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Post by therealthing on Apr 22, 2007 9:52:18 GMT -5
Chapter 35 Eventually Padmé drifted off to sleep again, safe in the comforting embrace of her husband. Anakin gently laid her down, trapping his arm under her in the process. He tried to free it without waking her up; but as soon as he did so, she began to stir again, as though in protest. Anakin finally gave in, and simply lay down beside her. Padmé turned to him and snuggled against him. Anakin felt himself grow tense as she did so, for this was not at all what he expected. He was intoxicated by the closeness of her body, the scent of her, the feeling of her soft face against his bare chest. This is torture, he thought as he closed his eyes. He needed every ounce of strength he possessed to remain unaffected by the proximity of her body. Summoning the Force, he calmed himself and, within a short time, he was asleep, his chin resting on top of his wife’s head.
When Padmé awoke the next morning, she was quite surprised to find herself in the embrace of her husband. And then she remembered the nightmare. It had returned, just as Anakin had predicted it would. But this time he had been there to comfort her, to chase away the terrifying images and assure her that they were not real. Padmé turned and looked at Anakin as he slept, his strong, handsome features relaxed and peaceful. She reached out and gently stroked his face. What is the significance of this dream? She wondered as she examined his face. Why have I dreamed the same thing so many times? Is there some truth to it? Is this a memory that is too terrible for me to remember consciously? Extricating herself from Anakin’s embrace, Padmé got out of the bed. She looked back to ensure that her husband was still asleep, and then went to the fresher to have a shower.
Anakin woke up alone, and was rather discombobulated for a moment in the unfamiliar room. He sat up when he remembered the nightmare that Padmé had experienced. She was not in the room, however, and he listened to determine if she was in the fresher. It was quiet, and so he reasoned that she was already up and had left the room. What time is it? he wondered as he got out of bed. He stretched his arms above his head, smiling as he remembered how wonderful it was to have his wife in his arms the previous night. Granted, the circumstances weren’t exactly typical, but it had been a taste of heaven sleeping with her nestled up to him just as she had for so many nights before the Darkness had claimed him.
Just then the door opened, and Anakin looked over to see Padmé entering the room.
“You’re up,” she said with a smile. “I was just coming to wake you.”
“What time is it?” he asked.
“It’s past ten,” she said. “You said you wanted to get an early start, remember?”
Anakin nodded. “Yes, so much for that,” he said. “I’ll just get dressed and we can be on our way.”
“Not without breakfast,” she reminded him. “We’re not in that much of a hurry.”
“Yes, milady,” he replied with a smile, her protective attitude reminiscent of earlier days.
Padmé shook her head with a smile. “Were you always this cheeky?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” he replied. “I’m not sure how you put up with me sometimes.”
Padmé laughed. “Go on and get dressed,” she said. “Mom has made a lovely breakfast, so you won’t have to worry about my cooking.”
Anakin was about to reply, but thought better of it, and simply went across the hall to get dressed. Alderaan – Royal Palace
Bail Organa stood at the window of his office, staring out at the darkening sky. He had duties to attend to, appointments to keep; but he was finding it difficult to get motivated to do anything these days. I miss my daughter; he thought despondently. I miss my little girl.
The fact that Leia had discovered her true paternity was still shocking to Bail; in fact, he was not even entirely certain how it had happened. He had made sure that Leia was raised to mistrust and even revile Darth Vader and all that he stood for; how was it that now she accepted the Dark Lord as her father? And rejects me?? It did not make any sense to him, and Leia was seemingly not about to explain her rationale. Indeed, it seemed as though she was never planning on speaking to Organa again. His numerous attempts to contact her had been ignored. Damn you Vader, he thought angrily, what sort of a sorcerer’s spell have you cast on my daughter? But Leia was his daughter, Vader’s daughter. Vader and Padmé Amidala’s daughter.
“Excuse me, Viceroy.”
Organa turned away from the window to look at his assistant. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, sir,” she apologized. “But there’s a communication that I think you…”
“I don’t want to talk to anyone right now, Hanna,” he said tiredly. “Tell them to…”
“Sir, it’s your daughter,” she interjected. “It’s the princess.”
Bail was too shocked for a moment to react, and then he did so, by rushing over to his comm. screen. He sat down in front of it and nearly wept with joy to see the face of his daughter on the screen.
“Leia!” he exclaimed, an enormous smile on his face. “I’m so happy to see you! I’ve missed you so much.”
Leia smiled, realizing just how much she had missed him as well. “I’ve missed you too,” she replied. “I…I want to apologize for the way I’ve been acting lately. I’ve been very confused lately, and I’ve taken my frustrations out on you, and I’m sorry.”
“I understand Leia,” he replied. “You’ve had a lot to deal with, and it’s understandable that you’d be confused. May I ask how you found out about him? About Vader?”
“He told me,” Leia replied. “When I was being held prisoner on the Death Star, we met for the first time. He knew somehow that I was his child…he sensed it. And once he suspected that, he did everything that he could to protect me.”
Organa listened, knowing it was important for Leia to voice her feelings about her real father. “I am grateful to him for that. It seems that perhaps he has changed somewhat.”
Leia nodded. “Finding me and Luke has changed him,” she averred. “He is no longer Darth Vader; he is not even using that name any more. In fact he is no longer even wearing the mask and breath suit anymore.”
Organa frowned. “How is that possible after what happened to him?”
So you knew about Mustafar too, did you? She thought bitterly. “He had massive surgery to repair his injuries,” Leia explained. “He is Anakin Skywalker again, in name and in spirit.” “I’m quite shocked to learn all this,” Organa replied. “So where is he then? Has he rejoined the Empire?”
Leia frowned. “Of course not!” she replied. “Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said? He has renounced the Dark Side, he is no longer a Sith. He is on Naboo right now. He found my mother.”
“Your mother?” Organa asked. “She’s alive?”
Leia nodded. “Yes, she’s alive,” she replied. “You didn’t know that?”
“I wasn’t sure what had become of her, to tell you the truth,” he replied.
Leia was silent for a moment, the offhanded nature of his reply bothering her. “Did you ever try to find out?” she asked.
“How could I have done that without revealing your true identity, Leia?” he asked. “I swore to protect you from Vader, from Palpatine; if they knew that I was snooping around trying to find Padmé they would have realized who you were.”
“Perhaps if my father had learned of my existence sooner he would not have lived in darkness for so long,” Leia replied. “It has certainly made all the difference in his life now. Not only that, it may have spared my mother a lifetime spent in a mental institution, alone and isolated from her family.”
“Padmé has been in a mental institution?” Organa asked in shock.
“Little more than one,” Leia replied. “She lost her memory after Luke and I were born, and was found on the streets of Theed alone and lost. My father, who believed her dead all these years, found her and took her out of there. He is hoping that she will regain her memory.”
Organa nodded his understanding. He may regret activating her memory once she recalls what he did to her on Mustafar, he reflected.
“I wish her well,” he said at last. “Have you met her?”
Leia shook her head. “Not in person, no,” she said. “But Luke and I are very anxious to. We both feel so cheated that we were deprived of her presence in our lives, that we were deprived of one another in our lives. I’m not sure we will ever get over feeling that way.”
Organa sighed. “I know you must resent me for keeping the truth from you, Leia; but you must understand the circumstances in which your late mother and I adopted you. Padmé was dying; Vader had just about killed her, after annihilating the Jedi...”
“I know what happened,” Leia cut in. “He has told me everything; you don’t need to throw it all in my face.”
“That was not my intention,” he replied in self defense. “I’m merely trying to explain why things were done the way they were. Everything that was done, every decision that was made was to protect you and Luke. You must understand that, Leia.”
Leia sighed, feeling badly for her outburst. “I understand,” she replied quietly. “I’m sorry…I don’t mean to blame you, or make you feel badly; I suppose I’m just hurting, and sometimes lashing out at someone is the only way to ease that hurt.”
Organa nodded. “I know,” he replied softy. “I hope you know how much I love you, Leia,” he said. “I could not love you any more if you were my own flesh and blood. And I know that Anakin …that your father, means a lot to you; I only hope you can find room in your heart for two fathers.”
Leia smiled, remembering Obi-Wan’s words. “I think I can do that,” she said. “I’m glad we had this chance to talk.”
“Me too,” Organa replied. “Please come home soon, Leia.”
Leia nodded. “I will,” she replied.
“Please take good care.”
“You too.”
Organa switched off the screen and sat for a moment, reflecting on the conversation he’d just had with his daughter. While he was relieved the she had made peace with him, there was one thing that stuck out in his mind; during the entire conversation, she had not called him Dad, nor Father, nor Daddy, not once. He tried to put it out of his mind, and not attribute any significance to it; but he knew Leia well and knew that she did nothing without a reason. And he knew for a fact that her reason was a certain not quite Sith not quite Jedi by the name of Anakin Skywalker.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 24, 2007 18:46:33 GMT -5
Chapter 36 The sun was starting to set by the time Anakin and Padmé reached the Lake District. Orange and red streaks of fading sunlight settled into the horizon as the gondola made its way across the placid lake waters. Anakin watched his wife as she took in the serene beauty of their surroundings, hoping that they would trigger memories of the many wonderful times they’d shared there. His mind was a tumult of memories, so many wonderful memories of the time they had spent alone here; he had been a mere nineteen years old when he’d escorted Padmé here under the orders of the Jedi Council. The few days that they had spent here had been fraught with angst and frustration as he fought desperately to master the feelings he had for her. And then, a mere few days later, they had retuned to this idyllic place and were married in a secret ceremony. This was a happy place, a place that represented the most wonderful part of their life together. It was these memories that he hoped would return to her now. Perhaps if the good memories returned first, the bad ones would be easier to bear. Perhaps- perhaps they will make the good ones seem irrelevant and meaningless…perhaps they will negate every happy memory we ever shared…
“It’s so beautiful here,” Padmé said, turning to Anakin with a smile.
He nodded in response. “Yes, it is,” he replied. “This was always one of your favorite places.”
“I can see why,” she replied, turning back to look at the grand house that was coming into view. “Is that the retreat?” she asked.
“That’s it,” Anakin said, looking up at the house. “Quite magnificent, isn’t it?”
“It certainly is,” Padmé replied. She stared hard at the house, as though willing her memory of it to return.
“We were married here, Padmé,” Anakin told her.
She turned to him in surprise. “Were we?”
He nodded. “Yes, right up on the terrace. It was about this time of day, too.”
Padmé turned back and looked up at the house as it came fully into view. “I wish I could remember that,” she said softly.
Anakin put a hand on her shoulder. “You will, Padmé,” he assured her. “I’m sure of it.”
Servants of the household who had been alerted of their arrival met the gondola as it docked. They took the luggage up to house, leaving Anakin and Padmé alone to make their way to the house at a more leisurely pace.
“This is the spot where we kissed for the first time,” Anakin told her as they reached the terrace.
Padmé walked over and rested her hands on the railing. She looked out upon the spectacular vista before her, as though willing herself to remember that momentous occasion. “Tell me about it,” she said to Anakin at last.
Anakin walked over and stood beside her, just as he had on the day so long ago. “Well, you were telling me how much you loved it here,” he began. “How you and your family would come here on school break, and how you and your sister would swim out to the island out there and lay on the sand to dry off in the sun. You liked to guess the names of the birds who were singing. I told you that I didn’t like sand, that it was rough and got everywhere. I remember you were wearing this incredible dress, your entire back was bare, and your arms…I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”
“So how did this kiss happen?” she asked. “Had we been dating or something?”
Anakin smiled. “No, not exactly,” he replied. “I was assigned to protect you, that was why we were here. As a senator you had made some enemies, and the Jedi Council thought you’d be safer here. I had been in love with you for years, but hadn’t seen you since we were children. Anyway, I suppose it was the dress, or maybe your intoxicating beauty, but we just sort of looked into one another’s eyes, and before we knew it, we were kissing. It was like a taste of heaven,” he told her with a smile.
Padmé smiled too, enchanted by his narrative. “It sounds like you weren’t the only one in love,” she observed.
Anakin laughed. “Well, you weren’t quite as open about your feelings as I was,” he told her. “You were always more level headed than me. You knew how difficult it would be for us to be together, since Jedi were forbidden from having emotional attachments.”
“But we got married after all, despite those restrictions,” she pointed out.
Anakin nodded. “Yes we did,” he said. “We were married right here on this terrace, just down there,” he said, pointing to the corner where they had exchanged their vows more than twenty years earlier. “We had to keep our marriage a secret from everyone, even your family. It wasn’t easy, but we couldn’t deny what we felt for one another.”
Padmé sighed. “That’s quite a love story,” she said. “What a pity the war had to spoil it.”
Anakin did not reply. The war was only a very small part of what had happened to destroy their relationship; it was only the proverbial tip of the ice burg. She was no where near ready to learn the truth of what had really befallen them.
“It’s getting dark,” he said at last. “Maybe we should go inside and get settled in.”
“Alright,” she said. She turned to leave with him, and then thought as her ears detected a sound. “Is that …a waterfall I hear?” she asked, unable to see it in the distance because of the twilight.
“Yes it is,” he told her. “There is an enormous one not far from here. Tomorrow we can go up to a place that provides a magnificent view of it if you like.”
A meadow with a waterfall nearby? Padmé thought to herself, startled by what she hoped was mere coincidence. “I would like that very much,” she said at last, deciding she needed to see for herself it this was indeed the place she had dreamed of so many times.
“Good,” Anakin said. “Let’s go inside now,” he said, taking her hand.
Anakin was not sure what sleeping arrangements had been made for them, and felt rather awkward to bring up the subject. Yes, they were married; but theirs was anything but a typical marriage at the moment. And while he would like nothing more than to share his wife’s bed once again, he knew that Padmé was not ready for such a huge step in their relationship. And even if she were, he would not feel right about it, not yet; not until she knew everything. He would not take advantage of the feelings he knew were growing between them, not while there was still so much that she did not know.
“Dinner is ready to be served, milady,” one of the servants informed Padmé as they entered the house.
“Thank you,” Padmé replied. “Hungry?” she asked Anakin.
Anakin nodded. “Always,” he replied with a smile. “Shall we?” he said, offering her his arm.
“By all means,” Padmé replied, taking his arm.
They enjoyed a sumptuous meal, served in grand fashion in the dining room. Anakin had spent so many years being unable to eat real food, that he still savored every morsel of it now that he was able to. So many memories of meals shared together during their honeymoon and then later after his knighthood came to mind as he and Padmé sat together.
“I was thinking that perhaps Luke and Leia could join us here,” Padmé said as they enjoyed their dessert. “I would dearly love to see them.”
Anakin considered her suggestion. “I know how much they want to see you too,” he told her. “I just worry that they may inadvertently reveal the location of the Rebel base were they to leave. The Empire would stop at nothing to destroy their base utterly were they to find it.”
Padmé nodded, understanding and yet disappointed. “You’re right,” she said. “How did it all start, Anakin? This conflict between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance?”
“There have always been those who are opposed to the Empire,” he replied. “Ever since its inception twenty years ago there have been pockets of resistance. Over the years they have banded together and represent a formidable opponent for the Empire.”
“Have you been a part of the Alliance?” she asked.
Not exactly... “No, he told her, “I have not been involved in their activities.” Padmé sighed. “I feel so out of touch,” she said. “There is so much I don’t know, I don’t remember. Palo kept me very isolated in that place; the only news I heard was what he wanted me to know.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Anakin replied sourly. “He wanted to be in complete control of you, Padmé; that included controlling what you knew and didn’t know.”
“I trusted him,” she said, shaking her head ruefully. “I completely trusted him, and yet he used me all along. What kind of a person abuses someone when they are at their most vulnerable?”
“A monster,” Anakin replied, the guilt filling him once again. Only a monster would attack his pregnant wife who wanted nothing more than to love him, to raise their child with him…
“You knew him as a child, Padmé,” Anakin told her. “Palo. He was the first one to kiss you.” “Palo was??” she asked in shock.
Anakin nodded. “You seem rather surprised by that,” he remarked.
“Well, he just never struck me as the ….romantic type,” she replied.
Anakin kept his opinion of Palo to himself for the moment.
“I’m just glad he’s out of my life now,” she said. “I can’t imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t arrived when you did, Anakin. I really do owe you my life.”
“You don’t,” he replied, unable to let her go on. “My own life was meaningless and empty without you in it. Finding you has given me back my life, so it is I who owe you my life, Padmé, not the other way around.”
Padmé smiled. “You’re so sweet,” she said, reaching over and putting her hand on his.
Anakin picked her hand up and kissed it tenderly.
“Excuse me, milady.”
Padmé and Anakin looked up to see one of the maid servants.
“We have your suite all prepared for you, milady,” she told.
“Thank you,” Padmé replied. She looked at Anakin. “I hope you remember the way,” she said with a smile.
Anakin nodded as he stood up and pulled Padmé’s chair out for her. “I do,” he said. “This way.”
Entering the room where he and Padmé had spent their wedding night was almost too much for Anakin. The fact that Padmé had no memory of that incredible night made it even more difficult.
“It appears your mother did not fill the staff in on the…particulars of our current relationship,” Anakin said awkwardly as they both stood looking at the large bed in the center of the room.
“No, it doesn’t look that way does it?” Padmé remarked, feeling equally awkward.
“There are plenty of rooms,” Anakin said at last. “I’ll just go to one of them. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“Thank you,” she said, watching him pick up his bag.
“Goodnight,” he said, facing her once again.
“Goodnight Anakin,” she replied. “Sleep well.”
“So that’s a shaak,” Anakin say, folding his arms over his chest. “Not nearly as big as I thought they’d be.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” I reply, hands on my hips. “I suppose a beast like that is no challenge at all to a Jedi.”
He looks back at me. “Challenge?” he asks me. “Did you say challenge?”
I laugh. “Yes, I did. Why, what have you got into your head now, Anakin Skywalker?”
He grins at me.. “Just watch me,” he tells me. He approaches the herd of beasts, walking slowly and carefully so as not to startle them. One looks up at him, and he focuses on it. And then, quite to my utter surprise, he leaps onto its back!
“Ani, are you crazy!!?” I shout in alarm.
“I never back down from a challenge,” he replies with a wink as he struggles to keep his balance. The beast obviously doesn’t like having a passenger and starts to run, doing its best to dislodge him. Anakin laughs as it runs erratically up over the ridge, I run along behind to keep up, laughing along with him.
“Whoa…whoa!!” he yells as he begins to lose his balance. . It kicks out its back legs and sends him flying onto the ground, and then gives him an extra kick with its hooves for good measure. He’s hurt, I know it! Why did I let him do something so fool hardy?? I run to him, seeing him struggling to stand, but unable to because of the pain.
“Ani!” I cry. “Ani are you alright??” I run up to him and turn him over. “Ani!!”
He is laughing!! He is actually laughing! Relieved and annoyed that he finds my distress so hilarious I smack him as hard as I can against the leather tabard. This only makes him laugh more and he grabs my wrists to prevent me from hitting him again. “You are incorrigible,” I tell him, trying not to smile at him.
“Yes I know,” he says. He roll me over onto my back, but I’m not about to give up so easily and we struggle for supremacy, both of us laughing. Finally he gives up the fight, and simply lies on the grass, with me on top of him.
“Do you give up?” I ask triumphantly.
“Yes,” he tells me. “You win.”
I smile. “Just remember that, Jedi, the next time you try to pull a stunt like that again.”
He gives me his best innocent face. “What stunt would that be, my lady?”
“Trying to scare the heart out of me,” I reply. “I really thought you were hurt,” I add. His expression grows more serious as he realizes that I am being completely honest.
“I’m sorry,” he tells me. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, Padmé.”
