"Thank you, Commander", Padmé responded, before entering the meeting room to greet the other delegates. Padmé found herself having to remind herself of who she was. As Senator Amidala she had invested a lot of time in getting to know many of the Senators from other planets, some of whom still served today. Padmé herself was also a well-known figure in the Senate, having been Queen of her planet for 8 years, as well as being a good friend to Senator Palpatine and the Jedi too. But right now, Padmé had to play her part. She wanted to act in the best interest for Naboo, but she also knew she was new to the position and many of the delegates in the room knew very little about her. The meeting began once all invited parties had arrived and Padmé took her seat next to the wookie senator from Kashyyyk. Never had Padmé felt so small than when she sat next to the large wookie. There were many times when she would stand next to her husband and feel small, his broad muscular frame towering over her, but wookies were a species much taller than any humanoids.
Anakin emerged from the small quarters and found he had to duck under the frame of the door in order to enter the cockpit, now encased inside the suit of Darth Vader. He sat down in the pilot's chair as his shuttle began its reversion to sub light. He clenched his gloved fist lightly and stared out the window as his shuttle entered Coruscant's atmosphere. More than anything he wanted to go and see Padmé first, and hold her in his arms and tell her how sorry he was for their fight. But Anakin knew he had a job to do, and he needed to go and see the Emperor first and inform him of his mission. He also knew that Padmé had a job to do and was likely in meetings or reviewing documents. He reflected that this was always the way it had been. They both had duties to perform and they had always tried their best to put their duties first, despite their feelings for one another. As Senator and Jedi, they had continued to serve the Galaxy, whilst keeping their relationship a secret. It had been hard for both of them, and Anakin knew that pressure was a big reason why he was drawn in to Palpatine's manipulations. When Palpatine had revealed that he was aware of his and Padmé's relationship it had almost lifted a huge weight off his shoulder, knowing that someone else knew, and at the time he believed that Palpatine was the key to saving Padmé's life. Anakin shook his head, ridding himself of those memories, realising they were nothing but destructive right now. He remained sitting in the cockpit as he guided his ship through the busy skies of Coruscant towards the Senate.
Padmé did not realise how long their meeting had been going on for until she glanced at her wrist chrono. It had been more than three hours since she had entered the room and the meeting had begun. Despite the continuous back and forth nature of the meeting, Padmé was content that she had conveyed the position of Naboo successfully, and several had articulated their desire to engage in plasma trade with Naboo.
Several minutes later, the Senator from Takodana spoke up and said, "I suggest we call a recess to what has currently been quite a successful meeting. I suggest we all reconvene when we are all available again".
His notion was supported by several other senators including Padmé, who after a long day was more than happy to finish for the day. She stood up and departed the room with a couple of the other senators. As she was about to return to her office, she was approached by one of the senate aids.
"Excuse me, Senator Soruna", the man said, as Padmé removed herself from the small group of senators and came to talk to the aid alone.
"Yes. How can I help you?", she asked curiously.
"There is a man on the level below who wishes to meet with you most urgently", he informed her.
Padmé was surprised by his statement, but then she suddenly realised it must be Anakin. He could not risk meeting her anywhere public in the Senate where they could be seen together. She smiled at the aid before saying, "Thank you, I shall head there at once". The aid nodded and then departed swiftly.
Vader's shuttle came into land in the Senate hangar bay. He remained sat in his seat for a moment, a strange feeling came to him through the force, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He looked at the time and decided that he would go and check on Padmé in her office quickly before meeting the Emperor. He disembarked his ship and headed for the office of Senator Soruna.
Padmé entered the elevator as it descended to the lower levels of the Senate building. Padmé had only ever been down there once, as it was never used for meetings and did not contain any offices. She remembered that she had been taken down her when she had been detained several weeks ago, but other than that she recalled it was mostly just a series of dark corridors.
Vader arrived at Senator Soruna's door and was greeted by the trooper stationed outside. He immediately straightened up before saying, "Lord Vader Sir, I did not expect you to return so soon".
