11
Naboo- Theed hospital
"I'm sure you must be so relieved," Jobal said. They were very careful not to mention Anakin's name; given the state of the galaxy, one couldn't be sure of anything.
Padmé nodded. "I just wish…things were different," she said, trying not to cry.
"Senator Organa is about to address the press," Ruwee said as he found the broadcast. "Maybe he'll have some good news for us."
Padmé didn't say so, but wasn't confident that would be the case.
It wasn't long into the broadcast when Bail Organa stepped up to the podium.
"Good afternoon," he began. "I'm sure you're all aware of the upheaval in the Capital of late. I'm here today to clarity a few things. First of all, Palpatine is dead. We have learned that he was a Sith Lord, and had designs on ruling the galaxy with an iron fist. There was no Jedi rebellion, the Jedi are not the enemy. Indeed, it was the Jedi who discovered this nefarious plot and executed Palpatine. Unfortunately, the Jedi Order has been decimated. We estimate that at least 90 percent of the Jedi across the galaxy have been killed, with only a few who managed to evade the clone slaughter. As of today, the Senate has issued orders to all clone commanders to cease and desist, to stop this senseless massacre; however, we are not sure at this point if that order is being obeyed. There will be an election to find a new chancellor this evening, and I promise you that whoever is elected will do everything possible to restore peace and order to the Republic. I will now take some questions."
"Senator Organa, do you know which members of the Jedi Order have survived?"
"We have some idea, but I will not reveal the names in order to protect them."
"Senator, how was it that no one knew of Chancellor Palpatine's plans until now?"
"Palpatine was a master of deception and guile. Clearly he'd had this planned for a long time."
"What is the status of the war? Has a cease fire been called?"
"Yes, for all intents and purposes, the war is over. We suspect that both sides of the conflict were funded by Palpatine in an effort to spread out the Jedi across the galaxy in order to make it easier for the clones to kill them."
"Do you think that the Kaminoans will help stop the clones now that Palpatine is dead?"
"We cannot say, but we are hopeful that they will. We don't know how else they will be stopped at this point without their help."
Padmé watched the broadcast with her parents, her sense of anxiety growing. How would the clones be stopped? There were so many of them spread across the galaxy now, there was virtually nowhere the Jedi could go to be safe.
"I hope Senator Organa is elected as the new Chancellor," Jobal said. "He seems like a good man."
"He is," Padmé said. "I know him well. He'd make an excellent chancellor."
"Let's just hope those damn Kaminoans do the right thing and put an end to this madness," Ruwee said.
Padmé nodded. "I'm so scared for Ani," she said quietly.
"We all are, love," Jobal said, taking Padmé's hand.
"But he's very resourceful," Ruwee commented. "He's a survivor, Padmé. If anyone can get through this nightmare, it's him."
"I hope you're right, Daddy," Padmé said.
Padmé and her parents were not the only ones who'd seen the broadcast. Anakin and his comrades had also watched it, and had great misgivings after hearing what Organa had to say.
"If they are relying on the Kaminoans to stop this, we could be waiting a long time," Anakin said.
"If the Senate cannot prove them complicit, then they have no reason to cooperate," Obi-Wan pointed out.
Rex listened to all this in silence. It was eating away at him that his brothers had turned on the Jedi the way they had. If it had not been for Ahsoka, he himself would have done the same. And the thought of it made him sick. "I will go to Kamino," he said at last. "I will find a way to stop this."
The Jedi all turned to him.
"How can you do that?" Ahsoka asked. "You'll be revealing your allegiance to us if you do. They'll kill you, Rex."
Rex shrugged. "Maybe not," he said. "I need to try, don't you see? My brothers, men I fought alongside for years, they have done this. They have murdered our leaders, our friends. I know they had no choice, that they were programmed to do it, but they have to be stopped. And I think I'm the one who has to do it."
"Rex, I get that you are devastated by this," Anakin said. "We all are. But you're right, the clones aren't to blame for this. They were genetically designed for this, I'm sure of it. The inhibitor chip that was placed in them since they were embryos is responsible, and it was Palpatine's plan all along. But Ahsoka is also right; once they discover that your chip has been removed, they will kill you. We need you, Rex. It's going to take more than one person to fix this, and we have to rely on the Senate to do it. Our main goal right now is simply to stay alive."
Yoda nodded. "Split up, we must," he said. "Safer we will be, less chance of all of us being discovered if alone we are."
Obi-Wan and Anakin looked at each other, hating the thought of being split up after all they'd been through.
"You're right, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan said. "We stand a better chance I we split up. I have confidence that the Senate will find a solution to this… nightmare, so our exile won't be a long one."
