Title: The Purge
Author: ewan's girl
*Author's note: I hope you are enjoying this story, hopefully I can keep the chapters coming.
Chapter 6:
"When did it come to this? Which exact moment did we lose our democracy?" Bail Organa was still trying to make some sense of everything he had witnessed.
"The dark side clouded everything, none of us saw this coming, although we should have." Siri tried to answer for the frustrated politician.
"This pointless debating is what lost you the Republic in the first place." Obi Wan huffed, getting tired of the current discussion. Siri threw him a look that showed that he had made an inappropriate remark. He avoided her gaze and searched for a friendlier face.
He noticed Padme sitting in a corner with her arms folded across her chest, he then realized she had been uncharacteristically silent for the last two hours since the execution. He walked over to her, and kneeled before her. "What's on your mind?" He asked softly.
"I'm sorry." She replied in almost a whisper.
"It is not your fault M'lady." He tried to reassure her.
"I trusted that man." She began to vent to Obi Wan, and he knew exactly who she was talking about. "He was like a mentor to me when I became a senator. I always valued everything he had to say about politics. He seemed so wise, so caring, so willing to help people." She continued with a far away look on her face.
"The dark side wears many masks Padme, obviously he fooled us all." Obi Wan put a supportive hand on her knee. She instinctively wrapped her fingers through his as she had many times whenever he comforted her. "Now is not the time to dwell on the past, now is the time that we focus on the here and the now." He stopped in spite of himself, he never thought those words would ever cross his lips.
"What do you think we should do?" She asked him with new determination in her voice.
"Now is the time to strike, now is the time to take action against the Emperor." He stood up and placed his hands on his hips. Padme's jaw dropped at his comment.
"Ben?"
"He is vulnerable right now. His right hand man, and half his army are scowering the galaxy looking for the Jedi, we won't get another chance like this." Obi Wan exclaimed, his voice loud enough to be heard throughout the entire room.
"That doesn't exactly sound like the most Jedi thing to say Master Kenobi." Bail Organa stated when Obi Wan had finished.
"Well maybe it's the general in me talking."
"Our best course of action right now is to go after Valorum and to continue to gain support in the Senate, then perhaps we can force an overthrow of the Emperor." Organa looked Obi Wan square in the eyes.
"Support in what Senate Bail?" Obi Wan met his gaze. "The old Republic is gone, don't you get that?"
"And what would you have us do Jedi? Storm the Imperial headquarters and take over by force?" The tension in the air was very thick between the two tired, angry men who were more frustrated at the situation than each other. "If the Jedi council were here, what would they have to say about your proposal Kenobi?"
"Well guess I'm in luck then, because the council is not here." Obi Wan said between gritted teeth and turned on his heels and left the room.
Awkward silence filled the room as they watched the Jedi leave, his brown cloak swaying behind him.
Organa cleared his throat. "It is time to vote. All in favor of sending a team after Emperor Palpatine."
Siri glanced around the room, expecting to see at least some support in Obi Wan's proposal. She noticed many of the rebels lifted up their arms only to return them to their sides quickly.
"Now, all of those in favor of rescuing Valorum and gaining support in the Senate?" Bail continued and everyone in the room raised their hands with the exception of Padme and Siri.
Padme then slowly raised her hand and turned to look at Siri who had left the room.
***
Siri raced to her quarters, hoping to reach Obi Wan before he let his anger take control. She knew he was holding on to what was left of his sanity by a thread, and she feared he might take that fateful step to the dark side. When she reached the room a soft sigh of relief escaped her lips when she found her husband sitting on the floor in a meditative stance. She slowly entered the room, praying that she wouldn't disturb him.
"I apologize for my actions." He calmly addressed her, his eyes still closed. "I am walking a very thin line Siri." He admitted. "We all are." She simply answered, and sat on the edge of the bed. "We cannot help to have emotions, it is how we react to those emotions is what makes us Jedi."
Siri watched as he inhaled deeply three times and then let out a soft sigh, she knew that he had released his emotions into the force. "What was their decision?" He asked, rising to his feet.
