Dreams of the Future
Chapter 5: Lost and Found
It seemed like an eternity to Anakin when he fell. Everything was moving in slow motion. These would usually be the times when all of your life would flash before you. But Anakin was not comforted by the fact that he wasn't seeing any part of his life flashing before his eyes. It seemed crazy but Anakin felt free of all burdens for the first time in a long while as he fell.
Then there was a thud. Anakin looked around. He was on the speeder. The pain from the landing rushed to him all at once. The driver in the front of the speeder turned around and Anakin and the driver locked eyes for a few seconds before Anakin gained his senses and finally realized who it was. It was Bail Organa.
"Anakin! It's you! What happened, I saw you fall out the window!"
"I jumped actually" Anakin said, climbing into the front seat.
"Why?"
"The chancellor was attacking me".
There was a long pause
"The chancellor? As in chancellor Palpatine?" Bail Organa looked at Anakin in confusion, searching for answers.
"Yeah..."
"But you're a Jedi knight…"
"And he's a sith lord."
"A SITH LORD? Our ruler of the republic is a sith lord? How come the Jedi haven't sensed this sooner?"
"I don't know" Anakin answered honestly. "I've been wondering the same thing."
"I knew there was something fishy…all of the senate sensed it."
"I should have known." Anakin punched the speeder door lightly.
"Anakin…"
"What?"
"The Jedi temple…there's smoke coming from in" Bail said in a worried tone.
Anakin looked. Sure enough there were billows of smoke surrounding the building.
"Oh shit…Palpatine or Darth Sideous has ordered all of the Clone armies to destroy the Jedi order."
"But how can Palpatine talk the clones into doing that?"
"He's the one who placed out the order for them to be made more then 10 years ago."
There was another long pause.
"All of the Jedi? Is there anything we can do?" Bail finally said.
"The younglings!" Anakin said in realization. "They are going to kill them too! We must try to save them if the Jedi are going to live on!"
Palpatine paced his office in frustration. A clone walked in to his office.
"Sir, there is no sign of Anakin Skywalker".
"Crap" Palpatine started pacing his office again. He glanced at Anakin's lightsaber that he hadforgotten.Palpatine picked up Anakin's lightsaber and tossed it out the window. Then went back to pacing.
"You said the younglings are in this room?" Bail asked, speeder parked in front of a window.
"Yes, I'm sure of it" Anakin answered. He reached for his lightsaber so he could cut the window open, but he didn't feel anything. He looked at his belt, and there was an empty loop, with no lightsaber.
"Damnet! I left my lightsaber in Palpatine's office!" Anakin cried in frustration.
Seriously, that is the worst mistake a Jedi could ever make.
"I know!" Anakin cried.
"What? You know what?" Bail asked.
"Didn't you just say that that's the worst mistake a Jedi could ever make?"
"No…"
"What? But I heard…oh whatever." Anakin took a step back and he kicked the window. It shattered into a million pieces and Anakin climbed through.
There were many dead younglings who lay on the ground. They were punctured by clone blasters. Anakin looked around the room sadly, surveying the dead. Then he heard a small whimper coming from the closet. He walked to the closet and opened the door. There were four younglings all huddled closely together.
"Master Anakin!" The youngest stood up. She was a human girl. She held a stuffed cow in one arm. "Are you here to rescue us?"
"Yes, come, there's a speeder waiting out the window."
They all climbed out the window. Anakin took a dead younglings lightsaber before climbing into the speeder.
"What's going to happen to us now?" Another youngling asked.
Bail looked at Anakin, Anakin looked at Bail.
"I don't know." Anakin admitted. "We need to contact someone, see if there are any remaining Jedi left. And then we need to find a safe place for you to stay." Anakin said. "Let's get out of here" He whispered to Bail.
"I was thinking the same thing."
"Master Anakin, why are the clones attacking us?" The human girl asked. "Aren't they on our side?"
"Not anymore." Anakin replied sadly. "Did anyone tell you about the mystery of who ordered them?"
"Master Yoda told me about that" she replied.
"Well that person who ordered them is evil."
She climbed on to Anakin's lap and whimpered.
"What's your name?" Anakin asked the girl.
"Lyra, my full name is Lyra Kamala."
"How old are you Lyra?"
