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Post by therealthing on Apr 3, 2007 18:55:50 GMT -5
Chapter 20
Vader looked up at his son, who stood watching the emotional scene before him. Vader could feel the young man’s confusion and uncertainty.
“Why doesn’t she remember anything?” Luke asked.
Vader released Leia, and she looked up at him expectantly, waiting for his reply.
“Your mother had a very difficult time when you were born,” he told them. “The doctor told me that she feared your mother would die. She was traumatized, both physically and emotionally by all that had happened, and slipped into a coma. She was unconscious for almost two weeks, and when she woke up, she had no memories of her previous life.”
“That’s why she left this behind,” Leia said, touching the japor snippet in her father’s hand. “She did not feel any connection to it anymore.”
Vader shook his head. “No,” he said softly, staring down at the pendant. “I carved this for her when I was nine years old,” he told his children. “I was a slave, and she was a queen.” He looked up at them. “And yet it meant more to her than any of the fine trappings of royalty.”
Luke and Leia were silent, both full of questions, and yet overwhelmed by all that they had learned and needed yet to learn.
Luke turned his eyes to his father’s. He could see the sincerity in them, and it only served to intensify his confusion. How could he reconcile the man standing before him with the monster Obi-Wan had described? The man before him wanted desperately to heal the family that his actions had torn apart; and yet the past could not be ignored. Darth Vader had murdered hundreds, many of them younglings; he had turned on his own pregnant wife and attacked her viciously. And yet Luke could feel the pain that his father carried, the guilt and the shame of what he had done to the one he loved more than anyone. Did love that great merit a second chance?
“I will find your mother,” Vader told his children. “And somehow we will help her to come back to us.”
“I want to go with you,” Luke said at last. “Leia does too, don’t you?”
Vader looked down at his daughter. “Yes, I do,” she replied.
“No,” Vader stated flatly. “Out of the question.”
“Why?” Luke argued. “We want to find her as much as you do!”
“I am not questioning that,” Vader replied. “It is simply too dangerous. You are far safer with the Rebel Alliance where you will be well hidden.”
“We don’t need to be hidden,” Leia countered. “Why is it alright for you to risk danger and not us?”
“The emperor has undoubtedly come to realize who you are,” he told his daughter. “And now that he knows, he will not rest until he finds you.”
“How could he know?” Leia replied. “I was raised by the Organa family, what connection could he possibly make to you?”
“My actions while you were on board the Death Star were most….irregular,” he replied. “The emperor has no doubt been given a full report on these actions. It would not take him long to put it together. He did, after all, know of my marriage and of your mother’s pregnancy. I will not allow him to find you, Leia. I will not allow him to bring you harm.” He turned to his son. “Nor you, Luke. It is only a matter of time before he learns the name of the rebel who destroyed his beloved Death Star. And when he hears the name Skywalker, he will know exactly who you are. And when that happens, he will hunt you down, not stopping until he has found you.”
“Your father is right,” Obi-Wan said from the doorway. He looked directly at Vader. “It is good to see you, old friend.”
Vader merely nodded in response.
“But it won’t be enough merely to keep them hidden,” Obi-Wan continued. “They must also be trained, should a confrontation with Palpatine become inevitable.”
“And who will train them, you?” Vader asked pointedly.
“Will the two of you stop talking as though Luke and I are invisible?” Leia said hotly. “I think both of us are perfectly capable of defending ourselves.”
“You don’t understand, Leia,” Vader replied, turning to his daughter. “Palpatine is a powerful Sith! Do not let his age and feeble appearance fool you. He is very strong, very powerful; neither you nor Luke would stand a chance against him without some rudimentary training.”
“Father is right,” Luke said. “From the little training I did receive, I know that much.” He looked at Obi-Wan. “Ben can train us,” he said. “He’s already begun training me.”
“No master can train two apprentices,” Vader stated, folding his arms over his chest. “Especially when those apprentices are so old.”
“Old?” Leia replied. “I’m not even twenty! Since when is that old?”
Vader smiled at his daughter. “I was rejected by the Jedi Council when I was nine because they said I was too old.”
“Most Jedi start their training as infants, Leia,” Obi-Wan told her. “But considering that the two of you are the children of the Chosen One, I think a little leeway can be permitted.”
“The Chosen One?” Luke asked.
“The greatest of all the Jedi, the one who will bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith,” Leia informed him, looking at her father with a smile.
Luke looked up at his father. “Is that you?”
Vader shrugged. “Perhaps,” he said. “Some seemed to think so.”
“No perhaps about it,” Obi-Wan put in. “There is no doubt that your father is the one spoken of in Jedi prophecy; at least not in my mind.”
“The Jedi Council, however, did not always share your convictions, Obi-Wan,” Vader pointed out.
“That is true, but many did,” Obi-Wan replied. “Besides, when did you ever care what the Jedi Council though?” he added.
“Quite true,” Vader acknowledged. “But all this discussion is superfluous. We have more pressing matters at hand.”
“Yes, of course,” Obi-Wan said, looking back at the twins. “I think I know of a solution.” He paused for a moment, a small part of him unsure if he ought to divulge the secret he had kept for twenty years of the only other living Jedi. But if I don’t, the New Order may never stand a chance…
“What is it?” Vader asked.
“Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan replied, looking at Vader. “He is alive.”
Vader registered surprise at hearing this. “Indeed? I had no idea he had survived. Where is he?”
Again Obi-Wan hesitated, and Vader sensed it, as well as the reason why he did so.
“I assure you I have no ill intent towards him,” Vader assured him. “If he is alive, he would be a most fitting choice to train either Luke or Leia.” He looked at his children. “But I suppose perhaps they ought to be consulted,” he said, remembering his daughter’s protests earlier. “They are adults, after all. The choice should be theirs.”
Luke and Leia looked at their father, appreciating his words. But was there even a choice to be made? It was clear that as the children of Anakin Skywalker, they would be targets for his greatest enemy, the galactic emperor Palpatine. It was no secret that Palpatine was obsessed with power, almost to the point of madness. If he could use the children of the Chosen One to bring him more, then he would stop at nothing to see that happen. Clearly they were no match for him untrained. But trained, that was a different story.
“I want to continue my apprenticeship,” Luke said at last. “I want to learn the ways of the Force, and become a Jedi, like my father,” he added, looking at Vader.
Vader smiled at his son, immense pride filling his heart.
“And so do I,” Leia added. “I never imagined that I could be a Jedi; but if you think I have the ability to do so, then I have an obligation to follow that path.”
Vader nodded, pleased with his daughter’s sense of honor. He put a hand on one of Luke’s shoulders, and the other on one of Leia’s. “Palpatine will be no match for the two of you,” he told them. Imperial City-Coruscant True to his word, Vyrr Zhar-Khan returned to the Imperial palace with news for the emperor. Palpatine had been waiting anxiously for Zhar-Khan’s return for what seemed to him like an eternity; yet he had faith in the heartless mercenary, for Zhar-Khan had never let him down before.
“He’s here,” one of the royal guards announced to the emperor who was dining in the solitude of his sumptuous bed chamber.
Palpatine looked up. “Yes I know,” he replied. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and pushed himself away from the table. “Show him in.”
The sentry bowed deeply and left the emperor’s presence. Moments later, the large imposing figure of Vyrr Zhar-Khan filled the doorway.
“You have some information?” Palpatine asked without preamble.
Zhar-Khan nodded, strolling into the room with an air of self satisfaction.
“Well? Out with it then,” snapped Palpatine, annoyed by the young man’s arrogance.
“Skywalker,” Zhar-Khan said simply. “Luke Skywalker.”
Palpatine rose slowly to his feet. “Are you sure?” he demanded.
“Since when do I screw up?” Zhar-Khan replied with a smirk.
The next thing he knew he was slammed up against the far wall, a jolt of energy surging through him briefly.
“Save your sarcasm for the whores and other miscreants whose company you keep,” Palpatine snarled as he approached the stunned young man. “I asked you a question!”
Zhar-Khan struggled to his feet, shocked by the old man’s unexpected attack.
“Yes, yes I’m sure,” Zhar-Khan replied at last as he slowly stood up. “My source is completely reliable. Luke Skywalker is without a doubt the rebel who destroyed the Death Star.”
Palpatine nodded as the implications of this information sunk in. Amidala bore twins...so much the better… He looked at the young man before him. “I have a proposition for you, Zhar-Khan,” he said, his tone less menacing. “That is, if you are interested.”
“I’m not sure,” Zhar-Khan replied warily. “What sort of proposition are you talking about?” “I’m talking about becoming my right hand,” Palpatine replied. “You are strong with the Force, Zhar-Khan. With training, you could become a powerful Sith.”
Zhar-Khan was intrigued. “You mean, like Vader? Like you?”
Palpatine smiled slowly. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he snapped. “Does that interest you? It would bring you great powers, Zhar-Khan, not to mention the...monetary benefits.”
“You don’t say?” Zhar-Khan replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Well then I am interested, very interested.”
Palpatine nodded. He will never be another Vader, but he’s young, and easily manipulated…he will do… “A strong Sith you will make,” Palpatine told him. “From now on you shall be known as ….Darth Ferreus.”
Zhar-Khan felt himself being forced to his knees in a gesture of featly. “Thank you, Master.”
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Post by therealthing on Apr 4, 2007 20:50:09 GMT -5
Chapter 21
Polis Massa Outpost After some discussion it was decided that Obi-Wan would remain with the Rebel Alliance and train Leia, while Luke would seek out Yoda in the Dagobah System. Neither Luke nor Leia wanted to leave their father; but realized that their absence would not go unnoticed. The Rebel fleet had assembled by this point, and was about to make its way to their new base in the Hoth System. The future was uncertain for all of them as they prepared to part ways.
“Do you have a plan for finding Mother?” Leia asked her father as they took one last meal together.
“I will go to Naboo,” Vader replied. “It is logical that she would go there, it is her home.”
“But if she has no memories of her past, would she know that?” Han asked.
“She would know instinctively,” Vader replied. “Just as she would be able to walk, or eat, or fly a ship. Some things are simply ingrained and do not rely upon memory.”
“Wasn’t it Naboo in the vision you shared?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Yes, I believe it was,” Vader replied.
“Assuming you find her, how do you plan to get her to remember you?” Luke asked. “Is it even possible for the amnesia to be reversed?”
“The doctor described it as disassociative amnesia,” Vader explained. “Which in layman’s terms means she is blocking out memories that are too painful to deal with.”
“I can’t imagine what her life has bee like for the past twenty years,” Leia said softly. “Hopefully she has been able to find some happiness.”
Vader nodded. “She has family on Naboo,” he told them. “That is where I plan to go first, her parents.”
“A good plan,” Obi-Wan said. “Assuming of course that they are still alive.”
“Yes, of course,” Vader replied.
“Will they even know you?” Luke asked. “If you and Mother’s marriage was secret?”
“I met them once,” Vader told his son. “When I was assigned to protect Padmé, before we were married. They knew nothing of our marriage, but I will not be a complete stranger to them.”
“Well, I hate to be the voice of responsibility,” Han said, “really; but if we’re gonna meet up with the fleet, we need to get going.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Leia said, looking up at Han.
Vader watched the way his daughter and the Corellian pilot looked at one another, decidedly disturbed by it. He’s not good enough for her, he thought darkly. Not to mention that he’s far too old… “What are your plans once you find Padmé?” Obi-Wan asked as they walked to the hangar bay. “Will you join the Rebellion?”
“The Rebellion considers me their enemy,” Vader replied. “As does the Empire. I have no idea where my destiny will take me,” he admitted. “Right now all I’m focusing on is finding Padmé, and doing everything I can to bring her back.”
“If anyone can do it, Anakin, it’s you,” Obi-Wan said.
Vader looked at Obi-Wan. “I hope you’re right,” he said.
Chewbacca exited the Falcon and announced that they were ready for departure.
“Well, looks like we’re all set,” Han said. He turned to Vader. “Good luck, sir,” he said, not sure how he ought to address Vader.
Vader nodded at Han, part of him uneasy at the thought of his daughter being in Han’s company, particularly now that Luke would be departing for Dagobah within a few weeks.
“Please consider joining us,” Leia said to her father, taking his hand. “We need you on our side.”
Vader smiled at her, touching her face with his hand. “I will consider it,” he told her. “I promise.”
Leia nodded. “Thank you,” she said. “I will miss you,” she told him.
Vader was touched by his daughter’s words, and by the feelings behind them. He put his arms around her and held her close, kissing the top of her head. “I will miss you too,” he told her. “But our destinies lie along different paths, Leia. At least for now.”
“I know,” she replied.
“Good bye, Father,” Luke said as Vader released Leia from his embrace. “I hope our paths cross again very soon.”
Vader smiled, and put a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “I hope so too, Luke. May the Force be with you, my son,” he said.
“You too,” Luke replied. “I hope your search is a short and successful one.”
“Yes, so do I,” Vader replied. “I’ll find her Luke; that I promise you.”
“May the Force be with you, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said next to Vader. “Good luck with your search.”
“I didn’t think you believed in luck,” Vader observed wryly.
Obi-Wan laughed. “Well it’s been my experience that with you, Anakin, anything is possible.”
This comment made Vader smile despite himself. “I am trusting you with my daughter’s training, old man,” he said. “Don’t make me regret that.”
“Well if Leia proves to be half as stubborn as you, it will be me who needs the luck,” Obi-Wan replied pointedly.
“I can’t tell if they’re friends or enemies,” Han commented to Leia.
“I’m not certain they know themselves,” she replied with a smile.
Vader watched as his children ascended the ramp with Solo and Kenobi. Leia turned back once more to look at him, and smiled when she caught his eye. Vader hated to see his children leave. Their presence in his life had been so unexpected, but it brought him more joy than he ever imagined he could ever feel again. They made him feel as though there was good in him still, even after everything he had done. If I had a part in creating them, there must be some modicum of good in me…
Vader watched as the Falcon lifted off from the landing platform and took off into space. And then he returned to the medical facility.
Despite his obvious impatience, Dr. Drii ensured that Vader remained at the medical facility for twenty-four more hours. If he’d had things his way, Vader would have remained for another three days; but he realized that he was lucky to get Vader to agree to one.
“Thank you again for the clothes,” Vader told the physician as Drii performed one final physical on his most remarkable patient.
“Well I didn’t expect that you would want to wear the breath suit anymore,” Drii remarked.
“No, most definitely not,” Vader replied. “In fact, do me a favor and destroy it.”
“I will see to it personally,” Drii replied. “May I ask you something?” he asked as he set down his diagnostic tool.
Vader, who was buttoning up the tunic Drii had provided him with, looked up. “Yes,” he said simply.
“Who do you consider yourself to be?” Drii asked. “I mean, are you Vader? Or are you Anakin Skywalker now?”
Vader remained silent as he finished the buttons. “I am not entirely certain,” he replied at last. “Both, perhaps; perhaps neither. But one thing is clear; I cannot use the name Darth Vader once I leave this facility. The emperor is no doubt scouring the galaxy for me.”
Drii nodded. “Yes, that is true. But isn’t the name Anakin Skywalker just as well known?”
“Yes, it is,” Vader replied. “Clearly I cannot use either name. I will have to come up with a suitable pseudonym.”
“A wise precaution,” Drii replied. “Well, you are in excellent health,” he decided. “And certainly the most remarkable patient I have ever had. Your recovery has been nothing short of miraculous.”
Vader picked up the japor snippet from the small table beside his bed. “I have been motivated to recover,” he told the physician as he slipped the chain around his neck. He tucked the pendant under his shirt. “Thank you for everything, Doctor. I owe you my life.”
“I hope you find all that you are searching for, Anakin Skywalker,” Drii replied.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Vader replied, holding out his hand to the physician. “So do I.” Millennium Falcon Leia sat watching her brother as he practiced with his lightsaber in the hold of the small freighter. He already handled it so easily, so effortlessly; it made Leia start to wonder if she would ever be able to catch up to him. But both her father and Obi-Wan seemed to think she had the same ability as Luke, something which Leia was still having trouble difficulty wrapping her mind around.
“Well done, Luke,” Obi-Wan encouraged as Luke removed the blast helmet. “You’ve improved tremendously.” He turned to Leia. “Maybe you’d like to have a turn now.”
Leia’s eyes widened. “Me?” she said. “I…I don’t even have a lightsaber.”
“Use mine,” Luke said, handing the weapon to his sister. “It was Father’s, you know.”
“Was it?” Leia asked as she took the lightsaber from Luke’s hands. She looked down at it, trying to imagine what her father was like when he built it. Was he still a padawan? Was he married to their mother? Had he begun his fall to the Dark Side?
“We will have to build you your own weapon, Leia,” Obi-Wan said. “But for now, see what you can do with this one.”
Leia frowned uncertainly. “Okay, if you insist.”
She activated the saber and jumped a little when its bright blue blade jumped to life.
“How does it feel?” Luke asked, smiling at his sister as he sat down with Obi-Wan.
“It feels…different,” Leia replied as she slowly moved the weapon back and forth, getting a feel for the heft and the weight of it. “I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to handle it as easily as you do, Luke.”
“Well this saber was built by a man for a man,” Obi-Wan replied. “Your father in fact. Every Jedi makes their weapon to suit them self.”
Leia nodded in understanding. “Makes sense,” she said. “I hope you intend on showing me how to build one,” she said to Obi-Wan. “I’d have no idea whatsoever how to do so.”
Obi-Wan nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Just as I taught your father how to build his first lightsaber when he was a boy.”
Leia smiled. “What was he like when he was a boy?” she asked as she slashed through the air with the saber, growing more comfortable with the feel of the weapon in her hand.
“He was extremely kind, loving, generous,” Obi-Wan replied as he remembered. “He was gifted in many respects, particularly mechanics and piloting. All in all, a truly remarkable boy.”
“And he was a slave?” Luke asked.
Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes, he and his mother both. My master, Qui-Gon Jinn, managed to free Anakin, but Shmi was left behind on Tatooine. I don’t think your father every forgave himself for leaving her; you see, she was killed about ten years later by Tusken Raiders.”
“That’s so sad,” Leia said, turning off the saber. “He’s suffered a lot of pain in his life, hasn’t he?”
Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes, he has. No doubt it was part of the reason he succumbed to the Dark Side.”
“But he has renounced the Dark Side, hasn’t he?” Luke asked.
Obi-Wan sighed, running a hand over his beard thoughtfully. “I sensed a great deal of confusion in your father, Luke,” he replied. “He isn’t quite certain who he is at this point. But I have no doubt in my mind that he is on his way to redemption. Finding your mother will help him find his way back to the light.”
“And what if he doesn’t find her?” Leia asked. “What then?”
Obi-Wan frowned. “I don’t know,” he replied quietly. “I’m not certain he could stand to lose her a second time, and I fear it might serve to send him spiraling back into the Darkness.”
“We can’t let that happen,” Luke said. “I didn’t find my father only to lose him again.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Leia vowed. “No matter what it takes.”
Obi-Wan smiled. “You do your parents proud, both of you.”
Han entered the hold at this point. “There’s a message coming in for you, Princess,” he said. “From Alderaan.”
“Probably the Viceroy,” Obi-Wan suggested. “No doubt he is worried about you.”
Leia nodded. “I’m sure,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
She had not admitted it to anyone, but Leia had begun to feel conflicted by the situation she found herself in: namely, with two fathers. Bail Organa had raised her since she was an infant, had loved her as though she were his own child, and provided her with everything she could ever have wanted. He had been a good father to her, and she loved him dearly. But now her real father had returned to her life, and Leia would be lying to herself if she said that the bond between she and Vader was not a powerful one. She had felt it even before the Dark Lord had told her of their kinship; and since then, it had grown steadily stronger. He was a part of her, she a part of him. So how do I reconcile the fact that I now have two fathers? Who do I call Father now? “Leia! Thank the Force you’re alright!” Bail Organa began as soon as Leia seated herself before the comm. screen.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “I have so much to tell you, I hardly know where to begin.”
“I’m sure,” he replied with a smile. “You can tell me as soon as you get home. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I…I’m not coming home,” she told him, hating the look of disappointment in his eyes. “I’ve decided to stay with the Alliance. They need, me, Dad.”
“Leia, you are nineteen years old,” Organa replied sternly. “I hardly think you are old enough to make such a huge decision alone. Come home at once, and we will discuss this rationally.”
Leia shook her head. “I’m not returning to Alderaan,” she reiterated. “At least not right away. I found my brother, Dad; I found Luke.”
The look on Organa’s face told Leia immediately that his worst fears had been realized. “How?” he asked simply.
“He and I found one another on the Death Star,” she explained. “He was with Obi-Wan Kenobi who had come to rescue me.”
Organa nodded. “I see,” he replied. “I’m just grateful they were able to do so. I had nightmares about the thought of you in the hands of those Imperial monsters.”
Leia hesitated before saying anymore. Did he know who her father was? Of course, he must know…he had been there to adopt Leia mere hours after her birth. No doubt he knew everything, but had never thought it necessary to divulge any of that information.
“Why didn’t you tell me about my real parents?” she asked at last. “Why didn’t you tell me that Darth Vader was my father?”
Organa was too shocked to reply immediately, and so Leia continued.
“He is the reason I was able to escape the Death Star,” she told him. “He is the reason Alderaan wasn’t blown into a trillion bits of dust by the Death Star. I know that must be hard for you to believe, but it’s true.”
“Come home, Leia,” Organa said in a low voice. “I’m begging you.” Leia shook her head. “No,” she said. “I want to be with my brother; we are needed here. I will come home when I can.”
“Leia please!”
But Leia did not want to hear anymore, and closed the transmission. She turned away from the screen, her hands trembling. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “But I can’t be your little girl any more.”
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Post by therealthing on Apr 5, 2007 21:12:37 GMT -5
Chapter 22
Vader left Polis Massa bound for Naboo less than twenty-four hours after the departure of his children. Piloting a star fighter without the cumbersome helmet and mask was a distinct pleasure, one he had forgotten after so many years.
The thought that Jobal and Ruwee Naberrie may no longer be alive had crossed Vader’s mind more than once; if they were dead, then it would make his quest to find Padmé even more difficult. There was another thought that he had tried to ignore, but would not be ignored. What if Padmé herself was dead? A lot could happen in twenty years. He refused to let himself consider that possibility, she is alive, and I will find her…
He found himself awash with memories of his wife as he made his final approach to Naboo. It had been many years since he had been there, but the sight of it affected him just as it always had. It was here that he had known happiness, true happiness. It was here that he had declared his love to Padmé, that they had shared their first kiss, where they had been married and had consummated their love in an all too brief honeymoon. Who would he find here? Would he find the woman he loved, or a stranger who merely looked like her? I will bring her back- she will remember me, I know she will…
Using the Force to bypass the security measures at the landing bay in Theed, Vader left his craft and set out on foot into the city.
