CHAPTER 8
Anakin entered the Naboo Consulate and stood, failing miserably at preventing the anxiety that he felt from showing on his face. He hadn't seen Padme in ten years, and so much had changed in that time. She was now a senator in the Republic Senate from Naboo and no longer the system's Queen. He was no longer even a citizen of the Republic, that choice had been rightfully made by Master Jinn on the last day that he had seen Senator Amidala. In those day's Anakin had only been a boy, now in his own estimation; he was a man, quite possibly the most powerful man to ever exist. He should no longer still be considered a Padawan learner, he knew that he was already more powerful than Obi-Wan and honestly felt that if the situation arose he would be more then up to the challenge of Qui-Gon and Dooku. Perhaps he could even take on two of the other Confederacy Jedi in any combination and win.
The obvious attention that the six guards in the room were giving him added greatly to his discomfort. It is amazing how much can change in a few years, the last time that he was in this wing of the Consulate Complex the Naboo were beginning to consider him on of their own. Now, they looked at him as if he was the one who planted the bomb in the Queen's transport?
His discomfort diminished a little when the guard closest to the Senator's office door tilted his helmeted head to the right slightly, a sign that he was receiving a communication from the com receiver built into the helmet. The guard righted himself and said to Anakin, "The Senator is ready to receive you now. However, at the request of her Jedi protector we do need to have you remove your lightsaber and give it to us. It will be held in our security center until your departure at which time you'll be able to have it back."
Anakin hesitated, a Jedi never surrendered his lightsaber, his lightsaber was his life. However, this was an important meeting, one that he had to have so he unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and handed it to the nearest guard who promptly left the immediate area with it. With that having been completed the other five guards circled Anakin Skywalker and he was escorted into the office.
In addition Anakin and his armed escort, the room's population consisted of a Shistavanen wearing the robes of a Jedi Master, his graying hair hinted that he was around the same age as Qui-Gon, a dark skinned guard with an eye cover concealing his missing left eye wearing red and blue uniform signifying him as Padme's head of security and last but far from least was Padme herself. To Anakin, she looked every bit the angel that she did when they first met in Watto's junk shop on Tatooine.
Padme's face did not show the pleasure at seeing Anakin again that he had hoped for. Instead, her face registered something more along the lines of a nervous fear. Despite this she attempted to open whatever meeting he had just shown up on Coruscant requesting with a civil tone by planting a fake grin on her face and cheerily saying, "My Ani, you've grown." Her years in politics were paying off again.
Untrained in the ways of the politician, Skywalker fell for the change in her demeanor and responded, "So have you."
After saying that Anakin began to blush in fear that she might misunderstand that as an insult about weight gain and followed by adding, "Grown more beautiful I mean."
Realizing just how ridiculous he was sounding Anakin's face slowly kept turning into a brighter and brighter shade of red as he continued to stumble over his words. She found his awkwardness rather cute and to save him any more embarrassment Padme smiled sweetly and said, "Ani, you'll always be the little boy I knew on Tatooine."
At this, Anakin thought to himself, "Great, just great Skywalker. Instead of receiving you as the diplomatic representative of the Confederacy of Independent Systems that you are, she now thinks that you're some bumbling nerf herder."
"And what brings you here Ani? You are one of the last people I expected to request a meeting with me." The Senator said.
"I understand that these are harsh times for you my Queen." Anakin said, instantly realizing that he had referred to her as Queen instead of Senator. An easy enough mistake considering that she was the Queen the last time they had seen each other.
Padme smiled at this mistake but said nothing to counter it.
Anakin continued, "I just thought that I could be of some assistance to you. That's all."
Before the Naboo Senator could say anything, Liak Cloem, her Jedi assigned to protect her by the Jedi Council at the request of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine said, "I do not like this Senator. We have many unknown variables at play right now. The last thing we need is a Force sensitive, Jedi trained political idealist who would shatter our fragile Republic."
Skywalker felt incredibly annoyed by this false Jedi's intrusion and said, "Padme. I have important matters to discuss with you." He then glanced at Liak and continued, "But perhaps they are matters best to be discussed in private."
Captain Typho, the Senator's head of security, stepped next Padme and bending over whispered in her ear, "I wouldn't suggest that. You know our suspicions that Dooku and his lot are behind the attempts on your life."
Silence reigned supreme in the room for a few seconds as Padme considered her choices before she finally said, "Ok. I don't see any harm in this. Master Jedi please excuse us. You to Captain Typho, and please take your men with you."