I look down at him and for a moment we simply look into one another’s eyes. I am suddenly acutely aware of our bodies’ closeness, for what had started out as a playful tumble in the grass has suddenly increased a notch in intensity.
“I would never do anything to hurt you or frighten you,” he tells me softly, releasing one of his hands and bringing it up to my face. He pushes a tendril of hair away and gently caresses my cheek. How much longer am I going to be able to hide what I feel for him? How much longer will I be able to deny the way he makes me feel? Anakin looks into my eyes and I know that he can see what I am feeling. He is a Jedi, after all; he knows what I am feeling sometimes before I do myself. He releases his other hand and places it on my shoulder, trying to coax me down. His eyes are fixed upon my mouth, and I know what he wants. I want it too, and begin to move towards him. But then I stop; I can’t do this, I can’t give in to this, no matter how much I want to, no matter how much I want him.
“No, Anakin,” I say sitting up. “We can’t do this.” I get off of him and stand up, turning away from him. He gets to his feet and move over to me.
“Why not?” he asks, moving closer to me. I look up at him, and for an instant I almost give in. He moves even closer, bending down to me. I reach out and put my hand on his arm, meaning to push him away, but not quite managing it.
“You are so beautiful,” he tells me softly. “So …beautiful...” and then he kisses me. He holds my body against his as our mouths meet, the intensity of our kiss doubled since the previous day. It is as though there are no barriers to being together, I am not a senator, he is not a Jedi, and we are merely a man and a woman, driven by our need for one another.
It would be so easy to give in to the way he makes me feel, but I know that I mustn’t, and I know that it must be me who remains the voice of reason. I pull away from him, breaking our kiss.
“We can’t, Ani,” I say softly. “We just can’t. I’m sorry…”
He nods at me, the disappointment clear in his beautiful eyes. “I’m sorry, Padmé,” he tells me as he releases me. “This time it was my doing, not yours.”
I smile at him. “Well then we’re even I guess, aren’t we?” I say. He smiles back at me. “Yeah, I guess so.” For a moment we simply stand, not touching, but looking deeply into one another’s eyes, communicating silently the longing we dare not put into words.
Padmé woke up, startled by the powerful emotions her dream had evoked. This was a memory, I know it, she thought to herself. Anakin…
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Post by therealthing on Apr 25, 2007 20:55:32 GMT -5
Chapter 37
Anakin was up early the next morning. He made his way out onto the terrace and stood in meditation, his hands behind his back. Being around Padmé had always been so soothing to him; being with her in this beautiful place that held so much significance for him was like a balm to his soul. He savored the feeling of the gentle morning breeze upon his face. The most commonplace things, like feeling the wind in his hair, like having hair, were still so incredible to him. He knew that after twenty years of living in that hellish nightmare, he would never take any of those simple things for granted again.
Padmé found Anakin standing on the terrace, facing the lake, his hands clasped behind his back. Looking at him, she suddenly had a flash of him standing there years earlier; his hair was about the same length, though he was broader now. She remembered that he had been very worried about something…what was it?
“Good morning,” he said, turning to her as he sensed her presence. “Did you sleep well?”
Padmé nodded, still trying to grab a hold of the memory that was dancing around within her mind.
“What is it?” he asked, seeing the pensive look on her face.
“I’m just remembering something,” she told him. “When I saw you standing there just now, it brought to mind an image of you standing in that same place years ago….you were upset, worried about someone…”
“My mother,” he told her. “I remember what you are describing. I’d had a nightmare about my mother the previous night. We left for Tatooine later on that day, but I was too late to save her.”
Padmé nodded. “I know,” she said softly. She walked over to him. “I’m sorry,” she said, putting her hand on his arm.
“Your memories are coming back more frequently,” he observed, pushing the thought of his mother’s death from his mind, forcing himself to smile. “That’s great.”
“I had a dream last night that I am quite certain is a memory of being here with you,” she told him.
“Did you?” he replied. “Tell me about it.”
Padmé walked over to the railing and looked out at the lake as she gathered her thoughts. “You were riding on the back of some sort of woolly beast,” she said. “I don’t remember its name.”
“A shaak,” he told her as he joined her. “You remembered that?” he asked with a smile.
“You mean that really happened?” she asked.
He nodded.
Padmé smiled. “You fell, and I thought you were hurt, and when I reached you, you were laughing. I started hitting you,” she said with a laugh.
Anakin laughed too. “I remember that day very well. Did you remember what happened after that?”
“Yes,” she told him. “I remember how we kissed,” she said. “I remember trying not to give in to the way I was feeling about you, but being unable to resist you. That feeling was very apparent in this dream, very real. I think I must have been in love with you as long as you were with me, only I didn’t want to admit it. How foolish of me.”
Anakin smiled. “No, not foolish; just sensible. You knew how hard it would be for us to be together and you thought you were doing the right thing.”
“Perhaps,” she said. “But obviously in the end my efforts were in vain. You managed to sweep me off my feet.”
“It wasn’t easy, believe me,” he told her with a smile. “You can be very single minded, Padmé.”
“I get the impression that you are very much the same way,” she countered.
Anakin laughed. “You are starting to remember, aren’t you?”
She smiled. “So it seems. Are you hungry? I think breakfast is ready.”
“I am,” he said. “Perhaps we could go out to that meadow after breakfast. It might trigger more memories.”
“I’d like that,” she said. “Good idea.”
A gentle breeze greeted Anakin and Padmé as they reached the meadow later on that morning. The tall grass brushed against their legs as they walked, the vista before them as spectacular as Anakin had remembered.
Anakin turned to look at his wife as she stopped to survey their surroundings. Something was coming back to her, he could tell by the expression on her face. “You remember this place, don’t you?” he asked.
Padmé nodded. “Yes,” she said, a smile forming on her face. “I do. This is exactly how it looked in my dream last night,” she told him. And then it struck her; it looked exactly like the place in her nightmare as well. Now that she realized that this place was indeed real, it made her wonder how much of the rest of the dream was real. No, it can’t be real, she reasoned. Anakin is here, he’s alive…he’s safe. She walked over to look at the water fall, her back to him. “It’s so beautiful,” she said.
Anakin walked over to her and stood behind her. “We used to have picnics here,” he told her. “Remember?”
“I think so,” she replied, her mind trying to work through the details of the recurring dream despite her efforts to dismiss it. “Tell me, is there a marsh nearby?”
Anakin shook his head. “No, the land is too high. Why do you ask?”
“I’ve had a dream about this meadow, but there is always a marsh nearby,” she explained. “It is the nightmare that I’ve had so many times. It’s a relief to know that it was not an actual memory too.”
Anakin nodded. “Was the marsh significant?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, frowning as she remembered. “Very much so.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?” he asked, putting his hands on her shoulders.
Padmé frowned, trying to decide if she wanted to spoil the peaceful, happy moment she was having with him by discussing her disturbing dream.
“No,” she decided at last. “I don’t,” she said. “Not because I don’t want you to know, I just don’t want to spoil the lovely time we’re having.”
Anakin smiled, and, tentatively, put his arms around her waist. “We’ve had many wonderful times here,” he told her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy in my life as I was when I was with you, here. This was one of the only places where we didn’t need to hide how we felt about one another, where we could simply be a married couple, and not have to worry about anyone discovering our secret.”
Padmé nodded as she relaxed against him, her eyes on the rushing waters in the distance. “That was difficult, keeping that secret, wasn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes, it was,” he told her. “It was very frustrating sometimes, not being able to show you how I feel if we happened to be together in public, or not being able to live with you openly. But for the times we were together, it was all worth it.”
“I’m sure it was,” she replied with a smile. “I’m starting to see why you were able to break down my reticence, Anakin.”
Anakin raised his eyebrows and looked down at her. “Oh really?” he asked.
She nodded, as she turned to face him. “Yes,” she said, reaching up and stroking his face. “I’m falling in love with you all over again,” she told him.
Her words were so unexpected, and quite beyond his wildest hopes. Will she still feel this way when she remembers everything? He thought, will she still love me when she learns about the monster that I’ve been for the past twenty years? Pushing those thoughts far from his mind, Anakin pulled his wife closer to him, bending to kiss her. Padmé wrapped her arms around his neck, welcoming his kiss and returning it equally. There was no hesitation this time, no awkwardness as there had been mere days earlier. This time, their kiss was one of lovers, one of passion and longing.
Flashes of memory bombarded Padmé as she felt Anakin’s strong hands run through her hair as he kissed her, filling her with a familiar and undeniable feeling of longing.
Anakin knew that if he did not put an end to their embrace, he would not be able to prevent it from spiraling out of control. And as much as he wanted it to continue, he knew that until she knew the entire truth of what had happened, it would be wrong for him to do so.
His seeming reticence confused Padmé, and she looked up at him as he pulled back. “Ani?” she said. “Is something wrong?”
Anakin looked at his wife, the regrets and guilt filling him. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “So sorry for everything.”
Padmé frowned. “What are you talking about?” she asked. “What are you sorry for?”
Anakin sighed. “There’s so much that you don’t know, Padmé,” he said. “So much about the past that…”
Padmé put a finger over his lips. “Stop,” she said. “We’re not going to dwell on the past, remember?” she reminded him. “We’re going to rebuild our lives, together.”
He nodded, feeling utterly torn. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, she wanted their life together again; but how could their lives be simply resumed after all that had happened? Surely the memories of Mustafar would return, it was only a matter of time. How would she be able to dismiss the past once they did?
“I want that more than anything,” Anakin told her, holding her face in his hands. “I want you more than anything. I …I just don’t want…”
“Anakin, listen to me,” she said. “Whatever has happened in the past, the fact that you searched for me, and are willing to face that past with me is tremendously significant; it shows me the depth of your love and commitment to me, it shows me how right I am to trust you and believe in you and what we had together. I want that again, Anakin; more than anything.”
Her words were too much for him, and he could not prevent the tears from filling his eyes. He pulled her to him again, holding her tightly as the tears ran down his face. “How did I live without you?” he asked her, as the twenty years of agonizing loneliness and pain poured forth. And how will I live if you push me away now?
Star Destroyer Executor
Darth Ferreus had spent the month since his promotion living life to the fullest, and taking complete advantage of his position as commander of the Imperial fleet. He had delegated the job of finding the Rebel base to his first officer, a somewhat pompous man by the name of Kendal Ozzel. Ozzel hated Ferreus; the dark lord would have to be a fool not to know it. But it didn’t bother him; he was used to others hating and envying him. Ferreus relished the fact that he was Ozzel’s superior officer, a man nearly twice his age with at least ten times his military experience. But he isn’t a Sith, Ferreus realized, though he himself was still trying to come to grips with the mysterious aspects of his new apprenticeship. He was adept at using the Force, but he was a lazy man, who would rather have others do his work for him.
Were it not for his unusual skills, Palpatine would have killed him long ago. As it was though, he had no choice but to stomach the young man’s insufferable arrogance. But that did not preclude the possibility of striking fear into the black heart of his new apprentice.
Having been informed, rather smugly, he couldn’t help but notice, that the emperor demanded he make contact, Ferreus made his way to the audience chamber that had been created just for the express purpose of communicating with his dark master. He could feel the fear slowly spreading within him, cold and sickening. The Executor was no closer to finding the Rebel base now then they had been a month earlier, and Ferreus was certain that he was about to be blamed for that. Bracing himself for his master’s ire, Ferreus knelt before the giant holographic image of the emperor as it came into focus before him.
“You wanted to speak to me, Master?” Ferreus asked.
“Why yes, I did,” Palpatine replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. “I understand you have been enjoying yourself lately, Lord Ferreus,” he continued, his yellow eyes narrowing with anger. “And that you have used the Executor as your own personal brothel.”
“That isn’t true,” Ferreus tried to protest, but was interrupted by the iron grip of his master’s invisible fist around his throat. “Do not lie to me,” Palpatine hissed. “I have heard all about your licentious behavior, all about your debauchery,” he continued. “I don’t give a damn about your personal needs, Lord Ferreus. You are my servant, and I gave you an order. You have not found the rebels yet, and I demand to know why.”
Ferreus fell forward onto his hands as Palpatine released him. He rubbed gingerly at his throat. “It…it’s a very big galaxy, my master,” he replied at last.
“Is that your excuse?” Palpatine barked. “That the galaxy is big??”
“Well, it is…”
“SILENCE!” Palpatine shrieked, blasting Ferreus with a bolt of energy. “You have unlimited resources at your disposal! Do not tell me that you cannot find the Rebels whose technology is a fraction of the Empire’s!! Surely there are radio transmissions that are unaccounted for somewhere in the galaxy. Trace them!”
“My lord, there are literally millions, billions of transmissions sent each day,” gasped Ferreus, beginning to think that his master was indeed quite mad. “How are we to know which ones are from or to the Rebel base?”
Palpatine stared at the pathetic excuse for an apprentice before him. If he did not need Ferreus so much he would take great pleasure in killing him right here, right now. Vader would not dare question me this way, he reflected. He had honor, and he was intelligent…perhaps too intelligent he decided, remembering Vader’s treachery.
“Find a way,” he said at last. “I will not brook any more excuses, Lord Ferreus. Find a way to trace them, or I will find a new apprentice.”
Ferreus did not reply, but merely bowed in response as the image of the emperor faded from view. He rose unsteadily to his feet. Damn you, Palpatine, he thought angrily, adjusting his sable cloak. I will not let you treat me this way and get away with it. One day you’ll pay for this humiliation. With that, Ferreus left the audience chamber, and made his way to the bridge, determined to make his officers pay for the foulness of his mood.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 26, 2007 20:15:42 GMT -5
Chapter 38
Sixth planet of the Hoth System Luke Skywalker felt butterflies in his stomach as he packed his duffle bag with his few belongings. He would be leaving for Dagobah today, to meet his new Jedi Master, Yoda. While Luke welcomed the challenge he would no doubt face under the tutelage of the diminutive Jedi, the thought of leaving his friends, of leaving his sister, saddened him greatly. He and Leia had become very close in the past six weeks, and it hardly seemed possible to either of them that they had spent their first nineteen years apart, for the bond between them now was so strong. Luke felt that it was for the good of both of them that he leave, for he could see that Obi-Wan was having difficulty keeping up with their training. He would never admit it of course; but Kenobi was not a young man anymore, and having two padawans would be demanding no matter how young a master may be.
Dagobah, from what Luke knew, was an isolated, primitive world, with little to offer in the way of technology or distraction. Yoda had lived there in self-exile since the end of the Republic, shielding himself from the emperor’s discernment. It was the perfect place to concentrate on the training that would make Luke a Jedi; so why was he so reticent about leaving? Yes, he would miss Leia, Han, Obi-Wan, Wedge, and all the other friends he had made; but there was more to it than just that. He and Leia had been in steady contact with their father since they had parted ways. And now they had even spoken with their mother as well. It seemed to Luke that his family was just starting to bond, even if it were through long distance communication; on Dagobah, he would have no such communication. He knew that he would miss that, he knew that he would miss his father.
In the short time since discovering his father, Luke had come to greatly look forward to the times they spoke. He had begun to know the real Anakin Skywalker, and had started to discover what a truly remarkable man his father was. Now that he would be leaving for Dagobah, it would be months before he had the chance to see him again. I finally meet my father, and now I’m going to be parted from him yet again. Not to mention my mother…
It had been almost surreal seeing her face on the comm. screen; she looked so much like Leia it was astounding. But there was more to it than that; Luke was certain that he had seen her face in his dreams. There was no way he could remember her consciously, for he had been mere minutes old when he had been taken from her. Yet, somehow, he knew her face; he had seen it many times over the years in his dreams. He did not know who she was at the time, though he felt a strong connection to her. And now he knew, and he wanted desperately to meet her in person. This too would be put off for months; another reason he was less than enthusiastic about leaving.
A knock at his cabin door interrupted Luke’s reflections, and he knew who it was before he even answered it. His sister’s aura was so brilliant and strong, there was no mistaking it. It reminded Luke of the presence he had experienced when he was in the trench over the Death Star, his father’s true essence as he guided his son through that perilous fight. Leia was very much like Anakin, despite her resemblance to their mother. Perhaps that is why they were able to bond so quickly, Luke reasoned as he went to answer the door.
“Hi,” he said as he saw his sister on the other side. He could tell that she was as upset about his departure as he himself was. “Come on in.”
Star Destroyer Executor
“I’m sorry, my lord, could you repeat that?”
Ferreus scowled at the young officer, growing impatient with his own in ability to make himself clear. He would never admit that, however, and decided to take it out on the two officers who held the bridge at the moment.
“I want you to find a way to monitor any unusual communications,” Ferreus said. “Anything that can’t be accounted for, anything that is from an unusual or unknown source.”
Piett glanced quickly at his associate, and then looked back at Ferreus. “You mean you want me to monitor broadcast channels?” he asked.
“Yes, yes,” Ferreus said impatiently. “Anything that may seem …suspicious.”
Piett raised his eyebrows, but did not comment. Suspicious? Does Ferreus have any idea what he’s talking about? What exactly does he mean by ‘suspicious’? “Suspicious in nature my lord, or by virtue of the source of the broadcast?” Piett asked at last.
“Both,” Ferreus replied, not entirely sure himself. “I guess…yes, both.”
“Perhaps we ought to use the Zarlenga decoder,” Captain Magus Reyal, suggested, looking at Piett with an utterly straight face.
“Yes, by all means,” Ferreus replied eagerly, pleased that his officers were so knowledgeable. “Do so at once...and, uh…keep me posted at regular intervals of your progress. That will be all.”
With that, the thoroughly confused Ferreus left the bridge to return to the comfort of his quarters.
“Zarlenga decoder?” Piett asked with a laugh as he turned to Reyal. “You really are audacious aren’t you?”
Reyal grinned. “So you do remember the name from the academy then?”
“Yes of course,” Piett replied. “Who could forget that character? He was the most insufferable hypocrite at the academy. I can’t believe you said that to Ferreus.”
“I can’t believe he actually thinks there is such a thing,” Reyal countered. “What an idiot.”
Piett nodded. “Yes, I couldn’t agree more. But he’s an idiot in command, and so we must do what he says, no matter how inane it may seem.”
Reyal shook his head in disgust. “Vader may have been ruthless, but at least he was intelligent. Brilliant even.”
“I never served with him,” Piett replied. “Though I would have enjoyed the experience.”
“Not an easy man to get along with,” Reyal told him. “But he was an excellent leader, the best I’ve ever served.”
“And Ferreus is his successor,” Piett reminded him. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, sure is,” Reyal sighed. “So I guess we have our work cut out for us, what Firmus?”
“Yes, is certainly seems that way,” Piett replied. “Let’s get to it. This isn’t going to be easy.”
“Especially without the Zarlenga decoder,” Reyal quipped.
Piett merely laughed as the two men made their way to the communication station to begin the arduous task set before them.
Naboo-Lake Retreat Anakin was awoken the next morning by his wife’s kiss. He opened his eyes to see her sitting on the edge of his bed, watching him with a smile.
“Good morning,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind me waking you up.”
Anakin smiled. “If you wake me up like that, no, not at all,” he told her.
“Good,” she replied. “I have an idea,” she told him, a twinkle in her eyes.
Anakin looked up at his wife. The sparkle had returned to her eyes, and, little by little, she was becoming the Padmé he had known. “What is your idea?” he asked, amused by her enthusiasm.
“Let’s go swimming,” she told him with a smile.
Not exactly what I was hoping she’d suggest, Anakin mused. “Swimming?” he asked. “Right now?”
“Yes, why not?” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to start the day.” Anakin nodded. “You remember that do you?” he asked.
