Return to Naboo Part 8
Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I hope you are enjoying the story. Here is the next part.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, etc.
Anakin gazed at Padme's portrait over the mantel in their quarters at Theed Palace. He would dearly love to own it, and wondered if King Tripday would be willing to sell. Perhaps he would talk with the king this evening.
It was almost time for the farewell dinner and his children and Han were in the bedrooms getting ready. Anakin glanced down at the report Mak Panaka had sent that morning. He and Luke would really have to offer assistance as soon as they returned.
He was interrupted from his thoughts as the others entered the living room. They were all dressed in the clothes they had arrived in. Leia looked radiant. She and Han both seemed to glow with happiness and kept exchanging secret smiles. Anakin smiled watching them. He was pleased to see his daughter and friend so happy. They deserved joy in their lives.
His smile faded when he looked at his son. Luke was pale, and even though he wore his Jedi robe over his tunic and pants, he was shivering.
"Are you all right, son?" he asked in concern.
Luke forced a wan smile. "I'm fine. I'm just having chills, and every now and then I get out of breath."
"I hope you're not catching a cold," Leia said worriedly.
"It would be just my luck," Luke agreed.
R2 beeped and 3PO translated, "R2 says you have a slight fever, Master Luke. The symptoms do suggest that you are coming down with a cold."
"Why don't you stay here and rest if you don't feel good?" Han asked.
Luke shook his head. "I don't want to offend the Naboo. Everyone is coming to say good-bye to us. It's just a cold. No big deal."
Anakin started to argue, but Han and Leia exchanged another smile and then faced them expectantly.
"There's something we wanted to tell you before we go downstairs," Leia began. She looked at Han, who added. "Well, we've decided to get married."
Anakin and Luke went to hug them and offer congratulations. R2 whistled and 3PO began prattling on about the requirements of a proper wedding to anyone who would listen.
Finally they calmed down a bit and went to look themselves over one last time before leaving for the dinner. Anakin came back to the living area to find Luke sitting on the sofa, still shivering and staring glassy-eyed into space. When he came close, he noticed an odd little catch with every breath Luke took. Frowning in concern, he said, "Luke, I really think you ought to forget about the dinner and go on to bed."
Han and Leia had re-entered also. Leia added, "I'll explain you're not feeling well, Luke. I don't think anyone will be offended."
Luke simply nodded. "All right. I think I will feel better if I lie down."
"I'm going to stay with you," Anakin announced firmly. "After everything that's happened, I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone."
Luke didn't protest, but just nodded again and headed back to his bedroom. After a moment, R2 rolled after him.
"We'll be back as soon as possible," Leia said. She looked after her brother. "Keep an eye on him, Father."
"I will," Anakin assured her.
After they left, an uneasy silence descended on the suite. Luke fell asleep. R2 stood silently by the bed. Anakin went to check on his son every few minutes, anxiously monitoring his condition. He was in Luke's room when he heard 3PO calling him from the living area.
"What is it, 3PO?" he asked as he went to the golden droid's side.
3PO was scanning a computer screen on the wall. "Well, Master Anakin, I decided to check on Miret's background myself, and I believe I have discovered an interesting discrepancy. Zel Miret's homeworld is listed as Naboo, but there are no records of his existence until seven years ago when he began assisting in King Tripday's election campaign."
Anakin frowned. "You mean there's no birth certificate, no school records, anything?"
"Nothing, Master Anakin. He seems to have appeared out of thin air."
"We need to notify Captain Panaka at once," Anakin was saying when R2 suddenly rolled in, whistling frantically.
"He says Master Luke is worse," 3PO began. Anakin rushed to his son's side. He was alarmed to find that Luke's temperature had risen sharply and that his breath rattled painfully in his chest.
"3PO, R2, locate the nearest medcenter, and alert the garage that we need a speeder at once," he ordered.
"Right away, Master Anakin," the droids left quickly.
"Then call Leia and Han and tell them what's happening," he called after them. He laid a hand on Luke's shoulder and shook him gently. "Luke, wake up."
Luke opened his eyes and stared at him blankly. Anakin smoothed the boy's hair away from his hot forehead and spoke calmly, "Son, I'd feel better if a medic examined you."
It was an indication of how poorly Luke was feeling that he didn't argue, but simply stood up and let Anakin guide out of their quarters.
Han and Leia met them as they were climbing into the speeder.
"I'll drive," Han offered. "Is there a map?"
