Prologue
It was stormy, violently so, but that was nothing compared to the violent emotions flooding the four men waiting anxiously in a small wooden hut on the Moon of Endor. Faint screams could be heard from the next room, and they winced, but they knew there was nothing they could do about it.
It'd been a long three days. They'd brought Padme Amidala, nine months pregnant, to Endor so they hoped she could have a safe delivery. But with each crash of lightening, they imagined they saw the feared helmet of Lord Darth Vader. Their nerves were thin. They were safe. They had to be safe.
"Master
Yoda." Obi-Wan said quietly, breaking the uneasy silence. "Is she
alright?"
Yoda, who was perhaps the only one who sat
semi-calmly, sighed deeply, and concentrated. Then suddenly, he gave
a faint smile. "Fine, Padme is. Take more than this to kill her, it
will."
"And the
children?" Mace Windu said in his deep voice. "What of
them?"
Yoda waved a hand. "Fine, fine they are. A boy and two
girls, she has. See them, we will."
As if on cue, Eirtae, one of Padme's most loyal handmaidens, stepped out. "You can come in now." She said softly.
Obi-Wan,
Mace Windu, Yoda, and Bail Organa walked into the room where Padme
had lain for three days. She gave them a weak smile when she saw
them, the few people she could trust anymore. She held two wailing
bundles, and Eirtae held a third.
"Three?" Bail said.
Padme smiled. "Yes, three." She motioned to the boy. "This is Luke. And this is Leia." She motioned to the other. "The one that Eirtae is holding is Anne."
"Anne?"
"After
Anakin." Padme blushed furiously. She saw Obi-Wan wince, and she
immediately felt bad to remind him of his former apprentice. But then
he forced a smile and stepped forward. "They're beautiful, Padme.
The girls look just like you."
"And
Luke, looks like his father, he does." Yoda said gravelly. He
looked directly at Obi-Wan. "Blame yourself, you should not.
Embraced the dark side, Vader has. Now look we to the
future."
Obi-Wan didn't say anything. But Mace Windu looked at
Padme. "Milady, as we previously agreed, I think it would be safer
if the children were separated to grow up. That way, they might not
attract the attention of the Empire."
Padme
nodded sadly. She'd known that her children would most likely be
taken away from her, but the reality of it hit her hard. Bail Organa
smiled gently, and reached to her to take Leia. "She will stay with
me on Alderaan." He said softly. "You needn't worry, Padme.
She'll be fine."
"I trust you." Padme whispered, and then
Leia, her daughter, was gone.
Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "I know someone on Tatooine. Owen Lars, Anakin's stepbrother. He'll be safe with him. I know it. And I'll stay there to watch over him. Maybe I can correct a little of the wrong I have created."
Obi-Wan took Luke, her only son. Padme felt as though her heart would burst in two, but she knew she had to be strong. Eirtae handed Anne, her youngest, to Padme. "Milady."
Mace and Yoda looked at each other. "Padme, I think that maybe, your youngest might be safe with you." Mace said.
Padme suddenly smiled brilliantly and her heart soared, and she hugged Anne tightly. "Thank you." She said fervently. "Thank you so much."
Yoda smiled. Nothing more precious than mother and child, there is. He thought.
"Leave
you, we will. Give you time alone to celebrate your children…and to
mourn the loss of Anakin." Yoda said. "See we will Obi-Wan and
Bail off safely. Be back soon, we will."
And then two of the
last three Jedi left. Padme was left alone in the darkness of the
hut, cradling her child and crooning. "It's okay, Mommy's
here."
Padme had always been strong. She'd been the mature
Queen, the passionate Senator, but motherhood was something new to
her. She hoped she'd be a good mother.
Suddenly,
the room went completely dark, and a satanic, rhythmic breathing
filled her ears. She gasped as she realized the only person this
could be. "Lord Vader!"
He appeared in front of her bed, a
Sith lord clad in black armor, and a breathing mask. A uniform he was
forced to wear after a terrible battle with his former Master. In the
dimness he looked like the angel of death, and Padme hugged Anne
protectively to her chest. She refused to let fear overcome her. For
several long minutes, neither of them said anything.
"How did you find me?" She asked finally.
"Nobody
in the galaxy can hide from a Sith." Vader rumbled in way of an
answer. "And we don't reveal our tracking methods to
anybody."
"Not even me? Anakin, you used to love me!"
"Don't
call me that! That's not my name!" Vader rumbled. "Anakin
Skywalker is dead!"
"No! No he's not!" Padme screamed.
"He's still a part of you! Anakin! Please come back to
me!"
"Silence!" Vader yelled, and he slapped a roughly
gloved hand across Padme's face. She gasped as her face bruised.
Anne began to wail.
Vader
swept up Anne in one huge hand, and she screamed even harder. Padme
felt her strength return to her. This monster, this Sith was going to
take her child away from her!
She leapt up at Vader and threw
herself at him. She was still horribly weak, but it didn't matter
to her. The Queen and Senator rose up in her again.
She never
stood a chance, Vader stood calmly and held out his other hand, and
suddenly, Padme began to convulse. She struggled as invisible talons
choked her neck, and she slowly backed away from him. "Anakin."
She gasped. "I…I love…"
She never finished. She collapsed
on the floor, and it was over. Padme Amidala Naberrie-Skywalker was
dead.
Vader merely blinked. He gripped the child even harder, and he calmly stepped out of the hut, back into the rain. His Master was waiting.
