Chapter 59

"I had an unexpected visit from Melinda this afternoon," Padmé told Anakin as they sat down to eat with their twins.

"What did she have to say?" Anakin asked.

"Dane has asked for a continuance," she told him.

Anakin raised his eyebrows in surprise, but before he could question her, Dormé entered the room.

"Excuse me, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving," she said. "Ill be back in a few hours."

"Enjoy your night off," Padmé told her with a smile.

Anakin looked at his wife, and then at Dormé. "Something going on?"

Padmé smiled. "She's meeting Obi-Wan for dinner," she told him.

Anakin's eyes widened. "And you didn't tell me!?"

Padmé laughed. "I just did!" she said. "I think it's wonderful."

"I do too," Anakin agreed. "I just never thought he'd have the guts to ask her out."

"She asked him," Padmé told him.

Anakin smiled. "Makes sense," he said. "Well, I hope things work out."

"Yes, so do I," Padmé said. "They're both lovely people, and deserve to be happy."

"I couldn't agree more," he said. "So, tell me about this continuance," he said.

"Not much to tell," she replied. "The judge wouldn't tell Melinda any details. All she knows is that it's been granted. She figures it will be a couple of days."

"I wonder what Dane is cooking up," Anakin mused.

"I think it has a lot to do with Julie's behaviour at the trial," Padmé said. "She showed that she's clearly not stable."

"Maybe that's the angle he's adopting," he said. "The insanity plea."

Padmé considered this. "You might be right, Ani," she said. "He hasn't got a lot going for him in this trial – this might be his only recourse."

Anakin nodded. "It wouldn't surprise me in the least," he said.

Coruscant medical centre

Dane sat in the anteroom, anxiously waiting for Julie's assessment to be completed. She had been more compliant than he'd expected, given how vehemently she had opposed the idea of a psychological assessment. Had she finally accepted the reality of her situation? Or was she simply playing a game? Dane frowned, considering the latter. It was not above her to deceive him, that much he knew.

After waiting nearly two hours, Dane was approached by a protocol droid.

"Mr. Mendicino, would you please come with me," the droid said.

Dane stood up. "Is it finished?" he asked the droid.

"Yes sir," the droid replied. "Dr. Luchie is ready to give you her report."

Dane nodded, and followed the droid, a knot of anxiety forming in his gut. The droid led him through a set of blast doors and down the corridor to an office, where the psychiatrist was waiting for him.

"Mr. Mendicino, please have a seat," Dr. Luchie said.

Dane sat down at once. "Well? What have you learned?"

Dr. Luchie sat down as she formulated her answer. "Miss Banks is showing signs of a severe mental disorder," she began. "She is showing all the classic signs."

"What sort of disorder?" Dane asked.

"I will need to conduct further tests to determine that," she said. "But my initial diagnosis is that she has a substance abuse disorder, and ought to be hospitalized immediately. It's my opinion that, in her current state, she is quite dangerous and unpredictable."

Dane nodded. "I can't say I'm surprised," he said. "What about the trial?"

"She's not fit to stand trial," the doctor replied. "Not remotely."

"I understand," Dane said. "Does she know?"

"Not yet," Dr. Luchie replied. "She seemed…rather detached from her surroundings," she continued. "I'm not sure she'd fully understand at this point."

"What do you recommend?" Dane said. "She needs to be told; she needs to know what's going on."

"Of course," she agreed. "I suggest she be removed from detention and relocate her to a room at our mental health facility," she said. "We have excellent intake staff there who will help her acclimate."

Dane nodded. "Can I see her?" he asked.

"Of course, come with me," Dr. Luchie said.

Dane followed her down the corridor to a room where two clones were standing guard. He felt his stomach tighten as he passed by the clones and entered the room. Julie was sitting on a small sofa, staring straight in front of her. Dane walked over to her and sat down beside her. Her nonresponsive attitude concerned him.

"Julie, it's time to go," Dane said. He picked up her hand. "Julie?"

Julie looked at her uncle. "Where? Where are you taking me?" she asked suspiciously.

"Somewhere you'll get help," he told her gently. "You need help."

She frowned. "Help? What sort of help?"

Dane hesitated, wondering if he ought to tell her. "You have some mental health issues," he told her. "I'm taking you somewhere to get you help."

Julie stared at him, his words terrifying to her. "Mental health issues? You mean I'm insane?"

"No," he assured her. "Of course not!"

"Then why do I need help?" she asked.

