A Bumpier Road

by Darth-Lex

Anakin and Padme in an AU AOTC and Episode III (with lightside and darkside endings)

3. Part Three: Chapters 28 to 38

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

His assignment of starting a galactic civil war accomplished, Dooku stood at a console in the hangar of the Separatist headquarters complex.  Behind him were five empty docking bays.  The other leaders, cowards that they were, already had fled.  In the sixth bay sat his solar sail ship.  The small rolling pilot droid was preparing for takeoff.  Dooku finished retrieving some files from the console computer and turned toward the vessel. 

The slow saunter was interrupted by the arrival of five young Jedi, lightsabers blazing, through an open hallway door across the hangar.  Anger at his incompetent subordinates flared in his mind.  Obi-Wan Kenobi had been allowed to escape and now was leading an assault on him.  The Padawan who had accompanied Senator Amidala also was here, so she probably still was alive somewhere too.  The other three Padawans he did not recognize: the Zabrak boy, the blonde girl, and the red-haired girl.  From their apparent age, they would have been only younglings when he left the Order, so he would have had no reason to know them. 

"Surrender, Dooku," Kenobi yelled to him.  "You are defeated." 

"Hardly," Dooku scoffed.  "You should not have come here, Jedi."  He tapped a button on his wristband and drew the curved lightsaber handle from his belt.  The red blade hissed out and hummed through the air. 

The five Jedi moved slowly forward.  They stopped in their tracks when they heard the clomping march of super battle droids.  Ten of the monstrous armored humanoid machines, five from each side, entered the hangar from other hallways and opened fire on the Jedi.  "Anakin and I can handle this," ordered Kenobi.  "Go!  Stop him." 

The three unfamiliar ones ran at Dooku.  "You have no chance against me, young Padawans," he informed them.  They did not relent, so he waited for them to get a bit closer before he shifted his lightsaber to his left hand and flicked his right hand out.  Like an invisible wall, the blast in the Force stood them up cold.  An instant later, Dooku called on his anger and fired Force lightning at the Padawans.  The Zabrak and the blonde reacted too slowly and were charged through with the burning energy.  The redhead, however, lifted her green lightsaber just in time and absorbed the attack in her blade.  "Very nice, little girl, very nice." 

Gina paced forward calmly, blade extended in a defensive position, measuring up the white-haired Jedi Master who had been Padawan to Yoda and himself had tutored unparalleled swordsmen like Qui-Gon Jinn.  She knew she was the worst fighter of the five by far.  Yet she did not let fear control her.  Instead she focused on her duty: she would try to defeat him, or at least try to delay his escape until the others could assist her.  As the Force flowed into her, it triggered in her mind Yoda's incessant admonition to them as younglings: "Try not.  Do.  Or do not.  There is no try."  As she gripped her lightsaber with two hands, for the first time in her life Gina truly understood the axiom.

She felt an immense burst in the Force as Dooku rushed her with the speed and power of a much younger man.  Like Anakin.  It took all her concentration and effort to block his strikes.  Fighting with great difficulty against Dooku's one-handed swings, she retreated a few steps before he pinned her weapon in a hold. 

The unthinkable happened.  The legend was true.  As his blade screeched against hers, and Gina shifted her center of balance to push back, her green lightsaber flickered three times and then sputtered out completely.  The crystals and the dark side energy forming the Sith blade had short-circuited her Jedi weapon.  Without a pause, Dooku lunged forward like a fencer and stabbed her through the heart. 

Dooku looked up.  Kenobi and his compatriot had reduced in half the number of super battle droids.  The younger Jedi was pale, the color utterly drained from his face.  The Zabrak and the blonde had struggled to their feet and were moving at him, carefully and deliberately and defensively this time.  "Now, now, children, what makes you think you will do any better?"

Dooku whirled to engage them, striking rapidly with precise swings and thrusts.  He drove them away from each other until he had them on opposite sides.  He began to spin as he attacked first the boy, then the girl, then around again.  He snickered as he realized the two Padawans were utterly unprepared for the situation. 

Ellina watched helplessly as Dooku's unstoppably quick diving lunge struck Frekk on the right leg.  Dooku spun back to block her attack high, then swung around in a downward strike that sheared the now undefended Frekk through the chest.  Before the body even hit the floor, Dooku towered over her again and took the offensive. 

Dooku picked one of his favorite fencing strategies and executed it flawlessly at the blonde.  He marveled at the youth's ability to parry the entire series.  The desperation and strength in her fighting were far greater than her power in the Force.  At the same time, it almost seemed as if something was holding her back, weakening her, draining her energy even as she reached into the Force to fight him.  Then something in his mind triggered a memory.  A recollection of a time he and Master Sidious had been walking in the woods on Naboo and stumbled into a goose's nest.  Dooku extended his feelings at the blonde. 

Dooku laughed loudly.  "I know your secret, Padawan.  Does he?"  He snickered as her glared into her eyes.  "Master Yoda would be so disappointed at your indiscretion.  It's a shame you won't live to be expelled from the Order."  Dooku abruptly pressed his attack with a rapid set of overhead two-handed blows, driving the blonde back and forcing her defenses down.  His skill and speed were too much for her this time, and he impaled her through the breastbone. 

"Noooooo!"  Anakin's bloodcurdling scream echoed through the spacious hangar.  He and Obi-Wan had finished off the last super battle droid only to see Ellina's body slump to the floor near the fallen Gina and Frekk. 

"I can't take Dooku alone.  I need you," Obi-Wan stated calmly.  "Control your feelings.  Together, we can stop him once and for all and end this war right now." 

Anakin nodded.  On the outside, he remained collected as they slowly approached Dooku.  Inside, his mind unhinged and his anger and rage poured into his body in a torrent.  He no longer made any effort to contain it or stop it from overpowering him.  This time he opened his feelings willingly and wholly to the incoming flood of darkness, reveling in the sensation, relishing the fire coursing through his veins, savoring the power it gave him.  He glanced at Obi-Wan and chuckled at his mentor's lack of perception.  "Difficult to see, the dark side is."

Obi-Wan swung at Dooku first, giving Anakin the chance to look for openings and weaknesses in Dooku's attempt to duel the two of them at once.  After only a few seconds, Obi-Wan was disheartened.  The Sith Lord on Naboo, with a double-bladed lightsaber, almost had killed Qui-Gon and him.  Dooku, even with only a single blade, was far superior.  He parried all of their attacks with ease. 

Even as they drove Dooku back, Anakin knew they did not control the situation.  We won't win like this.  He's more skilled at fighting two of us than we are at fighting in tandem against him.  Anakin tried several more times to strike Dooku when the red blade spun to meet Obi-Wan's blue one, yet nothing got through. 

Suddenly, before they could react, Dooku ducked to the side, leaped into the air, and came down on the other side of Obi-Wan.  Paired up solo against the old master, Obi-Wan struggled to keep up his defense.  Anakin powered his feet with the Force as he ran to intercede.  He was too late.  Dooku snapped Obi-Wan's lightsaber to the side and easily carved wounds on Obi-Wan's left arm and left thigh.  Obi-Wan screamed in pain and slumped to the floor. 

Dooku stared down Anakin.  "Back off, Padawan.  You still can save your own life." 

Anakin's hatred for the killer standing in front of him exploded in his mind.  He could sense the dark side raging in Dooku too.  Yet despite his inconceivable amount of hate, Anakin had not lost control.  He could feel through the Force Dooku's ability, honed by a decade of Sith apprenticeship, to feed on anger without letting berserk fury take over.  Anakin focused his feelings in the dark side of the Force and in an instant had equaled that intensity himself. 

"Your powers are weak, old man," he growled as he carefully led his opponent away from Obi-Wan.  "Surrender or be destroyed." 

Dooku laughed again.  "Even with your hate flowing through you, my young friend, you are no match for me." 

"That is your mistake to make," glared Anakin.  Dooku stepped forward and attacked.  Anakin let him charge, gave ground, and intentionally took his lightsaber out of position by shifting it to his left hand.  Dooku grinned broadly and pinned the blue blade to the side and leaned his weight against it, ready to disarm Anakin and finish him off.  One iota too engrossed with the thrill of triumph, Dooku failed to perceive in the Force what came next, and it cost him dearly. 

Anakin channeled the Force and called forth his boiling malevolence to manifest tangibly.  Duplicating the technique he had perceived Dooku use minutes earlier, his right hand snapped up and blasted dark side Force lightning directly into the old man's chest.  Dooku flew backwards in the air, carried in the arcs of electricity, and slammed hard into the wall.  Anakin pinned him to the stone for almost five seconds before he cut off the energy current and lowered his hand.  A stinging pain caught his attention.  He looked down to see tiny wisps of smoke rising from small burns on the ends of his fingers and his palm.  A small price to pay for vengeance.

"Anakin, no!  Stop!"  Obi-Wan pleaded desperately with his apprentice, using all his willpower to overcome not only his physical pain but also the far more piercing anguish and despair in his heart at what he had just witnessed.  Anakin would not look at him.  Obi-Wan tried to speak again and discovered he was too weak. 

Anakin stalked toward Dooku's limp body, determined to vanquish his opponent into oblivion.  He put his blue blade back in his right hand and, without shifting his eyes from the smoking foe, reached out his left in the air.  Ellina's lightsaber handle flew from where it had landed next to her into his outstretched hand.  He ignited the green blade and stopped.  Dooku had regained his footing and turned his red blade back on. 

Anakin dove headlong into his blazing maliciousness again and filled himself with its almost intolerably scorching fire.  He spun forward in a whirling offensive with the two lightsabers, raining down dozens and dozens of immensely powerful blows on the retreating Dooku.  The defenses of the master swordsman repelled the impossibly fast onslaught.  Dooku drew on the dark side, using its strength to brush aside the injuries from the Force lightning and keep alive in the duel. 

But Anakin was stronger.  Each time Dooku reached more into the Force, Anakin matched it and then exceeded it with double the hatred.  Dooku's supreme confidence gave way to incomprehension and panic as the young man's strength continued to increase until it somehow overwhelmed him.  "Who are you?" 

Anakin smirked.  "The Chosen One." 

Then the moment came: Dooku missed a parry.  Fully absorbed in the speed and power of his attacks, Anakin landed three strikes with the two blades before his mind even had time to register that the fight was over. 

Standing over the dead Sith Lord, his two blades meeting in a point at the lifeless face, Anakin laughed aloud, his voice disturbingly vicious and sinister.  "I have become more powerful than any Jedi.  Even you."

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Anakin stood staring at Dooku's corpse for several minutes, the hum of the two lightsabers the only sound he heard.  Despite his victory, the rage burning inside of him had not lessened.  My mother's dead.  My three closest friends from the Temple are dead.  Obi-Wan's gravely wounded.  And I don't know if Padmé is safe.  He stretched out his feelings quickly in the Force, fueling his search with his incandescent hatred, looking for her.  It took only a moment before he detected her presence somewhere nearby.  She's alive and not in danger.  Okay.  He pulled back to the reality of the hangar.  Anakin deactivated the two weapons and clipped them to his belt.  Then he reached down and grabbed Dooku's lightsaber handle, clipping it on as well. 

He walked first to Obi-Wan.  His mentor was barely conscious, focusing himself in the Force to dull the pain and control his body rhythms to stay alive until help arrived.  Anakin knelt at his side.  He watched Obi-Wan concentrating, breathing slowly.  Anakin placed his hands over Obi-Wan's temples and projected a powerful surge of healing energy into his mind.  Obi-Wan dropped smoothly into a Jedi trance.  After checking to be sure his condition did not deteriorate, Anakin rose and approached the spot where his three fallen friends lay. 

Gina had no pulse, and he found no Force presence in her body.  Tears began to form in his eyes as he shifted to Frekk.  Again, he found no signs of life. 

Anakin wiped his cheeks as he crawled over to Ellina's body.  His heart leaped when he sensed a glimpse of her in the Force.  He stroked her face with his right hand, and she responded by opening her eyes. 

"I won," he told her.  "You'll be okay." 

"No, Ani, I won't," she gurgled through the blood in her throat, so quiet he could barely understand.  "Please don't be angry at me," she requested sadly as she gasped for air.

Why in the galaxy would she say that?  "Listen to me!  Hang on.  You'll make it."  He could not hold back his crying as he felt her slipping away right in front of him, just like his mother had. 

"I'm sorry," she struggled to speak.  "I should have told you." 

His voice was soothing, patient.  "Told me what?" 