"To send a team after Valorum, and to send another to the Senate, to plead our case." She answered and he nodded.
He grabbed his light saber and clipped it to his belt, he then noticed Siri doing the same. "Siri." He forced her to look at him, she gave him a confused look. "Don't go on this mission."
"What?" She asked, thinking he was half joking.
He quickly took her in his arms, he held her tighter than she had ever been held. He felt the warmth of her body, and smelled her hair, he took in everything about her to memory as if it would be the last time he'd see her. "I beg you don't go."
"I will not hide from your dreams." She said very defiantly.
He looked at her straight in her eyes, she could see the honest fear etched in his eyes. "I know you don't believe me, but I would feel much better if you stayed here." He held her hands tighter. "Please."
Siri was torn, every fiber of her being wanted to go on this mission, to bring justice to the galaxy. This request went against everything she had ever been. She looked again in his eyes, she knew his concern was genuine. She reluctantly nodded. "Alright Ben, I'll stay." He then kissed her on her forehead. "Someone must stay with the children." She stated, acting as if that was the reason for her desicion. She kissed him back, trying to ease his worries.
He held her for a moment longer before taking his leave. "I love you." He whispered in her ear and then headed towards the door.
"Ben." Siri called after him. He turned back to look at her. "The force will be with you, always." She said and watched him leave then she then unhooked her light saber and threw it across the room.
***
Padme Amidala looked at herself in her full length mirror. She was wearing a skin tight black suit, with a belt adorn with various weapons. She then pulled her long locks of hair into a tight bun, several pieces falling around her face. She stared at herself a moment longer then pulled out a vibro blade out of one of her thigh high vynal boots. She flipped it on and practiced several kata stances she had learned from Siri. She then worked up to doing several flips and landing slashing her blade in a downward motion, connecting with a blue blade. Her eyes went wide when she realized her blade made contact with another. She quickly relaxed when she faced Obi Wan who had turned off his weapon and bowed towards her.
"Well look at you." He said, amused by Padme's exercises. "Who taught you to do that?"
"Your better half." She stated, putting her blade back into her boot.
"I'm impressed."
"So, I assume you are coming with us Master Jedi." Padme stated, not questioned.
"I am at your service as always M'lady."
"What about Siri?"
"She is going to stay behind, and take care of the children." Obi Wan answered, avoiding Padme's gaze. He then looked at her as she began to put various blasters in holsters on her thighs and on her belt. "Where do you think you are going?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm leading the team to rescue Valorum." She simply answered.
"What about Organa?" Obi Wan felt anger rise in his body again.
"He was elected to go to the Senate to gain support."
"And why aren't you the one to go to the Senate?" Obi Wan asked her sternly.
She looked at him and knew he was worried. "I volunteered for this mission."
"What?"
"I cannot stand by and not do something. You know me better than most Ben, I can't just watch things happen." She moved towards the wardrobe and draped a purple cloak around her shoulders.
"This is not like Naboo Padme, you have a responsibility to your children now." Obi Wan protested.
"It is because of that responsibility that I go." She looked at him. "I do not fear death and pain." She simply stated.
"What do you fear M'lady?
She stared off into space for a moment as if she hadn't heard his question. "I fear for my children." She finally answered and felt a tear almost escape down her cheek. "I fear that Leia will have to one day learn to use a weapon as I have, or Luke will have to go to war." She looked back at her old friend. "I fear that I cannot fix the mistakes I have made and my children will have to pay with their lives."
She turned away from him and he placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "This isn't your fault." He reassured her.
"I was the one who called for a vote of no confidence, I'm the one who opened the door for his tyranny." She closed her eyes tight, feeling the tears burn. He tightened his grip on her shoulder. "That's why I must go on this mission."
"Well I figured it was a miracle that I convinced one strong willed woman to not go, I knew two was a long shot." Obi Wan joked and Padme was glad for his dry wit.
Padme turned around and smiled at her friend. She then gave him a warm embrace and held onto him for what seemed like an eternity for the two friends. He finally put her at arms length and she nodded. "Time to go general." She stated and the two headed for the hanger.
