Chapter Sixteen:
[{NINE HOURS LATER}]
Hyperspace. It was quiet, cool, and calming. Anakin stared out of the Phoenix's cockpit. He wondered if he'd ever have the chance to explore hyperspace. He gazed out at the starlines. This was his first time to travel through space, but it felt like he had done it many times already. Perhaps it was because he had dreamt of it so much when he was a child, imagining and pretending that he was an explorer. But it felt different now; he had obligations to the Jedi, to the rebellion that was still going on at Tattoine, and to Padme.
Anakin rubbed his forehead with his hand. They were now traveling to Naboo, to reunite Padme with her family, and to hide. The Hutts had probably sent out a large bounty on all of them by now. Not to mention the Sith. Anakin shivered, he could still feel the darkness in the back of his mind, and for once knew what it was. However, as the got further and further away from Tattoine, the presence of the dark master was fading. However, he still felt the dark scar across his soul from using his power in the Force with hate in his heart. He never thought that doing something like that could give him such a weird feeling. It was like he wasn't pure anymore. Sure he'd dabbled with the dark side before, but now he'd taken a good step in it. It was the abuse of the power that had been born with.
A hand rested on Anakin's shoulder, and he looked up to see Padme standing over him.
"Why don't you sleep?" She asked quietly. She now wore normal clothes, well, normal slave clothes, and her hair fell around her in loose curls. Padme also didn't have the gray scar down her cheek anymore. She had insisted that they use some bacta to take it off because her parents hadn't seen her in ten years, and there was no reason to worry them more about her experiences than necessary.
Anakin shrugged. "I don't feel like it I guess." He answered, which was an understatement. "How's Obi-Wan?"
Padme sat down in the co-pilot's seat. "He's sleeping. The bacta did all it could, now he's just got to rest."
Anakin nodded. Luckily, they had gotten to a medical establishment that was under the control of the rebels. Kitster had lead them right to it, and there they had gotten the medical attention for the Jedi. Anakin rubbed his back against the pilot's seat. The sand that had gotten into his back wasn't easy to get out, the medical droids had to remove the tiny grains with what he guessed was a high-powered water hose. He grimaced at the memory, it had hurt like hell. As soon as the Jedi was proclaimed able to travel, they had gotten to the Phoenix and blasted away. His mother was in deep hiding along with Watto. Kitster had arranged it. The Hutts didn't care for Watto or Shmi, they were primarily concerned with Padme and himself. Padme didn't seem to doubt that they would be safe at her parent's house. And that brought up a whole bunch of other questions that lurked in the back of his mind.
"Do you think Obi-Wan will be able to contact his superiors from Naboo?" Padme asked.
"Probably." Anakin answered. "Are you excited about going home?" He asked quietly.
Padme smiled. "Oh yes." She said. "I've been away far too long."
A little alarm beeped on the control panel, and Anakin looked down at it. "Looks like you aren't going to have to wait too long, we're arriving." Anakin stood up. "Cutting into sub-light engines." He flipped several switches, taking the ship out of light speed.
Padme looked out of the cockpit windows, once again seeing the beautiful oceans, and puffy clouds of her home world.
Anakin watched as Padme's eyes lit up, and knew, he would never feel the same way about Tattoine that she felt about Naboo. Somehow, it saddened him.
***LATER DOWN ON THE SURFACE***
With a rented hover-taxi Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan were soon on their way through the sunny streets of Naboo. The drive was quiet except for Padme's instructions to the driver. Obi-Wan was asleep again, which Anakin guessed was good. Padme was silent as she let the cool air from the open-top of the taxi wash over her.
While Padme was returning to her home, this place was unlike anything Anakin had even imaged. The air was cool and moist, the stone streets were quiet, and there were trees growing with purple flowers.
The taxi passed under many old stone arches that had vines growing up them, and they too had flowers that were blooming. Anakin took it all in, all the color, all the brightness and all the sweet things he had never known truly existed. How Padme had ever left such a beautiful place was surprising. However, he saw how Padme could come from Naboo, everything seemed perfect here, and she fitted in perfectly with it.
The hover-taxi flew under another arch and then turned into a cool and shady ally way. It came to a slow halt.
Padme took Anakin's hand. "This is my house, Anakin."
Anakin looked up at the old building. It was built with large stones, flowers decorated every window sill, and vines crept up its walls. Old stone steps that had red flowers beside them lead up to the front door.
Padme quickly got out of the taxi, and Anakin did also, but woke Obi-Wan before doing so. The Jedi was very groggy, but still able to stand on his own feet. It amazed Anakin how fast Obi-Wan was healing, and wondered if it had anything to do with being a Jedi Knight.