Before she could answer, her eyes closed and the last thread of her presence fell away in the Force.  Anakin reached out with his feelings, trying to yank her back before she disappeared.  No!  Not again!  No!  He slammed his hands to the wound in her chest, pouring every ounce of his fiery brutality into his attempt to save her.  Nothing he did mattered.  She was gone. 

Then, for just a few moments, he felt her again, shrieking out in the Force for help.  He lunged at the plea with everything he could, trying to infuse enough energy to save her life.  It worked long enough for him to sense her pressing back, thanking him for trying.  And she was gone again. 

Anakin leaned away and sat back, wiping his hands over the front of his robes.  He held his arms around his knees, his body shaking uncontrollably as he sobbed.  Before he could mourn his friends, the realization erupted in his brain.  The second one wasn't Ellina.  She was…  He screamed louder than he ever had before, filling all the air in the hangar with his fury, spewing every curse in Huttese he had ever learned.  She was pregnant with my daughter.  And now they're both dead.  No!  No!  It's just not possible!  Had there been any enemies around to kill, or perhaps anyone else at all, Anakin's anger would have been even more devastating than on Tatooine, even more deadly than his final barrage against Dooku.  But he was completely alone. 

So he remained rooted in place on the grimy floor, wrestling in vain with his tumultuous grief and volcanic rage.  It seemed to him as if his mind, or maybe his entire soul, was about to detonate in a blast of terrible magnitude and shatter into a million pieces.  Death is preferable to this.

A few minutes later, a creaking sound finally broke the silence and one of the hangar bays opened.  Anakin looked up to see Padmé carefully landing the Blue Hawk just inside.  She spun the nose around, facing out, and set the starfighter lightly on the ground.  Almost immediately, the landing ramp descended from the back of the ship and she ran out. 

"Anakin!  Anakin!"  She was terrified and despondent, and it was obvious in the Force. 

"I'm over here," he called out as he rose to his feet, already feeling the soothing effect of her presence.  I live for her.

She squeezed him in an embrace so tight it knocked the breath from his lungs.  Even though his tan Jedi robes were streaked with bloodstains from his grenade injuries and the fatal wounds of his friends, spotting her white diplomatic attire with large swaths of crimson, Padmé could not get herself close enough to him as he clutched her desperately and kissed her neck gently.  She whispered to him, her voice and emotions now filled with love. "They think I'm taking the ship into orbit.  I came for you instead."

Anakin simply refused to release her as they stood in their embrace, heads on each other's shoulders, crying without end.  Never before had he so greatly needed to be in her arms or found such solace in the tenderness of her soft reciprocal kisses on his neck.  With her there, he was able to quiet down his violent feelings, abating them to a dull roar.

After almost ten minutes, still motionless together, she finally spoke again.  "I was so afraid I'd lost you." 

"You will never lose me.  I promise." 

She kissed him fiercely on the lips and squeezed him even tighter.  After that, he looked into her eyes.  "Help me with a few things, angel," he said calmly.  "Let's get away from here." 

Padmé nodded.  They worked together, swiftly gathering the gear from Dooku's body and stripping his solar sail ship of most of its computers and communications equipment.  For now, they tossed everything in a storage locker on the Blue Hawk.  Anakin set an explosive charge in Dooku's ship, hit the launch sequence, and used the Force to jump out the hatch as it blasted out of its hangar bay.  A few hundred yards outside, it incinerated in a ball of flame. 

Anakin joined Padmé at the foot of the Blue Hawk's ramp and took her hands in his.  They looked into each other's eyes, and he felt overpowering sensations of relief and compassion emanating from her.  The smoldering undercurrent of her tremendously strong anger remained too, nearly as great as his.  He kissed her on the forehead.  "I'm sorry about the war." 

"It's not your fault.  You couldn't have prevented it," she sighed deeply. 

"I'm sorry anyway."

She swallowed hard.  "There's nothing left in my life but you," she grieved as tears welled up again. 

He took a deep breath.  "You're all I have too.  I just want to fly away together.  I'm not sure we'd ever come back."

"Yes.  Let's go."  She squeezed his hands.  "I love you so much." 

He squeezed back.  "I love you too, angel." 

Then a cracking voice called across the room.  "Anakin."  Obi-Wan was awake, propped up on one elbow. 

"Obi-Wan," Anakin replied, "stay where you are.  Your wounds are very serious.  You must lie there until the medics arrive." 

Obi-Wan ignored the advice and struggled to his feet.  "Are you leaving me here?"  He coughed and almost fell. 

"Yes, I am."  Anakin's voice was cold and hollow. 

"Anakin, please.  Why?  Why would you do this?"  Obi-Wan hobbled a few paces forward, keeping his balance with his good leg and good arm.  The abnormality in the Force he had sensed in Anakin at the command center no longer was indistinct; with Anakin's focus missing it was crisp and sharply defined.  And it was two-fold: forbidden love and perilous hate.  Obi-Wan very quickly sent a wisp of his feelings at Senator Amidala.  He found outrage at the war, apprehension of the future, grief for the loss of Anakin's mother, and deeply passionate love for Anakin.  Before he had a chance to consider either of the latter two highly unexpected elements, Anakin was speaking to him again.

"The Jedi have failed," Anakin answered.  "The Council is a charade, a farce.  They've held me back.  They're incompetent.  They couldn't foresee this war or stop the Separatists.  The Republic owes them nothing now.  And the Council has never been able to protect anyone from the Sith.  You and I are the only ones to kill a Dark Lord, and yet they still won't make me a Knight for it, like they did with you." 

"You don't know that," his mentor said.  "You must let go of your anger, or you risk the dark side yourself."  In all the years he had struggled to train Anakin and had worried so much about his ultimate path, not once had Obi-Wan personally been frightened of his apprentice.  Until now.

"You think I even care?"  Anakin stared into Obi-Wan's eyes as he yelled at him.  "I don't need you, and I don't need the Jedi!"  He reached up and took hold of his thin braid. 

Obi-Wan's face fell, aghast, as he watched Anakin yank his hand forward, ripping the hair off from the back of his head.  "Anakin, no!" 

"Now I am the master," Anakin spat as he threw the severed braid to Obi-Wan's feet. 

Obi-Wan turned to face Padmé, hoping she would reason with Anakin.  "Senator Amidala, please.  Help me." 

"Senator Amidala is dead," came the vicious response from her.  "Everything she stood for is gone.  Palpatine has betrayed me, and betrayed the Republic, with this war.  These emergency powers are the end of our democracy.  The Republic survived through conciliation and compromise.  Stifling dissent with war repudiates the very foundation of our system.  The galaxy as we know it is destroyed."  Anakin sensed her anger building to an inferno. 

Obi-Wan pleaded with her, hobbling forward more.  "Senator Amidala, it is not too late for…" 

"Not one step closer, Kenobi," she cut him off, leveling her blaster pistol at his chest.  With her left hand, she took Anakin's right in a grasp so forceful and desperate it sent blistering pain up his arm.  "And my name is Padmé Skywalker."  Technically, it's not yet.  But to us it is.

She'll kill him if he doesn't back down.  Her fury is that powerful.  "Don't try to follow," Anakin instructed Obi-Wan, glaring hatefully into his eyes.  "If I find out the Jedi have been tracking us, the consequences will be worse than you can bear.  Is that understood?" 

"Anakin, Senator Amidala, don't do this."  Obi-Wan took another step forward, his hands outstretched penitently, begging them to listen.

The sharp crack of a single shot from a blaster was the only response he received. 

CHAPTER THIRTY

When Kenobi's strike team still did not respond after the tenth summons on the comlink, Yoda, Mace Windu, and the other commanding Jedi rushed to the hangar and discovered a troubling scene.  Three Padawans and Dooku were dead, all slain by lightsaber wounds.  Obi-Wan was at the brink of death, lying unconscious in an empty docking bay away from the others.  He had lightsaber injuries to his left arm and left thigh, and a horrendous close-range blaster wound in his right shoulder.  Medics and two Jedi healers worked feverishly to save his life; it took nearly an hour to stabilize him enough to be evacuated. 

Even worse, Senator Amidala and the Blue Hawk had not been seen since her departure from the command center and had failed to arrive in orbit as arranged.  In their anguish, the Jedi almost overlooked the only trace of Skywalker: his Padawan learner braid, torn out by the roots.  And despite Yoda and Mace integrating their meditation as relentlessly as they ever had before, the disturbances in the Force at the site were so atrocious they could learn nothing about what had happened.

After ten days of bacta tank treatments and a dozen surgeries, Obi-Wan finally regained consciousness.  From his bed in the medical ward of the Temple, he reported to the Jedi Council the details he could remember about what had occurred at the hangar.  His memories stopped at the point when he had sensed Anakin inducing the healing trance; he had no recollection of why he had moved or how he had been shot.  Without leaving Obi-Wan's room, the Council immediately began its debate about how to proceed. 

By then, however, the time the Skywalkers needed already had passed.

---

Without looking back, Anakin and Padmé boarded the Blue Hawk and went directly to the cockpit.  Anakin flew the starfighter away from the headquarters complex and into space at high speed.  His expert piloting easily evaded recognition by either Republic or Separatist forces.  Without pausing in a planetary orbit, he and Artoo quickly calculated a longer, back-channels hyperspace jump to Tatooine that avoided the high-traffic Corellian Run.  We'll figure it out from there.  Only a matter of minutes after the engines had fired in the hangar, the stars in the viewport streaked as the ship lurched to lightspeed.

"I'm exhausted," he sighed to Padmé, who was seated in the starboard co-pilot's chair behind him. 

"Me too," she replied.  "I'll be there in a few minutes." 

Anakin rose from his chair and headed to the bunks.  The ragged and bloodied Jedi robes went straight into the small on-board trash incinerator.  He washed up in the refresher and changed into his shorts, leaving the nightshirt aside.  As he lay down on his back in the right-hand lower bunk, Padmé entered, pulled a nightgown from one of her bags, and stepped into the refresher. 

He awoke to find her sitting astride his hips, his japoor snippet pendant resting outside her nightgown.  She was dabbing gauze soaked with bacta ointment into the small cuts and bruises on his arms, chest, and face and the burns on his right hand.  "You don't need to do this," he said.  "It can wait."  As he touched his mind into the Force, he sensed both of their emotions still very profoundly troubled, yet calmed for now by their love for each other.

"Shh," she soothed.  "Stay still." 

If it makes her this happy, it's not worth arguing about.  When she finished and set the bottle and gauze on the floor, he brushed his fingers along the side of her face.  "Let me get you, angel," he offered. 

"Sorry, my darling husband.  I already took care of it," she smiled sweetly at him. 

He giggled as she slowly walked her fingers up his chest and leaned down.  The passion and incredible desire in her kiss, and in the Force, surprised him. 

She lifted her lips away and whispered achingly in his ear.  "I need you.  Now." 

---

Later, arms around each other, Anakin decided he could wait no longer to tell her.  "Padmé?" 

"Yes, Ani?  What is it?" 

"After I killed Dooku, when I checked on the others, Ellina was still alive." 

Sympathy and compassion radiated from her and she hugged him closer.  "I'm sorry.  It would have been easier for you if she was already dead." 

"Yes.  But it's more than that."  Anakin started to cry. 

"I love you.  You can tell me anything." 

"She was pregnant, Padmé.  With a daughter.  My daughter.  I felt her hang on, for just a second, after Ellina died, until she died too." 

Padmé grasped him even tighter.  "That's so awful."  Her body shook with sobs as she cried with him. 

After a few minutes, sensing in her immediate emotions only sorrow and concern for him, he spoke up again.  "You're not upset?" 

She looked into his eyes and smiled.  "Not about this, Ani, no.  What's done is done.  It just makes the loss that much worse." 

"I never would have… if I knew…," he apologized.  "She told me she was…"  His voice trailed off as he cried even harder. 

She brushed his hair and kissed him gently.  I can tell he needs to hear me say it.  He shouldn't, but he does.  So I will.  "I forgive you."  She kissed him again.  "I truly mean it." 

"Okay."  Anakin sighed very deeply.  "I meant what I said too, in the hangar.  You're the only thing in my life that matters anymore.  I hate the Jedi for what they've done to me, to us, to my life.  They took away my mother forever.  It was their blasted Code that hid from me a daughter I never knew I had until it was too late, and it was Obi-Wan's orders that killed her and my best friends.  Now I'm not sure I even care if I ever see any of them again." 

"That's probably not possible," Padmé pointed out peacefully as she ran her right hand over his bare chest.  "I feel the same way about the Jedi.  And even more so about the Senate.  I can't believe they voted for a dictatorship, just like that.  The Separatists didn't really have all that much support, in the grand scheme of things.  At this point, I'm so disgusted I want to resign my seat.  But I won't give them the satisfaction, at least not yet.  I want them to suffer, to wonder where I am, what I'm planning, what I might do when I return." 

