Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.

AN: Here's chapter 34! Thanks for all the great reviews. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Foundations of Hope

Chapter 34: A Brewing Storm

"And so, Valorum's election as Chancellor of the Republic marked the turning point in Galactic history. Senator Renaldi of Muunilist, who would later be discovered as the Sith Lord known as Darth Plageuis, sparked a war between the Republic and the growing Separatist movement, thanks to his staged assassination attempt by Separatists operatives working for him. The Clone Wars were a bloody, unnecessary series of battles that cost millions of innocent lives and led to the downward spiral of the Republic," Ruwee lectured, as he paced in front of his class, which listened to his lecture intently. His students were made up of the Alliance's young adolescents, ranging in age from twelve to twenty, and it was truly rewarding for him to be able to teach the truth to young minds again, without the fear of being persecuted for it.

"Professor Naberrie, you've speculated that many Senators and possibly even Valorum himself were either in league with the Sith or were being controlled by them. I guess I just don't understand why they would let all this happen," a male student, no older than sixteen, said.

"To tell you the truth, I don't either Nathaniel. But I do know that fear is a powerful thing. And so is greed. Whether those involved, including Valorum, were in league with the Sith out of fear or for wealth, we may never truly know. But corruption is the quickest way to destroy a government, especially a democratic one. We'll have to continue this discussion in our next class. Study the next chapter and prepare a question that you would like to discuss," he said, as he dismissed his fourteen young students. He sat down at his desk and put his glasses on, preparing to begin grading assignments. Teaching made him happy, especially when he was able to teach the truth.

"I see you're back to spending every waking moment surrounded by your books and manuscripts," Jobal said, as she entered his classroom. Padme had presented it to him six months ago. Their last professor had perished on Yavin IV during the attack and hadn't even been half as knowledgeable as Ruwee. He roughly had thirty students and only tattered history books, outdated and scratchy databytes of information, but it was the happiest he'd been in a long time.

"I came looking for Sola, but I see she wasn't in class today," Jobal said.

"She's in my other class and she never misses," Ruwee replied.

"You must be ecstatic that you're able to teach her the same garbage you taught Padme," Jobal said snidely.

"The truth isn't garbage. Anyway, I believe Sola is with Darred," he replied.

"Of course she is. She spends every waking moment with him. She's been avoiding me for weeks," Jobal complained.

"She's in love, though I doubt you remember what that's like. And she's avoiding you, because all you do is berate her every time you see her," Ruwee replied.

"She's my daughter and I care about her," Jobal snapped.

"You want to control her life. Just like your father always controlled yours," Ruwee retorted.

"How dare you! I love our daughter!" Jobal yelled.

"I never said that you didn't. Your love is conditional and hinges upon how well your daughters obey your orders," Ruwee replied.

"Well, thank you for your brilliant analysis, Professor," Jobal spat.

"And for your information. I do remember what it is like to be in love," Jobal said, glaring into his eyes.

"Yet obeying your father's wishes was more important than loving me," Ruwee said, as he got up and started shelving his books.

"My father is a good man," Jobal insisted.

"Believe that if you need to, Jo," he replied. She grabbed his arm and forced him to turn and look at her. Her estranged husband was still quite an attractive man. It was a trait in his family that they aged very well; a trait both Padme and Sola had inherited. He looked almost half his age; yet Jobal looked older, even though they were about the same age. His dark, curly hair was barely graced with silver and the subtle lines around his eyes and mouth showed signs of aging. His dark eyes still danced with life and youthful wisdom. He was only a few inches taller than her and his compact frame was still solid and muscular. She was surprised he had not moved on and found another woman. Perhaps he still held out hope for them? But she knew their chances of reconciliation were near impossible.

"You were the one that left!" she yelled.

"Your father hid Sola away from me and you were in on it! Did you really think I was going to let him take Padme from me too?" he yelled.

"Daddy only had their best interests at heart," Jobal insisted.

"That's Bantha poodoo and you know it! I see it in Sola's eyes! He did something to her and I think you know about it, don't you? What did he do to our baby?" Ruwee demanded.

