**************************
Chapter Nine: Tortured Thoughts
*
The Millennium Falcon waited on the planet Triall. Luke and Leia had both wanted to use the Falcon to find some trace of where the Imperial star destroyer that carried off their Mother had gone, but both Anakin and Obi-Wan told them to be patient. Knowing Palpatine, he wouldn't keep them waiting for long. They were right.
"Anakin," called out Han from the pilot's seat in the cockpit. Anakin, followed closely by the rest of the ship's occupants came running.
"What is it?" asked Anakin.
"We're getting a signal on an Imperial frequency," said Han. "It says for Anakin Skywalker to stand by for a private transmission. Nothing else."
"That's what we've been waiting for," said Anakin. "When the second message comes through, send it to the holo-viewer in the main rec room. Obi-Wan, this may be a private message, but I'd like you to be there as well. Hide outside of viewer range."
Obi-Wan nodded, and began to follow Anakin out of the cockpit to the rec room.
"But, Father..."began Luke.
"No," said Anakin. "Stay, all of you. No one follows."
Luke, though anxious to get word about his Mother, waited, as did the rest of the crew.
As they walked down the corridor, Obi-Wan looked thoughtfully at Anakin.
"It was a good decision not to let Luke or Leia be in the room when we here from Palpatine," said Obi-Wan. "It would likely be difficult news for them to bear. As it will be for you. I am concerned..."
"I'll be fine," said Anakin. "I have to be, for Padme's sake."
The two Jedi stepped into the rec room, and sealed the door behind them. Obi-Wan stood in a far corner of the room, out of range of the holo-viewer's camera. Anakin stood in the middle of the room, his eyes closed and his thoughts focused on preparing himself for whatever Palpatine would say to him.
Several minutes later, a signal came in to prepare for receiving transmission. Anakin took a deep breath, and activated the holo-viewer. On the holographic display came the image of Emperor Palpatine himself, the hooded form still very familiar to Anakin even after twenty years.
"Well, Anakin Skywalker," said Palpatine. "It has been a long time, my old protégé."
"Not long enough," said Anakin. "And no longer your protégé. I thankfully was saved from being your slave."
"Saved, eh," said Palpatine. "Saved from all of the power, the influence, the strength I could have helped you to acquire. Saved from being my right hand, my second in leadership of this great Empire I have forged. You were kept from all of this by one woman, who is now in my possession."
"Where is my wife?" asked Anakin, with a slight tone of irritation carefully restrained from growing to anger. "What have you done with her?"
"After all these years, you are still a fool," said Palpatine. "It is as I thought. You still cling to Padme Amidalla for your strength, for your resistance of all that I offered you. I am going to do you a favor, Anakin. I will remove the impediment to your power for you."
Palpatine stepped back, and revealed the form of Padme Amidalla behind him. She was bound by her wrists to a chain hanging from the ceiling, her hands secured above her head and her form hanging ever so slightly off the ground.
"Padme," said Anakin into the viewer. "Angel, are you alright?"
"Don't, Anakin," said Padme. "Don't come for me. Palpatine will..."
All of a sudden, blue force lightening began emanating from Palpatine hands, striking Padme. She screamed in agony as the Sith Lord mercilessly tortured her with destructive energy emanating from the core of his power.
As she continued to scream, Anakin's anger grew. "STOP IT!" he yelled. "YOUR KILLING HER!"
Palpatine stopped, and turned to face Anakin. "But I am saving you from this pretty fool that keeps your potential chained," he said calmly. "When she dies, nothing can stop you from becoming what you were destined to be. Nothing will keep you from me."
He sneered, then turned and began attacking Padme again with the force lightning, her high pitched screams searing into Anakin's heart as the lightning seared into her body.
"IT'S ME YOU WANT!" screamed Anakin. "LEAVE HER ALONE! Tell me where to come to, and I will come! I will do anything, just STOP!"
Palpatine stopped once again. This time, Padme was unconscious from the pain when the Emperor turned to face Anakin through the viewer.
"Is she..."began Anakin.
