Author Note: dialogue was taken from 'The Empire Strikes Back' the book by Donald F. Glut Based on the story by George Lucas. And the words in italics are words in thought.
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns it.
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The world was beautiful. Lush with shades of green and tints of blue. The air had a power to inhale your worries away. But the power was not strong enough to ease Padme's worries.
Aldeeran, she thought, so much like home, like Naboo. The magnificence of the planet could not comfort the brokenhearted woman. Too much weighed on her heart, too much she thought about daily. She fell into her world of thought two years ago. When she left everything, she had retreated to her own thoughts and dreams. Like Ani.
The only calm was in her little daughter. She had the privilege to watch over her for two years so far, she wasn't sure how long she would be graced with that right.
Her daughter was much like herself. Brown hair and big brown eyes. She was also determined like herself. Determined to have her way. Do I spoil her that much?
A slight smile crept to her lips. So much like herself. And Ani, she considered.
The smile disappeared as her mind turned to her previous care. She thought of all those she missed so much. Her friends and family. Everything was taken away from her. All she loved and cared for was out of her grasp. Except for her small daughter. Yet she was afraid she would soon be taken from her also.
"Ani," she whispered into the wind, closing her eyes and visualizing her family, "Obi-Wan...Luke."
Padme took a deep breath. Her eyes shot open at the smell. It was no longer the sweet air of Aldeeran but it was toxic and hot. She looked around her. The lighting in the room was red and black, eery silence was on her new surroundings.
Where am I, she wondered. Fear gripped her as no explanation calmed her. She took a few steps into her new environment. She wore only a pair of old cargo pant and a casual tunic, she was in the right attire if a threat was thrown against her.
She froze. Her ears focused on the sound she had just heard. The sound of deep breaths. Looking up she saw him. She gasped at the remains of her husband. A darkness radiated from him, a evil deeper than the dark clothing her wore. The mask over his once handsome face was that of corruption, of a cryptic skeleton. He sent shivers up and down her spine. Oh Ani...
Yet he did not see her. She was in perfect view. He stood atop a handful of stairs steps. Stillness like that off a statue he stood, seeming to wait for someone.
"Anakin?" She said her voice quivering
He was not moved, nothing changed.
"Anakin?!" She repeated with more urgency. Her feet moved unconsciously toward the dark man.
One step at a time his hideousness became more real. She stood directly in front of him. He towered more over her than before. She swallowed hard and spoke.
"Ani..." Nothing , he looked straight over her head."Ani!" Padme shouted reaching towards him, attempting to touch his shoulder. Another gasp escaped her lips. Her hand went right through his shoulder. She slowly retreated her hand looking at it with horror. Realization hit her. It was a vision. But of what?
"The Force is with you young Skywalker....But you are not a Jedi yet." Padme jumped back at the sound of his voice, it boomed with evil seduction. It was not her Ani.
She whirled around to look at who he was addressing. Backing up to stand beside her former lover. A young man turned to look at the evil man beside her, his gaze totally on him not noticing herself. He walked towards them. Padme strained her eyes to get a good look at him.
"Ani..." She said astound, this was her Ani as she remembered him. Yet something wasn't right. Her eyes flickered between the two. "No..." It not Anakin. Ani is the machine next to me. This was.."Luke.."
Her beautiful son she placed into Obi-Wan's arms just two years ago stood before her. Much taller than herself, with dark blond hair and light blue eyes like she remembered. His facial features were a mixture of her own and her husbands. More of Ani was obviously with him.
Padme watched them, they only stared at each other with negative emotions. A brilliant light blue blade extended from her son's side, it was his fathers. Obi-Wan had that last. He must have given it to Luke. She smiled briefly. The dark one responded to her son's acknowledge of battle with his own deep red blade.
"No.." Padme silently spoke. They can't fight each other..They're family, my family.
She backed up as they went at each other. Every move matched the others with skill. Luke was driven with more of and aggressive sense in his attacks. A growing anger seemed to radiate from him, she could see he was trying to keep his calm. Padme watched from the side, she couldn't prevent them from battling, she felt helpless. She only hoped that one would have mercy on the other.
"The fear does not reach you. You have learned more than I anticipated," Vader spoke calmly as they fought.
"You'll find I'm full of surprises," Luke confidently replied, threatening the dark one with another thrust.
"And I, too" was the calm, portentous reply.
With two quick, skillful moves Vader hooked the youth's saber sending it flying. He then reinforced his first attack with one at Luk's feet. The young Jedi jumped back to protect himself but only succeeded in stumbling down the stairs.
Padme took in a sharp breath. Anakin wouldn't hurt his only son, would he? Does he even know Luke's his son. He has to know.
She could only watch as her husband lunged and her son. Luke rolled aside as Vader landed next to him. Padme hurried down the stairs to not lose them.
"Stop this!" She cried her royal upbringing ran strong in her voice. On any usual situation her word would catch the attention of a half-crazed Wookie, but this was different. Her words were futile.
"Your future lies with me, Skywalker," Vader hissed, looming over the crouching youth.
"Anakin, what are you trying to do to him, he's just a boy!" Padme pleaded as she walked up the the dark figure.
"Now you will embrace the dark side. Obi-Wan knew this to be true" Vader continued.
Padme's eyes darkened as she stared down the man/machine before her. "No," she whispered.
"No!" Luke yelled out her unheard disapproval.
