AN Part I

Come on! Can't anybody guess who these people are? Oh, well. By the end of the chapter you'll know. I was going to delay the info till later but I thought some people maybe were quitting reading cause of my OCs.

The Naboo sun rises early, sending waves of soft orange light filtering through the windows. It edges along every crack and crevice, finding small gaps to fill, places to hide in the empty house that I didn't know existed.

The woman wakes up first, I think. I hear thumping and banging in the room, and hurry up to see what the problem is. "Let us out," says the woman, "at least—my son. Please. My son, he hasn't done anything, he's a baby! You can't hurt a baby!"

I slide the bolt open and crack the door. Tentatively, I poke my head in. The woman rains blows on my head as her husband in the corner struggles to stand.

Furious and a little scared, I grab her wrists and tug her out. "Now—" her husband begins to say something as he pulls himself towards the door. I bolt the door, just quickly enough because a moment later I hear his body slam against the hard wood and a little moan of pain. "Yausta?" he calls anxiously, "Yausta, are you there?"

"I'm fine," she says, her voice wobbly with fear. She closes her eyes a little and bites her lip, and I relax my grip ever so slightly. She is an older woman after all, and I wouldn't want to hurt her.

I pull her down to the kitchen. She puts up every bit of resistance she has, but I pull her easily into a high backed wooden chair and force her into it. "Sit," I command, the voice that is not mine growling out the words for me.

She trembles and bobs her head. When I move my artificial hands away, she rubs her arms, already beginning to bruise. "I want to call my daughters," she says softly, looking at her wrinkled hands.

I turn and look out the window.

This woman is old. If she doesn't die directly because of me (Force don't let that happen) she might get a heart attack or something from stress. I should let her speak to her family.

"No," I say harshly. "They'll see you when you broadcast my demands. There's no need."

"Please—"

I do not answer. I pivot swiftly on my heel and lean forward so that my face is about two feet from hers. I shudder involuntarily at the fear in her face. She is afraid of you. You did this.

I move back, trembling. "Can I at least get the baby?" she squeaks, wringing her hands.

I frown and consider. I don't want to leave the child by himself without his mother. On the other hand, I don't want to give the couple a chance to communicate.

"I'll retrieve him," I say hastily, before I can think things through too much. "But I expect to find you in the exact same spot when I return. If you aren't—I am armed. I will know if you move. I can use the Force."

Her dullish eyes widen, with what I can't tell. Disbelief, understanding, curiosity—I don't know. Maybe everything. "Are you—are you a Jedi?" she inquires in a hushed tone, "I knew there was an uprising, but—"

I glare at her for an instant, disgusted, then abruptly move away. "No," I say, seemingly indifferent. "I am not a Jedi. I have never been a Jedi. I never will be a Jedi. The Jedi were good people."

My voice rises in volume as I speak, until I'm shouting at the end. I breathe deeply, inhale exhale, before marching up the stairs, listening to the creak and crack of the wood as my stiff metal legs pound into it.

I pause at the top and feel for the woman in the kitchen. She sits in the same place, tense and trembling. Satisfied she won't try to run away, I turn to the room once again and unbolt it.

I walk in all the way this time. But this time it is the man who throws himself at me. My reflexes are slower from lack of sleep. With a feral yell, he jumps at me and slams his fist into my stomach and neck before I reach out with the Force and toss him to the side where he lays groaning with pain for a minute and then falls still.

Calmly, I walk to the corner where the man was huddled before I came in. A bundle of blankets pokes a fist out and shrieks with anger, or hunger. Gently, I reach down and scoop the child up. Urgh. He needs changing.

The boy's eyes meet my own, startlingly blue and piercing. I scowl furiously and look away. I can't kill you, I can't, I can't, don't make me!

Roughly, I push the child to my side. I dangle him in one huge mechanical hand. He shrieks so loud and long I feel my eardrums pulsating with it. I fairly run back to the mother. When I enter the room though, she jumps out of the chair and runs to meet me, snatching the boy from my hands.

"Do you even care?" she says, sounding genuinely curious, "Do you care, one bit what happens to us?" She plays with the baby's fingers as she speaks, and his wails quiet to shuddering gasps.

"Of course I care," I snap, "That's why I'm holding you for ransom instead of killing you outright."

She ignores me, choosing instead to answer her own question. "No, you don't care, do you?" she muses thoughtfully, her voice croaking out each individual syllable "You couldn't. You're a monster. But I suppose it can't be entirely your fault. They do say…"

Behind the mask, I feel my face twisting. I am not a monster. I'm just protecting my family, like you would! I am not.