"Senator, I don't like..." Typho began.
"It doesn't matter. You follow my orders." Padme interrupted him.
"Senator, please reconsider. I agree with the Captain on this." Master Cloem added.
"I've already said that it doesn't matter. This room is well sensored. Should anything happen you'll know with enough time to come to the rescue. Now, everyone please leave me and Mr. Skywalker by ourselves."
Knowing that Anakin had handed them a defeat on the matter the Jedi along with the security detachment left the room without another word of protest.
Once they were alone, Anakin smiled and said, "I get the impression that they don't like me very well."
Padme Amidala's demeanor changed as she considered Anakin with a gaze as cold as the frozen plains of Hoth and she challenged, "And why should they?"
Taken aback, all Anakin could do was gape at the Senator and ask, "Why do you say that?"
"Well, Count Dooku and his Separatist, your Separatist are the ones behind the attempts on my life."
Anakin looked at Padme with the honest shock that he felt and said, "I can assure you that none of us have been behind those attempts. All we want is to be allowed to peacefully leave the Republic and refound it based on its original principles. Principles that have been ignored and forgotten by the current Senate."
"Well then, if you are not trying to kill me. Then who is Anakin. Tell me that." The Senator said, all pretense at friendliness was now gone.
Sensing an opportunity to plant doubts about the Republic and the Republic Jedi in the Senator's mind Anakin answered, "You won't want to hear it, but our sources point to the Republic Jedi as the masterminds of the assassination attempts."
Padme gave a humorless laugh at this and said, "Please. Do not insult my intelligence. The Jedi have already saved my life once and apprehended the assassin. Why would they do that if they were the ones that paid her?"
"That is simple. The Jedi want you to think we are behind it....." Anakin began.
"Actually, Mace Windu is the one who came to your defense when I said you were behind it." She interrupted him.
"Well they can't make it too obvious now can they? If they did, it would leave room for doubts about our guilt to creep in. No, they want you to think we did it, but they want to wait until some more of their planted evidence comes forward before they admit that you are right."
"And why would they do this?" Padme challenged Anakin's logic.
"Consider," Anakin said, "the Republic has no existing armies. If it comes to war between us, no armies means that there are no experienced officers to lead any army that the Republic would raise. The Jedi would step in to fill that role thus creating a loyalty to them not the Republic in that army. Even though our droid armies are far more advanced then anything the Republic could raise the Jedi feel they can beat us in a war. With the loyalty instilled in their army the Jedi would then over throw the Senate. The Republic will cease to exist in any form and the Age of the Jedi will be upon you."
Padme shook her head in disbelief and said, "No. That is against everything that the Jedi stand for."
"Correction," Anakin countered, "that is against everything that the Jedi once stood for. The Jedi of the Republic have become just as corrupt and decadent as the Senate has. That is exactly why we wish to separate from the Republic. We want to restore the true Republic with the true Jedi as its defenders and not live under what greed and corruption and power lust have created within the Republic and the Jedi both."
The meeting continued, and the only positive feeling that Anakin received was that Padme Amidala's stance opposing the creation of a military to counter the Seperatists is just as strong as it had been reported to be. However, in Anakin's mind's eye it was crystal clear that he was the only one still harboring any romantic feelings. They called the meeting to an end for the day, arranged the time for it to continue the next day and Anakin retired to the quarters that Padme had made ready for him. Emotional exhaustion plagued him from how badly the days meeting went and all Anakin wanted to do was sleep and put the day behind him. However he did not sleep peacefully.
Anakin walked peacefully in the Tatooine sands. He'd never known another home, never known another world and he couldn't imagine living anywhere else. To his young child's mind there simply was no better place to be.
He reached the top of the dune which overlooks the moister farm that he and his mother bought after he took their former Master Watto and threw him into the Great Pit of Carkoon out in the Dune Sea. Watto was no where all who would own slaves belong, learning a new definition of pain and suffering as he is slowly digested in the belly of the Sarlacc for a thousand years. To Anakin's point of view, it was too good for the little Toydarian.
It had been over a year since Anakin took his and his mother's freedom from slavery by force and things couldn't have been better for them.
But now, he looked over the farm from the top of the huge sand dune and saw a Jawa Sandcrawler come up the only road through the dunes.
"Great." Anakin thought, "More droids. Maybe I can find a woman friend for C-3PO." He began running to the homestead as fast as his little legs would carry him.