It felt good not to be noticed, not to have everyone stare at him with shock and fear. To be just another face in the crowd was something he never imagined he would experience again. It was one he enjoyed now, after being infamous for so long. Still, the face of Anakin Skywalker was not exactly a common one, so he kept the hood of his cloak up as an extra measure of anonymity.
The house where the Naberries lived was in a small village outside of Theed. It was a long walk, but Vader enjoyed it. It afforded him the opportunity to put his newly made body to the test, and he was pleased at how well it held up. It felt good to feel his heart and lungs working again without the need for artificial assistance.
After walking for close to two hours, Vader arrived at the home of Padmé’s parents. He felt himself fill with anticipation as he approached the door. Perhaps she was here…perhaps she hast lived with her parents all these years…
Activating the door chime, Vader waited for what seemed to be an eternity before someone came to the door. It was a young woman, perhaps a few years older than Luke and Leia. She looked suspiciously at him through the locked door. His heart sank as he realized what her presence meant; the Naberries no longer lived here.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“I hope so,” he replied. “I’m looking for the Naberrie family. I know they used to live here. Do you have any idea where they might be?”
The young woman hesitated before answering. “Why do you want to know?” she asked.
“I was hoping they could help me find someone,” he explained. “Someone very important to me, their daughter, Padmé.”
A startled look came across the woman’s face at the mention of Padmé, and it made Vader thinking that perhaps he had not hit a dead end after all.
“Please, if you know anything about her, I beg you to tell me where I can find her,” he said.
Vader could sense the young woman’s hesitation and confusion. She knows where Padmé is but is afraid to tell me anything… “What is your name?” she asked at last. “Anakin Skywalker,” he replied without hesitation.
“Wait here,” she said, and then disappeared inside the house.
So much for using an assumed name, he thought when he realized how quickly he had used the name he had been rejecting for so long. He didn’t have time to consider what this could mean, for the young woman returned to the door. She unlocked it and opened it for him. “Come in,” she said. “My grandmother wants to see you.”
“Your grandmother?” Anakin asked. “You’re…you’re Sola’s daughter, aren’t you?” “Yes,” she replied as she led Anakin through the house. “I’m Ryoo Naberrie. I’ve lived with my grandmother since my grandfather passed away three years ago.”
So Ruwee was dead… “I’m sorry to hear that,” Anakin said.
Ryoo nodded. “It’s been a difficult time for the family,” she replied as they entered the parlor. “Since Aunt Padmé came home.”
Anakin frowned. “Where is she? What has become of her?”
“Anakin Skywalker, it truly is you.”
Anakin looked over to see Jobal Naberrie sitting in an armchair in front of a large picture window. She was very frail looking, and looked as though she had aged more than the twenty three years since Anakin had last seen her.
“Mrs. Naberrie,” Anakin said, sitting down across from her. “It’s good to see you. I was sorry to hear about your husband’s passing.”
Jobal nodded. “Thank you,” she replied. “I didn’t expect to ever see you again,” she told him. “I thought you’d been killed in the Jedi Purges.”
The irony of her statement was not lost on Anakin. “No, I…I managed to survive,” he told her, wanting to spare her the horrible truth of what had become of him. “I’ve come here hoping you can tell me where Padmé is, Mrs. Naberrie.”
“I have to tell you that I’m rather surprised by your interest in her whereabouts after so long, Anakin,” Jobal remarked. “It’s been more than twenty years since you and she were here together.”
“Yes, I know that,” Anakin said, looking down at his boots. “I have spent the past twenty years believing her dead, Mrs. Naberrie, and have only recently found out that I was deceived.”
Jobal frowned. “I’m afraid I still don’t understand…” she began.
“Padmé is my wife,” he interjected, looking up at her. “We were secretly married a few weeks after we were here in this house.”
“Married??” Jobal exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. “You and Padmé were married? Why didn’t she tell us?”
“As a Jedi, I was forbidden from getting married,” he explained. “That is the reason you weren’t told. We could tell no one.”
Jobal did not reply, and Anakin began to grow fearful for the old woman’s health.
“I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” he said. “Truly I am.”
“I had a feeling that there was more going on between you two than Padmé let on,” Jobal said at last. “But I had no idea it was that serious.”
“I love Padmé, Mrs. Naberrie,” Anakin told her. “I have loved her since the moment I met her, and have never stopped loving her, even when I thought she was dead all these years. But now that I know she is alive, I must find her. Won’t you help me? Please?”
Jobal nodded. “Yes, I will help you, Anakin, but first you must tell me why she ended up the way she did, alone on the streets of Theed with no idea who she was.”
“Is that how you found her?” Anakin asked, trying desperately to piece together the entire picture from the fractured bits of information she was giving him.
“It wasn’t me who found her,” Jobal told her. “It was Palo, a childhood friend. He found her and brought her to his home, or rather the home he runs for those who are in need of a place to stay, people who are suffering from some sort of mental break down. He took Padmé in, and then came and told Ruwee and me what had happened. We came to see her at once, but she didn’t know who we were,” she related, her eyes filling with tears. “She knew no one, Anakin, and had no memory of anything before arriving here.”
Anakin listened to his mother-in-law’s narrative, his anxiety growing by the minute. The thought that it was Palo, the first man Padmé had ever kissed, who had found her made him see red with jealousy.
“Padmé gave birth to twins days before she came here,” Anakin told her. “A girl and a boy. She had a very difficult time, and the doctors nearly lost her. She was in a coma for almost two weeks as a result of the complications, and when she awoke, she had no memory of her previous life.”
“Why did you let her leave if she was in such a delicate state?” Jobal asked.
“I was not with her when the twins were born,” he told her. “I had been in a terrible accident on that same day, and nearly died myself. When I was conscious, I asked about her, where she was- and I was told that she had died. I trusted the person who told me, and spent the next twenty years believing she was dead.”
“So how did you find out the truth?” Jobal asked.
“I found our twins,” he told her. “Luke and Leia. They had been separated at birth, since the doctors thought Padmé wasn’t going to make it; but have been reunited and now know the truth. I told them that I would find their mother and bring her back to us. And I mean to do that, Mrs. Naberrie. I know she doesn’t remember her past, but I will help her, I swear it. I will do whatever it takes to bring her back.”
Jobal smiled at him. “You really do love her, don’t you?”
“Yes,” he said. “With all my heart. Will you take me to her? Please?”
Jobal nodded. “Yes, I will.”
Jobal filled Anakin in on more details as they made their way to the home where Padmé lived. Apparently she had managed to develop a relationship with her parents and sister, despite not having any memory of them. Jobal and Ruwee had gone to visit her every day, but were unable to convince her to leave the safety of the place she had come to think of as home. It had puzzled them that she was not willing to leave, but they respected her wishes, and did not force the issue. So long as she felt safe, and was relatively happy, that was good enough for them. Jobal had to wonder if the same would be true of Anakin.
Images from his dream returned to him as Anakin and Jobal approached the large home where Padmé had lived for the past twenty years. He saw the high stone wall, and heard the rush of a distant waterfall. Trees surrounded the wall, bending their heavy branches over the wall, just as they had in his dream.
“We will need to check in with administration,” Jobal explained as they got out of the speeder. “Palo only allows her family to see her; but as her husband, you qualify as family.”
Anakin did not reply, but he felt a surge of anger at the thought of Palo having so much control over his wife. Padmé’s parents had been unsuccessful at convincing Padmé to leave, but he was determined to do so.
“Mrs. Naberrie, how are you today?” the young nurse greeted her as they entered the main office.
“I’m fine, thanks Thea,” Jobal replied. “How is my daughter today?”
“She’s in a good mood,” Thea replied. “You’ve come at the perfect time for a visit.” She looked up at Anakin appraisingly. “And are you a member of the family?” she asked, giving him a smile.
“Yes I am,” he replied, ignoring the young woman’s attempt to charm him.
“May we go in?” Jobal asked.
“Yes, go on in,” Thea replied. “I believe you’ll find her in the garden.”
“Thank you,” Jobal replied. She turned to Anakin. “This way,” she said, leading the way.
Anakin was overwhelmed by the tumult of emotions he sensed as he walked through the quiet corridors. Pain…despair…fear…loneliness…He tried to shut them out, but they were everywhere, all pervading. He focused his mind on trying to seek out Padmé’s, but her aura was no present, at least not the one he recognized. As they grew closer to the quadrangle in the center of the facility, he sensed a vaguely familiar presence. Padmé…
“There she is,” Jobal said as they reached the large double doors that lead outside. Anakin stepped over to the door and looked outside, his heart in his throat. And then he saw her.
She was walking amid the rose bushes, just as she had in his dream. Anakin felt his throat constrict when he saw her face. She was as beautiful as he had remembered, the years not having affected her tremendously; but her eyes were empty. Padmé had always expressed herself with her beautiful eyes. How many emotions had Anakin seen in those eyes: love, desire, anger, fear, joy…but now they were vacant, as though she was incapable of feeling emotion any more or perhaps unwilling to? This isn’t right, Anakin thought to himself. Something is wrong…
“Let me go in first and tell her she has a visitor,” Jobal told him. “You realize of course she won’t know you,” she added.
Anakin merely nodded, not taking his eyes off of his wife.
Jobal left him and pushed open the double doors. Anakin watched Padmé react to her mother. She smiled at her, but the smile never reached her eyes. Clearly she recognized and even loved her mother, for she hugged her back when Jobal embraced her; but the sparkle that was so typically Padmé was not there. Anakin felt hot tears roll down his face as he watched Jobal tell Padmé that he was there. What was he telling her? That her husband was there? The husband who tried to kill you and abandoned you for a pack of lies and empty promises??
Jobal looked over at where Anakin stood and motioned for him to come in. Anakin wiped his tears with the sleeve of his cloak, and pushed the doors open, his heart pounding within him.
He walked towards the spot where Padmé stood with her mother, willing himself to be strong. But when Padmé turned and her eyes met his, he felt his strength give way. There was no joy in her eyes at seeing him, no sign of recognition; merely a vague sense of curiosity, and more than a little trepidation. He forced himself to smile at her, knowing that his reaction to her would mean nothing to her in her present state.
“Hello Padmé,” he said, fighting the urge to take her into his arms and hold her. “It’s good to see you.”
“Hello,” she replied. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t remember your name.”
“It’s Anakin,” he said. “Anakin Skywalker.”
Padmé nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Anakin,” she said.
Anakin looked briefly at his mother-in-law for support. She could not meet his gaze, and merely looked down at the cobblestone under their feet.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “This is a beautiful garden,” he said, grasping for anything to say to her.
“Yes, it is,” she replied, looking around. “I love it here. It makes me feel safe and…happy for some reason.”
“You always did love flowers,” he commented.
Padmé looked back at him. “You…knew me from before?” she asked.
Anakin nodded, not knowing if he was supposed to tell her so or not and not caring at this point. “Yes, we’ve known one another for a long time, Padmé,” he told her. “Since we were both children.”
Padmé looked back at her mother, bewildered and troubled by his words.
Jobal merely smiled at her. “It’s alright, Padmé,” she said. “He’s telling you the truth.”
Padmé looked back at Anakin. “Will you tell me about it?” she asked. “Will you tell me about when we were children?”
Anakin smiled, a small flicker of hope igniting in his heart. “Yes, I will.”
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Post by therealthing on Apr 6, 2007 8:31:27 GMT -5
Chapter 23 Palo Corrino was not a man who liked to be trifled with. He had left strict orders with his staff that only those people he had approved were permitted to visit Padmé Amidala. So when he passed through the upper story gallery that over looked the quadrangle, he stopped in his tracks when he saw a man he did not recognize talking to Padmé.
Furious, he strode to the front office, where the young woman who had shown in Jobal and Anakin was sitting reading a juicy romance novel.
“Miss Mereel,” he said as he stood in front of her desk.
Thea looked up, startled by the voice of her boss. “Oh, you startled me! What can I do for you sir?”
“You can tell me who the man is talking to Padmé Amidala,” he snapped, folding his arms over his chest. “I do not remember authorizing someone matching his description to see her.”
“He came with Padmé’s mother,” Thea explained. “She verified that he was a member of the family. I’m sorry sir, but I figured that if she okayed it, he must be family.”
Palo frowned. “I have the final authority here, Miss Mereel,” he reminded her. “What is this man’s name? Did you at least get a name?”
“No, I’m afraid I didn’t,” she replied. “I’m sorry, sir.”
Palo shook his head. “Very sloppy, Miss Mereel,” he admonished her. “Very sloppy indeed.” He turned on his heel and walked away in the direction of the quadrangle. Thea watched him go, rolling her eyes when he was out of sight. She then returned to her novel, picturing a striking, tall blue eyed man as the hero of the story.
“Well, let’s see,” Anakin began as he sat down with Padmé on a stone bench. Jobal had discreetly made her way to the other side of the garden to give them some time alone. “We met in a junk shop on Tatooine,” he told her with a smile. “I was working there, and you were there with a man named Qui-Gon Jinn looking for parts to repair your ship.”
“A junk shop?” she asked. “We met in a junk shop?”
Anakin nodded. “Not terribly exciting, I know. Do you want to know what my first words to you were?”
“Yes,” she replied at once.
“I asked you if you were an angel,” he told her.
“Why did you ask me that?” she asked.
“Well, I had always heard the deep space pilots talking about the angels of the moons Iego, and how they were the most beautiful creatures in the universe,” he explained. “And you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen,” he added with a smile.
Padmé’s face turned pink, and she averted her eyes from his. He could sense how uneasy his words made her, and regretted being so candid with her. But it was so hard not to; this was the woman to whom he had bared his very soul. How could he pretend to be anything but madly in love with her?
“I need to know something,” she said quietly, not looking up at him.
“You may ask me anything you wish,” he replied.
She looked back up at him, her dark eyes full of confusion. “Who are you? I know your name, but I need to know why you are here, why you came to see me. Who am I to you that you would want to see me?”
Anakin hesitated before responding. Do I tell her the truth? What would it do to her to learn it? “I don’t believe we have met.”
Anakin looked up to see a tall thin man standing before him. He had curly dark hair and green eyes. Palo.
“You are interrupting,” Anakin said. “Something I’ve always considered bad manners.”
Palo lifted one eyebrow, trying not to look unprofessional in front of Padmé. He looked at her, not wishing to upset her with the inevitable confrontation he sensed was imminent. “Padmé, would you excuse us please?” he said gently, a smile on his face. “I need to speak to your visitor.”
Padmé stood up at once. “Of course,” she replied. She started to walk away, and then turned and looked at Anakin once more. He watched her, holding her eyes with his own, until she turned away again.
“Under the circumstances, I believe a little rudeness was necessary,” Palo said once Padmé was out of ear shot. “I am Palo Corrino. I am the administrator of this facility, and Padmé’s guardian. Who might you be?”
Anakin stood up, allowing his imposing physical stature to intimidate the man before he spoke. “I am Anakin Skywalker,” he replied. “I am Padmé’s husband.”
Palo did not respond immediately, for he was too shocked to do so. So this is Anakin, he thought, sizing up the daunting man standing before him. This is the man who Padmé cried for every night for weeks… “Her husband?” Palo said at last. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you.”
Anakin narrowed his eyes, feeling hatred for the pompous administrator filling him. “I don’t give a damn what you believe,” he replied. “Padmé is my wife; she has been my wife for more than twenty years. Whether or not you believe that is irrelevant to me.”
“But it is not irrelevant to me,” Palo replied coldly. “I have spent the past two decades caring for her. If you are truly her husband, you’d have been the one to do that, instead of leaving her to wander the streets of Theed alone like a…”
Palo did not finish his sentence, for he felt Anakin’s large hand around his throat, preventing him from speaking.
“Do not for a moment think that I would hesitate to kill you for what you are thinking at this very moment,” Anakin warned Palo, his voice low and threatening. “You know nothing, administrator.”
Palo stared with wide eyes at Anakin, terrified beyond words. He felt Anakin’s grip relax, and he finally released him. Palo commenced coughing and sputtering as he struggled to catch his breath. Who is this Anakin Skywalker?? And why would Padmé marry such a dangerous, volatile man?
“I want to see the records of Padmé’s care while in this facility,” Anakin told him, having calmed down. “I want to see everything, every doctor’s note, every dosage of medication, everything. And I want to see it now.”
“What makes you think that you can just walk in here after twenty years and start giving orders?” Palo said, rubbing his throat gingerly. “You’ve been estranged from her all this time and now all of a sudden you think that you can just come in here and turn her world upside down? If you cared at all about her well being, you’d leave her the hell alone!”
“You really don’t get it do you?” Anakin replied, amazed by the man’s nerve. “You are in no position to tell me what I can and cannot do. I know the law, administrator. I know that I am perfectly within my rights to see my wife’s medical records. The way you are acting makes me suspect that you have something to hide, that there is something you do not wish me to see,” he observed, watching Palo closely for his reaction.
Palo swallowed hard, doing his best not to lose his composure. “I have nothing to hide,” he declared. “And you may very well be within your rights, but as a friend of Padmé’s, I feel compelled to voice my concerns. You have no idea what she has gone through these past twenty years, I do. You weren’t here when she cried herself to sleep every night, when she called your name until she was hoarse. You see, Mr. Skywalker, you have undoubtedly played a significant part in her condition. And now you expect me to allow you to enter her life and destroy her all over again.”
“What is going on here?” Jobal demanded as she came over to the two men. “I can hear you shouting from the other side of the garden!”
“Where is Padmé?” Anakin asked.
“I took her back to her room,” Jobal replied. “She is very confused by all this. And the two of your arguing doesn’t make matters better.”
Anakin looked at his mother-in-law, realizing that she was right. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “This isn’t easy for me, seeing her like that,” he admitted. “She isn’t the Padmé I know.”
Jobal nodded. “No, I realize that,” she said gently, putting a hand on his arm. “But you must be patient, Anakin. The fact that she was willing to speak to you at all is a very good sign, isn’t it Palo?”
Palo hated to admit it, but it was. Padmé normally refused to speak to anyone other than her parents or her sister.
“Yes, I suppose it is,” he replied at last. “You caught her in a good mood.”
“Perhaps on some subconscious level she knows you,” Jobal suggested. “Perhaps you will be the one to unlock her memories.”
“I hope so,” Anakin replied.
“I wouldn’t pin too much hope on that happening,” Palo said. “She has shown no sign of remembering anything. It isn’t likely to happen now, after twenty years.”
“And yet she said my name,” Anakin pointed out, folding his arms over his chest. “Curious.”
“That’s true,” Jobal said, remembering. “I’d forgotten about that. But that was a long time ago, wasn’t it Palo?”
“Yes, many years,” he replied. “She hasn’t said it again since.”
“Even more curious,” Anakin remarked. “Those records, I’d like to see them now.”
“It will take me a while to assemble them,” Palo replied. “They are quite numerous, as you can well imagine.”
“I can wait,” Anakin replied. “Just download the information onto a datadisc. I wouldn’t want to hold you up any longer than necessary,” he said.
Palo could feel the back of his neck reddening in anger, but he said nothing. “As you wish,” he replied simply. “I will return shortly.”
Anakin watched Palo leave, sensing the man’s unease at filling his request. What are you hiding, administrator? He thought, for he felt certain that Palo was hiding something.
“Why do you want to see Padmé’s medical records?” Jobal asked.
“I don’t trust him,” Anakin said, still watching him retreat from the garden. “He’s hiding something.”
Jobal frowned. “He saved Padmé’s life, are you forgetting that?” she asked indignantly.
Anakin turned to her. “No, I’m not forgetting that,” he said. “And I am grateful to him for doing so. But something tells me that he is not being completely ethical, completely honest with you, with me, or especially with Padmé. I am seldom wrong about people, Mrs. Naberrie. But if I am, I’ll be the first to admit it.”
“And apologize to Palo as well?” she added.
Anakin sighed. “Yes, I suppose so,” he replied reluctantly.
“What is it you hope to find in those records?” she asked.
“I will know when I find it,” Anakin replied. Padmé paced about in her suite, unsettled by the brief visit she’d just had. Why did this man come to see me? Why does he look at me the way he does? The image of his intense blue eyes would not leave her mind. Who are you, Anakin Skywalker? she wondered. Why do I feel something when you are near? She did not even know what it was that she felt, and this only added to her confusion. You were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen…his words still echoed in her mind. Was it more than mere childhood friendship that they had shared? Was there something deeper between them? He was about to tell me when Palo interrupted…
“Time for your meds, Padmé.” Padmé looked up to see one of the duty nurses in her room, a small cup of pills in her hand.
“What meds?” she asked. “I don’t need anything.”
The nurse smiled indulgently. “Come on now,” the nurse coaxed. “we go through this everyday. You know it’s Mr. Corrino’s orders. Now be a good girl and take them,” she said, handing Padmé the cup and a glass of water.
Padmé took the cup and looked at the small yellow pills. Why am I taking these? Why are they making me? But she knew that if she did not comply, her garden privileges would be curtailed, and she did not want that. So she swallowed the pills, dutifully, and handed the cup and the glass back to the nurse.
“There now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” the nurse said with a smile. “Dinner will be shortly. Why don’t you try to rest until then? It’s been an exciting afternoon for you, I understand. You don’t want to get yourself too worked up.” Padmé frowned, hating the condescending attitude of the woman. She watched her leave, and then walked over to the window. It over looked the garden and she looked around to see if her mother and the mysterious visitor who had accompanied her were still there. She was unable to see them, however; and so she assumed that they had left. With a sigh she returned to her pacing, wishing more than anything to have the answers to her questions.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 7, 2007 19:25:03 GMT -5
Chapter 24 Rebel Base-Sixth Planet of the Hoth System The Rebel Alliance had finally reached the location of what would be its new base. The task that they faced in establishing a base in the remote ice world was enormous, despite the fact that engineers had already been there for several weeks to blast through the permafrost and commence building what would become Echo Base.
“Whoever said Hell was hot has never been to this planet,” Han Solo grumbled as he zipped his parka up under his chin.
Leia smiled. “Well, think of it this way – the chances of the Empire finding us here are as low as the temperature.”
Han smirked. “Yeah, I sure hope so. Look Princess, I don’t know how long I’m gonna be able to hang around here. I need to get Jabba his money, or he’ll be coming after me.”
Leia frowned. “Han, the Alliance needs you. Surely you realize that.”
Han shrugged. “Maybe, but I won’t be much good to anybody with a bounty on my head. Say, maybe your dad can do something about that.”
“My father is trying to keep a low profile just as you are, Han,” Leia reminded him.
“I meant your other dad, the one on Alderaan,” he said.
“Well, I’m not so sure he’ll be in a hurry to do me any favors in the near future, not after the last conversation we had,” Leia told him.
“He can’t blame you for being sore that you were kept in the dark all those years,” Han replied.
“No, especially since my real parents were alive all those years,” Leia replied with a frown. “I just hope in time he’ll come to see my point of view. I love him, Han; he has been the only father I’ve had until just recently. I don’t want to sever that relationship simply because my real father has come into my life.”
“That’s understandable,” Han said. “But considering who your real father is, are you really surprised that his identity was kept from you?”
