Chapter 47

Padmé's apartment

"I got a message from Dane. The sentencing is tomorrow," Anakin told Padmé as they lay in bed.

"Good," Padmé said. "I will make sure my schedule is cleared."

Anakin frowned as he got out of bed. "I don't want you to be there," he said.

Padmé sat up in the bed. "What to you mean? Of course, I need to be there!"

"Angel, this sleemo has done enough damage," Anakin replied as he got dressed. "I don't want him anywhere near you."

Padmé smiled, loving his protectiveness. "Ani, I'm not intimidated by Palo, believe me," she said.

"I'm not saying that," he replied. "I just don't want you subjected to any more of his bullshit."

"I'm the Chancellor, I need to be there," she said. "What kind of a message am I sending if I don't go, Anakin?"

Anakin sat on the bed to pull on his boots. She was right, and he hated that she was. "I suppose you have a point," he said.

Padmé smiled. "Of course, I do," she said, moving over to him. "Will you be here for dinner?" she asked, putting her head on his shoulder.

"I think so," he said.

She looked up at him. "You don't sound sure," she said. "Is something going on?"

"Well, we just came into possession of a holocron, the last one more than likely," he told her. "And that means we'll be able to locate force sensitives in the galaxy, assuming there are some left," he told her.

"So, you'll be leaving the capital to look for them?" she asked.

Anakin nodded. "But I'm not going anywhere until Jamabie is locked up, don't worry," he told her.

"I know," she said.

He turned to her. "I need to get going," he said, and then kissed her. "I'll see you later," he said.

"Have a good day," she said.

"You too," he replied, and then left.

Julie's apartment

"I can't hide my feelings anymore, Julie. It's you I want, not Padmé. She was my past, but you're my future. I love you, Julie. I love you so much."

"Oh Anakin, I knew you loved me! Everyone told me it was my imagination, but I knew, I just knew!"

Julie's lovely, delusional dream was shattered by the sound of her doorbell. She groaned, already hating whoever had ended her dream just when it was getting good.

"Hey Julie," Aimee said when Julie opened the door. "I wanted to check on you. Did I wake you up?"

"It's not even 7," Julie snapped. "Of course, you did."

Aimee smirked. "Well at least you won't be late for work," she remarked.

Julie groaned as she flopped on the sofa. "My uncle was so pissed at me," she said. "He found out I was at the Outlander with you guys."

Aimee frowned. "How did he find out?"

"I guess I called Anakin when I was stoned, and…"

"Anakin? You mean Anakin Skywalker?" Aimee asked in surprise.

Julie smiled. "Yeah, you know him and I are friends," she said.

"Well, I know you're obsessed with him," Aimee retorted.

Julie scowled at her friend. "Piss off, what do you know?" she snapped.

"I know that he's probably in love with the Chancellor," Aimee said. "My aunt is her assistant, and sees him there a lot. Plus, they have kids together."

"She broke his heart," Julie retorted. "She had her chance and blew it, Aimee. I can make him happy, she can't."

Aimee looked at her friend as though seeing her with new eyes. "Those death sticks are really messing with your brain," she said. "You're totally delusional, do you realize that? And what the hell were you going to talk to those bounty hunters about? Or do I even want to know?"

Julie shrugged. "I was just going to …enquire about their fees."

Aimee frowned. "Fees? For what? Why would you need a bounty hunter?"

"None of your business," Julie snapped.

"This doesn't have anything to do with the Chancellor, does it?" Aimee asked. "Please tell me you're not that desperate! You could be put in prison just for thinking of…"

"Would you just leave me the hell alone?" Julie retorted, jumping to her feet. "Now if you don't mind, I need to get ready for work so my asshole uncle doesn't fire me."

Aimee stood by and watched Julie leave the room, and then left herself. Their conversation had created a bad feeling inside of her, a very bad feeling.

Jedi Temple

"Good morning, Anakin," Obi-Wan said as Anakin joined him and Ahsoka in the refectory.

"Good morning," Anakin replied. "Exciting day today, don't you think?"

Obi-Wan smiled as he stirred his coffee. "Indeed," he said. "I had no hopes of ever finding a holocron, and now one has been returned to us."

"I just hope we're able to find force sensitives," Anakin said. "What if there are none? What if the clones wiped them all out?"

Ahsoka frowned, not wanting to consider this. "I suppose we just have to have hope that we will find some," she said.

"It's a mighty big galaxy, Anakin," Obi-Wan added.

Anakin nodded. "It is," he said. "Oh, by the way, tomorrow Jamabie gets sentenced," he said.

"I'm sure you're looking forward to that," Ahsoka remarked with a smirk.

Anakin laughed. "Yeah, you could say so," he said. "I didn't want Padmé to come, but she's insisting."