*Author's note: I hope you are enjoying this story, hopefully I can keep the chapters coming.
Chapter 6:
"When did it come to this? Which exact moment did we lose our democracy?" Bail Organa was still trying to make some sense of everything he had witnessed.
"The dark side clouded everything, none of us saw this coming, although we should have." Siri tried to answer for the frustrated politician.
"This pointless debating is what lost you the Republic in the first place." Obi Wan huffed, getting tired of the current discussion. Siri threw him a look that showed that he had made an inappropriate remark. He avoided her gaze and searched for a friendlier face.
He noticed Padme sitting in a corner with her arms folded across her chest, he then realized she had been uncharacteristically silent for the last two hours since the execution. He walked over to her, and kneeled before her. "What's on your mind?" He asked softly.
"I'm sorry." She replied in almost a whisper.
"It is not your fault M'lady." He tried to reassure her.
"I trusted that man." She began to vent to Obi Wan, and he knew exactly who she was talking about. "He was like a mentor to me when I became a senator. I always valued everything he had to say about politics. He seemed so wise, so caring, so willing to help people." She continued with a far away look on her face.
"The dark side wears many masks Padme, obviously he fooled us all." Obi Wan put a supportive hand on her knee. She instinctively wrapped her fingers through his as she had many times whenever he comforted her. "Now is not the time to dwell on the past, now is the time that we focus on the here and the now." He stopped in spite of himself, he never thought those words would ever cross his lips.
"What do you think we should do?" She asked him with new determination in her voice.
"Now is the time to strike, now is the time to take action against the Emperor." He stood up and placed his hands on his hips. Padme's jaw dropped at his comment.
"Ben?"
"He is vulnerable right now. His right hand man, and half his army are scowering the galaxy looking for the Jedi, we won't get another chance like this." Obi Wan exclaimed, his voice loud enough to be heard throughout the entire room.
"That doesn't exactly sound like the most Jedi thing to say Master Kenobi." Bail Organa stated when Obi Wan had finished.
"Well maybe it's the general in me talking."
"Our best course of action right now is to go after Valorum and to continue to gain support in the Senate, then perhaps we can force an overthrow of the Emperor." Organa looked Obi Wan square in the eyes.
"Support in what Senate Bail?" Obi Wan met his gaze. "The old Republic is gone, don't you get that?"
"And what would you have us do Jedi? Storm the Imperial headquarters and take over by force?" The tension in the air was very thick between the two tired, angry men who were more frustrated at the situation than each other. "If the Jedi council were here, what would they have to say about your proposal Kenobi?"
"Well guess I'm in luck then, because the council is not here." Obi Wan said between gritted teeth and turned on his heels and left the room.
Awkward silence filled the room as they watched the Jedi leave, his brown cloak swaying behind him.
Organa cleared his throat. "It is time to vote. All in favor of sending a team after Emperor Palpatine."
Siri glanced around the room, expecting to see at least some support in Obi Wan's proposal. She noticed many of the rebels lifted up their arms only to return them to their sides quickly.
"Now, all of those in favor of rescuing Valorum and gaining support in the Senate?" Bail continued and everyone in the room raised their hands with the exception of Padme and Siri.
Padme then slowly raised her hand and turned to look at Siri who had left the room.
***
Siri raced to her quarters, hoping to reach Obi Wan before he let his anger take control. She knew he was holding on to what was left of his sanity by a thread, and she feared he might take that fateful step to the dark side. When she reached the room a soft sigh of relief escaped her lips when she found her husband sitting on the floor in a meditative stance. She slowly entered the room, praying that she wouldn't disturb him.
"I apologize for my actions." He calmly addressed her, his eyes still closed. "I am walking a very thin line Siri." He admitted. "We all are." She simply answered, and sat on the edge of the bed. "We cannot help to have emotions, it is how we react to those emotions is what makes us Jedi."
Siri watched as he inhaled deeply three times and then let out a soft sigh, she knew that he had released his emotions into the force. "What was their decision?" He asked, rising to his feet.
