Note 37

Padmé,

Suit yourself. I already told you that I don't care if you call me "Ani." Call me whatever you want. Anakin will be just fine.

That's exactly why I think there should be one person in charge of everyone……someone wise….to tell everyone else what to do. Don't you think that would be a good idea instead of some people looking for personal gain and some people looking to help the people or planet?

Yes...I know that when someone says a dictatorship, then bad things automatically come to mind, but I believe that a good dictatorship could work. If the system works well, and everyone is treated fairly, then why would it be so wrong? If it works better than the system we have now…things would go a lot smoother. If the right person were in charge there would be no problems. If someone…like Palpatine were in charge, you know that the Republic would be in good hands. You know how great a leader Palpatine is…..and you know Palpatine is an excellent leader and that he actually does care for citizens. He cares about me…a Jedi Padawan. If the Republic had people like him as leaders, things would never go wrong for the Republic. Palpatine's the kind of person that would keep every citizen, every system in mind and carefully decide what was best for each system. You can't tell me that Palpatine couldn't do a good job.

Well Palpatine tries to do what is right.

Yes, Palpatine is a good leader. I'm glad that he got elected Supreme Chancellor 10 years ago. LOL, I was scared of him then. Can you believe that? I can't believe I was that silly as a little kid.

All right, so we do not agree about Palpatine. Fine. I cannot speak for him. I think you are misinterpreting his reactions. He is very smart, and he has a lot on his mind. Sometimes I don't think he likes things that I say, but then he gives me assurances that he does value me. I can talk to him for you, if you would like. Just let me know. He sometimes doesn't look like he is paying attention, but he has so much to deal with, especially with the Separatists. You have to understand that, Padme. He also had no control over what happened with the Trade Federation in the Courts. He is only the Supreme Chancellor. He doesn't have the power to make the Court's decisions…unless the Senate gives him that power. I wouldn't care if he did have that kind of power. You are expecting too much of him and blaming him for everything that has happened in this galaxy. Sigh….Palpatine have hidden agendas? What are you talking about, Padme. You're sounding just like Obi-Wan now. You know, Obi-Wan thinks those things about you, too.

Yeah, I know about the social contract theory stuff you were talking about. I'm not against having a government; I'm just saying that I don't think the system that we have right now works.

No, you're not boring me; you never could bore me. I think it's normal to go on and on about things that you're passionate about. I do the same thing.

LOL adventures? All the time!!!! When you get Obi-Wan and me together, you never know what to expect. You want to know about some of my earlier missions? Hmm…..let's see……there are so many…I'll try to pick out the good ones, okay? Well I already told you about the slave rescue, which wasn't technically a mission. There was one mission that I went on when I was about 15 or so where the Jedi Council sent us to some planet outside of the Republic. They sent us there because the residents of that planet were causing problems for nearby Republic worlds, and Obi-Wan and I were sent to stop the conflict. Well when we got to the planet we found that soldiers were being equipped with deadly weapons, and the warriors attacked in little groups. Obi-Wan and I would fight off and destroy an entire section of warriors, and then we'd move on to the next group. The entire time these battles were going on we were trying to find the central factory where the weapons were being manufactured. I'm the one that found the factory, and I'm the one that destroyed it! That ended the conflict quickly.

Yes, I love helping people. There are some times that our missions don't go exactly right. One time Obi-Wan and I were assigned to a system in which the Jedi felt that there were unfair laws. As soon as we arrived we started the negotiation process…only it didn't go so well. We tried to keep it so that it wasn't a heated debate……we tried to establish common ground and, but the other side just wouldn't listen. They started screaming at us, and then they had these assigns tried to kill us, so we went into aggressive negotiations. LOL, that's negotiations with a lightsaber.

(blushes) Thanks for the compliments and encouragement, Padme. It means a lot to me. I just hope I don't make a fool out of myself. I'm glad to be the one protecting you.

I thought Corde was the handmaiden that died….sigh…I'm confused. I get your handmaidens all mixed up. Sorry about that. Anyway, I didn't even know that centipedes were poisonous until Obi-Wan told me that a couple of days ago. That's kind of ironic, isn't it?

I know…I wish that we could have learned who the assassin worked for. I think Obi-Wan's going to try to trace that dart, which should give us a clue as to where the assassin's assassin came from. That person or creature with the jet pack must have followed Obi-Wan, me, and the assassin…and he must have saw what had happened. I don't like that one bit…it's almost as if that were planned. Why would the person with the poison darts only shoot at the assassin and not either Obi-Wan or me?

Yes, I realize that whoever shot the assassin was trying to silence your assassin, but that wasn't what I was talking about. I meant that if the person who shot the assassin was so interested in keeping the information from others hands…..then why didn't he try to shoot Obi-Wan and me too. That would have both silenced the assassin and Obi-Wan and I.

What seems clear is that whoever was hired to kill you used a certain kind of rare poison dart. Obi-Wan told me that he had trouble in the Jedi Archives identifying it. That is saying something. It is not going to be easy for him to track down this assassin, but I know that he will. If it is the Trade Federation or Dooku, then the dart might be able to be traced to them. I guess you could be right about it being connected to the Trade Federation. They have access to a lot of trade goods from all across the galaxy.

