Brontesgirl - You will find out very very soon.Thanks for reading. I am glad you like it so far.
Princess Aiel - I couldn't possibly leave that out.
Sewardsfolly - The Jedi do not sense what Anakin plans to do. Anakin thinks he has no choice but to join the Sith. He feels that Padme and thebabywill always be vulnerable, ifhe does not join. In this next chapter, things change in that respect.
Rockyrelay - Thank you.
Spooks apprentice - You shall wait no more. Here is the next chapter.
Everyone, thank you for your support and for your much needed feedback. Thanks for the fuel.
Chapter V - The Siege
"Captain Panaka." Anakin spoke into the comlink.
"Yes, Master Skywalker."
"Go to the Pennport landing bay and prepare the cruiser for take off. The temple will be evacuating in a couple of hours. Padme and I will meet you there soon." Anakin walked down the empty hall toward Padme's quarters.
"Alright."
"One more thing," He stopped walking, "ah, contact 3po. Tell him to meet you there as well. He has our things."
"Will do sir."
"Thank you."
"Panaka out."
Anakin put away the comlink and slowly opened the door to Padme's quarters. The room was dark save for a spot where the light of the moon was shining through, illuminating a sleeping Padme. He felt a great sense of relief now that he didn't have to hide their love any longer. And at the same time, he felt a great sense of dread. She couldn't be in a safer place right now. But her assured safety will be gone as the evacuation begins. Anakin removed his cloak and kneeled beside to her. He watched her intently. She had cried herself to sleep. All worries were present on her face. He hoped that her dreams bore her to a place where happiness lived. He cursed himself thinking that he had brought this nightmare upon his angel. Anakin leaned over and kissed her belly, and as he stood up he kissed her on the cheek. I just wanted to love her and be loved, he thought as he pushed a lock of hair from her face. He walked over to the window and leaned against the side of the windowpane. He stared at the stars. He often looked to them to quell the storm within him. Now, he looked to them for answers. He couldn't understand why this was happening to them. Dread and sorrow welled up within him as he considered life as a Sith Lord. It was like having to report to prison to start a life sentence.
"Ani?" An angelic voice called.
He looked over at his wife who had just awakened. She looked so beautiful stretching and yawning out of her sound sleep.
"I must have dosed off." Padme pressed her hands against her face and removed them.
"Did I wake you?" Anakin gave a slight smile.
"No. No. Tell me what happened in the council." Padme looked up at him.
He turned his gaze to the Coruscant skyline and sighed, "They said that they will deliberate on the matter at another time. At 0200, the Jedi will evacuate and go into hiding." Anakin smirked. "Whatever fate they decide for me will not matter."
Padme knew what he meant by that. It was now or never. She had to convince him to change his mind. She swallowed, "Do not do what I think you are going to do."
"What?" He chuckled and looked at her with his brow raised, poised for more laughter. "What is it that you think I'm going to do?"
She said, "I know you have already decided to give in to the Sith." She knew this would start an argument, but she could not back down. She had to try.
His grin faded. "I don't want to talk about this now."
Padme stood up. "Anakin." She stepped closer to him. "Palpatine cannot be trusted. He will deceive you again and again. He will try to take me from you."
"No he won't." Anakin bit back his aggravation.
"He wants you to have no other loyalty but to him, Ani. He will try to separate us. He will. And if he does, he will kill me and our baby."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Anakin failed to hide the heat in his voice.
"No?" Padme raised her voice in frustration, "Well, I know us, Anakin Skywalker! I know me! And I know that I cannot follow you down that path, should you choose it. It leads to darkness and despair. I will always love you Anakin, long after we are both dead and gone!" Her voice softened as the thought of him as a Sith Lord entered her mind. "My love, my heart will still be yours. If you do this, you deny me my true love. You will no longer be the man I fell in love with. That alone will condemn me. You cannot do this. Not even for me!" Her voice shook as the thoughts of life without Anakin flew through her mind.
"I don't want to hear anymore about this." He waved his hand and turned from her. He was determined. His mind was made up and rarely could he be convinced otherwise. More importantly she felt distant from him; like she couldn't reach him.
"Anakin," She her tears flowed as she begged. "I will not live if you do this. I'd have to go into hiding. I'd have to raise our child in hiding. I'd be forced to love only my memories of you and I can't live like that. I won't."
He was silent. His eyes hardened, he thought, Why can't she understand that I am doing this for her? As a Sith, I can protect her from Palpatine and perhaps discover the path to death manipulation myself.