Dane sighed, wishing he'd never said anything. "You need to trust me," he said. "Please, Julie. Come with me."

Julie considered this for a moment, and then stood up. "Okay," she said. "I'm ready."

Dane was surprised by her compliance, and stood up too. "It's going to be okay," he told her. "I promise."

Julie gave him a wan smile and then left the room with him.

The Clarendox Restaurant

Obi-Wan sat across from his date, feeling at once extremely nervous and excited. This was new territory for the Jedi master, never having been on a date in the entirety of his 40 years.

"How's your dinner?" he asked Dormé.

"Very good," she replied. "Yours?"

"Excellent," he said. "After eating Jedi refectory rations, I'm feeling quite spoiled."

Dormé laughed. "I can imagine," she said. She regarded him for a moment. "Tell me something, have you ever been on a date before?" she asked.

Obi-Wan's cheeks reddened ever so slightly. "Well, I've been a member of the Jedi Order since I was very young," he said. "Until very recently emotional attachments were very much forbidden by the Order. So no, I have not. This is my first. Can you tell?"

Dormé smiled. "Not at all," she lied gently. "That must have been hard for you, not knowing your mother, your father. I'm glad that's changed."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I admit that I have no memory of them, but I understand what you mean," he said.

Dormé frowned. "No memory at all?"

Obi-Wan was thoughtful for a moment. "I have …images, fleeting images," he said. "My father's hands, my mother's shawl…I believe I had a younger brother, or perhaps a sister. I recall a baby, again, in images."

"I can't imagine," she said. "So now that this edict has been lifted, would you ever try and find them? Your family?"

"I hadn't considered that," he said. "That would be interesting," he mused. "But of course, I'd be but a stranger to them now."

"You're their son, their brother," she said. "Bonds such as those don't simply go away, no matter what the Jedi edicts decree."

Obi-Wan smiled. He'd never known Dormé to be anything but quiet, demure even; to see her speaking her mind and voicing her opinion was refreshing. He was fascinated.

"You're quite right," Obi-Wan said. "To deny the human need for connection was short sighted, I see that now. When I see Anakin connecting with his children, I confess that I am quite envious."

Dormé smiled. "I've seen you with Luke and Leia," she said. "You'd be a marvelous father, Obi-Wan."

He smiled. "Well, perhaps one day," he said and took a sip of his wine. "I suppose anything is possible now."

Dormé nodded. "Yes, anything is possible now."

In rush hour traffic

"Yes, we're on our way there now," Dane told his sister via commlink. "Tessa, Tessa…please listen to me," he said in exasperation. "I will explain it all when I see you. She's fine, she's with me. Well, we're kind of in the middle of traffic, I don't think…" he frowned. "Very well." He passed his commlink to the clone sitting in the back behind him with Julie. "Your mother wants to talk to you."

Julie frowned as the clone took the commlink and held it close so she could hear her mother over the noise of the traffic. "Hi Mom," she said.

Julie! I'm so sorry this is happening! Are you alright?

"All right? I'm a prisoner, Mom. I'm pretty far from all right!" Julie replied tersely.

Oh Julie, this is breaking my heart! Is it my fault you've turned out this way? Did I do something wrong?

"Mom, this isn't helping," Julie said.

I'm sorry…just the thought of you being locked away in that place with crazy people...you don't belong there, Julie! We're going to fight this!

Julie frowned. Was that where they were taking her? An insane asylum? Uncle Dane had told her it was a place where she would be helped, not somewhere she'd be locked away like some sort of pariah. You lied to me, Uncle Dane, she said, shutting off the transmission. You all lied…everybody lied

The mental health facility was on the other side of the city, and it was rush hour. The clone sitting in the back of the speeder with Julie was annoyed that Dane had chosen the busiest roadway and was giving him his opinion in no uncertain terms.

"What do you suggest, trooper?" Dane asked tersely. "It's rush hour!"

"Gallery Row is your best option," the clone replied. "The tunnel is jammed this time of day."

"Well, it's too late now," Dane replied. "We've already missed the exit for Gallery."

"If you take a left at Zyra you can still get there," the clone insisted. "We'll be hours if you don't."

Julie listened to the argument between the two men as it escalated. It was at this moment that she took advantage of the distraction, and jumped out of the speeder.

"She jumped! She jumped!" the clone yelled, watching her body disappearing down the several hundred metres below.

Dane's heart was pounding in his chest as he did his best to follow his niece as she plummeted, but he was boxed in, and was helpless to do anything. She was gone.