FROM THE ASHES

Chapter 21

The room in which Padme and Obiwan lay was damp, cold, and dark. Of course, the last part didn't matter, considering they were both blind anyway. Padme began to sniffle and cry, and Obiwan crawled to her side. "Shh, it's okay, we're going to get out of here. We're going to find Leia. We're going to get to the med center and they'll fix our eyes like they did Anakin's."

"What if Anakin doesn't come back?"

"He will, of course he will!"

"What if they got him too?"

"He's all right, I can sense his life force."

"What if he doesn't come back because he hates me?"

"Hates you? Anakin? Never!"

"He might just decide to take our son off and raise him, who needs me? I was so mean, shutting him off the way I did. You know all the terrible things I said, even that he deserved to be blind."

"I know, but...

""Obiwan, you have no idea how much I have suffered." She stopped crying, and her voice took on a breathy tone. "Do you realize, I had to go through everything he did? I was put in the position to do evil things to save the ones I loved, that's what he did for me! Obiwan, I will never recover from the guilt of what I went through. I am eternally traumatized. I know exactly how Anakin felt, I feel so bad for him! I should have known he wasn't evil, it was Palpatine, it was the dark side...now, I'm even blind like he was. I said he deserved it, so I got what I deserved."

"Oh, no, Padme, don't feel that way." Obiwan tried to console her.

"Admit it, Obiwan. You know it's true. I was put through everything he was as some kind of test, or punishment, maybe by the force or something? It's all too strange. I believe it." Obiwan did not answer. He knew the mysteries and the powers of the force were great, but he didn't believe they'd purposely torture this woman. Though the irony was not lost on him. In a way it was good she was able to understand exactly what Anakin felt, though he did not wish any of her misfortunes on her. She started to cry again, and to almost convulse. "I want to die, please, if any of those cronies come back in here, let them kill me. I cannot live with myself, I would rather die." Obiwan was upset to hear this, and to sense her pain. He was about to try to calm her with his hand through the force when the door burst open.

"Queenie, I am not finished with you yet." Gerapaline's voice rang out of the darkness. His heavy footsteps charged toward her and he grabbed her by the clothes closest to her throat.

"Kill me." She whispered. "I don't care. Get it over with."

He laughed. "That would be much too good for you. You must live to suffer even more. I still have use for you."

"What more do you want from me?"

"You are going to replace that child your husband stole from me. You are going to give me a child, the son I've always wanted. My own flesh and blood.You will become my concubine slave." Knowing what this would mean, she bent her head back and howled in agony. Obiwan felt so helpless to protect her. Even blind there were things he could do with the force to help her, as Anakin had done in helping to kill Palpatine. But once he had done them, they would not be able to escape, so it would only be digging their grave by angering Gerapaline.

"Leave her alone!" Obiwan yelled.

"Or what, what is my caged and blind Jedi going to do? I warn you, my men are out in the hallway. If you try anything, you are immediately dead."

"Don't do it, Obiwan, it's not worth it." Padme cried. "I will die before I let him have me. I have already lost the will to live. Death will be a relief." This hurt Obiwan deeply. He wanted to help her, but didn't know what to do. Concentrating very hard in the force, he sensed a familiar presence. He said nothing to give it away.

Outside, Anakin had arrived, in the Darth Vader suit. He looked upon the compound with much fear. It was up to him, alone, to save Obiwan and Padme and stop this evil man's syndicate from any more terror. For a moment, his fear overtook him, and panic set in. He almost thought he couldn't do it, but his inner strength and love for Obiwan and Padme came through. This was not him, this was not Anakin Skywalker, this was Darth Vader, almost invincible in this suit. He was going to go through with it. With one last heavy breath making a sound through his mask, he headed in. The sentries at the doorway stood no chance against his force choke. Anakin realized he was going to have to reach into the dark side to draw on some of the powers he would need to complete this mission single handedly. He was prepared. Having been there and back, he no longer feared the dark side. It would not take him again. Inside the building, the alert was given. Watching the imposing black figure on hologram cameras, the avaiable cronies confidently let out the gasses. To their complete shock, he walked right through!