Leia sighed. “No, I don’t suppose so,” she said. “But what about my mother? If she indeed has been alive all these years, Bail Organa should have told me so. I hate to think of her, all alone all these years,” she said, shaking her head sadly. “It breaks my heart.”
Chewbacca approached Han and Leia and said something to Han to which Han nodded in understanding.
“Chewie says your dad is on the comm. screen,” Han told Leia. “Your real dad.”
“He is?” she exclaimed. “He must have news about Mother! Tell Luke, will you Han? She asked as she ran off to the Falcon.
Han watched her go, smiling to himself as he did so. Then he turned to Chewbacca, who was watching him closely, his arms folded over his chest.
“You could be a little less obvious you know,” Chewie said smugly.
“Mind your own business, fur ball,” Han grumbled as he walked away. Chewbacca merely chuckled as he watched him leave.
Leia sat down at the comm. screen on board the Falcon, smiling when she saw her father’s familiar face. Beside him was a woman who looked to be in her early seventies.
“Father!” Leia said breathlessly. “It’s good to see you!”
“It’s good to see you too, Leia,” Anakin replied. “I’d like you to meet Jobal Naberrie, your grandmother.”
Leia turned to the older woman. “Hello,” she said with a smile. “It’s so nice to meet you!”
Jobal smiled. “And you too, Leia. Your father told me how much you look like your mother; he was certainly right.”
Leia’s smile only grew upon hearing this. “Have you found her?” she said, turning back to Anakin. “Any luck with your search?”
Anakin nodded. “Yes, thanks to your grandmother, I found her,” he told Leia.
“That’s wonderful!” Leia exclaimed, just as Luke joined her at the comm. screen. “Luke, this is our grandmother.”
Luke smiled. “Hi grandmother,” he said.
Jobal smiled. “Nice to meet you, Luke.”
“Father was just telling me how he found Mother,” Leia told her twin.
“You did?” Luke said, looking at Anakin.
“Yes, I did,” Anakin replied. “She has been in a long term care facility here in Theed,” he told his children. “She is well, but she doesn’t remember me.”
“We knew that though, right?” Leia said.
“Yes, we did,” Anakin replied. “But it wasn’t easy to face the reality of it.”
Jobal put a hand on Anakin’s arm. “She agreed to talk to you, Anakin,” she reminded him. “That is a big step. And an encouraging one too.”
“Any hope that she will get her memory back?” Luke asked.
“That remains to be seen, Luke,” Anakin replied. “I have a strong suspicion that the administrator of the facility she has been in has been doing something to prevent her from regaining her memory.”
Leia frowned. “Why would he do that?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet, Leia,” Anakin replied. “But I will find out, I promise you.”
“Have you told Mother your suspicions?” Luke asked.
“No, I haven’t,” Anakin replied. “She doesn’t even know who I am yet; I don’t want to overwhelm her.”
“But she has to know, Father,” Leia told him. “You have to start somewhere. Perhaps if she knows who you are it will help her to trust you.”
“Perhaps,” Anakin acknowledged. “I have something in mind, and I will need her trust to make it work.”
“What plan is that?” Luke asked.
“A plan to get her out of that place,” Anakin said. “She is stagnating there, and will never regain her memory if she remains there.”
Jobal looked at him. “Do you really think that’s wise, Anakin? She is getting the care she needs there.”
“I have my doubts about that,” he replied. “I have her medical records in my possession now,” he told his children. “I plan to read them thoroughly, and I’m certain that I will find something in them that will confirm my suspicions.”
“Let us know what you find,” Luke said. “We’ll be waiting anxiously to hear from you.”
Anakin nodded. “I will,” he replied. “Well it’s getting late here, so I’ll say goodnight to you both. It was good to see you.”
“Goodnight Father,” Leia said. “Goodnight Grandmother. It was wonderful meeting you.”
Jobal smiled. “Good night Leia, Luke. I hope we get to meet very soon.”
Anakin closed the transmission.
“They are lovely children,” Jobal said. “You must be very proud of them.”
“I am,” Anakin replied. “Very much so. And I know Padmé will be as well when she meets them.”
“Do you plan on telling her about them?” she asked as Anakin stood up.
“I don’t know what the best thing to do is,” he admitted. “But I think Leia is right; I think if I tell Padmé about our relationship, it will help her to trust me.”
Jobal nodded. “I think so too. What about this plan you’re talking about? Where would you take her, assuming you can get her out at all?”
“Oh I’ll get her out,” Anakin told her. “Make no mistake about that. And as for where, I plan to take her to the place that meant more to her than any other, the place where she and I fell in love and were married. The lake retreat.”
“You were married there?” Jobal asked. “You mean when Ruwee and I came up there to tell you about the war…”
“We were on our honeymoon,” Anakin told her with a smile. “And you had no idea, did you?”
Jobal shook her head. “Not a clue,” she said.
Anakin laughed. “Well it’s starting to get dark,” he said, looking outside. “I’d better get going if I’m going to find a place to stay.”
Jobal stood up. “You have found a place to stay,” she told him. “Right here in this house.”
“I don’t want to impose upon you, Mrs. Naberrie,” Anakin said.
“Anakin, you are family,” she said. “You are most welcome here. Please, I won’t take no for an answer.”
Anakin smiled. “Thank you,” he said. “You are very kind.”
“Not at all,” she said. “Now come this way, I’ll show you where you can sleep. And in the morning, we can go back to see Padmé if you wish.”
“That would be wonderful,” he said.
Anakin spent the night in the very room he had slept in more than twenty years earlier, when he and Padmé had visited her parents on their way up to the lake retreat. He remembered having a night mare that night about his own mother, and how Padmé had come to him in the dead of night, concerned because she had heard him shouting in his sleep. He recalled how beautiful she looked in her frilly nightgown, with her hair loose about her shoulders, and how difficult it was not to pull her right into the bed with him. He smiled as he remembered her telling him about the fantasy she had about that occasion years later. So many memories, so many wonderful memories….I will find a way to bring them back to you, Padmé…I promise you..
Anakin spent many hours poring over Padmé’s medical files. It was tremendously difficult for him to read about the woman he loved described in such cold, clinical terms. It broke his heart to read about how she went for days without speaking sometimes in the early years, about the nightmares that plagued her, about the depression she suffered and her refusal to see any visitors, even her parents. But it was clear that as time passed, she had grown stronger. The nightmares had stopped, she had begun to come out of her shell and interact more with others, and her moods swings had balanced out. And yet, there was no sign that she was beginning to regain her memory. This puzzled Anakin, and he reread sections over and over, taking note of all the anecdotal notes inserted into the records by the attending nurses and physicians. And then he began to notice a pattern.
He noticed that whenever she’d had a nightmare, the next day the dosage of her medication had been increased. During the time when she had been calling his name, the increase had been tremendous. And yet, as the depression and self-isolation began to subside, there had been no decrease in her meds. In fact, it was noted several times that she had questioned the need for them, and had to be coaxed into taking them. This angered Anakin tremendously, and convinced him even more that something dastardly was going on. I will get to the bottom of this, he vowed. And when I do, Palo Corrino will rue the day he crossed paths with me.
It was early the next morning when Anakin awoke. The morning was bright, and it gave him hope for what the day might hold in store for him. The thought of seeing his wife again was both exciting and terrifying to him; yesterday she had been happy to see him. What if today she wanted nothing to do with him? What if the small connection that he felt he’d made with her yesterday had evaporated over night? Then I’ll just have to start all over again, if that is what it takes, he vowed to himself.
“Good morning, Ryoo,” Anakin said as he entered the kitchen.
She turned around and smiled at him. “Good morning,” she said. “I hope you slept well.”
Anakin nodded. “I did,” he replied. “I didn’t realize how tired I was.”
“No wonder, if you walked all the way here from Theed,” she said as she took a pan of muffins out of the oven. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes, very,” he replied. “Those smell fantastic.”
“Well have a seat,” she said. “Everything is all set.”
“Thank you,” he said, overwhelmed by the kindness of his wife’s family. He made his way into the dining room and joined Jobal, who was seated at the table enjoying a cup of tea.
“Good morning Anakin,” she said with a smile. “How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby,” he told her as he sat down. “I suppose a two hour hike will do that to a man.”
“Indeed it will,” she replied as Ryoo joined them.
“Grandmum tells me you’re going to see Aunt Padmé again this morning,” Ryoo said.
“Yes,” Anakin replied. “I’m quite anxious to see her again.”
“You know, I believe I remember you,” Ryoo said. “I was only a child when you were here with my aunt, but I remember you nonetheless.”
“I wasn’t much more than a child myself,” Anakin told her with a smile. “Nineteen years old and ready to take on the galaxy.”
Ryoo laughed. “Yes, I know that feeling,” she said. “I understand I have two cousins as well,” she said. “Luke and Leia.”
Anakin nodded. “That’s right,” he said, “they are a little younger than you are.”
“I’d love to meet them,” Ryoo replied.
“Perhaps when Padmé is well again, we can have them come for a visit,” suggested Jobal.
“I’m sure they’d enjoy that very much,” Anakin said.
Anakin forced himself to be patient as the meal dragged on, each minute that passed seeming like an eternity. He was very anxious to get back to Padmé, to talk to her again. He was tempted to tell her everything he suspected, but he feared this would only serve to frighten her. He needed to take things slowly with her; for to overwhelm her with information would only backfire, of that he was certain.
“Anakin why don’t you go alone to see Padmé?” Jobal suggested. “I’m sure you’d like to spend some time alone with her.”
“Do you think that she will be comfortable alone with me?” he asked. “As far as she knows, she only met me yesterday.”
Jobal nodded. “True. Why don’t I come with you, and then I’ll find some excuse to give you some time alone with her. How does that sound?”
Anakin nodded. “Sounds like a great idea.”
Jobal nodded. “Good. Shall we be off?”
Anakin and Jobal arrived at the facility shortly after Padmé had eaten her breakfast. She was surprised to see visitors so early in the day, but seemed pleased nonetheless. Anakin wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but was relieved that Padmé remembered him, and seemed receptive to talking to him once again.
“I will be back shortly,” Jobal said shortly after they had arrived. “I promised Thea that I would lend her the novel that I’ve just finished.”
Padmé felt a little uneasy when her mother left, but said nothing.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Anakin told her as they sat in the small sitting room adjoining her bedroom. “Our conversation was interrupted yesterday, if you recall.”
Padmé nodded. “Yes, I remember,” she said. “Palo can be quite bossy sometimes I’m afraid.”
Anakin smiled. “Yes, so I’ve noticed.” He paused, unsure where to start. “It’s a beautiful day outside,” he told her. “Would you like to go down to the garden for a bit?”
“I’d love to,” she replied. “But I haven’t had my morning meds yet, and they won’t let me go outside until I’ve had them.”
Anakin felt a surge of anger go through him at her statement. “That isn’t right, Padmé,” he told her. “They cannot withhold privileges from you that way.”
Padmé frowned. “I don’t like it when they do that,” she said quietly.
“Padmé, I want to talk to you about something,” he began. “It’s about the medication you’ve been taking.”
Padmé was curious about what he was going to ask, but just then the duty nurse entered the room.
“Oh, rather early for a visitor,” she commented as she looked at Anakin up and down.
Anakin did not reply, for his eyes were fixed on the cup of pills in the nurse’s hand.
“Time for your morning dose, Padmé,” the nurse said, handing her the cup of pills.
Padmé took them from her.
“I’ll make sure she takes them,” Anakin said to the nurse, standing up to look her in the eye. “Leave us,” he said, using the Force to plant the suggestion her in her mind.
The nurse left them at once, closing the door behind her.
Padmé looked down at the pills, and Anakin could sense that she was ambivalent about taking them.
“Have you ever refused them?” he asked.
“What?” she asked, looking up at him.
“The pills,” he said. “Have you ever refused to take them?”
“I’ve tried,” she replied. “But they insist upon it. I have to take in morning and night. They told me that if I stop taking it, the nightmares will come back.”
“Nightmares?” he asked. “What nightmares?”
Padmé sighed, and looked down at the pills. “I used to have nightmares,” she told him. “Or at least that’s what everyone tells me they were. I don’t remember any of the details, I’m afraid. All they’ve told me is that I woke up for several nights shouting, and that I’d been having nightmares. The medication keeps the nightmares away.”
Yes, of course...Anakin thought. You were starting to remember me, and he made sure those memories were squashed. “Have you ever thought about what might happen if you didn’t take the meds?” he asked.
“I know what would happen,” she replied. “Weren’t you listening?”
“Yes, of course I was,” he replied. “I suppose what I’m asking is, do you believe them?”
Padmé frowned. “Of course I believe them,” she replied. “Why wouldn’t i?”
“Because I’ve read through your medical files, Padmé,” he told her. “And I don’t believe them. I don’t believe they are being completely honest with you. I think they are deliberately trying to keep you from getting your memory back.”
Padmé considered what he said, and then stood up, agitated. “Why would they do that?” she asked, the frown not leaving her face. “They are here to help me! You’re wrong; you don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Padmé, I don’t mean to upset you,” he persisted. “But I have to ask- do you want to get your memory back?”
“Of course I do!” she cried. “Why would you ask me such a thing?”
“Have you ever thought that perhaps the nightmares, as they call them, were your mind starting to remember? And that the meds they force you to take prevent those memories from resurfacing?” he asked.
Padmé looked at him, and in her eyes he could see that what he was suggesting was tremendously upsetting to her. But she had to be told, if she was ever to be healed. She had to face the truth, no matter how ugly it may be.
“Who are you?” she asked at last. “Why does any of this concern you? What right do you have to look at my medical files? They are private!”
Anakin stood up. “Do you really want me to tell you who I am?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I don’t think you have any right to be here,” she added, her anger increasing. “I think you have somehow fooled my mother into letting you see me, I don’t know why, but…”
“I’m your husband, Padmé,” he told her. “You and I have been married for more than twenty years.”
Padmé looked at him, a look of utter shock on her face. “My husband?” she asked incredulously. “You’re my husband?”
Anakin nodded, trying to discern what he saw in her eyes. “I want to take you out of here, Padmé,” he told her, walking over to her. “I want to take you somewhere where you won’t be forced to take drugs that you don’t need, where you can be free and safe.”
“I’m safe here,” she replied. “I’ve been safe here for a long time! You say that you are my husband, but where have you been all that time? Why haven’t you been here before yesterday?”
“Until just a few days I believed that you were dead, Padmé!” he told her. “And once I learned the truth, I came looking for you. I love you, Padmé, can’t you see that?”
She shook her head. “Please stop,” she said her eyes filling with tears. “I can’t deal with all this! I don’t know what to believe, what to think!”
“Padmé, I’m telling you the truth!” he exclaimed. “I would never lie to you, never!”
“Is everything alright?” Palo said as he entered the room. He had heard from the duty nurse that Anakin was alone with Padmé.
“This doesn’t concern you,” Anakin said, not looking at him. “This is between my wife and me.”
“Padmé, are you alright?” Palo asked. He spoke to her as though he were speaking to a child.
Padmé did not reply, but merely looked at him, and then back at Anakin. “I…I don’t know,” she replied.
Palo frowned, seeing how distraught she was. He turned to Anakin. “I’ll have to ask you to leave,” he said. “You’ve upset her, can’t you see that?”
Anakin forced himself to contain his anger, knowing that an outburst would only serve to upset Padmé even more. “I am trying to help her,” he said to Palo. “Something you haven’t managed to do in the twenty years she has been in your care.”
“That’s it,” Palo said. “You need to leave now,” he told Anakin. “If you don’t leave peacefully, I’ll have no choice but to call security.”
Anakin smirked. “Security?” he said. “I’d like to see that,” he remarked.
Palo was unnerved by Anakin’s confidence, and decided upon a different tactic. “Padmé, do you wish him to stay? Or go?”
Padmé looked at Anakin, and he could see the confusion and fear in her eyes.
“I am telling you the truth, Padmé,” he told her softly. “I promise you.”
Padmé wasn’t so convinced. “I don’t know what the truth is anymore,” she told him. “Please leave. I…I need to be alone.”
“You heard her,” Palo said smugly. “Unless you want to try and bully her, too.”
Anakin turned to Palo, a look of fury in his eyes. “I will leave,” he said. “But this isn’t the end of it, administrator,” he said. “Once I have the proof I need, I will be back.”
“Proof of what?” Palo asked. “You’re as delusional as half the people in this facility,” he added.
Anakin looked back at Padmé. “Take this,” he said, removing the japor snippet from around his neck. “I gave this to you when we were children. I carved it from a japor snippet. You loved this, Padmé, you wore it always. Please take it.”
Padmé hesitated, and then took the pendant from his hand.
“I’ll leave now, not because of this imbecile, but because I don’t want to upset you anymore,” he said.
She looked up at him. “Thank you,” she said, and then returned her gaze to the pendant in her hand.
Anakin turned to Palo. “Until we meet again, administrator,” he said, and then he left.
Anakin did not stop walking until he was outside. He stopped as the emotions that he had managed to control gave way. Leaning up against the stone wall that encircled the facility, he put a hand over his eyes and wept.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 7, 2007 21:16:04 GMT -5
Chapter 25
Jobal found Anakin standing outside, his face as impassive as the stone wall he leaned against.
“What happened?” Jobal asked simply.
Anakin turned and looked down at her. “I pushed too far,” he said. “I told her too much, and she became very upset.”
Jobal frowned. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Let’s go back home.”
They commenced walking to the speeder, Anakin being sure to keep his hood up to conceal his face. Jobal did not know him very well yet, but she knew enough to realize how upset he was.
“I know how difficult this is,” she told him as he held open the speeder door for her. “I really do. When Padmé’s father and I first told her who were, it was a shock to her. She had some difficulty assimilating the information, but in time she did. And she will accept who you are in time, Anakin. You just need to be patient.”
Anakin shook his head. “I told her far more than just who I am,” he told her. “I told her my suspicions about her medication,” he explained as the speeder lifted off the ground.
“What are you talking about?” Jobal asked. “What is it that you suspect?”
“I read through Padmé’s medical files,” Anakin told her. “And I noticed something quite significant. It seems that Padmé was beginning to regain some of her memory when she said my name. But she stopped saying it once the dosage of her medication was increased. I think those meds she’s on are inhibiting her healing, and preventing her from regaining her memory. And I think this is being done by design.”
Jobal frowned. “But why?” she asked. “Why would Palo do such a thing?”
“I don’t know,” Anakin replied. “For some reason he is hoping to keep Padmé under his control, and so long as she is in this place, he will be able to do just that.”
Jobal considered what Anakin had said. It made sense; but what could Palo’s motivation be?
“What can we do?” she asked at last.
Anakin was silent as he thought for a moment. “I need to prove my suspicions,” he said. “And once I do, I will make that smug self-righteous bastard pay.”
Jobal remained silent. His anger was certainly justified and yet she was unnerved by it all the same. She had known Palo Corrino for many years. It seemed inconceivable to her that he would do something so nefarious. What would be his motivation? Why would he want Padmé to remain in this state of mental limbo that she had existed in for so long? It was almost as though Palo wanted Padmé to remain helpless and dependent upon him and his care. But why? What did he hope to gain by her reliance upon him? Although at one time there had been a relationship of sorts between he and Padmé, they had been mere children at the time, and the relationship had ended when they had pursued different careers. Since then Palo had never shown any signs of being interested in Padmé in a romantic way. As far as Jobal could tell, Palo was far more interested in art than in women. His own unremarkable foray into the world of art had created in him an obsession with accumulating rare and very expensive pieces of art from all over the galaxy. That’s it…
“He wants her money,” Jobal said at last.
Anakin turned to her, startled out of his own reflections by her voice. “What did you say?”
“That’s the reason he’d want to keep Padmé under his thumb,” Jobal said. “He wants her money. He’s always bragging about his art collection. It’s an expensive habit, and no doubt he needs serious funding to maintain it.”
Anakin frowned. “You mean you think he’s been taking money from her all these years?” he asked angrily.
“It’s possible,” Jobal replied. “And it would explain why he wouldn’t want her to regain her memory. So long as she remains in a state of confusion, she won’t know what he’s doing.” Jobal frowned, the possibility of how her daughter had been taken advantage of angering her. “If you’re right, then I will make sure he is prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” she said. “He won’t get away with this.”
Anakin nodded, wanting to see justice done just as much as she did. However, he feared that legal action would lead to publicity, and publicity could inadvertently reveal his identity. I cannot let that happen, he reflected. Palpatine would find me, and through me, Padmé and the twins.
“He will pay for it, make no mistake,” Anakin vowed to his mother-in-law. “No matter what, I will make sure of it.”
Starship yards of Fondor Palpatine and his new apprentice, Lord Ferreus, watched in silence as the Empire’s newest weapon was unveiled. Constructed in secret at the starship yards of Fondor the Executor was the first of a new generation of immense warships, a Super-class Star Destroyer. Though the mighty vessel followed the same basic dagger-shaped design of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, it was much larger, much more powerful than its predecessor. In fact, it was one of the largest, most powerful Imperial vessels ever created. “Very impressive, my master,” Ferreus commented. “The Rebel Alliance will not stand a chance against the Imperial Fleet with this craft leading it.” Palpatine nodded. “Yes,” he replied, deep in thought. He could not help but think of what a fitting commander Darth Vader would have made for this mighty vessel. In fact, Vader himself had had a hand in the design of the super star destroyer. Fitting that it will now it will be the instrument of his destruction, his and his children.
“The command of this vessel is yours, Lord Ferreus,” Palpatine said at last. “It will be your job to find the Rebel Base. I want you to send out probe droids to every corner of the galaxy. They must be found, the Skywalker twins must be found. You will not fail me in this, my young apprentice. Not unless you wish to face more punishment.”
Ferreus nodded, realizing that the emperor was not one to make idle threats. He had already suffered punishment at the hands of his master, and had no desire to go through that again. I will find the Rebels, he vowed. Even if I have to search every planet in the galaxy to do it.
“The Skywalkers will not evade us for long, Master,” Ferreus told Palpatine. “I swear it.” Palpatine nodded. “Make sure of it, Lord Ferreus,” he replied. “It’s their lives, or yours.”
Polis Massa Outpost- Medical Facility- Maternity Ward
Talanis Deece had just entered her office to begin her day when she noticed that there a message coming through on the comm.. She sat down at the screen and activated it. She was surprised to see the face of Anakin Skywalker appear.
“Dr. Deece,” Anakin said. “I’m glad I was able to reach you,” he said.
“Lord Vader,” she replied. “I’m surprised to see you. What can I do for you?” she asked.
“Give me some information, I hope,” Anakin replied. He held up a data disc in his hand. “This disc contains my wife’s medical files for the past twenty years,” he told her. “I need your help to interpret some of the information.”
“You found her then,” Deece replied. “That’s wonderful. How is she?”
“She is well,” Anakin replied. “Although she still has not regained her memory. I have a suspicion that there is a reason for that, and that’s where I need your help.”