"She is alive," said Palpatine. "For now. You will come to my flag ship in what was once the Naboo system. Come alone. Be quick about coming, for the entire time your arrival is delayed, your paramour will suffer pain unlike any she could imagine. We will talk about your future when we arrive."
The image on the viewer disappeared. Anakin and Obi-Wan were left alone in the room with their thoughts, and Anakin was left with his growing anger.
**
Palpatine approached the unconscious form of Padme Skywalker. He slapped her repeatedly in the face, forcing her back to consciousness. As she awakened, Darth Hister approached them.
"Shall I take her to a cell to await Skywalker's arrival?" asked Hister.
"No," said Palpatine. "I am not through with her. Her connection to Anakin is strong. He can feel what she feels if the emotion is powerful enough. I will make sure that all he feels from her is pain."
Palpatine reached out his hand. Padme, hearing what Palpatine said, expected another round of force lightning. Instead, she saw him merely close his fist in mid-air. Suddenly, she began to feel a sharp pain in her chest. It was as if Palpatine was using the force to send stabbing pain into Padme's heart. Slowly, starting from her heart, the pain spread through every organ of her body, then to her bones and muscles. Her breathing became labored as the pain continued to spread and grow in intensity.
"I am not physically damaging your body, my dear," said Palpatine. "But you will feel the pain that you would feel if every bone in your body was being broken, and every internal organ began dissected. Your body will feel nothing but pain, though it will not be physically damaged. You will not die, will not be relieved from the pain by death. Instead, the pain will go on and on, all through your body."
The pain continued to increase, and Padme could no longer contain herself. She screamed in agony, and her whole body convulsed and spasmed. As she continued to scream, Palpatine smiled with success, and increased the pain as her screams echoed through the walls of the dark room.
***
Anakin paced around the rec room on the Millennium Falcon like a caged animal. Through the force, the bond with his wife, he could feel her agony, could hear her screams echoing through his mind. As the sensations of terror and pain continued to come from his wife, Anakin's rage grew.
Finally, he grabbed a table and threw it across the room. He turned and began to march out of the rec room towards the exit ramp of the Falcon. Obi-Wan quickly followed him.
"Anakin, Anakin STOP!" yelled Obi-Wan, as the two Jedi marched down the ramp and towards the other ship the Jedi had come in.
"I have to get to her!" yelled Anakin. "I can feel her, through the force! That BASTARD is torturing her! She's in agony! I must go to her!"
"And what will you do when you get there?" asked Obi-Wan. "What about Palpatine?"
"He'll pay for this!" said Anakin in low tone of unyielding rage. "I will CRUSH HIS DRIED BONES! I will make him suffer as she has suffered! He has called down my wrath, and he is going to GET IT!"
"And in so doing, you will give Palpatine WHAT HE WANTS!" yelled Obi-Wan, grabbing Anakin by the shoulder. When Anakin turned to face Obi-Wan, the latter saw a look of anger in his former Padawan's eyes the likes of which he had seen only once before. Anakin's face mirrored the face of his younger self, when he was about to turn to the dark side completely and forever become the dark servant of the Emperor. Padme's love had saved him then. What would save him this time?
"Anakin, don't you see," said Obi-Wan. "Come to your senses, man! Palpatine wants to turn you to the dark side, and is doing so by unleashing your anger! It is what I wanted to talk to you about on the ship on our way here! It is what I have been concerned about ever since we reunited again! Your anger, Anakin, is still your greatest enemy! Through experience, age, and discipline, you have learned to control it so WELL and I have been so PROUD of you for it! But Palpatine is destroying that!"
"What else can I do?" asked Anakin, tears now streaming down his face. "Obi-Wan, you don't understand! I can FEEL her agony, her terror! He is TORTURING HER! She is so much PAIN! My angel, my sweet dear Padme! He is torturing her because of ME! I can't STAND FOR IT! I WON'T!"
"Would she want you to turn to the dark side, to turn to evil because of your anger over her torture!" said Obi-Wan. "Do you want her to feel responsible for turning you to evil!"
"She wouldn't be!" said Anakin.