"Well, now that we're going to disappear for a while, at least we have the best ship in the galaxy for it.  No one can track us or catch us.  And certainly not defeat us, with my flying and your gunnery."  She kissed him on the cheek for his compliment.  "We can lay low, stay hidden, and we won't be found until we want to be." 

She smiled.  "And maybe, just maybe, we can figure out a way to help put things right." 

He smiled back and giggled.  "Two of us against the galaxy?" 

"And the two droids," she joked.  "We'll be unstoppable together.  Don't you think so?" 

He nodded.  "Yes, I do.  I definitely do."  He chuckled.  "I'm already half way to bringing balance to the Force.  And I bet the material we took from Dooku will lead us to the Sith Master, even if it takes the droids a while to tell us exactly how." 

"You'd like nothing more than to finish fulfilling the prophecy without the Jedi's help, wouldn't you?" 

He grinned broadly.  "You may not use the Force, but you really can read my soul."

"Yes, and don't ever forget it."  She kissed him very gently on the forehead.  "I love you, Anakin."

"I love you too, Padmé.  You are my whole life."

She looked away for a moment and sighed.  "I've been mulling over what you told me a few minutes ago," she said with a distracted tone in her voice. 

Her thoughts were so well modulated he couldn't read her intention in the Force.  She's getting better and better at concentrating on her feelings when she wants to spring something on me.  So he didn't know whether to be worried about what she was about to say.  "And?"

"Let's have a baby.  On purpose." 

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Near the end of the flight to Tatooine, Anakin began to organize the Sith equipment from Dooku and his ship.  He wired the computers together and stacked them to the side of the cabin lounge.  He brought Artoo and Threepio there and linked them both to the devices.  They began analyzing the uses of, and the information contained in, the machines.  Artoo was tasked with filing and sorting the results and uploading them to a datapad; Threepio assisted with data sorting, translated, and cracked codes and ciphers. 

As the droids proceeded, constantly involved in good-natured bickering with each other, Anakin sat at the table on the other side of the room, inspecting Dooku's lightsaber.  The ability of the red blade to shut down Gina's had made a strong impression on Anakin.  What an advantage.  One I want for myself.  His hatred for Dooku was too great, however, for him actually to wield the dead Sith Lord's weapon.  So he pulled out his tool kit and went to work.  After an hour, he had detached the crystal assembly from Ellina's blade and replaced it with the one from Dooku's.  With a final check of his repairs, he stood in the middle of the room. 

Anakin pressed the button on Ellina's handle.  A shimmering red blade snapped and hummed into existence.  He swung it through the air, executing a standard pattern of practice swings, thrusts, and parries.  Then he sensed Padmé's presence in the Force moving up the narrow cabin hallway from the cockpit.  He shut off the newly rebuilt weapon and clipped it to his belt opposite his old blue one.  He tossed the remaining parts into the garbage bin as she entered.

She smiled at him and took his hand.  "We're just about to drop from lightspeed.  You want to fly, I assume?" 

He chuckled and kissed her cheek.  "Yes, angel.  Thank you." 

Anakin brought the ship down in an expensive, secured docking bay in Mos Espa.  He and Padmé collected some aurodium ingots and coins, changed into nondescript clothes, strapped on their weapons, and prepared to leave.  The droids were instructed to continue their work and to unlock the starfighter only for Anakin or Padmé.  Outside, a mind trick and a substantial payment of hard currency left Anakin confident the docking bay guards and their captain would lay down their own lives before anything could happen to the Blue Hawk. 

Their first task was a shopping trip in the market: disguises.  They spent a sizeable sum on new clothes for both of them, mostly solid black, including large black cloaks.  Padmé picked out a few smaller outfits too.  She also located some top-quality temporary hair dyes.  They pulled on the cloaks and carried the rest with them in two of Padmé's travel bags. 

And at a jeweler's shop, they purchased two simple gold wedding bands.  In their hearts and minds, their marriage was long since consecrated.  Yet still they would have a ceremony, and soon.  The rings wait until then, they agreed. 

The second task took them to Watto's shop.  I'd never actually seen someone's heart skip a beat, Anakin reflected, until he saw us again.  I really thought he was going to die of fright, right then and there. 

For a remarkably low price, Watto sold them Jenny's freedom.  After Watto deactivated the girl's anti-escape implant, Anakin then offered another significant payment for his agreement never to own another slave. 

"But Ani," he cried, "my competition all uses slaves.  The cost of paid labor would drive me bankrupt!" 

"That would break my heart, Watto," Anakin replied sarcastically.  "But this is not about you.  It's about the slaves.  So, let's say, at twenty more years in business, the price of paid labor plus fifteen percent.  What would that cost me?" 

Watto ran the numbers and brought them to Anakin.  Without hesitation, Anakin drew that amount in aurodium from his bag and held it out in his left hand.  "Here it is, Watto.  Out of respect for my mother, and for me, take it, and honor my request." 

Watto's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped at the sight of the glimmering metal.  "Yes!  Of course!" 

With invisible speed, Anakin lit his blue lightsaber and held it to the Toydarian's throat.  "Remember, Watto," Anakin stared at him menacingly, "if I ever find out you have broken this covenant, I will kill you." 

Watto gulped carefully to avoid singeing his stubble.  "I understand." 

Anakin and Padmé left the shop without another word.  Jenny was sitting just outside the door, right where she had been asked to wait for them.  Only one small cloth bag of possessions rested on the ground next to her.  Today her long brown hair hung loose, and without the blue smock over her dirty gray tunic, she really looked nothing like Padmé after all.  Yet somehow she looked vaguely familiar. 

"Who are you?  Why did you do return for me?"  The girl was happy but genuinely confused. 

"I'm Anakin Skywalker.  This is my wife, Padmé." 

"It's nice to meet you." 

"Watto used to own me," Anakin told her.  "I was freed, years ago, and now I'm completing the circle."  Something in the Force drew me back for you.  I can't explain it.  Maybe it's as simple as the way you looked when we first saw you.  That had to be the will of the Force.  It couldn't possibly be coincidence.  Whatever it is, I couldn't leave you behind.  I just couldn't.

"Oh.  I see."  Jenny began to look nervous as she realized she was walking to the spaceport with two complete strangers. 

Padmé took Anakin's hand and stopped him.  She drew them over to an alleyway between two buildings.  Calmly she put her hand on Jenny's shoulder.  "Do you have any family?  If they are slaves, we'll free them too.  Do you have anywhere you can go, anyone we can take you to?" 

Jenny shook her head sadly.  "No.  I'm an orphan."

"Me too," said Anakin grimly as he scanned the street. 

Jenny nodded.  "I was raised in Jabba's palace, by some of the slaves there, until he lost me to Watto about three years ago."  She wiped her eyes.  Jenny wasn't sure why, but she felt comfortable with her two rescuers, so she continued.  "My mother's name was Lana Antilles.  She died when I was very young, in childbirth with a stillborn girl.  All I remember of her is images, really.  Feelings.  She was very beautiful."  A single tear traced down her cheek.  "I never knew my father.  I don't even know who he is.  My mother never had a chance to tell me."

Padmé pulled Jenny into a hug.  "I'm so sorry." 

"I do know I have a sister who's four years older than me.  She was taken from my mother when she was an infant.  Jabba sold her to someone from the Republic."

Padmé looked into Anakin's eyes as the possibility dawned on them simultaneously.  Padmé asked first, the ubiquitous surname notwithstanding.  "What's your sister's name?"

"Ellina."

Anakin doubled over and vomited.  Padmé hugged Jenny tightly and turned her away.  "It's not you," she soothed the girl with a lie, "he's been ill lately."

After a moment, another thought entered Anakin's mind.  He reached out his feelings at Jenny.  Oh, no.  What if she's…  With great relief, he determined quickly the young girl was not Force-sensitive.  He took a long drink from his canteen and splashed water on his face. 

Finally, he shifted around to them.  With Jenny still burying her face in Padmé's chest, he looked Padmé deeply in the eyes and shook his head.  He mouthed words to her.  I can't.  We can't.  It's better she not know.  At least not right now.  Maybe in a few years.  Padmé thought about it for a second and nodded. 

Padmé lifted Jenny's face with her fingers.  "We may not look it, but we're powerful people.  Have you heard of the planet called Naboo?" 

"No, I haven't," Jenny shook her head again. 

"Well, I didn't expect you to," Padmé smiled.  "I have several friends there who can help you.  We'll find someone to care for you, I promise." 

The girl's face brightened.  "What's it like?  On Naboo, I mean." 

"It's nothing like here," Anakin told her.  "No desert.  Grass, trees, rivers, and lakes.  Water everywhere.  It's very beautiful." 

Jenny smiled.  "It sounds nice." 

"You can trust us," Padmé reassured her.  "We'll take good care of you." 

"I know," the girl replied as she followed them up the street again.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The droids had good news to report when the three boarded the Blue Hawk.  The analysis of the potential uses of the Sith equipment was completed.  Threepio explained how to access the datapad entries, including significant sections on communications, encryption, and signal jamming.  They also successfully had identified Dooku's Sith bank account, which contained a very large number of credits.  And Artoo had plotted a convoluted hyperspace path to Naboo that would make it impossible for others to retrace their travels.  These droids truly are amazing, Anakin marveled.  Threepio reluctantly told him that, with only the two of them to do the work, the remaining task of analyzing the vast quantities of data in the memory banks of Dooku's computers could take weeks or months.

Padmé took Jenny back to the bunks to help her get settled.  The girl was particularly excited to have her own bed and as much time as she wanted in the refresher. 

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Skywalker!"  Jenny beamed as she picked from among her new clothes. 

"Please, call me Padmé," the older woman requested quietly as she selected a royal blue flight suit from her bags and stepped into the refresher to tie up her hair in combat braids.

After he had changed into a tight gray flight suit, Anakin worked with the droids to make a few modifications to the starfighter before they left.  He boosted the long-range transmitter so they would be able to reach Naboo and Coruscant from deep space.  They linked in the Sith encryption codes to ensure their transmission location could not be traced before they would be long gone.  The Sith jamming technology would prevent detection of the Blue Hawk even in close proximity to a planet.  In fact, Threepio announced proudly, with Artoo's adjustments they could not be located even by other Sith technology and would fly undetected among the towering buildings on Coruscant itself. 

Finally, Anakin instructed Artoo to perform a complicated financial transaction once they reached orbit: draw the credits from the clandestine Sith funds, Anakin's winnings from the Lightsaber Competition pool, and those on the credit datacards the Jedi had provided and untraceably transfer them to a single place.  The destination was Padmé's personal secret account at a confidential bank on Corellia.  Not a single other person in the galaxy knew she had opened it after her election to the Senate to store away a small emergency fund.  For a situation just like this, Anakin thought.  I never would have guessed she had a hidden private account until she overheard me wondering where we should send the funds.  You don't grow wealthy by being a politician with integrity; her balance isn't very big.  But it will be in a few minutes… 

Before they left Tatooine, Anakin flew past Mos Eisley and landed at the Lars homestead.  He and Padmé spoke to Owen and Beru for a few minutes, thanking them again for their hospitality.  Anakin pulled Owen aside and slipped him a small sack loaded with aurodium ingots. 

"I can't accept this," Owen said. 

"Yes, you can."  Anakin did not even consider using a mind trick.  "You and Beru may not be related to my mother by blood, but I know she cared for you like her own, and that you cared for her the same way.  This is my gift to you, in memory of her.  Take it.  Please." 

"Very well.  Thank you." 

As Anakin and Padmé boarded the Blue Hawk, he turned back to Owen.  "May the Force be with you." 

Owen nodded.  "And also with you."

---

The initial hyperspace jump of six hours took them into an empty area of space.  When they finished dinner, Anakin pulled the ship out of lightspeed and engaged the new extended, shielded transmitter. 

Padmé placed the first call to Dormé on Coruscant.  Her handmaiden sobbed with relief; it barely had been one standard day since they had left Geonosis, and with Obi-Wan out of commission Padmé officially was listed as missing-in-action. 

"I was sure you were dead," Dormé sniffled. 

Padmé responded calmly.  "I'm not.  You should tell the Loyalist Committee and the Chancellor I am alive.  Inform the Jedi as well, and tell them Skywalker is with me.  And warn them all not to try and search for us.  Right now, we do not wish to be found." 

"Yes, of course." 