All the sudden he felt different, very different. He stopped and looked at his body and it was much bigger then it just was, ten years bigger to be exact. He looked back at the homestead and saw his mother and his wife Padme come out of the house. Then, as always the rear door of the Sandcrawler lowered but instead of the Jawas that he expected to see debark, he saw thousands of Tusken Raiders charging out. Some were armed with antique long blaster rifles and others with the standard gaderffii sticks.
"Sand People! NOOOOOO!" Anakin screamed in his head, and then out loud he shouted, "MOM! PADME! GET BACK INSIDE! DON'T GO TO THE SANDCRAWLER!"
They however either did not hear him or ignored his warning and kept walking towards those barbaric nomads of the Tatooine deserts as if it were a daily occurrence that they would stop by for a visit.
The Tuskens with the gaderffii sticks began beating Shmi and Padme Skywalker mercilessly until no flicker of life was left in them and they were barely recognizable as being human corpses.
Anakin kept trying to run to them, to help them, to save them but the sand beneath his feet turned into mud, really deep mud and every time his foot landed on it he would sink up to his knee.
He watched as the Tuskens with the blasters open fired on the homestead that he had spent to long building. The heated laser blasts quickly caused fires inside the house and the outlaying machinery that was so very important to his lively hood as a moister farmer were turned into smoldering heaps of junk that not even Watto would have touched.
Then before he could make it to the homestead, to avenge the death of the only two people that mattered to him a fast and furious sandstorm swept the homestead, obscuring his view of it. Then as quickly as the storm developed it disappeared and only the wreckage and death brought upon his house by the sand people was left. The Tusken Raiders and their Sandcrawler were gone.
Anakin awoke with a start, so drenched in sweat that a Mon Calamari would have been jealous of his wetness. He looked around and the reality of his current situation began to assert itself over his dream.
"Those dreams are becoming more and more real. I have to go and see my mom, just to make sure that she is ok." Anakin thought to himself.
He quickly got out of bed, went to the refresher and took a quick shower then packed up the few belongings that he had with him. One of the changes between the old and new Jedi Orders is that with his new Order he is now permitted to have possessions.
Once the packing was finished he briefly considered the idea of informing Padme that he was leaving, but quickly ruled that out. The meeting hadn't gone very well after all and she would probably be relieved when she was informed after waking up that he had left.
Anakin made it to the Naboo Wing's exit when a guard stopped him by saying, "Can I help you Mr. Skywalker?"
"No, not really. I'm just leaving." Anakin answered.
"I'm sorry sir, but our policy is that the senator must be informed of any and all diplomatic envoys leaving or entering the consulate." The guard continued.
"Really, there is no need for that. I wouldn't want to wake her." Anakin persisted.
"I'm sorry sir but yes there is. Trust me, she will be in a lot worse temper if she awakes to find you gone then she would be if I wake her now. It will take just a second."
Anakin waved his hand in front of the guards face as part of his Jedi mind trick and said, "There is no need to wake the senator."
Unaware of the effect the Jedi can have on the weak minded, the strong minded guard looked at the Jedi obviously annoyed and said, "As I said sir, yes there is."
Padme quickly arrived to the consulate entrance. There was no question that she had been sound asleep, her eyes were heavy with little bits of crust in the corners and her hair looked as if it had been quickly thrown together but here she stood in a fresh casual business suit smiling as brightly and cheerfully as she would if she were meeting an old friend for a glass of Sullust wine.
"You are leaving so soon Anakin? I thought we had plans to continue our meeting in just a few hours from now?" Senator Amidala questioned.
"Your right Padme, we did. I just didn't feel that you really wanted to meet with me again after how badly things went today. And as far as waking you, I'm truly sorry for that. I didn't want to bother you." Skywalker answered.
"Oh, it is no bother at all. I really do prefer to be informed when my guests intend to leave instead of just sneaking out in the middle of the night."
"I'm your guest? I just showed up uninvited and unannounced." Anakin questioned.
At this Padme smiled as sweetly as ever and said, "Of course you did. But you're here aren't you? And you're here at my pleasure. If I hadn't wanted to receive you it would have been rather simple to have had my guards turn you away at the landing pad, that's saying that I even deemed it necessary to send them to turn you away. I could have just as easily have left you there with a very long walk ahead of you in which case you would have been turned away at the door just to take the very long walk again."