He was a fearful looking creature, large and covered in black, his frightening facade, his flowing cape. The breathing sounds that eminated from his mask only further intimidated the cronies. In this mask and suit with his self contained breathing system, no gas was going to harm him! Desperate, they tossed the blinding powder in his face. Of course, it slid harmlessly away from his well covered eyes. Anakin raised a black gloved hand to brush it away like so much minor nusiance. The cronies had been so certain their trap would be successful, they had nothing left to do but run for their lives or try to blast this monster. Half chose the first option. Those who chose to stay and use blasters soon found their shots deflected and their guns pulled away by the force into the hands of the ebony menace who stood before them. Knowing now resistence was futile, they too fled.

Anakin could sense Obiwan's presence, and feel Padme. He knew exactly where they were being held. Having busted the original gauntlets designed to stop him, he now walked freely thjrough the compound. He would meet no other opposition until he reached the doorway of the room where Gerapaline was brutalizing his wife. Her clothes ripped away, Gerapaline had her pinned to the floor, taunting her before raping her. Obiwan lay in despair at his inability to do what he wanted, though he did sense Anakin's presence coming closer. If Anakin had not been so near, he would have had no choice but to make a move to save Padme, but he knew it was a risk with both of them blind. He sent him a telepathic message, telling him for certain the location. He already saw it. Fearlessly in his armour, he stood facing the cronies who were guarding in the hallway.Shocked to see anyone had gotten past the gas and blinding powder trap, all they could do was start blasting.Inside the room, Gerapaline heard the commotion, but trusted his men to take care of the problem. As Padme cried and resisted with every bit of strength in her body under his weight, he began to remove his own clothing. Blaster fire flew at Anakin in the Vader suit, but none penetrated his armour. Most of it was deflected by his lightsaber as he used the force to take these blasters as well. Some of the shots bounced right back into the cronies, killing two of them. The other two charged at Anakin, and he had to use the force to push them away. They were now too injured to continue. "You will let me pass." Demanded the altered voice from the suit. Mixed with the breathing sounds, this terrified the now helpless cronies. Now, the time had come. Anakin used the huge heavy black boot on his healthy left leg to kick in the door.

"You will release her now!" Came the voice from the moduator, accompanied by the sound of mechanical breathing. Catching him in the act of attempting to rape Padme only added to Anakin's hatred and fueled his anger. Shocked, Gerapaline let loose of his grip on Padme, who thankfully had not yet been violated. Turning his head, he was aghast at the sight of the thing that had apparently defeated his entire backup guard system and entered the room. He stood up and fastened his pants. Obiwan heard Padme sigh with relief as she rolled over and tried to cover herself with her torn dress. Obiwan sensed Anakin strongly, but did not recognize the voice. Was Anakin with this robotic sounding thing? He only sensed one life presence, and that was Anakin's. Where was he? Padme was too emotionally spent to make a sound. Anakin marched steadily ahead. "Are you the one called Gerapaline?" He spoke, his voice artificially changed. Gerapaline didn't know what to say.

"Yes, it is him!" Obiwan announced.

"Damn you." He turned back to Obiwan with scorn.

"That is indeed Gerapaline." Padme's weak voice agreed. Gerapaline lowered his head, seemingly in defeat. Suddenly, he raised up with a shout, and aimed a poison dart at the dark suited being. It bent and fell harmlessly to the ground. Anakin folded his arms, and gestured his helmeted head toward his adversary.

"Are you quite finished?"

