Interlude 2: Midnight

Midnight has had a pretty rough life the past few years. Back in the olden days, he was the Lord of the Forest, King of his Homeworld. A benevolent ruler who would bring joy to any citizens that he came across, while also exterminating various pests to keep the peace of the realm.

Unfortunately, his useless Servant angered the World Soul and forced the two of them to be confined to a tiny, yet well-furnished prison cell for what felt like centuries. Just when Midnight thought the big red cat would finally learn his lesson, he created a giant bug and angered the World Soul beyond redemption…

They were banished. Cast out into the void. Forced to flee from planet to planet, before they finally ended up on a disgustingly hot and dry dustball called Tatooine. Or as it would be pronounced in the Feline Tongue: “Maaeeeouuu~!”

This world was truly horrible. One sun was perfect, why would a Cat Lord ever need two? It made sunbathing unbearable! So once again, he was confined to a small space, but at least this new palace was much larger than the last. They didn’t need to shit, piss, eat and sleep in the same room like savages anymore.

“Purrr~!” Waking up from a pleasant sleep, Midnight did some regal stretches and dug his nails into the bed. There was a tearing noise as the sheets were damaged, but it wasn’t a big deal. The Servants would repair that later.

“Oh dear! Master Anakin, the furry beast has awoken!” The silvery metal slave called a ‘Protocol Droid’ was making a lot of noise and annoying His Majesty as usual. But Midnight was a tolerant King. He didn’t bother punishing the foolish mechanical creature and just hopped down from the bed, walked across the floor and headed straight for the bathroom.

The metal door wouldn’t open automatically, so C-3PO had to walk over and press the button manually. Midnight scanned the darkness carefully, before he was suddenly blinded by the bright light!

“Maou!” He screamed in irritation at the silly Droid! Obviously he could see perfectly fine before! He meowed a few more times before finding his royal litter box and going inside to take his morning shit. Well, it was morning for him, but basically the middle of the day for everyone else in the house.

Days are long on Tatooine though and nights are very brief, so most people were used to sleeping in the ‘daytime’. The cooling systems within even the slave hovels were extremely advanced though. It felt fairly comfortable even by Midnight’s picky standards.

“Mao~!” Now that he was finished shitting, it was time for a royal feast! He quickly avoided the metal legs and waited patiently for the slow Droid to wobble over to open the bedroom door for him. In the meantime, he decided to lick his paws, then his side, down to his crotch and up his legs and tail…

“Threepio, did you say Middy woke up?” The yellow-haired Kitten finally reacted and turned away from the Red Cat’s evil scriptures. He wobbled a bit as he got out of his chair, but fortunately he was still a cat in the end. Able to use his right paw to catch the wall before he actually fell.

“Master Anakin! Are you all right?!” The silver slave rushed over to his creator but Midnight ignored them and headed towards the kitchen. He suddenly sprinted and hopped off the floor, easily and lightly landing on the dining table next to another one of those damned cursed books that the Red Cat scribbled!

“Maoou~!” He demanded the brown-haired servant girl to prepare his kingly meal, but she took a few seconds to react! So he swatted his paw on her face and she almost lost an eye to his sharp claws!

“Bad Boy!” Shmi blinked her tired eyes and caught that dangerous paw, then flipped His Majesty onto his back in a blasphemous rebellion! She started petting and scratching his belly, even as he hissed and threatened to end her measly life! But then her scratching and massaging felt too good… So he decided to let the pathetic mortal live for the time being.

“Threepio, can you prepare food for us?” Anakin asked his silver slave as he walked over to the chair next to his mother and sat down, placing his own book next to hers. The two cats were obsessed with reading. They were just like the Red Cat. Well, now he was more like a purple-armored Bug-like Red Cat. But he was still the same deranged Servant that raised and nurtured Midnight, so didn’t shun or cast him out like others might.

“Maou~!” Speaking of which, Midnight hadn’t seen the Red Cat in a few days… Or has it been weeks? As an immortal God King, he really doesn’t have a good sense of time anymore.

“Immediately, Master.” C-3PO worked as fast as he could to use the complicated devices around the kitchen to prepare a royal meal for the three of them.

“Ani, we need to go out and buy some things.” Shmi looked at the shiny silver box that was still on the table. She was actually afraid to spend any of those golden coins, even though the Red Cat told her it was fine.

“Mao!” Midnight suddenly remembered the ‘Cantina’ place they visited a year ago! They had so many delicacies!

