Ch. 24
Padme already missed Luke and Leia, even though she hadn't left the Temple's crèche yet. She and Anakin both had an important meeting to attend about reorganizing the Republic and searching out any other Sith that might be in hiding in the galaxy. For the first time ever in the week of the babies' existence, they were to be separated all day from their parents. Padme had been apart from them just one time before that- to attend a funeral for Bail Organa and several other important members of the Republic that had been killed in the attacks. It had been a lovely service, and she and Anakin had agreed it did justice to the lives of the incredible people who had sacrificed so much for the Republic. However, that had been evening, and the twins were sleeping soundly in their own home under the watch of none other than Anakin's old friend Kitster. He had watched them because it suddenly occurred to Anakin and Padme that they didn't really know that many people on Coruscant who weren't or Politicians that would be attending the service. This time, Padme was actually leaving the children in the hands of a stranger, Jedi crèche nurse though she may be, and this worried the young Senator greatly.
Sighing, she gave one last kiss to each of her babies, and after having been assured by Anakin and the nurse that the twins would be fine, she turned and left, unable to prevent tears from forming in her eyes.
"Padme, we'll be back to get them this afternoon, they'll be fine. You don't have to worry so much-"
"I'm sorry Anakin, but you can't blame me … you're always out in the galaxy, always in danger, and I don't even know where… I've gotten used to worrying when I'm separated from those I love."
Anakin hugged Padme, understanding her worry yet still thinking it was a little extreme. The babies were safer in the Jedi crèche than anywhere in the galaxy. In fact, he smiled; they were really safer inside the Jedi Temple than in Padme's own arms back at home. He put his arm around her and they left for the Senate- the meeting was to take place in one of the smaller Senate meeting rooms. All of the Jedi Masters had been asked to attend, as well as many Jedi Knights and older Padawans. Every surviving politician was asked to come, and they assumed that by noting who did in fact arrive, they would be able to tell who was a traitor and who had remained loyal to the Republic. Certainly those who had followed Sidious would have slunk in to hiding by this point, so they knew that whoever showed up at this meeting would be trustworthy. And just in case someone unfaithful did show up, in a room full of Jedi it would be hard for thoughts of betrayal to go unnoticed.
"So we're really going to do this?" Anakin asked Padme, referring to the fact that they had decided that just in case anyone was still uninformed, they would officially announce their marriage and the birth of their children, as well as the change in the Jedi code.
"Of course," she smiled up at him, and he smiled back.
"We're running very late," she noted, though it was useless to worry at this point, they were already on their way. "This way Anakin," she said, leading him through the halls that she knew so well as he wandered aimlessly, completely lost.
"Maybe if you hadn't spent so much time saying goodbye to Luke and Leia, as if we wouldn't see them again in five hours…" Anakin joked, but she didn't seem to find it funny.
"I just feel uneasy leaving them alone without…" She paused, and looked up at him.
"What?" He asked her, looking into her eyes.
"Without you. You're the only one who can fight off… anybody." She mumbled, knowing comments like this only served to bolster her husband's pride.
"I'm powerful Padme, but I'm not indestructible," he laughed, surprising them both with this show of at least some humility.
"You've grown up, Ani," she teased him, leaning in to his shoulder as they walked.
"You shouldn't let yourself think that everything's safe only when I'm around," he continued. "Something could happen to me, you know. I know it's not likely but you have to feel strong on your own. And don't pretend that you can't survive on your own- you are one of the strongest willed people I know, and its part of why I love you so much. You can be scary too, you know," he smiled.
"I know Anakin, I know, I just… let's not think about that right now."
They arrived at the door, and could hear that the meeting was already underway. Anakin could feel Obi Wan's annoyance at his lateness radiating from the room, but he could only laugh, knowing that Obi Wan wasn't really angry. Padme reached to open the door. "Wait," Anakin put his hand to hers, stopping her. He felt a very strange presence in the room, a dark presence, much like that of Sidious but far weaker. It was as if someone was halfway there, not quite a Sith but… "An apprentice," Anakin said.
"Ani, what are you talking about?"
"And a weak one, too. Padme, someone did betray the Jedi, only it wasn't me…and he's still here, parading around as a hero. I can feel the suppression of the Force around this room…" The anger and sense of betrayal was obvious in Anakin's voice. "Force, they should have killed Palpatine right away. He had time to send this one orders, I can tell, how could they be so stupid!"
"Anakin, please, don't do anything rash."
"Don't worry Padme," He smiled at her, that mischievous, cunning smile that she loved and hated at the same time. "When have I ever been rash?"
Anakin, sensing the darkness grow stronger, burst into the room, plunging his saber in the direction of the dark presence.
