Chapter 10
Padme walked out of her bedroom wearing a dark brown high-waisted, floor-length dress; a short, tan jacket topped it off. Descending the few steps to the main room, she smiled at Dorme and said, "Dorme, this dress is so comfortable, you're a magician! However did you learn to create such wonderful outfits?"
"My mother is a seamstress for the Governor's household back home. She taught me everything I know," Dorme answered.
"Does it hide me well enough? I'm getting so big, I'm a little afraid someone will notice," Padme said as she leaned back to each the strain on her back. "I can't believe I still have almost three months to go," she groaned.
"Yes, it's fine, milady. I stayed with dark colors because they help to hide the body's shape more than light ones. Is your back bothering you more than usual today?"
"No, it hurts just as much as always," Padme said, ruefully. "I'm taking a small pillow to use with my office chair in the Senate. Mother said that should help. Well, I'm off. I'll see you this evening," she said as the turbolift doors opened.
Once inside the lift, she placed her hand in her pocket and touched the holodisk Threepio had given her after she returned from Alderaan. She closed her eyes; she knew her husband's every word and movement in the message. She'd watched it many times since the first time, just to see and hear him again. She planned to watch it again today, before the Senate convened in the rotunda.
"Did you enjoy your morning walk, Senator?" Lamon Ess inquired as Padme entered her office. "Yes, I certainly did. It's a beautiful morning, Lamon. I wish I could be outside all day."
"Yes, Senator. Anything special today?"
"No, just the usual. Oh, Lamon, I'd like not to be disturbed before the session begins," she said. "Of course, Senator," he replied as he closed the door between their offices.
She walked over to her holorecorder and inserted the disk; it began playing automatically:
His image hesitated for a moment, then, "Padme, I can't believe we missed each other. I love you so much, I need you so much." His head fell, his golden hair hanging loosely on either side. "I just want to hold you for awhile…forever!" he said hoarsely, as he brought his head up. "I ache for you, my darling. I can't sleep without you there beside me. I'm so lonely for you, it feels like I'm carrying a stone inside me. It's so heavy…" His gloved right hand formed a fist and pressed against his stomach, his eyes squeezed shut. There was a pause. He took a deep breath and, looking at her, said, "I'm sorry, Padme, I don't want to upset you. I just have to tell you how I feel. I have to tell someone, I can't hold it inside." As he stood there, he looked around as if he were lost. Finally, "We're leaving Coruscant tomorrow, and Threepio said he didn't know when you were coming home, so I—I'm recording this message for you." He brightened a little and said, "Dorme gave me your message; it was wonderful, Padme. Thank you for doing that for me. Please don't worry about me; Obi-Wan is taking good care of me. We watch each other's backs all the time, and… I know this war will be over soon and I'll be there with you." Another pause… "I guess I'd better go. I love you, Padme… so much…" He dropped his head again and the recording ended.
She stood without moving, her hands on her cheeks, tears beginning to roll down her face. Every time she watched his message, her heart ached, but she continued to watch it anyway. She ached for his embrace.
She retrieved the disk and sighed. As she sat at her desk, she smiled; she'd never known any man with the capacity to open his heart to her the way Anakin did. He held nothing back from her, all of his feelings were right there on display. She wondered how he managed to hide them from his fellow Jedi Knights, especially from Obi-Wan; the two Jedi were so close.
She leaned her head back against the chair and folded her hands over her swollen abdomen. "Did you hear that, baby?" she whispered. "That was your father again. I want you to hear his voice. He doesn't even know you're here. He'll be back soon; then he'll know." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, waiting for the call to session.
Seated in her box in the rotunda, Padme adjusted the small pillow behind her back. It did help a little in relieving her back pain and for that she was thankful. Her left arm was lying along the rim of the box as she half-listened to one of the senators drone on and on before Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Seated next to her and drifting in and out of sleep was Representative Jar Jar Binks of the Gungan delegation. She was glad that he was inattentive and that the relative darkness of the rotunda allowed her to relax and not worry about someone noticing her condition. She fluffed her skirt in an attempt to make that possibility even more difficult.
As the recognized senator continued speaking, she was distantly aware of the constant buzz of conversation from the surrounding boxes. Now and then a word or two would come through, but she ignored them. Until: "….Skywalker ….Lingri System … Master Kenobi … ship was destroyed …dead?..."
She sat up straight, her eyes wide, her face drained of all color. Her movement awoke Binks. "Yousa okey-dey, milady?" He touched her arm. She stared at him, blinked her eyes, and stammered, "I—". Then she turned away and leaned over the rim of the box, trying to see who had been saying what she hoped she hadn't heard, but at that moment the Chancellor stood and began clapping his hands, which caused the entire Senate to stand and do the same. Padme continued looking around desperately for some clue as to who was talking, but that was impossible now.