"N...nothing! You're crazy!" Jobal retorted.

"No...he did something and I'm going to find out what it is. And you better hope I never see him again, because I'm afraid of what I'll do. That man ruined our marriage and he almost ruined Sola," Ruwee replied.

"He is not responsible for our marriage collapsing. You left me," Jobal retorted.

"You left me no choice! I had to protect Padme. But our marriage was doomed the moment we left the University and moved to your father's home. You changed Jo. You weren't the same person I fell in love with. Or maybe that's who you always were, I don't know. I just knew that I loved the girl I fell in love with in school. But she never truly existed, did she?" he asked. Jobal didn't answer.

"No, she was just a phantom. She only existed while she was free from her father's grip. It's too bad, because I truly loved her," Ruwee said, as he picked up his datapads and left his classroom, leaving Jobal alone.

~*~

Sola whimpered, as the figure approached her bed.

"Shh...it's okay Sola. It's just me," the man said, as he sat down on the bed.

"Now, now, no tears," he said, as he brushed them away. Sola's heart pounded in her chest, just as it did every time her grandfather visited her.

"You're such a pretty girl, Sola," he purred, as he pulled the bedclothes down. And she lay frozen in fear, trapped in a repetitive, endless nightmare, as one of his hands clamped around her mouth to muffle her tiny voice.

Sola...Sola..." Darred called for the fourth time.

"Huh...oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, as she snapped back to reality.

"You were a million miles away," he said with concern.

"Just lost in thought," she replied, as she started clearing their dinner dishes.

"Come on, let the cleaning droids take care of that," he said, as he flipped on the Holonet. Sola smiled.

"Okay," she replied, as she went and cuddled next to him on the sofa.

"I love you Darred," she said, as she looked at him.

"I love you too Sola," he replied, as he kissed her tenderly. Sola moaned into his kiss. It felt so good...so right when he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him harder, exciting him. Darred kissed her deeply, as his hands rested on her hips. As his lips traveled down her neck, she enjoyed the sensation. Her body jerked in surprised at the unfamiliar feelings She wanted to be with him so badly, but a memory assaulted her unwillingly.

Pain, terrible pain in her lower body. Her crying was muffled as she lay numb, as she was violated again. Her mind screamed at the wrongness. Then she heard him tell her what a good little girl she was and how much he loved her. How what they were doing wasn't wrong at all; how it was love. But her mind demanded that she scream for him stop. But she didn't. The last time she had said stop had earned her a lashing with his belt, so she lay still like a coward, the voice in her head berating her. She was a coward. She liked it. She deserved it for being a stupid little coward. People would blame her if they knew. And when it was over, he collected himself and left her crying in her bed. Her mother simply said that it was the way things were and if she told anyone, they would send her away to be institutionalized.

"Disgusting. What would Darred do if he knew?" the voice hissed.

Sola jumped out of his arms and covered her face with her hands as she panted air into her lungs.

"Sola...are you okay?" Darred asked in alarm, as he reached out to her. But she turned away.

"I...I'm fine," she lied.

"I guess I'm still not ready to...you know," she replied. He nodded.

"That's fine. You know I'll wait for you until you're ready. No pressure," he replied.

"Thanks. I think I'm going to go take a hot bath," she said, as she dashed off. Darred sighed. It was time to go talk to Ruwee. They had to get Sola to open up before she exploded in self destruction. He got up and headed at the door to find Ruwee.

~*~

"Are you sure I'm doing this right?" Tahl asked her daughter-in-law as she kept stirring the cake batter.

"Yes, you're doing just fine," Padme replied.

"Well, I'm sure I'll find a way to mess it up somehow," Tahl joked.

"You will not. You're doing great," Beru said, as she chopped vegetables.

"Yeah, just think how surprised the men will be when they find out you helped make tonight's delicious desert," Padme said.

"They'll be probably run screaming for the door," Tahl joked, making the two younger women giggle.