"She would feel like she did," said Obi-Wan. "It will be her pain, her agony, that would cause you to turn! This is the moment of decision, Anakin! It will decide your destiny and that of everyone who loves you! It will decide the fate of the galaxy, perhaps! Anakin, you have strength in you to resist Palpatine! USE IT! Think of your children! Think of Luke, Leia, and Ruwee! What of them? What happens to them if you turn to the dark side?"
Anakin was silent, contemplating all that his former Master was telling him. He could still feel his wife's agony through the force, and it still angered him, but there was a growing sense of emotional control forming within him. Anakin focused on the logic of the situation, on the light side of the force, as his Jedi training kicked in. He had to put Padme's pain out of his mind, ignore it, or his anger would destroy him as Obi-Wan said it would. For Padme's sake, for his sake, for the sake of his children, and for the sake of goodness itself, he had to stay with the light to defeat Palpatine's darkness and save the woman he loves.
"What must I do, Master?" asked Anakin, very much like a certain young Padawan used to ask his Master.
Obi-Wan smiled. "Anakin, you must confront Palpatine with the strength of your heart, with your mind focused on the force, and with your Jedi training to guide you. It is your only hope of defeating Palpatine. It is your only hope of saving Padme. I know you can do it, my old Padawan. I have confidence in you."
Anakin nodded. "I will do as you say," he said. "Obi-Wan, if anything should happen to me...and to Padme. Take care of my children."
"As though they were my very own," said Obi-Wan. "And we will come to help you. We will find a way. You won't be alone."
The two men embraced each other as a Father and son would. Anakin finally broke from his mentor's embrace and headed for the ship, his cloak blowing in the wind behind him. Obi-Wan watched the strong Jedi Knight enter the ship, closing the hatch behind him. After a few moments, the ship lifted off, and Anakin went to meet his destiny.
********
-Well, are you breathless with anticipation? What do you think? Will Anakin be able to control his emotions and save Padme? Will Obi-Wan and the others be able to help Anakin destroy the Emperor and Hister? Don't miss the continuation of this adventure, coming soon. In the meantime, reviews are always welcomed.
Chapter Nine: Tortured Thoughts
*
The Millennium Falcon waited on the planet Triall. Luke and Leia had both wanted to use the Falcon to find some trace of where the Imperial star destroyer that carried off their Mother had gone, but both Anakin and Obi-Wan told them to be patient. Knowing Palpatine, he wouldn't keep them waiting for long. They were right.
"Anakin," called out Han from the pilot's seat in the cockpit. Anakin, followed closely by the rest of the ship's occupants came running.
"What is it?" asked Anakin.
"We're getting a signal on an Imperial frequency," said Han. "It says for Anakin Skywalker to stand by for a private transmission. Nothing else."
"That's what we've been waiting for," said Anakin. "When the second message comes through, send it to the holo-viewer in the main rec room. Obi-Wan, this may be a private message, but I'd like you to be there as well. Hide outside of viewer range."
Obi-Wan nodded, and began to follow Anakin out of the cockpit to the rec room.
"But, Father..."began Luke.
"No," said Anakin. "Stay, all of you. No one follows."
Luke, though anxious to get word about his Mother, waited, as did the rest of the crew.
As they walked down the corridor, Obi-Wan looked thoughtfully at Anakin.
"It was a good decision not to let Luke or Leia be in the room when we here from Palpatine," said Obi-Wan. "It would likely be difficult news for them to bear. As it will be for you. I am concerned..."
"I'll be fine," said Anakin. "I have to be, for Padme's sake."
The two Jedi stepped into the rec room, and sealed the door behind them. Obi-Wan stood in a far corner of the room, out of range of the holo-viewer's camera. Anakin stood in the middle of the room, his eyes closed and his thoughts focused on preparing himself for whatever Palpatine would say to him.
Several minutes later, a signal came in to prepare for receiving transmission. Anakin took a deep breath, and activated the holo-viewer. On the holographic display came the image of Emperor Palpatine himself, the hooded form still very familiar to Anakin even after twenty years.
"Well, Anakin Skywalker," said Palpatine. "It has been a long time, my old protégé."
