Forget about It
AN: This chapter is depressing, FYI. I've changed the democracy of Alderaan a little bit. I just wanted to stir things up. This is going to explain some things, like Palpatine's fall, the Naberrie-Organa marriage, Anakin and Padme's love, etc………
Anyway, the usual 'Please Review'!
--Anne
Dedicated to:My first horse, Star. I miss you so much, Star-Man. I hope you're happy in Florida.
Several days later Bail's funeral was held. The Naberrie-Skywalker family stood together. Anakin and Padme in the back and the children in the front. Their children. Anakin felt a flood of memories wash over him as they stood there. Padme had married Bail out of duty, not love. He realized with a jolt, that now that Bail was dead, Leia fell into his place as Queen of Alderaan. His daughter. He gazed at her in wonder. She stood straight and tall with Luke's arm around her, masking her emotions perfectly. Luke, who was almost as tall as his father, was just barely taller then Leia and Christine.
Leia, who was wearing one of her mother's old Senatorial gowns, was standing up to make her speech.
"Bail Organa was one of the kindest men I have ever known." She started, her voice strong and clear. "He served as my confidante, step-father, friend, and idol. He was married to my mother for nine years, from the time I was ten. He was a father like figure for me. When my sister was hospitalized several years ago, I was amazed at his love and compassion for his family. He was very even tempered, unless his loyalty was questioned. He had a way of making you feel as though you were special, I saw him make the smallest housemaid laugh. Having not known my real father until very recently, I looked up to him. Bail Organa was very special, " Here her voice broke. She lifted her head and stared out in the crowd, silent tears flowing down her face. "And I will miss him terribly."
She stepped off the podium, and made her way to Luke. He wordlessly held her as she shook with sobs. When she pulled away, Padme laid a hand on her arm, reminding her of her status. She immediately masked her tears, wiping them away quickly.
Anakin glared at Padme as she whispered to her daughter, "Welcome to politics." Anakin suddenly felt a change in the Force, closing his eyes he felt several Dark presences. He nodded to Luke, and as one they crept forward, disappearing into the crowd, hands on their lightsabers.
Anakin, reaching out into the Force, he sensed the people were near. Signaling to Luke, he ignited his lightsaber, just in time to block a shot. Lightsaber whirling, he cut down the shooter and his accomplices. Luke reached into the shooters cloak as his father stood over him. Luke frowned as he pulled out a lightsaber. Looking up at his father, Anakin nodded. Luke stood and ignited it, a blood red blade shot out.
Anakin mentally groaned, he knew what this meant, he was going to have to tell his family of his past.
Glancing at each other, Luke and Anakin hurried back to Padme, Leia and Christine.
"What did you find?" Leia asked as they got close. Luke tossed her the lightsaber. Anakin knew he would never forget her look of disgust as she ignited it. She took a battle stance, testing it. "It's obviously a weapon of the Sith, " She said, stating the obvious. "But it's a female's weapon." Seeing her sister's outrage at her stereotype, she explained, "Try it Chris." She tossed her sister the offensive weapon.
"We need to get out of here." Anakin murmured. "Too many people are watching." Padme nodded in agreement and herded her children out to the speeder that was waiting. With the driver it made it hard to talk. Anakin hopefully suggested a mind trick under his breath to Padme, who instantly forbade it. Anakin sulked all the way to his house.
"My father, the teenager." Christine snickered through the Force.
"Christine Amelia…" Anakin warned from the front seat.
Needless to say, Christine was glad when they got to Anakin's house. Her favorite part was it was right on the beach. Entering the hallway, she picked up her puppy, Chloe, she cuddled her close. Leia, passing behind Chris, rumpled the puppy's fur. Chloe barked happily. Christine set the wiggly 12-month-old puppy down. She barked and bounded down the hall, her footfalls somewhat muffled by the carpet. Entering the kitchen Christine found her mother, father, and brother talking.
"Where's Leia?" She asked.
Padme gestured toward Leia's room. "Changing. Speaking of which, aren't you hot?" Glancing down, Christine realized that she was hot.
"Why did the Naboo have such heavy dresses?" She called on her way to her room. Without waiting for an answer, she went to her room. Glancing around her light yellow room, she sighed. She loved her room. The light yellow walls, the yellow flower wall boarders, her white bed. It felt like home. She hadn't realized how much Bail had meant to her. Remembering their last conversation she started to cry. She blindly changed, pulling on a bathing suit then pulling shorts on over it. She didn't care what they needed to talk about, she needed a swim. She'd take her lightsaber just incase. Using the Force to cushion her fall, she leapt from her window from the second floor onto the concrete below.