"I'm four years old. I came to the Jedi temple a few weeks ago actually." She said sadly.
Anakin imagined what it would be like to come to the Jedi temple, eager to start training, and a few weeks later to be attacked by the armies of the republic. He thought that it would be very depressing. He thought of how badly he wanted to see Padme, make sure she was alright. That made him even more depressed so he tried to stop thinking about it.
"I can try to contact Obi-Wan" Bail said.
Anakin was sick with worry…about everyone. Obi-wan couldn't dye, he hadn't even told him about Padme and him being married yet…forget being pregnant. If Obi-wan was dead…he would never be able to forgive himself.
"I think I've got him!" Bail said.
Anakin turned to look at the screen...and there he was, fuzzy but it was Obi-wan. Anakin smiled, relief flooding through him.
"Bail Organa, what has happened? I received word that the Jedi temple was destroyed by clone armies! Are all of the Jedi really dead? Is Anakin dead?"
Anakin was deeply touched.
Bail Organa smiled, and motioned towards Anakin. Obi-wan stared at Anakin, before his face broke into a wide grin.
"Did you really think so?" Anakin grinned.
"Not really, but how could I not worry?" Obi-wan replied, connection fuzzy.
"I was worried about you, congratulations, you survived without me!"
Obi-wan laughed, "I told you I would be fine, there's a first time for everything! So explain, what the heck is happening down there?"
Anakin took a deep breath, and explained everything. Well everything that he had told Bail Organa. He would talk to Obi-Wan in private when he got back to Coruscant.
Good, no more lies Anakin, they're bad.
Yeah I know…what? Huh? Who are you? Anakin looked around. There was no answer to his question.
Obi-Wan sighed, "Ok well Anakin, you need rest, I need to meet you somewhere…but no where is safe…uhh…maybe…well I mean I wouldn't want to barge in but…"
"What?"
"Well Anakin, your good friends with Padme, maybe we could meet there? I'm sure she's still safe."
Anakin felt like he had been hit by a rock. He stared at his friend.
"What? There's no one else…"
Anakin suddenly felt lucky. "Yeah…sure…I doubt she'll mind. Uh…what about the younglings?" They had been hiding in the back seats the whole time.
"I'll take care of them" Bail offered.
"Thankyou".
So it was then that he found himself at Padme's apartment half an hour later.
"Hello, I am C3PO, cyborg human relations, who are you?"
"Threepio let me in, it's me."
"Master Ani! Pleasure to see you, you look terrible."
Anakin rolled his eyes, "Thanks threepio…where's Padme?"
"Asleep on the couch, she's been worried sick."
Anakin quickly made his way to the place where Padme was lying.
He touched her shoulder softly, "Padme?" She looked like she had been crying. Her hands lay protectively over her bearing belly.
Padme's eyes jerked open. She looked off into the distance, before coming to her senses. Her eyes turned to Anakin.
"Ani?"
"Padme, I'm here."
She buried herself into his chest. "God Ani, I was worried sick. The Jedi temple, you can see the smoke from here, what's happened? Something really bad I know, please tell me".
Anakin held her protectively. "The clone armies, they turned on us all. They have killed all Jedi as far as I know…except for Obi-Wan, Yoda and…me…and me and Bail were able to save four younglings."
Padme looked up at Anakin in disbelief. "You mean…there are only…3 Jedi left and only four younglings? But…and you survived…what if you…but…"
"There's more, Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith lord"
"What?" Padme stared at Anakin in disbelief and then she burst into tears.
"I know, I know…Padme, honey its ok. Everything is going to be alright…there's a light in this dark world somewhere."
"I don't see it right now."
"Trust me there is."
Padme looked up again. "Ani, that doesn't sound like you, and this doesn't sound like me." She smiled, "I love you."
"I love you too…Obi-wan is coming here to meet me, very soon."
"Does he know about us?"
"No…he will when he gets here though."
"I apologize in advance then." Padme replied solemnly.
"For what?"
"I don't know…for everything. I don't want you to have to sacrifice everything you love and know for me and the child." Padme answered quietly.
"Padme, don't ever feel like that…it's not your fault. Ok I think he's here."
"Obi-wan!" Anakin and Obi-wan embraced.
"So what now?" Obi-wan asked.
"Well we better sit down. I have some things that I really need to tell you."