"My mission was a quick one Commander. Where is Senator Soruna?", he asked, as he realised he could not feel her presence inside the room.
"I escorted her to a meeting several hours ago My Lord. She informed me that she was fine to walk back herself as it is not far. I had anticipated that she would be back by now though", he added, glancing at his wrist chrono.
Suddenly a sickening feeling started to build within Anakin. The feeling he was getting through the force was getting stronger. Padmé is in danger, he thought to himself as his mind started to race wondering where she could be.
"I sense the Senator is in trouble commander. Stay here and wait in case she returns. Contact me if she is found", he ordered as he started to head down the corridor, attempting to seek out his wife's force signature.
Unsuspectingly, Padmé exited the elevator and headed down one of the long winding corridors in the lower level. She was certain that if Anakin was down here, he would show himself to her. She continued to venture further on, surprised that he had not revealed himself yet, as she looked around curiously.
Anakin could feel her force signature getting stronger as he walked briskly down one of the long senate corridors. He had already visited the room where her meeting had been and found it vacated. He had been informed that an aid had approached her at the end of the meeting, and he feared that she had maybe been lured into a trap.
Padmé was now growing suspicious as she turned a corner and entered a large common room, not seeing Anakin or indeed anyone around her. She could hear the faint sound of ticking noise and continued to walk towards the source of the sound. As she approached the end of the room, she suddenly became aware of the source of the noise and screamed. In front of her was a large detonation device, that Padmé did not doubt was a bomb. She had been lured down here so that she could be killed with no witnesses. Panic filled her saw the device and continued to hear the ticking noise. Anakin help me! her mind screamed. She tried to force her legs to turn around and run away, but she was paralysed with fear, unable to believe what was happening.
Anakin had felt Padmé's cry for him through the force and immediately began to run towards her, using her force presence like a beacon. He entered the elevator and felt his body tense up with fear. Right now, he was faced with the prospect of losing Padmé, and he was supposed to have been the one protecting her. He could not lose her. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he used the force to augment his speed, racing down the corridors towards Padmé.
Padmé had managed to fight her paralysis and began to run away from the device. She felt her heart beating out of her chest as she ran back in the direction she had come. Seconds later the bomb detonated.
"Padmé!", she heard someone shout, as she felt her feet be lifted off the floor, as the power of the explosion hit her. She crashed against the floor, as parts of the walls and ceilings caved in and fell down on top of her. In amongst the clouds of smoke and fire, and the deafening ringing in her ears, Padmé realised that someone had been laying on top of her, shielding her from the blast. She felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and realised that a shard of metal had impaled her side. She groaned in pain as she looked around, tilting her head to the side, trying to find her savour. But he had already slipped away into the darkness, having checked that Padmé was alive and that medics and aids were on their way down to help her. Padmé felt herself floating in and out of consciousness. All she could see was the rooms around her had crumbled and that several small fires had gathered, as a result of the explosion. She heard several concerned voices shouting her name, before she succumbed to unconsciousness.
Anakin braced himself against the wall of a dark narrow corridor. He could not believe what had just happened. His wife's life had flashed before his eyes and he had so nearly not got to her in time. It pained him so much that he had had to leave her. All he wanted to do was pick her up and take her to the medical centre and sit by her side and tell her how much he loved her. He had reached her just as the bomb had detonated and had jumped on top of her as parts of the building caved in around them. She had sustained an injury to her side, but Anakin knew that she would survive. He too had not been left unscathed, but right now he knew he needed to meet with the Emperor, who no doubt had heard about what had just happened. It took everything Anakin had to not turn around and head to Coruscant Medical to be with his wife. But he hoped that if he could meet with his master now, he would be able to go and visit her later and heal her. He called on the anger and hate he was feeling to help him ignore the physical pain he was feeling. He refused to look weak in front of his master, so he would deal with his injuries later.
Vader entered his master's office, and saw Sidious was stood up in front of his desk with his hands behind his back.
