FROM THE ASHES

Chapter 16

Padme lay covered in a dark blanket, considering her next move. She knew she had her blaster safely hidden and thought about using it to hijack Gerapaline's ship. But then who would fly it? What if she were outnumbered and killed? She had to bide her time for the right moment, her mother and the babies needed her. When the ship finally stopped, she had no idea if they had left the planet or even what system they were on. She played limp as they carried her inside a building and she heard the door shut. Silence. She waited a few more minutes to make sure no one was going to do anything, then she slowly raised the blanket and looked around. It was a very dark room, and in the corner was her mother. She had been badly beaten. She was bloody and it appeared her limbs were broken. "Mother? Is that you?" Padme said quietly. Hearing this, her mother turned her head and moaned.

"Padme, is that you? Is it really you?"

"Mother!" She hurried to her side and sat next to her, holding her broken body in her arms. Turning her face toward her, she noticed that her eyes were gone! Padme was full of anger and disgust at this. "Mother, how could they do this to you! What happened? Where are the babies?"

Her voice sounded strange, she was having a hard time speaking since all her teeth had been knocked out. "He has them, he is using them to bargain...they said they wouldn't hurt me, they only needed me to take care of the babies..I tried to hang on for the babies...I was so upset about Ruwee..your father..they killed him.."

"I know, I saw him, how, why!"

"This is Gerapaline, who owned the hospital and rehab center you had shut down. As you know he is a ruthless and crooked businessman, the worst Naboo has known in my lifetime. He had a huge crime syndicate going and now he's lost it all. I always knew he was evil, now he has snapped. You were right to be scared when you saw he'd escaped... he was after you for having him arrested..."

"Mother, I am sorry, it's all my fault.."

"No it is not! You tried to do what was right, you fought for good, he is the one who is wrong. You didn't know..."

Padme was crying from her deepest breath and soul. "Mother, I can't help it.. I blame myself...but I won't let them do this..."

"Be quiet, dear, or this will happen to you. They beat me because I tried to reason with them, to change their minds, to make them feel guilty.. they tried to do experiments on me. They put out my eyes then tried to replace them with their mechanical ones that do not work." She raised her head and it was then that Padme noticed the horrendous damage to her mother's face. She gasped, then begain to cry.

"They did it because of me, oh mother...I cannot deal with this...how can I save you now..."

"You cannot, Padme, I am dying."

"No, you can't be, not you, too!" She cradled her mother's bloody head on her lap. I love you, mother."

"I love you too, Padme. My good girl, my beautiful, grown up daughter...you've always been so good. I know you will do whatever you can to save my...your..babies. Don't let him have them. Don't let him hurt you. You must get away, you must stop him."

"I promise, Mother!"

"Padme, when the babies are older, tell them about me, how much I loved them."

Padme was heartbroken and in tears. "I..I will, we will never forget you."

"Padme, one more thing, please, be kind to Master Skywalker, he loves you so." Padme was surprised her mother would use her dying words to speak for Anakin. "Do not judge him too harshly, it was only his love that led him the way he went. Love does strange things to people. He loves you, please.." Padme just nodded.

"Mother, you are not dying, do you hear me?"

"I love you Padme, tell Sola and Ryoo and Pooja...Luke and Leia.."

"You are too good a woman, mother, you don't deserve this."

"Hold me, Padme, it hurts..so..Goodbye, I love you."

"I LOVE you." Padme said as she held her mother, crying. After awhile, she realized she was no longer breathing, but she still couldn't let go. Padme sat motionless, holding her mother as her body turned cold. "Why did she have to die?" She whispered.

Anakin ran around Mos Eisley, trying to find a way off Tatooine. He couldn't find anyone to take him in exchange for work. Looking back toward the cantina, he had an idea. He'd have to win a ship by gambling, perhaps by cheating. This didn't make him feel any better about himself, but it did cross his mind. It also sent a chill through him to think he would have to fly it himself. He had not flown since that night when he landed on Mustafar, and felt he could never bring himself to fly again. The great star pilot was so traumatized he had developed an aversion to flying, he felt a strong avoidance at the very thought of him back in a cockpit, controlling a spacecraft, or even a speeder. He started to go into one of his spells, but tried to pull himself back. He ran to the nearest brick wall and clutched it, breathing heavily, and trying to get ahold of himself. The thought of Padme, her mother and the babies being in such danger only served to make his fear worse, but he had to overcome it, and soon. Finally he turned back toward the cantina, making up his mind he was going to have to cheat some crooked pirate out of his ship.