“Yes I do,” she replied. “I also remember how you and I used to swim over to that island,” she continued with a smile.
“Do you also remember how cold that lake is in the morning?” Anakin asked with a smile.
Padmé laughed. “Cold? Oh come now,” she teased. “Surely a Jedi Knight like you isn’t intimidated by the cold.”
“Intimidated? No, not at all,” he replied. “But given the choice between an icy cold lake and a nice warm bed, I think the choice is quite obvious.”
Padmé stared at him, not quite sure if he was being serious. When she saw the playful gleam in his eyes, she laughed, realizing that he was teasing her.
“You love teasing me, don’t you?” she asked, arms crossed over her chest.
Anakin nodded, folding his arms behind his head. “I always have,” he said with a smile.
Padmé shook her head. “So bad,” she said, “so naughty.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Anakin commented.
Padmé did not reply, but attacked him with a flurry of tickles directed at his bare ribcage.
Anakin was totally unprepared for her attack, which rather surprised him, and could only do his best to grab her tiny wrists as he writhed with laughter under her assault. Finally he grabbed her and pulled her into the bed beside him, holding her arms immobile.
“Do you give up?” he asked.
Padmé shook her head, a hint of a smile on her face. “Never,” she told him.
Anakin laughed, so happy to see the woman he loved returning to him. “You’re pretty brave,” he told her. “Attacking a Jedi in his own bed that way.”
Padmé lifted an eyebrow. “Jedi don’t intimidate me,” she told him.
“No?” he asked.
She shook her head again, as the playfulness between them morphed into something more serious. Anakin released his hold on her arms, and ran his hands up the length of them. Padmé ran her hands over the tautness of his bare chest, memories of moments such as this flashing through her mind, moments of a passion that she was beginning to feel again.
“Perhaps there is something to be said for staying in bed,” she said with a smile.
Anakin smiled, taking her face in his hands. Force, how easy it would be to give in to the feelings she was evoking. He could see in her eyes that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, that the feelings and passions that had been irrepressible years ago had somehow transcended all that had befallen them in the ensuing years. I can’t …I mustn’t, he told himself. As much as I want to… “So a swim you say,” he said at last, stroking her face gently. “Perhaps it would be good to get some exercise.”
Padmé nodded; somewhat confused by the mixed signals she was getting from him.
“Okay,” she said. “If you’re sure that’s what you want.”
“Well, it isn’t exactly what I want,” he told her, “but I suppose it will have to suffice, at least for now.”
“And what is it that you want?” she asked.
Don’t do this, Padmé, he thought as he fought to keep a rein on his feelings. “I want you to be happy,” he told her at last. “And if swimming is what it will take to do that, then I will brave the cold.”
Padmé smiled. “You’re very brave,” she teased as she moved away and got out of the bed. “I’ll meet you on the beach.”
Anakin nodded, watching her leave the room. He moved to the edge of the bed and sat for a moment, running his hands through his tousled hair. How much longer can I go on this way? he wondered. How much longer will I be able to keep control of my feelings? He realized that he was in a no win situation; for as long as Padmé knew nothing of Mustafar, he must not allow his feelings for her to control him. But when she learned of it, or perhaps remembered it on her own, would she want him like she did now? Would she want anything to do with him at all once she knew the entire, ugly truth of who he had been the past twenty years?
Perhaps a cold dip in the lake is just what I need right now, he mused as he stood up and went to get dressed.
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Post by therealthing on Apr 29, 2007 21:18:04 GMT -5
Chapter 39
Cold was an understatement, Anakin thought as he made his way across the lake, doing his best to keep up with his wife. She may have suffered memory loss, but she certainly had not forgotten how to swim. Cutting through the water with easy strokes, Padmé was enjoying herself thoroughly. While Anakin found the cold water to be just short of torture, she found it invigorating. She felt so alive, so free – it had been so long since she had felt this way.
Glancing over her shoulder quickly, Padmé smiled to herself as she saw Anakin plowing through the water with powerful strokes. She was so grateful to him for bringing her here; it was just the trigger she needed to release the memories that had been locked up in her mind for so long. Yet, she knew that there was still much she did not know, something significant, and that bothered her. Whatever it was, she sensed that it was what was holding Anakin back from initiating a more physical nature to their relationship. She recognized the look in his eyes when he looked at her, and knew that he was not a man that held back when it came to how he felt. So why was he holding back now? What was it that had happened that would make him feel the need to do so? I will remember in time, she told herself. Everything else is coming back to me, whatever this is, it will as well, she reasoned, deciding not to dwell on it any further.
“Now, was that so bad?” Padmé asked as they walked onto the shore of the island. Anakin smiled. “Do you really want to know?” he asked.
Padmé laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she said as she sat down on the sandy beach. “It’s so peaceful here,” she said, closing her eyes and drinking in the warm sunshine.
Anakin sat down beside her, stretching out his long legs in front of him and leaning back on one arm. He was reminded of many other moments spent like this, moments spent without a care in the world, when it seemed that all that mattered, all that existed was the woman at his side, and the love they shared. How did I let that slip away? How did it all go so wrong?
“Something bothering you?” Anakin looked up at his wife, who was studying his face intently. “You seem a thousand light years away,” she told him.
“No, I’m right here,” he told her with a smile. “Right where I belong.”
Padmé smiled. “You know, I remember being here with my sister,” she said. “We’d always race to see who could make it out here first. If I won, Sola would always fake a cramp or have some excuse why she hadn’t won,” she laughed.
Anakin smiled. “You two were very close,” he commented.
Padmé nodded. “Yes we were,” she replied. “I don’t remember if you had siblings…do you?”
Anakin shook his head. “Nope,” he said, digging in the sand with one finger. “Just me.”
“They broke the mold when they made you, did they?” she teased.
Anakin laughed. “Well, you might say that,” he replied. “I always wished I’d had a brother, though. Or even a sister. It was kind of lonely growing up without someone my own age.”
“I’m sure it must have been,” she said. “You began your training to become a Jedi when you were a child, didn’t you?”
Anakin nodded. “Yes, shortly after you and I met. Qui-Gon took me as his padawan and secured my freedom. That’s how I was able to leave Tatooine.”
“Your freedom?” she asked. And then she remembered. “You were a slave,” she recalled. “I remember now – I remember being so shocked when I learned that.”
“You were,” he agreed. “Hard to believe such a thing still exists,” he commented with a frown, remembering the cruelty of his various masters, remembering his mother being unable to sleep at night sometimes because she’d been beaten…
“You know what the trouble with swimming out here is?” he said, changing the subject abruptly.
“What is that?” Padmé asked.
“We have to swim all the way back to eat breakfast,” he told her with a grin.
Padmé laughed. “Is there ever a time when you’re not hungry, Anakin Skywalker?”
Now there’s a loaded question… “Well, occasionally, maybe,” he replied. “I’ve just got warmed up though; I really hate the thought of jumping back in that deep freeze.”
“Deep freeze,” she said shaking her head. “You’re such an exaggerator,” she said with a laugh. Anakin merely smiled in response as he lay back against the warm sand. “And if I told you that you are the most beautiful woman in the universe, would you still think me an exaggerator?” he asked.
Padmé was rather taken aback by his question, and did not respond at once. “Well,” she said, finger on her chin. “I’m not so sure now,” she replied.
Anakin laughed in response. “Typical woman,” he said as he closed his eyes. “So fickle.”
Padmé was silent, and Anakin smiled to himself, knowing that she was trying to think of an appropriate response. He was not prepared for what that response would be however and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a gush of cold water on his now warm skin. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see his wife standing above him triumphantly, a huge grin on her face.
“You’re going to pay for that,” he said, scrambling to his feet and taking off after her.
Padmé screamed and ran for the water, doing her best to stay ahead of her husband. But he was much faster than she was, and it wasn’t long before he caught up to her. Scooping her up into his arms, he walked out into the water, ignoring her protests to be released.
“I don’t think so,” he said with a smile. “You don’t really think I’m going to let you get away with that now, do you?”
“Yes,” she replied, trying not to laugh.
Anakin just shook his head. “You are too much, you know that?” he said as he prepared to toss her into the water.
“No don’t!” she cried, holding onto him tightly.
“But you like the cold,” he told her with a smile. “Don’t you?”
“I do, but not all at once,” she explained desperately.
“Ah ha,” he said. “But you don’t mind giving it to me all at once,” he said.
“Oh come on,” she said, “That’s hardly the same thing!”
“Maybe not,” he said, getting ready to toss her again, only to have her tighten her grip on his neck.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she cried, capitulating finally. “Are you happy?”
Anakin looked down at her triumphantly. “Now, was that so difficult?” he asked with a grin.
She shook her head. “You are terrible,” she said. “What am I going to do with you?”
What am I going to do with you? How many times had Padmé asked Anakin that question over the years, how many playful moments they shared were summed up succinctly by those simple words?
The seeming innocuous, simple rhetorical question triggered a wave of memories in both of them, and for a moment they simply stared at one another. Padmé took one of her hands and brought it to his face, stroking it gently. “Ani,” she said simply, the memories too powerful to allow her to say any more. “My angel,” he replied, seeing in her eyes that she remembered just as he did. Unable to resist, he kissed her, as she wrapped her arms around his neck once again. Nothing else in the universe mattered at that moment, nothing else in the universe existed at that moment, save the power of their love. Anakin felt as though he had been transported back twenty years, to a time when nothing else had mattered. Nothing would be easier than to pretend it was so, to let go of all the inhibitions and problems that plagued him. His angel was in his arms, and she loved him. Wasn’t that all that should matter? But it wasn’t – and Anakin knew this. He also knew that if he did not put a stop to what was happening, his ability to reason would be utterly lost. And so he did put a stop to it, as much as it killed him to do so, he broke their kiss, again.
“I think we should get back to the house,” he said as he set Padmé down, hating the look of disappointment in her eyes.
Padmé looked up at him, confused again, but more than that: frustrated. “Okay,” she said. “I guess you’re right.”
“You know I can’t survive long without food,” he said with a smile, trying to break the tremendous tension that had sprung up between them.
Padmé smiled perfunctorily. “Yes, this is true,” she replied. “Well then, let’s be off,” she said, walking into the water ahead of him so he would not see the tears forming in her eyes.
Sixth Planet of the Hoth System
“No Leia, that’s not it. Try it again.”
“But I’m doing it exactly as you instructed,” Leia protested in exasperation.
Obi-Wan could sense that the young woman was getting frustrated; it had been a long afternoon of training, and she was clearly exhausted. But it was more than that, and Obi-Wan knew what it was: Luke had left that morning, and Leia was lost without her twin.
Seeing the two of them growing closer over the past weeks had made Obi-Wan wonder if separating them years ago had been the right thing to do. Yet, the decision to do so had been made under exceedingly difficult conditions: Padmé had been near death; and then there was what happened to Anakin…
“Let’s call it a day, shall we?” Obi-Wan suggested gently. “You’ve worked very hard today.”
Leia frowned, not wishing to quit simply because she was having difficulty getting a maneuver down. But she was exhausted, there was no point trying to deny it. I miss Luke, she thought morosely as she turned off her light saber. I miss my father. "You're doing very well, Leia," Obi-Wan assured her, mindful of her sensitive nature. "This is a particularly difficult stance, and yet you're doing very well with it."
"Then why don't I have it yet?" she asked, pushing loose hairs from her face.
"Patience," Obi-Wan cautioned her. "You must remember to be patient, Leia." He stopped as he recalled how many times he'd had similar discussions with Anakin. "You are so very much like your father," he told her with a smile. "He always wanted to learn everything at once, and get it right immediately."
"He probably did," Leia remarked. "Being the Chosen One and all."
"Well even the Chosen One had his set backs," Obi-Wan told her. "But being incredibly stubborn, he never let them get to him. He would always find a way, no matter how long it took. I had to drag him from the temple gymnasium many a night when he was a boy just to get him to go to bed."
Leia couldn't help but smile. "He was a stubborn child?"
"Yes and no," Obi-Wan replied. "He was so eager to please, that sometimes it made him push himself too far. Plus the fact that the Jedi Council had rejected him made his determination to succeed that much greater."
"They rejected him because he was too old?" Leia asked.
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes they did, and I don't think Anakin ever forgot that, or forgave them. Qui-Gon took him as his padawan without the blessings of the Council."
"So how did you end up as his master?"
A fleeing hint of sadness passed through Obi-Wan's eyes as he remembered the day his master had perished at the hands of the Sith Lord, Darth Maul. "I promised Qui-Gon as he lay dying that I would train Anakin," he told Leia. "Qui-Gon had complete faith that your father was the Chosen One of Jedi legend, and must be trained at any cost. It seems he was right."
Leia nodded. "I miss him," she said quietly.
"I know you do," Obi-Wan said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You and your father are very close."
"We are," Leia said, feeling more miserable by the minute at the thought of him. "I think I will go and contact him," she said. "I need to see his face."
"Good idea," Obi-Wan said as they left the make-shift gymnasium together. "Give him my best, will you?"
"I will," she said as she ran off. Obi-Wan watched her go, thanking the Force that Leia Skywalker had been able to reach her father and bring him back from the Darkness. The future of the galaxy is in your hands now, Leia, he thought, wondering if the young woman realized just how significant she and her brother were. You and your brother will shape the destiny of a generation.
Naboo-Lake Retreat
Breakfast was tension filled as both Anakin and Padmé were lost in their own thoughts. Anakin hated the way he had pushed his wife away earlier; he knew that she was hurting and confused. Better that than the alternative, he reasoned. It was his hope that once she did learn the truth, she would be able to forgive him. But he could not presume such a thing; the atrocities he had committed both against her and the galaxy were staggering. It would take a great deal of love and forgiveness on her part to get past them, if indeed she was capable of doing so. "Excuse me, but there is a communication coming through from the Hoth System," a maid servant announced as Anakin and Padmé finished their meal. They looked at one another, both excited to hear that their children were contacting them. Leaving their meal unfinished, they stood up and left the room at once, anxious to see the faces of their twins.
"Leia!" Anakin said as he and Padmé sat down in front of the screen. "It's wonderful to see you, sweetheart. How are you?"
"I'm okay," Leia replied. "It's good to see both of you- I've missed you."
Anakin frowned, knowing his daughter well enough to know that she was far from okay. "What's wrong?" he asked simply and without preamble.
Leia looked surprised, but only for a moment. She knew her father well enough by now to know that he could read her like an open book.
"Luke left for Dagobah today," she told him. "I guess I just miss him."
"I'm sure you do," Anakin replied. "As he misses you, no doubt."
"He didn't even want to go, not really," Leia told her parents. "But he knew how important it was for his training, for our training actually. Obi-Wan was having trouble keeping up with the two of us," she said with a hint of a smile.
Anakin laughed. "Now why doesn't that surprise me?" he said, looking at his wife.
"So why did Luke go to Dagobah?" Padmé asked. "I don't understand."
"He went there to be trained by Master Yoda," Leia told her mother. "One of the great Jedi Masters."
Padmé nodded. "I see," she said, wondering when she would ever get to meet her children. "And how long will he be there?"
"It's hard to say," Anakin said, knowing what was bothering her. "But we'll be together soon, Padmé," he told her. "Don't worry."
"I wish that were true," Leia said with a sigh. "But with the Empire no doubt scouring the galaxy trying to find us, we don't dare travel such a great distance. But enough about me," she said. "How are you two? You look great, both of you."
"We're very well, both of us," Anakin said. He looked at Padmé. "And your mother's memory is returning steadily."
"Is that right, Mother?" Leia asked with a smile.
Padmé nodded. "Yes, it is," she replied. "Being here has done so much to trigger my memory, I'm so grateful your father thought to take me here."
Leia looked back at her father, asking him the unspoken questions – does she know about Mustafar? Does she know about Vader?
Anakin knew what his daughter was wondering, hearing her silent questions. "She has a ways to go yet," he said. "But in time she will remember everything, won't you Angel?"
Padmé nodded, getting the feeling that something had just transpired between father and daughter that she was not privy to, and it only made her more determined to learn all that she could about her past. "Yes, I will," she said. "I'm remembering more every day."
"That's wonderful," Leia replied with a smile. "Oh, before I forget, Obi-Wan said to send his best to you both."
"How is the old man?" Anakin asked with a smile.
"He's fine," Leia replied. "He complains about the cold a lot," she added with a smile.
Anakin laughed. "Yes, I'm sure," he said. "He never did like the cold."
"Reminds me of someone else," Padmé said pointedly, looking at her husband.
Anakin looked at her with a smile. "Well, I was born on a desert planet, remember? I have no tolerance for cold."
"Ah, so that's it," Padmé replied, smiling back at him. "How silly of me."
Leia looked at her parents, feeling decidedly left out. She could not help but notice how much more at ease her mother was with her father now, the way she looked at him now; no doubt her feelings for her father were returning as her memory did. Leia only hoped that those feelings would be enough to get past the crimes of his past. If I can love him enough to forgive him, then surely she can too…I hate to think of what it will do to him if she cannot forgive him. "Well the power restrictions are still on," Leia told her parents. "So I'd better go."
"Very well," Anakin said. "It was good to see you, Leia. I miss you very much. We both do."
Leia smiled, wishing fervently that she could be there to feel her father's strong, reassuring embrace. "I miss you too," she said softly, willing herself not to cry. "I love you both, very much."
"We love you too, Leia," Padmé replied with a smile. "And we'll see you soon."
Leia nodded. "I hope so," she replied. "Goodbye for now."
Sitting back in the chair, Leia watched as the image of her parents faded out of view. It was then that the tears that she had managed to hold at bay finally came.
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Post by therealthing on May 2, 2007 19:36:15 GMT -5
Chapter 40
Star Destroyer Executor
Darth Ferreus was in a foul mood. It seemed as though someone had been spying on him; not only that, they had been reporting his actions to the emperor. Ferreus felt humiliated that his sexual escapades had been the source of discussion between some of his men, one in particular. Which one, he wondered as he stormed through the corridors of the Executor. Which one hates me the most? Which one is foolish enough to mess with me? Ferreus felt certain that he knew who it was, and was determined to make an example of him.
“Admiral Ozzy!” Ferreus barked as he reached the bridge. “Get your sorry ass over here, now!”
Ferreus pretended not to notice the looks that the men exchanged.
“My name is Ozzel, my lord,” Admiral Ozzel said as he walked over to his commander, and undisguised look of hatred in his eyes. “Ozzel, not Ozzy.”
“Do I look like I care?” Ferreus replied curtly. “I am far more interested in the conversation you had with the emperor recently.”
From the other side of the bridge, Captain Piett watched the confrontation as it unfolded, an uneasy feeling growing within him.
“I communicate with His Majesty regularly, Lord Ferreus,” Ozzel replied evenly, doing his best to maintain his composure. “You will have to be more specific.”
“Don’t toy with me, Admiral,” Ferreus threatened. “You know damn well what I’m talking about! Since when are my personal affairs your concerns?”
“When they interfere with the running of this ship, my lord,” Ozzel returned . “When your sexual gratification is more important to you than your obligation to the crew of this vessel. When…” Ozzel stopped as he felt a tightening form around his windpipe. His hands flew to his throat as Ferreus smiled, his outstretched hand clenching into a fist. Within moments, Ozzel fell down dead, his face blue and distorted.
“I’ve always wanted to try that,” Ferreus remarked, looking at the dead body at his feet. He looked up to see that every officer on the bridge was looking at him, their faces registering their utter shock.
“What are you all staring at?” he screamed. “Get back to your stations!” With that, he left the bridge.
Piett walked over to his fallen commanding officer. He knelt down beside him and closed the dead admiral’s eyes, shaken and horrified by the wanton, cold blooded act of violence he had just witnessed. He motioned over to a pair of crewmen. “Remove the admiral’s body,” he commanded quietly.