"I will not return to Coruscant for some time.  My safety cannot be assured there.  And I have other matters that require my attention."  Padmé's voice was stern.  "In the meantime, I would like you to pass along a request to Senator Organa.  Tell him I will be contacting you again in five days.  When I do, I would like you to have available a full report on the progress of the war, as well as his assessment of the status of the Senate and the Chancellor's use of the emergency powers." 

"I'm sure he'll be happy to prepare that for you, Senator.  Is there anything else I can do for you?" 

"No, Dormé, thank you." 

"I'm so happy you're alive." 

Padmé smiled at the viewscreen of Dormé as she reached down and terminated the transmission.  She looked up at Anakin.  "Do you want to contact the Temple?" 

"No." 

She did not press him further. 

Her next call went to Sabé's office in Theed.  At Padmé's request, Sabé paused the transmission and connected with Rabé and Saché as well.  Padmé requested full confidentiality, which her old handmaidens accepted without question.  She explained her aspiration to find Jenny a foster family on Naboo.  The three women immediately agreed to assist, Saché even offering her home at least for now, maybe longer.  They arranged to meet at an isolated rural location in five days. 

Padmé called again to Naboo and reached Sola at her house.  The Holonet had reported unconfirmed rumors that Padmé had been at Geonosis, and Sola was overcome with emotion at seeing her alive.  The sisters cried together for several minutes.  Then Padmé asked Sola to make arrangements for her wedding to Anakin for six days from now.  Sola broke down again, more tears of joy flowing from her eyes.  She and Padmé agreed on the need for absolute secrecy, so only Ruwee and Jobal, Sola and her family, and a holy man would be present.  Padmé suggested a small village on the northern plains she remembered from an official visit as Queen, and Sola approved the choice.  Padmé promised to see her then.  As much as it pained her to end their talk while her older sister still was crying, Padmé had no choice. 

The transmissions completed, Anakin disconnected the booster and shifted power back to the hyperdrive core.  The Blue Hawk burst to lightspeed again for a series of jumps that would take them through the night. 

Anakin peered around the open door to the bunks before he entered.  Jenny was sitting on the edge of the left-hand lower bunk, a nightgown in her lap, talking quietly to Padmé opposite her, who already was tucked into their bunk.  "Hi," Anakin said softly.  They looked up and smiled at him as he walked in.  The conversation continued without missing a beat as he retrieved his folded nightclothes from the foot of the bed and closed the refresher door behind him.  He emerged a few minutes later and slipped into the bed between the wall and Padmé. 

"My turn, I guess," grinned Jenny as she stood and entered the refresher. 

Padmé rolled over to face Anakin and kissed him gently.  "You're going to be a great father," she cooed.  She smiled when he raised his eyebrows.  "No," she snickered, "I'm not pregnant yet."  But I can't wait to be.  Then we'll finally have something to be unconditionally happy about.

He heard the shower kick on.  The sooner we have a baby, the better.  It will be our bright light in the universe.  "Let's try again," he suggested.

"Anakin Skywalker!  I can't believe you!  We're not alone," she whispered loudly and indignantly.  "And anyway, we don't have time." 

His fingers played with the pendant around her neck as he tugged at her earlobe with his lips.  "Wanna bet?"

When Jenny walked out of the refresher, she laughed under her breath.  Her new friends were brushing each other's hair back into place and giggling uncontrollably.  They love each other so much, she thought.  They're so cute. 

Padmé rolled over to face away and Anakin wrapped his arms around her snugly.  She pressed her back against him as the three of them wished each other pleasant dreams and sound sleeping.  Despite the horrors of the previous days, that night Anakin and Padmé experienced both of those simply by being together.  

---

The next four days passed quickly on the Blue Hawk.  With so many projects to do and focusing hard to avoid upsetting Jenny, Anakin and Padmé suppressed their grief and anger.  Sometimes one of them simply would begin to cry for no apparent reason, and they would hold each other until it passed.  And they knew once their tasks on Naboo were accomplished and they would be alone again, they would have the time and space they needed to work out those feelings. 

Anakin spent most of his waking hours customizing the ship even more.  He rewired the flight controls to maximize the advantages of his Force-powered piloting.  He rebuilt the cooling mechanisms in the wing laser cannons to enable triple the previous rate of fire.  And he continued to refine further the Sith signal jamming equipment Artoo had connected.  Now the ship would be invisible to detection.  Except, of course, by the naked eye, he chuckled to himself.  By the time he finished, he knew his starfighter was peerless in the galaxy. 

Padmé made sure she and Anakin took care of their injuries from the grenades on Geonosis.  Fortunately, the ship's supply of bacta ointment and bacta patches was extensive, so they were fully healed after only a few days.  The one stubborn injury was the burns on Anakin's right hand, which the bacta didn't appear to help.  She also worked on their disguises.  Some of the clothes needed adjustments, which she happily made.  After so many years of royal gowns and formal dresses, simple nips and tucks with a needle and thread were abnormally interesting.  And she spent a few hours at her datapad, erasing all the traces of Senate business from it. 

Together and separately, they also took a good deal of time with their young charge.  Sometimes Jenny helped Anakin with his tinkering; she seemed to have picked up a similar knack for fixing things while at Watto's.  Other times she sat with Padmé to hear about Naboo and the three women who would meet them when they arrived.  Jenny found it hard to believe Padmé had been Queen at just about her age, and she was enchanted by stories of the blockade crisis and palace intrigue in the subsequent years.  Jenny also quickly realized the Senate was a sore subject and didn't bring it up again. 

And they were surprised at how easily the girl entertained herself when she was on her own.  Jenny enjoyed watching the holodramas in the memory banks and reading Anakin's Jedi dossier on Naboo.  She also had fun in the company of the droids; she secretly thought they might be more well-adjusted than their human owners.  Despite Threepio's repeated admonitions to "let the girl win," however, Artoo refused to lose a single game of holochess. 

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE PART ONE

One week after they had fled Geonosis, while Obi-Wan Kenobi still floated unconscious in a bacta tank on Coruscant, the Blue Hawk arrived at Naboo. 

Before they descended from orbit, Padmé and Anakin for the first time donned the disguises to help conceal their identities should any unexpected encounters occur.  Their chosen attire was simple shirts, pants, and shoes, all black to match their enormous black cloaks.  Padmé dyed her hair a deep red and wore it long and loose, which Anakin thought made her look far sultrier than ever before.  Anakin dyed his jet black; between that and the absence of his Padawan braid and Jedi robes, Padmé agreed he looked very different.  Padmé wore a blaster pistol on each hip to complement the two shiny silver lightsaber handles hanging from Anakin's belt.  Jenny added the new clothes from Padmé to her little bag and became excited about starting a better life.

This time the starfighter flew nowhere near Theed.  Instead, they plunged quickly through the atmosphere over the ocean, then swooped just above the waves.  Over land Anakin also hugged the terrain, partly for the thrill of the difficult piloting, partly to minimize any chance of being seen.  After a few hours they reached the designated spot in the rolling grasslands about an hour from the nearest rural city.  Anakin landed the ship in a stand of trees and they waited. 

Right on schedule in the early afternoon, the large rented cargo speeder arrived.  Sabé, Rabé, and Saché were themselves just famous enough on Naboo that on their journey they had worn unusually plain clothes and hairstyles and had hidden their faces under their hoods.  Once in the secluded glen, however, they threw off their cloaks, ran as fast as they could to Padmé, and enveloped her in a tight and tearful joint embrace.  Anakin waited patiently for them to separate before he said hello, obtained Sabé's credit chip to pay her for the goods, and began to load in the ship the supplies she had brought: food stores to last months, large crates with bacta containers and medical supplies, additional datapads and sophisticated computers, and extra clothes and linens.  And he chuckled when he discovered the one crate Padmé had not mentioned to him, filled with special medical supplies and clothing for pregnancy.

Jenny's nervousness quickly evaporated after only a few minutes with the four women.  The rapport among the old friends was contagious, and they made her feel welcome in their conversations.  Around an hour later, Rabé and Saché took Jenny back to the speeder.  Sabé always had been the closest to Padmé, so they gave them a few extra minutes alone together. 

"Have you figured out where you're going?" 

Padmé sighed.  "No.  We haven't decided yet."  That's the truth.  But as much as I love you, Sabé, I wouldn't tell you even if we had.

"So you and Anakin are…" Sabé didn't know quite what to ask.

Padmé smiled and took her friend's hand.  "Getting married tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Sabé grabbed Padmé in a very tight hug and started to cry again.  "Why didn't you say anything before now?" 

"I don't know.  I didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Padmé answered as they stepped apart.

Sabé slugged her in the shoulder.  "It is a big deal, you idiot!  Another one of us is getting married.  How is that not a big deal?" 

Padmé let out another deep sigh.  "Alright, alright, that wasn't the real reason.  I didn't say anything because I didn't want to hurt you.  The ceremony is just going to be Anakin and me and my family.  I didn't want you to be upset there wasn't a big celebration like Rabé's."

Sabé was failing miserably at containing her tears.  "Padmé, we don't care about that.  We don't care if we get to go.  Just let us be happy for you." 

"I'm sorry; you're right.  You can tell the others."  Padmé took Sabé's hand again.  "It has to be kept secret, though, please.  Anakin and I have a lot of things to work out, including issues with the Jedi.  This can't become public knowledge."  We did let it slip to Obi-Wan.  So the Jedi probably know.  But they'll never tell.  It would embarrass the Order too much for their greatest apprentice to be missing and married.  All we need to do is avoid any other leaks.

"Of course."  Sabé squeezed her hand.  "I understand, and I know they will too.  I promise." 

"Okay."  Padmé reached out and hugged her friend again. 

"So you really love him, huh?"

Padmé nodded through her own tears.

Sabé stared hard into her eyes.  "He makes you happy?  He treats you well?"  

Padmé laughed merrily.  "He's a miracle.  I've never felt as wonderful in my entire life as I feel every moment we're together."

"Good.  I just needed to be sure."  Then Sabé sighed as she gave Padmé an apologetic look.  "You know I must ask, or they'll never forgive me.  Have you?" 

Padmé nodded and giggled.  "Quite a few times, actually."

Sabé looked pleased.  "And?" 

"Um, you know he's the only…  So I can't really…"  Her friend's artificially intense stare was unrelenting.  "Well, okay, okay…"  Padmé blushed and whispered briefly into Sabé's ear. 

Sabé accidentally let a twinge of jealousy slip into her voice.  "Wow."

"Yeah."  Padmé glanced forlornly over to the speeder.  "You probably need to get going." 

"I suppose we do."  Sabé pulled back and looked her over.  "I like the hair.  It's very alluring.  I bet Anakin thinks so too," she winked.   

Padmé blushed again.  "Um, yeah.  All morning he's been quite impatient to be alone again."  The two women shared a comfortable laugh before Sabé turned to go. 

"Good luck, Padmé.  I hope you find the right path." 

"Thank you, Sabé."  Just before she was out of earshot, Padmé called after her.  "May the Force be with you."

---

On the trip back to Theed, hoods up again, Saché drove with Sabé next to her.  Rabé sat with her arm around Jenny on the bench seats behind them, telling her about Yané and Eirtaé, who were meeting them for a fancy dinner when they arrived.  As Saché steered lazily on the almost deserted expressway, Sabé pulled out her datapad and snapped in the credit chip. 

A message scrolled up first.  Sabé, thanks for everything.  Treat yourself.  I'll take good care of her.  I promise. AS.  As a tear rolled down her cheek, Sabé saw the amount Anakin had transferred.  It was over three times the cost of the supplies she'd delivered to them. 

Sabé leaned over to Saché.  "Are you sure you don't have the Force?"

"Hmm?" 

"You won the 'Royal Wager,' you lucky dog," Sabé answered.  "How soon do you want that steak dinner at Helios?"  Half a dozen years ago, on the night Padmé had been reelected Queen in a landslide, the six teenaged young women had stayed up until dawn celebrating.  A friendly game of truth-or-dare had degenerated into crude bets about their respective romantic futures.  Padmé had been absolutely mortified, although she'd stayed anyway.  For some reason they hadn't understood, she'd blushed deeply when Saché made her prediction, which to the rest of them had seemed silly and ludicrous.

"It's only fair I got one right too!"  An enormous grin on her face, Saché reached back and tapped Rabé on the shoulder.  Without taking her eyes off the road, Saché announced in a sing-song voice, "I win!  Turns out Padmé's was Anakin Skywalker."