Wordlessly Anakin handed him the printout the droids had obtained. There was little traffic and Han made it to the medcenter in record time. Anakin and Leia sat on either side of Luke, holding his hands and listening to his labored breathing with growing fear.
Listening to Luke reminded Anakin of the hated respirator he had been forced to use during his years as Darth Vader. But his own breathing had steady and even, if noisy. Luke seemed to be struggling for every breath. Anakin patted his son's hand and forced his fears aside. He didn't want Luke picking up any negative emotions from him.
Fortunately the medcenter was not crowded, and Luke was immediately rushed to see a medic. Anakin, Leia, and Han paced the waiting room until finally a medic came to the door. They hurried over.
"Well, Master Skywalker's condition is rather puzzling," she told them. "He has contracted a virus that is attacking his respiratory system. Have you ever heard of the byseen virus?"
Leia and Han shook their heads. Anakin said, "Yes, but wasn't it eradicated years ago?"
The medic nodded. "Yes, the last known case was nearly twenty years ago. Byseen was an airborne virus that originated in the swamps of Naboo. In times past, there were routine outbreaks of it. It could be fatal for children and the elderly. Healthy adults usually survived, but could suffer permanent respiratory damage if they did not receive prompt medical attention."
"And that's what Luke has?" Han asked.
"No, not the byseen virus. Possibly some mutation of it. Byseen was slow-acting. Your friend's virus is much more aggressive. And it's not responding to the medicines we used to treat byseen. We're still running tests, trying to determine exactly what this is. And we're trying different combinations of medicines, but right now I have to warn you that his condition is very serious. You can see him if you wish."
They followed her down the hall to Luke's room and slipped in. Leia felt like crying at the sight of her twin lying pale and still in the medcenter bed, tubes running into his arms, and fighting to breathe. Looking at her father and fiance, she could see tears in both their eyes.
They sat in silence for a while. None of them knew what to say or do. They had been suddenly thrust into a nightmare, and they all kept hoping to awaken from it. At one point, Luke opened his eyes and seeing all of them gathered around, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, but even that small effort seemed to exhaust him, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
Soon afterward they heard a commotion from the hall outside and went to find medcenter officials shooing away Miret, Captain Panaka, a holonet news reporter, and even King Tripday himself.
"Is it true that Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker is seriously ill?" the reporter called before a guard escorted her out of the building.
Ignoring everything else, Anakin walked up to Miret and looked him in the eye. "What did you do to my son?"
Miret met his gaze squarely, but did not answer directly. "We all know that you came to Naboo as a child and as a young man, but those weren't the only times you visited our planet . Do you remember coming here seventeen years ago? Seventeen years and two months ago, to be exact. Do you remember a young scientist named Tablo Colzin?"
Anakin held his ground, but grew pale. "You," he said softly.
Miret nodded.
Leia stepped close. "What's he talking about, Father? What's going on?"
Anakin went to sit in a chair. All his strength seemed to desert him. But when he spoke, his voice was even. "Tablo Colzin was a brilliant medical researcher at Theed University. He was very instrumental in the containment and eradication of the byseen virus. Palpatine wanted him to come to Coruscant, to work in a research facility to find cures for other diseases that plague the galaxy. When Colzin refused, I was sent to ensure his cooperation. I ordered troopers to take his wife and child hostage until he agreed. Of course, I realize now how terribly wrong that was. At the time I justified it by saying that many lives would be saved by Colzin's research. I was even angry that he didn't voluntarily come."
"Don't lie to them, Vader!" Miret burst out, showing them for the first time the rage that lay under the veneer of polite affability. "Tell them the truth about Palpatine's research!"
Anakin looked at him, puzzled. "That is the truth."
Miret snorted. "Then you're a fool, as well as a monster. Palpatine didn't care about curing diseases. I designed biological weapons for him to use against his enemies. One was a mutation of byseen, called the bysa virus. Bysa is aggressive, fast-acting, and always fatal. It destroys the lungs and the victim suffocates within 48 hours."
He paused and looked around at their horrified expressions. Then he said, a little defensively, "I never wanted to create those things! I was a medic! I was supposed to revere life. I did at first. I would have resisted Palpatine no matter what he did to me, but I couldn't bear to think of him torturing and killing my wife and daughter. Keren was only two years old! So I gave in, and I became a monster myself." He glared at Anakin. "Don't tell me you didn't know the truth!"
