Chapter 12: Liquor and Lies
The bright colors of neon lights were visible through the smoke of tobacco being exhaled rising to the ceiling. His vision of the atmosphere surrounding him was blurry like his fogged mind. Painted scantily dressed women kept throwing him glances, but he didn't pay them any mind. Gambling especially pod race matches were being displayed on big screens attached to the walls all around the large noisy room. Seedy looking characters of all kinds cheered with their credits jiggling in their hands hoping for that big win. Anakin gulped down his fifth powerfully strong glass of Lum. He had just asked the bartender for another when he felt an irritating insistent light tap on his shoulder. Realizing that he would not be able to ignore it, Anakin turned around to find a wild-eyed man with spiky black hair gawking at him.
"Hey, hey you're that guy?"
"What guy?" Anakin turned back around and went back to his drink.
"The one who was on the holonet, and in all the paper's? The one who was making out with Senator Amadala? You're that Skywalker guy."
"Go away."
"Aren't you that guy?"
Anakin turned back around, and waved his hands slowly in front of the man's bewildered eyes. "No I'm not, now go away, your bothering me"
The man nodded his head in agreement. "No your not. I'm going away, I'm bothering you." The man replied back and walked away into the crowd.
Anakin felt someone's hand grip his shoulder. The intoxicated young man turned around in aggravation. "I said I'm not that g." Caught off guard he stopped in mid sentence. His blurred vision revealed the last living being on the planet he wanted to see at that moment.
"What in the universe do you want?
"I came for a drink." Obi-Wan smiled as he sat down on a barstool next to Anakin.
A burly looking bartender walked up to the Jedi Master. "What are you having?"
"Corvani Rum." Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. "This place has got the best flavored Corvani Rum across the galaxy."
"Go away Obi-Wan. Anakin picked up his glass to take another chug.
"Not until I finish my drink." Obi-Wan picked up his glass, and took a few sips; he immediately noticed the disheveled appearance of his former Padawan "Trouble in paradise already?"
Anakin looked up at his former Master with dark eyes. "There is no trouble between me and Padme. We're very, very happy together." Anakin managed to get out with his slurred words.
"Then why are you here getting drunk instead of with your fiancé?"
Anakin slammed his tall glass down in anger. Droplets of the dark liquor spilling out over the counter. "So now your finally acknowledging that Padme is my fiancé, and not just some distraction I could easily get over by picking up some prostitute." Anakin practically spat the last word in Obi-Wan's face.
"I was wrong to say that. I was wrong about a lot of things." The Jedi Master pulled out a small vile out of his utility belt, and poured the clear liquid into Anakin's glass.
"Here take this; it will help balance the ratio of alcohol in your blood stream, and sober you up."
Anakin looked at his glass, then at Obi-wan, and returned his hazed foggy stare back at his glass. Finally, after a long moment he gulped it down.
Obi-Wan took another sip of his drink. "You look awful and your clothes are soaked. What have you been doing?"
Anakin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I went for a little drive with the top down on my speeder."
"Have you been meditating lately?"
Anakin shook his head. "No I haven't."
"Anakin, I didn't really come here for a drink. I came here to tell you what happened to me tonight."
"Oh, and what's that? Been kissing Master Yoda's little green feet some more Ob-Wan?"
"I spoke with Qui-Gon tonight."
Anakin assumed he must have been hearing things from the alcohol that still remained in his system. He looked at Obi-Wan. A stare of disbelief, and shock written all over his tired face. "But Qui-Gon is."
"Dead I know. Nonetheless I spoke with him tonight in the Jedi Temple gardens."
"How, how can he? How is that possible?
"I don't know, he told me he'd come back some day, and share that secret."
"So that would mean that there is some type of life after death?" Anakin asked with the first shred of hope he'd felt in what seemed like a long, long time.
"I don't know if there is for everyone, but there was for Qui-Gon."
"He was a great man. I think about him sometimes, I miss him. He was the wisest, and kindest man I've ever known."
"He definitely was. I think about him quite often." Obi-Wan said as he took another sip of his drink.
"What did he say to you?"
"He was very pleased by how I trained you."
Anakin let out a mocking laugh." At least one member of the Jedi Order appreciated it."
Obi-Wan sighed. "I know you think that the Jedi Council disliked you, or was against you, but your wrong. They didn't want to let you go."
"That's bantha poodo, and you know it. You were all against me and never wanted to train me."
"That's not true. We were fearful of your training because of your upbringing."
"Sith spit, at least I had a wonderful loving mother, and not just some Jedi Master to take care of me, to teach me about life, and love. A subject that the Order thinks is meaningless."
"The Jedi Order does not think love is meaningless."
"Yeah right, tell me another story Obi-Wan."
"All right I will." Obi-Wan turned to look at Anakin with a deadly serious expression painted on his face. "Anakin the Force grows dark. Master Qui-Gon says that you are in great danger, and that you need to control your feelings."
A cold grin spread across Anakin's mouth as he shook his head. He got off the barstool, paid for his drink, and looked down at Obi-Wan. "The only thing I'm in great danger of is having to sit through another boring lecture by you my former Master. Now if you will excuse me, I have to be getting back home to Padme.
-----
The next morning Anakin arrived at Chancellor Palphetine's office. After tossing and turning, Anakin decided to try to meditate. He felt much more calm, and had managed to finally get a decent amount of sleep.
"I have decided to take you up on your offer Chancellor, but on a temporary basis."
"Why temporary Anakin?"
"I have my reasons."