She moves towards the cabinets, and impulsively, I sweep after her.

She doesn't even turn around. "I need to feed him," she says calmly, reaching up with one hand and grabbing a jar of baby food.

"You'll need to ask my permission for that."

"I am going to feed him."

"Later. We need to make our broadcast now."

"You mean I need to make your broadcast," she says spitefully.

"Say it however you want. It doesn't make a difference. You can eat later. Sit down."

She drops the glass jar to the floor where it shatters into a mountain of glass shards and mashed food. As she squeals and darts toward her vacated seat, the boy wails and shudders, gasping for breath every so often. The frail cries fall into me. Luke…What if someone was doing this to Luke?

Someone could do it to Luke if I don't do this right now.

Padme, Obi-wan, I'm so sorry. Luke, Leia…I'm sorry. I won't let them hurt you, I promise. I love you all. I do.

Each scream is like a knife, reminding me how awful this is. I shouldn't have to do this! A solitary tear falls from my eyes, thankfully hidden by the mask.

I want to scream right along with the child, I want to be able to solve everything by howling, I want to be young enough to vent my frustration like that. I want to cry forever and melt away into my own mothers arms.

Anakin!

Qui-Gon? A mixture of relief and new anxiety. I don't want him to see me like this. But I guess this isn't really any worse than anything else I've been doing the past month or so. I don't know what to do. I can't kill them. I don't want to. But then I have to. Please tell me what to do.

I realize from the look of horror on the old woman's face that I am speaking out loud. I don't care.

I cannot tell you what to do. Use the Force as your guidance. Feel the Living Force, you will see what must be done, before the end.

The end?

Anakin…you are still a Jedi knight. Don't be afraid.

Qui-Gon?

But the connection is broken and I am alone once again.

"What—what do you want me to say?"

Who's speaking? Vaguely I turn to the direction of the voice, but it's no one, just the woman who's giving me a choice I don't think I can make.

I pull out my holopad and begin typing.

My name is Yausta

"What's your last name?"

"….Limantay."

Limantay. I have been a loyal citizen of Naboo for many years. Last night my husband, son and I were assaulted in our own homes by a monster who claims to have no political loyalties or loyalties to any particular state, but instead has his own agenda. It is his wish that Naboo meet a quota of 1 billion citizen to join the Imperial Army, an organization he

"Will you please shut that baby up? I'm trying to write."

"Hush, little one. Hush."

The sobs continue, and instead of wanting to join them, I am tired and weak from the sound of them. It would be so good to go to sleep. Just sleep….

I need him to quiet down!

I reach out through the Force and feel for his mind. It is so young it does not seem to recognize me for what I am, allowing me to enter and send feelings of comfort and peace. He quiets down almost immediately, falling into a peaceful sleep.

"Much better."

wholly approves us. Please help, Citizens of Naboo! He will kill us all if his demands are not met quickly. My son is an infant, not yet a year old. Please do not let your personal feelings cause the death of this child. I cannot tell you where I am located, and the camera recording and transmitting this is set so it s untraceable. I will be released along with my husband, who is upstairs, injured, and my son, when the demands are met. Please do not force us to die!

Silently, I push it to her. She reads it, bites her lip a little, and turns to me.

"I will not beg for my life."

"You will unless you want to be dead, and your son with you."

She nods silently. She believes me. Maybe it's because I'm telling the truth? Force, no…

I set the recording equipment up. She stares straight into the lens and speaks, stumbling a little as she speaks about her son. As I move to turn off the recording device, which has been steadily broadcasting to the Queen in Theed, I see she is still speaking.

"Please, my darling daughters…if you see this—I love you so much—Tell the kids I love them too. I hope to see you again. My dears…Sola, Padme, darlings, your father and I love you so much…"

Oh, no.

AN Part II

Once again I have been very late in my delivery of these chapters. A who week! Wow, a new record. Is the theme of Anakin inadvertently hurting family getting old? I hope not, because this is necessary to what will happen at the ending. So please bear with me for a while here, this particular bit shouldn't be overly long. Long weekend coming up, too. Please review. If we keep going with the pattern, they should skyrocket this chapter. You reviewers are the best thing ever ever ever and I love you all to bits. Please please review because you are te greatest ever. I tried to make this a bit more darker without getting over dramatic, and I have decided to give it a happy ending because its been so darn angstful all along.