so, Sidious is catching up to him.
The call is heavily encrypted, the signal a little weak. He's seated as usual, cross-legged on the floor, his face bare except for the breathing mask. The sores across his scalp and down his neck have grown worse, of course, because bacta is expensive and he only rarely indulges when he finds it necessary to continue onwards. It hardly matters. He's got few runs left in him now.
If it isn't yet time for their paths to converge, he thinks, as he waits for Claude to answer, then this might well be their last conversation.
[ The unidentifiable caller on his comlink makes Claude get up from the dinner table where he has been enjoying a late-night snack with Sabé who doesn't eat like a normal person, constantly vigilant, constantly on guard. He's been watching her, bemused, over his soup. She's here because Padmé insisted, after the incident on Fallee, that he took her handmaiden rather than relying on outsiders any longer. Because he wants to see Anakin again, more so than for any other reason, Claude accepted. Sabé doesn't like him particularly much, he's pretty sure, but still when he gets to his feet, so does she. He gestures for her to wait here, guard the entrance to his bedroom and to be discreet while doing so. All of that in one hand gesture. She nods. Follows, but only to the threshold of his private room. He doesn't close the door, that's to respect her job while she's here. He can't make it more difficult for her than necessary.
As soon as he has his back on her, he turns the comm on and finds Anakin sitting, cross-legged, the signal weaker than last time. Where is he? Is he safe? They haven't talked since... It's been a long time now. What has changed? He looks like himself, but awful, run down, spent.
That's where they're at, then. Claude leans in. ]
Okay, you're gonna tell me what I can do for you, right?
[ Slowly, he bends down and places the comm on the floor, letting Anakin have his whole figure, easing down on his knees in front of it, in front of him, to have them on eye-level again. ]
[ Claude picks up a short time later, leaning in first, before settling down on his knees in front of him, leaving them eye to eye. Anakin watches the entire movement of his body. The lines, familiar. Gracefulness. He can't make out much as to Claude's surroundings but he looks comfortable enough, not stuck somewhere particularly dangerous or exposed. Of course, then he wouldn't have answered. The thought makes him feel equal parts satisfied - because Claude will look out for himself, of course he will - and pensive, knowing that they might have potentially missed each other just now.
With things being what they are, that's always a risk.
He tilts his head sideways slightly, watching the other man with a fond look in his eyes. ]
I need you to finish what I've begun.
[ He rummages around amidst the folds of his cloak for a second before pulling out a small data disc and holding it up to the light. ]
This contains something of immense importance to the Empire. We need to get it into capable hands - fast. I'm running short on time.
[ He can't get the plans for Project Stardust without breaking into the facility on Scarif, something he'd like to avoid at this point if at all possible. Unlike most of his targets the past months, that place will be heavily guarded; just thinking about getting past the Golan M3185 makes his head hurt even worse than usual. Then, there's getting out again, which would be infinitely worse than getting in. No, that's not a job for a single agent with dwindling resources.
The disc, however, contains an early draft of the colossal hypermatter reactor which would at least go as far as to imply the existence of the project. He's not foolish enough to think that anyone would take him at his word, perhaps except Claude - and even then.
They must do better than blind trust, the two of them. ]
[ He looks at Anakin quietly for a long time, not so much at the data disc as him, his beaten up figure, his bruised skin, the way he's - as is his way - so single-mindedly focused, on the mission this time, more so than on Claude, though possibly Claude behind all the rest. Like Anakin is a factor in everything Claude does these days, too, even the things he does for himself. Let me be something to you, it means. Let us help each other.
He could accept the offer as it is, sure. He could say, you've worked good, now we discard of you when you're meeting your wall. But if he did that, Claude wouldn't be any better than any of the masters who've owned Anakin before. He wouldn't be better than the Jedi Order that has been brought near extinction or better than the Emperor whose asset is currently sabotaging his enterprise from within.
And it isn't that Claude is necessarily better than these people. It's that he knows, with everything, with everything, Anakin is no less human than he once was and he deserves to be treated as such. A person with a story and his own, individual reasons for all that's happened.
So, that's when Claude decides, in a split-second, without asking himself whether he should contact Padmé first... Padmé knows to some degree of Anakin's involvement already, she's tough, she'll take it as it comes. Besides, they need to find a new safehouse soon anyway. This might as well be the last stretch for it, for them, here.
Anakin might as well be part of that. Part of something, with him. ]
I want you to do the hand-over yourself. Do you understand, that I trust you with that? [ Claude runs a hand down over his face, feeling the prickling of his beard that he still hasn't gotten used to, although Anakin likes it, he said so, wordlessly, a week ago. Licking his lips, he leans closer to the holo, cocking his head to the side. ] I'm going to tell you the coordinates of my current location. I'll be preparing for your stay, though we won't have terribly long before we're gonna have to move anyway.
