Disclaimer: Star Wars and all associated characters, plotlines, and worlds (good and bad) are property and copyright © of George Lucas (aka The Richest Man in Hollywood). This is purely for fan entertainment only.
Also a warning… this fanfic is rated MA for adult themes. It is also "Obidala"… in other words, if you're offended or otherwise do not like the pairing between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala, then please don't read further to spare yourself the irritation. Otherwise, enjoy!
Chapter 9 - Stalemate
Padmé moved through the throng around the shops slowly, almost needing to hold onto Sabé for support. Sabé guided her with ease, her lithe form slipping between the hurried shoppers, trying to secure the way for Padmé's ever increasing form. They had decided that they both needed the fresh air, and ventured out into the shops to begin decorating the baby's room.
They found themselves in one of the newest baby boutiques, but fortunately alone. The shop was filled with pastels on soft fabrics. They were trailed by a few of the Palace guards, who followed at a distance with slightly embarrassed looks on their faces. It was one thing that Sabé and the other handmaidens could still look forward to- Captain Panaka was eager to send a detail out with any of the handmaidens.
They stopped by the bedding section of the store, and Padmé pulled out an extravagant quilt, running her hands over the intricate embroidery, the tiny beads. "This is gorgeous, Sabé!" she turned to her friend.
She shook her head and laughed, "You are a first time mother all over again. This is too detailed for a newborn, they can get the beads off of the quilt and choke on them."
Padmé eyed her suspiciously. "Since when do you know so much about babies, anyway?"
Sabé snorted. "My mother only had seven children."
Padmé grinned, then selected a different blanket. She sighed, feeling the soft material. In her last pregnancy, Anakin was always away on some mission for the Clone Wars. And now, here she was missing Obi-Wan for yet another mission. If only she had not fallen in love with Jedi!
She slipped her hand into one of the pockets of the oversized robe that was supposed to be hiding her ever increasing stomach from plain view. Her fingers slid with familiarity over the carved images of the japor snippet, its edges smooth from wear. Ever since Obi-Wan had brought Anakin's gift back to her, she had been engulfed with further confusion.
The difficulty was not that she loved or missed Anakin any more than she missed or loved Obi-Wan. In fact, every day she was more convinced that her heart was in the right place with Obi-Wan. She had always thought that her lover would end up having been her best friend as well.
No, the difficulty was that it was hard to put the past away. She had invested several years of her life in Anakin, and his love for her, even while it bordered on obsession, had been a buoyancy in her life for quite some time.
But, as she went through the shops with Sabé, disguised as a handmaiden once again, she was starting to remember the real reason she was still glad she was alive- there might yet be a way to regain control from the Emperor and the Republic could be reinstated. And that was why she appreciated Obi-Wan more every day- he was one hundred percent behind that particular goal, whereas Anakin wanted an Empire in his own image.
A familiar comlink buzz stirred the Dark Lord of the Sith out of his reverie. He had been pondering the information that Obi-Wan had given him at their last meeting- that of the name of his son. He had been letting his imagination run rampant at the possibilities for his young son, were he actually to be alive. It was to be the first of the unexpected calls for the evening.
His spy from Naboo appeared on the screen. "My Lord, I have a report prepared for you."
He nodded, and waited for the information. He had made sure that they had one of the most vigilant spies available for Naboo, between the treachery of Queen Jamilla and the fact that Sabé, one of Padmé's favorite handmaidens, was still residing there.
Images flicked across the screen, of two identical women and their bodyguards. A smile spread across his face behind the mask, pulling at unused facial muscles. He knew instantly, without narration, who the women were. He watched as the woman he assumed was Padmé- the slower moving and more cumbersomely dressed one- moved through the crowd. He admired her hair flowing down her shoulders, the serene look on her face. "What have you learned of these women?" he finally voiced.
"Milord, one is definitely positively ID'd as Sabé, the former handmaiden. The other claims to be Tiané, another handmaiden." Vader tilted his head back and laughed, At least she is not being foolish enough to take another's name, this time! He spoke next to the spy, "And have you learned whether they are sheltering a child with them?" he longed for footage of his son.
