Artoo beeped frantically at Anakin.
"What's wrong?" He asked. He could rarely understand the droid and had little patience for small maintenance jobs Artoo frequently had him doing. Artoo beeped again and writing came up on the small screen on Anakin's control panel.
"A tracking device?" he said. That was bad. Not only did it mean that someone was following, but that they knew that he would go to Tatooine and were perhaps spying on him since he arrived. He felt a pang as he thought of Kitster. He didn't want to drag anyone into this mess that, as far as he was concerned, he started.
"We're going to have some fun," Anakin said. He touched down on Arami, a planet much like Tatooine. He had landed in a very busy town, full of people and ships. He removed the blinking tracking device and snuck behind a large ship that looked like it was about to leave. He reattached the to the bottom of the ship and quickly slipped back into his plane.
"Set a course for Dantooine, Artoo," he said, taking off.
It was night on Dantooine by the time he arrived. He had been more paranoid than before on the way back, frequently making trickier trips through asteroid fields to shake any would-be attackers.
"Ani," Padme said, running towards him the minute he climbed out of the plane. He pulled her into an embrace, "Any news?"
"Not really. Besides the Wookie help and finding another Jedi there's nothing more going on. Bail says that he's meeting with some people who will likely side with us, but he didn't say who incase anyone is spying on us."
"Yeah. Kitster is still undecided, so we'll see. How are the twins?"
"They're fine, sleeping for now but they've been really fussy. I think all the change of location isn't agreeing with them," she said a little sadly. "I told you about Quinlan, didn't I? His wife and I have been sort of bonding over this," she said. Though she seemed happy, she looked extremely pale and tired.
"Are you feeling alright?" He asked.
"Yeah. Just a little tired with the twins and everything," she said, forcing a smile. "Come on, let's go to sleep," she said before he could say anything more.
Anakin woke early the next morning. He slipped out of bed quietly so as not to wake Padme. He walked over to the crib and looked down. Luke and Leia were sleeping soundly, covered in a purple blanket. He wanted to test their midichlorian count. If they had any force sensitivity, Palpatine would know and use it against them. At least if he tested them, he'd know what he was dealing with. He gently picked up Leia, kissing her on the forehead as she began to stir. He looked over at the still sleeping Padme with a slight sense of regret. He hadn't discussed it with her. He knew that she didn't want them to be trained as Jedi from an early age as was customary. He didn't want that either, but he had a feeling she'd consider testing their midi-chlorians as a step in the Jedi direction.
He took Leia out into the hallway and took out a small device used to test blood. Leia cried when he poked her with it. He calmed her down and did the same thing with her brother.
"What are you doing?" Obi-Wan asked, coming out of his room.
"I was testing their blood," Anakin whispered. "Hold on," he said, going back into the room to put Luke back in the crib.
"Why so early?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin looked down, slightly ashamed.
"Padme doesn't know," he mumbled.
"Does she care?"
"I'm not sure. I know she doesn't want us to train them from childhood and I think that if we found out their midi-chlorian count, she would assume that I intended to train them," Anakin said. "Is there a lab here?" he asked. Obi-Wan nodded and gestured for him to follow. They walked through a door and into a long white hallway. Their boots clicked as they walked silently. They finally reached a door and came into a white room filled with medical equipment and computers. Anakin sat behind a computer and began to test the twin's blood. Obi-Wan sat behind him, his chin in his hand.
"How long have you been back?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan, swiveling around in his chair to face him.
"Since yesterday. Mace left shortly after that, I'm not quite sure where he went," Obi-Wan said.
"Wow," Anakin exclaimed as the results of Leia's midi-chlorian count came in.
"19,000?" Obi-Wan said incredulously. "That nearly rivals yours."
"I know. I wonder if Luke has the same," Anakin said quietly. After a few moments, the computer showed that Luke did indeed share the same midi-chlorian count as his sister.
"Their count is nearly the same as mine and they're only children," Anakin said quietly. "If Palpatine knew…I don't want to think about what he'd do with them."
"They will be incredibly powerful Jedi," Obi-Wan said.
"Please don't tell anyone. At least for now," Anakin said,
"I wont. Are you going to tell Padme?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin squinted, "No. She doesn't need to know."
"Is that a good idea though? Withholding something like that from her?" Anakin shrugged, "She's stressed out enough. She doesn't need to worry about Palpatine getting them or their power."
"I've been wondering, have you heard of any other Jedi who had relationships like you did?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin gave him a strange look, "Quite the change of subject."
"Well, I was just thinking. I mean, you got married and kept it from the Council, as did Quinlan. It just seems hard to believe that you two were the only ones and I thought that maybe it was hidden from me better because of my position on the Council," Obi-Wan said.
"Well, I heard rumors but never really saw anything," Anakin said. They were quiet for a few moments until Anakin thought of something, "Now that the Council is pretty much destroyed, do you ever think about getting married?" Obi-Wan smiled slightly, "Well, first I'd have to meet someone. Even if I did, the answer is no."
"Really? You don't even want to?" Anakin said.
"No. I mean, I am really happy for you and Padme but that's not the life I want. I was raised with Jedi values, values I live by and am not going to abandon," Obi-Wan said.