"I did not," Anakin answered. "You're right. I was a fool to believe anything Palpatine said. But I did truly believe you were finding cures. And I did not know he threatened your family. I was told you would be reunited on Coruscant."
Miret snorted again.
Han cleared his throat. "So how did you end up back here?"
"At first Palpatine let me see holos of Betta and Keren so I would know they were alive and not to resist him. But then the holos stopped coming. I didn't see or hear anything about them for years. One day stormtroopers came and shut down the lab. Palpatine was concentrating on technological weapons rather than biological ones. I knew those of us who had worked there would be killed. I managed to escape. I worked at rebuilding my life and tried desperately to find out what had happened to my family. But I couldn't. There was no trace of them. My beautiful wife and little girl-wiped out as if they had never existed. After that I dedicated my life to getting revenge. I spent a great deal of money having my appearance changed, and I thought of various plans. When I heard you were coming here, I knew I would have my chance."
"So you were behind the battle droid attack and the attempted drowning?" Panaka asked.
Miret nodded. "Yes."
"You infected Luke with this bysa virus, didn't you?" Han demanded.
"Yes."
One little word that confirmed their worst fears. Leia whispered, "How?"
"This morning I disabled the gungan sub so you would have to swim to Otoh Gunga. I slipped a capsule containing bysa into Luke's aquata breather," Miret told them.
Han took one step toward him, then stopped. No one else moved.
"Why Luke?" Anakin's voice rasped painfully. "He never did anything to you. If you wanted revenge, why not come after me? I deserve it, but Luke doesn't."
A shadow of guilt crossed Miret's face, then vanished as he glared coldly at the older Jedi. "Because it will hurt you more to have to live without your son."
A long silence followed. Then Panaka stepped forward. "Zel Miret, you are under arrest for attempted murder. Charges will be changed to premeditated murder if Luke Skywalker dies."
"He will die. Within 48 hours," Miret stated flatly.
Panaka motioned for the medcenter guards to assist him. They led Miret outside where an ever-increasing crowd was gathering.
Inside Leia and Han stood around Anakin who sat in the chair as if turned to stone. They joined hands and looked at each other with grief- stricken faces. It seemed impossible to believe, but Luke was dying.
Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I hope you are enjoying the story. Here is the next part.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, etc.
Anakin gazed at Padme's portrait over the mantel in their quarters at Theed Palace. He would dearly love to own it, and wondered if King Tripday would be willing to sell. Perhaps he would talk with the king this evening.
It was almost time for the farewell dinner and his children and Han were in the bedrooms getting ready. Anakin glanced down at the report Mak Panaka had sent that morning. He and Luke would really have to offer assistance as soon as they returned.
He was interrupted from his thoughts as the others entered the living room. They were all dressed in the clothes they had arrived in. Leia looked radiant. She and Han both seemed to glow with happiness and kept exchanging secret smiles. Anakin smiled watching them. He was pleased to see his daughter and friend so happy. They deserved joy in their lives.
His smile faded when he looked at his son. Luke was pale, and even though he wore his Jedi robe over his tunic and pants, he was shivering.
"Are you all right, son?" he asked in concern.
Luke forced a wan smile. "I'm fine. I'm just having chills, and every now and then I get out of breath."
"I hope you're not catching a cold," Leia said worriedly.
"It would be just my luck," Luke agreed.
R2 beeped and 3PO translated, "R2 says you have a slight fever, Master Luke. The symptoms do suggest that you are coming down with a cold."
"Why don't you stay here and rest if you don't feel good?" Han asked.
Luke shook his head. "I don't want to offend the Naboo. Everyone is coming to say good-bye to us. It's just a cold. No big deal."
Anakin started to argue, but Han and Leia exchanged another smile and then faced them expectantly.
"There's something we wanted to tell you before we go downstairs," Leia began. She looked at Han, who added. "Well, we've decided to get married."
Anakin and Luke went to hug them and offer congratulations. R2 whistled and 3PO began prattling on about the requirements of a proper wedding to anyone who would listen.
Finally they calmed down a bit and went to look themselves over one last time before leaving for the dinner. Anakin came back to the living area to find Luke sitting on the sofa, still shivering and staring glassy-eyed into space. When he came close, he noticed an odd little catch with every breath Luke took. Frowning in concern, he said, "Luke, I really think you ought to forget about the dinner and go on to bed."