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE PART TWO

Much later that night in orbit over Naboo, despite her fatigue Padmé prepared to place the promised transmission to Coruscant.  After quickly washing her face, she couldn't be bothered to brush out the absurdly rampant tangles in her disheveled maroon tresses.  And she decided that pulling the shirt from a flight suit over her nightgown would be adequate for the small viewscreen image.

Dormé had been waiting in anguish for the call and answered immediately from the sitting room in the Senate apartment.  The handmaiden's face displayed her deep worry, and she appeared very startled by Padmé's new hair color and exceptionally unceremonious look.  "Is everything alright?" 

"Yes, it certainly is.  We're both… doing fine," Padmé replied with all the understatement she could muster.  "Are you okay there?" 

"We miss you terribly," Dormé said.  "The office is functioning well and Jar Jar is doing a fabulous job in your absence.  He's really earning the respect of your colleagues." 

Don't call them that.  They're not my colleagues.  They're traitors.  I hate them!  "That's good to hear.  Do you have the materials?" 

Dormé smiled weakly.  "Yes."  Her image on the viewscreen tipped forward a little and the light on Padmé's console lit up as the data flowed in.  "Senator Organa's report on the war and the political issues is on its way.  There's also the investigators' report on Senator Cork.  He's been taking bribes for several years, although they've still been unable to identify the source.  And he took another substantial bribe just before he introduced the emergency powers resolution."

Padmé frowned.  "Thank you.  Do you happen to know the status of Obi-Wan Kenobi?" 

"Anakin's master?  Yes.  He was very terribly wounded and is still in a bacta tank.  He's expected to live." 

"Very good," Padmé nodded.  That's what I intended.

Then Dormé sighed.  "I'm transmitting something else too.  Queen Jamillia sent me some of her old files to see if we wanted to keep any of them before they're destroyed.  I found several memos she was copied on that reveal who sponsored the write-in campaign two years ago." 

Padmé kept her building anger off her face but not from her voice.  "And it was?" 

"Palpatine and Bail Organa." 

No!  They knew I wanted out of politics.  Why would they do that to me?  "Fine.  So clearly they had someone else organize the details.  Who was it?"

"I promise you I didn't know.  I promise.  I promise."

Padmé's eyes filled with rage and her voice became frighteningly dark.  "Tell me now!" 

"It was Jacen." 

Anakin was jolted out of his utterly content and satisfied dozing by the overpowering blast of Padmé's fury into the Force.  He flew from the bunk and ran up the Blue Hawk's narrow cabin hallway from the bedroom.  Even though he knew she still might be on the viewscreen with Dormé, and he barely was able to tie off his bathrobe as he rushed into the cockpit, he didn't care.  The depth of her hatred had shaken him deeply. 

He arrived to find her sitting in the port co-pilot's chair in front of the blank viewscreen, holding her face in her hands, her body lurching heavily as she sobbed.  The burning anger in her spirit remained, but now her feelings were dominated simply by despair.  He scooped her up in his arms and held her close. 

"I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear.  He very gently ran his hands up and down her back and let her cry into his chest.  "I love you, Padmé.  Everything is going to be okay." 

After a few minutes, her tears stopped.  She leaned up her soaked face and kissed him.  "Ani, I just need some sleep.  I need to be ready to see my family for the ceremony tomorrow." 

"That's a good idea, angel." 

He crawled back into bed and she washed her face again in the refresher.  She left the door cracked and told him what she had learned from Dormé that had made her so angry.  She feels even more betrayed by them, he realized, than I do about the Jedi.  This is going to be a tough situation to deal with.  We're both in so much pain.  At least we have each other.  She also informed him about Obi-Wan.  Good for him.  Like I care.

Anakin held Padmé tightly as she cried herself to sleep.  He stayed awake after that for a long time, trying to figure out what to do next.  Until the droids had time to analyze the data from Dooku, it seemed unlikely he could make any progress in tracking down the Sith Master and confronting him.  Hmm.  I assume it's a man, not a woman.  There's no reason it has to be, though.  He had absolutely no desire to meet with the Jedi Council or anyone else from the Order.  I don't need them.  I'm better off without them.  She's all I need.  So he slowly came to the decision that for now he would do whatever it was Padmé wanted.  If she wants to confront Cork, or Palpatine and Organa, then that's what we'll do.  I'll help her any way I can.  And down the line, when we've figured out more about the Sith, she can help me fulfill the prophecy. 

---

On Coruscant, Dormé saw Padmé's face on the viewscreen fill with malice.  The transmission cut off abruptly.  Dormé slumped against the table and sobbed.  She didn't know what to do.  The last words Padmé had spoken wouldn't leave her mind because she knew they were not hyperbole, but completely serious: "I'm going to kill them!"  For the first time ever, she was scared of Padmé, not for her. 

The sounds of her crying awakened the man sleeping on the nearby sofa, covered in a blanket.  He raised his head and looked at her.  "Honey, what's wrong?"  His voice was very groggy.

She looked over and tried to smile.  "I'm just worried about Padmé.  I'll tell you in the morning."

"Okay," he said quietly as he put his head back down on the pillow.  "I love you, Dormé." 

She stood up and headed toward her bedroom.  Dormé stopped in the doorway and looked back.  "I love you too, Jacen." 

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

The Blue Hawk landed in a narrow ravine about a mile from the quiet farming town selected for the wedding.  Anakin and Padmé once again wore their black clothes and cloaks.  He clipped the two lightsabers on his belt as she snapped her pair of blaster pistols into their holsters.  When the boarding ramp closed and locked, they walked hand-in-hand toward the village.  A chilly, stiff wind gusted from behind.  To Anakin, it almost seemed as if the Force itself was urging them forward, hustling them on to their destination. 

Standing outside the small local chapel, Ruwee, Jobal, and Sola looked at each other with great concern as the two armed and hooded dark figures approached in the bright morning sunlight.  The pair stopped a few paces away and drew down their hoods. 

In the Force, Anakin sensed a mixture of relief and shock from the Naberries.  Both emotions he easily understood.  It no doubt had been a very difficult two weeks for them, not knowing where Padmé was in hiding and then hearing the rumors she had been at Geonosis.  And shock because she had not looked like this before.  He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.  Dressed this way, her face framed by the long and loose burgundy hair, she seemed dangerous and intimidating.  Something she cultivated often in the Senate, but never with her family.  And my appearance is much different now too; not the reassuring Jedi they saw last time. 

Finally, Padmé ended the awkward silence.  "I'm glad to see you too."  She hadn't intended it to sound so harsh, but it came out almost as cold as the wind. 

"Oh, Padmé!"  Jobal rushed forward and embraced her tightly, and Sola and Ruwee immediately followed.  Padmé's walls fell down and she began to cry, which sent Jobal and Sola into tears as well.  As usual, that made Ruwee uncomfortable, so he stepped over and shook Anakin's hand. 

"Welcome, Anakin." 

"Thank you, sir." 

"Please, it's time you started calling me Ruwee," her father told him.  "Come, we have some time before the holy man is ready.  I'd like to get to know you better."  Anakin nodded.  "Not that Padmé's endorsement alone isn't enough for me," Ruwee kidded, and it eased the mood for both of them. 

"Daddy, wait," Padmé called just before the two men started to take a walk.  "First, let's introduce Ani to Darred and the girls." 

"Of course, sweetheart, you're absolutely right," Ruwee apologized. 

The five of them walked inside the chapel.  A tall blonde man and two young girls rose from one of the pews and came toward them.  A few feet away, however, the girls stopped suddenly and hid behind their father's legs.  Anakin knew the problem immediately.  She looks too different, and we both look scary.  He quickly leaned in to Padmé and whispered in her ear.  "They don't recognize you." 

Padmé got down on one knee and spoke softly, as calmly and soothingly as she could.  "Pooja, Ryoo, it's me.  Aunt Padmé."  With one hand, she tugged forward a big curly lock.  "Do you like how I changed my hair?"  At the sound of her voice, the girls' faces lit up and they rushed forward to hug her. 

Sola took Anakin by the hand and pulled him ahead.  "Anakin Skywalker, this is my husband, Darred Janren.  He grew up on Coruscant, actually; we met here at the university." 

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Anakin said as the two men shook hands. 

"In case you were wondering, Anakin," Darred explained, "it's true my wife and daughters have the last name Naberrie.  Apparently it carries more weight on this planet than mine."  His self-deprecation drew a big laugh from everyone. 

"And this is my niece, Pooja," Padmé introduced as she still hugged them, indicating the bigger one, about five years old, "and her sister, Ryoo," who looked about three.  Sola is so lucky to have such wonderful kids.

"It's very nice to meet you also," Anakin spoke quietly as he bent down a bit.  He sensed the girls' fear subsiding now, and he felt better.  She's going to be a fabulous mother.  I hope she gets her wish, that we get our wish, soon.  It will make us so happy.  Right now we need something like this in our life so badly.

---

When they completed the elaborate traditional styling of Padmé's hair, Sola helped her into the white wedding dress.  After she adjusted the fit on the shoulders, Sola let out an audible sigh of relief. 

Tugging absentmindedly at the japoor snippet pendant, Padmé was confused.  "What?" 

"Um, sis, think about it," Sola answered.  She lifted up the fabric a bit and pointed to two distinctively evident circular bruises on Padmé's left shoulder, one at the base of her neck and the other just above her collarbone.  "Even after today, Mom and Dad can live without this kind of information, okay?" 

"Oh, right, yeah," Padmé giggled, "I suppose so." 

Sola shot Padmé a stern look, except she couldn't hold it and giggled along with her.  "I guess I don't need to ask anything about how that part of your relationship is going.  And obviously you're deeply in love with him.  But how about the rest?  Does he treat you right?  Like he should?" 

Padmé laughed happily again.  "What is this?  Have you been talking to Sabé?  I keep getting these same questions!" 

"No, I haven't spoken with her.  She loves you like a sister, though, so I have no doubt she asked for the same reasons," Sola replied, now far more serious.  "We just want to be sure you're okay, Padmé.  He's been back in your life for, what, less than a month…"

"Twenty-five days," Padmé interrupted.  And I remember every second of each one of them clearly.

"Fine.  My point is, this is a bit outside the usual for you.  You realize that, right?  You're always careful and deliberate.  So, yeah, we're looking out for you, making sure you're not doing something you'll regret." 

"I know.  And I appreciate it," Padmé responded.  "You don't have to worry about this, though.  I've thought it all through.  There's nothing I want more in the galaxy than to marry Anakin."  Inside, she chuckled to herself.  That careful and deliberate woman?  That's Amidala.  I left her behind on Geonosis.  I meant what I told Obi-Wan: she's dead.  And after today, when Anakin and I fly away together, I can become Lady Vader again.  The happy and wonderful woman from the lake retreat.  I can hardly wait!

"Thank you.  I needed to hear it is all," Sola whispered as she hugged her sister again. 

---

Outside, Jobal had decided to join Ruwee and Anakin on their short walk around the grounds of the chapel before the wedding.  They learned more about the Jedi in those minutes than they had in their entire lifetimes.  And despite his inclinations, Anakin basically had told them the truth and not disparaged the Order. 

Then Jobal asked the question he knew was coming and had been dreading.  "Anakin, why didn't you bring your family here for the wedding?" 

The truth is too complicated.  Too incredible to be believed.  I'll just keep it simple and hope they don't ask any follow-up questions.  He talked slowly and carefully to ensure only the thoughts he intended were spoken out loud.  "I would have, of course, if I had any.  I never knew my father."  I don't have one.  I was conceived by the midichlorians themselves as the pure will of the Force.  "I have no brothers or sisters."  Unless, of course, I have a real father after all, in which case I might.  But I don't think so.  And certainly none from my mother.  "And my mother passed away recently."  She was murdered.  But I can't tell them that now.  Maybe someday, but not today.  "So it's just me.  I'm the only Skywalker."  The only one who's still alive.  The Tuskens took my mother, and Dooku killed…  He couldn't keep the tears from running down his face. 

"Oh, Anakin, I'm so sorry.  I had no idea."  Jobal began to cry too, and she and Ruwee together gave him a big hug. 

Then Ruwee stepped back and put his hand on Anakin's shoulder.  "In a few more minutes that won't be true, son."  He tipped his head to indicate the chapel behind them.  "There is another."

---

For the ceremony, Anakin wore simply the black attire and his lightsabers.  When she lifted her veil, he decided Padmé had never looked more beautiful.  And I've said that many times before. 

While the gray-haired fatherly holy man intoned the rites of matrimony, Anakin thought back to his visions from the Force at the lake retreat.  What does it mean, I wonder, that this wedding is different?  There were two clear paths that night.  Neither one looked like this.  Today is partly one and partly the other.  I guess my future, our future, still is undecided. 