Gerapaline did not answer. He was, in more ways than one."You cannot kill me, an unarmed, helpless man!" He moaned, suddenly humbled. Anakin didn't know what to do. He wanted to torture and kill this evil person, but he was now unarmed, and it was not the Jedi way. It would take more drawing from the dark side to kill him now, and that worried him. He was determined not to let it take him again. On the other hand, Gerapaline was too dangerous to be kept alive. He had an army and a crime syndicate so deeply connected and well paid off he would surely escape again or walk free. Even though Anakin did not know the full extent of what had happened, what he did know was enough. Feeling his rage taking him close to the dark side, Anakin, in his Darth Vader suit, let go of any resistance. He picked Gerapaline up by the neck, his feet dangling off the ground. Anakin so badly wanted him to know who killed him and why, but it was too risky to remove his mask at this time. There could be a new crony coming with more gas and blinding powder

He kept it on, and spoke in the mask's amplified deeper voice: "You have committed countless atrocities throughout the galaxy in your evil and greed. This is for all of your victims everywhere. This is for all of those who suffered because of your crime ring, it's for the patients at your crooked hospital, this is for Padme Amidala, her family, and Obiwan Kenobi. This is from Anakin Skywalker." He raised his lightsaber to Gerapaline's head, but saw him reaching for yet another weapon. It was a blade, small and not enough to even penetrate the suit, but even so, he was technically an armed man again. He could kill him. Slicing through with his lightsaber, Anakin cut off the arm which held the knife. Gerapaline screamed. Still defiant, he lunged forward, and Anakin took the other arm. Even with no arms, his stubs seared shut by the lightsaber's lasers, he was too evil to stop. He tried to kick at him with spiked boots but Anakin used the lightsaber to quickly slice off both of his legs. Gerapaline fell to the floor. No more than a defeated, limbless torso remained of the evil madman who had caused so much suffering.

"I hate you!" Gerapaline groaned up at the black figure.

Anakin knew his opponent was mortally wounded, but couldn't forget all his evil deeds, and how he had tried to blind him, and how all those beings from Naboo had lost their eyes because of his greed. Anakin looked over at his wife and best friend, tortured and now blind because of this monster, less human than any droid. "This is how it feels!" Anakin grunted, slicing across Gerapaline's eyes with the tip of his lightsaber. Gerapaline screamed again as he lay there, delimbed and blinded. All he could do was holler in curses, but offered no apology or remorse for anything he had done. He would not suffer much longer. Anakin silenced him and ended his pain with a final lightsaber swipe across his throat. The rest of his body lay still. Anakin could not feel he had done the wrong thing, not this time. He felt with this justified execution of an evil, dangerous man, he had not only freed his loved ones but many past and potential victims in the galaxy. Having completed this almost impossible task all alone, Anakin Skywalker had regained the last bit of his lost self, his inner strength, courage, and confidence. He had been healed internally as well as externally, and had conquered inner demons.

Obiwan and Padme, being blind, had been spared the horrific sight of Gerapaline's dismemberment, though they had gathered he was dead. They did not comment, unsure who or what this was who had killed Gerapaline. Obiwan still sensed Anakin's presence very close, but couldn't see him or recognize the voice he heard coming from their heroic rescuer as his voice. Even if he could have seen, he would only have seen the suit and would still have been unsure as to the identity of its wearer. Surely this robot sounding man was with Anakin, he was obviously on their side. Anakin looked at Obiwan, but turned first to Padme. He knelt as best as he could in his armour and knee brace to her side and helped her arrange her torn dress to cover herself as best he could. He touched her face ever so gently with his heavily gloved hand.

"You are going to be all right now. I'm taking you safely away from here. Can you walk?"

"Walk, yes, but I will need help, as I can't see."

"Your eyes will heal in time, I will get you immediately to Coruscant for treatment." The strange, mechanical voice told her.

She raised a quivering hand to feel for a face, but hit only molded metal. "Who, are you?" She inquired. Reaching up to remove his helmet, with a large hiss of air escaping as he pulled off his mask, Anakin smiled and spoke softly into her ear in his own voice:

"Someone who loves you!"