"What has happened Vader?", the Emperor asked impatiently.
"There has just been another attack on Senator Soruna, My Lord. A bomb had been placed in the lower levels and she was lured there", he reported.
"And I gather you got there in time to save her", he commented.
"She has sustained some injuries, but she has been taken to Coruscant Medical", Vader commented neutrally.
Sidious paused for a moment before saying, "It appears that Senator Soruna is very lucky that you were there to save her. She is almost as lucky as the late Senator Amidala, perhaps even more so", he added, knowing it would anger his apprentice.
Maintaining his composure Vader stated, "I was assigned to protect her My Master, and I always seek to execute my orders successfully".
"Indeed, my friend", he stated. "Well, we cannot let this attack go unpunished. I cannot be seen to not investigate such an attack on one of the senators, it would reflect badly on me. You must find the assailant Lord Vader", he added.
"Yes, My Master", he replied, bowing before his master, hoping he could now leave. As he turned to exit his master spoke up.
"Oh, and Lord Vader. Your trip to Dantooine was a success based on the information you were able to extract from Senator Soruna's mind. But should her usefulness expire, I will consider removing your protection from her. I cannot risk losing such as asset for one disposable naïve senator", he spat.
"Yes Master, I understand. I will keep you apprised of my investigation", he added, before leaving his masters office.
When Padmé awoke, her eyes were immediately blinded by the harsh bright white lights inside her medical suite. She squinted, trying to allow her eyes to adapt to the bright room. She turned to the side to see a young woman stood a few metres away from her bed.
"Ahh, Senator Soruna you are awake", she commented softly with a smile.
"Where am I?", Padmé asked, knowing she was in hospital but wanted to confirm her location.
"You are in Coruscant Medical My Lady. You were brought here after the explosion. Do you remember much about that?", she asked, wanting to asses if the senator had experienced any short-term memory loss.
"Yes, yes I remember", she replied. She felt a sharp pain in her side as she looked down to see a large bacta patch on her stomach.
"I will have the doctor come in to talk to you My Lady", the woman replied, before turning to leave the room.
Padmé laid her head back against the pillows and tried to calm herself. She had so many questions flying through her mind, Why had she been targeted again? Had it been Anakin who had saved her? If so, where was he and was he okay? She fought back the tears at the thought of her husband. The last time they had spoken they had had a terrible argument with them both saying things they regretted, and all she wanted to do now was see him and tell him how sorry she was. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw the woman return, with an older man who she guessed was her doctor.
"Hello Senator, I am Doctor Voss. How are you feeling?", he asked her as he approached her bed.
"I have felt better", she replied, trying her best to sit up in bed.
"Indeed, I can imagine so. I will have the nurse give you some additional pain medication", he informed her. "You have sustained several cuts, abrasions and burns from the attack, as well as quite a deep laceration on your left side from where a piece of metal had been lodged from the explosion. We have dressed and covered the wound, but it was fairly deep and will take a considerable amount of time to heal", he reported.
"That explains the splitting headache as well then I guess", she replied. "I think I was thrown far with the blast impact", she added, trying her best to remember what happened. It had all happened so fast. She remembered someone shouting her name and before she knew it, she was on the floor, and now she was here at the medical centre.
"Yes, you were. However, I must say you have been incredibly lucky My Lady. There are very few I have ever seen walk away from such an attack. I was informed that Lord Vader shielded you from a lot of the explosion debris just after detonation", the doctor informed her.
Padmé couldn't help as her throat constricted at his statement. So, she was right. It was Anakin who had shielded her from the blast. But what had happened to him? Why did she not see him after when she was taken to the medical centre? Why had he disappeared? Was he hurt? Was he alive?
"It appears I owe Lord Vader my life", she commented, trying not to let the deep emotions she felt be seen.
"Yes, My Lady", he replied. "Now, I shall leave you to rest this evening, and I will have the nurse give you some more medication for your pain and your headache. Try and get some rest and I will come and see you tomorrow to evaluate your progress. Good day Senator", he said with a small bow.