The two men followed Padme up the steps to the old house. Padme paused at front of the door, and Anakin could tell something was distressing her.
"What's wrong?" Anakin asked quietly.
Padme sighed. "I'm afraid, Anakin." She whispered.
"This is your house isn't it?" Anakin said.
"Yes." Padme said shakily. "But it's been so long."
Anakin rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid. Just nock on the door, if things are wrong we'll fix them."
Padme tried to take comfort in what Anakin said, but still she was uncertain. So many things could go wrong in ten years, and she'd been away for so many years. Padme reached up and knocked on the old door. For a few terrifying moments nobody came.
Then suddenly, a little girl with curly blonde hair opened the door and stuck her head out. "Yes?" She asked. Anakin guessed she was about five or six year old.
Padme blinked. "I-is this the Amidala household?"
The little girl smiled. "Yes."
"Is Jobal Amidala home?" Padme asked, it was getting hard to breathe now, and she was grateful that Anakin still had his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.
Anakin recognized the name as who Padme told him was her mother.
"Sure!" The little girl said, her dimples showing. "Come in!" She opened the door wide, letting the visitors enter.
Anakin followed Padme into the house, and closed the door behind Obi-Wan. The house was clean, sunny, and had the feeling of roominess that Anakin had never known in his slave quarters. The little girl led them into the living-room, and they stayed there. It had large windows that looked out over the Nabooine city.
The little girl ran into the other rooms. "Grandma! Grandma! Someone here to see you."
Anakin and Padme exchanged glances, and it was clear Padme was clueless of just who's child the little girl was. Although, that issue was soon forgotten when an older woman walked into the living room. Anakin recognized the resemblance between Padme and the woman, and immediately guessed that this was Padme's mother.
Anakin watched as Padme and her mother stood apart for one moment. Padme's face a reflection of her mother's. At first he saw hesitance, then shock, and then joy. Padme and her mother rushed into each other's arms.
"Padme!" Jobal said, hugging her youngest daughter tightly. "My baby, my baby!"
Padme felt hot tears streaming down her face, and she let herself cry.
To Be Continued!
(I'm doing short chapters so that it'll upload faster. ;) )
[{NINE HOURS LATER}]
Hyperspace. It was quiet, cool, and calming. Anakin stared out of the Phoenix's cockpit. He wondered if he'd ever have the chance to explore hyperspace. He gazed out at the starlines. This was his first time to travel through space, but it felt like he had done it many times already. Perhaps it was because he had dreamt of it so much when he was a child, imagining and pretending that he was an explorer. But it felt different now; he had obligations to the Jedi, to the rebellion that was still going on at Tattoine, and to Padme.
Anakin rubbed his forehead with his hand. They were now traveling to Naboo, to reunite Padme with her family, and to hide. The Hutts had probably sent out a large bounty on all of them by now. Not to mention the Sith. Anakin shivered, he could still feel the darkness in the back of his mind, and for once knew what it was. However, as the got further and further away from Tattoine, the presence of the dark master was fading. However, he still felt the dark scar across his soul from using his power in the Force with hate in his heart. He never thought that doing something like that could give him such a weird feeling. It was like he wasn't pure anymore. Sure he'd dabbled with the dark side before, but now he'd taken a good step in it. It was the abuse of the power that had been born with.
A hand rested on Anakin's shoulder, and he looked up to see Padme standing over him.
"Why don't you sleep?" She asked quietly. She now wore normal clothes, well, normal slave clothes, and her hair fell around her in loose curls. Padme also didn't have the gray scar down her cheek anymore. She had insisted that they use some bacta to take it off because her parents hadn't seen her in ten years, and there was no reason to worry them more about her experiences than necessary.
Anakin shrugged. "I don't feel like it I guess." He answered, which was an understatement. "How's Obi-Wan?"
Padme sat down in the co-pilot's seat. "He's sleeping. The bacta did all it could, now he's just got to rest."
Anakin nodded. Luckily, they had gotten to a medical establishment that was under the control of the rebels. Kitster had lead them right to it, and there they had gotten the medical attention for the Jedi. Anakin rubbed his back against the pilot's seat. The sand that had gotten into his back wasn't easy to get out, the medical droids had to remove the tiny grains with what he guessed was a high-powered water hose. He grimaced at the memory, it had hurt like hell. As soon as the Jedi was proclaimed able to travel, they had gotten to the Phoenix and blasted away. His mother was in deep hiding along with Watto. Kitster had arranged it. The Hutts didn't care for Watto or Shmi, they were primarily concerned with Padme and himself. Padme didn't seem to doubt that they would be safe at her parent's house. And that brought up a whole bunch of other questions that lurked in the back of his mind.
