The Price of Freedom

Disclaimer: I do not have any affliation with the Star Wars saga or George Lucas.

Spoilers: None

The cool breeze touched her dark green cheeks, as had escaped the cold warmth of the exterior of the building that stood for little over a millenium. Her father had often spoke of its elegance, when he had still been alive. He had once lived on Coruscant for a few brief years, it had been where he had met her mother, the charming but poor handmaiden of one of the lady senators of the Narix system.

Her father had betrayed many by his marriage to a woman of common means. He was a man of nobility, a man of clear status. He was a Duke of Arkellia. He had not been the least bit interested in the threats that his family had poses to him. The loss of a title would be nothing compared to the loss of his true love, or so he had told her whenever the time had come for a bed night's story. It had been her favourite story of the young nobleman's honourable love for a woman of lesser means.

Her mother barely spoke of it, and when she had it would be with a light lime hint that crossed her cheeks in embarassment of the situation and the dramatic words that were used to describe the everlasting romance. Her mother was a bit more of a realist than her father had ever been. Her mother did not like the titles or the rewards of being a Duchess, it was more of a problem than a resolution to any of the social hierarchal problems that existed on Arkellia.

It was not appealing, her mother in a tone of near sadness replied once to one of the woman who in her appearance was nothing more than a chambermaid. An elderly woman who had seen better times, before the wars that had in its own time plagued the forgotten jewel of the Republic. The woman in her own miserable way had laughed, clapping her wrinkled hand against her mother's back in denial of the words.

The woman, had smiled, a soft wink that took hold of her violet eyes had stated in words that were neither venomous or kind that it was better than what many woman had been able to obtain. Especially women who were born far below the status that they gained in marriage, before she had headed back to the laundry room where in the gruelling hours of her final moments in life, she had tenderly folded the cloths that would be placed on her parents' bed.

Her mother had died, when she had been nothing more than a school girl. A girl of perhaps eight or nine. Her father in his own tears had shut himself off to the world, only to come out to revel in the few duties that the royal family had ordered him, in their tyrannical way to do or else suffer the rites of blood. They had killed him. They had killed her father anyway. The most faithful servant they had, they had killed. The King in his own grisly tone had sharply called it as treason act displayed by Duke Juit that by the means of blood had to be removed. She had been lucky to have survived the siege. She had watched her entire family slaughtered by the cruel Arkellian palace guards who in their search for her, had tireless given up on the fourth night leaving her alone with nothing more than haunted memories.

The Ekerts had not cared much for the ransom of truth, it had been one of their fralities. The palace guards she had heard from one of the kindly handmaidens who had discovered her, soaked in the blood of her father, had told the Ekerts that she too was dead, but out of respect for her youth had been burned away quickly so that the Arkellian gods and goddesses would not spite them for their actions against an unarmed child.

Freedom Fighters, supporters of her father had taken her in when they had ravaged the ground looking for evidence that her father had kept from the royal family, out of distaste for the brutal genocides that in the quietest hour began to rumble loudly. He had joined with them, Joola Niu had informed her when he had fallen into the forbidden loop of information. That was what had cost him his life, the knowledge and the fact that he was rebel, and plotting the take down of the Ekert family line.

She had stared at the beauty of the woman that in her own sleep had casted upon the desk. She had heard the rumours of the woman who in her own nightly habits had never allowed herself much relaxation, and often looked tired beyond the means of a normal person. She had felt bad for the woman, she was not to blame for any of the problems, but the mission required that her blood be taken. That her life be removed to avoid any more hereditary problems that the Ekerts had placed onto the strained and forgotten militia world.

As long as the woman was fertile she was a threat to everything that in her own crusade against the darkness that the Ekerts had forced against her people. A child of Ropa Ekert would be a threat to anyone no matter the charismatic charm that the mother possessed, that would be drained eventually through the marriage leaving the woman the husk of a being that once knew passion and love for something that could complete her. Ropa Ekert did that to many women, though he had never married or spawned any children with any of the women he had taken roughly into his bed. Any offspring of Ropa Ekert would be like him, no matter what maternal breeding was chosen to bear the child.

She had frowned, slipping the small hand blaster out of her satin purse. It would be quick at least. No struggle or look of fright before the trigger sent death into the air. It would at least be peaceful and not that many people got the luxury to die in their sleep. The dark gray blaster dropped from her hand, as she bent down in pain allowing a deep scream to escape her breath, as she grasped at her stomach.

The man had not smiled or frowned but picked her up to examine her over carefully though doing nothing that would warrant her delay in death. He had questioned her silently, as the wave of death finally brushed over in a spasm of light and darkness. Her voice in the seizure of death had vowed the promise of return, of more men and women who in their fight for a cause would come to finish the senator of Naboo and in one case or another would accomplish it.

"Padme, this is the third time, I order your immediate leave of the senate until we can find a successful resolve to the assassination attempts on your life. I will even go to Master Yoda and Windu and have them put in place a few Jedi to protect you." He had stated, tracing his scarred fingers over her hand. She had shook her head, pulling away from his touch. He had frowned. It did not matter what she had wanted, he was temporarily in charge until the senate election of a new chancellor to replace the menace of Palpatine's rule, and she would have to respect his rule no matter the age old tie of friendship that binded them together.

She had fervently shook, angered by the idealistic remarks of Bail Organa. She had protected herself skillfully since the Battle of Genosis. Anakin had taught her to protect herself, before in a lingering feeling of disturbance he had left her to fight in the Clone wars, to only briefly see her spouse. Bail had shuddered at the dark thought, as he pulled the woman who lay dead on the ground up onto his shoulders.

"I will have two Jedi that you are farmiliar with stationed with you. Perhaps your friends Jedi Masters Anakin Skywalker and Obi - Wan Kenobi, if it makes you feel any better about my decision." Bail replied softly. "I know that it angers you but think about those two children that you took into your home, how would they feel if the woman who has raised them as though she was their mother were to die."

She had nodded, the fact was undenialable. Luke and Leia needed her, she was the only thing that did not just come and go swiftly in and out of their lives and Anakin could not easily care for them even though he truly loved them like any father loved his children. The Jedi Order would not allow him to play the role of father, it was forbidden. The entire being of the Skywalker family was forbidden, but would remain safe as long as they were not discovered for their true connections.

"I trust that you will have Masters Skywalker and Kenobi dropped off at my senate apartment later tonight." Padme had sighed, at least she would see her husband, the man that in his own tenderness had caused her so much pain at their parting when the question of the length of time they would have to wait before being in one another presence again crossed her mind.

"Yes, Padme." Bail had said, shuffling his feet as he had made his way clumsily through the door with the heavy weight of the dead assassin with him.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: I may not post any new chapters for this story or Back to the Future for awhile, I am unfortunately swamped with school work. I will hopefully be back writing by Thursday or Friday. :(. I was thinking about something and I would love to hear some of your enlightened thoughts on the questions I have. Do you think that Padme and Anakin were actually trying to get pregnant during the Clone wars or was it a surprise that it even happened? My second question being really inappropriate, do you that in a logical sense that Nubian woman were virgins before marriage and if so are they allowed any form of contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancy from occuring? I know these questions sound odd, but part of my story actually dabbles with these, although it is light and I would love to hear your feedback.