FROM THE ASHES

Chapter 17

"Obiwan, I don't know what to do but I have to do something. I had another one of my nightmares, a vision, it was so real. It was about Padme and the babies. I could hear them and see them as clearly as I see and hear you right now. They are in danger, I have to find them."

Obiwan wasn't aware that Anakin didn't already know the news, and was only acting on his instinct. "Anakin, you mean you haven't seen the news.."

"What are you talking about?"

Obiwan thought it was best not to tell Anakin now, while he was flying, and after it had taken him so much fortitude to be able to do so again. "Nothing that can't wait until we get home."

"Come on Obiwan, I can sense something holding back in you. Let me know."

"Anakin, I am concerned, you should wait."

"You must tell me. I know it must be bad or you wouldn't be so concerned about my reaction. I already had the dream I need to know."

Obiwan sighed and was prepared to take the controls if Anakin were to lose his composure. "Anakin, your nightmares, they were true."

"I knew that, I could feel it, just not the details. What has happened?"

"You know that case she was working on, about the blind rehab center, and all the beings whose eyes were ruined so they could go there?"

"How could I forget, I nearly lost my own eyes because of it. Padme had it shut down, and those responsible jailed and paying large financial settlements to the victims."

"Were you aware that the man behind it was Gerapaline?"

"You mean that crooked, low down creep who has the crime syndicate in Naboo?"

"Yes, and since this caused him to be exposed, be investigated for all he's done, be jailed and lose his fortune. He blamed Padme."

"He should blame no one but himself."

"But you know how the evil are, like Palpatine, it's always someone else's fault! Anakin, he and a few cohorts have escaped from prison. They killed Padme's father, and have taken her mother and the babies hostage."

Anakin's hands fell from the controls and he went limp in his seat. "Oh, no, Obiwan, I didn't know it was that bad. Where is Padme?"

"I'm afraid he got her, too."

Anakin raised his hands into fists and pounded them on the dash panel. "I should never have left! I must find them!"

Obiwan was relieved that Anakin was taking a commanding position on this instead of wanting to run and hide. As bad as this situation was, perhaps it was what he needed to bring him back to himself, though not at the cost of lives. "Anakin, we have to find them. That is why I came for you. We must return to Coruscant, get a bigger ship, and go rescue them."

"I told you we should have taken the pirate's ship I won gambling!"

"What good would it have done if we had gotten killed, or you got injured again?"

"We could have taken them, me and you, nobody can stop us, not when we fight together!"

Obiwan was glad to see Anakin had his confidence and his arrogance back. "I'm sorry, Anakin, but we'll get another ship, and we'll save them."

Anakin stared out into the vastness of the open space ahead of them. "Oh, Master, how can we find them? It's hopeless." "Don't say that, Anakin. We have to find them, and we will."

Padme stepped cautiously but still filled with anger and a thirst for revenge as she tread down the hallway toward the sound of approaching footsteps. She had her blaster ready to go; she had no qualms about killing the next person who got in her way. They all had something to do with the murder of her parents. Shooting was too good for them. She wanted them to feel what her mother had felt, and she didn't regret that thought. Rounding a corner, she came face to face with another crony, whose shocked face only had a second to react before she blasted him too. Coming up from behind, laughing wickedly, was Gerapaline. He aimed his own larger blaster at Padme. "Drop it." He ordered her.

"Never. I will kill you if it kills me! Look what you've done, you killed my parents, you stole my children! For what, because I shut down your crooked, cruel shop of horrors?"

"You ruined me financially, you got me put in jail."

"Where you should have been years ago! Your crime syndicate has been a sore on the face of Naboo all my life! If it took the hospital scandal to stop you, you got off easier than you deserved!"

Gerapaline looked down at the most recently shot crony. "Poor fool. You know, he wasn't guilty, he even protested the things we did to your parents." Padme lowered her head. She recalled the story of Anakin and the sand people, how he had been so upset over his mother he had killed them all, even the innonents ones. I am becoming just like him, is this the dark side? She asked herself Is this how he felt? How could I have judged him? Facing the torture and murder of her own mother, she had done the same. Strangely, she didn't care. She was still full of hate and rage at what she had experienced. Padme held her blaster tight and looked up at Gerapaline.