"They will not," Padme replied, as she stirred the stew on the stove. Beru set a cake pan down and Tahl poured the batter into it.

"Now, it's all up to the oven," Beru said, as she put it in to bake.

~*~

Anakin threw his damp towel down and started dressing. It had been another long, grueling day of training. As he pulled his shirt on, Quinlan patted him soundly on the back. He chuckled, as Anakin winced.

"Sore?" he questioned.

"All over. Master Windu is insane," Anakin grumbled.

"Yes, but just think about how much stronger you've become in the last few months. You've advanced far beyond any of us," Quinlan replied.

"Maybe," Anakin replied.

"You don't give yourself enough credit. But enough of that. There happens to be a couple of beautiful women waiting for us," Quinlan said. Anakin smiled as his thoughts shifted to his wife.

"Then what are we still doing here?" Anakin wondered, as they left the gym's shower locker.

~*~

Ben raised his goggles, as he finished fusing a part into the Falcon's engine.

"How's it looking, Chewie?" he called. Chewie rawled.

"Lousy,"

"What do you mean lousy? That should have fixed it!" Ben called back.

"Fixed or not, you shouldn't be leaving," Chewie rawled in response.

"You know why we have to," Ben replied.

"You need to tell her," Chewie insisted.

"Tell her what? That Jabba has a bounty on my head that's the size of Tatooine and that Jango Fett is personally hunting me down? No thank you. She's better off without me," he said.

"You're going to break her heart and your own," Chewie rawled.

"Look Chewie, if everything goes as planned, I'll go pay Jabba off and be back here before anyone knows it," Ben said, even though he knew the moment he stepped foot off Hoth, he was a dead man. But at least Beru would be safe. Chewie shook his head, refusing.

"Fine...I'll do it myself," he snapped.

~*~

Ruwee answered the door and found Darred behind it.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Professor, but I really need to talk to you. It's about Sola," he said.

"Not at all. Come in," Ruwee said.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"Physically yes. But she's a mess otherwise. She just won't open up to me. I'm really worried about her," Darred said. Ruwee sighed.

"Me too. I'll go talk to her. I think I know how to get her to open up to me now," Ruwee replied.

"I hope so. One minute, she's fine and the next she's almost having a panic attack," Darred said. Ruwee patted his shoulder.

"Just stay here. I'll be back soon," Ruwee said, as he left. He had a really bad feeling that he knew exactly what had happened to his Sola. He hoped he was wrong, but if he wasn't, the bastard that had done this would pay.

~*~

"Wow...that was great cake, Padme," Anakin complimented his wife, as he finished his third slice. Padme honestly didn't know where he put it all, though she supposed she would eat like a maniac too if she trained the way he did.

"Thanks, but you should be thanking your mother," Padme replied, watching his eyes widen in surprise.

"You made this cake?" he asked.

"With Padme's supervision," Tahl replied.

"I'm impressed. It was really good mom," he replied.

"Yeah, it was. I guess wonders never cease," Quinlan joked. This earned him a smack on the arm.

"Are you okay Beru?" Padme asked.

"Hmm...?" she asked, as she was pulled from her thoughts.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. I just can't believe Ben missed dinner," she said, as she put her napkin on her plate.

"I'm going to go find him," she announced, as she quietly rose from her chair and headed for the door.

"Obi-Wan has been distant lately. I hope everything's okay," Tahl mentioned.

"Me too. Because if he hurts my sister, then he's going to answer to me for it," Anakin replied seriously. For his sake, they all hoped the former scoundrel wasn't reverting to his old ways. None of them wanted to see Beru's heart broken.

~*~

"Ben!" Beru called up into the Falcon over the sound of a wielder.

"Ben!" she called again, as she heard the wielder switch off. He came down the ramp with safety goggles atop his head and grease covering his hands.

"Going somewhere?" she asked. Ben nearly flinched, but kept his composure.

"No, just doing some repairs. It's good to keep the ship in tip top condition," he lied.

"Yes. Well, you missed dinner again," she replied.

"Oh...I'm sorry darling. I'm starving though. I guess I lost track of time," he said.