Han and Leia had re-entered also. Leia added, "I'll explain you're not feeling well, Luke. I don't think anyone will be offended."
Luke simply nodded. "All right. I think I will feel better if I lie down."
"I'm going to stay with you," Anakin announced firmly. "After everything that's happened, I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone."
Luke didn't protest, but just nodded again and headed back to his bedroom. After a moment, R2 rolled after him.
"We'll be back as soon as possible," Leia said. She looked after her brother. "Keep an eye on him, Father."
"I will," Anakin assured her.
After they left, an uneasy silence descended on the suite. Luke fell asleep. R2 stood silently by the bed. Anakin went to check on his son every few minutes, anxiously monitoring his condition. He was in Luke's room when he heard 3PO calling him from the living area.
"What is it, 3PO?" he asked as he went to the golden droid's side.
3PO was scanning a computer screen on the wall. "Well, Master Anakin, I decided to check on Miret's background myself, and I believe I have discovered an interesting discrepancy. Zel Miret's homeworld is listed as Naboo, but there are no records of his existence until seven years ago when he began assisting in King Tripday's election campaign."
Anakin frowned. "You mean there's no birth certificate, no school records, anything?"
"Nothing, Master Anakin. He seems to have appeared out of thin air."
"We need to notify Captain Panaka at once," Anakin was saying when R2 suddenly rolled in, whistling frantically.
"He says Master Luke is worse," 3PO began. Anakin rushed to his son's side. He was alarmed to find that Luke's temperature had risen sharply and that his breath rattled painfully in his chest.
"3PO, R2, locate the nearest medcenter, and alert the garage that we need a speeder at once," he ordered.
"Right away, Master Anakin," the droids left quickly.
"Then call Leia and Han and tell them what's happening," he called after them. He laid a hand on Luke's shoulder and shook him gently. "Luke, wake up."
Luke opened his eyes and stared at him blankly. Anakin smoothed the boy's hair away from his hot forehead and spoke calmly, "Son, I'd feel better if a medic examined you."
It was an indication of how poorly Luke was feeling that he didn't argue, but simply stood up and let Anakin guide out of their quarters.
Han and Leia met them as they were climbing into the speeder.
"I'll drive," Han offered. "Is there a map?"
Wordlessly Anakin handed him the printout the droids had obtained. There was little traffic and Han made it to the medcenter in record time. Anakin and Leia sat on either side of Luke, holding his hands and listening to his labored breathing with growing fear.
Listening to Luke reminded Anakin of the hated respirator he had been forced to use during his years as Darth Vader. But his own breathing had steady and even, if noisy. Luke seemed to be struggling for every breath. Anakin patted his son's hand and forced his fears aside. He didn't want Luke picking up any negative emotions from him.
Fortunately the medcenter was not crowded, and Luke was immediately rushed to see a medic. Anakin, Leia, and Han paced the waiting room until finally a medic came to the door. They hurried over.
"Well, Master Skywalker's condition is rather puzzling," she told them. "He has contracted a virus that is attacking his respiratory system. Have you ever heard of the byseen virus?"
Leia and Han shook their heads. Anakin said, "Yes, but wasn't it eradicated years ago?"
The medic nodded. "Yes, the last known case was nearly twenty years ago. Byseen was an airborne virus that originated in the swamps of Naboo. In times past, there were routine outbreaks of it. It could be fatal for children and the elderly. Healthy adults usually survived, but could suffer permanent respiratory damage if they did not receive prompt medical attention."
"And that's what Luke has?" Han asked.
"No, not the byseen virus. Possibly some mutation of it. Byseen was slow-acting. Your friend's virus is much more aggressive. And it's not responding to the medicines we used to treat byseen. We're still running tests, trying to determine exactly what this is. And we're trying different combinations of medicines, but right now I have to warn you that his condition is very serious. You can see him if you wish."
They followed her down the hall to Luke's room and slipped in. Leia felt like crying at the sight of her twin lying pale and still in the medcenter bed, tubes running into his arms, and fighting to breathe. Looking at her father and fiance, she could see tears in both their eyes.
They sat in silence for a while. None of them knew what to say or do. They had been suddenly thrust into a nightmare, and they all kept hoping to awaken from it. At one point, Luke opened his eyes and seeing all of them gathered around, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, but even that small effort seemed to exhaust him, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
Soon afterward they heard a commotion from the hall outside and went to find medcenter officials shooing away Miret, Captain Panaka, a holonet news reporter, and even King Tripday himself.
