Author Note: Hey guys, if your name isn't amy and you haven't reviewed me recently, then please don't read this, but amy, who reviewed saying that I was 'a huge fan of myself' because I called this story, long awaited, can you possibly just take a moment to read other people's reviews, especially from the prequel 'The Ties That Bind Us' because you will see that many people said they couldn't wait for the sequel. So perhaps next time, you should maybe check your facts first before diving in with such hurtful accusations. I am not a huge fan of my stories because I feel that they aren't anywhere near as good as most of the others on this site, but I'm doing this for fun, not fame! Just remember that next time!
Anyways, for the rest of you, on with the story!
(-o-)
An hour later on platform 3, the group were waiting for their ships that were going to be delivered from the service station under the platform. Padme and Anakin stood off to one side, trying to guess what sort of transport Yoda could possibly be providing for Padme.
"Do you think it's his own personal ship? That would be so cool!" Anakin was saying, geting more and more excited every second.
"Calm down! You're making a fool of yourself," Padme hissed angrily, but Anakin was beyond the point of remaining calm.
She was too busy glaring at the two princes to even bother repeating herself. Lomas caught her looking and excused himself from the other group. His appearance was enough to calm Anakin down, and he put a hand on Padme's shoulder, as though warning her not to do anything stupid.
"Mistress Skywalker, am I right in believing that you are infact my distant cousin?" Lomas asked, trying to make casual conversation. However, Padme was not going to say any more than she needed to, so most of her answers were only one or two words.
"Yep,"
"And you used to be the Senator for Naboo?"
"Yep,"
"And you're the grand-daughter of Borowith and Novalee Naberrie?"
"Yep,"
"I get the distinct impression that you don't like me," he said after a moment and Padme just glared at him. Anakin was slightly taken aback by the formal approach the prince had taken.
Why couldn't he just say 'Don't you like me?' ? Why use 'distinct impression' and stuff?
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Padme replied and her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Anakin's grip on her shoulder tightened, but she ignored him, using the force to block out any pain.
"Is this about what we did to Borowith?" Lomas asked, desperate to uncover the reason for Padme's distrust in him and his family.
"No, actually, its about what you didn't do to my grandfather. He asked you for help and you ignored him after he saved you and your arrogant, pig headed brother from almost certain death."
Oh, interesting! Anakin was suddenly listening intently. So intently infact that he was almost crushing poor Padme's shoulder with his mechanical arm. It was only when he noticed her turning pale, and starting to send him messages through the force of her pain that he realised what he was doing and let go. Padme's breaths became considerably easier as the pain ceased.
However, Anakin never got to find out what had happened between the two families, for at that moment, the platform centre began to open and a platform rose up out of it, carrying the transports that they had all been waiting for. Anakin spotted his trusty starfighter and didn't even wait for the platform to stop moving before he was running up to it. Artoo sat inside the wing, beeping merrily. Looking around, Anakin noticed that Obi-Wan and Scotty were also flying Jedi starfighters, whilst Serena, Luke and Leia were going to pilot the new x-wings. They were dressed in orange jumpsuits with straps and various other vital harnesses and under their arms they carried white helmets with red streaks.
Then Anakin noticed the Millenium Falcon, a flat, circular shaped ship that the Princes had flown in. Han was descending the ramp and asking the Princes to hop on board. He had the Supreme Chancellor's majordomo Chewbacca with him as his new co-pilot and they would obviously be transporting the Princes and Padme to Onderon.
Padme...Padme? Where is she? Anakin looked around anxiously. Padme had been right beside him a moment ago. Now she was gone.
There she is with...what is that?
Padme was standing with Master Yoda beside a small, one person ship. It was sleek, silver and very flash. It was, in a way, a smaller version of Padme's old royal starships that she had owned whilst Queen and Senator, however it was smaller and looked alot faster. Padme was, as intructed by Master Yoda, wearing her old flight outfit with the grey tunic and maroon sleeves and trousers. Her leather boots had been newly polished and her belt buckle shone bright silver in the evening sunlight. She pulled on her helmet which completely covered her face and tucked her long hair in behind it. Then she said a few final words to Master Yoda, climbed in the cockpit and waited for it to close. The cockpit was blacked out, so Anakin could no longer see her. However, when he switched on the radio, he could hear her muttering to herself as she fired up the engines.
Anakin closed his own cockpit and began to do the same, and soon the platform was filled with the deafening sound of engines roaring to life. One by one, the ships began to lift off, the Millenium Falcon first, followed by the x-wings and Jedi Starfighters, and finally Padme's ship last. Once safely into space, the group all set their co-ordinates and entered lightspeed.
And then Anakin relaxed and began to tune his radio into Padme's frequency. Her ship was miles faster than his, and his was the fastest ship in existence. He had never seen a model like hers before and desperately wanted to know what it was and how she had come to get it in the first place.
(-o-)
"What do you want Anakin?" Padme grinned as she saw his frequency come onto the radio. She knew it wouldn't be long before he would contact her. She had seen the look on his face when he spotted her ship and knew he was probably dying to find out what it was.
"Three things actually..." came the reply and Padme raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had expected more.
"Which are?" she invited, but immediately wished she hadn't, for Anakin's answers were said so fast that they all joined together.
"Onewhattypeofshipisthattwohowdidyougetitandthreewhathappenedbetweenyourgrandfatherandtheprinces"
"Whoa! English Anakin please!" Padme exclaimed. She had only managed to hear a few words out of the whole lot. 'Ship...get and grandfather'. However, from those three, she was able to predict the questions and smiled when she found that she was right.
"I said, what type of ship is that? How did you get it? and what happened between your grandfather and the princes?" Anakin repeated a little slower, feeling rather foolish.
"That's better!" Padme joked. "Well firstly, this is a Phoenix. It's a prototype, and it's the only one that has ever been made. Two, Yoda had been having it built secretly as a retirement treat for when he reached 900, and three, I don't really want to talk about that now. Maybe later."
"Sure," Anakin said. He hadn't been paying attention to the last section. He had been too busy imagining Yoda speeding round in Padme's ship to even bother listening to the last bit.
Yoda's retirement treat! Oh my god! It's faster than my ship! How can he possibly pilot it when he retires!
Artoo beeped to tell Anakin that someone else was trying to contact him, so he put Padme on hold for a moment whilst he spoke to whoever it was. Padme didn't mind. She was just enjoying the view of stars whizzing past at impossible speeds. She was already way ahead of everyone else and was thoroughly enjoying her trip.
