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stephanie_ficsTitle: Destiny Can Wait
Author:stephanie_fics
Time Frame: Between RotS and ANH.
Characters: Padmé, Barriss, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Nikkei, Ferus, Darth Avel, and more.
Genre: AU, Drama
Rating: Adult
Summary: Padmé goes to Coruscant to rescue Anakin.
Chapter list.
Commentary for the first 15 chapters.
Chapter 15 - Visions
Under the light you shine on me
I promise I will be there for you baby
I never wanna leave you anyway
You've become my light
I cross my heart that's in your hands
With hope that you will always be my best friend
I promise I will be there 'til the end
-X-
Lord Avel strode down the hallway towards the Emperor’s office. It was a long, filthy and restless journey from Yavin IV. Even using the Force, it took almost a day to dig themselves out of the rubble of Exar Kun’s Temple.
Upon returning to Coruscant there was only time for a shower. While on route to Coruscant both he and his master were informed by Mas Amedda that there had been a break in at the Jedi Temple.
Avel entered the office and he was the last to arrive. Emperor Palpatine, Mas Amedda, two Imperial guards and a bird-like Inquisitor were waiting for him. Avel looked around the room, searching for the Sith holocron. He didn’t sense its presence. Sidious was not hiding it here.
“Finally, we can begin,” said Lord Sidious. “Lord Avel, this is Inquisitor Noémi Rioux.”
Darth Avel took his place behind the Emperor’s chair and give a single nod to the Inquisitor. Palpatine motioned for her to begin.
“Your highness,” Rioux said nervously and her pale blue skin turned a shade darker. “I have gone through all the recordings and I cannot explain how the two intruders got in. There is no footage of them until they were caught. I found them in my office copying files from my computers. When I went to apprehend them the female used the Force and threw me into a secret room. I didn’t even know there was a secret room.”
“The service corridors,” Avel informed her.
She furrowed her white, feathery brows, unsure how he would know that. “It would have been nice to know about that when I was assigned to work there.”
“It was irrelevant at the time. Besides, we cannot use all of our resources to patrol every dark corner of the ruins,” Mas Amedda interjected.
The Inquisitor sighed with frustration. She pressed a button on the holo projector and explained, “This is all we have on them from their escape. We have no facial recognition, fingerprints, or retinal scans. It is clear they are both Jedi.”
“What were they looking for in the Archives?” Avel asked.
Rioux pulled up her data pad. “Information on a Jedi Padawan named Darrous Emerson. There were no results. Then they tried looking up Padawans who resigned before Knighthood, as well as Masters who died on missions. Again, whatever they were seeking was not in the Archives.”
Avel stiffened at this information. Someone was attempting to dig through his past. They wouldn't succeed, but just the thought that they were out there and they knew something about him made Avel angry. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his master hold up his hand. Patience, my apprentice.
‘What information did they leave with?” the Emperor asked the Inquisitor.
“The complete list of the Jedi we are hunting.” After a brief silence of reserved annoyance and anger that she sensed in the room she continued, “There was one more thing. The male searched for someone named Darth Plagueis.”
When she looked up from her data pad Rioux noticed the Emperor was smiling gleefully. It almost looked like he was holding back a cackling laugh.
Sidious knew it all along. Anakin was still curious about the legend, still hungry for the knowledge and power of the Dark Side.
The recording was still playing. The two dark figures were standing at the edge of the broken window of the Council Chambers. The female made a comment about having a PTSD episode. “It will take a few days to narrow down which Jedi they are. I suspect the female is a healer so I will start with her,” Rioux said.
Sidious announced, “That won’t be necessary. I know who they are. Lord Avel will take charge of this matter. If he needs your assistance he will contact you. You are therefore dismissed, Inquisitor Noémi Rioux.”
Rioux was speechless at how abrupt the Emperor had become. She bowed her head and said, “Yes, your highness.”
As she stood up the floor vibrated and the window panes rattled. The office lit up with an intense orange light. Shielding their eyes they looked at the source and saw an immense fireball nearly swallow a squadron of TIE fighters.
“That came from the Engineers’ Convention!” Rioux shouted.
Mas Amedda turned to the Emperor, “Shall I call for emergency session with the Senate?”
Palpatine couldn't wait for the Death Star to be completed so he wouldn't need a Senate. “Do it,” he bit out.
-X-
Padmé watched the forests of Naboo pass by the window of her speeder. The sun’s rays peaked through the canopy of trees like a strobing light in a dance club. Obi-Wan was at the wheel and taking her to a spaceport in Theed as fast as he could. It wasn’t fast enough. It took all night and most of the morning to plan her trip to Coruscant.
Padmé contacted Captain Panaka and asked him to prepare her private shuttle. It had not been used since she, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and her children escaped Coruscant the night of the Jedi Purge.
She also kept in contact with Barriss to arrange a time and place to meet. Unlike her mother and Threepio, Barriss did not express her objections (if she had any) about Padmé coming to Coruscant.
Poor Threepio. Padmé had shut him down when he would not stop agreeing with Jobal. Expressing the odds of every outcome to every situation imaginable was not helpful. She didn’t even turn him back on this morning to say goodbye. Padmé shifted her eyes to the reflection of Artoo in the window. Threepio will be furious when he finds out she brought his companion with her.
Threepio will forgive her. It’s in his programing. Will her babies forgive her? Will Sors and Jeswi? Though the children were nervous to see her leave they understood that Master Skywalker was in trouble and needed Miss Padmé’s help. Knowing Master Kenobi was staying put them at ease.
The sound of Leia’s and Luke’s wailing was something Padmé would never forget. She had never been separated from them for more than a few hours and leaving them was breaking her heart in two. It actually caused her chest to hurt and she grabbed the neckline of her shirt thinking that would help the pain.
The only thing that would ease that pain was knowing they would be safe on Naboo with their grandparents and Obi-Wan as their guardians.
Who was guarding her Anakin? He was injured and vulnerable. She’d be damned if she was going to leave her husband right under Emperor Palpatine’s nose.
Not that she didn’t trust Barriss but the Jedi was a fugitive and she would need help to bring Anakin home. Thinking of Barriss reminded her of something. Padmé felt around the pocket of her cape for the letter written on parchment. Padmé sighed with relief. She had not left it behind. Kornell had come by when he heard about the bombing at the convention. He wrote his letter to Barriss in haste when Padmé told him she was leaving immediately.
Breaking her rumination of the past serval hours Obi-Wan asked, “Do you have a plan, Padmé?”
“Besides meeting up with Barriss? No. Do you have any suggestions?”
“You and Barriss could disguise yourselves as medical personnel transferring Anakin to a special facility. That way ‘Den Mercer’ will have technically been discharged and that will not raise any red flags. With Artoo it shouldn’t be hard getting into the system and adding that request.”
“That is not a bad idea,” Padmé replied and after a pause added, “I am sorry you had to see me and my mother fighting like that. When she suggested that you go instead she wasn’t thinking. Still, she shouldn’t have spoken for you.”
Obi-Wan gave his friend a small smile. “If you change your mind before we get to Theed I will go in your place, Padmé.”
“Thank you, Obi-Wan, but I’m his wife and I am doing this myself.”
-X-
Barriss gave Padmé instructions to go to Dex’s Diner at closing time and order the unpopular dish called “Tatooine’s Beast”, which was basically bantha pot pie. As Padmé entered the diner she made a bee line for the counter and gave her order to the droid. Studying her surroundings she saw there were only a few customers left, paying their tab. They barely noticed her, but her haste looked like she was in a rush to eat. What she really wanted was to see Anakin.
In no time at all a Besalisk cook came out of the kitchen and presented a pie to her, and not the one she ordered. It was a slice of shuura pie, thank the maker, and the napkin had directions written on it.
Padmé looked up at the Besalisk she now knew was Dex. He smiled at her and said,
“We’re closing up here. Would you like that to go?”
Padmé placed some credits on the counter and answered, “Please.”
At the corner she met Artoo and they made their way to the lower levels. After they exited the last lift she was surprised to see Dex waiting for her. He surprised her again when he handed her credits back, “On the house. I am sure you have been on an emotional rollercoaster!”
“Thank you,” Padmé said graciously.
Dex pointed to the wrapped up slice of “Naboo’s Kiss” in her hand and said, “I want you to know those shuuras are organic and imported from Naboo. They’re not artificially grown in a lab on Coruscant.”
Impressed Padmé said, “I look forward to eating it.”
Padmé had never been this far down. She found the orange lights of the district disturbing. Except for the sound of Artoo trailing behind her and whistling nervously it was eerily quiet on Thugger’s Alley.
Padmé was filled with relief when she saw Barriss waiting outside the Headquarters. Dex excused himself to head back to his diner and accept some deliveries.
Barriss led Padmé and Artoo to the kitchen. Before Padmé took a seat she said, “How is he? What happened?”
Barriss took Padmé’s hands and made her take a few breaths. Then she calmly explained, “He’s going to be fine. He was in a flight simulator when the bomb went off. It most likely saved his life since it absorbed most of the blast. Two ribs on his right side are broken and one punctured his lung. His mechanical arm shorted out when it was crushed by the simulator. The medical teams are working to repair the nerve damage before attaching a new prosthetic. That is the worst of it. I promise. Otherwise it’s cuts and bruises.”
Padmé closed her eyes, leaned forward and placed her hands over her aching heart.
Barriss continued, “He’s been in a bacta tank since being brought to the medical facility. They’ll take him out of the tank tomorrow. We’ll go there in the afternoon.”
Padmé exhaled in relief. “What can I do to help in the meantime?”
“Yoga,” Barriss stated.
Padmé arched her brow. “Yoga? Really?”
“I understand you’re worried and stressed out, but I can sense the strain it’s putting on your child.” Padmé was visibly annoyed but Barriss didn’t hold back, “You know I don’t have to tell you it’s not just any child, Padmé. The Force is very strong with him or her. So yes, you and I are going to do some Yoga to release some of that stress..”
“Barriss, do you think I haven’t been through this before? During the war there was talk that he was killed and I was pregnant with twins then. I won’t be able to rest until we’re far away from this blasted planet.”
Barriss locked eyes with her and stood her ground, “You’re not getting out of this, Padmé.”
“Fine,” Padmé said after a deep breath. “You win, Barriss.” After a pause Padmé continued, “How did this even happen? I know I cannot trust the HoloNet, even though they barely say anything. What do you and your friends know?”
Barriss told her of the missing explosives, and the chain of Separatist cells that awaken when one is eliminated. They target the Empire and anyone who associates with them. Engineers on their payroll for example. They may not be destroying their prototypes and ideas for Imperial ships but it’s a message.
Padmé just shook her head. “Why attack at the close of the convention?”
“They were attacking Raith Sienar. They bombed his personal airspeeder in the garage of the hotel as he was leaving after the launch of his TIE fighters. However, he took a page from your book and left another way. It was his decoy that was killed in the attack.”
Padmé was filled with sadness as she remembered Cordé. She was also curious about how Sienar knew to use a decoy.
Barriss expressed the same thought, “It makes you wonder what he knows.”
“It certainly does.” Padmé’s speculation was cut short when Artoo squealed out a warning as the back door opened and two young men entered. They were both of average height, with shaggy brown hair.
“Padmé, this is Roan Lands and Ferus Olin,” Barriss said.
Padmé politely nodded then added, “Ferus, I finally get to put a face to a name. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Ferus frowned. “I’m sure it was nothing good and extremely exaggerated.”
“Yes, I know you and my husband didn’t get along, but I was speaking of Obi-Wan. He has said many positive things about you. I also knew your former Master, Siri, for a brief time during the war.”
Ferus looked away with sadness in his eyes. He had felt her death. Roan changed the topic, “Can I offer you anything? I can warm up that pie.”
“Thanks. I’ll also have some tea, with honey, please,” Padmé responded. She also noticed the data pad in his hand. “What did you find in the Jedi Archives?”
“We’re still decrypting the last few gigs. So far we have a list of every Jedi, Padawan and youngling to escape the Purge,” Barriss said.
Roan placed a cup of tea and the data pad in front of Padmé, “Anakin is at the top of the most wanted list. Even above Master Yoda.”
Just as Padmé had thought, the ruse of using Palpatine’s dead assassin to fool the Clone Troopers into thinking it was Anakin did not last.
