About: This is the revelation of Padme Amidala's death from The Swarm War (for those who don't know, the third book in the Dark Nest Trilogy) from Luke's perspective, plus the revelations are from the film instead of the novelization.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars.
Swarm War
Revelation: Luke's Perspective
Luke let out a long breath. "Okay." He turned to Artoo. "Show me the holo where my mother dies."
Artoo issued a questioning trill.
"We're going to battle either way," Luke said. "If you don't want to end up navigating slave ships for Lomi Plo, you've better start where we left off last time."
Artoo gave a plunging whistle, then rocked forward and activated his holoprojector. The image of Padmé, Anakin, and Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared on the floor, Padmé choking, Anakin extending an arm towards her, and Obi-Wan approaching Anakin.
"Let…her…go," Obi-Wan was ordering.
Anakin lowered his arm and Padmé fell to the floor unconscious. Anakin glared at Obi-Wan.
"You turned her against me!" Anakin accused.
"You've done that yourself," Obi-Wan replied.
The pair left the holo as Artoo retreated and turned away from them. For a moment, their voices can be heard arguing in the background, slowly fading as Anakin declared his understanding of the 'Jedi lies'. Then, their voices faded entirely as Padmé's crumpled form returned to the holo, lying on a metal deck.
Luke shook uncontrollably, because staring at his mother's fallen form pained him more than any wound he had suffered.
Artoo extended a grasping appendage and started to drag Padmé's unconscious form to safety.
From somewhere out of the holo, C-3PO's voice called, "What are you doing? You're going to hurt her! Wait!"
The distant sounds of a lightsaber fight arose somewhere outside the holo, and Luke understood.
It was the lightsaber fight that ultimately made Darth Vader the half-machine he became.
C-3PO appeared and carefully took Padmé in his arms. He started toward the slick-looking skiff they've seen in the last holo, with Artoo following close behind, beeping.
"I am being careful!" C-3PO said. "I've a good hold on her, but I'm worried about my back. I hope it's able to hold up under this weight.
C-3PO entered the skiff and laid Padmé on a bed in a stateroom. The holo blurred as Artoo advanced it quickly through several minutes of watching her lie there; then Obi-Wan, looking thoroughly battleworn, arrived to check on her and brush her hair back.
He had won against Vader.
The holo flickered off for an instant, then restarted at the observation room of an operating theater. Obi-Wan was there with C-3PO, master Yoda and a man Luke recognized from old holos as Bail Organa, Leia's adoptive father. A medical droid entered the observation room and began to speak to Obi-Wan and the others.
"Medically, she's completely healthy," the droid sounded, surprisingly, sad. "For reasons we can't explain, we're losing her."
"She's dying?" Obi-Wan sounded disbelieving.
"We don't know why," the droid's voice sounded anguished this time. "She has lost the will to live. We need to operate on her if we are to save the babies."
"Babies?" Bail Organa repeated.
"She's carrying twins," the droid replied.
Obi-Wan touched his chin in thought. Did he also look a bit sorrowful?
The holo fast-forwarded to show Obi-Wan standing in the medical theater beside Padmé, who was lying on the operating table. She cried as her face contorted in pain.
The medical droid passed Obi-Wan a tiny bundle. Obi-Wan carried the bundle to Padmé to let her see…
"Luke," Padmé stroked the baby boy's forehead lovingly, and the baby cooed. "Oh, Luke."
Luke's heart pained at sight. He unconsciously touched the spot on his forehead where his mother had touched him 54 years ago.
Mom…
Padmé cried again, and a baby's voice, not Luke's, joined. The droid took a baby bundle in its hands.
"It's a girl," Obi-Wan told Padmé.
"Leia," Padmé also stroked Leia's forehead.
Padmé stopped crying and she looked, albeit without focus, at Obi-Wan, "Obi-Wan…there's good in him. I know…I know there's still…"
Padmé sighed and she lay back.
Luke did not even know the recording ended there. He was still fingering the area where his mom had lovingly touched years ago.
Mom…
Luke.
The voice sounded from nowhere, yet everywhere. It sounded as if it came from the place where Obi-Wan is…from where Obi-Wan communicated with him when he was dying on Hoth, when Yoda had discouraged him from rushing to Cloud City recklessly.
Yet, it was his mother's voice.
Luke, hold on. Hold on.
Yes, mother.
Artoo tweedled a question.
Jacen replied, "Thank you, Artoo. That's all we need to see."
End
Thanks for reading! Comments are much appreciated!