"To send a team after Valorum, and to send another to the Senate, to plead our case." She answered and he nodded.
He grabbed his light saber and clipped it to his belt, he then noticed Siri doing the same. "Siri." He forced her to look at him, she gave him a confused look. "Don't go on this mission."
"What?" She asked, thinking he was half joking.
He quickly took her in his arms, he held her tighter than she had ever been held. He felt the warmth of her body, and smelled her hair, he took in everything about her to memory as if it would be the last time he'd see her. "I beg you don't go."
"I will not hide from your dreams." She said very defiantly.
He looked at her straight in her eyes, she could see the honest fear etched in his eyes. "I know you don't believe me, but I would feel much better if you stayed here." He held her hands tighter. "Please."
Siri was torn, every fiber of her being wanted to go on this mission, to bring justice to the galaxy. This request went against everything she had ever been. She looked again in his eyes, she knew his concern was genuine. She reluctantly nodded. "Alright Ben, I'll stay." He then kissed her on her forehead. "Someone must stay with the children." She stated, acting as if that was the reason for her desicion. She kissed him back, trying to ease his worries.
He held her for a moment longer before taking his leave. "I love you." He whispered in her ear and then headed towards the door.
"Ben." Siri called after him. He turned back to look at her. "The force will be with you, always." She said and watched him leave then she then unhooked her light saber and threw it across the room.
***
Padme Amidala looked at herself in her full length mirror. She was wearing a skin tight black suit, with a belt adorn with various weapons. She then pulled her long locks of hair into a tight bun, several pieces falling around her face. She stared at herself a moment longer then pulled out a vibro blade out of one of her thigh high vynal boots. She flipped it on and practiced several kata stances she had learned from Siri. She then worked up to doing several flips and landing slashing her blade in a downward motion, connecting with a blue blade. Her eyes went wide when she realized her blade made contact with another. She quickly relaxed when she faced Obi Wan who had turned off his weapon and bowed towards her.
"Well look at you." He said, amused by Padme's exercises. "Who taught you to do that?"
"Your better half." She stated, putting her blade back into her boot.
"I'm impressed."
"So, I assume you are coming with us Master Jedi." Padme stated, not questioned.
"I am at your service as always M'lady."
"What about Siri?"
"She is going to stay behind, and take care of the children." Obi Wan answered, avoiding Padme's gaze. He then looked at her as she began to put various blasters in holsters on her thighs and on her belt. "Where do you think you are going?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm leading the team to rescue Valorum." She simply answered.
"What about Organa?" Obi Wan felt anger rise in his body again.
"He was elected to go to the Senate to gain support."
"And why aren't you the one to go to the Senate?" Obi Wan asked her sternly.
She looked at him and knew he was worried. "I volunteered for this mission."
"What?"
"I cannot stand by and not do something. You know me better than most Ben, I can't just watch things happen." She moved towards the wardrobe and draped a purple cloak around her shoulders.
"This is not like Naboo Padme, you have a responsibility to your children now." Obi Wan protested.
"It is because of that responsibility that I go." She looked at him. "I do not fear death and pain." She simply stated.
"What do you fear M'lady?
She stared off into space for a moment as if she hadn't heard his question. "I fear for my children." She finally answered and felt a tear almost escape down her cheek. "I fear that Leia will have to one day learn to use a weapon as I have, or Luke will have to go to war." She looked back at her old friend. "I fear that I cannot fix the mistakes I have made and my children will have to pay with their lives."
She turned away from him and he placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "This isn't your fault." He reassured her.
"I was the one who called for a vote of no confidence, I'm the one who opened the door for his tyranny." She closed her eyes tight, feeling the tears burn. He tightened his grip on her shoulder. "That's why I must go on this mission."
"Well I figured it was a miracle that I convinced one strong willed woman to not go, I knew two was a long shot." Obi Wan joked and Padme was glad for his dry wit.
Padme turned around and smiled at her friend. She then gave him a warm embrace and held onto him for what seemed like an eternity for the two friends. He finally put her at arms length and she nodded. "Time to go general." She stated and the two headed for the hanger.