Surprising everyone, especially herself, Padmé managed to keep her composure for almost the entirety of the brief service.  Her presence in the Force remained relatively tranquil even as she carefully slipped the gold band onto Anakin's left ring finger.  When a few seconds later he gently slid the matching ring onto hers, however, it finally happened.  Tears flowed freely down her face and her knees weakened beneath her.  Anakin covertly supported Padmé's weight with his arms while they shared a short and sweet kiss.  Only his Jedi powers of concentration enabled him successfully to conceal from everyone his identical emotions. 

The sacraments concluded and the newlyweds received congratulations and hugs from their six guests.  Sola took pictures with a holocamera and gave a datacard to Padmé with their copies.  Waiting patiently for everyone else's crying to pass, Ruwee stood to the side with his arm around Anakin, the two men chuckling together and shaking their heads.

---

After Padmé went back to the small dressing room to change, Anakin excused himself for a moment and stepped into the office of the holy man.  "Pardon me, sir," he said softly, rapping his knuckles on the open door. 

"Yes, my boy, what else can I do for you?" 

Anakin put his hand on the man's shoulder.  "You can forget you ever met us," he answered, "and wait until you hear us leave to come out of your office."  As a look of fright crossed the reverend's face, Anakin reached down into his soul for the hatred and anger he had been keeping quiet the last few days.  In an instant, he drew on the dark side of the Force, projected it violently into the man's mind, and wiped away his memory of the day. 

"I'm sorry," Anakin offered over his shoulder, his black cloak billowing out behind him as he spun out the door.  He didn't stay to watch the holy man sit down in his chair and stare blankly at the far wall. 

---

During the day, a weather front had passed through.  From the opposite direction, a warm and gentle evening wind now blew, matching the emotions of the young lovers so relieved, formally at last, to be husband and wife. 

Ruwee, Jobal, and Sola stood together in the street watching the dark figures get smaller and smaller as they walked away, arm-in-arm. 

"Anakin seems like a good man," Ruwee commented, holding Jobal in his arms. 

"Padmé certainly loves him very much," Sola added, "and he definitely makes her very happy." 

"I know," Jobal sighed, "but I can't get over the fact she wouldn't tell us anything about what she's been through since we last saw her.  Where she was; what happened.  It was pretty conspicuous Anakin didn't wear his Jedi robes this time, and she made us promise to keep the wedding a secret."  Without breaking her husband's embrace, Jobal turned her body around to the side to look at Sola and him.  "She's different.  Angry.  Vengeful.  I'm very worried about her." 

"So are we, Mom," Sola agreed as Ruwee nodded, "but at least she has Anakin in her life.  I'm sure whatever they face, they can handle it together." 

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Anakin dropped the Blue Hawk into a very high orbit over Naboo.  He unhitched one strap and leaned his right arm over the back of the seat.  "Padmé?" 

She was looking at the cockpit wall, her elbows propped up on the edge of the console, playing with a lock of her completely loose hair in each hand.  "Yes, Ani?"  Sadness flowed out from her in the Force. 

"With everything, we forgot to discuss where we're headed next.  Do you have anywhere you want to go?" 

"Not especially, no," she sighed.  "I just don't care." 

"Angel, what's wrong?"  He knew immediately it was a ridiculous question.  So much is wrong.  "What in particular, I mean." 

"It will sound silly," she exhaled from a deep breath.  "I'm sad because I feel like I should be happier on my wedding night." 

"I think I know what you mean," he nodded.  "I'm very happy we're finally officially married, but so many other things are troubling me it's really hard to focus on that." 

"Yeah, that's it, basically," she smiled.  "I love you so much, Anakin Skywalker." 

"And I love you, Padmé Skywalker," he winked.  He saw her face light up and sensed some of her sadness finally fall away in the Force when she heard him say her name that way for the first time.  "Well," he continued, "if you really don't have any other ideas, I'll put us on an indirect route to Coruscant.  Maybe we can find a nice place for a honeymoon on the way, and then if you decide you want to deal with the information from Dormé, we'd be in the vicinity." 

"That sounds fine."  She tugged her seat straps tighter. 

He hitched back into his seat, entered several keystrokes in a side console, and pulled the ship out of the orbit.  After confirmation from Artoo, he lowered the lever and they flew to lightspeed. 

A few minutes later, they lay holding each other in bed.  Padmé wiped her eyes.  "Do you remember, at the lake retreat, how you called me Lady Vader?" 

"Of course I do," Anakin laughed, just a little.  "Those were the days, weren't they?" 

"Yes, they were.  They may very well be the best days we ever have, you know."  Her right thumb and index finger unconsciously twirled around and around the new band on his left ring finger. 

He chuckled again.  "You're probably right.  I hope not, though."  He kissed her left hand on her ring.

"Me too.  When we were there, I actually felt like a different person.  Someone I would rather be than Amidala.  Starting tonight I want to be Lady Vader again and never look back." 

"Okay, angel."  He kissed her gently on the forehead.  "I know it's our wedding night, but I don't much feel in the mood to…"  He hugged her tighter and trailed off. 

"I'm not either, really," she smiled as she kissed his cheek knowingly. 

After a minute more of their comfortable embrace, however, a bit of mischievousness emerged in her presence in the Force.  "Except it's tradition, Ani."  And a glimpse of playfulness crept into her voice.  "Doesn't that mean we have to?" 

He raised his eyebrows and smirked.  "Well, when you put it that way…"

---

Ten standard days after the beginning of the battle on Geonosis, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine stood at the wide window behind the desk in his office.  He gazed out over the Senate complex below, ignoring the flowing lines of speeder traffic and the towering skylines in the distance.  He was focused on a barely visible red dot as far away as the eye could see in the dim evening sky: his other office, the lair of Darth Sidious. 

He had not come this far by letting his anger and hate interfere with his infinitely precise, calculating mind.  He had long since learned the difference between unleashing the power of the dark side and harnessing it.  And yet, tonight, he felt as if he were only moments away from charging through the hallways of the Executive building and slaying everyone inside with Force lightning.  Something terrible had happened. 

The strategy had been brilliant, the groundwork laid for years, every detail and every contingency considered a hundred times over.  The Jedi Council was completely blind and the Senate had fallen into his trap.  The war would have lasted two or three years, enough time to weaken fatally the Jedi and the other institutions of the Republic so that everyone would welcome the declaration of the Empire, yet not too long to undermine the military powers of Emperor Palpatine.  Everything had been proceeding exactly as he had foreseen.

And now the entire structure had collapsed.  The Jedi had confirmed what he had felt in the Force: Darth Tyranus had been slain on Geonosis.  His apprentice's immense bank account somehow had been emptied a day later.  Without Tyranus' leadership, the Separatist movement flailed out of control.  Hundreds of the secessionist systems, lacking the necessary guidance or financial inducements, simply had surrendered to the Republic.  The principal Separatist army at Geonosis had been wiped out by the Republic's new clone army, and in this short time many victories on remaining rebellious systems had been achieved.  Accordingly, he had been unable to justify silencing the Holonet by converting it to military use as he had intended.  And so swift was the insurrection's collapse that the Senate was scheduled to begin debate in the morning on the motion of Senator Orn Free Taa to repeal the emergency powers and restore legislative control of war policy. 

All of this caused rage to boil inside of him.  Most troubling, however, was the tingling feeling of his own weakness, something he had not sensed in many, many years.  His visions had been clear, his foresight perfect.  But his apprentice was dead, and that was not supposed to happen.  It was impossible. 

The first step, as it had been a decade ago, would be to find a new apprentice.  But how?  He had not planned for this at all at this stage.  As he pondered the inconceivability of the facts, the night secretary buzzed the intercom.  He blew out a deep breath and tapped the button.  "Yes?" 

"The Jedi Council has an urgent report for you, sir." 

"Very good.  Put them through," he replied as he sat down in the chair at his desk.

Mace Windu appeared on the viewscreen and delivered the report on behalf of the others.  First, Obi-Wan Kenobi had regained consciousness.  Second, the Council had decided to grant Kenobi the vacant seat on the Council created by the death of Coleman Trebor at Geonosis.  Third, many of the events in the Geonosian hangar finally were known.  Dooku, it seemed, had fallen to the dark side of the Force and slain three Padawans.  He had incapacitated Kenobi before Skywalker had defeated him.  The Council believed Skywalker had used the dark side to do so and was at grave risk of falling to evil.  Kenobi could not remember anything further, but Skywalker, Senator Amidala, and the Blue Hawk all were missing.  Given Skywalker's perilous proximity to the dark side, he posed a danger to the Senator, they said, and her request through her handmaiden to be left alone with him almost certainly had been coerced. 

The Council had voted to send all Jedi without war assignments into the galaxy to search for them.

Palpatine thanked the Council graciously for the information and terminated the transmission.  As he looked at the blank viewscreen, he smiled.  He should have sensed it in the Force, of course, and missing this development was something he would have to meditate on considerably.  Yet now he had his explanation.  There was no impossibility after all.  Instead, one portion of the superbly studied timetable simply had been moved up.  And consequently only minimal effort would be required to salvage almost everything else in his plans too.  With a sigh of relief, he thanked himself for his decision not to tell Tyranus about the boy; otherwise, the old man might have been prepared enough to save his own life, instead of succumbing to fate.

He rose to his feet and leaned on the desk, supported by his fingertips.  "So be it, Jedi.  Let us see who is the first to lay claim to Skywalker's body and soul." 

---

Neither Darth Sidious nor the Jedi Council realized the truth, however: now it was too late for either of them.  A third party already had staked that claim.  He's mine forever, she smiled to herself.  Padmé snuggled Anakin securely, fighting back tears.  "Last night was so perfect." 

"I know, angel, I know," he sighed.  He glanced at the small time readout on the wall.  "But we'll have to get up eventually.  We've been asleep almost an entire day." 

"So what?  We have nowhere we need to be, no one waiting for us, nothing we have to do.  And if I get up, I'll have to start thinking again about everything that's wrong in our lives, instead of savoring the only thing that's right."

He kissed her forehead.  "Believe me, I understand.  I really do.  But I can't put off meditation forever.  I have to keep up my skills.  And think about it.  Are we really just going to hide in space forever, never staying anywhere, always in this starship, surviving off our endless supply of credits?  I couldn't live like that.  Could you, Padmé?  Could you live like that?  Could we raise a child like that?"

"No," she sighed.  "You're right.  It would destroy us."  She wiped her eyes and ran her fingers through her crimson-dyed hair.  "We'll have to go back eventually.  It's the when and how that's the problem."

"Yeah," he replied as he gently stroked her arms.  "I think we should get out of bed, clean up, and eat something.  After that, we can take everything one step at a time until we figure out what to do." 

She kissed him very softly on the lips.  "Have I told you how wonderful you are, Ani?  How you always make my problems disappear?" 

"Yes, many times.  Don't ever stop." 

"I won't."  She stretched her arms and legs and yawned.  "I guess I have made one decision, actually." 

"What's that?" 

"I do want to go to Coruscant.  I need to pay a visit to several men there." 

He chuckled as he rose to his feet.  "Very well.  After, um, dinner, I guess it is, I'll put us on a more direct path."  He vigorously rubbed his fingertips through his short black hair for a few seconds, leaving it sticking out ridiculously in all directions.  "In the meantime, my dear Lady, I really need a shower."  He extended his left hand, making sure to catch the ring's shine in the room's lights. 

She matched it with her own and pulled herself to her feet.  "Me too, Lord Vader."

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Three days into their journey towards Coruscant, Padmé sat in the cockpit reading in detail the reports from Senator Organa, the investigators' findings about Senator Cork, and the handful of Naboo documents Dormé had sent.  Artoo and Threepio were hard at work, as always, at analyzing the data in Dooku's computers.  Anakin knew it was time to begin again with meditation and practicing his Force skills. 

He closed the lounge door, switched the droids to the silent self-maintenance progressions, and sat down on the padded bench.  He closed his eyes and leaned back, his heels extended out on the floor in front of him, his hands clasped over his stomach.  Slowly he drew on the Force, pulling it gradually into himself.  Then he began to mull over his feelings. 

Grief.  First to surface was his sorrow at his losses.  His three closest friends from the Jedi Temple were dead because he had not been strong enough to save them from Dooku.  And although he had never wanted a child with Ellina, their lost daughter nevertheless was his kin, a part of his family, a person he gladly would have made room for in his life, if only she were still alive.  Most of all, he missed his mother terribly.  Every day for ten years, she and Padmé had been in his thoughts.  He always had believed they would be reunited someday.  "Will I ever see you again?"  "What does your heart tell you?"  "Yes.  I guess."  And they were, but only for a very brief moment.  He had not prepared himself for the possibility it would be so short.  Even as far apart as they were, he knew in his soul she would not die without seeing him again.  It had never occurred to him, however, that she could die when she saw him again.   