“What is it that you suspect?” she asked.
“Padmé has been coerced into taking meds that she doesn’t need,” Anakin told her. “At least, I don’t think she does. I suspect that these meds are preventing her from regaining her memory. Is that possible?”
Deece nodded. “Yes, it certainly is,” she said. “It sounds rather diabolical,” she added with a frown. “Who would do that to her?”
“Someone with his own agenda,” Anakin replied. “I need to prove my theory, though; can you help me do that?”
“Yes, I can try,” she replied. “Why don’t you send me the data and I’ll have a look at it?”
Anakin smiled. “I appreciate this,” he said as he fed the data disc into the computer terminal. “I’m transmitting it now.” Deece waited for a few seconds for the transmission to be completed, and then downloaded it onto her own data base.
“There’s quite a bit of information here,” Deece told him. “Let me read over this, and I will get back to you.” “Thank you Doctor,” Anakin replied. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
Planet Naboo Padmé stared out her window, overlooking the gardens. Her mind was in turmoil as she replayed the unsettling conversation she’d had with Anakin earlier in her mind. There was too much to assimilate at once, it was information overload.
Yet, she could not stop thinking about what he had said. If he was indeed her husband, it would explain why she had felt something undeniable in his presence, why he looked at her the way he did. Has he truly spent the past twenty years believing me dead? She wondered. Why would he? What happened to me that he would think such a thing? As startling as this information had been, it was not the most troubling thing that Anakin had disclosed to her. The suggestion that her memory had been deliberately hindered was of far more concern to her. Why would Palo do such a thing? He’s a good person, isn’t he? Surely he would not have seen that I was taken care of all these years if he weren’t a decent person.
Padmé sighed, and left the window. She walked over to the bed and looked at the two items on her beside table: a small paper cup of pills and a silver chain with a stone pendant on it. She could not help but think that somehow the two were inextricably connected. Was Anakin right? Are those pills the reason I can’t remember? If I don’t take them, will I remember him? Will I remember why this simple pendant is so important to me? She picked up the japor snippet and looked at it, running a finger over the grooves that had been painstakingly carved there. Carved by Anakin, when he was a child. He carved this for me…because he loved me. He loves me still. Frustration filled her, making her eyes well up with tears.
For so long she had been afraid to remember. Palo had told her how terrifying those nights were for her; how the nightmares had haunted her and made her scream in her sleep. I don’t remember that…is it possible that he is making it up? Is it possible that he is telling me what he wants me to believe? Certainly if the alternative to taking the medication was unspeakably terrifying dreams, who would refuse them? But what if those dreams were only a way of controlling her, a way of scaring her into submission? But why would he do that? Why would he want me to live in this miasma of confusion? Padmé set the japor snippet down, and picked up the cup of pills next. She looked at them, trying to decide what she ought to do. If I don’t take them, what’s the worst that will happen? Isn’t the chance of nightmares worth the price of getting my memory back? Getting my life back? Finally she made her decision.
Picking up the cup of pills, she headed for the fresher. She turned on the faucet to fill a glass with water. And then, she dumped the pills into the sink, and washed them down the drain with the water. Looking up into the mirror, she smiled at herself, feeling certain that she had just taken a step towards independence.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 8, 2007 16:47:02 GMT -5
Chapter 26
Anakin Skywalker had never been a patient man. Waiting to hear from Dr. Deece on Polis Massa was pushing what little patience he had to the limit.
In an effort to make the time pass more quickly, he helped his mother-in-law by doing some home repairs that needed attending to. Anakin had always enjoyed fixing things, and had always found it helped him sort through things in his mind.
“This dishwasher has been leaking for almost three weeks,” Jobal told him. “I’ve had a repair droid out here twice already, but they never seem to get it right. Perhaps it’s time for a new one,” she remarked.
“Let me have a look,” Anakin said, rolling up his sleeves. “I’m pretty good at fixing things.”
Anakin spent the next two hours taking apart the unit, while his mother-in-law watched anxiously. She had begun to regret letting him have a go at it when he emerged from under the unit. “Found the problem,” he said, digging through the tool box Jobal had provided him with.
“You did?” she asked hopefully.
Anakin nodded. “Yes, it won’t take a minute to fix,” he said, and then disappeared under the unit once more. After a few moments, Jobal watched in amazement as he reassembled the unit in remarkably short order.
“Give it a try,” he suggested as he put the tools he’d used back in the box. He watched with his arms folded over his chest as Jobal started up the machine.
“Normally there is a puddle on the floor within the first few minutes of the wash cycle,” she told him, watching the spot on the floor, expecting to see an accumulation of water begin to form at any moment.
“Looks like that did it,” she said, looking up at him with a smile. “Thank you.”
Anakin smiled as he started rolling down his sleeves. “Not at all,” he said. “It’s the least I can do. You’ve been very kind to me, and I appreciate it more than I can say.”
Jobal smiled. “You’re family, Anakin,” she told him. “Families help one another out.”
Anakin nodded. “The only family I ever had was my mother,” he told her. “When she died, I had no one really, at least until I married Padmé.”
“And you will have her back, Anakin, I’m sure of it,” Jobal replied. “We all will.”
“I hope so,” he said. “Now, is there anything else you need fixed around here?” he asked.
“Well, since you asked, there are a couple of things,” she replied.
Anakin smiled. “Lead the way.”
Padmé had ventured out to the quadrangle, the bright sunshine proving to be too tempting to resist. The fact that she had not taken her meds made her feel slightly guilty, and she half expected Palo or a nurse to show up at any minute to order her back to her room. She remembered Anakin’s comment when she had told him how they would not allow her to leave her room until she had taken her meds. He had thought it unfair, and Padmé was starting to think that he was right.
Padmé put her hand in the pocket of her trousers and felt the japor snippet she had brought with her. She traced the grooves with her finger, the feel of the smooth wood somehow comforting to her. It was a connection to her past, and that brought her some comfort, despite the fact that she did not remember the day Anakin had given it to her. But I want to remember that day, she thought fervently. I want to remember the day we met, the day we were married…A thought struck her suddenly, and it only served to add to her anxiety. Do we have children? The thought that she possibly had children somewhere in the galaxy, children that she knew nothing of, not even their names, saddened her greatly; but made her desire to remember even greater. How many doses will I need to miss before I know if there has been a change? She wondered. She almost wished for it to be night time so that she could test Anakin’s theory. But it’s too soon – one dose will not make a difference.
“Padmé? Are you alright?”
Padmé looked around to see Palo.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Are you sure?” he asked, speaking in gentle tones.
“Yes, of course I’m sure,” she replied, “why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, you’ve had a lot of upheaval the past few days,” he said. “And I understand you resisted your meds again last night.”
Padmé turned away from him, lest her face give away her thoughts. “I don’t need them,” she said.
“Padmé you know you do,” he said in a patronizing tone. “You know what will happen if you don’t take them.”
“I don’t know that for sure,” she said, surprising herself with her nerve. Is this what the drugs do to me? Make me a meek, mindless zombie that cannot think for herself? She couldn’t deny that even missing one dose had greatly clarified her mind, sharpened her wits. Even one missed dose had done that- what would happen if I stop taking them altogether? “Padmé? Are you listening to me?”
Padmé turned to look at him. “I wasn’t, no,” she admitted.
Palo looked at her with a little smile. “See? You aren’t right, are you? Perhaps you need some rest,” he said, moving to take her by the arm. Padmé moved away from him.
“I said I’m fine,” she told him.
Palo looked at her, looked at her eyes. They were clearer than they had been in a long time. Her attitude was different too, and he was certain he knew why.
“You didn’t take your meds, did you?” he said.
Padmé frowned. “Would I be here if I hadn’t?” she replied.
“I’m not sure, Padmé,” he said. “You’re not acting like yourself this morning. You’re rather confrontational, and I’m not sure why that is, but I have a feeling it has something to do with this man who claims to be your husband.”
“How do you know he isn’t my husband?” Padmé replied.
“What kind of a husband would he be, Padmé?” he asked her in that same condescending tone that was beginning to get on her nerves. “I found you wandering the streets of Theed. If he truly were your husband, why would you have been in such a destitute state? You’ve been here for close to twenty years now,” he reminded her. “Where has he been for twenty years, Padmé? Have you considered that?”
“He told me that he thought I was dead,” she told him. “And that he had just found out mere days ago that he had found out that I was alive.”
“I see,” Palo said, nodding his head. “Does that make sense to you, Padmé? Really?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted, “all I know is that he has told me more about the person I was in the short time I’ve spent with him than anyone else has in the twenty years I’ve been in this place.”
Palo frowned. “I don’t think I like what you’re implying Padmé,” he said. “You sound as though you don’t appreciate all that we have done for you here,” he said in an injured tone. “We’ve done all we can to help you, surely you know that.”
Padmé did not reply, his words upsetting her. Yes, she was certainly grateful to Palo for having found her, for giving her a place to live, for caring for her; but how must that gratitude extend? Did it make her beholden to Palo for the rest of her life, precluding any chance of exerting any level of independence? Did it mean that she ought to believe him and trust him implicitly, even when her instincts were beginning to tell her not to?
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” Padmé said, realizing she ought to tread carefully lest she give him too much reason to suspect her of duplicity. “Surely you know that. But you can’t blame me for wanting to learn everything I can about my past, Palo. Put yourself in my place, wouldn’t you want to know?”
“Yes, of course I would,” he replied. “Anyone would. But I just don’t want to see you hurt by someone who may not have your best interests at heart, that’s all.”
Padmé made no reply, for in her mind she was considering the irony of his words. Anakin had said virtually the same thing about Palo; who was she to believe? Who was she to trust? Her mind was not yet clear enough to know, but her instincts, which had always served her well, left little room for doubt. They told her who she ought to place her trust in. And it was not the man standing before her.
“That’s very sweet,” she told him, giving him a dazzling smile. “I am very lucky to have you as my champion, Palo.”
Palo was sufficiently placated by her reply, and let the matter go for the moment. In his mind, though, he made a mental note to keep a close eye on Padmé, and to be sure that a certain Anakin Skywalker was not permitted within the walls of the facility which housed her.
“I have a meeting with my bankers,” he told her, glancing at his wrist chrono. “So I need to leave. I do wish you would take some rest, Padmé,” he said. “I’m concerned about you.”
“I will, later,” she told him. “I promise.”
“Very well,” he said, giving her a light pack on the cheek. “I’ll check in on you later.”
Padmé watched him leave, the smile pasted on her face until he was out of sight. When she was certain that he was gone, she pulled the japor snippet from her pocket and looked at it closely, determined to use it to unlock the mystery that was her life.
“Doctor Deese, I’ve been anxious to hear from you,” Anakin said as he sat before the comm. screen. It had been several hours since he had sent her Padmé’s medical files. The hours had passed by slowly as he waited for her response.
“I’m sorry for the delay,” she replied. “I had a few babies to deliver,” she told him with a smile.
“Of course,” Anakin replied. “I should have realized that. What can you tell me? Were you able to make any sense of my wife’s unusual condition?”
“Yes, I have,” she said. “You were right,” she told him. “The medication, Tharandon, is no longer used to treat her type of condition because the side effects of long term use far outweigh any positive benefits.”
“What side effect?” Anakin asked, the anger slowly building within him.
“If used for prolonged periods, Tharandon can be debilitating and can cause long term memory loss which may in some cases be irreversible.” She paused, unnerved by the look in Anakin’s eyes, by his silence. He wanted to know the truth, but was he truly prepared for it? She pressed on. “No reputable doctor would even prescribe Tharandon any more,” she continued. “And I worry that if she does not stop taking these medications immediately she will eventually become bedridden and unresponsive over time.” She stopped again. “You need to get your wife out of that facility, and immediately. That is my advice to you.”
Anakin nodded, trying to wrap his mind around all that the physician had just told him. Inside of him, his rage was building, churning, smoldering like the molten rivers of fire that had all but destroyed him two decades earlier. He had not felt rage like this in a very long time, and it filled him with a darkness that he thought he had long since abandoned.
“Would you be willing to put this report into writing?” he asked at last.
“I already have,” she said, holding up a datadisc. “I took the liberty of writing up a report for you, figuring you would need proof of your allegations of malpractice. Here it is, the proof you need,” she said, feeding the datadisc into her computer. “I wish you luck with your quest. If there is anything else I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.” “I will,” Anakin replied. “And I thank you.”
“I’m glad I could help,” she replied. “I hope you make the people who did this to her pay.”
“Oh they will pay, make no mistake,” Anakin assured her, his fists clenched tightly as they rested on the armrests of the chair. “They will pay.”
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Post by therealthing on Apr 8, 2007 20:06:30 GMT -5
Chapter 27
No reputable doctor would even prescribe Tharandon any more… I worry that if she does not stop taking these medications immediately she will eventually become bedridden and unresponsive over time…You need to get your wife out of that facility, and immediately. That is my advice to you..
Dr. Deece’s words still echoed in his mind as he sat in the darkening room. The anger he felt crackled around him, filling the room with a dark energy. From the other side of the room, Anakin heard the sound of glass breaking as one by one the fine crystal wine goblets exploded in a shower of tiny shards, shattered by the potent fury that filled the room. Suddenly the glass cabinet door flew off of the hinges, burst in midair and then fell to the floor in a pile of jagged shards. The sound shook Anakin from his dark musings, and he turned around. “Damn it,” he muttered as he saw the destruction his anger had wrought. He walked over to the cabinet and bent down to start cleaning up the mess.
“Anakin? Is everything alright?”
Anakin looked up to see Ryoo standing in the room, cutting his hand in the process. He uttered a Huttese curse that would have made his mother’s hair curl as blood poured forth from his hand.
“What happened?” Ryoo called as she ran to the kitchen to fetch a cloth.
Anakin sighed as he looked down at his injured hand. How do I explain this? he wondered in frustration.
“I…sort of lost my temper,” he told her as she returned and commenced wrapping the cloth around his wound tightly. She looked up at him. “I don’t understand,” she said, putting pressure on the cut.
“I heard back from the doctor at Polis Massa,” he told her.
“The one who you sent Aunt Padmé’s medical files to?” she asked.
Anakin nodded as he watched her check his cut. “She confirmed my suspicions, Ryoo. Padmé has been given meds to inhibit her ability to remember her past.”
“I can’t believe it,” Ryoo replied, shaking her head in disbelief. “Who would do such a thing? And why?”
“Palo is behind this, I’m sure of it,” Anakin replied.
“But he isn’t a doctor,” Ryoo told him. “How can he prescribe medication?”
“He isn’t,” Anakin agreed. “But obviously someone in his employ is, someone he has a great deal of influence over, someone who is as anxious to get their hands on Padmé’s money as he is.”
“You think that is his motivation?” Ryoo asked.
“Yes, I do,” Anakin replied. “According to your grandmother, he has a rather expensive habit he needs to fund.”
“Oh yes, his precious art collection,” Ryoo commented sourly. “He thinks he’s some big artiste. He makes me sick.”
“He’s not going to get away with this, Ryoo,” he told her. “I promise you that.”
“What happened in here!?” Jobal asked as she stood in the doorway. She looked at all the broken glass, and then at Anakin’s bandaged hand.
“Anakin? What happened?”
“I’m sorry,” he said, feeling embarrassed about all the damage he had caused. “I…just lost control of my anger. I will replace everything, I promise.”
“Oh I don’t care about that,” Jobal said, with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I’m more concerned about you. What caused you to become so angry?”
“I was right, Mrs. Naberrie,” he told her as Ryoo unwrapped his hand to examine the wound. “The doctor on Polis Massa confirmed my suspicions.”
Jobal’s eyes widened. “You mean…the medication Padmé has been taken is what is responsible for her not regaining her memory?”
Anakin nodded. “Not only that, she told me that it could also lead to long term, debilitating side effects. She advised me to get Padmé out of there as soon as possible, and I mean to do just that.”
Jobal shook her head, and suddenly looked very frail. “I should have taken Padmé out of that place years ago,” she said quietly as she made her way over to the sofa on the other side of the room. “I honestly thought it was the best thing for her, that she would receive the care she needed. If only I’d questioned what was going on…if only I’d stopped to think…”
“Don’t do this, Grandma,” Ryoo said firmly. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for what has happened. You are in no condition to care for someone who needs full time care, and I’m not here all day what with school and my job. We’ve never had any reason to question that anything was amiss, not until now.”
“Ryoo is right,” Anakin said, walking over to sit down beside his mother-in-law. “You did what you thought was best for her, as any mother would. Palo is far too clever for anyone to suspect him of anything nefarious.”
“But you did,” Jobal pointed out. “You did upon your first meeting.”
“I’m a Jedi,” he reminded her. “We have the ability to tell when someone is hiding something.” He looked over at the broken glass across the room. “Unfortunately that power can also cause destruction on occasion,” he added sheepishly.
“You did that with your …Jedi powers?” Ryoo asked in amazement.
Anakin nodded.
“I wonder if Palo has any idea who he’s messing with,” Ryoo said with a smile.
“I doubt it,” Anakin replied. “But he will find out soon enough.”
“What do you plan to do?” Jobal asked.
Anakin considered her question as he stood up and walked across the room. “First I’m going to clean up this mess,” he said. “And then I’m going to go for a long, brisk walk to clear my head. I need to put together a plan, one that will not leave any chance of that son-of-a-b*tch getting away with this. I’m too angry right now to think clearly, that much is clear,” he said, looking down at the pile of shattered glass at his feet.
“Perhaps a good night sleep will help too,” Jobal suggested. “That is if any of us will be able to sleep knowing what we now do.”
“I won’t sleep well until I get Padmé out of that place,” Anakin said. “I have half a mind to go down there right now and bring her here, but I know that she would only get upset if I did that.”
“No, that wouldn’t be the best solution,” Ryoo agreed. “Besides, the security around that place is too tight, even for a Jedi.”
Anakin lifted an eyebrow. “Well, I beg to differ, but that’s neither here nor there right now. I must have Padmé’s trust in order for this to work. If I have to take her out of there under duress, then it will all be in vain.”
“I agree,” Jobal said. “I will go see her in the morning, feel her out. Perhaps she will have calmed down enough to agree to see you again.”
“I hope so,” Anakin replied. And then, with Ryoo’s help, he started to clean up the mess he’d made.
Padmé had taken her dinner in her room, not wishing the company of anyone that evening. She was certain that someone would notice the change in her, and it would result in some new way of controlling her. So she decided it would be best to keep a low profile, and avoid the other patients as well as staff as much as possible.
Leaving the fresher, Padmé entered her bedroom to find the duty nurse standing beside her bed, holding the japor snippet in her hand.
“What are you doing touching my things?” Padmé demanded, rushing over and snatching it from the woman’s hand. “Have you ever heard of something called privacy?”
“Now now,” the nurse replied, trying to calm her down. “I was just looking at it. I have never seen anything like that before. You haven’t always had it, have you?”
Padmé did not reply at first, for she was certain that the nurse was trying to trap her somehow. “My mother gave it to me just the other day,” she lied.
“I see,” the nurse said. “It’s quite an interesting design. Does it mean anything?”
Padmé looked down at the snippet, feeling certain that it did mean something, but not remembering what it was. “I don’t know that it means anything at all,” she said quietly, closing her hand around the pendant. “It’s just a design, that’s all.”
The nurse nodded. “Well you know what time it is,” she said, picking up the paper cup of pills from the bedside table where she had set them. She held them out to Padmé. “Here you go, hon.”
Padmé took the pills from the nurse and popped them in her mouth at once.
“Good girl,” the nurse said with a smile. “You get to bed now, understand?”
Padmé nodded and watched as the nurse left. When she heard her door lock, she immediately spit the pills into her hand. She returned to the fresher and flushed them away, and then rinsed her mouth out with water. Then she took the japor snippet and slipped the chain around her neck. Somehow if was comforting to wear it, even though she didn’t quite know why.
Padmé returned to her bedroom and turned off the light. Climbing into bed, she felt a sense of anxious anticipation, hoping in a fearful way that the two missed doses of meds would be enough to herald a dream that very night. She closed her eyes, wiling herself to go to sleep, the japor snippet pressed against her skin.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 9, 2007 15:02:22 GMT -5
Chapter 28 Anakin slept very little that night. He had read the report that Dr. Deece had sent, and it had only added to the already tremendous rage that he felt trying to consume him. In her report, Deece had indicated that the medication was actually redundant for the prevention of nightmares, so its primary use was and probably always had been for memory loss. She suggested that Padmé was more than likely regaining her memory through her nightmares, and that the treatment with Tharandon was designed to stop that from happening.
Designed to stop that from happening…Had the use of the questionable drug been a mistake, or an error in judgment, it would not have been quite so horrendous to contemplate. But the fact that she had been given the drug in order to repress her memories, and that it had been their intention to repress those memories, made Anakin’s blood boil. He honestly did not know what would happen when he came face to face with Palo again. It had not been that long since he had been Darth Vader, both in body and in soul; much of the darkness that had defined Vader still lurked within Anakin Skywalker. The shattered glass in his mother-in-law’s parlor was proof of that. I will not let the Darkness win again. I will not let it claim my soul; never again…if only my children were here, they would keep me from its grasp… The thought of Luke and Leia only added to Anakin’s melancholy mood. It seemed no sooner had he found his children then they were gone from his life once again. I need them, he realized, and so does Padmé. Anakin sat up in bed, having made up his mind. He got up, not bothering to put on his tunic and left the small room.
Just seeing his daughter’s face again put a smile on his face.
“Hi,” Anakin said. “It’s good to see you.”
Leia smiled at him. “It’s good to see you too. I’ve missed you.”
“I miss you too, both of you,” Anakin replied. “How is everything going?”
“Well, we’ve established a new base,” she told him, sensing that there was a great deal troubling her father. “Han is complaining about the cold constantly,” she told him with a smirk.
Anakin nodded. “I don’t blame him. How is your brother? Has he left for Dagobah yet?”
“No,” she replied. “He felt he needed to stay here for a few weeks to help set things up before he left. Obi-Wan has been working with both of us, though, so his training hasn’t been neglected.”
“That’s good,” Anakin replied.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?” Leia suggested. “I can tell something is.”
Anakin was surprised by his daughter’s ability to sense his feelings from so great a distance.
“I don’t suppose there’s any sense denying that,” he told her.
Leia just smiled and shook her head.
“I’ve learned something about your mother’s situation,” he told her. “Something truly reprehensible”
Leia’s smile soon disappeared. “What have you learned?” she asked.
“I’ve learned that those who were entrusted with her care have been giving her drugs all these years that repress memory,” he told her. “That they have done so deliberately in order to take advantage of her and steal her money.”
“What!?” Leia cried. “You mean all these years she need not have lived as a dependent in that place? That she could have regained her memory by now were it not for those drugs?”
Anakin nodded. “Yes,” he told her. “That’s exactly what I mean, Leia. And I promise you that I will make those responsible pay for what they have done.”