"Anakin if we are to work together, we must not keep secrets from each other.
I'm trusting you with my life son. I can tell something is weighing on you am I right?"
"Yes you are."
"Anakin I want you to know that I understand your plight. The Jedi were fools to let you go."
Anakin said nothing and just shook his head in agreement.
"So much talent and wisdom right in front of them. The most gifted powerful Jedi that ever was. Not to mention faithful, kind, and loyal. And they can't see it. What do they do? Hold you back, hold you back from fulfilling your destiny."
"I'm not sure what that is anymore."
Palphetine smiled and patted Anakin on the shoulder. "I do my friend. Great things, and to live your life the way you want. To have the power to control your own destiny."
"It's not just my destiny I have to think about anymore. I have other responsibilities that I have to take care of. Padme she's, she's pregnant with my child."
"Congratulation's Anakin."
"Thank you, Chancellor."
"I assume there's a wedding in your future?"
"Yes.
"So that's why you can only take on this assignment temporarily."
"Yes, we're planning to marry on Naboo two months from now."
"Well may I be one of the first to congratulate you my friend." Palphetine smiled and put his arm around Anakin.
Anakin smiled. "Thanks your excellency."
"Absolutely son and don't worry, I'll find a replacement for you until you come back from your honeymoon. But for now, I need you to attend a show with me at the opera house tomorrow night. I've heard it's one of the best they've performed there in a long time."
"All right chancellor I'll be there."
"Good, I'll see you tomorrow morning for the senate meeting then?"
Anakin shook his head and smiled. "Yes see you then."
-----
The bell from the lift signaling visitors sounded off as C3PO ran into the kitchen of Padme, and Anakin's apartment.
"Mistress Padme, Mistress Padme."
"Yes 3PO what is it?"
"You have visitors coming up the lift."
"3PO have R2 check to see who it is. Anakin should be back soon, and Captain Typo is out with Dorme running some errands for me. If it's someone that doesn't register on the identification code don't open the lift doors. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Mistress Padme I will warn R2 at once."
"Thank you 3PO." C3PO left the kitchen.
A few moments later R2 signaled to Padme that the two visitors were Senator Bail Organa and Senator Mon Mothma.
"Thank you R2. Yes please let them in." Padme walked to the lift to greet her unexpected guests.
"Hello Senator Amadala I hope this a good time for Senator Mothma and I to speak with you?"
Padme smiled and shook both senators hands. "Yes, but I can't have company for too long so it will have to be short."
Senator Organa smiled back at Padme. "That's perfectly fine this shouldn't take long."
"Please follow me make yourself comfortable." Padme sat down on one of the sofa's facing across from them.
Senator Organa took a deep breath and began. "Well we'll try to make this as brief as possible. As you know Senator Amadala, Chancellor Palphetine has called a senate meeting to discuss his new plans for the war tomorrow morning."
Padme smiled and nodded her head. "Yes I know. I'll be there."
"We'd like to hold a meeting of our own later on sometime tomorrow in the evening."
"A meeting about what Senator Organa?" Padme asked in curiosity.
"Senator Amadala, we have been gathering support over the past few months to have Chancellor Palphetine withdraw his forces, and end this war. And if all else fails have him removed out of office." Mon Mothma replied back.
Padme stared at both Senators; her heart began to pound franticly. "Who's we?"
"Many senators have signed this petition, two thousand to be exact once you've signed it." Mon Mothma handed Padme the petition.
Padme stared down at the reader in her shaky hands. "I had no idea there were so many senators against the Chancellor."
"Well now you know Senator. We want to stop him before this war destroys democracy as we know it, and his leeway of amending the Constitution in any way that he sees fit." Senator Mothma sternly replied.
As much as she tried to deny it too herself, Padme knew they were right.
The Chancellor had been abusing his position of power, and for far too long.
"I understand, but have you thought about going to the Jedi to discuss this?"
Mon Mothma shook her head. "No that would be too dangerous, we don't know how the Jedi feel. We'd prefer to keep them out of it. You understand Senator Amadala that this petition is top secret, no one is to know about this other then the names you see before you."
Padme realized what this meant. She would not be able to tell Anakin. She'd have to keep it from him, lie to him, and after she had insisted that he should work for the Chancellor. "I'm sorry Senators, but I can't sign this. I can't go through with this." Padme said while setting the reader down on the table next to her.
"Senator Amadala we know this is a risk, and possibly a dangerous one at that. But we absolutely need your support. We will not be able to succeed without you.
You've always been the one we've all looked up to, always the one to fight for liberty. Please don't let us down now." Senator Mon Mothma and Senator Organa both looked at her with pleading eyes.
Padme starred down at the reader again. She closed her eyes, and made a silent apology to the man she loved. "I'm sorry Anakin. I'm sorry my love." It took everything in her to hold back her tears as she picked up the pen, and signed the petition.
Senator Organa smiled as Padme handed him back the petition. "Thank you Senator.
Our meeting will be held at my quarters. I hope we can expect to see you there tomorrow evening."
Padme stared down at her hands to hide the tears beginning to form. "Yes I'll be there Senators."
"Excellent see you then Senator Amadala." Bail Organa said as he and Mon Mothma shook hands with her, walked to the lift, and left the apartment. Padme did not move; she just stood in front of the lift staring at the closed doors with tears pouring down her cheeks for a long, long time.
As usual I hope you enjoyed this latest installment. I've got a nice chunk of chapter thirteen written so hopefully I'll be able to post it this week. Reviews are always appreciated thanks everyone for continuing to review and read.