The entire room gasped as Anakin Skywalker burst into the room and struck down a young Jedi, everyone convinced that he had finally gone crazy or given in to the dark side. Anakin fished a light saber hilt out of the robes of the Jedi. He ignited it- blue. He sighed, frustrated, and, always able to shock people beyond comprehension, pulled a second blade out of the robes- bright, glowing red.
"Honestly, doesn't anyone use the Force anymore?" Anakin said casually, daring to crack the joke as he threw the hilt of the Sith blade down on the table and plopped himself into a chair. Padme simply sat down shakily next to him, her hand having never left his arm the entire time since he burst in the door.
The room was absolutely silent. Obi Wan stared at his former apprentice. It was absolutely shocking that no other Jedi in the room had felt it- but there it was, physical evidence of a Sith's apprentice right in their midst. What was more, Anakin was now pulling other, more obscure, Sith torture devices and weapons from the belt of the young ex-Jedi, just as if it was a regular days work. The most amazing thing was that the second Anakin had struck down the young man, Obi Wan felt the Force lighten. It was as if a darkness had been there that no one had even noticed- as if they had lived with it for a long time. He knew that the other Masters felt it too, all were looking around bewildered, shocked, and despite themselves utterly impressed with Anakin.
"So about hunting down any remaining Sith… looks like we covered that one well," Anakin continued.
"Anakin," Padme's tone warned him to stop.
"You're right, I'm sorry…. Well, now that that's done with, shall we continue the meeting?"
"Anakin," Obi Wan began, "How did you… how did you know?"
"Sensed it," Anakin replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "In truth, what I believe is that I just spent more time around the dark side than any of you- the moments in which I wavered on that edge got me more closely acquainted with the subtlety of the dark side. I was able to sense his presence because I myself have approached that feeling internally at one time- you all were searching only for a signal that would be much stronger, like in a Sith Lord." The Jedi Masters were quiet- but everyone in the room could tell that this explanation made sense to them.
"Well Anakin, it looks as if you've saved my life for the 12th time now," Obi Wan sighed, smiling at his Padawan.
"Well who's to say he would have killed you? Who was this anyway?"
"A Padawan, it seems. But none of ours. Killed in the battle, his Master must have been." Yoda spoke for the first time.
"Probably by his Padawan," Anakin added, and Yoda nodded.
"Perhaps, a trial of all Jedi there should be. To test allegiances," Yoda suggested.
"Or just set Anakin loose on everyone and see what happens," Obi Wan suggested, actually half serious, and despite themselves, many people laughed.
"I doubt that Sidious could have penetrated the Order more than once or twice," Anakin said. "If anyone else is working for him, I suggest that they are most likely on the Outer Rim."
"Agree with Young Master Skywalker, I do," Yoda said.
A Senator turned to Obi Wan and Anakin. "You two have served us beyond your duty already- but your success is unrivaled. It seems to me that it would make the most sense for you two to search out any other Sith apprentices on the Outer Rim."
"That actually brings me to something that I would like to discuss," Anakin answered him. "I have… a confession to make," he said, and the politicians in the room all turned to him. Most of the Jedi already knew, but the Politicians, to smart to believe tabloid headlines, still didn't know about their colleague's marriage to the Jedi hero. "Many of you probably saw the headline in last week's paper, the morning after the attacks, announcing that I was married to Senator Amidala."
Many people in the room began murmuring, most simply denouncing the gossip central that Coruscant had become and still not entirely sure what the young Jedi was about to 'confess' to them.
"Well," Anakin paused, looking at Padme. "It's true. Many of you already know this, but we wanted to confirm any doubts. We have been married for three years, and last week, Padme gave birth to our twins, Luke and Leia." Before anyone could even bring up the code, Anakin continued to explain the situation. "The code has been altered- it seems that Padme and my relationship has proven that attachment can be a good thing- I assure you that without her love and the coming birth of our children, I would have found it very difficult to resist Sidious when he tried to turn me- it is hard to say whether or not I would have held out against him so strongly. Attachment and love are no longer forbidden. On that note, Padme and I are going to take at least a week off to go to Naboo to see her family. After that, we do plan to live on Coruscant with our children and we will both be serving the galaxy loyally again. Our children are Force sensitive and we intend for them to be raised as Jedi. I am sorry for deceiving you all this time, but it was necessary with the conflict in the galaxy. Now, in this time of peace, we no longer have to hide."
He paused, and again the room was silent. Even the Jedi, who had known the basic details, were still amazed to learn the marriage had been going on for three years. The politicians were incredulous- only a few had even noticed that Senator Amidala was pregnant. She was one of the most well respected Senators- and the fact that she would be sneaking around with a Jedi, much less Anakin Skywalker, was certainly difficult for them to comprehend.
"You're obviously both very good at lying," one Senator began, "how are we to know that we can trust you now?"