“Leave it to Anakin to be public enemy number one.” Padmé scanned the list till she found the names of the two-younglings hiding on Naboo. She promised to keep their whereabouts a secret and would have to wait till she and Barriss were alone to share the information with her.
“We’re trying to find out if the Inquisitors are dealing with this list on their own, or if they are hiring Bounty Hunters.”
Padmé shook her head. “I can’t speak for all the Jedi listed but Palpatine would not stoop so low to put a price on Anakin’s head. Instead he would set a trap. He wants Anakin to come to him willingly.”
A soft ding went off and Roan brought over the steaming slice of shuura pie. The aroma reminded Padmé of home.
“How close were they?” Ferus asked.
“Palpatine was a mentor to him. He was once a mentor to me,” Padmé said with regret. “Palpatine would tell Anakin what he wanted to hear so Anakin confided in him. He could tell him things he couldn’t tell the Jedi because Anakin felt the Jedi didn’t trust him. Anakin was put on the council but was not granted the rank of Master. He was asked by Palpatine and, unofficially, by the Jedi to be their spy.”
Ferus was surprised the Jedi put Anakin in that position but he could also see how they had lost their way during the war. They had become soldiers not peacekeepers. “As someone who was always conflicted that couldn't have been easy for Anakin.”
“It wasn’t.” Padmé continued, “At the end of the war Anakin had a choice to make. I doubt Palpatine is happy with his decision. This Avel may be a promising Sith apprentice, but he’s not the man Darth Sidious invested over ten years of his time to manipulate.”
Ferus shared a look with Barriss. She slightly shook her head at him and mouthed the words, “Not now.”
Padmé did not see their exchange and instead was focused on cutting into her pie with the side of her fork. Then she said, “Am I correct to assume you found nothing on Avel?”
Barriss waved a hand into the air, “All traces of his previous life has been deleted.”
“It’s ironic,” Ferus said, “if he were not our enemy he could be a part of The Erased.”
Padmé pushed the rest of her pie aside. The conversation made her lose her appetite. “What is exactly is The Erased?”
“We’re all fugitives of the Empire,” Roan answered. “We erased our identities and live in the Underworld.” Roan swooped his arms to show off their minimalistic home. What little furniture there was didn't match.
“What’s your agenda? Are you just trying to stay off the grid or are you forming a rebellion?”
“Both,” Ferus said. “Roan and I lead a rebellion on Bellassa. The Empire disbanded that and we had to disappear. We haven’t given up fighting the Empire, we just learned from our mistakes.”
“And,” Roan added, “unlike the remnants of the Separatist, we don’t attack innocent citizens. We’ve spent more time trying to prevent their attacks than fighting the Empire. But this information we got from the Jedi Archives is a game changer.”
Artoo began to whine which startled Padmé. The backdoor opened and everyone, except Padmé, relaxed when Keets walked in.
Keets stopped in his tracks, surprised and a bit star struck to see the former Senator Amidala present.
As Barriss introduced him, Keets put out his hand. Reluctantly, Padmé shook his hand and narrowed her eyes, “Keets Freely, that name is familiar. Have we met before?”
“Uh, no,” he responded, nervously, “I used to be a reporter and tried on multiple occasions to get an interview with you. Your office refused.”
Padmé quickly dropped her hand, “I see.”
Nervously he explained, “I wanted to write a political piece. The truth about the war, and, yes, I wanted to put some rumors to rest. Rumors that I now know were true.” He said the last part slowly as if each word was their own sentence.
Saving Keets from his embarrassment Padmé said, “It was nothing personal. I didn’t want to be confronted with any questions where I knew I would have to lie about my personal life.”
“Of course. Understandable,” Keets said quickly.
“How did you become part of The Erased?” Padmé asked in a more friendly and welcoming tone.
“The Imps came after me when I tried looking into Avel’s past. I didn’t help that I was already on their radar for looking into the creation of the Clone Army at beginning of the war.”
Padmé sympathized with his story. There are so many lives Sidious had ruined and would continue to ruin so he could have unlimited power.
-x-
“Padmé. Padmé,” Ferus said as he tapped her on the shoulder. Padmé opened her eyes and saw a blurry form standing above her and heard the sound of an alarm coming from her data pad.
Once she focused her eyes she took her device that Ferus handed to her. She shut off the alarm and saw the alert: “Congratulations! You are now 17 weeks pregnant! Your baby is as big as a large onion.” Padmé turned off the data pad, deciding she would read the whole article later. “Thanks. I must have left it in the kitchen.”
She looked around the tiny bedroom. The Headquarters was small and modest. There were two to three people to a bedroom. With two more guests visiting that meant Barriss and Padmé had to share a bed.
“Where is Barriss?” Padmé asked.
“She went to the market so she could make you a healthy breakfast. Leftovers from Dex’s Diner doesn’t meet her standards for a pregnant woman’s diet,” Ferus said with some humor.
“That’s very kind of her. Oh, that reminds me.” Padmé reached for her satchel and took out her prenatal vitamins. “Where is everyone else?”
Ferus answered as he followed Padmé to the water filter in the kitchen. “Roan and the others are investigating the Separatist cell responsible for the bombing so we can thwart their next move. No one has claimed responsibility yet so we suspect they have something else planned before announcing who they are. Keets is sneaking around the Medical Center to get an update on Anakin’s condition. He took Trevor and your droid with him to slice into their records. Trevor and Artoo have taken a liking to one another.”
Padmé chased her vitamins with water and said, “I’m not surprised. How can anyone not love Artoo?” After an awkward silence she asked, “You and Anakin weren't exactly friends growing up. Why did you help them get into the Temple? You knew the risks were not worth the information they were seeking.”
“I made a promise when I left the Order that I would help any Jedi who needed it. Besides, you know your husband. He would have gone with or without our help. At least with The Erased backing them up they got out alive.”
Padmé leaned against the counter, closed her eyes and sighed, “That’s true.”
They were silent for a moment and then Ferus said something that had been on his mind. “Can I ask you something?” When she nodded he continued, “You were a Senator, and one of the few good ones. Anakin was -is- a Jedi. Why did you marry him?”
“Besides the obvious answer that I fell in love with him?” she chuckled. Ferus was not amused so Padmé explained, “I did reject him at first. Though he was heartbroken, he accepted my answer. He didn’t bring it up again.” Knowing Ferus was familiar with the famous story that began the Clone Wars she jumped ahead, “But when we were faced with death on Geonosis, I couldn’t bear to let him die not knowing the truth. So I confessed my love.” She released a short laugh, “Of course we didn’t die in that arena and I wasn’t going to take back what I said. I guess after always being smart and responsible about my choices I wanted to be reckless and selfish for once. Even though I knew we would be living a lie.” She looked away a bit embarrassed.
Ferus suddenly thought it was unfair to judge her so harshly. Then he took her hand so she would look at him, “Either way you would’ve been living a lie.” After she gave him a small smile Ferus added, “And if you ever decide to tell Keets that story he would die of happiness.”
Padmé let out a genuine laugh of amusement.
-X-
It’s so hot. It’s hard to breathe - like inhaling sulfur. He’s lying face down on the black sand. No, it’s ash. There are the sounds of eruptions in the distance.
Where - what is this place?
He moves to get up from this dark beach. He reaches out his hand to pull himself up only to find his golden hand digging into the ash. The left arm is gone.
There is no leverage and he slips back down the slope into the river below. To his surprise it’s not water. The ash, the eruptions…it’s lava that sets the spark and is crawling up his body. The pain feels like being turned inside out.
-
“MD-1, what’s the update on Den Mercer’s condition?”
“Both ribs are healing. Lungs at full capacity. His fever just broke. The arm has too much nerve damage to attach a new prosthetic.”
“Remove him from the bacta tank. Wrap his torso and arm then transfer him to a private room. Keep him sedated and continue the antibiotics.”
“Yes, doctor.”
-
The sliding doors open as he steps into the the dark room. The lights are low and some illumination comes in from the panoramic windows. The city moving outside has no idea of the atrocities going on within the Jedi Temple’s walls.
The younglings are hiding behind the empty chairs of the Masters. One bold boy steps out to say, “Master Skywalker, there’s too many of them. What are we going to do?”
He activates his lightsaber and the boy jumps with fright.
“Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy.”
That voice. He turns to see the Chancellor sitting on his throne with his hands chained to the arm rests. “Do it,” Palpatine demands.
He looks down and sees Count Dooku at his mercy. Mercy. He knows this is wrong. The Count is unarmed. Yet, did Dooku show him mercy when he cut off his arm? The memory of the pain is strong. Just looking at this Sith Apprentice makes that wound feel fresh. His upper right arm is alive with shooting electrical currents. As he looks down he can see and feel his left hand curling around Dooku’s lightsaber. He can see the right hand holding his own lightsaber, but he cannot feel it.
-
“Doctor, his ribs are healing nicely but the nerve damage is still too severe. Should we immerse Mr. Mercer in the bacta tank again?”
“No, MD-1, wrap the arm in a bacta baggage with a stronger dosage. Increase the sedation.”
-
His right arm is gone. He can’t feel any pain but the phantom sensation of an arm and a hand is still there. The medical droids on the transport have wrapped up the stump and given him antibiotics to fight off infection.
The curtains open and to his delight Padmé enters. “I had to dodge seven medical droids and a Jedi Healer to find you. How are you?”
He shrugs. “We’re alive, right? How’s your back?”
Padmé turns to reveal her bandage, “It won’t scar.” Climbing onto the left side of his bed she kisses his cheek. “You’re right. We’re alive and that’s what counts.”
They are quiet as they lay together and he can feel her breath on his neck as she curls into him. He thinks about her declaration in the arena. Will she take it back once they return to Coruscant? She’s not one to go back on her word but he’ll be going off to war soon. Can they carry on a long distance, secret affair? What if she meets another man, someone she could go public with? To witness that on the HoloNet while fighting a war, it would destroy him.
The only way to keep her forever would be to make a vow to one another. Padmé would not break a vow. Working up the nerve and clearing his throat he asks, “Padmé, will you marry me?”
She looks up at him with some surprise. He knows this not a romantic way to propose. Afraid of rejection again he watches her expression change from apprehension to genuine happiness. “Yes,” she whispers. After they kiss she breaks away to ask, ‘When?”
“Once we’re back on Coruscant.”
“No, that’s too risky. Besides, I want to be married on Naboo. Let me handle the details, but we’ll have to do it before you go off to… war.” Padmé says sadly.
Holding her closer and touching his forehead with hers he says, “Let’s not think about that. This is a happy moment.”
She smiles and kisses him deeply. “I love you.”
-x-
Padmé walked down the corridor of the Amputees’ Unit looking for the name Den Mercer inscribed on the door. None of the medical personal stopped her since she was dressed as a Naboo Holy Woman. It was not uncommon for different religious or spiritual leaders from around the galaxy to visit the patients. The mauve veil also hid her hair and face from the holocams.
Artoo and Barriss went to find a terminal. Artoo would access the system to put on tomorrow’s schedule for Anakin to be discharged after he received his new prosthetic arm.
Finally Padmé found Anakin’s room and entered. She lightly sat on the left side of the bed and brought his hand to her lips. The smell of bacta stung the back of her throat.
A chill crept up Padmé’s spine and her heart ached as she looked over the injuries Barriss told her about. Anakin’s right arm was a stump just above the elbow wrapped in bacta bandages. His torso was wrapped tightly. She pushed his hair behind his ear as she examined his cut and bruised face. Anakin turned his head toward her hand and she cupped his cheek so he could rest in her palm.
“Padmé,” he whispered.
“Shh,” she warned, then added as reassurance, “I’m here.”
Anakin’s eyes fluttered open and he looked around taking in his surroundings. Besides noticing the machines he was hooked up to, he felt broken and sore. He looked down at where his arm used to be. With deep sadness Anakin groaned, which turned into a painful cough. Padmé quickly poured some water and held the cup to his lips. As he slowly drank in small sips he stared at the woman he loved. The woman he would always want by his side. “Marry me,” Anakin said hoarsely.
Padmé’s confusion quickly passed and she sighed when she realized her husband was having a flashback. This scene was not so different from the one on the medical ship that transported them from Geonosis to Coruscant. Maybe it was the trauma he’d been through, or maybe his mind was clouded from the sedatives.