The blatant disregard for life and abuse of power sickened Piett. Kendal Ozzel had been a proud, pompous man, but had he deserved such an ignominious fate? Piett watched solemnly as the body of the hapless admiral was carried away. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he was now in command of the Executor. He only hoped that as such he would not be the madman’s next victim.
Naboo-Lake Retreat
Padmé stood on the terrace, enjoying the cool evening breeze. She had spent much of the day trying to work through her confusion. Why was Anakin’s behavior so inconsistent? Why was he sending such mixed messages? She felt certain that she remembered her husband well enough to know that he had never been able to get enough of her. His desire for her had always been insatiable, unquenchable; so why now was he pushing her away just when things started heating up between them? Has he lost interest in me? That made no sense, not given the lengths Anakin had gone to to see to it that she remembered him and their life together. Was he not physically attracted to me anymore? Again, this made no sense; she recognized the look in his eyes when he looked at her, she could feel the depth of his desire for her when he kissed her. So what was holding him back?
Padmé’s ruminations were interrupted by Anakin’s arrival. He stole up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, enfolding her in his cloak.
“It’s chilly out here,” she heard him say, his body pressed up against hers.
“Yes it is,” she replied. “It’s nice.”
“If you like the cold,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. “Something on your mind?” he asked.
“Why do you ask?” she replied, not looking at him.
Anakin was silent for a moment. He knew exactly what was bothering her, but did not know what to say to make it better. Perhaps it was time to put everything on the table; perhaps it was time for total truth.
“You just seem rather pensive, that’s all,” he said at last.
“I suppose I am rather pensive,” she replied. “I’m just trying to sort through everything that’s going through my mind, everything I’ve learned in the past few days.”
“I’m sure it’s been a little overwhelming,” Anakin remarked. “But you’re doing so well, Padmé. You’re like the Padmé I knew all those years ago.”
“Am I?” she asked.
“Yes,” he replied, kissing her again. “Just as beautiful, just as brilliant, and just as sexy.”
Padmé became uncomfortable hearing him talk this way, and she moved away from him. Anakin frowned as he sensed her discomfort.
“Angel?” he said. “Are you alright?”
Padmé remained silent, not even sure what to say to him in response. “I don’t know,” she said at last. “I’m very confused, Anakin.”
“I know,” he said, stepping back over to her. “And I’m sorry for making you feel that way.”
She turned to face him. “Don’t keep saying that,” she said. “You keep saying you’re sorry, and I have no idea what it is you’re sorry for! Do you know how frustrating that is? Do you know how frustrating it is that you speak to me like you want me and then push me away like you don’t?”
“There’s a reason for that,” he told her. “I promise you, it is not something I want to do…”
“What reason?” she cried. “What reason could there possibly for making me feel like you don’t want me? Because that is exactly how I feel right now, Anakin. I feel as though you are holding me at arms’ length, and I don’t understand why.”
“Angel, please,” he began, reaching out to her.
“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t begin something you’re not willing to finish, Anakin. I can’t take it anymore, I can’t take the rejection. Either tell me what you so obviously feel needs telling, or don’t touch me. I can’t stand being teased this way.”
Anakin did not respond at once. Her anger and her hurt were so real and so deep that he wasn’t sure what to say. Do I tell her now? In her current state? She’s already angry with me; will telling her only make her push me away completely?
“I’m sorry,” he said again, at a loss to know what else to say at this point, his own frustrations reaching their zenith. “Do you think I want to push you away? Don’t you think it’s killing me that I have to hold myself back this way? Don’t you know how much I want you, Padmé? How much I need you?”
“If you truly felt that way, nothing would hold you back,” she retorted. “I remember how it was between us, Anakin; I remember how insatiable you were. Nothing could stand in your way if you wanted to be with me, not the Jedi Council, not Obi-Wan, not even the Clone Wars. And yet now you are telling me that there is something that is preventing you from being with me in the way you want? Is that what you expect me to believe?”
“I can’t make you believe anything, Padmé,” he replied tiredly. “Perhaps it is time for total truth between us. I didn’t want to have to tell you like this, I was hoping you’d remember what happened on your own, but...”
“Tell me what?” she cried. “What is it that you feel is so horrible that it is preventing us from being together?”
Anakin looked at her, not even knowing where to start. How do I tell you what I did to you? He wondered.
“Angel, it’s late,” he began at last, taking her gently by the shoulders. “There is so much to tell you, so much that I don’t even know where to start. I will tell you everything, I promise. In the morning, I will tell you the whole story, I swear it.”
Padmé considered his words, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. She saw something else there too: fear, and it unnerved her. What was it he needed to tell her that was so horrific it struck fear into his heart?
“Very well,” she said at last, calming down somewhat. “Just so long as you promise.”
Anakin nodded. “You have my word,” he said earnestly.
Padmé sighed. “Then I suppose it will have to wait until morning. I just hope that you know, Anakin, that no matter what you tell me, it won’t change the way I feel about you. I hope you realize that, and know how much I love you. This wouldn’t hurt so much if I didn’t.”
Anakin moved his hands up to her face. “I know,” he told her softly. “I love you too, Angel. I just pray that you feel the same way about me after I tell you.”
Padmé frowned. “You’re scaring me,” she told him.
Anakin looked down, unable to look into her eyes.
“Perhaps we ought to get to bed,” she said at last, moving away from him, unnerved by his silence. “That big swim this morning wore me out.”
“Very well,” he said, watching her as she walked across the terrace, and perhaps out of his life for good. “Good night, angel.”
“Goodnight Anakin.” Planet Dagobah
Luke made his way through the murky waters to the shore, already starting to regret coming to this bizarre planet.
“Artoo, be careful will you?” Luke chided as the astromech droid strolled along the ramp Luke had set up for it. “I don’t want to have to fish you out of this mess.”
Artoo simply whistled in response as if to tell his young master that he had everything under control. Luke knew better, however, and kept a close eye on the little droid.
Finally they both reached the shore, and Luke stood with his hands on his hips, looking around at the overgrown swamp around them. “This is where I’m supposed to find Yoda?” he asked Artoo. “This?”
“And found him you have.”
Luke turned around quickly to see the diminutive Jedi Master standing before him. “Welcome to my home, young Skywalker.”
“How did you know who I was?” Luke asked.
Yoda smiled enigmatically. “Come you have to be trained?” he asked.
Luke nodded. “Yes, that’s the plan,” he said, not sounding too enthusiastic.
“Doubts you have,” Yoda commented, watching the young man closely.
“No, not at all,” Luke replied. “I want to be a Jedi more than anything.”
Yoda nodded. “Then come to the right place, you have. Come with me, young Luke. Much work we have to do. But first we must eat. Even a Jedi must eat.” Luke smiled. He’s not as bad as I thought he’d be, he thought, being careful to shield his thoughts from the old Jedi. The thought of a meal appealed to Luke tremendously, and so he followed the old Jedi through the marsh. Yoda’s home was a small hut in the middle of the swamp. From what Luke could tell, it had two rooms, a main one with a fire in the middle of it and a smaller one where Luke assumed the old Jedi slept. There was a pot suspended over a fire with a rather foul smelling concoction in it. Luke, however, was far too hungry to be picky, and far too polite to comment, and so he gratefully accepted a bowl of the peculiar stew when it was offered to him.
Yoda watched the young man as he ate his supper. Luke reminded Yoda very much of Anakin at that same age, in appearance at least. From what he could tell, his demeanor was more like that of his mother. Yoda decided that this was a good thing, for Anakin Skywalker had been a volatile young man, full of anger and fear.
Luke looked up at Yoda. He was surprised that the old Jedi allowed his thoughts to be so easily read. Perhaps he doesn’t know I am capable of reading his thoughts already, Luke reflected.
“My father has been redeemed,” Luke said, watching at the old Jedi for his reaction. “He is Darth Vader no more.”
Yoda merely nodded, not giving Luke any indication of whether he was surprised or not. “Unexpected this is,” he said.
“Yes, I’m sure it must be,” Luke replied. “I suppose everyone had just written him off as a lost cause.”
Yoda sensed the flicker of angry resentment in Luke, and it concerned him. “Many crimes your father committed, Luke,” he said solemnly. “Immersed in the Darkness he was.”
“Yes he was,” Luke admitted. “But not any more.” He looked into the bowl of stew, stirring it around slowly. “I miss him,” he said quietly, more to himself than the Yoda.
Yoda was reminded very much of a young boy who was brought before the Jedi Council many years earlier, a frightened little boy who missed his mother desperately.
“A Jedi must not allow personal attachments get in the way of his training,” Yoda told him.
Luke looked up at Yoda, his blue eyes sparkling with anger. “Is that what you told my father when he dreamed about my mother dying?” he asked bitterly.
Yoda remembered when Anakin had come to him, terrified and shaken by visions of someone dying, someone he loved. And what had his advice been? You must learn to let go of those you most fear to lose...
He hadn’t realized at the time that Anakin had been speaking of his wife.
“Your father knew the commitment of the Jedi Order,” Yoda countered. “Ignored them, he did. Arrogant he was to think he could do so without paying a price.”
Yoda’s words only served to anger Luke more.
“Do you know what brought him out of the Darkness?” Luke asked at last.
Yoda did not reply, and so Luke continued. “He found my sister and me,” he told him. “His love for us brought him back, Yoda. And our love for him. So perhaps the notion that a Jedi should have no personal attachments is just plain wrong,” he said, not caring if he shocked the old Jedi. “And perhaps if you had realized that sooner, my father would not have been destroyed by trying to save the one he loved.”
“Your father chose the Dark Side,” Yoda replied, growing irritated at the young man’s boldness. “Power was what he loved most; do not delude yourself into thinking otherwise.”
“My father chose the Dark Side to save my mother,” Luke countered angrily. “Out of desperation because he had no where else to turn!”
Yoda did not respond, and merely shook his head in disbelief. How do you expect me to teach this young one, Obi-Wan? He is so resentful, so angry, so much like his father…
“Maybe it was a mistake to come here,” Luke said, setting his bowl down. “I…I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Much anger you have in you, young Luke,” Yoda said at last, sensing that the young man was starting to calm down. “Understandable this is. But watch that this anger does not turn you into what your father became. The Dark Side feeds on anger, Luke, on hatred and fear. The emperor saw this in your father, and used it against him. Pleased I am that your father has defeated the Darkness within him, unprecedented this is. But the emperor will not allow his defection to go unpunished. Sidious is relentless, ruthless, and will stop at nothing until he destroys his former servant if he believes he has betrayed him. You and your sister would serve his purpose, Luke; nothing would please him more than to turn you or Leia to the Dark Side as punishment for your father’s betrayal. Do not allow him the chance to try, Luke; he is very strong. Look what he did to the Chosen One.”
Luke nodded, suddenly feeling ashamed for his anger and for his outburst. “I know,” he said softly. “He destroyed the good man my father was. I won’t let him win again, Master Yoda,” he vowed, shaking his head. “I won’t let the Sith destroy my family again. I want to become a Jedi so that my sister and I can help our father destroy the Sith and its evil master.”
Yoda nodded, a flicker of hope growing within him. “A powerful Jedi you will be, Luke,” he said. “Just like your father.”
Luke smiled. “Thank you, Master Yoda,” he replied. “I won’t let you down. I promise.”
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Post by therealthing on May 4, 2007 16:48:18 GMT -5
Chapter 41 The morning is warm, despite the recent rain. Everything is glistening and bright in the morning sun as we head up into the hills behind the estate. Hand in hand we walk, our boots brushing against the tall wet grass. It is so peaceful here, so beautiful and serene. While here it is easy to forget about the war, and simply lose ourselves in the idyllic splendor of this perfect place.
“Now you must be able to smell that,” I ask Anakin as we trudge through the damp grass, following the path into the hills.
“All I can smell is wet grass,” he replies. “Is that what you mean?”
“No, the air,” I tell him. “The air smells …fresher, somehow after it’s rained. I love the rain. It’s so invigorating to be caught out in the rain. Sola and I used to love splashing in the puddles when we were children.”
He smiles. “I wish I could relate. But I can honestly say I’ve never splashed in a puddle.”
“Oh, you don’t know what you’ve missed! I suppose you didn’t even know what a puddle was until you left Tatooine.”
“No, not a clue,” he admits. “Water was the most precious commodity a person could own where I grew up.”
“So I suppose the idea of splashing in a puddle must seem terribly frivolous to you then,” I ask him. .
. “I didn’t say that. On a planet like Naboo water isn’t scarce; of course you’d use it for recreation. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I watch him for a moment, trying to decide if he’s teasing me. “Although I have to admit,” he continues, “I am having an awfully hard time imagining the regal and dutiful Queen of Naboo splashing in a puddle.”
I laugh. “Well I wasn’t queen until I was fourteen,” I remind him.
“Yes of course,” he replies. “Your splashing days were over by then.”
“Stop teasing me, or I won’t tell you my secret fantasy.”
Now I have his full attention. “Oh?” he says, trying to appear nonchalant. “And what might that be?”
. “I’m not sure I should tell you,” I reply, pretending to pout. “You’ll probably just tease me if I do.”
“I promise not to tease you,” he tells me, taking my arm and turning me to face him. “Jedi’s honor.”
“Very well,” I say, trying to be nonchalant, even though I’m dying to tell him. “I have always wanted to make love in the rain,” I tell him, shocking myself with my disclosure. “So go ahead, tease me.”
“I’m not going to tease you,” he replies with a smile. “I think that’s very sexy.”
“Do you really?”
He nods. “Yes, of course,” he tells me, running his hands down my arms. “I would never tease you about something like that.”
“Just everything else, I reply with a laugh.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right about that,” he replies with a smile. . “How do you put up with me?”
“I really have no idea how,” I tell him, shaking my head. “Come on, let’s keep going.”
We continue to follow the gently winding path up into the hills, stopping at last when we reach the top. The view is spectacular.
“Now, isn’t that beautiful?” I say as we stand and admire the glorious scene below us.
“It is,” he replies, standing behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. I lean against him, drinking in the masculine scent of him that I adore, loving the power of his embrace.
“I wish we could just stay here forever,” I say as we simply enjoy the beautiful vista before us. “Never return to Coruscant, to the war, to our duties; just remain here and live a quiet life of obscurity.”
“That would be like a dream,” he tells me; pushing my hair away from my neck so he can kiss it. “Do you think anyone would notice if we just disappeared?”
“I’m afraid so,” I tell him with a sigh. “You’re the Hero with no Fear, remember, Ani,”?”
“I’d be content just to be your hero, Padmé,” he tells me. “Your love is all I need. The rest doesn’t matter much to me.”
His words move me, and I rest my head against his shoulder. “If only life could be so simple. But I suppose our lives will never be ordinary.”
“No, but while we’re here at least we can pretend,” he tells me.
“Yes, you’re right,” I agree. She turns to him. “Although there is certainly nothing ordinary about you, Anakin Skywalker,” I say, running my hands into his long hair.
He smiles as he wraps his arms around me. “No?”
. “No, not even close,” I reply with a shake of my head.
“Well you wouldn’t be happy with an ordinary man, would you Padmé? You’re rather extraordinary yourself.”
“I wouldn’t be happy with any other man, period,” I tell him. “You are the only man who could make me feel complete. It’s like you are a part of me, Ani. I know that sounds strange, but that’s how I feel.”
. “No, not strange at all,” he tells me, taking my face in his hands. “I know exactly how you feel, Padmé, because I feel the very same way. You and I were destined to be together, Padmé; it’s as though the Force brought us together. “
“That’s very romantic, Anakin,” I tell him, stroking his face softly.
“It’s the truth, Padmé, but I’m glad you think so, nonetheless,” he replies, drawing me closer to kiss me.
Time stands still when I am in Anakin’s arms. There is no war, there are no responsibilities; all that exists is him and I and our love. How easy it would be to just throw all the rest away and stay here forever with him.
Anakin takes his cloak and spreads it down on the wet grass, and then holds his hand out to me. I take his hand and kneel down on the cloak. He kneels down before me, leaning towards me to kiss me. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back as our bodies meet in a heated embrace. He takes me in his arms and lowers me gently onto me back, his mouth never leaving mine. He braces himself on either side of me with his arms, and look into my eyes.
“You never cease to amaze me,” he tells me, running his fingers through my hair.
“What makes you say that?”
“You’re so …naughty,” he tells me with a grin. “I never know what to expect from you.”
“Does that shock you?” I ask him with a smile.
“Maybe just a little, but I love it. You drive me mad when you look at me like that.”
“Like this?” I ask, tracing a finger over his lips.
“Yeah, just like that,” he tells me, and then brings his mouth down to mine… Padmé woke up suddenly, the images from the dream she’d been having affecting her greatly. She sat up in her bed as the memories of that incredible afternoon bombarded her. It had always been one of her fantasies to have her husband make love to her in the rain; and that afternoon Anakin had done just that.
The longing that she felt for him that had been building for the past weeks was only augmented by the dream, reminding her all too well of the incredible physical relationship she’d had with Anakin. She put her face in her hands, trying to stop the pounding of her heart, trying to suppress the longings she was feeling running rampant through her. But every time she closed her eyes, the images from her dream returned, vivid and incredibly sensual. And then she made a decision. Getting out of her bed, she headed for the door.
Padmé headed for the room down the corridor, heart pounding in her chest. She reached the door, and for a moment, began to have second thoughts. But then she remembered the dream, remembered the incredible passion between them, and pushed forward. Turning the old fashioned door handle, she entered Anakin’s room. She stood for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, trying to determine if he was asleep. He’s snoring, she thought to herself with a smile, the sound of it bringing back a wave of memories.
Padmé closed the door, and then silently made her way over to the bed. I’ve done this before, she thought to herself as she climbed onto the foot of the bed. Stealthily she crept up the bed towards him. He was sleeping on his back, which always made him snore, and which enabled her to crawl right on top of him without disturbing his sleep. Bracing her hands on either side of his head, she looked down at him, loving the sight of him as he slept. Her memories of him were so vivid at that moment, that they almost overwhelmed her in their intensity. She bent to him and kissed his mouth softly, and then pulled back and looked down at him again. He had stirred, ever so little when she’d kissed him. She smiled, and kissed him again, this time with more intensity. Running her hands into his hair, she lowered her body onto his, feeling him starting to respond to her kiss. Instinctively, he brought his arms around her, holding her body next to his as he kissed her back with equal intensity.
This is a dream, Anakin thought, it has to be…and so long as he believed it to be a dream, it was okay to allow what was happening to take its natural course.
Padmé broke their kiss, and then he felt her move to his throat, kissing a line from his jaw down to his chest as her hands moved over the muscular tautness of his chest.
This can’t be a dream, the small part of Anakin’s brain that was still capable of rational thought reasoned. This is too real…
“Padmé?” he said, opening his eyes as Padmé moved back up to look at him.
“Shh,” she said, putting a finger over his lips. “No talking, I’m tired of talking. I’d rather do this,” bringing her mouth down to his again. Anakin knew that this was no dream, but he was beyond caring at this point. The feeling of being with her was too incredible to care; his need for her was too great to care about anything but what was happening between them. He wrapped his arms tightly around her as his mouth devoured hers with a hunger filled kiss.
“Anakin,” she sighed as he brought his mouth to her neck, finding the spot he knew drove her mad. He was desperate to touch every part of her, to quench the longings of twenty years without her.
Later on, they lay in one another’s arms, fulfilled and drowsy.
“That was incredible,” Anakin said, running a finger down her face slowly.
Padmé nodded. “Yes it was,” she agreed.
Anakin smiled. “I love you,” he said as he pulled her close to him.