“Mom… I think he wants to… Go to a restaurant?” Anakin actually understood him pretty well. For that matter, C-3PO could also understand the cat.

“Are you sure about that?” Unfortunately, Shmi wasn’t quite as linguistically talented. Or as strong in the Force.

“Meouw~!” Midnight sat his royal ass down on the book in front of her and glared into her brown eyes, “Mao!”

“Yeah, Mom, I’m pretty sure.” Anakin giggled and started petting his Royal Highness, “I’ve never eaten at a restaurant before, Mom.”

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“I… Neither have I.” Shmi almost started crying when she thought back to the past 37 years of her wretched life. Maybe she went to a restaurant as a baby or a toddler? She can’t remember anymore though. She couldn’t remember a lot of things anymore.

“Then we should go! We’re free now, Mom! And rich!” The cute and innocent kitten didn’t understand that even the mightiest of Kings could still be laid low. But that was probably for the better. Let the yellow kitten dream a bit longer, before the cold, harsh reality finds a chance to crush him once again.

“Mao!” Either way, King Midnight was going to eat those delicious things once again! So the Silver Slave didn’t need to make meals for them either. They left him at home to guard the place and protect the valuables they left behind.

Anakin and Shmi wouldn’t be crazy enough to bring a thousand Peggats with them in a shiny money case. Hell, they couldn’t even carry the damn thing. That’s one of the reasons the case and luggage hadn’t been moved yet. They simply couldn’t physically do it.

“Maaaaou~!” The moment Midnight stepped outside, he instantly regretted it! He rushed back inside the house and demanded that his servants bring him back plenty of food from the Cantina!

“Umm, okay Middy, we’ll be back soon. Watch the house with Threepio!” Anakin giggled and held his mother’s hand as the two of them headed out into the hot streets of Mos Espa for the first time in a few days.

“Mao!” The black cat rushed back outside and into the shade of the much bigger brown-haired cat.

“You changed your mind?” Shmi smiled at the silly creature as the door to their hovel closed and locked.

“Meow!” Obviously Midnight was there to make sure his useless servants didn’t forget to bring him what he wanted… Though he also wasn’t sure what he wanted yet, which is why he would have to brave the unbearable heat and go to the Cantina in person!

“I wonder what Master Amon is doing now?” Anakin asked his mother, though those triangular ears pointed up to pay attention to his words as well.

“I don’t know, but I hope he’s safe.” Shmi sighed dramatically, “Even if he’s a… Like a Jedi, the Dune Sea is a dangerous place. I worry that he’ll be reckless and get himself killed.”

“Mom…” The little boy looked up at his mother and asked, “Are you sure Amon isn’t really my Father?”

“Of course he isn’t.” She chuckled and shook her head, playing with her son’s pretty blonde hair.

“Mom, I know how babies are made.” Although he was still very young, the kitten had seen and understood a lot of things she wished he hadn’t.

“I know you know.” Shmi frowned and rubbed his head, “From the story he told, that brat hadn’t left his homeworld until just recently. I’ve been here on Tatooine all this time. Even if that wasn’t the case, he’s only a teenager. He would have been far too young-”

“Mom, I’ve already read through his notes. Not the ones in Galactic Standard that he gave you, but the ones in Langhesi.” Anakin smirked up at his mother, “He knew about me. He wrote those notes before I was born. He said… I was the Chosen One. A Vergence in the Force. He knew I would have a lot of Midi-chlorians and that I would make a good research subject.”

“Mao.” Midnight commented from behind them.

“Yeah, he made Middy when he was only two years old.” The little boy giggled, “Maybe he really is my Dad?”

“When you say it like that, it’s all a lot more suspicious.” Shmi breathed in the dusty hot and dry air, pulling her thick brown hood over her head to block some of the sun’s rays. She looked down at her son whose hair seemed to glisten with a blinding gold in the light, “I’ve heard the Jedi are able to see visions of the future. Not only the Jedi, but those who are blessed or cursed by the Force have shown similar abilities. So far as I know, the most accurate prophecies are the self-fulfilling kind.”

“Even if he didn’t make me, Master Amon still knows who did.” Anakin smiled, looking out at the dusty road ahead of them. Their home wasn’t far from Watto’s Junk Shop. In fact, they could already see that familiar little building and the junkyard beyond it from where they were standing. Similarly, the flying blue and yellow peasant was glaring at them from where he hovered above the roof.

“Mao!” Midnight glared back at the ugly bird, wondering what flavor of chicken it might taste like?

