George Lucas owns everything Star Wars. Please don't sue me!
Chapter III
"Just hold on Padmé!" Obi-Wan shouted.
"I can't! The baby has to be born now!" Padmé screamed.
"Listen to her Obi-Wan!" Anakin added. "If you know what's best you'll untie me so I can tend to Padmé Obi-wan!"
Obi-Wan wanted to trust Anakin, more than anything. But he couldn't. Not yet at least, it was too soon. Anakin was highly unstable at the moment, and could lose it again on a dime. He would not risk exposing Padmé to that, and especially not her baby as well. "You know I can't do that Anakin!... I'm sorry." Obi-Wan quickly stated while working the controls, trying to push the engines as far as they could safely go.
"Goddamn you Obi-Wan!" Anakin cursed, gritting his teeth.
All of a sudden Obi-Wan's holo communicator went off. Between Padmé's moans and cries, Anakin's rageful screaming, and now the ship's master alarm going off, alerting him the engines were overheating, it had suddenly become just too much. "Blast! This is why I hate flying!" Obi-Wan then tapped a comm. button on the main console. "Artoo! See if you can increase the power!" Obi-Wan said, the small droid whistling in reply as it went to work. Obi-Wan grabbed his communicator and finally answered the call. A holographic image of Yoda's face played across the top.
"Master Yoda, I can't talk right now, I'm delivering a baby!"
Yoda's ears perked up in surprise at the bearded Jedi's answer. Delivering babies wasn't exactly a Jedi's forté. "Senator Amidala's baby would it be, perhaps? Mmm?" The elderly green Jedi Master asked.
"Yes, Master Yoda. We'll be landing on the asteroid station of Polis Massa if you need to reach me," Obi-Wan said pulling back on the throttle and taking the ship out of hyperspace.
A small frown displayed across Yoda's wrinkled features; he was obviously troubled by something. "Meet you there I will..." And with that the transmission ended.
"Padmé, Anakin, I'm starting the landing cycle, we'll be on there momentarily," Obi-Wan said, pushing the starship as fast as it could go. Padmé simply answered Obi-Wan by groaning in agony.
"You should have let me flown!" Anakin growled in response to his wife's groaning, and writhing.
Obi-Wan did his best to shut out all distractions when all of a sudden; warning lights began flickering over the console. According to his display console the engine coolant was failing.
"Artoo! We're having a coolant failure! What's happening?" Obi-Wan demanded. The little droid frood franticly over the comlink. Obi-Wan knew that couldn't be good.
C-3PO then came onto the comm. Translating the little droid's language. "Master Kenobi, I believe Artoo is saying the primary coolant couplings which regulate the flow of engine coolant have de-polarized, Artoo says the repairs are beyond his capabilities, and.. Oh dear.. Artoo says if you don't shut the engines off soon, the ship will explode."
Obi-Wan gritted his teeth, and quickly analyzed his situation; Lets see, in the period of 24 hours, Anakin has turned to the dark side, Palpatine has declared himself Emperor, and re-organized the Republic, the Jedi Order has been destroyed, your closest friends murdered by Anakin, you've fought against Anakin, your brother, Padmé was now in labor, her life, and her unborn child in the balance, and your ship is about to explode. Oh, it just doesn't get any better than this!
Obi-Wan looked over his display console, and could have sworn it said: "Welcome to hell", across it. Taunting him. Obi-Wan shook his head, trying to focus. His console said the engine core temperature was reaching critical. He immediately went over emergency comm. frequencies. "This is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I'm declaring an emergency! My ship's engines have gone critical and will explode if I don't land soon. I'm also transporting a pregnant woman, who's in labor and is in need of immediate medical attention. I need clearance. Over," Obi-Wan urgently stated as he maneuvered Padmé's ship closer towards Polis Massa. Suddenly a voice crackled over the commlink, "Roger Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're clear to land on landing bay 2-6 Alpha. We'll have med teams, and emergency crews standing by."
"Copy, landing bay 2-6 Alpha. Thank you!" Obi-Wan said, maneuvering the ship towards the landing bay. At that moment, Padmé let out excruciating cries of pain, and agony.
"Obi-Wan! The baby's coming now! I can't hold on any longer! It hurts too much!"
Anakin gritted his teeth. "You're killing her Obi-Wan!" He said urgently. He knew if Padmé didn't give birth now, she would have serious complications, and could very well die. His heart raced, he had never been more afraid in his entire life. "Hold on Padmé... Please just hold on!"