Padmé snuggled up to him as he pulled the blanket over them. “I love you too,” she said. Within a few moments, they were asleep, contented and warm in one another’s embrace. Star Destroyer Executor
Admiral Piett stood on the bridge of his new command, deep in thought. He had been heavily involved in the search for the Rebel base as Ozzel’s first officer. Now that he was in command, he had devoted as much manpower as he could to solving the mystery of the Rebels’ whereabouts. Piett had always enjoyed a good mystery, and this one was the best he’d ever wrapped his mind around.
While it had seemed a ridiculous notion at the time, Ferreus may have inadvertently stumbled onto something when he suggested monitoring the broadcast channels. Granted it was more than likely that he had been given the order from the emperor; Ferreus himself was not nearly intelligent enough to come up with such a plan.
Since the communication officers had concentrated their efforts on monitoring the channels, a rather interesting pattern had emerged. While the vast majority of the activity they had monitored was easily recognizable, there was a small percentage that was not. The messages were scrambled, their contents indecipherable. But it was not the content that interested Piett.
A number of messages had been traced either as originating from or bound for a most unlikely source. The Hoth System was located in the Granita Cluster, in the Hoth Quadrant of the Anoat Sector. It consisted of six planets, none of which were habitable by humans. And yet, the messages were clearly emanating from the sixth planet of this system. Someone was there, someone who was both receiving and transmitting messages on a regular basis.
“Admiral Piett, another one,” the communication officer on the bridge informed his commanding officer. “This one was sent to Naboo.”
Piett nodded. “Like the last one,” he said thoughtfully. He had instructed his men to focus their attention on the Hoth System since discovering the bizarre pattern of communication centered on this remote ice world.
“Perhaps it’s time we ought to have a closer look at this planet,” Piett decided at last. “Send a probe droid there at once.”
“We have thousands of probe droids searching already,” Reyal reminded him.
“Yes we do,” Piett replied. “But it could take months before one reaches the Hoth System. We need answers now.”
Reyal nodded. “I’ll see to it personally, Admiral.”
Naboo-Lake Retreat
Anakin woke up several hours later, his arms still wrapped around Padmé. He was confused for a moment that she was in his bed, and then he remembered how she had seduced him. He had thought it was a dream at first, but soon it had become apparent within short order that it was not; but by then it was too late to put a halt to what was happening between them. Making love to his wife after nearly twenty years without her was incredible, more incredible than he had even remembered. And while he certainly had no regrets, he knew that things had been tremendously complicated by what had transpired between them. He had promised Padmé that he would tell her everything in the morning; how would she feel about what had transpired when she he did? I tried to stay away…I tried to resist her…but she made it impossible, surely she will see that, surely she will understand… “Good morning,” Padmé said as she stretched languidly. She snuggled up to Anakin, reaching up to run her hands into his hair. “Last night was incredible,” she told him with a smile.
Anakin smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Yes it was,” he said. “It can’t believe it really happened.”
“It’s been so long,” she said, stroking his face gently.
Anakin nodded. “Yes, it has,” he replied.
Padmé could see that something was troubling him, and she was confused by it. “Anakin, what is wrong?” she asked. “You seem in a world of your own.”
“I’m just thinking about last night,” he replied.
She watched him closely, knowing there was more to his distraction.
“You’re not regretting what happened, are you Ani?” she asked.
“No, no of course not,” he told her earnestly.
“Then what is it?” she asked. She thought for a moment. “Does this have something to do with what you were going to tell me this morning?”
Anakin sighed. “Yes, it has everything to do with it,” he said.
Padmé frowned. “Then maybe you ought to just tell me, Anakin. Tell me and get if over with.”
“Very well,” he replied. “That is what I will do.”
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Post by therealthing on May 5, 2007 18:51:31 GMT -5
Chapter 42 Where do I begin? Anakin thought as he moved to the edge of the bed. He reached under the bedclothes and retrieved his sleep pants and slipped them on. “Well?” she said. “I’m waiting.”
Anakin stood up and commenced pacing about the room. “It all began the day that you told me you were pregnant,” he began. “Do you remember that day?”
Padmé nodded. “Yes, I do,” she said. “You said it was the happiest day of your life.”
“And it was,” he said, turning back to her. “Until that night, when I began to dream of you dying in childbirth.”
“I remember,” she said. “But what does that have to do with …”
“Everything,” he said. “I became so obsessed with finding a way to save you that I allowed myself to be manipulated by Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith, who lead me to believe that only though the Dark Side could I save you from dying.”
“The Dark Side?” Padmé asked, sitting up in the bed. “You mean…you became a Sith to try to prevent me from dying? I don’t understand, Ani, you were a Jedi. I remember that, I remember you being a hero in the war…what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I betrayed the Jedi,” he said, confessing his crime for the first time. “I helped the Sith destroy them.”
“Destroy them how?” she asked, beginning to grow alarmed.
He turned back to her, the screams of younglings, and the sight of their faces flashing through his mind. “I killed them, Padmé,” he told her. “I slaughtered them, hundreds of them, many of them younglings. Sidious told me that in order for me to save you, I needed to be strong with the Dark Side. Killing the Jedi drove me further into the Darkness, so far that I was unreachable.”
Flashes of memory began to assault Padmé as she listened in silent horror to his narrative. She saw Obi-Wan, his eyes full of sadness, his voice cracking with anguish as he told her…what was it that he had said? What were the words that had shattered her world?
I have seen a security hologram of him killing younglings…He was deceived by a lie. We all were. It appears that the Chancellor is behind everything, including the war. Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been looking for. After the death of Count Dooku, Anakin became his new apprentice… Padmé became cold all of a sudden, and pulled the blanket up around her bare shoulders as she looked up at him, knowing there was more to his story, but not certain she had the strength to hear it.
Anakin could see that she was horrified by what he had told her, and he’d barely begun.
“Unreachable? What exactly does that mean?” she asked at last.
Anakin sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. He felt the knots that had been forming within him for weeks now starting to tighten as the moment he’d been dreading was suddenly upon him. “I was sent to the planet Mustafar by my master,” he told her. “To kill the Separatists there. While I was still there, you arrived. You had been told by Obi-Wan what I had done, and you wanted me to tell you that it wasn’t true…”
“Mustafar?” she asked, getting out of the bed slowly, wrapping the blanket around herself. She stared at him as she images started to coalesce in her mind, images too horrible to speak of, so horrible that her mind had refused them entry, blocking out an entire life time of memories in order to keep them at bay. But now they crashed upon her, relentless and unstoppable.
I don't believe what I'm hearing . . . Obi-Wan was right. You've changed!
I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me!
I don't know you anymore. Anakin, you're breaking my heart! I'll never stop loving you, but you are going down a path I can't follow.
Because of Obi-Wan?
Because of what you've done . . . what you plan to do. Stop, stop now. Come back! I love you.
Liar!
No!
You're with him. You've betrayed me! You brought him here to kill me!
NO! Anakin…. I swear ... I... Padmé’s hands went to her throat as she remembered, at last, what Anakin had done next. “You…you tried to kill me!” she said quietly, her dark eyes full of pain and sorrow. “You tried to choke me to death, and would have done so if Obi-Wan hadn’t stopped you!!”
“Padmé, Angel,” he began, walking over to her. “That moment was a mistake, a horrible, senseless mistake…I …”
“A mistake?” she cried. “Is that what you call trying to kill your pregnant wife?? A mistake?”
Anakin shook his head. “Padmé, please,” he began, “I was mad, I didn’t know what I was doing! You mean more to me than anything in the galaxy! I never would have…”
“Stop, just stop right there,” she said, putting her hand up and backing away from him. “Don’t come any closer…don’t touch me, don’t even come close to me!”
Anakin felt as though his heart were rending in two. “Padmé, please,” he begged her. “Please try to understand; I have regretted that moment every day since it happened! I have hated myself every day for what I did to you! You must know in your heart how much I love you!”
Padmé shook her head. “I don’t know anything,” she said bitterly. “I can’t believe you allowed what happened last night between us before I knew what happened!”
“How did you expect me to stop what was happening?” he demanded in frustration. “You seduced me! I have tried to resist you for weeks now because I wanted to tell you the whole truth first before we…”
“If that were true you would have stopped me,” she said angrily. “You wanted it to happen as much as I did! Don’t deny that!”
“Of course I won’t deny it!” he replied. “I have always wanted you, Padmé, that has never changed! But I knew that it would be wrong to take our relationship to that level without you knowing the truth.”
“You didn’t have any trouble last night,” she retorted, turning away from him. She closed her eyes as the tears started rolling down her cheeks. “How could you, Anakin?” she asked softly, her heart aching. “How could you do that to me? How could you betray me that way? I have spent the past twenty years alone without my children because of what you did on that day! You stole my children from me! You stole twenty years of my life from me! Twenty years that I will never get back!”
Anakin didn’t know what to say, what could he say? What defense could he offer for what he had done? She was right, after all; he had taken so much from her. And no matter what he did now, no matter how much he loved her, those years were gone, and no amount of love or apology would bring them back.
“I know how angry you are,” Anakin said at last. “And you have every right to be. But surely you can see that I have changed, Padmé; I am not the same man who committed those heinous crimes, who betrayed you in such an unconscionable manner. I love you, Padmé! My life these past twenty years without you has been a living hell! Had I known that you lived, I…”
“What have you been doing for the past twenty years?” she asked. “You became a Sith – so obviously you have been a part of the Empire, right?”
“Yes, that is right,” he replied.
“So you have been doing your best to persecute our children?” she asked. “You’ve been helping the Empire to crush the Rebellion?”
“Yes, that was my mandate,” he said. “But once I realized that Leia was my child, I abandoned the Empire, Padmé. I rescued Leia from the Death Star; I helped the Rebellion destroy the Death Star. Surely you can see that I have changed, that there is no trace of Darth Vader left within me.”
Padmé’s eyes widened in shock at his words. “You…you’re Darth Vader?” she asked.
Anakin cast his eyes down to the floor. “Yes, for twenty years I was,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure you’d heard of him, having been in that institution for all those years.”
“I have,” she said, trying to process the information her mind was refusing to believe. “How could you be Darth Vader? He was a cyborg…a monster, a murderer!”
“I was injured on Mustafar, and nearly died,” he told her. “The mask and breath suit was the only way I could live. I recently had massive surgery to repair my injuries; Sidious had lied to me when he told me that they were irreparable. He lied to me about everything, Padmé, everything! I sacrificed everything to save you, and it was all for nothing!”
Padmé turned away from him, unable to face him any longer. “I…I can’t deal with all of this,” she said numbly. “It’s too much. I…I need to get away from here,” she said, heading for the door.
“Padmé, please,” Anakin said, trying to block her way. “Don’t leave!”
She looked up at him, and in her eyes he could see the depth of her pain, her resentment and disillusionment. “Move aside, Anakin,” she said quietly.
“I’m begging you,” he said, “please…”
“I begged you once, Anakin,” she told him coldly. “I begged you to abandon the Dark Side and come away with me to raise our child- but you chose the Dark Side over me and our baby, our babies. Stand aside, Anakin. I’m leaving.”
Anakin had no choice but to move aside so that she could pass. He watched her as she ran down the corridor and into her own room, followed by the slamming of her door. He turned back to the room where just mere hours ago everything had seemed so perfect. Something caught his eye and he walked over to the bed. Bending down he picked up the black negligee that she had been wearing when she had come into his room the previous night. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he brought the garment to his face, the scent of her surrounding him, making his agony even greater. Burying his face in the nightie, he gave in to his grief and wept.
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Post by therealthing on May 7, 2007 20:25:40 GMT -5
Chapter 43 Padmé willed herself not to look back at the house as the gondola made its way over the lake. She knew that Anakin was watching her; she could feel his eyes upon her. It wasn’t that she had doubts about her course of action; but she just couldn’t bear to see him, couldn’t bear to see the look in his eyes. I loved you, how could you do this to me? She thought in anguish, her heart aching. How could you betray me that way? Padmé had resolved to return to Theed, to her mother’s home. From there, she had no idea what would come next. All she knew at this point was that she needed to put some distance between she and Anakin in order to sort through all that she had learned. Do the children know about all this? Do they know that their father was Darth Vader? They must, she reasoned; Anakin had told her that he had saved Leia from the Death Star. And yet they have accepted him, they love him…I love him too, this wouldn’t be so painful if I didn’t. Almost as though she was incapable of controlling her actions, Padmé turned back to look at the house once more before it disappeared from view. Sure enough, she could see Anakin standing on the terrace, watching her. The sight of him only made her misery greater, and caused fresh tears to flow. She turned away, forcing herself to be strong, and did her best to put the image of his face from her mind.
Anakin watched until the gondola turned and disappeared from sight. The anguish that had filled him was slowly morphing into something darker, something volatile. You did this to me, Sidious, he thought angrily. You took her from me, just as you did twenty years ago. This time I will make you pay for it...no matter what it takes, I will see to it that you pay…
Dagobah
Luke ran through the swamp, feeling his heart hammering within his chest, his master strapped to his back. Every so often the rough terrain required him to jump over an exposed root, or leap over a large puddle, and he did so with grace and agility.
“Run! Yes,” Yoda encouraged. “A Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger... fear...aggression. The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight.”
“Is the Dark Side stronger?” Luke asked, stopping to catch his breath.
“No,” Yoda replied immediately. “Quicker, easier, more seductive.”
Luke nodded. “But…how am I to know the good side from the bad? My father was destroyed by the Dark Side, did he truly know what was happening to him?”
Yoda sighed. “Chose the Dark Side, your father did,” he told Luke.
“To save my mother,” Luke reminded him. “What choice did he have?”
“Chosen he could have to honor the Jedi code,” Yoda replied. “Personal attachments, forbidden they were. Fearful of losing his mother he was as a boy, fearful of losing his wife as a man. Fear leads to anger, and anger to the Dark Side.”
Luke considered the Jedi’s words. From what he said, it seemed as though Anakin’s destiny had been preordained, that turning to the Dark Side was part of a plan that he had no say in, as though he was merely a player in a play. “Master Yoda, do you think that his turning to the Dark Side was part of the prophecy of the Chosen One?”
“Meditated up on this I have,” Yoda replied. “Unprecedented it is that a Sith return to the Light. Highly possible it is that in order to defeat the Sith, the Chosen One must first become a Sith.”
Luke nodded. He wanted to ask Yoda a question, but was almost afraid to hear the answer. Yet, he needed to know.
“Master Yoda, do you think it’s possible that my father could turn back to the Dark Side?” he asked at last as he gently set Yoda back down on the muddy ground.
“Difficult to see, the future is,” Yoda replied. “Convinced you are of your father’s redemption? Rejected the Dark Side utterly he has?”
“I believe he has, yes,” Luke replied. “And so does Obi-Wan. I think now that my father has seen the destructiveness of the Dark Side, he will not let it into his heart again.”
Yoda nodded. “Let us hope not, young Luke,” he said at last. “A powerful Sith Vader was. Now that he has been fully restored, he would be unstoppable now.”
Yoda’s words chilled Luke. He will not allow the Dark Side to triumph, he thought resolutely. He will not let it destroy him again.
“Come,” Yoda said, seeing that Luke was becoming mired in his own thoughts. “Time for saber practice, it is.” Sixth Planet of the Hoth System
The tauntaun beneath her stomped her hoof impatiently, anxious to be on her way. Leia patted the beast’s long neck reassuringly. “I’m as eager to get back to the base as you are,” she told her mount. “But we haven’t made all the checks yet, girl. Han will be contacting us soon.”
The tauntaun snorted through her nostrils in response, causing Leia to smile. The Rebels had discovered a number of indigenous creatures over the course of the past few weeks, some of them too dangerous to consider taming, while others, like the tauntauns, were proving to be useful and even pleasant companions. Their ability to tolerate the cold and traverse even the deepest snow made them invaluable to the scouts whose job it was each day to check for any sign of Imperial presence. Leia had grown up with a pony of her own, so she was already quite an accomplished rider. Granted, a tauntaun was quite a different beast, but it didn’t take her long to get the hang of it.
“Echo Seven to Echo Two, do you read me?”
Leia brushed the snow from her comlink and activated it. “I read you, Han. Anything to report?”
“Hell no,” Han replied. “Lots of snow, plenty of ice…that’s about it.”
“Okay,” Leia said. “Let’s get back to base.”
“Sounds good to me,” Han replied. “I’ll meet you there.”
Leia nudged her tauntaun into motion with a light kick on the beast’s hindquarters. Only too happy to comply, she took off at a trot, kicking up snow as she did so. Leia held onto the reins tightly with one hand as she pulled her muffler up over her face to shield her from the bitter cold wind. Suddenly a strange feeling came over her, a feeling of tremendous anxiety, as though she was anticipating something dreadful. It’s Father, she thought as she focused her mind, he’s in pain; terrible pain…
Leia frowned, her father’s pain becoming her own. What has happened? She wondered, and the she realized what it must be. He told Mother about Mustafar, she thought. She knows… Giving her animal another nudge, she urged her to go a little faster. I have to talk to him, Leia thought anxiously. I have to make sure he’s alright. Leia rubbed her hands together to warm them as she sat at the comm. screen in her quarters. Who says rank doesn’t have privilege? She reflected with a smile as she thought back to how she had convinced General Dodonna that she, as a member of the Senate and a princess ought to have her own personal communication station. If he knew who my real father was, he never would have agreed to it…
Leia waited impatiently for one of her parents to respond to her hail. She had calculated the time difference, and reasoned that it was not nighttime there, it was not even midway. So where are they? Finally she saw Anakin appear, and relaxed. However, when she saw the look in his eyes, the anxiety returned. It still amazed her that she had been able to sense his distress from clear across the galaxy.
“What’s wrong?” she asked without preamble.
“She knows,” he told her simply.
“Mother?”
Anakin nodded.
“She didn’t take it well, then,” Leia said, stating the obvious.
“That is an understatement,” Anakin replied. “She is furious, hurt, resentful….not that I can blame her. She has every right to feel that way.”
Leia nodded. “Yes, she does,” she agreed. “But she loves you, Dad,” she reminded him. “She will get past her anger.”
“I don’t know, Leia,” Anakin replied. “I’ve never seen her so upset. She has gone back to Theed, she can’t even stand to be around me.”
“Well maybe that’s for the best,” Leia said, trying her best to make the situation more bearable for her father. “Give her some space and some time, and she’ll come around.”
Anakin sighed. “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “You didn’t see the look in her eyes, Leia. She may never come back to me. I may have lost her forever.”
“No, I won’t accept that,” Leia replied with a frown. “I know she loves you, Dad. The way she looks at you makes it plain to see. Once she has time to think about everything, she will see that you took a tremendous risk in helping her regain her memory. You knew that she would remember everything sooner or later, and yet you were still determined to help her do so. That says a lot about the sort of man you are.”
“Perhaps,” he concurred, looking down at his hands folded on top of the desk. “Perhaps she will never want to see me again.”
Leia looked at her father, her heart aching for him. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I wish I was there for you right now.”
Anakin looked up at her. “You are,” he told her with a smile. “You always seem to know when I need to see your face.”
Leia smiled. “I knew you were feeling down,” she told him. “I just sensed it. I’m sorry you are, but I’m confident that she will forgive you in time.”
“How can you be so sure?” he asked.
“I have foreseen it,” she told him with a smile.
Anakin laughed, surprising himself. “Do you know how much I love you, Leia?” he told her.
