Without Her
After Anakin had been exiled from Naboo, he returned to Coruscant, earning money as a mechanic at a spaceport shop. A week later, he heard Holo-Net reports that Queen Amidala of Naboo had abdicated the throne. No specific reason was given, but the rumor was she was pregnant. Anakin hung his head. He couldn't believe they had allowed the lies they told each other to escalate to such a level. Oh Padmè, I'm so sorry for everything I've done, he thought sadly. He looked up when he heard two beings enter the shop.
"Hey, uh, how much does a power converter run for?" a Chagrian asked. His friend, a male Twi'lek, looked at Anakin nervously.
"200 Credits," Anakin replied flatly. Laying the credits down, the Chagrian turned to his friend, and the pair continued their conversation.
"Did you hear about the queen of Naboo?" the Twi'lek asked his friend. Anakin snapped his head up.
"Yeah, I did," the Chagrian said. "Leave it to the Nubians to elect a tramp for a queen," he finished with a smirk on his face.
Anakin's blood boiled, and he raised his fist. The Chagrian began gasping for air.
"Anakin!" a voice called from the back. "What did I tell you about using the Force on the customers?"
Sighing, Anakin released his hold on the creature's neck. Gasping for air, the Chagrian glared at Anakin. Lowering his voice, Anakin said, "Speak of the queen or of this incident to anyone, and I swear that you will die." The pair nodded and sprinted out the door. Anakin smirked, until a figure came out of the back room. Anakin's boss, Bunda Saab, was a humanoid. He had hired Anakin without a moment's hesitation when he saw Anakin's amazing mechanical skills. He was laid back and easy-going, but now he stared at Anakin with a frown.
"Anakin," he said wearily," You're the best worker I have and I don't want to fire you. But if you continue lashing out at customers, I'll have no choice but to let you go.
"Yes sir," Anakin mumbled. From the back, Bunda's wife, Chula, popped her head into the store.
"Anakin, why don't you join us for dinner?" she asked smiling. "It's shaak steak." Anakin grimaced. Chula was a terrible cook, and her shaak steaks were always either raw, or burnt to a crisp.
"Not tonight Chula. I'm afraid I'm not very good company."
"Oh, but I insist, Anakin! It would be our pleasure! Besides, what else will you do?" Chula countered. Anakin couldn't think of another excuse fast enough and reluctantly agreed. After his shift, Anakin glumly followed Bunda to his home. The Saab family lived towards Coruscant's downlevels, and lived quite modestly. As they sat down to dinner, and as Anakin sat chewing his burnt steak, he couldn't help but think of Padmè and their gourmet meals together. He saw Bunda kiss Chula's cheek, and remembered when he would do the same for Padmè.
"Excuse me," he said abruptly getting up and running outside. "Padmè," he said, sobbing as he collapsed into a heap in front of the door.