Meanwhile, Obiwan was in transit to Tatooine in his starfighter. He knew that it wasn't going to be big enough for the both of them even if he did find Anakin, but he had no choice at the time. As he set down to land in Mos Eisley space port, he groaned to himself at the despicable sight. "Mos Eisley spaceport." He said to R2, who had to replace a broken R4 on this journey. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

Padme sat holding her mother's bloodstained body, stroking her bloody hair and gently rocking her back and forth as she had done when she was a baby. Memories and images filled her mind, anything to take away this one, this place, this time. Something else filled her, too. It was a steaming rage, a desire for revenge. She couldn't even begin to be the timid girl Queen who favored negotiations. There was nothing to negotiate here, it was torture and cold blooded murder of her innocent parents. Her emotions grew until she was about ready to explode. Someone will pay for this she promised herself, and her mother. "I'll never let go, I'll never forget you, I won't let anyone forget you." She cried, shaking, as she finally carefully released herself from her mother's body and stood up. For a few minutes, she stood staring down at her as her tears of sadness turned to fury. She hated Gerapaline and whoever else had done this, and she wanted them to suffer even more. She was unable to control this feeling as it consumed her, nor did she even try.

The door cracked open, and one of the cronies entered. "We didn't want to kill her Madame but she would not shut up. She kept lecturing us!"

Padme stomped forward in all her anger, pulling her blaster out from under her now stained velvet overdressing. "You killed my mother, you scum!" She tightened her teeth and narrowed her eyes as she took aim and shot the man dead before he could draw back. She felt good, even satisfied. She walked over and stood over his body, and addded one more shot right in his face. "There, that one's for my father." Hearing the blast, three more cronies came running, and were all promptly shot dead by a screaming, rampaging Padme. She did not feel any remorse whatsoever. They deserved it. In fact, it was too good for them. She stepped over their bodies like so much dumped trash and headed out into the hallway, blaster ready.

Obiwan ran about the dusty streets of the spaceport, searching the crowd, and his feelings, for Anakin. He did sense his presence nearby, so he stayed in one general area. His force sensitivity to his brother eventually drew him into the right cantina. But there was trouble! "You, you cheated me, I'm gonna kill you!" A gruff space pirate announced.

"I won your ship, now hand over your papers!" Anakin demanded.

"You'll be dead first!" The pirate spat, and at once two of his cohorts rushed to his side, all brandishing blasters.

"This could get ugly!" Obiwan said to himself as he put down his hood and drew his lightsaber, pulling Anakin's lightsaber from his belt as well.

"Anakin!" He shouted, and it caught the pirates off guard for a moment. Anakin smiled when he saw his brother arrive just in time. Obiwan held up Anakin's lightsaber. Anakin held out his hand and called it to him, igniting it immediately. By that time, Obiwan was by his side. "Back in action I see?" He said to Anakin.

"Not of my own choosing."

"But once again, of your own device. Let's go!" Anakin and Obiwan waved their lightsabers at the pirates with menacing stares.

One of the pirates yelled "Hey y'all are Jedi, I thought youse guys were all dead!"

"You heard wrong." Obiwan said with a sly smile and a tilted eyebrow. One of the gambling pirate's allies fled, the other joined with the disgruntled gambler in firing at Anakin and Obiwan. Out of practice as Anakin was, he was able to deflect all the blasts that came his way, as did Obiwan, who cut off the arm of the pirate's last ally, leaving him on the ground hollering. Together, Anakin and Obiwan ran out of the cantina, brandishing their weapons all the way. No one else challenged them.

Once they were outside, they kept running. Anakin's braced knee was doing well put to this test. "I'm sorry, Master." Anakin said. "But, thank you!"

"We'll get even on this life saving thing one day, though it would be nice not to have to. Anakin, hurry, R2 is with my starfighter. I'll have to squeeze you in."

"No, I won that guy's ship, he owes me! I was a big one too, we need the space!"

"Forget it, Anakin! It's not worth it, we have to go!" Anakin reluctantly agreed and followed Obiwan to the starfighter. "Care to take the pilot seat, Anakin? I know you don't like flying anymore, but it will be more comfortable than where the passenger must manage to fit."

Anakin looked at the seat, then Obiwan, then the seat. He leaped up into it, nimble as ever, and strapped himself in. "You got yourself a pilot, Master. I'm back where I belong." Obiwan smiled and R2 beeped as they left Tatooine under the capable control of Anakin's piloting skills.