Leia nodded, trying not to let herself get emotional. “I think so,” she said. “But it’s nice to hear it all the same. I love you too, Dad.” Dagobah
Luke woke up in the middle of the night from a very vivid dream. He had been dreaming of his father. Something is wrong, Luke thought as he sat up in his sleeping bag. Something is very wrong…
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Post by therealthing on May 8, 2007 19:58:11 GMT -5
Chapter 44 Padmé arrived in Theed later that afternoon. She had been considering her options throughout the long trip, and had made a decision.
Jobal was shocked to see her younger daughter walk through the door, particularly since she was alone.
"Padmé! What are you doing here?" Jobal asked, walking over to meet her. "Where is Anakin?"
"He's still up at the lake retreat," Padmé replied. "I've left him, Mum," she told her. "I remember everything now, and I don't want anything to do with him."
Jobal frowned "What?" she cried. "I don't understand! What happened? What did you remember that was so terrible that you'd leave the man you so obviously adore?"
Padmé did not reply at first, but Jobal could see in her eyes how devastated she was.
"Padmé, what is it?" Jobal asked gently, taking her daughter's hand. "Tell me what happened."
"Oh Mum," Padmé said as the tears filled her eyes. "He…I…" she put her face in her hands and broke down, the grief finally getting the better of her.
Jobal wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her close as she wept; knowing that right now that was all she needed. In time Padmé would calm down enough to tell her what happened, but for now, she just needed her mother, and a shoulder to cry on. "Here now," Jobal said a little while later, handing Padmé a cup of tea. "A good cup of tea is always good for what ails you," she said with a smile. She sat down with her daughter. "Do you feel like talking now?"
Padmé sipped at the hot tea. "I think so," she said finally. She sighed, and then looked up at her mother. "I know now why I had amnesia," she said. "I know what happened to me on the day the twins were born."
Jobal nodded. "I see," she replied. "Does it have something to do with Anakin?"
"Yes," Padmé said quietly, staring back down into her cup. "It has everything to do with him. He…he tried to kill me, Mum. On the day the twins were born, Anakin choked me."
Jobal could not respond for a moment, her daughter's words had shocked her so. "What?" she cried. "He choked you?? Padmé, you can't be remembering correctly! Anakin loves you! He would never do such a thing!"
"I thought that too," Padmé replied. "But it's true, Mum. He turned on me, he thought I'd betrayed him, and he tried to kill me for it." She looked back up at her mother. "There's so much about him you don't know, Mum," she said. "So much I didn't remember until just today. He turned to the Dark Side, and for the past twenty years he has been Darth Vader. He was instrumental in the slaughter of the Jedi, he has committed such acts of cruelty and barbarism…" she stood up, becoming agitated again. "And he tried to kill me…while I was carrying his children."
Jobal sat in stunned, horrified silence. "Oh, Padmé," she said at last, feeling a chill go down her spine. "I…I don't understand any of this! How can that good, decent man who was here just days ago be Darth Vader? Why would he go to all the trouble to take you out of that place and help you remember your past if he had done all those things? Surely he knew you would remember them too."
Padmé had thought of that, and she was at a loss to understand why he had wanted her to regain her memory if that memory entailed Mustafar. "I don't know," she said at last. "I don't begin to understand. All I know is he stole twenty years of my life from me," she said bitterly. "And robbed me of my children. My children, who I have not seen since they were seconds old."
"I'm so sorry," Jobal said, looking up at her with tears in her eyes. "I can only imagine how you must feel. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find my children," Padmé said turning to her mother. "I need them, Mum, now more than ever."
Jobal nodded. "Yes, of course you do, just as they need you. Where will you go to find them?"
"They are not together right now, unfortunately," Padmé replied. "Luke is on Dagobah, which is closer. I will go there first. I will not let any more time slip away from me, Mum. Too much time has been lost, time that I could have spent with my babies. It is time to be a mother to them."
Jobal smiled. "Now that sounds like the Padmé I know and love." Padmé spent a restless night in her old bedroom. The images from that horrible day on Mustafar bombarded her relentlessly. No wonder I blocked out what happened on that day…she reflected as she tossed and turned in her bed. I wish I could do so now... Finally sleep came, but it was a restive sleep, rife with images of her husband's face. She didn't realize it but in her sleep she called his name several times, just as she had in the days following the birth of their twins. Their one night together had unlocked the memories of so many nights just like that one, and they were like torture to her now. Her mind could not reconcile the man she remembered from those tender moments with the monster who had turned to her with murder in his eyes and in his heart. Who are you, Skywalker or Vader? Jedi or Sith? Lover or monster?
Padmé was not the only one who spent a restless night. Anakin had wandered aimlessly around the lake retreat for the rest of the day, feeling lost and alone. Where do I go now? He wondered. What is the purpose of my life now that my angel has rejected me? The thought of joining the Rebel Alliance had crossed his mind; it would be perfect revenge against the Empire and its loathsome emperor to add his enormous strength to theirs. Yet, given the way he was treated the last time he was in their midst, it wasn't too likely that they would welcome his assistance. So where then? Where?
Sleep was hard to come by that night; the memories of his wife were too fresh in his mind to allow it. The memories of the previous night were like torture to him now, and he cursed himself for his weakness. Perhaps if things had not escalated to that point her anger would not have been so great. But how was I to resist her? After twenty years without her, how could I possibly stop what happened? He hadn't wanted to stop it, if he was to be totally truthful. He had wanted her from the moment he first saw her wandering in the gardens of the institution she was in. It had been exceedingly difficult to resist her all this time. But he had, because deep down he knew that this would happen, that she would be furious and push him away. And that is exactly what had happened. At least I have my children, Anakin thought as he tossed and turned in the large, lonely bed. Leia…my sweet Leia, what would I do without you? He realized that were it not for his daughter, he may have spent the rest of his life in darkness. Her acceptance of him, her faith in his humanity had been key to his redemption. She loved him, warts and all, and it was that love that kept him from slipping. Can Padmé find that sort of acceptance in her heart? Can she learn to love me again after everything I did to her? Anakin reached over to the second pillow in his bed, and pulled something out from under it. It was the negligee that Padmé had worn the previous night. He brought it to his face, trying to capture the scent of her on its silken fabric. Closing his eyes, he kept the garment close to his face as he drifted into a restless sleep.
Star Destroyer Executor
Firmus Piett had always been a man who valued his honor above all else. For him, a man without honor was a man who could not be trusted. Darth Ferreus was such a man. And now Piett found himself in the unenviable position of having to answer directly to him, to do his best to appear to respect a man whom he secretly despised.
Ozzel had despised Ferreus; but he had been open about it, and it had cost him his life. Piett was not about to make that same mistake. If he had learned anything in his years as an Imperial officer, it was how to hide his true feelings. This skill would serve him well now, of that he was certain.
Another message had been detected originating in the Hoth System. Piett was by now certain that the probe droid they had sent out days earlier would give them the proof he needed, proof of the existence of a Rebel base in that system. He had not yet informed Ferreus of his suspicions; the last thing he needed was to be proven wrong and have Ferreus decide to ‘punish’ him for his error. No, he had decided to wait and see. Should he prove to be correct, then he would inform the Dark Lord.
After all, it did not seem like Ferreus was particularly interested anyway, he spent such little time on the bridge. Perhaps he felt now that Ozzel was dead, and had been made an example to the rest of the crew, he could continue his life of ill repute without fear of anyone spying on him.
“Admiral, I think we’ve got something sir,” Captain Reyal informed Piett as the admiral arrived at the bridge. “The report is only a fragment, but it’s the best lead we’ve had.”
“From the Hoth System?” Piett asked.
“Yes sir,” Reyal replied. “I think we’ve got them, sir.”
Piett nodded, and then followed Reyal to a monitor where the faint yet recognizable image of a power generator was seen amidst the blowing snows of the sixth planet of the system. A power generator could only mean one thing: humans.
“I think you’re right,” Piett said. “Set your course for the Hoth System at once, Reyal, and have General Veers ready his troops.”
“Right away sir!”
Naboo-Naberrie Home
Padmé woke up early the next morning. It had been a rough night for her; what little sleep she had managed to get was full of Anakin, which made putting him out of her mind next to impossible.
Ryoo was already up and eating breakfast when Padmé entered the kitchen.
“Good morning,” Ryoo said. “How are you this morning?”
“I’m alright,” Padmé said, kissing her niece on the cheek. “Didn’t sleep much, though.”
“I’m not surprised,” Ryoo replied. “Grandmum told me what happened. I’m so sorry, Auntie Padmé.”
Padmé merely nodded as she poured herself a cup of tea. “I see,” she said.
“What are you going to do?” Ryoo asked as Padmé joined her at the table.
“I’m going to see my children,” Padmé told her. “I’m leaving this morning for Dagobah.”
“Dagobah?” Ryoo asked. “That’s nothing but back water, a big swamp.”
Padmé nodded as she sipped her tea. “Yes, but it is also where my son is training to be a Jedi,” she replied. “And I have been apart from my children too long, Ryoo. I won’t let another day pass without being with at least one of them.”
“Where is Leia?” Ryoo asked.
“She is with the Rebel Alliance,” Padmé explained. “In the Hoth System. I’m not sure going there would be wise; I would hate to be the reason they are discovered by the Empire.”
“Perhaps you can arrange to meet her elsewhere,” suggested Ryoo. “I’m sure she is as anxious to meet you as you are to meet her.”
“Yes, I know she is,” Padmé replied.
Ryoo studied her aunt, wanting to ask her something, but not wishing to upset her.
“Can I ask you something?” Ryoo said at last.
“Of course,” Padmé replied. “What is it?”
“How do you know when you’re in love?” she asked. “I think I may love Jarred, but I’m not sure.”
Padmé smiled. “There’s no mistaking that feeling, Ryoo,” she replied. “How do you feel when you’re around him?”
Ryoo thought for a moment, a dreamy expression in her eyes. “Well, I feel sort of tingly inside, almost like butterflies. Sometimes I can’t stop thinking about him, sometimes just the sight of him makes me giggle like an idiot…when I’m not with him, I feel like…like…”
“Like a part of you is missing?” Padmé offered.
Ryoo nodded. “Yes, that’s it exactly!” she replied. She sighed. “Does that sound like love to you?”
Padmé nodded. “Yes,” she replied softly. “It does.”
Ryoo could tell that Padmé was thinking of her husband, and regretted bringing the whole subject up. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It was thoughtless of me to ask you such a thing right now.”
“Don’t apologize,” Padmé replied, standing up to refresh her cup. “I know exactly what you’re feeling, Ryoo. It’s a beautiful thing to be falling in love.”
“You still love him, don’t you?” Ryoo asked.
Padmé looked at her niece as she sat down, startled by her question. Did she love him still? Would his betrayal hurt so much if she didn’t?”
“Yes,” Padmé replied at last. “I love him. I think I always will, Ryoo. But that isn’t enough, not after what I learned yesterday.”
Ryoo thought about that for a moment. “Are you sure it isn’t?” she asked as she stood up. “Seems to me that the kind of love that exists between the two of you ought to be able to conquer anything.” She glanced at her wrist chrono. “Time for me to get going,” she said. She bent and kissed her aunt. “Have a safe trip,” she said. “And come home soon.”
“I will,” Padmé said as she watched her niece leave. Love isn’t enough to save you, Padmé, only my new powers can do that…Anakin’s words jumped to mind in light of the conversation she’d just had with Ryoo. Perhaps love might have saved us then, Anakin, but it can’t save us now. Perhaps nothing can. Placing her empty cup in the dishwasher, Padmé returned to her room to start packing, pushing the thought of her husband out of her mind again.
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Post by therealthing on May 11, 2007 18:56:57 GMT -5
Chapter 45 Planet Dagobah
Luke’s day began early, as it always did, with a brisk jog through the swamp. It was an invigorating way to start the day, and Luke found he was actually enjoying the vigorous physical training. Yoda was proving to be a demanding master, pushing Luke to the limits of his physical endurance as well as challenging his mind with the nuances of the Jedi philosophy.
Yoda had been skeptical about training Luke initially. The boy was almost twenty years old, far too old in Yoda’s estimation to begin the training. But Luke was the son of the Chosen One; training him as a Jedi was the only way to ensure that he did not fall into the same Darkness that had claimed his father.
Yoda had tested Luke many times, playing the devil’s advocate to ascertain where the boy’s loyalties were. It was clear that Luke had tremendous admiration for his father, and saw his fall to the Dark Side as tragic and something beyond Anakin’s control. This concerned Yoda; for as much as Anakin had been manipulated by Palpatine, there had been a point at which Anakin clearly had chosen the Dark Side, and Luke was unable or perhaps unwilling to see this. So long as Luke remained convinced that free will had nothing to do with Anakin’s fall, he would not truly understand that nature of the Darkness that had destroyed him.
As for Luke, it astonished him that the old master was still clinging to the archaic notions that the Jedi Order had held fast to for so many centuries. Didn’t Yoda see that it was because of the rigidity of these rules that Anakin had succumbed to the Dark Side? That were it not for the strictness of the Code that Anakin would have been able to seek the help he needed without seeking out the Sith?
Luke found his master standing outside of the small hut he called home. The old Jedi was deep in thought.
“Master Yoda?” Luke said. “Is something wrong?”
Yoda turned and looked up at Luke. “Not wrong,” he said. “Unexpected…but not wrong. Stretch out with your feelings, Luke. You will know what I sense.”
Luke nodded and closed his eyes, calming himself, opening his mind to the Force. Someone is here…he realized at once. Someone who is looking for me. He opened his eyes and looked at Yoda. “Who is it?” he asked.
“Let us go and see,” he said as he started off. Luke followed his master through the swamp to the only place where a ship could be landed amid the quagmire. A small Nubian vessel had just landed, and the sight of it filled Luke with a strange sense of familiarity. He knew the person in the ship; he could feel the connection with them even before they emerged from the ship. He watched as the hatch opened, as though in slow motion, and a slender figure emerged, their face obscured by the flight helmet. The person turned and, upon seeing Luke, stopped.
My son, Padmé thought as she stared at the young man looking up at her. The resemblance he bore to Anakin was staggering, and it rendered her speechless for a moment. Realizing he probably had no idea who she was, she took off her helmet, revealing her face to him at last.
Luke smiled, seeing his sister in her face. This was the face he had seen in his dreams, the face that had comforted him as a child when he’d had nightmares. My mother, he thought as a constriction formed in his throat, preventing him from speaking. “Senator Amidala,” Yoda said at last, smiling at her. “Seeing you again after so many years warms my heart.”
Padmé tore her eyes away from her son to look at Yoda. “It is good to see you again as well, Yoda,” she said, speaking for the first time. She carefully made her way down the nose of her ship and jumped into the water. Luke watched as she gracefully swam to the shore, and ran over to meet her on her other side.
“Mother!” he said simply, throwing his arms around her, not caring if he was becoming as wet as she was in the process.
“Luke,” Padmé replied, holding him tightly. “At last!”
Yoda watched the emotional reunion of mother and son. Padmé’s arrival here was most unexpected, and it would no doubt distract Luke from his training. But he felt that it was the least he owed them, having separated them all those years ago.
“I hope you don’t mind me showing up here unannounced,” Padmé said at last. “I simply had to see you, Luke.”
Luke shook his head. “Mind?” he asked. “Of course I don’t mind! I’ve been dying to meet you!”
Padmé smiled. “My son, my beautiful son,” she said touching his face lightly. “You look so much like your father,” she added, the thought of him bringing a touch of sadness to her eyes.
“Where is he? Where is my father?” Luke asked. “He isn’t with you?”
Padmé shook her head. “No,” she replied. “I’m afraid not.”
Luke frowned. “You know, don’t you?” he asked, realizing that she had learned the truth about Mustafar. “You know what happened on the day Leia and I were born.”
“Yes, I know everything now,” Padmé replied quietly.
“Let us go to my home,” Yoda said at last. “A warm fire is what you need, Senator. Tired you must be.”
“Not tired, Yoda,” Padmé replied. “Just anxious to see my children,” she added, looking back at Luke and taking his hand.
Luke smiled. “Come with me,” he said. “We have so much to talk about.” Naboo-Lake Retreat
Anakin had never liked the rain much; but at this particular moment, he detested it. A steady downpour had prevented him from leaving the lake retreat, and he was beginning to climb the walls.
Not that he really had any place to go; he was a man in limbo at the moment. He was sorely tempted to go to Theed, where he suspected Padmé had gone. He had not seen her in nearly forty-eight hours, and missed her terribly.
Despite her anger, Anakin knew that she loved him. He only hoped that love would be enough to enable her to forgive him. But in order for her to do that, Anakin realized that he needed to give her time. He had never been a patient man, but knew that right now that was what he needed to be. Padmé would not appreciate him showing up at her mother’s home, not right now. No, she needed time and room to assimilate all that she had learned. It was a lot to deal with at once; her reaction had been completely natural. Anakin could only hope that given time to put everything into perspective she would realize that he was no longer the monster who had attacked her all those years ago, that all he wanted now was to make amends for his crimes and to cherish the family he had been estranged from for so long.
I just hope that you know, Anakin, that no matter what you tell me, it won’t change the way I feel about you. I hope you realize that, and know how much I love you…Padmé had said mere days ago. Did you mean it, Angel? He thought to himself. Or is this just too much to forgive?
Theed was out; Hoth was another possibility, however. Anakin wanted desperately to see his daughter. Yet, he felt that his presence there would raise too many questions, and he did not want to put Leia through that again. That left only one place: Dagobah. Master Yoda would be thrilled to see me, I’m sure, he thought wryly. No doubt the Jedi Master would be shocked to learn of his transformation, his redemption. Will he accept that I’ve changed? Or will he refuse to believe that I could after what I did? Anakin decided that Yoda’s opinion of him was irrelevant: he needed to see his son, and that is just what he would do. Luke needs his father and I need my son…if Yoda doesn’t like it, that’s just too bloody bad, he decided at last. Having made his mind up, he returned to the window, doing his best to remain patient until the rain stopped. Sixth Planet of the Hoth System
I’ll have to remember to thank the genius who thought this ice cube would make a good location for a base, Han Solo thought irritably as he sat atop his tauntaun surveying the bleak landscape around him.
Han had begun to get restless here, the rigidity of the quasi-military lifestyle chafed against his sense of adventure and independence. If it weren’t for Princess Leia, he’d have taken off weeks earlier. He just couldn’t bring himself to leave, despite the fact that he knew Jabba the Hutt had undoubtedly set an enormous bounty on his head. Soon, he kept telling himself, soon. But when Luke had departed for Dagobah, the princess had become so miserable without her twin that Han didn’t have the heart to leave her. As much as he hated to admit it, he was falling in love with the feisty princess. She drove him crazy most of the time, but under her tough, assertive exterior, he could tell she had a kind heart, a gentle soul and a sensitive nature. And so he stayed here, in this barren wasteland of ice and cold, and did what he could to help the Rebel cause.
At the moment, that meant searching the vicinity for any sign of Imperial infiltration. They had been on the icy world for weeks now, and there had been no sign that the Empire had come close to finding them. Han, however, knew that it was only a matter of time before they did. Even without Darth Vader, they had tremendous resources, and would stop at nothing until they found the Rebels and crushed them.
“Echo two to Echo seven, do you read me Han?”
“Loud and clear, sweetheart,” he replied, brushing snow from his comlink as he spoke into it. “What’s up?”
“I think I saw something,” Leia replied. “It could me a meteorite, but I think I should check it out.”
An uneasy feeling started growing within Han at her statement. “Where are you, Leia?”
“Uh…twenty-seven meters north of you,” she said after a moment. “Why?”
“I’m coming to check too,” he said, kicking his tauntaun into motion. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Don’t be silly,” Leia chided. “I can handle this myself.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t,” argued Han. “But humor me, okay princess?”