"That is a good question, Senator," Padme began, again the very serious Senator. "But I can assure you, we never lied about anything involving our work. It was only personal- you're married yourself, you must understand that love is impossible to ignore. And we kept the secret because of our loyalty to our work- it would have been an enormous scandal for the Senate and especially the Jedi Order- the last thing we needed in such a time of turmoil was for the Republic to have its own personal problems to deal with. It would only have made us weaker."
"Many of us were going to suggest you serve as the First Chancellor of the New Republic," began another Senator. However, he said nothing more, unsure of his point.
As if voicing his thoughts, a female Senator spoke. "Why would Senator Amidala still not be an effective Chancellor? Many of us have families to attend to, and we all manage to serve faithfully. Her marriage is not illegal- the Code was changed. I still move to nominate Senator Amidala as Chancellor."
"But she has bean sneaking around scandalously with a Jedi for three years- even since he was still a Padawan. Do we want someone with so little self-control, such impulsiveness, serving us?" Asked another Senator.
"In Padme, er, Senator Amidala's defense, she tried to suppress our relationship at all costs, knowing the disaster of the situation," Anakin jumped at the chance to defend his wife. "It was only when we were sentenced to death, being led out to a stadium to be killed, that she admitted to her love for me- she thought that before we died, I should know. When we survived that, much thanks to Padme I might add, how could we have ignored a mutual love that we had both admitted to? You must all agree that it was better for us to keep it a secret than to further divide the Senate and the Jedi Order?"
"I agree," said another Senator, and most of the room voiced their agreement that they would have handled the situation in much the same way.
"Senator Amidala, we had in mind as well, for Chancellor," Yoda said. Many of the Senators have silent recognition that they still wanted Padme as Chancellor.
Padme was flattered, but not completely surprised. Before she had found out about her pregnancy, she had been planning to run for Chancellor during the next elections. However, at the same time Padme found out about her pregnancy, Palpatine gave himself even further emergency powers, and both of these things deterred her from even thinking about running. No elections were ever held, and the thought had gone to the back of her mind. However, she knew that she had had many supporters in the Senate, in fact almost unanimous support from the Senators who remained pure from Palpatine's corruption. But she didn't know if she could handle being Chancellor and raising her children.
"I will have to consider your generous offer," Padme began. "I am incredibly honored to be considered for the position, and the Senator in me accepts without further thought. However, I now have children to think about. I would like to be able to adjust to life with them, and then decide if I can handle being Chancellor. I again apologize for keeping this from all of you- it was, I will admit, disrespectful, but there was simply no other way to handle it, especially for Anakin. In the mean time, perhaps someone else should hold the position."
"We won't be able to re-organize the government fully for some time- battles still are breaking out in the Outer Rim, and the Jedi must attend to them. Many planets must find new representatives for this Republic- far too many Senators are dead or missing. It will be several months, at least. Would this be enough time?"
"I don't know," Padme replied. "I won't know until I've lived it with my children. But I hope so- this is obviously a once in a lifetime opportunity. The children have to spend time at the Temple even at this early of an age, so it may be that we are out of the house at the same time."
"In the mean time," said Obi Wan, "we must send many of the Jedi who remain on Coruscant out to the Outer Rim. I think that in terms of the government, the Senators who are here should try to work collectively to organize things, including elections on each planet that is now missing its representative."
"I agree. We should meet again in another week- until then, I see nothing further to discuss. Any need for an emergency meeting should be addressed right away, and everyone present in this room should be informed," said a politician of some importance.
"In the mean time, be very careful," Mace said, "as Master Skywalker has just proved, there could be traitors everywhere. Don't wander around alone, and don't trust anyone fully, even those around us in this room.
"Anakin and I will be taking a week off," Padme began, "If you need to contact us, contact the Royal Palace of Naboo. I will make sure that the queen is safe and talk to her about our own government. I suggest you each contact your own planets and discuss with the leaders there the turn of events. Also, give a public address to the people of your planets to keep them updated."
"Thank you for your understanding in all of this," Anakin said.
With that, Anakin and Padme parted to go back to the apartment and pack, and then pick up the twins. Just another hour later, they were on Anakin's starship heading for Naboo, the four of them alone together for the first time.
Hi! Ok I'm thinking one or two more chapters. As to my name, the person who talked about seward, alaska was the closest but i've never lived there. when sec. of state william seward purchased alaska,everyone criticized him andcalled it seward's folly because they thought it was a stupid purchase b/c it was all ice and cold- then they all felt really dumb later when it turned out ot be a brilliant purchase on a number of levels. anyway, random history fact, and i honestly have nothing to do with alaska i never have lived there or anywhere near there its just something i learned and i thought it was cool. why am i saying this? I don't even know.
Review! Thanks for all the great ones.