Chapter 6
Lothal, Outer Rim
Lothal. One of the backwater planets forgotten in the outer rim area. Lightly populated, the planet was mostly dominated by grasslands and spine trees. Home of the mysterious giant loth-wolves and the ubiquitous loth-cats. Its government was riddled with corruption. Despite being rich in natural doonium, used for the construction of starships, the planet's economy was worsening. The Republic had ignored their pleas for help. The locals had mixed opinions about the current state of the Republic. They knew a change needed to happen and were less concerned about how it happened.
Anakin made a detour, taking the cruiser over to the planet of Lothal. He had planned to ditch the cruiser out in the grassy plains and obtain a new, more discreet ship at Capital City. All these detours put him on edge. The plan was to go directly to the Nevah system and disappear there. Why doesn't anything ever go as planned?
Through the Force, he could tell that Padmé was getting closer to delivery. Her discomfort was apparent even though she wouldn't admit it. Then it dawned on him, he hadn't had a single nightmare of Padmé's death since they left Coruscant. The fears, through the Force, that tormented him about her imminent death were gone. He was still worried but his concerns didn't manifest into a nightmare. Whatever aura seemed to surround Coruscant had faded out here. Part of him wondered how real that vision was. Was it truly a vision? The dark side of the Force tainted everything on Coruscant. He was fine not having another nightmare about Padmé dying for as long as he lived. This gave him some relief but not much. When it was time for her to deliver if she has any problems whatsoever, he'll do what he can to save her life.
Padmé's cruiser
If it was possible to whine through beeps and whistles R2 would know how to do that.
"Couldn't you have told me this BEFORE I repainted you," Anakin grunted, hunched over, replacing a side panel on R2's body.
R2 continued his protests.
"I agree, you would look dashing in green but I've already painted you purple so you'll just have to deal with it, ok?" Anakin continued working on the droid despite his complaints. "You'll look like another model only on the outside. You'll still be Artoo on the inside. I promise."
R2 beeped his concerns.
"You don't like the name Arseevan? I can't make you happy at all, can I?" Anakin leaned back on his heels with his hands on his hips, annoyed at the opinionated droid.
R2D2 or rather R7B4 was perfectly happy the way he was before.
"You don't see Teesee complaining, do you?" He waggled a wrench at R2's direction.
At that moment, a red droid arm came into view, which gave way to a fully painted metallic, hot rod red C3PO, "I heard my name, master?"
Anakin leaned back from his workings on R2. "Teesee, how do you feel about your new look?"
C3PO bent down stiffly from his waist to ponder himself before standing up again, "Oh, well. If it pleases my masters, then I am content with my new designation and appearance."
"See that Arseevan? If it pleases my masters. You could show a little more gratitude."
R2 whistled his disapproval.
C3PO scolded the small astromech, chastising him with one arm, "Master Ani….I mean, Master Boaz is right. This is a difficult situation for everyone. You know very well why we are required to do this. You could be a little more considerate!"
"Thank you, Teesee." Anakin, or now his current identity, Boaz definitely appreciated C3PO in these moments.
R2 was not having any of it. A panel opened on the side of the astromech and a small probe sent a small but sharp electrical shock into Anakin's arm.
"Ow! Hey! That was uncalled for." Anakin rubbed his flesh arm; of course, he would go after his flesh arm. R2 beeped his contentment and allowed the issue to finally rest.
Anakin put the final touches on the feisty little droid. "There! I think I did a fantastic job. You look great!" He stood up, admiring his handiwork.
R7B4 and TC-8108 formerly known as R2D2 and C3PO with their new coat of paints and modifications. Despite the situation, Anakin did enjoy working on the droids. It was a good distraction even if it was short lived. He forgot how much he enjoyed activities like this. It renewed his soul. He had been out fighting a war with nothing but death and destruction. It was nice to create or, in this case, reimagine something. Perhaps now he'll have more time to do things like this.
Working on the droids gave him ideas for some ship modifications. Once they reach Lothal, he'll search for a new ship or, more likely, an older ship. Which he didn't mind at all. He worked on the Twilight during his spare time until Obi Wan blew it up. He did miss that big hunk of junk. Having an older ship didn't bother Anakin. There's plenty of things he could do to make it the best ship in the galaxy. Maybe even the fastest ship if Padmé would allow him. He cleaned off the grime off his hands and made his way to the cockpit. They should be nearing Lothal's orbit soon.