Leia sighed, smiling at the back-handed chivalry that she had come to expect from Han Solo. “If you insist,” she said. “Hurry up, I’m freezing out here.”
“No, really?” Han quipped. “I’ll be right there.”
Han didn’t take long to reach the location where Leia was. He took out his binoculars and aimed them in the direction Leia indicated.
“crap,” he said softly when he recognized the droid that was floating slowly amidst the snow drifts. “Looks like an Imperial probe droid, Leia.”
She nodded. “Yes, that’s what I thought too,” she said, an uneasy feeling growing within her. “Do you think it’s had a chance to transmit anything yet?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “If it has, we’re in big trouble.”
“Echo two to Echo Base,” Leia said, activating her comlink.
“Echo Base here, go ahead.”
“We’ve found something,” she said. “Scan the northeast quadrant, zone twenty three. Han and I think it could be an Imperial probe droid.”
There was silence on the other end, as the men in the base reacted to her words. “Echo two, could you repeat?”
“An Imperial probe droid,” Leia repeated tersely. “Scan it!”
“Right away!”
“We have to destroy it,” Han told her. “Before it gets a good look around.”
Leia nodded. “It may already have done that,” she said.
“Maybe,” he conceded, drawing his blaster. “But maybe not.”
He aimed in the direction of the moving droid, waited a few more seconds to give the Base a chance to scan it, and then fired. The droid exploded in a shower of metal parts.
“Let’s take a closer look,” Leia said, as she urged her beast forward.
Han followed suit as the two of them approached the place where the droid had exploded. What they saw did not give them much information, for it was just a pile of rubble at this point.
“Echo two this is Echo Base. What happened? We were scanning and then…”
“Han destroyed it,” Leia explained. “Did you get a read out?”
“We did,” the Base replied. “It was transmitting a code, not one any of us, even 3P0 recognized.”
Leia looked at Han. “Looks like the Empire knows we’re here,” she said.
Han nodded. “Let’s go,” he said. “Looks like we’re going to get some visitors mighty soon.”
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Post by therealthing on May 13, 2007 11:38:37 GMT -5
Chapter 46 The heat of the fire was welcoming as Padmé sat cross-legged in front of it with her son. She was comfortable now, her clothes almost dry thanks to its warmth. Padmé could not stop looking at Luke, as though trying to memorize every facet of his face. The fact that he had his father's eyes made Padmé's resolve to put Anakin out of her mind impossible.
"Surprised I am to see you," Yoda told Padmé as he handed her a steaming cup of cider.
"Thank you," Padmé said as she took the cup. "I needed to see my son," she told Yoda, smiling at Luke. "What is so surprising about that?"
"You're upset with Father," Luke stated, sensing his mother's confusion.
Padmé sighed. It was clear that Luke idolized his father, and she as not about to tarnish his image of Anakin. "I'm hurt, Luke," she replied. "Disillusioned, shocked…It's hard to reconcile the man I married with the monster he became."
"Perhaps remembering that it was in the past is the key," Yoda suggested gently. "Redeemed he is, is he not?"
"I don't know now," Padmé replied. "I'm utterly confused by what I know now." She looked at Luke. "And yet you and your sister have total faith in him, don't you?"
Luke nodded. "It was a shock for us too at first," he admitted. "Obi-Wan told me that Darth Vader had murdered my father. So learning that he was my father…you can imagine how hard that was to hear."
Padmé nodded. "I'm sure it must have been devastating," she replied quietly, staring down at the hot cider in her cup. "I know what that feels like."
"Did he tell you what happened on the Death Star?" Luke asked.
"He told me that he helped Leia escape," Padmé replied.
"He did a lot more than that," Luke told her. "He sabotaged the primary weapons array, preventing the destruction of Alderaan. He ensured that all of us were able to leave the Death Star safely and even pointed out the station's weakness to the Alliance to help us destroy it. I fought in that battle, Mother. I could hear my father's voice in my head, and it was the voice of my real father, not Darth Vader. He was guiding me, encouraging me, and I know without his encouragement I never would have survived that battle."
Padmé listened to her son's narrative, amazed by his description of a man she had written off as being nothing but a monster. "But…Darth Vader murdered hundreds, thousands!" she replied. "How can he be that man you just described if he did all that?"
"The Dark Side, relentless it is," Yoda remarked at this point. "Like madness it is, once it has taken control. Seeing his children has released its hold on Vader. Their love for him has redeemed him."
"And his love for us," Luke put in. "He knew that he was risking execution by helping Leia and me escape, but he didn't hesitate to do so. Doesn't that sound like the actions of a redeemed man? A man who merits a second chance?"
“Perhaps,” Padmé replied. “I suppose I’m just numbed by the whole thing, Luke. What happened on that day you and Leia were born was what caused me to lose my memory. It was the reason the three of us have been apart all these years. That isn’t an easy thing to get over.”
“Of course not,” Luke concurred. “And I’m not saying I was able to accept the truth over night. But in time I did; perhaps in time you will as well. You love him, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Padmé replied without hesitation. “This wouldn’t be so difficult if I didn’t.”
“Then give yourself time,” Luke advised. “Don’t be so sure that you will never be able to accept him.”
Padmé regarded her son for a moment before she replied. “How did you get so wise?” she asked him with a smile.
Luke shrugged a sheepish smile on his face. “I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe all this Jedi stuff is starting to wear off on me.”
Padmé couldn’t help but laugh at his comment. She leaned over and hugged him tight. “I’m so glad I came here,” she told him.
Luke hugged her back. “So am I,” he told her. “I’ve waited a life time to meet you, Mom.”
Sixth Planet of the Hoth System
The Rebel Base was a flurry of activity as they prepared to evacuate the ice planet. It seemed that they had just started to become accustomed to the cold when they were forced to move yet again. But at least this time they had some advanced warning. Of course, with the Empire anything was possible.
It was universally recognized that the Empire had lost some of their edge. The Rebel leaders refused to believe that Vader had not returned to the Empire, despite the fact that he had so blatantly turned against them in aiding the Rebels destroy the Death Star. None of them could conceive of the notion that he was able to be redeemed, that he was anything more than a monster.
It had been difficult for Leia to listen to the way her allies spoke about her father. It had been difficult not to defend him as she so ardently wanted to; but she realized that it would raise too many questions, and that was the last thing she needed. Obi-Wan had managed to conveniently alter General Dodonna’s knowledge of Vader’s true identity, which had made life a lot easier for Leia, particularly since she had taken her birth name as her own.
“Anything to report?” General Reikan asked as he entered the command center.
Leia looked up from the screen she was studying. “No sign yet, General,” she said. “We have been monitoring around the clock.”
Reikan nodded. “With all the meteor activity in this system it’s going to be difficult to detect them until they’re right on top of us,” he grumbled.
“Yes, I know,” Leia replied, not taking her eyes from the screen. “But the shield is in place, we’ll have time to get off the planet before they can reach us.”
“Let’s hope so,” Reikan replied.
Star Destroyer Executor
“Piett, what the hell is going on?”
Piett turned to see Darth Ferreus storming onto the bridge.
“We are en route to the Hoth System, my lord,” Piett replied. “We are following a lead.”
“A lead?” Ferreus asked. “You mean…the Rebels?”
“Yes sir,” Piett replied patiently. “A report from a probe droid as well as several transmissions…”
“And why wasn’t I informed??” Ferreus demanded angrily. “I am the commander of this vessel, Piett, or have you forgotten that?”
“No, I have not forgotten sir,” Piett replied, doing his best to keep his temper in check. “Everything has just happened so quickly, that there was simply no time to fill you in, sir. And I rather had the impression that you were...busy.”
Ferreus looked at Piett, trying to determine if he was being sarcastic. He decided that he was not. “And so?” he asked. “When do we arrive? How soon until we crush the rebel bastards?”
“Very soon, my lord,” Piett replied, gratified that he was able to placate the irrational Ferreus. “We are preparing to make the reversion to sub light at any moment.”
“Good,” Ferreus replied. He did not want to admit that he was at a loss to know what to do next.
“General Veers is preparing a surface attack,” Piett said, realizing that Ferreus was totally clueless. “Squadrons of clones as well as two dozen ATAT’s are ready to land as soon as we reach the planet.”
“Good,” Ferreus said, pleased with Piett’s efficiency. “Inform me when we reach the planet.”
“Of course sir,” Piett replied. He watched as Ferreus left the bridge, breathing a sigh of relief as he did so. The last thing he needed was the incompetent fool underfoot when there was serious business to attend to.
Ferreus wasted little time in making contact with the emperor to inform him of the latest developments.
“I assume you have good news more me, Ferreus,” Palpatine intoned, his huge image towering over Ferreus’ kneeling form.
“Yes, my master,” Ferreus said. “I have good news,” he said. “We are about to arrive at the Hoth System. The rebel base will be crushed, my master. We have them.”
Palpatine’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Indeed?” he replied, making a mental note to determine the officer who would receive a commendation for finding them, as obviously Ferreus was incapable of such intelligence. “Well done, Lord Ferreus, very well done indeed.”
Ferreus smiled, pleased that his master was so happy with his, or rather Piett’s work.
“I want the Skywalker twins,” Palpatine continued. “Be sure that they are not harmed in the attack on the base. If you fail, you know what fate awaits you. But should you succeed,” Palpatine stopped, trying to determine the most efficacious way to motivate the shallow young man before him. He smirked when he realized what it was. “If you succeed, you may have the Skywalker girl as your prize.”
Ferreus’ eyes widened. “The daughter of Skywalker?” he asked.
Palpatine nodded. “Yes, but only if you bring them both to me. I want them both, do you understand? The boy and the girl, or else the deal is off.”
“I understand, my master,” Ferreus replied. “I will not fail you.”
“See to it that you don’t,” Palpatine replied and then his image faded from view.
Ferreus stood up, the image of Princess Leia jumping to his mind. He smiled at the thought of having her as his own, of rubbing it in Skywalker’s face that his precious girl had been given to him as a prize by his master and used like so much common trash. With this thought in mind, he returned to the bridge to check on the progress of the impending attack.
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Post by therealthing on May 13, 2007 21:37:15 GMT -5
Chapter 47
Naboo Lake Retreat
The rain finally let up after keeping Anakin a virtual prisoner for two days. It was with mixed feelings that he left the retreat; the many wonderful times he'd shared there with Padmé had always made this a magical place for him. But now- the last memory of his wife was the pain and disillusionment in her eyes.
You stole my children from me! You stole twenty years of my life from me! Twenty years that I will never get back!
Her words still echoed in his mind, her accusations still stung. Yet despite her anger, he knew that Padmé still loved him. The manner in which she had so unabashedly seduced him proved it. She loved him and she wanted him. Anakin could only hope that this would be enough to enable her to forgive him in time.
Theed was busy, as always, when Anakin finally reached it. He stopped at a local market and bought some provisions. Knowing Yoda, he realized that it had probably been a long time since Luke had enjoyed some good food. And if he's anything like me he'll be ready to eat a Bantha by now, he reflected with a smile.
The thought of seeing his son excited Anakin, and helped alleviate some of the melancholy he found himself mired in. It had been many years since he had found himself in the part of the galaxy where Dagobah was located, but he remembered it well. Many a battle had been fought in this quadrant during the Clone Wars.
There it is…Dagobah, Anakin thought as he dropped out of hyperspace. He brought his mind into oneness with the Force to determine where he would find his son, sensing first Yoda’s distinctive signature, and then Luke’s luminous presence on the planet below. He smiled, sensing that Luke had grown stronger since he had seen him last. He will make a great Jedi, he thought proudly. As will Leia… He wished that he could see her as well, but realized that now was not the time. It was his hope that the Alliance would accept him at some point. And then he could join his children in their crusade against the Empire that he had helped create. With the three of us working together, Sidious doesn’t stand a chance.
Starting his descent to the planet surface, Anakin was struck by another familiar presence in the vicinity. This was not a Force aura that he sensed, but he recognized it nonetheless. It was his wife. Surprised that she had been adventurous enough to come all this way, Anakin realized that she would be less than happy to see him at this point. After all, they had not parted on the most cordial of terms; no doubt she was still angry, and perhaps would even think he had followed her here. And convincing her otherwise will not be easy…
Night had fallen upon the northern hemisphere of the small planet as Anakin landed his craft on the marshy surface. The lights from his vessel illuminated the vicinity enough for him to make out two other vessels nearby, as well as a makeshift camp site erected on one of the drier parts of the terrain. Luke, he realized, sensing his boy’s presence close by. But where is his mother?
Anakin made his way through the quagmire and approached the camp site, treading carefully over the variable terrain. As he drew closer to the canvas tent where he assumed his son was sleeping, he sensed movement within, and the flap was opened to reveal Luke standing there, blaster in hand.
“Who is it?” he asked, his eyes trying to make out the form that was approaching him in the dark.
“It’s me, Luke,” Anakin said. “It’s your father.”
“Father?” Luke said, lowering his weapon at once. “What are you doing here?”
Anakin reached his son and put a hand on his shoulder. “Does a father need a reason to see his boy?” he asked with a smile. “I missed you, is that a good enough reason?”
Luke smiled. “Sure is,” he said. “I missed you too. Come on in.”
Anakin bent down to enter the tent as Luke turned on his lamp.
“Your mother is here, isn’t she?” Anakin asked as he sat down.
Luke nodded as he joined his father. “Yeah, she got here yesterday,” he said. “It was amazing to finally meet her,” he added with a smile.
“I’m sure it must have been, for both of you,” Anakin replied. “I’m not so sure she’ll be too happy to see me, though.”
“She’s pretty upset,” Luke replied. “But surely you expected she would be.”
“Yes, I didn’t expect any less,” Anakin admitted. “I only hope that in time she will forgive me. I’m miserable without her, Luke.”
“She’s miserable without you,” Luke told him. “Yes, she’s angry, but it’s so obvious how much she loves you, Dad. She’ll come around, just give her some time.”
Anakin nodded. “Yes, that was my plan,” he said. “I had no idea she’d come here, otherwise I’d not have come right now. She’ll probably think I followed her here.”
Luke smiled. “Didn’t you?” he asked.
“No, I didn’t,” Anakin replied. “I swear it! I sensed her presence only when I reached the planet, but by then I wasn’t about to turn back.”
“Don’t worry, Dad,” Luke said. “It will be okay.”
Anakin sighed, rubbing his bristly chin with one hand. “I hope you’re right, Luke,” he said. He looked around the small tent. “Well, maybe we ought to try to get some sleep,” he said. “If I know Master Yoda, he’s working you pretty hard.”
“You might say so,” Luke replied with a smile.
Anakin laughed. “Oh, before I forget,” he said, reaching for his duffle bag. “I thought you might be hungry,” he said, opening the bag and puling out a package. He handed it to Luke.
“Hungry?” Luke said, taking the package. “Have you seen the stuff that Yoda calls food??”
Anakin laughed again. “Yes, I have,” he said. “That’s why I brought you some real food.”
Luke unwrapped the package, nearly salivating upon seeing its contents. He looked up at his father. “You’re the best,” he said with a smile.
Anakin smiled. “Thanks,” he said with a yawn as he tried to make himself comfortable on the hard ground.
Luke helped himself to the snack, devouring much of it in short order as his father drifted off to sleep. Star Destroyer Executor
Piett stood on the bridge waiting to give the command that would bring the Imperial fleet out of light speed. He knew that were they to revert back to sub light too close to the system, the Rebels would be alerted to their presence. The element of surprise must be maintained if the attack were to be effective; the Rebels were simply too slippery. I cannot let them get away, Piett thought to himself. Not if I value my life.
“Distance to the Hoth System,” Piett asked. “Point two parsecs, sir,” Captain Reyal replied. “Shall I alert General Veers?”
Piett nodded. “Yes,” he said. “Tell him to ready his men and be prepared to go to the surface within the next thirty minutes.”
“Acknowledged sir,” Reyal replied.
“Report!”
Piett and Reyal turned to see their commander entering the bridge.
“We are about to enter the Hoth System, my lord,” Piett replied. “Preparing to make the reversion to sub light speed.”
“Well, what’s the delay?” Ferreus asked impatiently.
“My lord, if we enter the system too soon, they will detect us,” Piett explained patiently, starting to feel as though he were talking to a child. A spoiled rotten, psychotic child…. “The element of surprise will be ours if we are patient just a little while longer.”
“Just be sure you don’t mess this up, Piett,” Ferreus replied threateningly. “I would hate to report your incompetence to the Emperor.”
Piett had to bite back his response, and merely nodded at the vile man before him. He turned back to Reyal lest his face betray the anger and revulsion he was feeling at that moment. “Distance, Reyal,” he said.
“Optimum distance, sir,” Reyal replied.
Piett nodded. “Commence reversion at once,” he said. “And raise our shields.” He turned back to Ferreus. “We’ve arrived, sir.”
Sixth Planet of the Hoth System
“All troop carriers will assemble at the north entrance,” Leia briefed the group of pilots in the center of the hangar. “The heavy transport ships will leave as soon as they're loaded. Only two fighter escorts per ship. The energy shield can only be opened for a short time, so you'll have to stay very close to your transports.” “Two fighters against a Star Destroyer?” one pilot asked incredulously.
“The ion cannon will fire several shots to make sure that any enemy ships will be out of your flight path,” Leia explained. “When you've gotten past the energy shield, proceed directly to the rendezvous point. Understood?”
The pilots nodded, and responded in the affirmative.
“Good luck,” Leia told them, and then watched them dash off to their ships. We need you, Luke, she thought, wishing desperately that her brother was there to help the Alliance with this fight. Now more than ever.
Obi-Wan approached Leia, a grave expression on his face.
“What’s wrong now?” she asked.
“Imperial ships have been spotted in the system,” he told her.
Leia nodded her understanding. “Well, we knew they were coming,” she said. “Let’s just hope we can get the transports away before they get close enough to blast them out of the stars.”
“Yes, let us hope so,” Obi-Wan said. “I see that I have been assigned to one of the first transports,” he said. “Why is that do you suppose?” he asked, looking at her pointedly.
Leia shrugged. “I don’t know,” she replied. “Perhaps they felt the most important people ought to leave first.”
Obi-Wan nodded. “So why aren’t you on that same transport?” he asked.
“I am coordinating the evacuation,” she explained.
“The fact that I am …seasoned has nothing to do with it?” Obi-Wan asked.
Leia laughed. “Seasoned? Now there’s a euphemism. No, Obi-Wan, the fact that you are older than many of us has nothing to do with it. You are one of the last Jedi left in the galaxy. I think that makes you rather important, don’t you?”
“Maybe so,” Obi-Wan replied. “But what sort of a master would I be if I left my padawan behind at such a time? I will not do it, Leia. I will stay and leave when you leave.”
“But…”
“Don’t even try to argue with me, Ana…I mean Leia,” he replied. “You remind me so much of your father sometimes,” he added, shaking his head.
Leia smiled, missing her father tremendously. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said. “Come with me,” she said. “I need to get to the command base.”
“As you wish, milady,” Obi-Wan replied.
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Post by therealthing on May 17, 2007 21:04:03 GMT -5
Chapter 48 Anakin awoke the next morning to find that his son was gone. He sat up and stretched his arms above his head. Standing up next, he looked outside the tent and saw Luke in conversation with Yoda.
“Good morning,” Anakin said.
“Good morning Dad,” Luke replied with a smile. “How did you sleep?”
“Not bad,” he replied. He looked at Yoda. “Master Yoda,” he said, nodding in his direction. “It is good to see you.”
“Anakin Skywalker,” Yoda said. “Sensed your approach, I did. Good to see you it is.”
“A lot has happened since we last saw one another, Master Yoda,” Anakin said. “A lot that I need to atone for.”