Betrayal.  Ellina had lied to him, about so many things.  That she was in control of her feelings, having fun with me to feel happier and less lonely, nothing more.  That she had taken the injection.  That nothing bad could happen if only I would just relax and…  That nothing was the matter, when really she was pregnant with my daughter.  And worst of all, she had even claimed to love him, when all she had done was deceive him again and again.

Fear.  His destiny remained in flux.  For now, at least, half of the prophecy was fulfilled.  But if he could not find the Sith Master soon, the training of another apprentice might begin.  Then he again would have two Dark Lords to kill.  In addition, notwithstanding the warnings they had given to Obi-Wan and Dormé, he knew the Jedi would be looking for Padmé and him.  So long as it was only a pair at a time, he knew they stood no chance of capture.  If they sent larger groups, however, he might fail.  And despite their marriage, their relationship still was new.  Padmé might wake up one day and regret her life with him.  He didn't think it likely, but it was possible.  I would rather die than lose her.

Anger.  Obi-Wan and the Council had thwarted his progress for years.  He was stronger, far stronger, than any of the Padawans who had been promoted to Knight recently.  There was much about the Force he did not know, and yet they would not teach it to him.  In the areas they let him excel, like the lightsaber, he was virtually unparalleled.  They claimed to expect him to bring balance to the Force, but it made no sense to keep him weak if that were the case.  The only reasonable conclusion was that they knew he would be more powerful than any of them, and to preserve their own power they would not let that happen. 

Hatred.  The Jedi Code had destroyed his life, incrementally over time.  It had kept him from his mother.  That drove him to loneliness.  That weakness left him vulnerable to Ellina.  She had to hide the truth because of it too.  Her duty to the Code had gotten her killed, instead of telling the Jedi and protecting herself and the baby.  His baby.  And the Council would use the Code against him now too.  It forbade marriage.  He would have to leave Padmé or leave the Order, except they would never let the Chosen One go.  If their children were sensitive to the Force, the Code would steal them away.  So he knew the Jedi would stop him from having any.  They would do anything to keep Padmé from me.  Maybe even kill her. 

Vengeance.  For his mother, for Padmé, for himself.  The Tusken Raiders already had paid a hefty price.  Palpatine, Bail Organa, and Jacen Organa would pay for betraying Padmé.  Obi-Wan and the Council would pay for holding him back, making him weak.  And the Jedi Order would pay for all of it. 

Love.  The only thing in his life that was good, that made it worth living.  The only thing that really mattered, that he would never give up.  His love for the girl of his dreams, grown into the woman of his destiny.  His angel.  His wife.  Padmé.

---

That afternoon, Anakin began to train himself in powers of the Force the Jedi refused to teach him.  I'll show them!  I control the Force; it doesn't control me.  I'm strong enough.  I'm powerful enough.  It is I who dominates my destiny, not any part of the Force, light or dark.  He decided he already knew enough about calling forth Force lightning, so he moved on to other endeavors. 

He focused deeply in the Force and concentrated on making his own brilliant radiance disappear from the life-energy fields around him.  Ellina had tried to explain to him how she had concealed her Force presence, so he recalled those memories and began to explore those techniques.  Soon he was able to pull his mind and feelings to himself and prevent them from spreading beyond his body.  Then he practiced building a wall of deception in the Force that could cover Padmé too.  Two hours later, he decided he could shield their emanations fully from other Jedi, except perhaps a great Jedi Master concentrating solely on locating a hidden presence.  And that level of skill would be enough, he concluded, at least for now. 

Next he went to the spare parts locker and found an extra length of heavy pipe.  He stood the pipe on its end in the middle of the small table.  Then he used small adhesives to hang one of the pillows on the wall, and placed another one on the floor below it.  Over and over, Anakin used the Force to strike the pipe and blast it through the air into the wall, where it would thud into the wall pillow and land softly on the floor pillow.  He would use the Force to lift the pipe back to the table and strike it again.  After an hour, he could control his strikes in intensity, range, and speed. 

He brought the pillows back to the bench and leaned against them.  Again he rested the pipe on its end on the table.  Now he focused his mind on manipulating the pipe itself.  Half an inch at a time, he crushed the pipe with the Force from a hollow tube into a compact rod of metal.  Each time, he imagined it was Obi-Wan's throat. 

---

Padmé finally ended her reading.  Her anger burned within her.  Cork was the worst kind of politician, a man with no principles and only his personal financial gain in mind.  His vote was sold to the highest bidder.  And someone had paid a handsome sum to destroy democracy. 

Her feeling of betrayal by Palpatine and Bail Organa had not subsided.  I still can't understand why they would have done this.  Why?  They knew I wanted my life back.  Why wouldn't they let me have it?  And that Jacen had been the one to do the dirty work on Naboo made it worse.  Why didn't he tell me?  Why would he conceal that?  I never told him how badly it had hurt to have to return to politics, so he must have had another reason.  What? 

As she rose from the seat and walked slowly toward the lounge, she decided that at least she could take solace in Senator Organa's report about the emergency powers.  The loss of Dooku had undermined fundamentally the viability of the Separatist movement, and the clones' military victories were far greater than anyone could have anticipated at so early a stage in the war.  Perhaps the preemptive strike will work out in the end.  Even so, the ends ought not justify the means.  The Republic depends on peace and negotiation, and we should have gone to war only as a last resort after we had been attacked. 

As the door to the lounge slid open, Padmé's heart beat faster and she spun the pendant back and forth between two fingers.  Anakin always made her feel better, and she wanted to make her rage go away.  She found him sitting on the bench, levitating a length of crushed pipe with the Force, spinning it around in a circle just above his palm. 

"Hi, Ani," she smiled. 

He looked up at her, his black hair unkempt.  His stare was cold and furious.  "What?"  He didn't mean it to be, but his voice was intense and sinister. 

Her heart sank.  "I'm sorry.  Am I bothering you?"  She had intended it to be sincere and sweet, except it sounded sarcastically vicious. 

"It's a bit late to ask that, isn't it?" 

"What's wrong, Ani?" 

He snickered darkly.  "What do you think?  Where should I start?  My mother's dead.  I never got to spend any more time with her.  I didn't get to say a proper goodbye.  The Jedi were too blind to see Dooku was a Sith Lord.  He killed my three best friends from the Temple.  Oh, and it turns out Ellina was basically as evil as Dooku.  She took advantage of me, lied to me, and then was so selfish she hid the truth from everyone.  And it not only got her killed, but also…"  He had become so enraged he couldn't even continue speaking. 

"I'm sorry about your mother, Ani, I really am," she tried to soothe him.  "I think it's time you moved on about Ellina, though.  I know you're sad she's dead and the baby too, and I know she didn't tell you the truth like she should have, but I don't think that makes her evil.  She probably really did care for you.  It's not hard for me to imagine that.  I never knew her…" 

He cut her off.  "That's right.  You didn't.  So don't tell me what I should feel about her." 

"Did it ever occur to you, Anakin, that maybe she wasn't evil?  Think about it.  She decided not to get the injection long before she came after you.  Maybe it was a cry for help.  Maybe the reason she chose you was because she trusted you.  Maybe she didn't want to be a Jedi anymore, and in her mind it was the only surefire way to get out." 

He laughed.  "That's fantastic.  It really is.  You believe it if you want to.  Just because you love me doesn't mean she ever did.  Those skills she was training herself in, they were of the dark side.  She was becoming evil.  And even if you are right, she still exploited me for her own selfish goals." 

"Maybe so, and I'm sorry about that."  Padmé wiped her eyes to stop from crying.  "Ani, I'm here right now and I need you.  Please, calm down." 

"Calm down?  How?  My life is a disaster.  Except you, I've lost everything I care about.  And if it weren't for the Jedi, I wouldn't have had to lose any of them."  As he stood up, he snatched the piece of metal out of the air violently and threw it into the far wall with a loud smash.  "I hate them!  I wish they were all dead!  They've taken everything from me!"

"Ani, stop!  I'm trying to help you," she pleaded. 

"I'll let you know when it works," he yelled in disgust. 

Padmé burst into tears and screamed at him.  "I can't believe you just said that!  I love you!  I married you!"  She pointed a finger into his face.  "Until you realize what that means, stay out of my sight!"  She spun away on her heels.  Once it slid closed behind her, she pounded her fists as hard as she could on the other side of the door over and over and over. 

---

Hours later, Anakin woke up crying on the lounge bench.  How did I let this happen?  I know how powerful the dark side is.  I wasn't in control on Tatooine.  I thought it was under my dominance on Geonosis, but maybe really it wasn't.  I certainly lost my power over it tonight.  His body shook forcefully from sobs.  I took out my anger on Padmé.  And I despise myself for it.

He walked the dozen paces to the closed bedroom door.  He sensed Padmé was asleep, her emotions filled with sadness.  He waved the door open and tiptoed into the refresher.  He cleared his mind while he splashed ice-cold water on his face again and again.  He drove the anger and rage from his feelings, at least for now.  He dried his face and looked in the mirror.  Then he closed his eyes and reached out into the Force.  He saw his mother's face the way it looked the day he left Tatooine with Qui-Gon.  "Yes.  I guess."  "Then we will see each other again.  Now go.  Don't look back."  And then, in the old memory, something new.  "I love you, Ani."  "I love you too, Mom."  "Take good care of Padmé." 

He stepped out and sat down on the edge of the opposite bunk from Padmé.  He watched her sleeping for a few minutes before he shifted over and sat next to her.  He leaned down, his left hand against the wall, and brushed her cheek very softly with the fingertips of his right hand.  "Angel?" 

She stirred just a little.  He gingerly stroked her cheek again.  "Angel?" 

She opened her eyes and looked at him questioningly, her anxiety rippling in the Force.  "Hmm?" 

"I'm sorry.  Everything in the lounge tonight was my fault.  I made a mistake.  I let my anger and the dark side get out of control, and I took it out on you."  He ran his fingers through the loose hair on her forehead; after almost a week, the dark reddish tints were starting to fade a bit.  "I promise, I will never let it happen to us again." 

"I trust you," she whispered as she slowly woke up more.  "I forgive you, Ani."

He ran his fingers over her lips.  "I love you more every day." 

She reached up her arms and gently pulled him into the bed, her voice sultry and insistent.  "Prove it."

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

After two more days of travel, Anakin landed the Blue Hawk in an enclosed docking bay in the enormous hangar of an isolated waystation in deep space.  It was the kind of location no one would notice them.  Space haulers, freighter pilots, smugglers, criminals on the run from the law, and numerous other sorts of unsavory characters frequented the place.  Two individuals dressed in black and hidden beneath black cloaks would be perfectly ordinary. 

Anakin first took care of certain arrangements for the starfighter.  They took on extra fuel, recharged the hyperdrive core and the batteries for the laser cannons, replenished the fresh water supply, and changed all the filters in the air and water systems.  Pleased to learn Republic credits actually were accepted here, he tipped the crew foreman generously for his assistance from a credit chip loaded with a transfer from the enormous balance in Padmé's secret bank account. 

With those tasks completed, he and Padmé walked to the one pleasant eating establishment at the station.  Just enough wealthy travelers stopped here to support a nice restaurant, and after so many days on the ship they relished the opportunity for real food.

Hoods up, they approached the host's desk holding hands.  "We would like a table for two, please," Padmé told the Rodian. 

"We're full tonight," the Rodian lied.  They plainly could see empty tables behind him.  "Do you have a reservation?" 

Anakin's dark feelings still boiled inside him.  He was quite tempted to slay the Rodian on the spot.  Instead, he squeezed Padmé's hand and waved his other gently through the air in front of him.  "We don't need a reservation." 

"You don't need a reservation." 

He waved again.  "You'll seat us right away in your nicest private booth."

"I'll seat you right away in our nicest private booth." 

Then under his breath, so Padmé couldn't hear.  "You're deeply sorry to be such an idiot.  We can follow you."

"I'm deeply sorry to be such an idiot.  Follow me." 

Padmé giggled and squeezed his hand tighter.  They walked with the Rodian to the back of the restaurant and took seats in a corner booth mostly shielded from the view of other patrons.  With that level of privacy, they felt comfortable drawing down their hoods as they sat across the table from each other.  Their waiter, a Twi'lek, was far more pleasant and competent than the host.  The food arrived promptly, exactly as they had ordered it, and still piping hot. 

