All You Mean To Me
By Aiko "Kitty" Skywalker
Chapter Three
Anakin took a steady breath in, glancing out the side window of the freighter that would take him back to Coruscant. Sighing lightly, he leaned his head against the glass, allowing a soft tear of remorse fall down his cheek as they departed from Mos Eisley, skimming over the desert as they took off into the forever night skies of the deep and dank space.
Looking back towards the planet, he brushed away the tears that threatened to cloud his vision, taking in the view of his home planet, the planet that held his beloved wife and child within its sandy grasps.
After they had lost site of the planet, Anakin stood, heading towards the cockpit. Kio was there in the captain's chair, the first mate seat vacant beside him. Kio was busy trying to report in to Coruscant that they had departed a little ahead of schedule but would be there on the scheduled time. Once completed, he turned to look at Anakin who had taken the vacant co pilot seat.
"Sorry old friend I had to call in that we'd departed. Coruscant's tough on their regulations right now, especially since the Clone Wars have begun. We have to schedule our landings on Coruscant forty-eight hours in advance, not to mention tell the Coruscant patrols of our departure time from our last destination and any stop offs we have to make. I've scheduled this trip to Coruscant a week in advance; the early bird gets the okay, that's what I always say."
"Understandable. I remember last time the freighter picked us all up from Tatooine. They hadn't given enough noticed and we'd been turned around and sent to a nearby patrol station for a check out. Now that was a little bit less than pleasant." Said Anakin, remembering the distasteful memory of waiting for three days in a dank old space post that looked to be falling apart from the outside and worse in the inside.
"And it's because of horror stories like that that my saying came around." Kio laughed lightly.
Anakin couldn't help but smile. It was good to be in company of people like Kio, other pilots who made their shaky beginnings on Tatooine.
"Anakin," Kio said after a few minutes of silence, "would you mind if I asked why you and Padmé were fighting? In the year and a half I've known you I've never once heard you fight with her about anything. You had that little shrine of pictures that you'd collected of her over the years up in your ship, and you always carried around a collection of pictures in your jump suit pocket. Whatever happened?"
Anakin thought for a moment, watching and considering his wording carefully of this delicate situation.
"People change," replied Anakin.
"People change?"
"That's the only way I can really describe it." He stated calmly.
Kio kind of grimaced a bit and looked at Anakin.
"Huh, I thought for sure that you two would have a family one day." He said quietly, almost to himself than to Anakin as he looked up towards his top consol that was checking for any obstacles for their jump to hyperspace.
Anakin nodded his head sadly. Standing up he turned to leave the cockpit. But before he left he stopped, resting on hand on the left side of the doorframe.
"I gave her a family but she'll never give me one." He said sadly, leaving a confused Kio behind in his wake.
The next twenty-four hours were some of the most disturbing and nerve wracking in Padmé's life. She had stayed at the Lars residence the whole time, the sand storm not having lifted. Lying down on her coat, she stared at the transmitter beside the bed. Relaxing on her left side, she just continued to stare hopelessly on at the console of the Lars's ancient looking transmitter. Waiting…waiting…
The only sound that Padmé could hear within her ears was the silent beeping of R2D2, he faithful droid, in the background who Owen hopelessly was tinkering with. She had left Artoo with him a weak earlier, hoping that Owen could spare some time to do some clean up work on the little droid.
But unfortunately Owen always managed to mess up and break something on the little droid.
Beru stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorway, just staring at her brother-in-law's wife. She had never complained about being so far away from people, but inside she had longed for company. Being so far away from any outposts or people, she had been jumping for joy when Padmé and Anakin had moved out so close to her and Owen. Since they had moved to Tatooine nearly two years pervious, Beru had become good friends with Padmé and it pained her considerably to see Padmé in such a state.
Padmé continued to lie silently, although she could sense the presence of someone watching her. Knowing that it was Beru, Padmé opened her mouth slowly to speak to her.
"Come on in Beru instead of just standing at the doorway, you might as well."
Beru was obviously a bit surprised, but did as Padmé asked. Walking softly into the room, she took a seat in one of the chairs across the room. Pulling it closer to the bed, Beru just watched Padmé, awaiting her to say something.
Padmé continued to stare at the transmitter for a few moments and then finally, after deep thought and consideration spoke.
"I'm pregnant." She said softly yet dramatically, shocking Beru to the core. "That's one part of the story I didn't tell you."