“We’ve been married,” she said gently, “for nearly five years.” Taking his hand she placed it on her belly. It was too early to feel their child kick but he would sense its life through the Force. She waited to see if his mind caught up to the present, but he just stared at her and looked confused. “You’re on Coruscant. You were hurt during a bombing at the Engineers’ Convention.”
Anakin looked down at where his hand rested. After a moment of recollection he remembered sensing something menacing that morning. He also remembered being trapped and nearly crushed to death in the TIE simulator.
Now Padmé was by his side, which means Barriss must have told her about the Temple. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I was going to tell you.” His throat was so dry he could barely speak yet he kept repeating his apology.
“We’ll talk about that later. Right now you need to sleep,” she commanded. “We’re going home very soon.”
Anakin’s apology faded into a whisper as he began to fall asleep.
-x-
Nikkei glided down the hallway in her repulser chair as she looked for her friend’s room. She considered herself incredible lucky since she only suffered minor cuts, bruises and a broken leg in the attack.
As Nikkei reached the end of the hall she found the room she was looking for and Den’s name on the open door. She stopped short of entering when she saw a Holy Woman sitting on the bed besides Den, holding his only hand in hers.
Nikkei covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping. His injuries were far worse than she had heard from the gossip mill. That gossip mill being their coworkers. Now that she saw the extent of Den’s injuries and that a Holy Woman was here to visit him her heart filled with worry. Was the Holy Woman here simply to pray with Den or help him pass onto the next world peacefully?
Though she knew it was wrong, curiosity won over her conscience. Hiding behind the door frame and straining to listen she heard Den repeat “sorry” in a hoarse whisper.
“Go back to sleep,” the Holy Woman said. Her voice was so familiar. Nikkei could not see her face, as it was obscured by her veil.
Den had finally stopped apologizing and was drifting off. He gripped her hand and pulled it close to his chest. “Stay,” he said.
“I’m not going anywhere, my love.”
Nikkei nearly gasped. In fear of being caught watching a private and intimate moment she immediately turned her chair around and sped away.
-X-
Artoo made sure to scramble the schedule so no droids or doctors would visit “Den Mercer” as Barriss used her healing abilities on Anakin. The ribs would not be so complicated. It was the trauma his arm experienced that made his projected recovery time too long. If they were to leave Coruscant as soon as possible with little suspicion then Barriss would have to speed up his healing process.
After a couple of hours in a healing trance Barriss felt it was enough. Padmé didn't want to leave Anakin’s side but it was time to sneak out.
Back at the Erased Headquarters Barriss didn’t know if she was more hungry or exhausted from her trance. She opted to eat first.
Padmé showed her gratitude by cooking dinner. As she was serving the food she noticed Barriss was playing with Kornell’s letter, rubbing her fingers along the edges, unfolding and refolding it over and over. When Padmé approached with two plates Barriss hid the parchment in her pocket.
They ate in silence until Barriss announced, “There is something that I have been meaning to tell you. In the data that we downloaded from the Archives Ferus found something else that Anakin was searching for.”
Padmé stiffened.
“He was searching for someone named Darth Plagueis.”
Padmé sighed with disappointment. So that was Anakin’s ulterior motive. “Did he find anything?”
“No. I wonder why he even bothered to look. There are ancient journals that detail encounters between the Jedi and Sith, but after the battle with the Brotherhood of the Sith they were thought to be extinct. There are accounts of some rumors over the generations, but the Archives made a note to not take them seriously. There wasn’t enough evidence.”
“The fact that he looked tells us that he didn’t believe everything the Jedi taught. He risked his life, risked our safety, to get information that doesn’t exist.”
“Yes, but the risk was worth it. Wouldn't you agree?” Barriss pointed out.
“Yes, but you didn't know you would find a list of the surviving Jedi. So why did you take the risk?” Padmé retorted. She suddenly felt bad for her attitude and asked sympathetically, “Was it for closure?”
“Partly. There are many reasons.” Barriss sat back and put her hands in the pockets of her pullover. Padmé could see her fingers moving against the folded parchment.
Padmé sensed she had not shared this with anyone. Maybe not even Kornell. “I’m listening.”
“Mostly, I wanted to go home again. I love the work I do with Doctors Around the Galaxy, but living like a nomad is… difficult. I wanted to see what Sidious had done to my home. For a long time I have been feeling such guilt because I wasn’t there. I had to make that pilgrimage to feel the death and destruction they felt. It was the only way I felt I could ask for forgiveness.”
Instead of answering Barriss with logical clichés that wouldn't change her feelings she simply said, “Do you feel you’ve been forgiven?”
Barriss’s teary blue eyes met Padmé’s. “I don’t know. But I do know that I have a new purpose. A way to put my life back together. I’m just afraid of breaking Kornell’s heart, because it’s certainly breaking mine.”
“He might choose to join us to find other Jedi. He’s certainly committed to helping Sors and Jeswi recover,” Padmé reassured her.
That made Barriss smile. She knew once they returned to Naboo there would be so much to discuss. For now she closed the topic, “I’m tired. It was a long day and we both need sleep.”
-X-
“Pure sabacc,” Anakin said as he laid down the cards.
“Idiot’s Array,” Nikkei revealed. She had won the game, but it was just for fun. They hadn’t bet with credits. She took the cards back and shuffled them, just to have something to do with her hands. “I’m amazed at how quickly you recovered. I came by to visit you yesterday and a Holy Woman was here. Gave me quite the fright.”
“There was a Holy Woman here? I don’t remember that,” Anakin partially lied. He was still groggy from the sedatives and though he vaguely remembered Padmé being with him he didn’t remember her disguise.
“You sounded pretty out of it,” Nikkei realized he wouldn't be able to explain his strange encounter with the mysterious woman. She stopped shuffling the cards and put them back in Anakin’s luggage that she brought from the hotel.
“When does everyone from TSA return to Naboo?” Anakin asked. Nikkei had filled him in on everyone’s injuries. Most of them were minor since the were far away from the blast. It would take another week for Nikkei’s leg to heal since she had multiple breaks.
“There’s a chartered flight leaving this afternoon, but I could stay with you.”
“No, you should go. I’ll be fine.”
She touched his arm and said, “Den, you shouldn't be alone.”
Anakin didn’t know how to let her down. He should tell her that they can’t be together because they’re just friends. They work together and it would be awkward. Which was true but not being able to tell her he was married and in love with his wife made this situation more difficult.
He was spared from saying anything when MD-1 entered with his new prosthetic arm. The medial droid said in a mechanical baritone, “All visitors must leave for the procedure.”
“I’ll see you soon, Nikkei,” Anakin kindly dismissed her.
-x-
It was dusk as Padmé’s ship took off. After they cleared Coruscant’s gravity Artoo set the coordinates. Once they were in hyperspace Padmé released a sigh of relief. She looked over at Barriss and the tension had left her shoulders too.
Towards the back of the ship they heard the water running as Anakin washed his face and brushed his teeth.
They had thirty-six hours until they reached Naboo. Padmé had imagined many times how this conversation would play out and she didn’t want it to escalate into a fight. Taking a deep breath she went to talk to her husband.
Anakin was standing in front of the mirror, shirtless and examining his bruises. Most had turned yellowish green and were scattered along his face, arm and ribs. He would use this long journey to go into a healing trance.
Upon seeing Padmé’s reflection and feeling cold he put on a thermal shirt; the only clean one left in his luggage. He leaned against the sink and tried to read her emotions. She did not come to lecture him. They just looked at each other. Finally, he broke the silence “How are our children?”
“They miss you and have been absolute terrors.” She decided to wait to tell him about Sors and Jeswi. “Now that I’m gone I bet my parents will never want to watch them again.”
Anakin smiled at what he thought was a joke. Padmé did not smile and approached him. Time to stop avoiding the bantha in the room. “We’re both tired and have been through a lot. I don’t want to fight. I want us to talk. You lied to me.”
Anakin sighed and then met her warm, brown eyes, “I did and I have no excuse.”
“Why did you risk everything to get into the Temple? Did you really expect to find something on Avel?”
“I didn’t make this decision lightly. I want you to know that. I don’t take my family for granted. But I thought even if there was a sliver of a chance that Avel missed something then it would be worth it. When I had help from Barriss and The Erased it seemed even more possible it would work and we could gather more information than what I came for.”
Padmé didn’t like to admit that the list of Jedi was a good lead but she held her tongue. Instead she watched him carefully when she asked, “Who is Darth Plagueis?”
Anakin looked away but kept his expression neutral. “He’s from a legend I heard.” Padmé urged him on with a skeptical look but he decided to not tell all the details. “He found a way to save the ones he cared about from dying.”
Padmé put her hands on her stomach and took an involuntary step back. “Did you have a premonition about the baby?”
Anakin took a step forward and held her hands, “No, no, but I wanted to know if it was true.”
“Who told you this legend?” She was clenching her hands around his. Please don’t say Palpatine, she thought.
Anakin tilted his head, cocked an eyebrow and holding her gaze said, “You know who.”
Padmé put her palms to her eyes and whispered, “Damn it, Anakin.” She turned away to pace the quarters. Not this obsession again. Will he ever learn? She didn’t want to get worked up and have this turn into a horrible fight. Halting mid-way through her stride she turned to face her husband standing at the threshold. “I was never in danger. Healthy women of my age and social class do not die in childbirth.”
“Padmé, you don’t know what it was like to have that premonition. I wasn’t -I won’t - lose you like I lost my mother.”
Padmé sighed. It was the same conversation going in circles. With a spark of inspiration she turned it in a new direction. “Maybe your nightmares about me weren’t what you thought they were.” When she saw Anakin roll his eyes she said, “Hear me out. You dreamt about your mother for weeks before we went to Tatooine. Yet, you weren’t having those dreams about me while you were fighting in the Outer Rim?”
Anakin was not sure where she was going with this. “No.”
“When did the dreams start?” she continued.
Anakin started to feel like he was on trial, “When I returned from the war and I knew you were pregnant.”
“Why is that?”
Anakin was baffled and didn’t respond immediately. “I don’t know. I can’t explain how my premonitions work. But every premonition I’ve had happened.”
“But it didn’t happen,” Padmé stressed. “Palpatine knew about us, and although I tried to conceal it, he knew I was pregnant. What if he sent those dreams to you then told you a story you wanted to hear?” Seeing Anakin was still skeptical she asked, “When did he tell you this legend?”
Anakin would never forget the details. “The night I met him at the theatre. There was a Mon Calamari ballet that night.”
“You didn’t question why a politician would know a Sith legend? Outside of the Jedi Order the masses don’t know what a Sith is. You didn't suspect then that he might be the Sith Lord?”
Anakin was too ashamed to look at his wife. He walked to the window to stare at the speeding swirl of hyperspace. “I was too focused on saving you and wanting the knowledge. So, I willfully ignored asking myself that because that wasn’t what I cared about.”
She came up behind him, gently put her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his back. “Exactly. It was a lie, Anakin. A trap.”
He was still tense in her arms, still struggling with her theory. Of all the lies and manipulations he knew this one legend was true. Padmé was right that it was odd that that the nightmares didn’t start earlier, but it felt impossible that Darth Sidious was sending him false premonitions. They felt too real to be a trick.
Peaking over his shoulder she saw his expression in the reflection of the window. “I know that this is a whole different point of view to consider. Just think on it. In the meantime, Palpatine will figure out it was you at the Jedi Temple. We have to rethink our next move. And I have some news to share with you.”
Guiding her husband to sit with her on the bed she told him about Sors, Jeswi and the Agents of Ossuss.
-x-
When they arrived in Theed Kornell was already anxiously waiting for them. After they filled him in on the basics the rest of the ride was tensely quiet.
Padmé could see from the window’s reflection Barriss in the passenger’s seat still fiddling with Kornell’s letter. Kornell would occasionally take his eyes off the road to watch Barriss.
Soon after they arrived at the house and settled in Barriss and Kornell left. They would have much to discuss.
“I hope they find a way to work it out,” Padmé said as she closed the door.
She went to her husband to embrace him. Anakin encircled his arms around her. “So do I.”
Padmé wrinkled her nose. “You still smell like bacta.”
Anakin chuckled, “I’ll go take a shower.”
“I’ll go after you.”
“Or you could join me,” Anakin suggested seductively.
Padmé stopped his hands as they were moving down her back to her hips. “Save it for the bedroom.”