"Let's hope not," Ahsoka said. She looked at her comrades. "I will go to Onderon," she said. "Lux will help me, I'm sure."
"I will go to Florrum," Obi-Wan said. "Hondo may be a pirate, but he's honourable in his own way. I trust him."
Anakin frowned, knowing the best place for him to hide, but hating the thought of it. "I guess Tatooine makes sense for me," he said. "I have family there. Owen and Beru are good people, they'll take me in, I'm sure. I just hope this isn't for long. I don't want my children to grow up before I meet them."
Obi-Wan put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "They won't," he said. "You'll be spoiling them in no time, I'm sure of it," he said with a smile.
"I hope so," Anakin said. "I just hate the thought of Padmé not knowing what has become of me."
"No choice, we have, Anakin," Yoda said. "Strong she is. Get through it, she will."
Coruscant
Bail Organa was elected as the new Chancellor with a nearly unanimous vote. The first official action he took was to summon the senator of Kamino, Halle Burtoni, to his office. Organa had never trusted the Kaminoan female, finding her sarcasm and cynicism unprofessional and inappropriate for someone of her station.
"Congratulations, Chancellor," Burtoni said as she stepped into Organa's office. She looked around, noting that Organa had already begun to renovate, no doubt wanting to remove any and all traces of the previous occupant of the office.
"Thank you," Organa said. "Please have a seat, Senator Burtoni."
Burtoni grew nervous, seeing how serious Organa was. "What can I do for you?" she asked, doing her best to ingratiate herself to the new Chancellor.
"You can tell me what you know about the clones turning on the Jedi," Organa said.
"And how would I know anything about that?" Burtoni replied.
Organa narrowed his eyes. "Don't insult my intelligence," he retorted. "I've begun an extensive investigation into the massacre of the Jedi," he said, "and the part that the Kaminoan government may have had in the plot to destroy the Jedi."
"I knew nothing of such a plot, I swear it," she averred.
"I don't believe you," Organa replied calmly. "But perhaps you can do something to prove yourself to me, that is, if you care to do so."
"And what is that?" she asked warily.
"Attend a meeting with your Prime Minister and myself," Organa said. "I need to find out how to countermand the order, if it's possible. I need Lama Su to know that the Senate will not allow this slaughter to continue."
"I will attend, but I'm not sure what you want from me," she said.
"Just your loyalty," he said. "I don't need to tell you what the fallout would be for you personally should I discover your collusion in this plot."
Burtoni sat quietly for a moment as she weighed her options. Being a pragmatic person, she knew how to look after herself. With Palpatine dead, she realized that she'd need to change her allegiances, and changes them quickly.
"No, you don't," she said.
Organa smiled. "I'm glad we understand one another."
Naboo
A week had passed since Padmé had been admitted to the hospital, and nearly as long since she had seen Anakin. She had all but begged the doctors to let her go home, but they had not seen any improvement in her blood pressure, and so they had managed to convince her of the importance to stay. The news from the capital had done nothing to help her stress level. The Chancellor had announced that he would be meeting with the cloners of Kamino to try to gain an understanding on why the clones had turned on the Jedi, and what part the late chancellor had in the slaughter.
Padmé knew what this meant: it could be weeks perhaps even months before she saw Anakin again, assuming that he was able to evade the galaxy wide hunt and survive. Luke and Leia, as she had named the twins, would be born without their father present, and would likely be several months old before they even met him, if at all. It wasn't terribly surprising that Padmé's blood pressure was of concern to the doctors who were caring for her.
"How are you feeling today, love?" Jobal asked as she and Sola entered Padmé's room.
Padmé looked up from the holo-novel she was reading and gave them a half-hearted smile. "I'm okay," she said.
"I brought you some fresh muffins," Sola said, placing a package on the table. "Baked this morning, your favourite."
"Thank you, Sola," Padmé said. "I'll have one later."
"Has Doctor Gallagher been in yet today?" Jobal asked as she sat down.
"Yes, he was in earlier," Padmé replied.
"And how are the babies today?"
"They're good, getting crowded," Padmé said. "It's getting hard to sleep."
"I can imagine," Sola said. Both she and her mother could see that Padmé was feeling quite blue.
"I can't wait to meet them," Sola said with a smile. "The girls are so excited to be having cousins."
"They'll be wonderful playmates for them," Jobal added, trying to draw Padmé into the conversation. "Assuming of course you remain here on Naboo."
"I haven't decided what to do, actually," Padmé said. "I'm considering returning to Coruscant, to help Bail with this new government."
