Only minutes after Anakin and Padme left Wattoo's garage, the Royal Starship, running at full throttle, arrived at the small homestead of one Cliegg Lars, moisture farmer. The Jedi and Senator headed toward the tiny above-ground entrance, and were intercepted by a protocol droid with drab and rusty cover plating.

"Greetings. I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations specialist, at your service. Do you require assistance?"

"Yeah," Anakin replied. I'm looking for my mother, Shimi Skywalker. Does she live here?"

"Oh, my. Then you must be – Master Anakin…and Miss Padme! Oh, it is a joy to see you again, were it not for the terrible goings on of the past few days. I believe you had better come inside."

C-3PO turned, gesturing for Anakin and Padme to follow him inside the entrance of the dwelling. They were greeted by a tired looking man of middle age with leathery skin and weathered features.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice gruff and weary.

The droid gestured towards the new arrivals. "Master Cliegg, may I present Senator Padme Naberrie…and Jedi Anakin Skywalker."

Cliegg stared at Anakin as though he had just seen a ghost. "Anakin? She always talked about you. It's…good to meet you, but I wish with all my heart that it had been under different circumstances." His voice suddenly became shaky. "She…would have loved to see you."

The tension broke for a moment when a young man, who reminded Anakin of a younger version of Cliegg Lars, accompanied by a short, pretty, blonde woman, entered the room.

"Anakin, this is my son Owen and his girlfriend, Beru. Owen, Beru, this is Anakin Skywalker."

"I came here because I had a vision about my mother. Where is she?" Anakin asked.

His question was met with a seemingly endless silence. The tension in the room could have been sliced with his lightsaber, he mused. Finally, Cliegg spoke.

"She's in there," he said, gesturing to a nearby doorway opening into another room. "I'm sorry, son," he said, sympathy evident in his tone.

***

After a grueling ordeal of testimony before the Senate, Obi-Wan Kenobi half considered asking Sio Bibble to run him through with his lightsaber. Theed had been attacked by a clone army, couldn't the Senate come to agreement that further measures were necessary? Could they cease their petty squabbling for just a single moment? Instead, it had turned into a savage debate about which particular proposal or course of action to take, with the usual factions predictably taking sides with their leaders. Obi-Wan sighed, exhausted. He was more warrior than politician, though he had proved an able enough diplomat. He would carry out his orders from the Senate and the Council, and that was enough.

But now he would return to Naboo and continue with his Padawan to help the Queen and safeguard the Senator. At the moment, he was preparing to send Anakin a short message.

"Captain Panaka," he said "this is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have a message for Anakin I want you to give him when you can get the chance."

"Oh," Panaka's voice replied over the comlink. "Anakin and the Senator departed from Naboo yesterday."

"What? Departed Naboo? Do you have any idea where they were headed?" Obi- Wan asked in disbelief.

"Negative. No one knows where they went. He had a nightmare and his screaming woke up half the palace a couple nights ago. A few minutes later the Senator's ship was seen blasting out of the Palace hangar."

"Damn," Obi-Wan said. "I guess I'll have to go find them myself."

He swore to himself again. He had assumed the Council's orders were simple enough: stay in Theed and protect the Senator. So why had they left? He could see Anakin doing such a thing, but Padme? He paused for a moment, letting go of his anger and trying to think. He wondered if somehow Anakin's nightmare and the disappearance were related.

And then he realized what it must have been.

His mother.

Anakin had experienced disturbing dreams and visions concerning his mother before. Could he have gone to Tatooine? He concentrated on his bond with Anakin in the Force…he sensed great pain, sadness, and simmering anger. Emotions that would be consistent with something happening to Shimi.

Five minutes later he was in a Jedi fighter, screaming out of Coruscant's atmosphere and headed for an obscure arid planet on the Outer Rim.

***

She was lying on a table, unseeing eyes turned upwards towards the ceiling. Anakin had always thought her beautiful, and even in death she remained so, bathed by the sunlight streaming through the room's solitary window and casting a brilliant glow upon her face.

Anakin did not wish to move – or breathe, or do anything, save to will that time would reverse its merciless, incessant course – but felt himself drawn toward the body of his mother by some unseen hand, as though his feet did not move of his own volition.

Her wounds had been cleaned, and her slashed robes replaced, though Anakin, when he approached, saw that a vicious gash ran across her forehead. Despite the heat of the planet, the icy sensation in his stomach was overpowering. He stood over her now, her lifeless eyes staring up at him – eyes which brought back solitary memories of love and enjoyment in an otherwise terrible childhood.

He knelt down next to her, taking one of her hands in his own – it was cold, he thought, so dreadfully cold – and a tear fell, landing on her cheek.

After a few long moments he finally felt capable of speaking. "I'm sorry," he said between sobs, "I'm so sorry, mom. I should have come back for you."

He did not see Padme enter the room behind him, slowly approaching. She placed a hand on his shoulder to offer him what comfort she could. "Oh, Anakin," she said, "I'm so sorry."

As he cried, she held him for a long while.

***