-
Padmé entered the bedroom and approached her husband sitting on the edge of the bed. She swept his hair back behind his ear. A chill crept up her back and her chest ached to see the faint yellow bruises on the right side of his face. Anakin closed his eyes as she lightly traced the back of her fingers behind his ear and down his jaw. Slipping his robe off his shoulders she looked at the bruises healing over his ribs and arms. The bacta and healing trances really worked miracles. The seam where his elbow fit into his prosthetic arm was no longer visible. The nerves were healed but still sensitive.
Padmé took his right hand with her left and felt the synthetic flesh. She looked at both of his hands to compare. Looking at his prosthetic arm one would not know the difference, but the feeling was different from flesh. Cooler and smoother. They both looked at how she matched her smaller hands to his, the tips of her fingers only reaching the last joints.
Anakin shifted his fingers to close around her hands and led their arms down. Padmé bent down her head slightly to touch her forehead with his. “I missed you, Ani.”
Anakin slipped his left hand inside her robe to feel her soft skin as his fingers sensually trailed up her leg and hip to the small of her back. His brave wife who risked too much to go to Coruscant and bring him home. Normally he would have argued with her for her actions, but he felt he had no right to lecture her. When he really thought about it, he felt gratitude. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
She locked her arms behind his head. “There’s isn’t anywhere I wouldn’t go to to save you.”
“I’m sorry that-“
She placed her finger on his lips, “There was no way for you to know about the bombing. That was out of your control. But the Jedi Temple,” she paused. He had apologized repeatedly and in the end it had been worth the risk. “I forgive you.”
She cupped his cheek and kissed her husband tenderly. Anakin untied her robe and she let it slip onto the floor. Padmé threaded her fingers through Anakin’s hair as he left a trail of soft kisses down her body until he reached her abdomen. He placed both hands around where their child was growing and his kiss was gentle and lingering.
He broke away to look up into her eyes and his stare turned from endearment to hunger. Anakin’s lips trailed up her body, over her breasts to her neck then her lips, but his hands slid over her hips and down her thighs, guiding her toward him. Following his lead Padmé positioned herself to straddle her husband as gently as she could, not wanting to cause him any pain. His response was one of pleasure and encouragement. She buried her face in his neck, leaving a trail of kisses and breathing him in.
Now that they were home and safely in each other’s arms they were complete.
-X-
The next morning Anakin and Padmé were both jubilant as they made breakfast for themselves and their guests. They moved around the kitchen in perfect harmony as they set the table, fried the bacon and eggs, cut the fruit, brewed the caff, and squeezed fresh shuura juice.
When Obi-Wan, Barriss and Kornell arrived they weren’t expecting such a grand spectacle for breakfast, but Anakin and Padmé were known to get carried away when they cooked together.
There were many matters to discuss but Barriss took charge and handed a data pad to Obi-Wan. “The results from the Archives. A list of all the Jedi who survived Order 66.”
“Well, this will be useful,” Obi-Wan said as he scrolled. Anakin and Barriss then recounted their time with The Erased and how their mission went inside the Temple.
“Ferus Olin sends his regards,” Padmé added.
The memory of Siri tugged at an old wound in Obi-Wan’s heart, but he let it fade away. “I’m happy to hear he’s alive.” Turning to Anakin he asked, “Did you get along with him?”
“Not quite, but he was a tremendous help,” Anakin answered. “I want us to find Quinlan Vos first.”
“Why him?” Padmé asked.
“He went undercover as one of Dooku’s allocates and will have a lot of useful information about the Sith. His last know location was Kashyyyk. Obi-Wan, could you ask for leave and take a trip there?”
“I’ll make the arrangements. His former master, Tholme, is alive too. He would be a great ally.” Obi-Wan reached the end of the list and saw an unrelated entry, "Who is Darth Plagueis?"
Anakin was annoyed Barriss gave him the raw data instead of just the decrypted list Ferus gave them.
Padmé answered for her husband, “Something Palpatine told him.”
When Obi-Wan looked at Anakin he explained, “He could save those he cared about from dying.”
“I see,” Obi-Wan said as he recalled Anakin's question about there being anything in the Archives pertaining to everlasting life.
Barriss broke the silence, “What exactly did Sidious say? Word for word.”
Reluctantly Anakin repeated the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise verbatim.
“Why were you even searching for that story? Especially since you believe that you saved Padmé without this knowledge.”
“Curiosity,” Anakin said through clenched teeth.
“Understanding your enemy is key to defeating him. Isn’t it?” Kornell chimed in. He felt out of place at this Jedi meeting but compelled to offer his opinion. “If he can cheat death how are you going to destroy him?”
“The whole story is a lie,” Padmé said with certainty. “We can’t trust a Sith legend.”
"Maybe there is some truth to it," Obi-Wan said before taking a sip of shuura juice.
"That legend is shaak scat!” Padmé snapped.
The shock of Padmé cursing caused Obi-Wan to choke on his juice. Kornell patted him on the back until Obi-Wan could breath again. Anakin and Barriss were also surprised, but their reactions didn't cause a scene.
When Obi-Wan could speak again, though it was a bit hoarse, he said, "Allow me to explain. I don't believe in the legend itself, but I believe that this Darth Plagueis may have been Sidious's Master. I believe that he killed him in his sleep."
Padmé used her fork to stab a slice of pineapple from her fruit cup. “It’s irrelevant. The point is that I was never in danger of dying during childbirth and Sidious was sending those dreams to Anakin.”
“I can't say I know anything about what his abilities with the Force are or if Sidious is even capable of doing such a thing, but I feel the dreams were being misinterpreted.”
“Suddenly everyone is an expert on my premonitions,” Anakin grumbled.
“I'll bite,” Barriss said as she actually took a bite of her toast with shurra jam.
Obi-Wan put down his utensils. He folded his hands and became more serious. "The dreams were a metaphor about your fall to the dark side.”
Everyone stopped eating. Then Obi-Wan made eye contact with Anakin and continued, “The dreams began after you killed Dooku. Dooku was Sidious's last apprentice. You killed him, while he was unarmed. You passed his test and were on the path to become his next apprentice.” Obi-Wan then tuned to Padmé, “If Anakin fell to the Dark Side, would you have followed him?”
Padmé’s mind went back to her nightmare of Anakin becoming a Sith and she remembered the possessive and violent monster he had become. Instinctually she tugged at her collar, not sure why if felt so tight. She looked at her husband and somberly answered, “You would have gone down a path that I could not follow.”
Anakin saw in her eyes how much it pained her to say that, but he also felt how truthful her statement was. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in and his hands that were clenched tight had suddenly relaxed.
Obi-Wan held out his hand towards Padmé to prove his point, “Therefore the dreams were a metaphor. If you chose to follow Sidious you would have seen the 'death', so to speak, of your relationship with your wife.”
“I have my own theory,” Barriss added. Anakin closed his eyes and signed with frustration. “Everyone else got to share,” she protested.
"Fine. Go ahead," Anakin barked out.
“First of all, watch that temper, Anakin. We all know where anger leads,” Barriss smirked.
“Very funny,” Anakin smirked back.
“If you two don't behave you're both getting a Time Out,” Padmé said, and she wasn’t joking.
The mood in the room turned serious again and Barriss began, “Obviously pledging yourself to the Sith and to the Empire would have broken Padmé's heart. But more than that she and your children would be a threat. You must never choose your wife, or your children over your new master. Perhaps the legend is true and Darth Sidious did learn such unnatural powers from Darth Plagueis. Would he really teach you how to save your wife? If Sidious does have the power over life and death, as he claims, then wouldn't he use that power to kill Padmé instead? And your children, if they survived, Sidious would either manipulate them to his will or kill them if he saw your love and loyalty to them was stronger.”
Anakin's head was swirling with everyone's opinions. He had to admit, they were all strong theories. Killing Dooku was a test he passed. He would have become a Sith. Those visions he had at the Jedi Temple were an alternate reality. He would have killed those younglings in the Council Chambers. Just like he killed the Sand People. Padmé was too understanding about the Sand People. But the innocent Jedi? If she found out that he killed them to save her, it would have broken her heart. And it would have been for nothing. Barriss was right, Sidious would never have shared his knowledge with Anakin.
Anakin got up from the table and walked to the door of the back patio. “I need some air."
-
Everyone else finished their breakfast without Anakin. The guests helped Padmé clean up and when they were ready to leave Anakin had not yet returned. He took a long walk along the shore. He preferred something more active, like lightsaber practice, but he was still sore.
When he returned a few hours later he found Padmé was sitting on the swinging bench. As he sat beside her she turned sideways, tucked one leg under the other, and rested her head on her propped up hand. One look said it all, What are you thinking?
Anakin looked out past the lake toward the towering mountains. “Going over it all, I feel so naive.”
She took his hand into hers and said, “I know the feeling.”
“What do you think about the things they said?”
“They brought up some excellent points. I think Sidious twisted the truth. I do think Plagueis was his master and he killed him. But I don't think that kind of ability or power, whatever you want to call it, exists. Sidious knows how to manipulate people. He takes their strengths, like your good heart and your willingness to help those you love, and he used it against you.” Anakin didn’t say anything so she prompted him, “You?”
“I still think there is some truth to the legend.” Anakin sensed her annoyance but continued, “There are many things about the Force that we don't understand or haven't discovered.” He paused to clear his throat, “But, Barriss is right. It was an empty promise. I would have joined him and you would have died. He would have made sure of that.”
Padmé moved closer to her husband. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad I’m here with you instead, my love.” She first kissed his neck then trailed up his jaw to his lips.
Their kissing only ceased when Artoo wheeled out of the house emitting beeps and whistles. Ruwee and Jobal were nearby and sure enough their speeder was coming down the road.
Jobal got out of the speeder first and signaled for them to be quiet because the babies were sleeping. She ran up to her daughter first and embraced her tightly. “Oh, Padmé! I’m so relieved you’re home.”
“So am I, mom.”
Ruwee surprised Anakin by greeting him with a brief hug instead of a handshake. Then he looked his son-in-law over and studied his face. “You look good for a man who almost died. We’re glad to have you home.”
“Thanks,” Anakin said.
“May I cut in?” Ruwee said to his wife in jest as he wrapped an arm around his daughter. Jobal finally let go of Padmé and gently embraced Anakin.
After greetings were exchanged Padmé tip-toed to the speeder and noticed Leia was waking up. Taking her out of the safety seat Padmé said, “My beautiful girl.” Blissfully, Leia held onto her mother tightly. Anakin picked up Luke, who squeed with delight. Kisses, hugs and exclamations of joy were exchanged many times over as Anakin and Padmé switched the twins back and forth between them.
“Sola and Darred should be right behind us,” Ruwee said.
“Yes, but I want to get lunch started,” Jobal commanded as she ushered everyone inside.
They all settled in the kitchen. Anakin and Padmé set the twins in their highchairs to feed them while Jobal and Ruwee made their way around the cabinets and fridge to prepare a large lunch.
“How are Sors and Jeswi?” Padmé asked.
“They seem fine. Obi-Wan and Kornell checked in on them every day. They love Threepio and yesterday they finally warmed up to Ryoo and Pooja,” Jobal answered.
“And the twins?”
Ruwee and Jobal looked at each other. “They…,” Ruwee began to answer.
“To be honest, dear,” Jobal interjected, “they haven't seen much of each other. We planned to have them spend more time together, but it was just too much. So after one disastrous playdate we kept the twins with us and Sola kept the younglings with her family. I’m sorry, Padmé.”
Padmé sighed, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure it out.”
“Like I’ve told you before; daycare,” Jobal stated.
Anakin gave his a wife a questioning look. “We’ll talk about it later,” she murmured to him.
Artoo wheeled in, emitted whistles, then u-turned out of the kitchen.
Padmé wiped Leia’s mouth before she stood up. “I’ll get the door.”
Anakin could hear everyone’s excited greetings in the foyer. Between four children, three adults, and two droids it was a loud, disorganized orchestra. Anakin squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples.
“Anakin, I want you to meet Sors and Jeswi,” Padmé said as she approached him.
Anakin looked up to see a boy and a girl each holding his wife’s hand. He froze.
Despite seeing the holos all over the house and getting to know Anakin’s family, the younglings were still apprehensive. Padmé lead them closer and Sors worked up the nerve to say, “Hello, Master Skywalker.”