Leia frowned, concerned not only by her father’s disclosure, but also by the tremendous anger she sensed in him. She could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice; and it frightened her.
“Father, please don’t let this turn you back to the Dark Side,” she told him. “I am as angry as you are, but you mustn’t let it destroy you.”
“I am fighting it, Leia,” Anakin told her. “I truly am. That’s part of the reason I contacted you- somehow just seeing you and hearing your voice helps me to do so.”
Leia smiled, moved by his admission. “I love you too, Father,” she told him.
Anakin smiled. “You are remarkable, do you know that?” he said.
“I’m my father’s child,” she reminded him.
Anakin nodded. “Yes, no doubt of that. Well I should try to get some sleep; I’m hoping to see your mother in the morning.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll be sure to tell Luke you said hi.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I love you, Leia,” he added. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Goodnight, Father,” Leia replied. “Sweet dreams.”
Leia closed the transmission and sat in the Falcon’s hold alone for a few moments. My mother has been alive all these years, and Bail Organa knew it…so why didn’t he tell me? Why did he lie about her? The thought that her mother had spent twenty years living in drug induced isolation was horrific. It saddened Leia, but more than that, it angered her. She shared her father’s anger and hatred for those responsible for doing this, but she also felt anger towards the man who she had grown up believing was her father, Bail Organa. Yes, he had raised her, loved her, provided for her; but he had also lied to her, and kept the truth of her real mother’s existence from her. While that in itself was enough to be resentful, the fact that Padmé had been alone, isolated and taken advantage of all those years made it unforgivable. The thought of changing her name had crossed Leia’s mind more than once in the past few weeks, but given this latest discovery, it made the idea even more appealing.
“Everything okay?” Han asked as he poked his head into the hold.
Leia looked up at him. “No, not at all,” she said as she stood up. “Do you know where Luke is? I have something I need to tell him.”
Naboo- The Next Morning Padmé was disappointed when she awoke the next morning. She had not experienced one remarkable dream all night, and had begun to wonder if her theory had been erroneous. Perhaps there was no connection at all between the meds and her memories, perhaps it had all been foolish to even consider she could get her memory back simply by stopping her meds. No, I won’t give up, she told herself. It’s too soon…give it more time…there’s already been a change, you’ve felt it yourself.
She got up out of bed and walked over to her window. The morning was grey, with a promise of rain in the air. No garden today, likely, she realized glumly. The day seemed to stretch out in front of her, unbearable long without a diversion to occupy her. I’ve never felt like that before, she realized as she left the window, realizing that she had more proof that the cessation of meds were indeed affecting her. “Good morning,” the duty nurse announced as she opened the door without as much as a knock.
Padmé turned around, annoyed by her lack of consideration.
“Time for meds,” she said.
“I haven’t even had breakfast yet,” Padmé protested.
The nurse shrugged her shoulders. “I’m just following orders, Padmé,” she said. “I guess you’ve been a bit off lately, and Mr. Corrino wants to make sure you’re okay.”
A likely story, Padmé thought. She held out her hand and took the pills. There were three now where just last night there had been but two.
“Will you be coming down for breakfast? Or should I have it sent up here?” the nurse asked. “Send it up here,” Padmé replied. “I’m not up to company this morning.”
“Okay,” the nurse replied. She stood and watched Padmé. “I’m waiting,” she said.
“For what?” Padmé asked.
“You know very well what,” the nurse replied. “Now come on, let’s not get into this again.”
“Oh okay,” Padmé said, pretending to comply. She put them in her mouth.
“Now swallow,” the nurse said, all trace of humor gone from her eyes.
Padmé pointed to the fresher, indicating that she needed a drink.
“I can get that for you,” the nurse said, realizing what Padmé was trying to do. She went into the fresher to get a glass of water and was gone mere seconds before she returned.
“There you go,” she said, handing Padmé the glass.
Padmé nodded, and then took the glass and drank down the water.
“Good job,” the nurse replied, smiling once again. “I’ll send breakfast up at once.”
“Thanks,” Padmé replied. As soon as the door closed, she spit the pills, which she had hidden under her tongue, into her hand. She stared at them, starting to loathe the sight of them. “You won’t win this time, Palo,” she said, closing her hand around the small tablets. “It’s time for me to take my life back.”
It was an hour later and Padmé had just finished getting dressed when she heard a knock on her door. She realized it wasn’t the duty nurse, since she never knocked.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s me, Padmé; your mom.”
Padmé opened the door at once to let in her mother.
“How are you today?” Jobal asked as she embraced her daughter.
“I’m fine, thanks,” Padmé replied. “How are you? You look worried.”
Jobal was struck by the change in her daughter. Padmé looked far more alert, far more lucid than she had looked in years, and Jobal couldn’t help but wonder if she had started to believe Anakin about the meds. Speaking of Anakin…
“I understand you were upset with Anakin yesterday,” Jobal began as the two women walked into the sitting room.
Padmé looked at her mother. “He told you that?” she asked.
Jobal nodded as she took a seat. “Yes he did,” she replied. “He is very concerned, Padmé, very worried about you. He loves you a great deal.”
Padmé sat down with her mother. “I know he does,” she said quietly. “I only wish I could remember him, remember my life with him.”
Jobal remained silent, not feeling it was her place to tell Padmé what Anakin had learned. “He’s here you know,” she said at last.
Padmé looked up at her mother. “Anakin is?”
“Yes,” Jobal replied. “He doesn’t want to upset you though, that’s why he didn’t come up.”
Jobal watched her daughter as she tried to decide what she wanted. She could see the conflict in Padmé’s eyes.
“Should I go and get him?” Jobal asked.
“I …I don’t know,” Padmé replied, standing up and walking across the room. “Part of me wants to see him, part of me is afraid to.”
“Afraid?” Jobal asked. “Why would you be afraid?”
“Because of the things he tells me,” she replied. “He thinks that the meds I’m taking have been responsible for me not getting my memory back. If that’s true…”
“If it’s true, it isn’t Anakin’s doing,” Jobal replied. “It just means that he is the first one to tell you the truth. I’ve spent a lot of time with him, Padmé; he’s a good man, an honorable man, and he loves you beyond words. You can trust him, Padmé. I promise you that.”
Padmé knew she could trust him, she had sensed that from the moment she had first met him. It was almost as though there was a connection there that transcended conscious memory or thought; and if that were true, then she needed to rediscover that connection.
“Yes, I do want to see him,” Padmé told her mother at last. “Please show him up.”
Anakin paced up and down in the corridor on the main floor. It had taken every ounce of restraint he possessed not to race upstairs and find Padmé. He knew that she would be upset if he pushed too hard, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Yet it was very difficult for him to stay away from her, to remain patient. Finally he saw his mother-in-law approaching him.
“Well?” he asked her simply.
“She wants to see you,” Jobal told him.
Anakin smiled with relief. “She does?” he asked.
“Yes, yes of course,” Jobal laughed. “Now come along,” she said, taking his hand.
They had not even reached the end of the corridor when two armed guards appeared and blocked their way.
“I’m afraid you’re not permitted to enter the residence,” one of the guards told Anakin.
Anakin frowned. “You can’t be serious,” he said.
“We’re very serious, sir,” the second guard replied. “We have strict orders from Mr. Corrino not to allow you inside.”
Anakin exchanged a look with Jobal as he decided what course of action he ought to take. “Go up,” he told her; not wishing her to be involved in what he was sure would end up in aggressive negations.
“What about you?” she asked. “This is preposterous!”
“It is, but don’t worry,” he said to her. “I’ll talk them into it.”
Jobal frowned, knowing that ‘talk’ was merely a euphemism for something a little less subtle. Still, she reasoned that nothing was going to keep Anakin from seeing Padmé, so she might as well accept his unconventional methods.
Jobal continued down the corridor and stepped onto the lift, watching Anakin as long as she could before the doors closed.
“Now, I strongly suggest that you reconsider letting me pass,” Anakin said to the guards, doing his utmost to remain calm. “Otherwise, I may have to injure you.”
The guards looked at one another with a smirk. “Yeah, sure pal,” one of them said. “Two of us against one of you, and you don’t even have a weapon...”
“I don’t need a weapon,” Anakin said, sending the two guards flying across the corridor. They slammed up against the wall and immediately jumped to their feet and pointed their blasters at Anakin.
“I don’t think so,” Anakin said, yanking the blasters from the men’s hands with the Force. He grabbed the weapons easily and turned them on the astonished guards. “Move,” he told them. “Into the lift.”
The guards did as they were told, realizing that they were no match for him. Once they were inside the lift, Anakin closed the door and used the Force to fuse the controls, making prisoners of the guards within the small lift. He then headed for the stairs and took them three at a time until he reached the second floor. Walking down the corridor, he found a laundry shoot and dumped the blasters, and then proceeded to Padmé’s door.
“Anakin!” Jobal exclaimed when she opened the door for him. “What happened? How did you get past those guards?”
Anakin shrugged. “Quite easily actually,” he said. “But I’m afraid the lift will be out of order for a little while,” he added with a smile. He looked over Jobal’s shoulder to see Padmé looking at him.
“Hi,” he said with a smile.
“Hi,” she replied, “what’s going on?”
Anakin walked into the room. “It seems I’m not wanted here,” he told her. “No doubt Palo left orders for them not to let me up to see you.”
Padmé frowned. “He shouldn’t have done that,” she said.
“He doesn’t like me,” Anakin replied. “Not that I care,” he hastened to add. “The feelings are more than mutual.”
“You know he’ll be up here as soon as he finds out you’re here,” Jobal told him.
Anakin nodded. “Yes, I know,” he said, looking at her. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”
“I don’t understand,” Padmé said. “Why would you want to force a confrontation with him?”
“I have something to discuss with Administrator Corrino,” Anakin replied. “Something you need to know, Padmé.”
Padmé looked from Anakin to her mother and then back to him again. “What?” she asked. “What is going on?”
“Sit down, Padmé,” Anakin said, sitting down on the sofa. Padmé sat beside him, her anxiety level rising.
Anakin looked at her, sensing in her a new level of awareness, a higher degree of lucidity. He noticed something else; she was wearing the japor snippet.
“Do you remember what I told you yesterday, Padmé,” he asked her. “About your medical records?”
Padmé nodded. “Yes, you told me that you’d read them.”
“Yes,” Anakin said. “I know you were upset with me for doing that, but I did it in order to help you. I would never do anything to deliberately upset you, Padmé; I hope you realize that.”
Padmé did not know what to say in response, so she did not say anything, and merely waited for him to continue.
“I also told you about what I suspected about the medication you’ve been taking,” Anakin continued. “I know this isn’t an easy thing for you to think about, Padmé, but you need to know the truth.”
“And what is the truth, Anakin?” she asked.
“The truth is, I was right,” he told her. “I consulted with a physician, who corroborated what I thought. Tharandon, the medication that you’ve been taking for twenty years, is responsible for your memory loss.”
“You know this for certain?” she asked.
Anakin nodded. He pulled a datadisc from within his cloak. “I have the doctor’s report right here,” he said. “The proof I needed.”
Padmé was silent as she digested this information. She felt a tumult of conflicting emotions churning within her as she considered the implications of this news.
Part of her felt tremendous anger, outrage at what had been done to her, at how she had been abused for so long. Part of her felt confused; why would Palo want her memories repressed? What purpose would it serve? What advantage would it give him?
Yet despite these negative emotions, there was also a part of her that took hope from this news. She had already noticed changes in her since she had stopped taking the meds; and that was only with three missed doses. How long would it be before she began to regain her memory?
“I haven’t taken the meds in more than twenty-four hours,” she told him at last. “And I’ve already noticed a difference.”
“How did you manage that?” Jobal asked. “Those nurses are like drill sergeants from what I’ve seen.”
“I hid them,” Padmé told her mother. “Under my tongue. I flushed them down the toilet, washed them down the sink, whatever it took.”
Anakin smiled. So she did believe me… “And you’ve noticed a change,” Anakin said.
Padmé looked at him and nodded. “Yes, I have,” she replied. “I seem to be thinking more clearly,” she told him. “I’ve started to question things, where before I would just accept whatever they told me.”
“You’ve started back, Padmé,” Anakin told her. “But we have to get you out of here in order for you to fully recover. So long as you’re in here, you will have to fight for every step you take. I won’t let them do this to you any more. I’ll break you out of here myself if I have to.”
“I’m afraid that isn’t likely to happen.”
Anakin and Padmé turned to see Palo standing in the doorway. Anakin felt the rage he thought he’d mastered filling him again as he faced his adversary, and stood up.
“And who is going to stop me,” Anakin asked as he walked towards him. “You, administrator?” he asked, his voice full of contempt.
Palo smirked. “You must be pretty pleased with yourself for the way you dispatched my guards,” he said. “But I assure you, that is not the extent of my resources. I am a powerful man, Skywalker; with many powerful connections.”
“No doubt purchased with my wife’s money,” Anakin commented. He saw the flicker of fear in Palo’s eyes, and realized that he had struck a nerve. “I understand you have quite an impressive art collection, administrator,” he continued. “Amazing how you were able to keep up such an expensive hobby on a health care provider’s salary.”
“I don’t think I like what you’re implying,” Palo said, doing his best to keep his fear out of his voice. “My personal finances are none of your concern.”
“I don’t give a damn about the money,” Anakin growled, stepping closer to Palo. “That is inconsequential compared to the blatant abuse Padmé has endured in this facility for the past twenty years.”
“Abuse?” Palo echoed. “You really have some nerve saying that to me! The long lost husband who neglects his wife for twenty years and then just shows up out of no where! If anyone is guilty of abuse here, it’s you, Skywalker!”
That was all it took to make Anakin lose the tenuous control he had over his temper. He lifted a hand and used the Force to shove Palo across the room.
“Anakin, please!” Padmé cried as Anakin advanced on Palo who was struggling to his feet.
“He’s got this coming, Padmé,” Anakin told her without turning away from his prey.
“Padmé is right, Anakin,” Jobal said. “Violence won’t solve anything.”
Palo stood up shakily, his pride more injured than his body at this point.
“I’ll have you arrested for this assault, Skywalker,” he whined as he rubbed his back gingerly. “I’ll…”
“You’ll be lucky to see the light of day again after I have you charged with practicing medicine without a license, and the doctor you have on your payroll charged with malpractice,” Anakin interjected. He held up the data disc. “I have all the proof I need to see that this place is shut down and you, administrator, are sent to prison for the rest of your life.”
“What proof do you think you have of anything?” Palo retorted, trying to hide the fear he felt swelling within him. But his efforts were in vain, for Anakin sensed it at once, and moved in for the kill.
“Records indicating you have coerced my wife into taking a dangerous drug for two decades,” Anakin replied. “A drug that has not only repressed her memory, but has made her dependent upon you and this facility for twenty years. And then there is Padmé’s financial records,” he added. He had not seen her financial records, but he guessed that once he did, they would reveal a great deal. And he was right; the mention of the records created a fresh wave of fear in Palo. Anakin smiled.
“Padmé gave me power of attorney years ago,” Palo stated. “I have merely been….making investments for her.”
“Is that what you’d call stealing from a woman who wouldn’t know what was going on?” Jobal spoke up. “And to think we all trusted you! My husband went to his grave thinking his little girl was in good hands, and all this time you were not only taking advantage of her condition, but you were exacerbating it! How could you!?”
“Please,” Palo replied. “Neither you nor your husband ever offered to take care of Padmé,” he retorted. “If it weren’t for me she would have ended up as a prostitute on the streets of Theed, not that her dear husband here would have cared.”
Palo didn’t even see Anakin coming, his attack was so swift. He doubled over as Anakin’s fist connected with his midriff. Sputtering and coughing, Palo struggled to face his attacker and did so just in time to receive a second blow, this time to his jaw. He felt blood fill his mouth as he struggled to keep his balance. He coughed and spit out blood and more than one tooth onto the pristine ceramic tiles. Within seconds Anakin was on him again, not giving him a moment’s respite. He felt Anakin’s boot connect with his back, sending him sprawling to the floor, his clothes now smeared with his own blood. Palo slowly got onto his hands and knees as Anakin watched him with grim satisfaction. Growing impatient, Anakin grabbed him by the collar and hauled him onto his feet, shoving him roughly against the wall.
“Now you’ve gone too far,” Anakin told him, his voice full of rage. He had him pinned against the wall with one hand at his throat. Palo looked at Anakin, his eyes bulging with fear. He could see the murderous fury in Anakin’s eyes. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done,” Anakin told him as his grip tightened.
“Anakin, please,” Padmé pleaded with him. “Don’t kill him! That’s murder!”
Anakin looked down at his wife who stood at his side, looking up at, her dark eyes imploring him not to kill. In that instant he saw her eyes as she pleaded with him on Mustafar, pleaded with him to come with her, to run away and raise their child together, and then, finally, to spare her life…
He released Palo at once, and the hapless administrator slumped to the ground. He looked down at him. “As ironic as it may seem, you have my wife to thank for your life,” he told Palo. “But should our paths ever cross again, make no mistake; I will not be so merciful.”
Palo did not reply, his fear paralyzing him into silence. He could only sit slumped against the wall and thank the Maker that Padmé had managed to talk her husband out of killing him outright for he was certain that Anakin Skywalker was more than capable of killing.
Anakin turned to his wife. “You’re coming with us,” he told her. “I won’t leave you here with this monster for another moment.”
Padmé nodded. “I want to come,” she told him.
Anakin smiled, and reached out to take her hand. To his surprise, she put her hand in his. Jobal took her other hand, and together the three of them left the room and headed for the exit.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 10, 2007 15:48:26 GMT -5
Chapter 29 Padmé felt strange as she walked outside with Anakin and her mother. Anakin had managed somehow to distract the security and the staff, in a manner that amazed Padmé. It’s almost as though he has some sort of unusual powers, Padmé reflected, looking up at her husband. My husband…who is little more than a stranger to me… “The speeder is this way,” Anakin said, leading his wife and mother-in-law away from the grounds of the facility.
Padmé turned and looked over her shoulder at the high stone wall that surrounded what had been her home for the past twenty years. She had never seen it from the outside, and it was a surreal experience.
“Angel?”
Padmé turned to see Anakin looking at her. “What did you call me?” she asked.
“I called you Angel,” he told her with a smile. “That was my name for you.”
“Because you asked me if I was an angel when we met,” she said, pleased at having made the connection.
Anakin nodded, his smile growing. “That’s right,” he said.
Padmé smiled at him.
“Here we go, hon,” Jobal said as she helped Padmé into the speeder. “We’ll be home soon.”
Padmé felt an unfamiliar sensation of freedom as Anakin lifted the craft off the ground and headed for the mountains. She watched the scenery pass them by, wishing fervently that something, anything, looked familiar to her. It will come back, she told herself. Just give it time…be patient.
Anakin could sense Padmé’s tumult of emotions as she sat at his side. He could feel her excitement, her sense of wonder as they passed by the beautiful sights of Theed. He wanted to tell her everything all at once, about her life here, about their life together, about their children; but he knew that he could not do so, for it would only serve to confuse and overwhelm her.
“How beautiful,” Padmé said as they passed by the great waterfall near that predominated the city landscape.
“You’ve always loved the water,” Anakin told her.
“Have I?” she asked.
Anakin nodded, keeping his attention on his flying. “You have,” he told her. “You love to swim, love the rain,” he said.
Padmé listened to him, trying to imagine what it felt like to swim. “I do love the rain,” she told him. “There have been a few times I’ve been out in the garden when it started, and I loved it. Of course they always made me come back inside,” she told him.
“Well now you can stand out in the rain as long as you wish,” Jobal told her, putting her hand on Padmé’s shoulder. “Just like you used to do when you were a little girl.”
Padmé smiled. “That sounds like fun,” she said.
“Is this the house I grew up in?” Padmé asked as the three of them entered the Naberrie home a short time later.
“Yes it is,” Jobal told her. “I hope you don’t mind that I’ve asked your sister to come over,” she added. “She hasn’t seen you in a while, and is anxious to welcome you home.”
“I would love to see her again,” Padmé told her mother as they walked into the parlor. She looked around the cozy room, feeling certain that she had enjoyed many wonderful times within it.
“Would you like to see your room?” Anakin asked her.
She turned and looked at him. “Yes, I would,” she said.
He held out his hand to her. “Come with me,” he said.
Padmé put her hand in his and let him lead her down the corridor. Jobal watched with a smile, feeling confident that it was only a matter of time before Padmé’s memories started to come back now that Anakin was back in her life.
“This is it,” Anakin said as they entered her bedroom. Padmé walked into the room, looking at the arrangement of furniture, and then moving over to look at the holographs that hung in frames on each wall of the room.
“That one is from your first day as an apprentice legislator,” Anakin told her. “You were eleven years old I believe. And this one,” he continued, pointing to the next holo, “was when you went to Shadda-Bi-Boran. You were helping to relocate the children because the planet’s sun was imploding.”
Padmé looked at the child she was holding in her arms, the smile on his face. “I wish I could remember him,” she said softly. “He looks like such a sweetheart.”
Anakin turned to her. “That was his name,” he told her. “I don’t remember the native word, but it meant sweetheart.”
“Really?” Padmé asked.
“Yes, really,” he replied. “You were always such a champion for those less fortunate than yourself, such a defender of justice. You made a wonderful leader, Padmé.”
“I was a leader?” she asked him.
“You were a queen,” he told her. “And then a senator. You served your people for almost ten years.”
Padmé shook her head. “I never would have guessed that,” she said, looking back at the holograph of the smiling, laughing child. Looking at it made her remember a question she needed to ask.
“Anakin, do we have any children?” she asked, turning to him.
Anakin turned to her, not surprised by her question. He knew it was only a matter of time before she asked it.
“Yes, we do,” he told her. “We have twins, a son and a daughter.”
Padmé stared at him, trying to determine how she felt upon hearing this news. She was elated to know that she was a mother, and yet grief stricken that she had no memory of her children. She had not seen them in twenty years; would they even know her now?
“What are their names?” she asked.
“Luke and Leia,” Anakin told her.
“Where are they? Why aren’t they with you?” she asked.
“It’s a rather complicated situation,” Anakin told her gently. “They are currently involved with the Rebel Alliance, perhaps you’ve heard of it.”
“Yes, I have,” Padmé replied. “They are rebels?”
Anakin nodded. “Yes, they are,” he said. “Leia is the image of you,” he told her with a smile. “Though I think her personality is more like mine.”
“And Luke?” she asked.
“He resembles me,” he told her. “He has my eyes, but he’s smaller in stature than me. I think he’s a mix of both of us, actually, both in his looks and his nature.”
“I want to meet them,” she said. “Is that possible?”
“I think so,” he told her. “I know they are very anxious to meet you.”
“Have they believed me to be dead all these years too?” she asked.
Anakin nodded. “Yes,” he said.
Padmé frowned. “I have missed so much,” she said softly. “I don’t remember them at all…nothing.”