Okay, so you usually don't date. Have you ever had a boyfriend? I assume you have….but if you did have a boyfriend, why did you break up? Would you ever be able to have a boyfriend or get married? I know your political life is important to you and I was just wondering. Umm….I didn't mean to insult you, Padme. I was just saying that it is a possibility that a guy could pose as a wonderful guy, and be plotting all the time to kill you. It has happened before to other people. Guys can be deceptive sometimes.

If I have any feelings for you, even friendship feelings towards you, then it would still be an attachment, and thus would STILL be breaking the Code…because I would still be having a feeling of attachment to you. The Council and Obi-Wan do not like the idea of my having any sort of feelings for you at all, on any level. I have admiration for you because you are my friend…..and…..well, Padme. The Council knows, and so does Obi-Wan. I don't know how to explain it to you any clearer. The fact that I have this kind of friendship with you and the feelings behind it is the source of the problem that the Council has with me and you.

As I told you before, I don't follow the Code exactly. If I feel something that goes against the Code is right, I follow that. The fact that I'm not allowed to have attachments is not going to stop me from developing feelings and wanting a relationship with someone. Yes, I have thought about getting married ever since I was little…as soon as I was old enough to know what a girl was, and in the past 10 years I have thought about it everyday. I WILL get married, I promise you. I don't CARE if I'm not allowed to.

Sigh….I refuse to be a slave to the Code. There is a difference between living by the letter of the law and living by the spirit (or intention) of the law. I understand why there is this no attachment rule, but the Jedi Code was made by the Jedi – it is not God's law. If it came from God, that would be one thing. The Jedi Council is an institution that was created by the Jedi to govern Jedi affairs. It is the same sort of thing with governmental laws. Generally, I would follow the Republic laws, but again, those laws were just defined by the citizens of the Republic. Sometimes a law or rule is wrong, and when it is, I will go against it. I will not follow something blindly just because it is a law. A law that forbids emotion and love is wrong. We all have to use discernment when it comes to laws like the Jedi Code. One of my main issues with other Jedi is that they follow the Jedi Code blindly, as if it is a law that came from God. Furthermore, they are following the letter of it instead of the spirit of it. This makes the majority of them slaves to it. That is why the Jedi Order is declining. I have read history books of it, and it is no where near as powerful as it once was. Not everything is as black and white as you think it is, Padme. Not all laws are the same, nor are they all just. If I were to follow all laws in this galaxy down to the letter, then I would be nothing but a slave to it. I know what slavery is like. I don't want to live my life that way!

Breaking the Jedi Code is not going to get me kicked out of the Jedi Order unless I do something really bad.

Of all the people in the galaxy, Padme, I thought that at least YOU would understand. You sound exactly like Obi-Wan, Yoda, Mace, and the rest of the Jedi. Sigh……WHY IS IT ANY OF YOUR CONCERN IF I FALL IN LOVE OR NOT? No rule is going to stop me from falling in love or having a relationship. I can't help falling in love or having emotions. That is just how it is. I'm sorry, Padme, I can't tell you….yes…I am hiding something from you. You just wouldn't understand….and besides, you've made it clear that it is impossible. Just leave me alone right now.

If you understood what I meant when I said that I could not live a life without emotions, then why…..why….why did you go off on me about how I should not have emotions or be experiencing them? I can't help it, Padme. I just cannot be like the rest of the Jedi. Hmmm….so this Royal Force thing is powered by emotions, but that still does not explain its purpose. I can see why the Council does not talk about it.

I'm really glad you told your parents a little more of what is going on. I…..hope that we get to see your parents and family. I would like to meet them as well. You forgot to tell me how your sister's husband proposed to your sister or how he handled the engagement. I suppose he's from some really upper class family on Naboo. And what would someone go about the whole marriage thing with you? I would like to see all of your family and friends as well. I don't see any problem with that.

Well it looks like we made it to the transport safely. I don't like it that I didn't get to fly you to Naboo, but I understand the safety precautions were necessary. I've been hiding my lightsaber underneath my outfit…and so far it doesn't look like anyone has even noticed my Padawan braid or my Padawan haircut, and I don't think anyone has recognized you yet. Do you see anything suspicious? I'll tell you one thing….I'm REALLY tired, so I'm going to try to sleep. I haven't had a full night's sleep in over a month…so maybe I'll be able to sleep here. I hope you don't mind. Wake me up if you see anything unusual. Also, can we stay in the non-smoking section on the transport?

What's your plan once we land on Naboo? It sounds like we will being going to the Naboo palace to meet with the Queen, but do you have any more specific plans? What about seeing your family and friends? Yeah, I remember that lake retreat. I'd like to have that picnic.

Have I shown you my lightsaber yet? It's blue, and I have my initials on the bottom of the handle, and most importantly I built it. Would you like to look at it once we're on Naboo?

How many friends do you have now? I would like to meet your friends. Any friend of yours must be very nice because they have you as a friend.

I guess I'll see you in a few hours.

Anakin