Anakin stared at the boy and turned white. That voice confirmed it. They were the children from his vision.
-X-
Author’s Note: Lyrics are from the song “My Light” - Sully Erna
Author:
Time Frame: Between RotS and ANH.
Characters: Padmé, Barriss, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Nikkei, Ferus, Darth Avel, and more.
Genre: AU, Drama
Rating: Adult
Summary: Padmé goes to Coruscant to rescue Anakin.
Chapter list.
Commentary for the first 15 chapters.
Under the light you shine on me
I promise I will be there for you baby
I never wanna leave you anyway
You've become my light
I cross my heart that's in your hands
With hope that you will always be my best friend
I promise I will be there 'til the end
Lord Avel strode down the hallway towards the Emperor’s office. It was a long, filthy and restless journey from Yavin IV. Even using the Force, it took almost a day to dig themselves out of the rubble of Exar Kun’s Temple.
Upon returning to Coruscant there was only time for a shower. While on route to Coruscant both he and his master were informed by Mas Amedda that there had been a break in at the Jedi Temple.
Avel entered the office and he was the last to arrive. Emperor Palpatine, Mas Amedda, two Imperial guards and a bird-like Inquisitor were waiting for him. Avel looked around the room, searching for the Sith holocron. He didn’t sense its presence. Sidious was not hiding it here.
“Finally, we can begin,” said Lord Sidious. “Lord Avel, this is Inquisitor Noémi Rioux.”
Darth Avel took his place behind the Emperor’s chair and give a single nod to the Inquisitor. Palpatine motioned for her to begin.
“Your highness,” Rioux said nervously and her pale blue skin turned a shade darker. “I have gone through all the recordings and I cannot explain how the two intruders got in. There is no footage of them until they were caught. I found them in my office copying files from my computers. When I went to apprehend them the female used the Force and threw me into a secret room. I didn’t even know there was a secret room.”
“The service corridors,” Avel informed her.
She furrowed her white, feathery brows, unsure how he would know that. “It would have been nice to know about that when I was assigned to work there.”
“It was irrelevant at the time. Besides, we cannot use all of our resources to patrol every dark corner of the ruins,” Mas Amedda interjected.
The Inquisitor sighed with frustration. She pressed a button on the holo projector and explained, “This is all we have on them from their escape. We have no facial recognition, fingerprints, or retinal scans. It is clear they are both Jedi.”
“What were they looking for in the Archives?” Avel asked.
Rioux pulled up her data pad. “Information on a Jedi Padawan named Darrous Emerson. There were no results. Then they tried looking up Padawans who resigned before Knighthood, as well as Masters who died on missions. Again, whatever they were seeking was not in the Archives.”
Avel stiffened at this information. Someone was attempting to dig through his past. They wouldn't succeed, but just the thought that they were out there and they knew something about him made Avel angry. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his master hold up his hand. Patience, my apprentice.
‘What information did they leave with?” the Emperor asked the Inquisitor.
“The complete list of the Jedi we are hunting.” After a brief silence of reserved annoyance and anger that she sensed in the room she continued, “There was one more thing. The male searched for someone named Darth Plagueis.”
When she looked up from her data pad Rioux noticed the Emperor was smiling gleefully. It almost looked like he was holding back a cackling laugh.
Sidious knew it all along. Anakin was still curious about the legend, still hungry for the knowledge and power of the Dark Side.
The recording was still playing. The two dark figures were standing at the edge of the broken window of the Council Chambers. The female made a comment about having a PTSD episode. “It will take a few days to narrow down which Jedi they are. I suspect the female is a healer so I will start with her,” Rioux said.
Sidious announced, “That won’t be necessary. I know who they are. Lord Avel will take charge of this matter. If he needs your assistance he will contact you. You are therefore dismissed, Inquisitor Noémi Rioux.”
Rioux was speechless at how abrupt the Emperor had become. She bowed her head and said, “Yes, your highness.”
As she stood up the floor vibrated and the window panes rattled. The office lit up with an intense orange light. Shielding their eyes they looked at the source and saw an immense fireball nearly swallow a squadron of TIE fighters.
“That came from the Engineers’ Convention!” Rioux shouted.
Mas Amedda turned to the Emperor, “Shall I call for emergency session with the Senate?”
Palpatine couldn't wait for the Death Star to be completed so he wouldn't need a Senate. “Do it,” he bit out.
Padmé watched the forests of Naboo pass by the window of her speeder. The sun’s rays peaked through the canopy of trees like a strobing light in a dance club. Obi-Wan was at the wheel and taking her to a spaceport in Theed as fast as he could. It wasn’t fast enough. It took all night and most of the morning to plan her trip to Coruscant.
Padmé contacted Captain Panaka and asked him to prepare her private shuttle. It had not been used since she, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and her children escaped Coruscant the night of the Jedi Purge.
She also kept in contact with Barriss to arrange a time and place to meet. Unlike her mother and Threepio, Barriss did not express her objections (if she had any) about Padmé coming to Coruscant.
Poor Threepio. Padmé had shut him down when he would not stop agreeing with Jobal. Expressing the odds of every outcome to every situation imaginable was not helpful. She didn’t even turn him back on this morning to say goodbye. Padmé shifted her eyes to the reflection of Artoo in the window. Threepio will be furious when he finds out she brought his companion with her.
Threepio will forgive her. It’s in his programing. Will her babies forgive her? Will Sors and Jeswi? Though the children were nervous to see her leave they understood that Master Skywalker was in trouble and needed Miss Padmé’s help. Knowing Master Kenobi was staying put them at ease.
The sound of Leia’s and Luke’s wailing was something Padmé would never forget. She had never been separated from them for more than a few hours and leaving them was breaking her heart in two. It actually caused her chest to hurt and she grabbed the neckline of her shirt thinking that would help the pain.
The only thing that would ease that pain was knowing they would be safe on Naboo with their grandparents and Obi-Wan as their guardians.
Who was guarding her Anakin? He was injured and vulnerable. She’d be damned if she was going to leave her husband right under Emperor Palpatine’s nose.
Not that she didn’t trust Barriss but the Jedi was a fugitive and she would need help to bring Anakin home. Thinking of Barriss reminded her of something. Padmé felt around the pocket of her cape for the letter written on parchment. Padmé sighed with relief. She had not left it behind. Kornell had come by when he heard about the bombing at the convention. He wrote his letter to Barriss in haste when Padmé told him she was leaving immediately.
Breaking her rumination of the past serval hours Obi-Wan asked, “Do you have a plan, Padmé?”
“Besides meeting up with Barriss? No. Do you have any suggestions?”
“You and Barriss could disguise yourselves as medical personnel transferring Anakin to a special facility. That way ‘Den Mercer’ will have technically been discharged and that will not raise any red flags. With Artoo it shouldn’t be hard getting into the system and adding that request.”
“That is not a bad idea,” Padmé replied and after a pause added, “I am sorry you had to see me and my mother fighting like that. When she suggested that you go instead she wasn’t thinking. Still, she shouldn’t have spoken for you.”
Obi-Wan gave his friend a small smile. “If you change your mind before we get to Theed I will go in your place, Padmé.”
“Thank you, Obi-Wan, but I’m his wife and I am doing this myself.”
Barriss gave Padmé instructions to go to Dex’s Diner at closing time and order the unpopular dish called “Tatooine’s Beast”, which was basically bantha pot pie. As Padmé entered the diner she made a bee line for the counter and gave her order to the droid. Studying her surroundings she saw there were only a few customers left, paying their tab. They barely noticed her, but her haste looked like she was in a rush to eat. What she really wanted was to see Anakin.
In no time at all a Besalisk cook came out of the kitchen and presented a pie to her, and not the one she ordered. It was a slice of shuura pie, thank the maker, and the napkin had directions written on it.
Padmé looked up at the Besalisk she now knew was Dex. He smiled at her and said,
“We’re closing up here. Would you like that to go?”
Padmé placed some credits on the counter and answered, “Please.”
At the corner she met Artoo and they made their way to the lower levels. After they exited the last lift she was surprised to see Dex waiting for her. He surprised her again when he handed her credits back, “On the house. I am sure you have been on an emotional rollercoaster!”
“Thank you,” Padmé said graciously.
Dex pointed to the wrapped up slice of “Naboo’s Kiss” in her hand and said, “I want you to know those shuuras are organic and imported from Naboo. They’re not artificially grown in a lab on Coruscant.”
Impressed Padmé said, “I look forward to eating it.”
Padmé had never been this far down. She found the orange lights of the district disturbing. Except for the sound of Artoo trailing behind her and whistling nervously it was eerily quiet on Thugger’s Alley.
Padmé was filled with relief when she saw Barriss waiting outside the Headquarters. Dex excused himself to head back to his diner and accept some deliveries.
Barriss led Padmé and Artoo to the kitchen. Before Padmé took a seat she said, “How is he? What happened?”
Barriss took Padmé’s hands and made her take a few breaths. Then she calmly explained, “He’s going to be fine. He was in a flight simulator when the bomb went off. It most likely saved his life since it absorbed most of the blast. Two ribs on his right side are broken and one punctured his lung. His mechanical arm shorted out when it was crushed by the simulator. The medical teams are working to repair the nerve damage before attaching a new prosthetic. That is the worst of it. I promise. Otherwise it’s cuts and bruises.”
Padmé closed her eyes, leaned forward and placed her hands over her aching heart.
Barriss continued, “He’s been in a bacta tank since being brought to the medical facility. They’ll take him out of the tank tomorrow. We’ll go there in the afternoon.”
Padmé exhaled in relief. “What can I do to help in the meantime?”
“Yoga,” Barriss stated.
Padmé arched her brow. “Yoga? Really?”
“I understand you’re worried and stressed out, but I can sense the strain it’s putting on your child.” Padmé was visibly annoyed but Barriss didn’t hold back, “You know I don’t have to tell you it’s not just any child, Padmé. The Force is very strong with him or her. So yes, you and I are going to do some Yoga to release some of that stress..”
“Barriss, do you think I haven’t been through this before? During the war there was talk that he was killed and I was pregnant with twins then. I won’t be able to rest until we’re far away from this blasted planet.”
Barriss locked eyes with her and stood her ground, “You’re not getting out of this, Padmé.”
“Fine,” Padmé said after a deep breath. “You win, Barriss.” After a pause Padmé continued, “How did this even happen? I know I cannot trust the HoloNet, even though they barely say anything. What do you and your friends know?”
Barriss told her of the missing explosives, and the chain of Separatist cells that awaken when one is eliminated. They target the Empire and anyone who associates with them. Engineers on their payroll for example. They may not be destroying their prototypes and ideas for Imperial ships but it’s a message.
Padmé just shook her head. “Why attack at the close of the convention?”
“They were attacking Raith Sienar. They bombed his personal airspeeder in the garage of the hotel as he was leaving after the launch of his TIE fighters. However, he took a page from your book and left another way. It was his decoy that was killed in the attack.”
Padmé was filled with sadness as she remembered Cordé. She was also curious about how Sienar knew to use a decoy.
Barriss expressed the same thought, “It makes you wonder what he knows.”
“It certainly does.” Padmé’s speculation was cut short when Artoo squealed out a warning as the back door opened and two young men entered. They were both of average height, with shaggy brown hair.
“Padmé, this is Roan Lands and Ferus Olin,” Barriss said.
Padmé politely nodded then added, “Ferus, I finally get to put a face to a name. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Ferus frowned. “I’m sure it was nothing good and extremely exaggerated.”
“Yes, I know you and my husband didn’t get along, but I was speaking of Obi-Wan. He has said many positive things about you. I also knew your former Master, Siri, for a brief time during the war.”
Ferus looked away with sadness in his eyes. He had felt her death. Roan changed the topic, “Can I offer you anything? I can warm up that pie.”
“Thanks. I’ll also have some tea, with honey, please,” Padmé responded. She also noticed the data pad in his hand. “What did you find in the Jedi Archives?”
“We’re still decrypting the last few gigs. So far we have a list of every Jedi, Padawan and youngling to escape the Purge,” Barriss said.
Roan placed a cup of tea and the data pad in front of Padmé, “Anakin is at the top of the most wanted list. Even above Master Yoda.”
Just as Padmé had thought, the ruse of using Palpatine’s dead assassin to fool the Clone Troopers into thinking it was Anakin did not last.
