Padmé felt two hands on her shoulders, shaking her gently awake.
"Padmé, wake up."
For a moment she wanted to tell them to go away, as she was in the middle of a lovely deep sleep. Junie needed feeding in the night and any precious rest she got was a blessing. But then she wondered who was waking her up, and why that voice sounded familiar. Her eyes flew open. In a panic, she fought the grasp and tried to scream but a gloved hand covered her mouth. She was held flat down, her heart hammering in her throat. In the darkness, she could just about make out the shape of Vader's helmet above her, and her eyes widened. What was going on?
"Padmé, be still. I'm not going to hurt you. I have something I urgently need to tell you. It cannot wait."
Nodding slowly, still shocked at seeing him in the middle of the night, she calmed down and he retracted his hands. Shakily sitting upright in bed, the covers slipped down and revealed the japor snippet around her neck that she'd been wearing the last few weeks beside the delicate star chain Obi-Wan had given her. Usually, her clothes hid the necklace from view, and she started to cover herself but Vader must've already seen it because he stilled completely and stared.
"You…kept that necklace?"
"Yes," she brought her hand up to it and gathered the bed sheets around her. "My Ani gave it to me."
Taking a deep breath, Vader moved back to give her some space. "I need to tell you something important. A few hours ago, I had a powerful vision…"
Padmé listened as he explained what he'd experienced, and turned on the small lamp beside her bed to see him more clearly. Glancing at Junie in her cot a few paces away, she saw that her baby was still sleeping peacefully and despite the noise.
"…Obi-Wan had come to take the children away and kill me. So I woke up and knew I had to leave immediately to stop this from coming to pass. I called ahead to the academy to ensure that the twins were safe, which they were. But Piett needed to speak to me urgently, and so he came to the palace to speak with me."
She wondered why he needed to wake her up to tell her this but then she stilled, her brow furrowing in concern as he continued.
"Piett informed me that the Emperor had planned my assassination. By not going to Arkanis, you, your daughter and I, have all avoided death tonight."
Her stomach dropped as she realised how close they all were to the knife's edge. Steadying her breathing from the shock of this news, she looked him squarely in the eye.
"So… now you see the truth," she replied shakily. "That Palpatine only cares about his own ends."
"Yes…but there is more Padmé," Vader began pacing in the low light, his black armour shining and his body melting into the shadows of the room. "He plans to replace me with Luke or Leia, of that I am certain."
Her skin crawled with the thought. She would never allow that, never. "So, he used you for your abilities, and now that you are no longer as useful, he discards you for someone younger and easier to manipulate."
He nodded silently, his helmet reflecting the light.
"The vision occurring exactly when it did, and the fact that he had prepared the officers in advance to shoot me down tonight, has led me to realise the extent of this manipulation. He created that vision in my head. All my life, he has been pulling the strings, leading me so that he can use me to serve his cause. I will not let the twins fall into his hands," he looked at her and she seemed to meet his eyes through the visor. "Not while I live."
Padmé's heart raced. Was Darth Vader really saying this? Was he putting the twin's wellbeing over his obligations as a Sith Apprentice, over the wishes of his Master?
He looked over at Junie, who was fast asleep. "It may shock you to learn that I would rather they be safe and alive with Kenobi, then enslaved to my Master."
Anakin. That's all she could hear. Anakin was alive in there. How else could he be saying these things? Hope blossomed in her chest. Nodding, she smoothed out the edges of her blanket and tried to appear neutral.
"I'm so glad that we see eye to eye on this, Lord Vader. So, are the twins still at the academy?"
"The latest report indicated that they were still safe in their beds and their dormitory rooms heavily guarded. But this could have changed by now. However, regardless of the vision coming to fruition, I can no longer trust my Master."
Junie was starting to stir and Padmé got up to see to her, lifting her up and cradling her tiny body against her chest. Her increasingly loud howls were cut short when she began to nurse her. Feeling a little self-conscious, she covered her breast with a blanket.
She turned back to Vader. "Will he be suspicious that you didn't go to Arkanis straight away?"
"He will be, and he has spies everywhere. That is why I feel you and your daughter are in grave danger if you stay on Coruscant any longer. He will undoubtably try to assassinate me again and we may be running out of time."
Padmé glanced down at Junie, who was utterly ignorant of the danger she was in. The Emperor was someone she feared like no one else. But if they couldn't stay here, where would they go? Was she to be imprisoned in one of Vader's other residences on some far-off planet?
"What are we going to do?"
He stopped pacing and came to sit on the end of her bed. She sat back down also, so they were only a few paces apart. A short while ago, the proximity would've made her fearful, but now she allowed it. She knew he wasn't going to hurt her or June, and his words this evening had confirmed what she had sensed the last week or so, that there was still some good in him.
Sighing, he turned to her. "I am going to send you back to Kenobi."
Her mouth parted but no words came out. Blinking, she looked down at her baby as tears gathered. Obi-Wan…
"You will be safer with him and the rebels then here with me," he continued, ignoring her tears. "Your safety, and the safety of your children, is my only priority now. If he wants me dead, then I may not have much time left. I am going to kill Sidious, or die trying. You cannot be on Coruscant or in any of my residences if I fail, for he will find you easily and destroy you both. This is the most logical course of action."
"Yes…yes of course," she nodded, wiping a few tears from her eyes with her palm.
"You will travel as a refugee undercover so he cannot track you. I have arranged for one of my most loyal men from the 501st to accompany you off-world as a bodyguard. He will travel with you to Dorin, where I know the location of an operating rebel cell in the capital, Dor'shan. They may be able to help you get to the base if you reveal who you are."
She nodded, wanting to trust him.
"It will be dangerous for you and for your daughter to travel as refugees…my bodyguard is no replacement for a Jedi Padawan. Take caution."