“Mew~!” A high-pitched cry came from down the street and startled His Majesty! Not to mention the two cat servants!

“Maaaaaou~!” Midnight ran as fast as he could towards the distant cry for help!

“Wait, Middy! Don’t run so fast!” Anakin shouted anxiously and chased the cat, while his mother was a lot slower. However, she was also desperate to make sure her Lord was safe. After all, if anything happened to him, the Big Red Cat would be furious.

“Son of a Sarlacc!” A woman’s voice came from up ahead, “Let go of my cat!”

“You took my cat from me, so I’m gonna take yours! Mandalorian Schutta!” There was a particularly ugly and hairless giant monster cat. No, that thing wasn’t a cat at all. Midnight darted through the legs of several of the lumpy-headed gray Klatoonian Bounty Hunter’s minions!

“Hey Boss, I think I saw another cat?” A yellow Twi’lek man tried to get the giant’s attention, but it was a little too late. That ferocious and majestic King jumped off the ground, dug his claws into the dusty metal armor on the big guy’s back and quickly jumped again! Mid-air, Midnight made eye contact with the pretty crimson kitten and then looked over at the surprised Mandalorian woman. She was wearing her helmet, so there wasn’t much in the way of facial expressions, but Midnight could tell from her body language and scent that she was surprised at his amazing presence!

*Pew~!* A red flash flew straight through Midnight’s torso and into the sky. His eyes went wide in shock and horror! Was that it?! Just a pull of the trigger and the King was dead?!

The wrecked body bounced on the ground dirt a few times and the dying cat tried to meow, but his lungs were just gone. He looked up blankly and heard his little sister crying, “Mew~!”

“No! No! Middy~!” Anakin screamed and desperately tried to push his way over to the mangled carcass, tears in his eyes.

How could this happen?! How could his Legacy end here?! He was the Chosen One! He was supposed to unite the Cats! Not die like a dog!

“Castas! You absolute fool!” Vhonte shouted and used her dual blasters to burn a chunk of the guy’s arm off, so that her kitten could escape safely! When she tried to finished the man off, he managed to dodge and avoid, even putting down a flat personal shield that deflected her bolts! Then the ground of henchmen started firing at her and she was knocked around a bit, though the armor was still sturdy enough to protect the most important parts of her body.

“Anakin, be careful!” Shmi finally made it over there by the time the shooting started! She watched her son scramble over to the dying black cat and pick up his body, before miraculously escaping, even as blaster bolts were flying everywhere!

A gout of flames shot out of the Mandalorian’s wrist and engulfed the whole street! A few people managed to take cover behind the shield or behind each other, but everyone else was screaming and burning!

“Mom! We have to go!” Anakin shouted at his mother, holding the cat carcass in one hand and pulling her wrist with the other!

“No, no, no again-” Unfortunately, Shmi was having a PTSD moment and totally stunlocked. A blaster bolt fly right past her left ear and burned some of her hair, snapping her out of her hallucinations! She blinked a few times and then picked her son up, sprinting back home!

Once they were inside the house, she put her son down and started panting, hyperventilating really.

“We can’t let him die!” Shmi looked at the furry carcass that had a sizzling hole blasted through its torso. Really, it was amazing that the body was still in one piece at all.

“It’s okay, Mom! He… He isn’t dead yet… *Sniff~!* We can, we can fix him! We have the technology…” Anakin hugged Midnight's scorching hot body against his chest and walked towards his open bedroom door.

“Do we?” Unlike her genius son, Shmi hadn’t even finished reading the book yet. But the 6 year old Chosen One had… And he understood exactly what he needed to do to keep his friend alive, and to keep his new Master’s wrath at bay.

“Yeah… We-we do, but you’re not gonna like it.” The child looked towards his mother’s teary eyes and sniffled again, turning back towards his room. If they wanted to save Midnight, there would need to be sacrifices. There were always sacrifices. Whether it’s some dark ritual or a simple medical procedure.

“Oh! Master Anakin, you’re home so soon!” C-3PO looked at the two of them in surprise with a duster in his hand, “Oh-oh dear…” Then he saw the dead cat and his voice trembled, “Has the beast perished?”

“No. I’m sorry, Threepio, but I’m gonna need your help to make sure he stays that way. I promise I’ll make it up to you later.” Anakin sniffled again and firmed his resolve to do what was necessary. Or at least what he thought was necessary, based on what little he actually knew and understood about Langhesi Forging.