“Leave it to Anakin to be public enemy number one.” Padmé scanned the list till she found the names of the two-younglings hiding on Naboo. She promised to keep their whereabouts a secret and would have to wait till she and Barriss were alone to share the information with her.
“We’re trying to find out if the Inquisitors are dealing with this list on their own, or if they are hiring Bounty Hunters.”
Padmé shook her head. “I can’t speak for all the Jedi listed but Palpatine would not stoop so low to put a price on Anakin’s head. Instead he would set a trap. He wants Anakin to come to him willingly.”
A soft ding went off and Roan brought over the steaming slice of shuura pie. The aroma reminded Padmé of home.
“How close were they?” Ferus asked.
“Palpatine was a mentor to him. He was once a mentor to me,” Padmé said with regret. “Palpatine would tell Anakin what he wanted to hear so Anakin confided in him. He could tell him things he couldn’t tell the Jedi because Anakin felt the Jedi didn’t trust him. Anakin was put on the council but was not granted the rank of Master. He was asked by Palpatine and, unofficially, by the Jedi to be their spy.”
Ferus was surprised the Jedi put Anakin in that position but he could also see how they had lost their way during the war. They had become soldiers not peacekeepers. “As someone who was always conflicted that couldn't have been easy for Anakin.”
“It wasn’t.” Padmé continued, “At the end of the war Anakin had a choice to make. I doubt Palpatine is happy with his decision. This Avel may be a promising Sith apprentice, but he’s not the man Darth Sidious invested over ten years of his time to manipulate.”
Ferus shared a look with Barriss. She slightly shook her head at him and mouthed the words, “Not now.”
Padmé did not see their exchange and instead was focused on cutting into her pie with the side of her fork. Then she said, “Am I correct to assume you found nothing on Avel?”
Barriss waved a hand into the air, “All traces of his previous life has been deleted.”
“It’s ironic,” Ferus said, “if he were not our enemy he could be a part of The Erased.”
Padmé pushed the rest of her pie aside. The conversation made her lose her appetite. “What is exactly is The Erased?”
“We’re all fugitives of the Empire,” Roan answered. “We erased our identities and live in the Underworld.” Roan swooped his arms to show off their minimalistic home. What little furniture there was didn't match.
“What’s your agenda? Are you just trying to stay off the grid or are you forming a rebellion?”
“Both,” Ferus said. “Roan and I lead a rebellion on Bellassa. The Empire disbanded that and we had to disappear. We haven’t given up fighting the Empire, we just learned from our mistakes.”
“And,” Roan added, “unlike the remnants of the Separatist, we don’t attack innocent citizens. We’ve spent more time trying to prevent their attacks than fighting the Empire. But this information we got from the Jedi Archives is a game changer.”
Artoo began to whine which startled Padmé. The backdoor opened and everyone, except Padmé, relaxed when Keets walked in.
Keets stopped in his tracks, surprised and a bit star struck to see the former Senator Amidala present.
As Barriss introduced him, Keets put out his hand. Reluctantly, Padmé shook his hand and narrowed her eyes, “Keets Freely, that name is familiar. Have we met before?”
“Uh, no,” he responded, nervously, “I used to be a reporter and tried on multiple occasions to get an interview with you. Your office refused.”
Padmé quickly dropped her hand, “I see.”
Nervously he explained, “I wanted to write a political piece. The truth about the war, and, yes, I wanted to put some rumors to rest. Rumors that I now know were true.” He said the last part slowly as if each word was their own sentence.
Saving Keets from his embarrassment Padmé said, “It was nothing personal. I didn’t want to be confronted with any questions where I knew I would have to lie about my personal life.”
“Of course. Understandable,” Keets said quickly.
“How did you become part of The Erased?” Padmé asked in a more friendly and welcoming tone.
“The Imps came after me when I tried looking into Avel’s past. I didn’t help that I was already on their radar for looking into the creation of the Clone Army at beginning of the war.”
Padmé sympathized with his story. There are so many lives Sidious had ruined and would continue to ruin so he could have unlimited power.
“Padmé. Padmé,” Ferus said as he tapped her on the shoulder. Padmé opened her eyes and saw a blurry form standing above her and heard the sound of an alarm coming from her data pad.
Once she focused her eyes she took her device that Ferus handed to her. She shut off the alarm and saw the alert: “Congratulations! You are now 17 weeks pregnant! Your baby is as big as a large onion.” Padmé turned off the data pad, deciding she would read the whole article later. “Thanks. I must have left it in the kitchen.”
She looked around the tiny bedroom. The Headquarters was small and modest. There were two to three people to a bedroom. With two more guests visiting that meant Barriss and Padmé had to share a bed.
“Where is Barriss?” Padmé asked.
“She went to the market so she could make you a healthy breakfast. Leftovers from Dex’s Diner doesn’t meet her standards for a pregnant woman’s diet,” Ferus said with some humor.
“That’s very kind of her. Oh, that reminds me.” Padmé reached for her satchel and took out her prenatal vitamins. “Where is everyone else?”
Ferus answered as he followed Padmé to the water filter in the kitchen. “Roan and the others are investigating the Separatist cell responsible for the bombing so we can thwart their next move. No one has claimed responsibility yet so we suspect they have something else planned before announcing who they are. Keets is sneaking around the Medical Center to get an update on Anakin’s condition. He took Trevor and your droid with him to slice into their records. Trevor and Artoo have taken a liking to one another.”
Padmé chased her vitamins with water and said, “I’m not surprised. How can anyone not love Artoo?” After an awkward silence she asked, “You and Anakin weren't exactly friends growing up. Why did you help them get into the Temple? You knew the risks were not worth the information they were seeking.”
“I made a promise when I left the Order that I would help any Jedi who needed it. Besides, you know your husband. He would have gone with or without our help. At least with The Erased backing them up they got out alive.”
Padmé leaned against the counter, closed her eyes and sighed, “That’s true.”
They were silent for a moment and then Ferus said something that had been on his mind. “Can I ask you something?” When she nodded he continued, “You were a Senator, and one of the few good ones. Anakin was -is- a Jedi. Why did you marry him?”
“Besides the obvious answer that I fell in love with him?” she chuckled. Ferus was not amused so Padmé explained, “I did reject him at first. Though he was heartbroken, he accepted my answer. He didn’t bring it up again.” Knowing Ferus was familiar with the famous story that began the Clone Wars she jumped ahead, “But when we were faced with death on Geonosis, I couldn’t bear to let him die not knowing the truth. So I confessed my love.” She released a short laugh, “Of course we didn’t die in that arena and I wasn’t going to take back what I said. I guess after always being smart and responsible about my choices I wanted to be reckless and selfish for once. Even though I knew we would be living a lie.” She looked away a bit embarrassed.
Ferus suddenly thought it was unfair to judge her so harshly. Then he took her hand so she would look at him, “Either way you would’ve been living a lie.” After she gave him a small smile Ferus added, “And if you ever decide to tell Keets that story he would die of happiness.”
Padmé let out a genuine laugh of amusement.
It’s so hot. It’s hard to breathe - like inhaling sulfur. He’s lying face down on the black sand. No, it’s ash. There are the sounds of eruptions in the distance.
Where - what is this place?
He moves to get up from this dark beach. He reaches out his hand to pull himself up only to find his golden hand digging into the ash. The left arm is gone.
There is no leverage and he slips back down the slope into the river below. To his surprise it’s not water. The ash, the eruptions…it’s lava that sets the spark and is crawling up his body. The pain feels like being turned inside out.
“MD-1, what’s the update on Den Mercer’s condition?”
“Both ribs are healing. Lungs at full capacity. His fever just broke. The arm has too much nerve damage to attach a new prosthetic.”
“Remove him from the bacta tank. Wrap his torso and arm then transfer him to a private room. Keep him sedated and continue the antibiotics.”
“Yes, doctor.”
The sliding doors open as he steps into the the dark room. The lights are low and some illumination comes in from the panoramic windows. The city moving outside has no idea of the atrocities going on within the Jedi Temple’s walls.
The younglings are hiding behind the empty chairs of the Masters. One bold boy steps out to say, “Master Skywalker, there’s too many of them. What are we going to do?”
He activates his lightsaber and the boy jumps with fright.
“Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy.”
That voice. He turns to see the Chancellor sitting on his throne with his hands chained to the arm rests. “Do it,” Palpatine demands.
He looks down and sees Count Dooku at his mercy. Mercy. He knows this is wrong. The Count is unarmed. Yet, did Dooku show him mercy when he cut off his arm? The memory of the pain is strong. Just looking at this Sith Apprentice makes that wound feel fresh. His upper right arm is alive with shooting electrical currents. As he looks down he can see and feel his left hand curling around Dooku’s lightsaber. He can see the right hand holding his own lightsaber, but he cannot feel it.
“Doctor, his ribs are healing nicely but the nerve damage is still too severe. Should we immerse Mr. Mercer in the bacta tank again?”
“No, MD-1, wrap the arm in a bacta baggage with a stronger dosage. Increase the sedation.”
His right arm is gone. He can’t feel any pain but the phantom sensation of an arm and a hand is still there. The medical droids on the transport have wrapped up the stump and given him antibiotics to fight off infection.
The curtains open and to his delight Padmé enters. “I had to dodge seven medical droids and a Jedi Healer to find you. How are you?”
He shrugs. “We’re alive, right? How’s your back?”
Padmé turns to reveal her bandage, “It won’t scar.” Climbing onto the left side of his bed she kisses his cheek. “You’re right. We’re alive and that’s what counts.”
They are quiet as they lay together and he can feel her breath on his neck as she curls into him. He thinks about her declaration in the arena. Will she take it back once they return to Coruscant? She’s not one to go back on her word but he’ll be going off to war soon. Can they carry on a long distance, secret affair? What if she meets another man, someone she could go public with? To witness that on the HoloNet while fighting a war, it would destroy him.
The only way to keep her forever would be to make a vow to one another. Padmé would not break a vow. Working up the nerve and clearing his throat he asks, “Padmé, will you marry me?”
She looks up at him with some surprise. He knows this not a romantic way to propose. Afraid of rejection again he watches her expression change from apprehension to genuine happiness. “Yes,” she whispers. After they kiss she breaks away to ask, ‘When?”
“Once we’re back on Coruscant.”
“No, that’s too risky. Besides, I want to be married on Naboo. Let me handle the details, but we’ll have to do it before you go off to… war.” Padmé says sadly.
Holding her closer and touching his forehead with hers he says, “Let’s not think about that. This is a happy moment.”
She smiles and kisses him deeply. “I love you.”
Padmé walked down the corridor of the Amputees’ Unit looking for the name Den Mercer inscribed on the door. None of the medical personal stopped her since she was dressed as a Naboo Holy Woman. It was not uncommon for different religious or spiritual leaders from around the galaxy to visit the patients. The mauve veil also hid her hair and face from the holocams.
Artoo and Barriss went to find a terminal. Artoo would access the system to put on tomorrow’s schedule for Anakin to be discharged after he received his new prosthetic arm.
Finally Padmé found Anakin’s room and entered. She lightly sat on the left side of the bed and brought his hand to her lips. The smell of bacta stung the back of her throat.
A chill crept up Padmé’s spine and her heart ached as she looked over the injuries Barriss told her about. Anakin’s right arm was a stump just above the elbow wrapped in bacta bandages. His torso was wrapped tightly. She pushed his hair behind his ear as she examined his cut and bruised face. Anakin turned his head toward her hand and she cupped his cheek so he could rest in her palm.
“Padmé,” he whispered.
“Shh,” she warned, then added as reassurance, “I’m here.”
Anakin’s eyes fluttered open and he looked around taking in his surroundings. Besides noticing the machines he was hooked up to, he felt broken and sore. He looked down at where his arm used to be. With deep sadness Anakin groaned, which turned into a painful cough. Padmé quickly poured some water and held the cup to his lips. As he slowly drank in small sips he stared at the woman he loved. The woman he would always want by his side. “Marry me,” Anakin said hoarsely.
Padmé’s confusion quickly passed and she sighed when she realized her husband was having a flashback. This scene was not so different from the one on the medical ship that transported them from Geonosis to Coruscant. Maybe it was the trauma he’d been through, or maybe his mind was clouded from the sedatives.