She turned back, her body beginning to shake. "Milady?" Binks started to ask. She looked at him as if she'd never seen him before for a moment, then said, "Oh, Jar Jar! I'm all right, I—I just need to—" With that, she hurried out of the box, leaving Binks confused and speechless. She almost ran through the concourse to the turbolift that would take her to the floor where her office was, grateful that no one else was present. As the lift doors closed, she grabbed onto the rail and bent over, whispering, "No! No, it can't be true. I must have heard it wrong. He's not dead!" When the doors opened, she ran to her office and closed the door behind her. Lamon saw her and started to stand, but she slammed his door closed, as well. He took the hint.
At her desk, she pressed the intercom. "Lamon! Get me the Jedi Temple, I need to speak to—" Whom? Who should she ask for? "—to Master Yoda!"
A minute passed, then two. She sat with her eyes closed, breathing deeply, trying to get herself under control. The intercom chimed. "Senator? I have Master Yoda."
The diminutive master's body took form on the recorder's display. "Master Yoda, it is good to see you."
"Good it is to see you, Senator Amidala. Help you, I can?"
"Yes, Master Yoda. I thought I heard someone say in the Senate rotunda that something had happened to Master Kenobi or...Anakin Skywalker. Have you heard anything? Something about a ship destroyed?" Her voice shook slightly as she finished her question.
"Nothing have we heard of this, Senator. Know of this, we would, before the senators," he said. "Certain you can be, of that."
"Thank you, Master Yoda," she said, forcing a smile to her face. "That is a relief to hear."
"Always good it is, to speak to you, Senator," he replied, his expression softening. "Tell you, I will, of any news."
Padme nodded her thanks and closed the connection. She slipped off the chair to her knees, holding onto the edge of her desk. Resting her forehead on her hands, she sobbed deeply, tears flowing from her eyes and dropping to the floor. When she could cry no more, she remained there, taking great hitching breaths until her breathing smoothed. "Anakin," she whispered, "please be alive. Please come back to me... to us." With no strength in her arms or legs, she laid down on the floor on her side, resting, breathing, her arms folded over her abdomen. She lay there for a long time.
Later, Padme flew into her apartment, calling, "Threepio? Threepio! Where are you?"
Threepio hurried into the main room, hands in the air. "Here I am, Mistress!" He could tell she was very excited. "Has something terrible happened?"
She approached him and, ignoring his question, asked, "Has there been any news of Master Skywalker on the HoloNet today? Or Master Kenobi? Anything at all?" Dorme ran into the room and stared at them.
"Why, no, Mistress. I have neither seen nor heard anything about them," he waited for her next outburst.
Dorme entered and inquired, "Milady?" Concerned, she went to her mistress and placed her hand on Padme's shoulder. Padme breathed deeply a few times, then replied, "I... I thought I heard someone say during the Senate session something about Anakin and Obi-Wan and a ship being destroyed and..." She dropped onto the sofa and grabbed the sofa's arm, her head down. Dorme knelt in front of her. Raising her eyes, Padme continued in a rush, "So, I contacted Master Yoda to see if he knew anything, and he said they hadn't heard anything about that, and that they would have heard before anyone in the Senate."
"Then it must not be true, milady," Dorme said, as she stroked Padme's arm. "Master Yoda is very wise and sees much. I'm sure he would know."
Padme took her friend's hand in hers, and said, "Thank you, Dorme. I know. I just want to be sure. Threepio, would you please tell me if you hear anything at all about either of them?"
"Master Skywalker and Master Kenobi?" She nodded. "Of course, Mistress, I will let you know if I hear or see news of them."
"Good. I think I'll watch for awhile myself," she said as she moved to a chair before the holovid projector. "I'll bring you some water, milady", Dorme said, heading for the kitchen.
As the news appeared, a reporter was standing in front of the Senate building, covering the boring news of the day's session. Several clips of the interior of the rotunda were shown of some of the speakers and also of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The Chancellor complimented the speakers for their continued work to make the Republic safer (Padme frowned); he also mentioned he was preparing a speech for later in the week, and hoped the HoloNet news would cover it. "As if they wouldn't", Padme muttered.
She rested her head against the high wing of the chair and closed her eyes, vaguely listening some more, but thinking of her husband. She rested her hand on her belly and murmured to her baby. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.
Eyes shut tightly, his compact green body seeming so small on his hassock in the Jedi Council chamber, Yoda slowly moved his head from side to side, unsuccessfully trying to pierce the darkness that had clouded the vision of the Council for so long now.
Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and reached outward through the Force, far, far outward. He found what he was looking for, yes, young Skywalker. The Jedi Knight was alive, as Yoda expected; he knew he would have felt the death of the Chosen One, so powerful in the Force was the young man. He sensed warm feelings in him, feelings of affection for someone... aaah, for Master Kenobi. Through Skywalker's strength in the Force, Yoda could sense Obi-Wan nearby, and was aware of the Jedi Master's strong affection for Skywalker.
He slowly pulled back into himself and opened his eyes. He knew that this type of emotional attachment did sometimes grow between master and student, but it usually diminished as the newly knighted padawan was sent off on his or her own missions, and the master took on a new learner. Unfortunately, with the war continuing for almost three years, the Kenobi and Skywalker team had been kept together much longer than was usual. And the war itself had caused their bond to be even stronger, as comrades-in-arms often grew very close.
Yoda climbed down from his perch and, using his gimer stick for support, slowly made his way to the holographic station. He would let Senator Amidala know that her concern for Skywalker and Kenobi could be put aside.
Several days later, Obi-Wan walked across the bridge of the Sundiver and stood next to Saesee Tiin. "Has Anakin reported in, yet?" he asked the tall Master Jedi.
"Yes, he's waiting for his clone troopers to return to their transport, then he will return with them," Tiin answered.
"Good. Has Chancellor Palpatine's speech come over the net, yet?"
"Yes, it's up now over there at the comm station. It's been going for almost four hours, now," Tiin said, with a sidelong glance at Obi-Wan. "Most everyone has given up watching it by now. You're certainly welcome to give it a try, if you can stand all the political platitudes."
Obi-Wan smiled and headed for the comm station. "Thanks, I believe I will." He made himself comfortable in the comm officer's chair and put his feet up on the station itself. The Senate rotunda was engulfed in noise, humans, humanoids, aliens all standing and clapping, cheering and stomping in response to something the Chancellor had said. When it finally died down, Palpatine continued wrapping up his speech, with patriotic fervor and with the crowd responding in kind. Obi-Wan continued watching with a bemused look on his face, as the Chancellor's box began its descent into the lower reaches of the Senate building, and the cheering noise continued, only dying down when the box had completely disappeared.
Knowing that post-speech analysis would be next, he remained seated; it was usually more interesting and informative than the actual speech itself, anyway. Several senators were interviewed in their boxes or on the rotunda concourse, almost all of them gushing their praise of the Chancellor's speech. "Anakin just checked in, Obi-Wan," Tiin called over to him. "They should be here soon." Obi-Wan nodded his thanks and turned back to the subspace broadcast. He started briefly in the chair when he saw that Senator Amidala was now being interviewed. Holding several document binders in her arms, she was saying, "Yes, well I don't think we should be too hasty in declaring victory. I'm sure the Chancellor has his reasons for his opinion, but I would like to see General Grievous and Count Dooku captured and brought to justice first." She turned away and, as the reporter began to summarize the senators' comments, the holocam moved back in a long shot to show more senators and pages milling about. Obi-Wan continued to watch Padme as she unknowingly stayed in the shot. She laid her binders on a table and, pressing her hands into her back, leaned backward to stretch her muscles and tendons.
Obi-Wan dropped his feet to the floor and sat up straight. "What?" he said to himself. "Well, I'll be. She must have gotten married." He rubbed his beard and continued, "Why wouldn't Anakin tell me about that? I wonder who her husband is."
The broadcast ended just as Anakin walked onto the bridge. He dropped into the seat next to Obi-Wan, tossing his cloak on top of the comm station. "Well, another bad tip on Dooku's whereabouts. Why can't we get good intelligence?"
He looked at his friend, who was staring back at him, expectantly. Anakin waited for Obi-Wan to say something. Finally, Anakin lifted his hands and said, "What?"
Obi-Wan asked, "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"
"About what?" Anakin replied, totally confused.
"About Senator Amidala," Obi-Wan said, cocking his head to the side. "About her being married!" He waited, accusingly.
Anakin's drew back trying to keep his expression neutral, as well as his feelings. "Married?" he replied, weakly.
"Yes, married!" Obi-Wan said, getting up from his seat. He waved his hand at the comm station's screen. "I just saw her being interviewed after Palpatine's speech, and she's obviously pregnant! You must have known she was married, and you couldn't tell your best friend?"
Anakin stared up at his friend, his eyes wide open. "Pregnant?" he said hoarsely.
"Yes, it was right there on the screen," he said, turning to it again. As he turned back, Anakin was getting to his feet, and muttering, "I have to go—"
"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked to his brother's retreating back.