Yoda nodded. “A good start you have made,” he said. “Young Luke has told me about what happened on the Death Star.”
“I wasn’t going to let Tarkin harm my daughter,” Anakin replied. “No matter what the cost. Meeting her and then Luke made me realize all that I had lost, all that the Dark Side had stolen from me.”
“Destroy the Sith you must,” Yoda told him. “Part of the prophecy of the Chosen One it is. No doubts have I now that the Chosen One you are. Only the Chosen One could return from the Dark Side.”
“Sidious will pay for what he has done,” Anakin averred. “I promise you that.”
Yoda regarded Anakin carefully. “Revenge is not the way of the Jedi,” he warned him. “That is the way of Darkness, of the Sith. Be certain your motives are not founded in Darkness, Anakin, or lost in it you will be once again.”
“That will never happen,” Luke spoke up, Yoda’s words unnerving him. “Will it Father?”
“I will not let the Dark Side take me from my family again, Luke,” Anakin assured his son. “I promise you that.”
Yoda nodded. “Glad I am to hear this,” he said. “Strong is the emperor. Strong you must be to destroy him, Anakin. Strong with no trace of Darkness within your soul.”
“I have rejected the Dark Side, Master Yoda,” Anakin told him. “I will never allow it to dominate me again. I have a lot to make up for, and I realize that. The past twenty years of my life have been spent in utter darkness, committing acts of unspeakable evil. If it takes me the rest of my life, I will atone for those years, I swear it.”
“Convinced us you have, Anakin,” Yoda commented. “You sound as though perhaps you are trying to convince yourself.”
“No, it is not me who needs to be convinced,” Anakin replied.
Yoda nodded. “Your wife,” he said. “She has remembered the past and is reliving the pain all over again.”
“Pain caused by me,” Anakin added. “I’m not sure she will ever be able to get past it. Look at what it did to her the first time.”
“She will,” Luke said. “I’m sure of it. Just give her time.”
“Anakin! What are you doing here??”
The three looked over to see Padmé approaching them. She was looking directly at Anakin, her dark eyes full of indignation and anger.
“Perhaps the two of you could give us a moment alone,” Anakin asked of his son.
Luke nodded, looking back at his mother, wishing he knew what to say to make things right between his parents again.
Padmé waited until Luke and Yoda had left before she turned back to Anakin.
“Did you follow me here?” she asked.
“No, of course not,” Anakin replied. “I wanted to see Luke. He’s my son too, Padmé.”
“That is hardly the point right now,” she said.
“Isn’t it?” Anakin replied. “Perhaps we ought to put our own differences aside and focus on our children and their needs,” he suggested.
“Why do you think I came here?” she replied.
“To get away from me?” he asked, attempting to lighten the mood.
“You think this is funny?” Padmé replied, her anger rising.
“No, of course not,” Anakin replied, becoming exasperated. “There’s nothing funny about any of this.”
“At least we agree on one thing,” she said.
“I think we agree on many things, actually,” he said. The unpleasantness of her anger was tempered with the fact that she was back; he was witnessing his wife in old form, full of spirit and willing to argue a point to the bitter end. If the situation weren’t so dire, he might have actually enjoyed himself.
“You think so, do you?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest.
Anakin simply nodded.
“Such as?”
“Well, we both love our children,” he began.
“Yes, that is true,” she conceded.
“We love each other,” he said, almost dreading her reaction.
Padmé was silent for a moment as she considered his statement. She could not deny that she loved him; even if she did, he would know that she was lying. Love was not the issue though; trust and loyalty were, and once those things were gone, love could do very little.
“I won’t deny that,” she said at last. “But sometimes love isn’t enough. You told me so yourself, remember?”
“I told you that when I was insane, Padmé,” he replied. “Don’t you understand that? The darkness within me turned me into a madman, an irrational beast. Why else would I have turned on you the way I did? Everything I did was to save you! As foolish as that seems in light of everything that happened afterwards, it was my motivation for everything I did, no matter how misguided that may be. I’m not sure you will ever be able to forgive me for that, but that is the truth.”
Padmé turned away from him, unable to look at the expression of hurt in his eyes any longer. “I want to forgive you,” she admitted quietly. “I want things to be the way they were between us, Anakin. The other night was so wonderful; it brought back so many memories of the times we’d shared together, of the way things used to be between us. I want that back more than anything.”
“We can have that back, Padmé!” Anakin said, turning her gently towards him again. “Don’t you see? I know you are angry, with good reason; but can’t you at least consider that I’ve changed? I’m not the monster who attacked you on Mustafar; I’m not the monster who has terrorized the galaxy for the past two decades. I’ve rejected the Dark Side, and I want nothing more now than to make up for all that I’ve done. But in order for me to do that, I need forgiveness. I need it from my children; I need it from myself, from the galaxy…and you, because without your forgiveness, I am empty inside. I am only whole when you love me, Padmé.”
His words moved her, for she could see how sincere he was. But yet, part of her was afraid to allow herself to be won over by them. She was hurting, and her defense mechanisms were still doing their utmost to shield her from more hurt.
“I will leave if you want me to,” he said at last, seeing that his words had not seemed to have any affect on her. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, and I can sense that you are.”
“It wouldn’t be fair to Luke if you left now,” she replied. “You’re right; we have to think about our children.”
Anakin nodded, trying not to read too much into her attitude. “Thank you,” he said at last. He hated the formality that had suddenly sprung up between them. Mere days ago he had been teasing her, joking with her, and she had been completely at ease with him. And now the tension was unbearable.
“Good morning, Mother,” Luke said as he rejoined his parents. “Yoda has asked me if the two of you would like some breakfast.”
“Sounds great,” Anakin said, relieved that Luke had arrived in time to break the tension. “Coming Padmé?” he asked his wife.
Padmé nodded. “Yes, I’m coming.” Sixth Planet of the Hoth System
Echo Base was a hive of activity as the Rebel forces desperately tried to evacuate before the impending Imperial juggernaut. Several transports had managed to lift off before the Imperial armada was close enough to stop them; however it wasn’t long before they had set up a blockade around the icy planet, making the Rebels’ escape attempts difficult and dangerous.
In addition to the blockade above the planet surface, a squadron of heavily armed clones equipped for combat in extremely cold conditions, had landed on the surface, as well as the dreaded Imperial walkers. At least two dozen of these armored behemoths bore down upon the Rebel base. Their objective: the shield generator.
Rebel pilots swarmed over the battle field, waving in and out among the herd of walkers, inflicting as much damage as their weapons could manage. On the ground, the Rebel infantry did their utmost to prevent the Imperials from reaching their objective. It wasn’t too long before it became apparent that there would be no stopping them, and the mission simply became one of buying time for the members of the Alliance still within the base. Many soldiers did so with their lives, knowing that every second counted if lives were to be saved.
Han Solo was not a man who panicked easily, but the rumbling of the walkers outside, the constant sound of cave ins and the alarm klaxons over head were just about enough to do the trick. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been in his own share of dangerous situations; quite the contrary. Normally he thrived in such condition. But normally he was only trying to save his own skin; this time there was someone else’s life that mattered more to him than he was willing to admit.
Reaching the command center, he stepped over a fallen piece of equipment to reach the people inside. There were only two: Leia and the communications officer.
“Are you alright?” he asked her.
Leia looked up at him, the fear evident in her eyes, despite her best efforts to hide it. “Why aren’t you on the transport with Obi-Wan?”
“What? And leave the Falcon behind?” he asked. “Never mind me, what are you still doing here?”
“Someone has to coordinate the battle,” she told him. “Get out of here while you can!”
“Not before I see you onto that last transport,” he replied.
Leia looked up at him, appreciative that he had thought of her rather than saving his own life first. She was about to reply when a dire announcement was heard over the loud speakers.
“Imperial troops have entered the base! Imperial troops have entered the base!”
“Come on, that’s it,” Han said. “There’s no more time, Leia.”
Leia nodded, and turned back to the communication officer. “Give the evacuation code signal,” she ordered him. “And get to your transport!”
Leia joined Han and the two of them headed out of the command center, dodging falling debris as they went.
“How did you manage to convince Obi-Wan to go to the transport without you?” Han asked.
“I told him I forgot something in my quarters,” she said.
“And he believed you?”
Leia shrugged. “I guess I’m getting better at shielding my thoughts from him,” she replied with a smile.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he responded. “Watch out!”
Leia screamed as the ceiling gave way, blocking their path completely.
“You okay?” Han asked as he helped her to her feet.
Leia nodded, brushing snow and dust from her pants.
Han looked grimly at the obstruction, and then activated his comlink. “Transport, this is Solo,” he said. “You’d better take off, I can’t get to you. I’ll get her out on the Falcon.” Han and Leia turned back the way they came, racing in the direction of the hangar where the Falcon was. As they got there, Chewbacca greeted them with an angry growl.
“We’re coming!” Han shouted back as he and Leia ran to the ramp of the freighter.
“Captain Solo!” See-Threepio cried as they boarded the vessel. “Where have you been? We have been waiting….”
“Shut up Goldenrod,” Han retorted. “And strap yourself in. We’re taking off right away.”
“But sir!”
“This bucket of bolts is never going to get us past that blockade!” Leia said as Han furiously activated switches in an attempt to start the recalcitrant freighter.
“This baby’s got a few surprises left in her sweetheart,” he muttered. Through the view screen they saw a small group of clones burst into the room, lead by a tall figure dressed in black robes.
“Chewie!” Han said, not even needing to give the order. The Falcon’s main gun exploded in a spray of laser fire, leveling the clones before they had a chance to set up their artillery weapons.
“Punch it!” Han said and the Falcon took off, leaving the remaining clones and their leader behind.
“I don’t know who that was,” Han told Chewie. “But it looks to me like the emperor has a new henchman.”
Leia nodded. “A Sith,” she said, having felt the darkness of the black robed figure from across the hangar. “My father’s replacement, no doubt.”
“Great,” Han said. “Just what we need, another Vader.”
Leia did not reply, and simply sat back and let Han and Chewie do their best to evade the Imperial blockade that was rapidly approaching.
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Post by therealthing on May 18, 2007 21:00:14 GMT -5
Chapter 49
Star Destroyer Executor
Ferreus returned to the Executor, angry and frustrated that the Skywalker twins had evaded him. But at least I know where one of them is, he reasoned as he headed for the bridge. That freighter is the key, I can’t let them escape.
“Follow that freighter,” Ferreus ordered as he entered the bridge. “Under no circumstances are they to get away.” “My lord, we managed to destroy eight of the…”
“I don’t care,” Ferreus retorted hotly. “The rest of the rebels don’t matter to me right now. I want the children of Skywalker at any cost. One of them is on board that freighter.”
“Don’t worry sir,” Piett assured him. “We won’t let them get away.”
“Make sure you don’t,” Ferreus warned.
Piett did not reply, but merely watched as Ferreus left the bridge with a furl of his black cloak. He then turned back to the crew who awaited his orders.
“Track that freighter,” he said. “Do not let them out of your sight. When they are in range, engage the tractor beam.”
“Yes sir,” Reyal replied. He looked up at Piett who stood beside his station. “Does he mean Anakin Skywalker?”
Piett nodded. “Yes he does,” he replied. Piett could not help but think that there was a connection between Skywalker and Darth Vader, for it seemed that the two men had never coexisted. What was more, the emperor’s sudden interest in the children of Anakin Skywalker coincided with the defection and subsequent disappearance of Darth Vader. Coincidence? Piett thought it highly unlikely. But his opinions were irrelevant; he had a job to do. Firmus Piett was a man of honor; so he would follow his orders to capture the Skywalker offspring, and do his best to ignore the protests of his conscience. Planet Dagobah
“This is delicious, Master Yoda,” Padmé said as she sat beside Luke. “Thank you.”
“How is Leia?” Luke asked his parents.
“She’s missing you,” Anakin told him as he took a spot on the floor beside Yoda. “But other than that, she’s fine. Giving Obi-Wan a challenge, I’m sure,” he added with a smile.
Luke laughed. “He had his hands full with the two of us,” he replied. “I think he was thrilled to see me leave.”
“A patient teacher, Obi-Wan is,” Yoda put in.
“He had to be, with me as his padawan,” Anakin said with a smile.
“Oh come on,” Luke said. “From what he told us you were a model apprentice.”
Anakin’s eyes widened. “Model apprentice?” he repeated. “I think someone has been pulling your leg, Luke,” he said.
Luke laughed. “Well, maybe model isn’t quite the word he used,” he said. “But he always speaks highly of you.”
“We were very close at one time,” Anakin replied. “Like brothers.”
Yoda nodded. “You were,” he agreed. “Until the Dark Side infected that bond. The emperor, a master of manipulation he is. Blind we all were to his plot to destroy you, Anakin, to destroy the Jedi.”
Anakin nodded. “I was blind too,” he said. “Too blind with my own fear and insecurities to see what he was doing until it was too late.” He looked down into the fire. “I allowed him to use me, Master Yoda. I was so obsessed with saving Padmé that I didn’t even consider that he was using me. I was a fool, a stupid, short-sighted fool.”
“You were trying to save the woman you loved,” Luke reminded his father. “There is nothing stupid about that, Dad.”
Anakin looked up at his son, and then over at Padmé who had been silent during the entire conversation. “No, perhaps my motivations were not,” he said. “But in the end, those motives were lost amidst the horrible acts I committed.”
“Such is the way of the Dark Side,” Yoda put in. “It twists even the best of intentions, blackens the noblest motives.”
“If there is anything remotely positive that has come out of all this, it has been that my mistakes will serve as an example to my children,” Anakin said at last. “Knowing what befell me will enable them to avoid the same mistakes I made.” He looked at Padmé. “I only regret that the cost of this has been so high,” he added.
Padmé could see the pain and regret in his eyes and part of her felt badly for him. Yes, Palpatine had used him; he had probably plotted to destroy him from the moment he first met Anakin as a boy. But he made the decision to believe the monstrous Sith Lord of his own free will, hadn’t he? He had slaughtered the younglings of his own free will; he had nearly killed his wife of his own free will. Palpatine may have leaded him to the Dark Side, but once there, Anakin had embraced it fully.
“We have all paid the price, Anakin,” Yoda said. “But none more than you. The fact that you have managed to free yourself from the grasp of the Dark Side is a testament to your strength of character, and affirms the belief that you are the Chosen One. It is the will of the Force that has brought you and your children together, Anakin. They have been instrumental in your redemption.”
Anakin looked at his son with a smile. “I couldn’t agree more,” he said.
“What do you say to some saber practice, Dad?”
“Sounds like a great idea,” Anakin replied. “That is if you think you can keep up with your old man,” he added with a smile.
Luke laughed. “Well, for one thing, you’re not old,” he began. “And secondly, I’d befooling myself to think that I could keep up with you. Not yet, at least,” he added with a smile.
Anakin lifted his eyebrows. “I see,” he said. “What do you think, Master Yoda? Is the boy ready?”
Yoda nodded. “Eager he is to try his skills,” he commented. “Humbled he may be against a much stronger opponent,” he added, looking at Luke.
“Nothing wrong with a good humbling once in a while,” Anakin remarked. “It keeps us from getting too complacent.”
“Indeed,” Yoda commented. “Pride can be destructive. Arrogance is the way of Darkness. A Jedi must know humility if he is to be pure of heart.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Anakin replied, standing up. He looked down at his wife. “Are you coming?” he asked her.
“You’re not going to hurt him, are you?” she asked.
“I’ll try to go easy on him, I promise,” he said, holding a hand to her to help her up.
“There is no try, Dad,” Luke reminded him with a grin as Yoda took the dishes into the next room. “Don’t you know that?”
Anakin laughed. “How could I forget?” He put an arm around his son’s shoulders. “Has he given you the size matters not speech yet?” he asked him quietly.
“Yeah, got that one yesterday,” Luke replied.
Anakin laughed. “Some things never change.”
Padmé watched the exchange between her husband and their son, loving the way they interacted, loving how close they had already grown. Luke obviously had managed to get past the ugliness of Anakin’s past and had accepted him fully as his father. Surely if he can do that, I can do it too, Padmé thought as she followed them out of the small hut. But Luke never had to see the look of murder in his father’s eyes, never had to feel his rage unleashed upon him; perhaps if he had, his forgiveness would not come so easily. Millennium Falcon-Hoth System
Having evaded three star destroyers, nearly causing the three enormous vessels to collide, Han was making the final calculations to make the jump to hyperspace. It would not be too soon for Leia, who could almost feel the clone troopers breathing down her neck.
“They’re getting closer,” she told Han, trying to keep her fear out of her voice.
Han, however, was nonplussed. “Oh yeah?” he replied in his patently cocky manner. “Watch this!” he added, activating the hyper drive controls with a grand gesture. To his horror, however, nothing happened.
“Watch what!?” Leia retorted hotly.
A cold sense of fear began to spread through Han. “I think we’re in trouble,” he muttered, his eyes wide as he surveyed the control panel frantically.
“Sir, I noticed earlier the hyper drive motivator has been damaged,” See Threepio cried. “It’s impossible to go to light speed!”
“We’re in trouble!” Han replied, jumping to his feet and heading for the access panel in the hold
Leia simply sat in the chair he had just vacated, trying to remain calm in the light of their latest set back. Peace, be calm, she told herself, using the Force to keep herself calm. But with each parsec the traveled, the Imperial ships gained on them a little more. Before long she knew that they would engage their tractor beam, and then it would all be over.
“What the…” she said, peering out the view screen. When she realized what it was that she had seen, she activated the comm. at once. “Han, get up here!” she called. Within moment Han and Chewbacca returned to the cockpit.
“Asteroids!” Leia told him simply.
Han did not seem alarmed; in fact, it was almost as though he was happy to hear it. “Chewie set two-seven to one.”
Leia could not believe what she was hearing. “What are you doing?” she demanded. “You’re not actually going into an asteroid field??”
“They’d be crazy to follow us, wouldn’t they?” Han replied.
Leia sat down, stunned by his recklessness. “You are crazy, aren’t you?” she asked
Han shrugged. “Maybe so,” he said. “Maybe you could use some of your Jedi powers and help us out of this jam, sweetheart. We’re kind of out of options here.” Leia looked at him. Han didn’t believe in the Force, did he? So why was he willing to place their fate in the hands of something he had no faith existed? “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, sit down,” he said. “Gimme a hand.” Leia wasn’t sure she wanted to shoulder such a huge responsibility, but there was no time to vacillate. She sat down at the controls and closed her eyes for a moment, focusing her mind on the Force. She opened her eyes and watched the asteroids as they hurtled towards the Falcon. The Force enabled her to see them as though they were moving in slow motion, enabling her to steer the Falcon around them easily as Han manned the main gun to blast the TIE fighters that were in pursuit. Leia felt as thought the controls were an extension of her, the freighter responded to her slightest movement.
“Look,” Han said simply.
Leia nodded and brought the Falcon closer to an enormous asteroid. This feels wrong, she thought.
“No, not here,” she said.
“We have no choice, sweetheart,” Han said. “Do it!”
Leia complied and flew the ship into and enormous cavern within an asteroid. Two TIE fighters tried to follow them through the narrow passageway, only to crash and explode upon the walls of the corridor.
“Beautiful,” Han said, utterly impressed by Leia’s piloting. “I have to say, that was damn impressive.”
Leia smiled at him. “Now do you believe in the Force?” she asked.
Han stood up. “Kinda hard to argue with that performance,” he replied. “Now how are you at fixing hyperdrive motivators?” he asked with a grin.
Leia laughed. “I think you need my father, not me,” she said. “But I’ll do my best to help.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Han said. “Come on.”
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