R2 came up behind him as Anakin turned off the autopilot. The planet had several advanced settlements scattered far apart from each other. They were under economic constraints from the war so they didn't have a planetary security force monitoring all the ships entering the orbit, only the ones coming into the major cities. This worked out well for Anakin.
Entering the planet in a more obscure area, he found a grassy area outside of Capital City. He landed the cruiser, hoping the tall grass would help cover the cruiser and then turn to R2.
"Ok, Arseevan, You know what your job is here while I'm gone." The little astromech whirled his head unit and beeped his understanding.
Anakin made his way to the living area where he found his pregnant wife. Pensively reading a datapad, his radiant, beautiful wife sat at a table with one hand unconsciously rubbing her swollen belly. Already protective of the little life growing in there. A smile crept onto Anakin's face.
"Milady, Ruth. We have arrived." He bowed dramatically and took the hand that was protecting their child into his, planting a soft kiss.
Padmé smiled. They had decided on the names Boaz and Ruth Advid. They seemed like simple names made for a more simple time that their new lives would hopefully fall into.
"Ok, here's the plan. I'm going to go to town and get a new ship then come back for you. We'll strip the cruiser for parts and we can finally make it to our destination."
Padmé nodded quietly and grabbed a satchel she had laying next to her, "Here, these are all the republic credits I have left. That should be more than enough to get a decent ship. I have some jewelry I can sell if we need more money but that'll run out eventually."
Anakin bounced the weight of the satchel in his hand, "We can always sell the parts we salvage from this cruiser. Plus, I can do some mechanical work if we need any money."
He gave her a half smirk, "See, I'm good for something other than fighting wars."
She sighed exasperatedly. His ego seemed to creep in, no matter how dire the situation.
Anakin dressed in the clothes she bought for him on Wobani. The simple black tunic he wore revealed his toned frame, previously hidden under the layers of the Jedi robes. His broad, sculpted chest was well defined under the tunic as well as the contours of his deltoids and biceps. She marveled at how powerful her husband was. As a senator, she was a quiet, powerful force in the senate but out here, and so heavily pregnant, she was thankful to lean on her husband's strength. The pregnancy had drawn so much of her reserves. She was tired all the time. She hated how vulnerable she felt in this state, so she hid it as much as possible.
She watched as he dawned his cloak then strode over to the door panel. Pushing the button, the ramp descended with a soft thud, and the doors opened. She instinctively clutched at her womb protectively.
Anakin, with one hand on the door, turned around, "Unless it's me, do not open this door for anyone. Understand. Contact me if you see anything suspicious at all." His face firm with a stern look with an intensity that shone in his blue eyes.
Padmé bit her lip and nodded quietly. Anakin made a move to descend the ramp, his shoulders softened slightly as he hesitated, then he quickly turned around and pulled his wife in for a passionate kiss. She poured out her frustration returning the heated kiss.
Anakin broke away breathlessly, whispering against her lips, "I love you more than anything in this galaxy."
Padmé melted into his embrace, "I know. Now go. Get us a new ship."
A small smile curled in the corner of his full lips. "As you wish, milady." His cloak rustled as he descended the ramp.
R2D2 chirped and whistled away to C3PO while he worked. Anakin tasked him with disassembling the cruiser, hoping to refit it in the new ship. Padmé sat at a nearby table watching them. She mused to herself. There was a twinkle in Anakin's eye as he thought about the prospect of working on a ship. He always loved tinkering around. It filled her with joy that he had another thing to look forward to in addition to being a father.
She knew Anakin had concerns about being a good father but she wasn't worried. She saw into his big heart and knew he would love his child endlessly. Her heart filled with joy the first time Anakin felt the baby kick. He was so amazed by the simple action even though it caused Padmé pain. The pain was worth it for this bundle of joy they were about to bring into the world. Rubbing her belly, she hummed to herself, life will never be the same after this child comes but it will be good. No matter how uncertain their future was this was a good thing. At least they'll figure it out together.
Her face crunched up. She felt an intense cramp and pressure in her lower belly. It was the second one today. The first one being this morning. She had felt them off and on for a couple days now but didn't mention this to Anakin. They were rare and infrequent and most likely false labor pains. However, this one was particularly powerful. She found herself breathing hard after the sensation subsided.
C3PO skirted over as his sensors went off from her distress, "Milady, are you alright?"
"Yes, Teesee. Nothing to worry about," She brushed him off.
C3PO eyed her carefully, not believing her, "Shall I contact Master Boaz?"