"Where are my babies? Have you killed them too?"

He only smiled in an evil way. "Not yet. Not as long as I still have use for them."

"What use is this? They are a bit small for slave labor."

"Come, my dear." He motioned her to walk in a certain direction, making sure she was not behind him, knowing she was very ready and able to shoot him in the back. Nervously, she walked ahead of him until they came to a darkened room. Inside, she could hear the babies softly crying.

"My babies!" She cried out, wanting to run to them.

He blocked her path with his larger gun, and at the snap of his fingers, two more cronies appeared and disarmed her. She fought viciously, even spitting in their faces. One of them secured her hands behind her back as she was led into the room. "Where are they? Let me have my babies!"

"Not until you do something for me."

Anakin and Obiwan returned to Coruscant, landing at the Senate building. They were met by Senator Organa. "Greetings, my Jedi friends. It is good to have you here." He eyed Anakin up and down and smiled at him. "Well, you seem to be in fine shape. I had heard terrible things about your condiiton."

"They were all true, but I'm fine now."

"Amazing. Good to have you back." He paused again and spoke more quietly. "I want you to know, we all know about you and Senator...I mean, Padme. Her dresses never fooled me for a moment, I knew she was pregnant, and I knew you were the father."

"How could you know that?"

Organa raised one eyebrow. "The connection between the two of you was undeniable, and I know a woman as virtuous as Padme would only have.., um, made a child with someone she truly loved. I want you to know that I hold nothing against either of you for this. It was a shame you had to hide it."

"Thank you, sir."

"I also want to thank you both for exposing the disgraceful failure of us all and ending it."

"You mean, Palpatine?" Obiwan asked.

"Yes. How could we have been so fooled, so used! The entire war his own orchestration, such cost. You did what you had to do. It was for the best and we thank you." Both Anakin and Obiwan nodded in acknowledgement. "I also hear you fulfilled some kind of ancient prophecy?"

Anakin blushed, smiling with a shy but proud look on his face. "Senator, I'm sure you know that we have come to rescue Padme. Even if she were not my wife, I would do it. Since she is, and my children are involved, my interest is increased. Are there any leads as to her whereabouts?"

"Our police are quite certain Gerapaline is behind it, but we don't know what planet he is on."

"Was he registered as leaving Naboo airpace?"

"Not officially, but an unidentified ship did break the military code and get through. It may or may not have been him."

Anakin sighed. "Then, we have nothing."

Gerapaline turned on the light. Padme saw her babies in the corner being fed by on older, frail looking woman. "This is my mother." He informed her.

"Your mother works for you?"

"She knows she had better do as I say, she knows what I did to father."

"You killed your own father?"

"Mother knows it is best to do as I say.She is now the caretaker of your babies."

"After you killed my own mother?"

"I had planned for her to stay on as caretaker, and bargaining device, but she became too much for my men to bear with her constant lectures and outbursts.."

"She was right. I will avenge her, and not only what I have done so far. I will get you!" Hearing their mother's voice, the babies started to cry. She walked toward them. "Let me have my babies!" He allowed her to walk almost all the way to them, then stopped her just before she could touch them. Seeing and sensing her, they began to cry and reach for her. "Let me have my babies!" She screamed. He pushed her back until she fell on the floor.

"I told you, you may have your babies when yuou do everything I ask of you."

"And what if I don't?"

He picked up little Luke, still crying, and aimed a huge blaster to his head. He then motioned it toward Leia. "You know I will do it. I have orders for you to carry out, there are things you must do. It is the only way you can save them. If you fail, they will die."

Padme's face distorted as she looked at him, and the babies. She was so furious she could have torn him apart with her bare hands, only her love for the babies and fear for their safety stopped her. In a voice that she did not consider her own, she looked up at him from the floor. "What do I have to do? I have to save them, I can't live without them. I will do...anything."