Anakin selected a bottle of expensive Corellian wine and poured them each a glass.  He reached out with a hand to stop her from taking a drink.  "First, a toast," he smiled.  "In celebration of our first night out together as husband and wife."  Padmé grinned broadly as they clinked the glasses and sipped the wine. 

"Oh, this is wonderfully delicious," she laughed.  "I never knew you had such a taste for wine." 

Anakin chuckled.  "Oh, it's not me.  I learned it all from Obi-Wan." 

She was about to set her glass down when she paused and raised it toward him.  "I have another toast."  She cleared her throat.  "To Amidala.  The Queen is dead.  May she rest in peace."  They clinked glasses and sipped again. 

"In that case," he offered, "long live Lady Vader, the most warm, caring, and beautiful woman in the galaxy." 

Padmé held back her tears as they drank to the final toast.  "I love you, Anakin." 

"I love you too, Padmé."  He took her hands in his and they looked into each other's eyes for a long time. 

After they had finished dessert and paid the bill, they were happily sipping the last of the wine when she felt him squeeze her hands before he pulled his away.  He brought up his hood over his head and indicated to her to do the same.  Leaning across the table, he whispered to her.  "I need to concentrate.  Keep an eye on things."  He took back her hands and tipped his head down. 

Padmé looked to the door and saw two Padawans in tan Jedi robes enter.  The young man and young woman talked to the Rodian host for a minute before they sat at the bar and ordered drinks.  She didn't recognize either of them, although she assumed Anakin would. 

Anakin cleared all his thoughts away and plunged his mind far into the Force.  When he had sensed two Jedi approaching outside, he instantly had shielded the space around their table with the dark side.  Now that the Padawans were inside too, he needed to learn their motives.  In the wartime situation, it certainly was possible their appearance was a coincidence.  It equally was possible they were assigned specifically to search out-of-the-way locations like this one for Padmé and him. 

He projected his feelings toward the Padawans, concealing his probing in the dark side of the Force.  He almost snickered aloud when he recognized their profiles: Ewan Neeson and Hanna Beringer.  They both were about two years younger than him.  And far weaker.  This is too easy.  Now more confident, he reached out directly into their minds.  Unfortunately, their mission in fact was to find Skywalker and Amidala.  And worse, they had seen the Blue Hawk in the hangar.  Quickly he forced his feelings deeper into their thoughts, hoping to learn whether they already had reported their discovery to anyone.  They had not.  Good.  Very good.  He pulled his mind back to himself and raised his face to Padmé's. 

She looked at him anxiously, with a bit of nervousness in the Force.  "And?" 

He kept his voice quiet.  "They know we're at this waystation.  They saw the ship." 

"Were they sent looking for us?"  When he nodded, her anger rose inside her.  "We told the Jedi very clearly not to try to follow us, once to Obi-Wan and once through Dormé.  I guess they didn't listen."  She pulled a hand away and pounded her fist once on the table in frustration.  "I want to teach them a lesson."  The stare in her eyes was dark and cold.

Anakin nodded again.  "These two are fools.  They'll follow procedure to the letter."  He leaned all the way across to her and whispered his plan in her ear.  She kissed his cheek when he finished. 

Anakin and Padmé rose from their table and strode calmly out the front door of the restaurant, making no effort to hide their departure.  They walked a long, convoluted path back to the hangar.  The whole way, Anakin sensed in the Force Ewan and Hanna following them.  He led Padmé down a side corridor to enter through the deserted back door of the docking bay.  As they walked in, she went to the left and he went to the right. 

Just as they expected, Ewan and Hanna stepped through the open door together, lightsaber handles in their hands but not ignited. 

Unfamiliar with detecting the dark side, the two apprentices were utterly blindsided by a powerful Force strike from the right.  Anakin's invisible blow knocked the weapons from their hands, drove the wind from their lungs, and left them staggering. 

An instant later, three bolts of blaster fire each slammed into Ewan and Hanna from the left. 

From her crouch on one knee, twin blaster pistols held out in front of her, Padmé watched the two Padawans slump to the floor.  Pleased by her perfect aim, she rose to her feet and slid the pistols back in their holsters.  She smiled as Anakin stalked a few paces to tower over the fallen bodies.  He reached across with his right hand to draw the lightsaber from his left hip.  He raised the handle high over his left shoulder, ignited the red blade, and looked up with a triumphant grin mirroring her own. 

And then he swung the shimmering laser sword through the air in a graceful yet powerful downward arc.

---

The next morning, Obi-Wan sat propped up in his bed in the Jedi Temple's healing wing, reviewing a report on his datapad about upcoming Council business.  The intercom at his bedside buzzed, and he tapped it.  "Kenobi." 

"Yes, Master, a parcel has arrived for you," the young voice informed him.  "The sender is unknown, although it is stamped urgent and was delivered overnight express." 

"Very well.  Please bring it to me immediately."  A sinking feeling developed in the pit of his stomach. 

A few minutes later, a Padawan dropped off the small box.  Obi-Wan easily could set it in his lap.  He unlatched the seals and used a small metal blade from the utility belt hanging over the chair at his side to slice open the lid restraints.  Obi-Wan took a deep breath before he opened the top.  He dug frantically through the foam packing cubes to find inside two silver lightsaber handles, each precisely bisected by the distinct burn of a lightsaber.  His heart sank and the bile rose in his gut as he realized the two apprentices to whom the weapons had belonged. 

Then he noticed there was a note handwritten on the underside of the lid. 

You should have listened. 

Now these innocents have paid the price. 

Reconsider, or it will become worse. 

Don't call us.  We'll call you.

AS + PS

Only now, for the first time since he had awakened from his coma, did Obi-Wan remember the rest of the encounter in the hangar and the disturbing final words that had been spoken to him.  "My name is Padmé Skywalker." "Don't try to follow.  If I find out the Jedi have been tracking us, the consequences will be worse than you can bear.  Is that understood?"  The Senator pulled the trigger.  Of her own free will.

Tears ran down his face as he tapped the intercom again, his voice quaking in agony.  "Summon the other members of the Council at once."

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

The morning after leaving the waystation, Anakin and Padmé sat next to each other in their nightclothes on the lounge bench while they had breakfast at the small table.  They tuned out the chattering of the droids, held one set of hands, and ate with the others.  When they finished, Anakin leaned his head on her shoulder and brushed her arm with his free hand. 

"Last night you were…  Um…"  At a loss for words, he exhaled loudly.    

"Yeah, I know.  Wow."  She tipped her head onto his and chuckled.  "Hey, I'm still learning what I'm capable of, okay?"   

He snickered.  "Me too."  He lifted their heads back up.  "We'll be at Coruscant tomorrow.  I think we'd better plan our strategy today.  We have a lot of details to figure out." 

"I agree," she replied as she stood and carried their dirty dishes to the cleaner unit.  "First we should dye our hair again; it's starting to fade.  Then let's get to work." 

---

From his many unauthorized adventures when he snuck out from the Temple, Anakin knew an appropriate hangar in a shady sector of the city to dock the Blue Hawk.  The criminal underworld figures who ran the facility took great pride in never actually observing a single ship that arrived or departed or in ever meeting in person the pilots who paid for a bay.  After confirming Artoo's analysis that they had arrived and landed on Coruscant completely undetected, they locked the ship and walked out into the deep shadows of the sealed docking bay.  Anakin paid more credits than were requested as he picked up the keycard from the automated device at the exit door. 

He led Padmé through a series of hallways and underground passages, then up a set of turbolifts.  They stopped at a small door, and he held her hands while he scanned the other side with the Force.  He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.  "Time to go." 

Once again dressed all in black, this time also wearing gloves on their hands, they drew their swirling cloaks around them and emerged from the door into a side hallway of a large shopping mall.  Hand-in-hand, they moved easily through the crowds until they reached the air taxi platform.  A short wait later, the speeder soared up into the darkness of the late night sky.

The taxi let them out at the far end of the landing platform for one gigantic skyscraper of Senate apartments.  It was Padmé's building, but more importantly it also housed Senator Cork and Senator Organa.  With a substantial tip, Anakin sent the driver on his way.  They walked slowly and deliberately to the entry doors and stepped inside, drawing down their hoods as they did. 

Padmé approached the security desk.  "My name is Sarré Bibble.  I have an appointment with Senator Amidala."  No such appointment actually existed, although the guards couldn't know it from their records.  The Naboo delegation had established a series of rotating pseudonyms and each day sent the security service a standing appointment in that name.  This ensured that anyone who knew the correct code name for the day always could get inside, such as when the real Senator arrived secretly after the public entry of the decoy.  The number of people who knew the schedule was small, and Padmé obviously was one of them.

"Very well, Miss Bibble," a guard confirmed.  "The turbolifts are around the corner on your left." 

"Wait a minute," the supervisor interrupted.  "The two of you seem familiar.  We had an emergency bulletin a few days ago about someone fitting your description.  I need to check it."

Anakin didn't take any chances.  At his waist, he waved his fingers in the air as he whispered under his breath.  "Never mind.  We're not the ones you're looking for." 

"Never mind.  They aren't the ones we're looking for." 

Anakin kept his voice very quiet to conceal it from the other guards.  "We can go about our business." 

"You can go about your business," the supervisor said in a monotone.

"Move along."

"Move along." 

In the turbolift, Padmé considered pressing the button for her floor and surprising Dormé.  No.  First the business.  Maybe later.  She hit the button for Cork's floor instead. 

Cloaks billowing behind them and hoods up, they strode confidently up the hallway.  Cork's suite was obvious.  His was the only one with two armed guards standing outside.  Anakin and Padmé stopped in front of the soldiers. 

"I have an appointment with Senator Cork," Padmé told them. 

The guards looked at each other.  "There are no appointments scheduled for tonight," the one on the left replied.  "You must be mistaken.  I'll have to ask you to leave." 

"That's alright," Anakin responded.  "We'll let ourselves in."  In an instant, his arms sprung out from his sides, his black-gloved hands grabbed the men on the tops of their helmets, and quick flicks of his wrists caused sickening snapping sounds.  The bodies dropped lifelessly to the floor as Anakin used the Force to disable the lock and slide open the apartment door.

Padmé raised her eyebrows.  "Very impressive." 

Senator Cork was sitting at a desk reading a datapad in the dim light of his sitting room when two dark figures concealed in cloaks marched through the suddenly open door.  He pushed back the chair and rose to his feet, his formal Senate robes rustling as he stood.  Although he felt a bit scared, the gray-haired older man didn't press the panic button on the underside of his desk.  "How did you get in here?" 

"Your guards are less than adequate," answered a deep, sinister voice from the taller figure. 

"State your business," Cork demanded.

"I am here to see the traitor," a woman's voice told him from the shorter figure. 

"What?" 

"The traitor who betrayed his planet and sold out democracy for the right price."  The woman chuckled.  "That's you, isn't it, Senator Cork?" 

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Cork shouted angrily. 

"I know about the bribes.  For the Military Creation Act.  For the emergency powers resolution.  Who paid them to you?  Who?" 

"I'm not going to answer such ridiculous allegations." 

The woman sighed loudly in disgust.  "I warned you not to force me to destroy you, Cork." 

Cork wanted to hit the panic button now, except his body was paralyzed with fright.  "Senator Amidala?" 

The woman lowered her hood.  She looked a bit like Amidala, except her clothes were plain black attire and she had windblown deep maroon hair.  "I'm sorry, no.  My name is Vader," she answered.  Then she reached down to her hip and drew a blaster pistol.  She aimed it squarely at his head.  "Who paid you, Cork?" 

"I can't tell you," he said, his voice quivering in fear, his legs shaking beneath him. 

A single shot shook the room and the datapad on the desk exploded in a blaze.  Then the man's voice spoke up again.  "You'll tell us who it was," he suggested very persuasively. 

"I'll tell you who it was," Cork mimicked involuntarily.  "It was a man called Darth Sidious.  He contacts me on an encrypted line and the payments that arrive are untraceable.  That's all I know.  I swear." 

"Unfortunately for you, Cork," the woman said, "your word means nothing.  You may be telling me the truth, but I don't really care.  And you're not worth the time or expense of a court of law." 

"That is the truth!  I promise you.  Please don't kill me," Cork begged pathetically. 

"The penalty for treason is death, Senator.  You should have considered that before you proposed to destroy the Republic."  She rapidly squeezed the trigger three times. 

When the echoing ring of the shots passed after a few seconds, Padmé turned to Anakin.  "We're finished here."  She linked her arm through his.  "Let's make our next visit, shall we?"