"Well, I can bring you something since it looks like you're busy," she replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice

"No...Chewie can finish what's left. I'd love to come home and spend the evening with you," he replied, watching the mood in her eyes brighten.

"Okay," she replied, as he went back up into the Falcon to tell Chewie. He put his safety goggles down and washed his hands. Chewie rawled sadly.

"Stop moping. You know that we have to at least try to pay off Jabba and I'm not involving Beru. Do you know what Fett would do with her if he manages to capture us. He would sell her to the slavers. She's better off here and if the Force is kind, I'll be able to return to her," Ben said.

"You still need to tell her," Chewie insisted.

"I'm going to. Make sure she finds this letter after we leave," Ben said, as he handed the Wookie a folded piece of parchment with Beru's name scripted on the outside. As he watched Ben leave, he decided he would do better than that. His best friend needed an intervention. Not only was Chewie going to make sure Beru saw the latter before they left, he was going to go tell Anakin everything. Ben might see it as betrayal at first and Chewie was violating his life debt to the former scoundrel. But in the long run, he would be saving both their lives.

"Is Chewie okay with finishing the repairs on his own?" Beru asked, as he returned.

"Oh yes. I'm all yours beautiful," he said, as he kissed her lips tenderly. Beru smiled, as they left the docking bay together.

~*~

The fire crackled and popped, warming the cozy residence that belonged to Anakin and Padme. His mother and Quinlan had left some time ago, leaving him alone with his beautiful beloved wife. These moments were what he truly lived for. They were the reason he trained so hard. The Holonet was making noise in the background, airing some mystery/drama program. But neither of them knew what was going on or what it was about, for they only pretended to pay attention to it. Their attentiveness was far too consumed by each other. Yes, this is what he lived for. Simple moments like these. Entire evenings spent together, holding her in his arms. His precious, darling Padme. There was nothing he would not do for her; nothing he wouldn't do to protect her. He gazed down at her, as she tucked her head underneath his chin. She was thoroughly and quite comfortably nestled in his arms. The scent of her hair filled his nostrils and he pressed his lips to her head. She wore a simple outfit for around their quarters and it only enhanced her alluring beauty. It was just a pair of black knee length leggings and a light blue cropped top. Light blue was one of his favorite colors on her. She looked radiant in anything, but his favorite colors on her were light blue and white. As he pressed his lips to her forehead, she gazed up at him with sparkling brown eyes. She always smelled so good; a floral musk that hinted at shuura, vanilla, and violet. It was Devine and irresistible, as was she. As if the scent of her wasn't enough to lure him, the sight of her was breathtaking as well. He could resist her full, pouting lips no longer and lowered his to hers. Padme tilted her head, as her husband plundered her mouth with tender, passion filled kisses. Padme met his lips with her own in an eager rhythm. Her nimble fingers slowly started undoing the buttons on his tunic, as his own hands slid up her bare midriff. Just as clothing was about to be shed, there was an urgent knock at their door.

"Who could that be?" Padme wondered.

"I don't know, but maybe they'll take a hint and go away," Anakin replied, as he went back to kissing his wife's slender neck. The knock came again and Anakin growled.

"This better be good," he said, as they stood up and straightened their clothes. Anakin took her hand, as they went to answer the door together. They did not expect to find a distraught Chewie behind it, but that was exactly what they discovered. Chewie rawled in despair.

"What's wrong Chewie?" Padme asked, as they let the Wookie in.

"Threepio come here!" Anakin called.

"Yes Master Ani. What can I do for you?" the golden droid asked.

"Chewie is trying to tell us something. Can you translate?" Anakin asked.

"Of course. I'm quite fluent in the Wookie language, as well as six million other forms of communication," Threepio babbled. Anakin waved for him to stop with an eye roll.

"I know Threepio. I built you. Now tell us what Chewie is saying," Anakin demanded. Chewie spoke and Threepio listened intently.

"Oh dear, how dreadful," Threepio said.

"What is it?" Padme asked.

