Chapter 2: So the War Begins
Rather content with the past night's excursions and satisfied with the fact that Padmé had not put up much of a protest, Vader groaned happily and rolled over in his large bed. He reached out to pull her against him only to find air.
She's probably out sneaking around he thought grumpily, this souring his mood. That woman shall eventually have to learn control…
The fact that she was not there increasingly annoyed Vader and he eventually stumbled out of bed and, putting on his favorite black cloak, headed to the 'fresher.
She was not there.
Maybe she's hiding from me the Sith thought with a smirk as he ventured out into the hallway.
There was no sign of her.
After bursting into several empty rooms, Vader began to panic and shoved the curious cleaning droids out of the way, storming through the castle. Lightning crashed outside, only adding to his franticness and increasingly rotten mood. Where is she?
It suddenly occurred to him.
The garden.
With a sinking feeling, Vader realized that his wife was probably in the one place he'd forbidden her and had snuck there while he was unawares. In mist of tearing apart the dining room, he dropped everything and headed off in the direction he'd just come, his bare feet smacking against the marbled tile.
"Can I help you, my Lord?" a servant asked only to be shoved aside by Vader as he barreled by. Through large wooden doors he shoved until Vader found himself standing before the thin curtains that separated the room from the outside and where Padmé was.
Taking a deep breath, the Emperor gently pulled away the cloth though he certainly felt like ripping them from the metal upon which they hung.
Only the sight of falling rain greeted him, a loud peal of thunder making the emptiness seem more obvious.
Lying discretely on the stoned ground was a blue cloak that he remembered belonged to his wife. With great reverence, he knelt down on the hard ground and picked it up, his tears falling onto the soft cloth.
"No…" he whispered, fervently shaking his head in denial.
But his mourning was abruptly ended as the sound of an engine filled the air. A large, foreign cruiser speed over the battlements of the castle and into the dark sky that loomed over Bast Castle.
She was gone.
"No!" Vader screamed, angrily waving his fist at the sky in defiance.
Bail Organa.
So began the war to get his wife back.
Two Days Later, Tatooine
Obi-Wan couldn't say that life on Tatooine with his growing family was bliss, but it certainly beat chasing after his former apprentice. After Anakin's demise, he had fled to Tatooine with a persistent Siri in tow, and there they had married and had a son, Ben.
Currently, his wife was doing her favorite thing- complaining about how hot it was. While she carried baby Ben on her hip, she strode throughout the small home griping under her breath and fanning herself with whatever was handy. "I swear, Kenobi," she muttered upon entering back into his presence, "the moment we can, I am going to hightail it from this place." Smiling down at the gurgling baby, she fanned him, causing the little room to be filled with giggles.
Their 'happiness' came to an abrupt end.
"Obi-Wan, why are there two men headed this way?" she asked as if he had planned it all.
Indeed, two men were marching past all the Caution and Warning: Deadly Kyrat Dragon signs towards the small huts.
Obi-Wan groaned aloud. "Senator Organa sent them. Stay in here and I'll handle this one."
His wife began to pout but otherwise remained silent.
Grabbing his cloak, Obi-Wan walked past her to the door and, after a moment's consideration, pulled his son out of Siri's arms and went outside.
"General Kenobi!" one of the men called out but were ignored.
Meanwhile, Obi-Wan walked some distance away and plopped Ben down on the sand. Stay there and trust me he told him before climbing into the nearby speeder.
"We have an important message from Senator Organa!" the other called out.
Engine started, Obi-Wan shifted gears and began to accelerate.
Towards his son.
So far, Ben hadn't noticed the peril he was in and continued to gurgle and play with the sand. Eventually, he heard the increasing thrums and looked up in horror to find his father hurtling towards him and immediately began to scream.
Siri too was terrified. "Obi-Wan, stop it! What has gotten into you?"
The two men gaped, totally speechless.
Trust me
"Fantastic- he's completely crazy! Let's put him in the Red Squadron!" one of the recruiters cheered.
Swerving in the last possible moment, Obi-Wan narrowly missed the wailing Ben and crawled out of the speeder. "It's okay," he soothed, gathering the little boy into his arms. "I would never hurt you- I just wanted to scare them off."
At the doorstep, Siri fainted on the spot.
"So, when can you leave?" a man asked him.
So much for anonymity.