Anakin felt terrible for her pain, but did not know what to say to assuage it. Those twenty years were gone, and nothing could bring them back. He himself had missed their children’s entire lives also, and had only recently learned of their very existence; so in a way, he could relate to what she was feeling.
“I’m sorry, Padmé,” he said simply, not knowing what else to say. “So sorry.”
She looked at him. “Will you help me to remember, Anakin?” she asked him.
Anakin smiled at her. “Yes,” he said. “I will. I want to take you to a place you loved very much, Padmé,” he told her. “We fell in love there, and were married there too. Will you let me take you there?”
Padmé was uncertain. The thought of seeing a place that held so much significance to her at one time excited her, for it could potentially help to unlock the memories within her mind. Yet, the thought of being alone with Anakin, without her mother, without her sister, was rather unnerving to her still. Yes, he was her husband, but until three days ago, she did not know he existed. He was little more than a stranger to her at this point.
“I…I don’t know,” she answered at last, looking away from him. “Let me think about it.”
Anakin sensed her reticence, and the reason for it, and it broke his heart. The lake retreat had always been their sanctuary; the times they had shared there were magical and memorable. But she knew nothing of those times; she knew nothing of the love that had bloomed there, or the vows they had made to one another there. But she will remember them, he vowed. She will remember me.
“Padmé, your sister is here,” Jobal said, poking her head into the room.
“Thanks Mom,” she said. She looked up at Anakin briefly before leaving the room. Anakin stood alone in the room for a moment, trying to maintain his positive attitude. But it was so hard to have the woman he loved look at him with no love in her eyes. She was his soul mate, and yet to her he was little more than a stranger. It will not be this way forever, he reminded himself. It will come back to her…the day we met, when we fell in love, our wedding…He stopped as a thought crept into his mind- Mustafar. How do I tell her what happened there? How do I explain why I attacked her and abandoned her?
He had not considered this, and now that he had, it filled him with a cold sense of dread. She will no doubt want to know why she had been found on the streets of Theed, why the twins were raised apart, why she’d been in such a state; and it would all come back to Mustafar, and to his attack upon her. This is your punishment for what you did, he told himself. You will have to tell her yourself what you did to her there; you will have to see the look in her eyes when you tell her that you tried to kill her...
With that sobering thought, he left the room to rejoin his wife and her family.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 10, 2007 20:16:56 GMT -5
Chapter 29- continued
Padmé was embracing her sister, Sola, when Anakin entered the parlor. When Sola saw Anakin, she released Padmé and turned to him. “Anakin, it’s good to see you again,” Sola said with a smile. “I am so grateful to you for getting Padmé out of that place. My mother has told me everything.”
“Padmé means everything to me,” Anakin said, looking at his wife. “Once I realized what was going on in that place, I couldn’t rest until I’d taken her as far away as possible.”
Padmé smiled at him, seeing the depth of love he felt for her in his eyes. The intensity of his love for her astonished her, and on one level, it excited her as well. To have the love and devotion of such an attractive, powerful man was flattering, and it made Padmé wonder what her life with him must have been like.
Anakin could see the thoughts in her mind, and he smiled. She was starting to get curious, that was a good thing. Her wanting to remember would be instrumental in her regaining her memory.
After the family had lunch together, Sola announced that she and her daughters were going to take Padmé shopping. Anakin was not sure he liked the idea, but kept his opinion to himself for the moment. Padmé seemed so excited by the idea, that he did not have the heart to voice his concerns.
“There are so many lovely outfits at Reginald’s,” Ryoo said. “Aunt Padmé you would look amazing in any of them, you have such a beautiful figure.”
Padmé smiled. “That’s very kind of you,” she said. “I don’t need much, though,” she began.
“Nonsense,” Sola said. “You have always had the most amazing wardrobe, Padmé. I know you don’t remember that right now, but you will, and when you do, you’ll be horrified if you don’t have at least a dozen lovely outfits to choose from. Besides you want to look nice for your husband, don’t you? ”
Padmé blushed, and caught Anakin’s eye. “I…I suppose so...” she said.
“Padmé looks beautiful to me no matter what she is wearing,” Anakin declared.
Padmé smiled at him and Sola exchanged a smile with her mother.
“Well let’s be going then,” she said, standing up. “Girls, you can clean up for grandmum.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Jobal said. “My dishwasher is finally fixed, thanks to Anakin here.”
“Oh?” Sola said, looking at Anakin. “You’re a handy man too?”
Anakin smiled. “In a manner of speaking,” he replied. “And I can clean up,” he added. “I don’t want to hold you ladies up from your big shopping excursion.”
“Don’t you want to come?” Padmé asked him as he stood up and started clearing the dishes.
He was thrilled that she wanted him along; but the thought of dress shopping with four women was a little more than he could handle. “Uh…thanks for thinking of me,” he said. “But I think maybe I’d just be in the way. You show me what you bought later,” he told her with a smile.
“Very well,” Padmé replied, oddly disappointed that he would not be coming with them. “I’ll see you later.”
Anakin nodded. “I’ll be here,” he told her with a smile.
Soon enough, the house was empty, all the women having gone into the village to help Padmé pick out a new wardrobe. Anakin felt oddly out of place as he loaded the dishwasher and tidied up the kitchen. Isn’t this what droids are for? He wondered.
Finally his task was finished, and he left the kitchen, satisfied that he had done a fine job. He wandered outside, enjoying the smell of the flowers in the Naberrie garden. Spying one particular bloom, he smiled as he was reminded of something from long ago. Carefully he bent to the blossoms and picked four of them. He smiled, enjoying their delicate scent, and then continued his leisurely stroll around the garden.
“Sola, I will not wear that,” Padmé insisted as her sister handed her a long black negligee.
“Why not?” Sola asked. “It would make Anakin go wild,” she added with a smile.
Padmé’s face turned red, and she felt extremely uncomfortable.
“Padme, I’m sorry to embarrass you,” Sola said. “But surely you’ve considered that at some point you and Anakin will resume all aspects of your married life.”
“I hadn’t thought of that at all,” Padme said, looking at another rack of clothes.
Sola watched her sister. “Liar,” she said.
“Excuse me?” Padme said, looking up at her.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed how handsome Anakin is,” Sola said.
Padmé shrugged. “I suppose he’s handsome,” she replied.
“You suppose?” Sola said with a laugh. “Oh come on, Padmé. You may have lost your memory but you’re not blind.”
“Will you stop harassing your poor sister?” Jobal said, shocked by Sola.
Sola shrugged and put the garment back. “I’m only trying to help,” she said.
“Padmé will do just fine without that sort of help,” Jobal said. “Now come along, the girls are in the shoe department and if you’re not there to stop them they will run your credit account up to the stars, Sola.”
“You’re right,” Sola said, leaving Jobal and Padmé.
“I’m sorry Sola was so…nosy,” Jobal said. “She means well.”
“I know she does,” Padmé said. “But Anakin is a stranger to me right now, Mom; doesn’t she get that?”
Jobal nodded. “I think so,” she replied. “But he won’t always be, Padmé. Besides, it’s pretty obvious by the way you look at one another that there is a considerable amount of attraction between the two of you.”
Padmé frowned. “I haven’t looked at him in any particular way,” she said.
Jobal nodded with a smile. “If you say so,” she replied. “Let’s go get this checked out. I need to get home to start dinner soon.”
“I’ll be right there,” Padmé said. Jobal walked away to find Sola and her daughters. Padmé waited until her mother had gone, and then picked up the negligee that Sola had replaced on the rack.
The quiet of the house was soon shattered by the return of the shoppers, and Anakin was surrounded in the parlor by the Naberrie women who all had several items to show one another. Padme was the quietest by far, and Anakin could see that she was beginning to feel overwhelmed by all that had happened.
“Would you like me to help you take your things to your room?” he asked her as Sola’s girls checked out their mother’s purchases.
“Yes,” she replied. “Thank you.”
Anakin stood up and picked up the bags that Padmé had brought home. He walked with her to her room and set the bags down at the foot of her bed.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m afraid I don’t share my sister’s zeal for shopping,” she told him with a smile. “Did I used to like shopping?”
“No,” Anakin told her. “You hated it as a matter of fact.”
“Well at least that hasn’t changed,” she said, relieved to hear it. She noticed a vase of freshly cut flowers on the table beside her bed. “Where did these come from?” she asked.
“I put them there,” he said. “I remembered how much you liked this particular flower.”
She looked up at him. “I did?”
He nodded. “It was your favorite,” he told her. “In fact, that was the very flower you carried at our wedding.”
Padme smiled and bent to smell the blossoms. Smelling their delicate fragrance created an unusual reaction within her, as memories, fleeting and elusive, flooded her mind. They were gone too quickly for her to grab a hold of them, but they gave her hope. She looked up at Anakin, who was watching her intently, sensing that something was happening.
“Did you know that a human’s sense of smell elicits memory more than any other sense?” he asked her with a smile.
“I didn’t know that,” she replied. “But I believe it now.”
“You are starting to remember, aren’t you?” he asked.
“I…I had something fleet through my mind,” she told him. “But it came and went so quickly I can’t even describe it. It’s more like feelings than memories, though.
“What feelings?” he asked.
“Good ones,” she told him. “Happy ones. I must associate these flowers with times when I was happy.” She looked up at him. “And you remembered that they were my favorite,” she said.
“Of course I did,” he said. “I remember everything about you, Padmé. Your favorite color, your favorite song, that place on your neck that makes you crazy when I kiss you there,” he told her with a smile.
Padmé felt her face grow warm again, and the words of her sister rushed to her mind unheeded.
Anakin could see that she was a little uneasy with his candor, and so he changed the subject. “Come on,” he said. “I’m sure your mom could use some help with dinner, and somehow I’ve ended up as the delegated kitchen assistant.”
Padme couldn’t help but laugh, and left the room with him, once again captivated by her husband’s charm.
Chapter 30
Anakin found the chat around the dinner table to be rather amusing, and almost surreal. Sola’s husband was unable to join them, and so he was the only male surrounded by the women of the Naberrie family. He could barely keep up with the banter that was flying back and forth between them. Much of the conversation was centered on the latest date that young Ryoo had had with the newest man in her life. He wondered if his own daughter engaged in such silly talk when it came to Han Solo. Somehow I doubt it…
“So Mum says you’re going up to the lake retreat,” Sola said, addressing Anakin as the family sat in the parlor after dinner.
He looked at Padmé, and then back at Sola. “Well, perhaps eventually,” he replied. “I don’t want to push Padmé into doing something she’s not comfortable with.”
“Why would you be uncomfortable going up there?” Sola asked her sister. “You love it up there!”
“I don’t remember it, Sola,” Padmé explained, trying to be patient with her sister’s pushiness. “I may very well have loved it, just as I loved many things, many people; but I don’t remember. I hope in time I will, but right now, it’s just a place that’s unfamiliar.”
“I’m sorry,” Sola said. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Padmé.”
“You haven’t” Padmé replied. “I’m just …tired, that’s all. It’s been a very eventful day.”
“Yes, it certainly has,” Anakin said. “And a very long one as well.” He looked at his wife. “Maybe it’s time you got to bed, Angel.”
Padmé noticed her nieces exchange a smile at the sound of his pet name for her. “Perhaps you’re right,” she said. “I am pretty tired.”
“And we should be going too,” Sola said. “It’s been so wonderful spending time with you this way, Padmé,” she said, standing up and walking over to Padmé. “Let’s be sure to do it again soon.”
Padmé stood up to hug her sister. “Absolutely,” she said. “I look forward to it.”
After all the goodbyes had been said, Sola and Pooja had gone, Padmé decided it was time for her to retire as well. She and Anakin bade goodnight to Jobal and Ryoo, and left the room together.
“You’ll have to show me your purchases tomorrow,” Anakin said as they left the room. “I know how tired you are.”
She looked at him as a thought struck her. “I forgot that I bought something for you when we were out,” she told him. “I felt badly that I was getting all these lovely new clothes, and didn’t want you to feel left out.”
Anakin smiled. “That was very thoughtful of you,” he said. “Thank you.”
“Well, don’t thank me yet,” she said. “Maybe you won’t even like them.”
“If you picked them out, then I’m sure I will,” he replied.
Anakin followed her into her room, and sat down in one of the upholstered chairs in the corner. He watched her as she opened the parcels that were piled on her bed.
“That looks nice,” he said as she pulled out a dress to hang up.
“My mother thought the color suited me,” she said, holding it up against herself. “What do you think?”
“I think your mother has excellent taste,” he replied. “It suits you perfectly.”
Padmé smiled, and then hung the dress up in her wardrobe. Next she pulled out a two piece set, trousers and a blouse. And then a long, more formal dress.
Anakin paid little attention to the clothes she was showing him, although he made sure to comment on each item. He was far more engaged by her, by her enthusiasm and excitement. He was seeing more and more of the Padmé he once knew, and it fueled his hopes that the memory loss she had suffered was reversible, and that given enough time, she would come back to him.
Finally, when she had almost reached the end of the purchases, which included several new pairs of shoes and at least three pairs of boots, she found the items that she had bought for him.
“And finally,” she said, “at the bottom of the very last bag, of course, are the things I bought for you.”
Anakin stood up and walked over to her. “That was very kind of you,” he said, taking the clothing from her. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me,” she said. “It was the least I could do after everything you’ve done for me.”
Anakin put the pile of clothing on the bed and picked up each item one at a time to look at it. For not having any memory of him, she did a very good job of choosing clothing that both suited him and fit him. He was delighted.
“Do you like them?” she asked.
“Yes, very much,” he said as he looked over at her. “You knew exactly what to get.”
Padmé smiled. “Lucky guess,” she commented.
Anakin laughed. “Maybe so, but I…” he stopped as he looked at the last item he held in his hand. It was silky, and long, sleeveless and black- and obviously not meant for him. He looked at her with wide eyes. “Is this for me too?” he asked with a smile. “It’s lovely, but I think it might be too small.”
Padmé was horrified. “I…no, I mean, no it isn’t,” she said, snatching it from his hands. “I’m sorry…Sola talked me into that one…I don’t know why I let her…” she stammered, her face utterly red.
Anakin did his best not to laugh at her embarrassment, and merely smiled as she hastily shoved the negligee into a drawer. A mental image of her wearing something very similar to that popped into his mind, and he had to look away from her lest she notice the way he was looking at her.
“Well I guess it’s time we both got some sleep,” he said awkwardly, picking up the pile of clothing from the bed once again. “I hope you sleep well,” he added.
“Thank you,” she said. “Goodnight Anakin.”
“Goodnight Padmé.”
Anakin walked across the hall to the room where he would spend what was sure to be a restless night. He set the clothes his wife had bought for him on the chair in the corner of the room, and then sat down on the edge of the bed. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours that he had scarcely had time to take it all in. The fact that his wife, his angel, was sleeping in the room across the hall from him was incredible to him; having spent half his life thinking she was dead, it still seemed like a dream that she was actually alive. He smiled to himself when he remembered the look on Padmé’s face when he had held up the slinky negligee. The fact that she had purchased it at all was quite surprising to him. She had said that Sola had talked her into it; but he knew his wife well, and knew that she could not be talked into anything unless on some level she wanted it herself. But why would she? Unless she was thinking that at some point she would be wearing it for me…no...Don’t even go there, he told himself as he pulled off his tunic. The fact that she was sleeping so close by was frustrating enough; but to think that she had bought that piece of lingerie for him was too much. Kicking off his boots, he lay back on the bed, his arms under his head, and stared up at the ceiling, trying his utmost to put the image of his wife wearing a black negligee out of his mind.
Although he had seemingly forgotten the fact that he had undergone massive surgery a short time ago, Anakin could not deny how exhausted he was. It had been an emotional few days; he had not even realized how tired he was until he fell into a deep sleep mere moments after he had closed his eyes.
He woke up several hours later having had a very vivid dream about his wife. He had dreamed of their home on Coruscant, he was teasing her, as he often did, and she was laughing and smiling at him in the way that made his knees grow weak.
Deciding that he would sleep no more that night, Anakin got out of bed, pulled on his sleep shirt and left his room.
It must be hard to have sworn your allegiance to the Jedi Order. It is so demanding, isn’t it?
Yes, very much so. I can’t imagine not being able to go the places you want, or do the things you want to do.
Or be with the people I love?
Love? Are you even allowed to love? I thought that was forbidden for a Jedi.
Attachment if forbidden. Possession is forbidden; but compassion, which I believe is truly the heart of real, unconditional love, is at the very core of every Jedi. It is what makes us who we are. So, I suppose you could say that we are encouraged to love.
You have grown up, Anakin. You have changed so much since you were that little boy I knew so long ago.
You haven’t changed a bit. You’re exactly the way I imagined you in my daydreams...
Padmé sat up in her bed, the dream she’d just had startling her into a wakened state. Was that a dream? Or a memory? She wondered. The young man she had seen looked very much like Anakin, but younger. Was this a memory of my past with him? She sighed and lay down on her side once again, closed her eyes and tried to return to the dream she’d just been having.
Sixth planet of the Hoth System- Echo Base Hangar Bay
“I don’t care what Goldenrod told you, you are not taking apart that motivator again, got it?”
Chewbacca grunted something in response, which only made Han roll his eyes in response.
“Yeah, same to you pal,” Han muttered. He made his way back to the hold and noticed that the comm. screen indicator was blinking.
Han sat down at the screen and activated it. The face of Anakin Skywalker appeared.
“Hey,” Han said, still unnerved by the former Dark Lord. “What’s up?”
“Solo,” Anakin replied with a nod. “I would like to speak to my children.”
“Sure thing,” Han replied. “How’s your wife?”
“She is well, thank you,” Anakin told him.
Han nodded. “Glad to hear it. I’ll go find Luke and Leia.”
“Thank you,” Anakin replied.
Han got up and left the hold of the ship, grumbling about being a secretary for the Skywalker family. He found Leia conferring with General Dodonna in the newly built command center. She looked at him when he spoke to her.
“Message for you Princess,” he said. “From your dad.”
Leia knew that Han meant her real father. She and Luke’s relationship to Anakin was still a secret from all but Han, Chewbacca and, of course, Obi-Wan. As far as Dodonna knew, it was Bail Organa who was contacting his daughter.
“I’ll be right back,” she told Dodonna.
“Give your father my best regards,” he said in reply.
Yeah, that’s likely to happen, Leia reflected as she walked away with Han. “Any idea where Luke is?” Han asked.
“He’s out doing sentry duty,” Leia replied. She looked at her wrist chrono. “He’ll be finished his shift soon.” She activated her comm. link. “Luke, so you read me?”
The sound of strong wind was heard, followed by Luke’s voice. “Copy Echo Six.”
Han smirked at Luke’s attention to protocol.
“Luke, come to the Falcon when you’re finished your shift,” Leia said.
“Everything okay?” Luke asked.
“I don’t know,” Leia replied as she and Han entered the hangar bay. “I’m about to find out.”
Luke was silent for a moment and all that was heard was the howling wind. “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” he said finally. “Echo Three out.”
Leia ran into the freighter and to the comm. screen. She sat down, smiling when she saw her father’s face.
“Hi,” she said. She noticed the way he was dressed. “Going casual?” she asked with a smile.
Anakin glanced down at himself, and laughed. “Well it’s the middle of the night here,” he explained.
“Can’t sleep?” Leia asked an expression of concern on her face.
“I’ve slept some, but I think I’m finished for the night,” he told her.
“How’s Mother?” she asked.
“She is well,” he replied. “I took her out of that place; she’s here with me at your grandmother’s house.”
“That’s such a relief to hear,” Leia replied with a smile. “I suppose she’s sleeping right now though, isn’t she?”
Anakin nodded. “Yes,” he said. “But she wants to see you and Luke. I told her about you.”
“What was her reaction?” Leia asked.
Anakin was about to reply when Luke entered the hold, still dressed in his outdoor gear.
“Hi,” he said his face still red from the cold. “What’s going on?”
“Mother is staying at Grandmother’s house now,” Leia told her brother. “Dad told her about us, Luke.”
“You did?” Luke asked, looking at Anakin.
“Yes,” Anakin replied. “She asked if we had any children, so I told her about you. She is very anxious to meet you.”
“And we want to meet her too,” Leia replied. “Can we make that happen somehow?” she asked her father.
Anakin sighed. “I don’t know, Leia,” he replied. “As much as I would like to have the three of you meet, it’s far too dangerous for you to be traveling across the galaxy. The emperor has spies everywhere. It’s simply too dangerous.”
Leia and Luke were disappointed, but they understood their father’s line of reasoning. They knew how relentless Palpatine was, and knew that he would be more than willing to use them to exact his revenge upon their father.
“Can we at least talk to her?” Luke asked. “On here?”
Anakin nodded. “Of course,” he replied. “I will contact you tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” said Leia with a smile.
“She knows nothing of what happened at Polis Massa or at Mustafar,” Anakin told them. “Not yet.”
“We’ll be careful what we say,” Luke said. “Don’t worry.”
“Very well,” Anakin said, stifling a yawn.
“Looks like you need some rest,” Leia said.
“I think you may be right,” Anakin replied. “I will talk to you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight Father,” Luke said. “Sleep well.”
Anakin switched off the comm. screen and stood up, stretching as he did so. As he approached his room, he stopped at Padmé’s door. He thought he’d heard her voice, and listened for a moment. I must be imagining things; he thought when he heard nothing. He waited a moment longer, and then returned to his own room.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 12, 2007 15:56:53 GMT -5
Chapter 31
Superstar Destroyer Executor
“Get out.”
“But, my lord, I thought that…”
“You thought? You are incapable of thought. Now get out before I lose my temper again.”
Zylas Ka picked up her clothes and hastily got dressed as she made her way towards the exit of the Dark Lord’s sumptuous quarters. She wasn’t the first woman who had warmed the bed of the arrogant young Sith, and no doubt would not be the last. He had always been a magnet for women, attractive and charming; but now that he was commander of the Imperial Fleet, his allure had increased tremendously. Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac, as the old saying goes; and this certainly seemed to be the case now that Ferreus was the right hand of the emperor. Being the self-serving and immoral individual that he was, Ferreus took full advantage of his new status.
Zylas glanced briefly at the huge gilded mirror on the way out of Ferreus’ quarters and cringed when she saw the bruises already starting to appear on her face.
“GET OUT!”
Zylas ran out the door, not even bothering to fasten the buttons of her tunic. She received a few looks when she stumbled out into the corridor, but it was not unusual to see a woman leaving Lord Ferreus’ quarters in such a state. The officers and men of the Executor were certainly used to his sordid lifestyle. The crew of the Executor had come to loathe their commanding officer. He was arrogant, capricious and rude; his ability to command rather suspect at best. Yet, he was the emperor’s right hand, and possessed powers that enabled him to instill fear into the men who served under him.
Admiral Ozzel entered the bridge and looked around for his second officer. “Piett!” he bellowed.
“Yes sir,” Firmus Piett replied, appearing at Ozzel’s elbow almost instantly.