Reaching the beach, she pulled her hair out of the elaborate bun, just leaving a thick, waist length, golden, braid. Rushing straight into the ocean, letting the cold water relax her muscles. She let the water wash away her tear tracks. She felt a dark ripple in the Force. Turning she saw somebody, not two feet away from her, blood red saber in his hands. Summoning her silver lightsaber, she clashed with the red. The water made it hard to fight. Stumbling, she found the saber at her throat.
"You won't win this time, little Skywalker." The creature snarled. "Oh yes, I know your heritage. How your father killed the greatest Sith ever known, and how he fell in love with the Queen of Naboo, slaughtered the entire Jedi Temple, not even sparing his Master." The creature chuckled evilly. "Pity isn't it? Now, we'll find you a nice outfit and take you to the Hutts. They need a few more dancers."
Keeping his lightsaber at her throat and a blaster on her lower back, he forced into his ship. Throwing her into a cell he locked it and left. Shivering, Christine wrapping the sheet around her, soaking it. Desperately reaching into the Force, she felt pain, not just pain, excruciating pain. Collapsing, she hit her head on the tile floor and blacked out.
Back at the apartment, Anakin was starting to worry. Knocking on her door, he entered her room. Not finding her anywhere, he hurriedly scanned the Force. Not finding her signature, he searched for clues, while yelling for Padme. When Padme heard him call she ran to Chris's room. She hadn't heard that frantic note in a while. Realizing her worst nightmare had come true, her stomach turned to ice. Anakin turned and caught her, just as she sank to her knees. She quickly collected her senses, and grabbed some scissors from Christine's desk. She cut the dress right above the knee. Looking out the window, she recognized Christine's footprints down to the window.
Raising the window, she called to Anakin, "Cushion my fall." And leapt from the window. Anakin just had time to gather the Force before his wife, EX- wife, hit the ground. He hurriedly corrected himself. Leia and Luke appeared in the doorway, just to see their mother leap from the window.
"What the heck are you doing?" Luke and Leia yelled together.
"Your sister's missing." Anakin answered. "Who wants to go next?"
Leia shrugged. "I will." Not waiting for her father's consent she collected the Force and followed her mother. Catching up to her mother, she followed the prints to the water's edge. "So she went into the ocean and, oh Force." Leia broke off as she saw a silver tube floating. Summoning it, it landed with a slap in her outstretched palm. Igniting it, she groaned. "It's Christine's." She said grimly, as Luke and Anakin ran up. "So not only is she missing, she's missing with out a way to defend herself. Beautiful."
A creature in the shadows groaned. His mistress was not going to be happy about this. He raised a comlink to his lips. "Mistress Christyn, they're on our trail."
Sitting by the fire that night, Padme shivered. This reminded her so much of the ship back from Naboo, when Anakin had given her the japor snippet. "Me too." Anakin said, joining her.
Padme smiled. "I haven't forgotten, Ani." She pulled the snippet from under her dress. Anakin reached out and fingered it. This brought back so many memories.
Memories of Tatooine, Qui-Gon, his mother, Obi-Wan. He let his hand fall. Padme laid a reassuring hand on his arm. "It's okay Ani." When he looked up, she was startled to see tears in his eyes.
"Why did you file for a divorce?" He asked, his voice husky with tears.
Padme stared into the fire. "I don't know, I was upset. We were so young Ani." She stroked his cheek. "Now look at you, you're not a headstrong Padawan anymore, you're a loving, caring, father."
Anakin laughed. "You forgot the part where I'm old."
"You're not old." Padme corrected him. They both laughed. Leia and Luke quietly crept to the door of the tent to watch. Padme gestured with her left hand, and seeing a glimmer, Anakin caught her hand.
"You're still wearing your wedding ring." He gently said.
Padme pulled her hand out of his grasp. She fingered the band. "I never stopped loving you, Ani." She looked up at him. "But I guess you knew that." She said shamefacedly.
Anakin looked up. "Really?" Then realizing how childish he had sounded, he corrected himself. "I mean, no I didn't know."
Padme grinned. "You're still the Padawan I fell in love with." She said. "You haven't changed a bit. I really do love you Ani."