The spy shook his head, then switched to different footage. "We have found no evidence of a child with them, but they are, however, visiting maternity boutiques. I am confident in saying that the one called Tiané is pregnant." He checked his notes, then pulled up a sonogram picture. "We found this still in one of the garbage disposals in the medical facilities she frequents."
This had been the missing piece of Padmé's pregnancy before, and he envied Obi-Wan instantly. Had Obi-Wan seen the precious picture of the life growing with Padmé? Did he appreciate it? No, he took that back instantly, of course Obi-Wan appreciated it. Obi-Wan had never ceased to be amazed at life, in any form. He chuckled, remembering what he had told Obi-Wan in their battle on Endor. She will die bearing your daughter. "Is it a boy, or a girl?"
The man looked puzzled at the question, but confirmed, "A girl." He squirmed upon hearing the low, amplified laughter emitting from the Dark Lord's mask. He cleared his throat, trying to regain composure, to not show fear in front of Vader. "Shall we apprehend them?"
Vader shook his head, "No, let them be. I have other plans for her." He turned the comlink off and laughed silently, Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen. But in the back of his mind, the laughter died. He was not positive any longer that he wanted Padmé to die in childbirth, and was going to do everything in his power- again- to stop it.
The comlink went off again, and he turned, irritated, to pull it up again. He grinned in anticipation instead as Obi-Wan's face filled the screen. "I do not have very good news." The Jedi Master admitted soberly.
Vader frowned. "What do you mean? What news do you bring?"
Obi-Wan moved the comlink slightly to his side to show the abandoned hut he was broadcasting from. "Metalorn is absolutely abandoned of humanoid life." Out of habit, Obi-Wan's face remained a mask as he continued. "There are blaster burns on the hut where I gather the healers were once staying. And there are a few disassembled pieces of droid armor lying on the ground." He bent to pick one up. "It appears to be the same droids from the army we fought in the Clone Wars."
Vader felt his blood run cold, and suppressed the memories of fighting countless droids, grimaced upon hearing their metallic voices repeat their orders, a cringe upon remembering "Roger, roger." He had been incredibly tired of hearing that! "You have got to be joking. The droid army was disassembled after you defeated General Grievous."
Obi-Wan looked back at him through the comlink and cocked an eyebrow, "Are you so sure? Who gave the order to do that? Your precious Master?" he tried to hide the desperation in his eyes, was hoping that this was not Padmé's only hope, or that he was being led to a trap.
The response was nearly a growl, "I heard Palpatine execute the order, myself. You can rest assured that any droids that are not disassembled are not under order of the Empire, but a Separatist group." He wracked his brain, trying to think of a Separatist leader that he had not exterminated on Mustafar. It meant bringing up the grueling memory of slaying the unarmed men, but he left the memory with no new information, the memory simply rehashed.
Obi-Wan frowned and brought his hand up to his face to stroke the skin where his beard had been formerly. He nearly cursed when he could not complete the familiar gesture. "I had been hoping that you could solve the problem for me. Hoping that you knew of a Separatist leader that would know how to reassemble the droids and would have the guts to rise up against the Clone-err Stormtroopers."
The Dark Lord shook his head, speechless.
Obi-Wan ran his hands through his hair, trying to dampen down the feelings of frustration. "Please contact me if you think of something. Until then, I fear we're at a stalemate. I don't know how to find them. I've gone through all of the clues that there are to be had from this planet. I will return home and meditate on it."
Vader nodded, and as an afterthought, mentioned, "Congratulations on your daughter."
Obi-Wan's blue eyes stared back at him, and he was thankful for the mask he had already put up for the Sith Lord. "I'm not going to ask you how you know that." He nearly whispered it. He was simply going to have to trust the Sith Lord, for now.
Sorry this is taking longer than I had promised- it is Peak Season at work, and it has been very hard to get anything done except for work. But, either way, as always- let me know what you think. :D