[ A pause. He looks to the side, catching a glimpse of Sabé standing guard at the door, very obviously not listening in, although she must catch words, ideas, here and there. Expression setting, stubborn, insistent, selfish, he turns back towards Anakin and continues: ]
But it gives you somewhere to catch your breath. You've been running enough, Anakin. You've done good work.
[ He watches Claude as the other man thinks his words over. The beard really adds something - not age, exactly. Maturity. It's an emphasis, really, because Claude has always seemed almost terribly mature but now, he looks the part as well, like their circumstances have forced him to conform to himself in a way that doesn't quite sit right with him. It's not that easy, Anakin knows, being bared down to your essentials.
He flexes his fingers in his lap slowly.
Then, Claude reaches his own consensus and tells him... oh. Anakin stares at him, blinking, his mind empty for a few, breathless seconds as he realises that the wait is finally over. Claude is allowing him to come to him, to be near him. You've done good work he says and it's not the praise in itself but the fact that Claude's happy with him, that he can still despite everything, make someone else, someone he loves, happy. He sits there in silence, staring at Claude's holo-image and tearing up, reaching for his face with one, spindly metal hand and wiping at his eyes as carefully as he can, afraid to tear anything needlessly.
After all, now he has something to last for. ]
Thank you.
[ He smiles, taking as deep a breath as his body will allow. Then, he straightens. Composes himself. ]
All I require is bacta. I have my own tank. [ The AZ-unit comes floating into view above his left shoulder, buzzing in his ear, waiting for orders. He gives it a tiny nod. ] And my own assistant, as you see. Don't worry, she's safe.
[ Thank you, Anakin says Elze, nodding back at him before tilting her head a little to the side, gears whirring. She's running diagnostics on him again, he can tell. Always something to repair; Sidious certainly hasn't made it easy for him. He watches Claude, his chest feeling light for the first time in years and thinks about being close to him again, close enough to touch, perhaps, and to make certain that no one can hurt him.
[ Thank you, Anakin says and Claude knows, between them, it's not a gift but an offering and that is what the other man is thanking him for. For trusting him, for offering him the opportunity to prove himself further, although he's already proven himself plenty. Claude trusts him - he has trusted him, since the beginning, but now he has the hard proof in his hand, or soon he will have. That Anakin is working with himself, against the Empire.
Padmé won't require more than that. She will allow it. He glances quickly back at Sabé, then returns his attention to Anakin who is wiping at his eyes, the small medical droid whirring around him, apparently checking him for malfunction and injury. A part of Claude, something deep inside, freezes a little at the sight, not because it's evidence as to how much they have all lost, Anakin especially, but him too and the galaxy with them. But because it's Anakin fighting to see another day, the only way he can, now.
Claude wants to touch him, but the time isn't right. Their time will come, but it isn't now, right? It isn't now.
He'll have to make Bail send him the bacta, shouldn't be too difficult. The rest will stay between Padmé and him, Padmé and him and Sabé, because she comes attached - the way some people do. He meets Anakin's eyes, smiling slightly. ]
If you take care of yourself, I'll take care of the rest.
[ He transfers the coordinates without a second thought. With a weak wave, mostly reluctant, he ends the transmission. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
And even so, Sidious is catching up to him.
The call is heavily encrypted, the signal a little weak. He's seated as usual, cross-legged on the floor, his face bare except for the breathing mask. The sores across his scalp and down his neck have grown worse, of course, because bacta is expensive and he only rarely indulges when he finds it necessary to continue onwards. It hardly matters. He's got few runs left in him now.
If it isn't yet time for their paths to converge, he thinks, as he waits for Claude to answer, then this might well be their last conversation.
He pushes that thought away for later, if ever. ]
no subject
As soon as he has his back on her, he turns the comm on and finds Anakin sitting, cross-legged, the signal weaker than last time. Where is he? Is he safe? They haven't talked since... It's been a long time now. What has changed? He looks like himself, but awful, run down, spent.
That's where they're at, then. Claude leans in. ]
Okay, you're gonna tell me what I can do for you, right?
[ Slowly, he bends down and places the comm on the floor, letting Anakin have his whole figure, easing down on his knees in front of it, in front of him, to have them on eye-level again. ]
no subject
With things being what they are, that's always a risk.
He tilts his head sideways slightly, watching the other man with a fond look in his eyes. ]
I need you to finish what I've begun.