"No, that won't be necessary. It was nothing, really. He'll be back…" Her face scrunched up again. This time the pressure came from her lower back and radiated forward. Another one so soon?
Once the pain has subsided, she got up, "I'm going to lay down for a bit. Let me know the moment Boaz returns."
C3PO quietly responded, "Yes….milady. Rest well."
He watched as she slowly made her way to the bedroom. He returned to R2 side, who whistled his concerns. "Yes, Arseevan. I have a bad feeling about this."
A small freighter vessel, it had all the essential amenities needed; a bedroom, a small kitchenette area, a refresher, a reliable working shield generator, and a functioning hyperdrive. It wasn't pretty. He got a pretty good deal on it because someone flew it through an asteroid field. Most of the damage on the outside was cosmetic. The hyperdrive made a sharp clank noise every so often which scared the previous owner. Anakin knew precisely what was wrong and it was an easy fix. He didn't let the seller know that. He bargained down the price stating how horrible the hyperdrive core condition was and how much it'll cost him to replace it. He was doing the seller a favor by taking it off their hands. Delighted with his new toy, he flew back to Padmé excitedly. Making sure no one was following him he took a couple detours just in case.
He set the ship down next to Padmé's beautiful cruiser. He was really going to miss that gorgeous ship. As he went over to comm to Padmé's ship he felt a disturbance in the Force. He quickly left his ship and rushed onboard the cruiser.
"Padmé?" He forgot to use her new name being rattled with concern. "Padmé! Are you ok?"
C3PO rushed over, "Oh, thank goodness you're back. Milady wouldn't let me contact you…"
"Where is she?" He barked impatiently.
"She's in the bedroom. She's been having contractions." C3PO stated, throwing his arms in the air.
Anakin's heart skipped a beat. He ran pass C3PO into the bedroom. Stopping at the site of his wife. Padmé was lying prone on her back with her knees up. Her lips pursed as she was trying to control her breathing.
He moved cautiously towards her. "My love, are you ok?"
Padmé tilted her face towards him and flashed him a brave smile. Forgetting their new identities, "Ani, did you get us a ship?"
Anakin couldn't help an eye roll. "Really, that's what you are concerned about right now?" He sat on the bed next to her. "Can you sit up?" He asked softly.
She grunted as she sat up, "It's not a big deal. I just needed to lie down for a little bit. You know that Teesee likes to exaggerate." She slid off the bed attempting to stand to prove she was ok.
Anakin held her arm for support, "You know, for a politician, you are a terrible liar."
She glared at him as she held on to his shoulder, "I was not…" She felt something pop. Looking down, she saw water trickling down her leg. "Ok, maybe I was a little bit. I think my water just broke."
Anakin's face paled and his eyes widen so much they could fall out of their sockets. "What did you say?"
Padmé tried to take a step and more water came gushing down her leg, "Ani. I'm not kidding. I think I'm going into labor."
Anakin ran both his hands through his hair. This can't be happening right now. He was hoping he had more time. Cover their tracks a little better. A random couple that buys a ship then gives birth is too conspicuous. He was hoping to maybe find a planet with decent medical care. He knew nothing of the medical capabilities on Lothal. He just knew he wasn't prepared to handle this yet! Why did he even bother making plans?Panic etched into his face.
"Can you just…hold it in?" He blurted out frantically.
Padmé threw him a very aggravated look, "This baby is coming now whether we're ready for it or not."
"Ok, ok. You're right." He tried to calm his breathing using the Jedi meditation techniques he used for battle. He coached himself. He can do this. No big deal. He's dealt with much dire situations before.
"Let's get you on the ship and into town. We'll find where the medical facility is." Anakin stated sternly taking control of the situation.
He lifted Padmé into his arms despite her protests. He didn't care for her need to be an independent, self sufficient woman her stubbornness usually demanded. He was going to make sure she didn't deliver on the ship.
Over his shoulder, he shouted, "Arseevan! Teesee! We're leaving. Now!"
R2 and C3PO came rushing over. R2 beeping how he didn't finish dismantling the cruiser yet.
Anakin already heading down the ramp, irritatedly replied, "We'll come back for the cruiser later. We need to leave now! "
A/N: The twins are coming! I repeat! The twins are coming!
Random fact: If you rode Star Tours at Disneyland, C3PO mysteriously showed up with a red arm, before TFA came out, and he and R2D2 would talk about it as you waited to go on the ride.