"Not long enough," said Anakin. "And no longer your protégé. I thankfully was saved from being your slave."
"Saved, eh," said Palpatine. "Saved from all of the power, the influence, the strength I could have helped you to acquire. Saved from being my right hand, my second in leadership of this great Empire I have forged. You were kept from all of this by one woman, who is now in my possession."
"Where is my wife?" asked Anakin, with a slight tone of irritation carefully restrained from growing to anger. "What have you done with her?"
"After all these years, you are still a fool," said Palpatine. "It is as I thought. You still cling to Padme Amidalla for your strength, for your resistance of all that I offered you. I am going to do you a favor, Anakin. I will remove the impediment to your power for you."
Palpatine stepped back, and revealed the form of Padme Amidalla behind him. She was bound by her wrists to a chain hanging from the ceiling, her hands secured above her head and her form hanging ever so slightly off the ground.
"Padme," said Anakin into the viewer. "Angel, are you alright?"
"Don't, Anakin," said Padme. "Don't come for me. Palpatine will..."
All of a sudden, blue force lightening began emanating from Palpatine hands, striking Padme. She screamed in agony as the Sith Lord mercilessly tortured her with destructive energy emanating from the core of his power.
As she continued to scream, Anakin's anger grew. "STOP IT!" he yelled. "YOUR KILLING HER!"
Palpatine stopped, and turned to face Anakin. "But I am saving you from this pretty fool that keeps your potential chained," he said calmly. "When she dies, nothing can stop you from becoming what you were destined to be. Nothing will keep you from me."
He sneered, then turned and began attacking Padme again with the force lightning, her high pitched screams searing into Anakin's heart as the lightning seared into her body.
"IT'S ME YOU WANT!" screamed Anakin. "LEAVE HER ALONE! Tell me where to come to, and I will come! I will do anything, just STOP!"
Palpatine stopped once again. This time, Padme was unconscious from the pain when the Emperor turned to face Anakin through the viewer.
"Is she..."began Anakin.
"She is alive," said Palpatine. "For now. You will come to my flag ship in what was once the Naboo system. Come alone. Be quick about coming, for the entire time your arrival is delayed, your paramour will suffer pain unlike any she could imagine. We will talk about your future when we arrive."
The image on the viewer disappeared. Anakin and Obi-Wan were left alone in the room with their thoughts, and Anakin was left with his growing anger.
**
Palpatine approached the unconscious form of Padme Skywalker. He slapped her repeatedly in the face, forcing her back to consciousness. As she awakened, Darth Hister approached them.
"Shall I take her to a cell to await Skywalker's arrival?" asked Hister.
"No," said Palpatine. "I am not through with her. Her connection to Anakin is strong. He can feel what she feels if the emotion is powerful enough. I will make sure that all he feels from her is pain."
Palpatine reached out his hand. Padme, hearing what Palpatine said, expected another round of force lightning. Instead, she saw him merely close his fist in mid-air. Suddenly, she began to feel a sharp pain in her chest. It was as if Palpatine was using the force to send stabbing pain into Padme's heart. Slowly, starting from her heart, the pain spread through every organ of her body, then to her bones and muscles. Her breathing became labored as the pain continued to spread and grow in intensity.
"I am not physically damaging your body, my dear," said Palpatine. "But you will feel the pain that you would feel if every bone in your body was being broken, and every internal organ began dissected. Your body will feel nothing but pain, though it will not be physically damaged. You will not die, will not be relieved from the pain by death. Instead, the pain will go on and on, all through your body."
The pain continued to increase, and Padme could no longer contain herself. She screamed in agony, and her whole body convulsed and spasmed. As she continued to scream, Palpatine smiled with success, and increased the pain as her screams echoed through the walls of the dark room.
***
Anakin paced around the rec room on the Millennium Falcon like a caged animal. Through the force, the bond with his wife, he could feel her agony, could hear her screams echoing through his mind. As the sensations of terror and pain continued to come from his wife, Anakin's rage grew.
Finally, he grabbed a table and threw it across the room. He turned and began to march out of the rec room towards the exit ramp of the Falcon. Obi-Wan quickly followed him.