[ He rummages around amidst the folds of his cloak for a second before pulling out a small data disc and holding it up to the light. ]
This contains something of immense importance to the Empire. We need to get it into capable hands - fast. I'm running short on time.
[ He can't get the plans for Project Stardust without breaking into the facility on Scarif, something he'd like to avoid at this point if at all possible. Unlike most of his targets the past months, that place will be heavily guarded; just thinking about getting past the Golan M3185 makes his head hurt even worse than usual. Then, there's getting out again, which would be infinitely worse than getting in. No, that's not a job for a single agent with dwindling resources.
The disc, however, contains an early draft of the colossal hypermatter reactor which would at least go as far as to imply the existence of the project. He's not foolish enough to think that anyone would take him at his word, perhaps except Claude - and even then.
They must do better than blind trust, the two of them. ]
no subject
He could accept the offer as it is, sure. He could say, you've worked good, now we discard of you when you're meeting your wall. But if he did that, Claude wouldn't be any better than any of the masters who've owned Anakin before. He wouldn't be better than the Jedi Order that has been brought near extinction or better than the Emperor whose asset is currently sabotaging his enterprise from within.
And it isn't that Claude is necessarily better than these people. It's that he knows, with everything, with everything, Anakin is no less human than he once was and he deserves to be treated as such. A person with a story and his own, individual reasons for all that's happened.
So, that's when Claude decides, in a split-second, without asking himself whether he should contact Padmé first... Padmé knows to some degree of Anakin's involvement already, she's tough, she'll take it as it comes. Besides, they need to find a new safehouse soon anyway. This might as well be the last stretch for it, for them, here.
Anakin might as well be part of that. Part of something, with him. ]
I want you to do the hand-over yourself. Do you understand, that I trust you with that? [ Claude runs a hand down over his face, feeling the prickling of his beard that he still hasn't gotten used to, although Anakin likes it, he said so, wordlessly, a week ago. Licking his lips, he leans closer to the holo, cocking his head to the side. ] I'm going to tell you the coordinates of my current location. I'll be preparing for your stay, though we won't have terribly long before we're gonna have to move anyway.
[ A pause. He looks to the side, catching a glimpse of Sabé standing guard at the door, very obviously not listening in, although she must catch words, ideas, here and there. Expression setting, stubborn, insistent, selfish, he turns back towards Anakin and continues: ]
But it gives you somewhere to catch your breath. You've been running enough, Anakin. You've done good work.
no subject
He flexes his fingers in his lap slowly.
Then, Claude reaches his own consensus and tells him... oh. Anakin stares at him, blinking, his mind empty for a few, breathless seconds as he realises that the wait is finally over. Claude is allowing him to come to him, to be near him. You've done good work he says and it's not the praise in itself but the fact that Claude's happy with him, that he can still despite everything, make someone else, someone he loves, happy. He sits there in silence, staring at Claude's holo-image and tearing up, reaching for his face with one, spindly metal hand and wiping at his eyes as carefully as he can, afraid to tear anything needlessly.
After all, now he has something to last for. ]
Thank you.
[ He smiles, taking as deep a breath as his body will allow. Then, he straightens. Composes himself. ]
All I require is bacta. I have my own tank. [ The AZ-unit comes floating into view above his left shoulder, buzzing in his ear, waiting for orders. He gives it a tiny nod. ] And my own assistant, as you see. Don't worry, she's safe.
[ Thank you, Anakin says Elze, nodding back at him before tilting her head a little to the side, gears whirring. She's running diagnostics on him again, he can tell. Always something to repair; Sidious certainly hasn't made it easy for him. He watches Claude, his chest feeling light for the first time in years and thinks about being close to him again, close enough to touch, perhaps, and to make certain that no one can hurt him.
It's the best gift Claude could have given him. ]
no subject
Padmé won't require more than that. She will allow it. He glances quickly back at Sabé, then returns his attention to Anakin who is wiping at his eyes, the small medical droid whirring around him, apparently checking him for malfunction and injury. A part of Claude, something deep inside, freezes a little at the sight, not because it's evidence as to how much they have all lost, Anakin especially, but him too and the galaxy with them. But because it's Anakin fighting to see another day, the only way he can, now.
Claude wants to touch him, but the time isn't right. Their time will come, but it isn't now, right? It isn't now.
He'll have to make Bail send him the bacta, shouldn't be too difficult. The rest will stay between Padmé and him, Padmé and him and Sabé, because she comes attached - the way some people do. He meets Anakin's eyes, smiling slightly. ]
If you take care of yourself, I'll take care of the rest.
[ He transfers the coordinates without a second thought. With a weak wave, mostly reluctant, he ends the transmission. ]
See you on the other side, Anakin.