"There is much Obi-Wan did not tell you," Vader continued. "Come, I will complete your training" Even Padme could sense the evil strain on her son, his inner struggle to keep the Jedi concentration. Obi-Wan must have trained him some. Could Obi-wan still be alive at this time? Padme shook her head to the present or more so the future.
"I'll die first," Luke proclaimed as he slowly step backwards to avoid the advancing sith. Padme's eyes flickered from her son the the floor behind him, something was wrong.
"That won't be necessary"
"Luke, look out!" Padme shouted. The Dark Lord lunged at her son suddenly causing him to lose his balance and tumble into a gaping opening.
Vader turned away from the pit and casually deactivated his lightsaber. "All to easy," he shrugged. Padme stormed in front of him, angry and hopelessness in her eyes.
"Anakin, you..you monster! You've completely lost yourself Ani.. Ani please!" She yelled. The anger in the air must be catching.
"Perhaps you are not as strong as the Emperor thought." He spoke walking straight though the image of his wife. She closed her brown eyes as he past. In that instant she got a brief glimpse into his feelings. Hope, fear, even love and compassion. Maybe there was more to him. He doesn't want to hurt Luke, does he? He wants to turn him so he won't have to kill him. The dark side is worse than death, but I do not want to see my only son die. Who would?
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a rapid blur rise upwards. "Time will tell," her son's voice came from above. Herself and the Sith looked up toward the ceiling, to where the voice came. Padme inwardly sighed, but she was afraid of what backup plans Vader had for her son, if this freezing contraption didn't succeed.
Hanging from some hoses draped across the ceiling, Luke was suspended, having leaped some five meters into the air to escape the pit.
"Impressive," Vader admitted, "your agility is impressive."
The scene faded before Padme's eyes the images materializing out into only colors. They shifted and straightened. She now only saw ceiling. She heard voices, alarmed tones and rushing noises to get to her. Bail Organa towered over her. His mouth moved but she couldn't comprehend.She stared at him. No where's Luke..Anakin. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Luke...Ani.. Her eyes snapped open at the sound and feel of rapid wind. She was back. They were outside somewhere, on a ledge. Padme paid no attention to her surroundings and focused to the two men. Her Ani was savagely attacking her boy.
A sense of danger flowing into her. "No!" She shouted as she ran to them. Running right through the evil presence, and turning to face him. "Stop," she pleaded with great desperation. But she could do nothing, just like she could do nothing in the past to stop Anakin, she could do nothing now. His saber went right through herself aside her intentions to stop the blade. Behind her she heard her son scream. No Anakin how could you do this to him, hurt him like this?! How can you do this to me!?
Padme turned to look at Luke. His hand was completely gone. She couldn't believe it. He shouldn't be in that pain, he was her son she should be able to protect him against anything.
Padme slowly backed up and into Vader. A vast array of emotions were playing inside him as inside herself. Anger but mostly pain, the same pain she was feeling at seeing her son suffer. She kept her position and looked deeper into the man she loved even when she hated him. She felt a driving hope to save Luke. He saw the only possibility of saving his son would be for Luke to join him, for the Emperor would never let him live otherwise. Vader was doing this out of desperation.
Padme backed up all the way, he wasn't entirely evil. There was still some of Anakin in him. She forced herself to stand back and watch, listen. Her ears opened back up to the conversation.
"If you only knew the power of the dark side..Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father, did he?"
Oh no, Padme thought, how will Luke respond? But she already knew the answer. She could almost sense her son's and her husbands feelings like one who was force sensitive. She could sense conflict in Luke, no good would come out of this.
"He told me enough!" Luke yelled. "He told me you killed him."
"No," Vader replied calmly. "I am you father."
Padme could only watch. This obviously wouldn't be easy for her son. Her husband wasn't was changed. In this time in the future Vader's evil is probably more sinister then her present time. Her trusted friend Obi-Wan Kenobi was only trying to protect Luke by rearranging the truth. Speaking of his father before he changed, before he left her and her children...
The silence between them was broken. "No, no. That's not true..." Luke said refusing to believe what he had just heard. "That's impossible."
Oh, Luke...If you only knew the whole story..
"Search your feelings, " Vader said, sounding like an evil version of Yoda, "you know it to be true."
"No! No!" Luke shouted out of horror and confusion.
Vader wouldn't stop, he attacked Luke's vulnerability, attempting to fill the confusion with a..hope. "Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this.." Foreseen it? Padme asked herself. Is it possible what Luke was the Chosen One the Jedi once spoke of, would he bring balance? She shook the thought away, that Jedi legend has haunted her too many times. "It is your destiny. Join me and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son. Come with me. It is the only way."
Padme could see as well as feel her son's conflict. Betrayal, anger, bewilderment echoed in his mind. She had never in her life felt so helpless. Forced to be only an observer, to sit back and watch as her family battled each other. She waited for Luke's answer..
"Never." His only word before he stepped out into the empty abyss beneath him.
Padme wasn't granted the knowledge of knowing her Son's future fate. She was jerked awake into reality. She searched her surroundings. Home. Alderaan.
Oh...Luke....Ani..
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We wait with hope
- S.C.Chapman
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This story is obviously not apart of my alternate universe series.
This is simply a short story that I couldn't help but write down although
I wrote this in a slight hurry. So it might not be that good...oh well.
I hope you liked it.
The web-site dedicated
to all those ideas in my head can be found at
Frailty: An Alternate Star Wars Universe
And we ache with hope
we hold on with hope
we let go with hope
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