"Anakin, it will worsen if you join him. You think that what you are going to do will help. It's only going to seal our fate. Please don't do this. I beg you."
He glared at her and pointed his gloved finger. His face was red with anger, "Stop it, Padme!"
"It's pointless to do this. You fear me dying in childbirth. Ani, what difference does it make to drive yourself crazy over that fate, if you put me in the path of another doom?"
"Enough!" Anakin shouted and quickly grabbed Padme by the shoulders, "What would you have me do! I can't get those visions out of my head. Do you know what its like to wake up from a nightmare that threatens the happiness in your reality! Can you imagine the finality of losing someone you can't live without! I had to find a way to prevent your death in childbirth. Now I have to keep him from killing you or hurting you. And when I do this Padme, I'll still have to find a way to save you from -" He turned from her and punched a hole in the wall with his prosthetic arm. "You are in every breath that I take. I can't live-I won't survive without you, Padme! My back is against the wall. There is no other way. It's just getting worse and worse" With defeat in his voice, he spoke just above a whisper, "It's all my fault." His chin trembled. He shut his eyes against the hot tears flooding his eyes.
"Is that what you think? Anakin, it's not your fault. None of this is." She turned him around to face her. "You've done nothing wrong. All you've done is love me. Loving someone can never be wrong."
"Padme, he wants me to join him." He looked at her. His exhaustion and pain evident, "and he'll use any means necessary to make that happen. There is no other way."
"Anakin, please. Don't do this," she realized at moment nothing could be said to change his mind. She turned and stepped away. She fell to her knees and burying her face in the seat of the easy chair. "I can't bear to be without you, Ani. You are the beat of my heart. I don't know what I'd do. I'll die. I know I will." She sobbed.
Anakin softened. "Padme, please don't say that."
Padme stopped speaking and just cried. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably. He sensed her fears and desperation, which is something he had never sensed in her before. He lifted her to her feet, wiped away her tears and held her close. She buried her face in his chest. Just then she gasped. Anakin pulled away from her. She was holding her belly.
"What's wrong?" Anakin said fearing her labor had begun prematurely.
She grabbed his left hand and placed it on her belly. She looked at him as the baby moved again. "Anakin, our love is so great and so strong, that it created a life of its own. Our child deserves not to be separated from his or her daddy. You join Palpatine, you make our baby's future uncertain as well as ours. Palpatine cannot be trusted. He has betrayed you once. Don't let him do it twice."
Anakin felt a surge of joy and awe pulse through him that matched the dread he felt. He couldn't help but to smile despite it all. He looked at her and said tiredly, "Padme."
"You know what I say is true." Her eyes never left his gaze.
He did not answer. He removed his hand and sighed.
She continued, "Do not worry. I'll not die in childbirth. Our love is too powerful to be checked by life or death. Anakin, promise me you will not turn."
"Don't ask me that Padme. You have no idea what you ask of me."
"We will get through this. Have faith."
"In what?"
She held his hands intertwining her fingers between his. "In us." She paused, "Remember always that we can never be parted, my love." She released one of his hands and placed her hand on his cheek, "Please, promise me Ani," She gazed into his troubled eyes.
He paused and nodded, "I promise. I'd do anything for you Padme. Anything." He embraced her, sending her through their bond in the force, all his love. He closed his eyes and buried his head in her hair.
Anakin lifted his head and looked at the door. "Obi-wan's at the door."
"What?" Padme looked at him curiously. "I did hea-"
There was a knock at the door. She grinned.
Anakin opened the door and stepped into the hall. He shut door behind him. "Master, I didn't expect to see you."
"I was just coming to check on you." Obi-wan raised his eyebrows, "I hope I am not disturbing you."
"No, no. I'm fine." Anakin shook his head.
"I know you are under a tremendous amount of stress." Obi-wan clasped his hands together behind his back. He sensed Anakin's anticipation.
"I can manage."
"Despite what happens Anakin, I am always here to help you."
"I know Master", Anakin said with a smile.
"Have you considered where to go after evacuation?"
"Yes, to Tattooine, with Owen and Beru. I have already spoken to them and arranged for us to stay there for awhile."
"I thought you didn't like Tattooine?"
"I don't." His face displayed his displeasure. "Therefore it should be one of the last places the Emperor will look."
"But eventually, he will look there."
"I know, but at least we'll have some time to -", Anakin gasped and slowly bent over supporting his hands on his knees.
Obi wan leaned against the wall, and muttered "Oh no."