Immediately remembering when they had travelled to Naboo as refugees all those years ago in another life, her heart swelled. That young man had been so sincere, so earnest and open with his feelings. She remembered how he'd spoken of compassion, of unconditional love, and how it was central to a Jedi's way of life. Padmé knew in that moment without a shred of doubt, that Anakin was there inside the suit, even if it was just a tiny glimmer. His choice to set her free and get her home to Obi-Wan had confirmed it.
Nodding because she couldn't think of anything to say, Padmé moved forward and took hold of his gloved hand. The action shocked him and he moved back, but she held it firmly, her necklaces swinging against her chest.
"Thank you."
"You will leave at dawn. Prepare yourself."
He stood abruptly and looked down at her. There was so much more she wanted to say, needed to say, but the words didn't come. Lord Vader was still for a moment then turned and left the room.
Padmé drew her knees up and looked down at her daughter. Obi-Wan…she couldn't believe that she was going to be set free. Junie would meet her father. They would be reunited at last.
"Did you hear that, Junie? We're going to meet your dad," she traced her cheek. "He's going to be so happy to finally meet you, my love."
Junie moved her arm a little and looked up at her, and Padmé stroked her head. Wiping tears from her eyes, she mentally prepared for what she needed to do before their departure at dawn.
ooooo
Later that night
Sidious ground his teeth in anger. In the span of a few months, his Sith legacy had taken a drastic change of course, and it appeared that course was still in motion, still unresolved. Despite his careful planning, Vader was still alive, and the children had just been taken from one of the securest imperial institutions in the galaxy.
Ending an encrypted comm call with Arkanis Academy, Principal Holden's dying strangulated gasp cut off abruptly. The security breach had allowed his future apprentices to be stolen by two Jedi that the recordings had been unable to identify thanks to their hoods, but he knew that purple lightsaber, and he knew those fighting styles. Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Seething with hate, he contemplated how it was possible that members of the Jedi High Council were still alive. As if Mace Windu's return wasn't insulting enough, even that little blue and white astromech, if he wasn't mistaken, was the same one Anakin used to have trailing around with him. Was there no end to the surprise survivors of the Republic?
It made him wonder what other Jedi were going to reappear and ruin his plans for intergalactic peace. Thankfully, he could guarantee that Anakin would not be one of them, for his Apprentice would soon he dead.
The Jedi had been picked up by a ship known to have rebel affiliations on their database, and then they had escaped out of atmosphere before a tracking beacon could be attached. Palpatine judged that the Jedi would be taking the children to a secret and secure location. The twins would be guarded by the two men and in all likelihood Master Yoda, whom he knew had survived their duel all those years ago. It was an infuriating setback, but the Emperor knew that in their company not a single hair on their heads would be harmed.
Walking across the floor of his private suite, he looked out at the Coruscant skyline, lit up like glimmering jewels against an inky black sky. As livid as he was, he had to chuckle darkly at the irony of the fake vision he implanted in Vader's mind actually coming to fruition. The Force indeed worked in mysterious ways.
In the same building, somewhere far below him, he could feel his Apprentice's tightly barricaded mind shields. Retrieving the twins was going to be far easier than dealing with the situation he now found himself in with Vader.
Uncharacteristically of his Apprentice, the man had not had an immediate emotional reaction to the planted vision like he'd predicted. Instead of rushing off and leaving Coruscant, Vader had instead called Firmus Piett to him and tightened security around their dormitories. He had not left the palace. The act was most unlike him. Unsure if this lack of expected protectiveness for his children was a sign of his deepening connection to the Dark side, or if he had somehow figured out his plan, the Emperor mulled it all over with growing suspicion.
Was it possible that Piett had tipped him off? Would the man dare to be loyal to Vader above him, the Emperor? Such betrayal was a death sentence. It was highly unlikely…why would he be loyal to such a man? Nobody liked Vader.
But despite this, paranoia ate at him, not leaving him be.
If Vader had somehow figured out that he'd tried to assassinate him, his Apprentice would try to kill him. Sidious wasn't concerned about this however; it would not be possible for Vader to defeat him in a duel. Smirking, he basked in his own self-confidence. His Apprentice was still so weak, that even in his most powerful moments, he was never going to be able to overthrow him.
On the other hand, if Vader didn't realise that he'd tried to assassinate him, it would only be a matter of days until he realised the twins had been taken, for he was aware Vader communicated with Luke. If he figured it out at a later time, he could still be terminated as before as he departed Coruscant.
Growing impatient of still having Vader alive, the Emperor realised the only options were to get his hands dirty killing him himself, or to wait and have others do it for him. Setting a time limit would be prudent.
Walking back to his desk, he checked his schedule and entered a private summons with his Apprentice. If the man hadn't been destroyed in three days' time, then he would have to do it himself.
As for the twins, he decided he would dispatch one of his most loyal and efficient subjects, The Grand Inquisitor, to find where they were being harboured. As good as his best Inquisitor was, if the twins were being guarded by Kenobi, Windu and Yoda, he wouldn't stand a chance against the three of them. So, the Emperor decided that once Luke and Leia were located, a naval and ground crew could be assembled to extract the twins. Then the rebel base and everybody in it could be blasted into dust.
Bail Organa of Alderaan would be a good starting point for his Inquisitor. He knew the man was hiding something, and with the Inquisitor's powerful Force erase skills, any interrogation could be wiped from the Senator's memory.
Dawn was fast approaching, and he didn't want to waste any time so he went to enter his Inquisitor's frequency.
Whilst he waited for the call to connect, he thought about what he would do when Luke and Leia were finally in his possession, with all of their family and protectors dead.
He would lock them away in the deepest darkest bowels of the Imperial Palace, where no light of day ever penetrated, and where no one would ever be able to reach them beside himself.