“Are the reports in from the Sullust System?” Ozzel demanded.
“Yes sir,” Piett replied. “Nothing yet, sir.”
Ozzel nodded his understanding. “And where is Lord Ferreus?” he asked.
“I haven’t seen him for several hours, sir,” Piett replied. Muttering from some of the men was heard, and Piett was certain that he knew what they were saying.
“Entertaining again, is he?” Ozzel muttered, disgusted by his commanding officer’s blatant contempt for anything resembling discipline.
“I believe so, sir,” Piett replied.
Lord Vader would never have behaved this way, Piett reflected. Although Piett had never served under Vader, he knew Vader’s reputation well. Vader had been a draconian commander, but he was an excellent leader, his decisions and battle savvy nothing short of genius. Ferreus possessed none of Vader’s presence, despite his ability to wield the same mysterious power that Vader had. Still, the officers followed him, simply because the emperor commanded it, and no one was about to question the emperor. No one except Vader…Piett reflected. He almost wished he had had the opportunity to serve under Vader, despite his fearsome reputation. Anyone who had the courage to do what Vader had must have been a remarkable man, Piett decided. He pushed the thought from his mind and returned to his station to continue monitoring the reports coming in from the Sullust System.
Naboo-Naberrie home
Padmé woke up the next morning, disoriented for a moment. She looked around the room where she had slept as a girl, wishing that it looked familiar to her. Yet it did not, not yet. It will come back, Padmé told herself. Perhaps it has already begun. She reflected upon the dream she’d had the previous night as she made her way to the fresher for a shower. She had been on a space voyage with Anakin, and it seemed like they were trying to hide from someone. Most of the details were vague, but one thing was clear; the way Anakin looked at her spoke of a deep love that burned deep within him. Was this a memory of an actual conversation? Or simply a dream projected by the feelings that his entry into my life has created? She made a mental note to mention the dream to him; perhaps he would remember the conversation. She hoped fervently that he would, for it would mean that her memory was indeed starting to return.
Padmé found her mother in the kitchen a little while later. Jobal turned to her and smiled.
“Good morning, Padmé,” Jobal said, kissing her daughter on the cheek. “Did you sleep well?”
Padmé nodded. “Yes I did,” she replied. “I had a dream about Anakin last night.”
“Oh?” Jobal asked as she placed a platter of freshly baked scones on the table. “Was it a pleasant dream?”
“Well, it wasn’t unpleasant,” she replied as she helped her mother set plates on the table.
“Do you think it’s a memory?” Jobal asked.
“I hope so,” Padmé replied as she sat down with her mother. “I mean to ask Anakin about it, see if he remembers such a conversation.”
“Good idea,” Jobal replied, sipping at her tea. “He’s still sleeping I think.” She glanced at her wrist chrono. “I have a doctor’s appointment this morning,” she said. “I need to leave pretty soon. Will you be alright here without me?”
“Yes,” Padmé replied. “I will. Don’t worry,” she said with a smile. Jobal nodded, relieved that her daughter was starting to release some of the anxiety that had become so much a part of her in the past twenty years. Thanks to that monster Palo, Jobal thought angrily. “You really ought to reconsider going up to the retreat,” she told Padmé. “Even if it’s just for a few days. If you feel uneasy, then come back home.”
Padmé was silent as she considered this. “I don’t know,” she said.
“Don’t you trust Anakin?” Jobal asked pointedly.
Padmé looked up at her. “Yes, I trust him,” she replied.
“Then what is the problem?” Jobal asked. “He tells me that you and he shared some wonderful times up there. Perhaps it is just what you need to trigger your memory.”
Padmé sighed. “Perhaps,” she said.
Jobal smiled. “I’m sorry if I seem pushy,” she said, reaching out and putting her hand on Padmé’s. “I just want you to be happy, Padmé; and it seems to me that Anakin is the one who can do that. You and he shared something very special.”
Padmé nodded. “I get that impression too,” she said.
“Then isn’t it worth trying to recapture?” Jobal suggested. “Even if it means taking a chance or two?”
“I suppose so,” Padmé replied.
Jobal finished her scone and then stood up. “I’ll be back in an hour or so,” she told Padmé.
“Okay,” Padmé replied. “I’ll see you soon.”
Jobal left the kitchen, leaving Padmé alone to contemplate their conversation.
The overhead lights screamed mercilessly into his eyes, only adding to the torment he was going through. Nightmarish sounds surrounded him, and to his horror he realized that it was the sound of his own screams that he heard. Droids surrounded him, ruthlessly probing the tortured remains of his limbs, the pain they inflicted with their cold machinery beyond imagination. He flailed his phantom arm, merely a stump now, as the relentless droids attempted to hold him still so that they could finish their task. The sound of the drill was not loud enough to drown out the sound of his screams as it bore into his exposed bone...
“Lord Vader? Can you hear me?”
“Yes, my master…where is Padmé? Is she safe? Is she alright?”
“It seems in your anger …you killed her.”
“No…I couldn’t have!! She was alive!! I felt her!! NO!!”
Anakin was awoken by someone gently shaking his shoulder. His eyes snapped open, his heart still racing from the horrifying visions of his dream. They darted around for a second or two until they alit on a face: her face, the face of his angel. She’s not dead! I didn’t kill her! She’s alive!!
He sat up and pulled Padmé to him, embracing her tightly. Padmé was startled, and was not sure what to do. It was obvious that he’d been having a nightmare; his body was trembling and clammy with sweat. Instinctively she returned his embrace, doing her best to comfort him as he fought to shake the terrifying visions from his mind.
Finally he realized where he was, and what he was doing. He released her at once and pulled back, looking at her as though still trying to convince himself that she was truly there and not just a figment of his imagination.
“I…I’m sorry…” he stammered. “I didn’t know what I was doing…”
“It’s alright,” she told him. “You were having a nightmare. I heard you from the kitchen.”
Anakin frowned. “Yes, I was,” he replied quietly. He ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair. “It was terrible,” he added, looking away from her.
Padmé nodded. “I could tell,” she replied. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
He looked back into her eyes. “No,” he decided. “I don’t…I’d just as soon put it out of my mind completely.”
“Alright,” she said, standing up, feeling the need to put some distance between them all of a sudden. “I had a dream I’d like to talk to you about, though,” she told him. “I’m not certain, but I think it may be a memory. I was hoping you could tell me if I’m right.”
Anakin looked up at her. “Tell me about it,” he said.
“Okay,” she said, walking away from his bed. “We were in a ship, a transport of some sort I think, there were other people there. I was asking you about your life as a Jedi, and how difficult it must be, how you could never go where you want…”
“Or be with the people that I love,” Anakin interjected. “I remember that conversation. We were on our way here to Naboo. It was before we were married.”
Padmé’s eyes widened. “You mean…that really happened? I was remembering it?”
Anakin smiled, the joy in her eyes serving to cast the last remnants of his nightmare from his mind. “Yes,” he said. “You were.”
“Oh Anakin, do you realize what this means?” she asked excitedly.
Anakin nodded, continuing to smile at her. “You are coming back to me,” he said. “To all of us.”
Padmé nodded. “I can’t believe, it,” she said, “Eventually I’ll remember my childhood, the day we met, our wedding, the birth of our children…everything!”
Yes, everything…and when you do, what will you think of me then?
“That’s wonderful, Angel,” he said, smiling. “I couldn’t be happier.”
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Post by therealthing on Apr 13, 2007 17:35:58 GMT -5
Chapter 32
Sixth Planet of the Hoth System Obi-Wan Kenobi stomped the snow from his boots as he entered the base. He unwrapped the muffler from his face, snow falling to the floor with each movement he made. I’m getting too old for this, he thought to himself as he made his way into the command center. The Rebel commanders were concerned that Kenobi was pushing himself too far; the old Jedi was well into his sixties now, and the harsh elements were cruel to old bones and joints. Many a night Kenobi would find himself aching from the cold, and curse the one who had decided that Hoth was a good location for a base. Yet, he was determined to do his part, and so he took his turn doing sentry duty, braving the bitter cold temperatures, driving snow and highly strung tauntauns to do so.
“Anything to report, Master Kenobi?” General Dodonna asked as Obi-Wan entered the command center.
“The usual,” Obi-Wan said as he took down his hood. “Those snow creatures are starting to move off, thankfully.”
Dodonna nodded. “Thank the Maker for that,” he muttered, shuddering as he remembered what had happened to two unfortunate individuals who had been ambushed by the terrifying snow creatures.
“I suggest you consider setting up long range sensors, General,” Kenobi said. “The Empire is surely combing the galaxy for us; it would be advantageous to us if we knew they were coming.”
“We’ve been working on the technology,” Dodonna told him. “The trouble is the damn cold just makes everything we try stop working within a few hours.”
Kenobi nodded. “I see,” he said. “Well perhaps the same adaptations you’ve made to the spacecraft could be used to enable the sensors to withstand the cold.”
“That’s an idea,” Dodonna said. “I’ll suggest it to the technical crew at once.”
Obi-Wan was about to walk away when Dodonna called him back. “Obi-Wan, a word with you please,” he said.
Obi-Wan turned back and looked at the general. “Yes?” he asked.
“I suppose you’ve heard that Princess Leia has changed her name,” Dodonna said, folding his arms over his chest.
Obi-Wan nodded, looking at the man to determine his thoughts. “Yes, I have,” he said. “What of it?”
“Well, do I need to say it?” Dodonna asked. “Surely you must see what my concern is, Obi-Wan. You of all people would.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to be a little more explicit, General,” Obi-Wan said.
“Skywalker, is that explicit enough?” Dodonna asked. “Luke Skywalker, Leia Skywalker- its’ the very name that you told me belonged to Darth Vader not one month ago. I think I understand now why the princess was so anxious to trust him now. They must be related, the three of them.”
“Perhaps,” Obi-Wan replied, remaining calm.
“Don’t you see this as a serious security issue?” Dodonna asked. “If the two of them are related to Vader, then they could be feeding him information about our whereabouts, our troop strengths, all of our security codes, you name it!”
Obi-Wan could understand how the general would be upset; Vader had been the sworn enemy of the Alliance for two decades. It was natural for Dodonna to be alarmed by this unexpected and most unusual set of circumstances. He would have no way of knowing that the man who had once been known as Darth Vader no longer existed.
“You needn’t be concerned, General,” Kenobi said at last. “There is no connection between Vader and Luke and Leia,” he said, using the Force to manipulate the man’s mind. “In fact, you were mistaken when you thought Vader had once been Anakin Skywalker. What you heard was wrong, and you have no reason to think otherwise.”
Dodonna looked at Kenobi, puzzled for a moment by the momentary lapse he’d had in his line of thinking. “What…what was I saying?” he asked after a moment.
“You were telling me about the problems you were having with adapting the sensors to the cold, General,” Obi-Wan reminded him gently.
“Oh, oh yes,” Dodonna said. He scratched at his beard, still puzzled by his inability to remember what he was saying. “I think I’ll go and see how things are coming along.”
“Good idea,” Obi-Wan said, pleased with his ability to erase the memory of Darth Vader’s true identity from the general’s mind. It had been an error in judgment to tell him that in the first place, one for which Obi-Wan took full responsibility. The last thing Luke and Leia need right now is their own commanding officers doubting their loyalties, he reflected as he made his way to the mess hall for a much needed cup of tea.
Naboo-Naberrie home Anakin took a long shower, his mind working through all that had transpired in the past twenty-four hours. It was clear that Padmé’s memory was starting to return now that the Tharandon therapy had been discontinued. His fears of the drug’s long term affects upon his wife had been, thankfully, unrealized. She would regain her memory, he was certain of it now.
So what do I do now? He thought as he let the hot water cascade over his shoulders. Do I let her remember what I did to her on her own, or do I tell her myself? What if she never remembers? Can I live with myself letting her go on without knowing?
He knew that it was only a matter of time before Padmé started asking more probing questions about her past; why she had ended up on Naboo, what had happened to separate her from her family, why she had lost her memory. How could any of those questions be answered without telling her the whole, ugly truth? Clearly what happened on Mustafar was intrinsically connected with Padmé’s fate; and it would be unfair not to tell her everything, even if it means she wants nothing to do with me ever again. Anakin turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, his mind no more at ease than when he had begun his shower.
Padmé was just tidying up the kitchen when Anakin entered the room.
“Good morning,” he told her.
She looked up at him and smiled. “Good morning,” she said. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” he replied. “Starving in fact.”
“Good,” she said. “I put together a plate for you,” she said, handing him a plate laden with breakfast delectables.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the plate from her hands. He looked at it; it looked delicious. “Did you make this?” he asked, knowing full well she hadn’t.
“No, Mom did before she went out,” Padmé told him. “I’m afraid I don’t remember much about cooking.”
Anakin smiled to himself as he sat down at the table, remembering the many times he’d teased her about her cooking.
Padmé noticed the smile on his face, and sat down with him. “What?” she asked.
He looked up at her. “Excuse me?” he asked innocently.
“Something has obviously struck you as amusing,” she said as she watched him eat his breakfast. “Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“I’m not sure you want to know,” he told her with a smile. “You might get upset with me.”
“Try me,” Padmé replied.
Anakin laughed. “Okay….well; it’s just that what you said about not remembering much about cooking kind of struck me as …well, ironic.”
“And why is that?” she asked.
“Uh…be…cause you never did know how to cook,” he said, the words all coming out at once.
“I beg your pardon?” she said, frowning at him. “What are you trying to say, Anakin?”
Anakin sighed. “Padmé, my love, you are a woman of many talents,” he told her. “But I’m afraid cooking was never one of them.”
“You mean I can’t cook?” she asked.
Anakin shook his head.
“I’ve never been able to cook?”
Anakin shook his head again. “No, though you did make many valiant attempts,” he told her.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “So tell me something, how did such a big strapping man like yourself manage to survive with substandard cooking?” she asked with a smile.
“Well, you only cooked on occasion,” he told her.
“Lucky for you,” she said.
Anakin laughed. “I’m sorry, Angel- but you did ask.”
“And I want to know, Anakin,” she said. “I want to know everything, not just the happy things.”
Anakin nodded. “I know you do,” he said. “What do you say we contact Luke and Leia? I know they are anxious to see you.”
Padmé’s face immediately lit up with a radiant smile. “Yes, that’s a wonderful idea,” she said. “I can’t wait to see them too. I just know seeing them will trigger something, Anakin.”
Anakin didn’t have the heart to tell her that she had not seen Luke and Leia since they were minutes old. It was highly unlikely that seeing them now, as adults, would trigger any memories within her mind; yet, stranger things had happened. Perhaps the bond that existed between a mother and her children would be enough to elicit some miraculous reaction.
“I hope so,” Anakin said, standing up. “Come on,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “Let’s go see them now.”
Padmé paced up and down in the parlor as Anakin made contact with the Millennium Falcon. She was excited at the thought of seeing her children; but nervous as well. What if they resent me for being absent from their life for so long? What if they have no place for me now in their lives? What if…
“Come here, Angel.”
Anakin’s voice interrupted her anxious musings, and she turned to him. She walked over to where he was sitting, her heart pounding within her. He stood up, motioning for her to sit down. She took the seat, and looked at the screen, her throat constricting when she beheld the two faces on the screen.
“Hello Mother,” Leia said with a smile. “It’s wonderful to see you!”
Leia looks like me, Padmé reflected, taking in every detail of her daughter’s face. “Hello Leia,” she said softly, her eyes brimming with tears. She turned her eyes to her son next. “Hello Luke.”
Luke smiled at her. “It’s so good to see you, Mother,” he said. “We’ve waited a long time for this moment.”
Padmé nodded. “I know you have,” she said. “I’m so sorry,” she began, not even knowing what to say to them. “I’m…so sorry I haven’t been there for you…”
“Mother, don’t blame yourself for what happened!” Leia cried, quite shocked by Padmé’s apology. “You have nothing to apologize for!”
Anakin stood behind Padmé, his heart aching as he sensed his wife’s sorrow. He put his hands on her shoulders protectively, wishing he could take away all the pain he knew was deep inside her.
“We want to see you, Mother,” Luke said. “We know right now it isn’t possible, but nothing would mean more to us.”
“I want to see you too,” Padmé replied her voice little more than a whisper. “My beautiful babies…I’ve missed so much, so many years…I’ve missed everything…”
Anakin was beginning to think that this was a bad idea, that Padmé was not ready for this; and yet, if she were to truly be healed, then she must face the pain of her past, no matter how difficult.
“We will make up for all those years, Mother,” Leia averred, her own eyes, so much like her mother’s, shining with tears. “The four of us.”
Padmé could only nod in response, her emotions too overwhelming to allow her to speak right away. “I want that more than anything,” she said at last, the tears streaming down her face. “I only hope that in time I will remember you,” she looked up at Anakin. “All of you.”
“You will, Mother,” Luke averred. “We will help you, all three of us.”
Padmé nodded. “Thank you, Luke,” she said. “Thank you both, for not resenting me for being absent from your life for so long.”
Luke and Leia looked up at their father, knowing how difficult this was for him, sensing the tremendous shame and guilt he felt over what had truly happened to their mother.
“The past can never be erased,” Leia said, looking at her father still. “But that doesn’t mean a future isn’t full of wonderful potential. Let’s focus on the future, Mother, a future when the four of us can be together the way we should have been all along.”
Anakin was moved by his daughter’s words, astonished by the depth of her love and her ability to forgive. He smiled at her, loving her utterly.
“I’m afraid we have to go,” Luke said. “They have put power restrictions on all of us recently since the generator we installed is having such trouble adapting to the cold.”
Padmé nodded her understanding. “I hope we will see one another very soon,” she said.
“We will,” Leia said, smiling at her mother. “Goodbye, Mother, goodbye Father- take care of one another.”
“We will,” Anakin replied. “You and Luke do the same.”
“You bet,” Luke said, smiling at his parents. They both waved goodbye as their image faded out of view.
Padmé sat for a moment, too shaken to speak. Anakin was concerned about her silence, and looked down at her. “Are you alright, Angel?” he asked.
Padmé turned and looked up at him, her dark eyes full of a thousand different emotions. “They are so beautiful,” she said softly, a smile upon her lips.
Anakin nodded. “They are,” he said, touching her face gently. “They are remarkable, Padmé, both of them. I think they inherited the best of both of us.”
“I think so too,” she said. “I can’t wait to meet them in person. When can we do that?”
Anakin hesitated, not knowing what to tell her. “Soon,” he told her as she stood up. “Very soon, I promise.”
“Thank you,” she said, standing up. “That would mean a lot to me. There’s something else I’ve been thinking about,” she told him.
“What is that?” he asked as they walked away from the comm. screen.
“I was thinking that…maybe going up to the lake retreat would be a good idea,” she said, “that maybe it would help me to remember. Now that I know my memory is coming back, being there will speed up the process.”
Anakin nodded. “I think so too,” he told her. “We can go as soon as you’re ready, Padmé.”
“Thank you Anakin,” she said. “You have been so wonderful through all this,” she said, turning to him and touching his face. “I don’t know what would have become of me if you hadn’t come back into my life when you did.”
Anakin smiled. He took her hand and kissed it softly, the irony of her statement too bittersweet to contemplate. “Come on,” he said. “It’s going to take you all day to pack all those new clothes your sister bought you,” he teased her.
Padmé laughed, and let him lead her back to her room.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 15, 2007 10:51:59 GMT -5
Chapter 33 Leia tried to sleep, but sleep was hard to come by these days. The bitter cold permeated the massive center that the Rebels had built, despite their best efforts to insulate it. She had been accustomed to living in comfort. Having to wear clothes in layers just to avoid frostbite was something she was not accustomed to. Yet, she had made the choice to stay with the Alliance, a choice which she did not regret. She was tough, after all, she was a Skywalker; so she put up with the cold, accepted that she needed to wear multiple layers of clothing in order to get warm enough just to fall asleep. This night, however, the cold was not the main reason for her inability to sleep.
She had met her mother earlier that day. Meeting her should have been a happy, joyous event; but instead it had only served to add to the already considerable animosity Leia felt towards her adoptive father.
Bail Organa had tried several times over the past few days to contact Leia, but she had not responded to him. The resentment she felt towards him was bitter indeed. Not only had she herself been deprived of the presence of her real mother in her life, but her mother had spent the past twenty years in lonely isolation, the victim of a corrupt opportunist who had taken advantage of her condition to fatten his own portfolio. And that was something she couldn’t forgive.
Leia turned over onto her side, wrapping her arms tightly around her self, trying to get warm. The image of her mother’s face would not leave her mind. She could not get over how much she looked like her mother; she felt as though she were looking at herself sometime in the future. She has no idea what happened to Father, Leia reflected. She had no knowledge of Darth Vader, or Mustafar, or any of the dark days that helped define her existence for the past two decades. Leia worried how her mother would react when she did find out; would it result in a relapse? And what of Leia and Luke’s father? Would he lose his angel again once she learned the truth? The depth of the love her father bore her mother staggered Leia; he had sacrificed so much for her. How would he bear it if she pushed him away now? Would it drive him into the Darkness once again? I cannot lose my father again…I won’t lose him again, no matter what. Naboo-Naberrie home
Jobal returned to her home to find her younger daughter in an uncommonly good mood. Padmé told her mother all about having met Luke and Leia, and how she had decided to go to the lake retreat with Anakin. Jobal was relieved to hear that Padmé was beginning to accept Anakin, that she trusted him and was willing to spend time alone with him in an attempt to remember her past life with him. It was evening before all the preparations had been made for the journey into the Lake District, and so Anakin and Padmé decided to put it off until the next morning, reasoning that they did not wish to be traveling such a great distance in the dark.
Part of the preparation for the voyage entailed a trip into town to buy some provisions. Ryoo took the day off from work to take her aunt and grandmother into town. Anakin was amazed that Padmé felt compelled to buy more clothes. It seemed that she was becoming more like her old self again.
Padmé found Anakin puttering around in the garage when she returned. He looked up from his tinkering when she entered the garage.
“Did you leave anything in the shop?” he asked her with a grin.
“A few things,” she replied with a smile.
“Very considerate of you,” he teased. He looked down at the half assembled droid he’d been working on. “I wonder what happened to this poor fellow,” he said.
Padmé looked at the droid, an image of it helping her mother in the kitchen jumping to her mind.
“I…I remember it,” she said at last.
Anakin looked at her. “Really?” he said. “What do you remember?”
“Not much; I just remember seeing it in the kitchen…it was helping my mother. I was very young at the time I think.”
Anakin nodded. “That makes sense,” he replied. “It was probably a protocol droid. Threepio helped my mother in the kitchen on occasion.”
“Threepio?”
“A protocol droid I built for my mother,” he explained, “to help her.”
“You built a droid?” Padmé asked in amazement.
Anakin nodded. “I was always rather good at building and fixing things,” he replied.
“Yes, obviously,” she responded. “Does she still have Threepio? Your mother?”
