Disclaimer: Honestly, this disclaimer stuff gets old. I STILL don't own it. George Lucas!
A/N: It makes me extremely sad that I can't find a place for Mara Jade in this story because currently she is one of my favorite characters (Just finished the Thrawn—whoa, so as I was writing this last night…a huge lighting bolt hit my house and electrocuted me through the computer, no joke, so now I'm finishing what I was typing yesterday—Trilogy, soon I'm going to read the Hand of Thrawn)
Chapter 10
Obi-Wan left the room with a walk of purpose. Anakin watched him go fleetingly before turning toward the direction Padme had gone a short while earlier. Luke walked pace with him.
"So, you're supposed to bring balance to the Force?" Luke asked, reveling over this new fact.
"That's right," Anakin agreed.
Luke furrowed his brow. "That's a lot of pressure," he commented.
"You're telling me?" Anakin said, letting his emotions fill him for only a moment, before quelling them with the Force.
Luke let him calm before speaking again. "When did they tell you?" He asked.
"Shortly after I began training. Obi-Wan told me. I could tell he didn't want to," Anakin said softly.
On the list of things that could have turned Anakin to the dark side, this was a large one. The pressure to be the hero for the Force was unimaginable…But he succeeded, Luke thought with some relief. It was not Luke who killed the Emperor; it was Anakin.
Luke sensed Leia when they approached the large ornate doors at the end of the hall. He also sensed Padme, a foreign yet familiar sense. "She's frustrated," Anakin said.
"Yes," Luke agreed, sensing it too.
Anakin knocked on the door when he got there. "It's Anakin and Luke," he said.
Leia opened the door with a relieved look on her face. Anakin nodded to her. He looked to Padme who was watching the city from the window of her spacious room.
"Senator Padme, we're here to discuss security arrangements for your wing," Anakin said, trying hard to be businesslike.
"Yes?" She asked, turning.
"Well, we're going to access the cameras—" Anakin started.
There was a flare in Padme's emotions. "I don't think I like that idea," She said.
Anakin smirked. "We're Jedi. You can trust us."
"All the same," Padme said uncomfortably. "I would rather Artoo stay in here. He can scan the room for intruders of any sort."
Luke thought quickly of at least five different ways to kill someone that could escape Artoo's sensors…That thought made Luke stop cold. Artoo?
The little droid was waiting quietly in the corner. At the sound of his name though, he rolled out of his corner, beeping in a way that Luke knew to be of worry.
"You can do it, right Artoo?" Padme asked the little droid.
He twittered positively and reluctantly.
"I think that Artoo realizes that there are things that could escape his sensors," Luke offered. It was strange for Artoo not to come to Luke. The little droid was probably one of Luke's closest companions, and here he was and he did not even know who Luke was yet.
It made Luke sadder than he would have thought.
Padme nodded slowly. "But perhaps without the visual security, we can draw the attackers out. You know, catch them," she said.
Anakin raised his eyebrows. "You mean, you are offering yourself as bait?"
Padme winced. "Yes, in a way. However, we must find this dissident and take care of it. I cannot continue my duties looking over my shoulder for danger. And, I do not want anyone else to die because of me."
Leia nodded slowly. "I agree. Plus, with Luke's and…A-Anakin's Jedi senses, they should sense danger before it strikes."
Luke wasn't too sure that this was the best plan for Padme's safety, but it was a good plan for luring out the murderer. He and Anakin together ought to be able to sense any impending danger well enough.
"And your Jedi senses," Padme said, looking at Leia. "You are force-sensitive as well, correct?"
Anakin's suspicion awoke again as he looked at Leia.
"Well, yes. I'm not as powerful as Luke though," Leia said anxiously.
"But Jedi lore about twins—" Anakin started.
"We can discuss this later," Luke said, interrupting him. "Right now, we need to plan Padme's security."
"No matter what we do, Obi-Wan will never agree to Padme being used as bait," Anakin said, sighing.
"What if we don't tell him?" Padme offered.
Anakin nodded slowly walking a little in thought. "Well, I suppose that would work, but he would notice that the security cameras are off," Anakin said.
"By then, I'll be asleep and Artoo in place," Padme said.
Anakin hesitated. His want for Padme to be safe and want to catch the assassin were conflicting and simmering just below his surface.
It was as if Padme could sense this. "Don't you want to catch the killer, Ani?" She asked.
Luke could almost feel Anakin's conflicting emotions melting. "Yes, let's do it. Between Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, and I, we should sense any danger," he assured himself more than her.