"Do you think Obi-Wan will be able to contact his superiors from Naboo?" Padme asked.
"Probably." Anakin answered. "Are you excited about going home?" He asked quietly.
Padme smiled. "Oh yes." She said. "I've been away far too long."
A little alarm beeped on the control panel, and Anakin looked down at it. "Looks like you aren't going to have to wait too long, we're arriving." Anakin stood up. "Cutting into sub-light engines." He flipped several switches, taking the ship out of light speed.
Padme looked out of the cockpit windows, once again seeing the beautiful oceans, and puffy clouds of her home world.
Anakin watched as Padme's eyes lit up, and knew, he would never feel the same way about Tattoine that she felt about Naboo. Somehow, it saddened him.
***LATER DOWN ON THE SURFACE***
With a rented hover-taxi Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan were soon on their way through the sunny streets of Naboo. The drive was quiet except for Padme's instructions to the driver. Obi-Wan was asleep again, which Anakin guessed was good. Padme was silent as she let the cool air from the open-top of the taxi wash over her.
While Padme was returning to her home, this place was unlike anything Anakin had even imaged. The air was cool and moist, the stone streets were quiet, and there were trees growing with purple flowers.
The taxi passed under many old stone arches that had vines growing up them, and they too had flowers that were blooming. Anakin took it all in, all the color, all the brightness and all the sweet things he had never known truly existed. How Padme had ever left such a beautiful place was surprising. However, he saw how Padme could come from Naboo, everything seemed perfect here, and she fitted in perfectly with it.
The hover-taxi flew under another arch and then turned into a cool and shady ally way. It came to a slow halt.
Padme took Anakin's hand. "This is my house, Anakin."
Anakin looked up at the old building. It was built with large stones, flowers decorated every window sill, and vines crept up its walls. Old stone steps that had red flowers beside them lead up to the front door.
Padme quickly got out of the taxi, and Anakin did also, but woke Obi-Wan before doing so. The Jedi was very groggy, but still able to stand on his own feet. It amazed Anakin how fast Obi-Wan was healing, and wondered if it had anything to do with being a Jedi Knight.
The two men followed Padme up the steps to the old house. Padme paused at front of the door, and Anakin could tell something was distressing her.
"What's wrong?" Anakin asked quietly.
Padme sighed. "I'm afraid, Anakin." She whispered.
"This is your house isn't it?" Anakin said.
"Yes." Padme said shakily. "But it's been so long."
Anakin rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid. Just nock on the door, if things are wrong we'll fix them."
Padme tried to take comfort in what Anakin said, but still she was uncertain. So many things could go wrong in ten years, and she'd been away for so many years. Padme reached up and knocked on the old door. For a few terrifying moments nobody came.
Then suddenly, a little girl with curly blonde hair opened the door and stuck her head out. "Yes?" She asked. Anakin guessed she was about five or six year old.
Padme blinked. "I-is this the Amidala household?"
The little girl smiled. "Yes."
"Is Jobal Amidala home?" Padme asked, it was getting hard to breathe now, and she was grateful that Anakin still had his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.
Anakin recognized the name as who Padme told him was her mother.
"Sure!" The little girl said, her dimples showing. "Come in!" She opened the door wide, letting the visitors enter.
Anakin followed Padme into the house, and closed the door behind Obi-Wan. The house was clean, sunny, and had the feeling of roominess that Anakin had never known in his slave quarters. The little girl led them into the living-room, and they stayed there. It had large windows that looked out over the Nabooine city.
The little girl ran into the other rooms. "Grandma! Grandma! Someone here to see you."
Anakin and Padme exchanged glances, and it was clear Padme was clueless of just who's child the little girl was. Although, that issue was soon forgotten when an older woman walked into the living room. Anakin recognized the resemblance between Padme and the woman, and immediately guessed that this was Padme's mother.
Anakin watched as Padme and her mother stood apart for one moment. Padme's face a reflection of her mother's. At first he saw hesitance, then shock, and then joy. Padme and her mother rushed into each other's arms.
"Padme!" Jobal said, hugging her youngest daughter tightly. "My baby, my baby!"
Padme felt hot tears streaming down her face, and she let herself cry.
To Be Continued!
(I'm doing short chapters so that it'll upload faster. ;) )