Chapter 1 – It begins with a leap
Chancellor's Suite - Padmé
The rain cascaded down from the sky surrounding her in a cold embrace. She couldn't bring herself to care as she stood from the broken window looking out into the fallen capital of Coruscant. The cities future remained a horrific mystery with no hope in site. The lies and secrets finally revealed; nothing left to hide under the cover of darkness. The scariest part of this was how much she wished she could forget it all and stay hidden under the mask of innocence once again. Everything seemed so perfect not long ago, but it was impossible to turn back.
Obi-Wan had been thrown out the window to his impending doom. The fog that surrounded the building made it impossible to see anything beyond a few feet. She felt a pull calling her outwards, unable to decipher whether it was the bristling wind or a something else. Her fogged mind left her paralysed in a flurry of emotions.
Mace Windu lay dying beneath the throne on which Palpatine sat. The menacing laugh of Palpatine rippled through her every fibre. The Jedi where scattered around the room as the guards silenced their moans and pleas one at a time. She couldn't bring herself to look back at her husband who called her name. He wasn't her husband anymore; Anakin wasn't capable of such atrocities. The man who called her name was no man, but a monster.
He made his choice and she wanted no part in it. The empire had won at last. Sith would rain supreme. How had this happened? No one saw this coming until the last minute, she came here to save Anakin while Obi-Wan arrested Palpatine with the other Jedi. Instead they had met the cold sharp spear head of the Red Guard's force pikes, wielded by none other than her Dear husband. She knew Anakin held the Chancellor in high esteem, a so called father figure, but she never thought he would choose him over her. He had been manipulated by the man, the words from his mouth where twisted with lies and deceit. How could he not see what he had become? How could he not believe her?
As the last Jedi was silenced by the hand of the Red Guards, only Mace remained. He refused to give Palpatine pity or beg for help as he rose to his feet using his fleeting strength. He lit his lightsaber and position himself in a fighting stance. "Your bravery is respectable, useless but still respectable" Palpatine laughed as he watched Mace Windu stand in defiance. "Finish him, end this pitiful resistance" he called to his guards. A gut retching scream echoed through the room as the man finally fell to the ground, his last breath escaping his through his lungs.
Now only she remained, left to defend herself. She had to gain control of herself to make her next move, she refused to give anyone the satisfaction off her defeat. Now was neither the time nor place to focus on the past. The mysterious pull called to her once again. She leant forward over the window looking down upon the city again. Perhaps it was a message? With one last breath she stepped forwards out of the window escaping the screaming pleas of her husband. Placing her trust in her possibly misguided faith she fell. As she was rushing through the wind, rapidly plummeting closer towards the ground, she began hastily looking around for anything to save her from her rash decision. At last she spotted a figure clinging to the surrounding buildings. The man was rough and disfigured but none the less it was undeniable.
Obi-Wan was alive; a sense of hope filled her once more. Guided by the force Obi-Wan brought her toward him, pulling her into the safety of the room. "It's okay, it's okay" he softly whispered as he closed the window silencing the wind and rain striking the building outside. Warmth filled them as they moved deeper inside the heart of the building. They passed through the corridors concealed by the shadows, avoiding any one who might attempt to stop them. It was interesting seeing how to world continued to operate, the public knew nothing about what awaited them. She could only assume that the senate would be dissolved as Palpatine made himself the supreme leader. It wasn't good to overthink though, once they were safe then they could form a proper plan.
He led them into a dark empty hangar away from the public. Speeders where littered along the wall off the large hangar. Obi-Wan directed them towards a speeder. "We need to leave as soon as possible" he said as he began to work on the speeder unlocking the door. The relieving click of the door resonated through the hangar as the pressure released opening the door. The sound of footsteps outside in the hallway brought haste to their mission. "Get in… we need to leave" He whispered guiding her into the speeder.
Padmé attempted to speak but no words left her lips; the spiralling emotions finally came to the surface and left her broken. How could this have happened, what should she do? What could she do? She couldn't leave her husband behind, but was this man still her husband? The Jedi had fallen in a matter of hours, what remained would crumble fast and leave only the broken debris in its place.
As she sat back in her seat, exhaustion came to forefront of her mind. She struggled to keep her eyelids open as the speeder booted to life. As they passed through the vast city, weaving in and out of the surrounding traffic, she finally submitted to her fatigue. The future would have to wait while she rested.