Title: Awash in Broken Promises
Author: VA-Parky
Genre: Angst, drama – ROTS AU
Characters: Just about everybody!
Timeline: Picks up partway through ROTS; a few days after Obi-wan and Anakin rescued the Chancellor from Grievous
Disclaimer: I still do not own Star Wars.
Summary: A series of manipulations and missteps leads to the rise of Darth Vader and the fall of Anakin Skywalker. ROTS AU.
Author's Note: Well, I couldn't resist any longer - I had to write a ROTS AU. This one is based on how I assumed Darth Vader would come to be after watching AOTC for the first time. I will update as often as I can - hopefully once every week or two. FYI, most (if not all) of the final events will remain the same so consider this a major angst warning. However, if you'd still like to give it a shot I would love to have you along for the ride!
Obi-wan watched the cloaked figure slip through the bustling marketplace.
As much as he hated to admit it, the massive garment really was doing a decent job of hiding her identity. Unfortunately, the simple fact remained that the cloak could not mask her regal posture - an attribute that proclaimed her status as surely as if she shouted it from the rooftops. Normally, that wouldn't pose much of a problem...
...except that politicians weren't tolerated too kindly in these circles. The last one that had ventured into the area had vanished, never to be seen again. Well, assuming one didn't count the severed hand they discovered several days later.
"Blast," he swore quietly. "What is she thinking?"
He deserted his seat at the outdoor pub and crept silently across the uneven ground, using the Force to redirect the attention of anyone who looked a bit too interested in his motivation. Reaching her side in a matter of moments, he had linked their arms and was steering her away from the teeming crowds before she could even blink.
She heaved a sigh of resignation – and annoyance - before speaking.
"Hello, Master Kenobi. I see you've successfully tracked me down."
"You know you shouldn't be out here unescorted, Senator Amidala," he softly chided. "This area is quite unsafe. Come, we must get you to safety-"
"Please don't take me back yet," she pleaded, trying to pull her arm free. "I've been cooped up for weeks for no reason - I haven't even warranted a mention in the recent intelligence reports! Clearly it is safe enough for me to venture out, especially if I'm disguised."
"Perhaps," he acknowledged. "But the fact remains that you are a high-risk target and this is a dangerous area. You don't want to hand the Separatists one of the most powerful moral victories they could get, do you?"
She bit her lip and ceased her halfhearted struggles, unable to dispute the point.
"You know I don't. I just hate sitting around doing nothing. I should be traveling to outlying Systems, using diplomacy to bring their leaders into our fold. Their support could help us end this horrible war and restore peace to the Republic."
"And the war will end, but your death will not allow you to have much of a hand in the rebuilding efforts you are so passionate about," he retorted. "Oh, and let's not forget the minor detail that the Delegation of Two Thousand would be left without one of the Republic's most respected voices. Yes, it seems to me that staying on Coruscant is not such a bad political strategy."
"That may be so, but by remaining under Jedi protection I am acting as if I am frightened," she fumed. "And that is not an appropriate message to send during times of war."
He kept his voice calm; they had already been through this argument more times than he could count.
"You have had three attempts on your life since the Battle of Geonosis, Padmé. Three. The Council cannot overlook that no matter how much you want us to - and do not forget that we are permitting you to attend all necessary Senate and committee meetings. The Jedi do not wish to interfere in your life; we simply want to protect it."
She didn't respond right away, distracting herself by studying the grainy pebbles that crunched beneath their feet. "I'm sorry," she finally managed. "You are right; I was out of line and acting foolishly."
"What is this? An apology?"
Her lips curled into a smile and she put her hands on her hips. "Don't rub it in," she teased. "You should always accept a lady's efforts to make things right."
"Thank you for the reminder, Senator," He grinned, proffering his arm which she took this time without hesitation. "Now, I do believe we should get you back to your apartments. Masters Windu and Yoda are going to be quite curious as to how you escaped the watchful eye of Master Fisto."
"They should already know how resourceful I can be." Catching sight of his disapproving expression, she crumbled. "What can I say? My handmaidens remain effective decoys."
"Ah, I see. Well, since you are being so generously forthright I shall return the favor." Lowering his voice, he murmured, "Workers are removing the remnants of General Grievous' ship today. Several Jedi are examining it as we speak, searching for a clue that may lead us to his current hideout."
She brightened at the thought. "Now that Dooku is dead, the General's capture would leave the Separatists without a defined direction. Their movement will crumble."
"That is our hope, yes."
They strolled along, a peaceful truce settling between them. Within the depths of Coruscant, even the roar of the air traffic seemed strangely muted. He would have found it a nice change were it not for the eerie atmosphere it gave to the already-dangerous setting.
He was so consumed with his vigilance that he nearly missed Padmé's soft voice.
"It will be good to have the Jedi resume their normal peacekeeping duties," she mused. "I must confess that I have been terribly worried for you and Anakin."
"We both worry for you as well." When she blushed at the statement, he decided to press his luck a little further. "Anakin, however, is the bigger worrier of the two of us. I suppose that should come as no surprise; I know you have always been close."
Her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly on his forearm. "Well, our paths do have a way of crossing under extraordinary circumstances. That would be enough to draw any two people together."
He nodded, and although he had been the one to bring the subject up, he was incredibly relieved when she launched into a more mundane subject... in this case, the remodeling of her lakeside Naboo home.
Ten minutes later, his speeder was within sight. He relaxed slightly, pleased that they had managed to escape public notice. Raising his hand, he hailed Arfour; a movement that allowed the headstrong Senator to slip out of his grasp.
She tossed an apologetic smile over her shoulder, making a beeline for a wicker basket brimming with her beloved shurra fruit.
Reaching out, she politely greeted the elderly shopkeeper-
-and the entire world exploded.