"Thank you, doctor", she responded gratefully. She watched him and the nurse leave before turning her head away from the door and crying softly. Padmé was so terrified. Not only had someone tried to kill her again, but they had got to close to succeeding, and if it was not for Anakin she would certainly have died. And what if his act of saving her had cost him his own life, she thought. Padmé shook her head and realised she could not think like that, she would know if Anakin had died, she would feel it. She had just got him back after all this time and she could not lose him again.
"My Lady are you awake?", she heard a voice ask her from the door.
She quickly wiped her eyes and turned to see a trooper stood at the door. "Yes trooper, come in".
He nodded his head and then said, "Firstly Senator, I just want to say how sorry I am for what has happened to you, and I know we will do all we can to find the responsible party", he stated strongly.
"Thank you, trooper, I appreciate your concern", she replied.
"I also wanted to inform you that Senator Organa heard of your attack and has asked if he can see you. But I wanted to see if you were in a fit enough state for a guest", he stated.
"I am well enough thank you trooper, please invite the good Senator in", she replied.
"Okay My Lady", he responded before exiting and returning soon after next to Bail Organa. Once he had entered the room the trooper closed the door and assumed his post outside.
"Oh Padmé, I am so sorry to see you like this", Bail said sadly as he walked towards her bed.
"I am okay Bail really. Most of my wounds are superficial and will heal soon enough", she replied, trying to reassure her friend.
"As soon as news spread of the attack, we were all dismissed from the Senate. The Emperor has announced he will be engaging a full squad to investigate. It has created quite a stir", he commented.
At the mention of Palpatine, Padmé immediately replied, "Have you seen him Bail? Have you seen Anakin? I was informed by the doctor that he was the one who shielded me following the blast. He is the reason I am alive Bail; I have to know he is okay", she said, a tear coming to her eye and the fear clear in her voice.
It pained Bail to see the pain in his friend's eyes as he replied, "I have not seen him Padmé. After the explosion, the medical team and lots of troops headed down to the lower levels where they found the explosion sight. You were the only one they treated. If Anakin had been there, he had disappeared as soon as he had saved you", he replied honestly.
"Promise me if you hear anything you will inform me. I don't know how long I will be here Bail, and I know Anakin cannot risk coming here to see me. And please can you contact Obi-Wan and the twins and tell them I am okay. If news reaches them about the attack, I do not want to worry them, please will you do that for me", she said quickly, her panic beginning to show.
Bail placed a hand on her shoulder softly and replied, "Padmé, you need to calm down. This is not going to help you recover, and right now that is the best thing you can do so you can be discharged and see Anakin and the twins".
Their conversation was interrupted when the nurse entered the room. She saw Bail's hand on the Senator's shoulder and said, "Sorry to interrupt, I am just here to give the Senator some more pain medication. It should help you sleep My Lady". She then administered the drip and left as quickly as she could.
Bail tried to make light of the situation and replied, "I hope she did not get the wrong idea by my gesture".
Padmé smiled and said, "You needn't worry Bail. And in any event, it may work in of favour. Anakin has informed me that the Emperor believes there is something going on between Senator Soruna and yourself. Whilst this is nothing more than a ploy, I do not want you to be drawing any unnecessary attention to yourself, Bail. The Emperor is already suspicious of your intentions, and right now we must bide our time", she told her friend.
"I know Padmé. He has suspected me for a long time, since the inception of our petition for the Delegation of 2000. But I understand your concerns and I will do all I can to appease the Emperor for now", Bail replied.
"Thank you Bail. Thank you for being such a good friend to me over the years, and for all, you have done for me and for coming to see me now", she told him with a smile.
"It is my pleasure Padmé. Now, please try and get some rest, and I will get in contact with Obi-Wan to settle him, and I will inform you if I hear anything about Anakin", he replied.
"Thank you so much. Goodnight Bail", Padmé responded.
"Goodnight", he replied before turning and leaving her suite.