“We’ve been married,” she said gently, “for nearly five years.” Taking his hand she placed it on her belly. It was too early to feel their child kick but he would sense its life through the Force. She waited to see if his mind caught up to the present, but he just stared at her and looked confused. “You’re on Coruscant. You were hurt during a bombing at the Engineers’ Convention.”
Anakin looked down at where his hand rested. After a moment of recollection he remembered sensing something menacing that morning. He also remembered being trapped and nearly crushed to death in the TIE simulator.
Now Padmé was by his side, which means Barriss must have told her about the Temple. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I was going to tell you.” His throat was so dry he could barely speak yet he kept repeating his apology.
“We’ll talk about that later. Right now you need to sleep,” she commanded. “We’re going home very soon.”
Anakin’s apology faded into a whisper as he began to fall asleep.
Nikkei glided down the hallway in her repulser chair as she looked for her friend’s room. She considered herself incredible lucky since she only suffered minor cuts, bruises and a broken leg in the attack.
As Nikkei reached the end of the hall she found the room she was looking for and Den’s name on the open door. She stopped short of entering when she saw a Holy Woman sitting on the bed besides Den, holding his only hand in hers.
Nikkei covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping. His injuries were far worse than she had heard from the gossip mill. That gossip mill being their coworkers. Now that she saw the extent of Den’s injuries and that a Holy Woman was here to visit him her heart filled with worry. Was the Holy Woman here simply to pray with Den or help him pass onto the next world peacefully?
Though she knew it was wrong, curiosity won over her conscience. Hiding behind the door frame and straining to listen she heard Den repeat “sorry” in a hoarse whisper.
“Go back to sleep,” the Holy Woman said. Her voice was so familiar. Nikkei could not see her face, as it was obscured by her veil.
Den had finally stopped apologizing and was drifting off. He gripped her hand and pulled it close to his chest. “Stay,” he said.
“I’m not going anywhere, my love.”
Nikkei nearly gasped. In fear of being caught watching a private and intimate moment she immediately turned her chair around and sped away.
Artoo made sure to scramble the schedule so no droids or doctors would visit “Den Mercer” as Barriss used her healing abilities on Anakin. The ribs would not be so complicated. It was the trauma his arm experienced that made his projected recovery time too long. If they were to leave Coruscant as soon as possible with little suspicion then Barriss would have to speed up his healing process.
After a couple of hours in a healing trance Barriss felt it was enough. Padmé didn't want to leave Anakin’s side but it was time to sneak out.
Back at the Erased Headquarters Barriss didn’t know if she was more hungry or exhausted from her trance. She opted to eat first.
Padmé showed her gratitude by cooking dinner. As she was serving the food she noticed Barriss was playing with Kornell’s letter, rubbing her fingers along the edges, unfolding and refolding it over and over. When Padmé approached with two plates Barriss hid the parchment in her pocket.
They ate in silence until Barriss announced, “There is something that I have been meaning to tell you. In the data that we downloaded from the Archives Ferus found something else that Anakin was searching for.”
Padmé stiffened.
“He was searching for someone named Darth Plagueis.”
Padmé sighed with disappointment. So that was Anakin’s ulterior motive. “Did he find anything?”
“No. I wonder why he even bothered to look. There are ancient journals that detail encounters between the Jedi and Sith, but after the battle with the Brotherhood of the Sith they were thought to be extinct. There are accounts of some rumors over the generations, but the Archives made a note to not take them seriously. There wasn’t enough evidence.”
“The fact that he looked tells us that he didn’t believe everything the Jedi taught. He risked his life, risked our safety, to get information that doesn’t exist.”
“Yes, but the risk was worth it. Wouldn't you agree?” Barriss pointed out.
“Yes, but you didn't know you would find a list of the surviving Jedi. So why did you take the risk?” Padmé retorted. She suddenly felt bad for her attitude and asked sympathetically, “Was it for closure?”
“Partly. There are many reasons.” Barriss sat back and put her hands in the pockets of her pullover. Padmé could see her fingers moving against the folded parchment.
Padmé sensed she had not shared this with anyone. Maybe not even Kornell. “I’m listening.”
“Mostly, I wanted to go home again. I love the work I do with Doctors Around the Galaxy, but living like a nomad is… difficult. I wanted to see what Sidious had done to my home. For a long time I have been feeling such guilt because I wasn’t there. I had to make that pilgrimage to feel the death and destruction they felt. It was the only way I felt I could ask for forgiveness.”
Instead of answering Barriss with logical clichés that wouldn't change her feelings she simply said, “Do you feel you’ve been forgiven?”
Barriss’s teary blue eyes met Padmé’s. “I don’t know. But I do know that I have a new purpose. A way to put my life back together. I’m just afraid of breaking Kornell’s heart, because it’s certainly breaking mine.”
“He might choose to join us to find other Jedi. He’s certainly committed to helping Sors and Jeswi recover,” Padmé reassured her.
That made Barriss smile. She knew once they returned to Naboo there would be so much to discuss. For now she closed the topic, “I’m tired. It was a long day and we both need sleep.”
“Pure sabacc,” Anakin said as he laid down the cards.
“Idiot’s Array,” Nikkei revealed. She had won the game, but it was just for fun. They hadn’t bet with credits. She took the cards back and shuffled them, just to have something to do with her hands. “I’m amazed at how quickly you recovered. I came by to visit you yesterday and a Holy Woman was here. Gave me quite the fright.”
“There was a Holy Woman here? I don’t remember that,” Anakin partially lied. He was still groggy from the sedatives and though he vaguely remembered Padmé being with him he didn’t remember her disguise.
“You sounded pretty out of it,” Nikkei realized he wouldn't be able to explain his strange encounter with the mysterious woman. She stopped shuffling the cards and put them back in Anakin’s luggage that she brought from the hotel.
“When does everyone from TSA return to Naboo?” Anakin asked. Nikkei had filled him in on everyone’s injuries. Most of them were minor since the were far away from the blast. It would take another week for Nikkei’s leg to heal since she had multiple breaks.
“There’s a chartered flight leaving this afternoon, but I could stay with you.”
“No, you should go. I’ll be fine.”
She touched his arm and said, “Den, you shouldn't be alone.”
Anakin didn’t know how to let her down. He should tell her that they can’t be together because they’re just friends. They work together and it would be awkward. Which was true but not being able to tell her he was married and in love with his wife made this situation more difficult.
He was spared from saying anything when MD-1 entered with his new prosthetic arm. The medial droid said in a mechanical baritone, “All visitors must leave for the procedure.”
“I’ll see you soon, Nikkei,” Anakin kindly dismissed her.
It was dusk as Padmé’s ship took off. After they cleared Coruscant’s gravity Artoo set the coordinates. Once they were in hyperspace Padmé released a sigh of relief. She looked over at Barriss and the tension had left her shoulders too.
Towards the back of the ship they heard the water running as Anakin washed his face and brushed his teeth.
They had thirty-six hours until they reached Naboo. Padmé had imagined many times how this conversation would play out and she didn’t want it to escalate into a fight. Taking a deep breath she went to talk to her husband.
Anakin was standing in front of the mirror, shirtless and examining his bruises. Most had turned yellowish green and were scattered along his face, arm and ribs. He would use this long journey to go into a healing trance.
Upon seeing Padmé’s reflection and feeling cold he put on a thermal shirt; the only clean one left in his luggage. He leaned against the sink and tried to read her emotions. She did not come to lecture him. They just looked at each other. Finally, he broke the silence “How are our children?”
“They miss you and have been absolute terrors.” She decided to wait to tell him about Sors and Jeswi. “Now that I’m gone I bet my parents will never want to watch them again.”
Anakin smiled at what he thought was a joke. Padmé did not smile and approached him. Time to stop avoiding the bantha in the room. “We’re both tired and have been through a lot. I don’t want to fight. I want us to talk. You lied to me.”
Anakin sighed and then met her warm, brown eyes, “I did and I have no excuse.”
“Why did you risk everything to get into the Temple? Did you really expect to find something on Avel?”
“I didn’t make this decision lightly. I want you to know that. I don’t take my family for granted. But I thought even if there was a sliver of a chance that Avel missed something then it would be worth it. When I had help from Barriss and The Erased it seemed even more possible it would work and we could gather more information than what I came for.”
Padmé didn’t like to admit that the list of Jedi was a good lead but she held her tongue. Instead she watched him carefully when she asked, “Who is Darth Plagueis?”
Anakin looked away but kept his expression neutral. “He’s from a legend I heard.” Padmé urged him on with a skeptical look but he decided to not tell all the details. “He found a way to save the ones he cared about from dying.”
Padmé put her hands on her stomach and took an involuntary step back. “Did you have a premonition about the baby?”
Anakin took a step forward and held her hands, “No, no, but I wanted to know if it was true.”
“Who told you this legend?” She was clenching her hands around his. Please don’t say Palpatine, she thought.
Anakin tilted his head, cocked an eyebrow and holding her gaze said, “You know who.”
Padmé put her palms to her eyes and whispered, “Damn it, Anakin.” She turned away to pace the quarters. Not this obsession again. Will he ever learn? She didn’t want to get worked up and have this turn into a horrible fight. Halting mid-way through her stride she turned to face her husband standing at the threshold. “I was never in danger. Healthy women of my age and social class do not die in childbirth.”
“Padmé, you don’t know what it was like to have that premonition. I wasn’t -I won’t - lose you like I lost my mother.”
Padmé sighed. It was the same conversation going in circles. With a spark of inspiration she turned it in a new direction. “Maybe your nightmares about me weren’t what you thought they were.” When she saw Anakin roll his eyes she said, “Hear me out. You dreamt about your mother for weeks before we went to Tatooine. Yet, you weren’t having those dreams about me while you were fighting in the Outer Rim?”
Anakin was not sure where she was going with this. “No.”
“When did the dreams start?” she continued.
Anakin started to feel like he was on trial, “When I returned from the war and I knew you were pregnant.”
“Why is that?”
Anakin was baffled and didn’t respond immediately. “I don’t know. I can’t explain how my premonitions work. But every premonition I’ve had happened.”
“But it didn’t happen,” Padmé stressed. “Palpatine knew about us, and although I tried to conceal it, he knew I was pregnant. What if he sent those dreams to you then told you a story you wanted to hear?” Seeing Anakin was still skeptical she asked, “When did he tell you this legend?”
Anakin would never forget the details. “The night I met him at the theatre. There was a Mon Calamari ballet that night.”
“You didn’t question why a politician would know a Sith legend? Outside of the Jedi Order the masses don’t know what a Sith is. You didn't suspect then that he might be the Sith Lord?”
Anakin was too ashamed to look at his wife. He walked to the window to stare at the speeding swirl of hyperspace. “I was too focused on saving you and wanting the knowledge. So, I willfully ignored asking myself that because that wasn’t what I cared about.”
She came up behind him, gently put her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his back. “Exactly. It was a lie, Anakin. A trap.”
He was still tense in her arms, still struggling with her theory. Of all the lies and manipulations he knew this one legend was true. Padmé was right that it was odd that that the nightmares didn’t start earlier, but it felt impossible that Darth Sidious was sending him false premonitions. They felt too real to be a trick.
Peaking over his shoulder she saw his expression in the reflection of the window. “I know that this is a whole different point of view to consider. Just think on it. In the meantime, Palpatine will figure out it was you at the Jedi Temple. We have to rethink our next move. And I have some news to share with you.”
Guiding her husband to sit with her on the bed she told him about Sors, Jeswi and the Agents of Ossuss.
When they arrived in Theed Kornell was already anxiously waiting for them. After they filled him in on the basics the rest of the ride was tensely quiet.
Padmé could see from the window’s reflection Barriss in the passenger’s seat still fiddling with Kornell’s letter. Kornell would occasionally take his eyes off the road to watch Barriss.
Soon after they arrived at the house and settled in Barriss and Kornell left. They would have much to discuss.
“I hope they find a way to work it out,” Padmé said as she closed the door.
She went to her husband to embrace him. Anakin encircled his arms around her. “So do I.”
Padmé wrinkled her nose. “You still smell like bacta.”
Anakin chuckled, “I’ll go take a shower.”
“I’ll go after you.”
“Or you could join me,” Anakin suggested seductively.
Padmé stopped his hands as they were moving down her back to her hips. “Save it for the bedroom.”