"Is it true that Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker is seriously ill?" the reporter called before a guard escorted her out of the building.
Ignoring everything else, Anakin walked up to Miret and looked him in the eye. "What did you do to my son?"
Miret met his gaze squarely, but did not answer directly. "We all know that you came to Naboo as a child and as a young man, but those weren't the only times you visited our planet . Do you remember coming here seventeen years ago? Seventeen years and two months ago, to be exact. Do you remember a young scientist named Tablo Colzin?"
Anakin held his ground, but grew pale. "You," he said softly.
Miret nodded.
Leia stepped close. "What's he talking about, Father? What's going on?"
Anakin went to sit in a chair. All his strength seemed to desert him. But when he spoke, his voice was even. "Tablo Colzin was a brilliant medical researcher at Theed University. He was very instrumental in the containment and eradication of the byseen virus. Palpatine wanted him to come to Coruscant, to work in a research facility to find cures for other diseases that plague the galaxy. When Colzin refused, I was sent to ensure his cooperation. I ordered troopers to take his wife and child hostage until he agreed. Of course, I realize now how terribly wrong that was. At the time I justified it by saying that many lives would be saved by Colzin's research. I was even angry that he didn't voluntarily come."
"Don't lie to them, Vader!" Miret burst out, showing them for the first time the rage that lay under the veneer of polite affability. "Tell them the truth about Palpatine's research!"
Anakin looked at him, puzzled. "That is the truth."
Miret snorted. "Then you're a fool, as well as a monster. Palpatine didn't care about curing diseases. I designed biological weapons for him to use against his enemies. One was a mutation of byseen, called the bysa virus. Bysa is aggressive, fast-acting, and always fatal. It destroys the lungs and the victim suffocates within 48 hours."
He paused and looked around at their horrified expressions. Then he said, a little defensively, "I never wanted to create those things! I was a medic! I was supposed to revere life. I did at first. I would have resisted Palpatine no matter what he did to me, but I couldn't bear to think of him torturing and killing my wife and daughter. Keren was only two years old! So I gave in, and I became a monster myself." He glared at Anakin. "Don't tell me you didn't know the truth!"
"I did not," Anakin answered. "You're right. I was a fool to believe anything Palpatine said. But I did truly believe you were finding cures. And I did not know he threatened your family. I was told you would be reunited on Coruscant."
Miret snorted again.
Han cleared his throat. "So how did you end up back here?"
"At first Palpatine let me see holos of Betta and Keren so I would know they were alive and not to resist him. But then the holos stopped coming. I didn't see or hear anything about them for years. One day stormtroopers came and shut down the lab. Palpatine was concentrating on technological weapons rather than biological ones. I knew those of us who had worked there would be killed. I managed to escape. I worked at rebuilding my life and tried desperately to find out what had happened to my family. But I couldn't. There was no trace of them. My beautiful wife and little girl-wiped out as if they had never existed. After that I dedicated my life to getting revenge. I spent a great deal of money having my appearance changed, and I thought of various plans. When I heard you were coming here, I knew I would have my chance."
"So you were behind the battle droid attack and the attempted drowning?" Panaka asked.
Miret nodded. "Yes."
"You infected Luke with this bysa virus, didn't you?" Han demanded.
"Yes."
One little word that confirmed their worst fears. Leia whispered, "How?"
"This morning I disabled the gungan sub so you would have to swim to Otoh Gunga. I slipped a capsule containing bysa into Luke's aquata breather," Miret told them.
Han took one step toward him, then stopped. No one else moved.
"Why Luke?" Anakin's voice rasped painfully. "He never did anything to you. If you wanted revenge, why not come after me? I deserve it, but Luke doesn't."
A shadow of guilt crossed Miret's face, then vanished as he glared coldly at the older Jedi. "Because it will hurt you more to have to live without your son."
A long silence followed. Then Panaka stepped forward. "Zel Miret, you are under arrest for attempted murder. Charges will be changed to premeditated murder if Luke Skywalker dies."
"He will die. Within 48 hours," Miret stated flatly.
Panaka motioned for the medcenter guards to assist him. They led Miret outside where an ever-increasing crowd was gathering.
Inside Leia and Han stood around Anakin who sat in the chair as if turned to stone. They joined hands and looked at each other with grief- stricken faces. It seemed impossible to believe, but Luke was dying.