Anakin looked down at the droid, as the image of his mother’s face as she lay dying in his arms came to mind. “My mother died many years ago,” he told her.
“Oh…I’m sorry,” Padmé replied awkwardly. “I had no idea.”
Anakin looked up at his wife. “Don’t apologize,” he said. “You didn’t know. It was a long time ago, before we were even married.”
Padmé nodded her understanding. “How did she die?”
Anakin sighed, willing himself to be strong as he recalled the horrific events that lead up to the death of his mother. “She was captured by Tusken Raiders,” he told her. “Savage, nomadic beasts that are indigenous to my home world. I wasn’t there to help her, to save her, not until it was too late to do so. They held her as their prisoner for weeks. She died in my arms minutes after I found her.”
“Oh, Ani,” she said softly, her heart aching for him. “That’s so…”
Anakin looked at her suddenly. “What did you call me?”
“What?” she asked. “I…I called you...”
“You called me Ani,” he told her. “You called me Ani!”
“I did?” she asked, not understanding the significance of what she had done.
Anakin nodded, a smile spreading across his face. “Yes,” he told her. “You did. It’s the nickname you and my mother called me. No one else ever called me that, so there’s no way you could have heard it from someone. You’re starting to remember, Padmé, there’s no doubt of it.”
Padmé smiled. “I can’t believe it,” she said. “For twenty years I haven’t been able to remember anything, and in the past few days the memories been returning steadily. It’s incredible!”
“It’s because you stopped those meds,” he reminded her. “That was what repressed your memory, Padmé.”
“I know,” she replied. “What I don’t understand is why. Why did Palo want my memory repressed? What advantage did it give him?”
“He wanted you to be dependent upon him,” Anakin replied, “so that you would let him control you, and your money.”
Padmé was silent as she considered this. “Anakin, what caused me to lose my memory?” she asked. “What happened to me?”
Anakin had known that it was only a matter of time before she asked him the question; and yet he still had no idea how to respond to it. There was no simple answer, no easy way to explain what had happened to her, not without telling her the whole ugly story, not without telling her about Mustafar. And while Anakin planned to do just that, he felt that it was too soon; she was not strong enough yet to know the whole truth. Yet, she needed some sort of explanation, and he was not about to leave her in the dark. After all, the past twenty years of her life had been defined by what had happened to her on Polis Massa.
“You nearly died, Padmé,” he told her at last. “You had a very difficult time giving birth to Luke and Leia, and the complications you suffered from the trauma caused you to slip into a coma. The doctors did not think you would survive. You were in that coma for almost two weeks, and when you awoke, you had no memory of where you were, what had happened, or your previous life.”
Padmé felt as though all the warmth had fled her body. Anakin was startled by the look in her eyes, and reached out to steady her. “Are you alright?” he asked gently, reproaching himself for telling her too much too soon.
“I think so,” she replied. “So Luke and Leia…what happened to them? If I did not remember them, how did I care for them?”
Anakin sighed. “You didn’t,” he told her. “You left Polis Massa shortly after you awoke from the coma, and came here. Palo found you in Theed, and brought you to his facility, where you spent the past twenty years.”
“But the twins?” she asked, desperate for answers, and yet afraid to know them. “What happened to my babies? I left them? How could I just leave them?”
“You didn’t leave them, Padmé,” he told her gently. “As I said, the doctors thought you were never going to survive, and they allowed the twins to be taken by people whom you had known and trusted. They were raised by good people, Padmé; people who loved them and protected them.”
This brought her some comfort, but it was insignificant compared to the dull ache in her heart caused by the knowledge that she had never had a hand in raising her children. “So even if I had never lost my memory, I would have no memory of my own children,” she said quietly. “Just their birth, and then….nothing.”
“I’m so sorry, Padmé,” Anakin said, holding her arms gently. “I know this is very difficult for you to hear; perhaps I should have waited to tell you.”
Padmé shook her head. “No,” she replied. “I need to know, Ani,” she said. “I won’t live like this any more. I must know what happened, even if it is painful to hear.”
Anakin nodded his understanding. Will you feel the same way Padmé when I tell you the rest of the story?
“Let’s go inside,” he said. “It’s starting to rain again. You can show me your new acquisitions,” he suggested, trying to lighten her mood. “I’m not really up to it right now,” she told him as they walked towards the house.
Anakin could sense that what he had told her had made her extremely upset. And it was not just what he had told her that bothered her, but rather what he had not told her.
“Okay,” he said at last. “Do you need some help packing” he asked, suddenly feeling awkward with her.
“I think I’ll ask my mother to help me finish packing,” she said once they were inside. “Thank you anyway.”
“Very well,” he said, watching her go, his heart heavy as he heard her silent question: where were you when this was happening, Anakin?
Padmé headed to her room, barely holding her emotions in check. She sat down on the edge of her bed, her hands trembling from the emotion Anakin’s disclosure had elicited.
“Padmé? Are you alright?” Jobal asked, stepping into the room.
Padmé looked up at her mother, the tears filling her eyes. “No,” she said softly. “I’m not.”
Jobal came over to the bed at once and sat down beside her daughter. “What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Anakin told me what happened to me,” Padmé told her mother. “He told me what happened when Luke and Leia were born.”
“I see,” Jobal replied. “That must have been difficult for you to hear.”
Padmé shook her head. “I can’t believe I missed my children’s entire lives,” she said. “Why did this happen to me?”
Jobal could sense her anger and frustration, and she put an arm around her shoulder. “Sometimes childbirth is dangerous, Padmé,” she explained gently. “Sometimes…”
“No, that’s not what I mean,” Padmé said, standing up suddenly. She paced around in the room. “Where was Anakin when this was happening to me? Where was my husband, the father of my children when I was going through all that? Why wasn’t he there to look after me, to take care of our children?”
“Why didn’t you ask him that yourself?” Jobal asked. “It is obviously bothering you.”
“Of course it’s bothering me!” Padmé exclaimed. “How else should I feel? My husband, who claims to love me, was not there for me when I needed him most!”
“Sit down, Padmé,” Jobal suggested. “You need to calm down.”
Padmé sat down, her body tense with anger.
“Anakin is a Jedi Knight,” Jobal began. “You know this already.”
Padmé nodded. “I know,” she said. “What has that got to do with this?”
“Everything,” Jobal continued. “All of this occurred during the Clone Wars, a terrible conflict that tore the galaxy apart. The Jedi Knights were the only thing that stood between democracy and the tyranny that would eventually triumph over it. Anakin was a great hero, Padmé; they called him The Hero with no Fear, for he was renown throughout the galaxy for his bravery and his skill as a warrior. When you were giving birth to Luke and Leia, he was injured, and nearly died himself. He had no idea what you were going through, Padmé; he was near death himself. And when he awoke, he was told that you had died.”
“How do you know all this?” she asked.
“Because he told me,” Jobal replied. “When he found out that you were alive, he came looking for you, and his search brought him here.”
Padmé felt her anger leaving her, only to be replaced with a feeling of utter sadness. “I had no idea,” she said softly. “So it seems he has lost as much as I have.”
Jobal nodded. “Yes, I think he has,” she agreed.
The terrible sense of loss was overwhelming, and it rendered Padmé speechless for a moment.
“Think of it this way,” Jobal suggested, taking Padmé’s hand. “You found one another. Yes, the past twenty years have slipped away, and can never be brought back. But you have one another now, you have your children. Perhaps it is time to focus on the future rather than the past.”
Padmé nodded. “I need to talk to him,” she said, feeling badly for her coldness earlier. “I was rather abrupt with him earlier.”
Jobal nodded. “He is a patient man,” she observed. “He will understand.”
“I hope so,” Padmé replied, standing up. She looked down at her mother. “Thanks Mom,” she said.
Jobal smiled as she watched Padmé leave the room. “What are mothers for?”
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Post by therealthing on Apr 21, 2007 19:08:54 GMT -5
Chapter 34 Anakin found himself walking through the village, trying to sort out his thoughts. The pouring rain did not deter him- he barely noticed it, his mind was in such turmoil. If this is how she reacts to learn about what happened on Polis Massa, what will happen when she learns about Mustafar? Am I only fooling myself thinking that she will ever be able to forgive me for what I did to her on that day? Should I just walk away now and spare her the trouble of pushing me away? He knew that in time the memories would return. They already were returning; it was only a matter of time before Mustafar came back to her as well. Am I foolish to think that those memories will do anything but make her resent and reject me? Night was falling by the time Anakin found his way back to the Naberrie home. Although he had worn his hooded cloak, if had afforded him little protection against the rain, and he was soaked to the skin.
The house was dark when he returned, and he reasoned that the ladies of the household had gone to bed. He entered the house as quietly as he could, and took off his cloak, hanging it on one of the hooks near the door. He pulled off his boots, not wanting to track water through the house, and made his way through the dark house towards his bedroom.
Pulling his drenched clothing off, he found himself shivering. He proceeded to the fresher and turned on the hot water for a shower. Standing under the cascade of warm water, he ran his hands through his hair, the anxiety filling him. If only I knew what to do, he thought uneasily. If only there was an easy solution… Padmé had been unable to fall asleep, and when she heard the sound of water running, realized that Anakin had returned. She had been disappointed to find him gone earlier, for she wanted very much to speak to him, to apologize for her shortness earlier.
She got out of her bed and walked to the door, hesitating for a moment. Maybe he won’t want to talk to me, maybe he’s angry with me for the way I reacted earlier…She reasoned that even if he were, she could not ignore him; he at least deserved an apology. Opening her door, she stepped out into the dark corridor. Tentatively she knocked on the door to Anakin’s room. There was no answer. He doesn’t want to see me…she thought. He is angry… She turned to return to her room, when she heard his door open. “Padmé?”
She turned back to see Anakin standing in the doorway. His hair was wet, he was shirtless, and a towel was draped around his shoulders. It was obvious that he had just stepped out of the shower.
“I…I hope I’m not disturbing you,” she said.
Anakin shook his head, trying to determine what was on her mind. “You’re not,” he said. “Come in.”
Padmé hesitated for a moment, and then stepped into the room. Anakin watched her as he rubbed his wet hair with the towel. “Something on your mind?” he asked.
Padmé turned back to him. “Yes,” she said. “I wanted to apologize.”
Anakin frowned. “What for?”
“I was rather abrupt with you earlier,” she replied. “And I had no right to be, and I’m sorry.”
Anakin was surprised by her apology. “You don’t need to apologize, Padmé,” he told her as he draped the towel over the back of the chair. “You had every right to be upset.”
“But not with you,” she replied. “I had no right to be.”
“Padmé, please..” he began, the irony of her apology too much for him.
“Please let me finish,” she said. “I was feeling angry because you weren’t there when the twins were born,” she explained. “And I was feeling resentful. But I know now that there was no way you could have been there, no way you could have prevented what had happened.”
“And how do you know that?” he asked.
“My mother told me,” she explained. “She told me how you’d been away at war when Luke and Leia were born, and how you’d been seriously wounded in battle. I had no idea, Anakin…and I’m sorry for thinking the worst of you.”
Wounded in battle…he reflected. That isn’t so far from the truth, is it?
“You needn’t apologize,” he told her again, taking her gently by the shoulders. “My place should have been with you, Padmé, no matter what. If I could go back and change what happened, I would. I…”
“Anakin, nothing can change the past,” she interjected. “No matter how much we want to change what happened, there is no way to do so. And as much as I need to remember the past, I don’t think we ought to live in it. Life is too short to have so many regrets.”
Anakin nodded. “Yes, it is,” he agreed. “So where do we go from here?”
“The lake retreat,” she replied. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”
“No, I haven’t changed my mind,” he said. “Although I wondered if perhaps you had.”
She shook her head. “No, I haven’t. It seems to me that we had something rather special, you and I. I’d like to try and remember it.”
“Remember it?” he asked. “Or recapture it?”
Padmé was taken aback by his candor, and felt her face grow warm under his discerning eyes. The fact that he looked and smelled wonderful didn’t make her any more comfortable.
“Is that what you want?” she asked softly.
“Do you even need to ask me that?” he asked with a smile. “You are a part of me, Padmé, you always have been. I want nothing more that to have my soul mate back, for that is what you are to me, Padmé, my soul mate.”
Padmé smiled, the depth of the love he felt for her astonishing and even frightening her a little.
“The question is, Padmé,” he said, taking her face in his hands. “Is that what you want?”
Padmé wasn’t sure how to respond. Her mind was telling her to be rational, to be logical; was it wise to jump into something blindly? Yet she could not ignore the way she felt when she was with him, the attraction that she had been unable to deny from the moment he had first appeared in her life. But it was not just physical attraction that she felt; there was a connection between them that went beyond the physical chemistry between a man and a woman. It was as though they were destined to be together, as though they were …soul mates.
Anakin looked into her dark eyes, trying to read what was in her heart. He knew that she was confused, despite the attraction he knew she felt towards him. As difficult as it was for him, he knew that he needed to be patient with her, that to push her at this point would be a mistake. She knew how he felt; now it was up to her to decide how she felt.
“I don’t know what I want,” she finally admitted. “I don’t know what to think; I am still so confused, so lost.”
“I know,” he said. “But perhaps you ought to rely on your heart, Padmé. What does your heart tell you?”
Padmé responded by taking his face in her hands and pulling him down to her. Anakin was surprised by her move, even more so when he felt her mouth upon his.
A myriad of emotions, a flood of fleeting images bombarded Padmé as she kissed her husband for the first time in twenty years. But one thing, one feeling predominated: it felt right.
As for Anakin, he felt as though he would awaken and find that he had been having a wonderful dream. To be able to hold his wife in his arms again, to kiss her again seemed impossible; and yet, here she was. Even more remarkable still was the fact that she had been the one to initiate their first physical contact in two decades. But despite this fact, Anakin knew that he could not give full vent to the feelings her kiss was evoking within him. The longing he felt her had not subsided in the twenty years that he was without her, and now that she was back in his life, back in his arms, it was only augmented a thousand fold. Yet, as difficult as it would be, he was determined not to push her. She was still so fragile, despite the enormous gains she had made.
“That was beautiful,” Anakin said as he held her face in his hands. It had been he who had ended the kiss, something he could honestly not ever remember doing before.
Padmé nodded. “It was,” she said. For a moment they merely stood in silence, looking at one another, the tension between them almost palpable. “Perhaps I should let you get to sleep,” she said at last.
“Yes, we need to get an early start,” he said, releasing her at once. She took a step back to put some distance between them. “Well, goodnight,” she said.
“Goodnight,” he replied. He stood and watched her leave. When the door had closed behind her, he sat down on the edge of the bed. He ran his hands through his still damp hair, knowing that it would a long time indeed before he was able to sleep that night.
Sixth planet of the Hoth System “That’s right, Leia; let go, use the Force.”
Leia nodded and gripped the lightsaber tighter. She had been using Obi-Wan’s weapon, since they had no materials to make her own. Obi-Wan was very impressed with Leia’s skills; she had caught up to Luke in very short order. When the two of them sparred, it was difficult to decide who the victor was. Anakin will be very pleased with their progress, he reflected as he watched Luke and Leia. They are strong...very strong. Palpatine must never find them.
The Skywalker twins circled one another, using the Force to anticipate the move of the other. Although Leia had the disadvantage of being much smaller than her twin, she made up for it with passion. Her brow was furrowed with concentration as she worked to parry her brother’s attacks. She is so much like her father, Obi-Wan reflected. The same passion, the same stubbornness. He worried that these same personality traits might make her more prone to the temptations of the Dark Side. With all the adversity that she was dealing with in her life right now, Obi-Wan needed to make sure that Leia’s progress was monitored closely, and that as she learned to use the Force, she was not tempted to succumb to the same temptations that had destroyed her father. It concerned Obi-Wan that Leia had refused to talk to her adoptive father, her anger towards him was tremendous, and it had Obi-Wan worried.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Obi-Wan said at last. “Tomorrow we’ll go over that new stance again.”
Luke and Leia were not disappointed that their master had ended the session. It was grueling work, particularly when their training sessions were tacked onto the end of an already exhausting day. Still, both considered it the best part of the day, and looked forward to it avidly.
“May I have a word with you, Leia?” Obi-Wan asked as she and Luke prepared to leave the small makeshift gymnasium.
“Of course,” Leia replied. “What is on your mind, Obi-Wan?”
“You are,” Obi-Wan responded. “I’m concerned about you, Leia.”
Leia frowned. “Why?” she asked simply. “I thought you said my training was progressing very well.”
“And it is,” Obi-Wan assured her. “I am very pleased, very impressed with your dedication and your abilities, Leia. Your father will be very proud.”
Leia smiled at this. “I miss him,” she said. “I hope we can meet our mother soon.”
“Yes, I’m sure she wishes the same thing,” Obi-Wan replied. “Tell me, Leia, do you also miss your other father? Your adoptive father?”
Leia frowned. “No,” she replied flatly. “I don’t.”
Obi-Wan did not need to be Force sensitive to know that she was lying. “Are you being completely honest with yourself, Leia?” he asked gently. “For I sense that you seem rather uncertain.”
Leia looked at him. “He lied to me, Obi-Wan,” she told him, her dark eyes full of anger. “He deprived me of the chance to know my real mother, and left her to rot in that medical center for twenty years! I will never forgive him for that.”
Obi-Wan nodded. “It is understandable that you would feel angry about being deprived of seeing your mother,” he conceded. “But be certain that you are not misplacing the blame for that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that if you were to give Bail Organa the chance, I’m sure he would explain his motivation. He loves you Leia, as much as if you were his flesh and blood. Have you given him a chance to tell you his side of the story?” Obi-Wan asked.
Leia turned away. She did not want to hear his side- it may deprive her of her self-righteous anger. She needed that anger; it made the pain of spending a lifetime away from her true parents and her twin brother a little easier to bear. Anger meant protection, it shielded her from heartache.
“No,” she said at last. “I haven’t. I don’t want to hear anything he has to say.”
Obi-Wan frowned, shaking his head. “I sense great anger in you, Leia,” he told her. “Anger leads to the Dark Side. You are so much like your father; you cannot dare risk allowing that anger to fester within you. You must let go of it, you must speak to Organa.”
Leia frowned but did not respond. “I don’t need him,” she said. “I have a father, my real father. I have no place in my life for a second one.”
“Leia, surely you can see what an illogical point of view that is,” he told her. “Bail Organa raised you; he nurtured you and protected you like his very own child. Surely you don’t mean to say that means nothing to you.”
Leia was beginning to waver, and Obi-Wan could sense it. “Surely you have enough love in your heart for both of your fathers.”
The constriction that had begun to form in Leia’s throat prevented her from speaking. Under Obi-Wan’s unwavering discernment, she could feel her anger giving way to grief, to shame, and to regret.
Obi-Wan sensed what she was feeling, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you try to reach your father on Alderaan?” he suggested gently. “I’m sure he would be most pleased to hear from you.”
Leia nodded, brushing an errant tear away. “I know he would,” she said quietly. She looked up at Obi-Wan. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for helping me see my way through my anger.”
“You are my padawan, Leia,” Obi-Wan reminded her with a smile. “It is my job to do so.”
Leia smiled, and then gave Obi-Wan a hug. “I know, but thank you all the same.”
Obi-Wan watched with a smile as she ran out of the gymnasium, pleased that, in some respects, Leia Skywalker was more like her mother than her father.
Naboo-Naberrie home
Padmé found herself walking in a field of long grass and wildflowers. High above her, the summer sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky. From where she stood she could see a magnificent waterfall, its rushing waters casting up spray for several meters into the air. She turned to her companion who walked along side her, a tall, tremendously handsome man with eyes that rivaled the summer sky in their intense shade of blue. He smiled at her, and took her hand in his as they walked through the tall grass. She felt her heart skip a beat when he smiled at her. He was her world, her soul mate, her lover and her best friend; her Ani. Their time together was always so short, but they always made the most of it, the passion between them unquenchable. As they walked along, the grass gradually gave way to a marsh, as the waters from the nearby river encroached upon the land. It began to get difficult to walk, each step she took increasing in difficulty. “Ani, let’s get away from here,” Padmé said, starting to grow fearful that they would be trapped. “We can’t go any further.” “Sure we can,” he said. “This way,” he said, venturing off in a different direction. “Are you coming?” Padmé shook her head. “No, Ani, I don’t want to go that way – there’s no way out.” But Anakin would not listen, and continued into the quagmire, not heeding his wife’s warnings. Soon he was almost out of her sight, and she began to panic. “Anakin, where are you?” she called. He did not answer, and so she called louder. “Anakin!” She ventured forward, swallowing her fear. Anakin needed her, she felt certain of it. She continued to call him, scanning the horizon for him. And then she saw him. “Anakin!” she cried. He was trapped in the quagmire up to his waist. “Ani!” she cried. “Hold on!” She tried to get to him, but she could not get to him in time. He was disappearing before her very eyes. She was too late; she was not fast enough to help him. “Anakin!!” she screamed, “Anakin!”
Anakin awoke to the sound of his wife calling his name. He sat up immediately, his heart pounding in his chest. Did I dream that? he wondered as he listened intently for the sound of her voice. When he heard it again, he jumped out of bed and ran out of the room.
Padmé was tossing and turning in her sleep when he burst into her room. She was still crying his name when he reached her bedside and took her by the shoulders. “Padmé, wake up!” he implored, shaking her gently. “Wake up!”
Padmé opened her eyes, and looked around the room, which was still dark save for the light that came in through the open door. She looked up at Anakin, and seeing his face, made the connection to the dream she’d just had, the dream that she’d had more times over the past twenty years than she could recall. “Ani,” she said softly. “You’re alright!”
“Yes, I’m…” he stopped as she threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly. He was surprised, but returned her embrace, holding her gently, stroking her long hair against her back. “I’m okay, Padmé, I’m fine.”
She did not reply, but merely held him tightly, as though afraid to let him go. Anakin could feel her trembling in his arms. Was this the dream that had haunted her all these years? The one that Palo had tried hard to repress? She was dreaming of me…Anakin told himself. She was dreaming of me, that’s why that bastard wanted it to stop, that’s why he wanted her dreams repressed. “It’s okay, Angel,” he said soothingly. “It was just a dream.”
Padmé finally pulled back and looked at his face. She ran her hands over it, as though convincing herself that he was real. “You’re okay,” she said at last as she started to calm down. “You’re safe!”
Anakin nodded. “Of course,” he told her.
“I thought I’d lost you,” she told him. “In my dream ...I lost you. I tried to help you but I was too late…you were gone…” she stopped as the memories of the dream filled her mind once again.
“You haven’t lost me,” he assured her. “I’m right here, I am not going anywhere. I promise you, Angel; I swear to you.”
Padmé nodded, believing him and yet still shaken by the dream.
“Just hold me, Anakin,” she said softly, her eyes filling with tears again. “Please.”
Anakin pulled her to him, holding her tightly as she buried her face against his neck. I will never leave again, Padmé, he vowed silently. Never. I am yours and you are mine, now and forever.
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