Beru just watched her nervously, not sure what to do or say. Padmé eventually propped herself up on one elbow, her face in her hand.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, finally Beru spoke.
"What does this mean?" she asked anxiously.
"I don't know," she stated. She hadn't anything really more to say and even if she would have been quickly interrupted by the buzzing sound of the transmitter. Glancing a Beru, nodding her head, she knew that Beru knew what she wanted her to do. Beru stood, nodding towards Padmé giving her a weak smile and then exiting the room. Padmé, after she was confident that Beru was gone, reached over touching the answer button on the transmitter.
"Obi-Wan?" she asked cautiously.
Obi-Wan's fuzzy holographic image appeared before Padmé and Padmé smiled in relief.
"Yes Padmé, its me." He stated warmly although she could tell that he was heavily sleep deprived, even without looking at the bags beneath his eyes.
"Any news?" she pushed.
Sighing, Obi-Wan took in a deep breath and nodded.
"Yes my friend. I have spoken with the Coruscant patrol and they have related to me a little bit about what's going on. There's only been two freighters to depart Tatooine for Coruscant in the past twenty-four hours, one that was the one Anakin was supposed to be on this morning and the other was a sip under the name NightRider1 piloted by Kio Dulli."
"Kio Dulli? Isn't he one of Anakin's friends form the navy?"
Nodding his head Obi-Wan continued. "Yes and it departed at the time Anakin would have departed at. It has one passenger aboard and that's all, no cargo or anything. More than likely Anakin aboard that ship. I've sent out a call to the Voyager, the freighter that Anakin was supposed to take to get here this morning and they report that Anakin is not aboard. I know that he is heading back to Coruscant right now I can feel it. The council has too. I have related your tale to them and they have instructed me on what to do next. I am to wait here on Coruscant for Anakin to arrive and try to talk to him. In any case, they have told me to track him but not stop him. We want to know where Palpatine's Sith base is and what's going on in there. After I have gathered the information I need I shall speak with him, try to persuade him to come back to us. Meanwhile Mace Windu is being sent to Tatooine. The council believes it is better that you depart the planet immediately. There is no doubt in their minds', as well as mine, that Anakin shall tell Palpatine of your pregnancy. Palpatine shall more than likely try to destroy the child or at least take it to be trained as a Sith. But if Mace can get you to safety before this can occur, your child, I'm sure, shall be safe and so shall you."
Padmé sat for a moment digesting the information and then found a hole in what he had said.
"Obi-Wan?"
"Yes?"
"What has the council ordered if you cannot persuade Anakin to rejoin the light side or at least quit the Sith?"
Obi-Wan sat in silence for a moment before answering.
"That is not important now Padmé."
"I want to know Obi-Wan."
"Its not important."
"I need to know." She said strongly.
Obi-Wan released a heavy sigh.
"They have ordered me to stop him, in any means necessary." He stated lowering his head. He couldn't bear to look Padmé in the eye, as though she were a plague, and illness of some kind.
Staring off into space for a moment, Padmé finally spoke.
"Please do not allow it to reach that point Obi-Wan. I beg you don't let it reach that point…"
Obi-Wan shook his head sadly.
"No guarantees Padmé, but I shall try my best."
"Thank-you Obi-Wan, that's all I ask."
"May the force be with you." Obi-Wan stated, bowing slightly and then ending the transmission.
Hitting off the transmitter, Padmé fell back into the pillows. But before she hit, her eyes caught onto the site of Beru standing in the doorway.
"You're leaving?" she asked shakily.
Padmé nodded her head sadly.
"I am afraid so Beru. But it is for the best. If not for me than for the child."
Beru nodded her head solemnly.
"I understand."
"Has the sand storm ended?"
Beru nodded her head softly.
"Good, Then Beru will you please accompany me back to my home? I have some packing to do."
End of Chapter Three
That's it for now. You just have to wait for some more. Hmm…hehe…no sounding like an old Batman commercial for me. OK so that's chapter three, many more to come. So that's a few questions answered, but what of Anakin and Obi-Wan's confrontation? And where shall Mace take Padmé, or shall he even come? I love filling people's heads with more questions. (I hope this isn't as big a cliff hanger as last time, but ya know what can I say, I'm a cliff hanger type of girl ;)).
May the force be with you,
Aiko "Kitty" Skywalker