An invisible thick cloud of agony fell upon them, the likes of which have never been felt before. It was the pain of thousands and thousands of Jedi signatures being brutally and abruptly erased. It created such a tremor in the force; it reverberated from Jedi to Jedi.
A series of loud explosions followed and shook through the building, followed by the distant random sounds of blasters and the humming of lightsabers. The smell of fire and destruction announced the impending doom of the Jedi order.
The explosions startled Padme. She looked out of the window and saw a ship hovering above the temple. Like spiders on a web line, clonetroopers descended from the ship on support cables. They were shooting out the windows and climbing in. She looked below and saw a legion of soldiers entering the temple, stepping over the bodies of Jedi who tried to fight them off. For her, it was like the end of the world. Fear coursed through her veins. It's finally come to this? Oh gods! It's happening! As she ran to put on a pair of boots, the window exploded. Shards of glass sprang towards her, cutting her on the arm before she could shield herself. She screamed. Two clonetroopers had entered the room no sooner when the sound of lightsaber heralded Anakin's entrance. He spun on this toes, twisting and whirling his bright blue blade. He cut the head off of one trooper and sliced the other completely in half. They didn't even have a chance. He was vicious.
He turned to face Padme. To her, for a moment it looked like he rather enjoyed that. "Let's go." He grabbed her hand and they exited the room.
They entered the hallway to see Obi-wan in a battle against a group of clonetroopers. Anakin assisted his master and together they wreaked havoc on the invaders. The clone troopers spilled out from almost every room and behind every door. Padme stayed close behind her husband as he and Obi wan fought their way down the hall. She picked up a blaster that had been dropped and covered the rear. After force pushing three soldiers to the far end of the hall, Obi wan spoke loudly, "Its no use. They're everywhere. We must get to the emergency exit. We will have to take stairs. No doubt that will be a death trap." He ran toward the staircase door with Anakin and Padme right behind him.
Padme look down upon There was another padawan she saw who was curled up in a ball. She froze at the sight of a pair of younglings that were huddled together in fear. One of them appeared to staring up at her. With tears in her eyes, she closed the eyes. Her chin trembled and she shuttered. She held her stomach and covered her mouth with her hand. Anakin took her into his embrace and held her closer to him than ever before. She buried her head into his chest and sobbed. Anakin couldn't believe what he was seeing. His eyes swept from face to face, as he increasing became numb by the unforgiving assault on his senses and his feelings.
"They're - they're all gone." Obi wan cleared his voice, "We can not linger. We must move on." Obi wan's voice uncharacteristically shook with emotion.
Obi wan's voice uncharacteristically shook with emotion.
And so it was with a heavy heart that they all had to move quickly stepping over vacant bodies. They turned corner and ran toward the south side of the temple.
After force pushing three soldiers to the far end of the hall, Anakin suddenly felt another tremor in the force. Anakin sensed a presence that somehow was both familiar and foreign to him. He felt drawn to it. He couldn't explain why, but the force was compelling him to separate from his former master and his beloved wife. He reluctantly let go of her hand.
Padme looked at him with wide eyes, "What are you doing? Let's go!"
Anakin looked at Padme. "You go ahead with Obi-wan to the exit. When you go through the door, there will be a very long tunnel that will take you to the Pennport landing bay. Panaka and the droids are there. Our ship should be ready for take off. You must go to Owen and Beru's."
Padme started shaking her head as her eyes filled up. Anakin stroked her cheek, "Padme, I'll meet you there."
"Where are you going!" Obi wan asked deeply concerned for his former padawan. "You can't go now. Not alone."
"There is something I have to do." Anakin was grim. "The force is guiding me Obi wan don't worry."
Obi-wan understood what this meant. He had to
"You can't leave me, Ani. Not now. Please, I am afraid." Padme held on to his arm.
"I'll make it out Padme, you'll see. We will meet again. I promise." He gently removed her hand with a sad smile. How it hurt to remove a touch he cherished so. "Have faith. We can never be parted, remember? Not in life. Not in death."
Padme held her belly as the tears issued from her eyes. She understood this was something he needed to do. "You make sure you come back to me." She said firmly, finding her resolve
Anakin nodded and turned to Obi-wan, "Take care of her please Master." He pleaded. "Make sure she gets to the landing bay."
"Don't worry." He paused, "Anakin, be careful. May the force be with you." Obi wan placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder.
"And with you too, Master." Anakin spoke solemn and backed away.
Padme placed a trembling hand over her heart and mouthed "I love you."
He mouthed, "Me too" and disappeared down another hallway.