"I'm afraid that Jabba the Hutt has placed quite a sizeable bounty on Captain's Kenobi's head. So much a significant amount that Jango Fett himself is on the hunt personally. Chewbacca said that he is planning to leave tonight to go to pay Jabba. He says the Captain knows he will likely not return, but has chosen this path in order to protect Miss Beru from Fett or the Hutts," Threepio explained.

"He's leaving?" Anakin questioned. Chewie nodded sadly.

"But going back to Tatooine would be suicide," Padme stated.

"Yes and I believe that is why Chewbacca has come to you. He wants you to intervene," Threepio replied.

"Don't worry Chewie, we're going to do just that. He's not going to break my sister's heart just so he can go off and get himself killed. I'll personally smack some sense into him," anakin said.

"Are you going to confront him now?" Padme asked her husband.

"No. Go about your business as if nothing is out of the ordinary. We'll gather some back up and we'll be waiting for him in the docking bay tonight," Anakin replied. Chewie rawled.

"Chewbacca says he's very grateful for your help, even though he feels like he is betraying the Captain," Threepio said.

"You did the right thing, Chewie. You're saving his life. Beru will be very grateful to you," Padme assured him. He bid them goodnight and returned to the docking bay.

~*~

It had been a long, painful six months, but as Darth Vader stood before the mirror, he felt satisfaction at last with his new appearance. All the pain and waiting had been well worth it. It was truly remarkable what the Kaminoans had done. As they promised, he was no longer reliant on his suit. He was whole again; a man worthy of a woman like Tahl. His head had a very short crop of brown hair now and his eyes shifted from green to Sithly yellow. Most of the scars on his face and chest were faded or gone. His limbs looked real and powerful and his lungs expanded on their own, as he took a deep breath without the assistance of a machine. He was complete and with that realization, an evil smirk marred Vader's restored visage. It looked out a place on the face that had once belonged to Qui-Gon Jinn.

"Are you pleased, my Lord?" Rahn Li asked.

"Oh yes. You and your constituents have done excellent work," Vader replied.

"Then if our work is complete, my colleagues and I will return to Kamino," Rahn stated. Vader smirked and they heard the chamber's door lock.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Vader said, as he turned from the mirror and smirked evilly at the four scientists. Behind him, the mirror shattered, frightening the four creatures.

"M...my Lord. Why?" Rahn asked in terror, as he backed away.

"It's nothing personal, but I'm afraid there can be no record of these events," Vader said.

"My Lord, we will not tell a soul," Rahn pleaded.

"I don't like to take chances," Vader replied, as Rahn Li clutched his throat. The other three scientists banged on the chamber door, as their boss fell to the floor, his rail thin neck snapped in half. There was a sickening crunch as Vader's boot stomped on the skull of the dead alien. Vader hadn't felt this alive in twenty years and his thirst for blood was suddenly unquenchable. The pieces of the mirror suddenly floated to life and one of the females screamed, as the jagged death came at her. The other two screamed in horror, as she fell in pieces in a pool of her own blood.

"Please...my Lord, I beg you!" the other male pleaded. Vader's knee connected with his fragile skull. His head was thrown back against the wall, as blood spattered everywhere. The last remaining female cowered in the corner. Vader turned away from her. She felt relief for a brief moment, thinking he may not kill her. She didn't have time to scream, as the scalpel on the table speared her between the eyes. Vader washed up and put his familiar suit on, proceeding to don the helmet as well. It was time to the Rebel base.

"Soon Tahl...we'll be together again. Palpatine's time as Emperor has come to a close and my time will rise, with you and Anakin by my side," Vader said, as he exited his bloodied chambers, after summoning the cleaning droids.

The ghost of Plageuis seethed in the shadows of the chamber, having witnessed Vader's rebirth. He was going to ruin everything and so, Plageuis had no choice but to act...tonight...

~*~

In the next chapter...

Vader doubles the amount of search probes in the next chapter. In the meantime, Ben is confronted by the people that care about him as he tries to leave. And Plageuis makes himself known...