Title: Falling From The Light
Main Characters: Anakin/Padmé/Obi-Wan/Bant/Luke/Leia/Han/OC
Secondary Characters: OCs/Qui-Gon
Summary: The sequel to "Slipping Into Darkness." Palpatine knew that Anakin might defeat him, so he left something behind which may not only destroy the Chosen One, but his family as well.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of Star Wars, as cool as it would be if I did. Everything belongs to the Flannelled One. I do, however, own the OCs. They are mine, mine, all mine! (notices the strange looks she is receiving) I mean, (clears throat) They belong to me. (blush)
A/N: Originally, I wasn't going to write a continuation to "Slipping," but my wonderful readers on TFN convinced me to. The Lord blessed me with an idea, and "Falling" came about. This story takes some very interesting turns, and I hope that it will surprise you. :)
A/N2: As always, this story would never be what it is now without my wonderful beta's (Darth Mom's) help. "Slipping," began with an idea she had, and she was kind enough to let me borrow and expand on it, and she is always patient enough to listen to me talk about the sequel. :)
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Falling From The Light
Padmé sat at a large desk, surrounded by the all too common sight of data pads and official transcripts, trying to determine the best way to answer the Corellian senator's complaint. Her meeting with him earlier that afternoon had gone as well as could be expected, she supposed, but there were times when planetary officials astounded her with their ability to make trivial matters become incredibly important causes.
In this particular case, the Republic had passed a measure to impose a tax on Corellian whiskey. The extra credits gained from the tax were then meant to be used to help those who had developed drinking problems. The bill had been agreed upon quickly, with little opposition, but soon after its creation, the Corellian senator had come forward with a claim that the Republic was trying to inhibit the free expression of Corellian culture, and refused to implement the tax.
Padmé sat back in her chair with a heavy sigh, massaging her temples. She truly did love her work, but this senator was certainly testing her patience. Hoping to clear her head and forget about her troubles for a moment, Padmé turned her chair to look out into the Coronet skyline.
The Corona House, which was the center of government on Corellia, and the location of her office during her stay, was located in the middle of the city. Unlike Coruscant, where open space and untouched land had been but a memory for centuries, Coronet had many parks and plazas, shops and small buildings. As darkness had begun to fall, those features had become awash in the soft golden light of the various lamps that lined the walkways. It was a beautiful sight, almost as though a blanket of stars were laid out at her feet.
Padmé simply enjoyed the view for a few minutes, but all too soon realized that she needed to continue working. She sighed once more, but quickly reminded herself that the sooner she finished her task, the sooner she would be able to have the evening meal with her family. The thought brought a smile to her lips.
They had all agreed that they would not allow their assignments on Corellia to interfere with each other, but had decided if time allowed, that they would try to meet whenever possible. After all, it wasn't often that their duties brought them all to the same place, and Padmé fully intended to take advantage of the opportunity.
So, steeling her resolve, Padmé turned back to the mountain of paper work on her desk. It seemed that the short break had done her some good, because an idea suddenly began to form in her mind. All she needed to do was find proof that the tax would somehow be advantageous to Corellia, rather than being a burden. If she could rework the language of the measure, then she was certain she could succeed in convincing the senator that the bill should be instated.
But first, she needed to find the original copy of the tax, instead of the abridged version which now sat on her desk.
"Tahimé," she called to one of her handmaidens, "Could you please come here? I have misplaced my formal copy of the bill, and wondered if you were free to help me find it."
She waited, absently looking over one of the data pads for a few moments, before realizing that her handmaiden hadn't responded.
"Tahimé," she called again, and paused, thinking that perhaps the young woman hadn't heard her.
"Tahimé!"
Concern rose within Padmé when still no one answered. Frowning, she rose from her chair, and stepped towards the door.
"Tahimé? Ammé?" she called loudly to both of her handmaidens. Only silence met her, and suddenly she realized how incredibly quiet it was, too quiet for a room that should be occupied by three of her security officers. Something was wrong.
Cautiously, Padmé stepped forward, keeping near the wall so as not to be out in the open. Old habits die hard, and she always took extra security measures when she left Coruscant, despite the many assurances that she was safe. Certainly those whom had once paid for her assassination were either dead or in prison, but she had always known it was possible that someone else would come after her. She could only hope that her concerns hadn't now become reality.