Padmé entered the bedroom and approached her husband sitting on the edge of the bed. She swept his hair back behind his ear. A chill crept up her back and her chest ached to see the faint yellow bruises on the right side of his face. Anakin closed his eyes as she lightly traced the back of her fingers behind his ear and down his jaw. Slipping his robe off his shoulders she looked at the bruises healing over his ribs and arms. The bacta and healing trances really worked miracles. The seam where his elbow fit into his prosthetic arm was no longer visible. The nerves were healed but still sensitive.
Padmé took his right hand with her left and felt the synthetic flesh. She looked at both of his hands to compare. Looking at his prosthetic arm one would not know the difference, but the feeling was different from flesh. Cooler and smoother. They both looked at how she matched her smaller hands to his, the tips of her fingers only reaching the last joints.
Anakin shifted his fingers to close around her hands and led their arms down. Padmé bent down her head slightly to touch her forehead with his. “I missed you, Ani.”
Anakin slipped his left hand inside her robe to feel her soft skin as his fingers sensually trailed up her leg and hip to the small of her back. His brave wife who risked too much to go to Coruscant and bring him home. Normally he would have argued with her for her actions, but he felt he had no right to lecture her. When he really thought about it, he felt gratitude. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
She locked her arms behind his head. “There’s isn’t anywhere I wouldn’t go to to save you.”
“I’m sorry that-“
She placed her finger on his lips, “There was no way for you to know about the bombing. That was out of your control. But the Jedi Temple,” she paused. He had apologized repeatedly and in the end it had been worth the risk. “I forgive you.”
She cupped his cheek and kissed her husband tenderly. Anakin untied her robe and she let it slip onto the floor. Padmé threaded her fingers through Anakin’s hair as he left a trail of soft kisses down her body until he reached her abdomen. He placed both hands around where their child was growing and his kiss was gentle and lingering.
He broke away to look up into her eyes and his stare turned from endearment to hunger. Anakin’s lips trailed up her body, over her breasts to her neck then her lips, but his hands slid over her hips and down her thighs, guiding her toward him. Following his lead Padmé positioned herself to straddle her husband as gently as she could, not wanting to cause him any pain. His response was one of pleasure and encouragement. She buried her face in his neck, leaving a trail of kisses and breathing him in.
Now that they were home and safely in each other’s arms they were complete.
The next morning Anakin and Padmé were both jubilant as they made breakfast for themselves and their guests. They moved around the kitchen in perfect harmony as they set the table, fried the bacon and eggs, cut the fruit, brewed the caff, and squeezed fresh shuura juice.
When Obi-Wan, Barriss and Kornell arrived they weren’t expecting such a grand spectacle for breakfast, but Anakin and Padmé were known to get carried away when they cooked together.
There were many matters to discuss but Barriss took charge and handed a data pad to Obi-Wan. “The results from the Archives. A list of all the Jedi who survived Order 66.”
“Well, this will be useful,” Obi-Wan said as he scrolled. Anakin and Barriss then recounted their time with The Erased and how their mission went inside the Temple.
“Ferus Olin sends his regards,” Padmé added.
The memory of Siri tugged at an old wound in Obi-Wan’s heart, but he let it fade away. “I’m happy to hear he’s alive.” Turning to Anakin he asked, “Did you get along with him?”
“Not quite, but he was a tremendous help,” Anakin answered. “I want us to find Quinlan Vos first.”
“Why him?” Padmé asked.
“He went undercover as one of Dooku’s allocates and will have a lot of useful information about the Sith. His last know location was Kashyyyk. Obi-Wan, could you ask for leave and take a trip there?”
“I’ll make the arrangements. His former master, Tholme, is alive too. He would be a great ally.” Obi-Wan reached the end of the list and saw an unrelated entry, "Who is Darth Plagueis?"
Anakin was annoyed Barriss gave him the raw data instead of just the decrypted list Ferus gave them.
Padmé answered for her husband, “Something Palpatine told him.”
When Obi-Wan looked at Anakin he explained, “He could save those he cared about from dying.”
“I see,” Obi-Wan said as he recalled Anakin's question about there being anything in the Archives pertaining to everlasting life.
Barriss broke the silence, “What exactly did Sidious say? Word for word.”
Reluctantly Anakin repeated the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise verbatim.
“Why were you even searching for that story? Especially since you believe that you saved Padmé without this knowledge.”
“Curiosity,” Anakin said through clenched teeth.
“Understanding your enemy is key to defeating him. Isn’t it?” Kornell chimed in. He felt out of place at this Jedi meeting but compelled to offer his opinion. “If he can cheat death how are you going to destroy him?”
“The whole story is a lie,” Padmé said with certainty. “We can’t trust a Sith legend.”
"Maybe there is some truth to it," Obi-Wan said before taking a sip of shuura juice.
"That legend is shaak scat!” Padmé snapped.
The shock of Padmé cursing caused Obi-Wan to choke on his juice. Kornell patted him on the back until Obi-Wan could breath again. Anakin and Barriss were also surprised, but their reactions didn't cause a scene.
When Obi-Wan could speak again, though it was a bit hoarse, he said, "Allow me to explain. I don't believe in the legend itself, but I believe that this Darth Plagueis may have been Sidious's Master. I believe that he killed him in his sleep."
Padmé used her fork to stab a slice of pineapple from her fruit cup. “It’s irrelevant. The point is that I was never in danger of dying during childbirth and Sidious was sending those dreams to Anakin.”
“I can't say I know anything about what his abilities with the Force are or if Sidious is even capable of doing such a thing, but I feel the dreams were being misinterpreted.”
“Suddenly everyone is an expert on my premonitions,” Anakin grumbled.
“I'll bite,” Barriss said as she actually took a bite of her toast with shurra jam.
Obi-Wan put down his utensils. He folded his hands and became more serious. "The dreams were a metaphor about your fall to the dark side.”
Everyone stopped eating. Then Obi-Wan made eye contact with Anakin and continued, “The dreams began after you killed Dooku. Dooku was Sidious's last apprentice. You killed him, while he was unarmed. You passed his test and were on the path to become his next apprentice.” Obi-Wan then tuned to Padmé, “If Anakin fell to the Dark Side, would you have followed him?”
Padmé’s mind went back to her nightmare of Anakin becoming a Sith and she remembered the possessive and violent monster he had become. Instinctually she tugged at her collar, not sure why if felt so tight. She looked at her husband and somberly answered, “You would have gone down a path that I could not follow.”
Anakin saw in her eyes how much it pained her to say that, but he also felt how truthful her statement was. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in and his hands that were clenched tight had suddenly relaxed.
Obi-Wan held out his hand towards Padmé to prove his point, “Therefore the dreams were a metaphor. If you chose to follow Sidious you would have seen the 'death', so to speak, of your relationship with your wife.”
“I have my own theory,” Barriss added. Anakin closed his eyes and signed with frustration. “Everyone else got to share,” she protested.
"Fine. Go ahead," Anakin barked out.
“First of all, watch that temper, Anakin. We all know where anger leads,” Barriss smirked.
“Very funny,” Anakin smirked back.
“If you two don't behave you're both getting a Time Out,” Padmé said, and she wasn’t joking.
The mood in the room turned serious again and Barriss began, “Obviously pledging yourself to the Sith and to the Empire would have broken Padmé's heart. But more than that she and your children would be a threat. You must never choose your wife, or your children over your new master. Perhaps the legend is true and Darth Sidious did learn such unnatural powers from Darth Plagueis. Would he really teach you how to save your wife? If Sidious does have the power over life and death, as he claims, then wouldn't he use that power to kill Padmé instead? And your children, if they survived, Sidious would either manipulate them to his will or kill them if he saw your love and loyalty to them was stronger.”
Anakin's head was swirling with everyone's opinions. He had to admit, they were all strong theories. Killing Dooku was a test he passed. He would have become a Sith. Those visions he had at the Jedi Temple were an alternate reality. He would have killed those younglings in the Council Chambers. Just like he killed the Sand People. Padmé was too understanding about the Sand People. But the innocent Jedi? If she found out that he killed them to save her, it would have broken her heart. And it would have been for nothing. Barriss was right, Sidious would never have shared his knowledge with Anakin.
Anakin got up from the table and walked to the door of the back patio. “I need some air."
Everyone else finished their breakfast without Anakin. The guests helped Padmé clean up and when they were ready to leave Anakin had not yet returned. He took a long walk along the shore. He preferred something more active, like lightsaber practice, but he was still sore.
When he returned a few hours later he found Padmé was sitting on the swinging bench. As he sat beside her she turned sideways, tucked one leg under the other, and rested her head on her propped up hand. One look said it all, What are you thinking?
Anakin looked out past the lake toward the towering mountains. “Going over it all, I feel so naive.”
She took his hand into hers and said, “I know the feeling.”
“What do you think about the things they said?”
“They brought up some excellent points. I think Sidious twisted the truth. I do think Plagueis was his master and he killed him. But I don't think that kind of ability or power, whatever you want to call it, exists. Sidious knows how to manipulate people. He takes their strengths, like your good heart and your willingness to help those you love, and he used it against you.” Anakin didn’t say anything so she prompted him, “You?”
“I still think there is some truth to the legend.” Anakin sensed her annoyance but continued, “There are many things about the Force that we don't understand or haven't discovered.” He paused to clear his throat, “But, Barriss is right. It was an empty promise. I would have joined him and you would have died. He would have made sure of that.”
Padmé moved closer to her husband. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad I’m here with you instead, my love.” She first kissed his neck then trailed up his jaw to his lips.
Their kissing only ceased when Artoo wheeled out of the house emitting beeps and whistles. Ruwee and Jobal were nearby and sure enough their speeder was coming down the road.
Jobal got out of the speeder first and signaled for them to be quiet because the babies were sleeping. She ran up to her daughter first and embraced her tightly. “Oh, Padmé! I’m so relieved you’re home.”
“So am I, mom.”
Ruwee surprised Anakin by greeting him with a brief hug instead of a handshake. Then he looked his son-in-law over and studied his face. “You look good for a man who almost died. We’re glad to have you home.”
“Thanks,” Anakin said.
“May I cut in?” Ruwee said to his wife in jest as he wrapped an arm around his daughter. Jobal finally let go of Padmé and gently embraced Anakin.
After greetings were exchanged Padmé tip-toed to the speeder and noticed Leia was waking up. Taking her out of the safety seat Padmé said, “My beautiful girl.” Blissfully, Leia held onto her mother tightly. Anakin picked up Luke, who squeed with delight. Kisses, hugs and exclamations of joy were exchanged many times over as Anakin and Padmé switched the twins back and forth between them.
“Sola and Darred should be right behind us,” Ruwee said.
“Yes, but I want to get lunch started,” Jobal commanded as she ushered everyone inside.
They all settled in the kitchen. Anakin and Padmé set the twins in their highchairs to feed them while Jobal and Ruwee made their way around the cabinets and fridge to prepare a large lunch.
“How are Sors and Jeswi?” Padmé asked.
“They seem fine. Obi-Wan and Kornell checked in on them every day. They love Threepio and yesterday they finally warmed up to Ryoo and Pooja,” Jobal answered.
“And the twins?”
Ruwee and Jobal looked at each other. “They…,” Ruwee began to answer.
“To be honest, dear,” Jobal interjected, “they haven't seen much of each other. We planned to have them spend more time together, but it was just too much. So after one disastrous playdate we kept the twins with us and Sola kept the younglings with her family. I’m sorry, Padmé.”
Padmé sighed, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure it out.”
“Like I’ve told you before; daycare,” Jobal stated.
Anakin gave his a wife a questioning look. “We’ll talk about it later,” she murmured to him.
Artoo wheeled in, emitted whistles, then u-turned out of the kitchen.
Padmé wiped Leia’s mouth before she stood up. “I’ll get the door.”
Anakin could hear everyone’s excited greetings in the foyer. Between four children, three adults, and two droids it was a loud, disorganized orchestra. Anakin squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temples.
“Anakin, I want you to meet Sors and Jeswi,” Padmé said as she approached him.
Anakin looked up to see a boy and a girl each holding his wife’s hand. He froze.
Despite seeing the holos all over the house and getting to know Anakin’s family, the younglings were still apprehensive. Padmé lead them closer and Sors worked up the nerve to say, “Hello, Master Skywalker.”
Anakin stared at the boy and turned white. That voice confirmed it. They were the children from his vision.
Author’s Note: Lyrics are from the song “My Light” - Sully Erna