"Good. I want this threat past so that I can move on to more important things," Padme said.
Anakin nodded and tried to figure out something to say. When he couldn't he bowed and said, "Goodbye, Padme. I will see you soon."
Luke followed his lead and turned to exit with him.
He heard Padme talking as they left. "Leia, you wanted to hear more about the current events in the Senate?"
Luke smiled to himself. No matter where Leia was…
"Yes, but first…Luke?" Leia called him back.
He turned.
"Can I talk to you?" She asked, glancing at Anakin. "Alone?"
"Of course. Anakin, I'll find you later, okay? I'm going to take a walk with my sister."
Anakin looked suspicious. "Yes, that's fine. I'll see you all later."
With that, Anakin left. Leia caught up with Luke, and they began their walk.
As soon as Luke could sense Anakin, Padme, and anyone else out of hearing distance, they talked.
"Luke, this is the Imperial Palace," Leia said.
He looked around the hallway they were in. "You mean, it will be. The Jedi Academy is still here. I've been there. It's incredible."
Leia was silent. After a moment she whispered, "Luke, what is this? Is it real? Are we really here? Or…are we dreaming?"
Luke had wondered the same thing. "I thought maybe that I got electrocuted and this was just some figment of my imagination. But I've already been here a day. I've slept. And I got injured. With every moment, I'm starting to think this is more and more real.
"There are people in this dream I've never even heard of, if it is a dream. I don't think that it is possible to dream of someone you do not know, but then again, if the person was a Jedi, we are connected through the Force.
"Honestly, Leia, I think this is real. And I wasn't electrocuted because you're here too. Somehow, we were transferred back in time."
"That's impossible," Leia argued.
"You're talking to our mother about Pre-Clone Wars politics. It doesn't matter if you thought it was impossible. It's happening now," Luke said.
"You realize that you've been staying with the future Darth Vader?" Leia asked, almost randomly. But Luke could tell this was one of the main reasons that she wanted to talk to him.
"He isn't Darth Vader yet."
"He will be," Leia insisted.
"Are you suggesting I strike him down now?" Luke asked sarcastically.
"What if that's why we're here? What if we're supposed to stop him?" Leia asked.
"Then we would die…or cease to ever exist. You forget, he's our father."
"I can't forget. It haunts me everyday."
Luke's face went hard. "Darth Vader wasn't our father. Anakin was. You saw that holo, Leia. He wanted us."
Leia didn't respond, sensing Luke's tenseness.
"But maybe you're right, to a degree," Luke conceded, the knot of his emotions loosening. "Perhaps we're supposed to kill Darth Vader…and save Anakin."
"They're the same person," Leia pointed out.
"Yes, but maybe we can stop Anakin from falling to the dark side," Luke said, "I know what idea you have that you won't voice, Leia. You are thinking we could kill him after Padme's pregnant. But we can't.
"Obi-Wan just told me about this prophecy. Anakin is supposed to be a savior for the Jedi, kind of. He must bring balance to the Force, which is what he did when he killed Emperor Palpatine. He has to restore that balance."
Leia thought about this a moment. "Then, maybe he has to fall to the dark side to do that." Leia guessed darkly.
"I don't know. Surely, he can kill the Sith Lord without falling." Luke wondered hopefully.
"Luke, this is dangerous territory. Almost all of these people are vital in how the future will play out."
"We must be careful," Luke agreed.
"What if we've already changed the future by being here?" Leia asked.
"Yoda once told me the future is always in motion. It's true. We have no way of knowing if the future is changing for the good or bad at this very moment. The only thing that you and I can do is listen to the Force and follow its guidance."
At that moment Luke stopped and stood straight. "Someone's coming."
Leia sensed the person a second later. Within moments, Obi-Wan could be seen walking toward the twins. He had obviously known they were coming and was not surprised by them.
"Hello, Master Kenobi," Luke said and bowed.
Leia followed Luke's example.
"Where's Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.
"He is still in Padme's wing. Leia and I wanted to talk some. We haven't seen one another in a while," Luke explained.
"Well, we all have duties to attend to," Obi-Wan pointed out, looking at both Luke and Leia.
"Of course you're right, Master Jedi," Leia said. "We were done talking anyway. We'll walk with you."
So Leia and Luke fell in step behind Obi-Wan. After a moment, Luke could hear Leia's voice in his head. Do we ever tell them who we really are?
As soon as the idea entered Luke's mind, the Force reacted strongly, almost making him physically stumble. The message was simple. No.
Luke didn't respond to her. After a few seconds of silence, Leia whispered, "I felt it too."