Moving as silently as she was able to, she reached the entrance of the sitting area, and peered around the corner. Though she hadn't been able to see it from her office, she now realized that none of the glow lamps were functioning, and the room was obscured in shadow. Padmé felt her breath catch in her throat, but pushed herself out from the doorway.
Despite the darkness, she was able to make out the form of one of her guards laying motionless on the floor. Looking around the room, she realized that the shadows made it impossible to determine if it was safe to go to him. Still uncertain, yet worried for her guard, Padmé swallowed thickly and forced herself to step forward.
A moment later, she knelt at his side, and put her hand on his neck to feel for a pulse. Her eyes closed in sorrow, and she looked away. He was dead.
Now that she was nearer, Padmé realized that she could see another of her guards laying on his side behind the couch, and the third slumped against the wall. Padmé went to both of them quickly, but as she feared, they were dead as well. Tears filled her eyes as grief for their families flooded her.
But before she could decide what to do next, she noticed two other forms laying behind the chairs. Tahimé and Ammé! Padmé rushed towards them, hoping with all of her heart that the kind young women hadn't met the same fate as her security officers. With trembling hands, she reached forward. Relief coursed through her as she felt the steady beating of pulses beneath her fingertips. They were alive…unconscious… but alive. She checked them over to see how severe their injuries were, wondering if perhaps she should try to wake them, or if it was better to call for help first, all the while mentally berating herself for leaving her comm on her desk.
Just as she was about to return to her office to retrieve the device, she sensed something move behind her. She spun around, but saw only the darkened room, and a cold chill swept over her. She looked around quickly, but was unable to see anything. A moment later, she closed her eyes and attempted to calm her now-rapidly beating heart, realizing suddenly that whoever had done this was still here, and whoever they were, they were very skilled. She had heard nothing from her office, and doubted if her guards had even seen their attacker. Whoever it was, they had been able to bypass the rest of the building's security as well, and no one even seemed to know that she was in danger.
Taking one last deep steadying breath, the ambassador forced herself to move towards one of the fallen men. She knelt down to pull the blaster from the holster at his side, and stood once more. Then she leveled her weapon and began to visually sweep the room, looking for anything out of place.
The office remained eerily silent as she walked, and Padmé could see very little beyond the limited light which one of the open windows allowed. Suddenly, she heard a faint noise behind her, so soft that she wondered if perhaps she had imagined it. She brought her blaster up and circled, her finger tightening on the trigger as she did so….but there was nothing.
She released a shaky breath, but before she could completely find her center, she felt same cold sensation that had swept over her earlier. Once more, she spun quickly, bringing up her weapon. Silhouetted by the window, a figure stood behind her, long black robes draped over its form, making its features indistinguishable.
Never hesitating, Padmé steadied her aim, and fired at the creature. She had extensive weapons training from her days as Queen, and didn't doubt that her shot would find it's mark. But as the blaster flashed, some unknown power seemed to take hold of it, and the bolt slowed, for a moment almost seeming to pause in mid-air. The being didn't react to the threat, simply tilted its head in an odd, almost childlike manner. Then the robed figure raised its hand, and the bolt suddenly flew in the other direction, striking a nearby wall.
Shaken, Padmé raised her weapon again, but in that instant, she felt something take hold of her throat. A sharp gasp of surprise and fear escaped her, and when she tried to draw in a breath, something prevented it. She brought her free hand to her throat hoping to loosen the invisible grip which now held her, still refusing to lower her blaster. Only when her vision began to blur, and darkness crept over her, did she finally allow the gun to slip from her fingers, both hands now flying to her throat in desperation. She felt her knees buckle, but the impact of the floor seemed distant, as though she were watching it from afar, and she simply lay there, gasping for a breath that wouldn't come.
Finally, as Padmé began to entirely lose her hold on consciousness, the creature slowly walked over to her, and bent down, seeming to study her. Its black gaze was the last thing Padmé saw before the darkness swallowed her completely.
TBC
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IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ:
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Ani-maniac494