The twin suns of Dantooine rose slowly over the Jedi Enclave, casting warm golden light across the courtyard where chaos had once again broken out—though not the kind involving lightsabers or blaster fire.
"BOBA, NO—NOT THE GLITTER GRENADE!" Naruto yelled, laughing as he and Ahsoka ducked behind a toppled training droid.
Too late. With a high-pitched pop, a shimmering explosion covered three clone troopers in sparkling blue dust. Commander Cody stood motionless, blinking through a haze of glitter that clung stubbornly to his armor.
"This," he said in utter deadpan, "is war."
The courtyard had become a full-on prank battlefield. The clone commanders had retaliated hard after three straight days of ambushes by Naruto, Ahsoka, and the ever-eager Boba Fett. Foaming trip mines, banana peels in mess trays, and reprogrammed droids that spouted love ballads in the middle of combat drills were just the start.
Padmé had only come for a diplomatic meeting. She left with blue-dyed hair after being caught in a trap meant for Anakin.
"Do I look like a Twi'lek to you?" she had asked dryly, wringing out her braid.
Anakin, meanwhile, had not fared much better. He had just finished toweling off when Padmé pulled him down into a kiss beside the pond near the enclave.
"Now you look like a drowned loth-cat," she giggled.
Naruto and Ahsoka had slipped away from the prank war, wandering into the quiet of the old gardens where the ancient stone statues stood in silent reflection. The evening breeze whispered through the tall grass as they sat under a wide tree, knees brushing.
Ahsoka picked at a petal. "You've been quiet today."
"I saw something… last night." Naruto's voice was low, uncertain. "In a dream. Or a memory. I'm not sure."
She looked at him, concern flickering in her eyes.
"I think it was before Revan found me. Before I even knew what the Force was."
A beat of silence passed.
"I was cold. Alone. People hated me… I didn't understand why." He closed his eyes. "There was a woman's face. Warm… then fire. A roar. Screaming."
His hands clenched. "Then Revan came. Like light breaking through it all. He saw me."
Ahsoka placed a hand over his. "And we see you now. You've got a home, Naruto. You always will."
They sat like that for a long time, fingers entwined. Then, as the moon rose, they kissed again—this one slower, fuller, more real.
Beneath the Jedi Enclave, in a chamber protected by old Sith encryption and Jedi cloaking techniques, Revan stood before a holomap surrounded by Kaminoan cloners, Shaak Ti, and a half-circle of trusted clone officers.
The cloning operations had been completely moved to Dantooine, buried beneath the mountain range to the south. No more oversight from Coruscant. No more manipulation by hidden Sith hands.
"The chips are no longer in use," Revan stated. "We've begun reconditioning batches to think freely, to feel, to choose. No one can activate a purge command now—not even the Senate."
The Kaminoans bowed with fluid grace. "And the production ratios, Master Revan?"
He turned to a new screen—one depicting a sleek orbital construct bathed in black and gold light.
"The Star Forge," he said softly. "Refined. Recalibrated. Its corrupt code purged. It will serve not as a weapon of domination—but of defense."
Ships. Battle droids. Transport vessels for relief and defense missions. Only Revan, Shaak Ti, and a select few Jedi even knew it existed.
Shaak Ti placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is dangerous, Revan. They'll call it treason."
Revan glanced toward the holomap, which pulsed with stars—some already darkened.
"Then let them," he said. "We've played their game long enough. Now we prepare for when the storm breaks."
Elsewhere, in the warmth of Revan's quarters, Aayla and Shaak Ti guided his hands to their stomachs.
A gentle thrum in the Force surged into him—two little sparks, pulsing in perfect rhythm. His children. Already reaching for him.
"They know you," Aayla whispered. "Even now."
"I'll protect them," Revan said, his voice low. "Even if the galaxy falls apart."
Outside, the prank war came to its grand finale: a mock battle between "Team Younglings" (led by Boba) and "Team Clones" (led by Commander Bly). Foam blasters, pillow shields, and paint bombs filled the courtyard as laughter rang out into the night.
Revan stepped onto the balcony, flanked by Aayla and Shaak Ti, arms wrapped around their waists.
"They deserve this," Shaak Ti said. "All of them."
"For now," Revan replied, his gaze distant.
The stars above flickered—one, two—snuffed out by some unseen hand.
"They deserve to laugh while they still can."
Deep in the underbelly of Galactic City, beneath the Senate Rotunda, Darth Sidious stood in quiet contemplation before a holomap of the Outer Rim.
His yellow eyes gleamed with slow-burning fury.
"The clones have gone… quiet," he muttered.
All reports from Kamino had gone dark. The production lines were active, but the Council no longer monitored them directly. Revan had insulated the Jedi from Palpatine's manipulations—and worse, had relocated the operations entirely.
"Too clever for his own good," Sidious growled.
He tapped a his finger to the planet Geonosis on the map.
Count Dooku had proven… useful. Perhaps it was time to accelerate the next phase. A false conflict. A crisis. A war.
.Three months after their kiss by the pond, Anakin Skywalker stood at the edge of a cliff on Dantooine, the wind rustling through his tunic. Beside him, in a flowing white cloak, was Padmé Amidala.
Qui-Gon Jinn officiated the ceremony, with only a few close friends present—Revan, Shmi, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan.
Naruto stood beside Anakin as his best man, fidgeting nervously. "So, uh... do I throw rice at you guys, or the droids?"
Ahsoka elbowed him. "Be quiet, doofus."
As the vows were spoken, there were no grand speeches, no fireworks. Just quiet truth and a deep bond sealed in the Force.
Padmé: "I do."
Anakin: "I always have."
Weeks later, in the Hall of Reflection, the Jedi Council stood in a full circle. The air hummed with reverence.
Mace Windu: "Anakin Skywalker. You have faced trial by fire. You have embraced peace, attachment, and duty not as a contradiction, but as a harmony. You are no longer a Padawan."
Yoda: "A Knight, you are now. A protector of life. Strong in the Force… and love."
As his braid was severed by Qui-Gon's blade, Anakin turned to see Padmé smiling from the gallery. He smiled back—and saw Revan nod subtly from the shadows.
later on at night
Revan stands on the cliff as another sunset rolls across Dantooine's hills.
Aayla leans against him, one hand over her stomach.
Shaak Ti stands beside them, hand resting on his.
Behind them: laughter from Naruto, Ahsoka, and Boba.
Below them: the hidden forge of stars, building a silent army.
Beyond them: a galaxy ready to tear itself apart.
Revan (softly): "Let the darkness come. We'll meet it with light."