A few seconds of silence followed and Padme continued, "And your being here is no bother either. I know that there was some tension between us today and that is largely my fault. I'm sorry; it's just that there is a lot going on. Although I'm still not convinced that Dooku isn't behind the assassins I do however believe that you know nothing about it if he is."
Anakin told Padme the true reason that he was leaving, came clean about his dreams and that the more he had them, the more that he feared for his mother's safety. She understood.
"Be sure that you come back Anakin. I really do want to see you again." Padme said with a sad smile.
"I'll be back." Anakin said, the wall which held his emotions from the rest of the world beginning to crumble.
"Go ahead and wait at our garage. I'll detail one of my guards to drive you back to your ship." Padme said. She then gave him a friendly hug, turned and left without saying another word.
Once back at his freighter, Anakin climbed into the cockpit, ran a computerized preflight check and slowly the ungainly bulk of his ship lifted off the landing pad and back into space.
As soon as he was in Coruscant orbit Anakin set his radio for a comburst to Geonosis.
At the CIS Headquarters on Geonosis, Qui-Gon Jinn sat at the communications terminal, his former Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi stood to his right shoulder and his former master Count Dooku stood to his left.
"Anakin, no. You are to come back to Geonosis. We simply can not afford another side trip at your fancy. There are things that must be done if we are to succeed." Qui-Gon said into the voice only receiver.
"I'm sorry master. But I can not ignore these dreams any longer. You and Master Obi-Wan keep telling me that dreams pass in time, well it isn't happening. They are just becoming stronger and more real. I have to go to Tatooine." Anakin replied unaware that he was also speaking to Obi-Wan and Count Dooku.
"Anakin. Do as you are told." Qui-Gon said, unable to hide the anger and frustration in his voice.
Anakin said, "I'm sorry master, but I have no choice," and then broke the connection.
The three dark Jedi looked at each other, the anger at Anakin each felt mirrored on the faces of the others.
"That boy lacks discipline." Dooku said stroking his white beard.
"I've told you several times Qui-Gon, he is as unstable and he is unreliable. We should have dropped him first on Tatooine when we first met him, and then we should have left him on Coruscant with the Naboo. He is more of a headache to us then a help to our cause." Obi-Wan added.
"He will be fine my friends. He is just young, that's all. I remember many such problems when you were his age Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon defended Anakin.
"I never broke a communication with you no matter how much I disagreed with what you were telling me to do." Obi-Wan countered.
"It doesn't matter now does it? I assure you my friends I'll deal with young Skywalker as soon as he returns."
Obi-Wan stood up and said, "And on that note I have to go and enter some interesting intelligence that I picked up in Corellian district on Nar Shaddaa into the data base. It just might come in handy down the road." With that he left the room.
Dooku grunted and then facing the holographic communicator said, "Speaking of distressing conversations I have to get a hold of someone."
Qui-Gon nodded and said, "Then I'll leave master."
Darth Tyranus smiled; it felt good to have his former student calling him master again and said, "No Lord Baseious, I want you here for this."
Darth Baseious nodded but didn't say anything.
Tyranus typed in a private com code and a rough looking tanned face quickly appeared as a holograph.
"Tyranus? Always a pleasure to hear from you. How can I be of service?" The bounty hunter Jango Fett said.
"I've hired your services twice now. The first time you worked our perfectly. Your clones are beyond reproach. The second time I hired your services though make me wonder just how your clones can be beyond reproach when their prime clone leaves so much to be desired." Tyranus answered.
Jango's face because serious as he said, "What do you mean?"
"The Naboo Senator still lives. I've already paid you for her death. The first time you failed and you assured me that she would die on the second attempt. The second attempt failed and I have not heard from you with plans on a third and FINAL attempt. Why is this?"
"I will be in touch within the week to inform you that she has expired." Jango answered.
"Too late for that bounty hunter."
Baseious stood in silence in surprise. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Confederacy is behind that assassination attempts on Senator Amidala.
"What do you mean? Has she met her end already?" Jango asked.
"No, but she will. You've proven your incompetence for the last time bounty hunter. I will send someone who knows what he is doing. You're discharged from any current and future services to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. We have no need for failures."
"Discharged? I have never been discharged from any job."
"Well there is always a first time. And if I ever see or hear from you again, it will be your life that is at an end."
"Don't you dare..." Jango began.
Darth Tyranus broke the connection before the bounty hunter could continue. He then turned to look at his Sith Apprentice and said, "Lord Baseious. I have a job for you."