Author: valsolo
Reviews are very welcome!!!!
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"Get your hands off her!" Anakin shouted as he stormed through the door. Raveneau was hovering over Amidala like a spider over a fly, and she was trapped in his web of persuasion with no means of defending herself.
Raveneau snapped around to face the intruder. A look of annoyance flashed in his eyes when he saw the young Jedi. He turned back to Amidala on the bed.
"Pardon me, my dear," he stated apologetically to the queen as he placed a slimy kiss on her bare neck. "It will only take me a few moments to get rid of this....... nuisance."
Amidala's mind continued to race. What was she doing here with this man? How had she let this happen? She knew she had no feelings for Raveneau, but had just been on the brink of giving in to him and his promise of unimaginable pleasure. Seeing Anakin standing there, seething with rage snapped her out of her haze and helped her come to her senses.
The Falleen began to stride confidently towards Anakin, pulling out his lightsaber as he walked. The orange blade crackled to life, and Anakin ignited his own saber in preparation for what was to come. The two men began circling each other slowly, eyes locked in mental combat already.
"So," Raveneau spat out incredulously, " you are the 'chosen one'. Funny.... you don't impress me as anything extraordinary." The Sith knew his choice of words would hit home with this Jedi.
Anakin felt the anger swelling inside him and could almost hear Obi-Wan admonishing him to not give in to it. After a few quick calming thoughts, he had just about regained control. Then he saw her out of the corner of his eye----- his Padme lying on the bed with some kind of restraining bolts around her wrists and a look of utter desperation on her face. Uncontrollably, the rage returned, larger than ever.
Raveneau sensed Anakin's conflict and took advantage of the Jedi's apparent weakness.
"Ah!.... just as I thought. You have a little crush on the pretty young queen, don't you? She is quite lovely,------- especially under all those royal robes." Raveneau observed Anakin's reaction to seeing Amidala in such a state.
"Our Amidala plays the part of the chaste, upstanding ruler quite well, but I have to tell you that she is quite the animal underneath all those wrappings. It's a shame you'll never find out for yourself..... boy."
Amidala tried to yell out to Anakin, 'Don't listen to him!', but some force was keeping her from speaking. Instead, all she could do was look pleadingly at him as he stared back with a look of utter disappointment on his face. She hoped that somehow her thoughts would reach him.
Suddenly, catching Anakin off guard, Raveneau swung his lightsaber full strength giving the young Jedi only seconds to block the blow. Raveneau pushed down hard towards Anakin as their lightsabers hissed, and Anakin was beginning to lose his balance. Skywalker summoned the Force and thrust the Falleen back giving Anakin enough time to recover before the next round. Raveneau quickly readied for his next move, with a look of smug confidence.
"My master was right. You do have much anger in you, and it is making you quite powerful. However, you are still a child in the Force..." He glanced back at Amidala and then back to Anakin. "... and in her eyes." Then he grinned wickedly, igniting Anakin's temper which caused him to lunge at the Sith, thus beginning a new parry.
Amidala watched helplessly as the two men swung and jabbed at each other amid grunts of intense effort. Anakin was a bit taller, but physically, the two were well-matched. Never had she seen Anakin in all his Jedi glory, and it dawned on her that he was doing it all just for her. Because she couldn't seem to save herself, he was going to do it for her and risk his own life in the process.
*I have to do something,* she told herself, refusing to play the role of helpless damsel in distress any longer. Looking down at her restraints, she realized there had to be a key somewhere.
Anakin continued to hold the upper hand, and although the Falleen was not slowing down, he was forced to move wherever the Jedi desired. Sensing he was in control, Anakin's rage began to lessen.
Raveneau sensed his predicament and knew he had to move fast to get rid of this Jedi boy. A quick glance at his surroundings gave him an idea. Gradually, Raveneau began to move towards the open balcony doors. Once outside, Raveneau maneuvered himself so that Anakin's back was to the railing. Anakin, so intent on the sabers, failed to notice the danger ahead until it was too late.
"You are much better than I thought you would be, boy." The Falleen uttered with contempt.
"You'll find I'm full of surprises," Anakin spat back confidently.
"Good," Raveneau said with a smirk. "I love surprises." And with a masterful use of the dark side, the Sith issued a massive Force blow that pushed Anakin Skywalker right over the edge of the balcony and onto the ground below.