Anakin took a deep breath, "If anything were to happen to me," Anakin began, slowly and quietly. "Would you take care of them?"
"Anakin, I have complete faith in you that you will indeed kill Palpatine," Obi-Wan said. "But yes. If for some reason you failed I would make sure that they are okay." Anakin nodded, "Thank you." They sat quietly for another minute.
"Maybe we should head back, the others will be waking up soon," Obi-Wan said. They walked back through the hallway, speaking quietly about who else they could recruit for the rebel cause.
"Good morning," Padme said, kissing Anakin. "Come on, I want to show you something." She took his hand and led him through a large door. They walked through a hallway identical to the one he and Obi-Wan had taken to get to the medical room. They reached the end of the hallway and walked through a doorway. The second they reached the room the lights turned on, showing many potted plants and trees surrounding a large fountain.
"What is this?" he asked.
"I don't know, I found it the other day," she said as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Padme I need to tell you something," he said, lifting her head up and looking at her in the eyes. "I tested their midi-chlorian counts. Both are nearly as high as mine." She pulled away from him, "Anakin I can't believe you did that."
"I had to know. Just to see what we were dealing with," he said, trying to take her hands. She pulled them away from him and angrily crossed her arms.
"You can't force them to become Jedi," she said.
"What's so wrong with that? They are powerful, we must embrace it," he said. He was growing extremely frustrated with her aversion towards the twins becoming Jedi. If they were going to become senators or something else political she would completely embrace it.
"I don't want our children to be caught in a life they don't want. Look at what happened to me. Ever since I was a child I was in politics, and to be honest I wasn't happy. Do you want that? To force them into something they might not want to be?" She asked. He took a deep breath, trying to control himself. She was right. He didn't want them to fall to the Jedi, to be controlled the way he was.
"Still, they are so powerful," the voice said. "It would be a shame to let that power go to waste. The Jedi have always forced you to control your power, save it for their own gain. It could be different with Luke and Leia." But no, that wasn't what he wanted for them. They can become Jedi, but when they're older.
"Ani?" Padme asked after he had been quiet for a few minutes.
"I'm sorry. You're right. Maybe if they want to be Jedi, we could train them when they're nine or ten like I was," Anakin said.
"I think I'm going to go to Naboo today," Padme said. Anakin blinked, "Wow, we really are hitting all of the tough topics today," he said, sitting down on a bench.
"Anakin, I can't just sit here and do nothing," she said, sitting next to him.
"I'll go with you."
"No. You need to take care of the twins. We can't both be gone at the same time in the same ship incase anything happens," she said firmly.
"You're making me feel a lot better," he said.
"I'll be fine."
"At least go with Obi-Wan," Anakin said. She rolled her eyes, "Fine."
"Milady, isa so good to be seeing yousa," Jar Jar said emphatically as Padme and Obi-Wan arrived at the main area in the underwater city of Otoh Gunga.
"It's good to see you too Jar Jar," Padme said.
"Thisa way," he said, leading them through the large bubble to the room that held the Gungan High Council.
"Senator Padme Amidala and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to be seeing yousa," Jar Jar announced.
"What brings yousa here?" Rugor Nass said.
"I come to ask you to join us in the rebellion against Emperor Palpatine," Padme said. "The brave Gungan people have given us great assistance in the past and I know that your people are passionate about true democracy." She knew from experience that the best way to earn the Gungan's help was to flatter them. As a senator, Padme had always been quite good at flattery.
"Wesa no caren about the Emperor," Nass said. "Hesa do nothing to us."
"But he will. He will soon invade Naboo and make you slaves to him," Padme said. "He caused the suffering thirteen years ago, the last time you agreed to help me." Nass sat back in his seat, looking curiously at the young woman.
"Why yousa care? Yousa rich senator, famous."
"I care because I want to do what's right. Palpatine will cause much suffering throughout the galaxy and I cannot allow that. Please, we need help," she said. The high council began speaking to each other quietly, all while Nass sat and stared at Padme.
"After mucha thought, wesa join you," Nass said.
Obi-Wan set a course back to Dantooine and sat back in his chair, smiling at Padme. The Gungans would be a huge help to them and may even be a defining point in their success.
"This is great," she said, beaming.
"Yes, it really will make the difference in the rebellion," Obi-Wan said.
"So that's what we're calling ourselves now? Rebels?" she asked a bit disdainfully.
"Well, I suppose we are. We're rebelling against the Emperor," Obi-Wan said. Padme nodded, "How much longer until we get to Dantooine?" she asked impatiently. "I really miss them." Obi-Wan smiled. He had known Padme since she was a young teenager and had never pictured her a mother. It was odd to see that she had adjusted to motherhood and being a wife so well.
"You two really surprise me," Obi-Wan said. Padme smiled, confused, "How so?"
"I mean, with being married and how you are with your kids. I've known both of you since you were just kids yourselves. It's a little hard to believe sometimes that that little Queen bossing everyone around is married to that sandy haired little kid on Tatooine are married and have two babies," Obi-Wan said.
"You're right. Sometimes I don't really believe it; we've come so far," she said. Before either of them could say anything else, the control panel and viewscreen began blinking red.
"What is it?" she asked. A large rusty looking ship appeared on the viewscreen.
"Pirates," Obi-Wan said.