Sola and Jobal exchanged a quick look.
"Are you sure about that, Padmé?" Jobal asked. "You'll have your hands full with twins."
"I know, but I also know that I will need to stay informed about what is going on," Padmé said. "I won't know anything way out here."
"I'm sure you can keep on top of the news even out here," Sola said, not knowing about Padmé's connection to the Jedi. "This isn't wild space, after all."
Padmé said nothing, and looked at her mother. Jobal knew how desperately Padmé missed Anakin, how frightened she was that she might never see him again. But she had also promised Padmé not to reveal the fact that he was the father of Padmé's twins, and so she said nothing.
"I know that, Sola," Padmé said. "As I said, I haven't made any decisions yet. I just wish Luke and Leia would hurry up and arrive. I'm losing my mind staying here."
Jobal smiled. "Well, babies do have a way of arriving when they're good and ready."
Padmé hoped that they'd be ready good and soon.
Kamino
"Welcome to Kamino, your Excellency, Senator," Lamu Su said as Bail Organa and Halle Burtoni were shown into his office. "What brings you all the way to our stormy little planet?"
"A matter of grave importance, Prime Minister," Organa said as they took the seats offered to them.
"Oh? And what is that, sir?" Laum Su asked as he sat at his desk.
"I'm sure you know," Organa said. "The slaughter of the Jedi."
Lamu Su shook his head. "Terrible, just terrible," he said.
"Yes, terrible is hardly a strong enough word for it," Organa said. "But surely you can see why I've come here, Prime Minister. The clones were the executioners, the clones that were created here, on Kamino."
"Yes, they were created here," Lamu Su replied. "But I hardly think that makes us responsible for their actions."
"An excellent point, Prime Minister," Burtoni piped up.
Organa frowned. "No? The clones were engineered here, grown and trained here. Doesn't that make you responsible?"
Lamu Su frowned. "How? We did not tell the clones to kill the Jedi. Once they leave this facility, they are no longer under our control. If you're looking for answers to what has happened, Chancellor, you've come to the wrong place."
"I don't believe that for a moment," Organa said. "I intend to conduct a full investigation. And make no mistake, I will prove your complicity in this tragedy."
Lama Su smiled grimly. "I wish you well in your investigation, sir."
Tatooine
"I swear I'd never come back to this place," Anakin said, looking around. The Lars homestead wasn't far, for Rex had landed the ship well within walking distance.
"I know, but it is a good place to hide," Obi-Wan said. "And hide you must. Hopefully not for long."
Anakin nodded.
"Take care of yourself, Anakin," Obi-Wan said as the two friends took their leave. "Keep a low profile, please. It is imperative to your survival."
"I know, I know," Anakin said with a smile. "No showing off, I promise. You watch your back around those pirates."
"I will," Obi-Wan said. For a moment they said nothing, as the gravity of their situation struck them.
"May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan," Anakin said as he embraced his best friend.
"And with you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, returning his embrace. "We'll see each other soon."
"I hope so," Anakin said. He tried hard not to think about his twins, about Padmé, and how it would be a very long time before it was safe for him to see them. "Take care."
Obi-Wan returned to the ship, and turned around to wave to Anakin one more time before disappearing inside.
Anakin watched the ship take off, on its way to its last destination, Florrum. And then he turned to walk to his step-brother's home, hoping that he wouldn't turn him away.
Walking down the stone steps, Anakin was reminded of the last time he'd been here, when he'd come to find his mother. But he'd been too late to save her, and the pain of her death still lingered in his heart.
"Anakin? Anakin Skywalker? What the devil are you doing here?" Owen asked as he met Anakin at the bottom of the steps.
"I need your help, Owen," Anakin said. "I'm hoping you'll let me stay here with you for a while," he said.
Owen nodded, knowing why Anakin needed a place to stay. Even here on Tatooine they had heard of the slaughter of the Jedi. "Can you promise me that the clones won't come here looking for you?" he asked. "I don't want Beru and me getting killed because we're hiding you."
"I can't promise anything," Anakin said. "But given the fact that Tatooine has not been involved in the War, it isn't likely that the clones will come here. I'll earn my keep, Owen. I'm good at fixing things, and not afraid of hard work."
Owen sighed, and rubbed his stubbly chin. "I guess we're family, aren't we? So I can't say no. My dad would be turning in his grave if I turned you away."
Anakin smiled. "Thank you, Owen," he said. "I promise you won't regret this."
Owen wasn't sure about that, but didn't say anything as he led Anakin into the homestead to show him what would be his home for the unforeseeable future.