"Nooooo!!!!!" Amidala screamed as she ran to the balcony. Peering over the edge, the Falleen at her side, she saw him. There, on the ground below lay an unmoving Anakin Skywalker. Tears burned her eyes as she noticed small trickles of blood coming from his mouth and nose.
"Noooo!," she sobbed. "Anakin..... " Slowly she turned to face Raveneau who wore a disgusting look of indifference on his face as he extinguished his blade.
"Well, so much for the 'chosen one,' " he stated bluntly.
Amidala couldn't believe what had just happened. Wasn't it just all a bad dream? But no.... there he was... the man that she loved--- dead, and she had never gotten to tell him she loved him.
Raveneau grabbed her arm and began pulling her back inside. "Now, my dear, we have some unfinished business." Once inside, he pushed her back to the bed forcing her to sit as he began to put his arms around her. She recoiled at his touch, and he laughed.
"Sorry, my pet, but we don't have time for that right now," he smirked as a quick red blush came over his whole body. Unexpectedly, he unlocked the restraining bolts and set them aside. Amidala stared at him in shocked confusion, as she rubbed her sore wrists.
"No need for those now. You'd be a fool to try anything after seeing what I am capable of when necessary." Raveneau then pulled out a small black box and sat it on the bedside table. Seconds after pressing a small button, the hologram of a dark hooded figure lit up the room.
"Master," Raveneau said as he knelt on the floor.
"I see you have the queen. And the Jedi? What has become of young Skywalker?"
Something about the man in the hologram seemed vaguely familiar to Amidala, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it. However, she did know that pure evil emanated from the man, and it shook her to her very core. Raveneau continued his report.
"He is dead, and Kenobi is being taken care of as well."
"Wonderful, my apprentice. I knew I had trained you better than the others." Amidala could sense the swelling ego of the Falleen at his master's praise, and it sickened her. The master turned his gaze to the young queen, and she felt as if hell itself had its sights set upon her.
"Now, my dear Amidala, we must take care of you." She shivered at the cackling voice. "You see, I am offering you a choice. You can join me----"
"In what?" she blurted out, surprising even herself.
"Heh-heh-heh," came the sinister chuckle in reply. "I like your spirit. Let me explain. You are a very powerful woman, Amidala. You hold within you a gift so unimaginable that I simply must have it for my own. What you could give me would make me unstoppable in my plan to rule this galaxy."
"I have nothing to give you," she uttered with contempt.
"Oh, but you do... you do," the dark lord assured her. "You possess the ability to bear unbelievably strong force-sensitive children. Having them under my control would be an invaluable asset in accomplishing my goals."
This information nearly knocked the wind out of Amidala. Her having children strong in the Force was astonishing enough, but then to have them controlled by such an evil was unthinkable. She was speechless as it all began to sink in.
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On the ground below, Anakin Skywalker lay motionless. He could feel himself slipping, no, fading away, when he heard it--- a familiar voice faintly calling his name.
"Anakin," it whispered. "Anakin." Now the voice was becoming clearer and louder. The young Jedi slowly opened his eyes and saw nothing but blackness. Gradually, the tiny glimmer of distant stars began to take shape as Anakin's eyes came into focus. It was the night sky, but where was he?
"Anakin!" The stern voice sounded again and he turned towards it. "You must get up, Anakin. Focus on the Force."
"Qui-Gon? Is that you?" the young man asked, looking for a body connected to the speaker.
"You have to save her, Anakin. He must not get her." Her who?, Anakin wondered, still trying to regain all of his senses.
"Get up!" the voice shouted. Blinking several times to snap himself out of it, young Skywalker was certain he saw the luminous shape of Qui-Gon Jinn standing right there in front of him. Anakin suddenly realized where he was and tried to raise himself up on his elbows, but a sharp pain shot through his left arm causing him to fall back down. He had sensed the Falleen Sith's purpose almost too late, and though he hadn't been able to keep himself from falling, he had managed to conjure up enough of a Force cushion to soften the landing.
Sending a healing rush to his broken arm, he carefully stood up and searched for his lightsaber. Luckily it had fallen nearby, so he pulled it to him and began looking for a way back up to the other balcony. He would not make the same mistakes this time.
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The reality of her situation bore itself into Amidala's mind. If what this man said was true, and she was able to bear strong children in the Force, then she would no sooner turn them over to this monster than to a slimy Hutt. Stubbornly, she thrust her chin in the air with a new resolve.