"I can't Anakin! Please... Help me!" She said painfully. Clutching onto her stomach, and writhing around in agony. Seeing her like this was too much for Anakin... Is this how she's going to die? Ran through his mind as he pulled hard on the ropes, which kept him, bound from his wife. "I won't let it happen!" He said, as he ripped through the ropes with inhuman strength and rushed over to Padmé.
"Don't worry Padmé! You're going to be just fine. I'm going to help Obi-Wan and land this ship right now so you can deliver our baby!" Anakin said, kissing her on the forehead and turning to head into the cockpit. Padmé grabbed him by his arm to stop him.
"No, Anakin! Stay with me! Please! Obi-Wan's doing fine!" Padmé franticly pleaded to her husband. Tears of pain running down her cheeks. Anakin couldn't deny those eyes, but he had to get the ship docked now. Her life depended on it!
Suddenly, as if on queue the ship rocked hard as it landed in the docking bay. Anakin sighed with relief and picked up his rush and rushed her to the exit ramp and opened it.
Obi-Wan stepped out from the cockpit and to his surprise, saw Anakin holding Padmé in his arms, and then darting out as soon as the ramp was down. Somehow, Anakin had somehow managed to break free and get to Padmé. I should have known nothing could stand in the way of love. Perhaps he's coming back to us after all...
Above the volcanic planet of Mustafar, several Imperial Cruisers exited hyperspace. A small shuttle escorted by several Arc-170 starfighters flew out from the lower hanger of one of the cruisers.
After being escorted down to the planets smoldering atmosphere, the Imperial shuttle landed next to the Separatist complex, which was completely overtaken by lava, and on fire. The boarding ramp descended and Darth Sidious, along with several clone troopers walked down to towards the inferno. Sidious could sense his apprentice was once here, along with his wife, Senator Padmé Amidala, and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Sidious looked down at the flaming Separatist complex and then around and over towards the clone troopers that accompanied him. "Lord Vader is no longer here. Have the cruisers scan the surrounding systems, send out probes, troops! Whatever you have to, to find him!" Sidious spat in his nasally voice as he walked back up the boarding ramp. Followed by the clone troopers accompanying him.
Darth Sidious sat down on the throne inside his private shuttle and entered a state of meditation. Sith masters and apprentices shared strong bonds through the force. A bond not easily broken. And it was this bond, Sidious would use to locate his apprentice and bring him back to him. Anakin Skywalker, the "chosen one", written of in the Jedi prophecies was now his, and he wasn't about to let such a prized jewel go without a fight.
At the same time however, he could feel a great disturbance in the force. Somewhere, something important was happening, important enough to tilt the scales of balance in the galaxy...
Inside a small medical room on Polis Massa, Padmé was lying down on a bed. She was still in labor, and the delivery was running into several different complications.
Several medical droids scurried about, performing different functions. A worried Anakin was clutching onto Padmé's hand. Obi-Wan was on the other side of the medical room, looking in through the glass at the couple. Anakin had literally thrown him out of the medical room, not wanting him to have anything to with bringing his child into the universe. Obi-Wan could sense the rage and hate that still radiated through him, Padmé's labor had only subsided it. He knew Darth Vader was still inside there somewhere. It was a battle only Anakin himself could decide who would win.
Padmé screamed in agony as Anakin told her to push. She was feeling the full force of her labor, as she declined drugs, which would have eased her pain. She was afraid they might have some negative effect on the baby, even though the medical droids said they were perfectly safe. Then again, she wasn't on Cosuscant anymore either.
This wasn't the way she imagined having her baby. Not like this - on a medical bed inside some desolate asteroid station with her Jedi husband, now turned murdering Sith Lord at her side. No, she wanted to have the baby on Naboo, her homeworld, with her beloved Anakin at her side. She had dreamed of it ever since she and Anakin had their secret wedding there. There, beside the lake which they had shared their first forbidden, and innocent kiss three years prior. That was where Padmé wanted to have her baby. However, the Clone Wars, and Emperor Palpatine had stolen that away from her. And this was something she could never get back. And she feared after she gave birth, her husband would once again turn into the mindless monster he was just hours ago.. Or even worse, choose to train their baby as a Sith Apprentice. Little did Padmé know she was about to get the surprise of her life...
She clutched Anakin's hand in an iron grip as she pushed with all her strength. A medical droid was assisting in the delivery. "Just one more push and the baby should be delivered milady, I can already see the head," the droid said, as Padmé clenched her jaw and pushed again.
Anakin watched in amazement as the baby was finally delivered. Anakin could see it was a girl. "It's a girl Padmé! A beautiful baby girl!" Anakin shouted with glee, taking his wife's head in his hands and crying with joy. Padmé was gasping for air.