"Anakin, Anakin STOP!" yelled Obi-Wan, as the two Jedi marched down the ramp and towards the other ship the Jedi had come in.
"I have to get to her!" yelled Anakin. "I can feel her, through the force! That BASTARD is torturing her! She's in agony! I must go to her!"
"And what will you do when you get there?" asked Obi-Wan. "What about Palpatine?"
"He'll pay for this!" said Anakin in low tone of unyielding rage. "I will CRUSH HIS DRIED BONES! I will make him suffer as she has suffered! He has called down my wrath, and he is going to GET IT!"
"And in so doing, you will give Palpatine WHAT HE WANTS!" yelled Obi-Wan, grabbing Anakin by the shoulder. When Anakin turned to face Obi-Wan, the latter saw a look of anger in his former Padawan's eyes the likes of which he had seen only once before. Anakin's face mirrored the face of his younger self, when he was about to turn to the dark side completely and forever become the dark servant of the Emperor. Padme's love had saved him then. What would save him this time?
"Anakin, don't you see," said Obi-Wan. "Come to your senses, man! Palpatine wants to turn you to the dark side, and is doing so by unleashing your anger! It is what I wanted to talk to you about on the ship on our way here! It is what I have been concerned about ever since we reunited again! Your anger, Anakin, is still your greatest enemy! Through experience, age, and discipline, you have learned to control it so WELL and I have been so PROUD of you for it! But Palpatine is destroying that!"
"What else can I do?" asked Anakin, tears now streaming down his face. "Obi-Wan, you don't understand! I can FEEL her agony, her terror! He is TORTURING HER! She is so much PAIN! My angel, my sweet dear Padme! He is torturing her because of ME! I can't STAND FOR IT! I WON'T!"
"Would she want you to turn to the dark side, to turn to evil because of your anger over her torture!" said Obi-Wan. "Do you want her to feel responsible for turning you to evil!"
"She wouldn't be!" said Anakin.
"She would feel like she did," said Obi-Wan. "It will be her pain, her agony, that would cause you to turn! This is the moment of decision, Anakin! It will decide your destiny and that of everyone who loves you! It will decide the fate of the galaxy, perhaps! Anakin, you have strength in you to resist Palpatine! USE IT! Think of your children! Think of Luke, Leia, and Ruwee! What of them? What happens to them if you turn to the dark side?"
Anakin was silent, contemplating all that his former Master was telling him. He could still feel his wife's agony through the force, and it still angered him, but there was a growing sense of emotional control forming within him. Anakin focused on the logic of the situation, on the light side of the force, as his Jedi training kicked in. He had to put Padme's pain out of his mind, ignore it, or his anger would destroy him as Obi-Wan said it would. For Padme's sake, for his sake, for the sake of his children, and for the sake of goodness itself, he had to stay with the light to defeat Palpatine's darkness and save the woman he loves.
"What must I do, Master?" asked Anakin, very much like a certain young Padawan used to ask his Master.
Obi-Wan smiled. "Anakin, you must confront Palpatine with the strength of your heart, with your mind focused on the force, and with your Jedi training to guide you. It is your only hope of defeating Palpatine. It is your only hope of saving Padme. I know you can do it, my old Padawan. I have confidence in you."
Anakin nodded. "I will do as you say," he said. "Obi-Wan, if anything should happen to me...and to Padme. Take care of my children."
"As though they were my very own," said Obi-Wan. "And we will come to help you. We will find a way. You won't be alone."
The two men embraced each other as a Father and son would. Anakin finally broke from his mentor's embrace and headed for the ship, his cloak blowing in the wind behind him. Obi-Wan watched the strong Jedi Knight enter the ship, closing the hatch behind him. After a few moments, the ship lifted off, and Anakin went to meet his destiny.
********
-Well, are you breathless with anticipation? What do you think? Will Anakin be able to control his emotions and save Padme? Will Obi-Wan and the others be able to help Anakin destroy the Emperor and Hister? Don't miss the continuation of this adventure, coming soon. In the meantime, reviews are always welcomed.