Anakin smiled, but his eyes were sad. "Then kiss me."
So she did.
Padme sat up straight, breathing heavily. Her dream had been so realistic. She could feel her daughter's long golden curls. Could hold her, feel her pain as she was whipped from her arms. As she was knocked to the ground. She grabbed a blanket and opened the flap to the girls tent.
Climbing out into the chilly night air,she walked to a place by the remains of the fire. She sat in silence. Hoping, praying Christine was alright. She stared into the ashes, troubled by her dream. Several tears fell, scattering the ashes. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Something wrong?" Anakin whispered.
"Bad dream." She admitted quietly.
"Why don't you tell me about it?" He suggested.
Padme considered it, slipping her her hand into his. "Well, it started in Christine's cell." She started. "I was holding her. A stormtrooper, I mean clone, entered. And snatched her from my arms." She looked up at Anakin, silent tears falling. "I'm so worried, Ani."
He held her close and stroked her hair. "I know, Padme. I know." They stayed like that 'til the sun crept over the trees. Leia exited the tent, fully dressed, hairbrush in hand.
She accidentally stepped on a stick, alerting her parents to her presence. "Shoot." She whispered.
"Watch your mouth, young lady." Anakin warned.
"Yes, dear, darling Daddy." Leia sassed, as she sat at her mother's feet.
"Morning Mom." Luke's voice came from behind Padme. He kissed her cheek and pulled a stand of Leia's hair. She looked up and glared at him. "Where are we going next?" Luke asked.
Anakin stared into the ashes, hesitantly reaching out into the Force. He was, yes the great Anakin Skywalker was afraid of what he would find. He sighed as he found Christine's Force signature. He concentrated for a minute on where it was. "Tatooine." He said finally.
"Tatooine!" Leia, Luke, and Padme exclaimed together.
"Tatooine." He said firmly.
So they packed up and headed for the ship.
Tatooine-Night
Christine yelped as she was thrown to the hard concrete floor of the ship. "Dress in this." A cold voice said. The voice of Darth Mainyu (AN: Meaning evil), or Darth Tigger as Christine had secretly nicknamed him.
"And if I don't?" She asked him defiantly.
"You will be sentenced to the Sarlacc." He told her.
Chris caught her breath. "Let me race pods instead. I can buy a dancer for Jabba and my freedom. Please?"
The slim figure pleading with him tore Darth Mainyu into pieces. He absentmindedly reached out to stroke her hair. She recoiled with disgust. "Ew. Don't touch me!" She cried, shying away from him. "You're a Sith Lord. I'm a Jedi." Her tone so much like her mother's.
Darth Mainyu looked at the floor. "I'll let you race pods, if you can make or buy one."
A maniacal smile worked it's way over Christine's pretty features. "Don't worry." She said her tone changing, into a sly hiss.
"I forgot to tell you." Darth Mainyu said. "Your family died in an explosion this morning." He lied. "There's nothing for you now. Join me and become my queen."
Christine sank to the floor in horror. Too upset to check for their signatures. Her eyes began to turn yellow and gleam with malice. "With pleasure." She whispered. She gracefully rose to her feet. "Now, I have a podracer to buy."
Donning rags and tying one around her head she entered the market. "Achuta." She greeted the man selling pods.
"Hi chuba da naga?" The man asked.
"Podracer." Christine said, still conversing in Huttese.
The man sensed her accent and returned to Basic. "Podracer. Hmm, yes, we have lots o' those. You be wanting small?" He asked her.
"Yes." Christine indicated herself. "I'm a poor slave and must buy for master, a pod. No much money. But this do, yes?" She held out some money and mind tricked him.
"Yes this do." The man repeated obediently.
"Good." Christine quickly took the podracer to Darth Mainyu before the man could figure out what happened.
"You did well, my apprentice. However I sense something different about you. What is it?" Her master said.
"I used a Jedi Mind Trick on the seller, Master." Christine said, kneeling at his feet.
"Very well." Mainyu said. "Just don't do it again." He growled. "I have entered you in the Boonta Eve race tomorrow. We shall see if you have inheirited any of your father's talent." He said, smirking.
Chris felt her temper rise. "Yes master." She said, keeping her voice under control.
"Now go get a good night's sleep." Mainyu said, dismissing her.
A man in the shadows, lifted a comlink to his lips. "I've found her, Dad. I've found her."