"I'll never join you... and I would never let you have my children," she declared defiantly in her sternest royal voice. Raveneau was shocked by her response and could see the same expression quickly turn to anger on his master's face. Did this woman have any idea of who she was dealing with?, Raveneau thought. A few seconds passed like hours, and then the evil lord spoke.
"Very well then," he said calmly, looking right through Amidala. "So be it." Then he turned to face his apprentice. "Raveneau."
"Yes, my master?" the Falleen asked, awaiting his orders.
"Kill her." The hologram abruptly disappeared as Amidala stared at the black box in horror.
"Well," Raveneau said, somewhat shocked himself at this turn of events. "It looks as if the party has ended, my sweet. I had so hoped to get to know you better." His body blushed red as the Falleen rose and unclipped the lightsaber from his belt. "What a pity... we could have had great fun together." His mouth twisted into a malicious grin, and he yanked her up from the bed. His face hovering just inches from hers, he forced a hard kiss on her mouth and then pulled away.
"Let's not waste anymore time, shall we," he said as he pushed her into a more open area. Amidala was frozen in place. All she could think of was Anakin and the life they would never share together.
"Drop your weapon," came an unexpected voice. Raveneau dropped the queen's arm and spun around to find a battered and bloody Anakin Skywalker standing at the door of the balcony.
"What?!!" the Sith roared in angry shock.
Amidala screamed in disbelief, "Anakin?!" A flood of relief washed over her as she slumped to the floor unable to move.
Skywalker's lip snarled as he tried to control his anger. This time he would not be distracted.
The Sith's saber hissed to life as he stormed toward Anakin. "Back for more, Skywalker?" he asked with a look of utter hatred. Anakin, in turn, ignited his lightsaber and readied for the battle. With a quick glance to check on Amidala's safety, he was ready to fight.
"Yeah, I'm back. You underestimated me, and it'll be your last mistake, you Falleen scum." Anakin took the offensive, lunging at his opponent with his full Jedi strength, something he hadn't done since his first kill.
The fury with which the Jedi fought was unexpected by the Sith, but then the dark apprentice noticed that Anakin was only using one hand. The other arm was being held carefully close to his side. As he continued blocking all of Anakin's blows, he began to concentrate the Force on the boy's injury, mentally twisting the bones inside the broken arm. Instantly, a wince of severe pain flashed on the young man's face, and Anakin's concentration was blown. Raveneau seized the opportunity and issued an intense swing that knocked Anakin down and caused the Jedi's lightsaber to fly out of his hand and skid across the floor.
The Falleen continued the mental vice grip he held on Skywalker's arm and slowly, victoriously began to saunter over to the fallen Jedi. Amidala looked on in horror as it appeared Anakin would be defeated. *I can't let this happen!* she screamed silently. One last glance on the floor was all it took.
With a smug grin, the Falleen Sith stood ominously over Anakin Skywalker. Anakin was trying desperately to clear his mind of the pain, the rage, and the fear he was feeling. How did he let this happen? He should have never let her out of his sight. *Well, this is it,* he conceded to himself as regrets played in his mind regarding his mother, his master, and his love.
"The 'chosen one'----- Ha!" the Sith spat incredulously. "Well, Anakin Skywalker, I am going to get rid of you for good. You see," he said glancing over to Amidala," I don't like the competition." And with a scowl of pure evil, the Falleen raised his lightsaber for one last blow.
Bravely staring into Raveneau's face, a calm spread over Anakin as he prepared to die. However, just as the Sith was hoisting his saber high in the air for one last swing, a deadly accurate blaster shot pierced through his hand and his saber tumbled to the ground. As the Falleen turned to discover the shooting source, Anakin seized the moment to call his own lightsaber back to him. It only took a second for Raveneau to turn back around and realize that a lightsaber had just been thrust through his heart.
Anakin roughly jerked his lightsaber out of the Falleen Sith and sat there breathing deeply as a look of speechless shock shone on the man's face. Anakin flatly offered his parting words.
"Get over yourself."
The Sith crumpled to the floor in a lifeless heap at Anakin's feet, and the Jedi could now see the source of the saving blaster bolt. There, only several yards away, stood Amidala, Queen of the Naboo, frozen in shock, and in her right hand she held a shiny, sleek blaster.
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More to come!........