"Well of course she is," Obi-Wan replied. "She's the Chancellor, Anakin. This is a serious matter. She mustn't appear weak."

"I know," Anakin replied. "I just don't want that sleemo anywhere near her."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Padmé is very capable of looking after herself, Anakin. Surely you realize that by now."

"I know, I know," Anakin said as he stood up with his tray. He frowned as he remembered the strange late-night call from Julie. "You'll never guess who called me late last night."

Ahsoka frowned. "Please don't say Julie," she said.

Anakin nodded. "Woke me up too," he said. "Pretty sure she was stoned."

"I hope you told her off," Ahsoka said.

"I didn't want to waste my time," Anakin said. "But I told her uncle all about it, so I'm hoping he had a discussion with her."

"You need to have a discussion with her," Obi-Wan said. "This girl is not going to go away until you do, Anakin."

Anakin nodded. "I know," he said. "Jamabie first, then I'll deal with her."

"Just make sure you do," Ahsoka said.

"And remember the old adage: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Obi-Wan added.

Anakin smirked. "You finished?" he said, standing up.

"I am," Obi-Wan said, standing up too.

"Me too," Ahsoka said. "Let's go."

Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka joined Yoda in the Jedi Council chamber. The holocron was already opened, and the four of them joined their abilities to search for any force sensitive beings that were still alive. The list had once included every force sensitive known to the Jedi; but now, after the Purge, the list was greatly depleted, as they soon discovered. There were, however, still force sensitives in the edges of the galaxy, in regions where the clones had not searched before the Purge ended; and it was there that they decided to focus their search.

"I will go to Ryloth," Ahsoka said once they had concluded their search. "I'll bring the padawan with me," she added with a smile. "It might be good for him to get some field experience."

Anakin smiled. "Maybe you should take him on as your padawan," he suggested.

Ahsoka looked at him. "Do you think I'm ready?" she asked in surprise.

"I do," Anakin replied. "More than ready. Does the Council concur?" he asked Obi-Wan and Yoda.

Yoda nodded. "Concur, I do," he said.

"And I do as well," Obi-Wan said. "You'll be a wonderful master, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka smiled. "Well, I learned from the best," she said, looking at Anakin.

"Well, I don't know about that," Obi-Wan said with a smile.

Anakin chuckled. "Where shall we start, Master?" he asked Obi-Wan.

"I suggest Dantooine," Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin nodded. "Dantooine it is," he said. "We can leave tomorrow afternoon, just as soon as I've seen Palo Jamabie hauled off to detention."

Ahsoka laughed. "I would enjoy seeing that myself," she said. "I'm sure Padmé will be relieved."

"We both will," Anakin said. "Believe me."

Residence of Aimee Giroux (friend of Julie Banks)

Aimee tossed her bag onto the small sofa and sat down. It had been a long day. Aimee worked in a hair salon in one of the high-end districts of the capital. She made good money, for the wealthy were usually good tippers. Usually. Of course, many of them liked to complain. They often thought that if they gave her enough money, she could work magic. Unfortunately, a good haircut isn't enough to fix an ugly face or an ugly personality. Still, she couldn't complain too much.

Opening the refrigerator, Aimee sighed, seeing that she didn't have much in the way of food. Guess I'm ordering out, she realized as she closed it again. As she sat down at her computer to place an order, Aimee's mind wandered back to the unsettling conversation she'd had with her friend Julie that morning.

Aimee had never been a person to consume drugs of any kind, so when Julie had developed an appetite for death sticks, Aimee had become concerned. She'd voiced her concern many times, to no avail. Julie was a person who did what she wanted, regardless of the consequences. Her obsession with the Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker was of particular concern to Aimee, for she knew it could only end badly for her friend.

Anakin Skywalker lived in a different stratosphere from most people; an elite warrior and unparalleled Jedi, Skywalker was a larger-than-life hero, a legend. Julie's obsession with him concerned Aimee, for she didn't want to see her friend get hurt. But now, it seemed that Julie had a notion to do something to the Chancellor, whom Aimee had on good authority was Anakin Skywalker's love interest. Should I tell Aunt Rayna about this? Is Julie serious? Will she get arrested just for saying such a thing? Aimee's Aunt Rayna thought the world of Chancellor Amidala, who seemed to be a genuinely good person. If something happens to her and I didn't say anything, how will I live with myself?

Deciding that she ought to talk to her aunt soon, Aimee placed her order. I'll stop in after work tomorrow, she thought, knowing the traffic to get to her aunt's apartment would be a nightmare at this time of day. Julie isn't going to do anything in the next 26 hours.

Happy that she had resolved her problem, Aimee returned to the living room to watch the evening news while she waited for her food delivery.