"Ani... I.. I... We... Have another..." She panted. Anakin gave her a puzzled look and glanced over at the medical droid, which was now handing his daughter to a nurse to be cleaned up. Anakin's heard raced into his throat, fearing something might be wrong with Padmé.
"What does she mean?"
The droid walked back over to Padmé and examined her. "It means she's carrying twins," it calmly stated.
Anakin's eyes went wide, and a dumbfounded expression fell across his features. Twins? Padmé's having twins? Another girl! Anakin looked back over at his wife as she groaned again in pain. He took his mechanical hand and placed it gently up on her cheek, his human hand still holding hers.
"You can do it Padmé... Just.. Push!"
"Easy for you to say!" She yelled as she pushed. "Try living one day as a woman!"
Anakin cringed at the thought, and decided it would be best if he kept his mouth shut until she was finished. Padmé groaned again in pain, instinctively clenching down on Anakin's hand hard enough to break it. Which was exactly what she did.
Anakin could hear the sound of bones cracking, as he yelped out in pain. He couldn't believe Padmé was that strong. Then again, he knew very little about women, and even less about delivering a baby.
Behind the glass, Obi-Wan chuckled as he saw the look on Anakin's face as his hand broke. He should have seen it coming. Obi-Wan only wished he had a camera to record it.
"It's a boy," the medical droid said, handing the baby boy over to a nurse.
Thoughts raced through Anakin's mind, he couldn't believe he was now a father, even more in disbelief he was a father of twins, and much to his surprise they were brother and sister. Anakin was expecting another daughter. But nevertheless, despite the shooting pain in his human hand, this was the most joyous moment in his life.
Padmé let out a sigh of relief and collapsed against the bed, glad the whole ordeal was finally over. That, and she was completely spent, she hardly had the strength to breathe after giving birth to twins.
"Padmé... My hand," Anakin painfully said.
Padmé completely forgot she was still holding onto her husbands now broken hand. She kindly released it from her grip. A small grin forming over her face. "Serves ya right," she said hoarsely.
Once the babies were cleaned up, the medical droid brought the twins over to their parents. Anakin, with his broken hand was much to his disappointment, unable to hold his children. The droid gently laid the crying babies down in Padmé's arms. She made soft cooing noises and rocked her babies gently in her arms. They calmed down after several moments of being held in the security of their mother.
The medical walked over to the new family and pulled out a small electronic notebook. "What are their names?" It said.
Anakin and Padmé had both carefully decided on names for what their child, or in this case twins would be named. They had decided if it was a boy, Luke, a girl, Leia. Though middle names were still up for discussion, and had never really been finalized.
"The girl's name is Leia... Leia Padmé.. Skywalker," Anakin said, quickly improvising his daughter's middle name, by naming it after her mother. Anakin thought it was very fitting.
The droid nodded and turned to Padmé. "And the boy?"
"Luke... Luke Obi-Wan Skywalker."
Anakin shot Padmé a glance, and mouthed "Obi-Wan." Padmé simply shrugged as the droid wrote down the names and went to certify their birth in the records. "We can fix that hand of yours Mister Skywalker," the medical droid said.
Anakin gave Padmé a gentle kiss on the lips, and kissed each of his children on the forehead as he was escorted out by a couple of nurses to get his hand fixed.
Inside his stateroom, onboard the Imperial command ship, Darth Sidious was amerced in a deep state of mediation. He instantly felt a tremor in the force. He no doubt could sense Senator Amidala had given birth to Anakin Skywalker's offspring. But wait... There was more, it wasn't merely one child she had given birth two. But two, he was sure of it. He could sense two distinct new presences in the force. And these children were unusually strong with the force, just like their father.
An evil grin formed across the Sith Lord's ugly old features.
They'll both make excellent Sith apprentices...
At that moment Sidious' eyes popped open - He had found his apprentice; he was on a small asteroid outpost known as "Polis Massa". Sidious tapped a small button on the arm of his throne.
"Admiral Voughn, set course for the asteroid station Polis Massa, there we will find Lord Vader."
It wasn't difficult once he had entered a deep state of meditation. His bond was still strong with his apprentice. Once he had arrived, he would ensure that bond would never be broken. Anakin Skywalker belonged to him now, and he would make sure it stayed way. From now, until eternal damnation.
Sidious permitted himself a small cackle of delight. It was time to enact phase II of his grand scheme, as he closed his eyes, and entered a deep state of meditation, and reached out with the force...